Forever Again Ch. 03

Every night once they were sure the men were asleep, they continued exploring their deepening passion for each other until just a few hours before dawn when they would fall asleep wrapped in each others loving embrace, the scent of their womanly passions heavy in the small cabin.

Vala's fourth morning on the river dawned cold and bleak. Looking out the one small window Vala could see the sky was full of dark clouds that looked pregnant with rain. She quietly got dressed and started to prepare breakfast.

After a few minutes Inga stirred and stretched luxuriously. Vala enjoyed the view she got of Inga firm breasts and small, dark nipples when the blanket was pulled down. "Did you have a good sleep?" Vala asked.

"I don't know about you, but I didn't get much sleep at all." Inga smirked then stood up. Still nude, she walked over to Vala and without preamble, kissed her passionately. After a few moments she broke the kiss and continued, "Someone was making too much noise for me to sleep."

Vala blushed and went back to cooking on the small stove. "You better get dressed."

After Inga was dressed Vala opened the door and walked out onto the deck. After she had gone only a pace she froze. In the middle of the deck stood Inga's father, Jorgan with his helper Bok, beside him, both men held clubs in their hands. Vala's throat constricted at the look she saw in the men's eyes. It was the same look she saw in the villagers when they had come to kill her. It was the look of fear tempered by hatred.

Inga came out and stepped up beside Vala, "Dadda...?" She asked cautiously.

"Get away from that hellspawn, Inga." He said, his voice shaking. "I'll not have you corrupted by her devilish ways anymore." He spit on the deck after he spoke. "Come on girl!"

"No Dadda, it's not..." Inga began but Jorgan interrupted.

"I said come away!" He brandished the club menacingly.

"Go." Vala said quietly to Inga.

Inga turned to her, "But Vala... I can't. I... I..." She stammered, tears welling in the corners of her eyes.

Shaking her head, Vala said, "Don't say it. It can't ever be."

"Get away from that devil!" Jorgan bellowed and lunged forward with surprising speed, grabbing Inga's arm and pulling her away.

Inga screamed "NO!"

Bok also took a big step forward as well and Vala immediately saw that Bok had something different in mind. His heavy club whistled as he made a vicious swing at Vala's head. Luckily she saw it coming and managed to duck under it. Bok's size worked against him as his momentum threw him off balance and he stumbled, allowing Vala time to take a few hurried steps backward. Looking about frantically and seeing only one way to escape, she made a running leap and dove over the side of the barge into the river.

The water was cold, but not as frigid as the stream near her house. She made several strong strokes under water before coming up for air. As soon as her head broke the surface she could hear Inga screaming. Her desperate cries ripping the still morning air.

"No Dadda! No!" Vala... come back! Please! Valaaa!"

Vala turned and looked back to the barge. Both Jorgan and Bok were standing at the rail. Jorgan was holding Inga's arm to keep her from jumping into the water after Vala.

Jorgan yelled at her, "You better keep swimming you damned witch! Don't you ever touch my daughter again! If I ever see you again I'll burn you and feed your ashes to the fish!" He threw his club at her but it fell short by several paces.

"Vala!" Inga screamed as her father dragged her screaming into the small cabin. "Vala I love you!" The cry was cut off as her father slammed the cabin door. Bok remained at the railing, glaring silently at Vala, almost daring her to swim back.

Cold and scared, Vala paddled for the far bank. She climbed out and stood for a moment on the gravel looking back at the small barge tied up along the far shore. She could still hear the muffled cries from Inga inside the cabin but she couldn't make out the words. Tears stung the corners of her eyes and a bitter knot formed in her chest as she realized that she would never see the beautiful young woman again. Turning, she ran from the river road and into the woods.

Twigs tore at her hair and clothes as she ran headlong through the woods. She didn't even know why she was running, she only knew that felt a sudden desperate need to get away from the sound of Inga's cries.

Her long dress was wet and heavy. It clung to her legs, making her stumble several times till finally she fell, banging her shin on a rock. The pain was exquisite but she got up and ran on heedlessly. A branch slapped her in the face, cutting her cheek but she ran on and on till she felt as if her legs had turned to jelly and her heart thundered in her chest. Still she ran heedlessly deeper and deeper into the dark woods, not knowing or caring where she was going, only needing to get away. As her feet pounded the soft ground her mind began to catch up to her and she realized distantly that she was acting irrationally. She was getting herself hopelessly lost but somehow she couldn't make herself stop, she had to keep running.

After some distance, she stumbled again, got up took a few steps and fell again. Finally she lay still, panting with exhaustion, unable to move further. Her wet clothes clung to her and she started to shiver in the cool, damp air. New tears stung her eyes and she no longer had the strength to hold them back. She broke down and cried in great heaving sobs. Was this what her world was to become now? Was she to be forever possessed with these uncontrollable cravings? Driven by some otherworldly compulsion to seduce other women, revel in forbidden carnal pleasures for a while before being discovered and cast out?

Vala cried for what seemed like forever until finally there were no more tears left. She was completely drained. She felt hollow and empty, devoid of everything. She closed her eyes and after a time, darkness claimed her.