Chapter Seventeen

A low bell chime is what pulls me up from the inky blackness of sleep. I’m lying on my stomach over Khazak’s chest, my ass too sore for any other position. His body shifts underneath me, and I grumble a complaint as my very comfortable pillow moves out from under me. Five mor e minutes.

Whatever he’s doing, the bell chimes stop. He moves back to the center of the bed, and I throw my arm over his waist to keep him in place. His arm slips over mine, his hand stroking its way down my back. I’m just about to fall back asleep when that hand drifts farther south and strokes over the inflamed skin on my ass. I hiss when it make s contact.

“I hope a certain puppy has learned not to provoke me, lest he end up with a sore rump.” He chuckles and gives me a squeeze, making me try to move forward away from his hand.

“Didn’t learn nothin’,” I mumble against his chest, eyes still closed. “What was th at noise?”

“My alarm.” I make a grumbling noise. Alarms are stupid. “As much as I would love another lazy morning in bed with you, we have a busy day ahead of us.” The hand goes back to stroking my back. “You need to make a good impression on your f irst day.”

I whine into his skin. Whose idea was it for me to w ork again?

“I was also considering a repeat performance of yesterday’s morning ac tivities.”

That gets my attention. I squeeze myself against his body for a moment, making sure to grind my hard length against him before I pull away, stretching and finally openin g my eyes.

“Morning, Sir.” I rub the sleep from my eyes as they adjust to the dimly lit room.

“Good morning, pup.” He looks down at my erection. “Is that all it takes to get yo u moving?”

“I am a simple man, Sir,” I respond. “Now what was this I heard about a repeat?”

With another chuckle, he sits up and moves to the edge of the bed. He snaps his fingers and points between his spread legs. “Kneel ing rest.”

It takes me a moment to register the order—that it even is an order—but once it does, I move from the bed and sink to my knees between his legs, hands behind my back. Right in front of me is his cock, lying hard against his thigh, green head peeking through the hood of his foreskin. I look up to await my n ext order.

“Seeing as we have a time limit, I am going to be more ‘hands on’ this time,” he says with a smirk that tells me that is definitely not the only reason. I am okay with that. His hand moves to the back of my head, pulling me near my target.

“I think you have already figured out the most important objective: being mindful of your teeth.” He grips his dick in one hand, pointing it at my approaching face. “We will start working to reduce your gag ref lex next.”

The already-wet head of his cock bumps against my lips, and I open them automatically. A familiar taste hits my tongue as the hand on my head beckons me farther down his shaft, more guiding than pushing. Once I feel his cock nearly reach the back of my throat, he changes his grip and begins pullin g me back.

We move a little faster the next time, and then again on the next, and the next, until I’m steadily bobbing up and down on the first few inches of his cock. Each time he pulls me back, I try to swirl my tongue around his cockhead, making the appendage twitch nicely before I sink back down it. My jaw is already starting to feel the burn of being stretched open, but I don’t le t it show.

“Good boy.” My eyes go up, my belly warm at the praise. “We are going to work on taking me deeper now, alright?”

He doesn’t wait for an answer before pulling me down farther on the next stroke. I can feel his cock tickling my throat, and I tense up when I know what’s coming. On the next round, he drags my head down even more and pushes his cock into my throat—and holds me there. I gag almost immediately, but I’ve got nowh ere to go.

“Fight against the urge to gag and remember to breathe through your nose.” He finally releases me, allowing me to pull off completely. The hand that was in my hair moves to cup my chin, his thumb stroking over my lips. “I know it is difficult, but unfortunately, the only real way to take care of your gag reflex is to fuck it ou t of you.”

I whimper, the dirty talk going straight to my dick. Then his hand is back in my hair, and he’s once again filling my mouth and throat. He repeats the same process as before, each time holding himself in my throat a little longer. He never quite lets me pull all the way off, instead having me nurse on his head when I need to catch my breath. My cock is so hard it aches, but I don’t dare remove my hands from behind my back to touch it. I’m so focused on what I’m doing, I barely even register the pain coming from my sp anked ass.

Once I am able to hold him in my throat long enough for his liking, he changes back to his earlier tactic of moving me up and down his length at a steady pace. Only now he’s got the added benefit of being able to pull me down a few extra inches. I’m still only taking just over half his length, but if the muttered litany of praises and what I assume are Orcish curses coming from above me are any indication, he doesn’t mind. Each time I make out a “good boy,” my cock jumps a little.

My jaw is really getting sore, but I wouldn’t complain even if I could, and things are starting to get messy. I can feel the drool that’s been pooling leaking down the sides of my mouth, even dripping onto my chest. The hand in my hair is gripping me tightly, and I don’t even attempt to move on my own, content for my owner to move me how h e pleases.

My jaw and throat get a rest when I am pulled off of his cock completely, only to be shoved face first into his balls. I groan as the scent of his musk over whelms me.

“Lick,” comes the single-wor d command.

I press my face farther into him, testing these new waters with small, tentative licks. His skin tastes salty but not unpleasant, and combined with his natural scent, it doesn’t take long to drive me crazy. Soon I’m practically bathing his testicles with my tongue, eagerly lapping at one and then the other, his hair lightly scratching at my face. Above me, I can hear the steady schlick of his hand stroking up and down his cock, lubricated with my saliva. I manage to suck one his balls into my mouth entirely, clumsily attempting to run my tongue along it in my overstuffed mouth. I repeat this on his other side, before the hand is back in my hair, and I am pulled away once more.

Khazak stuffs his cock back into my mouth and resumes the pace of our earlier face-fucking like it never ceased. It only takes me a second to adjust, then I’m right back in it with him, his cock stretching my mouth and throat each time I’m plunged down. Just about the only other thing I can think of is how hard I am. I bet it’ll only take a few strokes before I explode e verywhere.

I suddenly hear a growl from above me, and the hand in my hair slows my movements. Then I feel his dick getting even bigger, and I’m pulled back until only a couple of inches remain inside. A green hand reaches down to wrap around the rest of the appendage, and as the first salty shot hits my tongue, I realize he’ s cumming.

The hand in my hair tenses with each shot, holding me in place as my mouth fills up rapidly. The salty taste is familiar, and I try to swallow as fast as I can, but there’s just too much, and some winds up leaking out of the side of my mouth—and he’s still not done shooting. There are more growls and shudders as he finishes before he releases my head and allows me to pull all the way off and catch my breath. Hey, no choking this time!

I’m quickly pulled up from my knees and onto his lap, his mouth finding mine as my arms wrap around his neck. No way he can’t taste himself after that. His hands find my ass and squeeze the sore flesh, making me whimper into the kiss. My dick is rock hard and the added pain coming from my butt being manipulated only seems to make it harder. I am so fucked up, and I so d on’t care.

“Does my puppy want to cum?” His voice is low and hot in my ear. One of the hands on my ass moves around to grasp my dick, making me hump u p into it.

“Yes pleaaaaase, Sir.” I try to grind against hi s stomach.

“Then it is a shame he is still being punished.” He’s what now? The hand leaves my dick as fast as i t came in.

“What?” My eyes shoot open and I’m met with a smi rk. What!?

“I do not believe I stuttered.” Both hands are back on my ass, making me squirm.

Without thinking, I bring one of my own down to my dick. “Touch that and you will regret it.” I freeze.

“But... But—!” I look from his face to my dick and then back. “You can’t be serious!”

He leans into my ear again. “I told you I do not enjoy being manipulated, David.” He pulls back to speak to me in a normal voice. “I think this will serve as a good reminder. Besides, you did say you enjoyed when I was the one ‘calling the shots,’ correct?”

My hand is only inches from my dick, and it would be so easy to grab it and finish myself off. Especially since everything he’s saying is still turning me on. I want to cum so badly, but being told I can’t is only making me harder. Fuck . With a frustrated huff, I let my hand drop to the side.

“Good boy.” He leans forward to give me a gentle kiss. “If you can manage to behave yourself today, there will be a reward waiting for you when we get home.”

That perks my interest. I (and my ass) remember the last time he rewarded me with his tongue. I bite my lip and nod. “ Yes, Sir.”

“Then it is time to get ready for your first day.” He slides me off his lap and stands, grabbing his alarm and putting it back in its drawer. He showed me it before bed last night. It looks like a sundial on one side, and you just turn the ridge in the center to point to your desired wake up time, and that’s it. The sound it makes is a lot more pleasant than any alarm I’ve used in the past.

Khazak leads the way to the bathroom, making us shower separately so there aren’t any distractions, and I pout while taking the first one. He takes care of trimming his beard and brushing his teeth, and when I’m done showering , we swap.

We move back to the bedroom to get dressed. I don’t really think anything of Khazak pulling out a simple blue shirt and brown pants for me, but the flash of nervousness I catch on his face when he adds a blue thong to the pile clues me in that something is up. He’s not testing me, but he doesn’t know if this is something I’m okay with. We didn’t talk about it yesterday.

Lucky for him these things kinda grew on me. He kinda grew on me . I reach forward and grab the thong, slipping it on wordlessly with a shy smile, and making him relax while he pulls on the leather armor that makes up his uniform. The big contrast between our outfits makes me remember how we met. I suddenly find myself wondering if I need to be better equipped fo r the day.

After making a joke about how I’ve already been fed, we have a really quick breakfast of grilled fish (again). When we’re finished, we grab some of Rurig’s leftovers for lunch and make our way to the station. The walk there is busy; everyone we pass seems to want to greet Khazak now that he’s in his full uniform. Most don’t pay me any mind.

I can see the station off in the distance, and as we approach the building, I get a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. The last two times I was here weren’t for anything good. I can only imagine what the orcs inside have been saying about me in the time since. The idea that I’ll be working here is also bringing back some choice memories of the academy I’d rather just st ay buried.

Sensing my discomfort, Khazak leans over and puts a hand on my shoulder reassuringly. “It will be alright, David. Clean slate, remember?”

I nod. I remember. I’m just not sure his co-workers will be as forgiving as he is.

When we walk inside, everyone seems to freeze, all eyes turning to Captain Ironstorm. They all stand, eager to greet their leader as he returns to work. I try to hang back silently, but it’s not long before the attention is turned to me. I’m introduced to orc after orc: Officer Boldhammer, Ranger Bronzeaxe, Officer Frostsong. I really try to remember everyone’s names, but there’s just no way I’m going to get them all.

Everything goes pretty well until I’m face to face with two rangers that look oddly familiar, and I realize it’s because they’re the two orcs I fought back in the ruins. Rangers Deepfist and Firedrum don’t look terribly impressed to see me, but both seem to accept my stammered-out apology, probably because their boss is right behind me. Eventually we reach the back of the building, and the new faces stop appearing. Khazak pokes his head into an open office and waves while I s tand back.

“Ragnar.” Khazak turns to look at me. “I think you will remember Deputy Captain Rockfang.”

“Khazak, good to have you back.” I poke my head around Khazak’s torso to see the brown-haired orc responsible for my capture the other night. “There is a pile of paperwork on y our desk.”

“Of course there is.” He sighs. “Just wanted to say good morning and introduce my new assistant.” He reaches for me, pulling me into Ragnar’s line of vision.

“Good to see you, David.” He leans back in his chair a little. “I trust we will not have any issues with keys while you are here?”

There’s a smart-ass comment on the tip of my tongue, but I hold it in, knowing it’ll only get me in trouble. I want that reward. “No, sir.”

He smiles at that. Khazak nods a goodbye and leads us across the hall to a closed door which opens to another office: his. It’s pretty much just like the other one, a large desk in the center with chairs on either side and a couch against one wall. One of the walls has a sword in its scabbard and a longbow hanging from it while another has a large animal skin. There’s a small lantern and something framed on the desk, as well as a stack of papers in t he center.

Khazak takes a seat in the big chair behind the desk while I grab one in front. He flips through the top of the stack and sighs. “This may take a while.”

“Do you have to fill all those out?” Seems a little beneath him, assuming their ranks are simila r to ours.

“Most just need a signature.” He opens a drawer to pull out a pen and ink. “Though I am certain Ragnar did not make things any easier for me. The man hates p aperwork.”

“Who likes it?” No one I’d trust. “So... What is it I will be doing here, exactly?”

“Oh, yes.” He reaches over his desk to grab a mug. “Would you mind getting me some coffee?” He holds it out for me, smirking.

I stare at the proffered mug, offended. “Are you kid—”

“I promise I did not bring you here just to get my coffee, David.” He sets the mug down on the edge of the desk with a chuckle and starts signing some of the papers. “Seeing as I am the one who arrested you, you already know that I am the head of the city’s law enforcement. Our forces are split between two stations, this one and another about a mile east of here. Between them, we have approximately one-hundred officers and fifty rangers, and I am in charge of them all.”

“That’s a lot of people.” Not as many as we had at the academy, but still.

“Indeed. Thankfully, there are two deputy captains to assist me, one based at each station. Deputy Captain Rockfang here and Deputy Captain Keenguard at the other. I sometimes work out of the other station, but as this one is closer to home, I am usually here. That will also apply to you. The officers handle most of the smaller day-to-day problems in the city, but more specialized issues are dealt with by the rangers.” He’s almost robotically signing the papers one after the other while he explains. “About half of what I do is administration, things like coordinating officers and signing paperwork. The other half is handling some of the more serious and high-profile crimes reported. When we are not here, you will be accompanying me on most of my ass ignments.”

“I’m actually going to be going out with you?” I look down at the mug. I was hoping he’d just have me doing busy work around here. “Is that allowed?”

“It is a bit of a grey area.” He pauses his signing to look at me. “You are technically considered an extension of myself, but you have no actual authority. You do not have the power to interrogate or arres t anyone.”

“What exactly will I be able to do?” Still not any clearer on what I’m here for.

“Plenty, which I will be happy to go over with you as soon as I finish with these.” He looks at the stack and sighs. “I would actually appreciate some coffee. Please.” He looks apologetic at least.

“Yes, Sir,” I say with a little bit of a grumble. “Whe re is it?”

“Take a left from my office and then left again down the next hallway.” He points with his finger. “You will see an open door on the right. That is the b reakroom.”

“Be right back.” I pick up the mug and make my exit. I guess we’ll see if this place is anything like home. I hope not.

The breakroom isn’t difficult to find, and on the counter, I spot a large metal coffee kettle, steam rising from the tip. There’s no oven or hot plate, but I actually know the reason this time: an enchanted kettle. The ones we used at the academy looked different, but I’m sure these function the same. You fill it with water, add in the grounds (or tea leaves, blech ), shut the lid, and five minutes later, you’ve got a hot pot of coffee. I hope the gods blessed the enchanter who came up with that one. I fill the mug and manage to find the sugar when I hear someone enter the room behind me.

I turn to look and see an elf standing in the doorway. “There you are,” he says, walking toward me.

“Here I am?” I back into the counter behind me.

“Nice to finally meet you, David.” He holds out his hand. “I’m Nylan.” He does look kind of familiar.

“How do you know my—ah!” I’m pulled in for a hug. Who the hell is this guy? Wait! “You’re the elf I saw in the marketplace the o ther day!”

“Wow, okay. One, I saw you first, and two, I’m only half -elf, thank you very much.” He cocks a hip as he co rrects me.

Way to go, David, offending someone right after they introduce themselves. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“Woah, just kidding.” His tone sobers and he straightens up. “I mean I am half-elf, but… Hit a little close to home?”

“...Let’s just say that part of the reason I’m here is because I might have had some assumptions about certain groups of people and where they lived.” I sheepishly admit. “Wait, you never told me how you know my name.”

“Oh, Ragnar and I have heard all about you.” He quirks his eyebr ows at me.

“You know Ragnar?” That means he probably knows a lot more than the gener al public.

“You could say that.” He reaches into his shirt to pull out a thin gold chain. With a lock. A collar. I take a moment to look him over. He’s about as tall as I am with naturally tanned skin. His black hair is shaved on the sides while the middle is longer and brushed back. His right ear is pierced with a single gold loop and his body is lithe, though I guess all elves are. Wait, was th at racist?

“So, you’re his avakesh.” I shouldn’t be surprised, he is friends with Khazak after all.

“For three years now. Four in two months.” He’s talking about the date of his enslavement like it’s an an niversary.

“Wow and I only just finished my first week.” And will be gone in t wo months.

“A very interesting first week from what I’ve heard.” He’s smirking.

“...What do you know?”

“Pretty much everything. Khazak and Ragnar are best friends—have been their whole lives.” That would explain why Ragnar was so willing to cover for him. “The first thing he did after accepting your challenge was stop by our place to let us know. He wanted us to get go od seats.”

“You guys were there?” So far, other than Brull, I’ve been pretty lucky in not meeting anyone who saw me. Or at least no one else has brought it up yet.

“Front row.” He look s pleased.

“Oh gods.” I bury my face in my hands.

“Hey, I don’t think you have anything to be ashamed of.” He manages to sound supportive and suggestive at the same time. “That was an amazing match. Both the fight and the after-bat tle show.”

“Thanks.” You’d think I’d be over getting embarrassed by this by now, but nope.

“I wanted to hire a choreographer for me and Ragnar’s, but he wouldn’t let me.” He pouts. “Said it all had to be real.”

“That sounds...” Hold on. “Wait, you planned yo ur fight?”

His eyebrows furrow. “Well yeah, we’d been talking about it for like, two years at th at point—”

“You were already together?” His boyfriend ensl aved him?!

There’s more confusion, then a look of realization, and finally a sigh. “Shit, he still hasn’t told you?”

“ Who hasn’t told me what ?” I grit out.

“David I’m not sure I should—”

“Uh-uh. This whole week people have been making it seem like there’s something different or weird about what happened that day, and I know I’ve heard something about Khazak and having plans.” I specifically remember Brull saying they had talked about “plans for this” right after meeting him. “You need to tell me what the hell is go ing. Now .”

“It’s not what you’re thinking, I swear.” He holds his hands out in surrender. “Look, I only hesitate because I think someone else should be tel ling you.”

“Telling me what ?” I’m starting to get f rustrated.

“About the Nagul Uzu’gor .” He bites his lip. “The battle between you and Captain Ironstorm is the first real invocation of the ritual in something like over a hundr ed years.”

“What? What do you mean by ‘real’?” How exactly do you fake something like that?

“Hundreds and hundreds of years ago, before there was ever a city, there were different tribes of orcs fighting for control of the area in the forests,” he starts his explanation, leaning against a table. “The ritual wasn’t a ritual at all. It was more like a game. I don’t know what it was called then. Captured enemies—prisoners of war—would be forced to fight against their captors. If they won, they would be freed and allowed to return to their own tribes. But if they lost, they were forcibly conscripted into the army of whoever had captured them. Usually with added subjugation and hum iliation.”

“Yeah, that part sounds familiar,” I grumble. “Remember? You we re there.”

He ignores my comment, pressing on. “Over time, there was less fighting and warring over land, and the ritual changed into what it is today. It turned into something done between couples of a certain persuasion . It’s almost like getting engaged, but with more sex and tying p eople up.”

“Wait, did we get engaged?” What exactly was that paper I signed with my blood?! “Am I married ?”

“Poor choice of words,” he says it mostly to himself. “I just mean that for couples who have been together for a while, couples who like to do the sorts of things we do, it’s like a commitment ceremony.”

“How do you know I actually like any of this stuff?” He’s making some bold as sumptions.

“Remember? I was there,” he mocks. “There’s plenty of people who like to ‘play’ at these sorts of relationships and keep things much more casual, but these days, the ritual of Steel and Thunder is only ever used by couples, not c riminals.”

“Until me.” The more I learn, the less things m ake sense.

“Until you,” he agrees. “When word got out that the ritual was being invoked by an outsider, a human who had been arrested in the forest, news spr ead fast.”

That would also be why everyone has been talking about it. “Did he plan all this? Did he walk in there knowing what was going t o happen?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know what was going through the man’s head when he accepted the challenge, David. You’ll have to talk to him about that.” He sighs and shrugs. “But—and I really hope I don’t get in trouble for telling you this—I think Khazak has always... admired the idea of one day having an avakesh of his own. He’s talked about it with Ragnar and me before. So if he did have any ‘plans,’ I think that’s all t hey were.”

“And I served myself to him on a silver platter,” I grumble and sip from the coffee cup I’ve been holding in my hands.

“Isn’t that Khazak’s mug?” He nods at my hands.

“Khazak can wait.” And maybe get his own damn co ffee, too.

He laughs at that. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think that’s what’s going on.”

“What makes you say that?” I guess he has known the man longer th an I have.

“Him showing up at our house two nights ago.” The night of our big fight. The night after the “incident.” That must have been where he went before he came back with dinner. “He was really upset. Didn’t give us all the details, but he told us that he’d learned that you weren’t told the truth about certain things surrounding the ritual. He said he’d made a lot of mistakes, that he was worried he’s already wrecked whatever was developing between the two of you. He was just so sad , David. Which was weird because I remembered him being so angry the day before. He said he had to le t you go.”

“That was the gist of it, more or less,” Khazak’s voice cuts in and Nylan spins around, both of us staring as he stands in the doorway. He approaches holding a stack of papers in one hand that he hands to Nylan. “Would you please ask your kavan to stop slipping his paperwork in w ith mine?”

“Yes, sir! I will get right on that.” Nylan nods, eyes wide as he eagerly takes the papers and the opportunit y to exit.

That just leaves me and Khazak. I sip from the mug again, like I’m makin g a point.

“I was wondering what happened to my coffee,” he jokes, trying to break through th e tension.

I stare at him in silence for a moment. “Why didn’t you tell me about the truth about the ritual? Why didn’ t anyone?”

There’s a look of regret on his face before he answers. “I did not mean to keep it from you. Not for this long, at least. There never seemed to be a good time to bring it up, and the longer it went on, the more difficult it became to say anything.”

“You specifically told me that it was something criminals did, that normally someone would only choose it for a crime more serious than mine.” He made it sound like a common occurrence ar ound here.

“That was not a lie. For centuries that really is how the ritual worked,” he continues to explain, though he doesn’t sound very confident. “Even today people still issue challenges when arrested for actual crimes… They are just never accepted.”

“Why did you say yes?” I put the mug down on the counter. “You told me you were going to say no until Redwish talked to you. What made you change y our mind?”

“At first? Anger. I had just come from checking on the injured and the attack was still fresh in my mind. When Redwish described the way you were behaving, the way you demanded the opportunity to do battle... All I could think about was how arrogant you were.” He scratches the back of his head. “I only planned on going in, defeating you, and sending you back to your cell. But when you were lying there, telling me you were trying to kill me, I saw red. That an d well...”

“Well what?” What is he gettin g at here?

He stifles a laugh and looks away, suddenly bashful. “You are an attractive man, David.” My cheeks flush at the unexpected compliment. “That is not an excuse. If anything, it is worse. I allowed my desire to cloud my judgment. I ignored warning signs, ignored my own instincts that something was wrong. I convinced myself that even if you were telling the truth, you deserved what was coming to you.” His form curls in on itself as he continues. “Holding on to that resentment and not being honest with you... It completely drove us apart. I thought that would be the end of it, but then for some reason, despite everything, you still wanted...this. Wanted me. After that, I was worried that telling you might disrupt the small bit of peace we had managed to carve out and then... Here we are.” He struggles to meet my gaze. “I am sorry, David. Are y ou upset?”

“Yes. No. Maybe.” I cross my arms and lean back against the counter. “I wish you had told me.”

“Do you think knowing what you do now would have changed how you feel?” He asks like he’s afraid of what the answe r will be.

“I don’t know.” Maybe not. Or maybe it would have freaked me out even more. “A lot of things make more sense now, I guess. Like why the women at the arena before our fight were so nice.” All the perfumes and oils seem less out of place too. “Or why your family acted like they were meeting your boyfriend the other night makes more sense now. Or how Brull’s shop exist s at all.”

“I understand if this causes you to rethink things between us.” He says it so matter-of-factly I think that’s what he expects me to do. This probably contributed to his hesitation over the last few days.

I don’t know what to say. I’m not angry, but it would be really nice if the rug would stop getting pulled out from under me. It’s always right when I feel like I’m finally starting to understand what’s going on. “Is there anything else you haven’t told me?” I’m almost afra id to ask.

“No, that is everything. I promise.” He gives me a hopeful smile. “On that topic, I have requested Advocate Redwish to stop by this afternoon so that he may explain the...inconsistencies in conducting th e ritual.”

“That’s a nice way of saying he lied to us.” I really don’t trust that guy.

“I know.” He sighs. “There is a part of me that still hopes this was all a misunderstanding but...I feel you may be right.”

“At least we’ll know.” I don’t like when information is kep t from me.

A knock on the doorframe behind Khazak draws our attention. “Excuse me, sir.” It’s Nylan. “As an apology, my kavan would like to buy lunch for you and your avakesh.”

“That sounds nice.” Khazak turns to face him fully. “Would this also be to make up for your revealing aspects of my priv ate life?”

There’s a pause as Nylan’s eyes go just a little wide in panic. “No, sir. That is what lunch tomorro w is for.”

Khazak laughs at that. “That will not be necessary, Nylan. Lunch today will be fine, t hank you.”

“Of course, sir.” Nylan sighs in relief as he makes his exit and Khazak turns b ack to me.

“What does that word mean?” They both used it to refer to Ragnar , I think.

“ Kavan ?” I nod. “It is the term for the owner of an avakesh. I am yo ur kavan .”

“Is this the part where you tell me it means more than just ‘owner’ or ‘master’?” After all, I’m a slave-pe t-servant.

“Correct. It also means protector or guardian,” Khazak responds with a sly grin. “So…” He seems hesitant bu t hopeful.

“So...” I pick up the mug and stare down at the lukewarm coffee in my hands. “. ..Coffee?”

Khazak shakes his head with a chuckle and accepts the offering. “There is something else I wanted to show you. Come with me.”

I follow him down the hall to a set of double doors that opens into a…gym. Like a real gym, with weights, and bars, and padded mats. There’s even a punching bag in one corner. For someone who’s been forced to do pushups in the dirt and pullups on tree branches until recently, it ’s heaven.

“I thought you might enjoy using the gymnasium while you waited for me to finish signing things.” I follow him inside to look at the equipment.

“You mean to tell me that you’ve had access to a gym this whole time, and I’ve just been running around the city like some kind of idiot ? ” I make sure I sound ex asperated.

“David, I did not—” Khazak catches my cheesy smile and huffs, realizing I’m only joking. He watches as I scan the room. “I trust you know how to use these? And which things are unsafe to do on your own?”

“Yes, Sir. Lift the weights, punch the bag, and don’t do anything that requires a spotter.” I point out the various objects. The details are different, but the equipment is essentially the same. The dumbbells, barbells, and other weights are made from stone rather than metal, and the mats and bags are covered in dark leathers.

“The officers and rangers make frequent use of this room.” I would too if I worked here. Wait . “Should you encounter any of them, I expect you to show the proper amount of respect.”

“Yes, Sir.” I smile innocently. “Anyth ing else?”

“Just be careful.” He smiles. I think he can tell I’m excited. “You know where my o ffice is.”

“Come get me when it’s lunch time!” I call after he leaves before turning back to the gym equipment, excitedly rubbing my hands together.

Let’s ge t to work.