Warlord

...
    Two...
    Leathers went flying. My clothes were not far behind.
    Keir's arm was around my waist as he nuzzled my throat, but I pulled him to the bed. I was willing and wet, and I pushed him down, and impaled myself on his length. I cried out as he filled me. He froze. "Lara, did I—"
    I braced my hands by his head, and leaned down to scrape my teeth on his jaw. My hair fell about us, a curtain against the world. "You didn't hurt me," I panted. "But if you don't move, they will find your lifeless body outside this tent in the morning." He surged up, and I cried out again, and our bodies moved together as one. But now I knew enough to lay claim to the body beneath me. Keir gripped my hips, trying to control my movements, but I had my own needs, and I would not be denied.
    My Warlord met all of my demands, and made some of his own. His eyes glowed, fierce and commanding as he rolled us over, and pinned me to the bed. It was his turn to take control, and I knew all of his power and strength, but it was tempered even then.
    For when the moment came, that infinite breath of hot, white light, he cried out my name even as I cried out his.
    The night air cooled our bodies as we lay there gasping for breath.
    "We should talk," I managed to whisper, even though my body craved sleep. Keir sighed. "Talk?" He drew me close and nuzzled my neck. "With my wits gone with the winds, never to be seen again?"
    I laughed, and kissed him, but moved out of his arms. If I knew Marcus, he'd have left something for us
    ... and sure enough, he had. A pitcher of cool water, and gurt. I took up the pitcher and mugs he'd left be hind and ignored the other. I got back into bed, where Keir was waiting to wrap me in the warm bedding.
    We drank the cool water, and got comfortable together. I pulled my hair back and up, letting the air get to my neck, still damp with sweat. Keir gave me a hooded look, but I waggled a finger in front of his face. "None of that, now. Talk."
    He sighed again, nodded, and drained his cup.
    "Why do you have to release your army?" I asked. "Won't that leave you vulnerable?" Keir smiled. "Once a Warlord arrives at the Plains after a season of raiding, he disbands his army, allow ing his warriors to return to their tribal groups as they choose. The bounty is distributed and any that have shown valor are honored. The Warlord returns to the Heart of the Plains, to report to the Council of Elders, but only with a few warriors."
    "But—"
    Keir shook his head. "You are thinking like a city-dweller. The Plains are hard, Lara. Especially during the season of snows. If the army stays together, it drains the land of animals and water, you see? Spread out, with the tribes constantly moving, that is how we survive on the Plains. In the spring, we come together again for the next raiding season."
    "There is more than one Warlord?"
    Keir nodded as he put his cup to the side, and lay back, flat on the bed. "I must release my warriors soon. There will be ehat in their saddle bags, but not much more. It is important that I am here, to remind them of my plans, that the rewards we seek will come in time."
    "Even as Iften reminds them of their lack."
    "Even so." Keir smiled evilly. "It will not help his cause that he dropped his lance in the hunt." His smile faded. "Still, the warriors will listen. I cannot leave. And you must go with Keekai." I placed my empty mug on the floor, and moved to lay next to him, propping myself up on my elbows so I could see his face. "The ceremony?"
    "Normally, a Warlord brings a Warprize directly to the Heart of the Plains as soon as possible. There, they are separated, because the Warprize must come freely to the Warlord, without force or threat. They protect you from me, to allow you to tell them your truths."
    "I know my truth, Keir." He smiled as I asked my next question. "Courting?"
    "The other Warlords are given a chance to court the Warprize, to show that they are more skillful in battle and in leadership." Keir reached out to twist one of my curls around his finger. "So they each will court you, to try to get you to pick them."
    I snorted softly, and he smiled.
    "So, in the morning ..." I prompted.
    "Keekai will come for you. You will be removed from my protection, and taken under hers. She will ask if I have provided for you, and brought you to the Plains safely. She will ask if you wish to return to Xy, or go the Heart to face the Council. She will offer to allow you a Guardian, someone that you