Maybe he would be granted his climax after all.
The riveting flesh moved within him, mouth and ass, teasing him with the promise that something wonderful would happen. Rivek couldn’t put instinct into words, yet he knew that when he satisfied the needs of those filling him, he would also be gratified. Though his lengths ached, he only needed to hang on.
The passing minutes in that dark, soundless space was meaningless. Rivek didn’t know how long he endured the growing agony of unresolved yearning, fed by the agonizingly delightful sensation of the thickness in his ass chafing that sensitive spot, making his erections jolt with every thrust. Sublime agony kept him drawing on the thickness in his mouth, sucking and twining his tongue about it, trying to coax it to loosen its own burden. It might have been minutes or an eternity.
Finally, however, a rough hand closed on his main cock. It was not gentle, whipping up and down the length, demanding he succumb. Rivek did not care. It was enough that the flood tide of molten desire rose again, escaping its confines, firing from his convulsing loins in searing bursts. He came for what seemed forever, obeying the strong grip that milked him until the spasms no longer produced the fiery streams. Emptiness was a stunning relief.
His mind was just beginning to resemble its orderly, peaceful nature when the cock in his ass jolted. Jol was filling him with his cum, experiencing the same wondrous release he’d given the Imdiko. An instant later, Ospar flooded his mouth. The priest sucked on the jerking appendage, massaging his tongue up and down the thudding vein on the underside, coaxing the Dramok to surrender all. Allowing him to claim the peaceful emptiness Rivek enjoyed.
The Imdiko thought of his dream of achieving perfect tranquility. He basked in it in the wake of annihilation as his friends achieved their own immediate goals. It was too bad the serenity was temporary—especially considering his companions.
Chapter 22
A few hours after Ospar and Jol left, looking relaxed and pleased with themselves, Rivek took a stroll in the temple gardens. His post-coital serenity had ebbed as he’d known it would. He was back to his calm, but far-from-enlightened, self.
I’m not quite as tranquil as I’m used to being, flawed as that level is. He had to admit, his feelings for Ospar and Jol continued to swirl, with no solution in sight. The emotional investment, beyond simple friendship with erotic benefits, troubled him. What was he to do about his growing devotion to the pair?
Rivek was so focused on his concerns that he didn’t notice Master Agivan had fallen into step with him until the senior priest spoke.
“Master Rivek, you appear troubled.”
The younger Imdiko started, surprised to see his favorite mentors at his side. His face heated, and he dipped a bow to the silver-haired cleric. “Master Agivan, forgive me for not noticing your presence. Are you well today?”
The elderly man chuckled in amusement. “I am. It is a good afternoon for this old fellow. Good enough that perhaps you’ll allow me to shoulder some of the burden you carry?”
Rivek let him set the pace, mindful of Agivan’s two hundred thirty years. The elder Imdiko’s once-powerful frame was now bent, his face a nest of wrinkles.
Yet his mind remained sharp, his wisdom legendary. Even so, Rivek said, “I’m not sure you can assist me with this one.”
“Consider telling me the nature of your trouble anyway. I’ll let you know as to whether or not you are on your own.”
Rivek deliberated the offer of counsel. Agivan had been clanned to fellow priests who had passed away several years before. Like Rivek’s parents, he had been united with those in pursuit of spirituality. Men who sought peace, not confrontation.
Would Agivan have the knowledge Rivek needed? How much counsel could he offer when it came to having lovers like Ospar and Jol?
It can’t hurt to try. Often, just talking with Agivan helps me clarify my thoughts. Perhaps that will be the case this time too.
It made sense, so he confided, “I have become entangled with a Dramok and Nobek who are clanned to each other. Who may or may not be seeking their third.” They’d never mentioned searching for an Imdiko. Maybe they hadn’t been so inclined before meeting Rivek, what with being in the grip of first love. Maybe they still weren’t thinking in that direction. He hadn’t asked.
“Entangled?” Agivan smacked his lips together, as if tasting the word. He chuckled. “It sounds messy already. But Dramok Ospar is known for not backing down from unpleasant encounters. Nobeks who are Jol’s age live for such challenges.”
“You know much of my quandary without me explaining it to you.”
“A shambolic situation makes for excitement. Particularly for a younger man, such as yourself.”
“It’s not the chaos in their lives that entices me. Indeed, that is what makes me second guess forging a closer relationship.”
“You are considering it?”
“Despite all my self-counseling to the contrary, I am tempted.”
They turned on the path. It took them alongside the brook, and they let its complacent burble have its say for a few moments. Rivek rushed neither his mentor’s pace nor his answer. They would both arrive at their designated stop when they were due to do so.
At last they reached a bend in the trail that pointed them away from the soft sounds of the rushing ribbon of water. Agivan spoke.
“It is hard to maintain serenity when your significant others wage wars, including wars for the betterment of the people.”
He was acquainted with Ospar’s campaign, Rivek realized. “How can I be a priest, concerned with calming the fears and distress of others, if I’m up to my ears in difficulties myself? Ospar and Jol are under terrific stress. I want to help, but it distracts me from achieving my own goals.”
“Your wish to find perfect peace while still occupying a physical existence is a worthy goal, even if you discover it to be unattainable. But tell me this, young master. Have you considered that while you chase one outcome, an equally valuable alternative may have presented itself?”
“What could be more meaningful than perfect peace?”
“That depends on who you ask. After all, we do not all share the same aspirations.”
Rivek nodded. He knew that. He’d forgotten it since becoming focused on his current problem. “What opportunity is it that you see before me?”
“The chance for growth. Every situation contains it, but this is particularly fascinating.”
“How so?”
“Have you tested yourself, Master Rivek? Have you lived beyond our quiet, placid borders of study?”
Rivek tilted his head as he regarded the elder. “I’ve only recently returned to temple life.”
“Remind me of that.”
Though Rivek was sure Agivan hadn’t forgotten a single detail of his story, he recited it with no impatience. “After having an epiphany at the age of twelve, I realized that faith can happen anywhere. Everywhere. I only had to look for it. With my parent clan’s blessing, I wandered Kalquor with a group of traveling priests for well over a decade, finding the sacred in the mundane.”
“However, you brought the temple with you, did you not? You carried it in your heart while you were out in the world. You didn’t venture into the churning tides of what most people live through.”
Rivek considered the observation. “Hmm. I suppose you are right. I lived in a safe, sheltered manner among other masters as we journeyed all over the planet. How interesting.”
“Interesting in what fashion?”
“I’ve been thinking all this time that I’d been part of the daily interests and troubles of the lay people. I see perhaps I have not.”
“Indeed. Living in the world is a far different existence from dipping your toes in a town and preaching to others.”
“You speak as if from personal experience.”
“Unlike you, I have not always resided within temple boundaries, whether physical or in my heart. I was once a medic in the Imperial Fleet. I met my clanm
ates on board the raider on which I served.”
Rivek’s interest sparked. He wondered why he had never thought to inquire into his mentor’s life before Agivan had entered priesthood. “You were members of a raider crew? I had no idea.”
“It was an existence we left behind a long while ago. We served the fleet when it saw its deadliest fighting, when the raiders were all that stood between us and destruction. There were no formidable destroyers in those days, young master! Just our scrappy ships, relying on our quickness and cunning.”
“The raiders have acquired a far less noble reputation in recent years.”
“It’s a shame it has come to that. It took men of unmatched courage to crew those vessels back when I served. Men not just ready to die, but to kill without a moment’s hesitation in defense of the Empire.”
Rivek tried to imagine Agivan in the midst of such turmoil. He found it impossible. The man was a beacon of tranquility. “It must have been fearful to take part in that era of our history.”
“We had no choice. Trag and Bi’is were at Kalquor’s throat, trying to destroy us. It was a bloody era. They were dark times, Master Rivek. Dark times.”
“We do not have to speak of it if it troubles you, Master.” No wonder Agivan hadn’t volunteered to discuss it before that moment.
“I do not mind. The decades have dulled the sharpest edges of the worst memories. There are happier remembrances too, such as meeting and falling in love with my clanmates. Nonetheless, we watched numerous men dear to us die, those who were friends and family. In the end, even my Nobek wearied of the nonstop bloodshed, of watching treasured relationships end with death.”
They walked silently for several minutes after he spoke. Rivek thought of all Agivan had suffered. Songs were sung and stories recited of the great wars, but they only mentioned the honor and bravery and glory. They did not speak of the holes left in men’s hearts and souls when the losses tallied high.
At length he said, “You have reversed the journey my heart insists on considering. You went from bedlam to peace. My feelings for Ospar and Jol ask me to trade serenity for chaos.”
“It matters not. When I was embroiled in the worst life had to offer, I relied on my faith in something bigger than myself to guide me through. The same can be said of my clanmates.” He smiled, the spiderweb of wrinkles driving deep into his kindly face. “That is the point, Master Rivek. Devotion isn’t real until you test it and make it stick. Faith does not grow in safe places where it is never challenged.”
With that, Agivan bowed and turned to wander another path, his counsel spoken. Rivek halted and watched him walk off, contemplating all he’d said—and the considerations he’d left unsaid.
* * * *
A couple of weeks passed. Ospar continued to meet with supporters. His campaign gained traction and his candidacy climbed in the polls.
Through it all, he marveled at the change he noted in himself. He’d started by dreaming of becoming a legislator who was lauded for making a difference to the Empire. Then his aim had shifted to stopping the Syodab Syndicate from victimizing the territory, to halt its attempts to harm businesses and constituents. Now, he’d gone beyond that.
I wish to benefit the entirety of the Empire. To seeing it thrive. To finding a means not just for this generation to do well, but to ensure there will be a next generation. And a generation after that. To find a way to thwart the threats against us, whether they show up as criminal organizations, Bi’is, or some damned virus. We must survive, somehow.
He still looked forward to being a recognized driving force in government. He anticipated the day he could put the final nail in the syndicate’s coffin. Yet it was Kalquor’s greatness, its future success and the welfare of its citizens that he’d focused on.
Ospar knew the catalyst for his change of heart: Rivek. The Imdiko priest was the voice of his conscience, encouraging him to stop and think of the overall good for everyone. Rivek had tapped into a wellspring of genuine concern for Empire and its population.
The Dramok had little doubt he’d stumble and err as he chased down the path Rivek had shone the light on. Yet he now had a clear trail to follow—if it was best for Kalquor, it was best for Ospar. It would be the aim of his journey from that point on.
With that aim in his sights, he set his platform accordingly. To the ever-growing crowds who attending his speeches, Ospar promised increased funding for fertility and cloning research. He vowed to ease outrageous restrictions on small and start-up companies that made it nearly impossible for them to compete with the larger established conglomerates—while also guaranteeing worker benefits and safety. He pledged additional funding for Nobek training in the territory, a matter that had somehow fallen by the wayside in recent decades, with aging facilities and outdated methods the rule rather than the exception.
It became clear to Ospar that what he had once considered a career choice was more of a calling. As Rivek said, it fed his soul along with his ambitions. More and more, Ospar found that Rivek often had the right of things.
He wondered how he would function without the Imdiko, if it should come to that.
* * * *
As his Dramok’s campaign picked up steam, Jol faced excitement at the new challenges presented to him. He also confronted fear because of the threats not only to Ospar, but Rivek as well. If he hadn’t worried for the safety of the two men who meant the most to him, he’d have been having the time of his life.
Spearheading efforts with Axter, Golas, and Talu enthralled him. They’d developed into an informal nexus of his security task force, offering their experienced guidance to hold the syndicate at bay. The access to Global Security he’d gained through Axter and Golas’ contacts allowed them to pinpoint more and more members of the syndicate. The pool of informants they’d gathered had made it clear the syndicate had embedded itself into almost every tier of government.
It was a sure bet that Syodab had Councilman Lanjur under its oppressive thumb. In the three decades he’d sat on the territorial council, he’d sponsored legislation that had cleared a path for them to gain power and riches, with little fear of legal consequences.
“Had Syodab not decided to go after Ospar and the multi-territory Eruz range, leading to your limited infiltration, they might have gained the Royal Council itself,” Axter told Jol. “Word is that Lanjur has been eyeing a seat at the Imperial level in a few years.”
“Global Security had gotten wind of money being spent to gain influence Empire-wide,” Golas added. “That’s stopped since Pladon’s fall. Lanjur’s scrambling to maintain the political power he has.”
As validating as their information was, Jol’s greatest concern remained with Ospar and Rivek. Although his Dramok was in the most direct line of danger, Jol was preoccupied with Rivek’s safety too. He’d secretly placed guards near the temple to keep an eye on the coming and goings of those who visited the priest. They shadowed Rivek when he went out to minister to the public.
Jol treasured Rivek’s innocence and peace of mind. Because he was also certain that the Imdiko would not welcome a bodyguard dogging his every move, he kept him from knowing he was under guard.
The precious tranquility of Rivek’s existence would not be roiled by troubles that had nothing to do with him. Quietly taking care of the Imdiko, being his protector in fact, though not in name, was a joy that Jol kept close to his heart. Maybe once the election madness was over, when he’d proven his worth to the priest, he and Ospar could take the wonderful relationship they’d forged with Rivek farther.
Jol could think of no greater reward.
* * * *
After his talk with Agivan, Rivek had resolved to make no immediate decision about his association with Ospar and Jol. The older master had made a compelling case that Rivek had never challenged his faith. The Imdiko had been shaken to realize his beliefs and value system could be so fragile.
What better test to put to himself than the very men whom he’d feared would subver
t his efforts in the first place? Rivek continued his relationship with Ospar and Jol, though his bond with them grew stronger with each passing hour and contested his efforts to achieve perfect serenity.
He spent his days at the temple as usual, but he split his nights between his chamber there and at Ospar and Jol’s home. Though doing so meant a constant battle against distraction, he’d been pleasantly surprised to discover he was a steadying influence on his lovers.
He suspected that they kept from him much of the chaos they faced. Ospar shared only a little of his exasperation and Jol, none. Though they glossed over any tumult that happened to them, Rivek had the impression he was a rock they clung to in their otherwise stormy lives.
He liked being that for them. Though Rivek had counseled and advocated for many in his years as a master, he’d never offered concrete support to anyone until now. It was fulfilling to contribute to something worthwhile…to assist two people who were more than worthwhile.
Stranger still, he enjoyed the excitement of Ospar’s run for office. He often stopped by Dramok’s new campaign headquarters or attended Ospar’s speeches. People responded to the young firebrand who wanted to do great things for them all.
It warmed Rivek to witness Ospar growing as a person. The nugget of nobility Rivek had discerned early on was not only becoming polished, but far bigger than he’d hoped. Seeing Jol emerge from behind his mask of stern indifference, especially when they were together in private, delighted Rivek as well. The priest had uncovered real warmth and caring in the Nobek. Jol even possessed a sense of playfulness in the right situation.
Clan and Conscience Page 25