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Srei leaned backwards on a bench against a sun-warmed adobe wall. Rays of light shined over the mountains at dusk, and Srrket quickly plunged into night, but the adobe stayed warm for hours on summer nights. She sighed, watching the open sky while the stars above began to crawl out of their burrows.

Behesh’s heavy tread broke Srei from her reverie. She sat in a little garden behind Srrket’s library. A large, three story adobe building that remained dimly lit all times of the day for its nocturnal wyvern librarian. Said wyvern yawned as he stepped outside a large doorway. He had to tuck in his mangled wings to fit through it.

“Ah, there you are, Srei. I thought I smelled you.”

“Good evening, Behesh. Just stopped by to tend to your garden.”

“Hmm, thank you, dear.” The wyvern bowed his head in acknowledgement. It was roughly the size of Srei’s torso. He went to a bush with pallid blue flower that only bloomed the first few hours of night. The wyvern scented it. “I always love the smell of these.”

Srei smiled softly. “I planted them for you, you know.”

“Heh, you spoil me.”

“It’s the least I can do.” The least Srei could do for the wyvern who took her in when she first arrived in Srrket. He was, in his own ways, an outsider, too. The only wyvern who lived in the valley. He taught Srei Srrketch, taught her how to live here, how to ask Sisbul to heal the scars she collected during her time as a slave.

“I did not see you at the library today.”

“Esmal kept me busy.”

Behesh turned and faced her, his bulk blocking out most of the flowering bushes and small gnarled trees of the garden. “Your charge.” It was said with a certain, rumbling disdain. Behesh, like most of Srrket, considered Savish and its leaders barbaric.

Srei nodded. “One of the rare evenings where we took dinner together after his lessons.”

“And? Just dinner?” Behesh asked it like a parent might.

“Just dinner, Behesh,” Srei said. “He still holds his distance from me.”

Behesh snorted. “You would think a warrior prince would be brave enough to—”

“I appreciate you getting mad at him on my behalf, but please, Behesh, not tonight.”

The wyvern grumbled under his breath, most of the words lost in his long, sinuous throat.

It had been a month since Esmal arrived and not much had changed. Srei had a regular schedule tending to him, and afterwards she wandered here. The only real home she had in Srrket.

Behesh nuzzled her chest, then studied her face. “I hate seeing you like this, dear.”

Srei hated feeling this. And hated her only confidant was another person who… well, her situation of mutual affection and longing with Esmal was not unique for her. Throat a little dry, she whispered, “I just don’t know what to do…”

“He is not your responsibility. If he keeps hurting you, someone else can tutor and tend to him.”

Srei could not meet the wyvern’s level gaze. It completely went against her nature to consider abandoning Esmal, but Behesh was right…

She forced herself to say, “If he does not change soon… I can move on.”

“I know it is hard, Srei.”

“I love him, Behesh,” Srei trembled saying it, “I just don’t know why he won’t—”

“Sh-sh-sh,” Behesh hugged her to his warm chest with one of his winged arms. Srei accepted the embrace, and let herself lose control, for just a moment, in the embrace of her closest friend.

***

“How are you fairing, prince?” Sisbul asked Esmal. They both sat under the shade of a row of olive trees. Between them a small table held a tea set with both cups recently poured by Srei. His retainer had bowed and excused herself, leaving the two alone.

“Bored, steward,” Esmal answered. He did not hide the sourness in his voice. Since getting here, the days were much the same: morning exercises, breakfast alone in his room, language lessons with Srei after, midmorning tea with Sisbul, a light lunch, more lessons (if he and Srei both felt up to being around each other), idleness till the sunset, dinner he almost always took alone, then some more exercising before he slept.

Sisbul took a sip of his tea, the clay cup he used tiny in his hand. “It saddens me to hear your stay continues to offer nothing but rot.”

“A prison, whether a palace or a dungeon, offers the spirit little,” Esmal said, arms crossed over his chest. He wore, reluctantly, the clothes tailored for him by the reptilians. They were loose and flowing garbs, sandy brown with golden collars and cuffs. He constantly felt exposed in them, though aside from his collarbone they showed no more skin than his Savish clothing.

Sisbul contemplated his words a moment, then offered, “The palace is only a prison if you let it be. You are free to explore the city, the valley, even the surrounding mountains, if you wish. The library in the city has some scrolls written in human scripts. You could read. Every week a play is hosted in the gardens, then there are the dances and—”

“I get it,” Esmal snapped.

“Do you?” Sisbul asked. Esmal reached for his cup and took a sip. It was grassy and sweet with a lingering bitterness at its end. When Esmal set his cup down and did not answer, Sisbul said, “Do you know why I pulled you into a trance your first day here?”

Esmal had spent some time contemplating this. “If what they say is true, and we are now connected, and I now have some of your vitality that will keep me from aging, then it is in my best interest to keep you alive.”

“A thoughtful, if selfish answer.”

“Excuse me?”

Sisbul, who sat on his coils, swayed to the side and grabbed one of the scrawnier olive trees. “By your logic, Prince Esmal, when we plant the tree it is for fruit and shade.” Esmal rolled his eyes. Sisbul studied the tree and began to whisper in his tongue, words that Esmal only half caught. Words directed at the tree, which began sprouting new buds all across its branches. Twigs grew out quickly and the plant seemed to thrive, shuddering, trunk thickening in Sisbul’s grip. Sisbul let go of the branch and whatever magic he channeled faded as he faced Esmal again. “Some of us, prince, also plant trees for the joy that comes with watching something you nurture grow.”

Esmal took another sip of his tea to recover his wits a little. He scoffed and slammed his cup down. “You just wanted to see me grow?”

“I wanted you to have the power to feel you could.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Not that you needed it, but I’ve given you the strength to break your father’s grip on you. That power is right there within your—”

Esmal stood. “We are done.”

“But you have not finished your tea.”

“I told you last week to keep your opinions about my father to yourself.”

Sisbul wove around the table and in front of Esmal. “I insist we finish our conversation.”

“If you wanted me to betray my family couldn’t you just put me in a trance and do it?” Esmal snapped.

“I am imploring you to think for yourself—”

“Please, my only thoughts are what we will do with your hides when we skin your people—”

The back of Sisbul’s hand struck Esmal’s face like a club. The naga knocked him flat onto the table, overturning it and shattering the clay tea set. His clothes became soaked in hot water. Sisbul towered over him and spat, “You can trade threats with me all you like prince, but if you threaten my people I will see to it you are returned to your father more broken than you already are.”

Panting and struggling to his feet, Esmal faced Sisbul. He came to his full height and said, “I believe you finished my tea for me.” Feeling a small victory, he made to step over Sisbul’s coils, but the naga grabbed him by the throat.

Sisbul lifted him in the air as easily as the cup from before. Esmal grabbed his hand to break the grip, but Sisbul held him tight even as the prince kicked at his chest, bare feet bouncing off scales harmlessly. Sisbul said over his struggling, “Your father ordered you to grow more powerful here, no? To learn how to kill me? Dear prince, lest you take my lessons to heart, you will only rot in your time here, and I will cut down every Savish soldier your father musters while remaining invincible, just like last time. Do you really think your petty empire will outlive me? We will see how cowed those other conquered nations are when I have emptied the farms and cities of every Savish youth stupid enough to wield a blade against my people.”

He dropped Esmal. The prince crumpled on the dirt, coughing and gasping for breath. He had a pounding headache, having nearly passed out in Sisbul’s grip. “If you will not grow for yourself, do it so you have some hope of keeping your precious empire intact, boy.” He began to slither away while Esmal cursed between breaths. He struggled to his feet, but a wave of dizziness made him fall back over against the flipped table. Sisbul said over his shoulder, “I will send your retainer to help get you cleaned up.”

Gods, Esmal did not want Srei to see him like this. Though, by the time he got his feet under him, leaning against a tree for support, he already heard Srei calling his name.

***

“Are you proud of yourself?” Srei asked. She had taken Esmal to his rooms when she found him. His cheek and lips were swollen and a bruise had blossomed on the prince’s throat.

“I do—” Esmal hacked to clear his throat, “not need you to chide me.”

Esmal sat on his bed with Srei sitting on her knees beside him and a bag of first-aid supplies on her lap.

“Can you open your mouth?”

“I can speak—”

“Hush, I want to make sure he didn’t knock any of your teeth loose.”

Esmal acquiesced, and she tipped his skull back for better light. “Shkhanna’s slit, Esmal,” Srei cursed in Srrketch. It was one of the first phrases Esmal ended up learning. Blood coated the prince’s teeth, his gums were swollen places and the blow cut his lip against his teeth, but he would be fine. Srei let him go and glared at him. “You’re lucky Sisbul did not dislocate your jaw.”

“Mmm.”

“Esmal!”

“What do you want me to say, Srei?” the prince snapped. “He needled me and I needled back. It is not my fault my points were sharper.”

Srei sighed and leaned back on her haunches. “What exactly did he say?”

“He tried to talk me into betraying my father again.”

“Ah,” Srei chewed on her lip a little, tried: “And you didn’t jump at the chance?”

Esmal arched a brow.

“It was a joke—an attempt.”

“An attempt,” Esmal echoed.

Sensing it time to change the subject, Srei slipped off the bed. “Take off your clothes, I’ll get them washed.”

Esmal hesitated.

Srei rolled her eyes. “Honestly, my prince. I have seen you naked twice now, and you have seen me—well… there is no reason to be bashful around each other.”

Esmal seemed to agree and started taking off his clothes. While he stripped, Srei fetched a new set from the chest at the foot of the bed. When she came back around, Esmal sat in a closed posture that made him seem shy. Srei really did not get it. All the reptiles of the kingdom remained nude for most of the year. If anything he should want to fit in.

She handed him the bundle of clothes, and as he dressed Srei noted the scares on his body: the one on his lower abdomen, a burn scar on his shoulder, welts Srei knew to be from a whip on his back, and a paler gash of flesh above his knee.

When Srei first arrived here, the scars on her hide marked her an escaped slave to her kin immediately. In the dimness of the library they had been easy to hide, which is part of the reason why Srei hid there until Behesh helped her to ask Sisbul for help. The steward offered to use his magic to erase them. Srei took the offer, eager to not have her captivity stick out like that. Perhaps the scars were part of what kept Esmal attached to clothes.

Srei sat beside him and placed a hand on his now clothed back. “Esmal, may I ask you something?”

“Of course, Srei.”

She rubbed up and down his spine. “These scars, how did you get them?”

“They are tender, you know.”

Srei removed her touch. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

“It is alright—it does not hurt for you to touch them.”

“You do not need to answer if—”

“It is fine,” Esmal said. “I received them as a teenager. My father had taken me on an annual boar hunt. We were riding ahead of everyone when some vermin ran out in front of my horse and spooked it. I lost control of the beast and it ran right into my father’s horse. He nearly got thrown from his saddle.”

“And you were punished for this?”

“I embarrassed us both. My father did it there in front of the hunting party. I remember, he told me, ‘I’m sorry son, but I must show that no one is above the law.’”

Srei fought to keep her expression even. “And what law did you break?”

“Slighting the emperor.”

“I… Esmal…” she started to—hesitated, then hugged him. Esmal wrapped an arm around her. She said, “Thank you for sharing that with me. I know, all too well, what it is like to be punished for an accident.”

Esmal bowed his head. “Fuck.”

“My prince?”

He shook his head. “It is… I do not wish to offend you.”

“After sharing such a story, I will let you just this once.”

“You were an actual slave. Actually punished and… everything else, and yet you are comforting me as if I am the one who was the slave.”

Srei did have mixed feelings about that. She had no doubt her suffering had been worse, but she had years to heal. Esmal deserved the same chance. She thought again of her conversation with Behesh the night before. Was anyone giving Esmal the chance to heal?

“Esmal…” she sat up and took his hands, squeezing them to get him to look at her. “I was a slave, but it was always clear when I did something for myself and when I did something for my masters. And I am free now. Healed now. You are free, too, but when can you say you last made your own decision, freely from your father’s will?”

He tensed up, Srei felt it in the hands she held and saw it in his eyes.

He whispered, “Srei…” he leaned into her and Srei inhaled sharply in surprise, expecting a kiss, but Esmal stopped and shook his head. He pulled away and babbled, “I’m sorry—I did not mean to, it was a moment of weakness.”

A grief that had begun to be all too familiar settled in Srei’s chest. “I would call it a moment of strength, my prince.”

Esmal flinched. “God… your blows are much worse than Sisbul’s.”

She got up and took his cast-off clothing. “I will see to these.”

“Thank you.” Esmal managed to meet her gaze and said, “It is not you, I swear.”

“I know, my prince. It is you, and, in some ways, this is even sadder for me.” She turned her back and words for imaginary conversations she’d been having all month came out, “If it was me, I might be able to fix it, but I cannot fix you.”

“Do you really consider me broken?”

“I long for when you are not, my prince. I know what kind of man you can be, should be. Somedays I wish more than anything to see even a glimpse of that man.” She walked out of the room without another word between them.

***

Sisbul’s court was on the palace’s third floor. It was a large banquet hall with a raised dais on one end, massive enough to fit a naga even bigger than Sisbul. Behind him hung the reptilian flag, two bars of desert rose and verdant green with a gold, winged ouroboros on the rose bar. During the day Sisbul received common folk, often to do petty miracles like heal a child’s cough or to ease an elder’s chronic pain. He received civil disputes and arbitrated with his two main consorts: Tezzbelst and Zyshthunse. Esmal had interacted with Tezz on several occasions. Zysh, according to Srei, was away from the capital on a vacation.

Esmal stormed into the court just before noon. Tezz, who had been lying on the dais next to Sisbul’s coils, perked up. Guards, more there for ceremonial reasons, stiffened when they saw Esmal, but let him through at a wave from Sisbul. In the middle of a court sat drake the size of a mule, with long whiskers and a brass hide.

“Sisbul!” Esmal spat.

“You have my attention prince. Did you come to have me heal your ailments?”

The side of Esmal’s face was properly swollen at this point. He scoffed and said, “I am here because we did not finish our conversation.”

“Well then,” he turned to the drake in the room and said something in Srrketch to him and Tezz. Esmal gathered that Sisbul’s consort would see to the other drake’s needs, but couldn’t parse much else.

As the two drakes began to cross the hall to leave, Sisbul slithered down from the dais. “You came at a good time,” he said, “Had you shown up an hour before, I would have told you to wait in line.”

Esmal ignored his comments and got to the point: “I have pondered what you said, and I want you teach me. I want whatever power you and your people can give me.”

Sisbul now stood over Esmal. “Here.” He placed his palm against Esmal’s swollen face and whispered a few words. A moment of tingling pleasure made him shudder, and when Sisbul pulled away, Esmal touched his face. Healed. “It was an unbecoming look for your handsome face, prince.”

“Can you teach me such things?” Esmal said. “Magic and the like. I know your consorts can perform the same things you can.”

Sisbul nodded. “It is true that they can tap the same well of power I can. It is the raw power of Shkhanna, but you must be able to speak her tongue, and have the force of will to draw on her. You need more mastery of both before I can teach you any spells.”

Esmal looked him straight in the eyes and said in Sisbul’s tongue, “I am willing.”

Sisbul returned in Srrketch, “But is it your will?” before the naga added in Savish, “You have long acted as an extension of your father’s will—it must be your will you draw on. What is it you want, Esmal?”

Esmal swallowed and said aloud something he only ever thought. “I want freedom.”

Apparently, Sisbul did not expect that. The naga’s eyes went wide a moment, then he started laughing. He clapped his side, “Ha! I suppose, hehe, I just needed to beat the sense into you after all.”

Esmal blushed. “Our conversation is not the only reason I am here.”

A slight smile. “Ah, has our little Srei been helping convince you?”

“I want my freedom for her.”

“Does she know this?”

“She will.”

Sisbul started laughing again.

Esmal grit his teeth. “Do you have to make this as hard as possible?”

Sisbul wiped tears from his eyes. “I am sorry prince. I was just thinking, if it is a woman you want power for, you will end up with a very particular set of skills.”

“That’s not…”

“I jest my dear prince!” Sisbul said. He smiled softly and asked, “How long have you wanted her?”

“Since the day I met her,” Esmal admitted. He had not said it aloud, but he was beginning to feel giddy. Srei… he was not going to wait anymore.

“She will be very frustrated to know you waited this long to make up your mind.”

“I know she will… now, will you teach me?”

“Of course, I was always going to teach you.”

“Even if I had come in here and said I wished to have the power to kill you?”

“Mmm, can I tell you something prince?”

Esmal frowned. “What is it?”

“When I first put you into a trance, I traveled the length of your soul to seed our bond. I knew, then, that you would not kill me because you are not that kind of man.”

Esmal took a step back, reminded of how helplessly violated he felt the last time Sisbul put him under. He swallowed back his fear and asked, “And what kind of man did you see?”

Sisbul gave him a long look, one that said many things. Esmal felt a fluttering in his chest as he met the handsome steward’s gaze. His tongue flicked out a moment before he said, “One I wish to witness flourish.”

“I…” Esmal could not break his gaze. This was not the snake’s trance; Sisbul’s eyes just held him. Admired him.

Sisbul reached out, soft, scaled fingers touched Esmal’s temple and stroked down his face, tracing his jawline. An affectionate caress before the steward told him, “I am looking forward to teaching you, Esmal.” Sisbul finally looked away and Esmal blinked.

Was this the same person who nearly choked him to death this morning?

Sisbul slithered past and said, “In the morning we will begin work in earnest. I must do some preparation. I would recommend you go to Srei and spend the rest of the day with her. It is past due you tell her you love her.”

It felt like a blow to Esmal’s chest when Sisbul said it, but the prince knew he was right. It had long been past due.

***

“You called for me, Esmal?”

Esmal took a deep breath as Srei entered his room. He sat at the foot of his bed, heart thundering in his chest, but he steeled himself and crossed the room to her.

“I need to—” he stumbled over his words when Srei’s eyes met his. Beautiful, light blue things that Esmal wanted to admire for hours.

“Yes?”

He had stopped a few paces from her. She still stood by the door. Esmal had thought in his head a dozen different ways to say what he wanted to say, but her beauty threw everything out. Esmal wanted to trace the lines where blue scales met copper and black… massage her feet, her tail, wanted…

“I want to worship you, Srei.”

“Esmal I…” Srei huffed angrily. “What do you want me to say to that?”

Undaunted by her doubt, Esmal kneeled before her. “It is the truth, Srei, and I am tired of my fear getting in the way of that. I am so scared what might happen to you, to us, but Srei I do not care what my father might try to do.” He took her hand. “Every day not spent with you makes the last twenty-eight years of my life feel wasted.”

She went from gawking to covering her face and looking away. She started to tremble. Esmal could tell she held back tears.

“Srei?”

She said, “I need to sit down, b-but I’m afraid if I move I’m going to fall over.”

It was all too easy for Esmal to scoop her into his arms. He cradled her for but a moment, standing in front of the doorway before her hands wrapped through his thick, dark curls and pulled him down into a kiss. The scales on her lips were delicate and soft and her mouth tasted sweet. Esmal was not sure he felt himself walking to the bed. One moment by the door, the next he was lying Srei down into his bed while she pulled him down with her.

They kissed again. Esmal stroked her cheek as her tongue explored his mouth. Then she teased his tongue into her mouth: more of that sweetness. Their lips worked together, barely separating. Her teeth were fine, tiny points, the roof of her mouth soft. Her tongue felt good. Better than Esmal ever expected. It was thin but soft and dexterous.

And he smelled nothing but her. Her floral scent and, this close, a slighter, dryer musk that came from her scales. His hands teased down her side, massaging and testing her flesh. He wanted to find every spot that might make her shudder. Already they shook against each other, but they were not frantic. The afternoon would be long, and they had nothing but time.

It was Srei who broke the kiss. Breath husky, she said, “I should be mad at you for making me wait so long.” Esmal snickered and nuzzled her cheek. “We do need to talk about what happens next, though.”

Esmal rolled off and beside her. His hand traced up and down her blue front. “I never want to stop touching you.”

“Esmal!” Srei giggled but grabbed his roving hand. “This is important.”

“I am listening, dear.”

She took his hand to her lips and kissed his knuckles. They watched each other, faces mere inches apart. Finished stalling, Srei asked, “You know I have a cock, don’t you?”

“I do,” Esmal said, only just now thinking of it. He had not really thought what to do about that.

“Have you ever had a partner with one before?”

Esmal now pulled her hand towards his lips and kissed her knuckles. “There are many things I am willing to explore with you. With you, I feel like anything is worth trying.”

Srei smiled softly. She rolled towards him so she could caress his cheek with her other hand. “Sweet prince… have you ever let another partner lead before?”

Esmal felt more and more like a virgin. Blushing, he admitted, “I have not.”

“How have you imagined us?

“I… I suppose how any man or woman would couple together.”

“It will not be like that, dear.”

“Because you have a cock?”

She chuckled, her eyes carried a sultry spark that showed she enjoyed his naivety. She said, “Because I am going to be the one fucking you.”

Esmal froze up.

“Does that scare you?”

“A-A little?”

“It is okay to be nervous,” Srei whispered while she slid closer and kissed him. She admitted, “When I escaped my bondage, I swore I would never be under another person again. That includes you, my prince. There are… many reasons I need it this way, but I promise to take care of you.”

Still nervous, Esmal managed a wry grin. “What has the last month been but you taking care of me?”

She giggled again. He swore her laughter would never wear out in his ears. “Thank you for understanding, Esmal.”

Esmal rubbed his nose against hers. “Of course.” And then, natural sounding on his lips as his name: “I love you, Sreimunse.”

Srei shivered against him. “Say it again.”

“I love you, Srei. I love you like I’ve not loved anyone. I’m certain of it. I love you the way plants love sunlight. With you, I thrive.”

Srei kissed him. A deep, passionate exchange before she broke apart again. “I love you, my prince, my Esmal.” Another kiss, then Srei rolled on top of him. She caressed his cheek and said, “This is many firsts for you. If you ever need me to stop, just ask, alright?”

Esmal squeezed her thigh. “I trust you, Srei. More than anyone.”

She laughed again. “Where is this all coming from?”

Esmal beamed back up at her, taking the lizard’s hands in his. “I’m just telling you all the things I meant to say much sooner.”

“Okay, then.” Srei tumbled and rolled them both over. Esmal straddled her waist and his breath caught. He thought of this so often that— “When did you first want to tell me you loved me?” Srei asked.

“I… I…”

“Esmal…” Srei’s hands worked under his shirt, touching his abdomen. Claws pricked his skin and the prince shuddered.

“Would it help if I told you when I loved you?”

Esmal nodded.

“Take this off first.”

It surprised Esmal how good it felt to be ordered to take off his clothes. He threw off his shirt and Srei’s hands roved across his torso. Fingers teased across his pecs, brushed through his chest air, and raked his skin.

“I knew I loved you since before we reached the city. When Sisbul put you under that trance and I pushed him away. I knew I would do anything to protect you, even after I heard what you said to Sisbul about conquering and war. When I held you in the palanquin, I knew I’d even follow you into that war.”

“Srei…”

She smirked and teased down his abdomen. “You are probably the finest human I’ve ever slept with, you know that? I’m so used to the nobles being petulant or ugly or both.”

Esmal wouldn’t let her change the subject. “It was the night before Sisbul put me in a trance, when we walked back to camp holding hands.”

“Mmm, and yet you didn’t take the hint.”

“Srei I knew then I wanted to marry you. Wanted anything to keep you by my side.”

Now it was Srei’s turn to be affected.

She whispered, “My prince…” Esmal let her lead him into another kiss. The scales of her lips were fine and so good to touch. Esmal needed more and leaned in, but a hand on his throat stopped him. His face hung a breath from hers when she whispered, “You know reptiles do not marry.”

Esmal frowned—could tell by her tone she was about to reject his future. “I know, Srei, but—”

“We have no ownership over each other, Esmal. I love you, but I do not want to be solely responsible for your love.”

“What… what do you mean?”

“I mean I want to see your capacity for love to grow.” Srei grabbed his hand and put it to her chest. “It might start here, but let it flourish, Esmal. Five years is a long time.”

“Do you have other lovers?” Esmal asked.

“Well, casual ones. And a… friend who I am very close to,” Srei said. “I do not feel as deeply connected to them as I do to you, but I have them. And I expect you to have others, but with how long you made me wait, I expect you to make up for lost time before you go trying to bed every reptile you find attractive.”

Esmal blushed. “Ho-how did you know there were others?”

Srei laughed and shoved Esmal off her. “Oh come now Esmal!” She sat up and theatrically threw out her arms, “I know I am beautiful, but you would not find me so alluring if you were not open to bedding other reptiles.”

Esmal sat up with her and pouted. “Have I always been so obvious?”

Srei snickered, which unlike most reptiles, sounded closer to Esmal’s laughter. “You have someone in mind even now, don’t you?”

Esmal gawked. In the periphery of his mind, perhaps. All the prior flirtations, all the stirring of desire around that snake. The caress Sisbul gave him when they last spoke. It was confusing with the steward: both acts of violence and tenderness clashed in Esmal’s skull. He still could not forget the blood-soaked Sisbul of the battlefield, but now stuck in his mind in equal measure was the look Sisbul gave Esmal today.

Srei grabbed his wrist and whispered conspiratorially. “Am I allowed to guess?”

“It’s Sisbul!” Esmal blurted out.

Srei’s laughter made him even more embarrassed. “Well of course you find him attractive Esmal! Everyone wants to fuck the steward.” Did Esmal want to fuck the steward? Or did he want…

What did he want?

Flabbergasted by how they had gotten here of all places, Esmal said, “I suppose he takes many lovers.”

“If you wanted a night alone with him you would need to get in line, my prince.”

“What about his consorts? Doesn’t he spend his nights with them?”

“Do you plan to become one?”

“That’s not!—” Esmal stopped when he realized his reaction told more than he liked. He took a deep breath. “I am attracted to the steward. It makes sense, right? We talk every day, and he is…” said begrudgingly, “handsome.”

Srei giggled and touched his ankle. “You seem pretty upset by this.”

Esmal held out his hands, “I have never been attracted to another man before. I do not know exactly what I should do. Do I court him? Do I just hope he courts me?”

“You seem to be more than simply attracted to Sisbul.”

Esmal looked at her in alarm. “I do not—my feelings for the steward are, um, strictly lustful.”

Srei shook her head. “Esmal, dear, if you wanted to fuck him you would not be worried about courting him.”

Esmal knew she was right. He looked over her shoulder to the tapestry that showed Shkhanna creating the desert and its people. He took a deep breath. “I wish… I am sorry, I don’t know how things got here. Srei,” Esmal squeezed her hand, “I want today to be about us. I did not mean for you to be counseling me yet again on my feelings.”

“Twice in one day, hmm?”

“It is rather embarrassing, isn’t it? I am decade older and you are the one with all the wisdom.”

“Hehe, well it was you who called me brilliant.”

He embraced her, savoring the feeling of her hands on his back. She traced the scars there with her fingers. Esmal focused on her scent, the feeling of her chest against his.

She whispered, “These scars… you could get them healed you know.”

“Maybe someday,” Esmal whispered back, “But today they led to you telling me what I needed to hear so I could finally hold you like this. I needed them to find my way into your arms.”

“Esmal, sweet prince.”

Hearing her say his name was its own kind of soft pleasure. He returned it to her. “Srei.”

“Are you still nervous about sleeping together?”

Blushing, Esmal admitted, “Only that I will not know what to do and will not be very good.”

Srei kissed his cheek and leaned back in his arms to look at him. “For a warrior and conqueror, you are awfully sweet and honest.”

“Trust me, you are the one who brings it out of me.”

“As long as it stays out of you, I can accept that.” Srei put her hand between his pecs. “This, right here, this is the man I fell in love with. I want to see only him in the future.”

“Srei…” Esmal swallowed. “I will try my best.”

“Good, now,” she kissed him, briefly. “No more talk about this. I want to feel every part of you, my prince.” Srei kissed him again, more insistent than before. Her tongue pushed into his mouth, light blue muscle teasing along his palette. Esmal groaned and allowed her to take the lead, tilting his head to give her mouth better access. The wet exchange of saliva remained sweet, and the deeper Esmal fell into the kiss the more everything else in the world faded away. Gently, Srei led Esmal down onto his back. Her hands roved his front. Fingers squeezed his pecs and claws teased his nipples. His cock pushed against the leg of the loose pants he wore. Srei ground her hips back against his navel. He whimpered—felt her dripping against his stomach as her crotch rubbed his skin.

Srei broke the kiss to bite Esmal’s throat. He gasped as teeth met flesh. The lizard sucked warmly on his throat, intent on leaving a bruise there. The pain and sharp pleasure of being marked by her made Esmal moan. His hands squeezed down on her waist and held her close. He humped up into her grinding, trying his best to feel more and more of her slit rub against his skin.

She released him with a pop. A sultry laugh and whisper, “There, now you won’t be able to hide anything, my prince.” Esmal shook beneath her, too taken to respond.

Srei sat up and scooted forward until she straddled Esmal’s collarbone. This close, the smell of her arousal was undeniable. Her blue slit was puffy, the golden piercings at its crest straining as her flesh swelled. Glossy arousal dripped from her slit and the smell: a heady musk that left him stunned in place, just staring at Srei’s sex. Until the lizard grabbed him by his hair and said, “Come now my prince, no need to be shy.” Esmal understood, and grabbed her waist. He pulled her towards his lips. He kissed her puffy slit like a lost lover. Esmal had tested the taste of his cum before, and when his tongue parted that slit, the taste was reminiscent of that. Musky seed, but sweeter than his own. His lips and chin quickly became smeared in her slit fluid.

Esmal groaned and eagerly made out with her sex. Srei murred and gyrated her hips a little. “That’s it prince. You’re doing great.” Even Srei’s praise felt good. Esmal became so dazed from the pleasure of eating her out that, at first, he didn’t even notice the nub growing firmer and firmer within Srei’s slit. But when the first few inches finally pushed past her sex and into his mouth, Esmal knew it must have been her cock. Her cock, coated in those fluids with a new, masculine flavor. The scent of her musk was changing, too—becoming stronger. Esmal did not care. A month ago the thought of sucking a cock might have alarmed him. But now…

“Mhmm, you’re such an eager boy, aren’t you?” Srei teased. Esmal moaned around her shaft. He was an eager boy. Srei’s grip on the back of his head remained firm. Esmal did not realize how good it could feel to let another person just have complete control. To submit all of himself completely to her. Srei began to pump her hips. More of the cock spilled into his mouth until Esmal felt it push against the back of his throat. His eyes watered but he took a deep breath and accepted it. Srei grunted as her tapered tip pounded down into him.

She quaked, cursing, “Shkanna’s slit, Esmal.” She stroked his cheek while her slit remained shoved against his lips, mouth opened wide to fit the fat base of Srei’s cock inside him. “You don’t have a gag reflex, do you?” Esmal could not really respond—it was news to him. “Mmm, I’m going to get a lot of use out of this throat, so get used to this position, dear.” Esmal moaned at the promise. The thought of being used by Srei again and again turned him on in ways he never expected. He was leaking precum, and yet he did not want to touch himself; even though he knew if he did he could cum in a few strokes of his cock. Instead, he wanted to linger in this newfound pleasure of worshipping her and being used by her.

Srei did not intend for him to remain idle, however. She began humping into his face with vigor. One, two, three thrusts before she would stop, toes curling and shuddering. Then three more. Esmal’s inexperienced jaw ached but he kept his mouth obediently open. Srei huffed, “Come on, use your tongue.” Esmal tried his best to listen, licking along her organ. He felt the heat of her dick. It leaked precum into his mouth and reminded Esmal more of her slit fluids. He felt he could dine on her fluids forever. Srei praised him as he lapped and lavished her. He swallowed when his mouth grew too full of precum, and noticed Srei react to that. So Esmal started swallowing more, which made Srei’s grip on his hair tighten.

“Mmff, that’s, hah, it. Good boy.” Esmal tried to be even more compliant. Licking and sucking and swallowing. Srei’s blue tongue hung out of her mouth while she panted. A mark of bliss that made Esmal tremble with need. The more used by her he felt, the more heated he became. It was totally new to feel this kind of need. Previous partners, his wives and other random women could not compare. Seeing the pleasure he gave Srei made his head buzz.

Srei’s thrusting became more frantic. Her precum spilled in thicker and thicker spurts. Until the little lizard groaned and shoved Esmal down on her cock. The shaft flexed then exploded in his mouth. Something in Esmal’s brain felt like it misfired. He moaned as unexpected heat and wet began to fill his pants, smear along his thigh. Srei slid backwards till the tip only remained, and Esmal’s mouth quickly filled with lizard cum. The taste made his eyes water, face red and blushing as heat filled his body. His balls continued to clench while his palette flooded with the thick, musky seed. Lizard cum tasted good. Strong yet sweet. Esmal tried to keep it in his mouth long as he could. Right before he was about to swallow, Srei pulled out, and Esmal watched, in amazement, as she pumped a dick bigger than his own. A few more ropes of spunk landed on his face and neck as Srei sighed.

Esmal, dazed, barely noticed Srei lying beside him until their lips met in a kiss. The lizard moaned when she realized Esmal still had a mouthful of cum. They exchanged it across their tongues, smearing it along their lips before Srei broke the kiss. She swallowed and Esmal did the same. It felt strange yet good to take that sticky heat inside him. Srei smiled for him. “It tastes good, doesn’t it?”

Esmal barely managed a dumb, “Uh huh.”

“Look at you.” She reached down and squeezed his dick. Esmal’s gasp made her laugh. “You came earlier, didn’t you?”

“I-I—”

“Hehe, I’m going to enjoy making you a slut,” Srei told him. “You already have all the makings. By the end of this week you’ll be begging for the dick of every reptile you meet.”

“F-fuck, Srei,” Esmal whined.

She continued to stroke him through his pants. “Does it excite you to think like that?”

“I’ve—I’ve never thought like that.”

“You did not know this side of yourself, did you?”

Esmal grit his teeth. Srei kept stroking his cock like she owned him. “N-no.”

“But you like it.”

“I… I…”

“You’re a bigger slut than I could have guessed.” Srei nuzzled into his neck and licked up to his earlobe. Esmal felt on pins and needles—her every touch a little shock of pleasure. Her warm breath on his ear making his hips buck. “You want to be my slut, though, don’t you?”

“S-Srei…”

“I’m your retainer, and you’re my what, Esmal?”

“Srei I… I’m your slut,” Esmal said, moaning right after. This kind of… humiliation had never happened to him before, but it turned him on to no end to be talked to like this.

“Good boy,” Srei whispered. “Now take off your pants for me and get on your knees.”

Panting, Esmal jumped to obey her. He kicked off his pants and his cock swung up and slapped his belly. Eight inches of uncut dick already leaked anew across his navel. Normally he took pride in his size, but he knew Srei was already bigger than him. Another dimension of their dynamic that turned him on. He rolled over onto his knees, face still in the bed but ass in the air. Srei settled behind him. She grabbed his cock and tugged on it. “Look at you, presenting like a bitch in heat.”

Esmal bit his lip and whimpered for her. She leaned down and nuzzled his dick as it hung between his legs. She licked along the uncut shaft before murring. “You smell good. Like a needy slut.” She groped his ass. “That’s what you are, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Esmal breathed.

Srei kissed his balls, cupping the tense nuts a moment before her tongue worked against his perineum. The delicate flesh had never before been touched, and Esmal quaked as Srei kissed it. “Gods… Srei,” he whined while she licked up his crack. The prince’s hands bunched up the sheets as he felt his pucker licked for the first time. Wet pressure teased against his entrance. Srei grabbed his buttcheeks and spread them, claws digging into Esmal’s brown skin ever so slightly. The lizard’s tongue lavished his entrance. Esmal panted and gasped as the new sensations made him leak precum into the bed. He couldn’t stop shaking as Srei probed and made out with his entrance. The firm ring of muscle softened as she kissed it, teased it, pried it open with her tongue until Esmal was moaning. He felt on edge again, balls tense.

Then Srei pulled away. Panting, Esmal looked behind him to see his scaly lover moving up behind him. She was going to fuck him. He was about to submit to her and let her take him. She eyed his body with a hunger that made Esmal’s mouth a little dry. Srei stroked her hard dick, precum dripping from her and down her shaft, bright blue dick twitching. It, somehow, was supposed to go into him.

“Are you ready, dear?”

Breathless, fighting for breath, Esmal just nodded.

“It will hurt some at first, then it will feel good, I promise,” Srei whispered. Her firm, hot tip touched his rim. He clenched a little and she cooed, “Relax…” Taking a deep breath, Esmal tried his best while he felt a firm pressure against his entrance. He tried to concentrate on his breathing while that tapered tip pushed and pushed—until Esmal felt himself spread. Srei’s cock was slick with her pre, so the entry was well lubed, but Esmal had never been spread before. He gasped, heat, a sting in his backside met with a strange, warm fullness, and with that stinging a dull pleasure beneath it of being opened up. Srei rubbed his back, whispering encouragement while Esmal panted beneath her. She rolled her hips. Esmal hissed when a few inches slid inside. Her taper quickly ballooned into a shaft thicker than his own, which is the point she stopped at. Esmal shuddered and clenched along the length.

“You alright, love?” Srei asked gently.

Esmal exhaled through clenched teeth. “You can k-keep going.”

“Hehe, good boy,” Srei whispered, and hearing her praise made him want her deeper. Damn the pain. She needed to be inside him. When she pumped her hips again, Esmal pushed back. He groaned as he did, feeling himself full of her, and a strange, pleasant pressure just beneath the base of his cock. It made his legs shake. He had not expected it, but Srei took his body’s reaction as encouragement and worked her hips again. Pumped full again, Esmal felt that pressure work up the length of his cock. A sort of pleasure he had never experienced before that made the stinging round his rim quickly fade away. He felt so full, but then Srei said, “You’re doing great. A little over halfway there.”

“H-half?” Esmal slurred.

“Don’t worry, slut. You’ll love this next part.”

She humped him again, and Esmal moaned. He felt his balls clench, but the pressure working down his cock both seemed to promise and deny orgasm. Srei knew exactly what she was doing. She got up off her knees and into a crouching position, hands tight on Esmal’s hips. Now when she pumped into Esmal, her dick pushed down against that spot. Esmal nearly saw white. Pleasure worked through his gut and the tension in his balls became stronger. If he just touched himself he might cum, but he couldn’t think long enough to do that. Because Srei pounded his entrance again. His asshole felt a little wet as her slick cock finally hollowed him out. Her slit pushed up against his entrance and Esmal moaned.

Srei lied across his back and reached down. She grabbed his cock and Esmal’s hips bucked forward. She chuckled in his ear. “It feels good, doesn’t it?”

“Y-yes.”

Srei began to stroke his dick. “You want to cum for me?”

“Yes!”

“Like a good boy?”

“Fuck Srei, fuck—”

“Cum for me, slut.”

Esmal whimpered. All that pressure on his prostate made it difficult to feel exactly when he started cumming, but, as Srei continued stroking him, Esmal felt her hand become slick and wet. Felt her work his dick while he humped into her hand like a dumb animal. “Gooooood boy,” Srei cooed. She held her cum slick hand to his face. “Taste,” she ordered, and Esmal sucked her messy fingers into his mouth. He moaned, like a good boy, as Srei made him clean the cum off her hand.

When he finished, she whispered, “I’m going to fuck you now. Would you like that?”

Esmal’s cock had lost some of its hardness, but it still dripped from his orgasm into the bed. The lizard lying on top of him could do anything to Esmal. He’d never felt pleasure like any of this before.

“Well slut?”

“Please,” Esmal muttered, pushing his hips backwards. “Please fuck me.”

“Such a good boy,” Srei murred. She pushed off his back, and crouching against him, announced, “You will never be the same after this.”

Esmal never wanted to be the same. He took a deep breath when Srei finally began to pull out, until just that tip remained. When she plowed back in again, Esmal’s whole body rocked. Srei huffed and worked out then in again. Long firm strokes that hollowed Esmal out. The once prince now slut moaned. His legs shook as he tried his best to hold his ass in the air while Srei continued pounding into him. Each thrust dragged along Esmal’s prostate. Each time he saw stars and felt the urge to cum all over again. That teasing, rippling wave of pleasure felt like it might drive him mad. Yet he wanted it. He kept his ass in the air, like a good boy.

Srei rutted him until her hips were slapping his back end. Her dick stirred up his insides like she was some feral animal. The little lizard held tight to him, growling and panting as she fucked Esmal stupid. The slut was drooling into the bed, moaning and blissed out while his legs went from tender to numb to falling forward. Srei fell with him, fucking Esmal into the sheets. This position made Esmal a little tighter to thrust into. His slutty, once virginal tunnel yielding for Srei like it was meant only to be fucked. Srei panted and worked Esmal over, hands planted on Esmal’s back. Her claws dug so deep into his skin they drew blood, but this was just one more bright sensation that brought only pleasure to the prince. He was completely taken by Srei. His now hard dick pushed against the bedsheets, lying between his thighs untouched but on a delirious edge.

Srei snarled when she came the first time, quickly leaning down and biting Esmal’s shoulder. Esmal screamed as she ripped into his flesh, but he did not tell her to stop as she shuddered and came. Heat and warmth poured inside him. Thick, potent cum pumped into him, but just when he thought to relax, Srei started humping him again. The prince, still on edge, could do nothing but accept it. He felt cum spill out around Srei’s cock and across his balls. He whined and moaned, nearly screamed at points as Srei kept driving into him. She drilled his entrance until Esmal felt her hilt and cum a second time a few minutes later. Then she smacked his ass.

Esmal moaned weakly.

“Enjoying yourself, slut,” Srei growled. She slowly continued humping into Esmal, the torturous drag of her dick along his prostate continuing to leave him on edge.

“Y-yes, Srei oh fuck—”

“Master, I’m your master right now, aren’t I, slut?”

“Fuck yes, master. Mistress. Gods.” Esmal tried to lift his hips into her thrust, but he was too weak, and Srei fucked him too roughly for him to move.

“Good boy,” Srei growled. “Are you close to cumming, huh slut?”

“Yes.”

“I want to see it,” Srei told him. Then she did something Esmal couldn’t have prepared for. Hilted inside him, she swung around. Her dick spun inside him, and the tension of her staying inside him forced her cock against his prostate even more. With her hands planted on his calves, she continued fucking him.

“F-fuck mistress, gods—”

Srei huffed and kept fucking in and out of him from this reversed position. “Be a good boy, slut, let me see you cum.”

Insensate as she dragged out the pleasure against his prostate, Esmal felt his orgasm spill out. It came, not in some high pitch, but in the steady plateau she had kept Esmal on for the last half hour. With each thrust, cum leaked out of him. Pushed out when she pulled out, as if the pressure of her dick was too much to let Esmal cum. But each time she thrust back inside it stirred up the next wave of pleasure. Srei shook against him as she watched his orgasm. “Th-that’s it, slut,” she encouraged. “Cu-cum with your mistress,” she whispered as she hilted him again. She went very still and Esmal felt more reptilian spunk flood his bowels. His insides felt a little bloated with a cum. A numb sort of pleasure that left him twitching and dazed. He felt exhausted and beyond exhausted. No one had ever made him feel so much at once before. Srei sighed when she pulled out of him, and Esmal gasped. He felt cum bubble up from his rim and spill down his backside, joining the mess of Srei’s previous orgasms.

She lay down across his back, her weight comforting and scales warm. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged Esmal before she whispered, “You okay, dear?”

Esmal nodded, trying to breathe, trying to recover. Eventually, panting, he said, “I’ve… I’ve never—nothing’s—”

“Ever compared to that?”

Esmal shook his head.

“How was it?”

He reached over his shoulder and took her hand. “Everything about you is incredible.”

She nuzzled into the back of his neck. “You aren’t so bad yourself.”

“What, what do we do now?”

“Well, I’ve not got the chance to sleep with you since the day we met—”

“Just sleep with me from now on… please.”

“Hehe, of course. I was going to suggest we take a nap together, then get dinner, and maybe we can see where the night takes us?”

Esmal nodded. “That’s a great idea, because I don’t think I can move my legs.”

***

Esmal came to appreciate the smell of their sex. When he woke with Srei spooning him, the smell was what he noticed first. The next was how much he ached, but it was a good ache. A kind he could get used to. Srei woke up soon after he did, and they both agreed she might be best equipped to get dinner tonight. She went to the kitchens on the fourth floor and returned with a late meal. They ate at the table in Esmal’s room. And after they finished, Srei took their plates to send back to the kitchen. While she did, room alone, Esmal paced to his window.

Night had fallen over the valley, and the moonlight had cast everything in a pallid glow. He took a deep breath of the air and sighed. A strange, satisfied feeling rested in his chest. He felt light and like anything might be possible. Then he remembered what he felt: happy. He laughed at himself a little. Happy. It had been so long, he had felt so many things but it had been so long since he had felt this lightness in him. Not since his sister was killed.

The door opened, and Esmal turned around and leaned against the windowsill naked. Srei crossed the room, her smile mirroring his.

“I must say, my prince, Srrket fashion suits you.”

Esmal snickered, “You think so?”

She reached him and they embraced. She got up on her tiptoes to kiss him. Their lips stayed together long enough for Esmal to feel giddy all over again. Srei broke the kiss, “You would certainly be attracting much more attention like this.”

“Heh, perhaps we can ease into it?”

“Whatever makes you happy, my prince.”

“You let me off too easy sometimes, Srei.”

She backed away and said, “Oh, I think I’ve gone rough enough for one day.” She spun towards the bed, her tail teasing along his thigh before the tip of it flicked his flaccid dick. She strutted back to bed and fell into it.

“Are you going to join me?”

“All the armies in Savish couldn’t stop me.” Esmal climbed into bed with her, scooping her into his arms. Srei giggled and kissed Esmal on the cheek. They tussled for a bit, tickling, wrestling, and laughing. Esmal felt lighter and lighter with every moment he spent with her. Until they were panting, Srei lying on top of him and the two kissing passionately again.

When Srei let Esmal up for air, she asked, “Do you have plans in the morning?”

“I…” Esmal tried to remember, then, “Sisbul wanted to meet with me in the morning for magic training.”

Srei rolled her eyes. “Well I have a different kind of training for you that will take all night.”

“It sounds like I will not be getting much sleep, then.”

Srei kissed him again. “It will take all morning, too, my prince.”

Esmal grinned. “It will be hard to learn about magic with your cock buried in me.”

“I should tell him we are going to be busy. He can hold off,” Srei said. “You don’t mind, do you?”

“Of course not,” Esmal said. “We do need to make up for lost time.”

Srei scooted off him. “Then I will go let him know.”

Esmal sat up and took her hand. “Why don’t we let him know together?”

“Not afraid of announcing our bond to everyone we pass in the palace?”

Esmal pulled her toward him and kissed her. “Why would I?”

“Do you plan to go like this?”

Esmal smirked. “I hear this fashion suits me.”

“Come on, I bet you just want to strut your stuff for Sisbul.”

“Maybe, but right now I just want to spend all my time with you.”

“Hehe, good answer, my prince.”

They left Esmal’s rooms together and checked Sisbul’s rooms but found them empty. On the fourth floor they heard noise coming from the third. Esmal and Srei entered the banquet hall to find a crowd of reptilians around the open door. Seeing the naked human, they parted a little. From inside the hall they heard someone speaking in Srrketch. Esmal could not make out much but Srei snapped to attention once they entered the room. “That’s Zyshthunse.”

And in the middle of the banquet hall was a naga with the pattern of a ball python. He was nearly the size of Sisbul, and was speaking to the attending crowd while occasionally casting spells that shot sparks or flames into the air. Those lights took the shape of different images. Some of them, animals Esmal recognized: Elephants and lions from the lands south of Savish. They were part of the empire now. He gathered the naga entertained the crowd with stories of his travels, and on the dais just beyond Zysh sat Sisbul. He was watching Zysh until he saw Esmal looking at him.

Esmal whispered to Srei, “Perhaps we should come back later.”

But they both froze when Zysh proclaimed, “Honored guest!” He pointed Esmal out and the prince flinched. Srei squeezed his hand to reassure him, even as the great python wove towards them. The crowd parted for Zysh, who bowed before Esmal and spoke in Srrketch. “A pleasure to meet you, my name is Zyshthunse, Consort to Steward Sisbulkhanna.”

Esmal bowed and returned the greeting, “I am Esmal, a pleasure to meet you.”

Zyshthunse cocked his head and said something in Srrketch. Then in Savish, “Ah, I see your mastery of our language is still limited. Though, you have certainly made yourself at home. You smell like a reptile now, at least.”

Esmal blushed and whispered to Srei, “What did he say just now?”

“He asked why you didn’t announce your title with your introduction.”

Esmal simply did not know the words.

Zysh announced something in the room and Srei translated for him, “What can we do for you, Prince Esmal?”

Esmal did not like how Zysh took advantage of his limited knowledge of Srrketch. Without Srei he might be helpless. He said, “I just had a message for Sisbul.”

“Ah, I see, steward?” Zysh said, turning his head to Sisbul.

Sisbul smiled fondly at his consort before he asked, “What is it, Esmal?”

He projected his voice so he spoke across the court. Esmal blushed. Thank goodness most of these reptiles shouldn’t be able to understand his exchange. He said, “I wish to push back our lesson. To the afternoon perhaps?”

Sisbul nodded, “At sunset.”

Esmal bowed briefly, then turned to Srei. “Let’s go.”

They each managed a step before a hand grabbed Esmal’s shoulder.

It was Zysh, who said, “A moment of your time prince.”

Esmal, warily, turned on the python, still surrounded by reptiles. He asked, “Yes?”

“On my return home, I happened to encounter your father. A fascinating man, I wonder if you would meet with me to discuss him sometime?” Zysh asked. Something in his eyes said more, like the python had much more to discuss than just Esmal’s father.

He barely remembered politely agreeing. He fled the room with Srei in tow. All the fear he thought cast off now weighed on him like a leaden yoke. His rooms in the palace of Srrket might be a paradise, but it still remained a temporary one, and in every direction his father seemed to lie and wait for him.