When Zayd emerged from the mining pit along with the members of Sioban’s team he was greeted with the sight of one of the Spear of Destiny’s two assault shuttles. The seventy-five-meter-long, spindle-shaped shuttle felt like a predatory raptor with furled wings as it eyed its prey. The wings of the shuttle swept back gracefully from the needle-like prow but only extended ten meters beyond the hull of the sleek shuttle. In Zayd’s eyes, the wings served little aerodynamic purpose and mainly existed to provide hard points to mount the shuttle’s two powerful energy cannons along with a collection of smaller energy weapons.

Once they were aboard, Zayd was greeted by the familiar presence of Wing Leader Tael along with the surprising but not unwelcome Priestess Eirian. The white-haired Fae leader wore an expression of content pride while the priestess looked somewhat more concerned as her eyes took in the numerous scars on Zayd’s armor from the past several days of intensive training.

“You did well,” Tael said without much preamble. “You get translation software privileges back for now, we’ll debrief in detail shortly. Before that, Priestess Eirian has come to examine your physical condition. Get out of the armor, get a shower, and then head to the medical bay. After that, we’ll meet with Fist Leader Sioban’s team to debrief.”

“Yes Wing Leader,” Zayd said, relieved that he hadn’t met with instant condemnation.

“Let me help you out of your armor,” Eirian said, stepping up close and running her fingers over the scorched blast marks and the innumerable nicks and cuts in his armor from Caedril’s spear, Haelith’s sword and all of the other training bots that had battered him in the days before the final exercise began. “You’ve been in your armor for four days, the sensory disconnect may feel disconcerting and your muscles may not move the way you expect them to for a few minutes while you readjust. The transition is easier with practice but for now, just don’t panic, and let me guide you.”

Moments later, Zayd felt like his world spun when his armor disconnected from his senses, and for the first time in days, he saw natural, unfiltered light with his own eyes. The cool air in the assault shuttle brushed against his sweat-soaked back with a welcome chill, followed moments later by a distinctly unwelcome odor from his unwashed body. “Sorry,” Zayd said, accepting Eirian’s help as she lifted him out of the armor. “I smell horrible.”

“Not entirely,” Eirian said with a mischievous smile. “There’s something primal about the smell of a sweaty warrior. Still, this isn’t the way I want to smell your sweat,” she teased. “You can lean on me while we walk, I don’t mind. How do your muscles feel?”

“Like water,” Zayd confessed. “It’s like I’ve been running all day while carrying a heavy pack and swinging a hammer. Even my fingers feel too tired to grip anything,” he said, flexing his shaking fingers. He tried to form a fist but his worn-out digits refused to curl more than halfway. Tiredly, he shook his head at how pathetic he felt. He couldn’t remember a time when he’d been so thoroughly wrung out, even by the most aggressive training in the Zed-Alpha days.

“I feel pathetic,” he admitted reluctantly. Some Champion he was turning out to be if this was what he felt like after a single training session!

“That’s normal,” Eirian said, guiding him into a small locker room and helping him take a seat on a bench in a shower stall. Unlike his luxurious suite onboard the Spear of Destiny, the facilities of the assault shuttle were considerably more spartan and utilitarian even if they didn’t resemble the bare metal and plastics that Zayd would have encountered on a human ship. Instead, the sturdy materials of the locker room had been shaped to resemble a flagstone courtyard with partitions that emulated the appearance of paper and bamboo screens. The screening material responded instantly to Eirian’s commands, shifting from translucent to fully opaque and glowing softly enough to ease the strain on Zayd’s eyes.

“Wait a moment,” Eirian said gently while her long, elegant fingers reached behind her neck to undo the fasteners holding her tunic in place. Slowly, her fingers worked her way around to the other fasteners of her uniform before she slid out of the rich emerald fabric to reveal a trim and toned torso with slender, sculpted arms and her smooth, creamy skin. Along her left side, several wavy lavender lines flowed from her forearm and up over her shoulder before plunging down across her chest, slipping beneath the dark emerald fabric of her bra before emerging again to trail down along her ribs and vanishing beneath the waistband of her pants.

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“Is that a tattoo?” Zayd asked, trying to fix his gaze on the strange pattern more than the sculpted physique of the alluring priestess. Eion hadn’t mentioned tattoos as part of his lessons on the faith of the Temple of Evolutionary Ascension but just because a priestess was tattooed didn’t mean that the strange markings had to hold spiritual significance. As decoration went, the way the elegant lines drew his eye along her subtle curves, he certainly felt they enhanced rather than detracted from her beauty.

“My markings?” Eirian asked, tracing a slender finger over the pattern along her waist. “These are natural, I was born with them. All Fae are. No two of us are alike. Do you like them?”

“They suit you,” Zayd said, returning his gaze to her amethyst eyes with their cat-like pupils. “Are they random then, or do they mean anything?”

“There are some variations in markings that have been associated with various things,” Eirian said while her fingers resumed their work, pulling off her soft boots before undoing the fastener at her waist. “Historians have recorded the markings of legendary Fae for centuries to determine if the patterns correlate to specific notable achievements.” Shimmying out of her pants, she revealed her long, lithe legs and the pattern that branched to descend both of her legs in looping swirls.

“This pattern is known as the ‘Guiding River,’” she continued, tracing a finger along the lavender lines. “Many great teachers, clerics, and advisors have possessed similar patterns. This pattern has also manifested on a number of ignorant fools who achieve nothing of note in the entirety of their short lives,” she explained. “I choose to believe that correlation is not causation. At most, the markings are an indicator of potential but it is up to the individual to capitalize on any inherent gifts or talents they have. The markings are not a prophecy, no matter how much some people wish they were.”

“And are the markings why you became a priestess?” Zayd asked, fighting harder to keep his eyes from wandering over Eirian’s slender physique.

“No,” she said, kneeling next to Zayd to begin removing his sweat-soaked bodysuit, peeling it off his firm muscles and tracing her fingers over his tender flesh. In several places, she found brilliant purple and green bruises where the impact-absorbing capacity of the armor hadn’t been sufficient to prevent heavy impacts from damaging his body. “I’m a priestess because becoming one would open more doors for me than dedicating my life to research alone. I’ve learned much more than I expected to since becoming an acolyte all those years ago,” she explained in a voice tinged with faint nostalgia. “Now, I find my faith rewarded with you.”

“Is that what I am to you?” Zayd asked, his voice sharper than he intended. “A reward for your efforts? An opportunity for your ambitions?” Zayd asked, his calloused hand reaching out to capture Eirian’s more delicate hands. “What you’re doing right now, is it just so I’ll favor you when I gain more power?”

“Zayd,” Eirian said softly, leaning in close enough to whisper into his ear. “I can see how your eyes devour the sight of me. I can feel your pulse quicken when I touch you. Your body is honest. It likes what it sees. My body is honest too,” she added, guiding his rough hand to rest on her chest just below the clavicle. “Physical attraction is a valid beginning to companionship. You’re strong and you have the potential to become amazing. I can help your ascension, I can advise you, assist in your modifications, and much, much more. Mutual benefit is another valid beginning to companionship. Does there have to be more than that right now?” Eirian asked, returning her hand to his chest and resting it on a solid pectoral muscle. “I don’t love you. You don’t love me. It would be foolish for either of us to feel love in these circumstances. But if I desire you and you desire me, if I can benefit you and you can benefit me, isn’t that a valid reason for us to explore what more we might become?”

“So, what, you want to… date?” Zayd asked, overwhelmed by Eirian’s proximity. Desire surged within him, Eirian was right that his body was honest about what he wanted. At the same time, his mind screamed in louder warning alarms than anything produced by his combat armor. It would be all too easy to fall into a trap where he allowed his lust to turn him into an easily manipulated puppet of the enchanting priestess.

“I want to explore what might be,” Eirian said, standing up and pulling Zayd up off the bench. With a flick of her fingers, the showerhead activated, covering both of them with a soothing rain of water ever so slightly cooler than their body temperature. “Don’t make it more complicated than it needs to be,” she said, filling her hands with soapy foam before running them over Zayd’s muscular body. “Just accept this moment for what it is, and let the moments that come after it give shape to what forms between us.”

“Just this moment then,” Zayd said, filling his own hands with foamy soap and reaching out to touch Eirian’s soft skin, covering both of them in a slippery cloud of bubbles and a rich herbal scent that washed away days of fatigue and stress.