Kamen fell into step beside his captain and friend, and though he was tall, Darien stood yet a full head taller. “I wanted to talk to you about Saerileth.”
“What about her?” The image of Kamen fucking her in the ass leaped into Darien’s mind, and though Kamen was his oldest and dearest friend, he could not help feeling irked.
If Kamen sensed Darien’s irritation, he did not give any sign. “You might want to consider giving her back to Lord Ahnok.”
“Back? Ulen never had her.” Darien was now most definitely irked.
“You’ve got salvage rights on your side, sure,” Kamen said, “but imagine what a good impression this would make if you were so generous. You’ve had your introduction to society. Your Lotus has lent grace and civility to your name, and the nobles respect you. Imagine how the royal family would feel to know that you have given one of their own a Red Lotus.”
Through the sycamore trees, Darien spied across the garden the King and the Princess Royal walking. With them came the Crown Prince, a sprightly lad of three summers, his nurses, and all manner of officials, sycophants, guards, and the like. The Prince, half Vadal and half Sunjaa, shared some measure of his mother’s coloring, and his facial features were handsome, a good blending of the races.
Darien pointed in their direction. “They don’t even like Ulen, so why would they thank me for anything I might do for him?” There were so many things Darien wanted to say to Kamen at that moment, but he satisfied himself with merely hinting at his friend’s bold and unreasonable suggestion. “I wouldn’t want to surrender Saerileth to any kind of high society if it is peopled with fellows like you. You ask me to lay aside law and right in the hopes of currying favor with the nobles?”
Kamen swung around the block Darien’s path. “I’m so sorry, my friend. I meant nothing by it. I was just thinking to help you take your next step in society.” He glanced behind him, and Darien followed his gaze and saw Oren pit-pattering past on slippered feet, probably on his way to catch up with the royal train.
“Hold, chamberlain,” said Kamen.
Oren stopped and bowed. “Lord Itenu.”
Kamen produced the scroll. “Here’s my answer. I’ll be glad to join the Princess Royal’s festival. May Jehiel bless the King with another son.”
This was the first Darien had heard of this. The Princess Royal was pregnant again, and Arinport would feast the news. At that moment Darien silently thanked the King for passing the law of concubinage, for allowing a man’s concubines to produce legal heirs. The King had taken a Vadal princess as his mate to seal the peace treaty, but Sunjaa law would not allow him to marry her. She was his concubine, merely, and yet he was able to enact a new law that did not contradict the old one, sacrosanct in the people’s hearts, that a Sunjaa could only wed another Sunjaa. But Darien’s joy evaporated like morning dew burned away by the sun, for he knew he would never get Saerileth with child. None of his concubines had ever conceived. When Lia did not conceive, he assumed her womb was barren, but after he coupled with the other three and they, too, failed to conceive, he knew it was him.
“Captain?” Oren’s voice pulled Darien from his reverie.
“I’m sorry. What?”
“I was just asking you if you would like to come to the celebration.”
“Is that possible? I’m a common man, rude in manner and speech.”
Oren waved away the comment, and Kamen scoffed playfully.
“You are a hero, sir,” Oren said, “and with your Lotus on your arm, you may be accepted anywhere.”
“In that case, I’ll be there.” Darien kept his voice calm so as not to betray his surprise and excitement at the prospect of attending a royal celebration. It was not that he cared for ingratiating himself with the elite but more the prospect of showing nobles just how far a common man could come on his own merit, and to come with a Lotus on his arm.
Oren bowed and hurried away, and Kamen turned to Darien. “I’ve got a place I want to show you, if you’re free.”
“Lead the way.” Darien’s anger toward Kamen had cooled, for he was the type of man who quickly angered but quickly forgave.
The two friends left the elegant gardens behind and walked through the noisy, cramped, filthy streets of the central ward of Arinport. It amazed Darien at how such squalor could exist at the foot of the palace walls. Even as a poor child, Darien had not grown up in such want. He and Kamen walked over piss-soaked streets with gutters full of excrement and raw, rotted garbage. Rats swarmed everywhere, and Darien even saw goats busy devouring what waste they could.
They left that all behind soon enough as they moved away from the river’s edge and walked northeast. If Darien had not known better, he would have thought Kamen was leading him home. But Kamen stopped at a shop Darien had passed a hundred times and never known what it sold. They entered, and Darien knew instantly why he had never known. It was a sex shop. A heavy black curtain fell across the entrance, hiding from public view the erotic wares within. Kamen moved around the shop like it was his own home, but Darien just stood and stared. He was not embarrassed, just shocked by the sheer number and variety of sex toys.
Bronze dildos. Double-headed dildos. Chairs with strategic holes in them. Collars, manacles, and shackles. Some kind of harness or swing. Strange silk ropes tied in knots that even Darien’s sailor mind could not mentally untie. Butt plugs for women. Butt plugs for men, which were shaped differently, almost like a crooked finger. Clips, curiously-shaped divans, and blindfolds. And everything else that Kamen could name in his tour of the shop.
“Why did you bring me here?” Darien asked in a slow, measured voice as he looked into Kamen’s eyes.
Kamen’s countenance fell into dejection, and Darien could not understand why. “Why don’t you try something new with your concubines?”
“My concubines are being shipped upriver to my country estate.” Darien reached over and grabbed what looked like the reins to a horse. He did not have the first clue about how it was supposed to be used on a person.
Kamen’s eyes brightened in the dim light of the shop. “They are?”
“Yes, Saerileth is seeing to everything. She thinks it’s a good idea, and I agree with her. They get on my nerves. I won’t miss them. I mean, I’m usually home only for a short time anyway, so I don’t think they’ll miss me, either.”
Kamen laughed and shook his head. “Darien, you retired. Remember? You’ve got nowhere to go except home.”
“Right.” Darien laughed, too. “Still, the women will be happier upriver. They can carry on just as they always have. And it’s clean, peaceful country up there.”
Kamen just nodded and nodded, looking around, and then nodded some more. “So, you won’t be needing any of these things, then?”
A selection of oils caught Darien’s eye. “What are those?”
“Edible massage oils,” Kamen explained without hesitation. “Delicious and pleasurable.”
Darien had considered blindfolds and ropes, just to try something new with Saerileth, to experiment and see what they liked and did not like to do together, but he realized that he did not need any of those things. First of all, he wanted Saerileth to see what he was doing to her. He wanted to see her beautiful eyes full of love, and he wanted her to see his cock ramming into her tight pussy, splitting her in two. Also, he knew he could restrain her with just one hand. He needed no implements of bondage to hold her in place. She liked to squirm and pretend to get away only to have Darien catch her in his powerful arms and make pillage of her cunt.
Darien purchased the oils for an exorbitant price, but any money spent on Saerileth was worth it. Kamen walked with Darien to his doorstep, and then the captain bade his friend goodnight.
“I’m home, Saeri!” Darien’s voice boomed down the empty hall.
Saerileth appeared out of nowhere and jumped onto Darien, wrapping her legs around his waist and showering kisses down on his forehead, nose, cheeks, and lips. Darien caught her lips with his and
seized her passion with his own desire. He felt his cock rising beneath the skirt, and before he had taken three steps down the hall, Saerileth had freed him from his unwanted clothing. Darien returned the favor, pulling her Sunjaa-style gown from her breasts and sucking on her nipples while he still stalked toward the bedroom.
He threw her on the bed and admired her naked beauty. She slammed her legs together and stared in mock horror at Darien’s engorged phallus, fully the size of a young child’s forearm.
“I got these,” Darien said, tossing the tiny glass vials of oil on the bed.
Saerileth snatched them up. “Edible oils.”
Darien laughed. Of course she would know.
“And I know where to dine first.” Saerileth crawled forward like a hunting cat, and when she reached the edge of the bed where Darien stood, she uncorked the vial and poured its contents all over his cock.
Chapter Nine
Saerileth glanced over the harem wing once more. All of the personal effects of the concubines were gone, and Saerileth allowed herself a smile. Soon the other concubines themselves would be gone. She did not think that a man like Darien would have had no lovers prior to meeting her. He was much her senior, twice her age, and he had been a full-grown man when she was born. She herself had had four trainers to teach her the ways of sex. But that did not mean that she had to like, or even want to see, the other women in Darien’s life.
Or the other men. Saerileth found Kamen a more frightening rival than any of Darien’s concubines. Darien loved Kamen; they were best friends and had saved each other’s lives. Kamen had been Darien’s first mate for years.
“Lotus?” Lia spoke with more diffidence than she had ever shown Saerileth before.
“Yes, Lia?” Saerileth turned to face the Vadal woman. This past week had been busy, full of preparations for the removal of the other concubines, as well as planning for the Princess Royal’s celebration, and it had been easy to avoid Lia.
“When we are … upriver, will you tell the master about what I have done?”
Saerileth eyed Lia. The older woman’s breath was uneven, her pupils dilated. Though she stood still and did not fidget, still Saerileth could see the terror in her.
“If I hear unsatisfactory accounts of you, or if it is to his interest to know, then yes. Otherwise, you have hope of continuing to live under the master’s protection.”
“Thank you, Lotus.” The fear lessened, but it did not dissipate entirely.
“Now go. The others are waiting.”
“Yes, Lotus.” Lia walked out into the street in front of the house, and Saerileth followed, anxious to see that all her instructions had been carried out.
Six guards, all strong and well-armed, stood at the head of the procession, and three brought up the rear. The four concubines were safely and comfortably accommodated in a large litter, borne by six litter bearers. Two donkeys carried the provisions. They would not go long by litter, though, Saerileth knew. Once they reached the Sweetwater River they would transfer to a barge. They would go by barge upriver for four days, and only then would they return to using the litter for the last two days of the journey. Saerileth had traced over the route on a map a dozen times, and each time she wished only that they were going yet farther away.
Darien was out of the house, visiting the docks, so Saerileth had chosen this time for the other concubines to leave. She did not want him to be disturbed by their departure, nor did she want him to miss them.
The giggling sounds faded as the litter left, and Saerileth smiled to herself as she reentered the house. Those women, girls, really, despite their being older than Saerileth, were gone. This was her house now. Darien shared it with her alone, and she would have it in perfect order by the time he returned from the docks.
“Lotus?” Aben’s voice broke through Saerileth’s reverie.
“Yes?” She appraised him as he spoke to her. He had never shown her anything but respect and deference, but she saw, too, that he was hiding an emotion, probably anxiety.
“Are you not going with them?”
“Why should I go with them?” asked Saerileth, narrowing her eyes. “The master wishes me to remain.”
“But if you wanted to go, he would not hold you here.” Aben’s worry was no longer hidden. “And surely you will need at least some respite from him?”
Saerileth’s eyes flashed. “If your attitude toward the master is such that you can call separation from him ‘respite’ rather than ‘torment’, you ought to be dismissed!” But even as she spoke, Saerileth knew what had provoked Aben’s suggestion. A large, hand-shaped bruise on her left hip was clearly visible through her translucent linen gown.
“I did not mean to offend, Lotus.” Aben bowed his apology.
“Make certain that the harem wing is converted to guest rooms, except for the room off the balcony. That should be made into a breakfast room.” Saerileth pretended Aben had not brought up the idea of her departure. “And have milk and strawberries chilled for the master’s return.”
Aben bowed and vanished back into the house. Saerileth sighed. Darien would need to hire a full-time housekeeper, as Aben’s responsibilities were too numerous now that Darien lived in his own house. Saerileth knew that simply purchasing a half-dozen slaves would be easier, but she knew equally that Darien would not want slaves. So a household staff with full-time housekeeper it would have to be.
Saerileth sat down at the table on the balcony. The room behind her had been the primary harem chamber, and she had hated it. Now she found it soothing, and she opened Darien’s account books with a good will. Her anal plug was uncomfortable, but it was much larger than the one she had started with a week previous. She estimated that she ought, if she kept to her plan, be able to take Darien’s cock within the next few days. Pride brightened her eyes. She would give him something he had never had before, and it would still be far less than what her love wanted to give.
****
“Saeri?”
The afternoon had worn away, and the sun was low and red. Saerileth heard Darien’s voice, and she ran to him, clinging to him as she always did upon his return.
Darien laughed. “Did you think I had gone aboard ship and sailed away without you?”
Saerileth leaned her head against Darien’s breast. “I knew you wouldn’t leave me behind, but I have wondered if you wanted to sail again.”
“No.” Darien’s voice was clear and decisive. “I like sailing, and I want to take you up to some of the cities I’ve visited – but I don’t ever want to go back to the navy.”
Saerileth nestled against Darien, enjoying his nearness. “Did anyone know anything more of Lord Ahnok’s assault on the Dimadan?”
“No.” Darien leaned down and pressed his lips to her brow. “I’m sorry, Saerileth.”
Saerileth pressed herself more tightly against him. “We will learn the truth of it.” In the week since he had told her of the secrecy of Ulen’s mission, that there was no record of it, Darien had been going out daily to meet with old friends and acquaintances who had been under Ulen’s command. No one knew anything at all.
Something brushed against Saerileth’s thoughts, something about no one knowing. How could no one know? The something vanished again directly, and Saerileth did not attempt to grasp the idea. Chasing it would only cause it to disappear more thoroughly. Instead, she smiled at Darien. He had devoted himself to her cause, to her vengeance, as though it were his own.
“If it please you, Darien, to go to the garden, I have milk and strawberries for you.”
“I prefer these strawberries.” Darien tweaked her nipple through the thin linen. “But I’ll go to the garden.”
Saerileth carried the food out herself, and she seated herself next to Darien, joining him in dangling her feet into the clear water of the pool. Darien’s house overlooked the sea, and the ocean breeze was delightfully cool after the heat of the day. She popped a strawberry into Darien’s mouth, and he laughed at her obvious pleasure.
“We’re to go to the Princess Royal’s festival tomorrow,” said Darien once the strawberry was swallowed.
“Yes.” Saerileth licked the strawberry juice from Darien’s lips. “I have been looking up the protocol on how to address her.”
“Wouldn’t I just call her ‘Your Grace’?” asked Darien. “Like I would the king?”
“No, for she is not the queen. To call her ‘Your Grace’ would be a veiled insult, throwing it up to her that she is not the king’s wife.”
“What should I call her then?” Darien nipped another strawberry from Saerileth’s fingers.
“Call her ‘Highness’.” Saerileth loved the tiny nibbles Darien gave to her fingertips as he ate from her hands. “Not ‘Your Royal Highness’, though, for that was the title she held in her father’s house, and to call her by that would be to ignore her position as the king’s concubine.”
“It would be easier if she were the queen.” Darien skimmed his hand along Saerileth’s side.
“Yes, and why is she not? I know that the Sunjaa have always held that Sunjaa may wed only Sunjaa, but why did not His Grace abrogate that law when he sealed the peace?”
“You know a lot about our politics, Saeri.” Darien’s caress turned to tickling. “Why?”
“Because the primary patrons of the guild are Sunjaa. We must know how to interact, how to behave, how to speak, for we might be at any time summoned for an evening like the one tomorrow.”
“So you’d likely have gone to the celebration tomorrow even without me.” Darien’s long, strong fingers roved over Saerileth’s body, and she only hoped that he did not roam toward her ass. She was still plugged, trying as she was to advance as quickly as possible in anal exploits, and she did not want him to discover her plan before she was ready to take him.
“Possibly.” She wriggled around, trying to escape his tickling fingers. “But I would not have enjoyed it without you.” She kissed his cheek. “But tell me – for these sorts of things I do not know – why did the king not change the law? He has the power to do so.”
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