Back with Aliara

"All right, all right. Let's go." Teysa sounded weary, but she was smiling. She let herself be dragged out of the cave. The walls here were bare rock, but not raw; they had been planed smooth and the floor leveled. The corridor was wide enough for four to walk abreast, and more than ten feet high. The driders who had built this place had not intended it for human-sized creatures. Times were changing, though; as of two months ago, the slow, cautious integration of drow and drider society had begun. Against terrible odds and at great personal risk, Teysa and Aliara had uncovered a millennia-old conspiracy to drive a wedge between the races, and old wounds were only starting to heal. It was a fitful process, but the dozen or so drow now living in the drider warren were a testament to their earnest desire for unity. They were taking it one day at a time. Teysa and Aliara themselves were neither fish nor fowl, neither drow nor drider, yet their adoption by the warren was unquestioned, and they received as much deference as any save the Matron herself. Everyone living there knew what the two surface-dwellers had done for them. As they passed driders in the hall, the spider-women genuflected briefly, a complex maneuver for someone with eight legs.

Up ahead the corridor branched around an impressive rock column. The driders' patient labor had excavated a massive complex of tunnels and apartments, but they had left some of the natural beauty of the unspoiled caves behind. Even the ventilation tunnels, necessary to provide a breathable atmosphere this far below the surface, were artfully concealed in hollows or fronds of delicate helictites. This column was a marvel, polished smooth by eons of slow dripping until it shone like an ice sculpture. They took the right fork, Aliara turning to smile at the column as they passed. She always had time to appreciate the splendor of their new home.

When it became known what they had done, a few of the warren's caves had been set aside for Teysa and Aliara's use. Of course, the term "cave" barely did justice to the rooms they had been given. They were snug, cozy hollows, warmed by geothermal springs and lit by phosphorescent fungus. For someone used to the life of a traveling sword-for-hire, any permanent home was a change of pace. Teysa hadn't stayed longer in any one place for more than a week since she'd taken her paladin's vows. The last home she could remember had been the gloomy and austere Abbey of Saint Petronia, whose bare stone cells and drafty corridors had turned out generations of holy warriors. No dragon's breath, no demon's wrath could compare to Sister Meredith, who had been her arms-master. If she closed her eyes, she could still see the looming face of Brother Viridion, who taught catechism, his long nose wrinkling with disgust when a neophyte faltered or stuttered. Agamor's sunburst had been everywhere in the abbey, but by some strange alchemy her barracks hall had always been freezing even when the practice yards sweltered in the midsummer heat. Compared to all that, her rooms in the warren were a paradise.

Of course, she thought, there was no one like Aliara at St. Petronia. She knew that some of her peers at the abbey had taken their vows more seriously than others, and eager young neophytes were terrible at keeping secrets. More than once she had been awakened by the furtive giggling of her peers as they slipped away for a dalliance in the gazebo or one of the tower parapets. She had been shy and serious, and when a classmate of hers had approached her with a bold request, she had made a counteroffer: if he could defeat her in the yard, she'd give him due consideration. After she broke his collarbone, no more offers were extended, and she had completed her training in peace and quiet. She hadn't set out to be aloof and unfriendly, but her fellow neophytes didn't seem to realize the seriousness of their sacred charge. They were defending the world of Light from the encroaching darkness! Couldn't they see that? Aliara would have made a terrible trainee, Teysa had to admit, but she wondered how different her life would be if she had met the half-elf earlier. If anyone could have made her reconsider her life choices...

Aliara tugged on her arm, breaking her reverie. "Come on! You're sweaty! You need a bath, young lady!" She giggled, her laugh the tinkle of tiny silver bells. Aliara could be deadly serious when she needed to be, but she delighted in counterbalancing Teysa's thoughtful solemnity. Teysa allowed herself to be pulled by one arm across the cave to a thermal spring. Whether by accident or design, the spring filled a bowl-shaped depression large enough for two people to sit in, and the water was hot but not scalding. A tiny waterfall cascaded over one lip of the pool and away into the wall. Teysa pulled off her trousers, tunic and smallclothes and carefully folded them. Old habits died hard-- she remembered long hours in the laundry at the Abbey, a work detail meant to teach the neophytes humility. She was sweaty, and she was starting to feel the aches and bruises of a long sparring session. Lil'esh was her best student, but headstrong, too confident that her speed would keep her out of trouble. She can't avoid getting hit forever. She has to learn how to take a blow. With a groan and an audible cracking of sore joints, Teysa eased herself into the water.

She sighed contentedly as she felt the knots in her back and legs unravel. Leaning forward, she dipped her hair in the water and massaged her scalp with her fingers. Behind her, Aliara sat on the edge of the pool and dangled her bare legs in the water. She kneaded expertly on Teysa's shoulders, unwinding the tension that had developed there. She leaned forward, and Teysa's eyes widened as she felt Aliara's nipples brush across her upper back. The half-elf brought her lips to Teysa's ear and whispered flirtatiously. "Are you totally exhausted, or do you think you have a little bit more in you? I didn't get any time in the ring with my Tey today." She wrapped her legs around Teysa's midsection and knotted her ankles together. Her arms reached around Teysa's neck and she cupped the human's breasts in her hands. Her slim, dextrous fingers caressed Teysa's nipples, spiraling in circles around the sensitive nubs before pinching them gently. Teysa stifled a moan as Aliara playfully rolled her stiff nipples between thumb and forefinger. Her breasts had never shrunk back down to their former, modest size after her impregnation by the drider matron, and they were incredibly sensitive. Aliara knew the best way to flick them, tease them, lick them... her fingers were thin and agile, smooth as silk compared to Teysa's hard-earned calluses.

Teysa stood up abruptly, water cascading off her like some great breaching sea serpent. Aliara clung on to her back, giggling. Still dripping, Teysa crossed the room to the great silken hammock that served them as a bed. She had been leery of it at first, but it was nearly six inches thick, almost like a mattress suspended from four sturdy stone pillars. It was slightly springy but incredibly soft, and she loved the way the weight of their bodies created a little concavity that they could rest in together. She had slept in bedrolls under the stars, lumpy straw mattresses, the narrow pads at the Abbey barracks that seemed harder than stone, and more than one musty haystack, but this hammock was the most comfortable bed she'd ever had. Reaching back, Teysa grabbed the protesting Aliara under the shoulders, and pulled her forward until she dangled over the larger woman's shoulder. The half-elf beat her fists against Teysa like a captured maiden in a fairy tale. "Put me down! This is unfair! Unfaaaaaaaair!" A grinning Teysa flipped Aliara over onto the bed. She had stripped while her lover was in the bath, and her perky tits bounced when she landed. She fluttered her hands theatrically. "Oh, I'm at your mercy, giantess! Please, you can have your way with me, but be gentle!"

Teysa climbed into the hammock and crawled over Aliara on her hands and knees. She leaned down and kissed the half-elf, first lightly, then hungrily, twirling her fingers through her hair and pulling her close. Their tongues intertwined, each tasting the other, neither willing to be the first to let go. Aliara's lips were soft and wet and tasted faintly sweet, as they always did. Something in her half-elf blood. Her fingers kneaded and massaged Teysa's breasts, while Teysa's hand crept between Aliara's thighs. Her slit was moist already, though whether it was from the hot spring or her touch, Teysa couldn't tell. Aliara's coral-pink pussy lips parted like flower petals before Teysa's fingers. She extended her thumb and caressed Aliara's clit, the hidden bud reacting immediately to her touch. Aliara shuddered and broke off from the kiss, letting out a low moan. "More," she begged, her voice breathy and serious. "Please."

Teysa grunted in response and lunged forward, pinning Aliara to the bed with the weight of her body. Her mouth descended on the half elf's with furious intensity, her tongue probing the smaller woman's mouth. She wrapped up a fistful of Aliara's hair in her fingers and pulled. Aliara whimpered and flung her arms around Teysa's neck. Her hips bucked and jerked, grinding into Teysa's hand. Teysa extended two fingers and curled them around, sliding them into Aliara's tight cunt. Her thumb continued to circle the half-elf's clit as she pumped her fingers in and out, curling them around to stroke Aliara's sensitive inner walls. Sticky wetness coated the half-elf's thighs and dripped off of Teysa's fingers as she withdrew them. She pulled back from the kiss and brought her hand up to Aliara's face, dangling her fingers tantalizingly in front of the half-elf's needy eyes. Aliara eagerly licked and sucked at them, slurping her own juices with a contented look on her face and slathering Teysa's fingers in spit. She gurgled happily as she fondled them with her tongue. Teysa waited a few moments, then jerked her arm down and plunged her fingers back into Aliara's soaking-wet cunt. "OOOOOOOHH!" squealed the half elf, her eyes rolling back into her head. She bit her lower lip as Teysa buried her fingers to the second knuckle.

"Oh, Tey, more, deeper, Tey, please..." Aliara's babbling was broken by a sharp intake of breath. Her back arched and she let out a sound like a boiling tea kettle. "AHHHHHHHHHH! Teysa, love, I'm coming, oh God, I'm-" her pussy spasmed violently around Teysa's fingers as she came. Clear fluid spurted across her forearm and her soaking fingers. She slipped a third finger into Aliara's quim and ground the heel of her palm against the half-elf's clit, moving it rapidly in a circle. Aliara's legs jittered and her arms groped wildly across Teysa's back, her nails carving shallow scores in the skin. Teysa didn't notice or care. Her mouth descended on Aliara's nipple, a diamond-hard nub of tan flesh, shiny and slick with sweat. Teysa's tongue swirled around it once, twice, before she bit down gently. Aliara, already in the throes of another building orgasm, shrieked with pleasure. Her toes curled and uncurled spasmodically and another spray of love-juice drizzled across Teysa's pumping fingers. With her free hand, Teysa massaged the other breast, squeezing the nipple between thumb and forefinger and twisting it one way and another. She could feel something dripping across her fingers, and pulled her mouth free to suck greedily at them. Occasionally one or the other of them would still lactate briefly, a relic of the changes to their body wrought by the driders' eggs. Aliara didn't notice; sweat beaded her forehead as she convulsed. The pace of Teysa's fingers became frantic. She was impaling her lover, goring her like a wild boar. Her body weight pressed down on the smaller half elf, crushing her, trapping her limbs. She could smell the sour reek of her own sweat and the sweeter fragrance of Aliara's pussy. The half-elf's mouth hung open, tongue lolling, as her orgasm rolled over her like a breaking wave.

Panting, Teysa withdrew her fingers and fell on her side, careful not to land on Aliara's body. The half-elf collapsed like a puppet with her strings cut. For a long time, she was silent, then she drew in a long, rattling breath. She rested her head on Teysa's chest, nuzzling between her breasts and wrapping one arm around Teysa's side. Their legs tangled together, and Teysa could feel her thighs getting damp from Aliara's still-dripping pussy. Neither of them spoke for a while. Finally, Aliara broke the silence. Her voice was chipper, but underneath that was a note of concern.

"So, you wanna tell me?"

Teysa looked down and idly played with Aliara's hair, twirling a strand between two fingers. "Tell you what, dear?"

"Why you're such a mean bitch lately."

She sounded as if she was joking, but the words were like an icy dagger between Teysa's ribs. She felt a lump in her throat. "Oh, Li... I didn't hurt you did I? Oh God, I'm so sorry, I got carried away... I'm-"

"No, don't worry about it." Aliara looked up at Teysa, and the love in her eyes broke the paladin's heart all over again. "I like it rough. That's why I provoke you. But it's hard to get you to cut loose like that. And earlier today, with that silly drow bitch? I thought you were going to kill her. She probably did too! She looked like she nearly pissed herself!" She cupped Teysa's cheek with one hand and smiled beatifically. "What's wrong? I can tell something's bothering you."

Teysa took a deep breath. To her surprise, there were tears pricking the corners of her eyes. She blinked them away, hoping Aliara hadn't noticed. The sharp pain in her soul had been replaced by a dull ache. When she spoke, it was with difficulty, as if she was dredging each word up from a great distance.

"I can't feel Him." She swallowed. "Agamor. I can't feel His light the way I used to. It happened slowly... I didn't realize what was happening at first." Like bricks tumbling loose from a collapsing wall, the words spilled out of her. She couldn't stop now even if she had wanted to. "I was always told to take His light into the darkness. But here we are, and I can't feel Him at all. When I pray, He is silent. Normally I would feel a... a warmth, a sense of peace... but now there's nothing. Like he's abandoned me." The tears were flowing freely now, and she made no attempt to stop them.

"I did everything I was supposed to! All through our time in the City, I could feel Him! It kept me going, knowing that He was out there and watching me. But now there's nothing. I don't know what to do!" she wailed, and fell silent. Quiet sobs wracked her body.

Aliara was quiet for a moment. She rubbed her thumb across Teysa's cheek to dry her tears. "Oh, Tey, my love. I didn't know." Her voice was quiet and serious. "I'm so sorry. I can't imagine what it's like. I've never..." she trailed off. "Quz doesn't ask much of me, and I don't ask much of Him. But you... you're the most devout person I've ever met. If Agamor can't see that, well, that's, that's his loss." She gently tilted Teysa's chin up until the paladin met her gaze. "This is all new to me. It could be, I don't know, too much time underground? Maybe you need to see the sun again. Maybe Mish'li would know what to do? She's the only, uh, religious person I really know besides you. She'd see us, I bet."

Teysa sniffed, and nodded. Finally telling someone else felt so cathartic. Her heart felt heavy, but she had had a ridiculous fear that when she told Aliara, the half-elf would abandon her. How could she have ever felt that? Of course Li would never let her go. She **** down her doubts and smiled wanly. "You're right, Li. Thank you." She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. "Maybe I am missing the sunlight. I dream of it sometimes... a little house like the one where I grew up, resting on the porch in the afternoons. We never had a proper vacation, you and me."

Aliara squeezed her hand. "That sounds nice. You in your overalls pitchforking a bale of hay, me sipping lemonade in a rocking chair. I love you, Tey."

Teysa squeezed back desperately, like a drowning woman clinging to a plank. "I love you too. Thank you."

With an exaggerated wince, Aliara pulled her hand back and shook it. "Ouch! Message received, dear." She brightened up. "Hey, here's an idea. I know that every month, Jez'ria travels to a dwarven trading post about a day away to sell ambrosia. Maybe we can go with her next time? There might be a priest of Agamor there, or at least they could point you towards one. The dwarves speak to everyone down here, right?"