by M. D. Grimm
“As you wish.” Kartez tipped his hat to both of us. “I’ll see if I can get started on those jobs you gave me. Many of my contacts are here.”
“I appreciate it.”
Kartez gave us both one last look before walking back to the row boat. We watched silently as he made his way back to his ship.
“I like him,” I said after a moment. “Even if he does keep offering himself to us.”
“That’s his charm.” Morgorth chuckled and led the way to the main docks. The atmosphere was similar to the one before, with noise, bartering, brawls, and ships. With each step I felt better, my legs became steadier, and my stomach stopped churning. I began to feel like my old self. Thank the Hunter and the Mother!
Morgorth lead us to a small house not far from the docks. It was separated a little from the rest of the shops and markets and I realized why a moment later. Next to it stood a huge stable. I managed to make out a large sign standing next to the house with a picture of a horse and coin. I realized visitors could rent horses there. Morgorth haggled before paying a reasonable price and we were given one black and one gray horse. Both were beautiful and steady. I didn’t have much experience with horses, although I knew how to ride one. I murmured to the mare, Fili, and rubbed her snout before mounting. To my surprise and pleasure, Morgorth looked just as comfortable with horses. He spoke to his horse as well, a gelding named Lax, before easily leaping onto the saddle. I smiled over at him. He noticed.
“Master Ulezander,” was all he said. It was all he needed to say. We turned the horses toward the main road but Morgorth turned around in the saddle, gazing at the port.
“What is it?”
“I just...I never thought I’d come back here. I swore I never would.” He shook his head. “I still remember what I felt when I stood at the dock, having just finished my first tour of training with Uzzie. I was so angry at everyone and everything. I wanted to leave it all behind, to just forget about it.” He sighed heavily and clicked his tongue. We started moving again.
“Where is Master Ulezander’s hall located?” I asked, trying to keep his mind on happier things.
Morgorth pointed to his right. “Muelsel lies far north of here, right before the Rafnen ring of mountains. It was always cold up there.” Then he looked left, as if seeing something I didn’t. “The White Tower is south.”
My eyebrows rose. The White Tower was the meeting place for mages; more specifically, the Council of Mages and the Hand. The ten most powerful and influential mages of the current age made up the council, and they created the rules that governed their people. The rules made by the council were upheld by the Hand, which consisted of five of the council members; they were the punishers, sometimes the executioners. It was they who had condemned Morgorth to death after Master Ulezander found him. Master Ulezander saved Morgorth that day when the Hand had come for him. Now Master Ulezander was on the council and one of the Hand, making him in the best position possible to help Morgorth.
We raced along the road, the landscape mostly farmlands with a few grassy fields and small forests popping up now and then. Herd animals behind fences often came into view. We passed other travelers of varying sorts, but no one gave us mind. We stopped several times, mostly to give the horses a break, and I began to notice Morgorth growing ever more silent and pale. He was traveling inward, distancing himself from me. I suspected he was preparing himself for the encounter with his brother, but I couldn’t allow him to shut me out completely.
Toward midday, we sat under a tree and finished our lunches. There was a stream nearby where the horses drank. There was no one on the road, and without warning, I pounced. Morgorth gasped as I tackled him to the ground and kissed him heatedly, lying fully on top of him. He gripped my arms, struggling at first to remove me. But I knew his willpower when it came to myself was sorely wanting. I counted on it. Soon, Morgorth was greedily taking my kisses, his arms holding me tight, his fingers digging into my back. I continued the kiss, changing the angle, pushing my tongue into his mouth. We both wanted this, yearned for this, and it seemed like ages since I’d felt so good. I slid my fingers into his hair, massaging his scalp, and he moaned and spread his legs, rubbing his groin against mine. I shivered, growing hard, but still I kept it to a kiss. I needed him to feel me, to know I was still here, still beside him. He needed to trust me. When I pulled back, his lips were swollen, color was high in his cheeks, and his eyes were glazed.
He swallowed several times before speaking. “What was that for?”
“You didn’t like it?”
Morgorth snorted and jerked his hips up. I felt his substantial bulge brush against my thigh. “You know I did.”
I smiled, still holding him down. “You were pulling away from me. Please don’t do that.”
He frowned. “I wasn’t, not really. I’m just...” He sighed and closed his eyes. “This is going to be hard, Aishe. Really hard. I have to do what I can to survive it.”
I realized then I truly had no inkling of what this was doing to him. I’d had a loving and adoring family. Morgorth had hate and abuse. Family meant love and fun to me. Family to Morgorth meant pain and misery. I couldn’t help him by understanding, but I would do what I could to ease some of his pain.
“Just remember, Morgorth, I’m here. You don’t have to close yourself off. I’ll listen if you need to talk, I’ll spar with you if you need to fight. And I’ll love you when you start to think no one does.”
Morgorth smiled, and when he opened his eyes they were soft and wet, his emotions naked and exposed. I hugged him close, and he nuzzled my neck. He took a deep breath.
“You’ll protect me, won’t you?” His tone was teasing, but I could hear the seriousness in the question.
“You know I will.” I kissed him lightly before sitting up. I noticed he was still hard and decided to do something about it. But even as I cupped him, about to untie his trousers, it was his turn to pounce.
He had me out and in his mouth in an instant and my back arched, his warm mouth igniting fires in my gut. He gripped my hips and took me all the way in, sucking hard, demanding my orgasm. When he fondled my balls, I couldn’t breathe; when he sucked on my tip, I went blind. But when he stroked my small hole with his finger while fondling and sucking, the sensations were too much. I exploded in his mouth, crying out his name. I loved it when he took control and dominated me. I relished it when he forced pleasure on me. It had been my earliest fantasy as a young lad, and it would always please me to know reality was even better than fantasy.
Morgorth drank me down before moving up my body, planting small kisses along my thighs and torso. Then he reached my mouth, and I kissed him with all the energy I could muster. When he pulled back, I sighed in pure blissed-out joy. But then I saw the serious light in his eyes, and I blinked myself out of euphoria.
“How did I survive a day without you?”
I realized he was asking seriously but I couldn’t answer. I only shook my head. He laid his forehead against mine, twining a lock of my hair around his finger. I couldn’t help but grow anxious when he became like this. He had so much going on in that head of his, so many demons, so much darkness to fight against to see the light. He had a deep ball of rage inside, one I wondered if I would ever reach. But if I did, would he still be the mage I loved? Perhaps that rage was simply part of who he was. Yet I hoped I made his struggle easier, if only a little.
“I’ve put so much weight on you, ever since you came into my life,” he said. I opened my mouth to protest but he silenced me with a finger to my lips. “Let me finish.”
I nodded.
“I have darkness inside me, Aishe. You’ve seen it. I can’t say if I was born with it, or if it was instilled in me by the torture. I don’t know. But it’s there and it’s never going away. You know this, and I’ve told you all about it, and still, you handle it all with the grace and elegance so innate to your spirit.”
My face heated, and I feared I was blushing. I was pleased by his w
ords but also humbled. Sometimes I wondered if he could understand I really, essentially, never had a choice. I loved him. I was his. Always and forever.
“But despite what you know about me, we’re going to a place where you’ll learn a lot more. More than I want you to know.”
He sat up and leaned against the tree. I retied my leggings before sitting across from him. Not wanting to lose contact, I touched his knee. He was pale again, his eyes haunted, and he rubbed his mouth, looking at something I couldn’t see. I wasn’t sure I wanted to.
“I was a victim, Aishe. This is where it all started. We’re going back to the beginning, you and I. And I’m scared.” He met my eyes, and I saw the spark of anger, but this time, it was directed at himself. “I’m fucking terrified, Aishe. I hate myself for it. I’m a powerful dark mage and that bastard still has the ability to make me shake in my boots.” He sprang to his feet, and his eyes glowed, his fists bursting into flame. I rose as well, eyeing him warily.
“I’m weak, a fucking coward. He can’t do anything to me, not if I don’t let him. And still, it’s taking all my strength not to turn tail and run.”
The flame grew hotter, bigger. I felt it from where I stood. But I stared resolutely at Morgorth’s face, letting him vent his anger. I told him I would listen, and I would. But as for being a coward, Morgorth was so far from it, it was laughable to think otherwise.
“If he has a stone of power,” Morgorth said, his voice cold, with an edge to the words, “I will kill him. I swear to the Mother and the Hunter. I should have destroyed him years ago, but I’m about to remedy that mistake.” Morgorth pinned me with his gaze, his eyes an amber fire. “You have to promise me, swear to me, that when the time comes you will step back. You won’t try and stop me. Swear it.”
I swallowed hard, breathing carefully. He looked so fierce, but also wounded. Once again, it struck me acutely that I had no idea what he felt, what he experienced. Who was I to judge?
I nodded. “I swear, Morgorth. I will not interfere in what you feel you need to do.”
He nodded and closed his eyes. He stopped glowing, the fire vanished. Then he let out a large breath. “We should get moving.”
I glanced down at his groin. “Damn, I wanted to return the favor.”
Morgorth frowned for a moment but then he followed the direction of my gaze. He’d softened. He grinned slightly. “There’ll be time to make up for it.”
“Good. Now, let’s find the horses.”
Chapter Six
Morgorth
The closer we got to the heart of the Zentha kingdom, a large city named Illum, the more I recognized my surroundings. The mountains in the distance were scenery I’d always gazed at, wondering if I could ever escape to them and hide. The forests were barely visible at their base. Olyvre had given me directions to his home in the letter, and I was relieved it wasn’t our old farm. I didn’t think I could have managed to gather the strength to journey back to that cursed place. No, his farm was kirons from Illum, and farther south than our old farm.
At the thought of him, I began to wonder about his life. Was he married? Did he have contact with our other brothers? How different was he from the lad I’d known as a child? I should know better than anyone the years changed everyone.
As we reached the top of a steep hill, Aishe got his first look at Illum. Even I had to take a moment. The city was vast with stone walls surrounding it, the towers thrusting toward the sky, somehow portraying arrogance. The outlying farms outside the city belonged to Zentha, but all the politicians, royalty, and merchants gathered at Illum. The palace rose up above all other buildings, proclaiming its dominance. I’d been to the city a handful of times in my earlier years with Master Ulezander, but it didn’t seem to have changed. It was still busy, swarming with seelas and a scattering of other humanoid creatures. The noise of the place reached us despite our distance.
“It’s so big,” Aishe said softly.
“Aye, it is.” I clicked my tongue and the horse obediently proceeded forward. “We’ll find an inn and then visit Olyvre.”
The gates were open and we easily walked through. Only during a war did the guards close the gates. Otherwise, the freedom to enter and exit was granted to all. The horses weren’t very pleased with the noise and we ended up walking, guiding them. Merchants and regular citizens bumped and yelled at us, around us, but I was more worried about the prevalent pickpockets. I was pleased to notice Aishe kept a hand on his money pouch.
I scanned signs along the small buildings, looking for inns with stables. We weren’t harassed—at least no more than any other visitor. The marketplace was right in front of the gates. The pounding of the blacksmiths was prevalent, and it was steady enough to almost dance to. The large homes of the politicians and royalty were farther back, closer to the palace. The crafters usually lived above their shops. No one recognized me, which wasn’t a surprise. They’d hardly recognize me as the small boy who’d killed a seela in a pub when he was only seven years old. I did get looks, but probably for my odd clothing more than anything. Aishe got more, since not many dialen frequented such a city and, well, he was a gorgeous creature.
“There.” I pointed once I found an inn that looked suitable. I noticed a stable behind it.
But as we approached, and as I tried to walk around a group of giggling young seela females, a very tall someone stepped up and blocked my path. I froze, my insides lurching. But even as my mind scrambled, I gestured with my left hand; a subtle gesture Aishe read quickly. We developed several communication techniques that didn’t involve words. He stepped behind my left side with his horse since my left side was generally my shielding side. If I had to fight, I wanted him where I could shield him. I hoped to the Mother that wouldn’t be necessary, but it all depended on the very annoying mage standing in front of me.
An elder of the Council of Mages.
I stood up straighter and lifted my chin. “Elder Elorn.” I inclined my head, though perhaps not as deeply as I should have.
He wore robes of purple with the symbol of the council—seven golden rings—on his chest. His hair was long and silver, his beard equally so, while his eyes were a cold, dull green that always showed boredom or disgust with what he looked at. His body was lean, his face sharp and angled like a bird of prey, and he had his lip curled in distaste as he beheld me.
“Morgorth”—he didn’t incline his head—“what art thou doing in my kingdom?”
Great, he was going to use the frilly language of the royals. Figures. Jackass.
“The freedom to go where I wish hasn’t been taken from me,” I said, my voice coldly polite. “And as I am a free mage, you may not bar me from entering a kingdom or city you happen to reside in.”
He smirked. “It is well thou rememberst our laws, Morgorth, for if thou breakest even one during thy visit here, I will break thou.”
I felt Aishe tense behind me. I kept my face impassive, my eyes flat. I gave him nothing.
“That won’t be necessary,” I said with an ease I didn’t feel. “I’m simply showing my mate where I used to live. Surely, there is no crime in that?”
Elder Elorn briefly turned his gaze on Aishe and looked him up and down with deliberate insult. I didn’t have to look at Aishe to know his face was blank as well. Aishe had a better poker face than I did.
“Yes, I had indeed heard thou foundest thyself a mate. I dare say, I never imagined there would be such a creature who would willingly bind themselves to thou. It saddens me to learn there is one so idiotic.”
A muscle in my jaw twitched and it was a struggle to keep my magick down. I knew he was baiting me, and he was doing it very well, but I couldn’t give him an excuse. Despite my strength and skill, he still out-magicked me. He was on Master Ulezander’s level, and though I’d defeated my mentor once, I doubted I could do it again. Besides, the political ramifications of fighting and perhaps killing this bastard were more than I wanted to contemplate, let alone invite. He’d be more of a nui
sance to me dead than alive. I sorely didn’t want to bring the entire council down on my head. I had to stay on my mission.
“You are allowed your opinion,” I said briskly, starting to move around him. “But I did not come here to see you, so if you would be so kind as to excuse us.”
I gestured Aishe to go ahead of me. He kept the horse between him and the mage, causing Elder Elorn to stumble back, scowling. Aishe made toward the inn, and I began to follow him, but Elder Elorn, though he didn’t touch me, came close enough to. I stiffened and met his eyes head-on.
“I know what you are,” he whispered, his voice strained. His eyes flashed with fire and the desire for a fight. “You harm anyone in my kingdom, and I will bring my wrath down upon you.”
I narrowed my eyes. He’d changed to the common speech. To his way of thinking, he was descending to my level as if I was a rat found in the gutter. Or worse, a bit of offal on his shoe.
“If thou wouldst pardon me,” I said, the mocking tone evident. I sidestepped him and walked purposely toward the inn. Sweat pooled at the base of my spine as I tried to contain my jitters. I waited until we were at the front door of the inn before looking over my shoulder. He was gone, and I let out a large breath.
“Charming fellow,” Aishe said acidly.
“Yes. He was incredibly charming when he tried to kill me.”
Aishe’s eyes widened. “He’s one of the Hand?”
I nodded and handed him the reins of my horse. “I’ll get us a room and the horses a place in the stables. Wait here.”
***
Elder Elorn had shaken me and that pissed me off. We set our things in our room before settling in the pub to eat. It was full of patrons, all of lower stature given the state of their clothes and common speech. Jigs played now and again, or a jaunty song was taken up. The atmosphere was lively and friendly, but we made sure to pick a table in the corner, and while we didn’t avoid anyone, we made sure not to meet anyone’s eyes.
