Subterfuge
#11 of The Prisoner
*********************************************************************** WARNING - This chapter contains references to sex and homosexuality. Any who would be insulted or disgusted by this, or any children under 18 years of age (or 21 in certain areas) should NOT read this story, and by reading past this point, you affirm that you are legally mature and able to handle the subjects mentioned above. Also, the writer is not responsible for any problems which arise by not complying with this warning. Thank you for your patience, and I hope you enjoy. *********************************************************************** Chapter 11 - Subterfuge Waking to the dim light of my room, I look about. My eyes take a short time to refocus, a soft candle light greeting them; it is not so bright as to offend my senses after being asleep, indeed, barely enough to illuminate all of the bed. I feel the warmth pressed against me move slightly; the young Lorae whom I treated to a rather long bout of hard pounding last night stirring just a bit. Thinking back, I find it a miracle that he's even awake yet. I know I kept him up quite late the night before. Before I can wonder too deeply at his awakening, I shiver at the feel of my limp maleness pulling free of him finally. Despite not remembering it, I must have fallen asleep tied with him. The shaft quickly retreats into its sheath, though now the young Wrratl presses back against me, as though the loss of my flesh were a discomfort for him. I lean my nose down into the fur on top of his head, and take a deep breath, enjoying for a moment the sweet smell of his youthful scent. Recently, I've noticed myself feeling something for the whelp that I took in. It's something I'll have to control a bit more firmly, I decide. Investing too much emotion into the youth will never make him respect me properly. And he could easily end up like Hret if that happens. As I draw back, Wrratl rolls over onto his back, as though wanting to cling to my warmth. His eyes open slowly, and as he sees me, he reaches over and places a hand on my thigh. The area tingles for a few moments, as I listen to him speak. "[Master Grom, must you go?]" Looking down at him, the way he dotes upon me, I can tell why I have started to feel the way I have for him; still, I cannot let him know that. I shift away, standing from the bed, my tail hung a bit low, as I work on waking up. After a bit of a stretch, I turn slightly and speak to him. "[Yes, Wrratl. Today, I will be promoted to the position of village seer. I am certain it is already late in the morning, and I should not delay much longer.]" Wrratl appears crestfallen, laying on his back with his legs spread. I watch as his hand slips between them, and as he shifts his hips a bit, I can imagine where he's touching. "[I was hoping you would be with me again, sir. Will you be back soon?]" He asks. Just watching him, I can feel my sheath start to stretch as the pulse beneath it grows harder and hotter. Still, I stave off the desires to jump on him and take him again. Leaning over the bed, I take his wrist in my grasp, and remove his hand from between his legs. He whimpers a bit, though a sharp growl silences him. "[Do not seek pleasure without me, Wrratl. I am your Master, and I will decide when you are to feel it.]" Seeing him sadden again, though only slightly, I have to resist the urges I feel to comfort him. He must become stronger to be of proper use to me. As young as he is, it will be easier for me if he learns to follow my wishes at this age. "[You are not to pleasure yourself today while I am gone, Wrratl. Believe me, I will know. I will be returning in the evening, and I want you to be well ready for another night like the last.]" Despite myself, I grin almost maliciously. Wrratl doesn't seem phased in the least, in fact I can swear I see joy in his eyes. "[I promise, Sir, I'll wait for you.]" And I know he will. After breakfast, and well near an hour's worth of grooming, I emerge from my home, heading off to the town. Many Lorae have shown up for the ceremony to take place, and I greet them all as I pass them on my way to the central fountain. On most days, the fountain would be bustling with all manner of Lorae using it to clean their clothing, or fill jugs of water for drinking. The fountain itself is one of the miracles of our ancestors, never ceasing its flow of water, and always remaining pristine and clean despite how much dirt is passed through it each day. The kind of magic it would take to recreate such a thing would likely take the lives of our entire village. How our ancient ancestors ever created it, let alone the very forest we call home, remains something of a mystery to us all. Today, the fountain is the site of my rise to power. The place where I will be given my new title, the Seer of our magical village. And, fitting as it is, the whole village has turned out to witness this historic event. I sit myself on the edge of the fountain as I reach it, awaiting the arrival of the elders. My wait is short, thankfully. Not long after I arrive, so do the elders. I stand as they file into the small plaza around the fountain, one at a time, each sitting before me. As the last one sits, I and the rest of the gathered Lorae do also, and the ceremony commences. The eldest of them all stands, somewhat weary in his old age. The male Lorae has lasted all of eighty-five years, beating my mother in years by twelve. She would have made it into the elder's council in another two years, had she not met an 'untimely' demise. This eldest living Lorae, going by the name of Arrto, begins his speech. "[Our people have seen the passing of many ages, here in our forest home. Recently, many hardships have befallen us. Our failure to return to the material world. The loss of our Prince without heir, and the death of our former Seer. These things have all weighed heavily on my heart, as I am certain they have on all of yours. But time moves on. The seasons change, the earth turns, and our lives must continue.] "[Today, we are gathered to welcome our new Seer into his role in the village. He will be taking over where our former Seer left off, watching over us, and acting as a voice in the council. I ask of all of you to open your hearts to him, in order to help our village move on after the tragedies we have faced.] "[Gromirrk, son of our former seer Hrell, was shown to have the powers of the seers nearly thirty years ago. Knowing his lineage, and his early devotion to developing his skills, I am confident that he shall become one of the most well-known seers in all of our history.] "[In the days to come, we will see many new beginnings. The next group of children will be brought into adulthood. A new royal family will be chosen to lead us all. And right now, our new Seer will take his place among the Council.] Once he has spoken, the old Lorae sits back down in his spot among the elders. I can't help wondering if he really meant all of that. I know some of the elders don't like me very much, being that a few of them were on rather good terms with my mother. Still, perhaps even he realizes that there's not much he can do to stop this. My role as the Seer was set in stone all those thirty years ago. And this year, I'll get to see whom the new Seer will be. Every thirty years, a new Seer is chosen during the coming of age ritual. Even the current Seer can't tell whom the new one will be, until the ritual is under-way. By some strange twist of fate, my mother gave birth to me at the age of thirty, and of the group of other Lorae involved in my year's ritual, she found the talent in me. Some were skeptical at first, they believed her to have lied about my gifts to progress the status of her son; but, as the year progressed, they all began to agree that she had indeed made no mistake. I stand up, shortly after the elder finishes his speech, holding my head high, as I finally start to recognize my own resounding success. I speak out to my people, a speech I've been waiting to give for thirty long years. "[My fellow Lorae, I thank you for gathering here today. In light of all this tragedy, we must, indeed, move onward. In the coming years, I will do my absolute best to give proper council to our elders, and our new ruler, once he or she has been named. I ask only that you accept me, and allow me to do my duty, to keep us all strong and in high spirits. It pleases me more deeply than I can display with words, to be given this great honor, and I would be glad to meet with each of you today. For on this day, our futures turn bright once again.]" As I finish speaking, I am met with a moment of awed silence. Then the whole tribe begins murmuring all at once, speaking amongst themselves. The elders all rise, and start to walk out of the plaza, though one of them steps over to speak with me briefly; it is the youngest of them, a female Lorae whom I know my mother knew well. She has a smile on her face, which is an incredible relief to me. The sooner I win the hearts of these elders, the sooner I can begin my manipulation. She speaks up softly above the crowd. "[Young Grom, I will be honest. Your mother did not think you suitable for this task. She always had misgivings about allowing you to take over in her place. However, your words, I believe, have given hope to our people, and I have a bit more confidence in you now.]" As she turns to walk off with the rest of the elders, she shouts to me over her shoulder, "[Please do your best.]" If I had truly impressed upon them all this kind of notion, then things will go more smoothly than I had imagined. For the remainder of the afternoon, I remain in the plaza, meeting and greeting various members of our society. Some of them seem rather anxious to see what I can do as Seer. The position does not hold very much power in the village, yet the elders have learned that the Seer often has knowledge none others could hope to possess. The ability to see into the souls of others is something even they must admit is rather powerful and useful. Truly, it is more limited than that. I cannot simply look at someone, and know everything about them. Even my mother, whom had studied the ways of the Seer a good thirty years longer than I, had no way of doing that. The true way this power manifests itself is by bodily contact. And the most widely used method to obtain this contact among our society is with blood. Not very much, mind you. Normally, a drop or two gets mixed into a bowl with various dried herbs. These herbs are then burned as incense, and once inhaled, provide enough contact with the vital fluid to allow the gift to work its magic. Of course, there are many other ways for the gift's power to function. I discovered, after taking Hret in, that semen, mine or his, exposed to the other's body, provides quite a potent connection through which the magic can flow. Unfortunately, the connection fades after a few hours. The process of mixing blood into incense lasts a good day or so; though, if I remember correctly, the connection formed is not as strong. I would not be able to truly manipulate anyone with just that. Of course, this is precisely why I have Wrratl with me. Being able to test my control on him should prove very informative. Which reminds me... if I'm ever to get back and spend some time researching, I'll need to get to the Elders' Hall as soon as possible. I apologize to those in the crowd whom haven't gotten a chance to see me yet, claiming important business with the Elders, and take my leave of the general populace. A short walk from the fountain finds me at the invisible door to the Elders' meeting place. I start to wonder, to myself, if they had fixed the door rune to recognize my mind yet. Unexpectedly, as I will the door to open, it does so. Apparently the Elders are rather punctual. Stepping into the large room, I find the twelve of them sitting in a circle, chatting quietly. One pair of eyes trains on me, at first, then another joins them. Slowly, all in the circle turn their heads to gaze at me. With a smile, I nod to them all, then thank the Eldest for his speech. He does no more than nod, before returning to the soft conversation he was sharing with the Lorae to his left. It seems I will not be well-respected in here so easily as I had thought. After a time, I am offered a seat where my mother once sat. I accept it, taking pride in the capture of yet another thing my mother had. A seat among the Council of Elders is not something to take lightly around here. They begin speaking on various topics. Sometimes vaguely bringing up candidates for the new kinghood, and other times, discussing various ways to keep the forest infused with magic. That topic sparks a mild interest in me, as I had no idea that the forest around us required maintenance and upkeep. I would save that question for later, however. Another topic stands fresh in my mind, waiting for the opportunity... And the opportunity comes shortly after the Eldest speaks of letting us all get a bit of relaxation. I speak up calmly, "[Please, wait just a moment.]" All twelve of them look at me, awaiting my words. And so, I continue, "[I would like to bring something to the Council's attention concerning the recently fled human and Hret.]" At this, a Lorae with stark white fur speaks up, his voice a bit weak. "[I had wondered about that. Is it not true that Hret rested in your care?]" I speak up, somewhat in defense. "[He was in my care, yet do not forget that he was of age. I did not keep him as a slave, after all.]" I have to hold in the chuckle that comes as I think about how false that statement truly is. In reply, the old, white Lorae returns, "[That is not what concerned me. Why would Hret kill our Prince Crvesh, and not the human that came with him? He always seemed to dislike humans.]" Nodding solemnly, I continue. "[Yes, Hret never got over all the humans took from him when he went out into the real world. I imagine he may have gone to the Prince's home to dispatch of the human. But I felt something strange that night.]" I pause, for effect. This whole speech had been in my head for a while now. "[Forgive me, I had become quite attached to the poor young one; and, despite my misgivings, I often mixed a bit of my blood into his food, so I could keep track of his feelings, you see. Something about that night disturbed me, however. Shortly before the crime was committed, I lost all contact with him. As though he vanished. Or, as I have come to believe, as though his mind vanished.]" Numerous murmurs from around the circle spout up. Most of them, I note, speak with some level of disbelief. It's not hard to understand why. I know I was not well-trusted to begin with, but, by telling this tale, I hope that I may further the Council's trust in me. And if I can't, I can at least split them into those who do, and those who don't. Either way, I can manipulate one side or the other to further my goals. Soon, one speaks up, a dark-colored old Lorae with tiny white spots along the top of his muzzle. "[Well, Grom, spit it out! How is it possible for his mind to up and vanish? I know I've never seen any such magic from any of our people.]" Grinning inwardly, I realize that this is all going far to well. "[Forgive me, everyone, and allow me to explain. For a time, Hret had been going to Crvesh's home, to check on him. The youth told me of one particular visit he made. He didn't say much, except that he was certain he saw the human practicing magic, like us.]" Many jaws drop, and despite my intense pleasure at this reaction, I continue as uninterrupted as I can. "[Soon after, I perceived feelings of hatred in Hret. I didn't know what it was, at first. I assumed it was just the human's presence.]" I shake my head, for effect, of course. Here comes the line that will decide how this goes. "[Hret returned to me the night of the incident, and told me of the transgressions he had seen there. He told me he saw Crvesh and the human in bed with one another... intimately.]" A chorus of voices spew forth from the surrounding elders. Some cast curses at me, saying that I speak lies. Others babble in disbelief, or argue that Crvesh would never do such a thing. Still more seem healthily curious, looking to me more often than not for a further explanation. Yet, of all of the responses I did not expect to get, was the voice that sprung from the cacophony of the room. The old female who spoke to me right after the ceremony stands, drawing all attention to herself, and says, "[I know that Grom speaks the truth.]" Before the gathered Elders have a chance to berate her for her words, she continues, "[I spoke with the former Seer often, when she was alive, and she trusted many careful facts to me. Some I will never speak of. But she did mention this: When the human and Crvesh returned, she sensed their energies bonding somehow. She could not figure out how, because of the complexity of humans, but it was clear to her that they were bonded to one another in a way. So, I believe Grom is being truthful.]" The murmur around the circle changes considerably after this old one sits down, those who are friends of the old female arguing acceptance to others who are still skeptical. I give her a look of thanks, then continue on. "[My friends, I believe something very important may be happening here. I must say that I agree with those of you who said that Crvesh would never do these things with a human. After all he lost because of them, after they imprisoned him, I cannot fathom how he could come to love one. Yet still, they were with one another. I have a theory.]" Once all eyes are trained on me, I continue. "[Hret said that he saw the human practicing magic. We had formerly believed the humans to be incapable of using magic, but I believe this one may have proved us wrong. It is entirely possible that he somehow convinced Crvesh to unlock his powers. In fact, I can see no other way this could all be possible. Now, this human has magical power. We cannot say what kinds of power the humans would have. It seems clear to me that this human can somehow manipulate the mind. He did it to Crvesh, to seduce him. He used his influence to have Crvesh shield him when Hret came to dispatch him. And he used it on Hret, to force the boy into obedience.]" The Lorae with dark fur and white speckles on his muzzle, whom had disbelieved me before, speaks up again, "[Even if this were possible, Grom, which I do not believe to be so, what would the human gain by bringing Crvesh back to his home? And why would he let his acquisition die, only to take control of another of us, and flee? If he went to all that trouble to get here, why would he just run away?]" His questions couldn't have been more perfect. I'm beginning to wonder if he realizes how easy he's making it for me. "[As I said, this is all conjecture, but to answer those questions... the human probably came here to see if he could find a way into our world, a way of infiltrating us. Ever since the attack on our village over a month ago, they have probably been scouring the entire planet, searching for us. With his new-found control over Crvesh, he convinced the wolf to help him get in. And when my mother sensed him near our gates, she sent out others to direct him. The pursuit by the humans was all a ruse. They would have captured Crvesh easily, in his weakened state, but instead, they let him run ahead, let him think he could escape.] "[Once they arrived here, the human must have realized he could not leave on his own. And having Crvesh leave with him would rouse too many suspicions among us. I believe he intended to find another Lorae to exert control over, until one fell into his lap. And now, I believe we are in the midst of a dangerous situation.]" I glance around at everyone. They seem to be willing to accept my words as fact anymore. It seems my take-over is nigh complete. I continue more softly, "[The humans now have another of our kind. And they now know what to expect.]" Still more disbelief spouts from the dark-furred Lorae. He's beginning to get my hide. "[But Grom, even though losing Hret is tragic, it will not help the humans any. Hret has no magic, I am certain everyone remembers his ceremony.]" Others in the room seem to agree. They were all there when the young Hret was told he has no magic. Perhaps some of these elders are even happy to be rid of him. Again, I pipe up. "[You've not been listening if you believe that to be so. I've already told you that the human who came here could use magic, despite our belief that they are incapable. How is it, then, that Hret could have no magic? If even humans have magic, why would he be devoid of it, to be placed even below them?]" Again, I can see some eyes lighting up in advance of my next comment. "[Indeed, Hret did have magic. I believe I know now why my mother did not awaken it in him, however. Hret is not like you and I. We each have one of the four primary elements of nature at our command, this is indisputable. But Hret has powers beyond our own. When he arrived on my doorstep, after the incident with the village, I recognized it immediately, and I felt he had waited long enough to begin learning about his power. You see, Hret controls the power of darkness.]" The circle bursts into an uproar. All of the Elders speaking amongst themselves, most just seeming to babble incoherently to their neighbor, who babbles right back. The eldest of them stands up and raises his arms, calling them to order again. And shortly after, he looks down at me, then at the female whom had been backing me up before. "[Gyrril, did Hrell speak of this at all?]" The female shakes her head, "[No, Hrell never made mention of it. And I was always afraid to bring it up to her. I was worried I may offend her. Nowhere in our history is there any mention of one of our kind without magical gifts. I just thought it would trouble her if we spoke about it.]" The Eldest nods, then looks over at me. His gaze seems concerned, as though he weighs my words. "[I cannot find reason for Grom to lie about this. Even still, why else would Hrell withhold from Hret the powers he was granted by Mother Earth, if he could simply use the same magic as all of us? What Grom says makes sense.]" He then looks at me with a bit more worry. "[Yet, if Hret has his magic, and is now in the hands of the humans...]" Jumping to my feet, I surprise many of those gathered, but my excitement dispels my restraint. "[Yes, if he is in their hands, then we have lost one of the brothers. We have lost our one chance to reclaim this world from the humans that have driven us from it.]" The intensity of my voice only picks up as I go on. "[But I do not believe it to be too late. We cannot allow this opportunity to simply walk away from us. Despite the recent events in the human world, I think it would be wise for us to go out and...]" My speech is cut short by the dark-furred Lorae. Thoughts of cutting out his tongue come to mind, but I silence them shortly after. "[Grom, are you suggesting we head into the human world again, after what just happened? That human probably took Hret directly to their leader, and there's no way we could take on the humans as we are now.]" I step closer to him, into the middle of the circle a bit, my eyes glaring with intensity at him. "[There you are wrong. We could not take on the humans before because we hoped to create peace with them. I am telling you now that this is impossible. We must strike against them. And if we do so quickly enough, we may be able to save Hret.]" At mention of this, the dark-furred Lorae backs down. Thankfully, he, among all of them, is the most war-like. I can appeal to his interests now, while the rest may be difficult to sway, and he will be on my side. "[If we simply let the human go with Hret, we will be inviting them to attack us anyway. I say we prepare everyone in the village to strike back. Tomorrow's Coming of Age ceremony will go on, and that night, we shall train our new adults in the ways of magic. Then we shall attack the humans on the next day.]" Now, those who had once teetered between 'for me' and 'against me' begin toppling into the latter set. The Eldest among them speaks to me directly. "[Grom, you cannot be serious. We are hardly prepared for a war. Furthermore, we have no leader. And without leadership, any war we try to push on our people will only end in failure.]" Thankfully, my new ally, white-speckled muzzle and all, chimes in with just what I need to hear. "[Well then, I think we should nominate Grom to be our leader.]" Some of the circle bear looks of astonishment. Others seem drawn to agree with the dark-furred Lorae. The Eldest himself, in fact, seems almost willing to accept that statement. Still, he speaks with a wisdom that frustrates me. "[We cannot be so quick in our decision. We will all discuss this at length. However, for now, I agree that we cannot sit by and allow the Brother of Darkness to be taken from us. We have waited so long for this.]" As the rest of the room begins to agree with him, he speaks up again. "[I believe our best course of action will be, indeed, to wage war on the humans. Crvesh was against it, but in this case, I believe even he would acknowledge the necessity of our actions. Furthermore, even if we cannot instate a new leader so quickly, our Seer should be capable of rallying the village together, and leading them in battle. He certainly seems to have the spirit for it.]" A smile tells me that I have won this Lorae's trust. And it invigorates me. Others in the circle still distrust me, I can tell by the looks I get from them. Yet, having the Eldest on my side is enough. Most of them will not question him, I have noticed. Once more, the Eldest speaks up. "[Now then, Grom. I believe you should get home, and prepare a speech for tomorrow. The people will need inspiration before they can agree to go to war, and as you seem quite capable of stirring those of us who have grown old and weary, I believe your younger voice is what they need.]" I nod, backing out of the circle, unable to withhold the smile from my face. "[I appreciate your words, and I shall do my best to inspire the populace tomorrow after the ceremonies. If you will excuse me then, I must begin preparing.]" I hurry out of the room, and off through the town, nodding to those I pass with a broad smile on my face. Finally, I have nearly obtained the power I deserve. Once I have shown the council and everyone else how well I lead our people in battle, they will have little choice but to pronounce me as our new ruler. It was so easy to weave lies around the truth. Especially because I am the only one who'd had any contact with Hret before the incident. Whatever the case, as long as the human dies, there will be no problems. Even should Hret live, he is incapable of harming me by himself, so long as I remain careful. I cannot think of a way this could have gone better, short of the Council naming me ruler from the start. But that would have been too good to be true. Like this, I can continue a slow manipulation of the Council, and of our people, and in the same way, prevent Hret and that human from interrupting my plans. However, for tonight, I have a speech to write. And afterward, a young Lorae to screw. Never have I felt more fulfilled in all my life. copyright 2006 - Neiko Mitaki Feel free to e-mail me with any comments you might have, I would love to hear from anyone at all. Send comments to [email protected]