Passion Strikes

Shyana continued to bathe herself, becoming more and more intoxicated with the feeling of the glimmering water. Life on the battlefield had been a difficult one and it was so rare she felt anything beautiful or comforting.

Cupping her hands, she lifted them above her head and allowed the sweet water to pour down her aching body.

She was weightless; she felt only joy and peacefulness.

Shyana was so mesmerized, that she didn't notice the bodies rising up out of the water, until they had surrounded her.

All around were liquid figures with golden faces that appeared feminine in their features. Elegant hands reached out to her, brushing back her hair and stroking down her face; their songs swelling and lifting through the darkness.

For some reason, they didn't appear strange at all to Shyana. They were welcome visitors in a happy dream.

She smiled at their approach.

The figures turned to meet Vikas and beckoned him to the water. He was already topless, as most Thurucalns preferred to be, and found himself easily stepping out of his pants and into the water.

The golden women called out with such alluring voices, that Vikas almost dropped to his knees in the water, transfixed by ineffable beauty.

Shyana turned to look at the intruder into her wonderland, only to see a handsome man, she vaguely recognized.

Who was he? In fact, who was she? Did it really matter anymore?

His bronzed hands reached out to her, cupping her pale face in his rough fingers. She stared into his warm, topaz eyes, catching the shimmering water and reflecting it back and found herself sighing.

Vikas couldn't think of anything, but her.

Her crimson hair clung to her pale frame and the various scars only seemed to add to the fierce beauty she already possessed. This woman wasn't weak or trembling; she was strong, her cheekbones high and angled in such a way that made him want to paint her.

She felt so soft to his touch.

All around them, the golden, liquid figures began to circle; the angelic voices creating a hypnotizing melody.

One rose to perch her arms on Vikas's shoulder, her whisper the tinkling of soft bells. "Isn't she lovely? Don't you want to taste her?"

At the same time, another caressed the side of Shyana's head, bringing her lips to her ear. "He is strong, you want him, don't you?"

The figures continued to circle, when both Shyana and Vikas replied in unison. "Yes."

She found herself reaching up to trace her fingers delicately along the "X" like scar just beneath one of his shining eyes and he caught her hand, holding it to himself.

Vikas pulled the woman closer to him, her supple breasts against his chest and her long hair dripping gold on his skin.

He lowered his lips to hers.

Shyana gave a tiny gasp, something inside her wanting to protest, but found she was unable.

He smelled like fire; hot and smoky, untamed and when his lips met hers, it was all she could do not to melt into him.

She was ignited by the kiss, waves of electricity shooting up and down her body. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders to deepen it, both of them inhaling each other.

It was then that a voice cried out. "Vikas! Shyana!"

She could barely hear it, but it was there.

A nagging, pulling scream, wanting to disrupt this perfect happiness she felt.

The golden women around them continued to sing, a fresh wave of desire melting through the couple, as they deepened their kiss.

Suddenly, the voices turned to shrieks and the warmth of the water shattered.

Boran had leapt into the water with a large piece of bark, the size of two grown men, and slammed it into the river just above them.

The thick wooden piece made the perfect block of the water and it was then that Shyana and Vikas both realized that they were standing, surrounded by their comrades, bleeding and naked and most horrific of all… still kissing one another.

Shyana's violet eyes widened, when she screamed and threw a punch, which sent Vikas spiraling away from her.

He coughed and spit. "Ugh! Disgusting!"

Akiem was instantly at Shyana's side, throwing her armor over her.

The fuming woman quickly covered herself, spitting daggers at Vikas. "Of all the arrogant, presumptuous, perverted scum I've ever met! How dare you touch me!"

When Boran realized they were clear from the waters and themselves again, he dropped the bark and retreated.

Vikas continued to choke and wipe his mouth, as if he could cleanse himself of her taste. "Me? You were the one who tried to seduce me!"

Shyana pinned on her final piece of armor. "I would never! You putrid, hormone-riddled dog!"

Vikas stepped closer, wiping his mouth off for the third time. "Well neither would I! You cast some kind of spell on me. Some kind of powerful Xhaian magic to blind me to your hideousness. Witch!"

The general reached for her sword, which Akiem was holding tightly. "You are so stupid! We don't do any magic and that wouldn't have been a spell, but some kind of disturbing hex!"

She grasped the hilt of her sword and pointed it at the drenched prince. "Touch me again and I swear by every god below and above, I will kill you."

At this Revarian emerged from the shadows, clapping slowly. "Bravo you two, quite a show that was. I would lecture you about the water, but this accomplished a far better lesson than I could have ever conjured."

At this, both warriors looked the forest walker. "What lesson? What do you mean? What happened to us?"

Revarian tilted his empty gaze, when Reuk perched upon his shoulder, taking in their expressions with what seemed to be gloating. "If you recall, I told you not to drink the water. You were not allowed to ingest it, until it was blessed."

Shyana felt an immature pout forming on her lips. "I didn't drink it, and you said I could touch it if I wanted."

Revarian stepped closer and reached a hand down to poke the fresh claw marks on her skin, causing her to wince. "Drinking isn't the only way to ingest. I would have assumed you'd have enough sense to steer clear while you had open wounds."

Shyana remembered back to just before she lost her senses, the same thought had occurred to her.

Vikas stared at the ground, too disgusted with himself to look at Shyana again. "But what were those figures in the water. Were they real?"

Revarian nodded and pointed. "Oh yes, they are very real. But you may want to look again."

There was a mountain with a golden waterfall that produced the river. This didn't seem all that strange, until they focused on the creature residing behind the cascading water.

Huge, bulging eyes glared at them and if one were to follow the lines of the current, they would see the figures in the water, ten of them, one for each finger of the monster.

Revarian nodded. "That is Selahnix, the water baiter. He is bound to the mountain you see there, just behind the waterfall and is so large, that he's much too slow to hunt on his own. So, he uses his enchanted fingers to lure unsuspecting prey in and devour them."

Shyana felt a shiver pass through her. "But why go through the effort of making Vikas and I…."

She couldn't say the word; it was too vile and made her stomach turn.

Revarian reached up to stroke Reuk's feathers. "I've told you before, this forest feeds off energies. You both were like a roaring flame for it. Shall we continue on?"

Vikas glared at Shyana, who returned the look, before following Revarian.

Akiem stayed closer to her side than normal and she was grateful for it. She felt horrified down to the very fiber of her being.

She'd kissed him, a Thurucaln, and not just any Thurucaln, the prince of her most hated enemy. The worst feeling of all was how much she enjoyed it and the knowledge that her first kiss had gone to a man, she wanted to disembowel.

Vikas followed behind, silently fuming, when Zei spoke. "My lord, there is something I don't understand."

The glowering prince rung out his hair, which fell in a shower of golden sparkles. "What is it?"

"Well, I was the one who felt something amiss and went to investigate. I saw you step into the river after the Xhaian already entered. The water hadn't possessed your wounds, so there was no reason for it to have any effect on you. You would have stepped in on your own. Why?"

This question filled Vikas with a fiery rage.

He curled his whip around his fingers. "Forget it."