The Archer's Heart (51 page)

Chapter 46

N
IGHTS WERE CHILLY IN
P
RASTA AND WITHOUT A VEST OR
even a harafa to keep him warm, Keshan shivered in the darkness.

He looked east, to the section of the city where his townhouse was, warm and full of comfort. Iyestar would be there, no doubt already into his second jug of wine. He wondered if Iyestar would let him stay there, if the servants would hide him.

A pair of Triya caste women passed by the alleyway Keshan stood in, and when they saw his dejaru and his brands, they scowled and crossed the street. Keshan withdrew deeper into the shadows. Night time was easier for the Jegora, and Keshan didn’t worry about his shadow crossing the upper castes, but it was still rife with potential insult that could get him killed.

The sound of a temple bell ringing out in prayer came from nearby, and Keshan wondered if he could find other Jegora outside, begging for food. He needed more clothing, badly, and they could help him. But he was supposed to meet Jandu here.

It took all of Keshan’s will power not to pick at his scabs, or focus on the filth around him, or think too much about being locked out of the Yashva kingdom. The future had become nightmarishly bleak for him, and the only way Keshan succeeded at his pretense of unconcern was by not thinking about it. But now, alone for the first time in days, huddling in the dark with no place to live and no prospects for dinner, Keshan was smothered in self-pity.

“Hey.”

Keshan turned, and restrained himself from running to embrace Jandu. The hours apart had dragged endlessly, and the fact that Keshan had no idea what was going on inside the palace rankled him.

Jandu looked tired. He carried a large pack on his back. “You’re shivering.”

Keshan wrapped his arms around himself. “I’m just cold. How did it go?”

Jandu gave him a hard look. “Two months, Terashu Field.”

Terashu Field was the traditional battleground of the great Triya kings of old, a large, grassy field about fifteen miles from the capital and hedged in by the Ashari Forest. “I suppose it was inevitable,” Keshan said.

Jandu shrugged. “What’s done is done. Come on, let’s find some place to sleep tonight.”

Keshan offered to take some of Jandu’s belongings. Jandu handed Keshan bowls of rice and fried vegetables, and another full of fruit. “These are for you.”

“Did you raid the palace pantries?” Keshan asked.

“They’re from my admirers,” Jandu said with a smile. “I was on my way here and women kept thrusting hot meals into my arms.”

“Little did they know they would be used to feed an untouchable scoundrel,” Keshan said, sniffing the warm food appreciatively. “I don’t suppose you brought any wine, did you?”

Jandu pointed to his pack and Keshan smiled.

Jandu started down the road and Keshan followed a step behind him. “Should we try the market district first?”

Keshan shook his head. “They barely tolerate having Chaya nearby. I’ll definitely be run out. Let’s go further south.”

Jandu’s expression hardened, but he led the way nevertheless. They walked together for over an hour, searching for lodgings. The first half a dozen places they tried greeted Jandu with obsequious obeisance and then rejected Keshan on sight, more afraid of harboring a Jegora than they were of offending a Triya. They moved even deeper into the city, to the parts where the lower castes resided, but even the Chaya would not give lodgings to a Jegora. At last they found a seedy-looking hostel on the fringe of the city. It wasn’t clean or convenient, but the owner was willing to provide Keshan a room, as long as Jandu paid in advance and Keshan didn’t enter through the front of the building.

Keshan’s heart sank with every passing minute, but he tried to make light of his new environment. He didn’t want Jandu to feel bad for him. The room was narrow and dark, with a mud floor. It was next to the building’s outhouse and the smell wafted in through the small slit window near the low ceiling.

“At least the smell outside overwhelms the smell inside.” Keshan held up a stone water pitcher, and noticed the pitcher was cracked.

Jandu unrolled the bed mats on the floor, and shuddered as fleas and bed lice jumped from the blankets. “This is worse than the forest.”

Keshan yawned. He sat down on the mud floor, ignoring the bugs. “As long as it’s soft, it will do.”

Jandu unpacked his gifts. He laid out a cloth and put before Keshan a basket of fruits, bread, and cheese. He pulled two stone cups from his bag and decanted a large jug of wine. Jandu held his cup up to Keshan, a smile lighting his face. “To our success in the war.”

Keshan raised his cup as well, and then quickly drained it. The wine was sweet. He closed his eyes and savored the taste in gratitude.

Keshan noticed that Jandu had bathed, and his skin had a slight red flush, suggesting that he had been drinking back at the palace as well. His short hair curled slightly at the edges from the humidity, and his clothes smelled like cardamom. He looked stunning in the light of the butter lamp, his skin a golden hue, his eyes striking blue and bright.

A year’s worth of longing flooded him, and a need to have someone touch him, treat him like he was used to. Keshan lunged, pinning Jandu to the bedroll. Jandu’s wine slipped from his hand.

Jandu smirked up at him. “Feeling a little frisky, are we?”

Keshan didn’t bother to answer. He kissed Jandu’s throat slowly, his tongue lingering along his skin.

“Aren’t you hungry?” Jandu whispered, his voice shaking. He leaned back further to expose more of his throat.

“The food isn’t going anywhere,” Keshan said. He held Jandu down by the shoulders and pushed his mouth forcefully on Jandu’s. Keshan moved carefully, afraid of bumping Jandu’s nose. But Jandu’s fingers dug into his flesh, his teeth fiercely, carelessly, grazing and nipping at Keshan’s face, and all gentleness fled from Keshan’s mind. He wanted to claim Jandu as his own again, scrape his initials on Jandu’s body.

Keshan kissed Jandu deeper. As his weight settled over Jandu, Keshan noticed Jandu suddenly squeeze his eyes shut.

Keshan paused, staring down at Jandu’s face. “Jandu?” He pulled back and shifted his weight so he laid alongside Jandu, not on top of him.

Jandu opened his eyes. “It’s nothing.” But Keshan could see fear there, lurking in his expression.

Keshan cursed his own selfishness, and slid further away from his lover. “We don’t have to do this.”

“I want to.” Jandu took a deep breath and reached for Keshan again. Keshan kissed him more tenderly this time, letting his tongue play loosely along Jandu’s mouth, caressing his lips. Keshan could feel the tension in Jandu’s grasp, but the sensation of Jandu’s heated skin against his own was too good, he couldn’t stop. He laid down on Jandu to feel every part of his body, and thrust his erection into Jandu’s thigh.

Jandu bolted upright.

“I’m sorry!” Keshan froze.

 “I—”

“It’s my fault, Jandu. I’m sorry.” Keshan crawled off the bed roll.

Jandu threw himself back down on the bed and draped an arm over his eyes. Keshan shook with unspent sexual desire. That bastard Firdaus was ruining their lives even from beyond the grave. Jandu slammed his fist against the bedroom wall.

“We’re going too fast,” Keshan said. “We have time. Besides, I’m hungry.” He smiled weakly.

A small band of light from the fires of an open kitchen across the street filtered through the slit near the ceiling. The two butter lamps in the room flickered unevenly and filled the corners with foreboding shadows. Jandu rose and pulled linens from his pack. He covered Keshan’s bedroll with his own sheets. Keshan watched him, a smile on his face.

“I didn’t know you knew how to make a bed.”

“I had to as Janali.” Jandu smoothed out the finely woven cotton with the palm of his hand. “My roommate Rani showed me how after she saw what a mess I made of my first attempt.”

“Do you think she ever suspected the truth about you?” Keshan scraped the bottom of the clay bowl greedily. He moved on to the basket of fruits.

Jandu shook his head. “No. I wasn’t a good woman, but I was consistent. I think that’s all that mattered.” Jandu sat down on the freshly made bed. “I tried to see her before we left, but she wouldn’t talk to me. Maybe she’s embarrassed that I saw her naked.” Jandu shrugged. “I’ll send her a letter. I don’t want Rani thinking I’m her enemy.”

Keshan’s fingers were sticky with mango juice. He dampened a cloth and wiped his hands carefully.

Jandu smiled at him sweetly. “Keshan, how can you be so fastidious when you’re sleeping in this shit hole?”

Keshan laughed, but continued with his ritualistic cleansing. He could see Jandu’s eyes take on his piercing gaze of arousal. Keshan sat beside Jandu on the bed.

Jandu leaned in, holding Keshan’s head in his hands. “Help me erase the bad memories with good ones.” He kissed Keshan, pushing his tongue into Keshan’s mouth.

Keshan relaxed in Jandu’s embrace. Jandu moved slowly, gently lowering Keshan onto the bed. Keshan’s body absorbed Jandu’s heat. He worried when the first stirrings of his arousal rubbed against Jandu’s thigh, but Jandu didn’t seem to mind as much when he was on top. Jandu ground his hips down to meet Keshan’s, and Keshan’s entire body slackened, melting back into the sheets. Keshan opened his lips wider.

Jandu kissed him again, and Keshan tasted Jandu’s hot mouth, hoping the warmth of his own desire could thaw the chills that had racked Jandu’s body at their first embrace. Jandu fumbled with Keshan’s waist sash, and then slid his hands around to Keshan’s backside to pull down his dejaru.

Jandu placed feather-light kisses down Keshan’s torso, and Keshan moaned. Every brush of Jandu’s skin against Keshan’s caused shivers of pleasure. It had been so long since he had luxuriated in the smell and taste of Jandu’s flesh, so long since he was able to witness how his own touch made Jandu shake with anticipation. Jandu’s body had perfected into manhood after his transformation, each muscle defined, tense with unspent power, his skin flush with desire.

Jandu gently traced the outer edge of Keshan’s nipples with his thumbs, and Keshan arched up to meet him, moaning with the delicious contact.         

Keshan’s hands groped at Jandu’s dejaru. Jandu quickly undressed, and then straddled Keshan, their shafts alongside each other. Keshan saw the pulse of Jandu’s heart beating wildly in his chest.

Keshan took a deep breath, smelling and taking in the sight of Jandu’s body, his mind lingering on the erotic curve of his cock, the firmness of his thighs, the small slopes of Jandu’s hip bones, the tautness of his chest.

Jandu leaned down and brushed his face along Keshan’s cock. Arousal rushed through Keshan’s senses like liquid fire. His cock twitched towards Jandu. Jandu pulled him into his mouth.

It was that simple, really. He realized that, regardless of Firdaus’ crimes, this was the two of them. Nothing aggressive could live in the soft embrace of these caresses. Jandu swallowed Keshan into the back of his throat. Keshan moaned like he was slowly dying. Jandu’s hand flirted along Keshan’s backside, gently kneading his muscles, slipping a finger inside.

Keshan reached blindly towards his saddlebag on the floor, and extracted the small jar of rose oil that they had used years ago. Keshan handed it to him breathlessly.

Jandu opened the jar and looked inside. “There’s less here than I remember.” He smirked down at Keshan.

Keshan laughed. “Oh, shut up. It hasn’t been used since you left Tiwari.”

Jandu held the jar up to the candlelight and squinted one eye to examine the volume more closely. Keshan poked at Jandu’s ribs impatiently.

“Come on, come on,” Keshan said. “Don’t stop now.”

Jandu dipped his fingers in the oil and circled a finger inside Keshan, moving slowly, and then with more urgency as Keshan bucked against him. Keshan wanted to return this favor, get his hands on Jandu and please him, but Jandu resisted his touches. Keshan realized that Jandu needed to be in control of this moment, reinstate his dominance, and this was more important than Keshan’s own desires to stake claim to him. Keshan’s vision blurred as tremors shook his body.

Keshan shifted to roll over, but Jandu stopped him, holding Keshan down on the bed by gently pressing his shoulders. “No,” Jandu whispered. “I want to see your face.”

Jandu lifted Keshan’s legs onto his shoulders. He stared at Keshan intensely. “All right?”

Keshan nodded, anticipation fluttering through him.

Jandu opened Keshan wider and then slowly, carefully, pushed the tip of his cock inside of him.

Keshan gasped. Jandu immediately froze, a look of concern on his face.

“Does it hurt?”

“No! God no… do it some more,” Keshan whispered. He put his hands under him to tilt himself higher, to take more of Jandu into him.

Jandu grabbed the small pillow from the bed and put it under Keshan to open him wider. He sank deeper, moving slowly, watching Keshan’s face carefully.

Keshan’s body stretched and tightened, filled with Jandu’s thick heat. The feeling was so good Keshan thought he would ignite from pleasure. Jandu stretched his body along Keshan’s, his body trembling, his breathing rapid, desire flushed across his face.

Jandu moved rhythmically within Keshan, and Keshan’s body constricted around him, clenching tight. Jandu buried his nose in Keshan’s hair, and began to make the small, inarticulate whimpers that Keshan longed to hear. Jandu sank deeper, and Keshan’s cock rubbed tightly between their stomachs, engorged with the pressure.

Jandu thrust powerfully now, matching the thrusts with kisses, his tongue deep inside Keshan’s mouth, and it was all Keshan could do to hold back the mounting orgasm flushing through his body. He wanted to extend this feeling forever. He had waited a long time for this. He had suffered for this. This was everything to him now.

Keshan’s fingers dug into Jandu’s back. He came in an explosive gasp, his eyes closed, his whole body tensing, clenching down on Jandu. The warmth of his orgasm poured between their bellies.

Jandu reached down to push Keshan’s legs further apart and then thrust impossibly deep into him, until he came in one long, sweet moment, his body arching with ecstasy. He lay on Keshan, eyes closed, and stayed inside of his lover.