Quests Volume Two

by Barbara G. Tarn

  "My life is going to be much longer than any of yours anyway," Raykim replied. "But I would like to try more than one woman, and that's for sure."

  Vijay nodded. "Are you still a virgin?"

  "I've had mating flights. But I've never dealt with Humans before."

  "I see. Would you consider me? You could have sex with me and it wouldn't spoil my virginity, nor make me pregnant. It's just sex that you want, isn't it?"

  "Yes." Raykim stared puzzled at the prince. "But what will your wife think?"

  "My wife doesn't know everything I do. And if I don't visit her often, I have my reasons." Vijay smiled impishly. "Some things just won't work with women. They don't understand our bodies like we do."

  "Oh." Raykim pondered. "Don't you have the same thing that I have? How do we match?"

  Vijay leaned forward and caressed his cheek. "I'll show you," he whispered. "Would you like to try?"

  ***

  "You what?" Keneith stared incredulous at Raykim.

  They were alone in Keneith's room and it was barely dawn. Knowing how little sleep he had, Raykim had flown to his balcony moments before to announce he had had sex with Prince Vijay.

  "I spent a few hours with him," Raykim answered, excited. "You wouldn't believe the tricks he knows! Very pleasurable!"

  Keneith groaned. "Tell me you didn't screw him!"

  "Actually, I did! I didn't know one could do it with a man, but it has been fun!"

  "Raykim!" Keneith didn't know if he should strangle his cousin or hug him. "You don't go around humping men, especially prince heirs! Can't you learn to control that beast between your legs?"

  "Vijay suggested it," Raykim replied, now looking offended. "I didn't know what I was supposed to do, so I let him lead the game!"

  "Great!" Keneith muttered.

  From child who finds kisses icky to horny teenager who would fuck anything with a hole. Why oh why did I promise Winged Amalia and Bellinda to take care of this overgrown youth?

  "Why are you always mad at everything I do?" Raykim complained. "I thought I'd ask Vijay how to deal with his sisters..."

  "And he introduced you to another kind of sex, I get it." Keneith waved him off. "Now please don't go boasting throughout the entire court that you have had sex with the prince heir, or they'll kick you out of here, if not worse."

  "I promised Vijay I wouldn't tell anyone, but I had to tell you, right?" Raykim was the picture of offended pride.

  "Right. Come here." Keneith patted the broad, backless, cushion-like round seat next to him. It would allow Raykim to sit without worrying about his wings.

  Raykim dragged his feet but obeyed. He hung his head and waited, his excitement gone.

  He obviously still trusts me and feels the need to tell me everything he does. Which is good. But how do I handle him? How do I explain things to him?

  Keneith put one arm around his cousin's shoulder and pulled him closer.

  "Raykim, it's fine. But please, don't go exploring like this without consulting with me ever again. I had found a couple of maids, whose virginity isn't as important as princesses, who were very attracted to you and was about to tell you you should have them."

  Raykim glanced at him from behind his blue bangs. "Really?" he whispered.

  "Yes, except now you've tangled yourself with Prince Vijay." Keneith sighed. "You will have to deal with him. Just be aware that he's married and if his wife finds out, she might request a divorce and he'll never be king."

  "I know, and so does he. We'll be careful."

  "Good. Then you're all set for your first sexual experiences with Humans."

  "You're not mad at me for what I did?"

  "I wouldn't have done it, but I'm not you."

  "Did you have someone explain things to you when you were young?"

  "No, I had left home and was on my own. I made a lot of mistakes. I hoped to spare you. As long as nobody is hurt and everything was consensual, though, I can't stop you from experimenting. Just be careful, though. And remember, no means no."

  "I will remember, Keneith, I promise," Raykim said gravely.

  Keneith hugged him. Stupid, lovable little cousin of mine! It felt good to hear him giggle against him. He'll grow up, eventually...

  CHAPTER NINE

  Experimenting was fun, but soon it became boring. Raykim learned to control himself by observing Keneith's behavior. His elder cousin wasn't chaste, he just didn't have sex as often as he did. And obviously doing it less often was more pleasing.

  Add to that the end of the first excitement, the years passing, Humans growing old, and again Raykim found himself wondering if it was time to leave Jevina. It took him fifteen years to get enough of the Lakeshian royal family, and Keneith looked amused when he suggested they leave.

  "How come?" he asked. "You have screwed any screwable Human in town?"

  "Keneith!" Raykim rolled his eyes. "Have mercy!"

  Keneith laughed. He still looked more or less the same, around forty Human years, his hair still as black as raven's wings.

  "I'm glad you grew up, Raykim. And that you want to continue this adventure."

  "We still need to find your mother," Raykim said.

  "I'm impressed," Keneith teased. "You even remembered why I set off in the first place!"

  Raykim scowled and Keneith smiled.

  "Sorry, Raykim, you're a good boy..."

  "I think I can be considered a man now!" Raykim puffed out his chest for emphasis. "I'm fifty-five, I'm an adult, now, am I not?"

  "A good man," Keneith corrected. "I'm actually quite proud of what you've become. And thank you for deciding to leave this crowded place. I badly need some solitude now."

  Raykim pondered. "Funny, I'm kind of sick of these people too!"

  "Let's go, then. Further south. Rajendra, Arquon, Akkora..."

  Vijay was king by now and he was sorry to see them leave, but couldn't stop them. Again they set out on foot, even though Vijay offered them an elephant, but it would have been too complicated. Raykim fluttered by Keneith's side, since he didn't have shoes for long walks, and started enjoying the conversation with his cousin. Away from people, introverted Keneith could be actually funny.

  The forest they marched through had turned into a jungle, but there were still roads that were kept clean to allow trade between the main southern cities, therefore they stuck to those. They didn't need to hide, at least not until Arquon, and there were less wild animals around Human constructions – or destruction in the case of the wounds the roads tore into the jungle.

  They weren't sure Arquon, who had a king-god, would accept Raykim as semi-god in spite of his wings. But there was plenty of time before they reached Arquon. There was Rajendra first, and then maybe they could stop at the Genn city under Mount Flora.

  Argantael, capital of Rajendra, had been built on a river shore. It distinguished itself from Jevina for the elaborate beauty of its architecture: every doorway was covered with scrolls of fruits and flowers with birds and beasts entwined in them. It was a walled city with large gates and multi-storied buildings with arched windows and doors.

  Keneith and Raykim reached the royal palace and found it similar to the previous one. Long stately corridors, a patio with a rectangular pool, smaller rooms with such exquisite stucco-work on the walls that it looked like inlaid ivory, an inner courtyard with a central fountain and a cloister of carved columns.

  The throne room was the most sumptuous, and delicate decoration was reserved for the king's glory, with lace-like stucco-work on walls and columns, and multi-lobed arches on all doors and windows. There were carvings on all available surfaces: walls, pillars, corbels and architraves. Pillars were carved with panels that had inlays of colored stones or glazed tiles.

  "Who do you think is better, Lakeshian sculptors or Rajendrans?" Raykim asked, looking around wide-eyed. He had tried his hand at sculpture, but rocks didn't obey him. Maybe if he'd had some Genn blood instead of Sila, he could have become a rock-shaper and sculpt
or.

  Keneith shrugged. He wasn't interested in any artistic endeavor, except writing. He had started taking notes in Amrendra and jotting down stories and legends in Lakeshi, pondering on his own memories and wondering if he should write down all that oral tradition that was being passed on to him.

  Raykim had learned many things, but not reading or writing. Like the Sila, he didn't see any interest in that. But he liked using his hands to mold clay – softer than rocks! – and sing whenever he had the chance. Sometimes he wondered if the Fajrulo had any artistic trait. Apparently he had inherited only the Sila arts.

  King Rakesh of Rajendra had three teen children, the eldest being a blind princess he worried a lot for.

  "The gods cursed me," he confided to Keneith and Raykim as soon as they were alone in his private chamber for a more relaxed talk. "Because I cared too much about my general, they blinded my firstborn, so she would not see what a shameful father she had."

  Raykim exchanged a puzzled glance with Keneith.

  "King Vijay has male lovers, and they say his queen is blind," he said.

  "She doesn't want to see," King Rakesh corrected amused. "It's different. My daughter hasn't seen the light or the colors once since she was born."

  Raykim thought he'd die if he lost his sight. "I'm afraid I'm not a healer," he apologized. "But how come the other children are not blind?"

  "Because I told Kabir I'd stop seeing him," King Rakesh answered gravely. "Thus Roshan and Nisha were just fine. The gods rewarded me for going back on the right path. My queen has been very patient with me."

  Raykim saw Keneith scoff, but his cousin didn't comment.

  "Will I be able to meet the blind princess?" he asked, curious.

  "Of course, Lord Raykim."

  By then Raykim had gotten used to being called "lord" by kings and commoners alike. Humans in the south felt his bat-like wings and pointed ears were a divine gift, therefore worshiped him along with their other gods.

  A couple of days later he met Ashrita, the fifteen-year-old firstborn. He couldn't believe her beautiful eyes didn't see him, but he allowed her to touch his wings and his hair. She said it had a different texture from Human hair, more silky. She also felt his pointed ears and said he must look like some local god she called Ramesh.

  Her fingers tickled him and he liked talking to her. She liked being read to, so he often listened in as well. Usually the queen or Keneith read old epics for them and Ashrita's siblings, thirteen-year-old Roshan and eleven-year-old Nisha.

  General Kabir didn't hide his hostility towards the newcomers. Quite the opposite reaction to King Rakesh's sister Harsha, still unmarried in her mid-twenties, and definitely attracted to Raykim's apparent youth.

  Remembering how things had gone in Lakeshi, Raykim decided not to ask her brother's permission – especially since he had admitted to having had a male lover – and talk directly with the lady. Harsha batted her eyelids at him like a courtesan, and Raykim deducted she hadn't married because she wasn't a virgin anymore. Therefore he felt free to follow her inclination and please her when she invited him to her room.

  Keneith seemed very interested in the library of Argantael, therefore Raykim relaxed, thinking he had a home for another decade or two.

  ***

  Five years went by in the royal palace of Rajendra. Keneith had read all the books available and listened to all the possible stories. He wondered if he should resume his so-called search for his mother or if he should consider settling somewhere for good.

  His never ending quest was obviously a lost cause. His mother would never allow him to go near her more than Raykim's father had allowed Raykim near him. What should he look for, then? Knowledge seemed something noble to achieve. He could study all the books of the south. He had never seen so many, the northern populations were less educated in that department. They still preferred telling stories around the fire than writing them down.

  And then Harsha announced to her brother that she was pregnant and wished to marry her lover. Keneith was surprised to discover Raykim was the father – this time his young cousin had done everything by himself. The glare in General Kabir's eyes made him wonder if it hadn't been a mistake on Raykim's part, though.

  King Rakesh didn't look upset and said that if Raykim would have her, he'd bless their marriage. The young god was welcome to join the royal family of Rajendra and father more babies with the king's sister – as long as a ceremony tied them according to tradition.

  "Are you sure this is what you want?" Keneith asked Raykim, skeptical.

  His cousin shrugged. "Why not? I might as well try this. She's very nice in bed..."

  "And she's going to have your babies," Keneith snapped. "Have you considered the fact that you're not Human? That the babies will probably have wings and might kill her?"

  Raykim shrugged again. "She wanted it so badly..." he grumbled. "I'd rather spend time talking to Ashrita, but Harsha has become obsessed with me!"

  "I noticed." Keneith snorted. Court intrigues were never his forte, not even now after decades in the southern kingdoms. "I think if the baby has even one non-Human characteristic, General Kabir will want your head. If the princess dies in childbirth, King Rakesh will want your head."

  "Didn't you have any bastard in your long life?" Raykim complained.

  "Probably, and I never stayed to see what they looked like," Keneith retorted.

  He wondered if Raykim had left some bastard in Lakeshi, but in Jevina Raykim had been mostly busy with Vijay. Hence Harsha must be the first Human he'd impregnated – and it had taken him a few years.

  Raykim pursed his lips. "So you think we should leave?" he asked, frowning with uncertainty.

  "Before they kick us out or try to kill us," Keneith answered, determined. "Go grab your things, we're out of here."

  Raykim sighed but obeyed. Keneith thought that his quest was now to find a place where his cousin could do no damage and stay out of trouble. Maybe they should really head for Mount Flora and see if the Genn would have him.

  ***

  They left Argantael at night, without saying good-bye to anyone, unlike what they had done in the previous courts. Raykim was disappointed, but he knew Keneith was right. He had put himself in trouble by being too nice. He had never considered the consequences of his mating with a Human.

  A few days later, as they left the Rajendran jungle behind, they saw another mountain range that on the map was positioned between Lakeshi, Rajendra and Arquon, Raykim went exploring up the peaks and caught a glimpse of a scaly body. A very small red dragon, the size of an elephant, who was basking in the sun.

  Puzzled, he reported his find to Keneith.

  "Maybe it's your mother with another offspring," he suggested. "Maybe female Fajrulo are less hostile towards their offspring."

  "Females of any species can get dangerous if you go too close to their cubs," Keneith warned.

  "I didn't go close to him, I saw him from the air. I think it's a boy, he was curled up. Aren't you curious about your mother's blood?"

  "Curiosity is bad, usually," Keneith chided. But obviously he was as curious as Raykim because after a short hesitation he added, "Take me there, but don't land near the cub!"

  Raykim grinned and grabbed Keneith under his armpits, taking off again. They saw a big cavern opening not far from where the red dragon slept, so they decided to land there and wait. The mother would most certainly show up at some point.

  They sat quietly on one side of the opening. They could see the red scaly back rising and falling rhythmically behind the rocks on the other side. The small dragon must still be asleep.

  Raykim's Sila eyesight spotted her first. "It's the green female!"

  "Which one?"

  "The one who was mating with my father thirty-five years ago! There!"

  He pointed as a green dragon glided towards them. It was three times bigger than the cub basking in the sun. And it landed in front of the opening of the cave, putting herself between the cub
and the cousins.

  "Aren't you the half-blood who watched our mating?" she asked, staring at Raykim with her red eyes. She didn't seem hostile. The cub peeked at him from under her wings, but she pushed him back.

  "Yes, I thought it was you who was flying with my father."

  "So you're Runedemon's offspring? Interesting." She didn't sound upset. "I'm Clawicon and this is Bloodfire."

  The elephant-sized dragon was finally allowed to come forward and take a closer look at them.

  "I gave him his grandfather's name, since he's as red as his grand-sire was," Clawicon continued.

  Bloodfire sniffed at Keneith and then at Raykim, licking his cheek with a big raspy tongue.

  "Hey!" Raykim protested with a laugh. "What do you think you're doing? You want to fight, huh?"

  The little dragon seemed to grin with all his fangs.

  "Raykim, please... didn't you say you're an adult now?" Keneith chided. Raykim ignored him, starting a playful fight with the oversized dragon cub. Keneith rolled his eyes and turned to the Fajrulo. "You don't happen to know where Bluestar is, do you?"

  "Ah, no, sorry. She might be in Nera or Paadre for all I know. If she doesn't have a little one to care for, she could be anywhere."

  Bloodfire was rolling on his back with Raykim tickling and caressing his belly.

  "Can he shift shape?" Raykim asked.

  "Not yet."

  "Why haven't you abandoned him yet?"

  "Not until he can shift shape, which might happen soon."

  "Can you teach me as well? I have no idea of where to begin..."

  Clawicon stared at Raykim and sighed. "Fine," she muttered. "One cub or two... not much difference, is it?"

  "I can help, if you want," Keneith said.

  Clawicon looked at him and then morphed into a young woman that made Keneith gasp.

  "Why not?" she said, slowly smiling at him. Raykim wondered if she had taken the form of someone Keneith knew. "We have a history, don't we, Keneith?" Clawicon added with an impish smile. "Now, Bloodfire, get up from the ground, it's dusty! Come, you two, let's get away from the sun for now..."