QueensQuest

by Suz deMello

  He began to fuck my face in earnest while I bucked my hips up and down, pushing my clitoris against his tongue. His cock probed all the way to the back of my throat, and I swallowed, closing my gullet against his cock head, rubbing the ridge. He lifted his head away from my pussy and bellowed when he came, shooting great ribbons of his spicy jism down my throat.

  I slapped his bottom and he groaned, his orgasm spiking, then resolving. He lay his head against my thigh and sighed, his warm breath puffing softly against my pussy.

  Releasing his now-flaccid member, I also sighed, then gave him a quick, tender lick and a kiss.

  He kissed my clit again, also tenderly. Slowly he nibbled and caressed, circling my clit, then focusing on it with little, teasing flicks of his tongue. His intensity built, as did my pleasure, and I felt myself climbing toward a climax.

  He thrust in one finger, then two, scissoring them apart as he rubbed my clitoris. Bliss rushed through me like a cyclone, flinging me to passion, and I cried out, my release leaving me limp.

  Kaldir rose and stood, smiling down at me. “Feel better now?”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “We have to send the taqqa back.” Storne shaded his eyes from the violent light bouncing off the white-gold sands, which stretched toward a faraway horizon. Behind us, the taqqa lowed and panted in frustration and suffering. He continued, “It’s too hot for them here, and getting enough water for them isn’t possible.”

  The sky above was a hard, stony blue, like a lapis necklace my mother used to wear. No hint of moisture softened the air. I wetted my lips, cracked from the unnaturally dry climate. “Will you send Maersan with them?”

  “Yes, and most of my men, to tend to the herd.”

  “They are welcome to stay at Windrush or Remarck until our return.”

  “Thank you.” He smiled at me. “I hope you will have lawns left. They are hungry beasts. May we borrow horses?”

  “To be sure. How many?”

  “I will keep with me only a half-dozen men, I think. My warriors suffer also in the cruel heat, and I am not afraid of these Children of Light. They may conceal secrets, as we have discussed, but they aren’t fighters.” He glanced at me. “The desert is a prize ripe for the taking, but who can be bothered?”

  I shrugged, glad that Storne had no plans for conquest. “An old Progenitor poet wrote ‘better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven’.”

  After Maersan and a large contingent of Darkness’ warriors left with the taqqa, the remainder of the three retinues approached New Medina. All of us, including Storne’s remaining warriors, wore the loose, light clothing of the DesertDwellers. Scarves and hats protected our faces. I could identify my people by the silver sigils worked into their tunics, my guards by their weapons. Storne’s warriors also wore swords. The Children of Light, not to be outdone, sheathed their scimitars in beautifully worked leather scabbards. I wondered if they concealed other, more advanced weapons beneath their robes.

  New Medina gleamed white and gold in the cruel sun, and as we neared, I learned the meaning of color, for the city walls were clad in bright mosaics. They glistened in the sun in amazing geometric patterns of green, red and blue. The sun brought out true color in a way the Shadows never did, and I could not rip my gaze away from the vividness. To see such color was almost worth enduring the heat, which felt so intense that it seemed impossible… And yet, we existed in it, walked through the dry, burning air, breathed it into our tortured lungs.

  We entered through a great stone archway in a parade, our horses kicking up dust and sand. Nevertheless, the townspeople, the DesertDwellers, greeted us, lining our route, cheering. All were clad in the same kind of loose, light robe that Kaldir wore, many with headscarves protecting their faces and heads from the piercing and constant sun, burning bright against the harsh blue sky. The three moons sailed across the heavens, providing occasional shade as one passed in front of the sun.

  Behind the people I could see massive triangular structures, which I learned were called pyramides, constructed of huge stone blocks. Pale limestone, they gleamed, reflecting more heat.

  At the head of the procession with Kaldir, I stopped at a high table, where the mayor of New Medina sat surrounded by the DesertDwellers’ nobility. As they stood and uncovered their heads to greet me, I had to conceal a gasp.

  There were perhaps fifteen dignitaries, half female, the others male. Several of them were, like the mayor, deformed. And though of varying ages, several of the men bore a distinct, even eerie, resemblance to Kaldir.

  Could he have so many relatives? Strange, since a low birthrate was characteristic of all areas of Janus. And they didn’t look like Kaldir’s brothers or cousins….they looked like his twins.

  What strange magic was afoot? This was the secret that the Children of Light concealed, I knew, and I promised myself I would pierce the veil clouding the DesertDwellers before I left Lightside.

  I stammered my way through the lengthy ceremony, trying to hide my amazement. Unfortunately, Storne was not so tactful. After the ceremony had ended and the crowd was dispersing, he cornered Kaldir.

  “By the great silver oak, what is going on?” he demanded.

  “What?” Kaldir affected ignorance.

  “You did not mention that you Lightsiders are born into litters, like wolven pups.”

  “We are not.” Kaldir’s tone was wooden. “We are exactly like you.”

  He is not a skilled liar, I thought. I moved in and used my sweetest voice. “I believe that what Prince Storne means to say is that we are surprised to see that you have such a large family, though I do remember that you mentioned to me once that you have so many children you have lost count.”

  He seemed to relax a little, which was what I wanted. “That is so. Birthrates are as low here as in the Shadowlands, and since I, um…have been approved as a, um…provider, must do my duty.”

  “Approved as a provider. What does that mean?” Storne’s voice and manner continued truculent, and he was close enough to strike Kaldir, as were his warriors. Though few, they were doughty, tested in battle and fearsome.

  “Of, um…seed cells.”

  “A provider of…of cells? I don’t understand,” I said.

  Kaldir gestured upward. “The sun’s radiation is intense and few can bear children in the normal way. Thus we take cells from the best of us and cultivate them. Like plants.”

  “So your seed, it is fertile?” I asked.

  “Oh yes.” He hastened to reassure me. “I have been tested many times.”

  “How, if you have never impregnated a woman?” Storne sounded contemptuous. “Children are not plants.”

  “I don’t have to explain myself or our ways to you or anyone.” Kaldir’s tolerance had reached its limits and his guards crowded close. Some drew their curved, viciously sharp scimitars. Maia leaped in front of me while Rall, Parron and the others covered my sides and back.

  I shoved Maia aside, but not too far, keeping hold of her tunic. “Both of you, stop it.”

  Kaldir and Storne turned and looked at me.

  “Order your warriors back. Both of you. Now.” The heat had sharpened my temper and I was in no mood to deal with any foolishness. I was furious with Storne. After our conversation at Windrush on this very matter, why had he spoken out of turn?

  No one moved, then Storne and Kaldir both retreated, waving their hands at their guards to stand down.

  I relaxed. “That’s better. Prince Storne, please attend me after first moonset. Lord Kaldir?” I beckoned to him, and he took my arm to lead me to my quarters.

  I did not discuss the queer resemblance of many Lightsiders to Kaldir, wishing to lull him into complacency on the issue, if Storne would allow me. Instead, I chattered of inconsequential matters as we walked, with both Kaldir’s and my personal guards accompanying us.

  However, Kaldir brought up the subject. “Queen Audryn, I hope that the matter of the cloning has not affected my nation’s suit.”


  “Your nation’s suit? I had hoped that the situation had grown more personal.” I squeezed his elbow.

  “You seem to lack Prince Storne’s prejudices.”

  “Prince Storne is not a Shadowlander. We are famous for our tolerance of others’ personal foibles. But you call the process of regeneration cloning?”

  “Yes. I provide cells and they are grown into exact duplicates of, um…me. You could see the, um…less fortunate among us.”

  “Like the mayor.”

  “Yes. The sun’s intense radiation not only lowers the birthrate but causes malformations. So we need the clones.”

  “And that is why you are not sure how many progeny you have begotten.” I kept my voice calm but inside I thrummed with excitement. This was one of the secrets we had come so far to discover. Only here, in his own realm, could Kaldir be forced to give up the information, for it could scarcely be concealed with so many of the…what had he called them? Clones. Yes, that was it. So many of his clones were around that he could no longer hide.

  “Yes. And the portrait at Windrush…”

  “Yes?” I hoped I sounded casual but this was of most importance to me.

  “That is one of, um…me. Or, rather I am one of him.”

  “So the DesertDwellers have been using clones of the same stock for generations?”

  “Yes.” His chest swelled with visible pride. “I, and those exactly like me, have served our people well.”

  “So you are genetically identical to my four-times great-grandfather.”

  “Yes.”

  I kept my hand on Kaldir’s elbow but my guts were roiling. My decision was made, for nothing would induce me to mate with the functional equivalent of my ancestor.

  * * * * *

  The pyramide my party had been assigned was blissfully cool, for the stone blocks constructing it were each a foot thick, providing insulation from the sun. The dim interior pleasantly paralleled the environment of my home while gauzy white hangings softened the angles of my room.

  When Kaldir left, I collapsed on one of the uncomfortable stone slabs used as beds. By the three moons, I was so exhausted from the day that the flat, hard surface felt good.

  I wanted to rest, but there was still business to conduct. “Why did Storne challenge Kaldir?” I demanded of Maia. Jumping to my feet, I strode the length of the oddly shaped room. Its walls sloped inward to an alarming degree, for it was on an upper floor of the pyramide that had been given to me for my personal use.

  She grabbed me a moment before I would have bumped my head. I was so angry with Storne and afraid of the secret the LightDwellers had concealed that I was careless. “I don’t know,” she said, and went to one of my trunks to unpack.

  “His beliefs, perhaps,” I said thoughtfully, remembering Storne’s rescue of the taqqa and his embrace of the silver oak. “The DarkDwellers revere nature. I am disgusted by the thought of mating with my great-grandfather, but to Storne—”

  “To Storne, cloning may be sacrilege, but his overreaction was most foolish.”

  “Yes. Despite my pleasant conversation with Kaldir, he is on his guard.”

  Her lips tightened. “I doubt we will easily learn more about the Lightsiders’ secrets.”

  I swung around to face her. “Is there more, do you think?”

  “When Storne confronted Kaldir, some of Kaldir’s men drew weapons of a sort I have not before seen.”

  “Really? I saw the scimitars—”

  “They were the most visible, yes, but some reached into their robes to grasp small boxes.”

  “I have heard rumor of such weapons, like those the Progenitors carried.” I resumed my pacing. “They are supposed to produce some sort of fire that injures, even kills their enemies.”

  She sucked in a breath.

  “Their reproductive technology—this cloning—is far more advanced than anything we have, not that we would do something so unnatural and disgusting. I like our solution much better.”

  “Sex, sex and more sex.” She laughed.

  I grinned. “Yes. The more we do it the more babies we get.” I swore, and she raised a brow, for I rarely used obscenities. “I am sorry.” Slumping on my rocky bed, I passed a hand over my brow. “But where is Storne?”

  But Storne did not arrive for many hours. Was he angry with me for my peremptory tone? I had basically ordered both lords to cease their wrangling, so sure of myself and my authority. Was I becoming power-mad?

  So be it. Both the DarkDwellers and the Children of Light had to petition me for substances they needed to survive, for I was Queen of Shadow and Holder of the Balance.

  The unrelenting sun continued to beat on our pyramide, but when I sensed evening’s approach, I sent Maia to find Storne as well as to ferret out any other information she could derive. “Don’t be seen,” I instructed her.

  “Easily enough accomplished.” She whipped a gauzy robe around her slim body and draped a scarf over her hair, which was lightening to silver as I watched. She passed the cloth’s end across her face, concealing her features. She seemed to shrink inside the swaths of fabric, giving the appearance of an older lady. Winking over her shoulder at me, she left, with a smile for Rall and Parron, who stood guard outside my door.

  Chapter Fourteen

  When Storne finally showed up, he was bundled from head to toe in Lightsider garments that were brown with dust.

  “Where have you been?” I practically shouted at him.

  He raised his brows at my tone. “We’re not yet married, Audryn, and I won’t wed a shrew.”

  I paced, swallowed my pride, and said, “I am sorry, but I was worried. I even sent Maia out to look for you—”

  “We encountered each other, so I returned.” He sat on my slab. “Is there water to wash?”

  “Of course.” I went to the door and ordered Rall to find a servant. In the meantime, Storne started to strip. I lit candles, not only to see him better but for their soothing scents of lavender and vanilla.

  His body’s planes and edges reflected the mellow, golden candlelight. As I’d hoped, his movements slowed as he relaxed.

  “Your feet are filthy. Where have you been?” I deliberately kept my voice gentle.

  “I have been exploring the city, trying to discover the extent of the unnatural breeding of these Children of Light.”

  I told him what Kaldir had related to me and Storne nodded. “Yes, an unusual proportion of the males resemble him. And there are other…templates, you might say, for both males and females.”

  “I cannot marry him,” I said.

  “Of course not.”

  “It would upset the Balance. Indeed, I am sure it has already been distorted to an unacceptable degree. And I would hesitate to again add Kaldir’s genes to my family. The possibility of birth defects—”

  “I told you, I’m the one.” Naked, he sprawled on the stone bench and smiled at me, his previous irritation apparently gone.

  I grinned, eyeing his penis, which swelled and hardened under my scrutiny. “Yes—you’re tougher, stronger, and you’re not my great-grandpa.”

  By way of an additional apology, I took an ewer of oil and kneeled beside him. I poured the oil over one grubby foot, then rubbed it with a rough cloth. His feet were bony and narrow, pale as they emerged from the dirt and with toes that seemed unusually long.

  “I shouldn’t have been so obviously angry about the cloning in front of the Lightsiders.”

  “His guards drew weapons, as did yours.” I shivered but continued to rub the callus beneath the ball of his foot. “It was a close call.”

  He fingered my loose hair. “And unnecessary.”

  I was glad that he had come to the same conclusion as had I. “You were upset…why?”

  “Duplication is offensive.” His voice was harsh. “It contradicts nature. It cannot be tolerated.”

  Lifting my head from my task, I eyed him. “It is contrary to the DarkDweller custom of nature-worship.”

  “Yes.�
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  I held his gaze. “That is not a good enough reason. Not for the rulers of Shadow.”

  “Not only is the duplication bizarre and unnatural, but have you thought of its military potential?”

  I gasped. “By the three moons, you are right. They could manufacture armies, grow them the way we grow wheat or corn.” A shiver ran through my body and I sat back on my heels. “We cannot let this go on.”

  He squeezed my shoulder. “Worry not, my queen. I will formulate a plan and we will deal with this threat.” He leaned against the wall to his back and closed his eyes.

  After I had cleansed and massaged one foot, I moved to the other. “I am sorry about my temper.”

  He opened one eye and regarded me. “I am not used to being questioned.”

  “I truly was worried. Your confrontation with Kaldir—” I broke off as handmaidens entered, dragging a hipbath and pails of cool water for washing. Storne immediately climbed into the bath and a servant poured water over his shoulders. He beckoned to me and I stripped off my robes and joined him.

  Other servants brought food and wine, plus large pitchers of water for drinking. I had noticed my unusual thirst.

  After we bathed, servants dried us as we stared at each other, silent. I wouldn’t discuss policy in front of them and certainly wouldn’t reveal that I had made the momentous decision that Janus awaited. Instead I stood quietly, allowing my handmaidens’ caresses to excite me as they rubbed Storne’s powerful body dry.

  He allowed himself to relax under their ministrations, and as one woman’s small hands stroked his penis, it swelled into a thick, hard pole. I knew that cock would soon pierce my waiting channel—so needy, so tight after the many long months of abstinence. The taqqa rod I used was not nearly as large as Storne’s member, and I trembled to imagine his big cock impaling me.