Ice Dragon Tales

by Hurri Cosmo

  Joron stopped in front of a closed door and put his ear to the surface. The crying had stopped but Joron could hear hitched sobs, and it was coming from behind this door. He reached for the latch and turned it but it didn't open. It was locked? Joron noticed the sniffling had now stopped.

  "Hey," Joron whispered loudly through the door. "Is there someone in there? Are...are you all right?"

  Nothing.

  Joron ducked down to look at the lock, wondering if he could he pick it. He had done his share of picking them in the last number of years. He wasn't as good at it as Kinnabe but he wasn't bad. Simple locks were best, like the ones on the food lockers, which were easy to open. But he had managed some more complicated ones, too, like the ones on the medicine cabinets. But for those you needed something to pick it with. Luckily this was neither. There was a three pronged piece of wood wedged under the door, looking much like a doorstop. Joron had seen these types before. Keeping a door open was sometimes not convenient because a wedge would stick out too far and become a tripping hazard. This type had a moveable "crooked finger" nestled in the middle of the wedge. Holding onto the "finger," which stuck straight up from the thick part of the wedge, it was shoved underneath a door from the back side. The "finger" was then pushed down on the back side, lifting it up on the front side of the door, effectively holding the door open without the danger of the piece of wood sticking out too far. In this case, it was engaged on the outside of the door, since the door opened out. It would hold the door closed, a lock to a child who would not know how to remove it. Joron pulled the "finger" up, pulled the wedge out, and the door swung open.

  The room was completely empty, devoid of any furniture. It was probably meant as a small bedroom. There was a dark, cold fireplace off to the right and large curtained windows running along the wall facing him. A small bit of light peeked out from the edges of those heavy curtains, which slightly illuminated the room. There, in a fetal position in the middle of the floor, was a small body. Slight hiccups and moans came from it as Joron watched little hands wipe furiously at its face. Joron could not tell at this distance or in this light whether it was a girl or boy. He quickly looked around, because the child was definitely too small to be all alone, even in a locked room, but there was obviously no one else here. Why had someone put him in this room and then jammed it closed? Did the person who did this intend on coming back? Had that someone hurt the child?

  "Hey," Joron called out softly. "Hey, little one, are you all right?"

  He didn't want to suddenly approach the child. He was sure the kid was crying because it was scared. He took a step into the room. Whoever did this should have left some toys or something to drink. To have left a child all alone in a dark, empty place was unforgivable.

  "Are you lost, like me?" Joron laughed gently.

  He watched as the child sat up, still rubbing its eyes. Joron now thought it was a little boy, due to the way he was dressed. He had dark hair over a cherub face that was puffy from his tears. His tiny body was dressed in what looked like a thin, dark green overall that hardly looked warm enough when Joron realized how chilly it was in this room as he stepped farther in.

  "Are you hurt?" He saw him shake his head no.

  Joron took another step. "May I come and see for myself?" He saw him nod this time. "Thank you."

  Joron walked forward, still going slow. When he reached the boy, he sat on the floor in front of him, still not daring to touch him, only observing, seeing no wounds. He looked down into very large, very dark eyes. "You look okay. What are you doing in this room all by yourself?"

  The small boy sniffled, rose up, and plopped down in Joron's lap. He snuggled in and popped his thumb into his mouth. Joron's heart felt as if it could tumble right out of his chest. He wrapped his arms around this chilled small body and hugged him. The child's little breaths were still coming in hitches. He had obviously been crying a long time and he had been crying all alone. The poor thing. Where was his mother...or the nanny? Were they searching for him? Of course they had to be.

  But Joron had been surprised how quiet these hallways had been ever since he ventured into them.

  "Did someone bring you here and leave you?" He felt his little head go up and down.

  "Who did that? Do you know who? Do you know why?"

  The tiny boy's answer was to bury his head deeper into Joron's chest after he pressed a round hard object into Joron's hand. Joron looked at it and figured it to be a button off of a uniform. His nanny?

  "Should we go find your mommy?" Joron asked, shoving the button in his pants' pocket.

  The boy shook his head no. No?

  "How about your daddy?"

  That got a yes. Good. But that, of course, would make a mess of his own plans. In order to escort the child back to where he needed to be, he would sacrifice his own escape. But it couldn't be helped. The child's safety was far more important.

  He rose with the small child nestled in his arms. For some reason, he felt a connection with him. Maybe it was because he was all alone and Joron could identify with that very well. Maybe it was because he had climbed into his lap, snuggled right in, and made Joron want to protect him and absolutely torture the person who did this to him. Joron could hear his steady regular breaths and realized he was sleeping. He wished he had asked his name but instead, he hugged him close, giving him his own body heat. He would find this boy's father and find out what happened. It wasn't his place to do such a thing, but right now he was furious this little boy had been left here, locked in this room all alone, and that he had been scared. What father would allow it?

  He stood in the hallway then, wondering which way to go, wishing the boy was awake enough to tell him. He closed his eyes and listened hard to see if he could hear voices, movement, anything, but he couldn't. He looked down at the peaceful, trusting face and sighed. This is what life was about--this right here in his arms. The father who could always hold this child, every day, was the luckiest man alive.

  "We'll find your father," Joron whispered. "Don't worry."

  He looked up, turned left for no reason, and walked as fast as he dared, not wanting to wake the child. He kept a straight line for several minutes, ignoring any offshoots. This was a deserted hallway but it was a main one and it had to eventually lead somewhere. But, of course, no sooner had he thought that when he saw the end of the corridor. It did look like it split, a way to go, each to the left and right, but he would now have to make another decision.

  Suddenly he could hear voices. They sounded frantic as they called out a name, and it was coming from the hallway that led to the right. A painful jolt of adrenaline surged through Joron's body. This was it. He would turn this corner and there would be the hunting party. He could put the child down and tell him to go around the corner and that would leave Joron free to run back the way they had come. He might be able to duck into an empty room and wait, now he had some idea which way to go. He could do that. But he felt it important to actually hand deliver the child. What if his tormenter was one of the people he heard coming? He would have no one to protect him. No, he would not abandon this child the way he was obviously abandoned before. So his feeble attempt to escape was over. He had no choice. He promised this child. He kept walking.

  He rounded the corner and stopped. There, in front of him, were two men and three women, coming down the hallway. They all stopped as well when they saw him, recognizing immediately the bundle in his arms. The women gasped and cried out, pointing fingers, and the two men didn't hesitate. They came at him as if expecting Joron to turn and run but, of course, he didn't. When they reached him, one yanked the still sleeping child from him, the other pinned Joron's arms behind him.

  "Hey. Be careful with him. He was sleeping, you idiot."

  Joron went face-first into the wall. "You be quiet! How did you get Taiyo?"

  "He..." Damn it. That hurt. "He was all alone locked in a room back there. He was crying."

  The man who held him against the wall pu
lled one of his arms up and pain shot through Joron as he cried out. He could hear little Taiyo crying again, somewhere in the background. The poor little kid. But all of a sudden, there were two little arms wrapped tightly around Joron's thigh. Joron tried to look down but the man held him too tightly.

  "Taiyo," Joron called out as calmly as he could so he didn't frighten the boy more than he already was. "Taiyo, please get back. You might get hurt."

  "Taiyo!" A voice boomed from behind him. A voice Joron knew all too well.

  The little arms left his leg as he heard Taiyo cry out, "Daddy."

  He really should have seen that coming.

  Then finally, "Joron?"

  There was a small cry and suddenly the man holding him against the wall was gone. Joron turned around, rubbing his sore arm, to see Aric looking up at Joron's captor, having raised him off the floor by the back of his collar.

  "Touch him again and I will kill you." Aric let go of the man and he crumpled to the floor. He quickly rose to his feet though and with a bow to the king, he mumbled his apologies and stepped back to join the others in the hallway.

  Joron looked back at Aric and saw the little boy clinging tightly to his neck but as soon as the boy saw Joron was looking at him, he nearly jumped out of Aric's arms, flinging himself toward Joron. Joron was shocked but held out his arms to catch him in midair. Aric let out a small cry, Joron was sure, for fear of dropping him. Taiyo hugged Joron hard around the neck, rubbing his wet nose against him. Joron had to laugh. He hugged the child back, ruffling his hair.

  "I'm glad you're okay now," he said softly into the little boy's ear, then he held him back out to Aric.

  The look on Aric's face was one of astonishment. Joron noticed the women in the hallway were also wide-eyed and looking at Joron like he had grown another head. His cheeks were suddenly burning hot and he lowered his gaze to the floor.

  Aric stepped up to Joron as he took back Taiyo, forcing Joron to look up at him, and said in a voice only Joron and Taiyo could hear. "I will take us back to my rooms where you will tell me what the reason..." That particular word came out between clenched teeth. It was obvious he intended to use more descriptive words but did not because of the presence of his son. "Why you are in this hallway. You will follow me!"

  Joron could only stare into those black eyes and feel himself pulled right in. Of course he would follow him. The king was angry but he would follow him. If he could, he would follow him to the end of time. There was a part of him that thrilled he had been caught, thrilled at Aric's words of possessiveness, though there was a part of him that screamed "No" knowing now he had failed in his escape, knowing he would never get another chance. But he still whispered, "Yes, sir."

  Aric stepped back and looked up to one of the women. "Good, Reeth, you're here. Follow us. Once we return to my chambers you can take Taiyo for his bath, now he's been found. But first..." He looked back to Joron. "You found him?"

  "I...I found him locked in a room. I was passing by and heard him crying." Joron indicated back where he had come from. "I...was trying to find someone."

  Aric pulled Joron into a hug as well. He breathed in deeply then let it out in a sigh. "Thank you. He has been missing for hours." Then in a whisper in Joron's ear, "I am not sure it matters, but I would like to see the room where you found him. Would you remember which room if you saw it again?"

  "I...think so." Aric's words were gentle and soft, sending shivers up Joron's back, especially since he was standing so close. "But...maybe Taiyo shouldn't come. He said... Well, I asked if someone had left him there. He said yes and gave me this." Joron put the button Taiyo had given him in the king's hand. "Who would do that?"

  Joron had seen the fire in Aric's eyes before, but it was usually mixed with raw lust. This was different. Joron could only describe it as fury. If the person who did this was ever found, he was quite sure Aric would kill him. Joron was quite sure he would cheer him on.

  Aric turned to a guard--one that had evidently come with Aric, because Joron didn't recognize him from the ones who had overtaken him--and told him something Joron couldn't hear. Aric turned back and whispered "Come" into Joron's ear, then turned and started to walk. Joron fell in behind him, as did the guard Aric talked briefly to.

  Joron's mind raced. Liarta said the king was a widower. When had his wife died? At most, if she died in childbirth, she would have died two to three years ago. Was Aric still in mourning? He had negotiated for his sister's hand in marriage, so it didn't seem likely. Joron's heart twisted. What was he thinking? Was he jealous of his sister or worse yet, a dead woman? Did that mean he had been thinking he could win this man's love? The only thing the man was after with him was aggressive and fierce sex. With the abandon he had when he was with him, Joron realized that kind of sex was not something a man would subject a woman to nor something a woman would put up with. It was the only reason the king took Joron and others like him to his bed. Though Joron was finding he loved it, too, it was going to end at some point and he would need to survive that.

  When had he given his heart to this man?

  He could hear father and son talking. The tone of voice Aric was using melted Joron, though he could not make out the actual words. It was the same tone Aric had used the night before when he was apologizing for hurting him. With his son it was filled with love and tenderness but as Joron thought about the tone, when it was used with him, it was filled with tenderness, too. However, could it have been close to love as well?

  Stop it.

  He had to stop thinking this way. This man was too big, too much, way too important to be remotely concerned with him. They had stopped Joron's escape because he had not left the castle and he basically gave himself up for the child's sake. Joron highly doubted the king would follow him if he did get out and away. Joron would wait for another opportunity. He was determined he would escape before he was turned out, because getting turned out would kill him. He was absolutely sure of it.

  * * * *

  As he held and talked low with Taiyo, Aric could feel the heat of the young man trailing behind him. He was extremely happy and so relieved Taiyo had been found, but as much as he tried to stay focused on his son, he couldn't do it. Joron had never looked more beautiful to him as he did when he hugged his son and smiled radiantly and without inhibition. But as mesmerized as Aric knew he could become in this young man's company, his anger and fear about what the possible reason Joron had to be in this hallway trumped it. Why the hell was Joron wandering outside of his room? Was he trying to run again? As much as Joron would hate being locked up like a prisoner--if that was the reason--Aric would no longer have any problem doing it. His heart was doing little leaps, thinking about the fact Joron had traveled this far from his rooms without being stopped.

  If he lost him, he wasn't sure what he would do. He wasn't willing to admit to anything more than a complete and total uncontrollable powerful lust, something he had never experienced before. He was not ready to give it up. But then, there was the fact he wanted to make security around him tighter. No sooner did he say those words and Joron actually walked out of the room? Alone? Someone was going to answer for this.

  However, once the alarm had been raised that his son, the Crown Prince Taiyo, was missing, every available man and woman was out looking for him, and in this massive castle, it was no simple task. So maybe he had no right to blame anyone yet.

  He looked at his son. Why in the world did Taiyo feel so comfortable with Joron when he was afraid of everyone else? What had Joron done in a few minutes the women of the castle could not do in years? He would find that out as well. He would find this room his son had been locked in, then head back to his private chambers. He would give his son to his nanny and send him off for his bath. Then he would pull those answers from his little, misbehaving lover...

  Lover?

  Ah, yes, lover--and that word meant all kinds of things he was not willing to think about. Sure, Joron made him crazy with desire and didn't even t
ry to do it. Their sessions together had been unbelievable and he knew without thinking he was already addicted to Joron and what the young man did to him. Even now, with the man behind him, following silently, obediently, he wanted to simply turn around and pin him up against a wall and have at it like some kind of animal.

  But then there was the young man's heart. It was as beautiful as the man himself with what he accomplished day after day. Sacrificing any privilege he could claim so he could make his people safe and well and happy. His gentle grace and perfect smile, soft voice and small body... The king was quite sure all Joron would have to do is snap a finger and he would fall all over himself to do whatever it was the young man would have him do. If Joron ever discovered he had that kind of power over him, Aric would be lost. Of course, it seemed he was already, anyway.

  Chapter 13

  Relel Tamusi was the younger brother to King Aric of Claymoor Doom. For the most part, he didn't mind he was not the king. Until Taiyo was born, he had been next in line for the throne, but not having that status any longer didn't bother him. However, there were times when he thought about the fact his brother seemed to have the best of everything and that did bother him.

  Like now, because somehow his brother had Joron.

  He watched as Joron walked away behind his brother so very obediently while Aric carried Taiyo. Relel would have liked to have had Joron be obedient to him instead and oh the things he would have him do. Yes, Relel was finding he was feeling great jealousy toward King Aric.