She cleared Hal’s plate when he finished and then returned to the sitting room. She came around to his side of the table. Hal looked at her in confusion as she took his hand. She smiled, and carefully undid the clasp on each of his command bracers, pulling them loose.
“I don’t much care for the practice of slavery,” said Felice. “Zoria should have known better than to attempt to sneak you under my notice.”
Hal stared at her, unsure of whether to trust the gesture.
“I’ve never met an elf, er, an eklid before who has been against slavery,” he said.
Felice smiled, the expression slightly mischievous on her face.
“I’ve always had a bit of a rebellious streak,” she said. “I’m afraid I might have passed it on to my daughters, though they express it in different ways. What is your name?”
“Halrin,” said Hal.
“Halrin,” repeated Felice.
He frowned, rubbing the sensitive skin under where the command bracers had been taken off.
“How did you remove those?” he asked. “I thought that only the person who put them on could take them off?”
“They have a safeguard built in,” said Felice. “A parent can remove any set of command bracers placed on someone by their offspring. The same does not apply in reverse, for obvious reasons.”
“Thank you,” said Hal. He considered what to say, or more importantly, what to do, next. Would she stop him if he stood up and tried to leave? He doubted it. But would it even make sense for him to, given how little he knew of the Upper Realm, and how difficult it would be for him to return to the surface on his own?
Before he could think about it any further, the front door to the domicile slammed open. Another elf stomped inside, a girl that was visibly young, even by elven standards. Her hair was fine blonde, similar to Felice’s, but her face was the spitting image of Zoria. She was more endowed than either of the other two, and she was staring at Hal, her lips twisted into an annoyed pout.
“Who is he?” snapped the girl.
Felice smiled, looking as patient as ever.
“Halrin, this is my daughter, Kendri,” she said. “Kendri, this is Halrin. He’s Zoria’s guest.”
“He’s a slave, isn’t he?” Kendri set her hands on her hips and marched over to him. “You let Zoria have a slave? That’s not fair! You’re treating her special, just because she was gone for so long and made you worry!”
“Our guest has been through a lot, Kendri,” said Felice. “He was one of the participants in the Dragongrounds. Why don’t you head to your room and give him some space?”
Kendri’s eyes widened slightly at that. Without asking for permission, she began reaching out with her hands, poking Halrin in the cheek, and then feeling the muscles on his chest and arms.
“Uh…” He frowned at her. “What are you doing?”
“Now that you mention it, I think I did see him on one of the crystal streams,” said Kendri, ignoring his question. “That’s even less fair! You let her have the winner of the Dragongrounds as her slave?”
“Kendri,” said Felice. “Go to your room.”
“Can I bring him with me?” Kendri reached down and cupped Hal’s crotch. He slid his chair back and slapped her hand away.
Felice let out a sigh and shook her head, frowning at her daughter.
CHAPTER 29
Felice sat with Hal while he finished his food. She said little, but gave off an aura of calm and openness that he hadn’t thought possible for an elf. Though his experience had, of course, been limited mostly limited to Zoria and the elves he’d encountered since being enslaved.
Zoria arrived back at the domicile shortly after he ate the last of the bread. She was wearing a low cut red tunic over black leggings, her brown hair twisted into three interwoven braids. She made a face when she saw Hal, and shot her mother an accusing glance.
“Mother,” said Zoria. “I put the command bracers on him for a reason. What business do you have taking them off? Did he ask you to do it?”
Hal started to say something, but Felice spoke before he could.
“This is my home,” she said. “He is a guest here. And you have not been a good host to him, so far.”
Zoria folded her arms and pouted in a manner that reminded Hal of her younger sister.
“That’s not my point,” said Zoria. “He could have been dangerous.”
“Hey,” said Hal. He shot Zoria an annoyed glance, and she smiled at him and shrugged.
“It’s true,” said Zoria. “I know that you’re not. But she doesn’t.”
“Zoria,” said Felice. “Why don’t you take your guest to the washfall and give him a chance to clean up?”
“This conversation isn’t over,” said Zoria. The look Felice gave her seemed to suggest otherwise. The matron of the house made her way back into the kitchen, and Zoria sighed and did as suggested, pulling Hal toward another door to the side of the room.
It led to a wash chamber, but one arranged differently from anything Hal had seen before. There was a chamber pot balanced over an odd-looking rock cylinder in one corner, and there was no bathtub that Hal could see. Zoria started pulling his clothes off, tugging his shirt up and over his head.
“I can do that myself,” he said.
“Right,” she said, with a sigh. “I’ll show you how the washfall works.”
Hal looked at her squarely as he slipped out of his trousers.
“Your mother is right, you know,” he said. “I’m not your slave, Zoria.”
Zoria held her hands palm up and furrowed her brow, smiling slightly.
“Of course not, master,” she said, mockingly. “But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t stop you if you tried to leave. And without your heartgem, I think the fight would lean in my favor.”
Hal scowled at her. Zoria held up a finger before he could say anything.
“It’s for your own good,” she continued. “You need time to rest. And it wouldn’t be safe for you on the streets of Zelnata on your own. Please, just trust me.”
“I only have so much trust to go around,” said Hal. “And recently… it’s been worn pretty thin.”
There was a circular metal grate in the wash room’s other corner, with a matching opening in the ceiling above it. Hal stood on the grate, pressing his hand against the crystal inset into the wall. Freezing cold water splashed onto his head and shoulders, and he jumped back in surprise. Zoria sighed and came over to help him with it, pressing a different spot on the crystal to summon warm water, instead.
“You said something about Cadrian last night,” said Zoria. “Do you want to explain to me what you meant?”
Not really. But it is something she should know about.
“Cadrian isn’t who she claimed to be,” said Hal. “Her real name is Elyse Ardstone. She was the rider of the dragon who killed my family.”
Zoria was silent for several seconds, processing the information. Hal ran his hands through his hair. The warm water felt glorious, and let out a sigh of satisfaction.
“I’ve heard the name before,” said Zoria. “And the Empress has been known to occasionally employ the Ardstones as human operatives on the surface, blending into the fabric of cattle society. But it seems a little… unbelievable.”
“It’s the truth,” said Hal. “I saw her here. I confronted her, it was what got me sent to the Dragongrounds.”
“What did she say to you?” asked Zoria.
Hal hesitated.
“She… didn’t say anything,” he said. He felt a stab of doubt creeping into his memory of the event. Was it possible that he’d made a mistake? A part of him found the possibility tempting. It would give him back the Cadrian he’d known, if it were true. The Cadrian he’d felt so many emotions for…
“It was her,” continued Hal. “I’m positive. The eyepatch was part of her disguise, apparently. But we fought, and I recognized her movements.”
“What a bitch,” said Zoria.
Hal
felt hands on the back of his shoulders. He turned around and saw that Zoria had slipped out of her clothes to join him under the washfall. He watched her move toward him, noting the tattoos running along her arms and across her shoulders. He’d put those on her, restoring them after her runic magic had worn out the old ones.
She let her fingers slide into his wet hair, smiling as she noticed the way his eyes took in the sight of her naked body.
“Zoria…” he said. He felt hesitant. His hands were trembling, as they had been continuously since he came back from the Dragongrounds. He thought of Thirty, all the death and suffering the contest had entailed, and the mark it had all left on him.
“Master,” whispered Zoria. “You can relax with me.”
She kissed him, her lips moving slowly against his. Hal felt his arousal surge. He cupped one of her breasts in a trembling hand, and felt it still as his instinctual priorities took over.
He kissed Zoria more deeply and pulled her in close to him. Hal felt a confusing rush of emotions, anger, frustration, and overwhelming desire. He pawed at Zoria roughly, grabbing her buttocks, her thighs, and then her waist. He lifted her into the air, appreciating the light weight of her slender elven figure.
Zoria wrapped her legs around his torso, and her arms around his neck. She let one of her hands continue to play with his hair. Hal slowly lowered her down onto his hard shaft, letting out a low moan as his manhood struggled to squeeze into her tight hole.
“Oh master,” whispered Zoria. “I’ve missed you.”
Hal pushed forward, pinning her against the wall as he drove his shaft deep. Zoria tensed, her mouth opening into a soundless cry of passion. Hal let his lips nuzzle against her neck, enjoying the sensation of dominating her. He pulled back and then thrust again, putting more aggression into it than he probably needed to.
In some ways, it was the kindest thing anyone had done for him in a very long time. Zoria was his friend and lover, and she knew him well enough to sense that sex was what he needed to regain his equilibrium. She drew him into the encounter instead of waiting for him to move on her, which Hal wasn’t certain he would have been in the state of mind to do.
Zoria’s moans and cries of pleasure grew louder as Hal plowed into her harder and faster. He felt his face flush as he considered Zoria’s regal mother and haughty sister listening in. Then again, they were elves, and sex seemed to carry a very different weight in the Upper Realm than it did on the surface.
He thrust into her faster, his cheek brushing across Zoria’s breasts as she rose up a little higher. He pulled back a little too far and missed his forward thrust. Zoria’s hand immediately went to his cheek. She smiled and stopped him from repositioning her, instead sliding down to her knees in front of him.
Hal stared into her emerald green eyes as she peered up at him, her expression playful, almost mocking. She stuck her tongue out and made of show of slowly drawing it in closer to his manhood, until it was as close as it could get without making contact.
Hal’s aggressive instincts took hold of him. He cupped her cheek and pressed the tip of his erection to her lips. Zoria made a face, let out an exaggerated sigh, and then began to suck. She still kept her eyes on his, and there was more than just sexual excitement in them. There was emotion in her expression, a reflection of her own complicated feelings for the slave she called master.
Her lips were soft, and the inside of her mouth was warm and wet. Hal took hold of one of her braids, but didn’t pull on it, instead just moving it aside. He ran a finger up one of her pointed ears, and Zoria made a noise of pleasure. He did it again, and she began to suck faster, her lips squeezing into a tight seal.
Hal felt both his heartrate and breathing speeding up. The pleasure was more than what he felt like deserved. He stared down at Zoria, and she stared back at him, her face flushed as she pleasured him with her mouth. Hal groaned and leaned back against the wall as he lost control, emptying his seed into Zoria’s mouth.
She kept going, carefully swallowing every drop. She made a show of licking his shaft in its entirety afterward, as though cleaning up anything she might have missed. Then, without saying a word, she stood and kissed him on the lips.
“There,” she said. “Feel any cleaner?”
Hal smiled at her.
“Much,” he said.
CHAPTER 30
“There is a secondary reason why I purchased you.”
Hal and Zoria had migrated to her room, and they both sat side by side on her bed.
“A secondary reason?” asked Hal. “I’m not sure I like the sound of it.”
The smile Zoria offered in return made him like it even less. He had a sudden thought before she began explaining, and he formed it into a question.
“Hold on,” he said. “How much was I, anyway?”
“A piece and twenty shards,” said Zoria. “Though I doubt that means much to you. I got a good deal early on during the Dragongrounds, when it looked like you stood no chance. I barely paid more than what my aunt did originally.”
“Your aunt?” asked Hal. “Lady Katara is… your aunt?”
He felt an uncomfortable sliver of emotion slide into his chest. Lady Katara hadn’t been an evil woman, exactly, but she did have a cruel streak, with some very strange tendencies.
“I have many aunts,” said Zoria. “And uncles. Most eklid women will have upwards of a dozen children over the course of their lives. Back to my original point: I need you for something, Hal.”
He let out a slow sigh and gave her a noncommittal shrug.
“Out with it, then,” he said.
Zoria stood up and walked a few paces away from him. She spoke with her back turned to him, her words slow and careful.
“I’m in a feud with someone,” said Zoria. “Or, rather, my family is in a feud with another family. And I want to strike back at them.”
“I’m not sure how useful I’ll be,” said Hal. “I don’t have my heartgem anymore, Zoria.”
She flashed him a wicked smile.
“It just so happens that the eklid I’m looking to get revenge on is also the one who captured you,” said Zoria. “Gardius. She’ll have your heartgem, and in the role you’ll be playing, you’ll have ample opportunity to steal it back.”
Her suggestion piqued Hal’s curiosity. He sat up a little straighter on the bed, meeting Zoria’s gaze.
“I saw your trial, you know,” he said. “She’s the one who betrayed you.”
“…Yes,” said Zoria. “We’ve always been rivals of one another. We’re the same age, born within a month of one another. And we share the same father.”
Hal frowned reflexively. He had to fight the urge to think less of her because of it, and was a little ashamed of himself for it.
“So she’s your half-sister?” asked Hal.
“Sort of,” said Zoria. “But it doesn’t work like that in our culture. Mothers are the head of each family unit, and play the active role. Though in this case, the connection was still enough to create a certain… animosity, between us.”
“Okay,” said Hal. “This is getting a little weird. Just explain what it is you want.”
“I want to steal something important to her,” said Zoria. “A ring that once belonged to our aforementioned father. A ring that represents a part of who Gardius is. It has a deep, sentimental value.”
“Why?” asked Hal.
“Her… our, father conceived with another woman during her mother’s pregnancy.” Zoria’s smile was a touch evil. “That other woman being my mother. It’s considered a slight in eklid culture, and Gardius’s mother destroyed everything she owned of his, except for that one ring.”
“Wow…” said Hal. “And you want me to steal it? Isn’t that a little…”
“This bitch tried to have me killed,” said Zoria. “She and her sisters tormented me growing up, and now they torment Kendri. My mother has been all but ignored in palace politics because of the influence of Gardius’s family.”
&nbs
p; “And of course, stealing the ring will fix all of that,” Hal said, rolling his eyes.
“More of it than you would think,” said Zoria. “You do not understand my culture. But that is quite alright. All you need to do is play your role.”
Hal nodded. “I’m listening.”
Zoria stood up and walked over to him. She pulled him into a hug from behind, which felt odd, given how short she was, as an elf. One of her hands ran across his pectoral muscle, and then down over his stomach, coming to a rest on his crotch.
“I want you to seduce another slave,” said Zoria. “One from Gardius’s hive.
Hal remained silent, enjoying the sensation of her fingers fondling him through his pants.
“You seduce her,” continued Zoria, “And get her to tell you where the ring is kept within the hive.”
“That’s it?” asked Hal. “That’s your plan?”
“I have a key to Gardius’s estate,” said Zoria. “Once we know where the ring is, the two of us will sneak in together and steal it.”
“How am I going to be sure that the slave I seduce has the information we need?” asked Hal.
“Because you’ll be seducing one slave in particular,” said Zoria. Her hand was working faster now, and she nuzzled her lips into Hal’s neck. Hal turned around and saw that had a wide smile on her face.
“This plan hinges on me seducing a single woman,” said Hal.
“Are you not up to it, master?” whispered Zoria. “Is that… too much for me to ask?”
She leaned back on the bed, posing herself suggestively and turning the question into one of Hal’s virility, rather than one of practical concerns.
I owe her this much. And it might even be fun. But it’s not what matters, right now.
“I can’t,” said Hal. “Look, I know I owe you, Zoria. But I was captured with Vrodas. And I need to get back to the surface. Laurel’s down there alone, and when I was captured, Gardius was in the process of releasing husks into the area.”
He winced at the thought. He’d been in the Upper Realm for too long already. So much could have happened down on the surface, in the meantime. So much could have gone wrong.
Dawning Ceremony (Sexcraft Chronicles Book 3) Page 17
