Page 12 of Fog of War
She looked at me with glazed eyes. “That was ahrum.It’s the vibration that pushes genetic particles into the air for convergence. Muruic priests are famous for strengthening it for the gods, but I had no idea it could be that strong. The radius is usually only a few meters.”
My eyebrows shot up in shock. “So he was converging witheveryone?How does that work?” I gaped.
She shook her head to clear it. “No, he’s not close enough to do that. It was just a blessing.”
The holofeed flipped to the four quadrants, to each trio standing on their pedestals. Most of them held a small hatchet in each hand, and were covered head to toe in powder.
Miraculously, the marks I’d left were clearly visible on everyone, as if they’d kept others from touching them. Hearts on chests, kiss marks, a crisp handprint. The Ferulis champion that I’d smacked stood proud in the top left corner of the screen. His name slid by on a ticker tape–PALADUS FERULIS–and I heard his smoky chuckle in my mind.
Who would he be converging with? I squeezed my thighs together, but didn’t want to think about it as a pit formed in my stomach. Maybe battle consummationwouldbe too much for me…
“Look!” Leopha pointed to the bottom right of the screen as Leonide was featured. We both hooted and hollered for him, even if he couldn’t hear us. I threw myself into it, getting pumped. Today was about Leopha and Leonide for me. I didn’t have to watch anything else that was going on except root for him.
The cadence of the drums changed.
Leonide took a deep breath.
Then the champions descended into the fog.
My heart jumped to the beat of the war drums and I clutched the railing, craning my neck to see into the eerie battlefield rather than up at the holoscreen. Figures glowed here and there, weaving in and out of towers, hiding beneath the fog. I recognized the red of the Ignarian clan immediately as one of them bobbed through the mist nearby, making a beeline for our end of the field.
They tilted the side of their head towards the ground, feeling for vibrations, and instantly I knew it was Faeste. They’d seemed so bashful and sweet when I’d given them the kiss on their cheekbone, but now their eyes were glowing gold slits and their mouthparts set with the practiced caution of a hunter. Confidence corded every movement as Faeste crept beneath us, using our watch tower as cover.
I held my breath and tugged on Leopha, pointing down at them. She looked and her mandibles clacked, letting me know she’d seen. It was eerily quiet now, everyone focused on not giving away the fight. Then she tugged me right back and pointed to a dark shadow surfacing from the fog. Someone’s shoulders as they army crawled in Faeste’s direction from behind.
I bit my lip and laced my fingers together in front of my mouth to keep from making noise. I was on the edge of myproverbial seat as the breath lodged in my chest and I waited to see who was stalking them.
Please, please be–
Once Faeste’s back was turned entirely, Gavenidus rose from the fog like Death, the clouds clinging to his shoulders like a cape. He hunched and his glowing marks painted the fog. I had to stifle a shout of excitement, smacking Leopha’s arm repeatedly so we could freak out together.
Gavenidus raised his hatchet by the end of the pommel, lined up his sights…
Dread lined my veins in ice. Was he going to hurt Faeste or–
Faeste rolled into the fog and launched an axe right back, getting Gavenidus in the chest. The hatchet sank into his pectoral plate with a heavythunk,and Leopha’s cousin lost his footing. I screamed in shock and horror, instant tears springing to my eyes. Was Gavenidus–
Our watchtower erupted into a deafening roar.
“Get up!” Leopha bellowed.
Faeste took their chance to get in close as Gavenidus heaved the blade out of his plates and threw them both to the ground in a tackle. Every holoscreen turned onto the action beneath us, the wrestling match accentuated by the buzz and the drums and the roars. I heard a high pitched cheer and realized it was me, jumping up and down with my fist in the air as those tears of terror raced down my cheeks, forgotten.
“Woohoo!” I yelled. I wasn’t exactly a sports person, but my breathless smile suggested otherwise as Gavenidus flipped Faeste over his shoulder, dispersing fog like a stone dropped in a pond.
And then I heard that sound again. Thehrum.The cheering got louder as the two venandi fought for dominion. Both of their forms blurred as their limbs intertwined andtheir muscles bulged beneath their glowing plates. The rhythm changed, breaking into layers that built upon each other, shaking my thighs and making me warm between the legs.
Gavenidus slid over Faeste’s back and pinned them to the ground. He bent the Ignarian’s head back with a hand cradling the front of their throat so he could lock their spires together.
“Yeah, cousin, get it!” Leopha roared.
Gavenidus’s hand disappeared into the fog between their bodies, and then he rocked his hips forward slowly. Pulled back. Pushed forward again, a little further…
I forgot how to breathe, captivated, my face burning. I squeezed my thighs together as the blurred, vibrating champions merged, Gavenidus rocking into Faeste now with a rhythm. Their matching kiss marks were on the same side and glowed up at us as Gavenidus took his victory with abandon, gnashing his teeth and snarling into Faestes’ shoulders. The powder on their skin was dislodging in a haze of color that stained the fog, enveloping them in a symbolic celebration of convergence, even as Faeste reached back, attempting to hook Gavenidus with their claws and gain the upper hand.
It was so…hot.
Reckless, feral, mind-bending. There I was, standing with my best friend in a crowd of her family, and I’d never been more turned on in my life. None of us could look away, caught up in the frenzy and the bloodlust mixed with real lust andoh my god,if I heard that sound again I might… I might–
