Emilia passed out with her head leaning against Cary’s shoulder minutes after their pregnancy adventure. It was only Cary’s second experience with childbirth and while it wasn’t half as horrific as the demonic birthing she’d been forced to witness and record, Cary found the whole matter… distasteful. She didn’t need her prodigious memory to know she had a phobia, but it wouldn’t supply the word for her particular phobia. Rather than allow herself to dwell on either the birth or her mental malfunction, Cary devoted her attention to her surroundings.
With her senses primed for approaching danger and Emilia snoring next to her, Cary found herself lulled into a paradoxical sense of peace. She’d spent most of her multiple thousand years of life carefully watching the world go by around her, but she’d never had a beautiful woman leaning on her shoulder while she did it. That had to be the source of her comfort.
Freda and her husband ventured by Cary and Emilia’s seats, but didn’t linger when they saw Emilia sleeping. Cary’s skin crawled at the sight of the two wrinkly infants, one in each parent’s arms. But she managed a smile for both adults and sent them away with a promise to extend their gratitude to Emilia, “Sandra” as soon as she woke. Cary suggested both parents follow Emilia’s example as soon as they were able, but she suspected they were both too excited to manage it.
After that brief visitation, Cary loaded up on snacks and drinks supplied by the flight crew and enjoyed the pampered treatment of minor heroes. Fortunately, the staff respected her request to avoid taking pictures of her or Emilia, so Cary did not have to become stern or cross with anyone.
Hours slipped by while Cary occasionally sent her awareness into Emilia’s body to make sure her servant was healthy and safe. The birth and healing had drained her of energy, but she was otherwise fine. Sleep and a meal would restore her when Emilia finally woke up. When she did, their flight had slipped out of the sun’s grip a few hours before that.
“Did you sleep well?” Cary patted Emilia as her eyes fluttered open.
“Yeah, I had wild dreams about baby horses and kittens. Weird, huh?” Emilia nuzzled into Cary’s neck, which sent shivers up into Cary’s scalp and down into her lower back.
“Considering you just assisted with your first birth, no, I do not believe such dreams are especially wild.”
“Sometimes I think you might be immune to sarcasm.” Planting a kiss on the side of Cary’s neck, Emilia poked her playfully in the cheek to punctuate her sentence.
“Not so, I enjoy playing the ‘straight man,’ or perhaps woman. Whatever phrase would be correct, I like it.”
Emilia rolled her eyes and scooted past Cary to reach the restrooms. This time Cary followed Emilia. Too much had happened in too short a span for Cary to relax and let someone attack Emilia during their brief separation. Emilia offered no complaints over Cary’s choices.
No one jumped out and tried to subdue the two women. Based on the evidence, Cary believed their mysterious attacker had given up. Why, she could not say. Perhaps whoever it was did not wish to reveal themselves with too many attacks in too short a time. Perhaps they were waiting for Cary and Emilia to disembark from the plan in Armenia. Or their attacker simply did not have any further resources to bring to bear against them.
Regardless of the cause, Cary felt certain the period of danger had elapsed. Calm rode along her shoulders as she held her palm against Emilia’s lower back on their way to their seats. This level of contact in public did not activate Emilia’s boundaries.
When they returned to their seats, Emilia set about lowering the backs into the sleeping position. Cary raised an eyebrow, “You’ve slept for the last three hours. Are you really tired?”
Emilia’s face was red as she shrugged. “Not really, but I wasn’t thinking of sleeping right now.”
“Wha…” The smile spread across Cary’s lips as she recalled Emilia’s desperate promise during the birthing. “I would not hold you to such a desperate agreement, if you wished to recant.”
Still blushing, Emilia said, “thank you, but I am… interested anyway.”
“Interested in what?” Cary advance on Emilia, dropping to all fours as she crossed the edge of their reclined seats. “You make it sound as though you have designs of your own.”
“Um, well, if you’re going to touch my…” Emilia searched the area with her eyes, “my chest, then maybe I could touch yours?”
Cary’s smile grew and blossomed as she nodded. Her voice came breathlessly. “You do not even need to ask my permission.”
Dropping her gaze to Cary’s chest, Emilia nodded as if mesmerized by Cary’s body. “I’m a little jealous of you.”
“Thank you. If it helps you, I appreciate many of your attributes as well.”
Emilia pulled the blankets over both of them and stared into Cary’s eyes. “How can you translate my words so well, when I do not know what I’m trying to say sometimes?”
“I have many years of experience deciphering cryptic remarks from a master of espionage and subterfuge. Though you are clever and well-spoken, you are not especially circumspect with your language. I find it refreshing.”
“Is this okay?” Emilia reached out and ran her hand down Cary’s chest. “You’re not wearing a bra?”
Cary chuckled. “I should think it obvious, no?”
Emilia shrugged. “I guess I noticed vaguely while we were making out, but I didn’t, I mean I wasn’t staring or anything.”
“Well, now you know for certain.” Cary’s voice lost a bit of her edge as she breathed out under Emilia’s caresses. Her tentative probings were gentler than any demon would have ever been. No one had ever touched Cary with such concern and trepidation. She loved it.
A small moan escaped Cary’s lips and Emilia pulled her hand away. “Did I hurt you?”
“Absolutely not.” Cary grabbed Emilia’s hand and brought it fully onto her breasts. Holding her own hand over Emilia’s, spread out like an overlain glove, she pressed Emilia’s hands into her own chest hard. “You could be a good deal more vigorous and you would not hurt me.”
“I’d rather be gentle, is that okay?”
Cary had to kiss her, had to embrace Emilia there. Her breath was stale and raw from slumber, but Cary loved every bit of it, as if the parts of floral aroma grew stronger this way. When she finally drew herself away from Emilia, she said, “I want you to be who you are, nothing else…” she almost spoke the foreign words, strange enough on her own lips that Cary brought her fingers to them. But rather than say those three small words, she lowered her hand to Emilia’s chest. Before she made contact, she said, “may I touch you?”
“Of course.”
“I will be gentle.” During her hundred lifetimes of experience, she’d learned that people often treated others in bed as they would have those treat them. Cary was as delicate and gentle as she could manage. She refrained from pinching or grabbing Emilia, but rather ran her hands over her lover’s body as if smoothing out a ruffled bed.
Emilia didn’t moan, but rather squealed out her delight, flushing an even deeper red that ran down below her collarbones. “Gods, that feels good.”
Cary stroked Emilia’s side, not even touching the usual erogenous zones of Emilia’s breast. “You have sensitive skin.” The fact made the abuse Emilia had suffered an even greater affront. Far from the first time, Cary regretted her initial refusal to slay Emilia’s former guardian.
“Yeah, I guess so?” She wriggled under Cary’s touch. “I don’t have anything to compare it to.”
Cary nodded. “This seems very sensitive to me.”
Emilia’s eyes widened as Cary walked her fingers down toward Emilia’s hips. Hesitating in place, Cary feared she’d overstepped a boundary. Instead, Emilia grabbed her hand and guided it to her rump. “You’ve been so well behaved, you can touch me here too.”
A purr rumbled out of Cary’s throat. “Why do I feel as though this is as much for your benefit as it is for mine?”
Emilia pulled herself into Cary’s arms and wrapped her legs around one of Cary’s. “Because you are a clever and wise little demoness, I think.” Pressure rose as Emilia pushed herself against Cary’s leg. For her part, Cart anchored her leg against the armrest of her own chair and let Emilia press herself against her knee.
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The moan that escaped Emilia’s lips would have been out of place if the others in the cabin had been awake. But from her preternatural hearing, Cary knew that they all slept at that moment. And not one of them stirred as Emilia rubbed her crotch against Cary’s knee. Emilia arched her back so Cary moved her hands to caress her breasts. That brought Emilia over the crest, shivering and twitching into an orgasm that brought a look of exquisite, innocent shock to Emilia’s face, as if she hadn’t planned this to begin with. Considering her actual innocence, Emilia might not have intended to bring herself this way. Cary didn’t mind, but she imagined Emilia would be embarrassed.
True to her prediction, Emilia pulled herself away from Cary with downturned eyes. Cary grabbed Emilia’s chin and found the seeds of tears there. “What is wrong?”
“I didn’t mean to…” Emilia bit her lip and her voice cracked. “I didn’t mean to use you like that.”
Cary could not help the chuckle that broke free from her mouth. “Dear, you did not use me. We joined in… something akin to a union.”
“But I didn’t ask…” Guilt washed over Emilia’s face.
Cary lifted the blanket and pointed to where her foot had been anchored. “And yet I knew what you were doing. If I’d minded, I would have said something. You do not need to seek my permission for every little act. Especially as I was encouraging you.” She kissed Emilia’s cheeks and eyelids. “In truth, I loved this.” Cary lowered her voice and brought her mouth to Emilia’s ear. “I would have you fuck my knee every night if it such were within my power.”
Emilia shook her head, as if the notion disturbed her. “That’s not… I wasn’t doing that.”
“It is called frottage, the French language is well suited to sexual innuendo and activity. And it is nothing to be ashamed of.”
“But it’s not,” Emilia lowered her voice even further, “sex.”
Cary shrugged. “Some closed minded idiots would say that nothing two women could do would amount to sex. They are… wrong.” Cary almost said, “as wrong as you are now,” but she managed to self-edit before she upset Emilia further.
“Well this doesn’t count.” Emilia drew away from Cary with her arms over her stomach. Cary knew their intimacy was done for the evening and felt a pang of regret from the knowledge.
“If you say so, then it is so.”
“I need to use the rest room. Can you let me out?” Cary stood and Emilia turned with her hand on Cary’s chest. She blinked at where she’d touched Cary and cleared her throat again. “Don’t follow me, please?”
Cary nodded, still uncertain of what had so greatly upset Emilia. Her servant’s memories clarified nothing. She waited, standing in the center of the first class cabins while Emilia conducted her business. Senses still primed for danger, Cary detected nothing amiss as Emilia returned from the bathroom with an ashamed look on her face.
Counter to her expectations, Emilia took Cary’s hand and kissed her briefly on the lips. “I am sorry I’m a psycho. I still l… like you and I want to try this again. But not tonight okay?”
Cary brushed a lock of hair that had escaped Emilia’s braid off of her forehead. “We have a very long time before us, there is no rush.”
“Then it’s okay if we just sleep together tonight. Just sleep, not anything else?”
“As I said. I am in no great hurry.”
Emilia nodded, biting her lip as she did. Cary pulled the sheet away for Emilia who bounced across the bed and waited for Cary to crawl in after. Cary followed and paused while Emilia situated herself. She did so and crawled in and let Emilia lower her head to Cary’s shoulder. A few seconds passed and Emilia whispered. “Thank you. For saving me, for protecting me, and for being so patient with me. I know I am annoying and frustrating. And you never treat me like it. Thank you.”
“You are welcome.” Cary could have argued, could have denied Emilia’s words, but that would have been tantamount to denying her feelings. Though Cary did not agree with Emilia’s self-assessment, she could voice her concerns later.
The rest of their flight was uneventful. No further attacks or catastrophes demanded either Cary or Emilia’s attention. They performed a final set of examinations of Freda and her twins, but the mother and her two squealing infants were as healthy as the filthy little mutants got. Cary smiled through the examination as best she could. Frowning or otherwise demonstrating her displeasure might have upset them. It would certainly upset Emilia, who seemed to expand as she looked over the infants. As if their presence activated her magic and filled her with glee, the last bits of fatigue flowed out of Emilia’s shoulders as she cooed at the children and made silly faces at them.
“I can’t believe you don’t like babies. Who doesn’t like babies?”
“They simply creep me out.” Cary had struggled to find the correct way to express herself so Emilia would understand. “They are far too small while their eyes and heads are far too large. There are demons… well you would be disturbed by infants if you’d grown up in the Infernim.”
“What was it like?”
“I’d rather not speak of them. They are disgusting.”
“Not the demons, I mean the whole Infernim. I only know about it through books and stuff. You don’t talk about it.”
Their plane taxied to the landing zone, preparing to offload its passengers after their multiple-hour flight. Cary stretched her neck and said, “There are parts of the Infernim that are remarkably similar to the mortal realms. The skies overhead are blue, a yellow star lights the heavens, and the air is as clean as it is here. The air might be more pure in those parts. But the demonic flora and fauna in those parts are among the most dangerous, as if the plane is unwilling or unable to abide such a high degree of normality.
“Other parts are shrouded in ubiquitous brown fog and the air reeks of sulfur and burning pitch. No star lights the heavens, but a constant green glow provides the illumination for the residents. There the soil yields twisted, but edible plants, and the demons who live there most resemble mortals in their aspects and behavior. Perhaps that is not quite right. Few, if any, demons truly resemble mortals. If a demon looks like a human, they have disguised themselves or changed their shape. There is no other explanation.
“As to the rest of the Infernim, the variety is said to be endless. In truth, I have not seen that much of the surface of my home plane. I grew up in a desert-like area and was taken by my master in my youth. What I have seen of the rest of the plane was during the period of my captivity and service.”
“Are a lot of demons forced into service like that?”
“Nearly all. Those demons who are free are either very lucky, born into a royal house, or purchased their freedom through some form of service. Many such demons attempt to ensnare their fellows in traps, as a way to expand their personal power.”
“Why?”
“That is the great unifier among demons. Almost all seek power in one way or another. I would say it is the same with mortals, but that would not be correct. Mortals pursue their own goals for their own purposes, sometimes without explanation or reason. But demons… only a very tiny minority concern themselves with anything other than the acquisition of power, either through wealth or some other means.”
“You don’t seem concerned with that.”
The plane trembled to a stop and Cary concluded her explanation. “That is because I spent so much of my time trapped by another. If you would characterize my chief motivation, it is freedom. And to protect the people I care about.”
“You mean me?” Emilia pointed to herself as if surprised she was the one Cary spoke of.
“Indeed Emilia Olren. There are no other mortals, no other beings I truly have any concern for. You are unique between here and the Boundary.”
“What’s that, you’ve mentioned the Boundary before?”
The pilot announced their arrival and the attendants arrived to assist them with their carry-on luggage, so Cary was not able to continue her lessons. In truth, she’d intended to redirect Emilia anyway, the girl could use a lesson in personal exploration in this case.
They disembarked from the plane. During this transition, Cary remained silent, her eyes darting between potential threats as she tried to keep herself between Emilia and the other passengers. They made it out of the boarding chute and found Joshua, Regina, Betsy, and Max waiting for them.
Betsy rushed forward, her red hair braided up in a similar fashion to Emilia’s. “Oh my god! You’re here! This place is AMAZING, Em! You’re gonna love it!”
Already, Cary had noticed how the atmosphere in this place was cleaner than that of the airport in Austin. The air was more than pure, magic seemed to hover and float in the air like a cloud covered them with its aegis .
Joshua had his hands folded before him, but he took a step toward Cary, nodded and offered her his hand. “It is good to see you, Ms Cary.”
“Josh,” Cary winked at him and flashed the magician a grin as she did. “It is a pleasure to be here as well.”
Betsy hugged Cary after Emilia while the others took their turns. As if he’d worked some magic of his own, the departing crowd flowed around Joshua. Once Cary had a moment, she motioned to Joshua with a tilt of her head. He closed the gap between them, “did you have any problems?”
“Yes, we did. I would prefer to get out of the open, if you don’t mind.”
Joshua diverted the group outside to a waiting van. Their luggage arrived first, another benefit for their First Class accommodations. As a result, the whole group managed to leave before the crowd could close around them.
Cary and Emilia took turns relating their adventures aboard the plane, which captivated the van as it rattled down the roads. Based on the outdated books Cary had read about the country, she had expected a rural, backwater community with dilapidated roads and vehicles from several decades past. Instead the roads benefited from regular service, their van was a modern Mercedes, and the countryside looked like some kind of pastoral paradise. That latter bit was the only factor the older books had gotten right.
Once their story was done, Cary asked Joshua, “who do you think our attackers were?”
“Yes, that is a difficult question. Foreign governments tend to send agents to Armenia, particularly magically capable agents. Our domestic services are… rather full of magic.”
“Really?” Emilia practically bounced next to Cary. “That’s weird, right?”
Joshua nodded. “Among European powers, we are the only one that maintains an active interest in the occult. The clandestine magical services of the other powers maintain a keen interest in our affairs because of this.”
“Is that why the Cabal uses this nation as their training grounds?” Cary assumed this was the case, but she hoped to draw Joshua out on the subject.
“Indeed. We also have our headquarters here. The Cabal has a long history of cooperation with the Armenian government, several of our members sit on the parliament and advise our prime minister.”
“That is quite unusual, yes?” Cary continued her conversation with Joshua while the others in the van whispered among themselves.
“As I said, no other Western government maintains such close ties. I believe the Indian and Himalayan nations share an even deeper link between their magical societies and their government, though I have never been to either country.”
Cary would have asked more, but Joshua spoke to the driver in Armenian and asked him to stop. She’d memorized the Armenian spoken vocabulary in the last month and was working on the grammar. She could understand the language well enough now, though she could not speak it fluently yet.
Their van stopped in the entrance to a wide open field, large enough that Cary had to peer to see the forests in the distance. Joshua and the others exited the van while Cary and Emilia exchanged wary glances.
Joshua opened his arms wide, as if unveiling the empty field. “Emilia, Cary, welcome to the Sanctum Sanctorum.”
For three seconds, nothing happened. Joshua stood there with his arms spread out resembling a steampunk PT Barnum. As the third second ticked over, like the interval had been precisely timed, the world spun around Cary and Emilia. Emilia grabbed Cary’s arm as if to keep her balance as a large stone archway appeared in the air.