Plans were hard to come by.  Kitana went home with me, and we stayed up late debating what to do next.  I couldn’t help but feel a sense of urgency.  I had already most of a year messing about Bening and building a house.  If my survival was dependent on discovering the flow, I had to be more proactive about it.

The problem was, I simply didn’t have any idea where to start looking.  Kitana’s suggestion that we return to the ruins was a good one, but I was leery about going back.  The orcs had a way of getting in, and I didn’t want to stumble upon them on accident.

The sun rose and I got up, bleary-eyed and hungry.  Kitana watched as I made breakfast from the warmth of the bed, her dark eyes following my every movement.  I was just finishing browning some sausages when I saw Vista and Lira coming up the path.

“We’ve got company, Kitana,” I warned her, and went out to greet them.

Vista had a handful of books in her arms, and Lira carried a large, boxy pack on her back.  Lira waved an arm with a tired smile when she saw me.  “I’ve brought some scrolls from the church,” she called.

“And I found everything in the library that might help,” Vista added.

“Thanks.”  I gave them each a hug in turn.  “I just finished making breakfast.  Have you eaten?”

“Not since the small hours,” Vista admitted.  “I could use some food.”

We ate, then the girls cleared the table and laid out the reading material.  I felt useless.  The writing was elvish, and although I could somehow speak and understand the language, the text was gibberish.  They did their best to include me in what they were reading, but I could tell I was a distraction.  After a while, I stepped outside to let them study in peace.

I tilted my head back and let the feeble sun soak into my face.  I couldn’t help but regret the new complications in my life.  I missed the early days of my arrival in this land, with nothing to worry about but hammering nails and the occasional trysts.

My thoughts went inevitably back to the ruins.  There had to be more answers there.  I’d have to make the journey again, but alone this time.  I didn’t want to risk the safety of the girls.  They wouldn’t like it, but that was too bad.  The last thing I wanted was for one of them to be taken by orcs like Tamara had been.

With my mind made up, I set off toward my woodshed where I kept some supplies.  Rope, my axe, a canteen and a lantern.  I could make a stop in town on the way and get whatever else I thought might be useful.

I was still packing everything up, when I heard the scuff of a shoe behind me.  Lira had found me, her eyes wide with understanding.  “You’re going back to the ruins,” she said.

“Sorry, Lira.  You can’t come with me.”

Lira’s mouth narrowed.  “You think it will be dangerous.”

“There are orcs in the ruin,” I said shortly.

“I know.”

“So, you can’t come with me.”

“I’m not afraid of orcs.”

I looked back at her.  She had her arms crossed over her chest and a glare in her eyes.  I knew the look.  “You should be.”

“No.  I have no illusions about the threat they present.  But I’ve lived with that fear my whole life.  I haven’t let it control my actions yet, and I don’t intend to start now.  Besides.  I’ve been there before.  I know where you should look.”

I sighed.  “What about the others?”

Lira looked back at my house and shrugged.  “Kitana will be angry, but Vista will understand.  They will not be able to aid your search.”

I picked up my pack and slung it over my shoulders.  “You’re going to need proper shoes,” I nodded toward her slippers.  They were more suited for the polished floors of the church than hiking through wilderness.

“I have some in the church where I have been staying.”

“Fine.  But we leave now.  I don’t want to get into an argument with Kitana.”

Lira nodded and squatted down to write a message in the dirt.  “A caution not to follow us,” she explained after she finished.

“That won’t stop Kitana.”

“Perhaps.  Perhaps not.  She isn’t stupid, you know.  Despite her bravado, she would not go to the ruins alone.”

We left my little house behind after that.  A quick stop at the church for Lira to get changed, then a stop by the store in town for additional supplies.  We were out of Bening and deep into the forest before mid-morning.  I held the pace as fast as I thought Lira could manage.  I wanted to have enough time to explore the ruins and get back to the surface before nightfall.

I found the cave leading to the ruins by noon.  I nodded at Lira and got my lantern from my pack.  “Last chance to turn back.”

Lira’s response was to get her own lantern out.  We got them lit, and started into the cave.  Like before, we went down the long flight of crumbling stairs, but when we reached the bottom, Lira led me in a different direction.

“Where are we going?” I asked her quietly.

“To the priests’ chambers,” she replied.

It would take me weeks to properly explore the chambers and passages down here.  I followed Lira through the blackness, our lanterns giving us little pools of visibility.  We went up a flight of stairs, and the brick walls around us were replaced with polished stone blocks.

“This was a temple,” Lira explained.  “But also where the Dragon lived.  The priests were his caretakers and messengers.  We go this way.”

Time had not been kind to the furnishings.  Humidity had crumbled away anything made of wood or cloth.  Still, I could tell that the priests had lived well.  The scorch marks above torch sconces were gone, and light had been provided by clean lanterns instead.

We passed by a balcony that overlooked the Dragon’s cavern, and Lira paused.  Our light didn’t reach far enough to see the dragon’s corpse, but I could sense the uncertainty in Lira.  I put my hand on her shoulder, and she turned to press herself into me.

“It still seems unreal that he is dead,” she whispered.

I ran my hand down her back, trying to sooth her.  “We can stop by his chamber before we leave, if you like.”

She shook her head.  “No.  I believe you.  We’re almost there.”

I let her pull away, and she led me onward.  A few passages later, and we found a short stairway leading downward.  A bronze plaque had been riveted to the stone wall, and I let out a soft chuckle as I read the English words chiseled into the surface.  Go away.

“These are the Dragon’s chambers,” I guessed.

“Maybe?  I don’t know.”

I nodded at the sign.  “It says to keep out.”

“Is that what it says?  We were never able to decipher it.  It is the only sign in these ruins that is written in human script.  I thought it would be the best place to start our search.”

At the bottom of the stairs, a set of double doors awaited us, and a side passage ran to the large cavern.  “All this, and it never occurred to you that the Dragon was a human?”

For the first time, Lira looked nervous.  “We never went here.  It is forbidden.”

I shook my head and tried the door.  It was stuck, and for a moment I thought it was locked, then an airtight seal gave way and the door sagged open.  I pulled Lira back and waited for the dust to settle, taking cautious breaths. 

Fragments of memories from Earth warned me about cave gasses, but after a minute I was still clear-headed and there weren’t any off-odors.  It was probably safe.  I raised my lantern high and stepped through the doorway into the Dragon’s chambers.

The seal on the door had preserved the rooms beyond.  The air was stale and our lanterns flickered fitfully until a cross breeze brought fresh air through.  The furniture was finely carved and inlaid with gold and silver.  Tapestries hung on the walls and a four-post bed was visible through a door to the side, the curtains on the posts still intact.

Lira wandered into the room, her eyes wide with wonder.  “Look at this place!” she said.  “Three hundred years, and it might have been sealed yesterday!”

I followed after her, searching for something that might give me answers.  In the bedroom, I found a writing table, and I searched through it.  “Look!” I exclaimed, and gingerly lifted a leather-covered journal from a drawer.

The leather was dry and flaky, and cracked under my fingers when I tried to open it.  Despite my curiosity, I closed the cover again.  This wasn’t the time or place to be messing with delicate antiques.  I slung my pack off and took my shirt off to wrap it gently about the journal.  Hopefully it would protect the book until I could get it back to my house.

Lira watched for a minute, before going to poke around the bed.  She made a surprised noise, and held up a wooden box.  She had the lid open, and I caught a glimpse of glass inside.

“Jack!”

 “What is it?”

In response, Lira lifted out a small glass pipe.  The bowl of the pipe was smudged with soot.  “It’s a smoking pipe.”

That was interesting, but hardly worth the look of glee on Lira’s face.  “So?”

Then Lira extracted a small bronze capsule, maybe half the size of her clenched fist.  She found the clasp and the lid hinged back.  Inside were a small pile of off-white lumps.  “So many!” she gasped.

I went to join her and looked closer at the capsule.  The lumps were fibrous, about the size of the last joint of my pinky finger.  I frowned at them for a moment, then realization came.  “Rock moth cocoons?”

Lira gave me a manic smile.  “And a smoking pipe.  The Dragon knew what he was about!”

I watched as Lira delicately picked out one of the cocoons and stuffed it into the bowl of the pipe.  “Woah.  What are you doing?”

“Smoking a cocoon,” Lira said, and lifted her lantern.  She got the bowl of the pipe over the flame, and bent forward to put her lips on the end of the pipe.  The cocoon caught in a little flash of fire and Lira sucked deeply.

In the light of the lantern, I saw Lira’s pupils shock wide open.  Her head fell back loosely, and her legs wobbled.  I caught the lantern before she dropped it and eased her back onto the bed.  The old straw in the pallet crunched beneath her weight and a puff of dust rose up into the air.

“Shit, Lira, what were you thinking?” I muttered.

I could see Lira’s pulse racing in her neck and she let out a throaty moan.  Her thighs were rubbing together and she reach up to cup her breasts.

“Oooh… Jack!  Oh, Dragon!”

I felt myself start to get hard.  If even half the things I had heard about these cocoons were true, we were about to have some mind-blowing sex.  I kicked off my boots and shucked my pants off.  By the time I climbed onto the bed next to Lira, she was panting with need.

Lira’s slender fingers wrapped around my cock and she squirmed around so she could suck the head of my dick into her mouth.  I grunted as she took me as deep as she could and sank my fingers into her hair.  Her long locks spread around her shoulders, and I gathered it up into a fist.  I gently guided her head on my cock for a minute, then pulled her off.

“Jack,” she moaned.  “I’m all healed, now.”

We had a frantic minute where we raced to get Lira’s clothes off.  She kept grabbing my dick and getting tangled in her clothes, but she finally was naked.  I got down between her knees and spread her legs wide. 

Lira caught her nipples in her fingers and twisted them, and her voice rose in wordless pleas.  The lantern light caught her arousal and the lips of her cunt glistened.  I pressed the head of my cock into the hot lips of her cunt and pushed forward.

She was tight and slippery, and the muscles inside her milked my shaft as I slowly pressed deep inside of her.  Lira threw her head back and clutched the sheets.  Her legs wrapped around my waist and I could feel the trembling in the long muscles of her thighs. 

I bent forward and kissed Lira, then started gently fucking her.  Almost immediately, her slender back arched and she pressed up against me.  She cried out, muffled by our kiss.  I’d had my balls drained dry the day before, but I was fresh now.  There was a tingle building in my nuts and I squashed down the feeling.  I wasn’t ready to cum just yet.  I wanted to enjoy this first.

Lira’s hips rocked against mine as she fucked back at me eagerly.  Her breath came in little gasps, and every flex of her hips pulled a little whimper out of her.  I could feel the head of my cock ramming against her cervix, but she seemed determined to fit my entire length inside her.

She reached between us and grabbed her nipples, and gave them a hard twist.  Her mouth opened in a silent scream and her cunt clamped down on my cock.  I slowed down and held myself buried as far inside her as I could as a sudden orgasm wracked through her.  I waited for her legs to stop shaking, then I pulled myself out of her.

Lira gave a disappointed moan and reached for my hips, desperate to get my cock back inside her.  I caught her wrist and rolled her onto her stomach, then dragged her hips up to meet mine.  I got my cock socketed back inside her juicy cunt, and rammed myself back inside her.

The sudden penetration pulled a yelp from Lira, then she let out a hissing “Yesss!” and started pushed herself back, impaling herself over and over on my cock.

My hips crashed into her slender hips, making her bubble butt bounce with every stroke.  I let go of her waist and grabbed a handful of her hair.  Lira arched her back as I hauled her head up toward me.  I gave her ass a smack with my free hand and she yipped and flexed back, driving my cock all the way into her.

“More!  Harder, Jack!”

I brought my palm down on her ass, timing it so my swing hit her on my backstroke.  She yelped and slammed her hips back into me.  I felt a little bad about mixing pain in with Lira’s pleasure, but she was reveling in it. 

I smacked her ass until her cheeks were turning a flaming red.  The whole time, Lira begged and pleaded for me to fuck her harder, to make it hurt a little bit more.

In the end, I was only human.  Lira stiffened and shuddered as she came, and the clenching of her cunt around my cock sent me over the edge.  I hugged Lira to my chest and held her as she mewled and spasmed in a series of slowly dwindling orgasms.

I finally softened and slipped out of her, and she squirmed around to give me a sloppy kiss.

“Thank you, Jack,” she panted softly.

I grinned and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead.  “I should be the one thanking you.  That was something else.”

Lira looked up at me and I saw her pupils were still shocked wide open.  “I need more!”  She pressed herself against me and undulated her hips into mine.  I could feel myself responding and Lira let out a desperate, whining moan.

“Fuck me again, Jack!”  I got a handful of her breast and squeezed.  Lira gave a choked moan and nodded her head furiously.  “Yes!  Like that!”

I reached up with my other hand and pushed two fingers into her mouth.  She sucked on them hungrily until I squeezed her tit again.  I pulled my fingers out of her mouth, dripping with her saliva, and nudged her legs apart with my knee.

Lira spread her legs for me, and I pressed my wet fingers against the little knot of her asshole.  “You want this?” I growled at her.

“Yes!” she moaned eagerly.  “I want all of it!”

Man.  These moth cocoons were wild.  Lira pushed her hips against my fingers and I held my hand still.  Her asshole flexed as the tips of my fingers penetrated into her.  She grabbed the hand that was still holding her tit and squeezed down on it, encouraging me to tighten my grip.

I obliged, and pushed the fingers of my other hand up and into her.  Lira’s back arched and she gasped before she reached down and started to rub her clit in tight circles.  Her asshole clenched around my fingers and I pushed them all the way inside her to the knuckle.

“Give me your cock!” Lira moaned.  “I need it inside me!”

I pulled my fingers out of her ass and lifted her ankle up onto my shoulder.  Lira grabbed her ass cheeks as best she could in the awkward position and spread herself for me.  Her asshole winked at me, glistening with her saliva.

My cock was as hard as I’d ever felt it as I pushed the head into her.  I hugged her thigh to me and flexed my hips forward, holding her still as I slowly inched my cock deep into her ass.  Lira’s hand stopped rubbing circles around her clit and her fingers fluttered and flexed.

“Oh, Dragon!  Deeper!  Go deeper!”

I pushed Lira’s leg up until her knee pressed into her armpit.  The new angle opened her up a little more, and I was able to jam the rest of my cock into her ass.  Lira’s eyes rolled and her asshole clenched around my cock in repeated spasms.  I renewed my grip on her breast and squeezed her until the swollen flesh between my fingers turned white.

Lira shrieked and came.  I flexed my hips back, then started fucking her.  She shook and writhed about on the bed, half trying to escape and half trying to pull me in deeper.  I kept fucking her through her orgasm, and she never really came down from it.  Just as her legs would stop shaking, another spasm would grip her and she’d go right back into another cresting series of tremors.

 I held back the urge to cum in her for as long as I could.  Finally, the tightness of her asshole pushed me over the edge.  I flexed deep into her one last time, and dumped my load in a series of pulses that left me feeling drained and lightheaded.

I collapsed on top of Lira and my spent dick slipped from her asshole.  Tremors were still twitching through her, and I gathered her into my arms and held her until they finally slowed to a stop.

“Oh, Dragon,” she said hoarsely.  “Oh, Jack… that was…”  She trailed off and kissed me.

I propped myself up on my elbow and brushed the tangled hair back from her face.  Her green eyes had mostly returned to normal.

“How are you feeling?” I asked her cautiously.  “That was pretty hectic at the end, there.”

Lira cupped her breasts and winced.  “Oh, that’s tender,” she breathed.  “You are so much stronger than Tamara.”

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have—”

“No, Jack.”  She shook her head and touched her finger to my lips.  “You gave me just what I wanted.  Bruises heal, and I’ve never cum so hard in my life.  I thought I was going to pass out near the end.”  A little smile twitched on her mouth.  “I’ve never smoked a cocoon before.  I’m glad they don’t lose their potency over time!”  She reached down and gave my cock a tentative stroke.  “I don’t suppose you can get hard again?”

“Bloody hell, Lira.  Not for a while, at least.”

She pouted, but sat upright.  “We still have more cocoons.”

“Speaking of,” I said, and rolled out of bed.  I collected the glass pipe and tucked it away in the wooden case, along with the bronze capsule.  “I think I’ll be hanging onto these.”

“Aww.  Can I smoke another one when we get home?”

“Don’t be greedy, Lira.”  I put the case in my bag next to the journal and started pulling my clothes on.  “Get dressed.  I want to get back home tonight, otherwise Kitana and Vista are going to go out of their minds with worry.”