The Darkest Sword

by Samantha Kroese

  “Such a brute, he is,” Diredin said to his crowd, stroking his smooth chin and clucking his tongue in displeasure. “Who will be the first to try to tame this wild stallion, hmm?” Diredin’s gaze traveled over the eager people gathered in the room, then he pointed at two young women lounging half naked in the corner. “There, the sisters shall teach you manners, my lord. You are not here to be a brute and take what you want whenever you want it. You are here to learn how to make people beg you to take them with no more than just a look.”

  Ashiyn snorted, skeptical, at least until the two girls came up to him. Then he found himself quite pleasantly distracted.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  The things Ashiyn learned over the next several months had little to do with what he had witnessed growing up. He learned quite quickly that seduction was different than the brute force with which Rhadamanthus took his women, or even the spell-induced trance that Rurik had used on Soryn. His teachers were patient but harsh if he crossed the line or got impatient. And he was very impatient. The sex was the fun part after all, why not just jump right to that?

  Diredin sighed when Ashiyn voiced that question. “My very young and naïve friend. Seduction is an art. You are physical perfection, so you have an unfair advantage over most as it is. You may be used to people throwing themselves at your feet. Or worse, judging by the habits we’ve broken you of, you’re used to your brute of a Master just taking anything he wants.”

  “I am Prince of the world. I can take whatever I want,” Ashiyn grumbled, as he sipped at the rich wine in the fancy goblet he held. At first, he found the elves odd with their flaunting of wealth even on simple things like goblets. He was starting to enjoy it, though. He’d decided he would have a goblet like this fashioned for him when he went home.

  Diredin reached over and smacked Ashiyn’s hand resting on the table with a rod, stinging yet not really harming. “Wrong. It is wrong to force yourself on people. Would you enjoy it if I bent you over this table and took you just because I wanted to?”

  Ashiyn nearly dropped his goblet, horrified. Then he sputtered, “You’re not the Prince.”

  “I rule this place. As long as you are here, you do as I say,” Diredin said, his eyes narrowed. “So, tell me, young Prince. Do I need to teach you a lesson, or do you understand now why it’s wrong?”

  Ashiyn glared down at the table and clenched his fists, determined not to let his cheeks color. He wouldn’t give Diredin that satisfaction. “I understand quite clearly,” he mumbled.

  Diredin sat back in his chair, tapping the rod on his thigh absently to the tune of the music in the background. “I wouldn’t do that, you know. I’m not a brute like your Master.”

  Ashiyn pushed his goblet and his food away, feeling sick to his stomach. Not only at the thought of someone trying to force themselves on him, but also the fact that he’d seen it done so many times. That was what Rhadamanthus and Rurik did. And the fact that Soryn had to endure that humiliation seemed even worse than the thousand deaths he’d suffered at Rhadamanthus’s hands. “May I be excused?”

  Diredin’s ears flattened and he looked instantly concerned. “Yes. Are you all right? I was just making a point. I did not mean to upset you.”

  “I’m not upset,” Ashiyn growled, then stormed out of the room. He ignored the calls of the girls wanting to practice and shut himself away in the chambers they had given him to be alone with his thoughts.

  He sat by the open window, watching the sun set over the dark land of his Master and wishing he were back there. Almost. At least he was enjoying not having to die every few days, and the girls were pleasurable. But things here didn’t make sense.

  “May I come in?” Diredin called through the closed door.

  “It’s your house; you can do whatever you want, right?” Ashiyn retorted, glaring at the door.

  “Technically, yes. Unlike you, though, I am polite. If you would prefer to be alone, I shall leave you to your thoughts,” Diredin said, sounding slightly irritated. “Though, I would encourage you to stop acting like a spoiled child.”

  Ashiyn looked back out the window. “Fine, you can come in.”

  Diredin opened the door slowly, then stepped inside and closed it behind him. “What I said quite upset you. Why?”

  Ashiyn continued to glare out the window, refusing to face Diredin lest his face betray his emotions again. “Does anyone enjoy it? That was the point you were making, right? That forcing someone to do that is wrong because, when it is against their will, it is not enjoyable?”

  Diredin walked closer, the silks he was wearing today swishing with the movement. He perched on the other end of the window seat as far from Ashiyn as he could be. “It is a terrible thing, yes. I just wanted you to see that. You have no reason to feel unsafe here. That is a practice I will not allow.”

  “My Master takes whatever women suit his fancy at the time. Sometimes he kills their husbands so they will submit to him. He never keeps them. He uses them; sometimes they get with child and he kills them. I don’t even know what happens to the ones that live,” Ashiyn said, giving Diredin a confused look. “I have seen him take them. I thought that was how things were done. Now I come here, and it is all different.”

  “Rhadamanthus is a brute. I am glad you got sent here to learn how to get what you want and need in a more appropriate manner and that you’re smart enough to understand why it needs to be that way,” Diredin said with a smile. “You are very intelligent, Ashiyn. And powerful. And beautiful. Charismatic. I dare say you’ll even be charming once you leave here, or at least know how to pretend you are well enough to make others believe you.”

  Ashiyn crossed his arms. He’d talked a lot to Diredin in the time he’d been here. He was closer to the elf perhaps than to anyone else.

  “Were you hurt that way, Ashiyn?” Diredin asked after a moment, hesitant. “I swear if Rhadamanthus has laid a hand on you that way…”

  “No!” Ashiyn said, sitting up, alarmed. Then he shook his head. “My Master just beats me to death nearly every day because I can’t control my tongue when my mind thinks terrible things I shouldn’t say.”

  Diredin shook his head. “That’s horrible as well. But I don’t want you to think about that. You’re safe here. What is it that upsets you, then? The women your Master uses?”

  “No. I have a friend. I think he’s my friend,” Ashiyn said, his brow furrowed. “He’s with Rurik.”

  The color faded from Diredin’s already pale face, and he glanced out the window toward the black spire that could be seen far in the distance. “Oh, I see.”

  “You know what Rurik does?” Ashiyn asked, surprised.

  “I know first-hand what Rurik does,” Diredin said bitterly, his eyes narrowed. “Rurik is even worse than Rhadamanthus that way. He spells people while he abuses them. Turns them into mindless slaves to whatever he wants to do with them. It’s not just raping them. Sometimes he’ll spell them into just lying there while he tears them open for his rituals. They’re alive but unable to do anything except submit to their deaths.”

  Ashiyn stared at Diredin, then clenched his fists. “He won’t do that to Soryn, will he?”

  Diredin blinked, then raised his long, arched brows. “Soryn? Rurik’s high priest? That’s your friend?”

  Ashiyn pursed his lips. He hadn’t meant to blurt that out, but it was too late now.

  “Well, I don’t think you have to worry about Rurik sacrificing his high priest,” Diredin said, thoughtful. “The other horrors that poor boy endures though…”

  “I don’t want to know,” Ashiyn said, cutting him off. He didn’t want details. He was already upset enough with the implications.

  Diredin rose, looking disturbed as well. “Don’t worry, young Prince. When you leave here, you will have full control of your desires and your tongue.” With that Diredin left Ashiyn alone with his thoughts once more.

  CHAPTER SIX

  As the year passed, it became clear Ashiyn had learned all he co
uld from Diredin’s palace of pleasure. He had even learned how to control his retorts, to an extent anyway. At least he didn’t voice them as often. He had started to pack his things to return home when Diredin entered the room.

  Diredin shut the door behind him, his usually care-free demeanor replaced with one that resembled dread. “Ashiyn, I don’t want you to go back to Rhadamanthus.”

  Ashiyn dropped his brand new commissioned golden goblet into the bag he was packing, then gave Diredin a questioning look. “What? What are you talking about? I have to go back to Rhadamanthus. I’m Prince. It’s where I belong.”

  Diredin moved closer and sat on the bed. “Ashiyn, I want to have one more serious talk with you. In the time you’ve been here, I’ve seen you eye some of the male pairs with curiosity, but you’ve taken great offense to any who have shown interest in you. Why?”

  Ashiyn snarled. “Men being attracted to each other is a sickness. It shows weakness.”

  Diredin rested his cheek on his hand, languidly stretching out. “Does it now? Do you think I’m weak, Ashiyn?”

  Ashiyn hesitated at that. “No.”

  “I quite enjoy sex with everyone. Female or male,” Diredin smirked just a little. “Does that make me weak?”

  Ashiyn scowled. He didn’t even have his own good argument for this topic; it was just something he’d parroted from Rhadamanthus beating it into him, and now that his Master wasn’t here to explain, he was confused. “My Master says it is not done. It’s inappropriate. His brother is sick.”

  “Oh, Rurik is sick; on that we agree. Rurik abuses children. That’s an entirely different topic,” Diredin sat up, suddenly unamused. “As you’ve learned, there is quite a difference between willing sex and rape. I don’t want to hear you regurgitate what your brute Master claims. I want to know what you really think.”

  Ashiyn returned his attention to folding his clothes into his travel bag. “I don’t have my own opinion. It feels wrong to me. I like women just fine, thank you. I think there are plenty of them in the world to entertain me for some time.”

  Diredin considered that, then sat back. “Fair enough. Everyone has their preferences. If you truly only want to have women, that is your choice, and no one should make you feel wrong for it. I just want it to be your choice, not something your Master has beaten into you. I want you to think freely, Ashiyn. I want you to live your life as you, not as your Master’s pawn.”

  Ashiyn looked back at Diredin. “That boy I mentioned once before. Soryn. He asked me to be with him once. I was very confused by his arousal and his proposal. We didn’t get to explore it because Rhadamanthus beat me to death in front of him to teach us both a lesson. Likely he thought I’d be corrupted by Soryn.”

  “Do you find him attractive?” Diredin asked.

  “No. I don’t know. Not sexually,” Ashiyn shrugged.

  “But you do care for him. And he finds you sexually attractive. That’s okay, Ashiyn. He likely can’t help it any more than you can help not wanting him that way. If the two of you can work out how to be friends anyway, perhaps time will change one of you. Or perhaps not. Don’t let him pressure you into something you don’t want though, that’s not fair to either of you.” Diredin tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair. “I won’t try to convince you to stay here with me instead of returning to Rhadamanthus. As much as I desire that you stay here with me.”

  Ashiyn dropped the shirt he was folding at Diredin’s words. “What did you say?”

  Diredin played with one of his many necklaces, not meeting Ashiyn’s gaze. “To know you is to love you, my Prince. Even though you are a spoiled brute, there is something underneath that is irresistible. I have quite fallen for you, honestly. It’s never happened before with one of my students, especially one I dared not touch at all. I care for you. It pains me greatly to know that you are returning to abuse, pain, torture, death. I debated even telling you, but I want you to know you have the option. Stay here with me, Ashiyn. Even if you never desire me the way I desire you.”

  Ashiyn stared at Diredin, shocked. Then rage filled him, and he started to shake. “You know I can’t do that! Do you have any idea what Rhadamanthus would do to you if you tried to keep me here? To everyone here? He would raze your palace and everyone in it. He’d torture you in unspeakable ways.” Ashiyn shook his head and gathered his things, not trusting his voice. He forced the emotions down and regained his calm. “Or he would make me torture you to teach me a lesson. Goodbye, Diredin. I am leaving. Now.” With that he took his things and fled the palace.

  He ignored Diredin’s pleading calls and ran to the stable, saddled Illusion, and raced back toward his Master’s kingdom.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Ashiyn wandered around the castle feeling restless. The woman hadn’t satisfied him, and now he couldn’t sleep. His thoughts wandered to Soryn. He had not seen the boy since the day they had been caught by Rhadamanthus. Deciding now would be a good time to go visit; Ashiyn closed his eyes and focused his magic. Since he knew Soryn it was not difficult to locate him. Ashiyn then used his magic to tear open the shadows as he had seen Rurik do and stepped through them into a darkened room.

  His magic had not told him what his would-be-friend was doing. Ashiyn narrowed his eyes. Soryn lay there seemingly in a trance as Rurik used him. Ashiyn knew it was dangerous to stand there and watch, but he had never seen two men together and curiosity got the better of him. Besides, he wanted to talk to Soryn. He was used to getting what he wanted now. He had nothing better to do than wait.

  Once Rurik was finished, he fell asleep quickly and the trance seemed to fall from Soryn. Soryn shuddered, rose, and wandered out of the room nude. Ashiyn followed him, staying hidden in the shadows. Soryn retreated to a small room with a ritual bathing pool and waded out into it to wash himself.

  Ashiyn watched, still silent. They had both grown into men, and he’d never seen his friend without the massive flowing robes that Rurik’s acolytes wore. He frowned, considering his own body’s reaction to seeing Soryn’s naked body. He remembered the way Soryn had tried to convince him to experiment before they were caught together. Rhadamanthus said it was a sickness, a weakness, to find other men attractive. Ashiyn had just fled the safety of Diredin’s palace to spare that man the horrendous death by Rhadamanthus’s hands that he knew would come if something happened between them. Yet, here he was, his body eager at what he was seeing. As Soryn started to emerge from the pool to dry, Ashiyn let the shadows fall from him so Soryn could see him.

  Soryn dropped the towel he was using in shock and stared at Ashiyn in disbelief. “Pr-pr-prince Ashiyn? It can’t be. I saw you die.”

  Ashiyn fought the urge to roll his eyes. “I die almost daily, Soryn. I am an immortal.”

  Soryn sat down on a stone bench, trembling. “All of this time I thought you died to protect me. Why didn’t you come to see me sooner?”

  “I was busy. I didn’t want us to be found again,” Ashiyn started then shrugged and walked closer, still looking Soryn over. “I am drawn to you. I still want to speak to you.”

  Soryn sucked in a breath as he looked Ashiyn over. “You are even more breathtaking and seductive than before. Do you realize the things I imagine doing with you any time I see you? Things you would find horribly perverse. You’d probably kill me. Is it wise to try to befriend me?”

  “I’m quite used to people wanting me, Soryn. Women fall at my feet all the time now,” Ashiyn smirked, as Soryn rose to his feet. He walked close, and then he reached over to push damp hair from Soryn’s cheek. “I don’t need a lover, Soryn. I can have anyone I want. I want a friend.”

  Soryn trembled under his touch, closing his eyes. Then he cleared his throat and wrapped the towel around his waist with some difficulty. “I suppose as long as you aren’t disturbed by how much your presence arouses me, then I can indulge you.”

  Ashiyn bit back a comment about Soryn not having much choice, but he remembered his lessons and what he’d walked in on. He scowle
d. “Why do you let Rurik use you that way?”

  Soryn stared at him then his cheeks colored. “You were watching?” Soryn shook his head then pulled away to hurry to dress, suddenly ashamed. “Do I have a choice? He favors me. I am his servant. If I allow him to have me, he leaves the other boys alone. Many reasons. Most you won’t understand.”

  “Do you want him to do that to you?” Ashiyn asked.

  Soryn turned and gave him a glare. “Do you want your Master to beat you to death?”

  Ashiyn bristled a little, but he understood. He dropped his gaze to give Soryn at least a semblance of privacy as he dressed. He realized he had no idea how to speak to a friend. He only had experience with the servants, the army, and the women his Master now encouraged him to seduce.

  “Sorry. I should not bring that up. It is the same thing, though. Neither of us has a choice in the matter,” Soryn said now that he was fully dressed. “I think I would like to be your friend, my Prince. What shall we do?”