In the Air Chapter 7
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"Halsin!"
Mistress' voice rang out clear as a bell in the quiet apartment. Halsin pushed himself up from the floor, storing his book on the windowsill before leaving the bedroom to follow her summons.
She had told him she was busy today, so he hadn't expected to be called upon, especially not after hearing the main door open and close, and muted voices in conversation. For weeks now, Mistress' days had been taken up by matters of her house, and many of her nights as well. She had made some time for Halsin, seeking to forget about her troubles with him. But most of the time she would get up early, and return very late.
Walking into the library, Halsin almost froze at the sight of Meryla seated in a chair across from Mistress. He caught himself, schooling his face to hide his dismay, and knelt at Mistress' side, his head down. His skin crawled with the memory of how Meryla had touched him last time, her lips pressed to his and her hand between his legs.
"I haven't spent as much time with you as I would have liked, and I am afraid it's going to stay that way a little longer." Mistress played with his ear, bending the tip and petting it. "But Meryla has offered to take you to the garden. You will behave for her and listen to her the way you do to me, and she will allow you some time on your own."
"Thank you, Mistress." Halsin clung to the hope that it wouldn't be as bad as he feared. And if he would get time to walk the gardens alone, it would be worth it.
"Go on then, collar him." Mistress waved Meryla closer, leaning back in her chair to watch.
The links of the chain jangled against each other as Meryla walked towards him. She was dressed in robes of light green, the colour of birch leaves in spring, her white hair pinned up in an intricate style, held by silver combs. Her excited smile was dancing in her eyes.
He had no choice but to lift his head, sitting back on his heels, the ghost of her touch still crawling under his skin. Meryla placed the collar around his neck, fumbling with it a moment to close it. Mistress gathered his hair in one hand to hold it out of the way, and he wished she would come along. But once the collar was in place, she merely gave him a quick pat on his bare arm.
"Very well. Enjoy yourself. Remember to be back before midday." Mistress rose, returning to her desk before Halsin had even gotten to his feet.
Meryla bowed to her, the chain looped around her wrist with enough slack that Halsin could follow her at a few steps' distance. She didn't grip it tightly like last time, confident in his obedience. And why wouldn't she be. After all, Mistress had given him to her for the morning.
She led him down the stairs, and every time they encountered one of the guards, she pulled on the leash. Not so he had to walk faster, but so everyone had to take note of her being in charge, although Halsin doubted the guards were much impressed.
In an alcove set back from the stairs, one of the slaves waited for them to pass, head down, a tray with a teapot held in her hands. Halsin recognised the young woman he had managed to save from a whipping, glad to see her still alive and apparently unharmed. Meryla ignored her, to his relief, and once she had passed, the woman raised her head to meet his gaze, offering him a quick smile before going on her way. He was almost too surprised to answer the smile in time, and he wiped it off his face immediately. He had no wish for Meryla or anyone else to see it.
The small happiness of the encounter buoyed Halsin up despite the lingering dread of what lay ahead. He wished he had had the time for a few words, realising he hadn't spoken to anyone but Mistress for a long time. Tarlyn and Meryla couldn't be counted, they only spoke to order him.
There was no time to admire the garden, not with how fast Meryla was walking. She led him to the same island Mistress had taken him last time, but not to the gazebo in its middle. They were headed past it, to the enormous blue mushrooms that hid a few stone benches in their midst. Even before they had reached it, he could hear laughter and soft voices.
Entering the bower, Halsin found himself surrounded by a group of young drow women, all of them on the cusp of adulthood or barely beyond it like Meryla. They obviously had been expecting him, talking with admiration to Meryla about the trust Mistress placed in her. He kept his head down, glad to kneel at Meryla's feet when she directed him to, but the gaze of the women crawled across his skin like ants.
The talk turned to other matters: who would soon marry, which houses seemed promising, what to wear for the next dance, whom to impress. Halsin listened with enough attention that he wouldn't miss it if the conversation turned back to him. He let his hands slide off his thighs to touch the stone slab he was kneeling on. It was covered in lichen, centuries old, slow and patient. The pulse of its life was strong and Halsin allowed himself to share in it, letting it calm his mind and soothe his loneliness. No matter how removed from nature he was right now, it was there to welcome him.
A hand in his hair startled him. It tugged on the leather strip holding his ponytail, letting his hair fall across his shoulders. Halsin forced himself not to react beyond that first sharp breath, casting a quick glace around. None of the women were looking directly at him, but Meryla's casual gesture of ownership over him had their attention. She started to undo the small braids, her fingers working nimbly as she talked.
"Sit up, your back to me." She nudged him with her foot, making room for him to kneel between her legs and unclipping the chain once he had settled. Carding her fingers through his hair, she pulled it back and untangled it, letting it fall to its full length past his shoulders once she was done. Halsin did his best to avoid catching anyone's gaze, focusing on the patterns of lichen on the ground. He tried to lower his head, but Meryla didn't permit him, lifting his chin with one finger. She gathered his hair in her hands once more, starting a braid at the back of his head, adding more strands as she went. It was almost pleasant, something he had always enjoyed having others do for him.
The conversation continued, flowing past him. And then it turned to him, as he had feared it would.
"Do you really think Matron will let you have him?" The woman next to Meryla, and the one most devoted to her, quick to agree with her and flatter her.
"We shall see. I'm waiting until she is in the right mood to ask. You cannot hurry these things." Meryla had finished the braid and passed it through her hands over and over. She moved to rest one leg against Halsin's side and reached out to pet his neck and ear as if he were a cat.
"Can we see him?"
"Yes, you promised!"
The group fell silent as Meryla considered her answer. Halsin closed his eyes, just for a moment, wishing himself back at Mistress' side.
"Show us." She pressed her leg to his side.
"Mistress?" He couldn't use her name. Even if the title was uniquely that of his real Mistress, he was sure the misuse would please Meryla. And he had to hear her say it, he couldn't bring himself to simply do what he thought they wanted.
"You heard them. They want to see your cock, you will show them. You are to obey me as you would Matron." Impatience turned Meryla's voice sharp, although she hadn't yet stopped petting him.
When he had undressed for Mistress for the first time, he had been terrified. His hands had shaken so much that he had barely been able to untie the laces of his clothes. It had stopped bothering him by now, or so he had thought. But under the eyes of all these women, he was shaking just as hard as he had back then. He forced himself to breathe slowly and focus only on his hands.
Pants unlaced, he pulled them open far enough that he could take himself in hand and display himself as demanded, to shrieking laughter and excited comments. He let it all flow past, mere noises, watching out for another order in the noise like a bear waiting for salmon at the river.
"—big does it get? I want to see."
"Fine." Meryla granted the wish with another press of her leg against Halsin's side. "Take out that plug. Touch yourself, show us how big it grows."
She sounded almost bored, but Halsin could feel the hunger underneath. For a moment, he thought about telling her that he couldn't take out the plug. But he was sure that she would care about it as little as Tarlyn had. So he pulled it out, slipping it into his pocket, and held on to the shiver of pleasure it had given him. He started to stroke himself, shifting his foreskin over the head, chasing the fading stretch and how sensitive it left him.
Halsin closed his eyes and imagined himself somewhere else, a blanket in the woods under a starry sky. The lover who waited for him there had no particular face, but they lay back and watched him with a smile, one hand between their legs to tease themselves in anticipation of him being ready for them. He was eager to touch them, to give them the pleasure they wanted and to have his own with them.
It was a well-used fantasy, easy to slip into and to hold on to, despite the breathless giggles and exclamations. They faded into the murmur of the wind in the trees, much like Meryla's touches merged with the lover's caresses. He bit back a loud moan when he found just the right rhythm
"—touch him. You can stop." A pinch to the tip of his ear made sure he was listening.
The fantasy fell apart and Halsin was left stranded in the glare of the women's attention. He rested his hands on his thighs, letting them see what they wanted to see. Closing his eyes, he listened to the murmur of the water and let it take him away.
A touch to his cock yanked him back into his body so violently that he flinched, taking a startled breath. The young woman in front of him pulled her hand back as if burned and almost fell over, to the bright laughter of the others. She retreated back to her seat, but another was already rising to take her place.
"Behave." Merlya gently chided him, her finger still running up and down his ear. She slipped her hand under his chin to make him tip back his head. Hand resting on his throat, Meryla watched him intently, hungry for every shiver and every moan, for every little sliver of emotion he couldn't hide from her.
Halsin dared to close his eyes and she allowed it, leaving him that much. He threw himself into the dark, towards the sound of the water, and dove down when he had found it. He was still aware of the hands on his body, was listening to what the women were saying. But it all was drowned out by the roar of the river, silvery waters rushing past him.
"That's enough." Meryla's voice brought him back. He was shivering, his cock aching between his legs. They had played with him, stroking him, fondling his balls, one of them slapping his cock. Halsin remembered crying out at that, and her immediately doing it again. He remembered Meryla encouraging and daring them, petting him all the while, before she suddenly called an end to it.
"Leave us. I will come get you when it is time to return." With a push to his shoulders, Meryla dismissed him. Halsin tucked himself away with shaking hands, hastily lacing his pants before stumbling out of the bower. He walked blindly along the paths, ducking into smaller paths or between the mushrooms whenever he heard voices. Eventually he found a corner hidden away by artfully arranged mossy boulders and sat there, leaning against the stone.
Breathing through his nose, Halsin focused on the scent of moss and water, of wet stone and mushrooms. He listened for the small stream, and the chirping of crickets. Drawing his knees up, he hugged them and rested his forehead on them, trying to shut out the voices and the hands reaching for him.
Nothing had happened. It was over. No need to think about it any more.
Nothing. Had. Happened.
Chapter 8
Chapter 1