by Astor, Jade
Finally, the brothers wandered off to tend to the four xoxobeasts that had drawn their two wagons. The beasts were now wandering freely along the edge of the clearing, munching grass and leaves. They seemed content to rest for the night. Charis began to wonder where the three brothers would spend the night—and where they would put him. Zav seemed to read his thoughts.
“The trailer where my brothers tied you up is their living space,” he explained. “They’ll go back there and stay inside for the night. The other wagon is mine. You’ll be more comfortable there.”
Charis tensed. Presumably they would be expected to share a bed. Would Zav take him by force if he didn’t offer himself willingly? The prospect of the act itself didn’t frighten him—he had been trained with others before Prince Vidnar had chosen him. Pleasuring men came naturally to him and was not a matter of shame or anxiety. Zav was a handsome man and, in truth, under different circumstances he would have had no objection to enjoying his body and letting Zav enjoy his own. But now that he and Prince Vidnar were in love, things were different. He would be betraying Vidnar.
No doubt the prince was frantic back in the city, looking for him and wondering where he had gone. When Charis did return—as he vowed to do—he would want to assure Prince Vidnar truthfully that he had preserved himself for his touch and given no favors to anyone else.
Quickly he scanned the woods as he finished his dinner. The suns had set now, and the shadows stretched long and dark through the scruffy leaves and tree trunks. Off in the distance, he heard what he assumed to be the night calls of forest creatures.
Charis had no idea what lay beyond those trees, but if he could hide himself in the woods overnight and then somehow trace his way back to the city in the daylight….
He glanced back at Zav, who was scraping the last of the stew from his bowl. When he saw that neither of the brothers was looking at him, either, Charis leaped to his feet and took off running.
Chapter 5
Sharp, pointed branches slashed at Charis as he raced through the darkening woods. In no time, he began to grow winded and his muscles hurt. Before long he heard heavy breathing, and the brush behind him started crackling. He tried to speed up, but within moments a large, solid weight emerged from the gloom and hurled itself against his back. Charis’ breath fled his body when he hit the ground hard.
Strong fingers gripped his flailing wrists at the same time as powerful legs wrapped around his, rendering him helpless.
Next, Zav’s voice rumbled in his ear. “I should have known you’d try something like this! My fault for trusting you too soon.” He was panting from exertion, but to Charis’ surprise he sounded amused rather than angry. “Foolish boy! You could have been killed!”
Charis said nothing as Zav pulled him back up to his feet, keeping hold of his wrists. Charis winced to think of his fine garments rumpled and dirtied from the forest floor, but luckily the dimming light prevented him from being able to make out most of the damage.
“Why did you do that?” Zav demanded, but again Charis gave no answer.
“Look. I understand the sentiment. It’s only natural to want freedom. But it’s also natural to want the comforts only society can bring, and my brothers and I are as close to society as you’ll be able to find out here. We’re in the middle of nowhere, in case you hadn’t noticed. You could starve, be attacked by beasts, or set upon by thieves. Those would be worse than the animals once they discover you have nothing to steal except maybe your clothes. They might well do more than just rob you. Come back to the wagon with me. I urge you to come willingly. I could overpower you and drag you behind me, but why go through all that? We are civilized men, are we not?”
Charis was bewildered. Zav was within his rights to beat him. Maybe he still would, and this kindness was a ruse to get him to come along quietly and face his punishment later. Still, what choice did he have? What Zav said was true. He had no idea where to go or how to survive alone in the woods. Even now, the darkness and hulking shapes of the trees terrified him.
Glumly, he trudged alongside Zav as they returned to the wagons. Zav took his hand and pulled him inside one of them.
“Here we are. This meager space is what I call home…for now, at least. I’m afraid it will have to be yours as well for a while. I hope you won’t run out on me again.” As he stared at Charis, Zav rubbed his lightly bearded chin in thought. “I could take your clothes away, I suppose, but I think that might make you even more determined to run. And it wouldn’t be hard for you to steal new ones from a cloth merchant’s wagon. I’ll just have to ask you not to abuse my trust.”
Sure enough, many garments hung on the walls and were piled on the tables. Some were still pinned together, waiting for a tailor’s hand to finish them. Others looked as though they had been worn and seemed to belong to Zav himself. Charis could not help but admire his taste—all of them struck him as very beautiful and colorful, though in an undeniably masculine sort of way.
Instead of answering, Charis lowered his eyes to the floor. He hated the thought of having to submit to Zav, but he had no intention of running away again that night. Despite the situation, he was relieved to have shelter for the night. If Zav—or even his brothers—demanded favors of his body in exchange, he would just have to put up with it. He hoped the prince would understand and forgive him when he did get back to the city.
To his surprise and relief, Zav pointed to a bedroll in one corner of the wagon, nestled among the rolls of cloth and various personal possessions scattered around.
“You are welcome to share my bed, of course, but I won’t force you. You’ll be warm enough over there. I have extra blankets if you need them. And, for good measure, a nightshirt.”
He grabbed a bundle off a nearby table and tossed it to Charis. Charis unfurled a knee-length garment made of thick but soft white fabric. It was much sturdier than anything he would have worn in the harem, but nightwear was probably designed for more utilitarian purposes among traveling merchants. It did look and feel as though it would be comfortable to sleep in.
Zav did not watch Charis change into it, but turned his back and busied himself putting on his own similar nightclothes. Eventually he crawled into a large, low bed tucked into a corner at the far end of the wagon and doused the lantern. Meanwhile, Charis put on the nightshirt and slipped into the bedroll. It was nowhere near as comfortable as the beds at the harem, of course, which were designed for far more than just sleeping, but it was certainly better than the floor of the wagon where he had spent the day.
He drifted off thinking of Prince Vidnar and imagining him curled up in bed next to him. At one point he woke up, convinced that all he had experienced was really the dream and that he was back in the harem after all. But what he thought was Vidnar’s arm around him was only a twist in the blanket. He was still in Zav’s wagon.
Charis could not stop the tears that welled up in his eyes and streamed down his cheeks. If only Vidnar hadn’t come to the marketplace too late to save him! At least he had begun to form an idea about who might have arranged his abduction and sale to the cloth merchants. It could not have been a coincidence that the same men had attended the matriarch’s banquet only a few days before. Charis had no doubt that she—and Baboye, most likely—were behind this attempt to separate him from Vidnar.
Well, he promised himself, they would not succeed in their reprehensible mission. He would do whatever it took, no matter where these men took him, to get back to the prince whose love he cherished.
*~*~*
In the morning, he opened his eyes to find Zav crouching beside the bedroll, looking down at him with apparent concern. Charis could feel the dried tears on his face and assumed Zav could see them, too.
“You can get up whenever you want to. I just wanted to let you know that I’ve been out heating some water for us to wash in. You’ll feel better afterward. Remember what I said about fresh starts? You can take that literally in this case.”
Charis nodded an
d followed Zav across the wagon. Zav picked up a towel and pointed to the same firepit where they had cooked the food the night before. The fire still smoldered, but this time a barrel sat beside the fire, filled with water. A few buckets sat around it.
“You’re probably used to something much fancier, but we have no bath attendants here. Just a wooden bucket up and over your head, and another if you need it.” Zav laughed. “I was about to cut up some bread and cheese for our breakfast.”
Charis stared at him, bewildered. Surely, as an indentured servant—he refused to think of himself as a slave, even if that’s what he was, technically speaking—he would be expected to bathe and feed his master and probably his brothers as well. Zav was waiting on him as though he were some sort of honored guest. It had to be a trick of some sort. Perhaps they were still planning to punish him for running away the night before and wanted to lull him into a false sense of safety before they pounced.
“Don’t worry about my brothers disturbing you,” Zav went on, apparently misreading Charis’ tense expression. “They tend to sleep late when we’re on the road—quite late, in some cases. They have a different attitude than mine. I like to face the day head on.” His mood darkened, just for a moment. “They think that’s because I’m eager to start working. They don’t realize it’s because I have such a hard time sleeping.”
He put a drying cloth and a fresh outfit in Charis’ hands and laughed while Charis stared at him.
“Another advantage to bunking with a cloth merchant—lots of new clothes. One of these days, you’re going to talk to me. That’s all right—I can be patient for now.”
Still baffled, and on guard for most anything, Charis stepped out of the wagon and headed to the water barrel with his drying cloth and new ensemble, which consisted of a simple but serviceable green tunic with long sleeves, which covered his harem tattoo, and tan leggings. He hung the new clothes on a branch, filled two of the buckets with warm water, and ducked behind some shrubs to remove his nightshirt. He kept an eye on the wagons while he poured the two buckets over himself to wash. Zav remained inside, still preparing the breakfast if he had been telling the truth. Though Charis half expected the brothers to leap from the bushes and beat him, neither appeared. Eventually he washed and dressed and returned to Zav’s wagon without incident. As promised, bread and cheese awaited them, as well as two bowls of gilla grain that had been crushed to a sort of paste.
“Again, it’s not as fancy as what you’re probably used to, but it should fill your stomach well enough,” Zav said. He took a few bites of food and then sat back, gazing curiously at Charis. “There’s no use in playing mute any longer. As I said before, I heard you speak back at the palace. So let’s talk.”
Charis felt his cheeks, along with the tips of his ears, flame with heat. Though he did not want to speak to Zav—or to anyone except Price Vidnar, really—he could not deny that Zav had treated him kindly and fairly so far. Therefore Charis owed him at least the same courtesy.
“What do you wish to talk about?” he replied slowly, choosing his words carefully. He was determined to reveal nothing about the prince or his former life to Zav. Harem protocol forbade it, for one thing, and besides that it would only give Zav information he might be able to use against Charis if he found another opportunity to escape.
Zav seemed relieved to hear his voice. He sighed and even smiled a little. “Well, perhaps I should begin. No doubt you’re still confused about all that happened to you in the last day or so.”
“That would be a fair assessment,” Charis replied in a clipped tone.
Briefly, Zav explained the purchase made by his brothers in the marketplace. Rumor had it that Charis had become a bit of a troublemaker in the harem and his original owners were eager to be rid of him. The word therefore went out that anyone offering a fair price could take him off the royal family’s hands so long as they promised not to bring him back. Zav’s brothers had willingly met that price, having seen everything Charis had to offer when he had met with Lash the tailor back at the harem. Charis had therefore been lured out of the harem and conveyed to them by palace guards.
Charis nodded, his heart aching. This seemed to confirm his suspicions that the matriarch and Prince Baboye were behind his expulsion from Vidnar’s life.
“It is not true that I made trouble for the royal family,” Charis choked out, eager to defend himself. But then he remembered that it would be wise to say nothing more, and so he remained silent.
“I wouldn’t be offended if you had,” Zav told him. “In any case, as it happens, I don’t believe in slavery. I don’t even like to use that term. Certainly I wouldn’t purchase myself a companion. I’d rather have one that came to me and stayed with me willingly. But my brothers thought they were doing the right thing.”
Charis struggled not to burst into tears. He wanted to be back in the harem so badly that it seemed he could will himself there if only he concentrated hard enough. Alas, it was not to be.
“I’ll be honest, though,” Zav went on. “I do need some help with the merchandise. My brothers are awful as far as work goes. Without me, my family would have gone bankrupt long ago. And as you can see, the wagon is full of merchandise and we have some stops to make. But if you will stay with me until we finish our sales rounds, I’ll pay you and even take you back to the city.”
Charis brightened. Maybe he could purchase his freedom.
“At worst, you’ll have a chance to travel and to enjoy some new experiences before you go home again. You shall be my assistant—not my servant.” Zav put out his hand. “What do you say?”
“I…I hardly know what to say.”
“Say it’s a deal.”
“Very well.” Charis swallowed. Slowly, he lifted his own hand over the table. After all, he reminded himself yet again, what real choice did he have? And he was sure now that Zav’s kindness was not an act. He would be a man of his word, and would help Charis find his way back to the harem soon enough. “It is a deal.”
They clasped hands, and Zav’s warm fingers tingled against his. Charis hadn’t expected that. He had thought only Prince Vidnar’s fingers could arouse emotion in him just by touch.
“I’m glad,” Zav told him.
Chapter 6
“There it is,” Zav said, pointing past the plodding xoxobeasts that pulled the wagon. “Daphek, City of Entertainments.”
The two had been riding at the front of the wagon for most of the day, having pulled out of the forest that morning, as soon as Zav’s brothers had bothered to rouse themselves and dress. Their wagon followed Zav’s at a small distance, since he and Charis had both started a bit earlier and made better progress.
As they rolled through the massive city gates, which were flung open to allow travelers from all directions to enter, Charis stared around him with great interest. This city was much different than the one he had left. Fashions were different here—more utilitarian and less colorful, for one thing—and the crowds seemed smaller but more diverse. A few uniformed soldiers strolled about to keep order, but their pace was less crisp and there were nowhere near as many troops as Charis was used to seeing about the palace and harem. Perhaps no royals lived here, and therefore the atmosphere remained more relaxed.
In the center of the city, directly ahead of them, stood an amazing domed building that shimmered white and silver in the afternoon sunlight.
“That’s the bazaar,” Zav said. “We’ll be selling there, indoors. My brothers and I never miss a chance to set up our wares for a few days when we pass this way. People come from all over to buy goods here. The crowds are eager for fabrics of all sorts, and best of all, they’re prepared to pay for quality.”
“People sell things inside the dome?” Charis could hardly believe it. His experiences with marketplaces were admittedly limited, but every one he had attended had been located out in the open air. That made sense, given the variety of smells—some decidedly unpleasant—that rose into the warm air as so many peop
le, animals, and items for sale congregated in one area. “But doesn’t it get too hot—and hard to breathe?”
“The dome is ventilated, and it lets the sun in but keeps rain out too. You’ll be surprised how comfortable it is.” He winced. “Keep your guard up, though. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that the dome attracts the same number of thieves as any outdoor market.”
“Thieves are everywhere,” Charis acknowledged. After all, who knew that better than he? He had been stolen at the outdoor market place himself.
Presently Zav’s brothers drew up alongside them in the other wagon. Zav and Rohin leaned across the open space and consulted with one another for a few moments. Charis wasn’t listening, as he was too busy gazing at the city. Then the two wagons moved on, with Zav’s leading the way. To Charis’ amazement, Zav steered them right into a side entrance of the domed building. There they detached the wagons in a sort of camping area where many similar vehicles also stood. A few men whose attire suggested that they were also merchants greeted Zav and his brothers by name. They examined Charis with blatant curiosity. Zav simply introduced him as his new assistant and offered no further information.
Next they checked the xoxobeasts into a large stable area where attendants were busy looking after dozens of other pack animals. Zav paid a fee to have all four xoxobeasts cared for while they worked.
“Now we can concentrate on selling,” Zav said. “Come on, Charis. You can help me get some of the cloth into the selling room.” He pointed to some wheeled contraptions lined up against the wall. Apparently the merchants used them to transport merchandise to and from the areas open to customers.