"So where would you hide the Book of Secrets if you were a powerful mage and didn't want anyone else to find it"
Azriel looked at Ashmeer and shrugged. He caught his breath when he looked at her. Sunlight dappled this part of the ruined castle, and some of it caught Azriel's hair, throwing sparkling lights on her chestnut curls, her sapphire eyes shone brilliantly in the daylight. Her simple brown leather breeches and tan tunic should have made her look pale and nondescript, but she looked ethereal to him.
Azriel wasn't feeling ethereal at all right now. Her heart was broken as Galbvi had forbidden her from attending her father's burial today. Eva had, of course, held to her promise and taken her to the crypt where his body was kept last midnight and she had paid her last respects. But, she was bereft that she was not allowed to witness his journey. Ashmeer and Eva had concluded that taking Azriel away to the ruined castle to look for the Book of Secrets would be a better way for her to spend the day rather than moping in the castle. As it was every moment and every day was getting more precious as the Blight kept growing and claiming more lives.
"Damn the Blight," he thought. He would have liked to kiss his betrothed silly for a long long while here in this beautiful silent place.
Azriel, unfortunately, had no such emotions. She was quite keen to explore the castle and get her hands on the Book of Secrets. She replied thoughtfully, "Nuria said, only a true nature can keep a secret."
What does that mean?
Ashmeer ran his hands in his hair and shook his head. I don't know Azriel, I wish she would tell us the whole thing."
They both stood in the middle of what once would have been a great hall of the castle. The hall spanned almost 200 feet, and once would have been a toast of the Kingdom. It had made entirely of red and yellow sandstone, with large tiled floors, many of which were broken in bits and pieces now. Weeds grew out of the broken parts, some with pretty flowers, others with ugly purple thorns. In fact, the entire hall had been taken over by the forest. A tree's roots had broken through the ground in the eastern corner and the stone tiles had slowly but surely been breaking across for many years. There would have been almost a hundred pillars scattered across the hall, each intricately carved. Vines and shrubs grew in bits and parts everywhere, while in some places the trees were trying to breakthrough.
Azriel said , "True Nature...what would that mean?"
Ashmeer had been walking around the pillars, his face intent, and set. He stopped for a moment and said, "Say it again, Azriel. Say it again."
"True nature....what?"
He held his hand up and said, "Nuria knows our true nature Azriel, yours and mine."
She looked up at him in puzzlement and said, "What?"
"She knows what we both really are!"
"What are you Ashmeer? I mean, what do you even mean by that?"
He walked up to her and suddenly pulled her tunic apart. Azriel screamed, and he said gruffly, "Turn around. I don't wish to hurt you and nor am I trying to molest you. Just bear with me Azriel."
She turned around wordlessly, as he pulled her tunic off. She felt his hand slinger on her bare shoulders, as he hesitated before suddenly pulling up her chemise. His hands crunched the soft material and he murmured, "This is so difficult Azriel, why did you have to be so lovely?"
Azriel's heart was thudding in her chest. Her face was warm and red and she felt flushed. She asked in a small voice, "Will you be...?"
But Ashmeer was already tugging her chemise off her, and she found herself obediently, complying. She took raised her arms and let him pull it off her completely. Her hands automatically went to cup her breasts. She felt great shame as her naked back was set towards Ashmeer.
He traced the delicate silver lines on her back, "This was what Nuria was speaking about Azriel. Your true nature will show the way. You and I, we need to transfigure now."
"You knew all along?", Azriel whispered. She could barely hear her ownself, her heart was thudding in her head so fast. She felt like she had run a million miles, and she was terrified of what Ashmeer would think of her now.
She felt his breath, very warm on her back. This was the moment she had always dreamt of, and now here it was, right now. Everything she had ever dreamt of, was happening. Her dream had become real. Ashmeer almost groaned as he reached out behind her back and cupped her breasts. She felt his hardness poking her, and she felt a warm gush in her loins. Ashmeer said, "Azriel, before I completely lose control, I need you to change for me. I'll help you with it. Don't fight it ok, just be with me and let me into your mind and let me help you through this."
She nodded., and almost sobbed when his hands retreated away from her. She wanted to keep feeling him but he took a few steps back. She suddenly felt cold, after the loss of his warmth.
"My phoenix, my love, my Little One, change for me." she heard Ashmeer murmur encouragingly from behind her.
She dropped her breeches suddenly, feeling confidence she had never done before, unmindful that Ashmeer had now seen most of her naked and she focused on letting the wings out. She grimaced at the pricks of pain inside her, as the wings broke though her skin and came out fluttering. She could feel her face elongating and her beak coming out. She could sense her eyes changing, and becoming more focused. Her claws and talons were out and she sighed, She felt Ashmeer's fingers suddenly on her sex, playing, probing and she moaned.
"Yes, Azriel, you can do this my love..mia cara.....come on, don't fight the change, embrace it. Embrace yourself, surrender." And with that, he fingered the little nub at the core of her and she cried out with the pleasure of it. Faster and faster, more intense, so intense, she could not stop the waves of pleasure over her, and then suddenly she crested and was crying and moaning, deep keening animal sounds, till, everything went black. When she came to, she realized that she was completely changed into a very giant bird. She felt a heady giggle...it had happened....her change had finally happened...
"There is joy and beauty in surrender Azriel. You must remember that..." a voice came to her from very far off and she looked to the side to see in surprise, the same bird she had seen the last time she had come to the castle and nearly fallen off it into the ravine. The bird that had saved her now stood before her.
So Ashmeer was also like her?