Maahilund, Book 2 of The Fair and Fey

By J. Ellyne

If you enjoyed the steamy love scenes in the first book, you will be happy to find the love scenes in Maahilund are even more erotic. If the battle scenes in Maginaugh kept you on the edge of your seat, you will find the bloody battles between the Demons and the Elves of Maahilund to be even more riveting.

In the first book, Sashegh was a young girl just coming of age and experiencing for the first time extreme dangers, passionate love, and loyal friendships. Her adventures seemed to happen around her, affecting her without directly involving her. In Maahilund, she is the central protagonist, having matured into a wise and brave woman who takes charge of her life and demonstrates great leadership abilities.

Her mother finds a small uninhabited island off the southern coast of a far northern country which might be in the area called Finland today. They settle there and build a castle to live in. The mainland is not uninhabited however. On Maginaugh they had to deal with natives of primitive cultures, some friendly, and some hostile. In the area around and inside Maahilund they will discover there are Gnomes, Elves, and Demons.

Sashegh meets a wizard who has the ability to turn her and all her people into Elves. He teaches them how to cast magical spells. Sashegh reminds him of his mother and so he favors her, making her most powerful of all the Elves.

Another group of Elves live on the mainland in an underground city named Maahilund. Sashegh meets one of them in the forest one night and they become best friends. Sashegh feels drawn to her, thinking the girl might be her lover from Maginaugh, Nammi reincarnated, seeing many physical similarities. She wishes they could be more than friends.

Sashegh learns of her destiny from the wizard. She must lead the Elves in epic battles with the Demons and other evil beings. She must face the Devil himself in an ultimate struggle between good and evil. By reading the Fair and Fey series you will learn the origins of the Elves and hear of their destiny. Where do they fit in the evolutionary chain of sentient beings? Why are they so seldom seen today?

Elves are sometimes referred to in literature as the Fair Folk. Other times they are called the Fey. From these terms the word Fairy evolved. Hence the title for the series: The Fair and Fey. In fact, the Elves of Maahilund are both Fair (beautiful) and Fey (having a grim destiny).

Laced throughout these adventures are lovely, happy, and romantic moments when your favorite characters are enjoying life to the fullest. Maahilund will inspire you to do the same and fight for that which is good in your life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: J. Ellyne
• Release date: Oct 4, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301867622

J. Ellyne

Ms Ellyne graduated from The University of Texas in Austin with a degree in Fine Arts. She currently lives in Florida and is a homemaker, musician, and writer. She has published four novels in The Fair and Fey series, an epic alternate history fantasy series with erotic romantic plots. All four books are available here in all formats and she is now giving away the first novel, Maginaugh, free to promote the series to new readers. Just click on the book titles below. Maginaugh is her best selling novel so far and has been rated 5 stars by readers! Her latest work, The Elves of Avalon, is now published and she is working on a forthcoming 5th novel in the series.

Book preview

Maahilund

Book II of The Fair and Fey

By J. Ellyne

Smashwords Edition

License Notes

Thank you for downloading this eBook from Smashwords. The following material remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to purchase their own copy at Smashwords.com, where they can also discover other works by this author.

. Thank you for your support.

Copyright 2012

By J. Ellyne

Part I - Meeting in Her Next Life

Chapter 1: Alikki

Nakki was standing on a log floating in the lake, just offshore from the island. He was an evil Gnome. He looked at the children playing hide and seek on the rocks and felt loathing toward them. Nasty Elf children, he thought, especially the ones with blue eyes, blond hair and pointy ears. They will grow up to be tall and beautiful. They will stay young looking forever. I hate them all. He thought the islanders were natural born Elves, even though they were not, because they were so similar in appearance to the nearby Elves of Maahilund.

Nakki knew he was doomed to be short, fat, and wrinkled for eternity. Even as a young boy he had the face of an old man: drawn, pinched, and creased, with skin hanging loosely from his jowls. His eyes were beady. His nose was crooked and came to a sharp point. He knew from experience, even other Gnomes did not find his appearance pleasant. He had disguised his ugly face today by wearing a brightly colored mask, so he would not frighten the children.

For many decades he had been coming to this island, ever since the foreigners arrived here in their boat. For weeks now he had been watching the island from afar. One of his special powers, given to him by Hiisi, the Evil One, was the ability to see across vast distances. In the beginning he had wreaked great mischief on them. He did it for his own entertainment and because it was the bidding of his master, Hiisi. He remembered with pleasure all the little blond haired boys and girls he had lured to the water and drowned.

For a while he was able to cast a charm spell and lure them to him. He sang to them in their language, making up funny songs with their names in them. He offered to play games of catch, tag, hide and seek and so forth, if only they would step into the water so he could give them each a present. He would hold out a glittering gold box and beckon to them, his mask smiling a false smile. After the first few drownings, the foreigners had become more cautious. Several adults always chaperoned the children whenever they went near the water. They warned their children about him.

For many decades, some of the children continued to be lured to him, despite their parents’ warnings and constant vigilance. He knew this caused them heartbreaking grief and it delighted him. He danced merrily while he watched them mourn their dead children. Then things became more difficult.

He said to himself, talking out loud to no one, I was doing nicely until meddling Vainamoinen came along and gave the foreigners magical powers, making them into Elves. Curse him. Now they can sense me when I am around and they hide their children. May the six hundred and sixty-six curses of Hiisi be upon them all forever.

He was happy today, as happy as his evil spirit would allow. Watching from far away on the mainland, he had seen one of the children fall on the rocks, hurting himself badly. The older girls watching the smaller children had to carry him back to the foreign Elves’ castle, leaving the little ones unwatched. He set off on his log toward the island. He used his gnomish magic to propel the log thru the water with great speed. He stood on it, one foot in front of the other, hands out for balance.

He was wearing a bright blue coat and a multi-colored hat with five tassels hanging from it. His bright orange pantaloons were baggy with many pleats, billowing out from his thick stubby legs. He knew he made an outrageous site riding his log over the water, dressed this way. He saw the children notice him. They began to jump up and down, laughing and pointing at him.

Nakki saw one child in particular he desired to kill. She was a fair haired toddler, not even talking yet, barely able to walk. He knew from watching these people, she was a great granddaughter of their queen, grandchild of the queen’s son. He knew she was one of the few islanders who were of the same race as the queen. The islanders were of two races, one fair and the other dark. Her blood, coming down through four generations, was not mixed with the blood of the dark skinned foreigners who lived on the mainland. Most of the younger generation of these people were of mixed blood, part light skinned people and part dark. Nakki sensed how much the queen favored this little girl. It would give him great pleasure to kill her and later watch the queen mourn.

He guided his log close to the shore. When he was close enough for the children to hear him, he began to sing to them, a gay playful song. He took balls of yellow, green, red, blue, orange, and purple out of his big coat pockets and began to juggle them as he danced on the log. The children laughed and clapped their hands.

Then he carefully tossed the balls into the water. He threw them so they were halfway between him and the children, at a place he knew the water was not too deep for them to stand on the bottom. He spread his arms wide and spoke to them in their language which he had learned over the last 150 plus years.

These balls are presents for you, boys and girls. All you have to do is wade in and fetch them. Take whichever is your favorite color. If you like them, I will return soon with more.

Hearing this, the children edged toward the water, the oldest going first. He was a boy of about eight years in age. Although his parents had warned him about Nakki, he had never seen him and did not suspect this funny little man was Nakki. Nakki did not loathe this boy quite as much as the others, because he was obviously half human, half Elf. Although his ears were pointed like all these islanders, his hair was black and his skin was dark. When he was in the water and halfway to the balls, the other children began to run in after him so they might get one too.

Nakki waited, until finally he saw the little girl, the queen’s great granddaughter, wade into the water. When she was in deeper than her waist, he guided his log through the other children to her. He jumped off his log, grabbed her, and pushed her head down into the water. She began to kick and thrash.

The other children saw what was happening and they all began screaming and ran away. Nakki held the little girl under the water until she quit struggling, going limp in his hands. He smiled, feeling satisfied. Now I must get away quick. No doubt some of the islanders heard the screaming and will come soon.

He jumped back on his log and propelled it swiftly north, back to the mainland. He looked back once, to see several of the Elven women in the water. One was lifting out the little girl, holding her in her arms, crying. Nakki laughed. He thought, Oh this was so good. Hiisi will be so pleased.

~~~

Mindoregh heard the children screaming and ran to the shore. By the time she got there, the children had all fled. She saw there were three women, one of them was Mirja. She was holding the baby girl in her arms, sobbing. The other women were staring out over the sea toward the mainland.

My great granddaughter, Aila! What happened? Is she hurt?

I am sorry Mindoregh, Aila is dead, said Mirja.

No! How did this happen?

It was Nakki. He came on a log and lured the children into the water. He drowned Aila and then rode away swiftly before we got here to help. She was dead when we found her, floating face down in the shallow water.

Why did the children go into the water? There should have been someone watching them. I thought they had all been warned about Nakki.

We do not know yet how this happened. I think Kyllikki and two of her friends were supposed to be watching the children. Maybe we will know more when we find her.

Mindoregh found Kyllikki at the healer’s house where she had taken the boy who fell. She was helping Erja, the Master Healer, set his arm. Kyllikki reminded Mindoregh of her daughter Sashegh at this age. Like Sashegh she had long golden blond hair, falling down her back over her waist. Her eyes were the same deep blue and her nose turned up to a point like Sashegh’s. She was the same age now as Sashegh was when they came to the island and apparently, Mindoregh thought, equally as stupid about life.

Tell me what happened, Kyllikki. Why did all of you leave the children playing by the shore, with no one to guard them?

The boy needed to be helped. His arm was broken and he was in great pain, Kyllikki replied.

Nakki came after you left. He lured the children into the water and drowned little Aila.

Oh gods no! Oh Grandmother, I am so sorry! I will never forgive myself for this and would not blame you if you hate me. It has been so long since we last saw him. I thought he had given up on doing evil to us. The children were all warned about him. I do not know how he got them into the water.

It is easy for him. He casts spells with his singing, as you know well. If someone had stayed with the children, they would have sensed him coming and taken the children away before he could cast his spell. What you and the other girls did was stupid, Kyllikki. You have caused the death of my great granddaughter, one of the few pure Magin. Even though you are my granddaughter, I do not know if I will ever be able to forgive you.

It was hard for Kyllikki to hear this. She was Aila’s aunt. She was grief stricken, thinking, I have gotten my niece killed and earned the eternal hatred of my grandmother, all in one terrible afternoon. I do not deserve to live.

She bolted out of the healer’s house and ran to her mother’s. Pavegh was sitting in the front room talking to Sashegh, her best friend. They looked up and saw the grief written on Kyllikki’s face.

Pavegh got up and went to her daughter, What is wrong, Kyllikki?

Oh mother, it is terrible. Nakki came again. He lured the children into the water and drowned little Aila. Grandmother blames me because I was supposed to be watching the children. I left them because a boy fell and broke his arm. I took him to the Healer’s house.

I thought there were other adults there.

Yes, two other women. But they came with me to see if the boy would be alright.

At least one of you should have stayed.

I know mother. I am so ashamed.

She sobbed, beating her breasts with her fists, trying to hurt herself. Sashegh went to her and held her, stroking her hair, and comforting her saying, You did not kill Aila, Kyllikki. Nakki murdered her. You did not think clearly, but your heart was in the right place, wanting to care for the injured boy. Many others would have done the same thing in your place.

Oh, Sashegh, thank you for your kind words. I do not know how I am going to tell father. He will react worse than grandmother. Would you do it for me? He is your brother.

Yes, I will tell Fewallo. But I think you should talk to Erja.

She will never forgive me but yes, I will her. That will be my worst punishment: apologizing to my sister for being responsible for her daughter’s death.

Sashegh said, I will also talk to mother. She should not be so hard on you. She treated me the same when I was your age. She was very hard on me for something I did in my youth. She can be a harsh woman sometimes. It does no one any good, especially her.

What did you do?

That is a story for another time. For now, just know I understand how she must have made you feel. You are her granddaughter. I will talk to her and remind her not to repeat the mistakes she made with me. I still have never recovered from how she ruined my life.

Sashegh left and went to find her mother. She thought she could reason with Mindoregh. She thought, I must make her understand it is a mistake to be so angry with Kyllikki over what happened.

Her mother, however, was not in a mood to listen to reason. Instead she took her anger out on Sashegh.

Sashegh reminded her, Remember how we fought after leaving Maginaugh? The things you said to me then are still vivid in my memory. It has put a distance between us. Please do not let that happen between you and Kyllikki. Try to be more understanding.

Mindoregh was angry and felt a need to lash out at someone. Sashegh bore the brunt of it.

Understanding? Understanding of how you ruined your life? Understanding of how my granddaughter caused the death of my great granddaughter by her stupidity? You are a bad daughter and Kyllikki is a bad granddaughter. Get out of my sight. Leave me alone to grieve for what happened today and for the stupidity of my female offspring.

Sashegh cried as she left, stung by her mother’s words. She ran to the water, jumped in, and floated on her back for hours. The water always calmed her. She let go of all her tensions and frustrations and let the waves carry her slowly to the mainland. By the time she stood up in the shallows and waded out of the water, the sun was setting. She decided to take a walk in the dark forest. She thought, I do not feel like going back home just yet. I feel like having an adventure. I think I will see what trouble I can get into.

~~~

Sashegh saw the campfire through the trees and walked toward it silently. She was naked of course. She remembered the last time she wore clothing. It was many years ago, before she met Vainamoinen and he gave her special powers. Now she never felt cold, even when she swam in the sea in the middle of winter.

As she neared the campfire, she crouched behind some bushes. There in the firelight she saw two people coupling. The man was a Pewa hunter. The woman had pointed ears like hers. Sashegh thought, I have never seen her before. Is she an Elf like me? If so there must be more Elves than those who live on our island.

The woman was naked, like her. The man was fully clothed but his pants had been loosened and the woman had mounted him. Her hands were on his chest, her breasts swaying over his face as she moved up and down. She tossed her long black hair as it kept falling around her face onto his. His hands were on her firm round buttocks, squeezing them, lifting her as she bounced up and down.

Sashegh was captivated by the beauty of the woman and by the passion she saw her put into lovemaking. She saw the look of ecstasy on the woman’s face, saw her arch her back, heard her moan loudly as her orgasm rippled through her body. Her climax must have triggered her lover’s, for he suddenly thrust his hips upward, pushing up deeper inside her, bellowing an unintelligible sound as his release came.

The woman reminded Sashegh of her long dead lover, Nammi. Except for her fair complexion, they looked almost identical. It had been many decades, since she had left Nammi back on Maginaugh, on the other side of the world. She still loved her and missed her as much as she did the day she left in the ship with her mother, brother, and husband. She had thus far not found happiness in their new home.

She had been a young girl when they left Maginaugh. Now, 160 years later, she was a woman in early middle age. From the way the male Elves in her village and the fishermen at sea looked at her, she knew she was still beautiful and desirable. She did her duty as Spirit of the Waters, helping the men to have good catches, but she did not fancy any of them. She mourned the loss of Nammi, the love of her life. Long ago she had given up on ever seeing her again.

She remembered the connection she had with Nammi. For many years after they parted, she was still able to read Nammi’s thoughts coming to her from thousands of miles away. Then one day the connection was gone, and she knew Nammi was too. She often wondered if the baby she left with Nammi (Pieska she had named her, after Nammi’s grandmother) had grown up to have a happy life. Whenever this thought crossed her mind, during the years Nammi was still alive, she felt happy reassurances come to her over their connection.

Now as she watched this beautiful woman who looked so much like her Nammi, the memories flooded back and she began to weep silently, letting the tears run down her cheeks. The woman was not finished yet. After lying on top of the man for a while, she got off. She took his pants off entirely now, kissed his manhood and took it in her mouth. Sashegh could see she was a skilled lover, soon getting him hard again.

When he was ready, the woman got on her hands and knees facing away from him and said to him in Pewa (a language Sashegh knew well), Take me from behind.

He came up behind her on his knees and entered her. He held her perfect breasts in his hands and squeezed them as he plunged in and out. She moaned, rocking back and forth, meeting his thrusts.

As Sashegh watched, her hand moved between her legs, as if by its own accord. She pleasured herself, keeping time with the man’s movements as he pleasured the woman. It looked to Sashegh as if he would last forever this time. The woman had another orgasm and Sashegh had hers simultaneously. Still the man did not stop or slow his ravishing of the woman.

Finally, after what Sashegh thought must be an hour, he released into the woman again, setting her off into another orgasm as well. Sashegh was still rubbing herself and when she saw this, she had an orgasm along with them. Finally the man and woman were tired and lay down together, holding each other close and kissing.

Sashegh heard the woman say to him, That was very good. You are an excellent lover. I shall reward you with an excellent hunt tomorrow.

Then she kissed the man, got up, and walked into the forest in Sashegh’s direction. Sashegh was in a panic now. She did not want the woman to know she had been spying on her. She looked around but there was nowhere to go. If she moved, she would be heard and seen. She kept crouching behind the bushes, hoping the woman would pass by without spotting her.

Instead the woman walked directly to where Sashegh was hiding and spoke to her in the high Elven tongue, which Sashegh knew well from her talks with Vainamoinen.

Hello, I am Alikki, Elf and Spirit of the Forest. Who might you be and why have you been spying on me? Please come out from your hiding place and meet me face to face.

I ... I ... I am sorry, Sashegh stuttered, as she stood up with her head bowed low in embarrassment. It was bad of me to watch you with him, but I just could not seem to take my eyes away. It looked so beautiful. It has been over a hundred years since I have done anything like that. When I saw your ears I wondered if you were an Elf like me. Also, you look just like someone who was very dear to me many years ago. Then I saw what you were doing and I pleasured myself while I watched you. I am so sorry.

Oh my! A hundred years? I would never survive so long without being with a man. How did you manage? And by the way, may I know your name?

Oh no, now I have been rude as well as a voyeur. I apologize again. My name is Sashegh, Elf and Spirit of the Waters. I was able to be celibate because I have been in mourning for my true love all those years. I became quite skilled at pleasuring myself, remembering the wonderful times we had together.

I am sorry for your loss, Sashegh, but pleased to meet you. Then with a twinkle in her eyes she said, I forgive you for peeking at us. I hope you enjoyed our show?

Yes very much. Sashegh laughed, breaking the tension and her feelings of embarrassment.

She looked at Alikki in the light from the hunter’s campfire. The man was sleeping soundly now, not noticing them talking. She liked her instantly. Alikki reminded her so much of Nammi. She was young, like Nammi when she first met her. Alikki had long shiny black hair and sparkling dark eyes like Nammi’s. Her skin is lighter and her ears are pointed, otherwise she could be Nammi’s twin, or Nammi reincarnated, Sashegh thought.

Oh well no harm done, Alikki said. Where do you come from? I thought I knew all the Elves in this part of the world. I never heard of a ‘Spirit of the Waters’.

I come from Alandis, a small island off the coast. I came to the mainland tonight because I was restless and could not sleep. I thought a midnight walk through the forest might calm my mind.

I know of Alandis, but I thought it was uninhabited. Do many Elves live there?

There are 97 of us living on Alandis. When we arrived, 158 years ago, we were not Elves, we were called Magin, and there were only eight of us.

Where did you come from and how did you become Elves?

Sashegh laughed. You ask so many questions. I could fill several nights with the answers. Let me ask you some simple ones first. You remind me a lot of this person I once knew and was fond of. Where do you live, and what are the duties of the Spirit of the Forest?

I live almost directly under our feet, in an underground city of Elves called Maahilund. The duty given to me is to seduce hunters in the woods. I bless the hunting for the next day of the ones who prove themselves as good lovers. They return to their families with lots of meat.

Do their wives know about this?

Alikki giggled merrily. Well, there are a few legends told about me among the wives but, honestly, they pale in comparison to the truth. I guess when the men return with great success, the wives may suspect I had something to do with it. They do not usually ask and the men do not tell.

Sashegh laughed. You are a naughty Elf Alikki, but I like you just the same.

Good, we will be friends then. I like you too. Come with me now, if you have time, and I will show you Maahilund.

I agree to both things. I would love to have you as a friend and I would like to go with you and see your home.

Alikki extended her hand. Sashegh took it and allowed Alikki to lead her along a path through the woods. They walked in silence. Sashegh felt so good from the touch of Alikki’s hand in hers. It was familiar to her, bringing back sweet memories of her time with Nammi.

Chapter 2: A Visit to Maahilund

~~~

Sashegh found herself in a small room beneath the fissure she had slipped through. She saw it was perfectly round. There were six tunnel openings leading out of the chamber. It reminded her of the place the Pewas had for their winter dances, with tunnels made of snow leading to a circular opening. She used to love those dances but did not go to them anymore. The close ties between the Pewas and the Magin had grown steadily weaker ever since Nanong and Vavana died. When she became an Elf, she found the Pewas were too frightened of her to have her as a friend.

All the tunnels look the same. Where do they go?

One of them goes to Maahilund. The other five are dead ends.

I guess you know the correct tunnel?

There is magic in this antechamber, making the right portal different each time. You could not find it without one of the Maahiset as an escort. Anyone entering the wrong tunnel would be lost forever.

Alikki uttered a command in her language and one of the openings glowed around its edge briefly. She took one of the glowing globes off the wall and said, Come, and follow me.

Sashegh followed close behind. The tunnel descended deeper into the earth, twisting and turning until she could not tell which direction they were walking. She expected the air to get cooler as they descended, but instead felt warm fresh air on her skin. The temperature stayed warm no matter how deep they went and the air smelled as fresh as a summer meadow.

How far is it to Maahilund? I should go back to Alandis soon.

Not much further now.

They rounded a turn in the tunnel and came into another antechamber just like the one they had come from, with six identical tunnel openings. Suddenly five Elven archers sprang out of the other five tunnels, surrounding them, bows drawn and notched with arrows.

Sashegh jumped back and exclaimed, Oh!

Do not worry. They will not shoot unless you make a threatening move.

She said to the archers, Put down your weapons, this is Sashegh, an Elf like us and a new friend of mine.

The five Elves lowered their weapons but Sashegh noticed they kept the arrows notched in the bowstrings. They bowed and gestured to Sashegh to enter one of the tunnels. As she entered she saw the path down this tunnel was wide enough to walk three abreast. Glowing balls were mounted along both sides of this corridor, brightly lighting their way. The Elven archers escorted them down the corridor, walking on either side of Sashegh and behind her, Alikki leading them all.

After a short walk, they emerged into a grand vista. It was like an enormous room, but the ceiling was so far above Sashegh’s head, it looked like the sky. She felt like she was in another world. This sky had many suns instead of just one. The ceiling was dotted with brightly glowing circles of light. The quality of the light was like summer sunshine, brilliant and warm.

There were many buildings lining a street paved with golden colored bricks. The buildings appeared to be made of pink marble. Each had a door but no windows were visible. The room was so large it was if it contained a whole other world. It was so long, she could not see the other end. As Sashegh’s escort led her down the street, Alikki greeted some of the Elves walking the other way as they passed.

See the large building on our right? It is the Palace of the Spirits. I live there along with the other primary Spirits. Come I will show you around. Some of them may still be awake. I will introduce you.

The inside of the palace was incredibly ornate. The floors were made of a smooth mosaic of colored crystals, lighted from underneath and glowing softly. The walls were hung with paintings of the Gods and legendary mortals. Sashegh was particularly attracted to a depiction of Vainamoinen in his boat, playing his harp.

I know that man.

I bet you do. Did he turn you into the Spirit of the Waters?

Yes, before I met him I was just a Magin.

What is a Magin, if I may ask?

That is another story, too long for one evening. I promise to tell it to you someday. Right now I want to see the rest of this place.

Many corridors branched out from the main hall of the palace. The hall was almost empty. There was only one Elf there, at the other end of the room, playing a harp. He was tall with red hair and a red beard. His ears were long and rose to higher points than most Elves. He had a pleasant face but his eyes twinkled with impishness. His fingers ran over the strings, evoking a playful tune which Sashegh felt was almost sexual.

He too was naked. Sashegh noticed he was getting an erection as he stared openly, with no pretense of decorum, at her breasts and the triangle of blond hair at the top of her thighs. The smile he flashed her was filled with sensuous invitation.

As they approached him, Sashegh said to Alikki, I have never heard such an instrument. It is beautiful. It has an odd effect on me.

That is Kauko. Watch out for him; he is the Spirit of Tricks. He likes to seduce beautiful women like you. The tune he is playing is a song of seduction. It is a spell he is aiming at you. Let me introduce you to him to stop him from singing the words before you fall under his spell.

It would not work on me anyhow, but yes, please introduce me.

Kauko, I would like you to meet my new friend, Sashegh. She comes from Alandis and is an Elven Spirit like us. Vainamoinen made her the Spirit of the Waters.

Taking her hand and kissing it, Kauko said, Enchanted, fair maiden.

What is this beautiful instrument you play? she asked, taking her hand away from his lips and touching the harp strings. I think it reminds me of one I saw a long time ago, but I do not remember its name.

It is called a Kantele. Vainamoinen invented it. It is used to cast spells and he taught me several.

What sort of spells?

My powers are limited. I can play tricks on humans and sometimes on Elves with my spells.

Were you about to try to cast one on me?

I confess I was, Sashegh. I was smitten with your beauty and began to play a spell of seduction. Would you like me to continue?

Sashegh blushed, a deep red that covered her breasts as well as her face. The cause of the blush was more arousal than embarrassment. She was thinking she might not mind being seduced by this handsome Elf.

She gave him a smile full of promise and said, No thank you, not tonight, perhaps some other time. Alikki has much more she wants to show me. I am pleased to have met you, Kauko.

The pleasure was mine beautiful lady. I will dream about having you in my bed tonight.

Alikki led her away, down one of the corridors, to a dining hall. Sitting at one of the tables they saw another Elf, a lady, having a midnight snack. She was portly with large breasts, not really fat but stocky in the shoulders and hips. Her blond hair was braided, framing her face on both sides in long pigtails. She was snacking on leftover roast reindeer, cheese, and ale. She looked up and smiled when she saw Alikki enter.

Hello Alikki. Back from your nocturnal romp? Was the hunter any good tonight? Who is your companion? Will you both have a cup of ale with me?

Alikki laughed. "You are the only Elf I know who is more talkative and inquisitive than me, Oona. Yes, he was good. This is my new friend Sashegh and thank you, we would love to drink Sacred Ale with you.

Oona poured out two silver cups of amber liquid from a large silver pitcher. She handed one to Alikki and the other to Sashegh. They sat at her table and she raised her cup to toast with them.

Here is to eternal happiness to all Elves and especially to the three of us.

They bumped their cups together and each took a drink. The cool carbonated liquor made Sashegh smile immediately. It seemed to contain happiness within it, chasing away all the cares of the world. She took another sip and the effect got stronger. So she took another. She had not felt this happy in decades.

Slow down friend, Alikki said. Oona makes strong ale and there is such a thing as too much happiness.

Sashegh giggled. Believe it or not, this is the first time I ever had strong drink. Our people do not make such beverages.

Oona said, There is no drink to compare with the Sacred Ale, Sashegh. I am the Spirit of Ale and it is my job to make it have magical properties, making the hearts of those who drink it glad. I go to the breweries of men and pour some of my Sacred Ale into their vats. It helps them chase away the dark moods which sometimes come in the long winter nights in this part of the world.

Sashegh smiled, a bit crookedly, and said, slurring her words, Well it has certainly chased away my dark mood tonight.

Enough for you then, said Alikki. Come let me show you the rest of the Palace.

Sashegh hurriedly finished her cup and Oona immediately refilled it. Take it with you. I am glad you like it.

Alikki shook her head and rolled her eyes back as Sashegh stood up uncertainly, holding her cup. She took Sashegh’s free hand and led her out of the dining room. They went through several corridors, with doors on both sides.

These are the sleeping rooms of the Elven Spirits who live here. This door is the entrance to mine, she said, turning the knob and opening it.

Sashegh peered in. She saw a large bed, very feminine, with four posts and a lacy canopy over the top. There was a brightly colored bedspread and lots of big fluffy white pillows on top. The room was spacious, containing several comfortable chairs, a couch, a dressing table with mirror and several small chests with drawers. The room was lit, like everything else down here, with an overhead circle that glowed and gave off warmth. Alikki waved her hand at it and it went dark. She waved again and it lit up again.

You have a lovely room, Alikki, and a beautiful bed. I would love to share it with you. Alikki looked surprised and Sashegh said, Oh I am sorry. That must have sounded awful. I must have had too much happy ale. I only meant I would love to share the room with you.

Um, thank you I guess. Come, I will show you our sauna next. It will get you sober, I promise.

What is a sauna?

Alikki was shocked. You mean to say you have never had one? I thought having saunas was something practiced by all Elves and men in this part of the world.

No. I guess we are a bit isolated on our island. None of us go to the mainland very often. We are too afraid of the Gnomes.

They walked down the corridor and came to a room of similar size to the dining hall. There were no tables, only a row of benches around the wall. Placed next to each bench were baskets of thin flexible birch switches and buckets of water. In the middle of the room Sashegh saw a wooden enclosure, about eight feet tall and eight feet square, with a door on the side facing them.

The wooden cube was supported on thick posts. Its floor was raised above the floor of the room it was in. Below it, Sashegh could see a pit filled with rocks, heated until they were glowing red. There was a fire burning below.

Alikki said, Take one of the bundles of switches and one of the buckets of water. Come in with me and I will show you what a sauna is all about.

Alikki took a pail and a bundle and opened the door to the sauna. As they entered the room Sashegh felt the intense heat rising up from the rocks. Alikki took her to a bench in the middle of the room and they sat down next to each other.

She said, Pour half of your water on the floor.

Sashegh picked up her bucket and tipped it, letting the water flow down thru the slats onto the rocks below. It sputtered and hissed. Steam began to rise and fill the room. She saw Alikki’s skin begin to bead with sweat. She looked down and saw her own body perspiring. Her lungs filled with the hot vapors, making her feel as though she was suffocating.

Relax, Sashegh. Close your eyes. Give your body over to the heat.

Alikki poured half her bucket onto the floor. Again the rocks hissed and spluttered as the water ran through the deck and splashed down onto them. The heat in the sauna became very intense. Sashegh wondered if she could stand it. It felt as if she were burning, but she was determined to show her new friend she could be just as brave.

Good. Now take your birch switches and beat yourself with them. Strike your calves, thighs, shoulders, back, buttocks, stomach, even your breasts. Just hard enough so it takes your mind off the scalding steam, but not too hard. Do not hurt yourself.

Alikki then began to whip herself with the birch switches, showing her what she meant. Sashegh picked up her bundle and began to flail her legs with them as Alikki was doing. The legs of both women were soon covered with red marks from ankle to top of thigh. Alikki began to thrash her back with the branches and Sashegh did the same to herself. She heard a sound under her feet. She looked down and saw someone was adding more wood to the fire under the rocks.

Alikki smiled at her and began to strike her stomach and breasts with the switches. Sashegh hesitated but Alikki said, Go on, do it. You must beat all your skin.

She did as Alikki was doing, hitting her stomach and breasts with the branches. It hurt, but Alikki was right, it did take her mind off the scalding steam. The room was very foggy now; she could barely see Alikki’s face.

Alikki said, Pour on the rest of your water. Keep beating yourself with the switches.

Sashegh knew it would get harder to bear if she made more steam with the water. It scared her a little, but she trusted her friend and did not think she would be harmed by the extreme heat. She poured the remains of her water on the floor and braced herself as she heard it hiss and sputter on the rocks below.

The benches outside are to rest on for a while if the heat gets too much for you. Since this is your first sauna, I know you are not used to it. You may need to go out there for a while now but I am going to stay in here until all the water we brought in is used up. I will join you afterward and we will take a cold shower together to cool off.

Sashegh started to strike her body with the branches again, determined to stay as long as Alikki did. Just then the door opened and a