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big battle is coming! There's still a lot more left to go, though.","description_bbcode_parsed":"<span style='word-wrap: break-word;'>The big battle is coming! There&#039;s still a lot more left to go, though.</span>","writing":"THE BOY HEROES FROM THE LAND OF ERIK (A Series of Epics)\nEpic no. 4 - \nLev’s Tale\nBy DamiJon\n\nChapter Eleven\n\n\tAs the house clears, a strange misty fog settles through the streets. Aldan remembers to grab a bag of coins before he leaves, then heads off. There are more people shopping, grabbing food, or just wandering around than usual tonight, which seems odd given the current political situation. He walks further out close to where Lev's temple and home is, then onto a forested road near a smaller lake. A small, gated bar greets him, barely lit from the candle posts sealed to trees that shroud over the place. Two men just as strong as Aldan stand by the gate with armor and swords. They check Aldan's credentials before letting him in, reminding him that he gets a discount for being of service to the kingdom. The security would seem a bit over the top, but they like to keep their dancers as safe as possible and spoil them as much as they can as well. By the door are a collection of outdoor patio seats, which are mostly taken by young adults and older folks who smoke cigars and drink fancy whiskey. Aldan enters through the heavy doors. Inside, it's not completely bright, but not as dark as before either. A trio of musicians plays by a group of tables. The bar is very cabin like, comforting and soothing, yet there's an extra element that brings the bar to life. The dancers and bartenders, and there are nine of them watching over around the forty customers that they have on this busy night, are boys, aged around twelve to seventeen. One of them walks up to Aldan, an elf with a bowl-cut hairdo that's a sharp, fine blonde. He's wearing nothing but green shorts. His skin is pale enough that all of his veins can be seen, along with his pointed ears, and gentle presence with his innocent smile. The elf stands around five foot two. “Hello, sir. Has anyone helped you yet?”\n\tAldan greets the young elf in his own language, followed by a quick disclaimer, “That's all of my elvish, sorry. I'm meeting someone.” Aldan peers around the room looking for Peter.\n\t“What's his name? Maybe I can help you.”\n\t“Peter. A guardsman at the prison. Like me.” Aldan catches himself. “A guardsman at the prison. Yay tall.” He holds his hand where Peter's head to top out.\n\t“Ah. Yes, he showed up not too long ago. Follow me.” The elf guides him to a smaller, round room that is veiled with a sparkly black curtain. The seats are red and the table is painted black, with a pole emerging from the center of it. Peter puts his cigar down on a tray, moving a second one over to Aldan, along with a set of matches. “Glad to see that you could make it. This here is Cameron. He's my waiter and dancer anytime that I come here.”\n\tCameron nods and bows. “Can I get the two of you started off with some ales or an appetizer? After you've had a drink or bite to eat, I can give you a price menu if you would like to get to know me better.”\n\tAldan sits and stretches out his legs, keeping his sword out of the way. “Ale, something lighter. What's a good appetizer? Something light. Thank you, Cameron.”\n\t“I'll bring you a shrimp tray, then. But if you get hungry, our salmon is delicious.” He exits, giving them a glimpse of a perfect chunky ass in tight shorts. Peter whistles and goes back to smoking his cigar. “So what do you think of him? Oh, remember this. You can look, but you're not allowed to touch. You can stroke yourself, but don't get any fluids on him.” He chuckles to himself, taking a small sip from a glass of whiskey next to him.\n\t“Hmmm.” Aldan nods. He can't help but think about Drew and the one night Lev and Bryan experimented with him. It wasn't that long ago, but it feels like ages have passed. “He's your favorite?”\n\t“Yeah. Not just because of his body, but he's a nice one as well. Elves are always interesting folk.” Once cigar smoke has engulfed the room Peter puts his cigar back down, urging Aldan to take his offer and have one for himself. Cameron returns with the shrimp tray soon after and mentions that he will give the two of them time to eat before he comes back. After eating a few of the sweet shrimps Peter gets a bit more serious. “They had one of my old prisoners from F block take Alexander's place for that Thursday. It's nice knowing I won't have to work with as many of them, but having your job... I've only had it for two days and can already see why you quit. That's not saying I won't. It's just different.”\n\tAldan nods. “It was never easy. It's such a fine line, trying to keep things going smoothly but not becoming friends or more with a prisoner. Well, the younger one are never easy. The unrepentant rapers, those are easier. But the young ones that made a horrible mistake. It weighs on a man.”\n\t“Yes, that's true. That's why I wanted your advice.” He takes a larger swig of whiskey. “I never talk to my prisoners unless I have to, but I feel like with these ones I should do more. Maybe we would be helping each other since I'm their guard and you're their counselor.”\n\t“Anything I can do, Peter. To help you, to help them.” Aldan lights a cigar and takes a swig of ale. It' cold, crisp and smooth, meshing surprisingly well with the cigar. “Good ale, nice cigar. Who's weighing on your mind?”\n\t“Other than my wife? Ha!” He tries to make a joke to weigh out the tension of the conversation. “I don't know. Some of them are just so scared and I don't see the darkness in them that is supposedly there. I'm not sure I'll be able to perform my duties correctly when the day comes or how I'll react. Nor do I want them to be scared either, but I guess that's where you come in.”\n\t“Yes, I understand. What can I do?”\n\t“Just tell me what I need to do in order to keep myself from losing my job.” He finishes his whiskey and grabs a few more shrimp, laying back comfortably in his seat.\n\t“Well, one of the first things you have to realize is that, essentially, you're talking to ghosts. They're already dead. There's nothing you can do about that. Nothing at all.” He takes a shrimp, twirls it slowly in his fingers. “You're as able to bring this fella back as to save a prisoner from the axe. Once you accept that, you can help them accept that. Then it's just a matter of helping them decide how they want those last days, last hours, last minutes to be. Do they want to be scared? To fight it? Or do they want to have peace in their hearts and minds?”\n\t“Peace, of course. They deserve peace no matter what they've done. Even the Alexander Steel, no matter how far his involvement or information goes. Of course, he's likely to live for a long time now, or at least until the Cruiberg war ends, which has yet to begin.” He returns to his cigar, tapping his foot as he waits for Cameron's return.\n\t“You know, for the younger ones, you'll find that all they want, all they ever wanted, was someone to listen to them. To hear them without smacking their face or punching them or raping them.” He takes another drink of ale and puffs his cigar. “If they'd had that before they murdered or whatever their crime, probably half would never have even thought of doing what they ended up doing. But if you beat a boy, punch him, beat him down with words, he'll lash out, just like a dog. Most of the time, he won't even lash out at who hurt him the most, but at who is right there when it finally gets to be too much.”\n\tAldan sighs. “They'll look to almost like their father. If you're calm, they'll be calm. If you're quiet, they'll be quiet. If you're strong, they'll be strong. And when it's done and they're in the box, you find somewhere alone where you can process it all.”\n\tPeter thinks in silence on the words that Aldan tells him, thinking about all of his current prisoners, along with the other ones that are a bit older. “Well, you know... If they ask for something to you, I'll make sure that it's done. That's beside the point, though. You know that I'd never hurt a prisoner. Not just because of what you do or for moral reasons, but I was smacked around a lot as a kid and that's why I enlisted in the army, to get away. Thank you for your advice.”\n\tCameron returns to the room, handing them a price list of what he can do. “Thirty silver he will strip. Fifty for a full dance. Seventy-five to see him cum. Two hundred to have a conversation afterwards. Three hundred to see him get fucked. Here's the menu, my men. Look it over and see what works best for you.”\n\tAldan looks over the menu. “Three hundred? Who gets to fuck him? That's the job I want.” He chuckles.\n\tCameron looks outside of the curtain for a moment. “Ah, a human, fifteen, just a wee bit older than me. He's a ginger with a large pecker. You can pull out your cock and have a wank at any time, but there's a rule against touching. The guards would drag you to where you work if something like that were to happen.” He gives a seductive look. “So, what will it be?”\n\tPeter whispers into Aldan's ear. “I have enough for it all.”\n\t“Tempting, tempting.” Aldan looks over Cameron and some of the other boys working. “The problem is, when I was a boy, my father took to an exhibition of rare and exotic animals. They were in cages, so we could look. And there was a bear. Hugest thing I'd ever seen in my life.” Aldan gestures with the cigar in one hand, illustrating the story in the air And I wasn't happy just looking. “No sir. I had to touch that bear. Feel his fur. So I snuck in and jumped into his cage. And I felt his fur. Soft. Like you wouldn't believe. Bear didn't hurt me. But my dad? And the exhibition owners? Tanned my hide. I bled red and couldn't sit for a month without it stinging.” Aldan smiles. “Now, what do you think would happen if I touched that bear, and I was the best swordsman in the city?” Aldan pauses for a moment. Then he winks at Cameron. “Rules are rules, though. Seems terribly cruel to torment a man, a hero in battles large and small...but, buy what you will, Peter. I'll be on my best behavior.”\n\tCameron points to under the table. “There's grease and rags under there if you feel the need to please yourself. Gentleman...” He moves the shrimp tray off of the table and next to where Aldan sits, then steps up on the table facing them, his back against the pole. With one foot, he kicks away the menu, then he brings his ass down and spreads his legs. “Can I have a taste of your cigar, sir?” Peter hands him the half-finished cigar. The young elf puffs on it heavily as he holds his hands up, grinding his ass against the pole and humping the space in front of him. He hands the cigar back, then slowly does his button and zipper.\n\tAldan chew his cigar end, watching the boy perform on the pole for him and Peter.  Cameron is beautiful. Desirable. Untouchable. Taking a long drink from his mug, he takes a deep breath, trying to clear his mind and concentrate on the dancer. His skin looks so smooth, so soft. Kissing him would be exquisite. Holding him. He watches, observing the boy and Peter's reactions.\n\tCameron raises up one leg, magically tossing himself upside down and holding himself up with his feet as he climbs to the top of the pole. He does a simple slide down and does splits, stretching backwards to show his athleticism as he does so. Then to one knee, he dances against the pole until he's standing back up. Peter is rubbing one hand against under his chest against his chest as he watches the elf strip off his shorts, revealing his nude body to them. He walks backwards, moving downwards and arcing his perfect ass. It's softness is unlike anything Aldan has seen before, beautiful beyond words. He spreads both cheeks, slaps them, then twirls around the pole before climbing back to the top. He slides down in circles with his legs spread out, showing off his tiny two and a half inch cut pecker. The dance becomes more intimate and complex as he goes on and the two of them clap and cheer as he does seemingly impossible techniques with the pole. Finally, he comes down to take a sip from Aldan's ale, then sits on his knees and begins to tug on his penis with two fingers.\n\tWatching the boy stroke his small, yet perfectly proportioned dick, Aldan tries to lose himself in the performance. He holds tightly onto his mug, using it to keep his hands from reaching for the elf-boy dancing within his reach, but still untouchable. Examining the elf as he moves and gyrates, Aldan concentrates on his preferred areas. The elf's armpits and nipples. Hairless and smooth, the skin pale and almost delicate. Aldan finds himself comparing the dancer to Drew, to Lev, to Bryan. To his own elf all those years ago. Even to Alexander Steel. “I need something stronger. Keep dancing, Cameron.” He flashes a smile at Cameron as he rises and moves to the bar. As the barkeep approaches, he orders. “Absinthe.”\n\tThe bartender gives him a glass of absinthe with three sugar cubes, leaving the spoon inside as he hands it to him. Right as he returns, the boy is standing on one leg, stretching it over the pole to show his ass hole and puts a finger to it. He massages lightly, then presses it inside to the knuckle with ease. “Ahhh.... Have to get ready for my ginger, right?” He fingers himself like this for a bit, then comes back down and moves up closer between the two of him, stroking his erect dick, which is three inches hard. He rubs one hand against his chest as he feels himself coming closer, shuts his eyes and moans. “Ahhh!!! Fuck! Here it comes!” Three spurts of clear cum fire out and into/onto Aldan's glass of absinthe. He uses his hand to lick up the rest of the cum on himself, sits down criss-crossed, and folds his arms. “Consider that a reward for keeping your hands restrained. Onto the next part where you get to speak to me. What do you want to talk about? You can rant to me about your troubles or ask me questions, it doesn't matter.” He brings back up the shrimp tray, eating a few pieces in a seductive manner.\n\tStirring the cum into the drink, Aldan shrugs. “You're party here, Peter. You first.” He takes a sip of the absinthe-elf cum mixture, swirling it around in his mouth to get the full flavor.\n\tPeter places his cigar down to eat some more off of the shrimp plate. “Ahh. How is your day going? Making enough money? How's your sister?”\n\tThe elf fixes his hair, then cleans down the pole with one of the rags and some oil. “Had a few customers earlier today that paid me quite well. I'm glad I still had some semen left in me after all of that. I think just today will be enough to pay down the house for the rest of the day. My sister, she's always busy, you know, a traveling doctor in the forest. A raven gave me a letter a few days ago from her and she says that they're going to spend a week camping out in a crater as some sort of vacation.”\n\t“Camping in a crater?” Aldan's interest is piqued. “That sounds unusual. From a volcano or a meteorite?”  He holds his glass up after taking another sip. “You certainly improved the taste, Cameron.”\n\t“Meteorite.” He winks. Thank you.\n\tPeter buggers on. “He lives and takes care of his father, who was severely wounded in a battle long ago against the Cruiberg when they were fleeing here. Poor Cameron... I wish there were more elves here in the kingdom for you to befriend. I know you think otherwise, but you should do more than dance.”\n\tHe winces. “But I'm still young and have five hundred or more years to go. This isn't the only thing I do either, you know! I hold special self-defense classes for some of the youth in town. Kids shouldn't be walking out alone late at night when the streets are so full of vile.”\n\t“I have a friend, an elf boy not much older than you.” Aldan takes another sip, finishing the glass. The warmth of the absinthe creeps into his limbs. He looks at Cameron again. His face. His eyes.” We sometimes spar against each other. I could introduce you two.” He holds up his empty glass until the barkeep notices, then he signals for three absinthes for the table. “He lives at the demon temple.”\n\t“Oh? How strange. A non-demon living there.” He stirs his absinthe gently, then chugs it down. “I'll find our ginger friend.” He walks out in his nude form, then returns a few minutes later. \n\tThe redhead is much about the same age, human and about five foot eight, short carrot colored hair, and a bit of a chubby build to him. He's wearing the same kind of shorts that Cameron had on. “Hello, gentleman. You requested to see some deep dicking, yes?” Cameron nods, putting the finished shrimp tray back by Aldan. He reminds them about the rags and lube if they need it.\n\tAldan shifts uncomfortably. He takes a drink, downing half the glass in one pull. “You do it here? On the table?”\n\t“Of course!” The ginger strips off his shorts, revealing his immediately erect and thick seven-inch circumcised cock. His pubes are a vibrantly bright orange color, barely trimmed at all. He hugs at Cameron's stomach, nuzzling his face into his belly and gives him soft kisses.\n\t“My... He's as big as I!” Peter pulls down his pants and undergarments, slowly masturbating his six-inch uncut cock. He spits into his hand and licks his lips as he watches the two of them tongue kiss and playfully toss each other around on the table.\n\t“Not bad.” Tapping the side of his glass he looks around the room. Draining the rest of his second drink, he stands. “Toilets?”\n\tThe ginger points. “To the far left of the room.”\n\tNods Thanks. Don't wait for me. Aldan heads for the restroom. He enters, moving to a urinal and relieving himself. He washes his hands, holding them out in front of himself and watching them dry. Leaning against a wall, he tries to think. Cameron is beautiful. Gorgeous. Yet, he feels no hunger for the dance or the show. It bothers him that he can't hunger for the elf boy. “What the fuck is wrong with me?” He sighs and washes his face. Heading back out to the main room, he pauses at the bar, checking on the happenings at their table and around the room.\n\tThere are two other rooms like the one that Aldan and Peter has. Most of the crowd has vanished, although there are a dozen at the bar and some more at tables getting waited on.\n\t“I'll take the whole bottle this time. Glasses and sugars for four.” He points to his table, making sure the bartender knows where to deliver the drinks. With a deep breath, he heads back, surveying the situation for a moment before he sits.\n\tAs he returns, Cameron is already in concentration, deep throating the redheads thick cock without any worry. The redhead has his back against the pole. He asks Peter for the lube and he hands it to him. “You're doing good. I'm going to start fingering you now.” He sits down, spreading out his legs so his erection is noticeable. Feet dangle over the edge of the table. One of the boy bartenders comes with a bottle of absinthe, preparing four drinks at the table. He blushes as he watches his two friends getting down to it. The redhead is sucking on Cameron and has three fingers in his ass.\n\tAldan slams his drink, barely taking the time to even taste it. He prepares another, hoping the to drown his thoughts and to be able to just enjoy the show. He feels the warmth of the absinthe coursing through him. Watching the boys on the table, he notes their performance in mechanical terms. The functionality of it. His cock feels nothing. Disgusted with himself, he prepares another absinthe for himself.\n\t“Don't drink so fast, Aldan.” Peter looks a little concerned, feeling as if he has something to do with it. He continues to jack off to the show anyway. In front of them, Cameron lowers himself on top of the gingers cock in front of them, riding it with ease and experience. It's obviously not the first time he's done something like this, nor is it the first time today. The ginger passionately kisses him as he grabs him by the armpits, eventually pulling him up with him as he stands up. He fucks him relentlessly, holding himself back from coming inside of him until the elf has came himself. When all is said and done, they fall back into the seats across from Aldan and Peter, tired and trying to catch their breath. The redhead swallows down his own drink and Cameron offers his to him.\n\tCameron reaches for his shorts and slips them on while laying on his back, his head beside Peter's and his legs in the redheads. “Knowing you, I'm guessing you'll pay at the end of the month?”\n\tPeter nods. “Sure thing.” He awkwardly dresses himself back up, looking worried at Aldan. “Are you alright, friend?”\n\tAldan nods. “Yeah, Peter. I'm good. I imagine you can spend quite a fortune here in a month.” Staring into his drink, he sips this one more slowly.\n\t“Well, this isn't something I do often. I typically just come here to have a drink, see Cameron dance, and talk to him. He's more of a drinking friend than anything.” He winks down at the elf, who sits back up and cuddles beside the redhead. “You need to go after your drink?”\n\t“Me? No.” He grins at the Peter and Cameron. “I can still hold my liquor. This isn't near as potent as the demon absinthe I'm used to. Still good stuff though.”\n\t“Alright. I can walk you home if need be.” He finishes his drink, stretching out his back and checking to see if his sword is still attached, a mental habit he has. The two boys bow and say their goodbyes before they leave off to help the new customers entering into the bar. “Something is troubling you, for sure.”\n\t“You know me. I'm a thinker. Not the best thing for a soldier or a guard.” Staring into his glass, he slowly asks. “You heard the stories about me and the demon convict?”\n\t“Of course.” He speaks quieter again, more serious in tone. “I know I've told you this before, but I truly am sorry you had to go through that. Love is strange... You found someone where you'd least expected them and then they're gone.”\n\t“Yeah. Can I ask you something, Pete?”\n\t“Go right ahead.” He lights his cigar again.\n\t“Do you like Cameron? Maybe even love him?”\n\t“Love him? No... I have a crush on him. There's another that I have thoughts about, but I don't think it would be responsible. It's only been two days that I've known him, but when I see him, I can't help but want to hug him and let him know it will be all alright.”\n\t“Yeah?” Aldan looks around. “Which one is it?”\n\t“Not here.” He refills his glass.\n\t“At the prison?”\n\t“Yeah. His name is Alec.” He sips from his absinthe. “But I won't dare speak to him. Not after hearing about what happened to you.”\n\t“Alec?” He looks surprised.” AleC. Not AleX?” He emphasizes the hard \"k\" sounds and the \"X\" from the two different names.\n\t“Yes, Alec with a C.” He looks away, shrugging his shoulders.\n\t“When's his time?”\n\t“Month from now. He was dealing starshatter and killed his partner when they had gotten in a fight over how he wasn't making enough money. The boy he murdered was an orphan, too.”\n\tAldan nods. “My last one was a boy dealing starshatter.” He stares at his hand. “His brother is boyfriends with my middle son. He's sleeping at my house right now.” He looks around for Cameron.\n\tCameron is leaning against a barstool, having himself a tea alone on his break. “That must be difficult. That drug has destroyed too many lives. Too many.” He finishes his glass and stands up, waiting for Aldan before he leaves the room.\n\t“Where are you going?”\n\t“I should get going home. I'll be on duty early in the morning.” He opens the curtain, handing Cameron a small brown bag full of coins. “Consider the extra as a tip. I'll see you next week.”\n\t“I'll try to make time to see Alec, Peter. Tomorrow or next day. Thanks for tonight. And I’m sorry for being less than ideal company.” He waves and gives his friend a lazy salute, reminiscent of their days on the front when they'd goof off behind the officer's backs. He sits, nursing his drink.\n\tCameron enters after a while, standing by the wall and watching over him. “Need any food, sir? Sober you up a bit?”\n\tHe looks up at Cameron, smiling, buzzed but not drunk. “How much for conversation?”\n\t“Free for now. I'm not on work at the moment.” \n\t“You know, you must hear everyday hundreds of times how cute you are. How many men tell you they love you? Offer to take you away from here?”\n\t“Oh, too many for me to count. But they won't dare touch me. If I see their hand getting close, I have to warn them that I lived in the most dangerous conditions of the forests for the first six years of my life.”\n\tAldan chuckles. “Two more...no, three more of these…” He holds up his glass. “I'd take that for a challenge. Don't worry. I like you too much to try anything What do you think of me? Don't sugar coat it, either.”\n\tCameron opens up a small container under the table, finding a few sugar cubes and fills him his drink. He leans an arm over the table and examines Aldan well. “Hmmmm. You're a father, for sure. I can see that in you. Compassionate, loving, empathetic. You've fought in wars and seen the worst in people. But you've also seen the best in them too. Fell in love a few times, I'm sure. Judging by the way you drink and compose yourself tonight, you weren't turned on because we reminded you of something, or someone... You lost someone. Still trying to grieve, but you're so busy trying to help other people and makes sense of it all that you're only halfway there.” He notices the necklace. She gave that to you.\n\tAldan pulls the necklace out and holds it so that Cameron can get a better look. He speaks softly. “He. He gave it to me. Drew. He was my husband for two days. He was a demon, thirteen years old.” He looks at Cameron. “You're very smart. What do you want to do? When this…” He gestures around the room. “--Isn't fun anymore and you've gotten enough gold?”\n\tHe sighs, slapping the table. “Man, I was close though! My condolences. Huh... When I'm done with this? Take it over, maybe...” He laughs, finishing his sandwich. “No. I'd like to leave the kingdom and find a village of my people, live there away from all of this chaos. But that won't happen until the Cruiberg have been overthrown and dismantled.”\n\tAldan Nods. “There'll be a war soon. The elf boy I spare with will go fight. So will his husband. I'll go. Maybe after you'll have a chance to go back with your father.” He works on the sandwich. He laughs. “You know, I'm normally quite the pervert. Had a young elf as a boyfriend when I was stationed on the frontier last war against the Cruiberg. They killed him. Married my demon boy. We fucked like rabbits for three days before he died. I've rented boys. Women. For some reason, as pretty as you are, it just doesn't work for me for some reason. Hope you're not offended.”\n\t“No offense.” He smiles. “If anything, it's a relief. I just want to do my job and get home most of the time. I still go to school too, you know. It's a lot and stress on me doing this for my father while my sister is gone. It would be a bit more fun if some of the dirtier men wouldn't pry themselves on wanting to marry me and so on. Peter's alright, a good fellow. He seems to genuinely care about me.” A young man enters the room, tapping him on the shoulder and telling him his break is almost over. “Oh, I must get going. It was nice speaking to you. I don't think I got your name.”\n\t“Aldan. I work at the school next to the prison. Counselor.” He laughs. “I'll be back, just to talk, Cameron. How much for a hug from someone?”\n\tHe makes sure nobody is watching. “Free, of course since we're off shift.” He scoots over to him and gives him a warm hug. “Take care of yourself.”\n\t“You too. If I see you in a week, I'll have one hell of a story for you.” He laughs and finishes his drink and sandwich. Leaving a few silver on the table, he looks around the room one last time and takes his leave, walking slowly as he heads home.\n\tThe walk home is quiet and the streets are almost empty, except for the few homeless and addicts resting on the streets. Aldan takes his time walking home. Once he's arrived, he heads upstairs to make sure the boys are asleep. He stands beside Lev and Bryan's bed, wondering what he should do with the wolf-demon. ‘How much time do I have left,’ he wonders. Aldan squeezes his sword, imagining that he could stab him right now and save his children and wife right now, but lets go and leaves in shame. He heads back to his room, stripping his work clothes and lays in bed beside his wife for hours before he finally goes to sleep. \n\n\tIn the morning, the clouds stay shielding the sun, although they're not as foreboding as before. Bryan tugs on Lev's shoulder to try and wake him up, but it's of no use. He considers pulling his horns, but doesn't want to upset him for the first time. Instead, he pets his long and fuzzy black wolf tail even after Aldan and Kate have reminded him to get dressed. Jay and Mikey are downstairs before he is. Kate calls out in an angry tone. Frustrated over them, he gives in and grabs a vase of water, dumping it on Lev. The black haired demon springs up in surprise and leaps to the bed across the room, his tail sprung up as he looks across the room. “Oh Gods, Bryan! You scared me!”\n\tBryan looks scared for a moment, then guilty. “I just needed to wake you up, Lev.” He grabs a towel and, ignoring the splashed water on his bed and floor, goes over and begins drying his boyfriend. “We're running late for breakfast and school.” He looks up at Lev from worried eyes, biting his lower lip “Are you mad?”\n\t“Of course not! Mad at my love?” He grabs his cheeks and kisses him. “Oh, darn. I hope Kate isn't angry at me for not helping.”\n\t“Probably not! I'm a little upset we don't have time to suck.” HIs lower lip sticks out as he pouts. “At least I know what we'll do after school. Cmon, let's get you dressed and eat.”\n\tLev looks down, shrieking when he notices he's naked, then laughs. He puts on his fundoshi and kimono robe, then walks hand in hand with Bryan downstairs. As expected, Kate is a bit behind on the meals and rushing around like crazy. He makes the coffee and helps her with a few final things before he sits down, sitting on his legs like Bryan. His tail wraps around the seat as it typically does when he's hungry. “You know, I think today is going to be an amazing day. Don't know why, but I can just feel it in my body.”\n\t“Can I feel it in your body?” Bryan smirks and sticks his tongue out at Lev. He looks over to Jay. “Are you feeling better, Jay?”\n\tBefore their green-haired guest can answer, Aldan says, seriously, “No one is feeling anything in anyone's body at the table.”\n\tJust about everyone around the table laughs, even the younger ones without completely understanding the discussion, except Kate. Jay answers much better. “I like your enthusiasm, Lev. I think it will be a good day, too.”\n\tBryan eats as he normally does. Too fast with too huge of bites. Jay and Milliken sit very close together, almost sharing the same chair. They whisper to each other throughout the meal. Aldan eats quietly, other matters weighing on his mind. He doesn't share the boys' optimism but keeps his thoughts to himself.\n\t“Everyone had better get a move on. Finish your breakfasts and clean up or you'll be late for school and work.” Kate speaks in her mother-commander voice, as she sets a plate of hot biscuits on the table. Everyone grabs one and digs in.\n\tLev waits impatiently for his food, flapping his tail and staring at his plate. “Oh man... I should have brought something from home.”\n\tKate slides a bowl of writhing eel and a pair of live crayfish in front of him. “Here you go, mister.”\n\tLev's face lights up as he sees the wild crawfish dancing and trying to escape the bowl. “Oh! How much I love you, Kate. Thank you thank you thank you!” He grabs a few of them in his hand, which try to pinch at him. “Oh no you don't! You're going in my tummy!” He crunches them up and washes them down with coffee. Jay watches idly while Mikey seems to take calculative notes on how his body can break down anything raw that he devours without any problem. “Delicious! It won't take me long, I promise.” He tears the eel in half, chewing one slice down before taking a break to tickle at Bryan's toes. Lev leans into him, whispering to his boyfriend about how much he loves him before returning to his meal.\n\t“It looks like more rain today.” Kate's standing at the back door, looking at the clouds. “No dates, no riding, no fooling around. I want you all back home quick as can be once school lets out.” She smiles at Jay. “You're welcome to stay tonight, Jay.” She looks at Lev and sighs. “You should start getting your mail sent here, Lev. You’re one of the family now, so, I don't have to remind that you're welcome every night.” She smiles at Lev, winking at him too, letting him know that he is one of the family which makes him fair game for teasing.\n\tLev glances to her, holding his coffee cup up. “Glad to be part of the family.” He finishes his meal, smiling in a daze as he waits for everyone else to catch up. “Those poor crawfish didn't stand a chance against my hunger. Nothing ever does.”\n\tWithout thinking Bryan giggles as he chimes in. “My dickie sure doesn't!”\n\tEveryone stops. Aldan lowers his paper and looks at Kate. Bryan, realizing what he said, begins to blush. Mikey, grabs his board and scribbles some notes. Kate looks at Bryan, her eyes focused and angry. “Bryan. We don't talk like that at the table, or in front your little brother and sister. Do we?”\n\tBryan shakes his head. “No, ma'am. I'm sorry ma'am.”\n\tThe rest of the meal passes in awkward silence. Jay and Mikey whisper to each other. Bryan eats, seemingly intent on filling his mouth so that he can't speak. Everyone finishes their meals, cleans their places, and prepares for school. Lunch basket are ready for Bryan, Milliken, Jay, and Aldan with a sealed jar holding something alive for Lev.\n\tAs they leave for school, Lev suddenly feels a strange feeling take over him and pierce into his head. It's not like the headaches. More so, it feels as if something is trying take control of him. His emotion is flat and motionless. He squeezes Bryan's hand as if it's the only thing keeping him from going insane. The streets are busy today and many people are panicked and loud. People are staring and bickering insults and slurs as they see Lev walk by. He notices a newspaper and grabs it from a shop, having immediately read it with that touch. Another explosion at the castle. This time it happened at the front gates. A dozen more soldiers dead just like before. It didn't matter how secure they had gotten the place that night and how many eyes that had on it. Somehow, another attack was able to happen. Lev squeezes the paper in frustration and confusion, then slaps Aldan's shoulder with it. Bryan waits by him, tugging on Lev's kimono to tell him that this is his stop. “Wait a moment.”\n\tAldan takes the paper, scanning through the article, his face growing more and more serious by the second. He looks at Lev. HIs grim expression gives way to concern. “Are you okay, Lev?” He pulls both boys off to the side, away from the crush of people.\n\t“No... I just want to get to school as fast as possible. “He looks around at the suspicious faces. “Bryan, I love you. I'll kiss you when I see you after school.” He hugs him quickly and stands close by Aldan for protection. Jay has no problem giving Mikey a quick peck on the cheek before he follows with them. Bryan looks concerned, but his brother comforts him as they take parting paths. “We need to get out of here right now. They think I did it.”\n\tAldan kneels down, searching Lev's face. “You didn't.” He pulls him close, hugging him tightly. “I love you, Lev.” He stands, wrapping his arm protectively around Lev's shoulders. He loosens his sword in its sheath. He leads the boys to school. “Stay close, Jay.”\n\tLev almost closes his eyes for the rest of the walk to school, feeling relieved as he finally enters. None of the students believe that he had any involvement in the attack, but their look seems concerned just as Jay and Aldan's are. He puts his lunch under his desk, goes to a folder to sort through his schoolwork, and quietly sits at his table. Jay asks quietly before Aldan heads to his office. “Do you think he will be okay?”\n\t“I think so.” Aldan pats Jay's shoulder. “Stick by him, Jay. You’re his best friend and he needs you. Come get me if anything happens. Alright, kidd-o?” Aldan watches the class for a bit, before heading into his office. He sits behind his desk, his eyes closed as he thinks. “Another attack. Why? How?”\n\tAs his questions stir, he can't help but to wonder if the Steele boy knew of the attack. A half an hour passes before a girl enters his office, pale skin and long black hair, all black clothes that cover most of her body. Aldan recognizes her as the friend that Jay and Lev talk to during lunch. She sits down, shyly observing the mostly empty room. “I thought I'd start speaking to you, since it's encouraged and you're here. My name is Ursula.”\n\t“Ursula?” Standing, Aldan moves and shuts the door. He pulls a chair out for her I'm Aldan. He regards her demeanor and choice of clothes. “I think I've seen you with Lev and Jay, am I right? How can I help you today?”\n\t“Yeah. They're my best friends.” She moves a chair a bit back to avoid the sunlight. “Well, my parents and I got in a fight yesterday. They said that I shouldn't be going to the library during the day when they know the sun can harm me, but the sun wasn't even out yesterday! Obviously, what they meant was that I shouldn't be outside whatsoever because if people see my teeth, they'll know what I am. It's never really about the sun...” She shrugs, looking away and at the door. “I'm a vampire. Adopted after the great rebellion. My parents were slaves to the lord Parcival. I was adopted by the kingdom once they found me. Parents were slaughtered by my own people. My adoptive parents are mere humans that had no clue what they were getting into.”\n\t“I see. I know that time well. I was prisoner to Lord Parcival for a time.” He looks at Ursula. “Was it a fight or an argument?”\n\t“Argument. Could have been a fight if they had wanted it to be.” She fixes her hair and looks to him. “Is it really so wrong for me to be out in public in the daylight if I have an umbrella with me?”\n\t“That depends on how badly the sun can hurt you.” He looks at her. “Maybe your parents are more worried about what people might do? Right now, especially, things are tense out there. People are scared and are apt to do things out of fear, especially if there's a mob.” He thinks back to this morning. “I saw it firsthand this morning.”\n\t“How so?” She looks out of the window, noticing the folks walking by. “So you think I should listen to them for now and try to make a compromise with them later on?”\n\t“Exactly.” He stands and looks out the window, watching the people. “You heard about the explosions the past two nights?” When she nods, he continues. “People suspect the demons or mages. This morning as we walked in, people were glaring at Lev. As if they'd thought he was the culprit. He's not, of course. He was at my house last night. But people were afraid, and they wanted to harm him. And he was with Jay and I. An umbrella can protect you from the sun, but not from an angry, ignorant mob of fearful people.”\n\t“Then what do I do? Have Raven walk with me home? That would be embarrassing.”\n\t“Well, I think Lev and Jay would be willing to walk you home.” He chuckles and shakes his head. “A demon, a green haired boy, a vampiress, and a guardsman. I think we could get you home safely. You could tell your parents that one of the boys is your boyfriend if that would make it easier.”\n\t“Boyfriend?” She shrieks. “They would lose their mind. Not a chance of that happening until I graduate. Besides, I don't date men.” She sits in contemplation, attempting to get over her own reluctance with her parents before she stands up. “Well, I better get off to class. I'll talk to the boys later about possibly walking home with them. Thanks for speaking to me, Aldan...” She winces and raises a brow. “And thank you for avenging my parents.”\n\t“Any time, Ursula. Have a good day.” He holds the door for her. “Keep an on eye on Lev, would you? He was pretty upset over this morning.”\n\tAfter she leaves, he makes some short notes in her file, reading any past notes. Trying to distract himself from the explosions and the feeling that time is running out, he looks through the student files. His door is left open for any student who wishes to talk to him.\n\tYoueen Aubert, the redheaded with a past addiction to starshatter, walks by the office a few times, peaking in and waiting for Aldan to have finished writing and reading paperwork. Once he feels as if he's done he enters, knocking on the door before he sits down. “Uhm, Hi Aldan.”\n\t“Mr. Aubert! How are you?”\n\t“I can't tell. Proud. Angered. Something in between.” He looks down, rocking back and forth as he admits to his crime. “I went and bought some starshatter last night.”\n\t“I see.” Without commenting, Aldan shuts the door so that Youeen can talk privately. He pats the boy on the shoulder. “Tell me why you're angered and why you're proud?”\n\t“Well, I'm angry for giving in after our talk and buying it.” He looks up to Aldan. “But I'm proud, because I went ahead and tossed it into the lake before school today, when my original plan was to smoke it before coming to classes.”\n\tNodding, Aldan speaks calmly. “You bought it last night? But tossed it this morning? You didn't smoke any last night?”\n\t“No. I wanted to but held off from it as much as I could. Now that it's gone....” He holds out an open hand, imagining that the drug is still there. “It just seems so hard to quit. What can I do with my life without it? Even after I graduate from here?”\n\t“First things first. Right now, I'm proud of you. Not only because you didn't smoke last night or this morning, but because you have the courage to tell me that you fucked up. Alright? That takes real courage, Youeen.” He knocks twice on his desk, catching Youeen eyes. “Real courage. As for the rest of your life, lets make a deal. Lets just worry about today.  About right now. Not about tomorrow or next week or after you graduate. Just worry about today. We can talk about the other stuff when you're closer to the end of school. Right now, I just want you to give yourself credit. Let go of the anger. We all make mistakes. And enjoy the pride because, Youeen, you earned that.”\n\tYoueen smiles, blushing a bit. He's not used to having someone speak this highly of him. “Just for today, I'll stay clean. He says it like a mantra. Just for today. Just for today.... I think I can do that. The more I look back on the past or towards the future the more scared I get. I often forget what's important and right in front of me.”\n\t“That's right. Don't be so hard on yourself. Just for today. I like that.” He smiles, genuinely proud of his student. “Let me ask you this, what was happening last night when you decided to buy? What is the hunger, the craving? Was something else going on at home?”\n\t“It was the loneliness...” He sifts further into his chair. “Being home alone, feeling as if nobody understands or likes me. All I want to do is run away or get high when I feel like that. So that's what I did for the most part, except getting high. It's not so bad though, is it? Things could be worse... Could be like the non-humans right now. If I were one of them, there's no way I'd stay clean from starshatter.”\n\tAldan sighs and nods grimly. “You've got a point there, Youeen. It's a hard time for them right now. So much suspicion. When you feel alone you need friends that you can just be with. Do you have any friends like that?”\n\t“Sort of. Everyone around here is nice, 'cept Grant. He's an asshole.”\n\t“You know, Grant's not so different from you or the other kids. Don't take his shit, by no means!” He grins as he shakes his head. “But he's got his own troubles. We all do.  If you need someone to talk to, when the idea of using again starts getting strong, find your friends or me. We'll get coffee and talk it through. Or we'll just get coffee and watch people.”\n\t“Sure.” He shrugs, smiling. Youeen stands up, fixing the chair before he walks to the door. “But Lev makes the best coffee of all. I'll see you later. Thanks again, Aldan.” He leaves quietly and shuts the door. Light rain begins to come down and trickles against the window. Another half hour passes before the next student comes in to speak. It's Grant, who seems to drag himself to the room and sits down almost reluctantly. His clothes smell like tobacco smoke. He says nothing, waiting for Aldan to spark the conversation.\n\t“Hello, Grant. It's starting to come down.” I think we're in for a big storm tonight. He sits opposite the boy. “How are you?”\n\t“Uhm, tired. I started a new job yesterday at a cigar joint. I probably smell like it too.” He takes a whiff of his shirt. “Yeah... No clean bath water at home either. Have to help parents pay for the apartment now.”\n\t“A cigar joint? You might end up seeing even more of me, then. I know that must thrill you.” Aldan leans back in his chair. “You said you have to help pay for the apartment now. What happened?”\n\t“Well, my Dad got fired from the restaurant he works at and is still looking for a job.” His demeanor is depressed and greatened by the bags under his eyes. “It's fine though. Free cigars for me.”\n\t“It says a lot that you step up for your mom and brothers and sisters, though. Until your father finds something. Free cigars are a bonus. Nothing beats a good stogie.” He thinks back to Peter and the club last night. “What else is on your mind, Grant?”\n\tThe boy sighs. “Well... I was thinking a lot about what you told me yesterday and I wanted to make an apology to Jay. Thing is, I don't know how to do it or what to say. What if he still hates me? Maybe everyone hates me here and I'll never make friends...”\n\tAldan interrupts. “Nobody here hates you. They don't like the way you treat them and bully them, but if you try to make a change, you'll be surprised how quickly they'll forgive you and give you another chance.”\n\t“But what do I even say? Hey Jay, sorry for calling you a green haired cocksuckin' faggot. Hope we can be friends!” He speaks sarcastically. “Yeah right. Like he will want to talk to me after what I said to him.”\n\t“Look, he may not give you hug and call you his 'best-buddy'. But he's not going to poke you in the eye with a stick. Just tell him the truth. Don't try to find some magic phrase, there is none. Keep it simple. \"I'm sorry for picking on you. I won't do it again.\"”\n\t“Should I apologize to Lev too? I mean... He apologized to me before he stormed out to the other classroom.” He falls deeper into his chair, confused and trying to wrap his head around being apologetic.\n\t“Do you think that you need to?” Lev attacked you. “Maybe you both should apologize to each other. When you want to, I can ask Jay or Lev or both in here and we can all talk together. You're not alone, Grant. Believe me, no one wants to be enemies.”\n\t“Yeah... My parents said that Lev and his people had involvement in the attacks. Even though he hurt me, I don't think I'd see him doing something like that. Maybe... Maybe everything they've indoctrinated into me is a lie.”\n\t“Parents can make mistakes just like everyone else. I can vouch for Lev's whereabouts during the attacks. None of the demons I know would ever be involved in something like that.” He leans forward “Where else do you think they may have steered you wrong?”\n\t“With all of the hating on different people. I mean, our school is full of diversity. Jay and I are the only humans at the school. It's stupid that I'm just now realizing all of this shit.” He rests the side of his face on his fist, staring out at the rain.\n\t“It's not stupid at all. Our parents teach us how to see the world. It's hard to realize that maybe they're mistaken or wrong. It hurts to realize our parents are flawed.”\n\t“Yeah...” He stays silent for a while, then finally speaks up. “I'll apologize to Jay before the school day is done with.”\n\tAldan nods. “I'm proud of you, Grant. Let me know when you're ready.” He looks out the window. “I enjoy the rain. Now that I'm not having to march through it and get into battle soaked, tired, and cold.”\n\t“Maybe I should join the forces to get away from my family. It would be nice to have something that would make my parents proud of me.” Grant stands up, pushing in his chair. “Well, I better get going before next class starts. I'll see you tomorrow and let you know how it goes.”\n\t“Alright. Take care.” He watches Grant leave, hoping to himself that the boy keeps examining his beliefs. Feeling slightly more optimistic, he makes notes in Grant's file. “Free cigars. That's a good gig to start off with.”\n\tOnce Aldan has finished with his notes for the day, he decides to have his lunch in the seclusion of his office before cleaning up and heading to the prison. Even though the rain is less abrasive as yesterday, the atmosphere is just as brooding. He meets with the warden, who shares the same look that Grant had just beforehand. The warden chugs down his coffee, sitting down in a chair by the center post inside and greets his friend. “Long day it was, last night. And you?”\n\t“Tired. Long night for me, for different reasons. Any news on the attacks?” He sits.\n\t“Nothing so far. Just that it was most likely the works of the Cruiberg, according to our informant.” He grabs Aldan's stack of files, sorting through them alphabetically. “You might want to see Neke again. His guard said that he was sobbing this morning. Technically, you can still see Alexander since he's still on your case load, but we will need some time to arrange that if you want. Try to see someone new as well. Anyone else in your files will do, of course.”\n\t“I'll see Alexander tomorrow, perhaps.” He looks through the files, searching for Peter's prisoner. “I'll see Neke today and at least one new one.”\n\t“Alright. Alexander said that he wanted to speak to you though. Said that it was critical and important, whatever that means....” Aldan finds the file for the boy that Peter spoke of. Alec Avitzur, 13, human. Committed a murder against an orphan when they had gotten in an argument. Sentenced to the block. Held in cell A9, the same cell that Drew was kept in.\n\tAldan closes his eyes for a moment. A9. He sighs. “I'll see Alexander as well, then. You said you'd need time for that? I'll see Neke and the Avitzur boy first, the Steel. Does that work for you, sir?”\n\t“Yes. That will do. Give me an hour or so.” He stands up, sighing dramatically. “We had to restrain the Steel boy by his ankles and arms after he had made for an escape last night. He had knocked out four guards before I had put him in a sleeper hold. No deaths, luckily. Well, I'll leave you to it.”\n\t“Make sure he's chained when I see him. I'd hate to kill him or be killed by him. But I'll see him.” Aldan stands and stretches his back, groaning as he does so. “I'll check in before I leave, give you an update on each of them.” Aldan heads for Neke's cell. He checks in the guards on duty to enquire about the boy.” Has he been eating? Have they been giving him decent food?”\n\tJust as he's walking past him, Peter notices Aldan and slaps him on the back. “Going to see Neke, I'm guessing? I'm just now getting on break. He was doing horrible this morning, sobbing like a maniac, but I made sure that he received his food, clothes, and a warm baths like your report had suggested. Do try to see Alec if you can? Anyway, I must hurry on so that I can still grab a bite.” Peter walks off. Neke is at his table, leaning back in his chair and trying to kill time. He notices his counselor at the door and sits down, putting his hands behind his back to show that he is of no harm.\n\tAldan enters and approaches Neke. “I hear you didn't have a good morning.”\n\t“How can I? Waking up in this place...” He holds his head with both hands. “Being here is hell.”\n\t“Yes.” Aldan moves over and hugs Neke. He's slightly on guard. He doesn't think Neke would try anything but knows that you can never be certain. “I know how bad it can get, Neke.”\n\tHe grabs his letters off of his nightstand and hands them to Aldan. “These are for you to mail out if you can. They have the addresses and everything on them. Thanks again for requesting for all of these things for me. I know deep down that you don't like me.”\n\t“How do you know that?” He thumbs through the letters.\n\t“Uhmmm....” He stumbles, trying to think of a reason. “Because of my crimes?”\n\tAldan pulls a chair around so that he can sit next to Neke. Holding Neke's shoulder, he talks quietly. “I married a prisoner, you know.” He gives Neke a moment to absorb what he's just told the boy. “He'd killed four men. Four. I loved him and married him. I don't hate you, Neke. You're just a boy who fucked up about as badly as someone can at your age. I'm here, like I said I would be. I don't like your crimes. But I like you.”\n\tNeke takes time to absorb what he has been told and begins to cry softly. “It's the first time that someone has said that they liked him for as long as he can remember.” He wipes away his tears. “Thank you...”\n\tHolding the boy, Aldan pats his back. “Cry as much you'd like, Neke. It helps. Believe me, it helps.”\n\tHe lets go of his emotions, allowing himself to sob until his hands for as long as he can until there's nothing left. Once he's finished, he takes a glass of water and sips half of it down to retrieve his voice. “I didn't write a letter for the girl I hurt. Figured that it would be the wrong thing to do. It doesn't matter what I say to her. Whatever she feels towards me is justified.”\n\t“It wouldn't be wrong to write to her. I'd have to read it first. But maybe you should write to her. What would you tell her if you could?”\n\t“That I'm an idiot and I'm sorry for what I did and hope that before the final day comes that I'll be able to take full responsibility for my actions. I don't know.” He drags letters over the table. “That I hope she finds a way to deal with what I've done and if I could take it all back, I would.”\n\t“Those are all things that might help her, too. I can't say for sure.” He looks seriously into Neke's eyes. “Write the letter. I'll go over it and make sure that she gets it. I can't promise to make her read it. For you, though, it's important to confront your feelings.”\n\t“Yes... I'll write it tonight.” He looks to Aldan and tries to smile to him.\n\t“Good lad. Is there anything else you'd like to talk about? How's the food been? Is there anything that you need?”\n\t “Better food. My guard, Peter, has been keeping up on making sure the needs you gave him are met.” He exhales deeply and sits down on his bed. “Maybe an extra pillow would help? Otherwise, I think I'm good for now.”\n\tAldan nods. “An extra pillow it is. I know it can be terribly boring here. That's part of the hellishness of it al. What about books? Or cards?”\n\t“Oh yes. Books and cards would be delightful.”\n\t“Gods know that there are days I could use a good card game with a friend.” He smiles at Neke. “I'd like to stay longer, Neke. But I've got two other prisoners to see today. You'll be okay for the night?”\n\t“I hope so.” He laughs. “Can't promise that I won't cry again. You can go. I'll be... fine.” He lays on his bed, staring up at the ceiling.\n\t“Alright. I'll try to make it by tomorrow.” Aldan exits the cell and makes his way back to the guard room. He sits and makes notes in Neke's file. He asks one of the guards to send a clean pillow to Neke.\n\tHis thoughts turn to A9. He skims the file and heads for the next prisoner, hoping that the memories of A9 don't overwhelm him. He prays silently to himself. \"Help me, Drew. With everything.\"\n\tSuddenly, his necklace glows for a short moment as he walks closer to the cell. Inside, a boy lays on the side in his bed with the covers under his armpits. One of his hangs over the bed, holding open a book that he's not reading. There's two plates sitting on his desk, breakfast and lunch. It's not like the meals are cheap. If anything, it looks as if someone had brought it from outside of the prison for him. Yet, they remain untouched. Alec's long caramel brown hair is greased to the right of his face. He seems too innocent to be in a place like this, but the crimes say otherwise. He notices someone standing by his cell, but looks away uninterested.\n\tWith a deep breath, Aldan enters the cell. He tries to concentrate on the boy in front of him. Tries to block out the memories of kisses and eels, of wine and piss. Of love and marrying Drew in the corner, right there. HE shakes his head, driving the thoughts back. He owes Alec his full attention. Clearing his throat, he tries to start a dialogue. “Hello, Alec. My name is Aldan. How are you today?” He gestures to the undisturbed plates of food. “Not much of an appetite today, eh?”\n\t“Not hungry.” He grunts. “Who are you exactly? What are you hear for?”\n\t“I work next door, at the school. Until last week, I was a guard here.” He pulls a chair near the bed and sits. “I'm here to talk with you. To try and help you.”\n\t“Strange...” He sits up in bed, putting his book away. “You're the first person that's talked to me so far.”\n\tAldan points at the food. “Well, somebody must think about you. That's not standard prison food.”\n\t“Yeah...” He walks over to Aldan lazily, pulling up a chair and sitting down. “My guard left me that. Haven't ate for more than a day now. Are you going to force the food down my throat?”\n\tAldan scrunches his nose in disgust. “No. Gods, that would be a horrible thing to do to you and a waste of good food.” He points at the plates. “Do you mind?”\n\t“Go ahead.” Alec waves his hand as he speaks.\n\tAldan tries to pick items that won't have suffered for sitting since breakfast. He snacks as he talks. “Mmm. Not bad. How come you're not hungry? Stomach bug? Or is it this place?” He gestures around the room.\n\t“Too depressed to eat. Sometimes too numb”. Alec fishes a glass of water for himself, filling another one for Aldan.\n\t“Thank you, Alec.” He takes a drink. “Are you being treated well enough? It's my job to make sure that you're treated well. And that you understand what's going to happen.”\n\t“Well, everything seems cleaner than I expected in here. The bed is pretty nice.” Suddenly, Aldan picks up a fork and begins to work on his breakfast of cold eggs and sausage. “When they said prison, I thought they meant a tiny cell that's all rusted and disgusting. This is like a five star hotel.” He cracks a small smile just for a second. “I don't know exactly what goes on... I mean, I've never been to prison or seen an execution before. All I know is that I'll be here for a month and then I am taken care of for what I did.”\n\t“You got lucky. This cell is . . . for special boys. Somehow.” He smiles inwardly, glad to see Alec eating. He looks around the cell. Everywhere there's a memory. And each memory is a reminder of what he's here for, what his new job is. “I'll be visiting you three or four days a week. We can talk if you want. Read together, play cards. Or you can ignore me. It's all up to you. I used to run the detail that carried out the final sentences, so I can answer any questions you have there.” Picking at the food, he wants to make sure that if Alec is still hungry after the eggs, he has more to eat. “Anything at all.”\n\tAlec stays silent until he's finished his breakfast, then wipes his hands at the bath and sits back down. “So you can bring me books? Play cards with me?”\n\tAldan nods. “Oh yeah. I can read to you if you'd like. Cards, other games. We can just sit and talk, too. If you have any friends or family, I can take letters to them. Check and make sure they're well, if you're worried.”\n\tAlec sits up closer, smiling to him. “That would be nice. My parents have a lot of tabletop games that they can give to you. I'll write a letter asking if they can bring them over. Having someone to play games with would mean the world to me right now. If you can, I like mystery novels.” He turns around the other plate, eyeing it and choosing not to eat. “Uhm... So I guess I should ask what happens, then. You know, on the final day.” He frowns, looking to the gate that imprisons him, then back to Aldan.\n\tAldan leans down, so that his eyes are level with Alec's. “Are you sure? It upsets some people.”\n\t“Better to know now rather than the day before, I guess...”\n\t“Okay.” Clearing his throat, Aldan sighs and begins. “You'll be woken up, given breakfast and a chance to bathe and get cleaned up. A squad of five will come. Peter will most likely be in charge. I'll be here if you want me to be. Holding your hand as we go, or just walking with you. He stands and paces We'll lead you out to the execution yard. The crowd there will cheer. Some may yell at you, but we'll keep them from getting out of hand. Peter and I will lead you up the steps of the platform. A clerk from the magistrate will read your crimes, the verdict and the sentence.” He looks at Alec to see how he's holding up so far.\n\t“They'll cheer?” He looks surprised. “Well, I guess it makes sense that they would... How many people do you think will be there?”\n\tAldan shrugs. “Depends on the weather. What day it is. Could be as few as a dozen, as many as two hundred. They'll cheer when the sentence is read. I'll probably be talking to you through it all. You give the executioner a silver or gold coin, and kneel at the block. We'll get you ready, the drums will roll. Peter will have a signal worked out with the executioner. Something you won't notice. Once it's given, the executioner will take his axe and behead you. You won't even know until after.” Aldan looks away from the boy. Remembering Drew and his execution. “Your head will be lifted and shown to the crowd. Then your body will be coffined and you'll be taken away and buried.”\n\tAlec stays silent, processing and imagining what it will be like, visioning that it'll be a butchering that will hurt him or go just as he said. His chest aches as he realizes the gravity of the situation and how real it all is. “Are people normally scared? Do you think I will be? I don't want to be frightened, screaming, or crying... Where will I be buried? Will my family be there?”\n\tNodding slowly, Aldan sits next to Alec. “You'll be scared. Everyone is, to some degree or another. I'll do my best to make sure you're not screaming or crying. Your family will be there if they want to be. Your parents can have you buried where they wish. Otherwise, you go to a convicts graveyard.” He rubs Alec's back. “I don't think Peter or I will let that happen. If your parents can't or won't, we'll make sure you have somewhere decent to lie.” Aldan continues to rub his back, waiting for the boy to comment.\n\t“Crazy to think that one mistake that I made would lead me here...” Alec moves over the lunch plate, deciding to eat some off of it. “I hope my parents come as support. There's no telling. They're still in shock... Do you have kids, Aldan?”\n\t“Yes.” He nods and laughs I keep acquiring more, too.\n\tHe eats quietly. “How old are they?”\n\t“Bryan's my oldest. He's 11. His boyfriend practically lives with us. He's demon-born, also 11, I think. That's Lev. Next comes Milliken, who is 9 and his boyfriend Jay, who's 11. I'm not sure. I should find out. Some father I am!” Aldan laughs. “Sally is 7, no boyfriend, and Jereminy is 5. And my wife is expecting in a few weeks. What about you? Brothers, sisters? Or is it just your ma and pa?”\n\t“Just my ma and pa....” He sighs, twiddling his fingers against the desk. “I'm an only child.” Suddenly, Alec grabs Aldan's hand. “Promise me you'll bring your oldest boys. Let them know what happens when they make a single mistake as stupid as mine.”\n\tHe covers, Alec's hand with his own, then draws him in for a hug, holding him as long as the boy remains in his arms I won't let them see you die, “Alec. I might bring them with me one day. So we can all play a game together. If that's okay with you, that is.”\n\t“No, Aldan...” He begins to cry against Aldan's chest. “They need to see it. They'll be my age soon enough.” He begins to sob, snorting back up his snot and wiping his face against Aldan's clothes and sleeve. “Sorry. I'm a mess. I'll get better. I promise.”\n\tAldan holds Alec tightly. “No reason to apologize to me, Alec. You're fine. You're fine.” He rocks the boy in his arms. \n\tAlec lets go of everything, becoming weightless with Aldan. He hushes and calms down given time. After a while, he walks back over to his bed and sits down, unable to speak. Somebody is walking down the hallway.\n\tAldan pours a cup of water for Alec, watching the hallway, expecting to see Peter. He gives Alec the water. “Drink this, kiddo.”\n\tHe takes the glass in both hands and sips. “Thanks... The prisoner on the other side of the wall said he saw the execution dates and said that I'm second after a boy my age is hung on the other side of the prison. Why does he get the rope and I get the axe?” He covers his feet under the sheets.\n\t“Rapers get the rope. Killers get the axe.” He sits on the bed, his mind immediately flashing back to fucking Drew on this bed. He pushes the thought and image from his mind. Or tries to. He rubs Alec's feet through the sheets. “Hanging is more painful, there's apt to be more mistakes, which make the prisoner suffer more. The axe is quick and clean. Virtually painless.”\n\t“That figures.” \n\tSuddenly there's a clang at the bars. It's the warden. He takes a cigar out of his mouth and murmers. “Everything's ready.” \n\tAlec puts his water down between his legs, wishing that he could have more time with his new counselor and friend.\n\tAldan leans close to Alec. He whispers sofltly, “I'll be back. With cards and games and book or two. Promise me you'll eat? And wash your hair.” He grins at the boy, patting his leg. “I must go. Another prisoner needs to see me.” He stands and walks across to the cell door. He waves back at Alex and he leaves and heads down the hallway with the warden.\n\tBoth of them head down the hallway, past the center spot, and towards a door by F block that leads down a hundred stairs, which are almost pitch black. The warden pulls out a match and leads the way, opening three sealed doors before they're at zero block, made for the most dangerous and those held for questioning. The hallway is wet, lit by torches on the walls, and one feels as if their entire body is dirtied just be being in its presence. There are only three others on the block besides Alexander. Between them, there are six guards on duty. As they come closer, Aldan came hear the sound a whistled tune, cartoonish and playful, yet haunting. The warden does the keys for him and reveals the cell. “Here you are. If he tries to attack you, go right ahead and kill him.”\n\t“Oh, now why would I do that?” Alexander mockingly states.\n\tAldan walks into Alexander's cell. He looks around, looking for the opulence and luxury of his former cell. He regards Alexander coolly. “You're alive. That means your cooperating. You wanted to see me?”\n\t“Yes, of course.” Alexander is against the wall in a chair sealed to the ground. His feet and arms and chained to it. He wears only his pants. Fresh whip marks are noticeable over his back and chest, some of them bloody, bound to leave scars. There’s also bruises from being punched on his stomach. Two of his two toenails have been pulled off and wrapped with gauze. As beaten down and dirty as he looks, it's clear that he's not broken. “My... What you did to me was plain rude! Could have at least fucked me before you knocked me out! Funny how it works out. You turning me and having me put into this hole has given me more time to live! Somehow everything always seems to work out for me.”\n\t“Maybe after the war, if we're both alive, we'll split a bottle of absinthe and I'll fuck your brains out.” Aldan sits. “You're welcome, by the way. Something tells me the whip wasn't entirely unwelcomed.”\n\t“No, it was not, but I wanted something like it anyway. Well, I wanted it from you.” He spits. “I've come to play a little game with you. You see that glass over there? I'm awfully thirsty. Can you replenish my thirst?”\n\tLooking at the glass, Aldan sighs. “Water? Piss? Wine? All three?”\n\t“Whatever pleases you. You know what I'd prefer.” He licks his lips.\n\tHe rises and fills the glass with wine. He brings it back to the wounded boy, holding the glass and giving him a drink. He hates to see any boy tortured, but Alexander pushes his buttons. The only reason he won't fuck him if because Alex would enjoy it too much. “More? Maybe if you cooperate, I'll let you have some of my vital essences.”\n\tAlex closes his eyes as he drinks it down as if it were to cleanse him. “I had wondered if you were a fool or a knight of cups. The answer seems clear to me now. Now let's see here. We don't have much time, if I reckon. I'm cooperating. Is there something you're just dying to ask me?”\n\t“Who says I can't be both?” He sits and looks at Alexander. “Such beauty wasted on such a vain and shallow heart. I have many questions I'd like to ask you. I suppose the one you want me to ask is pretty obvious. What do you know about the explosion attacks? Will there be another one tonight? And so on.”\n\t“What do I know?” He blasts out in laughter. “Everything there is to know! Silly Aldan. Another attack? Oh yes... The most beautiful one of all. Would you like to know more?”\n\t“I would. What do I have to do? What's your price for answers?” Aldan stretches. He knows this is going to get depraved.\n\t“Oh? I didn't even have to ask. I'll tell you what. You show me that cock of yours and stroke it for me just for a little bit and I'll give you everything you need to know.” Alex shakes his head, his only way of getting his hair out of his face.\n\tStanding, Aldan reaches forward, leaning his face close to Alexander's. He brushes the boys hair out his face and whispers to him. His mouth brushes the boy's ear as he talks. “That's all? Must not be much information. You'll have to bear with me while I get hard.” Aldan leans down and sucks on one of Alexander's nipples, reaching down to fondle himself through his pants.\n\t“Ahhh.... You're a playful one. I sure hope you make it out alive tonight.”\n\t“Help me make it thought the night and I'll fuck your brains out.” Aldan switches to the other nipple, licking some of the blood from Alex's torso. He stops and stands, taking a step back. Unbuckling his belts and pants, he pulls out his cock, half erect. He tries to make sure Alex doesn't notice the knife he keeps hidden under his left arm. He flops his cock up and down in front of Alex, letting the taste of sweat and blood turn him on and helping his cock swell.\n\t“Sure you don't want to put it in my mouth?” He tries to lean his head forward to lick at the tip, but ends up having his body painfully yanked by the chains.\n\t“Oh no. You're like as not to take an inch or two for yourself and bite it off for safe keeping.” Aldan grabs his cock and begins stroking it, pointing it at Alexander. He moves closer, keeping his member out of grabbing or biting reach. Stroking it slowly, he lifts it so the boy can get a better view of his balls. He moves it side to side, giving him yet another view. His hand slows and stops. Releasing his cock, which stays hard and bounces in time with his heartbeat, he holds his hand against Alexander's mouth and nose. “Smell it, Steel. Lick my hand. That way you get an idea of what it tastes like and I get some spit-lube to carry on.” He's ready to pull his back if Alex misbehaves.\n\tAlex sucks on each fingers, licks the palm, and spits all over it. His eyes show stunned and horny he is, not realizing he truly is the fool and just as much lost in his desire for the man standing in front of him that he can't help but obsess over. “So beautiful, perfect... I want to help you, but only you – not Harath.”\n\tTaking his spit-slick hand and wrapping it around his cock, Aldan resumes stroking himself. He leans down and sucks and bites, Alexander's nipples. With his free hand, he tears Alex's pants, ripping and pulling then until the boy's cock springs into view. He gives the young cock a few quick, dry strokes. “Why only me? What makes me so special, Alex?”\n\tAlex's erection leaks with pre-cum, pulsating and the head turning purple. His moans of pleasure are so intense that feels as if he could cry. “When I first saw you and how much you seemed to care I couldn't help but fall in love... Oh yes, love! Such an ugly word. Don't think of me as a traitor. Just think of me as a curious wild card.”\n\tAldan searches Alex's eyes for some sign of genuine emotion. He doesn't expect to find any. Pushing his pants down further, he sits on Alexander's lap, facing him. He holds both cocks together, bottom against bottom. He strokes both at the same time. “Wild card...I love playing cards. We can compare deck size.” He smiles at his own pun but is enjoying the closeness of another body. “Give me a secret, Alex. Something so good I have to wash it down with your load.”\n\t“A secret...” He looks down, cum leaking from his piss slit, knowing he'll explode soon. “Cruiberg has a weapon of proxy. Its destructive power is unlike anything I can even imagine.” His head falls back, leaning against the cold metal of his chair. “Fuck, Aldan! I'll cum!”\n\t“What's the weapon? How do they use it?” He slides down and takes the leaking cock into his mouth.  He sucks hard, sliding down the hard member, burying his nose in the boy's light brown pubes. He begins swallowing, letting his tongue and throat work the dick as he maintains his suction.\n\tAlex shoots five ropes of warm semen deep into Aldan's mouth. He's never felt such pleasure in his entire life. His entire body shakes in the chair, feeling as if he might faint until every last drop is licked off of his dick. “Now you get anything you want. The weapon is meant to sabotage the kingdom and cause further chaos. It's not meant to destroy everything, but it could depending on how long it lives. The Cruiberg didn't think that through, though, which is typical of them.”\n\tAldan sits in Alex's lap again. He kisses his neck and chest. “It's a living weapon? How do they communicate targets to him? Her? It?”\n\t“Two sources.” He tries to kiss back but is unable to land a peck. “Apparently, they've had two successes in the past. As of right now, the weapon has already been waxed and prepared. There's no telling as to when it will go off.”\n\t“How do we stop it? What's its name?” He kisses Alexander hard. Driving his tongue into his mouth, one hand feeling at the boy's throat, ready to fondle him or to crush his trachea. “Tell me, Alex, so I have an excuse to fuck you over and over. Give me a reason to want your asses?”\n\t“His name... I don't know. All I know is that is certainly the strongest demon on the planet and his purpose is to destroy the King's castle and anyone else in the way so that everyone across the planet is told to believe that demons are vile evil that shall be lay to waste. Of course, I tell you this because I know otherwise.” He kisses Aldan's hand as it tightens around his neck. “The wheel of fortune has answered your call. Now to see if the phoenix of judgment rises from the black wings of death. I'm counting on you, Aldan, or else there will be no further secrets about the Cruiberg to tell you. The destruction and deaths are inevitable, but how much will happen is up to your discretion now.”\n\tAldan kisses him again. Whispering in his ear. “I'll be back if I live.” He stands and redresses himself. Taking two paces toward the cell door, he stops and returns to Alexander, leaning down. “Your cum was delicious. Hope I get to have more.” Brushing Alex's hair out if his face again, he strokes his cheek softly. The gesture is cut short as he exits the cell. He looks for the warden.\n\tThe warden waits at the end of the hall in the dark with his cigar. He hears Aldan's call. “And?”\n\t“We're fucked.” Looking at the warden, Aldan's mind races. “We need couriers. Now.” His usual deference and respect to the warden are lost in the urgency of the moment. He strides purposefully towards the nearest guard room and office. His eyes burn with intensity and anger. He keeps one hand over the amulet from Drew.\n\tThe warden sprints upstairs and to Aldan as fast as he can. Whistles and sirens can be heard throughout the prison. “What do we do? What did he say? Another attack?”\n\t“Yes.” Aldan grabs paper and quill. He begins writing addresses and short notes. As he finishes, he hands each to the warden. “A courier to the Temple of Selune. We need the priestess, Allahnna. No time to lose.” A second note is slammed into the warden's hands. “The demon temple. A demon boy, Aizen. His husband Holt. I need them at the school. Now!” A third note. He glances out the window, noting the time of day. “My son Bryan. He should still be at school. He needs to head for the school next door.” He stops, taking deep breaths to calm himself I need a drink.\n\tThe warden grabs the sheets and brings him a glass of water. Guards are standing close by and watching the two of them. “Here, take these.” The warden hands the papers off to one of his men, telling them where they go, then announces that they need horses prepared, a raven sent to the king to let them know they're going to be under a major attack, and that the prison also needs to be secure in case it becomes a point of interest. \n\tAldan asks, “Does the King have a mage in his service? A real mage?”\n\t“Quite a few. They'll be dispatched when they receive our message. I'm taking it that this one is larger than the previous two? An army? Rebellion?”\n\t“I can't explain. Just get them word that if there are any Cruiberg agents or sympathizers that they've been watching, they need to apprehend them now. Right now. Not tonight. Right fucking now.” Aldan begins to pace. In his mind he's running through the likely progression of events. Lev is the weapon. He's sure of that. Two previous versions. Drew and the other demon boy. The anger, the fire, Drew's prediction and warning. It all fits. But how to stop them? How? He slams one fist into the other.\n\tAldan's horse is prepared at the front gates and two guards hand him armor and weapons as he marches out. They follow with him barely half a mile to the school. It has finished raining, leaving the ground muddy and filthy. At the front of the school the principal is outside already talking to three officers. Aldan can see all of the students inside through a window, standing up and arguing, possibly in a panic. The principal notices you and yells, “He's gone! Lev, he just vanished!”\n\tAldan freezes. HIs legs are shaking. “He's gone. He's gone. I'm too late. I'm too late.” He feels everything he's been holding in start to fall away, to cut loose. Looking at the school he see a bit of green bobbing at the window. “Jay. Milliken. Bryan.”\n\tMounting his horse, he rides near the principal. “Keep them inside. Don't worry. I've got this, I know how to save everyone. But keep them here.” Spinning his horse in a circle, he rears. When the horse returns to all fours, Aldan stands in the saddle and looks at the students in the windows. “Grant! Tell Jay what we talked about. Don't wait! Jay! Give him a chance.” He waves and kicks his horse into a gallup. He yells at pedestrians to get out of his way. One hand guides the horse, the other holds the amulet. His mind works, races. “Where would he go? To Bryan? To the castle to kill the King? To the temple and his only other friends, Aizen and Holt?”\n\tAldan rides aimlessly through town, confusing all of the others that follow his way. Out of nowhere, his horse speeds pass Holt and Aizen. The blonde demon holds out his letter to the warrior above. “We received your letter. Any room on a horse for us?” Holt orders one of the warriors to give up his horse for the two of them just as he's asking. He slaps his forehead, jumping up and holding onto his boyfriend. “He's not at the temple, so that's off of the list. Is this it? Is today the day?”\n\t“Today's the day. He disappeared from school.” Aldan looks worried. “Do you think he's heading for Bryan or for the palace? Love or hate?”\n\t“As much as I'd like to say the former, I'm going with the latter.” Aizen squeezes Holt's waist tightly. “I love you, no matter what happens today.”\n\t“You two should take the horse and go. Put as much distance as you can between you and the city.” Aldan begins riding towards the palace. His face is grim. His mind rolls over his choice - try to talk or just kill Lev. Talk or kill...","writing_bbcode_parsed":"<span style='word-wrap: break-word;'>THE BOY HEROES FROM THE LAND OF ERIK (A Series of Epics)<br />Epic no. 4 - <br />Lev&rsquo;s Tale<br />By DamiJon<br /><br />Chapter Eleven<br /><br />\tAs the house clears, a strange misty fog settles through the streets. Aldan remembers to grab a bag of coins before he leaves, then heads off. There are more people shopping, grabbing food, or just wandering around than usual tonight, which seems odd given the current political situation. He walks further out close to where Lev&#039;s temple and home is, then onto a forested road near a smaller lake. A small, gated bar greets him, barely lit from the candle posts sealed to trees that shroud over the place. Two men just as strong as Aldan stand by the gate with armor and swords. They check Aldan&#039;s credentials before letting him in, reminding him that he gets a discount for being of service to the kingdom. The security would seem a bit over the top, but they like to keep their dancers as safe as possible and spoil them as much as they can as well. By the door are a collection of outdoor patio seats, which are mostly taken by young adults and older folks who smoke cigars and drink fancy whiskey. Aldan enters through the heavy doors. Inside, it&#039;s not completely bright, but not as dark as before either. A trio of musicians plays by a group of tables. The bar is very cabin like, comforting and soothing, yet there&#039;s an extra element that brings the bar to life. The dancers and bartenders, and there are nine of them watching over around the forty customers that they have on this busy night, are boys, aged around twelve to seventeen. One of them walks up to Aldan, an elf with a bowl-cut hairdo that&#039;s a sharp, fine blonde. He&#039;s wearing nothing but green shorts. His skin is pale enough that all of his veins can be seen, along with his pointed ears, and gentle presence with his innocent smile. The elf stands around five foot two. &ldquo;Hello, sir. Has anyone helped you yet?&rdquo;<br />\tAldan greets the young elf in his own language, followed by a quick disclaimer, &ldquo;That&#039;s all of my elvish, sorry. I&#039;m meeting someone.&rdquo; Aldan peers around the room looking for Peter.<br />\t&ldquo;What&#039;s his name? Maybe I can help you.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Peter. A guardsman at the prison. Like me.&rdquo; Aldan catches himself. &ldquo;A guardsman at the prison. Yay tall.&rdquo; He holds his hand where Peter&#039;s head to top out.<br />\t&ldquo;Ah. Yes, he showed up not too long ago. Follow me.&rdquo; The elf guides him to a smaller, round room that is veiled with a sparkly black curtain. The seats are red and the table is painted black, with a pole emerging from the center of it. Peter puts his cigar down on a tray, moving a second one over to Aldan, along with a set of matches. &ldquo;Glad to see that you could make it. This here is Cameron. He&#039;s my waiter and dancer anytime that I come here.&rdquo;<br />\tCameron nods and bows. &ldquo;Can I get the two of you started off with some ales or an appetizer? After you&#039;ve had a drink or bite to eat, I can give you a price menu if you would like to get to know me better.&rdquo;<br />\tAldan sits and stretches out his legs, keeping his sword out of the way. &ldquo;Ale, something lighter. What&#039;s a good appetizer? Something light. Thank you, Cameron.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;I&#039;ll bring you a shrimp tray, then. But if you get hungry, our salmon is delicious.&rdquo; He exits, giving them a glimpse of a perfect chunky ass in tight shorts. Peter whistles and goes back to smoking his cigar. &ldquo;So what do you think of him? Oh, remember this. You can look, but you&#039;re not allowed to touch. You can stroke yourself, but don&#039;t get any fluids on him.&rdquo; He chuckles to himself, taking a small sip from a glass of whiskey next to him.<br />\t&ldquo;Hmmm.&rdquo; Aldan nods. He can&#039;t help but think about Drew and the one night Lev and Bryan experimented with him. It wasn&#039;t that long ago, but it feels like ages have passed. &ldquo;He&#039;s your favorite?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Yeah. Not just because of his body, but he&#039;s a nice one as well. Elves are always interesting folk.&rdquo; Once cigar smoke has engulfed the room Peter puts his cigar back down, urging Aldan to take his offer and have one for himself. Cameron returns with the shrimp tray soon after and mentions that he will give the two of them time to eat before he comes back. After eating a few of the sweet shrimps Peter gets a bit more serious. &ldquo;They had one of my old prisoners from F block take Alexander&#039;s place for that Thursday. It&#039;s nice knowing I won&#039;t have to work with as many of them, but having your job... I&#039;ve only had it for two days and can already see why you quit. That&#039;s not saying I won&#039;t. It&#039;s just different.&rdquo;<br />\tAldan nods. &ldquo;It was never easy. It&#039;s such a fine line, trying to keep things going smoothly but not becoming friends or more with a prisoner. Well, the younger one are never easy. The unrepentant rapers, those are easier. But the young ones that made a horrible mistake. It weighs on a man.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Yes, that&#039;s true. That&#039;s why I wanted your advice.&rdquo; He takes a larger swig of whiskey. &ldquo;I never talk to my prisoners unless I have to, but I feel like with these ones I should do more. Maybe we would be helping each other since I&#039;m their guard and you&#039;re their counselor.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Anything I can do, Peter. To help you, to help them.&rdquo; Aldan lights a cigar and takes a swig of ale. It&#039; cold, crisp and smooth, meshing surprisingly well with the cigar. &ldquo;Good ale, nice cigar. Who&#039;s weighing on your mind?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Other than my wife? Ha!&rdquo; He tries to make a joke to weigh out the tension of the conversation. &ldquo;I don&#039;t know. Some of them are just so scared and I don&#039;t see the darkness in them that is supposedly there. I&#039;m not sure I&#039;ll be able to perform my duties correctly when the day comes or how I&#039;ll react. Nor do I want them to be scared either, but I guess that&#039;s where you come in.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Yes, I understand. What can I do?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Just tell me what I need to do in order to keep myself from losing my job.&rdquo; He finishes his whiskey and grabs a few more shrimp, laying back comfortably in his seat.<br />\t&ldquo;Well, one of the first things you have to realize is that, essentially, you&#039;re talking to ghosts. They&#039;re already dead. There&#039;s nothing you can do about that. Nothing at all.&rdquo; He takes a shrimp, twirls it slowly in his fingers. &ldquo;You&#039;re as able to bring this fella back as to save a prisoner from the axe. Once you accept that, you can help them accept that. Then it&#039;s just a matter of helping them decide how they want those last days, last hours, last minutes to be. Do they want to be scared? To fight it? Or do they want to have peace in their hearts and minds?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Peace, of course. They deserve peace no matter what they&#039;ve done. Even the Alexander Steel, no matter how far his involvement or information goes. Of course, he&#039;s likely to live for a long time now, or at least until the Cruiberg war ends, which has yet to begin.&rdquo; He returns to his cigar, tapping his foot as he waits for Cameron&#039;s return.<br />\t&ldquo;You know, for the younger ones, you&#039;ll find that all they want, all they ever wanted, was someone to listen to them. To hear them without smacking their face or punching them or raping them.&rdquo; He takes another drink of ale and puffs his cigar. &ldquo;If they&#039;d had that before they murdered or whatever their crime, probably half would never have even thought of doing what they ended up doing. But if you beat a boy, punch him, beat him down with words, he&#039;ll lash out, just like a dog. Most of the time, he won&#039;t even lash out at who hurt him the most, but at who is right there when it finally gets to be too much.&rdquo;<br />\tAldan sighs. &ldquo;They&#039;ll look to almost like their father. If you&#039;re calm, they&#039;ll be calm. If you&#039;re quiet, they&#039;ll be quiet. If you&#039;re strong, they&#039;ll be strong. And when it&#039;s done and they&#039;re in the box, you find somewhere alone where you can process it all.&rdquo;<br />\tPeter thinks in silence on the words that Aldan tells him, thinking about all of his current prisoners, along with the other ones that are a bit older. &ldquo;Well, you know... If they ask for something to you, I&#039;ll make sure that it&#039;s done. That&#039;s beside the point, though. You know that I&#039;d never hurt a prisoner. Not just because of what you do or for moral reasons, but I was smacked around a lot as a kid and that&#039;s why I enlisted in the army, to get away. Thank you for your advice.&rdquo;<br />\tCameron returns to the room, handing them a price list of what he can do. &ldquo;Thirty silver he will strip. Fifty for a full dance. Seventy-five to see him cum. Two hundred to have a conversation afterwards. Three hundred to see him get fucked. Here&#039;s the menu, my men. Look it over and see what works best for you.&rdquo;<br />\tAldan looks over the menu. &ldquo;Three hundred? Who gets to fuck him? That&#039;s the job I want.&rdquo; He chuckles.<br />\tCameron looks outside of the curtain for a moment. &ldquo;Ah, a human, fifteen, just a wee bit older than me. He&#039;s a ginger with a large pecker. You can pull out your cock and have a wank at any time, but there&#039;s a rule against touching. The guards would drag you to where you work if something like that were to happen.&rdquo; He gives a seductive look. &ldquo;So, what will it be?&rdquo;<br />\tPeter whispers into Aldan&#039;s ear. &ldquo;I have enough for it all.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Tempting, tempting.&rdquo; Aldan looks over Cameron and some of the other boys working. &ldquo;The problem is, when I was a boy, my father took to an exhibition of rare and exotic animals. They were in cages, so we could look. And there was a bear. Hugest thing I&#039;d ever seen in my life.&rdquo; Aldan gestures with the cigar in one hand, illustrating the story in the air And I wasn&#039;t happy just looking. &ldquo;No sir. I had to touch that bear. Feel his fur. So I snuck in and jumped into his cage. And I felt his fur. Soft. Like you wouldn&#039;t believe. Bear didn&#039;t hurt me. But my dad? And the exhibition owners? Tanned my hide. I bled red and couldn&#039;t sit for a month without it stinging.&rdquo; Aldan smiles. &ldquo;Now, what do you think would happen if I touched that bear, and I was the best swordsman in the city?&rdquo; Aldan pauses for a moment. Then he winks at Cameron. &ldquo;Rules are rules, though. Seems terribly cruel to torment a man, a hero in battles large and small...but, buy what you will, Peter. I&#039;ll be on my best behavior.&rdquo;<br />\tCameron points to under the table. &ldquo;There&#039;s grease and rags under there if you feel the need to please yourself. Gentleman...&rdquo; He moves the shrimp tray off of the table and next to where Aldan sits, then steps up on the table facing them, his back against the pole. With one foot, he kicks away the menu, then he brings his ass down and spreads his legs. &ldquo;Can I have a taste of your cigar, sir?&rdquo; Peter hands him the half-finished cigar. The young elf puffs on it heavily as he holds his hands up, grinding his ass against the pole and humping the space in front of him. He hands the cigar back, then slowly does his button and zipper.<br />\tAldan chew his cigar end, watching the boy perform on the pole for him and Peter.&nbsp;&nbsp;Cameron is beautiful. Desirable. Untouchable. Taking a long drink from his mug, he takes a deep breath, trying to clear his mind and concentrate on the dancer. His skin looks so smooth, so soft. Kissing him would be exquisite. Holding him. He watches, observing the boy and Peter&#039;s reactions.<br />\tCameron raises up one leg, magically tossing himself upside down and holding himself up with his feet as he climbs to the top of the pole. He does a simple slide down and does splits, stretching backwards to show his athleticism as he does so. Then to one knee, he dances against the pole until he&#039;s standing back up. Peter is rubbing one hand against under his chest against his chest as he watches the elf strip off his shorts, revealing his nude body to them. He walks backwards, moving downwards and arcing his perfect ass. It&#039;s softness is unlike anything Aldan has seen before, beautiful beyond words. He spreads both cheeks, slaps them, then twirls around the pole before climbing back to the top. He slides down in circles with his legs spread out, showing off his tiny two and a half inch cut pecker. The dance becomes more intimate and complex as he goes on and the two of them clap and cheer as he does seemingly impossible techniques with the pole. Finally, he comes down to take a sip from Aldan&#039;s ale, then sits on his knees and begins to tug on his penis with two fingers.<br />\tWatching the boy stroke his small, yet perfectly proportioned dick, Aldan tries to lose himself in the performance. He holds tightly onto his mug, using it to keep his hands from reaching for the elf-boy dancing within his reach, but still untouchable. Examining the elf as he moves and gyrates, Aldan concentrates on his preferred areas. The elf&#039;s armpits and nipples. Hairless and smooth, the skin pale and almost delicate. Aldan finds himself comparing the dancer to Drew, to Lev, to Bryan. To his own elf all those years ago. Even to Alexander Steel. &ldquo;I need something stronger. Keep dancing, Cameron.&rdquo; He flashes a smile at Cameron as he rises and moves to the bar. As the barkeep approaches, he orders. &ldquo;Absinthe.&rdquo;<br />\tThe bartender gives him a glass of absinthe with three sugar cubes, leaving the spoon inside as he hands it to him. Right as he returns, the boy is standing on one leg, stretching it over the pole to show his ass hole and puts a finger to it. He massages lightly, then presses it inside to the knuckle with ease. &ldquo;Ahhh.... Have to get ready for my ginger, right?&rdquo; He fingers himself like this for a bit, then comes back down and moves up closer between the two of him, stroking his erect dick, which is three inches hard. He rubs one hand against his chest as he feels himself coming closer, shuts his eyes and moans. &ldquo;Ahhh!!! Fuck! Here it comes!&rdquo; Three spurts of clear cum fire out and into/onto Aldan&#039;s glass of absinthe. He uses his hand to lick up the rest of the cum on himself, sits down criss-crossed, and folds his arms. &ldquo;Consider that a reward for keeping your hands restrained. Onto the next part where you get to speak to me. What do you want to talk about? You can rant to me about your troubles or ask me questions, it doesn&#039;t matter.&rdquo; He brings back up the shrimp tray, eating a few pieces in a seductive manner.<br />\tStirring the cum into the drink, Aldan shrugs. &ldquo;You&#039;re party here, Peter. You first.&rdquo; He takes a sip of the absinthe-elf cum mixture, swirling it around in his mouth to get the full flavor.<br />\tPeter places his cigar down to eat some more off of the shrimp plate. &ldquo;Ahh. How is your day going? Making enough money? How&#039;s your sister?&rdquo;<br />\tThe elf fixes his hair, then cleans down the pole with one of the rags and some oil. &ldquo;Had a few customers earlier today that paid me quite well. I&#039;m glad I still had some semen left in me after all of that. I think just today will be enough to pay down the house for the rest of the day. My sister, she&#039;s always busy, you know, a traveling doctor in the forest. A raven gave me a letter a few days ago from her and she says that they&#039;re going to spend a week camping out in a crater as some sort of vacation.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Camping in a crater?&rdquo; Aldan&#039;s interest is piqued. &ldquo;That sounds unusual. From a volcano or a meteorite?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He holds his glass up after taking another sip. &ldquo;You certainly improved the taste, Cameron.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Meteorite.&rdquo; He winks. Thank you.<br />\tPeter buggers on. &ldquo;He lives and takes care of his father, who was severely wounded in a battle long ago against the Cruiberg when they were fleeing here. Poor Cameron... I wish there were more elves here in the kingdom for you to befriend. I know you think otherwise, but you should do more than dance.&rdquo;<br />\tHe winces. &ldquo;But I&#039;m still young and have five hundred or more years to go. This isn&#039;t the only thing I do either, you know! I hold special self-defense classes for some of the youth in town. Kids shouldn&#039;t be walking out alone late at night when the streets are so full of vile.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;I have a friend, an elf boy not much older than you.&rdquo; Aldan takes another sip, finishing the glass. The warmth of the absinthe creeps into his limbs. He looks at Cameron again. His face. His eyes.&rdquo; We sometimes spar against each other. I could introduce you two.&rdquo; He holds up his empty glass until the barkeep notices, then he signals for three absinthes for the table. &ldquo;He lives at the demon temple.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Oh? How strange. A non-demon living there.&rdquo; He stirs his absinthe gently, then chugs it down. &ldquo;I&#039;ll find our ginger friend.&rdquo; He walks out in his nude form, then returns a few minutes later. <br />\tThe redhead is much about the same age, human and about five foot eight, short carrot colored hair, and a bit of a chubby build to him. He&#039;s wearing the same kind of shorts that Cameron had on. &ldquo;Hello, gentleman. You requested to see some deep dicking, yes?&rdquo; Cameron nods, putting the finished shrimp tray back by Aldan. He reminds them about the rags and lube if they need it.<br />\tAldan shifts uncomfortably. He takes a drink, downing half the glass in one pull. &ldquo;You do it here? On the table?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Of course!&rdquo; The ginger strips off his shorts, revealing his immediately erect and thick seven-inch circumcised cock. His pubes are a vibrantly bright orange color, barely trimmed at all. He hugs at Cameron&#039;s stomach, nuzzling his face into his belly and gives him soft kisses.<br />\t&ldquo;My... He&#039;s as big as I!&rdquo; Peter pulls down his pants and undergarments, slowly masturbating his six-inch uncut cock. He spits into his hand and licks his lips as he watches the two of them tongue kiss and playfully toss each other around on the table.<br />\t&ldquo;Not bad.&rdquo; Tapping the side of his glass he looks around the room. Draining the rest of his second drink, he stands. &ldquo;Toilets?&rdquo;<br />\tThe ginger points. &ldquo;To the far left of the room.&rdquo;<br />\tNods Thanks. Don&#039;t wait for me. Aldan heads for the restroom. He enters, moving to a urinal and relieving himself. He washes his hands, holding them out in front of himself and watching them dry. Leaning against a wall, he tries to think. Cameron is beautiful. Gorgeous. Yet, he feels no hunger for the dance or the show. It bothers him that he can&#039;t hunger for the elf boy. &ldquo;What the fuck is wrong with me?&rdquo; He sighs and washes his face. Heading back out to the main room, he pauses at the bar, checking on the happenings at their table and around the room.<br />\tThere are two other rooms like the one that Aldan and Peter has. Most of the crowd has vanished, although there are a dozen at the bar and some more at tables getting waited on.<br />\t&ldquo;I&#039;ll take the whole bottle this time. Glasses and sugars for four.&rdquo; He points to his table, making sure the bartender knows where to deliver the drinks. With a deep breath, he heads back, surveying the situation for a moment before he sits.<br />\tAs he returns, Cameron is already in concentration, deep throating the redheads thick cock without any worry. The redhead has his back against the pole. He asks Peter for the lube and he hands it to him. &ldquo;You&#039;re doing good. I&#039;m going to start fingering you now.&rdquo; He sits down, spreading out his legs so his erection is noticeable. Feet dangle over the edge of the table. One of the boy bartenders comes with a bottle of absinthe, preparing four drinks at the table. He blushes as he watches his two friends getting down to it. The redhead is sucking on Cameron and has three fingers in his ass.<br />\tAldan slams his drink, barely taking the time to even taste it. He prepares another, hoping the to drown his thoughts and to be able to just enjoy the show. He feels the warmth of the absinthe coursing through him. Watching the boys on the table, he notes their performance in mechanical terms. The functionality of it. His cock feels nothing. Disgusted with himself, he prepares another absinthe for himself.<br />\t&ldquo;Don&#039;t drink so fast, Aldan.&rdquo; Peter looks a little concerned, feeling as if he has something to do with it. He continues to jack off to the show anyway. In front of them, Cameron lowers himself on top of the gingers cock in front of them, riding it with ease and experience. It&#039;s obviously not the first time he&#039;s done something like this, nor is it the first time today. The ginger passionately kisses him as he grabs him by the armpits, eventually pulling him up with him as he stands up. He fucks him relentlessly, holding himself back from coming inside of him until the elf has came himself. When all is said and done, they fall back into the seats across from Aldan and Peter, tired and trying to catch their breath. The redhead swallows down his own drink and Cameron offers his to him.<br />\tCameron reaches for his shorts and slips them on while laying on his back, his head beside Peter&#039;s and his legs in the redheads. &ldquo;Knowing you, I&#039;m guessing you&#039;ll pay at the end of the month?&rdquo;<br />\tPeter nods. &ldquo;Sure thing.&rdquo; He awkwardly dresses himself back up, looking worried at Aldan. &ldquo;Are you alright, friend?&rdquo;<br />\tAldan nods. &ldquo;Yeah, Peter. I&#039;m good. I imagine you can spend quite a fortune here in a month.&rdquo; Staring into his drink, he sips this one more slowly.<br />\t&ldquo;Well, this isn&#039;t something I do often. I typically just come here to have a drink, see Cameron dance, and talk to him. He&#039;s more of a drinking friend than anything.&rdquo; He winks down at the elf, who sits back up and cuddles beside the redhead. &ldquo;You need to go after your drink?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Me? No.&rdquo; He grins at the Peter and Cameron. &ldquo;I can still hold my liquor. This isn&#039;t near as potent as the demon absinthe I&#039;m used to. Still good stuff though.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Alright. I can walk you home if need be.&rdquo; He finishes his drink, stretching out his back and checking to see if his sword is still attached, a mental habit he has. The two boys bow and say their goodbyes before they leave off to help the new customers entering into the bar. &ldquo;Something is troubling you, for sure.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;You know me. I&#039;m a thinker. Not the best thing for a soldier or a guard.&rdquo; Staring into his glass, he slowly asks. &ldquo;You heard the stories about me and the demon convict?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Of course.&rdquo; He speaks quieter again, more serious in tone. &ldquo;I know I&#039;ve told you this before, but I truly am sorry you had to go through that. Love is strange... You found someone where you&#039;d least expected them and then they&#039;re gone.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Yeah. Can I ask you something, Pete?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Go right ahead.&rdquo; He lights his cigar again.<br />\t&ldquo;Do you like Cameron? Maybe even love him?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Love him? No... I have a crush on him. There&#039;s another that I have thoughts about, but I don&#039;t think it would be responsible. It&#039;s only been two days that I&#039;ve known him, but when I see him, I can&#039;t help but want to hug him and let him know it will be all alright.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Yeah?&rdquo; Aldan looks around. &ldquo;Which one is it?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Not here.&rdquo; He refills his glass.<br />\t&ldquo;At the prison?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Yeah. His name is Alec.&rdquo; He sips from his absinthe. &ldquo;But I won&#039;t dare speak to him. Not after hearing about what happened to you.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Alec?&rdquo; He looks surprised.&rdquo; AleC. Not AleX?&rdquo; He emphasizes the hard &quot;k&quot; sounds and the &quot;X&quot; from the two different names.<br />\t&ldquo;Yes, Alec with a C.&rdquo; He looks away, shrugging his shoulders.<br />\t&ldquo;When&#039;s his time?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Month from now. He was dealing starshatter and killed his partner when they had gotten in a fight over how he wasn&#039;t making enough money. The boy he murdered was an orphan, too.&rdquo;<br />\tAldan nods. &ldquo;My last one was a boy dealing starshatter.&rdquo; He stares at his hand. &ldquo;His brother is boyfriends with my middle son. He&#039;s sleeping at my house right now.&rdquo; He looks around for Cameron.<br />\tCameron is leaning against a barstool, having himself a tea alone on his break. &ldquo;That must be difficult. That drug has destroyed too many lives. Too many.&rdquo; He finishes his glass and stands up, waiting for Aldan before he leaves the room.<br />\t&ldquo;Where are you going?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;I should get going home. I&#039;ll be on duty early in the morning.&rdquo; He opens the curtain, handing Cameron a small brown bag full of coins. &ldquo;Consider the extra as a tip. I&#039;ll see you next week.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;I&#039;ll try to make time to see Alec, Peter. Tomorrow or next day. Thanks for tonight. And I&rsquo;m sorry for being less than ideal company.&rdquo; He waves and gives his friend a lazy salute, reminiscent of their days on the front when they&#039;d goof off behind the officer&#039;s backs. He sits, nursing his drink.<br />\tCameron enters after a while, standing by the wall and watching over him. &ldquo;Need any food, sir? Sober you up a bit?&rdquo;<br />\tHe looks up at Cameron, smiling, buzzed but not drunk. &ldquo;How much for conversation?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Free for now. I&#039;m not on work at the moment.&rdquo; <br />\t&ldquo;You know, you must hear everyday hundreds of times how cute you are. How many men tell you they love you? Offer to take you away from here?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Oh, too many for me to count. But they won&#039;t dare touch me. If I see their hand getting close, I have to warn them that I lived in the most dangerous conditions of the forests for the first six years of my life.&rdquo;<br />\tAldan chuckles. &ldquo;Two more...no, three more of these&hellip;&rdquo; He holds up his glass. &ldquo;I&#039;d take that for a challenge. Don&#039;t worry. I like you too much to try anything What do you think of me? Don&#039;t sugar coat it, either.&rdquo;<br />\tCameron opens up a small container under the table, finding a few sugar cubes and fills him his drink. He leans an arm over the table and examines Aldan well. &ldquo;Hmmmm. You&#039;re a father, for sure. I can see that in you. Compassionate, loving, empathetic. You&#039;ve fought in wars and seen the worst in people. But you&#039;ve also seen the best in them too. Fell in love a few times, I&#039;m sure. Judging by the way you drink and compose yourself tonight, you weren&#039;t turned on because we reminded you of something, or someone... You lost someone. Still trying to grieve, but you&#039;re so busy trying to help other people and makes sense of it all that you&#039;re only halfway there.&rdquo; He notices the necklace. She gave that to you.<br />\tAldan pulls the necklace out and holds it so that Cameron can get a better look. He speaks softly. &ldquo;He. He gave it to me. Drew. He was my husband for two days. He was a demon, thirteen years old.&rdquo; He looks at Cameron. &ldquo;You&#039;re very smart. What do you want to do? When this&hellip;&rdquo; He gestures around the room. &ldquo;--Isn&#039;t fun anymore and you&#039;ve gotten enough gold?&rdquo;<br />\tHe sighs, slapping the table. &ldquo;Man, I was close though! My condolences. Huh... When I&#039;m done with this? Take it over, maybe...&rdquo; He laughs, finishing his sandwich. &ldquo;No. I&#039;d like to leave the kingdom and find a village of my people, live there away from all of this chaos. But that won&#039;t happen until the Cruiberg have been overthrown and dismantled.&rdquo;<br />\tAldan Nods. &ldquo;There&#039;ll be a war soon. The elf boy I spare with will go fight. So will his husband. I&#039;ll go. Maybe after you&#039;ll have a chance to go back with your father.&rdquo; He works on the sandwich. He laughs. &ldquo;You know, I&#039;m normally quite the pervert. Had a young elf as a boyfriend when I was stationed on the frontier last war against the Cruiberg. They killed him. Married my demon boy. We fucked like rabbits for three days before he died. I&#039;ve rented boys. Women. For some reason, as pretty as you are, it just doesn&#039;t work for me for some reason. Hope you&#039;re not offended.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;No offense.&rdquo; He smiles. &ldquo;If anything, it&#039;s a relief. I just want to do my job and get home most of the time. I still go to school too, you know. It&#039;s a lot and stress on me doing this for my father while my sister is gone. It would be a bit more fun if some of the dirtier men wouldn&#039;t pry themselves on wanting to marry me and so on. Peter&#039;s alright, a good fellow. He seems to genuinely care about me.&rdquo; A young man enters the room, tapping him on the shoulder and telling him his break is almost over. &ldquo;Oh, I must get going. It was nice speaking to you. I don&#039;t think I got your name.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Aldan. I work at the school next to the prison. Counselor.&rdquo; He laughs. &ldquo;I&#039;ll be back, just to talk, Cameron. How much for a hug from someone?&rdquo;<br />\tHe makes sure nobody is watching. &ldquo;Free, of course since we&#039;re off shift.&rdquo; He scoots over to him and gives him a warm hug. &ldquo;Take care of yourself.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;You too. If I see you in a week, I&#039;ll have one hell of a story for you.&rdquo; He laughs and finishes his drink and sandwich. Leaving a few silver on the table, he looks around the room one last time and takes his leave, walking slowly as he heads home.<br />\tThe walk home is quiet and the streets are almost empty, except for the few homeless and addicts resting on the streets. Aldan takes his time walking home. Once he&#039;s arrived, he heads upstairs to make sure the boys are asleep. He stands beside Lev and Bryan&#039;s bed, wondering what he should do with the wolf-demon. &lsquo;How much time do I have left,&rsquo; he wonders. Aldan squeezes his sword, imagining that he could stab him right now and save his children and wife right now, but lets go and leaves in shame. He heads back to his room, stripping his work clothes and lays in bed beside his wife for hours before he finally goes to sleep. <br /><br />\tIn the morning, the clouds stay shielding the sun, although they&#039;re not as foreboding as before. Bryan tugs on Lev&#039;s shoulder to try and wake him up, but it&#039;s of no use. He considers pulling his horns, but doesn&#039;t want to upset him for the first time. Instead, he pets his long and fuzzy black wolf tail even after Aldan and Kate have reminded him to get dressed. Jay and Mikey are downstairs before he is. Kate calls out in an angry tone. Frustrated over them, he gives in and grabs a vase of water, dumping it on Lev. The black haired demon springs up in surprise and leaps to the bed across the room, his tail sprung up as he looks across the room. &ldquo;Oh Gods, Bryan! You scared me!&rdquo;<br />\tBryan looks scared for a moment, then guilty. &ldquo;I just needed to wake you up, Lev.&rdquo; He grabs a towel and, ignoring the splashed water on his bed and floor, goes over and begins drying his boyfriend. &ldquo;We&#039;re running late for breakfast and school.&rdquo; He looks up at Lev from worried eyes, biting his lower lip &ldquo;Are you mad?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Of course not! Mad at my love?&rdquo; He grabs his cheeks and kisses him. &ldquo;Oh, darn. I hope Kate isn&#039;t angry at me for not helping.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Probably not! I&#039;m a little upset we don&#039;t have time to suck.&rdquo; HIs lower lip sticks out as he pouts. &ldquo;At least I know what we&#039;ll do after school. Cmon, let&#039;s get you dressed and eat.&rdquo;<br />\tLev looks down, shrieking when he notices he&#039;s naked, then laughs. He puts on his fundoshi and kimono robe, then walks hand in hand with Bryan downstairs. As expected, Kate is a bit behind on the meals and rushing around like crazy. He makes the coffee and helps her with a few final things before he sits down, sitting on his legs like Bryan. His tail wraps around the seat as it typically does when he&#039;s hungry. &ldquo;You know, I think today is going to be an amazing day. Don&#039;t know why, but I can just feel it in my body.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Can I feel it in your body?&rdquo; Bryan smirks and sticks his tongue out at Lev. He looks over to Jay. &ldquo;Are you feeling better, Jay?&rdquo;<br />\tBefore their green-haired guest can answer, Aldan says, seriously, &ldquo;No one is feeling anything in anyone&#039;s body at the table.&rdquo;<br />\tJust about everyone around the table laughs, even the younger ones without completely understanding the discussion, except Kate. Jay answers much better. &ldquo;I like your enthusiasm, Lev. I think it will be a good day, too.&rdquo;<br />\tBryan eats as he normally does. Too fast with too huge of bites. Jay and Milliken sit very close together, almost sharing the same chair. They whisper to each other throughout the meal. Aldan eats quietly, other matters weighing on his mind. He doesn&#039;t share the boys&#039; optimism but keeps his thoughts to himself.<br />\t&ldquo;Everyone had better get a move on. Finish your breakfasts and clean up or you&#039;ll be late for school and work.&rdquo; Kate speaks in her mother-commander voice, as she sets a plate of hot biscuits on the table. Everyone grabs one and digs in.<br />\tLev waits impatiently for his food, flapping his tail and staring at his plate. &ldquo;Oh man... I should have brought something from home.&rdquo;<br />\tKate slides a bowl of writhing eel and a pair of live crayfish in front of him. &ldquo;Here you go, mister.&rdquo;<br />\tLev&#039;s face lights up as he sees the wild crawfish dancing and trying to escape the bowl. &ldquo;Oh! How much I love you, Kate. Thank you thank you thank you!&rdquo; He grabs a few of them in his hand, which try to pinch at him. &ldquo;Oh no you don&#039;t! You&#039;re going in my tummy!&rdquo; He crunches them up and washes them down with coffee. Jay watches idly while Mikey seems to take calculative notes on how his body can break down anything raw that he devours without any problem. &ldquo;Delicious! It won&#039;t take me long, I promise.&rdquo; He tears the eel in half, chewing one slice down before taking a break to tickle at Bryan&#039;s toes. Lev leans into him, whispering to his boyfriend about how much he loves him before returning to his meal.<br />\t&ldquo;It looks like more rain today.&rdquo; Kate&#039;s standing at the back door, looking at the clouds. &ldquo;No dates, no riding, no fooling around. I want you all back home quick as can be once school lets out.&rdquo; She smiles at Jay. &ldquo;You&#039;re welcome to stay tonight, Jay.&rdquo; She looks at Lev and sighs. &ldquo;You should start getting your mail sent here, Lev. You&rsquo;re one of the family now, so, I don&#039;t have to remind that you&#039;re welcome every night.&rdquo; She smiles at Lev, winking at him too, letting him know that he is one of the family which makes him fair game for teasing.<br />\tLev glances to her, holding his coffee cup up. &ldquo;Glad to be part of the family.&rdquo; He finishes his meal, smiling in a daze as he waits for everyone else to catch up. &ldquo;Those poor crawfish didn&#039;t stand a chance against my hunger. Nothing ever does.&rdquo;<br />\tWithout thinking Bryan giggles as he chimes in. &ldquo;My dickie sure doesn&#039;t!&rdquo;<br />\tEveryone stops. Aldan lowers his paper and looks at Kate. Bryan, realizing what he said, begins to blush. Mikey, grabs his board and scribbles some notes. Kate looks at Bryan, her eyes focused and angry. &ldquo;Bryan. We don&#039;t talk like that at the table, or in front your little brother and sister. Do we?&rdquo;<br />\tBryan shakes his head. &ldquo;No, ma&#039;am. I&#039;m sorry ma&#039;am.&rdquo;<br />\tThe rest of the meal passes in awkward silence. Jay and Mikey whisper to each other. Bryan eats, seemingly intent on filling his mouth so that he can&#039;t speak. Everyone finishes their meals, cleans their places, and prepares for school. Lunch basket are ready for Bryan, Milliken, Jay, and Aldan with a sealed jar holding something alive for Lev.<br />\tAs they leave for school, Lev suddenly feels a strange feeling take over him and pierce into his head. It&#039;s not like the headaches. More so, it feels as if something is trying take control of him. His emotion is flat and motionless. He squeezes Bryan&#039;s hand as if it&#039;s the only thing keeping him from going insane. The streets are busy today and many people are panicked and loud. People are staring and bickering insults and slurs as they see Lev walk by. He notices a newspaper and grabs it from a shop, having immediately read it with that touch. Another explosion at the castle. This time it happened at the front gates. A dozen more soldiers dead just like before. It didn&#039;t matter how secure they had gotten the place that night and how many eyes that had on it. Somehow, another attack was able to happen. Lev squeezes the paper in frustration and confusion, then slaps Aldan&#039;s shoulder with it. Bryan waits by him, tugging on Lev&#039;s kimono to tell him that this is his stop. &ldquo;Wait a moment.&rdquo;<br />\tAldan takes the paper, scanning through the article, his face growing more and more serious by the second. He looks at Lev. HIs grim expression gives way to concern. &ldquo;Are you okay, Lev?&rdquo; He pulls both boys off to the side, away from the crush of people.<br />\t&ldquo;No... I just want to get to school as fast as possible. &ldquo;He looks around at the suspicious faces. &ldquo;Bryan, I love you. I&#039;ll kiss you when I see you after school.&rdquo; He hugs him quickly and stands close by Aldan for protection. Jay has no problem giving Mikey a quick peck on the cheek before he follows with them. Bryan looks concerned, but his brother comforts him as they take parting paths. &ldquo;We need to get out of here right now. They think I did it.&rdquo;<br />\tAldan kneels down, searching Lev&#039;s face. &ldquo;You didn&#039;t.&rdquo; He pulls him close, hugging him tightly. &ldquo;I love you, Lev.&rdquo; He stands, wrapping his arm protectively around Lev&#039;s shoulders. He loosens his sword in its sheath. He leads the boys to school. &ldquo;Stay close, Jay.&rdquo;<br />\tLev almost closes his eyes for the rest of the walk to school, feeling relieved as he finally enters. None of the students believe that he had any involvement in the attack, but their look seems concerned just as Jay and Aldan&#039;s are. He puts his lunch under his desk, goes to a folder to sort through his schoolwork, and quietly sits at his table. Jay asks quietly before Aldan heads to his office. &ldquo;Do you think he will be okay?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;I think so.&rdquo; Aldan pats Jay&#039;s shoulder. &ldquo;Stick by him, Jay. You&rsquo;re his best friend and he needs you. Come get me if anything happens. Alright, kidd-o?&rdquo; Aldan watches the class for a bit, before heading into his office. He sits behind his desk, his eyes closed as he thinks. &ldquo;Another attack. Why? How?&rdquo;<br />\tAs his questions stir, he can&#039;t help but to wonder if the Steele boy knew of the attack. A half an hour passes before a girl enters his office, pale skin and long black hair, all black clothes that cover most of her body. Aldan recognizes her as the friend that Jay and Lev talk to during lunch. She sits down, shyly observing the mostly empty room. &ldquo;I thought I&#039;d start speaking to you, since it&#039;s encouraged and you&#039;re here. My name is Ursula.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Ursula?&rdquo; Standing, Aldan moves and shuts the door. He pulls a chair out for her I&#039;m Aldan. He regards her demeanor and choice of clothes. &ldquo;I think I&#039;ve seen you with Lev and Jay, am I right? How can I help you today?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Yeah. They&#039;re my best friends.&rdquo; She moves a chair a bit back to avoid the sunlight. &ldquo;Well, my parents and I got in a fight yesterday. They said that I shouldn&#039;t be going to the library during the day when they know the sun can harm me, but the sun wasn&#039;t even out yesterday! Obviously, what they meant was that I shouldn&#039;t be outside whatsoever because if people see my teeth, they&#039;ll know what I am. It&#039;s never really about the sun...&rdquo; She shrugs, looking away and at the door. &ldquo;I&#039;m a vampire. Adopted after the great rebellion. My parents were slaves to the lord Parcival. I was adopted by the kingdom once they found me. Parents were slaughtered by my own people. My adoptive parents are mere humans that had no clue what they were getting into.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;I see. I know that time well. I was prisoner to Lord Parcival for a time.&rdquo; He looks at Ursula. &ldquo;Was it a fight or an argument?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Argument. Could have been a fight if they had wanted it to be.&rdquo; She fixes her hair and looks to him. &ldquo;Is it really so wrong for me to be out in public in the daylight if I have an umbrella with me?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;That depends on how badly the sun can hurt you.&rdquo; He looks at her. &ldquo;Maybe your parents are more worried about what people might do? Right now, especially, things are tense out there. People are scared and are apt to do things out of fear, especially if there&#039;s a mob.&rdquo; He thinks back to this morning. &ldquo;I saw it firsthand this morning.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;How so?&rdquo; She looks out of the window, noticing the folks walking by. &ldquo;So you think I should listen to them for now and try to make a compromise with them later on?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Exactly.&rdquo; He stands and looks out the window, watching the people. &ldquo;You heard about the explosions the past two nights?&rdquo; When she nods, he continues. &ldquo;People suspect the demons or mages. This morning as we walked in, people were glaring at Lev. As if they&#039;d thought he was the culprit. He&#039;s not, of course. He was at my house last night. But people were afraid, and they wanted to harm him. And he was with Jay and I. An umbrella can protect you from the sun, but not from an angry, ignorant mob of fearful people.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Then what do I do? Have Raven walk with me home? That would be embarrassing.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Well, I think Lev and Jay would be willing to walk you home.&rdquo; He chuckles and shakes his head. &ldquo;A demon, a green haired boy, a vampiress, and a guardsman. I think we could get you home safely. You could tell your parents that one of the boys is your boyfriend if that would make it easier.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Boyfriend?&rdquo; She shrieks. &ldquo;They would lose their mind. Not a chance of that happening until I graduate. Besides, I don&#039;t date men.&rdquo; She sits in contemplation, attempting to get over her own reluctance with her parents before she stands up. &ldquo;Well, I better get off to class. I&#039;ll talk to the boys later about possibly walking home with them. Thanks for speaking to me, Aldan...&rdquo; She winces and raises a brow. &ldquo;And thank you for avenging my parents.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Any time, Ursula. Have a good day.&rdquo; He holds the door for her. &ldquo;Keep an on eye on Lev, would you? He was pretty upset over this morning.&rdquo;<br />\tAfter she leaves, he makes some short notes in her file, reading any past notes. Trying to distract himself from the explosions and the feeling that time is running out, he looks through the student files. His door is left open for any student who wishes to talk to him.<br />\tYoueen Aubert, the redheaded with a past addiction to starshatter, walks by the office a few times, peaking in and waiting for Aldan to have finished writing and reading paperwork. Once he feels as if he&#039;s done he enters, knocking on the door before he sits down. &ldquo;Uhm, Hi Aldan.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Mr. Aubert! How are you?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;I can&#039;t tell. Proud. Angered. Something in between.&rdquo; He looks down, rocking back and forth as he admits to his crime. &ldquo;I went and bought some starshatter last night.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;I see.&rdquo; Without commenting, Aldan shuts the door so that Youeen can talk privately. He pats the boy on the shoulder. &ldquo;Tell me why you&#039;re angered and why you&#039;re proud?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Well, I&#039;m angry for giving in after our talk and buying it.&rdquo; He looks up to Aldan. &ldquo;But I&#039;m proud, because I went ahead and tossed it into the lake before school today, when my original plan was to smoke it before coming to classes.&rdquo;<br />\tNodding, Aldan speaks calmly. &ldquo;You bought it last night? But tossed it this morning? You didn&#039;t smoke any last night?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;No. I wanted to but held off from it as much as I could. Now that it&#039;s gone....&rdquo; He holds out an open hand, imagining that the drug is still there. &ldquo;It just seems so hard to quit. What can I do with my life without it? Even after I graduate from here?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;First things first. Right now, I&#039;m proud of you. Not only because you didn&#039;t smoke last night or this morning, but because you have the courage to tell me that you fucked up. Alright? That takes real courage, Youeen.&rdquo; He knocks twice on his desk, catching Youeen eyes. &ldquo;Real courage. As for the rest of your life, lets make a deal. Lets just worry about today.&nbsp;&nbsp;About right now. Not about tomorrow or next week or after you graduate. Just worry about today. We can talk about the other stuff when you&#039;re closer to the end of school. Right now, I just want you to give yourself credit. Let go of the anger. We all make mistakes. And enjoy the pride because, Youeen, you earned that.&rdquo;<br />\tYoueen smiles, blushing a bit. He&#039;s not used to having someone speak this highly of him. &ldquo;Just for today, I&#039;ll stay clean. He says it like a mantra. Just for today. Just for today.... I think I can do that. The more I look back on the past or towards the future the more scared I get. I often forget what&#039;s important and right in front of me.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;That&#039;s right. Don&#039;t be so hard on yourself. Just for today. I like that.&rdquo; He smiles, genuinely proud of his student. &ldquo;Let me ask you this, what was happening last night when you decided to buy? What is the hunger, the craving? Was something else going on at home?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;It was the loneliness...&rdquo; He sifts further into his chair. &ldquo;Being home alone, feeling as if nobody understands or likes me. All I want to do is run away or get high when I feel like that. So that&#039;s what I did for the most part, except getting high. It&#039;s not so bad though, is it? Things could be worse... Could be like the non-humans right now. If I were one of them, there&#039;s no way I&#039;d stay clean from starshatter.&rdquo;<br />\tAldan sighs and nods grimly. &ldquo;You&#039;ve got a point there, Youeen. It&#039;s a hard time for them right now. So much suspicion. When you feel alone you need friends that you can just be with. Do you have any friends like that?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Sort of. Everyone around here is nice, &#039;cept Grant. He&#039;s an asshole.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;You know, Grant&#039;s not so different from you or the other kids. Don&#039;t take his shit, by no means!&rdquo; He grins as he shakes his head. &ldquo;But he&#039;s got his own troubles. We all do.&nbsp;&nbsp;If you need someone to talk to, when the idea of using again starts getting strong, find your friends or me. We&#039;ll get coffee and talk it through. Or we&#039;ll just get coffee and watch people.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Sure.&rdquo; He shrugs, smiling. Youeen stands up, fixing the chair before he walks to the door. &ldquo;But Lev makes the best coffee of all. I&#039;ll see you later. Thanks again, Aldan.&rdquo; He leaves quietly and shuts the door. Light rain begins to come down and trickles against the window. Another half hour passes before the next student comes in to speak. It&#039;s Grant, who seems to drag himself to the room and sits down almost reluctantly. His clothes smell like tobacco smoke. He says nothing, waiting for Aldan to spark the conversation.<br />\t&ldquo;Hello, Grant. It&#039;s starting to come down.&rdquo; I think we&#039;re in for a big storm tonight. He sits opposite the boy. &ldquo;How are you?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Uhm, tired. I started a new job yesterday at a cigar joint. I probably smell like it too.&rdquo; He takes a whiff of his shirt. &ldquo;Yeah... No clean bath water at home either. Have to help parents pay for the apartment now.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;A cigar joint? You might end up seeing even more of me, then. I know that must thrill you.&rdquo; Aldan leans back in his chair. &ldquo;You said you have to help pay for the apartment now. What happened?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Well, my Dad got fired from the restaurant he works at and is still looking for a job.&rdquo; His demeanor is depressed and greatened by the bags under his eyes. &ldquo;It&#039;s fine though. Free cigars for me.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;It says a lot that you step up for your mom and brothers and sisters, though. Until your father finds something. Free cigars are a bonus. Nothing beats a good stogie.&rdquo; He thinks back to Peter and the club last night. &ldquo;What else is on your mind, Grant?&rdquo;<br />\tThe boy sighs. &ldquo;Well... I was thinking a lot about what you told me yesterday and I wanted to make an apology to Jay. Thing is, I don&#039;t know how to do it or what to say. What if he still hates me? Maybe everyone hates me here and I&#039;ll never make friends...&rdquo;<br />\tAldan interrupts. &ldquo;Nobody here hates you. They don&#039;t like the way you treat them and bully them, but if you try to make a change, you&#039;ll be surprised how quickly they&#039;ll forgive you and give you another chance.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;But what do I even say? Hey Jay, sorry for calling you a green haired cocksuckin&#039; faggot. Hope we can be friends!&rdquo; He speaks sarcastically. &ldquo;Yeah right. Like he will want to talk to me after what I said to him.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Look, he may not give you hug and call you his &#039;best-buddy&#039;. But he&#039;s not going to poke you in the eye with a stick. Just tell him the truth. Don&#039;t try to find some magic phrase, there is none. Keep it simple. &quot;I&#039;m sorry for picking on you. I won&#039;t do it again.&quot;&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Should I apologize to Lev too? I mean... He apologized to me before he stormed out to the other classroom.&rdquo; He falls deeper into his chair, confused and trying to wrap his head around being apologetic.<br />\t&ldquo;Do you think that you need to?&rdquo; Lev attacked you. &ldquo;Maybe you both should apologize to each other. When you want to, I can ask Jay or Lev or both in here and we can all talk together. You&#039;re not alone, Grant. Believe me, no one wants to be enemies.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Yeah... My parents said that Lev and his people had involvement in the attacks. Even though he hurt me, I don&#039;t think I&#039;d see him doing something like that. Maybe... Maybe everything they&#039;ve indoctrinated into me is a lie.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Parents can make mistakes just like everyone else. I can vouch for Lev&#039;s whereabouts during the attacks. None of the demons I know would ever be involved in something like that.&rdquo; He leans forward &ldquo;Where else do you think they may have steered you wrong?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;With all of the hating on different people. I mean, our school is full of diversity. Jay and I are the only humans at the school. It&#039;s stupid that I&#039;m just now realizing all of this shit.&rdquo; He rests the side of his face on his fist, staring out at the rain.<br />\t&ldquo;It&#039;s not stupid at all. Our parents teach us how to see the world. It&#039;s hard to realize that maybe they&#039;re mistaken or wrong. It hurts to realize our parents are flawed.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Yeah...&rdquo; He stays silent for a while, then finally speaks up. &ldquo;I&#039;ll apologize to Jay before the school day is done with.&rdquo;<br />\tAldan nods. &ldquo;I&#039;m proud of you, Grant. Let me know when you&#039;re ready.&rdquo; He looks out the window. &ldquo;I enjoy the rain. Now that I&#039;m not having to march through it and get into battle soaked, tired, and cold.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Maybe I should join the forces to get away from my family. It would be nice to have something that would make my parents proud of me.&rdquo; Grant stands up, pushing in his chair. &ldquo;Well, I better get going before next class starts. I&#039;ll see you tomorrow and let you know how it goes.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Alright. Take care.&rdquo; He watches Grant leave, hoping to himself that the boy keeps examining his beliefs. Feeling slightly more optimistic, he makes notes in Grant&#039;s file. &ldquo;Free cigars. That&#039;s a good gig to start off with.&rdquo;<br />\tOnce Aldan has finished with his notes for the day, he decides to have his lunch in the seclusion of his office before cleaning up and heading to the prison. Even though the rain is less abrasive as yesterday, the atmosphere is just as brooding. He meets with the warden, who shares the same look that Grant had just beforehand. The warden chugs down his coffee, sitting down in a chair by the center post inside and greets his friend. &ldquo;Long day it was, last night. And you?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Tired. Long night for me, for different reasons. Any news on the attacks?&rdquo; He sits.<br />\t&ldquo;Nothing so far. Just that it was most likely the works of the Cruiberg, according to our informant.&rdquo; He grabs Aldan&#039;s stack of files, sorting through them alphabetically. &ldquo;You might want to see Neke again. His guard said that he was sobbing this morning. Technically, you can still see Alexander since he&#039;s still on your case load, but we will need some time to arrange that if you want. Try to see someone new as well. Anyone else in your files will do, of course.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;I&#039;ll see Alexander tomorrow, perhaps.&rdquo; He looks through the files, searching for Peter&#039;s prisoner. &ldquo;I&#039;ll see Neke today and at least one new one.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Alright. Alexander said that he wanted to speak to you though. Said that it was critical and important, whatever that means....&rdquo; Aldan finds the file for the boy that Peter spoke of. Alec Avitzur, 13, human. Committed a murder against an orphan when they had gotten in an argument. Sentenced to the block. Held in cell A9, the same cell that Drew was kept in.<br />\tAldan closes his eyes for a moment. A9. He sighs. &ldquo;I&#039;ll see Alexander as well, then. You said you&#039;d need time for that? I&#039;ll see Neke and the Avitzur boy first, the Steel. Does that work for you, sir?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Yes. That will do. Give me an hour or so.&rdquo; He stands up, sighing dramatically. &ldquo;We had to restrain the Steel boy by his ankles and arms after he had made for an escape last night. He had knocked out four guards before I had put him in a sleeper hold. No deaths, luckily. Well, I&#039;ll leave you to it.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Make sure he&#039;s chained when I see him. I&#039;d hate to kill him or be killed by him. But I&#039;ll see him.&rdquo; Aldan stands and stretches his back, groaning as he does so. &ldquo;I&#039;ll check in before I leave, give you an update on each of them.&rdquo; Aldan heads for Neke&#039;s cell. He checks in the guards on duty to enquire about the boy.&rdquo; Has he been eating? Have they been giving him decent food?&rdquo;<br />\tJust as he&#039;s walking past him, Peter notices Aldan and slaps him on the back. &ldquo;Going to see Neke, I&#039;m guessing? I&#039;m just now getting on break. He was doing horrible this morning, sobbing like a maniac, but I made sure that he received his food, clothes, and a warm baths like your report had suggested. Do try to see Alec if you can? Anyway, I must hurry on so that I can still grab a bite.&rdquo; Peter walks off. Neke is at his table, leaning back in his chair and trying to kill time. He notices his counselor at the door and sits down, putting his hands behind his back to show that he is of no harm.<br />\tAldan enters and approaches Neke. &ldquo;I hear you didn&#039;t have a good morning.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;How can I? Waking up in this place...&rdquo; He holds his head with both hands. &ldquo;Being here is hell.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Yes.&rdquo; Aldan moves over and hugs Neke. He&#039;s slightly on guard. He doesn&#039;t think Neke would try anything but knows that you can never be certain. &ldquo;I know how bad it can get, Neke.&rdquo;<br />\tHe grabs his letters off of his nightstand and hands them to Aldan. &ldquo;These are for you to mail out if you can. They have the addresses and everything on them. Thanks again for requesting for all of these things for me. I know deep down that you don&#039;t like me.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;How do you know that?&rdquo; He thumbs through the letters.<br />\t&ldquo;Uhmmm....&rdquo; He stumbles, trying to think of a reason. &ldquo;Because of my crimes?&rdquo;<br />\tAldan pulls a chair around so that he can sit next to Neke. Holding Neke&#039;s shoulder, he talks quietly. &ldquo;I married a prisoner, you know.&rdquo; He gives Neke a moment to absorb what he&#039;s just told the boy. &ldquo;He&#039;d killed four men. Four. I loved him and married him. I don&#039;t hate you, Neke. You&#039;re just a boy who fucked up about as badly as someone can at your age. I&#039;m here, like I said I would be. I don&#039;t like your crimes. But I like you.&rdquo;<br />\tNeke takes time to absorb what he has been told and begins to cry softly. &ldquo;It&#039;s the first time that someone has said that they liked him for as long as he can remember.&rdquo; He wipes away his tears. &ldquo;Thank you...&rdquo;<br />\tHolding the boy, Aldan pats his back. &ldquo;Cry as much you&#039;d like, Neke. It helps. Believe me, it helps.&rdquo;<br />\tHe lets go of his emotions, allowing himself to sob until his hands for as long as he can until there&#039;s nothing left. Once he&#039;s finished, he takes a glass of water and sips half of it down to retrieve his voice. &ldquo;I didn&#039;t write a letter for the girl I hurt. Figured that it would be the wrong thing to do. It doesn&#039;t matter what I say to her. Whatever she feels towards me is justified.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;It wouldn&#039;t be wrong to write to her. I&#039;d have to read it first. But maybe you should write to her. What would you tell her if you could?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;That I&#039;m an idiot and I&#039;m sorry for what I did and hope that before the final day comes that I&#039;ll be able to take full responsibility for my actions. I don&#039;t know.&rdquo; He drags letters over the table. &ldquo;That I hope she finds a way to deal with what I&#039;ve done and if I could take it all back, I would.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Those are all things that might help her, too. I can&#039;t say for sure.&rdquo; He looks seriously into Neke&#039;s eyes. &ldquo;Write the letter. I&#039;ll go over it and make sure that she gets it. I can&#039;t promise to make her read it. For you, though, it&#039;s important to confront your feelings.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Yes... I&#039;ll write it tonight.&rdquo; He looks to Aldan and tries to smile to him.<br />\t&ldquo;Good lad. Is there anything else you&#039;d like to talk about? How&#039;s the food been? Is there anything that you need?&rdquo;<br />\t &ldquo;Better food. My guard, Peter, has been keeping up on making sure the needs you gave him are met.&rdquo; He exhales deeply and sits down on his bed. &ldquo;Maybe an extra pillow would help? Otherwise, I think I&#039;m good for now.&rdquo;<br />\tAldan nods. &ldquo;An extra pillow it is. I know it can be terribly boring here. That&#039;s part of the hellishness of it al. What about books? Or cards?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Oh yes. Books and cards would be delightful.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Gods know that there are days I could use a good card game with a friend.&rdquo; He smiles at Neke. &ldquo;I&#039;d like to stay longer, Neke. But I&#039;ve got two other prisoners to see today. You&#039;ll be okay for the night?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;I hope so.&rdquo; He laughs. &ldquo;Can&#039;t promise that I won&#039;t cry again. You can go. I&#039;ll be... fine.&rdquo; He lays on his bed, staring up at the ceiling.<br />\t&ldquo;Alright. I&#039;ll try to make it by tomorrow.&rdquo; Aldan exits the cell and makes his way back to the guard room. He sits and makes notes in Neke&#039;s file. He asks one of the guards to send a clean pillow to Neke.<br />\tHis thoughts turn to A9. He skims the file and heads for the next prisoner, hoping that the memories of A9 don&#039;t overwhelm him. He prays silently to himself. &quot;Help me, Drew. With everything.&quot;<br />\tSuddenly, his necklace glows for a short moment as he walks closer to the cell. Inside, a boy lays on the side in his bed with the covers under his armpits. One of his hangs over the bed, holding open a book that he&#039;s not reading. There&#039;s two plates sitting on his desk, breakfast and lunch. It&#039;s not like the meals are cheap. If anything, it looks as if someone had brought it from outside of the prison for him. Yet, they remain untouched. Alec&#039;s long caramel brown hair is greased to the right of his face. He seems too innocent to be in a place like this, but the crimes say otherwise. He notices someone standing by his cell, but looks away uninterested.<br />\tWith a deep breath, Aldan enters the cell. He tries to concentrate on the boy in front of him. Tries to block out the memories of kisses and eels, of wine and piss. Of love and marrying Drew in the corner, right there. HE shakes his head, driving the thoughts back. He owes Alec his full attention. Clearing his throat, he tries to start a dialogue. &ldquo;Hello, Alec. My name is Aldan. How are you today?&rdquo; He gestures to the undisturbed plates of food. &ldquo;Not much of an appetite today, eh?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Not hungry.&rdquo; He grunts. &ldquo;Who are you exactly? What are you hear for?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;I work next door, at the school. Until last week, I was a guard here.&rdquo; He pulls a chair near the bed and sits. &ldquo;I&#039;m here to talk with you. To try and help you.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Strange...&rdquo; He sits up in bed, putting his book away. &ldquo;You&#039;re the first person that&#039;s talked to me so far.&rdquo;<br />\tAldan points at the food. &ldquo;Well, somebody must think about you. That&#039;s not standard prison food.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Yeah...&rdquo; He walks over to Aldan lazily, pulling up a chair and sitting down. &ldquo;My guard left me that. Haven&#039;t ate for more than a day now. Are you going to force the food down my throat?&rdquo;<br />\tAldan scrunches his nose in disgust. &ldquo;No. Gods, that would be a horrible thing to do to you and a waste of good food.&rdquo; He points at the plates. &ldquo;Do you mind?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Go ahead.&rdquo; Alec waves his hand as he speaks.<br />\tAldan tries to pick items that won&#039;t have suffered for sitting since breakfast. He snacks as he talks. &ldquo;Mmm. Not bad. How come you&#039;re not hungry? Stomach bug? Or is it this place?&rdquo; He gestures around the room.<br />\t&ldquo;Too depressed to eat. Sometimes too numb&rdquo;. Alec fishes a glass of water for himself, filling another one for Aldan.<br />\t&ldquo;Thank you, Alec.&rdquo; He takes a drink. &ldquo;Are you being treated well enough? It&#039;s my job to make sure that you&#039;re treated well. And that you understand what&#039;s going to happen.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Well, everything seems cleaner than I expected in here. The bed is pretty nice.&rdquo; Suddenly, Aldan picks up a fork and begins to work on his breakfast of cold eggs and sausage. &ldquo;When they said prison, I thought they meant a tiny cell that&#039;s all rusted and disgusting. This is like a five star hotel.&rdquo; He cracks a small smile just for a second. &ldquo;I don&#039;t know exactly what goes on... I mean, I&#039;ve never been to prison or seen an execution before. All I know is that I&#039;ll be here for a month and then I am taken care of for what I did.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;You got lucky. This cell is . . . for special boys. Somehow.&rdquo; He smiles inwardly, glad to see Alec eating. He looks around the cell. Everywhere there&#039;s a memory. And each memory is a reminder of what he&#039;s here for, what his new job is. &ldquo;I&#039;ll be visiting you three or four days a week. We can talk if you want. Read together, play cards. Or you can ignore me. It&#039;s all up to you. I used to run the detail that carried out the final sentences, so I can answer any questions you have there.&rdquo; Picking at the food, he wants to make sure that if Alec is still hungry after the eggs, he has more to eat. &ldquo;Anything at all.&rdquo;<br />\tAlec stays silent until he&#039;s finished his breakfast, then wipes his hands at the bath and sits back down. &ldquo;So you can bring me books? Play cards with me?&rdquo;<br />\tAldan nods. &ldquo;Oh yeah. I can read to you if you&#039;d like. Cards, other games. We can just sit and talk, too. If you have any friends or family, I can take letters to them. Check and make sure they&#039;re well, if you&#039;re worried.&rdquo;<br />\tAlec sits up closer, smiling to him. &ldquo;That would be nice. My parents have a lot of tabletop games that they can give to you. I&#039;ll write a letter asking if they can bring them over. Having someone to play games with would mean the world to me right now. If you can, I like mystery novels.&rdquo; He turns around the other plate, eyeing it and choosing not to eat. &ldquo;Uhm... So I guess I should ask what happens, then. You know, on the final day.&rdquo; He frowns, looking to the gate that imprisons him, then back to Aldan.<br />\tAldan leans down, so that his eyes are level with Alec&#039;s. &ldquo;Are you sure? It upsets some people.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Better to know now rather than the day before, I guess...&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Okay.&rdquo; Clearing his throat, Aldan sighs and begins. &ldquo;You&#039;ll be woken up, given breakfast and a chance to bathe and get cleaned up. A squad of five will come. Peter will most likely be in charge. I&#039;ll be here if you want me to be. Holding your hand as we go, or just walking with you. He stands and paces We&#039;ll lead you out to the execution yard. The crowd there will cheer. Some may yell at you, but we&#039;ll keep them from getting out of hand. Peter and I will lead you up the steps of the platform. A clerk from the magistrate will read your crimes, the verdict and the sentence.&rdquo; He looks at Alec to see how he&#039;s holding up so far.<br />\t&ldquo;They&#039;ll cheer?&rdquo; He looks surprised. &ldquo;Well, I guess it makes sense that they would... How many people do you think will be there?&rdquo;<br />\tAldan shrugs. &ldquo;Depends on the weather. What day it is. Could be as few as a dozen, as many as two hundred. They&#039;ll cheer when the sentence is read. I&#039;ll probably be talking to you through it all. You give the executioner a silver or gold coin, and kneel at the block. We&#039;ll get you ready, the drums will roll. Peter will have a signal worked out with the executioner. Something you won&#039;t notice. Once it&#039;s given, the executioner will take his axe and behead you. You won&#039;t even know until after.&rdquo; Aldan looks away from the boy. Remembering Drew and his execution. &ldquo;Your head will be lifted and shown to the crowd. Then your body will be coffined and you&#039;ll be taken away and buried.&rdquo;<br />\tAlec stays silent, processing and imagining what it will be like, visioning that it&#039;ll be a butchering that will hurt him or go just as he said. His chest aches as he realizes the gravity of the situation and how real it all is. &ldquo;Are people normally scared? Do you think I will be? I don&#039;t want to be frightened, screaming, or crying... Where will I be buried? Will my family be there?&rdquo;<br />\tNodding slowly, Aldan sits next to Alec. &ldquo;You&#039;ll be scared. Everyone is, to some degree or another. I&#039;ll do my best to make sure you&#039;re not screaming or crying. Your family will be there if they want to be. Your parents can have you buried where they wish. Otherwise, you go to a convicts graveyard.&rdquo; He rubs Alec&#039;s back. &ldquo;I don&#039;t think Peter or I will let that happen. If your parents can&#039;t or won&#039;t, we&#039;ll make sure you have somewhere decent to lie.&rdquo; Aldan continues to rub his back, waiting for the boy to comment.<br />\t&ldquo;Crazy to think that one mistake that I made would lead me here...&rdquo; Alec moves over the lunch plate, deciding to eat some off of it. &ldquo;I hope my parents come as support. There&#039;s no telling. They&#039;re still in shock... Do you have kids, Aldan?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Yes.&rdquo; He nods and laughs I keep acquiring more, too.<br />\tHe eats quietly. &ldquo;How old are they?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Bryan&#039;s my oldest. He&#039;s 11. His boyfriend practically lives with us. He&#039;s demon-born, also 11, I think. That&#039;s Lev. Next comes Milliken, who is 9 and his boyfriend Jay, who&#039;s 11. I&#039;m not sure. I should find out. Some father I am!&rdquo; Aldan laughs. &ldquo;Sally is 7, no boyfriend, and Jereminy is 5. And my wife is expecting in a few weeks. What about you? Brothers, sisters? Or is it just your ma and pa?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Just my ma and pa....&rdquo; He sighs, twiddling his fingers against the desk. &ldquo;I&#039;m an only child.&rdquo; Suddenly, Alec grabs Aldan&#039;s hand. &ldquo;Promise me you&#039;ll bring your oldest boys. Let them know what happens when they make a single mistake as stupid as mine.&rdquo;<br />\tHe covers, Alec&#039;s hand with his own, then draws him in for a hug, holding him as long as the boy remains in his arms I won&#039;t let them see you die, &ldquo;Alec. I might bring them with me one day. So we can all play a game together. If that&#039;s okay with you, that is.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;No, Aldan...&rdquo; He begins to cry against Aldan&#039;s chest. &ldquo;They need to see it. They&#039;ll be my age soon enough.&rdquo; He begins to sob, snorting back up his snot and wiping his face against Aldan&#039;s clothes and sleeve. &ldquo;Sorry. I&#039;m a mess. I&#039;ll get better. I promise.&rdquo;<br />\tAldan holds Alec tightly. &ldquo;No reason to apologize to me, Alec. You&#039;re fine. You&#039;re fine.&rdquo; He rocks the boy in his arms. <br />\tAlec lets go of everything, becoming weightless with Aldan. He hushes and calms down given time. After a while, he walks back over to his bed and sits down, unable to speak. Somebody is walking down the hallway.<br />\tAldan pours a cup of water for Alec, watching the hallway, expecting to see Peter. He gives Alec the water. &ldquo;Drink this, kiddo.&rdquo;<br />\tHe takes the glass in both hands and sips. &ldquo;Thanks... The prisoner on the other side of the wall said he saw the execution dates and said that I&#039;m second after a boy my age is hung on the other side of the prison. Why does he get the rope and I get the axe?&rdquo; He covers his feet under the sheets.<br />\t&ldquo;Rapers get the rope. Killers get the axe.&rdquo; He sits on the bed, his mind immediately flashing back to fucking Drew on this bed. He pushes the thought and image from his mind. Or tries to. He rubs Alec&#039;s feet through the sheets. &ldquo;Hanging is more painful, there&#039;s apt to be more mistakes, which make the prisoner suffer more. The axe is quick and clean. Virtually painless.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;That figures.&rdquo; <br />\tSuddenly there&#039;s a clang at the bars. It&#039;s the warden. He takes a cigar out of his mouth and murmers. &ldquo;Everything&#039;s ready.&rdquo; <br />\tAlec puts his water down between his legs, wishing that he could have more time with his new counselor and friend.<br />\tAldan leans close to Alec. He whispers sofltly, &ldquo;I&#039;ll be back. With cards and games and book or two. Promise me you&#039;ll eat? And wash your hair.&rdquo; He grins at the boy, patting his leg. &ldquo;I must go. Another prisoner needs to see me.&rdquo; He stands and walks across to the cell door. He waves back at Alex and he leaves and heads down the hallway with the warden.<br />\tBoth of them head down the hallway, past the center spot, and towards a door by F block that leads down a hundred stairs, which are almost pitch black. The warden pulls out a match and leads the way, opening three sealed doors before they&#039;re at zero block, made for the most dangerous and those held for questioning. The hallway is wet, lit by torches on the walls, and one feels as if their entire body is dirtied just be being in its presence. There are only three others on the block besides Alexander. Between them, there are six guards on duty. As they come closer, Aldan came hear the sound a whistled tune, cartoonish and playful, yet haunting. The warden does the keys for him and reveals the cell. &ldquo;Here you are. If he tries to attack you, go right ahead and kill him.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Oh, now why would I do that?&rdquo; Alexander mockingly states.<br />\tAldan walks into Alexander&#039;s cell. He looks around, looking for the opulence and luxury of his former cell. He regards Alexander coolly. &ldquo;You&#039;re alive. That means your cooperating. You wanted to see me?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Yes, of course.&rdquo; Alexander is against the wall in a chair sealed to the ground. His feet and arms and chained to it. He wears only his pants. Fresh whip marks are noticeable over his back and chest, some of them bloody, bound to leave scars. There&rsquo;s also bruises from being punched on his stomach. Two of his two toenails have been pulled off and wrapped with gauze. As beaten down and dirty as he looks, it&#039;s clear that he&#039;s not broken. &ldquo;My... What you did to me was plain rude! Could have at least fucked me before you knocked me out! Funny how it works out. You turning me and having me put into this hole has given me more time to live! Somehow everything always seems to work out for me.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Maybe after the war, if we&#039;re both alive, we&#039;ll split a bottle of absinthe and I&#039;ll fuck your brains out.&rdquo; Aldan sits. &ldquo;You&#039;re welcome, by the way. Something tells me the whip wasn&#039;t entirely unwelcomed.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;No, it was not, but I wanted something like it anyway. Well, I wanted it from you.&rdquo; He spits. &ldquo;I&#039;ve come to play a little game with you. You see that glass over there? I&#039;m awfully thirsty. Can you replenish my thirst?&rdquo;<br />\tLooking at the glass, Aldan sighs. &ldquo;Water? Piss? Wine? All three?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Whatever pleases you. You know what I&#039;d prefer.&rdquo; He licks his lips.<br />\tHe rises and fills the glass with wine. He brings it back to the wounded boy, holding the glass and giving him a drink. He hates to see any boy tortured, but Alexander pushes his buttons. The only reason he won&#039;t fuck him if because Alex would enjoy it too much. &ldquo;More? Maybe if you cooperate, I&#039;ll let you have some of my vital essences.&rdquo;<br />\tAlex closes his eyes as he drinks it down as if it were to cleanse him. &ldquo;I had wondered if you were a fool or a knight of cups. The answer seems clear to me now. Now let&#039;s see here. We don&#039;t have much time, if I reckon. I&#039;m cooperating. Is there something you&#039;re just dying to ask me?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Who says I can&#039;t be both?&rdquo; He sits and looks at Alexander. &ldquo;Such beauty wasted on such a vain and shallow heart. I have many questions I&#039;d like to ask you. I suppose the one you want me to ask is pretty obvious. What do you know about the explosion attacks? Will there be another one tonight? And so on.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;What do I know?&rdquo; He blasts out in laughter. &ldquo;Everything there is to know! Silly Aldan. Another attack? Oh yes... The most beautiful one of all. Would you like to know more?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;I would. What do I have to do? What&#039;s your price for answers?&rdquo; Aldan stretches. He knows this is going to get depraved.<br />\t&ldquo;Oh? I didn&#039;t even have to ask. I&#039;ll tell you what. You show me that cock of yours and stroke it for me just for a little bit and I&#039;ll give you everything you need to know.&rdquo; Alex shakes his head, his only way of getting his hair out of his face.<br />\tStanding, Aldan reaches forward, leaning his face close to Alexander&#039;s. He brushes the boys hair out his face and whispers to him. His mouth brushes the boy&#039;s ear as he talks. &ldquo;That&#039;s all? Must not be much information. You&#039;ll have to bear with me while I get hard.&rdquo; Aldan leans down and sucks on one of Alexander&#039;s nipples, reaching down to fondle himself through his pants.<br />\t&ldquo;Ahhh.... You&#039;re a playful one. I sure hope you make it out alive tonight.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Help me make it thought the night and I&#039;ll fuck your brains out.&rdquo; Aldan switches to the other nipple, licking some of the blood from Alex&#039;s torso. He stops and stands, taking a step back. Unbuckling his belts and pants, he pulls out his cock, half erect. He tries to make sure Alex doesn&#039;t notice the knife he keeps hidden under his left arm. He flops his cock up and down in front of Alex, letting the taste of sweat and blood turn him on and helping his cock swell.<br />\t&ldquo;Sure you don&#039;t want to put it in my mouth?&rdquo; He tries to lean his head forward to lick at the tip, but ends up having his body painfully yanked by the chains.<br />\t&ldquo;Oh no. You&#039;re like as not to take an inch or two for yourself and bite it off for safe keeping.&rdquo; Aldan grabs his cock and begins stroking it, pointing it at Alexander. He moves closer, keeping his member out of grabbing or biting reach. Stroking it slowly, he lifts it so the boy can get a better view of his balls. He moves it side to side, giving him yet another view. His hand slows and stops. Releasing his cock, which stays hard and bounces in time with his heartbeat, he holds his hand against Alexander&#039;s mouth and nose. &ldquo;Smell it, Steel. Lick my hand. That way you get an idea of what it tastes like and I get some spit-lube to carry on.&rdquo; He&#039;s ready to pull his back if Alex misbehaves.<br />\tAlex sucks on each fingers, licks the palm, and spits all over it. His eyes show stunned and horny he is, not realizing he truly is the fool and just as much lost in his desire for the man standing in front of him that he can&#039;t help but obsess over. &ldquo;So beautiful, perfect... I want to help you, but only you &ndash; not Harath.&rdquo;<br />\tTaking his spit-slick hand and wrapping it around his cock, Aldan resumes stroking himself. He leans down and sucks and bites, Alexander&#039;s nipples. With his free hand, he tears Alex&#039;s pants, ripping and pulling then until the boy&#039;s cock springs into view. He gives the young cock a few quick, dry strokes. &ldquo;Why only me? What makes me so special, Alex?&rdquo;<br />\tAlex&#039;s erection leaks with pre-cum, pulsating and the head turning purple. His moans of pleasure are so intense that feels as if he could cry. &ldquo;When I first saw you and how much you seemed to care I couldn&#039;t help but fall in love... Oh yes, love! Such an ugly word. Don&#039;t think of me as a traitor. Just think of me as a curious wild card.&rdquo;<br />\tAldan searches Alex&#039;s eyes for some sign of genuine emotion. He doesn&#039;t expect to find any. Pushing his pants down further, he sits on Alexander&#039;s lap, facing him. He holds both cocks together, bottom against bottom. He strokes both at the same time. &ldquo;Wild card...I love playing cards. We can compare deck size.&rdquo; He smiles at his own pun but is enjoying the closeness of another body. &ldquo;Give me a secret, Alex. Something so good I have to wash it down with your load.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;A secret...&rdquo; He looks down, cum leaking from his piss slit, knowing he&#039;ll explode soon. &ldquo;Cruiberg has a weapon of proxy. Its destructive power is unlike anything I can even imagine.&rdquo; His head falls back, leaning against the cold metal of his chair. &ldquo;Fuck, Aldan! I&#039;ll cum!&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;What&#039;s the weapon? How do they use it?&rdquo; He slides down and takes the leaking cock into his mouth.&nbsp;&nbsp;He sucks hard, sliding down the hard member, burying his nose in the boy&#039;s light brown pubes. He begins swallowing, letting his tongue and throat work the dick as he maintains his suction.<br />\tAlex shoots five ropes of warm semen deep into Aldan&#039;s mouth. He&#039;s never felt such pleasure in his entire life. His entire body shakes in the chair, feeling as if he might faint until every last drop is licked off of his dick. &ldquo;Now you get anything you want. The weapon is meant to sabotage the kingdom and cause further chaos. It&#039;s not meant to destroy everything, but it could depending on how long it lives. The Cruiberg didn&#039;t think that through, though, which is typical of them.&rdquo;<br />\tAldan sits in Alex&#039;s lap again. He kisses his neck and chest. &ldquo;It&#039;s a living weapon? How do they communicate targets to him? Her? It?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Two sources.&rdquo; He tries to kiss back but is unable to land a peck. &ldquo;Apparently, they&#039;ve had two successes in the past. As of right now, the weapon has already been waxed and prepared. There&#039;s no telling as to when it will go off.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;How do we stop it? What&#039;s its name?&rdquo; He kisses Alexander hard. Driving his tongue into his mouth, one hand feeling at the boy&#039;s throat, ready to fondle him or to crush his trachea. &ldquo;Tell me, Alex, so I have an excuse to fuck you over and over. Give me a reason to want your asses?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;His name... I don&#039;t know. All I know is that is certainly the strongest demon on the planet and his purpose is to destroy the King&#039;s castle and anyone else in the way so that everyone across the planet is told to believe that demons are vile evil that shall be lay to waste. Of course, I tell you this because I know otherwise.&rdquo; He kisses Aldan&#039;s hand as it tightens around his neck. &ldquo;The wheel of fortune has answered your call. Now to see if the phoenix of judgment rises from the black wings of death. I&#039;m counting on you, Aldan, or else there will be no further secrets about the Cruiberg to tell you. The destruction and deaths are inevitable, but how much will happen is up to your discretion now.&rdquo;<br />\tAldan kisses him again. Whispering in his ear. &ldquo;I&#039;ll be back if I live.&rdquo; He stands and redresses himself. Taking two paces toward the cell door, he stops and returns to Alexander, leaning down. &ldquo;Your cum was delicious. Hope I get to have more.&rdquo; Brushing Alex&#039;s hair out if his face again, he strokes his cheek softly. The gesture is cut short as he exits the cell. He looks for the warden.<br />\tThe warden waits at the end of the hall in the dark with his cigar. He hears Aldan&#039;s call. &ldquo;And?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;We&#039;re fucked.&rdquo; Looking at the warden, Aldan&#039;s mind races. &ldquo;We need couriers. Now.&rdquo; His usual deference and respect to the warden are lost in the urgency of the moment. He strides purposefully towards the nearest guard room and office. His eyes burn with intensity and anger. He keeps one hand over the amulet from Drew.<br />\tThe warden sprints upstairs and to Aldan as fast as he can. Whistles and sirens can be heard throughout the prison. &ldquo;What do we do? What did he say? Another attack?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Yes.&rdquo; Aldan grabs paper and quill. He begins writing addresses and short notes. As he finishes, he hands each to the warden. &ldquo;A courier to the Temple of Selune. We need the priestess, Allahnna. No time to lose.&rdquo; A second note is slammed into the warden&#039;s hands. &ldquo;The demon temple. A demon boy, Aizen. His husband Holt. I need them at the school. Now!&rdquo; A third note. He glances out the window, noting the time of day. &ldquo;My son Bryan. He should still be at school. He needs to head for the school next door.&rdquo; He stops, taking deep breaths to calm himself I need a drink.<br />\tThe warden grabs the sheets and brings him a glass of water. Guards are standing close by and watching the two of them. &ldquo;Here, take these.&rdquo; The warden hands the papers off to one of his men, telling them where they go, then announces that they need horses prepared, a raven sent to the king to let them know they&#039;re going to be under a major attack, and that the prison also needs to be secure in case it becomes a point of interest. <br />\tAldan asks, &ldquo;Does the King have a mage in his service? A real mage?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Quite a few. They&#039;ll be dispatched when they receive our message. I&#039;m taking it that this one is larger than the previous two? An army? Rebellion?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;I can&#039;t explain. Just get them word that if there are any Cruiberg agents or sympathizers that they&#039;ve been watching, they need to apprehend them now. Right now. Not tonight. Right fucking now.&rdquo; Aldan begins to pace. In his mind he&#039;s running through the likely progression of events. Lev is the weapon. He&#039;s sure of that. Two previous versions. Drew and the other demon boy. The anger, the fire, Drew&#039;s prediction and warning. It all fits. But how to stop them? How? He slams one fist into the other.<br />\tAldan&#039;s horse is prepared at the front gates and two guards hand him armor and weapons as he marches out. They follow with him barely half a mile to the school. It has finished raining, leaving the ground muddy and filthy. At the front of the school the principal is outside already talking to three officers. Aldan can see all of the students inside through a window, standing up and arguing, possibly in a panic. The principal notices you and yells, &ldquo;He&#039;s gone! Lev, he just vanished!&rdquo;<br />\tAldan freezes. HIs legs are shaking. &ldquo;He&#039;s gone. He&#039;s gone. I&#039;m too late. I&#039;m too late.&rdquo; He feels everything he&#039;s been holding in start to fall away, to cut loose. Looking at the school he see a bit of green bobbing at the window. &ldquo;Jay. Milliken. Bryan.&rdquo;<br />\tMounting his horse, he rides near the principal. &ldquo;Keep them inside. Don&#039;t worry. I&#039;ve got this, I know how to save everyone. But keep them here.&rdquo; Spinning his horse in a circle, he rears. When the horse returns to all fours, Aldan stands in the saddle and looks at the students in the windows. &ldquo;Grant! Tell Jay what we talked about. Don&#039;t wait! Jay! Give him a chance.&rdquo; He waves and kicks his horse into a gallup. He yells at pedestrians to get out of his way. One hand guides the horse, the other holds the amulet. His mind works, races. &ldquo;Where would he go? To Bryan? To the castle to kill the King? To the temple and his only other friends, Aizen and Holt?&rdquo;<br />\tAldan rides aimlessly through town, confusing all of the others that follow his way. Out of nowhere, his horse speeds pass Holt and Aizen. The blonde demon holds out his letter to the warrior above. &ldquo;We received your letter. Any room on a horse for us?&rdquo; Holt orders one of the warriors to give up his horse for the two of them just as he&#039;s asking. He slaps his forehead, jumping up and holding onto his boyfriend. &ldquo;He&#039;s not at the temple, so that&#039;s off of the list. Is this it? Is today the day?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;Today&#039;s the day. He disappeared from school.&rdquo; Aldan looks worried. &ldquo;Do you think he&#039;s heading for Bryan or for the palace? Love or hate?&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;As much as I&#039;d like to say the former, I&#039;m going with the latter.&rdquo; Aizen squeezes Holt&#039;s waist tightly. &ldquo;I love you, no matter what happens today.&rdquo;<br />\t&ldquo;You two should take the horse and go. Put as much distance as you can between you and the city.&rdquo; Aldan begins riding towards the palace. His face is grim. His mind rolls over his choice - try to talk or just kill Lev. Talk or kill...</span>","pools_count":1,"title":"Lev's Tale - Chapter Eleven","deleted":"f","public":"t","mimetype":"application/msword","pagecount":"1","rating_id":"2","rating_name":"Adult","ratings":[{"content_tag_id":"3","name":"Violence","description":"Mild violence","rating_id":"1"},{"content_tag_id":"4","name":"Sexual Themes","description":"Erotic imagery, sexual activity or arousal","rating_id":"2"}],"submission_type_id":"12","type_name":"Writing - Document","guest_block":"t","friends_only":"f","comments_count":"0","views":"71","sales_description":null,"forsale":"f","digitalsales":"f","printsales":"f","digital_price":""}