Ilavani 5

by Kaelan Rhywiol

  He huffed a chuckle and relaxed in her embrace, wrapping his arms around her. He still shook with the force of his release. Maël buried his face in her hair to inhale her floral scent. He caressed her skin to enjoy the silkiness of her flesh. He reveled in everything about her—though most of all—that he was finally with her. They were finally, at last, together.

  Memoir of Alexander Righ, Ruler of Erieria—Excerpt

   

  Would she choose to help us? My daughter-not-daughter Kataniya? Our children aren't considered independent until they reach nineteen ilayears old, and technically, she's not of age on Ilavani, though of course she's an adult even by our standards. So if I claim her, I will be her legal guardian. Can I force a breeding match on her? Foolish to think I wouldn't be able to do just that. To save our family, I'd tie the girl down and have her taken will she nil she. It's part of why I hope, so desperately, she's truly in love with Maël and he with her. Maybe love can save our family, where arranged matches haven’t yet? Our children are precious to us because—despite our extremely long lives—we have so few of them. I feel like I'm maundering in my age, but as I've pointed out to myself before, it's my damned journal, I'll maunder if I want to. When and if I tell Kataniya who she is, will she be able to forgive me? Or will she hate me forever and do everything in her power to subvert our family?

  CHAPTER 54:

  6th of Sunani, Summer

  30:00 hours, Late Evening

  KAT

   

  Kat stirred as she woke, weighted down by the heavy arm around her waist. For a moment, she didn't know where she was or who she lay with as she never fell asleep with her clients. As her sensitive nose caught Maël's scent and the scents of their combined pleasure she smiled. Her nipples tingled with the urge to fuck him again, and she snuggled her back closer to his side as he slept.

  The rise and fall of his breath made Kat want to see him and she slid gently to her back so as not to disturb him. She opened her eyes and marveled at the way the lamps gilding rays caressed Maël's naked flesh. He lay half on his side, half on his belly, partially wrapped around her with that mass of multicolored hair loose around his shoulders and back. His deep, even breathing made his metallic tattoo glimmer and she marveled at the hours that must’ve gone into having it inked. At the amount of knowledge—and the number of clients—he must’ve pleased in order to afford it.

  Her eyes traced what she could see of his tattoo, imagining the rest of the colors and shape of the blue ilacat that flowed in sinuous lines over his back, its tail wrapped around his leg, paws seeming to grip his shoulders. Beneath the ilacat traced lines of willow branches, the blue of the cat set off by the light green of the willow leaves and the silver of the bark. Her heart constricted, and her throat grew tight. She didn't have the right words to describe her emotions, despite all the reading she'd done.              

  Kat had never known a lot of love, being a crèche baby there hadn't been a lot of care for her. She knew she loved her sisters and Ben, but those emotions were completely different to this. All she knew was she'd do anything for Maël, and the thought both thrilled and terrified her. If that wasn't love what was?

  Kat eased out from under Maël's arm, visited the washroom and then padded over to the windows. She couldn't see much, as the sky had darkened while they napped. She glanced at the clock and realized they'd slept for a couple of hours. As she stood there, gazing into the dark, her mind strayed to Los. How would she tell him… this? They’d become so close, what if he couldn’t forgive her?

  “Come back to bed, beautiful?” Maël murmured from the bed. She turned to look over her shoulder at him and smiled at the delicious picture he made, laying half on his side, head propped up on one hand, sleepy desire making his copper-shot eyes gleam. When her stomach made a loud growling sound, he chuckled. “Shall we order dinner? I'm afraid I didn't eat much today either, which isn't wise given my family’s gifts.” His hand caressed the sheet slowly, like he stroked her fur and she shivered, wanting him to. His stomach growled, and Maël rolled lithely out of bed to step close to Kat. He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Much as I'd rather eat you, I think food is probably in order for us both, do you have a preference?”

  Kat shook her head and smiled at him, not resisting the urge to go onto her toes to kiss his beautiful mouth. His lean cheeks creased with the dimples she loved so much, and he hugged her close for a moment before going to order dinner.

  After they'd eaten, each of them wrapped up in one of his silk robes, Maël led the way back to his sitting area.

  He patted the sofa next to him. “We need to talk.”

  Kat snuggled close to him, savoring the strength of his arm coming around her to hold her close. She rested her head on his pec, listening to the way his chest rumbled as he spoke quietly.

  “I have to be honest, Kat. It's not going to be easy, what do you know of my circumstances?”

  Kat kept her eyes closed, listening to the thud of his heart. “I know who you are and a little of your responsibilities.”

  Maël sighed as he played with her hair. “None of it's something I'd choose for myself, but the Righ'sea needs my bloodline and a number of Gennsu heirs from both my brother and I. Are you… I mean, raised on earth you may have hopes for monogamy?” He grimaced. “I don't even think I could be monogamous if I tried. I'm duty bound in any case… I can't offer to be exclusive to you. I can't even offer you children that would be part of my line.”

  Kat shook her head and looked up into his eyes. “I'm just a simple psi-gen. Even though my metaphysical gifts have yet to show, the scientists were sure I'd have them. I have nothing to offer you as far as breeding goes, and I have a F.I.D. They tested me rigorously when they did my first medical upon arrival to the Cloister. If there'd been anything worthwhile about my genes they surely would have told you.”

  Maël nodded, caressing her silk-clad shoulder. “You won't want for anything. I can even free you; my brother gave your mark to me this afternoon. If you want to try for children someday, we can do it, but they won't be in the line of succession. Does that matter to you?”

  Kat shook her head. “No, only thing matters to me is being with you and that you… love me. Us, if we ever try for children.” She cleared her throat. “I'm saddled with this need for sex, do you… I mean, will you want me to stop working at the cloister?”

  He shook his head. His voice turned brittle when he motioned to a door in his rooms. “That leads to my seraglio, which currently houses eighty contracted breeders. I need to service the fertile ones daily in hopes of gaining that all important Gennsu heir. Can you live with that?”

  Kat’s throat tightened, not at the idea of sharing his body, that didn't bother her. No, the thing that hurt her was the tormented sound of his voice and how he wouldn't meet her eyes when she looked up to him. She lifted a hand and guided that stubborn jawline down so she could catch his gaze. “I can live with all of that. I'll be here for you when you come back from them. You're doing your duty by your family and that’s a good thing.” She hesitated. “You know that Los and I have grown… quite close?” At his nod she continued. “Is that a problem for you?” His gaze grew shuttered as he shook his head in a shallow negation and she knew then that he loved Los as much as her angel loved him. Damned fools. It’d take more than a little work to bring them together. She dropped the subject, for now. “What is it?”

  Maël dropped his gaze again. “There's more.”

  Kat waited until he spoke.

  “Both my brother and I have been informed all of our seed should be spent only in the seraglio. Until we have Gennsu, we're both trying to hold to that.” His eyes were tortured wells of pain as he lifted his lashes and looked at her. He shook his head. “I hate it, but I don't know how often we can be sexual with one another, until… until I have children of the acceptable genetic p
otential.”

  Her breath caught, and her stomach dropped. That was a bit more than she'd thought about. After a moment when she considered how dead inside she'd been without him, Kat swallowed. “I can live with that. I can't promise to like it, but I decided a while ago to continue my training and eventually pursue guild status. So as long as my work isn't an issue, and… and I can be with Los, it's not like my physical needs will get out of control. If I can be with you, talk with you and sleep next to you at night I'll be content.”

  A shy, fleeting smile graced his lips, and he whispered, “You're too good to me.”

  She smiled as she looked up into his eyes. “I love you. Of course, I'll be good to you.” She kissed him chastely on the lips. “Does that ban against sex apply to tonight?”

  He grinned and shook his head. “It's not a complete ban, I can't do that. I need to be with you like I need air. It's just something we have to try to follow through on.” He cleared his throat, his gaze flicking to the door to the seraglio. “I've already done my duty today, so for the rest of tonight, I'm all yours.”

  Kat smiled and her body tightened with longing for him again. “Good.” Kat threw a leg over his lap. She slid her palms up his silk clad chest, over the muscled column of his throat and cradled his face. “Good,” she whispered as she leaned down and kissed him deeply.

  Memoir of Alexander Righ, Ruler of Erieria—Excerpt

   

  Syl reports Maël and Kataniya are spending a lot of time together now. I'm so happy to hear that. It worries me, should I pull her from the cloisters now or wait until she approaches her fertile cycle again? She's safe enough, probably safer as an unknown odalisque than she will be once we acknowledge her as a family member and make her genetic status and family connection known. I wonder how she'll take the change in status? Being a princess, even one who won't hold a place in the line of succession isn't exactly easy. I hesitate for another reason; she's not malga. A metamo princess will face many more social challenges than even Maël does, and he has more than his share though his visual markers are slight. Do I acknowledge her or not?

  CHAPTER 55:

  7th of Sunani, Summer

  11:30 hours, Mid-Morning

  CAM & MAЁL

   

  Cam sat at the end of the long table in a luxurious conference room in the palace. He and Maël had taken over running the monthly Dállic Council meetings. They had a full council today as they were discussing the thralls. The mindless gen-con were now found throughout the kingdom and throughout the neighboring Righ'seas too. Cam balanced a pen on his finger as he listened to Maël present their theories about the potential origin and why someone in authority needed to investigate the Septir of Kedowyth and the keep.              

  Maël's voice rang with quiet authority. “This map of thrall sightings indicates Kedowyth as the center, possibly even the source of the thralls. Originally, they were much more spread out, now though, we think it likely whoever is making them is getting desperate. The crackdown on the purchase of thralls has driven the price down sufficiently to cause disorder and chaos, maybe even allies abandoning the project.” Maël showed another image. “Here are older pictures of the labs at Kedowyth, even forty ilayears ago they were more than sufficient to create gen-con.”

  One of the councilors spoke up. “Septir Lionel isn't a genecrafter, would he have the knowledge to create these pitiful creatures?”

  Bieito, his voice as snide and cutting as ever responded. “It's easy enough to hire genecrafters. Something interesting that hasn't seemed relevant until this… get together. Two years ago, Lionel’s holding had fallen destitute from a series of foolish financial decisions. I held letters of credit for him. Two ilamonths ago he paid me off in full and out of curiosity; I found out he'd paid off all of his creditors over the last year. How did he get that money, my princes?” Bieito flicked through the images on the tablet in front of him. “I note on these financial records Righ'sa Cameron has provided the Septir doesn't have anywhere near the financial worries I'd expect one of the smaller holdings on the edge of the Righ'sea to have. Especially one so close to the jungles and their illnesses.” Bieito continued to flick through the display on his tablet with long, narrow fingers. He twiddled a coin over the knuckles of his off hand absentmindedly. “There is no official financial trail… it reeks of the black market.”

  Cam nodded. “It's what we felt as well Dál Bieito. As you can see in the report, we've investigated the past ten ilayears of his finances.”

  Bieito cast an almost approving glance at both of the princes before turning his attention back to his coin. His voice sounded less snide than usual. “You have my vote to investigate, of course, those thralls are a disgrace.”

  Cam nodded and counted the other votes as the Privy Council cast them. As he tallied he watched Bieito’s eldest child out of the corner of his eye.

  Seated to Bieito’s left, his daughter and heir, Cassandra, paid close attention to everything. As Alexander had mentioned, she was a carbon copy of her father, black hair and eyes and alabaster skin. Cam watched her attention shift, noting how she reacted, coolly, unemotionally, just like her father. He sensed a powerful intellect behind those remote eyes and he wondered what made them flare with passion. He looked back to Maël as he finished his presentation.

  Cam spoke as he observed the other councilor’s faces. “We have three things to consider before making a decision on how to pursue this. One: Is Kedowyth the source. I'd rather not falsely accuse a lower noble, and so far, we don't have definitive proof of his involvement, simply a massive amount of circumstantial evidence. Two: Who are his accomplices; with the thralls being so widespread the creator must have a sophisticated dispersal network. Three: If Septir Lionel is involved, how best to apprehend him.”

  Cam caught Bieito nodding along with his points and repressed a smile. Apparently, they'd made a positive impression on the curmudgeon. Maybe the old buzzard got laid. Much discussion ended the meeting with the decision that Cam, not Maël should be the authority sent to investigate the Septir. Cam had the full power of the throne and the judicial system to call upon and as Tànaiste the council deemed it a meet duty for him. Their society expected their leaders to be highly visible and effective, and the Dállic council’s decision didn't surprise either of the brothers. As the board filed out, Bieito waited with his daughter until the four of them were alone in the room before rising.

  “Well… done, young princes. We might make something royal out of you yet.” He turned, flipping his coin to catch it deftly behind his back. “Cassandra,” he said and left, closing the door softly behind them both.

  Cam met Maël's eyes and shook his head. “Will that man never stop poking at us? Even his compliments are pointed.”

  Maël cracked his neck and sighed. “Maybe when we burn his corpse. I swear I’ll do a jig that day.”

  Cam grunted. Glad to see his brother’s quick wit coming out again. “She said yes then?”

  Maël grinned and nodded. “I'm the luckiest man in the world. I had no idea what it was to feel like this.”

  Cam walked over to his brother and gave him a hug. “Love is the best of things, and the worst of things isn't it?” He met Maël's eyes seriously. “Will you do anything about Los?”

  Maël shook his head. “What can I do? I'm a Dominant Sadist, it comes out in everything I do with a lover, he's not a masochist, nor is he submissive, it's a recipe for disaster in a long term relationship. How can I collar him knowing that?”

  Cam quirked an amused eyebrow. “Has it failed to penetrate that labyrinthine mind of yours that Li and I are both Dominant? That we're both Sadists?” He shook his head. “You're being an idiot again. Please consider doing something for you and Los both.”              

  Maël
grunted. “I'll take it under advisement.” He shook his head and half grinned. “It's apparently a failing of mine, idiocy. Anyway, do you need me further today? If not, I'm off to perform my studly duty so I can spend the evening with Kat.”

  Cam thunked his brothers meaty shoulder and shook his head. “You can be an idiot about your feelings. So do take it under advisement. You're happier when you listen to me about emotions, and no I don't need anything more today. Onyx and Agate will plan the trip to Kedowyth. If you think of anything or your network kicks anything to you in the next couple days, let me know?”             

  Maël nodded, clapped his brother on the shoulder and left.

  Cam sighed and followed his sibling toward the seraglios, hands buried in his pockets. What was he now but a man whore? A royal stud. A break from the necessary visits to his breeders would be welcome, though he knew he'd have to take a few with him on this trip. If they were to maintain their fiction of just stopping by at Kedowyth as part of a progress, given its location on the edge of the kingdom, it would be their last stop.

  Memoir of Alexander Righ, Ruler of Erieria—Excerpt

   

  Cam has been gone on this most recent progress for almost twenty-six days. I find myself missing him a great deal. Our planet is, as of yet, sparsely settled and populated. It's one of the reasons we import so many colonists and indentured servants. In our civilization centers—the walled cities and farm lands—our people are safe. In the wilds, there's never ending danger from so many sources. One of our ancestors set up the system of caravanserai and roadways that enable trade and travel, but most people aren't able to afford the use of drákons or zeppelins for transport, so for the most part, the roadways are traversed by animal power. Travel alone along the roads is ill advised. Even though Cam and his entourage travel by zeppelin, I still worry.