8. Lyr

8

LYR

A fter his arrival at Sanglora Manor, Lyr spent the first two days working in the kitchen.

His duties are not pleasant, although much more pleasant than what was required of him in Blackstone Castle. They are, however, much more exhausting.

Queen Jareleezi had only needed Lyr for her rituals every few days, and although those sessions had often been painful and humiliating, other times she had simply required a small amount of his blood or his seed for a ritual. And regularly, she left him alone for days on end. His tower room was a prison, but he was given books and other amusements and on holy days he was taken to temple where he sat with the whores. And while he would never say his time in Blackstone Castle was something he wanted to return to, he was rarely required to labour hard.

In the kitchen he is made to work from early morning until late at night, setting fires, fetching water and scrubbing.

And although Inez, Damon's wife, comes to the kitchens daily to consult with the cook about menus and supplies, he spends two whole days without seeing any sign Damon is even in the manor.

Mina shares his duties and quickly becomes his closest friend among the servants. She's young and chatty with a slight delicateness to her. She reminds him of one of his favourites of Ramel's whores. Sweet Razelii. And sometimes, when he speaks with Mina, he wonders about Razelii. Lyr has no way of knowing how safe she is and thinking about her makes him feel darkly hollow inside.

On his second evening, Lyr is outside, late at night, relaxing after a long day in the part of the gardens where servants and slaves are allowed to rest. It's late, but the air is still warm. It's not as mercilessly hot here during the days as it was in Pellex, and the temperature does not drop so sharply when the sun goes down. The climate is more like Klish, or his memory of it. When Mina comes to join him she convinces him to try some pearl tonic.

The night is sweet and warm. Mortingales and even some wild calcis birds sing in the trees. The air is scented with jasmine. Lyr sprawls on the warm grass.

He almost spits out his first mouthful of pearl tonic. It's worse than he remembers. It's as bitter as some of the potions Jareleezi had him drink for her.

"No, swallow it," Mina laughs. "Give it a time."

Lyr takes another sip from the bottle. The drink burns his throat, but after a moment he feels it. A delightful feeling of warmth inside him. He feels good. Like everything is calm and he is perfectly content.

"There you see."

"I've had pearl tonic before. It wasn't like this."

"There are different kinds. Different strengths. This is the stronger kind. It's a blend of alcohol and sofi."

"Sofi? What's sofi? "

"Like a kind of paste made from poppies that makes you feel good. You ever had poppy cake?"

Lyr shakes his head. "I've never heard of it."

"That's like this but stronger. I'll get you some. You should try it. But on your day off. It makes you sleepy. Like you're in a good dream. "

"Maybe." Lyr takes another sip. He screws up his face and tries to resist the urge to spit it out.

Mina says. "Some people mix it with calcis. Do you have that? It's a green syrup. Limesweet?"

"Oh yes, limesweet. We have that on Klish. I like that." He looks up at the trees and sees one of the bright green birds. "Are calcis birds named for the syrup or was the syrup named for the birds?" he muses.

"I'll try and get some of that too, next time. If Kres has some."

"Kres gave you this?"

"Kres is very generous after he spends."

"Oh," Lyr says, then, "Oh," again as he catches her drift.

"It doesn't help that pearl tonic looks like a man's seed, "Mina laughs.

"You should try mixing that with calcis," Lyr says as, unbidden, thoughts of Damon fill his mind, swimming from the pearl tonic. He imagines Damon standing naked. And himself kneeling before him. Damon's cock, roused and close to his mouth. Lyr reaching forward with his tongue and licking over the tip of it. Giving Damon pleasure. He sighs. He wants to see Damon's pleasure. The strong drink makes him feel so good and so soft. What kind of sounds would Damon make? How deep and beautiful would his moans be? Would he grab Lyr's hair? Hold him down. Lyr squirms .

"What are you thinking about?" says Mina like an accusation.

Lyr feels his cheeks colour. Did he make a sound? "Nothing."

"Do you miss Klish?" Mina says idly, leaning back on the grass.

"I barely remember it. It feels like it was so long ago."

"Maybe you can find a new life here in Attar." She rolls over, closer to him. "You might find someone special."

Lyr thinks that perhaps Mina is right. Perhaps Attar can be his home. Somewhere he belongs.

He remembers that conversation the following day when he's in the orchard, next to Damon, leaning against the fence, arms touching. Damon is staring at his mouth. It's so pleasant to be in the shade of the fruit trees.

This could be his home.

Lyr whispers, "Damon?"

Damon looks over his shoulder. But there's no one around.

"You should kiss me," says Lyr. Even saying it makes the hairs on his arms prickle.

"No," says Damon, but it doesn't sound like he means it. "I should not."

"A man so lauded by the Emperor can do as he likes, can't he?" Lyr says, still speaking in a whisper.

"What do you mean?"

"I know you are loyal to your faith, Zai, but…"

"Is it my faith? I had to swear allegiance to Zai to join the Imperial Army."

"And you still allow it to bind you? Even now you are not part of that army?"

They're both speaking in whispers. Damon says, "It's more complex than that. A man like me, there would be consequences if I were caught. "

"Really, for a man who saved the Emperor's life. Who took back Pluma-Ferris? Who took Pellex and all of Jur-Mattan."

"Such a man has many enemies. Many people would delight in such an easy way to be rid of me."

"You mean Atticul."

"More than just Atticul. If I did such a thing and was caught. A sin of the body. My uncle Markus, Selim's older brother. He was sly. That was why he was exiled. He was the Emperor and he was exiled for his sin. You don't understand. We cannot do this, Lyr, please." Damon's voice drops even lower, "You would ruin me."

"Ruin you?" Lyr whispers. He moves a little closer. His body brushes against Damon's. He feels the runes on his chest growing warm. He wonders if Damon can feel it too.

"This is Attar," Damon says, his voice a whisper and a growl. "This is the centre of the empire. The seat of Zai." But as he speaks, Damon puts his hand on Lyr's cheek. His thumb brushes the corner of Lyr's mouth.

Damon is shaking.

"We could leave Attar. Leave Azuria. Run away from here."

"No." Damon pauses. His thumb is moving gently. "And go where?"

"Anywhere. Your island?"

Damon nods. He slides his thumb into Lyr's mouth. Lyr closes his eyes and makes a soft whining noise as he sucks it.

"Please know it is not that I do not want to. If I kissed you now, Lyr, it would make everything worse." He pulls back his thumb, out of Lyr's mouth, but keeps his hand on Lyr's face.

"Would it? You have kissed me before. I think of it often "

"Lyr, I have defeated many. I have never lost a battle. But I cannot fight you. I cannot fight this. I should but I… Oh, Zai, forgive me." Damon moves closer and presses his lips to Lyr's.

Slow. Soft. A gentle kiss that lies about the passion burning behind it.

Lyr lets out a broken moan as Damon's lips brush his, warm. He wants to open his mouth, wide and greedy for more, but he lets Damon set the pace, lets Damon open his mouth slowly, a sweet and tiny fraction at a time, letting the tip of his tongue slip between Lyr's lips, then a little more, and a little more.

Damon's hands slide over the back of Lyr's head, holding him still while Damon takes his mouth as sweetly as he wishes.

Sweetly, until…, until he doesn't.

With a sudden growl, Damon surges forward, plastering his mouth to Lyr's and pressing his tongue deep, kissing Lyr with a sudden and almost violent intensity. He has his hands on Lyr's shoulders. Lyr's back is pressed to the fence and Damon's entire body is hard against Lyr's as Damon takes his mouth, bearing down, bending Lyr backwards over the fence.

Lyr melts. He can feel Damon's fully roused cock pressing into his thigh like a bar of iron.

" Damon ," Lyr gasps when Damon finally frees his mouth.

Damon is kissing Lyr's neck, savagely, almost biting him. It hurts and Lyr wants more. He wants Damon to hurt him, leave marks on him. Own him. He's Damon's property.

"Zai," Damon moans against the skin of Lyr's neck. "I cannot resist you, I cannot."

"Then don't," Lyr whispers. "Don't. Fuck me. Take me here, under the trees. I'm yours. I'm your slave. Meant for your bed."

Damon growls as his mouth comes back to Lyr's. He kisses him deeply again, then says, "I want it. I want you to scream for me and spend hard with my cock inside you. I want to feel it."

"Yes," Lyr whispers, "Yes, please. Damon, Master, I want you inside me. I want you."

"I want to lick your hole first," Damon pants. "Spread you on the ground and lick you open until you're begging me to put my cock in you."

" Master ," Lyr gasps, only slightly aware he's said the Magaar word. Akai.

Damon groans. "I want to feed you more foribunda and watch you beg for me again. Forget how to speak Artemian and beg me in Magaar."

"Fuck, Master, please. Please," Lyr says, still in Magaar. Words sounding rough in his passion. Exu Achi, meru. Meru.

Damon puts his hand down the front of Lyr's breeches and curls his fist around Lyr's slick, needy cock.

Lyr keens, bucking up into Damon's grasp. He finds his Artemian words again and pleads. "Damon, please. I'll spend now if you do that."

"Spend then. Spend for me, slave. Show me your desire."

Lyr sobs out. "Call me that again, please."

Damon leans in closer. His lips are against Lyr's temple as he says, " Slave? You like to be called so?" His hand is still sliding against Lyr's cock. For all his claims to resist his desires, he knows just how to touch a man.

Lyr whimpers, nodding his head, as his pleasure builds. "By you," he breathes.

Damon says, "You are my slave. I own you. Spend now as your Master commands. "

Lyr cries out. Damon's words and the way he is touching him combine into something that is making him utterly helpless. He twists, thrusting into Damon's grasp. Spilling his seed with a cry of pleasure.

Damon groans. "Zai. Zai, slave, you undo me. You will ruin me."

He kisses Lyr's neck again.

And behind them, someone says, "Damon?"

Lyr feels cold shock wash over him. The glow of pleasure from his spend draining away in an instant as Damon turns and says, "Inez?"

Inez stands only yards away. Her beautiful face pale. "Husband?" she says.

Damon takes a step towards her, leaving Lyr, dishevelled, leaning against the fence. "Wife, please. I…"

Inez shakes her head and turns. She runs.

"Inez. Wait," Damon says in the most terrible, broken voice.

And he races after her.