《The White Rabbit》


 Introduction/Notes

    Little Bunny Foo Foo


    Hopping through the forest


    Scooping up the field miceThis book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    And bopping them on the heads


    This chapter has been removed because of a formatting decision made when I found the story to be running too long to be feasible, but I didn''t want to lose the feedback I had gotten or the notes I had already written to set reader expectations. I am so sorry for any inconvenience. Please click through to the next chapter to begin the story.

 Chapter 1

    Xaxac, like most people, did not remember his birth, and because he had been separated from his biological parents shortly thereafter, he also didn¡¯t remember them. But he did consider himself fairly lucky, because the man who had bought him also had in his possession several families, so he had not been left to his own devices to bring himself up, as many children were.


    Commander Agalon owned a large plantation in the agricultural district of the Urillian empire. The fields behind the house stretched on for acres, and held all manner of crops, both the food that they needed to sustain such a large place, but also cash crops like cotton and tobacco. The manor house was huge and beautiful, home to Commander Agalon and his son, but Xaxac knew that he was never to go near the place, and certainly never inside of it.


    He had been taken in by a couple named Abraham and Abigail, who had a biological daughter, Alice, around the same age as Xac himself. They were both kind people who could not stand to see a child alone and frightened, as Xac had been when he had first came to the slave quarters. He didn¡¯t remember meeting them, as he had been so young. As far as Xac was concerned he had always lived in the little wooden home that Abe and Abby had built with their own hands. Family was not something that one was born into, after all, it was something that one built, like the house.


    At first, it seemed that there was nothing of note about the child, who had been brought in to work the fields like many other children. It was expected that he would grow into a strong field hand, eventually take a wife from one of the women in his position, build his own house near his parents, raise his own children, who would themselves grow into strong field hands, take lovers, build homes, and raise families.


    To Agalon, Xac was an investment. A healthy child and a few drops of new blood to avoid inbreeding in his stock. And for the first few weeks, that assumption proved to be true. He was really too small to be of much help, but he was well behaved and played well with Alice, which is all one could really ask of a child so young.


    The trouble came a few weeks after Xac arrived, when the twin moons that drifted through the night sky were big, bright, and round.


    Xac did not remember the trouble, but it is difficult, even for a young child, to forget hearing the only people who had ever been kind to him call him a monster.


    Xac did not exactly awaken. He was in a stupor, that half-awake, half-dream state that is only known by those who have been overcome by the kind of exhaustion that is bone deep. He couldn¡¯t move because his muscles were too heavy, could barely will his little chest to rise and fall to get the air into and out of his lungs, and certainly could not open his eyes to let anyone know that he was awake.


    But he could hear.


    ¡°I heard tell,¡± Abe said, ¡°But I never, in my wildest dreams, thought they could be real.¡±


    ¡°They say at the temple that them shifters made a deal with the devil,¡± Abby said, with fear in her voice, ¡°That youngun is cursed.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s to be done about it,¡± Abe said, ¡°We can¡¯t let him just destroy the house. The monster chewed through the walls, ate half the bed, knocked the furniture over¡­ We can¡¯t have that.¡±


    ¡°That can be fixed,¡± Abby said stubbornly, ¡°All that can be fixed. Far as that goes we can make new furniture and patch the walls. The real problem, as I see it, is we can¡¯t let nobody know. Agalon finds out he¡¯ll have him killed! Look at him. Ain¡¯t nothing but a baby. We can¡¯t let them hurt that baby.¡±


    There was a long pause, and though Xac could not see what was going on, he knew that something was wrong. He didn¡¯t know what he had done, but he knew that he was in the kind of trouble that set a stone on his chest and put gravel in his stomach. He was weighed down by it, and he was already so bone-tired he could barely move.


    ¡°Of course we ain¡¯t gonna let nobody hurt that baby,¡± Abe said as if he had been insulted, then Xac felt someone shaking him and calling his name, ¡°Xac! Xac! Boy? Boy are you alive? Abby, he looks like he ain¡¯t breathing! All this damn hair everywhere¡­¡±


    Xaxac felt Abe brushing something soft and fluffy off his face.


    ¡°Xac breath!¡± Abe demanded.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna run and get Hattie May!¡± Abby said in a panic, ¡°She delivers babies; she¡¯ll know right what to do!¡±


    ¡°Run!¡± Abe shouted at her, and Xac heard the sound of her heavy footfalls. He wanted to tell them that he was alive, that he was ok, but he was just so tired, more tired than he had ever been, and he was absolutely starving.


    Xaxac wanted to drift back to sleep, but every time he felt himself drifting off, Abe would shake him, and he would dart back to attention. It was starting to get on his nerves, but as he was so young and so weak, he had no ability to make that known.


    ¡°He¡¯s crying!¡± Abe told someone, ¡°He¡¯s crying and that means he¡¯s alive. Xac, boy, you stay here with me. Don¡¯t go towards the light.¡±


    There was no light, and had there been a light, Xac would have gone in the opposite direction because he was trying to sleep and light would wake him up.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Xac, youngun you listen to me,¡± The voice was old, and Xaxac didn¡¯t recognize it, ¡°The devil¡¯s got his claws in you, boy, but we¡¯re gonna cast him out.¡±


    Whatever the devil was, if that was the person weighing him down, Xac would be glad to be rid of him.


    ¡°Be gone!¡± She called, and smack Xac in the forehead. It didn¡¯t seem to do anything about the devil, but it did make him angry enough that he finally had the energy to open his eyes.


    ¡°Oh thank Thesis above!¡± Abe pulled him into a hug so tight, and Xac was so weak, that it knocked the air out of him, and for a moment he thought he may pass out.


    ¡°There he is,¡± The old woman, who Xac thought might be Hattie May, smiled down at him. She didn¡¯t look any different, really, from the other humans on the plantation, but in his young mind, Xac knew instantly that there was something special about her. He connected it in some way to the ring with the green crystal set into it that she was desperately clutching in the hand she hadn¡¯t pressed to his forehead, because she was focused on it in a way that made it seem important, made it seem secret and mysterious.


    ¡°Alright now you give that youngun a cup of that tea every hour,¡± She said as she stood. ¡°I ain¡¯t never seen a shifter- but I¡¯ve heard tales. We gotta drive that devil out of him or it¡¯ll come out even more as he grows.¡±


    Xaxac followed her eyeline to Abigail, who was sitting in the small hearth brewing a pot of tea over the open fire, and finally took in his surroundings. The entire place had been upturned as if a tornado had gone through it. The wooden walls were covered in claw marks, as if a wild animal had gotten inside. Half the straw bed he was lying on was completely missing; the bed itself had been torn completely open, and what straw was left had been scattered around the room. Abe had built a table and chairs using wood that he had gathered, and the beast had gotten to them too- they looked as if they had been gnawed on, chewed through, and were lying in pieces, splintered around the place. Whatever had clawed at the walls had rattled them so badly that the skillet and baking pan had been knocked down and dented, and the walls themselves were completely missing in some places.


    The only home he had ever known, of the only people who had ever shown him kindness, was completely destroyed.


    ¡°Mama?¡± Came a voice from the doorway, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Allie, now I done told you to get out there and stay out there! Just because your brother is tearing his rear end don¡¯t mean you can! You go on now! You come back for lunch! I better not see you back in here before then!¡± Abigail warned, and her daughter headed that warning.


    ¡°What kind of devil spirit possessed him?¡± Hattie May asked Abigail.


    ¡°I shoulda come and got you last night,¡± Abigail told her, ¡°I shoulda done something, anything. But we was so scared; Abe sent me and Allie out of the house. He stayed in here, the whole time, watching the boy.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t never try to hurt me,¡± Abe said quietly, ¡°Didn¡¯t raise a claw at me. I reckon¡­ I reckon he acted like a scared youngun. He ain¡¯t evil, Miss Hattie. He¡¯s just a baby. He don¡¯t know no better. He can¡¯t help it that he¡¯s cursed. We gotta help him.¡±


    Hattie May pulled a clump of the fur that was still sticking to Xac in places from one of the ripped seams of his tattered nightshirt and rubbed it between her fingers.


    ¡°What was he?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Looked like a jackrabbit, but not like any kind I ever saw,¡± Abe said, holding Xac close and running his fingers over the boy¡¯s scalp, through his soft brown hair in an attempt to keep him calm, and Xac leaned into the fatherly affection. ¡°Didn¡¯t look like the ones that get into the fields sometimes; it was way too big for that. Ran like a rabbit, too; fastest thing I ever did see. I knew if he got outside that¡¯d be the end of it. Wouldn¡¯t be no coming back if he got out. So I kept him in here.¡±


    ¡°A rabbit,¡± Hattie May said slowly, as if processing this information. ¡°I don¡¯t know about no wererabbits. I heard tale of a werewolf one time, up by the Sage Lake, but I ain¡¯t never heard tale of no wererabbits. Don¡¯t shock me though.¡±


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Abby asked as she shoved past them to hand Abe a cup of tea, which he pressed to Xac¡¯s lips. Xac drank it greedily, even though it was bitter, because he was starving, and if he hadn¡¯t been so weak he would have said as much. But he had never been this tired, this frightened.


    ¡°Now I reckon the best thing to do is to watch him,¡± Hattie May said and shoved herself to her feet. It seemed to take a great effort, and Xac felt bad for her. He was so young, and had met so few people, that he didn¡¯t connect her pain with her age, and thought that he had probably caused it the same way he had caused the destruction. He didn¡¯t remember any of it.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± He said. He had meant to scream it, to wail, to give it the power of the emotion he felt with it, but he didn¡¯t have the strength, and it came out a whisper.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk, Xac, just drink this,¡± Abe told him and squeezed him tighter.


    ¡°I know that boy John Paul over in the stables,¡± Abe said to the women, ¡°I bet he could sneak us out some of the ropes or chains or whatever they use to hold horses. Xac looks about three or four; ain¡¯t no way he¡¯s stronger than a horse. We¡¯ll just tie him down when the moons are full. That¡¯s about all anybody can do that I can think.¡±


    ¡°I hate to tie a youngun down,¡± Abby said.


    ¡°When he¡¯s the beast, he ain¡¯t the youngun,¡± Hattie May told her, ¡°He¡¯s possessed. The legend is that them sacred texts say that them people was cursed because they made a deal with the devil and Thesis found out about it. The boy is cursed.¡±


    ¡°Ms Hattie,¡± Abe said seriously, ¡°You ain¡¯t gonna tell nobody about this, are you? They find out my boy is cursed folks might get¡­ froggy.¡±


    ¡°You ain¡¯t gonna be able to hide this forever, Abe,¡± Hattie May warned him, ¡°One of these days that boy is gonna get loose.¡±


    ¡°Well then ¡®one of these days¡¯,¡± Abe said with an emotion in his voice that Xaxac did not understand, ¡°We¡¯ll deal with that. But right now I need to know that you ain¡¯t gonna tell nobody.¡±


    Xaxac didn¡¯t understand what the tone Abe had used meant, but he felt how heavily it hung in the air, knew that it was important.


    ¡°I ain¡¯t gonna tell nobody,¡± Hattie May said after the silence became too much to bare, ¡°But y¡¯all gonna have to do something about this. It¡¯s just gonna get worse as he gets older. He¡¯s just gonna get stronger as he grows. I don¡¯t know how you expect me to find anything out about it if you don¡¯t want me telling nobody.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, Xac,¡± Abe cuddled the boy into his side and handed the empty tea cup to Abby, ¡°Ain¡¯t nobody gonna find out. Daddy,¡± he paused, nodded at Abigail and continued, ¡°And mommy, ain¡¯t gonna let nobody find out. You gonna be safe here.¡±

 N/A

    This chapter has been removed because of a formatting decision made when I found the story to be running too long to be feasible, but I didn''t want to lose the feedback I had gotten. I am so sorry for any inconvenience. Please click through to the next chapter to continue the story.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

 Chapter 2

    Most of the slave quarters on the Agalon plantation looked very similar, but none of them looked exactly the same. They had all been built the same way, but by different people. All the people were on tight schedules, and all used reclaimed materials, but as they were all built with human strength, ingenuity, and love, they all had variations, because those things varied from person to person.


    Xaxac¡¯s house was almost a box, but the crooked roof made it not exactly a box, and though some of the houses were taller than they were wide, Xac¡¯s house was a squat thing, close to the ground. Abe told him that it made more sense to build a house that way, because it was easier to heat.


    Abe worked from sunup to sundown in the fields, yet still, in the evening when the cool spring breezes broke through the heat, he would work by the light of the fire Abigale used to cook, patching the holes Xac had made in the wooden walls, repairing the furniture he had destroyed, until it was, once again, a cozy home.


    The entire inside was one room, and it wasn¡¯t very big, but Xac liked it there. He didn¡¯t remember anything else. They didn¡¯t have glass windows, but they had curtains to keep out the weather that Abby had made herself, and a big bed stuffed with straw that needed to be cleaned out and restuffed once a month that the family slept on, curled up together. Xac didn¡¯t understand that he was lucky to have parents to cuddle, to hold him when he had bad dreams and lul him back to sleep. He was too young to know that there were children without families, or that his family had chosen him. He had not yet learned how cruel the world could be to some children.


    He also did not know that some children lived in manor houses with rooms of their own larger than his house, or that they went to school instead of work. He didn¡¯t know that he was unlucky in many ways, because he was too young to know the difference. He only knew what people told him.


    But he was lucky because his mother, Abby, worked in the manor house, which made her special. She would be gone all day most of the time, but she always brought back something amazing from the kitchen in the big house, the kind of food that most people on the plantation never got to taste, leftovers that ¡®would have gone to waste¡¯.


    If night came and she still had not returned, as sometimes happened, they would go to bed without her, but she was always there again, in the morning, sleeping next to them.


    It is the amazing condition of children, that no matter what their circumstances are, they will consider them normal. For Xaxac OfAgalon, it was normal to work the fields from the time the sun came up to the time it went down with his family, then to gather for dinner and listen to his father tell stories by the dying firelight with his sister Alice as they sat at his feet and listened attentively, while his mother spun fiber into yarn with a hand spinner, sitting a little ways away from them at the little wooden table Abe had built. Xac liked to watch her turn the big clumps of fluff into string, and then the string into real things, like winter clothes, with two sticks that made a comforting ¡®clack clack clack¡¯ sound.


    Tonight he sat, warm and feeling cuddly, with Alice by the hearth, while Abe rolled out clumps of tobacco on brown strips of paper, licked them closed, and set them aside in a little paper box.


    ¡°You younguns ever hear tell of the Emerald Knight?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I have!¡± Alice said, and Xac laid his little head in her lap. He always got sleepy after he ate, and he was sleepy now.


    ¡°I dunno what that is,¡± Xac admitted, and in confusion he asked, ¡°And I dunno how you know if I don¡¯t. I dunno how you know stuff.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a monster!¡± Alice explained.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like monsters,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°Cause you¡¯re scared?¡± Alice asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Xac yawned, thought very seriously about pushing himself off of her lap in an effort to stay awake, and decided against it, ¡°I just don¡¯t like um.¡±


    ¡°Well I do!¡± She said, and began to pet his hair as if he was a puppy. ¡°You¡¯re so soft.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Xac said, because he didn¡¯t know what else to say.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Once upon a time,¡± Abe said, tapping down the cigarettes he had just rolled, ¡°There lived a beautiful princess. In the capital of the empire, there¡¯s a huge castle- and in that castle, there used to live a king and queen. But one day, something awful happened. The castle was attacked, and everyone thought the princess would die.¡±


    Xaxac didn¡¯t really care much about princesses, and found that the story didn¡¯t hold his attention, but Alice seemed to very much enjoy the story.


    ¡°In the temple,¡± Abe went on as he selected a cigarette and lit it on the open fire, ¡°In the capital, there was a magic sword in a magic stone. The legends said that only the Chosen Child of Thesis could get the sword out of the stone. But it had sat there for centuries, and nobody was able to get it out.¡±


    Xac yawned again, and snuggled down in his sister¡¯s lap. His eyelids were drooping, and he wasn¡¯t very interested in swords either. He had never seen one and had no context for the story. If he had been more awake, he would have asked so that he could visualize the story better, but in his current mood it didn¡¯t seem very important.


    ¡°But that all changed the day the castle was attacked,¡± Abe said. ¡°The king and queen were both murdered, right in their own house! The entire countryside was on fire! And the princess fled, on foot, just ran out into the night! She was being hunted, but the assassins who had killed her parents!¡±


    ¡°Daddy, what¡¯s an assassin?¡± Alice asked.


    ¡°Somebody what kills for a living, for a job,¡± Abe explained, ¡°Worst kinda folks you can meet. Don¡¯t care nothing about nobody. Them kinds of folks would kill you as soon as to look at you.¡±


    ¡°Anyway,¡± he went on, ¡°They were right on her tail- but the princess ran for her life, all through the night, until,¡± he paused for dramatic effect, ¡°They found her. But then, just when all hope looked lost, she saw a bright, shining light, and the Emerald Knight appeared with the magic sword. He saved the princess that night. They say he wiped out the whole band of attackers himself.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a great story, daddy!¡± Alice said, ¡°Did he marry the princess and live happily ever after?¡±


    ¡°That ain¡¯t the end of the story,¡± Abe said, ¡°That¡¯s the start. See¡­ the thing about power is, it goes to your head. Too much power eats away at a body like a disease. The Emerald Knight didn¡¯t stay a savior for long. Not too long after that, he musta thought, ¡®That fight was good, but I want more¡¯. So he set out for a bigger fight. He sought out the strongest bad guy he could find, and killed him. Then the next strongest. But it was never enough. Every time he wanted something bigger and stronger. So he went to the Mysterious Forest up by the Sage Lake Province.¡±


    ¡°See, nowadays,¡± Abe told them, ¡°That place is dangerous. Nobody goes in there and comes back out. Folks who go near it say they hear whispers. Younguns who get to close don¡¯t know not to listen, and they follow the voices into the woods, and then they never come out.¡±


    He let this information sink in, then continued, ¡°But now legend has it that once upon a time that place was a sacred wood. There¡¯s supposed to be a whole town in the middle of it, with another big temple like the one in the capital. People say that there used to be a spirit in that temple, a god who could talk right to Thesis, draw power from the God above, and relay those messages to the people.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a reason them woods are evil now.¡±


    Xaxac¡¯s eyes were open now. He had said he hadn¡¯t liked monsters, but one does not need to like something to have an interest in it.


    ¡°The Emerald Knight was itching for a bigger fight,¡± Abe said, ¡°So he went right through them woods, right into that temple- and he decided to take on the voice of a god. He picked a fight with the Great Forest Spirit.¡±


    Abe looked down at the faces of his children, hanging on to his every word.


    ¡°And he beat it. The Emerald Knight killed the Great Forest Spirit- and the Forest never forgave him. They say there was a huge earthquake that destroyed the town there, and the woods swallowed up ever¡¯ trace of it, swallowed up any path in or out.¡±


    ¡°Now you might think- but surely the Emerald Knight died too? He must have got trapped in them woods after what a horrible thing he just done.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯d be wrong.¡±


    ¡°Folks say they still seem him, ten feet tall and bright green, glowing like the sun and wielding that sword he pulled out of that rock centuries ago. But now? Now he ain¡¯t no savior. Now he¡¯s the monster what killed a god. And now that he¡¯s got a taste for blood? He wants more. He wants more, and more, and more- and it¡¯s never enough. So younguns that wander off, who don¡¯t listen at their parents and try to sneak out after dark, to places they ain¡¯t supposed to be? They run the risk of seeing that light, blinding and green, coming out of the darkness. By the time you see it, it¡¯s too late. He moves like a lightning flash, and he¡¯ll slice you clean,¡± Abe leaned forward quickly and raised his voice, ¡°IN HALF!¡±


    Alice shrieked and Xaxac covered his ears.


    ¡°Ow!¡± He complained.


    ¡°I gotcha good, baby,¡± Abe laughed.


    ¡°But that¡¯s not real, right?¡± Xaxac asked as he sat up and glared at Alice.


    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s real, baby,¡± Abby said, ¡°Emerald Knight is as real as you or me. But he don¡¯t go after folks who do what they¡¯re supposed to. You stay right here and be good and you won¡¯t never have to worry about it. Now you younguns get to bed. We got us a long day tomorrow.¡±

 N/A

    This chapter has been removed because of a formatting decision made when I found the story to be running too long to be feasible, but I didn''t want to lose the feedback I had gotten. I am so sorry for any inconvenience. Please click through to the next chapter to continue the story.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Because I have to have 500 characters in order not to delete the chapter I am now just going to type a string of text.


    Because I have to have 500 characters in order not to delete the chapter I am now just going to type a string of text.

 Chapter 3

    ¡°Oh now, I hate to see him in chains,¡± Abigale lamented as Abe wrapped the metal through Xac¡¯s arms, pinning them behind his back.


    ¡°It ain¡¯t that tight, mama,¡± Xaxac promised her, and rattled them for good measure, ¡°I can get out ifin I want to.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll tighten up once ya shift,¡± Abe said, ¡°And I don¡¯t like it either, I just don¡¯t know what else to do for him. He chewed right through the ropes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°It ain¡¯t your fault you¡¯re cursed,¡± Abe promised and kissed him on the forehead. ¡°We¡¯ll just keep ya in here tonight and it¡¯ll pass by morning. Hell, it ain¡¯t as bad as it could be. Every youngun has problems. Jimmy Ray¡¯s boy got kicked in the head by that mule and he ain¡¯t been right since. Xac can walk without fallin over.¡±


    ¡°I wish you wouldn¡¯t cursed, Xac,¡± Alice said, and hugged him. He couldn¡¯t hug her back or he¡¯d squirm out of the chains, so he just leaned into the touch.


    ¡°I oughta stay with you,¡± Abby said.


    ¡°You women folk go on over to Hatti May¡¯s,¡± Abe told them, and turned to Xac with a smile, ¡°We got a real men¡¯s night planned before Xac turns. I¡¯m gonna teach him all the words he can¡¯t say in front of respectable women folk.¡±


    ¡°Abraham, you better not!¡± Abby snapped.


    ¡°I¡¯m kiddin, kiddin,¡± Abe assured her, then turned to Xac, winked, and whispered, ¡°I ain¡¯t kiddin.¡±


    Xac laughed, and his father turned back to the women folk.


    ¡°Now go on, sun¡¯s already down and the moons¡¯ll be out any minute.¡±


    ¡°Bye, XacXac!¡± Alice waved from the doorway, ¡°I¡¯ll see you in the morning! I love you!¡±


    ¡°Bye!¡± Xac called, ¡°Love you too!¡±


    ¡°Abe, you come and get me, should anything happen,¡± Abby ordered.


    ¡°He¡¯s alright. He¡¯s just cursed; he ain¡¯t sick.¡± Abe said, sounding a bit insulted, ¡°I got him. You think I can¡¯t handle a little boy?¡±


    ¡°Mamma loves you, Xacy,¡± Abby said, as she fell to her knees, cupped his face, and kissed him on the forehead, ¡°Everything¡¯s gonna be alright, alright?¡±


    ¡°I love you too, mama,¡± Xac sighed, as exasperated as a worried child could be, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Go on,¡± Abe helped her to her feet, ¡°Get!¡±


    ¡°Try and get some sleep, baby,¡± Abigale called as her husband rushed her out of the house, ¡°Try and sleep through it! And Abe, save that fur! I can spin it! Rabbit fur is real fancy, real pricy!¡±


    ¡°I know, go on, get!¡± Abe said, ¡°We love ya. We¡¯ll see ya in the morning!¡±


    He shoved the door closed, and began to pile the furniture in front of it.


    ¡°Daddy, I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m a monster,¡± Xac said as he watched his father work.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t nothin to be sorry for,¡± Abe shrugged, ¡°Folks can¡¯t help what they are. Don¡¯t never make somebody feel bad for what they are. You wanna make somebody feel bad, pick somethin they done.¡±


    He seemed content with his barricade and moved to the fireplace. He added another log, then set the teapot on to boil.


    ¡°Gonna make you some a that tea Hatti May left here last time,¡± he explained, ¡°supposed to calm ya down. Maybe ya really will sleep through it. That¡¯d be nice.¡±


    ¡°Are you really gonna teach me bad words?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°You got the sense not to say um around the women folk or the elves?¡± Abe asked, ¡°Rough language ain¡¯t meant to be said around certain folks.¡±


    ¡°I promise!¡± Xac swore.


    ¡°I probably shouldn¡¯t,¡± Abe decided, ¡°Your mama would tan my hide.¡±


    ¡°But you said you would!¡± Xac whinned.


    ¡°Lord above younguns ought not be allowed to have eyes that dark. Them younguns with brown eyes like that can make the biggest, saddest eyes. That ain¡¯t right. Ain¡¯t nobody oughta be expected to stand against that,¡± Abe said as he looked into Xac¡¯s little face. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you one cuss word, but you can¡¯t say it to nobody but me.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    ¡°Ok!¡± Xac agreed eagerly.


    ¡°Alright, but you gotta swear you won¡¯t say it to nobody but me,¡± Abe repeated.


    ¡°I already said-¡± Xac began, but he cut himself off with a scream, and doubled over in pain.


    If a person has never heard a rabbit scream, it is a sound that is almost indescribable. Those who study animals say that the shriek is meant to warn the rest of the warren of a terrible danger, that it is a death howl that portends the kind of doom that cannot be conveyed in language.


    It is not a sound that any parent should ever have to hear coming from their child.


    ¡°Goddamn it,¡± Abe cursed and ran to his child, holding him by the shoulders, ¡°Come on, Xacy-Boy, you¡¯re strong. You¡¯ll get through this. It went real quick last time. You can do this!¡±


    He was right, of course, about the speed of the transformation. He had already seen it once, and been shocked. Whenever people told horror stories, gathered around a campfire in the late fall when the nights were long but not yet freezing, and the subject of shifters came up, the storyteller would linger on the transformation. They would go into detail about the sound of bones popping, rearranging themselves in their sockets, of the face morphing into a completely new shape, of the hair growing and spreading, of the posture shifting.


    But now that he had seen it, Abe knew that all that happened faster than it took to tell it, even if one was not drawing it out to create tension for a story, even if they were speaking quickly, in a panic, the way one would really talk about a curse.


    Xac¡¯s head had fallen, after he had screamed, and he went down a boy- but came up a monster.


    It was not exactly a rabbit. And the rabbit it may have favored was not the type of rabbit that Abe was familiar with. Xaxac did not look like the creatures that one had to keep out of the gardens, that would dig up and steal food or create elaborate tunnels underneath that made the soil less stable, not exactly. His fur was too long, and his body wasn¡¯t angled correctly. He was not exactly a rabbit, but he was certainly not a human boy.


    He was much bigger, much bulkier than he had been a moment ago, and it was not all fur. Rabbits were not a good source of food, not a preferred source, because the meat was gamey- that is, it was all dark meat, all coiled muscled and gristle with no marbling. Those muscled curled under Xac¡¯s flesh, and Able felt them moving from where he still held the boy¡¯s shoulders. He had never heard the phrase ¡°strong as a rabbit¡± but he thought he may start using it.


    He had heard the phrase, ¡°fast as a rabbit¡±, and the first time Xac had shifted, when they hadn¡¯t tied him down, he had proved that phrase to be true. He moved faster than the eye could track- rabbits were, after all, prey animals, with strong back legs meant to outrun predators like cats and dogs. A human wouldn¡¯t stand a chance trying to catch him if he got outside, so Abe looked to the door again, to the barricade, and told himself that Xac was safe. He would not get out. He would not run off. No one would know this had happened to him.


    The shape of his head was unnerving in his new form. Some people thought rabbits were cute, but the difference was more frightening than adorable when you knew it was supposed to be human. His head had completely changed form, spiraled out a little and narrowed to his tiny twitching nose and big buck teeth, but the position of his eyes was the most offputting. They had moved up and a little to the side, so that Abe had difficulty looking into both his big, brown eyes at once. The only thing that Abe may have considered cute were the long ears, which had also moved to the top of his head and spread in a way that was painful to watch.


    But those eyes. Those eyes hurt his very soul, because they were too big, too wide, too far apart- but he could still see Xaxac in them.


    Xac screamed again and tried to kick out, but his legs had been bound by the chains and he could not free himself. This knowledge seemed to send him into a panic, and he began to kick and thrash, so Abe took a step back. Rabbits, if pursued by a predator, would flip onto their backs and kick up with their powerful back legs, using their claws to disembowel whatever had tried to kill them. Xac hadn¡¯t done that to him yet, but he had seen rabbits do it to dogs when they were cornered and didn¡¯t want to risk it. Rabbits were designed to dig through rocks and soil, and could chew through even the metal wire fences that some folk had. And those things were small. As he watched Xac writhe and struggle on the floor, he hated to think of the damage he could do when he was grown. Xac was a human; he could be more than six feet tall if he was a big one, and that would make this form even bigger. He could destroy the whole plantation as an adult.


    Abe couldn¡¯t let that happen, but he would cross that bridge when he came to it.


    He refused to think too much on the future, and instead crossed the room to the table he had pushed against the door, and took a head of lettuce from the bowl there.


    ¡°Xac,¡± he said gently, ¡°Xac, it¡¯s daddy. Look at me. You ain¡¯t alone. You¡¯re safe. Quit rollin around like that. Everything¡¯s gonna be alright. We just gotta get through the night. Here, try and eat somethin. That shiftin seems to make you hungry as a horse.¡±


    He pulled a leaf from the head and held it toward the squirming, thrashing monster on his floor. Xaxac tensed up, even at the slow movement, but his little nose began to twitch. He hobbled forward as best as he could, opened his little mouth, and closed it around the leaf. The action looked like nibbling but moved so quickly that the leaf was gone in a few seconds, and Abe held out another.


    ¡°There you go, Xacy-Boy,¡± he said softly, ¡°Everything is safe. Everything is fine. We just gotta get through the night, ok?¡±


    He wasn¡¯t sure if Xaxac understood him or not. He never spoke when he was transformed, and he never remembered anything he had done the next morning. But he was there. Abe knew that his son was there, under that soft brown fur the color of his hair, behind those big brown eyes. He was in there, somewhere, and it wasn¡¯t his fault he had been cursed. The legends said that the curse was hereditary.


    A long time ago, during the time when ice and snow covered the planet, the demon Morgani Magnus walked Xren. He was trying to hide from the great god, Thesis, and a group of foolish, evil humans took him in, helped him. Of course, they were found out. It is impossible to hide anything from an all-seeing, all-knowing god. And they were punished for their deal with the devil, given the affliction of the shifters. Their bodies and minds changed with the form of the twin moons that circled Xren. On the night when the moons were full, the shifters would lose their humanity and become monsters.


    But little Xac had never been involved in any devilry.


    And as Abe watched the scared creature dart its eyes around the cabin, while he poured the tea that should sedate him, he had a blasphemous thought.


    It was not fair to punish innocent children for the sins of their ancestors.


    Xaxac did not deserve this.

 Chapter 4

    ¡°I don¡¯t like winter,¡± Alice said from where she sat, eating her stew by the edge of the bonfire.


    Darkness had fallen over an hour before, but the days were short in the winter, and they both knew that it would be hours still until Abby came home. They may be asleep. Xaxac had heard his sister, but he found it difficult to focus on her, to form any kind of response. He had been leaning back, staring up at the sky, and wondering why his eyes were crossing.


    Xaxac often stared at the night sky now. He knew that his curse had something to do with the moons, and he watched them, trying to figure them out, trying to see if there was some sort of pattern. Both of them, one white and one silver, appeared in roughly the same place, right next to each other, and followed roughly the same path. If you watched for weeks and weeks, they would slowly change from an almost round ball to tiny, crescent slivers of light. Xaxac had never seen the moons when they were completely full, but there was a pattern. It happened in a cycle, and he was beginning to figure out what it was. Right now they were getting smaller, day by day, and that meant he had more time to be human, to live without the curse.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he admitted, ¡°I wasn¡¯t paying attention.¡± His vision was blurry and there was far more spit in his mouth that he was used to.


    ¡°You ok, XacXac?¡± she asked in concern, ¡°You look weird.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Xac assured her, ¡°What¡¯d you say?¡±


    He looked back to the bonfire and tried to force his eyes to focus so that he could see the outline of his father there, where he sat with the others. It wasn¡¯t snowing, but it could, so the night should be cold; it had been cold a moment ago. So why was he burning up? Why did the wind feel hot on his face?


    ¡°Xac?¡± Alice asked again, then leaned in and whispered to him, ¡°Is it the curse? Are you gonna be a bunny? You can¡¯t right now! We¡¯re not supposed to tell anybody. You can¡¯t do it right now.¡±


    Xaxac wanted to tell her that he was fine, that she was wrong, because she was. He had shifted enough that he knew what it felt like, and this wasn¡¯t it. Besides, the sky was all wrong for it. But something was wrong. Something was very wrong, but it was a new kind of wrong, and he didn¡¯t understand it, wasn¡¯t able to identify it.


    He didn¡¯t know why he had so much spit, but he couldn¡¯t swallow it fast enough, so he gathered it all in his mouth, and spit it onto the ground beside where they sat.


    ¡°It should be cold,¡± he said as if it was some sort of explanation.


    ¡°It is cold,¡± Alice said, watching him with her eyebrows pressed together on her tiny forehead, ¡°XacXac?¡± She screamed, high pitched and shrill, in that way that only little girls can because she had decided that something was wrong, and she needed an adult to fix it.


    ¡°Daddy!¡± She shrieked, and Abe turned just in time to watch Xaxac double over in pain and empty the contents of his stomach onto the cold ground.


    ¡°Xac?¡± He shouted as he darted from his seat and scooped the boy up, but Xaxac tried to push him away. He knew he wasn¡¯t finished, and he didn¡¯t know what was wrong with him. He tried to tell him, but his body spasmed, and every convulsion sent more bile up his throat and out his mouth. His muscles twitched, contorted against his will, over and over, while tears leaked from his eyes and clouded his vision, and somewhere far away he felt his father rubbing his back.


    ¡°Ah shit,¡± One of the other men, those still by the fire spoke, ¡°What¡¯s in this? What¡¯d y¡¯all do? We all gonna die?¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°The youngun ain¡¯t dying,¡± Hattie May stepped forward, and Xac looked up at her, trying to make out her form through the tears in his eyes. He tried to draw a breath, but found that they came in great, heaving things, too much for his small lungs, and he broke into sobs.


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel good!¡± he lamented, because he could not identify what was happening to him. He wished he knew what it was, but even now, when there was nothing left to throw up, his body fought him, pressed around him, and the effort of fighting it made him tired.


    ¡°It had to be your goddamn stew!¡± Abe shouted, but Xaxac could not see who he was directing his anger toward, ¡°You tryin to fuckin kill us? What the hell is in that?¡±


    ¡°Nobody else is sick!¡± A male voice said defensively.


    ¡°Nobody else is that little!¡± Another voice accused, ¡°It hits the younguns faster.¡±


    ¡°Nobody else is sick!¡± The defensive voice said again.


    ¡°Get him to my house,¡± Hattie May told Abe, clucked her tongue and said, ¡°Boy needs his mama. She ought not be in that house workin eighteen hour days.¡±


    ¡°I got him,¡± Abe said, sounding as if she had just gravely insulted him, ¡°I got him just fine. The hell was she gonna do that I can¡¯t?¡±


    Xaxac clung to his father¡¯s workshirt and sobbed, trying to figure out what was wrong with him. The truth was that he missed Abby too, and he suspected Alice did as well, but he was glad to be where he was, in his father¡¯s arms. He didn¡¯t want to be alone. He was scared and confused; he didn¡¯t know why he felt so bad, or how to fix it. He still felt hot all over, so he didn¡¯t feel the temperature change as they entered Hattie May¡¯s house and the solid wood of her walls blocked most of the cold winds from the outside.


    ¡°You ok, XacXac?¡± Alice asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s sick as a dog,¡± Abe told her, ¡°but he¡¯ll be alright. Hattie May¡¯ll get him patched up.¡±


    ¡°Miss Hattie?¡± Alice asked as Xac felt himself settling more heavily into his father¡¯s chest, as if he had just sat down, ¡°Are you a witch?¡±


    ¡°You ain¡¯t the kinda youngun to be tellin tales, now are you?¡± Hattie May asked, and Xac screamed again, and tried to find words to articulate what he meant.


    ¡°Daddy,¡± He pushed himself off his chest and stared up at him, ¡°I haveta go poop! Now!¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Abe said, ¡°Both ends. Hold on, Xac. God above, your sister got sick like this one time, before you come to stay with us.¡±


    Xac tried to wipe the tears out of his eyes on his father¡¯s shirt. He felt them moving, and hoped that they were going outside. His hope was confirmed when he felt his father undressing him, then holding him to keep him on his feet.


    ¡°I can do it myself,¡± Xac whispered, ¡°I¡¯m a big boy.¡±


    ¡°You can barely stand up,¡± Abe argued, ¡°Don¡¯t sass me. You¡¯re sick. I can¡¯t figure out what caused it¡­ When Alice got real sick like this somebody had snuck a deer but had been left for too long to cook it so it turned. But ain¡¯t nobody else fell sick like that so I can¡¯t figure why it ain¡¯t hit the rest of us.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel good!¡± Xac tried to explain, and wished he could figure out how to tell his father what was actually wrong with him.


    ¡°When did you get sick?¡± Abe asked, ¡°Right after you ate?¡±


    Xac nodded, but he was in so much pain again as every muscle in his torso cramped that he couldn¡¯t properly form words.


    ¡°Abe,¡± Hattie May called from her doorway.


    ¡°Busy!¡± He called back.


    ¡°Here¡¯s some rags!¡± She called, and Xac would have thought the way they hit him in the side of the head was funny, if he had the capacity to feel joy, if all of his emotional space was not occupied with frustration.


    ¡°It¡¯s food poisioning,¡± Hattie May said matter-of-factly as she came out of her house, ¡°I done set up a washtub, give that boy a bath. He¡¯s gonna need it.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be the food,¡± Abe reasoned, ¡°Nobody else got sick.¡±


    ¡°You ever give him any kind of meat before?¡± Hattie May asked, and she watched the realization come over Abe¡¯s face as he put two and two together.


    ¡°No,¡± He said, and elaborated, quite sensibly, ¡°Rabbit food. We have to feed him like a rabbit. Greens¡­ lord how are we gonna make it through the winter?¡±


    ¡°Bring him in, give him a bath, and I¡¯ll make him some tea, clean all that out of him.¡± Hattie May laid a hand on Abe¡¯s head, then turned to walk back inside her house.

 Chapter 5

    ¡°I hate that I couldn¡¯t be there,¡± Abigale said from where she sat at the table, rocking back and forth with Xaxac on her lap, ¡°I shoulda been there. I hate that I couldn¡¯t be there and my baby sick.¡±


    ¡°We just can¡¯t give him no more meat is all that is,¡± Abe bent at the waist and tried to pry Xac from her hands, but she held firm, ¡°Come on, we gotta get some sleep. The younguns are wore out and you got another eighteen hour shift in the mornin.¡±


    ¡°Twelve parties twelve days in a row,¡± Abby growled, ¡°Thirteen fires in one day¡­ that man needs to slow down. Some of us have other shit to do.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped,¡± Abe tried again to pry the boy from his mother¡¯s arms, with no success, ¡°Abby, come to bed.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t sleep,¡± She said, ¡°I can¡¯t sleep knowing that baby was that bad off.¡±


    ¡°Well then give me the boy,¡± Abe tugged again, ¡°He needs to sleep; he was sick as a dog.¡±


    Xac wasn¡¯t actually sleepy anymore. He had taken a pretty good nap when he had had a hot bath and a hot cup of calming tea, and now he feared he would be up all night. He hadn¡¯t seen his mother at all that day, and clung fiercely to her, which made it even more difficult for his father to pry him away, though the strength of a toddler was nothing compared to the strength of a concerned mother.


    ¡°He can sleep right here,¡± Abby told him, ¡°You go to bed, you gotta work tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Sunup to sundown,¡± Abe shrugged, ¡°That ain¡¯t eight hours right now in the winter. You got a full day. Give him to me.¡±


    ¡°You keep pullin like that,¡± Abby warned, ¡°You gonna get a chair to the head. Ima whoop your ass up one side of this house and down the other.¡±


    Xaxac giggled into her breast. He knew it was an empty threat. She would never even make the attempt, and if she tried, he thought Abe was stronger than her and could probably stop her. But he knew she was upset, and in a weird way it made him happy. He missed his mommy. He wanted to go into the big house with her, and didn¡¯t really understand why he couldn¡¯t. He was far too young to understand the hierarchy or have any sort of sense of his position. He was just a child, and he wanted his mommy, especially when he was ill.


    ¡°Allie¡¯s asleep,¡± Abe warned, ¡°Don¡¯t be talkin to me like that, that loud and that hateful, woman. Don¡¯t wake her up. Also, you¡¯re welcome to try it. Might not end how you think it will.¡±


    ¡°You leave that baby alone,¡± She warned again, and Xaxac finally felt his father¡¯s hands leave his waist.


    ¡°He¡¯s fine now, I reckon,¡± Abe said with a soft smile and hand gently tusseling Xac¡¯s hair, ¡°He¡¯s a trooper, ain¡¯t you boy?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a trooper,¡± Xac repeated, because he liked the way it sounded, like praise, not because he knew what it meant.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t nothin can take that boy out. You¡¯re a survivor, ain¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a survivor,¡± Xac said as he snuggled into his mother¡¯s breast.


    ¡°Hattie May is a witch,¡± Alice said, and everyone turned to look at her.


    ¡°Thought you was asleep,¡± Abe said trying to sound more intimidating than he felt.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that kinda stuff about folks,¡± Abby told her, ¡°That ain¡¯t true, and even if it was it wouldn¡¯t be your business. She¡¯s a nice old woman. Done a lot for us. Don¡¯t be tellin tales about people.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not a bad witch,¡± Alice said, playing with a loose thread on the quilt she was huddled under, ¡°But she is a witch. The whole inside of her house is witchy. She¡¯s got all kind of plants, and when she makes tea she sings, and she has a magic ring that glows when she does it.¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t nobody got no magic rings,¡± Abby said, still rocking and cuddling Xac, ¡°Ain¡¯t no human folk what can work magic. Don¡¯t get to thinking about that kinda thing. Only elves can work magic. If any human folk tried it, it¡¯d end bad for um. Get that outta your head.¡±


    ¡°Hattie May is a witch,¡± Alice said as if that made it true, ¡°I done seen her work magic. She¡¯s a good witch.¡±


    ¡°Go back to sleep, Ally,¡± Abe said, ¡°Don¡¯t get nonsense into your head. Ain¡¯t no human witches. Only elves can work magic. We ain¡¯t got no business with it. Ain¡¯t nothin good comes of it.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°I like Miss Hattie May,¡± Xac said, ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s a witch. She might be magic, though.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be thinking about that kind of thing,¡± Abby said and held him with one hand so that she could bend at the waist to pick up her knitting needles.


    Xac loved the rhythmic click-click-clicking of the needles. He hadn¡¯t thought he had been sleepy, but as he listened to them, his mother began to sing.


    ¡°Little baby bunting,


    Daddy¡¯s gone a-hunting


    Gone to get a rabbit skin


    To wrap a baby bunting in.¡±


    And Xac¡¯s eyelids began to droop.


    ¡°Come on, boy,¡± Abe shook him, and Xac opened his eyes. He had somehow been moved onto the bed from the chair, but the difference didn¡¯t concern him. ¡°Eat your breakfast.¡±


    Xaxac took the Johnny cake his father handed him and gnawed on it.


    Xac looked around the house and did not see his mother, but that was expected. She normally had to get to the big house around four in the morning, and it was much closer to sunrise than that. But he was shocked to find that he and Abe were alone. He knew that it was impolite to talk with your mouth full, so he swallowed before he asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Allie?¡±


    ¡°She got called up to the big house, with your mama,¡± Abe explained as he laid out clothing and knelt by the bed to dress Xaxac, ¡°She¡¯s big enough to cast a shadow, she¡¯s big enough to work.¡±


    ¡°I wanna go to the big house!¡± Xac said. He hadn¡¯t meant to cry, had absolutely no intention of doing so, but if his mamma was gonna be gone all day, and now Alice would be gone with her, while his father was at work he would be all alone, and even the prospect of that loneliness ate away at him. He couldn¡¯t stand it, and he felt like a fool, like a baby, as the tears welled up in his eyes.


    Xaxac didn¡¯t like to be called a baby, but everyone called him that. He could walk, and talk, and sing, and move around perfectly fine on his own. He could eat most foods, and he suspected he could dress himself if his father would let him. He was a big boy, but no one would believe that if he cried for his mommy like a baby.


    But he didn¡¯t know how to make it stop. He didn¡¯t know what to do.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry,¡± Abe told him, ¡°Ain¡¯t no use cryin over things you can¡¯t change. You know you can¡¯t go in there unless you¡¯re called. Don¡¯t be actin a fool this early in the morning, Xac, it¡¯s been a rough night. Daddy don¡¯t need that shit.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Xac cried.


    ¡°Here, put these on,¡± Abe pulled out each of his son¡¯s feet and pulled long stockings up under his gown. ¡°Honestly, boy, the damage is rough, but you gonna have us beatin the winter. It¡¯s cold as hell out there, startin to snow, and we ain¡¯t got no shoes for you. They don¡¯t give us nothing until you hit ten. I ain¡¯t worried about it though, you¡¯ll make it. You¡¯re strong.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s soft,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°Your mama made these outta your hair,¡± Abe smiled, leaned back a little from his squatting position and pulled up the leg of his pants, ¡°Mine too. That¡¯s why she wanted it collected after you shifted. Making something outta nothing is a good skill to have. We get by. Eat quick now.¡±


    He stood, sat Xaxac on his hip, and threw his coat over both of them.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Xac asked as he swallowed his late bite and huddled against the cold.


    ¡°You¡¯re coming with me today,¡± Abe said, ¡°You¡¯re about as old as Ally is. If she can work, so can you. We gotta go to the barn. It¡¯ll be warmer once we get in there. Look at me, Xac. I¡¯m gonna tell you this once, and you better listen to me. Don¡¯t mess around with them animals. Don¡¯t bother them. The grooms will take care of them. That¡¯s what happened to Jimmy Ray¡¯s boy. They¡¯ll kick you hard enough to make your head spin.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s snowing!¡± Xac said and stuck out his hand in an attempt to catch one of the small, flurrying flakes that fluttered down from the sky.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that,¡± Abe said, ¡°You ain¡¯t got no mittens or nothing. Your hands get too cold they straight up fall off. Keep um under the coat.¡±


    Xac huffed, but he didn¡¯t want to cause any more trouble, so he did as he was told.


    The barn was much warmer, and there were several people gathered inside.


    ¡°Alrighty, Xacy-boy,¡± Abe said as he set him down, ¡°You younguns got a bad job, but it¡¯ll warm you up.¡±


    Xaxac recognized the other children in the group his father had set him down in. They also lived in the slave quarters, the little wooden houses on the plantation, and he and Alice often talked to them if there was something going on, like the communal dinner.


    The oldest child there was a girl who looked to be about seven years old, and she seemed to be in charge. She frowned when she saw him, and tugged on Abe¡¯s shirt as he tried to stand.


    ¡°Is he ok?¡± She asked, ¡°Mama got awful worried about him last night. Said we was all gonna get sick, but we didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s fine, ain¡¯t ya Xac?¡± Abe asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m a survivor!¡± Xaxac said proudly.


    ¡°What¡¯s that mean?¡± She asked him.


    ¡°It means¡­ that nothing can keep me down!¡± Xac repeated, ¡°That¡¯s what my daddy says!¡±


    ¡°Well you get at it,¡± Abe tusseled his hair and stepped away.


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± the girl told Xac, and handed him a shovel bigger than he was. ¡°Because this here gets a lot of folk down. We gotta shovel up all the horse dung to spread out on the fields. Keep them fertile for the growing season.¡±


    It took a minute for her words to sink in, and Xaxac looked around the barn, to take in the full scope of the workload that had been placed on his small shoulders. He couldn¡¯t think of anything he would ever want to do less.


    But he was a big boy, and he wasn¡¯t going to cry.

 Chapter 6

    In the agriculture business, life is based on predictability. A developed routine is the most important aspect of existence. On the Agalon plantation, as on any plantation, it is the cyclical nature of the environment that controls everything, from the major life events, to the minute, day to day inner workings of the minds of the people who dwell there.


    This was even more important to Xaxac than it was for others.


    For everyone, the planet Xren circled around a star, spinning along its own axis. It was predictable that each day would turn to night, and each night would turn to day. It was predictable that spring would turn to summer, then to autumn, then to winter. It was predictable that people would be born, grow into toddlers, children, and adults, then enter old age and pass away. It was predictable that in the earliest part of that adult stage, they would become parents themselves, and create a new predictable pattern, for a new, predictable person.


    Each of these stages required predictable tasks to sustain the predictable cycle of life. In the spring, fields were sewn, animals were grazed, and people discarded their coats and shoes for warmer attire. Days would grow longer, and the work for those in fields grew longer with them. In the summer, the heat was oppressive, and clothing was discarded almost entirely as the days grew impossibly long, and one had to keep reminding themselves that, eventually, there would be an end, there would, once again, be snow. It seemed impossible, but it was true. In the autumn, that dream became a reality as a biting chill came in on the winds, and warm food was a comfort rather than a pain. In the winter, the days were so short that it gave an illusion of free time, if one did not have a mother and sister with schedules that did not depend on the sunshine.


    Most people did not pay particular attention to the moons, at least not the people Xaxac knew. It was true that there were books filled with information on the pattern created by the moons as they drifted across the night sky, but those books, written by scholars in towers with telescopes, meant nothing to a slave boy who could not read and had no idea that telescopes existed. But the moons mattered.


    Because Xaxac was predictable, in a way that most people were not.


    Because he was a monster.


    But monsters are only frightening because they are unpredictable. It had been said, by people who were not human and could only observe them from the outside looking in, that it was a remarkable aspect of the human condition that humans could get used to anything. They were amazingly adaptable animals.


    It was true, at the very least, that familiarity robed the unknown of the existential fear associated with it, and Xaxac¡¯s predictability made his monstrous transformation a matter of routine.


    Abe did not think it odd or frightening at all that he was in the sort of position where he could say, with complete sincerity and no fear, ¡°Them chains is gettin pretty old and that boy is gettin pretty big, reckon we oughta get some new ones? I can trade work for um, over in the stables.¡±


    Abby did not find it odd when she said things like, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s no trouble at all. We can¡¯t keep imposing on Miss Hattie like that, every month. Ain¡¯t no reason we can¡¯t stay here. You know we can¡¯t keep imposing on an old woman.¡±


    Alice could not remember a time when her brother was not ¡®cursed¡¯, and therefore grew up in a world where it was a perfectly normal thing that sometimes happened to people¡¯s perfectly normal brothers. She did not realize how odd it was to make jokes as they grew, such as, ¡°My time of the month is awful, but it¡¯s not as bad as XacXac¡¯s.¡±


    Normalcy is subjective. Because of that subjectivity, all things considered, Xaxac was a perfectly normal boy. Every child has unique challenges, but parents will tell you that all children have a great deal in common.


    They all lost their teeth at about the same time, but Xaxac¡¯s seemed to grow in a little faster. They all grew at the same rate, but Xaxac was a little shorter. He made up for what he lacked in height though, because though all the children worked the same hours, Xaxac was a little faster, a little stronger, and he never seemed to get sick unless he ate the wrong thing.


    To his father¡¯s credit, he was a hard worker, a trait that some children had to have beaten into them. One could argue that watching those beating take place was the reason Xaxac decided to cultivate it himself. He had always frightened easily, always been skittish.


    Some would say that there is immense value in an unremarkable life, and they would not be wrong. But there is also something to be argued about choice, about fate, about how some people just seem to be born lucky, and others seem to be born unlucky, about how the type of life one leads has value not because of what it is, objectively, but because of what it is, subjectively.


    It is difficult for a child to be subjectively unhappy, even when they should be. The mind of a child clings to an illusion of happiness even in the worst of times, in a way that can be annoyingly optimistic to adults. But as a child ages, that veil begins to lift, through no fault of their own, and they come to understand that there are many things in the world that are terrible, and gain a brand new emotion used to process that information.


    Hate.


    This is true of any child, but Xaxac found himself full of hate.


    He hated the moons. He hated the weeds he was bent over, yanking out of the ground, for growing there and being the cause of the constant motion he had to make in the heat. He hated his own inability to keep the straw hat his mother had made on his head, but every time he bent over the damn thing would fall off and he would have to pick it back up, which was more work and more bending over, so he began to direct his hatred toward the hat rather than himself. He hated his father for making him do this, hated the field hand who outranked his father for making Abe do this. He hated that some people got to work in the house, which was apparently much less hot and much more respected, while he was out here, getting sweaty and filthy. For a brief moment, he hated his sister, and how clean and crisp her dresses were when she came home, because there was nothing clean or crisp about him, but he quickly identified that jealousy for what it was and went right back to hating himself.


    He actually kind of hated that he had to wear real clothes at all now. He missed the gowns that babies wore, and wondered why, when he had actually been a baby, he had insisted that he wanted to be a big boy. Because he hated being a big boy. The suspenders dug into his shoulders, and the worshirt was made of what was apparently the heaviest, itchiest, least breathable fabric in existence. It wasn¡¯t soaking up the sweat, and he was boiling in it.


    He hated the sun most of all. He tried to do what his father had told him; tried to remember what it was like under feet of snow, to be thankful for the heat. But he wasn''t. He hated the heat, and he hated the cold, simultaneously. One did not make him thankful for the other.


    He stood, tried to wipe the sweat out of his eyes with what he suspected was the burlap fabric of his sleeve, and snarled.


    ¡°Put your hat back on,¡± Abe ordered, ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re sweating into your eyes.¡±


    ¡°That don¡¯t make no sense!¡± Xac snapped.


    ¡°Watch your tone,¡± Abe said, accompanied by a look that made Xac instantly obey him.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± he said as he knelt again to go back to work, ¡°I hate this. It¡¯s hot as hell.¡±


    ¡°It is hot,¡± Abe said, ¡°that¡¯s what happens in the summer. You shocked by that? You didn¡¯t know that was gonna happen?¡±


    Xaxac very much wanted to tell his father to shut up, but he had a great deal more sense than that. Instead, he looked down the line at the other slaves, and realized that a good few of the men had their shirts off. He thought that, perhaps, he wouldn¡¯t sweat so much, wouldn¡¯t be in such hell, if he followed their example. So when the group finished their row and moved onto the next one, he unbuttoned it enough to get it over his head, slid his suspenders down, and tied it around his waist.


    It didn¡¯t help as much as he had thought it would.


    ¡°You gonna get burned like that if you don¡¯t wear your hat,¡± Abe said.


    ¡°I ain¡¯t gonna burn,¡± Xac said flippantly, ¡°Only light skinned folks burn.¡±


    ¡°You gonna burn,¡± Abe said again, ¡°But it¡¯s on you.¡±


    ¡°I hate this,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°Folks your age hate everything,¡± Abe said, dismissing Xac the way he had been dismissed, ¡°That¡¯s all young folks do is bitch. At least you don¡¯t start fights over it.¡±


    Xac huffed, and looked through the wheat plant in front of him at the rows that seemed to stretch on forever and wanted to find a way to burn the entire thing down and be done with it. In a few weeks, they would have to harvest it, and he would almost rather kill himself.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Maybe he did hate everything.


    There was, however, more than wheat in the field, and that piqued his curiosity. Not, as his father would suggest, because he was looking for something new to hate, but because he liked anything new, in general. Routine was important, but it was also boring. There was absolutely no reason for someone to be out in the fields on horseback. It just wasn¡¯t done. Whoever had brought a horse out here would be in big trouble.


    ¡°Somebody messed up,¡± Xac said to Abe, and nodded in the direction he was looking.


    ¡°Aw hell,¡± Abe said, ¡°You need to work harder than you¡¯ve ever worked in your life for the next ten minutes. Get your shit together. Quit lollygagging. Pull!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s Master Agalon,¡± Abe said in a whisper. ¡°Don¡¯t talk. Don¡¯t sing. Work. Go faster.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going faster than anybody else!¡± Xac snapped, and to his credit, he was. When he wanted to, he often outpaced others at whatever task he had been assigned, ¡°I¡¯m done. I¡¯m waitin on y¡¯all!¡±


    ¡°You ain¡¯t done, you missed,¡± Abe said, but upon inspection he had to admit, ¡°Damn, Xac, you are done. Fast as hell. You¡¯re gonna move up in the world, boy. You¡¯re gonna be the one standin over us, one day.¡±


    ¡°If everybody would move their ass,¡± Xac snarled, ¡°We wouldn¡¯t be out here all goddamn day.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯d still be out here,¡± Abe said, ¡°They¡¯d find somethin for us to do. There¡¯s always somethin needs doin round this place. Now hush. Don¡¯t make me tell you again.¡±


    They all stood and moved on to the next row, and Xaxac heard the hoofbeats as the man on horseback rode closer. It was taking him a long time, because he stopped and closely observed a group of people before be moved on. But Xaxac worked even more quickly, because he didn¡¯t want to get reprimanded by his father, but he wanted to be able to stare at the man.


    He had never seen an elf before.


    He didn¡¯t know how beautiful they were.


    Agalon looked like no person he had ever seen. He was out in the summer heat in what Xaxac would have identified as a winter outfit, because Xaxac did not know what a military uniform was, did not know what nobles commonly wore. Agalon was all greens and gold, knee high boots with no snow to warrant them, and the softest looking fabric Xaxac had ever seen covering his legs until they met the hemline of his tunic.


    His long blond hair was yardstick straight, and pulled into a ponytail at the nape of his neck, where it would do nothing for the heat. Xac rubbed the back of his own neck and felt the scar there, the brand that identified him as part of the plantation. He didn¡¯t remember getting it, didn¡¯t remember ever not having it.


    Long ears stretched from under Agalon¡¯s military cap, as pale as the rest of his skin, and Xac didn¡¯t know how they weren¡¯t bright red with sunburn. He must spend most of his time indoors. They were ornamented with small gold hoops, and gold studs with green stones set into them that reminded Xac of Miss Hattie May¡¯s ring. Was he magic? Elves were often magic.


    Agalon paused often in his inspection to speak to certain people, but Xac couldn¡¯t find a rhyme or reason for any of the people he picked. None of them were exceptional. They were all about his age, people he had grown up with, and none of them were particularly remarkable.


    They moved onto the next row, and Agalon watched them.


    The horse moved through the wheat without trampling it, which Xac thought may be difficult to do. He was upon them now, and he stretched out a gloved hand, and pointed at Xaxac.


    ¡°You,¡± he said in a voice that reminded Xac of his father when he was being particularly authoritarian, ¡°stand up.¡±


    Xaxac stared up at him and looked into his glass green eyes, the color of healthy, vibrant grass, the color of the stones in his ears, and completely forgot how to do that.


    ¡°Stand up,¡± Agalon repeated.


    ¡°Stand up!¡± Abe hissed, and reality came crashing back to Xaxac with the anger in his father¡¯s voice.


    No.


    Not anger.


    Fear.


    Xac stood on shaky legs and had to will himself to hold his ground. Every fiber of his being told him to turn, to run back to their little wooden house where people didn¡¯t tower over him, overdressed and maybe full of unpredictable magic. He had to tell himself not to scream. He had to fight every instinct as he stood, clutching the bag full of weeds on his bare torso, thinking of how beautiful this man was, regal and gorgeous, while he, himself, stood there covered in sweat and filth, half naked and in no way presentable. Should he put his shirt back on? His hat? Was he in trouble? Other people had done it too. No, you know what? This was bullshit? Why was he being singled out? Was he in trouble? Did Agalon know he was cursed? He hadn¡¯t done anything! There was no reason for him to be in trouble!


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything!¡± Xaxac said, because it was only thing his brain could summon, on repeat, in an infinite loop.


    ¡°Not¡­¡± Agalon smirked, ¡°Not a great thing to hear unprompted.¡±


    ¡°Xaxac!¡± Abe snapped, sat up on his knees, and spoke much more respectfully, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, master. This is my son, Xaxac. Apparently he ain¡¯t got the sense god give a mule, but he¡¯s a hard worked.¡±


    ¡°Xaxac,¡± Agalon stared hard at Xac, who fought the urge to run. ¡°I remember you. He¡¯s not your son. I bought him. Myself.¡±


    ¡°They took me in,¡± Xac said defensively.


    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be a shifter,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Is that right?¡±


    Xaxac¡¯s eyes widened in fear, and he turned to look at the group of people beside him, staring up at him, trying to process this proclamation, then at his father, who was staring up at Agalon with the kind of fear Xaxac had never seen on a person before.


    Could he run?


    If he just took off, would anyone come after him? How far could he get? Where would he go? He had never been off the plantation. There was nowhere to go. If anyone found him, they would bring him back.


    When he made no reply, Agalon spoke again.


    ¡°Are you a shifter? You would know if you were.¡± He leaned forward, leisurely, as if he was not deciding Xac¡¯s fate, as if this was not a life or death question. ¡°When I bought you, I was told you were a shifter, but I didn¡¯t believe it. That sort of thing is a legend. I don¡¯t know that they actually exist.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t control it,¡± Xac didn¡¯t realize he was begging, didn¡¯t know how desperate he sounded, ¡°It¡¯s not my fault! They said I was cursed! But I ain¡¯t never done no devilry! I swear! I¡­ It¡¯s the moons! I don¡¯t do it! Not on purpose like that! I didn¡¯t do nothing!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not lying,¡± Agalon said, as if it was a fact, and it was.


    Xac risked a glance at his fellow slaves, who were, for the moment, staring at him and dead silent, but he knew that would change as soon as Agalon rode away.


    ¡°Come here,¡± Agalon demanded, and Xaxac stiffened.


    He couldn¡¯t run away. Nothing good would happen if he ran. His legs wanted to carry him back to the house, back home, but nothing good would come of that. So he took a deep breath, steeled his courage, and took a step forward.


    Agalon peeled off a glove, reached down, and tugged out a strand of Xaxac¡¯s hair.


    ¡°A shifter,¡± he said, as if in thought, as if he was making a decision.


    After an incomprehensibly long time of sitting there, playing with Xac¡¯s hair, he broke the silence.


    ¡°What are you?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Why you shift, what are you?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m a,¡± Xaxac shifted through his entire vocabulary, trying to find the least threatening, least dangerous way to describe the monster. The first thing that came to mind was ¡®Jackrabbit¡¯, but he dismissed it outright, and instead went with, ¡°a bunny. I¡¯m a bunny.¡±


    ¡°A fuzzy little bunny,¡± Agalon smiled, ¡°That isn¡¯t what I expected. I didn¡¯t know shifters could do that. The legends talk about wampus cats or werewolves.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a bunny,¡± Xac said again, with more conviction, and Agalon tightened his hold on his hair, tilted his head upward, to get a better look at him.


    Agalon chuckled and said, ¡°Smile.¡±


    Xac smiled.


    ¡°Oh my god,¡± Agalon laughed, ¡°He¡¯s got buck teeth. That¡¯s so cute! And his hair is so soft!¡±


    Xaxac didn¡¯t know who he was talking to, but it seemed to be going much better than it could have.


    ¡°Do you like it out here, little bunny?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Xaxac lied, ¡°I love it here. Everybody¡¯s been real good to me, master.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to keep rabbits in a field,¡± Agalon said, ¡°They dig it up. They destroy things. They can uproot an entire plantation if they get bad enough. And they don¡¯t like being out in the open. Open fields are better for wild animals. Pet rabbits are kept in hutches.¡±


    He looked at Xaxac as if he expected him to agree with him, but Xac didn¡¯t actually know very much about rabbits, and had never known anyone to keep one as a pet. Objectively, Agalon was wrong. Rabbits were at their happiest underground, in their own burrow. They were kept in hutches only because they were often raised for meat, and in a hutch they would grow fat for slaughter. But Xaxac didn¡¯t eat meat, and certainly didn¡¯t raise rabbits for meat, so he had no way of knowing that, so he stayed silent, staring up at the beautiful man with power over his life.


    ¡°You¡¯re an indoor pet,¡± Agalon said as if that settled the matter, but Xac stared up at him in confusion, because he didn¡¯t know what he meant.


    Agalon giggled and said, ¡°Well, I suppose cute little bunnies aren¡¯t known for their intelligence. Do you see that house? By the road?¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t ever been to no road,¡± Xac said, ¡°I don¡¯t really go visiting.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t miss it,¡± Agalon said cheerfully, and pointed at the manor. ¡°Go there, by the back entrance. The housekeeper will be expecting you.¡±


    ¡°In the big house?¡± Xac had forgotten to contain his excitement, ¡°Really? I¡¯m gonna work in the house?¡±


    ¡°Work is a strong word,¡± Agalon said with a shrug. ¡°Go right now. You don¡¯t need to bring anything.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Xaxac smiled up at him, with his big brown eyes and cute buck teeth, ¡°Thank you so much!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Little Bunny,¡± Agalon chuckled, ¡°I think you¡¯ll be very happy there.¡±


    He withdrew his hand from Xac¡¯s hair, turned, and rode away in the direction of the house.


    As soon as he was out of sight, Abe stood, grabbed Xac by the hand and pulled him into a hug.


    ¡°You got lucky, boy. You got so lucky. That scared the shit outta me. I thought he was gonna kill ya or sell ya. Scared the shit outta me! He wants a shifter! Y¡¯all are rare! I¡¯d bet money he wants one just to say he has one. You¡¯re gonna be a butler or someshit, get you some fancy clothes. You better go. Better move. Make a good first impression. Your mama¡¯s gonna flat die! This never happens!¡±

 Chapter 7

    Xaxac handed his bag to his father, and at his request put his shirt and hat back on. He had to hold the hat on his head as he ran, tearing through the fields with the wheat whipping at his face. He didn¡¯t often move in a dead sprint, and didn¡¯t know that his speed would be considered remarkable. He had no idea that he had beat the horse to the house.


    The door to the kitchen was wide open, and much bigger than Xac had imagined, and the inside was bustling with activity. Among the many people there, he saw his sister, Alice, standing before a large sink full of water and glassware, with her sleeves rolled up and a bonnet covering her hair. Still, she was covered in sweat, and Xac thought he may have been wrong about his assumption that it was cooler inside the house than it had been outdoors.


    ¡°Alley!¡± He said as he shoved his way through the crowd, and when she looked up at him, her eyes widened in fear.


    ¡°What the hell are you doin here, XacXac?¡± She asked without pausing in her work, scrubbing the dishes in the soapy sink, rinsing them in the slightly clearer water, and laying them out on a rack to dry. ¡°You know you can¡¯t be in here. You¡¯re gonna get in heaps of trouble. Have you lost your damn mind?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m supposed to be in here!¡± Xac argued, ¡°Agalon told me to come in here. He said the housekeeper would be expecting me.¡±


    ¡°The housekeeper would whoop your ass,¡± Alley argued, ¡°She makes us call her ¡®Mrs OfAgalon¡¯ like anybody with a man ain¡¯t ¡®Mrs OfAgalon¡¯. She¡¯s scary. She catches you droppin a plate and she¡¯ll beat you so bad you can¡¯t stand. One of the serving boys, Lame Jim? The reason he¡¯s got that limp is when he was a youngun he dropped a tray of glasses and she beat his ass so bad he never could walk right again.¡±


    ¡°How hard is it to hold a glass?¡± Xac asked, ¡°Let him spend a day in the fields and maybe he won¡¯t drop shit.¡±


    ¡°Get your ass out of here before she catches you!¡± Alley snarled as if she¡¯d been insulted.


    ¡°I¡¯m supposed to be here!¡± Xac argued, ¡°Agalon said-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say ¡®Agalon¡¯,¡± Alley warned, growing more and more annoyed, ¡°I know you ain¡¯t used to being around respectable folks, but you say ¡®master¡¯, ¡®sir¡¯, and ¡®mam¡¯. You don¡¯t call elves by their names. You ain¡¯t got no goddamn sense and you¡¯re gonna get hurt.¡±


    ¡°Xac?¡± Abby asked, and came walking up with a rag on her arm, and a dishpan full of more dirty dishes. Xac didn¡¯t understand how there were so many of them. As far as he had ever heard, only two people lived at the house.


    ¡°Why you got so many of them, mama?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Honey we gotta do cleanup for the whole house staff,¡± She said and stepped past him to unload the dishpan into the soapy water, ¡°You can¡¯t be in here, baby. You need to get back to where you¡¯re supposed to be before somebody catches you. Don¡¯t let ¡®Mrs OfAgalon¡¯ catch you in here. There might be a fight. She tries to touch one of my younguns she might be surprised to find some folks are as strong as she is.¡±


    ¡°Nobody¡¯s gonna whoop me!¡± Xac was beginning to grow annoyed again, ¡°I work here now! Aga- I mean, Master came riding through the fields, picked me out, and told me to come to the house, on account of I was a shifter. Daddy says he¡¯s gonna make me a butler!¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t nobody gonna make you a butler,¡± Alley said, ¡°You¡¯re too big for that. They start training them when they¡¯re little. You gotta move up to butler. You start out as serving boy, and you¡¯re too big for it.¡±


    ¡°Master Agalon told you to come to the house?¡± Abby said as if she didn¡¯t believe him, ¡°You sure about that, baby?¡±


    ¡°Mommy, I swear to god!¡± Xac implored her to believe him, ¡°Why would I lie about that? I don¡¯t lie! I know better!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re usually a good boy,¡± She said in thought, ¡°But I don¡¯t know that¡­ Alley¡¯s right, you¡¯re awful old for it. Tell you what, baby, you go out there in the yard, where the laundry¡¯s done, fill up a washtub and scrub your face. I¡¯m gonna go get Mrs OfAgalon and see if I can find out what¡¯s goin on. You stay right here by the back door, but don¡¯t bother nobody.¡±


    ¡°Master said she¡¯d be expecting me,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°Well, then she probably is,¡± Abby agreed, looking more confused than concerned, ¡°And Alley, honey, try and move a little quicker. We got a lot more to do before we start dinner prep.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d go a lot faster without XacXac in here tellin tales,¡± Alice mumbled and went back to scrubbing.


    Once his mother had left to go fetch the housekeeper, Xac looked at the full dishpan and asked, ¡°Want me to help you with that?¡±


    ¡°Mama said to go wash your face,¡± Alice told him.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°Allie look at me,¡± Xac motioned to himself, ¡°Short of bath day ain¡¯t nothin can be done for it. I¡¯m a mess.¡±


    ¡°Take your hat off in the house,¡± Alice said, ¡°Men ain¡¯t supposed to wear hats in the house.¡±


    ¡°Thank the lord cause I can¡¯t keep this on.¡±


    ¡°If you want,¡± Alice said, ¡°you can dump them from the tray into the soap to soak while I dry these and put them up.¡± She began to unload the dishes from the disrack onto a dishtowel she laid out on the surface, ¡°You gotta dry glass a certain way or it gets spots.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can do that,¡± Xac said, and began to unload the dishes from the pan into the sink, one by one, out of fear that he may accidentally drop something and be crippled for life. He watched Alice work, and noticed that the hearth in the middle of the room was blazing away, and it was miserably hot. A young boy stood beside it next to a metal contraption larger than he was, slowly turning a crank.


    ¡°The hell do they have a fire goin for?¡± Xac asked, ¡°It¡¯s hot as hell already.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re roasting a pig,¡± Alice told him, ¡°You gotta roast it all day.¡±


    ¡°Thesis above,¡± Xac said as he began to scrub the dishes, ¡°I don¡¯t know how y¡¯all stand it.¡±


    ¡°Feels good in the winter,¡± Alice shrugged, ¡°Just try not to think about it. It can¡¯t be helped. We can¡¯t take our clothes off like you do. It¡¯s hot as hell and they want you to keep your knees and elbows covered for modesty. I don¡¯t think Thesis cares what your elbows look like.¡±


    ¡°The hell is modesty?¡± Xac asked, ¡°That¡¯s like¡­ not being proud of shit that ain¡¯t worth being proud of. That ain¡¯t got nothing to do with clothes. I mean, I guess unless there was a lot of finery or something. Agalon, I mean, the Master was out there with gold in his ears. I don¡¯t know how he¡¯s got anything to say about how a body dresses.¡±


    ¡°It ain¡¯t him,¡± Alice said, ¡°We actually don¡¯t hardly ever see him. It¡¯s Mrs OfAgalon. She tears her ass if her staff ain¡¯t ¡®presentable¡¯.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s gonna lose her shit when she sees me,¡± Xac snickered.


    ¡°Yeah she don¡¯t want the men what¡¯s gonna be seen to be dressed like that,¡± Alice said, ¡°You gotta wear a coat.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the middle of summer!¡± Xac almost dropped the bowl he was washing in alarm, ¡°That¡¯s crazy as hell! She¡¯s lost her damn mind!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and you can¡¯t have no beard,¡± Alice said, ¡°There¡¯s a lot of stupid rules, but everybody is scared of her.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t got a beard,¡± Xac shrugged, ¡°I¡¯m too little. I don¡¯t know what she¡¯d do about it though. What¡¯s she do, rip it out by the handful?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know nothing,¡± Alice said, ¡°You shave it off. Lord.¡±


    ¡°How the hell would I know that?¡± Xac asked, ¡°I ain¡¯t never around fancy house people, except you and mommy, and neither of you have to fool with beards.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let her catch you cussing, neither,¡± Alice said, ¡°She¡¯ll whoop you for that. She¡¯s one of those people who is just lookin for an excuse to tan somebody. She¡¯s got a big head is what¡¯s wrong with her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m done,¡± Xac said, because he was.


    ¡°Lord,¡± Alice said, rummaged through a drawer and handed him a dishcloth, ¡°Well, help me dry then.¡±


    Xaxac was helping her dry the dishes when his mother came in, followed by a tall, statuesque human woman who looked as if she was perhaps getting better food than most of the people in her employee. She also looked, just like Alice had said, as if she had a rather high opinion of herself and a rather low opinion of everyone else. She was, like most people, taller than Xaxac, and she stared down her nose at him. He suspected she was judging him from under her lilly white bonnet.


    ¡°Xaxac OfAgalon?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Yes, mam,¡± Xaxac said, and glanced at his sister in an attempt to let her know that he also thought this woman was not really worth knowing, and that he also thought her insistence on last names made no sense when they all shared one.


    ¡°I am Mrs OfAgalon,¡± the housekeeper said, ¡°I am the housekeeper here in Agalon Manor. The master has explained to me that you¡¯re going to be under my employ.¡±


    ¡°Yes, mam.¡± Xac said again, quickly took off his hat and held it in his hands.


    ¡°You¡¯re not coming into my house looking so filthy,¡± Mrs OfAgalon said, ¡°Certainly not someone in your position.¡±


    ¡°My daddy said I might be a butler,¡± Xac said, ¡°But I don¡¯t know nothing about no positions. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m gonna be doin.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know anything about any positions,¡± The housekeeper corrected him, ¡°Go out to the laundry station and take a bath, while I arrange some proper clothes for you.¡±


    ¡°What am I gonna be doin, though?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Thesis above give me patience,¡± Mrs OfAgalon said, and put one hand over her heart. ¡°Boy, let¡¯s lay down some ground rules. You do not ask questions. When you are told to do something, you do it. I run a tight household, and I will not have it upset by some fieldhand who found himself a run of good fortune. Your duties will be explained to you when you are in a proper state to address a lady.¡±


    If I meet any ladies, I¡¯ll be sure to get myself into a proper state. Xaxac thought to himself, but did not say aloud. Instead, he said, ¡°Yes, mam, absolutely. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with the way I talk, but I reckon I¡¯m a fast learner.¡±


    ¡°You suppose that you learn quickly?¡± Mrs OfAgalon asked, ¡°Yet you¡¯re still standing here chattering away? Go take a bath, and meet me by the back door once you¡¯re properly dressed.¡±


    ¡°Yes mam,¡± Xac began to tip his hat to her, then remembered that it was still in his hand. Instead he crossed one ankle behind the other and curtsied, as he had seen his mother teach Alice to do when she was training to work in the house.


    Alice rolled her eyes and mouthed the word ¡®dumbass¡¯ but did not dare speak it aloud.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Mrs OfAgalon asked him.


    ¡°I thought that was¡­ ain¡¯t that polite?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Go take a bath!¡± The housekeeper was obviously going to lose her patience, and Xaxac was beginning to see why people were afraid of her.


    ¡°Yes, mam,¡± he said again and rushed out the door.

 I only didnt delete this in case somebody wanted to see the picture.

    This chapter has been removed because of a formatting decision made when I found the story to be running too long to be feasible, but I didn''t want to lose the feedback I had gotten. I am so sorry for any inconvenience. Please click through to the next chapter to continue the story.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Because I have to have 500 characters in order not to delete the chapter I am now just going to type a string of text.


    Because I have to have 500 characters in order not to delete the chapter I am now just going to type a string of text.

 Chapter 8

    Xaxac loved his new outfit. It was not, as Alice had led him to believe it may be, any sort of winter attire. Instead, he wore an undershirt made of some sort of material he had never felt before. It was light and soft, and instantly soaked up any sweat he produced standing in the sun, and protected the white button up he wore from obtaining any stains. Even the overshirt was softer and thinner, with buttons made of some sort of metal rather than wood. Both the britches and his boots were jet black, though the soft stockings he wore under them were a sparkling white and made of the same soft fabric as his shorts and undershirt. The boots were so shiny he could see himself in them, and he rather liked what he saw. He always liked the way he looked, and felt, after a good bath. He had never had such nice clothes before, except for the things his mother made from his own hair, which he only really wore in the winter. This outfit breathed much better, and he found the heat wasn¡¯t quite so oppressive as he approached the doorway, floating on a cloud of competence and joy. He felt quite unlike himself with his new job and his new clothes, and felt that he was moving up in the world, ready to become the person who had such nice things.


    This evaporated a little when Mrs OfAgalon scowled at him, and spoke as if he had no business in her nice house, even though he certainly looked nice enough to be there.


    ¡°Why are you carrying that?¡± She asked as if the action was the most foolish thing she had ever seen.


    ¡°My clothes?¡± Xac asked, and when he saw no change in her expression he explained, ¡°Cause it¡¯s my clothes. My mommy made um for me. I wouldn¡¯t gonna just leave um sittin there. Want me to run it back to the house?¡±


    ¡°You most certainly will not go running through the fields in such finery,¡± She said, aghast at the idea, ¡°Throw those away. You won¡¯t have any more need for them.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Xac said instinctively, because it was a ridiculous request.


    The housekeeper looked as if she had never been so insulted in all her life, though Xac didn¡¯t understand in the slightest what problem she could possibly have with him. She was obviously not someone who was used to being denied anything, and raised her hand to slap him in the side of the head. Xaxac, however, was faster, took a step back, and ducked to avoid the blow.


    ¡°Hey now!¡± He said, and found himself repeating his father, ¡°Don¡¯t start nothin, won¡¯t be nothin. We don¡¯t hit people.¡±


    The entire kitchen staff, including his mother and sister, stopped in their work. The clinking of glass, the sound of chatter, even the sound of metal on metal produced by the spit, fell silent. The housekeeper stared down at him, and he stared up at her, and time stopped completely. The silence dragged on for an eternity, before Abby appeared in the doorway behind the housekeeper and spoke.


    ¡°Honey, why don¡¯t you give me them and I¡¯ll run um back to the house?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I can run um back, Mama, y¡¯all look busy.¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t no trouble,¡± Abby said, and took the clothes from her son¡¯s arms.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t any trouble,¡± Mrs OfAgalon corrected.


    ¡°Well, if it ain¡¯t no trouble,¡± Xac conceded, ¡°I appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°You just do everything Mrs OfAgalon says,¡± Abby told him, ¡°She¡¯ll get you settled.¡± She turned to the housekeeper and added, ¡°You won¡¯t find a better boy. Xac¡¯s a real hard worker.¡±


    ¡°What a waste,¡± The housekeeper said, as if there was some great meaning that neither Xaxac, nor his mother, understood. ¡°Come with me. You said your name was Xac?¡±


    ¡°My friends call me Xac,¡± Xaxac said as he waved to his mother and watched her hurry in the direction of the slave quarters, ¡°It¡¯s short for Xaxac.¡±


    ¡°Well, Xaxac,¡± the housekeeper said as she led him through the kitchen and into a room that seemed to be used as some sort of storage, ¡°I¡¯m sure the master has some reason for selecting you. You¡¯ve gotten quite lucky. It¡¯s a rather good position.¡±


    ¡°Thank ya,¡± Xac said as he followed her up a wooden staircase, paused on the landing, thinking that perhaps they would come out the wooden door there, but she ascended another set of stairs, so he followed her.


    The inside of the house was not as grand as he had expected. It seemed to just be a poorly lit, undecorated, wooden affair. There were no pictures on the walls, as his mother had described, which disappointed him to no end. They came out of the second staircase onto a plain corridor with bare wooden walls and a floor made of the same materials that had been scuffed in places. Xac had expected better, but he hid his disappointment well.


    Then Mrs OfAgalon opened a door, and Xac followed her through it-


    Into a fairy tale.


    A lush green carpet sat on the polished floor, and portraits of several people, all as beautiful as Master Agalon were hung on plastered white walls. The hall was lined with shining, dark wooden doors with sparkling metal handles, and every so often a table or shelf was laid out with plants that gave off intoxicatingly beautiful scents.


    Xac loved it here.


    ¡°These are the master¡¯s private chambers,¡± Mrs OfAgalon said as she opened another door and walked inside.


    Xac followed her and did not even try to contain his excitement. The room held more furniture, and more treasures, than he had ever seen. Everything was a sturdy, dark wood, sparklingly clean, and more thick, green carpets covered the hardwood floors. There was a fireplace, with couches and a plush armchair for lounging, a shelf full of books, an angled writing desk with a quill, pen, and papers laid out neatly, situated before a huge window that looked out over the fields, a table with two chairs that seemed to have been laid out for casual dining, and a huge curio cabinet filled with things that he could not name. The heat of the kitchen was gone, and a cool breeze moved through the open windows, and right through his light, comfortable clothes.


    Xac loved it here.


    ¡°And this is where you¡¯ll be working,¡± Mrs OfAgalon said as she opened another door and stepped inside.


    Xac followed her, and though he liked this room less, because it was smaller, he was still impressed, and still much happier to be working here than he had been out in the field. The room contained a four poster bed larger than the one at home that he and his entire family slept on, covered in quilts and pillows. There were two large, wooden wardrobes taking up the far wall with a door between them, two small tables with drawers on either side of the bed, and a wash basin with all sorts of soaps, creams, and the like, that Xac had never seen before but was intensely interested in. There was also a large dressing mirror, and a smaller mirror on a sort of table, the likes of which he had never seen, but which had many drawers and a small chair, and the surface of which was absolutely covered in different porcelain containers and pretty little storage boxes. The wall facing the fields had two windows, which were open to let in the breeze, and the others were all covered in beautiful paintings.


    ¡°As the house staff will not be allowed in here during your adjustment period,¡± Mrs OfAgalon said as she fluffed the pillows, ¡°This room is to be your sole responsibility until such time as the master sees fit to open it back up to the staff. The work has been finished today, but starting tomorrow, you¡¯ll be expected to perform the cleaning yourself.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Xac said, and saw no reason to hide his joy, ¡°So what do I do?¡±


    ¡°Pay attention,¡± Mrs OfAgalon said, as if she were under the impression that he was not paying attention, ¡°I¡¯ll have the cleaning supplies brought up with your breakfast. Everything must be dusted and polished every day, including the interiors of the drawers and cabinets. It isn¡¯t difficult, but if you do it incorrectly, you¡¯ll damage the wood. Use only water on the wood. Use a mixture of vinegar and water on the glass, both mirrors and windows, and do not use smooth coth- it leaves streaks. Use a small amount of soap on the porcelain- but never enough to make suds, and do not get any inside the containers, as it will damage the master¡¯s things. Do not use excess water on anything metal, as it breeds rust. Use water on the walls, and soap only if it gets particularly dirty. New help is apt to miss the windowsills, but rest assured that I will be checking them.¡±


    Xac tried very hard to memorize everything she was saying, because he suspected she would not tell him twice.


    MrsOfAgalon opened the door between the wardrobes, but did not go inside, and Xac instantly saw why. It was much too small.


    ¡°This is the water closet,¡± She said matter-of-factly, ¡°I¡¯m told it is something of an indoor outhouse, and as you must realize from that description, must be kept spotlessly clean. Scrub everything with soap and water, especially far down into the seat.¡± She seemed to take some great, derisive pleasure from telling him this, but Xac shrugged because he didn¡¯t understand why she was giving him the look she was. He had spent his youth shoveling horse dung, so that chore wasn¡¯t particularly bothersome to him.


    ¡°Every morning you need to awake at daybreak,¡± the housekeeper went on, ¡°to wash and refill the basin from the pump in the water closet so it will be ready for the master when he awakens.¡±


    Xac nodded. He wasn¡¯t particularly worried about that. His mother came to work at four in the morning; she was up far before daybreak and would simply wake him up with her so they could go to work together. Apparently they served breakfast at the house, which he hadn¡¯t known and was eager to try. Though that did remind him of something.


    ¡°I can¡¯t eat meat,¡± he said, ¡°It makes me sick.¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± Mrs OfAgalon said, and glared at him as if she believed he was lying in order to make her life more difficult.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t it make sense?¡± Xac asked, ¡°Some foods make some folk sick.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll eat what you¡¯re given,¡± She told him. ¡°I expect most people are more grateful for the things they get. Meat is expensive.¡±


    Xac checked the depth of his pockets and considered how much of the meat he could smuggle home to his father.


    Mrs OfAgalon took his silence for submission, and stared around the room, then said aloud, ¡°What am I forgetting?¡±


    Xac shrugged.


    ¡°Every Saturday,¡± she said, ¡°You need to strip the bedding, the window treatments, and any other fabric, and have it ready for the laundress. The bed itself also has to be unpacked, washed, and restuffed, so roll it from the frame and have it waiting.


    ¡°Yes mam,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°Repeat everything I¡¯ve said back to me,¡± Mrs OfAgalon demanded.


    ¡°Water on the wood, water and vinegar on the glass, damp cloth on the metal, water on the walls except when it¡¯s dirty, then a little bit of soap, little bit of soapy water on the porcelain, but not enough to make suds, don¡¯t get anything on the inside, but a shitton of soap on the water closet, like really get in there, wash and refill the fancy basin thing every morning, and every saturday get the fabrics ready for the laundry folk.¡± Xaxac repeated.


    ¡°Do not curse,¡± Mrs OfAgalon told him.


    ¡°So do we just not wash the rugs and the floors?¡± Xac asked, ¡°Seems like that¡¯d get dirty.¡±


    Mrs OfAgalon looked furious, and Xac was beginning to understand her character enough to know why. She had forgotten to tell him something, but he had figured it out on his own, and the idea that he could do that infuriated her.


    ¡°The rugs will go with the laundress to be beaten on the first Saturday of every month,¡± she said, ¡°And while they¡¯re gone you will clean and wax the floors. Doing that with too much frequency will damage them.¡±


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Xac said, ¡°Got it. So do I get started now? You said everything was already done for today.¡±


    ¡°Everything has already been done today,¡± she said, and moved for the door, ¡°These are additional duties.¡±


    ¡°In addition to what?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°The primary job of a pleasure slave,¡± Mrs OfAgalon said, ¡°Is to keep the master happy.¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t that everybody¡¯s job?¡± Xac asked as he watched her walk out the door and close it. He stared at the closed door for a few seconds before he stepped forward to follow her.


    The knob would not turn.


    He knitted his eyebrows in confusion.


    ¡°Hello?¡± He asked, and was greeted by silence.


    ¡°Hello?¡± He asked again, and again there was nothing.


    ¡°Mrs OfAgalon?¡± Xac called out to the empty sitting room beyond the door. ¡°Mrs OfAgalon? The door won¡¯t open! Hello?¡±


    He tried again, but was afraid that if he tried harder, he may break the expensive door, so he ran to the window, thinking that perhaps he could climb out. He had heard that in big houses doors had locks, and it was just like Mrs OfAgalon to lock him in. He saw the fields from the window, which meant that the kitchen should be below him.


    He was very high up. Xaxac had not registered how high he was on the third floor when he had walked it, but there wasn¡¯t really any chance that he could jump from the window, even if he dangled, and expect to get down without hurting himself. But he could perhaps get someone¡¯s attention so that they could come and let him out.


    ¡°Hey!¡± He shouted, leaning halfway out the window, ¡°Hey! Y¡¯all in the kitchen! Hey! The housekeeper went and locked me in! I¡¯m stuck! Mama! Allie! Hey! Y¡¯all hear me!¡±


    He was confused when he got no response, so he raised his voice, shouting even louder, shouting with everything with his lungs.


    ¡°MAMA!¡± he yelled, ¡°MOMMY! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!¡±


    Abby came darting out of the kitchen, and looked up at him with red, swollen eyes.


    ¡°Honey, I can¡¯t,¡± She said quickly, darting her head in every direction before she looked back up at him, ¡°We ain¡¯t gonna be able to talk for a little bit, till your trainin¡¯s over.¡±


    ¡°My trainin is over!¡± Xac yelled, ¡°That fool done went and locked me in here out of meanness! She didn¡¯t even leave me nothin! I can¡¯t even do a damn thing in here!¡±


    ¡°Quit hollerin, baby,¡± Abby said, ¡°Quit hollerin and¡­ take it as a vacation. Try an relax for a little bit. Everythin¡¯s gonna be alright.¡±


    ¡°Get somebody to come up here and let me out!¡± Xac yelled, ¡°I¡¯m stuck!¡±


    ¡°Honey, that¡¯s just how it¡¯s gonna be for a little bit,¡± Abby said, ¡°You gotta stay up there a little while.¡±


    ¡°But I ain¡¯t¡­ I¡¯m supposed to be locked in here?¡± Xac asked in confusion.


    ¡°You ain¡¯t supposed to talk to nobody, baby,¡± Abby explained.


    ¡°What? Why? What¡¯d I do?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t do nothing,¡± Abby said, ¡°But you¡¯re gonna stay up there a little while. He¡¯ll let you out once you learn how to¡­ once everything gets straightened out.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s gotta be straightened out?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Honey, listen,¡± Abby risked a frightened glance at the kitchen, ¡°I gotta get back to work by the time she gets down here. Just be good, alright? Just be real nice. Just do everythin he says. You¡¯re gonna live up there for a little bit. You ain¡¯t gonna come home for a while. You got a real nice place up there. Just be good, ok? Just try and¡­ just try and be quiet, and nice, and polite and respectful, and everything¡¯s gonna be ok. I love you, baby. I gotta go. Just be good.¡±


    Xac watched her walk hurriedly back into the kitchen and ran her words over and over in his mind. He was living here? In the big house? In this fancy room? But he wasn¡¯t allowed to talk to anyone?


    He walked back to the door and tried, once again, to open it, but it wouldn¡¯t budge.


    This was fine. His mother was right, it was a vacation. He could relax, until the morning when he started work. For now, no one expected anything of him, which was a rare and welcome occurrence.


    But why was he being cut off? Why was he being isolated? Why wasn¡¯t he allowed to talk to anyone?


    Right.


    Because he was a monster.


    Because he was a monster, and Agalon knew it, and he had been looking for him. That¡¯s why he had been out on the fields studying the people working there. He was looking for Xaxac. He had remembered buying a monster, and had realized that he probably needed to isolate it from the rest of his slaves, because monsters were dangerous.


    Xaxac took a deep breath and steeled himself.


    He just had to prove that he wasn¡¯t dangerous. He had to do what his mother had said and be nice, quiet, and polite. He had to be a model slave, a model person, who could never be mistaken for a monster. He had to keep his room clean and tidy, keep himself presentable. He could do that. He could do that with no problems.


    For the next few weeks.


    He didn¡¯t know what he was going to do when the moons grew full.


    He sat on the bed and wrang his hands, lost in thought, running the situation over and over in his mind. His mother would talk to him before then. She wouldn¡¯t ignore him, no matter how scared she was of Mrs OfAgalon. She would tell him what to do.


    Maybe he would see Agalon again. Maybe he could just come clean, tell him that he couldn¡¯t control it and ask for chains. If they didn¡¯t do something, he would destroy the nice room, maybe the whole house. Xac knew he could break that door down with his shifter strength, could chew through all the nice furniture, or rip it up with his claws.


    He couldn¡¯t prove that he wasn¡¯t a monster, because he was a monster.


    He was afraid he was going to cry, and he was breathing too much, too fast, so much that it felt like it wasn¡¯t enough, so he got up, smoothed the bedding out, and began to pace. He had to do something, anything, to get his mind off the horrible events were going to transpire in his future, so he began to open drawers and inspect their contents, tried to come up with some sort of cleaning schedule for his workday tomorrow, so that he could fill his mind up with that, with anything other than the thoughts of the monster that would emerge when the moons were full.


    The drawers were all full of various sundries, things he expected were refills for the containers on the vanity and the washbasin, containers that he had no desire to open because Mrs OfAgalon had been so particular about them, so he moved on to the wardrobe. The first one was full of the finest clothes he had ever seen, neatly arranged by fabric weight, which he kept in mind because he suspected he would be the one to hang them after they were laundered. The shelf above was filled with linens, which he didn¡¯t understand because there was no need for extra linens since they would be washing and replacing the ones on the bed, and he made a mental note to ask Mrs OfAgalon about them the next chance he got. There were several pairs of boots and shoes neatly arranged on the bottom shelf. He knelt and opened the drawers below to find they were full of the sort of clothes that folded, like underthings and the tights he had seen Master Agalon wearing in the field.


    It suddenly hit him that he was in Master Agalon¡¯s room. Mrs OfAgalon had said it was his ¡®private chambers¡¯. That meant that he would be in there, at some point, and he had been much kinder than Mrs OfAgalon. He seemed to like Xac. He thought he was cute. He acted as if he wanted a shifter, and what Abe had said made sense. Shifters were rare. It was possible that he wanted one because they were rare, but he didn¡¯t want him to hurt the other slaves. He had called Xac a pet. He had been nice. Xac could talk to him, could sort this whole thing out.


    He closed the drawer, stood, and opened the other wardrobe.


    It was empty.


    That was strange. Nothing else in the room was empty. That made no sense. Xac tilted his head, knelt, and opened the first of the drawers below the hanging space.


    It was empty.


    So were the others.


    Xac closed them and stood, looked around the room, and for lack of anything better to do, stepped inside the empty wardrobe. He was still small enough to fit, though not by much, and he closed the door behind him. It was dark, and for a moment he imagined that he could open the door, and by virtue of having been inside the wardrobe, it would change something. He could come out into another world, a world where the door was no longer locked. He put one hand on the back of the door, and another on the back wall of the wardrobe and paused.


    The texture of the back of the wardrobe was strange, different from the rest of it. It wasn¡¯t smooth and unbroken, but it wasn¡¯t coarse in a random way like untreated wood. It felt as if the change was intentional, as if someone thought the wardrobe needed some texture to the back and decided to add it with purpose and intention in a pattern. The other three walls were perfect and unbroken. Xac opened the door to let in some light and ran his fingers over the pattern.


    The back of the wardrobe was covered in the same strange, repeating symbol. Four lines were carved vertically with a diagonal line running through them, then there was a space, then four more lines with another diagonal line running through them. Xac had never had reason to know his numbers beyond the basics, but he knew that the entire back wall was full of them, that same symbol, repeated over and over.


    He knitted his eyebrows together and slid his thumb against one of the diagonal lines.


    His thumbnail fit perfectly.


    But the wood was so thick and strong¡­ it would take so long to carve anything into it with a fingernail.


    Goosebumps covered his flesh and he stepped out of the wardrobe and looked inside. They were scratched so lightly that they weren¡¯t really visible from where he was standing, but he bent again and ran his fingertips over them. You could see them up close, and there were so many of them.


    Xaxac suspected that someone had been locked in here before him.


    And they had been here for a very long time.

 Chapter 9

    Xaxac laid on the bed as still as he could, soas not to disturb the quilt, which was so soft that he thought it must be expensive. There were tiles running along the ceiling with pictures of little flowers on them. They were beautiful to look at, and he had absolutely nothing else to do. He had already gone through everything else in the room, already stared at the paintings that hung on the far wall. The two in front of him were of flowers, and looked similar enough that he had thought, at first, that they were exactly the same, but they were not. He did not know that art could be commissioned as a matched set, and wondered why someone had painted the same flower twice. The painting that hung over the bed was a landscape, but he had purposely avoided looking at it, because it was likely the most interesting thing in the room, and he had no idea how long he would be in there, so he thought he should save it for a fit of desperation.


    Instead, he stared up at the ceiling and tried to practice his numbers. His parents had taught him, when he was young, to count, because it made assigning tasks easier. It was easier to tell someone to do something when they knew what they were doing. He had always liked counting, and tended to do it in order to get himself through things he disliked. He would count the rows in the fields, for example, so that he would know how many he had done, and how many he had still to go. His parents were not learned people, and thus did not know all the numbers, so when he came to particularly large sums, he was at a disadvantage. He did not know how many grains of wheat grew in the fields, nor how many stalks, but he knew how many rows.


    There were ten of the tiles in each row, and six rows of them. He counted each individually at first, then up and down, then side to side, then from the outward in. The answer was always the same: sixty. Ten columns and six rows would always be sixty.


    It was very quiet in the room. He could hear himself breathing, hear his heart beating, hear his blood pumping through his veins. If he listened very closely, he could hear something from the sitting room, but it was an unfamiliar sound, something he could not place. It, too, seemed to be consistent. It made a sort of ¡®tick tick tick¡¯ sound, at regular intervals, and he wondered what it was.


    He wondered all sorts of things.


    He wondered what was wrong with Mrs OfAgalon that made her hate everyone. He wondered if she perhaps thought that she was better than them, and how foolish that was of her because she was, clearly, just as human as everyone else. They were the same, and he thought that made her angry, but he knew that was a foolish thing to be angry about. He wondered if she had heard him call her foolish.


    He wondered how old he was. He had remembered Allie saying that he was too old to train to be a butler, and had considered himself a ¡®big boy¡¯ for some time. He wore clothes meant for people who fell into that category, and did jobs assigned to them as well. Both of his parents had referred to him, and to his sister, as ¡°damn near grown¡± several times. But there was a difference between being grown and being nearly grown, though it was a nebulous concept that he didn¡¯t really understand. He knew he wasn¡¯t grown enough to have anyone want to start a family with him, and that seemed to be a milestone that really marked the change.


    Xac wondered why men had their ¡®grownness¡¯ measured by women. He had often heard his father, and the other men, talk about men they worked with, judging their maturity level based on their interactions with women. He had often heard phrases such as ¡®can¡¯t get a woman¡¯ or ¡®can¡¯t keep a woman¡¯ and he had a vague idea what that sort of thing meant. Grown men were supposed to be able to get a woman to live with them, to stay with them, but Xac wasn¡¯t sure how one went about doing that, or why it was so important.


    He supposed it was important because that was how one got children, and people were often judged on their children. Children were referenced by their parents; he was often called, by the adults and sometimes even other people his own age, as ¡°Abe¡¯s boy¡±. It was strange to hear Agalon say that Abe wasn¡¯t his father. He always thought he did rather well by his father, and if other people were going to judge Abe and Abby based on Xac, they could judge them well.


    Abe could also be judged well because he apparently knew how to get and keep a woman, but Xac wasn¡¯t sure what he did differently than the other men, because he didn¡¯t really know them that well. He had suspected this was a secret his father would tell him about, eventually, but now he wondered if he would ever get out of this room again.


    He wondered why his mother had looked as if she had been crying, but he thought he figured that one out pretty easily. She was worried about him. She knew, as well as Xac did, that he was being judged on his monstrocity, and she was worried he would fail.


    Xac wondered what would happen to him if he failed. Would he be sold? Killed? Punished? There were stories of a place in town, a building where people would take their slaves to be beaten as punishment. Apparently there were people on the plantation who had gone there, but Xac had never known any of them. It was the sort of thing a person heard about third-hand in rumors, like the Emerald Knight who would get you if you ran away. Xaxac was a good boy, so he didn¡¯t need to worry about that sort of thing.


    He wondered how long he would be in this room.


    There were sixty tiles on the ceiling.


    The lighting was changing, turning from the crisp, clear sunlight to a yellow-tinted gold, then a grey dusk, which told him that it was nearing dinner time. He was starving, but he wasn¡¯t sure he would be given anything to eat. He had missed lunch because he had come to the house, but he didn¡¯t understand why he was so hungry, because he hadn¡¯t done anything to work up and appetite. After he had explored the room he had run out of things to do, and climbed back into the wardrobe for a bit, then under the bed, then had spent the past few hours just lying on it, staring up at the ceiling.


    At the sixty tiles.


    He didn¡¯t know if he could sleep here.


    He wondered if he could hear the cock crow so far from the chicken run. He wondered how he was going to get up before dawn if he couldn¡¯t. He didn¡¯t want to mess up so badly on his first day and give Mrs OfAgalon anything to complain about. He had to get up on time. But he didn¡¯t know how. Maybe he just wouldn¡¯t fall asleep.


    Maybe he would feel better when he had something to do, when he started work in earnest tomorrow.


    Maybe someone else would come up here.


    Tick Tick Tick went something in the other room.


    There were still sixty tiles on the ceiling.


    He sat bolt upright. Something changed. There were faint sounds coming from the sitting room. He didn¡¯t know exactly what they meant, but he had an idea that they were signs of life. After the hours he had spent alone he would be grateful to see even Mrs OfAgalon again, but he didn¡¯t want to give her anything to complain about, so he stood, smoothed out the bed, fluffed the pillow back up, then ran to the mirror. He smoothed out his clothes and unrolled his sleeves, decided that they looked too wrinkled that way and rolled them back up. He moved quickly, and had just finished when he heard the blessed sound of metal on metal.


    A key must have clicked the lock into place.


    The doorknob turned.


    Master Agalon stepped into the room, and Xac realized in that moment why he had looked out of place in the field. He matched this place perfectly. He belonged here, with the other beautiful, soft, expensive things. He was still wearing the outfit he had worn on the field, except for the cape, and he was staring at Xac with his sparkling emerald eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you look cute?¡± He asked and smiled with his perfect teeth.


    Xaxac had a million things to tell him, but seeing him here like this, the man who would decide his fate, who could end his life on a whim, looking so perfect and beautiful, surrounded by perfection and beauty, made everything he had to say seem¡­ lacking perfection and beauty. He didn¡¯t know how to bring problems into perfection, didn¡¯t know how to shatter the crafted elegance of everything around him, so he stared dumbly, and from the outside looking in, it probably seemed as if he hadn¡¯t understood the question.


    It didn¡¯t help his situation that a question about his appearance, which Mrs OfAgalon had been so particular about, was not at all a greeting, though Agalon seemed to think it was, and as such it threw off Xaxac¡¯s working knowledge of politeness. His mother had told him to be polite, but so much time had passed since Agalon had spoken that he feared that ship had already sailed.


    ¡°You look scared,¡± Agalon said with concern and took a step forward with his hands outstretched, making soft shusshing noises until he was able to lay them on Xaxac¡¯s shoulders, ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, darlin. I ain¡¯t gonna hurt you.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t going to hurt him! Did that mean that he wasn¡¯t going to punish him? Wasn¡¯t going to sell him? It probably meant that he wasn¡¯t going to kill him.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Xac said, because it was polite, and because it made sense, and those were the two most important things on his mind.


    ¡°It makes sense that you would be scared,¡± Agalon agreed as he squeezed Xac¡¯s shoulders, ¡°I did some research today, on rabbits, on rodents in general, and I know that you¡¯re skittish. I want you to be comfortable. It¡¯s much nicer in here than it is out in the fields, ain¡¯t it?¡± His smile widened as his eyes moved up and down, taking in Xac¡¯s new outfit, and he said again, almost as if he couldn¡¯t contain it, ¡°You¡¯re so cute!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful in here,¡± Xac nodded, and because he knew that compliments were polite he added, hurriedly, ¡°like you. It looks like you. Or you look like it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you like it,¡± Agalon said and seemed to mean it, ¡°I don¡¯t want you to get overwhelmed; I know how easy that kind of thing happens. Don¡¯t worry, Honey Bunny, you¡¯ll stay right here where you¡¯ll be safe and looked after. Nothing can get at you. Nothing can hurt you.¡±


    ¡°What could get at me?¡± Xac asked, more confused than frightened.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Agalon said pleasantly, and ran a hand through Xac¡¯s hair, ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Without waiting for a response he slid his hand to the small of Xac¡¯s back and began to lead him out of the room, talking all the while. ¡°I¡¯ve had dinner brought into the sitting room for us. Everything I read said that rabbits need to be on a special diet, so I¡¯ve had ¡®um make up a fresh garden salad for you. It might be a little bit more difficult to find things for you come winter, but as of now, I reckon I¡¯ve got everything all worked out. You¡¯re gonna be so happy here, Honey Bunny.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Xac said, and he meant it. He had been worried that he would get sick, after the way Mrs OfAgalon acted, but even she wasn¡¯t above Agalon. This thought reminded him of the ranking system he lived under, the one that Alice had reminded him of and been very clear on, the one which was important, so he added, as quickly as he could, ¡°Master.¡±


    He had to be a good boy, like his mother had said. He had to be quiet, courteous, and polite. He had to prove that he could be trusted. He had to prove that he wasn¡¯t a monster.


    He was so happy to get out of that room.


    Agalon led them to the small table Xac had seen earlier, and true to his word it was laid out with food and drink. There were two distinctly different meals laid out, but both seemed to be more than one person could reasonably be expected to eat. Xac¡¯s salad looked like a serving dish, the kind an entire family was supposed to pull from and split between them, and Agalon¡¯s plate held the same amount of food, but with more variety. He had some sort of meat, likely from that pig Xac had seen roasting in the kitchen, a potato that had been cut open and buttered, and a smaller, though still excessive portion of the salad Xac was expected to eat.


    Agalon pulled the chair out for him, and Xac stared at it for a second before he sat down. That seemed backwards. He was probably supposed to do that. He hoped he wouldn¡¯t get in trouble for it. He wished he had had more time with his mother, had had time to learn all the rules of the house. She had gone over them with Alice, in front of him, but he had never thought he would be working here, and hadn¡¯t paid attention like he should have. The stakes were too high for him to be stupid. He had to move carefully, had to play his cards right. Agalon had said that he wouldn¡¯t hurt him, but Xac knew a test when he saw one.


    Agalon knew he was a shifter. That¡¯s why he had isolated him. Xac had to prove that he wasn¡¯t a monster. He couldn¡¯t be as good as the other people- he had to be better. He had to overcome a handicap.


    ¡°Thank you, Master,¡± he said politely, and watched Agalon move across the table and take the other seat.


    ¡°It¡¯s sure been a pleasant day,¡± Agalon said happily as he picked up a bottle from the table, twisted a metal contraption around the top, and pried it open with a POP so loud in the stillness it made Xac jump. ¡°I try to be thankful when everything goes right like this. It ain¡¯t exactly a common occurrence for me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry good days are rare for you,¡± Xac said, choosing his words carefully, ¡°That ain¡¯t what I thought. Seems like things oughta go pretty good.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry your pretty little head about it,¡± Agalon told him, ¡°Ain¡¯t a thing you could do about it.¡±


    He poured a thick, sticky, red liquid into Xac¡¯s glass, then his own, before he went about cutting up his meat.


    ¡°I reckon it¡¯s been a pretty good day for you too,¡± he said with a smile, and Xac picked up his fork.


    He nodded, and made an attempt to eat as daintily as possible. He took a small bite and chewed for much longer than he normally did, trying his best not to be noticeable. Table manners had never been given much emphasis in his house or during lunch at work. The emphasis was more on speed than politeness, and it was very likely that he would do something wrong. If he had known, for sure, exactly what it was he was meant to be doing, or if he was being judged by someone with less power over him, he likely could have performed better, but as it was he had to guard his every movement.


    It was going to take him forever to get through the salad like this, and his stomach was already knotting up. The flesh between his shoulder blades was starting to hurt, and he remembered that Abe had told Agalon that he had a connection to Xaxac. If he messed this up, would it hurt his family?


    ¡°Once you¡¯ve got used to it around here,¡± Agalon said, and Xac wondered if he would like him better if he acted more judgemental while he judged, if he acted more like Mrs OfAgalon and made his intentions known, rather than acting so natural and carefree. ¡°I think I¡¯ll have some more clothes made for you. Is this as big as you¡¯re going to get? Do you know? How old are you; what do you know?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I reckon I¡¯ll probably get a little bit bigger?¡± Xac said, though he wasn¡¯t sure himself, ¡°I¡¯ve been here a good while. I don¡¯t rightly know how old I am. I know some folks do. Some folks know when they was born so they can count it.¡±


    ¡°I tell myself,¡± Agalon said and took a drink of whatever he had poured them, ¡°That if you¡¯re gonna keep growing there ain¡¯t no use in having a bunch of stuff made for you, because you¡¯re just gonna outgrow it. But I don¡¯t know if I can reign myself in.¡± He laughed as if this was some sort of joke, so Xac laughed along with him, trying to match his enthusiasm.


    Xac picked up the glass and wondered what it was. He had never seen that liquid before. He normally drank water, though he had heard of other things like whiskey or beer, this was neither of them. He darted his eyes back to Agalon, who still looked as comfortable and content as one could be expected to look in their own home, but his attention was completely focused on Xaxac.


    Xac took a sip, testing the liquid, and came to the immediate conclusion that he didn¡¯t much care for it. He had tasted grapes before, and whatever this concoction was, it tasted like grapes that had been left too long to rot. His dislike must have showed on his face, because Agalon laughed at him and spoke.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s an acquired taste,¡± he said, ¡°drink you some more and you¡¯ll start to like it.¡±


    Xac nodded and tried his best to take in a full mouthful the second time. It was a taste it apparently took more than two drinks to acquire, but when he sat down his glass Agalon picked up the bottle and refilled it, which Xac thought was strange because he hadn¡¯t come close to emptying it.


    ¡°Master Agalon,¡± Xac said, because he felt as if he had to say something, ¡°I sure appreciate the¡­ all the nice food and bringin me in here and whatnot. It¡¯s¡­ mighty kind.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so cute,¡± Agalon said again, as if it was some sort of response, and the repetition of it was starting to make it believable. Xac imagined that Agalon liked cute things, thought that rabbits were cute, and therefore Xac was cute by association. That was good. Let him think that. Maybe if he thought he was cute, he wouldn¡¯t think he was dangerous.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Xaxac tried to think of things he had thought were cute, and came away mostly with baby animals. He tried to figure out which traits they had that made him think they were cute, so that he could emulate them, could project cuteness. What he really needed to do, he decided, was to make himself look young, weak, perhaps even frail, and frightened. He needed to think of what danger meant, and do the exact opposite.


    So he put his head down, smiled shyly, and picked up another tiny bite with his fork. When he spoke, he did so as quietly as he thought would still be audible.


    ¡°Thank you, master,¡± he said.


    ¡°My name is Kailu,¡± Agalon said, leaning back in his chair with a smile.


    ¡°It is?¡± Xac asked, ¡°I thought your name was Agalon?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Kailu Agalon,¡± Agalon said cheerfully. ¡°My friends call me Kai.¡±


    ¡°My friends call me Xac,¡± Xaxac said.


    ¡°That¡¯s so cute,¡± Agalon said, and giggled. He seemed to think everything Xaxac said was amusing in some way. After a beat he said, ¡°I named you, you know.¡± He seemed as if he expected some response to this, but didn¡¯t seem particularly disappointed when he received none, ¡°It¡¯s something I saw on a rug once, that I got from the fire continent. I don¡¯t know what it means, but it sounded beautiful and exotic.¡±


    Xac didn¡¯t know how to process that information. He was a little insulted, truth be told, but he couldn¡¯t possibly say that.


    Agalon apparently mistook his silence for contentment and went on, happily, ¡°Xa-xac. You don¡¯t often see names with more than one ¡®xa¡¯. I thought it was unique.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a Xa?¡± Xac asked and took another drink.


    ¡°Oh, I reckon it¡¯s¡­ you wouldn¡¯t understand, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon said, but he continued anyway, ¡°Common is written with a syllabary. Each syllable has a symbol associated with it, it¡¯s a kind of¡­ one thing that you gotta hold in your head for something else.¡±


    Xac didn¡¯t understand him. He didn¡¯t know what a syllable was, and the explanation wasn¡¯t doing him much good. He was, however, beginning to understand what Agalon meant when he said that he would like the liquid more if he kept drinking it. When he sat the glass down, Agalon refilled it again, though it was, once again, not even half empty. Xac thought that he should probably be doing that, just like he should have probably held the chair out.


    It was getting hotter in the room, even though the sun had gone down and it should have been cooling off a bit. He hated trying to sleep on hot nights, when he would sweat through his clothes and the bedding. He took another small bite and reminded himself to chew slowly, because he had caught himself moving fast, and he needed to be polite.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Xac asked as he picked up the glass.


    ¡°I¡¯m not real sure,¡± Agalon shrugged, ¡°Some kind of local wine. Are you starting to like it?¡±


    ¡°I think so,¡± Xac said, and when Agalon laughed at him this time, he understood why. He felt very funny and charismatic.


    It was getting more difficult to remind himself to slow down, to think things through, and to be as polite as he should be. He thought he was perhaps getting sleepy, even though he hadn¡¯t really done anything that would have caused him to grow tired. But the world around him was beginning to grow fuzzy around the edges, and it was getting more difficult, little by little, to keep his head on straight and his body upright. But he had to focus. He had to impress Agalon. And he had to get through his salad.


    ¡°I like a lot of stuff,¡± Xac said, because he was trying to project an air of positivity, but in his tired state it was becoming more difficult to think of things to talk about. ¡°I like this house. Everything is so pretty. I like you, too. I ain¡¯t never seen no elf before. I like them pictures of roses hung up in the bedroom.¡±


    ¡°My late wife painted those,¡± Agalon said. The thought seemed to make him happy, so Xac smiled with him. ¡°She was always painting. I still miss her, sometimes. That was my first wife, there was a whole¡­ we lost a lot of folks when the sickness come through here.¡±


    ¡°You had more than one wife?¡± Xac asked. He wanted to seem interested in the conversation, and he hadn¡¯t known such a thing was possible, though it made perfect sense. He took another drink, watched Agalon refill the glass, and wondered if there was something in it that was making him sleepy. He knew there were medicines to make a person sleep; Hattie May had given him one when he had become ill as a child. Did Agalon want him to sleep?


    ¡°Yeah, more than one,¡± Agalon, for the first time, scowled, ¡°Chose great the first time, made a few mistakes¡­ last one was a bad mistake. She¡¯s dead now, too, I reckon. Tried to get into my boy¡¯s head¡­¡±


    Xac didn¡¯t understand the thing Agalon had just said. It was getting more difficult for him to understand anything. He wondered, quite suddenly and with great alarm, if he was being poisoned, and jerked back before he could stop himself, moving so quickly and with so much force that he almost knocked himself out of his chair.


    ¡°Whow,¡± Agalon said, stood, darted around the table, and pulled Xac upright.


    Xaxac couldn¡¯t think anymore. Whatever had made the world blur, made his muscles loosen, made his head cloud, was making it too difficult to keep up the ¡®cute little bunny¡¯ facade. He was crying and he knew it, but he had never been more afraid. He was alone, trapped, with a man who could end his life on a whim, and was currently testing him to decide whether or not he should, and Xac didn¡¯t have the resources to handle the situation. He had forgotten civility, but he knew he absolutely should not be crying. He knew he needed to stop. He knew he needed to straighten up, but he couldn¡¯t remember how to do those things.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Honey Bunny?¡± Agalon asked, and gently caressed his face, ¡°What happened? Why are ya cryin?¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t kill me!¡± Xac begged, because he could not remember how he was supposed to speak. He could not pull himself away from the panic. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I ain¡¯t never done¡­ I don¡¯t do it on purpose! It ain¡¯t me! It ain¡¯t my fault! It¡¯s the moons! The moons done it! I can¡¯t never even remember¡­ I don¡¯t know what I do! I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with me! It¡¯s a curse! I can¡¯t help I¡¯m cursed! Please don¡¯t kill me! And¡­ and if you¡¯re gonna kill me, please don¡¯t hurt um!¡±


    Agalon seemed insulted when he said, ¡°I¡¯m not going to kill you, Honey Bunny. I¡¯m not going to hurt you. I love you.¡±


    He¡­ loved him? That didn¡¯t make sense.


    At all.


    He was unable to process what Agalon had just said in any meaningful way. That was impossible. That wasn¡¯t a thing that could happen-


    He was an indoor pet.


    He had known people to have pets, not just children with small animals they found, like turtles or frogs, but grown adults with the horses or dogs. He had heard more than one person say they ¡®sure loved that old thing¡¯ or ¡®wouldn¡¯t take nothin for that dog¡¯ or ¡®didn¡¯t know what they¡¯d do without that old cat¡¯. He had heard people who worked with the livestock say to other children, ¡®don¡¯t get attached to them doodles, they ain¡¯t pets they¡¯re for eatin.¡¯


    People got attached to their pets. People would put the turtles that they found into little boxes and hide them from their parents, because they loved them. They would lock them away, so they wouldn¡¯t get out, so they wouldn¡¯t wander off and get eaten by a predator.


    Agalon thought he was an animal.


    Xaxac stopped shaking and stared up at him.


    Agalon did not think he was cute in the way that people would sometimes think other people were cute. He thought he was cute in the way that people thought puppies were cute. He bought him, named him, brought him into his house, fed him, and told him over and over again that he was cute, safe, and loved.


    Some people kept rabbits as pets, in hutches. Xac had not known that before today, but it was finally sinking in.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, master,¡± he said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with me. I¡¯m scared.¡±


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t¡¯ve brought you out here,¡± Agalon said, ¡°And I sure as hell never shoulda left you out in the fields. I didn¡¯t believe you were a shifter. Thought never entered my mind. But there was some¡­ rumors running through the staff, and I thought,¡± he shrugged, ¡°I thought, ¡®Hell, maybe that merchant didn¡¯t lie to me¡¯.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ want a shifter?¡± Xac asked, trying his best to control himself, ¡°A¡­ a lot of folks is scared of me.¡±


    ¡°Most folks ain¡¯t never seen a shifter,¡± Agalon said. ¡°You¡¯re a real live legend, Honey Bunny. Hell, you look like a bunny with them big eyes and buck teeth, cute little nose.¡± He laid his pointer finger on Xac¡¯s nose, then quickly pulled it away, and it was, for reasons he could not fathom, the funniest thing Xac had ever seen, so he began to laugh.


    ¡°Honey Bunny, look at me,¡± Agalon held his face in both hands, and Xac stared up at him, ¡°I ain¡¯t gonna kill you. I got somethin rare here, like a gemstone. I swear, hand on a holy text, Thesis is my witness, you¡¯re safe here.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, master,¡± Xac dried his eyes on his sleeve, then thought better of it. His clothes were so nice and he didn¡¯t need to ruin them. ¡°Sorry I¡­ cried and¡­ tore my ass and¡­ everything.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re drunk,¡± Agalon giggled, ¡°Drunk folks don¡¯t have to make sense.¡±


    Oh! He was drunk! So the wine was like whiskey. That explained everything. Grown men who drank whiskey would sit by bonfires and ball their eyes out over nonsense. That made perfect sense. Agalon was right, drunk people did seem perfectly willing to make fools of themselves. Now that he knew what the feeling was, knew how freeing it was, that it gave him permission to be as foolish as he wanted, and Agalon wasn¡¯t going to hurt him because of it- he decided he quite liked it.


    He picked up the glass and downed it, drinking greedily, as if it were water. He didn¡¯t mind the taste anymore. He couldn¡¯t really taste it. He couldn¡¯t taste anything.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go get us another bottle, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon giggled, stood, and spread his arms out toward Xac, ¡°Look at me. Don¡¯t move. Don¡¯t get up. Sit down in that chair right there and don¡¯t move. You ain¡¯t fit for walkin without bein watched.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty,¡± Xac giggled and wondered why he had ever been frightened. Agalon was nice! This room was nice! This house was nice! And there were far, far worse things to be than a cute little bunny in a very pretty cage. He suspected, though he could not confirm it, that if he were to play his cards right he may never have to work a day in his life again.


    Everything was wonderful!


    He had no idea where Agalon went, but he was nowhere in the room, and Xac was starting to miss him. But he was fairly certain he wasn¡¯t supposed to get out of his chair. Instead, he pushed his salad away and leaned forward on his elbows, giggling at his own good fortune.


    If Agalon really did love him like a person loved their dog, he could probably ask him for things and get them. People got things for dogs all the time, but dogs couldn¡¯t talk to ask for things, and Xac suspected that if they could, they would, and people would oblige. And Agalon was rich! He had hit the jackpot!


    He was laughing about this when Agalon gently lifted him by the shoulder and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go sit on the sofa, alright?¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Xac agreed readily, ¡°I ain¡¯t never had furniture this nice! At home, daddy carved all our furniture out of wood!¡±


    ¡°That feller in the fields?¡± Agalon asked as he helped Xac to his feet and let him lean heavily on him, ¡°That ain¡¯t your daddy, Honey Bunny. I bought you. I don¡¯t know who your daddy is, but he ain¡¯t here.¡±


    ¡°I like him,¡± Xac said, because he had completely forgotten that he wasn¡¯t supposed to argue, ¡°He¡¯s my daddy. He raised me up.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty then,¡± Agalon laughed and watched Xac fall onto the sofa, ¡°Whatever you say, Honey Bunny.¡±


    ¡°I like being drunk,¡± Xac said, because he did.


    ¡°It looks cute on you,¡± Agalon agreed, ¡°Here, sit up and have some more.¡±


    ¡°I did start likin it!¡± Xac said with wide eyes. He was finding great difficulty thinking things without saying them, though somewhere in the back of his mind he remembered that that was, for some reason he could not currently fathom, bad. ¡°Just like you said! You¡¯re really smart, Agalon!¡±


    ¡°My name is Kailu,¡± Agalon said. He had set their glasses and the new bottle on the coffee table, and opened the bottle while Xac was talking, but now he took a seat beside him with one leg crossed over the knee and one arm spread over the back of the sofa.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna call you Aggie,¡± Xac proclaimed, because he wasn¡¯t particularly sure he could remember names. He felt very stupid, but also as if he shouldn¡¯t be particularly concerned with his own stupidity. He stood on his knees and looked over the back of the couch at the room, then back up at Agalon, trying to remember what he was doing here.


    Xac could not remember why he had thought he was tired, because that certainly wasn¡¯t the case anymore. Whatever was making that constant tick tick ticking sound was annoying him. He felt as if he heard everything more strongly than he usually did, and it was so loud he didn¡¯t know how Agalon stood it.


    ¡°Oh my god, what is that noise!?¡± Xac lamented, and Agalon giggled at him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, darlin,¡± Agalon laughed, ¡°What¡¯s it sound like?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t hear that?¡± Xac asked, ¡°Like tick tick tick tick tick over and over and over and over until it just gets into your brain?¡± He grabbed at his hair to emphasize his point. He could not understand why Agalon couldn¡¯t hear it.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Agalon pointed to a contraption on the mantel place in front of them, ¡°That¡¯s the clock, Honey Bunny. You don¡¯t like it? That¡¯s unfortunate, because I¡¯m getting another one for the bedroom.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it,¡± Xac said. He felt very much like a toddler, and he was beginning to get on his own nerves.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think about it then, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon told him, ¡°Come here, sit down before you fall. Have another drink.¡±


    ¡°Ok!¡± Xac said excitedly. ¡°I really like wine!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it,¡± Agalon giggled, ¡°Don¡¯t spill it, I ain¡¯t got no more clothes for you yet.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I am gonna spill it,¡± Xac said. He hadn¡¯t actually meant to say that. He had meant to portray himself as more competent than he actually was, but he had lost all ability to do so. He could no longer think very clearly. Everything was a pleasant blur.


    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s take your shirt off. It¡¯s white and the wine is red.¡± Agalon suggested with great practicality.


    ¡°You¡¯re so smart!¡± Xac said, ¡°I like you. Set this down for me.¡±


    Agalon took the glass from him with a smile and set it on the coffee table, then leaned back to watch Xaxac struggle because he had, apparently, forgotten how buttons worked, as a concept.


    ¡°I know how shirts¡­ do,¡± Xac said, because he had thought it, and that was a good enough reason to say anything now, ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ it won¡¯t work!¡±


    His mood had shifted quickly, and he was growing frustrated.


    ¡°Here, darlin,¡± Agalon reached out and unbuttoned the first few buttons on Xac¡¯s neckline, then pulled the shirt over his head. ¡°Better?¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Xac said, leaned forward, nearly fell, but caught himself on the coffee table. It seemed that every time he tried to move he overshot the motion he was trying to make, and he didn¡¯t understand why, but it was terribly funny. He did manage to get the glass, with Agalon¡¯s help, and get himself back upright, but he had to lean heavily on him to do so, and stayed there when he got back on the sofa.


    ¡°I love this wine!¡± Xac said, ¡°I love this place! I love the food, and the pretty furniture, and the comfy clothes. I wish everybody was here.¡±


    Agalon reached down to scratch his scalp, running his fingers through his hair.


    ¡°That feels so good,¡± Xac leaned into the touch and took another drink. ¡°Being drunk is great! Why don¡¯t everybody do this all the time?¡±


    ¡°Because most people have things to do, darlin,¡± Agalon explained, ¡°You can¡¯t get nothin done when you¡¯re drunk.¡±


    ¡°Nobody needs to do anything,¡± Xac argued, ¡°Everybody should just feel good all the time.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re cute,¡± Agalon told him.


    ¡°I know!¡± Xac said excitedly, ¡°I hope I stay cute forever! I¡¯ve heard that some people are real cute when they¡¯re kids, but then they grow up to be ugly and that¡¯s so sad¡­¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re about near grown,¡± Agalon told him, ¡°You look like a grown human.¡±


    ¡°Nuh-uh,¡± Xac shook his head, ¡°If I was grown I¡¯d have a beard. Alley said MrsOfAgalon don¡¯t let men folk have beards.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like beards,¡± Agalon said, ¡°It¡¯s unsanitary. And¡­ I know y¡¯all are animals but with one of them you look like an animal, you know?¡±


    ¡°I am an animal,¡± Xac said happily, ¡°I¡¯m a bunny!¡±


    That information reminded him of a song, so he began to sing.


    ¡°Rabbit whatcha sittin in the corner for?


    It ain¡¯t gonna rain no more no more


    Rained yesterday and the day before


    It ain¡¯t gonna rain no more.¡±


    ¡°You have a beautiful voice,¡± Agalon said, ¡°and soft hair.¡±


    ¡°My mama called it angora,¡± Xac said, ¡°says it¡¯s real expensive. Whenever I shift she gathers it up and spins it. She knits with it. I like to knit.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be doin that, darlin, it¡¯s too dangerous,¡± Agalon said, ¡°not for a while, anyway. Maybe later, we¡¯ll see. Long, sharp needles¡­ you could hurt yourself.¡± He paused and said, as if in thought, ¡°That¡¯s a real good idea¡­ angora is rare¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess you could hurt yourself with anything,¡± Xac said as he finished off his glass, ¡°but that¡¯s sad. Let¡¯s talk about something happy!¡±


    Agalon took his empty glass and set it on the table, then stared down at him with a smile,so Xac smiled back.


    ¡°Come here,¡± Agalon said, and slid Xac into his lap.


    ¡°Are you gonna tell me a story?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m gonna carry you to bed, I don¡¯t trust you to walk without hurting yourself.¡± He explained.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Xac agreed and wrapped his arms around his neck, ¡°Carry me!¡± He snuggled into Agalon¡¯s chest as he stood and asked, ¡°Hey Aggie?¡±


    ¡°Thesis¡¯s eyes, that¡¯s so cute,¡± Agalon laughed. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°How long do I gotta stay locked up?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Until I can trust you, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon explained, ¡°All them books I read about pet care said that you need a safe, comfortable environment to become acclimated to.¡±


    ¡°Why you readin books, though?¡± Xac asked as Agalon laid him on the bed, ¡°You know how to take care of people pets.¡±


    ¡°What gave you that idea, darlin?¡± Agalon asked as he unlaced Xac¡¯s boots and peeled them off.


    ¡°Cause you already had a people pet,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°I did?¡± Agalon asked as if the idea greatly interested him, ¡°What would make you say somethin like that?¡±


    ¡°Cause they was locked in here too,¡± Xac said, ¡°Somebody else was locked in here.¡±


    ¡°Why would you think somebody else was ever in here?¡± Agalon asked in a tone that Xac, had he been in a better state of mind, would have identified as dangerous.


    ¡°Cause they knew how to count,¡± Xac said, ¡°They counted in the wardrobe.¡±


    ¡°They counted in the wardrobe...¡± Agalon mumbled. He patted Xac on the thigh and stood, ¡°You stay right there, Honey Bunny.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t never movin,¡± Xac said, but quickly corrected himself, because he decided he didn¡¯t want to sleep in his pants. The waistband was far too restrictive, too annoying, even in a pair so comfortable. He was so preoccupied with this task, which he could perform no better than he had been able to take off his shirt, that he did not see Agalon open the empty wardrobe. Xac did not see how closely he examined it, did not see him reach a hand inside and run it along every wall, did not see his reaction when it hit something that should not be there.


    All he knew was that in an instant Agalon was back, and was helping him out of his pants.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re here,¡± Xac told him as he kicked his pants to the floor, ¡°I ain¡¯t used to sleepin alone. I was scared I¡¯d be alone.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, darlin,¡± Agalon said, then he leaned in, brushed Xac¡¯s hair from his forehead, and kissed him there. ¡°I¡¯m gonna get changed for bed.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so soft here,¡± Xac said, snuggling down into his pillow.


    He wasn¡¯t sure how long he laid there, but eventually, he did feel the bed dip beside him, then heard Agalon speak.


    ¡°Come on, Honey Bunny,¡± he said, ¡°Let me get the quilt over us.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± Xac agreed, and let Agalon guide him. He felt as if he was supposed to do something, something important, but he had forgotten entirely. When Agalon pulled the blanket over them, Xac turned to him and snuggled his little face into his chest. He fell asleep quickly, with no thoughts cluttering up his head.

 Chapter 10

    When Xaxac awoke it was still dark in the room, as best as he could tell, but he was having difficulty telling anything.  He wasn¡¯t exactly drunk anymore, not in the way he had identified the feeling, but he certainly wasn¡¯t sober. He was, however, painfully aware that if he didn¡¯t find somewhere to relieve himself he was going to wet the bed.


    Agalon still had his arm slung over him, and for a minute Xac was afraid to move.  But he couldn¡¯t wet the bed. He couldn¡¯t. He couldn¡¯t even imagine what would happen if he did, but he knew it would be horrible.  So he moved as slowly as he could, slid inch by inch out of Agalon¡¯s sleeping grasp, and eventually reached the edge of the bed.


    He rolled onto his back and glanced at the sixty tiles on the ceiling, then darted his eyes to the bedpost closest to him.  He reached up, grabbed it, and used it to hoist himself up to a sitting position.


    The room spun and he jerked to grab the post with both hands.


    There was a water closet in the room.  That¡¯s where he needed to go. But it was on Agalon¡¯s side of the bed, and with the way the world titled and flopped around him that seemed an impossible distance.  Still, it needed to be done.


    He hoisted himself to his feet and became instantly afraid that he was going to be sick.  He couldn¡¯t get sick. He couldn¡¯t throw up. He absolutely could not throw up. He had nothing to clean it up with, and Mrs OfAgalon would probably straight up murder him over it.  Maybe if he could make it to the water closet he could throw up in there.


    He leaned heavily on the bed and tried to walk across the floor as it heaved from side to side, but after a few minutes of this he had to admit defeat.  It just wasn¡¯t going to happen.


    He glanced at Agalon to make sure he was still asleep and watched him lying there, the slow rise and fall of his chest, looking perfectly content.  Xac wondered what elves dreamed about. He hadn¡¯t remembered Agalon taking his hair down, but he saw it now, spread out across his pillow. The human men all kept their hair short, kept it out of their faces while they worked.  Only human women really grew their hair out like that, and most of them didn¡¯t even do that. Agalon¡¯s hair was beautiful, the color of golden wheat and as straight as the stalks.


    Xac had to get to the water closet.


    He slowly lowered himself to the ground and began to crawl on all fours.  It was much easier to combat the room this way, especially if he closed his eyes, but he was still afraid the motion was going to make him sick.  He had to sit up on his hands and knees to reach the doorknob, and a wave of nausea overcame him as he did so. He grabbed the frame of the door as it swung open, heaved himself forward, and vomited into the toilet.


    He considered that to be a massive victory.


    He wiped his wet eyes on his arm and wondered where his nice shirt was.  He couldn¡¯t afford to lose it. He needed to find it before MrsOfAgalon found him without it.


    He felt a little better after he had emptied his stomach, and managed to pull himself to his feet, but he didn¡¯t trust his aim so he sat down, bent forward, and leaned heavily on the door to shut it.


    After he had finished he pulled himself up by the basin of the sink, put the stopper into the drain, and pumped it about half full.  He splashed his face in an attempt to cool it down, then cupped his hands, filled them, brought them to his mouth and took in a mouthful.  He swished it around to remove the taste of bile, spit it into the toilet, and thought of how nice it was to have as much water as you wanted available in your house.


    He had gotten lucky.


    Whatever magic his vomiting had worked had made it easier to walk, though it was certainly not being sober.  But he was now reasonably sure that if he held out his arms for balance he wouldn¡¯t have to crawl. So he exited the water closet, pulled the door closed behind him, took a deep breath, held out his arms, and stepped forward.


    He could do that.  It was an improvement.


    He looked back to the bed and saw that Agalon was still asleep with his beautiful hair spread out over his beautiful pillow in his beautiful bed.  Xac was sure he didn¡¯t know he had gotten up, that he was no longer beside him. He thought, for a moment, about trying to wash the jug and basin out now, long before dawn, and getting ahead of Mrs OfAgalon, but he quickly decided against it.  He would either drop it or fall and shatter it.


    Then he had another thought.


    He took slow, deliberate, quiet steps toward the door.


    He turned the knob.


    And it opened.


    He stood there, looking out into the sitting room while the clock ticked away loudly in the stillness of the night, trying to figure out what this information meant.  It seemed important.


    Then he slowly closed the door, turned, and made his way back to the bed.


    He climbed in facing Agalon, pulled the quilt up to his chin, and snuggled into Agalon¡¯s chest.  His master made a happy humming noise, threw his arm over him again and pulled him closer, though he did not seem to wake up.


    Xaxac awoke to a stream of sunlight shining down on his face, and turned to bury himself in Agalon¡¯s embrace again, to use him to block the light.


    But Agalon was gone.


    So he pulled the pillow over his face and moaned in frustration.  He was nowhere near as ill as he had been the first time he awoke, but his head pounded and his stomach was angry at him.  He knew on some level that he needed to eat something, that if he could just get some food into himself he would be alright.


    The sun was annoying him.


    Shit!  The sun!


    He had slept through dawn!  He hadn¡¯t done anything! Mrs OfAgalon was going to kill him!


    He moved the pillow, lamenting his illness, and turned to face the windows.  The curtains were billowing with a comforting breeze on the hot summer day, and he judged from the intense heat and the angle of the light that it had to be midday.


    He pushed himself up slowly on one elbow, then to a sitting position, moving slowly and trying not to upset his body too much.  Agalon was gone, but someone had been into the room without waking him. That didn¡¯t make sense. If Mrs OfAgalon had come in and found him sleeping she would have tanned his hide.  But someone had to have left the tray of fruit and the glass of wine that were sitting on the nightstand on his side of the bed.


    He slowly reached for an apple and took a bite.  It made him feel a little better, so he ate quickly, trying to get anything he could into his stomach.  It was working! The more he ate the less his stomach seemed to hate him, the less his head pounded.


    He took the wine and sipped it.  He wasn¡¯t stupid; he had easily connected the alcohol to the illness, but he thought it was perhaps a trade-off.  You never got something for nothing, and the pain may be the price he had to pay to get that wonderful floaty feeling.  Maybe if he drank it slowly he could maintain the drunkenness without getting sick. Maybe he hadn¡¯t fallen ill because he had drank, but because he had stopped.


    When he was reasonably sure he had his body back under control he stood and took in the room around him.  The only real difference between the room as it had looked last night and the room as it had looked now was that someone had laid his clothes out for him on the little chair beside the table with the mirror on it.  He didn¡¯t see any of the cleaning supplies that Mrs OfAgalon had promised him. So he stood, smoothed out the blankets on the bed, moved the pillows, and tried to arrange it as nicely as it had been arranged when he had arrived.


    When the bed was made, he moved on to his clothes and redressed himself quickly, taking small sips of his wine as he went.  The sickness had dissipated entirely by the time he was fully dressed, so he picked up his wine and made his way to the door.


    The knob would not move.  He was locked in again.


    He had expected as much, but he had also expected that he would have something to do today.  But he had nothing he could be expected to clean with, so he stared dumbly at the door for a few seconds, sipping his wine, then tried something which he expected not to work.


    ¡°Mrs OfAgalon?¡± He asked the silence, and when he received no reply he tried, ¡°Master?¡±


    Nothing, as expected.


    Xac sighed and looked around for anything to do, but without somuchas a rag, there was little to be done.  He set his half empty glass on the dressing table and picked up the pitcher to empty and refill. There was a cake of soap on the sink, but without a sponge, brush, rag, or anything, he couldn¡¯t make much use of it, so he rinsed the jug as best he could, refilled it, and replaced it near the basin, then did the same with the basin itself.


    After a few minutes he went back to the sink and washed his face and arms there, though he was fairly sure he was supposed to do that at the basin, he didn¡¯t want to get it dirty again.


    Tick Tick Tick went the clock in the sitting room.


    Xac wondered if he was very good for a few days if perhaps he could convince Agalon to let him into the sitting room and lock the door from the hall instead.  He probably could. He couldn¡¯t remember much of the night before, but he remembered that Agalon seemed to have taken a liking to him.


    He walked back into the room and picked up his glass, took another sip, and thought he was beginning to feel the effects of it.  The world was starting to get a little fuzzy around the edges, but he didn¡¯t think that the one glass was going to get him full blown drunk, and he missed the feeling.


    He walked over to the dressing mirror to make sure his appearance was up to the high standards of the house, and spent a great deal of time fiddling with his sleeves.  He thought he probably wasn¡¯t supposed to roll them up, but it was too hot for long sleeves. He couldn¡¯t take it.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    He finished off the glass and went to put it back on the tray.  He didn¡¯t know what he was supposed to do with the food waste, but he didn¡¯t want it there when Agalon got home.  He hoped that someone would eventually come up and take it away, because there wasn¡¯t very much he could do with it.


    After a few seconds of staring at peels and cores he climbed back onto the bed, at the foot facing the wall this time, and stared up at the painting hanging there above the headboard.  He had noticed before that it was a landscape, but hadn¡¯t wanted to take everything in too quickly. He knew he would be here, in the room, for a long time, and wanted to try to have something to look forward to, something hidden that he could pull out if the boredom gave way to madness.


    But he had given up that idea easily.  So he leaned back on his hands and stared up at the painting.  It was a landscape, as he had guessed from the few glances he had spared it, and it was very well done.  It depicted the manor house and the fields stretching out behind it, with a bit of the barn peeking out, but with one glaring flaw.  Whoever had painted the picture had neglected to add the slave quarters. Xac and his family were apparently not important enough to note.  He felt some sort of way about this, but could not identify the emotion, so he allowed himself to fall backwards and began to count the ceiling tiles again.


    There were sixty.


    After he had grown bored with this activity he stood and walked the short distance to the wardrobe, then pulled open the one he believed belonged to Agalon.  Xac wasn¡¯t used to nice clothes and he thought that it was, at least, something to look at. He pulled open the doors and stared at the clothing hanging there.


    Xaxac knew nothing of the Urillian military, and so assumed that Agalon must really like the color green.  Nearly all of his clothes were green, and nearly all looked as if they were made for winter. He didn¡¯t understand how Agalon hadn¡¯t had a heat stroke; he had seen that sort of thing happen before, on the fields, to people who dressed too heavily or didn¡¯t drink enough water.  They would pass out and appear dead.


    He stretched out the long sleeve of a jacket and ran his fingertips over it.  The material was heavy and structured, but soft to the touch. It was completely smooth, with even weaving, until he got to the hemline, which was embroidered with gold thread.  He liked the contrast of the texture there, and ran his thumb over it again and again until his ears perked up.


    Someone was in the sitting room!


    He hastily closed the wardrobe , put his hands behind his back, and stood at the foot of the bed.


    The doorknob jingled, and he hoped and prayed that Agalon was back from whatever it was he did during the day, wherever it was he had gone.


    But of course it wasn¡¯t.  It was Mrs OfAgalon, followed by two men dressed similarly to Xac himself, whom he had never met.


    ¡°Good morning, mam,¡± He said chipperly.


    ¡°Morning?¡± She asked with a huff, ¡°It¡¯s nearly noon.  Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve been lying about all day?¡±


    ¡°You said you was gonna leave me stuff to clean with,¡± Xac said, ¡°I ain¡¯t had nothin to do.  I¡¯m bored.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s bored,¡± one of the men said to the other and rolled his eyes, ¡°Poor little thing.¡±


    He had walked to the wardrobes while he spoke, and the other man glanced at Xaxac as he followed him.


    ¡°What are y¡¯all doin?¡± Xac asked as one man tilted the empty wardrobe heavily and the other moved to the other side and picked it up from the bottom.  That action alone answered his question, so he asked, ¡°Y¡¯all want some help?¡±


    The men ignored him and walked out of the room with the wardrobe.


    Mrs OfAgalon made her way to the other wardrobe and opened it, and Xac watched her face scrunch up in anger.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even clean them out for us?  You really haven¡¯t done anything all day, have you?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know I was supposed to clean um out,¡± Xac said politely, trying his best not to let her get to him.


    ¡°The Master has ordered a new set from craftsmen,¡± Mrs OfAgalon explained as if Xaaxc should know this already, ¡°He went out early this morning and is planning to return this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯d he get furniture from?¡± Xac asked in confusion, ¡°Ain¡¯t nothin around here, is it?¡±


    Xaxac had never been to town, but he did know people who went visiting on their Sundays off, and he had never known any of them to go to town.  He didn¡¯t think there was anything in the immediate area except more farms. There was, however, apparently a road, so maybe there was a town somewhere.  Either way no one had told him to do anything.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s none of my business,¡± Mrs OfAgalon said as she began to take the clothing carefully out of the wardrobe and stack them neatly on Xac¡¯s bed, which essentially cut his living space in half.


    ¡°You want some help?¡± He asked.


    ¡°It would behoove you,¡± She continued as if he hadn¡¯t said anything, ¡°To learn to mind your business.  If something does not concern you, keep your mouth shut about it.¡±


    ¡°Yes mam,¡± Xac said, and stood there doing nothing while she unloaded the linens and stacked them on the bed as well.


    He watched her in silence for some time as she repeated this action with the drawers, and he had no idea what he was meant to do with himself.  He walked to the doorway and looked out of it to see that when the men had carried the wardrobe out they had left the door to the sitting room wide open.


    ¡°You want me to take this tray back down to the kitchen?¡± Xac asked, ¡°I kinda don¡¯t wanna leave it up here.  It don¡¯t look clean.¡±


    ¡°You stay right where you are,¡± she demanded, so Xac took a step away from the door, folded his hands in the small of his back again, and looked around nervously.


    Mrs OfAgalon worked in silence, and Xac stared at her, trying to think of something to say to her.  He didn¡¯t really understand why she didn¡¯t like him. Sure, they had gotten off on the wrong foot, but he hadn¡¯t wronged her in any meaningful way; he had just avoided getting hit.  That was a reflex. No one should be blamed for that.


    But she was important.  She was in charge. And he needed to get her to like him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯ve not done nothin,¡± he said quietly, ¡°I try real hard, I promise I do.  I just¡­ didn¡¯t have nothing to clean with, and I got real sick. I think drinkin makes me sick, but Ag- the Master wanted me to drink so I did.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too young to drink,¡± she said judgmentally.  ¡°And drunkenness is not an excuse.¡±


    ¡°I wish I could talk to my mommy,¡± Xac said, more to himself than to her.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t a baby,¡± She scolded.


    Xac sighed and unfolded his hands to play with them while he watched her work.  After an unbearably long amount of time had passed, he tried another question.


    ¡°Are you scared of me?¡±


    ¡°Why on god¡¯s green Xren would I be afraid of you?¡± She asked as if the question was ridiculous- but she did not portray that emotion very well.  Xac noticed the way her voice shot up, the way she hit the wrong syllables, as if her voice wanted to tremble and she would not let it.


    ¡°On account of I¡¯m a monster,¡± Xac stepped forward and leaned heavily on a bedpost, ¡°Some folks is scared of shifters.  They tell stories about us.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve told the master,¡± Mrs OfAgalon said, and Xac noticed the way she refused to look at him, ¡°But respectable folks don¡¯t believe rumors started by petulant youths trying to lie their way into good graces.¡±


    ¡°It ain¡¯t a lie,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°You are in severe need of a number of lessons,¡± Mrs OfAgalon said as if Xaxac was below her, was annoying her.  ¡°You have absolutely no idea how to conduct yourself.¡±


    Xaxac didn¡¯t really register this as an insult, though she had obviously meant it as one.  It was true, the kind of truth that could not reasonably be denied, and therefore simply a fact.  She may as well have called him a brunette.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t raised up for it,¡± he agreed, ¡°Nobody never said nothin about me workin here.¡±


    ¡°Do you feel the need to supply any space with endless chitchat?¡± Mrs OfAgalon asked, ¡°Do you have a fear that if you were to stop speaking for a few minutes you would die?¡±


    ¡°Do you have to be so mean all the time?¡± Xac asked before he could stop himself, ¡°Are you scared that if somebody was to like you you would die?¡±


    Mrs OfAgalon turned around to glare at him, but before she could speak another voice rang through the room.


    ¡°Are ya up, Honey Bunny?¡± Agalon asked as he strode into the room and ran a hand down Xac¡¯s shirt to smooth it out, ¡°Don¡¯t you look cute?  How¡¯d you sleep?¡±


    ¡°I loved it!¡± Xac said earnestly and leaned into the touch as Agalon wrapped an arm around him, ¡°I ain¡¯t never had a bed like that before!  It¡¯s so big and soft! I¡¯m glad I had you with me, though. I was scared to sleep alone.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I reckon you¡¯re probably scared of lots of stuff,¡± Agalon agreed, ¡°That¡¯s actually why I come back up here.  I thought about that and I didn¡¯t want to leave you alone while they was up here takin out the furniture. You don¡¯t need to be around a lot of new people until you get acclimatized.  Did they wake you up?¡±


    ¡°No, Master, I was up,¡± Xac promised, ¡°I swear I didn¡¯t mean to sleep all day!  I ain¡¯t used to drinkin! I think it made me sick!¡±


    ¡°I left you a hair of the dog,¡± Agalon said as if that meant something, but Xac had no idea what, so he settled on a safe, polite response.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Why are we back to ¡®Master¡¯?¡± Agalon asked, ¡°I thought I was ¡®Aggie¡¯.¡±


    Xac stared up at him in horror.  He had no idea what he was talking about.  Alice had explained to him how important the ranking system was.  Surely he hadn¡¯t been that stupid, had he? But he couldn¡¯t remember much of the night before, so it was possible.  Anything was possible.


    ¡°God above, they¡¯ve scared the hell outta you,¡± Agalon said as he read the expression on Xac¡¯s face, ¡°Don¡¯t be scared of Nacy, darlin, she ain¡¯t gonna hurt you.  Look, Honey Bunny, I know you¡¯re skittish. I shoulda come up here quicker. I shouldn¡¯t have folks up here without me. But we¡¯re gonna get some new furniture,¡± he turned to smile down at him and laid a finger on his nose again, then took it quickly away, and Xac giggled.  ¡°I need somewhere to put the cute outfits I¡¯m gonna get ya.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t gotta get me a bunch of stuff, Master,¡± Xac leaned into his chest and snuggled there, then risked a glance at Mrs OfAgalon, but she was busy and completely ignoring him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have lunch,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I have to head back out after we get the furniture moved and I¡¯m starving.¡±  He turned his attention to Mrs OfAgalon and said, ¡°Nacy, darlin, can you have somethin brought up?¡±


    ¡°Of course, master,¡± She stood and walked away on command, and Xac stared after her, then looked up at Agalon and frowned.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she likes me,¡± He pouted, ¡°When I first come here she tried to hit me.¡±


    ¡°She hit you?¡± Agalon asked, ¡°When?¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t hit me,¡± Xac said, ¡°She just tried to.  I jumped back.¡± He wrapped his arms around Agalon and buried his face in his chest, ¡°She got mad because she wanted to take the clothes my mama made for me and I wouldn¡¯t give them to her so she tried to hit me.  She don¡¯t like me!¡± He wondered how difficult it would be to make one¡¯s self cry, and found that it was much easier than he expected when he thought of his mother, of the clothes she had made for him that he had lost, of how he may never see her again.


    ¡°Honey Bunny, everybody likes you,¡± Agalon assured him, and Xac felt his nails scratching at his scalp, ¡°Shss, you¡¯re just overwhelmed.¡±


    After another few seconds of Xac crying into his shirt he spoke again, ¡°Darlin, you must have got confused.  She probably just didn¡¯t want you bringing anything like that into the house. You don¡¯t need it anymore. Here, shss, stop crying.¡± He pulled Xac away so that he could look down at him, cupped his face and tiled it up to force him to look into his eyes, ¡°We¡¯ll get you some new clothes, alright?  And I want you to rest assured that nobody is going to hurt you. Listen, I have to go to work to supervise the fighters because the season is about to start, but when I get home we¡¯ll have a nice evening together, alright? I¡¯ll have someone come in and move these clothes out of our way.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Xac said, ¡°I¡¯m just,¡± he steeled his mind- and decided to lie, ¡°scared of her!¡±


    ¡°Everything is going to be alright.¡± Agalon promised, then looked up as the two men came back into the room.  He pointed at the wardrobe and said, ¡°That one may still need to be unloaded. Careful, gentlemen, don¡¯t hit anything else while you move it.¡±


    He looked down at Xac, then stood upright, wrapped an arm around him, and continued, ¡°Boys, actually, could I have a minute of your time while y¡¯all do that?  I¡¯ve been hearin some rumors about my housekeeper.¡±


    Xac leaned into Agalon¡¯s side and hid his smile in the fabric of his shirt.

 Chapter 11

    Xac laid on the bed and stared up at the ceiling.  There were sixty tiles there. He had discovered by lifting the rugs and peering under the bed that the wooden planks that made up the floor ran down in twenty narrow rows, but they were much longer than they were wide.  They weren¡¯t all the same length, but by his best count there were eighty of them.


    There were sixty tiles on the ceiling and eighty planks in the floorboards.  There was a zero at the end of each of those numbers, and Xac wondered if that meant something, but he couldn¡¯t figure out anything it could mean.  It had to be a coincidence, but it seemed important, because Xac had to make things important to occupy his mind.


    He was beginning to think things that he feared he could believe, if left to his own devices.  He was beginning to wonder if a person could make another person hear them just by believing hard enough, by concentrating as hard as they could and trying to send a message to someone, for example, to their mother.  Mothers were supposed to have intuition, to be able to know things about their children that they should not know.


    But if it worked there was no indication.  She didn¡¯t try to send any sort of message back.  Still, even with all the evidence against him, Xac was afraid he could find himself believing things which were not true.


    Tick tick tick went the clock in the sitting room.


    Agalon had said that he would be back in the evening, so Xac was trying his best to wait for the sun to set.  If he could make it to sunset, he would be alright. He would likely be more than alright. Agalon was nice to him; he was the only person here who was nice to him.  He¡¯d probably get him drunk again. He was apparently buying new furniture because Xac was here. Xac thought that the wardrobe had belonged to his old pleasure slave, and that whoever that was had destroyed it by carving those strange marks into it.  Xac was worried he was going to destroy the new furniture. He still had a couple of weeks before the moons would be full, but he needed to bring it up. He couldn¡¯t get drunk and forget. He needed to tell Agalon that he couldn¡¯t control himself as a beast.  He had to make a point to do that.


    There were six pedals on each flower, and sixty flowers on the ceiling.  There were three hundred and sixty pedals.


    He loves me.


    He loves me not.


    If he counted each flower individually, he always got the same answer.


    He loves me not.


    He turned his head to look out the open window, and saw the sunlight still streaming into the room.


    He loves me.


    He loves me not.


    He looked back to the ceiling and counted, individually, every petal of every flower, starting from the upper-left corner of the room and moving to the right, then down and back again, three hundred and sixty times.


    Tick Tick Tick was the rythem of his counting as he spoke aloud.


    ¡°He loves me.  He loves me not.  He loves me.¡±


    Three hundred and sixty petals.


    Real flowers that grew from the ground, almost always had an odd number of petals.  But odd numbers were not aesthetically pleasing. It was prettier for background elements in architecture to be symmetrical, to have an equal number of petals on each side, regardless of where the decorative flower was divided.


    ¡°He loves me.  He loves me not.¡±


    Because every flower was the same, with no variation, as if they had been made from some sort of mold, every flower gave the same answer, including the very last one, tucked away in a corner on the far side of the room.


    ¡°He loves me not.¡±


    Xac frowned.  He was afraid that, if he let himself, he would start to think that decorative pictures of flowers could be used for divination.  He scooted back a little, sat up against the pillows, and looked at the paintings Agalon¡¯s late wife had made. Each flower there had five petals.


    ¡°He loves me.  He loves me not.  He loves me. He loves me not.  He loves me.¡±


    Xac smirked and turned to look out the window.


    She sun was still shining.


    He turned and looked at the empty space on the bed that had once held Agalon¡¯s clothes.  They had all been taken away, silently, by the two men who had moved the wardrobe while Xac and Agalon ate their lunch.  Xac had eaten another salad, and was beginning to wonder if he was ever going to eat anything other than raw produce. But that was fine.  At least it was good. Everything was fresh, pretty, and perfect.


    Eighty wooden floorboards.  Sixty ceiling tiles. Three hundred and seventy petals, if he counted the ones on the pictures.


    One boy in a room meant to house two people.


    He looked back to the window, but the sunlight still streamed in.


    ¡°Little bunny foo foo,


    Hopping through the forest


    Scooping up the field mice


    And bopping them on the heads,¡± Xac sang in an attempt to entertain himself.  He thought that there was more to the song, but he couldn¡¯t remember it, so he tried a different rhyme:


    ¡°The itsy bitsy spider


    Went up the water spout


    Down came the rain


    And washed the spider out¡­¡±  That one also had more to it, but he couldn¡¯t remember it.  He couldn¡¯t remember anything. He thought isolation was, perhaps, making him stupid.  Normally if he couldn¡¯t remember something he would ask someone, but now there was no one to ask.  He only had what was already in his mind. And he knew so little. He should have been more curious, but ¡®curiosity kills the cat¡¯- no, no there was more to that, too.


    He couldn¡¯t cobble together many thoughts from half-remembered nonsense.


    So he stared up at the ceiling and began to count again.


    But he knew the answer.


    It was sixty.


    When the sun disappeared below the horizon and was replaced with the shadows of twilight Xac jumped from the bed and headed to the mirror.  He smoothed out his clothes until they looked, to his mind, perfect, then picked up one of the combs from Agalon¡¯s vanity. He moved it to his hair but paused.  Something was shimmering.


    Xac picked out the golden hairs that clung to it and stared at them.


    They didn¡¯t feel the way he expected they would.  They were significantly more coarse, and he frowned in puzzlement.  Xac knew that his hair was softer than most people¡¯s- Agalon was not the only person to comment on it- but the elf¡¯s hair had looked almost like fabric when he had seen it splayed out on the pillow.  It wasn¡¯t abrasive by any means but¡­ Xac¡¯s was softer. Maybe it was because he had so little of it. Maybe it felt better in a lock.


    There was no wastebasket in the room, so he walked to the water closet and threw it into the toilet.  He didn¡¯t know what else to do with things one was supposed to throw away.


    Then he set about the task of combing out his own hair- and found that it wasn¡¯t tangled at all.  It fell into place instantly. Of course it did. He hadn¡¯t actually done anything. He hadn¡¯t moved very much at all, hadn¡¯t tousled it over the course of a workday, hadn¡¯t taken a hat on and off, hadn¡¯t sweated into it or run his hands through it to get that sweat out, hadn¡¯t felt the need to scratch his scalp or pull his hair away  from his head to relieve the heat.


    He hadn¡¯t done anything.


    There was no hair to pick from the comb, so he put it back in the container with the rest of the objects and went to look out the window.


    People were moving from the fields, presumably toward their homes, and the kitchen was lit in the dim evening, presumably from that huge fire he had seen burning his first day in the house.


    No one noticed him.


    It was almost dark.  Where was Agalon?


    He turned his gaze skyward, watching the stars blink into existence, but he wasn¡¯t concerned with them.  He was concerned with the moons.


    They hung in the sky, very close together and almost the same size.  One was brighter than the other, a stark white, while the other, a little dimmer, was the color of silver.  Many people thought the moons were beautiful, but Xac knew what they were. Xac knew what the moons could portend.


    Tick Tick Tick said the clock.


    Click went the door to the sitting room.


    Agalon was home!


    Xac darted from the window and stood beside the bed with his hands tucked into the groove of his lower back and listened to the sounds coming from the sitting room.  Seconds ticked by and he began to wonder what was happening, why he hadn¡¯t opened the door yet, hadn¡¯t let him out yet. He couldn¡¯t remember what he had done the night before, but Agalon hadn¡¯t acted as if he was angry during their lunch together.


    He was moving around in the sitting room; Xac heard his footsteps, much heavier than any of the slaves, even Mrs OfAgalon.  He thought he could identify people by sound alone, but what if he was wrong? What if it wasn¡¯t Agalon, but some slave who had come to clean, or to bring up their dinner?  His shoulders fell.


    Slowly he took a step forward, then another, until he was standing before the door.  He leaned forward and pressed his ear to the wood.


    Tick tick tick went the clock.


    Swish went something that sounded like fabric.


    Scrape went the sound of wood against carpet.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Click went something that Xac was unfamiliar with, then a swishing sound, then a tapping, and he could not understand what Agalon was doing.


    He steeled his courage, and spoke in the cutest, most needy voice he could manage.


    ¡°Master?¡± He asked.


    ¡°In a minute, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon said like a person pretending to be pleasant.  Xac imagined that he thought he hid the strain in his voice.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Xac said, but he did not move.


    There was more tapping, then a different sort of tapping, as if someone were impatiently tapping their fingers against a wooden surface.  Then a scraping, as if someone had moved a chair over a carpet. Then, the sound of Agalon¡¯s footfalls.


    Xac¡¯s eyes shot open and he hopped backwards, hoping that he hadn¡¯t just made a huge mistake as he watched the doorknob move, heard the clink of a key sliding into place, and watched the door slide open.


    Agalon smiled sweetly at him, and Xac tried his best to match the emotion presented on his face, to smile back.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, darlin, I got some stuff I gotta take care of before dinner.¡±  He spoke as he approached Xac and gently cupped his face, ¡°Can you be good for a little bit longer?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I bothered you,¡± Xac said earnestly, leaning into the only touch he had felt since Agalon had left him hours ago, ¡°I just¡­  wanted to see you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s sweet, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon chuckled, but he seemed distracted, ¡°Actually¡­  why don¡¯t you come on in here? It might help me to have somebody to talk to.¡± He stared down at Xaxac and tilted his head, ¡°Or, you could be a big distraction.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be quiet!¡± Xac promised, ¡°I won¡¯t do anything.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do anything to be distracting, darlin,¡± Agalon laughed again, but Xac felt as if he wasn¡¯t supposed to.


    Instead, he pouted.  He tried to look as pathetic as possible; he was trying to channel a neglected pet, but he wasn¡¯t sure he had pulled it off.  He had never had a pet and had little more than his instincts to guide him.


    ¡°Alright, come on,¡± Agalon smiled, ¡°I can¡¯t say no to you.¡±


    He ran his thumb under Xaxac¡¯s eye, moving in gentle tiny circles, before he turned and walked back into the sitting room.  He had thrown his cape over the chair at his writing desk, and that is where he sat. Some papers had been laid out on it, with lines going in both horizontal and vertical directions to create little rectangles.  A lot of the rectangles had little squiggles in them, going from the upper left outward, but those near the bottom right were left empty.


    ¡°Come and sit next to me,¡± Agalon said as he sat down, and because Xac saw no chair he took a seat on the carpet facing the desk and laid his head against Agalon¡¯s thigh.


    At least the desk was something new to look at, something he hadn¡¯t seen before.  He listened to the same sounds he had heard before as Agalon stuck a quill into an inkwell, tapped it against the side to remove the excess ink, and began to write.


    The desk had three drawers directly in front of Xaxac, each with a little metal pull knob that was so shiny he could see himself in them.  He hadn¡¯t sat on the floor very often since he had moved to the big house, and the action reminded him of the way he and his sister used to sit in front of the fire while their father would tell them stories.  He wondered if Agalon knew any stories, but he knew he had to be quiet.


    Tick Tick Tick went the clock.


    Scrape Scrape Scrape went Agalon¡¯s quill.


    ¡°Do you wanna know what I¡¯m doing?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to bother you,¡± Xac whispered.  The room was so still that it felt like a quiet time, like he wasn¡¯t supposed to speak.


    ¡°You¡¯re not bothering me, darlin,¡± Agalon reached down, ran a hand through his hair, and scratched at his scalp.  ¡°The season is starting up here soon. I gotta get these books done before the first match.¡±


    Xac understood about every third word he had said, and it must have showed on his face because Agalon clarified, ¡°For the cage fighters.  I¡¯ve got a side business. I run a team of cage fighters.¡±


    Xac nodded as if he understood, but he very clearly didn¡¯t.


    ¡°If you can prove to me that I can trust you,¡± Agalon smiled down at him, ¡°I¡¯ll show you.  Maybe I can take you with me when I travel.¡±


    ¡°Take me with you?¡± Xac asked excitedly, ¡°Travelin?  Like, to town?¡±


    ¡°First match is in Basilglen,¡± Agalon said, but Xac didn¡¯t know what that was.  He thought, from the inflection and context clues, that maybe that was another word for town.


    ¡°I¡¯d love to go!¡± he said, ¡°I promise I¡¯ll be really good!  I ain¡¯t never done no travelin before!¡±


    Agalon laughed, then stared down at him with a soft, comforting smile.


    ¡°Everything is so exciting for you,¡± he said, ¡°You¡¯re so young and cute.  You ain¡¯t got a care in the world.¡± He scratched at his scalp again, then scooted his chair out.  ¡°Come here, sit in my lap.¡±


    Xac hopped up and into his lap in one motion, then squirmed, turned, and kicked his legs over the arm of the chair to lean against the other arm.  He wrapped his arms around Agalon and cuddled into his chest.


    ¡°You said we were gonna have fun when you got home,¡± Xac said quietly, ¡°But I¡­  I gotta tell you somethin.¡±


    ¡°What you got to tell me, Honey Bunny?¡± Agalon asked and moved his left arm to support Xac¡¯s back while he took up the quill again with his right and began to write.


    ¡°Here in a couple weeks,¡± Xac said, ¡°I¡¯m¡­  I¡¯m gonna shift. It just happens. I can¡¯t control it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m lookin forward to it,¡± Agalon smiled, and Xac realized that he was squiggling inside the boxes, filling them out in a specific order moving from the left and top to the right and down.


    ¡°I¡­  I really can¡¯t control it, though,¡± Xac emphasized, ¡°I¡­  you gonna have to tie me down- actually, you can¡¯t even tie me down no more; I can get outta them.  You gonna have to chain me up.¡±


    ¡°You want chains?¡± Agalon¡¯s grip tightened, his eyebrows shot up, and his pen stopped moving.  He seemed to have stiffened as if he was angry, but he didn¡¯t look angry, he looked interested.


    ¡°So I don¡¯t tear nothin up,¡± Xac explained, ¡°I¡¯m a monster.  You gotta chain me up so I don¡¯t tear nothin up. If you buy new furniture and whatnot and I tear it up I won¡¯t never forgive myself.  And you¡¯ll hate me.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t never gonna hate you, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon squeezed him, pulling him closer to his chest, in a hug, then relaxed his grip, ¡°But you want chains I¡¯ll get ya some chains.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Xac hugged him back, but when he leaned back to sit on his lap as he had before, he found he had difficulty getting comfortable.  Agalon had something in his pocket that was at exactly the wrong angle.


    ¡°Stop squirming,¡± Agalon told him, not exactly sternly, but despite the playful manner in which the command was delivered, Xac suspected that he meant it.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Xac leaned his head against his shoulder.


    ¡°Chains¡­¡± Agalon repeated and dipped his quil into the ink again, tapped it, then seemed to change his mind.  He let go of Xac¡¯s back and reached for a cloth, cleaned the quill, and set it into the groove of the desk.


    ¡°I can do this in the morning,¡± he said, ¡°You hop up, darling.  I¡¯ll go ring for our dinner.¡±


    Xac stood to let him up and watched him walk out of the sitting room, then he heard a bell chiming from the hallway.  He looked down at the thing Agalon had been writing, and noticed that many of the squiggles repeated. They were written a little differently from the others, and he thought that if, perhaps, he had had more time, he could have worked out what the pattern meant.


    But then Agalon was back, and he wrapped his arms around Xac from behind.  Xac leaned into the affection and giggled.


    ¡°I know that new people make you skittish,¡± Agalon said as he cuddled Xac to his chest, ¡°So I think I should warn you that a pageboy will be bringing out our food, rather than Nancy.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s Nancy?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°The housekeeper, darlin, you know her.  You told me she hit you.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Xac said and wiggled until he was facing Agalon and could play with the fabric of his tunic, ¡°She makes us all call her ¡®Mrs OfAgalon¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t that get confusing for you humans?¡± Agalon asked, ¡°Ain¡¯t a lot of you gonna be Mrs OfAgalon?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I said!¡± Xac laughed, then he absorbed the information Agalon had just given him and asked, ¡°Why ain¡¯t she comin if she was supposed to?¡±


    ¡°Cause she ain¡¯t here, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I sent her off to be reprimanded.¡±


    ¡°Reprimanded?¡± Xac asked.


    There was a knock at the door and Agalon leaned back to yell, ¡°Come in!¡± but did not stop cuddling until he saw that it was a slave boy holding a tray who had turned to pick up something that looked, to Xac, like a folding table.  He also had two bottles of wine strapped to his back with a sort of belt. The sheer amount he was carrying seemed impressive to Xac, especially given how small he was.


    ¡°Just set it down on the table,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I¡¯ll serve myself.¡±  He slid a hand to the small of Xac¡¯s back and began to lead him towards the table.


    The pageboy was around Xac¡¯s age; Xac watched him with interest as Agalon pulled out his chair and he took a seat.  Xac knew that he often complained about people moving slowly, but this boy moved at a pace the overrode ¡®annoying¡¯ and went straight into ¡®infuriating¡¯.  Xac tried not to get aggravated with him, though, because he seemed to be doing his best. He grimaced when he put weight on his left leg, and he seemed to move slowly because moving at all caused him pain.


    ¡°You¡¯re Jimmy, ain¡¯t you?¡± Agalon asked as he took his seat.  ¡°I told the cook to send Jimmy up. I wanted to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, master,¡± Jimmy said, and Xac connected the name to the boy his sister had spoken of.  This was the boy he had made fun of, the one who had dropped a tray of glasses and been beaten so badly for it that he had been permanently disfigured.  When Xac had said that a person should have ¡®been able to hold a glass¡¯ he hadn¡¯t thought of a tray the size Jimmy was currently carrying. When he had seen that tray, loaded down as it was, he had been impressed that he could hold it, along with the table, and walk up three flights of stairs without spilling anything.  That was a skill. A skill that would have had to have been learned. It was absolutely within the realm of possibility that any normal person would drop it before they learned what they were doing, especially a child. Mrs OfAgalon was crazy.


    ¡°I did some interviews earlier today,¡± Agalon said conversationally as Jimmy unfolded the little table he had brought with one hand, then gently, carefully, slowly lowered the tray onto it.  His movements told Xac that he would never drop another tray. That was a lesson he only needed to be taught once. He began to take things off of it and arrange them on the table, moving around it as he did so to stand behind and to the left of the person he was closest too.  It bothered Xac that he was letting someone do something for him when it was obviously hurting him, but he thought that if he got up to help it would insult everyone. Jimmy would be angry that Xac thought he needed help, and Agalon would be angry that he had done something he hadn¡¯t been told to do.  So he sat there with his hands folded in his lap, hating the thing that was happening around him as much as a person could hate a thing and still allow it to happen.


    ¡°I was told,¡± Agalon went on, ¡°that when you was younger you broke a whole collection of wine glasses during a ball I was havin for the mask festival.  Full glasses. Cost a fortune.¡±


    Jimmy paused with a covered dish still in his hand that he was about to set in front of Xaxac, and for that brief moment they locked eyes, and Xac knew that they were thinking the same thing.


    But there was nothing either of them could do about it.


    ¡°Is that right?¡± Agalon asked.  ¡°You ain¡¯t in trouble; I¡¯m tryin to run some numbers.  I mean, don¡¯t do that, it ain¡¯t great, that shit is expensive.  They ain¡¯t givin glass away. What are we, the Fire Colony?¡±


    ¡°Yes, master,¡± Jimmy admitted, ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°Your leg hurt?¡± Agalon asked, glancing down, ¡°Looks like it hurts.  You know what you look like? When I was on active duty, I saw fellers on the field with broke bones who still had to run for their lives.  You look like what they looked like before they got to healers.¡±


    He seemed to want some response to this, so Jimmy sat the dish before Xac and considered his words carefully.


    ¡°I can manage,¡± he said, ¡°I know I¡­  folks say I move slow, but I promise I¡¯ll speed it up.  I ain¡¯t¡­ I get everything done I¡¯m supposed to.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Agalon said, ¡°So that happened a few years back.  I¡¯d say you only get about half the work done you could.¡± He tapped his fingers against the table and said, as if Xac and Jimmy would know what he meant, ¡°Bitch has cost me a fortune in property damage.  You ain¡¯t the only one. Alright.¡± He spoke as if he had made a decision, ¡°I¡¯m having a vet brought in and you¡¯re all getting checkups. All of you. Nip this in the bud right now. I didn¡¯t spend money on humans for her to smash them up.  Do y¡¯all fight in captivity? I mean, I know you do, I¡¯ve read about it, but I didn¡¯t think my humans did that.  No more fightin. I catch anybody else fightin I¡¯m sendin them off for reprimandin.  Not here, not among yourselves for no reason. Y¡¯all can kill each other like that. I want it to end.  Now.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t never been in a fight!¡± Xac promised, ¡°I ain¡¯t never started nothin!  I¡¯m a good boy! You can ask anybody who knows me!¡±


    ¡°I know you ain¡¯t, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon smiled at him, then, to Jimmy he said, ¡°That broke, you healed it wrong, and then walked around it it.  You grew with it healed wrong and now one of your legs is too short. We¡¯ll have to go and break it again, set it, stretch it, and give you a bunch of potions or somethin, but a week or two and we¡¯ll put an end to this and you can pull your weight.¡±  He turned back to Xac and said, ¡°I was a medic, during the war when we took the Water Colony.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­  going to fix me?¡± Jimmy asked as he set the dish before Agalon, then came in with his glass.


    ¡°And anybody else,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Tell me this kinda thing from now on.  I need to know what goes on in my own goddamn house. This is ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°Yes master,¡± Jimmy said, and Xac could see how hard he was trying to contain his joy, ¡°Thank you master!¡±


    He set the two bottles of wine on the table with a huge smile.


    ¡°That will be all,¡± Agalon said, so Jimmy gathered up his tray and his folding table, and moved slowly out of the room.

 Chapter 12

    ¡°You¡¯re so sweet!¡± Xac said as he took another glass of his wine.  He wasn¡¯t keeping track of it, and Agalon seemed content to let him have as much as he wanted; they seemed to have an endless supply.  And Xac had certainly developed a taste for it. He felt warm and fuzzy again; his head was floaty and all his problems and annoyances were a million miles away.


    ¡°You¡¯re sweet, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon said and plopped down on the sofa next to Xac.


    ¡°I mean it!¡± Xac was moving much more expressively than he meant to, standing on his knees on the couch, and he nearly spilled his wine before Agalon put a hand over his to steady it, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could fix people!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I¡¯m a medic, not a vet.  I mean, I guess I could, but I¡¯m gonna farm this out to somebody, make sure they get it right, this first time.  I can¡¯t have half my stock crippled. She won¡¯t do that again. I need somebody punished I¡¯ll do it my damn self.  That ain¡¯t her call.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who she thinks she is,¡± Xac agreed, ¡°She was mean to me.  An¡¯ after that she called me a liar right straight to my face.¡±


    ¡°She did?¡± Agalon asked as he tried to guide Xac into a sitting position, and he fell into line easily as he drained the rest of his glass.


    Agalon took it from him and refilled it.


    ¡°Yeah, she don¡¯t think I¡¯m a shifter,¡± Xac huffed, ¡°Like a body¡¯d lie about somethin like that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t reckon you know how to lie,¡± Agalon told him as he handed him the full glass, ¡°Good boys don¡¯t lie.¡±


    ¡°I dunno, Aggie,¡± Xac said, then paused to take another drink.  ¡°I think good boys lie to ugly folks. Somebody asks you how they look sometimes you can¡¯t just tell um.¡±


    Agalon burst out laughing, and Xac loved the sound of it, so he giggled along, though he hadn¡¯t meant to tell a joke.  This had been very practical advice given to him by his mother. He felt far more bold than he did sober, and after the loneliness he had endured for the past few days he took every opportunity he could for contact.  Agalon seemed perfectly willing to cuddle with him, so he tried to climb into his lap again, but he was stopped as Agalon, once again, laid a hand over his.


    ¡°If you¡¯re gonna move around, darlin, give me that before you spill it,¡± Agalon said as he took the glass from him.  Xac whined at its absence so he promised, ¡°You can have it back when you get where you¡¯re goin. Where you goin?¡±


    ¡°I wanna cuddle!¡± Xac said, ¡°I like it.¡±


    Agalon smiled at him, then leaned down to kiss him on the forehead.  He sat the glass on the coffee table and helped Xac slide into his lap, guiding him by the hips when he tried to change positions.  Xac had meant to sit the way he had always sat before, with his little face pressed to Agalon¡¯s chest and his legs spread out on the sofa, but Agalon guided him so that he was sitting on his knees, more straddling his lap than sitting on it, facing him.  But he kept his arms around him, and pressed Xac into his chest, and he was able to lay his head on his shoulder, so it was good enough.


    ¡°You¡¯re so cute,¡± Agalon said again as he ran a hand through Xac¡¯s hair, almost as if he was petting some sort of animal.


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Xac said chipperly, ¡°I am!¡±


    He didn¡¯t remember that ¡®cute¡¯ was a descriptor he would not have always used for himself, but he had heard it so much lately that it seemed to be true.  He also had much more access to his own reflection, as it was the only other person he saw for most of the day, and he had come to find that he did quite enjoy it.  He was cute, especially in fancy clothes surrounded by fancy things.


    ¡°Sit back,¡± Agalon guided him back a little, ¡°I wanna look at you.¡±


    Xac leaned back until he was actually sitting on his lap and gave what he thought was his cutest smile.  His teeth were cute too, he thought, partially because they were unlike everyone else¡¯s. His two front teeth were bigger in his mouth than they were on most people, and the uniqueness likely made it desirable.


    ¡°I want my drink,¡± Xac said, because it was true, and once again that was his only criteria for speaking.  He tried to lean back to get it, but Agalon held him with a hand on either side of his face. He slowly ran his thumb across Xac¡¯s bottom lip, and Xac wondered for a moment if he had cut it or chewed through it or something, because the only time anyone else had touched him like that was to check for a wound.  He licked out of instinct, but tasted no blood. He seemed to be perfectly fine.


    Whatever.


    ¡°Aggie,¡± Xac whined, ¡°Can I have more wine?¡±


    ¡°No, darlin, you might get drunk, and I want you sober...ish for this.  I want you to remember it. You can get drunk after, I promise.¡± Agalon explained, staring down at him, but not at his eyes, which Xac also didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Xac deflated a little, but did his best to pretend he wasn¡¯t disappointed, ¡°Ok!  I¡¯ll try! I don¡¯t think I remember too good when I¡¯m drunk.¡±


    ¡°You ain¡¯t drunk, you¡¯re tipsy,¡± Agalon explained, ¡°There¡¯s a pretty big difference.  Are you happy, Honey Bunny? You like it here?¡±


    ¡°I love it here!¡± Xac said and grabbed at Agalon¡¯s wrists.


    ¡°You¡¯ll like it even more when I can take you out,¡± Agalon promised, ¡°When I know I can trust you.  I wanna get you a whole new wardrobe.¡±


    ¡°Is it gonna be cute?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Honey Bunny, you could make a tater sack cute,¡± Agalon giggled.  ¡°You know I love you, right?¡±


    He had said this once before, and it had been strange then; it was a little less strange now that Xac knew to expect it, now that he understood what he meant.  Xac was a cute pet, and as long as he kept being a cute pet, he was going to get a pretty cushy ride. Agalon was staring at him as if he expected an answer, but his brain was clouded and it took him a moment to remember that he had been asked a question.


    ¡°Right!¡± He agreed enthusiastically.


    Agalon still looked as if he expected more, some sort of elaboration, but Xac couldn¡¯t imagine what else he expected him to say, so he smiled up at him and tilted his head in what he hoped was an adorable manner.


    ¡°Do you love me?¡± Agalon asked, quietly, ¡°After everything I¡¯ve done for you, everything I¡¯m going to do for you, do you love me back?¡±


    Xac¡­  did not want to answer this question, not with the truth.  He loved his parents; he loved his sister; he knew what that emotion felt like.


    This wasn¡¯t it.  This was something different.  Agalon took care of him, but¡­ he also left him locked up all day, kept him away from his family.  But he had told Xac he was doing that because rabbits were skittish and needed to be contained, and he thought Xac would be happier locked up.  And for the moment it was good to let him think that. If Agalon thought he was emotionally weak and easily frightened, he would keep treating him like the fragile little flower he thought he was.


    Besides, he was drunk, not stupid.


    He knew a good thing when he saw it.  He had already figured out that he could make things happen.  He had spoken ill of Mrs OfAgalon and now she was gone. If he could play his cards right, he suspected he could figure out how to make good things happen for people as easily as he had made this bad thing happen to Mrs OfAgalon.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    And right now he had cards to play.


    ¡°I love you so much!¡± he exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around Agalon¡¯s neck and buried his face in his shoulder to squeeze, ¡°Thank you for being so nice to me!¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Agalon smiled as he hugged back, then tugged Xac gently by the waist to get him to sit in his lap again, ¡°then¡­  I¡¯m gonna start showing you some things, Honey Bunny, things you¡¯re really gonna like.¡±


    ¡°Like the wine?¡± Xac asked, wishing with all his might that they would get through whatever this was so that he would be able to drink again.


    ¡°Better than wine,¡± Agalon promised, and took Xac by the chin to tilt his head up, ¡°just relax.¡±


    Agalon closed the distance between them and pressed their lips together, and Xac tried his best not to tilt his head as he often did when he was this confused; Agalon obviously wanted it exactly where it was.  But this was¡­ strange. He had never done anything like this before, and he wasn¡¯t exactly sure how he felt about it; very much like how he had felt when he had taken his first drink of wine. And now he really, really loved wine.  So¡­ just because whatever this was made him feel a little strange, made the effects of the alcohol wear off a little, didn¡¯t mean that he wouldn¡¯t love it eventually.


    He thought, going by the pattern of the wine and this kiss, that Agalon may show him a great many things that he didn¡¯t like at first, but which he would come to love.  Agalon obviously knew more than he did about pretty much everything- and Xac wanted to know things.


    It felt even stranger to have Agalon¡¯s tongue inside of him, pressing against his soft palate in a way that tickled, so he had to end it because he was running out of breath, and because he had to giggle at the sensation.


    ¡°That tickles,¡± he said.


    ¡°You¡¯re so cute,¡± Agalon stared down at him and ran his thumb along his bottom lip again, ¡°Have another drink, darlin.¡±


    ¡°I love being drunk!¡± Xac squealed as Agalon carried him to bed.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re happy, Honey Bunny,¡± he playfully bounced him, and Xac wrapped his arms more securely around his neck.  Whenever he moved at all the whole world felt floaty, and going up and down was even more fun than walking had been- but Agalon wouldn¡¯t let him do that because the floor kept coming up and hitting him right in the face.  Which made no sense because he could do it perfectly fine. He thought he may actually be more graceful drunk than he was sober, which was hard to conceive because he was already so graceful sober. He was amazing. He was good at everything!


    ¡°Do that again!¡± he giggled, ¡°Throw me!¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t gonna throw you,¡± Agalon said with a giggle.


    ¡°Throw meeeee!¡± Xac whined, and attempted to bounce himself in Agalon¡¯s arms.


    ¡°How about I throw you on the bed?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°Aggie!¡± Xac squirmed, and he had a very good reason for doing so, he just couldn¡¯t remember what it was, ¡°Throw me!  Throw me!¡±


    ¡°Let go of me then,¡± Agalon chuckled, but Xaxac didn¡¯t understand what he meant.  He didn¡¯t think he was holding onto- oh wait, yes he was. That was his neck. Still, that made no sense.  He had tossed him once. He should be perfectly capable of throwing him again even if he was holding onto him.


    ¡°What?¡± He asked in genuine confusion.


    ¡°Let go of me and I¡¯ll throw you onto the bed,¡± Agalon explained as if this was perfectly obvious, but still Xac had no idea what he was talking about.


    ¡°Honey Bunny, that¡¯s my neck,¡± Agalon explained slowly, ¡°If I throw you with that death grip, you¡¯ll choke the hell outta me.¡±


    ¡°Throw you too!¡± Xac said, and couldn¡¯t believe he had to explain something so simple to someone so intelligent.


    ¡°So¡­  jump?¡± Agalon asked, ¡°Just kinda¡­  jump on top of you?¡±


    ¡°Yes!  Jump! Throw me and jump!¡± Xac agreed.


    Agalon stared down at his cute little face with his blown-out pupils and could not suppress his laughter.


    ¡°Darlin, I don¡¯t think that¡¯ll work the way you think it will, but we¡¯ll give it a try.¡±


    Then Xac was weightless again as the world moved around him, until he was lying on the most comfortable surface imaginable.  The bed rocked hard as Agalon landed on top of him, but the motion was fun, and Agalon felt like a comfortable weight, so Xac tightened his grip even further and pulled him down like a blanket.


    ¡°Thesis, Xaxac,¡± Agalon said in a strange voice that Xac didn¡¯t understand.  He sounded almost injured, and he forcefully ripped Xac¡¯s arms away from his neck and pinned them to the bed, ¡°calm down.  That hurt!¡±


    ¡°I hurt you?¡± Xac asked in confusion, staring up at Agalon¡¯s flustered face.  There was a noticeable size difference between them, so that didn¡¯t make sense.  Nothing Agalon had said in the past few minutes made sense. But that was alright, because Xac was drunk, and drunk people didn¡¯t need things to make sense.  Still, he would feel terrible if he had actually hurt him, so he added, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Aggie, I didn¡¯t know I could. You¡¯re so much bigger than me¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­  didn¡¯t know you could either,¡± Agalon admitted, ¡°Good to know, I reckon.  I read somethin about shifters bein real strong but I didn¡¯t think¡­ hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°I got bunny strength!¡± Xac giggled and tested to see if he could lift the wrists Agalon was holding down, notsomuch because he wanted to be strong, but because he wanted to cuddle up like he always did at home when it was time for bed, and he couldn¡¯t do that without his hands.  When he lifted his hands from the bed, despite Agalon bearing down on him, something came over Agalon¡¯s face, an emotion Xaxac didn¡¯t understand beyond it being negative, so he stopped.


    ¡°Somethin wrong?¡± He asked, ¡°You look mad.  Are you mad? Did I do somethin? I¡¯m sorry.  Aggie, I¡¯m sorry, I swear I didn¡¯t mean it. I didn¡¯t mean to hurt you!  If it¡¯s a shifter thing I can¡¯t¡­ I ain¡¯t able to¡­ I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m cursed!¡±


    ¡°Shss,¡± Agalon spread his legs to straddle Xac the way Xac had straddled him on the couch and lowered himself until their faces were nearly touching.  ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Honey Bunny.¡±


    Then he kissed him again, and it was much better the second time.  Everything was better when he was drunk! Why was anyone ever sober if they could avoid it?  Agalon tasted like the wine, and this time Xac knew what to expect and could experience it. That unsettling wrongness that he had had before was gone; now everything was floaty and fuzzy and fun.


    Agalon pulled away and stared down at him with a smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re gettin better, darlin,¡± he said in a voice deeper than he normally had, and there was something in his eyes that made Xaxac feel something he could not place.  Something, somewhere, deep in a part of his brain usually reserved for nights the moons were full, tried to tell him something, but he wasn¡¯t a rabbit, and therefore didn¡¯t understand it.


    A prey animal knows a predator when they see one, knows the look in the eyes of someone about to eat them up.  Time to decide, little bunny: flight, fight, or freeze.


    Xac froze.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said softly, because he could not get his lungs to inflate enough to be audible.


    Agalon had to have mistaken his fear for something else, because that silence, that lack of a struggle, that rapid heart rate, seemed to make him believe he had done something good, that Xac was enjoying himself.


    ¡°Honey Bunny, you¡¯re gonna have all kinds of fun,¡± Agalon promised, ¡°But not tonight, not all at once.¡±  He released Xac¡¯s hands, but still Xac could not will himself to move, and just kept them where they were as Agalon leaned heavily on one hand and drug the other down Xac¡¯s chest.


    ¡°But soon.  I want you ready to travel with me by the time the season starts,¡± Agalon explained, ¡°I can¡¯t do that if you might hurt somebody.  I can¡¯t have you out here hurtin folks. You don¡¯t know your own strength.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Xaxac said, and he didn¡¯t know what was wrong.  Agalon wasn¡¯t acting as if he was angry, but something was wrong, some kind of wrong that Xac had never felt before and did not understand.  It was scaring him, and his body shook as he stared up at the man leaning over him.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t do it again,¡± Agalon whispered, ¡°And everything will be alright.¡±  He began to unbutton Xac¡¯s shirt, but gave up quickly and said, ¡°Sit up for me.  Let¡¯s get you outta these clothes and ready for bed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m scared,¡± Xac said, because it was true and he was drunk.


    ¡°What¡¯re you scared of, Honey Bunny?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°I dunno,¡± Xac said, knowing it was stupid, but hoping Agalon would help him, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to hurt you, I swear!¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t do it again,¡± Agalon assured him, ¡°I trust you.  I don¡¯t think you done it on purpose that time.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t!¡± Xac begged.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Agalon said soothingly, ¡°calm down.  Take a deep breath. You¡¯re thinkin too hard.  You don¡¯t need to think. Just feel. Where¡¯s my cute little bunny?¡±


    ¡°Right here?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Right,¡± Agalon told him, ¡°Now let¡¯s get you outta these clothes so you can relax, then I¡¯m gonna go get ready for bed.¡±

 Chapter 13

    Xaxac had developed a routine, and this routine gave him hope.  He had begun to believe that he wasn¡¯t actually expected to do any cleaning, that he would be forced to lie around and stare off into space all day, but he was overjoyed when he awoke one day to find that someone had left him all the supplies that Mrs. OfAgalon had promised him the first day he arrived.


    He was delighted and wiled away hours meticulously scrubbing down everything he was allowed.  He thought he remembered all his instructions reasonably well, and he found, as he wiped the grime from the dressing mirror, that he was disgusted with himself.  The cloth came away gray, and Xac hated that he had been forced to live in such filthy conditions.


    But no longer!  Now he could scour every inch of the furniture, and when he was finished with that he could take the paintings off the walls, dust them, and then scrub the walls themselves.  He had to pull the chair away from the vanity and stand on it to get the corners, but even then he wasn¡¯t able to reach the ceiling tiles with their sixty flowers and three hundred and sixty petals.


    So he took a broom to them and realized that in the future he should do that part first because the dust that fell onto him got everything else dirty all over again.


    Which meant that he would have to clean it all over again.


    Which meant that he had something to do for the next few hours.


    Xaxac was lying on his back scrubbing the bottom of the bed frame when the blessed signs of dusk appeared.  The last rays of the sun filtered in through the open window and the sounds of the kitchen preparing dinner drifted up to him.


    He was starving for the first time in a long time.  He never ate lunch on days when Agalon had not magically appeared to warrant it, so he hadn¡¯t eaten since he had been given his fruit spread when he woke up, and he had actually, finally, blessedly done something to work up an appetite.


    He stood, took the bucket he had filled with water to dust under the bed and tossed the rag into it before he drug it into the water closet.  He swished and scrubbed the rag to get it as clean as possible then hung it over the water spout to dry before dumping the water in the bucket down the toilet.  He stashed the bucket under the sink, pumped some water into the sink to scrub his hands and face, then headed for the dressing mirror.


    He had done his cleaning in his underwear so as not to dirty his pretty house clothes, and he felt it was the right decision because his undershirt and shorts were covered in filth, probably from lying on the floor to clean under things.  He brushed the tangles out of his hair then ran a comb through it to make absolutely sure it was clear before he picked up his clothes to get dressed.


    He heard Agalon enter the sitting room while he was buttoning up his shirt, and expected he would have a few minutes while he went about his evening routine.  But Agalon didn¡¯t head for the writing desk, didn¡¯t take off his cape to drape it over the chair there, didn¡¯t ring the dinner bell, set up any work he had to do, or anything else.


    He headed straight for the door with purposeful, heavy footfalls.


    Did that mean something?  That may mean something.


    The key clicked into place and the doorknob turned.


    ¡°Evenin, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon smiled down at him and Xac ran into his open arms to cuddle into his chest.


    ¡°Welcome home, master!¡± he said as he squeezed.


    ¡°Hey darlin,¡± Agalon broke the embrace and reached down to cradle Xac¡¯s face, ¡°You reckon you¡¯d be alright to come downstairs with me?¡±


    Downstairs?  Finally? He was going to get out of this room?  Out of the sitting room?


    He didn¡¯t try to hide his excitement.


    ¡°Are we gonna go to the kitchen?¡± He asked eagerly, trying to will himself not to jump up and down in excitement and failing miserably.


    ¡°Oh, you must be starving,¡± Agalon said, ¡°No, darlin, we¡¯re gonna go take a bath.  I got some folks comin up to strip the bed for the laundry and I wanna give um your clothes to take with um.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±  Xac was a little disappointed but still- he was going to get out of this room and go¡­  literally anywhere else! There was a chance that he would see his mother or sister from the laundry area.  He probably shouldn¡¯t call out, but he could wave to them and let them know that he was alright, that he was still alive and everything was going well.


    ¡°You¡¯re hungry, ain¡¯t you?¡± Agalon asked, ¡°We can eat first, darlin, far as that goes.¡±


    He was hungry, and he liked that idea so he nodded.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said and squeezed again.


    Agalon released him with one arm and slid the other to the small of his back to lead him into the sitting room.  Xac was used to this now and headed straight for his seat while Agalon went out to the hall to ring for their dinner.


    He was tired for the first time in a long time.  He hadn¡¯t had any work to do in so long that he was afraid it had made him lazy, and laziness was a sin.  Thesis liked people who were productive, and Xac had felt so unproductive for so long that he had begun to forget himself, but now he felt like himself for the first time in a long time, and he was going to get out of this room!  This was shaping up to be a wonderful day!


    As Agalon strode back to the table he noticed how Xac bounced in his seat and smiled.


    ¡°You look happy,¡± he said.


    ¡°I am!¡± Xac said eagerly, ¡°I feel really good today!  I¡¯ve got so much done!¡±


    ¡°Got stuff done?¡± Agalon asked in confusion, ¡°What have you got to get up to, Honey Bunny?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been cleaning,¡± Xac explained, ¡°I just¡­  ain¡¯t had a lot to do. I can¡¯t get to the ceiling though¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t put yourself out too much,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Don¡¯t get hurt.  Won¡¯t nobody know it till I come home. I hate to see y¡¯all hurt. Hate to see any critter hurt.  I felt so bad for that boy when they had to rebreak his leg. He screamed somethin awful.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really get hurt,¡± Xac said, ¡°I mean, not like other folks.  I get scraped or something it tends to heal up pretty quick. My daddy said it was because I¡¯m so healthy.¡±


    The door opened, and Jimmy came striding in, carrying the tray in one hand, with his little folding table and the wine strapped to his back.  He was moving much more quickly now, and didn¡¯t seem to be in pain every time he took a step. Xac suspected he had been whistling or singing because he had the sort of face that one made when they were being professional, but would break into song the second they were out of earshot.  There was a bounce in his step as he went about the dinner service, serving, pouring and the like, and he winked at Xac when he was finished, when he had taken his position standing politely behind and to the left of Agalon.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°That will be all, Jimmy,¡± Agalon said.


    ¡°Yes master,¡± Jimmy smiled at Xac, collected his table and tray, and was gone.


    ¡°Master?¡± Xac asked after he took a sip of his wine, ¡°When you leave all day, do you go see those fighters you were talking about?¡±


    ¡°Sometimes,¡± Agalon said with a softness in his eyes and a smile on his lips, ¡°I go lots of places.  Sometimes I feel like I¡¯m runnin in circles. Season¡¯s about to start there and the harvest ain¡¯t started here so it takes up more of my time.  Why? You miss me?¡±


    ¡°I always miss you!¡± Xac declared then took a huge bite of his salad.  He was starving, and it was delicious, though it was beginning to get a little repetitive and he really missed cooked food.  But it was a sacrifice he was willing to make for his easy, pampered lifestyle.


    ¡°I know I need to be around more when I¡¯m trainin a pleasure slave,¡± Agalon said quietly, ¡°Believe me, darlin, once we get through this first phase we¡¯ll spend more time together.  I¡¯ll take you around with me. But I gotta know you ain¡¯t gonna do somethin stupid, and I don¡¯t wanna overwhelm you all at once like that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be real good!¡± Xac swore, ¡°I promise!¡±


    ¡°I believe you,¡± Agalon said.


    ¡°How was them fighters today?¡± Xac asked, ¡°I don¡¯t know nothin about it.¡±


    ¡°Makin progress,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Got a real contender this year, name of Billy, and I¡¯d hate bigger than hell to lose him.  Almost entered him in the tournament at Satra, last year. He qualified. But he needed another year. He mighta died in the cage.¡±


    ¡°Folks die in the cage?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Not all the time, just at the championship,¡± Agalon explained, ¡°It¡¯s a ¡®last one standin¡¯ kinda thing.  You ain¡¯t gotta die, but you have to stay down. Billy won¡¯t stay down, and I know it. So I coulda lost him.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t never been in a fight,¡± Xac said, then thrust the last of his food into his mouth.


    ¡°No, darlin, it ain¡¯t for¡­  there¡¯s different kinds of humans you can tell are made for different things.  Fighters are big, broad, bruisers. You¡¯re a tiny delicate flower. You¡¯re a fluffy little bunny.  You was built to be a pleasure slave.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still little,¡± Xac said with great practicality as he took a sip of his wine, ¡°I might get all big and stuff later.¡±


    ¡°I think this is about as big as you¡¯re going to get,¡± Agalon giggled, ¡°Don¡¯t you like being small and cute?  It suits you.¡±


    ¡°I like being cute,¡± Xac said as he cleaned his plate, then sipped his wine, waiting on Agalon to finish, ¡°I dunno if I like being small.  I can¡¯t reach the ceiling.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easier to carry you around that way,¡± Agalon smirked, ¡°And to keep you in my lap.  You like to cuddle; that¡¯d be a hell of lot harder if you looked like a fighter.¡±


    ¡°I do love to cuddle,¡± Xac considered, and leaned back to enjoy the familiar warmth that washed over him, to let him know that he was no longer sober and therefore no longer under the same standards that came with sobriety.  ¡°I¡¯ve never cuddled up with you after bath day. It¡¯s probably even better. I love baths¡­ They make my hair poofy!  My mama has to comb it out real good and then it goes right back. I like it when I get out though and it¡¯s all fluffy.  My hair is really fluffy.¡± He tugged out a strand to its full length and ran it between his fingers, enjoying the texture. ¡°And soft. I like it.¡±


    He knew he was rambling, but he didn¡¯t particularly care.


    ¡°It¡¯s cute,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I¡¯m glad to see it¡¯s getting a little length.  I¡¯d like to be able to tie it back at the nape of your neck. You don¡¯t need to keep it chopped all short like that.  You ain¡¯t got nothin it can get in the way of.¡±


    ¡°I guess I don¡¯t,¡± Xac agreed, ¡°I ain¡¯t seen no other humans with long hair, I mean, on menfolk.¡±


    ¡°How odd,¡± Agalon said as if the subject didn¡¯t particularly interest him.  ¡°Well, it¡¯ll look good on you. You got the softest hair I ever seen on a human.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s cause I¡¯m a bunny, I think,¡± Xac said, without realizing that he did not have to make this connection for Agalon.  He felt particularly intelligent for even the most basic observations when he was drinking, and though he would not call himself full-blown drunk, he was certainly tipsy enough to be interesting.  ¡°Am I gonna have new clothes if you¡¯re givin these to laundry folk?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll getcha some new clothes once I can take ya ta town,¡± Agalon promised, though it wasn¡¯t exactly an answer.  He finished his dinner, stood, picked up both bottles of wine and handed them to Xac. ¡°Here, come on, darlin, follow me.¡±


    He walked to the door, which led out to the hallway and held it open.


    Xac hesitated.


    What if this was a test?  What if he was supposed to stay in the sitting room?  His indecision must have shown on his face because Agalon spoke softly.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Honey Bunny,¡± he promised, ¡°Ain¡¯t nothin gonna get you.  I¡¯ll be right here with you.¡±


    Xac slowly, step by step, made his way to the hall.


    It was exactly as he remembered, with its plush carpets, beautiful walls, multiple plants and paintings, but those paintings made more sense this time around.  The style reminded him very much of the flowers in the bedroom, and he wondered if they had all been painted by the late Mrs. Agalon.


    ¡°This way, darlin,¡± Agalon said, and directed Xac with one hand on the small of his back down the hall until it opened into the biggest room Xac had ever seen.


    Most of the room was taken up by a huge staircase covered in the same green rug, but it held other wonders.  On the wall above them was the largest painting Xac had ever seen, depicting Agalon in his full military regalia, which Xac had seen in the closet, holding a long golden staff Xac had seen in the curio cabinet.  He looked absolutely beautiful in the painting, but he wasn¡¯t alone. There was another man, shorter and significantly younger, standing behind Agalon¡¯s seated form, who looked very much like him. He had the same long blond hair, pulled back in a tight braid, the same sharp features to his face, the same beautiful green eyes, the same slim form.  Xac remembered that Agalon had a son, and wondered if that was perhaps him. He had never seen a son around the mansion.


    The staircase stretched down three floors, and directly in front of Xac, where he stood at the top, was a giant crystal chandelier, which reflected the light through the huge windows on the opposite wall in sparkling rainbows, even in the dim light of dusk.  Those windows were a story and a half tall, and he could see beyond them the night sky, mostly void, dotted with shining stars.


    The landing below them was decorated much like the hall had been, with a table laid out with plants that smelled lovely, and Xac glanced off to the side to see halls stretching out in either direction.  He wondered what was in those rooms. It seemed to go on for longer than the halls on the third floor. This house was a maze, Xac thought, and he would love to be allowed to explore it one day.


    They continued on to the ground floor, laid out very much like the landing on the second floor, except that the carpet moved forward and terminated in a large, ornate door.  Xac stared at it and knew from what he had seen out the windows that it led outside, not just outside, but onto a carriage road, which could lead away from the plantation. It could lead to town.  It could lead anywhere.


    He turned with Agalon and continued down an ornately decorated hall, moving in the direction of what Xac thought was the kitchen.  It was possible he would see someone after all!


    Though it was probably unlikely.  He hadn¡¯t seen anyone since he had left the sitting room.  It was all very still and quiet as if they were the only two people in the manor, but he knew that couldn¡¯t be true.  There was no way the kitchen staff was finished cleaning up; there were people moving to their bedroom right now, to clean it, to strip the bedding and prepare it for laundering.


    They had to be going up the other staircase, Xac reasoned, the one he had taken when Mrs. OfAgalon had led him to the bedroom, his first day here.  That staircase was almost a secret. He wondered what other secrets the big house held.


    As they made their way down the hall, he began to hear the first faint sounds of life; movement and clacking, the sounds of cleaning in the kitchen!  They were getting close. But it was faint, far away and behind a wall, and Agalon opened a door to lead him in a different direction.


    ¡°Here we are, Honey Bunny,¡± he said, and at his guidance, Xac stepped past him into a room unlike any he had ever seen.


    Everything was made of tile- the walls, the floor, the ceiling, and all the tiles had more pictures of little flowers on them.  Xac wondered how many there were, but he didn¡¯t have time to count, because Agalon was moving him in the direction of the largest body of water Xac had ever seen.  It was set into the floor, in the direct center of the room, and looked big enough to hold four or five people. Xac wondered who pumped the water in, because he didn¡¯t see any device near the tub that looked capable of doing that, and how they drained it out again.


    A large fireplace occupied the wall to his right, and the left was covered in windows looking out on the laundry area, but it was difficult to make out, because the curtains were drawn, leaving only silhouettes for the objects outside.  There were various benches, along with cabinets and shelves dotting the room as well, and it was to one of these that Agalon had gone. Xac turned, while Agalon rifled through the cabinet, to look at the closed door behind him.


    He was pretty sure the kitchen was on the other side of the hall.  His mother or Allie could be only a few feet away. It felt like an eternity since he had last seen them.


    ¡°Darlin,¡± Agalon called as he sat on one of the benches and began to undress, ¡°Take your clothes off and leave um sittin for the laundry.¡±


    Xac moved away from the door to sit next to him, to obey him.

 Chapter 14

    Xac sat sipping his wine on the little raised area along the edge of the tub so that the water only covered his waist, with his back to Agalon, who was working the prettiest smelling suds into his hair, the kind of thing he had never known existed.  It smelled like a rose garden, and even the bottle was beautiful; he couldn¡¯t read the text, but the label had roses growing along the edges like ivy on a lattice.


    Agalon had more soaps, bottles, creams, and tinctures than Xac could possibly have ever gone through, and as he saw them lined up neatly in little rows in the bathroom cabinets he thought of the ones he had kept in his room upstairs.  He wondered what they all did.


    He liked the feeling of Agalon¡¯s nails against his scalp and leaned back against him.  His glass was empty, but he wasn¡¯t nearly as warm and floaty as he normally was. He was starting to understand that some wines tasted slightly different, and some took longer than others to feel the full effect of.  He liked the ones that worked faster better, even if they didn¡¯t always taste as good.


    ¡°I want some more,¡± he said, to let Agalon know he would be leaning forward, but the grip in his hair tightened, stopping him in his tracks.


    ¡°How about you don¡¯t get full blow drunk for a little bit?¡± Agalon said softly, ¡°You¡¯re hittin that pretty hard.  I want to show you some stuff tonight.¡± He considered for a moment and continued, ¡°I mean, also it probably ain¡¯t great to be shitfaced around water.  Can you even swim? I¡¯m pretty sure humans can swim.¡±


    ¡°I think I can!¡± Xac said, ¡°I mean I used to bath at the pond with everybody and I never had no trouble.  I kinda like it. I ain¡¯t been swimmin in a while.¡±


    ¡°Well, you can go dunk yourself,¡± Agalon splashed his hands in the sweet smelling water to rinse them, then took the glass from Xac and sat it on the tile beside the tub.


    Xac pushed himself forward and underwater into the deeper part of the tub and worked his hands through his hair to rinse it.  He thought Agalon used way too much of that pretty soap, but at least that meant it¡¯d smell good for a while. He came up to see Agalon working the suds into his own hair, but in a very odd way.  Instead of piling the length onto his head, like a lot of the human women he had seen do with their long hair, he slowly worked the shampoo through it, starting from the roots.


    It was a process that seemed as if it would take a while, so Xac leaned with his back against the bench and looked up at him.


    ¡°Your hair is so long,¡± Xac said, because it was true, and because, though it was beautiful, the time it took to care for it, which he had not previously known, was going to be annoying.  And because he would likely have to bathe with him about once a week, so it was going to be a constant annoyance for the rest of his life. He suddenly didn¡¯t really want to grow his hair out.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Agalon said, ¡°There¡¯s a whole heap of secrets to how to do that.  I don¡¯t never have much trouble with it- figured all that out a long while back.¡±  He scooted forward and into the deeper water with Xac, then went under without a splash.  Xac wondered how he had done that, and scooted to the side to give him more room as he lay back.  There was so much more room here than there would be with something like a washtub. Xac could easily lay down too, and he thought very seriously about it as Agalon¡¯s head popped up and he rested it against the tile bench.  Xac waded to his side and cuddled into it.


    ¡°We¡¯ll go up to Satra for the Eishtar festival,¡± Agalon told him, ¡°Go to the resort up there.  They got a big-ass bathhouse I think you¡¯ll like. Ugh,¡± he pulled Xac to his side, ¡°I feel so lazy.  Been a long, hot day. I could lie here forever. We really need to get washed though. I gotta smell like ass.  Sometimes I wish I could run around half-naked, like y¡¯all can.¡±


    ¡°You do wear a lotta clothes,¡± Xac said, ¡°Coats and capes and stuff in the heat.¡±


    ¡°Here,¡± Agalon reluctantly moved back to the little outcropping and pulled himself up, motioning for Xac to follow him, so he did, ¡°Let¡¯s get you cleaned up.¡±


    He reached for another bottle that he had brought, squeezed a tincture into his hand and worked it through Xac¡¯s hair as Xac wished with everything in him that he was allowed to drink more.  He had only had about a glass and a half, and he was already starting to lose the effects, and that meant he was starting to think again, and when he was able to think his thoughts drifted to his mother who may be across the hall, so close that he could cover the distance in less than a minute.  Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t facing Agalon, so Agalon could not see these thoughts manifest on his face.


    Instead, he said chipperly, ¡°Alright, honey bunny, get you a washcloth and some soap and wash off, and don¡¯t rinse this off till you¡¯re done.  It has to sit a minute.¡±


    ¡°Then can I have another glass of wine?¡± Xac asked hopefully, ¡°It¡¯s wearin off.  It wears off real fast.¡±


    ¡°It does?¡± Agalon asked as if he had not expected this information, cupped Xac¡¯s face and looked into his eyes.  He seemed to be satisfied by what he said there, because he shrugged and said, ¡°Yeah, I guess. Maybe half a glass, to start.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Xac hugged him, and was squeezed in return, and when Agalon released him he wet and soaped up his washrag, then waded out to the middle of the tub and began to scrub his face.  He didn¡¯t see Agalon watching him as he worked the tincture into his own hair, but he wouldn¡¯t have been bothered by it if he could.


    Xac was just happy to be clean again.  He loved the way he felt after a good bath, and in the big tub he loved the way the filth came off of him and floated away until it dissipated in all the water, with lots of suds and little bubbles.  The soap he normally used didn¡¯t really make a lot of bubbles, and he tried to scoop them back up again, then blew them away with a giggle.


    He wished he was drunk.


    He dunked himself to rinse and came back up to see Agalon had moved, once again, to be in the deep water with him.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    ¡°You¡¯re adorable,¡± Agalon chuckled, ¡°Are you ready to get out?¡±


    ¡°I guess?¡± Xac shrugged.  He was clean, but he didn¡¯t really want to go back upstairs.  He was frantically searching his mind for any reason to stay here, to stay out of the room he was so often locked in.  It wasn¡¯t that it was better here, necessarily, just that it was different. But he couldn¡¯t think of anything, so in desperation, he made his eyes as big as he could, and spoke.


    ¡°Can we stay just a little bit longer though?  Just to¡­ You said you could lie down and stay here forever.¡±


    ¡°Eh,¡± Agalon smiled, ¡°Might as well.  Come on, darlin, I¡¯ll pour you a drink.¡±


    He situated himself against the edge of the tub and pulled himself on the little outcropping to pour Xac half a glass of wine, then lowered himself back down until he sank into the bath up to his shoulders.  Xac crawled to him, took it, and curled up into his side.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± he said happily.  ¡°I like it here! It¡¯s pretty here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡±  Agalon spoke slowly, as if in deep thought, ¡°It¡¯s easy to get used to things.  I like havin you around. You make everything seem new again. I guess seein stuff for the first time.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t never seen a room like this before,¡± Xac said, ¡°It is the first time.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so cute,¡± Agalon smiled down at him, and Xac smiled back.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty too,¡± he said, because he felt it was polite to return compliments, and took another drink, hoping it would make his brain start working.  Dusk was turning quickly to nightfall, and he wished the curtains weren¡¯t drawn so he could see the stars.


    Agalon cupped his face and leaned in to kiss him.


    Xac was getting better at it, the more it happened.  The first time had caught him off-guard, but like the wine, he was getting used to it.  As Agalon had said, it was easy to get used to things. He wished he was drunk. He liked the kisses better when he was drunk.  But he liked it well enough now, because he thought he had figured out what it meant. Agalon liked him, maybe even loved him, as much as he could love someone he obviously considered a pet, and as long as Agalon liked him, good things could happen to him.  He believed him when he said he was going to let him out, eventually, that he was going to take him to town to buy clothes, that he was going to take him traveling to see fighters and go to nice hotels for festivals. This was probably the best position he could possibly have, better than the butler his father had thought he was going to be.


    He really missed his father.  He wished he could see him again.  Maybe, if he was really good, Agalon would let him out and he could see his mother, but he was beginning to very seriously doubt he would ever see Abe again.  But if he could see Abby, she could tell Abe that he was alright, that he was alive and well taken care of. Because he was alive and well taken care of. Everything was alright.  He wasn¡¯t going to cry.


    He smiled up at Agalon as he pulled away and giggled, trying to look as content as he could as he finished off his wine.


    ¡°I love you, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon said quietly, took the glass from him, set it on the tiles beside the tub, and guided Xac into his lap, where he instantly began to squirm because it wasn¡¯t particularly comfortable.  Something was jabbing into him again and he was¡­ fairly certain he knew what it was now, and felt an emotion that he could not describe or place.


    ¡°Can I have some more wine?¡± He begged, ¡°Please?¡±


    ¡°Shss,¡± Agalon said softly, and slowly spun Xac until he was facing away from him, ¡°I want to show you something, and I want you to remember it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll remember it,¡± Xac promised, because he was fairly sure he was going to remember the night in detail.  He wasn¡¯t sure why, but his brain was telling him that this night, in particular, was important, was worth remembering, and that confused him.  It had been a pretty good day; he had felt productive and then he had gotten to go downstairs, Agalon had been in a really good mood, he was going to go back to fresh sheets and new clothes- but he didn¡¯t think it was any of that.  It was something that made him more alert, made him nervous, and there was no reason for that.


    ¡°Are you cold?¡± Agalon asked, ¡°You¡¯re shakin, darlin.¡±


    Xac shook his head.  He couldn¡¯t articulate what he was feeling, didn¡¯t understand what was wrong with him.  He should still have a good week before the moons were full. Why was he acting like this?  What was wrong with him?


    ¡°Lean back,¡± Agalon said gently and pulled Xac¡¯s back to his chest.  After a beat, he asked, more seriously, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You¡¯re shakin. You nervous?  Somebody tell you somethin? Somebody scare you?¡±


    Xac shook his head again and tried to remember how to speak.  He didn¡¯t know what had set him off. Maybe he was embarrassed for Agalon?  Was that a thing that could happen? Could you be embarrassed for someone else like that and feel it that strongly?  Is that what this was? He really wanted a drink.


    ¡°Calm down,¡± Agalon kissed his cheek, wrapped an arm around him and held him there, so tightly that the security of it, the comfort, began to work, and whatever it was that had come over him began to dissipate, little by little.  He hadn¡¯t realized he had been tense until his muscles came undone, and it was a welcome change.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Xac said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with me.¡±


    ¡°Do you remember,¡± Agalon asked him, ¡°how I told you that I was going to give you things?  How I wanted you to be safe and happy? How you were gonna feel real good?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Xac said, ¡°Thank you.  I¡­ I don¡¯t know why¡­ I¡¯m¡­ weird.  I¡¯m sorry. I guess I get jittery.¡± He tried to laugh, to play off his behavior, ¡°cause I¡¯m a bunny.  But I¡¯ll do better! I promise!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re fine, darlin,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Everything is new.  But I¡¯m gonna make you feel real good, so good you¡¯ll never wanna go without it again.¡±


    Xac didn¡¯t understand why that didn¡¯t put him more at ease.  The way his brain and his body were functioning didn¡¯t make sense.  He wondered if he was getting sick, or maybe going mad, going stir-crazy from being locked up.  There was something really wrong with him, and he didn¡¯t know whether or not he should tell Agalon- if he really did love him, he would try to help.  But he couldn¡¯t know that for sure, and if he was wrong, he could just get rid of him.


    Agalon still held him close with one hand, but he had slid the other down Xac¡¯s body while he had given these assurances, and Xac tried his hardest to lean into him to the solid comfort he provided, to stop going crazy.  Nothing was different. Nothing was wrong. There was absolutely no reason for him to be going mad right now. Maybe it was because he was a shifter? Maybe he could ignore it and it would go away.


    Agalon wrapped his hand around the base of his dick, and Xac jumped before he could stop himself.


    ¡°How much do you know about yourself, Honey Bunny?¡± Agalon asked in a voice easily an octave lower than it normally was, ¡°Have you ever done this before?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with me,¡± Xac admitted because there was, and there was so much of it that it boiled over, it was the sort of information that could not be contained.


    ¡°Just relax,¡± Agalon said, ¡°You¡¯re going to feel all kinds a better here in a minute.  This is gonna be a real good night for you, Honey Bunny.¡±

 Chapter 15

    Xaxac was still reeling by the time he landed on the bed.  The linens had apparently been changed, and he suspected the bed had been refilled, because he didn¡¯t recognize the blankets, and what he landed on after Agalon tossed him down was even softer than what he had become accustomed to.


    He wasn¡¯t exactly dry, and it annoyed him.  He also hadn¡¯t gotten to comb out his hair, which he suspected did something to it, because his mother had always been very clear that it should be done, and very particular about how it needed to be done.  He hadn¡¯t had time to tell this to Agalon, and he suspected he likely wouldn¡¯t have that time for a good while, because Agalon was slipping out of his robe and climbing on top of him, as if he was expected to continue what had been started downstairs.


    The last time he had seen his mother, she had told him to be good, quiet, and polite.  She had told him to do everything Agalon said and everything would work out. So he needed to just control his breathing, to fight past whatever was causing him the strange fear he shouldn¡¯t feel, and be obedient, quiet, and polite.


    He wished he was drunk.


    If he was drunk, that feeling would go away, and he could enjoy things.  Agalon didn¡¯t seem to understand what was wrong with him any more than he understood it himself, but he wasn¡¯t angry about it, had absolutely no desire to punish him for it, so everything was going to be alright.  He would figure it out in the morning.


    ¡°You¡¯re so cute, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon said as sat up on his knees and pulled apart the towel he had wrapped Xac in downstairs.  Xac¡¯s first instinct was that they needed to hang it somewhere so that it would dry out, but he didn¡¯t know where he could do that, and besides, Agalon had tossed it to the floor.


    Xac thought that maybe Agalon had been right about him, though he had never seen himself the way Agalon described him.  Maybe new things did scare him, did make him skittish, because the new way Agalon had taught him to cuddle had made him feel strange.  That¡¯s what had started it. But he also liked it, felt more than the contented comfort he normally felt- but they were sensations and emotions that he could not place, and he wished someone would explain it to him


    Agalon cupped his face with one hand and braced himself on the other, then kissed him so fiercely it shoved him into the new stuffing of the bed.  It made him feel the same way he had downstairs when Agalon had held him and touched him like he had never been touched before, and he didn¡¯t understand why, because he had been kissed like this before and never made that sort of connection.  Maybe he had to wake it up? And now that it was here, maybe it would happen all the time. He knew that he could like it, if he could get past the nervousness it gave him, the weight in his stomach that had absolutely no reason to be there.


    Agalon pulled back and ran a hand down his chest, then his stomach, and giggled.


    ¡°You¡¯re trembling,¡± he said softly.


    ¡°I¡¯m scared,¡± Xac admitted, trying to sound as pathetic, fragile, and cute as possible, since Agalon seemed to like that sort of thing, ¡°I¡¯m not drunk anymore and new stuff scares me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, darlin¡¯,¡± Agalon¡¯s voice still held that strange deeper tone, and that change made him feel the same way the kissing and the cuddling had, and the confusion must have shown on his face because Agalon continued, ¡°It¡¯s alright to be nervous, but don¡¯t be scared.  You know I ain¡¯t gonna hurt you. Just relax. You¡¯re really gonna like this.¡±


    Xac nodded.


    ¡°You just ain¡¯t never done this before,¡± Agalon continued, speaking slowly and softly in that deep voice, ¡°And I don¡¯t think you¡¯re real good at¡­  calling stuff what it is. You ain¡¯t scared. You¡¯re excited.¡±


    That may very well be true.  Fear and excitement did feel very similar, and he was more confused than he was anything else.  He didn¡¯t know what he was feeling, only that Agalon was doing something to him, and that he knew, in his heart of hearts, that he could enjoy it if he calmed down.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what we¡¯re doin,¡± Xac admitted, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°You will, darlin,¡± Agalon promised, ¡°You¡¯ll have lots of practice.¡±


    Xac wasn¡¯t particularly concerned about the physical sensations; he had a vague idea what they were.  He had absolute confidence that he could get that down pretty easily with practice. That was actually a relief and a real learning experience.  It wasn¡¯t the first time his dick had randomly decided to do strange things, and it was actually the least annoying time it had done it. Most of the time he just woke up feeling like he needed to pee but he didn¡¯t.  Whatever Agalon was doing was apparently the real reason that happened, which was good to know.


    He sure wished he was drunk.


    When Agalon wrapped a hand around the base of his dick and squeezed, he felt that strange sensation come over him again; the good part, the lightning that shot from the sensation up his spine so fiercely it caused the muscles there to spasm as if they had really been shocked and caused him to arch up off the bed- and the bad part, the weight in his stomach and the pool of dread that he didn¡¯t understand.  If he could get rid of the last part, which he thought he could do by drinking it away like all the other negativity in his life, he knew he would be fine. He hadn¡¯t realized he had let out that confused whine until Agalon smiled at him.


    ¡°Calm down,¡± he said soothingly, ¡°If you¡¯re scared of stuff you don¡¯t understand¡­  here, I¡¯ll explain it to you.¡±


    Xac nodded, and his smile was sincere for the first time since they had began.  That probably would help.


    ¡°You were built to be a pleasure slave,¡± Agalon whispered, and did not stop the motion, which made him a bit more difficult to understand, because the physical sensation was distracting, but Xac fought to keep his eyes on him while Agalon leaned forward, pulled open the drawer on his nightstand with his other hand, and pulled out a bottle of something that Xac didn¡¯t recognize, but that reminded him of all the pretty little bottles down in the bath.


    ¡°This,¡± Agalon tightened his grip on Xac as he moved, to accentuate his point, ¡°means that you¡¯re happy.  And I like to see you happy, Honey Bunny.¡±


    Xac was beginning to relax.  The more he understood, the less nervous he became.  That made sense. He was excited and happy, he did like what Agalon was doing to him, and if he could just get rid of whatever was holding him down, he would enjoy it.  It wasn¡¯t much different from the way they normally cuddled, the way Agalon normally held him and played with him, stroking his hair or the flesh on his back or stomach.


    ¡°It means you want to have sex,¡± Agalon smiled as he spoke, closed the drawer, gripped the bottle he had retrieved, and moved to lie closer to Xac, to allow him to cuddle into him.  ¡°Do you know what that is? I don¡¯t know what you know.¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    He thought he did, but only in the vaguest terms.  He had heard the word, the concept bandied around, but never really thought extensively on the subject.  As he wracked his brain, trying to come up with some sort of definition, he thought back to the subjects his father and the other men would talk about, late at night around the communal cooking fire, on the nights his mother didn¡¯t come home and they would eat there.  There was an abundance of gossip, and the first time Xac remembered hearing the word, it was in the context of one of the men the others were making fun of, who was not there, and who was apparently deserving of ridicule, like the others who ¡®couldn¡¯t keep a woman¡¯. Apparently this man had been bad at sex, which was why he ¡®couldn¡¯t keep a woman¡¯, and that apparent fact was worth laughing over.


    Xaxac did not laugh at this memory.


    It was something Agalon wanted him to do, and something he could be bad at.  If he was bad at it, it could be dangerous. He needed to be good, like his mother had told him, and he needed to do everything Agalon said, to secure this position, to get him to trust him, to get out of this room again, to see his family again, to get clothes- which was more of a necessity now that he didn¡¯t even have the one outfit he had worn to the bathhouse- to get to go on trips¡­  and to avoid the terrible things that happened to people who were bad, like the Emerald Knight, or getting sent away to that building in town where people were punished, to the place where his actions had sent Mrs OfAgalon.


    He realized that he had been lost in thought for too long, and Agalon expected an answer from him, but he seemed content to let him think it over as he kissed down his neck and continued to play with him.


    ¡°Kind of,¡± Xac snuggled in closer, trying to find comfort, trying to get rid of the sense of wrongness that he couldn¡¯t shake.  ¡°Not¡­ really, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ll love it,¡± Agalon promised, ¡°You were built for it.  You¡¯re so cute, Honey Bunny. And you¡¯re a shifter. Ain¡¯t nobody else got one of you.  Rabbits love to fuck. That¡¯s a thing people say. ¡®Fuckin like rabbits¡¯.¡±


    Xac nodded, and thought that perhaps the word ¡®rabbit¡¯ wasn¡¯t as cute as the word ¡®bunny¡¯, so he agreed and corrected at the same time, trying to keep Agalon in the right mindset, by saying, ¡°I¡¯m a bunny.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Agalon kissed his cheek and sat up to lean against the headboard.  ¡°You¡¯ve stopped shaking. I really need you to relax or you can hurt yourself.  I would never want you to get hurt, darlin. Come here, I wanna show you somethin else that¡¯s gonna feel real good.¡±


    Xac didn¡¯t like the position Agalon arranged him in, because he recognized it.  He had been in it before, but he had only had to take it once before he learned never to do it again.  He had seen people who didn¡¯t learn from their first beating, and he thought they were stupid. His parents used discipline sparingly, but Xac didn¡¯t know his own strength, and the one time he had lost his temper and hit his sister, during a long, tense winter night when she had pulled his needles out of his yarn and dropped every single stitch because she wanted to use them, he had hit her hard enough to put her on the ground.  He had barely had time to realize what he had done before Abe scooped him up, flipped him over his lap, and absolutely busted his ass.


    She had a bruise on her face, but she didn¡¯t hate him.  Xac didn¡¯t have a bruise, because he had always healed faster than most folks, but he learned not to hit people.


    But it absolutely was not helping his nerves, and he wasn¡¯t particularly sure what he had done this time to warrant punishment.  He suspected Agalon was angry about his bad attitude, and began to beg.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± he pleaded, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with me!¡±


    ¡°Why are you saying that?¡± Agalon asked, sounding genuinely confused.  ¡°Nothin is gonna happen. You¡¯re fine.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not gonna hit me?¡± Xac tried to turn to see him, and had to twist nearly in half to do so.  Agalon was pouring a thick, viscous, clear liquid from the small bottle onto the outstretched middle finger of his right hand, and didn¡¯t seem at all as if he was preparing to give him a beating.


    ¡°Not unless you want me to,¡± he said with a snicker, as if it was a clever joke, and Xac didn¡¯t understand why that was funny.  ¡°No, I done told you, Honey Bunny, you¡¯re a pleasure slave. Nothin but pleasure for you. Stop worryin so damn much. Get outta your head and relax.¡±


    Xac nodded and tried to control his breathing.  He didn¡¯t think Agalon was lying to him; he had never lied to him so far.  So what was he doing then?


    ¡°You can squirm all you want to get comfortable,¡± Agalon told him, ¡°Because the stretch might not be that comfy at first.  But let me get in here and I¡¯ll show you somethin else you¡¯re really gonna like.¡±


    Xac had not had time to form the thought, ¡®What stretch?¡¯ before he felt it.  But Agalon was wrong, it wasn¡¯t uncomfortable, exactly, it was just new, and like everything else he had learned tonight, it sent that oppressive heaviness over him, so the last thing he felt like doing was squirming.  Instead, he froze and collapsed, limp in Agalon¡¯s lap. Whatever Agalon was doing was taking a long time, but he was being especially cuddly, running the hand he wasn¡¯t using through Xac¡¯s hair, the small of his back, or gently over his face, until he seemed to find what he was looking for-


    And Xac saw stars.


    The lightning that had struck when Agalon had played with him before hit much harder, so hard his knocked him upwards onto his knees and elbows.


    ¡°You like that?¡± Agalon asked.


    Xac could ignore the strange emotions for that.  He really liked that. Do that again. Do that again and again and again and let him get shitfaced drunk first and then just let that be life.


    Agalon trailed his other hand along his stomach and wrapped it around his dick again, then began to move both hands at once.


    Ooooooh.  That made sense.


    Xac grabbed at the blanket and completely lost himself.  Agalon was right, he was always right. This was something else like the wine and the kisses.  This was one of those things that you didn¡¯t like at first, but then, once you acquired a taste for it, you wanted more and more and more.  He still felt the tension, far away and buried somewhere, but he didn¡¯t have time for it anymore, not while he felt this good.


    ¡°See, darlin?¡± Agalon asked, ¡°You¡¯re a natural.¡±


    Xac nodded in agreement.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna teach you all kinds of things,¡± Agalon continued, ¡°and you¡¯re gonna like all of um, cause you¡¯re built for this.  I shoulda done this the first night I got you, but I figured, as jumpy as you are, it might have scared you. But you got over that pretty quick, didn¡¯t ya?¡±


    Xac nodded again.  Truth be told, he wasn¡¯t paying a lot of attention.  He was more focused on the way the lead in his stomach had been replaced by what felt like a heated spring, and his lower body was tingling, almost numb.  It was the best he thought he had ever felt, and he never wanted it to end. The lightning that had struck him was constant, Agalon was moving too fast, and the bolts couldn¡¯t dissipate before a new one set off.  He could feel them in his whole body, and couldn¡¯t control his muscles as they tightened up.


    ¡°Aw shit,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I shoulda put a towel down.¡±


    That was the last thing Xac heard before his hearing decided to shut itself down and his eyes closed of their own accord while the world went white around the edges.  For a few seconds he was so overcome by a kind of bliss, the kind of pleasure that Agalon had told him about, that he was afraid he wasn¡¯t really tethered to his body.  He almost felt like he was floating, and he felt everything more than he was supposed to, as if he wasn¡¯t trapped in a physical body, as if Agalon was touching his raw nerves behind his flesh as he moved and positioned him on his back so he could lie down on the soft bed.


    It didn¡¯t take him long to come back to himself, and he blinked physicality back into his eyes as he pushed himself onto his elbows and watched Agalon as he washed his hands in the basin, whistling a tune that Xac knew the words too.


    Rabbit what you sittin in the corner for?


    Ain¡¯t gonna rain no more no more


    Rained last night and the day before


    Ain¡¯t gonna rain no more.


    ¡°You want a drink darlin?¡± Agalon asked, and Xac nodded, ¡°You scream when you cum.  That the first time you ever did that?¡±


    Xac nodded again.


    ¡°How ya feelin?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°Can you do that, too?¡± Xac asked as Agalon picked the towel up off the floor, wet it in the basin, and ran it up and down Xac¡¯s dick, which was much more sensitive than he had anticipated and made him jump up so quickly that he slammed his head against the headboard.  Agalon thought this was funny, and it hadn¡¯t really hurt him, so Xac giggled too.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Agalon explained as he moved to his side of the bed and ran the wet edge of the towel over a stain that was forming on the blanket.  ¡°And I¡¯ll show you how to do that in a minute. I need a drink first, and I reckon you do too. Glad to see you happy, darlin.¡±


    ¡°Is that what a pleasure slave does?¡± Xac asked, ¡°Is that why you wanted me?¡±


    ¡°Dream job, ain¡¯t it?¡± Agalon tilted Xac¡¯s face up by the chin and kissed him again, ¡°Don¡¯t think of it as a job.  I love you, Honey Bunny. You love me too, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Xac nodded, but Agalon stared at him, as if he expected more, expected him to say something, so he said, as sincerely as he could, ¡°I love you too.¡±


    He could almost believe it.

 Chapter 16

    Xaxac awakened slowly to the rays of the midday sun darting across his face, and the cool breeze flowing in through the open window.  It was the first time in a long time he hadn¡¯t awoken hung over, but he was more reluctant to open his eyes than he had been since he arrived at the manor.


    Last night had been weird.  Everything about it was weird.


    Now that it was over, it hardly seemed real.


    He knew, instinctively, that Agalon would be gone, because if he wasn¡¯t Xac would still be in his arms, still be curled up against him, taking in the comfort of his touch and the warmth of his body.


    He had to get up.  He had work to do. He wondered if he had any clothes, or if he¡¯d have to do all of his cleaning in the nude.  It wouldn¡¯t actually matter either way, because he would be alone until Agalon got home, and Agalon had seen every part of him that there was to see.


    That feeling of wrongness had dissipated, and he couldn¡¯t remember why he had felt it at all.  It had no place in what had been, otherwise, an amazing night. He had enjoyed all of it, even the part after his first glowing, intense orgasm where Agalon let him move at his own pace and play with him until he was pretty sure he had figured out how his dick worked.  It wasn¡¯t exactly rocket science. It was kind of just figuring out how to aim so he wouldn¡¯t get hit in the face next time.


    But he wasn¡¯t bad at it, and Agalon liked him, and apparently, that was the whole point of a pleasure slave.  He wasn¡¯t going to be cleaning once the staff were let back in, and he wasn¡¯t exactly a pet as he had envisioned himself.  He was more like a toy, and that was, all things considered, a much easier job. You just had to sit quietly and look pretty unless you were being played with, and then you just had to enjoy yourself doing things that were already enjoyable.


    He had hit the jackpot, and he intended to stay exactly where he was.


    He had expected to be sore; Agalon had even warned him that he would be a little sore the next day until he got used to it and that the soreness would be worse until they had worked him up.  Eventually, Agalon planned to put his whole dick inside him, which was less scary than he thought it would be. After the orgasm he had forgotten how to be afraid. He hadn¡¯t remembered yet. That worried him a little.


    But he wasn¡¯t sore, at all.  He felt perfectly fine. If what Agalon had done to him had hurt him in some way, which he didn¡¯t believe, then he had already healed from it while he slept.  He always healed faster than other people.


    In the harsh light of day, when he was alone again and able to think clearly, everything seemed much more practical and straightforward.  He had a good job. He had to do almost nothing, and he would get rewarded in ways that other people could only dream of. He was going to go into Basilglen to see the fighters and get some new clothes as soon as Agalon could trust him not to freak out and do something stupid, like try to run, and he was fairly certain he had almost gained his complete trust.


    He needed to remember that his survival and wit were what mattered, not strange, stupid feelings.  He couldn¡¯t afford to hesitate like that again. He would do better next time.


    He sat up in bed, rubbed his eyes, and opened them.


    The door was wide open.


    The door was wide open and he could see through it the closed door to the hall, the fireplace, the ticking clock, and the sofa.


    That was weird.  He didn¡¯t trust that.  Had Agalon had to leave in a hurry?  Had he forgotten to lock it? That made no sense.


    It may be that he hadn¡¯t actually left.  There were sounds coming from the room, as if someone was in there, but that someone did not sound like Agalon.  Their footsteps were lighter, as if they belonged to someone who was used to moving about unnoticed, unseen. Everything about the situation, the change, made him apprehensive.


    ¡°Master?¡± Xac called.


    ¡°He¡¯s done gone to work with the fighters,¡± an older male voice announced before a human man with short silver hair and alert dark eyes, wearing the uniform of a house slave stepped into the doorway.  ¡°Just me. I¡¯m Lee, the butler. You OK, little man? Rough night? Or could you handle it?¡±


    Xac didn¡¯t really know how to answer these questions.  Lee seemed to feel sorry for him and he didn¡¯t understand why.


    ¡°I¡¯m alright, I reckon,¡± Xac said and shook his head, then reached up to feel what happened to his hair if he didn¡¯t comb it out right after he washed it.  It was still soft, but the fluffiness had apparently increased to such a degree that his hand hit it a good few inches before it would have made contact with his head.  That was about right. It was probably all knotted and tangled, too.


    ¡°You sure?¡± Lee asked, tilting his head as if he thought Xaxac was lying to him.


    ¡°I just didn¡¯t expect to see nobody,¡± Xac said, ¡°Nobody don¡¯t usually come in here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been here every morning,¡±  Lee said as if Xac had lost his mind, ¡°You just usually sleep right through it.  Who do you think dresses and styles Master Agalon?¡±


    ¡°He can¡¯t dress himself?¡± Xac asked in shock.  He had never considered this. Then, annoyed at himself he asked, ¡°Wait, you been in here every day and I slept through it?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lee said, ¡°But I was told to keep real quiet.  He wanted you to sleep. Wanted you to sleep as long as you could today, too, so I tried to get some cleanin done in the sittin room, left the door open so I could hear you.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Xac said, ¡°Um¡­  thanks.¡±


    ¡°Just a sec, kid,¡± Lee said, then turned and walked back into the sitting room.  He came back a moment later carrying another uniform and tossed it onto the bed. ¡°I hope that fits you.  I had to guess.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Xac said again.


    ¡°You Abby¡¯s boy?¡± He asked as Xac began to dress.


    ¡°Oh, yeah that makes sense, you know my mommy!¡± Xac¡¯s face lit up, ¡°Yeah, yeah I am!  I feel like I ain¡¯t seen her in forever. I think about her all the time.¡±


    ¡°She was worried about you last night,¡± Lee explained, ¡°She heard your voice, knew you was downstairs.  She stays worried about you. I told her you was alright. You are, ain¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Nobody told me what my real job was,¡± Xac sighed as he laced up his shoes, ¡°somebody coulda told me that.  But it¡¯s¡­ yeah, it¡¯s fine. I like it.¡±


    ¡°Last one didn¡¯t take to it so well,¡± Lee said, more to himself than to Xac, staring at the place where the wardrobe used to be.


    ¡°I knew there was somebody up here before me,¡± Xac said, ¡°Who-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask questions like that,¡± Lee instructed, ¡°The answer¡¯s ¡®Don¡¯t think too hard on it¡¯.  You wanna survive, little man, in the position you got? You can¡¯t think too hard on anything.  You just do what he tells you, look as pretty as you can for as long as you can, and learn how to work the room.  Stay quiet when he don¡¯t want you. Look pretty and do as little as possible.¡±


    ¡°Can I ask if my mama¡¯s ok?  My sister?¡± Xac begged, ¡°I won¡¯t ask nothin else, but I¡­  I ain¡¯t seen um in so long and-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry,¡± Lee told him, not as if he was scolding, but as if he was giving practical life advice, ¡°What¡¯d I just say?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask questions?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Before that, what¡¯d I say about your job?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh¡­  Look pretty and do as little as possible.¡± Xac sighed and looked at the floor.


    ¡°Is crying pretty?¡± Lee asked, and when Xac gave no reply he continued, ¡°No, Xacy-boy, no is the answer.  When you¡¯re around them elves you keep a smile on your face and you stand up straight, you laugh at everything they say, and you make Master Agalon look good.¡±  His face softened and he continued, ¡°But your mama and your sister are fine. Everybody¡¯s feelin a lot better. Nancy came back a lot nicer, and I suspect she got herself a bunch of new scars.  She ain¡¯t too happy with you tellin tales on her like that.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell no tales,¡± Xac argued, ¡°She was meant to me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just her way,¡± Lee said, ¡°Don¡¯t pull no shit like that again.  We gotta look out for each other. Don¡¯t go runnin to Master Agalon every time somebody does somethin you don¡¯t like.  He ain¡¯t your friend.¡±


    Xac felt his blood begin to boil, and he snapped before he could help himself.


    ¡°He loves me!¡± Xac seethed.


    Lee gave him a look of pity that did nothing to quell his rage, and the silence stretched between them for some time before Lee broke it.  When he did, he spoke quietly and with great sincerity.


    ¡°It might make it easier on you if you believe that.¡±  He bounced a little on his feet, in thought, ¡°Might make it easier on all of us.¡±


    Xac believed he had made his point, and the tension dissipated a little, though not entirely.


    ¡°Why are you still here, then?¡± Xac asked, ¡°You got somethin for me to do?¡±


    ¡°No, boy, you got somethin for me to do,¡± Lee explained, ¡°I gotta get you presentable, teach you how to act.  Master Lorsan is gettin back from that summer camp military thing and you¡¯re gonna have dinner with him.¡±


    ¡°In here or-¡±


    ¡°Downstairs,¡± Lee explained, ¡°In the dinin room.  This is a test. Don¡¯t mess it up. Make it easy on all of us.  Just sit there and eat your food and be quiet. Don¡¯t get drunk out your head like you like to do.  I would say you¡¯re too little to be carryin on like that, but I guess Master Agalon made a man outta you, so you¡¯re gonna have to grow up and act like it.  That¡¯s how the world works.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to get drunk,¡± Xac defended, ¡°I ain¡¯t a drunk, I just like to drink.¡±


    ¡°When¡¯s the last time you went a day without it?¡± Lee asked and Xac scowled at him, so he continued, ¡°What did I say?  Don¡¯t give me that look. Smile.¡±


    ¡°Agalon ain¡¯t here,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°Get up; eat your breakfast,¡± Lee said to him, ¡°Then I¡¯m gonna teach you how to get ready.  You¡¯re gonna have to do this every day from now on. We¡¯re gonna do your hair and makeup.¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Makeup?¡± Xac asked, because he had never heard of such a thing.


    ¡°Yeah, them elves wear it,¡± Lee said, as if he thought the concept was stupid, ¡°And you¡¯re gonna have to wear it too.  And you¡¯re gonna learn to do it. I ain¡¯t doin it every day for you like I do for Master Agalon. I got a lot to do around here.¡±  His face softened again, and Xac suspected he liked him more than he let on.


    Xac had picked up an apple from the tray by his bedside while Lee had been speaking and devoured it.  He was starving.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Lee said as Xac made his way through the tray, ripping the stems from strawberries and popping them into his mouth, ¡°Can I ask you somethin?  Might be in poor taste?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I reckon,¡± Xac shrugged and sipped his wine.


    ¡°You really a shifter?  That¡¯s the rumor.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Xac said, because he saw no reason to lie about it now.  ¡°Not lookin forward to that first night when the moons are full. I¡¯m runnin outta time.  I can¡¯t stall it.¡±


    ¡°Rest of us are worried about that, too,¡± Lee reluctantly admitted, ¡°You can¡¯t kill him, boy, you know that, right?¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t never killed nobody,¡± Xac murmured, ¡°I can¡¯t¡­  it ain¡¯t my fault. I can¡¯t control it. I can¡¯t help it.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know y¡¯all was real,¡± Lee said.  ¡°If I ever thought about it, you ain¡¯t what I pictured.  I thought y¡¯all would be huge folks, kinda monstery, you know?  I just wanna get that out. You can think I¡¯m awful or whatever but¡­  I was wrong. There ain¡¯t nothin monstrous about you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks?¡± Xac asked.  He didn¡¯t know how to feel about what Lee seemed to think was praise.  It had been said in the tone and cadence of praise, but it didn¡¯t feel like it.  ¡°I am a monster though, just not right now. Just when the moons are full.¡±


    ¡°Everybody wants to see it,¡± Lee admitted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how they could,¡± Xac shrugged, drained the last of his wine and looked down at the empty plate, ¡°I told Agalon he needs to chain me up and lock me up somewhere.  Y¡¯all don¡¯t wanna be around me.¡±


    ¡°I reckon it¡¯ll be alright,¡± Lee said, ¡°Here, get up and let¡¯s get you presentable.¡±


    Xac nodded, and for the next few hours he allowed Lee to teach him, and found that he actually was quite interested in the subject.  The principle goal of the lesson was to make him cuter, more attractive, by covering any flaws in his flesh and enhancing his more desirable features.  Lee seemed pleased at how quickly he learned, and was altogether, if not particularly agreeable, at least considerably more agreeable than Mrs OfAgalon had been.  Though he was not particularly skilled at combing out hair, and Xac was pretty sure he had ripped more out than he allowed to stay on his head. Still, when they were finished, his hair lay in its normal pattern, as soft and fluffy as ever, his eyes looked even wider on his face, his cheeks fuller, his lips plumper.  He liked it.


    ¡°There¡¯s a skincare routine that goes along with it,¡± Lee explained as he pointed to other jars, ¡°take a rag and rub thisin on, and it¡¯ll take all that off.  Then wash your face real good, every night. Even if you have to wait for Master Agalon to go to sleep. Don¡¯t skip it. It¡¯ll mess up your skin.¡±


    Xac knew Lee had done this before, with someone else, and he hated that he wasn¡¯t allowed to ask about it.  Who had been here? Who had carved those marks into the wardrobe? How long had they been here?


    ¡°Thank you kindly,¡± he said instead.  ¡°I ain¡¯t gonna mess up no more, I swear.  I¡¯ll be real good.¡±


    ¡°You know I gotta lock you in here now, don¡¯t you?¡± Lee asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be alright,¡± Xac promised.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do the cleanin today,¡± Lee told him, ¡°If you¡¯re gonna do any work, do this prettification after it.  Wash your face first and dry it real good. Once you start growin a beard you¡¯ll have to shave every day, and I¡¯ll wake you up for it cause I gotta watch you with the razor, and son, I¡¯m sorry as I can be but I got other shit to do.¡±


    ¡°You ain¡¯t gotta watch me after you show me how to do it,¡± Xac said, ¡°I can figure it out.  I figure stuff out pretty quick.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t facin no whip because you get big headed,¡± Lee said, ¡°Master Agalon would lose his mind if he knew I didn¡¯t watch you.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Xac said, and thought that Lee would get mad if he asked why that particular bit of grooming was so important it had to be observed, so continued with a simple, ¡°Ok.  Sorry. I don¡¯t wanna bother you. I don¡¯t wanna bother nobody.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Lee told him, ¡°That¡¯s the right mindset to have.  Just look pretty and do as little as possible.¡±


    Xac nodded.


    ¡°You know about what time he gets back, right?¡± Lee asked, and Xac nodded again, ¡°Then why don¡¯t I forget to lock the bedroom door and you just remember to get back in here before he comes home?  Go out and sit in the sittin room if you want. You gotta be bored out your damn mind. But remember to get back in here. I plum forgot to lock the door. It¡¯s real easy to forget stuff at my age.¡±


    Xac¡¯s eyes darted to Lee¡¯s pockets, where he suspected he kept a great many keys.


    ¡°You¡¯re real nice to me,¡± Xac said softly, ¡°Thanks.  For everythin.¡±


    Lee squeezed his shoulders.


    ¡°Be good, kid.¡±


    Then he picked up Xac¡¯s empty breakfast tray, walked through the sitting room, and pulled the door closed behind him.


    It was infinitely better to have two rooms rather than one, in a way that cannot be readily explained to someone who has not been confined to a single room for weeks at a time.  Xac had never been in the sitting room by himself, and when he was with Agalon he was so focused on him that he wasn¡¯t able to observe it, to take it in.


    The curio cabinet was full of wonders, and though Xac was unwilling to touch the glass in case he dirtied it, he was able to study the things he saw within.  There were a number of documents that were likely important, as they were being displayed in frames, but they meant very little to him, as he could not read. He did like the seal on the one near the top, the same seal he saw on other things in the case: a single blooming rose surrounded by a circular border.  In another frame were arranged many small golden medallions bearing the same symbol, all with different colored fabric strips that looked as if they could be pinned to clothing. Xac was almost positive Agalon had been wearing them in the painting that hung in the foyer, and he suspected that they meant something.  They seemed important and were certainly pretty.


    The largest thing in the cabinet took up an entire shelf, and Xac had often glanced at it, wondering what it was.  It was a long, golden stick, easily taller than Xac himself, if it had stood upright, that terminated at what he knew was the top because he had seen it in the painting, in a golden hoop all inset with sparkling green crystals.  The one at the bottom of the hoop where it attached to the base was much larger than the others, and more beautiful.


    Xac had seen those crystals before.  They were set into the earrings Agalon always wore, and the ring that Miss Hattie May tried to keep secret.  They looked expensive.


    Elves could work magic.  Was this magic? Was Ms Hattie May a witch, as Alley had speculated?


    Xac had an idea.  He walked back into the bedroom and made his way to the jewelry box, then opened the bottom drawer.  That drawer seemed to be dedicated to the storage of earrings, of which there were many more than he had anticipated.  Agalon always wore the same green studs, but he had an entire collection in different shapes and sizes? Why? Why keep so many jewels?  Why own so many?


    They were so pretty.


    Xac poked around, moving hoops, ornamentally carved studs, and dangling chains out of his way until he found what he was looking for.  Agalon had other earrings with the same green crystals, and Xac picked up one of a pair that held three, much smaller than any of the others he had seen, arranged in a triangular pattern.  He ran his thumb gently over the stones-


    Something moved over him, flowed over his flesh like water, like a warm breeze, but it smelled like a garden in full bloom, and it rushed at him, pressing him down, pressing in upon him until it weighed him down.  It felt as if it was pressing against his skin, against his blood, and his blood was rushing full force against his veins, trying to get out. It almost hurt, and it terrified him, so he dropped the earring back into the drawer, slammed it shut, and jerked his hand away.


    The sensation was gone as quickly as it had appeared, and he tried to catch his breath.


    Whatever that was, it felt as if it could have killed him.  Was that magic? Humans were never supposed to use magic. Why would anyone even try if that¡¯s what it felt like?  That was horrible. He felt a little sick to his stomach, so he took the empty wine glass Lee had left him and made his way to the basin to fill it and take a long drink of water.


    The cream they had put on his lips came away on the glass, so he took a washrag and wiped it clean, then paused.


    Someone was in the hallway.


    Hopefully it was Lee.  He said he had a lot to do, and if he had come back in, he was a breath of fresh air in the loneliness of this place.


    But what if it was Agalon?  What if he had arrived home early for some reason?


    Xac rushed to the bedroom door and slammed it shut just as the door to the sitting room creaked open.  Xac leaned heavily against the door and listened. He hadn¡¯t touched anything, had he? He hadn¡¯t moved anything in there?  He didn¡¯t think so.


    It sounded like Agalon.  It was the same solid, heavy footfalls, the same breathing pattern, the same-


    ¡°Dad?¡±


    No.  Not the same voice.  This one was much lighter, much more youthful.  He didn¡¯t sound any older than Xac himself.


    ¡°Dad!¡± The voice said again, sounding angrier, ¡°You in here?  I just got off the carriage. That I rode here. By myself. Just got home.¡±  He huffed, then spoke harshly, apparently to himself, ¡°Yeah you ain¡¯t here. Of course you ain¡¯t here.  I ain¡¯t been here in a month, you ain¡¯t seen me but a week between school and camp. Why the hell would you care that I¡¯m back?  Asshole.¡±


    Xac hopped back when he heard the heavy footfalls marching for the bedroom door, and tried to take the stance he had seen on the other slaves when they weren¡¯t serving.  Jimmy popped into his mind, and he tried to mimic him with one hand in the small of his back and the other fisted over his heart.


    ¡°Dad!¡± A voice demanded as the door flew open, ¡°Are you in here?¡±


    It was the boy in the painting.  He had Agalon¡¯s long blond hair pulled up into a neat bun on the top of his head, and he was still wearing a traveling cloak.  He was, as Xac had suspected, about the same age as him, and when he saw him the rage drained from his face and was replaced with a look of shock and alarm.


    ¡°I thought you was dead,¡± he said.


    ¡°Um,¡± Xac had no response prepared for such an accusation, and had to take a second to formulate one on the spot, ¡°No.  Not dead. I¡­ I mean, I don¡¯t reckon.¡±


    ¡°Did he get a new one?  Are you the same one?¡± The boy asked.


    ¡°I¡­  don¡¯t know,¡± Xac admitted, ¡°I¡¯m Xaxac OfAgalon.  I¡¯m Master Agalon¡¯s pleasure slave.¡±


    ¡°Well goddamn,¡± the boy said, ¡°Glad you¡¯re alive.¡±


    ¡°Thank you?¡± Xac asked.  ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re alive too, sir.  Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Is daddy here?¡± The boy asked him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, sir,¡± Xac said, trying his best to be polite, ¡°Who¡¯s your daddy?  Is Master Agalon your daddy? If he is then he ain¡¯t here. He don¡¯t never get back until it starts gettin dark.  He goes to take care of the fighters. I watch the windows. It¡¯ll be a little bit.¡±


    ¡°You watch the windows?¡± The boy said as if that was the stupidest thing he¡¯d ever heard, ¡°Thesis¡¯s glowin eyes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Xac said, because he thought he had made some sort of social mistake.


    ¡°Of course he ain¡¯t here,¡± the boy huffed, ¡°Why the hell would he be here?  He don¡¯t never care about nobody but himself.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s true,¡± Xac said, quietly and with pleading eyes.  ¡°He¡¯s always been real nice to me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let him fool you,¡± the boy scowled.  ¡°Come in here a minute. I¡¯m gonna get a drink.  I need a drink. Been on the road all damn day. Been trainin for a month at the capitol.  I¡¯m fuckin tired.¡±


    He turned and walked into the sitting room; Xac followed as far as the doorway.


    ¡°I¡¯m not supposed to leave, I don¡¯t think,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be alright,¡± the boy said, then he opened the door, walked into the hall, and Xac heard the sound of a bell, followed by the boy¡¯s shrieking.  ¡°Lee! I need a drink!¡±


    Lee had apparently appeared in the hall, because Xac heard his response.


    ¡°Master Lorsan, you know that you¡¯re too young for that.  Your daddy would tan my hide.¡±


    ¡°My daddy can go straight to hell,¡± the boy, apparently named Lorsan replied.


    ¡°Be that as it may,¡± Lee said calmly, ¡°I won¡¯t be involved in it.¡±


    ¡°Fine!¡± Lorsan snapped, walked back into the room and slammed the door, ¡°He¡¯s a rubbin alcoholic.  It ain¡¯t like I won¡¯t find somethin.¡±


    Xac watched him move to the writing desk, tear open the middle drawer, and rifle through it.  He came out less than a second later with a flask, snapped it open, took a long drink, then held it out for Xac.


    Xaxac looked around tentatively, then back at him, staring with his giant brown eyes, rifled with indecision.


    ¡°I know he gives it to you,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°Come here.  Have a drink with me.¡±


    Xac took slow, tentative steps into the room, reached out his hand, took the flask, and took a long, slow drink.

 Chapter 17

    Xaxac sat on the sofa with his legs drawn up and his arms around them, watching Lorsan make his way quickly through his father¡¯s flask.


    ¡°Send my ass to that stupid military training camp and can¡¯t even be here when I get back,¡± Lorsan snarled, ¡°You think I wanna be in the goddamn military?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that is,¡± Xac said.  This boy was a test, and it was much more difficult than he had anticipated.  He couldn¡¯t be mean to Agalon¡¯s son, but he also couldn¡¯t stand the way Lorsan spoke about Agalon.  He couldn¡¯t understand it, couldn¡¯t understand why he was complaining at all. He lived here, on his father¡¯s dime, in the big house, where he could do whatever he wanted and had people waiting on him hand and foot.  He could travel whenever he wanted, go wherever he wanted. Listening to him was bizarre.


    ¡°That¡¯s where they get you all trained up so Xandra can send you somewhere to die,¡± Lorsan snarled, ¡°Some godforsaken edge of the empire full of savages and wild animals.  That shit won¡¯t happen to me though,¡± he rolled his eyes, ¡°Because I¡¯m special. I¡¯m kin to Xandra. My daddy¡¯s the Duke of the Agricultural district so my ass¡¯ll be right here raisin cotton stuck in this hellhole, close to the capital with all the other dandy little assholes, till the day I die, hopin I cross my ts and dot my is so that bitch don¡¯t send the Emerald Knight after me.¡±


    Xac shuddered.  The military did sound awful; that didn¡¯t sound like something Agalon would put anyone through.  And he thought Lorsan spoke far too harshly of the plantation; it may not be perfect, but it was Xaxac¡¯s home, where he had been raised.  He certainly wouldn¡¯t call it a ¡®hellhole¡¯; there were many places that were worse, and he suspected Lorsan knew that because he had described places Xac hadn¡¯t known had existed.


    He just missed his daddy, that¡¯s all that was wrong with him.  He had expected him to be home and didn¡¯t understand that people couldn¡¯t always be there for you, even if they loved you.  People had to work. But Xac remembered when he had been too young to know this, how he had cried for his parents when they had left him when they hadn¡¯t come back when he had expected them.  He knew what that felt like.


    ¡°The Emerald Knight only gets you if you¡¯re bad,¡± Xac said, ¡°You don¡¯t seem like a bad feller to me.¡±


    ¡°How old are you?¡± Lorsan asked as if he wanted a particular answer, and if Xac gave him the wrong one, he would grow angry.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Xac shrugged, thinking that the truth was probably the safest thing to say in the situation, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t born here.  I was bought in.¡±


    ¡°You look real little,¡± Lorsan said.


    ¡°Do I?¡± Xac asked, ¡°I think I¡¯m littler than some folks but¡­  I ain¡¯t a baby.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Lorsan said, studying him.  ¡°He keep you locked up in here?¡±


    ¡°Just till I learn how to act,¡± Xac said, ¡°He¡¯s trainin me.  Then we¡¯re gonna go down to Basilglen and get me some clothes and watch the fighters.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Lorsan said again.  He took another drink and fell back against the sofa, ¡°Humans are¡­  weird. Y¡¯all are weird. You¡¯re almost elven. It¡¯s¡­¡±


    He paused for so long that Xac was afraid he had planned to trail off completely, and he had begun forming his reply when Lorsan spoke again.


    ¡°Uncanny,¡± he had apparently been searching his tipsy mind for the word, a word with which Xac was unfamiliar, ¡°You move, walk, even talk like an elf¡­  but you¡¯re not. You¡¯re just enough off to look wrong when you do it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Xac said, ¡°Folks can¡¯t help what they are.¡±


    ¡°It ain¡¯t your fault,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°It¡¯s just weird¡­  an animal that close¡­ I feel like¡­ something is off. It¡¯s weird to look into the eyes of a creature and see that¡­  that real intelligence. I almost feel like¡­ if you can talk you must have sentience, you must know¡­¡± He trailed off, staring into Xac¡¯s eyes, apparently seeing the intelligence there.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you don¡¯t like us,¡± Xac said, ¡°I can try not to look smart if it bothers you.  Shouldn¡¯t be too hard. My daddy said I never was that bright, but I work hard, so that¡¯s ok.¡±


    Lorsan laughed as if this had been a joke, so Xac, happy that the tension had broken, laughed with him.


    ¡°Well my daddy said,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°That the holy texts say that the elves, being the Chosen People of Thesis, gotta watch after and care for all animals on Xren.  Including you.¡±


    ¡°Neat,¡± Xac said, because he had heard many people speak of the holy texts and knew that they were important.  They were a guidebook for everyone, not just elves, that needed to be obeyed in order to please the great god Thesis.  He suddenly wondered if the holy texts were among the many books Agalon had stored in the shelves of this room.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°I feel like some folks, like daddy,¡± Lorsan said seriously, ¡°Are takin severe advantage of that verse.¡±


    ¡°He does take good care of me,¡± Xac insisted, ¡°He¡¯s always been real good to me!¡±


    ¡°Yeah he watches you real good,¡± Lorsan said sarcastically, ¡°By leavin you alone all day.¡±


    ¡°He has to go to work,¡± Xac insisted.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lorsan scoffed, ¡°To train other humans to fight to the death.  Real great, daddy, adhearin real close to the holy texts. That¡¯s what the Chosen Child of Thesis would do- train animals to fight to the death.¡±


    Xac had no response to that assertion, so elected not to say anything.  It was difficult for him to think of Agalon, who had not only shown him kindness but had shown him the most kindness of the scant few people he interacted with in the manor, as someone who could be sacrilegious or evil.  It was also dangerous for him to think that way. He had to love Agalon; he really had no other choice. He had to ignore certain things about the world to keep his mind steady, and at this point in his life, he couldn¡¯t afford to lose it.  The conversation was forcing him to dwell on things he would rather not think about, and he thought he should probably find a way out of it.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you didn¡¯t like camp,¡± he said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know anything,¡± Lorsan said, as if this, like everything else, made him angry, ¡°but I bet you could.  I bet you could learn all kinds of things if anybody would teach you.¡±


    ¡°I know all kinds of things,¡± Xac said, feeling a little insulted, ¡°I know numbers and songs and today I learned how to put on makeup.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I mean,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°I bet you could learn anything if we let you.  You¡¯re almost elven.¡±


    Xaxac didn¡¯t know what to say to this, and it was beginning to anger him that Lorsan said it over and over.  He didn¡¯t think he was nearly elven; he didn¡¯t think he was elven at all. There was a distinct difference, and Xac was human.  There was absolutely nothing wrong with being human, he had never considered that it may be wrong somehow, but Lorsan seemed convinced that it was.  But he couldn¡¯t get angry, couldn¡¯t allow it to show on his face, couldn¡¯t respond in any way. He had to smile, and be good, and look pretty and do as little as possible.


    So instead of flying into a rage, he politely said, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re lucky,¡± Lorsan got up and walked around the sofa, so Xac peered over the edge of it to watch him.  ¡°You don¡¯t have to think about¡­ most things. You can turn off your brain and let other people tell you what to do.¡± He huffed and amended, ¡°Let daddy tell you what to do.  He does that to me, but I¡¯ll outgrow it. You won¡¯t. You see these medals?¡±


    He was indicating something inside the curio cabinet, so Xac stood to follow him and get a better look.  He was indicating the metal circles with the rose, the ones Xac had seen on the painting. He had seen them now, so he nodded in response to the question.


    ¡°You know why they gave him these?¡± Lorsan asked, and Xac shook his head, so he continued, with contempt, ¡°Because pert near two centuries ago they sent him and a bunch of other folk off to some godforsaken mountain on some foreign shore because Xandra wanted some more land, and this medal right here says he slaughtered the folks who were already there like sheep.  There were people there, people who didn¡¯t need to die. They didn¡¯t fight a war; wars are fought with soldiers. The fire elves are gone. There ain¡¯t no more. They wiped um out. Not just soldiers, the elderly, the weak, the innocent, the children.¡±


    Xaxac instantly chose not to believe this.  He didn¡¯t even know what a fire elf was, so it was possible that the entire story was made up.


    ¡°Did it twice,¡± Lorsan huffed, ¡°Fought on the water continent too, and now the whole damn place is underwater.  Used to stretch all the way up to the ice fields, and now it¡¯s just some shitty little islands.¡±


    Xaxac actively chose not to believe this, either.  He didn¡¯t know what the water continent was and doubted it was any more real than the ¡®godforsaken foreign mountain¡¯.


    ¡°And now he wants me to do the same goddamn thing?¡± Lorsan spat, ¡°Because he was in the military I gotta be in the military.  Travel to new lands! See new locations! Meet exciting new people! And kill them.¡±


    He glared at the curio case with a level of anger Xac felt was unwarranted.


    ¡°You¡¯re an elf though,¡± Xac said helpfully, ¡°When you grow up you can do whatever you want.  And you have a really long time. Elves live forever.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t live forever,¡± Lorsan said as if this comment had shocked him out of his anger, as if he couldn¡¯t believe that Xac truly believed it, ¡°We¡¯re lucky to live three hundred years.  Daddy¡¯s real old, did you know that? You didn¡¯t know that.¡±


    ¡°You live a real long time to me,¡± Xac said, ¡°humans get old in our fifties.  I wanna die before I¡¯m old¡­¡±


    ¡°God damn,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t wanna¡­  get wrinkles and grey hair and stuff,¡± Xac explained, ¡°Because then I won¡¯t be cute and¡­  worth havin. I don¡¯t know what¡¯ll happen to me when I¡¯m not cute anymore.¡±


    He had never really thought much on this, had certainly never spoken it out loud, but every word of it was true.  He would rather die young and cute than outgrow his usefulness and find out what Agalon would do with him when he could not longer love him for all the things he praised him for.  He was a toy, and broken toys were usually discarded, weren¡¯t they? They were transient things that weren¡¯t meant to last a lifetime.


    His mother had made toys; she had made a human ragdoll for Allie and a rabbit for him, but he didn¡¯t have it anymore, because that¡¯s what happened to toys.  He suspected his parents had given it away to another little boy, young enough to still need such things. The thought made him sad in a strange way that he didn¡¯t understand, and he didn¡¯t like the way Lorsan was watching him.


    ¡°If daddy ever gets rid of you,¡± Lorsan said seriously, ¡°You can come and work for me.  I¡¯ll be old enough to have my own slaves then. You can be a valet, on account of you already know how to do hair and makeup and shit.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Xac said, thinking over the possibility, which had never occurred to him, ¡°Um¡­  ok. Thanks, Master Lorsan.¡±


    ¡°My friends call me Lorry,¡± Lorsan said.


    ¡°My friends call me Xac,¡± Xac smiled.

 Chapter 18

    Xaxac was sitting on the sofa, listening to Lorsan tell him about the horrible things he had had to do at military camp, rising with the sun for long days training in the heat, eating mediocre food, interacting with people he didn¡¯t care for, and thinking that it didn¡¯t sound half as terrible as he made it out to be, that it actually sounded very much like the days he had spent as a field hand, when he heard the sound of footsteps in the hallway.  His eyes grew wide and without thinking, he put one hand on the back of the sofa, lept over it, and began to run toward the bedroom.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Lorsan got up to run after him, but Xac was faster and had made it to the doorway before Lorsan was able to lay a hand on him.  He grabbed him by the upper arm and was attempting to pull him back into the sitting room when the door to the hall flew open, and Agalon¡¯s face changed from a tired, contented smile to one of anger.


    ¡°Lorry, let go of him, have you lost your goddamn mind?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Where the hell have you been!?¡± Lorsan turned to face him, and Xac darted into the bedroom.


    ¡°Hell of a greeting,¡± Agalon snarled as he took off his traveling cloak and threw it over the chair at the writing desk, ¡°Here I was expecting you might be happy to see somebody you ain¡¯t seen in a month.  Guess I was the dumbass for expectin anything.¡±


    ¡°Here I was thinkin somebody might be here when I got back!¡± Lorsan argued, ¡°That dumbassery is hereditary, like all the other shit I have to live with.¡±


    ¡°Welcome home,¡± Agalon said, and Xac could see that he was trying to quell the anger that had built up inside of him, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I was gone.  Maybe I shoulda stayed home. I gotta get ready for this season, comin up, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Whatever,¡± Lorsan said dismissively, ¡°You get you a new pleasure slave?  You oughta put bars on them windows. Maybe thisin won¡¯t jump out.¡±


    Xac turned to look at the open windows in the bedroom, their curtains fluttering softly in the breeze.  He had thought about jumping out, that first day when he had been locked in. But they were three stories up, and he had had the sense to know he would get hurt.  Why would anybody jump out?


    Desperation.


    Madness.


    It was so easy to get so lonely up here, but¡­  but surely anybody with any sense would know better?  They¡¯d have to know that it was better to live up here than anywhere else.  That didn¡¯t make sense.


    ¡°Kenny fell,¡± Agalon said, and that made a lot more sense, especially if he liked to drink as much as Xac did.


    ¡°Might wanna put some bars on them windows,¡± Lorsan suggested again, ¡°So nobody else don¡¯t ¡®fall¡¯ out one.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re scarin the hell outta Xac,¡± Agalon stepped past Lorsan to put an arm around Xaxac, ¡°He¡¯s real skittish.  He¡¯s a little bunny rabbit.¡±


    ¡°Yeah he looks real gamey.  Does he run like a rabbit? You lose that¡¯in you won¡¯t never find him again.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not gonna run!¡± Xac yelled and clutched at Agalon¡¯s uniform, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t never run!  I swear! I ain¡¯t gonna run! I¡¯m a good boy!¡± He wanted to go to Basilglen, wanted to get out of that room, and in that moment he felt a measure of hate for Lorsan that he could not articulate.


    ¡°I know you wouldn¡¯t run, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to comfort him, ¡°Lorry¡¯s just cranky because he¡¯s tired.  He¡¯s had to ride in from the capital. That¡¯s all that¡¯s wrong with him.¡±


    Xac buried his head in Agalon¡¯s side, hiding his face there, so he did not see Lorsan watching him, judging the authenticity of his tears and fear.  Xac did not know that Lorsan had connected this sudden change in mood, but fortunately, he said nothing.


    ¡°Honey Bunny?¡± Lorsan scoffed.


    ¡°He is an actual rabbit,¡± Agalon explained, ¡°I¡¯ve been reading up on them.  He¡¯s a shifter. A lapin.¡±


    Lorsan¡¯s eyes shot open in shock and alarm, and his defensive, defiant attitude was knocked from him by this information.


    ¡°Honest to god?¡± He asked, ¡°He¡¯s a shifter?  Xac¡¯s a shifter? You¡¯re a shifter?¡±


    Xac risked a glance at him and slowly nodded.


    ¡°Daddy, them things is dangerous!  What are you gonna do? Keep a monster in your bedroom!?¡±


    ¡°What, we scared of rabbits now?¡± Agalon asked as if the concept was ridiculous, ¡°Let¡¯s get some food in you.  Maybe then you¡¯ll quit actin a fool and shit. I didn¡¯t send you off to toughen you up to have you come back scared of a tiny little human.¡±


    He led Xaxac toward the door with one hand in the small of his back, and Xac turned around to look at Lorsan, trying to send a silent, telepathic message.


    Please, he begged, Please drop it.  I got a good thing goin here, please don¡¯t mess this up for me.


    Lorsan followed them down the hall and onto the landing, apparently much less impressed by it than Xac had been.


    ¡°Oh,¡± He said, ¡°No, no I get it.  Chain him up, let them moons get full, and charge five silver a head to gawk at him.¡±


    ¡°That ain¡¯t a terrible idea,¡± Agalon admitted as he led Xac down the stairs, ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought of that, and I wouldn¡¯t phrase it that way, but I bet folks would pay to see that.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Lorsan huffed as if he did not believe him, ¡°You hadn¡¯t never thought of that.¡±


    ¡°You are a rare breed, darlin,¡± Agalon said to Xac, ¡°I bet people would like to see you.  It¡¯d be good for shifters. Show folks there ain¡¯t nothin to be scared of.¡±


    Xaxac didn¡¯t particularly care one way or the other about this conversation.  The more time he spent alone with his reflection, the more he thought he may enjoy being looked at, and he could never remember the things that happened while he was shifted.  As long as he was chained up, it would probably be alright. It was just a little odd to hear something that he had always considered a curse be discussed as if it had anything positive associated with it at all.


    ¡°Right.  Make that scared little bunny a public spectacle,¡± Lorsan huffed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so contrary to every goddamn thing,¡± Agalon said, ¡°You make me tired, you know that?¡±


    ¡°You need to color your hair,¡± Lorsan shot back, ¡°I¡¯d be ashamed to be seen with you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna get around to it,¡± Agalon shrugged, ¡°You can¡¯t color it right after you washed it and I washed it last night.  It¡¯ll burn right through and destroy the root. That¡¯s a life lesson, boy.¡±


    Xaxac spotted Lee and wanted to wave at him, but the look Lee gave him told him it would be a bad idea.  Instead, he smiled as big as he could to show that he had listened and clung more fiercely to Agalon. Be quiet, look pretty, and do as little as possible.


    Lee smiled himself and pulled open a door that Xac expected to walk through, but Agalon paused where they were and turned to speak to Lee.


    ¡°That boy give you any trouble?¡± Agalon asked, ¡°He¡¯s been in a mood.¡±


    ¡°Master, if I couldn¡¯t put up with a ornery youngun you might as well as put me down,¡± Lee laughed.


    ¡°There is no greater test of patience,¡± Agalon said as if he was imparting some great wisdom, ¡°Than a fourteen-year-old boy.  Maybe he¡¯ll feel better after we get some food in him.¡±


    Agalon led Xac into a narrow room lined on one side with windows and on the other with a long, thin piece of furniture he didn¡¯t recognize.  The vast majority of the room was taken up by an ornate wooden table with equally ornate chairs, and from the tiled ceiling hung a chandelier similar to the one in the foyer that sparkled and reflected the candlelight, effectively lighting the entire room with a diffused, soft light.  Xac thought it was beautiful and took the seat to the left of the head, which Agalon pulled out for him. Agalon took the seat at the head, and Lorsan the seat to his right, directly across from Xac, where he would be forced to look at him through the entire meal.


    ¡°So how much have you had to drink?¡± Agalon asked pleasantly as if he was making conversation, ¡°You smell like whiskey and you¡¯re tryin to start a barroom brawl with your old man.¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°I needed a drink,¡± Lorsan huffed and leaned back in his chair, ¡°Been a long-ass day.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what a long day is,¡± Agalon argued, and Xac perked up because a door in the side of the room next to the long bar opened, and Jimmy stepped out of it carrying a tray.  But that wasn¡¯t the reason for his joy. He could see, through the other side of this door, the storeroom he had used to go upstairs from the kitchen! He was beginning to get an idea of how the house was laid out.  In that storeroom was the secret staircase, so there was nothing above the dining room; each story was a little more narrow than the one above it. Beyond that room was the kitchen, and that meant the bath was across from them, on the other side of the hall.  He wasn¡¯t sure what to do with that information, or if he needed it at all, but there was a chance that his mother or Allie may come into the storeroom at the exact moment someone meant to make use of the door, and they may see each other!


    He sat up very straight and smiled sincerely at the thought of it.  He hadn¡¯t seen them in so long! He wasn¡¯t a baby who missed his mommy, but he couldn¡¯t be blamed for wanting to see her.  He had never been away from his family for so long, wasn¡¯t exactly sure what to do about the feelings it gave him that he could neither articulate nor place.


    Jimmy had actually served salads for all of them, though Xac¡¯s was much bigger, something that confused him because he assumed Agalon, being the biggest person, would get the most food.  But he wasn¡¯t particularly concerned, because it was really none of his business, and kept his eyes on the door while Jimmy poured his wine.


    Instead of retreating to the invisibility his position afforded him, Jimmy took the bottle and moved to the bar to set it down, then went to stand behind and to the left of Agalon, which was¡­  off-putting? Was he going to stand there silently and watch them eat? Xac arched an eyebrow at him in confusion and Jimmy shrugged. Apparently, he was. Whatever.


    No one came into or out of the door.


    ¡°So,¡± Agalon said cheerfully, ¡°How was camp?¡±


    ¡°I hate it, thanks for asking,¡± Lorsan said, mocking his father¡¯s enthusiasm, ¡°Like I hated it last year.  Like I hate the military academy. I hate that fucking place. It¡¯s torture. I¡¯m so glad you send me there instead of dealing with me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great, Lorry,¡± Agalon said.


    Xaxac smiled, sipped his wine, and ate his salad.


    ¡°In a few more years you¡¯ll graduate to an apprenticeship,¡± Agalon said, ¡°You thought about that, at all?¡±


    ¡°Figured my rich daddy¡¯d pay somebody to sign the form,¡± Lorsan said, stabbing a small tomato with his fork and watching the red liquid within spill out on the other vegetables.


    ¡°You¡¯re a mage, boy,¡± Lorsan said, dropping his imitation of conversational pleasantness, ¡°You need to take that seriously.  Magic ain¡¯t nothin to fuck around with.¡±


    Lorsan sighed, and replied with the first sincerity Xac had ever heard him use to address his father, ¡°I¡¯m real good at healin¡­  real good at potions¡­ think I¡¯m gonna be a medic, like my pa. That¡¯s the easiest thing so that¡¯s what I¡¯ll do.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of career opportunities there,¡± Lorsan said with real pride, ¡°You get outta trainin you ain¡¯t gotta do active duty, you can apprentice out to a doctor and go into that in the private sector.¡±


    ¡°I like animals,¡± Lorsan told his salad, ¡°Thinkin about bein a vet.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a perfectly respectable profession,¡± Agalon said, and Xac liked the way he sounded, liked the legitimate pride in his voice much more than the contempt, ¡°Lots a respectable folk go into that.  Big demand for it round here, too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± Lorsan sighed, ¡°Perfectly respectable.¡±


    Xaxac smiled, watched the motionless door, and ate his salad.  He felt that he should probably pick up the pace, because both Lorsan and Agalon had finished, especially when Jimmy moved to refill everyone¡¯s glass and take away their empty plates, leaving Xac¡¯s.


    No one else seemed to be in the storeroom when he went through it.


    ¡°So,¡± Agalon said as he sipped his wine, dragging the word out, ¡°Have you¡­  met anyone?¡±


    ¡°You met anybody?¡± Lorsan asked, ¡°Or after that fourth marriage fell apart did you decide to just double down on the bestiality?¡±


    ¡°The latter,¡± Agalon said as if he hadn¡¯t been insulted at all, ¡°I think I¡¯ve got too old for the dating scene.  So they just not doin etiquette classes down there no more? Am I gonna have to scry somebody?¡±


    Xaxac smiled and quietly ate his salad, trying his best not to give in to the urge to chug his wine.


    ¡°We are gonna have to start thinkin about that, though, here in the next few years,¡± Agalon said, ¡°You don¡¯t find somebody I¡¯m gonna have to do it, and right now I just about hate to saddle some poor girl with you.  Havin to listen to your mouth night after night.¡±


    Jimmy came back with two more plates, this time full of cooked food that made Xac¡¯s mouth water.  There was some sort of meat, baked potatoes covered in butter, and what looked like roasted vegetables.  He hadn¡¯t had any cooked food in so long¡­ he could smell the sweet sugar glaze, and couldn¡¯t keep himself from staring as Jimmy sat them down, then returned to the bar and came back with a big plate of sliced cornbread to place in the center.


    He watched Agalon and Lorsan both reach for it, crumble it up over their veggies and cut off slices to eat with their meat.


    His mama had made that cornbread.  He recognized it.


    It was so good¡­  he could remember those cold winter nights when she would pat it out and bake it in front of the fire in their little wooden house.  It was sweet, and yellow, and warm, and his mama had made it, maybe even made it for him. Did she know he was out here? Surely Lee had told her he was out here.


    He didn¡¯t know he was crying.


    Would he get in trouble?  He would probably get in trouble.


    But it smelled so good.


    And his mama had made it.


    He couldn¡¯t¡­  he couldn¡¯t break down¡­  he had to control his breathing.  He had to smile. Don¡¯t cry. Is that pretty?  Who¡¯s that gonna help? Smile. Look pretty and do as little as possible.


    ¡°The hell is wrong with you?¡± Lorsan asked him, and Xac¡¯s eyes widened in alarm.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Xac turned his eyes back to his plate and picked up his wine to take a drink.


    ¡°Are you crying?¡± Agalon asked, ¡°Are you alright?  Are you upset? Lorry¡¯s too much for you, ain¡¯t he?  I shouldn¡¯t have made you put up with that. Shoulda left you upstairs.  You wanna go back upstairs?¡±


    Xac shook his head.


    Wait, did tears mess up makeup?  He picked up the napkin from his lap and used it to dab at his face.


    ¡°No, Master, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Xac said, ¡°I¡¯m fine.  It¡¯s just that my mama used to make cornbread and I ain¡¯t seen her in a while.  I liked it. I ain¡¯t had none in a¡­ while.¡±


    ¡°Get you a piece,¡± Lorsan said as if the entire thing was ridiculous, ¡°Ain¡¯t nothin wrong with it.  We¡¯re eatin it.¡±


    ¡°Shifters have food allergies,¡± Agalon said, ¡°He can¡¯t eat it; it¡¯ll make him sick as a dog.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Lorsan asked, ¡°I reckon rabbits can eat cornbread.  Can¡¯t rabbits eat cornbread?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s got eggs and lard in it,¡± Agalon turned to Jimmy and said, ¡°Go into the kitchen and get the cook.  Tell her she¡¯s not in trouble. I just want to know what¡¯s in this.¡±


    ¡°Yes Master,¡± Jimmy said and left through the storeroom.


    ¡°Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon said in a voice meant for comfort, ¡°You know I¡¯d give you anything you wanted if I could.  I just gotta take care of you. I don¡¯t want you to get sick. You ever got sick from eatin somethin? Them books say shifters retain traits from their animal form even when they¡¯re human.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Xac said, ¡°I know.  I¡¯m bein stupid¡­¡±


    ¡°Rabbits ain¡¯t exactly know for their intellect,¡± Lorsan giggled.


    The door opened, and she was there.


    Xaxac saw his mother for the first time in what felt like an eternity.  He wanted to jump up, to run, to hug her, but he knew he couldn¡¯t. He knew he had to sit there, to smile, to look pretty and be quiet.  He did not know what it was like for a mother, to not see her child for so long, then to see him, looking completely different, in different clothes, with tears in his eyes.  He did not know how much she knew, how much Lee had told her. He thought he knew why her eyes were misting, but he didn¡¯t, not really.


    ¡°Abigale,¡± Commander Agalon asked conversationally, ¡°What¡¯s in this cornbread?  Is there anything like meat, butter, or eggs? Anything that may have come from an animal?¡±


    ¡°Master, that gets right expensive,¡± Abby said, ¡°I don¡¯t never use none of that unless I got it.  We go through them eggs pretty regular for breakfast. I use bakin powder to get it to rise. Use corn oil and whatnot.¡±


    ¡°So if someone was to be allergic to animal products, they could eat this without bein sick?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°Master,¡± Xaxac watched anger flash over Abby¡¯s face before she caught it, and he wondered how many people had been instructed to look pretty and smile, ¡°Is this about Xaxac?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you heard about him?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°Master, I raised that boy for years,¡± Abby said, ¡°I know what he can eat.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Agalon asked as if this greatly interested him, and turned to look at Xac, who nodded and tried his hardest not to cry, ¡°Oh, darlin, is that why you wanted to go to the kitchen?¡±  Xac nodded again, ¡°Well, that¡¯s lucky then. She knows what you can eat. Yeah, dig in.¡±


    Lorsan leaned back in his chair and watched this exchange with crossed arms and a scowl.


    ¡°That¡¯s his mommy,¡± he said, ¡°that¡¯s why he¡¯s cryin.  Bet he ain¡¯t seen her in weeks.¡±


    ¡°Lorry, hush,¡± Agalon said as he picked up several pieces of the cornbread and sat them next to Xac¡¯s plate, ¡°You¡¯re personifyin.  Humans don¡¯t put as much stock in that as we do. They barely remember their parents. He¡¯s cryin cause you¡¯re scarin the hell out of um.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t put a lot of stock in it,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°When my mommy died, you sure as hell didn¡¯t put a lot of stock in it.¡±


    ¡°Lorry, I swear to god,¡± he sighed, ¡°That¡¯ll be all, Abigale, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t nothin can hurt him in the cake, neither,¡± Abigale said hastily, then remembered who she was talking to and added, ¡°Master.¡± before she spared one more desperate glance at her son and disappeared into the storeroom.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Lorsan called after her.


    Xaxac wasn¡¯t going to cry.  He had stopped, and he wasn¡¯t going to start again.  He smiled at Agalon, picked up a piece of the cornbread, tore off a chunk and said, ¡°Thank you, master.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon laid a hand on his head and stoked his hair as if he was petting a pet, ¡°I told you you could have what you wanted if it wouldn¡¯t hurt you.¡±


    Xac stuck the chunk in his mouth and glanced up at Lorsan, who was still staring at him.


    Smile.


    Be quiet.


    Be good.


    Look pretty and do as little as possible.


    Just smile and lie.  Tell them you¡¯re alright.  Tell them you¡¯re ok. Just be good and do everything that they say.


    Xac allowed the flavor to dance over his tongue, sweet without being tooth-rottingly sweet, perfectly textured, just a hint of onion powder.  Just like mama used to make, just like mama still made.


    ¡°It¡¯s really good,¡± He said with a smile.

 Chapter 19

    ¡°I¡¯m going to bed.¡± Lorsan huffed as he split away from them in the third floor hallway.


    ¡°It¡¯s eight o¡¯clock,¡± Agalon argued, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to-¡±


    ¡°Goin to bed,¡± Lorsan repeated, opened one of the many doors in the hall, and slammed it behind him so hard it rattled the portraits that lined the walls.


    ¡°Alright then!¡± Agalon shouted to the closed door, ¡°Goodnight!¡±


    He did not seem particularly shocked when he received no answer, and Xac cuddled more fiercely into his side.


    ¡°That boy will be the death of me,¡± Agalon murmured as he opened the door to the sitting room and led Xac inside.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sad, master,¡± Xac begged, ¡°I think he just misses his daddy.  When he got here, before you did, he talked about you so much!¡±


    This wasn¡¯t exactly a lie, but it did not exactly convey the truth.


    ¡°That boy can¡¯t miss nobody,¡± Agalon said as he situated Xac on the sofa, ¡°He don¡¯t care about nobody but himself.¡±


    He went into the hall, likely to ring for someone to bring them some alcohol, and Xac pondered his words.  He had seemed so sure, but it was exactly the same thing Lorry had said about him. They didn¡¯t understand each other, and if Xac had thought it was any of his business he would have said as much.  But it wasn¡¯t his business; he was in the business of surviving. So instead he thought of his mother, how it was the first time he had seen her in so long, but she looked fine, and now she knew that he was still alright, still alive, still healthy, and hopefully she thought he looked much better than he had on the fields.  He had to look a little different, didn¡¯t he? He had been surrounded by all these pretty things that Agalon owned for so long that he had to be at least in the process of becoming one of them.


    Agalon came back without a slave, which wasn¡¯t what Xac had expected- he had thought he would see Jimmy or Lee- but he didn¡¯t think about it.  He was trying to learn how to prevent himself from thinking about anything. Instead he smiled and watched Agalon set the two bottles of wine he had brought with him, and the two glasses, on the coffee table, and leaned back into the sofa to watch him pop the cork on one and pour their drinks.


    He took the glass he had been offered and sipped it.


    Agalon drained his in a single long drink, leaning back to do so, then leaned forward to refill it.


    ¡°He reminds me of his mother,¡± Agalon snarled, ¡°She was always right disagreeable.  That¡¯s what happens if you date high-ranking officers. At least he got a hell of an inheritance.  I thought maybe the military academy would beat that big head out of him, but there¡¯s some people I guess you can¡¯t beat sense into.  That bitch really got her claws in him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, master,¡± Xac cuddled into his side.


    ¡°He¡¯s got a good head on his shoulders,¡± Agalon continued, ¡°He¡¯d be alright if we could get rid of the meanness.¡±


    Xac didn¡¯t like the energy in the room, the way the anger seethed out of Agalon and hung in the air.  He wished Lorsan would go back to wherever he came from, and then everything would be alright again.


    ¡°Is he gonna come back?¡± Xac asked, ¡°When you go to work tomorrow and I¡¯m all alone?¡±


    Agalon snarled at the question, as if he hadn¡¯t thought of the possibility, but now that the seed had been planted it filled him with rage.


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him, darlin,¡± Agalon warned, ¡°Don¡¯t let him put stupid shit in your head.  He wants to be a vet, but he ain¡¯t got the temperment for it. At least not for humans; he scares y¡¯all to death.  You ain¡¯t the only one he treats like that. I¡¯ve caught him screamin at humans before. I want him to make somethin of himself, but he¡¯s gonna have to get over that.¡±


    Xac nodded.


    ¡°He told me really scary stories,¡± Xac said, ¡°About places with fire and water, places that sound awful.  He said that¡¯s where you got them medals in the curio cabinet, and it¡¯s where they send people to die. You ain¡¯t gonna die are you?  You ain¡¯t gonna go nowhere like that?¡±


    He climbed to his knees and made his eyes as big as he could.  It was getting easier and easier to cry when he wanted to; he just thought of the look on his mother¡¯s face when she had seen him, the misting of her eyes, the taste of her cornbread.


    ¡°He told you¡­¡±  Agalon slammed the glass onto the coffee table and kept that posture for much longer than Xac expected, seething.  ¡°I ain¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t deal with this tonight.¡± He picked up the bottle and refilled his glass, ¡°I ain¡¯t doin it. How much is somebody supposed to take?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, master,¡± Xac said.


    Agalon threw back the second glass, and Xac thought that he didn¡¯t normally see him drink so much so quickly.


    ¡°Almanac says it¡¯s three days till the full moons,¡± Agalon said as he refilled his glass.


    ¡°That sounds about right,¡± Xac said chipperly, ¡°I¡¯ve always been scared to shift, but you ain¡¯t scared at all!  It makes me so happy! Nobody¡¯s ever been happy about it before!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m real excited about it, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon smiled, leaned toward him and cupped his face.  ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see what happens.¡±


    Xaxac giggled and took another sip of his wine, then shrugged and reasoned that if Agalon was going to get full blow drunk, so was he.


    ¡°You¡¯re so cute,¡± Agalon said.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Xac said leaning into the touch, ¡°Can I sit in your lap?  I wanna cuddle. Everything¡¯s been so loud and¡­ today¡¯s been¡­ a lot.¡±


    Xac threw his head back and took in as big a mouthful of the wine as he could manage, then held out his drink for a refill, but it never came.  Instead, Agalon stood and scooped him up in his arms. Xac leaned into his chest and snuggled his face against the fabric there.


    ¡°I love you,¡± Xac said because Agalon still had a strange air about him that he thought was fueled by his bad mood, and it usually made him happy to hear Xac say he loved him.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad somebody does,¡± Agalon tightened his grip and Xac threw his arms around his neck to hug him back.


    ¡°I¡¯m really happy here,¡± Xac said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I got scared and cried.  I won¡¯t let him get to me again. He¡¯s your boy, so I should love him, too.¡±


    ¡°That ain¡¯t your fault,¡± Agalon said as he carried Xac to the bedroom, ¡°It¡¯s his.  I¡¯ll put a stop to it. Don¡¯t you worry about it. You just relax. Let¡¯s forget about everythin that went wrong today and turn this into a good night.¡±


    ¡°Ok!¡± Xac giggled as Agalon tossed him onto the bed and he bounced, ¡°Can we keep drinkin though?  I wanna be drunk.¡±


    ¡°In a little bit,¡± Agalon promised as he began to strip out of his uniform, ¡°When we¡¯re done, we¡¯ll both get shitfaced and see what the hell happens.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°Yay!¡± Xac cheered and climbed to his knees.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get you outta them clothes, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon said as he tossed his jacked over the back of the vanity chair.  ¡°You can get absolutely wasted after this, but I want you to have your wits about your for the next little bit. You oughta be able to remember this forever.¡±


    Xac thought Agalon was a little drunk; his eyes looked strange, the pupils were so blown open it made the irises very small, but the tiny green slits vibrated in the white expanse.  Xac felt the strange sense of negativity fall over him and hated it. He wasn¡¯t going to let it ruin his night, wasn¡¯t going to give in to it. He had a right to be happy for five goddamn minutes, and he was going to take it.  He was sick of things trying to cause him trouble. He wasn¡¯t even interested in identifying it anymore, he just wanted it gone. He wondered briefly if maybe he could have it beaten out of him, while he was standing to tug off his pants and toss them on the floor with the rest of his clothes.


    ¡°This is shaping up to be a very special night for you, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon said as he opened the drawer on his nightstand and pulled out the little bottle he had used the night before.  ¡°Just relax, enjoy yourself.¡±


    Exactly.  Relax, enjoy yourself.


    Smile.  Look pretty.  Do as little as possible.  Just tell him ¡®alright¡¯. Do everything he says.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Xac smiled as he climbed back onto the bed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s ¡®double down on the beastiality¡¯,¡± Agalon snarled, then caught himself, smiled and said, ¡°Do me a favor, darlin.  Get on your hands and knees, like last night.¡±


    Xac moved to obey him, but before he could Agalon reached out, tangled his hand in that soft, fluffy hair, and pulled Xac up until he was standing on his knees, then leaned in and kissed him so hard it knocked the air from his lungs.


    He was lightheaded when Agalon released him, and had to fight to remember the instructions he had been given.  As he tried to catch himself, tried to right himself and take the position he had been told to take, he caught a glimpse of the paintings of flowers on the opposite wall.


    Five pedals on each flower.


    He loves me.


    He loves me not.


    He loves me.


    He loves me not.


    He loves me.


    Xac positioned himself on his hands and knees facing the headboard and smiled.  He wasn¡¯t thinking about anything, because he was getting better at not thinking.  He was getting better at not asking questions. He was getting better.


    It was exactly like last night at first, and it felt so good it was incredibly easy not to think; he didn¡¯t even have to try.  As whatever Agalon did brought those bolts of white hot electricity over him he couldn¡¯t have thought if he had tried. He wanted to preserve the sensation, to live in it, this blank, happy space where nothing mattered and everything was alright, where someone else was focused on him on making him happy.  He rarely saw other people anymore, except for Agalon, and Agalon was the only person who had ever made him feel like this. He loved the feeling, so he had to love the man who could make it happen.


    But then, very suddenly and with no warning, the feeling stopped, Agalon¡¯s hands had gone away, and Xac hadn¡¯t gotten to experience that floating, that glow that numbed the edge of reality, and he whined at the loss.


    ¡°Relax, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon whispered, ¡°Stay just like that.  Relax. If you don¡¯t relax this can hurt. You¡¯re gonna be sore in the mornin.¡±


    Then he was leaning over him with one hand on the quilt beside Xac¡¯s, and Xac remembered that he had said this same thing the last night, and it hadn¡¯t happened.  Agalon didn¡¯t know how strong he was, how resilient. He thought he was a fragile little bunny who frightened easily and came to harm just as easily. Let him think that.


    Xac was relaxed; he was viciously ignoring anything that would rob him of that relaxation.  Whatever that was, it was a problem for future Xaxac, and fuck that guy. This moment was all that mattered, and he wasn¡¯t going to ruin it.


    It didn¡¯t hurt, not really.  It was just new. Everything was slippery and warm, and wasn¡¯t having the same effect it did before, but it made Agalon happy, because he was making all sorts of happy sounds and had moved back to his knees, had removed the comforting weight Xac had felt on his back, and now both hands were on his waist as Xac clung to the quilt and tried not to think, just to feel, with great success.


    He liked it, and he was allowed to be happy.


    He was allowed to like the person who made him happy.


    Everything was fine, so he smiled, closed his eyes, and relaxed.


    Agalon had stopped moving forward, but he tightened his grip on Xac¡¯s waist and asked, ¡°How are you feelin, Honey Bunny?¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Xac said, because he was having difficulty pulling up complex thoughts.  He had gotten much better at not thinking, not asking questions, even though if he had scratched the surface of the feeling he had buried, he had a million questions that would have come pouring out.


    ¡°You sure?¡± Agalon asked, ¡°You ain¡¯t¡­  squirmin or nothin. You alive?¡±


    Lorsan had asked him this, but Xac ignored that memory.


    ¡°Uh-huh,¡± He said, ¡°I can squirm if you want.  I was tryin to relax.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t rip¡­¡± Agalon muttered to himself, almost too quietly for Xac to hear.  There was mirth in his voice when he continued, ¡°Well, Honey Bunny, this is the part you¡¯re gonna like.¡±


    He was right.


    Xaxac was in a haze as he stared at the ceiling, and he had no desire to come out of it.  He knew that Agalon was sitting in the bed beside him, maybe watching him, though Xac heard the bedside drawer open and close again, heard a match strike, then smelled the earthy scent of tobacco that reminded him of his father smoking by the fireside as he told stories.  He hoped his mother would tell him that she had learned Xaxac was alright.


    ¡°You done this before?¡± Agalon asked.


    Xac shook his head.


    ¡°You ain¡¯t in trouble,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Tell me the truth.¡±


    Xac shook his head again, then slowly turned it to look up at Agalon, who was staring down at him as if he was the most interesting thing in the world, as if he was a puzzle meant to be figured out.


    ¡°I ain¡¯t never seen nobody do that before,¡± Xac said, ¡°But I¡¯d sure do it again.¡±


    Agalon made a sort of humming noise that Xac could not interpret in any meaningful way, then took another long drag from the cigarette he held.


    ¡°You¡¯re goddamn good at it to have never done it before,¡± he said after a beat, ¡°But I believe you.¡±


    ¡°You said I was made for it,¡± Xac had to try as hard as he could to push himself up against the headboard, to a sitting position.  ¡°Can I have a glass of wine? You said we could get shitfaced.¡±


    ¡°Shifters heal¡­¡± Agalon said, more to himself than Xac, ¡°They¡¯re supposed to be stronger, more flexible than other humans¡­  and they heal.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Xac asked, getting a little worried that Agalon was still staring off into space and hadn¡¯t looked at him, ¡°Neat.  That makes sense. I always healed pretty quick.¡±


    ¡°You were made for this,¡± Agalon said without looking at him, ¡°Goddamn.¡±


    Xac cuddled into his side and Agalon finally looked down at him and wrapped one arm around him.


    ¡°Sure, yeah,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I¡¯ll get us somethin to drink.  You stay right where you¡¯re at.¡± The way he looked at him was strange, still with that genuine curiosity, as if Xac were somehow a great mystery or vastly important, and Xac thought that he rather liked being looked at like that.


    ¡°Let me ask you somethin,¡± Agalon said as he studied him, ¡°You happy, Honey Bunny?¡±


    ¡°So happy!¡± Xac said with a smile, ¡°I love it here!  I wanna do that again, but while I¡¯m drunk. I love you!¡±


    Agalon finally broke into a real smile and said, ¡°I love you too, Honey Bunny.  Here,¡± he picked a silver cigarette case up off the nightstand, opened it, selected a cigarette, and handed it to Xaxac, ¡°You want a smoke?¡±


    ¡°Ok!¡± Xac said and leaned into the flame Agalon held for him.  He inhaled, as he had seen his father do, and let the flavor dance over his tongue then exhaled the cloud in a long, slow stream.


    ¡°You ever smoke before?¡± Agalon asked him.


    ¡°No, but my daddy did,¡± Xac said conversationally.


    ¡°You ain¡¯t coughin,¡± Agalon observed as Xac took another drag.


    Xac exhaled and asked, ¡°Am I supposed to?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Agalon said, ¡°No I¡­  I guess you ain¡¯t. I¡¯m gonna run and get our wine.  You stay right here, Honey Bunny.¡±


    He kissed Xac on the forehead, stood, and made his way to the sitting room.

 Chapter 20

    ¡°Xaxac.¡±


    Xac blinked the sleep out of his eyes and tried to understand what was happening to him.  It had been so long since the last time anyone had tried to wake him up for anything that he had forgotten it was a thing that happened to people, and his pounding headache made his anger over the disservice even worse than it could have been.


    ¡°What?¡± He snapped and slapped away the hand shaking him.


    ¡°He¡¯s grumpy this morning,¡± Agalon chuckled, ¡°He¡¯s probably sore.  Get up, darlin, we got shit to do today.¡±


    Xaxac pulled the pillow off his face and rolled back to see what was going on.  This wasn¡¯t how things were done, not in the manor house, not to pleasure slaves.  He slept as long as he wanted, woke up to a glass of wine to get rid of the headache, and sat around doing nothing all day until Agalon got back.  But apparently that was about to change, and the idea that he could potentially do something else put an instant, sincere smile on his face. He had shit to do today!  He had something to do!


    Lee was standing over him, and had apparently been the one shaking him.


    ¡°Get up,¡± he whispered, ¡°Get dressed and presentable while I do Master Agalon¡¯s hair.¡±


    ¡°Good morning!¡± Xac told him chipperly and threw his arms around him before he could stop himself.


    He had something to do!  He was going somewhere! Was he going to Basilglen?  To see the fighters? To get new clothes?


    He had moved much too quickly and his head hated him for it, so he was forced to release Lee and grab it with both hands.  He hadn¡¯t realized he had made a sound, but Agalon responded instantly to his moans of pain.


    ¡°Hair of the dog on the nightstand, darling,¡± Agalon said, took a bite of what appeared to be a muffin, then set it back on the vanity and held his arms outstretched.


    Xac watched in amazement as Lee picked up the outfit that had been laid out on the bed and began assembling on it.  Agalon really didn¡¯t dress himself. Why in the world¡­ he got out of his clothes easily enough, and he was a grown man!  Why was this happening? Lee had told him he did this every morning but Xac hadn¡¯t really believed him until he saw it with his own eyes.


    To be fair, Agalon did wear even more clothes than Xac thought he did.  The outfit was laid out in pieces and it took up half the bed- Xac recognized the outer layer with the leggings and tunic, but there were also underdrawers, two different undershirts, and an outer layer of what seemed to be jewelry of various types and at least five different belts, then his cape would go on over that.


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna be so hot, Master,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°Hopefully it¡¯ll cool down eventually,¡± Agalon said as if he wasn¡¯t looking forward to the heat any more than Xac was, ¡°Summer¡¯s gotta give way to Fall.  I can¡¯t stand this heat. They¡¯re wearin corsets at the capitol but I¡¯d flat die. I already can¡¯t fuckin breath.¡±


    ¡°I detest the latest fashion,¡± Lee said, ¡°You got a classic look that suits you.¡±


    Xac wasn¡¯t sure he had ever heard the word ¡®detest¡¯ before, but he liked it.  He took a sip of his wine and brushed out his hair, then picked up an apple, took a bite, and tried to work the oil from his scalp through it to make it presentable.


    He didn¡¯t really have time to think about last night, and he was excited about the day ahead!


    But he really wanted to think about last night.


    Last night had been¡­  mind blowing.


    ¡°What did Lorry say when you asked him to come along?¡± Agalon asked Lee.


    ¡°Somethin I sure wouldn¡¯t repeat,¡± Lee huffed, ¡°But he ain¡¯t goin.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna have to do somethin, eventually,¡± Agalon sighed as he sat on the edge of the bed and Lee began to comb out his hair, ¡°That boy ain¡¯t right.¡±


    Xac sat down at the vanity and began the process Lee had shown him to fix his face, humming a tune as he gave up trying to control his thoughts.


    ¡°Braid it tight and pull it up,¡± Agalon instructed, ¡°Xac is right, I¡¯m gonna have a goddamn heat stroke.  I got the vapors already. I wish to god this would let up.¡± Then he smiled, and to Xac said, ¡°You got a spring in your step.  How you feelin, darlin?¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Xac said, ¡°Everything¡¯s great!  Thank you, Master!¡±


    ¡°You do good today and I¡¯ll take you into Basilglen after you shift,¡± Agalon told him, ¡°Get you some clothes and see where the hell my goddamn furniture is!  I ordered that shit weeks ago.¡± He winced as Lee began sticking hairpins in the braid he had wound around his head and added, ¡°Hey mix me up some hair color for when I get back tonight.  I look a hot mess. I can¡¯t go into town lookin like this.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Lee said, sounding less than thrilled about the prospect.


    ¡°The fighters ain¡¯t in town?¡± Xac asked.  He had finished the makeup process much more quickly than Lee had anticipated, picked up his wine, and went to sit on the bed across from Agalon to eat.


    ¡°What?¡± Agalon asked as if the question shocked him, ¡°No, darlin, it takes a couple days to get to Basilglen.  My fighters are here; they¡¯re on the edge of the plantation, out past the fields, barns and everythin.¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­¡±  Xac said, ¡°This place is huge.  I love it here!¡±


    ¡°You ain¡¯t sore or nothin?¡± Agalon asked him and Xac shook his head.


    ¡°All done, master,¡± Lee said, and Agalon allowed him to direct him to the vanity so Lee could apply his makeup, which Xac actually never really noticed he wore.


    The things Lee did to him were much more subtle than the things he had taught Xac to do, but still, Xac watched with interest.  Everything Lee had done to him was meant to make him more cute; it made his eyes look bigger, his lips look fuller, and his cheeks look rounder and more rosey.  But with Agalon, the primary goal seemed to be to make him look younger, not young enough to be mistaken for a child or a teenager, but Lee spread a clear oil all over his face while Agalon sat with a practiced patience Xac wasn¡¯t sure he would have had.  Xac ate three strawberries in the time it took to dry, then Lee went over his face with a paintbrush and Xac understood what they were doing. Whatever the clear oil had been, it had set up a sort of barrier on his face, like a canvas, and now Lee was going over it with paint the exact color of Agalon¡¯s face.


    Agalon had wrinkles, which wasn¡¯t the sort of thing Xac really felt needed to be hidden, especially around his eyes and the corners of his mouth.  Xac realized, in that moment, that he had never really seen them before now. He suspected that Agalon always wore make-up, and he had never before seen him without it.  He had only ever seen him asleep once, and he had been more concerned with not waking him up than he had with looking at him, but Lorry was right- Agalon was old. The roots of his hair were grey, and he covered them with ¡®hair color¡¯.  There were wrinkles on his face, and he covered them with make-up.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Why did he feel the need to hide that?  Why didn¡¯t he want people knowing he was old?


    Xac was afraid he would get angry if he asked this, and remembered what Lee had told him about asking questions, so he ate his breakfast in silence with a smile on his face.


    He took to humming again as Lee stepped back to let the paint dry, and Lee seemed to enjoy the tune because he sang along as he mixed two powders together the same way he had shown Xaxac, the light setting powder and the pigment, to get a tone to match Agalon¡¯s skin.


    ¡°Little Bunny Foo Foo


    Hoppin through the forest


    Scoopin up the field mice


    And boppin um on the heads.¡±


    ¡°How cute,¡± Agalon chuckled, caught himself, and stared into the mirror as he returned his face to a blank mask.


    ¡°I can¡¯t remember the rest of it,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°Down came the fairy and the fairy said


    ¡®Little Bunny Foo Foo


    I don¡¯t wanna see you


    Scoopin up the field mice


    An¡¯ boppin um on the head.


    Little Bunny Foo Foo


    Know that if you do


    I will turn you into-


    A goon!¡¯


    But Little Bunny Foo Foo


    Thought she couldn¡¯t see him


    Waited until Midnight


    And got right outta bed.


    Little Bunny Foo Foo


    Went hoppin through the forest


    Scoopin up the field mice


    An¡¯ boppin um on the heads.¡± Lee sang, and Xac began to remember, so joined him.


    ¡°Down came the fairy and the fairy said


    ¡®Little Bunny Foo Foo


    I already warned you


    About scoopin up the field mice


    And boppin um on the heads.¡¯


    Then she turned him into


    A goon.


    Little gooney Foo Foo


    Swimmin through the back pond


    Scoopin up the tadpoles


    And boppin um on the head.¡±


    Xac giggled, but Lee continued, ¡°And the moral of that story is: Hare today, Goon tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Why do nursery rhymes always have such godawful endings?¡± Agalon thought aloud as Lee applied the setting powder, ¡°Half the time it ends in a death.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯n starts with a death,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°Yes, but of field mice,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I hate them little sons-a-bitches.  Get in the storehouse and wreck absolute goddamn havoc.¡±


    ¡°How does that look, Master?¡± Lee asked.


    ¡°About as good as it¡¯s gonna get, I reckon,¡± Agalon said, as if he was dissatisfied with the man in the mirror.  ¡°Come on, Honey Bunny.¡±


    Xaxac ran to him and clung to his side, and as they walked into the sitting room, he turned, waved at Lee, who was busy cleaning and putting away the various things he had used, and smiled.  Lee smiled back and nodded.


    Agalon led them down the hall and stopped at the door Lorsan had gone into the previous night.  He knocked loudly, and when he got no reply opened it and led them inside. The door opened into a sitting room very much like the one outside Agalon¡¯s bedroom, except that the books on the shelves and the things in the curio cabinet were different.  Agalon stopped outside the bedroom door and banged on it.


    ¡°Lorry?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Fuck right off!¡± Lorsan yelled, exactly like a teenager who had been awoken from a deep slumber.  He sounded the way Xac had felt when he had been awakened with his pounding headache from his whistful slumber and been forced to come to the heartbreaking realization that he was no longer asleep.


    Agalon snarled and shouted at the closed door, ¡°I let that go last night but you are not gonna talk to me like that!  Open this door! And what¡¯d you say to my butler? He wouldn¡¯t repeat it!¡±


    ¡°I told him to fuck off!¡± Lorsan screeched so loudly Xac grabbed at his ears.  ¡°I ain¡¯t goin to watch your stupid goddamn bloodsport!¡±


    ¡°Well you¡¯re doin somethin,¡± Agalon shouted back, and Xaxac backed away from him toward the center of the room, hoping it would do something about the noise, ¡°You ain¡¯t gonna lay around all summer!  Get your ass up!¡±


    ¡°Make me, old man!¡± Lorsan shrieked, ¡°You can¡¯t make me do shit!  I¡¯m all you got! You know somebody¡¯s gotta deal with all your shit when you¡¯re gone!¡±


    ¡°What the hell is wrong with you?¡± Agalon asked as he tried the knob and found it locked, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s got into you but you ain¡¯t gonna keep tearin your ass like this.  Get your ass up and get ready.¡±


    ¡°Go away!¡± Lorsan yelled with a voice so shrill Xac doubled over in pain at the sound of it.


    ¡°Master, please,¡± he begged, ¡°Can I wait in the hallway?  I won¡¯t move, I swear!¡±


    ¡°You know what, Lorry?¡± Agalon snarled, kicked the door, and shouted again, ¡°You wanna stay in here all day?  Then stay in here all day!¡±


    ¡°I will!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you sure as hell will!¡± Agalon roared.


    He marched into the hall and Xaxac rushed after him, darted behind him and watched him slam the door to Lorsan¡¯s sitting room.  He reached into the bag on his hip and produced a set of keys, which he flipped through with purpose until he found the one he was looking for, which seemed a feat to Xaxac because they all looked almost identical.  Agalon held the door closed, locked it from the outside, and tried the knob. It would not budge.


    When he turned to Xac, his emotions had taken a complete turn.  He wore a soft smile, and there seemed to be no tension in his body when he wrapped an arm around him and said, ¡°Come on, darlin.  We¡¯re gonna ease you into this, but you might like it if you give it a chance.¡±


    ¡°I liked everything you said I would,¡± Xac agreed and snuggled into him, nervous about how quickly he had changed.  He had never seen anything like it, never seen Agalon that angry before. Everything had been fine until that boy had showed up and ruined it!


    Agalon led them down the hall and back into the impressive foyer, but this time there were people in it!  A human man in the uniform of a houseslave stood at the big door, the one Xac knew led outside, let to the road he had seen, and as they approached him he stepped forward, took the left door by the handle, and pulled it open.


    Outside was a large porch, set out with furniture, flowers, and other niceties, and Xac wondered how often he would be allowed out here.  It looked at if it was set up so that someone could eat out there, with a wooden table and wicker chairs, but no one sat there. There were actually far more chairs than could fit at the table, and they were arranged pleasantly around the exterior of the house, as if Agalon often had many guests who would spend time out here, which seemed odd to Xac.  Did people come by and just sit on the porch?


    It was hot, oppressively hot, but Xac didn¡¯t really notice it.  He still had his light, fancy clothes, and he had felt much worse when he had actually been forced to work in it.  Sunlight beating down on someone, all day, every day, for years, leaves them with a terrible misconception about what ¡®heat¡¯ actually is.  This was nothing.


    There was another human man outside holding the reigns of a horse, and Xac knew him!  He was Jimmy Ray; Xac had worked under him when he was a very small child, and his father knew him well.  Xac wanted to speak to him so badly- wanted to tell him to tell his father he was alright- but surely Abe knew that, didn¡¯t he?  He had been so happy when Xac had gotten his new job.


    Agalon climbed expertly onto the horse and gently stroked its mane before he reached down a hand, and Xac smiled at Jimmy Ray, trying to communicate as much as he could with his eyes.


    Please tell my daddy I¡¯m alright.  Tell him I¡¯m safe. Tell him I¡¯m happy.  Tell him I got out of that room. I know you can¡¯t tell me anything about him, but please tell him I¡¯m alright.


    Xac took Agalon¡¯s hand, though he didn¡¯t need it, and allowed him to pull him onto the saddle.

 Chapter 21

    Xaxac clung much more fiercely to Agalon than he needed to in order to maintain the illusion of fear as they rode past the fields in the early morning light.  There were several people out and about in the morning heat, which would grow even more oppressive as the day continued, but he didn¡¯t see Abe among them. It wouldn¡¯t really matter, in any meaningful way, if he had, but part of him wanted Abe to at least see him.  His father had worked so hard to protect Xac from everything, to hide him away, to provide the best life he could for him. Xac thought that his father wanted him to be realistic, and to be happy.


    But he didn¡¯t see him.


    Xac had never really taken in how big the plantation was.  Agalon owned not just the house and the fields, which were impressive by themselves with their many buildings, storehouses, greenhouses, slave quarters, chapel, and many others, alongside rows of crops that went on for miles and miles, bogs and ponds that grew certain berries and fish, but he also owned huge tracts of land behind all that, which eventually terminated in the woods that were used to collect wood and, unbeknownst to Xaxac, for the nobility to hunt in.


    It was on the edge of these woods that they rode, to an area Xac had never been to before.  It was out past even the pond, far beyond the slave quarters, but there were people here. There were more of the tiny wooden houses that Xac recognized from his youth, fire pits for cooking, another water pump, and a big field that seemed as if it had seen better days.  It was right up against the edge of the tall stone fence that seperated the plantation from the woods, and had a smaller wooden fence running around it that was still tall enough it would have to be climbed rather than jumped.


    Then there were the people.


    They were all human, and all men, but they were so much bigger than the men Xac usually saw that for a minute he was confused by their existence.  Xac was not familiar with any of the great apes except the group he belonged to, but had he been, he could have been forgiven for making a comparison; these men were universally a head and shoulders taller than him, a head taller than Agalon, and as broad as two or three elves.  Most of them had beards and body hair, and none of them wore shirts to cover their muscles, clearly defined under broken, bruised skin and scars.


    Xac instantly liked them, for reasons he could not place, but looking at them called up all those strange emotions Agalon had awakened in him, and he was a bit reluctant to get off the horse when Agalon put his hands on his waist to help him down.  He was already confused by these feelings, but they made even less sense given how these men looked nothing like Agalon, the man who had awakened them.


    Xac wished he was drunk.


    ¡°Alright, darlin, stay outta the way and try to amuse yourself,¡± Agalon told him, and pointed to a small table near a fire pit, which Xac assumed was where the men ate.  Xac nodded, hugged him, and moved to obey him.


    ¡°Who¡¯s the pretty boy?¡± One of the men asked, and Xac turned to look at him.  He wasn¡¯t the tallest man there, but he may have been the broadest, and he seemed to be the least injured.  Unlike most of the men around him, he wasn¡¯t covered in scars; his exposed chest was completely unmarred, and Xac hated himself, because he knew this comment had been meant as an insult, had been said in the tone and cadence of an insult, but the first thought his brain supplied was:


    He thinks I¡¯m pretty.


    ¡°Stop it,¡± Agalon commanded him, ¡°This is Xaxac, my pleasure slave, and he¡¯s going to be coming with me.  All y¡¯all leave him alone. He¡¯s got a real skittish way about him.¡±


    Xac waved at the group because all things considered, that seemed like an introduction.


    A murmur went along the crowd that Xac did not understand until the broad man spoke again.


    ¡°The shifter?  That little feller is the shifter?¡±


    Xac flung himself onto the table, put his feet on the bench and huffed.  Why did everyone know that? Did people come out here? Did gossip spread this far?Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    ¡°Stop it,¡± Agalon said again.


    ¡°That ain¡¯t what I thought,¡± The man explained, ¡°that just¡­  ain¡¯t what I thought.¡±


    ¡°Do you think?¡± Agalon asked with a snarl, ¡°I didn¡¯t know that was somethin you could do, given how you acted last season.  If you¡¯d displayed any sense I¡¯d¡¯a entered you at Satra. Prove me wrong this year, Billy.¡±


    ¡°I woulda won at Satra,¡± the man shot back, sounding insulted, ¡°You shoulda put me in!  I¡¯d¡¯a won!¡± He smiled at Xac and continued, ¡°Hey pretty boy, you know why they call me Billy the Bull?¡±


    ¡°Are you a shifter too?¡± Xac asked, and Billy¡¯s face scrunched up as if he had been insulted.  ¡°No, I ain¡¯t a fuckin monster, they call me-¡±


    He screamed, and for a second Xac didn¡¯t understand what had happened.  It looked as if his muscles had simply stopped working, had gone rigid, and had no longer been able to support him.  He fell to the ground in a lump, and Xac connected the way the stones in Agalon¡¯s eared glowed like Hattie May¡¯s secret ring, the way Agalon stood with his hand outstretched toward Billy, to the pain Billy was in.  Xac could only see Agalon from the back, but he knew that he had started his day in a bad mood, and it was probably not a good time to cross him. Xac didn¡¯t know a lot about magic, other than it was something elves did, but he knew it when he saw it.


    ¡°He ain¡¯t a ¡®fuckin monster¡¯,¡± Agalon hissed, lowered his hand, and the stones in his ears stopped glowing, ¡°Get up.  Run. Do fifty laps and don¡¯t start shit. It¡¯s a great day for me to whoop somebody¡¯s ass.¡±


    Billy drew a great breath as if he had been unable to breath while under the spell, and Xac thought about what Lorsan had told him about the military.  It was where they sent you to learn how to kill people for the empress. Agalon had been in the military.


    Billy pushed himself unsteadily to his feet, as if his muscles had not fully recovered, glared at Xac, then turned to Agalon and spoke with ice in his voice.


    ¡°Yes, master.¡±


    He joined the other hulking men and began to run in circles around the rim of the fence while Agalon turned his back on him and came striding to Xaxac.  He positioned himself comfortable on the bench, leaning against the table, pulled a flash from his pocket, took a drink then offered it to Xac, who took it greedily.


    ¡°Hot as hell out here, ain¡¯t it, darlin?¡± He asked, and as the men passed him he shouted, ¡°ONE!¡±  Then, to Xac, he continued, ¡°I wish y¡¯all was smart enough to learn your numbers. It¡¯d make shit a whole lot easier on me- TWO.¡±


    Whatever was in the flask was the same stuff Xac had drank with Lorsan; it didn¡¯t taste like wine, it tasted like fire.  Xac liked it a lot better, and found that he was getting a bit tipsy after only one drink. He handed the flask back to Agalon as he shouted, ¡°THREE¡±.


    Xac considered, very seriously, about telling Agalon that there were three hundred and sixty pedals on the flowers on the ceiling of the bedroom.  But he thought it may be better if he didn¡¯t know that Xac knew that. Xac wondered how many marks had been on the wardrobe that Agalon had gotten rid of.  Xac wondered if Agalon had gotten rid of the wardrobe because he knew about the marks.


    Xac knew he wouldn¡¯t have wanted to run in the heat.  The sun had fully risen now, and the air was humid, which made it even worse.  But even so, he was happy to be outside, happy to be out of the bedroom. He didn¡¯t want the men to dislike him, because he thought he may be out here quite a bit, since Agalon apparently came here every day, but they seemed to have gotten off on the wrong foot.  In the house, being pretty was a good thing. He had never heard it used as an insult before.


    ¡°They don¡¯t like me,¡± Xac whispered after Agalon had shouted:


    ¡°TEN¡±.


    ¡°That¡¯s just how they are,¡± Agalon huffed, ¡°Gruff and whatnot.  They¡¯ll like you. Believe me, they¡¯ll like you. They¡¯ll be fallin over themselves to get to you.  You¡¯re good motivation. ELVEN!¡±


    Xaxac didn¡¯t understand what Agalon meant, and wasn¡¯t sure if he wanted to.  Sometimes Agalon would say things that brought back the cloud of dread, of negativity, and Xac hated it.  He wanted to just be able to enjoy things, and once again elected to ignore it. So he leaned forward with his hands clasped between his knees and watched the men run.  It seemed ridiculous, to run and run and not get anywhere. It wasn¡¯t even making them any faster.


    ¡°FIFTY,¡± Agalon proclaimed as he stood, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do some strength training!  The first match is in less than a month and I¡¯ve already filled out the sign-ups, I¡¯ll take them to file here in the next little bit, so if anybody wants to impress me this is the day to do it!  On the ground! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Xaxac watched the men spread out in the open field, fall to the ground, and begin pushing themselves up and down with their hands.  Billy was easily the fastest at this, and Xac watched as he moved one hand to the small of his back and kept up the motion with the other.  That seemed impressive, seemed as if it was worth noticing.


    ¡°Fuckin showboat,¡± Agalon huffed, ¡°Bullheaded.¡±


    Xac made a sort of humming sound that indicated that he had heard him but neither agreed or disagreed with his assessment and pushed his legs together.


    ¡°Can I have another drink?¡± He asked and Agalon handed him the flask without turning to look at him.

 Chapter 22

    Xaxac clung to Agalon, thankful for the relief brought on by the dusk as the sun set behind the woods and took with it the dreadful heat of its rays.  He buried his face in Agalon¡¯s soft cloak and thought of the fighters he had seen today. They were so strong, stronger than any human he had ever seen before, and something about that made him have strange thoughts, thoughts he felt he was perceiving incorrectly.


    It was strange to be blatantly, obviously, the weakest person in a place.  It should have translated to fear, or maybe jealousy. But Xac didn¡¯t feel either of those things.  The moons appeared lower in the sky in the summer, but he could see them trying to crest the skyline, could make out how nearly full they were, bright in the twilight that surrounded them.  Maybe that¡¯s why none of his emotions made sense lately. Maybe he was a lunatic.


    If he was going mad, he had absolutely no reason not to.


    After Agalon had handed off the horse to Jimmy Ray he grabbed Xac by the waist to help him down, and Xac leaned heavily into him, snuggled into his side, and accepted the arm Agalon threw around him.  He was trying not to squirm, but it was the sort of thing that couldn¡¯t be helped, and he was sure Agalon noticed.


    They made it to the third story hallway before Xac gave in and absolutely lost his mind.


    He spun, grabbed Agalon by the arm, reached up to grasp his face, and pulled him into a full kiss, trying his best to mimic what Agalon had always done to him, to prove that he had remembered, that he was learning.


    This had to come as a shock, but he had pulled so fiercely there was no fighting it; he still didn¡¯t know his own strength, and he reeled backwards with the force of it, slamming himself into the wall and pulling Agalon with him.  The portraits rattled, and when Agalon pulled back at him to look down into his eyes, Xac saw the thing there that had once scared him- but he wasn¡¯t afraid anymore. Now he was mad as a spring hare, and it showed in his big brown eyes, full of conviction, full of that madness, and Agalon seemed to appreciate it.


    He lifted Xac by the hips and Xac threw his legs around him for support and threw his arms around his neck as Agalon clung to him so tightly it may bruise.  Agalon seemed as though he couldn¡¯t figure out how to get the door to the sitting room open, so Xac bounced on his hip and squirmed against him, which seemed to give him the motivation he needed to throw it open, kick it shut after they were inside, and throw both of them onto the sofa.


    ¡°You said I was built for this,¡± Xac reminded him as he tried to get Agalon¡¯s cape open from the little chain that kept it on, ¡°I feel crazy.  I want to do what we did before! Right now!¡±


    ¡°You want me to fuck you?¡± Agalon smirked and pressed Xac against the cushions to unbutton his shirt, but once again gave up after the first three and tugged it over his head instead.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Xac agreed, ¡°That!  Fuck me!¡±


    ¡°I have to go get the lube,¡± Agalon said, pushed himself up, ripped off the cape and threw it over the sofa, ¡°Stay right here.¡±


    ¡°What?  No, don¡¯t leave, just-¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get hurt,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Don¡¯t argue with me.¡±


    He turned, leaned over the couch and grabbed Xac by the face, pulling him to his knees, then delivered the kind of kiss that made Xac forget how to breath, that turned his muscles to useless mush and robbed him of any argument he may have had.


    ¡°Stay right there,¡± Agalon commanded, then released him and marched into the bedroom.


    Xac collapsed onto the sofa and tried to remember how to breath.  He needed to get his clothes off, he needed to tell Agalon that he needed to get different pants when they went wherever they were going to get him clothes, because the pair he was wearing had been too tight for a while now.


    He did manage to get himself undressed by the time Agalon returned, and was moving to get himself on his hands and knees when Agalon crawled on top of him, preventing him from doing anything.


    ¡°You stay right where you are, Honey Bunny,¡± He instructed, ¡°On your back.¡±


    That was fine.  Whatever he wanted if he¡¯d shut up and do what he was supposed to.


    He watched this time as Agalon, half naked himself, spread the goop from the bottle onto his fingers.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that anymore!¡± Xac begged, ¡°Just fuck me again!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do,¡± Agalon argued, ¡°Don¡¯t fight me.  Just lie back and relax. When did you get so eager?  The hell¡¯s got into you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Xac lamented, ¡°Is it bad?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Agalon whispered, ¡°It¡¯s perfect.  You¡¯re perfect. You really were meant to be a pleasure slave, little bunny.  I thought this might happen. You¡¯ll wanna fuck like rabbits.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Xac agreed and threw one leg over the back of the couch to give him better access, ¡°Like a bunny!¡±


    He closed his eyes so he could concentrate on the sensations Agalon was giving him, so he could count his breathing and try to calm down.  But it wasn¡¯t working. Nothing was working. Nothing was going to relive this madness except that blissful, overpowering sensation that seemed to reset his brain.  But Agalon didn¡¯t believe him, Agalon thought he was stupid, that he was going to hurt himself, but he wasn¡¯t, and if he did, it wouldn¡¯t matter anyway, because Agalon had said that shifters would heal.


    ¡°Please?¡± Xac begged, ¡°I¡¯m ready, I swear!  Please fuck me again.¡±


    ¡°Thesis above,¡± Agalon swore, ¡°Fine, but if you can¡¯t walk to dinner it¡¯s your fault, darlin.¡±


    Finally.


    Agalon loomed over him with one hand on the back of the couch and the other, the one covered in the goo, slowly spreading it over his dick.  Xac did remember, did understand what he meant, that everything had to be slippery or it would hurt. But it was taking forever and there was something wrong with him, something deeply wrong with him that he needed to fix, and he didn¡¯t know why, but he knew this would fix it.  He needed Agalon to hit that spot inside of him again, and again, and again, and to hold him, play with him- maybe he was actually built to be a pleasure slave and it was a good thing Agalon had found him because it¡¯s possible he would have never found anyone else who actually knew how to do this.  Agalon was right, he probably couldn¡¯t be trusted by himself, and if he didn¡¯t have someone who loved him they could hurt him, and he would let them do it to chase this feeling.


    He arched up to meet him as Agalon pressed inside, much better equipped to handle it the second time.  Maybe not even the second time. He had gotten blackout drunk last night and didn¡¯t really remember what had happened, but he felt stone-cold sober now.


    He wrapped his arms around Agalon¡¯s neck and pulled him into another kiss; he heard the creaking of the sofa which was probably not meant to handle this and wondered what would happen if they broke it, but he couldn¡¯t make himself care.  He wrapped his legs around Agalon¡¯s waist again out of instinct, and when Agalon reached a hand between them and began to pump, Xac screamed.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    He had thrown his head back onto the arm of the sofa, and the new angle gave him an unobstructed view of the door to the hall.


    It was open.


    He locked eyes with Lorsan, who had apparently gotten out of his room somehow and was standing in the doorway with one hand on the doorknob.  He was dressed much more casually this time, without his uniform or his traveling cloak, and looked much, much more like how Agalon had described him- a fourteen year old boy.  Not a soldier.


    He had been looking at the scene in front of him with shock and disgust, had looked as if he was about to say something; his mouth was already open to deliver whatever blow he had mean to deliver to his father.


    But when he saw Xac his expression changed completely.


    His face softened, and Xac could see a deep sadness, perhaps pity in his eyes.


    He shut the door and Xac instantly put him out of his mind.


    Xac leaned back on the sofa and took a long drag from his cigarette.  He was still nude and had no real intention of putting his clothes back on, because that would require him to move from the spot where he currently lounged, and he could not imagine any scenario that could make such a thing possible.  Whatever had come over him, he had been right about how to cure it. And it seemed like good information to have. And it made Agalon happy. This had been a good day.


    Agalon was sitting on the sofa in contented silence with a hand resting on Xac¡¯s legs crossed in his lap.  He had managed to put his pants back on, but hadn¡¯t done much else because he said he felt ¡®lazy¡¯. His hair had come loose from the pins Lee had used to secure it, likely because of Xac¡¯s clawing at it, and Xac watched as he reached up and picked the pins out of his scalp, one by one, and tossed them onto the coffee table.  The messy braid fell down his back.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna have to go let Lorry out,¡± he said as he exhaled a plume of smoke, ¡°I need to talk some sense into him.  I can¡¯t let this go on.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m never gonna have kids,¡± Xac said, ¡°That looks like a lotta work.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have to raise um if you did,¡± Agalon explained, ¡°You breed a pleasure slave you leave it with the mommy till it¡¯s big enough to bring in.  Them breedin centers want a fortune for that. It¡¯s different for y¡¯all. I know you don¡¯t understand, but I appreciate the sentiment.¡±


    ¡°I think I can like Lorry, if I try,¡± Xac promised, ¡°And I¡¯ll try real hard.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s lost his goddamn mind,¡± Agalon said, not as if it was something that had upset him, but as if it was a fact that needed stating, ¡°His mommy put a bunch of bullshit in his head.¡±


    A loud knocking came from the door and Agalon leaned forward to ash his cigarette.


    ¡°I might need you to do somethin with my hair before dinner,¡± Agalon told the door, ¡°Come in.¡±


    Xac briefly wondered about whether or not he should put some clothes on, but if it was Lee he had already seen him in the nude.  He had been the one to bring him clothes after laundry day.


    The door swung open and Lorsan stood in the doorway.


    ¡°I ain¡¯t doin shit to your hair,¡± he said and Xac pulled himself quickly into a sitting position and darted his eyes around in an attempt to find his clothes- he had spotted them in a pile on the floor and darted down to grab them, but Agalon solved the problem by throwing his cape from the back of the couch on top of Xac, who popped his head out and elected to treat it like a blanket.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t you ever heard of knocking?¡± Agalon snarled.


    ¡°I did!¡± Lorsan snapped back, ¡°Ain¡¯t you people ever heard of closin a goddamn door?¡±


    ¡°I did!¡± Agalon retorted as Xac took his last drag and snuffed out his cigarette.


    ¡°How did you get out?¡± Agalon asked, and though it did have a twinge of anger, the question held genuine curiosity.


    ¡°I¡¯m a mage,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°You thought you was gonna hold me with a lock?  No wards or nothin, a goddamn lock? Daddy, I¡¯m insulted.¡±


    ¡°You scared the hell outta Xaxac,¡± Agalon said as he stood and walked toward the bedroom to pick up the clothing he had scattered in his wake.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know he scares as easy as you think he does,¡± Lorsan folded his arms across his chest and asked, ¡°So we dressin for dinner or can I just eat in my room?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to have a nice, family dinner,¡± Agalon said as he slid on his undershirt, ¡°What did you do all day?  Did you do anything? Or did you just hole up in your room till I got back?¡±


    ¡°The room you locked me in?¡± Lorsan asked, then to Xac he said, ¡°How¡¯d you like them fighters?  Wanna see um kill each other?¡±


    ¡°I actually really like them,¡± Xac said, trying his best not to sound as pissy as he felt, ¡°It was really fun.¡±


    ¡°Dad got you blowin um yet?¡± Lorry asked.  He seemed very confused that this question did not have the intended effect; apparently Agalon had also thought this would be something that upset Xac, because he barked at his son.


    ¡°Lorsan!¡±


    ¡°Is that somethin that¡¯s gonna happen?¡± Xac asked with a wide smile as he climbed to his knees, trying to keep the cloak tucked around him.  He was learning not to question the things that came over him, maybe it was better to listen to the rest of his body than to his head.


    ¡°That¡¯s what he did with Kenny,¡± Lorsan said, looking at Xac with his face but Agalon with his eyes, ¡°Passed him around like the town horse.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a town horse?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°You can rent horses,¡± Lorsan explained, ¡°If you don¡¯t have one.  You get to use it but it ain¡¯t yours.¡±


    ¡°Lorry, watch your goddamn mouth,¡± Agalon hissed as he slid his tunic over his head, ¡°Nine million fuckin belts¡­  Honey Bunny, listen. There¡¯s,¡± he paused, as if searching his brain for the right words, ¡°You¡¯re real good at what you do, you know that?  You¡¯re fun. So it can be real motivatin for some folk to know that if you do real good at somethin, you get to have fun.¡±


    ¡°Neat!¡± Xac said and let himself fall back onto the couch, let the scenes he had taken in that day play over and over in his head.  As he thought more on the subject, a very practical problem presented itself, so he spoke aloud. ¡°They¡¯re all pretty big.¡±


    ¡°I would never let them hurt you,¡± Agalon promised, ¡°I would be there with you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so sweet,¡± Xac smiled, ¡°But I¡­  think I heal pretty quick. I ain¡¯t worried about it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I read up on shifters today,¡± Lorsan said, glaring at his father, ¡°Daddy might not want you to know this, but you¡¯re supposed to have super strength, supposed to heal a lot quicker than a normal human, ain¡¯t nothin that can kill you cept old age.¡±


    ¡°Those are legends,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Don¡¯t believe everythin you read.  Don¡¯t get a big head and get yourself hurt.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh,¡± Lorsan said, then he pushed himself off the doorway and went marching toward Xaxac with such sudden speed and intention that Agalon did not think to stop him.  He grabbed Xac by the arm and jerked it out, and the stones in his ears began to glow as Xac felt an intense pain in his arm.


    ¡°Ow!  What the fuck!?¡± Xac asked, jerked his arm back and fell onto the couch.  ¡°The hell did I ever do to you!?¡±


    His arm was covered in some sort of raised wound, like a welt, and itched more than it hurt.  Xac scratched furiously with his other hand until the skin burst open and began to bleed.


    ¡°Xaxac!¡± Agalon ran to his side, pulled out his arm and looked down at it.  Then his eyes shot up to Lorsan and he growled, ¡°Boy, I am gonna tan your hide!  I¡¯m gonna whoop you so bad you ain¡¯t gonna be able to move! What the hell is wrong with you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok,¡± Xac said, trying to quell his rage.  Be quiet. Be nice. Smile. Do as little as possible.  Tell them it¡¯s alright. Tell them it¡¯s ok. Just do whatever they say.


    ¡°No, it ain¡¯t ok!¡± Agalon said, but when he glanced back down at Xac¡¯s arm, his eyes widened in alarm.


    ¡°It quit itchin,¡± Xac said quietly.


    Lorsan leaned over the couch to watch with his father as the welts disappeared and the skin Xac had torn open with his nails scabbed, then grew back together.


    ¡°Can I have a rag or something?¡± Xac asked, ¡°I don¡¯t wanna get blood on nothing.¡±


    Agalon grabbed him by the head and pulled him forward to get a look at the back of his neck.  The skin there was marked, clearly, an old wound, with his family symbol.


    ¡°How the hell did they brand you?¡± Agalon asked, ¡°I had you branded how¡­  how¡¯d that¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a deep wound,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°They can¡¯t heal from everything.  Bet they had to push that down to the damn bone¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember,¡± Xac said leaning heavily into Agalon.  ¡°Am I in trouble? Did I do something wrong? I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    ¡°You ain¡¯t in trouble, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon promised.  ¡°Let¡¯s get your clothes on, get you somethin to eat.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Master,¡± Xaxac said, wiping the tears from his eyes.


    ¡°You know daddy,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°Day after tomorrow them moons are gonna be full.¡±

 Chapter 23

    Agalon did not go to train the fighters on the day the moons would be full.  Xaxac knew that this was an act of kindness, of love, that Agalon believed it would make him less nervous if they spent the day together.  But it actually had the opposite effect.


    Xaxac was a monster, and no amount of cuddling, sex, or verbal confirmations of affection were going to change that simple fact.


    Lorsan joined them after dinner, sitting in the armchair while he watched his father weave chains around Xaxac with intense curiosity.  The doors to the hall and bedroom had been closed and locked, but still Xac trembled and tried his best not to cry.


    ¡°It needs to be a little bit lose,¡± he said, ¡°On account of-¡±


    There was a knock at the door.


    ¡°Master,¡± Lee¡¯s voice rang out, ¡°I¡¯ve found the field hand you requested.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Good!¡± Agalon shouted, ¡°Bring him in!  I don¡¯t think I¡¯m doin this right¡­ and we ain¡¯t got a lotta time!¡±


    There was a rattling of a key turning in the lock, then Lee stepped inside to hold open the door-


    For Abe.


    He was the cleanest Xac had ever seen him, in freshly laundered clothes, hair that had been greased so that he could force it to lie down, shoes that were tattered, but had just been polished, and a face¡­  he was missing his beard, and Xac hated it. It made his face look completely different. He looked at once younger and more tired, looked less like his father.


    He stood awkwardly in the doorway, turning his hat in his hands, staring at Xac, Xac sitting on his knees on the floor of the sitting room, beautifully made up, dressed in finery-


    In chains.


    ¡°Daddy?¡± Xaxac asked.  In his current state, and seeing Abe looking so different, it was a question of genuine curiosity.  He wasn¡¯t actually sure of anything, as agitated as he was, and this development didn¡¯t make logical sense.


    ¡°I was told you handled this creature before,¡± Agalon said, stood, and added, ¡°Where the hell have you been?  I put out an order this mornin!¡±


    ¡°Master, if I was to be so bold,¡± Lee answered after glancing at Abe and taking in the fear on his face, ¡°It is difficult to track down a single fieldslave.  Fortunately, the cook, Abigale, knew of him, but still he wouldn¡¯t in no state to enter the house, Nancy would¡¯ve-¡±


    ¡°Nancy¡¯s startin shit again!?¡± Agalon asked, with very real anger, and Xac cowered in his chains, ¡°Whatever, that¡¯s a problem for tomorrow, we ain¡¯t got time to unpack all that.  What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Abraham, Master,¡± Abe said, staring at Xac.


    ¡°Alright, good.  Abe, get over here and show me how to do this.  Xac says if he ain¡¯t chained up he¡¯ll tear everything all to hell.¡± Agalon ordered, ¡°Hurry, we¡¯re runnin out of time.¡±


    Lee took Abe¡¯s hat from him, and Abe walked quickly across the room, threw his arms around Xac, and pulled him into the kind of hug a father would give his son, whom he had not seen nor heard from in nearly a month, only to find him kneeling in chains on a night where he was about to be overcome by an ailment.


    Xac leaned into him and stopped trying not to cry.


    ¡°You¡¯re doin good,¡± Abe whispered, ¡°Everythin¡¯s gonna be alright.  Daddy¡¯s here.¡±


    He turned to Agalon and said, ¡°We gotta get these chains off so we can get his clothes off.  He¡¯ll tear that fancy outfit up when he shifts. He gets mighty big, a lot bigger than he is now.¡±


    ¡°Move quickly,¡± Agalon turned and looked out the window over the writing desk, where the sun was moving behind the trees.


    ¡°He¡¯s a good boy,¡± Abe said as he unwound chains, ¡°He just gets real scared, as the rabbit.  Y¡¯all send somebody down to the kitchen to get some greens. You¡¯ll need um to calm him down.  I think it makes him real hungry, shiftin.¡±


    ¡°I wake up so tired, too,¡± Xac whispered as he stood to kick off his shoes and undress.


    Abe wondered why Xac hadn¡¯t told them he would destroy his clothes, why he hadn¡¯t told them more, told them everything, but he was in no position to judge.  He had no idea what the boy had been through, and tried his best to put all other thoughts out of his mind. Who knew when they would see each other again?


    ¡°You lookin good, boy,¡± He said instead, as quietly as he could, ¡°Healthy.  Was worried they wouldn¡¯t know how to feed you.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve been real good to me,¡± Xac said, but his body was trembling and his voice shook.


    ¡°You¡¯re doin good,¡± Abe repeated, ¡°Everything is gonna be alright.  Let¡¯s get these chains on ya. Nothin bad is gonna happen. Daddy¡¯s here.  You ain¡¯t gonna break nothin. You ain¡¯t gonna hurt nobody. You¡¯re fine. It ain¡¯t nothin you ain¡¯t done before.¡±


    Xac nodded, lowered himself to his knees, and tried not to think about what his father must think of his nudity in front of all these people.


    ¡°You heard him, Lee!¡± Agalon said as if he felt he should not have to say it, ¡°Get some lettuce or spinach or somethin up from the kitchen!¡±


    ¡°Yes, master,¡± Lee said, and went out into the hall closing the door behind him.


    ¡°He bulks up real big,¡± Abe said, ¡°So give the chains some slack or he¡¯ll break right through um.  He can get out of um if he wants to, I think it just¡­¡±


    ¡°It makes me feel better,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°Everything-¡± Abe began, but Agalon cut him off as he approached, bent, and cupped Xac¡¯s face.


    ¡°Everythin¡¯s gonna be alright, darlin,¡± Agalon promised, ¡°This is excitin, not scary.¡±


    Abe scowled at the gaul Agalon had to tell another person how to feel, to try to make them think that they didn¡¯t know their own emotions, hadn¡¯t lived in their own head long enough to understand what they felt much better than any knife-eared outsider.  He wondered, briefly, if he could simply take Xac and run. He had seen the road when he had been in the house, through the front facing windows. Maybe they could follow it all the way to the sea; there was a sea somewhere; goods were shipped in from the sea.  Maybe he could take his son and with luck and determination they could get that far. They¡¯d have to stop in the kitchen for the girls-


    That was a stupid thought, and it passed almost instantly.  Not only was it impossible because they would get caught and be sent into town for punishment if they weren¡¯t outright killed, but in a few minutes Xaxac would be a monster and much too fast to catch or ever find again if he took off.


    And then there was the fact that Xaxac was staring up at Agalon as if he believed him, as if he really was comforted by him.  Abe couldn¡¯t really process that information, only knew that he didn¡¯t like it.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± Abe said, ¡°You wanna leave some give in these or they¡¯ll snap right off.  About this much.¡± He was going to say, ¡®pay attention¡¯ because Agalon seemed to be staring into Xac¡¯s eyes rather than looking at the chains, but he thought better of this as well.


    ¡°Daddy, he¡¯s talkin to you,¡± Lorsan said in annoyance.


    ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± Agalon snapped.


    There was another knock at the door, followed by Lee¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Your spinach, Master,¡± he said.


    ¡°Come on in!¡± Agalon called, ¡°Put it on the table.¡±


    Abe¡¯s eyes grew wide as Lee walked into the room, carrying a tray that was piled at least a foot high with deep, dark greens.  Where the hell were they getting that much food? At one time? Were they actually eating everything up here that they grew? It wouldn¡¯t bein shipped out?


    Xac doubled over into himself, but Abe was still kneeling next to him, so he leaned into him and shrieked.  Abe moved to wrap his arms around him out of instinct, but Agalon put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him away, forced him to his feet, pulled him a respectable distance from the monster.


    ¡°Lock the door!¡± Agalon said calmly, without moving his eyes from Xac, ¡°Lee, lock the door!  In or out but lock the door!¡±


    Lee elected to stay in.


    He wanted to see this.


    Lorsan also jumped to his feet and moved to stand next to and a little behind his father.  If Xac had been in his right mind, he would have made note of this stance, of this gesture.  Lorsan, for the first time since Xac had met him, looked like a son- hiding behind his father for protection from the monster.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    It was so fast.


    It was obvious that they had all expected it to take longer, but it didn¡¯t, and there was nothing to be done for it.  It was over in an instant, and the first rays of moonlight shone through the windows as the rabbit kept screaming.


    Abe struggled so fiercely and Agalon was so distracted by the beautiful creature that he wasn¡¯t trying particularly hard to hold him, so Abe took off at a sprint toward Xaxac, knelt, and took the creature by the shoulders.


    ¡°Xacy boy,¡± he said, staring into those huge brown eyes, set too far apart on his head, ¡°It¡¯s daddy.  It¡¯s ok! You¡¯re safe! Everything is alright! You¡¯re good! You¡¯re ok! You¡¯re fine!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s gonna break them chains,¡± Lorsan grabbed at his father¡¯s cape, ¡°He¡¯s gonna bust outta them!  They ain¡¯t gonna hold!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s so cute!¡± Agalon clasped his hands over his heart and said again, ¡°Darlin, you¡¯re adorable!  He really looks like a rabbit! Look how long and soft his fur is!¡±


    He shrugged Lorsan off and moved slowly, carefully, toward Xac.


    ¡°He gets real skittish,¡± Abe warned, ¡°Might not wanna-¡±


    ¡°Oh Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon whispered, almost as if he was in awe of what he was seeing, ¡°You¡¯re so cute!  I love it! I told you I would love it!¡±


    He laid a hand gently on Xac¡¯s head and began to stroke as if he was petting an animal.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that,¡± Abe warned, ¡°He¡¯s scared to death.  He ain¡¯t never been in here before.¡±


    ¡°Hush,¡± Agalon said in a voice that left no room for argument as he slid his hand up one of Xac¡¯s long ears.


    Rabbits were known for their speed.


    Agalon did not know where the pain came from, because he hadn¡¯t seen him move.  He didn¡¯t even feel it at first, only the pressure, but he looked down, saw the blood seeping from his upper arm, saw Xac¡¯s strangely shaped face clamped down around it, and thought, Where are his teeth?


    Then he felt them.  They were buried so deeply in his arm, just above the elbow, that if Xac moved his head backward without letting go he would take the meat of his arm with him, down to the bone.


    ¡°Lorry, get daddy¡¯s staff,¡± Agalon said calmly as scenes that no one else in the room could see flashed before his eyes of fire raining from the sky, ash falling like snow, voices raised in shouting, the sickening smell of burning flesh and sulfer, all mixed with real rain falling as the ground under them shook and fell and the water rose and how was he still dehydrated how was he- it was so hot and so cold and he had to attend to the injured because there wasn¡¯t enough time to attend to everyone, that was a problem for the future, right now they had to focus on survival, and that bright, blinding green light from the man ten feet tall with armor that moved as if it was alive-


    ¡°Here!¡± Lorsan said in a panic.


    Agalon tried to blink reality back into his brain, looked down at Xac and said, calmly, ¡°You have to let go of me, Honey Bunny.  Nobody is going to hurt you. Everything is going to be alright.¡± Then, more quickly, to Lorsan, ¡°When he pulls away, hold my arm in place.  I need some bandages, get your daddy some bandages.¡±


    Lorsan nodded and was gone, but by the time he had returned empty-handed, Xac still had his teeth firmly buried in the wound.


    ¡°Xac,¡± Abe stood, walked behind Xaxac and took his face in both hands, ¡°Quit.  Quit this. I ain¡¯t gonna have you actin a fool and shit. You know how to act.  Open your mouth.¡± His voice changed in a way that cannot be described unless one has heard it, changed in a way only a parent can articulate, when he spoke one final word.  ¡°Now!¡±


    Xac opened his mouth pulled away, and screamed again as Agalon hissed in pain.


    ¡°I got it, I got it, I got it,¡± Lorsan said as he shoved the chunk of meat back up against his father¡¯s flesh, applying pressure, ¡°God damn, down to the bone, I told you, you useless old dumbass, I fuckin told you!  We gotta get outta this room!¡±


    ¡°Hush!¡± Agalon said, and the staff in his hand began to glow as he began to chant something inaudibly, moving his lips in a rhythm and fighting past the pain to do it.  After whatever spell he had worked had done its job he reached up with his good hand and ripped the fabric of his undershirt away to display the flesh. His skin had knitted back together, but there were scars.


    ¡°Wrap it, please!¡± Agalon hissed, ¡°Are you a medic or not?  What am I paying that goddamn school for?¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s-¡±


    ¡°In my desk with the alcohol you stole!¡± Agalon snapped, took a deep breath, then added in him measured, calm voice, ¡°In the drawer, with the other first aid shit, hon.  Move fast, if you could.¡±


    Xaxac had been twitching his head back and forth in a strange way while all this was going on, and had eventually knocked himself sideways onto the rug, where he rubbed his face against it, likely in an attempt to get the blood off.  He had to get the awful taste out of his mouth, and began to nibble at the rug, biting off huge chunks of it with his teeth.


    ¡°Xac!¡± Abe shouted.


    ¡°Fuck the rug,¡± Lorsan snapped, ¡°Like¡­  we can all agree fuck the rug, right?¡±


    ¡°Rugs can be replaced,¡± Agalon agreed, as Lorsan unwound the long strip of bandages and began wrapping them around the wound.  ¡°Let¡¯s all stop shouting! We¡¯re scaring him! And nobody else touch him! Lesson learned. He¡¯s scared to death of new folks anyway!  I shouldn¡¯t¡¯a let all y¡¯all in here! Shoulda been just me and him.¡±


    ¡°You got any water?¡± Abe asked as Xac managed to push himself up on his knees and began to cough, ¡°He¡¯s thirsty.¡±


    ¡°I have wine,¡± Agalon said, moving each of the fingers on his right hand to make sure they still worked.  ¡°Look at that, Lorry. I still got it. Physician, heal thyself.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fuckin great dad, meanwhile there¡¯s a monster wiggling on the floor,¡± Lorry snapped.


    ¡°Stop bein so goddamn negative!¡± Agalon demanded, ¡°Get him a drink.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s gonna get outta them chains-¡± Lorsan said as he darted around the sofa and picked a bottle of wine up off the coffee table.


    ¡°Stop it!¡± Agalon demanded again, ¡°And give me that.¡±


    ¡°That thing¡¯s gonna kill you,¡± Lorsan warned.


    ¡°He ain¡¯t never killed nobody!¡± Abe begged, ¡°I swear!  He¡¯s just scared to death! Rabbits are real skittish!¡±


    ¡°Hey Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon said softly, lovingly, ¡°Look what I¡¯ve got!  Do you want a drink?¡±


    Xac sat up on his haunches and both his ears shot straight up.  He titled his face forward a little and began to sniff the air. Slowly his ears lowered from their more alert position, and he finally locked eyes with Agalon.


    ¡°There we go, darlin,¡± Agalon smiled in an attempt to look as friendly as possible and spun the corkscrew, ¡°Do you want a drink?  You¡¯ve eat up half my rug; that can¡¯t be good for you. Here. I¡¯m gonna move real slow like, alright?¡±


    He took one slow step, then another, until he was upon the creature.


    Xaxac stared up at him, tilting his strange head back and forth, sniffing the air, then leaned forward for the bottle.  Abe wasn¡¯t particularly sure how well that was going to work; any time he had given Xac any kind of liquid in that form he gave it in a bowl; but he was proven wrong to have had those doubts, because it worked very well.


    Xaxac drank greedily from the bottle of wine as Agalon slowly tipped it.


    ¡°Anybody else think this is a horrible fucking plan?¡± Lorsan asked, ¡°Like do we need the monster to be drunk?  Why are we doin this? I just wanna go on record sayin I am against this as much as somebody can be against a thing while bein too scared to actually do anything about it.¡±


    ¡°Lorry, hush,¡± Agalon ordered, ¡°Look at him!  He loves it! Isn¡¯t it adorable? Loves it when he¡¯s human too¡­  startin to think that boy can outdrink me.¡±


    Abe tensed at this information, which had been said as if it were cute or funny, but he said nothing.  He¡¯d probably drink too, if he had to do the things he suspected Xaxac did.


    ¡°There you go, darlin,¡± Agalon pulled the bottle away and held it behind him for someone to take, so Lee stepped forward and took it, shook it, and realized it was empty.


    ¡°Give me the plate,¡± Agalon ordered, so Lee moved to the table, sat down the empty bottle, and moved, cautiously, with the tray containing the plate of spinach.  As soon as it was in Agalon¡¯s hand he retreated to the relative safety of the area by the door, still holding the tray as if he thought, in the event of an attack, he could use it as a sort of shield.


    Xac¡¯s eyes were blown wide, and he twitched considerably less, as if the alcohol was having some sort of effect on him.  He may not have been full blown drunk, even though he had consumed the entire bottle, but he was also much larger, much weightier- he would have towered over Agalon had he been able to stand up.


    Agalon set the plate on the desk and picked up a handful of leaves, selected one, and held it out toward Xaxac.  Xac stared up at him, sniffed the air, then leaned forward and carefully, delicately, took the leaf from his hand and nibbled it quickly until it disappeared.  Agalon¡¯s smile grew wider as he repeated this motion, and Abe glanced over at Lee, who was staring at the whole scene in disbelief.


    ¡°That¡¯s much better, ain¡¯t it, Honey Bunny?¡± Agalon asked, apparently delighted with himself, Xac, and everything around them, ¡°A shifter.  A real shifter! He looks so much like a rabbit! We¡¯ll have to figure out how to handle it, but look at him! Doesn¡¯t he look like a rabbit?¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± Lorsan climbed onto the sofa to peer over the back, ¡°He still looks real human.  He¡¯s got hands. And his eyes are freakin me out. Is he even like¡­ can he think? Can he hear us?¡±


    ¡°He don¡¯t never remember it in the morning,¡± Abe said.


    ¡°So he really is just¡­  a mindless animal monster thing,¡± Lorry said, ¡°Super¡­  super don¡¯t want that thing in my house¡­ this is gonna end real bad.  I don¡¯t know what¡¯s gonna happen, but I¡¯m against it.¡±


    ¡°Lorry hush!¡± Agalon shusshed him, ¡°Nothing is going to happen.  Xaxac is still in there, ain¡¯t ya, darlin? I¡¯d know my little Honey Bunny anywhere.¡±


    He reached for the plate and picked up another handful of spinach.


    ¡°Half your arm¡¯d be missin if we hadn¡¯t acted quick,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°That thing is strong as hell.  And he bit fast. I didn¡¯t see it! One second he was looking ahead and the next he was on top of you.  I don¡¯t trust that shit.¡±


    ¡°He scares easy,¡± Agalon said in a soft, soothing voice, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t¡¯ve tried to touch him.  He¡¯s calmed down now though, ain¡¯t you, Honey Bunny?¡±


    ¡°Best thing to do,¡± Abe said, ¡°Is knock him out.  Ain¡¯t¡­ Master? Ain¡¯t you magic? Can¡¯t you knock him out?¡±


    ¡°I could,¡± Agalon said, ¡°And I probably will once the night wears on, but right now I need everybody to hush.  I want silence. I want him to be comfortable. Ain¡¯t nothin gonna hurt you, Honey Bunny.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re all gonna die,¡± Lorsan said.


    ¡°You a hungry boy, ain¡¯t you?¡± Agalon asked as he grabbed another handful.


    Xaxac, for his part, finally seemed as if he was rather content.  He had given up the twitching, and his eyes no longer darted across the room.  Agalon was sure, somewhere behind those giant eyes, he saw the boy he had taken into his home.


    He went through the entire plate of spinach, and Agalon mourned its loss.  It was, he considered, very much like the feeling of having a wild animal eat out of your hand.  It was something that very few people, likely no other person, had ever done.


    ¡°Do you feel better now, darlin?¡± He asked, ¡°Can I pet you this time?¡±


    ¡°Dad I swear to good god above,¡± Lorsan said and hunkered lower below the back of the sofa until only his eyes peered over it.


    Agalon laid his hand gently on Xaxac¡¯s head, between his long ears, and held it there, motionless for a moment.  Then he began to scratch at the base of his right eat, which Xaxac seemed to immensely enjoy, and he began thumping his right leg.


    ¡°That¡¯s so cute!¡± Agalon proclaimed, and if it hadn¡¯t been so terrifying it perhaps would have been.  ¡°Lee, run downstairs, and if the cook¡¯s already left send somebody after her. Make him some cornbread.¡±


    ¡°Yes master,¡± Lee said, and did not try to hide how happy he was to have an excuse to get out of the room.

 Chapter 24

    Xaxac felt the familiar, bone-deep exhaustion that always accompanied the morning after shifting and fought to open his eyes.  He didn¡¯t have the luxury of sleep. It was very possible that he would be lying in the middle of broken furniture, at the eye of a tornado that had swept through the place.


    But¡­  it felt like he was in bed.  It felt as if there was a soft sheet between his naked body and the soft mattress under him; felt as if there was a light quilt thrown over him, felt as if there was a warm body beside him.


    He opened his eyes and saw sixty flowers arranged pleasantly on sixty tiles.


    Nothing in the room was broken; everything was as it should be.


    Except that it was the middle of the day and Agalon was still home, sitting up in bed with a book he had apparently been reading.  He was wearing an undershirt that was not the one he had worn last night, and that worried Xac. He turned weakly and snuggled into his thigh, and in response Agalon put the book down and turned to look at him.


    ¡°You awake or just squirmin?¡± Agalon asked him as he reached down to run his fingers through his hair.


    ¡°I get so tired,¡± Xac whispered, ¡°Is¡­  is daddy still here?¡±


    ¡°Abe?  The field hand?¡± Agalon asked, and Xac nodded as best he could from his position, ¡°No, darling, I sent him home.  It¡¯s been a bit of a long night. I told him not to go to work today. Do you know anything he likes? I¡¯d sure like to send him something.¡±


    ¡°I wish I could get him a better job,¡± Xac said, completely exhausted and unequipped to be awake, ¡°I wish he didn¡¯t have to work so hard¡­  he likes all kinds of stuff. He likes stories, nights in the fall around the bonfire or back home where he¡¯d sit and roll out cigarettes or play cards¡­ I dunno¡­  different stuff.¡±


    He said all this in a half-dream state where he saw it play out.  He wasn¡¯t particularly sure who he was talking to, and could not have said with any certainty that the conversation had actually happened.  Agalon kept scratching his scalp and playing with his hair, and the closeness of it, the safety it brought him, made it a very real danger that he would just drift back off.


    ¡°You alright, darlin?¡± Agalon asked after so much time had passed Xac had fallen asleep again, but had not had enough time to dream.


    ¡°Just tired,¡± Xac mumbled, ¡°Kinda hungry¡­  not starved like I usually am though¡­ Is everything ok?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, everythin¡¯s dandy.¡±  Agalon smiled down at him, ¡°I just¡­  don¡¯t know what to do here. I feel like I oughta make you get up or you¡¯ll be up all night.  And I don¡¯t wanna get you used to that on account of I¡¯d like to leave for Basilglen tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t cause no trouble?¡± Xac squirmed until he could lay his head in Agalon¡¯s lap, which put him lying the wrong way on the bed so that he had to curl up into himself not to dangle his feet over the edge.


    Something flashed over Agalon¡¯s eyes but Xac had his eyes closed and his face pressed to his stomach, so he didn¡¯t see it any more than he saw the fabric bulging out over the bandages he did not know existed on Agalon¡¯s arm.


    ¡°You¡¯re cute as hell when you¡¯re a bunny,¡± Agalon said after some time had passed, ¡°When you shifted back there was hair everywhere.  Somethin tells me you could use a long bath and a good meal. Sound like a plan?¡±


    ¡°It sounds like heaven,¡± Xac sighed contentedly, ¡°Thank you, master.  I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m so lazy.¡±


    ¡°You ain¡¯t lazy,¡± Agalon said and Xac did not see him move, so he could not know he had been wrong.  Agalon wasn¡¯t reading the book, he was writing in it, and this information would have meant very little to Xaxac if he had known it, had seen Agalon dip his quill in the ink he had set out on the bedside table and jot down a few final words.


    It was a lazy day, and Xac was glad to have it, especially because Agalon was even more kind, more attentive, and more loving than he normally was.  It was, however, odd to him that Lorsan refused to speak to him. Xac saw him, several times, peeking around corners, following them at a considerable distance through the hall to and from the bath, which interested Xac greatly because Agalon did not seem to see him at all.


    So as he sat at the dinner table sipping his wine he thought it even more strange that Lorsan¡¯s chair sat empty.  There didn¡¯t seem to be anything particularly odd about him, except for the change in his attitude to one that was less confrontational and therefore considerably more pleasant, but his absence was obviously grating on Agalon¡¯s nerves.


    ¡°Lee!¡± He barked.


    ¡°Yes, master?¡± Lee asked as he threw open the door separating the dining room from the hall and stepped inside.


    ¡°Is he sick, dead, or maimed?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°Young Master Lorsan?¡± Lee asked.


    ¡°Yeah, you run up there and tell that boy he better be sick, dead, or maimed,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Because them¡¯s the only possible reasons he wouldn¡¯t be down here.  He needs to pick one and I¡¯m comin up there to see if it¡¯s true, and if it ain¡¯t, it will be by the time I get up there.¡±


    ¡°Yes, master,¡± Lee bowed and went back out the way he had come.


    ¡°I love this wine!¡± Xac said enthusiastically, ¡°It tastes better than the other¡¯n.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Agalon turned to him and his sour mood evaporated with a smile, ¡°Yeah, I like it too.  It¡¯s a strawberry wine. I think you like sweet stuff, sweetheart.¡±


    Xac giggled and took another sip.


    ¡°You said that fieldhand liked to smoke?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°Daddy?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°He ain¡¯t your daddy, Xac,¡± Agalon sighed, ¡°You get so confused¡­¡±


    ¡°Abe?¡± Xac tried again, and attempted to look pretty, smile, and do as little as possible.  It was actually, he thought, sometimes easier not to think while sober, because this seemed like a grieve insult and his tipsy brain argued that he should say as much.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Agalon said, ¡°That¡¯n.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I mean, he rolls out cigarettes,¡± Xac said, ¡°He never give um to me, though.  I never had one till you give it to me. I think I like um too.¡±


    ¡°Rabbits will absolutely tear the hell out of a tobacco crop,¡± Agalon said, ¡°They¡¯ll destroy the shit outta it.  You gotta watch out for um.¡±


    ¡°Neat,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°My point is after you told me that and you fell back asleep for a little bit I sent him a package of that fancy shit they grow on the Fire Continent.  I think he¡¯ll like it. They got the right climate over there, can grow it year round.¡±


    ¡°Neat,¡± Xac said again with a smile, leaning closer to Agalon.


    ¡°Master,¡± Lee walked swiftly back into the room, ¡°I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s been some bad news.  Young Master Lorsan is not in his room.¡±


    ¡°What fresh batch of foolishness¡­¡± Agalon muttered, ¡°I guess you don¡¯t know where the hell he¡¯s at?¡±


    ¡°No, Master, but I did find this.  It looked as if it¡¯d been left out for you to find,¡± Lee held out a piece of paper and Agalon took it.


    ¡°Oh that little shit!¡± Agalon snapped, stood, and marched quickly out of the room.


    ¡°Master?¡± Xac called after him, but Agalon did not heed his call.


    What did he do now?  Agalon was gone, and he was out of the bedroom.  Did he follow him? Did he stay here quietly? Did he go back to the bedroom?


    ¡°What¡¯s goin on?¡± He asked Lee, trying not to display how frightened he was, because there was no reason to be frightened, ¡°What do I do?¡±


    ¡°You just sit here and eat your salad,¡± Lee said, ¡°If he doesn¡¯t come back, I¡¯ll escort you back upstairs and lock you up, you know,¡± he huffed, ¡°For your safety and whatnot.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯d Lorry do?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Master Lorsan,¡± Lee corrected, ¡°And lord knows with that boy.  That young¡¯un is the bane of my existence. Worst fourteen years of my life.  Well, five I guess, wouldn¡¯t as bad when his mama had him most of the time. I can¡¯t wait till that school starts back up and he¡¯s outta my hair again.¡±


    ¡°I know what happened,¡± Jimmy said in a sing-song voice as he came into the room carrying Xac¡¯s salad, ¡°And thank Thesis above we got a second alone, I got a lotta shit to say to you, Xac.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Lee asked.


    ¡°Ellie was cleanin up there and she seen him talkin to that box of dirt,¡± Jimmy continued as he sat the plate on the table, ¡°He¡¯s told somebody about what happened here last night.  Xac¡¯d you really bite the shit outta him? Done to the bone?¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Xac shrieked.  He had not meant to scream this, but a dreadful panic came over him, and he suddenly became unable to control his breathing; it came in great heaving gasps, and he was taking in far too much for his body to process.  He felt as if he was drowning; was it possible to drown in air?


    ¡°The everlovin hell is wrong with you?¡± Lee asked and smacked Jimmy upside the head.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t hit me!¡± Jimmy demanded, ¡°Xac¡¯ll tell Master Agalon and you¡¯ll get sent off and come back a lot nicer.¡±


    Lee bent and spun the chair Xac was sitting on so that he would be forced to face him and watched the boy drown for a few seconds before he reared back and slapped him full across the face.  Xac felt it connect, and the pain was the most real thing he had felt in a long time, full to the brim of physical reality, and that reminded him, quite suddenly and all at once, that it was impossible to drown in air, that the entire concept was foolish, and he was a fool for believing it.  This sudden realization hit his entire body at the same time, and it stopped acting up, earning his eternal gratitude.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± he said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go spreadin rumors like that!¡± Lee demanded of Jimmy.


    ¡°So it didn¡¯t happen?¡± Jimmy asked, ¡°Lorry or Ellie was lyin?¡±


    ¡°Did I bite him?¡± Xac asked, and for once he did not have to pretend to be weak or pathetic.


    Lee looked down into those big brown eyes, stood to his full height and sighed so deeply it moved his entire body.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he admitted, ¡°You did.  Bad. There was a lot of blood.  You probably didn¡¯t see it on account of we rolled that rug up and burned it.  It was tore all to hell anyway¡­ and there wouldn¡¯t no gettin them stains out. You don¡¯t remember that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t never remember nothin,¡± Xac hadn¡¯t noticed he was crying, but it was obvious as the force of it began to choke him.


    ¡°Aw hell,¡± Jimmy said and crossed the room to disappear into the supply room calling, ¡°Abby!¡±


    ¡°Stop crying!¡± Lee demanded, ¡°What did I tell you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying!¡± Xac lamented, because he was.


    Abby came bursting out of the kitchen wiping her hands on a dishrag, which she tucked into her apron pocket as she ran to Xac with Jimmy on her heels.


    She shoved Lee out of her way and pulled Xac into a hug, and he clung to her the way he had clung to her the night he had fallen ill as a toddler and sobbed into her breast.


    ¡°That ain¡¯t helpin nothin,¡± Lee said, ¡°He¡¯s damn near grown- hell, he is grown, he can¡¯t go cryin to his mommy.¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Abby snapped at him, and Lee looked insulted enough to convey the information that no lowly kitchen slave had ever spoken to him this way before.


    ¡°Baby, you listen to me,¡± Abby said gently, ¡°We might not have a lot of time.  Everything is gonna be alright. You got that man eatin outta your hand. I know you been through a lot, and you¡¯re probably gonna be through a lot more, but you¡¯re strong.  You¡¯re a survivor. They ain¡¯t gonna do nothin to you because you done everythin right. Agalon ain¡¯t gonna do nothin to you.¡±


    ¡°I.  Bit. Him!¡± Xac sobbed, ¡°He¡¯s.  Gonna. Kill. Me!¡±


    ¡°No, he ain¡¯t,¡± Abby said, ¡°Get it outta your head.  Everything¡¯s gonna be alright.¡±


    During this conversation, Jimmy had moved to listen at the door by the hall, and he turned, eyes wide, and frantically ordered, ¡°Everybody act natural!  Somebody¡¯s comin! Get back to the kitchen! Quit cryin! Lee, you just stand there and look bossy!¡±


    Abby squeezed Xac one last time, then darted frantically to the door, but Jimmy was not fast enough to do that even with his leg healed as it was, so he turned at the last second, standing beside Xac, and picked up the plate he had set down in an attempt to look as if he was serving it.  Lee had simply taken a step back to stand by the wall.


    But Xac, who was not able to control his emotions on a whim, stayed where he was, hunched over in the chair, facing the wrong direction, sobbing into his hands.  He should have told his mommy he loved her. If he was going to die, the last memory she would have of him was him crying like a baby and clinging to her for support.  Her son would die weak and miserable, and she would have to live with that, and the very thought wracked him to his soul.


    Agalon burst into the room in the same rage he had left it in, and it seemed to intensify when he saw Xaxac.


    ¡°I took care of it,¡± Agalon announced, ¡°That dumbass is headin to the capital, on my horse, tryin to start shit, and he¡¯s gonna be real bitchy when he gets there and they bring his ass right back!  Get me a goddamn drink!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Jimmy sat the plate at Xaxac¡¯s place setting and asked, ¡°Stronger than the wine, I reckon?¡±


    ¡°Whiskey!¡± Agalon yelled.


    ¡°Yes, master!¡± Jimmy darted to the supply room.


    ¡°Help!¡± Xac begged, stood, and closed the distance between himself and Agalon to bury his face in his chest, ¡°Help me!  I¡¯m scared! I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with me! I ain¡¯t never been this scared before! What happened?¡±


    Agalon wrapped his arms around him and held him there as tightly as his mother had held him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry your pretty little head,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Sorry I scared ya, Honey Bunny.  My youngun¡¯s tearin his ass about you bein dangerous, just tryin to start shit. Don¡¯t worry.  Soon as he gets back I¡¯m puttin an end to it. He ain¡¯t gonna get far.¡± He clung fiercely to Xac and ordered Lee, ¡°Get you a crew together, run up to Lorry¡¯s room and get everythin that even looks like earth crystal.  Anything what even looks like a green rock! Look around for loose floorboards, take pictures down and look in the walls. Take everything outta his wardrobe and go through the pockets. Check every drawer, look through his toiletries.  Leave no stone unturned. Bring everythin he¡¯s got to my sitting room. Get that shit done NOW, before they bring his ass back.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Lee bowed and rushed out into the hall.


    ¡°This has obviously been too much for Xaxac,¡± Agalon squeezed even tighter, and Xac felt as if that helped him, kept his lungs from inflating too far, kept him grounded in reality, ¡°We¡¯re headin back upstairs.  He¡¯ll eat up there. Bring us two bottles of that strawberry wine, and tell the cook to make somethin special for him. Break out the good shit, for parties. I don¡¯t care what it is but if he gets sick I¡¯m beatin her myself.  It¡¯s a great day for me to go right the fuck off on somebody!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Jimmy said, ¡°Bring it up now or?¡±


    ¡°Right now,¡± Agalon said as if he shouldn¡¯t have to say it, ¡°Your ass better be right behind me!  I didn¡¯t pay to have you patched up so you can fuck around!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Jimmy said, ¡°I¡¯ll be right behind you.  Let me fetch your dinner. And get this carted.¡±


    Agalon wasn¡¯t listening to him at all; he had picked Xaxac up by the hips and was carrying him out of the room and into the hall.  They marched in a stormy silence, and the comforting hold eventually became enough to allow Xac to relax. Agalon really wasn¡¯t mad at him, hadn¡¯t acted angry in the slightest, in his direction.  He was mad at Lorsan, and so was Xac. Xaxac didn¡¯t know who he had been talking to with a tray of dirt, or how that was even possible, but he suspected it was some sort of magic, and he was really happy that Lorry was getting in trouble instead of him.


    Did Agalon really love him?  Did he love him more than he loved his own son?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Xac whispered, ¡°I got really scared when you left like that.  I ain¡¯t never been alone in here outside the bedroom like that before. And you seemed so mad.  I thought I¡¯d done somethin.¡±


    ¡°You ain¡¯t done nothin, darlin,¡± Agalon assured him, ¡°This has been a long time comin.¡±


    ¡°I can walk,¡± Xac promised, ¡°You ain¡¯t gotta carry me up the stairs.¡±


    ¡°I know I¡¯m old but I reckon I can pack a ninety pound human,¡± Agalon said, though he did not actually seem sure, ¡°Sure to god.¡±


    ¡°I wanna walk,¡± Xac begged, ¡°If that¡¯s ok?  I feel real weird¡­ I wanna lean on you and walk.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you want,¡± Agalon shrugged and set him on his feet where Xac immediately turned, grabbed onto his arm with both hands and rubbed his face against his upper arm just below the shoulder.


    He felt the bulge there, felt the way Agalon¡¯s body tensed.


    ¡°You get hurt?¡± he asked softly.


    ¡°Nah,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Hard to hurt me, darlin.  I had an angry fire elf twice my size try to slice my ass up duel wieldin scimitars while I was leanin over a buddy of mine tryin to figure out if he was worth tryin to save or if it¡¯d be a waste of the potion.  If it wouldn¡¯t for my buddy Maury I¡¯d be a mess a scar tissue. Poor son-of-a-bitch carried half the unit before he lost his damn mind. Havin your whole damn back slashed open hurts. This ain¡¯t nothin.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Xac said, and meant to go on, to ask if he had caused the wound, but Agalon kept speaking, and the way he spoke was so strange, as if he was in some sort of dream, or as if he was talking to someone else, someone who wasn¡¯t there, that Xac could not have spoken if he wanted to.  He had to listen, he was compelled to listen.


    ¡°Whole fuckin sky was on fire,¡± Agalon said to someone who was not Xaxac, ¡°But it was snowin.  I kept thinkin, ¡®How the hell is it snowin¡¯? That don¡¯t make no damn sense. It¡¯s hotter than hell, ain¡¯t no way it¡¯s snowin.¡¯  And it¡¯s like¡­ we was there to help. We cast that shield so they could get out, you know? We was there to help. I¡¯m a goddamn medic!  That¡¯s what I do! I help people! So why the fuck are you out here tryin to slice me up? Why don¡¯t you run, you stupid bitch? Can¡¯t you feel how wrong this is?  It¡¯s pitch fuckin black! Can¡¯t you see how wrong this is? The fuck did I ever do to you, you ungrateful, ignorant-ass, savage!? Evacuate, you dumb bitch! The whole goddamn sky is on fire!  Y¡¯all did this! We don¡¯t know shit about fire! Y¡¯all did this!¡±


    ¡°Master?¡± Xac asked softly and when he got no reply he tried, ¡°Aggy?¡±


    ¡°The fuck was I supposed to do, Xac?¡± Agalon asked, quietly and with a great meaning Xaxac did not understand, ¡°We were tryin to help um.  We wanted um to evacuate. I was a kid, I didn¡¯t know what the hell to do. I don¡¯t know why the hell they attacked us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Xac said, ¡°That sounds real scary.  I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    ¡°I grew up on a battlefield,¡± Agalon sighed, ¡°And my son¡¯s scared of a goddamn rabbit.  I¡¯m worried about my boy, darlin.¡±


    ¡°Is he gonna be ok?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯ll be alright,¡± Agalon said and began to move up the stairs again, ¡°I ain¡¯t givin up on him yet.  There¡¯s gotta be a way to toughen him up.¡±


    ¡°Did¡­  did I hurt you?¡± Xac asked quietly as he followed along, leaning into his arm.


    ¡°You bit me, but you didn¡¯t hurt me,¡± Agalon said as if the concept of a tiny little bunny being able to hurt him was ridiculous, ¡°Don¡¯t you worry nary bit about that.  I scared ya before I got it worked out. You really don¡¯t remember nothin?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t never remember nothin,¡± Xac said and tears began to leak from his eyes again, ¡°I¡¯m so, so sorry, Master.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon reached out his free hand to steady themselves on the wall and continued, ¡°I like it when you call me ¡®Aggy¡¯.  You do it when you¡¯re drunk. How about you do that when you¡¯re sober.¡±


    ¡°Ok, Aggy,¡± Xac looked up at him and said again, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, I done told you I was dangerous, I done told you I can¡¯t control it.  I feel like a monster!¡±


    ¡°Everythin¡¯s gonna be alright,¡± Agalon promised, ¡°I got it figured out now.  It ain¡¯t never gonna happen again.¡±


    ¡°I love you,¡± Xaxac said, and did not stop to wonder whether or not it was true, or if it was, when it became true, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t never want to hurt you!¡±

 Chapter 25

    Xaxac sat on the sofa in the sitting room and tried as hard as he could to ignore the sounds coming from across the hall.  He took a sip of his wine and turned to glance at the clock sitting on the mantelpiece. The big hand was on the five and the small hand was on the three, and he felt like that meant something, but he didn¡¯t know what.  All he knew was that he was bone tired, that it was the middle of the night, and Lorsan had been literally dragged kicking and screaming to his room.


    Xac wasn¡¯t sure who had done the dragging, and he didn¡¯t particularly want to know.  He just wanted the screaming to stop. He wanted to go to bed. He felt that he shared Lee¡¯s opinion, that the house was a much nicer place without Lorsan in it, and they would all be better off once he went back to wherever he went when he wasn¡¯t here with them.


    ¡°Well,¡± Agalon said as he opened the door and entered the room, ¡°It¡¯s particularly worrisome because I have to head out there to Basilglen in the mornin, well, here in like three hours, to register my cagefighters for the season.  I¡¯m gonna have to leave him here with nobody to watch him but the humans.¡±


    ¡°Kai, I swear I¡¯d watch him if I could,¡± the man who followed Agalon was another earth elf, and seeing him made Xac wonder if they were all strangely beautiful.


    He had his long blond hair pulled up into a tight braid winding around his head, as Agalon had once worn his, and had the same thin build, but his eyes were a light brown, like coffee with too much cream.  He was wearing the same uniform, or a very similar one, that Lorsan had arrived in. He looked much younger than Agalon, but significantly older than Lorsan, and elves lived for so long that Xac could not reasonably determine his age.


    ¡°I know you gotta get back,¡± Agalon said, ¡°You can stay the night if you want, hell, stay as long as you want.  You can¡¯t ride back out tonight. Darlin, pour Ryul a drink.¡±


    Xaxac reached for one of the clean glasses on the coffee table, filled it with the strawberry wine and stood to hand it to the man.


    ¡°This him?¡± Ryul asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s the little rabbit he¡¯s so damn scared of,¡± Agalon laughed, ¡°Terrifyin, ain¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°You want a glass, too, Aggy?¡± Xac asked in what he hoped was his cutest voice.


    ¡°That would be simply lovely, darlin,¡± Agalon put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed.


    ¡°He¡¯s cute,¡± Ryul said, ¡°I ain¡¯t never seen a shifter before.  What¡¯s he look like?¡±


    ¡°Now see, that¡¯s the thing,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Hard to describe.  He ain¡¯t exactly a rabbit and he ain¡¯t exactly a human. He¡¯s like¡­  you know how humans are apes? Imagine if you took a rabbit and stretched it out like an ape.  Still got the hands and everything, but they got them claws on um. Got the big teeth and eyes, long ears, but I reckon he could stand up on two legs if he had to.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d pay money to see it,¡± Ryul said, staring at Xac, watching him pour the drink and hand it to Agalon, then snuggle into his side.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°I mean,¡± Agalon wrapped an arm around Xac and held him there as he sipped his wine, ¡°I don¡¯t know about all that.  I would like to get him tamed first, get him used to it. You gotta ease rabbits into things. He gets real skittish.  He don¡¯t care much for new folks.¡±


    ¡°That right?¡± Ryul smiled and bent a little to be more on Xac¡¯s level before he spoke, ¡°Hey, I¡¯m Ryul.  I train the recruits over at the Military Academy in the capital. I work with kids; I ain¡¯t scary at all.¡±


    ¡°Hi, Mister Ryul,¡± Xac said politely, but did not move from his spot.  It took him a second to remember to smile.


    ¡°Oh, lord, he¡¯s got them buck teeth even as a human!¡± Ryul said, ¡°That¡¯s cute as hell.¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t it?¡± Agalon asked, then continued, ¡°Sit down, you ain¡¯t gotta stand up.  Relax. Let me get you a bite to eat.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t hurt my feelin¡¯s,¡± Ryul agreed, walked around the sofa, plopped into it, and sighed as if he weariness had overtaken him and it was a relief to rest his tired bones.


    ¡°You go sit down too, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon told Xac, and pushed him gently in the direction of the sitting area so he could go out into the hall and ring for a slave.


    Xac wondered who would possibly hear it, who was still in the house at this hour.


    He walked over to the sitting area and sat carefully in the armchair.


    ¡°Xaxac,¡± Ryul whispered, ¡°Do you think you¡¯re dangerous?  I mean- Do you think Kai can handle you?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s Kai?¡± Xac had not meant to yawn after this question, but he was so very tired.


    ¡°Your master?¡± Ryul said this as if it was a question, and the cadence confused Xac.


    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Xac said, ¡°He told me that somebody tried to cut him up before, so now he ain¡¯t scared of nothing.¡±


    He leaned heavily on the armrest, folded his arms together, and laid his head on them.  He thought that it may be possible to fall asleep in that position, but he probably shouldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Are you really a shifter?¡± Ryul asked.


    ¡°I reckon,¡± Xac said, ¡°I don¡¯t never remember it.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, my cook won¡¯t have breakfast ready for another half an hour,¡± Agalon said as he returned, ¡°But my butler¡¯s gonna try and find somethin, and if you wait you can have a decent breakfast.¡±


    ¡°I might be dead on my feet before then,¡± Ryul admitted, ¡°You headin out today?  Hope you got a good coachman cause you gonna die on that trip.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be alright,¡± Agalon said dismissively and took a seat on the sofa, ¡°Well, maybe not Xac.  That shiftin really wore him out, didn¡¯t it baby?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Xac jerked his eyes open, stood, and went to crawl into Agalon¡¯s lap.  ¡°Yeah,¡± He said to his shoulder, ¡°I¡¯m sleepy.¡±


    ¡°Well sleep then, darlin,¡± Agalon pressed Xac¡¯s head to his shoulder and held him securely in that position, ¡°Rest your little head.¡±


    ¡°You puttin Billy in the cage this year?¡± Ryul asked conversationally, ¡°Might put some money down if you¡¯re gonna do that.¡±


    ¡°If he makes it,¡± Agalon agreed, ¡°Boy¡¯s got a stubborn streak in him.¡±


    ¡°Lord knows I could stand to win something,¡± Ryul said, ¡°I¡¯d take anything at this point.  Lost half a month¡¯s pay on a horse.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll bounce back,¡± Agalon said.


    Xaxac felt himself drifting out of reality, cuddled up against the soft warmth of Agalon¡¯s flesh.  He let exhaustion take him there, and felt perfectly contented. He didn¡¯t know when he had begun to think of this place as his safe space, his home, and he didn¡¯t have the energy to ask himself those kinds of questions.  He was happy, and he was allowed to be happy, and Agalon loved him and would keep him safe while he slept, and he was allowed to be loved.


    Everything was going to be alright.


    He hoped he looked cute, cuddled up there, as he slept.

 Chapter 26

    Xaxac wished he wasn¡¯t so tired.


    He forced himself to sit up and knew that Agalon was speaking to him, but he couldn¡¯t actually process the things he was saying.  Agalon didn¡¯t seem to be tired at all, and Xac wasn¡¯t entirely sure he had slept. He was standing, allowing Lee to dress him, and whatever he had said was obviously important, because he snapped his fingers and tried again.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re tired, Honey Bunny, but you can sleep in the carriage.  Try and get your makeup on so we can pack it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry master,¡± Xac stretched his arms over his head and yawned.


    ¡°Get your clothes on, please?¡± Lee asked.  There were bags under his eyes and Xac wondered if he had slept either as he trudged his way to the vanity and sat down.


    ¡°He¡¯s fallin over,¡± Agalon observed, ¡°Darlin, drink your coffee- actually, wait.¡±


    He brushed Lee away and made his way to the nightstand on his side.


    ¡°Wash your face first,¡± Lee said, ¡°And dry it real good.  It¡¯ll wake you up.¡±


    Xac moved to the basin to obey him, and therefore did not see what Agalon was doing as he unwrapped a small package to reveal something that looked like a snowball.  He carried it to Xac¡¯s breakfast tray and held it over his coffee, then began to pick at it. It came off in little powdery flakes, like sugar, and dissolved in the warm liquid.  Agalon stirred it, and by the time Xac had finished drying his face he had rewrapped the snowball and moved to the bed to pack it away in his traveling pouch.


    He handed Xac the coffee and proclaimed, ¡°Here, drink up, darlin, this¡¯ll wake ya up.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Master,¡± Xac smiled at him, took a sip, and sat down to do his makeup.


    ¡°I need to arrange all the house staff, before I head out,¡± Agalon told Lee as Xac began to paint his face.  The coffee didn¡¯t seem to have the effect Agalon promised, but it may be the sort of thing that took a little time, like the wine.  As it was his eyes were blurring from lack of sleep, and he was afraid he was going to mess up the makeup.


    Xac didn¡¯t want to be tired, he wanted to be excited!  He was finally going to town! He was going to get clothes!  They had to go register the fighters, but from everything Agalon had said, that was mostly a formality, the bulk of the trip would be spent shopping.  Xac had never been shopping before, never been off the plantation before, and he was looking forward to it! He wished he could muster up the energy to display his excitement, but right now it was taking all his concentration not to poke himself right in the eye with his pigment stick.


    ¡°Now, Honey Bunny, I don¡¯t want you to get scared,¡± Agalon said as Xac moved onto the other eye in a futile attempt to get them to match, ¡°So I¡¯m gonna tell ya what¡¯s gonna happen.  It¡¯s a long trip so we¡¯re gonna stop to stay overnight at my buddy Kyrtarr¡¯s house. He¡¯s got a pleasure slave, too, so you¡¯ll have somebody to talk to.¡±


    ¡°Neat!¡± Xac said, trying to project the excitement he felt.  He had never met anyone else in his position, and he wondered what it would be like.  They had so much to talk about; he wondered if they could get a minute alone, if maybe this person had been in the business longer than he had, if he could finally meet someone in a position to tell him something, anything, about what he was supposed to be doing.  It would be nice to have some sort of direction, to not be expected to figure everything out on his own.


    He took another drink of his coffee and stood to get dressed.  He didn¡¯t look as nice as he would have liked, but he thought it was at least passable.  He realized halfway through his shirt that he had missed a button and had to start over.


    ¡°Are you all packed up?¡± Agalon asked, and Xac assumed this question had been directed toward him until he looked up and saw that Agalon was looking at Lee.


    ¡°I ain¡¯t got a whole lot to pack,¡± Lee said, ¡°We ain¡¯t gonna be gone that long, are we?¡±


    ¡°Not real long,¡± Agalon said, ¡°But we might stay overnight in town for Xac.  He ain¡¯t never been there before.¡±


    ¡°Yes, master,¡± Lee said, ¡°Let¡¯s get your face so I can pack up all the toiletries.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re goin with us?¡± Xac asked as he sat on the bed and began to eat the fruit on his breakfast tray.


    ¡°A gentleman always travels with his valet,¡± Lee said, ¡°I hate to leave Nancy all my work, but she¡¯s proved before that she can handle it.¡±  He huffed and said, ¡°Well enough, I guess. It is what it is.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll meet with um before we leave,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a couple minutes alone while we¡¯re boardin.  I know you wanna put the fear of god in um.¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Very good, Master,¡± Lee agreed.


    Xaxac watched them while he slowly chewed his strawberry and thought that he may be waking up a little.


    When Xaxac entered the foyer on Agalon¡¯s arm, he was met with a strange sight.  He could look down and see a row of people in fancy house clothes, all lined up and facing the door.  He recognized a few of them, including Allie and Abby, and the sight of his family made his heart leap.  He hadn¡¯t realized he had actually lept until Agalon paused to look down at him. But he smiled, snuggled into his side, and that seemed enough to appease him.


    Agalon strode down the stairs with Xac clinging to him and marched to stand in front of the crowd that had gathered there in the foyer, disentangled Xac from his arm and gently shoved him behind him.  Once he was sure Agalon couldn¡¯t see him, Xac smiled and waved at his mother and sister, but Lee grabbed his hand by the wrist, shoved it into the small of his back, then took his right hand and arranged it over his heart, before standing and taking the same pose himself.  Xac sighed and rolled his eyes- a movement which picked up on Mrs OfAgalon.


    There was even more hate in her eyes now than there had been before.


    Xac hadn¡¯t expected that.  He had thought whatever experience she had had would have humbled her.


    He smiled at her.


    ¡°During my short absence,¡± Agalon said to the gathered crowd, ¡°I expect everything to go smoothly.  Nancy will, of course, be taking over Lee¡¯s duties, and I have complete faith that she knows what she¡¯s doin.  This here is a formality. My only real rule is that I want it known that Lorry is grounded. If I hear tell that boy has stepped one foot outside his quarters while I¡¯m gone, rest assured there will be hell to pay.  If you ain¡¯t bringin him food, don¡¯t open that door. And when you do go to take him food, I want at least three of you to do it, because he¡¯ll run if he gets a ghost of a chance. I¡¯ve put magical wards in place, and he ought not have any way to break um, but lord knows with that boy.  I better see my son, safe in his room, when I get back.¡±


    ¡°I reckon Lee¡¯s gonna give y¡¯all some kinda rundown or somethin,¡± Agalon continued, ¡°So I¡¯m gonna let him do that.  I¡¯ll see all y¡¯all when I get back. Be good without me.¡±


    He said this last sentence as if it was a joke, so Xac was smiling when he turned around to see him.  He held out his arm and Xac dove to snuggle into his side.


    A footman opened the door, and Xac stepped through it into the summer heat.


    Jimmy Ray was standing below the porch next to a contraption Xac had never seen before.  It was a sort of small room, on wheels, attached to the horses with boxes coming out the front and back of it.  Xac inferred that the front box was for whoever controlled the horses to sit on, but he had no idea what the back was for.


    That must be the carriage.


    Jimmy Ray stepped forward and opened a door in one of the walls that had blended into the body so seamlessly Xac had not known it was a door until it opened, but he made note of it.


    ¡°HEY!¡±


    Xac jerked to the sound of the scream and saw Lorsan standing behind an open window.


    ¡°Just get in, darlin,¡± Agalon said.


    ¡°You think you can just up and leave me?¡± Lorsan yelled, ¡°Locked up like this?  That what you think? I ain¡¯t gonna be here when you get back!¡±


    Lorsan made a series of odd movements; he looked as if he was trying to smash open a window, but the window was open.  Instead he ran and rammed his arm into absolutely nothing- and a ripple of green appeared in the air like water in a pond, spreading out until it hit the windowpane.


    ¡°Well, now, thank you kindly, son, I will have a nice journey!¡± Agalon shouted up to him, ¡°I love you too!  I¡¯ll miss you!¡±


    Then he climbed into the carriage, and Jimmy Ray gave Xaxac a look that conveyed a lot without the necessity for speech.  He gestured that Xac should follow his master, so Xaxac grabbed the doorframe and hauled himself into the contraption.


    It was small, but comfortable.  The walls were lined with couches, one on each side, with just enough room between them for the door.  Agalon was sitting on the couch against the back wall, so Xac took the other and sank into the plush, green surface.  Each of the side walls had windows with green gauzy curtains drawn over them, and Xac bounced a little as he pulled one back to look outside.  The road on the other side led to a gate that he could see through. A road ran past it, and on the other side was a stone wall like the one that surrounded the plantation.  It looked so much like the wall he had seen his entire life that he speculated there was another plantation on the other side of it. How many were there? How big was the world beyond the wall?


    Jimmy Ray closed the door, and the world narrowed to the small room where he sat with Agalon.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t Lee comin?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s drivin darlin,¡± Agalon said absentmindedly as he reached into the bag on his hip and produced a thin book with a plain cover.  It had no pictures, only text that Xaxac could not read. ¡°I ain¡¯t takin a driver and my valet just to run up to Basilglen. I wouldn¡¯t even take Lee if I thought I could live without him.  He probably oughta be here¡­ without him the monkeys are runnin the zoo.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Xac said, and listened attentively as the carriage creeked.  Someone was climbing onto the box in front of them.


    There were very small windows behind the couches on either side, so Xac stood on his knees to peer out the one behind him and saw the back of Lee¡¯s head.


    ¡°Sit down,¡± Agalon ordered and Xac obeyed him.


    He jostled when the carriage began to move.


    Xac had never traveled anywhere before, and began to bounce again in his excitement.  He pulled back the curtain and stared out the window as two men in the uniform of grooms walked to the gate and pulled it open-


    As the carriage passed the gate and turned onto the road, Xac could see the mansion, the immaculately kept front lawn, the fields stretching out behind it; it looked so much like the painting that hung over the bed in his room.  Except for one small detail.


    Lorsan glared down at him from a third story window.

 Chapter 27

    The countryside was strangely similar.


    They drove for hours while Xaxac stared out the window, and all he really saw was the same thing.  There was the road they traveled, made of cobblestone, a few feet of grass, and then a tall stone wall.  Every so often there would be a marker in the wall, a change from one plantation¡¯s property to the other, but that was it.


    Those walls had been built by human people, and when they were damaged, they were repaired by human people.  They were beautiful, built not of bricks all uniform and unchanging, but of natural rock stacked one on top of the other and sealed with so little mortar it was invisible.  They reminded Xac of the house he had grown up in, made from scrap wood. Humans were good at making beauty and strength from next to nothing.


    ¡°You¡¯re so cute,¡± Agalon said, again.  He had said this many times during the trip, and in response, Xac smiled and giggled.


    ¡°I just ain¡¯t never seen it before,¡± Xac explained, ¡°The world is so big.¡±


    ¡°Whole damn Agricultural District looks the same,¡± Agalon shrugged, folded down a page in his book and gazed out the window himself, ¡°Ain¡¯t nothin out here for miles.  You gettin hungry? I¡¯m gettin hungry. Lee¡¯s gotta stop soon. You wanna eat in here or have a picnic by the side of the road?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°You look bouncy,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Look like you wanna stretch your legs.¡±


    ¡°I feel a lot better!¡± Xaxac agreed, ¡°I thought I¡¯d be tired, on account of I didn¡¯t sleep none, but I feel alright.¡±


    ¡°I put some frost in your coffee,¡± Agalon explained, ¡°It give ya energy.  Took some myself, too. We¡¯ll crash hard tonight. Lorry¡¯s gonna be the death of me.  But I ain¡¯t gonna give up on that boy. Come here, Honey Bunny.¡±


    Xac hopped up and into Agalon¡¯s lap, which was apparently not what he had meant because the action seemed to startle him.  But Xac wrapped his arms around his neck and snuggled into his chest, so Agalon tossed the book to the side and wrapped his arms around him.


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you still love me,¡± Xac said, very quietly and after some time had passed.


    ¡°Of course I still love you,¡± Agalon said dismissively, ¡°The hell are you talkin about?¡±


    ¡°After I bit you,¡± Xac said, ¡°I was¡­  scared. I can¡¯t help it. I would never hurt you.  There¡¯s somethin wrong with me.¡±


    ¡°It ain¡¯t gonna happen again,¡± Agalon squeezed him tight, ¡°You¡¯re alright.¡±


    The carriage jostled to a stop and a few seconds later there came a knock at the door.


    ¡°Come in,¡± Agalon said.


    ¡°Master,¡± Lee said as he opened the door, ¡°Judgin by the sun it¡¯s pert near noon.  You wanna stop a spell and let the horses have a rest?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, wouldn¡¯t hurt my feelins nary bit,¡± Agalon gently pushed Xaxac from his lap then stood and hopped out the door, ¡°I gotta piss like a racehorse.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a racehorse?¡± Xac asked as he followed him into the oppressive midday heat.


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly what it sounds like,¡± Lee said as if he thought it was a particularly stupid question.  He made his way to the back of the carriage and opened the box that was sticking out there, pulled out two feedbags and went about the business of attaching them to the horses.


    ¡°Ok,¡± Xac huffed.  Lee was just mad because he was sleepy.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°Let¡¯s set out a blanket and eat on the grass,¡± Agalon suggested, moving to the little storage box himself.  He pulled out a quilted blanket, fluffed it out, and laid it on the grass by the side of the road.


    ¡°The food¡¯s pretty slim pickin¡¯s,¡± he said, ¡°Dunno what Abby¡¯s packed.  It¡¯s hard to make stuff that¡¯ll keep. Probably won¡¯t have nothin but raw plants and cornbread.¡±  He dug around in the box and eventually came up with a basket, ¡°Huh. Nope. I¡¯ll be damned if she didn¡¯t make a bunch of little cakes and fritters and whatnot.¡±  He pulled out a bottle of wine and went to plop himself down on the blanket. Xac sat beside him.


    ¡°When I was in the army,¡± Agalon said, ¡°We¡¯d march for days, sail for months.  Half the time we had to eat shit like pemmican. Sure taught me not to bitch about food.  Livin on pemmican and hardtack takes all the bitchin outta you.¡±


    ¡°I reckon that could go two ways, Master,¡± Lee said as he took his seat, ¡°There are some folks what can complain about anything.¡±


    ¡°You reckon Xac can eat these fritters?¡± Agalon asked.


    Xac turned his hopeful gaze to Lee.


    ¡°I reckon if it ain¡¯t meat Abby wouldn¡¯t make somethin he can¡¯t eat,¡± Lee said, ¡°She loves that boy.¡±


    ¡°Everybody loves Xaxac,¡± Agalon smiled as he handed Xac one of the fritters.


    It smelled so good, and felt flakey in his hands.  He could taste the sweet sugar glaze before he bit into it, because it was more than a food, it was a memory.  These apple fritters were one of the foods his mother used to sneak out of the house, back when he was small and still lived with his parents, before Agalon found him.


    It tasted exactly the same.


    Agalon seemed content to drink straight from the bottle, so when he passed it to Xac he followed his lead and passed it to Lee.  This seemed to perplex Lee, but he wasn¡¯t a man to look fortune in the face so he shrugged his shoulders and took a large swig.


    ¡°I gotta put Billy in the first round so he¡¯ll qualify,¡± Agalon said as he took back the bottle.


    ¡°Feel bad for whoever goes against him,¡± Lee said, ¡°That boy¡¯s strong as an ox.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thinkin about breedin him,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I¡¯m gonna enter him at Satra if his dumb ass can make it that far.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that mean?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°He might die in the cage,¡± Agalon said, ¡°He¡¯s got good genes.  I¡¯d like to have another one. Might go out and look over the field hands; they tend to have more stamina than the girls in the house.¡±


    Oh.


    Right.


    Agalon thought humans were animals.  Breed him like one would breed a particularly strong horse.  Xaxac had forgotten that was an option.


    ¡°What kind of animals are humans?¡± He asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re a ¡®great ape¡¯ darlin,¡± Agalon said as if he was recalling a fact from a biology text, ¡°Like the sasquatch or gorilla.  I think your closest relative is a chimpanzee, but them live on the fire continent and I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen one. I hear they¡¯re little bitty things.  You apes are strong as hell, but the rest of them sonsabitches can¡¯t be tamed. Y¡¯all are a hell of a lot smarter. I don¡¯t even reckon most of um can talk. They ain¡¯t got no sense.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re the smartest?¡± Xac had asked this as a question, but not because he questioned it.  He just didn¡¯t really know how it made him feel to be a particularly intelligent animal. Part of him was proud to have outdone his cousins, to be considered the most intelligent of the apes.  Another part of him thought that Agalon looked an awful lot like some of the humans who worked for him.


    ¡°The other apes ain¡¯t worth havin, Xac,¡± Lee explained, ¡°A sasquatch got into the winter storehouse one year tore it all to hell.  I don¡¯t know how she got that far outta the woods. Worst thing I ever smelled, didn¡¯t speak a word of common, looked like she crawled out a cave.  I¡¯d be embarrassed to be seen with them. We¡¯re bonafide, civilized. Be proud to be human. It could be worse.¡±


    ¡°I remember that,¡± Agalon agreed, ¡°I don¡¯t know how she got that far in, either.  I had to take her down myself. It was like fighting a bear, except the meat and fur are useless.¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t worth havin,¡± Lee agreed.


    ¡°Elves ain¡¯t animals?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°No, darlin, elves was created by the great god Thesis, in his image,¡± Agalon said, ¡°We¡¯re supposed to take care of all the critters on Xren.  That¡¯s why it kills me to take one down what I can¡¯t eat. You ought not ever kill somethin you ain¡¯t gonna use.¡±


    Xaxac¡¯s first instinct was to ask why Agalon owned human fighters who sometimes ¡®died in the cage¡¯.  But he suppressed it. Look pretty. Smile. Do as little as possible. Tell them ¡®alright¡¯. Tell them ¡®ok¡¯.  Just be good and do everything that they say.


    ¡°Welp,¡± Lee wiped his hands on the blanket and stood, ¡°I best go check on them horses.  I¡¯ll be ready to leave whenever you are, Master.¡±

 Chapter 28

    When they returned to the carriage Xaxac had crawled into Agalon¡¯s lap once again, and that is where he stayed for the remainder of the journey.  He was still able to see out the window from a slit in the curtain as he rested his head on Agalon¡¯s shoulder, and felt much more content there. He liked physical affection, took comfort from the strength of his arm around him, the weight of his body, the softness of his clothes, and the sheer aliveness of him that gave off heat and pulsated in time with his heart.  Agalon, for his part, seemed happy with the arrangement, and they traveled in relative silence as he held his book in one hand and stared at it.


    Xac wasn¡¯t exactly sure what kind of pleasure he took from the squiggles on the page, some of which were crammed together with scant spaces between them, but he may have understood it if he knew the code, knew what they meant.  As it was the entire thing seemed strange to him, but if it made Agalon happy it made him happy. He had stopped complaining about Lorsan, and that by itself was a victory.


    As the sun began to set the carriage turned and entered another large gated opening in the stone fence.


    Xaxac was amazed at how much like home the place was.  It had the same beautifully maintained lawn, two human men at the gates in the same uniforms, and the house itself was in almost exactly the same style, though it was only two stories tall.


    Agalon was at the very back of the book, he had flipped pages every so often, and he didn¡¯t even look up to see the change in scenery until they were nearly in front of the porch.  Then he tossed it aside and held Xac with both hands to squeeze him.


    There was another human man dressed like a groom standing there to receive him, and yet another dressed very much like Lee, in the fancy attire of what Xac now knew was a butler.  He did, however, have the shocking addition of a mustache. Xac thought houseslaves weren¡¯t allowed to have facial hair.


    As the carriage approached the new butler stepped forward and opened the door, so Xac reluctantly pried himself from Agalon¡¯s lap and stood to let him exit, following fast on his heels. As soon as he was on the grass he grabbed Agalon¡¯s arm in both hands and snuggled into it with his full body.


    ¡°Welcome, Commander Agalon, Your Grace, how was your trip?¡± The butler asked as he jogged ahead of them onto the porch and stood by the front door until they approached it.


    ¡°Uneventful,¡± Agalon said pleasantly, ¡°And way too hot.¡±


    Xaxac wondered why Lee wasn¡¯t following them and risked a glance behind to see that he was talking to the groom.  He seemed to know what was expected of him around here, and it suddenly occurred to Xac that he should have asked someone how to act.  He tensed a little and clung harder to Agalon as they stepped into the house.


    The foyer here wasn¡¯t as nice as Agalon¡¯s.  It didn¡¯t have the huge windows reaching up to the third story because it didn¡¯t have a third story; it was also missing the giant family portrait.  It still had the big staircase, the plush green rugs over polished hardwood, decorative tables with plants and knicknacks, and fairly pretty paintings of flowers, but Xaxac took a sort of pleasure in the idea that their foyer was nicer.


    The man standing in the hall didn¡¯t look quite as old as Agalon, and he was wearing an outfit that wasn¡¯t quite the same.  The fabric weight was a little too light and the color was off, as if he had tried to mimic Agalon¡¯s look and failed. His long blond hair had been pulled into a bun on the top of his head, and there were no wrinkles around his deep brown eyes, but that very easily could have been done with makeup, since he was wearing makeup.  Now that Xac knew what to look for it was obvious, and he thought he may have caked the powder on with a little too much gusto. He was magic too; he had the green crystals in his ears and wore one on a gold chain hanging from his neck.


    ¡°Kai!¡± he called out, slapped a hand forcefully on Agalon¡¯s shoulder and grabbed his hand with the other to shake it vigorously, ¡°How are you holdin up?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t complain,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Well, I can but I won¡¯t.  What you been up to? It¡¯s been a little bit.¡±


    ¡°You know I never do nothin,¡± the man, whom Xaxac assumed was Kyrtarr laughed, ¡°I¡¯m a goddamn hermit and I like it that way.  I mind my business. Thinkin real hard about just runnin off to the Water Continent and layin out on a beach for about a month.  I¡¯d do it in a heartbeat if I didn¡¯t have a business to run.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the dream,¡± Agalon agreed, ¡°How¡¯s your mom and them?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s still hangin on,¡± Kyrtaar said, ¡°She¡¯s up by Sage Lake, gone fishin up there, she says, but I reckon she¡¯s at the spa in Satra tryin to get her lungs to work.  She¡¯s gonna outlive us all. How¡¯s your boy?¡±


    ¡°Lorry¡¯s gonna be the death of me,¡± Agalon sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t know what the hell I¡¯m gonna do with him.¡±


    ¡°They have another war that¡¯ll straighten him out,¡± Kyrtaar said, ¡°Straightened us out.¡±


    As the elves had this conversation Kyrtaar ascended the stairs, apparently leading them somewhere, and Agalon tugged Xac along behind him.  The upper hall was also not as nice as the one in Agalon¡¯s home, though it was very similar. There were no portraits lining the walls, so Xaxac began to wonder if portraits weren¡¯t perhaps very expensive, but it did have other paintings, and Xac cemented his belief that the elves really liked flowers.


    Kyrtaar opened a door and said, ¡°Just had the place cleaned.  This is where you¡¯ll be stayin, so you can drop; sorry, what¡¯s the pleasure slave¡¯s name?  Zack?¡±


    ¡°Xaxac,¡± Agalon said chipperly, then turned to look down at Xac on his arm, ¡°I¡¯m gonna leave ya here, darlin.  I reckon they brought you some food up.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Kyrtaar said, ¡°Fresh spring salad.  I ain¡¯t never met a vegetarian before.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story,¡± Agalon said, ¡°And it¡¯s pretty interesting.  I¡¯ll tell ya at dinner. Look at me, darlin,¡± he said to Xac, ¡°It¡¯s perfectly safe here.  You¡¯ll be real safe right here till I get back.¡±


    Xaxac had not know that Agalon had planned on leaving him alone at any point in the trip, and he wasn¡¯t particularly sure he liked the strange house, the strange people.  What if Agalon was actually planning on leaving him here? What if the stress of an unruly son coupled with the stress of a pleasure slave that bit was too much for him and he wanted to pawn Xac off on someone else?


    No, that¡­  that was stupid.  Agalon loved him. He would keep him forever.  He had said as much, hadn¡¯t he? He was just going to hang out with Kyrtaar for a little while.  Everything would be fine. He just had to be good, be quiet, and stay in the new room.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°I sent Alex in there to keep him company,¡± Kyrtaar said.


    ¡°See, darlin?  You¡¯ll have somebody to keep you company.  Y¡¯all are gonna like each other.¡± Agalon said, stroking Xac¡¯s hair in an attempt to comfort him as he explained to Kyrtarr, ¡°He¡¯s real skittish.  I¡¯ll tell ya all about it.¡±


    ¡°I just get scared,¡± Xac said to Agalon, ¡°But I¡¯ll be ok.  I¡¯ll miss you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll miss you too, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon promised, cupped Xac¡¯s face, and pulled him into a kiss.  Xac tried to fight him when he pulled away, but not very much, because he had to be good, he had to get through this.


    He nodded and walked through the door.


    He heard a key turning in a lock.


    The interior of the room was significantly less decorated than the sitting room at home.  Xac suspected this was a guest suite. It was completely missing the curio cabinet, and the windows looked out onto the front garden instead of the fields.  It still had the little sitting area, the bookshelves, the fireplace, the writing desk, the table, laid out as if two people were meant to eat at it, and the writing desk, though this one didn¡¯t have any papers on it.  The mantleplace even had a little clock ticking away.


    ¡°Oh thank god,¡± A voice rang out, smooth and silky, but a little high-pitched for his liking.  Someone had popped their head up from the back of the couch, and Xac turned to see a boy a little older than he was, in beautiful makeup with long brown hair that had been pulled into a ponytail, but still fell in curls down his back.  Xac¡¯s first impression was that everything about him was beautiful, was perfect, with his big, heavily lined eyes and soft, accentuated features.


    ¡°Please tell me you¡¯re Zack.  I couldn¡¯t eat before you got in here and I am starvin.¡±


    He stood to make his way to the desk and Xac saw the he wore a robe like the kind people sometimes wore after they had taken a bath, but the material was all wrong.  It was light and shimmery and tied in a big bow at the back. He didn¡¯t seem to be wearing anything under it.


    ¡°Xaxac,¡± Xac said quietly, ¡°My name is Xaxac.¡±


    ¡°Xaxac,¡± The boy said, rolling it around his tongue, ¡°That¡¯s pretty.  I¡¯m Alex. Sit down, darlin, I¡¯m starvin.¡±


    Xaxac moved quickly to take his place at the table, still staring at the other pleasure slave, the only one he had ever met.  He probably wouldn¡¯t be alone with him long. He needed to talk to him, he had so much to say- but he didn¡¯t know him at all and didn¡¯t know where to start.


    ¡°Y¡¯all goin out to Basilglen?¡± Alex asked as he removed the covers from their dishes to display two identical salads.  ¡°I hope to god he¡¯s plannin on gettin you somethin to wear. You look like a damn houseslave.¡±


    ¡°He said he was,¡± Xac said, watching the way Alex moved.  Everything he did was graceful, even the way he chewed. He made slow, delicate motions as he picked up his food with his fork, rather than stabbing it as Xac was used to doing.  He thought that may be the way pleasure slaves were supposed to eat, so he copied him.


    ¡°You look scared to death,¡± Alex said, stood, and pulled the cork from the bottle of wine, ¡°here, have some liquid courage.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t scared,¡± Xac said, though he happily took the wine, ¡°It¡¯s just¡­  different. I ain¡¯t done this long. It ain¡¯t even been a month. I just¡­ ain¡¯t used to it yet.¡±


    ¡°Oh, darlin,¡± Alex said with sympathy, ¡°Listen here¡­  I¡¯ve been doing this, lord it¡¯s been three years. There ain¡¯t nothin to it.  You get used to it. Just smile at the right time and do what they tell ya. It¡¯s probably the best job you can have, all things considered.  I don¡¯t never do nothin. Ain¡¯t sweatin outside, ain¡¯t even really got to clean. I just¡­ sit around and look pretty, mostly.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Xac said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with me.  I get scared of just¡­ flat stupid shit.¡±


    ¡°You OfAgalon?¡± Alex asked, and Xac nodded so he continued, ¡°Honey you hit the jackpot.  You know he¡¯s the Duke of the Agricultural District. Your master is royalty. Your place is real nice.  I been there. He ain¡¯t gonna hurt you, hell, he¡¯s too old to do much. I¡¯m kinda shocked his dick still works.¡±


    He laughed, and Xac giggled with him, though he wasn¡¯t actually sure why they were laughing.


    ¡°It does,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°I know, darlin, I¡¯ve had it,¡± Alex said, and Xac¡¯s eyes shot open in alarm.


    ¡°Really?¡± He asked, ¡°I got¡­  I got so many questions I¡­¡±


    ¡°Well calm down and eat, because they¡¯re gonna come right back up here after dinner.  Might bring your butler and¡­ he gets on my nerves.¡± Alex huffed as he took another bite.


    ¡°He gets on your nerves?¡± Xac asked, ¡°I like Lee.¡±


    ¡°We had words one time, when I was little, about me knowin my place,¡± Alex explained, ¡°I don¡¯t like it when folks do that.  I know where I¡¯m at.¡±


    ¡°He don¡¯t mean nothin by it,¡± Xac said, ¡°He¡¯s always been nice to me.  Please don¡¯t fight.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t gonna fight him,¡± Alex sounded insulted, ¡°I ain¡¯t gonna beat up the elderly.¡±


    ¡°How old are you?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, darlin, how¡¯s anybody supposed to know that?¡± Alex asked.


    ¡°I dunno,¡± Xac said, ¡°Some people do.  Some people know when they was born.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust that,¡± Alex huffed, ¡°Ain¡¯t nobody can remember that.  They¡¯re too little.¡±


    ¡°I think somebody else told um,¡± Xac said then took another careful bite.


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust that,¡± Alex said, ¡°Folks can say anything they want.¡±


    There was logic in that statement, and there were a lot of reasons for a person to lie about their age.  Xaxac remembered, in his youth, arguing vehemently that he was not a baby. He would likely lie about it to make himself seem older, more mature, if he knew how.


    He looked around the room again and spoke quietly.


    ¡°Are all pleasure slaves supposed to be¡­  young and pretty?¡±


    ¡°As long as you can,¡± Alex replied.


    ¡°So what happens when-¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, darlin.  It don¡¯t do you no good to think on that kinda thing,¡± Alex said, ¡°Just try not to think about it.  Try not to think too much. Thinkin too much makes you crazy.¡±


    ¡°You ever know somebody named Kenny?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Agalon¡¯s old pleasure slave?¡± Alex leaned back in his chair and sipped his wine, ¡°Now how the hell did you know about Kenny?  I can¡¯t imagine you¡¯re supposed to.¡±


    ¡°Please, Alex,¡± Xac begged, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°That feller lost his goddamn mind,¡± Alex said as if it was a well-known fact, ¡°I heard he jumped out the window.  Don¡¯t know if that¡¯s true or not. Heard it from the maid and I don¡¯t know where she heard it.¡±


    ¡°I heard it too!¡± Xac said, ¡°But why?  What happened?¡±


    ¡°Nothin happened, Xaxac,¡± Alex said, ¡°Feller thought too much.  I told you, you think too much it makes you crazy. Feller just¡­  thought too much.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Xac said.


    He knew exactly what he meant.


    ¡°My friends call my Xac,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°My friends call me ¡®Alex¡¯,¡± Alex said, ¡°It¡¯s short for ¡®Alexander¡¯.¡±

 Chapter 29

    Alex poured them both another glass of wine and led Xaxac to the sofa.


    ¡°Alright, so, few years ago I was where you¡¯re at now. Just calm down. You¡¯re jittery and it¡¯s catchin.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t jittery,¡± Xac said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with me.¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t nothin wrong with you,¡± Alex said, ¡°You¡¯re in a new place and you don¡¯t know how to act, and you know if you don¡¯t act right it can mess you up. Just sit down, let me think, I¡¯m gonna walk you through it.¡±


    Xac nodded and plopped down on the sofa.


    Alex studied him for a moment while he drank his wine, as if looking for something in his face, then spoke.


    ¡°You¡¯re real cute, real good bones. Big eyes. Your teeth are fucked up, but you can¡¯t have everything,¡± he decided, ¡°But the bones are good and that¡¯s important.¡±


    ¡°My teeth ain¡¯t fucked up,¡± Xac countered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t argue with me,¡± Alex told him, ¡°We ain¡¯t got a lot of time. But you do got buck teeth, though. It don¡¯t matter, ain¡¯t nothin to be done about it, but take care of um. You start doin a lot of drugs it¡¯s easy to forget to take care of yourself. Every night you take your makeup off, brush your teeth, comb out your hair, and moisturize your skin. Every night. If you pass out drunk do it the second you wake up. You gotta keep your skin firm. You don¡¯t do that it¡¯ll fuck you up real bad in just a couple decades. Our lifespans are short in this business and I don¡¯t know what happens when they get rid of us.¡±


    ¡°Lorry said I could work for him,¡± Xaxac said quietly.


    ¡°Elves say a lot of shit to humans with more attraction than sense,¡± Alex warned, ¡°Don¡¯t never believe a word they tell you. Just smile and tell um ¡®ok¡¯ and then forget they said anything. It probably ain¡¯t gonna happen.¡±


    Xac nodded. That made sense. Besides, Lorsan had made this offer before he had found out Xaxac was a shifter, before he had bitten his father and scared him half to death. That probably was completely off the table now.


    ¡°Right now, you can get by on your looks if you¡¯re cute and sweet and innocent, but after a couple years that gets old and you gotta develop a personality. You gotta be fun to be around. You¡¯re gonna have to have a gimmick, somethin you can do, an instrument or a game or somethin.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t really do nothin,¡± Xac said, wracking his brain for any skill he may possess, ¡°I like¡­ clothes? My mama taught me how to knit.¡±


    ¡°No honey, you need somethin you can do at parties,¡± Alex explained, ¡°Once your adjustment¡¯s over you¡¯re gonna have to start goin to parties. We ain¡¯t like the other slaves, we can¡¯t just fade into the background. He¡¯ll keep you right on his arm and expect you to talk to people. Not for a while, for a while you can just pretend to be shy and keep your head in his chest, but he¡¯s gonna get tired of that.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Xac said, ¡°Um¡­ he took me out to see the fighters. I like that.¡±


    ¡°See, now that¡¯s a good ¡®un. Them elves love rodeos. You like cage fightin, learn everythin you can about it. They take bets on that shit. Lost one of my brothers cause Ky¡¯s a bettin man.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Xac looked down at his wine.


    ¡°Don¡¯t dwell on it, we ain¡¯t got time. I¡¯m tryin to think what else you need to know. Be funny, be charming, you can look at um, after you been around um a while, and see on their face what they want you to say. Usually when they¡¯re trainin you they¡¯ll tell you over and over and you can pick it up if you ain¡¯t an absolute dumbass. Or they¡¯ll introduce you like, ¡®Alex loves to dance, don¡¯t you, darlin¡¯?¡¯ so it¡¯s pretty easy to figure out when you¡¯re supposed to say, ¡®Oh yeah, master, I love to dance!¡¯.¡± Alex paused to take a sip of his wine, ¡°Then halfway through the party they usually put us all together somewhere and forget about us, then we all get shitfaced drunk and that usually just,¡± he waved his hand to indicate something that Xac did not understand, ¡°becomes an orgy¡¯.¡± He took another drink, cocked his head and said, ¡°Wish they wouldn¡¯t separate us from the girls but I get it. They wanna control the breedin¡¯. I just know a lot of folks I don¡¯t hardly ever get to talk to.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a shifter,¡± Xac said quite suddenly, because he had been trying to work it into the conversation for some time and had finally decided he would never have an opportune moment.


    Alex laughed, scoffed, and said, ¡°No you ain¡¯t. That ain¡¯t a thing.¡±


    ¡°Look,¡± Xac glanced to the door, ¡°I ain¡¯t tryin to- why do folks keep thinkin I¡¯m lyin about that? I am a shifter, and day before yesterday when the moons was full I bit Master Agalon. And I don¡¯t know what¡¯s gonna happen on account of that. That¡¯s what¡¯s wrong with me. That¡¯s why I¡¯m so scared, and I ain¡¯t been able to tell anybody before now, and I don¡¯t know when they¡¯re comin back, and my mommy said nothin would happen, but,¡± he ran out of air and began to cry.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Alex glanced to the door, then back to Xaxac. He leaned forward to set his glass on the coffee table, then crawled to him on the couch, took the glass from him and set it with his own. He stood there on his knees for a second, processing the information, before he wrapped an arm around Xac and squeezed.


    Xac leaned into the affection and buried his eyes in his shoulder.


    ¡°Honey, I know you¡¯re upset, but this is silk from the water continent. You get makeup on it I¡¯m gonna get in trouble.¡± Alex said as he rearranged Xaxac¡¯s face to cry into his neck, ¡°You can¡¯t do this. You can¡¯t cry like this. We ain¡¯t got time for this.¡± He held him, sighed, and continued, ¡°I believe you believe you¡¯re a shifter. But I don¡¯t believe you bit him. You wouldn¡¯t be here. You¡¯re cute but you ain¡¯t that cute. He¡¯d¡¯a sold you bigger than hell.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m scared he¡¯s gonna,¡± Xac sobbed, ¡°What if he leaves me here?¡±


    ¡°He ain¡¯t gonna leave you here, I don¡¯t reckon,¡± Alex said, considering the possibility, ¡°But if he does I reckon we¡¯d work together. Maybe I wouldn¡¯t be so goddamn bored. I¡¯d like to have somebody to talk to, truth be told.¡±


    ¡°He said he loves me,¡± Xac sobbed.


    ¡°Darlin, listen at me,¡± Alex said softly, ¡°You¡¯re thinkin too much. You can¡¯t do this. You gotta get outta your own head, turn your mind off. I don¡¯t think this happened. Sometimes when you¡¯re left alone all day with nothin but your own brain you start makin shit up, and it seems real, so real you¡¯re sure it happened, but it never did. So here¡¯s what I want you to do. I want you to let me run and get somethin to dry your eyes, then I want you to drink with me while I tell you all about what a good time we¡¯re gonna have, ok? And we are gonna use alcohol to obliterate any trace of that fake memory.¡±


    ¡°Somebody¡¯s here,¡± Xac whispered before Alex heard the turning of a key in a lock.


    ¡°Aw, hell,¡± he said.


    ¡°It ain¡¯t Aggie, it¡¯s Lee. They walk different,¡± Xac mumbled.


    He was correct. Lee entered the room, followed by the man with a mustache, carrying several bags of luggage.


    ¡°Xaxac!¡± Lee admonished, ¡°You have not been crying again!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°What did I say?¡± Lee asked.


    ¡°Look pretty and smile,¡± Xac sobbed.


    ¡°Xaxac, Master Agalon will be up here as soon as he finishes dinner. We have to get the room set up. Why on Xren are you like this? Why are you cryin? What set you off?¡± Lee asked.


    ¡°Leave him alone!¡± Alex snapped.


    ¡°He can¡¯t be like this,¡± Lee explained with great practicality, ¡°Xac, quit cryin. You¡¯re grown!¡±


    ¡°Stop tellin him that!¡± Alex snarled, ¡°It ain¡¯t workin.¡±


    ¡°Alex, quit bein contrary,¡± the man with the mustache said, ¡°Lee, I¡¯m gonna set up the room. You do somethin about that boy. They take ¡®um too young, that¡¯s what¡¯s wrong with him.¡±


    ¡°That ain¡¯t what¡¯s wrong with him,¡± Alex argued, ¡°He thinks he¡¯s a shifter. He thinks he bit his master. He¡¯s thinkin too much.¡±


    ¡°He is and he did,¡± Lee said as he walked around the couch, ¡°And Lorry tore his ass about it. Xac? Boy? You want me to slap you again?¡±


    ¡°You better not fuckin hit him!¡± Alex clung to Xaxac more fiercely.


    ¡°I ain¡¯t gonna hurt him, I¡¯m gonna calm him down. I had to do this the other day when he started bawlin like this in the kitchen.¡± he paused, looked to the side and admitted, ¡°The day after he bit him.¡±


    ¡°He ain¡¯t a shifter,¡± Alex argued, ¡°That ain¡¯t a real thing.¡±


    ¡°Boy, I saw it with my own eyes! I seen that monster, six foot tall, teeth half a foot long, big claws on it.¡± He huffed, jerked Xac out of his arms and asked, ¡°How about if you don¡¯t know somethin you hush?¡±


    Xac heard the mustached man laugh from the bedroom.


    Then he felt the pain radiating in the side of his face and heard Alex scream.


    But the pain was real.


    The pain was real, and it was right here, right now, undeniable, and it was so real and so present that it was the most important thing to attend to, not something in the past that was crushing his chest and choking up his heart for no reason.


    ¡°Thank, Lee,¡± He said and leaned up to hug him, ¡°I dunno why that works, but it does.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank him!¡± Alex said, aghast, ¡°He hit you!¡±


    ¡°It calms me down,¡± Xac said, ¡°Pain calms me down.¡±


    ¡°That don¡¯t make no sense!¡± Alex argued.


    ¡°Xac, boy, listen,¡± Lee took him by both shoulders and stared down into his eyes, ¡°You have got to quit doin this. You¡¯ve got to quit breakin down like this. You ain¡¯t a baby. You¡¯re a grown man now. I hate that it had to happen too quick, but it did. You gotta keep yourself pulled together or much as I hate to admit it, Alex is right, you¡¯re gonna fuck around and think too much and drive yourself crazy. They don¡¯t give y¡¯all enough to do. Your mama told me you like to knit. When we get to Basilglen and Master Agalon takes you to the seamstress, you talk about that. You make a big deal about it. Tell him you like clothes, you like to knit. Butter him up, like you did to get Nancy sent off. He¡¯ll get um for you, and then you can think about all the pretty things you¡¯re gonna make instead of dwellin on nonsense, ok? You need somethin to fill your head up.¡±


    ¡°You really do,¡± Alex agreed, ¡°I do watercolors.¡±


    ¡°You paint?¡± Lee asked skeptically.


    ¡°He¡¯s actually pretty good,¡± the mustached man said from the bedroom, ¡°Believe it or not his pictures look like the things they look like. Except the ones he keeps in his wardrobe, he thinks nobody don¡¯t know about. That¡¯s some crazy shit.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I do with my demons!¡± Alex said chipperly.


    ¡°Ok well,¡± Lee jerked his head from Alex back to Xac, ¡°We ain¡¯t got time to unpack all that. Xac, get up, come in here and let me fix your face before anybody gets back.¡±


    Xac nodded and allowed Lee to pull him to his feet.

 Chapter 30

    Xaxac had more or less calmed down by the time he heard the key in the lock the second time. Alex apparently had the same opinion about drinking that Xac did, and together they had finished two bottles of wine during their time together. Xac looked much better with his face redone, and he sincerely believed that no one could tell that he had been crying.


    The room teetered and swam every time he moved, which was hilarious but disorienting, so Alex put a hand on his chest to steady him, but he wasn¡¯t particularly steady himself so the gesture had very little effect.


    ¡°Yeah they got all kinds of stuff,¡± Alex continued, though Xac could not, for the life of him, remember what he was referencing, ¡°It ain¡¯t just the fighters, they got other fights too, bull fights, cock fights, any kinda critter fight. And they got horse tricks and whatnot, games, dancin, it¡¯s a good time. You¡¯ll like it once the season starts. I¡¯ll probably see you there.¡±


    ¡°Agalon said I was gonna fuck the fighters,¡± Xac said, ¡°they¡¯re so big¡­¡±


    ¡°They aggravate me,¡± Alex said in what he thought was agreement.


    ¡°Who aggravates you, darlin?¡± Kyrtarr asked as he led Agalon into the room.


    ¡°Them cage fighters,¡± Alex explained, ¡°Aggravate the hell outta me. I get a bruise on the back of my throat for a damn week.¡±


    ¡°I talked to them about bein too rough with you,¡± Kyrtarr said as if he also considered this an aggravation.


    ¡°Looks like y¡¯all are gettin along,¡± Agalon walked to the back of the couch, leaned over it, and kissed Xaxac on the cheek, earning him a giggle.


    ¡°I like him,¡± Xac explained as Agalon took off his cape and threw it over the back of the chair at the writing desk, ¡°He¡¯s smart!¡±


    ¡°He is smart,¡± Kyrtarr bragged, ¡°One of the smartest humans I¡¯ve ever seen. Mind like a steel trap. You know what it is? I read to him.¡±


    ¡°Does he like that?¡± Agalon asked as if the idea was strange, ¡°That don¡¯t bore him to death? Does he understand it?¡±


    ¡°I think he understands most of it,¡± Kyrtarr said, ¡°I mean, they make books for kids, Kai.¡±


    ¡°I like the beastiary,¡± Alex stood and Xac watched him stumble as he tried to make it to the hall.


    ¡°Where you goin, darlin?¡± Kyrtarr asked him.


    ¡°I wanna show Xac the pictures what I made,¡± Alex stumbled into the door and grabbed it for support, ¡°About that book you read me.¡±


    ¡°Honey, you¡¯re drunk as hell,¡± Kyrtarr came up behind him and put one hand on his shoulder and the other on the small of his back, ¡°Sit down.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s he wearin?¡± Agalon asked, ¡°I like that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s called a ¡®kimono¡¯,¡± Kyrtarr said proudly, ¡°Got it on the water continent. That¡¯s what them water elves used to wear. Pretty, ain¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s made of bugs!¡± Alex proclaimed.


    ¡°It ain¡¯t made of bugs,¡± Kyrtarr corrected, ¡°it¡¯s made of cocoons.¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t that a bug?¡± Alex asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Xac giggled.


    ¡°Let me get us some more wine,¡± Kyrtaar said and disappeared into the hallway. At the sound of the bell the mustached man came out of the bedroom and went to join him, so Xac thought it would have been easier for him to have just hollered from the sitting room.


    Agalon positioned Xac until he could sit next to him and Xac leaned against him.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re doin alright, darlin,¡± Agalon told him, ¡°I was a little scared you¡¯d have a hard time. I know how you are.¡±


    ¡°I like Alex!¡± Xac said, then added, ¡°Except he don¡¯t believe me! He thinks I ain¡¯t a shifter.¡±


    ¡°I think you think you¡¯re a shifter,¡± Alex said.


    ¡°He is a shifter,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I seen it. He¡¯s a big ol¡¯ bunny rabbit.¡±


    Xac stuck out his tongue, though Alex was still not convinced and obviously not impressed.


    ¡°That ain¡¯t even a thing,¡± Alex said, ¡°You¡¯d be a wolf or a wildcat or something. What good does it do you to be a rabbit?¡±


    ¡°Bunnies are cute,¡± Xac argued.


    ¡°I guess. All I know about um is they get in the field and eat up all the tobacco and piss Ky off real good.¡± Alex shrugged.


    ¡°Oh, I heard about that,¡± Agalon said sympathetically, ¡°Ky! You ever get rid of them rabbits?¡±


    ¡°Hell no, ain¡¯t no gettin rid of um!¡± Ky decreed as he strode back into the room, ¡°I tried every goddamn thing. I got me one of them new metal fences, they bury them sons-a-bitches two food deep and I¡¯ll be goddamned if them little shits didn¡¯t chew through it. I don¡¯t know what the hell I¡¯m gonna do. They¡¯ve eat half my cash crop. I¡¯ve called in hunters, I¡¯ve put out poison, I¡¯ve put up magic wards that really oughta kill um deader than hell, I¡¯ve took dogs out tryin to find the warren so I could cast a poison spell like down in it and wipe um out. Nothin works. I don¡¯t know what the hell to do. Gonna cost me a fortune.¡±


    ¡°The dogs won¡¯t hunt?¡± Agalon asked, ¡°You can¡¯t find the warren?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t find shit,¡± Kyrtaar huffed as the mustached man appeared with more wine and began to fill glasses, ¡°they gotta be around here somewhere.¡±


    ¡°I got some hounds I can lend you,¡± Agalon offered, ¡°When I get back I¡¯ll send um over.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll sure as hell take um because they done destroyed half the ¡®baccer field. I can take you out in the mornin and show you.¡± Kyrtaar said.


    Agalon pulled his cigarette case from his traveling pouch, took one out, took the matches and offered the case to Xaxac who selected a cigarette and handed back the case. Kyrtaar leaned down to push the ashtray toward them.


    ¡°At least you¡¯ll get a good price for what¡¯s left,¡± Agalon said as he struck a match then held it out for Xaxac.


    ¡°If there¡¯s anything left,¡± Kyrtaar huffed, ¡°We didn¡¯t have a bad enough winter. There¡¯s a lot of pests this year.¡±


    ¡°I got mice,¡± Agalon said after he exhaled a cloud of smoke, ¡°In the damn storehouse. Cats are givin it their damndest, but you¡¯re right. Wouldn¡¯t a bad enough winter.¡±


    This seemed to settle the matter, and Xaxac began to wonder when he stopped thinking about that sort of thing. He hadn¡¯t thought about pest control, or anything having to do with field work in recent memory, but he knew that for most of his life he had thought about it all the time. They were supposed to take care of the fields. They were the ones who got in trouble when pests destroyed crops. But he wasn¡¯t part of that ¡®they¡¯ anymore.


    ¡°So you like this new feller, Alex?¡± Kyrtarr asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s alright when he ain¡¯t talkin out his head,¡± Alex teased.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°He is a shifter, Alex,¡± Agalon said.


    ¡°That¡¯s crazier than hell,¡± Kyrtarr said as if it was a compliment, ¡°I¡¯d pay to see that.¡±


    ¡°Not till I get him trained,¡± Agalon said with great practicality, ¡°It is amazin, but he gets so scared so easy and he¡¯s so big he could hurt somebody.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna hurt nobody!¡± Xac pleaded, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Honey Bunny, hush,¡± Agalon draped an arm around him and squeezed, ¡°It ain¡¯t your fault. It¡¯s my fault. It ain¡¯t never gonna happen again. I¡¯m gonna watch you better.¡±


    Xaxac squirmed to bury his face in Agalon¡¯s chest.


    ¡°He don¡¯t like to talk about it,¡± Agalon sighed, ¡°He gets like this. Here, Honey Bunny, come on, don¡¯t think about it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Xac whispered.


    ¡°Here, sit up, go play with Alex, that¡¯ll make you feel better.¡± Agalon suggested, though Xac didn¡¯t understand what the suggestion meant. He was far too old to play with anyone.


    ¡°I told you you think too much,¡± Alex said sympathetically as he laid a hand gently on Xaxac¡¯s arm and tugged, ¡°Yeah, come here, I¡¯ll make you feel better.¡±


    Xaxac allowed Alex to position him whereever he wanted. He was too drunk to think properly, and it was taking everything in him to keep thoughts in his head. The most pressing was the idea that he absolutely could not start crying again, and it was taking every ounce of willpower he had to remember why.


    Then Alex took his face in both hands, leaned in, and kissed him.


    He kissed him the way Agalon kiss him, kissed him like he loved him, and the cloud of darkness that sometimes came over Xaxac began pressing down upon him. He didn¡¯t have to figure out why this time. He knew. It was because Alex kissed him like he loved him, but he very clearly didn¡¯t love him, so Xac pushed him away, much more fiercely than he had meant to, and Alex, already unsteady, went topping off the couch.


    ¡°Xaxac!¡± Agalon admonished.


    ¡°Hey, what the hell?¡± Alex asked.


    ¡°Sorry!¡± Xac begged as the full weight of what he had done came crashing into his alcohol soaked brain. Smile. Look pretty. Be good. Do what they say.


    ¡°How the hell are you that strong?¡± Alex asked as Kyrtarr helped him to his feet. He didn¡¯t actually seem angry, he seemed impressed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Xac begged, ¡°You scared me! I get scared real easy!¡±


    ¡°He does,¡± Agalon held out a hand in offering, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ky, he gets scared around new folks.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s alright,¡± Kyrtaar said, ¡°Ain¡¯t you, Alex.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Alex said, dragging out the i in the last word, ¡°I¡¯m gonna have another drink and sit on the rug by the fire and Xac¡¯s gonna come with me where he can¡¯t knock nobody down.¡±


    ¡°Alex, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Xac begged.


    ¡°You gotta learn how to act,¡± Alex said, ¡°You don¡¯t know nothin, that¡¯s all that¡¯s wrong with you. You¡¯re new.¡±


    He said this all in a tone that implied Xaxac was embarrassing him. His body wasn¡¯t hurt, his pride was. Xaxac expected that if they were left alone again he would have a lot more to say. So he hopped up from the couch and when the room spun around him he held out his arms to steady himself.


    ¡°Thesis,¡± Alex sighed, ¡°Come on, darlin.¡±


    He tugged Xac to him and allowed him to lean on him for support. When he was close enough he leaned in to whisper in his ear as lowly as he could.


    ¡°Quit. Just relax. I ain¡¯t gonna hurt you. They¡¯re gonna expect us to put on a show. Don¡¯t be hittin me again or I¡¯ll hit you back.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Xac said as he allowed Alex to lead him down to the carpet.


    Alex took his cigarette from him and ashed the sizeable amount that had gathered in the time since Xac had last taken a drag, held it to his lips and inhaled so deeply Xac watched the paper burn away before Alex flicked the butt into the ashtray. He held The smoke in his lungs for a moment, and when he exhaled it came out in rings.


    ¡°How¡¯d you do that?¡± Xac asked in awe.


    ¡°I¡¯d show you but I ain¡¯t got another cigarette,¡± Alex said and instead handed Xac his glass.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that,¡± Agalon said, and Xaxac noticed he had scooted down to be able to more easily talk to Kyrtaar where he sat in the chair.


    ¡°He¡¯s alright,¡± Kyrtaar said dismissively, ¡°he¡¯ll get over that eventually. How long have you had him?¡±


    ¡°It ain¡¯t been a month yet,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I probably shouldn¡¯t have taken him out this early but I didn¡¯t want to leave him there with Lorry. That boy¡¯s gonna be the death of me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at them,¡± Alex whispered, ¡°don¡¯t even think about them. Just look at me, ok? I¡¯m gonna walk you through this. Everythin is gonna be alright.¡±


    Xac nodded.


    Night had fully fallen and the moons were waning outside, still fairly large and round in the night sky. No one had lit the lamps in the room, and the soft, natural light put him more at ease. He felt more comfortable in the dark.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry I pushed you,¡± he whispered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do it again, ok?¡± Alex asked as he set down his glass and held Xac¡¯s head in both hands.


    ¡°Do you¡­ like me?¡± Xac asked in confusion.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re alright,¡± Alex shrugged, closed the distance between them, and kissed him again.


    This time Xac had the sense not to fight. He just let Alex position him and maneuver with him until he found himself lying on his back on the rug. He didn¡¯t see all the little things Alex did, the way he moved Xaxac¡¯s glass to the mantle of the fire so they wouldn¡¯t spill it, the way he closed Xaxc in to one position on the rug so he wouldn¡¯t move and hurt himself with the burn, the way he braced the coffee table with his forearm so they wouldn¡¯t move it and disturb anything on it. Xaxac did not know how much practice he had had.


    When Alex pulled away to look down at him he smiled in the soft light and it was beautiful.


    ¡°Much better,¡± he praised as he began to unbutton Xac¡¯s shirt.


    ¡°How are you doin that?¡± Xac asked, ¡°I can¡¯t do shit when I¡¯m drunk.¡±


    ¡°It ain¡¯t easy,¡± Alex admitted, ¡°You need some less complicated clothes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna take him to Sakala in Basilglen,¡± Agalon told Kyrtaar, and it seemed strange to Xac that he was just going to carry on a conversation while he did¡­ whatever he was doing with Alex.


    Alex gave up and tried to tug the shirt over Xac¡¯s head, which required quite a bit of effort from both of them, but through the power of teamwork, they were able to eventually achieve their goal. As they both struggled to get him out of his pants Xac made a conscious effort, tried to will his brain, even now in its most stupid state with most of his thoughts lost behind a cloud, to remember that Alex was right: If he was going to keep doing this he needed some more simple clothes which were easier to get in and out of. Alex was right, the robe that just tied together was the way to go. Once they had Xaxac undressed he watched Alex just untie it and discard it. It took less than a second and was easily done even if your body wouldn¡¯t do exactly what you wanted it to.


    He was cute under the robe too, but in a completely different way than the fighters or even Agalon. Xaxac didn¡¯t particularly want to have sex with him, but he wanted to be him. He wanted lyth, lean muscles under soft, smooth unbroken skin. He wanted to learn how to move like Alex did as he leaned over on his knees to search through the pockets of the robe, so graceful and able to tilt like that without falling even though he had to be as drunk as Xac was. He wanted to know how to be what he was, how to do what he did. He was the embodiment of the word ¡®cute¡¯, had somehow deconstructed it, figured out exactly what it was, and mastered it.


    Alex was good at this, and he was going to live.


    Alex was a survivor.


    He found what he had been looking for, and when he held it up, Xac noticed that his fingernails sparkled in the moonlight. He wondered how he did that.


    He was holding a bottle almost exactly like the one Agalon used on him at home, and Xac knew what it was for, now.


    Alex hummed as he dribbled it into the palm of his hand then set the bottle on the mantelpiece, and Xac leaned back into the rug, took deep breaths, and willed himself to relax. This part was fun. This was going to be fun. This was time for fun.


    He arched up when Alex touched him and set the electricity shooting from his dick up his spine, and grabbed at him when he crawled on top of him. He slid his hands from Alex¡¯s shoulders to the back of his neck and felt the change in texture there. Alex¡¯s brand felt different, it was a different shape from his own, a different shape from anyone he had ever met before, and somewhere in his drowned brain he thought that meant something, but right now it wasn¡¯t important at all. All that mattered was the weight of Alex over him, the way he was touching him.


    Alex leaned down on him to press another fierce kiss to his lips and drew his hand away for a moment- Xac thought he knew what was coming next, but he was wrong.


    There was nothing inside him, even though he had prepared himself, spread his legs and opened himself up in anticipation.


    Instead, Alex ground down against him, holding him down and writhing in top of him, and Xac broke the kiss to moan. After a few seconds of this, Alex changed tactics, reached between them, and held both of them there, firmly in one hand. Xac tried to match his time, tried to buck up against him, and thought that whatever this was, he enjoyed it. He liked it. He liked this. Whenever he had sex, or any kind of¡­ whatever this was, it was as if everything else fell away for those few moments, all that negativity that tried to push him down, all the anxiety, all the worries that plagued him. He wasn¡¯t a shifter, he wasn¡¯t a slave, he wasn¡¯t even human, he was just here, just a bundle of nerves to experience the physical sensation.


    He felt his body tense, the world went white around him, and there was a low humming sensation in his ears.


    Alex was sitting next to him on the rug, drinking a glass of wine, and when the humming finally faded and reality came crashing back to him, he heard the sound of Agalon¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s been a long trip and I should probably get him to bed.¡±


    ¡°Lube¡¯s in the nightstand,¡± Kyrtarr explained helpfully.


    ¡°Goodnight, Xacy-boy,¡± Alex smiled, ¡°I bet I¡¯ll see you at breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight,¡± Xac whispered as Agalon picked him up, and he snuggled into his chest as he carried him off to bed.

 Chapter 31

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you everything you ever wanted,¡± the man said in an accent Xaxac could not place.


    Xaxac had never seen anyone like him before.


    He was an elf, but like no elf he had ever known, with eyes and skin a deep blue and hair the color of seafoam, wearing robes like the ones Agalon wore over his uniform.  He held Xaxac in his arms and stared down at him while the waves lapped gently against the sand on the beach and the three moons floated overhead.


    This man loved him, gazed down at him with a kind of love that was desperate and overpowering, and something flowed under his skin that spoke of a power so strong Xaxac could not comprehend it, any more than he could comprehend the endless expanse of eternity that existed in the void between the stars.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you a long time,¡± the man said, ¡°And now you¡¯re here.¡±


    Xac nodded.


    ¡°Magnus was right about you,¡± the man said.


    ¡°The devil?¡± Xaxac asked.  He very rarely heard people mention the devil by name.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the man said.  ¡°It¡¯s not magic, you know, what happens to you.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Xac said, ¡°Humans aren¡¯t magic.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lie,¡± the man said, and Xaxac believed him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you everything,¡± the man said, ¡°But you have to find it.¡±


    He pointed to the beach, and Xaxac saw a cup there, standing in the sand as if it had been there all along.  It was beautiful, a bluish silver metal that glistened in the moonlight, encrusted with several jewels in many different colors all along the rim.


    Xaxac tried to move away from him, to go look at the cup, to pick it up, but the man was strong and held him in his embrace.


    ¡°I love you,¡± the man said.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Xac said.


    The man pulled him into a fierce, protective kiss, and Xaxac melted into his embrace.  There was no darkness this time, no negative force telling him he should not be doing this, and he moved deliberately as he made the decision to undo those robes.  He didn¡¯t fight at all as the man guided him down until he was lying on his back in the sand.


    He didn¡¯t remember taking off his clothes, but he must have, because the man was on top of him, grinding against him as Alex had done, then inside of him, and there was no pain, only the tension, the friction, the pleasure as he moved in time with the waves that lapped at the shore.


    Xaxac wrapped his legs around the man¡¯s waist and clawed at his back, and as it all became too much, too much to experience, too much to take in, he threw his head back and screamed.


    ¡°Yeah, squirm like that,¡± Agalon snarled as Xaxac blinked into reality.  The morning sunlight sparkled in through the curtains and Xaxac stared past Agalon at the unfamiliar ceiling as he went rigid above him.


    He was awake.


    He didn¡¯t remember coming into the bedroom, didn¡¯t remember seeing the bedroom.  The last thing he remembered was telling Alex goodnight.


    He had forgotten to take off his makeup.


    Agalon shoved him into the mattress with a kiss so powerful it knocked the air from him and Xaxac was so disoriented he had a moment of panic as his lungs screamed, his chest burned, and he thought he may pass out.


    But then it was over and Agalon smiled down at him.


    ¡°Good mornin, darlin,¡± he said softly.


    ¡°Good mornin, master,¡± Xac smiled back.


    Agalon left him and he felt empty, so he reached up to cling to him, and something flashed in Agalon¡¯s eyes when he realized he could not rise, but it passed in an instant and he lowered himself back onto his elbows as Xac cuddled up into him.


    ¡°You¡¯re cute when you sleep,¡± Agalon said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna get up,¡± Xac begged, ¡°I¡¯m comfy right here.¡±


    ¡°We gotta get movin,¡± Agalon told him, ¡°We gotta hit the road if we wanna get to Basilglen by sundown.  Well, I mean¡­ we probably ain¡¯t gonna make it by sundown, but let¡¯s try to make it by tonight.¡±


    Xac whined but allowed him to sit up.


    ¡°Master,¡± Lee said from the sitting room, ¡°You told me to warn you when you had twenty minutes till breakfast.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna be late,¡± Agalon said, ¡°But come on in, let¡¯s get started.¡±


    Xaxac groaned as Agalon stood, went to the basin and wet a cloth to clean himself.  Xaxac had sat up, which took a great deal of effort, by the time Agalon returned and ran it gently over him, humming as he wiped him down.


    ¡°What a perfect way to start the day,¡± he said.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Xac giggled.


    ¡°I¡¯d take you down to eat with me if I could,¡± Agalon said, ¡°But I don¡¯t wanna be rude.  Ky don¡¯t let humans sit at his table. Thinks I¡¯m spoilin you. Which,¡± he shrugged, ¡°I mean, fair, I probably am.¡±


    Lee came into the room holding a stack of clothing, neat folded.  Xaxac wondered how early he got up; he was always perfectly groomed when he woke them.  Xac stood and made his way to the water closet to relieve himself, and when he reappeared his clothes were sitting on the bed, so he got dressed while Lee brushed out Agalon¡¯s hair.


    ¡°We need to make good time today,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I hope to god he knows I don¡¯t actually wanna go out and look at his fields.¡±


    ¡°I think that was just talk, master,¡± Lee assured him, ¡°that bird likes to chirp.¡±


    ¡°He sure does,¡± Agalon sighed, ¡°now I gotta lend him my huntin dogs.¡±


    ¡°Do you want another braid?¡± Lee asked as Xaxac stood, fully dressed, and went to the vanity.  All of their various tinctures had been unpacked, so he dipped a cloth in the sweet-smelling lotion to remove last night¡¯s makeup, then made his way to the basin to wash his face.  Once he dried it he sat down to start the process over.


    ¡°It¡¯s just so damn hot,¡± Agalon lamented, ¡°Fall¡¯s gotta come some time, don¡¯t it?  We already started the harvest, why the hell is it still this hot?¡±


    ¡°The rumor is, sir,¡± Lee chuckled, ¡°that when the empress is unhappy the fall rains don¡¯t come and it stays hot.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Very funny,¡± Agalon rolled his eyes.  ¡°Do some kind of updo. I don¡¯t care what it is but get the hair off my neck.¡±


    ¡°We can do them wrap-around braids,¡± Lee suggested, ¡°Hide the gray.¡±


    ¡°Oh Thesis, I forgot to color my hair,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I ain¡¯t been able to think of nothin but Lorry.  Lee, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do without you.¡±


    Xaxac studied himself in the mirror and didn¡¯t like how he looked.  His eyes were bloodshot and his face was getting thinner, likely because he had been eating nothing but salad and doing absolutely no work to build up any muscle.  He needed to start doing something for exercise before he withered away to nothing. He could see his cheekbones, just under his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m gettin too skinny,¡± he said out loud.


    ¡°You¡¯re just growin,¡± Lee said dismissively.


    ¡°He¡¯s growin?¡± Agalon asked, ¡°I thought you said you was grown.¡±


    ¡°I thought I was,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°I just¡­  I don¡¯t wanna¡­ I wanna stay cute.¡±


    ¡°You are cute,¡± Agalon assured him, ¡°You¡¯re adorable.  Maybe you ain¡¯t eating enough.¡± He held up a hand and readjusted himself so he could look at Xaxac, which must have annoyed Lee because Xaxac could see him roll his eyes.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell a difference,¡± Agalon said.


    ¡°He¡¯s hungover,¡± Lee said as if that decided the matter, ¡°That¡¯s all that¡¯s wrong with him.¡±


    ¡°I bet that¡¯s it,¡± Agalon said, ¡°You¡¯ll feel better after breakfast, Honey Bunny.¡±


    Xaxac smiled.


    He turned back to the mirror and did not like the way it looked on his face, so he used the excuse that it was easier to apply his makeup without it to drop it.


    ¡°Wine with breakfast,¡± Alex giggled as he poured it, ¡°I was thinking coffee or tea, but ok.  Eight in the morning, let¡¯s get drunk, I love it!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want nothin to eat?¡± Xaxac called in the direction of the bedroom where Lee was busy packing up the things he had unpacked last night.


    ¡°I ate before you got up,¡± Lee called back, ¡°I¡¯ve already had a day, boy.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Xac turned back to the table to see Alex lift the covers from their food and Xac¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°Flapjacks!¡± He had not meant to be so loud, but it had been so long since he had eaten flapjacks he had began to believe he would never have them again.


    ¡°Honey,¡± Alex said, ¡°You know I love you, but I can¡¯t have that sound in my house.  Never do that again. That dog won¡¯t hunt.¡± He massaged his temples and added, ¡°Lord Thesis give me strength.¡±


    ¡°You love me?¡± Xaxac asked.  After the night he had had he had no idea where their relationship stood, and it had been bothering him.


    ¡°You¡¯re alright,¡± Alex said as he poured a thick sticky liquid from a metal pot onto his pancakes and passed it to Xaxac.


    ¡°I mean¡­¡±  Xac watched the brown goop drip from the pot and frowned.  When he spoke again his voice was quiet, ¡°After last night I¡­  that was¡­ weird.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Alex asked, then took a sip of wine.


    ¡°Do you like¡­  like me?¡± Xac asked as he cut a wedge off his stack and stabbed his fork into it.


    ¡°Yeah, I like you,¡± Alex smiled.  ¡°Xac, honey, you can¡¯t¡­ folks in our position can¡¯t afford to be sentimental.  You can¡¯t let that kinda thing mean anything. You said you wanted to fuck your master¡¯s cage fighters.  You in love with them?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Xac said, ¡°I don¡¯t even really¡­  like them that much. I don¡¯t get it. I feel¡­  I wanted to ask you about that¡­ I feel weird. All the time.  Like¡­ all the time. Every time I have sex I feel weird. Like¡­  bad weird.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, darlin, that happens at first,¡± Alex explained, ¡°you just give it a little bit and it goes away.  I don¡¯t actually even know what that is, but it happens to everybody. It just goes away once you get used to it.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Xaxac asked.  That was wonderful news!  If he could get rid of that feeling his life would be perfect.  ¡°How long does it take?¡±


    ¡°Took me maybe¡­  couple of months?  I think it¡¯s different though.  You really do just gotta learn not to think.  That shit right there is what thinkin does. That¡¯s somethin tryin to get in your head.¡±


    Lee walked out of the bedroom with their luggage fully packed and began to pile it behind the sofa.


    ¡°Try to move it along, gentlemen,¡± He said, ¡°Master Agalon and I plan on leaving by nine.¡±


    ¡°You are the very model of efficiency,¡± Alex waved his fork in the air, ¡°Lee, why do you hate fun?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t hate fun, I just don¡¯t find it fun to be drivin all damn night.  I ain¡¯t the one sittin on the master¡¯s lap sleepin.¡± He huffed, ¡°No offense, Xac.  I ain¡¯t got nothin against you, I¡¯m just makin a point.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care to drive,¡± Xac said, ¡°I know how.  I worked in the stables when I was a youngun.¡±


    ¡°Ew, you did?¡± Alex asked, aghast, ¡°Ew.¡±


    ¡°Agalon ain¡¯t ever gonna let you drive, Xac, get that outta your head,¡± Lee instructed as he went back to the bedroom to get more luggage, ¡°just do your job.  Good work, this mornin, by the way, you got him walkin on air. Wish you¡¯d get extra food for everybody else. Tell him I¡¯m startin to look skinny.¡±


    ¡°You want me to?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t hurt nothin,¡± Lee shrugged as he returned to the bedroom for the final time.


    ¡°You are gettin skinny,¡± Alex said, ¡°You might be gettin taller.  You grow a beard yet?¡±


    Xac shook his head.


    ¡°When it comes in you keep that shit shaved,¡± Alex said, sighed wistfully, and continued, ¡°I wish sometimes that Ky would retire to the water continent.  They got spas there for humans, I think they mighta been there before the flood, but they wax your hair right off. They¡¯ll do the whole body. Lasts for a month and a half.  You ain¡¯t gotta shave every day and your skin¡¯s so smooth¡­ lord, I love that place.¡±


    ¡°Tell him what waxin is and he won¡¯t look at you like that,¡± Lee said, ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him, Xac, he ain¡¯t smart.  Thank god he¡¯s pretty, cause this is about the only job he can do. He was a serving boy before he did this and he didn¡¯t have the sense for it.¡±


    ¡°I had the sense for it,¡± Alex demanded, ¡°you just want a white glove service every damn place you go.  You ain¡¯t in the Duke¡¯s Estate here, you ain¡¯t gettin no white glove service. It¡¯s good enough for us. You¡¯re out here thinkin you¡¯re better than anybody else ¡®cause you¡¯re the personal valet to the Duke of the Agricultural District.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t fight,¡± Xac begged.


    ¡°Well, when you¡¯re havin nobility stay, maybe clean your house,¡± Lee said.  ¡°I notice it¡¯s gotten better since you got promoted.¡±


    ¡°Oh eat a dick,¡± Alex rolled his eyes.


    ¡°And so refined,¡± Lee chuckled, ¡°Xac, don¡¯t pick up no bad habits.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take that down to your carriage?¡± Alex asked, ¡°So anybody can eat in peace?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you learn how to treat a guest?¡± Lee asked.


    ¡°So is this just¡­  how y¡¯all interact?¡± Xac huffed.


    ¡°Yeah, your butler¡¯s mean to me,¡± Alex lamented with significantly more dramatics than the situation warranted, ¡°He¡¯s always been mean to me.¡±


    ¡°Xac, eat your breakfast,¡± Lee said as the door to the hall opened and the mustached man entered.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± he said pleasantly.


    Xaxac really wanted to know his name, but felt that so much time had passed he couldn¡¯t possibly ask him now.


    ¡°Need some help?¡± He asked Lee.


    ¡°Your pleasure slave is as disagreeable as ever,¡± Lee said as the two men picked up the luggage and made their exit.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad I met you,¡± Xaxac told Alex, ¡°You¡­  made me feel a lot better.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I do,¡± Alex shrugged, ¡°That¡¯s what we do.  Make everybody feel better. Besides, it¡¯s nice to have friends.  You don¡¯t wanna get too lonesome. But it¡¯s¡­ a balancing act. You don¡¯t wanna get too attached, neither.  I¡¯m glad I met you, too. You¡¯re gonna be alright. I hope we see each other again. We probably will. We run in the same circles.¡±


    Xac nodded and chewed his pancakes.


    ¡°Honey, don¡¯t look so damn sad all the time,¡± Alex advised, ¡°Fake a smile long enough it becomes real.  That¡¯s the secret, you know. You just gotta fake it until you get used to it. Tell yourself you¡¯re happy and you will be.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying,¡± Xac said, ¡°I am happy.  What made you think I wouldn¡¯t happy?¡±


    ¡°You broke down in tears on my couch,¡± Alex said, ¡°Lord honey, you ain¡¯t bright.  You gotta start payin attention, remeberin things. I like you; don¡¯t talk about shit, just do it.¡±


    Xac nodded.


    ¡°You make everythin look so easy,¡± he said.


    ¡°You will too, you just gotta practice,¡± Alex promised.  ¡°Honestly, darlin, just relax. I mean,¡± he shrugged, ¡°grand scheme of things you¡¯re always either alright or you¡¯re dead.  That¡¯s the only two options. And we¡¯re all gonna die. I intend to deserve it.¡±


    He snickered, and Xaxac laughed with him.

 Chapter 32

    Xaxac did fall asleep on his master¡¯s lap, just as Lee had predicted.


    But that nap could only last until they stopped for lunch, and after the picnic Xaxac found himself wide awake staring out the window again.  Agalon had another book this time, and he apparently found it just as interesting as he had the first, because their conversation was minimal and Xaxac found that Agalon had been right about the entire Agricultural district looking the same.


    The same long road stretched out past the same tall stone walls, only occasionally broken by the tall gates through which he could see other mansions, none of which looked as big or as nice as Agalon¡¯s.


    If not for the singing Xaxac thought he may have grown bored.  But in the late summer there were certain crops that needed to be harvested, and the voices of the people working in the fields rose up loudly enough to be heard from the carriage, all the way on the road.  The song was different at each plantation, so Xaxac could predict the change before he saw any markers. He knew those songs, and part of him wanted to sing along, but he was afraid it would disturb Agalon, who was trying to read, so he snuggled up in his arms and leaned back with his head against the window to listen.


    The sun had set by the time there was any noticeable change in the scenery, and it was so abrupt Xaxac didn¡¯t know what to make of it.  He thought that the farmland would gradually end and be replaced by something else, though he really had no reason to believe that. He had never been outside the plantation and had never really had reason to conceive of the world.  He didn¡¯t know that the kingdom of Uril was laid out with different districts like patches on a quilt, and as he moved from one into the other the change was so marked and different from what he had expected he squirmed off Agalon¡¯s lap to better see out the window.


    After the last stone fence there was, on either side of the road, a forest so thick in the darkness he could not peer into it.  It was very much as if someone had cut the land in half in a perfect line: one one side the farmland and the other the forest. The trees went right up to the fence, and, in some cases, reached over them,


    ¡°Ugh,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I hate this place.  I mean, I don¡¯t hate the woods; I¡¯m an earth mage, but I hate this area.  It¡¯s full of thieves. Had to quit wearing wigs because people were coming out of the trees and snatching them right off folk¡¯s heads.¡±  He paused, looked back to his book and continued, ¡°Assholes. Don¡¯t worry about it though, darlin, we¡¯ll be in an¡¯ out in an hour. Agricultural district gets bigger every day.  You know this used to be all like, little huts and personal gardens? Before Xandra¡¯s reign it was all migrant families and half of it was woods. Civilization spreads out the other direction, where we just come from, you know, from the Capital out.¡±


    Xaxac nodded, because that made sense.


    If somebody ran off from that plantation into those woods, he wondered if anybody would ever find them.  It seemed like a great way to get mauled by some wild animal. There were things in the underbrush, just behind the treeline, rustling in the darkness, and he wondered if they were animals or elves.  They could be the thieves Agalon spoke of, or they could be wildcats, bears, dragons, or any matter of creature.


    Fortunately, whatever it was stayed in the woods, and they traveled uneventfully in the darkness by the light of the twin lamps hung on either side of the carriage by where Lee sat with the horses.  Xaxac turned to see what Agalon was doing, but he still had his nose buried in his book.


    ¡°How can you see that?¡± He asked.


    ¡°What?¡± Agalon asked with a giggled, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I see it, darlin?  You think I went blind?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­  nighttime,¡± Xaxac said.


    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Agalon said as if he had forgotten something important, ¡°humans eyes don¡¯t dilate right.  Y¡¯all can¡¯t see in the dark. I plumb¡­ I didn¡¯t think about that. Hope Lee can see to drive.¡± He huffed and said, ¡°We oughta be about there anyway.  This is why I don¡¯t never go nowhere. Sittin in one spot this long is hell on my back.¡±


    ¡°The woods are so pretty,¡± Xaxac said.


    ¡°It¡¯s the same woods out back of the house,¡± Agalon explained, ¡°them trees are all kin to each other.  The forest kinda flows out and behind. When it was bein settled folks had to cut all that down. That¡¯s where all the wood come from, to build everything.  But the forest is still there. You can¡¯t get rid of a forest, not where it¡¯s supposed to be. It¡¯d be hell on the land, probably destroy it. Destroy a lot of critters, too.  Elves are supposed to protect animals.¡±


    Xaxac nodded and turned back to the window.


    The carriage jostled as it traveled over a little bridge with a sign on the side that Xaxac could not read, but took as a good omen.


    Then they were on the other side, and Xaxac squealed.


    There were more buildings than he had ever seen, almost one of top of the other!  The sun had set an hour ago, yet still the place was alive in the darkness, lit up with lamps and fire burning within.  There were people out on the street, people dressed in ways Xaxac had never seen before. They were almost all earth elves, yet some of them wore clothes he would have associated more closely with humans; button-up shirts, long pants, hats made to keep the sun out of your eyes during a long workday outside.  Some didn¡¯t even wear jackets, just the workshirts with their sleeves rolled up to expose their elbows- oh how that must have shocked Mrs OfAgalon when she came here to be punished- women with workdresses short enough to show their boots and long braids not hidden under bonnets.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Xaxac didn¡¯t know what to make of them.  They were elves; they were obvious elves, with their small frames, long ears, and angular faces, but they were elves wearing gingham.  They passed a building lit up from the inside that smelled like yeast and alcohol, and Xac spotted two men on the porch, smoking and laughing with each other, who he could have mistaken for field slaves, had he not seen the ears poking out from under their hats.


    ¡°Aggy?¡± He asked in a shaky voice.


    ¡°Yes, darlin?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°Who are all these people?  Why do they¡­ look like this?¡±


    Agalon leaned over to see what Xac was seeing and huffed, ¡°Ugh, the night does really bring out the dregs of society, doesn¡¯t it?  Basilglen¡¯s a market town. There should be standards around here. These people¡­ might as well go slum it down in Seaweed with the fisherfolk.  It looks like a goddamn dock out there. Don¡¯t worry, darlin, it¡¯s much nicer in sunlight. Them¡¯s the kinda folk what would snatch your wig off your head.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re dangerous?¡± Xaxac asked.


    ¡°They ain¡¯t gonna do shit,¡± Agalon snarled, ¡°I¡¯m a powerful mage.  I ain¡¯t out here tryin to get robbed. Ain¡¯t nobody gonna get ya when you¡¯re with me.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know elves could¡­  be like that,¡± Xaxac said, more to himself than to Agalon.


    ¡°Anybody can be poor if they¡¯re stupid,¡± Agalon said, ¡°It¡¯s one thing to be born poor- Ky was born poor- but it¡¯s another thing to¡­  there¡¯s folks out there two hundred years old if they¡¯re a day. You can¡¯t save no money in two centuries there¡¯s somethin wrong with you.¡±


    Xaxac wasn¡¯t sure he shared Agalon¡¯s disdain, or if he agreed with his position.  He had never had any money so he had no idea how easy or difficult it was to save.


    The carriage pulled up to a building that looked much bigger than most of the others, built in the style of the manor houses, though not nearly as impressive.  There were people the sort of which Xaxac saw all over town milling about near the entrance, and the human man who walked past them to open the carriage door glared at them as if he had as much disdain for them as Agalon.


    ¡°Good evening, your grace,¡± he said with a smile as Agalon stepped down and turned to offer Xaxac his arm.  Xac took it eagerly and clung to him.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got the royal suite all set up for you,¡± the man said chipperly as he led them toward the building and opened the door.


    Xaxac had absolutely nothing to compare the interior to.  It was set up as if many people were expected to eat or lounge in the area, with tables and chairs spaced out in a huge open floor plan.  On the right side of the room was a long wooden desk, behind which stood an impeccably dressed earth elven woman with a thick book and a lot of other equipment Xaxac didn¡¯t recognize.  The place was nicely decorated with more paintings of flowers and plants, but he knew it wasn¡¯t a manor house. He didn¡¯t know what it was.


    As they walked down the plush green carpet toward the desk Xaxac looked to the far wall at the staircase there, much more practical than ornamental and found nothing to hold his interest.  Instead he turned his attention back to the many, many tables.


    They were actually fairly full, but the people here did not look like the people outside.  The men were dressed more like Agalon, perhaps not as nicely, but in the same style of embroidered tunics and soft leggings with tall boots.  They wore jewelry and had long hair arranged in fancy styles, and the ladies matches them in elegance. This place made sense to Xaxac.


    Every so often a human person would walk up to a table and speak quietly or hand out tall, thin books, or bring out food in the way Jimmy brought out food at home.  They all worked flawlessly, and Xaxac was so interested in watching them he didn¡¯t hear most of the conversation Agalon was having with the lady at the desk.


    ¡°We¡¯re so happy to see you again, Your Grace,¡± the lady said, ¡°It¡¯s always a pleasure.  You¡¯ll be in the royal suite on the third floor.¡±


    ¡°Lovely,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I am wore slick out and starved to death.  Who do I need to talk to about dietary restrictions?¡±


    ¡°If you wanna sit down and grab you a bite to eat I¡¯ll send our cook out to your table,¡± the lady told him, turned, and rang a bell.  A few seconds later a smartly dressed human boy a little younger than Xaxac appeared, bolting down the staircase until he came to a stop beside the desk.


    ¡°Oh, you wanna drop your human off at your room or is he hungry too?¡± The woman asked as if she thought Xaxac was cute.


    As if in response to her question Agalon turned to Xaxac and spoke.  ¡°Don¡¯t worry, darlin, I¡¯m gonna make sure you get somethin you can eat.  You just run on in there, Lee oughta be waitin on you. It ought not take long to give out instructions; we been here a million times.¡±


    ¡°Go¡­  where?¡± Xaxac asked.


    ¡°Go to the human section, get you somethin to eat,¡± Agalon told him, ¡°You gotta be starvin.  I¡¯ll make sure they got somethin for you.¡± He nodded toward the door that the human servers kept coming in and out of, and when he saw Xaxac¡¯s reluctance he continued, ¡°You ain¡¯t gonna be alone.  Lee¡¯s gonna be with you.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s cute as a button,¡± the elven woman said, ¡°He ever been outta the house before?  Henry, take this boy and show him where to get him some food, then run and get the cook to come out and talk to the duke.¡±


    ¡°Yes, master,¡± the boy said, put one hand in the small of his back and the other over his heart and bowed, then turned to Xaxac and said, ¡°Right this way, sir.¡±


    Xac looked back to Agalon and clung more fiercely to his arm so Agalon sighed, took a step away from the desk and pried Xaxac off of him to hold him by his upper arms with both hands.


    ¡°You gotta eat, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon said, ¡°We¡¯ll go up to the room right after dinner, but right now you gotta eat.  You said you was gettin too skinny. Lee¡¯s gonna be with you. You gotta be brave for me, alright?¡±


    Xaxac nodded.


    ¡°We¡¯ll spend the whole day together tomorrow,¡± Agalon promised, ¡°And all night tonight.  You can get through one meal.¡± He kissed Xaxac on the forehead and smiled down at him. ¡°That¡¯s my good boy.¡±


    Xaxac hugged him and turned to follow the boy.


    As soon as they were out of earshot the boy turned to look up at him and tilted his head.


    ¡°How the hell did you do that?¡± He asked.  ¡°You got him eatin outta your hand.¡±


    ¡°If you really watch um,¡± Xaxac explained as he followed the boy through the wooden door, ¡°You can tell what they want to hear.¡±

 Chapter 33

    The boy led him past a small room that reminded Xaxac of the storage room between the kitchen and the dining room back home, then into a bigger, more open room.  It wasn¡¯t as well lit as the dining area for the elves, as each table only had a single candle rather than a candelabra, but that was fine because the wall next to the door he had just come through was missing its top half and through it he could see the kitchen with its cooking fires brightly burning.


    The tables themselves were wider yet still completely full, and Xac supposed that made sense.  Elves seemed to travel with a human entregue, and there were far more humans than there were elves.  To accomodate so many people there were long benches rather than chairs, and Xaxac felt the whole thing was more utilitarian than decorative.  It reminded him, despite being completely different, of the communal meal times he had taken with his father and sister when he was young, if the whole affair had been moved indoors.  There were no decorations on the wooden walls, which he felt would have vastly improved the entire affair.


    ¡°There you are,¡± Lee laid a hand on his shoulder, ¡°Let¡¯s get a bite to eat.  I¡¯m gonna sleep good tonight.¡±


    ¡°I bet you are wore plumb out,¡± Xac said, ¡°drivin through them dark woods.  Aggie said they were full of thieves.¡±


    ¡°People say that,¡± Lee shrugged, ¡°But we ain¡¯t never had no trouble through there.¡±


    He led Xaxac to the half a wall that had been cut away and Xac rested his hands on the tabletop someone had built on top of the half that remained.  The kitchen on the other side was bustling with activity, not just with the cooking staff, but the people he had seen in the dining room kept coming in, loading up trays, shouting orders, and leaving.  The whole situation was almost unbearably loud.


    ¡°Two for ¡®OfAgalon¡¯,¡± Lee shouted and a harried human woman whose hair stuck to her forehead under her bonnet appeared holding two plates, which she slid onto the tabletop.


    ¡°Just a sec,¡± she begged, ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s dinner rush.  Lemme get y¡¯all a drink.¡±


    She took two tin cups and filled them from a device Xaxac had never seen before, a barrel that had been sitting on a counter with a spout at the bottom that dispensed golden, frothy liquid.


    Xaxac looked down at his plate and scowled.  Thought it was perfectly good food, it couldn¡¯t possibly have been what Agalon had ordered him.  There were two chicken wings slathered in some kind of sauce, a green bean mixture with a corn cob and new potatoes, a slice of melon, and a decent chunk of cornbread.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Xaxac told the woman when she returned with his drink, ¡°I can¡¯t eat this.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± She asked, sounding insulted, ¡°It¡¯s good.  Ain¡¯t nothin wrong with that. Go sit down. Eat your food.¡±


    ¡°Y¡¯all put salt pork in these beans?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s allergic to meat,¡± Lee explained.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be allergic to meat,¡± the girl argued, ¡°Y¡¯all, I got other stuff to do.  Eat your food.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t!¡± Xaxac explained, but she turned her back on him and walked back into the kitchen, ¡°Hey!  Come back here! I know you can hear me! I know my master didn¡¯t order this!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think about that,¡± Lee admitted, ¡°You just gotta eat what you¡¯re given.¡±


    ¡°But Aggie wouldn¡¯t give me this!¡± Xaxac said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he controls what they give us to eat,¡± Lee explained, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go sit down.  Just don¡¯t eat the chicken.¡±


    ¡°But she wouldn¡¯t tell me if there was pork in the veggies!¡± Xaxac argued, ¡°If I get sick it¡¯s¡­  awful. When I was a kid I thought I was gonna die.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to tell you, Xac,¡± Lee said, ¡°You don¡¯t want it don¡¯t eat it.  Get your beer. Let¡¯s sit down. I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    ¡°Lee?¡± A voice rang out in the crowd, and Xaxac pouted as he watched Lee turn direction and follow it.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Mickey!¡± Lee beamed, ¡°Good to see you!  It¡¯s been a minute.¡±


    He sat down across from a tall, skinny man wearing the dress of a butler who seemed to be in a group with two female house slaves, a young lady perhaps a few years older than Xaxac, wearing a dress he thought was particularly beautiful, and an older lady dressed more modestly.  Xac stared down at his plate and pouted.


    ¡°Your master here to register his fighters?¡± Mickey asked.


    ¡°Yes, and the trip damn near killed me,¡± Lee said, ¡°This season¡¯s gonna be tough.  I¡¯m gettin too old for this shit. You gotta be in that same boat.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m actually glad to get out of the house,¡± The older woman said, ¡°I ain¡¯t the one drivin.  And the lady ain¡¯t been particularly troublesome. This is almost a vacation. What¡¯s wrong with that boy?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Lee turned and gave Xaxac a sympathetic look, ¡°This is Xaxac, the master¡¯s new pleasure slave.  He¡¯s not really¡­ adjusted very well to his position yet. Xac, this is Ellie, personal handmaid to Lady Loraxina, Mickey, personal Vallet to Mr Loraxina, and Helen, pleasure slave to the Loraxinas.¡±


    ¡°Hi,¡± Xaxac said and put on his best fake smile, ¡°I¡¯m Xaxac.¡±  He took a sip of his beer and grimaced. ¡°Good lord that is awful.  And that ain¡¯t what¡¯s wrong with me. I¡¯m hungry and I ain¡¯t got nothin I know I can eat.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you eat what¡¯s in front of you?¡± Mickey asked as if Xaxac was being ridiculous.


    ¡°He can¡¯t eat meat and he¡¯s scared there¡¯s meat in anything.  Eat your corn Xac,¡± Lee instructed, ¡°Ain¡¯t no meat in that.¡±


    ¡°They mighta boiled it in pork fat,¡± Xaxac pouted.


    ¡°He¡¯s a vegetarian!¡± Helen said with great enthusiasm, as if she believed this bit of information made her the smartest person at the table, ¡°There are tons of them on the water continent.  We vacationed on the islands, you know. They don¡¯t eat meat, only fish.¡±


    ¡°I¡­  I can¡¯t eat fish either,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°There ain¡¯t¡­  fish is made of meat.¡±


    ¡°No they ain¡¯t,¡± she argued, ¡°They¡¯re made of fish.¡±


    ¡°Lee, you want this chicken?¡± Xaxac asked.


    ¡°Here, I¡¯ll trade you my melon for it,¡± Lee offered, and Xac took it greedily.  He could be fairly sure that at least it was safe.


    ¡°So, your master here to register?¡± Lee asked.


    ¡°Yeah, honey,¡± Ellie explained, ¡°Season¡¯s startin.  Gonna be a lot of travelin comin up.¡±


    ¡°Billy playin in the first round?¡± Mickey asked.


    ¡°As far as I know,¡± Lee said, ¡°the master plans on playing him as soon as he can.  He wants to secure a position in Satra.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t figure out why he didn¡¯t play him at Satra last year,¡± Mickey said, ¡°They was givin odds on him to win.¡±


    ¡°He ain¡¯t got the sense to stay down when he needs to,¡± Lee explained, ¡°If he was to lose he¡¯d get right back up.  You¡¯d have to kill him to keep him down, and at Satra they would kill him. Master didn¡¯t want to lose him.¡±


    ¡°All men wanna talk about is sports,¡± Helen huffed and took a long drink of her beer, ¡°It¡¯d bore anybody to tears.¡±


    ¡°I like your dress,¡± Xaxac said.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she beamed, ¡°I just got this today, down here at Sakala¡¯s.  She¡¯s got this new corset technique; I can¡¯t bend over but my titties look amazing.¡±


    ¡°Helen,¡± Ellie warned, and Helen giggled.


    ¡°They really do,¡± Xac agreed, ¡°It¡¯s almost mesmerizin¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± A voice boomed out loudly enough to quiet all conversation, ¡°Who¡¯s Xaxac OfAgalon?¡±


    Xaxac, like everyone else, turned to see one of the waiters who had been running from table to table in the elven dining room standing in the doorway holding a tray on his shoulder looking very impatient.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± He asked, ¡°Nobody?  Y¡¯all I got tables to run, I know it¡¯s one of y¡¯all.¡±


    Lee elbowed Xaxac in the ribs, so he stood and spoke in a shaky voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m Xaxac.¡±


    ¡°God damn was that so hard?¡± the man asked, strode up to him and lowered the tray to serve from the left, just as Jimmy did at home.  ¡°I don¡¯t know what the hell you do for him he likes you so much, but I need these plates and shit back. This shit goes missing I get accused of stealin it.  Here¡¯s a house salad and a glass of wine. Look at me. You break this wine glass? I¡¯m beatin your ass. I thought it was for the goddamn duke and he tells me, ¡®Oh, take that to my pleasure slave¡¯.  This shit is crystal. This is the shit we don¡¯t even give to the other elves.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why I¡¯m gettin hollered at,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t lose this shit, ok?  I¡¯m comin back for it.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°Sorry if I made you late or anything¡­  I didn¡¯t mean to do that. Thanks.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, just don¡¯t break nothin,¡± the man said, ¡°I gotta get back out there.¡±


    He spun on his heel and left, carrying the tray.


    Lee slowly slid Xaxac¡¯s old plate over to himself, picked up his cornbread, and began to eat it.

 Chapter 34

    The royal suite was somehow nicer than their room at home. This was a new experience for Xaxac as he entered, bone tired on Agalon¡¯s arm, and took in the scene around him. The place had been laid out for their arrival, and the sitting room was larger than the one at home, with the furniture sized up to match. The walls were covered not in paintings, but tapestries depicting scenes Xaxac did not understand, but was vastly interested in.


    The sitting area held two huge couches with a coffee table between them, on which had been laid out a basket of wine and more glasses than they would need, all before a large stone fireplace, sitting on the mantle of which were various knick knacks that seemed to have been made of crystal.


    The little table had a basket of fruit all laid out, cut into pleasing shapes that resembled flowers in bloom, and in the middle was a card that Xaxac could not read. The curio cabinet was completely filled with small statues of various animals and people, including one that made Xaxac¡¯s blood run cold.


    Carved from some sort of deep green gem was a man in full armor wielding a large sword. The helmet of the armor had tree branches sprouting from it, or perhaps antlers like a deer, and the man himself, had he been scaled up, would have been tall and broad. His expressionless helmet stared out of the cabinet, indifferent to the world around him, and Xaxac knew instantly who it was: The Emerald Knight.


    He turned his attention away and looked at the opposite wall, at the tapestry that hung over the fireplace. It depicted a beautiful young woman in repose, an earth elf with long blond hair, some of which was pulled into braids, but most of which fell down her back. Her beauty was the ethereal kind, the kind of person who may not have been real, who could only have been described as a thought. She was the kind of thin that was admired by earth elves, the sort of transient smallness that could blow away on the wind, and it was difficult to imagine how her lyth frame supported the thick dress and full, floor length skirt she wore. Xaxac¡¯s first impression of her was that she was some sort of royalty.


    ¡°I am wore out,¡± Agalon said, and Xaxac caught Lee rolling his eyes, though he didn¡¯t understand why.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that girl?¡± Xaxac asked, pointing to the tapestry.


    ¡°That is our great empress,¡± Agalon said proudly, ¡°Xandra Uril, leader of the great Urillain Empire. We¡¯re kin you know, distantly, on my mommy¡¯s side, Thesis rest her soul. Ain¡¯t she lovely?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s really pretty,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°You can tell you¡¯re kin. You got the same hair.¡±


    ¡°Lee, please, for the love of god, remind me to color my roots when we get to the house,¡± Agalon said as he unclasped his cape and threw it over the back of the chair at the writing desk.


    ¡°Yes, master,¡± Lee agreed.


    ¡°Is that Xandra too?¡± Xaxac asked, pointing to a tapestry that hung on the wall above the table. It seemed to display the same woman, but this time sitting on a horse on a cliffside overlooking an ocean dotted with small islands.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Agalon said, ¡°That¡¯s the conquest of the water continent, if I had to guess. You know, I sure don¡¯t remember seeing her there. Come on, Honey Bunny, let¡¯s head to bed.¡±


    ¡°Can I eat these flowers?¡± Xaxac asked.


    ¡°If you want,¡± Agalon replied and walked into the bedroom, ¡°But come to bed here, pretty quick.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so strange, ain¡¯t it?¡± Lee asked in a whisper, looking up at the tapestry as he too undressed, and Xaxac wondered where he was sleeping.


    ¡°What?¡± Xac asked as he picked up one of the flowers of fruit by the stick and bit into it. Its pedals seemed to be made of honeydew cut into shapes. Once again there were six, an unrealistic number. He hadn¡¯t expected the toothpick and spit it into his hand.


    ¡°That the elves think the empress is pretty,¡± Lee said, ¡°Bit thin for my taste. And yours, if the way you acted at supper was any sign,¡± he paused, sighed, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t stare at ladies¡¯ chests. I ought not have to say that.¡±


    ¡°She brought it up!¡± Xaxac argued.


    ¡°It¡¯s still rude,¡± Lee admonished.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°She literally said, ¡®My tits look great¡¯!¡± Xac argued, ¡°You don¡¯t say that unless you want people to look at um! Besides I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t really¡­ know how that works.¡±


    ¡°Who are you talking about?¡± Agalon giggled from where he stood, shirtless, in the doorway. ¡°What on Xren did you do, Honey Bunny?¡±


    ¡°Oh my god,¡± Lee stared at him for a few seconds before he asked, ¡°Xaxac, what was that young lady¡¯s name? I introduced you. You better know it.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Xaxac faltered, ate another pedal and admitted, ¡°I super don¡¯t. I just remember¡­ um¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so rude!¡± Lee huffed.


    ¡°Who are y¡¯all talkin about?¡± Agalon asked, ¡°What¡¯d he do?¡±


    ¡°Helen OfLoraxina,¡± Lee explained.


    ¡°Loraxina,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I met with them during supper. They ain¡¯t happy about my schedule. Billy¡¯s gonna wipe the floor with their whole spread. What¡¯d you do, Honey Bunny?¡±


    ¡°Nothin!¡± Xac pleaded, ¡°Unless we can¡¯t even look at folks now!¡±


    ¡°Come to bed, darlin,¡± Agalon said, ¡°And tell me all about it.¡±


    ¡°Would you still like to get up at dawn, master?¡± Lee asked.


    ¡°Yeah, might as well get a good day in,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I got a full schedule. We might stay again tomorrow.¡±


    He led Xaxac into the bedroom and shut the door. This room, as well, was covered in tapestries, and the bed had posts reaching nearly to the ceiling, from which were suspended thick curtains. It was laid out very much like their room at home, but everything was just a bit more¡­ expensive. It spoke of a kind of opulence that Xaxac could not really articulate.


    ¡°Who is Helen?¡± Agalon asked as he opened the wardrobe to put away his boots, then his tights.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°I guess I was supposed to remember.¡±


    The middle of the flower was a grape, and it felt strange to eat one all by itself.


    ¡°What was Lee gettin onto you over?¡± Agalon asked as he wiped off his makeup then went to the basin to wash his face.


    Xaxac took a seat at the vanity and went through the routine of removing his makeup and moisturizing his face without thinking about it.


    ¡°She said her tits looked good in her dress and I guess I wasn¡¯t supposed to agree with her,¡± Xaxac huffed.


    ¡°Was she a pleasure slave?¡± Agalon asked as he dried his face.


    ¡°I think so,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°Yes! Yeah, she was a pleasure slave! I remember because I¡¯d never met a girl before. I mean I never met a girl pleasure slave.¡±


    ¡°Lee¡¯s bein too overprotective,¡± Agalon decided as he climbed into bed and watched Xaxac wash his face, ¡°You can talk to her. You can look at her. But you gotta control yourself. We¡¯ve had problems with that. And it leads to¡­ other things. Humans are¡­ real fertile. You don¡¯t watch that you¡¯ll have more than you can feed. Y¡¯all breed like-¡± He stopped himself and seemed to consider what he was going to say, and when Xac turned around to look at him he wasn¡¯t sure he liked the look of concentration on his face.


    ¡°Rabbits,¡± Agalon finished, ¡°Y¡¯all breed like rabbits.¡±


    He got up, moved back to the wardrobe and rummaged around in his traveling bag until he produced a small notebook and a pencil, came back to bed and wrote something in it as Xaxac neatly folded his clothes and set them on the chair by the vanity. He crawled into the bed and snuggled into Agalon¡¯s side, deep into the blankets which were so soft they were slick. They reminded him of Alex¡¯s robe.


    ¡°This place is pretty,¡± He said.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s where Xandra stays when she comes through here,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Everybody tries to impress her. She gets stabby when she¡¯s mad.¡± He stopped writing and looked down at Xaxac. ¡°The holy texts say that shifting is hereditary¡­¡±


    ¡°I heard that,¡± Xaxac pouted, ¡°I ain¡¯t never done no devilry. I didn¡¯t do nothin to get cursed. It¡¯s just¡­ how it is. I¡¯m sorry I bit you!¡±


    He clung fiercely to Agalon, and his master reached down to play with his hair.


    ¡°Honey Bunny,¡± he said softly, ¡°You gotta quit bein scared of yourself. There ain¡¯t nothin wrong with you. You¡¯re perfect. You¡¯re rare. I got somethin here that everybody is dyin to see. An I think¡­ I think we could show people somethin with you. We could show um that shifters ain¡¯t dangerous. You¡¯re just a fuzzy little bunny.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I bit you,¡± Xaxac said again, huddling as close as he could.


    ¡°You ain¡¯t listening to me,¡± Agalon sighed, tried to pry Xaxac away, and tensed when he could not. ¡°Darlin, I wanna lie down.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Xaxac said, relaxed his grip, and scooted away just a little.


    ¡°God, you¡¯re so tense,¡± Agalon wrapped an arm around him and pulled him close, ¡°I wish I didn¡¯t have to leave you alone today. I thought you¡¯d be ok if Lee was with you.¡±


    ¡°Lee¡¯s mad at me,¡± Xac whispered.


    ¡°No, he ain¡¯t he¡¯s just¡­ being a little bit too harsh. I¡¯ll talk to him. Come here, sit on my lap, let¡¯s let you burn off some of that energy so you can sleep.¡±


    Xaxac allowed Agalon to lead him by the hips until he was sitting on his lap, and figured out what he was supposed to do as soon as he saw Agalon digging around in the nightstand for the lube.


    This would be interesting¡­ he was going to have to do all the work. He was going to have to bounce.


    He smiled and did exactly what he was told.

 Chapter 35

    The town of Basilglen was significantly nicer by daylight.  There were far fewer people on the street, and those that did exist were more in line with what Xaxac expected of elves, well dressed to the point of regality, being accompanied by one or more humans as they went about their business in the sort of shops that had been closed when Xaxac had arrived, the sort of places that sold jewelry, home goods, and fine clothes.


    Interestingly, however, Agalon did not seem to be going to any of those places.


    Xaxac was not accustomed to the wide open space, the cobblestone streets and the display windows, and had it been left up to him he would have stopped at each and every building they passed to look through the glass at all the marvels within.  But it wasn¡¯t up to him, it was up to Agalon, and Xac clung to his arm as he often did, trying to project an illusion of fear instead of the wonder he actually felt.


    He was a cute, innocent little bunny, and he was afraid of all these new sights, smells, sounds, all the glittering gold and chattering people- a carriage clopped past on the road, and he jumped for good measure and buried his face into Agalon¡¯s side.


    ¡°Darlin,¡± Agalon smiled and untangled his arm from his grip to wrap around his shoulders, ¡°I promise, nothin ain¡¯t gonna get you when you¡¯re with me.  I might be the most powerful mage in this town.¡±


    Xaxac nodded and thought of Billy, so big and strong he boasted he could kill any human in Uril, reduced to a pile at Agalon¡¯s feet with a gesture.  He had never seen anyone use magic except Agalon and Hattie May, so Agalon¡¯s boast may very well be true. He briefly wondered if he should give up the act altogether, but Agalon tightened his grip and smiled down at him, so Xaxac smiled back and snuggled further into his side.


    ¡°Magic is scary,¡± Xaxac explained, ¡°I don¡¯t know nothin about it.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a hell of a lot to know,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Folks go to school for more than a decade to learn how to do it right.¡±


    ¡°Can you control it all the way out here?¡± Xaxac asked, ¡°I mean¡­  them wards you put up at the house¡­¡±


    ¡°Darlin, a skilled mage can keep up a ward from another continent,¡± Agalon said, and Xaxac tensed in his arms, so he continued, ¡°Ah, hell, I shouldn¡¯t¡¯ve said that.  Listen, Honey Bunny, ain¡¯t nothin gonna get you. Nobody ain¡¯t gonna cast at you long-range like that. It ain¡¯t gonna happen.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± Xaxac said trying to channel all the meekness he could muster.


    He didn¡¯t see Lee smiling approvingly as he walked behind them.


    They turned and headed into a particularly large building, the primary feature of which seemed to be an enormous clock, so tall it cast a shadow over the town around it.  The inside was smartly decorated, but not in the kind of ostentatious way the Inn had been. Instead it housed a large number of plants and seating with comfortable, but not overstuffed, couches and chairs beside several small tables laid out with very thin books.  The entire place smelled of healthy earth and brewing coffee.


    The large room they had walked into seemed to serve some sort of purpose that involved waiting in long lines to get to a desk, behind which sat many earth elves, and behind them was a wall lined with several doors and another clock.  The incessant ticking was so loud as to be heard over the conversations all the employees were having with various patrons.


    Agalon led them to the back of one of the lines, put a hand on Lee¡¯s shoulder, squeezed, then walked away with Xaxac on his arm.  Xaxac looked behind him to see that Lee seemed resigned to his fate, then looked forward to see that Agalon was leading them to one of the many small sitting areas.  He plopped down on one of the couches, looked up to make sure he could see how far along Lee was in the line, then leaned forward and began rifling through the thin books.


    ¡°It smells real good in here,¡± Xaxac said as he gingerly sat next to Agalon.


    ¡°I guess,¡± Agalon said, ¡°It smells like coffee.  You want some?¡±


    ¡°Do we have to sit here until Lee gets to the front?¡± Xaxac asked.


    ¡°Yup,¡± Agalon said as he finally decided on a book, ¡°We¡¯re registerin for the rodeo season.  Bureaucracy ain¡¯t exactly exciting.¡±


    Xaxac glanced up, and to his surprise, the book Agalon was reading was not comprised entirely of the squiggles he couldn¡¯t understand.  There were large pictures printed there, sometimes taking up almost the entire page. The one Agalon was currently on displayed a beautiful earth elven woman in a dress that dragged the floor standing beside a floating roll of fabric.


    ¡°Do books have pictures?¡± He asked eagerly.


    ¡°This ain¡¯t a book,¡± Agalon said, ¡°It¡¯s a magazine.  This one is ¡®The Urillian Review¡¯, tells you about all the hottest new trends and whatnot.  Darlin, you reckon you could run and get me a cup of coffee and a muffin or something? Might have fruit and whatnot over there.¡±


    ¡°Of course, master,¡± Xaxac said, then drew in on himself a little and asked, ¡°Where is it?  Will I be able to see you? In case somethin happens?¡±


    ¡°Yes, darlin,¡± Agalon said in a tone that made Xaxac think Alex was right about the ¡®cute and innocent¡¯ act not being sustainable.  He lowered the magazine and pointed, ¡°You see that girl over there? Go over and tell her what you want.¡±


    Xaxac followed his directions and saw another line, though this one considerably smaller than the others, leading to another desk, behind which several humans moved in quick succession.


    ¡°Ok,¡± he nodded, ¡°I can¡­  I can do that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be here,¡± Agalon said in the tone of a man who could not be more bored.


    Xaxac stood, walked briskly across the room and stood behind an earth elven man at the back of the line.  The smell of food was even more strong from his new position, and he leaned to the side to see whatever he could past the other patrons.  The area behind the desk reminded him of the restaurant where he had eaten with Lee. It must be a fairly common occurrence, in towns, to be given food by someone on the other side of half a wall.


    The line moved quickly, and in a few minutes he found himself staring up at the woman as she asked, ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m supposed to get two cups of coffee and see if you have any muffins or fruit or  whatnot,¡± he said with great confidence.


    ¡°Yeah, we got blueberry, strawberry, and apple muffins,¡± she said, ¡°And all them fruits.¡±


    ¡°This would be so much faster if they could read,¡± an earth elven woman behind him said in what seemed to be great annoyance.  Her tone was so derisive that Xaxac thought very seriously about turning and telling her that he was the personal pleasure slave to the Duke of the Agricultural District, but he only turned around enough to see her hand pointing at a chalkboard covered in the same symbols he always saw in books.


    The last set of squiggles were all the same.


    That was the symbol for ¡®muffin¡¯.


    ¡°Can I get two strawberry muffins?¡± Xaxac asked, then hastily amended, ¡°They got any meat in um?¡±


    ¡°In a muffin?¡± The girl asked as if the concept was ridiculous.  ¡°You want cream and sugar?¡±


    ¡°I¡­  don¡¯t know?¡± Xaxac admitted, and turned behind him to glance at Agalon, who was still looking at the magazine, ¡°No?  I guess?¡±


    ¡°Alright, there you go, darlin,¡± The woman sat two cups full of hot, dark coffee and a small plate with the muffins on the counter, and Xaxac had to carefully arrange them to carry them.


    ¡°Here we go!¡± He said chipperly as he sat them on the table with the books, then picked up one of the cups to hand to Agalon.  ¡°I like it here! People just give you stuff!¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°They ain¡¯t givin nothin,¡± Agalon said as he sipped his coffee, ¡°What we pay in they oughta have a five course meal.  Darlin, you know you can¡¯t eat that.¡±


    ¡°The lady said there wouldn¡¯t no meat in it,¡± Xaxac promised as he sat beside Agalon and picked up the muffin.


    Agalon threw the magazine onto the table and took the muffin from him.


    ¡°I told you to get fruit.  You don¡¯t know what¡¯s in this.  Could have eggs or somethin, and you can¡¯t have that.  Darlin, you¡¯re allergic to anything like that. You can¡¯t eat nothin a rabbit can¡¯t eat.  You said yourself you got sick. You can have this kinda stuff at the house because the cook knows how to make it so you can eat it.  I¡¯m takin this from you because it¡¯ll make you sick.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Xaxac scooted further back into the sofa and lowered his head.  Agalon was right. He barely remembered the one time he had eaten something he wasn¡¯t supposed to; he had gotten so ill the memory was fuzzy.  He just remembered and intense pain followed by a soothing blackout.


    He was lucky he had someone looking out for him, because left to his own devices he very well could make himself sick.  He wondered if he could die from it. He had always relied on other people to protect him, first his parents and now Agalon, because he was too stupid to even feed himself.  And everyone knew it. Alex had even said he wasn¡¯t smart, and Alex was really nice, had tried to teach him. His own father had to apologize to Agalon for his stupidity, and Agalon had still been kind enough to take him in.


    He bent forward and picked up his coffee to sip it.


    ¡°Ew,¡± he said as he recoiled from the taste.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Agalon swallowed the bite of the muffin he was eating and said, ¡°Yeah, I always put sugar in yours.  It¡¯s an acquired taste. Keep goin and you¡¯ll start to like it. You¡¯re actually only gettin that because we¡¯re so close to the capital.  They ain¡¯t just givin this away anywhere else; it¡¯s expensive. It was imported from the Fire Continent and don¡¯t grow easy here. We gotta grow it in the greenhouse.¡±


    ¡°If I keep goin I¡¯ll like it?¡± Xaxac asked, ¡°Like the wine?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, lots of things in life like that,¡± Agalon said and sipped his coffee.


    Xaxac couldn¡¯t believe how little Lee had moved in the line.


    ¡°Can I take Lee this muffin?¡± he asked.


    ¡°If you want, but you better not be tryin to trick me,¡± Agalon said playfully.


    ¡°I can¡¯t trick you,¡± Xaxac said, because he didn¡¯t understand the joke.  The idea had never occurred to him.


    ¡°I know, darlin,¡± Agalon snickered.


    ¡°Ok¡­¡± Xac said with unease as he stood, picked up the plate and headed for the place where Lee stood in the line.


    ¡°You want a muffin?¡± He asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be here all day at this rate,¡± Lee huffed as he took it, ¡°Thanks.  Why¡¯d you try to eat this? I seen him take it from you. Don¡¯t do nothin else to put him in a bad mood.¡±


    ¡°I forgot!¡± Xac pleaded, ¡°I thought¡­  it¡¯s bread.¡±


    ¡°You got one job,¡± Lee reminded him, ¡°Keep him happy.  Lord, Xac.¡±


    ¡°Everybody¡¯s done woke up on the wrong side of the bed today,¡± Xac huffed.


    ¡°Just go sit down,¡± Lee told him, ¡°Smile and be quiet.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Xaxac rolled his eyes and returned to the couch where Agalon had picked up another magazine.


    He sat softly and sipped his coffee, listening to the ticking of the clocks and the murmurs of conversation around him.


    ¡°Places like this¡¯ll bore you to tears,¡± Agalon said as he turned a page.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get bored easy,¡± Xaxac said pleasantly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, master.  I got used to it. I don¡¯t hardly never do nothin.¡±


    ¡°You humans are lucky,¡± Agalon smiled, ¡°It don¡¯t take much for you.  Elves are different. We get bored easy, and we live long lives. It¡¯d be nice to be able to turn my brain off like that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Xac giggled, ¡°I like you as an elf.  I don¡¯t think you¡¯d like bein human. You need your brain.  You¡¯re always readin and writin and stuff. What are you always readin?  Alex said his master read to him.¡±


    ¡°He does,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I don¡¯t know if Alex really likes it.  He¡¯s cute but he ain¡¯t as smart as you. You¡¯re smart, for a human, one of the smartest I¡¯ve seen.¡±


    This information shocked Xaxac.


    ¡°You think I¡¯m smart?¡± He asked.


    ¡°You got a good head on your shoulders,¡± Agalon said, ¡°You had the sense to know you needed to be controlled, when you shift.  I think there¡¯s probably humans out there who woulda fought me, woulda got somebody hurt. You got the sense to know you need somebody to take care of you.  Not everybody does. There¡¯s no greater fool than somebody who don¡¯t know their own weaknesses. I worked with folks like that.¡±


    Agalon worked with elves.  Was he saying that Xaxac was smarter than some elves?


    Xac drew his legs up on the couch and leaned back to sip his coffee.  He wasn¡¯t really liking it any better as time went on.


    ¡°They love clocks here,¡± he said at length.


    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s a clocktower outside,¡± Agalon said, paused, then looked over his magazine at Xaxac.  ¡°Hey, Honey Bunny, do you know your numbers?¡±


    ¡°I think so?¡± Xaxac asked.  ¡°I can count.¡±


    ¡°Can you count to sixty?¡± Agalon asked.


    There are sixty tiles on the ceiling of the bedroom.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Xaxac said proudly, ¡°One, two, three-¡±


    ¡°I believe you,¡± Agalon cut him off, ¡°Here then, let me show you somethin, but don¡¯t tell nobody.¡±


    ¡°A secret?¡± Xaxac whispered as he scooted closer.


    ¡°Yeah, a secret.  Look at that clock up there,¡± Agalon smirked, ¡°You see those two hands?  The little one is the hour and the big one is the minutes. When the little one is between the big ones it¡¯s whatever hour the smallest number is.  For the minutes, there¡¯s five between each number, so the one is five, the two is ten, and on and on like that.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Xac frowned before he caught himself, ¡°I don¡¯t know what they look like, though.  I can say um but I don¡¯t know what they look like.¡±


    ¡°The one on top is a twelve and the one beside it on the right is a one,¡± Agalon explained, ¡°Count um up.¡±


    Xaxac nodded sagely.


    ¡°So what time is it?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight,¡± Xaxac counted under his breath, ¡°It¡¯s Nine¡­  something¡­¡± he counted the space between the numbers silently, staring intently at the clock on the wall, ¡°Nine fifteen?  Fifteen after nine?¡±


    ¡°Goddamn,¡± Agalon¡¯s smile held real pride, ¡°Yeah.  That¡¯s right! Don¡¯t tell nobody you can do that.¡±


    Xaxac stared at the clock and watched the big hand move.  That¡¯s what was making the ticking sound.


    9:16.


    Why wasn¡¯t he supposed to tell anyone he knew that?  Why did he instinctively know he wasn¡¯t supposed to tell anyone that he knew which squiggles meant ¡®muffin¡¯?


    The clock said 9:45, and Xaxac was almost certain he could replicate the numbers on it as he sat, still watching it, curled up on the couch with his head on Agalon¡¯s shoulder as he read, when Lee finally made it to the front of the line and called out, ¡°Master Agalon!¡±


    ¡°Finally,¡± Agalon threw the magazine down and Xaxc moved to let him stand, then hopped to his feet to follow him to the front of the line.


    Agalon dug around in his bag and produced a stack of papers, the same papers Xaxac had seen him squiggling on back in his office, the ones with the little boxes he had filled in.  Agalon sat them on the desk and spoke in a very matter-of-fact voice, which Xaxac had heard him use before and which left no room for argument. Xaxac thought he probably talked like that because he was ¡®part of the nobility¡¯, because he was a Duke, because he was important.  That was how important people talked.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to register for the rodeo circuit,¡± he said, ¡°my cage fighters.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so good to see you again, your grace,¡± the woman behind the desk said as she took the papers and picked up something Xaxac had never seen before, a stamp.  She pressed it into a pad of ink, then to the bottom of the paper, then flipped to the next sheet and repeated the process, over and over until they all had a symbol at the bottom, a rose surrounded by text that Xaxac could not read.  She picked up a piece of paper from one of the many stacks on her desk and began writing on it, then picked up a piece of paper folded many times until it was rather small, and held the two together out to Agalon.


    ¡°Here you are, sir,¡± she bowed and smiled.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Agalon said as he unfolded the paper she had handed him and looked down at it, ¡°Hope we see you here, for the primaries.¡±


    ¡°If I can get the day off,¡± the woman gestured at the line behind them.


    ¡°Have a wonderful rest of your shift,¡± Agalon smiled, and Xaxac thought he looked charming.


    ¡°You too!¡± The woman said, and Xaxac thought that made no sense because Agalon wasn¡¯t working a shift.  The woman seemed to realize this as well, but not before Agalon had already turned away, and a look came over her face that revealed she thought herself very stupid.


    Xaxac jogged until he caught up with Agalon as he was tucking the papers into his bag, and threw his arms around Agalon¡¯s arm on that side.


    ¡°That was a lot of waiting for her to not do much,¡± Xaxac said.


    ¡°Government work in a nutshell,¡± Agalon said as if it was a joke, and though Xaxac didn¡¯t understand it, he smiled with him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go check on my furniture and get you some clothes,¡± Agalon smiled down at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m so excited!¡± Xaxac said, because he was.  He had never been inside of a store before, and they all looked so beautiful from the outside.


    ¡°Yay, errands,¡± Lee mocked so quietly he seemed to think Xaxac hadn¡¯t heard him, but he had.  But there was playfulness in his voice, and Xac was too excited to get angry over nonsense.

 Chapter 36

    Agalon led Xaxac into a shop that smelled like sap and broken wood mixed with flowers.  It was huge on the inside, and all one room, but set up with furniture arranged to make it look as if it had many tiny rooms.  There were no walls between them, but it was very obvious what was supposed to be what. There were a few areas with beds, basins, wardrobes and the like, set up as if someone could sleep there, and other areas with tables and chairs, as if people could eat there, and still others with couches, chairs, and a strange piece of furniture that was neither a bed nor a chair that Xaxac had never seen, as if people were meant to sit there.


    There were a few people inside milling around, but not nearly as many as had been in the clock-building, so Xaxac believed that fewer people needed furniture than needed papers stamped.


    Agalon walked briskly to the back of the large room to a desk, but there was no one there, so he hit a little bell and a loud chime ran out.  A human man came jogging up to them, positioned himself behind the desk, and smiled.


    ¡°Hello,¡± he said with the sort of enthusiasm that Xaxac thought must be false, ¡°How can I help you today?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Kailu Agalon, the Duke of the Agricultural District,¡± Agalon said briskly, as if the man was making him late for something, though Xaxac didn¡¯t think he was, ¡°I ordered a set of wardrobes over two weeks ago and they¡¯ve not yet been delivered.  I have a series of words for your master. Bring her out here.¡±


    The man looked terrified; his eyes grew so wide Xaxac was afraid they may pop from his sockets, and his entire body began to tremble, but when he spoke, his voice had not changed at all.


    ¡°Yes sir, right away, your grace,¡± he said, turned, and seemed to wander off into the depths of the shop.


    Xaxac cuddled in closer to Agalon and leaned over to look at the desk.  There was a little book laid out there, all filled with numbers, and they all had the same symbol beside of them.  They didn¡¯t seem to be in any particular order.


    Agalon put one arm on the desk and leaned on it, tapping his fingers impatiently.


    ¡°I already paid her,¡± he mumbled, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have to do this.¡±


    An earth elven woman came walking slowly towards the desk, and Xaxac thought that she looked rather old, a bit like Agalon when he wasn¡¯t wearing make-up, with lines around her face, especially around her eyes, and her long, silver hair pulled into a tight bun on the top of her head.  She was dressed in the clothes of a skilled worker, which shocked Xac. He had never known elves to work.


    ¡°What is it, Kai?¡± She asked as impatiently as Agalon had spoken to her slave.


    ¡°It¡¯s ¡®your grace¡¯,¡± Agalon smiled his charming smile at her, and Xaxac instantly disliked the woman.


    ¡°Is it?¡± She asked, ¡°People have long memories, Kai.  I thought it was, ¡®that dumbass who tried to pierce Felearn¡¯s ears and got blood all over his barrack¡¯.¡±


    ¡°He bled so much,¡± Agalon snickered, ¡°That¡¯s not on me.  There¡¯s somethin like, genuinely wrong with him. That boy ain¡¯t right.  Where the hell¡¯s my wardrobes, Jerry?¡±


    ¡°Fuck if I know,¡± She said, reached onto a desk, snapped a pair of glasses open and shoved them onto her face, ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­  Kai¡­ Kai¡­ oh, yeah, it ain¡¯t the wardrobes, darlin, it¡¯s the alarm clock. We run outta parts, had to wait on a shipment from the Fire Colony.  They got that good ore, good for little tiny shit. It¡¯ll be, well, hell, you¡¯re here, I¡¯ll expedite it. It¡¯ll be¡­ I can maybe send um out tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°You could have sent the wardrobes without the clock,¡± Agalon pouted, something Xaxac had never seen him do before, and he suspected it was an act.  ¡°I¡¯ve had my clothes hangin in a guest room. Runnin my poor butler to death. Look how old he is. He can¡¯t handle that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been torture,¡± Lee agreed in the same half-joking tone, ¡°Look how thin I am.  I¡¯ve been run ragged. I have to go all the way across the hall. At my age. On my bad knee.¡±


    ¡°Dial it back,¡± Agalon smirked.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I make you a wardrobe like forty years ago?¡± Jerry asked, ¡°The hell are you doin goin through um so fast?¡±


    ¡°I need a new one for my new pleasure slave,¡± Agalon motioned at Xaxac, ¡°I wanted darker wood to compliment his color scheme.¡±


    ¡°All style and no substance,¡± She huffed, ¡°Perfect for you.¡±


    ¡°Master, I¡¯ve got a sell,¡± the human man from before reappeared, followed by a young earth elven couple.


    ¡°Mrs Rigg,¡± one of the women said with great excitement, ¡°We absolutely love this bedroom set, you reckon we could  just walk out with it?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t sell displays,¡± Jerry said, turning to them and actively ending the conversation with Agalon.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll leave you to it,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget!  Tomorrow!¡±


    ¡°I hear you, Kai,¡± She said as if he were an annoyance and Agalon smiled.


    Xaxac waited until they were outside the shop to voice his opinion.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like her,¡± he said, and added, ¡°Ow!¡± when a pain went through the back of his foot.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Lee said, ¡°Didn¡¯t know we stopped.¡±


    Xaxac turned to glare at him, but stopped when he took in the look on his face.  Right. What the hell was wrong with him? Don¡¯t be negative. Smile.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you like her?¡± Agalon giggled.


    ¡°Cause she¡¯s mean to you,¡± Xaxac pouted, and wondered if Agalon knew it was fake.  He could fake emotions too, something that Xaxac had not considered.


    ¡°That¡¯s just her way,¡± Agalon said dismissively, ¡°All old people are grumpy, Xac, we¡¯ve had to put up with too much.  There¡¯s only so much shit anybody can put up with in a lifetime before they snap. That¡¯s how we cope.¡±


    ¡°You ain¡¯t old,¡± Xac said as he cuddled into his arm, ¡°not as old as her.¡±


    ¡°Good god, she has let herself go,¡± Agalon agreed, speaking more to Lee than Xaxac, ¡°Past twenty years she¡¯s really let herself go, ain¡¯t she?  She didn¡¯t used to be that bad. Looks three hundred. Knockin on death¡¯s door. I ever let myself go like that I want you to smother me in my sleep.¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    ¡°Reckon I ought let young master Lorsan do that, sir?¡± Lee asked.


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t have the guts,¡± Agalon said, ¡°You¡¯d put me down clean.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like that joke,¡± Xac said and buried his head in Agalon¡¯s side, ¡°don¡¯t say stuff like that, Aggie.  I don¡¯t know how I¡¯d live without you. I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so sensitive,¡± Agalon said softly and pried his arm from Xac¡¯s grasp to scratch his scalp as he sometimes did when he was trying to comfort him.  Xaxac threw his arms around him and snuggled into his side.


    ¡°Here, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon pried Xaxac¡¯s head out of his side to force him to look at the shop in front of him, ¡°We¡¯re at Sakala¡¯s.  Let¡¯s get you some nice new clothes ordered.¡±


    This shop was one of the places Xaxac had longed to visit earlier, to press his face up against the glass.  The front seemed to be all windows, which displayed large symbols he couldn¡¯t read, but behind the glass were mannequins, false people, wearing the most beautiful clothing Xaxac had ever seen.  One was a man and the other a woman, and Xaxac could not decide which he liked better. Both had slim figures that tapered at the waist, and the lady wore a skirt that seemed to be made of fabric so soft he longed to touch it, patterned with flowers over a million petticoats, with slick black boots and a vested top that ended above the elbows and was trimmed in lace.  Mrs OfAgalon would find it scandalous. The top barely hid the bosom, and on a real woman would have produced a great deal of cleavage. The look was complimented by a giant hat with an entire birdhouse built onto the rim, complete with a stuffed bird that had, at one point, been alive. The gentleman wore an outfit which Xaxac had never seen before, though it reminded him of a much fancier houseslave uniform.  Except the entire thing was much nicer, in a much thicker fabric, with polished black boots. The long pants would look strange on an elf only because he had never seen them before, and the white shirt under the tailcoat was somehow crisp and flowing at the same time, with ruffles of fabric descending from the neckline until it disappeared into the vest. There was some sort of gold chain going from the inside of the coat to the outside, where it disappeared into a pocket accentuated with a green handkerchief, and the mannequin wore a hat that looked nothing like a workhat, it was much taller and the brim much too small.


    He loved it.  He wanted it.


    And he wanted the same frame as the mannequin, small and cute with substantial shoulders but a waist so small he thought he could fit it in his hands.


    ¡°Come on, darlin,¡± Agalon said as he pried him away from the window and they stepped into a paradise.


    Long bolts of fabric lined one entire wall, in every texture, weight, weave and pattern.  There were tables upon tables of different threads, needles, and floss, and another wall lined with shelves of thread and raw materials.  Spinning wheels, large looms, and their smaller counterparts, drop spindles and hand-looms were displayed with carding brushes, crochet hooks and knitting needles of all shapes and sizes.


    ¡°I love it here!¡± Xaxac exclaimed before he could help himself, so loudly that the few patrons turned to stare at him.


    Agalon, far from being upset at this, smiled and seemed to enjoy the attention.


    ¡°Do you?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I love it!¡± Xaxac repeated, half afraid that he was going to pass out.  He had never seen so many beautiful things, so many fun things, so much raw potential, in one place before, not even at Agalon¡¯s house.  He wanted everything, but he didn¡¯t know how you got it. It seemed like you couldn¡¯t just pick things up and walk out, could you? That couldn¡¯t be how things were done anywhere.  But that¡¯s how the food had worked both the places he got it. Maybe that¡¯s how they did things in town? Maybe everyone was just giving things away all the time? The yarn came in so many colors!  There were knitting needles of different sizes, straight needles, double pointed, and one with a string in the middle that he didn¡¯t even know what to do with but knew he wanted.


    ¡°That¡¯s so cute,¡± Agalon smiled and tusseled his hair, ¡°You be good for your fitting and maybe I¡¯ll get you something.  What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Everything,¡± Xaxac said, in awe, before he had really developed a thought.


    ¡°Darlin, you can¡¯t have everythin,¡± Agalon laughed, ¡°pick out a couple things.¡±


    ¡°Can I have¡­  cards and¡­ needles and¡­  what are the different sizes for?  Can I have yarn? Oh god there¡¯s so many¡­¡±


    Xaxac released Agalon and took off in a sprint toward the shelves and shelves of yarn.


    ¡°Xaxac!¡± Lee reprimanded and headed after him.


    ¡°Watch him, Lee!¡± Agalon said with a tone that implied there would be consequences if the demand was not carried out, and marched toward the back, toward yet another desk.


    ¡°The hell is wrong with you?¡± Lee asked and snatched a skien from Xac¡¯s hands, ¡°put that back!¡±


    ¡°But feel how soft it is!¡± Xaxac said, ¡°And it¡¯s red!  Like roses! Everything in the house is green; we need some color!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re actin a fool,¡± Lee said, ¡°You¡¯re droppin your act.  And don¡¯t start shit! Why¡¯d you say that about Mrs Rigg?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like her,¡± Xaxac scowled as he pulled another skein from the shelf, ¡°she likes Agalon.  Like¡­ like-likes Agalon. I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°Oh lord,¡± Lee said, took the skien out of his hands and replaced it on the shelf, ¡°You¡¯re gettin too deep, boy.  This is a job. Remember that. Agalon¡¯s an elf. He can marry another elf again, if he wants to.¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t,¡± Xaxac said with great confidence, ¡°he loves me.¡±


    ¡°Oh lord,¡± Lee repeated, ¡°Thesis give me strength.  Xaxac you ain¡¯t¡­ it ain¡¯t like that. You can¡¯t get jealous.  It ain¡¯t like that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who told me to ask for stuff!¡± Xaxac snapped at him, ¡°You know he¡¯ll get it for me!  On account of he loves me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more complicated than that,¡± Lee said, but he snarled when he saw Xaxac¡¯s face brighten and his smile widen.  He knew Agalon was behind him before he heard him speak.


    ¡°You find what you want, darlin?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°How much am I allowed to get?¡± Xaxac asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know nothin about it,¡± Agalon said, ¡°How about you show me everythin you want and we figure it out.  Here, put it in this basket.¡±


    Xaxac took the basket from his hands eagerly and began to fill it.


    ¡°I need needles to knit with,¡± he said sensibly, ¡°And yarn to make stuff with- I can make solstice presents for everybody!¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s everybody?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°You!  And Lee!  And mommy, daddy, and Allie, and maybe Alex.  I like Alex¡­ I wonder if he¡¯d draw me a picture¡­  I need a lotta yarn. I can make hats for everybody; I can make socks if I get double pointed needles¡­  and blankets with the long ones. They¡¯re so warm and comfy! If I get a spinner and some brushes I can make it outta my hair when I shift!  That¡¯s what my mamma used to do!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so happy,¡± Agalon smiled, ¡°and productive.¡±


    ¡°And greedy,¡± Lee warned.


    ¡°Leave him alone,¡± Agalon said, ¡°He ain¡¯t greedy; he wants to make presents.  Put it all in the basket. We¡¯ll get it if you¡¯re good at your fitting.¡±


    ¡°How much yarn can I get?¡± Xaxac asked.


    ¡°Not all of it, good lord,¡± Agalon said as Xac crammed skien after skien into the basket.


    ¡°It takes a lot,¡± Xaxac explained, ¡°it takes like a skien to make a hat.  It takes a bunch of skeins to make a blanket.¡±


    ¡°How many is a ¡®bunch¡¯?¡± Agalon asked, ¡°You¡¯re gettin the most expensive thing here.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Xac asked, ¡°But it¡¯s angora, like me!  It¡¯s made of bunnies!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re expensive, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Do you even¡­  you¡¯re sure you know how to do this? I ain¡¯t gonna buy it and then you get tired of it and quit?¡±


    ¡°If I get the cards and the spinner I don¡¯t need the yarn after the next time the moons are full,¡± Xac said, ¡°I can just use my hair.¡±


    Something flashed over Agalon¡¯s eyes as if he was making an important decision, more important than a simple transaction or whether or not he was spoiling a child.  Eventually he spoke.


    ¡°Get um then,¡± He smiled, ¡°anything for you, Honey Bunny.  But get um and then let¡¯s get you measured for your clothes.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Aggie!¡± Xaxac threw his arms around him and squeezed, ¡°You¡¯re so good to me!  I¡¯m so lucky to have you! I love you so much!¡±


    ¡°I love you, too, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon said and leaned down to kiss his forehead.

 Chapter 37

    ¡°Sorry,¡± the earth elven woman said as she herded people out the door and onto the busy street, ¡°Got a big order in.  This is a one woman operation. I¡¯ll open back up as soon as I¡¯m done.¡±


    She was easily as old as Agalon, and Xaxac wondered why every shop in the town seemed to be run by the elderly.  She did, however, take much better care of herself than Jerry, but there was something about her that Xaxac found fascinating.  Sakala was the first elf Xaxac had ever seen whom he did not think was painfully skinny. She didn¡¯t have the same ethereal air about her as the others; she seemed solid and well built, even in her advanced age.  She also didn¡¯t dress like them; for the rest of the elves the fashionable color of choice seemed to be green in a million different shades, but Sakala was dressed head to toe in black from her knee-high work boots to her tights and dress shirt.  She wore a vest over this shirt that seemed to perform the same sort of function as Helen¡¯s corset, and Xaxac found himself thinking that without this garment her breasts would likely sag to her waistband, then chastised himself because he was, for whatever reason, not supposed to think things like that.  About her waist she had tied an apron, the pockets of which were loaded down with various tools of her trade, and she wore a pincushion strapped to one wrist.


    The holistic aesthetic of the outfit made her seem intimidating, primarily because of the color choice, but Xaxac didn¡¯t think she was.  He could see that people would think as much, just by looking at her, but the way she spoke, moved, and acted made him think of his mother.  She gave off an older, wise, matronly air that he found he quite enjoyed, and she seemed to have absolutely no interest in flirting with Agalon as she led them to an area near the back of her shop.


    There was a couch there, but the primary focus was on a raised platform surrounded on three sides by mirrors.  Because of the mirrors¡¯ arrangement they reflected and rebounded the ambient light until Xaxac felt it was much too bright, and a bit too hot.  He liked the mirrors but thought that since he was roasting she had to be dying in all that thick, black fabric.


    ¡°Mrs Sambrees, why on Xren don¡¯t you get yourself a few humans to watch the shop when you take custom orders?¡± Agalon asked, ¡°You¡¯re the best seamstress in the Agricultural District; this has got to be a common occurrence.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want nobody else up in my business,¡± she said in the no-nonsense way she had, ¡°this place¡­  this wouldn¡¯t just my dream, it was my darlin Solo¡¯s. I ain¡¯t bringin nobody into her house, folks she don¡¯t know, might not approve of.¡±


    ¡°Saka,¡± Agalon said kindly, ¡°It¡¯s been nearly two centuries.  It ain¡¯t healthy to¡­ be alone¡­ all the time like that.¡±


    ¡°Mind your business, Kai,¡± she said and he sighed.


    ¡°You¡¯re a high-class merchant,¡± he said, ¡°You oughta come to the ball.  I¡¯m throwin another one for the mask festival here in a few months, after the harvest.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t fit for no balls,¡± she said as if the idea was ridiculous.


    ¡°There¡¯s a few nobles it sure wouldn¡¯t hurt you to talk to-¡± Agalon began, but Sakala had the audacity to cut him off.


    ¡°I ain¡¯t goin to no balls,¡± she snarled, ¡°She ain¡¯t dead!  Y¡¯all talk about her like she¡¯s dead.¡±


    Agalon frowned and exchanged a knowing glance with Lee that told Xaxac that whoever Solo was, she certainly was dead, and likely had been dead for some time.


    So that explained a lot.  Ms Sambress was crazy.


    But she was apparently good at what she did, so no one was going to say anything to her.  There is power in being very, very good at something useful and necessary. If you¡¯re the best at something, people will allow you to go as mad as you want as long as you keep it up.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± Agalon said, speaking quietly and trying his best to fake sincerity, ¡°that she¡¯s fine.  She was always a fighter. I served with her, on the Fire Continent. She was- err, is, an amazin fighter.¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    There was a lot under these words that he did not say, and Xaxac wondered what it was.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t tryin to upset you,¡± Agalon said with real sincerity.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I would never hurt a lady like that.¡±


    ¡°You gonna have to learn to watch your mouth,¡± Sakala said, ¡°You can¡¯t get a big head just cause you¡¯re kin to Xandra.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Agalon agreed.


    Xaxac didn¡¯t like the somber mood so he tried to brighten it.


    ¡°I love your shop, Mrs Sambrees!¡± he said chipperly, ¡°My mama taught me to knit when I was a boy!  Everythin¡¯ here¡¯s so beautiful!¡±


    ¡°Thank ya kindly,¡± she said, ¡°it¡¯s took me more than a century to get it how I want it, but I¡¯m plum fond of it now.¡±


    She smiled at him and Xaxac smiled back.


    ¡°This is my new pleasure slave, Xaxac,¡± Agalon said, ¡°The one I scried about.  I need a whole new wardrobe for him. Ain¡¯t he cute?¡±


    ¡°This as big as you gonna get?¡± She asked Xaxac.


    ¡°I reckon?¡± Xaxac said, ¡°I don¡¯t rightly know.  I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll get much bigger?¡±


    ¡°How old are ya?¡± She asked, and Xaxac thought it was strange that she was directing these questions to him instead of Agalon.  He had thought, for whatever reason, that he wouldn¡¯t really talk to many people. He had expected Agalon would do his talking for him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t rightly know?¡± Xaxac said, ¡°I know some folks do, but I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Do you?¡± She asked Agalon.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t no tellin,¡± Agalon said, looking down at Xaxac, ¡°I reckon he¡¯s grown though.  If he ain¡¯t he¡¯s close to it.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s real short for a grown man,¡± Sakala argued and asked Xaxac, ¡°You grow a beard yet?¡±


    Xaxac shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna leave a couple inches ease on everything and use tear-away hems,¡± she decided.  ¡°Kai, this boy¡¯s gonna get bigger than you, once he¡¯s done. You might wanna look into them warrior wedges, like the fire elves used to wear?  Fire elf chique is comin back in next season. I done called it. Mark my words.¡± She turned back to Xaxac and said, ¡°get up on this platform let me get a good look at you.  Some of the stuff he¡¯s ordered is underthings, so you want um to fit right you might wanna strip.¡±


    Though she,herself had given this instruction, she seemed confused when he obeyed her.  She arched one eyebrow and watched him remove and neatly fold his clothes, then hand them to Lee item-by-item while Agalon took a seat on the sofa.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really like that foreign nonsense,¡± Agalon said with a smirk as Xaxac stepped onto the platform.  He said it in a strange way; it may have been a joke, or he may have been serious, and Xaxac did not like the ambiguity.


    ¡°I guess you don¡¯t,¡± Sakala said, ¡°You been wearin the same tired look for damn near two hundred years.¡±


    ¡°If it ain¡¯t broke, don¡¯t fix it,¡± Agalon shrugged.  ¡°It¡¯s a classic.¡±


    Sakala pulled a notebook, pencil, and long string from her various pockets and somehow held all of them at once as she held the string up to Xaxac in various places.  It had a series of numbers on it, in the right order this time, and he figured out almost instantly what she was doing. Xaxac did it himself with his gauge swatches. She was seeing how many stitches she needed to cover him- or, more likely in her case, how much fabric.


    ¡°Long-ass legs,¡± she said, ¡°lord honey.  You can¡¯t have no torso.¡±


    ¡°I reckon I got enough to keep my organs in?¡± Xaxac asked, because he was confused by the accusation, and she laughed though he had not meant it as a joke.


    ¡°You got them long spindly limbs,¡± she said, ¡°You¡¯ll fill out once your body catches up with you.¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t nothin wrong with his proportions,¡± Agalon argued.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say they was nothin wrong with it,¡± Sakala said as she knelt to use the platform to write.  ¡°Just makin notes. You sure you wanna put a corset on him? They already ain¡¯t nothin there.¡±


    ¡°I think he¡¯ll like it,¡± Agalon said and Xaxac stared at him in confusion.  He had no idea what they were talking about, but he did want the new clothes.  If they were anything like his work uniform he would love them, and even if they weren¡¯t he would probably find something to like.  He hadn¡¯t even known that some types of clothes existed, like the robe Alex had worn. It was possible that pleasure slaves had their own uniforms, different from the other house slaves, that he just hadn¡¯t known about.  He thought he would like to have a robe like that¡­


    ¡°Alright, darlin, put your arms down, you¡¯re done,¡± Sakala said as she stuck her pencil behind her ear.  ¡°I like this one. He don¡¯t squirm. Quiet, though. I never trust the quiet ones.¡±

 Chapter 38

    ¡°Lee, run them back to the inn, then come and meet us at the bathhouse,¡± Agalon said chipperly as Lee struggled with the many bags it took to contain all of Xaxac¡¯s purchases.


    ¡°Yes, master,¡± Lee said with no emotion that Xaxac could discern.  ¡°You gonna be getting the same private room?¡±


    ¡°I damn well better,¡± Agalon said and began to walk with Xaxac on his arm.  This made the situation awkward, because Xaxac thought that they would be going in two different directions, but Lee followed behind them for a good while before branching off.


    Xaxac snuggled into Agalon¡¯s side and watched their reflections through the store windows.


    ¡°I actually trust Sakala to send things out when she says she will,¡± Agalon said matter-of-factly, ¡°that kind of thing is important.¡±


    ¡°She seemed sad,¡± Xaxac observed.


    ¡°She lost her damn mind a good century ago,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Well, longer than that.  Her wife died in the war and she never did get over it. That happens sometimes. I¡¯m actually shocked the grief ain¡¯t killed her yet.  She wants to think she¡¯s still alive, let her think that. They never found a body. They never found most of the bodies. That whole place was covered in a boilin lake of lava.  I reckon it¡¯s still all messed up. Can¡¯t nobody even go up there to hunt for bodies.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s terrifyin,¡± Xaxac whimpered and cuddled further into his side.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen things that¡¯d turn your hair white,¡± Agalon said, ¡°so I¡¯m gonna enjoy the rest of my life.  I think I got a right to just surround myself with pretty things and wile away what time I got left.¡±


    ¡°You got a right to do whatever you want,¡± Xaxac agreed.  ¡°I think Lorry¡¯s scared of the military. He said that¡¯s where you was when all that bad stuff happened.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to be fillin your head with that kinda thing,¡± Agalon said, ¡°and he sure as hell don¡¯t.  He don¡¯t know what he¡¯s talkin about. I really hoped the military academy would straighten that boy out.  I mean, lord knows somethin has to.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s real loud,¡± Xaxac said.


    ¡°Takes after his mommy,¡± Agalon said, ¡°that bird liked to chirp.  Incessantly. All damn day and half the night. Don¡¯t listen to him.  I¡¯m hopin he¡¯ll have calmed his ass down time we get home.¡±


    He led Xaxac into a large, flat building that he fell in love with instantly.  The entire place seemed to be covered in tile, and a mixture of beautiful scents accosted him as they walked inside.  Everything was clean and perfect, and there was a distinct difference between the people coming in and the people going out.  The people leaving were universally content, relaxed, and beautiful. Once again, most of them were earth elves.


    Agalon headed to a desk like the others Xac had seen in town, and spoke to a smiling earth elven boy who stood behind it looking the slightest bit disoriented.  His pupils were blown wide open, as if he was drunk, and he swayed a little on his feet, but he smelled nothing like alcohol, in fact, he smelled enough like the earthy musk of some plants that it overpowered the scents of the flowers, soaps, and other clean things that Xaxac had taken a liking to.


    ¡°I¡¯m Kailu Agalon, Duke of the Agricultural District,¡± Agalon told him, ¡°I have a reservation.¡±


    ¡°Oh, word?¡± The boy asked as if this information was the most interesting thing he had ever heard.  He looked down at a large book that had been laid out and stared at it for much longer than Xaxac thought it should have taken him.  No one else in town had moved so slowly.


    ¡°Kailu Agalon,¡± Agalon said again, sounding a little annoyed.


    ¡°Right,¡± the boy said, ¡°Sweet.  Yes.¡± He finally seemed to find what he was looking for, turned, and bent to open a cabinet behind the desk.  He popped up a few seconds later holding a stack of folded fabric that could have been towels or robes, on top of which was a key attached to a ring that bore a dangling piece of wood, onto which had been carved the number 5.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Agalon said as he took it, ¡°has it been prepared for me?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± the boy turned back to the book and Agalon rolled his eyes, ¡°Yeah!  I mean it says here- yeah. You got like¡­ food, wine, and opium package, you got the rosewater salts and the flower garden package, right?  Oh shit, you¡¯re the duke!¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Agalon said patiently, ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°Oh, dude!¡± the boy said, ¡°We got that ready at like 8 this morning.  Yeah, it¡¯s good. It¡¯s all good.¡±


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Agalon said.  ¡°I¡¯m leaving then. Away from you.¡±


    ¡°Totally the right decision,¡± the boy said, ¡°have a nice day.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Agalon said, not sounding very thankful.


    He got out of the room as quickly as he could, through the same door they had come in, and Xaxac followed on his heels.


    Agalon led them around the side of the building through a beautiful garden full of carefully arranged rocks with a little stream running through it, and Xaxac wished they weren¡¯t walking so quickly.  He hadn¡¯t expected to see such a place in the middle of town, and he would have liked to stop and really take it in.


    But Agalon was unlocking a wooden door, and in less time than it took to tell it, he had disappeared inside, so Xaxac followed him.


    This place was nothing like their bath at home.


    The interior seemed to be made completely of wood, but it wasn¡¯t a type of wood that Xaxac was familiar with.  It was so light he was almost afraid to put his weight on it, and much lighter in color than he was familiar with.  The large tub was made of stone, inset into a collection of reeds, and the entire place gave off a wooden earthy smell that made Xaxac think it had too much moisture too often without enough airing.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Like the bath at home, it had a series of benches and cabinets, but it also had a little table, on which were setting a great many things- fruit, cakes, two bottles of wine with four glasses, a box of matches and a long pipe very unlike the kind Xaxac normally saw people smoking.  He assumed it was expensive, because it seemed to be made of some sort of ceramic, not the hollowed-out corn cobs most people used. This had been fashioned by an actual craftsman, not someone whittling in the night to wind down from a long workday.


    The entire room smelled like roses almost strongly enough to overpower the scent of what Xaxac thought was rot or mildew, and he wondered if the scent hadn¡¯t been introduced on purpose so no one would think about how bad an idea it was to build a room that was going to be wet out of wood.


    He followed Agalon to sit down on the bench and undress while he watched him rifle through the cabinets. That boy had gotten on his nerves, but he was certainly over it now as he hummed and picked out their soaps and tinctures.


    Xaxac was finished much earlier than he was, because all he had to do was undress, so he folded his clothes and made his way to the large tub with the rose-tinted water.  He slid inside and yelped.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°Hot!¡± Xac said as he hauled himself over the side of the tub, ¡°Hot!  It¡¯s like¡­ it¡¯s like they boiled it!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be like that, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon explained, ¡°It¡¯ll cool off in a minute.  You sit still it don¡¯t feel as bad.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hotter than hell outside!¡± Xaxac argued, ¡°Why is the water hot?  We gonna die! We gonna have heat strokes!¡±


    ¡°You ain¡¯t,¡± Agalon giggled, ¡°It¡¯s good for you.  Just get back in and sit still.¡±


    Everything inside of Xaxac screamed that that was a terrible idea, but he slowly climbed back into the tub and felt his flesh sizzle as he began to sweat.  He felt it running off of him and into the pink around him as he watched the rose pedals float and saw them waft with the heat of a mirage. He felt sweaty and disgusting, not clean.  This was the exact opposite of a bath.


    Agalon climbed in next to him, spread his arms over the side and sighed contentedly.


    Xaxac stared at him with wide eyes trying to quell his panic because Agalon¡¯s flesh was literally changing color from the heat.  Everything below the water had turned a bright red, so different that it could not have been due to the water¡¯s tint. That was a heat thing.  That was what happened to people with light skin who spent too much time in the sun.


    ¡°It¡¯s hurting you!¡± Xaxac announced.


    ¡°No, it ain¡¯t,¡± Agalon said, ¡°It¡¯ll cool down in a minute.  Just relax, Honey Bunny. The heat sooths out the muscles. You know¡­  you really ain¡¯t gotta be scared of every goddamn thing.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re changin color,¡± Xaxac whined.


    ¡°Yeah, that happens,¡± Agalon said as if it wasn¡¯t anything to be concerned with, and Xaxac huffed as he watched him continue to ignore the problem.  Agalon closed his eyes and sank in up to his shoulders, resting his head against the stone, so Xaxac mimicked him. He could feel his hair soaking up the sweat, and it had been so long since he had done anything to become so drenched with it that it made his scalp itch and he had to bring his hands up to scratch it.


    He stared out the open door to the garden beyond and wondered if it would feel cool out there, after this.  Maybe that was the point. He darted his eyes back to Agalon, sighed, and tried to mimic his posture.


    After a few seconds that took an eternity he began to feel the effects Agalon had promised him.  As his body adjusted to the temperature, or perhaps as the water cooled down, he did feel it flowing around him, and his muscles did begin to unclench, to relax.  This was another one of those things where you didn¡¯t like it very much at first, but if you kept at it, you¡¯d learn that you actually liked it a great deal.


    He was so relaxed he was sure he could fall asleep.


    ¡°Feelin better?¡± Agalon asked, and Xaxac opened his eyes to see that Lee had somehow appeared.  He could be so quiet when he wanted. Had Xac actually fallen asleep?


    The water was much cooler, or Xac felt it much less, as he crawled to position himself beside Agalon.  Lee was pouring their drinks and it would make the process much easier for him.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Xaxac said as chipperly as he could muster, accepted the glass, and took a sip.


    Lee took the tray of food and set it on the tile near the side of the tub where they could both reach it, so Xaxac grabbed a pear and bit into it.


    ¡°Thanks again,¡± he giggled.


    Agalon took one of the cakes and nibbled on it, but he didn¡¯t seem to be paying particular attention to anything.  He seemed as if he had shut off the world around him, as if he didn¡¯t need to pay attention to it, as if he knew, instinctively, that nothing was dangerous, nothing could possibly hurt him.  Xaxac had realized on this trip that Agalon¡¯s title meant something; it meant something to be a duke, and however he had gotten that word in front of his name, whether it came from being kin to Xandra or from something he had done during those wars everyone talked about, the result was the same: power.


    Agalon was a powerful man.


    Agalon was such a powerful man that he could walk into any situation content that he was the most powerful person in the room.


    And he loved Xaxac.  He was going to take care of him.  Xaxac was a pleasure slave to the most powerful man in Basilglen, probably the whole agricultural district, and that meant nothing was going to happen to him.  It was a comforting feeling.


    He breathed in the intoxicating scent of the rosewater and took another sip of his wine, then tossed his core onto the tray and picked up an apple.  He sank into the water as deeply as he could while keeping his lunch dry and felt the heat from a lack of sobriety mingling with the heat of the water until he wasn¡¯t entirely sure he had solid edges.


    He tossed the new core with the old one and sat his empty glass behind him, then closed his eyes and leaned back to relax, to allow his body to freely float in the comforting, flowing everything that was the warmth inside and around him.


    He opened his eyes and stared up at the stars, at the void between them stretching into eternity.  All three moons were full, but one was bigger than the others, much bigger than it should have been.


    Something was wrong.


    The moon was on fire.


    Whatever invisible force separated the sky from Xren, the firmament, had set the moon on fire!  The moon had crashed into the firmament, and the crash was tearing it apart! Xaxac swam frantically for the shore as the sky exploded above him and fragments of the moon sizzled and shot from the body, falling faster than he could anticipate, falling around him, tiny, tiny things that hit the water and made it hot, hotter than he could stand, as he scampered onto the beach.


    One of the fragments from the exploding sky washed to shore with him and was left there by the waves.  He didn¡¯t want to touch it, was afraid it would be too hot to touch, and it was so very small. But the composition surprised him.  It was, without a doubt, a piece of metal. Was the moon made of metal?


    ¡°Xaxac!¡± the beautiful man with the blue skin and hair the color of sea foam begged, ¡°Help me!¡±


    Xaxac turned to trace the sound of the voice, but the man was gone.  In his place was a chalice inset with gems that sparkled as if someone had tinted silver blue.  Xaxac furrowed his brow and looked back to the fragment of the moon. It sparkled exactly the same, as if someone had not tinted silver blue.  What did it mean?


    He turned and walked toward the cup.


    ¡°Come here, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon said, and Xaxac darted awake.  He wondered, briefly, if the boy from the desk had been in the room, because it smelled so much like him, but he quickly traced the scent to the pipe Agalon was setting down beside their empty glasses.


    ¡°Come here and sit on my lap,¡± Agalon purred.

 Chapter 39

    Xaxac sipped his wine and tried not to look at Alex.  It would be rude, but he didn¡¯t like the silence in the room, and he hated the ticking of that infernal clock.


    It was hard to go back to nothing after his day on the town.  It was difficult, after meeting new people, getting new things, and experiencing life outside of two rooms to be back in a sitting room that looked so much like Agalon¡¯s, so much like home.  It was difficult not to look at Alex, because he was everything Xaxac wanted to be. He was happy. He didn¡¯t have that cloud of negativity hanging over him that Xaxac sometimes got, though he had once.  He was once where Xaxac was now, and he had come out of it unscathed and beautiful.


    Xaxac was trying not to think about the bathhouse.


    Xaxac didn¡¯t want to think about what had happened at the bathhouse.


    Xaxac was trying as hard as he could not to think about what happened at the bathhouse.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Alex said, ¡°I¡¯m gonna say it.  You look like shit. I¡¯m sorry as I can be, darlin, but you need to hear it.¡±


    ¡°I thought I was going to die,¡± Xaxac said quietly to his salad as he moved his fork through it without eating it.  ¡°I ain¡¯t never¡­ I¡­¡±


    Alex¡¯s eyebrows knitted together in his perfectly moisturized forehead.  He leaned back in his chair and took in the vacant expression in Xaxac¡¯s eyes and frowned, which Xaxac would have thought was a terrible breach of protocol, a complete disregard for their profession, had he not been trying so hard not to look at him.


    Xaxac was trying as hard as he could not to think about what happened at the bathhouse, because it probably hadn¡¯t happened.  Agalon would never hurt him, not on purpose. He had been half asleep, there was something in the air, or the wine, or maybe the water that made his brain not function properly, so he had probably dreamed it, or made it up, especially after the other nightmare he had had.


    ¡°When?¡± Alex asked.


    It hadn¡¯t happened.  It wasn¡¯t real.


    And even if it was real, it hadn¡¯t been that bad.  He had never been in any real danger.


    ¡°Xac?¡± Alex asked, and when Xaxac gave no response he asked again, ¡°Xaxac?¡±


    ¡°I¡­  I had a really¡­  I got scared,¡± Xaxac explained, and Alex watched him over the rim of his glass.  ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ know if it really happened.¡±


    ¡°You been thinkin too much, honey,¡± Alex said and Xac nodded.


    He still wasn¡¯t very good at breathing with Agalon down his throat, even with the practice.  He had learned, well enough, how to breathe right, breath in a rhythm, through his nose, so he didn¡¯t panic, so he didn¡¯t gag himself or start to feel sick.  They had worked on that.


    But he couldn¡¯t do it underwater.


    He didn¡¯t think he needed to know how to do it underwater.


    His job was to make Agalon happy.


    But with his hands on his shoulders, holding him down, and the burning in his lungs, his body screamed at him, told him that he had to breathe or die, and when it began to shake, when it told him that he was dying, and he needed to do something about it because he was absolutely not allowed to die-


    He had scared himself.


    It probably hadn¡¯t even happened.


    But he had scared himself.


    Because in that moment, in that instant before he thought it was going to be over forever, his brain supplied him with one command, so loud it drove all other thoughts from his head.


    Bite.


    Fight or flight little bunny.  That¡¯s a predator, and he¡¯s going to kill you.


    Bite him.


    ¡°You¡¯re completely gone,¡± Alex said and Xaxac stopped pretending to eat and folded his hands in his lap.


    He didn¡¯t bite.  But he was strong, and in an instant he was on the other side of the pool, gasping for air, and Agalon seemed confused, didn¡¯t seem to understand what Lee was telling him, or why Xaxac was clinging to the side of the pool, panting and crying.  He wasn¡¯t angry. He wasn¡¯t disappointed. He was confused.


    He had to have let him go, didn¡¯t he?  He had to have released him? Xaxac couldn¡¯t have broken out of his grip.  Agalon didn¡¯t understand why he was upset, and Xaxac couldn¡¯t explain it to him because he had to get the water out of his lungs and he couldn¡¯t.


    But it had probably never happened, because he had woken up in his bed, back at the room, and no one else said anything about it.  It had to be a terrible dream. If no one else said anything, it had to be a bad dream, like the moon on fire. Xaxac had a lot of bad dreams.  If it had really happened, Agalon would have said something, would have checked on him, would have probably apologised. Agalon always apologised for scaring him.


    So it hadn¡¯t happened.  It had just been a bad dream.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°Stop crying,¡± Alex demanded, dotting at Xaxac¡¯s eyes with a cloth napkin, ¡°Darlin, you¡¯re fuckin your makeup all to hell.  What the hell is wrong with you?¡±


    ¡°I had a bad dream,¡± Xaxac explained, ¡°I keep¡­  keep havin weird dreams and I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t tell what¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s real and what ain¡¯t?¡± Alex asked.


    Xac nodded, and Alex stood, staring down at him, as if thinking very hard on something, something important, and trying to figure out how to say it.


    ¡°Xac, I wanna like you,¡± he said, ¡°I really, really wanna like you.  You can¡¯t keep actin like this. You can¡¯t keep cryin and carryin on all the damn time.  Ok? You can¡¯t. It¡¯ll kill you if you do that. Look¡­ none of us know what¡¯s real. Nobody does.  You gotta understand that. But it don¡¯t matter. Nothin matters. Ok? Nothin really matters. We¡¯re just¡­  we¡¯re just humans, just animals. We live short lives and almost none of it makes a lick of sense, and one day you¡¯re gonna die, and everybody you know is gonna die, and it¡¯ll be like none of it ever happened.  So stop worryin about shit. Stop thinkin about bad dreams or bad days. This moment, right here? This is all we know is real. Just me and you and this room and this food and this wine and that is it. We¡¯re pleasure slaves.  We only got about forty years, realistically. Then I¡­ I think they put us down. You can¡¯t waste it cryin over bullshit! Look at me.¡±


    Xaxac looked up at him and saw the sincerity in his eyes.


    ¡°You are going to die,¡± Alex told him.  ¡°It¡¯s important to me that you know that.  Tell me that you know that.¡±


    Xaxac, like most mortal creatures, did not like to dwell on his own mortality.  Alex was right, of course. Of course he was going to die one day. No one lives forever.  And he wasn¡¯t dead, so he was doing better than¡­ most people. Most of the humans who had ever been born were dead.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna die,¡± Xaxac said, and that simple truth really did make him feel a little better.


    ¡°So don¡¯t waste your life dwelling on bullshit,¡± Alex advised.  ¡°Eat your food. Drink your wine, ok? Let¡¯s get drunk and make out.¡±


    Xaxac nodded.  Alex was right.  No bad dream was going to kill him.  It just felt so real¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± he admitted, and tried to smile.  It was weak, but it was sincere. ¡°We¡¯re all gonna die.  We ain¡¯t got a lot of time. We should try to be happy.¡±


    ¡°And when you ain¡¯t happy¡­  look darlin, nobody is happy all the time.  But when you ain¡¯t, just smile and pretend. Just pretend until it looks so real nobody can tell the difference.  The secret is sincerity. Once you can fake that, you can make people believe anything. That¡¯s what every bit of this is really all about.  It¡¯s just a show.¡±


    ¡°You make it look so easy,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had a lot of practice,¡± Alex said, ¡°Darlin, listen at me.  As long as you¡¯re alive, that¡¯s all that matters. Just stay alive, alright?  For me? Don¡¯t make me lose another one. Look, once the season starts it¡¯s gonna be all trips and rough sex with hot fighters, and nights when you¡¯re so drunk and so high you don¡¯t know where the hell you¡¯re at, and then it¡¯s gonna be fancy balls and bitchin parties where we¡¯ll all get together and hang out.  I¡¯ll introduce you to the other pleasure slaves and you¡¯ll make friends. There¡¯s a lot of good here, ok? That¡¯s what you need to focus on. Don¡¯t think about bad dreams. It goes away. I promise, if you ignore it, it¡¯ll go away.¡±


    ¡°Do you think Aggie loves me?¡± Xaxac asked.


    ¡°Of course he does,¡± Alex smiled, ¡°And Ky loves me.  That has to be true. Where the hell would we be if it wouldn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Oh I know you ain¡¯t cryin again,¡± Lee said as he came into the room, ¡°Good lord, Xac.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Xac took the napkin from Alex and blew his nose into it.


    ¡°Come on,¡± Lee said to him, ¡°Let¡¯s go fix your makeup.  This is a disgrace. What is it this time? What¡¯s got into you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Xaxac said as he allowed Lee to lead him into the bedroom.  Alex refilled their glasses, picked them up, and tagged along.


    ¡°What is it, Xaxac?¡± Lee asked, much more kindly, much more softly, ¡°Tell me what¡¯s wrong.¡±


    ¡°I had a bad dream,¡± Xaxac admitted as Lee mixed the pigment to fix his face, ¡°I dreamed that Aggie tried to drown me.¡±


    Lee¡¯s body tensed, but it was so brief that Xaxac wondered if he had imagined it.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t no reason to cry over a dream,¡± Lee said with great practicality, ¡°I swear, boy, you get some weird thoughts in that pretty little head.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°I think there¡¯s somethin actually wrong with me.  Somethin bad wrong. Maybe it¡¯s on account of I¡¯m a shifter? That might be a thing.  I wish I knew more about it.¡±


    ¡°Hey Xac, look at this,¡± Alex shoved a piece of paper at him and Xaxac took it.


    It was a watercolor painting that looked as if it had been done with some sort of black ink rather than regular watercolor paint, and depicted an elven man with long, dark hair, and striking, sharp features.  His eyes were not divided, as they should have been, into pupil, iris, and sclera, but were completely black. He didn¡¯t look like an earth elf, the colors were all wrong, and the face was longer than it should have been.  The entire effect was offsetting.


    ¡°That¡¯s uh¡­  that¡¯s real pretty, Alex,¡± Xaxac said and tried to hand it back so Lee could paint his face.


    ¡°He¡¯s good lookin, ain¡¯t he?¡± Alex asked, ¡°I saw him in one of the books Ky read to me.  I thought you¡¯d like it, since you was a shifter. I done went and painted that for you.¡±


    ¡°For me?¡± Xaxac asked, ¡°That¡¯s¡­  that¡¯s real sweet.¡± He paused, and could not think of a polite way to ask the question he wanted to ask, and eventually decided they were far past politeness.  ¡°Why, though?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Morgani Magnus,¡± Alex said, ¡°If you¡¯re really a shifter, that¡¯s the feller y¡¯all helped, the reason the moon fell and the world got cold.¡±


    ¡°The moon fell?¡± Xaxac asked.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t nobody teach you the holy texts?¡± Lee asked as if the information shocked him, ¡°I¡¯da thought Abby woulda¡­  maybe she was tryin to keep it from you. You¡¯re cursed, boy. That¡¯s what that is, a curse. Thesis cursed you on account of one of your ancestors helped Magnus when he tried to kill him.¡±


    ¡°Magnus tried to kill the great god?¡± Xaxac asked, staring at the picture.


    ¡°Yeah, after the moon fell,¡± Alex said, ¡°see, in the beginnin, elves lived in a paradise called ¡®The Crystal City¡¯ where they ruled over all of Xren, all the critters here like us.  It¡¯s supposed to have been this perfect place. But then Magnus got mad about it, for some reason, I guess cause he¡¯s a dumbass, and tried to kill Thesis. So Thesis crashed the moon into Xren, as punishment, to kill everythin he had created.  Not just Magnus, a bunch of people followed him. He was gonna start over, make another perfect world, but Magnus survived, and a group of humans hid him. Thesis found um and cursed um. And that¡¯s where shifters come from.¡±


    ¡°There used to be three moons?¡± Xaxac asked.


    ¡°Hold still,¡± Lee told him as he applied the setting powder, and Xaxac obeyed him.


    Xaxac heard the door open from the hallway, and then Agalon¡¯s voice rang out in the stillness.


    ¡°Where you at, Honey Bunny?¡±


    ¡°Smile,¡± Lee advised.


    Xaxac took a deep breath, hopped up, smiled, and enthusiastically shouted, ¡°Me and Alex is in the bedroom!  Look what he made me! He¡¯s so good at painting!¡±


    There was a spring in his step as he bounded into the sitting room and into Agalon¡¯s arms.

 Chapter 40

    Click click click click.


    Xaxac moved the soft red yarn expertly through his fingers; he didn¡¯t really register he was doing it.  After two knit stitches he passed the yarn to the front, purled twice, and passed it back.


    Click click click click.


    One two three four.


    ¡°Get the fuck away from me!¡± Lorsan screamed from across the hall.  Xaxac couldn¡¯t hear what Agalon said in response, but he was sure he said something.


    Knit knit purl purl.


    Click click click click.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even want to be here anymore!¡± Lorsan shrieked.


    Xaxac had memorized the numbers on the clock, and the wooden straight needles in his hand had a number eight carved into the end near the stoppers.  That likely meant something. At the shop he had noticed that bigger needles had bigger numbers. He thought Agalon would probably get him a different size when they went back to town.


    He sat on the couch with the skien in his lap, pulled from the middle as the string moved through his fingers and onto the needles, looping and looping until it transformed, as if by magic, into fabric.


    ¡°I can¡¯t fucking wait!¡± Lorsan yelled as if it was a response, ¡°I¡¯d rather be there!  How¡¯s that feel? I would rather be at military school!¡±


    Xaxac¡¯s mother had taught him the pattern for the hat.  Cast on fifty, leave a long tail, that¡¯s what you¡¯re going to use to connect the sides later.


    He missed her.  He wanted to give her this hat.  It got really cold in the winter.  You can never have too many hats. She could wear it as she walked to the kitchen from the house.  And it would be red. Any yarn they normally got was green, and any she spun would have been brown, like Xac¡¯s hair.


    ¡°Get out!¡± Lorsan shouted, ¡°Get out of my room!  Just leave me here like you did for the past week!¡±


    There was a loud crash from the hall.


    Click click click click.


    Tick tick tick tick.


    Knit knit purl purl.


    Xaxac ran out of stitches and shoved them back so they wouldn¡¯t drop when he switched hands.  The next row would be a pattern in reverse.


    Click click click click.


    Purl purl knit knit.


    Fifty stitches over and over would make a rectangle, which was fine if you were a beginner and didn¡¯t know how decreases or increases worked.  But Xaxac was not a beginner. But he did have a long way to go. He hadn¡¯t even gotten past the band yet.


    It had been so late when they got home that Xaxac expected everyone would be in bed, but they weren¡¯t, because Agalon hadn¡¯t eaten dinner yet.  Xaxac wondered if they were going to eat at all. Agalon seemed to be under the impression that Lorsan would want to eat with them in the dining room, but Xaxac had his doubts.


    He thought his mother would really like the hat.  It would be bright. It would be different. It would be something no one else had.  He wanted to get a bunch of them finished before the solstice, so that he would have presents to give out.  Presents were pretty rare. His parents had made sure they always got a piece of candy, but it was so hard to get the materials to make presents.  Still, he had gotten more than most children. He thought about the stuffed bunny his mother had made him, that he had slept with as a child.


    ¡°You¡¯ve lost your goddamn mind!¡± Agalon shouted, much too close for comfort, almost outside the sitting room door.  ¡°Are you possessed!? Do I need to scry a priest?¡±


    ¡°Do what you want,¡± Lorsan shrieked, and Xaxac believed that the slamming noise he heard was Lorsan accentuating his point.


    ¡°You can¡¯t stay in there all summer!¡± Agalon shouted, but if Lorsan made any reply, Xaxac didn¡¯t hear it.


    Xaxac heard the ringing of a bell and thought of how tired Lee must be after having driven all day.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    This hat was going to be really pretty.


    Agalon threw open the door and stalked into the room.  His boots pounded heavily against the hardwood, and Xaxac changed a string into a hat.


    ¡°Boy¡¯s lost his goddamn mind,¡± Agalon shouted, and despite his best efforts Xaxac flinched and drew into himself.


    ¡°Master?¡± Xaxac asked softly and Agalon stopped pacing to look at him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like how he makes you feel,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°is he going to leave again?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my son,¡± Agalon said as if that statement meant everything Xaxac had said was stupid.


    Feeling very stupid for not understanding what he meant, Xaxac meekly replied, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what else to do,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I don¡¯t know where else to send him.  Maybe I really should get a priest. A priest or a doctor. I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t just leave him like this.¡±


    ¡°Master?¡± Lee stood in the doorway, looking as if he had hastily dressed.  Xaxac guessed that he had gone to bed and had been forced to redress and rush upstairs when he heard the bell.


    ¡°Bring me some whiskey,¡± Agalon said.


    Lee, who had apparently been standing with his hands folded behind his back, brought them forward to reveal a tall bottle and two short, thick glasses.


    ¡°I sure don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do without you,¡± Agalon said as he took them, ¡°That¡¯ll be all.  Go on to bed.¡±


    ¡°Gladly, master,¡± Lee turned on his heel, closed the door, and the sound of his footfalls moving away gave Xaxac a sense of relief.  He deserved to rest. He worked so hard.


    Xaxac turned his row and could see the knitting bunch up in the rib pattern.  Once the hat was done that part would be stretchy.


    Agalon sat heavily next to him on the couch, popped open the bottle, and poured two glasses of alcohol so strong Xaxac could smell it on the table.  Xac knew that if he drank that he wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up even a simple pattern, so he shoved the stitches as far back onto the needles as they would go, then dropped the skein into the shopping bag with the rest of his yarn before he stabbed the needles into the pile as deeply as he could to prevent the stitches from coming off.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you do that?¡± Agalon asked, ¡°That was cute. Domestic.¡±


    ¡°I wanna focus on you,¡± Xaxac said as he cuddled into his side, ¡°I hate seein you like this.¡±


    Agalon drank the whiskey as if it was water and refilled his glass.


    ¡°I¡¯m worried about my boy, darlin¡¯,¡± Agalon said.


    Xaxac nodded.  He couldn¡¯t really do anything about Lorsan, couldn¡¯t be particularly helpful.


    ¡°He¡¯s kinda scary,¡± Xaxac said at length, ¡°He¡¯s magic too, right?  Like you? I remember¡­ when that fighter, Billy, was mean to me¡­ that looked like it hurt.  I don¡¯t think Lorry likes me very much.¡±


    ¡°He ain¡¯t gonna hurt you,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Believe me.  He ain¡¯t gonna hurt you.¡±


    Xaxac could never really remember the time he spent as a rabbit, so he had no way of knowing that Lorsan had begged Agalon to get rid of him, that he had said he was dangerous and been right about it.  But he wasn¡¯t stupid. He remembered that Lorsan had gone to the capital to tell someone something about Agalon, and Xaxac was almost positive that what he had tried to tell was that Agalon had a dangerous monster and it bit people.


    The moons would get full again soon.  What would happen then?


    Hopefully nothing.  Agalon had been pretty confident when he said he could handle it, and Xaxac believed him because the sitting room hadn¡¯t been destroyed like the house he had shared with his parents when he had been little.


    He couldn¡¯t believe he had only shifted once.


    Had he only lived with Agalon for less than two months?  Why did it feel like a lifetime? Why did he feel like a completely different person?


    Xaxac cuddled into his side while Agalon drank and asked, ¡°Are we goin to see the fighters tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, lord knows how bad they been slackin while I been gone,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Billy¡¯s supposed to run that place but I don¡¯t know if he actually does or not, way he¡¯s been actin lately.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Xaxac said softly.


    ¡°You¡¯re tired,ain¡¯t you, Honey Bunny?¡± Agalon asked.  ¡°That trip took a lot outta you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m tired and I¡¯m kinda scared,¡± Xaxac admited, ¡°Aggie¡­  I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with me. I¡¯m scared almost all the time.  And I have real bad dreams. And¡­ I know it¡¯s aggravatin and¡­ I¡¯m scared I ain¡¯t¡­  I ain¡¯t good enough for you, on account of it and I want to¡­ not to feel that way. I wanna be happy.  But everything¡¯s so much all the time¡­ and he¡¯s so loud and I¡­ I¡¯m scared of him.¡±


    ¡°I know, darlin,¡± Agalon said, ¡°You¡¯re tremblin.  I know he scares you. And it¡¯s probably worse ¡®cause you¡¯re wore plum out.  Listen. You sleep in tomorrow. You just relax. You know you¡¯re safe here.¡±


    Xaxac crawled into Agalon¡¯s lap and buried his face in the soft fabric of his tunic.  Agalon wrapped his arms around him and held him there in his strong, comforting embrace.


    ¡°I love this,¡± Xaxac whispered, ¡°I love when you hold me real tight like this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s late,¡± Agalon said and Xaxac nodded.


    ¡°You wanna head to bed?¡± Agalon asked, and though he was slurring his words, Xaxac was amazed that he wasn¡¯t full blown drunk.  The whiskey he had consumed was so strong that the smell had seeped into his very being and now he excreted it. Xaxac pondered this question for a moment because he wished he was drunk, but he hadn¡¯t touched the glass Agalon had poured him.


    But he did want to go to bed.  He wanted to go to sleep cuddled up in Agalon¡¯s arms, wanted to feel his form around him, wanted to lose all the tension in his body.  He wrapped his arms around Agalon¡¯s neck and held on as tightly as he could.


    ¡°Will you carry me?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Of course, darlin,¡± Agalon kissed his forehead, and Xaxac reached up for his face to pull him into a real kiss.


    He had expected Agalon to be in a bad mood after the night he had had, but the way he returned the kiss told Xac he wasn¡¯t going to sleep, not yet.

 Chapter 41

    Xaxac awoke, but did not open his eyes.


    Lee was in the bedroom cleaning, and though he was trying to be quiet, he wasn¡¯t doing a very good job.  Xaxac thought he must care significantly less about waking him than he used to.


    This was a perfectly reasonable assumption to make, but it was the perfect morning for Xaxac to learn something about making any sort of assumption.  As he rolled over and pressed a pillow over his ears to block the noise and try to go back to sleep, he realized quite quickly that it was not Lee at all.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Lorsan whispered, the sort of whisper one makes out of instinct and instantly regrets.


    Xaxac threw down the pillow and sat bolt upright to see Lorsan standing at the vanity going through Agalon¡¯s jewelry box.


    ¡°Heeeey,¡± Lorsan said in his most friendly voice, dragging out the word, ¡°Ain¡¯t you a light sleeper?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Xaxac said flatly, ¡°Folks say I sleep like the dead.¡±


    ¡°The walking dead, maybe,¡± Lorsan huffed as he went back to digging through the jewelry before he apparently found what he was looking for and sat at the vanity to put a pair of earrings through the holes in his lobes.


    ¡°Are you supposed to be here?¡± Xaxac asked him.


    ¡°It¡¯s my house, I go where I want,¡± Lorsan said.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you ain¡¯t supposed to be here,¡± Xaxac argued, ¡°You¡¯re stealin.¡±


    ¡°You gotta take what you need outta life,¡± Lorsan said as if he was imparting some great wisdom, ¡°Thought sure you¡¯d have gone with daddy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m tired,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°I ain¡¯t never been travelin before.  He wanted me to rest.¡±


    ¡°He locked your ass in here,¡± Lorsan said, smiled, reached into his pocket and pulled out something small and wrapped in what seemed to be a soft leather case.  ¡°Or locked me out. Or both. I think this is a two birds one stone kinda thing.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so mean all the time?¡± Xaxac lamented, much too groggy and grumpy to pretend niceties with someone he absolutely did not care for, ¡°Why don¡¯t you just go back to wherever you come from?  Why you gotta be so aggravatin?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go back where you come from?¡± Lorsan asked.


    Xaxac rolled his eyes, picked up the glass of wine on his breakfast tray and sipped it.


    ¡°Bet you didn¡¯t do that before daddy got ahold of you,¡± Lorsan said judgmentally, ¡°bet you¡¯re a rubbin alcoholic.  He destroys humans.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen you drink,¡± Xaxac said.


    ¡°It¡¯s hereditary,¡± Lorsan quipped, ¡°Besides, if I was you I¡¯d lay drunk.  That man¡¯d drive anybody to drink.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so mean to Aggie?¡± Xaxac asked, ¡°He¡¯s your daddy.  He¡¯s got this big house, the fields, all the animals, the people.  You¡¯re spoilt.¡±


    ¡°Why am I so mean to Aggie?¡± Lorsan chuckled, smirked, and said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, ¡°On account of he killed my mama.¡±


    Xaxac didn¡¯t believe this for a second and hoped it showed on his face.


    ¡°You ought not be here,¡± Lorsan continued in the same conversational tone, ¡°But I reckon I oughta be grateful.  If it wouldn¡¯t you, it¡¯d be me. That¡¯s why mommy left him, took me with her.¡±


    ¡°That ain¡¯t how that works,¡± Xaxac said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how nothin works,¡± Lorsan said.  He stood and Xaxac glared up at him as he approached, but he didn¡¯t make any move as Lorsan studied his face.


    ¡°You bought to hit a growth spurt,¡± Lorsan said.


    ¡°No,¡± Xaxac huffed and reached around Lorsan for a strawberry, ¡°I ain¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Yeah you are,¡± Lorsan argued, ¡°cause you¡¯re a fuzzy little bunny.¡±


    He ran a hand down Xaxac¡¯s cheek, and Xac jerked away from the touch.


    ¡°Damn,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°That¡¯s¡­  that¡¯s soft as hell. That ain¡¯t usually what a beard feels like.  That¡¯s gonna be fluffy.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t got a beard!¡± Xaxac snapped.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°Yeah, you do,¡± Lorsan said and pointed to the vanity mirror, ¡°Look.¡±


    Xaxac glanced at the mirror and didn¡¯t see anything Lorsan could possibly be talking about, so he took another sip of his wine.


    ¡°You¡¯re drivin him crazy,¡± Xac said, ¡°You gotta know my life is so much harder when he¡¯s crazy.  Can you get outta my way so I can get my clothes?¡±


    Lorsan turned, took the few steps to reach the vanity, picked up the clothes that had been folded there, and tossed them at Xaxac.  They landed in his lap, and Xac was a little impressed with his aim.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± he said, set his wine down, and stood to get dressed.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Lorsan said then took to walking around the room.  Xaxac was buttoning up his shirt by the time he spoke again. ¡°That shiftin scared the hell outta me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Xaxac said, because he sincerely was.  He really hoped that wasn¡¯t what had set Lorsan off, what had made everything so much more unbearable, but he was almost sure it was.  ¡°I can¡¯t control it.¡±


    ¡°I know you can¡¯t,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°And we ain¡¯t got a lot on it here.  When I go back to school, head back to the capital, I¡¯m gonna go through every bookstore they got.  I¡¯m gonna figure this out for you. They¡¯s gotta be some kinda cure, somethin we can do.¡±


    ¡°You wanna cure me?¡± Xaxac asked skeptically.


    ¡°Look, Xac,¡± Lorsan said with great sincerity, ¡°You ought not have to live like this.  Life is hard enough. I know you don¡¯t like me, but I like you. I wanna help you.¡±


    Xaxac thought of what Alex had said; once you can fake sincerity, people would believe anything.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know that I need your help,¡± Xaxac said as he laced up his shoes, ¡°But thanks.¡±


    ¡°You knit,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°I seen it in the sittin room.  I know daddy ain¡¯t took it up.¡± He paused, stood with his hands on his hips and looked down at Xaxac, ¡°Y¡¯all are¡­  y¡¯all are too smart. There¡¯s a lotta critters just¡­ too smart. It¡¯s weird. Humans, fairies, some dragons it¡¯s¡­ if it can talk, if it can make stuff¡­  it seems¡­ ain¡¯t that weird?¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t that smart,¡± Xaxac said as he made the bed, ¡°There¡¯s a hell of a lot of humans smarter than me.¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t that the truth?¡± Lee asked from the doorway, ¡°Young master Lorsan, what an absolute delight to see you up and about and wearin Master Kailu¡¯s nice earrings that he normally reserves for social functions.  You must be feelin right social.¡±


    ¡°You gonna go runnin?¡± Lorsan asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m too old to go runnin to anybody,¡± Lee huffed, ¡°I¡¯d send a messenger.  He ain¡¯t gonna be happy you¡¯re out.¡±


    ¡°He ain¡¯t never happy,¡± Lorsan said dismissively.


    ¡°Actually he¡¯s had a spring in his step since Xac started workin,¡± Lee said, ¡°If he could pull his head outta his ass he¡¯d have a good job here.¡±


    ¡°You be amazed what I can get outta my ass,¡± Xaxac smirked as he worked to detangle his hair.


    ¡°Classy,¡± Lee huffed, ¡°He shouldn¡¯t let you spend time with Alex.  You¡¯re pickin up bad habits.¡±


    ¡°I think I am a bad habbit,¡± Xac sighed and leaned forward to look into the mirror, ¡°And Lorry¡¯s right.  Goddamn it¡­¡±


    He couldn¡¯t see it from a distance, but Lorsan had been right.  Small brown hairs were scattered along Xaxac¡¯s jawline and clustered even more thickly on his upper lip.  He ran his fingertips over the mustache and thought about how badly he didn¡¯t want to add something else to his already time-consuming routine.


    ¡°You reckon he¡¯ll notice?¡±


    Lee walked briskly to his side and stared down at him.


    ¡°He¡¯ll absolutely notice,¡± he sighed, ¡°alright.  Just stay here. I¡¯ll go get the kit and show you what to do.¡±


    ¡°Aaaaw,¡± Lorsan mocked, ¡°Look at that.  Fuzzy little bunny.¡±


    ¡°Young Master Lorsan,¡± Lee said, ¡°You might wanna go ahead and watch your mouth around this¡¯in.  He¡¯ll have a razor and he¡¯s got that simple strength.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t simple,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°I just ain¡¯t real bright.  I got walkin around sense. Lord.¡±


    He didn¡¯t really feel the need to defend himself, he just wanted to prolong the conversation.  Truth be told, as he got more used to Lee he saw those jabs for the affection they were. It was nice to have friends.


    ¡°I think y¡¯all ought have beards,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°You don¡¯t look so much like elves with um.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t look like elves without um,¡± Xaxac said.


    ¡°Xaxac,¡± Lee said as he turned to leave, ¡°Don¡¯t finish that wine.  Alcohol thins the blood. You cut yourself it¡¯ll get everywhere. And you are gonna cut yourself.  It takes a minute to get the hang of it.¡±


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°One of these days,¡± Lorry said as he walked toward the window and pulled back the curtain to stare out at the fields, ¡°I¡¯m gonna run away.¡±


    ¡°Why put off till tomorrow what can be done today?¡± Xaxac asked while he stared at his facial hair.


    ¡°I mean it,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°I gotta get outta here.¡±  When Xaxac made no reply he continued, ¡°It¡¯s gettin cooler.  Come the fall I¡¯m goin back to school.¡±


    ¡°Military school?¡± Xaxac asked.


    ¡°You listen when folks talk,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°You¡¯re always listenin.¡±  He walked to the doorway and Xac stared at himself in the mirror.


    ¡°You wanna see a magic trick?¡± Lorsan asked.


    ¡°I guess,¡± Xac shrugged and turned to look at him.


    ¡°Come here,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°Watch this.¡±


    He held up something that looked like a twig or leaf, and Xaxac recognized it as belonging to the sort of plant that Agalon kept in the various planters around the house.  Then, he turned and walked into the sitting room so Xaxac followed him, but he didn¡¯t stop. He walked out of the sitting room and into the hall.


    Xaxac tentatively stepped into the doorway and stuck his head out.


    Lorsan was standing in the hall next to one of the planters, smiling from ear to ear.


    ¡°Come on,¡± he said.


    ¡°I can see it from here,¡± Xaxac said.


    Lorsan shrugged and stuck the twig back to the plant Xaxac suspected he had broken it off of.  The stones in his ears glowed with a soft green light, and when he took his hand away the twig stayed put.


    ¡°I healed it,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°I cured it.  I¡¯m a medic; that¡¯s what I do.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t Aggie a medic?¡± Xaxac asked as he turned his back on him and walked back into the sitting room.

 Chapter 42

    ¡°Alright now, you gotta be careful,¡± Lee explained as he held the razor, flipped open with the blade angled toward Xaxac¡¯s skin, ¡°It¡¯s real easy to cut yourself, especially on the neck.  I¡¯m gonna do one side and you do the other. Do exactly what I tell you.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if my daddy knows how to shave,¡± Xaxac thought aloud, ¡°seems like he¡¯d¡¯a told me how to do this.¡±


    ¡°Pay attention,¡± Lee warned, ¡°This is a knife, to your face.  Lord, Xac.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m payin attention!¡± Xaxac argued, ¡°And I like the floofy stuff.  I like whiskin it!¡±


    ¡°Feels like bakin,¡± Lee chuckled, ¡°I half expected you to eat it.¡±


    ¡°Can you eat it?¡± Xaxac asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Lee warned.


    Lorsan leaned against the frame of the open door sipping the whiskey Xaxac had left in the glass the previous night, and Xaxac tried not to let it bother him, though he was almost sure that the reason Lee hadn¡¯t taken it away was because he wanted him to have it, not Lorsan.  Lee was right, he needed to concentrate on the knife he was going to use to scrape the hair off his face.


    ¡°Start at the sideburns,¡± Lee instructed, ¡°Use your other hand and keep the skin pulled tight- guess that ain¡¯t a problem for such a spring chicken, but get to be my age¡­  just keep it pulled or you¡¯ll nick. Go down in smooth, even strokes, like this-¡±


    ¡°This is fuckin terrifyin,¡± Xaxac interrupted him, ¡°Sorry I just wanna- that is right by my eye.  Like right¡­ please don¡¯t stab me in the eye.¡±


    ¡°Hold still,¡± Lee said, ¡°Hold real still and relax.¡±


    Xaxac liked that phrase, and the kind, caring way Lee said it, so he tried his best to obey him.


    ¡°Rinse it off between strokes,¡± Lee said as he swished the razor through the basin, ¡°Every time.  Smooth, clean strokes. Don¡¯t pull, and don¡¯t push down. You reckon you got that?¡±


    ¡°I think so,¡± Xaxac said.


    ¡°Alright, do the other side,¡± Lee said as he handed him the razor.


    It was so heavy.  It was a weapon. It was dangerous.


    Some people thought too much.  Some people got in their own heads.  Some people broke down into tears over bad dreams.  Some people needed to be watched while they shaved.


    He held the skin taut with his free hand and moved the blade down in a smooth stroke, rinsed it, and tried again.  He thought he knew what Lee was talking about, about ¡®getting a feel¡¯ for it. It wasn¡¯t difficult to judge if you remembered what you were really doing, just scraping off the hair.


    ¡°Good,¡± Lee praised, ¡°Perfect.¡±


    Lorsan sipped his whiskey and watched this process as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Lee said as he took the razor back, ¡°First couple of days I¡¯m gonna do your lip and neck.  Till you get a feel for it. That¡¯s the easiest place to nick.¡±


    ¡°Can you just do the whole thing?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Keep your mouth shut, boy,¡± Lee warned, ¡°hold real still.¡±


    Xac swallowed, hushed, and allowed Lee to move his face however he wanted to.  As the blade grazed his skin, again and again, he thought of how thankful he was to have someone he could trust to do this for him, to show him how to do it.  Lee was absolutely right- one wrong move and there would be blood.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Lee said as he swished the blade through the dirty water, ¡°Always dry your razor before you give it back to me.  You don¡¯t, it¡¯ll rust, and it rusts, I¡¯m whoopin your ass cause Master Agalon¡¯s gonna blame me.¡±


    ¡°That sounds about right,¡± Lorsan agreed, ¡°that¡¯s how he is.¡±


    ¡°Then wet a rag and wipe your face off,¡± Lee said, ¡°not in the dirty water.  Empty the basin, rinse it, and refill it.¡±


    ¡°Shit, every morning?¡± Xaxac asked, ¡°This is a goddamn ordeal.¡±


    ¡°Watch your mouth,¡± Lee warned, ¡°Yeah, we do this every mornin.  Let¡¯s see if we can¡¯t speed it up as we go. I¡¯d like to get it under a quarter of an hour.¡±


    ¡°Sure to god,¡± Xac said as he carried the basin back to the sink, dumped it, then sat it into the sink to pump water over it, to rinse it.  He wondered how the hell the other men, who didn¡¯t have water in their houses, did this every single morning and thought that Mrs OfAgalon was out of her mind.  But then again, Agalon had said he didn¡¯t like beards on humans. This might be his rule. He hadn¡¯t seen Mrs OfAgalon in any real capacity in a long time, and wondered how she was doing.  He took a rag, wet it, and ran it over his face to remove any lingering trace of the cream they had whipped. His face burned a little, but it looked good; it looked as if none of it had ever happened.


    ¡°Hurry up!¡± Lee called, ¡°I ain¡¯t got time to babysit you.  I got a house to run!¡±


    Xaxac sighed, picked up the basin and brought it back to replace it on the stand.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Lee said, ¡°Now this here is an after-shave ointment.  Don¡¯t rub it on, pat it on. Rub it between your hands and pat it on your face.  That¡¯ll make it quit burnin.¡±


    Xaxac did as he was instructed and had to fight the urge to scream.  It actually did the exact opposite of what Lee had described, and the abrupt difference between expectation and reality almost knocked him off his feet as the burning sensation engulfed his face.


    ¡°Oh god, it hurts,¡± Xac said, ¡°It hurts so bad.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Might be the alcohol in it,¡± Lee said, ¡°You musta got cut.¡±


    ¡°It quit but goddamn it, you lied to me!¡± Xaxac snarled.


    ¡°This whole thing is an unnecessary mess,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°There ain¡¯t no point to nary bit of this.  It¡¯s just gonna grow right back tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you was cut!¡± Lee argued, ¡°It didn¡¯t bleed!  But either way ain¡¯t no use bitchin about it. Now, put the lotion on so your skin don¡¯t dry up.  You just exfoliated to hell and back.¡±


    ¡°Is it gonna burn like hell?¡± Xaxac asked, ¡°Why are there so many steps?¡±


    ¡°I hope not,¡± Lee said, but Xaxac eyed him wearily as he applied it.


    ¡°Now while you¡¯re waitin for that to soak in go wash the dish and the bowl,¡± Lee said and Xaxac picked them up to head to the watercloset, ¡°Lay um out on a town to dry.  Turn the bowl upside down! Then get back in here and do your makeup!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so much prep for nothin,¡± Lorsan said.


    Lee shrugged and said, ¡°It¡¯s his job.  He¡¯s gotta get used to it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m bored outta my goddamn mind,¡± Lorsan said as Xaxac dusted the setting powder onto his face.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you read somethin?¡± Xac asked, ¡°Aggie always reads.¡±


    ¡°I read everythin in here,¡± Lorsan called from the sitting room, ¡°It¡¯s mostly encyclopedias and military history.  Nothin good.¡±


    ¡°Alex acted like books had stories,¡± Xaxac said, as he surveyed his face and deemed it ¡®good enough¡¯.  ¡°He said his master read to him about animals, or maybe monsters.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bestiary,¡± Lorsan said as Xaxac sat on the couch and picked up his knitting.  ¡°Want me to read you a beastiary?¡±


    Xaxac arched an eyebrow but did not look up from his ribbing.


    ¡°Um¡­  yeah, I guess?¡±


    ¡°Ok, there¡¯s a bunch of them,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°Which one you want?  We got ¡®Flora and Fauna of the Urillian continent¡¯, ¡®Creatures of the Fire Continent¡¯, ¡®Legendary Beasts and Artifacts¡¯, and ¡®Mysteries of the Aquatic Depths¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I dunno,¡± Xaxac shrugged, ¡°Whatever you want.  I don¡¯t know nothin about um.¡±


    Lorsan selected a book and threw himself onto the couch next to Xaxac, reclining in such a way as to take up half of it, looking more comfortable than Xac had seen him look in a long time, possibly ever.


    ¡°Legendary Beasts and Artifacts, by Klin of the Sacred Woods,¡± Lorsan read, ¡°Introduction.¡±


    ¡°It happens that sometimes, in the course of their travels, one will come upon things that have been spoken of by many, but seen by few.  This volume is a collection of creatures and items that I can confirm, with absolute certainty, do exist, and those that I have only heard tale of.  I am skeptical, at this point in my life, to the existence of such creatures as I have not seen, because the author has been cursed with exquisitely bad luck, and it is my firm belief that if such monsters exist, they surely wish me ill.  My thoughts have been archived in the order of the syllabary, for easy access. Please see the following guide for a complete list. It is possible that one may find themselves alone before these creatures, and the author wishes the reader the best of luck in their travels.¡±


    ¡°Are all books this boring?¡± Xaxac asked.


    ¡°I think this was wrote in Elvish and translated,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°It was wrote like a hundred years ago.  Nobody actually talks like this, I don¡¯t think ever. You can kinda tell what some of it¡¯s supposed to be.  I had to take Elvish in school, I bet I could translate the original better. They always try to make shit seem fancy, but it ain¡¯t.  Let me see if daddy¡¯s got the original. He gets weird old shit and keeps it forever.¡±


    Lorsan sat the book on the coffee table, and Xaxac glanced at it while his hands moved of their own accord.


    Lorsan plopped back down holding a book that looked no older than the one on the table and opened it.


    ¡°Ok, so¡­  let me see if I can get this.  Common¡¯s actually an offshoot of Elvish, and Urillians speak the closest dialect to it so it actually ain¡¯t that hard.  Hold on a minute.¡±


    ¡°Y¡¯all ain¡¯t gonna believe the shit I¡¯ve seen; the kinda shit I¡¯ve heard stories about, but I get out here and of course it comes after me.  Why the hell not? I¡¯ve wrote down a lot of shit I¡¯ve just heard tell of, but I swear on my soul I¡¯ve actually seen most of this. This is some true-ass shit.  There¡¯s some fucked up shit out there. I actually have a real hard time believin the stories because if any kind of fucked-up shit exists, it¡¯s gonna come after my ass.  That¡¯s the kinda luck I got. I tried to put this in some kinda order to try and make sense of it, but the world don¡¯t make sense. Y¡¯all on your own with that. Good luck.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a big difference,¡± Xaxac said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lorsan agreed, ¡°You can¡¯t believe everythin you read.  A lot of historians try to make folks smarter than they are. They want Urillian scholars to sound scholarly.  But this feller¡­ well first off he wouldn¡¯t no scholar, or I¡¯d be shocked if he was. He mighta been. But he ain¡¯t got no last name, and that means he¡¯s broke as shit.  Peasants ain¡¯t got last names. This guy probably ain¡¯t got a pot to piss in.¡±


    ¡°But he can write,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°He¡¯s an elf.  Elves are rich.¡±


    ¡°Some elves are broke as shit,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°I go to school with some of um.  Their parents straight up sell um to the military.¡±


    ¡°You can buy elves?¡± Xaxac asked.  The prospect had never occurred to him and he didn¡¯t know how to feel about it.  He turned his knitting at the end of the row, judged the band to be long enough, and began working the body of the hat in stockinette.  He went from knit knit purl purl to knit knit knit knit.


    ¡°I mean not like¡­  Xandra don¡¯t technically own um but what they do is they send money back to their family and then it¡¯s cut outta their paycheck once they start workin so they have to do what they¡¯re told.  They get in debt so they can¡¯t like¡­ not go on deployment.¡±


    ¡°They can buy their way out¡­¡± Xaxac said as he turned his row and began to purl purl purl purl.  It knitted up much faster once he got to the more simple stitch, and his hands flew and created a high tempo rhythm of clack clack clack.


    ¡°Yeah, eventually,¡± Lorsan shrugged, ¡°Now me, I can do whatever the hell I want after my apprenticeship.  Xandra ain¡¯t gonna touch me, on account of I¡¯m kin to her.¡± He rolled his eyes as if he thought this fact was a profound act of stupidity.


    ¡°Will you read to me about the monsters?¡± Xaxac asked as he glanced at the clock, ¡°It¡¯s after ten and if you¡¯re here Jimmy might bring up lunch.  I wanna hear a couple of um before we have to stop.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯d you know that?¡± Lorsan asked.  ¡°How¡¯d you know it¡¯s after ten?¡±


    Xaxac¡¯s body froze, but he powered through it.  He didn¡¯t want the sound of the needles to stop.  He didn¡¯t want to show that he had just made a mistake.


    ¡°The¡­  the light,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°I watch the windows.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t look at the windows,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°You looked at the clock.¡±


    ¡°I figured it out,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°I¡¯m in here all the time and it goes in a circle.  It hits the number on the top at noon, so I thought that must be twelve and I counted.  There are twelve numbers, so those symbols must be what the numbers are. I¡¯ve seen Aggie write those same symbols, too, so I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m right.¡±


    Clack clack clack.


    ¡°Holy shit,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°Yeah you¡¯re¡­  you¡¯re right. You figured out the numbers just by lookin at um¡­¡±  He closed the book in his hands, set it on the table, and picked up the one written in common, ¡°Yeah, fuck it, let¡¯s¡­  let¡¯s read some legends.¡±


    ¡°Lorry?¡± Xac stopped knitting, held his work in his lap, and turned to gaze at him imploringly, ¡°Don¡¯t¡­  don¡¯t tell nobody, ok?¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t gonna tell nobody, Xac.¡±

 Chapter 43

    Xaxac sat at the dining table sipping his wine and staring fondly at the door to the storeroom, past which lay the kitchen and half his family.


    He took a bite of his salad and ignored the silence.


    ¡°My earrings look good on you,¡± Agalon said.


    ¡°You took my staff,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°I need it back for school.  Where is it? I¡¯ve tore the house upside down!¡±


    ¡°I took it with me,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I would have give it back to you if you¡¯d known how to act.¡±


    Xaxac slowly chewed his cornbread.


    ¡°You know I¡¯m throwin the ball,¡± Agalon said, ¡°For the mask festival.  You can¡¯t be actin a fool and shit at that party, Lorry.¡±


    ¡°Lock me in my room,¡± Lorsan suggested.


    ¡°How was them fighters?¡± Xaxac asked chipperly.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Agalon smiled, ¡°Gonna be a hell of a season.  I think Billy¡¯s a shoe-in for the championship.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, good luck at your horrendous animal cruelty,¡± Lorsan folded his arms across his chest, ¡°I¡¯ll be at school thoroughly enjoyin my time away from you.¡±


    ¡°Sounds great, Lorry,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Eat your chicken.  You¡¯re gettin too skinny on military rations. Maybe you¡¯re hungry.  Maybe that¡¯s what¡¯s wrong with you.¡±


    ¡°Xac had to shave today,¡± Lorsan said conversationally.


    ¡°Really?¡± Agalon arched an eyebrow, turned to Xaxac and studied him.  ¡°That¡¯s¡­ interestin¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Xaxac smiled up at him, ¡°Lee says I¡¯ll get better at it, but I didn¡¯t cut myself at all!¡±


    ¡°Darlin, you like tea or coffee better?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°Um,¡± Xac considered these options for a moment before he answered, ¡°Coffee!  But with lots of sugar!¡±


    ¡°Of course you do, Honey Bunny, you got expensive tastes,¡± Agalon laughed.  ¡°I¡¯m gonna start leavin you coffee with breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Xaxac smiled.


    ¡°Give him a cigarette, too,¡± Lorsan mocked, ¡°Breakfast of champions.¡±


    ¡°You are eatin breakfast at school, ain¡¯t you?¡± Agalon asked with concern, ¡°Please tell me you ain¡¯t doin that.¡±  Lorsan rolled his eyes so Agalon continued, ¡°I¡¯m paying for meals whether you eat um or not. Eat your food. You¡¯ll regret starvin yourself.¡±


    ¡°I like cigarettes,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°but they¡¯re not¡­  food, Master Lorsan.¡±


    ¡°Oh shut up, you ignorant slut,¡± Lorsan huffed.


    ¡°Lorry, I swear to Thesis above you¡¯re on my last goddamn nerve,¡± Agalon said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Xaxac said to his salad.


    ¡°I was talkin to daddy,¡± Lorsan clarified, ¡°I didn¡¯t even hear what you said.  Quit mumblin.¡±


    ¡°I said cigarettes ain¡¯t food,¡± Xaxac said louder.


    ¡°It¡¯s an appetite suppressant,¡± Lorsan said.


    ¡°You ain¡¯t some starvin pesant,¡± Agalon said and Lorsan twitched.  Agalon studied him as if he had found some sort of piece of a puzzle, ¡°What was that?  Why¡¯d you twitch? I hit a nerve. Why¡¯d you twitch?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t hit shit,¡± Lorsan said.


    ¡°Who¡¯s the peasant?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°Well, this has been great, but I¡¯m goin to my room.  Y¡¯all have fun. Night Xac.¡± Lorsan scooted his chair loudly from the table and stood.


    ¡°Goodnight!¡± Xaxac said chipperly.


    ¡°It¡¯s like seven o¡¯clock!¡± Agalon stood as well and pointed to the plate Lorsan had left, still half full, ¡°You get back here and we¡¯re gonna have a nice family dinner!¡±


    Lorsan walked out of the dining room and slammed the door behind him so hard the dishes rattled on the table.


    ¡°I think he¡¯s getting better!¡± Xaxac said cheerfully, ¡°He¡¯s bein nicer to me.  Baby steps.¡±


    ¡°That boy turns my hair grey!¡± Agalon seethed as he took his seat.


    ¡°Lee was supposed to remind you about your hair,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°I dunno why you want it to stay blond.  I like the grey. It¡¯s pretty.¡±


    Agalon giggled and took a sip of his wine.


    ¡°Thanks, darlin, but I¡¯d never live it down if the court saw me lookin like this.¡±  He sighed and continued, ¡°I know I look a mess.¡±


    ¡°I like how you look,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°that¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t talk, that first time I seen you out on the field.  You looked so good up there on that horse¡­ I couldn¡¯t figure out what you wanted from me. I thought I was in trouble.  I know I looked stupid.¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Well,¡± Agalon smiled, ¡°You clean up nice.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Xaxac smiled and Agalon refilled his glass.


    Xaxac moaned and fought when Lee tried to shake him awake.


    ¡°Rise and shine, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon said, so Xaxac rolled over and came to the heartbreaking realization that he was no longer asleep.


    There were four people in the room.  That was odd. Jimmy stood near the doorway, watching the scene intently as if trying to memorize it, with his hands folded in the small of his back.


    Once Lee was sure he was awake he turned to Jimmy and began to speak.


    ¡°Always have an itinerary the night before,¡± he explained, ¡°you¡¯ll get the young master¡¯s schedule down pretty quick, or you ain¡¯t smart enough to do this job.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Jimmy said.


    ¡°What¡¯re we doin?¡± Xaxac asked as he groggily reached for his wine and took a sip.  The more he drank, the less intense his headaches were the following morning; he thought he may be building up some sort of resistance.


    ¡°I¡¯m having a valet trained for Lorsan,¡± Agalon explained, ¡°He¡¯s gettin to that age.  But he¡¯s bein a pain in the ass so he¡¯s practicin on you.¡±


    ¡°You should know which outfits are suitable for which activities,¡± Lee continued as he picked up Agalon¡¯s undershirt, ¡°If the wardrobe was still in here-¡±


    ¡°Seriously where the hell is my wardrobe?¡± Agalon asked, ¡°This is bullshit, right?  Like we all agree that this is bullshit?¡±


    ¡°And my clothes,¡± Xaxac said.


    ¡°And his clothes!¡± Agalon agreed.


    ¡°If the wardrobe was still in here, you couldn¡¯t lay them out the night before,¡± Lee said as if he was undisturbed by this outburst, ¡°So do it before you wake him up.  Don¡¯t make him wait. This here¡¯s a standard military uniform, which is what he wears at school, but when he gets to the house he actually wears the underclothes, pants, button up and boots that them youngun¡¯s are wearin nowadays.¡±


    ¡°God, I hate that,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Trend chaser¡­  he looks like a servant. These kids don¡¯t respect authority.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what they had in the shop!¡± Xaxac said, ¡°In the window!  That¡¯s what Lorry wears!¡±


    ¡°I agree, Master,¡± Lee said, ¡°But you can¡¯t do nothin with kids.  He¡¯ll grow out of it.¡± He turned back to Jimmy and continued, ¡°But it is made real similar, so practice on Xac.  His clothes are folded on the vanity. Socks and undergarments first, work your way from the bottom up. Then the pants and shirt, Master Lorsan would have suspenders and a vest, but I¡¯ll show you that when we move up to him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Jimmy said and moved to obey him while Xaxac stared at him in confusion.


    Agalon stood as Lee began to dress him.


    ¡°This feels weird,¡± Xac said to Jimmy.


    ¡°Imagine how I feel,¡± Jimmy whispered back, ¡°Xac, I gotta tell you somethin, hold on.¡±


    Xaxac stood to allow Jimmy to pull his undershorts up.  As Jimmy pulled the undershirt over his head, Jimmy leaned in far closer than he needed to in order to smooth it out and whispered in his ear.


    ¡°I¡¯m seein your sister, Alley.  And¡­ you¡¯re gonna be an uncle.¡±


    He pulled back to pick up Xaxac¡¯s pants, and Xac tried as hard as he could not to change the expression on his face.  Alley was pregnant? She was gonna be a mom? She wasn¡¯t much other than he was! But he was grown, and so was she. She was gonna be a mom!


    He would probably never see that child.


    He stood to let Jimmy fasten his pants and whispered, ¡°That¡¯s¡­  that¡¯s great! I¡¯m real happy for her! Tell her I¡¯m happy for her.  Tell her I wish I could see it.¡±


    ¡°She knows,¡± Jimmy said as he pulled Xac¡¯s arms through his sleeves, ¡°I¡¯m workin on a house.  We¡¯re gonna get married. Hattie May¡¯s gonna marry us. I know you can¡¯t be there, but we¡¯ll be thinkin about you.¡±


    ¡°Congratulations!¡± Xaxac whispered.


    He wanted to be happy.  He didn¡¯t understand why he wasn¡¯t happy.  Alley would be a great mommy; their parents would be perfect grandparents; that baby would have a gramps to tell it stories by firelight.


    So why did he want to cry?  That didn¡¯t make sense. He had something real bad wrong with him that he was eventually going to have to deal with.  He couldn¡¯t keep letting it go on; it seemed like the longer it went on the worse it got. He just couldn¡¯t react to things like a normal person.


    ¡°Xaxac,¡± Lee said, ¡°See if you can shave by yourself this morning.  Be real, real careful.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Agalon said with so much force it made Xac jump, ¡°He ain¡¯t gonna shave himself on the second day.  Lee, you do that, Jimmy come here and comb out my hair.¡±


    ¡°Master, you want me to do up your haircolor tonight?¡± Lee asked, ¡°You told me to remind you by the next bath day.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I need to get that done,¡± Agalon said.


    ¡°Start at the bottom,¡± Lee said as he filled the basin and moved it to the vanity, ¡°Work your way up.¡±


    ¡°He don¡¯t even look like he¡¯s got a beard,¡± Jimmy said.


    ¡°Are you blind?¡± Agalon asked.


    Xaxac sat in silence and stared into the mirror as Lee whipped the foam he was going to spread over his face.


    Xaxac didn¡¯t remember what he had looked like before he had lived in this room.  But he knew it wasn¡¯t the man in the mirror. That guy had a much leaner face, eyes that were way too big for their frames, and too bloodshot.  His hair was too long; it would get in the way on the field. He looked strange. Did Alley look strange too? She had to. She had to look a lot different.  She was pregnant. She was pregnant with a baby he would never see. She had a life, a complete life with a new family, and he wasn¡¯t part of it. He couldn¡¯t be.  He never saw her anymore.


    He was never going to have kids.  He was never going to have a family.  It just¡­ was not the only path that life could take.  He had never really stopped to realize that his future was always just going to be¡­


    He was thinking too much.  Alex said that bad things happened if you thought too much.


    Lee scraped the hair from his cheeks, swished the razor in the water, and tilted his head to get the other side.


    ¡°Alex said there was a place on the water continent where they waxed your hair off and you only had to do it once a- ow!¡± Xac winced and Lee cursed.


    ¡°Why the hell were you runnin your mouth!?¡± he asked, ¡°I told your dumb ass to hold still!¡±


    ¡°Did you cut him!?¡± Agalon snarled, ¡°On his face!?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lotta blood,¡± Jimmy said, ¡°Holy shit.  Xac?¡±


    Lee picked up the towel and held it to Xaxac¡¯s face, and Xaxac stared at the man in the mirror turning the towel red.


    It stopped hurting almost instantly.


    ¡°You can move it,¡± he said softly, ¡°It¡¯s healed.¡±


    ¡°That was a lotta blood,¡± Jimmy said, ¡°Ain¡¯t no way it¡¯s healed.  Do I¡­ Do I just stand here or ought I go get somebody? I oughta be doin somethin-¡±


    Lee moved the towel away, dipped it in the water to wet a part of it, then wiped away the blood to reveal smooth, unbroken skin.

 Chapter 44

    Xaxac sat on the table watching the fighters do pushups and thought of how much less oppressive the heat was.  Fall was coming, and the last harvest would start soon. Life was seasonal, cyclical, for most people. Not for him.  For him, much of his life was unpredictable. As far as he could tell it was mostly long periods of waiting, then brief spurts of action.


    He was trying to figure out if he could trust Lee to take Alley a baby blanket if he knitted one.  He seemed like a good person, but he always got mad when Xaxac talked about his family. He said that he was too old to go crying to his mommy every time he didn¡¯t like something, and he was right.  But¡­ there was a difference. There was a difference between running to your mommy and wanting to go to your sister¡¯s wedding.


    But that would never happen.  He knew he couldn¡¯t ask for that.  And¡­ it was possible that Alley wouldn¡¯t even want him there.  He didn¡¯t know how most people saw him anymore, but he knew that everyone seemed to know he was a shifter, a monster.  If he went to the wedding, which would never happen and wasn¡¯t really worth thinking about, he would probably be unwelcome.  Or outright shunned. Whichever.


    It occurred to him that other creatures that changed never seemed to change back.  Butterflies never went back to being caterpillars, they just grew wings and flew away.  Frogs never went back to being tadpoles, but they did go back to the water.


    He didn¡¯t really want to watch the fighters because he didn¡¯t particularly like the way it made him feel.  He didn¡¯t understand it, but they made him stupid. Agalon had said that emotion was a form of happiness, and he seemed to like the result, so Xaxac thought that he should, on a surface level, just lean into it.


    He didn¡¯t understand why he couldn¡¯t just lay drunk.  People had a bad opinion of drunks, but they seemed to have the right idea, provided they didn¡¯t have any real responsibilities.  Xaxac didn¡¯t have any real responsibilities. So why couldn¡¯t he just lay drunk?


    Xaxac thought he was thinking a lot more than he normally did, with thoughts flying in and out of his head more quickly than they normally did, and thought of how strange it was to think about thinking.


    He wished they could go home, or that he had brought his knitting so he could work on his baby blanket, but he doubted Agalon would have let him do that.  He didn¡¯t realize that he had been thumping his leg until Agalon put a hand on it.


    ¡°Calm down, Honey Bunny,¡± he said.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Xaxac said.


    ¡°That¡¯s lunch, gentlemen!¡± Agalon shouted, and Xaxac hopped off the table.  ¡°Hurry up! We¡¯re running out of time!¡±


    Agalon walked swiftly to the area where his horse was staked outside of the enclosure to spread out the picnic he and Xaxac normally had, but Xac stalled, purposefully slowed his steps, because the last time he had been here, he had clung to Agalon¡¯s arm, and he wondered if perhaps he shouldn¡¯t be socializing.


    All the fighters had food wrapped in little handkerchiefs made of green and white gingham that they produced from the little houses along the perimeter, and Xaxac remembered when he used to eat his lunch like that, that his father packed him.  It was never really much unless his mother managed to score something particularly good from the big house; it was meant to just keep you alive until supper when you could really sit down and eat. But Xaxac had gotten used to forgoing lunch all together on days when Agalon didn¡¯t come home; he never really did anything and therefore had no reason to get hungry.


    He was shocked to see these men, each and every one, had meat packed in their lunches.  They were eating chicken that looked very much like what he had been served in the city, and the display blew his mind.  Meat was so rare on the fields that he had gone years before he had discovered he was allergic to it.


    ¡°What¡¯s your problem, pretty boy?¡± Billy asked him, and Xaxac snapped to attention.


    ¡°Problem?¡± Xac asked in confusion.


    ¡°Hey,¡± One of the fighters said, ¡°Don¡¯t try to start shit with him again.  Agalon don¡¯t like that shit.¡± He smiled, turned to Xaxac and explained, ¡°Kid, you can¡¯t just be lookin at folks any kinda way, not out here.  Folks don¡¯t like it. I¡¯m Wyatt. Billy¡¯s bad to start shit.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t lookin at you,¡± Xaxac explained, choosing his words as carefully as he could, ¡°I was lookin at your food.  We didn¡¯t never used to get meat, back when I worked on the fields. I mean, wouldn¡¯t matter to me noways, I¡¯m a vegetarian. ¡±


    ¡°What the hell kinda fancy house word is ¡®vegetarian¡¯?¡± Billy asked as if the concept insulted him, and Xaxac thought he was fairly easy to insult.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ¡°It means I can¡¯t eat meat,¡± Xaxac said.


    ¡°You need meat,¡± Billy argued, ¡°Makes you strong.  Gives you muscle.¡±


    ¡°That don¡¯t make a lick of sense comin from somebody what calls himself ¡®The bull¡¯,¡± Xac thought aloud, ¡°Bulls are strong as hell and don¡¯t eat no meat.¡±


    ¡°You sayin I don¡¯t make sense?¡± Billy asked as he stood.


    Xaxac looked up at him and realized, not for the first time, that he had to crane his neck to do so.  From his new position Billy was almost touching him, and Xaxac really hoped his new pants were going to fit because he was reminded, once again, that these got far too tight on occasion, and felt that he needed to make some kind of response in order to avoid seeming stupid in front of him, so he said the first thing that popped into his mind.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said as if it was obvious, because it was, ¡°I was pretty up front about that, wouldn¡¯t I?¡±


    It occurred to him that this would not make him look more intelligent right after he had said it, and he instantly regretted it.  He was dwelling on this regret so severely, berating himself for his own stupidity, that he didn¡¯t notice Billy was going to hit him, and for a moment did not understand the pain he felt in the side of his face, or why he had stumbled, or what the hard thing was that was bouncing around in his mouth, but he did register that it was filling up with liquid, so he collected it and spit it onto the ground.


    Oh.


    Oh that was blood.


    That wasn¡¯t ideal.


    And the hard thing was a tooth.


    Also not ideal.


    ¡°Hey now,¡± he began, but when he looked up he realized Billy was still swinging, so he hopped backwards, screamed, and thought about how he had spoken truthfully when he told Agalon that he had never been in a fight before.


    Fights happened so quickly.


    Billy tried to hit him again so he bounced on his feet and darted out of the way.  Billy swung again, and seemed infuriated that the second punch hadn¡¯t landed. Xaxac had no idea what to do in the situation, and it happened so much faster than it takes to tell it, and all his attention was on Billy as he bounced on his feet to avoid the blows, that he did not take in the world around him.


    As he bobbed and weaved to avoid getting hit, he did not see the stunned faces of the other fighters who had completely forgotten their food.  He did not see Agalon rush into the area with so much speed and determination he forgot to lock the gate behind him. He didn¡¯t see Agalon¡¯s look of concern morph into a smile.


    All he saw was the flurry of fists, and his only concern was avoiding them as he danced backwards through the training grounds.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Xaxac called as he darted.


    ¡°Hold still!¡± Billy demanded with far more anger than Xaxac thought the situation warranted.


    ¡°What?¡± Xaxac asked as he processed the ridiculousness of the request, ¡°No!  You¡¯ll hit me!¡±


    Agalon walked to the puddle of blood, picked up the tooth, and studied it intensely.


    After a few seconds he stuck it into his pocket, raised his hand, and shouted.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡±


    Xaxac hopped back and watched Billy collapse to the ground as Agalon came marching over.


    ¡°Have you lost your goddamn mind?¡± he snarled, and the intensity of his anger frightened Xac- he had never seen it before, not on Agalon; Agalon was sweet, he was loving, he would let his own child backsass him without busting his ass.  But he was angry now, and every jewel on him glowed, and Billy looked for all the world as if he was dead in a pile of limbs and nothingness; Xaxac couldn¡¯t even see him breathing.


    ¡°Everybody be quiet!¡± Agalon said with a kind of calm that made him even more unsettling, ¡°I¡¯m tryin to figure out if it¡¯s worth the cost of forfeiting the matches to kill this fucker where he lays.¡±


    Xaxac stood silently, trying to catch his breath in the quietest way possible as he stuck his tongue in the hole where his tooth once was and lamented the loss.  The socket was sharp, and he nearly cut his tongue on it. It had been a long time, a lifetime ago, the last time he had lost a tooth. And they always looked weird, compared to Alley¡¯s.  He wasn¡¯t looking forward to growing a new one. It seemed like it hurt the last time.


    ¡°How are you feelin, Honey Bunny?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m ok,¡± Xac said, ¡°My face hurts and I lost a tooth.¡±


    ¡°Your jaw alright?¡± Agalon asked.


    Xaxac moved his mouth up and down and side to side and didn¡¯t feel any pain, so he nodded.


    ¡°You know how to ride a horse?¡± Agalon asked and Xaxac nodded again.


    ¡°Go home.  Tell Lee what happened.  Tell him everything.¡± Agalon demanded.


    ¡°Oh, um¡­  okay,¡± Xac said sheepishly, ¡°I¡­ um¡­  I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry, everybody.¡±


    He hung his head as he walked past the table.  He didn¡¯t look at anyone any kind of way. He didn¡¯t speak to anyone.


    He walked through the gate, closed it, glanced at the horse-


    Then took off running at a sprint toward the house.

 Chapter 45

    Xaxac wondered how badly he had messed up as he ran past the fields, but he felt as if he should dwell on that later.  That was a problem for future Xaxac.


    Right now he had an opportunity he would be unlikely to get again for any length of time and he was going to capitalize on it.


    He misjudged how much time it would take him to come to a complete stop, because he very rarely ran at a dead sprint, and as a result he went flying right past the outdoor storehouse and almost slammed face first into the kitchen wall, which probably wouldn¡¯t have helped the situation with his face-


    It occurred to Xaxac that Billy had hit him in his face.  His cute face. The face that got him his position, the face he worked on for nearly an hour every morning shaving, moisturizing, and adorning.


    He hadn¡¯t had time during the fight to process his emotions; his primary concern was getting Billy to stop hitting him, and thus every reaction he had had had been geared toward that end goal.  But now he felt stupid, and he felt his blood boiling. He had no right to hit him in his face! He knew Xaxac made his living on his appearance! Xaxac questioned whether that first punch had been thrown out a blind anger at being called stupid, or if it had been a calculated move meant to hurt him.


    It was the middle of lunch for the house staff so the kitchen was buzzing with life as Xaxac walked into it.


    ¡°Xac?¡± Alice asked as she set down the tray she had been carrying on the counter and rushed toward him, ¡°Holy shit!  What are you doin down here? What happened to your face?¡±


    ¡°Does it look bad?¡± He asked.


    ¡°What the- Mommy!¡± Alice screamed.


    Abby turned from her position where she was overseeing some sort of prep work, and it occurred to Xaxac that she was a supervisor.  Had that always been the case? When did that happen? What position was ¡®the cook¡¯?


    ¡°Xacky!¡± Abby called as she came, darting and weaving her way through the crowded kitchen, ¡°Oh, baby, what happened?  Half your face is one big bruise, oh, darlin that is gonna swell¡­ Did he hit you?¡±


    ¡°Billy hit me,¡± Xaxac explained because he didn¡¯t know who his mother was referring to, ¡°And Aggie told me to go home and tell Lee, but he didn¡¯t say I couldn¡¯t come in through the kitchen so I did because Jimmy told me about the baby, and I wanted to tell y¡¯all uh¡­  congratulations, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Alice said, ¡°I¡¯m in better shape than you.  And I told him not to be tellin people that till after the weddin.  Jimmy told you that?¡± She pumped water into the sink, soaked a rag in the cold, clear water, folded it, and pressed it to Xaxac¡¯s face.  ¡°He ain¡¯t got no business tellin¡¯ folks about that. I¡¯m whoopin his ass.¡±


    ¡°She got them mood swings,¡± Abby said, ¡°Honey, you will sit up half the night cussin out everybody you know.¡±


    ¡°Cause of the baby?¡± Xaxac asked.


    ¡°Yeah, honey, they mess your brain right up.  Now you sit down.¡± She led Xaxac through another door, not towards the storeroom as he thought she would, not into the dining room, but into another room laid out with a table, much more simple and less ornate than the dining room, and filled with people who were sitting there, eating a lunch of soup beans and cornbread.


    Xaxac knew quite a few people at the table, and he realized that he had never thought about where the house staff ate, but that question was answered for him as everyone stared at him, including Lee, Jimmy, and Mrs. OfAgalon.


    ¡°What on god¡¯s green xren is he doing here?¡± Mrs OfAgalon stood from her position at the head of the table, but Lee put a hand up, stood himself, and spoke over her.


    ¡°He¡¯s my subordinate, Nancy,¡± he said, ¡°it ain¡¯t your problem no more.¡±


    Alice grabbed Jimmy by the shoulder so hard that the look on his face told Xac it hurt.


    ¡°You out here tellin tales?¡± She asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s your brother!¡± Jimmy argued.


    ¡°What else you tell him?¡± Alice asked.


    ¡°Nothin, baby- you know that hurts, right?  That thing you¡¯re doin? With your nails. Can you quit?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I told you I ain¡¯t tellin nobody yet!¡± Alice said.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°Hey let¡¯s all focus on Xac¡¯s fucked up face!¡± Jimmy suggested, ¡°That ought not be, right?  What¡¯s the story there?¡±


    ¡°He said Billy hit him,¡± Abby said before Xaxac had a chance to open his mouth, then, in a more hushed and caring voice she said, ¡°You don¡¯t try an talk, baby, it might hurt your face.  You sit right here let me run and get you a bowl. You need a bite to eat.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, mama,¡± Xaxac said, and held the cloth to his face as she let go of it.


    ¡°Who¡¯s BIlly?¡± Alice asked as she released Jimmy and stomped around the table, ¡°Who is that?  Where¡¯s he work at?¡±


    ¡°Alice, you have work to do,¡± Mrs OfAgalon reminded her, ¡°And that is no way for a young lady to speak.¡±


    Alice shocked Xaxac by brazenly ignoring her as she knelt to look him in the eye.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± She asked, ¡°Who tried to start shit with my baby brother?¡±


    ¡°He might be dead,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°Aggie said he might kill him.¡±


    ¡°Here, honey, you eat you a bite,¡± Abby powered her way through the conversation to set a bowl in front of Xaxac, a cloth napkin with the cornbread on it, and a tin cup full of a clear liquid that smelled of alcohol.


    ¡°Ladies please!¡± Lee said loudly enough to echo around the room.  ¡°Tell me exactly what happened, Xac.¡±


    ¡°Aggie took me with him to see the fighters,¡± Xaxac explained, ¡°And then we was gonna eat, and I noticed they all had chicken and I thought, ¡®That¡¯s weird¡¯.  And then Billy asked me why I was lookin at him and I said I wouldn¡¯t, I was lookin at the food, and then he said that you had to eat meat to get strong and I said he was wrong and then he hit me so hard it knocked me backward on my feet and my mouth was all full ¡®a blood and my tooth came out, and Aggle did some kinda magic on him and told me to come tell you what happened while he decided whether or not to kill him.¡±


    ¡°The way you run your mouth I knew one of these days you was gonna get hit in it!¡± Lee cursed, ¡°I told you not to- Love of god you have the easiest job!  Say nothing! Do nothing! Just sit there and look pretty! How do you keep messin up when all you gotta do is nothing!?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Xaxac said.


    ¡°He knocked your tooth out?¡± Alice asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Xac opened his mouth as wide as he could, ¡°See?  Knocked it right out.¡±


    ¡°Ima kill him,¡± Alice said as if the matter was settled, hiked up her skirts and went walking toward the kitchen.


    Jimmy lept from his seat and grabbed her by the arm.


    ¡°Oh no you ain¡¯t,¡± Jimmy said, ¡°You start shit with Billy the Bull he¡¯s gonna come right back, and he does somethin to my woman I gotta fight him.  And I will die. He will kill me.  Look at me!  He¡¯ll kill me deader than hell.¡±


    ¡°He will,¡± Xac said, ¡°He¡¯ll kill him.  He¡¯s a big fucker. They make um big out there.¡±


    ¡°Billy the bull?¡± Alice asked, ¡°The fighter?  The one what won every match last year?¡±


    ¡°How does everybody know everything?¡± Xaxac lamented, ¡°How does everybody know everythin before I do?¡±


    ¡°Folks like to run their mouth,¡± Lee answered, but Xaxac only sort of heard him, because Abby spoke at the same time to give practical advice.


    ¡°Baby, quit talkin,¡± she said, ¡°You gonna hurt yourself.  You eat your food.¡±


    ¡°Abby, you think you gonna get that boy to quit runnin his mouth, I got some news for you,¡± Lee said in exasperation, then to Xaxac he added, ¡°You eat quick and I gotta get you back to Master Agalon¡¯s room, because Master Lorsan likes to run his mouth too, and if you ain¡¯t in there he¡¯ll tell him.  God above I can¡¯t wait till that boy goes back to school.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t eat fast,¡± Abby contradicted, ¡°¡®Eat fast¡¯ and him missin a tooth, lord Thesis help me.  Honey, drink your whiskey. It¡¯ll make the pain stop.¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t no pain,¡± Xac assured her, ¡°Mama you know how quick I heal.  I¡¯m sorry I told you. Sorry I told Alley. Probably gonna mark the baby.¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t gonna mark the baby,¡± Alice said.  Her eyes darted and she shoved Lee away to throw her arms around her brother, ¡°Xac, I¡¯m just so glad you¡¯re alright!¡±


    He hugged her back, and was confused when she began to whisper so quietly he barely heard her.


    ¡°Xac listen at me.  I been workin with- it ain¡¯t important.  But up there in that room, I need you to do something for me.  I need you to see if you can¡¯t find something what¡¯s got some green stones in it like the one on Hattie May¡¯s ring.  I need you to get it to me. Don¡¯t tell nobody. Don¡¯t even tell mama.¡±


    Then she was gone and he stared up at her, but he had become so accustomed to hiding his emotions that he was sure his shock did not register on his face.  He nodded.


    ¡°I have to get him upstairs,¡± Lee was telling Abby when Xaxac tuned back in to the conversation.


    ¡°Well then he can eat up there,¡± Abby said, ¡°I¡¯ll make him a lunch.  I¡¯ll send you the soup beans, cornbread, some more whiskey and I¡¯ll make a salad up for you, darlin,¡± she paused and added, ¡°He¡¯s gotta be gettin so sick of salad.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re good,¡± Xaxac told her with great sincerity.


    ¡°You gonna waste away on that,¡± she argued, ¡°I¡¯ll make you a cake, baby.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± Jimmy said, ¡°I mean I was gonna eat but I guess I¡¯m servin now¡­¡±


    ¡°I can pack it up there,¡± Xaxac told him.


    ¡°Xaxac just get up,¡± Lee thrust the whiskey into his hands, ¡°I mean, she¡¯s right, drink this, but knock it back and then get up.  This is gonna just¡­ set everything off wrong for everybody. Why the hell do you gotta keep runnin your mouth?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Xaxac implored.


    ¡°Just come on,¡± Lee said as he watched Xaxac drink, and impatiently took hold of the cup himself to tilt it.

 Chapter 46

    Xaxac found that he could not count any more than he could see clearly.  The four to six images of the two needles he was trying to work with were dancing in his vision and watching them was making him sick to his unusually full stomach, so he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them.


    It worked for a second, but then the images began to dance again.  So he closed his eyes and tried to count by feeling alone, to see if he had cast on the correct number of stitches for his baby blanket.  But he quickly found that couldn¡¯t really feel his fingers, or most of the rest of his body, and that attempt was not particularly fruitful.


    He stabbed the needles into the bag of yarn and picked up the hat he had cast off, thinking that perhaps he could finish it.  He managed to fold the two sides reasonably well, but when he leaned forward to dig the darning needle out of the bag he realized he had made a huge mistake as the world spun around him, the table came up with more force than an inanimate object had any right using and smacked him so hard in the face it knocked him off the couch and he went spiraling onto the carpet where he landed face first.


    It did nothing to help his stomach and he was terrified he would throw up, but there was no way he was going to make it to the water closet.


    ¡°Aw hell,¡± Lorsan said, and though Xaxac was sure it was Lorry¡¯s voice, he could not, with any accuracy, determine the direction from which it had come.


    ¡°Lorry?¡± he asked, then began to beg, ¡°Lorry, please I drank¡­  lotta whiskey¡­ can you¡­ help me? I¡­ I¡¯m sick.¡±


    ¡°Thesis¡¯s glowing eyes,¡± Lorsan said, and Xaxac felt the world float around him as he somehow magically made his way to his feet.  He leaned heavily into the person who had picked him up and recognized the warm body there; he felt the comfort of Agalon¡¯s embrace, of the way his blood flowed under his clothes, of his body heat, and buried his face in his shoulder where he felt the tickling of his long, blond hair.


    ¡°Thanks, Aggie,¡± he said, ¡°I love you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t like that,¡± Lorsan said as he half drug Xaxac through the sitting room, into the bedroom, and threw open the water closet to help him inside, ¡°Don¡¯t never call me that again.  It¡¯s freaky. I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Xaxac said, but he could not keep himself steady on his feet with the world moving around him as it was, and his stomach finally gave out as he held his head over the toilet.  He thought for all the world he was going to fall into it, but his head was stopped by a sharp, intense pain, as if someone was pulling all of his hair at once.


    ¡°There you go,¡± Lorsan said as he held Xac¡¯s hair back, ¡°Get it all out.  The fuck happened to you? Thought you went with daddy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± Xaxac said, so Lorsan, though he did not believe him, let him go so he could rest his burning face on the cool metal of the seat.


    ¡°You super ain¡¯t good,¡± Lorsan said.  ¡°Want me to get Lee?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Xaxac lamented and thought he may start to cry, ¡°Lee¡¯s mad at me on account of I made Billy punch me in my face!¡±


    ¡°Billy,¡± Lorsan said as if trying to put a name to a face, ¡°Billy the Bull?  You went out to train the fighters¡­ Did Billy the Bull punch you in your face?¡±


    ¡°I called him stupid,¡± Xaxac tried to explain, and Lorsan seemed to be the first person who understood instantly.


    ¡°That.  Is. Hilarious.¡±  He said, punctuating each word as if it was its own sentence.  ¡°That¡¯s great. He is stupid, even by human standards. I guess it ain¡¯t his fault though.  Folks in his position can¡¯t exactly put a lot of emphasis on intellect. You ok? You gonna throw up some more?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°I can¡¯t feel my body.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lorsan agreed as he threw a washrag into the sink and pumped water over it, ¡°You are plumb shitfaced.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯m dying,¡± Xaxac told him, ¡°Lord I hope not, Aggie¡¯ll be pissed.¡±


    ¡°Just sit there and try real hard not to,¡± Lorsan advised as he wrang out the rag then moved its cool, soothing surface over Xac¡¯s hot face.


    ¡°Noooo,¡± Xaxac lamented and tried to bat him away, but Lorsan, like everything else, was less solid than he should be, and found in multiple copies so that he didn¡¯t know which one to swipe at, ¡°My makeup.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Xac,¡± Lorsan said, not as if he was angry, but as if he was giving advice.  ¡°Hey, when Billy hit you, did it leave a bruise?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Xaxac said to the rag.


    ¡°When was that?  Actually, you¡¯re not gonna know that.  I don¡¯t know why I asked that. My point is, it¡¯s healed now.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Xac said, ¡°It was ugly.¡±


    ¡°Xaxac?¡± Agalon called out, ¡°You here, Honey Bunny?¡±


    ¡°In the water closet!¡± Lorsan yelled back, ¡°He says he¡¯s dying!¡±


    ¡°This way,¡± Agalon said to someone else, and quickly stepped into the bedroom followed by a man that Lorsan recognized, though Xaxac did not.


    ¡°Oh, Lorsan,¡± the man, who was an earth elf in a traveling cloak holding a large bag, but who had no distinguishing features because he would not stop dancing and blurring long enough for Xaxac to register them, said in a kind voice, ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you again, youngun, it¡¯s been a while.¡±


    ¡°I been at school,¡± Lorsan said.


    ¡°Your daddy says you¡¯re thinkin about goin into veterinary medicine,¡± the man said, ¡°Now you know I¡¯d intern you in a heartbeat.  You takin care of that human?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t stand to see a critter hurt,¡± Lorsan smiled, brushed a strand of his hair behind his ear, and motioned at Xaxac, ¡°I think he got hit in the face and tried to self-medicate with whiskey and went overboard, but I ain¡¯t sure on account of I wouldn¡¯t there and he ain¡¯t makin a lot of sense.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the shifter?¡± the vet asked Agalon.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Agalon said proudly as he shoved past Lorsan, knocking him into the bedroom, to help Xaxac to his feet.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    ¡°I wanna rinse my mouth out,¡± Xaxac begged.


    ¡°Alright, Honey Bunny, put your hands under the spout,¡± Agalon advised, and Xac obeyed him.  Agalon pumped the water into his hands and Xaxac brought it to his lips, sucked it in, swished it around, and spat the mixture of water and bile into the sink.


    ¡°There you go, darlin,¡± Agalon praised, ¡°Can you make it to the bed or do I need to carry you?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Xac considered, then began to cry, ¡°I can¡¯t walk.  I¡¯m sorry, master! When I try to walk, I fall! I ain¡¯t used to whiskey!  I really like it but it makes me stupid!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright darlin,¡± Agalon said, and Xaxac clung to him as the world moved again and he found himself floating in his master¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Are you gonna fuck me?¡± Xaxac asked in confusion, ¡°I know I look bad but people kept puttin water on my face!  Do you still love me?¡±


    ¡°Of course I still love you,¡± Agalon promised, ¡°You¡¯re just hurt and drunk.  I¡¯m gonna set you on the bed and the doctor is gonna look at you.¡±


    ¡°How much has he had to drink?¡± the vet asked, ¡°A human that small probably ain¡¯t got a good tolerance.¡±


    ¡°To be fair to my butler,¡± Agalon said as he adjusted Xaxac on the bed, ¡°He probably was hurtin pretty bad.  I was scared his jaw was broke. Look at this.¡±


    He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cracked, damaged tooth.  The vet took it and stared at it with his brow furrowed in confusion.  After what seemed like an eternity he spoke.


    ¡°This tooth come out of that boy?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Knocked it slick out,¡± Agalon shook as he spoke, and his voice pitched a little higher than it should have.


    ¡°Kai, this ain¡¯t¡­  this ain¡¯t a human tooth.  Unless there¡¯s somethin real bad wrong with him that I ain¡¯t never seen before.  See the bottom here? Where it¡¯s all cracked and broken? That ain¡¯t what happens when somebody knocks a tooth out.  It shoulda come out of the socket, should have roots attached to it. And it should be way thicker, this here is so thin¡­  the enamel is wore clean off the back¡­ if this was a human tooth, the nerve¡¯d be exposed.¡±


    ¡°You found my tooth!¡± Xaxac clapped, ¡°Neat!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it look like, then?¡± Lorsan asked, ¡°Can I see it?¡±


    The vet handed it to him and moved towards the bed.


    ¡°Well goddamn,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°It¡¯s a rabbit tooth.¡±


    ¡°Good guess,¡± Agalon huffed.


    ¡°Right,¡± Lorsan narrowed his eyes at him, ¡°Don¡¯t be a dick, daddy, it is a rabbit tooth.  Did you just not believe me when I said I wanted to be a vet? Rabbits ain¡¯t got teeth like primates, they constantly wear down the enamel and the teeth just keep growin.  If they ain¡¯t got somethin to chew on they¡¯ll grow right into their eyes. It¡¯s gross. Eyes all poppin out a sockets. It¡¯s a big problem with livestock.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± the vet said proudly, ¡°That boy¡¯s got a good head on his shoulders.¡±


    ¡°My eyes are gonna pop out?¡± Xaxac asked as the vet dug around in his bag and eventually produced a headband with a mirror on it, to reflect the light he would need to see inside Xaxac¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°No, darlin, you ain¡¯t a rabbit,¡± he assured him, ¡°open as wide as you can for me-¡±


    He stopped speaking to take in the sight before him.


    ¡°This is the shifter,¡± he said, as if in awe of what he was looking at, ¡°Holy hell¡­  Kai¡­ where¡¯d you find¡­ well, there¡¯s the problem area right there but whoever healed him did a good job.  It was broke, but it¡¯s fixed itself and whoever set it set it perfect. Probably won¡¯t even have no pain. If I didn¡¯t know what I was lookin for I wouldn¡¯t see it.  But his teeth¡­¡±


    He sucked in a huge breath between his teeth and stood to his full height.


    ¡°I am unfamiliar with the kinda thing I¡¯m lookin at,¡± he admitted, ¡°They¡¯re all arranged like a primate, right where they oughta be, but they¡¯re rooted like a rabbit and shaped¡­  I don¡¯t know, just weird. Looks like a birth defect? The one he knocked out has already grew up to the top of the socket. And they¡¯re just gonna keep growin. Lorry¡¯s right, better make sure he¡¯s got somethin to chew on all the time.  He¡¯s gotta keep um wore down. I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m lookin at.¡±


    ¡°But he¡¯s alright?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°You said ¡®whoever healed him¡¯,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°But I don¡¯t rightly know that anybody healed him.  Did you heal him, daddy?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Agalon admitted, ¡°he said he wouldn¡¯t hurtin.¡±


    ¡°Well, he¡¯s healed,¡± the vet shrugged, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t give him no potions or nothin, he don¡¯t need it.  It¡¯d be a waste of ingredients. They ain¡¯t givin that fairy dust away.¡±


    ¡°I heal real fast,¡± Xaxac said proudly, ¡°but does it look ok?  I wanna be cute! I don¡¯t want it to be ugly!¡±


    ¡°It looks fine,¡± the vet said, ¡°No swelling, no bruising, couldn¡¯t really tell it was ever broke if I hadn¡¯t knowed what to look for.¡±  He paused, tilting Xaxac¡¯s face and said, almost in disbelief, ¡°Nobody healed him?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Lorry?¡±


    Lorsan shook his head and stuck the tooth in his pocket.


    ¡°I ain¡¯t never seen nothin like this,¡± the vet said as he dug around in his bag and pulled out a strange looking contraption; it had two pieces which he stuck in his ears, and a long tail that terminated in some sort of metal, which he stuck on Xaxac¡¯s chest.  ¡°I wanna study on this a minute.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Agalon said.


    ¡°You nervous?¡± The vet asked Xaxac, and he shrugged.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really get nervous when I¡¯m drunk,¡± he explained chipperly, ¡°I love being drunk.  Can I lay down?¡±


    ¡°Not for a minute,¡± the vet said, ¡°His heart¡¯s¡­  well it¡¯s too quick for a human, too slow for a rabbit.  Does he metabolize stuff quick? Seems like how fast his blood flows he would.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Give him a minute and he won¡¯t be drunk anymore.¡±


    The vet pulled out another contraption, this one a small, closed tube covered in numbers, and stuck it in Xaxac¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Here,¡± he said, ¡°you hold that under your tongue.¡±  then he picked up Xaxac¡¯s arm and squeezed it. ¡°Damn that is¡­  coiled tight. Relax your arm. I said, ¡®relax your arm¡¯.¡±


    ¡°With all due respect,¡± Lorsan said as he took in the look of confusion on Xac¡¯s face, ¡°He can barely hold his head up.  That¡¯s as relaxed as he¡¯s gonna get.¡±


    The vet took the device out of Xac¡¯s mouth and said, ¡°Got a little bit of a temperature¡­  but I didn¡¯t see no infection. He looks good. I¡¯m gonna do a full exam, though, Kai, you really oughta had this done before you use any pleasure slave.  You know humans can pass diseases on to elves. I know you know that. I know you work on elves, come on.¡±


    ¡°Eh,¡± Agalon said dismissively, ¡°He¡¯s fine.  He looks fine. I checked him out.¡±


    ¡°You ain¡¯t a vet,¡± The vet said.


    ¡°You ain¡¯t even a doctor,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°You were a medic.  A medic¡¯s job is to keep folks alive until they can get to a doctor.¡±


    ¡°Or to keep um comfortable while they die,¡± Agalon said as if it was an argument.


    ¡°Can you get these clothes off?¡± The vet asked Xaxac, so he made the best attempt he could.


    The buttons were so slippery and small, and he still couldn¡¯t feel his fingers very well, so he was forced to admit defeat.  He didn¡¯t want to tell this man, who seemed important, that he couldn¡¯t accomplish such a simple task, so he hung his head and looked away.


    ¡°Here, Honey Bunny, I got it,¡± Agalon promised as he stepped in to undress him.


    ¡°Do you reckon,¡± the vet asked carefully, ¡°I could come and examine him while he¡¯s shifted?  When the moons are full?¡±


    ¡°Not till I get him trained,¡± Agalon said as he pulled off Xac¡¯s shoes and tossed them to the side, then began working on his pants, ¡°Right now he tends to get ornery with folks.  But I¡¯ll get that trained out of him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Xac said with great sincerity, ¡°I can¡¯t help it.  I don¡¯t remember it.¡±

 Chapter 47

    Xaxac clung to Agalon as soon as he was off the horse and buried his face in his side as he opened the gate to enter the enclusure where the fighters lived.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, darlin,¡± Agalon promised in his most soothing voice, ¡°Nobody ain¡¯t gonna hurt you.  Billy ain¡¯t here today.¡±


    ¡°He ain¡¯t?¡± Xac asked in genuine confusion, ¡°Where¡¯s he at?¡±


    ¡°On bedrest,¡± Agalon explained, ¡°The vet thought he might need a day or two to recover.  He was poisoned pretty bad and I need him in fightin shape by that first match here in a little bit.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Xaxac snuggled into his side to hide his smile, ¡°Thanks Aggie.  You saved me.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon said as he came to a stop near the table, ¡°You remember tellin me that you thought you was wastin away?  That you wanted some exercise?¡±


    Xaxac nodded.


    ¡°How about you run around a little bit out here?¡± Agalon asked.


    Xaxac finally pulled his face from the fabric of Agalon¡¯s uniform and asked, ¡°But won¡¯t I get in the way?  Ain¡¯t people out here trainin?¡±


    ¡°You ain¡¯t gonna be in the way,¡± Agalon assured him, ¡°There ain¡¯t nothin to you.  You¡¯re tiny. Just¡­ run over there towards the sleepin quarters and then run back to me.  Fast as you can.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really run that much¡­¡± Xac giggled, ¡°¡®Specially not in house shoes.  But¡­ ok! Thanks, Aggie!¡±


    ¡°Fast as you can,¡± Agalon smiled down at him, ¡° Let¡¯s see how fast you can run, Honey Bunny.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± Xaxac giggled, and felt, once again, like a pet, but he wasn¡¯t particularly bothered by the emotion, because for the first time in a long time he was outside, and he didn¡¯t have to sit still on the table, and he could run without a purpose, just to feel the wind on his face, and no one was going to hurt him because Agalon was watching him, and they had all seen what he had done to Billy.


    It was an odd sensation though, because everyone was watching him.  The fighters had all gathered around the perimeter of the enclosure in a way that made Xaxac think Agalon had warned them not to touch him.  They were staring at him as if he was some sort of spectacle, and he supposed he was, as he was the only thing moving in the enclosure. He bounced on his feet a little and thought that his shoes were absolutely not made for running, but he knew Agalon wouldn¡¯t let him take them off.  He hoped he wouldn¡¯t fall flat on his face and embarrass himself, but he actually felt as if he was getting more difficult to embarrass. He never really felt that emotion anymore, it had been replaced by a desire to drink, because drunkenness cured embarrassment in its entirety.


    Then he took off towards the wall, moving as fast as he could, as Agalon had instructed.  The planks rushed up to meet him so he giggled, reached out a hand to push himself off in a bounce, and rebounded back towards Agalon.  He used to do this very thing with his sister, racing and bouncing off wooden walls, running, sometimes with the other children-


    Tag, you¡¯re it.


    Xaxac was better at tag than he was at most games, because he was fairly difficult to catch, and he was pretty good at catching other people.


    As he moved back towards Agalon, he had an idea and lept towards him.  He imagined Agalon would stretch out his arms and catch him, maybe spin them both around, giggling.  It was the perfect day for this; the oppressive heat was gone and autumn was just around the corner. It was the perfect day to play outside.


    But Xaxac knew himself that he was too old for it, that he was being stupid.  He was so lost in his memories that he did not understand the look of shock on Agalon¡¯s face until he was on his back and Xaxac was on his chest, and the panic in Agalon¡¯s eyes frightened him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Xaxac begged, hopped up, grabbed Agalon by the shoulder and tried to pull him upright, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m so sorry, I thought you¡¯d catch me!  I¡¯m sorry, Aggie, please don¡¯t be mad- are you ok? Please be ok! I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon said in a gasp, ¡°Knocked the wind outta me.  I shoulda caught ya. Should have been expectin it. That¡¯s on me. Oh, darlin, don¡¯t cry, I¡¯m fine.  I ain¡¯t that old. Lord.¡±


    He braced himself and allowed Xaxac to pull him upright.


    ¡°Master,¡± Wyatt said, ¡°I¡­  I flat couldn¡¯t see him. Just a blur.  That boy moves like a jackrabbit.¡±


    ¡°Hush!¡± Agalon snapped and pulled Xaxac into his chest.  Xac didn¡¯t like the way he was leaning on him, the way he swayed unsteadily on his feet., but Agalon kissed him on his forehead and promised, ¡°I¡¯m fine, darlin.  Don¡¯t look so sad; lord you scare so easy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Xaxac buried his face in Agalon chest, ¡°If I was to ever hurt you I¡¯d never forgive myself!¡±


    ¡°You ain¡¯t hurt me,¡± Agalon promised, ¡°Hey, darlin, how many times did Billy hit you yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Just once,¡± Xaxac promised, hoping he hadn¡¯t made some kind of terrible mistake.  He didn¡¯t exactly dislike Billy, though he probably should, and he didn¡¯t want him to die, though he didn¡¯t know why.  ¡°I swear, just the once. It just¡­ he hits pretty hard so I guess I went on about it longer than I should have.¡±


    ¡°He does hit pretty hard,¡± Agalon agreed, ¡°He¡¯s put folks on the floor with one punch before.  How¡¯s your tooth feelin?¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°Alright, run back out there and get in the saddlebags.  I brought a bunch of carrots from the house and I want you to chew on um today.  That vet said you needed to be chewin on hard stuff for your teeth.¡±


    ¡°I barely remember that,¡± Xaxac sighed, ¡°Master, do you think my eyes are gonna pop out?¡±


    ¡°No, darlin,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Wish somebody had told me that was a thing what could happen, but no.  Besides, if they did you¡¯d probably heal. You heal¡­ so quick. Now go get your carrots.¡±


    ¡°Ok!¡± Xac turned, and now that he knew he was allowed to run he ran for the gate, threw it open, and hopped up to the horse, bouncing on his feet.  He kind of wanted more coffee; he had started getting cravings for it, but it seemed to be the sort of thing you were only supposed to drink in the morning, and only as a treat.  But he was bouncing as he made his way back to the table, hopped over the bench and sat there with his bag of carrots. He bit into one and thought of how soft he was getting. He hadn¡¯t been outside in so long that the change in atmosphere made his skin itch.  He could feel his clothes on his body, and the realization made him grimace. He realized that if he had been wearing the clothes he had worn as a field slave he would be tearing at his skin. He was getting spoiled.


    The place his tooth once was didn¡¯t even hurt anymore.  And it was growing back.


    ¡°Stretches!¡± Agalon yelled to the fighters, ¡°We need to work on agility.  Ain¡¯t gonna lie. Little disappointed that my best fighter can¡¯t hit a spoiled pleasure slave!¡±


    Xaxac stood, took another bite of his carrot, and watched Agalon.  He had his back to him and seemed to have his attention focused solely on the fighters as they moved into formation.


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna pair off,¡± Agalon told them, ¡°By weight class!  We gotta work on technique. Wyatt, you got a match here in a couple weeks.  I wanna see you move.¡±


    Xaxac swallowed, hopped on his feet, and took off at a sprint around the training area.  He reached the back wall and stood there in the shadow cast by the morning sun; he should be in full view, but Agalon still wasn¡¯t looking at him, so he moved, silently, as he had learned to do in the house, as all house servants did.  They were unseen unless there was a problem, and Xaxac was there to be seen, not heard. Smile, look pretty, and do as little as possible.


    He disappeared into the area behind the small wooden houses, between them and the fence, and found them to be very much like the house he had shared with his family in construction.  None of them had glass windows, and no one had even really tried to make proper curtains. The windows were covered by faded strips of fabric, so he peeled one back and saw a large, empty room.  If it had ever housed proper beds, they had since been torn open. It seemed that the men just slept on piles of straw. Xac scratched at his forearms and took another bite of the carrot.


    Their blankets had been thrown haphazardly about, and it didn¡¯t seem like anyone had even tried to make any furniture apart from the few shelves that lined the walls.  Xac didn¡¯t like it. He was suddenly more thankful for his parents, who had taught him to make something from nothing, his mother who made clothing, bedding, and other comforts, his father who made tables, chairs, knitting needles-


    And cigarettes.  Xaxac wanted a cigarette and wondered if Agalon would give him one.


    He moved to the next house and peered inside.


    This was what he had been looking for.


    The house itself looked almost exactly the same, except Billy sat on top of one of the blankets over a pile of straw.  He had a tin cup in his hand, and his head was cocked, as if he was listening to the men outside, listening at Agalon¡¯s voice carrying over them.  Xaxac wasn¡¯t tall enough that he thought he could see him, his eyes barely made it over the rim of the window on tiptoe, but Billy¡¯s eyes darted to him at the rustling of the curtain, and every muscle in Xac¡¯s body froze.


    ¡°You,¡± Billy said, and heaved against the wall to haul himself to his feet.  His movements were jerky and stiff; it was obvious there was something horribly wrong with him, and when he stood he spilled whatever had been in his cup.


    Xaxac said nothing, because his brain had more or less stopped working in any meaningful way as he watched the giant man lumber toward him.  He was fairly sure Agalon was wrong about the emotional attributions of his dick, because he was almost positive he could correctly identify fear over happiness.


    ¡°Run back to your master, little rabbit,¡± Billy said as he jerked back the curtain and Xaxac stared up at him.


    ¡°Ok,¡± Xac said meekly, but his body would not obey the giant of a man, though Xaxac tried with all his might to will it to.  There was nothing between them but the flimsy wooden wall.


    ¡°Get the hell out of here!¡± Billy demanded, and Xaxac fell from the house against the wall of the fence.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying!¡± he swore.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry I- I wanted to tell you that¡­  I wanted to tell you a bunch of stuff.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t got nothin to say to you,¡± Billy said.


    ¡°I¡¯m mad you hit me in my face!¡± Xaxac said, and thought, even as he was saying it, that it was not an intelligent thing to say, but he was in it now, and there was something wrong with him, and he was going to keep going, ¡°I need my face!  I only got this job on account of I got a cute face! You can¡¯t take that from me! I need it!¡±


    ¡°I know you do,¡± Billy said, staring at him in a way that was so different from the way Agalon stared at him, ¡°You better thank Thesis you¡¯re pretty, because lord knows you couldn¡¯t do nothin else.  See me? I can do things. I¡¯m gonna win- gonna win at Satre. Last season they got one of them frilly little artists out here. They put my face on posters. I bring crowds. I make money. People gonna come from all over the world to see me.  And I ain¡¯t gonna be talked down to by no pretty little pleasure slave who thinks he¡¯s somebody because he¡¯s fuckin the master. Because you ain¡¯t somebody. You ain¡¯t¡­ you ain¡¯t even a person, you know that? You¡¯re just another pretty little thing he owns.  Like the house, or them nice clothes. And when you ain¡¯t pretty no more, he¡¯ll just get some other pretty little thing. And nobody ain¡¯t gonna care. Nobody outside this place even knows you exist.¡±


    Xaxac could feel his heart beating in his chest.  He could never remember feeling the emotion he felt in that moment, the kind of hate that you did not just feel in your mind, but in your entire body, the kind that paralyzed your muscles, that coiled them, seized them so tightly they vibrated.  This was the kind of rage that poisoned a person, though he did not know that, the kind that began as a seed and could grow into the sort of all-consuming obsession that would ruin someone from the inside out. It was a hate born of fear, of pain.


    It hurt, because it was true.


    Billy hadn¡¯t cursed at him, hadn¡¯t raised his voice, hadn¡¯t tried to attack him.


    But Xac would have rather been punched in the face again.


    He hated that he was crying, but he could feel the tears streaming down his face.


    ¡°Now get the hell outta here before I break you in half,¡± Billy said, and Xaxac realized that he had never broken eye contact as he continued, ¡°Run rabbit, run.¡±


    Xaxac ran around the other side of the houses, and he kept running.  He didn¡¯t want to see anything except the planks of the fence that came up to meet him on the corners as he pressed against them to change direction, and when he came to the far wall he turned completely, a hundred and eighty degrees and ran back the other way.


    He did not go behind the houses again.


    Agalon paused in directing the training of the fighters and watched Xaxac speed around the enclosure.  As he tried to track him he found his eyes unfocusing; all he could really see was a blur of motion, except for the times he paused to change direction.


    That boy moved like a jackrabbit.

 Chapter 48

    The back of the sofa had a decorative wooden element that was carved and beautiful, but it was getting on Xaxac¡¯s nerves because it was digging into his stomach, where he was currently resting his weight, and the discomfort was turning to real pain with each of Agalon¡¯s thrusts.  It was distracting him, and the combination of distraction and pain was turning to anger.


    ¡°Ow,¡± he hissed as a particularly hard thrust sent him forward onto his hands, grabbing at the seat as his feet left the floor.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Honey Bunny?¡± Agalon asked, holding Xac by the hair and glancing, once again, toward the door.


    ¡°The stupid wooden thing-¡± Xac began but Agalon cut him off with a practical suggestion.


    ¡°Use a pillow, darlin.¡±


    Right.  That¡¯s what an intelligent person would do.  Xaxac winced as Agalon lifted him by the head, but he did grab a throw pillow to stick between his flesh and the wood.


    It was an instant improvement.


    ¡°You¡¯re a quick little bunny, you know that?¡± Agalon asked as if this fact made the sexual experience more pleasurable for him.


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Xac said, because he didn¡¯t really register what had been said to him, only the way it had been said, and felt as if he had been complimented by a person he absolutely wanted compliments from, ¡°Pull harder!¡±


    Agalon chuckled, but the grip in his hair tightened, and the pain felt real, anchored him to his body when he was in fear of floating away.


    ¡°You like that?¡± Agalon asked, and again, Xaxac was not entirely sure what he had been asked, only that he needed to answer something, so he made a sort of affirmative humming sound.


    He did remember that Agalon had said something about how this would have to ¡®be quick¡¯, but could not, for the life of him, remember why.  He appreciated the fact that Agalon remembered that he liked to be fucked when they got back from seeing the fighters, before dinner, even if it had to be fast, and he thought very seriously about telling him how appreciative he was, but he couldn¡¯t remember the vocabulary he needed to express that thought, so he just let out another happy sound and hoped that it would convey the information.


    ¡°That¡¯s my good boy,¡± Agalon praised, ¡°I love it when you tense like that.¡±


    Xaxac agreed and tried to nod, but Agalon¡¯s grip was too tight to let him move his head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get your clothes dirty,¡± Agalon warned, and Xaxac didn¡¯t really understand what he meant.  His entire mind was occupied with keeping his balance without his feet on the ground, on steadying himself on his hands to push back against Agalon.  He was absolutely certain that without Agalon¡¯s hands, one on his waist and the other in his hair, he would fall forward and knock his brains out on the coffee table again.  He wouldn¡¯t particularly mind, except that he knew he would feel empty, and if Agalon left him now, when he was so close, he thought he might cry.


    Agalon was proud of him because he had learned how to cum without touching his dick, and he was proud of himself because it seemed like a skill worth having.


    There was a knock at the door, and Agalon stilled.


    ¡°No!¡± Xac cried.


    ¡°Be patient, darlin,¡± Agalon said and twisted the hand in his hair to placate him before he asked the door, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Your guests have arrived, master,¡± Lee said from the other side.


    ¡°Show them to their rooms and tell them I¡¯ll be out in a minute!¡± Agalon commanded as Xaxac squirmed.


    ¡°Yes master,¡± Lee said, and Xaxac hoped he was gone.  He would have wondered who arrived, had he not been so angry about the interruption and so eager to forget it that-


    He lost the thought as the motion began again and let out a happy humming sound.


    It only took him a few more seconds to let loose the spring that had coiled in his gut, and he clawed at the fabric of the couch as the electricity shot through him and he was overcome with the orgasmic buzzing on every inch of his flesh that made it sensitive, glowing, and perfect.  His vision doubled, blurred, and he went so limp as his muscles relaxed that had it not been for Agalon holding him up he would have toppled forward.


    ¡°Perfect, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon hissed and Xaxac yelped as he buried himself as deep as he could go and began to convulse.  ¡°Perfect.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna fall,¡± Xac slurred.


    ¡°You ain¡¯t gonna fall,¡± Agalon promised, ¡° just lean back.¡±  He giggled, ¡°We¡¯ll get you on your feet and get you cleaned up.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Aggie,¡± Xac allowed him to move him until he was on his feet again, then snuggled into him.


    Xaxac clung to Agalon¡¯s arm as they walked down the hall and listened attentively, because what he was saying seemed to be important.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to have some guests coming over the next few days,¡± Agalon explained, ¡°So I need you to be a good host.  You¡¯re going to be in charge of the pleasure slaves.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Xac said, ¡°I don¡¯t¡­  know how to do that?¡±


    ¡°Just do whatever you want,¡± Agalon shrugged as if he didn¡¯t think it would be particularly difficult, ¡°Everybody loves you.¡±


    ¡°The fighters don¡¯t like me,¡± Xac pouted.


    ¡°Of course they do, darlin,¡± Agalon said as if he was being ridiculous, ¡°Where¡¯d you get that idea?¡±


    ¡°I¡­  I got punched in the face,¡± Xaxac reminded him, ¡°Knocked my tooth out.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t happen again,¡± Agalon said with that darkness he sometimes had, the darkness that scared Xaxac, ¡°Just be your normal sweet self, alright?  They know what they¡¯re supposed to do. But just as a reminder, we are gonna separate you. The females ain¡¯t breeders.¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Ok,¡± Xac said, and the confusion must have been obvious in his voice because Agalon felt the need to explain it to him.


    ¡°You can¡¯t have sex with the females, darlin,¡± he said, ¡°you might can get um pregnant.¡±


    ¡°I dunno how to do that,¡± Xac said, because he didn¡¯t.  He thought he could figure it out, but he had never tried and had no reason to do so unprompted.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Agalon said as if he had just made a startling realization, ¡°Yeah I¡­  I guess you don¡¯t. You might need to¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°Are we havin a party?¡± Xaxac asked, ¡°Is that why everybody¡¯s comin over?¡±


    ¡°Somethin like that,¡± Agalon said.


    ¡°Alex said pleasure slaves went to parties,¡± Xaxac said, trying not to sound as eager as he was, ¡°And it was real fun!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it after dinner,¡± Agalon promised and knocked on the door they had stopped in front of.


    ¡°Come in,¡± a voice rang out, and Xaxac recognized it as belonging to Kyrtarr, Alex¡¯s master!  Was Alex here?


    ¡°Settlin in?¡± Agalon asked as he opened the door and stepped into a sitting room that reminded Xac of the one he shared with Agalon.  ¡°You gotta be starvin. Come get a bite to eat.¡±


    ¡°I absolutely am,¡± Kyrtarr agreed, ¡°I¡¯m dyin.  Where¡¯s your youngun at? He comin down with us?¡±


    ¡°Lorry¡¯s tearin his ass,¡± Agalon admitted, ¡°I hope he¡¯s got the sense to act right in front a¡¯ company.¡±


    ¡°Be good, Alex,¡± Kyrtarr chuckled, and Alex smiled up at him.


    Xaxac didn¡¯t think Alex owned any normal clothes, because he certainly wasn¡¯t dressed in the uniform of a house slave, or traveling clothes.  The thing he was wearing may have been called a traveling cloak, but it didn¡¯t look like the one Agalon had; it was bright blue and had no slits for his arms, instead it was cut in such a way that it only draped in the front and back and left the sides open so that Xaxac could see the outfit he had on under it.  He was wearing some sort of stretchy material that left very little to the imagination, something like the tights Agalon wore under his tunic, except it was apparently not considered underwear because Alex took off the cloak and spread it carefully over the back of the couch as if he didn¡¯t want to damage it. Xaxac thought everything Alex wore was expensive.  The shirt he wore, which was apparently not an undershirt, was cut with a V so deep it disappeared into the fabric he had tied around his waist as a belt. As he leaned forward to take off the knee-high boots he had been wearing the jewelry he wore tinkled softly as they knocked against each other.


    Xaxac had thought he was cute when he had seen him in his own home, but he realized now as he looked at the way his curly waves were arranged in a braid winding around his head, at the makeup on his face, the silver in his ears, wrists, and around his neck, that he had been dressed casually.  He was normally breathtaking.


    ¡°Oh, XacXac, honey, I am dead,¡± he proclaimed, ¡°I hate travelin.  I ain¡¯t made for it. I am a delicate flower; I can¡¯t be out in the elements like that.  You know for lunch we had to eat outside? Please tell me you got a cigarette and somethin to drink, darlin, I am dyin.  And I know I look like shit, sweatin in that carriage. Ugh. I gotta let my hair down and fix my face. I am so glad to be here I can¡¯t stand it.¡±


    ¡°You look great,¡± Xaxac said as Alex walked into the bedroom.


    ¡°Honey, I can¡¯t tell if you¡¯re sweet or stupid,¡± Alex said as he began to pull pins out of his hair and toss them onto the vanity.  Two braids fell down his back, so he undid the ribbons and shook out his hair. As he shook his head his hair bounced and followed the direction, and Xaxac could not stop staring at it.


    ¡°Aggie said a lot of people was comin,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°They probably won¡¯t be here tonight,¡± Alex said, ¡°We¡¯re way closer than they are.  I can¡¯t wait. I¡¯m sorry as I can be, darlin, but I can¡¯t be scared a¡¯ you. Did you get my cig?  My drink?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to get stuff,¡± Xaxac admitted.


    ¡°Oh right, you ain¡¯t never done this before,¡± Alex said as he picked up a brush and ran it through his hair, trying to tame the curls, though Xac thought the action just made them poofier, ¡°Run out into the hall, ring the bell- there¡¯s a string, you¡¯ll see it, all these houses is the same, and somebody¡¯ll come up and you tell um what to get.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m supposed to go out to the hall,¡± Xaxac said nervously.


    ¡°Normally you ain¡¯t,¡± Alex said, ¡°Not durin your trainin.  But I reckon your trainin¡¯s over, honey, you look freshly fucked, and also, you know I love you to death but I swear to Thesis above if you don¡¯t get me a cigarette I am gonna have to kill you and it¡¯ll piss everybody off.¡±


    Xaxac giggled, and Alex giggled with him before he asked with great sincerity, ¡°You want me to go out with you?  I know it¡¯s scary when you first start out and don¡¯t know what to do. That¡¯s part of the reason I wanted to get here first.¡±


    ¡°I,¡± Xaxac considered, ¡°I think I can do it.  All I do is go ring the bell, right?¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± Alex said, ¡°And you tell him that whatever he brings me it better be more than a salad because I am starvin!  Travelin wears me out. God damn¡­ sweated the settin powder off¡­ look a mess¡­ it¡¯s dark, light them lamps.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re real good at tellin folks what to do,¡± Xac huffed, ¡°You growin your ears out?¡±


    ¡°Hey, look,¡± Alex stood up straight from where he had bent over the mirror, ¡°You got a spine on you!  I was wonderin where the hell that was! I¡¯m so proud a you, little bunny. Fine, I¡¯ll light my own lamps, I don¡¯t give a shit.  I just don¡¯t hardly remember where nothin¡¯s at. I ain¡¯t been up here in over a year, not since Kenny¡­ fell.¡±


    ¡°My sister¡¯s pregnant,¡± Xaxac said.


    ¡°Honey, you ain¡¯t got a sister,¡± Alex told him as he opened drawers on the nightstand in an attempt to find a matchbook, ¡°I told you not to get attached to folks.  That¡®s over.¡±


    ¡°I got punched in the face,¡± Xaxac said, because he did not want to have that conversation again.


    ¡°Did ya?¡± Alex asked as if this subject interested him much more than Alice¡¯s pregnancy, ¡°Why?  What happened?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even really remember,¡± Xac sighed, ¡°Billy hates me.¡±


    ¡°Billy who?¡± Alex asked as he finally found the book and struck a match.  He lifted the glass of the lamp on the nightstand and lit the wick.


    ¡°Billy the Bull,¡± Xaxac said, and meant to say more, but Alex cut him off.


    ¡°The fighter?¡± He asked, ¡°Holy shit.  Really? You alright?¡±


    ¡°He knocked my tooth out,¡± Xac said, and meant to go on again, to tell Alex about how his teeth were deformed and could grow into his eyes, but Alex cut him off and again and it was beginning to annoy him.


    ¡°I bet he fuckin did,¡± Alex said, ¡°Wonder he ain¡¯t broke your jaw.  He don¡¯t talk to people; how the hell did that happen? Were you fuckin with him?¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± Xaxac said.


    ¡°Oh shit, I bet he don¡¯t like you,¡± Alex said, putting the emphasis on the word ¡®don¡¯t¡¯, ¡°that makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Xaxac asked, intrigued.


    ¡°On account of he really liked Kenny,¡± Alex said, ¡°I mean he really liked Kenny.  Like¡­ rumor was they was uh¡­ more than friends.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Xaxac said.


    ¡°Yeah now I always wondered,¡± Alex said as he carried the lamp to the vanity, sat, and rummaged through the boxes he had apparently brought with him before he began working on his face, ¡°And I ain¡¯t got no way a proovin this, but I did always wonder if Kenny likin Billy might be why Agalon didn¡¯t enter him at Satra.  He qualified. He coulda gone in. But Billy won¡¯t lay down. He¡¯d either win or he¡¯d be dead. And they¡¯d kill him.¡± he paused with the powder puff in his hand and shrugged, ¡°I mean, they¡¯d have to kill him.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯d Kenny jump?¡± Xaxac asked.


    ¡°I told you not to ask stupid shit like that,¡± Alex said, and Xaxac saw genuine anger flash accross his eyes, ¡°I told you not to think too much.  He didn¡¯t jump. He fell. Dumbass probably got drunk.¡±


    ¡°You reckon he had a family or was he bought in for it?¡± Xaxac asked, ¡°I just wonder if¡­  if he was from here, from this plantation, I might be able to figure out-¡±


    ¡°Xaxac!¡± Alex shouted so fiercely and so loudly Xac stumbled backwards.  Alex had balled his hands into fists, had closed his eyes, was leaning forward, and seemed to be counting his breathing.  When he finally spoke it was measured, but not calm. ¡°Don¡¯t ask questions. The answer is, ¡®Don¡¯t think about it¡¯. Don¡¯t go running your mouth like that.  Go out into the hall, get me a case of cigarettes and a bottle of whiskey.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± Xac said meekly.

 Chapter 49

    ¡°How come you said you hate travelin?¡± Xac asked as he ate his salad, ¡°You was braggin about goin to the water continent.¡±


    ¡°Oh I love it once we get there,¡± Alex explained, ¡°I just don¡¯t like the trip.¡±


    Xaxac nodded and thought of all the questions he wasn¡¯t allowed to ask.  It made coming up with ¡°safe¡± conversation topics difficult. His brain was all cluttered up with the sort of things he wasn¡¯t supposed to think about.


    ¡°Are we havin a party?¡± he asked instead, ¡°Aggie said he¡¯d tell me after dinner.¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± Alex said, stabbing at the vegetables in his salad in a disappointed sort of way, so differently from how he had eaten in his own home, ¡°We¡¯re really here to watch you shift.¡±


    Xac stared at him in incomprehension.  Surely he had misunderstood. Maybe next month they would do that, but not so soon?  Aggie had said that he had to get him trained first; the last time he had bitten him!  There was no way he would bring people in this early. That didn¡¯t make sense.


    He took a sip of his whiskey and said, ¡°That don¡¯t make sense.¡±


    ¡°Sure it does,¡± Alex shrugged, ¡°I think he¡¯s gonna start exhibitin you.  Start off with a small group of close friends to make sure it¡¯s alright, then move on to crowds.¡±


    ¡°But it ain¡¯t alright!¡± Xac implored, ¡°It ain¡¯t alright at all!  I¡¯m a monster! I can¡¯t remember nothin! I bit him last time, bit Aggie!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think ya did,¡± Alex shrugged and sipped his whiskey, ¡°He¡¯d¡¯a done somethin about somethin like that.¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Xaxac insisted, ¡°he¡¯s got a scar on his arm, on account of I bit him!¡±


    ¡°Well now I sure as hell wouldn¡¯t do that again,¡± Alex said, ¡°If I was you.¡±


    ¡°You ain¡¯t listenin to me,¡± Xaxac said with great annoyance, ¡°I¡¯m a monster!  I¡¯m cursed! I hurt people! Y¡¯all don¡¯t need to be around me!¡±


    ¡®I mean, to be fair,¡± Alex said, ¡°it ain¡¯t like you¡¯re a wolf or a wildcat, right?  You¡¯re a rabbit. What the hell are you gonna do? Do rabbits even hurt when they bite?  Is that a thing? I ain¡¯t never been bit by no rabbit.¡±


    ¡°It left a scar,¡± Xaxac said.


    The door opened and Jimmy stuck his head in.


    ¡°Hey Xac,¡± he said, ¡°I can¡¯t stay long, still got the valet trainin and my master¡¯s hard to catch, but thought you¡¯d want to know that there was somebody else pulled up outside and it¡¯s your clothes.  Finally. Thought you¡¯d want to know.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Xac said, trying to bring his energy down to Jimmy¡¯s level, ¡°Uh¡­  thanks. I don¡¯t¡­ know what to do about that? I don¡¯t think I¡¯m supposed to leave.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where they¡¯re gonna put um or nothin,¡± Jimmy said, ¡°Y¡¯all ain¡¯t got the wardrobes yet.¡±


    Xac stood and rushed to the door, then glanced past Jimmy at the empty hall before he lowered his voice and spoke.


    ¡°How¡¯s Alley?¡± He asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s doin good,¡± Jimmy pulled back and glanced up and down the halls himself.  Xaxac knew that they each had something to say to the other, but neither was willing to betray the trust of the same girl they loved in different ways.


    ¡°Tell her,¡± Xac said, choosing his words carefully, ¡°That I¡¯m makin her a baby blanket, you know for the baby.¡±


    ¡°We sure need it,¡± Jimmy said, ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Out of angora,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°And I¡¯m gonna fold it up and try to get it to you so you can take it to her.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Jimmy said.


    ¡°Be real, real careful with it,¡± Xaxac told him, stared intently into his eyes and continued, ¡°It¡¯s expensive.  Hard to get.¡±


    Jimmy¡¯s eyes darted up and down the hall, then he leaned in, glanced up at Alex, then back at Xac, and spoke in a voice that was both quick and quiet.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°If you¡¯re gonna do it,¡± he said, ¡°do it before Lorsan leaves for school.  He¡¯s always stealin his daddy¡¯s shit. Do it while we can still make it look like it¡¯s him.¡±


    Xac nodded.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let him catch you,¡± Jimmy warned.


    Xac nodded again.


    ¡°I gotta get back to work,¡± Jimmy said.


    Xac nodded again, and Jimmy closed the door, so Xac returned to the table.


    Alex stared at him, slowly took a sip of his whiskey and said, ¡°Now that right there is the very definition of none of my business but please, for the love of Thesis and all that is holy, do not do somethin stupid.  I like you, kid.¡±


    ¡°Bunnies ain¡¯t exactly known for their intellect,¡± Xaxac said and took a bite of his salad.


    Alex made a sort of humming sound that Xaxac could not interpret in any meaningful way.


    ¡°This is ridiculous,¡± Agalon said in a huff as Xaxac stood, back in his own sitting room, amidst the sea of packages, ¡°It¡¯s been damn near three weeks, almost a month!  Where the everlovin hell is my wardrobes?¡±


    ¡°You get um off Jerry?¡± Kyrtarr asked, ¡°You know she don¡¯t get in no hurry.¡±


    ¡°I got guests comin,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I ain¡¯t got nowhere to put nothin.  Lee, run down to my lab and get my scryin tablet.¡±


    ¡°Yes, master,¡± Lee bowed and walked into the hall.


    ¡°Mister Agalon?¡± Alex asked, ¡°Can we open these?  I wanna see Xac in his new clothes.¡±


    ¡°He ain¡¯t go nowhere to put um, darlin,¡± Kyrtarr explained patiently, ¡°Don¡¯t go makin no messes.¡±  He poured himself a glass of the wine sitting on the table and said, ¡°Be nice, like Xac. Look at him, what¡¯s he doin?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s knittin,¡± Agalon said, sounding impatient and staring at the door, ¡°He does that.  Ain¡¯t it cute?¡±


    ¡°Whatcha makin there, you pretty little thing?¡± Kyrtarr asked.


    Xaxac froze.


    You¡¯re just another pretty thing he owns.


    ¡°It¡¯s a, um, baby blanket,¡± Xaxac said quietly as he began to move his needles again and fell into the comfort brought on by the clack clack clacking of his needles, ¡°For my-¡±


    You ain¡¯t got a sister.


    ¡°For a friend of mine.  A kitchen maid. She¡¯s pregnant.¡±


    ¡°You let ¡®im give angora to kitchen maids?¡± Kyrtarr asked Agalon.


    ¡°Leave him alone,¡± Agalon said, ¡°It¡¯s cute.  Lookin all domestic. And you shoulda seen how big his eyes was when he asked for it.  I can¡¯t deny him nothin,¡± his frustration seemed to evaporate a little as he ran a hand through Xaxac¡¯s hair, ¡°Can I, Honey Bunny?¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Aggie,¡± Xaxac smiled up at him, ¡°I really like it.  I¡¯m makin you somethin, too.¡±


    ¡°What are you makin me?¡± Agalon asked as if he thought the concept was adorable.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Xaxac asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what all you can make,¡± Agalon shrugged.


    ¡°On these needles I can make all kinds of stuff,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°hats, blankets, jackets, shirts, stuff like that.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you want, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon said as if it wasn¡¯t particularly important, and Xaxac refused to process that information.  Instead he stared intently at the blanket and watched string slowly, magically, transform into fabric.


    ¡°Your tablet, master,¡± Lee said as he arrived carrying what looked like a wooden box full of dirt.


    Agalon took it, cleared some space on the writing desk and set it there.  The stones in his ears began to glow as Xaxac stared at his own hands, going through practiced motions.


    ¡°What the hell do you want, Kailu? I¡¯m closed.  It¡¯s eight at night. If it¡¯s dark you ain¡¯t got no business with me.¡±


    Xaxac jumped.


    That was Ms Rigg¡¯s voice.  He had met her at the shop, but he hadn¡¯t heard her come in, didn¡¯t know she was in the house at all.  He sat up on his knees and looked over the back of the couch. He saw Alex sitting in the middle of the packages on the floor, Kytarr standing by the table drinking, Lee standing by the door, and Agalon standing by the desk staring at his pan of dirt.  Ms Rigg was nowhere to be found.


    ¡°Jerry, where the hell¡¯s my wardrobes?¡± Agalon asked in exasperation, ¡°I got folks comin over.  I need um. My guestrooms are gonna be full and I ain¡¯t got nowhere to put my clothes, plus, Sakala just sent over everythin I ordered for my pleasure slave.  I¡¯m the Grand Duke of the Agricultural District. I ought not be in this situation.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she agreed, ¡°You ought not, because I done went and made you a perfectly good wardrobe and you threw it out on account of it didn¡¯t match your pet¡¯s colors.  That ain¡¯t my fault.¡±


    ¡°Jerry, forget the clock,¡± Agalon said, ¡°just get me my wardrobes.¡±


    ¡°Why you havin people over?¡± Jerry asked, ¡°It ain¡¯t a party season.¡±


    ¡°Is that your business?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°I reckon it is if you want me to maybe expedite this here delivery,¡± Jerry said matter-of-factly.


    Agalon sighed, stood to his full height, and crossed his arms over his chest in thought.  He glanced at Xaxac then back at the pan of dirt and seemed to make up his mind.


    ¡°Honey Bunny why don¡¯t you take Alex back to the guest room and y¡¯all play while I get this worked out,¡± he said.


    It was not a question.


    ¡°Yes, master,¡± Xaxac said.

 Chapter 50

    ¡°Oh,¡± Alex said as he threw himself onto the sofa of what Xaxac was considering ¡®his¡¯ sitting room, ¡°Guess you wouldn¡¯t supposed to know we was here to watch you.  Don¡¯t tell him I told you.¡±


    ¡°It just seems real soon,¡± Xaxac said as he fell onto the sofa next to him.  ¡°I ain¡¯t ready¡­ It ain¡¯t like¡­ I don¡¯t think y¡¯all are listenin to me when I say I can¡¯t control it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re listenin to folks who say they ain¡¯t scared of a jackrabbit,¡± Alex said as he poured them both a glass of whiskey, picked up the cigarette case he had left sitting on the coffee table, pulled one out for himself and then handed the case to Xaxac.


    Xac stared at it before he snapped it open, took one for himself, and leaned into the flame of the match Alex had struck.


    ¡°Aggie says other people are coming and I ain¡¯t allowed to talk to the girls,¡± he said as he exhaled.


    ¡°Yeah, none of us are,¡± Alex agreed, ¡°It¡¯s a cockfight in here.¡±


    Xac wanted to laugh at that, knew it had been intended as a joke, but he couldn¡¯t do what Alex had asked of him.  He couldn¡¯t stop thinking, all the time, constantly, and he wasn¡¯t sure what to do about it.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinkin too much,¡± he said.


    ¡°Yeah, you have,¡± Alex said.


    ¡°How do you¡­  keep from it?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°You gotta,¡± Alex handed him the glass of whiskey, ¡°Well, this helps.  But somethin else is¡­ you¡¯re gonna think, you just gotta get to where you think about the right kind of things.  You can¡¯t dwell on the stuff that¡¯s gonna make you¡­ you gotta think light, I guess. Frills, appearance, drugs, hair, parties, they¡¯ll tell you what to think about.¡±


    Xaxac took another drag of his cigarette and stared into his glass.


    ¡°That works?¡± he asked.


    Something flashed across Alex¡¯s face that he tried to hide in a cloud of smoke, and when he spoke Xaxac knew he was lying to him.


    ¡°Yeah, that works.  You just¡­ gotta get good at it.  You¡¯ll learn.¡±


    Xaxac took another long drag from his cigarette, exhaled and looked up at the cloud.


    After a beat, he asked, ¡°How many ceiling tiles you got in the bedroom at your house?¡±


    ¡°Sixty,¡± Alex said, and the word hung thickly in the air around them.  ¡°They got these little flowers on um. And they lie. Don¡¯t listen to um.¡±


    ¡°Are all the houses the same?¡± Xaxac asked.


    ¡°No, darlin, your¡¯n¡¯s much nicer,¡± Alex said as he turned and lay back against the arm rest, ¡°Bigger, got a coupla, just nicer.  You lucked out.¡±


    ¡°The flowers lied to me too,¡± Xaxac said.


    ¡°I know, don¡¯t trust um,¡± Alex said.


    The door opened and Lorsan slid inside as if he didn¡¯t want anyone to know he was going to be in there.  He closed the door quietly, then turned to face Xac and Alex. Xaxac stared at him in confusion.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Lorsan said after a beat, ¡°Xaxac.¡±  After another beat he added, ¡°Hey uhh¡­ Xander?¡±


    ¡°Alex,¡± Alex corrected.


    ¡°Right,¡± Lorsan said, strode up to them and picked up the cigarette case that Xaxac had set down.  He turned it front to back looking at both sides, then sat it down and walked into the bedroom.


    ¡°Mister Agalon,¡± Alex asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Mind your business,¡± Lorsan said, but Alex narrowed his eyes and pushed himself to his feet.


    ¡°Mister Agalon,¡± he said again, ¡°I don¡¯t think my master wants you in his bedroom.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Lorsan said absentmindedly as Alex moved to the doorway.  Xac peered over the back of the couch to watch them and saw Lorsan shove his way past him and back into the sitting room holding a book.


    ¡°You can¡¯t just take stuff,¡± Alex told him, ¡°You gotta ask Ky!¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Lorry huffed and threw the book at him, ¡°Here, maybe it¡¯s got pictures.¡±


    Alex caught it and glared at him.  He seemed unfamiliar with the type of thing he was seeing, but Xaxac had seen it before.  He knew a distraction when he saw one.


    ¡°Hey Lorry, what¡¯d you really take?¡± Xac asked as he sipped his whiskey.


    ¡°I gotta go,¡± Lorsan said, but Xaxac was at the door in the time it took him to turn towards it, and Lorsan stumbled back so quickly it nearly knocked him off his feet.


    ¡°Holy shit,¡± he said and held out his hands, ¡°how the hell¡­¡±


    ¡°Give it back,¡± Xaxac demanded.


    ¡°Hey, you know what?¡± Lorry snarled, ¡°Couple things, one, you¡¯re drunk.  Two, I didn¡¯t take nothin. And three, you can¡¯t be talkin to me like that.  Get outta my way.¡±


    ¡°I might be drunk,¡± Xaxac admitted, because the world was beginning to float a little, ¡°But you been real weird since I shifted and you ain¡¯t your daddy.  You ain¡¯t gonna do nothin to me. Now you give back whatever you done went in there and took off Alex¡¯s master or I¡¯m gonna tell your daddy.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t threaten me, Xac,¡± Lorsan laughed, but there was no mirth in it.  He was anxious, and Alex still stood behind the couch, darting his eyes between the two of them and hating the thing he saw before him.  He had never seen Xaxac angry before, did not know about all the screaming, all the pain Lorsan had caused, did not know that Lorsan had tried to run away to tell people about Xaxac attacking an elf, did not know that he had hidden and locked himself away.  All Alex saw was Xaxac acting in the most foolish, dangerous way he possibly could,and it put the fear of god in him.


    ¡°Have you lost your goddamn mind?¡± he asked Xac, ¡°Get out the way!  Don¡¯t talk to him like that. Mister Agalon, I am so sorry, he¡¯s drunk and he was already kinda dumb.¡±


    ¡°I am drunk and stupid,¡± Xaxac agreed, ¡°But I can sober up and learn something.  This guy¡¯s been an asshole to me, and to Aggie! He don¡¯t like me!¡±


    ¡°Then why are you goin out of your way to piss him off?¡± Alex moved as if he was going to come between them then thought better of it.


    ¡°But he ain¡¯t got no reason not to like me,¡± Xaxac said, and the tears that welled up in his eyes confused him, ¡°I ain¡¯t never done nothin to him!  He just don¡¯t like me on account of I¡¯m a shifter, and I¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t shift in front a people I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t have everybody hate me! I¡¯m gonna hurt somebody!  Just give um back the crystal, I know that¡¯s what you took! That¡¯s what you took last time, and if your dumb ass hadn¡¯t¡¯a wore um in front of him you coulda kept um! Stop actin up all the time!  Stop tryin to make it so much harder on everybody! Life is hard enough already!¡±


    ¡°I bet it is,¡± Lorsan agreed.  His voice had softened and his body deflated.  ¡°You¡­ it hurts me to look at you. I can¡¯t stand to look at you.  You¡¯re always cryin.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s somethin wrong with me!¡± Xaxac said.


    ¡°Xac, just move,¡± Alex stepped forward, ¡°just get out of his way.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch him,¡± Lorry warned, ¡°Last time somebody touched him he bit um.¡±


    ¡°I was shifted,¡± Xaxac wailed.


    ¡°Hush,¡± Lorry said, ¡°Daddy¡¯s on a scry.  You¡­ you really don¡¯t remember none of it?¡±


    Xac shook his head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t hate you, Xac,¡± Lorry said with great sincerity, ¡°I want¡­  I want better for you. You gotta know daddy don¡¯t¡­ can¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t know what you think he thinks about you, but he¡¯s broke you.  Broke you like a workhorse, and he¡¯s gonna try to break you in that shifted form so you¡¯ll be nice and sweet and docile, let people pet you and shit so he can charge um to do it.  And it ain¡¯t gonna work. You can¡¯t break a shifter. Somebody¡¯s gonna get killed by the end a¡¯ this an they¡¯re gonna put you down for it. You don¡¯t need to be here.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t never hurt nobody,¡± Xaxac argued.


    ¡°Yeah, on account of you ain¡¯t never been around nobody,¡± Lorsan explained, not unkindly, ¡°Daddy wants to put you in front of a crowd.  And he ain¡¯t got no business doin that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­  I¡­¡±


    ¡°I gotta find a way to get you outta here,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°And I ain¡¯t got much time.  I¡¯m tryin to help you.¡± He glared at Alex before he turned back to Xac and spoke in a soft, quiet voice, ¡°I¡¯m gonna touch you, alright?¡±


    Xac nodded, and when Lorsan wrapped his arms around him, he buried his face in his shoulder.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell um I was here,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°I¡¯m gonna scry some folks, see if there ain¡¯t¡­  there¡¯s gotta be something¡­¡±


    ¡°You did take a crystal,¡± Xaxac said to his shoulder.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell nobody,¡± Lorsan pleaded.


    ¡°Lorry?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°When¡­  when your daddy gives you your stuff back, for school?  Can I¡­¡±


    ¡°Can you what?¡± Lorsan asked.


    ¡°Nothin,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°Ok,¡± Lorry sighed, ¡°I gotta get outta here.¡±


    He released Xac and scooted past him to crack the door open and disappear into the hallway.


    ¡°The hell just happened?¡± Alex asked.

 Chapter 51

    ¡°Well darlin,¡± Agalon said pleasantly as he and Kytarr entered the room, ¡°I reckon I got everythin straightened out.  We oughta finally get our damned wardrobes here in the next couple days so we¡¯ll have somewhere to put all your new clothes.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Aggie,¡± Xaxac smiled up at him and made an attempt to stand, to go to him, but the world spun around him, so he put out his hands and tried to get his bearings, but it was no use as it teetered and the floor came up to smash him in the face.


    Alex had the loudest laugh he had ever heard.


    ¡°What you boys drinkin?¡± Kytarr took the bottle from the coffee table and looked at it, ¡°Corn whiskey?  Alex that¡¯s too strong for him, look at him, he don¡¯t weigh a hundred pounds.¡±


    ¡°He was cryin again,¡± Alex slurred, ¡°he cries any time he ain¡¯t with his master.  I don¡¯t know what to do with him.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Honey Bunny, I didn¡¯t,¡± Agalon sighed as he lifted Xaxac to his feet, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean for you to get that drunk.  We gonna have to sober you up.¡±


    ¡°But I love bein drunk,¡± Xaxac argued as he wrapped his arms around Agalon and snuggled into his chest, ¡°And I love you.  You¡¯re fun to hug.¡± He let out a happy hum and added, ¡°I get scared without you. Are we havin a party?¡±


    ¡°I gotta sober him up,¡± Agalon said as if he was annoyed, and Xaxac didn¡¯t like his tone, ¡°I gotta do somethin about this.  I shouldn¡¯t¡¯a left um with whiskey.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m with Xac,¡± Alex said, ¡°I love bein drunk.¡±


    ¡°Whatcha got there?¡± Kytarr asked as he sat on the sofa next to Alex, and Alex crawled into his lap.  Kytarr took the book that fell from Alex¡¯s lap to the floor when he moved and opened it, ¡°Oh, a book of legends.  You want me to read to you, darlin?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Alex said.


    ¡°Alright, but in a little bit, Kai wanted to teach Xac something first.¡± Ky explained.


    ¡°I like it how your names are kinda the same,¡± Xaxac told Agalon¡¯s chest, and continued, in the hope that Kytarr would hear him, ¡°I was named after a rug.¡±


    ¡°I know, darlin,¡± Kytarr said as if it was supremely interesting.


    ¡°Aggy,¡± Xaxac pulled away and looked up at him, ¡°Are we havin a party? Cause the reason I got scared was¡­  them moons are gonna get full and¡­¡±


    ¡°I need to talk to you, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon said, ¡°But I need you to remember it, so I guess we¡¯re gonna have to have this talk in the mornin. I shouldn¡¯t ¡®a give you whiskey.  I shoulda been watchin you better.¡±


    ¡°What was you gonna teach him?¡± Alex asked, ¡°Cause lord knows he needs it.  He don¡¯t know nothin.¡±


    ¡°His metabolism is so fast,¡± Agalon said as he cradled Xac¡¯s face in both hands and stared down into his blown open eyes, ¡°maybe he can still at least do that.  If we wait till he starts askin for another drink he¡¯s probably gone back down from drunk to tispy.¡±


    ¡°Is that a shifter thing?¡± Ky asked.


    ¡°Yeah, this boy drinks like a fish,¡± Agalon said as if it was some sort of funny quirk.  Then to Alex, he explained, ¡°I was talkin to Ky and we thought Xac probably oughta learn how to top.  He ain¡¯t never done it before an I might need to breed him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be up for that,¡± Alex smiled, ¡°Xac?  Honey? Can you fuck? You got the whiskey dick?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember what that is,¡± Xaxac admitted, because he wasn¡¯t paying particular attention to the conversation, but he had made out of a few choice words that he heartily agreed with, so he attempted to join in anyway.  ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s fuck! Aggie, let¡¯s go to bed! Pick me up!¡±


    ¡°Oh god,¡± Agalon said as Xaxac put his hands on his shoulders and lept onto him, wrapping his legs around his waist.  Agalon moved quickly to catch him, but went stumbling with the motion, backwards, until he hit the arm chair and fell heavily into it.


    Alex and Ky were laughing at him now, which made perfect sense because he was both witty and funny.  He shoved himself away from Agalon and stood to take off his clothes, but the world began to spin again and he flailed to catch himself before he went careening backwards.  Fortunately, Agalon was there to steady him by grabbing him by the hips.


    ¡°You drunk bitch,¡± Alex giggled.


    ¡°Alex,¡± Xac whined, ¡°help me!¡±


    ¡°Darlin, I would,¡± Alex said, ¡°But I don¡¯t reckon I can move no better than you can.  I thought I was gonna lay down? Didn¡¯t somebody say I was gonna lay down? Where we doin this?  Is anybody else burnin up? Can we light a fire?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­  them¡¯s two contrary statements, darlin,¡± Ky giggled.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see,¡± Alex explained, ¡°Them lamps don¡¯t do shit.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Agalon said as if he had forgotten something, ¡°humans can¡¯t see in the dark.  Yeah, we can, I reckon. It ain¡¯t that hot, you¡¯re just drunk. It¡¯s gettin to be fall.¡± He stood, still holding Xaxac by the hips and guided him toward the sofa, then shoved him down on top of Alex, who giggled and wrapped his arms around him.


    ¡°Kai, that¡¯s my lap,¡± Ky said as he tried to deal with both squirming humans piled on top of him.


    ¡°What a pure incomprehensible thing to bitch about,¡± Agalon said in all the tone and cadence of a joke, ¡°Just watch him for a second while I get somebody up here to make a fire.¡±


    ¡°Here, Xac, get your clothes off,¡± Alex said as he tried to remember how buttons worked, ¡°I hate this outfit.  Ky, don¡¯t you hate this outfit? Ain¡¯t he got nothin else to wear? He gotta dress like a houseslave?¡±


    ¡°Yeah darlin, but he don¡¯t need to get into it till his wardrobe gets here.  I¡¯m gonna move y¡¯all a little bit.¡± Ky explained as he gently slid them off of his lap and onto the sofa.


    ¡°I am a houseslave,¡± Xaxac said.


    ¡°No you ain¡¯t,¡± Alex huffed as if he had been offended, ¡°You¡¯re a pleasure slave.  Please. You¡¯re practically a concubine.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a concubine?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Rich elves what get kept by their lovers,¡± Alex said.


    ¡°That ain¡¯t exactly right,¡± Ky giggled, ¡°But it¡¯s close enough for government work.  Here, darlin, let me do that, you¡¯re havin a real hard time.¡±


    He reached over Alex to unbutton Xaxac¡¯s shirt, then helped him out of it to lay it across the back of the couch.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t he a cute little thing?¡± Ky asked Alex.


    ¡°Cuter than me?¡± Alex asked in an adorable voice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get jealous, darlin, I thought y¡¯all was friends,¡± Ky warned.


    ¡°Nobody¡¯s as cute as you,¡± Xaxac said, because he was drunk and had no reason to hide the awe he felt, ¡°You make it look so easy.¡±


    ¡°Honey, I am easy,¡± Alex laughed.


    ¡°Here, let get y¡¯all on the floor,¡± Ky suggested and steadied Xac by the shoulders to help him down.  Xaxac thought he was amazingly similar to Agalon, in terms of body type, and leaned heavily into him.


    ¡°There you go,¡± Ky said soothingly as Xac pushed himself along the rug until he could rest his back on the armchair.


    ¡°Can I have another drink?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Not right now, sweetheart,¡± Ky explained as he guided Alex to the rug next to Xac, where he sat patiently on his knees to let his master untie his belt.  After that he was able to peel himself out of his clothes fairly easily, even in his drunken state. They seemed to be stretchy, and once they were off his body, they were so tiny Xac was amazed he had ever had them on at all.


    Agalon came back into the room with Lee and another human whom Xac had seen around the house, but whom he did not know that well.  He didn¡¯t understand why he was there instead of Jimmy, but the man carried a packet of wood, which he set into the fireplace in a sort of conical shape, all lined up together.  Then he took a matchbook, struck one, and threw it into the middle of the cone, so that the whole thing caught fire.


    He stood, looked at Lee, who nodded, then made his way out of the room.


    Agalon plopped down comfortably on the armchair and Lee stood, silently, behind and slightly to the left of him, in that unsettling way he sometimes did.


    He didn¡¯t swim in Xaxac¡¯s vision, and Xac saw the pity in his eyes again, and tilted his head in confusion.  Who did Lee feel sorry for?


    ¡°How are you feelin darlin?¡± Agalon asked as he reached a hand between his knees to scratch Xac¡¯s scalp.


    ¡°Can I have another drink?¡± Xac asked hopefully.


    ¡°In a minute, darlin, first I want you to learn somethin,¡± Agalon explained, ¡°we promised Alex you were gonna fuck him, so you need to learn how.¡±


    ¡°It ain¡¯t that hard,¡± Alex said as he stretched out before the fire.


    ¡°Be nice,¡± Ky warned, ¡°It¡¯s his first time.  And you get bitchy.¡±


    ¡°Yes, master,¡± Alex said in the tone of someone who fully believed they had deserved the warning they had been given, which worried Xac.


    ¡°Um,¡± Xac said, staring down at Alex, because his brain would not give him anything useful to say.


    ¡°Here, stand up, darlin,¡± Agalon said as he pulled Xac up by the shoulders, ¡°Let¡¯s get your pants off.¡±


    ¡°He needs some new clothes,¡± Alex said in the middle of a stretch that arched his back off the floor and showed off the muscles in his stomach, ¡°Them¡¯s too hard to get on and off.¡±


    ¡°He got some right proper pleasure slave clothes,¡± Agalon said, ¡°We¡¯ll put some on him tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Neat!¡± Xac said excitedly, and steadied himself on Agalon¡¯s shoulders to step out of his pants, ¡°I love clothes.  I hope they¡¯re pretty. She seemed so nice.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Who?¡± Ky asked.


    ¡°The clothes lady,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°with the dead wife.¡±


    ¡°Sakala,¡± Agalon explained, ¡°He liked her.  Well, he liked her things. Just about bought out the whole shop.  But focus darlin, you want Alex to like you, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Xac said, ¡°I think he does.  Don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Alex agreed, but he seemed as if he could drift off to sleep and was, perhaps, not paying very much attention to the conversation, ¡°I like you.  Are we gonna do this or not?¡±


    ¡°Alright, darlin,¡± Agalon said as he handed Xaxac a familiar bottle, ¡°Spread this out all over your hand, alright?  You gonna have to get everything nice and slick or you can hurt him. You don¡¯t wanna hurt him.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna hurt anybody,¡± Xac said, staring at the bottle and connecting the dots.  His face lit up as he realized what he was doing, and he began to speak without thinking, ¡°Oh!  Yeah I can- I can figure this out! I know how to do this! This is what you done to me. It don¡¯t hurt.  You kept sayin it was gonna hurt and it never did. I ain¡¯t gonna hurt him.¡±


    Xac scoffed at the idea and knee walked to where Alex lay, now dozing in his drunken stupor, by the fire.


    ¡°You got that shifter healin, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon tried to explain, but Xaxac had been through this before.  He didn¡¯t need to be taught. How stupid did they think he was? Alex was right; it wasn¡¯t difficult at all.


    Alex shuddered and jumped himself awake as Xaxac drizzled the lube over his hole, then saw him, realized what he was doing, leaned back, let out a happy humming sound and spread his legs.


    ¡°Mmmm, Ky,¡± he begged, ¡°Gimme a pillow.¡±


    Ky tossed one from the couch and hit him in the face, and everyone but Lee giggled about it, but that was alright, because Xaxac had forgotten Lee was there.


    ¡°Xac, I¡¯m serious,¡± Agalon said, and the fact that he called him ¡®Xac¡¯ rather than ¡®darlin¡¯ or ¡®Honey Bunny¡¯ made Xaxac tense, turn, and look at him.


    ¡°You can hurt him,¡± Agalon said, ¡°You¡¯re not actin like you acknowledge that you can hurt him.  Use lots of lube and go real slow.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, master,¡± Xaxac¡¯s shoulders fell, and he thought that it probably was dangerous.  Aggy wouldn¡¯t lie to him about it, and Xac had a tendency to do dangerous things without realizing it, and then getting himself punched in the face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t reckon I¡¯m that fragile,¡± Alex said as if he had been insulted and situated the pillow under his head, ¡°And he¡¯s a tiny little thing.  And I¡¯m drunk. And pretty clean. We might not even need this. We might can go straight for the dicking.¡±


    ¡°Alex, he¡¯s tryin to teach him,¡± Ky said, ¡°Just hush.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re right,¡± Xac said, speaking each thought as it occurred to him, ¡°we oughta¡­  we probably need somebody to watch us. If we was doin this by ourselves I¡¯d¡¯a hurt you.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t as frail as y¡¯all think I am,¡± Alex huffed, ¡°but do somethin, you¡¯re killin me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Xac said and shrank into himself.


    ¡°Lord,¡± Alex giggled, sat up on one elbow, and reached up to cradle Xac¡¯s face, ¡°You¡¯re so nervous.  Don¡¯t be scared like that. It¡¯s just you and me, alright? Just relax. It¡¯s pretty hard to mess up.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± Xac said, hoping with everything in him Alex was right.


    His best hope was probably to try to mimic Agalon, because he actually knew what he was doing and did it well, but it made him nervous because Alex had done this before, a lot, and would know if and when he messed up.  But also, he was right, he shouldn¡¯t be nervous, because he was here to learn.


    Xac really wanted a drink.


    He was afraid he was going to cry again and there was absolutely no reason for it.  That darkness that hung around him sometimes seemed to come up more often during sex than any other time, and he hated it.  He was begining to think it was part of him, that it would never go away like Alex had said it would, but he absolutely could not cry now because that would be stupid.  He never got that feeling when he was drunk. Why the hell did he need to be sober for this? This was a muscle memory thing. He could do it drunk. Just let him drink!  Why was it suddenly being rationed? But he had asked and been told ¡®no¡¯ twice so he couldn¡¯t keep asking. But they didn¡¯t understand; there was something wrong with him and he needed to be drunk to fix-


    Alex silenced the thoughts from his head as he pulled him down on top of him until he was on his back and Xac was over him and he could tug his head with both hands into a kiss.  Xaxac knew what a kiss was; he understood this, and he let himself melt into the sensation. Alex knew exactly what he was doing with his tongue, even as drunk as he was, and it felt almost like a massage. The sensation, the pleasure, grounded Xac almost as much as pain did, and he found it easier not to think.


    He pulled back to breath, sat back up and said, ¡°Ok, I¡¯m gonna go real slow.  You tell me if it hurts, ok?¡±


    ¡°You ain¡¯t gonna hurt me,¡± Alex rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Alright, now what you wanna do,¡± Agalon dictated, and Xaxac tried to follow his instructions, ¡°Is get him real relaxed.  One finger at a time, don¡¯t try to open him up yet, just get him to relax.¡±


    ¡°He seems pretty relaxed,¡± Xaxac said, because he was, holistically, but also the particular muscles he was pushing past, which stretched easily to accommodate him, because Alex knew what he was doing.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Alex said, ¡°He¡¯s doin great.  Got it in one. Xac, honey, push up for me, try an hit-¡±


    ¡°I know what a prostate is,¡± Xaxac said, more than a little annoyed that everyone was treating him like an idiot, ¡°I like that word.  It sounds smart.¡±


    ¡°If you say so,¡± Alex giggled, ¡°But you don¡¯t seem to know what it is because you ain¡¯t- nope,¡± he tensed, arched and Xac giggled as he pressed the bundle he had found, ¡°Nope, you got it, you got it, don¡¯t do that don¡¯t fuckin just¡­¡±  he seemed to forget how language worked as a series of syllables used as stand-ins for ideas and insead fell back on animalistic hissing noises that Xaxac rather enjoyed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just press,¡± Agalon told him, ¡°massage.  Play with him.¡±


    ¡°This ain¡¯t really gonna help if you wanna breed him,¡± Ky laughed, and Xaxac glanced up at him to see that he had lai out on the couch and taken off the belt he usually wore around his waist and apparently discarded it on the floor.  His tunic lay pulled up a little as he rested one hand between his legs. That was interesting.


    ¡°I mean it¡¯s not¡­  not helping,¡± Agalon laughed.


    Xaxac followed his advice and Alex shot his hands out in either direction to grab at the rug; his hissing turned to humming.


    ¡°Add another finger, real slow,¡± Agalon told Xaxac, and he obeyed, ¡°and keep playin with him.  He likes it.¡±


    ¡°He loves that shit,¡± Ky added, ¡°he¡¯d stay full, if he could.  That¡¯s why he thinks he don¡¯t need to prep. He says he feels ¡®empty¡¯.  Ain¡¯t that cute?¡±


    ¡°I know what you mean,¡± Xac whispered, but he wasn¡¯t entirely sure Alex heard him.  Alex was the kind of drunk Xac wished he was himself. It didn¡¯t seem fair.


    ¡°Does he seem like he¡¯s loosened up?¡± Agalon asked, ¡°Seem pretty relaxed?¡±


    ¡°He actually seems tighter,¡± Xac said, in confusion, ¡°But¡­  Alex, you¡¯re doin that on purpose. Quit. Don¡¯t tense-¡±


    Wait.  Agalon had said that same thing to him the first time he had done this.  He had sounded annoyed and Xaxac hadn¡¯t understood why, but now it made perfect sense.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tense up,¡± Xac said, much more kindly, ¡°I know it¡¯s hard but um¡­  here, I¡¯ll quit pokin ya and you relax, ok.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Alex asked, slurring his words, and Xaxac hated how sober he was.  It felt weird to be so sober while Alex was so drunk. But Agalon had promised him a drink afterwards.  And he knew it felt good to get fucked while you were drunk, so¡­ Alex didn¡¯t have that darkness over him.  This was going to be fun for him. Xac wanted this to be fun for him.


    ¡°You gotta quit tensin up,¡± Xac told him, ¡°I¡¯m gonna try to fuck you and I don¡¯t know how and I don¡¯t wanna hurt you.¡±


    ¡°Goddamn it, Xac, it ain¡¯t brain surgery, quit actin like you can mess it up and just fuck me!¡± Alex snapped.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m bein yelled at,¡± Xaxac pouted.


    ¡°Alex!¡± Ky snapped, ¡°Lay down and hush.  You¡¯re drunk and you¡¯re scarin him. You know how goddamn skittish he is.  Y¡¯all shouldn¡¯t ¡®a got shitfaced. Nobody told you to do that.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, you¡¯re right,¡± Alex said, ¡°Sorry Xac.  I been told I¡¯m needy. But goddamn. It ain¡¯t an ordeal.  You¡¯re actin so weird and you need to stop.¡±


    ¡°Alex!¡± Ky snapped.


    ¡°I¡¯m down, I¡¯m layin down,¡± Alex said, ¡°Sorry Xac.  Sorry. I know you¡¯re learnin. I¡¯m drunk. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok,¡± Xaxac said, though being yelled at about how poorly he was doing did nothing to help the negativity that hung over him.


    ¡°You alright, Honey Bunny?¡± Agalon asked, and Xaxac would not cry.  He took a deep breath, willed the tears out of his eyes, and when he turned to answer Agalon, he saw Lee standing behind him, and remembered what he had taught him.


    Xaxac smiled and nodded.


    ¡°Alright then,¡± Agalon smiled sweetly, ¡°lube your dick up and do the same thing.  Go real slow. Try and hit his prostate, but it¡¯ll take a minute to get used to it.  Just go real slow and get all the way inside at first.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°If he tenses up, just quit for a minute and let him relax,¡± Ky said, ¡°they do that.¡±


    But Alex didn¡¯t tense.  He leaned back so far the pillow was under his neck, rather than his head, and opened himself up so completely he somehow contorted himself until he was nearly folded in half.  Xaxac, as soon as he was in far enough not to need his hands, leaned forward and braced himself with his hands on either side of Alex¡¯s head, the way Agalon did to him.


    The sensation was amazing.


    It felt so much better than it did when Agalon jacked him off.


    It was all heat and slickness and a living, moving person, surrounding him on all sides, pressing in on him with the beat of Alex¡¯s heart.  He could feel the blood in his veins, feel the movement of his body, the sheer aliveness of him, and it was overpowering, almost orgasmic.


    He was pretty sure he wasn¡¯t supposed to cum instantly, so he stilled as the panic overtook him.


    ¡°Oh god,¡± he explained, ¡°it feels too good.  Aggie? Aggie I¡¯m gonna cum, I can¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°Yeah you can, Honey Bunny, just take a second to calm down,¡± Agalon said in his most soothing voice, ¡°I believe in you.¡±


    ¡°Fuck¡¯s sake, Xac, it¡¯s been like eight seconds,¡± Alex said, ¡°Have some consideration.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Xac said, and he couldn¡¯t hold back the tears, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with me.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Alex asked, staring up at him in genuine concern.  All at once it seemed as if some sort of light flickered in his drunken stupor and awakened his buried empathy.  ¡°Aw, hell¡­ I did this. Xac, Xac, honey, don¡¯t cry. Don¡¯t cry, it¡¯s your first time, it¡¯s alright. I know I¡¯m amazin but that ain¡¯t what this is.  You just gotta get used to it. Breath. Relax. Ain¡¯t no reason to cry. You ain¡¯t doin a bad job. I¡¯m sorry I hollered at you, ok?¡±


    He wrapped his arms around his neck and his legs around his waist and squirmed, humming.


    ¡°You¡¯re doin real good for a first time,¡± he said and gently kissed away the tears leaking down his cheek, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t ¡®a rushed ya.  Just take your time, ok, darlin? I¡¯ll be here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Xac said again, and leaned down to whisper in his ear, ¡°It¡¯s back that¡­  that heavy thing I told you about.¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t no reason to have that,¡± Alex said, ¡°we¡¯re friends.  We¡¯re just havin fun. You¡¯re doin fine. When you feel like you wanna move, move.  I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll be here all night.¡±


    ¡°That feels ok?¡± Xac asked after he dried his eyes on his forearm.


    Alex made an affirmative humming noise and laid his head back on the pillow.


    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± he said, ¡°Doin good.  Tryin real hard not to squeeze around ya.  Just move, whenever you¡¯re ready.¡±


    The crying had done enough to push down the arousal that he thought he probably was ready, but he looked over his shoulder at Agalon for further instruction, to learn what to do.


    ¡°What is it, Honey Bunny?¡± Agalon asked sympathetically, ¡°You alright?¡±


    ¡°What do I do now?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Fuck him,¡± Agalon said, not unkindly, as if he was doing his best not to make Xaxac feel stupid, ¡°Slowly.  Don¡¯t pull out a whole whole lot, just rock, real gentle, ¡®til you get a feel for it.¡±


    ¡°Been a while since I got a slow, lazy fuck,¡± Alex said contentedly.


    ¡°I ain¡¯t tryin to be lazy,¡± Xac promised, sounding much more desperate than he felt as he tried to obey Agalon, moving exactly as he had been told.


    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t an insult, honey,¡± Alex said, ¡°I like it.  It¡¯s sweet. Like you. Do try to angle up just a little bit though- yup, like that,¡± he stopped speaking to hum, almost as if he had to, then continued, ¡°yeah, just get a rhythm goin like that.  Hit me every time, fuck me deeper than that, pull out a little bit more, yeah, you got it.¡± He leaned up to kiss Xac¡¯s neck, ¡°yeah, you got it, mmmm, just like that darlin, that spot right there, god I hope you got stamina- I mean, I hope-¡±


    Xaxac was realizing that the act of fucking like this was a surprizingly good workout.  He could feel the muscles in his abs and thighs as if he had been working. Was that why Agalon stayed in such good shape?  Xac never saw him exercise. Was this exercise? It certainly seemed to be. But he did actually have fairly good stamina, though he rarely used it.  He was more often praised for his speed, which was not an asset in this situation. How long did this usually last? How long did Agalon usually fuck him?


    He hadn¡¯t realized he had sped up, and forced himself to slow down.


    ¡°What?  Don¡¯t stop!¡± Alex demanded, ¡°Do that again!  Don¡¯t stop!¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯ll cum,¡± Xaxac implored.


    ¡°Yeah, me too, dumbass, that¡¯s the point!¡± Alex said in the same needy voice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t yell at me!¡± Xaxac whined, and thought this would have, perhaps, gone better had Alex not been drunk, and that he should, perhaps, not envy him after all.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but just fuck me,¡± Alex stared up, into his eyes, ¡°Please, Xac?  I ain¡¯t gonna break. Just go as hard and as fast as you can until you cum inside me.¡±


    Xac really, really wanted to do that.


    He reached between them with the hand he had used to stretch Alex open, the one that was still slippery, and wrapped it around Alex¡¯s dick, then braced himself on the other arm and obeyed him.

 Chapter 52

    ¡°Say goodnight, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon said as he helped Xaxac to his feet.


    ¡°Are we ok?¡± Xac asked Alex, ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sticky¡­¡±  Alex giggled, ¡°So yeah, honey, I¡¯m good.¡±


    ¡°God, you are¡­¡± Ky said, ¡°all over your stomach¡­  are their towels anywhere, Kai?¡±


    ¡°In the water closet,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Sweet dreams.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight,¡± Xac waved to Alex, who was struggling to sit up and still very drunk, and who did not wave back.


    Xaxac felt weird.  He had felt weird the last time they had sex.  It was a sort of emotion that he couldn¡¯t place; it didn¡¯t even exactly feel bad, just strange, and the confusion, more than anything, put him off, so he leaned into Agalon as he opened the door to their sitting room.


    ¡°Can I have another drink?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Sure, darlin,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I¡¯ll pour it.  Go wash your hands in the basin.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Aggie,¡± Xac smiled up at him and went to do as he was told.  As he rinsed his hands he heard Agalon speak from the sitting room.


    ¡°Perfect, just throw um on the couch,¡± he said to whoever had entered the room.


    ¡°Yes master,¡± Lee said.


    ¡°And I reckon that¡¯ll be all,¡± Agalon continued, ¡°Go on to bed.¡±


    ¡°Yes, master,¡± Lee said, then there was the sound of the door clicking shut.


    Xaxac realized he was naked and it was a good thing, because his first instinct had been to wipe his hands on his pants, which couldn¡¯t possibly be good for them.  Instead, he picked up the washrag that often sat on the basin to dry his hands, then wet it a little and used it to clean his dick, and anything else he thought may be dirty, as best as he could.  He wanted to take a bath.


    ¡°You alright in there, Honey Bunny?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Xac said, ¡°I don¡¯t even feel drunk anymore, at all.¡±


    He threw the rag back onto the basin and sighed.  He glanced at the vanity and took in the man in the mirror.  He looked even worse; his face was even thinner, he had sweated off his makeup and so it looked like the facade it was.  He knew for a fact he hadn¡¯t always looked the way he looked now, but he didn¡¯t know what the difference was, so he took a step closer and stared harder.


    His sclera was tinted with red that looked like riverbeds drawn on a map and his naked body seemed to twitch, not like shivering, but as if it was being jerked by some unseen hand.


    This wasn¡¯t what he was supposed to look like, but why?


    He was cute.  He had his big eyes, his buck teeth, his lyth body; he was a little taller but he was still tiny, he was still a pet.


    He opened his mouth and put a finger inside to stretch it open.


    His tooth was back.  It was as if it had never been knocked out at all.


    If there was something wrong with him, he would heal from it.  Because he was a shifter, and shifters healed.


    He didn¡¯t know what was wrong, what was different, so he pried his eyes from the mirror and braced himself with both hands on the dressing table.


    ¡°Honey Bunny?¡± Agalon asked and Xaxac jerked his head to see him standing in the doorway, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Xaxac smiled, but he was afraid it didn¡¯t reach his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m shakin,¡± Xac said, ¡°I don¡¯t¡­  know what¡¯s wrong with me.¡±


    ¡°DTs, maybe?¡± Agalon suggested, ¡°If that¡¯s it you¡¯ll feel better after you drink this.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Aggie,¡± Xac shoved himself off the desk with every intention of taking the glass he had been offered, but instead he wrapped his arms around Agalon and buried his face in his chest.


    ¡°I think tomorrow,¡± Agalon said as he ran a hand through Xaxac¡¯s hair, ¡°You should have a bath, and then wear one of your new outfits.¡±


    ¡°Aggie,¡± Xac said, ¡°I¡¯m gonna shift.  I¡¯m gonna shift and there¡¯s gonna be people here.  There ain¡¯t enough time for um to get home¡­ it¡¯s¡­ the moons are gonna be full.  I¡¯m scared.¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Agalon put one arm around Xac and led them towards the bed, then gently sat the glass on the nightstand.


    ¡°You¡¯re overwhelmed,¡± he said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Xac agreed, ¡°I don¡¯t¡­  I don¡¯t like bein like this, Aggie, I can¡¯t¡­  I can¡¯t take much. I ought not be like this. I can¡¯t be so nervous all the time.  I need help. I need you to help me. Please! I¡¯m scared and I can¡¯t¡­ function. Help me!¡±


    ¡°I will, darlin, lay down,¡± Agalon said soothingly, ¡°Everythin¡¯s gonna be alright.  Let me go close the door.¡±


    Xaxac crawled under the covers, hating himself, hating his curse, hating his weakness, hating how bad he had been at sex and how Alex was probably going to be mad at him.  He was very, very close to breaking down in front of Agalon. He balled the blankets up around himself and curled up as tightly as he could with every nerve on edge and listened to Agalon slide the door shut, then make his way around the bed.  He listened to the rustling of fabric as it hit the floor, as Agalon discarded it, and tried his best not to whimper.


    ¡°Darlin,¡± Agalon said as he undid the cocoon Xaxac had wrapped himself in and pulled him flush to his bare flesh, ¡°Everythin is gonna be alright.  You understand that, don¡¯t you? I believe in you. You¡¯ve always tried so hard to be good.¡±


    Xaxac turned to snuggle into him, leaning into the touch, to the safety of those strong arms around him.


    ¡°I¡¯m just so scared all the time,¡± he said, ¡°I don¡¯t wanna be like this.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­  actually a big part of why I think this is a good idea,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Darlin, we need to talk.  Can you look at me?¡±


    Xaxac scooted back enough to allow Agalon to sit up, but he didn¡¯t want to let go of him, to lose the embrace, so he sat on his lap so he could stay in his arms.  He could look up at his face from that position. It should be good enough, shouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon said, ¡°You ain¡¯t got no reason to be scared of yourself.¡±  He smiled down at Xac, held him with such comfort, and spoke so gently, ¡°I want to prove it to you.  There ain¡¯t nothin wrong with you. You¡¯re a good boy. You¡¯re a good bunny. I seen it, and it¡¯s still you.  You ain¡¯t a monster; you¡¯re in there, in them big brown eyes. You just get real scared on account of you think you¡¯re a monster, but you ain¡¯t.  Do you trust me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, of course,¡± Xac said, ¡°You take real good care of me.  And I love you.¡±


    ¡°I love you too, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon said, ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m doin this.  I¡¯ve invited some real close friends, real small group, and they¡¯re gonna watch you shift.  Everythin is gonna be real safe. We¡¯ll take you outside, where we keep the fighters, that big open space, so even if you was to somehow get out of your chains, you couldn¡¯t possibly hurt nobody.  You¡¯d be behind a wall. And when that sun rises, and you see that everybody is still there, safe and sound, that you¡¯re just a cute little bunny, not a big scary monster, you¡¯re gonna realize that you¡¯ve always had the wrong idea about yourself.  There ain¡¯t nothin wrong with you, darlin. There never was. You¡¯ve always been my perfect little bunny, you just can¡¯t see it.¡±


    ¡°I bit you,¡± Xaxac said, and could not stop the tears that had been threatening to fall through the entire conversation, ¡°I hurt you!  I am a monster!¡±


    ¡°No, you ain¡¯t,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Xaxac, honey, look at me.¡±  He held his face in both hands to force Xaxac to look into his eyes, ¡°I love you, Honey Bunny, not in spite of what you are, but because of what you are.  There ain¡¯t a damn thing wrong with you, and we¡¯re gonna prove it to everybody. You¡¯re gonna show everybody that shifters ain¡¯t some kind of monster, cursed by Thesis.  You¡¯re gonna show um that there ain¡¯t no devilry in you. You¡¯re gonna show um that shifters are just another kind of human, and y¡¯all deserve to be treated like humans. Don¡¯t you wanna do that?¡±


    ¡°But what if I hurt somebody?¡± Xac asked, softly, leaning into the touch.


    ¡°You ain¡¯t gonna hurt nobody,¡± Agalon promised, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it.  How about this, how about I promise you that if the worst thing you can imagine happens, and you try and attack somebody, I¡¯ll paralyze you?  You know I can do it. You know I¡¯m a powerful mage. Would you feel better?¡±


    Xaxac thought of how Agalon had put Billy on the ground, someone much bigger and stronger than him.  Billy was easily twice as wide as he was, and a head taller. Agalon didn¡¯t break a sweat. He could easily subdue one scared little rabbit.


    Xac could not remember shifting.  He didn¡¯t know that he was misjudging his size.


    ¡°That¡­  that sounds real nice,¡± he said, ¡°I¡­  I would feel better if¡­ If I knew I could trust myself.  If I knew I wouldn¡¯t hurt nobody. I feel¡­ I feel like I can do more, with you watchin me.  I¡¯m glad I got you to watch me¡­ I was thinkin, before¡­ that¡­ me and Alex both¡­ I¡¯m just glad I got you watchin me.  It¡¯s¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ think. If I didn¡¯t have you I could hurt myself. When we have sex, I mean, I¡­ I¡¯ve asked for stupid shit before.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to take care of you, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon smiled and pulled Xac into a kiss.  Once he had his hands down his back, once Xaxac was back in an embrace, he felt much better, and his worries felt far away and stupid.  Even once they pulled apart, Xaxac refused to move, and buried himself as close as he could, snuggling his head onto his shoulder.


    ¡°Did I do ok?¡± He asked quietly, ¡°With Alex?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that was real good for a first try,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I shoulda told you you wouldn¡¯t last long the first time.  Nobody does. You gotta practice for that.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t like it,¡± Xac said, ¡°He yelled at me.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll get over it,¡± Agalon said dismissively, ¡°He was bein a little prick about it, wouldn¡¯t he?  I¡¯ll talk to Ky about it tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°That ain¡¯t what I meant,¡± Xac implored, ¡°Please!  Don¡¯t get him in trouble! I just want to be good at it.  I want him to have fun!¡±


    ¡°He did have fun,¡± Agalon promised, ¡°he came all over himself.¡±


    He giggled, and Xac wanted to giggle with him, but he had forgotten how.


    ¡°Do you think he likes me?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Of course he likes you!¡± Agalon said as if he was being foolish, ¡°Everybody likes you, Honey Bunny.¡±


    Xaxac wasn¡¯t so sure.


    ¡°Aggie I know we just fucked before dinner but¡­  can you-¡±


    ¡°Damn, Honey Bunny it¡¯s been five minutes since Alex,¡± Agalon laughed, ¡°Like rabbits.  But that was a damn good show, yeah, whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°I wanna feel you on top of me,¡± Xac said, squeezing him even harder, ¡°It makes me feel safe.  I ain¡¯t scared at all like that. I don¡¯t know why but¡­ I like it.¡±


    ¡°Well, you get yourself situated darlin,¡± Agalon kissed his cheek and slid him off his lap, ¡°However you want.¡±

 Chapter 53

    Xaxac stared down at the cup he was holding.  It sparkled in the scant moonlight that broke through the continuous cloud cover, reflecting the snow that fell around him.  He was freezing, but there wasn¡¯t really anything to be done about it. Everyone had been freezing since the heat dissipated after the moon fell.  He was fairly sure that almost everyone was dead. Almost all the animals were dead; all the plants were buried under the new snow. The clouds never parted anymore.


    It was a dark planet lit by no sun.


    ¡°Quizzy, come on!¡± She shouted, so he turned to try to find her in the snow that still fell.  The rain had turned to snow, but it had never stopped.


    Hadn¡¯t he been holding something?


    He pulled the deerskin tighter around his form and wished it was warmer, but there was nothing to be done for it.  Deer were so hard to find anymore. Where did they all go? Where did everything go?


    He took off at a sprint toward the group.


    ¡°Did you find anything?¡± She asked.


    He shook his head.  ¡°There isn¡¯t anything.  I don¡¯t understand¡­ where did they all go?¡±


    ¡°Where does the snow come from?¡± The other man asked, ¡°Don¡¯t ask stupid questions.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a stupid question!¡± Quizzy snapped, ¡°I¡¯m starving!  The plants are gone! If we don¡¯t find the herds we¡¯re dead! Don¡¯t you understand that?  Everything around us is dying!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t track them,¡± the woman said, ¡°I can track anything.  But I can¡¯t track them. What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re dead!¡± The other man said, shivering in his skins, ¡°They¡¯re dead.  Everything¡¯s dead! Quizzy¡¯s right, we¡¯re all going to die!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to die tonight,¡± the woman- her name was Ahnah, he had known her forever- declared, ¡°And neither are any of you.  We¡¯ll find something.¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t found anything for days!¡± their companion argued.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to die tonight!¡± She snapped.


    ¡°I can¡¯t keep running,¡± Quizzy said, leaning heavily on his knees, ¡°It¡¯s too cold.  I¡¯m too tired. I can¡¯t keep it up. The dragons are slow as hell. If we could find one it¡¯d keep in the snow¡­  we could eat for a month. Where the hell did they go?¡±


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t so blinding,¡± Ahnah said, ¡°If it would just stop snowing for one day¡­¡±


    ¡°Look,¡± the man, Kifat, pointed and the others squinted, shielding their eyes to see what he was pointing at, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    A dark shape staggered toward them, though it did not seem to know they were there.  It appeared, at first, to be a shapeless mass of black against all the white, but as it approached it took the form of a person, but no person they had ever seen.  He was impossibly tall and thin, dressed all in black, a manner of dress which they had never seen. The material was light enough to move in the wind, but he kept it wrapped around him as if he thought it would do any good.


    Then he saw them, and he broke into a sprint.


    His face was the color of a corpse left out too long, his long black hair whipped in the wind, long ears stretched out from under his billowing hair, and the area around his mouth was caked in red, as if it had been covered in blood and he had tried to wipe it away, but been unsuccessful.  But the most unsettling thing of all was his eyes. There was no color there, no white to them, only an all-encompassing blackness, like the void between the stars.


    This thing was not human.


    This thing was not supposed to be there, and it knew it.


    It moved in a clumsy sprint, speeding toward them, a dark blob on the world of white.


    Then, this otherworldly, inhuman monster began to shriek.


    At first there were no words there, not that they understood, though it held the tone and cadence of language, but as it approached them, something glistened in those dark eyes, and they understood.


    ¡°Help!¡± The monster screamed, ¡°Help!  She¡¯s dead! It didn¡¯t work! Get down!  He¡¯ll see you!¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    When he was upon them, it was obvious how big he was; he towered over them.


    What was this monster afraid of?


    ¡°Xaxac!¡±


    He turned, and saw the beautiful elf with the blue skin and the hair almost the same shade as the snow, standing just a few feet away.


    Everyone else was gone.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Xaxac asked, because it seemed the most important thing to understand, all things considered.


    ¡°Lapus,¡± the beautiful man said.  ¡°Xaxac, I¡¯m waiting for you. Please, find me.  I¡¯ll give you everything you ever wanted.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Xaxac asked, and looked down at the cup in his hand, cold to the touch and inset with crystals.


    ¡°Because you deserve it,¡± Lapus said, took him by the shoulders, and kissed him so deeply it knocked the air from his lungs.


    ¡°Get up, lazybones,¡±


    Xaxac startled awake and stared up at Alex in confusion.  How did he get in here? Why was he smiling down at him like that?


    It took him a few seconds to orient himself, so he sat up and rubbed his eyes.


    ¡°Get up,¡± Alex repeated, ¡°I wanna take a bath and your butler ain¡¯t gonna take me without you.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Xac said with his voice full of sleep, ¡°I had a real¡­  real intense dream. I get like that sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I hear that,¡± Alex said as he stood and stretched his arms above his head, then smiled when he saw that Xaxac had propped up the picture he had drawn for him on the nightstand, ¡°Aaaw, that¡¯s sweet, darlin.  Glad ya liked it.¡±


    Xaxac followed his eyeline.


    The creature from his dream was the demon in the painting.  Oh. Right. That made sense. He had displayed nightmare fuel, so he couldn¡¯t be shocked that he was having nightmares.  But he did like it. Alex had made it for him, and he thought they were friends. He thought that when he got his wardrobe he might be able to hang it up properly, on the door or something; he kept meaning to ask Agalon about it, but kept forgetting.


    ¡°Yeah I like it,¡± Xac said, ¡°I mean¡­  you made it for me. I like you. I¡¯m makin you somethin too.  Are we gonna¡­ breakfast? Or not?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat in the water,¡± Alex said as if that decided the matter, ¡°I hate travelin; I gotta get the road stink offa me.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± Xac said, because he didn¡¯t feel like arguing, ¡°Lemme¡­  get my clothes on. And shave.¡±


    ¡°Oh my god,¡± Alex said in exasperation, ¡°How long is that gonna take?¡±


    ¡°I gotta shave, Alex,¡± Xac said, almost in disbelief.  Surely Alex knew how important it was to keep up his youthful appearance, ¡°I gotta get Lee.¡±


    ¡°I know, I just feel bitchy this mornin,¡± Alex threw himself onto Xaxac¡¯s bed as Xac picked his clothes up from where he found them on the chair by the dressing table and began to put them on, ¡°I have a hangover.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Xac said quietly and with great meaning, ¡°Are you uh¡­  are you mad at me?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯d you do?¡± Alex asked, propping himself up on his elbows to look at him.


    ¡°For last night,¡± Xac explained, ¡°Are you mad at me?  You¡­ hollered at me a lot and I¡­ know I didn¡¯t¡­ I didn¡¯t do¡­  great.¡±


    ¡°You make me tired,¡± Alex huffed, ¡°I ain¡¯t gonna stroke your ego.  I like you, Xac, I like havin sex with you, but I¡¯m not gonna sit here and-¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± Xaxac said, trying his best not to cry, ¡°You don¡¯t have to.  I just¡­ thought you might be mad at me. I wouldn¡¯t tryin to get you to¡­  I don¡¯t know what an ego is.¡±


    ¡°Oh, lord,¡± Alex sat up and watched Xaxac sniffle as he buttoned up his shirt, ¡°This ain¡¯t even about me.¡±


    ¡°I guess not,¡± Xac said, ¡°It¡¯s about me.  I feel weird all the goddamn time! I don¡¯t wanna feel like this.  I can¡¯t keep feelin like this. Nobody could. It¡¯s gonna drive me crazy.  I want it to go away. It goes away when I drink. Why the hell can¡¯t I just lay drunk?  Who would that hurt?¡±


    ¡°Calm down,¡± Alex stood, walked over, and took the fabric from Xac¡¯s shaking hands to button his shirt for him.  ¡°Calm down, ok? I get it. It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s ok. I swear. I ain¡¯t mad at you. We gotta stick together, alright?  I got you.¡± He smoothed out the fabric and continued, ¡°Sorry I hollered at you. I¡¯m a needy, slutty drunk. You gonna hold that against me?  I¡¯d lay drunk too, if I could.¡±


    ¡°I just wanna be good at it,¡± Xac said, looking down at Alex¡¯s hands, ¡°An¡¯ I¡­  I¡¯m¡­¡±


    ¡°Alone?¡± Alex asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°You got friends, Xac,¡± Alex promised him, ¡°We¡¯re friends.  I like you. That¡¯s why you gotta get your shit together. You can¡¯t let um wear you down.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Anybody,¡± Alex said, ¡°Listen, kid, only the smart, pretty, and strong survive in our position, you understand that?  I been dancin around it, but you need to hear it. You can¡¯t keep breakin down like this or it¡¯s gonna kill you. Stop it.  Get your shit together. Keep your shit together. Whatever he wants from you, just fuckin figure it out. I ain¡¯t losin another one.  I done went and got attached to you.¡±


    Xac smiled, despite himself.


    ¡°While you¡¯re shavin I¡¯m gonna get the lube,¡± Alex told him, ¡°Go get your butler, and if you¡¯re that worried about how you fuck, we can sure as hell practice again down in the bath.  Wouldn¡¯t hurt my feelins nary bit.¡±


    Xaxac giggled, and Alex giggled with him, and he didn¡¯t try to fight at all when Xac leaned up to kiss him.

 Chapter 54

    Xaxac sat on the edge of the tub sipping his coffee and watching Alex sink into the bath up to his shoulders.


    ¡°All my bad dreams are about water,¡± Xaxac said.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Alex asked, ¡°Maybe you drowned in a past life.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a past life?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°On the water continent,¡± Alex explained as he reached over the tile for one of the many bottles laid out there, ¡°They say that souls can be reborn.  That sometimes people live more than once.¡±


    ¡°Do I have a soul?¡± Xac asked, ¡°Do humans have souls?  I mean like¡­ do animals have souls?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Alex said as if it was obvious, ¡°Everythin that lives has a soul.¡±


    He disappeared underwater to wet his hair, and Xac watched him, thinking about the snow falling around him, the ocean heating up with the chunks of the moon as they fell, and Agalon¡¯s arms holding him down while his lungs burned.


    Maybe he did drown, once.


    But he wasn¡¯t scared of water.


    None of that had killed him.


    Nothing had killed him, so far.


    ¡°Did Ky go out with Aggie?¡± Xaxac asked as Alex reemerged and worked the goo from the bottle into his hair.


    ¡°They went to go look at his fighters,¡± Alex explained, ¡°I half thought they¡¯d take you with um.  Thought he usually did that.¡±


    ¡°Thesis¡¯s glowing eyes, nobody tells me anything in this goddamn place!¡± Lorsan snarled, and Xaxac¡¯s face shot in the direction of the sound, just in time to see Lorsan, wearing a robe and carrying a towel, turn on his heel and make his way right back out the door.


    ¡°Lorry, wait!¡± Xac implored, but it was too late, he was gone.


    ¡°Ew, why?¡± Alex asked, ¡°Let¡¯s take all the time we can away from him.  Ky says that kid¡¯s trouble.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he is,¡± Xac shrugged and finally slid into the water himself.


    ¡°Ky¡¯s kid is grown,¡± Alex said as if it was a great relief, ¡°I barely ever see her.  She got married or something, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Aggie wants Lorry to get married,¡± Xac said, ¡°But he doesn¡¯t want anybody to have to put up with him.¡±  He paused, in thought, then added, ¡°When I was little, I kinda thought I might get married. Just¡­ on account of it seemed like what everybody did.¡±


    ¡°You were a field slave before, right?¡± Alex asked, ¡°They all get married.  Make more little slaves to tend the fields. Over and over again. I¡¯d rather die.  I guess I will die, instead, eventually.¡±


    He slid back under the water, and Xac admired him.  He knew he should think that way too, and wished he could.  Alex had to have had a family, at some point. But he didn¡¯t mope; he didn¡¯t even really seem to think about them.


    Xaxac looked to the door and thought about how on the other side of the hall he could go through another door and into the dining room, then through another and into the storage room, and then into another and he would see his mother, see his sister.  He thought that Alice was getting married, maybe had already gotten married. He thought that he was supposed to be an uncle, but he wouldn¡¯t be, not really.


    Four doors.


    The house was made of doors.


    Alex came up and the water stopped moving from his swishing.  He moved back to the edge, picked up another bottle and worked it through his hair.


    He didn¡¯t look that different at all, really, without his makeup.  He had good bones, and he had said that was important. But he was older without it, in a way that may not have been noticeable had Xac not been looking for it, but his face was structured like an adult.  Alex wasn¡¯t ¡®damn near grown¡¯, he was ¡®grown¡¯. And there was a difference. Xaxac thought that if he didn¡¯t shave every day, he would probably have a beard as thick and curly as his hair. He thought it might look good on him; but it wouldn¡¯t be cute.


    ¡°I ain¡¯t cut my hair in two months,¡± Xac said as he pulled a strand out to it¡¯s full length.  His didn¡¯t curl the way Alex¡¯s did, but it was much poofier, and without styling it, as he always did in the morning, it stuck out from his head in all directions.  It would completely deflate in the water.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ¡°I ain¡¯t cut my hair in like¡­  two or three years?¡± Alex said, ¡°I mean I cut it, cut the dead out, but I don¡¯t cut it cut it, you know?¡±


    This was a safe conversation.


    This is what he had meant.


    ¡°Do you know what a corset is?¡± Xaxac asked, ¡°That¡¯s the only thing I know for sure I got.  That lady, Ms Sakala, she asked if he was sure he wanted a corset and he told her ¡®yeah¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Oh, honey, that¡¯ll look gorgeous,¡± Alex said as he soaped up a rag and began to wash himself, ¡°But damn, that¡¯s as hard to get off as the houseslave getup.  That¡¯s what the kids are wearin, the elven kids. Makes you have that silhouette, makes your shoulders look bigger with that itty bitty waist.¡±


    ¡°I think I seen that,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°In the store window.¡±


    This was a safe conversation.


    He couldn¡¯t tell Alex that his family waited for him behind four doors.  They weren¡¯t supposed to talk about that. He needed to stop looking at the door; he needed to start thinking about all the pretty things that were waiting for him upstairs after he washed himself off.  He needed to think about how cute Alex was, glistening with the bathwater that ran down his body in streams, covered in the suds of the soap he was using, smelling like the roses on all the different bottles.


    ¡°So, um,¡± Xac said, after he had successfully thought of all the things he was supposed to, ¡°Are we uh¡­  you said we could¡­ practice again.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Alex giggled, ¡°I sure as hell did say that.  I went outta order. Now I¡¯m gonna have to wash off again.¡±


    He dunked himself to rinse, and when he came up he threw his head back, letting his wet hair move in an arch over his head and down his back.  It was beautiful.


    He turned and smiled at Xac with the look in his eyes that Agalon sometimes got, and slowly made his way closer, until his wet, warm body pressed Xac against the tile wall of the tub.  He braced himself with his arms on either side of Xac¡¯s shoulders and slid into his lap, then kissed him, softly, first on the cheek, then the neck, where he snuggled closer, and Xaxac loved how heavy he felt, loved the closeness he brought with him, the sweet, gentle attention.  So he took his face in both hands and cradled it, held him there to press a soft, needy kiss to his lips.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get outta the tub though,¡± Alex whispered as if they were involved in some sort of playful conspiracy, ¡°The water fucks up the lube.¡±


    Xaxac nodded.


    Xaxac was learning that sex made everything better.  It was much, much easier not to think about all the things he wasn¡¯t supposed to think about once they got started.  The new position Alex wanted to try was also much easier to work with; he had spread a towel out on the tile and taken to his hands and knees, which was significantly easier to maneuver himself with, to work with.  Easier for both of them.


    It was one of those things that was easier the second time.  And this time, Alex was as sober as he was, and much more amicable, more willing to give instructions and work with him.  Xaxac didn¡¯t feel as if he was providing a service, he felt as if they were friends doing something fun together, and it was a much better feeling.  That dark cloud never tried to manifest, and he was overly aware of its absence.


    ¡°Harder!¡± Alex told him, with great enthusiasm, ¡°Come on, ain¡¯t rabbits supposed to be fast?¡±


    ¡°If I do that, I ain¡¯t¡­  it¡¯s gonna be over pretty damn quick,¡± Xac laughed, ¡°Is it a race now?  Is that what we¡¯re doin?¡±


    ¡°Well if we¡¯re takin all goddamn day,¡± Alex giggled, ¡°lube up again and jack me off.  You know you¡¯re washin me down after this, right? I done went through this whole thing-¡± he cut himself off to gasp, lost his balance, and fell from his hands to his elbows, and Xac smirked.  He was figuring out what he was doing, and he did it again to see the reaction.


    ¡°Right there?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah you got it,¡± Alex said with more breath than words, ¡°Yeah fine, whatever pace you want, you got it figured out.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Xac said, knowing he was getting cocky without particularly caring, ¡°did you know shifters heal?  That we bounce back real quick? I bet I could actually cum and then just like¡­ stay in here a minute and then go again.¡±


    ¡°That don¡¯t¡­  I don¡¯t think that follows¡­¡± Alex said, ¡°But full disclosure I didn¡¯t really¡­  like¡­ my brain didn¡¯t get a real good fix on what you said, just keep doin that.¡±


    ¡°It tracks,¡± Xac said, leaning over him to reach for the bottle, ¡°I know what I¡¯m about.¡±


    ¡°You young bucks think you know everything,¡± Alex laughed, and Xac laughed with him, because it wasn¡¯t true in the slightest, and neither of them believed it, but it was one of those things that people said, and the untruthfulness of it made it hilarious.


    Xac couldn¡¯t keep up the pace he had set and work the bottle at the same time; he wasn¡¯t coordinated enough yet, but felt that one day he may be, and as he poured the goop into his hand he realized he had made a terrible mistake.  He looked back to the bottle to see that it had pictures of roses on it, not the text of the one he had meant to grab.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Alex said with annoyance creeping into his voice, ¡°The hell¡¯d you stop for?¡±


    ¡°On account of I¡¯m a goddamn idiot,¡± Xaxac explained.


    ¡°That ain¡¯t no reason to-¡±


    ¡°This is conditioner,¡± Xac said, ¡°I grabbed the wrong¡­  we got like five bottles layin around¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, to jack me off with?¡± Alex asked, more as if he was intrigued than as if he was angry.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, just use it then use the lube when it quits workin,¡± Alex said dismissively.


    ¡°Um¡­  that don¡¯t seem like¡­  that don¡¯t¡­ track¡­¡± Xac said, ¡°How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t argue with me,¡± Alex propped himself up on one elbow to turn and smile at him, ¡°Pick that pace back up.  I¡¯m gettin bored down here.¡±


    ¡°I mean,¡± Xac shrugged, ¡°It¡¯s your dick.¡±


    He wrapped his hand around the base of Alex¡¯s cock, and as he began to move again he muttered, ¡°Somebody really oughta be watchin us.¡±

 Chapter 55

    ¡°You would think they would give some indication of what was what,¡± Lee said to the mustached man as they stacked up all the packages that had arrived, which were said to be full of Xaxac¡¯s clothes, ¡°Ain¡¯t no way to know which is part of what outfit.¡±


    ¡°They got them squiggles on um,¡± Xaxac said from the bedroom, where he was sitting on the bed so Alex could comb out his hair.


    ¡°That ain¡¯t particularly helpful,¡± Lee said, ¡°coulda put a picture, like, ¡®thisin¡¯s a shirt, thisin¡¯s pants¡¯.  Somethin.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna have to open all of um,¡± The mustached man said, ¡°that¡¯s about all there is to it.¡±


    There came a knock at the door, so Lee went to open it.  Xaxac snarled when he heard the voice of Mrs OfAgalon, and wondered what the hell she was doing up here.  He was almost positive Agalon had told her to stay away from him, to stay out of this room.


    ¡°The Loraxinas have arrived,¡± she announced, ¡°I¡¯ve put them in the guest suite.  I just thought you would like to know.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Lee said, as if he had been expecting this, ¡°Great.  I¡¯m gonna run down and talk to Mickey, send Jimmy Ray out to tell the Master.  Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Mrs OfAgalon said, ¡°That¡¯s probably the best.  I¡¯ll tell the cook to amend her lunch plans.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a plan,¡± Lee agreed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like Mrs OfAgalon,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°And she don¡¯t seem to care much for me so we kinda¡­¡±


    ¡°I get that,¡± Alex said, ¡°I ain¡¯t never had much for her.  I don¡¯t reckon she likes us, any of us. She¡¯s jealous. Some folks is just like that.  And I can¡¯t stand how she talks. She wants to sound traveled but I bet she ain¡¯t. I bet she ain¡¯t never stepped foot outside the plantation.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes she has,¡± Xaxac said, and laughed so hard he tilted himself forward.  ¡°That¡¯s why she don¡¯t talk to me no more.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that mean?¡± Alex asked, but he did not receive an answer because Lee came into the room.


    ¡°Xaxac please don¡¯t make a giant mess,¡± Lee implored, ¡°But do get dressed.  The master may want to entertain in his sittin room once he gets back. So do me a favor and move all them boxes in here.¡±


    ¡°Ok!¡± Xac said chipperly.  He was always eager to have something to do.  ¡°Did them new people bring anybody with um? I mean, they got a pleasure slave?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s Helen,¡± Alex said, ¡°We can¡¯t talk to her.¡±


    ¡°You know Helen?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Not super good because, again, we ain¡¯t allowed to talk to her.¡± Alex said, ¡°Hold still, I¡¯m tryin to get your hair slicked down.  I think you might have enough to pull back. I know I can do pigtails.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t a little girl, so no,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°Come on, it¡¯ll be cute,¡± Alex teased.


    ¡°Alex¡­¡± Xac sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯m doin it.¡±


    ¡°Xaxac,¡± Lee said again and Xac focused all his attention on him, ¡°Get presentable.  Please? I don¡¯t know when he¡¯s comin back. We have guests. Quit messin around.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t!¡± Xac implored, ¡°Alex is!¡±


    ¡°God, Lee, you can suck all the fun out of a room, you know that?¡± Alex huffed.


    ¡°Just get it done, Xac,¡± Lee said, turned and walked from the room.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how Bobby can stand to be around that sumbitch,¡± Alex said.


    ¡°I wish y¡¯all wouldn¡¯t fight,¡± Xac sighed, ¡°You got it combed out?  I gotta get my clothes on and my makeup did. He¡¯s right, if Aggie comes back for lunch I can¡¯t look like this.¡±  He paused, tilted his head and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s Bobby?¡±


    ¡°Xac, honey, you know Bobby, you¡¯ve met him every time you¡¯ve met me,¡± Alex said as if he couldn¡¯t believe the stupidity of the question.


    ¡°Wait, is that the feller with the mustache?¡± Xaxac asked.


    ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± Alex giggled.


    ¡°Oh, I¡­  I didn¡¯t never learn his name, then it¡¯d been so long with me not knowin it I didn¡¯t wanna ask, on account of how weird that¡¯d be.¡± Xaxac explained.


    ¡°Good god,¡± Alex said, ¡°You gotta pay more attention to the world around you, boy, that¡¯s pathetic.¡±


    ¡°Help me get these boxes,¡± Xaxac said as he scooted off the bed.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ¡°I was gonna pull your hair up,¡± Alex said.


    ¡°You still can, just help me get the boxes,¡± Xaxac said from the doorway.


    He picked a stack of them up from behind the couch where Lee and Bobby had placed them and carried them back to the bedroom, humming as he went.


    ¡°Thesis above, these are heavy,¡± Alex said, ¡°What the hell¡¯d you get?  Boots, I bet. Bet it¡¯s boots.¡±


    ¡°You ain¡¯t that weak,¡± Xac said, ¡°Are you¡­  are you honestly tryin to get outta doin somethin?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Alex asked as if the thought had never occurred to him, ¡°No!  I love havin shit to do, I just got the heaviest stack. And maybe don¡¯t pick up a bunch at one time like that?  You¡¯re gonna drop um.¡±


    ¡°Ok¡­  No, I ain¡¯t,¡± Xac huffed as he passed him, ¡°And if I did would it matter?  What, am I gonna break um?¡±


    He sat the packages where the wardrobes would be, on either side of the water closet, and watched as Alex, apparently to make some sort of point, dropped the stack he was carrying heavily to the ground.


    ¡°Ok,¡± Xac rolled his eyes, then turned to the pile with a grin, ¡°Let¡¯s see what I got¡­¡±


    He picked up the first box and inspected it.  They were all nearly uniform in size, but Alex was right in his assertion that some were heavier than others.  This one seemed to be particularly light.


    He carefully untied the twine, then slowly undid the paper and set it to the side, before pulling the lid off the box.


    ¡°Oh, now see, that¡¯s what I thought,¡± Alex said, ¡°Every box is a different outfit.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think this is a whole outfit,¡± Xaxac said as he stood and put the box on the bed.  Inside was much less than he anticipated; there was only one layer of shimmering fabric, the rest was jewelry; most of the box was filled with various gold chains.


    He picked up what he thought had to be a garment and let the chains slide off of it.  He wasn¡¯t particularly sure what it was.


    ¡°That¡¯s so cute!¡± Alex said.


    ¡°You seen somethin like this before?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Oh yeah, in magazines,¡± Alex said, ¡°That¡¯s what pleasure slaves wear on the fire continent!  You¡¯re gonna look so cute!¡±


    Xaxac thought it was odd that Agalon would commission anything in the style of the fire continent, given the horrible experiences he seemed to have had there, but that wasn¡¯t really any of his business.  Instead, he shrugged and pulled the pants up.


    They tied rather than buttoning, and his first thought was that they would be much easier to get on and off, but his second thought was that it was the most comfortable thing he had ever worn.  The fabric was even lighter than his uniform, and flowed almost like a skirt. It poofed out, except for where it tied at the ankles and waist, and he spun to feel it move.


    ¡°I love it,¡± Alex giggled, and pulled the box toward himself, at the edge of the bed, to get to the contents, ¡°Oooh, once we get all this on, it¡¯ll jingle when you move.¡±


    He pulled out a belt adorned with dangling golden chains attaching gold disks together.


    ¡°That¡¯s gonna tangle all to hell,¡± Xac sighed, ¡°hold it out like that so I can pick it apart.¡±


    ¡°Yeah it ain¡¯t¡­  ain¡¯t exactly a good system,¡± Alex agreed as Xac tried to unwind the chains that had locked together during transport, ¡°But I mean, it¡¯s pretty.¡±


    ¡°Pretty and aggravating,¡± Xac huffed, ¡°just like me.¡±


    It turned out that most of the jewelry portion of the outfit, which was most of the outfit, had tangled and knotted itself, so it took them some time to work through it, and Xaxac sincerely hoped that the rest of the clothes wouldn¡¯t be so time consuming.  But as he stood, staring into the mirror letting Alex fasten the last necklace, he had to admit that it was worth it.


    He knew nothing of the fire continent, their people, or their fashion, apart from the fact that there had apparently been a war at some point, but Xac could not imagine anywhere allowing anyone who was not a pleasure slave to dress in the outfit.  It was so unlike the clothes worn by Agalon, which he had original mistaken for winter wear, that the contrast worried Xac a little. There was so little to it that even fully dressed most of his flesh was exposed.


    He remembered Alley telling him that Mrs OfAgalon had standards.  Men who worked in the house who were going to be seen wore coats, even in summertime.  Women could not show their elbows.


    His outfit didn¡¯t have a shirt, just long dangling gold chains, arm bands, and bracelets.


    The outfit was a status symbol.


    But it was beautiful, and it tinkled and jingled when he moved, and he was a pleasure slave, so he was allowed to like it.


    ¡°Cute, right?¡± He asked Alex.


    ¡°I love it,¡± Alex said, ¡°I want one.  I might get one, if Ky sees you in it.  I¡¯d love to go to the fire continent, but he says it¡¯s right boring.  They¡¯re not as big on tourism, says we¡¯d be bored to tears. There¡¯s a couple nobles, but not one for every island, not a lot of celebratin unless there¡¯s a festival.  I¡¯d just like to go to go though, you know?¡±


    ¡°Did Ky fight on the fire continent?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°No, honey, that was way too long ago,¡± Alex giggled, ¡°He ain¡¯t that old.  I mean he¡¯s old, but he¡¯s an elf. That¡¯s even¡­ for an elf that¡¯s ancient.¡±


    ¡°Aggie found on the fire contient,¡± Xaxac said defensively.


    ¡°Yeah, darlin, your master¡¯s got one foot in the grave,¡± Alex said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t think,¡± Xaxac said as the thought occurred to him, something he had never really let himself fully ingest, fully vocalize, ¡°He¡¯s gonna die, do you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Alex shrugged, ¡°eventually.  Death comes for everybody.¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­¡± Xac turned to face Alex, where he sat on the bed, ¡°Before me?  Do you think he could die before me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how long them fuckers live,¡± Alex shrugged.


    ¡°But what happens?  To people, I mean? If their master dies?¡± Xaxac asked.


    ¡°Oh, I know that¡¯n,¡± Alex said, as if it was ridiculous Xaxac did not, ¡°When your master dies you go to their next a kin, with the rest of their stuff.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Xaxac said, thinking of Lorsan, of how his moods tended to shift with little to no provocation, wondering what life would be like serving under him.  He was almost positive that Lorry didn¡¯t want a pleasure slave, at all, and absolutely would not want him in particular. Would he go back to the fields?


    He turned to look back into the mirror.


    Could he go back to the fields?


    He needed to do his makeup.

 Chapter 56

    ¡°If I have to eat one more salad,¡± Alex said, breaking the stillness of the room, ¡°I¡¯m gonna throw up.  This is all y¡¯all ever eat.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a vegetarian,¡± Xaxac said defensively.


    ¡°You ain¡¯t gettin enough from it to make it through the day, though,¡± Alex said, ¡°There ain¡¯t nothin to you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s cause I don¡¯t never do nothin,¡± Xac said, ¡°I don¡¯t never work or nothin so I ain¡¯t got no muscle.¡±


    ¡°I never do a goddamn thing and I don¡¯t look like that,¡± Alex said, ¡°Tell him you¡¯re fuckin hungry.¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Xac giggled, ¡°He give me a bigger salad.¡±


    The door opened and the human boy Xac had seen before stepped hurriedly inside carrying another stack of wood.  He made absolutely no indication that he had seen them and instead knelt by the fireplace and began to stack the wood again.


    ¡°I can do that,¡± Xac said as he watched, ¡°Hey.  Hey, I can do that. Hello?¡±


    The boy lit the fire, deposited the rest of the fuel in the container beside the mantle, then stood and left without a word.


    ¡°Ok,¡± Xac huffed.


    ¡°You know they ain¡¯t supposed to talk to you, don¡¯t you?¡± Alex asked as if he thought Xaxac was a complete fool.


    ¡°What?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°They ain¡¯t supposed to talk to you,¡± Alex explained, ¡°Nobody ain¡¯t supposed to talk to you.  A good servant is invisible.¡± He paused, as if reflecting on something, then continued, ¡°Oh, right, you worked in the fields.  You might not¡¯a been trained on that. But he ain¡¯t supposed to talk to you. Folks can get in trouble for that.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Xac said.  That made sense. It made sense that that was a rule.  Jimmy and Lee were really the only people who ever talked to him, and ever since Jimmy had started working for Lorsan he very rarely talked to him anymore.  Maybe he¡¯d be back and more social after Lorry went back to school.


    The door opened again and Lee stepped inside, looking a bit more rushed than usual.


    ¡°Xaxac,¡± he said with the kind of authority that always made Alex scowl, and the scowl annoyed Xac because Lee had every right to do that.  The butler controlled the house staff; he was his boss. Xac thought that maybe Alex was bad to think that he was above other people.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Xac said chipperly and sipped his wine.


    ¡°Is that outfit supposed to have a shirt?¡± Lee asked, not as if he thought Xac had done something wrong, but as if he was genuinely curious, ¡°That might cause problems.  That might not be appropriate for guests.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it is?¡± Xac said, ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s supposed to have a shirt.  I know it ain¡¯t a uniform. It¡¯s real comfy though.¡±


    ¡°The master wants you downstairs after dinner,¡± Lee explained, ¡°In the parlor.  I¡­ just hurry up and eat. You might have to change clothes. Let me run and ask.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s cute though, right?¡± Xac stood from the table, held out his arms and spun, ¡°It¡¯s swishy.¡±


    ¡°No, I mean, the master will love it, but he wants¡­  there are a lot of elves here, Xac, you really gotta be on your best behavior.  You need to remember that. I mean it. No cryin, like you like to do. No breakin down.  They¡¯re here to look at you. If you don¡¯t keep your shit together it¡¯s gonna be bad for all of us.¡±


    ¡°No pressure,¡± Alex huffed as he took a drink of his wine.


    ¡°And you go back to your own rooms,¡± Lee told him.


    ¡°Can I eat?¡± Alex snarled.


    ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t¡¯a been in here all day,¡± Lee told him, ¡°I¡¯m bein nice.¡±


    ¡°Yeah you¡¯re sure known for your kindness,¡± Alex huffed.


    ¡°Alex,¡± Xac pouted, ¡°he is nice.  I like him.¡±


    ¡°Eat your salad,¡± Alex motioned to Xac¡¯s half finished plate, ¡°Like Mr bossy over there says.  Thinks he¡¯s a fuckin elf¡­¡±


    Xaxac thought that wasn¡¯t really something Alex had any right to comment on, given how he commonly acted.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back,¡± Lee said, closed the door, and Xac did not hear the turning of the lock.  It seemed to him that they very rarely locked the door anymore.


    ¡°Asshole,¡± Alex said, stabbing his greens.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­  how I feel about everybody¡­  all them elves,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°I wish you hadn¡¯t said that.  That ¡®no pressure¡¯ thing. But also like¡­ is it weird like¡­  I dunno, vain or¡­ bad if-¡±


    ¡°If you like folks lookin at you?¡± Alex smirked, ¡°Yeah yeah, Thesis hates vanity and all that shit but Thesis made elves in his image, not humans.  He ain¡¯t our god.¡±


    Xaxac stared at Alex in incomprehension, since he had very clearly lost his mind.


    ¡°What?¡± Alex asked, ¡°Why you lookin at me like that?  I¡¯m right. Think about everythin you been told- hell, you of all people!  Thesis created the elves in his image, not us. He set everythin in motion when he created the world, but we drug ourselves up, by ourselves.  We got where we are; he didn¡¯t do a goddamn thing. And if you want god to care about you at all, you better have pointy ears.¡±


    ¡°Thesis created Xren,¡± Xaxac said; he had never heard such blatant blasphemy spoken aloud before, ¡°Everything on it.  He made us, too.¡±


    ¡°How you know that?¡± Alex asked, ¡°You read it?  You read the holy texts? Cause Ky read um to me and I wouldn¡¯t nary bit impressed.  That feller cursed you, Xac, for something you had nothin to do with. Who gives half a fuck what he thinks about your outfit?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna go to hell,¡± Xac said, aghast.


    ¡°I don¡¯t paint the devil cause I¡¯m scared of him,¡± Alex laughed, ¡°What the hell¡¯s he gonna do ain¡¯t already been done to me?¡±


    That was¡­  actually a pretty good question.


    ¡°You¡¯re thinkin too much,¡± Xaxac said, for lack of anything better to say.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    The door opened again, and Xaxac saw that Lee was holding it open for Agalon, who seemed to be in some of the best spirits Xaxac had ever seen him in.


    ¡°Stand up, darlin, let me get a look at you,¡± he proclaimed, and Xaxac took in the way his words slurred a little, how big his pupils were, how he swayed ever so slightly on his feet.


    Then he stood up and spun again, enjoying the sound of the metal tinkling and the swish of the fabric.


    ¡°That¡¯s adorable,¡± Agalon said, turned, and spoke to Lee as if he thought he may have been the biggest fool to ever walk Xren, ¡°How could you not like that?  Look at him!¡±


    ¡°I just thought,¡± Lee spoke slowly, choosing his words with care, ¡°that you might wanna get a look at it first.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s gorgeous,¡± Agalon said, ¡°that¡¯s what they¡¯re wearin on the fire continent.  Sakala said it was comin in, over here. That¡¯s what they¡¯re all gonna be wearin next season.¡±


    ¡°Next season is fall,¡± Lee said, and Xac judged it to be a knee-jerk reaction, that he had spoken without thinking.  And he was right, the outfit made absolutely no practical sense for cool weather. If Xac tried to go outside in it he would be shivering within seconds.


    ¡°He¡¯s more of an indoor pet,¡± Agalon said dismissively.


    ¡°It¡¯s is so cute,¡± Alex said, dragging out the word ¡®so¡¯, ¡°I want one so bad!  I hope Ky gets me one! I wanna match!¡±


    ¡°I wish I knew how to do the makeup,¡± Agalon said wistfully, ¡°Like they did on the fire continent.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lorry said from the doorway, where he had apparently appeared, ¡°Maybe if we hadn¡¯t eradicated the fucking fire elves, we¡¯d know how to do that.  Hey dad, everybody¡¯s moved into the parlor and the fucking cigar smoke is choking me. Can I please go to my room? I am done being a part of this. I went to dinner.  I¡¯m done.¡±


    ¡°Fuck¡¯s sakes,¡± Agalon sighed, ¡°Did you¡­  why are you up here?¡±


    ¡°Because I am done, you drunk fuckwad!¡± Lorry snapped, ¡°Pay attention!  Thesis¡¯s glowing eyes, you are always drunk! One fucking day, dad, give me one goddamn day!¡±


    ¡°I know you didn¡¯t leave that poor little girl down there all alone,¡± Agalon said, and Xaxac opted out of the conversation, deciding instead to take his seat and quietly eat his salad, but he noticed that Alex was turned around in his chair, watching them, all ears.


    ¡°Stop tryin to get me to fuck your friends¡¯ kids!¡± Lorry yelled.


    ¡°Volume!¡± Agalon yelled back.


    ¡°This is the worst system!¡± Lorry lamented, ¡°It ain¡¯t gonna work!  And you don¡¯t need grandkids that bad. You ain¡¯t gonna see um!¡±


    ¡°What the hell is wrong with you?¡± Agalon snarled, stepped forward, grabbed Lorsan by the arm and dragged him into the room, then kicked the door shut, ¡°Stop screaming.  Stop it. Now! You are the heir of the Duke of the Agricultural district. You ain¡¯t got no excuse for actin like this.¡±


    ¡°Is this genuinely not buckwild to you!?¡± Lorry asked as he jerked away, ¡°Really?  You think this is an acceptable way to act? You didn¡¯t even tell me this shit! I walked into that dinin room and you were like, ¡®Hey, Cremia, this is my son, Lorry; he¡¯s got a dick you can use to make a baby to inherit all my fucking materialistic bullshit,¡¯ what the fuck am I supposed to say to that?  You sprung that shit on me!¡±


    ¡°Lorsan, you have got two years,¡± Agalon said matter-of-factly, ¡°You got two years till you graduate.  You gotta start thinkin about this shit! You gotta think about your future! I got you an apprenticeship, and you- Thesis¡¯s eyes, Lorry, why is this a whole big ordeal with you?  You think I¡¯m gonna be here forever? You think you¡¯re gonna be here forever? You have a duty to produce an heir. Somebody¡¯s gotta run this district.¡±


    ¡°Fuck this piece of shit podunk country-ass district!¡± Lorsan shrieked, ¡°Fuck you, fuck the nobility, fuck you tryin to whore me out for whatever you¡¯re gonna get outta this, fuck the whole system, you ape-fuckin, drunk-ass murder!  I hate it here! I hate you! I hate this house! I wanna go back to mom¡¯s!¡±


    Xaxac put his fork down and drew into himself.  He had lost his appetite.


    ¡°You ¡®bought to calm your ass down,¡± Agalon said, quietly, cooly.  ¡°There ain¡¯t nothin up there for you no more.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my house!¡± Lorsan shrieked, ¡°Mommy left it to me!  I wanna go home!¡±


    ¡°Son,¡± Agalon said, and Xaxac did not like it, had seen him like this before and hated the energy.  He wasn¡¯t dangerous when he was angry, when he was screaming back; he was dangerous when he stopped screaming.


    ¡°Oh fuck off with that!¡± Lorry snarled, ¡°I ain¡¯t¡­  I ain¡¯t never been no son to you! I¡¯m a goddamn link in a chain!  You look at me like you can tell me where to go, what to do, who to fuck, how to live- I ain¡¯t one of your fuckin humans!¡±


    ¡°This teenage rebellious bullshit is gonna stop.¡± Agalon said, ¡°It¡¯s ending.  I¡¯m ending it.¡±


    ¡°Teenage rebellion?¡± Lorry laughed, ¡°More like, ¡®I got big enough to realize I didn¡¯t deserve to be treated like shit my whole life¡¯.  You can¡¯t keep doing this! You can¡¯t lock me away and forget about me! Boardin school in the fall, military camp in the summer- you don¡¯t fuckin know me!  You don¡¯t know nothin about me!¡± He moved his hands rapidly to indicate the physical space between them, ¡°This? This is not a relationship! Your goddamn pleasure slave loves his daddy more than I love mine!¡±


    Xaxac froze and really wished Lorsan would stop pointing at him.  Was he supposed to say something? He really hoped he wasn¡¯t supposed to say something.


    ¡°You done?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m goin to my fuckin room!¡± Lorry screamed.


    ¡°No, you ain¡¯t,¡± Agalon said, ¡°You¡¯re goin downstairs, and you¡¯re gonna sit there, and you¡¯re gonna talk to Cremia, and you¡¯re gonna be civil.  You¡¯re gonna play parlor games and act like you got some goddamn sense.¡±


    ¡°The fuck I am!¡± Lorry said, ¡°I¡¯ll cause a scene!  I¡¯ll cause a giant fuckin scene! I will tear my ass!  I¡¯ll throw shit! Don¡¯t fuckin push me old man, you know I¡¯ll do it!¡±


    ¡°There ain¡¯t no reason for this,¡± Agalon massaged his temples with one hand, ¡°What the hell did Cremia ever do to you?  Why you out here tryin to ruin her night?¡±


    ¡°Just leave me the fuck alone,¡± Lorsan said, turned and began walking toward the door, ¡°forever.  Just leave me alone.¡±


    ¡°Do not,¡± Agalon warned, ¡°touch that doorknob.  Don¡¯t you walk away from me.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off,¡± Lorry said.


    Then he froze.


    Then he fell.


    He hit the ground in the exact same way Billy had hit the ground, so Xaxac turned, and sure enough, Agalon stood with one hand outstretched, the rings in his ears glowing.


    ¡°You have pushed,¡± Agalon said, ¡°and pushed, and pushed.  How much of this jackassery did you realistically think I was gonna take, Lorry?¡±


    He took a step closer, and Xac noticed that, just like Billy, Lorry¡¯s chest no longer rose and fell.  His muscles were paralyzed. Xaxac wondered if his heart was beating.


    ¡°Now I don¡¯t know what the fuck your mama told you,¡± Agalon told him, ¡°But that ain¡¯t her house.  I bought that house. That pretty little merchant¡¯s daughter didn¡¯t have shit when she married me.  I give her everythin she had, just like I give you everythin you have. Now I¡¯m gonna let you up, and you are gonna pick yourself up, get your shit together, and you are gonna take your ass downstairs and act like you got some sense.  You better understand me, boy.¡±


    He lowered his hand, the rings in his ears stopped glowing, and he used his boot to nudge Lorsan so that he rolled onto his back, where he began to jerk, spasm, and cough.  Lorry stared up at him, trying to work the air back into his lungs, trying to keep his head from swimming, trying his best, it seemed, to stay conscious.


    ¡°You understand me, boy?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°You,¡± Lorry said, ¡°You done¡­  you took my focus cause you¡­ you¡¯re startin to figure out,¡± he rolled onto his chest, shoved himself onto his hands and knees, then stood on shaky legs, ¡°that I¡¯m¡­¡±  he leaned heavily against the wall and glared up at his father, ¡°I¡¯m damn near grown. And I¡¯m a helluva mage. I¡¯m bought big enough to,¡± he stood to his full height and narrowed his eyes, ¡°Whoop.  Your. Ass. It¡¯s comin, old man. Might not be today, but it¡¯s gonna happen. You wanna control me, you¡¯re gonna have to put me in the ground. I¡¯m goin to my room. Fuck you.¡± He jerked the door open, turned, and added, ¡°Oh, and daddy?  Mages can¡¯t cast for shit when they¡¯re drunk. I know how you like to drink. And I know where you rest your little head at night.¡±


    He slammed the door, and he was gone.


    Agalon was so filled with rage his body shook.


    He walked to the table, and for a minute Xaxac was overcome with the irrational fear that he was going to hit him, but of course he didn¡¯t.  Instead, he picked up the bottle of wine that sat there, put it to his lips and threw back his head.


    ¡°You lock his ass in there,¡± Agalon said to Lee as he slammed the empty bottle on the table.

 Chapter 57

    Xaxac clung to Agalon¡¯s side as they made their way toward a part of the house he had never been in before, so much closer to the front that for a moment he allowed himself the brief, flittering hope that they may be going outside.


    Instead, Agalon opened a door and led Xaxac into what may have been the largest room on the estate.  It was dark in the twilight that shone in through the windows, but lit by flickering firelight and a few lamps that hung from the ceiling.  The room seemed to be primarily designed to sit around in, because it was mostly couches and the like, but there were also tables, and the centerpiece of the room was a large piano that was currently filling the room with beautiful music.


    It did not escape his notice that there were more shelves of plants, or that the pictures on the walls, depicting flowers, seemed to be painted by the same artist who had painted the two pictures that hung in the bedroom.


    The woman who sat at the piano was the youngest elf in the room, wearing a dress almost identical to the one Xaxac had seen in the window of the seamstress¡¯s shop, and he realized instantly that he had been correct in his assumption about how it would look on a real woman.


    If that was Cremia, Lorsan had lost his damn mind.


    He had absolutely nothing to complain about.


    Her fingers moved nimbly along the keys and Xaxac wondered what the song was.  He had never heard it before, but he had never seen a piano before, so it was possible he would have recognized it on a more portable instrument.


    Lorsan had been right about the amount of smoke in the air; the room was completely saturated with it, and it was coming from nearly everyone except the lady at the piano.  Xaxac quickly counted five elves already in the room, along with Lee, Bobby, Mickey and Ellie, who were all standing silently, in shadows, in that way that people who were raised to work in houses had, silently watching, which Xaxac found unsettling.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I¡¯m downright sorry, but my youngun¡¯s fell ill, and I went and sent him to bed.¡±


    ¡°You know what that is?¡± an older elven woman, whom Xac, by process of elimination thought to be Lady Loraxina asked, ¡°That¡¯s that exhaustion all the kids are gettin.  All them younguns is gettin that. Folks has been takin um outta school, sendin um off to the water continent, or out to the country to get um rested up. Ain¡¯t nobody knows what¡¯s causin it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what¡¯s causin it,¡± the elven man sitting next to her, whom Xaxac thought may be Lord Loraxina, said matter-of-factly, ¡°It¡¯s them stupid clothes they wear.  Them trends is dangerous. You know I read up on them corsets or girdles or whatever they¡¯re callin um now, says it moves your whole insides around. Ain¡¯t no wonder they¡¯re all passin out.¡±


    ¡°There ain¡¯t a damn thing wrong with corsets,¡± his wife argued, ¡°I¡¯ll wear a corset.¡±


    ¡°They tie um real tight,¡± her husband said, and Xaxac thought this was probably an argument they had had before, ¡°it¡¯s the fashion.  It¡¯s what the kids are wearin. Won¡¯t have my youngun chasin trends.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the clothes,¡± Ky said, ¡°Lorry just ain¡¯t used to bein back on a plantation.  You send um off to them schools they catch anythin catchin up there. You put a bunch a kids together like that.  I know we passed the same damn cold back and forth for damn near eight years.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s truth to that,¡± the vet said, and his presence shocked Xac, because he hadn¡¯t been alerted that he was even in the house, ¡°I¡¯ve been readin up on this new research to come outta academia, and there¡¯s a feller what says you can catch stuff from bugs, teeny tiny little bugs, so little you can¡¯t see um without a lense.¡±


    ¡°It ain¡¯t bugs,¡± Mr. Loraxina said as if the concept was foolish, ¡°It¡¯s the fashion.¡±


    ¡°Is that the rabbit?¡± Cremia asked, and the music stopped as her face split open with a smile.


    ¡°Yup,¡± Agalon said proudly, ¡°This is Xaxac.  This is my shifter. Say hello to everybody, Xac.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s real nice to meet you,¡± Xac said and leaned forward in a bow, before straightening back up and leaning back into Agalon¡¯s side.


    ¡°Oh, Kai, is that his new outfit?¡± Ky asked, ¡°I love it!  He jingles!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, ain¡¯t it cute?¡± Agalon asked as he led Xaxac toward the area where they were all sitting, ¡°Sakala says it¡¯s what they¡¯re wearin in the Fire Colony.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Mrs Loraxina said as she leaned forward to ash, ¡°Lady Glenlen¡¯s got herself a whole bunch of um dressed like that.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Mr Loraxina asked, ¡°Why are we bringin that back?  Why we want a costume that looks like what them ignorant savages wore before we taught um how to properly dress?  That ain¡¯t-¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    ¡°You are bein real rude,¡± his wife said in a stage whisper, ¡°embarassin the hell outta me an Cremy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just sayin, Kai was there,¡± Mr Loraxina said, ¡°It¡¯s weird.¡±


    Xac had thought this himself, but wasn¡¯t willing to agree with anyone who insulted his master¡¯s taste to his face, so instead he climbed into Agalon¡¯s lap once he seemed situated in his armchair.


    ¡°Either way,¡± the vet said, ¡°I reckon he is a real shifter.  Look at this.¡±


    He stood, and as he approached Agalon spun Xaxac so that he was sitting facing straight ahead, which allowed the vet better access when he reached out to pry his mouth open.


    ¡°The bone structure is about like a human¡¯s,¡± the vet explained while Xaxac tried very hard to relax, though he did wish that someone had warned him before they just jerked his mouth open, ¡°but the teeth themselves have characteristics of a rodent- look at them.  Number twenty nine was knocked clean out, the tooth was broke, but it¡¯s- oh, look at that, it¡¯s grown back completely. And I know y¡¯all can¡¯t see this, but there was actually a fracture line right about here-¡±


    Xac really wished he would stop just sticking fingers in his mouth.


    ¡°And that¡¯s gone too,¡± the vet continued, ¡°I ain¡¯t never seen nothin like it.  He really is just healin up, like the legends say.¡±


    He released Xac¡¯s face and Xaxac massaged his jaw on that side that he had been prodding.


    ¡°He kinda looks like a rabbit,¡± Cremia said, ¡°With them big eyes and buck teeth.  And that hair, oh,¡± she stood and took slow, tentative steps toward him, ¡°can I touch it?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Agalon said before Xaxac could respond, ¡°Actually, everybody come here and feel this- it feels just like angora.  When he shifts he¡¯s covered in angora. Feel how soft it is!¡±


    Cremia gently ran a strand of his hair between her fingers and cooed.


    ¡°Oh my lord, mama, feel it,¡± She beamed.


    ¡°Ought¡­  ought you really have somethin like that in the house, Kai?¡± Mr Loraxina asked, though he seemed to be the only one who felt the least bit unsettled.


    ¡°That¡¯s a bad attitude, Ricky,¡± Agalon said playfully, ¡°that right there¡¯s why you need to see him shift.  He wouldn¡¯t never hurt nobody, would you, Honey Bunny?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Xac swore, ¡°I ain¡¯t never tried to hurt nobody, ever!  I ain¡¯t never been in a fight! I¡¯ve always been real good!¡±


    ¡°Oh, he looks scared,¡± Cremia frowned, ¡°he alright?¡±


    ¡°He just gets real skittish,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Lee, bring us some more whiskey, settle his nerves!¡±


    ¡°Yes, master,¡± Lee said, bowed, and took his leave.


    ¡°I been readin up on shifters,¡± the vet said, ¡°since I left.  Ain¡¯t no real good sources on um. Nobody¡¯s really been able to study um.  Kai, if we could find out how far that healin goes-¡±


    ¡°He ain¡¯t for sell,¡± Agalon said quickly, putting an end to the idea.


    ¡°It¡¯s hereditary,¡± the vet said, ¡°and I¡¯d rather have a subject I can study from birth.  You ever think about breedin him?¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Agalon said, and Xaxac froze.


    How does one study a healing factor?  Wouldn¡¯t you have to hurt somebody to do that?


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­  really wanna have kids,¡± Xac said, quietly, ¡°Aggie you said I wouldn¡¯t never have no kids.¡±


    ¡°No, darlin, you get so confused,¡± Agalon laughed, ¡°What I said was I wouldn¡¯t never take you to no breedin center.  Them places charge a fortune.¡±


    ¡°God, they do,¡± Ky agreed, ¡°there ain¡¯t no point to them places.¡±


    ¡°Well now there is a point,¡± the vet disagreed, ¡°they got good stock they can guarantee, and they keep the kid till it¡¯s weaned.  There¡¯s a lotta good breedin centers. I¡¯d say you get your money¡¯s worth.¡±


    Xaxac was trying very hard to control his breathing.  He didn¡¯t want kids. He didn¡¯t want his kids sold to someone who wanted to test their potential healing ability.


    He had been taught how to top.


    Aggie had said that he was being taught because he might want to breed him.


    Lee said this was a test.  Don¡¯t freak out. Don¡¯t cry like you like to do.


    That wasn¡¯t going to happen.


    Alex said that sometimes you mishear things, you make things up, things that never happened, things that were never going to happen.


    This never happened.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Agalon said, as if he was considering the thing that had never happened.  ¡°I don¡¯t even know what kinda stud fee I¡¯d charge. It seems pretty valuable.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a dick, Kai,¡± the vet said.


    ¡°He¡¯s shakin,¡± Cremia said, ¡°you sure he¡¯s alright?¡±


    ¡°Lee!¡± Agalon yelled.


    ¡°Master?¡± Xac whimpered and backed up as far as he could, tense and shaking, ¡°I¡¯m scared.  I¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I¡­ I ain¡¯t tryin to be rude I¡­ All y¡¯all seem real nice, it¡¯s just¡­ a lotta people an¡­¡±


    ¡°Shss, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon gently ran his hands up and down his sides and called again, ¡°Lee!¡±


    But apparently Lee was there with several bottles, one of which he had poured into a plethora of glasses that he sat on the coffee table.  Agalon picked one of them up and presented it to Xaxac.


    ¡°Here you go, Honey Bunny,¡± he said in his most soothing voice, ¡°settle your nerves.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll believe it when I see it,¡± Mr Loraxina said in what Xac suspected was a volume he didn¡¯t think would carry, didn¡¯t think Xaxac would hear.

 Chapter 58

    Xaxac was hilarious, and intelligent, and beautiful, and soft, and every time he moved he jingled, and everyone loved him.


    He had no idea what they were talking about, and his eyes wouldn¡¯t focus well enough to really see the cards in Agalon¡¯s hand, but he thought he was probably winning because he deserved to win at everything.


    Mrs Loraxina ran her hand through his hair, and he leaned so far back into her touch that he almost toppled over backwards out of Agalon¡¯s lap, but he hit the table instead, jostling everything and knocking over several stacks of the coins people had out in front of them.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± he said, grabbed the fabric of Agalon¡¯s shirt and pulled himself back into a sitting position, ¡°Drunk.  Super drunk.¡±


    People were laughing at him, because he was funny.


    ¡°Kai¡¯s tryin to distract us with his pretty little rabbit,¡± Mr Loraxina said, ¡°but it ain¡¯t gonna work.¡±


    ¡°I dunno,¡± Agalon smirked and Xaxac cuddled into him, ¡°You seem pretty distracted.¡±


    ¡°Mama, it¡¯s after midnight,¡± Cremia said, ¡°I reckon I¡¯m gonna go on to bed.¡±


    ¡°Get your beauty sleep, darlin,¡± her mother squeezed her hand and smiled, and Cremia stood.


    ¡°Goodnight, everybody,¡± She said.


    A chorus of ¡®goodnights¡¯ drifted up from the table, and Xaxac waved at her.  It seemed as if she was smiling directly at him.


    Then she was gone, and Ellie slinked out of the shadows to follow her.


    ¡°You got you a talented young lady, there,¡± Agalon said, ¡°real beautiful music.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s been playin since she was little bitty,¡± Mr Loraxina said.  ¡°They sure seemed to hit it off, didn¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sorry about Lorry,¡± Agalon said and took another drink of his whiskey, ¡°I bought hate to send him back to school like that, I mean, him feelin so bad.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll straighten him out at the capital,¡± Mrs Loraxina said, ¡°best healers in the world up there.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Kai, can I see the shifter?¡± the vet asked.


    ¡°He ain¡¯t gonna tell you my hand,¡± Agalon smirked.


    ¡°Nah, I fold,¡± the vet said, ¡°Y¡¯all too rich for my blood, I just wanna look at him.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Agalon shrugged and scooted back in his chair enough to allow Xaxac to stand, but he didn¡¯t.  He cuddled further into Agalon.


    ¡°Go on, darlin, let him look at you,¡± Agalon instructed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± Xac promised, ¡°Everythin¡¯s all¡­  floaty¡­ I might just lie down for a second.¡±


    ¡°Come here and lie on the sofa,¡± the vet suggested as he stood and helped Xaxac up, holding him first by the shoulders, then allowing him to lean on him for support.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Xac said, ¡°and thanks for fixin Jimmy and stuff.¡±


    He fell heavily onto the couch and giggled.


    ¡°Hey,¡± the vet smiled down at him, ¡°I want you to do some stuff for me, ok?¡±


    ¡°Ok!¡± Xac said as he tried to force the three people in front of him to become one.


    ¡°Put your hands up,¡± the vet instructed, and Xac obeyed, ¡°ok now I¡¯m gonna push against you, and you don¡¯t let me push you down, alright?  You keep um up, don¡¯t let me push you down.¡±


    ¡°Kay,¡± Xac said.


    It was not a difficult or particularly fun game, but it was funny when the vet jumped and leaned into him with his full body weight, so Xac giggled at him.  He didn¡¯t seem like he was trying particularly hard, though, so there didn¡¯t really seem to be much of a point.


    ¡°...ok,¡± the vet said, panting, ¡°Let¡¯s uh¡­  slide onto the floor. Slide down.¡±


    ¡°Ok!¡± Xac said excitedly, because he knew where that was going, so he shoved himself off the couch and onto his knees, then leaned forward and ran his hands up the vet¡¯s thighs.  He leaned heavily into him as he slid up his tunic and kissed the fabric of his tights.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Agalon chided, ¡°I said you could look at him, fuck¡¯s sake, Nelly, there¡¯s a lady present.¡±


    ¡°Oh my god,¡± Mrs Loraxina said, sounding terribly offended.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t-¡± the vet stammered, grabbed Xac by the shoulders and pulled him away, ¡°I swear that¡¯s not- oh my god, I-¡±


    ¡°Go upstairs!¡± Mr Loraxina demanded.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean for him to do that!¡± the vet snapped.  ¡°I wanted to get him to the coffee table. I wanted to test his strength!¡±


    Xaxac didn¡¯t understand what was happening, why he was being yelled at.


    ¡°Go upstairs?¡± Agalon asked as if he had been insulted, ¡°Nice to see you¡¯re still real generous with other people¡¯s things.¡±


    ¡°Well he¡¯s not gonna do it here in front of my wife!¡± Mr Loraxina snapped.


    ¡°Y¡¯all are readin me wrong!¡± the vet snapped back, ¡°I wanted to test his strength.  I was gonna arm-wrestle him.¡±


    ¡°Everybody calm down,¡± Agalon said and sat his cards on the table upside down, ¡°Do what now?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to see if he¡¯s got that shifter strength,¡± the vet explained.


    ¡°I got bunny strength!¡± Xac proclaimed, much more loudly than he meant too, but he hoped his contribution to the conversation would end the negativity he felt in the air, and it seemed that an affirmation may accomplish his goal.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Agalon laughed, ¡°Well you can¡¯t put him on his knees, love a¡¯ god.¡±


    His laughter was catching, and the entire table picked up on it, so Xaxac began to laugh along with them.


    ¡°Look at your face,¡± Mrs Loraxina said, and Xac jumped when Lee moved from the shadows to stand behind Agalon, and leaned down to whisper to him.


    ¡°Master,¡± Lee said quietly, ¡°I don¡¯t know if Xaxac knows how to act in polite company.  You know how he gets when he¡¯s drunk.¡±


    He did not say this in jest, but Agalon seemed to interpret it as if he had.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± he laughed, ¡°take him upstairs.  See if Nelly wants to go with him, give him a full examination.¡±


    This order caused the table to erupt, once again, in laughter, and Xac laughed along with them, though he did not get the joke.


    ¡°Yes, master,¡± Lee said, and as he moved from the table the occupants seemed to turn their attention back to their cards.


    He stood a polite distance away and asked, ¡°Would you like Xaxac to accompany you to your rooms?¡±


    ¡°Thesis¡¯s glowing eyes,¡± the vet said as if he took great offense to the question, ¡°I¡¯m gonna see if they¡¯ll deal me back in.  I need a drink.¡±


    He shoved Xaxac backwards, so Xac let the momentum carry him until he was sitting on his feet and watched him walk away.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Had he done something wrong?  The vet seemed angry at him.


    What did he do?


    ¡°Come on, Xac,¡± Lee pulled him up by the arm, ¡°Can you walk?¡±


    ¡°Not real great,¡± Xac said, ¡°I mean, yeah I can.  I can do anything. I can do walk perfectly good. Watch me.¡±


    He held his arms out to his sides to keep his balance as the world tilted around him and took a step forward, then stopped to wait for the environment to stop tilting.  It wouldn¡¯t, so he judged how it tilted back and forth, and tried to time his next step so that he would hit the floor while it was under him.


    He missed, and the floor came rushing up sideways, but he never made impact, because Lee caught him, so he leaned heavily into him.


    ¡°Did I ever tell you that you¡¯re one¡¯a my best friends?¡± Xac asked, ¡°You always been so good to me.  Alex ought not be so mean to you.¡±


    ¡°Come on, little man, let¡¯s get you upstairs,¡± Lee said in response, and Xaxac knew that what he meant was, ¡®you¡¯re one of my best friends, too¡¯.


    Xaxac jingled as they left the parlor, and the music he made was so beautiful he began to laugh.


    ¡°I love it here,¡± he told Lee, ¡°I¡¯m so happy.  I feel like I¡¯m floatin. Don¡¯t this new outfit look good?  Lee? Don¡¯t I look great in this? Sexy, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Xac, I guess,¡± Lee said as he led him further down the unlit hall.


    ¡°You do know!¡± Xac insisted, ¡°Look at me!¡±


    ¡°Xac, hush,¡± Lee said, and must have opened a door, because suddenly they were in a much smaller room with a staircase.  There was a window in the wall, and Xac looked out to see the moons, nearly full in the night sky. They would be full tomorrow.  They were beautiful and he was beautiful and it was warm and kind of dark, and Lee was holding him so the floor wouldn¡¯t hit him again.  They were friends. Lee was the one who taught him everything, who would help him calm down, who let him see his family. Lee was always so nice to him.


    Xaxac grabbed him by the shoulders, leaned up, and kissed him.


    He was too drunk to feel the pain when he slammed against the wall.


    But he knew something was wrong.


    He didn¡¯t understand the emotion in Lee¡¯s eyes, couldn¡¯t comprehend what he was looking at.  There was a rage there, boarding on hate, and his face was scrunched up as if he had eaten something that didn¡¯t agree with him, as if he thought he may be sick and he was angry about it.


    Xaxac cowered under his gaze.


    ¡°You,¡± Lee snarled, held him there with one hand on his chest, then looked away, clenched his free hand, and Xaxac was terrified he was going to hit him, so he threw his hands up to protect his face.


    ¡°It ain¡¯t your fault,¡± Lee said, as if trying to convince himself.  ¡°It ain¡¯t¡­ not your fault. But don¡¯t ever do that again. I don¡¯t care how drunk you are.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Xac said, and he felt the tears welling up in his eyes, but he blinked them away.  He wasn¡¯t going to cry for no reason. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ why you¡¯re mad¡­ I thought we was friends¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a goddamn child,¡± Lee said, putting so much emphasis on the last word Xac thought it must have some double meaning, ¡°a fuckin¡­  youngun. Don¡¯t ever do that again. You understand me, boy?¡±


    Xaxac nodded.


    ¡°Sit down,¡± Lee said, ¡°on the floor.¡±


    Xaxac slid until he had obeyed him.


    ¡°Sit your ass right there.  Don¡¯t fucking move. If you move there¡¯s gonna be consequences.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± Xac said, staring at the floorboards.


    He didn¡¯t look up, so he didn¡¯t see Lee leave, only heard the door open and close.


    A few seconds later, the door opened, and Xaxac saw a different pair of the same type of shoes.


    ¡°Shit, Xac,¡± Jimmy said, ¡°they really¡­  they really fucked you up.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Xac said, ¡°Sorry I¡¯m¡­  I¡¯m drunk.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jimmy agreed, ¡°You¡¯re shitfaced.  Get up. We gotta get you to bed.¡±


    ¡°I think everybody¡¯s mad at me,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°Yeah, I mean, Lee¡¯s pretty pissed,¡± Jimmy said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what the hell happened but he said he couldn¡¯t stand to look at you.¡±


    ¡°He don¡¯t like me,¡± Xac said, ¡°I didn¡¯t know he didn¡¯t like me.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just get you to bed,¡± Jimmy said and helped Xac to his feet, ¡°I wish these fuckers would all go to bed so we can go to the fuckin house.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Xac said.  ¡°I don¡¯t wanna¡­ I mean¡­  you¡¯re havin baby Alley. I mean¡­ Alley baby.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jimmy said, ¡°she¡¯s doin alright.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want kids,¡± Xac said, and looked down over the landing at the place he had been earlier, but the way it tilted made him sick, so he leaned heavily on Jimmy, ¡°Feels like¡­  idk, it feels weird.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you can have kids, Xac,¡± Jimmy said, ¡°I think life kinda¡­  cards didn¡¯t fall that way for you. You ain¡¯t gotta worry about it.¡±


    ¡°I heal,¡± Xac told him, ¡°When people hurt me, I heal.¡±


    ¡°You talkin about your tooth?¡± Jimmy asked.


    ¡°Lotsa stuff,¡± Xac said, ¡°Do you?¡±


    ¡°Not like you,¡± Jimmy said.


    ¡°No do you baby?¡± Xac clarified.


    ¡°Do I want the baby?¡± Jimmy asked, and Xac nodded.  ¡°Yeah, I love my wife. I want the kid. She won¡¯t let me pick out names, though.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°You know how she is, Xac,¡± Jimmy said.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you can walk,¡± Xac said, ¡°Or I¡¯d be fucked.¡±


    ¡°Yeah it hurt like a motherfucker when they fixed it though,¡± Jimmy said, ¡°It hurt as bad as it hurt the first time, when I was a kid.  I thought I was gonna die.¡±


    ¡°Mrs OfAgalon¡¯s a dick,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°She fuckin hates you,¡± Jimmy said.


    ¡°Everybody hates me,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°That ain¡¯t true,¡± Jimmy argued.  ¡°I don¡¯t reckon most folks hate you.  I wish I got to see you more. Alley loves the shit outta you, says I¡¯d love you.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Xac said, but he wasn¡¯t convinced.


    ¡°So many fuckin stairs,¡± Jimmy said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Xac agreed, ¡°feels like we¡¯re floatin.¡±


    ¡°Xac,¡± Jimmy said, as if he had packed a lot of meaning into that one word, as if it was a question, but he didn¡¯t follow it up with anything, so Xaxac didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± he prompted.


    ¡°I hate that outfit,¡± Jimmy said, but Xaxac didn¡¯t believe him.  He thought maybe when he had began the sentence he had meant to say something else.


    ¡°I like it,¡± Xac defended.


    ¡°We all¡­¡± Jimmy sighed and threw open the door at the top of the stairs, ¡°We all¡­  we¡¯re just tryin to keep from dyin.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Xac agreed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Xac,¡± Jimmy said, though it didn¡¯t seem like he had done anything that would necessitate an apology.  ¡°We gotta get the hell outta this place.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Your daddy¡­  says that there¡¯s a sea somewhere.¡± Jimmy said as if it was an explanation, but it wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°Alex has been to the sea,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°Wait, really?¡± Jimmy asked as if that was the most interesting thing he had ever heard, ¡°Is that a true fact or is that drunk bullshit?¡±


    ¡°No he went to the water place,¡± Xac said, ¡°It¡¯s all the little slut ever talks about.¡±  He giggled, because it was true. Alex was obsessed with the water continent.


    ¡°Ok,¡± Jimmy said, and glanced at the door they had just come out of, ¡°Ok.  That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s really interesting. That¡¯s helpful.¡±


    He opened the door to the sitting room and helped Xac inside, kicked it shut, and helped him walk through into the bedroom.  He sat him heavily down on the bed, and Xac grabbed the bedpost for support and stared into the dressing mirror.


    ¡°Every time I see me,¡± Xac said, ¡°I¡¯m surprised.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jimmy asked, looking around nervously.


    ¡°I don¡¯t look like this,¡± Xac explained.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jimmy frowned, ¡°Yeah, no, you¡¯re right, you don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Jimmy!¡± Xac¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Do me a favor!¡±


    He pulled himself to his feet and stumbled into the dressing table, then jerked open the bottom drawer of the jewelry box so hard he heard the table jingle.


    ¡°What?¡± Jimmy asked as Xac dug around in the drawer.


    It was difficult to find what he was looking for, because his eyes refused to focus properly, so he paused, took a deep breath, and willed as hard as he could.  Maybe it would be better if she just took one. Maybe people sometimes lost one earring. It was hard to keep a matched set.


    The world didn¡¯t hit him this time, when he picked up the earring, the three tiny green crystals set in gold.  Lorry had said magic didn¡¯t work as well when the person was drunk.


    Xaxac turned, smiled at Jimmy and said, ¡°Don¡¯t touch it!  Put it in your pocket. It¡¯s real weird when you touch it.¡±


    ¡°Oh my god,¡± Jimmy said, ¡°hurry.  Hurry! If we¡¯re doin this tonight, hurry.  Shit, I gotta sneak outta the house. I can¡¯t have it on me.  I can¡¯t have it on me and risk him findin it. Shit, I gotta talk to Alex.  I don¡¯t know when he¡¯ll be alone again¡­ God this is a bad time to do this but fuck it, I guess.¡±


    Xaxac dropped the earring into the pocket of Jimmy¡¯s pants, and Jimmy instantly reached inside to better hide it.  Xaxac watched his eyes shoot open, then he jerked his hand away.


    ¡°Thesis¡¯s glowing eyes,¡± he said.


    ¡°Yeah, I done told you,¡± Xac said, ¡°I done told you not to touch it.¡±


    ¡°Xac, please,¡± Jimmy reached out and put a hand on each of his shoulders, ¡°look at me.  You¡¯re really drunk. It is really, really important that you remember that you can¡¯t tell anybody about this.¡±


    ¡°I always remember secrets,¡± Xac promised, ¡°tell Alley I love her.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± Jimmy promised, ¡°go to bed.  Go to pretend like it never happened. She loves you too, Xac.  Your sister loves you.¡±

 Chapter 59

    ¡°It was so hot, for so long,¡± a voice told Xaxac in the darkness, ¡°felt like the whole sea boiled.  They had to leave, had to abandon everything.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Xac asked without opening his eyes.  He was too sleepy, too comfortable in the warm sand as the ocean waves lapped at him.


    ¡°Then it started to rain,¡± Lapus continued, ¡°It rained for longer than you can comprehend.  All the water that boiled away had to come back down. But it got cold. The rain turned to snow.¡±


    ¡°That happens when it gets cold,¡± Xaxac said, rolled onto his side, and opened his eyes to glance up at Lapus.  He looked beautiful, sitting there on the beach, staring off at the ocean.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had a lot of time to think,¡± Lapus said, ¡°and¡­  he was right, you know? He was absolutely right. That¡¯s the worst part about it, in the end.¡±


    ¡°Who was right?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Morgani,¡± Lapus said, staring out at the ocean.


    Xac hummed in agreement and rolled back onto his back to feel the salt of the surf on his skin, and thought of how comfortable he was.


    Xaxac opened his eyes.


    He was lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling, at the sixty tiles there, with their beautiful flowers.  His head was pounding, and he tilted it from side to side in an attempt to get the pain to dissipate by even some small degree.


    He needed to get up, because he was almost certainly going to vomit everywhere, so he bolted from the bed toward the water closet, and doubled over as an awful pain wracked his body from the core outward.  He had moved more quickly than he meant to, and his aim was off, but he couldn¡¯t focus on that as the convulsions wracked his body; that was a problem for future Xaxac, and one that he didn¡¯t particularly want to deal with.


    ¡°Honey Bunny?¡± Agalon called from the sitting room, ¡°You up, darlin?¡±


    ¡°Oh good,¡± Lorry said, sounding much closer, as if he had stepped into the bedroom, ¡°He¡¯s dying.  Great. Perfect.¡±


    ¡°Is he really hurt?¡± Cremia asked, with none of the sarcasm Lorsan had used, ¡°He is alright, ain¡¯t he?  Just hungover? Is he sick? Does the shiftin make him sick?¡±


    ¡°You alright?¡± the vet asked, and Xaxac felt his hands slide around his waist and was thankful for it as he let his legs give out.


    ¡°I gotta¡­  rinse my mouth out¡­¡± Xac begged.


    ¡°He¡¯s dehydrated,¡± The vet decided, ¡°and¡­  I think malnourished. Like not just right now but in general.  Kai you gotta get him some grains and grass type stuff.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just hungover,¡± Agalon said as Xaxac rinsed his mouth out, ¡°And I do hate to cause a fuss but he gets real skittish when he wakes up so if y¡¯all can just go on back to the sittin room and let him get presentable, that¡¯d probably help out.¡±


    ¡°Even me?¡± the vet asked as Xac spit into the sink.


    ¡°I mean, you can stay if you really want,¡± Agalon said, and Xaxac watched Lorry put one hand on Cremia¡¯s shoulder and lead her out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him.


    The vet led Xac back to the bed and heaved him onto it, where he jingled heavily.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a hangover,¡± Xac said, ¡°I just¡­  my head hurts and it makes me sick.¡±


    ¡°Hair of the dog, darlin,¡± Agalon said and handed Xac a glass of wine.


    ¡°Thanks, Aggie,¡± Xac smiled up at him, ¡°I¡¯m ok, I swear.  I just¡­ is there folks in the sittin room?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, darlin, our guests are here to see you,¡± Agalon gently booped his nose, smiling down at him.


    ¡°Can Jimmy shave me?¡± Xaxac asked, ¡°I¡¯m shakin real bad¡­¡±


    ¡°Lee can do that,¡± Agalon said, ¡°If you don¡¯t feel up to it, darlin.¡±


    ¡°Lee¡¯s mad at me,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°Darlin, that¡¯s just how he is,¡± Agalon said dismissively, ¡°Everybody loves you.¡±


    ¡°I think¡­  I can¡¯t remember, but I think we got in a fight?¡± Xaxac asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t reckon,¡± Agalon said in the same tone, ¡°Ima go ring for him, you just do what you gotta do, Honey Bunny.¡±


    Xaxac frowned into his drink before he caught himself, realized the vet was still there, took a deep breath and smiled up at him.  Xac couldn¡¯t remember why Lee might be mad at him, but he had a vague recollection of some sort of fight. He had done something wrong last night.  And tonight, he was going to shift.


    He stood and made his way slowly to the dressing table to take off his makeup.


    Lee moved the blade across Xac¡¯s skin with practiced precision, and Xac stared at his stern face in the mirror.  He let himself be perfectly malleable, let Lee tilt his head however he wanted. He wasn¡¯t humming today like he normally did, he stood, silently, swishing the blade in the water then running it again over Xac¡¯s face.


    He swished it one last time, then dried it on the hand towel.


    ¡°You¡¯re finished,¡± he said.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Xac said as he ran the wet cloth over his smooth face, ¡°Um¡­  Lee?¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± Lee said as he collected the tools he would need to wash.


    ¡°Are you mad at me?¡± Xac asked, ¡°I got real drunk last night.  I don¡¯t remember what happened?¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t mad, Xac, I¡¯m tired,¡± Lee said, and Xaxac half believed him.  ¡°And thinkin about tonight. Please, please just¡­ just try, alright, youngun?¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°I can¡¯t control it,¡± Xac said as he rubbed the lotion into his skin, ¡°Um¡­  thanks. For not bein mad at me. I feel like I did somethin wrong.¡±


    ¡°You¡­  did about what coulda been expected of you,¡± Lee said, then walked into the water closet to wash out the things he had taken with him, and Xac turned to the mirror to fix his hair and makeup.


    Xaxac took a deep breath, steadied himself, put a hand on the doorknob, and tried to open it.


    It turned.


    The sitting room was full of elves.


    On the table where he and Aggie normally ate, a game had been laid out that he didn¡¯t recognize, a tower built of wooden blocks.  Cremia was in the process of taking one from near the bottom, so Xaxac though the object might be to disassemble it without knocking it down.  Lorry was sitting at the table with her, and seemed as if he was actually enjoying himself. It was a rare sight.


    The sofa and armchairs were completely full, not just with the people he recognized from the previous night, but with a new addition, the man in the soldier¡¯s uniform who had once drug Lorry, kicking and screaming, back home from wherever it was he had gone.  He had been leaning on the armchair, talking to the vet who sat in it, but he stopped speaking entirely, like everyone else, when Xac entered the room.


    ¡°He don¡¯t look no different,¡± Mr Loraxina said.


    ¡°He won¡¯t, not till the moons rise,¡± Mrs Loraxina said, ¡°They don¡¯t do nothin till the moons rise.¡±


    Xaxac wondered where Helen and Alex were.


    But he smiled and crossed the room quickly to climb into Agalon¡¯s lap.


    He glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it was a little after noon.  The sun normally set after seven in the evening.


    Seven hours remaining.


    ¡°No!¡± Lorry lamented, drawing out the word, as the tower on the table tilted, collapsed, and the wooden blocks scattered.


    Cremia giggled and Lorry bent to collect them, maybe to rebuild the tower.


    ¡°I don¡¯t always lose,¡± Lorsan told her, ¡°but when I do I lose the game and half the pieces.¡±


    ¡°Cute outfit,¡± the soldier said to Xac, so Xac smiled up at him.


    ¡°Thanks!  Are you gonna watch me shift, too?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t reckon anybody¡­  no offense, Kai, but I don¡¯t reckon anybody can really believe it, before they see it, you know?  Like I don¡¯t think you¡¯re lyin, I just can¡¯t figure it out.¡±


    ¡°I am as against this,¡± Lorsan said as he tossed wooden blocks onto a table, ¡°as somebody can be against a thing, while still letting it happen.¡±


    ¡°Lorry,¡± Agalon said in a tone of warning.


    ¡°Daddy,¡± Lorsan said, matching him exactly in tone and cadence.


    ¡°Look,¡± he continued as he stood, ¡°All y¡¯all listen to me.  We get out there y¡¯all keep a respectable distance away. I don¡¯t know why daddy¡¯s tryin to play this off like he ain¡¯t dangerous.  Y¡¯all need to remember that that is a monster.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he is,¡± Cremia said, ¡°He¡¯s been so sweet.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I don¡¯t¡­  know why no one is listening to me,¡± Lorry said, ¡°Like it keeps consistantly happenin and I don¡¯t know why.¡±


    ¡°Lorry, sit down,¡± Agalon ordered, then, to his adult guests he continued, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with him.¡±


    ¡°I told you, it¡¯s the exhaustion,¡± Mrs Loraxina said, ¡°all them kids are gettin that.  If you don¡¯t watch him he¡¯ll faint.¡±


    ¡°He ain¡¯t got the exhaustion,¡± the soldier said as if the suggestion shocked him, ¡°Lorry¡¯s one of the strongest mages at the academy.  He¡¯s real sound. Physically strong, I mean. He could make it in the army.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Lorry said, though Xaxac could not judge his sincerity, ¡°put that on my chart.¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± the soldier said, ¡°I mean it, Lorry, you know you got a future.¡±


    ¡°Are you goin into the military?¡± Cremia asked him as she rebuilt the tower.


    ¡°Actually,¡± Lorsan turned in his chair to speak to the soldier, ¡°Sir, I¡¯m thinkin real serious about the private sector after graduation.  Dr Neldor says I can apprentice with him.¡±


    ¡°A vet?¡± The soldier said as if the idea was ridiculous, ¡°Lorry, you can be a medic, you can be a doctor!¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± The vet said as if he had been insulted, and Xaxac didn¡¯t blame him, ¡°Do you know how much harder it is to be a vet than a doctor?  Doctors gotta know one species, I gotta know the entire taxonomic classification of life. You even know what that is?¡±


    ¡°That ain¡¯t what I meant,¡± the soldier said, ¡°But uh¡­  I realize it sounded like that. I¡¯m sorry. Didn¡¯t mean no disrespect.  I just hate to lose him.¡±


    The door opened and Jimmy stepped inside followed by two other human men, all carrying large trays piled high.  Jimmy¡¯s had an entire tea set, and the other two were piled with food.


    ¡°Oh, lovely,¡± Cremia said, and Xac admired her positivity.  It was catching, and he needed it.


    Jimmy sat the tea on the coffee table while the other two humans sat up folding tables for the food.  The general idea seemed to be that people would wander and get what they wanted, like at a party. Xac wondered if Alex and Helen would get anything to eat.


    Xac wondered a lot of things.


    It was strange to be here, silent and pretty, in what now had to be classified as a party.  There were so many people in the house that it had to be a party. And it was, all things considered, a party for him.


    As he watched the elves, dressed in their finery, taking slices of cake on small plates and listened to the talk turn to the prices of cash crops, Xaxac thought of the sort of things he was not supposed to think about.  He thought that Mrs Loraxina had a child, which meant she had to have been pregnant at some point. He thought that while she had been pregnant, she had likely lived much as she did now, sitting around eating cake and talking about tobacco prices.  He thought of Alley, pregnant and dealing with what his mother had called ¡®mood swings¡¯ while she worked from four in the morning to long after sunset, on her feet with kitchen duties. He thought of how Cremia had been playing the piano since she was a child, and of how Alley¡¯s child wouldn¡¯t know what a piano was.


    He thought of how, when they had traveled to Basilglen, he had walked into the human dining area and it had struck him that there were far more humans than there were elves.  He thought of the staff it took to keep up the house, which only had two elves in it, and most of the time only had one. It seemed strange to him, in that moment, that there were so many more of them than there were of the elves.


    Agalon handed him a cup of tea and he stared down at it and wondered where it came from.  Agalon had said that coffee came from the fire continent, and Lorsan had said that there had once been fire elves, but no longer.  Xaxac thought of the pretty little blond woman on the tapestry at the hotel, the one overlooking the islands that now belonged to her, but once had not, the water continent where Alex had been with his master.


    The earth elves had taken those places.  They could go anywhere.


    Xaxac thought of locked doors.


    He thought of the ceiling, of the sixty flowers he could see when he closed his eyes.


    He thought of a man with blue skin and hair the color of seafoam who told him that once it had started raining, and the rain had turned to snow, and the snow had fallen forever.


    Xaxac thought of a sky with three moons.


    He thought of the two moons that were, right now, below the horizon, waiting to control him.


    He thought of the painting Alex had made for him, of the man with eyes like the void between the stars.


    He squirmed in Agalon¡¯s lap, leaned over toward the mantel, and picked up the bag that had been situated there.  He pulled his needles out of the bag and began to knit.


    The conversation around him flowed without him, because he was just a pretty little thing, in a room full of pretty little things, making another pretty little thing.


    Clack clack clack clack went the needles, as Xaxac transformed a length of string into a blanket.


    Tick tick tick tick went the clock, narrowing the gap between the boy and the monster.

 Chapter 60

    ¡°Aggie?¡± Xaxac asked as he shook with nerves, ¡°I¡­  I¡¯m scared. I changed my mind!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon cupped his face and pulled him into a deep kiss, then went back to work fiddling with the chains.


    ¡°It¡¯s gonna be alright, Xac,¡± Abe promised, but Xaxac saw the fear in his eyes.  He knew he was lying in an attempt to comfort him, but what else could he say? He couldn¡¯t defy Agalon.


    Xaxac stared at the sky as it tinted orange, watching the sun sink below the horizon.


    Xaxac stood on his knees, in his chains, in the middle of the enclosure where the fighters lived, behind the tall, strong fences meant to keep in the strongest humans on the plantation.  He was fine. It would be fine. That was strong wood, made of whole trees and several inches thick, not the thin boards their house had been made of, so long ago now. He couldn¡¯t get out.  Besides, he was chained up. He couldn¡¯t get out of the chains.


    It seemed as if every human on the plantation was there; some had even climbed over the fence to watch, but the fighters were inside the enclosure with them, standing around the perimeter.


    Xaxac darted his eyes to the table and saw Alex sitting with his master, the vet who had been so interested in him, Lorsan, Cremia, her parents, and the soldier.  He recognized Helen sitting on the opposite bench with a few other humans, and he wished he had at least been able to say to hello to her, but that wasn¡¯t important right now.  He had to be focused. He had to be solution oriented.


    He wasn¡¯t going to hurt them.  He was fine. He was in chains.  And this was important. He wasn¡¯t dangerous, he was special, like Agalon had said.  He wasn¡¯t a monster, he was a rare prize, like a jewel. And he could do this because rabbits weren¡¯t dangerous, weren¡¯t monsters, they were cute little fuzzy pets; he was a cute little pet.


    He wished his heart would slow down.  Why wasn¡¯t he drunk? He had drank two bottles of wine before they rode out here!  Why the hell wasn¡¯t he drunk?


    He could hear every whisper, though no one seemed to think he could.


    ¡°Look at me, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon smiled, ¡°Everything is going to be alright.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Lorsan whispered to the other elves, ¡°I want it on record when he mauls all y¡¯all to death, that I was against this.  I told his ass it was too soon.¡±


    ¡°You look so cute, Xac!¡± Alex called, ¡°I love your robe!  Peasant chic! You¡¯re killing it! Nobody else could do it!¡±


    Xaxac giggled.  Alex was good at that, good at killing tension.  He made people happy. It¡¯s what he did, what all pleasure slaves were meant to do.  But it wouldn¡¯t sink in, not all the way to his heart. He was fine. He wasn¡¯t going to hurt anyone.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen,¡± Agalon stood to address the elves, but kept one hand in Xaxac¡¯s hair to scratch at his scalp, ¡°You¡¯re going to see something tonight that has only been spoken of in legends.  I have come into a wonderful creature here, a real, living, breathing, shifter! When them moons crest the horizon, you will witness the impossible. You will see, with your own eyes-¡±


    Xaxac let out a scream as the pain rocketed through him, and Agalon moved to the side to clear their view.


    Abe glanced to the fence, where his family was gathered by the gate, watching what was about to happen.


    It happened so quickly; it is difficult to explain the speed of it, the shock of it, the pain of having a body contort into a completely new form as muscles, bone, flesh, twists in an instant, but that was all it took, and as darkness fell around them, stars twinkled into existence in the void, and the moons, round, cold, and impartial floated into vision in the night sky; the monster existed before them.


    The night erupted with sound in a way that is strange to witness.  No one person was particularly loud. No screams rang out into the night.  It was the kind of sound born from the fear of hundreds of people, all trying to be quiet and failing, the roar of whispers, of gasps, of hands slapped over mouths and children too shocked to cry out so they produce weak, half-formed noises of alarm.


    The rabbit¡¯s nose twitched in the night air as the crowd held its breath.  The monster tilted its head from side to side, taking in the scene, and drew into itself.  The posture made it look small, even though it was much larger than the boy who had been there before, and it began to shake.


    ¡°Everybody stay calm,¡± Agalon advised, ¡°Rabbits are skittish.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°That¡¯s why this was a great idea, dad,¡± Lorsan snarled.


    Alex had his hands over his mouth, but he had changed position in an instant, had slid into his master¡¯s lap and sat there in his arms with his wide eyes shaking in their sockets.


    The vet stood and spoke quietly.


    ¡°Kai you¡­  you have to let me look at him.  This is a miracle.¡± He paused, thought about what he had said and looked around nervously before amending, ¡°An abomination.  This is some strong devilry.¡±


    Abe took a step back as the vet took a step forward.


    The vet took slow, calculated movements, as if he was aware that any new sensation could present a problem.


    Agalon made gentle shusshing noises, and kept scratching Xaxac¡¯s scalp, behind his ears like he enjoyed, trying to comfort him.


    The chains rattled together as they shook in time with the monster huddled in fear at his feet.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon said soothingly, ¡°Nobody is gonna hurt you.  Everythin is fine.¡±


    Slowly, a sound of rustling began to form, first at a slow tempo, then increasing until it became a thumping.  Xaxac was beating one of his legs against the ground.


    One who is not familiar with rabbits could be forgiven for believing this was a sign of comfort, a sign of good nature, as this is an action dogs commonly perform to show they are content, that they are enjoying a good scratching on a particularly itchy spot.  Far more people keep dogs than rabbits as pets, and are far more familiar with them.


    So most of the people in the crowd could not be blamed for drawing conclusions based upon things they did not know.


    Most people did not know that this was a sign of distress, meant to vibrate the ground in a certain rhythm, to warn the rest of the warren that danger was near.  Most people did not know that a rabbit coiled into a ball was not a cute, fearful thing, because many people think that fear is cute.


    But rabbits are prey animals.  Rabbits were animals that had evolved the sense to know that danger could always mean death.  And like most things, they did not want to die.


    A drawn up rabbit is like a coiled spring, and with his head to his chest, Xaxac managed to get the chain that ran there inside his mouth.


    And he bit down in time with the shaking of his body.  And just like rabbits who will chew through metal wire fences, Xaxac¡¯s sharp, ever-growing teeth gnawed away at the chains until the link snapped.


    Then the spring uncoiled and the monster lept forward in a hop propelled by his strong back legs, legs that had always been chained, that had never been freely used and therefore could not be properly judged.


    He went right over the vet and landed in front of the table, causing the startled residents to shriek and try to escape, to climb backwards and side to side, so Xaxac shrieked with them, turned direction, and hopped again, moving almost faster than the eye could track toward the gate.  Maybe, somewhere deep in his mind, he remembered that this was a way out, or maybe he remembered the people huddled there, but either way he moved quickly.


    There were so many people shouting his name, in different intonations, all trying to be heard over each other and the panicked shrieks of the crowd that had abandoned their positions on the fence, turned, and fled wherever they could.  Xaxac pressed his ears flat to his head, crouched low, and hopped again, along the side of the fence, trying to get away from the screams.


    ¡°Dad, do something!¡± Lorsan shrieked.


    ¡°I¡¯m casting!¡± Agalon shrieked back, unnecessarily, because every jewel he wore glowed brighter than the moons, ¡°Help me!  I can¡¯t catch him! He¡¯s so damn fast!¡±


    ¡°This was a great fucking idea, dad!¡± Lorsan yelled.  ¡°Hey, maybe offer him some dick! He seems to come running for that!¡±


    ¡°Lorry, I swear to god!¡± Agalon yelled as he tried to track the erratic movements of the creature as it bounced around the enclosure.  ¡°Xaxac? Xaxac, come here darlin! I¡¯ve got some spinach for you!¡±


    ¡°We gotta keep him in here!¡± Abe said, ¡°If he gets out we¡¯ll never catch him!¡±


    ¡°He can¡¯t get out,¡± Agalon said as if the concept was ridiculous, ¡°Everybody quit talkin to me!  I¡¯m tryin to concentrate!¡±


    ¡°We should leave,¡± Lorsan told the other elves, ¡°Let¡¯s just leave.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t open that gate!¡± Agalon screamed as they moved toward it, ¡°Don¡¯t let him out.¡±


    ¡°He bit you last time!¡± Lorsan yelled as he jumped, grabbed at the logs with his gloved hands, and pulled himself up, then over, the fence, ¡°I¡¯m out!  Y¡¯all do what you want!¡±


    ¡°Xaxac, no!¡± Agalon yelled as the monster reached the edge of the fence closest to the woods, to the back of the property, twice as thick, and, for just an instant, paused.


    Agalon cast for all he was worth, but in the scant time it took it to travel across the enclosure, the monster was gone, leaving only a large hole.


    ¡°No!¡± Agalon yelled as he rushed to the spot he had last seen his slave, ¡°No!¡±  He trailed off in a string of curses, turned to the frightened elves huddled near the fences and screamed, ¡°Well, help me!  Get your horses!¡±


    ¡°Holy shit,¡± the soldier said as he stared at the hole in the ground, ¡°Holy shit.¡±


    He held out a hand, and a ring he wore on it began to glow as the ground before him warped, distorted, and began to take shape.  A face appeared there, the image of another man in uniform, and the soldier spoke.


    ¡°This is Sergent Ryul Thefir,¡± he told the dirt, ¡°And we have got ourselves a hell of a problem at the Agalon plantation.  Get everybody together and meet me here.¡±


    ¡°What are we doing, sir?¡± The man in the dirt asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re hunting rabbit,¡± Agalon snapped, ¡°And I need you here yesterday!¡±

 Book 2: Chapter 1

    The monster dug its way out of the plantation as the twin moons, full and bright, shone down overhead.  It ran in leaps and bounds, into the forest that stretched on in either direction, away from the fearful shouts, away from the crowd, the noise, and toward the illusion of safety.  It was not safe, of course. It was the lesser of two evils.


    The monster was not exactly a rabbit, but it was not exactly a person.  It was much too big to hide in the underbrush, like a rabbit would be able to, standing nearly seven feet tall if it stood on its hind legs, which it did now, sniffing the air with both ears standing tall and twitching, trying to pick up any sounds of danger.


    It was dusk; the moons had just risen, and that was the most active time for rabbits.  But this rabbit was being hunted, and it knew it.


    ¡°I¡¯m offering a two hundred gold reward!¡± Agalon, Duke of the Agricultural District proclaimed as he swung himself onto his horse, ¡°For whoever brings him back alive!¡±


    ¡°Hey dad,¡± Lorsan said from his position, on his mount beside his father, ¡°Remember how I told you this would happen?  Remember how I said I wanted it documented that I said this would end horribly?¡±


    ¡°Alive!¡± Agalon reiterated as the other earth elves gathered around him, on horses, with weapons.  His humans slaves had scattered and were no longer gathered around the enclosure where he kept his fighters corralled, but he wasn¡¯t concerned with them.  He had to find the rabbit. He had to find Xaxac.


    He took off at a gallop, followed by the soldiers who had arrived to aid in his search, but Lorry held the reigns taunt, stayed behind, and scanned the vast open fields of his father¡¯s plantation.  After a few seconds, he took off at a trot, moving not off the grounds and into the forest, as the others had done, but toward the wooden shacks where his father¡¯s slaves dwelt.


    Something was wrong.


    There shouldn¡¯t be any earth elves near the slave quarters.  They had all either gone back to the house, or had gone to look for the monster.


    So there was no reason he should feel that someone was trying to cast earth magic.  Humans could not cast magic.


    He dismounted as quietly as he could, gave the horse a knowing look, and walked silently in the direction he sensed the magic was coming from.  He moved swiftly and threw open the flimsy wooden door with much more force than he had meant to; he was not used to doors being so light.


    ¡°Oh, shit,¡± he said.


    The kitchen maid, Alice knelt on her earthen floor, staring at it and clutching a single gold earring, inset with an earth crystal.  A small crowd had gathered around her, including her husband Jimmy, Lorsan¡¯s valet, her mother Abigail, the cook, and her father Abraham, the field hand Lorry had been looking for.


    ¡°Aw shit,¡± Alice agreed.


    Lorsan looked around the empty plantation, stepped inside the shanty, quickly slammed the door, and leaned against it.


    ¡°Are you tryin to cast?¡± He asked.


    ¡°...no?¡± Alice asked.


    ¡°Humans can¡¯t¡­  you¡¯ll tear yourself apart,¡± Lorsan warned, and it seemed to come from a place of genuine concern, ¡°You can¡¯t control it.  And you can¡¯t scry like that. You gotta know what his soul looks like and he¡¯s gotta be able to answer. You can¡¯t just spy on him like that.  I mean¡­ maybe you could but you¡­ it¡¯s forbidden. And even I don¡¯t know how.¡±


    The humans all stared at him, and the stillness was so overpowering Lorsan had difficulty drawing breath.


    ¡°I¡¯m not mad,¡± he promised, ¡°but you¡¯ll get hurt.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my brother!¡± Alice said, as if she was close to flying into a rage, and Jimmy put a hand on her shoulder, but it did nothing to deter her, ¡°He¡¯s my baby brother!  And your daddy has ruined him! I¡¯m gonna-¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s an elf,¡± Jimmy hissed, and put both hands on her shoulders to shove her back down as she tried to rise, ¡°He¡¯s an elf!  Have you lost your mind!?¡± He held her tightly and jerked his eyes to Lorsan, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, master, she¡¯s pregnant, she¡¯s got that crazy folks get when they¡¯re pregnant.¡±


    ¡°Is that a thing?¡± Lorsan asked, ¡°I don¡¯t¡­  know nothin about that. Look, I was¡­ Abe, I was lookin for you.  Last time you was the only one able to calm him down. Reckon you can find him?  I mean, we can find him?¡±


    ¡°I need to be out lookin for him,¡± Abe said, ¡°I was gettin ready to go.  Soon as we knew where to look.¡±


    ¡°It don¡¯t work that way,¡± Lorsan said again, approached Alice and held out his hand, ¡°Gimme that.  Please? It¡¯ll kill you. It¡¯ll drive you crazy an¡¯ kill you. Humans can¡¯t channel magic, it¡¯ll tear you apart.  It¡¯s too much.¡±


    Alice clutched the earring to her chest and glared at him, ¡°You can pry it outta my cold, dead hands.¡±


    ¡°Alley, fuck¡¯s sakes!¡± Jimmy grabbed her hands and tried to pry them open, ¡°Just give it to him!  What the hell is wrong with you?¡±


    ¡°Give it to him, baby,¡± Abigale begged, ¡°Just give it to him.  Don¡¯t be startin trouble, not tonight!¡±


    Alice jerked, violently, from her husband¡¯s grasp and sprinted, full force toward the door.  Lorsan tried to grab her, but she had the door open in the time it took him to turn.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡°Goddamn that whole fuckin family is fast!¡± He snarled and bolted outside after her, just in time to see her climbing onto his horse.


    ¡°Alley no!¡± Abigale shrieked as she ran after her daughter, but the horse turned, and carried Alley off in the direction the elves had gone, towards the open gate and into the woods.


    ¡°What the fuck!?¡± Jimmy shrieked, like a man who had lost his mind.


    ¡°Great,¡± Lorry huffed, ¡°Fuckin great.  Great night.¡±


    Abigail had given way to hysterics, while the men folk stared in awe, trying to process what they had just seen.


    ¡°Find her!¡± Abigale shrieked, though no one could judge to whom she was speaking, ¡°Find her before the master does!  She¡­ ain¡¯t nothin wrong with her, I swear! She don¡¯t mean nothin by it! That¡¯s just hormones is all that is!¡±


    Jimmy rushed back into the house, and as that was the only movement, Lorsan turned to follow him, and that seemed to cause him to stop whatever he had been attempting to do and freeze in place, hovering awkwardly in the middle of the room, but Lorsan followed his eyeline, traced it to a mattress stuffed with hay.


    ¡°What are y¡¯all doin?¡± Lorsan asked with as much kindness as he could muster as he stepped toward the mattress, and Jimmy cursed, ¡°What am I gonna find?¡±


    ¡°We need to leave, master,¡± Jimmy said with great practicality, ¡°We gotta go find Alley and Xac.¡±  He took a deep breath, and begged, begged like a man pleading for his life, ¡°Lorsan¡­ Lorry¡­ please.  Please. You said¡­ you¡¯ve always been¡­ you ain¡¯t like the rest of um¡­ I thought¡­ I thought you was one of the good ones.¡±


    Lorsan threw back the knitted blanket and saw nothing but the mattress.  He grabbed the edge, rolled it forward, and saw a piece of paper, stark against the rich brown of the earthen floor.  It was a piece of watercolor parchment, and when he picked it up, he knew instantly what it was.


    Someone who was apparently skilled in watercolor had drawn a map.  It would take whoever followed it through the agricultural district and into the town of Basilglen, then farther still, to the port town of Seaweed beach, to the ocean.


    Lorsan¡¯s hands shook as he stared down at the map.  Nothing was labeled. There was no writing. But it would be simple enough to follow.  It would probably be simple enough to memorize.


    ¡°Shit, Jimmy,¡± Lorry said, ¡°Y¡¯all¡­  y¡¯all can¡¯t have this. Daddy would lose his goddamn mind.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Jimmy said, refusing to meet his eye.


    ¡°Where the hell did you think you was goin?¡± Lorry asked.


    ¡°Nowhere,¡± Jimmy said, like a man resigned to his fate, ¡°we ain¡¯t¡­  we ain¡¯t goin nowhere.¡±


    ¡°If you made it,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°You¡¯d have to find somebody to take you off, have to find somewhere to go.  Jimmy there¡­ there ain¡¯t nowhere to go. You know that, right? There ain¡¯t nowhere to go. Xandra¡¯s got her claws in the whole world.  There ain¡¯t nowhere where it¡¯s gonna be no better than it is here. Not for you.¡±


    ¡°Can I please find my wife?¡± Jimmy begged, ¡°If your daddy catches her he¡¯ll kill her.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lorry said as he folded the map and stuck it into his pocket, ¡°Let¡¯s head to the stables.¡±


    The monster crouched low to the ground and tried to make sense of its surroundings.  It was away from all the noise now, possibly away from the danger, but it still did not feel particularly safe, and had no idea where it should go to find safety.


    It was starving, so hopped further into the underbrush and began to nibble on the grass.


    Alice had to tread carefully.  The elves in the woods were soldiers or hunters, and they were all around her.  She suspected she may have made a mistake, but she needed to be solution oriented.  She had to find Xaxac before they did. If she could just find her brother, they could easily outrun the elves.  He ran like a rabbit, and she suspected that if they traveled together, tonight, they would never be able to find them again.  They could move so fast and so far that they would never be found.


    She loved her husband, loved her parents, but she had to think about the baby.  They had to make it to Seaweed. If they could get that far, they could figure something out.  They could get lucky. Xaxac had always been lucky.


    The monster stood on its hind legs again and sniffed the air.  The ground was vibrating. Something was coming towards it.


    But it wasn¡¯t afraid, because it knew that smell.


    Roses.  Tobacco.  Whiskey. That perfume he sprayed in his hair to overpower the scent of the hair color.


    It was the smell of love, of safety.


    The monster turned and took short, tentative hops toward the smell.


    Agalon stilled the horse and held up a hand; the soldiers surrounding him followed his lead.


    When the monster hopped out of the underbrush, none of them dared to breath.  Its claws, easily half a foot long, and its sharp teeth glistened in the moonlight, but it was those eyes, those big, brown eyes that seemed to have an intelligence behind them that were the most unsettling.


    ¡°Nobody move,¡± Agalon warned, then, in his kindest voice he said, ¡°There you are, Honey Bunny.  You scared me to death. I¡¯m so glad I¡¯ve found you.¡±


    The monster moved toward him again, and Agalon felt the horse tensing under him.  He was afraid the creature would bolt, despite his best efforts, so he slowly, and with great care, climbed off the animal, keeping his eyes locked to the monster.


    ¡°You done went and caused me a whole heap of trouble, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon said in his most soothing voice, but the monster seemed to believe this was praise as it took another small hop towards him, ¡°That¡¯s it, darlin, that¡¯s my good boy.¡±


    Agalon held out a hand, and the monster crept forward towards him, towards the love, towards the safety he provided, until it snuggled its head into his outstretched hand.


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Agalon praised, ¡°That¡¯s perfect darlin, what a good boy.¡±


    The crystals in his earrings began to glow with a soft, green light, and the monster let out a blood curdling shriek that pierced the stillness of the night air, so loud it must have been heard through the entire agricultural district.


    ¡°Now!¡± Agalon shouted as the monster¡¯s muscles seized and it fell to the forest floor in a heap.  ¡°Hurry!¡±


    The soldiers dismounted and moved quickly with their ropes and chains.


    Alice sat, hidden by the treeline, and watched the elves capture her brother as she considered her options.


    She had to think about the baby.


    She would move faster on the horse, but she would move quietly on foot.


    So slowly, silently, she dismounted, moved a few feet away to a more secluded spot, and bid her time until she watched the group climb back onto their horses and ride back towards the plantation, dragging her brother behind them as he seemed to awaken from his stupor, gasping for air.


    Then she turned and walked in the opposite direction, wishing she had the foresight to bring supplies on what would, undoubtedly, be a long journey.

 Book 2: Chapter 2

    Everything was blue.


    The air was not exactly stagnant but it was so humid he was shocked that he could breathe in the sparkling blue cave, surrounded on all sides by sea water.  He didn¡¯t understand where the air came from in the cave, because it had to be underwater. The soft blue light seemed to have no source.


    There were so many tables and shelves, and the cups were everywhere, crowding every available surface; he had to kick them out of the way to move at all.  They were all different, some more beautiful, more adorned than others, but they were all cups. Many of them were made of metal, many of them were covered in jewels.


    The one he was looking for was buried, behind many others, on one of the many shelves lining the walls.  He had to reach past them to pick it up, to grasp it. It was cool to the touch, like everything else in the grotto, and Xaxac stared down at it.  The metal was made bluer by the blue lights, and the crystals sparkled along the rim.


    ¡°I¡¯m not here anymore,¡± the beautiful man with the blue skin said, ¡°I was for a long time, but not anymore.¡±


    ¡°How long?¡± Xaxac asked.


    ¡°The number of stalactites changed,¡± Lapus said, and pointed to the ceiling.


    Xaxac opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling of the bedroom.  There were sixty tiles there, each with a six-petaled flower.


    The sunlight streaming in through the windows told him that it was afternoon, and he was starving.  He was still exhausted, and briefly considered trying to get more sleep, but he was afraid he would have to eat or die, so instead he pulled himself up to a sitting position and looked to the bedside table to see his breakfast fruit tray had been laid out, along with his normal glass of wine.


    The wine didn¡¯t seem to do much anymore, but he devoured the food and his hunger was not sated, so he shoved himself to his feet and wondered what he was supposed to do.  The outfit he had worn the day before was laid out on the chair by the dressing table, but the packages full of clothes were still stacked neatly in the place the wardrobe had once been.


    It was likely safer to wear what had been laid out for him.


    He was so hungry his body shook and his stubble was even worse than usual.  He needed the razor before he could do much of anything else and he doubted he could shave himself.  He would have to go out into the hall to ring for Lee.


    It did not take him long to get dressed, because there was so little to the outfit.


    He made his way to the door and laid his hand upon the knob.


    It would not turn.


    He tried again, in incomprehension.


    It would not turn.


    It was locked.


    No.


    No, they were past this!


    He was a good boy!


    He could be trusted!


    But the door was locked.


    What had happened last night?


    Xaxac could feel his chest seizing, so he closed his eyes and leaned upon the locked door.  It was alright. Everything was fine. It was already after noon. Agalon would be home soon.


    ¡°Lee?¡± Xaxac begged the empty sitting room, ¡°Lee, Aggie¡¯s gonna be home soon and I need to shave!  I gotta do my face!¡±


    There was no sound, save the steady tick tick ticking of the clock.


    Xaxac released the door and wrapped his arms around himself; he tried to breath in time with the clock.


    If he had a wardrobe, he could put the clothes away.


    If he had the supplies, he could shave.


    But he had nothing.


    So he held himself, trying to will himself back to sanity.  It didn¡¯t seem to be working, so he went back to the bed, to set it to rights.  He smoothed out the sheet, then the quilt, then set up the pillows. He washed and refilled the pitcher and the basin.  He carefully combed out his hair, then went about what little cleaning he could do with his few scant supplies.


    He was so hungry.


    He collapsed onto the bed and doubled over into himself with the pain of it.


    He wondered how poisonous certain things were, the parts of food that you were supposed to throw away, as he stared at the tray that still sat by the bedside.


    He did not hold out very long before he picked up the core of an apple and began to eat.


    He rolled over and carefully chewed the hard, rough texture of the core as he stared up at the ceiling.


    Sixty flowers


    Three hundred and sixty pedals.


    He loves me.


    He loves me not.


    Xaxac did not move.  He stared at the ceiling, concentrating as hard as he could on his counting.


    He tried as hard as he could not to think about the windows.  He tried not to think about what had happened last night. He tried not to think about how much he knew about fabric, about the clothes in the packages or the twine that tied them together.


    Xaxac did not like being in the room.


    Not like this.


    Not again.


    He tried as hard as he could to count the petals on the ceiling instead of the length of the fabric in the packages or the length of space from the bedpost to the window and the window to the ground.


    Why would Aggie lock him in again?Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    He had been such a good boy.  He had done everything he was supposed to, learned everything he was supposed to.


    He loves me.


    But he was a monster.  He was cursed. He couldn¡¯t control it!  He had tried to warn Agalon! He knew something terrible would happen!


    He loves me not.


    But Aggie didn¡¯t think he was a monster.  Aggie thought Xaxac could be an example, because he wasn¡¯t dangerous, and he could show the elves that shifters weren¡¯t dangerous.


    He loves me.


    But he must have been wrong.  Xaxac wondered what had happened last night.


    He loves me not.


    The afternoon sunlight turned to twilight, and the room sat, silent and still, save for the tick tick ticking of the clock, and Xaxac tried as hard as he could not to think of anything.


    He wanted to shave.


    He wanted to be cute.


    He wanted to live.


    He ate the green stems he had picked off the strawberries.


    ¡°Rabbit whatcha sittin in the corner for?


    Ain¡¯t gonna rain no more no more


    Rained last night and the night before


    Ain¡¯t gonna rain no more.¡±  He sang, softly to himself, and he was startled when he was answered, both because there had been no indication that anyone was in any position to answer him, and because the song that came in reply made no sense.  It had a completely different melody, meaning, and intention, so the overall effect was unsettling.


    ¡°Little baby bunting


    Daddy¡¯s gone a¡¯hunting


    Gone to get a rabbit skin


    To wrap a baby bunting in.¡±


    ¡°Lorry?¡± Xaxac asked.


    ¡°Be real quiet,¡± Lorsan warned, and Xaxac heard clicking, not like a key in a lock, but as if someone were scratching at the metal of the door, scratching on the inside of the doorknob.  He didn¡¯t know how such a thing was possible. What was he doing?


    Xaxac sat on the edge of the bed and watched the doorknob rattle as if someone was trying a key that didn¡¯t fit.  It was some time before it turned.


    Lorsan sat on his knees, on the floor of the sitting room, with a pouch rolled out to his side, into which he was sliding long, metal tubes.  Once he had them arranged how he wanted them, he rolled the whole thing back up and stuck it into his pocket before he stood.


    ¡°He locked us both in that time,¡± Lorry said, ¡°And I don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯m starvin.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s goin on?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Your guess is as good as mine,¡± Lorry shrugged, ¡°Hell of night last night, little rabbit.  Hell of a night.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Aggie?¡± Xaxac asked, and drew himself as far against the headboard as he could.


    ¡°I¡¯m lookin at the same empty room you are,¡± Lorsan waved his arm to indicate the empty bedroom.  ¡°Everybody¡¯s gone as far as I can tell. Don¡¯t do nobody a damn bit a good to listen at keyholes ¡®cause the whole damn house is empty.¡±


    ¡°Lorry?¡± Xaxac asked, quietly, as Lorsan walked up to his bedside table and picked up the picture of a demon that his friend Alex had painted for him, and seemed to be quite impressed with it, given how hard he studied it.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Lorsan asked.


    ¡°Did I hurt anybody?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Lorry shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t reckon.  I wouldn¡¯t there when they found you. And nobody told me they found you so I was out half the damn night on a wild rabbit chase.  I just got up a few minutes ago and everybody was gone. You run, is what scared um. You dug outta the enclosure and run off. Daddy found you, though.  You was here by the time I got home. Xac, where¡¯d you get this picture?¡±


    ¡°Alex made it for me,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°he paints.¡±  He curled his knees up to his chest and laid his face in them.


    ¡°You got a lotta stubble goin on,¡± Lorsan told him, ¡°fuzzy little bunny.¡±


    ¡°I need Lee to help me shave,¡± Xac lamented, ¡°my hands are shakin real bad.  I¡¯m hungry. I get real hungry after I shift.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t tried to ring nobody,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°want me to try and get him?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Aggie wants me to talk to nobody,¡± Xac said to his knees, ¡°I think I¡¯m in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Fuck him,¡± Lorsan said.


    ¡°I¡¯m too tired to argue with you,¡± Xaxac said matter of factly and rolled away from him.


    ¡°I¡¯m leavin soon,¡± Lorsan said after the silence had gotten so heavy he felt a compulsion to lift it, ¡°I gotta go back to school.  Xac¡­ once I get there they got a lot more information than we got here. I¡¯m gonna find a way to help you.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even like me,¡± Xac said, ¡°I¡­  why are you doin this? Why do you keep gettin all flip-floppidy?  Why can¡¯t you just leave me alone?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not flip-floppidy,¡± Lorsan said, sounding insulted, ¡°I¡¯ve been pretty upfront since I met you.  I do like you. And even if I didn¡¯t, I wouldn¡¯t want you here. I don¡¯t like¡­ the whole thing.¡±


    ¡°What thing?¡± Xac asked.  ¡°The shifter thing?¡±


    ¡°That scares the hell outta me, not gonna lie,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°But I mean the¡­  pleasure slave thing. I don¡¯t know why we¡¯re all actin like this is ok? Look at you!  Look how you¡¯re dressed! Do you even know what that is? That¡¯s a mockery of the outfit the priests wore at the fire temple!  There are records of ¡®um, paintings of the high priestess of the Fire Temple, Orenda Firefist, being defeated by our ¡®great army¡¯.  They took something that was sacred to them and tried to make it all slutty and- they went over there, wiped them out, then took the pretty part of their culture and made it into a costume for the animals they wanna fuck!¡±


    ¡°Did water elves wear robes?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°How¡¯d you know that?¡± Lorsan asked.


    ¡°Alex had a slutty robe,¡± Xaxac turned a little to look at him, ¡°I liked it.¡±


    ¡°Daddy¡¯s the fuckin monster,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°not you.¡±


    ¡°Lorry, can you please just¡­  quit? Quit doin that? To me?  Can you save that shit for your friends?  You got friends?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Lorsan asked.


    ¡°On account of I love him and it drives me fuckin crazy!¡± Xac yelled with all the enthusiasm he could muster in his fatigued state, ¡°And it¡¯s already real, real hard for me not to be crazy!¡±


    ¡°You gonna cry again?¡± Lorsan asked, as if he was interested, not as if he was judging.


    ¡°Yeah, probably,¡± Xac shrugged, ¡°Why the hell not?  Everything¡¯s so fucked at this point what¡¯s it gonna matter?  I know I done went and did somethin last night. I know it. That¡¯s why he locked me up!¡±


    ¡°Oh my god you- I¡¯m gonna punch you in your pretty little face,¡± Lorsan snarled, ¡°You can¡¯t be that fuckin stupid!  Even for an ape, sweet glowin Thesis, you can¡¯t be that stupid!¡±


    ¡°I can be as stupid as I want!¡± Xac countered.


    ¡°He don¡¯t lock you up because you¡¯re dangerous, dumbass!¡± Lorsan yelled, ¡°It ain¡¯t a punishment!  He does it for the same goddamn reason he locks me up! Because we¡¯re just things to him! You¡¯re a slave; I¡¯m an heir, and we¡¯re just pretty little things he owns!  He locks up all his shit when he leaves! It ain¡¯t got a goddamn thing to do with you as a person; it ain¡¯t nothin you did, it¡¯s just what he does!¡±


    ¡°He don¡¯t own you,¡± Xac snapped, ¡°You¡¯re an elf!¡±


    ¡°He sure as hell thinks he does!¡± Lorsan yelled, ¡°That¡¯s why mommy left him, because he thought he owned us!  Thought he owned me! Thought he could do whatever the hell he wanted with me, ¡®cause he owned me!¡±


    He was full of the kind of anger Xaxac had gotten used to, the energy he envied, as tired as he was, but he watched him try to control it, watched his body shake with the force of it as he tried to contain it.  Lorsan was wearing the earrings he had stolen, and they glowed as he closed his eyes, balled his hands into fists, and tried to quiet the rage within him.


    When he spoke again it was softer, as if he was telling a secret.


    ¡°You saved me,¡± he said, ¡°mommy wouldn¡¯t here no more.  After Kenny died I thought sure he¡¯d¡­ he¡¯d come after me again¡­  like he did before. If it wouldn¡¯t you, it¡¯a been me.¡±


    ¡°That ain¡¯t how that works,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how nothin works,¡± Lorry said, ¡°That¡¯s why he likes you.  He thinks you¡¯ll stay little and stupid forever if he can control who you talk to.  But that ain¡¯t gonna work like he thinks it will. You ain¡¯t like the rest of um. You¡¯re too smart for that.  You ain¡¯t as stupid as you act.¡±


    ¡°I been thinkin too much,¡± Xaxac said.  ¡°Fuck me¡­ I been thinkin too much¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna get some food,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°You do what you want.¡±

 Book 2: Chapter 3

    Xaxac sat on the sofa in the sitting room while his hands moved of their own accord turning string into a baby blanket for his sister.  The clock on the mantelpiece told him that it was after nine pm, and still, Agalon had not returned.


    No one had.


    The house was too quiet.


    Lorsan had left the door to the hall open, but Xaxac had shut it.


    He wondered if anyone was going to bring him any food.


    He wondered if he had been forgotten about.


    He had been starving since he awoke, but Agalon had never come back.  He wouldn¡¯t¡­ wouldn¡¯t just go away and leave him to die, would he?


    Because he was going to die.  His vision was beginning to swim, and he had difficulty getting his hands to move the way they always had before, the way they had been trained to.  They moved on their own, without input from his brain, and shook so badly he was afraid he was going to drop his stitches. So he stopped, took a deep breath, and made a decision.


    He pushed all his stitches to the back of his needles then stabbed them into the yarn in his bag.  He shoved himself unsteadily to his feet and the movement made him so disoriented that he spread out his arms to avoid falling right back onto the sofa.  The gold belt he wore jingled as he swayed, unsteady on his feet, but he made it to the doorway, turned the knob, and pulled it open.


    He put one hand on the wall to steady himself and used it as a guide to get to the chain he would have to pull.  It would ring a bell, and Lee would hear it and come to him.


    He was so tired.


    He was so hungry.


    Shifting really did a number on him.  Why would Agalon leave him? Leave him alone the day after he had shifted?  He had to have done something awful. He may never come back.


    He pulled the string, heard the ringing of the bell, and leaned heavily against the wall.  There were strange black and white spots in his vision, so he held a hand in front of his eyes to see if it would do anything about them.


    It didn¡¯t.


    He thought he was hallucinating for a moment when he saw the person who had come marching down the hall as if the sound had been a great disturbance to her.  She looked angry, a strange expression for a houseslave, but it did not shock Xaxac.


    Mrs OfAgalon hated him.  He had gotten her sent away to town for punishment, because she had tried to hit him.  If she tried again now he didn¡¯t think he could avoid it as he had then.


    ¡°Oh lord,¡± she said when she saw him, ¡°What on Xren are you doing out here?  You know you aren¡¯t supposed to be out of your room.¡±


    ¡°Please,¡± Xac begged, and he could not stop the tears that spilled from his eyes, ¡°Please I¡­  I get real hungry after I shift and I¡¯m starvin. Please can I have somethin to eat? Where¡¯s Lee?  Where¡¯s Jimmy? Where¡¯s everybody at?¡±


    ¡°You ask a lot of questions,¡± she huffed, ¡°I¡¯ve told you, time and again, that you need to stop asking nonsense questions and do as you¡¯re told.¡±


    ¡°Can I please get somethin to eat?¡± Xac begged, trying to blink vision back into his eyes, ¡°Please?  I just¡­¡±


    ¡°No, the cook isn¡¯t here,¡± Mrs OfAgalon said matter-of-factly.


    ¡°Mama ain¡¯t here?¡± Xac asked, and did not understand.  His brain wasn¡¯t functioning as well as it usually did, and he could think of nowhere else she could be.  It made more sense that Mrs OfAgalon would be lying to him. ¡°Please! I¡¯m starvin. I¡¯m gonna¡­ gonna pass out.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so dramatic,¡± Mrs OfAgalon said, ¡°Go back to your room.¡±


    ¡°We seriously starvin folks now?¡± Lorry asked as he stomped into the hallway, ¡°That what we¡¯re doin, Nancy?¡±


    ¡°Lorry, don¡¯t fight,¡± Xac begged as he slid down the wall to sit on the floor, ¡°I can¡¯t take it.  I¡¯m gettin sick.¡±


    ¡°Go downstairs,¡± Lorsan said with the kind of ice in his voice Xaxac had only ever heard from his father, ¡°And make him dinner.  Don¡¯t make me tell you twice. Daddy ain¡¯t here. I am.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Xac said, ¡°I¡¯m just gonna lay down a minute.¡±


    ¡°Thesis¡¯s glowin eyes,¡± Lorsan huffed, ¡°Xac?¡±


    He snarled, and the last thing Xaxac heard before he slipped away was Aggie, the way he sounded when he was angry, the way he had sounded when he talked to Billy.


    ¡°Now!¡±


    ¡°Xac, you gotta get somethin in your stomach,¡± Lorsan said as he propped Xac up against the arm of the sofa, and Xac blinked, trying to get his vision to focus.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Something smelled delicious, sweet and savory at once, with hints of honey and onions.


    His mother?  It smelled like his mother when she had been baking cornbread.


    He tried to push himself up, because though he was tired, he was even more hungry.  He took the piece of cornbread Lorry offered and shoved the entire thing in his mouth.


    His mother wasn¡¯t there.  This wasn¡¯t¡­ this wasn¡¯t her, exactly.  Whoever had made this had put too much onion powder in it.  Alley, maybe? And it was too light, not dense enough. But it was food, and he was starving, so he chewed it down, swallowed, and shoved himself into a proper sitting position.


    ¡°You alright there, buddy?¡± Lorsan asked.


    Xaxac shook his head.


    ¡°Me neither,¡± Lorsan agreed and ladled hot beans into two bowls from a pot he had somehow acquired and laid out on the coffee table along with two pones of cornbread, glasses, and a bottle of wine.  Xaxac watched as he cut another piece of cornbread, crumbled it up over one of the bowels, then handed it to him.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Xac said, took the spoon, and stirred it until the bread absorbed the broth, then began to eat.


    ¡°You needed somethin heartier than a fuckin salad,¡± Lorsan huffed as he prepared his own bowl.  ¡°This is weird. Like, we agree this is weird, right? You¡¯re expensive. Daddy wouldn¡¯t have left you to die.  Wouldn¡¯t have left me. Where the hell¡¯s he at?¡±


    Xac shrugged.


    ¡°I gotta leave here in a few days,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°I gotta go back to school.¡±


    Xaxac took a huge bite of his beans and let the flavors dance over his tongue.  He was starving, but he was afraid to eat too quickly, because he had become nauseated, and he feared if he put much in his stomach he would throw it right back up.


    ¡°Lots of folks are gone, I think,¡± he said after he had swallowed, ¡°Mrs OfAgalon said mama was gone.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lorry agreed, staring at the fireplace, ¡°Lots of folks is gone.  Lee bein gone makes sense; daddy don¡¯t go nowhere without him, but my valet is gone too.  And the cook. I don¡¯t like that. You don¡¯t take your cook with you unless you¡¯re gonna be gone a while.  I can¡¯t leave and him gone. I¡¯m the only other elf on the plantation. I can¡¯t abandon it. I mean¡­ I could, I could leave Nancy in charge, but¡­  I don¡¯t wanna¡­ might lose half the staff.¡±


    Xaxac nodded.


    It felt so good to eat.


    ¡°He woulda took you,¡± Lorsan continued, ¡°that¡¯s what I can¡¯t figure out.  You¡¯re a shifter. You¡¯re rare, prized¡­ he wouldn¡¯t have left you to starve.¡±


    Xac nodded again and realized he had finished his food before Lorsan had even started eating.  The moons were waning, and still so bright that they shone in through the windows and lit the room.  It struck Xaxac, not for the first time, how much Lorsan looked like his father; he had that same long, straight, blond hair, those same glass green eyes, the same slim build and angular face, though there was a bit more baby fat on it; Xaxac thought they would look even more similar once Lorsan was completely grown.


    He didn¡¯t think Lorsan would want to hear that, that he would likely not consider it a compliment, so he kept the thought to himself and wondered, instead, where his mother was.  Why would Aggie take his cook with him? Where did they go? Who else was missing?


    ¡°You want some more?¡± Lorsan asked and Xac nodded.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°It makes you hungry?¡± Lorsan asked, ¡°Makes you tired?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Xac said, ¡°Wears me out, like a long day at work¡­  back when I used to work. Seems like it¡¯s been so much longer than it has¡­  Seems like it¡¯s been years.¡±


    ¡°Any time I¡¯m here it seems longer than it is,¡± Lorsan said as he refilled Xac¡¯s bowl and handed it back to him, ¡°This place stretches time¡­  everything¡¯s wrong here.¡±


    ¡°I dunno what other places are like,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°Fall¡¯s fell,¡± Lorsan said as he got up and went to stand by the window, looking out over the fields, ¡°It¡¯s gonna get cold¡­  move into winter¡­ I hate bein here in the winter. I wish, all the time, that I lived farther away. Not everybody goes home for the solstice.  If I lived¡­ up in the mountains, or down in Seaweed¡­ I wouldn¡¯t have to come here. Sometimes the snows get too heavy¡­ I get trapped.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯d be so much snow we couldn¡¯t get the door open,¡± Xac said, ¡°Folks would tie string to the barn and the greenhouses so we could get in there to work.  If you gotta go out and do repair work sometimes folk get lost and by the time they find um their fingers and toes quit workin. My daddy used to warn me about that¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, the field hands work outside in the snow?¡± Lorsan asked.


    ¡°Yeah, fixin fences and stuff,¡± Xac shrugged, ¡°there¡¯s work to be done around here, all the time.¡±


    Lorsan looked as if this information annoyed him, and turned his attention back to the window.


    ¡°Sometimes daddy goes to the capital for the solstice, instead of me comin home,¡± he said, ¡°on account of Xandra throws a solstice party, and he¡¯s the Duke.  I don¡¯t like that castle. I never did. I don¡¯t like nothin around here¡­ I wish¡­¡± he took a deep breath, and asked the moons, ¡°You reckon he¡¯s dead? Reckon that¡¯s why he ain¡¯t come back?  You know, Xac, daddy dies that makes me the Duke of the Agricultural District. And I¡¯d do things a helluva lot different around here.¡±


    ¡°He ain¡¯t dead, Lorry,¡± Xac said, ¡°An¡­  you ought not say stuff like that.¡±


    Lorsan made a sort of humming noise, indicating that he had heard him, but not that he agreed.


    ¡°I bet,¡± he said at length, ¡°That if we put you in some kinda enclosure, like the cage at Satra, we could show you off without you bein able to get out.  People¡¯d pay money to see that. Daddy¡¯s gonna figure that out.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it feel like?¡± he asked, turning to look at him, ¡°When you shift?  What¡¯s it feel like?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t remember,¡± Xac said, ¡°I get real scared, my whole body kinda¡­  hurts a little bit, and then¡­ I wake up. That¡¯s it. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°I just can¡¯t figure out how that works,¡± Lorsan admitted, ¡°I can¡¯t¡­  it don¡¯t make no sense. There ain¡¯t no kinda spell what can do somethin like that.  Not no earth spell, noways. But somethin¡¯s happenin to you. I seen it with my own eyes.  This is real. You¡¯re real. It don¡¯t make no sense, but that¡¯s how it is.¡±


    ¡°There some kinda law sayin I gotta make sense?¡± Xac asked, ¡°Cause I don¡¯t, most of the time.  It¡¯s too hard to keep track of.¡±


    Lorsan stared at him, as if studying his face, for a long time, before he broke the silence with a question.


    ¡°I learned divination, at school.  Want me to go get a pack a cards and tell your future?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Xac said, ¡°I know my future.  It ain¡¯t¡­ that hard to predict. Seems a pretty set path, don¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Lorsan shrugged.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m just gonna go to bed,¡± Xac said, ¡°I¡¯m tired and it¡¯s late.  He ain¡¯t gonna get back tonight.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I get that,¡± Lorry said, straightening himself back up, ¡°You get lonesome tomorrow come and wake me up.  My door¡¯s open.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Xaxac said, set his bowl on the table and stood, eyeing the wine neither of them had touched, ¡°I¡¯m¡­  gonna go on to bed.¡±


    ¡°Sweet dreams,¡± Lorsan said.

 Book 2: Chapter 4

    Xaxac was dying, and his primary concern was how Agalon was going to react to that fact.  Xac really did not want him to come home and find a corpse, but as he doubled over the toilet, vomiting into it, he didn¡¯t know how to avoid it.


    His entire digestive system had stopped working properly, and it was thirst, more than anything, that was going to do him in.  He couldn¡¯t stand long enough to pump the water into the pitcher that he had successfully gotten to the sink, but he did manage to pull himself up on shaky legs to sit on the toilet before the next bout of diarrhea hit him.


    He had discarded his pretty clothes, not only because he knew that with them on he would shit himself, but because he didn¡¯t deserve pretty adornments.  He had lost any beauty he may have once had; he was drenched in sweat, he had gone from stubble to what could be called an actual beard, and he knew his face was sallow and sunken.  His body shook so he leaned forward to brace himself and keep from falling.


    He grabbed the bucket that he used for cleaning and felt his torso convulse, heaving as he vomited into it.


    ¡°Daddy,¡± he begged, weakly, involuntarily, because his father was somewhere out in the fields.  He couldn¡¯t have heard him if he shrieked. There was no one there to help him. He was on his own.  He was going to die alone, which was fitting, because he had been born alone. Agalon had reminded him, often, of the fact that he had been bought in, not born on the plantation.  Bought from some slave merchant who claimed he was a shifter, probably expensive. Agalon had said that Abe and Abby were not his real parents, but they felt like real parents, and Xaxac missed them like real parents.


    If he survived, which he did not think was a possibility, this was going to be hell to clean up.


    ¡°Help,¡± he begged the empty bedroom, but he was alone, naked, covered in sweat and full of pain.


    All his friends were gone.  No one had brought him breakfast.


    He was going to die here.


    He was so thirsty.


    He tried to catch his breath as the convulsions rolled through him, tried to time it so that he would not pass out into the bucket of vomit, tried to ignore the smell and blink the dark spots out of his vision.


    He was not going to die today.


    He was going to stand up.


    He was going to pump water into that pitcher.


    And he was going to drink it.


    One.


    Two.


    Three.


    Up!


    He heaved himself onto his feet and grabbed the pump with both hands to throw his entire body weight into it.  He had to get the water up three floors, and it was an ordeal, but he rocked with his entire body, because there was no strength in his arms, and he pumped, back and forth, up and down, until the water began to flow.


    Be solution oriented.


    He was not going to die today.


    He had been this sick before, and he had not died then.  He needed that tea that Hattie May brewed, the kind that settled your stomach and made you sleep.  But he wasn¡¯t a witch, and he had no way to get to her.


    But Lorsan was magic.


    And he was a healer.


    Xaxac fell back onto the toilet and drank the water straight from the pitcher, forcing himself to sip slowly, even though he knew it was the thirst that would kill him, and his instinct was to get as much water into himself as possible.  He knew if he put too much of anything into his stomach he would throw it right back up.


    Mrs OfAgalon had tried to poison him.  She had put some kind of meat in his food.  He had been this kind of sick before, but he barely remembered it.  He had only had to go through it once to learn his lesson, and his conviction strengthened with this realization.  There was poison in his body, and he just had to get it out so he could heal. He realized that he probably shouldn¡¯t have swallowed the bile that lingered in his mouth, but he was too thirsty to think of such practicalities until the burning subsided.  He slid his tongue around his filthy teeth and felt that they were all present, all whole; shifters could heal from anything. He was a survivor. He was not going to die today.


    His fear was turning to anger.


    He just had to get through this, however long it took to flush the poison from his system, then he would go downstairs and take a bath.  He was not going to die today, and he was not going to sit idly by and let someone attack him. There was no reason for it! Life was difficult enough!


    ¡°Xac, are you decent?¡± Lorsan¡¯s voice asked from the bedroom.


    ¡°No,¡± Xac had meant to shout his answer, but he did not have the strength, ¡°I¡¯m dyin!  I¡¯m a vegetarian!¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± Lorry said, and Xac could hear that he was leaning against the door.  He said nothing else for a few long seconds, then added, ¡°Well, the wardrobes are here.  So¡­ that¡¯s happening.¡±


    ¡°Lorry,¡± Xac begged, ¡°Help me!¡±


    ¡°Just sit there and try not to die while we get the wardrobes in here,¡± Lorsan instructed, ¡°uh¡­  stay hydrated. I got this. I got you. I¡¯m gonna make a potion, settle your stomach.¡±


    ¡°I need tea,¡± Xac begged.


    ¡°Fuck tea,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°I¡¯ll make you a healin potion.¡±


    Xac took a deep breath, wiped the tears from his eyes, and tried to catch his breath.


    ¡°Thanks, Lorry.¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± Lorsan said, ¡°Thesis, Xac, the smell¡¯ll knock you down.  You rottin away like a corpse?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°Good to know,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°Don¡¯t open the door.  Just sit there and try not to die.¡±


    ¡°Kay,¡± Xac agreed, because he had no intention of letting anyone see him in his current state.  He was hoping that no one would notice he was in there; if he was very very quiet he thought that perhaps he could fake nonexistence.


    Lorsan had been right about the smell though, and being trapped in the small space with it was doing nothing to settle his stomach.  He was the kind of sick where his insides were making noises all by themselves, without his permission, and had he had the authority, he would not have granted such permission.


    Mrs OfAgalon had no right to poison him.  Most of the people who disliked him had no right to do so.  He had never injured Mrs OfAgalon, and he hadn¡¯t really done enough to Billy to deserve being punched in the face.  He was getting sick and tired of people hurting him when he hadn¡¯t done anything to them! He didn¡¯t mind punishment, would take what he deserved, but he didn¡¯t deserve this!  What the hell was wrong with them? Were some people just perpetually looking for someone to be angry at? Was there a type of disposition that people could have that just made them disagreeable to everyone?  Did he have a particularly punchable face?


    He heard sounds in the bedroom and tried his best to pretend he didn¡¯t exist, even as he heard the first real sound of people he had heard since he had woken up the day before.


    ¡°Hold on a sec,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°Lemme get these boxes outta the way.¡±


    Xaxac thought that more of his clothes must have been made of jewelry, because he heard it jingling, and assumed Lorsan was just tossing them backwards.  He didn¡¯t seem as if he was particularly concerned with their potential destruction; he was focused on speed.


    ¡°Just set um down,¡± He said, and Xac felt his eyes watering and his mouth filling with liquid.


    He leaned forward in time to vomit into the bucket, and knew that anyone in the bedroom would hear the sound of his retching, and of the sobs that followed.  He couldn¡¯t even drink water? This was ridiculous! He took another drink from the pitcher, but this time he swished the liquid in his mouth and spit the bile into the bucket.


    ¡°Go bring the other one up!¡± Lorsan snapped, ¡°Just get um in here out of the cart so they can leave.  I don¡¯t care how it looks. Daddy can deal with that when he gets back.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Xaxac recognized the voices of the men who answered him; they were the same people who had moved the first wardrobes out.


    He moaned when he heard the knocking on the door.


    ¡°How you holdin up?¡± Lorry asked.


    ¡°Bad,¡± Xac cried.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you tell me you was a vegetarian?¡± Lorry asked, ¡°You think somebody put meat in the beans?¡±


    ¡°Mrs OfAgalon hates me!¡± Xaxac lamented.


    ¡°She¡¯s made herself a little mistake is what she¡¯s done,¡± Lorsan said and stomped off, leaving Xac, once again, alone.


    Xac heaved himself onto his feet to pump more water into the pitcher, and thought that it was a little easier this time.  He thought he had been right; he just had to work the poison out of his system, and he healed so quickly that he thought he may be making progress.  His head didn¡¯t swim when he stood that time, and he could almost stand without leaning on the counter for support. He plopped back onto the toilet and took another drink of water, listening to the sounds of the men bringing the second wardrobe into the sitting room.


    The process went much faster the second time with nothing in the way.


    ¡°Alright, great,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°Thanks.  Daddy¡¯ll love it.¡±


    Xaxac heard him disappear into the sitting room and start rifling through drawers.  Then he was gone again, and the men followed quickly, likely, Xaxac guessed, to escape the smell.


    He was beginning to have an idea that he may not be alone.  Lorsan was difficult to predict, but he did seem to keep his word, whatever it was, so he took solace in the fact that his cramps were not rolling so quickly, his pain was not so severe, and Lorsan probably would actually come back for him.


    It eventually subsided enough that he was able to sit up straight, and he was fairly certain he wasn¡¯t going to die.


    He listened attentively, and heard Lorsan enter the sitting room, then the bedroom, before knocking on the door again.


    ¡°Xac?¡± Lorsan asked.


    ¡°I reckon I¡¯m gonna live,¡± Xac said as he tried to catch his breath, ¡°But I ain¡¯t happy about it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna make you a potion anyhow,¡± Lorsan told him, ¡°I gotta go to the kitchen, but I want you to wash off, ok?  You¡¯re nasty.¡±


    ¡°Please!¡± Xac begged, ¡°Please let me do that!¡±


    ¡°Can you get downstairs?¡± Lorry asked.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t no way in hell,¡± Xac admitted.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Lorry said as if he was deep in thought, ¡°Alright I¡¯ll¡­  make Nancy bring up a washtub, like they use on the laundry, and some water, and then we¡¯ll open all the windows and light a fire, try to get rid of that godawful smell.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°Sorry you¡¯re hurtin,¡± Lorry said, ¡°But honestly, Xac, it¡¯s kinda good to see that you¡¯re¡­  human. You freak me out, actin like... a toy or somethin.¡±


    Xaxac leaned back in the washtub and scrubbed.  He wanted to get out as quickly as possible. The water was as nasty as he had once been, and he wasn¡¯t even trying to take a proper bath; he just wanted the shit off.  He wasn¡¯t aiming to smell like roses; he just wanted to get away from the feces and sweat combination long enough to make it to a proper bath.


    The worst part was that he still felt sick.  He wasn¡¯t sure washing off was actually going to accomplish anything.


    Lorsan sat by the roaring fire dumping dried leaves into a cauldron he had on the hearth, close enough that it had began to boil.  He had said that he wasn¡¯t making tea, but it certainly smelled like tea, and it was a welcome change from the awful scent of Xac¡¯s bathwater.  Xac shoved himself out of the washtub and picked up the towel Lorsan had provided him with. He didn¡¯t really have the energy to dry off, so he rolled the towel onto the floor and sat on it.


    ¡°Nancy!¡± Lorsan shrieked, and when she didn¡¯t appear, his voice rose in both pitch and volume, ¡°NANCY!¡±


    Mrs OfAgalon appeared in the doorway, smiling at Lorsan with that unsettling way she had.


    ¡°Yes, young master?¡± She asked pleasantly.


    ¡°Daddy¡¯s pleasure slave is sick,¡± Lorsan said, and Xaxac could have mistaken him for his father, ¡°Which is right weird to me, on account of he¡¯s a shifter.  They don¡¯t really get sick. I reckon somebody put somethin in his food. Y¡¯all know he¡¯s a vegetarian.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± She said, though Xaxac saw the confusion flash over her eyes before she hid it away.


    ¡°It means he can¡¯t eat no meat,¡± Lorsan explained, ¡°And probably ought not have no eggs, no milk, nothin what come from an animal.  Who made the soup beans we ate last night?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Mrs OfAgaon said, ¡°We¡¯re very short staffed.  The cook and the head kitchen maid are gone. It¡¯s really just me, the servers, and the scullery maid.¡±


    ¡°The kitchen maid¡¯s gone?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°Well, here¡¯s what I need from you.  Because the pleasure slave¡¯s sick the watercloset is nasty. And that washtub.  So drag the washtub into the watercloset and get them both cleaned up. We don¡¯t know when daddy¡¯s gonna be back, and I¡¯d sure hate for him to see it how it is right now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send up the maid,¡± Mrs OfAgalon said, and turned to leave.


    ¡°No,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°This is daddy¡¯s rooms.  He don¡¯t trust nobody but you and Lee in here.  There¡¯s some expensive stuff up here.¡± He looked away from his cauldron to turn to her and continued, ¡°So you¡¯re gonna have to do it.¡±


    Xaxac remembered, the first day he had arrived in the big house, Mrs OfAgalon had told him how to clean the room he had been locked in.  She had taken some sort of strange pleasure in telling him that he would have to clean the watercloset.


    ¡°I threw up in the scrub bucket,¡± he told her, ¡°I can¡¯t eat meat.  I feel like I¡¯m gonna die.¡±


    Mrs OfAgalon had apparently lost all the blood in her face when she replied, demurely, ¡°Yes, Master Lorsan.¡±


    She came to the sitting area and began to drag the tub toward the bedroom as Lorsan turned back to his cauldron and began to hum as the rings in his ears began to glow.  Xaxac recognized the melody.


    Little bunny Foo Foo


    Hopping through the forest¡­


    Lorsan pulled over a teacup he had set out, with a strainer over it, and slowly poured the liquid from the cauldron through it.  It had turned from the clear color of the water to a light green, and Xaxac recognized it. Despite what Lorsan had said, it was the tea Hattie May had brewed for him.


    Lorsan took out the strainer and banged it against the side of the cauldron to deposit the plant matter back into the concoction, then handed the cup to Xac.


    ¡°Here,¡± he said, ¡°Drink that.  I¡¯ll be right back. I gotta run downstairs and get some stuff.  I don¡¯t trust nobody round here¡­¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Lorry,¡± Xac smiled and scooted until his back was against the armchair, then leaned back to drink.


    With Lorsan gone, he could hear the sounds Mrs OfAgalon was making in the next room, and thought to himself that she may find herself falling ill.  Then he thought about what she had said about the kitchen maid; Alice was gone. Why was Alice gone? Where would Aggie go that he would take two butlers, a cook, and a kitchen maid?  In town the place where you were staying made food for you. Why did he take all those people?


    Lorsan came and went several times, carrying crates that he slammed down by the fireplace with a huff before departing again as Xaxac watched.  The final time he returned he was not carrying a crate, but the contraption he had seen Agalon use for magic, which he had, at the time, called a ¡®scrying tablet¡¯.


    ¡°Feelin better?¡± Lorsan asked, and Xaxac nodded.


    He was feeling better, but he had been wrong about the substance he had been given to drink.  It wasn¡¯t the same tea Hattie May had made for him all those years ago; it tasted a little different, more earthy, and it wasn¡¯t making him sleepy.  But it did seem as if it had quieted his intestines; his guts weren¡¯t fighting him anymore and had quieted both their rage and their volume.


    ¡°Good,¡± Lorry said, and sat on his knees next to Xac on the hearth to set the tray on the coffee table he had pushed against the couch to accommodate the washtub that had since been removed.  Xac could see the tray more closely now; it was just a wooden box containing dirt. There didn¡¯t seem to be anything particularly special about the box or the dirt within, but Lorsan grabbed two of the wooden sides, turned to Xac, and smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna project it,¡± he said, ¡°Which, because you don¡¯t know anything about magic, I¡¯m gonna let you know means I¡¯m pretty damn good at it.  It¡¯s hard to cast next to a roarin fire, I mean, not for me, but when you first start out.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± Xac said, because he didn¡¯t know anything about magic and didn¡¯t really understand what he was talking about, but it seemed important and Lorsan seemed proud of himself.


    The rings in Lorsan¡¯s ears began to glow, and Xaxac nearly spit out his tea when he heard a voice fill the room.


    ¡°Lorry?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°Where the hell you at, old man?¡± Lorsan snapped, ¡°Half the damn house is gone!¡±


    Xaxac weakly climbed to his knees to hover beside Lorsan and look into the box.  The dirt inside had arranged itself into the shape of Agalon¡¯s face. Xaxac thought he could feel something, moving through the air, that pressure, that currant he had felt the first time he had held Agalon¡¯s earring.


    ¡°Xaxac?¡± Agalon asked, ¡°Lorry, can he hear me?  Are you projecting?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and we both wanna know where the hell you¡¯re at!¡± Lorsan snapped.


    ¡°Why is he naked?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s sick as a dog.  Whoever¡¯s cookin, since you took the cook with you, musta made the beans with porkfat.¡±


    ¡°He needs to eat fresh vegetables, Lorsan,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Honey Bunny, can you hear me?  You feelin bad, darlin?¡±


    ¡°Lorry¡¯s takin care of me,¡± Xac said, ¡°I miss you.  Are you comin back? Did something bad happen? When I shifted?  Are you mad at me?¡±


    ¡°No darlin, course not,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Just¡­  had some business come up at the capital. I¡¯ll be back here in a day or two.  Be back in time to see Lorry off.¡±


    ¡°What business?¡± Lorsan asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it when I get back,¡± Agalon said.


    ¡°What business, daddy?¡± Lorsan asked, lifted his hands, and Xaxac saw the rings in his ears became brighter.  The scene behind Agalon expanded for a moment while his figure shrank, and Xaxac caught glimpses of a large, opulent sitting room filled with furniture even more beautiful than he had seen at the hotel in Basilglen.  He only caught a glimpse of it, but he noticed that the room had a large embroidery hoop by a giant open window. He had seen those at Sakala¡¯s shop in Basilglen, and thought he would like to learn how to embroider.


    But then the figure of Agalon clutched his hand, and the image in the dirt shrank back to just his face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get nosey, little boy,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a couple days.  Stay safe, alright? Try to keep outta trouble? I love you, both of you.¡±


    ¡°I love you Aggie!¡± Xaxac said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster.


    Lorsan had spoken at the same time, but all he had said was, ¡°Right.¡±

 Book 2: Chapter 5

    The crates that Lorsan had brought with him were apparently full of root vegetables stored in dirt, because he pulled them out, looked at them, and stuck those that were not potatoes back into the dirt.  When he had as many potatoes as he apparently wanted, he set them on the hearth, stood, and disappeared into his father¡¯s bedroom. Xaxac suspected he was going to steal something else, but after everything Lorsan had done for him, he wasn¡¯t willing to fight him.  Instead, he sat, still on the towel on the floor, with the blanket from the couch covering him for the sake of modesty, knitting away at the baby blanket he was making for his sister.


    Lorsan returned holding a full basin and chuckled.


    ¡°Watercloset¡¯s clean as a whistle,¡± he said as he began to scrub the potatoes, ¡°But I still don¡¯t trust her not to poison you again.  I bet she done that on purpose; she¡¯s always been mean.¡±


    ¡°Always?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Far as I can remember,¡± Lorsan shrugged and set the potatoes out along the edge of the fireplace, ¡°She¡¯s older than I am, so¡­  maybe not always. You feelin better?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Xac said, ¡°Thanks¡­  you¡¯re¡­ bein real nice to me.  You been real nice to me, I think, since the beginnin.  I wish we hadn¡¯t fought so much.¡±


    ¡°It ain¡¯t your fault,¡± Lorsan said as he looked into the fire, ¡°It¡¯s daddy¡¯s fault.  You humans are¡­ it ain¡¯t your fault.¡±


    ¡°Aggie¡¯s always been real nice to me, Lorry,¡± Xac said defensively.


    ¡°It hurts my soul,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°Cause¡­  you sound like you really think that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°He got me this stuff.  And he¡¯s gonna let me give it to my sister. I kinda¡­  didn¡¯t think¡­¡± he stared at his hands as they went through the practiced motions, ¡°Part of me didn¡¯t think he would¡­  want me to give it to her, on account of it¡¯s so expensive and she¡¯s¡­ human. But I said I wanted to do that right in front of him and he told me, told Alex¡¯s master too, that I could.¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡± Lorsan asked.


    ¡°A baby blanket,¡± Xac explained, ¡°She¡¯s pregnant.  They¡¯re real easy; whole things in garter on account of it¡¯s thicker so it¡¯s just one stitch, over and over.  It¡¯s a square. You can do it while you¡¯re drunk; I mean, not when you¡¯re shitfaced, but regular drunk.¡±


    Lorsan looked as if he was in deep thought, in concentration, so Xaxac said, ¡°I can show you, it you want me to.  You need a pair of sticks. You can use a couple of my double-pointed if you want to. I guess you could make a scarf or something, might fit on um.  Just don¡¯t drop the stitches off the back.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s kinda weird that you can do that,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°I know a lotta folks in the navy knit and they use pattern books.  I didn¡¯t know folks could do it in their head.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get a whole lotta use outta books,¡± Xac shrugged, ¡°I liked the magazines they had at the clocktower place.  They had a lotta pictures.¡±


    ¡°Daddy gathered up all the fur you shed when you shifted,¡± Lorsan said, looking into the fire, ¡°I reckon he¡¯s gonna sell it.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s gonna sell it?¡± Xac asked, ¡°It can¡¯t be worth nothin.¡±


    ¡°Xac,¡± Lorsan huffed, ¡°Don¡¯t play stupid.  You¡¯re a shifter. It¡¯s angora- which is expensive anyway- from a shifter!  Shifters are so rare half the folks round here don¡¯t believe in um. He¡¯s gonna make a fortune off that.  And there¡¯s a lot of it. You¡¯re over six foot tall shifted. Pushin seven.¡±


    ¡°I wish I could shave,¡± Xaxac lamented, because the concept of his body hair reminded him of the hair on his face, ¡°I don¡¯t want Aggie to see me like this.  He didn¡¯t say nothin about it¡­¡±


    ¡°I like the beard,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°When I¡¯m runnin the place all y¡¯all¡¯ll have beards.  Makes ya look human.¡±


    ¡°Makes me look old,¡± Xac argued, ¡°It ain¡¯t cute.  I don¡¯t want Aggie to see me like this.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to tell ya,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°I don¡¯t know nothin about it.¡±


    ¡°You reckon I could go downstairs here in a little bit?¡± Xac asked hopefully, ¡°I wanna take a real bath.¡±


    ¡°You can go wherever you want, for my part,¡± Lorsan shrugged, ¡°You ain¡¯t gotta ask me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the only one here,¡± Xaxac argued.


    ¡°Only what?¡± Lorsan asked, ¡°Elf?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and the only one in charge, ¡®cept for Mrs OfAgalon, and I know she won¡¯t let me do nothin.¡± Xaxac explained as he turned the row and began to knit again.


    ¡°Well,¡± Lorry said as he leaned forward and poked one of the potatoes, ¡°You can go wherever you want, for my part.¡±


    Xaxac stood in front of the dressing mirror and ran the towel over his wet body and through his hair, before he set about the task of combing through the puffy mess.  His beard had gone beyond stubble, it was really growing in, and Xac suspected that by the time Lee got back and he was allowed to shave again it would be as fluffy as his head.  He couldn¡¯t stand it.


    Once he had his hair sorted, he turned to the pile of packages Lorsan had thrown out of the way to make room for the new wardrobes.  If Agalon was going to be gone for days, he would have time to go through them all slowly, to really absorb each piece. He didn¡¯t even really need to unpack any of them right now; with Agalon gone it was likely that no one else would come into the room.  Even Lorsan tended to knock.


    But Lorsan may come in to check on him.


    Xaxac was beginning to think that Lorsan liked humans, even if he hadn¡¯t when he was younger, as Agalon had said.  People could change, and often did. Xaxac had certainly changed himself. And Lorsan would probably appreciate it if he wore clothes.


    And Agalon would probably prefer it if they were all hanging up instead of still in packages when he came home.


    Xac went to his new wardrobe and pressed his hands to the wood.  It was the same size as the old one had been, but it was obvious that it was new.  It was completely smooth and shining with the new varnish, and smelled like it too, a scent Xac wasn¡¯t sure he liked.  It was darker than the old one had been and the hinges were black instead brassy. He pulled the door open and peered inside at the back wall, as smooth and unbroken as the door had been.


    Xaxac closed the wardrobe, stood up straight, walked to the bedroom door, and opened it.  The sitting room beyond was quiet except for the crackling of the fire and the ticking of the clock.  Wasn¡¯t there supposed to be another clock? Agalon had ordered a clock for the bedroom, hadn¡¯t he? Xaxac wasn¡¯t sure.  Sometimes he dreamed things and got them all mixed up with reality. It was difficult to know which memories really happened and which he had dreamed up.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    He closed the door, in case Lorsan came in before he was dressed, and walked to the packages.  It was already evening, and Agalon had said he wouldn¡¯t be back that day, so Xaxac thought that if he moved slowly he could have enough to entertain himself for the entire time Agalon was gone with those packages.  He had always been interested in clothes anyway. Part of him wished he had been able to actually talk to Mrs Sambres. He suspected they would like each other. But he wished he could talk to her¡­ in a way that he couldn¡¯t, that he knew instinctively he couldn¡¯t, but could not really articulate why.


    He wanted to learn from her.  But he never would. That¡¯s not how those kinds of things were done.


    He wanted to know what she had written in her little notebook, how she made all the beautiful things she did, like those outfits in her store window.  But Xaxac was fairly certain that¡­ humans probably couldn¡¯t do that. It was probably beyond his capabilities. She had done things that he would never be able to do.


    He untied the first box and frowned.  It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t like it, it was that it was full of bland, banal practicality.  He had unfortunately come upon what was likely the worst of the packages on his first try, full of folded up undershorts, which he dumped upside down onto the bed.  They were a bit softer than he expected, but otherwise standard fare. But, he supposed, practical things had even more value than things that only existed for beauty.  He selected a pair at random and slid them on, humming as he tied them to fit.


    Then he opened a drawer of his new wardrobe and began to fold the rest neatly.  He was engaged in this activity when he heard the door to the sitting room open and Lorsan stepped inside.


    ¡°Xac?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m in the bedroom!¡± Xaxac called.


    ¡°You decent?¡± Lorry asked.


    ¡°No, darlin,¡± Xac laughed, ¡°I don¡¯t reckon.  Never again. After what I been through today decency¡¯s kinda out the window, ain¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°You care if I come in there?¡± Lorsan asked, as if he had either not understood that Xaxac had spoken in jest, or maybe just didn¡¯t find it particularly funny.


    ¡°Come on in,¡± Xac said as he stood to open another package.


    ¡°Smells a helluva lot better,¡± Lorsan said as he opened the door and stepped inside.  Xaxac noticed that he elected to leave the door to the sitting room open.


    ¡°Right?¡± Xac asked, ¡°I killed myself.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re feelin better?¡± Lorsan asked.


    ¡°Feelin a hellvua lot better,¡± Xac agreed, ¡°And I didn¡¯t pass out, which shocks the shit outta me.¡±


    He carefully untied the next package, opened the box, and found it to be full of undershirts, which he dumped onto the bed.  Was the outfit inspired by the fire continent the only good one he got? Still, they were impeccably made and in a variety of styles and he had to admire Sakala¡¯s handiwork.  He began to fold them, but stopped in his tracks as he took in something he should have noticed with the undershorts.


    There were just so many of them.


    When he worked on the fields the family was only given ten yards of fabric to make underthings for the entire family.  He did well to get two pairs of underthings a year, the lightweight for the warm months, and the flannels for the cold months.  He was looking at a good five years worth of clothes. That Agalon had seemingly ordered on a whim.


    He didn¡¯t need these.  They could have been split up, would be better used by people who didn¡¯t spend most of their working hours without clothes.  This didn¡¯t make sense.


    ¡°You sure?¡± Lorsan asked, ¡°You¡¯re movin real slow.  It ain¡¯t like you.¡±


    ¡°Just¡­¡± Xac said as he went back to folding the shirts, ¡°Thinkin too much.  I get to thinkin too much sometimes.¡±


    Lorsan looked behind him to see that both of the windows in the room were open, despite the chill of the early autumn twilight, so he walked over and closed them as Xaxac placed the folded undershirts in the drawer with his shorts.


    ¡°I been downstairs in the library,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°Lookin through daddy¡¯s records.¡±


    ¡°Neat,¡± Xac said, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Bunch of old ledgers and stuff,¡± Lorsan explained, ¡°Tryin to figure out where you come from.  He bought you up in the Sage Lake province, ¡®bought fourteen years ago.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where that is,¡± Xac shrugged.  The information wasn¡¯t particularly useful to him, but Lorsan didn¡¯t seem happy to see his apathy.  Xaxac wasn¡¯t sure what kind of reaction he had wanted or expected.


    ¡°It¡¯s up by the Sage Lake,¡± Lorsan said as if this would mean anything to Xaxac, ¡°There¡¯s cities there, big tourism place.  They do a lotta fishin, little bit of farmin, but not commercially like we do. Bought a week¡¯s ride out from Satra, another couple days out from the Sacred Woods, the Sacred Woods are right up on um.  The treeline hits the lake.¡±


    ¡°Sacred Woods,¡± Xac said as he untied another package, trying to remember where he had heard that name before.  Then his eyes grew wide and he said, ¡°The Emerald Knight!¡±


    ¡°The legend is,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°That about three hundred years ago, the Emerald Knight went into those woods.  Before that, there was a town in there, there was a path in there, folks could go in there. But then there was an earthquake, completely changed the landscape.  The woods grew back, grew over the path, and ain¡¯t nobody goes there no more. Anybody that goes in them woods never does come out again.¡±


    He leaned against the dressing table and continued, ¡°Folks see monsters in them woods.  They say you can¡¯t even go around the treeline at night. Say you can¡¯t never go up there on the full moons.  Folks hear voices. Folks¡­ see all kinds ¡®a things up there.¡±


    Xaxac had never given much thought to his birth parents.  Families were split up and sold to different people all the time from those slave merchants.  It was common for a child to be ¡®bought in¡¯ without parents, so he had always assumed that was what had happened to him.  His birth parents had probably gone somewhere else to work, without him. He had never harbored them any ill will for that, because it wouldn¡¯t have been their fault.  He never really thought about them at all.


    But the vet had said that shifting was hereditary.


    At least one of his parents would have had to have been a shifter.


    Was he a monster from those woods that had been cursed when the Emerald Knight killed a god?  Had he wandered away somehow and been found by a slave merchant?


    ¡°Did them records tell how much he paid for me?¡± Xaxac asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°And it¡¯s crazy.  Five hundred gold.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how much that is,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°Ok so¡­¡± Lorsan scrunched up his face in thought, ¡°Most folks never see a gold piece, Xac.  Most tradin¡¯s done in silver. A skilled laborer, like, say, a blacksmith, makes about one gold a year.  If we wouldn¡¯t kin to Xandra¡­ we could never afford you. That merchant¡¯ll never have to work another day in his life.  Daddy believed him. He thought you was a shifter.¡±


    ¡°He was right,¡± Xac shrugged.


    ¡°He¡¯s never been good with money,¡± Lorsan huffed, ¡°This place is hemmoragin money, and he¡¯s out here goin on trips and shit.¡±  He motioned to all the packages on the bed and the wardrobes, and possibly Xaxac himself, ¡°Buyin stupid shit. Man spends money like it¡¯s goin outta style.  I¡¯m gonna inherit a clusterfuck.¡± He crossed his arms and huffed, ¡°But it¡¯s fine, ¡®cause we¡¯re nobility. We¡¯ll just take it in levies from everybody else in the district, I guess.  Ain¡¯t like we¡¯ll ever actually go broke. Daddy spends all our money? Fuck everybody else livin here, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know nothin about it,¡± Xaxac said as he opened the package and pulled out a beautiful, thick, soft, green traveling cloak.  He liked the texture so much he brought it to his face to rub it against his skin and realized he could smell some sort of fragrance he didn¡¯t recognize.


    ¡°I¡¯d say he drinks up most of it,¡± Lorsan lamented as Xaxac hung the cloak carefully in his new wardrobe.


    ¡°I like to drink,¡± Xac said, ¡°I love bein drunk.  I¡¯d lay drunk if I could.¡±


    ¡°This oughta be the most profitable district in the mainland,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°We¡¯re literally feedin the nation.  They¡¯d die without us. We oughta have Xandra by the short hairs. We oughta wield way more power than we do.¡±


    ¡°Oh, on account¡¯a we grow the food?¡± Xaxac asked, not really understanding what Lorsan was talking about, ¡°That don¡¯t make no sense.  It ain¡¯t who grows the food, it¡¯s who¡¯s on top. By that logic, the slaves in the fields oughta have the most power.¡±


    Lorsan¡¯s eyes shot open with an emotion that looked like he had just had some sort of epiphany, but Xaxac wasn¡¯t paying much attention to him, he had moved on to the next package.

 Book 2: Chapter 6

    Agalon did not return the next day, or the day after.


    Sometimes Lorsan would try to talk to him, in the tray of dirt, but their conversations never amounted to much.


    But Xaxac was shocked by how much time Lorsan seemed to want to spend with him.  Maybe he didn¡¯t have much else to do. But it was odd. During the day he would be gone for long stretches of time, while Xaxac cleaned, or tried on his new clothes, or sat in the sitting room, knitting away at the baby blanket that he had nearly finished, but every evening he returned.


    If Agalon hadn¡¯t taken everyone with him, Xaxac thought that he would have, perhaps, ventured out of the sitting room, would have gone downstairs, to the kitchen, to see his family.  That much time alone was¡­ not good for his tendency to overthink things.


    Xaxac wondered what would happen if he left the house entirely.


    He wondered what would happen if he went out, after sundown, wearing the clothes that looked like the uniform of a houseslave, and went back to the little wooden house, nestled amongst all the other little wooden houses, the one that his parents had built before he had arrived.  He wondered if his father would be there. He wondered if his father would be happy to see him.


    He wondered this so much and so often that he actually put on the outfit, though it was so cool now that he didn¡¯t see a reason to roll up the sleeves.


    There was no one there to catch him.


    There was no reason not to go.


    Xaxac walked to the door, leading into the sitting room, and turned the knob.


    It opened.


    He walked quickly through the sitting room, to the door that would open into the hallway, and turned the knob.


    It opened.


    He stepped out into the hallway and paused.


    If he went down the servant¡¯s staircase, Mrs OfAgalon might catch him.  It eventually terminated in a room beside the storeroom, between the kitchen and the dining room.  She had said she was acting as the cook in his mother¡¯s absence.


    But if he went down the main staircase, there were two men who guarded the front door.  He didn¡¯t know them, and didn¡¯t know what sort of reaction they would have.


    He lingered there, in that hall, and began to feel that he was making a mistake.


    Agalon trusted him.  Agalon did things for him, got things for him, maybe even loved him, and he trusted him.


    Agalon wanted him to stay in his room.


    Xaxac did not realize he had taken the step backwards until his back hit the door.


    Was he crying?  Why was he crying?


    He took a deep breath, shoved himself forward, and took off at a sprint in the direction of the main staircase.  He bolted down the hall, then down the stairs, moving so quickly he skipped steps, though he could not have said how often or how many.


    At the second landing he turned on a whim as a thought struck him- Mrs OfAgalon was old, she may not be able to catch him, and she may not even see him to tell on him.  It was possible she wasn¡¯t even in the kitchen. She had other things to do. So he moved down a hall on the second story, a place in the house where he had never been, but he thought he knew the layout of the house well enough that he knew what it would look like, and he was right.  Doorways, paintings, and little tables full of plants flew by in a blur as he raced down the hall that looked almost identical to the one upstairs until he reached the door at the end of it, threw it open, and came into the second landing of the servant¡¯s staircase, just as he had predicted.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    He raced down the narrow steps, twisting and turning, until he came to the small room at the bottom.  Then he stopped, pressed his ear to the door, and listened.


    There was no one in the storeroom, but there were people beyond.  He heard the sounds of a kitchen staff at work, likely cleaning up the dinner they would have served the house staff.  The kitchen was probably full.


    He wasn¡¯t going to sneak out that way.


    He had to make a decision, and the most intelligent thing to do would be to turn around, go back upstairs, and head back to his room.


    But that isn¡¯t what he did.


    He opened the door, stepped into the storeroom, saw that the door to the kitchen was open, and beyond it, the door leading outside.


    And he ran, as fast as he could.  He moved past everyone in the kitchen without looking at them, without seeing them, without taking the time to dawdle long enough to see them, and though he did not know it, they did not really see him.  He moved so quickly that the staff knew something had passed, but could not say, with any certainty, what it was.


    Xaxac burst into the cool autumn night and did not slow down.


    The wind whipped at his face as he sped past the fields under the light of the waning moons and watched the world fly past him.  He saw the houses come into view, but he did not feel fear until he saw the bonfire. It was then that a terrifying realization hit him.


    He didn¡¯t know who he could trust.


    He was breaking rules by being out here, and now everyone knew he was a monster.  It was no longer just a rumor. They had seen him shift. He had no idea what sort of reaction he could expect.


    So he changed direction and darted behind the line of houses instead.  He crept as silently as he could, until he came to the little house with the patched walls that his father had repaired after he had tried to chew through them, when he had shifted, so long ago, as a child.  He peeled back the curtain his mother had made and peered inside.


    The house was empty.


    But it was not the normal sort of empty.


    Something heavy fell over Xaxac as he pulled himself off his feet and through the window.


    Something was wrong.


    Xaxac did not think that Abe was outside, eating and playing cards around the bonfire with his friends.


    The house was the kind of empty he could feel in his soul.


    The little wooden stools had been pulled away from the table and not scooted back in.  The cauldron hung over ashes that were not only cold, but had not been scraped away to be replaced with a new fire.  The bed lay half folded on itself, with the blanket all askew.


    Xaxac walked to the bed and rolled it out properly, then picked up the knitted blanket, fluffed it out, and replaced it properly.


    Had this house always smelled this bad?  As if the bedding needed washing and the straw needed replacing?  Had it always smelled like this?


    His father wasn¡¯t here, and Xaxac began to pace as he weighed the idea that he wasn¡¯t outside, either.  The idea was overpowering. It made no sense. No matter where Agalon went, there was no reason for him to take a field hand.  No reason. It wouldn¡¯t happen.


    Unless he meant to sell him.


    But surely not.  Abe wasn¡¯t a shifter.  He was a hard worker, but he was old.  There was no reason to sell him. There was no reason to do anything with him.  He had to be here. He had to be outside, playing cards around the bonfire after supper.  He had, after all, no reason to come home with half his family gone.


    And why was the bonfire so quiet?  Why wasn¡¯t the place alive with the sounds of voices?  Why was everything so strange?


    Xaxac walked to the front door and pressed himself against it to listen.


    The only voices he heard were hushed, and they came from children.


    What was going on?


    He peered out through a slit in the curtain of the front window, and saw that there were adults, as there should be, but they had fallen silent.  Why? Maybe it was just a momentary lull in conversation. That happened sometimes. Sometimes entire groups of people fell silent all at once, it was just a strange quirk of conversation.  Maybe it would all start up again, and everything would be fine.


    But it didn¡¯t.


    Because Xaxac heard why they had all fallen silent.


    He heard the whinney of a horse.


    He dropped to the ground and crawled to the other side of the window.


    Lorsan sat on horseback, looking as tall and intimidating as his father had, the first time Xaxac had seen him, on the fields.  The flickering firelight did something to him, changed him. He looked less like the boy from the house who had taken care of him when he had fallen ill, and more like an elf.


    ¡°Don¡¯t put yourselves out on my account,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°I¡¯m just checkin up on everybody.  Had me a scare a couple days back. Y¡¯all know anybody by the name¡¯a Hattie May?¡±

 Book 2: Chapter 7

    Xaxac held his breath.


    What should he do?


    Should he go home?


    Should he stay where he was?


    Then something strange happened.  Lorsan narrowed his eyes, tilted his head, as if he was trying to hear something, or perhaps as if he had felt something.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Lorsan asked.


    Then he turned, and Xaxac dove for the floor as silently as he could.


    He covered his head with his hands, held his breath, and listened.


    He heard Lorsan dismount.


    He took one step toward the door, then another, and time seemed to slow down.


    Xaxac jumped to his feet, bolted for the back window, and dove out in one motion, so fast and with so much gusto he hit the ground rolling.  He crouched and backed up until he was positioned just under the window.


    Lorsan was inside the house now, walking around.  Xaxac heard him moving, back and forth as if he was looking for something, and he paused, on the side of the room where the bed was, and let out a humming noise.


    He had noticed someone had set the bed to rights.  He was distracted. His attention had been taken, and Xaxac had no idea how long that would last.


    So he took the opportunity he had been given- and he bolted.


    Night had fully fallen, and he prayed he was hidden in the shadows, prayed the moons, which had always hated him, would not illuminate him as he ran with everything in him, so far and so fast he forgot to breath and his lungs began to ache.  His mind was only able to form one thought: he had to beat Lorsan back to the house. He bolted through the open kitchen door and sped for the storeroom.


    The kitchen was full.  He knew he had been seen.  But there was nothing for it.  He had to be fast, and he had to pray that he could depend on the kindness of relative strangers.  Maybe, just maybe, Mrs OfAgalon hadn¡¯t been in the kitchen. Maybe the people who were in the kitchen had a fondness for his mother.


    Maybe he could get lucky.


    Xaxac burst up three flights of stairs more climbing than running, and emerged in his most familiar hallway.


    He closed the door softly, darted to the door of the sitting room, threw it open and slammed it behind him as he ran for the bedroom.


    He glanced in the mirror, saw the dirt on his uniform, and tugged it off as quickly as he could, turning each item inside out and wadding them up.  He kicked off his shoes, wadded the shirt into the pants, then, in a moment of panic, stuffed the bundle under the bed. He went to the basin, splashed water on his face, then dried his entire body with the towel there to remove the sweat.


    He threw open the wardrobe and grabbed a new outfit, the tight one that looked very much like the one Alex had traveled in, except it was green rather than blue, and stepped into the water closet.


    Lorsan did not appear.


    It occurred to Xaxac as he stood, fully dressed in the water closet, listening to the seconds tick by, that he may have gotten away with it.


    He slowly emerged from the water closet, knelt, and pulled the bundle of dirty clothes out of the hiding spot he had put them in.


    What could he do with them, realistically?


    Hide them in plain sight.


    He kept them inside out, but folded them neatly and put them into a corner of the wardrobe, closed it, and strode confidently into the sitting room.


    He dug through the box of root vegetables until he found a carrot, then took it to the water closet to pump some water and wash off the dirt.


    He plopped down on the couch, bit into his carrot, and stared at the clock on the mantle.


    He wondered who was working in the kitchen.


    He wondered where everyone was.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    He wondered what Lorsan wanted with Hattie May.


    He wondered what would happen to him if Lorsan found out he had left the house.


    He ate all of the carrot, even the greens, before he knelt before the fireplace and laid out the wood in a conical shape.  Then he took the flint, steel, and charcloth, and stuck it until he got a spark. He held the charcloth, blowing to keep the flame alive, while he picked up a clutch of kindling and stuffed it inside.  He blew on it until this, too, caught, and once the flames were going he stuck it into the middle of the cone, and watched the fire blaze to life.


    He had washed some sweet potatoes and laid them out by the fire to roast, and was on the last row of his knitting, casting off, when he heard Lorsan in the hallway.


    Xaxac looked up when he walked inside and smiled.


    ¡°Hey, Lorry,¡± he said.


    ¡°Hey, Xac,¡± Lorsan said, and he did not smile back, ¡°I need a drink.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m always up for that,¡± Xaxac said chipperly.


    ¡°Whatcha makin?¡± Lorsan asked, ¡°Sweet taters?  I¡¯ll get some brown sugar while I¡¯m down there.¡±


    ¡°Neat,¡± Xac said.


    And he was gone.


    Xaxac began to hum as he moved each new stitch from the needles.  He picked up the skein he was working with and shoved the whole thing through the last stitch, then again in the new loop he had created, and pulled tight.  He held the yarn tight, brought it to his mouth, and bit through it where it met the knot, then tossed the skien into the bag with the needles.


    He fluffed the blanket out and held it in front of him.


    It was beautiful, soft, and big enough to swaddle with.


    Alice was going to love it, as much as she could love anything with those mood swings.


    The door opened and Lorsan walked back in carrying a bottle of wine, two glasses, and a small canister of sugar, all of which he sat on the coffee table before he plopped down next to Xaxac.


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty,¡± he said.


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Xac agreed, ¡°It is.  It¡¯s real nice. She¡¯s gonna love it!  I still¡­ kinda can¡¯t believe Aggie¡¯s gonna let me give it to her.  This yarn was expensive¡­ I think he¡¯s only lettin me give it to Alley because he knows it¡¯ll make me happy.  He loves me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lorsan said in a tone that made Xaxac nervous because he could not judge the sincerity of it.


    Lorsan pulled the cork from the bottle and poured them both a glass.


    ¡°I shoulda got more than this,¡± He said, ¡°I wonder if Nancy¡¯d even do it, if I rung for her.¡±


    ¡°She has to,¡± Xaxac said as he fluffed out the blanket and began to fold it, ¡°You¡¯re an elf.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Lorsan said, in that same tone.  He seemed as if he was deep in thought, and once again Xaxac wondered why he had wanted to talk to Hattie May.


    Xaxac stuck the blanket into the bag with his knitting supplies and leaned forward to pick up his glass.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know nothin about magic, do you?¡± Lorsan asked.  Xac shook his head, so he continued, ¡°Ok so¡­ everything that lives has a¡­  a heart? No, I guess they don¡¯t, not all of um¡­ but magic is¡­ there¡¯s this sayin, ¡®Magic travels through the blood¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Neat,¡± Xac said, leaned back, and sipped his wine.


    ¡°So every living thing has magic,¡± Lorsan explained, ¡°That¡¯s what makes it alive.  That¡¯s what makes it different from like¡­ stuff you make.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± Xaxac said, because he wasn¡¯t particularly shocked that nothing Lorsan said made sense to him, but it seemed important to him, so he was willing to let him talk.


    ¡°In people and most animals,¡± Lorsan continued, ¡°That¡¯s true.  It¡¯s in the blood. And you can see it, in the heart. Everybody has a¡­  like a soul. And mages are trained to look for it. We can see it.¡±


    ¡°You can see my soul?¡± Xaxac asked.


    ¡°Yeah, we call um ¡®magic signatures¡¯ but yeah, I can,¡± Lorsan explained.  ¡°That¡¯s how scryin works. When you cast a spell, you don¡¯t cast it in the pattern of your soul, you cast it in the pattern of their soul, and they¡¯ll feel it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s sweet,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°I like that.¡±


    ¡°The world of magic is kinda¡­  on top of this one, the physical world,¡± Lorsan continued, ¡°So you can see through it, around it, kinda.  I mean, it depends on how strong you are. Some folks can see through solid stone, some can¡¯t, you get me?¡±


    ¡°I guess,¡± Xaxac said and took another drink, ¡°can we get more¡¯a this?  You¡¯re right. We¡¯ll run out.¡±


    ¡°I can see magic through flimsy walls made¡¯a scrap wood, Xac,¡± Lorsan said, and Xaxac, in that moment, felt very stupid.  He felt as if he should have been able to trace the conversation.


    ¡°Your daddy told me that a skilled mage could cast for miles,¡± Xaxac said conversationally, ¡°Can uh¡­  can they see folks for miles, too?¡±


    ¡°Not¡­  I mean you see magic signatures with your eyes but¡­  I mean technically you could, but we ain¡¯t supposed to and ain¡¯t nobody who¡¯ll teach you how to do that, but let¡¯s not bullshit, alright?  I want you to know that I know you was outside.¡±


    Xaxac took another drink of his wine watching Lorsan over the edge of his glass.  He looked nervous, which was not the emotion Xaxac had expected. He didn¡¯t look angry, at all.


    ¡°What, um,¡± Xac asked, ¡°Whatcha¡­  gonna do to me, Lorry?¡±


    He did not think he could control Lorsan, wouldn¡¯t have been able to influence his actions in any meaningful way, so he didn¡¯t try.


    ¡°Nothin,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°I ain¡¯t gonna tell nobody.  I ain¡¯t gonna do nothin. But¡­ I¡¯m curious. Why was you out there, Xac?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to see my daddy,¡± Xaxac shrugged.  He had no reason to lie. ¡°Half my family¡¯s gone, Aggie¡¯s gone.  I¡¯m lonesome.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d think you stay lonesome,¡± Lorsan said.


    ¡°Yeah¡­  I¡­ I try not to think too much,¡± Xaxac finished his glass, picked up the bottle and refilled it, ¡°I try not to think at all, if I can help it.¡±


    ¡°Did you see him?¡± Lorsan asked.


    ¡°No, wouldn¡¯t nobody in the house and I didn¡¯t wanna go outside.  Not just on account of I might get caught but ¡®cause¡­ you know,¡± he shrugged again, ¡°I¡¯m a monster.  I ain¡¯t been around nobody since they found that out.¡±


    ¡°Humans are social animals,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°So are rabbits.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Lorsan asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know a lot about rabbits,¡± Xaxac admitted, ¡°I ain¡¯t never raised um or nothin.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°Um¡­  ok, let me go ring Nacy and see if she¡¯ll bring us another bottle and then uh¡­  how about I read to you? We got books about rabbits.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Xac said, ¡°I¡¯d like that.  I¡¯d¡­ really appreciate it. Lorry um¡­  why¡­ I mean, I appreciate it, but why have you been so nice to me?¡±


    ¡°I like you,¡± Lorsan said as he stood, ¡°I like humans.¡±

 Book 2: Chapter 8

    Xaxac did not try to leave the next day.


    He sewed up the hems of the hat he had made and cast on another one, after he had finished his cleaning for the day.  He was subsisting mostly on the carrots Lorsan had brought him, which he could eat raw without getting sick, but when the sun set, he made another fire and set out potatoes to roast, in anticipation of Lorsan¡¯s visit.


    They fell into a new routine so quickly.


    But Xaxac missed everyone.  He missed his mother, his sister, his father, Jimmy, and Lee, but more than anything, he missed Agalon.  He didn¡¯t know when Agalon had become more important to him than anyone else, and he wasn¡¯t sure he liked it.  But it was the truth, and there was no use denying it. He didn¡¯t want Agalon to see him in his sorry state; his beard was an actual beard now, not stubble, not the scraggly beginnings of a beard, but an itchy, ugly mess of soft, fluffy hair that moved outward, just like the hair on his head.  He hated it. He couldn¡¯t put his makeup on, and it made him look ten years older. And it was uncomfortable- he didn¡¯t know how other men stood it. Yes, the shaving was time consuming and difficult, but it was not a constant, underlying sense of discomfort, on the edges of perception, always there, always tickling, on the edges of his nerves- it was enough to drive him mad!  And Agalon would hate it as much as he did. He would hate how it looked, he would hate how it aged him, and he would hate how it made Xaxac feel.


    Xac wondered if Lee kept the shaving supplies somewhere he could get to them.  He also wondered, not for the first time, where Lee slept. He had never seen him before, before he came to the big house, and he seemed to hear the bell ring whenever Agalon rang it, even in the middle of the night.  Did he live in the house somewhere? Some slaves did. Xac did.


    ¡°Hey Xac,¡± Lorsan said as he entered the room, ¡°Exciting day?¡±


    ¡°I actually got a lot done,¡± Xac said because he had picked up on the sarcasm and was insulted by it, ¡°Both these rooms are pretty damn spotless, I finished the hat I had made for Alex, and I¡¯m makin a new one for Aggie.¡±


    ¡°He don¡¯t never wear red,¡± Lorsan said.


    ¡°It¡¯s all I got,¡± Xac deflated, because that was true and he had considered it, ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened to all my fur.  It was gone when I woke up.¡±


    ¡°I mean,¡± Lorsan shrugged, ¡°He¡¯ll probably like it.  I just ain¡¯t never seen him in red. I don¡¯t think he buys it, you know, for himself.  I bet he¡¯ll like it.¡±


    ¡°Stop,¡± Xac said and listened to the soothing sound of his needles click click clicking together.


    ¡°I like it,¡± Lorsan said and picked up the hat Xac had set on top of the folded baby blanket on the coffee table, ¡°This the finished one?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Xac said, and watched Lorsan stuff it onto his head.  His face seemed like one who was shocked about something, so Xac asked, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d go over my ears,¡± Lorsan admitted, ¡°You made it for a human.¡±


    ¡°The band¡¯s a knit two purl two rib,¡± Xaxac explained, ¡°It stretches pretty good, but not enough to where it won¡¯t be warm.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that means,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°But uh¡­  that¡¯s neat, Xac.¡±


    ¡°A purl stitch is a reverse knit stitch,¡± Xaxac said.


    ¡°Right,¡± Lorsan took off the hat and set it back on the baby blanket, ¡°Super informative.  I¡¯m gonna go ring Nancy to bring us some wine.¡±


    ¡°Do you ever eat, Lorry?¡± Xaxac asked, because he hadn¡¯t seen him eat anything except the vegetables he had packed upstairs for Xac the entire time his father had been gone.


    ¡°Not nothin made by somebody who poisons my friends,¡± Lorsan said, lingering in the doorway, ¡°No.  I ain¡¯t stupid. Put a little hemlock in my tea or somethin. I ain¡¯t drank nothin that didn¡¯t come straight out the pipe or from a sealed bottle, neither.¡±


    Then he was gone, tugging the bell in the hallway.


    When he returned, Xac did not look up to speak.


    ¡°Hey Lorry,¡± he asked, ¡°Do y¡¯all have a copy of the holy texts?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we got a million different ones,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°Got complete collections, partial collections, that big family one, little ones to take to the temple¡­  we¡¯re set.¡±


    ¡°You reckon you could read it to me tonight?¡± Xac asked, ¡°I was just¡­  wonderin what happened, with the curse and all, ya know?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a long story, Xac,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°I mean, there¡¯s a lot to it.  All the legends are kinda intertwined, you can¡¯t just read one part, you gotta have context.  I been tryin to explain that to some priests who seem like they need to hear it.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­  can we do that, then?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°We won¡¯t finish it before I leave for school,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°It¡¯s thick as hell.  But yeah, if you want.¡±


    He stood and made his way to the bookshelf as MrsOfAgalon entered with their wine; she had brought up three bottles this time, likely to save herself some trouble, and Xaxac slipped until he was lying on the sofa so that he would not have to look at her over the back of it.


    ¡°Thanks, Nancy,¡± Lorsan said.


    ¡°Yes, master,¡± she said, ¡°Will that be all?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s it,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°Feels about like a vacation here without daddy, don¡¯t it?¡± Apparently this quazi joke did not land because he sighed and in a more somber tone said, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯ll be all.¡±


    ¡°Yes, master,¡± she said, and Xaxac listened to her walk away.  He would not move until he heard the door close.


    Then he put away his knitting to attend to their wine.  Lorsan selected an older book with a cover that looked as though some sort of green fabric had been stretched over wood, emblazoned with the symbol of an unbroken circle in gold.  Within the circle were three other symbols, but Xaxac did not know what they meant. One looked a bit like the flickering flames of the fire he was using to roast the potatoes, but he could not guess to the others.  They seemed to have no inherit meaning, like the squiggles the elves used to write. The book was much older and much more worn out than Xaxac expected anything in Agalon¡¯s house to be, but it was the one that Lorsan carried to the sofa and plopped down with, so it had to be the Holy Texts.


    Xac popped the cork and poured their wine as Lorsan began to read.


    ¡°In the beginning, there was chaos.


    The sunlight that burned down upon the world would have brought death, had there been any living thing to die.


    The rains fell with stones from the unforgiving heavens, the fire below the earth broiled so that the land flowed as the angry sea, and the sea itself boiled away, then fell, then boiled again.  The world was formless, without law, and without life.


    The great god Thesis looked upon the world, and he said to them, ¡®Let us create order¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Said to who?¡± Xaxac interrupted.


    ¡°Now see, that right there is a damn good question,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°Folks have been askin that for centuries.  Best guess is he¡¯s talkin to the lesser spirits, but the thing about that is, this book ain¡¯t just one book. It was wrote by a lot of different authors, all claimin they was divinely inspired, channelin the word of Thesis through their pen, not their brains.  But yeah, that¡¯s a good question. Because it seems like maybe this ain¡¯t the beginnin, don¡¯t it? Like maybe somethin happened before this? There¡¯s other texts, but they didn¡¯t get put in here on account of they was apparently not divinely inspired that talks about Thesis creating the lesser spirits, like the forest spirit, to act as his voice on Xren, and then there¡¯s other passages that talk about that, but that part was cut so,¡± he took a deep breath and said, ¡°I¡¯m gonna level with you, Xac, the reason that this book has scholars dedicated to goin over it is because it¡¯s a straight up clusterfuck.  I know blasphemy¡¯s a sin, but the more you look at it the less sense it makes. Don¡¯t think too hard on it, alright? Just let it wash over you and absorb the gist of it.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Xac frowned, ¡°Well when does it get to humans?¡±


    ¡°I told you, you gotta read it in context.¡± Lorsan said.


    ¡°But you just said it don¡¯t make sense in context.¡± Xac pouted and sipped his wine.


    ¡°I¡¯m just¡­  readin what¡¯s in front of me,¡± Lorsan sighed, ¡°Hush and listen.  I can¡¯t debate it or teach it, my faith ain¡¯t strong enough. You¡¯d have to ask a priest that kinda shit.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Xac said, ¡°Ok.  I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t know it¡¯d¡­  you look mad¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°It¡¯s just I¡¯m readin the same thing you¡¯re hearin,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°How the hell would I know?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Xac said again.


    ¡°So Thesis set into the sky the firmament, to catch the rain of stones and any other dangers from the world beyond.  This tempered the sun, and cooled the world.


    He calmed the roaring lava below the ground, and the lands rose up, steady and calm were they.  The sea fell flat, but did not stop, for still it collected into the heavens, but because the firmament, having been laid by the great god Thesis, had been laid, the rain collected into clouds, and fell gently upon Xren.


    Thesis set into law all that which is natural, and decreed the logic behind the seasons, the rains, the snows, the heat and the cold, the night and the day-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like a greenhouse!¡± Xac said.


    ¡°Yeah, actually,¡± Lorsan said, as if he was proud Xac had drawn that connection, ¡°It is like a greenhouse.¡±


    ¡°And he said to them, ¡®The world is good.  The laws of the land have brought order to the chaos.  But the land is dead. Let us create life upon that which is good, and let it live by the laws that we have written.¡¯


    And the great god Thesis set upon the sea, and sprinkled into it the seeds of life, and they blossomed in his creation.  Upon the land grew all the greenery, the plants that live and grow, good and green, and bore fruit that was good to eat, and flowers, and seeds, and roots that grasped the living earth of Xren.  And Thesis looked upon it and saw that it was good.


    And from the seeds he had sprinkled into the sea came the living, moving things, that swam in the sea, or crawled upon Xren, or flew in the skies, or dwelt in the flames, and he looked upon it and saw that it was good, each creature to their niche and each to their kind.  And each followed the law of the land as it had been written, and life flourished in the new world according to his law.


    And the land grew wild, and complexity sprang forth from the creatures on the land, and Thesis began to grow worried, and he said to them, ¡°These things have not the intelligence to understand our design.  They can fall to danger. Even now they dig in the earth and hunt in the fields, even now they tip the scales. We must create for them guardians, to watch over them and care for them¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Xac said in confusion, ¡°Did he say that to the animals?  That sounds like he said that to the animals but then he calls them ¡®them¡¯ instead of ¡®you¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Best I can figure,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°Is he was still talkin to the spirits?  See this was originally written in ancient elven and their pronouns are all kinds of fucked up.  It¡¯s a protolanguage so they really only had like two pronouns, but they didn¡¯t use um consistently.  They¡¯d kinda translate to ¡®it¡¯ and ¡®they¡¯, they didn¡¯t have gendered pronouns, and you¡¯d think that¡¯d be easy, like ¡®it¡¯ would be singular and ¡®they¡¯ would be plural, but we don¡¯t see it like that.  It actually kinda works like¡­ well, again it ain¡¯t ever very consistent, but the one we¡¯d call ¡®it¡¯ seems like it¡¯s maybe you¡¯re talkin to somebody of a lesser social rank, and ¡®they¡¯ is somebody of a higher social rank, but not all the time¡­  Languages are weird. My point is, people smarter than us argue about this shit, so once again, an¡¯ probably any time you ask me this kinda shit, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just don¡¯t make a lotta sense,¡± Xaxac said and refilled his glass, then took Lorsan¡¯s and refilled it as well, ¡°I get confused.¡±


    ¡°No, it don¡¯t make a lotta sense,¡± Lorsan agreed, ¡°There¡¯s temples full¡¯a priests who spent their whole lives studyin it. It ain¡¯t meant to be flipped through like a magazine.  I told ya, don¡¯t think on details, just try an¡¯ take in the whole story.¡±


    ¡°I just like stuff what makes sense,¡± Xac pouted, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.  I know I keep interruptin. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m trying to quit, but I¡¯m gettin tipsy and it ain¡¯t helpin.¡±


    ¡°You want me to stop?¡± Lorsan asked.


    ¡°No!¡± Xac begged, ¡°Please!  I wanna hear it! I¡¯ll be good!¡±


    ¡°¡®Let us make them in our image, and teach them our ways.  And we will make for them a land like unto which is our land, beyond the world, beyond the firmament and the twinkling stars in the sky, and let them dwell there and learn ours ways, and be happy all their days.  And let us teach them the ways of the world we have created, so that when the time comes, they may rule it as we have ruled it. And let us make them in our image, so that the creatures of the world may know them, and they shall know them by their image, which is like unto that of a god.  Let us give unto them their ears so that they may hear the voice of a god, and their eyes, so that they may see the workings of a god, which the other creatures cannot-¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you can see souls!¡± Xac interjected, ¡°He¡¯s talking about you!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and why our ears are so long,¡± Lorsan said and took a sip of his wine.


    ¡°When I shift, ain¡¯t my ears longer¡¯n yourn?¡± Xac teased.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lorsan giggled, ¡°Your ears are like two foot long.  You ever hear the voice of a god?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t remember nothin when I shift,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°Well I ain¡¯t never heard no god,¡± Lorsan shrugged.


    ¡°And let us teach them how to use those workings, so that they may treasure, guard, protect, and rule the land, and all the creatures upon it, so that they may work the will of a god.¡¯


    And so the great god Thesis created in the world a beautiful city,¡±


    Lorsan looked up and said, ¡°This here actually bothers me, because the word just means ¡®place¡¯, so some folks have translated it ¡®city¡¯, some folks have translated it ¡®kingdom¡¯ and some folks just go with ¡®place¡¯.  So there ain¡¯t really no way to tell what it actually was.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± Xac mused, ¡°Weird.¡±


    ¡°Built of sparkling crystal that reflected the sun, inset with stones and precious metals, at the top of the world, and he filled it with all the tools and beautiful things, and he set into it his most glorious creation, which he had made one by one, of his own hands, in his own image, the high elves.¡±


    ¡°I swear to god,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°This should be ¡®whole elves¡¯.  It don¡¯t mean ¡®high¡¯, it means ¡®whole¡¯. I know this is a big debate but I don¡¯t know why.  Any other time you see that word it means ¡®whole¡¯. Like all of somethin. Like ¡®I ate a whole pie¡¯.  It¡¯s weird to me that the whole damn empire has decided to call these folks ¡®high elves¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I dunno what to tell ya,¡± Xac shrugged.


    ¡°And they were perfect and beautiful.  They need not eat, nor sleep, nor drink, for they felt neither hunger nor fatigue nor thirst.  As they had been made perfect and whole, they need not fear death, for they could not die. They were neither male nor female, as they could not die, but both, perfect and whole.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Xac asked, ¡°How does that¡­  follow? How does not bein a man or woman make you not die?¡±


    ¡°This¡¯in I actually know,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°Folks think they got this¡¯in figured out.  On account of it goes into it later. See, originally elves didn¡¯t have babies, like at all.  So we didn¡¯t have male and female like the animals, because the point of that is to reproduce. Later, after the curse, they get split, and when they lose their immortality, they gain the ability to have kids, so the race don¡¯t die off.  That¡¯s what this means. It explains it later. High elves don¡¯t have kids, they just¡­ are what they are. There wouldn¡¯t never supposed to be a bunch of us.¡±


    Xaxac didn¡¯t really understand this answer, but he suspected it was more because he kept drinking than it was that it didn¡¯t make sense, and he wanted to hear the rest of the story, so he didn¡¯t push the point.


    ¡°And Thesis said unto them, ¡®I have created you, whole and perfect, and I have given you this land, which is like unto our land, beyond the world, beyond the firmament and the twinkling stars in the sky, and I have set you here to live in peace and prosperity.  Beyond this place lies the world, which I have created, and all the creatures that dwell within it. You, whom I have created in my image, must rule this land, and guard over the creatures within, each to their needs. I have given you access to the workings of a god, and you will stay here and learn of them, so that you may fulfill your purpose.  As long as you fulfill your purpose, you shall feel neither hunger nor thirst, nor shall you fear death, for you shall not die, neither shall you feel pain, nor anguish, nor any painful emotion, for I have created you whole and perfect, and I have given you this land, which is like unto our land, beyond the world, beyond the firmament and the twinkling stars in the sky.¡¯


    And he looked upon his creation and saw that they loved and obeyed him, and they flourished in their paradise, each according to their purpose.¡±


    ¡°Then there¡¯s a list a¡¯ names that goes on for like two pages,¡± Lorsan huffed, ¡°That I¡¯m gonna skip. I mean, there¡¯s a couple that matter, but most of um don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Whichin¡¯s matter?¡± Xaxac asked.


    ¡°I mean, there¡¯s a couple what still got festivals named after um and whatnot,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°Like Nicoli¡¯s in here, Eishtar¡¯s in here, stuff like that.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Come on. Xac, you know who Nicoli is,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°Divine apparition who brings good kids presents on the winter solstice?¡±


    Xaxac stared at him trying to figure out what he was talking about.


    ¡°You hang a stockin on your fireplace an¡¯ he puts toys and candy in it,¡± Lorsan said, as if this was common knowledge, and it was worrying him that Xaxac didn¡¯t know what he was talking about.  Xaxac didn¡¯t like the look on his face, didn¡¯t like the pity he saw there, so he averted his eyes to refill his glass.


    ¡°I reckon maybe only elves get divine apparitions,¡± Xac said, ¡°The only time we ever got candy mama brought it from the big house,¡± he paused, in his drunken state, and looked around as if just realizing where he was, ¡°From here, I mean.  From your house. An¡¯ the only time we got toys was if our parents made um. They did always try to get us somethin on the solstice, though. It was just hard cause mama had to work so much, you know, in the big house? She said there was a party all solstice season.  We wouldn¡¯t see her most a¡¯ the time. She¡¯d leave at four and wouldn¡¯t get back till after midnight. Solstice like ta¡¯ killed her.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Lorsan said, ¡°Was this¡­  was this when you was a youngun?¡±


    ¡°I mean,¡± Xac shrugged, ¡°My whole life.  That¡¯s just how it is.¡±


    Lorsan was silent for some time before he spoke, and when he did his mood was difficult to gauge.


    ¡°When I was a youngun,¡± he said, ¡°back when my mama was alive and before she left daddy¡­  we¡¯d have parties the whole week of the solstice. We¡¯re nobility, we¡¯re supposed to throw parties for the district.  My mama would play that piano, and they¡¯d throw open the doors downstairs and make room for people to dance. Sometimes, they¡¯d have the humans play music an¡¯ dance together- I mean, my parents would dance together.  They¡­ quit doin that after a while. But we¡¯d have a big feast, ever¡¯ night, with cakes and cookies and candy, and on the day before the solstice all the youngun¡¯s would hang up stockin¡¯s, and the next day they¡¯d be full a¡¯ toys and candy.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like fun,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°Your mama¡­  made them feasts,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°She was up at four in the mornin cookin¡­  didn¡¯t get out till midnight¡­ on the solstice¡­¡±


    He turned his eyes back to the book and read something, which made Xaxac think he had also gotten drunk, because it was a passage he had already read.


    ¡°And let us teach them how to use those workings, so that they may treasure, guard, protect, and rule the land, and all the creatures upon it, so that they may work the will of a god.¡±

 Book 2: Chapter 9

    ¡°When you really look at it real close,¡± Lorsan slurred, ¡°Not just the book, but¡­  all¡¯uv it¡­ it just starts soundin like bullshit, don¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re thinkin too much,¡± Xaxac said.


    He was lying with his head in Lorsan¡¯s lap as Lorsan squinted in an attempt to make the three books in front of him condense into one, but he gave up quickly, closed the one in the middle and watched the after images follow suite, then attempted to throw it all together onto the coffee table in the middle, but missed so spectacularly he hit one of the unopened wine bottles and sent them crashing to the floor, which was terribly funny, so Xac began to laugh.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Lorry assured him and ran a hand through his hair, ¡°You¡¯re so soft.¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah, I am,¡± Xac agreed and turned to stare into the fire burning in the fireplace, ¡°without the beard I¡¯m cute, too.¡±


    ¡°I like your beard,¡± Lorsan argued and ran his hand over his face to feel the texture, ¡°It ain¡¯t as soft though.  You look more human, more like a primate.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re the best ones,¡± Xac said proudly, ¡°That¡¯s what everybody says.¡±


    ¡°I can see that,¡± Lorsan agreed, ¡°Hey Xac?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re here,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°For a¡­  bunch of reasons. You saved me. And you¡­ make it not boring, I mean, not as boring as it could be.  I hate it here.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get that,¡± Xac said in genuine confusion, ¡°You¡¯re an elf.  It¡¯s weird that y¡¯all can even get mad. You got everythin. An¡¯ all the time in the world¡­  one day Ima be dead, and everybody I know¡¯ll be dead, and it¡¯ll be like none¡¯a it ever happened.  I¡¯ll be dead by forty¡­ did you say I was fifteen? That¡¯s¡­ twenty five years.¡±


    ¡°You probably won¡¯t be,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°Where¡¯d you get that?  Humans can live to be sixty or seventy if you take care of um.¡±


    ¡°Not on account¡¯a I¡¯m human,¡± Xaxac clarified, feeling so comfortable he thought he may fall asleep where he lay with Lorsan playing with his hair, ¡°cause I¡¯m a pleasure slave.  We don¡¯t live that long. Not once we quit bein young an¡¯ cute.¡± He reached up and ran a hand over his face, in thought, ¡°I gotta get ridda this beard a¡¯fore Aggie gets back.¡±


    ¡°I told ya¡¯,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°Come an¡¯ work fer me.  You ain¡¯t gotta¡­ I don¡¯t like that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna work no more,¡± Xac said, ¡°I don¡¯t wanna go back.  Workin¡¯s awful. I wanna just lay drunk all the time. I like it.  I don¡¯t wanna think about nothin.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna work either,¡± Lorsan agreed, ¡°I don¡¯t wanna be in the stupid military¡­  I don¡¯t wanna do nothin¡­ let¡¯s run away.¡±


    ¡°That ain¡¯t a thing,¡± Xaxac giggled.


    ¡°Yeah it is,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°Like the adventure stories, the¡­  we can run away and be pirates.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a pirate?¡± Xaxac asked.


    ¡°Thieves, on the water,¡± Lorsan said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna be a thief,¡± Xac snuggled further into his lap, ¡°I¡¯m good right here.¡±


    ¡°Xac?¡± Lorsan asked.


    ¡°Mm?¡±


    ¡°Did it hurt when they branded ya?  When they put that symbol on your neck?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t remember,¡± Xac slurred, ¡°I was real little.¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t heal,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°It had to be deep.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I reckon.¡± Xac said, ¡°I¡¯m a shifter.  I heal from most stuff. Grew my teeth back. You reckon they¡¯ll grow into my eyes?¡±


    ¡°Nah.¡±


    Xaxac had a strong desire to sit up, because he heard someone moving in the hallway, but it did not overpower his desire to stay exactly where he was in perfect comfort, not even once the door opened.


    ¡°I¡¯m dead!¡± Agalon announced as he drug himself into the room, and Xaxac looked up at the clock in an attempt to determine the current time, but it wouldn¡¯t stay still long enough.


    ¡°Aggie!¡± he begged as Agalon took off his traveling cloak and threw it over the chair of the writing desk.


    ¡°Hey, daddy,¡± Lorsan said, leaned forward to pick up the open wine bottle, then leaned back to take a long drink.


    ¡°I¡¯m happy to see you¡¯re still here,¡± Agalon said, as if he really was shocked.


    ¡°Aggie!¡± Xac demanded again and used the back of the couch to haul himself into a sitting position, ¡°I missed you so much!  I wanna¡­ I wanna¡­¡±


    Agalon chuckled and held him by the face to steady him.


    ¡°You¡¯re shitfaced, Honey Bunny,¡± he giggled, ¡°And we gotta get this mess off your face.  You look like a damn sasquatch.¡±


    ¡°Aggie I missed you!¡± Xaxac threw his arms around him and snuggled into his chest, ¡°E¡¯rbody¡¯s gone!  We been all alone! I don¡¯t wanna be like this! I wanna go with you! Let¡¯s go to bed!¡±


    ¡°Why are there crates in the sitting room?¡± Agalon asked without much energy.


    ¡°Cause I got sick,¡± Xac said to his chest, because he did not know Agalon had directed this question to Lorsan.


    ¡°You got sick?¡± Agalon asked in that cold, practical way he sometimes had.


    ¡°I told you that,¡± Lorsan huffed.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me that,¡± Agalon argued, ¡°You been taking care of him?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s what I do,¡± Lorsan spread his arms as if he was attempting to bask in the admiration of a crowd.


    ¡°He eat somethin he wouldn¡¯t supposed to?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t reckon the housekeeper likes him,¡± Lorsan said, leaned forward in an attempt to pick the holy book up off the floor, and partially succeeded, but then fell off the couch himself and lost his grip.  Xaxac did not think this was a particularly noteworthy thing to do, but apparently Agalon did, because he screamed.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Lorry!¡± he shrieked, as if he had been overcome by a rage and ripped free from Xaxac¡¯s grip.


    ¡°Aw shit,¡± Lorsan slurred


    ¡°Lorry!¡± Agalon screamed again as Xaxac turned to follow his movements and watched him reach into the fire.


    ¡°Aggie!¡± Xac yelled , grabbed him by the back of his shirt and pulled him back.


    ¡°He threw the Holy Texts into the fire!¡± Agalon explained, ¡°Goddamn it, Lorry, what the hell is wrong with you?  Why can¡¯t I be in my own goddamn house for five minutes before I gotta deal with constant bullshittery? Why is it one thing after another with you!?  What the hell is actually wrong with you?¡±


    Xaxac didn¡¯t feel much of anything when he was drunk, so as Agalon went on this tirade, he did not feel his flesh sizzle and pop as he reached into the fire and pulled out the book.  He did smell it, and the scent turned his stomach.


    ¡°Xaxac!¡± Lee shouted as he entered the room carrying luggage with Jimmy quick on his heels, ¡°What are you doing?  That¡¯s on fire! Throw it down!¡±


    ¡°Oh god,¡± Jimmy said, ¡°Not you too.  Xac I¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ I¡­¡±


    He burst into tears and ran from the room in what Xaxac would have called an overreaction, had he not been prone to bouts of unprompted crying himself, so instead he found himself simply wondering what was wrong with him.


    ¡°Drop it!¡± Agalon commanded, so Xaxac dropped the book onto the hearth, and Agalon continued in the same stern tone, ¡°Go put your hand in cool water!  Now!¡±


    Xac attempted to do that, but as it often did when he was very drunk, the ground decided to tilt, warble, and attack.


    ¡°Lee, get him!¡± Agalon commanded, and Xac turned to see that he was stomping the book on the hearth, in his good traveling boots, probably in an attempt to put it out.  Xaxac thought of all this in a detached sort of way, and simply allowed Lee to help him to his feet, and lead him to the basin.


    ¡°That was a good idea, Xac,¡± Lee said when they were out of earshot, ¡°Sorry I hollered at you.  It¡¯s been a long trip. I didn¡¯t see what you was doin. I¡¯m wore out.¡±


    ¡°I heal,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°I know,¡± Lee said, ¡°It was a good idea.  Keep your hand in the water, though, for me, ok?  I gotta go find Jimmy.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been thinkin too much,¡± Xac said helpfully.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lee agreed, and left the room.


    Xaxac left his hand in the cool water and watched the flesh on it change.  He hadn¡¯t burned any of it off, he hadn¡¯t been in the fire very long. But some of it had changed texture a little, and it took it no time to set itself to rights.  He didn¡¯t think he would get up, though, because he was afraid he would be sick, and Agalon was still angry about whatever it was he had been angry about before.


    This wasn¡¯t what Xac wanted.  He was so tired of anger, of yelling, of negativity.


    ¡°Aggie!¡± he yelled.


    ¡°You alright, darlin?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°I missed you!¡± Xaxac begged, ¡°Can we go to bed?  I wanna¡­¡± his voice caught and he realized he was crying when he continued, ¡°Please don¡¯t be mad!  I asked him to read it to me! It¡¯s my fault! He¡¯s drunk too!¡± He tried to catch his breath before he went on, ¡°I missed you so much!  Please don¡¯t fight! I was so worried¡­ I didn¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t¡­ want you to see me like this¡­ I gotta¡­ gotta shave¡­ can Lee shave me?¡±


    ¡°You are drunk,¡± Agalon said, but Xaxac could tell by the way he spoke this comment was directed at Lorsan, not him, ¡°Lorry, you gotta be more careful.  That¡­ that runs in our family. You¡¯re too little to be this drunk.¡±


    ¡°Oh fuck you,¡± Lorsan snarled, hauling himself to his feet and pointing in his father¡¯s face, ¡°You don¡¯t know shit about shit, and that bitch over there,¡± he pointed at Xaxac, ¡°Don¡¯t didn¡¯t start shit!  You just don¡¯t know! You don¡¯t even know, and you can go to fuck yourself!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get you to bed,¡± Agalon suggested as he set the charred book on the coffee table.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you touch me!¡± Lorsan said, and declared as if it made perfect sense, ¡°I¡¯m gonna room myself!¡± before turning on his heel far more quickly than he likely anticipated, and falling forward, onto the armrest of the sofa, so it seemed, for an instant, as if he may catch himself, but he was not so well coordinated and went spiraling to the floor instead.


    ¡°Thesis¡¯s glowing eyes,¡± Agalon huffed, bent down, and picked up his son as if was still a child, holding him on his hip, ¡°Let¡¯s get you to bed.  I¡¯m wore out, Lorry. Daddy don¡¯t need this right now.¡±


    ¡°You pu¡¯ me down!¡± Lorsan demanded, and attempted to struggle, but he wasn¡¯t coordinated enough to do much.


    ¡°Why¡¯re you this drunk?¡± Agalon asked, eyeing the two empty bottles on the table, ¡°Did I raise a lightweight¡­  You can¡¯t get this shitfaced, Lorry,¡± he explained as he left the room, ¡°This¡¯ll turn into a problem.¡±


    Xaxac pulled his hand out of the water, looked at it, and saw that it had completely healed.  He thought that he was no longer as drunk as he would like to be, but that worked in his favor, because he thought that while Agalon was putting his son to bed, he might be able to find Jimmy and ask him why he had been crying.  Xaxac was still drunk enough for this to be a fine, commendable idea, a perfectly good idea, but not so drunk that he was completely unable to walk, so he stood and walked out of the sitting room as if he had every right in the world to do so, and put his dry hand on the wall of the hall to steady himself.


    He heard Agalon fussing with Lorsan, who was apparently still trying to fight him, coming from behind one closed door, but that wasn¡¯t the voice he was looking for, so he ignored it.


    Then he heard the particularly loud noise of a slap and followed it to the guest rooms where Alex had once stayed.  He picked up on the conversation long before he reached the door, and not for the first time, he wondered if perhaps rabbits had exceptionally good hearing.


    ¡°-need to calm down, or you¡¯ll wind up in the same boat,¡± Lee was saying.


    ¡°I wanna be with them,¡± Jimmy explained as if it was the most logical thing in the world, ¡°I wanna¡­  it¡¯s my wife! My youngun!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk that kind of foolishness,¡± Lee warned.


    ¡°She got past Basilglen!¡± Jimmy argued, ¡°She almost made it!  She was halfway to Seaweed! She almost made it! She was so close!  She was pregnant! She was fucking pregnant! It¡¯s my baby! The baby didn¡¯t do nothin!  How could they-¡±


    There was the sound of another slap and Xaxac paused with his hand on the doorknob, trying to process what he was hearing.


    ¡°Stop it!¡± Lee demanded, ¡°Stop it now!  You can¡¯t keep doing this! You pull yourself together!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to pull myself together!¡± Jimmy snapped, ¡°I wanna fall apart!  I got a right to fall apart! I ain¡¯t together! I¡­ I want to be together! I¡¯m gonna go after her!  Gonna go after them!¡±


    Another slap.


    ¡°Hit me again old man!¡± Jimmy laughed, and Xaxac didn¡¯t understand his sudden change in mood, ¡°Hit me again and I¡¯ll hit you back!  Xac had the right idea! End it with fire! I¡¯ll go up in a blaze and I¡¯ll take this whole fuckin house down with me!¡± His laughter grew louder, and it was a strange laugh, the kind Xac had never heard before, and it scared him, so he finally spoke.


    ¡°Jimmy?¡± he asked, ¡°You ok?¡±


    The door flew open and Jimmy tackled him, and there was no reason for it, and it happened so quickly he had no time to process the difference between standing and being on the ground, and he didn¡¯t understand why he couldn¡¯t breath, didn¡¯t connect it to Jimmy¡¯s hands around his throat.


    ¡°Come on, Xac!¡± Jimmy snarled, ¡°Let¡¯s go together.  We both love¡­ loved¡­ love her! Let¡¯s do it tonight!  Let¡¯s take them with us!¡±


    By the end of this exchange, Xaxac managed to connect his lack of air to the hands around his neck, and he didn¡¯t appreciate it at all, so he batted Jimmy¡¯s hands away and thew his legs around his waist like he did when Agalon was on top of him, then rolled them both over until he managed to pin Jimmy under him.  He grabbed both his wrists and held him there, which was apparently the funniest thing Jimmy had ever encountered, because he began to laugh so hard and with so much gusto that he could not draw breath.


    Xac didn¡¯t like it.  He didn¡¯t like the look in his eyes.  He had never seen it before, but it scared him.


    ¡°Get him in here before Agalon sees him!¡± Lee demanded, but Xaxac didn¡¯t know how to do that, so he simply stood and let Lee drag Jimmy, still convulsing with laughter, back into the room.


    Lee slammed the door hard, and when Xaxac tried to turn the knob, he found it locked.


    The ridiculousness of the situation hit him hard enough to knock a little sobriety into him, so backed away until he hit the opposite wall, then made his way quickly back to the sitting room to await Agalon¡¯s return.

 Book 2: Chapter 10

    The huts had withstood the rain, but not the snow, so they had gone back to the caves.  It had not been so long, really, since they had lived in caves, and Quizlivan could remember hearing stories from his grandmother about what life had been like before people had figured out how to build huts.


    It was much warmer, with the stone walls surrounding them on three sides, especially if one went deep enough, and the natural defenses held up much better under the weight of the snow, which had eventually crushed the huts.  The cold hadn¡¯t destroyed all the trees yet, so they did have a fire, though not much else, and it was here that the strange man with the eyes like the void between the stars sat.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean for this to happen,¡± the man said as he stared into the fire, ¡°None of this¡­  should have happened. I did this. I did all of this.¡±


    ¡°Did you find anything?¡± Tototl asked as she piled more wood onto the fire.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Kifat lamented, ¡°There¡¯s nothing left.  The plants are dead and the animals are gone. We¡¯re going to starve.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not going to starve!¡± Ahnah growled, ¡°They had to go somewhere!  If we could find one dragon we could make it through the winter!¡±


    ¡°This winter will never end!¡± Kifat shook, ¡°Don¡¯t you see that?  There¡¯s nothing left! Our stores are gone! We¡¯re going to starve!  There¡¯s nothing left to forage! We¡¯re dead! We¡¯re all dead and you won¡¯t accept it!¡±


    ¡°Quizlivan?¡± Tototl asked Xaxac, ¡°You¡¯re the best tracker.  Is there really nothing left?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t find anything,¡± Xaxac told her, because it was true, ¡°But¡­  there¡¯s got to be something. The whole world can¡¯t be dead.¡±


    He looked around the cave, at the stone walls flickering in the firelight and the people gathered there.  They were huddled, against the cold, against the world, and he was not used to seeing people so thin, so haggard, was not used to seeing so many sleeping because they did not have the energy to remain awake.


    He was hungry himself, and he felt spots coming into his eyes, but he caught himself before he swayed, held out his arms to steady himself, then rubbed away the spots.


    ¡°We all came back this time,¡± he said, ¡°Nobody died this time.  That has to mean something.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± the strange man in the black cape said again, ¡°God I¡­  I wanted to save us¡­ that¡¯s all I¡­¡± He turned, and his black eyes stared at Xaxac, as if trying to see into his soul, ¡°You¡¯re hungry?  You¡¯re¡­ primates, right?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re human,¡± Xaxac said, because he did not know what a primate was.


    ¡°Fruits¡­  grains¡­ nuts¡­¡± The man said as if speaking to himself, and threw back his cape to open a small bag he kept on his hip; it looked as if it was made of some sort of skin, but skins that had been worked in a way that Quizlivan was unfamiliar with.  He dug around in it for a few minutes, then pulled out a strange fruit Xaxac had never seen before, but it had been so long since he had eaten he could smell the sugary sweetness of it.


    ¡°Here,¡± the man said and held it out, offering it to him.


    Xaxac was starving.  He had never felt the kind of hunger he felt right now, could barely process it.  His world narrowed to the thing the man held and he reached out to take it. It was rounded as if it had a core, similar to an apple, so he grabbed it on either side of the dip, where the stem was, and broke it in half, then held out one half to whoever would take it.  Ahnah took it, and together, they bit into the first thing they had tasted in days.


    The man smiled at them, as if this was the first thing that had ever made him happy in his life, then reached back into the bag and began to pull things from it, more fruits of all different kinds, more than could possibly fit inside the bag.


    ¡°Xaxac!¡± Xac turned to the mouth of the cave, to see who was speaking to him, but he was no longer in a cave, he was standing outside again, as the waves lapped at the frozen shore, and the elf with the blue skin and hair the color of seafoam stood before him, with the cup at his feet.


    Xaxac wasn¡¯t hungry anymore.


    ¡°He was right,¡± Lapus said.


    ¡°Who?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Morgani,¡± Lapus explained, ¡°Morgani Magnus was right.  We were wrong.¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Rise and shine, Xaxac,¡± Lee said as he shook Xac, blinking, into the real world.  He had spoken quietly, and Xaxac stared past him, at the sixty tiles on the ceiling, then turned slowly to look at the picture Alex had painted for him, of the demon Morgani Magnus, which he kept on his nightstand.  He thought, not for the first time, that he should put it in a drawer or something, out of sight, unless Alex was visiting. He sat up and was shocked to see that Agalon was still sleeping peacefully on his side of the bed.


    Lee must have taken in the confusion on his face because he said, ¡°I want to get you shaved and presentable before I get him up.  He had a rough trip. We all did. It¡¯d do us all a world a good if you¡¯d work your magic on him.¡±


    ¡°Did somethin happen last night?¡± Xac whispered as he stood, straightened out the clothes he had fallen asleep in, and moved to the watercloset to go through his morning routine.


    ¡°Everybody¡¯s just wore out,¡± Lee explained, ¡°Goin to the Capital takes it outta everybody.¡±


    ¡°Was Jimmy mad at me?¡± Xac asked.  He had a vague recollection that they may have gotten into a fight, and he remembered that he had started a fight with Lee as well, once when he had been drunk.  Maybe that¡¯s why people didn¡¯t lay drunk all the time. It did seem to create isolation, did seem to piss people off. Xac couldn¡¯t afford to do that. He was already so alone.


    ¡°He¡¯s just mad in general,¡± Lee assured him as Xaxac cleaned his teeth, and followed behind him as he went to the basin to refill it and wash his face, but it seemed Lee had already refilled it so he just scrubbed down and sat at the dressing table amongst the various tools of the trade Lee would use to shave him.


    ¡°Is everybody back?¡± Xac asked, ¡°It was real lonesome here with everybody gone¡­  I mean, I know I never see mama or Alley noways but I like to know they¡¯re there.¡±


    ¡°Hush,¡± Lee said as he spread the cream he had whipped over his face, ¡°Hold real still or you¡¯ll get cut.  This is a doozy¡­ that comes in fast on you, don¡¯t it boy?¡±


    Xac stared at him instead of answering and Lee chucked.


    ¡°Good boy,¡± he said.


    Xaxac stayed quiet and looked into the mirror as Lee tilted his face, scraping the hair from it in smooth, even strokes.  He thought it odd that Lee was doing the shaving instead of forcing Xac to do it himself, because he could, he normally did.  But he appreciated it, because the hangover was pounding behind his eyeballs and making his hands shake, and it would have made the process more difficult, almost impossible.  But Lee was an expert; he moved quickly and efficiently, as he did with everything, and in less than a quarter of an hour he was drying the razor and Xaxac was wiping down, then moisturizing his face.


    Xac collected all the various bowls and instruments and took them to the water closet to wash and dry them as Lee gently shook Agalon awake.


    ¡°Good morning, master,¡± he proclaimed, ¡°I reckon you had you a good sleep?¡±


    ¡°Can you run and bring me my calendar?¡± Agalon asked, ¡°I don¡¯t¡­  don¡¯t even know what day it is¡­ I gotta¡­ Lord Thesis above he was in a bad way, wouldn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Who, master?¡± Lee asked, and Xac heard his voice shake as he set the bowls upside down on the counter on a towel.


    ¡°Lorry,¡± Agalon said as if it was obvious, ¡°I didn¡¯t know the boy was that bad.¡±


    ¡°A lotta young folks go a little hogwild when their parents are outta town,¡± Lee said, ¡°He¡¯s probably alright.  Might be his last big hurrah before he has to leave.¡±


    ¡°Good morning, master!¡± Xac declared as he ran for the bed and threw his arms around Agalon.


    ¡°There¡¯s my little Honey Bunny!¡± Agalon decreed and pulled him into his lap, ¡°Don¡¯t you look cute!  This outfit¡¯s adorable!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s stretchy!¡± Xac said and tugged the shirt away from his body, ¡°And it¡¯s so comfy!  It moves when I do! I love it! Alex had one like it and he was so cute!¡±


    ¡°Your calendar, sir,¡± Lee said, and handed Agalon a book he had retrieved from the sitting room.


    ¡°God almighty,¡± Agalon said after he had opened it and stared at the squiggles in one particular square that seemed to interest him, ¡°My team ain¡¯t gonna be worth havin.  I ain¡¯t¡­ I ain¡¯t been trainin like I should, but all this¡­ god lord I can¡¯t miss another day out there but I can¡¯t ignore my son and him leavin tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Lorry¡¯s leavin tomorrow?¡± Xac asked.  He had always thought he would be overjoyed to have Lorsan out of the house, but he had been so kind to him while Agalon was away that now he thought he would miss him.


    ¡°Yeah, fall semester is startin up,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I¡¯m hopin he¡¯ll come home for the mask festival but¡­  he didn¡¯t last year. I really wish he would. I¡¯m havin a ball. Maybe I won¡¯t even have it¡­¡±


    He sighed, ¡°They got that carnival in the capital.  It ain¡¯t that far. I mean, it ain¡¯t that far from here.  I guess it would be pretty far for some folks to travel¡­ I can¡¯t let the whole district down, can I?  I guess we have to do it. Maybe he¡¯ll come back home.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good ways off, sir,¡± Lee said.


    ¡°Alright much as I hate it, I¡¯ve got to at least go check in with the fighters.  The season starts this week and my bunch ain¡¯t gonna be worth havin. Get off my lap, Honey Bunny, I gotta get ready.  Go get your face on.¡± His actions betrayed his words, because he did not stop playing with Xac¡¯s hair and instead continued, ¡°This is gettin so long¡­  I didn¡¯t realize it was gonna grow out instead¡¯a down. Lee, once you get done with me see if you can¡¯t pull it back. It¡¯s so cute. So soft¡­ lord, Xac, thank god I got somethin like you to come home to.¡±


    Xaxac giggled and snuggled into his chest.


    ¡°You do gotta get up, though,¡± Agalon said as if the concept broke his heart, ¡°We got a lot to do today.¡±


    ¡°Yes master,¡± Xaxac sighed, stood, and walked to his nightstand to pick up the glass of wine Lee had brought up with his breakfast, and thought of how nice it was to have his mama back in the kitchen.  He liked being able to trust his food.

 Book 2: Chapter 11

    Xaxac realized how intensely fall had fallen as he rode across the fields and looked out at the orange sky and the wheat that had been partially harvested.  Without the sun high in the sky he was shivering as Agalon helped him off the horse; the thin material of his form fitting outfit did nothing to guard against the cold that was creeping into the weather.


    Agalon walked with purpose; he was preoccupied, and Xaxac suspected that they would not stay with the fighters all day, as they normally did.  He didn¡¯t think they had brought anything for lunch. He prayed he was right as he watched Agalon open the gate and followed in behind him.


    The fighters seemed to be doing perfectly fine without anyone watching them.  They actually seemed as if they had started their exercises earlier than they did with Agalon, because they were already up and running as Xaxac entered.  He was happy, for reasons that he could not identify or articulate, to see Billy leading the group. The last time Xaxac had seen Billy the Bull he had been so severely injured by Agalon that he couldn¡¯t stand without quivering; he would have never been able to run.


    So Xaxac huddled into himself and curled into a ball when he went to sit at the table in the training grounds.


    ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± Agalon called, and the group stopped to face him, ¡°And I¡¯m disappointed.  We¡¯re leavin for the first match and I¡¯m thinkin we might be fucked.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s on the roster for Basilglen?¡± Billy asked, then seemed to realize he had forgotten something important in his eagerness and hastily added, ¡°Master.¡±


    ¡°You and Wyatt,¡± Agalon answered, ¡°So you need to go through your poses.  You¡¯re lookin slow. You sparred at all? Even a little bit? I mighta fucked myself¡­¡±  He ran one gloved hand over his face and Xaxac, wishing he had gloves, looked to the sky to see where the sun was.  Summer had barely ended. He shouldn¡¯t be this cold. Life in the house had softened him in a way he was unprepared for.


    ¡°You alright?¡± Agalon asked, sounding as if he was genuinely concerned, ¡°I can get a vet out here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± Billy said, sounding insulted, ¡°I meant, who am I up against?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Agalon said dismissively, ¡°OfLoraxia.¡±


    ¡°Terry?¡± Billy asked.


    ¡°I reckon,¡± Agalon said, reached into the bag at his side and pulled out the folded up stack of paper he had gotten at the courthouse.  He read over them quickly and continued, ¡°Wait, no the other one, Barry. Wyatt¡¯s got Terry. Either way ought not make much of a difference.  If you don¡¯t qualify in the first round I¡¯m gonna be madder than hell. Hold on, I got the brackets. That¡¯s your first one, though. If you can¡¯t even get out of the district there ain¡¯t really a reason to keep you around.¡±


    He laughed, though Xaxac didn¡¯t think the proclamation was particularly funny.  At least it was heating up a little. With the sun in the sky it would probably be a beautiful day.


    ¡°I ain¡¯t worried about it,¡± Billy said.


    ¡°Then why¡¯d you ask?¡± Agalon asked, ¡°I¡¯m real nervous about this year.  Nobody looks ready. And I been gone.¡±


    ¡°I wondered what the cops thought about the monster,¡± Billy said, and Xaxac darted his head up from his small cocoon of warmth to look at him.


    He didn¡¯t like what he saw.


    Agalon followed Billy¡¯s eyeline and laughed.


    ¡°Hey Honey Bunny, come here,¡± Agalon commanded, so Xaxac hopped up, still with his arms crossed, and ran to him, then cuddled into his side and burrowed himself under Agalon¡¯s cape.


    ¡°You cold?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°Just kinda chilly,¡± Xac said, ¡°It ain¡¯t really cold yet.¡±


    ¡°My fighters are half naked,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I thought humans could handle the chill.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re movin around,¡± Xaxac explained, ¡°we warm up when we move.  But I¡¯m fine! I promise!¡±


    ¡°Wanna move around a little bit?¡± Agalon asked as he wrapped one arm around Xac and used the other to tuck the schedule back into his bag, ¡°Warm up a little?¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± Xac said eagerly, ¡°Do I get to run around again?¡±


    ¡°You heal, darlin,¡± Agalon said, and Xaxac popped his head out from under the cloak to look up at him, ¡°I wanna see somethin.  Would you indulge me?¡±


    Xaxac didn¡¯t like the look in his eyes, but it wasn¡¯t as if he had the option to deny Agalon anything.  He didn¡¯t like the question about how quickly he healed. He was a bit afraid that someone was going to hurt him.  But there was nothing he could do. So he smiled.


    ¡°Of course, master!¡±


    Agalon grabbed Xaxac by the shoulders and positioned him in front of him.


    ¡°Alright, darlin, do me a favor.  Don¡¯t get hit.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­  ok?¡± Xac shuffled uneasily, ¡°I uh¡­  I¡¯m¡­ Aggie I don¡¯t wanna¡­ I¡¯m scared!¡±


    ¡°Everything¡¯s gonna be alright,¡± Agalon promised him and kissed him on the cheek, and Xaxac shivered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you can even hit an out-of-shape pleasure slave,¡± Agalon told Billy, ¡°Let alone a trained fighter.  I think I fucked myself with that spell, got ahead of myself, let my temper get the better of me. I think I might oughta withdraw you and just eat the losses instead of makin a fool of myself in the cage.¡±


    Why was he doing this?  Why was this happening? Xaxac had to have done something terrible when he shifted, something he deserved to get hit for.  He darted his eyes around the enclosure and saw that the walls had been scratched, rattled, and in one spot the ground looked as if it had been disturbed and recently filled in.


    Oh.


    Oh god.


    His eyes widened as he came to the heartbreaking realization, as the pieces slotted into place.


    Rabbits burrowed.  Rabbits dug.


    Maybe he really hadn¡¯t hurt anyone.


    But he had run.


    Lorsan had said that they had ¡®found him¡¯.


    To find someone, they had to be missing.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    He had tried to run away.


    He was a runaway slave.


    ¡°Aggie, I¡¯m sorry!¡± Xac turned and grabbed his shirt with both hands, staring up at him with pleading eyes, ¡°I would never run!  I swear! I can¡¯t control it! I can¡¯t control it! I¡¯m cursed! I swear! It ain¡¯t my fault! I didn¡¯t mean to-¡±


    Agalon put a hand on either of his shoulders, and Xaxac did not like the look he saw in his eyes.


    ¡°If you had got much farther, I would never have been able to catch you, do you understand that?  You could have gone off into them woods, the sun would have risen, and you would have been out there alone, without even the clothes on your back.  What would you have done then? Alone, lost, with no one, with nothing?¡±


    ¡°Aggie I¡¯m sorry!¡± Xac begged, and felt the tears running down his cheeks.


    ¡°Look at me,¡± Agalon demanded, because Xaxac had buried his face in his chest, ¡°Just don¡¯t get hit.¡±


    Agalon spun him and shoved him toward Billy.


    Xac screamed, upset, disoriented, and fell forward onto his hands and knees before he was able to steady himself.


    ¡°You sure?¡± Billy asked in confusion.  The last time he had hit Xaxac he had been so severely punished it left him unable to function, but he had been there, the night the moons were full, had seen the monster escape.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you can hit him,¡± Agalon said, ¡°But I want to see you try.¡±


    Billy shrugged and Xac screamed again.


    He got up and darted away in a crouch, only stood upright and looked behind him once he reached the fence, but Billy was right on his heels, and Xaxac realized, in that instant, how he got his name.  He charged like a bull, and Xac understood instantly that knocking his tooth out had been nothing. If Billy charged, full force into him now, it would shatter bone. So he screamed again and ran toward the eating area, glancing behind him every so often.  Billy hit the wall hard enough to rattle it, turned direction, and followed after him. Xac shrieked again, put one hand on the tabletop and leaped over it.


    ¡°Stop making that goddamn noise!¡± Billy demanded.


    ¡°Yeah, Honey Bunny, that is real loud,¡± Agalon agreed, but Xaxac didn¡¯t heed either of them, because he watched Billy place a hand on the table, and barely had time to form the thought: Sure to god he ain¡¯t gonna throw that at me, no he totally is- before it happened, so he took off at a sprint in the opposite direction, through the training grounds.


    This wasn¡¯t going to end unless he figured out some way out of it.  He deserved what he got. He was the reason Agalon had had to go to the capital, he had probably had to pull a lot of strings to keep him.  Agalon undeniably had a monster at his house, a monster that could get loose and wreak havoc on the surrounding plantations, on the people. He had a right to be angry.


    But Xaxac was operating on the undeniable fact of the matter, which was that pain was bad, and he had been given a chance to avoid it, through the goodness of Agalon¡¯s heart.  But they were in an enclosed space, the wooden walls of the enclosure were easily ten feet tall, and there was only so far he could run. He wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid Billy forever, the place was too small, and he watched Billy compensate every time he turned, every place he darted.  It was only a matter of time before he caught him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± he yelled again as he bounced off the wall and changed direction, ¡°Please, master, I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    ¡°He can¡¯t hit you!¡± Agalon called again, took a thin book out of his bag, and began to read it, as if Xaxac was not running for his life, as if it wasn¡¯t important.


    Xaxac screamed again as he felt the air beside his head move, as the punch Billy threw almost connected.


    ¡°Run, rabbit, run,¡± Billy taunted, and Xac screamed-


    And then realized he was right.


    Billy was stronger than him, but Xaxac was a bunny.


    So he hopped.


    He sacrificed a bit of speed to crouch, then jumped as high as he could, and to his amazement he felt his fingers graze then grasp the top of the fence.  He thanked his lucky stars as he used the momentum to pull himself up until he was sitting, then standing on the top of the fence.


    Agalon thought this was hilarious.


    ¡°Really?¡± Billy asked, ¡°I can get up there, little rabbit.  I¡¯m taller than you are. If you can reach, I can reach.¡±


    ¡°Well can you not?¡± Xac begged, then screamed as Billy slammed into the post he was standing on and he almost lost his balance, ¡°Stop it!  Stop it!¡±


    Billy did stop, and elected instead to jump, and Xaxac realized that maybe his bunny hop had not been so impressive after all, because had he not danced away when he did, Billy would have grabbed his leg and jerked him down.


    ¡°How can you jump so high?¡± Xac shrieked.


    ¡°You¡¯re in a tough spot, Honey Bunny!¡± Agalon called, ¡°You might have to fight back.¡±


    ¡°I can fight back?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°You can try it,¡± Billy snarled and kicked the post Xaxac was standing on.


    ¡°Stop it!¡± Xac yelled and looked out over the training grounds, trying to get his bearings.  The row of little wooden houses were set up against one wall, and he thought he could hop from the fence onto the roofs, so he ran in that direction, hopping from post to post with his arms outstretched, hoping desperately not to fall.  His lungs burned as he made the leap-


    And landed heavily on the roof of the slave quarters.


    ¡°What exactly is it you think you¡¯re doin, little rabbit?¡± Billy asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Xac admitted, speaking slowly, ¡°But¡­  I¡¯m¡­¡± he darted his eyes around, trying to think of any way out of the situation, ¡°Gonna¡­  figure¡­ it¡­ out¡­¡± at least he had time, he thought in an uncharacteristic bought of optimism, ¡°by¡­  the¡­ end¡­¡± his eyes locked on Agalon, who had put the book away and was now watching him with the fighters.  Agalon! ¡°Of this sentence.¡±


    The first time Agalon had allowed Xaxac free reign to run around the grounds, he had leaped at him, expecting him to catch him, but he hadn¡¯t, and Xaxac had knocked him down.  Billy was much, much bigger, much bulkier than he was, but Xaxac remembered quite a few things from his childhood, one of which was that it was much more painful to get hit with the small side of something, like a rock or shovel, than the broad side.


    ¡°You¡¯re cornered, little rabbit!¡± Billy said from where he paced, back and forth, in front of the houses, ¡°Rabbit, whatcha sittin in the corner for?  Ain¡¯t gonna rain no more no more.¡±


    Xac back up, ran, and jumped.


    He thought, surely, he could, at the very least, knock him to the ground so he could figure out where to go from there.


    But that didn¡¯t happen.


    Agalon had fallen.


    But Billy caught him.


    And he screamed as Billy used that momentum to slam him into the ground even harder than he would have hit on his own.  He hit hard on his side, connected first with his shoulder, and felt a sickening pop there and a pain so severe he could not describe it in the arm that hit first.


    His shriek of pain echoed through the entire plantation.


    ¡°I hit him,¡± Billy declared, ¡°want me to keep going?¡±


    ¡°Xaxac!¡± Agalon yelled, and the emotion in that scream made Xac think that for some reason, some reason he would never understand, Agalon had truly believed he could win.  Agalon thought too much of him, and believed too hard in him. But that made no sense; he had never had a chance. And now the pain rocketed from the arm through his entire body; something had torn, something had broken, and he couldn¡¯t move anything from his shoulder down.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Xac begged through his tears, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it, I swear.  I¡¯m sorry, Aggie, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m cursed. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Agalon was saying something to him, but Xac was in the kind of pain that made interpreting the sounds coming out of his mouth in any meaningful way impossible.


    It would heal.  He healed.


    He wondered when he would be able to knit again.


    Agalon put one hand between his shoulder blades and grabbed his upper arm with the other, and it hurt more than it had before; Xac hadn¡¯t known it could hurt more than it had before, and screamed out a question he knew the answer to.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Because he had run.


    Because he was a monster.


    ¡°Because I gotta set it, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon said, ¡°And I gotta get it back in the socket.¡±


    But Xaxac didn¡¯t understand, and it was more pain than his body was capable of processing, so his mind shut down.  He was no longer with them.

 Book 2: Chapter 12

    ¡°Alright, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon said when Xaxac was able to register speech in any meaningful way again, ¡°You stay right here and don¡¯t move this arm.¡±


    ¡°Thesis¡¯s glowin eyes, dad,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°we need a real healer.  We need a vet.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get a vet out tomorrow,¡± Agalon said, stood, and squeezed Lorsan¡¯s shoulders, ¡°I¡¯ll scry him right now.  But I want to spend the day with you. You¡¯re leaving.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh,¡± Lorsan shrugged him off, walked past him, and pulled out Xaxac¡¯s injured arm.


    Xac stared down at it and saw that it had been bandaged in a strange way that he thought may be part of his punishment.  It had been attached to two long pieces of wood that held it stretched out; he wasn¡¯t able to bend at the elbow, which was fine because he still couldn¡¯t get that arm to work at all.  He also couldn¡¯t feel it. It wasn¡¯t just that he felt no pain, or that he felt a numbness, he felt nothing, as if someone had cut the arm from his body at the shoulder and neglected to tell him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Aggie,¡± he said.


    ¡°Can you feel anything?¡± Lorsan asked as he pulled the arm up.


    ¡°It ain¡¯t there¡­¡± Xac said.


    ¡°Daddy paralyzed ya,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°So don¡¯t be tryin to move.  That¡¯s the worst thing you can do.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± Xac said, and again, because he had never gotten a response, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Aggie!¡±


    ¡°Hush,¡± Lorsan said, and when he continued, it was obviously meant for his father, ¡°Go back to your fighters. I got this.¡±


    ¡°I thought maybe you¡¯d want to do somethin together,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I didn¡¯t reckon you¡¯d get up before noon or I¡¯d¡¯a-¡±


    ¡°Daddy, I got this,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°You got the preliminaries comin up in Basilglen.  I got this. Just go.¡±


    Xaxac felt a little bit as if he was floating on a cloud, rather than sitting on the bed, and he may have been lost in a fog.  Words weren¡¯t settling too well in his brain, and he didn¡¯t understand the look on Agalon¡¯s face, the look that broke his heart.  Agalon didn¡¯t look mad, he looked disappointed, disconsolate.


    ¡°Fine, Lorry,¡± he said, ¡°But I¡¯ll be back for lunch.  I want us to spend some time together.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I bet,¡± Lorsan rolled his eyes, but his back was to Agalon, so he couldn¡¯t see him and Xac was glad for it.


    ¡°Honey Bunny, you sit right here and don¡¯t move that arm,¡± Agalon said, ¡°that potion oughta heal it up, and you got that shifter healin anyway, but don¡¯t move while it¡¯s healin.  If you move a broke bone it can heal wrong and you¡¯ll end up like Jimmy.¡±


    Jimmy.


    He should find Jimmy and give him the baby blanket.  He had finished it.


    Wait- he was doing something.  He was in a conversation. He could not remember what he had been asked, but Agalon looked as if he wanted some sort of response, so Xaxac said, ¡°Yes, master.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my good boy,¡± Agalon leaned over Lorsan to lift Xac¡¯s face for a goodbye kiss.  ¡°I¡¯ll be back for lunch.¡±


    ¡°Take your time,¡± Lorsan said as Agalon left the room.


    ¡°Thesis¡¯s glowin¡¯ eyes, Xac,¡± He said once Agalon was gone, ¡°What happened out there?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s cause¡­  I didn¡¯t connect¡­ to think¡­¡± Xac said, narrowed his eyes and felt the frustration building, ¡°I¡¯m stupid.  I can¡¯t be this stupid. Why am I this stupid? I¡¯m not drunk!¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s the paralysis spell,¡± Lorry explained, ¡°It does that.  I mean it can. That kind. It ought not, it¡¯s on your arm, but I think dad¡¯s not¡­  great. He¡¯s like¡­ It works like a plant. It¡¯s hard to localize. But the potion will actually fight it- it¡¯s like¡­  magic flows through the blood, right? So it¡¯s hard to just hit one limb like that. And he ain¡¯t exactly a top shelf mage anyway, he¡¯s got one foot in the grave.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°You ain¡¯t stupid, Xac, you¡¯re under a spell.¡± Lorsan said, and this was much more simple to understand, ¡°How¡¯d you break your humerus?  And rip your arm outta socket hard enough to tear the muscle? You know that joint¡¯s real fucked up in humans right? There¡¯s not even that many primates what have a whole rotating shoulder joint like that.  It¡¯s hard to fix. Sometimes that just stays messed up, forever. It¡¯s an injury that it¡¯s hard to unfuck on y¡¯all, and sasquaches, couple other great apes, but not monkeys. It¡¯s weird.¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°What?¡± Xac asked again.


    ¡°How¡¯d you get hurt?¡± Lorsan asked, sounding a little frustrated but speaking slowly and enunciating clearly.


    ¡°I reckon when Billy smashed me in the dirt,¡± Xac said, and thought that Lorsan should have been able to put that together himself, ¡°Aggie made me fight him, on account of I tried to run away.¡±


    ¡°Daddy made you fight Billy the Bull?¡± Lorsan asked skeptically, ¡°The guy who knocked your tooth out?¡±


    ¡°Only bad people run away,¡± Xac said with great sincerity, ¡°And¡­  I didn¡¯t mean to but¡­ I woulda been out there all alone and¡­ the Emerald Knight comes after folk who run away¡­  I wouldn¡¯t¡­ there woulda been nothin I could¡­ he wants to keep me safe.¡±


    ¡°Is that somethin daddy told ya?¡± Lorsan huffed as he stood.


    ¡°The Emerald Knight was there at the bad place,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°The place he went in the military.¡±


    ¡°No, Xac, he wouldn¡¯t,¡± Lorsan said, ¡°The Emerald Knight ain¡¯t real.  They say that shit to scare you. Xandra says that shit to scare everybody.  That ain¡¯t a real thing. It¡¯s just¡­ a boogieman. There¡¯s too many stories for all of um to make sense.  Ten different people¡¯ll tell ya ten different things.¡±


    Xaxac didn¡¯t feel like arguing over nonsense as Lorsan seemed to constantly want to do, so he changed the subject back to one that was worth arguing about.


    ¡°I think Aggie thought I could beat him,¡± he said, ¡°But I dunno why.¡±


    ¡°He probably did,¡± Lorsan shrugged, ¡°He¡¯s stupid.  He probably thought more about you bein a shifter than your intense trainin regime of sittin on your ass and drinkin.¡±


    ¡°I need to exercise,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°I¡¯m tired of being so weak all the time.  I don¡¯t like gettin hit and thrown around.¡±


    ¡°Ok but like¡­  you got abs,¡± Lorsan said in confusion, ¡°I can see um through that ridiculous outfit.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I use my core a lot,¡± Xac explained, without really registering, in his foggy brain, who he was talking to, ¡°that¡¯s how you ride.  It¡¯s a lotta core strength. And like, for blowjobs too, on your knees, you gotta really use your whole body or your neck hurts, so it¡¯s like-¡±


    ¡°Stop.¡± Lorsan held up a hand.  ¡°Like I get it, you¡¯re under a spell.  But stop. That¡¯s so¡­ infuriatingly disgusting.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Just hush,¡± Lorry said, ¡°I gotta go pack.  I¡¯m gettin out of this hellhole tomorrow. Daddy¡¯s right, amazingly, don¡¯t move your arm.  Stopped clock, I guess.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Even a stopped clock is right twice a day,¡± Lorsan said as he walked through the doorway.


    Xaxac watched him leave, then stood and remembered that he was supposed to be doing something, so he walked into the sitting room and picked up the baby blanket from where he had it folded on the table.  He walked to the door and opened it, careful to do everything one handed, then stepped across the hall to Lorsan¡¯s rooms, where he thought Jimmy probably was now that he worked for him. He knocked softly on the door, and sure enough, Jimmy opened it.


    He looked terrible, and Xaxac thought the trip must have been difficult for him.  His face was sallow, sunken, and his bloodshot eyes were set much deeper in his thin face than they should have been, ringed so darkly he might have been a racoon who was attempting to disguise himself as a human using some sort of magic he didn¡¯t understand well enough to work correctly.


    ¡°Xac?¡± He asked, ¡°I can¡¯t¡­  imagine you¡¯re supposed to be out here.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t,¡± Xac said.  He motioned to his arm and said, ¡°But in for a silver in for a gold, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh shit,¡± Jimmy said, ¡°I¡­  I didn¡¯t do that, did I? Shit Xac, I¡¯m sorry about last night I¡­  I¡­¡± He began to tear up and he said, ¡°I been thinkin too much.¡±


    ¡°Jimmy!¡± Lorsan called from the bedroom, ¡°Whatcha doin?¡±


    ¡°Coming, master!¡± Jimmy said, but Lorsan came out of the bedroom, saw what was happening, and the blood seemed to drain from his face.


    ¡°Xac, go back to your rooms,¡± he demanded, ¡°Jimmy, close the door.¡±


    ¡°Just a second!¡± Xac begged as Jimmy moved to slam the door in his face, ¡°I just wanna give you this!  Aggie said I could give it to Alley, but I¡¯m¡­ loopy. I don¡¯t think I can make it downstairs. Just¡­ tell her congratulations, and that I love her, ok?  Y¡¯all gonna be great parents!¡±


    He held the blanket out, and Jimmy slowly, cautiously, reached for it.  He stared at it as if he didn¡¯t comprehend what he was looking at, so Xaxac felt the need to clarify.


    ¡°For the baby,¡± he explained, ¡°to wrap it up.  So it¡¯ll feel safe.¡±


    Tears fell, slowly, down Jimmy¡¯s face, but he didn¡¯t seem to notice, didn¡¯t seem to understand that he was crying or that he wasn¡¯t supposed to.  He just stared at the blanket, as if he still didn¡¯t understand what he was looking at.


    ¡°It¡¯s a blanket,¡± Xac tried, and wondered if Jimmy wasn¡¯t perhaps also under sort of spell.


    ¡°Jimmy!¡± Lorsan demanded, and Jimmy took a breath, which made Xaxac realize he had been holding it.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Jimmy said, ¡°Sorry master.  Sorry¡­ Xac, I¡¯m so sorry. I¡¯m so sorry.  I¡¯m sorry about everything, I¡­¡±


    Lorsan walked to the door, leaned over Jimmy, and slammed it in Xac¡¯s face.

 Book 2: Chapter 13

    Xaxac¡¯s arm had stopped hurting at all by the next day when he followed behind Lee shortly after he had woken him up for breakfast.  Lee wasn¡¯t in a particularly good mood, hadn¡¯t been in a good mood since he had returned from wherever he had gone on his trip, and it scared Xac a little.  He was normally quippy and quick-witted in the exact manner one means when they use the phrase ¡®smart ass¡¯, but today he spoke mostly in monosyllabic responses to Xac¡¯s questions, and half the time he didn¡¯t seem to hear him at all.  He didn¡¯t seem as if he had even noticed Xac¡¯s broken arm, and when Xac showed it to him, he responded with, ¡°Yeah, sure is, ain¡¯t it?¡± as if he wasn¡¯t particularly interested.


    Xaxac wondered what was wrong with him.


    Xaxac wondered what was wrong with Agalon.


    If he had come to bed at all he would have had to have gone to sleep after Xac and woken up before him.  Though to be fair, Xac had fallen asleep pretty readily, before he had even eaten dinner, so that was possible.  But it wasn¡¯t a good feeling. Agalon was mad at him, and he wasn¡¯t sure what to do about it, he only knew that his life depended on keeping Agalon happy, so he needed to correct it instantly.


    Lee led him to the foyer where most of the housestaff were already waiting, arranged neatly in a line.


    The sight made Xaxac uneasy.


    Because there were people missing.


    Neither his mother nor his sister were standing with the rest of the staff.


    ¡°Lee?¡± He asked as Lee grabbed him by the upper part of his good arm and the hip on the side of his bad arm and positioned him in the line beside the boy who lit the fires and would not speak to him.


    ¡°Be quiet, Xac,¡± Lee said in the same manner he had said everything else, as if he was thinking of something else, something far away and incredibly important, and didn¡¯t have the time or attention for anything else- but this was important.


    ¡°Lee, where¡¯s mama?¡± Xaxac asked.


    ¡°Be quiet, Xaxac,¡± Lee said, more sternly, ¡°Put your arm behind your back.  Don¡¯t bend the broke one, but put your good one behind your back.¡±


    Then he stood, facing the door, clicked his heels together, fisted one hand over his heart and the other in the small of his back and seemed to go into a state of suspended animation, staring straight ahead, like everyone else in line.


    It was so quiet.


    This silence in a room full of people stretched on for so long that Xaxac became jittery.  He could feel his heart beating in his chest, hear his blood pumping through his veins, but he fought it and stood perfectly still, staring straight ahead at those giant, closed doors.


    They weren¡¯t much to look at, but Xac took in every detail, from the dark wood to the metal fixtures, which he was pretty sure were not, as he had once suspected, real gold.  Now that he had seen a lot of gold, mostly in Agalon¡¯s jewelry, he could tell a difference. Whatever was on the door wanted very badly to be gold, but it was not.


    He was so happy to hear the sounds of footfalls on the stairs that he broke into a real smile, but it faded when the group rounded the corner past the last staircase and came into view, to stop before the door.


    Agalon and Lorsan were followed closely by Jimmy, who carried a suitcase in one hand, a canvas bag in the other, and wore a backpack.


    Was Jimmy going somewhere?


    He was dressed as if he was going somewhere.  He wore a traveling cloak almost as nice as the one Lorsan wore, and even the sight of Lorsan, in his military uniform once again, put Xac off.  Lorry looked much better as a boy, even a noble one, than he did as a soldier.


    Xaxac longed to speak to Jimmy, to ask him what he was doing, why he was dressed as if he was going somewhere.


    But he couldn¡¯t.


    He couldn¡¯t even lock eyes with him, couldn¡¯t give him any sort of knowing look, because Jimmy stood behind and slightly to the left of Lorsan, and kept his eyes glued to his own boots.


    ¡°You got everything you need?¡± Agalon asked.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Yup,¡± Lorsan said as if the question annoyed him.  ¡°You need me, I¡¯ll be gone for the next four and a half months.¡±


    ¡°No you won¡¯t,¡± Agalon reminded him, ¡°You¡¯ll be back in a little bit for the Mask Festival on the equinox.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Lorsan said, and Xaxac thought that he had no intention of returning for the party.


    Agalon reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope, which he held out to Lorsan, ¡°When you get there, you give this to Sergeant Thefir.¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± Lorsan said again as he took it and tucked it into the bag on his belt.


    ¡°I¡¯ll miss you,¡± Agalon said warmly, placed his hands on both of Lorsan¡¯s shoulders and pulled him into a fierce hug, which didn¡¯t seem to be to Lorsan¡¯s taste at all.  He pulled away as soon as he could, but his father would not release him, and kissed him on his forehead in a way that reminded Xac of the way he would kiss him on his forehead, normally as a parting kiss.  It was a goodbye kiss, and watching him do it to someone else made something inside of him grow heavy in a way he didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Scry me as soon as you get there,¡± Agalon said.


    ¡°Yup,¡± Lorsan said, but apparently Agalon didn¡¯t believe him, because he reached for his face, held his chin in two fingers and forced him to look up, into his eyes.


    ¡°Lorsan,¡± he said seriously, ¡°Scry me when you get there.  The world is a dangerous place for pretty little noblemen. Something could happen.  I¡¯ll be worried.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± Lorsan said, with far more disgust in his voice than Xaxac thought the situation warranted, ¡°I gotta go.  It¡¯s a long trip.¡±


    He jerked away and put some distance between them, which seemed to be the signal for the doormen, who stepped forward to open the doors and let in the light of the beautiful morning full of crisp autumn air.


    ¡°I love you, Lorry,¡± Agalon said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lorsan paused on the porch, but Jimmy went on to the carriage Xaxac saw beyond, waiting on them, and began to load the luggage into the box on the back, ¡°You too, dad.¡±


    Jimmy moved to the door to open it, and Lorsan stepped inside without looking back.


    Xaxac thought that Jimmy would turn around, would come back into the house, but he didn¡¯t.  Instead, he took the reigns from Jimmy Ray and climbed onto the seat at the front of the carriage, behind the dashboard, where Lee had sat when he, Xaxac, and Agalon had traveled.  Jimmy didn¡¯t look back either as he tugged the reins, maneuvered the horses, and the entire carriage set off towards the gate and the road beyond.


    ¡°That¡¯ll be all,¡± Agalon said once he saw the carriage move through the gate, ¡°Y¡¯all are dismissed.¡±


    The line broke, and Xaxac scanned the crowd of people, just to make sure he had been correct.  But neither his mother nor his sister were among them. He had planned to wait on Agalon, but Lee grabbed him by his good arm and led him away, back through the hall to the servants¡¯ staircase by the kitchen.


    ¡°Lee?¡± Xac asked as they walked, ¡°Where¡¯s Jimmy goin?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s Master Lorsan¡¯s valet,¡± Lee explained, ¡°trained him myself.  Good skills. He¡¯s goin to the Military Academy in the capital. Good job, real good job to have.  I reckon it¡¯s on the castle grounds. He might see royalty.¡±


    ¡°To drop Lorry off?¡± Xac asked, ¡°Then he¡¯ll be back?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s Master Lorsan¡¯s valet,¡± Lee said again, still sounding very tired, ¡°He¡¯ll be back when Master Lorsan¡¯s back.  He¡¯s an attendant. He¡¯ll be attendin to him.¡±


    ¡°For months?¡± Xac asked, ¡°But¡­  it¡¯s been almost three months. If he¡¯s gone four and a half months he won¡¯t be here when Alley births the baby.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Lee said, moving more quickly up the stairs, ¡°That tracks.  Good counting.¡±


    ¡°But he won¡¯t be here!¡± Xac insisted, ¡°For the baby!¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t stay long then,¡± Lee continued, ¡°Winter break don¡¯t last that long, thank Thesis.  Lorry don¡¯t stay long in the winter unless the snow catches him.¡±


    ¡°But he ain¡¯t gonna be here for the baby!¡± Xac insisted; he was growing frustrated, didn¡¯t understand why Lee didn¡¯t see the simple and obvious problem.


    ¡°Right,¡± Lee said, ¡°that tracks.¡±


    He opened the door at the top of the staircase and held it for Xaxac, but Xac stared at him and tried to figure out what the problem was, what the miscommunication was.


    ¡°Aggie knew she was pregnant!¡± Xaxac said, ¡°Knew Jimmy¡¯s her man.  He wouldn¡¯t send him away.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Lee asked, and Xaxac wished he would pay attention.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Xac asked, feeling the whine seep into his voice despite how hard he tried to fight it, ¡°Where you at?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m old,¡± Lee explained, ¡°And tired.  That trip to the Capital took a lot outta me and I ain¡¯t lookin forward to this season startin.  Lord, boy, you don¡¯t know how bad I don¡¯t wanna do this.¡±


    ¡°Lee,¡± Xac asked with all the seriousness he felt, ¡°Where¡¯s mama?  Where¡¯s Alley?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know nothin about that,¡± Lee said, ¡°That¡¯s Nancy¡¯s domain.  Come on, Xac, get where you¡¯re supposed to be. I got a lot of prep to do for tomorrow.  I ain¡¯t got time for this.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s happenin tomorrow?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°We gotta head out to Basilglen,¡± Lee said, ¡°First round is in Basilglen.  I gotta pack for Master Agalon, and for you. He brings his pleasure slave with him.¡±

 Book 2: Chapter 14

    Lee disappeared shortly after dropping Xaxac off, so Xac was left with nothing but his thoughts.  With his arm strapped to the wood he couldn¡¯t even knit, though he was almost certain he didn¡¯t need the thing anymore.  He could move his hand perfectly now; he could feel the arm again, and it felt fine. There was nothing wrong with him.


    But there was something wrong with the house, maybe even the whole plantation.  Where was everyone? And why did Jimmy leave? Was Jimmy always going to leave? Why didn¡¯t Lee care that Jimmy had left?


    He needed to talk to Alley.  Alley really didn¡¯t need this right now, didn¡¯t need to be alone, didn¡¯t need to lose someone else.  She was already having a hard time, already hormonal, already having mood swings.


    He missed her.


    It had been so long since he had seen her, and she had been such a huge part of his life for so long.


    How had his life become so different so quickly?  What had happened to him?


    Time ticked by slowly, and Xaxac thought very seriously about taking off the wood still attached to his arm.  It was pointless. There was no more pain, no more numbness.


    He walked to the window and looked out over the vast fields stretching toward the back of the plantation.  Much of it had already been harvested. He could see the greenhouses from the sitting room, and thought of what he had learned from the book Lorsan had read; the entire planet was a greenhouse, and there were, apparently, worlds beyond the glass, the firmament, worlds beyond the stars where gods dwelt.


    According  to that book, Thesis had created him, too, had created all life on Xren.  The elves were made in Thesis¡¯s image, but he had created everyone. It was strange¡­  it was odd to him that a loving god would create people, create beings like the elves to watch over them, and still allow the things Xac saw in the world.  Jimmy shouldn¡¯t have left. He should be here, for the baby.


    And elves were supposed to take care of them.


    Xac looked down at his arm and thought of Agalon, reading that book while he ran from Billy for his life.


    Agalon wanted him to know not to run.  He was taking care of him. This was a punishment, like being spanked.  Agalon had known he would heal from anything Billy could do to him.


    He was taking care of him


    He loved him.


    It didn¡¯t even hurt anymore.


    ¡°Let me get a look at him,¡± the vet said, and Xaxac jerked toward the sound of the door opening.  How long had he been staring out the window? It wasn¡¯t morning anymore. Had he zoned out? Was he getting that good at not thinking?


    ¡°It was broken,¡± Agalon said, ¡°ripped it out of the socket so hard the muscle tore.  I healed him and give him a potion, so now I¡¯m just prayin I set it right.¡±


    ¡°How you feelin little bunny?¡± The vet asked, and Xaxac smiled up at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± he chirped, ¡°It don¡¯t hurt at all no more!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great, darlin,¡± the vet said, and lifted the arm by the hand as he spoke to Agalon, ¡°The humerus?¡±


    ¡°I reckon,¡± Agalon said.


    ¡°Darlin, make a fist for me,¡± the vet said, and Xaxac obeyed him, ¡°Your arm don¡¯t hurt no more?¡± Xac shook his head, so the vet continued, ¡°Let¡¯s take the splint off and see what the hell happens.¡±


    He untied the bandages that held the wood to Xac¡¯s arm, winding them as he did so, took the wooden planks and set them on the writing desk, then moved the arm at the elbow.


    ¡°That hurt?¡± He asked, and Xac shook his head, ¡°Alright, darlin, move it in circles at the shoulder, arm above your head, alright?  Full circle.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Xaxac obeyed him and the vet stepped back to give him room.


    ¡°He¡¯s got full range, Kai,¡± he said, and to Xac asked, ¡°that don¡¯t hurt?¡±


    ¡°It did when I hit the ground,¡± Xac said, ¡°But not no more.¡±


    The vet grabbed his arm and twisted in the place that had once hurt so badly that even a touch had sent waves of hot pain radiating through his body, but this time he felt only the twisting and squeezing.


    ¡°That don¡¯t hurt?¡± The vet asked, and Xac shook his head.


    ¡°Touch each finger to you thumb,¡± the vet said as he demonstrated, so Xac did.


    ¡°He¡¯s fine, Kai,¡± the vet said, ¡°good circulation, no nerve damage, you set it right.  The skeletal structure of the limbs is about like elves; it¡¯s hard to mess up.¡±


    ¡°That shifter healin¡¯s somethin else¡­¡± Agalon said, ¡°Even with the potions it¡¯d take days to heal¡­  this is¡­ good to have.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± the vet agreed, ¡°You give us a scare, little bunny.  You gotta quit doin that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Xac said and pouted.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been over um and over um,¡± Agalon said, ¡°there ain¡¯t nothin in the rules that says you can¡¯t enter a shifter.  Nothin. I don¡¯t reckon anybody¡¯s ever tried before.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too late,¡± the vet said, ¡°and honestly, Kai, he¡¯s not in the best shape.  He¡¯s cute as hell but I don¡¯t reckon he can knock anybody down.¡±


    ¡°He wants to exercise,¡± Agalon said, ¡°He¡¯s said over and over he wants to exercise.  And he¡¯s so fast¡­¡±


    ¡°I like to run around!¡± Xac said enthusiastically, ¡°But um¡­  I was thinkin¡­ I kinda¡­ I wanna do somethin again, Aggie? If I can?¡±


    ¡°Whatcha mean, Honey Bunny?¡± Agalon asked as he walked over and put an arm around him, and Xaxac instinctively snuggled into his side as he spoke again, to the vet, ¡°Nelly, you gotta stay for lunch.¡±


    ¡°Aggie?¡± Xaxac asked, trying to sound as meek as he could, ¡°Is mama back?  I¡¯m scared to eat without her. The last time I eat without her, I got sick.¡±


    ¡°She ain¡¯t your mama, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon said, ¡°But rest assured that ain¡¯t gonna happen again.  I took care of it.¡±


    This didn¡¯t really answer his question, and the lack of an answer made him nervous, but he looked up at Agalon, smiled, then snuggled further into his side.


    There was a new boy serving them in the dining room at lunch, which made sense with Jimmy gone, but Xaxac didn¡¯t know him, and didn¡¯t like the way he kept staring at him.  He was much younger than Jimmy had been, probably lacked a good two or three years, and wasn¡¯t nearly as good at being invisible.


    He had no interest in communicating.  His eyes said nothing, and his posture gave nothing away.  He simply stood with his hands folded behind his back unless he was needed, and sometimes not even then.  Xac¡¯s glass often got below half empty before he noticed.


    But that was fine.


    It didn¡¯t really matter.  It wasn¡¯t like any of it really mattered.


    Xac hoped Jimmy had had a chance to give the blanket to Alley.  Surely he had, last night. Surely they had spent one last night together, knowing he had to leave.


    ¡°What I would do if it was me,¡± the vet continued when Xac tuned back into the conversation, ¡°Is carboload him, then supplement with vitamins.  That actually probably wouldn¡¯t hurt you none either, Kai, everybody¡¯s usin vitamins nowadays. They come in little capsules.¡±


    ¡°I saw the ads,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I just don¡¯t know about none of that¡­  fad health stuff. It¡¯s a ¡®buyer beware¡¯ kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°These work, I swear it on my practice,¡± the vet said, ¡°All kinds of stuff out there, it¡¯s good for you.  You get him some calcium, some D, some B, put it to exercisin? He¡¯d be unstoppable.¡±


    The cornbread was too heavy.  Whoever had made it hadn¡¯t used enough baking powder.  It tasted like a Johnny cake. His mommy hadn¡¯t made it; she knew how to make cornbread.


    Salads tasted the same no matter who made them.


    ¡°How much would all that mess cost?¡± Agalon asked as Xaxac chewed in judgement.


    ¡°Not that much, not from me,¡± The vet said, and Xaxac thought that salads tasted the same no matter who made them.


    He thought the conversation might be more lively if Lorsan was still in the house.  He found himself missing him. He missed a lot of people. At least he knew that Lorsan and Jimmy were at the military academy; Jimmy might get to see royalty.


    But where was everyone else?


    Salads tasted the same.  No matter who made them.


    ¡°You wanna run out to the fighters before you run off on me?¡± Agalon asked, ¡°Give them a look over?¡±


    ¡°I can if you want me to,¡± the vet agreed, ¡°I reckon they¡¯re fine.  Might wanna pull back on the magic next time.¡±


    They both laughed, but Xaxac didn¡¯t get the joke.

 Book 2: Chapter 15

    ¡°I swear I didn¡¯t mean it,¡± Morgani said to Xaxac as they huddled around the fire in the cave, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to do this¡­ I didn¡¯t know it would fall.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°I mean¡­  you did fuck that up about as bad as anybody could fuck up a thing.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t stay here,¡± Morgani said, ¡°He¡¯s still out there.  He¡¯s looking for me. He¡¯ll find you, and¡­ I don¡¯t know what¡¯ll happen then.¡±


    He stared into the fire, and Xaxac thought his eyes were less offputting once you got used to them.


    ¡°I got the rest of them,¡± Morgani said, ¡°Thesis is the only one left.  It¡¯s too much¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ I need to find the draken. They¡¯re the only ones who can help me now.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Xaxac asked, and looked around the room at the others, finally fed and asleep.  He was alone now, but Quizlivan had always been good with people, and he trusted the strange man they had found stumbling in the snow.  He was lost; he was cold; and he had shared everything he had.


    ¡°But she¡¯s gone,¡± Morgani said, ¡°She¡­  I¡­ I¡¯ve never¡­ never felt like that before¡­  I just¡­ I wanted¡­¡±


    He began to cry, and Quizlivan wrapped an arm around him and pulled him towards him, pulled him to his chest.


    ¡°Hey,¡± he said, ¡°It¡¯s ok.  Everything¡¯s ok. I mean, not ok, but like¡­  listen. We¡¯re alive. And as long as you¡¯re alive, there¡¯s hope, right?  We¡­ we gotta believe that. Because it¡¯s gettin rough out there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll always be alive,¡± Morgani said, ¡°Nothing ever¡­  I don¡¯t¡­ Quizzy I¡¯m sorry. I swear I was trying to save you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anybody could predict the moon would fall,¡± Xaxac said.


    ¡°I just¡­  we¡­ we aren¡¯t supposed to be here,¡± Morgani explained, ¡°This isn¡¯t our world.  It¡¯s yours. They put us here. But¡­ I¡¯ll leave. In the morning I¡¯ll leave. I have to go somewhere he won¡¯t find me, but¡­  he can see me. He can always see me. We aren¡¯t supposed to be here.¡±


    ¡°If he kept you locked up,¡± Quizlivan said, ¡°I can see why you left.  You can¡¯t keep people locked up like that. Especially for no reason. Look¡­  it¡¯s cold, and everything is dying. But winter will pass. And you¡¯re free. Hey, look at me,¡± he pulled Morgani away, just a little, to stare into those colorless orbs that seemed to absorb the world around him, ¡°You¡¯re among friends here.  We look out for each other.¡±


    ¡°As long as Thesis goes free,¡± Morgani explained, ¡°he can activate the demmigorge.  And¡­ I have to stop him. If he does that, more will come. A legion will descend upon us.  He may have already¡­¡±


    ¡°Nobody¡¯s showed up,¡± Quizlivan reasoned, pulled Morgan back to his side and continued, ¡°He¡¯s looking for you?¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t rest until he finds me, not now,¡± Morgani said, ¡°I tried to find him, after the crash.  But I couldn¡¯t. So now I know I¡¯m being hunted.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯d you do with the rest of them?¡± Quizlivan asked.


    ¡°I trapped them,¡± Morgani explained, pulled away a little and dug around in his bag.  Then he began to pull out objects, which he set on the ground before the fire.


    A shimmering green ceremonial sword.


    A long red mage staff.


    A white medallion on a gold chain.


    And a blue cup.


    They were all made of the same material, like the moon that had fallen.


    Xaxac took the cup, inset with beautiful sparkling crystals, and studied it.


    ¡°Xaxac,¡± Lapus said, and Xac looked up from the cup to see the beach stretching before him, and turned to look at the ocean stretching infinitely into the horizon.  The sky was on fire, so he looked up and saw the moon, frozen as it had been when it had hit the firmament.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Nothing in the world moved.


    ¡°Please,¡± Lapus begged, ¡°Help me!  I can give you anything! You just have to find it.¡±


    ¡°I¡­  I don¡¯t think you can,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°I don¡¯t want anything.¡±


    ¡°Anything,¡± Lapus implored.


    ¡°I want my family,¡± Xaxac said, looked at the cup with its beautifully polished surface and its sparkling jewels.  He could see himself reflected there, and he was himself again.


    So he held out his hand and dropped the cup into the still water.


    Xaxac opened his eyes and stared up at the sixty flowers on the ceiling.


    It was still dark outside, but he could hear Lee moving around in the next room, and knew that dawn would come soon, and then they would be leaving.


    They were going back to Basilglen.


    He was getting out of the house.


    He was going to think about that, not about all the people who were still missing.


    He crawled under the blanket completely and cuddled into Agalon¡¯s side before he had what he thought was an ingenious idea and slid down even further to position himself between his legs.


    Agalon was going to wake up in a good mood, and maybe it would carry them through the day.


    The morning went fairly well, and Xaxac had been right.  Agalon had been in a great mood, and he was fairly sure he was the cause of it.  He was beginning to acquire the skills Alex had said he would, was beginning to judge Agalon¡¯s moods and plan accordingly.  Agalon loved his son, and he had the potential to be upset until he received news that he had arrived safely at school, so for everyone¡¯s sake, Xaxac had to work extra hard.  It was the primary job of a pleasure slave to keep the master happy.


    Xac kept the smile on his face even as his mood fell.  When they went downstairs to address the house staff before their departure, there were still people missing.


    But there wouldn¡¯t be any answers, at least not until they could get back, maybe not until he could talk to Jimmy again.  Maybe not ever.


    Maybe his mother had been reassigned.  That happened sometimes, people who got too old to do a particular job were moved to a new one.  There were older women, like Hattie May, who watched the babies too young to work. Maybe his mother had been reassigned.


    Maybe Alley had gotten too sick to work and had to take off until it passed.  That was rare, and it had to be hidden, but he had heard of it, heard tell of people who had spent as long as a week on bedrest, getting other people to cover for them, but he had never seen it done in the house.  Didn¡¯t pregnancy make people prone to illness? He seemed to remember hearing that. If that was what had happened, it would explain why Jimmy had been so upset. If his wife was sick and he couldn¡¯t go to her he had a right to cry.


    Agalon turned as the doormen opened the door for him, and Xaxac hastily grabbed his arm to snuggled into his side.


    He didn¡¯t expect the sight that greeted him.


    There was a soldier standing by the carriage, not the one that had been in the house before, but he wore the same uniform and Xaxac expected he did the same job, keeping the law.  The vet stood with him, looking ecstatic, but Xaxac wasn¡¯t particularly interested in the elves. His attention was on the humans.


    The fighters were lined up in two rows behind the carriage, each wearing a heavy metal shackle around their neck, through which was woven a metal chain, attaching them to each other and to the carriage.  They looked up at Agalon as he approached, but none of them said anything.


    Xaxac released Agalon¡¯s arm with one hand, without thinking about it, and ran his palm against the brand on the back of his neck.


    ¡°Welcome, Aymar!¡± Agalon said to the soldier, who fisted one hand over his heart and the other in the small of his back, bowed, then stood to his full height.


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor to work for you, Your Grace,¡± the man said, ¡°Are we still picking up Omylia at the Leohorn estate?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the plan,¡± Agalon said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s an easy gig.  We don¡¯t normally have no trouble. Thieves tend to stay out the way.  But¡­ you can¡¯t never be too careful.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely right, sir,¡± Lee said.


    Xaxac stared at the dark metal chain and wondered how strong it was.  It took so long to get to Basilglen. Surely they weren¡¯t going to be walking the entire time?  Their bodies were Agalon¡¯s bet, the thing he needed to win the contest they were going to. Wouldn¡¯t he want them to be well rested?  The chain and the collars looked heavy.


    ¡°Well, we might as well get on the road,¡± Agalon said chipperly.


    Lee held open the door and Agalon motioned for the vet to enter, then followed after him.  Xaxac watched the soldier climb onto the box at the back of the carriage.


    He watched Billy watching him as he took Agalon¡¯s outstretched hand and stepped into the carriage with the elves.

 Book 2: Chapter 16

    Xaxac had thought that perhaps the men would be unshackled when they stopped to eat their picnic lunch, but he had been wrong.


    He also thought that he would get more delicious pastries, as he had the last time, but he was proven wrong again.  He and Lee sat on the blanket with the elves and took their food communally again, but Lee was late because he was busy helping the soldier give out food and water to the fighters, and a strange darkness hung over Xac that he hated and could not dispel, despite the generally friendly and upbeat atmosphere of the day.


    Agalon¡¯s good mood had continued, and he and the vet had spent the trip speaking animatedly and excitedly, but Xac had tuned in and out of the conversation.  He had learned that the vet wasn¡¯t going all the way to Basilglen with them, though he would show up for the matches.


    Xac just couldn¡¯t listen very well.  He felt as if he had too much energy in his brain and not enough in his body and he was afraid Agalon would notice.


    He wished so badly that he was drunk, but even after he had drank the wine meant to go along with lunch, he didn¡¯t feel anything, not even a slight tingling, not even a bit of cloudiness in his brain.  It seemed as if it had stopped working, and he wanted to avoid eating so that he could have more alcohol. He thought that, perhaps, if that was all he had, it would start to take effect.


    The fighters were so quiet when they ate that Xac wondered why they didn¡¯t talk to each other.


    ¡°All accounted for, sir,¡± the soldier said to Agalon, ¡°and everything seems clear.¡±


    ¡°I told you it was an easy gig,¡± Agalon said chipperly.


    Lee had taken his seat and opened the basket to distribute the food, and Xac wondered if he was supposed to do this, or if he was so accustomed to serving he did it without thinking.  He hadn¡¯t done it last time.


    They didn¡¯t have any delicious pastries this time, prefilled with apples, spices, and sugar.  This time they just had biscuits that Xac thought were, like the cornbread, much too heavy. It seemed like maybe that was also all the fighters had, but he couldn¡¯t really tell because they were sitting all facing inward, and their silence unnerved him.


    ¡°Here, darlin,¡± Agalon said, took the biscuit Xaxac had been preparing to eat and broke it open in the middle.  He unscrewed a small jar from the basket and spread a layer of jam over it, then closed it and handed it back.


    ¡°Thank you, master,¡± Xaxac said as pleasantly as he could and smiled up at him.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got good prospects this year,¡± the vet said as he prepared his own food.


    ¡°Master?¡± Xaxac asked, ¡°What¡¯s gonna happen when we get to Basilglen?  I¡¯ve never seen a rodeo before, but Alex says it¡¯s real fun! He said it¡¯s not just the fighters, it¡¯s a bunch of stuff!¡±


    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Agalon said, ¡°Ain¡¯t that cute?  He ain¡¯t never done nothin. Everythin is so excitin for him.¡±


    The soldier said nothing but he was staring at Xaxac as if he was trying to figure something out and Xaxac suspected he knew he was a shifter though he had never seen him before.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be down there a little bit, for the first rounds,¡± Agalon said, ¡°You gotta win in the district to go on to regionals.  Then we¡¯ll head out to the capital for the regionals, cause that¡¯s where it¡¯s held for us. And if we win there, we¡¯ll go up to Satra for the finals.¡±


    ¡°Neat!¡± Xac said with real enthusiasm, ¡°I ain¡¯t never traveled before!¡±


    ¡°There is a bit more there,¡± Lee said, ¡°Some of it¡¯s worth watchin.  Then they got the dancin and whatnot. I ain¡¯t a big fan, but it seems like somethin you might be into.¡±


    ¡°Is he cold?¡± the vet asked, and to Xaxac repeated, ¡°Are you cold?¡±


    Xaxac had not realized he had been shivering, but after it had been pointed out to him he couldn¡¯t stop feeling it.  It was true that the brisk autumn wind blew right through his useless, thin outfit, but he wasn¡¯t particularly cold. But still, his teeth were chattering and his hands were shaking.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­  think so?¡± Xac said, ¡°Maybe?  It¡¯s fall.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Agalon reached into his traveling pouch and pulled out something small and round wrapped in a handkerchief, ¡°His metabolism is so fast¡­  here, Honey Bunny, might be your nerves.¡±


    He unwrapped the bundle and Xaxac saw the snowball that Agalon often used in the morning to flavor their coffee.  He peeled off his gloves and scratched at it with a fingernail until small flakes came off, then licked his finger, stuck it into the powder, and began to rub it inside his mouth along his gums.  Once he seemed satisfied he repeated the motion and spoke.


    ¡°Open up, Honey Bunny.¡±


    Xaxac opened his mouth and stared up at Agalon, then leaned forward for good measure until he was on his hands and knees.


    ¡°Stick your tongue up,¡± Agalon said, so Xaxac did, and he rubbed the powder all along the underside, which tickled, so Xac giggled as he pulled away.


    ¡°Anybody else?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s noon,¡± the soldier said, as if this information made Agalon¡¯s offer ridiculous.


    Xac¡¯s tongue had gone numb and it felt heavy and strange in his mouth.  He wasn¡¯t used to being unable to feel a part of himself, and it wasn¡¯t exactly like his arm, in the sense that he was still aware of the fact that he had a tongue, perhaps even overly aware.  It seemed much larger than it did when he could feel it, so large it was taking up most of his mouth and he was finding it difficult to breath.


    But he certainly had as much energy in his body as he had had in his brain.  Was that what it did? Was that why they put it in coffee? Because it was good at helping you wake up?


    ¡°Aggie, I can¡¯t feel my tongue,¡± he attempted to say, but it turned out that the tongue was extremely important in speech, so he was amazed Agalon understood him.


    ¡°Oh, right, I usually put it in his coffee,¡± Agalon said as if he had forgotten this, ¡°Oh, darlin, that¡¯ll hit ya like a ton a bricks.¡±


    What did that mean?


    ¡°Glad I¡¯m not in the carriage,¡± the soldier said.


    ¡°I wish I had ¡®put it in my coffee¡¯ money,¡± the vet lamented, ¡°You lose so much that way.  The bioavailability dwindles¡­¡±


    He peeled off his glove as well, to take Agalon up on his offer.


    Xac was still standing on his knees and found it difficult to sit down again.  He bounced a little as he stuck out his tongue and ran his fingers over it to see if he could feel anything.  It was so odd. He hadn¡¯t lost all sensation, still felt pressure, but in a very generalized sense. His tongue had not, as he had suspected, grown, it just felt heavier when he couldn¡¯t feel it.  At least that meant he likely wouldn¡¯t choke on it, which had been a concern.


    ¡°Eat, darlin,¡± Agalon kissed Xaxac on the cheek, ¡°And put your tongue back in your mouth.  You¡¯re givin folks ideas.¡±


    He laughed as if this had been a joke, and Xaxac understood it instantly and began to laugh with him, because Agalon was often as funny as he was beautiful.


    ¡°Everybody but him,¡± Xac gestured toward the soldier, ¡°I don¡¯t think he likes me.¡±


    He tried to pout, but didn¡¯t have the spirit for it and giggled instead.


    ¡°Everybody likes you,¡± Agalon said and bit into his biscuit.


    Xaxac thought Agalon was probably so good at understanding him even when his tongue wasn¡¯t working properly because he understood him on a deep, fundamental level.  Because he loved him.


    The soldier stared at Xaxac, then turned to Agalon and spoke, quietly.


    ¡°That thing was eight foot tall with the ears, standin on its hind legs,¡± he said, ¡°You¡¯re a brave man, your grace.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t reckon,¡± Xac giggled, ¡°I ain¡¯t never been eight foot tall in my life!  I¡¯m a cute little bunny,¡± he couldn¡¯t keep a straight face and laughed again as he continued, in jest, ¡°And I won¡¯t have you sullyin my reputation like that!¡±


    ¡°You sure are,¡± Agalon said, and began to play with Xaxac¡¯s hair as he often did, so Xac leaned into the affection so hard he wound up falling a little, so he sat down properly and scooted into Agalon¡¯s side to eat.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be scared of a little bunny rabbit,¡± Agalon scoffed at the soldier.


    ¡°I hunt with some of the folks in my unit,¡± The soldier said, after a stretch of silence, ¡°I¡¯ve seen rabbits get cornered.  The wild ones, not the ones folks keep in hutches. Seen a dog catch up to one, one time, tried to snap its neck. That thing flipped over on its back and let out the most godawful sound you ever did hear.  Kicked up with them back claws and ripped that dog clean open. Guts spillin out. Rabbit got up and run off.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sound like much of a huntin dog,¡± the vet huffed and took a drink from the bottle of wine, then passed it to Xaxac.


    ¡°Folks underestimate prey,¡± the soldier said, ¡°on account of they don¡¯t look like much.  But nine times out of ten the prey wins. Because the predator¡¯s fighting for their lunch, but the prey¡¯s fightin for their life.¡±


    He shoved the rest of the biscuit into his mouth, pulled the water skien from his belt and took a long drink.


    Xaxac didn¡¯t think he liked him very much.

 Book 2: Chapter 17

    Xaxac had a difficult time sitting still on the rest of the trip.  He tried to stand up on his knees and peer out the back window to see the fighters, but the soldier was sitting on the box behind them, so all Xac could really see was his shoulders.  So he gave up with a huff and turned his attention back to the windows on the side of the carriage, where he saw the stone fences stretching out, covering a plantation that belonged to someone he did not know.


    Agalon had pulled out the same book he had been reading when Xaxac had taken his punishment for running away, and the sight of it brought back memories, so Xac tried very hard not to look at it, but it was of immense interest to Agalon and the vet, and they discussed it animatedly, so it could not exactly be ignored.


    Xaxac was just happy to be out of the house again.  There were a lot of things at the house worth thinking about, and being away from it numbed those thoughts a little, but it was much easier not to think on things when he had something to do.


    ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right,¡± the vet said, looking over the book, ¡°Not a damn thing.¡±


    ¡°Not a goddamn thing,¡± Agalon agreed, ¡°I dunno if it¡¯s a loophole, but I¡¯ll get at least a year in until they close it- ow, Xac, god love, darlin, you¡¯re twitchin.  Sit down.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Xac said and forced himself to sit upright instead of on his knees, ¡°I got a lotta energy.  That sugary stuff is really good!¡±


    ¡°Frost, darlin, it¡¯s called frost,¡± Agalon said and bent to reach under the seat.  He came out with the shopping bag Xac kept his knitting in and handed it to him. ¡°Here, make somethin like you like to do.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Aggie!¡± Xac hugged him, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you brought it!  Thank you!¡±


    ¡°Thought you might get bored,¡± Agalon said.  ¡°And it¡¯s cute to watch. You look all domestic.¡±


    Xac picked up his needles and began to work on the new hat he was making.  He had one finished already, which he would probably give to his mother. He needed another for his father, another for his sister, then one for Agalon, Alex, Lee, and Lorsan.  He wasn¡¯t going to have nearly enough yarn for that. He only had two skiens left. But they were going to Basilglen, so Agalon might get him some more, in green this time, Agalon¡¯s favorite color, so that he would actually wear it.


    Xac went to work and the sound of his needles clack clack clacking filled the small car.


    He hadn¡¯t realized he could work so quickly, but his hands moved so fast he had to stop and stretch the fabric, because he was afraid he had messed up his tension.  But the band looked exactly as it should, so he switched to stockinette. The world around him seemed to fall away, almost as if he had gone into a trance, and he was shocked when he moved his needle and felt a bit of nothing skittering between his feeding fingers.


    The skien had ended and he hadn¡¯t tied it off.


    Which made no sense.


    Because he hadn¡¯t done his decreases yet so-


    Xac looked down and saw that the fabric was touching his lap.


    It was a straight rectangle.


    Shit.


    He picked up the yarn from the new skien to join them and considered his options.  He folded the fabric he had made in half and thought that if a person tried to wear it like that they would have two triangles sticking up on either side of their head, like cat ears.


    He really didn¡¯t want to unravel the entire thing¡­  it was so much work.


    He wondered whether or not Alex would mind being a cat, and thought that he probably wouldn¡¯t.  He loved cute things. Xaxac could envision him saying something like, ¡°I¡¯m a kitty!¡± and actually enjoy it.  Xac could play it off as if that was what he intended to do all along.


    So he shrugged and began to work on the edge ribbing.


    The carriage jostled to a stop and a few seconds later the door swung open and the vet stood.


    ¡°Always a pleasure, Kai,¡± he said cheerfully, hopped down, and the door closed before Xac saw where he went.


    ¡°Bye!¡± Xac called, then asked Agalon, ¡°Where¡¯s he goin?¡±


    ¡°Home, darlin,¡± Agalon said and stretched out his legs as the carriage jostled forward again, ¡°He don¡¯t live half a day away, quicker if you gallop.  That¡¯s how he gets to the house so quick. Tiny little place¡­¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s all plantations,¡± Xaxac said in confusion.


    ¡°Eh,¡± Agalon made a noncomittal noise, ¡°I don¡¯t know that I¡¯d even call some a¡¯ these places ¡®plantations¡¯.  More of a farm, really¡­ Hey, Honey Bunny, do me a favor. I been preoccupied lately, had a lotta¡­ stress.¡±


    Xaxac climbed into his lap and draped his arms loosely around his neck.


    ¡°I know,¡± he pouted, ¡°Lorry ain¡¯t magiced ya yet.¡±


    ¡°Called a ¡®scry¡¯ darlin,¡± Agalon corrected.


    ¡°Can he though?  You ain¡¯t got your dirt tray.¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°It¡¯ll show up on anything an earth mage can control,¡± Agalon explained, ¡°And even if I ain¡¯t got a medium I can tell that he tried.  He ain¡¯t tried.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s fine,¡± Xac said earnestly, ¡°He seems like somebody what can take care of themselves.  He took care a¡¯ me. I think you don¡¯t realize how big he is, ¡®cause he¡¯ll always be your baby.¡±


    Agalon sighed, and the hands on his waist loosened a little, and Xaxac suspected he was right.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you scry him?¡± Xac asked, ¡°When we get to Alex¡¯s master¡¯s house?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Yeah I¡­  oughta do that. He ain¡¯t never gonna get in touch with me.  He¡¯ll say he forgot but he just don¡¯t wanna talk to me.¡±


    ¡°He loves you,¡± Xaxac promised, ¡°He¡¯s just bad at it.  Everybody loves their daddy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true, Xac,¡± Agalon said, and the way he said it scared Xaxac.  His voice had dropped, the green in his eyes grew dull, and the grip on Xac¡¯s waist tightened.  Xaxac didn¡¯t like it when Agalon called him by his name.


    So he changed tactics.


    ¡°Well¡­  can¡¯t do nothin on the road noways,¡± Xac said with great practicality, ¡°So¡­¡±  He squirmed until Agalon loosened his grip and slid slowly, gracefully, to the floor between Agalon¡¯s knees, ¡°How about you relax and get your mind off it?¡±


    Agalon snickered and ran a hand through Xaxac¡¯s hair.


    Xaxac was confused when the wagon did not pull up to the house, but took a sharp turn and moved to the side and behind it.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    The Leohorn plantation was laid out so similarly to Agalon¡¯s that Xaxac did figure out fairly quickly where they were headed, though.  They were moving toward the stables. He thought this was likely where Lee always went, but it was odd that he and Agalon hadn¡¯t gotten out in front of the house where they normally did.


    It was even more odd that Kyrtarr and Alex were standing with another earth elf in the stables, almost as if they had been waiting on them.  Xaxac stood on his knees again, to look behind them and see if the fighters were still following along behind them, but once again his view was blocked by the soldier, so he huffed, turned around, plopped down on the seat, and waited for Lee to settle the horses and open the door.  Then he grabbed his knitting and hopped out into the stable, following Agalon.


    ¡°Kai!¡± Kyrtarr called and grabbed him by the arm to shake his hand.


    Xac waved at Alex, and Alex smiled, looked around to make sure there were no elven eyes watching him, then rolled his eyes and used both hands to motion to their environment, as if to say, Can you believe I¡¯m out here in a stable?  Which was so funny Xaxac covered his mouth with his hand, because he could not suppress a snicker.


    Xac turned to see what was going on with the fighters and saw Lee talking to Bobby, blocking most of his view, but the fighters he could see were waiting patiently.  Xaxac still didn¡¯t understand why they were walking. They had to be worn out.


    ¡°I am dead,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Gettin too old for this.  Travelin wears me plumb out anymore.¡±


    ¡°Y¡¯all must be starved,¡± Kyrtarr agreed, ¡°This here is Omylia.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, your grace,¡± the earth elf said, stepped forward, put one hand in the small of her back and the other over her heart, and bowed.  When she did, Xaxac saw the bow that had been strapped to her back with a full quiver of arrows, and he thought of how she was wearing the same uniform as Aymar.  He wondered if she would also dislike him, or if Aymar just had some kind of chip on his shoulder.


    ¡°God they¡¯re all so young anymore,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Good to meet you.  These are my fighters. That¡¯s who you¡¯re protectin. I don¡¯t need it.  Had some confusion about that before. Go talk to Aymar, he¡¯ll get you all set up.  I gotta get in the house and get somethin to eat. Come on, Honey Bunny.¡±


    Xaxac darted forward and wrapped his body around Agalon¡¯s arm, as he often did, with his knitting strung over one wrist.


    ¡°Oh my god, please,¡± Alex openly lamented and threw his arms around Kyrtarr¡¯s torso, ¡°Master, I¡¯m an indoor pet.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get whiney, darlin,¡± Kyrtarr told him, ¡°I know you don¡¯t like to travel.  But lord I can¡¯t put up with that sound.¡±


    ¡°Can I just have somethin to knock me out tomorrow?¡± Alex begged, ¡°I do better passed out.¡±


    ¡°Are you goin with us!?¡± Xac asked excitedly.


    They walked from the stables around the house, though Xac clearly saw that the plantation had a back door, past the laundry area and the cold storage, opening into a kitchen, just like they did back home.  It seemed odd to take the long way round.


    ¡°Yes, darlin,¡± Agalon said as if he should have known this already, ¡°Coulda swore I told you that¡­  Might not have. I can¡¯t remember a damn thing anymore.¡±


    They passed through the porch and into the foyer, where Kyrtarr turned to Alex.


    ¡°Darlin, run Xac up to Kai¡¯s room, he¡¯s gotta be starved to death and wore out, too.¡±


    ¡°With pleasure,¡± Alex giggled, leaned in to kiss his master on the cheek, then turned quickly and grabbed Xac by the hand.  ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Um, ok,¡± Xac said as he was tugged toward the stairs, ¡°Bye, Aggie!  I¡¯ll miss you!¡±


    ¡°Oh my god,¡± Alex said as soon as they turned the second floor corner and entered the hallway, ¡°There was literally no reason, at all, for me to be in that godawful barn.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t do good bein outside,¡± Xaxac observed.


    ¡°Honey, it literally smells like horeshit,¡± Alex said as he opened the door to the guest suite, ¡°I¡¯m fine outside.  I just don¡¯t need that in my life.¡± He ushered Xac inside and closed it, then continued, ¡°Look at you! You¡¯re adorable!  And human!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Xac said, ¡°...right.  I¡­ you saw¡­¡±


    ¡°Ok, darlin, I¡¯m gonna be real upfront,¡± Alex said as he sasheyed toward the table that had been laid out for them and pulled the cork from the bottle of wine to pour it, ¡°I know I said I wouldn¡¯t scared a no rabbit but Thesis¡¯s glowin eyes, a good ten foot tall-¡±


    ¡°I get taller every time somebody tells this story,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°There ain¡¯t¡­  I didn¡¯t believe it when they said eight. I think y¡¯all are just seein stuff on account of you¡¯re scared.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called ¡®hyperbole¡¯ and everybody does it,¡± Alex said as if Xaxac was stupid for not knowing this.


    ¡°It¡¯s called what?¡± Xac asked as he took his seat, ¡°Say it again.¡±


    ¡°Hyperbole,¡± Alex annunciated, ¡°Means that folks¡­  might exaggerate a little bit. Big fish kinda thing.¡±


    He sat himself and pulled the covers from their dishes to reveal chilli, and seemed delighted at what he found.


    ¡°Oh thank the good lord Thesis above, I was scared it¡¯d be another salad.  Which, I guess ain¡¯t nothin wrong with but it¡¯s gettin plum cold of a night anymore.¡±


    ¡°Is there meat in this?¡± Xac asked, ¡°I get real sick when I eat meat.¡±


    ¡°No, I know there ain¡¯t,¡± Alex said, ¡°You musta got sick or somethin on account of your master scried and-¡±


    The door opened and Lee and Bobby entered, carrying luggage.  They were apparently in the middle of a conversation.


    ¡°Everloving shit out of him,¡± Bobby was saying, ¡°Wish to god I coulda seen it.¡±


    ¡°It was worth seein,¡± Lee said, sighed and drug the suitcase into the bedroom, ¡°Is that what we¡¯re havin too?  Smells so good¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey Lee?¡± Xac asked earnestly.


    ¡°What, Xac?¡± He asked as if any sort of question would annoy him.


    ¡°How come the fighters are walkin?¡± Xac asked, ¡°Ain¡¯t that gonna make um real tired?  And don¡¯t they gotta fight?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, son,¡± Lee answered, shouting from the bedroom, ¡°But Lorry took the other carriage.  We didn¡¯t have nowhere else to put um. I reckon we¡¯ll put um in Mr Leohorn¡¯s carriage. Don¡¯t ask so many questions.  Folks get real tired and then they get snappy. I like you, boy, I¡¯m tryin real hard not to lose my patience.¡±


    ¡°You ain¡¯t got no patience,¡± Alex accused.


    ¡°Don¡¯t start,¡± Lee warned.


    ¡°Yeah, please don¡¯t fight,¡± Xac begged and broke his cornbread into chunks to put into the chillie, ¡°everythin is kinda¡­  weird?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s weird?¡± Alex asked.


    ¡°I dunno¡­¡±  Xac said and watched Bobby walk into the bedroom out of the corner of his eye, ¡°Stuff¡¯s just¡­  weird. Folks have¡­ been actin weird¡­ goin missin¡­¡±


    ¡°You been thinkin too much,¡± Alex said, then clasped his hands together as a thought struck him, ¡°Oh my lord, it¡¯s your first rodeo.  Let¡¯s talk about that. There¡¯s all kinds¡¯a stuff to see, to buy. Folks compete on all kinda stuff, not just fightin. Folks are cookin, dancin, singin, there¡¯s an art contest.¡±


    ¡°You gonna enter?¡± Xac interjected.


    ¡°For elves, honey,¡± Alex said as if Xac¡¯s question had been stupid, because it had.


    ¡°Right,¡± Xac said, ¡°So¡­  how much a¡¯ that can we¡­ do?¡±


    ¡°I mean we can see it all,¡± Alex said, ¡°An¡¯ the food¡¯s good, and the hotel¡¯s nice, and the bathhouse, and we¡¯ll probably get to doubleteam some a¡¯ your hot fighters if they win.¡±


    Xaxac contemplated this because he still didn¡¯t understand why that sounded so appealing.


    ¡°And there¡¯s all kinda animal contests,¡± Alex said, ¡°Not just humans, there¡¯s like, ¡®best animal¡¯ contests that folks have raised.  If they win they can go on to Satra and then at nationals they slaughter all the ones that win and it¡¯s part of a feast and the Empress comes and you can see her!¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Xac asked, ¡°If you win the prettiest animal contest you get killed and fed to royalty?  That¡¯s your prize?¡±


    ¡°Honestly Xac,¡± Lee said as he came out of the bedroom, ¡°Thank god you¡¯re pretty cause you¡¯d never make it on your smarts.  I gotta head downstairs, get a bite to eat. I love him to death but I can see why folks keep punchin him.¡±


    ¡°You love me!¡± Xac said in a tease, and almost hated himself for the tone of his voice.  He never really got the hang of being annoying on purpose, even as a child, but he was getting better at all sorts of interactions the more he practiced, and he saw Lee crack a smile before he caught himself.


    ¡°You eat your food,¡± he said.


    ¡°They ain¡¯t judgin the critters,¡± Alex explained as if he was talking to a child, ¡°I mean, they kinda are, but they¡¯re judgin um as food.  They¡¯re really more judgin the elf who grew um, their skill at gettin a livestock animal that good.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t never knowed an elf to grow critters,¡± Xac said in genuine confusion, ¡°humans do that.¡±


    ¡°God, you know what I mean,¡± Alex said as if he was also getting annoyed with him.


    But Xac didn¡¯t.


    But he also didn¡¯t want to fight, so he nodded and ate his chilli.

 Book 2: Chapter 18

    Xac got so sleepy so fast.


    He didn¡¯t understand.  He had been perfectly fine, wide awake one moment, and then he felt as if his entire body had become made of stone, too heavy to hold up in any meaningful way.  He felt particularly bad about that, because Alex had been in the middle of a sentence, and he wasn¡¯t exactly finished eating, but he was so tired his eyes were heavy, and he was afraid he would pass out, so he tried to stand and wobbled with the effort of it.


    ¡°Xac?¡± Alex asked.


    ¡°I gotta¡­  gotta lay down a minute,¡± Xac said, stumbled to the couch, and threw himself onto it.


    ¡°Oh, un-uh, no,¡± Alex said, ¡°Darlin, you can¡¯t do that.  They might need us.¡±


    ¡°Just a second,¡± Xac begged and curled to bury his face in the fabric of the back of the couch.


    ¡°Lord,¡± Alex said, as if he was exasperated, and walked out of the room.


    Xaxac did not know that he had only slept a few minutes by the time Alex shook him awake and thrust a cigarette into his mouth.  He heard the match strike, and heard Alex speak.


    ¡°Breath,¡± he demanded, ¡°Breath and wake your ass up.  You can¡¯t sleep till your master does. You¡¯re lookin all lazy and shit.  You can¡¯t do that, darlin.¡±


    Xaxac inhaled, let the tobacco dance down his throat and into his lungs, and spoke as he exhaled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need a cigarette,¡± he said, ¡°I need some more frost.¡±


    ¡°Well I ain¡¯t got none, darlin, so you take what you can get,¡± Alex huffed, ¡°Wish I had ¡®I¡¯m gettin a little bit sleepy, let¡¯s just do some frost¡¯ money.  That shit comes from the water continent. They ain¡¯t givin it away. God, last time you was up here you was scared to death, now you¡¯re right spoilt. You hit the jackpot¡­  Duke of the Agricultural District¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what nothin costs,¡± Xac defended as he leaned forward to ash, ¡°And thanks.  It¡¯s workin. I didn¡¯t know smokes kept a body awake. I¡¯ve smoked and fell right to sleep before.¡±


    ¡°It don¡¯t work great but any port in a storm,¡± Alex admitted, ¡°we¡¯ll keep goin till they get up here.  I know it¡¯s a long drive. I know you¡¯re tired.¡±


    ¡°The fighters had to walk,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°Yeah they do that,¡± Alex said, ¡°They¡¯re in real good shape though.  They can do just about anything.¡±


    ¡°What was you tellin me before?¡± Xac asked, ¡°About Billy and Kenny?¡±


    ¡°God love, honey, you just¡­  you ask a lotta questions.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just weird to me,¡± Xac said, ¡°He hates pleasure slaves.  It don¡¯t make no sense.¡±


    ¡°Kenny didn¡¯t make no sense, there at the end,¡± Alex said as he stared into the fire Xaxac did not remember having been lit, ¡°I didn¡¯t really trust nothin he said but I tried to let on like I did, you know, for him.  He was¡­ wouldn¡¯t cut out for it, I don¡¯t think. You can tell, pretty easy, once you know what you¡¯re lookin for, who¡¯s gonna make it and who ain¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m gonna make it?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Alex said with great seriousness, ¡°I do.  I reckon you¡¯re alright, now. You was pretty rough a while back, but I reckon you¡¯re alright now.  If you can¡­ you got problems I ain¡¯t got no business speakin on. I don¡¯t know about that whole shifter mess, but you got a good head on your shoulders.  You figured out that none¡¯a this matters. Kenny never could figure that out, really¡­ and if you think it matters you start thinkin too much, and if you start thinkin too much you start believing shit and that¡¯s what happened to him.  He thought too much. He got attached.¡±


    ¡°Attached to what?¡± Xac asked as he blew out a cloud of smoke.


    ¡°Attached to anybody what would have him, I think,¡± Alex said, ¡°he got¡­  too lonesome. Too in his own head.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easy to get lonesome,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°It¡¯ll wean out the weak, for damn sure,¡± Alex said as if this statement was an agreement to what Xac had said, but Xaxac was fairly certain it was not, because he didn¡¯t think it was a matter of strength or weakness at all.  But he thought he understood what Alex was talking about. As a pleasure slave you had to be able to hold different and sometimes contradictory thoughts in your head at the same time, you had to play a part and become a person, without forgetting who you really were, and it was difficult to do.  It was easy to believe things, all sorts of things, and Xaxac had to admit that he wasn¡¯t particularly sure what was real anymore. That¡¯s why it couldn¡¯t matter. Alex was absolutely right, it didn¡¯t matter; it couldn¡¯t.


    And Lorsan was right too, humans were weird.  It was weird to be an animal and be smart enough to have thoughts of your own.  It would make more sense, and be much easier, if he knew what to think instead of how to think.  But¡­ Xac suspected that maybe no animals were actually like that. He wondered if humans were actually smarter than most animals, just because they could talk.  Maybe other animals had thoughts too, they just couldn¡¯t tell anyone.


    ¡°Did he think Billy loved him?¡± Xac asked, ¡°Is that what he thought?¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Yeah, and I can¡¯t imagine he did,¡± Alex said as if he thought Kenny was an absolute idiot, and maybe he was, but Xac didn¡¯t like to speak ill of the dead.  ¡°He convinced Agalon not to enter Billy at the nationals, at Satra, and Billy never forgave him. I reckon they got in a big huge fight about it.¡±


    Xac nodded.  That made sense.  That made a lot of sense.


    It was so easy for things that weren¡¯t important at all to seem important, things like a person missing a few days of work.


    ¡°My sister¡¯s pregnant,¡± Xaxac said.


    ¡°Honey you ain¡¯t got a sister,¡± Alex said as if he was imparting some kind of great knowledge.


    ¡°What was your brother¡¯s name?¡± Xac asked, ¡°The one Ky lost in a bet?¡±


    Alex leaned back and took the last, long drag off his cigarette, and Xaxac thought for sure that he would say something like, I ain¡¯t got a brother.


    But he didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Frankie,¡± Alex said as he leaned forward to snuff out his cigarette, ¡°his name was Frankie.¡±


    Xaxac jumped when a sound filled the room.


    ¡°What?¡± Alex asked.


    ¡°Did you hear that?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°What?¡± Alex asked, tilted his head, and his eyes widened.  ¡°I don¡¯t know what the hell that is. I know it ain¡¯t my business.¡±


    The door to the hall burst open and Agalon came racing past them and into the bedroom.


    ¡°Aggie?¡± Xac called, stood, and followed him.


    Agalon knelt by the bed and seemed to be digging around for something, then stood, holding the tray of dirt, and sat on the bed.


    ¡°There you are!¡± He said happily, ¡°I know you¡¯ve been there over a day, Lorry, why didn¡¯t you scry me?¡±


    Xaxac stood in the doorway and smiled.


    ¡°No,¡± Agalon said as if in response to a question, ¡°I been travelin.  I think I¡¯m just gonna crash real hard here in a minute. You settled in alright?¡±


    Xaxac turned and walked back into the sitting room, stood behind the couch and stretched his arms as far as he could above his head, pulling from his core, in an attempt to wake himself up.


    ¡°Master Lorsan went back to school,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°Thank god,¡± Alex smiled.


    ¡°Aggie¡¯s been waitin on him to scry,¡± Xac continued, ¡°So I guess he finally did.  I¡¯m glad.¡±


    ¡°He aggravates me,¡± Alex said.


    ¡°He¡¯s nice once you get to know him,¡± Xaxac defended as he stretched to the side.


    ¡°All that means is, ¡®He¡¯s a bitch but you get used to it¡¯,¡± Alex huffed.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Xac giggled, ¡°Exactly.  Kinda like you.¡±


    ¡°Bitch please,¡± Alex said in a tone that implied he was mocking insult, and probably had some sort of smartass quip to deliver in response, but Xac cut him off by bending over the couch to kiss him.


    He remembered a time when he hadn¡¯t been a very good kisser, but in the interim he had become something of an expert, and it did what he had meant for it to do, which was knock the smartassery out of Alex, and let him know how glad Xac was to see him.  When he had to pull away to breath Alex laughed.


    ¡°Yeah, Xac you¡¯re gonna make it.¡±


    The next day Xac hopped into the carriage with Alex while Agalon and Kyrtarr stayed outside to talk to the soldiers, but Xac pulled back the curtain to watch the events take place.  Kyrtarr had another carriage, about the same size as the one Agalon did, and all six fighters somehow managed to cram inside it. Xac thought that it would be cramped, but it had to be better than walking. They had traveled for hours the day before, and would travel for hours more.


    Xac suddenly thought of the horses and wondered if horses liked pulling carriages full of people and equipment.


    But it didn¡¯t really matter.  He did feel a kinship, though.  He understood that most animals, it seemed, had to do things whether they liked it or not.


    Bobby was driving the other carriage, and Aymar had taken his position on the back box again, but Omylia had climbed up and sat on top of the carriage, which was not something Xaxac had known someone could do, and something that didn¡¯t look particularly safe.


    ¡°I absolutely detest travelin,¡± Alex huffed and spread out the cloak he was wearing, the same one he had worn last time.  Xaxac wished he had his and hoped Lee had packed it- it looked comfortable and warm, and he was still in the thin, stretchy outfit he had been wearing, but it was nowhere near laundry day and there was no reason to get a new outfit dirty.  If he got cold he would just snuggle up under Agalon¡¯s cloak. Besides, it tended to warm up pretty fast in the carriage once it was full.


    Agalon apparently finished saying whatever it was he felt needed saying, and he and Kyrtarr climbed into the carriage and took their place.  Kyrtarr had no sooner sat down then Alex turned to him, grabbed his shirt in both hands, and buried his face in his chest. He crawled into his lap, and Kyrtarr wrapped him in his arms.


    Xac thought it was a little much so early in the morning.


    ¡°He hates carriages,¡± Ky explained, apparently to Xac.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t like travelin,¡± Alex said, ¡°I¡¯ll be fine once we get there.¡±


    ¡°Just try an¡¯ rest, darlin,¡± Ky said sympathetically, and ran a hand over his head, but he couldn¡¯t permeate the hair that had been neatly arranged in a braid winding around Alex¡¯s head.  The carriage jostled, and Xaxac noticed that Alex tensed when it did.


    What was wrong with him?  Why was he like that?


    Kyrtarr rummaged around in his bag and eventually pulled out a small vile.


    ¡°Here, darlin,¡± he soothed, and Alex poked his head up just enough to see what he was offered and take it.  He uncorked the vile and drank the entire thing in one gulp, then handed it back, empty, and snuggled more contentedly into Kyrtarr¡¯s lap.


    Xaxac watched as his eyelids drooped, and he fell into a sleep so deep he seemed dead to the world.


    ¡°So,¡± Agalon said pleasantly, ¡°I¡¯ve been reading over the rules and I think I¡¯ve found a loophole.¡±


    Krytarr held Alex close to his chest, as if he wanted to keep him safe while he slept, as if he loved him, treasured him.


    Alex looked adorable.

 Book 2: Chapter 19

    Basilglen looked so different!


    It was nighttime, once again, when they arrived, but this time the entire city was lit and alive, not just with the dregs of society, but with the kind of elves Xac expected, wealthy elves in beautiful clothes, but also with things he had never seen before.


    The roads were so packed the carriage stalled, and there were soldiers on the bridge who seemed to be looking for something.  But as they passed beyond them Xac saw hastily constructed booths and tents that had not been there before, and he didn¡¯t know what they were or what they were meant for, but he smelled hot oil, dough, and so much sugar it permeated the air and he could taste it.  Music came from all around him, and it was not all the same song, but it blended together not in a caucapony, but in a symphony, as if everyone understood the spirit, if not the tune.


    He was sitting on his knees trying his best not to press his face to the glass as they moved slowly through the streets, watching the kind of things he had never seen before.  There were people standing beside the booths and tents, shouting for anyone who cared to listen-


    ¡°Step right up!  Try your luck! Two for a copper-¡±


    ¡°Right this way ladies and gentlemen, see creatures you have never before set eyes upon in the traveling menagerie-¡±


    ¡°Only the most brave may enter here, for beyond lies a true danger, a mermaid, alive and well, from the deepest, darkest parts of the ocean-¡±


    ¡°You bring me anything, I¡¯ll fry it right up-¡±


    ¡°THIS SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY, AT THE BASILGLEN MATCHGROUNDS, TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE FOR THE AGRICULTURAL DISTRICT CAGE FIGHTING PRELIMINARIES.  IT¡¯S GONNA BE A BLOODBATH!¡±


    ¡°The finest livestock this side of the Sacred Woods!  Horses, oxen, cattle, humans, chickens, ducks, geese, sheep-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so loud,¡± Alex whined, and it was the first time he had stirred on the trip.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there, darlin,¡± Kyrtarr assured him, ¡°We just gotta fight past the crowd.¡±


    ¡°I like it!¡± Xac defended, ¡°Wake up!  Look at this!¡±


    ¡°Do you?¡± Agalon asked as if this information shocked him, ¡°You¡¯re usually so skittish.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s excitin though!¡± Xaxac said, ¡°An¡¯ you¡¯re with me!  An¡¯ we got the soldiers, right? You said nothing bad would happen as long as you were with me!¡±


    He scooted to sit in Agalon¡¯s lap and cuddle up with him.


    ¡°And you¡¯re finally startin to believe me,¡± Agalon smiled, ¡°I knew we¡¯d get you outta that shell, Honey Bunny.¡±


    ¡°Are we gonna drop them off at the hotel?¡± Kyrtarr asked, ¡°Alex gets grumpy when he wakes up from his sleeping potion.  I don¡¯t reckon he wants to fool with gettin the fighters settled.¡±


    ¡°We can,¡± Agalon shrugged, ¡°Will you be alright to do that, darlin?¡±


    ¡°I like the hotel!¡± Xaxac said, ¡°I¡­  I think I can, if Alex is with me. Can I just eat the fruit flowers, though?  Do we have to go back to the food place?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called a ¡®restaurant¡¯, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon explained.


    ¡°Well¡­  do we have to go there?¡± Xac asked, making his eyes as big as he could, ¡°I don¡¯t like it.  I¡¯m scared I¡¯ll get sick. They give me chicken last time.¡±


    ¡°Oh my god,¡± Alex lamented, ¡°Xac, honey, you know I love ya but I can¡¯t have you makin that noise.  Your voice just¡­ it¡¯s got this whine in it, when you do that that just makes me angry¡­ like instantly.  Stop it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just grumpy on account of the sleepin potion wearin off,¡± Kyrtarr told him, ¡°be nice.¡±


    ¡°I just wanna get settled,¡± Alex explained.  ¡°Yeah, Xac, we¡¯ll just go to our rooms. Your rooms, preferably.  Can I hang out with Xac, KyKy? Please?¡±


    ¡°Sure, darlin, whatever you want,¡± Kyrtarr said as if he wasn¡¯t particularly concerned about it, then to Agalon he continued, ¡°Well, we did make good time, for a caravan.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be glad to crawl into bed,¡± Agalon said, cuddling Xac to his chest, ¡°Travelin just wears me out anymore.¡±


    The carriage came to a stop and Lee came around to open the door.


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Agalon said as he gently scooted Xac out of his lap and kissed him on the forehead, ¡°Be good, darlin.¡±


    He climbed heavily out of the carriage and spoke to Lee, ¡°Have my things taken to my rooms, and Ky¡¯s to his, and then come find me, alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes, master,¡± Lee said, and Xaxac watched Agalon walk away and wondered where he was going.  He was shocked to see him walk to the other carriage and climb onto the front of it. Bobby handed him the reigns and hopped down.


    ¡°You just eat you a bite and try to relax darlin, alright?¡± Kyrtarr said to Alex, and Alex threw his arms around him.  Kyrtarr hugged him much tighter than Xac had ever seen them embrace before, then smoothed down his hair and kissed him on the forehead.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Alex said weakly, ¡°I love you.  I¡¯ll miss you.¡±


    Xaxac realized he should have said this to Agalon, but it was too late to worry about it now.  Kyrtarr was already gone, Lee had closed the door, and without his master Alex looked genuinely scared.  He had pulled his knees up to his chest under his traveling cloak and wrapped his arms around them.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Xac didn¡¯t understand this. He thought his reluctance to travel had been an act, for the benefit of the elves, to make him seem fragile and cute.  But now they were gone, so there was no reason to keep up such an act.


    ¡°Are you ok?¡± Xac asked as he hopped up, moved to sit beside Alex, and threw his arm over his shoulder, but Alex did not have time to answer before the carriage stopped again and the door opened.


    ¡°Hey Alex,¡± Bobby said, ¡°You remember where the royal suite is?  Can you head on up there?¡±


    ¡°You want me to help y¡¯all pack stuff?¡± Alex asked.


    ¡°I can help too!¡± Xac proclaimed, ¡°I really oughta always been doin that.  Lee¡¯s all old¡­ I ought not be lettin him do stuff I can do.¡±


    ¡°I can hear you,¡± Lee huffed, sounding as if he had been gravely insulted, ¡°I¡¯m just unhitchin the horses, I didn¡¯t leave.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you did,¡± Xac said as Alex shoved past him to jump out, a little wobbly on his feet, and Xac realized that they were in a sort of barn, but it was full of carriages and humans that he assumed were grooms.  One of them was standing with Lee, presumably to take the horses, and Xac caught him snickering at their exchange.


    ¡°OfAgalon,¡± Lee said to him, ¡°and OfLeohorn.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± the man said and pulled from the bag on his hip a series of three wooden cards.  He clipped two to the horses¡¯ bridals and handed the third to Lee, ¡°Give that to the girl at the desk and she¡¯ll send some kids to help you with the luggage.  That boy¡¯s right, you ought not be doin that.¡±


    ¡°Y¡¯all know I ain¡¯t dead, right?¡±  Lee huffed, ¡°But it wouldn¡¯t hurt my feelin¡¯s none. They wanna let the youngun¡¯s get it, let the youngun¡¯s get it.  Let¡¯s just go check in. Get us a bite to eat.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna eat,¡± Xac said, ¡°I¡¯ll get sick.  Aggie said I could just go up to the rooms and eat the flowers.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you wanna do,¡± Lee shrugged and led them through the barn and into the human section of the restaurant, which confirmed Xaxac¡¯s suspicions.  The last time he had been in there, he had thought the human entrance came in through the barn, but had no way to confirm it. He had a small sense of satisfaction about his correct guess, even though it couldn¡¯t matter very much, in the grand scheme of things.


    The restaurant was even more crowded than it had been the first time; there were more people than there were seats at the benches, to the point that some folks were trying to eat standing up, with more success than Xaxac thought he would have had in their situation.


    He saw the girl, Helen, the other pleasure slave, but she didn¡¯t see him, and he was glad for it.  He hoped she wouldn¡¯t, and that she wouldn¡¯t see Alex, or any of them. She had been there the night he had shifted, the night he had tried to run away, and he didn¡¯t particularly feel like seeing anyone he only kind of knew.


    They did, eventually, emerge into the elven sitting area, which was considerably less crowded, and walked briskly through it, following Lee.


    He spoke to the lady at the desk, but Xaxac wasn¡¯t particularly interested in the conversation.  He had heard it before, the last time he had been here with Agalon. He was just going to get a key and someone to go get their luggage.  He was more interested in Alex. He thought there was a secret about him that he didn¡¯t understand, but Alex wasn¡¯t acting odd anymore, apart from still being a little sleepy from the potion; he really was fine once he got where he was going, just as he had said.


    Was he afraid of carriages?


    ¡°Xac,¡± Lee said and Xac snapped back to attention to take the key he had been given, ¡°Go on up there, me and Bobby gotta go watch these kids make sure they don¡¯t steal nothin.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want no help?¡± Alex asked.


    ¡°God love, I swear the job makes y¡¯all stupid,¡± Lee said as if it was a great tragedy, ¡°I just said I had help.  These boys gonna help. Pay attention to the world around you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re always a sparklin ray a¡¯ sunshine, Lee, you know that?¡± Alex smirked at him, ¡°Is this one of those things where you¡¯re always mean to me ¡®cause you¡¯re secretly in love with me, but you know it can never be, so you try to push me away?¡±


    ¡°Go upstairs,¡± Lee said like a man who was in no mood for games.


    ¡°Maybe if I suck you off you¡¯ll feel better,¡± Alex giggled as Lee and Bobby walked away, leading two younger humans with them.


    ¡°I wish you wouldn¡¯t keep startin fights with him,¡± Xac said as they walked up the staircase and he thought he was probably not supposed to.  There had to be a staircase somewhere for humans, but he didn¡¯t know where it was.


    ¡°I don¡¯t start fights,¡± Alex said as if the concept was ridiculous.


    ¡°Are you¡­  scared¡¯a carriages?¡± Xac asked, more gently.


    ¡°Nah, I think I just got kinda put off on um,¡± Alex explained, ¡°When I was a kid.¡±


    ¡°How come?¡± Xac asked as he turned down a hall on the top floor and tried to remember where their suite was.


    ¡°I ain¡¯t from here,¡± Alex said, ¡°I was born up north, up by that shitty mountain range they call the ¡®Mountains of Death¡¯.  Ain¡¯t nothin up there but like¡­ shitty land where nothin grows and goats. So it don¡¯t do nobody no good to have no humans, really.  You keep a couple but not a lot, not like we got here. So when I was a kid, my master up there decided he didn¡¯t want me or my little brother, so he sold us to this travelin slave merchant, but Frankie wouldn¡¯t but like¡­  he was a baby, real little, barely could talk. And he tore his ass real bad, so our new master got mad at him, on account of he wouldn¡¯t quit screamin and whatnot- we was supposed to be with everybody else, there was a lot of us, and they chained us up by the neck, you know, like they done with the fighters.¡±


    ¡°But Frankie absolutely would not shut the hell up, and also he quit walkin and like to have choked himself to death, so I tried to pick him up, but I wouldn¡¯t really big enough, you know?  I was still pretty little myself. And when we quit movin it messed up the whole line, and we was bein drug along like that and made a godawful noise and I knew he was gonna get us in trouble, and truth be told I was kinda pissed about it too, I missed our parents too, you know?  But I was the big boy, the big brother, and I was, god love, probably five or six, but who really knows? Point is I was too big to be cryin about my mommy, but not big enough to stop the clusterfuck of folks trippin over themselves, and when that merchant got out and seen what he had done he was fit to be tied.¡±


    ¡°He grabbed us both up and I knew he was gonna whoop us good before he done it.  And I was right. I¡¯m ¡®bought always right. But I was kinda worried about Frankie, you know?  It¡¯s hard for somebody that little to take a whoopin like that. And it didn¡¯t shut him up, which it what it was meant to do, so he took us both and- them seats, in the carriage, they fold up, where folks store stuff.  That¡¯s what the boxes are that stick out either end. He dragged us inside, opened one of um up and threw us in there, with all his boxes and luggage and whatnot. There wouldn¡¯t really room to do nothin, you just kinda had to lay where you was throwed.¡±


    Xac paused at the door.  He had nothing to add to the story, so he just nodded.


    ¡°I reckon he forgot about us,¡± Alex said, ¡°There¡¯s only so much cryin somebody can do, so we just had to stay there, till we come to the next town.  I don¡¯t know how long it was¡­ I know it¡­ was longer than anybody can keep from¡­ well, we wouldn¡¯t clean time he remembered we existed. But I ain¡¯t never been more thankful for anything than I was the first drink a water I got.  It¡¯s the thirst, when you¡¯re locked up like that, that gets ya. That¡¯s what¡­ that¡¯s how they get ya.¡±


    Xac nodded again and opened the door.


    ¡°I could use a drink right now,¡± Alex said and walked into the sitting room.

 Book 2: Chapter 20

    Xaxac sat at the vanity, taking off his makeup as Alex lounged on the bed, marveling at the room¡¯s many wonders, and his attitude made Xaxac thankful.  Alex had said he had ¡®hit the jackpot¡¯ to be the personal pleasure slave of the Duke of the Agricultural district, and Xac believed that. Agalon had a lot of money, which he spent on Xac; he had bought him nice clothes and all his knitting stuff, and he got the nicest rooms when they traveled.  Xac wondered what Alex¡¯s rooms were like and suspected they might not be covered in grand tapestries and knick-knacks.


    Lee and Bobby had gone back downstairs to eat, but Xaxac was tired, and didn¡¯t want to face the crowd.  He wanted to crawl into bed and suspected he was crashing again. The frost made him feel really good, but it wore off after a few hours and the absence made him desperately tired.  But Alex probably wasn¡¯t tired at all, given how much he had slept on the trip.


    ¡°They say the empress sleeps here, when she travels,¡± Alex said.


    ¡°I heard that, the last time I was here,¡± Xac agreed and moved to the basin to wash his face.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen her,¡± Alex bragged, ¡°Not much, but I been to court before, with your master, for the solstice ball.  He took Ky with him for some military thing. They do that kinda thing ever so often.¡±


    ¡°Neat!¡± Xac said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster, draped his washcloth over the corner of the basin to dry, and crawled into bed to cuddle up with Alex.


    ¡°She ain¡¯t into humans,¡± Alex explained, ¡°She¡¯s got a bunch of courtesans, all of um gorgeous, young, blond, fair skinned.  You see um with her sometimes. What a gig to get¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Xac asked.  The concept of a courtesan was still strange to him; it seemed too much like a pleasure slave to be a job fit for an elf.


    ¡°Everybody¡¯s into somethin,¡± Alex said, ¡°all the elves are lookin for somethin.  Everybody¡¯s lonesome, I think.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Xac said as he cuddled closer into Alex¡¯s side.  ¡°They are, I think. They¡¯re just¡­ so old. They live so long.  They get bored easy, get lonely easy. There¡¯s¡­ a lot to um. I bet the world looks different when you look at it for centuries.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad I don¡¯t have to,¡± Alex agreed, ¡°I¡¯m not lookin forward to¡­  livin real long.¡±


    ¡°Me either,¡± Xac agreed.


    ¡°It¡¯s weird,¡± Alex said, ¡°I mean¡­  you¡¯re weird. It¡¯s weird that you ain¡¯t more weird than you are.  Seein that¡­ monster¡­ watchin you run, how quick you move¡­ you jumped over us and I just about shit myself.  Scared the hell outta me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t reckon I¡¯d hurt you,¡± Xac pouted, because he would have given anything to be sure, to know that he wouldn¡¯t hurt anyone, ¡°I don¡¯t¡­  I don¡¯t wanna hurt anybody. I wanna go to the rodeo.¡±


    ¡°We probably will, tomorrow,¡± Alex sighed, ¡°It¡¯s fun.  And it¡¯s beautiful here. You can get you a funnel cake, I don¡¯t reckon there¡¯s no meat in that, if they¡¯re fryin it in corn oil.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Fried dough what comes out a funnel, with sugar on it.  They¡¯re real good. Rot your teeth, though.¡±


    ¡°I can rot my teeth and it won¡¯t matter,¡± Xac bragged, ¡°they grow back!¡±


    ¡°They only do that once,¡± Alex said.


    ¡°No, mine keep growin, on account of I¡¯m a shifter,¡± Xac giggled, grabbed Alex, and spun him until Xac was lying on his back and Alex was straddling him.


    ¡°Ok guess you can just do that,¡± Alex said, and Xaxac thought he was talking about his teeth until he continued, ¡°Guess you can just¡­  throw me around. Can you pick me up?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, probably,¡± Xac shrugged, ¡°You¡¯re so tiny and cute!  God, Alex, you¡¯re so cute. I wish I was as cute as you are.¡±


    ¡°Stand up,¡± Alex slid from the bed.


    ¡°Nooooo,¡± Xac whined, ¡°I didn¡¯t sleep in the carriage and I did frost this mornin, I¡¯m dead tired.¡±


    ¡°Come on, please?¡± Alex asked, ¡°I wanna see if you can pick me up.¡±


    ¡°I know I can,¡± Xac pushed himself onto his elbows, ¡°You¡¯re real light.  There ain¡¯t nothin to you. Come back to bed.¡±


    Alex grabbed his hand and pulled him reluctantly to his feet, then jumped.


    Xac had to catch him or fall, so he caught him.


    Alex wrapped his arms around his neck and giggled.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°Well I¡¯ll be damned,¡± he said, ¡°didn¡¯t even stumble.¡±


    Xac fell backwards onto the bed and held him close.


    ¡°We can totally fool around if you want, but I¡¯m scared to death I¡¯ll fall asleep on ya.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Alex rolled off of him, grabbed a pillow, and smacked him across the face with it, ¡°The hell you would.  What¡¯s that say about me?¡±


    Xac giggled and threw an arm across his face to block the next blow.


    ¡°The best way to win a pillow fight,¡± Alex said as if he was imparting some great wisdom, ¡°Is just hold it down real tight over his face till he quits movin.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll remember that,¡± Xac promised and scooted until he was facing the right direction on the bed and fought to keep his eyes open.


    ¡°Good lord,¡± Alex huffed, ¡°Fine, sleep, little bunny.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t never slept alone,¡± Xac said, ¡°Come here and cuddle with me.¡±


    Quizlivan laid in the snowbank and looked through the ocular Morgani had given him.  It made all the difference. Something in it fought past the blinding glare of the snow and lessened the impact of the flakes still drifting in the sky by tinting the world golden, and with his newly improved sight he saw something big and bulky lumbering in the distance.


    A herd of dragons were trying to find the last green things left in the snow.  And they were having a hard time.


    He reached into the bag at his hip and pulled out a stick they had painted a bright red, against the white snow, then plunged it into the ground on the slope facing away from the dragons.  It stood out well against the snow, so he crouched beside it and looked through the ocular in the other direction until he spotted the group of people, the hunting party waiting on his return.


    They would all go back home alive this time, and they wouldn¡¯t be empty handed.


    He moved at a sprint; he had always been the fastest among them, but the snow had never gotten this high before, to his waist if he actually fell into it, but it was so cold and had snowed for so long that most of it was so well packed he could run on top of it.  The flakes whipped past him as he moved, and he reached the group to see three people at the campsite, and assumed the other two had gone to collect firewood.


    ¡°Find anything?¡± Ahnah asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s a whole herd,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°These ones, the big lumbering ones.  They look pretty hungry, but they¡¯re so big there¡¯d still be enough to eat for a month, and the meat will keep in the snow.  This¡¯ll get us through the winter. We might actually need help getting them back.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you guys could eat meat,¡± Morgani said.


    ¡°Do you ever eat?¡± Kifat asked, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you eat.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to get used to it,¡± Morgani said and scrunched up his dark eyes as if he was trying to figure something out, ¡°I think I can.  I really think I can. I mean¡­ it¡¯s based¡­ I¡¯m based on mortal creatures. The transfusion system is just so much more efficient. I¡¯m taking nutrients already in the blood.  But I¡­ I¡¯m not as efficient as they are. I was the first one. I¡¯m¡­ closer to an animal. I¡¯m very nearly human.¡±


    ¡°Nothing you say makes sense,¡± Kifat accused.


    ¡°The other elves only take the blood,¡± Morgan said, ¡°I¡¯ve only ever eaten blood.  But I looked at the charts and I¡­ I think my digestive system works I¡¯ve just never used it.  I think I can eat food. I think¡­ I¡¯m not sure. I tried and I got sick. But I think I have to stick with it.¡±


    ¡°You can drink the blood,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°There should be plenty of it.  I mean, they¡¯re so big¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the blood, it¡¯s the nutrients in the blood,¡± Morgani explained, but he could tell that no one understood a word he was saying, ¡°With nutrient rich blood I can just¡­  it¡¯s more of an infusion than a digestion it¡¯s not¡­ I¡­ I can¡¯t explain things well. It¡¯s more efficient. We got more efficient as we went along. They were trying to recreate themselves, I think.  They¡¯re¡­ not very physical at all.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Xaxac asked.


    ¡°The ones who created us,¡± Morgani explained, ¡°The ones who trapped us.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about all that,¡± Kifat said as he stood, ¡°But if Quizzy actually saw something we need to move out.  We have to follow them. We can¡¯t camp here.¡±


    ¡°Wait until everyone gets back,¡± Ahnah instructed, and he sat right back down.


    Xaxac plopped down next to Morgan and studied him.  He had seemed scary, that first night they had found him, but he wasn¡¯t, not once you got to know him.  He was just really tall and his eyes were weird, and he looked like no one they had ever seen, and he was perfectly fine with being far too cold, as if he hadn¡¯t known clothing was an option, and had really appreciated the furs they gave him.  But he had given them things too, like the food and the ocular. And he was so scared all the time.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Xac said and put his hand over Morgani¡¯s, ¡°It¡¯s ok.  Everything¡¯s ok. I don¡¯t think any omnipotent anything is coming for you.  If it was, it would have been here by now.¡±


    Morgani cracked a smile and turned to look at him, but said nothing.


    ¡°And even if it is,¡± Xac continued, ¡°You can¡¯t spend your whole life running from something.  You can¡¯t go running scared like that. You have to fight back, like you did before.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s stronger than the others,¡± Morgani said.


    ¡°I mean,¡± Xaxac shrugged, ¡°Anything that lives can be killed.  Maybe not by one person, though. Where¡¯s the rest of your tribe?  Why won¡¯t you talk about them? You don¡¯t deserve to be all alone out in this storm.¡±


    Morgani¡¯s smirk turned to a frown and he turned his gaze back to the storm, ¡°I told you, Quizzy, I¡­  don¡¯t want to talk about it. I¡­ made a mistake with the moon, but¡­ I didn¡¯t make a mistake when I left.  I was right to escape.¡±


    ¡°Of course you were,¡± Xac agreed, ¡°Nobody wants to be trapped.¡±


    ¡°She¡­  she was so kind,¡± Morgani said, ¡°She¡­  she called to me. She wanted me to¡­ she wanted everyone to be free.  That¡¯s all she ever wanted. But¡­ but you¡¯re right. Anything that lives¡­  any mortal thing¡­ can be killed.¡±


    He buried his face in his hands, and his body wracked because he was trying not to cry, and Quizlivan didn¡¯t understand why.  He didn¡¯t understand why he didn¡¯t just cry. That sort of thing was always easier if you just cried, just allowed yourself to mourn.

 Book 2: Chapter 21

    Xaxac clung to Agalon¡¯s arm as they walked briskly through the chill autumn morning and was a little shocked to see that the town of Basilglen was still alive and moving.  It was a different crowd than it had been the night before, and Xaxac saw something he had never seen before.


    Elven children.


    Not children like Lorsan, not teenagers, real children, the kind that only came up to his waist, with pigtails and playclothes.  There were very few of them, and each was accompanied by at least one human whom Xac suspected was a nanny, but they existed. He had always known they had to, but elves had seemed like adults to him, as if they were born with power and grace; he couldn¡¯t imagine Agalon as a boy, certainly not as a baby.


    The booths they passed now had barkers, as they had last night, but the attractions were different.  These weren¡¯t a ¡®come and see this¡¯ or ¡®come and buy that¡¯ type situation, they were all ¡®come and do this¡¯.


    Agalon was walking with purpose and did not slow; he had said they were going to see the fighters and Xaxac knew they had a job to do, but something caught his eye and he stopped walking.


    Dozens of tiny cages held small, white, fluffy, twitching rabbits.


    The man at the booth shouted, and they paid him no mind.  They all looked sleepy.


    ¡°Come, test your skill!¡± The man, an earth elf who, like the earth elves that had once shocked Xac, did not seem particularly rich or impressive yelled, holding three metal rings in his hand, ¡°Five copper!  Test your accuracy! Win one of these adorable creatures! Test your skill!¡±


    Agalon snarled, and Xaxac realized that he could not move with Xac clinging to him, immobile.  Every time he was forced to remember he was stronger than Agalon the information shocked him, though he had been warned over and over that he did not know his strength, and to be careful.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked as if he were as annoyed as he had every right to be, followed Xac¡¯s eyeline and laughed, ¡°Oh!  Do you want a bunny, Honey Bunny?¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t never looked at um real close,¡± Xac whispered.


    ¡°Those things are rigged,¡± Kyrtarr said, ¡°Nobody ever wins them.  The bottles are too big to hook the rings on.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they are,¡± Agalon agreed, shrugged, and said, ¡°but fuck it, let¡¯s support the local economy.  Besides, it¡¯ll be cute to watch um throw.¡±


    Xac turned to Alex and grinned at him as Agalon changed direction and moved toward the booth.  He reached into the bag on his hip and pulled out a smaller bag, and as he did so, the man seemed to recognize him.


    ¡°Oh!¡± He cooed, ¡°Nobility!  Good eye, sir! I hate to even let you in, you¡¯ll clean me right out.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Agalon rolled his eyes, counted out five small coins, and went to hand them to the man, but when he did the man grabbed his hand, bowed slightly, shook it vigorously, then bent to kiss it.


    ¡°Thesis¡¯s eyes,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Just give me the rings.¡±


    ¡°You want to play, darlin?¡± Kyrtarr asked Alex.


    ¡°I mean¡­  I guess?¡± Alex said, ¡°If Xac¡¯s goin.  You said you couldn¡¯t win, though.¡±


    ¡°Of course you can win!¡± the man announced, ¡°I had four winners yesterday!¡± he bent and picked up one of the cages, then stood and put it on the counter, ¡°Get yourself one of these adorable little pets!  Look how cute they are!¡±


    ¡°They look kinda sick,¡± Alex observed, and Xaxac thought he might be right.  Xaxac had never really seen a rabbit up close, and they did look adorable from far away, but he noticed with alarm that the rabbit the man was gesturing to had teeth that had grown so long they were beginning to curl, and the sight made him angry.


    ¡°They need to chew on stuff!¡± he said, ¡°If they don¡¯t their teeth mess up and they can grow into their eyes!¡±


    ¡°If you win it you can let it chew on anything you want,¡± the man said.


    ¡°How do you play?¡± Xac took the rings from Agalon and stared out over the collection of bottles.


    The man opened his mouth to speak and Agalon silenced him with a look.


    ¡°What¡¯cha gotta do, darlin,¡± he explained, ¡°Is throw one a¡¯ them hoops on one a¡¯ them bottles.¡±


    Xaxac nodded, but he was skeptical.  That seemed deceptively easy. There had to be some sort of catch.  He had three, so the first would be a practice throw. He was trying to calculate the distance in his head when Alex threw, and Xaxac learned that Alex was very, very bad at throwing things.  He apparently thought the object of the game was just to throw as hard as you possibly could, so his ring hit a bottle with a loud CLANG of metal on metal, bounced, and went ricocheting around the booth, hitting the back wall, the rabbit cages, and then bouncing off somewhere into the fairgrounds.


    ¡°Do I get to try that again if I find it?¡± Alex asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re bad at this,¡± Xac blinked at him, ¡°you done this before.  I am in amazement at the badness.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t never done this before,¡± Alex said as he threw his next ring, much more gently this time, but still it hit with a clang and bounced off, ¡°Goddamn it!  I don¡¯t even want a rabbit I just want to do the thing!¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°I think the secret is to like¡­  don¡¯t toss it, throw it like you¡¯re skippin a rock,¡± Xac said, flipped his wrist, and his ring went sailing, hit first one bottle, then bounced off several more.  He had a moment of hope, but it went skittering past the bottles and fell to the ground behind them. ¡°Yeah I think that¡¯ll work. I got closer than you did.¡±


    Alex threw his last ring, mimicking Xac, with the same result.


    ¡°This is bullshit,¡± he said.


    ¡°Go find the one you lost,¡± Kyrtarr told him, ¡°it has to be right close.¡±


    Xaxac tossed his second ring and watched it bounce.  It seemed like Kyrtarr was right, the bottles were too big for the rings to land on.  It might be possible to win if you dropped one down directly from above, so for his last throw he tried that, tossing gently in an arc, but the ring fell between the bottles.


    ¡°Well, that was a successful waste of money,¡± Agalon said cheerfully.


    ¡°Alex!¡± Kyrtarr called.


    ¡°I can¡¯t find it!¡± Alex lamented.


    Xaxac crouched to stare at the rabbit in the cage and the more he looked at it the more he realized Alex was right.  It was sick. It wasn¡¯t just the teeth, it was also so thin it¡¯s skeleton was visible under the fur, and its eyes had pink, puffy skin around them.  This guy didn¡¯t take care of the animals at all. They only existed for him to make money off of. Xaxac thought he didn¡¯t like him very much.


    ¡°The holy texts say you¡¯re supposed to take care of animals,¡± Xac said to Agalon.  ¡°This¡¯in¡¯s really sick¡­¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not sick,¡± The man said as if he had been insulted, ¡°Every prize animal I give is guaranteed to live a long, healthy life.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t you be picking up and packing off at the end of the week?¡± Agalon asked, ¡°Following the rodeo circuit?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± the man said chipperly as Alex came running back clutching the ring.


    ¡°So it¡¯s likely that if one of your animals did die, the person you lied to wouldn¡¯t be able to find you.¡± Agalon said, then to Xac he added, ¡°That¡¯s how they get you.¡±


    ¡°Goddamn it!¡± Alex yelled as his ring skittered between the bottles.


    ¡°Better luck next time,¡± the man said, ¡°play again for just five copper!¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Agalon put a hand on the small of Xac¡¯s back to lead him away, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Xaxac watched the bunny in the cage, still lethargic and nervous, as the man slid it back with the rest of them and began to shout again.


    ¡°You can play some more games after we check in this morning,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I¡¯ll have to run drills¡­  probably should spend the day doing that. I¡¯ll write Lee a pass and you can come explore if you want to.  Just be real careful.¡±


    ¡°Without you?¡± Xaxac asked.  That didn¡¯t make sense. Why was Agalon guarding the fighters, paying for extra security, for elves to work guarding them, but he was willing to let Xac wander alone by himself where he could be easily stolen?


    ...was it because Billy was right?  Because the fighters made him money somehow?  Because they were important, but Xaxac was just another pretty little thing Agalon owned?


    Don¡¯t think too much.  Look pretty and smile.


    Agalon led them to what Xaxac thought was a stable, because it had the appearance and smell of one, but the inside was actually a wide open space lined with barred doors on both sides.  Lee was already there, standing beside an open door talking with Bobby, holding another piece of wood with a number of it, which he had slipped onto a ring of rope because he seemed to have accumulated a great many of them and needed to keep track of them.


    The fighters were out in the open space, along with a great number of other tall, bulky, rippling, muscled humans, laughing, talking and wrestling.


    Xaxac hadn¡¯t realized he had tightened his grip on Agalon¡¯s arm until they stopped walking and he almost kept going, but as soon as he did he loosened it.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna be here at least until after lunch,¡± Agalon told Lee, ¡°Y¡¯all take some free time, but you stay right with him.  Every second. Don¡¯t let him outta your sight.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Lee said as if he had not expected this, ¡°Well, yeah, if¡­  if¡¯in you want.¡±


    Xaxac suspected he had more to say, but he didn¡¯t.  Agalon reached into his bag and produced the purse he had used before, took out a handful of coins, and handed them to Lee.


    ¡°Get y¡¯all somethin to eat,¡± he instructed, ¡°tell um Xac¡¯s a vegetarian.¡±


    ¡°Yes, master,¡± Lee said and slipped the coins into his pocket.


    ¡°Here, let go a¡¯ me a minute, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon said, and Xaxac did, which freed Agalon up to use both hands.  ¡°I gotta write you a pass.¡±


    He reached into his bag again and came away with a thin book and a pencil, and he began to write.  Xac watched him making squiggles on the page in no discernable order, then he flipped it and made almost the same exact squiggles on the next page.  He tore them both out and handed one to Lee and the other to Xac.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lose that,¡± Lee told Xaxac as he folded his own up and stuck it into his pocket with the money.


    ¡°Be back after lunch,¡± Agalon said, cupped Xac¡¯s face in both hands and kissed him on his forehead.  ¡°Run and have fun. Don¡¯t get in no trouble.¡±


    Xaxac didn¡¯t have any pockets, so he turned to ask Alex what to do, but Alex had just received a similar piece of paper from his master, and he folded it up and stuck it in his boot, so Xac followed his example.  Alex giggled as Krytarr kissed him on the forehead.


    ¡°Come on, Xaxac,¡± Lee grabbed Xac by the wrist and tugged him along, pulling him out of the building, ¡°before he changes his mind.  He don¡¯t never do this.¡±


    ¡°We gotta wait on Alex and Bobby,¡± Xac said, dug his heels into the dirt, and Lee huffed when it became obvious he could not move him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doin,¡± Lee said, and Xaxac liked the look on his face, one he saw often where the genuine delight was trying to break through his grumpy mask, ¡°but he¡¯s got a helluva lot nicer since you started workin.¡±


    Xaxac wanted to listen to him, because he enjoyed being praised, but something caught his eye.  From his position they could see behind the booths and tents that had been set up, and he saw the tailor, Mrs Sambrees.  The last time Xaxac had seen her, she had been in mourning, but now she was huddled behind one of the tents, as if she was perhaps trying to hide, with another woman.  The other lady looked about her age, with short, cropped hair that had been dyed a honied brown and sparkling green eyes, and she was leaning much closer than Xac would have expected.  They were speaking in hushed whispers, and both broke out into a giggle, before the new lady pulled Mrs Sambrees in for a light, quick kiss.


    Xac was happy for her.


    He had liked her when he had met her, and he wanted her to be happy.

 Book 2: Chapter 22

    ¡°We got free time,¡± Lee said as he led the group through the various games that had been set up, walking much too quickly for Xaxac¡¯s liking.  Xac suspected they were supposed to share the coins Agalon had given Lee, and he wanted to play some more. Agalon had specifically said he could.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go watch the band!¡± Alex suggested and clapped his hands together, ¡°We can follow the music.  They¡¯re in one of the bigger tents!¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t never seen a band,¡± Xac agreed, ¡°But I wanna play somethin else, first.  Let¡¯s play another game.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking we oughta see if we can¡¯t find somebody who can read,¡± Lee said and stopped at a large piece of wood he had been leading them to, at the very beginning of the midway and leading back out onto the proper street, ¡°I¡¯d bet my soul that this tells what all¡¯s goin on.¡±


    The sign was actually a collection of several smaller signs, all arranged pleasantly so that they overlapped and none of the wood underneath could be seen.  Some had pictures, but most only had the squiggles that Xac now knew was writing, and a great many of them had numbers arranged in a particular order; two numbers, then two dots stacked on top of each other, then two more numbers.  He stared at one poster in particular, with a picture of a horse on it, and the arrangement of numbers that read 10:00.


    There were several things that had the same numerical arrangement, and the more Xaxac stared, the more clear it became that they were counting up, beginning at six.


    Time.


    The sign was telling people what time things happened.


    ¡°The horses are at ten!¡± Xaxac said and pointed to the image.


    ¡°You want to watch the race?¡± Alex huffed, ¡°God, I hate the animal stuff.  I guarantee you the track smells like horseshit.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t never seen a racehorse,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°I didn¡¯t know what they was ¡®til Lee told me.¡±


    ¡°I would watch a race,¡± Bobby said, ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t rightly care what we do.  I¡¯m up for anything. We might could even sit down for that.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t hold your breath,¡± Lee said, still staring at the sign as if he could somehow decipher it.


    ¡°I wanna watch the band!¡± Alex said again, and Xac thought his voice was bordering on a whine, ¡°I wanna see folks dance!  It¡¯s so pretty. I love dancin¡­¡±


    ¡°We can do that right now,¡± Bobby said.


    ¡°And I want a corndog!¡± Alex continued and pointed at a vendor who had a bucket of hot oil over a grill and was selling what appeared, to Xaxac, to be cornbread on a stick.


    ¡°Does that have meat in it?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Yeah, honey, it¡¯s a sausage,¡± Alex said as he began walking toward the booth, apparently with no regard for whether or not he split the group up.


    ¡°Alex!¡± Lee snapped.


    ¡°I¡±m gettin a corndog,¡± Alex told him.


    ¡°You ain¡¯t got corndog money,¡± Lee said.


    ¡°I am supposed to get him lunch,¡± Bobby said, ¡°but it¡¯s like nine in the mornin.¡±


    ¡°What about a funnel cake?¡± Xac asked, ¡°Can we get a funnel cake?¡±


    An older earth elven woman had been walking past as if she was looking for someone, just one of many people in the crowd, and looking as if she belonged to the ¡®dregs of society¡¯ that Xaxac had seen his first night in Basilglen.  But she paused at the sound of their conversation and stared at Alex as if she was making some kind of decision.


    Then she spoke, and she sounded her age, or as if she had just finished a cigarette.


    ¡°Hey kid,¡± she said to Alex, ¡°you want a corn dog?¡±


    ¡°Um,¡± Alex said because he had very clearly not expected to be addressed by a stranger.


    The woman reached into a bag at her hip, and when she came up she was holding a coin.  She flipped it in the air in such a way that it spun and Alex caught it with a smile.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± he said enthusiastically.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± the woman said, turned, and continued on her way.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°I do have corndog money!¡± Alex exclaimed and held up the coin.


    Xac¡¯s eyes widened, and words came spilling from his mouth before he could catch himself.


    ¡°You gotta give that back!¡± he said, ¡°Ain¡¯t no way she meant to give that to you!¡±


    Because it was not a copper or even a silver piece, it was a gold piece, and it looked strange.  It still had a likeness of the empress¡¯s face, but the squiggles above and below it were different from the squiggles on the coins Agalon used.  But Xac knew that a gold piece was a lot of money, far more money than anyone would just give away out of the kindness of their heart.


    But the woman was gone.  She had been wearing a shorter cut workdress and a traveling cloak, and so was nearly every woman in the crowd.  They didn¡¯t know her name. They would never find her.


    ¡°Give me that,¡± Bobby demanded and snatched it from Alex¡¯s hand, ¡°don¡¯t be wavin that around.  Askin to get robbed.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Alex stuck his own hand in Bobby¡¯s pocket, and the two of them began to wrestle, ¡°That¡¯s mine!¡±


    ¡°Stop it!¡± Bobby snapped, ¡°Quit actin a fool and shit!  You¡¯ll get us caught. Here. Put this in your boot. You can¡¯t spend that unless we can find somebody to make change.  You can¡¯t buy a three copper corndog at nine in the mornin with a gold piece. They¡¯ll just take it. They ain¡¯t gonna have change.¡±


    ¡°How do you know so much about money?¡± Xaxac asked, ¡°I ain¡¯t never had no money before.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know nothin,¡± Bobby said, and Xaxac wondered why.  ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go watch the band.¡±


    Xaxac looked at Lee, but Lee was scanning the crowd, likely also looking for the mysterious woman who tossed fortunes to slaves.  Xac also thought it was odd that she called Alex a ¡®kid¡¯, when he was obviously at least sixteen, maybe even seventeen. He was grown.  Maybe he was just so good at makeup he had learned how to make himself look even younger.


    Alex did tuck the coin into his boot, but while they followed along behind Bobby he fell into step beside Xac and took his hand.  Xac wrapped their fingers together and swung.


    They could hear the music before they arrived at the large, striped tent that apparently housed the band, and Xaxac took an instant liking to it.  It was impossible not to move in time with the beat, and Alex apparently agreed because he was swaying too.


    Inside the tent was a small stage, upon which stood a group of humans, which confused Xac, because he had expected elves, but they were giving it their all, playing some instruments he had seen before, but many that he had not.  He recognized the fiddle, piano, and the banjo, but the rest were new to him. They were good at it though, and he swayed to the music.


    There were also benches arranged in a circle two deep, upon which sat a few earth elves, but the largest part of the tent was taken up by a group of dancers, who moved as one, as if they had rehearsed.  The sound of their boots hitting the floor echoed the precussion, and Xaxac realized that was a huge part of what he had been hearing outside. They were all earth elves, and the most beautiful part of the entire scene was the way the women moved, the way their skirts flew with the rhythm of their bodies.


    This all happened behind a short gate that looked as if it could be taken apart and put together easily, and because it was made of several interlocking gates, Xaxac thought of it more as a gate, rather than a fence. They were all closed, but could be easily lifted or jumped.  But no one tried to get past them. Instead, humans gathered around the gate in a crowd, watching the band and dancers, tapping their feet. The space between the gate and the tent was narrow, and Xac wished it wasn¡¯t, or that there weren¡¯t so many people, because there was no room in the human section to dance.


    There were just too many humans.  Everywhere he had gone they had outnumbered the elves.  Seeing how they crowded the human section strengthened Xaxac¡¯s resolution not to have children.  There were already too many humans in the world.


    Earth elves who looked as though a bath would do them a great deal of good leaned against this gate on the elven side, stationed an equal distance apart, and the way they stood made Xac think that they were there to keep anyone from going in or out anywhere except the place some elves were going in, a gate that was open beside a long table, in front of which stood an elven man guarding a small box.  There was a sign on this table with numbers, but most of it was text which Xac could not read.


    ¡°Why are there so many people here so early?¡± Alex whined, and Xaxac wished he would stop finding something to complain about everywhere they went, so he tightened his grip on his hand until Alex let out a gasp of pain.


    ¡°Ow, what the hell?¡±


    ¡°Hush.¡± Xac instructed, and followed Bobby into the throng of people.


    The song changed, and Xac was glad they would get to hear a new one from the beginning as the man on the fiddle began to sing.


    ¡°Well I wonder how the old folks are at home


    I wonder if they miss me while I roam


    I wonder if they pray


    For the boy who went away


    And left his dear old parents all alone.¡±


    Xaxac didn¡¯t understand the lyrics for a moment.  They made no sense with the upbeat tempo, with the way the dancers moved.  The band was too far away to see the man¡¯s face very well, especially because there were people in the way; Xac and his companions were not at the front of the crowd.


    ¡°You could hear the cattle lowing in the lane


    You could see the fields of blue grass where I''ve grown


    You could almost hear them cry


    As they kissed their boy goodbye


    Well I wonder how the old folks are at home.¡±


    Xac was sure that he was smiling.  Because that¡¯s what humans did. You smiled.  You told them ¡®alright¡¯ and ¡®ok¡¯ and ¡®yes, master¡¯ and ¡®I love you¡¯ and you did everything that they said.


    But Xaxac really, really wished he could have seen his family before he left.  He wondered where they were, why they weren¡¯t coming to work.


    ¡°Just a village and a homestead on the farm


    And a mother''s love to shield you from all harm


    A mother''s love so true,


    A sweetheart that loves you


    A village and a homestead on the farm.¡±

 Book 2: Chapter 23

    Xaxac followed Lee and Bobby, who had fallen into conversation with each other on the subject of music and how Lee apparently preferred older songs which told full stories to this new music, which seemed to him like whining, like nothing more than an outpouring of emotion.  Lee believed that young people complained and cried too much, and Xaxac had nothing to say to him, because he was right. Xac had felt like crying several times during their time listening to the band play. Maybe young people were just too emotional. But he was trying, and he suspected everyone else his age was too.


    They walked through the midway again, and Xaxac longed to eat something from the many booths now that he could smell everything frying, though he wasn¡¯t hungry at all, and it felt as if they were walking much farther than he had anticipated.  They walked down the entire length of the midway, then past even the stables where the fighters were kept, and walked further still, beyond the backs of the tents, until Xac was sure they had gone completely out of town.


    ¡°Where are we goin?¡± He asked and realized he had been paying so much attention to his surroundings and so little to the conversation that it had made Lee justifiably angry because he had spoken over him.


    ¡°Did the middle a¡¯ my sentence interrupt the start of yours?¡± Lee asked him and Xac hung his head.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± he said.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to the track,¡± Lee said, ¡°You said you wanted to watch the race.  It¡¯s about time for it.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Xac said again.


    ¡°The problem with these youngun¡¯s today,¡± Lee said to Bobby, ¡°Is that they don¡¯t respect nothin¡¯.  They get real self-absorbed.¡±


    ¡°The problem with old folks,¡± Alex said, ¡°Is that they think they deserve to be respected even when they ain¡¯t done nothin¡¯.¡±


    Bobby giggled at this assertion, but Xaxac slumped and begged, ¡°Don¡¯t start a fight.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t, I¡¯m just tellin him that,¡± Alex defended.


    They rounded the last tent and came out onto a large field.  Xac could see the woods beyond it, but the field itself contained many wonders- Another ¡®fence¡¯ made of gates had been set up along the perimeter, then there was another round of benches, each higher than the one before it so that the elven spectators who sat there could see over the heads of those below them.  Some humans even sat with their masters, most clinging to them or smiling in a specific way that allowed Xaxac to identify their profession because he had seen it, and felt it, often, on himself. Another series of booths were set up on one side, though there were no barkers this time, and there were long lines at each of them.


    Humans walked among the spectators shouting, ¡°Popcorn!  Get your popcorn! Beer!¡±


    But this didn¡¯t particularly interest Xac, because he suspected it would have nothing to do with him.  He would be relegated to the outside of the outer fence, because the only humans who got past it, at another checkpoint guarded by another earth elf who reminded him very much of the ones in the tent with the band, were clinging to or following their masters.


    There was, once again, a huge crowd of humans around the perimeter of the outer gate, and because this spectacle was outdoors, they were not concentrated so closely together.  Many had brought blankets or spread their traveling cloaks out on the grass, and were sitting there in comfort to watch the race. But, because they had come so close to the start of the race, space was still almost nonexistent near the front, and the few people who were standing close to the gate seemed rude to Xaxac, because they were obviously blocking someone¡¯s view.


    ¡°What are the booths for?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Gambling,¡± Lee explained, ¡°You can bet on which horse you think will win.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Xac smiled, ¡°Let¡¯s do that!  I¡¯ll bet we¡¯ll win! I always been lucky!  I got two lucky rabbit feet!¡±


    Alex giggled, but Lee rolled his eyes.


    ¡°We can¡¯t bet, Xac,¡± Lee said, ¡°that¡¯s too complicated.  You can¡¯t just guess, you gotta be able to work out odds, do your figurin and readin and whatnot.  That¡¯s for elves.¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s humans in line!¡± Xac pointed.


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re placeholders,¡± Lee said as if Xaxac should have already known it, ¡°Remember how I stood in line for our master at the courthouse?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Xac pouted.  That made sense, and he probably should have been able to figure it out on his own.


    ¡°Shoulda come sooner,¡± Bobby said as he sat down on the grass, ¡°No good spots left.  Can¡¯t see nothin out here.¡±


    ¡°At least we ain¡¯t gotta smell it,¡± Alex said as he sat and dragged Xac with him, then made a face and added, ¡°Some folk in the crowd could sure use a bath, though.  Some ¡®a these younguns look like they don¡¯t know what a cake a¡¯ soap is.¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°You gotta be so mean all the time?¡± Xac asked him.


    ¡°Look at ¡®um,¡± Alex argued, ¡°them kids is filthy!  Half of um ain¡¯t wearin shoes- it¡¯s fall. It¡¯s all gonna be mud an¡­  if your master can afford to bring you out to town you get a shoe ration.  Wash your children. That¡¯s all I¡¯m sayin. You knew you was goin somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Some folks is from Basilglen,¡± Bobby said, ¡°they didn¡¯t go nowhere.  They live here.¡±


    ¡°Still,¡± Alex argued, and sounded as if he meant to go on, but a man¡¯s voice rang out so loudly it overpowered him.  It was much louder than it should have been, than it could have been, and it came from many places at once. The unexpectedness of it made Xaxac jump, but when he actually looked he realized what had happened.


    The man stood in the middle of the field with a strange, cylindrical contraption, which he spoke into, and he held a stick that glowed green like Agalon¡¯s earrings.  The earth elves Xaxac had thought were security glowed as well, from different places like rings, earrings, or necklaces, and the man¡¯s voice spoke from the ground in front of them the same way Agalon spoke from the box of dirt when he talked to Lorsan and Xaxac.  The overall effect, all speaking at once, was almost unbearably loud.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen!¡± he proclaimed, ¡°The district qualifiers for the Urillian Derby will begin in five minutes, so place your bets now!  Horses and jockeys are approaching the starting line!¡±


    A cloud of confetti erupted, and Xaxac saw two elves open a gate for a crowd of humans on horseback.  This shocked him as well; he had been shocked many times today. He had expected the riders to be elven, and seeing so many humans do so many things was opening his eyes a little.  He had always had a narrow view of humanity: there were field slaves and there were house slaves, and that was it. He had never thought a human could play music or ride horses professionally.  But they could. Like the fighters, it seemed that humans could do a great many things, for crowds, things he had never dreamed of.


    And the crowd seemed to love them.


    The announcer introduced each horse and rider by name, and one rider, in particular, seemed to be the favorite of the humans.  She stood in her stirrups when the announcer called, ¡°Jessica OfVenris and Thunderbolt!¡±


    She waved out to the crowd, and a section began to chant:


    ¡°Jess is the best


    Jess is the best!¡±


    Their enthusiasm was so contagious that Xaxac nearly joined them.  He knew nothing about racing, but he wanted desperately for her to win!  The crowd loved her, and she seemed to love them, and the energy was palpable and nourishing; he could feel it inside him, in his bones, in his soul.


    ¡°You reckon she¡¯ll make it next year?¡± Bobby asked Lee.


    ¡°Gettin too old for it,¡± Lee said, ¡°Gonna weigh down the horse.¡±


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen!¡± The loud man declared, ¡°The race will begin in three!  Two! One! And they¡¯re off!¡±


    The horses moved as one, and their hooves beat at the ground in a rhythm so fierce Xac thought he could feel it, rumbling underneath him.  Many of the people who had been sitting jumped to their feet, so he hopped up with them to be able to see. He wanted Jess to win so badly.  He wanted her to prove that she wasn¡¯t too old for it, that no human was too old for anything, that it was impossible to age out of a job one was good at.


    The track was long, but they moved too quickly to catch most of the action.  To understand anything at all, one had to focus on a single steed and rider, so Xac focused on Jess.  She didn¡¯t ride as one normally did, with her back straight and her head high, as Xac and the other children had been trained to do on the plantation, she rode so that she was almost lying down, holding the saddle with her thighs so that her behind was not even touching it, leaning over Thunderbolt¡¯s head and perhaps even talking to him.


    They moved like a lightning bolt, but so did everyone else.


    The track curved, and Jess leaned into it, and it seemed as if she tried to veer in the direction of the curve as the herd began to move back in the direction of the starting line.  Xaxac couldn¡¯t have said who was going to win- it was all one crowd, almost a single body, a single organism.


    On this second round, going back in the opposite direction, things began to get even more competitive.  For the first time, riders began to fall behind as fatigue set in on their steeds, but not Thunderbolt. Jess still leaned in, her grip on the reigns was relaxed, but still, the lead was too close to call, it still looked like a group to Xac.


    Even as they sprinted past the starting line and began to slow, eventually coming to a complete stop, Xaxac could not say who had won.


    Jess was smiling, though, and the loud man was absolutely glowing.  Xaxac watched a group of earth elves who had been standing at the line talking amongst themselves, then one of them broke off from the group and ran to the loud man, then handed him a piece of paper.


    ¡°And the qualifiers are: Silas OfElmaris and Rockey!  Betsy OfPerhana and Beauty! And Jessica OfVenris and Thunderbolt!  Join us tomorrow for another exciting day of racing as we continue the district qualifiers for the Urillian Derby!¡±


    ¡°That was so fast!¡± Xac said and wondered how he had gotten out of breath.


    ¡°Predictable,¡± Lee said as he stood and dusted himself off.


    The riders had dismounted and were leading their horses off the track, and the humans gathered around the gate where they had entered, and where they would be leaving.  The energy of the crowd was intoxicating, so Xac began to beg.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go over there and meet them!¡± he said.


    ¡°No, Xac,¡± Lee said, ¡°Let¡¯s go get a bite to eat.  Alex was beggin for a corn dog.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t actually meet nobody noways,¡± Bobby explained, ¡°Too many folks in the crowd.¡±


    ¡°I think Xac¡¯s got a crush on Jess,¡± Alex said in a teasing sing-song voice, ¡°he had his eyes glued right to her.¡±


    ¡°No I don¡¯t,¡± Xac said, because he didn¡¯t.  He knew what arousal was, and he knew that Alex had to know it as well as he did.  What an odd thing to say.

 Book 2: Chapter 24

    Xaxac munched happily on his funnel cake and let the sugar dance over his tongue.  Pure, unfiltered sugar on top of pure grease! His teeth ached, but his tongue sang, and everyone else seemed just as happy with their cheap, deep fried junk food.


    It had been a nice morning, all things considered.  It was the kind of morning that he would have never even considered a year ago.  He had done absolutely no work, been free to roam around the fairgrounds, and his biggest concern was trying to avoid getting grease stains on his expensive clothes.  Alex was right, he had hit the jackpot. Most humans could only dream of the life he led. He was the personal pleasure slave to the Duke of the Agricultural District, and he was thankful.  He would do anything to keep his position.


    He wished his sister was with him.


    Alley would love this place.  She would have loved the music, the race, the games, the food.  Fatty junk food was probably good for the baby; people were supposed to get fat while they were pregnant.  She would love it here.


    ¡°I look for them both to qualify,¡± Lee was saying when Xac tuned back into the conversation, ¡°But if we¡¯re talkin plain, which I guess we are, wouldn¡¯t hurt my feelin¡¯s nary bit if they was to both lose and we could pack up early.  Travelin¡¯s hard on me at my age.¡±


    ¡°Real competition is comin out of the Mountains of Death province,¡± Bobby said, ¡°They ain¡¯t got nothin to do up there but train.  That¡¯s what they live on. Past four champions have come outta there.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even want to go to Satra,¡± Lee lamented, ¡°But I bet there won¡¯t be no helpin it.  But it¡¯s a long time comin. We got a good while. Whole woodlands trial is next. We might get cut out there.  I hope we get cut out there. I don¡¯t reckon we¡¯ll have no more than two qualify for it.¡±


    ¡°Whole thing only exists so the elves got somethin to look at in the winter,¡± Bobby said, ¡°They get bored easy.  They ain¡¯t the ones driving through the snow or the ones shovelin it.¡±


    ¡°I like elves,¡± Xac said, ¡°they been real good to me.¡±


    The conversation died as his companions looked around the fairground, at the crowd around them.


    ¡°We¡­  we all like elves, Xaxac,¡± Lee said with a tinge of fear in his voice that Xac didn¡¯t understand, ¡°Eat your food.¡±


    ¡°I wish we could bring more people,¡± Xac said, ¡°I wish I coulda brought Alley.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s Alley?¡± Alex asked, ¡°Your girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°My sister,¡± Xac murmered, because he was afraid someone would tell him he didn¡¯t have a sister.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t no reason to bring a kitchen maid,¡± Lee said sensibly.


    ¡°I wish Jimmy didn¡¯t have to leave,¡± Xac said, ¡°Wish he could be there to see the baby born.¡±


    ¡°Eat your food,¡± Lee said again, and Xaxac realized that he needed to stop talking.  He was making people nervous.


    The conversation died away for much longer than could be explained by a natural lul, and Xac wished he could heed the constant advice he got to keep his mouth shut.  It was so strange; elves seemed to love him, but he felt like he didn¡¯t know how to talk to humans. He wished with all his heart that he could be like Jess. That crowd of humans shouted her name, looked up to her.  She knew how to make people love her, and she hadn¡¯t said a word.


    ¡°Well,¡± Lee said as he tossed the stick from his corndog behind him and onto the ground, ¡°We oughta be gettin back.  Master Agalon is expecting us after lunch.¡±


    He stood and dusted himself off.


    ¡°Wish we could get some coffee,¡± Xac said as he wadded up the paper that used to contain his funnel cake, ¡°It¡¯s got right cold, ain¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It ain¡¯t that cold,¡± Alex said as if Xaxac had said something foolish, ¡°It¡¯s fall.  It ain¡¯t the dead a¡¯ winter.¡±


    He took Xac¡¯s hand again, and Xac stared down at it for a moment before Alex began to walk, following the group, tugging him along.  The crowd had gotten much thicker in the midday, and Xac was glad to have someone to hold on to. He could imagine people getting lost in the thick of it.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    When they entered the stable, Xac took in the scene before him.


    There were more fighters in the room than he had imagined existed.  The entire place was taken up with them as they sat on the floor eating food on handkerchiefs; all huge and glistening with sweat in a way that made Xac think they had spent the morning working out.  The sheer size of them corralled as they were in such great numbers, made that strange feeling come over him that he had stopped questioning. He and Alex were undoubtedly the weakest people in the room; small and cute and completely without magic they were dwarfed both by the fighters and by the elves, who were all sitting at a table together enjoying their lunch, talking and laughing.


    Lee and Bobby went back by the particular enclosure they had been standing by when Xac had arrived that morning, and Xaxac thought he was likely supposed to join them, but Alex didn¡¯t slow down at all and tugged him along towards the group at the table.


    He didn¡¯t release Xaxac until he was upon them, and then only to throw his arms around his master from behind.


    ¡°We¡¯re back, master!¡± he announced, though Xac thought this information should have been obvious from his actions.


    ¡°Didja have fun?¡± Kyrtarr asked him, and Alex slid into his lap.


    ¡°It was great!¡± Alex proclaimed, ¡°Thank you, master!¡±


    ¡°Afternoon, darlin,¡± Agalon smiled up at Xac, so Xac smiled back and slid into his lap as well, but he was overly aware of the way the conversation had died, of all the eyes on him, and he recognized one person at the table in particular.  Shyrrik Loraxia was sitting across from Agalon, and his eyes were wide with fear.


    ¡°Thesis¡¯s eyes, Ky,¡± he said, ¡°The empress let you keep that thing?¡±


    ¡°I was never in no danger of losing him,¡± Agalon snarled, ¡°he didn¡¯t hurt nobody.  He didn¡¯t do anything. There wouldn¡¯t no complaints that could be filed. He¡¯s perfectly safe.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the shifter?¡± Another man asked, put down his fork, placed both hands on the table and leaned forward to stare at Xaxac.  ¡°That¡¯s the shifter?¡±


    Xaxac looked at Alex and tried to read the emotion in his eyes.  There was strength there. Alex wasn¡¯t afraid of him, and didn¡¯t want Xaxac to be afraid of himself.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be here a while if all your fighters qualify,¡± Shyrrik said, ¡°they decided you could take him out in public?¡±


    ¡°The moons won¡¯t be full while we¡¯re here,¡± Xac said as he wrapped his arms around Agalon¡¯s throat and tried to make himself as small and nonthreatening as he could.


    ¡°They¡¯ll be full on the way back!¡± Shyrrik argued, as if he thought Agalon had gone mad, ¡°You can¡¯t have this thing out in public!¡±


    ¡°I can do whatever I want with my humans!¡± Agalon said, ¡°He didn¡¯t hurt you!  Love a¡¯ god, all he did was run around and dig a hole and y¡¯all out here actin scared to death!  I swear I¡¯m about to write a book; call it, ¡®What I can¡¯t believe y¡¯all are out here doin¡¯. There ain¡¯t a damn thing wrong with him.¡±


    ¡°That thing was eight foot tall, teeth a foot long, claws on it-¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a rabbit!¡± Agalon said, ¡°And I won¡¯t have you sit there and insult me by insinuatin I¡¯d put anybody in danger!  I¡¯m the duke! I know how to keep my people safe! Shifters ain¡¯t necessarily dangerous! They¡¯re just humans!¡±


    ¡°Should I go back to the hotel?¡± Xac asked in a whisper, trying to make his eyes as big as he could.


    ¡°He ain¡¯t gonna run you off,¡± Agalon huffed, and it seemed he was right, because what he had said had apparently shut Shyrrik right up.  Xaxac suspected that for a moment he had forgotten who he was talking to.


    ¡°To answer the question,¡± Agalon said much more calmly, ¡°Yeah, this here¡¯s my shifter.  And he¡¯s real well behaved, ain¡¯t you darlin?¡±


    Xaxac nodded.


    ¡°And he¡¯s real soft,¡± Agalon bragged, ¡°feels like a rabbit.  Pretty sure his hair¡¯s angora. You can touch it, if you want.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t bite,¡± Xac promised, and did not let his smile falter when he felt Agalon¡¯s grip tighten, just a little, ¡°I¡¯m really good.  I swear! I wouldn¡¯t never wanna hurt nobody!¡±


    The elven man who had stood reached tentatively across the table and laid a hand in Xaxac¡¯s hair.


    His awe turned to a contented smile.


    ¡°Y¡¯all feel this,¡± he said, and Xac smiled with him.


    ¡°He¡¯s got them buck teeth!¡± another of the elves said as he, too, stood and came to stand within petting distance so he could run a hand through Xac¡¯s hair, ¡°He looks like a rabbit!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how anybody could be scared of him,¡± Kyrtarr said helpfully, ¡°Honestly, Shy, you know better¡¯n that.¡±


    ¡°Much as I¡¯d like to sit around showin him off,¡± Agalon chuckled, ¡°If I don¡¯t get movin somebody¡¯s gonna come after me.  I got duke business to tend to. Somebody¡¯s gotta judge the critters and pies and whatnot.¡±


    Xac slid off his lap so that he could stand and immediately clung to his arm once he did.


    ¡°I reckon I¡¯ll see you gentlemen at sundown,¡± Agalon smiled his charming smile, and Xac tried to mimic it.  As Agalon turned to walk away, Xac caught the bodyguards he had hired, standing near their group of fighters.  The male, Aymar, was whispering something to his companion, and they were both staring at Xaxac.

 Book 2: Chapter 25

    Xaxac spent the rest of the day in a whirlwind following along behind Agalon as he moved briskly from one activity to the next.  Everyone seemed to be interested in his opinion, and Xac clung to him when he could, and when he couldn¡¯t he learned to stand silently with perfect posture, mimicking Lee¡¯s movements, which normally meant just standing up straight behind Agalon and the action somewhere with one hand folded in the small of his back and the other fisted over his heart.


    He didn¡¯t understand what he saw, and he didn¡¯t really understand why Agalon was needed for most of the things he did.  He didn¡¯t really say much about any of the things he was supposed to be judging, he just walked around with a stack of papers attached to a piece of wood and made noises of approval or disapproval, while a rotating arrangement of other earth elves who seemed much more interested in each subject said things that he could make those noises in response to.  As a result Xac found most of it as boring as Agalon seemed to. Animals were cute, but they were all posing in small cages and couldn¡¯t do much that would be of interest to anyone. None of the baked goods were offered to Xac, and would likely have made him sick. Nobody even ate any of the canned foods, they just picked them up, looked at them, shook them sometimes, and then talked amongst themselves.


    But then they entered a tent and Xac felt his heart soar.


    Rows upon rows of quilts and blankets were draped over display racks, and when Lee moved away to stand, as they had been doing, at a respectable distance, Xaxac stayed where he was, clinging to Agalon¡¯s side, and no one tried to move him.  He was careful not to bother Agalon¡¯s free movement, so he could still glance at the papers in his hand, but Agalon still looked bored, and didn¡¯t seem as if he cared whether or not Xaxac stayed with him.


    Everything they looked at was beautiful, but Xaxac¡¯s eyes were drawn to one quilt in particular, in the middle of the exhibit.


    It was perfect, in a technical sense.  None of the seams were visible, it was pleasingly and perfectly shaped with edges so straight Xaxac didn¡¯t understand how it had been done.


    But it was¡­  ugly.


    Someone had used their skill, their unquestionable skill, to form a creature that would haunt the dreams of those who were prone to nightmares.  A creature stood in the middle of the quilt, while a war ranged on behind her full of intricately created soldiers that should not exist. There were Urillian soldiers, earth elves in the armor Xaxac was used to in a bright, matt green- but they were fighting creatures of every imaginable type.  In particular, Xac¡¯s eyes were drawn to a tower, on top of which stood a man who was unmistakably human with his short ears and beard-


    Holding a mage staff.


    There were more humans on the battlefield, alongside elves with blue skin and hair the color of sea foam, and more monsters, like the one who took up most of the quilt.


    She was hideous; her form was nearly human, or perhaps nearly elven, except that she did not have two legs, but one long tail embroidered with shimmering scales.  Her blue-grey skin was covered in growths that resembled tumors or, Xac believed because he perhaps did not have the maturity level he had thought he did, nutsacks.  Her long green hair seemed to be made of seaweed, and under it more growths were visible on her deformed visage. Her eyes stared out in horror, like a fish out of water, and she stood with her hands outstretched; Xac could see the webbing between them stretching to the second digit.


    The juxtaposition of the artist¡¯s skill with the image they had decided to create made Xac feel emotions that he didn¡¯t understand.  If someone had the ability to create something like that, why not bring beauty into the world? Why make it worse?


    ¡°Sakala again,¡± the elven woman Agalon was walking with said after she read a tag attached to the quilt, ¡°I don¡¯t know why anybody enters against her.¡±


    ¡°Pretty accurate for somebody who wouldn¡¯t there,¡± Agalon said, and with a chuckle added, ¡°finally an artist that didn¡¯t put Xandra in it.  Wonder which one I am.¡±


    ¡°We gotta finish the rounds,¡± the woman said, ¡°at least put in an effort.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Agalon shrugged, ¡°there¡¯s still a run for second place.¡±


    Xaxac stood with his hands behind his back as Agalon read over the papers in front of him and glanced around the stable.  Things were much more quiet now, and Xac rolled his eyes as Lee took his right hand by the wrist and guided it over his heart.


    ¡°I know how to do it!¡± Xac hissed.


    ¡°Watch your attitude,¡± Lee said, ¡°I swear, bein around Alex makes you worse.¡±


    ¡°I like Alex,¡± Xac whispered.


    ¡°Billy, you got me nervous,¡± Agalon said, ¡°You¡¯re slow, been slow all day.¡±


    ¡°Master, this ain¡¯t even worth worryin about,¡± Billy huffed, ¡°I can fly through-¡±


    ¡°I know you ain¡¯t worried about it!¡± Agalon snapped, ¡°I can tell.  You can¡¯t half-ass the preliminaries on account of you got a big head.  Give um a show. Don¡¯t let your guard down. Just cause you can take a hit don¡¯t mean you need to.  Don¡¯t get sloppy. You been sloppy all day.¡±


    Lee walked away from this conversation, and Xaxac wondered if he should follow him, because most of the humans were walking towards the door, but as he glanced around he saw there were a few, like himself, holding their positions, and their dress told him that they all had the same job, whereas the butlers were walking.  So he stayed where he was and watched the sky turn orange over Lee¡¯s head.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    He was starting to get hungry again and wondered when they would have dinner.


    The butlers began to jostle and move, but Xac couldn¡¯t see past them to see what they were doing, but whatever it was apparently Lee was the quickest at it, because he came hurrying back carrying two more wooden tokens, which Agalon took greedily.


    ¡°Alright boys,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Let¡¯s move out.  Billy, Wyatt, come on, the rest of y¡¯all can watch if you can find anywhere.¡±  He started to walk, quickly, toward the door, followed by Lee, Wyatt, and Billy, so Xac took off after them.  As he jogged to catch up to Agalon so he could hang off his arm, he caught something- Billy was, uncharacteristically, smiling at him.


    He liked winning fights.


    He liked being famous.


    Xaxac thought he was finally in his element, finally happy, and smiled back at him before snuggling into Agalon¡¯s side.  They walked around the tents and behind them, heading for the place where the horses had raced earlier in the day, but the field had changed.  The outter gate was the same, and humans were sitting around on the grass, as they had before, but the inner gate¡­ the track had been replaced by more benches, and they were all full of earth elves.  And in the middle of the track, where the loud man had been standing for the race, a tall metal fence had been erected with two gates on either side.


    Xaxac clung to Agalon as the group made their way not, as most of the earth elves were going, to sit down, but past the crowd and in through a gate guarded by another of the grizzly looking elves, past the benches, until they came to a small area behind one entrance of the cage.  So many benches had been added that they pushed almost up to the cage, and the space between had a few people standing, milling around. Xaxac recognized two of them, the loud man from before and vet.


    Alex was sitting with his master on the bench closest to the place where Agalon stopped, near the cage, and he waved at Xac.  Xac smiled and waved back as Agalon broke free from his grip and moved off to talk to the loud man and the vet, leaving Xac alone with the fighters.


    ¡°Slow,¡± Billy grumbled to Wyatt, ¡°he wants to run his mouth?  This ain¡¯t nothin.¡±


    His attention was on the crowd, and Xac thought it might be the perfect time to try to mend their broken relationship.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re real fast,¡± Xac told him, ¡°put the fear a¡¯ god in me.¡±  He put a hand over his heart and continued, ¡°Thought my heart was gonna beat outta my chest.  Beatin real fast right now. I¡­ I¡¯m scared to death a¡¯ you.¡±


    Billy stared at him and he felt his heart speed up even more.  He could not read the expression on his face.


    ¡°I bet you are,¡± Billy said, eventually.


    ¡°You¡¯re so strong,¡± Xac said, ¡°Did uh¡­  did they tell ya¡¯ you broke my arm? And ripped the muscles up?¡±


    ¡°Looks fine,¡± Billy said.


    ¡°I heal real fast,¡± Xac tried to smile, tried to will his body to stop shaking.  ¡°I can¡­ I reckon I can heal from¡­ just about anything? On account a¡¯ I¡¯m a bunny.  I mean, a shifter. I mean¡­ I can just¡­ just heal real quick. That¡¯s what I mean.¡±


    Billy nodded and Xac¡¯s heart soared.


    No witty retort, no moving to hit him, just a nod.


    Maybe everything was going to be alright.  They would probably never be friends, but maybe everything would be alright.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen!¡± the loud man proclaimed, and Xac did not expect it, though he had remembered the echo, remembered just how loud it was, ¡°Welcome to the Regional Qualifiers for the Agricultural District, here at the Basilglen Arena, for the Human Cage Fighting League of the Urillian Empire!  It¡¯s time for the first match of the season! Are you ready?¡±


    Agalon and Mr Loraxia stood to either side of him, and Xaxac didn¡¯t know how they stood it. The holy texts said elves heard better than humans with their long ears, and the man was making his tiny human ears ring.


    He thought nothing could be louder, but he was wrong.


    The crowd erupted in a cheer that shook the arena.


    ¡°I said, ¡®Are you ready?¡¯!¡± the man repeated, and the second cheer was somehow even louder.


    ¡°On this side, we¡¯ve got our esteemed leader, Duke Kailu Agalon!¡±


    Agalon stepped forward and held up his hand, which seemed to greatly please the crowd.


    ¡°And on this side, we¡¯ve got the leader of the district¡¯s merchant¡¯s guild, Mister Shyrrik Loraxia!¡±


    Shyrrik stepped forward and gave his own little wave while Agalon smirked at him.  Once the cheering died down they turned to face each other and shook hands in a strange way, grabbing each other by the wrists.  They said something that Xaxac could not hear, because his ears were still ringing from all the noise, then turned and began walking back towards their slaves.


    ¡°You¡¯re up, Billy,¡± Agalon said as he walked to the gate and opened it.


    ¡°In this corner,¡± the man announced, ¡°William ¡®Billy the Bull¡¯ OfAgalon!¡±


    Billy raced into the cage and threw his arms into the air, and the crowd did not just cheer this time.  They were just as loud, but it was a more coordinated response. They stomped their feet and screamed, and Xaxac understood what they were trying to do instantly; they were mimicking a stampede.


    And their screaming was not, as it had been before, incoherent.  Instead, they chanted: ¡°Ol¨¨ Bil-ley, Ol¨¨ Bil-ley!¡±


    The sound of their voices, along with the stomping and clapping, all in one rhythm, all in one voice froze Xaxac to the spot.  He did not hear what the loud man said next, did not hear the introduction of the next fighter, because he was mesmerized. He was hypnotized, with his eyes trained on the crowd.  Some of the earth elves had stood; some had signs that he could not read, but others had signs that depicted drawings of bulls.


    They loved him.


    The crowd loved Billy.


    And it was infectious.


    Xaxac did not realize he had been clapping his hands in time with the crowd, but he made a conscious decision to open his mouth and chant.


    ¡°Ol¨¨ Bil-ley, Ol¨¨ Bil-ley!¡±

 Book 2: Chapter 26

    Billy and the other man, Barry, stood in the cage, and Xaxac felt what it was like to be part of a crowd.  The cheering, the stomping, the energy moved through him, and despite what Lee had said, despite not knowing the rules of the game or what had to be done to win, he knew that Billy could do it, he wanted Billy to do it, and if he did, it would give Xac a sense of pride for reasons that he could not begin to understand.


    A bell rang out, and both men began to pace, watching each other intently as the crowd seemed to calm a little.  But the sudden lack of energy meant something too, and Xac felt the tension climbing within him until he couldn¡¯t stand it and moved closer, beside Agalon, to grab the cage from the side and watch to see what would happen.


    ¡°Keep your hands up!¡± Agalon demanded as if he shouldn¡¯t have to say it, ¡°the hell are you doing?  You¡¯re wide open!¡±


    But Billy didn¡¯t put his hands up.  He didn¡¯t seem at all afraid that he might get hit, and it confused Xaxac.  Agalon was right, he was very likely to get hit in the face, and Xac knew from first hand experience how badly that could hurt.


    He thought, for a moment, that they were just going to pace-


    But Agalon had gone mad if he thought Billy was slow.


    He took off at a sprint with no provocation, and Xac thought there was no way that Barry could have predicted it, but somehow he did.  He planted his feet and hunkered down, and Xac suddenly understood what Billy had tried to do with the charge. If he had hit in the torso it would have knocked Barry off his feet, but Barry had predicted it, so instead they both went down and began to grapple, tossing and turning through the field until they were both covered in grass and dirt, and Xac did not understand why he was screaming.


    ¡°Get on top of him!¡± he shrieked, and that seemed to be the consensus from the crowd as well, but he knew so little about combat that he could not have said with certainty whether or not this was good advice, it just seemed practical.


    ¡°Get up!¡± Agalon snapped.


    ¡°Get up!¡± Xaxac echoed, because Agalon was probably right.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let him up!¡± Shyrrik screamed from his side, and Xaxac remembered he existed.  He had forgotten.


    ¡°Dumbass,¡± Agalon snarled and screamed, ¡°Get up now!  Don¡¯t stay down!¡±


    Xaxac wished he knew how the fight was won, because as it was, he had a lot of energy and no idea what to do with it.


    Then suddenly Billy was on top, and Xac watched as he wrapped his hands around Barry¡¯s throat, brought his torso up, and slammed the back of his head into the ground.


    Xac was close enough to hear the crunch.


    There was something wrong with him.


    That noise should have turned his stomach; it should have sent a wave of fear through his body from his brain to his extremities; he should have known, in his soul, that this was a very bad thing.


    But the crowd screamed and began to chant, and Xac felt a spring pooling in his gut and his pants, and he was close enough to see the way Billy¡¯s eyes looked, and for the first time he truly understood what the elves meant when they called humans animals.


    ¡°Whoop his ass!¡± Xac yelled, ¡°Fuckin kill him!¡±


    Barry was dazed, but like most living things, he did not want to die.  It was possible his vision swam from the head wound, and that is why none of the punches he tried to throw to his opponent¡¯s head landed as Billy slammed him into the grass again and again until there was no grass, until each slam sent up a wave of dust.


    Xac took in everything as if time had slowed, and he had to admire what he saw.  Billy knew exactly what he was doing, and Xaxac tried to understand every detail.  The way he had pinned him was brilliant- he wasn¡¯t sitting on his torso, as Xac had originally thought, but on his thighs- that meant Barry couldn¡¯t knee him in the back, and Billy kept moving, slamming with his torso from the waist up, not just his arms, so that he became a moving target and much more difficult to hit.


    Not that he wasn¡¯t being hit.


    He was, just not in the face, and Xac thought he understood that, too.  Barry was smashing Billy¡¯s torso with both fists, so hard Xac already saw bruises forming, and he suspected that by tomorrow Billy would be swollen, sore, useless- but right now?  Right now the broken blood pooling below his flesh looked strangely beautiful, earned, and the way he ignored it, as if he couldn¡¯t feel it, as if it didn¡¯t matter, made him seem like a god.


    ¡°You fuck with the bull!¡± Billy screamed, loud enough for the crowd to hear, ¡°You get the horns!¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    The crowd erupted at this, and Xaxac joined them.


    Billy had let go of Barry¡¯s throat to make this proclamation, which Xac thought was a tactical error, especially after Billy hopped to his feet, as if he was in no pain, as if his injuries meant nothing.  But Barry didn¡¯t get up, he was too dazed from the head wound to move as quickly, and by the time he had staggered up on his elbows, Billy had turned, hopped, and jumped.


    He slammed down with his full body weight onto Barry¡¯s stomach, landing hard on both elbows, and Xac saw blood as Barry turned to vomit.


    His hair was matted with it, and there was something wrong inside of him.


    There was also something wrong with Xaxac, because he should know this was wrong.  He should not be enjoying this. Billy was right, he had nothing to worry about. This was not a fight.  This was a bloodbath.


    Before Barry could make it to his feet, convulsing and shaken as he was, Billy bent at the knees and grabbed him, one hand on the throat and the other on the groin, and Xac remembered when Billy had grabbed him by the leg- he had enough time to realize what was going to happen before it did.  Billy lifted the man, easily four times Xac¡¯s weight, raised him above his head, and threw him hard onto the ground, right on his back.


    Xac had landed on his shoulder and broken it, shattered his arm, messed up the socket- Barry had landed on his back.


    Xac shrieked along with the crowd, and began to chant, cupping his hands around his mouth in the hopes that Billy would hear him, in particular.


    ¡°Ol¨¨ Bil-ley, Ol¨¨ Bil-ley!¡±


    ¡°Get up!¡± Shyrrik demanded, ¡°Get up, now!¡±


    ¡°Stay down.¡± Billy commanded, and Xac knew that it was not meant for the crowd.  It wasn¡¯t even meant for him. It was meant for Barry, and Barry alone. ¡°Stay down or die.¡±


    The loud man began to count, but Xaxac did not process the numbers in any meaningful way.  He heard but did not understand Barry¡¯s master screaming at him to get up. He only smelled the blood and sweat, the metal of the cage, and he could not take his eyes off of Billy.  He exuded the kind of confidence that was intimidating and comforting all at once, the kind that Xaxac had never seen on a human. In that moment, in front of that crowd chanting his name, Billy was the most powerful person in the arena, maybe even more powerful than the elves.  He didn¡¯t feel pain. He didn¡¯t feel fear. And covered in sweat, filth, and the blood of his opponent he was so beautiful Xaxac thought the desire would physically hurt him, would rip him apart from the inside out.


    ¡°The winner!¡± The loud man proclaimed, ¡°William, ¡®Billy the Bull¡¯ OfAgalon!¡±


    Xac thought he screamed louder than anyone else, because he was sure Billy saw him as he posed, looking so happy for the first time, all teeth and shining eyes with his bright smile as he threw both arms into the air.  He had been looking at the crowd, but he turned for the gate, and they locked eyes, and Xac knew he saw genuine warmth, genuine joy there.


    ¡°He was slow,¡± Agalon said as he opened the gate and walked into the cage to the delight of the crowd.


    Billy walked out with him, but Barry had to be dragged out.  His master didn¡¯t try to do it himself; he might have scried someone, or maybe just motioned, but two earth elves dressed like the soldiers Agalon had hired pulled Barry from the cage.  Xaxac only saw them from his peripheral; his eyes were glued to Billy, and as soon as he was through the gate, Xac turned and lept into his arms, wrapped his legs around his torso and his arms around his neck, and began to beg.


    ¡°Aggie, please, please, please, please,¡± he repeated on a loop, and Billy laughed, pried him away, and threw him over his shoulder.


    ¡°Put him down,¡± Agalon ordered, ¡°Wyatt, you¡¯re next, Billy, give me my pleasure slave and go back to see the vet.  I¡¯m a medic and I can see broken ribs.¡±


    ¡°Please please please please,¡± Xaxac begged, ¡°please Aggie, please let me-¡±


    ¡°Xac hush,¡± Agalon said with his face scrunched up in confusion, and Xaxac didn¡¯t even care that he had used his name.


    ¡°Please!¡± Xac begged in frustration, ¡°You said I could fuck um if they win, please, Thesis above please-¡±


    ¡°Oh my god, whatever,¡± Agalon snarled, ¡°Fine, take him with you.  But we¡¯re-¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s ready for our next match!?¡± The loud man asked, and the crowd erupted.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Agalon snarled, glanced to the place he was supposed to be walking to and snapped his fingers, ¡°Lee, go with them!  Watch them like a hawk!¡±


    ¡°Yes master,¡± Lee sighed as if he was being asked to perform some kind of chore, but Xaxac didn¡¯t care.  He cared about very little.


    ¡°Oh my god, that was amazing,¡± he said as Billy carried him with seemingly no effort, ¡°Holy shit you killed him.  You killed him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just the preliminaries, you pretty little thing,¡± Billy chuckled, ¡°You ain¡¯t seen nothin yet.¡±


    ¡°Are your bones broke?¡± Xac asked, aware that he was being controlled by some sort of mania he didn¡¯t understand, the same kind that had come over him the first time he had seen the fighters train, ¡°How are you walkin?  How are you carryin me? Broke bones hurt so bad, oh my god, are you immortal? How do you not care? How!?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re babblin,¡± Billy laughed, and it held genuine mirth, and Xaxac loved the sound of it.


    ¡°Just fuck me!¡± Xac demanded, ¡°I can¡¯t stand it!¡±


    ¡°Xaxac!¡± Lee admonished, ¡°I know you¡¯re a pleasure slave, but¡­  Thesis¡¯s eyes.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with me!¡± Xac snarled at him, angry that he had tried to break through the cloud he was riding.


    ¡°Leave him alone, butler,¡± Billy said, and Xac saw fear flash ever so briefly over Lee¡¯s eyes as Billy carried him into the stable where the fighters were staying.

 Book 2: Chapter 27

    The stables were mostly deserted by the time they arrived, and had Xaxac been in his right mind, he could have learned a great many things by the absence of so many people.  He could probably have put together the fact that the rest of the fighters had gone to watch the match and the soldiers Agalon had hired had gone with them. He could have suspected that the fighters Agalon didn¡¯t own had matches of their own tonight, and were being kept closer to the arena.  He could have figured out that the other earth elves had gone to the arena in preparation for their own event, as the owners of the fighters, or to place bets in the booths that he had seen at the horse races, which had still been up and functioning at the arena.


    But he didn¡¯t think about any of that, because he was busy giving in to madness and didn¡¯t really think about much of anything.  He elected instead to live in a world of sensation, and if rational thought and logic were to be let in at all, it would be on the periphery as something to be dealt with once he had cured the madness.  He had felt it enough, now, to recognize it, and he knew what it was and how to cure it, so as they entered the place they were meant to be, he began to wiggle.


    ¡°Where are we goin?¡± he asked, ¡°This place is filthy!¡±


    He giggled and wondered why that appealed to him.  He didn¡¯t like filth. He should want to go back to his room, or the bathhouse.  Surely that would be better, wouldn¡¯t it?


    But his skin was so sensitive it had broken out into goosebumps, and his dick was so hard it was starting to hurt.


    ¡°Put me down!¡± he demanded because he could not stop himself, ¡°Put me down and fuck me!  God, damn, that was crazy- god you got- holy hell you got his blood on you- you got blood on my clothes- I gotta get these clothes off I can¡¯t fuckin breath in um.¡±


    ¡°Put the pleasure slave down, god love,¡± a voice rang out and Xac recognized it and tried to turn around to glare at the vet for interrupting him and standing between him and what he wanted, but he was still thrown over Billy¡¯s shoulder and could not accomplish that goal without breaking his spine.


    Billy lowered him to the ground, and Xac giggled in his mania, and ran his hands gently over the bruises that had formed on Billy¡¯s bare torso.


    ¡°How are you not doubled over?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that,¡± Billy hissed, ¡°That hurts.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Xac said and tried to will himself to stop touching him, but found that he could not.


    Wait- he really couldn¡¯t.


    He couldn¡¯t control his hands.


    He couldn¡¯t stop touching him.


    That wasn¡¯t... good.


    He should be able to control his body.


    He should be able to control his body.


    Why couldn¡¯t he control his own hands?


    Why did no one care that he couldn¡¯t control his own hands?


    No one was stopping him, no one was concerned; surely someone should care, shouldn¡¯t they?


    Was he just allowed to do whatever he wanted?  Was no one ever going to stop him again? Even Agalon hadn¡¯t stopped him.  That was funny. That was one of the funniest things he had ever seen. It wasn¡¯t even that funny.  Why was he laughing? Why couldn¡¯t he stop moving his hands? His dick was aching in his pants and the fire in his gut was starting to burn so badly his lower body was tingling.


    And he couldn¡¯t stop laughing.


    Billy grabbed his wrist and jerked him away.


    ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡± he said, ¡°Stop.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sorry, sorry,¡± Xac repeated, and the word didn¡¯t mean anything, it was a chant, more spiritual than practical, and he wrapped both arms around himself and doubled over a little in an attempt to contain the madness.


    Why did no one care that he was going crazy?


    Lee was looking at him as if he was worried, but he wasn¡¯t doing anything.  Had he seen this before? On someone else?


    ¡°You can¡¯t really set ribs¡­¡± The vet was saying, but Xaxac wasn¡¯t paying attention.


    ¡°Drink this potion,¡± He continued and Xac felt the fabric at his shoulders rip.  When was the last time he had cut his nails? He hadn¡¯t cut his nails since he had come to stay with Agalon.  Alex had long nails so Xac thought pleasure slaves were supposed to. He needed to stop digging his fingers into his shoulders.  Agalon was going to be mad he had ripped his shirt, and Sakala was a genius who had designed and made it just for him. He respected Sakala.  He wanted to feel bad for destroying something she had made.


    But he couldn¡¯t.


    He couldn¡¯t feel anything except the madness.


    ¡°Smoke this pipe of opium and drink plenty of water before you celebrate,¡± the vet continued, but then he dropped the pipe so that Billy had to scramble to catch it, and his eyes shot open in alarm, ¡°Thesis¡¯s shimmering soul, Shykrr!  Don¡¯t move him!¡±


    Billy turned, handed Lee the pipe, and picked Xac up again to toss him back over his shoulder.


    ¡°It might be better not to throw him around like that,¡± Lee said, ¡°he can walk and you got another match tomorrow.  Vet¡¯s right, sit down and let that potion kick in and smoke this. I got matches.¡±


    ¡°In a minute,¡± Billy said, and Xaxac loved how animalistic his voice was, how gravely, how much like a growl, ¡°I¡¯m takin my reward first.  Before Wyatt¡¯s match is over and I gotta share.¡±


    Xac cackled as Billy threw him hard onto a pile of hay in the corner of the room.  There was a small window, but night had fully fallen and the torches from the carnival only provided scant, flickering light.  Lee stood in the doorway, silhouetted, blocking most of the light from the rest of the stable. Xac¡¯s world had narrowed to Billy towering above him, still coated in grass and dirt that clung to the sweat of his body, the sweat Xac could smell and should have been repulsed by.  But he wasn¡¯t. It only fueled his madness.


    ¡°Fuck me!¡± Xac demanded, propped himself up on his elbows, spread his legs and clawed at the air between them.  It did not occur to him that he should follow Billy¡¯s lead and get undressed, because he had apparently lost his mind completely.


    ¡°I like this one,¡± Billy laughed, knelt between Xac¡¯s open legs, grabbed his pants at the waistband with both hands and jerked in opposite directions so hard a ripping sound filled the room.


    ¡°No!¡± Lee snapped, slammed the pipe down on a shelf, and marched over to them, ¡°Don¡¯t- by Thesis you done broke them all to hell, the Master¡¯s gonna tear his ass.  Xac take that travelin cloak off. Take it off NOW. Give it to me.¡±


    He knelt to untie it himself and rage flashed over his eyes when he saw what Xaxac had done to the shirt he wore under it.


    ¡°How¡¯d you even do that!?¡± He snapped.


    ¡°Get it and go!¡± Billy told him, ¡°Get outta here!¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Lee said, in what Xac would have considered an act of bravery if he didn¡¯t also want him to leave, ¡°I¡¯m going to watch him.  You fighters are too rough with the pleasure slaves. Last one had to recover for a week after every gig.¡±


    ¡°I heal!¡± Xac argued with venom in his voice.


    ¡°You¡¯re a child!¡± Lee screamed, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be here!  Your mama would-¡±


    Something came over his face, as if he had said something he wasn¡¯t supposed to and instantly regretted it.


    ¡°My mama told me to be good and do what I was told!¡± Xac snarled, ¡°Now go away!¡±


    Lee quietly stood, folding the cloak until he could hug it to his chest, and walked back to stand by the shelf where he had set the pipe.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Billy shrugged, ¡°you can watch.¡±


    Xac giggled and arched his back off the floor so Billy could slide his pants down without having to destroy them any further, but Billy did not take advantage of his actions.  Instead he pulled again, and Xac felt the seam at the crotch tear completely, front to back, with the sound of the ripping. He loved the sound, and found himself laughing again.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°I ain¡¯t an expert,¡± Lee said without as much authority as he had believed himself to have a moment earlier, ¡°But don¡¯t you need some kind¡¯a oil or-¡±


    ¡°I heal!¡± Xac shrieked, spread his legs, and smiled when Billy grabbed him so hard by the hip he knew he would bruise.  They would both be bruised. They would match.


    But it hurt.


    It was the kind of pain Agalon had always warned him about; he finally understood what he had meant as Billy slammed inside of him, forging a path for himself with no regard for any resistance he was met with.  Xac screamed and tried to find something to ground himself to, but there was nothing under him but hay, and he burrowed through it instead of finding any solid foundation.


    Pain was supposed to be bad.


    But it wasn¡¯t.


    He had felt something inside of him tear, and he knew he was bleeding, and he should be upset.


    But Billy was so much thicker than Agalon, and he didn¡¯t have to move to hit that spot inside of him; he filled him so completely it ached, stretched, burned, and felt so much better than he thought anything could feel, and those sensations were so incompatible that they mixed together with his madness, and he rode an edge of pleasure and pain that sent bolts of electricity shooting up and down his spine so fierce he could not contain them and began to scream.


    ¡°I thought you were a whore,¡± Billy said, ¡°how are you this tight?  Kai can¡¯t have much, can he?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Xaxac asked.


    ¡°Thank god you¡¯re pretty,¡± Billy snarled, ¡°You¡¯re so goddamn stupid.  If you couldn¡¯t do this, you couldn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    ¡°God, you¡¯re so big,¡± Xac said, because he couldn¡¯t follow the conversation, and that bit of information seemed the most important to get across.  ¡°Wanna see me cum without touchin my dick?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what you do,¡± Billy pulled Xac¡¯s legs up by the thighs and pressed down, bending him in half so that he had to arch his hips off the ground of break his back, and the new angle allowed him to go even deeper, to hit even harder, and Xaxac reached up to dig his nails into his shoulders.


    ¡°Flexible,¡± Billy laughed, ¡°You heal, little rabbit?¡±


    Xac thought he understood the question, but he had forgotten how to produce language himself, and could not answer.


    ¡°What if I break your fuckin back?¡± Billy asked, ¡°You heal from that?¡±


    Normally when Xaxac was in the state he was in, floating in sensation, no one expected him to answer questions, so he was confused when Billy let go of his leg to slap him full across the face.


    ¡°Answer me!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Xac asked as the pain radiated from his jaw, and once again he did not understand why he liked it.  None of his teeth came loose that time.


    ¡°How bad do I have to break you?¡± Billy asked, ¡°Before you can¡¯t heal from it?¡±


    ¡°Oh god,¡± Xac said, not in response to his question, but because the bolts were getting too close together, and he knew what it meant.  And Billy had no intention of slowing down; if anything, he picked up the pace.


    ¡°That boy they put against me?¡± Billy hissed, ¡°He ain¡¯t gettin back up.  He ain¡¯t never gonna walk again. I destroyed him. I mighta killed him. I killed folks before, little bunny.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna cum!¡± Xac said, because Billy had left a gap in the conversation, as if he wanted to hear some sort of response, and that was the only phrase Xac could remember how to say.


    The mania reached a crescendo as he tightened his grip; every muscle in his body spasmed, his ears rang, and he saw white.


    Then reality crashed into him, all at once and with great force, and he opened his eyes.


    It was dark.


    His clothes were torn.


    He was lying on itchy, dirty hay.


    Billy was still inside of him, but now he wasn¡¯t an immortal, beautiful god who could feel no pain and feared no death.


    Now he was a madman, an animal staring down at Xac with an emotion in his eyes that Xac¡¯s human brain could not place, but the bunny inside of him recognized instantly:


    That¡¯s a predator, little bunny, and he is going to eat you.  Fight, flight, or freeze.


    But it was wrong.  He was fine. He could heal.


    ¡°How bad do I have to break you?¡± Billy asked again, and Xac felt all the pain he had not registered before as Billy kept up his frantic pace, ¡°How bad do I have to break you to hurt you?¡±


    ¡°I,¡± Xac panted, ¡°That actually hurts pretty bad right now¡­  that ain¡¯t¡­ great¡­ Can we get some lube or¡­ some-¡±


    He had tried to push himself up onto his elbows, had lowered his legs to the floor as he spoke, but suddenly he could not speak, because he could not breathe.


    ¡°Hi!¡± Alex said chipperly, but Xac could not see him, and did not understand what he said when he spoke, ¡°Wyatt¡¯s match is over, but I done asked if I couldn¡¯t come on, on account¡¯a I thought Xac might-¡±


    His words faded away, as if Xaxac had gone underwater.


    The whole world was underwater.


    He was underwater, but it was strange.  It wasn¡¯t regular water, it was green, and he was standing up, but the water only flowed inside the glass.  Was he behind a window?


    Billy picked Xac up by the throat and twisted them in a calculated move.


    When he slammed Xac¡¯s head into the floor he wanted it to hit wood, not straw.


    He didn¡¯t recognize the room on the other side of the glass.  It wasn¡¯t a regular room, it was too beautiful, too perfect, like the man standing in it.  He had never seen a man so beautiful before, not even Morgani, though this man did look an awfully lot like Morgani.


    There was a sickening crack as Xac¡¯s head hit the wood, and Billy asked again, ¡°How bad do I have to break you, before it hurts you?¡±


    ¡°William!¡± Lee snapped.


    He should not be in this water.  If he could get out of the water, he would be fine.  There was something wrong with the water. He turned his head to the side and saw the others; the rest of the tribe.  They were not awake, but he had always been a little manic, a little faster, always been the scout, so that made sense.  It was possible the beautiful man did not know he was awake.


    The floorboards rattled, and there were splinters mingling with the blood in Xac¡¯s beautiful hair.


    He put his hands on the side of the tube and looked down.  He was naked, like the rest of them, and this was going to hurt.


    He took a deep breath and wondered why he could breathe underwater.


    Then kicked as hard as he could.


    ¡°You¡¯re hurtin him!¡± Alex begged, ¡°I¡¯m gonna get the vet!¡±


    The glass cracked, then shattered, and a voice said something in a language he did not understand, but he kept kicking, and the beautiful man turned around as he spilled, like the liquid, from the tube, and stood on shaking, bloody legs.


    ¡°Where the hell is Morgani!?¡± He shouted, ¡°You think you can do whatever you want with us?  Because you¡¯re bigger? Because you¡¯re stronger? My name is Quizlivan Brigaddon! And I won¡¯t let you kill my friends!¡±


    Xaxac opened his eyes and saw the blood on the floor, behind him.  Why could he see behind him? Everything was much flatter than it should be, but he could see more of it.  Hadn¡¯t it been dark before? It didn¡¯t seem as dark anymore.


    There was a predator on top of him, and it was trying to kill him, trying to snap his neck so it could kill him.


    So Xaxac did what any pinned rabbit would do.


    He screamed to alert the rest of the warren, then kicked up with his strong back legs, with claws that were meant to burrow through soil and stone, and he tore through the flesh of the predator easily.


    The predator could not scream himself, because he was busy staggering on his knees and trying to scoop up the intestines that spilled out of the wound and put them back inside his body.


    Xaxac rolled out of harm¡¯s way and onto his legs, then hopped to put some distance between himself and the predator.  He had to tell the rest of the warren. He had to tell-


    Alex and Lee.


    Alex and Lee stood by the wall, as if they were too afraid to move.  But that was ok, because Xac was brave, he could be brave enough for the whole warren if he had to, so he stood tall on his back legs and sniffed the air.  There was blood, human blood, and there was more of it in the big room outside. There was urine, some of it from the warren, but much of it from outsiders.  Competition? Predators?


    Most of it was human.


    All of it was male.


    There was blood on him, predator blood.  The rest of the warren would be scared of it, so he had to clean it off.  He hated the taste, but he had to groom or they would be afraid. So he ran his hands over it, scooping as much as he could off of his fur, and began to lick it away.  He wished he had water. He would rather have water.


    It tasted so bad.


    He sniffed the air again.


    There was hay.  He could eat the hay to get the taste out of his mouth.


    But there was a predator on the hay.


    But it wasn¡¯t moving.


    He crouched and took one tentative hop towards the hay.


    The predator did not move.


    So he took another, and he was upon it, so he began to eat.


    ¡°I literally pissed myself,¡± Alex whispered frantically, ¡°I¡­  I come to¡­ I thought¡­ the moon¡¯s ain¡¯t full. The moons ain¡¯t full¡­  I can¡¯t move. I can¡¯t move, Lee. Lee, help me. Help me.¡±


    ¡°Stand right there,¡± Lee demanded, ¡°Don¡¯t let nobody-¡±


    But there were already people in the doorway.


    The vet stuck his head inside, and Shyrrik huddled behind him.


    ¡°Oh shit,¡± the vet said.


    ¡°I¡¯m goin after Master Agalon,¡± Lee begged the vet, ¡°Don¡¯t do nothin!¡±


    ¡°Is he dead?¡± Alex asked, and would have pointed to Billy, had he not been frozen to the spot, but he could be reasonably sure that the vet took his meaning, regardless.


    The vet made no response to his inquiry.  Instead, the door to the stall slammed shut, and Alex heard a lock click into place.


    The monster must have heard it as well, because it turned its head to the door, sat back on its haunches, and sniffed the air.


    ¡°Alex,¡± it asked, and the strange eyes, too big in their sockets, held real intelligence as they focused on him, ¡°We got any water?¡±

 Book 2: Chapter 28

    Alex felt himself swooning; he began to float away but clung tenaciously to his body.


    ¡°No, darlin,¡± he said, ¡°I¡­  I don¡¯t reckon.¡±


    The monster turned towards him with its whole body, sat up and sniffed the air again, then made a face, glanced at Billy, then down at its torso.  It licked its hands and ran them through its fur, and Alex backed until he hit the wall.


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s ok!¡± the monster- Xaxac?- said.  ¡°It¡¯s ok! No blood! We¡¯re safe! It¡¯s ok!¡±


    It covered the distance between then in one hop, smiled, and licked a stripe from the neckline of Alex¡¯s shirt to his jaw.


    ¡°Let me in!¡± Agalon demanded, ¡°Give me the goddamn key!¡±


    ¡°Aggie!¡± Xac called happily.


    The door rattled and Xaxac hunkered down between Alex and whatever may lay beyond it.  Aggie was afraid, and his fear came off of him in pheromones that permeated the air. Xaxac didn¡¯t know what he was afraid of, but he was so big and strong, he was magic, and he should never be afraid.  If Agalon was afraid of something the rest of the warren had no chance against it. They would have to run.


    He glanced at Alex, and he had not calmed down at all.  Alex was even more scared than Agalon was; his fear was so thick Xac could have choked on it.  He didn¡¯t think Alex could even run. He would have to carry him.


    The door flew open and Agalon froze.


    His heart skipped a beat as he stared at Xaxac, then he held a hand up, behind him, and Xaxac saw the others huddled there, in the safety of the doorway.  There didn¡¯t seem to be anything out there worth being afraid of.


    Agalon slowly moved his eyes instead of his whole head, and Xaxac appreciated it.  He didn¡¯t want to make any sudden movements, didn¡¯t want to scare Xac and Alex while they were already so afraid.  He was trying to hide his own fear, because he was the alpha buck, and he was trying to take care of them.


    ¡°The moons ain¡¯t full,¡± he said, quietly and with much emphasis, so Xaxac stood on his hind legs and turned his attention to the window.


    The moons were important, had always been important to him.  He was afraid of the moons. Why had he always been afraid of the moons?


    He was afraid of the moons because he was a monster.


    Xaxac turned and stared down at his body.


    A few tattered rags were still attached, but it was mostly fluffy, blood stained, brown fur.


    He was a monster.


    He should not know he was a monster.


    He never thought during this.


    He never remembered this.


    His body began to shake and he lowered himself to the ground to claw at it.


    ¡°Aggie!¡± he begged, ¡°Help!  Something¡¯s wrong, help me! Help me!¡±


    Agalon gasped and held out a hand toward him.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Alex laughed, the kind of laugh that held no mirth, that kind that preceded madness, ¡°He talks now.  That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s what we¡¯re doin now. I think Billy¡¯s dead. I¡¯m gonna die tonight. Even after everything, ¡®Giant Rabbit¡¯ wouldn¡¯t what I thought would do me in, but here we are.¡±


    ¡°Stop talking,¡± Agalon said calmly, ¡°You¡¯re scaring him.¡±  He turned his attention back to Xaxac and continued, ¡°Everythin is alright, Honey Bunny, I¡¯m here.  I¡¯m here an I love you, alright?¡±


    ¡°Help me!¡± Xac begged.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna paralyze you, darlin,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I ain¡¯t gonna hurt ya, but I gotta do somethin.  You¡¯re makin¡¯ people nervous.¡±


    ¡°Help me!¡±


    His muscles seized, and everything began to fall apart as his heart stopped beating.  Blood stilled in his veins, oxygen and nutrients could not get to his brain, and the world was fuzzy as he fell onto his side.


    ¡°Get my fighter the hell out of here!¡± Agalon snapped, ¡°Ky, get your pleasure slave!  Get Billy patched up, I want to know if he¡¯s alive or dead! Then get everyone the hell out of here!  I need to be alone! Just me and him!¡±


    Xaxac knew, once again, that he was going to die.


    But this time, he deserved it.  If someone was attacked by the person at the top of the grooming order, they usually deserved it.


    But he missed his heartbeat.


    And he was so tired.


    He had to close his eyes for a moment.


    The waves lapped at the shore and Xaxac stared at the cup in his hand.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°I saw a little rabbit go hop, hop, hop,¡± Lapus sang, ¡°I saw his little ears go flop, flop, flop.¡±


    ¡°I saw his little eyes go blink, blink, blink,¡± Lapus was gone; it was Morgani sitting in the sand who reached over and took the cup from Xaxac, ¡°I saw his little nose go twink, twink, twink.¡±


    ¡°See her coat so soft and furry,¡± Morgani shimmered out of existence and was replaced by a man Xac had never seen before, but almost recognized.  He had the same lean build Xac had himself, but he was wearing a set of robes that Xac did not recognize, and his skin was just a little too light.  But he had Xac¡¯s big eyes, though they were amber rather than a true brown, and the sunken cheeks Xaxac was afraid to see on himself, the sunkenness that told him he was getting too skinny.


    ¡°See her hop away in a hurry!¡± the man with his eyes shrieked, turned, and lunged for Xac.


    Xac darted awake and clung to Agalon, shoved his face in his chest and tried to catch his breath.


    ¡°Aggie, help me!¡± he begged as Agalon tightened his grip, ¡°I had a bad dream!  I¡¯m a monster! You gotta help me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m standin up,¡± Agalon said as he did, ¡°An¡¯ I¡¯m pickin you up.¡±


    Xaxac didn¡¯t know why he was narrating his actions, but he leaned heavily into Agalon and clung to his shirt as he felt the world around him shift, as Agalon swept him off his feet.


    ¡°Lee!¡± Agalon ordered, ¡°Throw that cloak over him!¡±  Xaxac felt the comforting weight of the fabric and released Agalon with one hand to tuck it around himself.


    ¡°Get in there and gather up every hair of that angora,¡± Agalon ordered, and Xac felt them moving.


    Why was there angora?  There shouldn¡¯t be angora!  Had it really happened? It hadn¡¯t been a dream?


    Xaxac felt the temperature change as Agalon marched into the cool autumn night through the fairgrounds, and Xaxac tried to contain the sobs that spilled out of him, that wracked his whole body, but he could not.


    ¡°Aggie,¡± he begged, ¡°Aggie I¡­  I remember it¡­ I remember it this time¡­  I didn¡¯t¡­ didn¡¯t mean nothin¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m a monster.  I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t¡­ can¡¯t help it¡­ it¡¯s the moons-¡±


    ¡°Moons ain¡¯t full, darlin,¡± Agalon said, and Xaxac could not read the emotion in his voice.  ¡°Hush. Don¡¯t make a scene. Somethin I don¡¯t understand just happened, but we¡¯re¡­ we¡¯re gonna silver linin the shit outta this.  It¡¯ll be alright. As long as you got me, it¡¯ll be alright. I ain¡¯t gonna let nothin happen to you. I got you. I love you. Just be real good and do everythin¡¯ I say without question and I¡¯ll make it alright.  Be my good little bunny.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Xac pulled the cloak tighter over his head.


    The temperature changed again and he thought they had gone inside another building, and this idea was confirmed as he heard a voice.


    ¡°Duke Agalon your grace,¡± said the unfamiliar voice, ¡°What a delight!¡±


    ¡°Tell the mayor I need to see her,¡± Agalon said, ¡°About some paperwork for the cage fighters.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir, of course,¡± the voice said, and Xaxac heard footsteps moving away.


    ¡°It¡¯s gonna be alright,¡± Agalon said again, and Xaxac was beginning to believe him.


    A few long minutes passed before Xac heard someone approaching, then heard the voice again.


    ¡°Right this way, sir,¡± it said, ¡°The Master will receive you in her sitting room.¡±


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Agalon said, and they began to move again.


    ¡°Would you like a glass of tea?¡± The voice asked.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I¡¯d take somethin stronger, too, if you wanna offer it.  Been a hell of a night.¡±


    ¡°Of course, sir,¡± the voice said.


    Then whoever it belonged to went away, closing the door behind them.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna set you down, darlin,¡± Agalon said as he did, and Xaxac swayed unsteadily on his feet.  He was the kind of bone tired he often was after shifting, and he was starving, but more than any of that he was afraid, and he knew it showed in his eyes.  But he trusted Agalon, knew he would protect him. Agalon was right, as long as Xac had him to protect him, he would be safe.


    Agalon took the cloak from Xac and fluffed it out, then arranged it properly around him.  Xac appreciated this, because under it he was nude except for scraps of fabric and some of the fur that still clung to him, and he wrapped it tightly and huddled inside.


    ¡°Just be real good,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I outrank her.  It¡¯s gonna be fine, Honey Bunny. She ain¡¯t had time to hear nothin yet.  Everythin¡¯ is gonna be alright.¡±


    Xac nodded.


    ¡°Kailu!¡± a beautiful feminine voice rang out, and Agalon turned to greet the woman who had just entered the room.


    A serving boy slipped in behind her with a tray and began to lay out a tea setting on the small table, and Xac took some comfort in the room itself.  It reminded him of their sitting room back home. A little familiarity went a long way when he was in such a distressed state with nerves, hunger, and fatigue.


    The woman looked familiar too, in a strange way, with her long blond hair, angular face and fancy clothes.  He wondered if she and Agalon were related.


    ¡°Hey, Esta,¡± Agalon smiled, ¡°Sorry to drag you away.  I know you gotta be busy with the rodeo. I just need you to sign off on a substitution for me real quick.  I got a fighter what needs replacin. It¡¯s just been the one round so it ought not be nothin.¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t no trouble,¡± she said and moved toward the table, ¡°Sit down, eat you one a¡¯ these cakes.  I reckon I finally found me a decent cook. You know I had a heap a¡¯ trouble with that.¡±


    ¡°I kinda gotta get back to my fighters,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I had an off-site injury.  That¡¯s why I gotta make the substitution.¡±


    ¡°Lordy, some of y¡¯all are always worryin about them humans,¡± she said as she took one of the cakes for herself, ¡°they¡¯re resilient, honey, they¡¯ll be fine.  Here, just give me the form. David!¡±


    A butler appeared in the doorway, and when he spoke, Xac realized he was the person who had been speaking to Agalon.


    ¡°Yes, master?¡±


    ¡°Hand me that binder,¡± Esta said, ¡°The red one, on the shelf.¡±


    ¡°Yes, master,¡± he said and obeyed her.


    Esta scooted her plate back a little to make room, and Dave moved to the writing desk without being asked to retrieve a quill and ink for her.


    ¡°Who are you replacin?¡± She asked Agalon.


    ¡°Billy,¡± Agalon said simply, and Esta opened the binder and stared at it for some time until she seemed to find what she was looking for, dipped the pen in the ink, and made a mark in the book.


    ¡°And who are you replacin it with?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Xaxac,¡± Agalon said.


    ¡°Oh lord,¡± she sighed, ¡°Spell that darlin.¡±


    ¡°Xa-xa-ac,¡± Agalon said.


    Xaxac did not pretend to understand what was happening.

 Book 2: Chapter 29

    Xaxac clung to Agalon for support as they walked back through the carnival and shivered in the full chill of the night.  He was afraid if he let go or relaxed his grip he might fall to the ground; every muscle was sore and achy. He just needed to lie down for a minute.


    He had to be wrong.


    He had to have interpreted the thing he had just seen incorrectly.


    He wasn¡¯t exactly in the best state of mind, so the most obvious answer to his confusion was that he had misunderstood what he had just seen.  Because it looked as if Agalon had replaced Billy on the roster with him, and there was absolutely no reason he would do that. Xac wasn¡¯t a fighter, he was a pleasure slave.  He was small and weak and knew nothing about fighting other than that he enjoyed it as a spectator. If Agalon put him in the cage he would die. He wouldn¡¯t make it through one round.


    So he had to have misunderstood.


    But he had shifted without the moons, and he had hurt Billy.  He remembered it. Billy had attacked him; he had thought he was going to die, thought he was a predator.  It had been a bad decision, but it had made perfect sense at the time.


    He had always blamed the moons.


    He had always been a monster, but he had always blamed the moons.


    But the moons were waxing.  The moons were not full.


    It had never been the moons.


    It had always just been him.


    He was a monster because he was a monster, not because of the moons.  The moons had been a coincidence.


    And if that was true, it was entirely within the realm of possibility that Agalon was putting him in the cage to punish him, because he was a monster, because he had tried to run away, because he had tried to hurt Billy.  He deserved to be punished, but he didn¡¯t want to die.


    But that was stupid, because he was going to die someday.  Alex had taught him that, and it had always made him feel better.  He was going to die one day, and everyone he had ever known was going to die, and no one was going to remember him, and it would be like none of it ever happened, so there was no reason to worry about anything.  He was going to die anyway, so he might as well die in the cage. It was, all things considered, a cool way to die.


    ¡°Aggie, can I lay down?¡± Xac asked, ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡±


    ¡°And hungry, I bet,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I¡¯ll deal with you in a minute, darlin.  My blood¡¯s still all riled up and I gotta spin this. Everythin¡¯s gonna be alright.¡±


    He led Xac into the stable, and Xac saw that the group of people had gathered around what appeared, at first glance, to be a corpse.  Because he thought it to be a corpse, Xaxac was a little alarmed at the sight he took in, for a number of reasons. Firstly, he hadn¡¯t known the vet had shared his interest in textile arts, but he was kneeling by Billy¡¯s corpse on the ground and even though he was silhouetted by the torchlight and the mirror he wore on his head created a gleam that made details difficult to make out, Xac was sure he was going through the unmistakable movements required to make a mattress stitch.  Secondly, Xaxac didn¡¯t understand why he would be sewing a corpse at all, and in his tired mind his first thought was that the vet perhaps wanted to make some kind of clothing from Billy¡¯s skin, but he quickly dismissed that because he would have had to have been skinned for that, like a deer. You had to tan a hide before it was worth having.


    He was so tired he swayed on his feet and Agalon reached down to steady him.


    ¡°Is he alive?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°You owe me a fortune, Kai,¡± the vet snarled, ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me right now unless it¡¯s to tell me not to bother.  This here¡¯s right about the worst case I¡¯ve ever seen. Everybody hush. I told his ass¡­ already had ribs cracked all to hell¡­  you want me to even try?¡±


    ¡°Is he alive?¡± Agalon asked again.


    ¡°He¡¯s holdin on,¡± the vet said, ¡°got a potion in him an¡¯ I¡¯ll give him another¡¯n but good lord¡­  insides were all jumbled. If I didn¡¯t get um seperated they¡¯d heal back all wrong¡­ still might.  I¡­ I dunno, Kai. Usually a critter in this much pain I¡¯d tell ya¡¯ to put it down. It don¡¯t look good.  It¡­ he¡¯s gonna have a real hard time.¡±


    ¡°Will he be able to finish the season?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°Bitch, are ya blind!?¡± The vet snapped with rage in his voice, ¡°These are livin creatures!  There ain¡¯t a healer in the world what could cure this right up by tomorrow! No, if I can do this- and it¡¯s a big if- it¡¯ll be a long row to hoe.  I ain¡¯t a god! There was different organs all scratched up¡­ you or that boy a¡¯ yourn-¡±


    ¡°Lorry went back to school,¡± Agalon said.


    ¡°Well you then, you gonna have to be out there every day with a healin spell or a potion.  Cause I guaran-goddamn-tee the posion¡¯s gonna get in his blood. If you seen somebody like this on the battlefield, you wouldn¡¯t waste the energy or the ingredients.¡± he snarled, ¡°You want me to keep goin?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Agalon said quietly.


    ¡°You can¡¯t keep that thing,¡± Shyrrik said, not unkindly, but as if he was trying to convince a madman of the obvious, ¡°You can¡¯t, Kai.  Look what it did to its own. If that thing turns-¡±


    ¡°I realize,¡± Agalon said, speaking slowly with measured words, ¡°that I may have acted¡­  without all the information I needed¡­ to make an informed decision. If I put you, your wife, and¡­  especially your youngun¡­ if I put¡­ my youngun¡­ in danger¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Xaxac felt the tears leaking from his eyes, but he tried to stay quiet.


    Be good.  Smile. Tell them ¡®alright¡¯.  Tell them ¡®ok¡¯. Just do everything they say.


    ¡°But,¡± Agalon continued, ¡°he ain¡¯t never attacked an elf.¡±


    Xaxac knew this wasn¡¯t true.  But Agalon loved him, and he was lying for him, to protect him.  He wanted to melt into his side, or maybe run away, or maybe just die on the spot and then Agalon wouldn¡¯t have to keep making excuses for him, keep covering for him.  He had to control his breathing; he didn¡¯t have the energy to sob openly, and his eyelids were already fluttering, it was already so hard to remain standing.


    ¡°You gonna wait till he does?¡± Shyrrik asked.


    Agalon stared down at the lump of flesh that had once been his prize fighter and was silent, contemplative, for some time.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he finally said, ¡°I¡¯m gonna be solution oriented.  How much is it gonna cost to¡­ just disappear this little problem?  How much it is it gonna cost me for y¡¯all to keep your mouths shut, come up with a cover story, and get everythin¡¯ straight before anybody else gets here?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Shyrrik asked, and Agalon nodded without looking at him.


    When he spoke again, there was ice in his voice.


    ¡°Cremia is the Marchioness of the Agricultural District.¡±


    ¡°We can draw up the paperwork tonight,¡± Agalon said, ¡°A spring wedding, I reckon?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll discuss it with my wife.¡±


    ¡°You do that.¡±


    ¡°I want one,¡± the vet said without looking up from his work.


    ¡°What?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°I want one,¡± the vet said, ¡°I want a shifter.  I want one to study. It¡¯s hereditary. I want one.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Agalon said, ¡°bring me a breeder, we¡¯ll get it done.¡±


    Xaxac lost his grip as the world rocked around him, and he was asleep before he hit the floor.


    ¡°Wake up and eat, darlin,¡± Agalon said, and Xaxac tried to obey him.


    ¡°Aggie I¡¯m¡­  I¡¯m so sorry, Aggie.  God, I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk,¡± Agalon said, and Xaxac drank the liquid that had been pressed to his lips.  It was some sort of soup, a mish-mash of vegetables without any seasoning to speak of, but he was starving and he drank it greedily.


    He had somehow wound up back in the sitting room of their suite at the hotel, lying on the sofa near the fireplace, but the clock on the mantle told him that it was still only about ten o¡¯clock at night, so he suspected he had not been allowed to sleep for very long.


    ¡°We need to talk,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Are you strong enough to hold the bowl yourself?¡±


    ¡°I reckon,¡± Xac said weakly.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Xac said through his tears, ¡°I¡­  I don¡¯t rightly know.¡±


    He thought for a moment he had lost his mind, because Lee was sitting in the arm chair, with them, in the sitting area, and Xaxac was not sure why this was so alarming, but he had never seen him do that before, and the sight shocked him.  Why?


    ¡°Just tell me what happened,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Everythin¡¯ you can remember.¡±


    ¡°Billy¡­  hurt me,¡± Xac said, trying to replay the events in his mind, ¡°I¡­  I had a bad dream? About water behind glass¡­ floatin in water and a beautiful man was¡­  tryin to drown me, I think¡­ but I broke it, and I got out¡­ an then I¡­ my brain it¡­ it didn¡¯t work right¡­  an¡¯ I could see behind me¡­ an¡¯ I thought Billy was like¡­ gonna eat me¡­ gonna kill me¡­ so I had to get him off¡¯a¡¯ me, so I kicked him.  I kicked him real hard. I¡­ I didn¡¯t know, I don¡¯t think¡­ about the claws but¡­ maybe I did¡­ I couldn¡¯t¡­ think real good. Then Alex and Lee was scared, and you was scared an¡¯...  I got scared, on account of everybody was scared¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Billy was tryin to kill him,¡± Lee said, ¡°In his defense, Billy was tryin to kill him.  Some a¡¯ that blood is his. Tried to smash his head in.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Agalon said, staring into the fire.  After a few long minutes had passed he asked, ¡°Well, are ya alright now?¡±


    ¡°I reckon,¡± Xac said, ¡°I heal.¡±


    ¡°You do,¡± Agalon agreed, ¡°You sure do.¡±


    ¡°Is Billy alive?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Far as I know,¡± Agalon said, but he seemed somewhere else, somewhere far away, and Xaxac was afraid to bring him back, so he drank his soup and kept his mouth shut.


    ¡°There ain¡¯t nothin in the rules against enterin a shifter,¡± Agalon said at length, ¡°I don¡¯t reckon anybody¡¯s ever tried before.  So¡­¡± He laid a hand on Xac¡¯s thigh and moved it in firm, soothing circles, ¡°I¡¯m gonna put you in the cage.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Aggie,¡± Xac whispered.


    ¡°No, I¡­  I ain¡¯t¡­ exactly mad,¡± Agalon assured him and his grip tightened, ¡°I just¡­  didn¡¯t know you could do that. The moon¡¯s ain¡¯t full¡­ nobody else¡¯ll know you can do that either.  We¡­ we gotta figure out how you do that.¡± His hand stopped moving as he stared into the fire and repeated, ¡°We gotta figure out how you do that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Xac said again.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna go to bed,¡± Agalon said, sounding more tired than Xac thought he had ever heard him.


    ¡°Am¡­  should I¡­  Aggie?¡± Xac begged, and Agalon paused.  He had made it around the couch, and he laid a hand on the back of it to turn and look down into Xac¡¯s huge, pleading eyes.


    ¡°Are you¡­  are you¡­ scared a¡¯ me?¡± Xaxac asked.  He could feel his own heart breaking, and it was a kind of pain he could not contain.


    Agalon stared at him as the clock ticked away in the silence, and when he spoke, it was not an answer.


    ¡°I just didn¡¯t know you could do that,¡± he said, turned, and walked into the bedroom.


    He closed the door behind him, and Xac began to sob.


    ¡°Go to bed when you get done eatin,¡± Lee said, ¡°I was gonna sleep on that couch an¡­  you needed to hear it. Go to bed when you get done. He wants you to go to bed with him.  I promise he wants you to go to bed with him.¡±


    ¡°Are you scared of me?¡± Xac asked as he tried to catch his breath.


    Lee leaned forward, clutched his hands between his knees, and stared into the fire himself.


    ¡°Xac,¡± he eventually said, ¡°If I couldn¡¯t handle an ornery youngun they might as well as put me down.  Go to bed.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Xac nodded, set his bowl on the coffee table, and pulled himself to his feet.

 Book 2: Chapter 30

    Agalon didn¡¯t seem angry, but part of Xac wished he did.  He seemed¡­ strange. Detached. They hadn¡¯t had sex the night before, or when they woke up, and Agalon had seemed preoccupied throughout the morning as they dressed, and left Xaxac alone when he went down for breakfast.


    Xac hadn¡¯t wanted to go to the restaurant, so he had let Lee go without him, and wound up lying in the bedroom by himself while they were gone, staring up at the ceiling.  He had torn his fancy clothes so when Lee had handed him the uniform of a house slave he had taken it with gratitude, and as he stared at the ceiling he smoothed out his shirt.  He didn¡¯t know where the new boots had come from. No one ever got two pairs of boots in one year. The concept was insane. Agalon loved him.


    It was strange to get new boots for someone who was going to die.


    But Agalon had put him in the cage.


    There were flowers carved into the ceiling tiles in the hotel, too.  This room was bigger than their room at house, by an entire row. There were sixty-six flowers on the ceiling.


    ¡°Little bunny Foo Foo,


    Hopping through the forest


    Scooping up the field mice,¡± Xac sang, and wondered why he didn¡¯t feel like crying.  He just felt tired. He knew he was hungry, but he didn¡¯t particularly care.  Nothing seemed to matter with the prospect of death looming over him; it was a freeing feeling.


    ¡°And boppin um on the head,¡± Alex said as he barreled his way into the room and slammed a plate of biscuits on the bedside table, ¡°Get your ass up.  Flour an water, nothin else, tastes like shit, but I got jelly. I had to pull some strings to get these so sit your ass up and eat or Ima be real pissed off, Bunny Foo Foo.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna die,¡± Xac told him as he sat up.


    ¡°Yeah, I heard about that,¡± Alex said, ¡°We all gonna die, Xacy-boy, but you gonna have a crowd.  Eat or I¡¯m slappin the shit outta ya. We ain¡¯t got time for this. My master don¡¯t know where I¡¯m at and your butler¡¯s coverin for me, because I guess hell¡¯s done froze over and Magnus is shiverin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Xac said as he picked up a biscuit, tore it in half, and spread the jam over it.  ¡°Reckon we oughta go to the table? Like civilized folks?¡±


    ¡°Whatever, Foo Foo,¡± Alex picked up the plate and walked away with it, so Xac shoved the half a biscuit he was still holding into his mouth and followed him.


    ¡°How come you¡¯re so¡­  chipper?¡± Xac asked, ¡°Ain¡¯t you scared of me?¡±


    ¡°Oh honey, I am absolutely erect with terror,¡± Alex proclaimed, sat the plate down at the table, then fell into his chair with a show of drama that including kicking one leg over his head when he crossed them and leaning forward on the table with his charming smile plastered on his face.


    ¡°It ain¡¯t funny,¡± Xac snarled as he sat down and began to eat.


    ¡°Bitch, am I laughin?¡± Alex asked, ¡°I¡¯m serious.  That¡¯s the scariest goddamn thing I ever seen in my life.  They locked my ass in with ya. I had to change clothes. Which you didn¡¯t say nothin about so that pisses me off a little bit.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Xac said, and he meant it.  He hadn¡¯t properly looked at Alex because he hadn¡¯t been thinking or feeling very much at all, and wasn¡¯t paying particular attention to the world around him.  He had changed clothes; he was wearing a set of tight pants tucked into knee-high boots and a flowing shirt that looked as if it really should button, but it didn¡¯t.  Instead it tied with little bows all down his chest and at the wrists. He was cute. He was always cute.


    ¡°You¡¯re cute,¡± Xac said.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad one of us is,¡± Alex said, ¡°¡®Cause you look like shit.  You lost weight. Darlin, look at me, look at my face. What I need you to do is take some cream a shade lighter than your skin, and blend it in under your eyes and at the part of your cheeks that are supposed to be full.  You¡¯re gettin too little and it ain¡¯t a good look. Blend it in and then put the settin powder on top of it.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t redoin my makeup,¡± Xac said as he shoved another biscuit in his mouth.


    ¡°Well ya look like a damn corpse,¡± Alex said.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Xac said, swallowed, and asked, ¡°You really ain¡¯t scared ¡®a me?¡±


    ¡°Bitch I done told you I was terrified!¡± Alex grinned, ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°You ain¡¯t actin scared,¡± Xac accused.


    ¡°This is how I act when I¡¯m scared a¡¯ somebody,¡± Alex explained, ¡°On account a¡¯ I got some sense.  You know I love ya, buddy, don¡¯t¡¯cha? Just cause I¡¯m scared a¡¯ ya that don¡¯t mean we ain¡¯t friends.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Listen, Foo Foo,¡± Alex said, leaning over the table, and though he was still smiling, Xac saw that he was telling the truth, there was fear in his eyes, the kind of fear that was almost madness, ¡°From where I¡¯m standin, it¡¯s better to be at the right hand a¡¯ the devil than in his path.  Right?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Xac said.  He hadn¡¯t thought of that.  But Alex was right. Monsters were only scary because they were dangerous; Xac hadn¡¯t hurt anyone he had ever cared about.  He hadn¡¯t hurt Alex. He had also never hurt his father. He hadn¡¯t hurt Agalon after that first time, after he had grown to truly love him.


    ¡°Wait, am I the devil in that scenario?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Oh, absolutely, Foo Foo,¡± Alex giggled, ¡°An¡¯ the devil¡¯s in the details.  And I got me some details, this mornin. We ain¡¯t supposed to be talkin about you, but I heard that you healed a broke jaw in the time it took you to walk upstairs.  Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Xac said and stood, walked to the writing desk, opened the drawers, and found the flask he was looking for almost instantly.  He brought it back and took a swig as Alex spoke.


    ¡°You ain¡¯t gonna die tonight,¡± Alex said as if it was a fact.


    ¡°I ain¡¯t never been in a fight,¡± Xac said, ¡°I don¡¯t know-¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you have,¡± Alex interrupted, ¡°You been in fights.  You fought Billy the Bull. And you got up.¡± His grin widened and he leaned back in his chair.  ¡°He didn¡¯t. You walked off a broke jaw, broke arm, grew back a tooth. I don¡¯t reckon anybody could beat you to death.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do nothin to do that,¡± Xac said, ¡°That¡¯s just cause I¡¯m a shifter.¡±


    ¡°And ¡®cause you¡¯re a pleasure slave,¡± Alex said, ¡°and the more I think about it, the more I think the skills transfer.  You can¡¯t ride a dick without core strength. You don¡¯t get knocked down with somebody slammin, full body weight, into ya.  You know how to judge folks, know how to tell what they¡¯re gonna do and what they want you to do. You got this, Foo Foo.¡±


    ¡°I like that,¡± Xac said, ¡°it¡¯s cute.  That¡¯s cute¡­ the ¡®Foo Foo¡¯ thing.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d be cute if you¡¯d listen to me,¡± Alex said.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you believe in me,¡± Xac sighed, ¡°but don¡¯t hold your breath.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me what to do,¡± Alex grinned.


    The door opened and Lee stuck his head in, saw the two of them, and his stern expression melted into a soft smile.


    ¡°Hurry up,¡± he said, ¡°we¡¯re headin out.  The masters are waiting.¡±


    Xaxac huddled into Agalon as they strode into the stable where the fighters were kept, and he was shocked to see how few people were up and milling about.  A good half of the fighters he had seen the day before weren¡¯t out in the open area finishing up their breakfast and he had no idea where they were or what had happened to them.


    The vet was sitting at the table with a few other earth elves, watching the remaining fighters and drinking a cup of coffee that smelled delicious, looking worn out, and his weiriness somehow intensified when he saw Agalon.


    Agalon motioned to him, and he stood to meet him by the door of the stall that Xaxac now knew intimately.


    ¡°How¡¯s he holdin up?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°Bad, Kai, Thesis¡¯s eyes,¡± the vet said as if this should not need to be said.  ¡°I done what I could but I told you I didn¡¯t have no guarantees.¡±


    Agalon nodded, opened the door, and stepped inside.


    The smell hit Xac before anything else.  It smelled of urine, sweat, and rot so that he had to let go of Agalon and throw both hands over his mouth.  Four of Agalon¡¯s six fighters were sitting inside, all nursing various injuries; Xaxac recognized the wooden splints that he had had to wear when he had broken his arm on many of them.


    But the real sight was tucked away in a corner.


    A mound of bloody bandages moved as if it was breathing, as if it was alive, but it was asleep, and it had Billy¡¯s face.


    ¡°I give him a potion already,¡± the vet said, ¡°they¡¯re deep wounds, but a healin spell couple times a day and a potion or two and they¡¯ll heal up, I reckon.  I¡¯m good at what I do. The problem is the insides. Intestines all clumped together like that might heal back wrong. That¡¯s what you gotta watch for.¡±


    ¡°How long is it gonna take?¡± Agalon asked, and the vet shrugged.


    ¡°I¡¯d give it a month before I had him do much,¡± he said, ¡°definitely wouldn¡¯t try nothin¡¯ for at least a fortnight.  Gonna be a hell¡¯uva scar.¡±


    Alex was right.


    Billy had attacked Xac three times.  Every time Xac had gotten up, had walked it off.


    Xac had attacked Billy once.


    He didn¡¯t get up.


    Maybe he could do this.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Agalon sighed, turned on his heel and marched out of the room, ¡°Let¡¯s get to trainin.¡±  He saw that Xaxac had not moved, that he was still standing, frozen to the spot, staring at the bloody mass of bandages, so he grabbed him by the shoulder and tugged him back out into the big open space.  He leaned down to whisper to him, ¡°Not you, darlin. You just stay right by my side and watch. Learn all ya¡¯ can, but don¡¯t look like you¡¯re learnin nothin. If I play my cards right¡­ you¡¯ll be a secret.  You just gotta qualify. You can start trainin when we get back to the house.¡±


    Xac nodded, though he did not really understand.

 Book 2: Chapter 31

    Xaxac did not have a chance to talk to any of the fighters, because it was expressly forbidden.  In fact, he hadn¡¯t spoken to anyone from the time he had last talked to Alex for the rest of the day.  Agalon watched him like a hawk and kept at least one hand on him at all times.


    Xaxac had felt what magic could do, and this time he remembered it.


    He remembered what it was like to have your entire body just stop working, though he didn¡¯t understand how that worked.


    And that memory made him realize that Alex was right about something else, too- it was good to be friends with scary people.  Agalon was probably the best mage in the Agricultural District, and he loved Xac, and that protection made him feel safe on a day when he clung to the idea of safety.


    Xaxac watched the fighters, as Agalon had instructed, but he wasn¡¯t sure what he was supposed to be watching for.  The only thing he really learned that might be of any use was that the people who didn¡¯t get hit seemed to be the people who paid the most attention and kept moving.  But that was something he thought he could have figured out on his own. Only a fool would stand there and let someone hit them.


    So he did not feel particularly prepared as he stood on the field standing next to Wyatt and looking out over the crowd.  The only person in it he drew any comfort from at all was Alex, who still sat in the front row with his master. The rest of the crowd did not seem to be expecting him at all; they were expecting Billy to fight again, which seemed strange to Xac, because even if he hadn¡¯t attacked him, Billy would still have his broken ribs.  But then again, Xac didn¡¯t know how quickly magic or potions normally worked. Maybe he wouldn¡¯t. Maybe he would have been in fighting shape again already.


    But he didn¡¯t think so.


    He looked out over the sea of people holding signs with bulls drawn on them and frowned.


    ¡°Hey Wyatt?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Wyatt asked, and Xac glanced at Agalon, where he was standing with an earth elf he did not know, but whom he had seen in the stables, and was not looking at them.


    ¡°How do you win?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t exactly win,¡± Wyatt explained, ¡°You really just try not to lose.  In the preliminaries, if you look like you can¡¯t get up they start countin. If they get to ten and you¡¯re still on the ground, you lost.¡±


    Xac nodded, and Wyatt studied him.


    ¡°Hey,¡± he whispered, and Xac turned back to look at him, ¡°Don¡¯t be scared.  Don¡¯t do no good to get scared. First round¡¯s ten minutes, every other round is five.  You ain¡¯t gotta stay up all night, you just gotta stay up for ten minutes, alright?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Xaxac said, trying to process what he had just been told, and the fact that Wyatt was being unnecessarily nice to him, ¡°Uh¡­  thanks.¡±


    ¡°We gotta look out for each other,¡± Wyatt said, ¡°you¡¯re fast as a jackrabbit.  Just don¡¯t let him hit¡¯cha. Just stay on your feet. Bob and weave. Protect your head with your hands.  God damn, you¡¯re so little you¡¯ll be hard to hit anyway¡­¡± he frowned and repeated, ¡°You¡¯re so little.¡±


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen!¡± the loud man echoed through the field, ¡°Welcome to the final night of the Human Cage Fighting Regional Qualifiers for the Agricultural District, here at the beautiful Basilglen Arena!  On this side, Duke Kailu Agalon!¡± He paused to wait for the crowd to quiet a little, then continued, ¡°And on this side, our own Kharis Naeqirelle!¡±


    Agalon and the other man stepped forward and shook hands, much to the delight of the crowd, then Agalon turned, pulled a piece of paper from his bag, and handed it to the loud man while he leaned in to whisper something to him.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen!¡± The loud man announced, ¡°It seems we¡¯ve had a last minute substitution!  Due to an unfortunate, unforeseen accident, William ¡°Billy the Bull¡± OfAgalon will not be available tonight-¡±


    He had obviously meant to say more, but he could not be heard over the crowd.  They did not speak as one voice, but the overall effect was unquestionably negative.


    ¡°This is bull-shit!¡±


    ¡°I paid to see the bull!¡±


    ¡°Billy!  Billy! Billy!¡±


    ¡°Boooooooooo!¡±


    Agalon winced as he walked back to his position by the door of the cage, and gave Xaxac a sympathetic look.


    ¡°Hey!¡± the loud man shrieked, ¡°I¡¯m gonna remind y¡¯all that the Basilglen Arena and the Human Cage Fighting League of the Urillian Empire are unable to provide refunds at this time!  And we¡¯re still gonna put on a great show! So put your hands together for newcomer, Xaxac ¡®The Rabbit¡¯ OfAgalon!¡±


    They did not.


    As he stepped into the cage, Xaxac remembered that he had witnessed a crowd at its height, seen the good it could do, felt the way it could lift one up.  It was a magical thing, to be in front of a crowd that loved you.


    They hated him.


    Many people still screamed the things they had before, hated him only because he was not Billy.


    But some of them hated him because he was himself.


    ¡°He¡¯s tiny!¡±


    ¡°What the hell is he supposed to do?¡±


    ¡°Little shit¡¯s dressed like a butler.¡±


    ¡°Did Agalon just grab a servin boy to keep from forfeitin?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s gonna be a bloodbath!¡±


    But the thing that made his blood boil was the laughter.


    Those who were not booing were laughing.  He could die, and apparently that was funny.


    ¡°Kick his ass, Foo Foo!¡±


    Alex¡¯s voice carried so well because Xac knew it, and he felt the tension leave his shoulders as he continued.


    ¡°Rip that fucker apart!  Kill him, Xac! Whoop his ass!  We got money ridin on this! Don¡¯t let him smudge your makeup!¡±


    Xac turned and saw that he had stood from his seat, had one hand cupped around his mouth, and in the other held a piece of watercolor parchment above his head.


    On it he had painted the solid shape of a rabbit.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Xac smiled.


    ¡°And on this side,¡± the loud man continued, ¡°Keith ¡®The Viper¡¯ OfNaeqirelle!¡±


    Xaxac interpreted the hissing from the crowd to be a form of support.


    ¡°Are we all supposed to be named after animals?¡± Xac asked Agalon, who stood on the other side of the fence by the door.


    ¡°Darlin, pay attention,¡± Agalon advised, ¡°They call him that ¡®cause he¡¯s quick.  He strikes. Don¡¯t let him hit you.¡±


    A bell rang out so loudly it echoed in Xac¡¯s head, and he threw his hands over his ears, but kept his eyes on the Viper.


    ¡°Hey, quick question,¡± the Viper asked, walking back and forth as his eyes roamed up and down Xac¡¯s body, ¡°What the hell?  Who¡¯s kid is this?¡± He paused, his eyes widened, and he laughed. ¡°Are you wearin makeup? You look like a pleasure slave.¡±


    ¡°I am!¡± Xac snapped.


    ¡°That there was my joke guess.  You wanna come over here and suck my dick?¡± The Viper asked and laughed again.  ¡°What happened? Your master have to grab somebody at random and he¡¯s willin to lose you?¡±


    ¡°Billy got hurt,¡± Xac said, trying to walk at the same pace.


    ¡°Well, hold still, little boy,¡± the viper suggested, ¡°I¡¯ll make this quick.  Knock you on your back like you¡¯re used to and we can get outta here.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Xac said as it occurred to him, ¡°You¡­  you want me to think bein a pleasure slave is bad?  You¡¯re¡­ tryin to get me to think stuff¡­ darlin, that ain¡¯t gonna work.  You¡¯re¡­ oh my god, you¡¯re jealous! Look at me!¡± he threw his arms open to indicate his body.


    ¡°Xaxac!¡± Agalon snapped, ¡°Keep your guard up!  Move!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m adorable!¡± Xaxac giggled, ¡°I¡¯m a cute little bunny!  You look like somebody killed you yesterday and forgot to tell ya!  God, I hate beards so much, you walkin around out here lookin¡¯ like a sasquatch.  Step into the cage lookin like you¡¯re late for work. What happened to your face? How¡¯d you get scars?  There ain¡¯t nothin in here to get cut with.¡±


    ¡°Stop talking!¡± Agalon yelled.


    ¡°See how pretty you are after this!¡± The Viper yelled, and Xaxac remembered that he was supposed to be fighting for his life.  He drew back into himself and bounced as the Viper lunged for him, dancing backwards. The Viper was faster than Billy, and rounded easily, so Xac bounced backwards again and wondered why his brain wasn¡¯t taking the situation more seriously.


    It didn¡¯t seem real, the flurry of fists coming at him, it seemed¡­  funny. It seemed like a joke. And he didn¡¯t understand why, because Xaxac had never had reason to learn about denial or delirium, as concepts, so it did not seem natural to him that everything was playing out, not as if he was part of it, but as if he was back outside the cage, watching someone else, someone he didn¡¯t particularly care about, so that he did not have much personal stake in the match.


    ¡°Don¡¯t back up!¡± Agalon yelled, ¡°Get outta the corner!  Don¡¯t get cornered! Move, Honey Bunny!¡±


    Xac¡¯s back hit the wall and he heard the metal links rattling together.


    He should care about this, he was sure of it.


    It was much more difficult to bob and weave with his back pressed against the wall.


    And there was nowhere else to hop to.


    The first blow hit him full in the face so hard his head bounced back and hit the post keeping the fence together.  As the back of his head connected with the post his vision was barraged with a series of flashing lights and he lost sight of the Viper, did not see his hands, and therefore did not expect the next hit, which slammed into the side of his head and knocked him against the cage.  He heard something crack and tasted blood.


    He only had time to form the thought ¡®If that¡¯s another tooth I swear to god¡¯ before he was hit again, this time in the chin from the bottom up, and it knocked him upwards and off his feet.


    He didn¡¯t understand why it didn¡¯t hurt, why none of it seemed real.


    It made no sense.


    He slid down the post and hit the floor, slumped forward, grabbed the grass with one hand and his face with the other.


    Why wouldn¡¯t it hurt?


    It needed to hurt.


    There was something wrong with him.


    He should care about this.  He should be in pain. He was sure of it.


    He opened his mouth to say as much and watched the blood drip onto the grass.


    Focus.


    ¡°Darlin, get up!¡± Agalon screamed, ¡°Get up, you¡¯re fine!  You¡¯re fine, you heal!¡±


    Xac turned to look at him and was confused by what he saw there.  Agalon was trying to seem calm, confident- but there was fear in his eyes.  Why was there fear in his eyes? He was the alpha buck. What was he afraid of?


    What was an alpha buck?


    Who was counting?  And why?


    Xac shoved himself to his feet and grabbed his jaw in both hands.


    Hurt!


    It should hurt!


    It needed to hurt!


    ¡°Hit me!¡± he screamed, and wondered why he could scream.  Shouldn¡¯t his jaw be broken? Shouldn¡¯t it hurt?


    The Viper had turned to look at the crowd, and he seemed startled to hear Xac¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Hit me!¡± Xac demanded, ¡°I can¡¯t¡­  I can¡¯t feel it! I can¡¯t feel anything!  Hit me! It should hurt!¡±


    The Viper shrugged.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± Wyatt told Agalon, ¡°He¡¯s-¡±


    ¡°Disassociating,¡± Agalon said as if he was finishing Wyatt¡¯s thought, but he was not.  Wyatt didn¡¯t know what that word meant, but it apparently meant a lot to Agalon. He turned, trying to see the giant clock that took up most of the courthouse.  ¡°He¡¯s almost¡­ round¡¯s about over¡­¡±


    ¡°Xaxac!¡± Agalon snapped, ¡°Right now!  Obey me right now! Tell me five things you can see!¡±


    But Xaxac wasn¡¯t listening to him, he had collapsed again, not because he was in pain, but because his legs had given out, for apparently no good reason, and it was so funny it was almost like being drunk, so he hauled himself onto his hands and knees and began to laugh.  It wasn¡¯t like any of it was real. It was a play, on a stage, far away, and happening to someone else. And it was hilarious, in that slapstick kind of way, and the rest of the audience was enjoying it as well. They were cheering.


    ¡°Xac!¡± Agalon begged as Xaxac fell against the side of the cage trying to contain his laughter.


    He held up a hand as the Viper lunged at him, in an attempt to catch his breath.


    ¡°Hold on!¡± Xac begged, cackling.


    ¡°You done lost your mind,¡± the viper said, ¡°You¡¯re crazy.¡±


    The boy smiled up at him and the blood dripped from his mouth as he cackled with something dancing behind those big brown eyes that the viper did not understand.


    ¡°Oh, darlin,¡± Xac laughed, ¡°I¡¯m a lunatic!¡± He looked around at the corner he had backed himself into and began to sing, ¡°Rabbit whatcha sittin in the corner for?  Ain¡¯t gonna rain no more no more. Rained last night and the night before.  Ain¡¯t gonna rain no more.¡±


    The Viper took a step back as Xac stood and tilted his head, sticking his tongue around his mouth, checking for cracked teeth.


    ¡°Darlin,¡± Xac said, ¡°I reckon your broke my jaw.  But it¡¯s ok. I heal.¡±


    ¡°Honey Bunny!¡± Agalon yelled, ¡°Five things!  Tell me five things you see!¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Xac touched his fingertips to his lip, ¡°Blood¡­¡±


    ¡°Keep goin,¡± Agalon said.


    ¡°On my shirt¡­¡± Xac said, ¡°second outfit in two days.¡±


    This series of observations seemed to do something to the Viper.  He had backed away and was studying Xac again.


    ¡°These fuckers,¡± Xac said, indicating the crowd, and as he spoke the ringing in his ears began to slowly fade.


    ¡°That guy,¡± Xac said, indicating the viper, ¡°the one what¡­  hit me¡­ in my face.¡±


    His jaw ached.


    His jaw ached, and it was real, and he felt it.  He felt the blood in his veins, the chill in the air, the pain in his torso.  He heard the roar of the crowd in the arena. He saw the viper pacing, in real time.


    He felt the pain.


    ¡°How does it feel out here tonight, darlin?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s cold,¡± Xac said.


    A bell rang out in the night.

 Book 2: Chapter 32

    ¡°Didn¡¯t get a single hit in,¡± Wyatt said as Agalon opened the door and motioned for Xac to step through it.


    ¡°Here darlin,¡± Agalon said and handed Xac a canteen.


    Xac¡¯s eyes lit up and he snatched it greedily, but it was just water and he frowned.


    Agalon noticed his pain and explained, ¡°You can¡¯t have nothin else till after the match. Listen to me, Honey Bunny.¡± He held Xac¡¯s face gently in one hand and dabbed away the blood with the other, ¡°I need you here with me, right now, alright? What¡¯s that canteen feel like?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡± Xac said, trying to focus on such a strange question, ¡°Cold? I guess? Metal...y?¡±


    ¡°What about my hand on your face?¡± Agalon asked.


    ¡°Aggie, you gonna get blood on your gloves,¡± Xaxac said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Agalon said, ¡°What¡¯s it feel like?¡±


    ¡°The leather¡¯s real soft,¡± Xac said, leaning into the touch, ¡°Is them kidskin?¡±


    ¡°Honey Bunny, once you win this I¡¯m takin¡¯ you down to Sakala¡¯s and gettin you some new yarn,¡± Agalon smiled. ¡°Touch my cape. What¡¯s it feel like?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ I don¡¯t know?¡± Xac said as he obeyed him, ¡°Is it a blend? It¡¯s wove, ain¡¯t it? It feels kinda felted¡­ I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ It¡¯s warm as hell. Wool? It¡¯s too soft to be wool¡­¡±


    The bell rang, and Agalon reached behind him to open the door.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let him hit you again,¡± Agalon said, ¡°keep movin. Keep bouncin. And when you get a chance, hit him back!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go for the face!¡± Wyatt shouted, ¡°You don¡¯t know how to hit, you¡¯ll hurt yourself! Go for the torso or the back a¡¯ the head! Think about where he keeps his vital organs!¡±


    Xac nodded and tried to mimic the stance he had seen the fighters take when they were training. He held his hands by his face and bounced on his feet.


    ¡°Not ready to forfeit yet?¡± The viper asked as he raised his own hands.


    Xac didn¡¯t answer him. Instead, he watched the way he moved. He held his body sideways, one foot in front of the other, so Xac changed his stance and realized that it made him an even smaller target. The viper was hunkering a little, leaning a little bit forward, so Xac mimicked him, though he wasn¡¯t exactly sure what that was supposed to do.


    ¡°You know what?¡± The viper snickered, ¡°I feel bad for you, kid. I¡¯ll let you get a hit in. Come on, show me what you got.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I done to make you think I was stupid,¡± Xac said, ¡°but I¡¯m real sorry you been so woefully misinformed. I know when somebody¡¯s about to scoop me up and throw my ass. Look how you stand. Nice folks don¡¯t stand like that.¡±


    The Viper narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°You ain¡¯t about to knock me down again,¡± Xac snarled, ¡°I can feel it now!¡± He paused and screamed, ¡°Would y¡¯all quit hissin!? Thesis above that is aggravatin! You picked the shittiest animal! Ain¡¯t got no arms and legs¡­ can¡¯t even fuckin blink- ah!¡± He shrieked when the Viper lunged and hopped to the side in alarm, with much more force and therefore much farther than he had meant to, slammed into the side of the cage and felt it rattle.


    He looked up at it and rattled it again.


    It wasn¡¯t particularly sturdy. It didn¡¯t seem like it would actually keep a fighter inside, if they really wanted to get out.


    The viper hit him hard in the back, and Xac slammed face first into the fence.


    ¡°Goddamn it!¡± he hissed, and clenched his hands out of instinct around the links he had been holding.


    The metal bent in his grasp.


    Shifters were strong.


    And he was still standing, even with the pain radiating through his back; the pain he felt this time, the blood pooling from the broken vessels under his shirt, the heat of the Viper behind him, stark against the cool autumn night, and Xaxac grabbed the fence again, felt the cool metal against his fingers, the intensity of the pain, and heard the sound of Agalon¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Get off the fence!¡±


    This was sound advice, so Xac turned, threw up his arms to protect his face, and jumped.


    He slammed into the Viper, and the force of it carried them to the middle of the field, and the viper seemed shocked that Xac had done it.


    The crowd must have been shocked too, because the hissing stopped, and Xaxac loved the silence.


    ¡°Hit him!¡± Agalon demanded.Stolen story; please report.


    Xac realized he should have thought of that himself and acted faster, because before he knew it he was rolling and found himself on his back on the grass.


    Shit.


    He had seen this before.


    The Viper was sitting on his thighs to prevent him from kicking up and kneeing him in the back, and his hands closed around Xac¡¯s throat.


    ¡°Get up!¡± Agalon demanded, ¡°Get up, now!¡±


    ¡°Should¡¯a never come in here, whore,¡± The Viper said as if he was giving essential life advice, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t made for this. You¡¯re supposed to be on your back. You was made to be a pleasure slave.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t exactly being choked, so it didn¡¯t exactly hurt. The Viper had the fingers of each hand wrapped around the vein on his neck that led to his brain, blocking it and cutting off the circulation. He was drowning.


    He was almost positive he had drowned before.


    The sounds of the world faded away, and he could hear the waves crashing, the water flowing above him as he sank.


    But Xaxac was a rabbit, and he did not want to die, and he was not underwater, because he was right here and he could feel the dirt under his back. So he reached down, and he dug.


    He grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it upward, into the face of the predator, and he began to couch, sputter, and released Xac with one hand in an attempt to get the dirt out of his eyes. Xaxac grabbed him by the beard he hated and jerked, throwing him so hard by the face that he went slamming into the ground beside him.


    Xac¡¯s head swam as the blood rushed to it, and he hopped to his feet.


    ¡°You think you¡¯re fast, motherfucker?¡± he screamed, ¡°You ain¡¯t seen nothin! I ain¡¯t goin down tonight! There is nothin you can do to me to hurt me! Do you fuckin understand that!? I¡¯m a goddamn monster!¡±


    The slam had dazed The Viper and Xac took advantage of the time he had to run back to the fence.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Agalon asked, ¡°He¡¯s gettin up! Keep him down!¡±


    Xaxac rattled the fence again in the place he had bent it.


    You ever get rid of them rabbits?


    Ain¡¯t no gettin rid of um. I got me one of them metal fences and I¡¯ll be goddamned if they didn¡¯t chew through it.


    Xaxac pulled the fence forward, stuck his face into it, and bit.


    He had expected it to hurt, but it didn¡¯t. The secret was, apparently, several small bites in quick succession.


    ¡°He¡¯s up!¡± Agalon called, ¡°What are you doin!? Get him! Move! Get away from the fence!¡±


    Xac pulled the piece of metal away just as the Viper had moved to hit him. It was small, but it was sharp, and Xac slammed it forward into his torso.


    The Viper screamed and Xac jerked the shiv to the side.


    ¡°Get the fuck away from me!¡± Xac screamed as the blood sprayed from the wound. ¡°Don¡¯t fuckin touch me!¡± He jerked forward in another stab. ¡°I am sick to death!¡± He screamed, ¡°Of folks thinkin they can hurt me!¡± He was moving faster now, and did not understand himself, did not really even register that he was speaking, ¡°Touchin me! Fuckin with me! Throwin me down!¡± He shrieked, accentuating each point with a new wound, ¡°Don¡¯t fuckin touch me!¡±


    The Viper seemed as if he finally understood what had happened and grabbed Xac by the wrist in an attempt to wrestle the shiv away from him.


    ¡°Crazy little whore,¡± he screamed.


    Xac screamed, not in pain, but in frustration.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you! I said not to touch me!¡±


    He jerked that hand forward and the Viper went with it, likely a little light on his feet from the blood loss, and Xaxac brought his knee up to hold him, fisted both hands together, and slammed them down on the back of his head.


    Again.


    And Again.


    And Again.


    ¡°Little Bunny Foo Foo!¡± Alex began to chant to the stunned crowd, ¡°Hopping through the forest!


    Scooping up the field mice!


    And bopping them on the head!¡±


    He hopped to both feet and held up his sign, and Kyrrtar began to clap and chant with him.


    Xaxac watched the Viper fall from his knee and roll onto his back, but something had come over him that he did not understand, and he could not stop. He kicked him onto his stomach and began to stomp the back of his head. His lower body strength had always been greater than his upper body strength, and he heard the bone crack, felt it splinter, but still he kept going.


    ¡°Little Bunny Foo Foo


    Hopping through the forest


    Scooping up the field mice


    And boppin¡¯ um on the head!¡±


    The crowd chanted, so loudly it filled the arena, and those chants fueled whatever madness had taken hold of Xac, and he watched something happen that he had never seen before. He watched a living, breathing, sentient person become an inanimate object.


    ¡°Ky, call that thing off!¡± The other earth elf demanded, ¡°It¡¯s over!¡±


    But Agalon did nothing. He was still clinging to the fence; he hadn¡¯t even moved. A spectator could likely not say, with any degree of certainty, that he was even breathing.


    ¡°Uh,¡± The loud man said, with his eyes darting back and forth, ¡°The winner who will advance to the next level in Capital Town is- seriously Your Grace do literally anything, I know this is a bloodsport but this is hard to watch- Xaxac ¡®Bunny Foo Foo¡¯ OfAgalon!¡±


    ¡°Xaxac!¡± Agalon snapped, ¡°Stop it! He ain¡¯t gonna get no deader!¡±


    But Xaxac did not hear him over the screams of the crowd.


    They knocked him out of the flow that had taken over his body as the chant changed to a shriek.


    And he realized it was for him


    He was Bunny Foo Foo.


    He was the one they were chanting for.


    And they loved him.


    They loved him just like Agalon loved him, not in spite of his monstrocity, but because of it.


    How he wished he could have shifted in that moment.


    The entire arena was cheering for him, he was the last man standing, he had won, and he didn¡¯t feel any pain at all. He had healed.


    He would not look at the corpse.


    He didn¡¯t need it clogging up his brain for this happy memory.


    It didn¡¯t mean anything.


    They were all going to die one day, and everyone who had ever known them was going to die, and it would be like none of it ever happened.


    But right now? Right now they loved him!


    So he threw both hands into the air and bounced.

 Book 2: Chapter 33

    ¡°Come on, Honey Bunny,¡± Agalon shouted, trying to be heard over the crowd as he opened the door.


    ¡°I¡¯m Little Bunny Foo Foo!¡± Xac shrieked, still bouncing on his feet, ¡°I won!  I won!¡±


    ¡°Come on, Honey Bunny!¡± Agalon tried again, but Xaxac still didn¡¯t hear him.  He was busy waving to the crowd even as the elven soldiers came in behind him, eyeing him suspiciously to drag away what was left of the Viper.


    ¡°Xaxac!¡± Agalon snapped, and Xac finally turned to look at him


    ¡°Aggie!¡± He yelled, and Agalon liked the pure joy radiating from his big brown eyes, ¡°I won!  You believed in me! You knew I could win! And now everybody loves me!¡±


    ¡°You gotta get outta the cage, darlin,¡± Agalon said, ¡°There¡¯s another match startin.¡±


    ¡°Did he chew through the fence?¡± The loud man asked, not into the contraption he held, not meant for the crowd to hear, ¡°Is that¡­  did he break the fence?¡±


    ¡°Like a bunny!¡± Xac said cheerfully.


    ¡°Get outta the cage,¡± Agalon had walked inside and took him by the hand to lead him away.


    ¡°Bye!¡± Xac shouted to the crowd, smiling with his entire body as he bounced and waved, then to Agalon he said, ¡°I wanna do that again!  I wanna go again! Everybody¡¯s so happy!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t go two matches one after another,¡± Agalon said, ¡°I¡¯ll¡­  I¡¯ll sit you down and explain the rules. Look, darlin, right now I gotta be here for Wyatt¡¯s match, but you go with Lee, alrighty?  He¡¯s gonna take you to the vet to get looked at, then you head over to the bathhouse an¡¯ he¡¯ll have a new outfit for you.¡±


    ¡°I won!¡± Xac said, and Agalon¡¯s eyebrows knit together in concern, because Xac was still staring at the crowd and didn¡¯t seem as if he had heard anything he said.  Instead, he threw his arms around Agalon and squeezed, buried his face in his chest, and didn¡¯t seem to have thought at all about the fact that he was covered in the blood that had sprayed on him during his stabbing spree.


    It was not the first time someone covered in blood had clung to Agalon, but it was perhaps the happiest anyone had ever been in that situation.


    ¡°I gotta go, darlin,¡± Agalon explained as he pried him away, ¡°Go with Lee.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Xac said as if he had suddenly remembered where he was and who he was talking to, but it did not impede his chipper attitude, ¡°Yes, master!  Good luck, Wyatt! You¡¯ll win too! It¡¯s so fun!¡±


    ¡°Come on, Xaxac,¡± Lee grabbed Xac by his cleanest arm and began to lead him away, but Xac turned and waved behind them.


    ¡°Good luck!¡± He said.


    ¡°Be quiet,¡± Lee said, ¡°the exit goes through the sidelines.  Let¡¯s try to get through there without no-¡±


    ¡°Did you see me?¡± Xac asked as Lee led him past the benches, and though they were roped off he could speak to Alex, who was sitting there with his master.


    ¡°Go on,¡± Kyrtarr said, and Alex gleefully climbed under the ropes and threw his arms around Xaxac.  Two of the elves who Xaxac now realized worked for the rodeo had moved forward as if to stop their embrace, but Lee held up the pass Agalon had written and spoke.


    ¡°He ain¡¯t a fan,¡± Lee explained, ¡°He¡¯s with us.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    One of the elves glanced back to Agalon, who was shaking hands again at the behest of the loud man and nodded to the other, and Alex was allowed to stay in Xac¡¯s arms.


    ¡°That was amazin, Foo Foo!¡± Alex cried.


    ¡°That poor laundress,¡± Lee sighed, ¡°Y¡¯all make me tired.  Come on.¡±


    ¡°Where we goin?¡± Xac asked as he followed him.


    ¡°To get you cleared on medical,¡± Lee said.  ¡°Vet¡¯s gotta look at you.¡±


    ¡°I feel great!¡± Xac proclaimed, ¡°I heal!¡±


    ¡°Yeah that¡­  that ain¡¯t good, boy,¡± Lee said as he drug Xaxac through the fairgrounds, ¡°It ain¡¯t hit ya¡¯ yet, what you just done.  And you¡¯re so goddamn sensitive, cryin all the time that when it does hit ya¡­ I¡¯m gonna have to deal with it.¡±


    ¡°I won!¡± Xac argued, ¡°That¡¯s what I just done.¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± Lee said.


    ¡°-don¡¯t know what the hell you¡¯d expect me to do,¡± the vet was saying as they entered the stables, ¡°He ain¡¯t got a skull.  It¡¯s dust. No heartbeat. I don¡¯t know why you even brought this in here and made me look at it.¡±


    The earth elf who had been standing outside was glaring down at the form the vet was covering in a sheet and seething.


    ¡°This is bullshit!¡± He snarled, ¡°I know he¡¯s the goddamn duke but if that thing really is a shifter there ain¡¯t no way in hell it oughta be allowed in the cage!  That ain¡¯t a human it¡¯s a fuckin monster! It broke off a chunk of the fence barehanded! Started stabbin bitches!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re allowed to use the environment,¡± the vet said, ¡°You think you was done wrong, you can go file a complaint-¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let me go file a complaint with his fuckin cousin!¡± the earth elf snapped, ¡°That¡¯ll do somethin!  She¡¯ll be real interested!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to tell you, Kharis,¡± the vet said, ¡°this is the second one he¡¯s tore up.  I wouldn¡¯t put nothin else against him.¡±


    ¡°Sir,¡± Lee said and the vet glanced over at him, saw that he was tugging Xac along, and his eyes shot open.


    ¡°Speak a¡¯ the devil and he¡¯ll appear,¡± The vet chuckled, ¡°How you feelin, Xac?  First match hits hard sometimes.¡±


    Xaxac¡¯s enthusiasm had faded as he stared at the misshapen lump under the sheet.


    He was a good boy.


    He would never run, but he ran away.


    He would never get in a fight, but he fought Billy.


    He would never hurt nobody, but as he watched the thing under the sheet staining it not only red but also a strange grey that almost looked clear mingling with and diluting the bloodstain, he realized that the Viper was dead.


    He had been alive, but because of Xaxac, not he was not.


    But humans were mortals with short, transient lives, not unlike the other animals.  Xaxac had told Agalon he liked his leather gloves, he watched people around him eat meat, wear fur and leather, work creatures, including humans, to death.  It didn¡¯t mean anything, in the long run. Yes, most people would prefer to be alive, but once they were dead it was like none of it had ever happened. It didn¡¯t mean anything.  Xac was going to die one day too. When you were a mortal creature, when you were an animal, you began to die from the day you were born. The Viper went out among the roar of the crowd; it was the cool death Xaxac had wanted.


    Among these justifications another thought that had been buried like a fertile seed took root and broke the surface of his mind, winding slowly around all the other thoughts like a grapevine.


    Xaxac was small.


    He was cute.


    He had always thought he was the weakest person in the room.


    But he was a shifter.


    He healed.


    He was strong.


    He was fast.


    Xaxac was cursed; he was a monster, and he had always been afraid that people would fear him.  But as he stared at the corpse that had once been a person, that thought wound and wound around all those other thoughts and finally bloomed into something he was sure, as soon as he heard it in his own mind, he had known all along:


    Goddamn right, they should be scared of me.


    ¡°I feel great!¡± Xac proclaimed, ¡°I heal.¡±

 Book 2: Chapter 34

    Xaxac had been proclaimed as healthy as he felt and he had a bounce in his step as he dragged Alex along behind him.  Lee had thrown his traveling cloak over him and demanded he keep it on, for reasons that Xaxac did not understand, but he was still floating on the high of his victory and didn¡¯t feel like asking questions.  He felt like answering them.


    ¡°That was amazin!¡± Alex said, ¡°What¡¯d you hit him with?¡±


    ¡°I chewed through the fence!¡± Xac giggled, ¡°Like a bunny!  Your master said that bunnies chewed through fences, and also remember how you said my teeth was messed up?  I got bunny teeth. They hurt if I don¡¯t chew on stuff. They can grow up into my eyes.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Alex asked, laughed and said, ¡°Oh my god, Foo Foo, that¡¯s crazy.  That¡¯s buckwild.¡±


    ¡°Discuss it quietly,¡± Lee demanded as he led them back onto the main street, ¡°Let¡¯s not draw attention to how valuable he is in the middle of the rodeo, around all these folks!  That¡¯s askin to get him snatched, askin for trouble. Hush.¡±


    ¡°Lee,¡± Alex sighed, ¡°Why do you hate fun?¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t in the mood for your nonsense,¡± Lee snapped, ¡°I¡¯m prayin Bobby didn¡¯t have no trouble gettin that room.  They give humans trouble down there sometimes. Just hush and come on.¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t nobody gonna start nothin¡¯ out here on the street,¡± Alex said, ¡°right in public like this.¡±


    ¡°I swear to god,¡± Lee said.


    Xaxac could not stop smiling.


    ¡°Come on, Lee, didn¡¯t you see me?¡± Xaxac asked, ¡°Ain¡¯t you even a little bit proud of me?¡±


    ¡°Xaxac, if you¡¯ll keep your mouth shut for the rest of the walk I¡¯ll pour you a glass of wine,¡± Lee promised, ¡°I know how you like to drink.  I¡¯ll pour you the whole bottle.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Xac agreed, ¡°Let¡¯s celebrate!¡±


    ¡°Hush!¡± Lee demanded as he led them around the side of the bathhouse, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he found the door to the private room Agalon used blessedly open.  ¡°Get inside.¡±


    Xaxac bounced into the room tugging Alex along behind him and smiled when he saw Bobby standing by the table eating a pear he had apparently taken from the bowl of fruit laid out with their wine and the pipe.  Xac was, however, confused by the situation, because there was no water in the bath.


    Alex wasted no time walking to the little bench to undress, which he could do with amazing speed, and he giggled when he looked up and saw Xaxac.


    ¡°They cleaned it, honey,¡± he said, ¡°I love comin in when they just clean it.  You pull that string there and one of these little wood things comes out of the ceilin¡¯.¡± He snapped his fingers and said, ¡°Bamboo!  Bamboo¡¯s the word I was lookin for. It¡¯s all the rage on the water continent.¡±


    He tossed his discarded clothes on the floor, which prompted Bobby to huff, roll his eyes and go collect them to put them in a laundry bag while Alex advanced on Xaxac.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get these clothes off,¡± he said as he tore Xac¡¯s cloak over his head and tossed it behind him, then began to unbutton his shirt, ¡°Get shitfaced, and then¡­  you wanna fuck my brains out again? Seems like once upon a time you said you needed practice.¡±


    He giggled and Xac giggled with him, then leaned in to kiss him as Alex¡¯s nimble fingers pried him out of his clothes.


    Lee frowned and directed his gaze to Bobby who picked up the bloodstained workshirt Alex had tossed to the floor and stared at it.


    ¡°What happened?¡± He asked, but Xaxac did not hear him, because he had more pressing matters to attend to.


    They had not made it to the bath by the time Agalon, Kyrtarr, and Wyatt stepped into the private room at the bathhouse.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Alex was still on all fours, babbling strings of words that Xaxac realized he was actually fairly good at interpreting, despite how drunk he was.  He did not slow his pace when he saw Wyatt and his smile somehow spread even wider.


    ¡°Didja win?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Hell yeah, I won,¡± Wyatt responded, held up a hand, which Xac stared at for a moment in incomprehension, then reached out, took it, and used it to pull Wyatt down to his level so he could kiss him so deeply it nearly knocked him off his feet.


    ¡°I actually meant for you to take a bath,¡± Agalon said as he moved to the bench and sat down to unbuckle his boots, ¡°But I can¡¯t fault ya, darlin.¡±


    Wyatt pulled away and Xaxac giggled because the expression on his face was so funny.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Xac asked, ¡°Wanna fuck me from behind while I absolutely destroy Alex?¡±


    ¡°Accurate,¡± Alex chuckled, ¡°Accurate appraisal of the situation.  You get better every time, Foo Foo. You¡¯re about ready to go pro.¡±


    ¡°Lee, darlin, do me a favor,¡± Agalon instructed as Wyatt considered this offer, ¡°Run down to the Sparklin Sorceress and get us all a bite to eat.  Let me find my purse. I need more than a bowl a fruit and I know the fighters need to carboload. Tell um¡¯- wait I¡¯ll just write it down.¡±


    He took the small book he often wrote on and a pencil out of his bag and did proceed to write something down.  He paused, in contemplation and spoke to Kyrtarr, as Wyatt made up his mind about Xac¡¯s suggestion.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the lube, pretty boy?¡± Wyatt asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m tryin¡¯ to get folks to call me Foo Foo,¡± Xac teased.


    ¡°Where¡¯s it at, Foo Foo?¡± Wyatt asked again, punctuating his question with a playful slap to Xac¡¯s backside, earning him another giggle.


    ¡°Right here!¡± Xac picked it up off the floor and handed it to him.


    ¡°No eggs, no meat, no milk, no butter,¡± Agalon read from the list, ¡°That¡¯s it, right?¡±


    ¡°I think so, sir,¡± Lee said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know what I want,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Ky, what are you gettin¡¯?¡±


    Xaxac screamed as Wyatt knocked him forward, and Alex somehow held his ground and kept all three of them upright.  Xaxac thought he was stronger than he looked, but he didn¡¯t think on it very hard or for very long, because he was in heaven.  It was the best of both worlds, and he felt the tension rising within him.


    He didn¡¯t even notice that the cloud of darkness that had once enveloped him had dissipated completely, that Alex had been absolutely right when he had told him it would eventually go away on its own.  He did not want to remember what it had been like, so he could not fully appreciate its absence.


    But he appreciated everything else, and he was thankful that his brain had stopped working almost entirely, and left him without thoughts, left him just a vessel to experience sensation.  He wished he could live his entire life in that blank state of ecstasy.


    ¡°Do you remember what the special is today?¡± Kyrtarr asked, ¡°Is it steak?  Like beef steak? I think it¡¯s beef steak. It¡¯s beef something.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s roast beef,¡± Agalon said.


    ¡°Get me that,¡± Kyrtarr said, shrugged, and continued, ¡°Fuck it, get it for my slaves too, Kai, you¡¯re rubbing off on me, but I might as well spoil Alex this once.  He¡¯s been real good lately.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so heavy,¡± Agalon said in contemplation, ¡°Would it be weird if I got two appetizers and ate that?  Like as an entre? It¡¯s just real late at night. It¡¯s a late dinner.¡±


    ¡°Get whatever you want,¡± Kyrtarr said, ¡°You¡¯re the duke; ain¡¯t nobody gonna say nothin.  I¡¯m turning the water on.¡±


    Agalon went back to writing as Xaxac felt himself losing his balance.


    It was all too much, too much sensation, and he was drowning in it.


    ¡°Pull my hair!¡± He demanded, and when his command was not obeyed he glanced over his shoulder and saw Wyatt staring at him like he had lost his mind.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop!¡± Alex whined.


    Xaxac pried one of Wyatt¡¯s hands from his hip and shoved it into his hair and demanded, ¡°Pull!  It¡¯s what Aggie does!¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t about to hurt you,¡± Wyatt said, ¡°Rumor is last time somebody did that-¡±


    ¡°You wanna see me angry!?¡± Xac snarled, and did not really understand what he was doing.  He knew he was overreacting, but he was annoyed, he did not want to stop, and the pain grounded him, kept him in reality, and Agalon had always understood that.  Agalon had always done what he had asked.


    And he finally suspected that his look of annoyance may mean something to people.


    ¡°Whatever,¡± Wyatt said, dug his fingers into Xac¡¯s hair and pulled, but not nearly hard enough, so Xac had to lean forward as Wyatt picked up his pace again to get the results he wanted, but he did get them.


    He moaned as the sensation became too much for him and those familiar lights flashed under his eyelids as everything, the anger, the tension, the maliciousness drained out of him.

 Book 2: Chapter 35

    Kyrtarr had pulled the ceiling open to reveal a long, hollow log that matched the wood the rest of the room was made of, and the hot water trickled out of it and onto the group that had gathered in the waiting tub.  Xaxac delighted in the muffins he had finally been allowed to eat, far more sweet than he was used to, to the point that he thought they may not be muffins at all, but some sort of cake. He ate each one quickly and followed it up with a gulp of wine as the water slowly covered his outstretched legs.


    Agalon looked as if he may fall asleep and seemed to have no interest at all in his meal.


    ¡°Are you tired, master?¡± Xac asked and scooted closer to cuddle up to him.


    ¡°Do me a favor darlin and wash your mouth out with somethin¡¯ stronger than wine.  Lee, hand me my flask.¡±


    Lee obeyed him, dug the flask out of Agalon¡¯s discarded traveling bag and handed it to him, and he passed it straight to Xaxac, who swished the whiskey around in his mouth, though he wasn¡¯t sure why Agalon wanted him to do that.  Agalon took it from him and handed it back to Lee.


    ¡°I am tired,¡± he said, ¡°I¡¯ll be happy to get back on the road tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I won!¡± Xac proclaimed as he climbed into his lap, ¡°And Wyatt won too!  We¡¯re the best fighters!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about all that,¡± Wyatt said, ¡°You thought on your feet but¡­  don¡¯t get a big head. You ain¡¯t¡­ exactly good, Xac. You didn¡¯t get a single hit in the first round.  Your form¡¯s real sloppy. You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doin.¡±


    ¡°But I won!¡± Xac argued.


    ¡°Yeah but¡­¡± Wyatt sighed and considered his words carefully, ¡°You got a natural advantage.  It ain¡¯t gonna carry you. You need to train.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t reckon I¡¯m gonna fight no more, am I?¡± Xac asked Agalon, ¡°I just did that so Billy could get better?  I¡¯m a substitution, right? On account of I hurt him?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, darlin,¡± Agalon wrapped an arm around him, ¡°I¡¯m tired.  I¡¯ll think on it. I¡¯ll be glad to get on the road tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Are we goin to Sakala¡¯s?¡± Xac asked, ¡°You said if I won we¡¯d get more yarn!¡±


    ¡°Did I?¡± Agalon asked, sighed, and continued, ¡°That sounds like somethin I¡¯d say.  Yeah, we¡¯ll stop in but please, darlin, don¡¯t take all day. I¡¯m wore out. I¡¯ll¡­ Lee can take you in the mornin while we¡¯re loadin up the fighters.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, master!¡± Xac wrapped both arms around his neck and planted a big kiss on his cheek.  ¡°I wanna make solstice presents for everybody! Knittin takes a long time so you gotta start before the mask festival.¡±


    ¡°The mask festival,¡± Agalon sighed again, as if every sentence knocked the wind out of him, ¡°Right.  I gotta plan that¡­ I¡¯m so tired¡­ Wonder if Lorry¡¯s comin in for it? Probably not¡­¡± The water was up to their shoulders now and had stopped flowing, and Xaxac remembered how the heat of it had made him sleepy.


    He was a little more relaxed now; Alex and Wyatt had burned off some of the energy his victory had given him, and he laid his head on Agalon¡¯s chest to listen to the beat of his heart.


    The water smelled so good and the heat wasn¡¯t as unbearable now that it was cooler outside.


    Quizlivan led the hunting party to the marker he had staked and tugged it out of the snow, then laid flat on his belly to peer through the oculars.  The large, lumbering herd had not moved on, as he had suspected. There was so little green left anywhere that they would stay by that grove of trees until they had completely stripped it.  Then they would be forced to move on.


    The herd had a specific pecking order; they kept the young and the queen on the inside, and around them huddled the elderly or weak that needed protecting, then came the outermost ring of the strongest members who were normally observant and alert, constantly on the lookout for predators.


    But the group looked different today.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    The middle ring was missing.


    Quizlivan suspected that they hadn¡¯t been able to travel, had not survived the trip to find food.  He understood instantly, because it had happened to his own tribe.


    But that provided a problem.


    Normally in a hunt the plan was to pick one of the older animals and find a way to isolate it from the herd.  They were the easiests to pick off, the easiest to frighten and trap. The dragons were huge, lumbering things, easily as tall as three humans and as broad as four, with claws, teeth, and a swishing, striking tail.


    They had never even tried to take on a healthy young dragon.  He wasn¡¯t even sure they would be able to isolate it. Would the tribe be willing to let one like that go?


    It didn¡¯t matter, in the grand scheme of things.  Morgani did not have an infinite supply of food; he had shared all he had with them already.  No food would grow in the snow and darkness. These dragons were the only other living things they had seen.  It had to work. They would be successful or they would die.


    ¡°Bad news,¡± He told the group, ¡°the herd¡¯s been thinned.  I don¡¯t see anybody we can pick off.¡±


    ¡°Give it to me,¡± Ahnah demanded so he did.  She held the contraption to her eyes and frowned.


    ¡°Alright,¡± She said, scanning the area, ¡°He¡¯s right.  We gotta ambush¡­ It¡¯s the same plan. Same plan, younger dragon.  We can do this.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s where?¡± Kifat asked.


    ¡°Who volunteers?¡± Ahnah asked.


    ¡°Human.¡±


    They all turned as one, to find the sound of the quiet growl of a voice.


    Two glowing eyes stared back at them, easily five feet in the air.  Then two more blinked into existence, then more, and more, and more, until it became obvious that they were surrounded.


    Quizlivan rolled onto his back, ready to jump and run if it became necessary, ready to fight for his life if he could not run.


    Two of the creatures stepped closer and closer, dark blobs against the night, and the snow eventually formed shapes.  Four long, thin legs held up equally thin torsos covered in fur that had seen better days, and Quizlivan¡¯s first thought was that they should not look like this.  Their fur should have been thick and shiny; their bodies should have been dense and muscular; they should have stood taller and more securely, but they shook and held both their tails and their heads down.


    The dire wolves followed their parents, and Quizlivan was sure there were more of them than there were people in his hunting party.


    Xaxac awoke before the sun had risen and looked carefully around the room.


    He really liked the hotel.


    He wasn¡¯t sure he had ever seen a wolf.  And he was positive he would never go hunting.  He didn¡¯t eat meat. He had also never seen a dragon, but he had heard of them.


    He kept having bad dreams.


    He softly slid out of Agalon¡¯s grip and walked to the window.  The street outside was still lit up, even as early as it was, and he suspected the festivities ran twenty-four hours a day.  The nighttime crowd was so different from the daytime crowd, so Xaxac stood and stared down at the people Agalon had once called the ¡®dregs of society¡¯.  None of them were allowed in the fancy hotel; they wouldn¡¯t make it past the gate. And he couldn¡¯t make out much about them, as far away as they were, looking at them from so high above them.


    He deliberately chose not to think about the man he had killed.


    Instead, he wondered what it was like to be poor and elven.  The two concepts did not match, in his head. He was unable to reconcile them.  They seemed to be polar opposites. It did not seem as if a person could be both poor and elven, but there they were, walking the streets, listening to barkers at booths and eating fried dough before the sun rose.


    Giving away gold coins.


    He turned to look at Agalon, sleeping peacefully in the bed, then softly walked to the door to the sitting room.


    He tried the handle.


    It turned.


    Agalon never locked him up anymore.  He trusted him now.


    ¡°Xac?¡± Lee asked, and he had obviously not been expecting him.  He was sitting at the sitting area with Bobby before a roaring fire and wasn¡¯t wearing his coat or shoes.  They were drinking something out of teacups and eating breakfast pastries, and Xac wondered how early it was.


    ¡°I¡­  had a bad dream,¡± Xac whispered.


    ¡°Well go back to bed,¡± Lee said, ¡°You still got a hour and a half to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Xac frowned, ¡°Um¡­  ok¡­¡±


    ¡°Bet he did have a bad dream,¡± Bobby said as Xac pulled the door closed behind him, ¡°that boy can¡¯t be right after what he done yesterday.¡±


    ¡°That boy ain¡¯t been right,¡± Lee said.


    Xac stared out the window as he climbed back into bed, then turned and snuggled up to Agalon, burying his face in his chest.

 Book 2: Chapter 36

    ¡°Last chance!¡± a barker yelled into the crowd, ¡°Five for a copper!¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it three yesterday?¡± Alex asked, shivering as he tugged his cloak tighter around him.


    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t desperate yesterday,¡± Lee said as he led them past the midway and continued onto the main street, ¡°We ain¡¯t got a lot of time.  Let¡¯s get in, pick something out, and get out.¡±


    But as they approached Mrs Sambrees¡¯s shop, Xaxac knew something was wrong.  No lamps burned within, nor were any people milling about inside. The beautifully dressed mannequins had changed their outfits; gone were the cleavage displaying gowns and smart workshirts, replaced with high necklines and winter coats, but no one was inside to buy them.  The place was deserted.


    Lee attempted to open the door, but it would not budge.


    A sign had been hung on the glass of the door from the inside, a new addition, but none of them knew what it said.  Xaxac suspected it had nothing to do with muffins.


    ¡°She¡¯s closed,¡± Lee said with great practicality, as if that settled the matter.  ¡°Let¡¯s head back.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Xac whined, ¡°No!  I won¡¯t be able to come back!  Aggie said I could get something!¡±


    ¡°Master Agalon don¡¯t control merchants,¡± Lee said as if Xac was being particularly stupid, ¡°She probably wanted to go to the rodeo.  Probably been closed the whole time.¡±


    ¡°That don¡¯t make sense,¡± Alex said, ¡°Look at all the folk on the street.  She¡¯d make a fortune.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about all that,¡± Lee said as he turned and began walking away from the building, ¡°I don¡¯t reckon a lot of these folks got Sakala money.¡±  He had to pause and add, ¡°Come on, boy,¡± because Xaxac had not budged.


    He was staring at the sign that had been erected on the door.  He felt as if it meant something, and if he could only decipher it he could get some more yarn.


    ¡°There¡­  there was a textile art contest,¡± Xaxac said, ¡°In one of the tents.  Aggie had to judge a quiltin contest there. There was other booths. There was booths with yarn.¡±


    ¡°My orders was to take you to Sakala¡¯s,¡± Lee said, ¡°I ain¡¯t trapsin all over Xren and creation.  We gotta get back. We¡¯re leavin.¡±


    Xac frowned, cupped his hands over his eyes, and gazed into the empty shop.


    He was almost out of yarn.  He wouldn¡¯t be able to make his father a solstice gift if he didn¡¯t get some kind of material to work with.  But the shop was undeniably closed. It didn¡¯t even look like Mrs Sambrees was anywhere inside.


    So he frowned, turned, and began to follow Lee back toward the stable where they kept the fighters.


    ¡°Sorry, Foo Foo,¡± Alex said and Xaxac looked at him, then let his eyes trail downward.  Alex was wearing the same beautiful, knee-high boots he had worn for the entire rodeo.


    As they entered the midway, Xaxac looked around at the booths that were lined up, the people shouting in an attempt to attract patrons, and the tents that lined the area.  He recognized the one where Agalon had gone to judge the quilt contest. He looked up at the back of Lee¡¯s head and took in the silver of his hair, the way he limped a little because of his bad knee, the sheer age of him.


    Then Xaxac made a very bad decision.


    He turned, in one motion scooped Alex up in his arms- and took off at a sprint.


    Alex shrieked, then giggled, and Lee turned and screamed, ¡°Xaxac!¡± but it died away almost instantly.


    Because Xaxac was quick as a jackrabbit with reflexes to match.  He zoomed through the crowd, dancing between the poorly dressed elves, and in a few seconds he arrived at the entrance to the tent.


    He set Alex on his feet, but Alex clung to him.


    ¡°Lord, my head¡¯s spinnin,¡± Alex giggled, ¡°Do that again!¡±


    ¡°I lost him!¡± Xac giggled with him.


    ¡°Winnin that fight has destroyed you,¡± Alex said as he straightened out his cloak, took Xac¡¯s hand, and pulled him into the tent, ¡°Come on.¡±


    Xaxac was almost certain he had been right, that the booths lined up on the far wall were merchants.  Unlike the barkers outside, though, they were not shouting. The place had a homey quiet about it; many of the merchants were sewing, knitting, or crocheting, sitting calmly behind their booths as if they knew the patrons would come, as if they were uninterested in attracting anyone.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Xac asked as he squeezed Alex¡¯s hand and stuck the other in his empty pocket, ¡°Can I borrow some money?¡±


    ¡°If they can break it,¡± Alex shrugged, looked away, and admitted, ¡°I didn¡¯t tell Ky I had no money.  I don¡¯t reckon Bobby told him, neither. He¡¯s¡­ better about keepin secrets than your butler is. He woulda brought us here.  We wouldn¡¯t ¡®a had to run.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Xac agreed and saw a sign that he recognized as having the same text from Sakala¡¯s shop on one of the booths.  He couldn¡¯t understand what it said, but the symbols were all drawn in the same way, and he was fairly sure they were connected.


    ¡°There it is!¡± he said in his excitement and picked up the pace, tugging Alex along.


    But Sakala wasn¡¯t at the booth.


    Xaxac was unfamiliar with the type of person he saw at the booth.


    The man who stood there was so squat and thick that Xaxac did not think he was human, but he had a long beard that reached to his waist and hair enough to match it, all a dark brown that curled beautifully, which he had arranged pleasantly into a series of braids.  He had been doing something as they approached that involved a lot of metal on metal tinking, but Xaxac thought it was the wrong rhythm for knitting, and he could not see what it was, because the man was so short the counter obscured his actions.


    As they approached, the man looked up at them and smiled and a tiny sea dragon the size of a medium-sized bird with beautiful blue shimmering scales seemed to wake up from a nap it had been taking in a basket of equally blue yarn and flew to alight on the man¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Welcome to Sambrees¡¯s Fine Textiles and Supplies!¡± The small man boasted.


    ¡°Textile supplies!¡± The dragon agreed, ¡°Textile supplies!¡±


    ¡°Is this Sakala¡¯s stuff?¡± Xaxac asked as Alex smiled and leaned forward to stroke the dragon¡¯s head with two fingers.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be doin that,¡± The man warned, ¡°he bites.¡±


    ¡°He bites!¡±  The dragon agreed, hopped back and forth around the man¡¯s broad shoulders, and snapped only when he was a good distance away in a manner Xaxac found more playful than serious.  ¡°Textile supplies! He bites!¡±


    Xac huffed, and the man turned to him and did not answer his question.  Instead, he spoke in a voice much too dramatic for the situation.


    ¡°I¡¯m crazy Harry!¡± He declared, ¡°Final day closeout sale!  My prices are in-sane!¡±


    ¡°Crazy Harry!¡± the dragon echoed, ¡°Insane!¡±


    ¡°Is Sakala here?¡± Xac asked.


    ¡°Nah,¡± the man said, ¡°She went out with-¡±


    But he was cut off by the dragon who spread its wings, hopped onto the counter and screamed, ¡°Crazy Harry!  Insane! He bites!¡±


    ¡°Oh my god, I love him,¡± Alex put his hands on his knees and bent to be more on the dragon¡¯s level, ¡°I love you.  What¡¯s your name, little feller?¡±


    ¡°Crazy Harry!¡± The dragon proclaimed, but Xaxac did not believe him.


    ¡°Stop it,¡± Crazy Harry demanded of the dragon and it cocked its head at him, did fall silent, but kept hopping around the counter.


    ¡°Ok, well, I still want some yarn,¡± Xac said, ¡°Y¡¯all got any angora in green?¡±


    ¡°Angora in green!¡± The dragon repeated to Harry, ¡°Angora in green.¡±


    ¡°I want it,¡± Alex said of the dragon, ¡°Oh my god I love it!  It¡¯s a sea dragon, Xac! There¡¯s a bunch of these little fellers on the water continent.  You can teach um to talk!¡± Then to the dragon he said, ¡°Say ¡®Alex¡¯!¡±


    ¡°Crazy Harry!¡± the dragon said.


    ¡°Say ¡®Alex¡¯!¡± Alex demanded.


    ¡°Insane!¡± the dragon told him.


    ¡°Say ¡®Alex¡¯!¡± Alex said a bit more forcefully, and Xaxac did not share his enthusiasm.  He was of the opinion that the dragon¡¯s repetitive schtick would get really old really fast.


    ¡°Say Alex!¡± the dragon said and Alex shrieked in delight.


    ¡°Say ¡®Bunny Foo Foo¡¯,¡± Alex requested, and to Xac¡¯s surprise, the dragon began to sing.


    ¡°Down came the fairy and the fairy said,


    Little Bunny Foo Foo, I don¡¯t wanna see you-¡±


    ¡°Stop that,¡± Crazy Harry said.  During the conversation he had turned and rifled through the stock behind him, but he had since returned holding a basket of green yarn.  ¡°This what you want?¡±


    ¡°Yup!¡± Xac said, ¡°I¡¯ll take all of it!¡±


    ¡°And the dragon,¡± Alex said, ¡°I love him!¡±


    ¡°He ain¡¯t for sale,¡± Crazy Harry said, ¡°He¡¯s a friend a¡¯ mine.¡±


    ¡°Friend of mine,¡± the dragon agreed and flew back to Crazy Harry¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Pay the man, Alex?¡± Xac begged.  He wanted to leave. The reality of what he had done was settling in on him, and he was afraid Lee had gone to tell Agalon that he had run away from him.


    ¡°Pay the man!¡± The dragon echoed and Xac glared at it.


    ¡°Xaxac!¡± Lee snarled, put a hand on Xac¡¯s shoulder and spun him around, ¡°Boy, you have lost your goddamn mind!¡±  Xaxac saw him rear back, but did not move, because he thought he deserved the slap that Lee delivered to the side of his face.


    ¡°Fair,¡± he said, but apparently the dragon disagreed, because it spread its wings, flew between them, and began to scream.


    ¡°Crazy!¡±  It screamed, batting its wings in Lee¡¯s face, ¡°Insane!¡±


    Lee threw up his hands to bat it away, and Xaxac came to the realization that there were claws on its tiny feet.  The dragon wore a collar around its neck inset with some sort of blue crystal, likely to designate its status as a pet, so it was by this that Xac grabbed it and threw it backward into the booth.  It landed in one of the many baskets of yarn, righted itself, and hissed in a disagreeable manner.


    ¡°My god!¡± Lee said.


    ¡°No fighting!¡± Crazy Harry said as he counted out Alex¡¯s change, ¡°World¡¯s rough enough as it is.¡±


    Alex, however, seemed to hold the opinion that what he had just seen was the funniest thing that could have possibly happen to a person.  He was laughing so hard he had to hold onto the counter for support.


    ¡°Yeah, well,¡± Lee said as he straightened his workshirt, ¡°You oughta keep that thing on a leash.¡±


    ¡°That your young¡¯un?¡± Crazy Harry asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Lee said, sounding as if he had been gravely insulted.


    ¡°Then don¡¯t be hittin people at my booth,¡± the man slid a stack of coins toward Alex, turned to look at Lee, and spoke without his normal playful tone, ¡°I¡¯m Crazy Harry.  My policies are¡­ insane.¡±


    ¡°Getcha things, Xac,¡± Lee demanded, ¡°We¡¯re gone.¡±

 Book 2: Chapter 37

    Xaxac knitted happily away on the return trip while Alex slept on his master¡¯s lap, once again in his drugged out stupor.  This time Xaxac had the sense not to blame him. He was happy to say that the return trip was entirely uneventful, in a pleasant sort of way, and he was happy to feel the crispness of autumn that held a smell that he could not really describe, but quite enjoyed.  The heat of the summer was finally gone completely, and he looked forward to returning home. It felt better, for some reason, to knit in the cooler weather. And his mama had more fruits after the harvest to bake into pies. When he had been a child she had snuck these home as often as she could, but now that he lived in the big house with such an enviable job, he would probably get a slice every day.


    Agalon was getting much more lax with him, to the point that Xaxac was beginning to entertain the notion that he might be able to sneak away into the kitchen and see his family.  He didn¡¯t fully believe that such a thing was possible, but the thought entered his mind.


    When they stopped for their pitiful lunch, Xaxac was happy to see that the security Agalon had hired did not join them.  They stayed near the fighters, who huddled together against the cold and ate their provisions with a low murmur. Every so often one of them would glance their way, and when it was Wyatt, Xac waved to him, then playfully blew him a kiss.


    He did not see Billy among them.


    He actually noticed that a few people were missing.  The original half dozen fighters had had their numbers cut in half.


    Xaxac did not understand why everything was so pleasant.


    He knew that he should be in trouble.


    He didn¡¯t understand why he wasn¡¯t in trouble.


    When they had returned to the stables, Lee had acted like none of it had happened.  He hadn¡¯t said a word to Agalon. That made no sense. Xac deserved to be in trouble.  He was the one who had run, who had disobeyed Lee who had been put in charge of him.


    But Lee hadn¡¯t said anything.


    Xaxac chewed slowly, in thought, as he remembered something Lee had said to him, so long ago.  When Xaxac had told on Mrs OfAgalon, the housekeeper, because she had tried to hit him, Lee had scolded him, had told him that humans were never to tell on each other.  Lee had said that they were supposed to look out for each other.


    Xac watched Lee, who ate faster than nearly everyone else on the blanket and was sitting in repose with his hands in his lap, as quiet as everyone else.


    Their eyes locked, and Lee¡¯s stern face softened.


    Xaxac smiled at him.


    ¡°You reckon we¡¯ll make it by nightfall?¡± Kyrtarr asked.


    ¡°You can ride with the fighters, if you want,¡± Agalon said in the tone and cadence of a joke, but Xaxac knew him well enough to know that he spoke like that so that he could guard his words.  If Kyrtarr really was afraid, Agalon wouldn¡¯t be angry at him for making the sensible choice.


    Xaxac stared up at the sky.


    It was a little before noon.


    They were making good time.


    ¡°You know,¡± Alex said slowly after he had taken a drink from his master¡¯s flask, ¡°I¡­  I ain¡¯t even really scared no more, you know?¡±


    Xaxac smiled at him.


    ¡°I mean¡­¡± Alex continued, ¡°After they locked me in there with him an¡¯ everything.¡±


    ¡°Just between you, me, and the good lord Thesis above,¡± Agalon said to Kyrtarr, ¡°I¡­  don¡¯t rightly know what¡¯s gonna happen. I don¡¯t know if that¡­ messed up the schedule or¡­  I just don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°It was¡­  weird,¡± Xaxac said, looking up at Agalon with pleading eyes, ¡°I¡­  I remembered it. I didn¡¯t never remember it before. I didn¡¯t do it on purpose but¡­  maybe now I¡¯ll always remember it. If I can control it that¡¯ll make everythin a lot easier.  I wouldn¡¯t never hurt-¡± he paused. He was going to say ¡®nobody¡¯, but his brain elected to flash an image behind his eyes that he had no desire to see and refused to dwell on, of a man lying on the dirt missing a good chunk of his head, of red flesh, white bone, and something grey that oozed not only blood but something strange and clear that Xaxac could not, and did not want to, identify.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    The image made his stomach churn and for an instant he was afraid he was going to be sick, but in a very strange way; not as he had been sick before, but in a way that made his body shake and his head pound.


    But he shoved it away through sheer force of will and continued, ¡°Y¡¯all.¡±


    ¡°I know you wouldn¡¯t darlin,¡± Agalon said as he stood, ¡°But we probably still oughta be gettin back on the road.¡±


    Alex had taken another huge swig of the potion Kytarr kept for him, and thus had not been able to stand on his own either to make it back into the wagon or back out of it.  Whatever his master had given him really did a number on him; he had barely been able to hold his head up and had only muttered those two sentences during their lunch, then he had fallen right back to sleep, and he slept now on the sofa of the sitting room in the guest suite at his home where Agalon and Xaxac were staying the night.


    Xaxac knelt on the rug, nude once again, and stared down at the chains Agalon had looped around his wrists.


    ¡°Nothing might not happen this time,¡± Agalon said.


    Alex tried his best to sit up on the sofa, but he could not stay awake long enough.  Xaxac wished they would at least take his makeup and boots off.


    Kyrtarr glanced out the window and Xaxac could see the fear on his face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel nothin,¡± Xaxac said.


    ¡°You usually feel somethin?¡± Lee asked and glanced at the tray of spinach Bobby had sat on the table.


    ¡°I usually feel¡­  scared,¡± Xac shrugged as best he could in his chains, and liked the sound they made when they rattled.


    ¡°I wish you didn¡¯t scare so easy, darlin,¡± Agalon laid a hand in his hair and began to scratch at his scalp in the way he knew Xac liked.


    ¡°Little bunny Foo Foo,


    Hoppin¡¯ through the forest-¡± Alex sang and Lee rolled his eyes and began to mutter under his breath.


    ¡°Wish that youngun would make up his mind.  Either sleep or don¡¯t.¡±


    Bobby giggled, and Xac watched the windows.


    But he did not see the full moons.


    He had never seen the full moons.


    Instead, he shrieked as the familiar pain tore through him, and his mind no longer spoke to him.


    ¡°Huh,¡± Agalon said as he continued scratching between the monster¡¯s ears, ¡°That¡¯s¡­  now I just¡­ don¡¯t know what to make of all that¡­ I just¡­ how ya feelin, Honey Bunny?  Can ya talk?¡±


    The rabbit leaned heavily into his touch, snuggled into his side so fiercely it apparently threw off his center of balance and he fell onto his side on the carpet.


    ¡°We shoulda rolled that up,¡± Lee huffed to Bobby, ¡°Let¡¯s get that rolled up.¡±


    The two of them moved to do so, and Agalon thought it was the remarkable condition of humans that they could become accustomed to anything.


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Agalon frowned and cradled his face in one hand as he watched the rabbit roll around on the floor, not as if it was in a panic, but as if it were¡­  playing? Did rabbits play? He was heavier than Agalon had anticipated, and he squirmed until he managed to get out from under him and climb slowly to his feet in time to the sound of the cracking of his back.  Xaxac did not seem to mind this much, and continued to roll lazily about the room.


    ¡°Xac?¡± Alex asked, and he sounded a bit more awake, as if the potion had begun to wear off, and the rabbit¡¯s unsettling eyes focused on him, too big and too far apart on its face.  But Alex saw the recognition there.


    ¡°I am absolutely terrified,¡± Alex said as he shoved himself up, using the side of the sofa for support, and made his way toward the monster on the floor that would tower over him when it stood, ¡°Absolutely,¡± Alex said as he collapsed onto the floor in a way that seemed as if he had not meant to do it, then crawled until he was sitting next to the monster and could stare down at the rabbit in chains, ¡°erect with terror.¡±


    He giggled, and the monster rolled over onto its stomach, so Alex stroked its fur and began to sing.


    ¡°Little bunny Foo Foo,


    Hopping through the forest,


    Scooping up the field mice,


    And bopping them on the head.¡±


    He sang without much enthusiasm, yawned loudly and the rabbit repeated his action.


    ¡°He¡¯s¡­  never acted like this before,¡± Agalon said, ¡°he usually gets real scared.¡±


    ¡°He said he wouldn¡¯t scared,¡± Kyrtarr said as he watched Alex snuggle into Xaxac¡¯s fur, bury his face in it, and fall back to sleep.


    ¡°He may be worn plumb out, master,¡± Lee said as he and Bobby tugged the carpet out from under the two sleeping pleasure slaves to finish rolling it, ¡°It¡¯s been a long trip.  We¡¯re all pretty wore out.¡±


    ¡°But he ain¡¯t never been this calm,¡± Agalon argued, ¡°It always happens at night and he ain¡¯t never been this calm.  It ain¡¯t like him. If he¡¯d¡¯a been like this the last time¡­ I mean¡­ the last time the moons was full¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Kyrtarr said, ¡°But I don¡¯t look a gift horse in the mouth.  Maybe he¡¯s finally figured out how to straighten up and act right.¡±


    Agalon watched the gentle rising and falling of Xaxac¡¯s back and Alex¡¯s sleepy head resting there with a concerned frown.

 Book 2: Chapter 38

    The two dire wolves held their ground above the prone hunting party as Quizlivan tried to figure out what would be the best course of action.  If they ran, they would be chased. It had been said that one did not have to outrun the pack, they only had to outrun the slowest human. But he would not do that.  He was not willing to sacrifice anyone.


    But the younger wolves had formed a half circle around them, half hidden in the darkness and the snow, dark shapes against the falling flakes and glowing eyes.


    ¡°What?¡± Ahnah asked, ¡°What do you want?¡±


    The largest of the wolves raised her head and sniffed the air, but the effort seemed as if it tired her.


    They were all so tired.  Quizlivan understood. He had been that tired, once, before he met Morgani.


    ¡°There is no food,¡± the matriarch of the dire wolves said.  ¡°Not here, not for us. Maybe never again.¡±


    Quizlivan reached through the snow,grasping for the people at his side.  If he ran, he could pull them with him. He had always been the fastest. One hand settled around Ahnah¡¯s and she glanced at him as if she thought he was a fool before turning her gaze back to the wolves.  His other was taken and squeezed by the strange, smooth, dark flesh of Morgani¡¯s gloves.


    ¡°You¡¯re hungry,¡± Morgani said, leaned forward, and studied them.  ¡°Sharp teeth¡­ binocular vision¡­ canids, right? You¡¯re omnivorous?¡±  he glanced behind him, as if he could see through the cloud of snow without the oculars, as if he could see the dragons beyond.


    The wolf followed his gaze, then tilted her head to study the strange man.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Ahnah sat up as well, then pulled herself into a crouch, squeezed Quizlivan¡¯s hand before she let go to tug her furs more tightly around her.  ¡°Do you know what this is?¡±


    The wolf took a shaky step forward and sniffed the garment.


    ¡°Boar,¡± she said, and opened her mouth as if she intended to bite.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Ahnah demanded, ¡°And think about how I got this!  I have the flesh of a boar because I was stronger than it was!  I have this because I killed it!¡±


    ¡°And it keeps out the cold,¡± Quizlivan said helpfully, ¡°We¡¯re not just like¡­  crazy¡­ we don¡¯t wear the skin of our enemies for no reason.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the exact opposite of help!¡± Ahnah hissed at him, and he fell silent.


    ¡°These humans,¡± the queen of the dire wolves¡¯s companion said, ¡°take down prey bigger than themselves, bigger than their whole pack.  Tell them why we have come!¡±


    She growled at him, and to Quizlivan¡¯s shock, he growled back.


    ¡°Tell them!¡± He implored.


    ¡°In the forest beyond,¡± the queen said, ¡°a pack of dragons is feeding.  The slow, lumbering ones, not the skittering flying things. We have sent scouts.¡±


    ¡°So have we,¡± Ahnah told her, ¡°We know this already.¡±


    ¡°Their herd is thin,¡± the queen continued, ¡°they are on guard.  There are no members they will be willing to lose. Our pack is hungry¡­  we are weak¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gettin pretty hungry,¡± Quizlivan mumbled.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Ahnah seemed to understand, and would not force the Queen the indignity of asking, ¡°My¡­  my pack is hungry too, weak. We¡¯re both- what was the word, Morgani?¡±


    ¡°Omnivores,¡± Morgan said.


    ¡°Right,¡± Ahnah said, ¡°And there is too little green to feed us.  Divided we starve. United-¡±


    ¡°We feast,¡± the queen said, took another step forward, and shoved her face against Ahnah¡¯s.  She kept her head lowered and did not open her mouth.


    Quizlivan watched as Ahnah lifted her hand, and began to stroke the thick fur along the queen¡¯s mane.


    Xaxac opened his eyes and was confused when he did not see sixty flowers.


    He saw Agalon, sitting across from him, writing furiously in the book he often carried with him for that purpose.  He felt the world moving around him, and took in the details of the carriage slowly as the dark world filled with snow faded.


    ¡°Aggie?¡± he asked, and Agalon¡¯s eyes darted to him.


    ¡°Just try and sleep, Honey Bunny,¡± he advised.


    ¡°Did¡­  did I shift?¡± Xac asked as he shoved himself to a sitting position and felt his vision dance back and forth as his empty stomach screamed in protest.  He didn¡¯t have the energy to remain upright and fell back onto the seat.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Agalon said, ¡°You must be plumb wore out.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t wore out,¡± Xac protested, ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    Agalon closed the book, set it on the seat next to him, then got up and knelt to retrieve something from under the seat.


    ¡°Well, darlin, if you can hold out a few more hours we¡¯ll be at the house,¡± he explained as he pulled out a package wrapped in a handkerchief, ¡°But I know how hungry you get.  Here, this is about all you¡¯re gonna get till we get home. Sorry, darlin.¡±


    He stood and offered the parcel to Xaxac, who took it happily.  As soon as Agalon took his seat again, Xaxac pulled himself up and stumbled across the small distance to sit next to him.  The sun was setting past the carriage windows, and the repetitive expanse of the agricultural district whisked past them.


    He unwrapped the package and found it to be full of crackers, which were as bland as Agalon had led him to believe, but any port in a storm.


    Agalon went right back to writing, even with Xaxac leaning on him, so once Xac had swallowed he asked, ¡°Whatcha doin, master?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to draft an official engagement announcement,¡± he said, ¡°For Lorry.  I ain¡¯t good at this. Women folk are better at this kinda stuff. But¡­ we ain¡¯t got none.¡±


    Xaxac thought he knew a great many women, but he knew what Agalon meant and decided against suggesting any of the people he was thinking of.  None of them would likely be any good at writing announcements, given the debilitating handicap of illiteracy.


    Instead, he chewed his crackers until he had the strength to sit on his knees and look out the back window.  He saw a second carriage following them, but it wasn¡¯t being driven by Bobby, but by Aymar, and Omylia was once again riding on top of the carriage in what had to be some kind of breech in safety protocol.


    At least the fighters weren¡¯t walking.  Some of them were in no shape to walk.


    He sat back down and ate another cracker in contemplation.


    ¡°Aggie, you¡¯re real smart,¡± he said, because it was a fact.


    ¡°Thank ya¡¯ kindly, darlin,¡± Agalon replied without looking up from his work.


    ¡°Did you ever hear tell of a time when it snowed?¡± Xaxac asked.


    ¡°Snows ever winter, darlin,¡± Agalon said as if Xaxac may be annoying him but he was trying to hide that fact with relative success.


    ¡°I mean for a long time,¡± Xac clarified, ¡°like¡­  for longer than a winter¡­ like for years, a real long time ago.  Like maybe for so long almost everythin¡¯ died.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Did you hear that at the rodeo?  There¡¯s some historians and priests what say there was an ice age.  I mean, it¡¯s still an ice age, as long as there¡¯s ice at the poles it¡¯s an ice age, but in the holy texts it says that the whole world got covered in snow one time, for years like that.  Was somebody preachin at the rodeo? I¡­ I oughta go to the temple more than I do. Or, ya know, at all.¡± He shrugged and went back to writing.


    ¡°Was that some kinda devilry?¡± Xac asked, ¡°Did the devil do it?¡±


    ¡°In a real roundabout way,¡± Agalon explained, ¡°Thesis did it to punish- well¡­  us. Elves. We didn¡¯t do what we was told and protect the world so he damn near wiped it out, started over, and told us to get it right this time.  So far, so good.¡±


    Xaxac nodded and ate another cracker.


    ¡°You ever hear tell,¡± Xaxac asked again, speaking softly and trying to look more sleepy than he felt, ¡°Of anybody name of Quizlivan?¡±


    ¡°Not right off,¡± Agalon said, ¡°Is that somethin you heard at the rodeo?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t remember,¡± Xac said, ¡°It¡¯s just¡­  stuck in my head. I thought it was pretty.¡±


    ¡°It is pretty,¡± Agalon agreed.  He seemed to finish whatever he had been writing, closed the book with the pencil inside to mark his place and folded his hands over it in his lap, then thought better of it and tucked it into the bag at his side and held his arms open.  ¡°Come here, Honey Bunny.¡±


    Xac crawled into his lap and asked as cutely as he could manage, ¡°Can I have somethin to drink?¡±


    Agalon dug around in his bag until he extracted his flask and handed it over, ¡°Not a whole lot left.  But we¡¯re almost at the house.¡±


    Xac nodded and tried to ration the whiskey.  The crackers made his mouth so dry¡­


    ¡°Last night was the best you ever been shifted,¡± Agalon praised, ¡°You done so good.  Alex slept on top of you.¡±


    ¡°I like Alex,¡± Xac swore, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t never hurt Alex¡­¡±  he took another swig of whiskey and continued, ¡°¡®Specially not now that I know how easy humans die.  We die real easy, Aggie. And then one day everybody what ever knew us will die, and it¡¯ll be like none of it ever happened.  I don¡¯t remember the Viper¡¯s real name.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes I envy that,¡± Agalon said as if he was admitting some sort of secret, ¡°The transient life, the short memory¡­  I wish I could just up and forget¡­ pert near half my life. The middle part.¡±


    ¡°I think the secret,¡± Xac explained, ¡°Is drinkin a whole lot.  It might not work for elves, but it makes me forget stuff. I like it too, bein able to forget.  I hate thinkin, Aggie. I think too much sometimes. I just wanna lay drunk.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all I got on me, darlin,¡± Agalon said sympathetically, ¡°I¡¯d give it to ya if I had it.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Xac ate another cracker and snuggled further into his chest.  ¡°You¡¯re so good to me. I love you. I¡¯m lucky to have you.¡±


    Some time passed in silence between them as Xaxac felt the world move around them, felt Agalon breath below him, and listened to the soft sound of the horses¡¯ hooves, of the wheels against the cobblestones, of the lamps beside Lee knocking against the side of the carriage.


    ¡°You¡­  seemed like you had fun in the cage,¡± Agalon said.


    ¡°I did!¡± Xac displayed his enthusiasm before he caught himself, ¡°They loved me, Aggie!  They loved me! The whole arena chanted my name! They hollered for me! I¡¯m Bunny Foo Foo!  I won and they loved me on account of it! I wanna go again!¡±


    Agalon stared down at the hope in those big brown eyes and reached to scratch at Xac¡¯s scalp, to run a hand through his hair.


    ¡°You scared me in that first round, darlin,¡± he admitted, quietly and with great sincerity.


    ¡°But I heal!¡± Xac begged, ¡°I¡¯m a survivor!  My- Abe always said I was a survivor! You can¡¯t keep me down!  And they all loved me!¡±


    ¡°They did love you,¡± Agalon said, ¡°The crowd loved you.  You want to do that again? You¡¯re¡­ I didn¡¯t¡­ reckon you¡¯d take so good to it.¡±


    ¡°I wanna go again!¡± Xac begged, ¡°I wanna¡­  they was chantin my name! They loved me!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Agalon promised and kissed the top of his head.

 This is an announcement

    Hey guys, so I was thinking about the messages I sent/recieved over this work and I''ve come to a decision.  I''m going to be posting Book 2 seperately, since it takes place AFTER most of the brainwashing/descent into abuse.  That should allow readers who want to skip the most triggering parts to be able to.  And, that''s the way actual books would be formatted, in the real world.  So I''m not going to be updating here anymore; I''ll just leave it as is, and then I''ll post a chapter a day in Book 2 until it''s caught up.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Sorry for all the inconvience, but I want to provide a convient way for people to just skip the parts that are most likely to trigger their trauma.  It''s actually probably a dick move to wait 20K views in to do it, honestly?  I probably should have thought to do this before?