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right. I mean, we're alive, aren't we? You got us out of there alive and in one piece." He
grinned weakly. "You know, that's pretty impressive, come to think of it. I wish I could
remember it."
She smiled tremulously, but it faded. "And I'm also real worried about Kory. He never came
back after the show ".
"Hey, I wouldn't worry too much about Korendil," Eric said, giving Beth's hand a reassuring
little squeeze. "He seems like a pretty tough guy. Hell, he took care of that drunken idiot that
came on to you, and knocked me all over the room this afternoon, too. I think he can take
care of himself all right."
Beth snuggled closer to him. "I know. It's just I've
I've never had anybody try to kill me with magic before. When it was happening, I didn't have
time to think about it, or be scared, I just reacted but now, thinking about it, I feel kinda . . .
spooked."
"Hey, it's okay." He smiled. "I'd probably be scared shitless, if I could remember what
happened."
"Yeah." She rested her head against his shoulder. "Eric you're not going to back out on
Kory, are you? I know, we didn't expect anybody to try to kill us, but he's counting on you to
help him."
"No. I gave my word that I would help him. And I will. I know that now. Whatever's going to
happen, I won't walk away from him. Especially after this.
Beth smiled up at him. "Have I ever told you you're one helluva guy, Eric Banyon?"
"No, not that I can recall "
"Well, you are. And and I might as well tell you the truth now. You should know this. I'm a
practicing witch, Eric."
He looked at her in disbelief. "You're practicing to be a witch?"
"No, I am a witch, silly. All of us in Spiral dance are. That's part of why we're together in the
band we're trying to combine our music with magic, reach out to people, make a
difference. Music gets to a helluva lot more people than rhetoric."
Bethie? A witch. Makes sense, actually. And explains a lot of stuff about her. Well, it explains
the things she never would explain, or talk about. The other witches I've met, like that group
out at the Texas Faire, there were a lot of subjects they just wouldn't talk about, either. "Well,
if you know witchcraft, Bethie, couldn't you have just done something back to Perenor when
he attacked us?"
"I wish I could've. But witchcraft doesn't work that way. It's a oh, shit, it's a pattern, a way
you start thinking. Like Zen or something." She crossed her eyes, and waved her hands
languidly. "Like, man, you go with the flow " When he laughed she continued, a "little more
seriously. "It's not fireworks and special effects. I've never seen anything like what that guy
did to us before tonight. I can't do that kind of stuff and, to be honest, I don't know exactly
what he did. But I sure don't ever want to be on the receiving end of that ever again."
"I hate to say it," Eric said, shifting slightly to put his arm around Beth's shoulders, "but if we
continue helping Korendil, and try to save the L.A. elves, we're probably gonna see a lot
more of that kind of fireworks."
"Yeah, don't remind me, I've already thought about it." Beth sighed, leaning back. "All I can
say about it is, well, that Perenor guy may be real flashy with the magic, but I'd like to see
how he'd feel about getting bonked by a good old-fashioned baseball bat. 'Cause that's
what I'd like to do to him, next time I see him."
"Yeah, me too." Eric smiled, his fingers toying with Beth's punk tail, a single long curl of dark
hair. "Though I wish I could remember that blonde woman. I mean, she sounds like she was
real interesting "
Beth swatted at him. "She must've been. I practically had to drag you away from her."
"Hey, I wasn't the one making eyes at Korendil earlier in the evening " Eric waited for Beth
to laugh, then he saw the way she was looking away and biting her lip pensively. "You really
like him, don't you?" he asked quietly, obscurely disturbed.
"He's . . . really something. I've never met anyone like him before. It's not just that he's
cute which he is, he's one of the handsomest men I've ever seen but there's also an
intensity to him, and such openness, honesty "
He swallowed, trying to sound more easygoing about this. "Yeah, I understand that. He's a
really special guy tall blond, and with pointed ears. Who could resist him? Especially the
ears!"
Did that come out as bitter as I think it did?
"Eric " She pressed her fingertips to his lips, trying to get him to shut up, but he shook his
head and continued.
"Beth, you know I'd rather see you get involved with someone who's more your type like, a
human being but if you really want Korendil, that's fine." He took a deep breath. "Really, it
is. Besides, I hate to be tied down anyway, right? I hope you'll be happy. I know I won't stand
in the way. In fact, you'll probably never see me mnunph\"
Eric had to shut up then, because Beth was kissing him. A very serious kind of kiss that
nearly knocked him off the couch, both from imbalance and the surprise of having a double
armful of Beth Kentraine in his arms.
"Uh, Bethie " he managed, when she pulled away long enough for him to catch his breath.
"I didn't invite you over for this. I mean, I don't want you to think that I "
She only smiled and kissed him again. "Methinks the gentleman doth protest too much," she
said teasingly, running her fingers through his damp and still-tangled hair.
"It's just mmmf," he said eloquently, as Beth kissed the corners of his mouth, working her
way over to his right ear.
He sighed, then gave up any pretense of resistance as her deft fingers began undoing the
buttons of his shirt. Oh well, when have I ever been able to deter Beth Kentraine from
whatever she wanted to do?
Not that I'm objecting too much to this.
Not that I'm objecting at all . . .
He carefully unfastened the laces of her Faire shirt. Then he moved his hands lightly over her
skin, pausing lingeringly at the ticklish spot over her ribs.
Beth, resting her cheek against his shoulder, toying with his shirt buttons, suddenly stiffened
in shock, realizing where his hands had stopped. "Eric Banyon, you wouldn't "
"AAAAAR! There's no mercy for you, wench!" he growled in his best bad pirate imitation,
and began tickling her unmercifully.
She laughed, twisting and trying to get away from him "Eric, no, don't let me go ack!"
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