Chapter Five

I waded through the garden for a while, just getting the lay of the land. Literally. It was a testament to my talent that I”d been hired to do this job alone. I had no magic to help me. No Earth to move trees with a motion of my hand. No Water to wet the soil. No Fire to burn the dead branches and leaves. No Air to blow things into tidy piles. It was just me. And yet the King trusted me to handle it.

“Shit,” I muttered as I looked at the mess. “This is going to take months. Maybe a year.” Then the King”s face popped into my head, and I grinned. “I guess that”s not such a bad thing.”

I picked my way carefully back to the colonnade, then surveyed the garden from there. After being in the middle of it, I could see things clearer and easily picked out the stone paths that radiated from the fountain. But I couldn”t see the shape of the fountain. It was covered in overgrowth.

I really wanted to know what that fountain looked like.

“Hopefully, those plans will be in my room by now,” I said as I hurried off toward my guest room.

Fifteen minutes later, I was sitting on the floor in the front room, leaning over a low table to peer at the age-stained plans of the Duchess”s Garden. I ran my finger over the title and swallowed past the lump in my throat.

What had I been thinking? Shaleros was a Dragon, a king, and a heterosexual. Oh, and let”s not forget that his mate had died, and he survived. Unheard of. Dragons mated for life. They never strayed from their mates, and if one of them died, the other followed. No question. Except for him. This man was beyond out of reach for me. He was utterly untouchable. Unattainable. Had I truly thought that I could weed his soul like a garden? Just cut off the dead branches and let him flourish? And that such a flourishing would lead him to my bed? What an idiot I could be.

“Oh, well,” I sighed. “There will be lots of men here to take my mind off the King. Or who I can fuck while I fantasize about the King. I”ll be all right.”

Still, it stung to see that the garden had belonged to Shaleros”s mate. His female mate. As if I hadn”t known that as soon as he said it had belonged to someone special to him. Who else could it have been? Then I looked closer at the plans.

“It”s a star,” I whispered.

Latur”s symbol was, of all things, an elephant. I”d seen representations of that animal in artwork and carvings several times in the castle already. Just as the royal castle of Sken had roses everywhere, so this castle had elephants. It”s the thing to do, throw your symbol about. So that fountain should have featured an elephant. It didn”t. The eight-pointed star formed the base of the fountain—the walls of the basin. But there was no statue rising from the center. Not an elephant or anything else. Just that star, low to the ground, as if it had fallen, with a pump to bubble up water in the center. The walking paths radiated out from the star”s points to divide the garden into eight sections.

“This was either the Duchess” symbol or something she loved,” I murmured as I traced the lines going out from the star fountain.

They were like the spokes of a wheel, intersected by other paths that connected each main path to its neighbors in more straight lines, forming octagons. Again, like a wheel. The layout was so rigid, but that was the architectural feel of the castle so it wasn”t surprising. If the garden was done right, the plants would add the necessary softness and give the garden a flow that would turn something rigid into something glorious.

I don”t know how long I sat there, going over the garden plans and making notes in my little book, but it had gotten dark enough to make me get up and pull the cord for the overhead lanterns. I stretched while I was up, and mid-stretch, someone knocked on my door.

I opened the door to find a human servant standing outside. She was dark-skinned and slender, and her brown eyes widened when she saw me. She held a pile of fabric.

“Yes?” I prompted.

“Oh! Sorry, Sir. Um, I wasn”t expecting a, um, a—”

“Human?” I asked.

“Yes.” She blushed. “They told me to bring these to the Master of Vegetation. Is that your master?”

I snorted a laugh and took the pile from her. “That”s me. I”m the only master here. But you can call me Sebastian.”

“You”re a scholar? There are human universities?”

“Yes, and no. I am a scholar, but there aren”t any human universities. There are, however, universities that accept human students if they show enough promise.”

“Oh,” she whispered and stared at me in awe.

“Thanks.” I grinned. “I don”t get that kind of reaction a lot. Certainly not from the other races.”

“You are an inspiration, Master Sebastian.” She bowed to me. “It”s an honor to meet you.”

A shiver ran through me. An inspiration? I had only ever sought security for myself. But yeah, I guess my journey could be inspiring to other humans. And that made me feel . . . shit, it felt good!

“Go after everything you want. Everything and anything,” I said to her. “That”s my secret. Try. The worst that can happen is you don”t get it. But you definitely won”t if you don”t try.”

She beamed at me. “That is wonderful advice! I will take it to heart.”

“Good.” I looked down at the pile of fabric I held. “Now, what”s this?”

“Oh, the King sent this for you to wear to dinner tonight.”

“The King sent me clothes?”

She shrugged. “You must have made a good impression on him too. Have a lovely night, Master Sebastian.” She bowed again and left.

I watched her walk away and then looked down at the fine garments in my arms. Silk and embroidered linen. Holy shit. I turned and kicked the door closed. King Shaleros had sent me clothes. What was wrong with me? Why had I backed down and gotten so negative? I was going against my own advice.

“Try, Sebastian,” I said to myself. “The worst that can happen is he”ll reject you. No biggie. Especially when the best that could happen would be him.”

Grinning, I went into the bathroom, leaving the garden plans strewn on the table in the sitting room. No one had ever distracted me from my precious plants before. Give me a garden project, and I would dive into it and not surface until it was done. But I now had two missions in Latur—to bring a wild garden back to its original beauty, and to bed the King.

I bathed, humming to myself, and scrubbed everything well just in case. After drying off, I slipped into my new clothes. They were finer than anything I”d ever owned, though with a weight that would only suit the summers in Sken. The style was similar to what I was used to, with tunic tops and trousers, but the tunic was longer, leaner, and had buttons down the front while the trousers were loose, coming in at the ankles so that they billowed a bit. I almost went without undershorts to enjoy the feeling of my bits hanging free. But the material was so thin, that would have been a bad idea.

The tunic the King sent me was deep purple, telling me that Gunrel”s suggestion had been wise. It had gold embroidery at the cuffs and around the neckline, and the neckline embroidery flowed down the front, to either side of the buttons. It didn”t need a belt, so I left mine off and then put on my finest boots. Looking in the mirror, I was pleased with the result. My ass was covered by the tunic, but the silk hinted at the plumpness of it when I moved. And the tunic fit me as if made for me, skimming my chest and waist.

I winked at my reflection and stepped out of the bathroom. A clock on the bedside table said it was after six. If this court was anything like the Court of Sken, the courtiers would already be gathering in the dining hall, awaiting the King”s arrival.

But I didn”t know where the dining hall was.

With perfect timing, another knock came at my door.

It was another human servant. A man this time. His only reaction to my race was a long blink. “Are you Master Sebastian?”

“That”s right,” I said.

He cleared his throat. “I”m to escort you to the dining hall, Sir.”

“Oh, thank the Gods,” I said as I stepped into the hallway. “I”m all dressed up but didn”t know where to go.”

The man blinked again. “Yes, Sir. This way.”

I followed him through the corridors, paying attention to the turns, and ended up at a pair of massive doors. The great wooden panels were carved with elephants so that it looked as if the beasts were striding out of the dining hall, straight for me. Before they could trample me, a pair of soldiers opened the doors and stood to either side. One of them was a Deldin with long, silken ears coming out of the top of his head to flop to his shoulders, and the other was a Litoto. Internally, I squealed to see the Litoto. I”d met Deldin before, but never a Litoto, and the Litoto of Latur were special. I read about them in that book. They were the only tribe of Litoto on Serai whose feathers resembled those of peacocks. And this guy was a wonderful introduction to his race.

Have I mentioned that I love iridescence? The Litoto”s wings were an iridescent blue, shining green with his movements. The blue faded into green flight feathers, spotted with brown ovals that had dark blue eyes in their centers, ringed in turquoise. Only the men had those flight feathers, just as it was with the birds. The women had the iridescent blue, but not the eyes. I was entranced and instantly decided that if the King rejected me, I”d try for a Litoto. Oh, to see those wings over me. How magical.

But then I was striding into the royal dining hall, past more elephants—porcelain statues set to either side of the doors. Carved wood panels adorned the twenty-foot high walls, but diaphanous silk veils softened them, hanging from ornate rafters to billow in the air currents. The silk made the room feel cozy even though it was massive, dividing the space into sections of low tables and equally low couches drawn up to them. Colored glass lanterns hung over each table as well as in a line down the center of the room, leading the eye to a single low table set on a dais.

As I inspected the hall, I ventured forward among the Dragon Court of Latur, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw that every stare was on me. At first, I strutted a bit and grinned, looking to pick a group to join. But then those stares skittered away. When I started to veer toward a gathering of Litoto to introduce myself, they turned their backs on me, wings coming together to form a wall.

My steps slowed, my swagger vanished, and cold crept into my belly. I”d been treated so well in the Sken Court that I”d forgotten how elitist some of the other races could be. And these people were courtiers, many of them noble, born into their titles and wealth. I wasn”t just a lowly human to them, I was also a commoner.

I lifted my chin, pushing down the old pain and insecurity that rose with those silent but pointed rejections. It felt like the first day of university again. All those eyes staring in the worst ways. Judging me. I”d eventually made friends there, but only because the university was packed with men and women of knowledge who valued other men and women of knowledge. My intelligence won them over.

I didn”t think it would help me in Latur.

I looked for Gunrel, hoping to see a familiar face if not exactly a friendly one. We had flirted so he should be welcoming. And what happened to his promise that I”d have an abundance of suitors to choose from? The Dragon knight had sorely overestimated this court. But then, the knights in a Dragon Court weren”t meant to mingle with the courtiers. They were there for one purpose and one alone—to protect their King. The King wasn”t there, so neither was Gunrel.

I sighed and surveyed the room as I would a garden. All those unwelcoming faces became prickly blackberry bushes that I had to avoid until I was able to chop them down. I located a safe patch of grass—a chair of normal height pressed up against the wall—and grabbed a glass of wine from the tray of a servant as I headed for it. Once seated, I felt a little more secure. I had a drink, higher ground, and a wall against my back. I sipped my wine and steadied myself.

That servant woman had been right to be impressed. It had taken a lot for me to prove myself to the heads of the University of Sken. From a young age, I studied plants, learning everything about them and the things that affected them. I had to prove that knowledge to the University Council in practical and written ways. Then I had to convince them verbally that I”d be a good fit for the school.

And that was just the beginning.

I was accepted on a trial basis. And I knew that if I wasn”t accepted by my peers, I wouldn”t get to stay. So, I had to prove myself yet again. It would have irritated me to prove my worth to my fellow students, but I hadn”t lived a sheltered life. I knew where humans were on the hierarchy of races on Serai. The bottom. The absolute bottom. I could either hate those above me, or I could accept my position and do everything I could to rise above the status I was born in. Humans could become wealthy, even noble. I wasn”t the first human to become a scholar either. It had been done, so I knew I could do it. Huh, so I”d been inspired just as I had inspired that woman. That was kind of great.

And I”d never been one to dwell on bad things. I set about winning over my classmates and succeeded. Well, mostly. Enough that I was kept on and eventually graduated. But it was a rough road, and the professors were harder on me than the other students. I had gotten through it, but that pain still lived inside me, waiting for moments like this to rise and bite me in the ass.

I took a swig of wine and looked closer at the courtiers. Stares darted away. I caught the hint of interest in one. Not surprising. People are often attracted to what they shouldn”t want. My being common and human was probably just as appealing to some of them as it was distasteful.

My excitement over the Litoto had dwindled, but once I decided to look past this instant rejection from the court, I was able to stare back at them openly. What did I care now? So, I gawked at the races I”d never seen before. The Litotos drew my interest first, but then I moved on to the Osomah with their broad faces and tufted tails. Their hands were especially fascinating as they were triple-jointed. I knew there were Neraky in the city, but I”d met many Neraky, and I also knew that they rarely became courtiers. Not because they were scorned. Neraky were sea folk and wouldn”t enjoy being bound to the land.

Raltven, however, were a mere step above humans in most kingdoms. They were seen as criminals, probably because a lot of them were. But who could blame them when their magic suited crime perfectly? Unfortunately, this meant they were rarely chosen to be courtiers, and I”d never met a Raltven noble. But there were two other races that inhabited Latur who were represented in the court—Zaknir and Eljaffna. The former claimed my attention first.

Zaknir were shapeshifters like Dragons. Their other forms weren”t as massive as dragons, but they were beasts. I greatly wanted to see a Zaknir shift. Because if their main forms were any indication of what their beasts were like, they”d be amazing. The Zaknir men and women wore pale garments, all the better to show off their midnight black skin. Pointed ears stuck up through their intricately braided hair, and within the outer shell of those ears was another ear, an inner ear that twitched and moved to focus their hearing. Their sleek tails weren”t tufted like the Osomah”s, but I found the blunt ends more attractive. There was a lot that could be done with a tail like that. But most of note was their presence. As in the fact that they were there.

Most Zaknir kept to their own kind. They lived in the forests, in Zaknir kingdoms, and rarely emerged. But this was yet another way that Latur differed from other kingdoms. The Zaknir here mingled with the other races. They mingled enough to become courtiers.

Then there was the Eljaffna. The blood drinkers. I”d heard their bite could be erotic, that having an Eljaffna suck at your neck while they fucked you was an experience that could change your life. Looking at the trim bodies of the Eljaffna men, watching their graceful hands caress their glasses of red wine, I suspected it was true. They were so beautiful. Both the men and women. But I had read that their slender physiques were misleading. Those sleek muscles were nearly as powerful as a Dragon”s.

Beyond the races was the costume of the region to enthrall me. As I mentioned, the masculine garments were similar to what was worn in Sken but only in the most basic way. The women”s clothing, however, had nothing in common with those in my home kingdom. For one thing, the women here wore skirts and tops instead of dresses. The skirts were full and beautifully embroidered, but the tailored tops were cut to fit their upper bodies perfectly, skimming over their curves. They had sleeves that went only halfway down the upper arms and scoop necklines, and only covered them to a few inches below their breasts, showcasing a shocking length of belly skin. Instead of being subtle about this, their bellies were highlighted with sparkling belts and necklaces that hung low.

“I expected to find you mingling,” a masculine voice said from my right.

I looked over to find the King standing beside me. Behind him was Gunrel and another Dragon knight. The knights went to stand to either side of the royal dais, beside each set of steps that led up to the King”s table. And the table was impressive. Wooden elephants supported the corners. Not life-sized. Of course not. But they were still impressive, carved with great precision to match the royal couch.

Yes, couch. Instead of a throne, the King had a broad, low chair wide and deep enough to fit two men of his size, with a wood base and fluffy, silk-covered pillows. The back of the seat was carved with two elephant heads, their trunks lifted to form a graceful arch. Although there were sides to it, they were slim, so the armrests were cylindrical pillows covered in deep blue silk to match the others. And the entire wooden base was gilded. That being said, none of that grandeur could hold my attention when the King was near.

“Your Majesty!” I jumped to my feet.

The Dragon Court had seen the King before I had and were already bowing to him. King Shaleros, however, either didn”t see them or didn”t care. He was focused on me.

“Is there a reason you”re sitting here by yourself?” the Dragon King asked.

“Oh.” I looked at the chair, then at the room, and shrugged. “Well, you know. I”m human.”

“And?”

“And sometimes it can take a while for people to look past that.”

“Are you saying that my court has snubbed you?”

“Um, I wouldn”t put it like that. They just need some time to warm up to me.”

King Shaleros grunted and looked out at his court. They quickly lowered their gazes. Lowered them, not looked away. They didn”t ignore him as they had me. They showed him submission, not scorn.

The Dragon King”s mouth tightened. “Join me, Sebastian.” He didn”t wait for my answer, just walked away.

I hurried after him.

People bowed as we passed by, and I couldn”t help feeling smug. Because the King was leading me to his big elephant table. Was this a date? No, of course not. But I could work with it.

There were three of those couches/chairs behind the royal table—the grand elephant one and then two simpler versions, one to either side. The King waved at the chair on the right, then sat down on the center couch. I looked at him, then at the seat he”d offered me, and it struck me. I was going to eat with the King. Right beside him.

“Is there a problem with that chair?” King Shaleros asked.

“No, not at all,” I said as I sat down and bounced a bit on the cushions. “It”s a great chair. I mean, it”s more of a lounger, than a chair, but that”s even better. Who doesn”t like a lot of room?” I stretched out my arms, pulled a knee up on the couch, felt awkward, and put my foot back on the floor. As I fidgeted into a semi-casual pose, I went on, “I like the carvings. More elephants. Yay.”

He lifted a brow at me.

“Powerful animals, elephants,” I stammered. “Or so I”ve heard.”

“Indeed, they are.” He cocked his head to watch my posturing attempts. “And they are highly intelligent, emotional creatures.”

“They are?”

“Yes. They even bury their dead.”

“They . . .” I finally leaned an elbow on my knee and settled my stare on him. “Did you say, they bury their dead?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“What?”

“How do they bury their dead? They don”t have hands.”

“They have trunks.”

“So they dig holes with their trunks?”

“I imagine so. I haven”t actually witnessed an elephant burial.”

“Huh.” I shook my head. “That”s amazing. Kind of ironic that they”re your symbol when they”re so emotional and . . . never mind.”

“And I am not?” the King asked.

“Are you unemotional?” I propped my chin on my hand. “I didn”t notice.”

No reaction. He just asked, “Are you comfortable?”

“Isn”t this someone else”s seat? Someone more important?” I glanced at the embroidered pillows and carved sides. I could have curled up and gone to sleep on that chair. It was that spacious.

“Not tonight.”

I snorted. “Good answer.” I finally got my pillows done right, with the armrests under my arms, and looked out across the dining hall. “Wow. I”m sitting at the King”s table. This is nice. Great view from up here.”

“I”m glad you like it,” the King said absently as he nodded at a servant.

Suddenly, there was movement everywhere. The courtiers scurried to their tables while servants streamed into the room carrying steaming platters of food. The first people in the parade of food veered off to the King”s table. Several platters of delicious smelling dishes were set before us. I lifted my brows when the food kept coming, more than enough for two men.

King Shaleros got right to it, piling food onto his plate. He didn”t tell me I could proceed, so I waited until he started eating before I made my selections.

With the first mouthful, I groaned.

“Good?” he asked.

“Amazing,” I said.

He grunted.

“Don”t tell me you have no feelings about food either,” I said.

“I enjoy eating very much.”

“See? So you do have emotions.”

He stopped eating to look at me. “You are getting very personal, Sebastian.”

“Well, if you”re so indifferent, you shouldn”t care.” I scooped some food into my mouth, groaned, then grinned. “Do you care?”

“I have no love in me,” he said. “That is the emotion I don”t feel. I tend to be indifferent about other things because of my lack of love. Everything else . . .”

“Just doesn”t matter as much without love?” I whispered.

“Yes. I think that”s it.” The Dragon King lifted a brow at me. “I assume you”ve heard my story.”

“I”ll tell you exactly what I”ve heard, and then you can tell me if it”s your story or if it”s a bunch of crap. Deal?”

He blinked. “Agreed.”

“So, I”ve heard that you lost your mate and to survive, you stopped feeling things, cut yourself off from your emotions. I wasn”t told how. I got the impression that isn”t known.”

“Your impression is correct.”

“But it”s easier to tell a stranger that sort of thing, isn”t it?”

“Is it?”

“Sure. I won”t be here forever. You can tell me, and it will leave with me.”

“And spread across Serai.”

“Hardly,” I huffed. “No one will care or even believe me. I”m just some human.”

He grunted.

“So, did you cut out your heart?”

The King made a choking sound and spun to face me. “What?”

“I was told that it seemed as if you had torn out your heart. They didn”t say that”s what you did, but I”ll bet it”s one of the rumors. I”ll bet there are a lot of rumors circulating about you. A lot of guesses. Why don”t you tell me the truth?”

“They are not guessing.” He looked away. “They have guessed.”

“Interesting. So they know?”

“I did not say they guessed the truth. Only that there is one guess that most believe is the truth.”

“So what is the truth?”

“Mine.”

“Got it,” I said. “You don”t want to talk about your feelings. Or your lack of feelings. That”s not exactly unheard of for a guy.” I snorted a laugh.

He just stared at me.

“It”s funny because men are known for avoiding conversations about their feelings,” I explained.

The King blinked.

“Gods help me,” I muttered.

He looked away from me, out over the assemblage. “My people have never been so close-minded before.”

“Huh? Are we still talking about your feelings? I thought we ended that conversation?”

The King ate a few bites of food before he responded. “I”m referring to the way they have treated you. It”s odd.”

“Have you had many humans dine in your hall?”

“No. But I”ve seen my court interact with humans before. You are a master scholar. That gives you enough rank for your presence to not offend. And you are my guest, hired to do important work for me. Your race shouldn”t matter to them.”

“Well, you sure showed them.”

“How do you mean?” The King took a long drink of wine and sat back.

“Inviting me up here.” I waved at the table. “You made your point.”

“Have I?”

“Yup. You just told them not to fuck with me.” I lifted my glass to him. “I appreciate that, Your Majesty.”

“I see you”ve gotten over your reluctance to curse around me.”

“I”m feeling a little more comfortable with you since we”re on a date.”

The King, who had just brought his wine to his lips, sputtered into the glass. “We”re what?”

“I”m teasing you. Don”t worry, I know you”re straight.”

“That”s not the issue.”

“Oh, it”s not an issue?” I just barely stopped myself from smiling.

“Did you not hear me when I said I have no love to give?”

“What does love have to do with sex?”

He frowned.

“Oh, come on! Don”t tell me I”ve shocked you. You”re a Dragon and a king. You must have fucked hundreds of women.” I leaned closer and added, “Maybe even men? One or two? Did ya?”

He ignored my question.

“Women, even Dragon women, don”t speak so plainly. And no one in my kingdom, woman or man, would proposition me now.”

“Is that what I did?”

“Is it not?” No emotion behind his words, it was just him clarifying.

“You were the one who asked me to have dinner with you. Although you more told than asked. But I love a domineering man, so we”re all good.”

Now, that should have gotten a laugh. It did not.

“This is not a date,” he said. “I simply did not want my guest mistreated by my court.”

“Yeah, I know,” I huffed. “I”m teasing you again.”

“Something else people don”t do to me.

“Oh? What else don”t they do to you? I”d be happy to pick up the slack.” I smirked. “Go on, tell me all your dark desires.”

“I”m not sure what you think you”ll achieve with this flirtation, Sebastian.”

I shrugged. “I”d like to see you smile. I think that would be an amazing achievement.”

The Dragon King stared at me for several long heartbeats. Then he returned to eating.