Past Loves Ch. 03b: Bektel and Husa

There was always an eerie silence that came in the moment just before a stone fell. The rest of the time the landscape was filled with noise, the grunting and puffing of men hard at work shifting earth or pulling on ropes. The scrape and crunch of the soil being dug out from around the base of each standing stone. And the cracking grinding noise of rock on wood as each fallen stone was laden onto its ready sledge. But for just a short moment as each stone went from vertical to horizontal, everyone stood still and held their breath as silence fell on the hilltop.

Then, as the stones thumped loudly down onto the grassy ground below them, a mighty cheer would go up from all around and the hard, heaving work of moving them would continue. Each stone had ten long wooden staves slotted in under them and with twenty men to each one they were lifted bodily onto their sledge transports. Those same twenty men would then heft the giant rock sledges on long ropes across the grassy hillside down the valley towards the river.

Husa however stood apart from all of the hard labour just watching, observing and calculating. The idea that she would have taken part in the actual moving of the stones, each of which probably weighed the same as fifty men, was laughable. She was a slight, frail looking woman, with limbs like the thin branches of trees in winter and with not an ounce of fat anywhere on her. Her long wild blondish hair hung loose behind her head and her face was covered in numerous tattoos outlining her eyes and mouth. Around her neck, wrists and ankles she wore many beaded necklaces and bangles, some of bone, some of clay and even a few precious ones of gold and bronze.

Some may have called her striking or perhaps even grim to look at, if they had dared. She was a feared woman amongst the tribe of the Halaki for it was only she who knew the will of the gods of sky and land and sea. Only she could concoct the sacred elixirs and speak with the gods themselves. And only she had the wit and foresight to engineer a lasting victory over their enemies in the Ratharyn.

In truth, the Halaki's victory over the Ratharyn had been achieved over a year ago when they had struck down the entire ruling family of the Ratharyn in a daring midnight raid on their home. After that it was merely a matter of sowing chaos in what remained of their leadership and then dividing the spoils. But unlike in the wars of the past, fought by their fathers and grandfathers and grandfathers' fathers back into the mist of time, this time Husa had foreseen a new road to victory. The two tribes had warred for as long as anyone could remember, and in victory had claimed each other's gold and spearheads and children, but this time they would claim a different war booty, one which would doom the Ratharyn to defeat forever more and ensure victory for the Halaki for eternity.

Rather than taking their gold, which they could mine and trade more of. Or taking their spearheads, which they could forge anew. Or their children, which they would simply make more of. This time they would take something that the Ratharyn could not renew- they would take their gods! It had come to Husa in a dream, she had seen the stone circles of the Ratharyn walking across the land and into the sea, up the rivers and onto the open plains of the Halaki. If they could steal their stone circles and the gods which dwelled within them then they would not only deprive their enemy of their god's divine favour, but they would take that power for themselves and become unstoppable!

And so the great plan had been hatched in Husa's mind and she had worked tirelessly on every little detail. They would rip down the stone circles from where they stood in the lands of the Ratharyn, transport them to the river and then into the sea. Then they would sail around the coast and up the River Sul and then over the hill into the River Mai. From there it was only a short punt upriver and a heave up the hill to the Sky Temple of the Halaki. Here, the god stones of the Ratharyn would be ensconced in their new home to bring glory and prosperity to their new people. And they would have peace.

- - -

Peace was far from Bektel's mind as she checked and rechecked the ropes on her craft. She had spent a lifetime sailing up and down the coasts of this land, all the way from the great sunset peninsular, up the rivers and over the seas even to the green land beyond. But never before had she been asked to transport a load such as this. The ten giant sea-grey stones which currently sat on the river bank were just the first batch of numerous shipments which were to navigate from the land of the Ratharyn all the way around the coast, and up the river and beyond to the land of the Halaki.

It would take many more trips back and forth to move the entirety of the eighty or so stones from the dismantled stone circles from one land to the other. As skilled a sailor and navigator as she and the rest of her crews were, they were still forever at the mercy of the tides and the gods of the sea to send them calm waters and good winds.

She knew these waters like the back of her hand, having sailed on them for nearly all her life and had learned at the hand of her father from the time she could hold a rope. Although only twenty or so summers old the years at sea had given her weathered tanned skin and a solid strong build. She kept her dark hair short with the one bronze blade that she owned, the better to keep it out of her face in the sea breeze, and her hands were strong and calloused from the ropes that she hauled daily. Her face was long with a high forehead and pointed nose and it seemed that her lips were permanently curled into a wry smile, as if enjoying a joke at the world's expense.

Certainly in her current situation she found the whole endeavour laughable. In Bektel's opinion the whole thing was a fruitless exercise which would probably result in more stones and men at the bottom of the ocean than in the land of the Halaki. But the Godspeaker Husa, who had the ear of the War Chief, had seen it in a dream from the gods themselves and so her will would be done.

Bektel thought that the gods probably had more important things to deal with than where a bunch of rocks happened to be standing. She thought it more likely that the strange plants and concoctions that Husa drank to perform her rituals and 'commune' with the gods had much more to do with her plan than the actual gods themselves talking to her in her dreams. But who was she to argue?

Right now Bektel had more immediate problems to deal with. The crafts that she and her crews had built to transport the stones had never been tested properly. They consisted of three hollowed out canoes lashed together with staves and ropes to form a large platform on which the stones would sit. Ideally each boat would have two stones on board, one either side of the central mast to balance it. Bektel had tested the buoyancy of the craft with numerous other smaller rocks all piled on together and the canoes had managed to stay above the water, at least on the river. Just how they would fare out beyond the mouth and around the coast though was a different matter. Bektel kept herself busy by testing every last rope and truss, making sure that the boat was as sturdy as it could be to bear the weight of the big stones.

She was so focused on her work that she didn't notice Husa moving silently along the river bank until she was right beside Bektel's boat and she looked up to see her standing there looking cold and imperious. The woman's sudden appearance made Bektel jump slightly. For all her scepticism, there was definitely something magical about her, and her ability to appear un-noticed was definitely part of that. She looked it too with all of the bangles, charms and wards that she wore on around her neck, wrists and ankles, which made it all the more impressive that she was able to move so quietly. She was stick thin with sharp cheekbones and wide blue eyes which seemed to stare right through you. Her untamed blondish hair flowed freely in the breeze from the sea, and with the sun behind it it gave Husa an almost ethereal look.

'Are you ready to sail?'

She asked from the river bank. Despite her waifish appearance Husa's voice was strangely deep and croaky for a woman and seemed to demand attention with every word.

'As ready as we'll ever be. Just as soon as your men get the stones loaded we can sail tomorrow morning.'

Bektel replied, dusting her hands off and putting her hands on her hips. As powerful as this woman was, she was resolved not to be intimidated by her. Husa may wield weird magic, but the sea was Bektel's domain, and if she wanted her stones moved then the woman would have to honour her and her rules.

'In the morning?!' Husa replied, a sharp hint of disapproval in her voice, 'We cannot wait until the morning! These stones need to be moved quickly if we are to harness the power of this land's gods! We should set sail as soon as the stones are loaded.'

Bektel smiled and looked out to sea briefly to hide both her amusement and her contempt.

'Well, Godspeaker, then I suggest that you speak with the gods and ask them to send us an early high tide. The next one isn't due until after nightfall, and believe me, you don't sail after dark in these waters, not if you want to stay afloat..'

A look of consternation and annoyance flashed over Husa's features and Bektel imagined that she could almost see the internal struggle within her. If she insisted on launching now then she would be putting the stones and all of the boats and sailors at risk, but if she backed down then she would be admitting that even she who stole the temples of the gods had no power over the tide.

Husa stood with her jaw set and her eyes burning with righteous indignation at Bektel, who stood calmly with her arms crossed in front of her. As annoying and zealous as the woman was, Bektel had to admit that there was something quite beautiful about the stark lines of her body. The way that the dark charcoal and tattoos around her eyes almost made them glow with a bright blue light, the way her wild hair moved in the winds was hypnotic and her hoarse deep voice had a power behind it which even a sceptic like Bektel couldn't ignore. Finally Husa seemed to come to a decision and she set her pointed jaw firmly as she looked down imperiously at her on the boat below.

'Then we shall wait until morning,' she said through gritted teeth. 'But I want these stones loaded onto your boats now, so that we can set sail with the first high tide come sunrise.'

Bektel nodded her assent and gestured for the workmen nearby to begin moving the stones down towards the river bank. Husa swept away with her head upturned and Bektel suppressed a satisfied grin as she watched her go. For all of her ethereal beauty and mysterious power, the woman still looked good from behind. If only she could relax and loosen up a bit, perhaps then she would be able to remove that righteous stick from her backside.

- - -

The loading of the stones was a tricky business, but with careful precision and slow deliberate movements the workmen were able to slide each one off the river bank and onto the waiting boats. Each one was then securely fastened down by Bektel's sailors and all ten of the boats had two stones loaded apiece either side of the central mast. They bobbed low in the water, but with calm seas and generous winds they would be able to make it back to the Halaki homelands before autumn.

Once the loading was done the workmen were ready to celebrate the long days and weeks that it had taken them to get this far. After all, once the fleet set sail they would be back to dismantling and moving yet more of this land's stone circles for transportation the next year. So why not celebrate now, while the threat of heavier labours could wait until tomorrow? Large pots of wheat brewed beer were gathered up from their stores and someone had had the foresight to send a hunting party to hunt down some meat for the feast. Soon the delicious smell of roasting deer accompanied the sounds of merriment filling the small riverside camp.

For her part Bektel drank sparingly, not wanting to fuzz her head with beer. But she danced along with the drums, flutes and singing which surrounded the large roasting pit, knowing that she too had a long and arduous journey ahead of her. Some of the men from the work crews tried to show her some attention and intent, but she quickly swatted them away with a clear message that she wasn't interested in anything they had to offer. She had much more elusive and hard to catch prey in mind for the evening.

Predictably, Husa was nowhere to be seen during the frivolities. Of course the Godspeaker would never sully herself by mingling with the rough and base workers who did all of the heavy lifting for her grand plan. But Bektel had decided to make it her mission to try and pierce the veil which Husa seemed to wear around herself. Surely under all of that bluster and godly rhetoric, there had to be a real person hiding somewhere?

Removing herself from the dance, Bektel retrieved one of the large beakers of beer and went on the hunt. She wasn't hard to find. Up on the bluff overlooking the camp ground a small wooden and hide lean-to had been constructed next to the rock wall of a cliff. The light of a small oil lamp could be seen glimmering around the gaps in the leather door sash, so Husa was clearly inside. The pungent scents of whatever weird herbs and mushrooms it was that Husa used to commune with the gods also wafted out on the night breeze, hopefully the woman could be persuaded to be reciprocal.

Quietly, Bektel pulled back the door sash and peered into the warm yellow interior of the hut. The air was indeed thick with the smell of burnt herbs and she noticed a small bowl of their burnt remains sitting beside the now wicking oil lamp. But her gaze only lingered on the lamp for a mere moment because she was far more interested in the beautiful form which lay on the fur mattress before her.

Laying totally naked on her back with her eyes closed and lids fluttering, her lips parted in an expression of rampant bliss was theGodspeaker Husa. Her right arm was crooked up so that her fingers were able to tug and twist at the nipple of one of her small breasts which stood out firm and pink on her chest. Her other hand was buried in the shadow cast between her legs by the lamp, her middle fingers crooked so that they were deep inside her, digits flexing persistently with a delicious slick wet sound. The small gasps and moans which escaped between the woman's full lips were hypnotic to hear and Husa seemed to be completely unaware that she was being observed.

Bektel wondered for a moment if she should turn around and leave again. She was clearly interrupting a very private moment but at the same time, had she not come here with the intent of forming a very private moment with this woman? She decided instead to simply let the door sash fall back and announce her presence with a small knock on the wooden frame. Her only reply was the sound of a deep moan and a throaty 'yes' from inside. Taking this as all the invitation she needed, Bektel drew back the curtain a second time and bowed her head to enter into the warm herb and sex-scented interior.

Husa's eyes were now fully open and her head was propped up on her right arm as she watched Bektel enter. Her other hand however continued in its gentle motions between the prone woman's legs. Bektel didn't know where to focus her eyes as they flitted back and forth between the glorious wetness between Husa's legs, her small pointed breasts, the delightful line of her thin stomach or the intense fixed glare of her bright blue eyes. Husa's gaze almost had a challenge or a threat in it, as if daring her to comment on her current state or look away in embarrassment.

'Is there something you wanted?' Husa's said sultrily, her voice low and throaty. 'As you can see, I am in the middle of my communion with the gods. Unless you would like to join me in communing with them, I would ask that you leave me to my ritual '

As cynical as she was about Husa's 'ritual', Bektel found herself unable to tear her eyes away from the Godspeakeres' intense pale eyes; they were almost hypnotic against the shadows of the space. She had come here with the intent of seducing or at least trying to loosen up this woman, but instead it seemed that she was falling under Husa's spell instead. Perhaps it was the heady vapours which still hung in the air inside the small hut or the intoxicating scent of feminine sex which mingled with them, or merely the sight of Husa's body, but Bektel found her will and confidence eroding with each passing moment.

To steady her nerves Bektel took a big swig from the jar of beer that she still held in her hands before placing it gently on the ground. She let the door sash fall closed behind her and stood for a moment or two simply watching and staring as Husa continued to delicately frig herself while maintaining complete eye contact. The power play between the two of them seemed to intensify, like two bulls scraping the ground with their hooves.

'Well', Husa said, breaking the silence, 'Are you going to just keep standing there or are you going to join me?'

Bektel smiled wryly. In truth she was both aroused and annoyed at the sight before her. The first move had been taken out of her hands and she had been thrown onto the back foot. But at the same time she did desperately want to join Husa down on the bedclothes and this was exactly what she had wanted after all. It was time to reciprocate herself.

Very slowly at first, Bektel began to sway to the distant sounds of the music down in the camp. She allowed herself to relax into the rhythm and gyrate her body slowly, her arms coming up to neck and shoulders in a dance. With a few deft movements she was able to unbuckle the short fur cape that she wore over her shoulders and let it fall to the floor, exposing her freckled bare shoulders and arms. Husa looked on from her position on the bed, teeth now gently biting her lower lip as she enjoyed the small show that Bektel was performing for her.

Bektel's fingers tugged firmly at the woven belt that she wore tight around her waist which soon fell to the floor like a coiled snake. Then her hands moved up behind her neck to undo the leather thong which held her knee-length tunic in place. This done, she allowed the loose dark fabric to slip off her shoulders and slide gently down her body. She turned her back on Husa as she did so, denying her a view of her breasts and stomach, but instead giving her a look at the smooth muscular expanse of her back, toned from years of hauling oars and sails. Bektel heard a small moan of appreciation from behind her and she looked back briefly with a coy smile as she hugged her own body with her arms.

'Do you like what you see, Godspeaker? Am I a suitable offering for your ritual?' She murmured gently,

'Yes!' She heard Husa hiss through gritted teeth.

Slowly Bektel turned back to face her, her arms covering her chest in order to keep herself hidden for a moment longer. The look of intensity in Husa's eyes was now tinged with an element of lust and desire. Still swaying to the distant drums, Bektel gently raised her arms above her head and allowed her firm full breasts to fall free of their grip and sway along with her in rhythm. The cool night air caused her nipples to harden slightly and she distinctly saw Husa lick her lips at the sight of them.

The ankle-length black trousers which covered her legs were the last item of clothing which had to go and once again Bektel slowly rotated away from Husa in order to give her the best view of her behind as she removed them. She fiddled momentarily with the ties at the front of the garment before finally bending over and slowly lowering the waistline over her taut round buttocks. As she did so she knew that she was also gifting Husa with a small glimpse of the dark slick folds between her legs and this time she was sure that she heard the Godspeaker gasp in excitement at the sight of her.

As she kicked the slacks away into a corner, Bektel turned back to face Husa one last time and saw that her eyes were now flitting all over her body, from her long toned legs and arms to her smooth belly, over her full ripe breasts and down to the small dark patch of hair which concealed what lay between her legs. Finally she looked back up at her face and their eyes met once more. The rivalry and borderline contempt between them seemed to have been replaced with a pure sexual energy which drew them towards one another like the moon pulled the tides.

In two short steps Bektel crossed the space between them as Husa sat up to greet her and their mouths met in a desperate embrace. Bektel had fallen perfectly between Husa's splayed open legs and she could feel the incredible warmth and wetness which already lay between them against her hip. Husa's long-nailed hands roamed desperately over her skin, stroking her back, shoulders, breasts and arms before rising up and entangling her fingers in her short dark hair. Bektel held the prone woman tightly in her stronger embrace, loving the sensation of her wiry but surprisingly strong body writhe and grind into her. She tasted like herbs and ash, somehow mysterious and overpowering, just like her.

The two women did not let up on one another even for a moment as they rolled from one side of the fur bed to the other, their mouths never parting even for a moment as their tongues buried themselves down the other's throat. Husa was now gasping and moaning with a desperate neediness between breaths, her long nails scratching across Bektel's back, demanding more. In response she moved her attention from Husa's lips down to her collarbone, alternately biting, licking and kissing as she did so. Husa's cries and moans now came freely from her lips as Bektel manoeuvred her hand until her thumb was resting gently on the small tender nub of flesh that she knew rested at the head of Husa's slit.

Husa snarled and ground her hips desperately downwards into her, clearly wanting and needing more.

'Come on!' she cried out between gritted teeth, 'Don't stop now! I want you, I want it all!'

That was all that Bektel needed to hear from her and at the Godspeaker's command she leant her hand forwards and began moving her thumb in slow but firm circles over the tender nub beneath it. At the same time she positioned her two middle fingers at the entrance to Husa's slit and delicately pried the full firm lips apart, feeling their dripping slickness coat her digits as she did so. Using the motion of her thumb and the grinding of Husa's pelvis, she pushed inexorably forward until her two fingers were buried up to the knuckle inside her. Husa's eyes went wide with the pressure and the joy of the sensation, fingers tracing another line of red across Bektel's back. Bektel moaned and bit down hard on her neck in response, loving the sharp sting.

With her hand so positioned, Bektel began to crook her fingers along with the rhythm of her thumb moving round and round the wetness above them. She loved the sensation of Husa's inner walls involuntarily flexing around her fingers as she did so. Each new stroke provoked another small cry and moan from Husa's lips, her deep throaty voice almost sounding like an animal in pain.

'I see them!'

Husa gasped breathily, as she looked upwards over Bektel's shoulder above her.

'I see the gods! They are beautiful!'

Bektel could only roll her eyes in response, but never for a moment let up from her task. If this was the way that the Godspeaker spoke to the gods, then by all means she was happy to be her messenger. Husa's breathing was coming hard and fast, all the work that she had done already on herself had clearly brought her very close to the edge of her final release. Bektel could feel her wetness now seeping from her, covering her hand in her slickness and filling the air with her delicious scent.

'Oh Gods! Oh Gods! Oh Gods! OooooHHHHhhhh! Gods!'

Was the final cry that was hurled from Husa's body as her back arched upwards into Bektel and her fingers gripped onto her shoulders like a bear's claws. Her eyes went wide and rolled back into her head as if she were experiencing a fit and as the pleasure within her finally broke, her hips bucked wildly into Bektel's hand. The sound that escaped from her mouth seemed barely human and with the final few shuddering gasps of release, she collapsed back onto the furs beneath her, and Bektel fell down on top of her again like a heavy blanket. Her eyes were still closed but the lids fluttered gently as if in a dream and her lips were gently parted in a pleased smile.

'I have seen the future...' She murmured at last. 'I have seen what we shall create, you and I. A temple the likes of which this land has never seen before, one which will endure forever, and bring the God's favour down on our lands for generations to come.'

'Uh huh...' Bektel grunted back, noncommittally.

'You don't believe me?'

Husa asked, pushing herself up onto her elbows and looking down at Bektel's face resting comfortably on her breasts.

'Does it really matter what I believe, oh Godspeaker? I'll move your stones for you, no quarrels, I'm a good sailor and you'll need the best to get it done. But I don't have to believe it to help build it.'

Husa pursed her lips slightly at this response, her sharp face almost seeming soft and sad for a moment.

'I wish you could see what I could see. One day, when our work is done, you will see it. But until then, I will show you what I can.'

With surprising strength for one so slim, Husa rolled the two of them over so that Bektel was laying on her back with Husa between her legs and she came back in to plant another long sensuous kiss on her lips. Her long mane of golden hair fell down around them in a canopy and her slender hands pushed the stronger woman back into the furs below. Then she began to kiss down along Bektel's jawline, gently nibbling at her ears and neck, over her shoulders and upper chest. She took her time with each small peck of her soft lips, while her hands flitted over her tingling skin like the wings of a butterfly.

Her mouth paused briefly over each hardened nipple atop its dome of breast, her playful tongue flicking each bud before delicately biting down. The sharp and beautiful pain of her teeth caused Bektel to bite her own lip and writhe slightly beneath her meagre weight. Then her mouth moved onwards, slowly and teasingly down her midriff, over her belly and finally lower and lower until her head was positioned tantalisingly over the thick dark patch of hair which covered Bektel's mound. She breathed in deeply here and let out a long cool breath over the sensitive flesh that lay below, sending a delighted shiver up Bektel's spine.

Finally, unable to wait any longer, Bektel reached up to cup the side of Husa's face, their eyes meeting once more for just a moment. Then, with deliberate forceful insistence, Bektel wove her fingers into Husa's wild hair and pulled her face forwards into her groin. The Godspeaker did not resist, and opened her mouth wide as she was pulled in to trace one long slow lap of her tongue from the base to the top of Bektel's slit. She moaned with the sensation of it, unable to resist the growing need inside her. If this woman wanted to show her the gods, then she was more than willing to at least let her try.

With her face now fully buried into Bektel's slit, Husa began to feast with gentle but deliberate laps of her tongue, parting her lower lips with its pressure and devouring the soft wetness inside. Her mouth was building a slow, imperceptible pressure within Bektel. Like the moving of her stones, inch by inch along the ground, through small incremental movements she moved Bektel closer and closer towards the edge of pleasure. She was dedicated and unrelenting, her tongue making Bektel almost writhe in frustration, willing her to go harder and faster.

But she maintained her pace, and with each passing moment Bektel could feel herself becoming warmer and tenser. Her skin prickled with beads of sweat as the temperature in the small lean-to seemed to rise. Her breath increased in rhythm to match the licking of Husa's tongue, and the rising, gnawing ever growing feeling of heat within her continued to grow and grow, like the rising sun. She closed her eyes and tried to surrender to the sensation of it, lie back and felt every lick in and across and over her slit.

Time seemed to lose meaning, how long had Husa been eating her out? Was it only a few moments? Or half the night? Or all of it? The blood pumping in Bektel's ears deafened her from the sound of any drums or singing from the camp down below, and her mind was so addled by pleasure that she could barely think of anything but the amazing persistent lapping of Husa between her legs. Surely she couldn't keep this up forever? Either she would have to stop, or Bektel would surely pass out from the incredible grinding pressure inside her.

The world seemed to shrink around her, darkness and a roaring filling her head as all her mind was focused onto that single glorious motion across her slit. And then, taking her quite by surprise she felt herself tip over the invisible edge and the darkness was smashed by the pure brilliant blinding light of her ecstasy which roared into her body like a charging animal. She felt herself convulse as every muscle within her tensed and her head was thrown back as she howled in one long unexpected animalistic roar. Her hand gripped tightly onto Husa's hair, pushing her face forcefully into her cunt with all of her might, desperately trying to ride out every last drop of pleasure it had to give.

As the light receded and a fuzzy darkness returned to fill Bektel's mind, she felt her muscles relax and Husa crawled up to gently rest her fragile frame atop of her. Their lips met once more and Bektel tasted her own flavour on Huas's lips as their mouths opened to accept one another again. They held each other for a long time, long after the oil lantern had burnt out and they were plunged into the darkness of night.

'Did you see the gods? Aren't they beautiful?' Husa breathed in a soft whisper.

'No.' Bektel replied, 'I didn't see them, but perhaps I will next time.'