by Mike Shade
The scarred child reached for him, hand on his arm. I am Kitae.
A voice in his head! Bram started, stared.
Quinn was right there, hand on his lower back. "Kitae can't speak anymore, Bram. She's learning a new way. Isn't that brave of her?" Quinn's eyes were pleading with him to agree.
He nodded and then realized she couldn't see that, so he cleared his throat and said. "Yes. Hi Kitae. I'm Bram."
He turned back to Quinn. "Who did this?"
"The hunters. You know. You saw them. You saved me from them."
"But these are children." He shook his head. In all his years in the Guard he'd never seen anything like this. Yes, sometimes innocent people got caught in a sweep or in the crossfire, but nothing like this. It was...barbaric.
"Do you have enough rice in the storeroom to feed them all breakfast?" he asked, his voice faint.
"I do. Children, go get snow for water." Quinn's eyes were concerned, warm.
Are... are you angry? The soft little voice rang in his head.
He nodded before remembering again that she couldn't see him. "Yes. Yes, I am angry. But not with you." He was in fact, quite furious.
"Can you watch her, huh? I'm gonna grab more berries. I'm her sister. Falla. I'll be right back with more berries."
Quinn nodded. "We'll watch her. She's safe here."
"Yeah, Falla. Nobody is going to hurt you here." He smiled at the child and then turned to Quinn, speaking quietly just to his lover. "Somebody needs to hurt for this, Quinn."
"We just need to be safe, Bram." Quinn kissed him, lips so soft.
"And how are these kids going to be safe without any parents?" He tried not to be distracted by Quinn's mouth, but those kisses felt so good, sent a buzz through him.
"There are some adults..." He got another kiss, another.
He snorted. "Us."
"Sereah and Geof and a handful of others."
"If we're going to look after these kids, everyone's going to need to know strategy, how to defend themselves hand to hand, how to use their magic to best effect." He'd have to teach them so this couldn't happen again. If the Emperor knew how many were still alive...
"I thought you said they were too close to the top of the mountain." Quinn looked stunned.
"They are. They'll have to come down with us. It's too close up here, too easy for the Guard and the hunters to surprise them. And we should go while there will still be snows up here to cover our tracks."
He began working it out in his head while Quinn started cooking, his lover going into the mirror for supplies. There was no way Quinn had access to enough food for all of them for long. They were going to need to set up groups. Gatherers, hunters, protectors, scouts.
Master Bram. The voice is his head whispered. Master Arcon...looking for us. Searching. Not be surprised... he is coming.
"Is he coming to hurt us, little one?"
No. No. He...he loves. Kitae pressed closer to him, sighing softly. Warm!
He grunted, petting her awkwardly, looking to Quinn. "Help!" he mouthed.
"You're fine. Just hold her. She's little." Quinn was no help at all.
He glared and kept petting. "Someone called Arcon is coming. You'd better get more rice."
He was going to be in charge of the defense and strategy classes. Quinn could deal with food and...and holding.
"He's one of the elders. You spoke to him yesterday."
"Yes, and I don't eat much." The ancient man came out of the forest, leaning on a walking stick. "Kitae has found a friend, I see."
The wee girl nodded, relaxed and quiet and curled into him.
"Yeah. Apparently I'm warm." He glared over at Quinn who was not looking at him. "I suppose you'd better get everyone else. They all need to have a decent meal and get ready to go."
"And where are we going, exactly?" The old man closed his eyes and all the mages stopped still, even Quinn, heads lifted as if listening. It lasted only a moment, then the old eyes opened again.
Bram shivered a little -- it was kind of spooky and if he hadn't been with Quinn, knew his lover was a good man. If he hadn't seen all these poor children with his own eyes, something like that would have had him happily carrying out the Emperor's orders.
"Down the mountain. We're not far enough away yet."
More and more mages started to come, silver hair the one constant. Quinn sighed. "I'm going to have to go into the city for more food."
"No." He shook his head and unglued Kitae from him, going to Quinn before his lover could disappear. "We'll make do with what we have. You're not going back there."
Quinn reached for him, curled close with a nod, eyes relieved. His lover wasn't a warrior, but Quinn was no coward.
"Nobody goes back to the city. It's too dangerous."
They'd eat what they had and collect more as they went. The children had certainly found berries and the food would become more plentiful as they left the snows behind.
"Who made you our leader?" One of the men, one leg gone, came crutching up.
"The Emperor did." Quinn's voice was strong. "Bram knows how to survive. He knows things. We have to live. We have to make a home for the children."
Bram nodded. "You lot didn't even know enough to get further away."
"We're not soldiers."
"We wanted the others to find us."
"Yes, what if there are more?"
The voices came at him, these innocent people with their magic and no clue.
"And that's why I'm your leader now. You leave one man, maybe two behind to escort others, to keep an eye out, but the rest of you get to safety. The Emperor's men could be coming over the mountain at any moment. Don't you understand that? You're not safe here."
All eyes looked to Arcon, who looked at Bram, eyes serious. "Our priority is to keep the children safe. Where would we go?"
"Down the mountain. There's a city in the valley. Others beyond it. We can make our own city if we need to, but we need to get off this mountainside." How long would these people have waited here to be slaughtered if he and Quinn hadn’t come along?
Arcon nodded. "We can leave tomorrow. We have hidden supplies, food, tents."
Not completely idiotic then. "We should leave today."
"We have to fill the carriages, ready them for the children. They can't walk." Sereah shook her head, sighed. "I had hoped we were done traveling."
"You brought carriages? Why? How did you get them here?"
Sereah shrugged casually. "Because we could, and we might have needed them; we pulled them through a mirror."
One of the children giggled. "A giant mirror."
Another child shook her head. "No. A big mirror in little pieces. I saw."
Quinn chuckled, but he saw those eyes light up.
Bram shook his head. "You aren't going back there. None of you are. Whatever else we need we either find here or do without."
"He's very bossy." One of the teenagers frowned at him. "Do we have to listen to him?"
Quinn shook his head. "No. But you should and I will."
Bram crossed his arms. "I'm not bossy, I'd just like everyone to get out of this alive."
Quinn chuckled, the sound soft, fond. "You're a little bossy, Bram."
He bristled, just a little. "And are you still alive?"
"Yes." Quinn reached up, kissed the corner of his mouth. "Thank you."
He put his arm around Quinn's waist, wishing they could make love. "Well then, it works."
Quinn nodded. "Let me get your food. You need it."
He sighed and nodded. He didn't want to be in charge, but he didn't see anyone else stepping up. "Get enough for yourself, too, and we'll eat together."
The old man was slowly organizing people. Most of the strong, young men were gone. Killed first, he imagined. They did have a number of teenagers, strong women, two pregnant -- one extremely so. That was actually good. People fought for their children.
He sat on a rock, watching, waiting for Quinn, p
utting together a plan. He and Quinn could move faster on their own -- they could scout ahead. See how the city in the valley felt toward mages, find out if they were going to be able to find somewhere there or if they'd have to make their own place.
As soon as they were settled, he'd have to start with teaching them physical defense. And Quinn would have to tell him what everyone could do, then he could organize magical defensive strategies.
Kitae came back to him, sitting close, the others joining her slowly, surrounding him.
He looked back toward the cave, to Quinn. He couldn't hold them all.
Quinn came over, sitting on the rock beside him, handing him a bowl. "You're safe. They're scared. It'll get easier."
"There's so many of them, Quinn. You should know, I'm not good with kids."
Quinn patted his leg, smiled. The children did seem to occupy themselves, eating and talking, playing together.
He wrapped his fingers around Quinn's and squeezed. His mistake was looking into Quinn's eyes because the next thing he did was lean in for a kiss, the energy between them flaring and he didn't want to stop, didn't ever want to stop kissing and touching and loving Quinn.
Quinn leaned into him, unashamed, wanton, loving.
"Look! You make each other glow!" A little boy stared, wide-eyed. "Like the sun!"
He ended the kiss reluctantly, lips lingering, fingers holding tight to Quinn’s. "Like the sun? That's pretty bright, kid."
"My name's Bors. Not kid."
He laughed and kept Quinn close, feeling the need between them. "Okay, Bors. And you shouldn't exaggerate."
Bors grinned, short, silver hair tossed. "It was still pretty bright."
"Well Quinn is pretty special."
The children giggled, Quinn's cheek hot against his arm.
Smiling, he ate his rice. He was ready to be somewhere they could find other food and if he never saw rice and oats again, he wouldn't be sorry.
***
Quinn looked around, sort of blinking, sort of stunned.
What a difference a day made.
Bram was barking out orders, people scrambling, barking back. He'd been so used to being alone, and now...
Wow.
Bram came toward him, grumbling. "I can't believe any one of them survived this long. Do you people vow to give up good sense when you sign on as a mage or something?"
"Absolutely. You sign away good sense and coping skills; you get grey hair and the ability to reach through mirrors."
Ass.
"Careful, I'll believe you." Bram gave him a smile. "Are you happy, Quinn? Is this good what we're doing?"
"It's a good thing. These people need you."
"But are you happy?"
"I'm...spoiled. I'm used to having you. Just you." He reached out, stroked Bram's wrist.
Bram's eyes were half closed and he purred, moved closer. "I know. I want you."
Quinn nodded, fingers twining with Bram's. "Yeah. Yeah."
Bram brought their hands up to his mouth, licking the pad of his thumb.
Quinn purred, cock going hard and stiff and aching.
Bram's tongue trailed down to his wrist, breath warm over the thin skin.
"Bram." His fingers curled closed, heart just pounding.
"Want you, Quinn." Bram's voice was low, wanton.
"Yours. Where?" He needed. Now.
Groaning, Bram bit his wrist and then headed off, tugging him along. They walked a few minutes, leaving the preparations behind them. It felt good, knowing Bram wanted him, the need shared between them.
Bram lifted him up onto a flat rock warming in the sun, mouth descending on his. Their joint cry was captured between them, the kiss wild and hot, Bram's mouth stealing his breath.
Bram's fingers tore at his clothes, rough over his skin. He arched up, biting on Bram's lips, demanding more. Harder.
Bram bit back. "Need you so bad."
"Yours. Yours. We have to have our own place. Our own bed."
"Yes. Mine. My own."
Bram pulled down Quinn's pants, tugged off his own as well, and slid into Quinn without preamble, just in and stretching and burning and so good.
The burn shot through him, fierce and hot, toes curling. "Yours."
"Yes. Yes." Bram nodded, mouth slamming against his, hips pushing hard and fast.
The stone scraped against his back, his shoulders, the ferocity of their rutting amazing him. Bram's mouth left his, sliding over his chin, down to his throat. The bite was deep, hard and good. Necessary.
"Yes. Yes, there. More. More." His cries just filled the air.
Bram growled and kept worrying the spot, teeth and tongue and lips sucking and biting and licking. He couldn't last long, not as good as it was, not as good as they were. The energy was like a fire raging out of control, taking them higher and higher and he knew that Bram was right there with him, barreling toward the finish.
His cry rang out, thrown up into the sky.
Bram's joined it, heat pushing inside him in long pulses.
"Quinn. Love." Bram moaned softly, shuddering against him.
He just nodded, moaning low. Yes.
Yes. Love.
Bram nuzzled against his neck, breath hot and soft against his skin. Lips latching on, Bram began to suck up a mark on his skin.
He relaxed, moaning low. "Yours."
Bram nodded, licking at the mark before shifting to lie on his back and tug Quinn onto the warm, solid chest.
"All mine."
"Yes. Yes, Bram. All yours."
"We should scout ahead. That job needs someone like you and me, people who've battled off the guards and hunters already."
Bram's voice rumbled in his chest, vibrating against Quinn.
"Yeah? Yeah. Yeah, I think you're right." He smiled, nodded.
Bram chuckled. "I am. We could pass messages back and forth through the mirrors, couldn't we?" Wow, Bram was starting to think of the magic strategically.
"We could. Notes. Anything."
Bram nodded. "Good. That's what we'll do then. Go ahead. Let Arcon bring the others along behind. So the children don't have to walk too fast." It almost sounded altruistic. Almost.
"So they won't make too much noise." So they could be alone.
Bram nodded. "And they won't be in the line of fire if we come across someone. We'll need to make sure Sereah and another strong adult stay behind the group, make sure no one attacks from the rear."
"Yes. And Anna's carriage is carrying the smallest ones, Arcon, Britta who is about to pop."
Bram shook his head. "I can't believe we're doing this."
"Which part?"
"All of it." Bram kissed him. "It wasn't that long ago I was one of the ones doing the chasing and killing. It all seems just a bit...surreal."
Quinn nodded, stroking Bram's chest, petting. "It's a good change, though, yes?"
"Yeah, lover. It is." Bram sat up, arms staying around him, holding him close.
"Good." He rested, cheek to chest.
"It's a big responsibility, Quinn. All those lives. I can't carry it alone."
"Well, you aren't alone, are you? You're with me."
"And I'll need you, Quinn. Need your strength and your abilities." Bram tipped his chin up, taking a long, slow kiss.
His strength. How funny. How insane.
Bram sighed. "We should go back and make sure everyone is ready to go and start off ourselves."
"It can wait a moment longer, can't it?" Just a few moments.
Bram purred. "You are temptation itself, Quinn."
"I just want to be with you for a few minutes more."
"You're not going out of my sight, not for any moments, Quinn. This only works if we're together." Bram's fingers stroked his belly.
"Not sending me through the mirror?"
Bram snorted. "Not a chance." The arms around him held him just a little tighter, too.
He could get used to this. He so could.
Bram nuzzled his neck, nose
cold.
