Sinbad was well covered in the tree. He could not be seen by anyone in the camp, as high as he was, nor by anyone approaching it. Still he could see clearly in every direction.
For the first hour of Sinbad's watch, Dermott sat beside him in the tree and Sinbad fed him small pieces of bread left over from dinner. Without warning, the tree shifted a little, and Sinbad looked down to see Maeve climbing up to him. Maeve smiled at Sinbad and Dermott, the bird immediately flying off silently into the night.
"I was beginning to think you had changed your mind." Sinbad whispered softly.
"I wanted to be sure that they were all asleep." she replied, clambering onto the branch beside him.
Sinbad leaned back against the trunk, and opened his arms. Maeve hesitated, but the night air carried a chill, and she had to leave her cloak in her tent to climb the tree. Biting her lip, Maeve settled herself back between his thighs, leaning into his warm embrace. She shivered at the spark she felt when her skin came in contact with him. She sighed. "So much for talking."
Sinbad smiled slightly, only his eyes betraying the powerful sensations coursing through his body. "We can still talk, Maeve. Just because we're comfortable doesn't mean we can't ... just... talk." He bit his tongue as she shifted slightly.
Maeve looked up at him with a seemingly innocent expression. "What did you want to talk about?"
Sinbad sighed. "Maeve, sometimes I wish we had never met, and other times I can't seem to remember how I ever got along without you." He wrapped his arms around her, softly circling his hands on her flat stomach. Maeve leaned her head back against his shoulder, relaxing, enjoying his gentle caress.
"Why do you wish you had never met me?" she whispered sleepily.
"Because you drive me crazy." Sinbad leaned down and brushed his lips over her ear, down to her neck, the tip of his tongue moving in slow circles against her skin.
Maeve's breath hitched, but she laughed lowly. "Somehow I think you were crazy long before you met me."
Sinbad stopped the movement of his tongue, and Maeve could feel him smile against the side of her neck. "And if you ask Doubar, I'm sure he'll agree readily." Maeve clasped her hands over one of his, holding on to him tightly, and she lightly kissed the side of Sinbad's jaw before settling her head against his neck. Sinbad wrapped his arms around her, burrying his face in her soft hair.
"Why me, Sinbad? You could have any woman in all the lands...so why me?"
Sinbad leaned in and whispered in her ear, "No other woman has ever cared enough to throw lightening bolts at me." Instead of laughing, Maeve yawned deeply. Sinbad frowned. "Maeve, you're exhausted. Perhaps you ought to return to your tent and get some sleep."
To Sinbad's great relief, her head shook lightly. "I can sleep just as well here...just promise me you won't let go."
Sinbad wrapped one of his legs over hers, and tightened his grip with his arms. "I just may never let go again, my love," he whispered. When there was no response Sinbad peered closely at the warm form resting quietly in his arms.
Maeve had fallen asleep.
**********************************************************************
Falling...... falling down...... The sensation of falling drew Maeve out of her sweet dream of the man she loved so much. She opened her eyes to find herself hanging out of the tree, staring up at Sinbad who was holding on to her hands.
"Are you awake now, Maeve?"
She nodded, "What's happening?"
"We're under attack! If you're awake then I'm going to drop you to the ground! You run and wake the others, and I'll try to hold them off!"
Maeve dropped gracefully to the ground and be-lined for the nearest tent, Doubar's. "Doubar!!!" she yelled. "Doubar, wake up!!!! We're under attack!!! Firouz!!! Xaldar!!!! Wake up!!!"
As the men were being pulled from their sleep, Maeve bolted into her tent and withdrew her sword. Before the others had even exited their tents, Maeve was in the thick of the battle, slaying winged atrocity after winged atrocity. Far above her, Maeve heard Dermott scream as he also dived into battle. "Be careful, my brother, return to me." She whispered softly.
"I will never let you down." The hawks soft voice sounded in her mind.
Maeve drove her sword into the nearest of the slimy black demons; she swore she could almost see the fires of hell mirrored in the creatures dark eyes.
Not far from her, Sinbad was also slashing at the demons, his back firmly guarded by his brother. Behind them Firouz fought bravely, slaying demon after demon, guarding the prince who seemed to be having little luck in battle.
One of the demons talons dropped down and ripped a gash open along Xaldar's chest and right arm. He dropped screaming to the ground.
Sinbad glanced over at the sound of the princes screams. "Rally around the prince, crew! Guard him with your lives!"
Sinbad and Doubar had no trouble moving to the prince, joining Firouz, forming a circular stance around Xaldar's fallen form. Maeve, however, was being swamped by the demons, and could not get any closer. Instead, it seemed as if she were being hearded back by the atrocities, for she was moving further and further away from the crew, and deeper into the dark forest.
Desperately dropped her sword, and began to conjure fireballs. Flinging them at her attackers, Maeve watched as each demon in turn burst into flame and dissolved into ashes. But magic drew on Maeve's strength, and she was weakening.
At the sound of the first demon exploding, Sinbad glanced over only to see Maeve's life being threatened. Stopping in horror, he watched as she barely escaped the deadly talons of those who where assaulting her. No, he thought, not now, not when we've only just ... He cut himself off as a demon evaded his sword. Maeve!!! his mind screamed, but he had to focus on his battle. Too many demons were surrounding him, he couldn't go to her. Instead he turned frantically to his brother. "Doubar!!! She can't keep this up!!! Help her!!!"
Doubar took one look at the expression of desperation on Sinbad's face, and immediately began hacking through all the demons in his path towards the sorceress. On the way, a bloodied carcass of a demon dropped onto his head. A cry of victory reached his ears. Wiping away the mess, Doubar managed to look up. "Thanks a lot, Dermott!!" The bird cried out loudly again, before flinging himself at the next demon.
Maeve cried out as she forced all her concentration onto making her fireballs grow larger and larger. At first she only killed one demon at a time, but by the time Doubar reached her side, she was felling six to eight with one shot.
"Careful, there, Maeve," Doubar grunted as he hacked off the head of an oncoming demon. "You nearly singed my whiskers with that last one."
A sound that could have been taken for laughter escaped from Maeve's lips. She took a deep breath, gathered all her strength and will, and released one final huge fireball. All the demons cried out and disintegrated. In moments the remaining ash faded from sight.
The crew looked around in stunned silence. "Did I do that?" Maeve whispered.
Everyone turned and looked at her. Maeve peered back at them for a moment, managed a slight smile, and then fell to the ground.
"By all that is holy!" Sinbad cried out, and rushed to Maeve's side.
"Look out!" Firouz muttered and pushed his way past his captain. Quickly Firouz took Maeve's pulse and felt her forehead. Next he checked the reaction of her pupils to the light of his torch. "It appears Maeve is suffering from a slight bio cardiac reaction from the exertion of spiritual matter and energy consumed by the pyrokinetics she displayed during battle."
Everyone turned and looked at him with a frown. Sinbad turned to him frantically and gave him a look of pure wrath.
"All right!" Firouz muttered. "The fireballs took too much out of her. She fainted." he said simply.
"Great gods!!!" Doubar cried, "Don't tell her that!"
Sinbad laughed with relief. "Then she'll be all right?"
Firouz nodded. "Just take her to her tent and let her sleep. She should be fine by the time we leave in the morning."
Behind them the forgotten prince groaned. Firouz gasped in horror and Sinbad turned in shock. "Xaldar! Firouz do what you can for him while I see to getting Maeve settled into her tent."
"Sure thing, Sinbad." Firouz turned to Doubar. "Doubar, rip a piece of his clothing away and dip it in the drinking water. Now...."
Firouz's voice trailed off as Sinbad pulled Maeve's prone form into his arms. Resting her head gently against his shoulder, Sinbad carried her carefully over to her tent, and laid her down softly into her blankets. Picking up her soft cloak, Sinbad gently tucked it over Maeve, making sure she was warm and secure. Bending down, being ever so careful not to disturb her, he brushed his lips over hers, and whispered, "Sleep well, my sweet sorceress."
Taking one last look at her beautiful sleeping form, Sinbad moved out of the tent and over to Firouz's side. He knelt down and placed a hand on Firouz's shoulder. "What can I do to help?"
Firouz smiled. "There's nothing left to do, Sinbad, except moving him into his tent now."
Sinbad laughed, "It looks like transportation of the wounded is my job today."
Doubar slid his hands under Xaldar's feet, "Get his head little brother."
Sinbad raised Xaldar off the ground, Firouz moved with them, bracking the prince's back. The brothers laid Xaldar on his blankets and closed the front of the tent.
"Doubar, would you mind finishing the last few moments of my watch? I want to look in on Maeve before turning in for the night." Sinbad looked pleadingly at his brother.
Firouz jumped in. "That's okay, Doubar, it's almost my shift anyway. I'll wake you in three hours!"
Sinbad smiled. "Fine. I'll be in Maeve's tent, just making sure she's all right, then I'll turn in for the night if you need me."
As Sinbad walked into Maeve's tent, Doubar turned to Firouz and rolled his eyes. Firouz sighed. "Would that I could create a listening device. Sometimes I would give anything to know what they talk about."
Doubar shuddered, "When Sinbad was young, I gave him all the lines I used to intice women. Somehow I have no wish to know if he is using them on Maeve. I do want to sleep sometime in the near future."
Firouz looked at him thoughfully. "Hmm, perhaps you are right, however, seeing as how none of us have romantic lives, it sure would be nice to live vicariously through them. Oh well, off to watch!"
Doubar shook his head. "It's unnatural for a man to become excited over taking watch." he muttered as he strode off to his tent.
Firouz was only too happy to have some extra time to work on his latest invention. So engrossed was he in his work, he never noticed that Sinbad did not return to his tent that night, nor that Xaldar rose from his bed and slipped effortlessly in and out of Sinbad's tent during the captains absence.
Finally, the camp settled down, and all was quiet.
Continued in Shared Admissions: Part Four
