"Are the troops in place, Topaza?"
"Yes. We're ready. Enmarido says he's been able to successfully block the school's seers, and he'll keep doing it until we begin. The mountain shields haven't once opened. They don't know we're here."
"Good. Call the others. Let's begin."
Evening: the last warm glow of the sunset was just fading from the horizon. The evening breeze that blew through the gauzy hangings of the tower chamber window was still warm, but held just a hint of autumn crispness, presaging the coming of winter. The curtains stirred against the stone floor with only the faintest of sounds, clearly audible within the silent chamber. Mostly silent, anyhow.
The sounds were faint, intimate. The whisper of sheets, sliding against one another in slow, quiet friction. The louder sussuruss of skin upon skin, also sliding slowly, occasionally pausing, periodically slapping. Soft murmurs of tenderness and pleasure. A gasp, followed by a soft hiss.
"Zeii..."
"Shhh."
Droplets of liquid hitting bare skin. Another gasp. "Zeii---"
"Hold still. Just relax. Let me do this."
"But..."
"But what?" The sounds of movement cease, suddenly. "Too hard? I don't want to hurt you."
"No. I just... can't hold it in any longer..."
A sigh.
"I can't help it. It... tickles."
Marron burst into snickers, and Zeii groaned, setting the bottle of massage oil back on the nightstand. "The gods help me whenever I decide to try and seduce you, you wretchedly irreverent child," Zeii complained, flopping onto the bed beside Marron. He propped his head on one hand. "You have all the sensuality of a brick."
Marron pushed himself up onto his elbows, slowly, and smiled at Zeii through the curtain of his disarrayed hair. "Gomen nasai. It's just that you weren't rubbing very hard. It didn't feel like a massage. It felt like being attacked by feathers."
"I'm not a shihatsu artist. I was just trying to help. Your body's been through a major trauma; a simple massage could help speed up your recovery."
"Then don't use the oil. It tickles."
"I was also trying to make it pleasurable." He lifted a hand to push the recalcitrant lock of hair away from Marron's face, for which Marron offered him a look of profound gratitude. "I have to lie here, with you so temptingly helpless in my bed, and the least you could do is allow me the pleasure of feeling you up a little."
Marron blushed, dropping his eyes, and Zeii sternly told his body to behave. The boy's innocence, mingled as it so often was with his eagerness, made a head-spinning combination that tested all of Zeii's self control. And often caught him off-guard, he realized a moment later when Marron looked up at him, black eyes gleaming. He was completely unprepared when, with no further warning, Marron leaned forward and kissed him.
It was awkward, too abrupt and yet too hesitant, and when they parted Zeii saw Marron's cheeks flame. The boy looked away in consternation. "Don't do that," he heard himself murmur, frowning and reaching out to catch Marron's chin. "Why did that upset you?"
Marron's eyes looked anywhere but at his own. He chuckled weakly, trying to cover embarassment. "I just... hoped it would be like... the first time. I guess I should have known better."
Zeii sighed, smiling a little but holding Marron's eyes so the boy would know he wasn't being laughed at. "Nonsense. You're just new to this." He shifted forward, rolling Marron onto his back and ignoring the younger man's surprise. "It takes practice." Pinning the startled youth beneath him, he grinned and wrapped his arms around the slender young body, then covered Marron's mouth greedily with his own.
If he had ever doubted Marron's willingness, those doubts would have been washed away in that instant. After a second's surprise, Marron's body relaxed and became pliant beneath his, the young man yielding to the kiss with a guileless innocence that reminded Zeii abruptly of the desperate, lovesick child Marron had been that first time, when they had swirled together in the miasma of the dance, years ago. Except that now, Marron was full-grown, with an adult's body and an adult's hunger. And when Marron's arms went around him, hands sliding slowly up his back, Zeii realized in one instant of wild thought that perhaps Marron knew something about sensuality after all.
The kiss ended. He stared down at the younger man, amazed and---he was almost ashamed to admit it---aroused by the sudden wanting Marron's eyes. For a moment, he wanted nothing more than to lie writhing in an oiled tangle with this exquisite lover of his, spending the next few hours introducing Marron to all of his accumulated centuries of knowledge and binding his young lover to him in body and soul.
But. He sighed.
He smiled at Marron, a little sheepishly, and saw the flash of disappointment across the younger man's features. "Tomorrow," he reminded Marron, reminding himself as well. "You'll be back at almost your full strength by then, remember. I just don't want you to fall asleep on me, Marron."
"I wouldn't---" Marron's eyes widened; he stifled a yawn, then blushed. "Ah. Yes."
Zeii chuckled, kissing him again teasingly, not particularly inclined to move from their embrace. Marron's hands were warm on his back, and it felt good, having the lean length of him resting underneath. "I am many times your elder, my dancer. Trust me. Patience is not so difficult. Not..." and he kissed Marron again, savoring, "...that you aren't driving me half-mad right now."
Marron lowered his eyes shyly, and Zeii snorted. "Don't pull that bashful act. I know you know you're beautiful." He slid a hand along the boy's side, chuckling at the boy's flush of pleasure. "You love it that I can barely keep my hands off of you, don't you? How many hearts did you break during your journeys, hmm?"
He'd meant it as a joke. But to his surprise, Marron's face suddenly clouded. He looked away, expression sober. Zeii sat up, blinking in puzzlement, and Marron sighed, taking a deep breath as if steeling himself.
"Zeii... I have to tell you something. About... someone."
It wasn't all that difficult to read Marron's uneasily averted gaze or the shame that flickered through the younger man's aura, and intuition led him to the obvious conclusion. "Someone... else?" he asked carefully, not wanting to upset Marron further. He shifted to prop his head on one arm again, serious now.
Guilt flashed across the younger man's features. "Sort of." At Zeii's lifted eyebrow, he sighed again. "He's... a friend. He... likes me. L-loves me. Has, for a long time. A little while ago... he let me know that... he wanted more than friendship. And... I turned him down."
Zeii absorbed this, thoughtfully, listening to more than Marron's words. "Why does this cause you such pain?"
"Because---" As if naming the emotion had summoned it to the fore, Marron's face twisted with anguish. "Because he's my friend, like I said. I didn't want to hurt him. I..." He trailed off, and Zeii guessed the rest all in a flash.
"You love him."
"No!" Marron blurted the word, looking up at him in fear. "I love you."
Zeii sighed, shaking his head to himself. "It's perfectly possible to love more than one person, Marron." He smiled gently, and saw confusion flicker through Marron's frown. He laid a finger on Marron's lips to forestall the inevitable questions. "No, I'm not jealous. Were you afraid that I would be? I've lived long enough to have outgrown jealousy, at least for the most part."
"Then... it doesn't bother you that I..."
He smiled and leaned down to kiss Marron lightly, hoping to convey his sincerity. "No. You still love me; that's clear to me." He sat back and smoothed Marron's hair away from his forehead, gazing into the anxious dark eyes with what he hoped was a look of reassurance. "You and I are going to live a long, long time, you know. I don't think you've started to understand what that means. You're just starting your life, while I've settled mine here. We'll be separated often. There will be times when you won't want to be with me, and vice versa, over the centuries---we won't always be so perfect together." He tapped Marron's nose, smiling again at the shock in the eyes above. "I hope that you'll always come back to me, but I don't assume you will. You'll love other people. So will I. I've loved many, in my life."
Marron looked away, clearly not liking this. Zeii sighed. Even in mortal terms, Marron was still very young.
Marron pushed himself to sit up with an effort, scowling at Zeii. "You're saying---"
"I'm saying we can't be selfish with each other," Zeii said firmly. "I don't expect you to leave your friends and come live with me here. I hope you don't expect me to leave the school; this is my life's work. I'm willing to accept whatever you're willing to give me. If it's a year with me, a year away, that's fine. If it's a century with me, and another away, I'll accept that too. When you choose to love others, I'll share you. As long as you still love me, I'll be happy with that."
Marron frowned, lying down again as weariness reasserted itself, absorbing this silently. Zeii waited. This had been hard for him to comprehend too, once upon a time when he had been newly immortal himself. But Marron was strong and intelligent, and he would understand eventually. The insecurity and possessiveness Marron was used to seeing in relationships was just one of the facets of mortality that he would have to leave behind, now. As he had left the rest of it behind, in the ritual house.
After a long moment, Marron sighed, glancing at him. "This is... not quite what I had in mind," he admitted, slowly. "But then... I never really thought about what would happen... after we were together again."
Zeii nodded and lay down, pulling Marron into the crook of his shoulder. He smiled, mischievously. "If you ask me to marry you, I'll tickle you silly."
Marron chuckled, and Zeii felt some of the tension fade from his body. "Just give me another massage."
Zeii laughed, then glanced at Marron, assessing. Yes. Now was the time.
"Maybe another time. For now... this friend of yours. The one you won't let yourself love." Marron looked up at him, startled, his gaze suddenly uneasy. Zeii spoke softly, gazing into his eyes. "Share him with me, beloved. You wouldn't have mentioned him if he wasn't important to you, and that makes him important to me. Tell me about him."
Marron frowned, searching Zeii's eyes, anxiety written clearly in his own. Zeii only smiled, and after a moment Marron sighed, forced himself to relax again.
"All right." Marron swallowed, took a deep breath, and Zeii stroked his lover's hair, encouraging silently. "His name is... is Gateau."
Another breeze blew through the curtains, and Zeii pulled the sheet up to cover them both, murmuring in the rapidly darkening room. "Is he handsome?"
A slow nod. "Yes. Very."
"Is he good?"
A shy smile. "Yes. There's great kindness in him, although he hides it. He needs to feel strong. But it shows anyway."
Zeii smiled as well, closing his eyes, listening to the sound of the evening breeze. "I like him already, my dancer." He kissed Marron's forehead. "Tell me more."
"They're doing something," Carrot whispered, craning his neck to see.
Night had fallen and it was chilly. The four of them sat on the ground shivering, back to back because of their manacled arms. Soldiers stood around them, gazing ahead impassively, weapons at the ready. They seemed not to care if their prisoners talked, so Carrot, who had the best view of what was going on, had been giving the rest of them a running commentary.
"Could you be a little more specific?" Gateau asked scathingly, and Carrot glared at him in annoyance, shifting a little to ease the discomfort in his aching arms.
"I would if I could. I don't know what to call it. Eight---no, nine---of them are standing in a circle, holding hands."
"Yes, but what are they doing?" hissed Tira.
"I don't know, I said! Maybe they're going to sing a campfire song, hell, I don't know! They're just standing there looking at each other!"
"Magic," Chocora muttered. And they all fell silent; it was the only logical conclusion.
"Only nine of them?" Gateau frowned. "Who's missing?"
Carrot leaned to one side for a better view, frowning. "I can't tell... no, wait. That big guy, the leader, he's standing a little ways away. Watching. There's another guy... up on the ridge, there." They could all see this; a short man stood a little further up the trail, on an outcropping of rock. His arms were spread wide, his head bowed, and his whole body was sheathed in an aura of green-white magical energy.
Tira craned her neck as well. "That leaves one more. Can you figure out which one?"
Carrot was silent for a long moment, thinking. "I don't know. I never saw some of the ones in the circle before; it might be one of them."
"I don't know what scares me more," Tira admitted. "The fact that we don't know what they're doing, or the fact that we're stuck here and can't do a thing about it..."
Gateau fell silent. What worried him, more than anything else, was the fact that Marron was still at the school.
Carrot was obviously thinking along the same lines. "I'm gonna kill Marron when this is all over," he snapped, venting his fear and frustration in anger. "The least he could have done was tell us about this school, and this ritual, and all that."
"If he had, they'd have tortured us for information," Chocora snapped at him. "Remember? Marron knows what he's doing."
"Does he?" Gateau mumured to himself, and was surprised when the others focused on him; he hadn't meant to speak aloud. But before he could figure out a way to explain, they were all drowned out---and nearly deafened---by a Sound.
A single pure, clear note at the very limit of human range, it shattered the air and struck them all in a titanic blow, threatening to shatter their eardrums. Gateau felt himself shouting, but could not hear it; he twisted his head in a vain effort to turn away from the sound, but it was everywhere, inescapable. His companions struggled as well, and even their guards doubled over, hands clapped to their ears, mouths open in soundless screams.
And then suddenly the Sound was gone, as quickly as it had begun, leaving only ringing ears and sick headaches in its wake. It might have lasted a few seconds, perhaps several minutes; it was impossible to measure the length of something so powerful.
Gateau lifted his head with an effort. In his frenzy to escape the sound, he had lunged forward, dragging the others to the ground with him. He spat dirt from his mouth, and spent a few seconds trying to remember his name before he managed to sit upright again, panting.
Chocora managed to recover first, her voice sounding much steadier than Gateau felt at the moment. "What in hell---"
"Sorry about that," Topaza said, and they looked up in surprise to see the Sorcerer standing over them, smiling a little. Gateau blinked in surprise and looked beyond him, to see that the ring of Sorcerers had separated. None of them, it seemed, had been affected by the titanic sound.
"It was only bad because you were so close to the spellcasting," the man explained, brushing a lock of hair away from his tattooed forehead. "The effects should wear off soon with no permanent damage." He looked beyond them, into the forest, his gaze detached and careless.
"What was that?" Tira asked, still sounding dazed. "My teeth hurt."
Topaza smiled a little, still not deigning to look at them. "A Summoning." He stepped past them, walking on down the trail.
Chocora groaned and leaned back, resting against Gateau's back for a moment; he held steady, supporting her slight weight easily. "Every time I think I can't get more miserable, I get a nasty surprise. I'm cold, my arms hurt, my head hurts now, and we've got a host who can't even be bothered to make sense..."
"A Summoning?" Carrot shook his head to clear away the lingering ringing. "I don't like the sound of that. What kind of Summoning? Summoning what?"
Tira spoke, softly, and for a moment Gateau thought she was still dazed. "Carro'... I think I know."
"Hn? What?"
"That."
Carrot and Chocora turned to look, and Gateau felt their shock in the sudden stiffness of their bodies, heard it in Chocora's soft curse. Carrot only mumured his brother's name, and Gateau had never heard such desperation in the younger man's voice.
He craned his own neck to see. "What is it?" he demanded of his companions. "Tell me, damn it---"
At that moment, the beast came over the ridge just into his line of sight, and he trailed off, eyes widening. It seemed he wouldn't need a description after all.
The mercenaries' captain didn't like him much, Carunirian decided, amused. But that was perfectly all right. He was used to being disliked. Popularity wasn't important to him. Obedience was another matter entirely.
He held out the small ceramic disc on whose surface had been painted a portrait. "This is the man we're looking for. His name is Zeii. He's extremely powerful, and should be left to one of us to deal with."
The captain looked skeptical and annoyed; perhaps he thought he was being insulted. Carunirian laughed, and was rewarded with a glare. "By all means," he added, "feel free to pit your men against him. I assure you, their families will mourn them all and blame you for it."
The captain's jaw tightened, and he plucked the disc from Carunirian's palm---gingerly, Carunirian noted, taking great care not to touch Carunirian in the process. Carunirian smiled, delighted.
"Forgive me, Carunirian-sama." The captain's lip twitched; not quite a curl of disgust. "It is only that he does not look particularly intimidating, this Zeii."
Carunirian glanced at the image, lifting an eyebrow. "I know," he mused. "He has such a kind face, doesn't he? Despite his age---and he's quite old, let me assure you---they say he's not jaded at all, and quite companionable, if a bit introverted. Still... kind face or no, he's dangerous. And if your men are so careless as to anger him, you'll find that out. Worse, however, would be the consequences if your men killed him. We want him alive. Able to speak, anyhow. There is a great deal of knowledge in that ancient head of his, and we want him to share it with us. Now. Do you think your hired killers are capable of remembering not to kill, in this case?"
The captain nodded curtly, apparently deciding to overlook the insult in this instance. No doubt he knew of Carunirian's reputation. Or perhaps he remembered what Carunirian had done to that rather sweet young cadet of his.
"Hai, Carunirian-sama."
"Good. Now, here is the diagram of the compound." Carunirian tapped the drawing on the field tent table. "This little structure is where all of the teachers live. Most of them are Journeyman-level; dangerous enough, but remember that they'll be off-guard and probably disorganized, not to mention frightened out of their wits. Your men can take them if they follow the precautions I showed you. This," he tapped again in a different place, "is Zeii's tower. It's doubtful that he'd be stupid or cowardly enough to hide out there, but search there anyhow. If you find anything of interest, bring it to me."
"Hai."
Carunirian straightened, cocking his head, feeling the churn of the ambient currents of magic, and smiled. "Ah---our battering ram has arrived. As soon as the shields are down, Garunetto will begin teleporting your men in. You'll probably be harassed by the apprentices, but they're of no consequence; they're merely children. Few of them will have the power to actually harm your soldiers so long as they are careful. Kill as many of the little vermin as you can find; we don't need them running off and nursing a grudge for years and then coming after us for vengeance, or anything so cliched." He smiled a little.
The captain glowered. "Children? The men won't like that."
Carunirian scowled impatiently. "Then round them up somewhere and use those sealing spells I gave you to hold them, I don't care which. Actually..." he brightened, an idea occurring to him. Most of the others would go along with this; only that fool Garunetto and his simpering sycophant Topaza would really object. Carunirian snorted to himself. Garunetto was easily manipulated. "That's probably a better idea. Then we can find alternate uses for the little darlings. Would that suit your men?"
"...Hai, Carunirian-sama."
"Excellent." Carunirian gathered up the scattered papers, rolling them to hand to a servant for storage. "Now let's go. Follow the attack plan I gave you; I'll be at the coordinating points indicated. And please, captain---don't screw this up."
Marron awakened, disoriented for a moment. He had been dreaming... what? Something dark, was all he could recall. Like the quick fluttering of a bat's wings.
He looked at Zeii in the darkness and smiled a little, the disturbance of the dream fading from his mind. Zeii was asleep, one arm draped around Marron, the fingers of the other hand loosely curled around a lock of Marron's hair. For a moment, Marron gazed at his lover, taking advantage of a rare opportunity.
Asleep, Zeii looked as he must have, ages ago when he had still been mortal. Even now, though, there was something of magic about him. In the starlight, he seemed made of alabaster. A sleeping prince of ice and marble, awaiting only a kiss to awaken...
Zeii sighed in his sleep, frowning a little and turning his head to one side, and Marron gazed for a long moment at his lover's long neck, lean and corded, the tanned skin standing out in stark contrast to the pale hair that curled against it carelessly. Zeii had said he was too weak for proper lovemaking. He smiled, feeling a flicker of daring move through him. Zeii was old, but he didn't know everything.
He pushed the covers back, taking a moment to admire Zeii's well-defined, lean form. Gingerly, darting a look at Zeii's face and praying that he wouldn't wake---or at least not too soon---he laid a hand on Zeii's chest and slid it down, delighting in the feel of warm, smooth skin. No ice-prince here. Just warmth, which he kissed, savoring. Just Zeii's throat. And his nipples. And his navel.
Zeii stirred again, and suddenly Marron felt a hand touch his hair. "What are you up to?"
Marron smiled, half shy and half enjoying Zeii's obvious discomfiture. "Nothing." He dropped his head to Zeii's navel again, pushing the covers down a little further for easier access. Zeii inhaled sharply, head falling back, as Marron's tongue dipped, exploring.
"Hardly nothing, my dancer. Is this a coup?" Zeii sounded both pleased and amused, and Marron, encouraged, widened his smile to a grin.
"If you want to call it that." Greatly daring, he slid further down, beneath the covers that lay across Zeii's abdomen.
Zeii gasped in surprise, falling silent for a moment; then he chuckled. "I suppose all those years of celibacy must have given you plenty of time to develop some imagination..." Marron only chuckled, and then the silence ruled for a while.
Until Zeii's loud gasp, not of pleasure. Marron started when his lover sat up, struggling out of the sheets. "What---what is it?" Marron asked, confused. Zeii sprang out of the bed and ran over to the window, ignoring him. "Zeii...?"
The headmaster wrenched aside the hangings and planted his hands on the windowsill, half-leaning out as his eyes searched the countryside, narrowed, then widened. "Oh dear sweet gods," he murmured softly.
"What is it?" Marron struggled out of the bed and cursed as his knees buckled the moment he tried to stand. He caught himself on the bedpost to prevent a fall, then lurched, wobbly as a newborn colt, from the bed to the wall, pulling himself along it to join Zeii at the window. The hangings blew into his face; he batted them frantically out of the way. "Zeii, what---"
And then he got free of the curtains, and saw.
**End Ch. 6