The Soulmate Conspiracy - Chapter 2 of 4
Chapter 2 - Surplus to Requirements
The next six months were the finest time of Davin's life, spending almost his every waking (and sleeping) moment within touching distance of Chiraevon. He found that he hardly ever thought about his life before and would have been surprised if anyone had pointed out that he'd not spoken to either Galif or Master Chi since The Choosing.
It was fair to say that Chir found him equally distracted and had almost certainly neglected some princely duty or other for Davin's sake. Had they been aware of the concept of black holes, they might have realised that their love was like a gravity well, with every facet of their lives distorting and spiralling in to orbit around the intensity of their passion for each other.
Of course such perfection couldn't last.
* * *
Davin awoke to find himself bound and gagged, his mind still groggy from whatever had been slipped into the wine. Wriggling himself around he was able to prop himself upright and squint at what seemed to be brightly lit surroundings. After a moment his dilated pupils adjusted and he realised he was in one of the Prelate's carriages, black curtains drawn shut. His first thought was of Chiraevon's safety, but it was immediately obvious that he was the only prisoner.
With his fingers he drew a symbol that caused the curtain to slip slightly along its rail making enough of a gap for him to see out. The mountain scenery outside told him that he was already many days travel away from Salisarum and the fact that the phase of the moon had changed from full to crescent indicated that at he'd been drugged for at least a week, if not longer.
He felt wrong, empty inside as if some fundamental part were now missing. Without the bliss of being with Chiraevon to distract him, he found that it was much easier to figure things out. It seemed obvious to him now why the Prelate had confined the pair of them for that first week. Their souls had been forced into such close proximity that they'd fused together into a greater shared soul. Davin smiled viciously behind his gag, the alchemists searched for a way to transmute lead into gold, the great quest of the Spellcasters was finding ways to increase strength of a Caster's soul energy or his ability to focus on a goal. The Protectorate had deliberately done the first and by separating him from Chiraevon, had inadvertently done the second. Davin knew without even having to think about it, that he was now completely insane by any normal measure, he had only a single purpose, to find Chiraevon. There was nothing, absolutely nothing that he wouldn't do; no magic too dark, no sacrifice too great, provided that it brought their reunion closer. In purely spellcasting terms it meant that he was quite happy to try the most difficult of enchantments without hesitation. Reaching out with his mind he stopped the driver's heart and waited impatiently as the horses slowed to a stop and began nibbling at the grass.
Davin kicked at the door with his naked feet until it finally gave way; tumbling out he land in the mud next to a wayside Board of The Truth. The rain dampened notice proclaimed
...The beheading of the treasonous Prelate of Salisarum who (with diverse others) had conspired to endanger the life of The Protected Prince Chiraevon (may he ascend the Centre Throne) by introducing him to the vile and corrupting influence of the Warlock Davin Darkblade, son of the notorious highwayman Solly The Dip Sunlit.
Davin punched the sign in annoyance. It seemed to add insult to injury that they'd not even gotten his name right. Finally the fact that he was standing naked in a patch of snow registered on his mind. He shivered and set about stripping the driver's corpse and searching the coach for anything that might be useful. The clothes were too large and he was forced to roll up both sleeves and leggings, but for some reason his Unicorn fur cloak had been on the passenger seat. Davin sat for a while smelling the fur which still held the scent of Chiraevon's cum. Davin felt thankful that he still had it and felt a perverse pride that where it had once been virgin white it was now stained pitch black by the powerful orgasmic energies he and Chiraevon had unleashed.
The snorting of the horses brought him back to the present and he set about getting rid of the evidence, guiding the coach into a stand of trees and then releasing three of the four horses; the last he rode bearback pointing it toward the Eastern horizon. The entire Empire of All was situated west of Salisarum, therefore he was already getting closer.
* * *
One year later
"The letters came through today! Master Timin read them too me, so he did!" said Quiliam excitedly "I am to be Valet to the Prince!"
The occupants of the Inn shouted various levels of inebriated congratulation, surprised that a village boy from their village had been selected for such a prestigious duty. The only man that didn't was the stranger in the black cloak who covered his reaction by taking a sip from his ale. Had anyone thought to comment they would have noted that young Quiliam and the stranger were enough alike that they could have been brothers.
Security around Prince Chiraevon had always been tight, but the failure of Davin to arrive at his intended place of execution had made that security almost impenetrable. Davin had long since concluded that a direct approach was impossible, whilst he was now probably the most powerful spellcaster in the world; that was only true when he and Chiraevon were apart. He could quite well imagine disintegrating whole chunks of Salisarum only to become enraptured and powerless as soon as he set eyes on his beloved. Fortunately Chiraevon was his match in intelligence and was equally obsessed with making it as easy as possible for Davin to sneak back in. Specifically, the Prince had commanded that he only wanted servants who looked like his 'murdered' consort. Davin guessed that he was expected to swap places with one of them and get in that way. It couldn't possibly work, at least not as Chir had planned it.
He drained the wooden tankard and departed, the Valet would take horse later, camping overnight in a certain clearing, he would need to be there first.
* * *
Davin stripped naked and sat cross legged on the unicorn cloak letting his senses expand and connect with the ancient forest. Although the Valet didn't know it, he intended to sleep in one of the most dangerous places in the Empire of All. Left to itself the forest would take the young man in and make him one of its own, another disappearance on the great road. The trick would be persuading the primordial Green that it was in its interest to be a little patient.
Communication took the form of a dream, but even so the immensity of The Green and the patient complexity of its plans might easily have sent a less determined Spellcaster insane. He'd assumed that The Green was the unified spirit of this particular forest, in fact the forest was more akin to a branch or a runner vine growing into the world from another. Impossible images flashed through his mind, a place called Area 51 on a world with only a single moon and another world where people were blue and mountains floated in the air. The Green examined his soul in its totality, the decision not to absorb him into itself only coming when it detected the distant fragment of Centaur heritage hidden within his blood. The Green knew Centaurs, they were not a part of The Green in the way that the Satyr, Dragonets, and Naga were, but they were not harmful, not like humans.
In some ways The Green's world spanning nature made things simpler, it wasn't in any way a stupid plant. Carefully Davin set out his audacious plan, the crazy desperate gamble and explained in mental pictures how The Green would expand its holding as a consequence. The branches rustled as if moved by a breeze, it might have been a signal of agreement, but it might not. One thing Davin was certain of, The Green followed its own agenda.
Something pricked his arms, needle sharp, more followed. Opening his eyes he noticed that a Fair of Dragonets had descended on him, each miniature dragon no longer than the length of a finger. He sat perfectly still, trusting them not to bite. The fact that they didn't attack was proof that The Green fully understood the concept of a military alliance.
Sometime later the rustle of vegetation and the snapping of twigs heralded the arrival of Quiliam the Valet.
"I say, hello?" said Quiliam the Valet
"Quietly" replied Davin
"Are... are you ok?"
"I'm fine, I'm just practicing an enchantment"
"Ahh.. a Spellcaster you are then. Are those real Dragonets? I've never seen one before"
"Yes, this is their home."
"They're so beautiful, the way the light glints off their scales as it does. Sometimes I wish I had wings you know, flying seems like such a special thing" said the valet wistfully
Davin smiled to himself, slightly relieved that his plans for Quiliam at least had a very slight silver lining. "If you wanted, I could fly you to Salisarum"
"You can fly? Really? No disrespect Master Spellcaster, but I've never heard tell of such a spell" said Quiliam "oh but it would be something to tell them back home. So I'll say yes sir to your kind offer."
Davin nodded and shoo'd the fair of Dragonets into the air.
Trilling with high pitched voices the tiny creatures circled the clearing once before descending upon the valet, tiny fangs piercing his exposed neck and hands. The youth gave a startled yelp and fell to the ground. Seconds later he began to pant, arching his back against the ground his cock forming a tentpole in his leggings. The Dragonets set about shredding his clothes, like a frenzied schoal of piranha they stripped the Quiliam's shirt and leggings into fingernail sized shreds. Once the body was entirely stripped of cloth the fair lifted into the air again circling once more before descending on Quiliam a second time.
This time the Dragonets were in full rut, their ovipositors extended, penetrating and fucking whatever they landed on. Davin winced slightly as he watched the tiny eggs bulged down the ovipositors, becoming embedded deep into the youth's flesh. The only thing stopping him from intervening (and ruining his own plan), was the fact that Quiliam was loving it, screaming "Yes! and more!"
The mating was fast, after only a minute the Dragonets were finished and flew back up to their tree to wait and watch. Quiliam's moans of pleasure weakened quickly until he lay still; at first he looked a mess, dark blue eggs visible under near translucent skin, penetration wounds oozing pale blue Dragonet cum that prevented blood loss. Slowly Quiliam's skin became opaque and then bone white speckled with brown.
Davin's eyes widened in surprise realising that he was now looking at an eggshell; an eggshell shaped like a teenager caught in the throws of ecstasy. As with everything else to do with the Dragonets, gestation was fast, moments later the egg was cracking in multiple places as tiny heads poked through. In a flurry of activity, a new fair of Dragonets emerged and took to the air, each about a quarter the size of its parent. Of Quiliam there was nothing left beyond the shell fragments and some blue goo.
Overhead the two fairs mingled in a tornado of silver red and gold wings swooping and diving, their joyous display lasting a full five minutes before the hatchlings glided away from the parents, forming a separate swirling formation that gradually resolved into a human shaped swarm and then settled as the tiny dragonets grabbed a hold of one another. There was a flash of light like sunlight glinting off dragonet wing. Davin blinked. Once the blink was over Davin realised he was looking at Quiliam the valet standing naked before him a blissful smile on his face and an erection down below.
"We can fly!" said Quiliam the Fair, with the simplicity of a newborn "We love you Davin of Sunlit!"
"And the bargain?" asked Davin
"The Green says We are yours. We will give your mate messages. We will protect it from harm. We will not hunt it." Replied the Fair, seeming eager to be off doing something else less boring "We will fly now, all the way to Salisarum, We are the Prince's valet; it's a very important job, so it is."
Quiliam seemed to evaporate, starting at the head and moving down as the dragonets sequentially launched themselves into the air, circled the clearing and then headed East. A single Dragonet remained, hovering in front of him and then landing delicately on his shoulder, his tiny forked tongue tickling Davin's ear.
* * *