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The warmth of firelight played across Reece’s face as he leaned in close to it, the chill of a Whispin evening a sharp contrast to the broiling heat of day. The Amazon village had come alive in the hours since he had brought the redheaded half-elf back to them, it seemed everyone had a part to play in the coming ritual. Mai’Tus wine ran freely, a drink the Mercenary was rather fond of, and there was plenty of food to be had… whenever Orva decided it was time to eat. As it was, the dark haired man’s stomach was growling embarrassingly loud… though the sound of tribal drums thankfully drowned it out.
The Amazon language was unfamiliar to him, but their lilting, tantric chants held Reece spellbound. From his seat near one of many bonfires he watched their painted, sweat slick bodies shimmering in the guttering light with sinuous movements driven by the heavy beat of the music. They celebrated with the carefree joy of children, but there was something deeper, more primal in their rituals that wove a spell within his soul. They were beautiful, deadly and ethereal… but none more so in his eyes than Tay herself… when she finally emerged from Orva’s hut.
Flaming hair hung in a living cascade, setting the night on fire as she moved. Naked and painted, those odd faceted eyes of hers glowing with unearthly light, the Amazon looked like something out of a dream… one steeped in magic and fantasy. She seemed completely unaware of his eyes on her, and unconcerned over her unclad state. What was he had heard them calling it? Skyclad… that was it…
Ebony eyes tracked her movements as Tay joined her sisters, moving into the dance… the translation from one act to another seamless. There was more grace to her than the others, something Reece put down to her obvious Elven heritage. They were said to possess the grace and beauty of the Gods… Now, looking at Tay… he believed it. There was genuine happiness in her expression, joy of movement and expression, the whirling of daggers through lithe fingers second nature.
So caught up in watching was he, that Reece almost missed the cornflower blue eyes that settled on him. A gaze that was questioning and assessing all at once, and when one took in the entire man they belonged to, perhaps… threatening.
An almost imperceptible movement of his head brought Reece’s gaze to bear on the other human, the curiosity he felt failing to emerge in the depths of black eyes. Who was this then? He was an impressive looking man, obviously a warrior… it was in the way he carried himself, and the feint scars that lined his darkly tanned body. Most of all, it was in the cold depths of those cornflower blues… the eyes of a man who had killed more than once… yet… somehow, not the eyes of a Mercenary.
A sudden shift in activities brought the dark haired Merc’s attention back to Tay, who now stood before Orva. The scent of blood, that was what had done it, equal wounds on both women’s palms that was mingled and shared, then smeared across the redhead’s body. The familiar scent of Aethyr filled the air… something Reece had come to associate with Tay… her blood, and the odd properties therein. An oddity she seemed to be completely unaware of. Such an innocent…
The Amazon Elder now held a small, sharp dagger that had been purified in the flames, and Tay moved to offer her right bicep to the woman. With slow, deliberate movements, Orva carved into the redhead’s skin, performing the ritual of scarification, marking her as a true, blooded Warrior. Rivulets of blood trickled down her arm, but Tay’s face remained enraptured, pain numbed by wine, adrenaline and more. The shape of a dagger slowly emerged as blood was wiped away and ash from the fire rubbed into the cuts. A simple, but meaningful body modification that said much about Tay’s new found status.
The ritual became a little hazy afterwards, from Reece’s point of view. The wine was strong, and he had been imbibing quite a bit. The feast seemed a blur, he remembered making a complete pig of himself… and then… music… laughter… the light of the fire… and… silence.
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