Tales of the Southern Kingdoms (One Volume Edition)

by Barbara G. Tarn

  "So he dropped you as well."

  The boy was smart.

  He smiled ruefully. "Yes he did. I must beg him to sleep with me now. Especially since Kumar. The little bastard had made quite an impression on him."

  "Who?" Yash looked interested and Neeraj had enough of keeping everything to himself. His brother-in-law reminded him of his rival, and he knew Ramesh wanted Yash as much had he had wanted Kumar.

  "An Akkoran boy, he was captured near the underground city of the Sect six years ago," he said. "Cute but wild, he had grown up on the streets. Ramesh loved him and thought he could be his worthy successor. Not me, who had betrayed my own father for the love of him, but an orphan from a neighboring kingdom!" The thought was still frustrating.

  A hint of a smile flashed on Yash's face.

  "I think he loved the fact that he must tame him fist," Neeraj continued. "And Kumar tried to run away with his friends. They were all caught, of course, but Kumar was the first. He tried to fight for the sake of his friends and was badly wounded. Ramesh couldn't save him, so he sacrificed him to the Goddess."

  Puzzled, Neeraj saw Yash slowly smile.

  "So you think he's dead?" the young prince asked.

  "Nobody comes out alive from the Goddess Pit!"

  Yash averted his eyes. "He did."

  "What?" Neeraj stared incredulous at his brother-in-law.

  Yash looked him in the eyes. "Kumar is my sword-teacher. He advised my father not to send Lalita to Arquon. And even if he's barely twenty-one, my father listened to him." The young prince sighed, averting his eyes. "I guess saving my life was enough for my father to accept him as sword-teacher for all of us and follow his advice once. I guess Kumar won't be able to save me this time."

  It was Neeraj's turn to gape. Kumar was alive? True that his sacrifice had been different – his body had vanished from the cage – but still... Should he tell Ramesh? Or Keiko and Hayato? He had grown quite fond of Jayanta, the youngest of the Orphans, considering how much Ramesh ignored him now...

  Remembering how Ramesh had been obsessed with Kumar, though, maybe it was better not to spread the news. Neeraj looked at Yash who was staring out of the window again, lost in thoughts.

  "Yash... we don't want anyone of the Sect to learn that Kumar is alive, all right?"

  Yash glanced at him and shrugged. "I knew I was doomed the moment I left Agharek," he said. "And now that I know what Kumar had to suffer, I'd never want him to come here and go through it again. He's not strong enough to beat the High Priest yet. But one day he will be. And that day he'll avenge me."

  "You will not die, Yash," he assured. "Like I said, don't resist, go with the flow, and you'll enjoy your stay in Arquon."

  "Unless you keep that Ramesh away from me, I will not live long," the prince replied.

  Neeraj sighed. "Don't be stubborn. There is worse."

  "Like what?" Yash snapped.

  He slowly smiled. "Orgies. You'll see."

  ***

  Yash spent only his first month of marriage at the royal palace outside Zarquon. Ramesh brought Meena to him every other day but never left them alone – she liked it only if he was present.

  Yash saw him every night, though. When Ramesh came alone, he told him nobody was touching Meena, and then proceeded to touch him everywhere.

  Yash tried starving himself, fighting, crying – nothing worked. Ramesh's magic pinned him to the bed, forcing him to do whatever was asked of him. He felt life sucked out of his loins and his veins and couldn't do anything to stop it.

  He prayed every day for deliverance. He hoped his sword-teacher would come and save him again, but deep inside knew Kumar wouldn't risk his life again with the Sect.

  Neeraj was not really helpful either. He lusted after him as much as Ramesh and sometimes joined the High Priest in his rape and abuse.

  After a month Meena was pregnant and Yash was transferred to the underground city of the Sect. He was thrown into orgies and kept mostly in Ramesh's private rooms, where only Neeraj visited him with news of Meena.

  Yash stopped talking. Words didn't come out, his voice was dead. He didn't scream, didn't moan. He panted and gasped silently, not a sound escaping his lips.

  He felt drained. The sexual exercise, the drugs and enchantments kept him alive, but he was weakening. His inner light was fading out mercilessly. But he wasn't afraid anymore.

  Then Ramesh came. "Meena died in childbirth," he said. "And your son was stillborn."

  Nine months already? He had thought time was still in the underground city, but it obviously wasn't so. Hope filled up his heart and he stared at Ramesh, waiting for the rest.

  Ramesh caressed his cheek with a scoff. "You know you will not go back to your father's do you?"

  He nodded. He didn't want to go back and face his family after what he had gone through. He had heard Neeraj and Ramesh comparing him to Kumar; Neeraj had said they were alike, Ramesh had replied that no, they were opposite, because Kumar was darkness and he was light.

  And his light was gone. He could never be the same again. He couldn't share his sorrow, his shame, his distress with his beloved brothers and family. He had known he was doomed all along.

  "The Goddess shall have you," Ramesh said.

  Deliverance at last. Yash closed his eyes and gulped down his relief. He looked forward to the sacrifice.

  ***

  "But what should I tell his father?" Neeraj protested as Yash was locked into the cage, ready to be sent to the Goddess Pit.

  "A hunting accident," Ramesh shrugged. "Don't say anything until he asks, Neeraj, it's safer."

  Neeraj went to Yash who had passively accepted to be sacrificed to the Goddess and looked spent but serene.

  "Maybe a god will save you like..." Neeraj whispered to his brother-in-law, omitting the name both knew.

  The prince's lips trembled into a smile and he shook his head. Blood flowed out of his nose and his mouth. He was already dead.

  Neeraj pulled away, upset. He watched Yash disappear into the pit and hoped the cage would come out empty, like it had happened with Kumar.

  But no, the cage came up with the carbonized remains of a beautiful young prince who had been used to death by the Sect.

  What have I done?

  Neeraj staggered out of the Temple. He went back to his room and found Jayanta waiting for him as usual.

  "Wine. Liquor. Alcohol." He slumped on the bed and waited for the servant.

  He stared at the young man who looked as haunted as Yash had been while he sipped a strong liquor.

  "I will set you free, Jayanta," he said. "You will be able to go back to Akkora."

  Jayanta bowed without a word, but Neeraj saw hope in his eyes.

  The king smiled ruefully. It was time for a change.

  The High Priestess

  The doctor straightened his back and looked sternly at Neeraj who was lying in bed at the royal palace knowing exactly what his sickness was but eager to hear an expert's opinion.

  "Too much alcohol, your majesty," the doctor said. "One more glass and it will kill you. It has become poison for you. Stop drinking now if you care for your life."

  Neeraj scoffed and shooed him away. He didn't care for his life. He had started his heavy drinking after Yash's death and doubted Ramesh had noticed anything. It had taken him three years, but now he had reached the point of no return. And he was ready to go.

  He pulled himself up and said the transport spell that took him to the underground city of the Sect. He went to the Temple of the Goddess and stared at the black statue towering over the altar and the pit – the face of the Bloodthirsty Goddess was almost welcoming.

  He went to visit Hayato, next. He liked the almond eyes and exotic features of the young man who had been one of Kumar's friends and was still a prisoner – of his own twin sister.

  Neeraj lay down next to Hayato who always cuddled him whenever he visited.

  "Where have you been?" Hayato asked. "I haven't seen you in a long t
ime."

  "Royal matters, blah blah blah." He settled against the other's body and closed his eyes, relaxing. "I'm king, but I'm tired of it," he admitted.

  "You let go Jayanta."

  "Yes, I thought he deserved it."

  Hayato sighed. "I wish Keiko were that considerate of me! Will you abdicate in favor of one of your brothers?"

  "No, I'm going to die and name Ramesh my successor." He chuckled. "I don't think he'll like that, but he'll have to deal with it."

  "I don't think he wants to be king, or he'd have stolen the throne from your father."

  "I know, that's why I'm going to bestow it on him."

  "But you're younger than him you still have many years..."

  "No." He opened his eyes again to look at Hayato's face. "No, Hayato, I don't have many years left. In fact I came to say good-bye to you."

  "What?"

  He smiled at Hayato's puzzled expression. "You're very sweet and I enjoyed your company. I hope one day you can be free."

  "Not until my sister lets me go, I'm afraid."

  "I think Keiko will become High Priestess soon."

  "Neeraj, whatever you plan on doing, don't do it."

  Neeraj caressed Hayato's face, thoughtful. "You're so different from your sister... I can't believe you're twins."

  Hayato smiled ruefully. "I know. And I don't recognize her anymore. This place changed her. She has become ruthless."

  "And strong enough to capture and keep a Fajrulo. That certainly impressed Ramesh. Pity both of them are female, they can't keep his attention for very long."

  "Well, I'm glad I'm too old for him now."

  "I still miss him. I miss his touch." Neeraj sighed. "Can I sleep here tonight?"

  "Of course..."

  One last night in the arms of a tender lover. And then one last talk with his one and only love.

  ***

  "What do you want, Neeraj?" Ramesh glared at the king who was lying on his bed, fully dressed.

  "I need to talk to you."

  "About what?"

  "Passing you my throne."

  "I don't want your throne, I'm busy enough already!"

  Neeraj scoffed. "As king of Arquon you can have all the boys you want and make yours the official religion."

  "I don't care, Neeraj, what's with you?"

  "I'm tired." Neeraj sighed, rolling on the bed to stare at the ceiling. "Tired of being ignored by my lover. Therefore I will bestow everything I own on him and leave this crazy world..."

  "Don't be silly, Neeraj," Ramesh snapped. "We never talked about love. Only lust."

  "No, you never talked about love!" Neeraj pointed an accusing finger at him. "I did, from the first day."

  Ramesh scoffed. "I'm sorry, but on that very day I also made it perfectly clear what this was all about. And you accepted it. It's not my fault if you thought you could change me."

  "You're right." Now Neeraj was humble again, and he was really racking at Ramesh's nerves. Stupid, spoiled prince who had become a stupid, useless king.

  "Can we make peace and split as good friends?" Neeraj pulled himself up and stared hopeful at him.

  "We're not fighting, we're discussing," he replied with a shrug. "Now go back to the royal palace and keep being the good king you always were."

  "I was an awful king," Neeraj said ruefully, pouring a drink for both of them. Ramesh hadn't noticed the decanter by the bed, he didn't need alcohol to feel high.

  "Let's have a toast, shall we?" Neeraj offered him one goblet while he held the other close to himself.

  "A toast to what?" he asked impatiently, grabbing the goblet.

  "To the new king of Arquon." Neeraj raised his goblet.

  "You're still young, Neeraj," he scoffed. "But if it pleases you..."

  "It pleases me."

  Ramesh toasted and sipped some of his drink – strong liquor, apparently. He watched Neeraj gulping down the whole goblet and wondered if the king had taken on a drinking habit he wasn't aware of.

  Then Neeraj fell back on the bed, shivering as if he were delirious. Stunned, Ramesh put down the goblet and tried to bring him back from wherever he was going.

  It was a short agony. A poison couldn't have been quicker. Ramesh cursed under his breath, pulling away from Neeraj's still body and fixed stare. The bastard had planned it. He had killed himself under Ramesh's eyes as a form of revenge.

  You can be king, the husky voice of the Goddess said. More power to you. More lust. More blood.

  "And who shall worship you in your temple?" he asked, sarcastic.

  You know, she purred.

  A vision of a woman in a cage hidden behind the statue of the Goddess reminded him he might have found another worthy successor after all.

  ***

  Keiko had spent ten years in the underground city of the Sect trying to grab that power that kept eluding her. Of course she had managed to capture and subdue Maya, but whoever had helped her was still too tied to Ramesh.

  Sometimes she thought it was Hayato's light that didn't allow her to bond with the Bloodthirsty Goddess. He always had to remind her that he was only a prisoner, and Ramesh's toy. That the real power still belonged to the High Priest. Until now.

  "He's making me High Priestess!" she announced, excited, rushing in Hayato's room.

  "What?" Their communications were almost completely broken after ten years with the Sect, and he stared puzzled at her.

  "Ramesh is becoming king of Arquon and is making me High Priestess," she explained with a snort.

  "So Neeraj is dead." He looked thoughtful. Maybe he knew something that she didn't.

  "Obviously," she snapped.

  "He drank himself to death, Keiko, are you going to be next?"

  "Of course not! Let me become High Priestess, and you'll see!"

  "I'll see what? The sun and the jungle and Akkora? Or will I be stuck in this goddamn city forever?"

  "A little longer," she said. "Give me the time to gather the power. After I kill Ramesh, we can leave."

  Hayato scoffed. "He'll never allow you to become stronger than him, Keiko!"

  "He doesn't know what I'm capable of."

  "Yes, he saw what you can do. He knows where Maya is and that's why he trusts you enough to make you High Priestess. But this doesn't mean he'll give up some of his power."

  "I get to do the sacrifices instead of him. I'll gather power whether he wants it or not. And eventually I'll be stronger than him!"

  Hayato shook his head with a sigh.

  "You're killing me," he said, averting his eyes.

  "No, I'm not. I'll free us both, I promise," she replied impatiently. Why was he so dense? Why couldn't he understand her anymore? What was happening to both of them in that underground city?

  She stormed out of his room and went to the temple, to the little dark room where she kept Maya.

  "I'm becoming High Priestess," she announced again. "I'm thinking of sacrificing you first."

  Maya scoffed. "You can't. Drop me in the Goddess Pit and you will set me free. Fire is my element."

  "I'll rip your heart out."

  "Keiko, just because you locked me in Human form doesn't mean I have a Human body. My skin is still Fajrulo and I doubt your sacrificial knife can pierce it."

  Keiko pursed her lips, glaring at the creature who looked so harmless but obviously wasn't. She couldn't fail in front of the whole Sect, though. She'll have to find another victim.

  ***

  Ramesh had found a new toy at the royal palace, as Neeraj's youngest brother Mahesh was barely fifteen and the late king had kept him hidden for that very reason. Mahesh was as pure as Neeraj had been, but while Neeraj was made of darkness, Mahesh was made of light. Like Yash, he might not survive long – or he might adapt, like Hayato had done, surviving his teenage years.

  Harish, who was twenty-five, wasn't very happy to learn his unmarried brother had named Ramesh his heir. Harish had married Princess Chandra of Lakeshi after being denied Lalita of Akkora,
and the foreign princess had opened his eyes on what was going on in his royal house.

  Neither Harish nor Chandra had ever seen the underground city of the Sect and many in the royal council backed up Harish's claim to the throne. Not that Ramesh really wanted it, but having it meant he could control everything and everyone. He could have Mahesh as toy boy and marry a princess to generate a real heir – although Meena was dead and her sister Naina was married.

  Thus he thought about Keiko. She had proven herself a dutiful pupil in the ten years she had spent with the Sect, surprising him when she had managed to subdue a Fajrulo and showing him she could be as wicked as he was.

  And that she would never be a puppet, even if she was still weaker than him. She couldn't overthrow him, but she loved working for him. It was time to teach her some of the most powerful lust spells. She could practice on Harish and Naina's husband Roshan...

  First he taught her the transfer spell that brought them both to Harish's bedroom in the middle of the night. He showed her the sleeping couple and felt her lust for Harish. So he taught her how to call on darkness to abduct him and take him to her windowless room in the underground city. He knew she could do the rest by herself and left her to play with her new toy.

  ***

  Keiko watched Harish sleep feeling the darkness stir inside her. Yes, he was handsome, but not as much as Kumar. She had no idea why after ten years she kept comparing every lover to her long lost love and looking for someone that could replace him. Kumar was too unique to be replaced.

  Anyway, she liked the idea of stealing a foreign princess's husband. A haughty noble who wouldn't look at her twice could be at her mercy. Besides, if Harish was here, Ramesh would stay in Zarquon to ensure the throne was his and she wouldn't have to deal with him as often as now.

  All right, Harish wasn't Kumar, but he was a man. And one full of light at that. She could feed on him instead of draining Hayato with the help of fellow Sect members – she wasn't crazy enough to have sex with her twin, but she could absorb his light when he was having sex with somebody else.

  So, new light and lust source. Excellent. She noticed Harish stirring and slowly smiled. He was waking up at the perfect time.