“My Prince?” Levidon asked.
“Yeah, we’re ready.”
Levidon dipped his head and opened the door.
Daniel took point, Seldon followed, and Caledon took up the rear. Again. The realization that they’d just fed in that order brought a smirk to Seldon’s face, but it fell as soon as they stepped into the room, finding a stunning man with golden eyes and a majestic posture looking at them. He was tall, dark blond, and athletically built as far as Seldon could figure from how his clothes fit. Dress pants and a white dress shirt made the King’s torso look long and slim at the waist while his shoulders were broad and toned.
Out of the corner of his eye, Seldon saw Caledon come to stand next to Seldon, and they both took half a step back and bowed deeply at the waist, waiting. Seldon then heard the three kisses which was the formal greeting between Royals—each kissing first the other one’s forehead before they shared a kiss on the mouth. The idea was that both, no matter their height, would have to bow his/her head to the other Royal, but they established themselves as equals and allies by kissing each other on the mouth.
“Thank you for the honor you show me. Please rise,” Nol-Elakdon said.
Seldon and Caledon stood, and Seldon almost fucked up had it not been for Caledon nudging him in the back. He was not used to introducing himself ahead of a Lord.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Nol-Elakdon. I am Grand Sire Seldon.”
“Grand Sire. I have heard of you. All good things.” The King had a pleasant persona, and his smiling eyes eased Seldon’s nerves. Daniel grabbed Seldon’s left hand, easing him even more. To see Marcadon standing by an armchair meant Seldon’s son had been there a while, too, and already been introduced to the King.
“I’m honored to meet you, Nol-Elakdon.” Caledon stepped forward to shake the King’s hand. “I’m House Lord Caledon.”
“House Lord?”
“Yes, Nol-Elakdon, of House Three under Grand Lord Ildon.”
“Ah.” Nol-Elakdon looked at Daniel who also took Caledon’s hand. “I see titles are still not in place.”
“No. With the fall of the Great House, I had more important things to focus on,” Daniel said.
Nol-Elakdon turned to look at Grand Lady Geodin who stood and came to them. Nol-Elakdon put his arm around her. “He is exactly as you have described the young Prince. Uncommonly beautiful. My niece speaks very highly of you, Beaudon. She describes a young man who will rise to his responsibilities with strength and dignity. Your focus on this matter speaks for itself. What are titles of our people if they have no Kingdom left?”
Daniel bit his lip and blushed.
“And cute. I agree with you there, he’s very cute.” Nol-Elakdon kissed Geodin’s forehead, and the look she sent Daniel made Seldon feel like he had to suppress the urge to pull Daniel closer. Oh, he had it bad, and he knew it. He didn’t want to see Daniel run off with the Grand Lady.
“I do wonder, though.” Nol-Elakdon reached out to gently tip Daniel’s face toward the light. “Your eyes haven’t even begun to change.”
“Oh,” Daniel said, and Seldon watched as the red stepped forward before gold filled out and took over. Nol-Elakdon’s eyes went wide, and he literally gaped. Seldon managed to school his expression. He thought it was hunger that made the gold stand forward, and Daniel’s eyes had been red when Seldon helped him into his shirt.
“Holy Hannah, that’s…wow, you can hide your eyes?”
“I can, but not always consciously, and I don’t yet know if it’s something I pass on during the Royal Empowerment.” Daniel looked around Nol-Elakdon to where Marcadon stood and minded his own business. “Can you?”
“No, My Prince,” Marcadon said.
“Hmm.” Daniel pouted. “Maybe it’s because my dose isn’t strong enough yet.”
“How strong is it?” the King asked.
“Marca said it was like a blue-eye a few weeks ago, right?”
“Yes, My Prince.”
“One Royal Empowerment might not be enough,” Nol-Elakdon said, looking around.
“I’m sorry, my manners are lost in nerves here,” Daniel said. “Please, sit. Can I offer anything?”
“Thank you. Marcadon cared for us while you fed.” Nol-Elakdon put a hand on Daniel’s shoulder and smiled. He really looked like Geodin, Seldon noticed as they found seats around the coffee table. Three glasses stood on the table and an open bottle of cider. The sight of the condensation running down the side of the bottle reminded Seldon of how parched he was after the feeding.
“I’ve empowered Marca about…six times now?”
“Yes, My Prince.”
Daniel leaned closer to Marcadon and whispered theatrically. “Daniel.”
“Oh, a close friend. Please, no need to keep up formalities on my behalf. I would like to be a friend among friends here.” Nol-Elakdon smiled at his niece, and they certainly had a tight family bond.
“Marca is my oldest son,” Seldon said.
“And dosed often because of close friendship, yes, I see.” Nol-Elakdon turned to look at Marcadon. “And have you noticed any changes?”
A broad smile split Marcadon’s otherwise usually gruff expression. “Yes, Nol, I can now woo breeders.”
Nol-Elakdon sat forward with an eager expression on his face. “Please demonstrate.”
“Please, not here.” Seldon pinched his nose.
“I only start a cycle if Daniel’s woos me. And I’m not strong enough to woo anything but a human.”
“Daniel can cause a euphoria that restarts a feeding cycle in a Cubus,” Geodin explained. “Cubi can woo anyone within the gender they can feed from and we suspect downward in the energy hierarchy like when feeding and dosing. They can even woo a breeder even if they’re both receivers of pleasure. Humans forget what happened, while Cubi remember everything.”
“You can woo a human you can’t yet feed on?” the King asked, looking at Marcadon again.
“Yes, Nol,” Marcadon said. “I tried feeding on a top shortly after we noticed the change. Wasn’t exactly a success, but I’m planning on trying again.”
“Dare I hope,” Nol-Elakdon said, sitting back with a wistful expression.
“Dare you hope what?” Daniel asked.
“We each bring our people something or strengthen something. Once, only purple-eyes could feed by both giving and receiving pleasure. This has spread, and now it’s a trait in my Kingdom that early blue-eyes can.”
“Dark-blue in your Kingdom,” Caledon said to Daniel, meaning the trait was weaker in their House than in the North Kingdom.
“And you hope this is a trait that will lower it further?” Daniel asked.
Nol-Elakdon smiled. “I do, or even remove the barrier completely. The trait spread to include the green-eyes upon my rise and my Royal Empowerment of my people.”
“Thank you,” Seldon said.
“I am looking forward to getting to know you, young Prince, and it is a great honor to be able to offer myself and my knowledge to be at your disposal.”
“Thank you for offering. Since it’s your sister’s House I’ll be ruling, I figured you’d be the best for it. Because you knew her well and followed its inception.”
“As it is, Beaudon, I am in fact the sovereign ruler of this Kingdom since my sister only governed it. I have let it stay as independent as it can be but fulfilled my Royal duties to its people to some extent while we waited for another Royal to be born. It was always the plan to make this Kingdom the sixth Cubi Kingdom in the world. And here you are to take my place.”
“So it’s not mine, yet?”
“Not completely, but as you rise, I step back. Since the House of Dahlidin had to prove itself strong enough on its own, not counting my doses, of course, you will be first in line when matters of the West Kingdom are discussed. I will respect your place as the rising King.”
Seldon had no idea they’d belonged under Nol-Elakdon, but it somewhat calmed him since that meant they definitely had
a strong leader should they need one.
“Other than empowering each other, it is also customary for the Royals to Empower select Cubi of the House they visit,” Geodin said.
“I remember you said it was customary for one to step forward to Empower and enrich a new monarch,” Daniel said, nodding. Seldon’s focus stopped at the part about Daniel having to Empower a King as old as Nol-Elakdon.
“It is also customary that a Royal shares knowledge and…” Nol-Elakdon glanced at Marcadon. “Secrets with a new Royal.”
“Shall I leave, Nol-Elakdon?” Marcadon got ready to get up.
“That would not be for me to decide. The young Prince has very few people close to him as I understand it, but the few he has are chosen well. Who are also lovers, by the sound of it.” Nol-Elakdon smiled at Seldon and Caledon, and Seldon felt proud when Daniel tightened his grip on Seldon’s hand. “And loyal friends. I cannot imagine he would dose you so often if he didn’t hold you dear to his heart. Or is it only because you love his father?”
“Marcadon is my friend, and I know he’s loyal to me. He’s also widely respected by his peers and the Masters and Sires he’s worked under.”
“I will speak freely among the people in this room, then. Among friends. I would like to be called Elakdon then, without the Nol.”
“Yes…Nol.” Seldon, Caledon, and Marcadon muttered a bit hesitantly.
The King laughed.
“Other than coming here to share knowledge and Empower, our Houses have an allegiance. A military allegiance. It is in effect until you are crowned King, at which time you and I will renegotiate with NATO.”
Daniel’s eyes went wide. “NATO? As in that International Defense Treaty?”
“Yes. Since Cubi Kingdoms span outside the human borders, the Royals insisted on a sub-treaty. It means that if a NATO country attacks its Cubi citizens then the Cubi Kingdoms under NATO may assist the Cubi Kingdom but no NATO country may intervene. Even though I am the ruling monarch of this Kingdom, let us work as if we were allied Kingdoms. I’m here to fulfill that part of our allegiance.”
Daniel stared straight ahead for a minute, and everybody gave him time. “Are we at war with the humans?”
“Not if I can help it. Your Kingdom has a treaty of no military build-up in return for being hidden by the human military and assisted.”
“Signed into effect August fifteenth, eighteen seventy-one by Ulysses S. Grant,” Daniel mumbled, nodding to himself. A not so subtle smile spread on Caledon’s face.
“And our people’s first treaty in Europe?” Elakdon asked.
“I’m sorry, I’m still learning the American history.”
“Starting close and spreading out. Good choice.” Elakdon reached into a briefcase. “I’ll leave you with a copy of the relevant treaties to study at your pace.” Elakdon put a folder containing at least a hundred pages of paper on the table between them, and Seldon glanced at Daniel to see how the boy reacted to the workload.
Daniel’s eyes widened a bit before he turned to face Caledon. “Will you help me?”
Caledon smiled. “Of course I will, cub.”
“Another important factor and duty to your people is to secure the strength of your people.”
“Empowering?” Daniel asked.
“That, too.” Elakdon smiled at Marcadon. “Have you heard of Royal Fountains?”
“I’ve heard it mentioned.” Daniel looked at Geodin, who smiled and winked. “But that’s about the extent of it.”
“This is a closely guarded secret.”
The look the King sent around the room made clear that the otherwise pleasant and smiling Cubus was both fierce and powerful in his own right.
“Yes, Nol,” they all answered.
Elakdon put his hand on Geodin’s shoulder. “She’s a Fountain.”
Seldon had not expected that.
“All Grand Lords and Ladies are,” Geodin added.
“We make Fountains to preserve our traits and to distribute the traits in as powerful doses as possible. Another secret is that the counting of Nil-Kardin is not her bloodline, but that of her Fountains. Back then, we didn’t understand DNA or protein markers or hormones, so we counted in order to ensure a growing power of the people. She and Nol-Bakdon were the ones who came up with it, and it proved even more successful than they’d expected. The people grew strong, and the first Fountains rivaled that of the Royals because both Royals used the same Cubus as a Fountain.”
“A Fountain is what we Empower the people with?” Daniel asked.
“Yes.”
“Of course,” Caledon said, slumping back on the couch with a mixture between a baffled and contemplative look on his face. “I always wondered if one Empowerment of a Royal was enough, and the halftime of a dose kept pointing to it not being so. It also pointed to the fact that the dosing of the lower levels wasn’t enough. But the Fountains are?”
“As I said on the phone, I’m happy to find a brilliant mind this close to the new Prince,” Elakdon said. “And you’re right, of course.”
“If Fountains become Grand Ladies and Lords, how…all but Geodin and Ildon are born in other Kingdom’s, right?”
“Yes, and Geodin and Ildon are both my Fountains. Each Royal takes two Fountains from another Kingdom and sends two of their own to every other Kingdom. It’s one of the ways we kept strong ties between our race.”
“So I choose someone worthy of the responsibilities running a Grand House, either to step into my own or in another Kingdom,” Daniel said, but he was far away in thought to see Elakdon nod. “My dose isn’t that strong yet. Is it because I’m only a Halfling?”
“No, definitely not,” Elakdon said. “All Royals are Halflings. My mother was a Succubus, and my father a human blacksmith. Regarding the dose, it’s like with Lords and Ladies dosing their House, meaning there’s also a formula for Royals dosing their Fountains.”
“It’s considered a huge honor to be chosen, but the one chosen sacrifices a lot,” Geodin said.
“How so?” Daniel asked.
“When I came of age and had been empowered here, I moved in with Elakdon for a few years and was dosed daily by him. I had a harem of men to suck the doses out of me, and trust me, there’s something like too much feeding.”
“Like force feeding you?”
“Good analogy,” she said, grinning. “But seriously, it’s exhausting!”
“For the Royal, too. In Geodin’s case, I was spared a bit because she’s kin. I choose someone I trust, and I built a strong bond of friendship and loyalty by always doing at least one of the daily dosings and feedings myself.”
“And dosing when not strong enough? If I may?” Caledon asked.
“Of course, you may,” Elakdon said. “As a young newly empowered Royal, I chose my first Fountain among my best friends. One said yes, and I dosed him three times a day for the first few years, then once a day until his eyes changed to red. It took less than ten years. By then, my dose packed a serious punch, and he’d ascended fast. At your age and dose strength, I’d advise a Mingler or a red-eye three times a day for a year. After ten years, you top the Fountain off one to three times a day for a year depending on your strength. Considering your regular feeders…” Elakdon smiled, nodding impressed as he looked at Seldon and Caledon. “Once a day might be enough at that point.”
“I’m gonna be busy,” Daniel mumbled. Seldon grinned at remembering it to be Daniel’s reaction to learning he had to Empower everybody in his Kingdom, too.
“It is our purpose in life,” Elakdon said. “We rule because we might be the only Cubus in a House that actually gets every Cubus one on one. We talk to all of them, we hear all of them. At least, we’re supposed to talk and hear all of them. What we learn from that is what gives us the power to rule, and our Grand Councils are the ones putting the wishes of the people into action.”
Daniel nodded, thinking. “Does anyone know where my dad is?”
“Running the store.” Seldon looked
at the clock. It was a few hours until closing.
Daniel continued nodding, lost in thought. “Caledon, would you have every House Lord make a list with the Minglers and red-eyes most respected by both their peers and superiors?”
“Yes, My Prince.” Caledon pointed next to Seldon. He found Caledon pointing at a tablet on the table next to Seldon and handed it over.
“Could you start with your list?” Daniel asked Caledon and leaned into him. “Won’t be so overwhelming if I get a list at a time.”
Caledon caressed Daniel’s cheek. “Sure, cub. That list is easy. I make one every month and reward the Cubi who’ve stepped up one way or another by inviting them to my dinner parties or by making sure they get invited to one by another Lord or Sire. The ones who make the list for a full year are the ones getting more responsibility.”
“Who’s on the year-list?” Seldon asked, thinking about all the red-eyes he’d worked with in training. Two stood out to be on the list if he was asked.
“Well, Marcadon is on it.”
“Me?” Seldon’s son looked surprised at that.
“How many dinner parties have you been to this past year?”
“Five. Three Sires and two Lords.”
Seldon nodded, impressed.
“Because?” Caledon continued.
“I don’t know.” Marcadon mulled it over. “I stopped a brawl in October. I remember the Lord praising me for that at the party.”
“I get reports of the ones going above and beyond. Here.” Caledon handed Daniel the tablet, and the boy smiled as he looked through the names.
“Paledon, I remember him.”
“Should I send for him?” Geodin asked.
Daniel gnawed his lower lip. “Are the Fountains told to become one or asked to become one?” Daniel asked.
“I ask, but I have commanded two because their skill sets were invaluable at the time.”
Daniel looked at Marcadon, and Seldon’s stomach did a somersault in excitement.
“Will you be a Fountain?”
“You really think I’m Grand Lord material?”
Daniel smiled. “I believe you have the potential to grow into one.”
Fountain of Beauty Page 5
