Welcome to Wednesday Briefs, where authors post free
fiction of 1000 words or less each week.
I’m continuing the story of Willem and Torrey, whose
love for each other makes for an uneasy fit in an alien society. This week the
prompts were: “You look like a
vampire on a day pass...” or “Hold your water!” or use a rare bottle of wine or
“Don’t you wiggle your .... at me, mister!” or use: a ball, a dog, and a scarf
or “Hand me that, will you?” or use smeared mascara or make a Mr. Ed reference
or use a beautiful sunset or use oatmeal
in some way.
Enjoy!
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Sealed in Stone #20
The palanquin was stopped at the arched gateways
into Pesht. The vehicle bore the Queen’s colors, but that did not allow them to
bypass scrutiny. Warriors and workers were singularly devoted but not terribly
bright and could be fooled, especially by humans or other queens. The knock of
a spear upon the door frame prompted Lena to move just the edge of the
curtain aside. Willem quickly pulled on his veil until it
fully covered him again and then sat on his hands so those were covered also.
“We’re stone workers entering on the Queen’s
business,” Lena said to whoever stood without.
“Papers.” The voice spoke nomari with the light tone
of a native. Willem was glad he had learned enough nomari to understand her
speech. Lena quickly turned over their documents. A moment later, the voice
spoke again. “I smell a male among you. These do not mention you are
transporting a male.”
“He is a stone worker also.”
“If that is so, you will not mind if I see him.”
“Fuck, a queen.” Rue swore under her breath. “Hand me that,
will you?” she said to Shel. Willem flinched as she leaned in and whispered. “Not
a sound!”
As Lena argued with the queen, Rue reached under Willem’s
veil and scored the scarred side of his face with a rasp. The tool tore at the
thin ridge of tissue and he tried to duck his head, but she grabbed it in the
angle of her elbow and held him fast. After she dropped the tool, her fingers
pinched like biting things at his nose and lips. Her hand retreated just before
Lena opened the curtain to allow their questioner to see within.
Through the dense fabric covering his eyes, Willem
saw an oval face with golden hued skin and wide, almond shaped eyes with irises
bright as amber. A headdress of copper and worm teeth held back the long yellow
hair of a nomari queen. A very young queen, he realized, because no one
important would be standing guard duty. Her amber gaze, sharp and suspicious,
swept his veiled and robed figure as if trying to cut the fabric away.
“He’s
covered.”
“As is proper, vayya.”
Lena deployed the honorific for a queen.
“He cannot enter unless I see him.”
“We are on the Queen’s business—”
“Your document does not specify you may have a male
with you. You say he is a worker, but where is proof of that? How do I know you
are not smuggling him inside to sell him? Uncover him so I may see he is what
you claim.”
Marda cocked her head at the queen. “What else might
he be?”
The queen lifted her upper lip unpleasantly. “The
Kumbh’Vittuim claims one of their young males is missing. I am charged to make
sure no one brings him into the nom. Uncover your male so I may ascertain if he
is yours.”
When Rue began to lift his veil, Willem helped and
even pulled it all the way back from his face. Making an already irritable
queen angry by appearing uncompliant would hardly help their case. Given how
much the left side of his face smarted, he had reason to hope he looked
diseased. Jayn’s admonitions rang in his head and he kept his gaze lowered as
he obeyed the queen’s request to turn his face. She had leaned into the
passenger box to get a better look. Her scent shocked him. Her musk was pungent
and warm, beckoning, and it filled the air of the box with a powerful summons.
Willem had tensed his facial muscles and pulled his lips into a thin line as
Jayn had said he should, but he had to breathe. His nostrils pulled the queen’s
scent into his body. That was enough. His cock thickened, though mercifully
hidden by his heavy robe and veil, and his facial muscles relaxed, his lips
parting as her finger touched them.
“Stop that!” snapped Rue. The queen pulled back her
hand and the palanquin rocked. Willem dared open his eyes and saw that Lena had
scooted between him and the glaring young queen.
“You said you would look, not touch. You have no
authority to touch him.”
“You disguise his looks poorly. Your male is not
uncomely.” The queen looked straight at him and this time Willem failed to
avoid meeting her gaze. Desire gazed back at him, and something else.
Resentment, maybe. Rue yanked the veil back down, hiding him again. The queen
scowled. “The male I am seeking is prettier and not scarred, nor does he have
eyes of that color,” she said, and pulled fully out of the passenger box. “You
may continue. May you use him well during Her phase.”
The palanquin rolled as the workers lifted it again
and proceeded on their way.
“Use me?” Willem wanted to be sure he had heard that
correctly.
“Work crews almost never include men. She probably
thinks you’re with us to provide… ease.” Lena had crawled back and was sitting
opposite him again. “She just told us their fucking Queen’s entering her phase.”
“Jeezers,” said Marda. “We usually leave the nom then.”
“Well, not this time.”
Willem swatted away the veil so he could look upon
their unhappy faces. “What are you telling me? Why was I ordered on this team?”
“Probably Torrey’s beetle-brained scheme to get you
inside.” Lena lolled back on her cushion. “What the crash do any of us know
about why we’ve been summoned? Pesht’s Queen wants to give her Chosen a gift?
Well, I don’t think she means a moonlit bath chamber.”
“And you know what’s really fun?” Rue narrowed her
gaze evilly. “Every queen in this nom is about to go chinti-crazy, and that includes Her.”
“And us,” said Shel. She pointed to Willem. “You,
too. And if we’re still here when the pheromones hit, chances are real good we’re
all getting screwed.”
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Thanks for reading! If you’re looking for more fun,
free fiction use the links below to visit the blogs of the other Wednesday
Briefers.
Oooh interesting. I wonder who escaped. I wonder what will happen when the queens get horny
ReplyDeleteHmm... actually, the young man was more likely kidnapped and smuggled into the nom to be a sex slave. :) I may have to tweak that part to make it clearer. And when the Queen gets horny, EVERYONE gets horny. And the younger queens get aggressive and dangerous. Our boys are going to see it up close.
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