Authors: Scarlet Hyacinth
Several things passed through Owen’s mind at the same time. First, he asked himself why the man spoke his language. That led to him automatically wondering about Hash, Sassaki, Alcharr, and Yane’s abilities in English. Somehow, he’d never gotten around to ask. And at the same time, he tried to process what the shopkeeper was telling him. A distant part of his mind registered that whatever happened wouldn’t be a good thing.
But Hash’s arms came around him, wrapping him in a tight embrace. He smelled like ash and burnt coal, and yet Owen felt comforted by the intensity of the scent. Alcharr and Yane came to join the hug, and Owen clung to their presence and closed his eyes.
It was only when the floor gave way under his feet that the certainty and self-assuredness faltered. He couldn’t suppress a panicked yell as his eyes shot open and he looked up. He seemed to be falling into a dark, black hole. Above him, the shopkeeper was a white dot quickly disappearing into the distance. But the three men continued to hang on tightly. Something that looked like a white flash of light replaced the darkness, reminding Owen of the time he’d been transported on Uli.
And then, the black disappeared altogether, and they floated down in a strangely controlled motion. The three men let him go when they hit the floor. Floor? Wait. What floor was this again?
Owen dared to look around and found himself in a wide, cavernous room. They seemed to be on some sort of dais, and a slender, white-haired man waited for them at its base. His eyes, like the ones of the old man, were also white. However, unlike the shopkeeper, he looked young, his face clear of any lines and his stance secure and proud.
Hash pulled Owen down the stairs, then briefly left Owen’s side to hug the mysterious young man. Owen experienced a weird pang of jealousy as he watched the scene. In truth, he had no hold over Hash and no right to control the other man’s actions. But he remembered the strength of Hash’s arms from earlier and he wanted that again, and only for himself.
Thankfully, Hash released the stranger from his embrace and nodded at Owen. “This is Owen, the man I told you about, and these are Alcharr and Yane,” he told the stranger. Turning toward them, he added, “This is Fayre. He’s a dear friend of mine, from a long, long time ago.”
Fayre beamed at them. “I’ve heard a lot about you all. I’m so glad Hash found what he was looking for.”
Owen blinked, uncertain as to how to reply to that. He didn’t know anything about Fayre, and he couldn’t understand the undertone of the man’s words. Stumped, he finally said, “I’m happy to meet you, too.” He did his best not to stare, since it became apparent that in spite of Fayre’s odd eyes, the young man could obviously see.
“Thank you for agreeing to see us,” Alcharr said politely.
“It means a lot to us,” Yane added. “Your help is much appreciated.
Thankfully, Fayre seemed to be satisfied with that. He smiled once again and gestured for them to follow him. “So, tell me more about the problems in the plague lands.”
“We don’t know a lot,” Yane answered, “other than that the magic is fading. It seems the wyrms can get closer. A source told us a certain crystal involved in keeping the enchantment up is in danger.”
Owen noticed the way Yane avoided mentioning Sassaki, and appreciated it. Even if Fayre looked willing to help, the walls could have ears. They couldn’t be sure of anything yet. Anxiety coursed through him. Had they done the right thing in leaving Sassaki behind? The wyrm had insisted he would be all right, and he would not be able to leave without his family noticing. That was probably true, but what if something happened while Owen and the others were away? Who would help Sassaki? His one friend, the mer, could do very little against a wyrm bent on destruction.
He only realized he’d missed a good part of the conversation when Alcharr squeezed his shoulder. “…can probably help you,” Fayre was saying.
Owen gave Alcharr a sheepish look, but the other man just looked concerned. “So this man who can help us—your brother, you said—where can we find him?” Alcharr asked, providing Owen with a brief summary of the chat in the process.
Fayre would be referring them to someone else, then. The wizard—undoubtedly, he was a wizard—sighed. “Alas, people like him are quite reclusive. Older wizards often are. But I did talk to him and managed to extract a promise. We established a meeting point. I’ll take you there.”
As Fayre spoke, they reached the end of the corridor they were currently walking through. Owen shielded his eyes as bright rays assaulted him. It wasn’t as strong as the one they’d come through, but rather like the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.
And indeed, when his vision cleared, Owen found himself staring at the clear ocean. Unlike in the plague lands, the waters were blue and shining, even more so than in Almareya. They looked almost magical, and Owen wouldn’t have been surprised if, indeed, the sea held enchantments hidden in its depth.
Before Owen could admire the beautiful landscape any further, Fayre gestured them to a small boat. “Come on. My brother tends to be impatient.”
They jumped on the boat, and Owen realized it seemed strangely translucent. Beneath it, Owen spotted fish swimming in the clear waters, sea vegetation, the view so clear it could have been through a window. He had a flashback of the one time he and Connor had gone on a holiday together, back when they’d still been university students. They’d chosen the seaside and managed to gather enough cash for a tour much like this one. Connor…Where was his friend now? Was he doing better than Owen?
Shaking himself, Owen looked away from the water just in time to watch the corridor they’d come through disappear into thin air. “Don’t worry,” Fayre said, as if guessing his anxiety. “It’s only a passage leading into the astral plane. I’ll open it again for you when you need it.”
“So this place, it’s not real?”
Fayre laughed. “Of course it’s real. Everything wizards create is real. It’s like a shadow of Uli, only through the filter of our magic. That’s why we have presences in both worlds.”
Owen blinked. He could be sure he understood that, but then again, he wasn’t a wizard. He couldn’t see a steering wheel or anything else resembling controls for the boat, and Owen pretended not to realize they might very well be drifting away into the nothingness. He was comforted by the fact that Hash seemed to trust Fayre’s abilities, but he still felt much better when the boat slowed down. Another vessel waited for them, a muscular, silver-haired man standing in the center of it.
“Finally,” he said. “I’ve been waiting for ages.”
He sounded pissed, but Fayre laughed lightly. “Don’t be like that, Kyllian. These are my friends.”
There were introductions all around, and Kyllian swept his silver eyes over them in a mix of bemusement and boredom. “So, I hear you need my help in the plague lands,” he said without preamble. “Well, I don’t do anything just because. I expect a reward.”
“Certainly,” Hash answered. “You’ll be richly compensated.”
Kyllian chuckled. “I don’t need money, dragon. Gold is useless for me.” His silver gaze fixed on Owen. “However, your human is interesting. Tell you what. I’ll trade you my services for one night with him.”
For a few moments, nobody spoke. And then, the water around them started to move in angry waves. A claw formed out of the ocean, threateningly looming over the wizard. “How dare you?” Yane snarled. “The very suggestion sickens me.”
The water shot toward Kyllian, but the wizard just waved a hand and it dissipated. “You forget, nymph, that this is my realm.”
Hash and Alcharr shot into the air angrily. For the first time, Owen saw bright burning wings shoot from Hash’s back. “Coward,” Alcharr shouted. “Face us like a man instead of hiding behind your tricks.”
Kyllian looked bored. “I thought you wanted to use my tricks. I just suggested a business deal. You’re free to take it or leave it.”
“Kyllian, they’re my friends,” Fayre said in a wounded tone. “How can you even ask that?”
Kyllian sighed in exasperation. “Little brother, what they’re asking for is no easy task. Believe me, I know.”
The conversation continued in a language Owen didn’t understand. What in the world were they going to do? He was pretty sure Hash didn’t have any other wizard friends. Apparently, they were quite rare, and Fayre’s connection with Hash was unusual in itself.
Owen remembered the plague lands, the two-headed wyrm, and the tired, sad people of Tanarak. He thought of Sassaki and the risk the wyrm took in contacting Yane. He knew the wyrm was merely trying to keep him safe, but this had become so much more now. It was bigger than all of them, and it would influence Yane’s people for ages to come.
At the same time, he wondered if Kyllian’s magic could create a balance in the plague lands. Sassaki had mentioned the unfairness of the situation, and Owen silently agreed. Perhaps he could bring it up. But to do that, he needed to pay Kyllian’s price.
“Can you really help us?” he asked Kyllian.
Kyllian nodded. “I haven’t actually studied it, but it shouldn’t be too hard to consolidate a protection spell. I will be able to tell you more once I look into it.”
“I don’t want this war to continue,” Owen said softly. “Can you help us find a way to stop it?”
For a few moments, Kyllian remained silent. “I can’t make any promises on that,” he said. “Some things are beyond the power of one individual. But I will do my best to aid you in whatever you need.”
Owen gulped. “All right then. We have a deal.”
“No,” Hash said. “Absolutely not. We took you here to keep you safe, not to have some pervert force you into something you don’t want. “
Kyllian chuckled. “Never fear. Little Owen will enjoy everything I do. And besides, if you hadn’t brought him along, I’d have never agreed in the first place.”
They were stuck and they all knew it. They could go back and ignore the situation, but how long would that last? The wyrms were already planning an attack. It wouldn’t take long for Yane’s people to be assaulted.
But the three men were beyond angry. “Owen, you can’t be serious,” Alcharr whispered. “You don’t have to do this.”
Owen smiled, suddenly feeling at peace with his decision. “I do.”
Kyllian watched the exchange between the human and his companions with carefully hidden satisfaction. He’d known from the moment he’d first seen the four that there was sexual tension there and a tremendous power that just waited to be unleashed.
But his magic told him the union between his visitors was not complete. They just needed a little nudge, and it was exactly what Kyllian intended.
Clearing his throat, he said, “In a gesture of good faith, I will wait for my payment until my part of the deal is complete.” Smirking, he added, “But first, a sample.”
Before anyone else could answer, Kyllian jumped from his boat to Fayre’s and took the human in his arms. The other three men were too shocked to even move, but Kyllian threw a shield around them, regardless. Just in time, too, as seconds later, Alcharr’s claws raked the surface of the energy bubble.
Smirking, Kyllian ignored the attack and focused on Owen. His eyes were wide, beautiful, and fearful, and Kyllian wanted him so badly it hurt. “Don’t fear me, little human,” he whispered. “I won’t hurt you.”
Owen nodded, still hesitant but a bit less tense. Unable to resist the temptation, Kyllian pressed his mouth to Owen’s. He licked across the seam of the human’s lips, coaxing them open. Immediately, Owen complied, and Kyllian drew him closer, loving the young man’s instinctual reply.
Their tongues tangled as Kyllian took possession of Owen’s mouth. He plundered the wet cavern, exploring each recess. Owen let out a small moan, and it aroused Kyllian even further. Images of Owen tied down and at his mercy flashed through his mind, and he ravaged Owen’s lips, frustrated with the knowledge that he could not take what he wanted, not just yet, at least.
They broke apart when the need to breathe forced them to. Kyllian’s cock throbbed in need at the feel of the soft, warm body against him. He pulled Owen closer, keeping a strong hold on Owen. He slipped a hand between them and reached down to cup Owen’s prick. The human fidgeted and tried to get away, but he was hard and responding to every touch from Kyllian.