Clan and Crown (28 page)

He subtly looked the pair over. Yes,
they were quite different in looks and temperament, but each man
was desirable in his own way. His cocks twitched as he noted their
many attributes. No surprise there; Bevau hadn’t pounded any ass
since bending that soldier over his desk three days ago. He had a
vigorous libido, and these two men were compelling candidates for
his needs.

Ease up there, High
Commander Ready-Cock. These are royals, not bone-brained recruits
you can ease your drive with when they screw up. Besides, for all
his playful ways, I doubt Clajak is as easy to take as he looks. No
doubt he’s had his share of Nobeks and knows how we
think.

That piece of advice steadied Bevau.
His tone hinting at nothing untoward he asked, “Did you two miss
the part of the tour for water hazard training?”

Clajak perked up. “I thought I heard a
stream or river. We did miss that portion. Is that where we’re
heading?”

“Yes, my prince. However, I’m afraid
it’s not much to look at right now since a session isn’t being
held. You might like seeing the area anyway, particularly if you’re
partial to lovely scenery.”

“Lovely scenery, huh? That’s exactly
what I came for. Maybe I can convince you to go for a swim.
Stripping those shorts off will enhance the view.”

Bold as brass, Clajak winked at Bevau.
The Nobek chuckled and thought about how much he wished Clajak was
one of his naughty recruits. The teasing brat of a prince was in
desperate need of being bent over the commander’s desk. The
pleasure of disciplining a man like Clajak would make this perfect
day even better. If only it were possible.

Bevau’s cocks lengthened, enjoying the
idea of that muscular body naked and splayed in a submissive
posture, trembling as it awaited Bevau’s punishment. To distract
himself, the Nobek checked the clouds again through a break in the
trees. They had grown darker and moved halfway across the sky,
boiling as they came. It could be the storm would be stronger than
he’d anticipated.

The path forked again. This time Bevau
led them east, down the shadow-dappled trail that wound towards the
soft call of the nearby stream.

The woods opened up only a few yards
from where they turned off. The burbling stream tumbled past,
carving its way south to the distant river that would eventually
empty it into the sea. It rolled gently, a seemingly harmless
ribbon of slate blue under the forbidding sky. Bevau knew it was
the pleasing mask of a capricious entity, however. In the middle of
that swath of water it became quite deep, with a strong current.
The facility had opened only two months before, and three soldiers
had already required rescue when they’d underestimated the danger
and nearly drowned.

A meadow lay beyond the other side of
the water. It too presented a pleasant face, a spacious pasture of
tranquility. What couldn’t be seen were the many pits and traps
that hid beneath the blades of grass and nodding flowers. Hundreds
of broken bones had been suffered already on that serene
ground.

Bevau grinned. He loved this
place.

Clajak had no idea what he was looking
at. “It is beautiful here. It reminds me of that painting by Elivi.
Do you know the one I mean, Egilka?”

“Was that the one you couldn’t convince
Councilman Hesh to sell you?”

“That’s it. This scenery is a bit
nicer, however, just as the high commander promised.”

Bevau glanced at him to see Clajak was
looking at him and not the landscape. The Nobek affected a
disdainful look. “Free with the compliments, aren’t you my
prince?”

“Only the ones deserved.” The teasing
note disappeared and the Dramok eyed him speculatively. “My father
Yuder says you’re a Nobek and an Imdiko.”

“That is true.” Bevau waited, curious
to find out what they thought of that.

On his opposite side, Egilka let his
own curiosity speak. “That must be an interesting dichotomy to
balance.”

Bevau nodded. “Which I’ve only achieved
the ability to do in recent years. When they first meet me, my
fellow Nobeks think the dual characteristics must make me weak.
They assume I am reluctant to fight. Or to kill, if need
be.”

Clajak’s next statement showed more
thoughtfulness than Bevau had been inclined to credit him with.
“One does not attain the rank of High Commander by being
merciful.”

Bevau gave him a sidelong glance. “No.
One attains the rank of High Commander by tracking and destroying
the Empire’s enemies, by demanding absolute obedience and loyalty
from his men, and by avoiding battles that do more harm than good
... which is most of them.”

Egilka blinked at him. “You don’t like
to fight?”

“I love to fight. I love bloodshed if
the cause is just and good. However, for the most part war births
disease, famine, and sorrow.” He had the confidence in his beliefs
to say with supreme assurance, “The real measure of a warrior is
knowing which battles will yield greater peace in the end rather
than foment more fighting. That is the correct path ... the only
path for a strong Empire.”

Clajak’s honey-smooth voice was soft.
“I haven’t met many Nobeks who think that way.”

Egilka offered a knowing look. “You’ve
never met a Nobek who is half Imdiko.” He smiled at Bevau. “I like
the way you think, High Commander. Searching for a peaceful answer
before letting killing commence ... that is the way it should be.
I’m impressed that you don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Surely
many Nobeks have challenged you to prove yourself one of them by
asserting the opposite philosophy.”

Bevau scoffed, “Any fool can declare
war and send men in to die. It takes a real man, a true protector
of the people, to sit down with those who stand counter to his
beliefs and find common ground to build a lasting peace
with.”

He was delighted when a perfectly
serious Clajak said, “I agree. I hope to find a Nobek clanmate who
thinks as you do.”

“I hope you do too. I’d hate to bow to
an idiot just because he’s my emperor.”

Egilka snickered. Clajak gave him a
warning glare. “Not one word out of you.”

The Imdiko angled his body as if to
hide behind Bevau. “I never said anything about a future emperor
possibly being an idiot. It is interesting that you jumped to that
conclusion, however.”

“I know you. And I know that look. You
were thinking about saying it.”

“Fortunately, I always think before I
speak. Unlike some men I know.”

“Some men you know will turn your ass
nice and toasty if you keep going with this
conversation.”

Bevau chuckled at the exchange. From
what he could see, the two men were a good pair. It was nice to
know the future leaders of Kalquor weren’t as thoughtless or as
uptight as so many supposed them to be.

His thoughts were interrupted as
thunder blasted the air. On the heels of that, lightning streaked
from the heavens to earth, landing somewhere on the other side of
the stream. Another round followed the first quickly. The black
clouds were still a mile in the distance, but they were roiling and
growing fatter, extending their bulbous reach in the trio’s
direction. A wall of wind walloped the men, blowing their hair into
streamers.

Alarm coursed through Bevau as both
Egilka and Clajak yelled their surprise. Over the rising howl of
the strengthening air current the Nobek yelled, “It’s a quick blow
up, my princes! The weather controls will be several minutes before
they tamp it down. We need to get to the storm shelter
now!”

He grabbed the men’s arms in either
hand, running for the woods. Rain was one thing and a normal
thunderstorm wasn’t something to give Bevau pause either. A
stormburst was another matter.

As if to prove him right, lightning
began to flash nonstop, filling the air with ozone. The men raced
down the path among the trees which whipped and cracked all around
them. The sound of splintering and earsplitting cracks filled
Bevau’s ears as violent gusts broke trees in half.

“How much farther, Bevau?” Egilka
yelled. Deafening thunder reduced his voice to a
whisper.

“Just over this way. Come
on!”

The Nobek’s sensitive eyes picked out
the domed metal hatch sticking out of the ground a few yards away.
The flashes of lightning turned the silvery hatch a blinding white,
leaving afterimages superimposed over his sight. Thunder shook the
ground like a prehistoric beast roaring its fury.

They reached the hatch. A nearby tree
abruptly uprooted in the gale, its length crashing only feet away.
Cursing but exhilarated, Bevau threw the heavy hatch open. He
guided Egilka first to the ladder that led down into the darkness
below.

“Go!” he yelled at Clajak when the
Dramok hesitated, ready to let Bevau go first. Fortunately the
prince didn’t argue. He gave Bevau a wide-eyed look and climbed
into the shelter.

It was Bevau’s turn. He clambered down
the ladder and grabbed the handle on the inside of the hatch. The
trees were wild thrashing shapes overhead, whipping in the
screaming wind. Lightning slashed the seething midnight of the
sky.

A hailstone the size of Bevau’s head
thudded down, bouncing only inches from the hatch opening. Then
more fell, breaking tree branches as they came. He pulled the domed
covering over his head, hearing the thuds of landing
ice.

Bevau locked the hatch down and climbed
after the princes.

Chapter 14

Clajak descended into the gloom, his
heart hammering hard against his sternum. He’d seen storms kick up
fast before, but never at this level of swiftness and fury. Most
gales on the coast developed slowly, allowing weather controls to
siphon their power before they could get out of control.
Stormbursts were an inland phenomenon, more likely to happen in the
flatlands between the two mountain ranges on the eastern half of
the continent.

For the first few rungs the Dramok went
slowly, afraid of stomping on Egilka’s hands or head. Lights
flickered on below, giving Clajak dim illumination to see by. He
craned his neck to see Egilka reach the bottom of the ladder,
emerging into a bright circle of light. The Imdiko made it to the
gray concrete floor surface and gazed up at him.

“Nice ass,” he grinned as Clajak moved
down the slender tube towards him.

“Yes, you are,” the Dramok shot back.
Bevau’s throaty chuckle echoed above him.

Egilka moved aside to let Clajak finish
his descent. The Dramok was grateful to have solid ground beneath
him again. He gazed around at the dimly lit bunker.

“It’s nice underground,” Egilka opined.
“Small, but comfortable enough for three.”

He was right. The circular room was
encased in cement from floor to ceiling. Seating cushions scattered
about the floor, each big enough for an average-sized Kalquorian to
lounge full-length on if he preferred to nap.

Bevau dropped the last few feet to land
in a crouch on the floor beneath the tube. Typical Nobek behavior,
noted Clajak. The high commander had assumed an attack pose even
when he knew the area was safe and had sent his companions in
first.

He grinned up at Clajak before rising
up straight. “It’s not fancy, but we will be comfortable enough
until the weather controls take the damage out of this
storm.”

Clajak looked at the computer at the
other end of the room. “Will we know when that happens?”

He moved towards the computer, stepping
over the scattered cushions. He was halfway across the room when
the device activated. A hologram vid sprang up over the computer,
widening out along the wall. A radar feed, showing a mass of
swirling red over a local map, was centermost. It was surrounded by
emergency reports advising all to take shelter. The latest readouts
on the storm updated every second.

“I see we will. It looks like a pretty
sizable blowup.”

Bevau joined him, his eyes scanning the
vid. “Huge. It will take some time for the controls to pull the
energy out of that monster.”

“You certainly know how to run a tour,
Bevau.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it, my
prince.”

Clajak eyed the man next to him,
enjoying the view far more than the latest updates on the storm
that now felt a million miles away. In a familiar tone he urged,
“Please, call me Clajak. It sounds so stuffy hearing you call me
‘my prince’ with every breath.”

Bevau gave him an innocent look,
complete with wide-eyed surprise. Most Nobeks couldn’t have pulled
it off, but his gorgeous face was suited for whatever expression he
chose to put on it. “But my prince, it is the correct address of
respect.”

Behind them, Egilka snickered. “You’ll
be waiting a long time for Clajak to earn it, though.”

Clajak lazily kicked back, pretending
offense. “You are asking for it, you snot.”

Egilka jumped back, still grinning.
“Careful. I’m a prince too. I might decide to command this big
strong Nobek to restrain you.”