“What do you make of them, Monk?”
The robed man sat silently awhile, contemplating something before he answered. “I am troubled by the young warlock.”
“I’m shocked,” she said in a mocking manner. “I know you don’t trust them, but we could use them on our quest to right this nation. You know as well as I that things have not been right since your time. Since you—”
“You do not need to remind me of something I have known since before you were born,” the Monk said, stopping her. Orion thought something sounded out of place. The Monk continued, “He is not telling the truth.”
“That I can be sure of as much as I am standing here,” Victoria said. “But he needs us for something, so we can be of mutual benefit to one another. The airship pilot and the little artificer? What of them?”
“I will need to meet them to be sure. But….” The Monk paused.
“But?” Victoria pushed.
“I sense something in the boy that I have not felt in a long time. The rest I am unsure of, but he has something great within him. Bring them to me after their sleep so we can discover more.”
“Remember your promise to me, old man.”
The Monk peered up at her from his hood with fire in his eyes. “I am aware of your true destiny, as well as mine. I am doomed to finish this or never rest.”
LANDA TURNED the brass knob of the spigot that led to the bathtub in the corner of the tent. Victoria’s village, despite being small, had acquired a wide range of conveniences like the tub, a blacksmith tent with smoke baffles, and a little market where she noticed fresh fruit was traded. Some of the tents were tall and wide, but all were squat enough to fit neatly snuggled under the canopy. Landa wondered how many people Victoria had managed to persuade to come to her band in the middle of the woods outside Bath, far from the scrutinizing eyes of the Council.
The deep wooden tub had looked terribly dirty when they got to work on it. Gavin scrubbed it as clean as he could get it with cold water while Landa worked on the analytical engine.
“Landa?”
“Aye,” she said, having wiped a fresh smudge of gear grease across her cheek. She didn’t like being pulled from work since she needed a moment or two of happiness.
“Have you noticed how secret this village is? There aren’t any buildings. Nothing permanent or hard to move save this tub. It’s like they are an army ready to mobilize.”
“That’s why it is best for us to buy some rest and be on our way, away from whatever this is,” she agreed. “There. That’s got it. Try it now.”
Gavin pulled his hand away from the steamy water that poured from the tap. He grinned in amazement. He knew Landa could work miracles.
“Incredible, Landa,” Gavin said. “You fixed that so fast, but I had better test the tub to make sure it’s safe. We wouldn’t want our host to burn herself on shoddy repairs.”
“Hey,” she challenged. He broke out in laughter, and she joined him. “You do smell downright awful.”
“Like you’re any better. Maybe you should go first,” he said, tipping the back of her hat so that it covered her eyes. She swatted his arm.
“Victoria did promise we could use it. You go ahead. I can’t stand it any longer,” Landa joked.
“It really was nice workmanship.”
“All I had to do to adjust the analytical engine was change some hole positions on the punch cards and realign—” Landa started, but Gavin pretended to fall off the tub’s edge.
“Fine, I’m going,” Landa laughed. “You’re not listening anyway. And by the way, wouldn’t anything I accomplish be called workwomanship?”
“Go on, unless you want to see me starkers,” he chuckled, and she left him to his bath, content to go explore the secret encampment.
ORION SLIPPED away from the hut and headed around several tents and lean-tos until he found himself at the side of Victoria’s tent. A simple distraction spell caused the people who walked by to look away as he dashed through the flap and gently dropped it closed behind him.
Orion stopped and gaped at what he found inside. In front of a tub stood a slim boy about his own age. He was poised to lower himself into the steaming water. The lanterns in the room danced across his thick brown hair and illuminated the bruises on his thin sides and back. Something stirred deep inside as Orion glimpsed the muscles in the boy’s legs and backside contract and release as he lowered himself into the water, hiding what he thought to be an attractive arse.
“Ahhh.” The lad let out a long sigh of relief as his body melted into the hot bathwater. He leaned his head against the wooden back, his eyes closed. He looked like someone trying to forget a hard day. He took another deep breath and let it out slowly. Another and his shoulders drooped farther into the tub.
Orion suddenly felt guilty, secretly standing in the room with this bather. The lad massaged his own neck with one hand. Orion had to adjust himself when he couldn’t control the excitement he felt. He knew he needed to discover a way to the Dragon Stone, which the handsome British lad could lead him to. Or at least he could, according to the visions.
“Hope I’m not interrupting,” Orion stated with more than a little humor in his voice.
The boy bolted upright to his feet and turned to defend himself, splashing water over the sides onto his clothes and everywhere. “What the hell?” he said. Before he could cover himself, Orion took him in.
“Well, at least I know the water isn’t cold,” Orion complimented, trying again to fake an English accent. After the incident with Victoria, he worried his British impression would not work but needed to try to blend in. He knew he shouldn’t but couldn’t help from looking as the water dripped down the small but muscled chest to his….
“Huh?” the lad answered, staring at Orion’s face, his mouth agape. Orion noticed how this young man’s lips curved in a Cupid’s bow. Orion was the one fully clothed but suddenly felt self-conscious and nervously tucked his hair back into his green hooded cloak. The other lad’s cheeks looked flushed but he felt hot.
“Uh-hmm, it’s rude to point,” Orion said, his gaze traveling the lad’s length until he glanced at the boy’s crotch. The young man peeked down quickly to notice his penis had indeed begun to betray him. He snatched a towel from the side table and haphazardly wrapped it around his dripping torso.
“Who… who are you?” he managed to eke out.
Orion stepped forward and thrust out his hand to shake, which resulted in awkward towel readjustment so the boy could return with a free hand.
“I am called… Zachariah,” Orion lied. He held the hand firmly but gently for a long time, studying his face. “Yours?”
“Gavin Ha—Gavin. Why are you in here?”
“I’m sorry, is this your tent?”
“Well, no, but I’m….”
“I am only joking. I heard there were other new people here and thought I’d get to know them. You.”
“Do you mind?” Gavin asked as he motioned to his clothing on the floor by Orion’s feet. Orion bent down and retrieved the pants and the undergarment still in place inside them and handed them to Gavin.
Gavin blushed.
“So you’re the one who arrived yesterday? How did they capture you?”
“I wasn’t captured,” Orion said, a little laugh escaping his lips. He batted his eyelashes at Gavin. “I came here of my own free will. And as far as I can tell, you could leave when you wish as well.”
“That’s what Victoria said,” Gavin replied. He moved behind a changing screen to put his pants back on. “Why did you come?”
Orion grinned, but it was wasted since Gavin hid behind a screen. “So you and your friends came in one of those infernal clanking machines?” Orion chided himself for the slip immediately because British people didn’t express hatred of machines.
“What’s that?”
“Did you come from London?” Orion quickly added to cover his slipup. His accent and native colloquialisms came out the faster he tal
ked.
“Do you not know what’s been happening?”
“Tell me, please. Recently my head’s been way up in the clouds, it seems.” Orion couldn’t help himself. His wit had gotten him into trouble more times than he could recall, but it was also the only way he could expel the restless energy he had felt from the moment he stepped into the tent. When Gavin came out from behind the changing screen in a crisp shirt tucked neatly into tight pants and a sharp vest pulling it all together, Orion felt himself being drawn to him.
“Faeries attacked London, maybe beyond,” Gavin said. This shocked Orion out of the haze caused by infatuation.
“Faeries? It couldn’t be. There hasn’t been an attack in—”
“Well, there has been now,” Gavin finished. “We were barely able—”
“Oh Gavin—” A tall, lanky boy entered and startled them. The boy took one look at Gavin and his wet hair, then Orion, and stopped.
“Lucas, this is…,” Gavin began, before seeing how Lucas looked on Orion with anger. Lucas composed himself quickly and turned away from Orion.
“Miss Hanover has assigned us sleeping quarters for the day since we didn’t really get much rest.” He paused dramatically, then continued, “She put Landa in her own room, Wish in one with a family, and we are sharing a room in the pub.”
“There’s a pub?” Gavin asked.
“The others have already gone to bed. Let’s go. I’m zonked.” Lucas was acting possessive in front of Orion, and Gavin’s frown spoke volumes. They weren’t together. Not really. Orion could tell that much. Gavin breathed too fast, his body tense with growing anger until he closed his eyes to calm down.
“I will let you rest, then, but tonight over dinner, I want to hear all about your daring escape from London,” Orion prompted.
“That would be fine, Zachariah,” Gavin said.
“I’m Lucas, by the way. We will see you at dinner.” Gavin shot Lucas a frown, and Lucas returned the look.
They walked away, Gavin sneaking a peek over his shoulder on the way out.
Sleeping Arrangements
LANDA TOSSED and turned in her bed. The straw poked through the fabric into her face. She punched it several times to make it softer and tried to go to sleep.
The little room she’d been given in the hut let in far too much light for her to get any sleep. She lay awake and wondered all sorts of things about their adventure. Why had Gavin been so adamant about leaving London and going so far, like he was running from something? Why wouldn’t he trust her with the secret he carried? She wished he knew that she already knew.
The door creaked open an inch or two, interrupted her rambling thoughts. She reached for her pack that hung on the bedpost for her weapon. But they hadn’t given her back her weapon, only the pack and tools. Victoria had been so impressed by her quick repair of the analytical engine when the lights went back on that she asked Landa if she wouldn’t mind fixing a few more things after some rest.
Her body tensed, and she felt vulnerable in the strange room without her hand cannon to protect herself after everything that had happened. It could be a faerie tracking them down, or one of the village soldiers not being so peaceful after all. She knew one thing. She would fight to her last dying breath.
“Landa?” Wish said quietly. “Landa, is that you?”
“What the hell are you doing sneaking around in my room? Come to steal another kiss, you sod?” she scolded, but she breathed a sigh of relief to not be alone. Then she scrunched up her face, irritated things had gotten so cocked-up that seeing Wish had become welcome.
“That was years ago now,” Wish reminded her.
“Once a creep,” she said and Wish’s face dropped. “Or do you only do those awful things around your friends?”
“I was a kid.”
“You weren’t a kid yesterday when you thought—”
“Well, a lot has happened since then,” he said. He put both hands up in surrender. “I saw where they took you to sleep, and… I don’t trust these people. I had to make sure you were safe.”
His caring gesture should have touched her. It didn’t. No, it does not, she had to tell herself again. “If you think I’m letting you sleep with me—”
“I’m not that kind of lad, young lady. I will sleep over here,” he said, pushing some straw together to make a pillow. “I’ll be dandy in this terribly uncomfortable corner on this unpleasant, prickly pillow to make sure you’re safe.”
Landa pondered a few ticks before she gave in and let him stay. She didn’t want to admit to herself she did feel safer with Wish in the room with her. Once she established for certain he would be a gentleman by warning him not to come crawling over just because he thought he heard a noise, they fell asleep, exhausted.
LUCAS AND Gavin stepped into the small pub, which turned out to be three tents strapped together, with a keg of wine and a few chairs and a table. It would not do in London, but in the middle of the woods, it probably stood in for grand entertainment. Going into the last tent they found the place where they were supposed to sleep.
“There’s only one bed,” Gavin pointed out.
“So what?” Lucas said, already taking his clothes off. “Come to bed, unless you’d rather find that goat herder.” He laughed at his own joke.
“Lucas,” Gavin said, not laughing. Lucas grimaced.
“I thought you were incredibly brave today,” Lucas said. He flipped over the edge of the blanket and motioned Gavin to join him. Gavin took off his vest and shirt, stepped out of his boots, and slid in beside Lucas.
He pressed up next to Gavin so their bare sides touched. Gavin wondered what to do, if he should do anything. He was alone in a bed with Lucas. Lucas had always been beautiful, he knew he felt that, and he knew he’d love kissing him, and maybe more, but…his father would kill him for it. And what about Zachariah? Didn’t he feel something there?
“What are you thinking about?”
Gavin used all his strength to not tense up. Lucas slowly let his hand drop between them. He caressed Gavin’s forearm, making gooseflesh pop up, and Gavin shivered in delight.
What was he thinking about? That question was daft, but at the same time, he was alone with Lucas, whom he had no doubt felt the same way. Probably more so. And there was no one to stop him. His father now wanted to kill him, no matter whom he liked.
Gavin laced his fingers in Lucas’s and pulled his arm up over his chest. “You called me the moon, but when you shine, you are like the sun.” Gavin meant it, his face gleaming and bright, but he also worried the brilliance could be too blinding, and it scared him. Lucas turned so he lay across Gavin and began to slowly use the tips of his fingers to trace lines down Gavin’s chest, his eyes glowing. “But I’m so…. I’ve treated you so badly. If you couldn’t forgive me, I would….”
“Be alone? Whose fault would that be?” Lucas said, half his face drawing into a grin.
“I’ve never…. At school with you was….”
“Shhh,” Lucas said. He pushed his hand under Gavin’s clothes until he found what he had been looking for. “Wow! I’ll say you like me.”
Gavin hadn’t seen how he managed to take his pants off, but Lucas lay naked under the sheet and pressed his hardness against Gavin’s leg. Gavin had to admit to himself how much he wanted to try with Lucas. He closed his eyes and began to caress Lucas’s chest and back.
He yawned reflexively and shook his head to clear the sleepiness. He wanted this but was terribly drained. He’d driven the steamwalker all night. And then there was the heat from the bath. And there he was. Zachariah. Standing in the tent, watching him bathe. His mind only drifted a tick, but it was enough.
“GAVIN? HEY, handsome. Gav?” Lucas propped himself up on his elbow to peer into Gavin’s closed eyes and heard his breathing deepen and even out. Gavin’s dick softened in Lucas’s hand. Gavin had fallen asleep.
His chest felt unbearably heavy. He put a hand over his mouth to stifle a sob he knew would come. Luc
as turned over in the little bed and curled up in as tight a ball as his tall frame would allow and cried himself to sleep. The other boys always did things with him in secret, but they ran and lied about what happened. The thought that Gavin might not really like him back overwhelmed him.
The pressure felt so immense for Gavin, Lucas knew. He wanted to understand; he wanted to be patient. But now it crushed him.
Gavin could have been different. Lucas wondered if this had anything to do with that other boy. His tears were replaced by anger.
Nowt So Queer As Folk
GAVIN SNIFFED the air deeply, and somewhere close something was cooking, sending out wonderful food aromas. Lucas looked beautiful, curled up partly under the blankets. His long, slender legs poked out from under the draped cloth, and Gavin felt awful when he remembered falling asleep before they could do much of anything. He had awoken to find his stomach grumbling and twisting in hunger pains and guilt and at least needed something to eat.
He kissed the sleeping Lucas on the cheek before putting on his boots and slipping brass goggles around his neck and leaving to forage for food. Fires dotted the village, with small crowds of people gathered around each one. People cooked various meats over the open flames, and he pondered strategies to obtain some just as a familiar person caught his eye. Zachariah squatted before a fire, cooking something in a small pot. The orange glow from the fire danced in Zachariah’s hair, and Gavin could hardly stop staring. Hunger helped him overcome the moment and move forward.
“Say, Zachariah, could you spare a sausage or something?”
Absolute Heart Page 15