Hallowed Bond (Chronicles of Ylandre Book 2) (35 page)

“I’m so sorry,
Dyhar
!” he anxiously told Riodan. “I told him you were indisposed, but he wouldn’t heed me!”

“I can see that,” Riodan grimly said. “You may go. I will tend to Barath-
tyar
.” He regarded Guyon with annoyance as the butler hurried out. “What in
heyas
are you doing here, Guyon?” he snapped. “You were told I wasn’t available.”

Guyon was staring at him and Dylen in turn, eyes bulging in disbelief. “What am
I
doing?” he blurted. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“I came here to forgive you!”

Riodan almost choked. “Forgive me?” he repeated.

Eyeing Dylen with dudgeon, Guyon scrunched up his nose in disgust. “I was ready to overlook your indiscretion and reinstate our betrothal,” he huffed at Riodan. “And this is how you reward me?”

“Reward—” Riodan glared at him. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with my rumored elevation to ambassador-at-large, would it?” he sarcastically suggested. “Verily, I find it hard to believe that you want to renew our troth out of mere affection.”

“I do hold affection for you!” Guyon cried. “That I am willing to disregard your sordid affair with
him
should be proof enough of that.”

Riodan grabbed the heavy timepiece on his bedside table and hurled it straight at Guyon’s head. Guyon yelped as it hit him squarely in the face. He gingerly rubbed his bruised nose, wincing as he did.

“How dare you!” Riodan shouted at him, indignation thrumming in every word. “It wasn’t sordid, and it was no mere affair, I’ll have you know! We loved each other and even more so now.” He snorted disdainfully as Guyon continued to stare at him in apparent refusal to believe his assertion. “And I seriously doubt you’d still be willing to wed me were my appointment withheld.”

Guyon’s mouth fell open. He looked like a fish out of water gasping for breath.

“Withheld?” he finally croaked. “Then it hasn’t been confirmed?” He uttered an imprecation. “Confound your sire. He assured me it was a sure thing and—” Guyon stopped in dismay, realizing his error. “You misled me!”

Riodan smiled. “And you wouldn’t be interested in binding to me any longer were that true. How predictable.” He snuggled suggestively against Dylen, turning his face into his lover’s neck to nuzzle it. “Now would you mind?” he murmured. “Dylen was about to fuck me again.”

*

The slam of the door was deafening. Dylen listened to the petulant stomping of feet outside until it was abruptly cut off by the closing of the parlor door. He let out a relieved sigh then looked at Riodan. He noticed his lover was shaking rather violently and kept his face hidden against Dylen’s neck. Concerned, Dylen slipped a finger under Riodan’s chin and lifted it to look closely at his face. He burst into chuckles when he saw that Riodan was only snickering helplessly.

“Again?” he archly inquired.

Riodan grinned impishly. “Why not? Unless you aren’t up for another bout?”

“You may rue your words,
ariad
,” Dylen mildly warned him.

Dark brown eyes gleaming with devotion met his gaze. “Nay, I will never regret being yours,” Riodan softly said, his words punctuated with tender kisses. “I love you, Dy. Veres knows how much I love you.”

Dylen pulled him flush against him and crushed their mouths together.

“Don’t leave me again, Rio,” Dylen whispered against his beloved’s lips.

“Never,” Riodan promised.

And he pulled Dylen once more into his body’s heated embrace.

Epilogue

The Citadel, in the 3010th Year of the Common Age

“Ah, never have I seen capes so fine before!”

“Can it be—? Hirlen, is this Asmaran cashmere?”

“It can’t be. It’s nigh unavailable north of the border.”

Hirlen Teris smiled indulgently as his old friends oohed and aahed over the dress capes displayed on his bed. One was of a rich burgundy shade, another a sumptuous cobalt blue and the third an elegant terre verte.

“Actually it can,” Hirlen said. “The Shaja of Asmara sent them to Dylen and Riodan as binding gifts.”

“But why three of them?” Eldran asked curiously.

Hirlen grinned. “One is for me.”

“What?” Miqar exclaimed. “Whatever did you do to deserve such a gift?”

“I birthed Dylen,” Hirlen smugly replied. “The Shaja was so grateful for a service my son did for them, he rewarded me for bringing him into the world!”

“Well, I never!” Miqar huffed. “Why hasn’t anyone rewarded me for birthing my children?”

“Because neither of your sons have done anything extraordinary for a filthy rich monarch,” Liave pointed out. “So which is yours, Hirlen?”

“I haven’t decided,” Hirlen admitted. “Riodan insists that Dylen have the green one because it matches his eyes so well. He left it to me to choose between the others since either color will suit him perfectly.”

“Choose the burgundy then,” Miqar said. “It’s absolutely stunning!”

“Nay, the blue,” Liave insisted. “It will contrast wonderfully with your hair.”

“When his hair was all chestnut, it would have,” Miqar retorted. “Choose the burgundy, Hirlen.”

“Don’t be daft, Miqar,” Eldran gibed. “Hirlen still has more brown than grey on his head. Which is more than can be said of yours!”

Hirlen laughed as the three good-naturedly squabbled among themselves. He glanced up when Rohyr Essendri came to his side. Eldran, Miqar and Liave promptly shushed up, awed and a little abashed to be in the same room with their king. And in such close quarters at that.

“Don’t mind me,” Rohyr affably told them. “I’m a little envious myself over those capes.”

“Are you?” Hirlen smilingly gestured to the garments. “Then have your pick,
Dyhar
.”

Rohyr shook his head, grinning. “I was only jesting. And I think you should take the green. Let Dylen wear another color for a change.”

Hirlen chortled. His friends laughed as well albeit diffidently. At that moment,

Tarqin appeared at the door and announced he had brought in some refreshments.

They filed out of the bedroom, Rohyr wheeling Hirlen after them. A delectable array of savory snacks and tempting pastries awaited them along with fragrant freshly brewed
kahvi
.

A child’s happy cry caught their attention, and they looked toward the terrace where Rohyr’s son and heir Vyren gleefully rolled on the ground with a trio of lively pups. A tongue in cheek wedding present from the Princes Laral and Sivar, they were of a rare breed of hounds exclusive to the royal families of the south.

His father bent to wipe slobber from the baby prince’s face, but otherwise Lassen did not interrupt his child’s play with the puppies. Behind them, Dylen and Riodan stood side-by-side, arms around each other, oft exchanging adoring looks and tender kisses in the manner of newlyweds the world over.

We wanted him to be happy. And now he is.

Hirlen glanced at Rohyr, just a tad startled. Despite having been exposed to Dylen’s abilities through the years, he was still awed when he experienced mind-speech.

He beamed at Rohyr, nodding in agreement. Looking at his son again, he saw Dylen gazing back at his brother, his rare sweet smile gracing his lips. He’d heard Rohyr’s message, the elder Teris realized with even more wonder.

Hirlen sighed with contentment and utmost felicity. His son was indeed happy. For he and the Deir of his heart were finally one in an inviolable union.

Theirs was a bond that had withstood the test of trials and time. Their love would prevail in this lifetime and beyond.

Glossary of Terms

Aba
‘sire’ Parent who functions as the head of the family.

Adda
‘father’ Parent who functions as the principal caregiver of the family.

Ardan
North Continent hereditary monarch or potentate of a large sovereign realm or ruling overlord of an aggregate of internally autonomous states
Ardis
An Ardan’s consort.

ariad
‘beloved’ An endearment.

by-blow
An illegitimate child

Deir (pl. Deira)
Member of the race of hermaphrodites that populates the world of Aisen.

dyhar
High honorific applied to Deira of noble blood or high-ranking profession.

enyr (pl. enyra)
‘True Blood’ A Deir whose antecedents kept their breeding with the gelra to the barest viable minimum and thus retained much of the physical strength and endurance and most of the mind gifts of the Naere.

felka
(pl.
felkar
) Prostitute who works in a brothel or walks the streets for patrons.

Herun (pl. Herune)
North Continent ruling aristocrat. Herune may govern sovereign principalities, fiefdoms, city-states or great urban centers.

hethar (pl. hethare)
‘companion’ Deir who provides sexual services and/or social companionship for a considerable fee. Unlike common prostitutes,
hethare
are well-educated and highly cultured and, in most cities, generally accepted in polite society.

heyas
A common expletive.

il
Designates the birthing parent’s surname when an illegitimate child carries his biological sire’s name,
e.g.
Dylen Essendri
il
Teris.

mirash
A conception suppressor

min
Diminutive form of address applied to a Deir of junior years or station. Usage warrants mutual familiarity whether familial, platonic or professional.

Naere
The Deira’s hermaphroditic race of origin.

Oda
‘grandfather’ Grandparent who functioned as caregiver of his family.

sedyr (pl. sedyra)
‘Half Blood’ Deir whose antecedents bred indiscriminately with the gelra, which resulted in the diminishment or disappearance of many of the characteristics of the Naere in succeeding generations.

serl
‘baronet’ Non-noble holder of the lowest hereditary North Continent title.

Shaja
South Vihandran hereditary ruler

templar
Extraordinarily mentally gifted Deir.

thein
‘baron’ Non-ruling member of the North Continent nobility.

tyar
General honorific for someone of higher years or station or whose profession warrants more than general courtesy.

About the Author:

As far back as her college days, Eressë enjoyed writing stories set in historical times or, even better, fantasy settings. A good number turned into homoerotic romances because many of her male lead characters wound up having more chemistry with each other than with the female leads.

Whether Eressë subconsciously wrote them that way even she does not know. In any case, this penchant for fantasy M/M romance became the wellspring of Ylandre, the world in which her seminal piece
Sacred Fate
and its sequel
Hallowed Bond
take place.

Eressë lives in Southeast Asia with her husband, three sons and one dog. An AB

Journalism graduate, she started her writing career as an advertising copywriter. She is now a freelance writer and a contributor to a number of publications. She also enjoys cooking and baking and tries her hand at everything from pasta to pastries. But her first love is, and always will be, writing stories.

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