Blood And Stone

Chapter 8: The Beginning of Revenge

Silk strands of brunette hair flitted across her chin as she gathered the small woman in her arms. Her body was small but by no means frail. Her muscles stood beneath her skin, hard as stone, unwavering even as she relaxed against Rissa's chest. Her skin was so soft that it made her seem as if she were nothing but a specter, a light fleeting wisp of mist in the cool, night air. The firelight danced along the outline of her face, glowing golden in the dark. The woman's face was relaxed, her breathing soft and warm. She peacefully snoozed as Rissa stared down at her. Her soft curves were as comfortable as they were enticing, bringing Rissa's heart rate up another notch.

How could this be? How could such a beautiful young woman want such a battle-hardened warrior such as herself? The scar that ran along her face did most of the talking for her but, what it failed to say, her eyes always shouted. Rissa watched the indentation in the woman's skin as she ran her fingers down along her arm. Her skin was as pale as fresh milk and smelled delightfully sweet. Even after a hard day's work, this beauty always smelled sweet. You would never find a sour scent on her.

The woman's eyes trembled slightly as Rissa's finger traced a purple mark on her neck. She couldn't help but smile, her mark for the world to see on this girl was more than enough to prove that she was the luckiest warrior in the land. "You smile far too much at my unconsciousness." That warm honey voice reached Rissa's ears and forced her smile to widen.

"How can I resist a smile when gazing upon the Gods' greatest creation?" Rissa leaned down and kissed her gently on the forehead.

"You daft twit." Rissa pulled her head back in shock. "Stand still you rumpled ass!"

"Excuse me?"

"If you'll not stand still, I'll have to shove it through you!" Rissa cocked her head in confusion. The honey had melted from her voice, leaving it low and rattled. A harsh groan of a thing that could make even the thunder sound like music. "I'll strangle ye till ye eyes pop free from ye skull!"

"Honey...." The maiden sat up in Rissa's arms, her eyes wide and flickering. Flames danced from inside her, darkness and power that choked the words from Rissa's mind. The woman's jaw dropped, stretching her skin to impossible lengths. It caught her jawbone, leaving it dangling by the tight skin. It paused only for a moment before it began to tear, blood pouring from her beloved's sweet face. A scream erupted from her throat, the demons of hell screeching out in the night. Rissa covered her ears and rolled away, her own terrified scream overpowering the devil woman's easily. Blood dripped from her ears, leaking out between her fingers.

The pressure in her head grew until the painful limitations of her solid bone was reached. The cracking began. The pain grew as her head began to swell. Her fingers clawed at her face, digging into her skin and peeling it away in an attempt to lessen the pressure. The rushing sound of blood filled her ears. Rissa's vision began to fade and wave, turning the tent around her into a den demonic faces. Her nails sunk into her skin, bringing ribbons of flesh away from her face. She reached for her eyeballs, desperate to pluck them free, to end this vision. Clutching, ripping, tearing, she tried to release the pressure. The crackling grew louder, her vision left her eyes forever, and she resigned herself to death as her skull split apart and left her unmoving in the dirt.

Rissa sat up, her sword coming up to cross her chest in defense. It took only a moment for her to understand what her eyes were telling her. She rolled away from the sleeping maid in her bed, stepping quickly across her tent and out into the cold night air. A few more strides brought her to the three men wrestling next to a fire. One man stood behind another, holding his arms behind his back while another stood gripping the arrow that protruded from his shoulder. Rissa's blade went right to the third man's throat, forcing the group to stop moving and stand as still as stone.