Sun Bird

Arsha giggled. "You look surprised at that revelation."

Ba'ith licked his lips. "I am."

"Are you just trying to let me down nicely?" Arsha tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Wait. Have your beer goggles worn off and now you think I'm ugly?"

"No…fuck. No." Ba'ith stroked the elf's smooth cheeks with his thumbs. "You are too beautiful and I am not even slightly drunk. You turn me on… fuck… you make me want to climb walls."

"Prove it." Arsha grinned and raised a challenging eyebrow.

Ba'ith snorted and released his face. "Ok." He grabbed Arsha's hand by the wrist and pressed it against his leather clad bulge. "The cock never lies." He winked.

Arsha didn't see it though. His entire consciousness had descended into his palm and was wrapped around the elongated bulge between Ba'ith's legs. "Oh my…" He dragged his palm firmly along its length.

The assassin groaned and shuddered and surprised, Arsha looked at him sharply.

Ba'ith gave him a lazy half smile. "If you keep doing that I won't be responsible for my actions."

Arsha smiled and wrinkled his nose delightfully. He stroked Ba'ith's leather clad cock again and watched his face. The assassin's eyes rolled shut and his head hung back slightly on his thick neck. "I have never seen anything as beautiful as that in my life." Arsha was finally serious and his jaw sagged a little.

"As what?" Ba'ith hissed and his head rolled forward. He gripped Arsha's shoulders almost painfully.

"As seeing your neck arch above me. And all because I did this." Arsha rubbed Ba'ith's cock firmly, luxuriously slowly again and the assassin gritted his teeth.

Arsha slid his other hand over the shuddering muscles of the assassin's torso and dropped his lips against the hollow at the base of his throat. He felt Ba'ith's groan vibrate against his mouth and he let the sounds guide his hands.

"Arsha. Stop. Please." Ba'ith pressed his forehead against Arsha's.

"Why? I want to see it." Arsha nuzzled the assassin's throat.

Ba'ith growled and his eyes blazed hungrily. "You've asked for it."

Arsha gasped as he was swept into Ba'ith's massive arms and then dropped unceremoniously onto the bed. He tried to sit up but the assassin pinned him under his arm and crushed his mouth under a brutal, devouring kiss.

Ba'ith fumbled briefly with his leathers and suddenly he pulled away and rose to sit on his feet. His thick thighs were parted but even more delicious, was the straining, granite hard shaft of rigid man meat between them.

Arsha's jaw gaped in surprise and taking that as an invitation, Ba'ith cupped the back of the elf's skull. "Take me in your mouth, Arsha."

The elf reached for his cock. It was silky smooth and rigged underneath with blood engorged veins and glands. He closed his fist around it and tugged it firmly. The shaft was a deep peach and the flared head was a ruddy, twitching, flared lollipop of drooling goodness. Unable to resist any longer, Arsha opened wide and sucked it into his mouth.

Ba'ith moaned and rolled his hips, stroking himself with Arsha's hand. The elf looked up inquiringly at him around a mouthful of cock. "Fuck…Arsha… your mouth is so good."

Encouraged, Arsha opened his jaws wide and sucked more of the pulsing flesh into his mouth. It was hard and hot. He licked under the flared lip and dipped the tip of his tongue into the seeping eye. The taste of the assassin's cum was like ambrosia. His nostrils filled with Ba'ith's musky male scent and he took him deeper until he gagged.

Ba'ith groaned and gave a pained smile. He pulled back slightly. "Easy baby." He stroked Arsha's soft cheek with the back of his fingers. "Suck it in as deep as is comfortable." He pulled one of the elf's soft hands to his mouth and slicked it with his tongue. "Stroke the rest with your hand."

Arsha shuffled forward a bit so that he could use both of his hands. He grasped Ba'ith's cock with the wet one and sucked the head into his mouth again. He looked at the assassin and shot his other hand up so that he could lick it as well.

Ba'ith seized Arsha's slender forearm with both of his hands and tongue kissed his palm ravenously, coating it with saliva. He sucked one of the long slender digits into his mouth and Arsha moaned around the end of his dick. The elf's voice vibrated against the sensitive flesh and it sent a tingle straight to his balls. "Oh fuck yeah baby….Gods…your mouth!" He rolled his hips back and forth, pumping his cock into the elf's hand and mouth.

Arsha pulled his hand away from the assassin and slid it under his leathers until he could cup the heavy sac that hung hidden within. He gave them a squeeze and rolled them around in his palm. His own cock had been hard all night but as the symphony of Ba'ith's moans and grunts of pleasure flowed over his ears, it twitched and was straining at the cloth pants he wore under his robes. It was as though the assassin's cock was some erotic wind instrument and the harder the elf blew it, the more music Ba'ith made. Even the sensation of Ba'ith's heavy hand on the back of his head, pushing him down was blowing Arsha's mind.

"Swing your arse around baby." Ba'ith groaned. "Let me touch you."

Arsha shuffled his hips until he was lying sideways. His hands never missed a stroke or his lips a beat while he worked Ba'ith's juicy cock.

"Fuck. That's so good Arsha. Fuck…Gods! You are beautiful." Ba'ith bent down and slid his hand under Arsha's robes until he could touch his calf muscle. He slid his warm palm up the elf's slender, shapely legs, slightly frustrated that he was wearing tight healer's leggings. He squeezed his thigh. "Spread your legs baby, I want to touch your pussy."

Arsha's eyes flared wide and he tried to pull his mouth off Ba'ith's cock but the assassin's hand was holding his head still. He released the suction and tried to speak but it was a bit hard when his mouth was full of man meat.

"What the fuck?" Ba'ith pulled the hand he had cupped around Arsha's now flagging erection and shot from the bed. He held his hands up on either side of his slowly shaking head. "No fucking way! What. The. Fuck." His lips peeled back from his teeth savagely. "You are a fucking man?"

"You didn't know?" Arsha's jaw hung wide with disbelief. "How could you not know?"

Ba'ith threw his head back and began to pace to and fro. He covered his face with his hands and dragged them slowly down and when his eyes met Arsha's, they were bleeding with pure, white hot rage.

"Oh get fucked. You don't think I tricked you deliberately, do you?" Arsha leapt from the bed, his own anger rising. "How could you not know I was a man? I'm clearly not like a petite elfin woman!"

Ba'ith hissed and took a few furious paces forward. "Yes, you fucking are petite. Haven't you looked in a mirror?" He tilted his head viciously to the side and jabbed the air with his forefinger. "You are fucking gorgeous, Arsha. True, you aren't scrawny like elf women but I thought you were just athletic." He dropped his hand to his hip. "That explains why you have no tits." Ba'ith sneered. "But then, anything more than a mouthful is a waste right?"

Arsha rolled his eyes in disbelief. He began to walk toward the door. "Surely you should have been able to tell by my voice."

Ba'ith shot out a massive hand as he passed. He grabbed the elf's arm painfully and shook him. "Your voice is soft and quiet." Arsha struggled against the grip he held on his arm. "All I have heard you do is squeal or murmur…or moan. Maybe if you shouted or spoke at a normal volume it would be easier to tell that your voice is masculine." Ba'ith tightened his hold.

"Let me go you fucking prick!" Arsha was so angry that he shouted and tears burned behind his eyes.

"Now you sound like a man." Ba'ith growled between his clenched teeth and shoved the elf away.

Tears of humiliation and anger streamed silently down Arsha's cheeks and he stumbled toward the door, reaching for the gilt handle.

"Where are you going?" Ba'ith slammed his hand against the door to hold it closed.

"Just let me leave." Arsha sobbed and hated himself even more for it. "Let's just forget this happened."

Ba'ith's dropped his arm from the door and his massive frame loomed sinisterly over the small elf. "What if I can't forget?"

"That's your problem!" Sobbing, Arsha ripped the door open before the assassin could stop him and ran for the stairs. He felt Ba'ith's hand close around his sleeve but he shrugged the grip off before it could lock and then he staggered as his foot caught on the edge of the crimson rug that lined the stair case. He stumbled forward and shot his arm out to try and grab the railing but his tears blinded him and he missed. He felt himself free fall for a few excruciatingly long moments before his back slammed agonisingly into the hard edge of the stairs and he tumbled down the entire winding flight until at last he came to a stop near the bottom.

His breath came in short ragged bursts but he could feel no pain. He couldn't feel anything at all. He knew he was lying on his back because he could see the cobalt blue ceiling above him. It looked like a clear summer sky.

"Arsha!" Ba'ith vaulted over the railing and landed lightly on the floor far below with a rogue's agility. He dropped to his knees beside the broken elf, his eyes scanned the bleeding body to take a quick assessment and his hand gently stroked Arsha's golden haired forehead. "Lay still baby, it's gonna be alright ok? Lay still…" Ba'ith looked around the large inn which was now nearly empty.

Arsha closed his eyes and the last thing he heard was Ba'ith's agonised shout. "HEALER!"

~Seven~

Arsha woke with a start. His chest felt tight and he sucked in a few deep breaths. Scanning his surroundings, he saw that he was in a bland, featureless room and he sat up slowly, eyes squinting slightly to see if he would feel any pain.

"Yay, you are awake!" Neika smiled and rose from a plain wooden chair near the door.

Arsha exhaled sharply with relief. "Neika! Oh Gods… Please tell me I've just had a nightmare…"

"You've just had a night mare." Neika sat down on the edge of his bed and gently pushed one of his long golden locks over his slender shoulder.

"Please mean it." Arsha bit the inside of his cheek.

"Ah sweet…you had a bad fall. I can't lie. It's lucky that I was at the same inn as you were or it could have ended badly." Neika's eyes narrowed slightly as she held back her tears.

"It couldn't have been that bad if you healed me. You're a shadow healer remember? You couldn't heal a cut finger." Arsha smiled.

Neika laughed and winked. "True, but I can melt your face off. As it is, with all this?" She ran her hands over her skin tight robes and lithe body, "I can fuck as many healers as I want. The latest is a holy knight. He is the one who healed you."

Arsha nodded and then he threw himself back against the pillow and covered his face with his hands. "Oh fuck!" He groaned painfully.

"Arsha? What's wrong hun? Are you hurting?" Neika leaned forward, concerned.

"Yes. Kill me. Take me out the back and melt my face off. Fuck." Arsha dropped his hands abruptly from his face. "Neika…do I look like a woman?"

"No?" Neika laughed incredulously.

"What about my voice? Is it masculine?"

"Of course it is! What's with the identity crisis?" Neika frowned.

Arsha shrugged lightly. "Oh, nothing. I was just wondering if there is any way I could be mistaken for a woman."

Neika smiled. "Not a chance. Well…" She rolled her eyes. "Maybe a human might think you are feminine but that's only because elves can't grow facial hair and those big oafs often sport a full beard and a hairier chest than a bear by the time they are fifteen."

Arsha looked at her sharply. "What?"

Neika nodded enthusiastically, warming to the topic. "It's true. They are always mistaking our men for women. It's one of the main reasons most of us want to break the alliance. The stupid cretins hit on our guys on the field and then cry like babies when they get their teeth knocked out."

"Bullshit…"

"No shit!" Neika leaned forward. "I suppose it's not their fault. They do have the coarse features of some kind of ancient cave dweller, rather than our refined bones. Still it's no excuse for blatant bad manners."

Arsha looked away and shook his head. "Was there anyone with me when you found me?"

"As a matter of fact there was. Gorgeous hunk of elf, I've been hanging to ask you about him you naughty thing. Where did you find him?" Neika grinned conspiratorially. "He's obviously quite smitten with you!"

"What do you mean?" Arsha blinked.

"He has been hanging around like a bad smell ever since, sitting with you for hours, all that kind of thing…it's quite sickening really... I mean, not that he is smitten, but because he actually does have an odour problem. Thank the Gods he disappears on mysterious missions every now and then! Phew!" Neika waved her delicate hand comically in front of her face.

"Wait." Arsha held up a hand. "Sitting with me? How long have I been unconscious for?"

Neika pursed her lips. "Well, I suppose there is no easy way to say this, we nearly lost you Arsha. Your neck was badly broken … I mean, we healed you, but it's taken your mind nearly a season to catch up with your body."

Arsha sagged. "Oh fuck. It wasn't a nightmare then."

Neika considered her friend for a few moments. "What's wrong, Arsha?" Her face softened when she saw his lips tighten into a thin line as he tried to keep hold of his emotions. "Tell me, sweet pea. It can't be that bad."

The elf swallowed hard. "Believe me when I say that it is."

"Let me decide. Come on, Arsha. Tell me." Neika laid a hand on his arm.

"He – he thought I was a woman. He only found out I wasn't when…you know." Arsha's brow furrowed painfully.

"When intimate relations had already been established?" Neika raised a furious eyebrow.

"I think he thinks I deliberately deceived him." Arsha looked at her helplessly.

"Oh precious, beautiful man…" She reached for him and pulled him into her arms and pressed her lips to his forehead. "Listen to me Arsha. If he thought that you were a woman, and then thought that you of all people, tried to deceive him, they he was born into the wrong race ok? Ever heard of women trapped inside men's bodies? Well that fuckwit is a human trapped within an elf's body!"

Arsha began to laugh, slowly at first and then harder as Neika's words struck home. "Oh thank the Gods for you, Neika."

Neika gave a confused smile. "What?"

Arsha shook his head. "I just love you. Now let me dress, I'm starved!"

"I'll bring you food. You probably shouldn't get up just yet." Neika looked doubtful.

"I'm fine." Arsha rose easily from his bed. "Nice, so you remembered to keep healing me while I was comatose so my muscles didn't deteriorate?"

"Of course." Neika handed him his leggings.

"We'll make a healer out of you yet." Arsha winked. He slid the blue cloth pants over his taut arse and laced the fly.

"Mmm mmm!" Neika purred. "There is definitely nothing feminine about you! Defined, slender chest, well shaped muscular arms without the beef, hot little six-pack and a plate of muscle for a stomach…arse like two ripe peaches. Let me cop a quick feel!" She darted forward and squeezed his buttocks. "Niiicceee. I mean you don't have the bulk of a warrior but you don't need it since you are a cleric."

Arsha threw his head back and laughed. "Look away you pervert! Where are my robes?"

"I threw them out." Neika shrugged lightly and held up a hand. "Don't flip out! I know you love the whole baggy potato sack look Arsha but the things were thread bare! I've ordered you new ones and burned your old ones."

"So what do I wear in the mean time?" Arsha's jaw dropped. "I can't believe you burned my robes! I have had them for decades!"

"That's why I burned them!" Neika grinned evilly. "You'll just have to go everywhere dressed half naked as you are."

"Not bloody likely!" Arsha lifted the lid of his clothes chest hopefully.

"You won't find anything in there." Neika winked. "Not that there ever is much in there. You really need to stop running around the kingdom fighting in wars and spend some time on your wardrobe."

"There has to be a shirt or something around here that you've missed you evil clothes thief!" Arsha dropped to his knees and looked under the bed.

There was a firm knock on the door and Neika walked over to answer it. "I'll get it, while you waste your time. I'm nothing if not thorough, baby!"

"Ah ha! Found one!" Arsha whooped triumphantly and held an old, thread bare shirt over his head. The cheer died on his lips though, when he saw Ba'ith hulking in the doorway almost filling it entirely.

"You're awake." Ba'ith froze, his eyes roved over Arsha's body, drinking in the sight.

"What do you want?" Neika crossed her arms over her chest and glared fiercely at the assassin.

Ba'ith tore his eyes from Arsha and looked at the woman. "Give us a minute?"

"Huh!" Neika bristled indignantly. "I don't bloody well think so! Piss off!" She slammed the door closed and turned to smile indulgently at Arsha. "Teach that fucker to mess with my best friend! I'll fry him if he comes near you again."

"Open the door!" Ba'ith growled.

"Fuck off!" Neika threw a bored glance over her shoulder toward the door and then walked back to Arsha as though it was the most normal thing in the world.

Arsha chuckled softly and pulled the shirt over his head. "My thanks, but I don't think it will be a problem. I'm going to demand to be sent back to the front. At least I know what I'm doing there."

"Arsha! Open the fucking door! I need to talk to you." Ba'ith's voice was cracking with anger and some other emotion that the elf didn't want to even begin contemplating.

Arsha chewed his lip and looked at Neika. "Don't let him in."

"Have no fear about that!" Neika pouted slyly. "Poor Arsha. Throw you in the middle of a bloody, violent battle and you come into your own, throw you into the face of smitten man meat and you run."

"Yeah well. We are all talented at something, no? Battle is my forte. Romance isn't. I'm over it. Been there…tried it…sucked at it… done." Arsha sat on the edge of the bed and pulled his boots on. "Not going back. I'm far too quick a learner to make the same mistake twice."

"Open the fucking door or I'll kick it in!" Ba'ith pounded violently on it and the door shuddered in its frame.

"I think he means it." Arsha chuckled.

Neika grinned sinisterly. "Let him come." The air split with a deafening explosion of dark energy and the woman's form faded and grew dark as she slipped into shadow.

"Neika!" Arsha chuckled. "Don't hurt him…too badly anyway."

Neika unleased an evil chuckle, a dark sound that seemed to come from the nether. "I won't. Nothing you can't heal anyway. I just want to make him bleed a little."

Suddenly, there was a loud crack against the door and it flung open violently. Shards of wood splintered and flew like missiles across the room and chunks of stone fell from the wall when it slammed into it. Ba'ith crashed into the room in a fury of pissed off, frustrated elf bulk. His eyes zeroed in on Arsha.

Arsha gave him a small half smile and that was all the warning Ba'ith received before Neika muttered something in a demonic tongue and then shot her hands forward. Instantly, the assassin's expression turned blank and his eyes emptied.

Arsha threw back his head, laughing and he looked at Neika. "Oh good Gods, you've mind controlled him?"