V S M Water is Life

[Beatrix III]

Five months had passed since the war ended. Everything had returned to normal and post-war clean up had finally been completed. The dead had been accounted for and burial rites had been completed ahead of schedule. A brand-new cemetery for the soldiers who died to end the Unmaking threat had been created east of the city. Serjeant Masters had been awarded several medals for heroism. He made a full recovery and returned home to his wife. She had brought a plate full of cookies to Beatrix one evening in the mess hall as thanks for keeping him alive. In the absence of a war, Hakkar had given her new tasks to complete for him. Beatrix embraced the moniker of the Sanguine Phoenix once more and as her blood god commanded, she would assassinate targets he deemed a threat to his allies and his power. Nobody but Jaina knew where she was going each time that she set out on Slepinir.

Beatrix made her way from the stable to her dormitory building. Climbing the spiral staircase, she reached the floor their suite was on. The sun had just settled below the horizon and the temperature was dropping rapidly. It was late winter in the Kingdom of Lodis. Everything was dusted with several inches of snow. A winter storm had moved in ahead of Beatrix’s arrival which made the last leg of her journey a miserable one. With the gusts of frigid wind and the frozen road it had made travel unpleasant. What more, all her armor was now about two sizes too small for her. She had to squeeze into her pants and chest piece. It made wearing the armor very uncomfortable. Any day now her new set of gear would be ready, and she’d be able to fit comfortably again. With a sigh of relief to be in out of the cold, Beatrix unwrapped her face and lifted the snow goggles off her eyes. Making her way down the corridor to the bath, the Mistress removed her gloves and pushed open the door.

“Who was it this time?” Jaina asked, sitting in the tub up to her chin.

“Evening, love.” Beatrix said, unwrapping herself from the winter cloak she wore.

“Who did you have to kill this time?”

“A Viscount in the Arcadian parliament. He was burying Unmaking scout reports.” The redhead replied.

“Good riddance then.”

“My thoughts exactly. Can I get a little help here? I seem to be stuck in this thing.” Beatrix asked her wife.

Jaina got up out of the tub and moved to assist her. Kissing her briefly, the sorceress pulled on the various ties and belts that kept Beatrix’s armor on her person. As the blond peeled away her lover’s armor her eyes widened at the sight of blood-stained bandages wrapped around her torso.

“Looks worse than it is. It should be completely healed by morning.” The redhead said offhandedly.

“I think we need a vacation.” Jaina said as she stripped her wife of her clothing.

“Where would we go?”

Jaina pondered the question for a moment before smiling. “I think Mesa Roja might be a good change of pace.”

“Is that the desert planet?”

“Yes.” The blond replied. “There are some good taverns in Karim. As long we stay out of trouble.”

Beatrix chuckled. “Good luck with that. Trouble finds us.”

Both women sank into the metal tub and soothing hot water together. They chatted for a bit, but both were eager to get into bed and bundle up. Jaina was the first one out of the tub. She toweled herself dry and went to stoke the fire in their private suite. Beatrix could still feel the cold ache in her bones, but nevertheless she got up and grabbed a towel. The redhead was first under the covers. As Jaina climbed into bed she was pulled into the loving embrace of her wife. Beatrix rested her head on the sorceress’ chest and closed her eyes, breathing a sigh of relief.

***​

The two women shared their idea with Stephen, figuring he could use a break from having to be Gavin. The crown prince agreed, and the trio made their way to the Arcadian spaceport. As Seventeen and Jaina proceeded up the boarding ramp Beatrix stopped halfway.

“What’s wrong, love?” The sorceress asked, looking back.

“I’ve never been off world before. Erde is where I’ve spent my whole life.”

“Well it’s about time you travel.” Stephen jabbed.

Beatrix shot him a look before proceeding to follow her friends. The flight was relatively short and uneventful. They even had an in-flight beverage service which Beatrix made liberal use of. They disembarked, being immediately met with stinging arid air and the hot blaze of the sun. The Mistress raised her hood and proceeded down the boarding ramp.

“I guess we should find lodging.” Stephen suggested.

“I figured we were going to sleep in the street.” Beatrix sassed.

“Very funny.”

Jaina thwapped them both on the head and took the lead heading into the city streets. After wandering around a bit, both lost and curious about the city before them, they finally arrived at a tavern with vacancies called The Broken Mare. Jaina booked them two rooms for a week and returned to the table Stephen had picked out. Handing him the key to his room she sat down.

“Any idea what we want to do here?”

“I’d like to see more of the city. There’s a Cytokine Industries outlet on the other end of this block. I think it might be time to grab some phones so we can communicate with each other.” Jaina said.

“You do that. I’m going to the bar. Meet back here later?”

“Sounds good to me. Get white girl wasted for me.” Beatrix said with a laugh.

Jaina and the Mistress took their leave and exited the tavern into the streets of Karim once more. They made their way to the outlet store and entered the building. The store was unlike anything Beatrix had ever seen. It was out of place even for this planet and Karim. High tech gadgets littered the walls, electronics and devices of all shapes and sizes were on display. Jaina must have known exactly what she was looking for because she walked over to the display of something called…cPhone 15 and took three small boxes from under the display. Beatrix just followed along. The only technology she had ever encountered was the flip phone she had paid for years back. It had been lost quite a while ago. The sorceress went to the counter and paid. As she came back, she handed one of the boxes to Beatrix. Both unboxed their devices. It was a slim tablet looking device that easily fit in one hand.

“I paid for two years of Crossroads wide service so we can message each other from wherever.”

Beatrix fumbled with her phone, trying to get it to work.

“How the hell do you do anything with this thing?”

“It’s a touch screen. You use your finger to navigate.” Jaina explained.

“Why can’t it have buttons?” Beatrix complained.

Jaina sighed and took the phone from her wife. “I’ll set it up for you with everything you need. Just promise me you’ll learn how to use it.”

“Of course. Communication between the three of us is important.” Beatrix said.

With their phones purchased the two women made their back into the streets of Karim to shop a little more.

 

[Android XVII]

Truth be told, Seventeen would have accepted a ‘vacation’ to anywhere that was far from Lodis. The warfare had been a nice enough detour, but once that had settled, the general malaise of life at court had again started to take root. Worse than that, he could barely go forty paces without some handmaiden, countess, or lady bureaucrat ogling him (or, technically, ogling him as Gavin). To make matters worse, one of the king’s daughters was… intently focused on him, to the point where he was fairly certain he needed to drink less.

Unfortunately for the cybernetic warrior, he wasn’t quite certain he enjoyed the destination that had been chosen. Sure, Karim was a nice enough place. It felt a lot less claustrophobic than Lodis, and it was a lot less pretentious than Arcadia. That said, there was a much different atmosphere in the streets of Karim, and that was all the more accurate when you started to drift away from the neighborhoods that were clearly built around off-World tourism.

Once you got beyond those areas, you started to drift into parts of the city that apparently fell under the purvey of a number of competing influences. Seventeen hadn’t pieced together the politics, and he wasn’t certain he had any interest in doing so while they were here. His years spent trying to navigate the tumultuous relationship between the three city-states of Lodis, Merania, and the Idrisids had left him numb when it came to local politics.

With the ladies off probably buying dresses or bedroom things, Seventeen had visited the local bazaar to provide himself with a wardrobe that wouldn’t stick out on the streets of a city where ambient temperatures hit three digits more often than not. While he was sure that Beatrix probably had a fondness for sweating in leather body suits, that wasn’t really his scene. He opted for a pair of airy pants that immediately sparked memories of Daniccolo or one of the various puttalin monsters. Instead of a form-fitting leather shirt and a tunic, opted for an equally puffy button-up shirt with short sleeves. The scabbard of the Power Sword fit nicely and preventing the wind from catching too much. To shield his eyes in the sun, he bought a fez cap, but kept that clipped to his waist for the meantime. Since he never like to be without it, he kept his bandana, albeit tucked into the other one of his pant pockets.

With the sun still high in the sky, Seventeen found himself sitting in an upscale tavern a few blocks from the edges of the unofficial tourist district. Unlike the majority of the venues he frequented in Lodis or Merania, this was a surprisingly upscale venue. There were vast, open-air windows, and the places was filled with these broad arches. If that wasn’t rich enough for one’s blood, the ceiling had those fancy, decorative tiles, and there was no less than a half dozen chandeliers hanging from the cathedral ceilings.

While the place had a number of tables and even a handful of mahogany booths, Seventeen made his way to the bar. Taking his spot near the end of the ornate and polished sandstone countertop, he took a moment to appreciate the patterning on the surface before glancing around for the bartender.

“If you’re looking for Steve, I hate to tell you that he stepped out for a smoke break.”

The speaker was a woman sitting a few stools down who happened to be the only other person at the bar. She flashed him a cordial smile as she pushed a collection of gray-red hair away from her face. She had a few scars, and if he had to guess, she was probably nearer to fifty. That said, it was her fancy outfit that drew the attention. The coat she wore as a top had tails that hung down to her feet, and its chest and cuffs were embroidered with intricate golden patterns.

 

[PJ]

PJ took a sip on her mojito before gesturing with her unoccupied hand toward the pair of swinging doors tucked away at the end of the shelves that housed the various bottles of liquor and spirits. “He’ll be back in a few. He likes his smokes, but he’s got bad lungs.” She shook her head. “It’s all the sand. It gets everyone in the end.”

“What an uplifting thought.”

“There are worse places to be,” she replied.

“Opealon?”

She chuckled. “I hear it’s nice out there. Try a few weeks on Inverxe.”

He shrugged his shoulders. He had vaguely heard of a ‘moon of madness’ out there in the Crossroads, but he didn’t have much interest in a hellhole of cosmic aliens. “What’s with the outfit? You auditioning to be a nutcracker or something?”

The diplomat laughed into her drink to the point where she had to set it down and wipe some spittle from her chin. Without missing a beat, she pivoted her chair and gestured to his getup. “Should we discuss the cultural appropriation that’s going on with your outfit?”

The wiry man let out an audible ‘psh’ before dismissing her with a dramatic wave of his hand. “I had a green friend and like three varieties of pink friend who used to dress like this, I think I’ll sleep well at night. Plus, I run hot.”

PJ rolled her eyes as she gave one glance to the scrawny, pallid man. “Have we met? You seem … familiar.”

“You know what,” he mused as he reached a hand and wiggled a finger toward a bottle on the distance shelf. In a familiar swirl of blue and white light particles, a bottle of white rum vanished and reappeared in his hand. He uncorked the bottle and took a long swig before shaking a finger at her. “I think we have, but if it wasn’t Opealon, it had to have been Dante, because even the hoity-toity in Arcadia wouldn’t dress in that much gold.”

“It’s a dress code for my job,” she defended as she fixed her cuffs and orbed a bottle of whisky in front of her. If the man caught it, he didn’t comment on it as she refilled her cup. She’d reimburse Steve whenever he got back from his break. “But yea … I was there a few years ago. My partner and I. Also, the guy I work with. He ran on of the armies, just not at the start of the event.”

The man snorted before taking another swig from the bottle. “You work for that blonde dude with the gold?” Without waiting for a response, he thrust an accusatory finger toward her. “The outfit! Makes perfect sense now. That was… Girugamac?”

“Gilgamesh.” PJ took another sip of her whiskey. “And we work together. I’m his ambassador here in Karim. Name’s PJ.” In lieu of a handshake, she tipped the bottle of booze in his general direction.

“Stephen,” he replied, sticking to the alias that he had agreed upon with the ladies during their flight. “And we were on the same side, y’know.”

She furrowed her brow.

“In that event,” Seventeen elaborated. “Technically, my friends and I wound up in your dungeons, but we accepted that whole amnesty thing before the end.” He dug into his pocket and pulled out the medal. “Where’s yours?”

PJ smiled and shook her head. “At home.” Despite the understanding that they had likely crossed paths once or twice on the comet, she still felt like there was something familiar about this person. Sure, she had consumed probably half a bottle of whiskey, but she normally never felt this comfortable with a total stranger.

“So why are you day drinking?” Stephen inquired. “Shouldn’t you be… ambassadoring somewhere? Like a royal court of something?” He glanced around and then craned his neck to try and spot the closet window. “They have those here, don’t they?”

“I’m on lunch,” she replied truthfully as she leaned back to reveal an empty plate dotted with particles of bread crust and some other assorted sandwich shrapnel. “Had a headache. Needed to clear my thoughts.”

“Work got you down?” He asked with a slight smile. “My friends and I are on vacation. We have some pretty stifling gigs of our own.”

“I’m sure,” PJ answered as she looked down at the tumbler and swirled the whiskey.

“No, really! You know how hard it is to help manage two and a half city-states? At least you only have one city here.”

“Karim is closer to four or five different cities,” PJ remarked as she topped herself off and let the drink breath for a moment. “The two houses are always peacocking on another. You have Plaineview always trying to take a mile when given an inch anywhere in the city. Rick’s entourage preys on everyone and everything, but he usually does it with a suave smile.”

“That’s four.”

“Everyone else.” She explained. “Lots of people just trying to thrive and not be swallowed up by all the various political machines.”

“Aren’t you part of a machine?”

“Heh,” she took a sip to gather her thoughts. “I’m not saying I haven’t sent strongly worded letters to people of interest, but my gilded friend and I aren’t in the business of encroaching on the turf here. He just knows he can trust me to watch out for our people when they travel through the sometimes-unfriendly environs of this city.” She gestured up to the ceiling. “This is the only major space port on this world, after all.”

“That doesn’t explain the day-drinking.”

She smiled, and even though he was being pushing, it didn’t rub her the wrong way for whatever reason. Normally, by this point, she would have resorted to grunting responses until the other party got the hint and left her alone. Instead, she simply shook her head. “Karim isn’t a flawless place, but there’s plenty of nonsense that goes on out there in the wilds. Uruk,” she paused. “That’s the city where I technically live.”

“Got it.”

“Anyway, Uruk got an influx of refugees.” She let out a sigh. Years of this job, and it felt like every six to eight months she was dealing with some displaced population. “From this place called Merchant Town Beiser. It’s some place even further out in the wilds. Uruk already has a lot of displaced peoples, and Gilgamesh doesn’t like to hold too many. He sent them here. To make them my problem.”

“Sounds dumb.”

“I know, right?” She shook her head as she stared at her reflection that lay partially hidden behind the shelves of liquor across the bar. “I’m already up to my ass in paperwork with our normal folks, and now I have to manage another forty people?”

“So, what’s the deal with the town they’re from?”

PJ paused mid-sip and frowned. It took her a few more twists of the gears to recall the information. “Some… something about a warlord? Those are a dime a dozen once you get a few days from Karim. A few of the refugees mentioned something about a warlord who took over their town. If their stories are to be believed, their town was built atop some mine for like…” She trailed off and gesticulated with her free hand as she tried to formulate the correct response. “Uber diamonds or something? Or was it spice? Or oil?” She shrugged once again. “There’s always some place with some resource that makes some person want to kill some other person.”

“Interesting,” the man said. “You have a fun job.”

She laughed pretty heavily at that one. Aside from her time with Anita, she probably hadn’t felt this relaxed with anyone else in a long time. “You sure we’ve never met outside of that game? I usually hate most people, especially random ones I encounter during the day at the bar.”

Stephen smiled but ultimately shrugged his shoulders. “I just have one of those faces, I guess.” He took another long pull on the bottle of rum. “Also, one of those sunny personalities. My lesbian best friends tell me that all the time. Well, the one does. The other one’s surly most of the time.”

PJ chuckled before looking at the clock. “Well, I should be leaving. Good luck out there.”

“What do you mean?”

She smiled before downing the rest of her glass and setting it in the sink on the other side of the bar. “That town I was talking about is roughly a week north-north-west of here. What can I say? You’ve got that glint in your eyes.”

As he smiled, she again felt it was strangely familiar.

“You’re very good at reading people, it would seem.”

“Comes with the job,” she reached into one of her pockets and flicked him a business card.

“You giving me your number?” He laughed.

She snickered softly. “I thought I heard something about lesbian best friends?”

Stephen, a smart enough man to see the very unsubtle subtext, let out a long laugh as he stashed the card. “Sure, yea, we’ll all go clubbing when the weather’s nicer.”

PJ gave a final smile to the traveler as she headed out through the back door of the tavern.

 

[Beatrix III]

“Jaina! Look at me! Don’t look away!” Beatrix screamed as the men restraining her held her by the hair and kept her on her knees.

They had attached another collar to her neck. This time it had been magically enhanced. The redhead had no control over her powers. The burly soldiers who were keeping her on the ground were forcing her to watch what was about to happen. Jaina was being held at knife point by a man Beatrix couldn’t make out. The world around her seemed to shift and move. What was clear as day were the tears flowing from her wife’s eyes. Beatrix knew that look. Her wife was terrified of losing her again. It was happening again. The mage hunters had caught up to them again.

However…

It was Beatrix’s turn to watch. The guard gripped her hair raised her head so she could watch the man holding her wife hostage plunge the knife into her neck. Jaina inhaled sharply, taken completely by surprise. Her eyes widened as blood flowed out of her mouth. The mysterious man ripped the knife forward and splashed the Mistress with the sorceress’ blood. With one fell strike their captor finished the display by beheading the blond with a clean strike. Beatrix watched as her wife’s lifeless head rolled over to her. Tears streamed down the Mistress’ face. The man kicked Jaina’s corpse to the ground and walked over to the redhead and plunged his knife directly into her throat.

***​

Beatrix snapped back to reality and lowered her hood wiping the sweat from her face with a handkerchief she kept tucked in her armor.

“You’d be more comfortable if you stowed that gear and got something new to wear.” Jaina said as she stripped out of her robes, undoing her corset. After a few seconds of being unable to untie it, Beatrix grasped the blondes clothing and pulled her close. The Mistress untied her lovers clothing and pulled it down and away from her. After being undressed Jaina quickly folded her clothing into a neat pile and stuffed it away into her bottomless bag. Beatrix stared at her naked wife.

“Don’t look at me like that. Next thing you know you’ll be naked too.” Jaina said, red in the face.

The Mistress grabbed Jaina by the braid of her hair and pulled her into an embrace. Cupping one of the sorceress’ breasts the Priestess gently kissed her lover on the neck, biting her playfully.

“Not here. Someone will hear!”

Beatrix took hold of Jaina by the chin and pressed their lips together, diving her tongue into her lover’s mouth. She pressed the sorceress against the wall in the changing tent, kissing her passionately for a full thirty seconds before pulling away, biting Jaina’s bottom lip as she did.

“Has anyone ever told you that you taste divine?” The redhead said with a grin.

Jaina fell against the stone wall in their tent and took a moment to gather herself, her face red. She picked up a set of blue lace panties and slipped into them. She did the same for a matching bra which Beatrix happily assisted in clasping shut. Blondie had chosen a pair of loose purple silk pants and a white silk shirt with pink embroidery. She had swapped out her darker cloak for a white one. Slipping into a pair of brown leather shoes she completed her outfit and wrapped said cloak around her person, clasping it at the neck. She stuffed her old delicates into her bag before draping the strap across her person, putting the bag at her side. Beatrix put her hands on her lovers’ hips and pulled her close, wrapping the belt leather sheathe for the knife she had given Jaina around her waist and buckling it. They both raised their hoods and exited the changing tent, heading back into the bustling streets of Karim.

After making their way back towards the inn where they had rented accommodations, they ran into Stephen exiting a bar. He looked at Jaina and smiled before turning his gaze to obviously uncomfortable Beatrix.

“Wouldn’t you be more comfortable in lighter clothing?” He asked.

“No.”

“So you’re just going to boil alive in all of that armor?”

“Yes.”

“You’re an idiot.” He jabbed.

She looked at him and lowered the cloth around her face. “Takes one to know one!”

“That’s your best comeback?” He said with a laugh.

“I’ll just bring an extra canteen. Or siphon some water from your blood.” She said with a wicked grin.

“Gross.”

Beatrix stuck her tongue out before lifting the shroud back over her mouth and nose to keep the dust from her lungs.

“So, I’ve possibly found something for us to do.” Stephen said.

“Oh no. Last time you said that I was roped into becoming a Duchess.” Beatrix jabbed.

Jaina giggled.

“A merchant town by the name of Beiser has fallen under control of a pretty devious warlord. It’s at least a week into the deep desert from here.”

“You expect me to trudge through a week of deep desert. Dying slowly as I go from heat. Just to defeat a warlord. On a planet I’m not from. ON our vacation?”

“It’s displaced at least forty refugees into Karim.” Stephen added, which made Jaina shift her stance.

“I don’t give a damn ab-“ Beatrix started.

“Plus, they’re sitting on a diamond mine, and they have a considerable black-market presence. Maybe get yourself some diamonds and new gear?”

Beatrix pursed her lips.

“You son of a bitch. I’m in.” Beatrix quipped.

Jaina smiled with relief. The Mistress knew blondie would want to help those people. Plus, it never hurts to peruse the weapon tents. You never know what you might find. The trio took their time walking the city back to the Inn where they had rented accommodation. Beatrix went straight for the bar while Jaina went upstairs to their room to take a nap.

 

[Beatrix III]

Beatrix trudged upward on the sand dune she was ascending. To her left Jaina was scaling the same mountain of sand. Stephen was leading the party as they made their way through the deep desert in the direction of Beiser.

“Remind me again why I’m doing this on my vacation?” Beatrix asked, tired of the desert already.

“Consider it a personal favor to me.” Stephen said back.

“These people need our help, love.” Jaina added.

“I have sand in places there shouldn’t be sand.” The Mistress complained.

Hakkar. Are there any targets in this merchant town? Beiser.

The blood gods booming voice pierced her consciousness.

“Three targets. One of whom is the Warlord causing the trouble. You have a vested interest in killing him and his two advisors. They are enemies and a threat to our cause. The Warlord is displacing those who worship me and allowing Unmaking cultists to reside within the city. You must purge them. You’ll know them when you see them. Such is our way.”

The blood god roared before going silent. Beatrix furrowed her brow.

“It looks like I’m going to have acquiesce to your personal favor, Stephen. The warlord and his advisors need to die.”

“What’s with the sudden change of heart?” He asked.

Beatrix pursed her lips as she crested the top of the sand dune and slid her way down the other side.

Time to lie.

“I overheard some of the refugees talking about how they were running the whole show. I figure it’s a good place to start by killing those three.” She lied.

“As per usual your first instinct is to kill someone.” He quipped.

“You shouldn’t expect any less at this point.”

Jaina rolled her eyes. “You get used to it. I married an assassin after all.”

Beatrix shot her wife a look before continuing to trudge through the sand. Losing her footing she tumbled down the opposite side of the sand dune and rolled to a stop at the bottom. She lowered her face scarf and spit out the sand that had found its way into her mouth. Rolling over onto her stomach she lifted herself up to a kneeling position.

“Aren’t you supposed to be good on your feet?” Stephen said as he came to a stop next to her and extended a hand.

She took it and stood up, gathering her bag and fallen canteen. Of which had spilled open and emptied into the sand. She looked at the moist ground, then back up to Stephen.

“We can’t take you anywhere, can we? You go off world and suddenly you’re this inept child.” Stephen said with a laugh.

“Oh shut up. You’re loving this. The great Beatrix Zulenka defeated by a fucking sand dune.”

“Your words.” Stephen said holding up his hands.

Beatrix scowled at him as she lowered her hood and shook the sand from her hair. She had particles in places she would rather not have them. Jaina slid down the dune to meet them and placed her hands on her lovers’ shoulders.

“Are you okay, my love?”

The Mistress grumbled to herself and took off walking again but was stopped short as Jaina pulled on her arm, pulling her against her body. The sorceress knew just how to cheer up her wife. She brushed away the hair in the Mistress’s face and gave her a gentle kiss on the nose. Reaching behind her she removed her canteen and unscrewed the top. With a gentle touch of frost magic the metal container immediately became covered in a thin layer of frosted moisture. With a smile she handed the canteen to her wife who took it and chugged the entire thing.

“Don’t you want to save some?”

Jaina giggled. “You forget I’m a sorceress, Stephen. We were never going to run out of water.”

“I didn’t even think of that.” He said, shrugging his shoulders.

“Feeling better, red?”

“Yes.” Beatrix replied handing the canteen back to her wife who filled it again and returned it to her belt.

“Good. It’s no fun when the insults are one way.” Stephen mused.

“You could at least shapeshift into a damn horse we could ride.” The redhead fired back.

“Oh shit!” Jaina said with surprise.

“What?” Both of her compadres said as they looked back at her.

“We could have been riding horses this entire time! I could teleport our mounts from Erde to us.” She said with a laugh.

Beatrix gave her wife a look.

“Don’t give me that look, missy. You could have summoned Slepinir any time you wanted.”

A look of surprise fell over Beatrix’s features. She should have done that from the beginning.

“Oh arbiter damn it.”

In a flash or purple and pink arcane particles both Jaina’s and Stephen’s mounts appeared next to them. Beatrix lowered her hood and put two fingers to her lips and released a shrill whistle. Her eyes ignited with red magic and within a few moments Slepinir came trotting in from over the dunes. Beatrix put one foot in his stirrup and hoisted herself onto him. A few moments later both Jaina and Stephen were atop their personal mounts.

“I can’t believe we’ve been walking through the desert for three days now and we could have been using mounts. We’re amateurs I swear.” Beatrix said, kicking Slepinir in the hindquarters with her heels.

“Well maybe you are. The rest of us are doing just fine.” Stephen said with jest.

“Can’t just let me have one, can you?” The Mistress said looking back at him.

“Nope!”

Jaina giggled as the three of them rode off further into the deep desert. The sun was going down which meant the temperature was going to begin to drop rapidly. They were four days away from Beiser, but with their mounts they could traverse that distance in just over a day. Unfortunately, the weather began to turn against them.

“Sandstorm!” Beatrix yelled back.

Behind the trio a raging sandstorm was headed their way.

“Don’t worry about it!” Jaina shouted over the steadily increasing wind.

She raised her hand to the sky and closed in on both Beatrix and Stephen with her horse. The amethyst on a silver ring adorned her right hand illuminated. A bright sparkling pink and white shield expanded out from around the sorceress and encompassed the three of them. As the sandstorm overtook them, they were shielded from the whipping wind and sand.

“Nice trick, blondie!” Beatrix yelled over the roaring of the storm.

“What?” All three of them yelled.

***​

After what ended up being another two days of fun in the sun the trio finally made their way to the outskirts of the city of Beiser. It was a fortified city with large stone walls that protected it on all sides. Beatrix took the lead as they approached the southern gate, falling into line with the rest of the people making their way into the city. There was a stream of people on the way out that were probably more refugees headed to Karim. They had remembered to bring desert mounts unlike the three foreigners making their way into the city. They came to a checkpoint where a guard was checking everyone’s papers as they entered the city.

“Shit. Do we have papers?” Beatrix said as she turned in her saddle. They were getting close to the front.

Jaina dismounted and reached into her magical bag removing three little red books with gold lettering on them. Beatrix and Stephen followed suit and with the reigns to their mounts in hand they huddled on each other.

“I forged entry documents. We’re residents who had business in Karim.” Jaina said quietly as she handed both of her compatriots a passport.

“Way to go, blondie.” Stephen said with a smile.

Jaina stuck out her tongue as she headed towards the guard checkpoint with her friends in tow.

“Halt! Papers please.” The burly guard said, his sword was already drawn.

Jaina beckoned to her friends and they each handed him their passports. He thumbed through each one, looking at each of them up and down.

“Where are you coming from?”

“We’re coming back from Karim. We had business in the city.” Jaina explained.

“Right. Jaina Proudmoore. Beatrix Zulenka III. Stephen Juunanago XIII.”

“What business did you have in the city?” A second guard asked.

Hakkar give me patience.

Beatrix smiled and said, “We were hired by a local gang…”

Serpentis Illum

Hakkar’s voice was clear in her head. “Serpentis Illum hired us to take care of some runaway marks that managed to escape Beiser. Unfortunately, that’s all I can tell you.” The Mistress explained, now informed.

The guards of the city are run by Serpentis.

“You do jobs for Serpentis?” The guard holding their papers asked.

Beatrix nodded, lowering her hood. “It was our first job. We’re supposed to report back to…”

Tiny Jed. He runs the ops for the west side of the city.

“Tiny Jed.” She continued. “We’re trying to make a name for ourselves as enforcers, so you’ll understand if we don’t discuss the details.”

The second guard eyed Beatrix closely, looking at her passport once more.

“Tell me about your mission.”

That’s a trap. Jed doesn’t discuss client business with anyone, nor does he let his enforcers spill the beans about the jobs he gives them.

“Nice try. Jed expects a level of discretion that we intend to keep. Are you going to let us in or not?”

Jaina began to look worried. Stephen was just watching his assassin friend cook.

“Yes, Miss Zulenka. Sorry for the trouble. You and your posse may pass.” The guard holding the passports said, handing them back to Beatrix who distributed them to her comrades.

She tucked the passport snug into her bra and led Slepinir onward past the checkpoint and into the city.

“You want to explain what just happened there?” Stephen said, forcing another worried look from Jaina.

They hadn’t told him about Hakkar yet.

“I will, just not here.” She replied.

Head north into the city. Look for a tavern named The Broken Mare. It’s isolated enough where you’ll be able to base your operations out of the rooms in the basement.

“Follow me. I know where we can get room and board.”

The trio pushed into the bustling city and made their way to the northern district where they found the tavern Hakkar had mentioned. Jaina took care of booking two rooms for an extended period. The rooms were in the basement where it was cooler and more isolated from the rest of the tavern.

“I need to get out of these clothes.” Beatrix grumbled as she sat down at the table Stephen had picked out.

She lifted the flagon of ale she had bought to her lips and emptied the mug in one giant gulp. The Mistress put the flagon down and burped.

“Are you going to explain how you talked our way into the city now?” Stephen asked.

“Blondie can handle that. I’m going to collapse into my bed for three days.”

The android rolled his eyes and dismissed the redhead. He looked at Jaina who was quietly eating some sliced honey ham and home fries.

“During the siege of the Idrisid capital…she died.” Jaina began, clearing her throat.

“She died? Is that even possible?”

Jaina nodded. “The Unmaking purged her of all magic and reverted her back to just an ordinary person. She was grievously injured. She died with me and Masters at her side…”

She put a piece of ham in her mouth and chewed it silently before swallowing.

“Something happened. She was saved. Her soul was saved, but it was consumed. There is a blood god who has his own machinations for the Crossroads, but he is at odds with Darkseid. Beatrix was given a choice. Lose her soul and gain a piece of this god, named Hakkar, or die. She chose to serve. With her acceptance she gained new heightened blood magic including all her old abilities. She was reborn on the battlefield. That’s when she managed to catch up to you when you were in the city as Gavin. Hakkar, in return for her soul, grants her his knowledge of the Crossroads whenever he deems it aligns with his agenda.”

Stephen stared at Jaina for a good minute before he spoke. “So, I’m guessing Hakkar has a vested interest in the mission we’ve set out to accomplish for this city.”

Jaina nodded. “Apparently the warlord and his two advisors have ignored Unmaking magicks and this has displaced Hakkar’s hold on this city.” She whispered.

The raven-haired android nodded. Now it was all making sense.

“How can this possibly go wrong.”

“So far it’s proven to be a boon than a curse.” Jaina added. “She’s more powerful than ever…including a few other minor details that are private…I wouldn’t worry about it. She’s aligned with us which means Hakkar has a vested interest in keeping us together. At least…that’s how I see it. Apparently, she’s discussed both of us with him in her dreams when he chooses to make his presence known. I’ve been making her log each time he contacts her. She’s expressed how important we are to her and that we are just as effective as she is in removing Darkseid as a threat to his power.”

Stephen nodded. “I’ll admit. It’s nice to know that she’s looking out for us. I’ve dealt with deities before, and things tend to get ugly.”

“I trust her. I know you do too. We were going to tell you when the time was right. Sorry that we kept it from you.” Jaina said, emotion filling her voice.

“No no. It’s okay. I’m just glad we got her back. I’m sorry you had to watch her die. Again. That couldn’t have been easy for you.” Stephen said, concern in his voice.

“It was rough. For a moment I thought she was gone for good. I’ll be honest with you. I’m not one for prayer, but I thank Hakkar every night before I fall asleep that he chose to save her. I don’t know if he can hear me or if he even cares, but he brought her back to me and that is something I can’t ignore. I’ll be thankful for the rest of my life.” Jaina explained.

Stephen smiled. “I’m glad she came back too. Now let’s get some rest! I’m exhausted from that trip and we’re not going to accomplish anything if we’re tired as fuck.”

Jaina smiled and nodded. “I’m going to finish my food first. Good night, Stephen.”

He got up to head to his room leaving the sorceress alone at the table to finish her meal. She forked another piece of ham into her mouth and sighed. The blonde was worried, and she desperately wanted to finish her meal so she could go see her wife in private.

***​

Miss Proudmoore carefully entered their room and shut the door, locking it. A lone candle situated on a dresser was illuminating the room with a dim light. Beatrix had shed her armor and clothes leaving them in a pile in a corner of the room. She was lying on her stomach, her naked body partially covered by cool silk sheets, one leg hanging off the bed. The blonde stripped herself of her clothes, folded them neatly, and placed them on a chair by the door. Jaina climbed into bed and leaned over her wife, kissing the back of her neck and down her back.

“Mmmm…not tonight, love.” The Mistress said, half awake.

Jaina felt her anxiety rise; she needed attention.

“Can…can you at least hold me?” Her voice wavered.

Beatrix sensed what was going on and pushed herself up, rolling onto her back. She fluffed the pillows up against the head rest and sat upright in bed. With sleepy eyes she beckoned Jaina to her, throwing open the sheets for her to climb in.

“Of course, love. I’ll hold you for as long as you want.”

Jaina crawled under the sheets and nuzzled herself against the body of her wife, resting her head on Beatrix’s left shoulder. The Mistress wrapped an arm around Jaina and pulled her close, keeping her eyes shut. She opened one eye and smiled, planting a gentle kiss on blondies forehead. The redhead knew Jaina was anxious.

“You’re okay, love. Take deep breaths. I’m here.”

Proudmoore looked at her sleepy wife and nuzzled her cheek with her nose. She gently kissed her cheek, the side of her lips, and her jaw line which made Beatrix smile. The Mistress used her left hand and ran her fingers along Jaina’s silky-smooth skin. Placing another kiss on the blonde’s forehead she rested her cheek on the sorceress’ head. Soon blondie was drifting into the realm of sleep which allowed Beatrix to lower them both into the bed. Jaina instinctually draped herself across the Mistress’s body and clung to her, which amused Beatrix as she pulled the sheets up, falling into the dream world herself.

 

[Beatrix III]

A loud scream permeated the room Beatrix and Jaina were staying in. The redhead shot off the bed and rolled onto the floor quickly standing up ready to do combat. When she saw that it had been Jaina who was thrashing in her sleep, she rushed to wake her sleeping wife up.

“Love wake up. You’re having a nightmare.” She said, jostling the blonde awake.

Jaina opened her eyes and sat up in the bed. She held the sheets close to her body and began to cry.

“Oh love. Did you have another nightmare?” Beatrix said, moving into bed again.

“I…I…you were dead. Blood everywhere. I…I h-had l-lost you.” The sorceress sobbed.

“Calm down, my love. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

Jaina reached out and clung to Beatrix, crying in her arms. The Mistress rubbed her back and kissed her on the head.

“Shhhh love. It was just a dream. I’m never going to leave you again. Hakkar will make sure of that, okay?”

“He will?” Jaina asked, sniffling.

“Yes, love. The Unmaking cannot kill me like before. I told you. My soul has been replaced with a piece of Hakkar’s. My blood magic cannot be purged like before. You’ll never lose me ever again.”

Jaina sobbed, wrapping her arms around the redhead pushing her onto her back in bed. The two lay there, Jaina on top. The Mistress ran her fingers through her lover’s hair and held her close. Pulling the sheets over them, she scooted them both back into the middle of the bed. Rolling Jaina to her side the Mistress intertwined their legs.

“Take deep breaths, my love. I’m right here.”

A knock at the door brought her attention elsewhere.

“Is everything okay?” It was Stephen. “I heard someone scream.”

“I’ll be right back, love.”

The Mistress got up from the bed and wrapped a silk robe around her person and tied it shut. She moved to the door and opened it, entering the hallway.

“Is everything okay, red?

“Yeah, Jaina just had a night terror. I’m handling it. What time is it?”

“It’s 3 AM.”

“Go back to bed. We’ll be okay.”

Stephen gave a friendly salute before returning to his room. Beatrix closed the door behind her as she returned to Jaina’s side. The blonde clung to her lover as soon as she sat down on the edge of the bed. The redhead pressed her lips to Jaina’s forehead and held her close.

“I’m not going anywhere love. I promise you.” She said, rubbing the sorceress’s back.

“They’re just dreams, sweetheart.”

“I know. I just can’t stand that you’ve died twice on me now.” Jaina sniffled.

“That can’t happen anymore. Hakkar’s magic can’t be broken. Which means my ability to resurrect will always work. I’ll always come back to you, love.”

Beatrix sighed. “What worries me is you. If you were to get hurt or die. I’d lose you forever, love. I struggle with that thought every time we do something dangerous.”

Jaina looked up at the Mistress with tears in her eyes.

“You do?”

Before Beatrix could speak Jaina was upon her lips, her tongue diving into the Mistress’ mouth. The redhead fell back into bed letting her wife kiss her. The blonde climbed on top and pinned the redhead to the bed. Beatrix playfully tried to resist, but Jaina just shifted her weight and made it harder to escape. The Mistress broke the kiss forcing Jaina to move to her neck.

“I’m…” Jaina kissed her lover’s neck. “Gonna.” And again. “Make you cum.”

Beatrix chuckled, a smile on her face. “I’m yours. Do what you will with me.”

The blonde giggled with glee as she ran her kisses down the redhead’s chest, across her toned stomach, and down to her waist.

“Be gentle with me.” Beatrix whispered.

Jaina giggled happily. “You know, for a woman of your temperament and ability I never took you for someone who’d prefer a gentle touch.”

Beatrix laid her head back on the pillow and closed her eyes as her wife kissed down her thighs.

“I’ve never liked it rough. I want to be coaxed and taken care of. Something I never realized until recently. I take enough punishment from everything else in my life. When I’m with you…I just want to be handled with care.” The redhead explained.

Jaina ran her fingers across the Mistress’s naked body, between her bosom, along her toned physique, playfully teasing her smooth, but scarred skin.

“Of course, my love. Just relax and let me take care of you.”

As Jaina bowed her head Beatrix inhaled sharply at the pleasant sensation she was feeling.

If this makes her forget her night terror. All the better. All she wants is to be close to me.

A smile formed on Beatrix’s face as her cheeks filled with color.

She can’t really get any closer than where she is.