Nordlys: The Northern Lights Orgy Club

49

"Unfortunately, you and I have something to discuss that we cannot talk about in front of others" he says pointedly.

"Oh" I say delicately. "Do you need me to travel to Denmark again soon?" I query.

"Ja, Hirtshals" he answers.

"Again?" I ask.

"Mmmm-hmmm" he replies meaningfully.

"Okay, I will book travel. I suppose you will tell me the rest tonight?" I ask.

"Tonight" he answers seriously, and then hangs up the call.

Something about the intonation of his voice gives me pause. Should I be worried? I stare at the phone in my hand, tempted to call him back. It rings again, and I jump at the unexpected sound. My first thought is that the Overlord is calling me back, that he wants to talk again, just as I do. A closer look reveals that it is my driver calling, however, and I suppress the tinge of disappointment I feel.

"Ja?" I answer the phone pleasantly.

"We are waiting out front" the driver informs me, then hangs up immediately, and I grab my bag & go.

"Are you familiar with Torsæterkampen?" I ask the driver.

He shrugs and sort of nods, which I take to be an ambivalent yes.

"So, around there, like on the back side, there's a winding road on a cliff overlooking a fjord. If you go far enough on that road, then there's a country road that you can turn onto that brings you to a field that borders the trails. I want to find that place again. Will you help me?" I request.

I can see his skeptical expression in the rear view mirror. He trades glances with my security person sitting in the front seat next to him. I pull out my phone and bring up Google Earth, zooming out, and then west, to try and find the road next to the fjord to show the man.

"I think it was around here, but I won't know for certain until I see it" I explain.

"You still want to pick someone up?" the driver asks.

"Yes, we need to pick up Jen first, and then we go here" I clarify, pointing at my phone map again.

*************************

Pain.

Pain on top of pain. Every breath brings fresh  torment, every exhale a temporary relief, but holding one's breath indefinitely is not an option. The longer you hold your breath, the more your muscles tense up, which brings an even more excruciating pain than breathing. Then you breathe again, and the pain hits anew with startling severity.

Stahri swallows the dust in his dry throat, his tongue slack over sharp teeth, and attempts to relax through the pain. He can't lay here forever.

He turns his head the slightest bit to the left, and it causes him to let out a faint whine as his neck muscles pull against his shoulder. No sign of King Cryptid, the area is completely dark once more. He closes his eyes for a moment, nerving himself up for what is about to happen.

A monumental effort is required to shove himself off the ground. He can't suppress the yelp of pain that escapes his clenched jaw, but once he is up, the relief he feels is worth it. He no longer has his body weight pressing on the injured shoulder.

He takes an unsteady step, testing his mobility. His right front leg drags, but his other legs are stable. Unfortunately, movement is extremely painful. If he was in human form, he could make a sling to hold the injured limb, but wolf form does not have opposable thumbs. He briefly contemplates shifting back into human form, but the thought of contorting his body while it is injured like this makes him shudder.