Mirror Bound

by Kirsten Bij't Vuur

  Remembering the awe in which Lukas had always held Paul, I realized he needed that still, needed someone to look up to. And looking at Paul I had good hope that he was still able to accept Lukas' reverence, maybe not for much longer if Lukas continued to grow so much, but for some time yet.

  Lukas had accepted Paul's kiss with total surrender, still very much overwhelmed by the taller man, he clung to him with ecstatic love, and somehow Paul knew things needed to remain this way a little longer, and accepted it, despite his own changing feelings.

  They sat in total silence for some time, Lukas clinging to Paul, the projection of his need reaching even me. It was the same feeling I had experienced last night, and when he let go of Paul at last, he told him: 'The call to help people is becoming ever stronger within me, Paul, it feels like my destiny lying in wait, about to catch me. I feel the need around me, and I have to answer it.

  But I cannot do it without you two, you taught me how to commit to a goal, and how to conquer fear, and how to love with purpose.

  Without you it will consume me, I will drown in other people's feelings. I want to learn a craft, lead a normal life, like you, and I want to control my

  talent, not let it control me, as it is already trying to do. I want to help people, but I want to live too, work, have fun, raise your children. Will you help me?

  Will you save me from my destiny?'

  Chapter 57

  Now Paul really surprised me, for he stood up, roughed Lukas' hair and said dryly: 'Sure thing, Lukas, let me just finish this engraving, and then we'll put those new bicycles together and try them out. And maybe we can have dinner on a little terrace in the park?

  He went straight back to work, as did Lukas, and I picked up my filing and buffing as well.

  Paul's concentration was incredible, he seemed to have disappeared from our world and gone to some other, and under his hands, the hunting scene took shape with no more guidance than a rough outline sketched in pencil.

  And after that, the guys did indeed put Mr Jones' and Lukas' own bike together, having worked on the parts for several weeks. They each tested one in the street in front of the house, and when they functioned well, I got mine from the shed and we set out for a nice long ride.

  The weather was fine, we had had a lovely sunny summer so far, and the roads were a little dusty, but flat and dry, and we cycled along the river for nearly an hour, crossing it and riding back on the other side, until we saw a nice park near the bank and stopped for our dinner.

  The food was actually pretty nice and the view was lovely, the best the city had to offer. I said: 'Lukas, do you realize that this is the hottest time of the year, that in a few months it will get a lot colder, and it will start to rain a lot?

  Will you be able to cope with the cold?'

  'George told me, I find it hard to imagine cold, I hope I can stand it,' Lukas replied.

  'We'll have to order some warm clothes and thick boots for you,' Paul observed, 'and the house is easy to heat.'

  'George told me some animals just crawl into a hole and go to sleep until the weather gets warmer again. Can't I just stay in bed all day?'

  Paul licked his lips and replied: 'Hmm, good idea, then we'll always have a warm reception. Though you'd lose your firm muscles, and your stamina.

  Still, a flabby, lazy Lukas would be nice and cuddly too.'

  As always when Paul teased him, Lukas became shy and helplessly pleased somehow. I found him very cute and oddly attractive that way, and maybe Paul did too, for he clearly enjoyed teasing Lukas a little.

  Feeling a sudden heat rise in me, I proposed: 'Let's go home, all this talk of beds is giving me ideas.' Apparently, that feeling was mutual, for within ten minutes we had paid our bill and were on our way back home.

  The one bicycle went back in the workshop, the other joined ours in the shed, and we all ended up on the bed, I guess feeling a bit awkward, for this had never happened before.

  Sometime in the past, Lukas and I had promised Paul we'd make love where he would not have to witness it, and though it had happened that we were all three present, the circumstances had always been special.

  Sitting there, our shyness was almost cute, but it was also quite an embarrassment, to know one another so well, to be so close and to have shared so much, and sit together on a huge bed as strangers, tongue-tied and unable to think of anything to do.

  Lukas, the master of loving, the very best, but not now. And Paul, the unacknowledged leader of our little group, sitting there, eyeing both of us with a gaze of intense longing. What had we ever given him together that he could be longing for, but was loath to ask for?

  Then it dawned on me, and I fixed Lukas with a look and sent a feeling his way, trying to make it as strong and as narrow as I could: 'Get him!'

  Lukas returned the gaze, and started to crawl on hands and knees, slowly, prowlingly, in as wide a circle as the size of the bed allowed, towards a point behind Paul, fixing him with his eyes now.

  I copied his movement, but towards the other side, also gazing at our bossy leader.

  The longing was making way for anticipation, and I saw Paul tense. Was he going to give himself up straight away, or would he try to fight again?

  He went for Lukas, who was ready for him and rolled away quite fast, evading Paul's attempt to get a hold on him, then jumping him from behind.

  They wrestled for a while, and when Paul managed to free himself from Lukas, it was my turn.

  Paul was a bit out of breath already, but of course he was much stronger than I, so I didn't hesitate to pounce on him. But he didn't fight back, instead he turned over until I was sitting on his stomach, chest heaving, and he gave

  himself up to me.

  'I yield,' he panted, 'I yield to your superior force.' And really slowly I could see him letting go, could feel it too, I got off his chest so he could relax his body without getting squashed, and I started to unbutton his shirt.

  I wanted to stroke him, to smell him, my heat was rising quickly again, but I forced myself to move slowly, to enable Paul to seek total relaxation.

  Lukas joined us, and he stroked Paul gently, and wherever he touched, Paul seemed to turn into jelly. Buttons undone, I decided to wait for Lukas, he seemed to have a much better handle on this than I had, I was nearly on fire by now, whilst he seemed as mellow as warm milk.

  Still stroking Paul, over his bared chest now, Lukas looked at me, nudging me to follow his lead. So I emulated his movements, and not only did they turn Paul to jelly, they softened me up as well, draining my fire, releasing my tension.

  Soon we were all bonelessly relaxed, lying back on the bed together, not a care in the world, touching and stroking each other, but without strong lust or fire, just enjoying our closeness.

  And then someone knocked on the front door, loudly.

  We were so relaxed we didn't sit up straight in bed, and Lukas got up really calmly, kissed both of us and said: 'You two take it really slowly, I'll answer the door, if you're needed I'll let you know.'

  And incredibly, Paul managed to stay as he was, he moved but only to bend over me and kiss me lazily but really, really deeply, taking his time.

  Totally involved with that kiss, I didn't hear anyone come in, and even when Lukas' head appeared over the bed and said something it took a while to register the message. It was so good to be held by my handsome young husband, kissing languidly, waiting for Lukas to return for some nice, steaming, wait a minute....

  What had Lukas' head told us? We looked at one another, and realized George and Hermes were here, to return the statues. But Lukas had been at the manor-house this morning, and he was going to visit again tonight, he could have taken them with him any time.

  Mood broken, we got up from the bed, Paul re-buttoning his shirt, and we left the room to meet Lukas on the landing. 'Sorry guys, but something seems up,'

  he said, and he led us to the hall, where George and Hermes were waiting for us.

  'We're so sorry to
disturb you,' George said, and he really looked it, Lukas was right, something was up, I had never seen George so distraught before, not even in the factory when had carried Paul out on his shoulder. Hermes looked even worse, not like a god at all, but like a really young man with a really big problem.

  And Paul didn't step in to take control, he held my hand and let Lukas handle his friend and his father, which he did with the same calm we had experienced ourselves not ten minutes ago.

  'Father, George, please come with me, we'll have a drink and talk about what has happened.'

  Too bad Hermes would get his first glimpse of Paul's house in this state, it would have been interesting to see if a god would be as impressed by it as everyone I had seen so far. But he was Lukas' father, not Paul's, so it wasn't a big deal either.

  Still, I kept a close eye on him as he entered the house and stepped on the wrought-iron landing, not yet realizing myself that I watched him without personal feelings, without need to comfort him, or touch him familiarly. I was just interested in his reactions.

  And they did not disappoint me, it seemed Hermes even forgot his personal trouble for some time, for his mouth opened in silent expression of his admiration, and he lost himself in looking around, as we had all done our first time on this landing, taking in the exquisite detail of the ironwork of the landing itself, and the view it offered of the room below.

  Paul sent me a tiny smug smile and squeezed my hand a little, then he released it and went ahead to the kitchen, leaving us to accompany Hermes as he advanced but slowly, finding something new to gaze at in wonder every step he took.

  Neither Lukas nor George made any move to speed him up, they did not want to spoil the moment, and besides, whatever the trouble was that Hermes was in, he was not going anywhere for at least this week, so there was little point in making haste.

  Lukas took the time to show his father the whole place, and I think not just to show off his friend's incredible talent, but also to give him time to quiet down a little. It had to be hard on a god to find himself so...human.

  In the meantime, George and I had sat down on the sofa, and Paul had brought a bottle of wine and some glasses, which he filled for us. Then he sat

  down next to me, sipping the wine, curious how things would proceed and how Lukas would handle them.

  From a satchel, George now produced the two elven statues, and handed them to Paul. Feeling a bit guilty for having convinced Paul to leave the statues to spy on George, I took them from Paul, got up and placed them where they had belonged before Paul brought them to the wedding on their own request.

  When I took my seat back, Hermes and Lukas sat down too, and Lukas asked: 'Please, have a glass of wine, and tell us what is going on.'

  George looked at Hermes, to see who would do the talking, and Hermes started out, his beautiful face now less anxious, playing with the glass of wine he had in his elegant hand: 'You all know what state I was in after our first unfortunate encounter here in your world. In agonizing pain, and near death, trying to survive, I never thought I'd find out what that felt like. The next day, I was much better, thanks to George, and of course Lukas, who saved my life in the first place, and though I was still very confused, in pain, humiliated by my failure and the realization of what I had done, and also, I am ashamed to add, by your rejection of my blatant attempts to get your attentions, Melissa.

  But despite that, I knew there was something I had forgotten, something very important, to be more specific, the reason why I went through so much trouble to find you. When you disappeared, Lykos, it was not clear that you had been taken, proof had been left behind that you had chosen to leave, that you had reasons to leave, and not honourable reasons but a debt of honour, a duel you had to fight but wanted to avoid.

  It seemed as if you had left to avoid the shame of having seduced a noble's daughter, afraid to fight her father over her dishonour But when I went to the oracle in desperation, this turned out not to be true, and whomever tried to soil your reputation this way is probably the person who had you abducted in the first place.'

  Of course, Lukas had probably heard this before, in one of his talks with his father, but I hadn't, and my heart burned for him.

  Still, Lukas didn't show anger or hurt, he was all ear to hear the point of the visit.

  'I couldn't remember why I went out of my way to find you, and why I was so desperate to get you to return with me that I had not only threatened you, but also your friends.

  My distressed circumstances had caused me to forget it, to think only of getting better and returning home to my people.

  Until just now, when I heard a mocking voice in my head, reminding me I had come here with a goal, and if I wanted to remember, to take the owner of the voice with me to the place where I had eavesdropped on the three of you for some time, planning to steal you back one night, in chains if needed.

  Even now I don't remember why I even contemplated doing such a terrible thing to my own son, but I'm afraid it has to be something really bad.'

  Now Paul asked: 'I'm going to sound very suspicious now, but how could you remember that someone falsely accused Lukas to prevent you from looking for him, and that it was very important to find him, and that you had visited the Oracle and even what it said, but not your reason for coming here?'

  'I don't know,' Hermes answered, nearly desperate, 'I remember every nasty thing I said to my son, every threat I offered him, literally, but I do not remember why I did it. But I need to find out, maybe it will help us answer your question too.'

  Lukas, whom this concerned most of all, now took charge of the situation, and said: 'Well, maybe the statues can explain their hint?'

  And indeed a well-known ringing voice sounded in my head, and I supposed in everyone else's: 'It's so good to be home again after an entertaining holiday. I'm sure we've missed a lot of fun here, but hopefully you'll make up for that very soon..

  So Hermes, when you first entered the cellar through the portal, we decided to keep an eye on you, see if you could offer us some entertainment. And listening in on your thoughts we found the reason why you came here, surprising how easily one may catch a god's thoughts.

  When you started thinking of abducting Lukas and of chains, we decided to blow our cover and warn him, for without him we'd not have half as much fun. Besides, we like him, and what you were planning would certainly have killed him.

  Then after the wedding, when we were spying on you to see if you were still as treacherous as you had been, you seemed to remember everything except that one important point, and that piqued us, but as we still liked your son better we watched and waited.

  Since then you have convinced us of your true intentions, so we thought we'd tickle your memory a little. It may be quite important.

  And though we can no longer read Lukas' surface thoughts, he is changed a lot, and it may be as important to him to know this.'

  Another voice, a female one, though it was as ringing, now said: 'Stop boring these folks, and tell that poor guy what he needs to jog his memory. You know what, I'll tell him. Hermes, you need to drain that glass of wine, then go into the cellar. Hopefully the memory will hit you, if not, we'll tell you what we know.'

  Somehow Hermes struck me as being so human, knowing finally what to do to regain his memory, but now hesitant to come to the point.

  George and Lukas offered to accompany him, but the elves were adamant, he needed to go alone, for he had been alone when he still knew his reason for visiting.

  So Lukas merely led his father to the door to the cellar, then returned to us.

  I held out my arms to him, and he quickly sat on my lap, as tense as he had been relaxed earlier that evening. He even buried his head in my bosom, but that might just have been the opportunity, I didn't think he had anyone to make love with at the moment beside us, so I guessed he must be quite ready to get some by now.

  After just five minutes the elves cried out in our heads: 'It worked, he knows!'

  A
nd when after another ten minutes he still hadn't shown up the male voice suggested: 'Maybe someone should fetch him?'

  Paul got up and walked towards the cellar door, and within a few minutes he returned with Hermes, who looked beat. They both sat down again, and Hermes said: 'I'm done for. As soon as I stood in that tiny dark room again I remembered why I went through so much trouble to find you, Lykos. I need your help, or my life is over.'

  Lukas of course could not deny this plea and he went to his father, sat in front of him and said: 'Tell me what is wrong, father.'

  Hermes sat in silence for a few heartbeats, I guess to formulate his thoughts, and then he explained: 'I searched for you, because my position is in jeopardy, even as we speak my reign may have been usurped by insurgents.

  And not by another god, though my father has warned me to start minding my affairs, or even an enemy, but by an anarchist fraction headed by your sister Katarina.

  I always knew she was different, unable to love anyone but just one man, but her mother and I thought it was her youthful folly, she'd come to her senses.

  But lately she started to induce others, normal folk, my people, and yours, to deny love and stick to one partner. Her following grew and she denounced me, for having seen so many women.

  She is taking my worshipers away from me, my powers are waning.

  You two were always close, I hoped you might talk to her, so I searched for you until I had found you. Then I discovered your healing Gift, and I hoped you'd be able to heal her. When you refused to come I acted in anger and hubris, and was brought down.

  But having seen this world I have lost hope, I know now Katarina is not alone in her sickness, apparently there are places where nearly everyone lives without love, and you, Lukas, seem to have been infected. You have not shared love with anyone since my arrival, except for the worst affected person here, who refused to love me even though I begged her for her love and she was aching to give it to me.

  There is no hope for me, I will return to a world with no place to rest my weary feet after doing my duty. I will have no love waiting for me, my worshipers will flock to Katarina and my powers will wane to less than I have here, and my enemies will hunt me down and trample me. My father and Aphrodite will denounce me for allowing love to disappear from my realm.'