by L M Adams
I finish getting dressed in a pair of black pants and a blue shirt. Jaevia leaves us to go freshen up herself. I’m not dumb, she’s trying to force Lucien and I to spend alone time together.
He goes back to reading like I don’t even exist. I can’t even pick up a book and do some escapist reading, there’s not a single thing on those shelves written in the common tongue.
“What are you reading?” I try to engage him as I go to pour myself yet another glass of wine.
“A book about portals, it is the same one I was reading on our honeymoon, this is a different copy.”
“That seems like such a long time ago, it’s only been a few days.”
“Aye,” he mumbles and goes back to his reading.
I sit on the side of the bed and get drunk.
97
Jack – The Lion’s Den
Jaevia returns wearing a pretty purple and gold dress. I think this may be the most often I’ve ever seen her wear dresses.
There’s a knock on our bedroom door and Lucien goes to get it as I tie my boots on. I eye the sandals with envy; they look so comfortable, but I decide on the boots because Lucien’s wearing boots and… some sort of way maybe that matters?
“Hari!” Nassor says, greeting Lucien.
“Nassor, what are you doing here?”
“You are late for the dinner in your honor.”
“Dinner?” Lucien asks as Nassor brushes past him and heads right for Jae.
The man is a poacher, a fucking game hunter.
“Aye brother, in the lion’s den.”
He reaches Jae and gives her a little peck to her forehead, “Little sister.”
She smiles up at him, “You’re throwing him a dinner?”
“Oh Aye, the young lion has returned! And he is late for the feast!”
Lucien sighs, stomps over to Jae, grabs her arm, snatching her away from Nassor’s clutches – they’re all barbarians. This is mine, that is mine, everything has to be my way, fuck what anyone else thinks or feels.
Nassor turns to me, “Little brother, come enjoy the Ha’mara.” He moves right on without a thought in the world, all trying to get a reaction out of Lucien.
“Hands off Nassor, he is not free for the Ha’mara.”
“Why not?” I ask with a smile. Lucien gives me a look that could burn the flesh from my bones. “No men, I understand, but… maybe I could have a little freedom, Master? Mistress?”
“You think you deserve it?!” Lucien hisses.
Jae sighs, “If you want Jack, I want you to be happy. Feel free to enjoy another woman, as long as you follow their customs and such.”
Nassor puts his arm over my shoulder, “Ah, then we hunt together this night, brother.”
How in the fuck did I get myself into this?
We leave the rooms with Nassor prattling on about how to approach the different types of women.
His voice drops, “How did you get one,” he nods his head back to Jae.
“A woman?”
“No,” he hisses, “an Ishtar.”
“Well I…” I shrug, “I’m good at taking pain.”
He nods, “They say this is needed with the Ishtar’s. Some Ishtars submit, but that is so very rare.”
“You’ve never had an Ishtar?”
He sighs dejected, “Not ever. They are very rare… Nyrobi won’t even give me a bit of favor. Do not take my meaning wrong, any woman willing to share your bed is a blessing, I love the Isis’ and the Atums’. But by god I want an Ishtar to put her leash on me.”
“Do you care more about their power than the person they are?”
He flashes a grin, “Their power is who they are, yes?”
“Sure,” I say because I don’t really want to have an in-depth conversation about why he’s an idiot.
Jae is Jae, sure perhaps her power has something to do with it. But the things I love about her, the things I find fetching have nothing to do with her being a succubus and everything to do with her being a stubborn, cranky, badass who cries watching bad movies and makes idiotic decisions because she leads with her heart and not her head. Because she has more courage in her little toe than I have in my entire body.
She, the woman who would defy a nation, her own people – when I couldn’t even stand up to the man who ruined me without her by my side.
I love Jaevia, and what I feel for her a man like Nassor would never understand; because he’s never needed someone as desperately as I need her.
We reach the lion’s den, which is a massive open chamber on the ground level. The art on the walls depicts the feats of Apedemak, but also show the stories of the therians, the half man half beast that once protected the people from the supernaturals and small deities that wanted to take vengeance on the human kind of terra.
The therians were the ones who hunted the gods and goddesses left on terra after the splitting of the worlds. Apedemak was the god-king of those beasts and he led a vengeful war killing the things of before.
Nassor leads us into the lion’s den, the main gathering room for the men and women of Atum.
The chamber is lit by torchlight and large fiery chandeliers. The walls again adorned with paints and hieroglyphs written in a tongue I wouldn’t be able to begin to understand… some mix of Egyptian hieroglyphs and cuneiform.
Long tables sitting in rows, almost overflowing with food and drink are lined on either side of the chamber, people sitting at them, laughing and talking… but not eating or drinking. I assume waiting on Lucien.
The talking quiets down as their Raja enters the room, you could hear a pin drop and cut the tension with a knife.
Young sons run back and forth, bringing in more food and drink… I spot the young Keyon among the boys. He sees us and stops, setting down the pitcher he was carrying and runs over to Jaevia.
He stops in front of her bowing low, “My beautiful supreme warrior goddess, Kandaka Jaevia – please, grant me the honor of serving your table.”
Jaevia laughs and reaches out grabbing the young boy and yanking him into a hug, “Of course, Keyon.”
The young son squirms to get out from Jaevia’s arms and it breaks the tension in the room as people chuckle, I even find myself smiling.
Finally, Jaevia releases him from her burst of motherly instinct and he turns away, straightening his blue thobe. He walks back over to one of the other young sons, who looks on with large eyes.
“My Kandaka is very smothering with her love, but she is Kandaka,” he sighs, “it would not be proper to push her away.” Keyon explains to his friend and the two boys go back to their work.
“You really do know them?” The other young son murmurs.
Keyon walks with a swagger in his steps as he nods, “The Raja even placed me in charge of his sword.”
It seems the young son has found his footing with the other young sons, and he doesn’t want to be seen as a ‘baby’ anymore… enjoy it while you can kid.
We follow Nassor to a table sitting longwise in the center of the chamber. On the other side of that table is a drop off down into a sandpit. The walls on either side have stadium seating. The wall on the opposite side has a statue of the lion headed god-king, Apedemak, chiseled into it. His eyes are made of pure gold.
Stone lions stand by his side, open mouths on a roar, showing those deadly teeth.
A bit of dinner while watching battles to the death? Sounds about right for this place. Right now the pit is empty, the sand smooth as if it’s been freshly raked, waiting for the next contest of wills.
Nassor shows us to our seats, facing out towards the other tables. Lucien in the center, Jae on his right, me on his left … stuck sitting next to Nassor. Nyrobi, the woman of Ishtar who is serving with the Madu, stands up from another table and joins Jae.
I can feel Jae’s pleasure at the woman’s attention… I can also feel Lucien’s discomfort at being the center of attention. Everyone is just staring at us.
Fuck, I lean close to him, “They’re
waiting for you.” I squeeze his leg, giving him a bit of support, “Say the prayer.” He runs his hand on the back of mine in thanks before he stands.
“I thank you for your welcoming, you honor me, my wife, and husband… my hearts; Jaevia and Capaneus – you have welcomed us to your home… my home.” He forms a triangle with his hands, holding them out, “To Ra we give our strength, to Isis our dreams, to Ishtar our love – one table, one heart, one life – our purpose.” He brings the triangle up to his forehead, exhales and then extends his hands out the center of the table, “I see you.”
Everyone makes the same movement – “I see you,” echoes out into the chamber.
Lucien sits back down.
“Music!” Nassor yells and drums begin to beat as people get to the business of eating.
I learn a lot about the people of Atum, they do everything loudly… eat, drink, talk, laugh… they do everything as if it’s the last time they’ll do anything.
Nassor spends a lot of time getting up to bring people over to our table, wanting to introduce them to Lucien.
Of course people are polite towards me, but I stick out here like a sore thumb. I do my best to hide how uncomfortable I am.
Everything is going fine, until a rather large man walks up. Lucien tenses beside me. Nassor moves away from a group of people he was speaking with to intervene.
“Do not make trouble, it would not be honorable on Hari’s homecoming.”
“And what does the cat know of honor?” The large man grumbles low. “He does not fight with honor, he fights with majic stolen by his mother and given to him in the darkness of night. I say he has not earned the name Raja! We are in the time of man!”
The chamber quiets down.
Lucien sighs, seeming to let go of his anger, “Brother…”
“You are no brother of mine!” Ojore rages, “You do not belong here! You should have not come back!” He turns those golden-brown eyes on me, “Instead you return with a cursed Amalekite,” he looks to Jae, “and a lying whore of Ishtar.”
I neither understand his anger or what Amalekite means… but Lucien does.
He stands slowly, “I give you this chance, in honor of my mother and the connection your family and my family once had; but this shall be your last. You have no need to like or respect me, but you will not speak such filth to the ones I call my own or dishonor the memory of my mother.”
Nassor moves closer to Ojore, “You dishonor us and our kind with this – this is not our way.”
Ojore turns on Nassor, throwing a sucker punch, a hell of haymaker. Nassor turns away from the punch, removing some of the heat of it, but he still stumbles back when the large fist grazes his jaw.
Two more men rush forward, grabbing Ojore’s arm, trying to drag the troublemaker away. The large man is able to shake them loose, moving with more art than I thought a man his size would have.
Nassor rushes back towards the fight, “Enough!” Lucien roars, a massive push of fiery power behind his order… everyone freezes. “If you have wish to challenge me, then do so! If not, take yourself from my presence.”
Ojore turns his head looking at Lucien, anger filling his eyes, an anger I don’t understand, I thought they all loved Lucien.
“I cannot challenge a Raja!”
Lucien looks across the room, “Hear me now! I will accept a challenge from any that wishes it. If it is the time of man, then let him rise.”
You can hear a pin drop.
Ojore looks around… and steps back. He wasn’t ready for that. He didn’t think Lucien would accept a fight? He must not know his Raja at all.
We all watch as he turns his back and walks out of the den, his own rage clawing at his insides.
“Music!” Nassor yells and the drums start up again.
Lucien sits back down between Jaevia and I. The tension in him boils inside of our link.
“Why is it a big deal for you to accept challenges?”
“Tradition says only the first among the warriors may make challenge to a Raja.”
“Why?” Jae asks intently.
“Because the man who wins has a right to petition the council and become the Raja – one must earn that right. They call me Raja, but I was born to it – this is not our way, it causes problems because I was born with the power of Ra.”
Jae glances at me, “That’s why you never wanted the majic of fire?”
He nods, “I wish to earn my right… but I cannot because I am born of a god.”
98
Jack -Nassor and Lucien
Things calm down a bit after the challenge from Ojore, but the party is still going. We’ve gone from the eating and drinking, to the dancing and drinking…
People from other… clans? Tribes? Come into the den. Isis’ and Ishtars. It turns into a proper party soon and the chamber becomes crowded. Dark bodies moving to the beat of the drums, they do everything but join in full coitus and some of the movements they make with one another may qualify as sex to a more prudish type.
Nyrobi gets Jae to go out and dance, Nassor collects Lucien to go and meet some more of the people… I’m left at the table by myself to drink the wine.
I talked a good game about taking up with one of the women… but none of them are Jae, she’s the only woman I want. I find myself smiling as I watch her dancing to the drums, her body and Nyrobi’s pressed to one another as the two women become very familiar with each other.
Jae presses her back into Nyrobi’s chest as the Ishtar woman wraps my wife in her arms, their skin glistens with sweat and passion as they grind on one another. I daresay every person in the room feels the effect.
If I wasn’t used to it, I’m sure I’d be beside myself with need. I’m content to sit and watch her, goddess she’s beautiful. Full lips slightly open, eyes closed, breasts heavy and peaked with passion pressing against the purple and black dress.
She gathers her dress in her hand, lifting it a bit, revealing strong yet supple thighs. My tongue knows every inch of that supple flesh. I take a sip of my wine thinking of being inside of her warmth… I feel myself starting to get hard and shake myself out of it.
“Goddess,” I whisper and decide to walk it off before I jerk off at the dinner table like some sort of perv.
I spot an opening to the left of the chamber and hurry through the crush of bodies to get to it. There are not as many people here in this secondary chamber. The room is dimmer, not as much torchlight. The light that is here casts pretty shadows on the painted pillars filling the room.
The walls are again adorned with stories… here there are more tales of the therians. The jackal and the asp, the boar and crocodile – the first among the warriors as they fight the giants, the dragons – the things of before, alongside their animals of heart.
I wonder if Lucien can call a pride of lions to him, I smile thinking of it. He’d fit right in with a pride of lions.
I keep walking, enjoying the quiet and the art. I try to let myself be okay with being here. Lucien wants to save his land, his people – I can understand that, I can understand why.
The question is, how can I support him without supporting that decision? We have no idea what trouble our interference could bring. But my heart aches to be a good husband to him… I want him to love me and I want him to know of my love.
There is another archway up ahead. My curiosity peaked, I go to see what’s in that chamber. This room is even dimmer than the last – as if this place is forgotten or wants to be. There are statues, all in a line on either side of the aisle… not made of clay or marble… but obsidian stone… black dragon stone. The statues are not overly tall, more on par with the actual height of a person; such lifelike carvings of the therians.
The eyes of each twinkle with the jewels they used, set back in animal faces. The artistry is amazing. Such detail in the fur, or the scales… gifted hands made these… very gifted hands.
I stop at the statue of the jackal headed therian… or what is left of it. It loo
ks as if someone took a sledgehammer to it. The head is on the floor but intact enough for me to tell what it was.
This was done with anger… hatred of the betrayer. Hatred of my ancestors – the bloodline of Set.
Being here is complicated.
I keep moving, wanting to distance myself from that complication. It’s not my problem, I’m not here to change the past – or judge it. What is, is what is.
There’s another archway up ahead. Curious again, I head towards it but stop when I hear a voice.
“It is good for you to be home,” I hear someone murmur… not someone, Nassor.
I keep walking forward into the next chamber, sticking to the shadow and moving quietly… I am very good at that, powers or no powers.
This room is a large ante chamber, the ceiling vaulted high above. There is a single white marble statue, of a woman this time… her hair done in locs wearing a long dress. She’s adorned with a crown but looks infinitely sad, as if her entire heart is filled with the sorrow of a million broken promises.
Pure white candles burn on the floor around her feet. There’s a window above her head, showing the sky and stars above. I know without knowing – the statue is of Lucien’s mother. The woman Apedemak loved – Zahra.
But none of that is what stops my heart; seeing Lucien and Nassor move in to hug one another tightly, does. Their bodies press to one another, I watch the man I love relax into their shameful embrace and lean his forward touching his third eye to Nassor’s – I turn away so that I don’t have to watch it anymore.
Perhaps it’s my fault, maybe I pushed him right over the edge. I didn’t… couldn’t love him the way that he wanted and so he found someone who could. He has every fucking right; I am the slave he is the king.
I walk blindly through the series of chambers until I reach the main room of the den. People are still dancing, drinking, feasting with joy. All of them happier than I have ever been in my entire life. I hate them all. I hate them all and I hate it here and I fall deeper into the black pit of my self-loathing – I have yet to find the bottom of it.