The Song of Aurea

The Land of Beginnings P. III

Markkason Ashworth

Newtale

February, 1703 AR

Anthea's cloak falls from her shoulders and onto the floor. With a grin, she moves forward and places her slim hand on my shoulder. I shudder, brushing her away as I near the bed. My eyes are drooping, my body aches, and Ghendri's paws are sore and raw.

"Hey," she says with a smile as she delicately grabs my elbow and pulls me back to her. Her face is inches from mine, "Are you tired?"

"Um...yeah," I say, feeling the disapproval of all lonely men in the world bearing down on me, "So I'm just going to lay down for the night if that's alright."She simply laughs and snaps her fingers. There's a small flash between them and just like that, her clothes begin to burn away from her, vanishing to nothing until she stands there, naked as the day she came. I feel my ears redden as she strokes her painted nails down my shirt.

"I've shown you me..." she whispers, "Now show me you..."

There's a long pause before I try to push her away again.

"No, that's okay," I mumble, "I'm just going to sleep on the floor...I do have a bedroll."

"Why were you so upset over not getting a room if you own a bedroll?" Anthea asks me."Fair point."

"But I insist," she continues, "So, you take off your clothes or I will."

Ghendri meows, suddenly concerned. She notices him and nudges him gently with her foot until he scratches her. She grimaces at the red lines on her ankle and nudges him a little harder into the bathroom, which she promptly locks.

"Hey!" I say, standing up straight, "What makes you think you can do that?"

"The fact that I can do this," she grins and snaps her fingers. A warm, tingling sensation floods my body and I see my clothes burn away as my pouches of spell components fall to the floor. She takes the belt of them and begins digging through the pouch marked Enchantments. With a swish of her hand, she tosses a pinch of sage in the air above her hair. Anthea turns to look at me and laughs when she sees how awkwardly I'm struggling to cover myself with the bedsheet.

"I hope you don't mind," she says as the scratch heals and her eyes flash a bright blue.

Anthea begins walking towards me and kneels at the foot of the bed, slipping her hand up my leg. Everything goes numb for a second and I try to kick her away. I feel the bottom of my foot make hard contact with her face, wetting the bridge with something. She suddenly yelps and I hear loud thump against the rug followed by a painful silence.

"Anthea...?" I ask, slowly sitting up.I see her lying there, unconscious and bleeding heavily from the nose.

"Son of a hag..." I gasp, more exhausted by the situation that anything, "So, I'm locked, naked, in an Inn with a strange woman who I just kicked unconscious...great."

It is only then that I hear Ghendri scratching against the bathroom door, the sound of his claws only broken by his desperate calls. We can't spend much time away from each other, at least with a structure between us. Somehow walls and doors and closed windows, when placed between us, make us emotionally ill. I open the door and feel a rush of relief as I see he's still there. He jumps up on to the dresser and sits down as I scratch his ears.

"Help me find some clothes," I say to him.

He glances at the violet cloak on the floor.

"Not that..."