The Siluvara Files
The Many Journeys of Ian Scranton
Chapter 9: The Passing of the Flame
 
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"When a blue-aura fairy feeds another of their kind into her womb she absorbs this person's body to replenish her magic, plus she stands to gain physical nourishment as well. But when she is done feeding, she releases her prey's soul into a whole new rejuvenated mortal shell... extending their lifespan and leaving them healthier for the experience. It's a total mockery of the concept of predation and feeding; a shameless subversion of eating, if you will. One cannot help but liken every act of Gaia's Blessing to spitting in the Devil's face. If that is the case, the Bloodvine would be Satan spitting back at God." - Andrei Kuznetsov
 
"Which would make the Nivalavi the equivalent of God punching the Devil in the face for spitting." - Ian Scranton
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"Let me guess, you bored a hole in the front and let an army of kids eat their way inside?"
 
Torrents of rain drummed on an invisible canopy protecting Rosinthe, Roshana and Ian as Yaron Indumon, Chieftain Linjara's husband and Shahab's father, led them toward what appeared to be two enormous, greenish-orange turban squash plants stacked on top of each other.
 
"Essentially, yes," the broad-shouldered, cocoa-toned man in gray, chitinous armor laughed. "Although I did not see them do that with this one, these are very popular plants to turn into homes, as we can get them to grow several levels, like this one."
 
"A dinner that becomes a dinner bowl that becomes a multi family home, huh?" Ian joked, his voice devoid of any sense of humor as he looked down at the rain-soaked soil between the cracks in the cobblestone-like path they were walking. The air was cold, but not bitterly cold enough that he would make himself look like a wimp by asking for someone to spare him a nice warming spell or whatever they did around here to cope with stormy nights. If it got any colder, though, his teeth would indeed be chattering. "Talk about sustainable living."
 
"Pretty much," Roshana said, gently squeezing his hand. "Plus, dahlas can grow inside and can take over the whole house if you don't routinely prune the vines and eat the fruits."
 
"And now that Isaya has accepted our offer to move into this area," Rosinthe added as she studied Ian's long-faced expression, "it will be easier to grow these house-making plants."
 
"Oh," Roshana asked as they came up to the strangely puckered entrance, "so that's why we're moving in here and not into a more modest place... because they're about to become a common sight?"
 
Yaron nodded, touching the entrance and causing it to yawn open. "That, and in this area the Nangwaya and Biashal citizens know all about how you came to be here. You run no risk of being exposed... no need to hide."
 
As Ian Yaron a confused look, a lump of dread formed in Roshana's belly at the mention of her coming ordeal; yet still, she flashed the Chieftain's husband a grateful smile as she shook his hand.
 
Before she could speak, though, Rosinthe was quick to add, "You don't need to worry, Roshana. The whole reason you were given over to the Arajo was to keep you out of the public eye, so that the Biashal citizens couldn't clamor for your release. A public trial will go in your favor before it even starts. As soon as you go before the Triumvirate..."
 
Ian's brows furrowed. "So... you said everyone here knows Roshana, right?"
 
Yaron nodded. "They know all about her, at least."
 
"So... I'm thinking that the real reason you have her here..." he glanced around, then continued, "is that Chieftain Elsina's minions won't try and kill her in the dead of night..."
 
Roshana nodded solemnly; Yaron sighed. "It has come to that, I'm afraid."
 
Rosinthe chimed in: "That's why we waited until you were deep within the bowels of the Arajo secret prison system, far beyond the prying eyes of the Biashal leadership, before we grabbed you. I am not at all confident that Tuyen Pham, for one, will not alert her superiors about your rescue."
 
Ian pursed his lips. "Oooh... yeah, Roshana, she said you killed her girlfriend."
 
"Wife," Rosinthe's correction lifted his eyebrows. "Aide was her Meluwa, her mate for life. In some places women work in what we call Meluwen groups to attract a male... when you marry one woman, you marry the group."
 
Ian looked to Roshana, who nodded; his jaw dropped in response. "Oh, shit." Glancing between Roshana and Rosinthe, he said with astonishment, "She's gonna want to get you for sure."
 
Roshana shook her head. To Ian, she lamented, "Who'd have known. What's that popular phrase among humans? It's a... small world, after all?"
 
Ian snorted. "Roshana, you have the worst luck in the universe, you know that?"
 
"Well, we're fairly sure that Tuyen will be opposed by her own people and will have a hard time getting to you," Yaron explained, "but she still has her other meluwa. The two of them could assassinate you, and then slip back out. Which is why we have you here. If Tuyen enters this area even the Biashal tribe members here will oppose her. Even Lady Elsina herself could not come for you here." He pointed behind himself, at a green, squash-like bulb at the top of another path whose edge overlooked their new abode. "Also, my wife Linjara and I live there. Shahab lives down below. You are quite safe in most places, but you are safest here."
 
Ian whistled. "You got it locked down."
 
Yaron snorted a laugh. "You could say that." To Roshana he gestured, "For now, perhaps you should put the trial out of your minds if you can, and enjoy some..." he gestured at their home, "...alone time."
 
Roshana turned and shot Ian a grin that made him smile briefly. "Oh, we most certainly will, your Highness," she said with a slight bow.
 
"Highness?" Yaron's antennae stiffened as he waved her off; a hint of nervous showing through his otherwise playful demeanor. "Oh, no, I am merely the Chieftain's husband..." The elfin-eared fairy then spread his wings, unfurling twin butterfly flags of orange and brown swirls with menacing eyelets of flame. He then leapt into the air like a rocket in slow-motion, rising beyond the magical canopy floating over their heads to fling himself into the elements. "Have a good night!"
 
Ian could hardly take his eyes off the the sight of the hard driving rain making way for the oval forcefield that developed around Yaron as he receded into the distance, until Roshana took his hand.
 
"You know," Roshana spoke softly as her fingers intertwined with his, her other hand gesturing to Rosinthe where he could not see it, "You've seen the worst this universe can offer you. Now I think it's time you saw our... better side."
 
Ian's response was quick: "Is there a side of you that isn't the best?"
 
Roshana tugged his hand gently, slowly drawing him through the entrance. "Mmmm... you may be ever so young and new to all of this, Ian," she purred, chewing her lip, "but you sure know how to butter a gal up!" The howling wind became silent behind him as the doorway closed up. "Now..." she spread her wings and tugged him closer to wrap them around him, "We're going to do things right this time." Looking over his shoulder, she called, "Rosinthe..."
 
Ian did a double take as he turned to see the other red-head standing there at the door. A million thoughts crossed his mind as he stared with confusion at her brightly smiling face; and in the end, all he could come up with was an attempt at a joke, punctuated by a chuckle: "Roshana? Rosinthe? And you're both redheads? I'm gonna have a hard time keeping track here..."
 
Both women giggled. "The 'Ros' part of our names is shorthand for a longer word that means a certain shade of 'Red'," Rosinthe explained. "In fact, you can call me 'Copperfruit Flower' if you want..." She then pointed to her cheeks. "You can also use my freckles to distinguish me."
 
"Hey... isn't that a human trai..." Ian started to say before Roshana's lips brushed his neck and made him shudder all over.
 
"Roshana is the name of an orangeish-red dwarf star that circles my homeworld's home star," Roshana explained as she took hold of his long blue robe; a rift appeared at the top and then spread downwards, like a tear smoothing itself out as it grew. "It would be the seventh world in the solar system, if it were a planet."
 
Ian looked down to see his chest being bared before Rosinthe's conspicuously curious eyes. "Wow... I..."
 
"Oh..." Rosinthe put her hand to her mouth. "Maybe I should go?"
 
Roshana shook her head. "Oh, but I invited you in for a reason," she explained, gesturing nervously to Rosinthe. "I kind of need a little help tonight."
 
"Hmmm? Help, huh?" Rosinthe's eyes darted about as Roshana's words sank in; then her eyes widened and a smile spread across her lips. "Oh! I know what you're thinking." She winked at them, "I have a better idea."
 
Roshana raised her eyebrows. "What idea is that?"
 
"We have a bonding ceremony that we call the Passing of the Flame," Rosinthe explained. "Have you ever heard of it?"
 
Roshana folded her arms, pausing to think before replying, "I wish I did. What is it about?"
 
"I'd rather show you," Rosinthe grinned. "When you've taken Ian, come back outside."
 
Roshana furrowed her brows, then looked at Ian, who shrugged. "Nidale neglected to tell me anything about that while she was mucking around in my memories," he rolled his eyes with disdain.
 
Rosinthe sighed. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, Ian... those are not our ways."
 
He nodded. "I totally understand..."
 
Rosinthe backed up toward the door. "Give me about twenty minutes while I gather the others. We'll be waiting outside for you."
 
Roshana nodded. "Thanks, Rosinthe... we'll be ready."
 
"You're welcome," she said before she left.
 
After a moment of silence, Ian then turned to Roshana, grinning. "So," he gestured, looking down at his bare chest at a loss for words, "I guess we're all alone for a bit... right?"
 
Roshana took his hand. "We have twenty minutes," she said, leading him into the center of the room, which even by its alien furnishings Ian could tell was a living room. The sound of something ruffling caught his eye; behind her, where there had previously been just a wall opposite the entrance, there was now a large, dark green leaf lazily spreading open a few feet above the ground, attached to a thick stem leading into the wall. It was easily as far out as he was tall, plus half again, and wide enough for three people to lay down on.
 
"That's... a bed?" his disbelieving words trailed off when he saw Roshana's robe fall into a pile at her feet. "Oh... my... God..."
 
The last time Ian Scranton had seen Roshana naked, he was hardly able to appreciate it. His attention had been too fixated on the ever-present threats to his life that lurked around every corner, to comprehend just how beautiful she truly was. Roshana's skin was flawless and tanned, lighter than anyone from the Armenian side of his family tree, but not as much as himself, who inherited his complexion from his father's Scottish and German heritage. Her hourglass figure, while clearly sculpted by years of combat training, still had all the dangerously tempting curves of womanhood that expressed the full measure of her fertility in a million sensuous ways without uttering an actual word.
 
"Oh my God?" she repeated, smirking as she outstretched her arms, her butterfly-like wings unfolding from her back and stretching to their full length. "Did I startle you?"
 
"Uh... no..." he shook his head, unsure of what to say as his eyes briefly fell to her feet, particularly the ornate white runes standing out against the dark blue background painted onto her toenails. "I mean... wow... Roshana, you're beautiful!"
 
She smiled and turned slowly, her wings fanning her scent at him as she intentionally gave him a view of her shapely butt. "Why thank you, Ian," she said, bending over to crawl into the bed. Surprisingly, the thin-looking leaf supported her weight, while sagging just right to let her contours sink in comfortably. She then turned onto her back and spread her legs, lewdly revealing her nearly bare mound and fat, glistening nether lips, and beckoned to him with her fingers. "Come here... between my feet."
 
Ian didn't waste even a heartbeat; he immediately hurried to kneel before her, his very will being sapped by his own arousal.
 
"I think we have time to make love properly," she purred, stretching her legs out so that her right foot pressed against his bare chest. With a soft smile, she gently kneaded his chest with her toes. "First, you should know that aside from my womanly parts, my feet are also a very sensitive erogenous zone when I'm laying back and relaxed like this."
 
Ian glanced down at her foot, and quickly caught himself. He'd never been one to stop and admire a woman's feet - he always imagined them to be dirty and sweaty by nature. Yet now, as the sole of Roshana's foot caressed its way up over his collarbone, and then his shoulder, he somehow consciously knew he would be silly to apply these objections to her.
 
Then, as if she was reading his mind, she commented to him, "Where I come from, we womenfolk keep our feet perfectly clean..." She then lifted her foot and aimed it forward, stroking him under his chin with her toes. "We also tend to show them in order to attract a man's eye since we cannot walk around in the nude... what with the chance of children coming around and all."
 
Ian sucked in his breath as her big toe pressed gently against his chin. "Roshana..." His hand tentatively reached out to touch her smooth, subtlely muscular leg.
 
"Shhh..." she put her finger to her lips as she lifted her foot a bit higher, pointing it at his face while teasing his lips with her toe. "One at a time, honey... go slowly. I know this is new for you, so take your time."
 
Ian gulped, staring at her perfectly formed foot for a moment before he parted his lips to let her ease her big toe into his mouth. Nervously, he licked the soft flesh underneath until he saw her close her eyes and let out a long, soft moan. Instinctively his tongue swirled around, testing the hardness of her toenail, and then sliding into the crevice between her toes; he was then greeted by a loud cry as she quickly pulled her foot back and planted the soles of both her feet on his shoulders.
 
Surprised, Ian looked up at her, noticing her leaning back in bed, her back arched and her breasts standing out to conceal her face from his perspective. "Roshana... what's wrong?"
 
After a moment, she lifted her head and smiled softly, her fingers diving down to her mound; Ian's eyes followed to see the trickle of creamy liquid trailing from her puffy labia. As he sucked in his breath, Roshana's arousal flooded his senses with a scent that was oddly familiar.
 
His wide-eyed lover glared at him briefly. "I guess I was a little... well..." She lifted her hand to study the glistening stickiness clinging to her fingers, then grinned weakly as her cheeks started to blush. "Wow. I guess I was a little too horny... I just had a bit of an orgasm..."
 
Ian smiled widely, taking hold of her right ankle. "Really?" He gently moved her foot back around in front of him, her legs giving no resistance, "Was it because of this...?"
 
No sooner did his tongue work its way between her toes again than Roshana bucked and sucked in her breath.
 
"Ian!" she yelled, nearly clapping the soles of her feet against his cheeks while she threw herself upright and then some, bending almost in half to kiss him. Without even grabbing onto him for support, she held herself in that position, hissing at him, "Stop that!"
 
Roshana's feet felt soft and warm against his cheeks as she held him in place and glared into his eyes; and then his mind finally registered that strong musky scent coming from her nethers. "Magnolias..." he whispered.
 
"Hmmm?" came her puzzled response.
 
He reached up to hold her feet as she eased back into a fully upright posture; an impressive feat with nothing to support her back. "Magnolias..." he repeated, "your... your scent... it's almost like magnolias." Seeing her confused look, he added, "It's a powerfully fragrant flower back on Earth. Very strong aroma, quite pleasant depending on one's tastes."
 
She leaned back some more, this time resting on her arms. "Really?" she said, watching him take her left foot to gently lick her big toe. "Mmm... is it pleasant to you?"
 
He nodded as he released her toe from his lips with a loud appreciative smack and a soft kiss. "Oh yeah... pity I can't go back to get a few seeds for you."
 
Roshana giggled. "For me? No no no... if you could, you would be wise to take it to Isaya. She's good at reproducing plants. That I've seen her do a lot of."
 
Ian nodded. "Boy, that's one talented little Dryad."
 
Roshana was quick to agree. "Yeah, and kinky, too." She glanced around suspiciously before adding, "I heard that the Nangwaya are laying out a place for her to... you know... do her thing she loves to do best."
 
Ian's eyes widened. "Already? Seriously? Here, of all places?"
 
Roshana nodded, sucking in her breath as Ian continued to meticulously lick and suck her other toes. "I'm surprised... um... that she hasn't contacted us... oh Ian... baby..." Her insides fluttered with impending release, forcing her to lay flat on her back again. "Please..."
 
At first, her sudden plea caught him off guard; but then the sight of her belly tensing, told him all he needed to know. Without missing a beat, he got the idea to tease her. "Please... what?"
 
Roshana's eyes flared. "Ian..." she snarled at him.
 
He smiled and gently licked his way up the sole of her foot, hugging it against his face; then he looked at her toes again. "Mmm... I don't recognize these runes on your pretty little toes..."
 
"IAN..." she insisted, her eyes pleading to him as strongly as her voice.
 
He knew better than to aggravate a horny Droathas fairy; besides, he knew he would have other chances to play with her... many other chances. "Mmm... you have such incredibly sexy feet..." he moaned, caressing her ankle while his tongue ventured out to caress her feet right beneath her toes; then he licked between them again, causing her to suck in a long breath. Her feet clasped behind his neck as she squirmed and cried out lustfully again. The delicious scent of her arousal intensified as he watched another trickle of creamy juices spill from her womanhood.
 
"Oooh that looks delicious..." he said, kissing her lower legs, "Roshana... I want to taste you..."
 
The last word barely left his lips before she pulled her legs back and then thrust her feet under his arms, hooking them behind his back; in one swift move, she twisted slightly and yanked her legs back, jerking him up from his knees with impossible strength. Ian was tossed effortlessly over onto the bed next to her, where she hastily flipped him onto his back. By the time he could get his bearings, she had turned over and her knees were firmly planted on either side of his head. When the world stopped turning he was looking directly up at her dripping sex hovering right over his face.
 
"Open your lips, Ian," her tone suddenly turned serious, as if she were warning him. "I'm going to cum... a lot."
 
He smiled and licked his lips invitingly; Roshana planted herself firmly onto his mouth and wiggled into position, looking down at his face to make sure his nose was not covered. She felt his hands clap hard on her ass and smiled down at him, squirming a little more to brush her aching clit against his nose.
 
That little brush was all it took to finish herself off; her head reared and she looked up to the ceiling and beyond as her insides spasmed and her warm juices rushed through her. Ian's long, satisfied moan at the splash of her juices in his mouth was the last thing she heard before her blood started rushing in her ears and everything went blurry. Warm flesh invaded her, swirling around, probing, stroking, testing, giving her spasming muscles something to grab at and thoroughly soak in her wetness. She couldn't even hear her cries even as she felt her throat going hoarse; her entire universe dwindled down to the sweet agony of Ian's mouth vacuum sealed against her pulsating vagina, greedily sucking her for every sticky drop of womancum her body could give.
 
Ian nursed Roshana's womanhood like a bottle as she howled out his name and invoked her goddess Gaia and several other names he recognized as female names. Waves of creamy nectar flooded from her depths while he licked her frantically in hopes of eliciting more. He learned quickly to both admire the beauty of her tensing belly and to note the mighty contractions of her insides that came with it, to be ready when her vagina spurted another load to the back of his throat. Her thighs squeezed him so tightly his ears started to hurt, but it didn't matter; nothing mattered to him then, but enjoying and prolonging Roshana's release. When her squirts began to weaken he let it pool in his mouth to savor the strong, intoxicating flavor, then swallowed as she started to grind gently on his lips and chin. His face became slippery wet from her juices smearing all over his skin, but still, he kept working her with his tongue and lips.
 
Finally she settled down on her heels and let herself cool down, squirming only slightly in response to his tongue. Ian gave an impish grin as he admired her belly for a moment, then watched her large, pendulous breasts heave with increasingly controlled breaths. She bowed her head and shook it slowly, as if with disbelief.
 
"I... my throat..." she complained half-heartedly, clearing her throat in vain. "Oh, Ian..." she giggled, "I must have yelled every sacred name in the book in thanks for you!"
 
He smiled, keeping his mouth under her nethers, his response coming only as moans that vibrated through her womanhood and up her spine.
 
"Dammit, Ian..." she gasped, trying to lift herself up; but his mouth was far too tempting for her to give it much effort. "Ian... love... my hormones are saturating your body."
 
"Mmm," he responded, making her shudder.
 
Her eyes widened as he sucked harder, forcing her to relax and let more of her hot juices flow through her to him. "Ian..." she protested more firmly, "Ian! This is making you too horny and fertile... I don't... oh dear Gaia, Ian... I don't know... mmmm...!"
 
As his mouth became more aggressive at sucking and licking her, she realized that not even her strength was enough to rescue her from his thirst; her body simply would not let her move. She knew this all too well of herself - if Ian was willing to take her juices, her body was ready to keep making more. She did not know how his human physiology would handle this, and as such, the urgency of a potential problem forced her to take alternative action.
 
"Ian..." she sighed softly, looking down to study the surprised human laying almost entirely in her palm an instant later. "I'm sorry, love. You're getting lost in your thirst for my juices and I'm helpless to stop my body from yielding to you..." She reached down and spread her vaginal lips. "It's time for you to become a part of me."
 
Ian was not surprised to find himself shrunken down to miniature size, his legs dangling off the edge of Roshana's now relatively giant palm. He knew this moment was inevitable - indeed, it was far too long in coming for both of them - and all that he had done at the foot of the bed, on his knees before her, was mere foreplay. This, more than sexual intercourse itself, was the part of their union that he was looking most forward to.
 
Roshana's womanhood relaxed above him, her pink inner muscles parting slightly to release a thick, gooey curtain of fluid that drooled down over his diminutive body. He closed his eyes and laid back to let her hot juices spill all over him, soaking his flesh in her musky floral scent. A long, satisfied feminine gasp heralded another gentle flood of creamy liquid pouring from her depths to saturate him so that his skin was thoroughly slippery and her wetness clung to him, leaving him slathered in a sticky mess.
 
He inadvertently opened his eyes to find that her juices, though they covered his face, did not impede his sight; her vagina loomed closer as she lifted him up toward her. Her muscles clenched and relaxed, gulping at thin air and breathing a light hint of sweat mingled with the heavy aroma of magnolias upon his face.
 
Ian quickly moved up to sit on his knees, despite the difficulty of standing in the slippery mess of her cum. Then, looking up at her hungry, drooling labia, he grabbed onto her finger for support and stood up, pushing his head into the slick darkness of her womanhood. Her hand lifted him up further, pushing his bare shoulders into the grip of her vaginal muscles, and that was all it took. Her vagina grabbed his shoulders and arms and sucked tightly at him, pinning his arms to their sides; two loud, wet slurps later, her vaginal muscles clenched under his feet, fully sealing him within.
 
A profound relief came over Ian as Roshana's needful sex finally swallowed him whole. Her silky but powerful muscles seized control of him as her juices took over his skin, lubricating him for his trip into his mate's hungry, molten hot center.
 
Ian gave no resistance as her vagina kneaded and hugged him tightly, rippling around his body, massaging him further into her.
 
He smiled in the total darkness as his mind wandered off to memories of Isaya's throat carrying him down into her harmless belly. This was not anything like being swallowed - Roshana's vagina was tighter, wetter and much hotter. Plus, it was a slow process; a few tight hugs of her muscles, a messy slurping noise and the soft caress of her body around him as he moved further upward, and then a pause to allow him to hear and feel Roshana's powerful moans rumbling all around. He could even both breathe and drink mouthfuls of sticky womancum as her vagina continued to pour waves of nectar from unseen pores all over him.
 
It was an unrelenting assault by the forces of sheer depravity and forbidden pleasure on all of his senses. Ian could hardly manage to keep track of all the sensations he was being subjected to as he was sucked deeper into Roshana.
 
Somewhere during his journey, he climaxed; he felt the satisfying pulses shooting through his body, making him tense up at first and relax as he spent himself completely against her vaginal walls. But his mind was too far distracted with the anticipation of his arrival in that special place where he would be made hers in every way possible; still, it was a welcome relief to the aching that was growing in his balls. And it was Roshana who moaned long and triumphantly for him as his head pushed up against the back wall of her tight, slick channel.
 
That, more than anything, jolted him back to awareness; in the darkness, sloshing around in a cocoon of hot silky flesh and sticky womancum, he could still tell he was at the entrance to her womb.
 
The tight sphincter yawned open immediately. Her body would not let them wait for this sacrifice.
 
The change in air pressure helped suck him in partially, but it was the help of her vaginal muscles and the additional suction from her womb that finally pulled him completely in so that he could pull his feet in and curl up inside. It was uncomfortably warm here, but from his previous experiences inside Nidale and then inside Roshana, he knew this wouldn't last long. Even as he pondered this, the entrance to her womb clenched shut beneath him, safely trapping him in her hot, damp center.
 
A heartbeat later his soul was lifted from his body and he plunged into blissful weightlessness, with a million tendrils of pleasure weaving its way through his being.
 
"Ahhh, Ian!" a disembodied voice called in his mind from the endless darkness pressing all around him. "You truly cannot appreciate how long I've waited for this."
 
"Roshana... it feels so good... this is Gaia's Blessing?"
 
"It is..." her voice seemed to sing to him. "It is my body's way of thanking you for giving up your body and your life essence. To calm you down so you won't be afraid as everything that you are is made a part of me."
 
"So what does your body do with all of that?"
 
"Mmm... I'll tell you all about it... in my own way."
 
As she spoke those last words to him, Ian felt his mind going foggy; suddenly he was struggling for words. It wasn't the first time he'd experienced this, but it was still slightly unnerving. "I... hey... Roshana... I'm..."
 
"You're losing consciousness, Ian. When you're asleep I can share my knowledge and memories with you."
 
"Uhm... don't give me any memories of... you know... eating Isaya, okay?"
 
Roshana's laughter echoed faintly in his mind as he slipped into the darkness of sleep: "Certainly not..."
 
 
***
 
Rosinthe had barely arrived with nineteen other unmated Biashal and Nangwaya warrior maidens in ornate blue gowns with glowing pink runes, when Roshana emerged from her new abode. Her lower abdomen and nerve fibers glowed brightly with Ian's essence coursing through her body as rain drops sizzled and turned to steam upon contact with her skin. Her body resembled a road map as night became day in her vicinity and the rain began to evaporate far above her head.
 
It didn't take much for Roshana to realize what was going on, as all the womenfolk calmly arranged themselves into a circle around her, their wings fully spread and their arms outstretched as if to welcome her into their community. The Sharing of the Flame went by many different names on many different worlds, but it was a ceremony she knew all too well - and one she sorely missed.
 
Following Rosinthe's lead, she nodded quietly and spread her wings as well, allowing the fresh infusion of energy to radiate from her body with escalating magnitude until it flowed unfiltered, completely uncontrolled. All at once, the twenty assembled fairy women lit up, their nerve fibers and their wings turning incandescent as the uncontrolled outflow of magic energy spilling from Roshana's body flooded into the air.
 
Rosinthe lifted her outstretched arms so that her hands were level with her head; and then the other warrior maidens followed, lifting their voices in song.
 
***
 
Despite the efforts the Indumons had expended in suppressing the booming claps of thunder raging outside for the sake of the kids, there was still the palpable shudder that rippled through the house shortly after every bright flash that descended from the incessantly weeping heavens.
 
Of course there was the issue of Marifar, a Bollar science whiz and his wives living not two hundred paces away from their home. Upon his mushroom-shaped home were perched a variety of lightning rods and ionizer pods designed to harness the full measure of energy from every lightning strike, as part of routine experiments being carried out by him and his eldest daughter. Their experiments were not only tolerated, but highly popular because of the number of children who gathered to see the duo's science tricks. Thanks to the ionizer pods, lightning struck so intensely and rapidly that one could read a book by the windowsill.
 
The brawny and indomitably confident Shahab was an imposing sight during the day, his simple robes serving not to belie his royal lineage as he intended, but instead accentuate his brawny might and prowess as a stalwart battlemage. It made him appear all the more impressive when standing naked in an unlit bedroom, his body silhouetted repeatedly by the bright flashes of light outside.
 
His wife Ethara sat on her knees on their bed, her slender fingers slowly stroking her pink slit with her fingers while her eyes feasted upon the sight of her husband and of her Meluwa, Nenea, standing next to him. First she studied the powerful muscles of his chest, then took in a deep breath as she gazed upon his swollen, rigid penis standing up proudly at attention between his legs; then there was Nenea, with her beautiful, slender feet and her deliciously voluptuous body, supple, and yielding, perhaps a little too much so for someone as big as Shahab. She looked so minute next to their husband that it was hard to imagine all those Silurhean warriors lying dead at her delicate feet as she charmed Shahab into giving her his virginity; yet she had also witnessed Nenea face off with many angrily jealous Nivalavi warrior maidens who'd challenged her to sparring practice upon her arrival into Nazon, earning her fair share of stalemates, victories and defeats with all the dignity required of a warrior in training.
 
"So, my beloved..." she said with a deep sigh, "it's up to you my Meluwa*... how would you have us ride out this storm?"
 
Nenea's insides clenched with need and anticipation when she looked to her side to see Shahab's stiff penis standing upright from between his legs, its winking eye drooling a rivulet of pre-cum down the swollen, ribbed vein of his shaft. She gulped, and then reached out to take his hand, guiding him to the bed.
 
Ethara watched as Shahab laid Nenea face-down on the bed, spread her legs, and then mounted her from behind, first laying his body upon hers, and then slowly gyrating as she lifted her butt up against his smooth, muscular hips. Her heart jumped when Nenea bit her lip and gaped at Ethara, her eyes wide and her mouth open in an unsuccessful attempt to cry out as Shahab's butt clenched and his hips shoved forward, driving his fat penis deep into Nenea's womanhood. Nenea's eyes closed and her body shuddered while Shahab thrust a few more times, then let out a long, satisfied groan, having fully sheathed himself in her hot, wet and silky embrace. Then he propped himself up on his arms and began to gyrate, his hips and spine rolling as he forcefully drove into Nenea, their sex slurping loudly in the process.
 
Ethara understood clearly what her role was for the night; she continued to circle her clit and massage her nether lips as Shahab and Nenea opened their eyes to admire her.
 
Nenea moaned at the sight of Ethara reaching up to cup her breasts; with her husband pumping her insides full of his thick, cum-dripping flesh and her clit and hard nipples brushing against the bed, looking at Ethara's bare flesh was all she needed. Her pleasure escalated with each plunge of Shahab's penis into her molten center, then accelerated some more as Ethara's breasts bounced before her, and grew hotter at the sight of her clenching belly. Nenea swelled with pride as she defied her husband's penis, denying it the achievment of tearing her asunder; as much as his shaft sought to overwhelm her with its girth, it could not prevail over her. He was inside her now, this was her domain; her muscles were dominant, her womanhood's hunger was what would be satisfied. She would not stop until she heard his cries of surrender, his yelp of uncontrolled release, his futile struggle to hold back his climax from her until the moment of his choosing. He had no choice - he would explode when she wanted it, and she wanted it now. So as the stars descended through the clouds into the bedroom to dance before Nenea's eyes, she clamped like a wet fist around his loudly squishing penis and brought her muscles to bear, tightly stroking him off until Ethara gasped and jerked on her knees and her belly spasmed visibly, her vagina spilling a thick load of her own cum onto the bed.
 
An instant later, Shahab lost control too, yelping with shock as he rammed deep into Nenea's vagina to seek refuge in the embrace of her flesh while he lost control of his body. His belly clenched against her back as he fell upon her and wrapped his arms and wings tightly around her, ejaculating a long, triumphant groan that was as forceful as his spurts. As soon as his penis swelled and began to pulsate inside her and his molten heat swelled in her vagina, her toes curled and her insides clamped down hard, grabbing his flesh fiercely, jealously. Her world went supernova, and then blurred into darkness punctuated by strobes of lightning erupting both outside and within her as his white-hot pulses merged with hers. Her senses were restored to her by a slightly painful sting as her husband let out a loud, feral groan and shoved himself mercilessly into her to deposit the last of his creamy, fertile essence. She smiled at the feeling of his hands mauling her breasts and his panting in her ear; his incoherent babbling; the sweat clinging to his chest and her back; the smell of his sex dominating her scent and Ethara's; and the sticky excess leaking from her overfilled depths to lubricate her aching, yet satisfied clit beneath her. But most of all, there was the sense of accomplishment, the domination of Shahab's penis and of his body, as he lay thoroughly, even if briefly, satisfied and exhausted upon her. He might have more to give Ethara, but she knew he'd given his first - his best - to Nenea.
 
And so she smiled at Ethara, who shook her head with amazement as she finished catching her own breath. Wiggling her ass against Shahab's hips, she said between deep breaths, her gaze focusing obsessively on Ethara's drooling nethers, "You're so... deliciously wet..."
 
Shahab's senses slowly came back to him, just in time for him to be stunned at the sight of Ethara scooting forward, stretching her legs out to lay on her back, lewdly offering her crotch to Nenea, who eagerly bent down to plant her mouth upon her nethers. Watching her suck and slurp at Ethara's creamy juices, while breathing in the intoxicating armoa of her arousal, was enough to make Shahab groan and resume pumping slowly inside Nenea.
 
"Ooh... he's getting hard inside me again," Nenea moaned proudly, looking up at the chocolate-skinned fairy laying before her while Shahab's spent penis came back to life within her throbbing walls. With a wink, she added, "I'll get him good and ready for you."
 
Ethara shook her head as Nenea bowed again and lifted her butt for their husband; Shahab had filled Nenea's vagina with his juices, and now Ethara was letting her nectar flow into her thirsty mouth. It was heaven for Nenea - she brought them all to release and they both repaid in kind by leaving something of themselves in her.
 
As soon as Shahab began to bear down upon Nenea and she knew he was on his way toward another plentiful release, she looked up into Ethara's eyes and squirmed under her husband.
 
"Easy, honey," Ethara warned, smiling seductively at him.
 
"Aw, do I?" Shahab groaned playfully as he lunged forcefully into Nenea's depths one last time, making her yelp with pleasure.
 
Ethara nodded. "She's going inside me, my love."
 
"Hmmm..." his eyes darted this way and that, before he began to slowly ease himself out. "I see where this is going..."
 
When his slippery penis left Nenea with a slick pop, Ethara cast a shrinking spell upon Nenea and moved the now diminutive Arari fairy under her dripping entrance.
 
"I hope you kept some for me," Ethara winked, gyrating slightly, looking down to watch her slippery juices spill all over Nenea. "And for her."
 
Shahab nodded, watching Ethara lean back to feed Nenea into the throbbing entrance to her pink depths. The shrunken fairy was promptly sucked in by a strong contraction of Ethara's inner muscles and swallowed whole. Seeing Nenea slurped into Ethara's womanhood to disappear from sight made him groan through his nose, his already revived penis swelling back to its full majestic girth. His arousal took over again, and Ethara was quick to scoot beneath him.
 
Nenea closed her eyes and relaxed in the tight embrace of Ethara's pulsating vagina. Few things captivated her more than the total envelopment of hot, slippery flesh around her body; it was scarcely unlike being swallowed, with the myriad of powerful muscles working on her, kneading her forward to her destiny within the hot center of Ethara's being. This was the final moments of her mortal shell; once she reached her destination, Ethara's body would change her into magic energy and her own body would cease to be. There wasn't a fairy in all of Nazon who did not look forward to these moments with both reverence and dread alike; for in the end it meant one would be reduced to mere resources that another woman's body needed, on their way toward rejuvenation in a new, healthier body.
 
Yet that was what turned Nenea on the most. The experience of her soul being vacated from its physical host, to watch her body turn into pure energy to disperse through her Meluwa's soul to replenish her, was the most satisfying part of the experience. That, and the yielding of her memories to enrich her mate's wisdom and knowledge of the world.
 
Of course, if a daughter of Tarajika wanted, they could let some of that pure energy flow from their nerves into their veins to provide them physical nourishment. But Ethara absolutely loathed to ever do it, and Ardwen only let it happen once; and she felt so guilty that she never let Nenea convince her to do it again. Nenea, of course, did it with Shahab when she absorbed him, because he didn't mind. And it made her swell with pride to know that whenever her womb finished absorbing Shahab, Ardwen, Ethara, or any other fairy, they always returned fully nourished and their magic reserves replenished. The mere thought of it made her smile.
 
Her musings were interrupted first by the powerful rumble of Ethara's moans all around her; and then by the slick noise of her hungry vagina slurping... relaxing... then opening. Even in the total darkness, Nenea's eyes could see, in detail, the enormous mushroom-shaped flesh pushing Ethara's vaginal walls aside to invade the space where she now lie. Once it had announced its presence to her, it shoved forward again, grinding its veiny stem hard against her body, pressing her even more tightly against the floor of Ethara's vagina while smearing her with a thick layer of sticky wetness.
 
It was Shahab's erection. He was plowing into Ethara and, at the same time, all over Nenea.
 
She gasped as his penis throbbed, its vein rippling against her body. She'd seen his organ many times before, but only with the help of a shrink spell cast upon her did it become physically larger than herself. And there was a distinct scent coming from his stiff yet pliant flesh - the aroma of her own vaginal juices still coating him from his union with her. She smiled and kissed the pulsating vein above her, watching its contours as it pulled back suddenly, then rammed forward, sliding even further into Ethara, seeking the furthest reaches of her depths to deposit his gift of life.
 
At first Nenea feared that Shahab would go easy on for fear of hurting her, since she was trapped inside Ethara's vagina with his swollen shaft. But then the giant penis jabbed forcefully, his well-lubricated flesh stroking firmly across her body; and then he settled into a hard, fast rhythm, with the urgency she came to know quite well. The symphony of squishing and slurping grew loudly all around her as Shahab's juices and Ethara's mixed all over her body, his penis occasionally pushing her further up into Ethara's depths, until she was sandwiched between the back wall of her mate's vagina and the head of Shahab's penis.
 
She tensed up as Shahab's cockhead stopped barely short of ramming her belly; then its eye winked at her and two loud groans flooded her world from beyond as the giant eye shot at her, coating her bosom in a thick, creamy mess. It winked again, and sprayed her entire body, almost submerging her in a flood of cum.
 
***
 
Shahab reared his head above his wife as he howled with release, his mind unable to comprehend the ecstasy of releasing inside Ethara while knowing Nenea was inside her, waiting to be coated in his seed. Ethara clung to him for dear life, her feet clasped behind his butt and her wings tightly coiled around him; their minds spun out of control in a runaway tailspin of incoherent babbling and ecstasy driven by the perfect storm of their mutual orgasm.
 
Neither of them noticed Ardwen as she appeared out of nowhere in the room, coming to the bed to sit by them and watch them buck and gyrate until their sexual energy was fully spent. A moment later, as Ethara collapsed on her back with Shahab splayed out on top of her, her belly began to glow with Nenea's life force slowly dispersing through her.
 
It was a full minute later before Ethara's arm lazily reached out and found Ardwen's thigh. Her eyes flew open, knowing that Shahab was on top of her, not beside her.
 
"Ardwen?" she called, blinking.
 
Her silver-haired Meluwa giggled. "I'm glad I soundproofed this room, hon. You two must have been quite loud tonight."
 
Ethara sighed; Shahab first looked into her eyes, and then he looked to Ardwen. "Dear Tarajika... please don't tell me we're being summoned..."
 
As Nenea reappeared naked in bed next to them, Ardwen nodded. "The Clanlord, no less. All leaders are being called in. Emergency session. It's about the Imperishable Empire of which they have spoken quite dreadfully in the past."
 
Shahab shuddered, a haunted look coming over his face. "My mother told me all about the legends concerning the Imperishable Empire." Looking to Nenea and Ethara, he sighed. "We've got to go. This is... bad."
 
Ardwen nodded. "I'll watch the kids."
 
Shahab got to his feet, brushing himself off; he turned to Nenea, who nodded. "Watch over the children... and pray diligently for them, Ardwen, my love," he said firmly. "Pray they see many more suns... I fear that blessing is no longer guaranteed to us."
 
Ardwen gasped, putting her hand to her mouth as Nenea reached out to touch Shahab and Ethara, teleporting both of them into her womb together and looking down to see the glow in her abdomen before she disappeared from the room.
 
***
 
"I wish we had brought you in sooner. I'm afraid the situation is worse than either you or the Council fear it is."
 
One of Isaya's Spriggan forms sat in a black, high-back leathery chair next to Clanlord Rijaal Haj-Bollar in the unlit Arajo Council Chambers, before a brightly glowing floating projection screen. A giant snake with a male's upper torso and a pair of bat wings as far across as two football fields, splashed head-first into a body of water in the video footage before them. All of the colors of his body were washed out into hues of green against a mostly dark background.
 
On the other side sat Chieftain Linjara of the Nangwaya, along with her son Shahab and his wives Ethara and Nenea; along with Biashal Chieftain Elsina and Nidale, her second in command.
 
"A Kadruata..." Elsina noted with a heavy sigh as she watched the giant beast surge back out of the water. "I had heard Isaya's report of reinforcements being requested by the local underground Silurhean bases... but... so soon!"
 
"It literally dropped right in from orbit, in the dead of night," Rijaal explained. "This was in a lake located near the city of Nenothab, the night before we bombed the city."
 
Isaya turned her head sharply, glaring at him. "You knew of this before the attack?"
 
Rijaal nodded. "We sent an unmanned probe to investigate the ship that fell from the sky. Not even the Council knows about this." He then gestured at the screen. "Look what he's doing now."
 
Isaya cocked her head back as the Kadruata dived into the water, and after a short fast-forward, re-emerged with giant chunks of metal debris resembling pieces of a vessel.
 
"It's the alien ship we monitored entering the atmosphere... it resembles nothing that we've ever created," Rijaal explained. "We know that the one that calls himself Ian Scranton says he came here on a cargo hauling ship full of humans from a planet called Earth... humans like himself." He gestured at the screen with his hand, forcing another fast forward. "It was not until this point here that we realized this was the ship he had been ejected from..."
 
The footage then showed the Kadruata lifting an object out of the water. Rijaal drew a circle with his finger which caused a circle to appear around the object on the screen; then he gestured back toward himself, causing it to zoom in.
 
It was the corpse of a human, dangling limply between the giant snake-man's fingers as he held it by its torso.
 
Isaya gasped. "A Bollar... or... no... maybe...?"
 
"Perhaps one more like Ian," Linjara echoed her suspicions.
 
"Indeed," Rijaal said. "We corrected the night vision color differences and his skin tone is almost identical to Ian's. No Bollar has a complexion like that. He must be another one of Ian's Earth humans who drowned when that ship... the cargo hauler he mentioned... crashed here."
 
Shahab blinked, then turned to his mother to add, "And the Kadruata homed right in on it."
 
Rijaal nodded. "As soon as he made landfall, no less. And watch... it gets worse."
 
Nenea observed the Kadruata turning up his snub-like nose at the dead body, before casually flinging it over his back into the lake. She said, cringing, "Oh... how sad..."
 
Nidale's shoulders sagged. "At least he didn't eat the corpse..."
 
"It has no life force," Isaya explained, stoically. "It's worth nothing more to him than eating part of a leaf off a tree..." Her mood darkened when she noticed the footage of a group of fireballs that plunged from the sky into the Kadruata's immediate company, coalescing into a half dozen fairies wearing all too familiar crimson battle armor. "Oh no... two whole Silurhean fireteams..." she said almost breathlessly with shock, "from the Imperishable Empire..."
 
"The Imperishable Empire?!" Linjara and Elsina howled in unison, cringing in their seats as if propelled backward by an unseen hand.
 
"Yes, the Imperishable Empire," Clanlord Rijaal confirmed, causing everyone to turn toward him. "We had not planned to hit Nenothab before we saw this. Those two fireteams flew straight to Nenothab, and were speaking with the local Silurhean chieftain and her leadership, when we attacked."
 
Isaya nodded. "Preparing the locals for the arrival of the Imperishable Empire... who already have burrows in other spots around the world..."
 
"We had an antimatter bomb ready to test... but this forced us to use it immediately... on an actual target. We couldn't let them establish a presence here." Rijaal sighed. "But... as you just said... it seems that we're far too late for that."
 
Shahab turned to his mother to whisper. "Is this his excuse for killing all those-"
 
"Shhh..." she cut him off, her eyes on the Clanlord as she spoke. Shahab looked down and saw her hands clasped, trembling with fear, and even his heart wanted to go faint.
 
Isaya sighed meanwhile, her attention on the Clanlord. "I wish I hadn't been so afraid to contact you directly before."
 
Rijaal shook his head. "You've been of great help in leading us to these underground bases over the years, Isaya. The clues you've left for the Nangwaya patrols have been absolutely invaluable."
 
Linjara furrowed her eyebrows. "Wait... you said your patrols discovered these burrows..." She looked to Isaya suspicously.
 
"We did, technically," Rijaal replied quickly in an attempt to quell Linjara's unease.
 
Linjara sighed. "The bloodvine infestations and dead trees that we found near their bases..." she spoke, mostly to her son who nodded.
 
To Isaya, Rijaal explained, "It was my predecessor's mistake in not being more aggressive about pursuing and eliminating these nests, not your mistake for being discreet."
 
"Still..." Isaya said glumly, "this does not change the fact that we are going to be invaded by an Imperishable Empire fleet... and very soon."
 
"Please..." Linjara was quick to interject. "Let's not jump to conclusions here..."
 
Rijaal opened his mouth to speak but Isaya cut him off, asserting firmly to all three leaders, "Clanlord... your Highnesses... you must understand that they will arrive within mere days from now. In vast numbers." Gesturing frantically, she added, "In fact, I fear the Nangwaya may have sealed our doom."
 
Rijaal frowned. Both he and Linjara blurted, "Say that again?"
 
Isaya nodded. "If the Imperishable Empire suspects the true strength of the Nangwaya... the Incorruptible Children... or if they realize how powerful I am..."
 
Linjara shuddered visibly. "Oh, no..."
 
Rijaal turned back toward the screen, his eyes widening as her point sank in. "Dammit!" he threw his hands down forcefully. "You're right! They'll bomb the entire planet into a lifeless rock... and they've done that many times before..."
 
Isaya's next words came swift, sure and with a firm tone of authority: "Tell the Council now. Tell the Biashal and the Nangwaya Councils, too. Tell them to prepare for an invasion. Tell them to prepare to shield this land from an orbital bombardment... if that is at all possible..." With that, she got up on her feet, brushing at her tunic. "I will take leave of you now. I must go and break a personal vow... and do things that I will regret for a very long time... to assure my survival... and also your own."
 
Rijaal's eyes searched hers for a moment; then he nodded. "I will inform all of our telepaths not to ever inquire you about this subject."
 
She bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Clanlord."
 
Linjara then stood up. "Clanlord..." she called softly. "You did not call Roshana to this meeting."
 
Rijaal nodded. "She cannot help us with this."
 
Linjara's brows furrowed. "I believe that she can," she answered. "She said to me that has allies that can stand against the Imperishable Empire. Was she lying?"
 
Clanlord Rijaal's eyes darted to Isaya, who was almost at the door when she sensed trouble brewing and stopped to turn around. A frustrated sigh left his chest as he replied with carefully measured words, "Chieftain Linjara of the Nangwaya... do not go behind our backs to bring Roshana into this."
 
Shahab jumped to his feet; but a mere flick of Rijaal's wrist, over ten paces away, forced him back into his seat. "Stay out of this," he warned. To Linjara, he continued: "Roshana is not who you think she is."
 
Linjara's eyes flared with anger. "You dare manhandle my son-"
 
Chieftain Elsina, who had previously sought to remain quiet through this exchange, was quick to step in front of her at this point. "We of the Biashal may not be many compared to the Nangwaya's numbers, Chieftain Linjara," she warned, "but we will all stand with the Arajo."
 
Linjara shot her a disgusted look; then she sighed with resignation. "And you will fall with them."
 
Isaya rolled her eyes and sighed with disgust at the bickering unfolding before her. "You've got to be kidding me..." she moaned, shifting her weight to her left hip.
 
"Will she?" Rijaal laughed. "You underestimate the might of the Arajo people. And you underestimate the magnitude of the mistake you will make in trusting Roshana."
 
Seeing the confused look on Linjara's face, Rijaal nodded. "Obviously you don't know as much about Roshana as you think you know." He gestured to her seat. "Sit down. We obviously have a few things to discuss."
 
***
 
Their words were like magic. Though the fairy maidens gathered around Roshana hadn't cast any obvious spells, their collective song nonetheless had its own supernatural effect on her. The strange words they spoke all around her, defied her ability to decipher them; it was as if they were speaking in tongues. While she stood there, puzzled at the compelling harmony of voices around her, even the dire concerns facing Roshana started to fade away; and despite all her efforts to maintain control of her own thoughts, the pressing issues of the day seemed to flee her just as easily as her body had coaxed Ian's soul from his mortal shell. Finally, when she realized that Ian Scranton and her love for him was the only thing in the universe worth being concerned about, she briefly stopped trying to understand the song, and the meanings of the indecipherable words were revealed to her. But then, as soon as she tried again to comprehend, comprehension shied away, avoiding her like the proverbial fruit hanging over the head of King Tantalus.
 
Tantalus; it was a name Ian's memories had yielded to her. She smiled; he was now a part of her. She'd wanted him from the moment she saw that young helpless lost soul sleeping in the safety of Isaya's belly. Now he was inside her womb, being flooded with her knowledge and life experiences, just as she was receiving them from him. Again, she was distracted from her efforts, and as it happened before, the words became clear to her again.
 
Roshana smirked; suddenly she got it. She was busy looking for her own meanings to interject into the words, and it kept her from truly hearing. So she relaxed and cleared her thoughts, letting them go into Ian rather than into her conscious mind; a moment later, she wondered how she could have been so deaf and dumb to the messages within the song.
 
It was the song of the history of the fae of Nazon. It was the song of faith, the joy of family and of tribal unity, of bravery, reverence toward life and the burning desire to bring salvation to all fae kind. It was the joy of meeting Ian, and the hope of unity with the people of his homeworld. It was a celebration of Roshana's rebirth as a daughter of Tarajika; and it was the song of undying hope in the future.
 
Roshana's voice lifted tentatively at first, and then confidently, melting in with the chorus around her.
 
It would not be until hours later, the storm cleared to reveal the brightest stars shimmering in the early dawn sky, that their song finally ended with the fading of the glow in Roshana's body and her wings which heralded the reappearance of a naked Ian Scranton in her welcoming arms.
 
Roshana blinked, looking upon his pristine face at first with wide-eyed amazement; then she smiled, enfolding him in her wings, unable to think of a coherent word to speak. So she let her lips speak for her in a different way - she leaned forward and kissed him deeply, while the other maidens gathered around to embrace them...
 
 
 
 
 
 
* Depending on the inflection, "My Meluwa" can either mean "my wife" or it can also mean "my alpha"... in that one woman in a "gal pact" is respecting the alpha's seniority. In this case, Ethara is speaking humbly to Nenea, who has been accepted as the alpha wife of Shahab's wives; she is recognizing her duty to fulfill Nenea's fantasies, which follow hence. Also, in Nenea's case, her position as alpha wife (as opposed to Ethara or Ardwen) was determined indirectly by Shahab himself - this is fairly unusual, because the women in a Meluwen group traditionally to choose their alpha, and this is done long before they ever meet the man they will mate with. Ethara would be the alpha under normal circumstances - but, also in an unusual situation, she was made a member of the formerly two-woman Meluwen group after they'd already married Shahab.