Fire and Ice

Cadet Darby pulled out of his arms and looked around the copse uncomfortabley toward the children who were watching the scene between the adults. “Do you think they saw?” she whispered out the corner of her mouth toward Aston.

“We saw all!” snapped Thoryn accusingly staring at her. His eyes tore through her soul and swept over her torn uniform and examined the patches of skin exposed through the broken material. “Why do not kill her” demanded the child as he tore his eyes away from her and inspected the emotions of the priest.

“We need her...”

“We do not need that thing!” snapped Thoryn breaking his sentence with his own, “she will kill us all” insisted Thoryn as he turned to the other children, “he must kill the creature before she kills us”

“I do not understand” whispered Jai-sen softly as he pulled his small frame close to Seeka and pressed into her back. “Is she like Beilal?”

The older girl nodded, “Yes” she said softly as her wrapped around his shoulders.

“But, she does not look like Beilal”. The young boy struggled to accept the concept of Darby’s transformation into the feral beast.

“Not now, but she will and when she does she will kill and eat us” said Thoryn furiously staring at Aston.

“Enough!” snapped the priest, “I will not tolerate this talk any longer”

“Is he right” said Jai-sen softly looking up at Seeka.

“Yes”, the voice came from Darby herself as she took a step toward the children, who backed away slowly toward the edge of the copse. “Please...“, she held her out toward the children as she spoke, “don’t run” she pleaded and looked at the floor.

“Thoryn...children” said Aston carefully, “look at her” his eyes cast over the children, who each refused to obey his instruction. “Please, look at her” he asked again.

“She will eat us” reaffirmed Thoryn.

“I said look at her!” the furiousity of his words forced the children to stare at Cadet Darby who bore a pitiful figure, forlorn and battered in the centre of the campsite. “do you think she can harm us” his arms grasped for the women’s and forced her closer to the children, “look at her, she is in control of the forces inside her, she is normal”

“For now...” ventured Thoryn.

“Yes, for now” agreed Aston, “but, she can control the urges” his hands gestured wildly as he spoke.

“And if she doesn’t?”

“I will kill her myself” promised Reverend James sadly grasping her hand and squeezing it tightly in his own.

Everton Crane leant heavily on the railing which ran along the balcony and sighed, watching as his breath danced in the morning air. The wisp of vapour, swirled and twisted as it mixed with the fresh cold breeze. His head turned slightly as the creak of the door to the palace disturbed his meditation.

“Captain” the stern voice of Lady Theye broke the silence of the canopy. He said nothing, instead electing to nod in her direction and continued to stare across the treetops. She crossed the soft palm leaves of the roof and stopped by the captain and followed his gaze. “It’s beautiful is it not?”

“Yes it is” agreed Crane, as he continued to stared into the distance.

“The majesty of nature” she breathed heavily as she spoke, “inspires us to do great things” she smiled as she spoke.

“This will be the last dawn this planet will ever see” he said eventually, still avoiding her gaze.

“I have heard those words many times” she said wistfully.

“This time though, it’s true. This really is the last dawn we will ever see”

“Perhaps...” shrugged Lady Theye, “perhaps not, who can tell”

“Damn it Theye!” snapped Crane, “this is the end of the world” the tone of desperation tinged his words as he stared at her through the morning dew.

“So you say” she sighed and continued to stare over the canopy, “I have hears these words before, and yet here we are. Still standing gazing over the world”

“No” reaffirmed Crane, “this time it truly is”

“Then, if it is...” started Theye, “we should make the most of our final day” she turned and faced Crane and smiled deeply at him, her hands wandering over her body.

“I have a family” began Crane.

“Who will never know what we have done, if this is our last day” she interrupted coyly as she moved her ample body close to his and ran her fingers across his tight chest, tracing the line of the material.

“Madame” breathed Crane softly closing his eyes, but allowing her fingers to trace the front of his tunic.

“Don’t pretend” she whispered in his ear as her hand paused over his groin, “you don’t enjoy it” she smiled as she thrust her hand on his groin and rubbed her palm against the front of his swelling uniform.

“I said stop!” snapped Crane as he grabbed her wrist and gazed directly into her eye.

“You said no such thing” she teased and pushed her body closer to his, feeling the heat from his body.

“I have a wife...”

“I have several husbands” laughed Theye as she reluctantly pulled her frame away from the Captain.

“I have children” he said softly, readjusting his uniform as she moved away as he attempted the hide the growing bulge in his groin. Inwardly he cursed the tightness of the uniform and avoided her gaze as he hid his embarrassment.

“I have many also” Lady Theye regarded the Captain for a moment and cocked her head to the side and smiled. “You do not approve of our lifestyle”, it was more a comment than a question and the remark hung in the air between them in an uncomfortable silence.

“I am not here to comment on your way of life” he replied eventually as he gazed into the distance.

“But, still you judge” she stated.

“Are you surprised!” snapped Crane suddenly rounding on her angrily, “you offer your body wantonly and use sex as a reward, you eat human flesh, your standards are questionable and show very little regard toward the safety of your people!”

“We live a simple life” said Lady Theye softly, “we are slaves to our urges and women have needs as much as men” She looked at Crane carefully as she posed her next question, “if I were a man and used sex as a tool, sleeping with woman after woman, would you not approve?”

“That’s different” replied Crane, taken back by the question.

“Why!” demanded Theye, “I enjoy using men as toys, I am in power and a position to do so. If the man does not pleasure me, then he is punished and killed” she spoke matter-of-factly as he words justified her actions, “we then feast on his flesh and he satisfies my hunger instead of my sexual urges” she smiled as Crane grimaced at her words. “You do not approve” she stated, “your face betrays you”

“You belittle yourself for what”

“For satisfaction” breathed Theye, her hands gripping the wooden railing as she spoke. “I am no different from any man. How many conquests did you have until you found your wife?” she asked suddenly. “One...Two...more? Fifteen...Fifty” a smirk crossed her lips as she spoke.

“That is none of your business”

“I have taken many lovers” she boasted, “and afterwards, I have discarded them as you would any piece of meat”

“Is life so worthless to you?”

Lady Theye laughed, “life is a commodity and we should take what we have a live it”, she rounded on Crane, “Life is wasted on the living” she spat, “so many people waste their lives on such trivial concerns and die with regret in their heart. I live my life to the full and take each day as my last. This is why I revel in the joys of the flesh, because life is so short...especially in a place like this”. Her eyes filled with clear liquid as she turned away from Crane as gazed over the canopy.

“Madame, let me help you” Crane said softly, “lead your people away from this place. To safety”

“You do not understand our life” she said gently shaking her head, “this is our life” she waved her head out over the canopy, “the trees, the birds, all you can see, this is our way. If the Gods wish our death, then we must accept our fate”

“But I can help, if you let me” urged Crane.

“We should have a feast” she smiled, “we still have prisoners...” her words trailed off as her eyes fixed on the Captain’s body, “and I would very much like to taste you” she smiled as her her fixed on his groin. “If I can’t have that inside me, then I should like to taste its flesh in my mouth”

“You repulse me” said Crane sadly, shaking his head as he took a step back.

“Why, because I enjoy the taste of flesh”

“Your on the brink of extinction and all you can think of is sex and food”

“What else is there?” she asked. “I shall feast of your body”

“When I first came back, I remarked that I could smell someone cooking, I never for one moment thought it actually was!” shouted Crane angrily.

“We prey on the weak” said Lady Theye grinning a twisted smile at him as she stepped slowly toward him as he backed away, “we take meat wherever we can find it” her hand rested on the handle of a knife which hung around her waist, “this is just the way it is”

“Have you no domestic animals!” raged Crane, his eyes darting around the rooftop as he carefully backed away from the large woman.

“Of course we do!” scoffed Lady Theye, “but what better way to warn our enemies than feasting on the flesh of our captives” the blade of her knife glinted in the sunlight as it slowly emerged from its sheath.

Crane clenched his feet and stared defiantly at her, “you are savages” he complained under his breath, “but I will save your people”

Lady Theye laughed, “you will fight me?“, her eyes widened in a mixture of shock and excitement, “so be it”

“For the people” nodded Crane. The two stood staring at each other for a moment, Lady Theye standing with her long blade in her hand, and Captain Crane, unarmed, just his fists and his sense of righteousness. Then at once, the two came together...