by Brandon Fox
Ander’s erection ached, rearing and bobbing under the delicate stimulation. Lubricant oozed from its tip onto Dannel’s tongue before being spread over the glans with careful licks.
Ander’s hips lifted, straining toward the delicate touch. “That feels incredible.”
The encouragement seemed to give Dannel the confidence he needed. He pulled back a little, then opened his mouth and slid his lips around the head of Ander’s cock.
Ander held himself motionless, letting the inexperienced youth adjust to the new sensation. He was a quick learner, slowly sliding his lips an inch down the shaft, then another. His breath rasped through his nose. Another inch, and the glans reached his throat. He stopped, seemingly at a loss as to how to go further.
“That’s good,” Ander said. “Really good. It feels wonderful.” The words were not empty praise; the warm sleeve of Dannel’s mouth molded itself to Ander’s cock. Soft wetness engulfed the sensitive flesh. Spit seeped from Dannel’s mouth and ran down the shaft, tickling Ander’s scrotum. “Maybe that’s enough for now,” he suggested. “You’ve done well.”
Instead of backing off, Dannel propped himself up on his elbows and slid his hands beneath Ander’s legs, then up until his palms cupped the solid mounds of Ander’s buttocks. He took a deep breath through his nose and slowly took more of the phallus into his body.
Ander tensed, amazed and delighted by Dannel’s control. Thane and the other initiates could accommodate his long phallus with ease, but they were masters of lovemaking while Dannel was a novice. Still, he was equal to the challenge. Within a few seconds, he reached the shaft’s base and reversed direction. The gleaming column of flesh emerged from his lips as slowly as it had vanished. The glans slipped out, and Ander’s cock snapped back against his midriff with a wet slap.
“You’re a marvel,” Ander said. “I’d wager not one in a thousand beginners is so skilled.”
Dannel nuzzled Ander’s erection, rubbing it with his smooth cheek while his strong arms pulled their bodies together tightly. “It’s like we were made for each other,” he said softly. Wonderment filled his voice. “Having you inside me, filling me.”
“People are made for love,” Ander agreed. He stroked Dannel’s sides, felt his wide chest expand with deep breaths. “Everybody is, including you.”
A strong squeeze signaled Dannel’s agreement, and his desire for more than talk. His mouth enveloped Ander’s cock again. This time there was no hesitation. He took the curving shaft into his throat in a single smooth glide, not stopping until his nose nestled in the soft skin of Ander’s scrotum. His lips tightened as they slid back up, milking the phallus with careful tenderness.
Ander surrendered to the lusty attention. Dannel sucked him deeply, stroking the shaft and glans with his tongue, twisting his head, growling softly when the throbbing erection filled his throat. His hands kneaded Ander’s buttocks, then slid down to stroke his thighs. His sucking quickened as his skill and confidence grew.
Ander closed his eyes as waves of pleasure surged. Dannel’s physical perfection made him a natural lover, a healthy young animal at the peak of his strength. His single-minded concentration on their lovemaking was the greatest stimulant of all; his passion burned fiercely.
The scent of sweat mingled with sandalwood as they strained against each other. Ander’s hips lifted from the ground, meeting his partner’s welcoming lips. His cock seemed to grow longer as Dannel lavished passionate attention on it. A pleasurable itch started to grow, a spark of ecstasy that quickly swelled and pulsed. He ached, his cock’s hardness nearing the border between exquisite pleasure and pain.
One of Ander’s hands moved back to Dannel’s crotch. Even through the soft leather, he could feel the erection pulsing with powerful contractions. The confinement saved them from the firestone’s spell but did nothing to dampen the glide of Dannel’s still-slick cock against his own solid body.
As he moved his other hand along Dannel’s side, Ander felt something more. An unmistakable echo of the bond they had formed while in a trance was still there. Sensation from the warm slide of his cock down Dannel’s throat mingled with the feel of a rigid phallus rubbing against oily leather. At first they were hard to distinguish. He put his palm against Dannel’s erection, pressing it through the leather, and felt a corresponding squeeze on his own flesh. There could be no doubt. Their anima had begun to reach out and mingle.
“Do you feel it?” Ander asked as he rubbed his palm in small circles over Dannel’s cock. “Try to imagine what I’m feeling. Then see if you can feel it yourself. We’ve renewed our bond. Even without a trance. All you have to do is find it.”
Dannel’s motions slowed, though Ander could sense the effort required to impose restraint. He felt a hint of inquiry through their link, of intellect emerging from a haze of lust. Carefully, trying to avoid surprises that would confuse him, Ander concentrated on letting more of his anima flow through the fledgling bond. Dannel sensed his presence in a heartbeat and was drawn toward the bond like a flower to the sun.
Their minds touched. Confusion flooded the bond as Dannel became aware of Ander’s sensations. The confusion was followed in quick succession by stunned wonder, then delirious arousal. Ander gasped as Dannel resumed sucking. He now shared the benefit of his efforts, enjoying longed-for pleasures he had always been denied.
Ander fell back, arms extended overhead and legs spread wide as Dannel possessed his body. It was like being in a room lined with mirrors as the sensation of soft lips gliding over his cock echoed between them. He soared. His lithe body trembled in Dannel’s strong grasp, his balls pulled tight against the base of his shaft.
Pleasure spiraled, fanned by the flames of Dannel’s rutting. The tickling itch in his cock swelled and pulsed. Dannel felt it too. He stopped sucking, cradling Ander’s glans on his tongue and trying to let the crest subside, but it was too late. The pleasurable itch exploded with searing ecstasy. Ander’s cock spasmed and flooded Dannel’s mouth with hot come. He bucked as a wrenching orgasm tore through him and through their bond.
Dannel gasped. His hips moved in short jabs, as if fucking the air above Ander’s face, as Ander’s ecstasy triggered his own release. His lips sank to the base of Ander’s cock as seed spurted into his mouth and throat. The sense of coming in a clenching throat sizzled between them, mingling sweetly with the sensation of ejaculating inside soft and slippery leathers. The torrent left them exhausted.
At last their spasms subsided. Dannel collapsed on top of Ander. He turned his head and relinquished the still-swollen cock, semen smearing his lips as the shaft emerged. He rested, panting, his cheek against the slick flesh.
Ander waited for a time, sharing in the euphoric afterglow of Dannel’s first real lovemaking as their link gradually faded. Dannel glowed with unalloyed happiness. Ander was humbled by the intensity of the gratitude he could still feel through their link. At last he rolled to his side while holding Dannel in a snug embrace, then swung around to lie face to face.
Dannel gazed at him through half-shut eyes as he touched Ander’s cheek. “I was right about you,” he said softly. “Somehow, the first moment I saw you, I knew fate had brought us together.”
Ander leaned close and gave him a tender kiss. The ease they now shared with each other was uncanny. He could feel that Dannel’s devotion was more than mere infatuation. His life had changed forever, and Ander was now an integral part of it.
“Who knows what destiny holds?” Ander said. “If Thane succeeds, overthrows the zamindar, we’ll have a new world to make. I’m glad you’ll be at our side.”
Contentment filled them. For the moment the firestone was forgotten; the powers loosened in the valley seemed no more than a dream. They snuggled together under the blankets, and Ander soon found sleep, still wrapped in Dannel’s arms.
Chapter Twelve
THANE ran back to the Aerehoth Gate, anxiety growing as he wondered what could be so urgent. Erik and Skorri kept pace.
The
Gate was transformed. A swirling curtain of brilliantly colored motes, tiny points of intense light, filled the towering opening. Looking at the entrance was like peering deep into the night sky, a sky where the stars had gone mad and turned to fireworks. Approaching it was like walking against a tide, being tugged one way and then another, until the ground itself seemed to undulate.
“Look,” Skorri said, slogging on toward the Gate. “There’s no cantrip. It just pushes back harder as you get closer.” He got within ten feet of the threshold when, without warning, he flew back from the shimmering curtain like a leaf driven before a gale.
Thane put a hand against Erik’s chest. “Stay here. I need you to get Ander and Dannel if anything else goes wrong.” Erik nodded, reluctant but obedient.
Skorri had landed twenty feet back from the portal. Getting to him was like swimming through cold syrup. Thane grabbed his wrists and dragged him away, shocked at the cold flesh. It was unnatural, as if Skorri had been buried in snow for hours.
Erik ran over as soon as Thane let go of his burden. “How is he?”
Thane felt at Skorri’s neck for a pulse. It was there, though weak. “I think it just knocked him out, but he’s really cold. We need to move him back to the sweat lodge so he can get warm.”
“I’ll carry him.” Erik knelt and started to lift his partner across his shoulders. A soft groan made him stop. He slid Skorri back to the ground and cradled his head, peering into his eyes.
A few seconds passed before Skorri roused. He looked around, blinking, then focused on Erik. “I don’t feel anything,” he said. His voice was tinged with panic.
Thane held one of his cold hands and dragged a fingernail across the palm. “How about that? Anything?”
“No.” Skorri was ashen.
“Try wiggling your fingers.”
The fingers moved, at first weakly and then with more speed. Skorri clenched them into a fist, his features relaxing as he saw he still had control over his body.
“I think you lost sensation because you’re chilled,” Thane said. “It should come back when you’re warm. Be ready for some stinging when that happens.”
“Let’s get him back to the sweat lodge,” Erik said. “It’s made for heat.”
They lifted Skorri to his feet and supported him by draping his arms over their shoulders. It was awkward, but Skorri managed to stumble along between them. Thane was tempted to scold him for taking an unnecessary risk, but he remembered his own advice to Dannel. They had survived, and had learned something. Intense cold was one way to dampen sensation, but it wasn’t the only way. The firestone’s curse works by causing intense sensation. What if the flesh around it felt nothing?
The door at the sweat lodge was ajar when they arrived, and Skorri was already starting to regain sensation in his extremities. Thane entered and paused while his eyes adjusted to dim light. All was quiet, the only sound the labored breaths of Erik and Skorri at his back. He crossed the outer chamber and looked into the inner room. The fire had died to embers, and the space was in almost complete darkness.
“Ander? Dannel? Are you awake?”
A soft rustle came from the middle of the chamber. He squinted and saw Ander stir among the blankets. A mumbled hello followed by a huge yawn helped him find his way to his partner. Thane crouched at his side and kissed the side of his head. The clean scent of Ander’s hair was more appealing than any perfume.
“Where’s Dannel?” Thane asked, feeling among the blankets.
Ander yawned again, leaning close. “He was here when I fell asleep.” He glanced to the side, where Dannel had left his shirt and boots. “Wherever he went, he didn’t bother to finish dressing.”
“You sleep like a stone,” Thane said, mussing his hair. He turned to the doorway, where Erik and Skorri were waiting. “Erik, would you track him down? I have some news he’ll want to hear.” Erik gestured with fingers closing into an upturned palm, his sign for affirmation, and left as soon as he had Skorri wrapped in blankets and stationed outside the door to keep watch.
“What news?” Ander asked as he tugged Thane closer. They settled into the blankets, surrounded by the scents of fragrant oils and sex. Thane was too disciplined to be distracted by the warm body snuggling against his side. “Something’s blocking the Aerehoth Gate. It’s like a curtain of anima, or a piece of the kei showing through to the everyday world. But different than I’ve ever seen.”
“Different how?” Ander still sounded drowsy.
“Skorri tried to push through it, and it knocked him off his feet. It was like he got frostbite. He couldn’t feel his legs or hands, couldn’t even stand.”
Ander sat up straight, now fully awake. “Is he all right?”
“No harm done. Might have even scared a little sense into him. He tried something without stopping to weigh the risk.”
“He was probably wanting to show you what they’d found and forgot himself. You know how he is.”
“An adventurous creature, that’s for sure. A virtue in bed, but not always when magic’s afoot. Still, it did turn out helpful.”
“Doing the unexpected comes in useful sometimes. Um, how did it help?”
“The way Skorri couldn’t feel his hands, it made me think about Dannel and the firestone. We tried raffia oil to help him control pleasure. I thought if we dampened his sensations, he might be able to control the firestone’s power when it was triggered. It didn’t work.”
“Well, it helped some. It delayed the spell, let him be touched more than he ever has before.”
“But he needed the help of a trance, and even then the oil didn’t save him for long. But Skorri going numb made me think. We have to prevent the firestone’s power from reaching Dannel. It should be like there’s no firestone at all. Like cutting it off.”
Ander turned and looked at him sternly. “Dannel said that’s been tried, remember? Aerehoth Guardians have cut off their own ears to seek release from the curse. It always kills them.”
“I said like cutting it off,” Thane said, giving Ander’s ear a tweak. “That’s where Skorri’s mistake gave me an idea. What if Dannel’s ear was frostbitten and he couldn’t feel it at all? The firestone triggers intense sensation. But sensation means nothing to numb flesh.”
“Are you sure it won’t hurt him? Maybe the spell would react to numbness the same way it does to being cut off.”
Thane paused, sobered by the question. “There might be some risk. We’ll have to tell Dannel, let him decide for himself. But remember, it won’t be the firestone that’s numb. It’ll be Dannel’s ear. The firestone and its spell shouldn’t be affected. They’ll still be linked to Dannel’s body and sense his anima.”
“That’s another thing,” Ander said. He was leaning forward now, as engaged with the problem as Thane. The blanket slid down to his waist, unnoticed. “Can you make a potion that deadens sensation that much? If the firestone is releasing power, you can’t let even a little get through to Dannel.”
“A difficult challenge, I agree. Our potions are designed to increase sensation, not deaden it. But I have some ideas that might work. Especially if we only have to numb a small area around the firestone. And I saw some plants in the hierophants’ garden that should be useful.”
Ander seemed bemused. “I wonder what Lord Tolmin would think if he knew what you’d end up doing with all the botany he taught you. The poor old man would probably have panicked and taken up music instead.”
Thane shook his head. “Not at all. Gregory approves of any use for plants other than poisoning. And besides, he’s tone deaf.” Turning sideways, he wrapped Ander in his arms and toppled him into the blankets. His partner yelped with pleased surprise, returning the grapple. They wrestled for dominance, muscles straining in a spirited contest. Soon Thane had Ander’s arms pinned against his sides in a firm embrace. Ander licked the tip of Thane’s nose and let his body relax, yielding to the victor.
Thane was about to claim his reward when Erik appeared at the door. “
I can’t find him,” he announced.
Thane and Ander rolled apart. “You looked everywhere?” Thane asked. “How about that copse of alder up the slope?”
“I checked it. There’s no sign he’d been there. But I did see a trail heading across the meadow, to the west.”
Thane sat up and ran a hand through his hair. “Something’s wrong. He was supposed to stay with Ander. And Dannel’s not one to neglect a task.”
Ander tossed the blankets aside and reached for his clothes. “You’re right. We’d better search for him.”
Thane was already rising to his feet. “Erik and I will go. You and Skorri should stay here in case he comes back.”
“We don’t both need to stay,” Ander said.
The stubborn look in Ander’s eyes told Thane what was coming. Ander didn’t lack for courage and resisted when he thought Thane was trying to keep him out of harm’s way. He wanted no special treatment.
Thane raised a hand in a placating gesture. “I’m not trying to safeguard you. I’ve learned better than to try. But there are powers loose in the valley. Manifestations we don’t understand at all. Being alone might be dangerous. I fear that could be why Dannel vanished.”
Ander’s lips pressed together as if he still wanted to argue. Then he took a deep breath, and the tension left his face. “You’re probably right.” He glanced at Skorri, who was looking in the door and examining Ander’s body with an appreciative eye. “But I’m not so sure it’s safe around here. I’m spent, and Skorri looks horny.”
“He always is,” Thane said, walking to the door. “Consider it a challenge.”
Skorri’s grin showed his eagerness to follow Thane’s plan. Ander laughed, won over, and dropped his shirt back on the pile. “I’ll manage, somehow. Be careful.”
“Always.” Thane beckoned Skorri inside before leaving. He felt some uneasiness as he stepped into the sunlight but attributed it to the ominous orb and spokes that dominated the sky. He had spoken truthfully; there were forces at work in the valley, and so far they hadn’t been friendly.
