The Lotus Ascension (12 page)

Soren reached
his father's house with not a few near misses and cries of alarm, but safely he
did arrive. He threw the reins of his steed into the stable slave's hand,
washed his face once more, and headed inside. Kamen stood in his path.

“
Is everything ready?” he asked.

Soren pulled up
to keep from slamming into his father in his haste. “Yes, father. Wait until
you see what I made.”

Kamen's eyes
darkened. “I'm sure it's wonderful.” Soren knew his father loved to hear about
his inventions, but he suspected he did so only out of politeness. Kamen was an
intelligent man, but he did not have an Ausir mind. “Son,” Kamen continued,
“you are two years past your Sunjaa coming of age, and you have reached your
Ausir manhood. You need to get married.”

Soren was
shocked at the suddenness of the topic. “Why?”

“
You have a duty to the Itenu clan to marry and carry on our line.”
Kamen's manner was grave, all his looks as serious as Soren had ever seen him.
“We thought you were dead—”

“
Sillara didn't.” Soren wanted to see his sister, to talk to her, to
tell her everything and hear everything from her.

“
That's beside the point.” Kamen laid a hand on Soren's shoulder, and
his voice softened. “Had you died, our line would have ended.”

Soren could not
deny that truth. No more Itenu.

“
Your sister will be leaving to marry any day now, and you should do
the same, probably before your ship puts to sea again. Why don't you use this
trip to see if you could like Merieke? She is the best match for you in
Arinport. Besides, it's not as if Darien is going to marry her to Nathen.”

“
Darien sees sibling marriage as a vanity of the nobility.”

Kamen smiled
fondly. “Yes, that'd be like Darien.”

Soren responded
as an obedient son to his father on the subject of marriage. “I will like
Merieke if I can, but don't hold your breath. There is no one like Sillara, so
how can I settle for second best?”

Kamen snorted.
“Must you compare every woman to Sillara?”

“
Who is the most perfect woman in the world?” Soren asked.

“
Your mother, of course.”

Soren smiled,
having expected that answer. “So you are right to say, and so you compare every
woman to her.”

A slow smile of
understanding crept across Kamen's face.

“
Sillara is the most perfect woman in the world to me, and as I am
yet unmarried, all potential mates must pass through her lens and suffer from
the comparison.”

Kamen threw up
his hands. “Just try!
If not Merieke, a concubine then.”

Soren presented
his father with a low, mocking bow, and Kamen slapped him on his horns. With a
shrug, Soren sped off to find his sister. He found her in the garden, on the
bench by the western wall. The night was clear, and the moons that rose in the
east shone on her face, illuminating it in commingled purple light highlighting
her beauty in such a way that Soren was unsure if the brightness of day could
discover her natural loveliness more.

The fountain of
the Sunjaa fisherman with hand harpoon poised to strike—Ajalira's design, so
the figure bore more than a passing resemblance to Kamen—spouted clear water that
rained down over the statue's head, across his chest, and down his outstretched
arm. Sillara sat on the far side of the fountain, and her white gown, glowing
in the moonslight, was obscured from his sight. It was not until he came around
the pool that he stopped in his tread, dumbstruck by what he saw. Sillara wore
the translucent Sunjaa gown, and all her charms lay only half-concealed beneath
the thin fabric. To Soren, who had always seen her in constrictive Ausir
fashions, she was naked before him.

Though he said
nothing but only stood and stared, Sillara was soon aware of his presence, and
she ran to him. She threw her arms around him, and Soren hugged her back,
vividly aware of the press of her breasts, the curve of her back, and the
warmth of her stomach against him. Soren, being clad only in a thin Sunjaa
skirt, dwelt on just how little separated his cock from her pussy. He stared at
her falcon tattoo over her heart, diving as if it would snatch her heart from
her breast.

Sillara was
flushed and excited, but Soren also detected a bit of embarrassment coming from
her.

“
What happened?” he asked. “I noticed earlier today that you were
excited. So what happened to excite you?”

Sillara bowed
her head shyly and took Soren by the hand. “Sit, brother, and let me tell you.”
She led him on, and Soren seized the moment of her turning away toward the
bench to reach up in his under cloth and adjust the angle of his stiffening
cock. Of course Sillara was beautiful. Of course her sexual charms outstripped
any woman's in the kingdom—in the world. Why should Soren be therefore so
flustered?

“
First tell me of your day,” Sillara said, placing her hands in
Soren's lap.

Soren
nonchalantly took her hands, held them, and moved them to her own lap before
she felt the rising of his cock. He held her hands there as he told her all
about his day, about his new winch design, and about how fun it was to work
side by side with Konas on such an exciting project.

“
I'm glad he's here in Arinport,” Soren said, “for besides you, there
is no one with whom I can share my Ausir ideas. But Nathen...”

“
What about him?” Sillara's voice cracked in consternation.

“
Well,” Soren said, chuckling, “if he'd had his way, I would've
gotten no work done today. He started sucking my cock and didn't want to leave
off even when Konas arrived.”

Sillara hummed
to herself and lowered her eyes. When she looked up again, they shone with
mischief.

“
All right,” Soren said. “Out with it.”

“
Merieke ate my pussy today.”

That was not
what Soren expected her to say, and the image of Merieke lying between
Sillara's legs licking her pussy inflamed every inch of his body. His nipples
hardened as fast as his cock, and as his short skirt tented, he knew there
would be no way to hide his erection.

“
It was my first time,” Sillara said, “and it was incredible.”

“
Give me the details. Who approached whom? How did it start? Merieke
eating your pussy...”

Sillara filled
Soren's imagination with every erotic thought imaginable. She gave him every
detail, and when her story was complete, he knew she had hidden nothing from
him. He could almost taste Sillara's nipples. He could smell her arousal on the
chilly night air.

“
That is so hot, sister.” Soren could not wait until she tried cock.
He knew she would love it, and he wanted her to feel every pleasure the world
had to offe
r. He just hoped King Tivanel was good
in bed.

Sillara's gaze
shifted to the bulge in Soren's skirt, and she smiled.

“
Sorry,” Soren said, standing and adjusting his skirt to hide his
erection. “It's just that your story was so sexy.”

Sillara rose and
hugged Soren, pressing her near-naked body against his. “There is nothing to
apologize for, brother. There is no embarrassment between us. Your cock is
beautiful, so why should you hide it?”

Chapter Seven

Konas swam in the sea of Sillara’s
music. He did not know where she was, but her voice filled every room, and in
every room, she sang at a different pitch, so that no matter where you stood in
the house, all her voices blended in harmony. The Ausir had told Soren that he had
come ahead to speak to Kamen, but the real reason was to sit with Sillara and
chat a while. He could not find her, though, but that did not bother him. He
was happy to find a bench to sit on in some corridor and just listen. Sillara
sang again the song of Elemia and Abbas, and Konas swelled with pride to know
that he had taught her their history. For a woman who had never loved and known
a man, she sang their story with such truth that Konas sat entranced. He closed
his eyes and lost himself in the music and did not realize until long after it
had stopped that Sillara’s voice no longer sang in house. It echoed only in his
mind, and there it had left its indelible mark. Truly Melara, goddess of song,
blessed Sillara. Low talking had replaced the song, and with a sinking feeling
Konas recognized Soren’s voice. He was in the garden with Sillara.

Konas watched the entire sibling
exchange from the balcony. With a pained realization, he looked down upon their
private conversation, their perfect accord into which no one else could be
admitted. Sillara and Soren were twins, but there was more to them than that.
If anyone knew about this special connection, it was Konas, who had witnessed
their birth, had seen how they shared not only one womb but one water, had marveled
that only when lying next to each other could their bawling be soothed,
something not effected by even their mother’s touch.

Konas leaned forward to get a
better view of them, but not so far as to be noticed. Soren was in love with
his sister; he desired her, and both of them were oblivious to the attraction.
Their mutual connection was so innocent and familiar that Soren did not
understand his feelings, and Sillara could not detect them. The Ausir tutor,
who believed he loved Sillara more than any brother could, sighed and pulled
out Tivanel’s letter. Konas had written to him to know his mind regarding
Sillara, whether he wished to alter his will and take the young half-Ausir for
his bride.

“
Is Kamen Itenu dead?
” the letter read.
“
No? Then by Abrexa's cunt why are you writing me?”

The King still held to his designs
to woo and win Ajalira once Kamen, whose lifespan as a man was nothing to an
Ausir, was dead and forgotten. Konas was in the unique position of knowing two
very important pieces of information, information that he had conveyed to no
one, but if he did, the understanding of it would profoundly affect the
hearers.

First, he knew that his brother had
no intention of marrying Sillara. If he were to tell Sillara’s parents this
news, it would have devastating political consequences, since Tivanel’s claim
to the throne was not as good as either Soren’s or Sillara’s, ironically.
Tivanel promised to marry the daughter of Ajalira and therefore legitimize his
throne by creating an heir with Tamari—that is, royal—blood.

The second bit of knowledge Konas
held close to his heart was the fact that Tivanel would never have a chance to
marry Ajalira, for she would die with Kamen, just as Kamen would die with her.
Konas remembered back to the twins’ birth and how Kamen and Ajalira said to one
another, “Not you without me,
nor
I without you.” This
was something they must have resolved on years before, and it made sense.
Ajalira was practically a full-blooded Ausir, but Kamen would enjoy a mere
candle’s breath of life compared to hers. Their life-spans were so different
that Ajalira, who Konas could see loved Kamen more than her own life, would
waste away through centuries of grief after Kamen’s early and inevitable death.
She would have nothing to do but wait for the Burning.

The siblings’ light laughter pulled
Konas back from his reverie. Soren loved Sillara, and it would not be long
until he realized it himself. If that happened, any chance Konas could have
with Sillara would be ruined. How, once she knew, could Sillara deny her
brother, whom she loved more than her own life? It sickened Konas to think that
under Sunjaa law, Soren could actually marry Sillara. He wished they were in
the Silbrios, where brother-sister marriage was unthinkable. Konas set his jaw,
folded the letter, and turned on his heel. He fled the Itenu estate without
ever talking with Kamen. He had come to see Sillara, just to see her, but Soren
had spoiled his view. The memory of the good time Konas had spent with Soren
today turned bitter in his jealousy. He resolved on a desperate gamble and made
for his own house.

Along the way, his confrontational
thoughts turned from Soren and softened as Sillara came into focus. Konas had
been by her side her entire life, teaching her everything she knew, sharing
with her more than anyone else, save her brother. And when Soren had left,
Konas had been alone with Sillara for two years. They had grown as close as
they ever had been during that time, but Soren’s sudden and victorious return
seemed to make her forget her teacher altogether. What Konas needed was to get
her alone, just as they had been when Soren was at sea. He needed her undivided
attention, and then she would open up to him again. Soren had been back only a
day, and already Konas missed Sillara. He missed walking with her in the garden
debating philosophy. He missed the meeting of their minds, and although Konas
admitted to himself that she was cleverer than he, he did not mind. He loved
the way she spoke and the way she thought. Sillara had a peculiar way of
looking at the world that charmed
him,
and this
Sillara—the one who excelled at her studies—was the one only Konas saw.