Ekleipsis (Fantasy Romance - LGBT, manXman)

9.3

"The truth is you are a mage of the First Rank. It's a piece of cake for you to enchant someone or create an illusion. Why would I believe this Alva is real? My redhead licks no one's hand!"

"For a barbarian you aren't that dumb," she said pensively and snapped her fingers.

Again Khattal opened the same door, and again Alva came in. But now he was emaciated and pale, dressed in dirty rags, his dishevelled hair fell down to his shoulders. He shielded his eyes against the light with the back of his hand, as a person who had been held in the dark. His wrists were chained with manacles and a long chain.

Ithildin cried out and ran up to him. They fell into each other's arms, crying and laughing at the same time. Alva threw his chained hands around Ithildin's neck and kept saying, "Or Lord the Merciful, you came! You both came at last!"

More than anything in the world, Kintaro wanted to grab Alva with both arms, crush him against his chest, smell him, feel his sweet lips. But he wasn't so gullible. He frowned, shifting his gaze from the Alva in chains to the Alva in scarlet velvet, and grew even more suspicious.

When the nomad was able to put his doubts into words, he said with disdain, "You think I'll believe that you couldn't put him to better use than keeping him chained?"

Certainly, he often imagined Alva captive, imprisoned, shackled, suffering, and felt the dark rage rise inside. But those were his own fears, unfounded, unwarranted. All things considered, why a mage of the highest rank would need such primitive methods? She would have used much simpler ways to make Alva obey her.

Dame Tallian smiled serenely.

"Well, my distrustful friend, you'll get your own copy too. I'll dress him in blue, so you won't confuse him with others."

And Chevalier Ahayrre materialized out of thin air next to him. He wore the blue Royal Guard uniform, a ceremonial rapier on his hip. He looked exactly as he did that evening when the Essanti chief just arrived in Trianess, and the redhead came into his bedroom, drunk and aroused, his eyes so lustful it took Kintaro's breath away. With every feature, every move he was his sweet redhead, his sex on legs, his beautiful dream.

"And I was certain you would jump my bones the minute you saw me!" he said cheerfully. "Why are you just standing there, Kintaro? Are you angry with me? I swear I couldn't do it differently! This woman is more cunning than even the enchantress Azgun from the legends! She caught me on a stupid contract, like fish on the hook!"

"You did let me catch you, and was quite eager to do so," Dame Tallian objected, and her tone of voice was unusually warm.

"Yes, damn you, but I've literally worked my ass off and paid everything I owed you. You've promised to send me home a dozen times!"

"What home, my precious? Here is your elf and your barbarian. I give you three days of tumbling in bed, and then you'll return to your magic studies. You won't give it all up now, when you are starting to make progress, will you?"

Alva ruffled his hair, as if not knowing what to do, and then turned and shouted, "Hey, Diné, quit necking that pale imitation of me, come here! I have so much to tell you, and you have absolutely no idea how much I've missed both of you!"

Having said that, he fell against the nomad's wide chest and offered his mouth for a kiss.

Kintaro, stone-faced, removed his hands and stepped back. Ithildin stood beside him. He already came out of his shock. His cheeks blossomed with pale roses of blush, his nostrils flared with restrained anger.

"Why don't you believe me?" Alva in blue uniform said in a plaintive voice. "Hell's fire, as Lei swears, I have deliberately chosen this uniform, you've seen me in it a million times! I can prove I am the real one! Do you want me to tell how we've met? To tell how many times you have screwed me in your tent, Essanti chief, after you both saved me from the Enqins? I could have told, if I had bothered to count, damn you! Or should I tell you what colour the walls of our bedroom in Fanneshtou were? They were pink, and that colour was driving me crazy! And this is the amulet they gave me in Ujjay, I never took it off!" he yelled, taking the silver thing from his pocket and throwing it to their feet.

Two other Chevaliers kept silent. The one in chains leaned against a pillar and covered his face with his palms, clearly in despair. The second one, at the sorceress's feet, looked down on them, curling his lip in disdain.

"Do you want another copy? Don't be shy, place your order," Dame Tallian said with exaggerated politeness.

Ithildin answered, his voice ringing with anger, "You mock love, my lady, and that means you've never known it. The Fate will punish you for that, mark my words!"

"What do you know about love, elf!" The sorceress even half-rose from her seat, her hands clutching the armrests, her pretended cold indifference melting away. "Do you think you've lived long and suffered much? I am older than you and have lived through way more hardships than you can even imagine! You've spent how long without your lover, a year? Just a year? And look, already you complain, demand, threaten, although the Ancient Race have been famous for their patience. But I'll have to wait much longer than you, for my love. Three hundred and forty years, seven months and sixteen days!" She didn't pause even for a moment to calculate the precise amount of time, as if she knew it by heart every day of her life. "I am giving you a gift worthy of a king: take the Alva you like best and get lost! I give you a week for reflection." And she disappeared in a flash of blue flame.