The Power of a Kiss - Part 2

I hope you like it!

The world existed in shadows.

There was the Cloud Dominion who ruled atop the mountains, living in peace and prosperity. Then there were the Noirites, servants to Empress Noire who lived in the subterranean hollows far beneath the surface. Neither society knew about the other until one day the clouds rolled back, revealing more land than had ever been revealed in the last hundred years. These two peoples suddenly didn’t want to live in peace.

But for the Sisters of Vujerya, this was nothing new. These assassins had watched both groups for ages. In fact, they’d been around when the Cloud Dominion formed. It would be much to the high elves’ chagrin to learn they stemmed from the dark elves, that there was a common ancestor that lived below when the world was new.

“We picked a bad time to sneak through the surface cities,” said Audra. She flicked back her hood, revealing her shock of white hair. When the hood rested on her shoulders, it solidified as metal, looking regal instead of functional. Was this on purpose? Carina didn’t know.

There were four master assassins sitting high on the rocks by the beach, watching the turmoil down below. There was no use in worrying if they’d be seen—the battle between the light and dark had everyone’s attention. Still, Carina’s shadow magic kept them hidden, so long as they didn’t move much.

“This worked out perfectly,” Tayte said, her voice scoffing and biting. “They may just kill each other and then we’ll waltz right in and find our marks.”

“I’m getting impatient,” Carina said. She looked through her veil of shadows and found the high elves desperately trying to push back Empress Noire’s minions.

“Let’s get out of here,” said Renalla, their resident spellblade. She stood, almost dispelling the shadowcraft conjured by Carina.

“Wait!” said Audra, pulling Renalla back to the rocks. “Look!”

She directed their attention to one particular dark elf who, for reasons unknown, began to grow larger. The assassins had been cultured on many things but had never seen spellcraft so powerful that it could alter the caster’s size. The elf, who the spy network of the Sisters of Vujerya had known for a while, was called Gwynevere.

The elf ripped through her clothes and kept growing until she was at least fifty feet high. She made some proclamation in Empress Noire’s name, then lifted her foot and started stomping. She missed, as the high elves were agile and quick to move out of the way. If she managed to get any of them, she’d stomp them flat with little effort.

“How did she do this?” Tayte asked the group. “No spell like this exists.”

Audra said, “Ren? Can you tell us?”

The spellblade shoved one of her illusionary daggers into the ground at their feet and then the world around them became drab in color and texture, as if they were the only living things in a bowl of clay. The elves—even the giantess—looked as though they were thick and cumbersome, slogging at each other with thick clubs rather than blades. But this was merely an illusion, brought forth to make something important stand out.

“There!” Renalla shouted, and she pointed up to the giant woman’s head. Through the thick, clay-like illusion, the girls could see a little red dot—not so much a ball but something small and tucked into itself.

“What is that?” Audra asked. “It’s in her mouth . . .”

Carina said, “And it’s moving!”

They watched the battle after the spell dissolved. Before it went away completely, they saw the speck fall out of Gwynevere’s mouth. So small, it probably slipped through her teeth. She stopped her stomping and swiping with her arms, then began looking around the beach, large feet kicking up sand.

And then, the strangest thing of all happened . . .

Gwynevere began to shrink . . .

It was slow at first, but then picked up speed. Carina could tell in her body language that she was terrified, that whatever power the small, living charm had given her was now gone. Without even a word to her fellow dark elves, she scooped up her large sword and then turned and raced up the beach, heading back toward Hilltop. This was the favored city of the people of the Cloud Dominion and the Sisters of Vujerya’s current heading.

The high elves chased after them—quite a strange thing to witness. Carina had no idea why the minions of Empress Noire would go that way, rather than to the south so they could crawl back to their caves. But either way, it was presenting a unique standoff closer to high elf reinforcements.

“They left the charm,” said Renalla.

“What do you think it is?” Tayte asked.

Carina stood and dispelled her shadow magic since the beach was now clear, save for the dead of both factions. She said, “We have a mission. I want to get to Hilltop now. If we don’t hurry, our targets may pass through and we’ll miss them.”

Audra said, “Don’t you want to investigate? Don’t you want to see the power Empress Noire has kept from the world?”

“If we’re doing it, we’d best hurry,” Renalla said. “I’d imagine either side may come back to claim it.”

Carina wanted nothing more than to be inside the city, to chase after those who took everything from her. But she supposed they could wait a little longer. She couldn’t deny how she felt: The power to grow was quite alluring . . .

“Okay, fine,” she said, then followed her companions down the rocks. At the bottom, Renalla threw down another illusionary dagger because they’d never find what they were searching for without it, nor did they want the prisoners in the cages to see them stalking the sand.

None of them expected the source of the power to be a shrunken man . . .

***

The grains of sand were so big that they hurt his little body. The last few minutes of the battle had been a whirlwind of sensations. He’d been in a half dozen mouths but the one that scared him the most was the last one—the one that grew around him. Within seconds of being between Gwynevere’s jaws, he felt the world slipping away from him. If she hadn’t discovered the power brought on by their link, would she have swallowed him?

The real nightmare began when he’d grown so small that he squeezed between Gwynevere’s teeth. She failed to keep her lips pulled down and he fell right off her face, hit her breast, then rolled all the way down to her feet. Lucky for him, a tiny man had strange gravity and he didn’t plummet to his death the way he thought he would.

But now he was on the sand, surrounded by dozens of giant feet—and a pair of especially large ones that thankfully moved off to the side. Gwynevere was clearly searching for him but he was just too small to see through the mayhem.

Scott found the corpse of a dark elf, still warm, and he huddled close to her gauntlet. He was as long as one of her fingers but now that he was separate from the giantess’s mouth, he was steadily growing larger. A part of him wanted to delay it—a part of him thought he was better off on his own.

He tried to find Alicia in the mayhem but couldn’t see past his perch so close to the ground. The dead body formed a mountain in front of him and everything on the other side was a mystery. The only thing he could see was Gwynevere’s giant foot rising high and slamming down. All the way up until it wasn’t so big . . .

While he started to grow, she started to shrink . . .

She noticed this right away and stepped back, her erratic stomping at an end. She made a curt whistle and then ran off. Each time her feet came down, the corpse next to Scott lifted off the ground. The other dark elves followed her and surprisingly, so did the high elves. A foot stomped on the corpse and then used it to springboard toward the retreating army.

A few seconds later, the beach was silent. The only sound was the pull of the water and the squawk of some faraway bird. It probably smelled its next meal on the beach. The prisoners in the cages were quiet, most likely reflecting on the strange battle they just witnessed.

He had no clue where to go, so he waited. In time, he’d return to his normal size. This had been observed before but it hardly solved his problems. Scott was naked and alone in a strange, exotic land. What hope did he have of getting home? Of surviving?

When he was almost tall enough to see over the corpse, the ground began to tremble. It wasn’t much—just enough to shuffle the sand and make the dead elf’s belt buckle ding and vibrate. He saw a quartet of long, slender legs coming toward him, so he dropped to his side next to the corpse’s thigh.

Slowly, he rose and saw a giant pair of eyes staring back at him. The shock of hair made him think it was Alicia but this girl had angular features and darker skin. She smiled—it was gentle, a little hopeful. But there was something else there too—a power that he didn’t comprehend. Still, he’d been in this world long enough to know the darker skinned elves were the bad ones.

His fight or flight instinct activated and he turned around, intent on running off, across the lumpy sand but there were other legs there, waiting on him. One elf scooped him up and held him close, her brown hair flowing around her face. Like everyone else who had first laid eyes on a shrunken man, she appraised him with a mix of wonder and arousal.

“It’s a man!” she said. “When was the last time we’ve ever seen one of those?”

“I’m sure he has a name,” said the first lady to discover him. “I’m Carina. Who are you?”

“Scott,” he said. The other ladies introduced themselves—Audra, Tayte, and Renalla.

“Take him, he’s squirmy,” said Tayte, the one who held him, and she shoved him right into Carina’s waiting arms. The big lady smelled so nice, like fresh flowers. She wore dark leathers that split around her breasts. Despite wanting to stare, he averted his eyes back up to her face.

“He’s not squirmy,” Carina said. “He’s . . . growing!”

This seemed to interest the other elves quite a bit so they came closer, their bodies squeezed together and against Scott. He wanted to hide his erection but Carina’s sudden grin told him she could feel it against her leathers.

“What are you, little man?” she asked.

“I know,” said Renalla. “Have you ever heard of a—”

“Echo Auger,” Scott finished for her.

“That’s right,” Renalla said. “I suppose you’ve been trained in the ways of maximizing the power of your host.”

“Not really. I haven’t been here long.” By now, he’d grown so large that Carina placed him on the ground, then got on her knees so she could see him better. Now, his throbbing hard-on was there for all to watch.

Carina said, “So by being small, you made Gwynevere big?”

“That’s right,” said Scott.

Renalla said, “But that’s not the extent of his power. Depending on the bond he forms with a female . . . the power can be totally random.”

“Seems like a hassle,” said Tayte.

“Seems like a godsend!” Carina interrupted, then she turned to Scott: “We could use your help.”

Audra said, “You can’t be serious. Do you plan to form a link with this human?”

Tayte said, “As much as I hate to, I’m going to agree with her on this one. I thought we needed to be going, Car?”

But Carina wasn’t listening. Now that Scott was breast height, she stood and took him by the arms, a pleading look upon her face.

“I’ve lost everything. Bandits swept through my village and killed everyone I ever loved. Have you ever experienced that kind of pain, Scott?”

He shook his head, although he did lose his sister a few years ago in a car wreck. Somehow, that didn’t feel anywhere near the same. This elf was on the verge of tears.

She took his still-growing hand in hers and said, “Please, will you lend us power to make us strong?”

“I . . . uh, sure,” he said. “But I have friends. The high elves. Can you help me find them once I help you?”

“Sure,” said Carina.

Audra said, “They’re probably from Hilltop, right? We’re going that way.”

“No, they aren’t there. From what I’ve heard, the dark elves have taken over.”

“How could Adelheid have let that happen?” Audra asked, for which Scott had no answer.

Renalla shrugged. “Maybe the dark elves were swift and deadly. Maybe they killed her at once.”

The girls exchanged worried looks. Carina said, “I suppose we need to be going then. We’ll sneak through the aqueducts.”

“Um,” he said, holding his hands across his most sensitive area. “I need . . . clothes.”

“Audra?” said Carina.

The moment he felt his body no longer changing, the elf—now a head shorter—waved her arms around his body. Little tendrils of black and red silk began to leave her fingertips, thinning and then widening as it wound across his body. In only a moment, he was in the finest cloth he’d ever known. It was like water on his skin.

“That’s not going to protect him,” Carina argued.

Audra rolled her eyes and made a fist. The cloth turned to tough metal at once—ornate pieces with fancy, gilded designs. The edges tapered into points like knives he could break off and wield like weapons.

“Better?” asked Audra.

Carina nodded. “C’mon. Let’s find somewhere within the city where I can experiment with you.”

Scott grinned. This was always a good time . . .

***

Alicia had never been angrier in all her life.

The battle should’ve been theirs—they had the Echo Auger. How could the minions of Empress Noire best them? It was because the Paladins of Dinnin were careless. They let Scott fall into their hands. They’d been lured out of their subterranean hideaway and fought on awful terms. It was fortunate most of the high elves left with their lives.

Gwynevere, now completely without clothes, led her troops back toward Hilltop, the home of the paladins. But while Alicia had been thrown to another world, the dark elves laid siege to it and were currently occupying it. This was the Cloud Dominion’s seat of power but hopefully the dark elves didn’t have the manpower to spread their reign.

The paladins didn’t dare assault Empress Noire behind the city’s walls. They’d moved their entire legion inside and the squad commanded by Maeve was small. Noire would pick them off with archer.

Besides, Alicia no longer had her Echo Auger . . . her Scott.

“We left him,” Alicia said, turning to Maeve. “They left him.” She pointed to the battlements of Hilltop where the drawbridge was just going back up after receiving the dark elf squatters.

‘Back to the beach!” said Hima, their resident mage knight.

None of them had horses and the force of elves was small—just Maeve and Alicia, the unofficial leaders, as well as Hima, Nym, and Shizare. Rounding out the troupe was a handful of elven archers and warriors. Alicia was the quickest, most fleet-footed of them all, so she raced off, leaving them all trailing.

A few high elves stayed behind to secure the prisoners who’d been left in cages on the beach. Empress Noire was smart—using the good nature of the Hilltop folk to lure the fighters to the beach.

“He’s not here!” Alicia said once the others caught up.

“Are you sure?” Shizare asked. “Pity. I wanted to play with him again.”

“Now isn’t the time for this,” Alicia said. “He’s missing. He could be hurt.”

Maeve said, “Shouldn’t he be back to normal size by now?”
 Alicia nodded just as a trio of elves walked past—hostages who’d been stowed on the beach as bait by Empress Noire.

“Did you see anything after we left?” Alicia asked them. “Did you see a man . . . a human?”

They exchanged odd glances and then shook their heads. Alicia turned her attention back to the beach knowing it was impossible to learn anything new. The sand had been turned upside down by Gwynevere’s rampaging feet. Maybe she stomped on Scott and maybe in death, he didn’t revert to normal size.

She sank to her knees and stifled her tears, knowing it was wrong to show such weakness. Knowing it was wrong to be weak over a man she’d only just met. But Nym put a hand to her shoulder and dropped to the sand with her.

“We’ll find him.”

“Everyone move back,” said Hima. “I’m gonna try something.”

All of the elves stepped away from the nexus of where the battle had taken place. Hima held out her hands and her fingertips frosted over with a blue haze. This rolled off them and stretched across the sand like a giant, cold blanket.

After it settled, Hima pointed and said, “Look!”

None of them could see what had excited her, at least not at first. But then the frost settled and the blanket of ice atop the frozen layer of sand was riddled with spots. Dark discolorations that were lumped together close around a corpse of a dark elf—and then more spaced out the further away they went.

“What is that?” Maeve asked.

“Footprints,” said Hima. “Slight variations in temperature make them stand out. Hurry, we have to follow them or else we’ll lose them.”

“How do you these don’t belong to us?” Alicia asked.

Hima shook her head and pointed to the edge of the battlefield—they all moved away from where the fighting had taken place.

Hima continued to cast her spell in long slivers, giving them a jagged track of ice to follow. The footsteps fell in line with one another, clearly heading back toward Hilltop. The way they veered off toward the rocks made Alicia think these unknown visitors on the beach had seen the battle—and knew how to circumvent it.

But unlike the milky fields where the Noirites led the paladins, these mystery guests had stayed close to the water, going through the estuary that would lead to the city’s aqueduct system. Alicia had thought of retaking the city through this very route but assumed Empress Noire would have it guarded. Even seeing the vacant mouth of the tunnels gave her apprehension. Who were these people? And had they slipped right into the city without question?

On the walls above, dark elves paced back and forth. They were well-outfitted but the paladins kept to the shadows just in case.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” said Shizare.

Maeve nodded. “Whoever it is, they were clever enough to hide themselves from the prisoners on the beach. And they took Scott and left with him before we even returned.”

“Then we’ll use caution,” said Alicia, slightly irritated. She drew her sword and entered the nearest tunnel.

***

Maza Remoire could’ve finished the battle had her brethren not been so spineless. She was holding her own, cutting down high elves with her gleaming rapier. Even with Gwynevere’s sudden surge of power (something that made her quite jealous), she was sure her kill count would’ve exceeded all the rest.

But here they were, squatting on the spoils of war. It felt too much like hiding for her liking. As soon as they all assembled back in the throne room, she excused herself while Gwynevere presented her findings.

“Where are you going?” she asked before the audience with Empress Noire.

“To regain the power you lost. Have you seen Kiva?”

Gwynevere chuckled. “Most likely licking her wounds. The elf had her way with our friend, eh?”

Maza knew the wolf-girl’s nose was better than all the rest but that wasn’t an option right now. She’d find the shrunken man and bring him back to Noire.

She leaned in close to a very naked Gwynevere and kissed her long and hard. This was not typical of their relationship but Maza did notice the way the girl warmed, the way her nipples hardened the moment they separated.

“What was that for?” she asked, a gentle smile on her face.

Maza licked her lips. “I needed the human’s scent. Thank you.”

Gwynevere rolled her eyes and walked into the throne room, naked bottom shaking with each step. “Just bring him back, will ya? I rather enjoyed being so big. I’ll make it worth your while.”

Maza laughed and descended to the depths of the castle. She had beastling blood in her, far back in her ancestry there were Orguns, catlike humanoids with animal-like hunting abilities. This was how she smelled the tiny man—and he wasn’t far. In fact, he’d already entered the castle down below . . .

***

The Sisters of Vujerya had not been inside of Hilltop for many years. Carina last came through when she was just a child and learning the ways of her magic. Ever since she knew how to tap into shadowcraft, she’d led her sisters through some precarious places. The high elves nor the dark elves ever knew how close they’d been to both societies.

But it was the Great Inbetween where they lived and operated. They were assassins, swords for hire. They traveled under no banner and had no allegiance to anyone without gold. They’d killed for both the paladins and the Noirites—political intrigue ran deep in both worlds. They often answered to the Principal, a shadowy figure who left instructions and payment on their doorstep.

This time, the instructions were personal.

Bandits had killed Carina’s village when she was just a girl. They swept through, burned all the buildings and even the holy sites. Bodies lay everywhere. Carina only got a good look at one of them—a Murk Elf—half dark and half high—with a bald head and an eyepatch. He smiled at her just before he slit her sister’s throat.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” said Scott suddenly. The entire group stopped moving and turned to stare at him.

“What?” Carina asked.

“About your sister. And you think this . . . Principal character can help you find the Murk Elf?”

Again, the Sisters exchanged nervous glances and Tayte said, “How does he know about all this, Car?”

She shrugged. “I have no idea.”

“You just . . . told me,” said Scott, although he didn’t believe it. He looked off, as if lost in thought. Then: “I read your mind. I don’t know how I did it, but I read your mind.”

Renalla chuckled. “You’re both bonded now.”

“What?” both Scott and Carina said.

“Echo Auger magic is a strange thing. We are all surrounded by the magical weave and sometimes powerful magic gets intertwined.”

“I don’t . . . know this man!” said Carina, failing to come up with anything else.

Audra laughed and said, “Be happy. This is a good thing for us. To help our quest. To help your quest.”

Carina crossed her arms over and said, “Maybe not. I don’t like this one bit.”

Now it was Renalla’s turn to chuckle. “Oh, yes you do . . .”

“No, I don’t!”

“Actually, you do,” said Scott. “I can tell that you’re lying.”
 “Stay out of my head!”

But as she moved closer to him, a small tug erupted on her lips. She saw, for just a moment, a spark of red electricity leap from her mouth and touch his. And in the next moment, they were together, lips upon lips, tongues dashing from one mouth to another.

As they kissed, he put his hands on her shoulders, then quickly dragged them down to her breasts. It wasn’t because he decided on a better spot to rest them, but because he’d started shrinking. The other elves crowded closer to watch, for they’d never seen a human before, much less one that could grow smaller.

Halfway down, Carina bent to continue kissing him. Her tongue was becoming too big for his mouth but whenever he slipped his between her lips, it was small and delicate. The cloth-turned-metal slipped off his body and hit the floor, instantly losing its enchantment. He stepped out of it, kicked it aside, then continued kissing.

Now, Carina could feel something inside her—could feel an explosion of power. Her shadow magic seemed amplified, more readily available at her fingertips. In fact, she was brimming with so much power that it was uncomfortable and she decided to expel some of it.

She held her hands up and black tendrils spread across her and the others. Scott watched in amazement as it swirled through them, weaving as if it were stitching together a giant tapestry. When it was done, it dissipated.

“What just happened?” Audra asked.

“My power . . . extended,” said Carina, almost breathless.

“I don’t see the veil,” Tayte said.

“It’s there, trust me.” She turned to Scott, then dropped to her knees. “You’re so adorable.” The elf lifted him, now a mere twenty inches tall, and placed him in the crook of her arm.

“Oh, shit!” he said, groping at her arm. She thought she’d almost dropped him but it wasn’t this at all—he pointed to the left and all the elves drew steel.

Maza Remoire was standing in the tunnel just ahead. She watched them, her cold and calculating eyes staring daggers. She lifted her head and sniffed the air, then came closer. The menacing rapier she used in battle was at her hip and the long, flowing cape trailed behind her.

“Stop right there,” Audra said, squaring herself up. Maza continued, a determined look in her eye.

When Maza was within striking distance, Carina used her free hand and pulled Audra against the wall. “Back, all of you!”

Every elf put her back against the wall as Maza walked by. She couldn’t see any of them—Carina’s shadow magic had increased so much that it left no lingering effects and it had obscured both sight and sound.

“Hold,” said Audra, placing a hand atop Tayte’s arm as she began to draw steel. The elves exchanged a menacing, irritated glare. Scott expected them to fight amongst themselves.

Maza reached the edge of the shadow bubble and found Scott’s discarded clothes. She bent down and snatched them, then lifted them to her nose. After giving them a quick sniff, she looked around, made an angry growl, and then rushed down the hallway.

“We should’ve gutted her!” said Tayte. “Why would you let her slip past us!”

“Because we don’t know if she’s our enemy,” said Audra. “We are currently for hire.”

“That was . . . amazing,” said Renalla, breaking the tension. “Our own Echo Auger!”

Tayte put a hand to Scott’s chin but Carina spun around, putting her back to the elf. “And he’s all mine!”

***

While Maza was fervently hunting the scent of the Echo Auger, the Paladins of Dinnin slipped into the city through a tunnel just a hundred feet from the prowling Noirite. It was a stroke of luck that took Alicia and company away from her—and toward the castle dungeons.

“No one has been down here in a long time,” said Nym. For as long as she’d been a paladin, she never knew Hilltop Castle had dungeons—a remnant from an older, much different era.

“Wrong,” Hima corrected, and she pointed ahead to a metal gate that was lying on the ground. The hinges were ripped open, hanging askew like skeletal fingers. Before Hima stepped through, Shizare put a hand to her chest and held her back.

“Wait,” she said.

“What?” Hima eyed her curiously.

Nym said, “Looks suspicious. They didn’t even try to fix it. Maybe it’s booby-trapped.”

“That’s silly,” said Hima, but Shizare kept holding her back just the same. Nym stooped low and picked up a rock. She tossed it through the gate and the tunnel filled with a searing light that made them all wince and look away. The rock never made it through—it turned to dust just at the threshold of the doorway.

“Praise Dinnin, that was close!” Hima said. “How did you know?”

Nym shrugged. “I think we’re dealing with bandits. Maybe assassins. Powerful ones, too. How else could they have taken Scott from the beach with no witnesses?”

“Why would they be here?” Alicia asked.

Nym shrugged. “Who knows. But let me go first, yeah?”

More traps lined the tunnels. The deeper they went, the more Alicia thought they were coming upon something important. This seemed like excess to her—like they’d spent too much effort to protect a relatively unknown way into the city.

Many of the traps were magical by nature but there were a few physical obstructions, as well. Hanging spikes, trip wires, and explosive crates were just some of the hazards they encountered. Wherever the Noirites couldn’t hide a trap, they collapsed the tunnel. Several places required backtracking.

Finally, they arrived at what appeared to be a prison, although none of them knew one had been built under the city. It was long abandoned, the iron bars rusted, the doors hanging open. Evidence of torture devices made Alicia shudder.

“Look,” said Shizare. She pointed ahead to one of the cells. The door was hanging open but inside, around the corner, burned a dim, purple light.

Maeve said, “Nym? Check for traps, please.”

The elf stepped carefully, first dispelling a ward at the opened gate, then two more inside the cell. When she turned to the left and looked into the cage, her eyes went wide. “Oh, praise Dinnin!”

The others rushed in and found a tall woman—very tall—almost nine feet—strapped to a table. She looked dead but Alicia didn’t think so. There was no way the glowing purple bindings at her wrists and ankles were to keep a dead woman down.

“It’s . . . Adelheid,” said Alicia.

This was the Cloud Dominion’s ruler—who the world thought died during the Noirites’ siege.

Nym and Shizare rushed in, then raised their hands over her body and began muttering. Their spellcrafts together began to loosen the bonds. Finally, the purple light dissipated and left them all in the darkness. If not for the natural vision enhancements of the high elves, they probably wouldn’t have seen her eyes open.

“Is it over?” Adelheid asked, sitting up. She looked at her paladins with tired, yet wistful eyes. “Where are we?”

Maeve said, “We’re beneath the city. The dark elves still hold Hilltop.”

“I see,” she said, and sat up. Even on the table, she towered over all the elves. Some said Adelheid was part golem but Alicia wasn’t so sure of that. Others claimed she’d been augmented as a girl, bestowing upon herself ancient, foreign magic. Still, there was something otherworldly about her, something that made her so large and command so much power.

So naturally, Alicia asked the question that was on all their minds: “How did they manage to capture you?”

Maeve shot her a reprimanding look, for this was clearly disrespectful. They saw Adelheid as a superior creature, a vessel used by Dinnin himself to lead the paladins. But lucky for her, Adelheid was a kind lady and quite understanding. She nodded reverently.

“Do you know how I came to claim my power? At one time, I was just like the rest of you. I’m sure you didn’t know that I’m almost two centuries old.”

A low hush swept through the girls. No one knew anything about this, at least none standing in the dark cell.

Since no one answered, she continued. “I met a human one day while exploring the westlands. Back then, they were rare, dying out because . . . well, we don’t know why. But I brought him back to the Cloud Dominion and we fell in love. The first time we kissed . . .”

“He shrank,” said Alicia.

Adelheid’s face softened and she grinned. “I’m sure I can guess how you know that. Anyway, he was our world’s first Echo Auger. We had many more before men died away but he was the most special. He and I formed a bond that was unlike anything I ever experienced. I stripped him of his size but he was fine with that. And in return, it gave me power beyond measure. One day I grew bigger and I stayed that way.”

“Permanent?” Alicia asked.

Adelheid nodded. “If given enough time and your relationship is deep, it can happen.”

“We’re looking for our lost Echo Auger right now,” said Alicia. “My Echo Auger.” She didn’t know for sure if the others saw it that way but she felt it. Their fates were intertwined. Surely it was obvious.

“Where is he?”

“I don’t know.”

“Then he’s not your Echo Auger. If you were properly bonded, you’d be able to sense him.”

“Oh,” she said, feeling defeated.

Adelheid put a large hand on her shoulder and stroked her face with a long thumb. “Don’t fret, dear. He can still be yours. He has to decide that for himself, though.”

That made her feel a little better. Basing her own experience from Adelheid’s story, she knew things were certainly different. For example, she only knew Scott for a short time. It was ridiculous to assume he’d want this bond with someone. At the very least, he probably wanted to be home, back with his own people. She couldn’t be upset or angry that their relationship had not progressed.

“I don’t understand,” said Maeve. “What does this have to do with losing the city?”

“Because I experienced a moment of weakness. The moment I felt the Echo Auger between our worlds . . . I knew things would be different. I was reminded of my own joy and my own pain when I lost mine. And under this duress, the Noirites overthrew our city. I’m so sorry for this.”

“We’re going to take it back,” Nym assured.

“Then let’s go,” said Adelheid. She stood, towering almost double over the elves. Her golem roots—if that’s truly what they were—gave her large, powerful hands.

“We need reinforcements,” said Alicia. “Our people are in the Whispering Caverns.”

“I’ll go for them,” said the giantess, then she turned to Maeve. “Are you up for a fight against the Empress?”

“I am,” she said resolutely.

“Good. Then I’ll show you a way into the throne room that I’m sure they’ve not discovered. Take them down from within and I’ll make sure we’re there on the outside to receive them.”

“Okay,” said Maeve.

Adelheid got to the door and stooped beneath it so she could get out. Before leaving, she turned back and took a knee. “Oh, and be wary. The Echo Auger is near. I can feel him.”

“The Noirites?” said Alicia.

Adelheid shook her head. “I don’t think so. But either way, I recommend running through whoever holds him. He’s too important to belong to anyone but us.”

And then, she was gone.

***

A few floors up, just beneath the throne room were the servants’ quarters. But these were for servants of the Dinninites, not the Noirites. They were empty, save for the Sisters of Vujerya who were using it as their own quarters.

Getting there had been an endeavor because the Noirites had set many traps. Scott wasn’t sure why they’d been so overprotective. But he assumed Empress Noire expected retaliation in the form of a covert attack.

Carina and Scott shared a room—and the narrow bed inside it. There was enough space on the servants’ floor for them to spread out but they chose to take one block of rooms which still provided them with privacy and safety. Scott had no weapons but he didn’t need any as long as he had the elves. He was finally back to normal but the lustful gaze in Carina’s eyes told him that he probably wouldn’t remain so for long.

She explained everything about herself. Unlike Alicia, she didn’t hide behind a strong persona. She let her vulnerabilities show on the surface. And while he thought either elf could go toe-to-toe in a fight, he felt Alicia would probably have the upper hand. Alicia was driven by purpose. Carina was driven by revenge.

“I never felt anything like that before,” she said, putting a hand to his leg. She stroked him, already eliciting a tingle in the head of his cock. “I’ve been strong in shadowcraft for a long time, but I felt differently when I tapped into your power.”

“How so?” he asked. He stared at her—she was such a beautiful girl. It was difficult to tell with the near perfect features of the elves but he thought she was younger and less world-weary than Alicia.

“Just . . . it’s like my power is a cup of Berretz.”

“Of what?”

“It’s a juice . . . you don’t have that??
 “No. Is it like tea?”

“I don’t know what that is,” she laughed. “Anyway, it’s like my power is a cup of tea. And it has only contained a few drops until now. After we kissed . . . it was like the cup was bubbling over.”

“That’s interesting,” he said. “So that was the extent of your power? There in the corridor?”

She grinned mischievously. “No. I backed off because I feared the power. Do you think . . . we could try again?”

Again, the throbbing and tingling in his pants. “Um . . . sure.” He licked his lips, expecting her to plant a kiss on him but she had other ideas—these elven women sure knew how to draw the power out of a guy . . .

She kissed along his neck, gently lifting aside the cloth shirt—the newest iteration of Audra’s attire for him. He tingled, loving the feeling of her big pouty lips. He also loved the idea that those big pouty lips would get even bigger and poutier soon enough. Just slight contact with his body made him start to shrink, although it was a slow, almost unnoticeable process.

She pulled his shirt up and kissed his chest, then ran her tongue down his stomach. His pants were already testing the elastic when she tugged them and looked down at his throbbing cock.

“It looks happy to see me,” she said, and grinned.

“It definitely is.”

“Does it make you sad that you can’t properly experience sex with an elf?”

“What do you mean?” he asked, but she explained just as his brain made the connection.

“You shrink every time you touch us. So you’ll never . . . measure up.” She grinned and her face turned red with embarrassment.

“Then I guess I need to be quick,” he said, and grabbed her by the elbows and pulled her up into a kiss. Now, the shrinking sped up a little, the clothes starting to become loose on his body.

She easily snatched away his pants and now he sat against the straw pillows, his shirt becoming billowy around him. Not to be outpaced, Carina took his cock in her hand, gave it a few pumps, and then licked along his shaft. When she was satisfied that he wasn’t going to slither away, she descended on his head, lashing her tongue around it while she bobbed.

His hair pulled as he slid down the wall. It was slow at first, but then the world began to stretch out. This was a phenomenon that he would never get used to—or tire of. He grabbed her head, her silky white hair sifting through his fingers. After that, he was lost to the pleasure.

But as he enjoyed it, he noticed how she began to change, and not just because she was getting bigger. A darkness had swirled around her, turning her hair and skin black. When she looked up to assess how small he’d become, her eyes were a cold, otherworldly purple.

“What’s happening to you?” he asked as she pulled her sleeve away and revealed a layer of smoke clinging to her skin, as if she’d become some kind of wraith.

“The shadow magic,” she purred. “I can feel it . . . increasing.” Scott could also feel her efforts picking up. By now, he was around half her size and she had trouble lifting his cock with her hands. So, she put him flat on his back and started sucking, using her oversized jaws to keep him upright.

This was the smallest he’d been with Carina, yet the change in her was far more pronounced than it had ever been with Alicia. He knew nothing of being an Echo Auger but had deduced that different women took different power from him. He was like a battery when it came to the elves.

When he was a quarter of her size, her face spreading from his chest to his legs, he felt the tug of the orgasm beginning. Carina also noticed it, for she started to smile while she sucked, her warm air washing over him. At his current size, she didn’t have to do much work—her lips did all the ‘heavy lifting.’

Finally, he exploded into her mouth with a heavy grunt and a throaty laugh from her. By now, she was encased in shadow and he could feel the raw power wafting off her. She sat back on her haunches and smiled down at him. The shadows continued to roll across her skin, occasionally revealing her stomach and breasts. It was like a living entity providing her clothing.

“Oh,” she said, and put a hand to her forehead. She leaned over and stared at him, her face contorted somewhere between pleasure and pain.

“Are you okay?” he asked, sitting up. He was on the hem of his pants, now long enough to be tunnels. She nodded profusely and then grabbed handfuls of the bedsheet to the left and right of him.

And then, her hands began to grow . . .

Part of Scott expected this—he’d already made one woman get larger just by having her lips on him. What he didn’t expect was for Carina’s hands to grow—only her hands. She laughed as her fingers inched across the bed.

But as soon as this happened, she fell back onto the floor and raised her arms. The growing hands were too heavy to keep up so they slapped back onto the bed, sending the tiny man flying through the air. He landed on her chest and then rolled down until he snatched her nipple.

Then, her breasts began to grow . . .

Scott pushed away from her just as her nipple hovered over the bed. Then, he let go and raced to the other end so he could better see her. The shadows were still circling her body but she didn’t resemble the same elf now—parts of her were growing disproportionately.

After her breasts and hands came her head. It was like watching a balloon inflate. Scott would’ve probably been scared to experience something this radical but she laughed, embracing the change completely.

When her head became too large, it fell to the side. She tried to turn over but her top half was now too heavy to manage. That’s when her feet began to sprout bigger—first at her toes and then at her arches. Scott lost his balance because she pushed the bed back into the wall.

Now, the wood splintered and he was forced to abandon his spot. He ran forward just as her massive feet collapsed the mattress and jumped onto her ankle—which was now starting to grow. She was out of room in the tight space and he could feel the walls shaking.

“I’m gonna have to stand up,” she said, and her oversized hand grabbed him. He was barely as long as her finger and still she grew.

He wasn’t sure how she was going to stand—her torso and arms were still normal sized. As Carina put her feet flat on the floor, the noise of her growth drew the attention of the other Sisters. They rushed to the doorway but there was no room for them to enter.

“Is this from a kiss?” asked Audra.

“No,” Tayte laughed. “Carina got a lot more than a kiss!”

“Hush!” said the growing lady. “And squeeze in here so I can protect you. Otherwise, this whole place is coming down around us.”

“What’s above us?” asked Renalla. They looked to Scott as if he had the answer.

“I don’t know. I’ve never been here.”

“Well we’re about to find out!” said Audra as she squeezed into the room. Tayte and Renalla wedged beneath the growing girl who was now only missing proportionate arms.

***

Adelheid was about to step out of the tunnels between the castle depths and the aqueducts when Maza Remoire crossed her path. The elf slunk toward the ground as if she was ready to pounce.

“Now who let you out?” she said, hand tracing across her rapier.

“Get out of my way,” said the elf-golem. “You don’t have your army here to protect you this time.”

The words cut into Maza and she launched herself toward the big lady. Since the tunnel was so tight, it put Adelheid at a disadvantage. She stepped back, dug in her heel, then snatched the smaller girl by the shoulders as she came near.

With as much might as she could scrounge, Adelheid slammed her head against Maza’s, staggering the shorter lady. She almost went down, but at the last moment, she corrected her footing and sprang forward again. This time, she ran across the wall, clinging to it with her momentum, and came down behind the bigger lady.

Adelheid spun around but was too slow in such a confining space. Maza managed to punch her twice in the kidney. She heard the scrape of metal as the rapier came out of its scabbard but by now Adelheid was facing her opponent and her big hand gripped around Maza’s smaller one. The girl began to sink to her knees, grimacing in pain as the elf-golem squeezed.

“Who has the Echo Auger?” she demanded. “Is it Empress Noire? That lady with the giant sword?”
 “We . . . lost him,” Maza said, grudgingly.

Then who? Adelheid thought. If the Paladins of Dinnin were looking for him and the Noires had no clue, that left a third party. This troubled Adelheid more than anything but she didn’t get to dwell on it long.

A horrible pain raced through her calf as something tore into her. She shoved Maza back, then turned to address the attack—it was Kiva, the wolf girl who’d managed to sniff out Adelheid’s royal guard and kill them while they protected her.

“You,” said the giantess.

The wolf-girl, still in wolf-form, grinned. Her tongue lapped at her lower jaw. She rushed again, only this time Adelheid was ready for her. As soon as the wolf was upon her, Adelheid’s giant hands came up and snatched her jaw. As Kiva tried to bite down, blood ran between her fingers from the puncturing teeth. But then, Adelheid found a reserve of strength and squeezed, breaking off several of the wolf’s teeth.

As Kiva whimpered, Adelheid heard the approach of Maza. She swung the wolf-girl around and knocked them both together. The Noirites rolled away in a jumble of glinting armor and thick fur.

Adelheid had no weapons besides her own hands. She had a blade but like everything else, it had been taken and probably locked away in the armory. But just when she was about to rip the Noirites limb from limb, the entire castle began to shake.

Kiva stood and shook her head, jaw hanging limply. She yipped at Maza, then ran off. The remaining adversaries stared each other down but it was Maza who sheathed her blade and headed off toward the source of the rumble.

As much as Adelheid wanted to pursue, she knew the paladins needed her help. She had to reach the Whispering Caverns right away. She only hoped the high elves would be in fighting order when the time came . . .

***

Gwynevere wished she’d have known while in the other world that her people would occupy Hilltop. She had no supplies, no armor, no additional weapons—not that she needed one. But this left her with nothing but the left-behind gear of high elves. From the racks, she selected a burgundy set of plate armor. It fit well, but nothing compared to her extravagant gear forged by the Noirites. That armor was nothing short of a second skin.

Still, Gwynevere would’ve preferred to be forever naked if it meant keeping the power provided by the little man. Everything felt so small and insignificant once she’d seen the world from a height of fifty feet. She would find him again—she was certain of it. And she had no idea just how close he was at the moment . . .

For her second audience of the night, she stood before Empress Noire and then took a knee. Behind her, a handful of Noirite guards. Where were the raiders? Her sisters-in-arms? Scouring the castle? Looking for more high elves?

“You will find this Echo Auger,” said Empress Noire from her throne—she looked odd sitting in it, for it was made for someone far larger than herself. A wooden box had been placed beneath her feet so they didn’t dangle. Perhaps in her mind she saw herself one day filling out the throne.

“I will,” Gwynevere promised.

“And you will bring him to me. I will lead us across this world and every high elf knee will bend.”

“Y-yes,” Gwynevere said, although she didn’t relish the idea of handing over the small man. He was addictive—or perhaps it was just the power he provided. She had a fleeting thought of snatching the Echo Auger and running away with him.

Empress Noire stood, her blade hanging from her hip despite holding court in a castle that was not her own. It reminded Gwynevere that the dark elves never grew complacent.

The empress walked down the steps and lifted her to her feet. “I know you want this power for yourself. I see it in your eyes. But with our new rule, we can search the corners of this world. There may be more Echo Augers out there. Imagine it: Both of us with our own. We would be unstoppable.”

Gwynevere thought herself unstoppable without Noire, but didn’t say it. Nor would she have the time—the ground began to shudder and the women separated.

“What’s happening?” the empress asked.

The dark elf guards drew weapons and looked around but there was no one. Whatever was causing the disturbance was happening beneath their feet. Gwynevere could see hairline cracks appearing in the floor.

“To the Empress!” shouted one guard. A trio of warriors rushed into the throne room but before another could join, the doorway filled with ice. A single, twitching arm was caught in the middle. Now, the throne room was cut off from reinforcement.

Four high elves stood behind Empress Noire, somehow entering by the throne. All those present took up battle formations with Empress Noire in the lead, her purple dagger outstretched before her.

“Leave this place,” said Maeve, the Phantom Blade.

Empress Noire threw her head back and laughed. “You think just because you came in through a secret door that my entire army will lay down its arms? You are outnumbered, girl.”

Gwynevere squared herself up with Alicia—the girl’s long, white hair had lost its luster and she knew why . . .

“You never found the Echo Auger, did you?” Gwynevere said.

She kept her sword outstretched but a fire burned in her eyes. Alicia had in fact lost him, and it was bothering her far more than Gwynevere.

The ground shuddered again and this time the high elves looked suspicious. Both factions assumed the disturbance was caused by the other but that wasn’t the case. Now, rather than advancing on one another, they were moving to opposite sides of the throne room. As it stood, the high elves numbered four while the Noirites commanded nine, including their royal guard.

The stalemate ended when the floor not only split open, but rose higher. From the cracks spewed a dark vapor, like materialized shadow. While Alicia and company were distracted, Gwynevere raced over the crumbling stones, sword high, ready to come down on her unsuspecting prey . . .

***

With greater power came greater control of her shadow magic. She could spread the darkness across her like armor, making it as substantial as steel. Her first order of business once her head burst through the ceiling of the servants’ quarters was to create shadow stairs to allow her Sisters climb into the throne room. Carina was the first to see the battle already in progress and just as Gwynevere was leaping through the air to strike down Alicia, she sent a column of shadow her way. The Noirite slammed against the far wall and slid down.

More of the floor crumbled away, forcing the factions away from each other. Carina wasn’t sure how large she was going to get—Scott wasn’t providing an active enchantment. This was simply the aftereffects of their fun.

Currently, he was watching the action between her breasts. He was so small now, not much more than a speck, but she was aware of him and made sure her shadow magic provided a little perch to keep him in place.

While the Sisters of Vujerya were neutral, they weren’t cowards and they never shied away from a fight. The Paladins of Dinnin were merely curious about them while the Noirites wasted no time attacking.

A pair of dark elf warriors thought they were going to get the upper hand on Audra. She had no weapons, no sort of armor—or so they thought. As one swung his heaving double-edged sword, her hand came up and turned away the attack. Her sleeve had become a bluish metal. She took a step back, twirled her body and the fringe of her skirt became solidified. The metal tips detached and regenerated each time she spun. After half a heartbeat, the soldiers fell dead, a dozen daggers in both their corpses.

Not to be outdone, Tayte raced across Carina’s swelling arm and jumped right at Empress Noire. Three dark elves blocked her path but she exchanged blows with her dagger as well as any seasoned swordsman could with a long blade. Sparks burst from contact and she brought down two of them before Carina’s size started to be a problem.

The throne room’s ceiling began to collapse, the purple night sky rushing in. Most of the fighters moved to the cover of her giant breasts in hopes of dodging the falling stones. There was so much activity beneath her that she had trouble telling friend from foe, so she leaned in, swiped her hands across and gathered up every single combatant in the throne room. Then, she shouldered into the wall, bringing down the whole eastern half of the castle.

The tinier people tumbled away but when the dust settled, they were outside on the rear courtyard, a long expanse of field before them. But now, more dark elves were able to join the battle.

Nym and Hima fought back-to-back, hurling blue magic and long slivers of ice. They were so effective that the dark elves often went for what they assumed was easier prey.

Carina sent a wave of shadow magic across the battlefield, cutting off the Sisters from the bulk of the Noirites.

“You have him!” shouted Gwynevere, dragging her massive sword toward the big lady. “Give him to me now!”

“He’s mine!” shouted Alicia. Neither woman made it to the growing girl, for they turned on each other and began swiping away. Each time Gwynevere’s sword sank into the ground it looked like a small explosion of sod and dirt.

Renalla took a swing at Alicia while the girl was dodging the lumbering sword but Shizare raised her own blade. Both of them used ancient spellcraft to summon weapons and the connecting steel made a hissing sound.

They went around and around, trading blows and narrowly-missed swipes. They looked like dancers in the darkness, their blades leaving beautiful contrails in the air behind.

“We’re not your enemy!” said Renalla.

“Well, you’re not my friend!” Shizare countered.

Carina knew the battle needed to end, at least for the Sisters of Vujerya. This wasn’t their fight. They had no quarrel with either group but that may change if they were responsible for a senseless death.

Just then, she felt a horrible pain in her ankle. It was enough to make her drop to her knees. She saw fighting just beneath her so she pitched to the side so that she wouldn’t roll on top of them.

As she began to sit up, she felt tiny feet racing up her leg . . .

***

Scott had watched it all unfold. Just when he thought the battle would be over for the Sisters of Vujerya, that the Noirites and paladins would fight to the death, Alicia appeared above him, large and powerful, her hair flowing in the wind.

“Give him to me!” she said. “Scott! You’re coming home!” Her eyes were sad, pleading.

She started to reach but then she was shoved aside. A burgundy-clad Gwynevere appeared where she’d been standing, a trickle of blood running down her face.

“No, he’s mine!”

As her hand began to close around him, a deep, bellowing voice said, “He doesn’t belong to either of you!”

And then a wide, forceful shadow washed across Carina’s body. When it dissipated, both of the elves were gone.

***

She sat up and made sure the little man was still attached. Then, she rolled over and gathered up her friends and snuggled them close to her body. In the distance, she could see the fires of the other Cloud Dominion cities. The bandits, those who set out to kill her family, had to be near. The Sisters of Vujerya wouldn’t rest until they were brought down. Perhaps she could learn to control the Echo Auger magic so it didn’t wreck an entire castle next time.

“Are you with me?” she asked. The collection of tiny assassins all nodded but she wasn’t talking to them.

Scott said, “I’m with you.”

Then the giantess ran off into the night, away from the battle.

***

“We can’t defend the castle anymore,” said Maza, pulling Empress Noire from the battle. Kiva stood next to her on two legs, tongue hanging lazily down her furry chin.

“How could we have lost so quickly?” she asked, watching as her soldiers struggled to find their footing after the giantess stormed away. There was only a handful of paladins to do battle. “Let’s end this now!”

“We can’t! We have to get you to safety!”

“I don’t . . .” She was about to say she didn’t understand, but one look to the breached southern wall explained it all. When the giantess ran off, she took down part of Hilltop’s defenses.

Her soldiers were lined up to meet a wall of high elves, a hundred galloping horses wide. In the lead, Adelheid with her majestic Hill Steed—a war horse bred long ago for giants and half-giants. In her hand, a brilliant lance that gleamed in the moonlight.

“We have to go,” Maza repeated.

Empress Noire said, “Where’s Gwynevere?”

“I don’t know. Leave her.”

The empress screamed out, anger unlike any she’d ever experienced. The giantess had already disappeared from the horizon. But she nodded and let the girl lead her away. This wasn’t over.

This was far from over.