The Power of a Kiss - Part 3

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They were surrounded.

Empress Noire wasn’t sure how the tide of battle could shift so quickly. When her forces descended on the Cloud Dominion and broke their chief city of Hilltop in just over a day, she wondered (secretly) why it had been so easy. In truth, they just weren’t properly rallied.

They loved their ruler, Adelheid. While this majestic half-golem sat the throne, her servants grew lax in their desire to protect. But once rumors of Adelheid’s ‘death’ swept through the people of Hilltop, they rallied in a way Noire didn’t think possible. And, seeing their beloved ruler alive and well, albeit weak from imprisonment, they fought for her like they never had.

And now, they chased the Noirites off as if they were lice on a rat.

The small comfort Empress Noire had right now was that the Echo Auger wasn’t in the paladins’ hands. Sure, it may not have been in her hands, either, but she would take a level battlefield over her enemies having the upper hand.

Empress Noire was backed into a corner alongside her chief soldiers—Maza and Kiva. Gwynevere was nowhere to be found. She didn’t know if the dark elf had been killed or captured but there was no time to consider it now. They were probably all going to die here, at the hands of the paladins.

Their battle had been upended by the appearance of assassins—dark elves who swore allegiance to no one. They’d secured the Echo Auger and had made off with him, leaving the paladins and dark elves to kill each other in his stead.

Kiva howled at the moon, then transformed into a brilliant grey wolf. When a pair of paladins on horseback rushed toward a fleeing Noire, Kiva launched herself at them, tearing one right off her mount and then leaping across to drive another to the ground. The wolf-girl tore into the paladin as her screams became throaty and then vanished.

Maza Remoire stepped in front of the empress as a barrage of arrows rained down. She cast a simple incantation and a rock-hard shield sprouted between her and the projectiles—they plinked harmlessly against the jagged surface.

A paladin appeared through the heavy smoke, a long poleaxe in her hand. She swiped at Maza who simply ducked, then shoved Noire back a few feet, out of harm’s way. The poleaxe came down again and again but Maza’s vambraces were tough as iron. She turned away each attack with a shower of sparks until finally finding an opening and driving her rapier through the elf’s heart.

The three of them moved along the south wall. There were still enough dark elves to keep the paladins busy but they were also in full retreat. Noire would’ve preferred chasing after the Echo Auger but since he was being carried by a giant woman, it was doubtful she could catch up. With any luck, the assassin would shrink back down and disappear into one of the many cities that dotted the edges of the Cloud Dominion.

Noire was certain they made it out of the city and were in the clear when she heard the heavy hoofbeats of the Hill Steed. She turned just in time to see Adelheid—half elf, half golem—riding toward her, majestic sword outstretched.

“This way!” a voice said to her left. Maza, Noire, and Kiva—as one unit, turned to see a bloodied Gwynevere standing upon a hill, overlooking the city. “We have one chance to leave with our lives!”

Just as Empress Noire started toward her second in command, she noticed Alicia and company riding behind Adelheid, a furious look in her eyes. Noire would be upset too, if she’d lost the Echo Auger.

At the top of the hill, she nearly fell into a pit—but that wasn’t quite right. It was a temple just below the surface. Little blue runes marked the walls. This was the place Gwynevere had come before, the place where they’d entered the other world and found the Echo Auger.

“We can’t get through the portal,” said Empress Noire.

“Yes, we can,” she said, and pointed down to the advancing army. “She’s an ancient.”

Empress Noire grinned but it quickly faltered. Was this a good idea? Ancient magic had opened the portal before, and once Adelheid was in proximity, it would open again. But it wouldn’t just be Noire and her kin escaping—the rest of them would no doubt be dragged along for the ride.

“Are you sure about this?” said Kiva. “The moon is so lovely tonight.”

Empress Noire nodded. “We don’t have much choice. I’d rather take my chances there than get run through here.”

The ground started to swirl as Adelheid came up over the hill. She had a fire in her eye, seeing her prey cornered on the precipice . . . only she couldn’t know what lay on the other side. Blue fire radiated from the temple walls.

The moment Adelheid was close enough to jab her sword, Noire, rolled backward and jumped to the floor. But by now, the floor was gone, and she fell for long, long time . . .

***

She ran until she could run no more.

By the time the blood was pumping in her ears and she’d carried her companions away from the battle, she could no longer hear it. This land was unknown to her kind, especially this far east. But it would’ve been difficult to navigate anyway, for Carina stood at a towering hundred feet tall.

“I think we’re safe,” said a tiny voice from between her fingers. She wasn’t sure which of her sisters had spoken, but the voice was correct. Carina took a moment to catch her breath. She was cold—shivering because she was naked and the air so high was thin.

“I need clothes,” she said through chattering teeth.

“I don’t think I could summon you anything at this size,” said Renalla, their resident spellsmith.

“Neither could I,” Audra added. “You’re just too big, girl.”

The conversation turned inward and she lowered her ear so she could hear her friends talking to the man, to the Echo Auger responsible for Carina’s growth. He was tiny—tinier than the ladies, so Tayte, Audra’s second-in-command, held him in her hands much the same way Carina held her sisters.

“You need to get me away from her,” said Scott. “A little distance will make my power wear off quicker.”

She looked around—it was dark but her eyes were attuned to such things. From where she stood, she could see at least a half dozen small towns scattered across the countryside and nestled in the valleys. She hoped no one could see her. Carina didn’t want senseless death. She wanted to avenge her family—that was it.

“What if . . . one of us absorbs his power?” Tayte said.

Scott nodded, Carina barely able to see his tiny head bobbing. “That could work, too.”

So without even waiting for approval, Tayte tossed him into her mouth as if he were merely a morsel of food. This garnered disapproving comments from her sisters, especially the biggest lady who thought she’d just put their priceless Echo Auger to death.

“Oh, he’s warm,” said Tayte, savoring him. She split her lips and Scott wrestled his way between them until his arms were perched outside. Then, he gave her a soft kiss, as if he knew exactly how to initiate their bond. Carina felt her cheeks growing warm. Was she jealous?

But then, she felt a shiver—not the cold, but of her inches slowly slipping away. Her feet, which had created giant divots in the dirt, were starting to sink into the craters. When she was around fifty feet tall, the collection of tiny people swelling on her hands, she deposited them gently on the nearby grass.

She sank to her knees, dropping below the treeline and hopefully out of sight. They needed to move quickly, for a trail of giant footprints would lead anyone to her.

By the time she was back to normal, her sisters had conjured a tunic across her body. Long, flowing, black leather with golden embroidery. Audra ripped a scrap from her own dress, then presented it to the recently giant girl—it had solidified as a beautiful short sword.

“Thank you,” she said, to which Audra just nodded. Then, to Tayte: “May I have him back, please?”

“In a minute, in a minute,” she said, and her tongue lashed out to move him from side to side. “He’s transferring power.”

“How so?” Carina asked. There were certainly no outward appearances of it—Tayte certainly wasn’t growing larger.

And then, she just started laughing. She spit Scott in her hand then placed him between her breasts.

“What?” Audra asked.

“Oh, you’re gonna love this,” she said, but she wasn’t talking to Audra. She was talking to Carina.

Before anyone could question her, Tayte lifted her arms and a golden halo of light appeared in the air above her head. She twirled her fingers as the halo began to rotate, first slowly then much quicker until it was a blur. And then, it unraveled like a ball of twine.

One end of it fell to the ground at her feet but the other rolled away, disappearing through the trees to Carina’s right. By now, the golden light had dissipated, leaving behind a faint orange glow, like a thin rope weaving through the forest.

“Um,” said Renalla. “That was . . . a little underwhelming.”

Tayte rolled her eyes. “You don’t get it. This is the most useful thing we could’ve hoped to gain from the Echo Auger.”

“What is it, exactly?” Carina asked. The orange line remained—it went on so far that she couldn’t see the other end of it.

Tayte grinned at her again. “This will lead us right to the bald man. Right to the bandits who killed your family and burned our town.”

“You’re . . . sure?” she asked. It was making her tremble. So long she’d been dreaming of righting this wrong, so long had she wanted to seek revenge.

“Yes,” answered Tayte. “I’ve always had the gift of divining. Not enough to make a difference, not like my grandmother. But I’ve always had a bit more intuition than the next elf. I suppose this little man just amplified it.” He was still between her breasts, so Carina reached out and snatched him—she almost gave him a kiss but then remembered he might make her grow again.

“So we . . . follow the line?” Renalla asked.

“That’s right,” said Tayte.

“Sounds easy enough,” said Carina, only it was never so simple. Their lives were anything but easy.

They followed the orange line along the ground for miles. As they walked, Scott began to grow on her hand so she dropped him on the ground, then Renalla quickly summoned him clothes while Audra whipped them into shape.

Within the hour, he was normal size—but normal size for a human was a head taller than the elves. Carina felt a little intimidated by him, but not as much as the others in the group.

Tayte planted a long kiss on his lips, just enough to renew the magic and make the orange line glow a little brighter. But in the process, Scott shrank, losing almost two feet in height. He rolled his eyes and held his pants at the waist so he wouldn’t lose them.

“Wait,” said Audra, putting a hand against his chest. “There’s a wall up ahead. I think we’re at the edge of a city.”

“I don’t . . . see anything,” said Scott.

She chuckled. “Because you have human eyes and human eyes are weak.”

Carina whispered in his ear, “But rest assured, there is indeed a wall here. Tall and imposing.”

“So what do we do now?” he whispered. “I haven’t been here long, but in my experience, everyone hates your kind.”

The way he said it came with some bite and the girls just stared at him for a moment, as if deciding if his words were borne of mocking or ignorance. Finally, Audra sighed and nodded.

“It’s true. Long ago, there was a great division in our world. The paladins believe that Dinnin, their god, lifted the Cloud Dominion from the water and gave it a hard shake, forming the world for the high elves but also sending the dark elves tumbling to the world below.”

“That’s . . . awful,” said Scott. “And what do the dark elves believe? How did your god make the world?”

Carina took this one. “We don’t have a god. We acknowledge the existence of Dinnin but believe that he split the world into two halves—those who enjoy a life of leisure and those who are burdened with the toil. High elves are weak because of their easy living while dark elves are forged into fearsome warriors.”

“That sounds . . . like a better story,” said Scott.

Carina nodded. “I think so.”

Scott finally acknowledged the wall, but not until they were within ten feet of it. Darkness and fog hung on every inch of the forest. If not for the orange line, they would’ve gone around in circles—elf vision or not.

As they walked the perimeter of the wall, they came to a wide dirt road that entered through a giant portcullis. Audra put her back against the wall and eased to the edge and looked around.

“There’s six high elf guards on the other side. The gate is down. We can’t get through this way.”

“But the trail,” said Tayte. “It goes through right here.”

“Wait, can’t they see it?” Scott asked. Carina looked around the corner and saw the guards standing at attention. The orange line went right between them.

“I don’t think so,” said Tayte. “I think . . . the magic only allows our eyes to see it.”

“That’s handy,” he said.

Audra said, “Yes, but it doesn’t solve how we’re getting through there.” The gate was solid iron swatches, gaps too small for anyone to slip through.

Renalla said, “Carina can grow and break it down.”

“That’s insane,” she said. “We don’t want to kill anyone we don’t have to . . .”

“Or whom we’re not paid to . . .,” added Audra.

“Right, but we also don’t want to alert our targets if they’re nearby. That’ll just force us to chase them to yet another city.”

“Might I suggest a bit of experimentation?” Scott whispered. They looked at him with wide, curious eyes so he elaborated. “Maybe I can grant some sort of power to help us get through.”

So, right by the gates, they experimented.

Carina kissed him just long enough to feel her leathers tightening. She could call up shadow magic and perhaps distract the guards but that didn’t help them get through the iron gate.

Tayte’s ability allowed her to track anything—they could see the heartbeats and outlines of all the forest creatures and all the elves who lived within the city. But it couldn’t get the gate up without alerting the guards.

Audra’s power was amplified in glorious ways. She could make anything turn to metal, not just cloth. The trees, the rocks, the dirt, even the wall. But that didn’t help them until she realized she could not reverse the spell—turn metal into cloth.

“That can work,” she said. “I’ll turn the gate into strips of cloth and then Carina can conjure up shadow magic for us to slip through.”

“Wait,” Renalla said. “We didn’t see what I can do.”

By now, Scott was nearly two feet tall, the summoned clothes in a pile around him. His cock was rock hard, even though the ladies in their experimenting went only for his lips. But Renalla, summoner of all things magic, knelt and gave his cock a little tug with her mouth.

Scott grabbed strands of her hair as the tug became more intense. Over her scalp, he could see Carina’s disapproving gaze. Still, he wasn’t in control so he let the big lady do what she wanted, feeling his inches bleed away.

Finally, she laughed and rolled over until she could sit against the wall. She wiped her lips and looked at her friends. She said, “Oh, I have the best idea of all.”

She held out her hand and there on her palm were four glittering rings. Each was silver, little runes glowing along the sides. It wasn’t in a language any had seen, not even Renalla. She’d reached into the ether with Scott’s help and pulled out four artifacts from a distant world.

“Try them on, ladies,” she said, to which each girl snatched one, leaving the last for Renalla.

Carina turned it over between her fingers before slipping it on. At once, she felt a tug at her stomach, as if someone was gently pushing on her. This sensation traveled up to her head, then back down to her feet. Again, the soft pushing, only this time she felt her body contracting . . .

Because she was shrinking . . .

The other girls were likewise growing smaller. Renalla, Tayte, and Audra were too busy looking at themselves and the world around them to notice that Scott was now the biggest of the group. He stared down at them with an amused expression.

Carina, now no bigger than six inches tall, made a ‘come hither’ motion with her finger. Scott, standing at roughly two feet tall, took a knee and leaned down. She put her miniature hands to his cheeks and kissed his oversized lips. Immediately, she could feel his power transferring to her. The shadows gathered around her body as he slowly began to dwindle away.

When he was nearly the same size as the others, she pulled her lips away and swiped her thumb across her mouth. They shared a grin and then she offered a final kiss, bringing him down to chest level.

After Audra and Renalla conjured a suitable set of clothes for him, the girls returned to the edge of the gate. Carina summoned a low-lying veil of shadow. The guards wouldn’t think anything of it unless they paid close attention. Given the late hour, she was hopeful this wouldn’t be the case.

They slipped through the gate, barely having to duck beneath the lowest slat. On the other side, they hurried past the rows of guards. Since they were assassins, they were trained in moving about quietly. It was twice as easy at such a small size.

The girls—and Scott—ran for what felt like a half mile. In truth, it was merely twenty yards. The walls opened up, revealing a steep hill with lots of houses on each side. In the middle, a marketplace that was probably bustling during the day but closed at this late hour. Their orange guide proceeded right up the path between the rows of houses.

“Does it look . . . brighter now?” whispered Audra.

“It does,” said Carina. “Must be since we’re so small now.”

“No,” said Scott. “It has looked the same no matter what size I’ve been.”

Renalla said, “It’s brighter because we’re close.”

Carina’s heart fluttered. They were nearby. It was making her hands shake. The men who changed her life forever were within throat-slitting range. It filled her with the desire to kill. She grinned, hoping it didn’t look too off-putting to Scott or her sisters.

“C’mon,” Audra said. “Let’s go find these bastards.”

***

The elves had no word of Déjà vu but Alicia was certainly feeling it. Her mind whisked back to the day she met Scott, to the day she tumbled into the Earthrealm and was surrounded by so many things she didn’t understand.

Adelheid led the paladins right into Gwynevere’s trap. The only good thing to come of it was the arena would be neutral. Neither of them could possibly have the upper hand in a world in which they weren’t familiar.

She closed her eyes. Hands gripped her—she thought it was Maeve but it was Nym, desperately trying to keep from being swallowed up by the portal. When it was over, she hit the ground, face smacking the hard, cool tile. She sat up and split blood from her burst lips.

Somewhere far off, screaming.

They were in the same room where she fought the Noirites, only now it was dark and there were no innocent people in the way. Out the windows, daylight. The room was in the midst of repair so Alicia assumed the humans shut it down following the otherworldly battle.

“Where are the Noirites?” asked Adelheid, still atop her magnificent Hill Steed. Its nostrils flared as it licked at the unfamiliar air. She turned a circle, trying to find Gwynevere and her ilk but they weren’t in this part of the museum.

At least her fellow paladins were here—Maeve, Nym, Hima, and Shizare. They were a fearsome bunch, if not a little rattled by the fall.

Shizare said, “Follow the screams. It has to be them!”

Without waiting, Adelheid’s steed rose on its haunches, the beast’s head rising up fifteen feet. Then it dropped to a thunderous boom and raced out of the room. It wasn’t fast—it couldn’t get traction on the decorative tile—so the others were able to keep pace.

This place was called the Royal Ontario Museum and Scott had briefly talked about it the night after the battle. It was a place where humans came to learn about the past. She admired them for allowing their young to enjoy such priceless artifacts but it wasn’t that way in the Cloud Dominion. Anything worthy of stealing was locked away in the paladins’ treasure vaults, only to come out for special events.

The bottom floor was the nexus for all the exhibit wings. And right now, it was being destroyed by Gwynevere and her ilk. More high elves had fallen through the portal—it wasn’t just the paladins fighting back.

Through the dust, Alicia spotted Empress Noire, a long blade in her hand. She was backed into a corner with high elf warriors approaching from all sides. When her eyes locked with Alicia’s, she made a grimace, then screamed out. She launched herself forward, swinging high to block an incoming slash, then low for the killing blow.

She rolled aside, dragging her sword across the ankles of an elf, then burying her blade in his throat before he could scream out in pain. Two more went down and then she started to back away. Her eyes flashed to the side, as if she were hearing something. Then, she disappeared into the next hallway.

Alicia tried to follow but Gwynevere stepped into her path. Looking at her companions, Alicia said, “Get the Empress. Let’s end this.”

Adelheid pushed through, driving her steed right through the wall of dark elves. Maeve and Hima were about to follow but Maza and Kiva blocked their way. The wolf girl, now without the ability to draw upon the moon, had reverted back. Still, she was a fearsome warrioress who knew how to kill out of wolf form as much as she did in it.

“We shouldn’t be fighting each other,” said Gwynevere. “We should be searching for the Echo Auger.”

“And what would we do when we found him?” Alicia asked, twirling her blade and circling around while the others behind engaged their own quarry.

Gwynevere shrugged. She dragged her giant blade across the tile, leaving a long track. “I suppose then we’d fight.”

“How about we settle it now and the one left alive can go searching for him?”

Gwynevere grinned and tightened her hold on the sword. “I accept your terms.”

The blade came over her head, surprisingly quick for something that had to weigh double her body. Alicia rolled to the side just as a shower of glass rained down on her. The dark elf dragged her weapon from a tall display case of now-crumbled pottery.

Alicia was quicker, easily able to dodge the massive sword. One hit from it would break half the bones in her body, so she had to be more defensive than offensive. She ran along the wall, dodging another slash, then came down behind her.

She slashed with her gleaming blade but Gwynevere had already rolled forward and all she managed to hit was the elf’s cape.

Hima shot out small bursts of white-hot magic, so cold that it burned anything it touched. She wasn’t an equal swordswoman to Maza, yet she held her ground, just the same.

Both Nym and Maeve fought a pair of dark elves who flanked Kiva. Although the girl had lost her wolf form, she was still an agile predator. They launched a barrage of magic missiles and blades her way but she dodged or riposted every blow. It was frustrating, to say the least.

But Shizare caught her backing away, favoring small loss of ground to redirecting blows. Shizare conjured up a heavy mace, flickering with waning power because she was so far away from her world’s magical sources. Yet, when she swung it, Kiva had little time to react. The wolf-girl collapsed back, hoping the weapon would pass over her, but the spikes bit into her stomach and she let out a horrid screech. Alicia approached, sword raised high but the wolf-girl scooped up a handful of glass and threw it her way, then bounded off.

Oh, how Alicia wished she had the power of Scott! The Echo Auger would certainly turn the tide.

As the ground began to rumble, she realized it may have turned already . . .

***

Empress Noire never let herself become overwhelmed. She’d taken her own subterranean realm by being the most cunning elf in all the land. She took Hilltop just the same. But now, the paladins were closing in on her. A large gash on her leg—some lucky strike from one of the high elves—reminded her that she could bleed. That she could die in this world if not careful. Now, it was time to regain the upper hand.

From her pocket, she pulled out the only reagent she used for spellcraft—a pinch of fine, Cespan dust from the gravesite of her ancestors. It glittered with flecks of bone and pearl and crystalized flame. She scattered it across the ground just as Adelheid burst into the hallway, her head nearly too high for the space. At once, Noire felt herself communing with those long dead. Those tied to this world but perhaps not a part of it. She reached out with her mind and snatched the first two entities to give her their attention.

Sure, one of them said. We’ll fight for you. Just remove us from this dark in-between.

Gladly, Noire imparted back.

The ground began to split open, luckily between Noire and the approaching Hill Steed. Adelheid pulled the reins and the mount skittered across the floor before stopping at the gap.

A bright light seared her eyes and then the next moment she looked up, there was a pair of creatures standing before her, both kneeling as if she were their queen. Then again, that’s exactly what she was. She’d teach them semantics when and if they survived this onslaught.

To her right, an orange-haired elf with a gleaming gold and red sword at her hip. She stood, a fire in her eyes that belied a friendly interior. A tiny smile surfaced on her lips as she bowed her head reverently.

To the left, a dark-haired elf with a skimpy silk tabard. When she stood, her naughty bits peeked through for just a moment. But like her companion, her eyes shone with power. A great awakening had occurred within her, one that demanded a flexing of her power.

And at once, Noire knew these warriors’ names to be Kamari and Eir. Both of them had been dead for many years, their essence swimming in the space between worlds. The dust had given them back their corporeal forms. They would be loyal to the end—an end that might come sooner rather than later.

“Kill her,” she told them, and nodded to the half-golem sitting atop the Hill Steed.

Kamari was the first to launch herself forward, blade coming up high. Before Adelheid could respond, the Hill Steed, raised on its haunches, knocking off its rider—but also sparing her. Kamari’s wide, thick blade caught the beast right in the belly and it collapsed on the tile.

Adelheid, standing at least three feet taller than the rest, heaved her blade with both hands. Her sheer power almost lulled Kamari into a difficult position but the swordswoman easily sidestepped. With each of Adelheid’s lumbering attacks, the smaller elf dodged with hardly any effort. It was starting to irritate the big lady.

Now, Eir was finished watching. She levitated off the floor, her hands out wide. A thick, granite column to the right of her snapped free of its base, then hurled right toward Adelheid. The elf-golem hacked with her blade, slicing the projectile in two, but the force of it knocked her back a few steps. It worked in her favor—Kamari had just delivered a swipe that would’ve opened up her midsection.

More debris rained down from Eir—glass cases, artwork, sculptures, and plaster and concrete right from the walls and floor. Adelheid managed to dodge it all or redirect it with her sword. At last, a wide painting of men on horseback hovered in front of Eir. She conjured up a fireball, lighting the frame from one end to the other, then sent it hurling toward the big lady.

Growing frustrated at so many near misses, Eir squeezed her hands into fists, then called up all the little pieces of glass and rubble from the floor. In an instant, it all began to burn like pitch. Then, she shoved out her hands, sending all the little molten pieces toward her.

She slapped blades with Kamari one more time, then retreated up the steps toward the secondary battle in the museum’s foyer.

Debris lay all over the expansive room. A few bodies—humans who’d been caught up in the middle of the battle, lay strewn about. Adelheid faced the trio of attackers and backed closer to her fellow elves.

A few dark elf warriors remained, as well as a collection of high elves. She saw Maza holding her own on a balcony above the main room. Kiva was nowhere to be found. The wolf-girl always felt so vulnerable without her ‘true’ form, so if she’d been injured, she probably ran off to lick her wounds. Empress Noire would deal with her later—or perhaps let one of these new entities be her replacement.

“Which are the adversaries?” asked Kamari, taking in the battle before her.

“We wish to serve,” added Eir.

Noire pushed through them and said, “Light-skinned, subpar warriors. You’ll figure it out.”

On the steps leading up to the balcony, she found Alicia and Gwynevere exchanging blows. The dark elf’s massive sword had already ripped up the pretty carpet and chipped the marble beneath. Noire joined with Gwynevere’s overhead swipe and it was too much for Alicia to bear. She turned away the biggest blade and managed to slip beside the other. Noire’s sword clanged and produced a shower of sparks.

The high elf retreated on up the steps where an icy projectile, courtesy of Hima, zipped past all three of them and clattered noisily against the wall. Further ahead, Shizare and Maza tangled, going around and around with heavy slaps of their powerful blades.

Kamari ran along the wall, toppling priceless artwork, until she could swing her sword across Alicia’s neck. But the paladin slid forward, tilted her head back, and missed the sharp edge by an inch. But the blade carried through and struck an unsuspecting high elf. Her head lopped clean off her shoulders and her body sunk to the ground.

Kamari and Maza both struck at Nym who’d conjured a pair of spectral short swords to deal with both blades—thick broadsword and rapier.

She was a blur as she turned away both attackers. Kamari lunged but either missed each strike or decided not to take it in favor of strengthening her footwork. At last, she grew frustrated by the close proximity of Maza and she pushed the swordswoman over the balcony. Maza uttered a little curse but went off the find new prey, nonetheless.

Now down to one opponent, Nym dismissed one of her blades and lengthened the other one. She clashed a few times with Kamari, circling around until she caught movement from the corner of her eye, followed by a large bloom of fire.

Without thinking, she conjured a spectral kite shield, big enough to cover her face and all the way down to her feet. From her side, it was transparent, so she could see the long, flaming table as it hurtled toward her. When it hit, she used the momentum of it to spin around her sword arm—and she brought it down hard on the warrioress, slicing into her thigh.

She took a few steps back and appraised the wound, then said, “You’ll pay for that one!”

Nym dismissed her shield and twirled her sword, flicking the blood off the blade. “Then come on.”

Downstairs, Empress Noire tried to stand against Adelheid but the half-golem’s strength was too much to bear. One of her swings was enough to send Noire’s sword arm back behind her head.

Just then, Kiva dropped from the ceiling, her arms wrapping around Adelheid’s throat. The big lady flailed and staggered back, then drove the wolf-girl into the wall. She was trying to change, to become a beast despite the lack of moon. With her mouth widening awkwardly, she clamped down on Adelheid’s forearm, biting through the silk and flesh. The half-golem screamed but never lost her hold on the blade.

Before Noire could run her through, Maeve and Alicia stepped in front, easily turning her sword away. The three of them danced with blades, giving ground then taking it back. They went around and around, occasionally intersecting other fighters.

Adelheid tossed Kiva into a pair of dark elves, then hopped the railing to the second floor and joined the fight against the newest adversaries.

Eir hurled more furniture. When all that she tossed had been reduced to blocks and splinters, she picked up corpses and weapons and hurled them just the same. Shizare came within inches of being stabbed by a trio of flying blades. They sailed over her head and sank into the wall.

The battle was one big stalemate, Noire noticed. Even with her new companions. She hated to admit it but Maeve and company knew how to fight—they weren’t soft at all, as her kind continued to believe with each new generation.

Noire turned just in time to see Gwynevere rolling down the steps, her sword sliding behind her. Alicia was racing toward her but Noire got there first and she shoved the high elf against the wall.

She twisted Alicia’s arm, the sword clattering to the floor. Then she swung her own, intent on cleaving the elf’s head in two but Alicia, now disarmed, grabbed her sword arm. They fought against one another’s strength until a blast of cold air shoved Noire back against the wall.

When she made it to her feet, she looked across the battlefield. No one was giving an inch. She should’ve conjured more help but she was out of dust. How would the Noirites win? How would they ever leave this place?

***

The deeper they went into town, the less people they saw. It was late and the only sounds came from the many taverns that dotted the city. Most of these were set up by gates for quick access to the road. It made sense that Carina’s bandits would come here—if the city was as large as Scott figured, it would be easy for ne’er-do-wells to blend in.

“Can’t we grow back?” said Tayte, sitting on a rock and pulling her foot into her lap. She jerked off the boot, then massaged her achy sole. “This is taking much longer than it needs to.”

“We can’t risk the bandits learning about us and then racing off across the Cloud Dominion,” said Audra. “Now sit a spell, then let’s be moving again.”

It was probably good fortune that the orange line didn’t waver. As long as their target remained in the same spot, it would be easy to find them. Hopefully, at this hour, they were all fast asleep. Maybe Carina would be able to stab them all in their beds. And given the intensity in which the magic burned, Scott figured they were soon to meet.

“I hope we grow back once we take off the rings,” said Carina. “Let’s pray this isn’t permanent.”

“Nonsense,” said Renalla. “Anything from the spectral realm is legitimate.”

Audra said, “Right, but sometimes it comes with a price. Or at the least . . . a side effect.”

Scott didn’t get to ask what this meant, for a pair of drunken ladies stumbled by, their giant feet dragging dirt within inches of where the tiny elves and man hid.

“Let’s go,” said Carina. “It can’t be much further.”

Throughout the whole shrunken journey, the girls took turns kissing Scott. They licked away tiny portions of his power in order to keep him at a small, hidden size. Whenever he inched taller than the ladies, they brought him back to chest-level. Part of it was emasculating, but mostly it was pure fun.

They came upon a tavern at the northern edge of town. It was large—three stories—and bustling with activities. Harlot elves hung from the windows or draped their legs over the railing above. The doors were held open by a coal bucket while heat and nice-smelling food rolled out. Their orange tracker ventured right inside.

“This is it,” Carina said. “Let’s go.”

It was nearly impossible to get up the three steps to the door but the girls took turns acting as stepladders. Finally, they reached down and pulled up a half-sized Scott. Half of six inches, anyway.

They immediately moved over to the inner door, as the common room was bustling with activity. A serving girl’s boots stepped in front of them, so close that Scott could smell the rough leather of them. A moment later, she was gone.

They crept across the common room floor, the vibration of chairs, talking, and pipe music making their teeth chatter. The orange line went right down the middle of the room but this was a high-traffic area and quite dangerous. Instead, the shrunken adventurers ran alongside it, beneath the tables.

From one table to the next, they continued until they were near the rear of the establishment, just in front of the minstrels who were playing for a bit of coin. But the orange line didn’t end there—it continued up the stairs to the next floor.

“Dammit,” said Carina. “We’ll never get up there without being trampled.”

“Or without wearing ourselves out,” added Tayte.

But Audra was looking past them. Her eyes were fixed on the approaching serving girl.

“Watch and learn, ladies,” she said. Just as the serving girl passed, Audra ran toward her, then launched herself at the hem of her dress. The serving girl went up the steps, carrying the shrunken assassin along the way.

“Unbelievable,” said Tayte.

The girl made more rounds, next carrying up Tayte and then Renalla. They were too afraid to go at once, for their weight might be noticed.

Finally, Carina planted a long kiss on Scott’s lips before catching her own ride. But as she ran, she said, “What? You’re getting too big, anyway."

When it was his turn, he’d dwindled almost half as small. He started running while she was all the way over at the counter picking up drinks. And when he grabbed on, he felt the material swelling between his fingers.

As her legs pumped, he struggled to keep a hold. The dress continued to billow out in his shrinking hands but luckily, she made it to the top before he was forced to let go. Large hands grabbed his shoulders and pulled him to the side, out of the path of her boots.

“You kissed him too much!” Audra scolded. Carina was giggling.

When Scott stood, it was without pants. He’d lost them on the steps. But luck for him, he was so small his shirt hung down past his knees. Audra simply waved her hand and conjured up new clothes from his shirt.

They were each happy to see the orange line continued across the floor, rather than up the steps to the third and final floor. This was quite the endeavor and Scott wondered when they’d pull the veil away, when the girls would attempt to grow back to normal.

More tables stood between them and the orange glow but halfway beneath the first one, the tracker became so bright that it was amazing no one else could see it. Scott expected it to turn into a line of lava and burn right through the floorboards. Another few steps and they found where it ended—it was intertwined between three sets of legs.

“This is it,” said Carina. “The bald man and his cohorts. I wonder which one he is,” she said, drawing a blade and pointing to each in turn.

Audra put her hand atop the sword and lowered it. She said, “Not like this. You’ll get one swipe and then he’ll stomp you like a bug. Is that really how you want your story to end?”

Grudgingly, Carina sheathed her blade.

“We going to Winterbliss after this, lads?” said one voice from above.

Another voice grumbled: “Eh, maybe. It’s too cold but I hear folks are too scared to rob the crypts there. Might be able to find a pretty penny.”

“That’s him,” Carina said, breathing through clenched teeth.

Renalla said, “Okay, ladies. We take off our bands and we grow back. Are you ready to make these monsters pay?”

“Wait,” said Carina, and she kissed Scott on the lips and grabbed his cock through his pants. Tayte was there too, pushing aside her sister so she could also sap his power. The result was Scott dwindling even smaller. When he was no doubt the size of an ant, Carina stooped and wedged him between her breasts.

“Try not to get hurt, yeah?” said Carina.

“I’ll do my best,” he said.

Audra counted down from three, then the ladies removed their bands. They probably didn’t notice their change at first, but Scott could, considering he was now naked and touching Carina’s skin. Slowly, her breasts began to swell beside of him and he felt himself sliding down into her cleavage.

The girls huddled close together and then dropped to their knees in an attempt to keep their presence hidden for as long as possible. But Carina’s widening foot must have touched one of the bandits because she screamed as he grabbed her hair and jerked her out from beneath the table.

“What the hell are you?” he asked—he was missing one eye and his head was bald, smooth as a baby’s bottom. This was the man she was looking for.

She continued to grow in his grasp, so he considered her with an odd look. But it was slow—too slow to make much of a difference. Her blade came out, then stabbed down but she was still too small to possess her normal strength.

He easily turned her arm aside and then, with a final grunt, plunged her own blade into her stomach.

“No!” shouted Scott, just as he began to slide deeper into her cleavage.

Carina slid off the bandit’s and landed in the floor. If she hadn’t turned to the side, she would’ve probably crushed him. She wasn’t growing now and Scott knew why. He wrestled his way out of her clothes and just then, Audra grabbed him and lifted him to her own cleavage. It was still growing, the table now tossed across the room in a torrent of screams.

“Sadness later,” she whispered down at him. “Vengeance now.”

But something wasn’t right about her face. As the girls spread out across the common room’s second floor, the trio of bandits drawing weapons, Renalla was the first to discover it.

“We’re getting big!” she said. “Bigger than normal!” He looked across the room—she was standing at least a head taller than the biggest bandit.

“So there’s your side effect to the rings,” Audra muttered under her breath. She looked down at Scott, her head seemingly rising higher than ever. “Find something to hold onto, little man. It’s about to get pretty roomy in there.”

They gave the bandits their full attention but Tayte moved to the staircase to block their retreat. She was rising higher—her back would brush the ceiling in just a few minutes.

Tayte pulled out a dagger that was now the size of a broadsword. She dropped to her knees and stabbed out, intent on skewering the bald man but he was surprisingly agile. He rolled to the side and grabbed the serving girl by the hair, then held a blade to her throat. Tears streamed down her face as she dumped a platter of beers across her dress.

“I’ll gut her!” said the bandit. “I’ll gut her like I did that whore on the ground!”

Something about his tone—and words—sent Renalla’s regular fury into overdrive. She screamed out and shoved her hand between the bandit and his prey—it was wide enough to separate them so the serving girl fell to the floor. Renalla wrapped her fist around him and squeezed.

By now the girls were so big that the floorboards were creaking. Scott was constantly struggling to stay ‘above water’ so he could see what was happening. A few patrons had managed to open a window and slip out but not everyone. The bandits were forced into the center of the room.

“You have to help these people!” Scott shouted up to Audra. “They don’t deserve this!”

At first, he didn’t think anyone heard him, but then Audra stared down between her breasts, her perfect, growing face a mixture of sadness and understanding.

She put her back on the ground, careful to dodge anyone who might slip beneath her. Then, she kicked the wall until a giant, gaping hole appeared.

“Go!” she told them. She kicked again and the roof began to collapse—no, not the roof. The third floor of the tavern. People screamed from up above but just as the wood began to snap and splinter, Tayte put her back against it and held it up.

“Hurry!” she screamed. At first Scott couldn’t tell who she was addressing, but then one by one, little people jumped from a hole in the ceiling, onto her breasts, then down to the ground. From there, they raced out of the hole in the wall and jumped down to the ground outside.

Scott was certain the girls had stopped growing. They were each around forty feet tall and even though the second floor of the tavern was expansive, it was still cramped for three giant elves. If Carina was alive, they would’ve brought the entire building down.

Renalla still squeezed the bald man. One of his arms had managed to break free and in it, he held a dagger. He stabbed her fingers and she let go, but only long enough for her other hand to swoop in and grab him. Before he could understand the error of his attack, she crushed him until his bones became free-floating debris. Then, she tossed his lifeless body out the window.

The other two bandits managed to hop over Audra’s thigh, swing from rafters by the gaping hole in the wall, then land on the ground outside. They were just about to run off when Renalla said, “Oh, no you don’t!”

She squeezed through the hole, then gave chase. Scott watched as her gargantuan feet plowed the ground. Each time she stepped down, tufts of dirt flew into the air.

Audra and Tayte made their way outside, taking great care to watch the tiny, innocent people. When Tayte was standing in front of the tavern, now almost as high, she snatched the remaining third-floor patrons and put them safely on the ground by her feet.

“My tavern!” said a tiny elf woman. “Look what you’ve done to my tavern!”

“Could’ve been worse,” said Renalla, and she scraped her boot across the grass to get rid of what remained of the bandits.

“Get her, please,” said Scott, tugging on Audra’s boot. He was still so much smaller than the rest—currently he was half the size of the normal tavern patrons.

Understanding his meaning at once, she knelt by the ruined tavern and found Carina crumpled in the corner. She gently scooped the girl out, then placed her close to her breast.

Tayte picked up Scott and dropped him in her cleavage just as a loud bell began to sound on the other side of town. Birds fluttered and took flight. The giantesses stood at attention and looked around.

“It’s the guard,” said Audra. “Let’s get out of here!”

And then, with sadness hanging over them, with their mission complete, the girls hopped the wall of the city and ran south. Far in the distance, the world dropped off, giving way to a brilliant ocean below.

***

Scott was falling asleep when the girls started to shrink back to normal size. They stopped somewhere in a heavily wooded area and rested and gave themselves time to mourn and shrink back to normal.

Before losing her inches completely, Audra started to fashion a makeshift gurney to carry Carina.

“Where will you take her?” Scott asked. He was back to normal and he put his hands on her face, cold and unyielding.

“Somewhere by the water,” said Tayte. “She loved it. She grew up near a lake back home. Every single one of her childhood stories involved that lake.”

“You can’t take her back there?” and then he almost gasped over his insincerity. Her home was no longer there. The very bandits they’d just killed saw to that.

But Tayte smiled gently and said, “She’ll be at peace as long as she can see the water.”

“What about there?” said Renalla, and she pointed through the trees. They were on a cliff that overlooked the ocean. On the hill was a large dais with stone arches that were probably once part of a beautiful, towering structure. Now, time and the elements had reduced it so much.

“That would be perfect,” said Audra. “C’mon, let’s get her up there.”

Scott helped them carry her. It was just a short distance to the top of the cliff, through waist-high grass that looked like bluish wheat. The moment he drew near the arched doorways, he began to feel a tug at his midsection. He first assumed this was just because he was moving uphill, that the muscles in his legs and stomach were on fire, but this wasn’t the case.

The pinnacle of each archway began to glow with a soft, blue light. A steady hum made the loose dirt and stones on the ground shake and roll away.

“What’s happening?” Tayte asked, just as they placed Carina on the dais. They looked to Renalla for answers.

She shook her head. “I have no idea.”

But it was Scott who said, “I know what it is. Something is coming.”

“What?” said Audra.

“I’m a keystone. Between two worlds. I’m what opened up my world to this place.”

“Usually the ancients act as keystones,” said Renalla. “I’ve heard of Echo Augers acting as the lock.”

He said, “Now I’m thoroughly confused.”

Renalla said, just as the blue lights began to intensify. “We are overlapping worlds. And right now, we’re very near an ancient.”

“Explain,” said Scott.

The ladies all drew steel. Renalla said, “Get ready for a fight.”

***

The paladins fell back toward the temporary exhibit wing. Between all the fighting, a crowd of humans rushed into the fray, scared witless and ready to become fodder for the dark elves. Rather than fight through them, Adelheid led her girls into a more enclosed space. This worked out well for the paladins, not so much for the dark elves.

“Out of the way!” shouted Eir. “I can’t blast them if you’re all standing in my path!” She was at the rear of the battle, hands above her head and glowing with astral flame. All at once, the dark elves dropped to their bellies and the sorcerous shot a jet of fire right toward the paladins.

Nym pushed her way through to the back of the line, then summoned her kite shield. The flame hit it with surprising force. As she held on, she could feel her feet skidding across the tile. Her sisters pushed against her and together they repelled the attack.

The moment the fire disappeared, Kamari was rushing ahead, jumping onto the backs of the dark elves until she reached Gwynevere at the head of the pack who raised up and provided a springboard. Kamari’s blade twirled until it was pointed down, ready to skewer Shizare—

But Alicia was there and she dropped her sword so she could use both hands to redirect the warrioress’s attack. She took Kamari by the waist and slammed her into the wall with a heavy, sickening thump. After dropping to the floor, Alicia used her foot to bounce her blade back into her hand.

She would’ve run the girl through if the dark elves hadn’t started to push again—and now Kamari was protected by her new friends.

Inside the room where they’d fought before, where Alicia had first met Scott, the paladins were pushed back to the remnants of the dinosaur skeleton.

It was an even fight but eventually someone would die and the battle would turn. Kamari stumbled into the room, a loose grip on her sword, a vengeful look on her face. She found Alicia and rushed toward her, just as Gwynevere had the same idea.

The three of them connected blades at once but then the world split open and a cool air rushed in. It was enough for the girls to retreat to opposite corners of the exhibit hall. But now, it was no longer there. No half dinosaur, no ruined tapestries or tile floor. The only thing that surrounded them now was a wide-open world with a vast ocean in front of them.

It was the elves from the battle at Hilltop. All except the one who grew giant and ran away with—

Alicia did a full circle and found him there, standing at a dais with the elf girl in front of him, presumably dead. She felt awful at once, for even if she were jealous, he must have formed some kind of bond with her. For a moment, their eyes met and the world stood still.

Then, a pained expression crossed his face and he shouted, “Look out!”

Without thinking, her sword came up. Gwynevere’s blade came down. Alicia was nearly brought to her knees by the weight of it. She rolled aside, feeling fire just by one ear, ice by the other. Rocks flew across the battlefield and exploded. Adelheid cried out in fury as her sword came down on Kamari’s blade, turning it aside and sending the warrioress back a step.

She rolled away, raised her arm and that’s when she saw the new spellcaster—Noire’s latest addition, lifting her arms above her head. The sword left Alicia’s hand. Her arms were pulled back by an unseen force and then her body was floating off the ground, a few feet above the dais.

Eir squeezed her fist and it felt like Alicia’s bones were being splintered. She tried to scream out but nothing left her lips. She looked around the battlefield—they were all engaged. Her friends, the Noirites, even the new dark elves. They joined with the paladins, probably sensing the camaraderie between Scott and Alicia.

And Scott!
 She wanted to turn around and see him but the spell had her in a grip. With the way her body was contracting, she figured she’d be dead in a few seconds.

Gwynevere and Empress Noire managed to untangle themselves from the paladins. They stood next to Eir, a happy grin upon their faces.

Gwynevere said, “Kill her.”

“No,” Noire said. “She comes with us.”

But before either could come to an agreement, Alicia felt something on her back—hands. Was someone trying to choke her?

Not at all . . .

Scott had jumped from the dais and grabbed her, then swung himself around. He gave her a happy grin, then kissed her. The dark elves screamed out just as Alicia felt the power return to her limbs.

A golden light encased her body as Scott dropped to the ground. Alicia hovered in the air for a moment, then darted into the battle to pick up her sword.

She was quick—quick enough to knock Maza and Kiva out of the fight with her precision strikes. She opened up a wound on Maza’s stomach and sliced Kiva’s cheek deep enough that blood ran into her mouth. When she screamed, it sprayed across the battlefield.

Seeing their opportunities wasted, Empress Noire pointed toward the cliff and gave a whistle. It was a strange, otherworldly chant that Alicia was certain was mixed with spellcraft.

A moment later, a giant, reptilian hand appeared. Then, the head of a huge beast that looked like a mix between a dragon and a bird. Its long snout lay upon the rocks by the dais. It opened its mouth, revealing a long, black tongue and rows of razor-sharp teeth.

“Take us below,” Noire said. “Save us!”

“It will come at a price,” the creature hissed without even moving its tongue.

“Fine, whatever. Just . . . save us!”

And with that, the dark elves retreated. Alicia felt her power fading but it came down to either scoring more hits or stopping long enough to siphon power from Scott. She chose the former, opening up a gash across Eir’s forehead just as she was in mid-cast.

“You’ll pay for that!” she said, but Gwynevere was pulling on her robe, jerking her toward the maw of the giant beast.

When they were all loaded up inside the creature’s jaws, it closed its snout, then let go of the rock. By the time Alicia made it to the edge of the cliff, it was gone. There wasn’t even a splash down below.

She turned back to Scott and the dark elves. With no one else on the battlefield they suddenly looked more menacing. Shizare and Nym kept their guard up while Maeve stepped forward and said, “We are not your enemies.”

“And we are not yours,” said the leader, Audra.

“Everyone just relax,” said Scott. “It’s been a long, bad day. Let’s take a step back.”

“Fine,” said Audra. The other assassins dropped their weapons.”

Alicia couldn’t help her smile. She rushed to Scott and wrapped her arms around him. “It’s so good to see you.” Her breath was warm by his ear, and humid from her tears.

“I didn’t think I’d see you again,” he said. “But . . . I’m glad you’re here.”

Then her eyes drifted over to the dead lady on the dais. They had much to talk about.