by Lia Black
A King's Ransom
By Lia Black
© Copyright 2014 by Lia Black
Cover Art © Copyright 2013 by Cinchbug
~Smashwords Edition~
This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to individuals, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
No portion of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed for any commercial or non-commercial use without the express written consent of the author. Quotes used in reviews are the exception.
No alteration of content is allowed.
The Author wishes to thank several people who helped make this possible:
Thanks to Steve for his invaluable comments, support, and editing. Thanks to fellow author, Jaye McKenna, for her insight, creativity, and friendship.
Thanks to Cinchbug for such amazing cover art and thanks to Scott for tweaking the colors and fonts "just so".
Thanks to my mom, Vicky, for reading through to catch any of those edits the rest of us missed.
Thanks to Mikhaila for offering me patience with getting dinner/laundry done, etc...
And thanks to my readers!
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
PART I
CHAPTER ONE
The Contract
"I don't usually accept contracts from men I don't know," Kaidos Vailinn said to the stranger. Although he'd said the words, he knew perfectly well that accepting this contract was exactly what he was going to do, provided that the price was right.
His steel-grey eyes followed the stranger as the man settled down across the wooden table from him. The man was dressed in clothing that had once been worth something, but all of its fine tailoring was lost beneath layers of dirt from the road.
They were in a small tavern, in a town that Kaidos would forget the name of the moment he left it. There were not many other people here, just some tired old men hunched over their drinks by the fireplace. The barkeep kept sending suspicious glances towards Kaidos and the stranger, which were not unwarranted given the late hour and Kaidos' unsavory ethnic heritage.
"I can assure you, you will not regret accepting these terms." The stranger was a man in his middle years, very average of height and appearance, with thinning blond hair and eyes the color of mud. He'd claimed he was a messenger from a noble house in Dandre—a large port city several days' journey across the Tarsian Sea, and that he'd come specifically seeking Kaidos.
"You are not an easy man to find, master Vailinn." The messenger said with a humorless smile. "Fortunately, your people from the Wanderer campsite down the road pointed me in the right direction."
The man loosened his weatherbeaten wrap and reached inside. He produced a folded sheet of parchment and began smoothing it down on the table top.
Kaidos looked down at the black swirls and scribbles, then leaned back in his chair. "I can't read that." He took a long drink of ale, watching the man's eyes for any hint of ridicule, but if he felt it, smartly, he showed none.
"Very well, then shall I tell you what it says?"
Kaidos gave a terse nod and leaned forward once more so the man could keep his voice low.
"There is a particular…person my employer is looking for. A courtesan."
"Can't he find a whore a little closer to home?" Kaidos sneered, taking another drink.
The messenger's smile did not falter. "Well, this…whore…is quite special."
"You want me to find her." Kaidos deduced and the man nodded.
"Find the courtesan, then transport this individual to Dandre on a vessel that will be waiting in Herrendsport…but you must do this without letting anyone know, and without harming Veyl in any way."
"Veyl, that's her name?"
"Yes." The man's smile spread a little wider.
Kaidos raked his fingers through his shaggy, black hair and rocked back in his seat. He glanced a few times between the sheet of parchment on the table and the man's face.
"Why me?"
"Because," said the messenger, "there is word around that you are the best tracker in the region…and the stealthiest thief."
Kaidos leaned forward, baring his teeth at the man, "Not for much longer if you go spreading it around!" he hissed.
"Forgive my breach of etiquette. Will you do it?" The messenger leaned forward as well, his hands resting on either side of the document, framing the offer.
The contract did sound intriguing, although Kaidos was used to stealing things, not people. Locating this prostitute could take some time, but Kaidos had a good feel for the land after traveling it for so many years in the Wanderer's caravans.
He'd been trying to move away from his history and start fresh someplace where he could build himself a little cottage and have a plot of land. He'd hoped to get there by doing honest work, but so far he'd spent an afternoon digging graves, and had earned only a little more than enough to pay for his drink.
There wasn't much work for a Wanderer; the clans were frowned upon and branded as criminals wherever they roamed. With his copper-colored skin, sharp features, and black hair, there was no mistaking his ethnicity, so he might just as well give into the impression. He picked at a splinter on the edge of the rough wooden table, putting a figure in his head; something that would be worth continuing his life of crime for a while longer.
"How much is your employer offering?" Kaidos felt the words scrape against his dry throat.
The man spoke in low tones so Kaidos had to lean closer to hear him.
"Ten-thousand daissoms. Half now, half upon safe arrival."
Kaidos drew back enough to stare slack jawed at the man's face. "A king's ransom for a whore?"
"A very special whore."
"All I have to do is find her and take her to Dandre?"
"On a ship that will sail into Herrendsport within the month and wait until you arrive…just don't take too long. The sooner the better in fact. There will be someone waiting and you'll receive the rest of your money then."
Kaidos narrowed his eyes. "This sounds too simple to be true. What's the catch."
The smile eased from the man's face, becoming a tight line. "No catch; desperation. My employer has had several people attempting to locate Veyl. All of them have returned empty-handed."
The fact that they'd returned at all gave Kaidos a relative level of confidence that they hadn't found Veyl and been killed by a jealous lover.
The man spoke again; perhaps, Kaidos thought, trying to offer more reassurance. "You were also sought out because you have a certain level of honor in comparison to the rest of…your kind."
"My kind?" Kaidos raised a dark eyebrow.
"Er, criminals…" the man offered in a whisper, his eyes darting left and right.
Kaidos blew out a deep breath and leaned on his elbows on the table. The bounty far exceeded anything he would have considered reasonable for such a request. With that much money he could buy his house and never have to work again. Maybe he could even settle farther out near Herrendsport, or possibly even Dandre. That way he could make a clean break from his past and those who had been a part of it.
He slapped his palm on the parchment, leaning back in his chair.
"I'll do it."
CHAPTER TWO
Veyl
He could do it. He could simply open his mouth and let the water flow in. Submerged in his bath, Veyl watched tendrils of his golden hair dance slowly
like seaweed around his face. It was so quiet here, so warm. He closed his amber-colored eyes and wrapped himself in his own arms, parting his lips to receive the kiss of eternal rest.
A sudden, sharp knocking at the door to his bedchamber made him sit up quickly, water splashing out of the tub and onto the floor. Sucking in a noisy breath, Veyl covered his mouth with his hand, trying to muffle his coughing as he expelled the water he'd swallowed.
A woman's voice called to him from the hallway outside."Veyl? Your guard captain is here. Veyl?"
Veyl righted his breathing before he tried to respond. "Send him up, please." His chest ached and his throat was raw, but he was able to keep his voice steady.
He listened for the woman's footsteps retreating, then sighed and climbed out of the tub. He was such a coward. Too afraid to leave the city or the world. Although he'd tried ending his life before, something would always stop him. Today, on the date of his twentieth year of life, Veyl still wanted to believe that he had some purpose. But aside from being a vessel for sex, he hadn't a clue of what that purpose might be.
He patted dry his unblemished skin, admiring his reflection in the full-length mirror. His face was beautiful, a slightly sharper rendition of feminine features with large, angled eyes and lips that always looked swollen from kisses. The effect was further enhanced by his waist-length wavy golden hair. But his body, although lean and hairless, was undoubtedly male. Perhaps it was this conundrum that had men scrambling to win his favor. He was the highest paid courtesan in the Silver Tree Manor, and the most popular in the region. Men came to Aaullsworthe from great distances just to sample his exotic charms. Nobles, soldiers, and merchants, they brought him gifts and declarations of love. But none of them, not one, had ever offered to take him home.
Veyl began his ritual of applying scented oils to his skin. Ahrn particularly liked the one with a hint of lavender, so he'd created a special infusion just for him, the man who was both his lover and the only father he'd ever known.
When Veyl was a child, he remembered Ahrn Engel coming by the brothel at least once a week, dressed in his uniform, but he'd never take a woman. He'd speak to Talia, the madame, perhaps offer Veyl some kind words or a sweet candy, then be on his way. When Veyl would ask after him, Talia would tell him only that Engel was part of the town guard, and simply interested in checking on the welfare of the boy who'd been orphaned at the gates. By the time Veyl found out that Ahrn had been the one to take him from the arms of his dead mother and bring him through those gates, he was hopelessly in love with him.
When Ahrn made love to him for the first time--and every time after that--it had never been as a customer. Their relationship was kept secret. Sacred, Veyl had thought; because he'd wanted desperately to be special.
But Ahrn proved that there was no such thing as love or rescue when one was raised as a whore, despite his words to the contrary. On the day of Ahrn's wedding, he'd told Veyl about it after their intimate playtime. He'd mentioned his getting married as an afterthought, an explanation of why they wouldn't be able to see each other for a few weeks. He was taking a wife--a woman--and he'd felt he owed it to her to take some time to put together their home.
Veyl had done what he'd been taught to do. He smiled and pretended that his tears were those of joy, and after Engel left him to attend his own wedding, Veyl had brewed and swallowed his first poison. It had left him sick and wavering in and out of consciousness for nearly a week, but certainly hadn't done him in.
He didn't ever want to hurt like that again--that utterly cold feeling of rejection. Of being reminded that he was only loved for the pleasure he could bring, that he could only be loved in private. Yet every day, he let strangers embrace him and whisper promises they would never keep. He smiled and took their money and their seed, offering only his body, and never again his heart.
"Veyl…"
Ahrn Engel's voice was husky as he stood just inside the room near the door.
Veyl had seen him though his mirror. The guard captain had slipped quietly inside and stood watching for several minutes while Veyl continued to primp and preen. Still, Veyl expressed well-executed surprise and delight when he turned towards the sound of the man's voice.
"What brings you here, Guard Captain?" He smiled with a perfect curve of his lips.
Engel was a very handsome man. Not quite middle-aged, his brown hair was kept in a short, military style and his beard, only beginning to grey around his chin, was closely trimmed. His pale, blue eyes raked over Veyl's body, barely obscured by the filmy purple wrap fastened at one shoulder by an ornate golden pin.
"Have you forgotten what today is?" Engel asked, licking his lips as his gaze settled on Veyl's face.
Veyl raised an eyebrow, offering a deliberately innocent twist of his mouth, "Wednesday?" He laughed as Engel crossed to him and gathered him into his arms, lifting his feet up off the floor.
"Your birthday! Ah, you're so coy!"
Engel's beard was rough and soft at the same time as he set Veyl down and buried his face against his neck. Veyl's real birthday had never been determined, so Engel had given him the birthday of his beloved sister, a girl who'd died of a fever when she was only eight years old. Sometimes Veyl wondered if he had done it to try and replace her in his heart, or perhaps in an unsuccessful attempt to keep Veyl at arm's length.
"I have something for you." Engel murmured against his neck.
Veyl laughed; a well-trained, musical sound. "Of that I'm certain, Guard Captain." He pressed his hips forward, moving over the area firming up beneath the older man's uniform, and smiled as Engel took in a sharp breath.
Engel released him from his arms and pressed a small pouch into Veyl's hand. He looked down in surprise and poured the contents into his open palm. A dazzling amber gem hung like a teardrop from a delicate gold chain. The metal and stone were warm against his skin like a living thing.
"Oh, Ahrn..."
The guard captain's smile was wide, his blue eyes sparkling. "Do you like it?"
"It's lovely," Veyl murmured and captured the other man's mouth in a kiss.
Engel groaned, pulling Veyl against his chest, and Veyl's hand sought out the guard captain's erection pressing between them.
"Can we—" Engel was cut off by Veyl's fingers brushing gently against his lips.
"No time, my darling; I have an appointment in an hour." He saw the disappointment form in the lines across Engel's forehead, and smiled. "But I'll offer you enough thanks to get you through until I can see you tomorrow." Veyl stepped away, taking Ahrn's hand and he led him to his bed, coaxing him to sit down by leaning into him.
The back of Ahrn's knees met the edge of the plush mattress and he dropped down on his bottom. His breathing was already ragged as his gaze followed Veyl kneeling between his open legs, and releasing his cock from the confines of his uniform.
"Oh gods..." Engel grunted and fisted his hands into silky waves of long golden hair as Veyl took the burning rod between his lips.
Tension throbbed along the thick vein pressing against Veyl's tongue as he pleasured his lover with his mouth. Engel had not been to see him in a few days, he'd been out of town, perhaps buying Veyl's birthday present. Regardless, it was obvious that he hadn't shared his affections with another—not even his wife—before he'd come to Veyl to seek release. There was a strange and bitter sort of comfort in that.
Engel thrust once—twice—and then spent in to Veyl's mouth, sending stinging heat down his throat. Veyl swallowed it down, poking his sharp tongue into the slit and sending a shiver through Ahrn's limbs.
"Thank, you for the gift, my darling." Veyl rose slowly to his feet and smiled, wiping the corner of his lips.
Engel bobbed his head dumbly. After a few moments, he stood up, tucking his shrinking cock into his trousers.
Veyl turned to finish his preparations for his meeting with a new client this evening, but Engel caught his arm.
"Veyl, wait..." He pulled him against his hard chest and into
a gentle kiss. "I love you," he murmured as he slowly broke off.
"My Ahrn." Veyl pressed his hand to the guard captain's ruggedly handsome face, running his thumb through the coarse hair of his mustache as he traced his upper lip. "I look forward to seeing you tomorrow."
Veyl watched Engel go, while in his mind he screamed at the man to turn around; to beg Veyl not to go to the bed of another, but to stay and offer his affections only to him.
But that didn't happen. Veyl's cheeks burned and he folded his arms when the door closed on him once more.
"Perhaps tonight, my prince will come." Veyl said, holding the teardrop gem up to the light, although he didn't believe it himself.
CHAPTER THREE
Aaullsworthe
Kaidos Vailinn stood near the bar at the Blue Mare inn. No one had said anything to him when he'd entered Aaullsworthe a few days earlier. No one had taken one look at him and hidden their purse or prevented him from getting a room or a good bottle of wine. Perhaps, he mused, it was his newly purchased clothing.
He'd shed the travel-worn boots and leathers in a smaller village a day's ride away, substituting them for high, black boots, green suede breeches, and a finely-stitched linen shirt. He'd traded in his worn cloak for a brand new one spun of wool and silk. Being a thief, he was used to trying to remain unseen, but there was something to be said about attracting so many interested stares.
The stranger had been true to his word and given him a bag full of gold diassomes—each coin worth a hundred, as soon as Kaidos had agreed to take the job. Kaidos had tracked the whore a week later to Aaullsworthe, and had been hatching a plan of how to get to her ever since. He'd finally decided the best course of action was to give up enough of the money to purchase her for the night and have her sent to his room at the inn.
