Pervikar Page 20

  “Who are your people?” asked Octavia.

  “We are the Burgassi,” said Morning Mist, as if that explained everything. “What is this, uh, person?” she asked, indicating Per.

  “I’m a half-ogre,” said Per, removing his helmet and shaking out his green hair. Both girls moved slightly away from him at the sight of his hair and his now clearly visible violet eyes.

  “What is half-ogre?” asked Golden Sunlight, looking a little apprehensively at Per. “Either you are or you are not.”

  “My mother was human, like you, and raised me,” Per told her. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to eat you.”

  Golden Sunlight and Morning Mist laughed. This broke the tension and the rest of the trip passed quickly. Soon they reached a ridge where they could look down onto a large camp of tall, cone-shaped hide tents. People moved constantly between the tents and Per estimated that there could be about five hundred people down there. In the center of the camp was a cleared circular area.

  “Please wait here,” said Morning Mist. “We will go ahead and tell the elders about you. Don’t do anything that the others may misunderstand.”

  “The others?” asked Karlto. “What others?”

  Golden Sunlight lifted her arm and waved it in a circle. A man on horseback about fifty yards away came out from behind a bush. He was carrying a bow with an arrow notched to the cord.

  “Oh, those others,” commented Karlto. “Not to worry, old girl. We’ll be good as gold until your return.”

  Morning Mist looked at him with a sour expression. “You talk funny,” she said before they both ran off towards the camp.

  He stared after them open-mouthed. Per and Alana smiled at each other at his embarrassment. Octavia walked over and threw an arm around Karlto’s shoulder. “Don’t let it throw you, old boy,” she said, mimicking his dialect. “They’ll become accustomed to it in two or three years.”

  Karlto snorted and stomped over to a large rock where he sat down and sulked. The other three, smiling at his expense, went over and apologized. It took a couple of minutes, but they finally eased him back to his normally cheerful self. Shortly thereafter, Morning Mist and Golden Sunlight returned with an old man.

  “I am Nanago,” said the man. “I am one of the elders of the Burgassi. My granddaughter has told me how you saved her and Golden Sunlight from the slavers.”

  “Your granddaughter?” exclaimed Per.

  “In a sense,” replied Nanago. “She is really my sister’s daughter’s daughter, but we share a close kinship. Will you come and share my tent and food?’

  “We would be honored,” said Per.

  Nanago waved to the man with the bow. He disappeared back into the brush and was joined by two other men and two women who were all on horseback.

  “My compliments,” said Alana. “I only heard two others in the brush, not four.”

  “You should not have heard any,” said Nanago. “I will have to speak to them tonight.”

  “Not too harshly,” replied Alana. “I have exceptional hearing and know what to listen for.”

  Nanago smiled. “Maybe just enough to make them more diligent.”

  They were soon in the bustle of the camp. Children ran back and forth playing games only they understood. Men and women tanned hides, ground flour, or came and went bringing in game or other provisions. Per and his friends were looked over for a few seconds by each person they passed before that person went back to work.

  They reached the center of the camp where a large ring of tents formed a circle around a wide cleared area. The only thing in the center was an eight-foot high pole. It was about a foot in diameter and had a man was bound to it. Per saw immediately that the man was not of the Burgassi. His fingers were interlaced and tied to a small rod so that they were immovable. He also had a gag in his mouth.

  “What did he do?” Per asked Nanago, indicating the man tied to the pole.

  “He exceeded the limits of our generosity,” said Nanago. “He then tried to use magic to escape, thus the need for the elaborate precautions in securing him. I must now confer with the other elders. Please, wait here. Morning Mist and Golden Sunlight will keep you company.”

  Nanago turned and went over to a group of older men and women. They all sat close together in a circle. Six men and women armed with spears and hatchets formed another circle around the elders to keep the curious away.

  “I say, deciding whether our fate will be the same as that poor sod?” Karlto asked Golden Sunlight.

  “Yes,” was her reply.

  “What exactly did he do?” asked Alana in the silence that followed as Karlto gaped at Golden Sunlight.

  “He would not take ‘no’ for an answer,” replied Morning Mist. “We are a free people. One woman allowed him to sleep with her for several nights. One night, she decided to sleep with another and he could not understand that it was her choice to do so.”

  “He raped her?” snarled Octavia.

  “No, if he had tried to rape her, she would have killed him. He argued, shouted, and disturbed everyone in the tent. When they tried to quiet him down, he cast a spell on the ones around him putting them to sleep. Luckily, the guards came in and captured him.”

  Per looked over at the man. He was of average height and build with brown hair, which was hanging down lank onto his forehead. His face was beet-red and his clothing was dirty and sweat-stained.

  “How long has he been tied up?” asked Per.

  “Two days.”

  Per looked over at the man again and then picked up his canteen. Walking over to the pole, he removed the gag and held the semi-conscious man’s head up. Carefully tilting his canteen, he let the man drink.

  “Why did you do that?” came a question from behind Per.

  Per looked around and saw that the elders were standing behind him. Nanago was in the forefront.

  “For the same reason I helped your sister’s daughter’s daughter,” answered Per.

  Nanago smiled. “Do you accept responsibility for him?” he asked Per.

  “Uh, what does that mean?”

  “To keep him out of trouble while he is among us,” replied Nanago, “Or you will take his place.”

  Per grimaced and looked at the limp figure on the stake. He then shook his head. "Yes, I will,” he sighed.

  “Good!” said Nanago, smiling even wider. “He is yours. I’m glad you took the responsibility, otherwise, I would have had to today.”

  Per looked at Nanago shocked and then broke out laughing. “In other words, I’ve been duped,” Per said.

  “In a word, yes,” replied Nanago. “Come, you will share my tent tonight.”

  “Nanago, I don’t mean any offense, but I don’t know the way of your people,” said Per. “I’m rather large to share a tent with. Could we sleep in our own tents and share our meals with you?”

  “Are you sure?” asked Nanago.

  “It will keep this man out of, um, temptations way,” Octavia said. “It will also give us a chance to learn from you without making the same mistakes he did.”

  “Maybe it would be for the best,” said Nanago. He studied Per’s size and build much as a horse trader looks at a horse. “Definitely, that would be a good idea if I want to get any sleep. Morning Mist and Golden Sunlight will show you where you can set up your tents and help you with anything else. This man will be brought over to your tents after our medicine man has seen to him.”

  The band of adventurers followed the two girls to an area near the outside of the camp. The site had good drainage and a clear view for over two hundred yards away from the camp. They all quickly unpacked the mules and set up their tents.

  “Who wants to go hunting?” asked Per, hefting his crossbow.

  “I believe I have to stay here,” said Karlto, pointing at two men coming towards then carrying the man on a stretcher between them.

  “Per, I’ve tried to keep up with you before,” stated Alana. “Go ahead. We will see you in a couple of hours.�
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  “Do you want us to come along?” Morning Mist asked Per.

  “Trust me,” Alana told her. “He’s better on his own.”

  Per smiled and took off for the forest in the distance. Karlto had the severely dehydrated and sunburnt man placed in his tent. Alana took off with Golden Sunlight and returned after an hour with a couple of pheasants she had brought down with her sling. The sun was setting when Per returned with a boar and a deer.

  “We were beginning to wonder about you,” said Octavia.

  “Damn boar moved just as the bolt was released,” said Per. “It hit him, but didn’t kill him. It took me some time to track him down. I couldn’t leave him out there wounded. Shall we go see Nanago?”

  Nanago was overjoyed to see the game that the group had brought in. At dinner, Per ate quickly, excused himself and carried food back to Karlto's tent. The man, who was lying on a pallet, sat up and licked his dry lips, gazing at Per apprehensively.

  “Relax. I’ve brought you food,” said Per.

  “What am I doing here?” asked the man as he started to eat.

  “Nanago released you to me, which means you have to behave or I’ll end up on the stake. We’ll both lose then because my friends won’t like that and you won’t like what they’ll do to you.”

  “Warning noted,” said the man, shamefacedly. “I became infatuated with a woman here. I should have realized that it would only be temporary When I went to the tent and saw her with another man, I… uh… you know.”

  “What’s your name?” asked Per.

  “I’m sorry. I’m Pawl.”

  "I’m Per. Is it true that you can conjure magic?”

  “Yes, I can,” replied Pawl. “I studied at the Thamurgical Academy. In fact, that's what brought me here. I found a reference to a lost book of spells that, correlated with some other references, made me think I had found the book’s location. I was wrong and ended up here.”

  “And tied to a stake,” added Per with a chuckle.

  “Ah, yes,” commented Pawl. “Not to worry. I have no desire to cause more trouble.”

  “What can you tell me of the Burgassi?”

  Pawl sat still for a moment collecting his thoughts. “The Burgassi are a nomadic tribe who value individual freedom. Don’t let that fool you though. The good of the tribe always comes before the good of the individual with them. The men and the women work side by side. There is no ‘man’s role’ or ‘woman’s role’ here. The Burgassi do not get married. Most of them have multiple partners, but there are a few that stay with one person all their life. It is their choice.”

  Pawl sighed. “I thought I had found one of the few. Anyway, the elders run the tribe. Show them the utmost respect. They are not selected by their age, but by their ability. I saw a dinner burn because the boy and the girl who were cooking it, stopped to listen intently and respectfully to the raving of a senile old woman who had once been an elder.”

  “We didn’t insult Nanago by telling him that we would stay in our own tents, did we?” asked Per.

  “No, he was probably glad you did. Nanago would have had to move several members of his family out of the tent to accommodate you. Anyone displaced would have been upset, not only for being displaced, but also for not having the chance to be in the same tent with the four of you.”

  “Huh?” grunted Per, confused by the last statement.

  “When you stay in a tent with other Burgassi, you are indicating that you are willing to have sex with them. You can refuse and it is not taken as an insult. People move from tent to tent every night. You may even get a couple who want to just spend the night here with you. They could be displaced and looking for a place to sleep or seeking to have sex.”

  “How do you know which it is?”

  “She - or you - go to the bed of the one that is desired,” said Pawl. “Throwing back the blanket indicates willingness. Pulling it up is a refusal.”

  “Why don’t you get some rest?” Per told Pawl. “Two days without food and water is taxing.”

  “I need a favor,” said Pawl as Per stood up. “I need to apologize to the Burgassi, which means to the elders. I can’t do it without you because they have put me in the status of a child.”

  “Why me?”

  “Because you’re my parent, Dad,” said Pawl with a faint smile because his lips were still chapped.

  “This has to do with me taking responsibility for you, doesn’t it?” asked Per rhetorically. “What do I have to do?”

  “We have to sit before the elders without moving or speaking until they talk to us first. Once they ask us what our business is, you can ask them if they will hear a statement I wish to make. That’s it.”

  “How long do we have to sit still?” asked Per.

  “If we time it right, like just before lunch, not long.”

  “Let’s do it then,” said Per. “Getting you out from under my wing is part of my duty to you, son.”

  Per left the tent and went to find his other three companions. They were outside Nanago’s tent, swapping stories with the Burgassi.

  “Ho, Per,” shouted Nanago. “Come and tell us some tales.”

  “None that would be as thrilling as yours,” answered Per.

  Nanago shot him a glance. “You’ve been talking to that rascal Pawl. I feel sorry for him. Soft Dove gets great delight out of such manipulations.”

  “Pawl wants to apologize to the elders tomorrow,” said Per. “He told me what I have to do.”

  “Well, since you have no stories for tonight, I’ll be off to bed,” Nanago told all of them. “Octavia, the offer to share my tent still stands.”

  “I say, I just don’t get it,” commented Karlto. “Octavia has gotten numerous offers to sleep in just about everyone else’s tent, while I have not gotten any.”

  “Let me tell you about the tents and sleeping arrangements here,” said Per. He quickly told them what Pawl had explained to him about the Burgassi. Alana was almost doubled over in laughter by the time he had finished.

  “No wonder Octavia got all those invitations,” she chortled as she wiped away a tear. “I think we should take it easy until we have come to know the Burgassi better.”

  Just then a young Burgassi man, about eighteen years old, came up to the group. He stood there silently just staring at Alana.

  “They say you are a full grown female,” he said to her, disbelievingly.

  "Yes, I am,” retorted Alana.

  “You are too short,” said the man with utter conviction. “You must be a child.”

  “Would you like to sleep in my tent and find out?” dared Alana, miffed at his attitude.

  The man’s conviction crumbled a little under the dare, but he strengthened his resolve. “Yes, I will come,” he told Alana and they took off to her tent.

  “So much for going slow,” commented Octavia.

  The three of them walked back to their own tents. After saying goodnight, Per went into his tent and started to take off his armor. He was down to his pants when he heard someone scratch on the tent flap. He pulled back the flap and, standing there in the moonlight, was Morning Mist and Golden Sunlight. Each had a bedroll under her arm.

  “May we stay in your tent tonight?” asked Morning Mist.

  “Of course,” said Per, hiding his trepidation.

  The girls came in and quickly laid out their beds. Per blew out the candle and got into his own bed. No sooner had he laid down than Morning Mist and Golden Sunlight crawled out of their beds and came over to his. The tent was almost pitch black, but Per’s ogre heritage allowed him to see their naked bodies in the dark.

  “Per? You may not know the ways of our people, but...” Morning Mist started to say.

  Per touched her arm to stop her. “I understand that I can not stay and that I have to move on,” he said. “Not tomorrow or next week, but I will have to leave. You two belong to the Burgassi. Your home and family is here. You can’t leave anymore than I can stay. I am honored to share my tent
with you.”

  “You two talk too much,” griped Golden Sunlight. “Are you going to lift that blanket or not?”

  Per looked at Morning Mist who just smiled and shrugged her shoulders. He shook his head and lifted the corners on both sides of his blanket. The girls slid in next to him, pressing their cool bodies against his.

  Morning Mist hiked herself up until she was half-laying on Per’s chest. Brushing her long black hair to one side, she leaned down to give him soft lingering kisses. Golden Sunlight sighed in appreciation as she ribbed her hands over Per’s rock-hard chest muscles. She leaned over to suckle at one of his nipples. Per felt his cock twitch and stir as Morning Mist nibbled on one of his ears and rubbed her body on his arm.

  He started to rub his hand up and down Golden Sunlight’s back as she continued to play with his chest. Per’s other arm was held down by Morning Mist’s body, but he could touch and caress her thigh with his hand. Morning Mist smiled down at him and shifted her body. Per, his arm now free, brought his hand up between her legs. Morning Mist gasped as his large fingers stroked gently, but firmly over her pussy. Per could feel her moisture seep out as his fingers deftly parted the outer lips of her cunt. Morning Mist humped backwards slightly as his middle finger wormed its way into her pussy up to the second knuckle.

  Golden Sunlight was pressing and rubbing her body against Per from the other side. He felt her hard nipples against his body. Golden Sunlight ran her hand lightly over Per’s chest before slowly, very slowly, sliding down over his stomach to touch his hard cock. She inhaled sharply and looked down quickly as if to confirm by sight what her fingers were telling her.

  Golden Sunlight pulled back the blanket, exposing his twelve-inch long prick. She started breathing a little harder as she stroked up and down its entire length. Reluctantly she let go of his cock and snagged one of Morning Mist’s hands, pulling it down of Per’s cock. Morning Mist also gasped and looked down as she felt the size of it.

  “Sun and Rain!” she exclaimed as her fingers probed the length and width of his hard meat.

  Golden Sunlight had scooted down so she could caress Per’s heavy balls. She then gripped the lower portion of Per’s cock as Morning Mist wrapped her hands around the upper portion. With his cock pointing straight up, the two women pumped his cock in unison. Pre-cum oozed out the tip and over Morning Mist’s hands.