Rexi and Talon

By Onyx Tao

Jack: Rexi and Talon by Onyx Tao is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://onyx-tao.sofurry.com.

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14. Talon

Talon realized he'd never appreciated the silent, intimidating knights that had bullied their way down the street past his mother's shop properly. They'd scared him, with their devil-decorated armor and spikes and grim, determined stride. But at least they hadn't talked. He'd been sitting--semi-comfortably--at Master Zackton's side, kneeling on a cushion the half-orc had provided for him, and even just the introduction seemed to go on and on and on and on and on ...

He could tell Master Zackton had been amused, and then irritated, and was steadily moving toward angry. Except ... these were simply not persons to get angry at. Not even Master Zackton could afford to piss off the enforcers of law in C------.

"Excuse me," Master Zackton finally said.

"Yes?" said the senior envoy, pausing.

"I don't actually care about of any of this," the half-orc said calmly. "I invited you here for one and only one reason--to get my stalled title documents _un_stalled."

"We have no say in the decisions of ..."

"It is your order's influence that is holding them up," Master Zackton said. "And if you're going to deny it, go ahead. But I'm not here to play games, and if we cannot come to an agreement here, now, and today, I am simply going to return to K------ today. I admit it, you have balked me. There is no way around you. I can't defeat your influence, I can't resist it, and I certainly can't force you to stop. But I can leave, and if I can't get what I want here--then I've no reason to stay."

"We want ..."

The half-orc grimaced. "Yes. A meeting with the Masters of that city and market. Fine. I've asked and borrowed and begged and hinted and suggested--and I've set one up. Supply ... a particular gift to -" and Zackton produced a folded piece of paper "- a particular person in K------, and your embassy will meet with a group empowered to speak bindingly for the masters, including at least one of them themselves. That's as good as I can do."

"What gift?"

"Ah," said Zackton. "It's available to you here--in E------, in fact. You'll have to buy it at auction, I'm afraid, unless you can convince Ghallzhom and Togg's Auction House to supply on some other terms. I'm not accepting responsibility for your getting it, understand. I'm just telling you what it is."

"Except you haven't," another Knight said.

"No, I haven't. I'm making our deal first before ... supplying my side of it. Immediately, the transfer of the properties to my ownership under the church's trust happen. They happen by tomorrow sunset."

"We could put a word in for you," the other Knight said through his closed visor. "Tomorrow sunset ... doable. Perhaps even today. Who knows?"

"I don't know," Zackton said. "Tomorrow sunset. Your word and oath that all influence you and your Order can bring to bear to make that happen--and that you speak for the Master of your Order here in C------. And that your Order will continue to exercise its full influence until that happens--as part of our agreement."

"How ... expensive is this ... whatever?"

"I've no idea. 500 crowns, I think, would be a winning bid, but ... not my problem, understand? I haven't sent anyone else to bid against you."

"We can confiscate it in the name of ..."

"I don't care," Zackton said. "And in fact I don't want to know how you plan to get it. Thank you."

"Then is that all?"

"Certainly not. I also want to be paid. For my inconvenience, for the several favors I've expended, both tracking down the ... source of my legal woes, and for arranging this meeting at all," Zackton said. "And I also want an agreement from you that the next time you need some ... unusual service from me, that you approach me and ask for it rather than interfere in my business transactions."

"Oh? You're really just going to walk away from nearly a half-million sail investment?"

The half-orc smiled his own little smile. "Ah. Well. As to that, gentles ... yes, actually. I will count it a loss, and a great defeat, and I will--I assure you--be quite bitter about it, but ... I'm not going to fight your order. I'd lose. I dislike losing, but in the end ... it's just gold."

"And you're so sure you can get out of C------?"

Zackton shrugged. "I think that's a no-win situation for both of us."

"And how much ..."

"500 crowns," Zackton said.

"No," the second Knight said.

"Fine," said Zackton. "No deal, then. Goodbye."

"What?"

"I'm not negotiating," Zackton said. "I'm telling you what my minimum acceptable deal is. You either meet it, or I turn my back on you, this city, and this country for ... greener pastures."

"We are not going to be blackmailed," said the Knight.

"No," said Zackton. "But, you realize, I can't let myself be exploited either. Once the word got out--and it would--I'd be a laughingstock. Can't afford that. Therefore, a minimum acceptable deal. It might have been less if you'd inflicted ... less reputational damage, but ... the damage is what it is. If I'm percieved to have let you get away with it ... well, you understand reputation."

"Yes, we do," the Knight said. "We hadn't realized we were ... impacting yours."

"Now you do," Zackton said. "I explain so you will understand why my ... bizarre bluff of walking out and taking the massive loss--isn't bizarre, and isn't a bluff. It's a ... painful necessity. So. Back to my minimal acceptable deal. Final requirement--it closes today. I've made some arrangements for my hasty departure, and they're good for the next, oh, twenty hours, but if I have to jump ... the sooner I jump, the better my chances of a clean break."

"You get the coinage, resolution of the legal holds on the theater, and you get it today. We get ... the identity of the person who can set the meeting we want, and the bribe we need to supply him."

"Or her," said Zackton. "Yes."

"You warrant this bribe is less than ... 500 sails."

"Five thousand sails," corrected Zackton. "I said crowns, not sails. 500 crowns is my ten percent finder's fee. And I don't warrant it, I'm repeating from the auctioneers. What it actually goes for at auction--if it goes at auction--isn't my problem."

"The resolution of your title deeds isn't worth anything?"

"It's worth quite a bit," said Zackton. "I'm even pretending it's enough to make up for your causing those problems to begin with, which I think pretty damn generous."

"Suppose we agree to ten percent of what we pay for it?"

"No," said Zackton. "Suppose we agree to ten percent of what the auctioneer estimates. Which would be 500 crowns."

"Suppose ..."

"Why are you making a big deal over five hundred lousy crowns?" asked Zackton. "It's a fucking pittance. I should be charging you twenty times that for enabling your fucking meeting to begin with."

"We'd never pay that," the second Knight said flatly.

"I believe you," said Zackton. "Notice that I am not, in fact, asking what I should. But I can't let my service go for free, regardless. This way, I can claim I got ten percent--even if it's ten-percent of the smallest chunk of the service."

"I think we can agree, in principle," the second Knight said. "We'll draw up a contract."

"Paper. Ink. Pen." Zackton pointed to the piano. "Draw away. I'll look it over. Keep it simple. Very simple. Add a clause about good faith. Arbitration is by a senior devoted of the Temple of S------, chosen by lottery. I'll read it and make what changes I want, so please ... keep it to what we agreed."

* * *

Talon let himself shift on his seat as the last of the Knights walked out, holding their copy of the final deal. It had only gone through six revisions before both Zackton and the Knights were satisfied with it--because the Knights were assholes, thought Talon. Zackton hadn't said anything, though, simply watching them walk out.

"Well, with any luck they'll be out of my face for a few months," Zackton said. "Hopefully ..." and then he turned towards the mirror. "You were watching, I assume?"

"Yes," the voice echoed from the mirror, making Talon jump. "That was ... beautiful. They have no idea how severely you fucked them over."

"I trust you won't tell them."

"No," the voice agreed. "But ... you've managed to keep all my gold. Clever. Very clever."

"Who deserves it more, me or them?"

There was a hissing chuckle. "They do all the work, they spend all the gold, they guard the mirror until my agent in K------ can take it ... and you get all the payment."

Zackton stood, and made a respectful half-bow to the mirror.

"I want something more, though, now," the voice said, almost hungrily. "Strip the elf."

"Half-elf."

"Half-elf, then."

"I am not parting with him."

"I am not asking you to part with him," the voice said softly, dangerously. Something in it made Talon's flesh crawl. "I simply want ... to see him."

"Agreed--if you never ask me for him, ever," Zackton said.

There was, from Talon's standpoint, a disturbingly long silence until a reluctant "Agreed..." came from the mirror.

Master Zackton looked down at him, and nodded.

"I ..."

"Yes," Master Zackton told him. Shit. Except ... Talon had a feeling that as much as he didn't want to show himself in front of ... of ... whatever this was, he didn't want to make his Master look bad in front of it either. He rose, and started to quickly take off the finery the tailor had provided him ... trying not to look at the mirror, trying even harder not to imagine what was behind it, on some other incomprehensible side.

"Graceless," the voice hissed with a certain disappointment as Talon's trembling fingers set his blue tunic down on the floor.

"You're comparing him to me," Zackton said. "Which is unreasonable. He's had no training."

"Why are you coddling him? He should learn... ah, yes..."

Talon tried to pretend--very hard--that last interjection hadn't come just a moment after he'd straightened up to unbuckle his pants. Keep going. Keep going. Somehow, it was ... different than when he'd been before Master Zackton, naked. Or even in the slave pen, where he'd been so unhappy that his nakedness hadn't even occurred to him other than as simply another anonymous part of his general misery. Talon risked a glance at the mirror.

For a moment--just a moment, maybe even less--he saw a huge slitted eye staring at him, just the eye, barely even the black skin--eyeliner?--no, scales --that threatened to swallow the world and then the mirror was simply a mirror again, reflecting the room and one terrified half-elf, fingers frozen on the complicated buckle on the left of his pants, holding the front to the back and over his hips. Zack--Master Zack, Master Zackton, Talon mentally corrected himself--had missed it, although he certainly hadn't missed Talon's reaction.

"Talon." It was as much a warning as command, and Talon tried to make his frozen fingers move. He did. Really ...

They wouldn't. He could barely look away from the mirror, towards his Master, trying to explain but he couldn't even speak, not after that, he tried, but ... it ...

"Talon?" this time it was a question.

"Apparently he needs help undressing, too ..." murmured that voice. It carried a hint, just a hint of that glimpse that had so overwhelmed him and he couldn't help flinching away.

"No," drawled Master Zackton, sounding both amused and irritated at the same time. "You're playing peek-a-boo. Stop it."

Peek-a-boo? The involuntary laugh helped break the momentary paralysis, and his fingers were fumbling again, and the buckle came undone. Talon didn't wait, just wanted this over and ignored the buckle on the other side, stepping out of the pants and then--after a glance at Master Zack to make sure it really was required but he'd known it would be--his undercloth, as well. His hand went up to the jade necklace but Master Zackton shook his head. Not that.

"Lovely," breathed the voice, and this time, Talon was ready for it, and managed to suppress the flinch, partly by focusing intently on the frame of the mirror. "Can you turn him around for me?"

Zackton nodded, stood, and reached over to Talon. With barely the pressure of his fingertips, Master Zackton led Talon through an abbreviated version of the stretches they'd done--was it really just yesterday?

The voice, which had been silent through this, spoke when Zackton guided Talon back down into a kneeling position on the cushion. "Our taste in men is so similar, and yet ... lovely as I find this one, he's never one I would have thought to catch your eye. And I'm even more surprised at you; you're not one to treat him so. I am missing something, I think."

"Treat ... you mean the bruising?"

"Yes. Half-healed bruises are not something I'd expect to find on one of your toys."

"He bruises from mere touch," Zackton said. "It's a little unnerving. I've been more cautious with him than ..." the half-orc paused. "Anyone, I think."

"Then you haven't had him?" The voice sounded thoughtful.

"Why would I tell you such a thing?" Zackton said.

"Why indeed... do you know why he bruises?"

"No. I put that jade amulet on him, and it seems to have stopped the bruising, but no, I don't."

"That ... ah. Hmmm. At a guess, it toughens the skin? Didn't it belong to one of those initiates you borrowed?"

"Yes, to both questions."

"Then it would appear to help, and indeed it does help, but that is a secondary result, not a true solution."

"You know why he bruises?"

"I have seen something similar. I'd have to ask him a question or two, and get an answer or three to be reasonably certain," the voice admitted. "May I ask? Directly?

"Verbally, yes. No now-you-see-me-now-you-don't games."

"Yes, yes ... pretty little _half-_elf, tell me, have you ever cut yourself, or been cut?"

"Yes," said Talon, quickly adding, "Sir."

"What happens?"

"Uh ... I wrap the cut tightly until it's better, Sir. With cloth."

"And how long until you can take if off?"

"About a day, Sir, if it's a small cut."

"As I thought, then," the voice said. "Interesting."

"What is it?"

"Oh, you want to know?"

The half-orc gave a low sound that could be confused with a laugh, but not by Talon. "Yes."

"Well ... is he ... untouched?"

"Maybe," said Zackton. "You want to know?"

"If he is, I want to see you take him," the voice said. "I'll tell you ... for that."

Talon wanted to creep under the piano.

"I haven't, in part because he's not ready, and in part because he bruises so easily," Zackton said slowly. "I wouldn't want to owe you something that ... might never happen."

"There's a solution to the second. The first is your problem."

"Just so we're clear, you're offering to tell me what's happening, and how to correct it, if you can watch me fuck him."

"Yes ..." breathed the voice. "You're both so to my ... taste ... together ... oh yes, I will enjoy that, much of a muchness ... and the foreplay, yes ..."

"Just because you have a solution doesn't make it feasible," Zackton said.

"Thrice what your Knights paid you would buy what I have in mind, and you, my clever musician, might well find it within your purview."

"And there's the question of Talon being ready ... I don't want him traumatized. And you're asking for the right to watch--not comment, and certainly not direct."

"You do take the fun out of it ... but you are coming to visit me, are you not?"

"I wasn't planning on it."

"Bring him. A repeat performance, as well. In person."

"No ..." said Zackton. "No. Can't promise I'll still have him."

"Then ... with Doffin?"

"Doff ..." said Zackton puzzledly. "Who?"

"You've forgotten that charming pit fighter you gave me? So soon?"

"Oh, no, just never called him that," Zackton said. "But you've seen us together..." and then the half-orc paused. "I thought I killed him."

"You left him dying, not dead," the voice said. "He's ever so much better behaved now." There was a half-moment. "Docile, even. I think he still has a few nightmares from time to time, though. I don't think he'll be happy to hear you're coming for a visit."

"Why would I do that?"

"Why, because I'm inviting you. Pretty half-orc. With or without your ... half-elf." A moment later, the voice added, "with would be ever so much better."

To Talon's great relief Zackton shook his head. "Yes, I understand. I'm sure I can drop by in the next ten years or so."

"That will do. When you get around to it."

"I will accept your deal without the repeat performance. I have no intention of bringing Talon to ... where you are."

"Accepted. The problem is bleeding; he doesn't stop bleeding normally. It's unusual, but I've seen it before," the voice said. "Although most so afflicted ... die young. It might be that his case is less severe; his hybrid nature may have protected him somewhat."

Talon blinked. Just that? He already knew he bled ...

"And the solution?"

"It hasn't already come to mind?"

Zackton paused. "No ..."

"You have the oddest gaps in your knowledge, sometimes. Nevertheless, there is warding stone, a sort of periapt, that closes wounds in battle, primarily by ..."

"Preventing blood loss," finished Zackton. "Yes. I don't know if I would have thought of that myself, but ... it was mentioned to me. But I don't have one... well."

"I have one," the voice said. "And if you were to come visit, and bring him with you, I'd even permit him to wear it."

"I don't think that will be very convenient for some time," Zackton said.

"No? Well ... perhaps I could let you borrow it, if you agreed to bring it back ..."

"I'll consider it," the half-orc said. "But I don't think that would serve."

"As you wish. Oh. You do sleep with him, yes?"

"Sleep, yes, little more ..."

"I was promised foreplay. Move the mirror back to your bedchamber."

Talon stiffened as Zackton thought for a moment. "I ..." he started, and paused. "You did specify that. And ... yes, in retrospect, I was not interpreting it that way, but ... yes. You are owed that. May I touch him elsewhere, if the play is not explicitly erotic? I need that ... it was part of why I purchased him to begin with. I won't go past mild petting with him elsewhere."

"Acceptable," the voice said. "Why don't you show me just ... how far you intend to go in public then, first?"

"Acceptable," echoed Zackton. "Very. Thank you. I shall. But the both of us are going to bed now ... to sleep. Nothing more. We don't stay up quite as long as you."

"Nor sleep so long, neither," the voice agreed pleasantly. "Very well."

Talon kept twisting uncomfortably in Master Zackton's arms, trying to find some position that ... that ... made him less aware of the mirror hanging right in front of the bed. The half-orc had taken it down from the music room and said absolutely nothing until he'd re-hung it, directly in front the bed. Not even to the side, where it had been over a dresser, but right in front. Somehow, Talon knew if he asked--and Master Zack deigned to answer him--that answer would be for the best possible view.

Why else?

Master Zackton hadn't explained the short note he'd penned to Rexi, either.

How Master Zackton could sleep knowing that ... that ... something was ... watching ... and not even know if it were watching or not? Talon squirmed again.

This time, Zackton's arms caught him. "Sleep, Talon. We need to be out tonight. I need to be rested."

"Yes, Master. Sorry."

Talon tried lay still. It wasn't easy; the sheets seemed to prickle, the hard muscle of Zack's arm underneath him didn't feel right against his side; even the touch of Zack's skin seemed ... greasy. Oily."

"Talon," Zackton said sleepily. "What is troubling you?"

"Nothing ..."

"No," and now the half-orc sounded awake. "I told you, Talon, that lying to me would make me irritable. Something is bothering you, and given my previous total failure to guess what disturbs you--I no longer care to guess. Although ... if I had to, I would say you look ahead to yielding yourself to me."

"No! Well, a little, but ... no, not that."

"Wrong again," Zackton said, almost with satisfaction. "Well, if I can't be right, at least I know when I am likely to be wrong. But that just comes back to question, sweet lad, of what is wrong?"

"It's ... being ... watched."

"Oh," said Zackton. "But ... I am watching you, and have been, and you were able to sleep. Or at least, hold still ..."

"But you're here."

"It makes a difference?"

"I can see you!"

"Yes ... this makes a difference?"

"I know ..." and Talon paused. I know who you are was patently untrue, but ... "You're not some mysterious invisible monster that wants ... I don't know what that ... that voice wants. You want to ... to fuck me, I understand that. But ..."

"You fear the unknown," Zackton said. "Yes. I understand that. But it poses a dilemma. The less you know about our ... semi-invited guest the safer you are. Knowledge regarding it will draw more of its attention. That is not inherently bad, nor inherently good--it ... yes. Raises the stakes, I think, is the best way to put it. And since you really don't have a lot of stakes--your risk of losing everything is substantially higher than, say, mine."

That ... "That doesn't help, Master." Not in any way. Now he didn't have to worry just about ... about ... whatever it was but ... losing everything? "Haven't I already lost ... everything?"

"Not even close," Zackton replied. "Not even close."

"Uh..."

"Here's a decision for you, then. I can help you sleep, or I can tell you ... enough to dispel some of the unknown. But not all of it, because I can't tell you what I myself do not know. And I might end up helping you to sleep, as well." He got a brief hug from the half-orc. "Maybe just knowing--that you could know, would help?"

Talon thought about that for a moment. "No," he said. "I want to know."

"Ignorance is a form of weakness," Zackton said quietly. "I approve your choice. Very well. Our guest is a dragon, whom I know as Nomos. I do ... errands for him, and some of his colleagues, from time to time. Things they could not so easily do for themselves, or things that take a certain amount of finesse. Nomos has shown ... curiosity, previously, in some of the ... males I've ... interacted with, and the nature of that physical intimate interaction, and apparently, you've piqued his interest as well. I've made many agreements with him, and he has always carried through on the spirit of our agreement, and generally the letter, as well. The one time he didn't--well, he was not at fault for that, and we came to an amicable agreement regarding the matter. I trust him to keep his agreements, and even to deal in good faith, which from me is a high complement. But I do not care to wave things of great value in front of him--and to me, you are of great value."

"What ... what sort of dragon?"

"To my belief, black."

"You don't know?"

"His magic is sufficiently advanced to present himself as any sort he wishes. Still, his home is temperate, and I do not think a dragon of fire or ice would be there. It is ... humid, wet, watery ... and that suggests not blue, and even a green, I think, would not care for wetness he enjoys. But, he is a powerful wizard, and if he wished to hoodwink me--I think he might have done so with success. His colleagues probably know, but I have never asked them for information on each other--merely a recommendation for my services. Does that help?"

Did that help? "I'm ... I'm not sure," Talon admitted.

"Then _ as you are safe in my arms, rest and slumber _, Talon."

A sudden yawn convinced Talon that Master Zackton was right.