A Shadow Thief's Magic Read online

  There were smaller roads that might fit two carriages side by side leading both north and south at a couple of intersections. They didn’t need to venture that way, but it was clearly housing districts although he could only make out a few of the midsize cottages looking down those roads. It wasn’t that big a place, but it was still impressive in size and fortification for a simple village.

  They stopped at a tailor shop where they picked out a handful of dresses for Katy, and they bought him a couple of nice middle class outfits, the kind a merchant would wear. He’d been worried about armor, they wouldn’t exactly turn aside a sword, but Katy assured him with her nature sphere powers she could make them stronger than chainmail for stopping ability.

  The tailor took their measurements, and assured them the clothes would be ready tomorrow morning before they had to leave.

  As they walked out and headed toward the inn, leading the horses, Katy said softly, “It will be good to sleep in a bed for a night.”

  Erin grinned and agreed. They hadn’t done any complaining about sleeping on the ground, but none of them enjoyed it.

  Erin cleared her throat catching both of their attention and then spoke quietly.

  “This is awkward but… you both need to be aware of how you act toward each other, brother and sister don’t look at each other the way you two do.”

  Katy blushed.

  He dropped the F bomb, he should have thought of that, and said, “Point, I’ll try to manage that. Although we could just go with the alternative story,” he added with a sly smile.

  Erin snickered and Katy turned two shades redder and glared at him.

  He shrugged, “I didn’t mean sleep together, I know you can’t, but… it would be easier to play into our feelings in public rather than suppress them. Sorry, this is awkward, we’ve never even talked about it, but I didn’t mean…”

  He sighed, he didn’t think she’d go for it, probably for the best anyway.

  He felt her hand wrap around his arm and squeeze lightly. He could feel her magic buzzing in his body with their skin touching, and he actually started to harden a bit. Then she spoke in a tentative shy voice so low he could barely hear it.

  “Okay…”

  Okay? Wait… “What?”

  Erin gasped.

  Katy spoke louder but was still practically whispering, “It makes sense. We can get a room with two beds, everyone here will assume the second is for our bodyguard, no one will know the truth. He’s right, it will be much easier for me to act like I… well, you know.”

  Was she about to say she loved him? Their attraction was off the scale, and they had spent over a month together, hours every single day. He actually knew her better than any other woman he’d met in his life, and he certainly cared for her a lot but… it was foolish wasn’t it? Considering who she was.

  He agreed it would be easier to act like a married couple, although it would also raise their frustration level beyond belief. Not that he was about to argue, if he got to touch her… he was apparently a glutton for punishment. But they both waited for Erin to decide.

  Erin looked dubious but said, “Alright, but I’m not leaving you two in the room alone for a second.”

  Katy blushed, and this time, Daniel joined her. Erin was apparently a very wise woman.

  They chose the nicer of the two inns although neither would be considered luxury accommodations on Earth. It was apparent the owner, or someone that worked there had illusion magic. There were some normal candles, but there were also illusions of light spread through the common room, making it a little brighter than one would expect.

  He just stood back and paid close attention while pretending the transaction was below his notice while Erin haggled for the room and paid. They took the time to go up to the room and drop off their saddle bags. The two beds were somewhere between twin and queen sized from Earth, there was a tub in the corner with a privacy screen, a small wood table with four chairs, and a chest at the foot of each bed.

  It was getting toward the back end of lunch, so they didn’t tarry in the room and made their way down to the common room. He scanned the room, there were only a three groups of people left in the room from lunch, he guessed it would be a lot busier for dinner once all the shops closed. There were three soldiers at one table, what looked like a family at a second, and the third was a young attractive woman sitting alone at the bar.

  A woman came out of the back, she was in her mid twenties, looked tired but was still attractive with long brown hair and light brown eyes. She walked over to the table with a bored look on her face until she saw Daniel. She dredged up an honest smile and pushed a few hairs out of her face before she spoke, seemingly directly to him.

  “Afternoon, name is Lydia so just give me a yell if you need anything. It’s late, but we still have some venison left along with potatoes and carrots. There’s also a mushroom soup but I’m afraid that’s it until dinnertime.”

  He suppressed a grin when he felt Katy tense up in jealousy at Lydia’s flirting stare and place her hand on his. He didn’t really understand the dynamic here on this world yet. Fucking Erin was fine, but a flirting serving wench wasn’t? How did that make any sense? Was it because Erin was her guardian, or… he didn’t know who to ask either. It seemed foolish to ask Katy or Erin about it. He really needed a guy to set him straight.

  “The venison please and a mug of ale,” he ordered in a light tone.

  Katy smiled, “I’ll take the same as my husband.”

  Erin ordered the same and the woman walked away with a disappointed look on her face. It was… interesting. He really would have to ask Erin if he got a chance, it would be awkward, but that was better than making a mistake because he misunderstood the rules. The way it had worked between the three of them, neither Katy being jealous, nor Erin being jealous of his and Katy’s feelings, had led him to believe the society here was open sexually without taboo. Clearly there was more to it than that.

  It would have to wait though, until they weren’t in public with ears around. They made small talk until the food came out, which only took a few minutes.

  He grunted lightly at the first bite, “Not bad, but Erin’s a much better cook.”

  Erin grinned at him, Katy just nodded in agreement. After lunch they went back up to their room and Katy started the bath running. They all had three days worth of road to wash off, so it would be a relief. They also didn’t have much else to do until dinner, hopefully they’d be able to pick up some conversations and rumors tonight. Outside of that and waiting for the clothes, they had time to burn.

  He tried not to think about the fact Katy was naked on the other side of the standing screen bathing while he was sitting on one of the beds across from Erin.

  He asked Erin, “I have a question, our worlds seem different when it comes to relationships. Why did Katy seem upset when the waitress flirted with me?”

  Erin laughed, “Because you’re married. It’s the way she was supposed to react to support our… what did you call it? Cover story. A man or woman in our society is free to… court and have sex with many partners, it is something only denied to the royal line. But once the marriage oaths are given, that changes.”

  He nodded, “So once married the relationship becomes monogamous?”

  Erin shrugged, “I didn’t say that. It can be, if that’s what the married couple desires. But neither partner has a right to take a lover without approval of their spouse. It’s something that is spelled out clearly between the couple before taking the vows which are binding.”

  He frowned, “So it was a jealous reaction? Or am I missing something.”

  Erin shook her head, “Honestly, it’s possible given how she feels about you, but it was probably more about station, a wife is choosy about her husband’s mistresses. As the successful merchant you are posing as, only a woman of similar class would be accepted. Outside of that, once married a casual tumble with a stranger is… not exactly wrong but looked down on.”
/>   “Vows are binding?”

  Erin raised an eyebrow, “Yes, when you give oaths your bound together with life magic. Without permission… well let’s just say you would have a failure to perform. Like I said, it’s usually spelled out what the couple wants before they get married, otherwise it would lead to problems.”

  “Alright, I think I get it now.”

  He’d just figured out the woman he wanted most but couldn’t have was now effectively in charge of his sex life, at least while they were in the villages. It was almost funny… but not quite.

  Katy was out a few minutes later, fully dressed when she came out from behind the screen, and Erin went next. He went last and had barely slipped into the water when they surprised him.

  Erin said, “Katy wants to go take a look at one of the shops, we’ll be back in an hour.”

  He grunted, “Is it a good idea to split up?”

  Erin sounded annoyed, “We’ll be fine, we can manage without you for a few minutes, so far there’s been no indication of a sorcerer of any real power here.”

  Crap. He’d pushed a button.

  He frowned, “Fine, just be careful.”

  He winced when the door slammed. She was right, they were two strong women who could take care of themselves, he was just there to help them steal a scepter and advise them how to get back to the crown city of Summerhaven without getting caught. In a straight fight they could kill him easily, especially with Katy’s magic. Still, it seemed an unnecessary risk.

  Maybe they just needed time without him around, since they usually had a few hours a day while he was with one or the other in private instruction. The last few days they’d been together almost constantly.

  He cleaned up and then sunk lower in the hot water, resting his head back. It felt good on his sore muscles, especially the ones he didn’t even know about until he started riding horses…

  It was just a few minutes later when the door creaked open. He was about to speak when he realized the footsteps were wrong to be either Erin or Katy, plus he felt no magic. He slid out of the tub careful not to make a ripple and grabbed his sword. He knelt down and peered around the partition.

  He recognized her, it was the woman from the bar. She had long dark black hair with hints of blue from the light coming in the window. She was turned away from him again, so the only thing else he could tell was she had a voluptuous figure and a really nice ass as she was currently bent over. The problem was, she was bending over one of their saddle bags and rifling through it.

  He stepped out and cleared his throat.

  She gasped, jumped up, and then spun around. She had wide doe eyes, full lips, and a slightly angular face with high cheekbones and a slightly pointed chin. He couldn’t help it as his eyes flickered down, she was more than voluptuous, her body was built for sin with one of the biggest chests he’d seen in a long time that wasn’t in a porn video.

  Her eyes widened further in surprise, somehow she looked innocent and shocked as she covered her mouth, as if she’d simply committed a social gaffe.

  “My goodness, I must be in the wrong room. Please excuse me.”

  He smiled at that, “I see, and what tipped you off, the bag you were rifling through for something to steal, or the naked man with the sword?”

  She started to edge along the wall, covering her movement up with a cute fidget which also jiggled her generous breasts in an almost hypnotizing fashion. He knew she was doing it on purpose, but that knowledge didn’t stop him from staring.

  “I’m so sorry, really, I’d just realized it wasn’t my bag when you…”

  His hard look made her stop her act and smile at him.

  She transformed and her eyes sparkled as she looked him up and down boldly and said seductively, “It was worth a try. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you? Surely we don’t have to involve the soldiers… they can be disappointingly narrow minded when it comes to these kinds of things. Maybe I could… stay a while? You look like you know what to do to punish a bad girl.”

  She licked her lips and he felt himself reacting, this woman was entirely too much. That said he couldn’t really afford to be calling attention to the three of them, so he wasn’t exactly sure what to do with her. But then, she took the decision out of his hands, she’d managed to make her way to the window, and after one last look at his junk with a regretful look on her face, she turned, grabbed the window ledge, and flipped outside with a light laugh.

  He stood there holding the sword, naked and dripping, staring at the window in disbelief.

  “What the fuck,” he muttered to himself, did that really just happen?

  He could have used his magic to snag her, but that would possibly expose them as sorcerers and bring them under greater scrutiny. On the other hand, letting her go without so much as crying out would spark her interest, she’d had an intelligent look in her eyes. But better one suspicious and curious thief than the scores of soldiers in the village. So he reluctantly let her go. She was a thief like him after all, he could afford to give her a break especially in their current circumstances. Plus… she really was kind of hot, he knew that shouldn’t have made a difference, but it did…

  Chapter 9

  The ladies shopping trip encountered no issues, but he found himself questioned closely about their would be thief until Erin was satisfied there wasn’t more to it. Erin took the step to close and lock the shutters when they went down to the common room for the evening meal, there were a lot more people, including three tables of soldiers. They ordered dinner and ate slowly as they listened to the people around them.

  It didn’t take long to build a picture. All the soldiers were here looking for the imposter princess. The soldiers grumbled about it, and it became apparent that they would be in deep shit if the three of them got past Wildeholt. They also heard information that verified the elves were making noise along the southern border, as they assumed was so after the kidnapping attempt this morning.

  This made their task harder, since now they had to dodge elves looking to kidnap Katy, and human soldiers that weren’t really their enemies. They also learned their journey wouldn’t get much easier, the army had been deployed to give the elves pause, not only were the villages garrisoned with over two score troops each, all the way to the crown city, but there were border patrols as well.

  The one bit of good news was they weren’t expecting the sorcerer back until tomorrow night, they’d be long gone before then.

  He also couldn’t help but notice there were a few families in the room that looked a little too skittishly at the guards, though he couldn’t say why that was and the villagers themselves were very tight lipped about whatever had them nervous. He was curious, but he doubted it really affected them at all so put it out of his mind.

  When they went up to their room they locked the door and talked about it for a few minutes. He was surprised when Katy didn’t let go of his arm right away when they were in the privacy of their room, and in fact sat next to him on his bed. He wasn’t about to tell her it wasn’t necessary though…

  Erin asked, “It’s about what we thought, should we even bother in the next town? Brightmill is three days away.”

  He gave it some thought, “We can decide when were close. We’ll probably have to stop for supplies again anyway. We’ll have a good idea if it’s safe enough to stay one night after that.”

  Katy nodded, “I guess we should turn in, it’ll be a long day tomorrow.”

  She kissed his cheek in a rare display of affection, and got up to move over to the other bed. She looked over at him uncomfortably, her eyes full of conflicting emotions he couldn’t sort out completely, but the most obvious were desire, frustration, and regret.

  Erin moved the partition away from the tub and between their beds, breaking their eye contact. He shook his head, he was an idiot, and there was only one way this could and would end. He needed to watch out for himself as usual, anything else would lead to pain. More pain that is. Even if
she did care about him, in the end that wouldn’t matter, she was a queen, she couldn’t end up with him… a thief, and a weak sorcerer with a few tricks in a fight at best.

  He shrugged, which was a lie to himself that he didn’t really care, and he stripped down to his shorts and got under the sheets. One of them blew out the candles and the room went dark… and he fell asleep, feeling rather conflicted himself.

  He woke up to the incredible sensation of Erin’s wet tongue licking up his shaft, teasing the sensitive bottom, drawing a light moan of pleasure.

  Erin stopped, “Shhh,” she whispered.

  His eyes popped open as he realized where he was, and that Katy was less than ten feet away behind a privacy screen. He looked down and saw sparkling mischief in Erin’s eyes as she sucked his bulbous tip into her mouth, and ran her tongue around it, teasing the sensitive rim. As she took him slowly and deeper into her mouth until he hit her throat, he could see her playing with herself with one hand while caressing his balls and the base of his cock with the other.

  She was fucking crazy… but holy shit she was getting good at that.

  She took her mouth off of him, and without breaking eye contact crawled up his body, and impaled herself on him, taking him into her hot, slippery, and tight sex that she’d readied for him in one smooth downward movement. She offered her fingers and he sucked her taste off of them eagerly without breaking eye contact. She looked so erotic and wanton, Erin was a beautiful woman, he just didn’t obsess about her like he did Katy because he could have her.

  Sometimes he felt guilty about that, which was stupid he knew, Erin hardly minded.

  Her breath came out in a light sigh of blissful satisfaction as she started to ride him slowly, almost torturously so. He could feel every little pleasurable movement and sensation as her body held him snugly inside her sex, and he couldn’t take his eyes off her body and expression as she slowly took them both to completion.