Chapter 15: Progression

A Prince of the Nobillo

Chapter 15: Progression

"In the age before the races populated the land and sea, the Immortal formed Okeshi from the great expanse. It was blue, like the night sky, and he made the Desni to swim in its oceans. The Desni and the Immortal lived in harmony for generations. The Immortal soon decided to create more beings to keep him company. He raised up the land and created the flaxa tree and the pomo, the flowers and the grasses."

Carak turned the page, pulling Lindsay in slightly closer as he did. "But still he felt there was something missing in his world, so he created the animals; the sheerlac and the loosa, the tiktik and the basom among a multitude of others. But still, it was not right. There was no one for him to talk to but the Desni. So, he created the gates, bringing through them the four intelligent races, each to their own land. The Nobillo, the Korsuch, the Olaru, and the Bonat. Each lived in their own land apart from the rest. The Immortal both loved and was beloved by the five races, but still he saw it was not good, and so he brought them together and made Kirith, a land they could all share. The Nobillo to rule the land, the Korsuch to work it, the Olaru to defend it, and the Bonat to worship im. But there was one Bonat among them who felt that the Bonat should rule over Kirith. His name was Jericho-"

"Wait," Lindsay interrupted. "You said the Immortal gave them all separate lands?"

"Yes, that He formed together to make Kirith."

"But what if he didn't? There was this door in the Bonat ship. It had a lot of carvings on it." She flicked her hand and a holographic tablet appeared. She began to draw the door as best she could, scooting away from Carak in the process.

"Sirix thought it might have been from the Citadel. At the top there was a drawing of Okeshi." She drew the planet with a large, diamond-shaped land mass in the center. "But it had these other continents around it." She drew in the four continents as four blobs. She never was much of an artist. "What if he brought them together in Kirith, but didn't literally bring the continents together? What if they're still out there, with the races still living on them and Kirith was meant to be a diplomatic center or something, like the UN?"

Carak tilted his head. "That would be an interesting interpretation of the passage. I suppose it is possible. It doesn't speak against it."

"And there were four other planets, too." Lindsay was getting excited. She felt like she was finally putting the pieces together. "I didn't really pay attention to them except that one of them was Earth. But not Earth now, it was like Earth during the Ice Age. And it had gates on it, too. I remember two of them, but I think there were more. There was the one I went through in Missouri and one in Europe or Africa, I think. What if the Immortal didn't create the races but literally brought races from other planets through the gates? I mean that's what it says, right?"

Carak smiled indulgently at her. "It certainly is an interesting theory. I won't say you're wrong in it, though I've not heard anything like it. I suppose the ones to ask would be the Desni, that is, if they were willing to answer."

"We should! Aren't you curious?"

"No. It could only bring further troubles."

"What do you mean?" Lindsay asked, perplexed.

"If there are other lands, then that would mean the Desni are likely intentionally keeping us separate from them and have been for over a hundred lanc. Either the reason is with them or it is with us, but, regardless, there must be a good one - one we haven't been told."

"Then you think it's possible?" She was excited that he might actually believe her. It all made sense!

Carak gave a small nod. "There's a lot about this world we don't know, legends that are strange, that refer to the world as having only one moon or a different colored sun. The gates have been here since time immemorial, so it is possible the Immortal used them to bring the races through from other worlds."

"Talking about the gates?" Rivuk stepped in from the balcony.

Lindsay's cheeks flushed bright red. She was suddenly very glad she'd interrupted. She definitely would not have wanted Rivuk to find her cuddled up against his hest. Not that he hadn't seen them that way before, but now that she knew her own feelings, she felt like there was a giant neon flashing sign above her head pointing them out.

"Yes," Lindsay said quickly.

Rivuk stepped off the stairs, gliding down to the main floor on six wings. Lindsay could never get over when he did that. It was so terrifying watching him just step off into open air. Her heart always stopped as though it could never remember he could fly. Then to see those wings spread out and catch the air so effortlessly to glide down, landing with hardly a sound - it was simply amazing.

Carak spoke, "She was mentioning an artifact that may have been from the citadel."

"Ah yes, the door," Rivuk said.

"How do you-" Lindsay started.

Rivuk tapped a finger on his temple. "Are you really going to ask that?"

"Oh yeah."

"What brought on this conversation?" Rivuk asked.

"There was a story Carak was reading to me-" Lindsay started.

"The creation of Okeshi," Carak added.

"And that reminded me of the door and... why are you here?"

"A strange question to ask your husband so late in the evening." A smile flitted across his face but was just as quickly gone. "I was worried after what you saw in the interview. I take it you and Carak have discussed the matter?"

She nodded.

"If there is nothing else," Carak said, "might I take my leave for the evening?"

Lindsay was about to object when Rivuk interrupted. "Of course. I will need your services in the morning for an appointment."

"Yes, your grace. I will return then."

"Goodnight, Carak," Lindsay called as he opened the tower door.

He turned, a slight smile on his lips, breaking into his cheek. "Goodnight, your highness. Your grace."

"Why did you let him go?" Lindsay cried after the door shut. "I was hoping we could talk more about it."

Rivuk sat on the couch, next to her. "It makes him uncomfortable to speak openly about it. It is a difficult time for him to relive."

"That's why you hate Sirix, isn't it? And why you wouldn't tell me?"

"Yes. When I was a child Carak was like a god to me. He was my hero and I practically worshipped him. You should have seen him in those days. Almost eight feet tall, eight snow white wings spread wide against the sun - when I pictured the Immortal, that was how I saw him. Most adults barely took any time to notice me at all. Carak did."

Rivuk gave a slight smile as he pulled Lindsay onto his lap. "I realize, now, that he was simply required to attend to me when I asked; but, back then, it seemed like the greatest honor in all of Okeshi that he would play with me, or talk to me. But he did genuinely care for me, I know that as well. Sirix hurt the person who meant the most to me. He cost him his wings, his rank. He nearly cost him his life. I find it very hard to see past that when I think of the Bona Serat Corsar. In my mind, I always see Carak as they found him at the edge of the forest, and I can't forgive him."

"Can I see?"

He took her hand and pressed it to the side of his face, kissing the wrist. "Of course."

Her stomach and chest tightened. Her breath caught in her throat as a feeling of panic raced through her. Her vision went black. Through blurring eyes that flashed in and out of focus she could see Carak lying in a hospital bed, so thin and dehydrated he looked like a grey skin bag filled with bones. He was turned over by the staff. She saw the eight stalks where his wings had been. Her vision when dark again, she felt like she was going to pass out. Blood and bits of bone were crushed into dark green skin, oozing brown. Two large wounds crossed in an x on his back, white puffs crusted in sangria lined the edges. The foul stench of the room was overwhelming.

Voices seemed to come from nowhere.

"It's cruel to keep him alive. The infection has already spread to his blood stream."

"We need to know what happened to the prince. Then you can put him down."

"No!" Lindsay heard the voice of a boy, not a child, but not yet into his teen years either, cry. The scene came into focus. It was Rivuk, maybe twelve years old.

"I'm sorry, your grace?" a Korsuch man with deep brown eyes that matched his skin asked.

Rivuk appeared to be trying to look authoritative despite his young age. "I said no. You will not put him down."

A Korsuch man with strangely wide eyes and blond hair stepped forward. "It is the merciful thing to do, your grace. His wings are gone, his leg is injured. He'll never be able to serve again, he'll only be a burden. It is better not to prolong his suffering."

Dozens of memories of Carak flashed through her mind like snapshots.

"Lucian, is it possible for him to be saved?" Rivuk asked.

The wide-eyed man hesitated. "I suppose, at great expense. But, your grace, it is not worth the cost. The chances of him surviving at this late stage-"

"Do it."

"Your grace!"

She could feel Rivuk searching for a reasonable explanation. "Carak is our finest tactician, to kill him would be to lose valuable skills. As head of the military, those are worth more to me than hecares. And he would still be useful to your breeding program, isn't that right?"

"I suppose, but that is only for retired veterans who have served successfully," Lucian said, as though looking for an excuse. An excuse to kill the man she loved because it would be a pain to try and save him. Her rage burned with the young Rivuk's.

Rivuk straightened himself up, doing his best to look down on the taller man. "He is a veteran as of today. He is our most decorated major general. He survived almost a skell in the forest alone. Are you trying to tell me that is a failure?"

Lucian bowed his head. "No, your grace."

Rivuk's gaze fell softly on the shivering Carak, his body wan and lank, skin translucent as parchment paper. "Then do everything in your power to save him. Spare no expense."

It was wrenching to watch. To see the fresh scars from where they'd removed the gangrenous stubs of his wings in the center of the giant cross on his back, to watch him shiver and burn with fever, hooked up to tubes and sacks as he was pumped full of medicines and nutrients. To watch him vomit from the treatments. She witnessed the agonizingly slow process of Carak's recovery through Rivuk's eyes, felt the pain the first time he saw Carak's shoulder jerk upward as he walked toward the young prince.

Tears streamed down her face. She felt warm lips press softly against hers. She came back to herself.

"You're crying," Rivuk said. He kissed her cheeks where her tears ran down.

"How long?" she asked.

"Almost a lanc before he'd recovered, but they had him in the breeding program well before then."

She started trying to do math in her head. If that happened when Rivuk was, what? Twelvish, then-

"Yes, you've killed some of his children," Rivuk answered, reading her thoughts. "Probably not you, specifically, and it's not that he'd know them, his part in the process is rather brief."

"Is?"

"He's a retired Child of the Immortal, it's his duty to help propagate the species. It's why he was allowed to live."

"How does he feel about that?"

"As far as I know, he doesn't. Not that he would tell me." Rivuk sighed.

Lindsay could feel the ache in her husband's heart. She rubbed his forearm gently. "It's how fathers are with their kids."

"But I'm not his child."

"But you see him as a father to you, you've said it more than once. And I think he sees you as a son."

"He does?" Rivuk looked surprised.

"Well, to some extent. Just in the way you and he interact, it's fairly obvious."

Rivuk pulled her in and pressed his lips against hers, hard. "Thank you for that."

She might have answered, but he kissed her lips again, parting them with his tongue as his hands rubbed her breasts over the silky fabric of her dress. She felt the pull inside of her, her body eager to share his. She shifted so she was straddling his thighs, her hands stroking the shoulders and back of his uniform. She felt his fingers brush under the fabric. She pushed into his kiss to let him know she liked what he was doing.

His hands slipped under the plunging neckline of her dress, rubbing over her bra, then the fingers sneaking under it, teasing her nipples. Then the whole palms came, kneading the supple flesh of her breasts. She arched back, moaning, his name on her lips as her breathing quickened. Ticklish warmth flowed through her.

He kissed straight down her neck to the valley between her breasts, kissing the exposed sides of both in turn until finally his hand abandoned one for his lips to take. As he sucked, the warmth within her grew with her moans. His fingers tickled the back of her neck as he loosed the knots that held up her dress and bra, the silky fabric cascading down her shoulders to her waist.

"Rivuk..." she moaned as he laid her back on the couch.

He went back on his knees, his hands running up her thighs, he found her panties and rolled them down her legs, off her feet, dropping them to the floor. He gently pushed her knees apart and then-

She gasped as his tongue ran through her labia, somehow both cold and warm. It circled her clitoris, striking it before running back down and lapping at her vagina the way she liked. Then it was back up again, this time giving her clit proper attention before diving back down. Her head began to swim. Her hips rose of their own accord as her breath came fast. Then back up.

Her whole body shook as she screamed. He gripped her thighs, keeping them still as the rest of her body writhed, her hands gripping the sides of the couch. He hung her heels on his shoulders and suddenly, he was inside her, pushing his cock into her g-spot, her whole body folded beneath him, rolling under his. She saw the love and determination in his eyes as his hips moved faster. She was cumming again. Her eyes were screwed shut in pleasure. Rivuk...

Carak...

In her mind, his face flashed before her. On top of her. Pleasuring her. That powerful, massive body focused on one thing, as skillful in its movements as when he handled a spear. Mmmm... Yes! Yes! She wanted it! She clung to Rivuk as her fantasy took flight. "Harder!" she screamed. Her visions of Carak only increased her excitement. Her body showing him the love she felt. She was beside herself, shaking, writhing, hips gyrating, body insatiable as climax mounted upon climax.

Then she was back with Rivuk, in that place their minds shared. She shoved him on the camp bed, climbed on top of him with his head between her knees, and began to suck his tessect. She knew from the smile on his face she'd caught him by surprise in her enthusiasm, but he quickly pulled down her hips and began licking.

Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, her moans became strange and unintelligible as she was gripped by the double-orgasm. In the camp bed, he rolled her over and she took him in deep, as deep as he could go. In the mind, there was no risk of gagging.

She swallowed again and again until she felt liquid run down her throat. She moved him up to her mouth, pulling his telson against the wall of her teeth until she heard him panting loudly, and then a moan as the hot, sweet felous filled her mouth. She savored it for a moment before swallowing it down. If only humans tasted so good. She wondered if Carak did.

She sighed as Rivuk rolled off of her and they fell back into themselves. It would never happen, but still, it was a nice fantasy, so long as she could still look up into the face of her husband after. She took his hand as they lay on the couch, the evening sun shining warmly on their bodies.

"So, what meeting do you have tomorrow morning?" she asked, gently pressing the tips of his fingers so that his claws came out, like a cat's.

"Just a Korsuch diplomat. It seems they wish to extend an invitation for you and I to visit the Temple of the Immortal, but, obviously, there's a good deal of paperwork involved in that."

"There is?" Lindsay didn't think that was obvious at all. "Why? I mean, they invited us."

He smiled wearily, pulled their hands to his lips and kissed the back of hers. "One thing you will learn as a royal is there is always a lot of paperwork."

"You talk as if I'll be here forever."

"You think as if you will." He gave her a sexy little smirk.

This time she sucked his cock for real, kneeling in front of him so he couldn't even retaliate for the pleasure she was giving him. He was completely at her mercy as his claws dug into her shoulders.

She wiped the felous from the side of her mouth as he took a dermal regenerator from the drawer of the side table and ran it over her skin.

"I'm glad you don't treat me like I'm a delicate little doll," she said as he finished the patch of blue on her shoulder.

"It's what you like. Besides, when you do that to me, I don't have much choice. After that video, I imagine the manufacturers of dermal bandages will want to give us a medal."

"Why?"

He fixed her with a look that said she couldn't possibly be serious.

"Oh yeah. Do you really think they'll copy us?"

"I think they already are. Your interview only cemented public opinion. There's not been a single thing anyone has been talking about besides how intimate and loving our relationship is and how couples envy us."

Lindsay gave a little frown. "That seems so weird. I mean, they know I'm in love with other people."

Rivuk ran his fingers through her hair. "But they don't see you with other people. They see us having dinner, dancing in the pyramids of light, and now, in our most intimate private moments - moments you've shown no shame in. They see that and want it for themselves." He grinned and kissed her, following her down to the floor, pinning her between his arms. "But they can't have it, because you're mine."

"Not entirely."

"For now."

"Take me from behind." She turned over, on her hands and knees, spreading her legs just enough for him. She felt his weight on her back as he rubbed her breasts, one hand trailing down to her clit.

This time he was the man of her fantasies. She gasped as he entered her, enjoying the feel of his hands on her shoulders as his thrusts came slow and gentle until they grew so hard and fast it seemed the only thing keeping her there was his grip pulling her back to him. All she could feel was her body quaking with pleasure. It was so good!

She came with his first ejaculation and again following his second, then she fell forward onto the floor, lying like a rug, with Rivuk on top of her as he kissed her back and neck and shoulders and hair.

________________________________________

Rivuk awoke sometime before the arc of the night had passed. He felt Lindsay beneath him, her soft skin against his own. He could feel himself still inside of her, his tessect warm and wet. He closed his eyes and let himself enjoy the sensation. He could rouse her with kisses - it was always lovely to watch her brown eyes flutter awake and then light with desire as she made love to him.

But not right now.

She needed her sleep and he had much on his mind that another ejaculation would only delay. He slid himself out of her, giving her a kiss on her blue shoulder. He was always surprised that the skin regrew blue whenever a dermal regenerator or bandage was used on it. Whatever it was Donil had created, it had clearly permanently bonded with his wife's skin. A piece of her would always be Bonat.

He traced the jagged edges where the Child's claws had ripped her flesh. He'd seen the memory where she'd gotten it. Strangely, it was seen as a happy one. Not because of the battle, but because Veralosa was there, because it had helped her to understand Sirix and showed her the depths of Donil's devotion to her. Because she could laugh at Sirix's transparent attempts to gain her sympathy and finally get to see Donil's no-nonsense side. He felt the love between her and her future spouses. The blue was a constant reminder to her of that day.