The idea of being in bed with two men always sounded like it could be fun, but in her nearly eighty years of life, she had never had the chance to play that game. She still had plenty of time, though. With transplants, medicines, and other miracles of modern science, Shane expected to live another 350 years, if not more, and to look good for most of that time. Even now, most people took her to be in her early thirties. She knew she'd be able to mark that fantasy off her things-to-do list one day.
But doing it with two gay guys just didn't seem right. She pictured it more as the guys fucking her, not each other. OK, not gay—bi. Somehow, the details of the language and choice of words didn't make it any better. Not that she had any problems with gay, or bi, men, but she wanted to be the center of attention. The Marine in her let that much of her feminine side out.
She smiled at the Captain, but she didn't think he knew the real reason. "I'll do my best, Sir."
"And that will be more than enough." The landing craft's pilot signaled that they were ready for the descent. "Just call if you need help."
"Yes, Sir." Shane saluted, and as Ells returned the salute, the door slid closed.
* * * *
The lizards again had retreated without doing any actual harm to the men. As Landis made his way back to the camp where Clemmons waited, he thought about the dragon's behavior. While the flying dragons swooped down, their shrill voices letting loose screams that curdled the blood of men, they never grabbed a single victim in their long, sharp talons. He heard the piercing click of the claws snapping closed near him, and Landis knew the fear it triggered in him was only a pale shadow of the terror the men must feel. On the ground, the creatures never came close enough to actually attack a man, only within range of sight, so the men could see the yellow-green eyes with the horizontal slits staring at them with murder and mayhem.
As far as he remembered from the day's fighting, Landis saw not a single casualty on either side. Clemmons was right—the lizards played a game of manipulation, instilling fear without causing harm or risking injury. It was a ploy designed to drive men away, to stop them from following orders, and to make them avoid contact in the future.
Landis reached the camp, and thoughts of the lizards faded from his mind. Clemmons stood outside the tent they shared and, as Landis watched, he pulled his armor from his torso.
The sun was warm here in the valley, and it glittered in rays of gold, red, and bronze as it refracted off the skin of Clemmons's chest, still moist with sweat from the battle. His long blonde hair moved slowly in the gentle breeze, and Clemmons stretched, his burly arms high over his head as he let the sun and wind dry the perspiration from his body.
Watching his lover across the short distance, Landis licked his lips. It wasn't so very long ago that he was happily married and never thought of a woman other than Anna, let alone another man. But then, seven years ago while he was away on a mission for the king, the lizards came and raided the village.
Everyone knew that no matter what else had happened, no one could have saved the villagers, but guilt still filled him then. He could have at least died at Anna's side, his strong sword arm protecting her until the end. Instead, he knelt over her torn body, weeping openly, as other knights and soldiers searched for survivors that never materialized.
Clemmons had knelt beside him and touched his hand. Without a word, Clemmons led him away from the shredded corpse of his wife, leaving the soldiers to prepare the mass grave for the villagers.
After the priest said some words over the grave, he and Clemmons held an impromptu wake for the dead. As they drank deeply of the wine, Clemmons told the story of how he needed another brave knight to help him fight the lizards, to stop them from raiding more villages and killing more men.
Landis knew then he had finally received the calling all knights await. He vowed his life, not only to his king but also to the death of the lizards.
Over the next year, he and Clemmons fought side-by-side and back-to-back against the dragons, killing many of them. While the lizards had horrendous strength, they lacked the stamina of men. The two knights learned they need only to wear down the dragons, keeping them from taking wing, and then they were easy to kill. It was someplace in that year when the attitude between the men changed, but Landis was hard pressed to say just when.
Clemmons was a well-known ladies' man at court. Rumor had it he had bedded every single one of the ladies-in-waiting at least once, most several times. Based on Clemmons's late night absences, Landis believed the rumors. He never saw Clemmons slapped by serving wenches or ladies of the court for a quick fondling of a tit or ass. In fact, many of the women appeared to encourage such familiarities.
One night, a great distance from this battlefield, he and Clemmons had sat together in the light of the dying campfire, discussing the lessons of the day's combat. Clemmons sipped at his wine and studied him for a time before he finally spoke.
"Have you considered finding another partner?"
Landis recalled wondering at the time what had prompted the question. "I have, but no woman could replace Anna."
He nodded. "Perhaps, but what of a man?"
Same-sex partners sharing life was not unheard of in the kingdom, but Landis knew of no knight with such an arrangement. He laughed. "I never thought about it."
"Perhaps you should."
It suddenly became clear to him what Clemmons was suggesting. What with the friendship between them, they often seemed to be two people sharing one mind. The idea had merit. "Why should I?"
"You and I make a good team in combat and politics. We would be even better personally." He smiled. "Besides, you've got a great ass."
Landis laughed. "Well, you're not too bad yourself."
The rest of that night had faded into a chain of lovemaking, and they had been together as a couple ever since. The new relationship created a few problems at court, but most were from jealous women and of no concern.
Clemmons turned and saw him approaching. He smiled broadly, a look that gave Landis a sad reminder of how Anna would smile when he returned home.
"I see you're safe, Landis."
"As is everyone." As Landis hugged him, the firmness of the bulging muscles of Clemmons's chest pressed against him, stirring thoughts of passion and pleasure. "Any casualties here?"
"Of course not."
"Yes, I know. You told me so, and I've come to know you're right about the lizards playing with us."
"Yeah, I told you so." Clemmons released him from his embrace and stared into his eyes with the familiar look of playfulness on his face. "I saw you looking at me. Are you planning to take advantage of me?" His eyes twinkled. "Please?"
"You're insatiable."
"Perhaps I am."
Something in the corner of his eye caught Landis's attention. He turned to look, but whatever had flickered in his peripheral vision had vanished, and he saw nothing.
Clemmons sounded puzzled. "What's that?" He pointed to a bright object, moving very fast, far above the eastern horizon. It sparkled and flashed like the falling stars seen most nights, but the color was wrong. Instead of the yellowish-white of a star tumbling from the heavens, this object blazed blue and red with tinges of pure, blinding white in the mix.
The object moved far too fast and far too high for a lizard, and Landis felt no fear. Surprised by his lack of alarm, he realized quickly that the object would be on them before they could do anything about it. Resignation clearly took the place of fear.
The moving light swept in a wide arc from the east to the south, moving quickly. It seemed to be falling, but Landis knew from his experiences with the dragons it was an illusion. The light descended in a controlled way, not falling at all, and passed directly overhead as it powered to the north. High above them, he noticed a wisp of white smoke trailing behind the object.
As he and Clemmons turned as one to watch the light head north, a sudden noise swept over the valley. It started low, like thunder in the distance, and then built
quickly to a loud, sharp boom, like God clapping his hands together to get the entire world's attention.
The object stopped dead in the air. It hesitated and then seemed to get larger without moving at all.
Clemmons chuckled softly with a hint of nervousness to the sound. "Um, it's coming here."
Just like a ship sailing directly at the shore or a rider heading straight at a guard post, the object didn't move from side to side, it only got bigger. And it got very big.
As large as a city carriage for hauling several hundred people, the object shone like a mirror in a silver color that reflected not only the sunlight, but also trees, grass, and other things. Settling closer to the valley floor, the object kicked up dust and dry grass, and the shimmering reflections of the sides made it hard to see clearly.
It whined and screamed like nothing Landis had ever heard before but he wondered if creatures the sages spoke of in tales of banshees and demons that roam the night woods in haunted parts of the world might make the sound. As a knight, Landis didn't believe the stories, but he wondered if it might be time to start believing.
The object suddenly grew four great legs, like some kind of drink-induced vision of a horrible insect, and came to rest on the ground. The sound cut off suddenly, and the eerie silence only added to the bizarre scene.
He swallowed. "Well, what do we do now?"
"Hand me your dagger." Clemmons held out his big hand.
"What? Are you going to slit its throat?"
"I wouldn't even know where to start cutting, but I'll feel better with a blade in my hand."
"Good point." He pulled the dagger from its sheath on his chest and passed it to Clemmons. Landis then drew his sword.
As they had done so many times in the past, the two men, lovers and comrades, stood shoulder-to-shoulder and faced an enemy.
But unlike encounters with the dragons, they didn't know what to expect from this strange object.
* * * *
As they studied the view screen, Shane stood beside Lieutenant Talbert. The sensors identified this small cluster of people, but it wasn't until they landed that anyone noticed the people were armed. Sort of.
Shane saw no weapon more advanced than an axe. Two men stood closest to the landing site, and one held a long, nasty-looking sword while the other had only a small knife. Other men hid in the brush around the area, and most had swords, but a few had mace-like clubs or battle-axes.
Talbert sighed. As senior diplomat for the mission, he was in nominal command of the landing craft, but Shane was in charge until she assured the safety of the crew. "It's your call, Sergeant."
None of the weapons she could see or that the scans detected posed any threat to an armed and armored Marine. "I'll go out with a couple of men and see what the situation is. You and the rest stay here until I give the all clear." She turned to the pilot. "If things get crazy, you lift off and wait for me to call."
The pilot nodded.
Talbert frowned deeply. "You're not trained to talk to these people."
"Neither are you, Lieutenant. This first-contact stuff is new for all of us, and every one is a whole new game."
"You've got a point there." He paused, his brow knitted in thought. "Alright, just remember that the number-one cause of conflict is misunderstanding what the other person says. You'll be using the electronic translators, so there may be a good deal of that."
"Don't worry. I won't shoot until they shoot at me first." Shane turned to the waiting Marines. "Degnan and Crosby come with me." She nodded to the crewman at the airlock controls. "Pass us through."
* * * *
Clemmons heard the other men moving slowly through the brush around where he and Landis stood watching the strange thing that had landed before them. The men did what they had to do despite their fear of the unknown and the terror the dragons rained on them daily. Their steadfastness spoke well of their training and bravery.
Clemmons tried to think of something to say, but he had no idea what it might be. They could only watch and wait for now. They needed more information about this odd object, but suddenly, the time to wait had ended. A small puff of steam or dust came from the side of the object, and a series of lines in the shape of a door appeared in the smooth, mirror-like skin of the thing. A small ramp grew from the flank like a living limb to reach the ground.
A small figure stepped through the door to stand at the top of the ramp, and the motion pulled his gaze from the extending ramp. It was the figure of a woman. Other than the large globes that marked her breasts, he had no way to tell it was a woman, because she wore a suit of solid black, so dark that it seemed to suck the light from the air and gave no reflection. The total absence of reflection from the suit contrasted starkly with the mirror-like surface of the object that brought her here. The suit covered her from her neck to her toes and ran down both arms to the tips of her fingers. A helmet that looked separate from the suit covered her head, and a dark visor hid her face.
In her hands was a club or large stick, though Clemmons knew instantly it was a weapon, probably far more dangerous than a simple club. Her head swiveled around, looking in all directions, and, after a minute, she gave a funny motion with the fingers of her left hand.
As if on command, two more figures darted from the door and ran down the ramp, taking up positions on either side. The door closed instantly, and the woman moved slowly toward the ground.
The other figures kept the same vigil as the woman, but they were obviously men. Much larger than the woman, they were nonetheless under her command. And the military image was exactly right. These were soldiers, perhaps knights from some other, unknown kingdom.
The object was a ship of some kind that sailed not on water but through the air. Like any ship, this one was only a tool, a piece of technology, though vastly superior to anything he and Landis knew of.
Even though the woman and her comrades offered no harm to them, they might be dangerous if provoked. It would be best to make friends with these people.
Clemmons shifted the dagger to his left hand and raised his right high in the air. "Ho! I am Sir Clemmons, knight of the realm, servant of King Sayid."
A small box on the belt of the woman made strange sounds, and she stopped, looking directly at him. The other soldiers didn't react to him at all. She touched the box, and he heard sound coming from her helmet.
The box tried to speak. "...have...a...arm..." The rest was just random noises.
He waved his hand in the air. "Yes, I have an arm."
Landis snorted.
The woman again touched the box. "...keep...my...need...earn..."
"I don't understand."
Landis sighed. "Don't you see? The box talks for her, but it doesn't know how."
"You think that's a woman, too?"
"Of course. Have you ever seen tits like that on a man?"
"Well, no."
While he and Landis talked, the woman had been doing something to the box. She looked up at him again. "What is your name?"
He smiled. "I'm Sir Clemmons. This is Sir Landis."
* * * *
Shane tried to concentrate on the task at hand, but damn those two were cute. The two men came in two different sizes—big and bigger.
The big one had black hair the color of a radiator in a thermodynamics lab blackbody experiment, flowing over his shoulders and covering the shining black leather of the armor he wore. Eyes the color of emeralds stared out from beneath his high brow, and he held a long sword in his right hand with the comfort of a warrior accustomed to combat. While the leathern suit he wore covered his body fully, his wide shoulders and muscular neck told of the strength only barely concealed. Fine black stubble covered his chin.
The bigger one had blonde hair that spilled halfway down his bare torso and pale blue eyes that seemed to look through her and out to infinity. A few days growth of blonde beard covered his cheeks and chin, and when he flexed his hands, the muscles of his chest and arms roiled like rocks un
der his tanned bronze skin.
The two men were clearly warriors. Alien warriors. She smiled behind her visor. Delicious alien warriors. Shane shook herself a little. She needed to treat them as dangerous alien warriors until she knew otherwise, no matter how delectable they might be.
She fussed with the translator. So far, it gave her only garbled fragments of words. The lights and dials said it was working on a translation, but it would take a little time.
Corporal Crosby spoke in her communicator. "Sergeant, the others seem happy to stay in the bushes. Scans confirm they are remarkably human-like, no major differences."
She flicked the transmit switch with her tongue. "Copy. Keep an eye on our friends in the brush. Do not fire without my authorization."
"Understood, Sergeant."
Suddenly the translator found something to latch onto. As the bigger one moved his mouth, the box gave its version. "I'm Sir Clemmons. This is Sir Landis."
* * * *
In his eighteen years as king and twenty years as prince before that, Sayid saw it done only once when he was a child of not more than three and his father still lived and sat on the throne. The times when a message was important enough for the messenger to ride his steed right into the throne room to save time were exceedingly rare, and yet he now heard the clatter of hooves on the stone floor announcing that the rider approached.
The rider and his mount were both soaked with sweat, cloth and fur stained and clumping wetly to their skin. Both also panted heavily, trying to grab just a little more air in each gulping breath. At least the messenger didn't foam at the mouth in frothy white globs that dripped in sticky streamers to the dark stone floor.
The rider jumped from his steed even before the animal had fully stopped, and the man tried to avoid falling. He almost made it, but his foot slipped in the gooey drool of his mount, and he went to one knee. Sayid gave the squire credit for a good, smooth recovery.
Knights of Desire [Flights of Fancy 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 2
