Jewel of Apthgar Read online

  One day, perhaps, he and the princess would be able to fuck on a big, soft bed. Until then, he’d take what he could get. As often as he could get it.

  * * * * *

  “I can’t believe I let you do that last night.”

  At her muttered words, Callum glanced at Rahziya. They had broken camp half a day ago, and these were the first words she’d spoken to him since a hasty “good morning”. She’d been red-faced, especially after Fermin had made a teasing comment about not being able to sleep because of the noise.

  “I should have kept my headdress on,” she added testily. “I would have been clearer headed had the amethysts been against my skin.” She fingered her earlobes, where matching amethyst drops hung. “Although I still had these on and they didn’t do anything for me.”

  “Oh I don’t know,” Callum murmured, feeling devilry poke at his soul. She had her “I’m the stoic princess doing what’s best for my people” attitude in place. It was a bit irritating, but he certainly understood it. He indicated his amethyst-encrusted scabbard. “In addition to other things, amethysts are said to bring good luck in the hunt. I was lucky last night indeed.” He bent his head closer to hers. “Imagine what having the Jewel of Apthgar in hand will do.”

  “Shut. Up.” She moved closer to Fermin, her stride such that she was nearly at a trot. The longer-legged men, usually having to walk slower so a woman could move at a comfortable pace, were hard-pressed to keep up with her. “How much longer?” she asked the captain.

  He glanced at the surrounding forest. “Another hour,” he answered, his voice hushed. Within a few more meters they came upon a small stream, its banks covered in soft green moss. They stopped and quenched their thirst, then went on.

  Forty-five minutes later, Fermin motioned to his men and five of them went off toward the south, five more toward the north.

  Callum caught onto his plan and had his men split off in the same direction. They would circle around from each side, and he and Fermin would approach the wyvern’s lair directly. His plan was to distract the beast long enough for the princess and the magi to enter the cave and find the Jewel. Quickening his pace, Callum caught up to Rahziya. Hand around her upper arm, he brought her to a halt. “Stay behind us,” he instructed and started walking again.

  “Don’t think you’re going to push me aside, Prince Callum.” She poked him in the shoulder. “I have just as much right to the Jewel as you.”

  “Sheathe those claws, little cat,” he muttered. “If this goes right, we’ll keep the beast entertained while you and your magi slip inside the cave to retrieve the Jewel.”

  “Oh.” She mumbled something under her breath. “That’s all right then.”

  “I thought it might be.” He looked at her. “You’ll find the Jewel, but we will still need to decide who gets to keep it.” He heard a roar from just up ahead then the shouts of the men. Drawing his sword, he broke into a run, the others at his heels. “Sounds like they’ve started without us.”

  They reached a small clearing. At the mouth of the cave was the bronze wyvern, its teeth bared, barbed tail lashing back and forth, striking the shielded men who in turn stabbed at it with their swords. Upon seeing the new arrivals, the beast reared up and whipped its heavy tail toward them.

  “Look out!” Rahziya cried and she and Bec jumped back. Fermin dodged to one side while Callum leaped into the air, avoiding the tail and bringing his sword down across the thick appendage. Blood spurted and the wyvern screeched in pain.

  “Get ready, Zee.” Callum sidled to the left and the men circled with him. The creature followed him, moving the great hulk of its body away from the entrance of the cave. “Go with them, Fermin.”

  “Aye, Your Highness.”

  Once more Callum had to dodge that tail with its poisonous barb. He dove over it, doing a somersault and coming to his feet again in one smooth move. From the corner of his eye he saw Rahziya, Bec and the captain stealthily enter the cave. He doubled his efforts, knowing now that they had to kill the beast. To only wound it and allow it to retreat into its lair would mean certain death for Rahziya and the others.

  “Don’t let it get away from us, men!” The soldiers kept their shields at the ready, swords in hand as they moved in as one, blocking the wyvern’s access to its cave. With a loud battle cry, Callum swung his sword like an axe, boldly attacking the creature.

  As she and the two men moved deeper into the cave, Rahziya tried to ignore the sounds of fury behind her. Hearing a shout from Callum, though, she faltered. But for the captain’s hand on her arm, she would have started back the way they’d come.

  “Hold, Princess.” Fermin held a torch he’d lit just inside the mouth of the cave. He moved it closer and peered into her face. His dark eyes were as serious as she’d ever seen them. “We must get the Jewel of Apthgar.”

  “It’s not worth those men’s lives!” It’s not worth Callum’s.

  “Aye, it is.” He gave her a little shake, much as a brother or favored uncle would. “This could unite the kingdoms again, milady. Imagine it. One kingdom, as strong as it was when the great god himself walked among us.” His fingers tightened, though not painfully.

  “He has the right of it, Princess.” Bec put one hand on her shoulder. “Apth and Gar have been separated by centuries of distrust over something long ago forgotten. And our people have fought amongst themselves over politics, religion, arts… You name it. We must do this.”

  They were right. Trusting that Callum and the others would not only keep the beast at bay but would remain safe while doing so, she took a deep breath and turned back toward the dark recesses of the cave. Within several hundred yards they came out into a large cavern and there, in one corner, was the beast’s pile of treasure. Gold and jewels glinted in the light from Fermin’s torch.

  She blinked at the enormous mound. “We’ll never find it in all that.”

  “Not if we don’t get started,” came the captain’s dry response. And so they dug in.

  Having sifted through a large assortment of diamonds, rubies and emeralds, shoving the priceless gems out of her way in search of something even bigger but of lavender hue, Rahziya rocked back on her heels. She wiped her forehead and glanced around the cavernous room. Something caught her eye, a light-colored twinkle from the flames of Fermin’s torch. “Captain, Bec…” She stood and walked toward the object.

  There, tucked in a nook between a small pile of gold coins and another pile made up of bones—human or otherwise, she didn’t look too closely—was a slender lavender crystal. She picked it up.

  Her lower jaw dropped. The amethyst was shaped like a…like a… “It’s a penis!”

  “You’ve found it!” Bec peered over her shoulder.

  She glanced up at him. “You knew it was shaped like this?”

  He frowned. “You didn’t?”

  Rahziya shook her head. “I knew what it was used for, of course, but I didn’t realize it was so…anatomically correct. My father merely told me I’d know it when I saw it.” The amethyst artifact was roughly six inches long and an inch and a half in diameter with a flared head at one end and the beginning of what she assumed were testicles at the other.

  All in all, for it being made of a gemstone, it was remarkably lifelike. It seemed to warm in her hands and a glow came from deep within it. It startled her and she jerked.

  Fermin yelled and grabbed the phallus as it started to fall from her hands. He stared at her and she at him, both of them breathing heavily at the near catastrophe. “Bringing shards of the Jewel back won’t accomplish the same ends, I’m afraid,” he said dryly.

  She swallowed. “M-maybe you should carry it.”

  “No, princess.” He held the amethyst artifact toward her. “It called to you, not me.”

  Rahziya took the phallus in trembling hands. Immediately it once again warmed and became luminescent. “Why is it doing that?”

  “According to legend,” Bec’s voice was hushed, “one of the propertie
s of this gem is friendship. This Jewel can sense soul mates. That is why it’s used in unification ceremonies.” He cupped her hand and stared at the glowing lavender crystal. “It seems it has already chosen one participant of a mating.”

  “But…” Rahziya lifted her gaze to the magi’s. “It’s impossible.”

  A smile tilted his lips. “I’m not that old of a man that I’m not aware of what’s happened between you and Prince Callum,” he said. “It’s not so impossible, I think.”

  She pursed her lips. “But our fathers would never allow it.”

  He nodded toward the Jewel of Apthgar. “That’s what’s important. Let’s wait and see what happens when the prince touches it, but I would venture Apthgar’s Jewel clearly recognizes your union.”

  “It could be someone else, not Callum.”

  Fermin’s eyebrows climbed his forehead. “You think so, princess?” If possible, his voice was even dryer than before. “Not from what I heard last night.”

  Her face heated. They had tried to be quiet, but with Fermin sleeping so close, it had been unavoidable that he would have heard something. She avoided Bec’s gaze, though she would swear she heard him snicker. “I guess there’s only one way to find out,” she said.

  He nodded. “Yes. Let’s get out of here and see what’s happened to that beast. And our comrades.”

  The farther away from the dark cavern they traversed, the louder the sounds of battle became. When they were just inside the mouth of the cave, pausing to let their eyes adjust to the bright daylight, the wyvern gave a mighty shriek and leaped into the air. Clearly retreating to fight another day, its long, slender wings lifted its bruised and battered body high into the air, where it hovered for long moments. Then, with another wild scream, it flew away.

  The soldiers collapsed where they stood, breathing heavily. Bec rushed over and began tending to one of the wounded, though at first glance it appeared no one was injured too badly. Callum stood hunched over, his hands braced against his knees, broad back heaving with his deep breaths. Blood streaked the white linen of his shirt along his left arm and across the shoulder.

  Rahziya rushed over to him. “Callum!”

  He straightened. “I’m all right.” With a slight grimace, he sheathed his sword. Seeing her gaze on his arm, he shrugged. “It’s just a scratch, sweetheart.” He saw the Jewel in her hand and his eyes widened. “You found it.”

  She frowned. “You knew it was shaped like a penis?”

  “You didn’t?”

  She huffed a sigh. “Why is it that everyone knew what this thing looked like except me?” She hoisted the still-glowing Jewel in the air.

  “Well, actually, I didn’t. But you came out of the cave carrying a big amethyst, so I made an assumption.” Callum grinned at her scowl. “May I?” he asked, holding out one big hand.

  She hesitated, uncertain she wanted to see how the Jewel would react to him. When he raised one eyebrow, she sighed and handed him the phallus. As soon as it touched his skin, the glow brightened and began to pulse like a thousand fireflies captured in a jar.

  Chapter Five

  The decision was made, though Callum didn’t think Rahziya looked too certain it was the right one. An hour had passed since they’d defeated the wyvern, an hour since they’d left its lair and walked back toward the veldt. An hour in which both he and Fermin coaxed and cajoled the princess, trying to get her to see the rightness in what they proposed.

  A unification ceremony between two royal families—the Sanura and the Hafeydd—with the elite guardsmen as witnesses. Once they had seen the Jewel become luminescent in the grasp of Rahziya and Callum, all of the men had quickly stepped forward in support. Only the princess held back.

  Bec had explained it earlier to both of them. “By the laws of both our peoples, a couple need only declare their intentions in front of witnesses for the joining to be legal. In your case, since you’re of the nobility, you must have one of two things.” He’d held up one aged hand and ticked off the short list on his fingers. “Either the royal banns must be posted, which most likely your fathers would never allow, or…” He’d motioned to the Jewel of Apthgar she’d held. “Or we can hold a joining before witnesses and use the Jewel to sanctify your marriage.”

  Now, as Callum sat beside Rahziya on the mossy bank by the stream they’d passed earlier, he pleaded his case. “You heard what Bec said.” Callum cupped her cheek in his hand. He swiped his thumb over a smudge of dirt that marred the silken surface. Even with the dark splotch, she was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever known, inside and out. “And he’s right. Under ordinary circumstances, neither your father nor mine will allow us to marry.” He lifted the Jewel of Apthgar. “We should use these fifteen quadrangs to complete our union.”

  “What is that in mahtongs?” she muttered. When he would have responded, she waved him off. “I’m kidding. I know what it is. Gar used the same system as Apth until only about a hundred years ago.” She sighed. Her gaze, liquid with tears, met his. “What you say is true, Callum, I know that. And I want you. I do. It’s just that…”

  “You’ll lose any chance of finally gaining your father’s approval,” he finished for her. At her nod, he handed the Jewel to Bec, who stood nearby. The lavender crystal immediately lost its glow, a fact that the magi noted with a raised eyebrow.

  Callum took Rahziya’s hands in his. “These brave men here, both yours and mine, stood side by side for a common cause, Zee. And Fermin assures me they’re willing to do so again. They will witness that the Jewel of Apthgar sanctioned our joining. Think you that either of our fathers could stand against that?”

  “But they won’t like it.” She bit her lip. From the look on her face, he knew what she was thinking. All she’d ever wanted was her father to notice her, to love her. This act could—and probably would—make him hate her.

  “And if we ignore the will of Apthgar?” Callum swept his thumb across her lip, freeing it from those little white teeth. “What will our fathers say then?” Leaning down, he brushed a kiss across her mouth. “We can unite the kingdoms, sweetheart. Think of it. After four centuries, the kingdom of Apth and Gar will once again become mighty Apthgar.” He rested his forehead against hers. “And you and I will be together.”

  She remained silent.

  Callum’s gut twisted. What if she didn’t love him enough to take the chance? What if her quest to gain an emotionally distant parent’s affection was stronger than her love for him?

  He pulled back enough to look into her eyes. “You know I love you, Zee. My darling Rahziya. Tell me you believe that.”

  Her gaze searched his. “I do.” The tip of her tongue swept out to wet her lips. “And I love you.”

  “Enough to take this chance? Enough to go against our fathers and do what you know is right?”

  Please. God above, let it be enough.

  Rahziya was torn. The thought of giving up on the dream of seeing her father look at her with pride for just once in her life was almost too much to bear. Yes, it was true she had retrieved the Jewel, which had been the task set before her. But if she used it to join with Callum in an official unification ceremony…if she took this chance to end hundreds of years of fighting between the kingdoms—aye, even just within her own—it would be worth the sacrifice. And that she would have Callum was the one thing to take away the sting of losing a chance for her father’s respect and love.

  Without taking her eyes off Callum, she held out her hand to Fermin. The captain placed the Jewel of Apthgar in her palm, where the amethyst once again began to glow. “It’s not going to be easy,” she murmured. “As my father is always quick to point out, our two kingdoms don’t even agree on a system of measurement.”

  His smile flashed white against his tanned face. “A small matter. Something we can work on in private.”

  She glanced down at the bulge at his groin. “Like are you nine mahtongs, or however many quadrangs, long?” she murmured with a sly grin.

  He
laughed. “Exactly.” As his eyes heated, his smile faded. His face darkened with passion. “Can you do this, sweetheart? Have sex openly, fully nude, in front of witnesses?”

  Her core clenched with excitement. She’d been prepared to go through a public unification ceremony since she was old enough to understand what it entailed—had indeed acted as witness to several. Her father had at least understood there was a duty he had to undertake by having a daughter—namely, to make sure she was prepared for her own marriage. And so he’d made sure she understood just what married life entailed, especially the beginning of it.

  She’d just never dared dream the joining would be with Callum.

  Leaning forward, she rested her palm on his breeches, cupping his erection. Keeping her voice pitched low, she said, “I can do it. The question is… Can you?”

  His eyes lit at the challenge. Snatching the Jewel from her hand, he tossed it to Fermin, who caught it with a startled gasp. “Make your preparations, Captain,” Callum said with a wide grin. “The unification ceremony takes place in one hour.”

  * * * * *

  Freshly bathed and completely nude, Rahziya faced an equally naked Callum. They were surrounded by their men, all of whom were silent and wore solemn expressions. Bec stood the closest, within a matter of feet from her and Callum, because even with the Jewel at hand, he had a small but important role to play in the ceremony.

  That these men saw her nudity brought no embarrassment, no shame. For she and her lover were about to embark on a lifetime journey to a destination that only love could take them.

  They stood on the soldier’s cloaks, which had been offered to provide a ground covering of sorts. As he stared down at her, Callum’s eyes glittered with lust and such a deep love it took her breath away. He took her hands in his in a grip both tender yet strong. “Everything I am is yours. All you are is mine.” As he spoke the traditional unification vows, his deep voice rasped across her nerve endings like rough silk.