“Go on, Frolic!”
Gingerly, Frolic poked the man in his round belly. He started and jumped back. Tom laughed with approval. Frolic had to admit it was kind of funny, and he chuckled before he dug his knuckle into the man’s rib, right where he sometimes tickled Reg. This time, the man shouted and flinched. Frolic laughed harder, and Tom sounded positively insane in his glee. The faerie grabbed a thick clump of the man’s greasy hair and yanked it out. The ensuing cry of pain dowsed Frolic’s mirth, but Tom kept laughing as the man turned and ran.
“Get back here, you oaf!” When Tom waved his hand, a shelf of rock jutted from the ground and caught the fleeing man in the knees. He landed hard on his chest, and Tom sprinted to catch up with him, dragging Frolic along.
Tom jabbed his toe into the man’s fleshy cheek, and the man whimpered and covered his head with his arms.
“Tom, stop it,” Frolic said, trying to tug him away.
“Why?” The faerie sounded genuinely confused.
“Well, we shouldn’t be doing this. We’re supposed to be rescuing Querry and Lord Starling.”
Tom heaved a great sigh. “Very well.” He made a chopping motion with his free hand, and the man on the ground tore in half from the top of his head to his tailbone.
Frolic covered his face to escape the sickening smell, glad the darkness spared him the sight of the awful stuff spilling out of the cleaved-open body. He wanted to say something to Tom, but the fey had already started sprinting toward the big house, and Frolic hurried to keep up. Tom’s speed surprised him, since Frolic could run far faster than even Querry. Bullets whizzed over their heads, and fires raged behind them, but after what he’d just seen, Frolic didn’t fear any of it. He feared Tom a little bit, but he also needed his help, since Tom knew where to find Querry.
They made it to the house in no time and hurried around behind it, past some large, plain, rectangular buildings and toward a small stone structure set apart from the others. Two men stood watch outside the single, metal door.
“There,” Tom said, jutting his chin at what could only be a jail of some sort. “Let me get rid of those men.”
“No,” Frolic said. “They can’t see us. Let’s just sneak past them.”
“Allowing them to live will put your friend in danger. I won’t be able to shield all four of us after we get them out of there, and I’m sworn to protect the human wizard first.”
“Do you have to kill them?” Frolic really didn’t want to witness a repeat of what Tom had done in the field.
“You are a very strange creature,” Tom said. He waved his hand at the two guards, and a moment later a pair of small, hairy monkeys ran screeching for the nearest tree. “Happy?”
“No, I don’t think so,” Frolic said, wondering if the two men retained their human minds or reverted to the instincts of beasts. He didn’t know which would be worse, and he would remember to ask Tom about it when they had more time.
“Just get the door open,” the fey said, pointing. “The iron in the steel weakens my magic, and I shudder to think what will happen to the people inside if I blast a hole through the wall.”
“Right.” Frolic took his picks from a pocket hidden in his waistcoat, knelt down, and started to work. Tom draped his hand over Frolic’s shoulder to keep Frolic inside his spell. The lock, while old and rusty, contained only a simple mechanism, and Frolic had it open in minutes. Querry had taught him well.
Tom disengaged from his contact with Frolic as they went inside. He would be bound to protect Lord Starling now. Still, he patted Frolic’s back when Frolic doubled over and held his sides at the horrible stench.
“Who would treat other people this way?” Frolic managed to gag out.
Tom shrugged. “I don’t understand these creatures any better than you do.”
“Let’s get out of here.” Frolic’s eyesight adjusted to the low light, and he found Querry, Starling, and a group of practically nude and emaciated men and women near the back of the prison. Both Querry and the baron worked to open the rest of the cells, using the tietack and magic respectively. Frolic gave Querry a meaningful look and hurried to help them, horrified at the condition of the people inside the cages. All of them looked skeletal, and many had injuries that reeked of infection. A few of them were even missing some of their fingers and toes. Others, covered in bruises or lacerations, had clearly been beaten or flogged.
As soon as he opened the last cell, Frolic ran for the door. He had to get away from the stench and echoes of human misery in this awful place.
“Beauty, wait,” Querry said, his voice raw and strained, though Frolic didn’t think he was hurt, at least not physically. He sounded ready to cry, and it frightened Frolic. “These people are very weak, and many of them are hurt. I don’t know how we’ll get them through the fighting. I… just don’t know what to do.”
“We can’t leave them here!”
“No, I know,” Querry said. “I just don’t think they—or any of us—will make it through.”
Frantic, Frolic turned to Tom, scooped up both of his hands, and looked deep into his eyes. “Tom, I know you said you couldn’t… but please. Please. Is there anything you can do?”
“With my lord’s help, perhaps. But what about you? What will you give me in return?”
“Frolic—” Querry warned, slipping his waistcoat back on and stretching his newly retrieved gloves over his hands.
Frolic ignored Querry. He couldn’t tear his attention from the frightened people looking at them with such guarded hope. They were suffering, and if left behind, they would die. Frolic couldn’t live out the rest of his days knowing he’d had a chance to save them. “What will you have of me, Tom Teezle?”
“What I need from you, Frolic, is extremely valuable. You carry it always with you but can never hold it in your hand. Is that acceptable?”
“Um.” Frolic glanced questioningly at Querry. “But what is that?”
“That is for you to decide,” Tom answered with a smirk. “Once it is given, it can never be taken back.”
“This is a bad idea,” Querry said. “Believe me, I know.”
“It doesn’t sound bad at all,” Frolic said. “Besides, we need to save these people somehow. This is going to haunt me forever. I can’t leave them behind. Tom, if I agree, will you save them?”
“I agree to try. I’ll weave the strongest illusion around us I can. If my lord lends me a hand, we might even succeed. But first, do you swear to give me what I ask when I need it?”
“I swear.”
Querry groaned and shook his head as Tom pulled Frolic close and gave him a quick, brisk peck on the lips to seal their bargain. Frolic found it lovely, like a breath of cool, flower-scented, evening air on a hot night. For a few seconds, he completely forgot the stench and despair surrounding him, and it seemed even more profound when Tom withdrew his lips.
“Just remember, faerie, you’re forbidden to work against my interests,” Starling said, removing his cufflinks and pushing up his sleeves. “Now, let’s do the magic. I can’t see the last of this place too soon.”
“Don’t worry about me,” Frolic said. “Don’t waste the magic keeping me safe. Worry about these people. I can make it back to camp on my own.”
“Like hell you will,” Querry said. “But I agree. They won’t find me and Frolic if we don’t want to be found.”
“Like they didn’t find us?” Starling said.
“Majesty, we wanted to be found. And I still could have gotten us out of there if some jackass hadn’t blinded me with a spell. Just go. We’ll be fine.”
It surprised Frolic a little when Starling grasped Querry by the shoulder and looked at him affectionately. “Querry, I will consider it a breach of contract if you allow yourself to be injured.”
“Been injured enough for one night,” Querry said. “Frolic, let’s go. We may have some fighting to do.”
Frolic drew his blade and smiled at the familiar hum. After what he’d seen here, he
couldn’t wait to give these horrible men a taste of his enchanted sword.
Chapter 19
BY THE time they found and reached the camp, both Querry and Frolic were muddy, damp, and spattered with blood. Querry was drenched in sweat beneath his clothing and armor, but he’d enjoyed himself with Frolic. They’d once again proved an almost unstoppable force, and they’d taught those filthy slavers a lesson they wouldn’t soon forget. To Querry, these men were really no different than the bastards who’d locked him and Reggie in the workhouse. He still smiled as he remembered how they’d made sure the guards and thugs wouldn’t exploit anyone else. Frolic squealed with delight as he’d vanquished them. Hearing him did things to Querry’s body that still hadn’t subsided. Querry had never seen Frolic enjoy battle like that before.
Querry’s blood still sang with excitement, and his senses remained acute as they entered the ring of torchlight. Coming back from a successful excursion always aroused Querry, and tonight had left him hard and ravenous. Despite the heat, gooseflesh erupted over Querry’s arms when the people in the camp stood and cheered as he and Frolic stepped into the circle of crude tents. He knew he grinned like a boy as he stopped and basked in their gratitude. Hell, he probably looked as awestruck and delighted as his beautiful Frolic. Querry had always taken pride in his skills, known he was exceptional at what he did, but it seldom earned him the accolades of others.
The crowd parted, and one of the slaves they’d freed from the prison limped forward. The young man had lost his right foot from the ankle down, and supported himself on a crude crutch. With about twenty or thirty pounds on him, he’d be quite handsome. Tears streamed down the young man’s face as he smiled, clearly unable to speak. He grasped Querry’s face in both hands and kissed Querry on the forehead. Then he threw his arms around Querry’s neck and wept into his hair. With his emotions running so high, Querry returned his embrace and even choked back a few sobs. He couldn’t remember ever feeling so good. His talents had truly helped people, and for once, they appreciated it.
Everyone clapped again, and more of the newly freed prisoners came forward to thank Querry and Frolic. After a while it became a little overwhelming, and Querry and Frolic retreated to the shadows beyond the fire. Before long the former slaves broke off to speak among themselves and tend to their wounded. Starling, Tom, Owens, Corny, and one of the leaders of the revolt sat crossed-legged on the ground across from Querry and Frolic.
“They will pursue you,” the leader of the rebels said to the baron. “They won’t just dismiss a blow like this. However, word of what you have done for us will spread to the other quilombos. We are grateful, and we’ll do what we can to assist you. Your party is heading north?”
“Northwest,” Starling clarified.
The other man nodded. “You’ll find some of our camps along the way, and we’ll provide you with what we can.”
“I appreciate it,” Starling said.
Querry couldn’t pay attention as they continued to speak and plan. He couldn’t keep his hands off Frolic, out of his curls or away from his slim arms and thighs. He knew he shouldn’t be groping Frolic in full view of others, and he held back as much as he could, but the innocent, encouraging smiles Frolic gave him didn’t make it easy. Damn, he could just imagine those perfect, rosebud lips pressed against his, stretched thin over his cock—
Querry shifted, his erection painful in his tight, leather pants. “Beauty, let’s get out of here,” he breathed, unable to mask the desperate lust in his voice.
“Where’s Reggie?” Frolic asked.
Scanning around, Querry finally found his old friend sitting on a mossy log next to Jean-Andre. The two of them passed a bottle of wine back and forth, laughing and smiling easily as they conversed. Querry couldn’t see Reg’s eyes, only the firelight reflecting off his spectacles. As he watched, Jean-Andre cupped Reg’s knee and leaned in to whisper in Reg’s ear. Reg took a deep pull from the wine bottle.
“I’ll just get him,” Querry said to Frolic. “Meet us in the woods.” Seeing Reg with the Belvaisian spy sent Querry’s blood boiling. Jean-Andre’s hand on Reg almost compelled Querry to lethal violence. He hurried past the fire to grab Reg by his lapels and haul him to his feet. “I need you, right now.”
Reg looked startled but not unhappy. Querry didn’t know how Jean-Andre responded, because he didn’t care enough to look down. The flush on Reg’s cheeks, the way he licked his parted lips, commanded all Querry’s attention. It took all his willpower not to toss Reg on the ground and take him in front of everyone. Instead, he dragged him outside the light of the bonfire, into the rich, heavy shadows of the jungle. As soon as he felt confident the others couldn’t see them, he slammed Reg against the trunk of a tree and forced his tongue into Reg’s mouth.
“What are you doing with that Belvaisian, you little tart?” Querry panted against Reg’s cheek. “You fancy him?”
“Have you seen him?” Reg responded. “I’m not blind, love. Or dead. Go on, then. Make me forget he even exists.”
Querry literally rose to the challenge. He grasped the edges of Reg’s armored waistcoat and pulled it open. Then he popped the buttons of Reg’s shirt to expose his lovely, lean chest and torso. Working with the sailors had put a good amount of trim muscle on Reg’s body. Querry ran his hands over the delightful sinew, savoring Reg’s hard muscles beneath his hot, damp skin. He watched Reg heaving with desire as his head rolled back against the tree, his skin pale in the darkness.
“Fuck, you’re so beautiful,” Querry said as he moved his lips down Reg’s waist, dragging them over the trail of sparse hair on Reg’s belly and enjoying the texture. Reg thrust his groin toward Querry’s chin, and Querry started on his trouser flap. “I love you, Reggie.”
“Show me,” Reg said, pushing his trousers to his knees and freeing his erection. He thumbed his foreskin back to show Querry his plump, wine-dark cockhead. Querry didn’t wait a moment before wrapping his lips around it and delighting in the strong flavor of Reg’s sweat and precome. It made Querry’s cock even harder as he lapped at Reg’s slit. Reg dug his fingers into Querry’s hair and groaned. “More, Querry.”
Querry chuckled, a little surprised. Reg wasn’t usually so assertive. He usually liked Querry to take charge, but Querry didn’t mind switching. Digging his nails into Reg’s hips, he slid his mouth very slowly up Reg’s shaft, drawing it out, teasing Reg, and making him moan. He pressed his tongue to the belly of Reg’s cock, enjoying the texture of the veins and ridges. Reg smelled of sweat and blood, and it drove Querry crazy. He felt his own fluids leaking out as he tasted Reg’s. Querry continued his slow descent on Reg’s erection until he let the tip slide into his throat, and Reg’s blond curls tickled the end of his nose.
“Querry,” Reg said, as soft as the breeze. “Look at me. Let me see your eyes.”
Querry opened his eyes and tilted his head back slightly, just enough to see Reg looking down on him. Even in the scant, flickering light of the distant bonfire, Querry saw all the love and desire Reg held for him in the curve of his swollen lips and the way his lids drooped over his sparkling, hazel eyes. Reg pushed Querry’s fringe off his forehead and never broke eye contact as Querry slid his mouth over Reg’s flesh.
“My dear love. How could I ever want anyone else? Your mouth is amazing. Oh God. I must reek.”
Reluctantly, Querry let Reg’s erection fall from between his lips to answer him. “I don’t care. You smell like adventure and fighting and justice. It’s fucking brilliant.” Querry seized the base of Reg’s cock and drew it back into his mouth, sucking hard on the head and swiping his tongue over the tip to harvest the first few drops of Reg’s seed. He let his eyes close again as he cupped Reg’s soft, full sac and sped up the motion of his lips.
A soft, slurping sound made Querry look up again. Frolic stood next to Reg, kissing Reg enthusiastically as he circled Reg’s nipple with his finger. Querry watched their jaws moving and their lips growing plump and slick. Frolic reache
d down and tangled his fingers in Querry’s curls right over top of Reg’s. Frolic’s erection strained against the fabric of his trousers. Querry rubbed it a few times with the heel of his hand before he deftly unbuttoned the flap. He caught Frolic’s stiff cock as it sprung out and ran his palm up the velvety flesh.
It took only a few strokes before Frolic cried out with release. Querry hoped the others wouldn’t hear him over the celebration going on in the camp, but he honestly couldn’t worry. He loved the sweet sounds Frolic made, loved knowing how much pleasure he gave Frolic. Reg clearly enjoyed it too; his cock jerked in Querry’s mouth. Querry growled with hunger and ground his tongue against the delicious groove beneath Reg’s cockhead. He twisted Frolic’s erection in his fist and gave Frolic a second climax as Reg shot into his mouth. Querry didn’t let up, and soon had Reg and Frolic trembling, whimpering, and clinging to each other just to stay on their feet. Both of them clamped their eyes shut, and they rested their foreheads against each other. Querry thought they were the two most beautiful men in the world, especially in the throes of bliss, and they were both his. He loved that he could make them fall apart with ecstasy.
Finally, reluctantly, Querry moved away from them. Though he didn’t want to stop touching them for even a second, he had to get out of his leather gear before he passed out in the jungle heat. As he undressed, Reg and Frolic kissed lazily and rubbed their cocks together, their postures drooping with satisfaction. Reg reached up and untied the ribbon over Frolic’s collar.
“I’m going to fuck you so hard,” Querry said in a husky voice.
They pulled away from each other and looked at him. Reg grinned in an adorable, almost shy way, and Frolic looked rapacious with his big, gold eyes glowing like a cat’s.
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