The Soldier's Lotus (31 page)

Zuren
and Darien met in the middle of the crowding regiment and
embraced like free
Sunjaa
. “So,” the commander said,
“what do we do now?”

“We give the little king a place to sit.”

****

Saerileth was waiting for Darien outside his tent. He
should have known that he would be unable to surprise his all-seeing,
all-hearing Lotus. Once Arinport was safe, Saerileth must have heard. She ran
to Darien and jumped into his arms. She kissed every inch of his face, starting
with his lips and ending there as well. Darien had never tasted anything more
delicious, had never held anyone more precious. She smelled of lavender, her
touch like silk. She ran her hands across Darien’s scalp, draping his head in
her
pallav
. He reveled in her, inhaling her and
crushing her to him with as much strength as he could without hurting her. And
she did not seem to mind, for she smothered him with her kisses.

“My love,” she whispered in his ear. “How I missed you.”

“And I you,” Darien said, “my little Lotus.”

The cold desert wind blew across their skin, and they held
each other just a little closer. Darien’s hard cock pressed into Saerileth’s
belly.

“And I missed that,” she said, her lips curling up in a wry
smile.

Darien kissed those lips, and she moaned into his mouth as
her tongue touched his. They were half naked before they ever reached the tent.
By the time they were inside, they were clawing at each other’s bare flesh.
Saerileth pushed Darien down on her cot and knelt between his legs. She opened
her mouth wide and took his cock between her lips, twirling her tongue around
the head. Darien threw his head back and closed his eyes as he grabbed handfuls
of her hair and guided her mouth further down. He felt his cock hit the back of
her throat, and she held him there, letting his penis slip even deeper. Darien
watched as Saerileth came off his cock, as she licked the shaft up from the
balls, as she kissed the tip, only to deep-throat him again. His cum built up
inside him, and it sought release at once. But Darien denied his instant
pleasure; he reached down and cupped her breasts, rolling her nipples between
his thumbs and forefingers. Saerileth’s muffled moan on his cock was the
sexiest thing he had ever heard. He wanted her now more than ever. But it was
her turn.

He picked her up and flipped her over, throwing her down on
the cot. He spread her legs and ate her shaved cunt. He flicked her clit with
the tip of his tongue as his first and middle fingers sought her wet, warm
center. He stroked the rough patch on her vagina, making her squirm and hold
his head by the ears. He sucked her clit, drawing more blood into her flesh so
that it would be more sensitive when he lightly bit it. His tongue and fingers
and teeth worked in and around her until she cried out in orgasm.

Darien smiled up at her from between her legs. “It’s just
not fair.”

Saerileth looked down at him, her blue eyes wild with
desire. “What?”

“Women can come multiple times, but men...”

Saerileth pulled at Darien, bringing him up to kiss him.
“Then let us make yours count.” Without looking, she guided his cock into her.

There was no purer bliss for Darien than to feel himself
inside Saerileth, to have her thighs pressed against his own legs, to feel her
heels locked around the small of his back. Saerileth arched her back and thrust
her pelvis forward, sheathing Darien completely inside her. She ran her fingers
down his chest and over his nipples, making him shudder in pleasure. He hunched
over and licked her nipples, grasping at a breast and pulling it near him.
Darien and Saerileth fucked until the moons were past their zenith, and only
when they collapsed in orgasmic exhaustion did they once again turn their minds
to their present situation.

After their bath, they lounged on the pallet. Darien
balanced a plate of sliced pears on the tight muscles of his abdomen, and as
they munched, they talked.

Saerileth rested her head on his chest. “I have found the
one whose death is owed me.”

“Who?
It’s not Ulen, after all?”

“No, it is
Talex
Chamri
, leader of the clan who took me in and gave me to
the Guild.”

“The
Chamri
are responsible? But
then why take you in?”

“A
Sunjaa
warrior had witnessed
my survival.” Saerileth leaned up and kissed Darien. “They could not know that
you would not speak about my sudden death before being turned over to the
Guild. Besides, I am sure they did not think I would retain my clan identity
after becoming a Lotus. Most Lotuses do not care about their former clans, but
then, most Lotuses do not have their clans massacred.”

“Why did the
Chamri
do this?” It
pained Darien to ask Saerileth such distressing questions, but at the same time
he was happy for her. The mystery had been solved, and soon she would have her
vengeance.

“You may not realize that the Zenji have an export besides
Lotuses, but they do, and it is pearls. The
Kesandrahn
were the leader in pearl exports, followed by the
Chamri
.
Now the
Chamri
have a monopoly on the market. They are
now the most powerful of the Zenji clans, thanks to Ulen’s massacre of my
family. But no one connected the
Chamri
to it,
however, because it was carried out by
Sunjaa
, and
also because they did not kill me. Furthermore, they did not take the money
from the Guild promised for me. Why would they need it? Instead they donated
the cash. But to the Zenji, this seemed an unparalleled act of kindness.”

“Cunning.”
Darien thought of the Zenji blockade then. “The ships in
the harbor surrendered as soon as they saw me.”

“If they were
Chamri
ships – and
I cannot imagine they would be anything else – they are there not because they
want to be but because Ulen is blackmailing them. That is the only thing that
makes sense. Up until now, their relationship has been mutually beneficial, but
now Ulen has called them out to do something they do not want to do. They need
no coin from Ulen, but if Ulen were to tell their secret, the
Chamri
would be exterminated by the Zenji.”

“The ships flew a white flag with a horse on it.”

Saerileth nodded.
“
Chamri
.”

“And don’t you want them all dead?”

“No.
Just one death.
Like a
Zenji.”

Darien kissed the top of Saerileth’s head, inhaling the
scent of her hair. “Your revenge is at hand. How did you learn all this?”

“Lord
Itenu
found the documents
of their mutual trade in Ulen’s house, and I was able to piece the rest
together from what I already knew.”

Darien half sat up in surprise. “Kamen went to Ulen while I
was gone?”

“Yes,” Saerileth said, “and he paid a heavy price for it.
He tried to return the documents he had stolen, but on his second trip, he was
captured.”

“Is he dead?” Darien was on his feet, having scattered the
plate of fruit.

“No, he is in his tent resting.” Saerileth, too, rose,
though not as quickly as Darien had.

“How was he even able to get into Ulen’s house? He’s not
sneaky like you.”

Saerileth sat on the edge of the cot with her hands folded
in her lap. “You remember how Kamen loved you so. Trying to seduce me in the
Vadal
king’s palace was not his first attempt to separate us.
Not realizing how bloody Ulen’s thoughts would be, he told Ulen that your
concubines were going upriver. It was not merely a careless word. It was
purposeful. He told them when and where, assuming that I would be with them.
Ulen would take me away, and we would have been forever separated.”

Darien heard a snarl escape his lips. Wrath seized him.

Saerileth ran to him and laid her hands against his heaving
chest. “Kamen did not know Ulen would kill them all. He did not mean for
anything like that to happen. He intended only to separate us.”

“And he’s in his tent now?” Darien wanted to throttle
Kamen, friend or no.

Saerileth nodded. “But he will have to be carried to the
parley tomorrow. He cannot yet walk.”

Darien anger fled as quickly as it had come, and he
breathed easier. “What? What did Ulen do to him?”

“Torture.”

“Then how did he escape?”

Saerileth ran his hands slowly down her sides as she looked
up at the ceiling. “I rescued him.”

“You?”
Darien’s shock prevented him from asking the full
question. Why should she rescue Kamen, her rival for Darien’s love?

“I.” Saerileth slipped her arms around Darien’s waist. “I
knew how it would grieve you if he died.”

“So, for my sake you brought him out.” Darien leaned down
and kissed her brow, secure in the happy thought that she did not desire Kamen.
He wanted to see his friend, and he asked Saerileth to accompany him to Kamen’s
tent.

“He will be sleeping, my love.”

“Yes.” Darien extended his hand to Saerileth. “But I cannot
until I speak with him.”

A few minutes later, Darien stood inside Kamen’s tent. He
trimmed the wick on a nearby lamp and filled the small room with light. Holding
the lamp over Kamen, Darien could see the bloody bandages laid out in strips
across his friend’s chest. It pained Darien to see his friend so wounded, and
his anger burned against Ulen all the more. A
Vadal
priestess of
Chiel
, with a small pouch around her
neck, and clad in a long, blue gown belted with a white sash, sat near Kamen’s
head.

“Leave us, healer,” Darien said.

“Lord
Itenu
should be left to
rest,” the priestess said.

“I appreciate your concern for your patient, but I shall
speak with him now.”

The priestess rose, bowed, and left.

“Be brief, my love.” Saerileth retreated into the shadows.

Darien awoke Kamen, and when the young man saw his captain,
his eyes, once full of pain, emptied of everything except love.

“Darien.” Kamen’s voice croaked.

Darien supported his head as he poured some water into his
mouth. “Better?”

Kamen nodded.

Darien had so many things he wanted to ask, wanted to say,
but he did not know where to begin. Now that he saw Kamen, he pitied him more
than he ever had. “Why?”

Kamen’s eyes filled with tears.
“Because
I love you.”

“Kamen.”
Darien loved Kamen, too, in a brotherly fashion, and
though he cared for his friend deeply, he did not share the romantic
attraction.

“
I was trying to prove
to you, by bringing you Ulen’s head on a platter, that I was worthy of your
affections.”

“I already knew how you felt.”

“You did?” Kamen’s eyes searched the darkness. “Did she tell
you? Is she here?”

“Yes,” Darien said. “She told me.”

“Then you know my hopelessness.” Kamen closed his eyes, and
tears rolled down his cheeks. “That’s why I went back.”

“You knew you would be captured. You let yourself get
caught.
Oh, Kamen.”
Darien shook his head, frustration
filling his brain. He did not know what to say. “It was just sex, Kamen. It
didn’t mean anything. It’s just the
Sunjaa
warrior
way.”

Kamen’s look pierced Darien as sure as any spear might. “I
know that now. You and Saerileth are suited, as you and I are not.” His words
were nearly incomprehensible because his voice trembled so thickly. “It is
bitter to know that you can’t be jealous of the person who has repeatedly saved
your life.”

“You’re young, my friend.” Darien wanted to hug his friend
and show him comfort, the way he used to, but considering the circumstances, he
thought any touch from him would only exacerbate Kamen’s pain. At that moment,
Darien resolved to never spend time with Kamen again, and the decision moved
him to tears. “You have your whole life ahead of you. One day you’ll find the
right one for you.”

Kamen continued to weep quietly until he turned his face to
the wall.

****

The throne room of the royal palace of Arinport was
occupied by a quiet and grave collection of men. Noticeably absent
were
not only Ulen
Ahnok
but those
scheming nobles who had supported his usurping the crown.
Zuren
was there as commander of all
Sunjaa
ground forces.
Ruben, leader of the navy, stood near Darien, a fact which amused the large
captain. Just a few weeks before, Ruben had been Darien’s second mate; now, due
to the confusion and threat of civil war, he was for all intents and purposes
admiral. Most of the richly-dressed men in the room Darien did not know by
name, and only a few by face. He did recognize Oren, the former king’s
chamberlain. Kamen reclined nearby on a low, soft sofa. His eyes were closed in
rest, for he could not yet exert himself even long enough to stand and speak.
But the
Itenu
lord’s presence was deemed necessary by
everyone, for he was the highest-ranked noble left in the city. Darien thought
Kamen should not have been moved from his room, but other voices had outweighed
his opinion.