158 In From the Cold

The darkness began to be pushed back as the vibrant morning rays rose from the horizon. The soft orange light intensified with each passing minute. Forcing the dull grey sky to wash away with the promise of a new day. The group dropped down from the trees when they reached the Gjallarbrú bridge.

The growing dawn reflected off of the golden thatching, creating rays of hope that glistened across the waters of Gjöll. The grass was damp with the morning dew and the earth sunk down with their footsteps. A lone man stood with a dark grey blanket around him. He appeared to be a farmer and warily approached them.

His light brown eyes studied the group, "Can I help you? You look lost." An easy smile crossed his lips.

Alcinous stepped forward and replied, "It's a cold morning." These were the lines King Freyr instructed him to say.

The man nodded, "One can't be out in the cold all the time." He gave a wink, wanting to make sure these were the men the King sent to get him.

After confirming that this was Alec, he finished with, "One has to come in from the cold sometimes."

After their exchange, Alec shook Alcinous's hand. "I'm Alec Carré." He grabbed his bag that he left in the grass. "We probably have an hour or two before they realize I'm missing."

Tyr passed out the hippogryph idols while introducing himself. "I'm Captain Tyr Valois. We will be escorting you to the Kochi base camp where you can report to Rana. You will be riding with Aila." Out of all the people with him, Aila was the best at defending others. He already instructed her that if anything happened, to not stop for them and to ensure the spy made it to Rana.

They mounted up and before Macha had a chance to thank the Sathar for their help, they had vanished. While she and Tyr flew in the air, she asked, "Do you think Alcinous and his f... people will make it back to Marseille safely?"

She held her breath, nervous that he would question her about her near slip up. She had promised the Sathar to never mention her knowledge of them and she understood that applied to Tyr as well.

Despite the trip being awkward for the first half, she felt closer to them after they had entered the tunnels. She especially liked Miriro, who seemed like a genuinely nice person. While Alcinous could learn manners, she did not wish anything bad to happen to any of them.

The anticipation of possibly ending the war made Tyr's heart race. He barely heard Macha's question and replied with, "Mmm." As the orange sun rose, he peered down at the green canopy below. It was the same forest he despised, but today it seemed a little less depressing.

****

Alec Carré explained all of his information to Rana. After his parents were framed by the government of Toowoomba for treason a hundred years ago, he held no love for his country. He and the higher-ups knew the Carré parents had been used as a scapegoat. One of the generals had been keeping a mistress who turned out to be a spy and the government did not want the populace to know.

The nervousness of becoming an expatriate clawed at him, but he wanted revenge. His parents loved their country and even after their conviction, they still died willingly. They confided to him that it was better to keep the faith of the people in the authorities than to cry out for the injustice.

While he sat at the mess hall, eating his supper, he noticed all the dirty looks the soldiers gave him. No one loved a spy. He would live his war life branded to all as a traitor, but he did not care. When he got to Marseille, King Freyr offered him a fresh identity. He would pretend to be a refugee and embark on a new life. With the fresh start, he could become anything he wished. Throughout dinner, he pondered what he wanted to do with the new opportunities.

At the Obsidian Dragon's bunker, everyone was aware that the Captain had not seen Macha for the past three years. One by one they all found an excuse to leave until it was just the two of them.

Tyr came out of the shower. He had been out for weeks without having the luxuries of cleaning himself and did not want to offend Macha. Despite giving her the ear cuffs that cleaned a person once a day, he never bothered to get himself one. It was seen as a feminine enchantment and he refused to bother with such a conceited thing.

The brown towel wrapped around his waist, showing his finely sculpted body. He had a few new scars across his chest, but they were light and barely noticeable. The steam from the shower clung to his skin as he made his way over to Macha.

He found that she kept busy cleaning his armor for him. She used her ear cuff enchantment earlier to clean herself because it would work better than the pathetic thing they called soap out here.

Macha's heart pounded against her chest. She did not know how she should act around Tyr after being apart for so long. She realized he loved her, but felt unsure if he wanted to be intimate so soon after being reunited. When the others were present, she did not have this tension because she did not have to think about these things. Now that it was just the two of them, she grew nervous.

Since the poleyns covered the knees, they tended to get dirty. She focused intently on cleaning the dirt off of Tyr's armor while waiting to see what he would do.

Tyr sat down on the cot behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He nuzzled her temple and lightly kissed her hairline. "Do you still..." he paused, worried that perhaps they had been away too long. The aroma of her hair was her own unique scent, and it brought back a flood of memories.

She stopped polishing the armor and nodded. "I do. Do you?" It was impossible to control her breathing, and she realized she trembled while waiting for his response.

With those four words, Tyr's reluctance to being intimate dissolved. It had been a long time since they made love and just because they brought Alec in, did not mean that the war would end overnight. He understood that the others would be gone for the night and wanted to seize this opportunity, unsure if they would have another before he sent her back home.

Tyr's body wrapped around her, pressing her down onto his cot. He moved on top of her and threw the poleyn to the floor. It created a loud clatter as it skidded across the wood.

Macha spread her fingers along his bare chest. Seeing him like this made her warm with anticipation. "Tyr, what about the others?" she asked in a husky voice. The heated look in his eyes let her know what he wanted to do.

The swell of Macha's hips was so familiar and he often dreamed about holding them. As he moved his hands up and down her body, his mouth came down hungrily on hers. It had been so long that he forgot how good she tasted.

While he trailed his tongue up to her earlobes, he whispered huskily, "They won't be back tonight." His hot breath tickled her ear and sent a wave of need through her.

Whenever Krystof and Luna needed time together, it was an unspoken rule that everyone stayed out for the evening.

Macha's hands pushed back Tyr's chestnut brown hair. It was longer now, and it fell across the pillow, mingling with her hair. When he helped her slip her breeches down, she felt his arousal pressed against her thigh. Its hard warmth filled her with anticipation.

She tugged the towel that wrapped around his waist and threw it to the floor. She then lifted her hips off the cot and pressed the tip of his hardness against her.

Instead of entering her immediately, Tyr slipped his long fingers between her legs. It had been a long time for him and he wanted to make sure he pleased her before they started. She was already wet and tighter than when he left her three years ago.

He pushed her back down onto the cot. While he sucked the tips of her breasts, he could feel her body tighten around him. "Come for me."

Macha moaned and begged, "I want you. Please." Her hands gripped his hair as his tongue trailed down towards her legs.

"Not yet," he murmured. Tyr kissed the tops of her thigh before licking her clit. He used the tip of his tongue, pressing it harder against her as she tightened up.

"Tyr!" she cried out as white light filled her vision. Her head slammed back into the pillow and a wave of bliss washed over her. "Ohh..." Her hands gripped the pillow tightly as the pleasure spread through her body.

When Macha came, her delicious arousal covered his fingers. He used that to wet his own arousal. His eyes admired the dreamy look in her eyes after coming. "Mmm… do you like that?"

The way his dark green eyes trail over her naked figure made her hunger for him. Seeing his long shaft in his hand, made her want him again. "Mmmhmm. I want you, please."

Whenever she begged for him with that sultry voice, he could not refuse her. Tyr grabbed her ankles and spread her legs wide. He pushed himself into her as gently as he could, but she was so tight. Since it had been a while, he could see a small discomfort on her face, but it disappeared quickly as he began to move.

The fourth time Macha came, she could not stifle her pleasure. Tyr had come with her and the way his body moved when he released always had more need in it.

As he collapsed onto her, he chuckled and kissed her neck. He licked the salty sheen of sweat that clung to her skin from their lovemaking. Breathing heavily, he teased, "You'll alert the whole camp of our actions." He hoped no one was around to hear them, but he was glad that she enjoyed herself so much.

Macha pushed him off of her and turned to her side. She pouted, while gasping for air, "I told you to come with me when I came the third time!"

"Mmm... but I like seeing your face when you're enjoying yourself." Tyr pulled her against him and nibbled her ear. It did not matter to him if anyone overheard them. This was a small bit of paradise that he could hold onto during the remainder of the war.