It Was a Holy Day - 3. 3

Nearly three weeks had passed as they followed one lead after another and still they were no closer to finding the young man who was most likely Rix’s mate. The last credits had been applied to the personal communicator account a few days before the bachelor party and the research station did have someone working for them by the name on the account. However, they claimed he was away on a “special mission” and had been since the two days before Rix’s liaison. Worse, they would not give out any information on when they expected him back.

Gilban had people working on finding any information on the young man, but they still weren’t even sure what species he was and no one was talking. He did have general description though, and he was currently drinking his way through the bars and tourists locations while asking the regulars and barkeeps if they remembered anyone from nearly two months ago by that general description.

The priesthood was looking more and more like a probability.

Rix screamed.

Gilban stood next to him and held his head off the ground. The guard stood all around them in a tight circle with their backs to their prince. They would not say anything of this or they would not live to say anything again. Gilban had already told them so. They all believed their prince would live, but none of them knew what attacked him now, which made them uneasy. If this attack did not stop soon Gilban would have to move Rix, and that made him nervous. Suddenly, his eyes rolled back in his head until only the whites showed and Rix shuddered, his screams stopped then he took a gasping breath. A moment later, he took another, and after a few more, they settled into a normal pattern. Gilban stroked Rix’s forehead, brushing the hair back gently, speaking softly to him. Not too much later Rix’s eyes opened. His pupils were wide, but he was awake.

“He is alive. He hurts so badly, Gilban, and I do not know why,” Rix spoke in a hoarse whisper as if he had been screaming for hours instead of just minutes.

“Where is he?”

“I could not tell Gilban, he was scared.”

“Does he know he has no reason to fear you? That you are looking for him?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know what changed.” Rix looked a little sheepish, “I’ve been feeling some emotions from him for the past few weeks, but nothing as strong as this, and nothing I can focus in on. It’s like he’s trying to evade me.”

“Can you make him understand it?”

Rix shook his head. “It’s too strange, not at all like anyone said it should be.”

“Leave it to you to be Bound to the one person in the universe who can tell you no. At least that bodes well for your union,” Gilban chuckled. “Do you feel well enough to get up off the floor now? People are beginning to wonder what is wrong. I told them you had a reaction to something in the drink you had. Don’t order it again.”

“But I like the Naiads’ Nipple,” Rix groused.

“The advertisement says it makes a guilty man scream and you fell to the floor screaming right after drinking just one, Anarix, what will people think?”

“That I’m guilty of something?” he said as he brushed off his pants.

“Or that you are allergic to it. Now which would prefer that to be?”

“And if I fall to the floor screaming again?” Rix countered.

“Will you?”

“I hope not, but there is always the possibility,” he said as he repositioned himself in the chair. “I think I fell on something wet on the floor.”

“At least it wasn’t squishy as well,” Gilban, teased as the guard dispersed around them to a more normal pattern and alert status. “So tell me everything you remember…”

Anarix sipped his drink. When nothing else interesting happened, people stopped staring and looked elsewhere for their entertainment.

“It’s not as good as the Naiad’s Nipple,” Rix complained, “But it’s drinkable.”

“You shouldn’t be drinking too much, it’s not healthy.”

“I’m not going to get drunk, Gilban, maybe by lowering my inhibitions I can connect with my Bound. Maybe I’m too…”

“Tight-assed?”

“I am not uptight.”

“No, you just appear frigid to nearly everyone except those in your inner circle. Why is that, my prince?”

“Do you know why I’ve not wanted to be Bound?” Rix started as he stared at his drink, “It had nothing to do with not wanting to share my life with another person, nor having ample opportunity. I think my guards were the blindest in the history of all the guards in the universe; at least once, I reached the proper age for being Bound. To make it worse, the older I became the blinder they became. I am not a prude. It’s just that my family is so… strange.”

Gilban laughed loudly. “You’re telling me that? Now?”

Rix looked at his best friend turned brother-in-law.

“Rix, I married into your family. I am Bound to your sister -- your sister, whom I love, who is also a part of your strange family.”

“Elmera is probably the least strange of all my sisters. You are safe with her.”

“And Tertesa?”

“She never leaves her quarters without Sophim’s permission. He is very traditional. She is allowed to join the Queen for the women’s activities but she would never be able to manage her own household. Her girls will have to marry well because they will be dumb as rocks as well in the ways of the world even though Father insists that all children receive some lessons. She did raise Matov well though.”

“So, Matov is not strange?”

Rix shrugged. “Of my possible heirs, he is the most acceptable after my Bound.”

“Should I even ask about Clereva?” Gilban asked and the look he received caused him to laugh. “Do you think you have the only strange family in the universe?”

“No, not the only one, but maybe one of the highest ranking.”

“Did your Bound give you any hint about his family?”

“None,” Rix sighed, “I don’t know if he has a family, or if he is close to them. I hope he does. A large one, with boisterous family gatherings, and a lot of children running around to spoil. I want to be an uncle without expectations of what I can do for them. No more Uncle Prude, Prince Anarix, or Your Highness.” He sipped the drink again, “I just want a normal family.”

Gilban sat back and studied his prince. Finally, he said, “I will promise you any children Elmera and I produce will never call you any of those names outside of official business.”

“Thank you,” Rix said as he pushed back his chair a little to stretch his legs. He started to say more, but at that moment, a human woman fell into his lap.

Gilban laughed at the shocked look on his face. “What is it with you and humans?”

“I have no idea.” Rix poked her and she snored. One of the guards came over to see if there was a problem about the same time a human male arrived at the table.

“Oh my gosh; I’m so sorry,” he said in heavily accented Common as he began tugging on the woman, “you know how it is, I’m sure, can’t hold her liquor. I’ll get her back to the hotel, it’s not that far.” Rix watched as the young man smiled at him while he tugged on the young woman. There was something familiar about him that tugged at a memory, but the intruder’s grip slipped and he fell on his backside at Rix’s feet.

“Seems to me that both of you need some help getting back to your hotel. Where are you staying?” Gilban asked.

“Ew, there’s something wet down here.” The young man stood up and patted his pockets. He finally came up with a key card with the hotel’s name and address on it. “This one.”

Rix looked pointedly at Gilban remembering his own experience on the wet floor, “Told you so.”

Gilban arched his brow at Rix as he took the offered key card. “We know this hotel. We can help you get the two of you back safely. Wouldn’t want either of you attacked.”

“Here, help me get her up,” Rix told the guard.

“Oh, I can help,” the young man said and moved in to help. When he did, he got very close to Rix, who got a good whiff of his scent. The scent went straight to his loins, which tightened with the need to mate.

Rix pushed him off, a bit harder than he intended and the young man lost his balance, falling again to the floor. Gilban picked him up this time.

“Here let me help you. What did you say your name was?”

Amberly looked at him. He was a bit confused. He was sure he had been pushed but he was a bit too polite to accuse the man of doing it. “Doctor Amberly Hanover and this is my wife, Brianna.”

“You’re married?” Rix asked him as he looked at the girl his guard now carried. “How can you be married?”

“I assure you, I am of legal age to be married.”

Rix watched as Amberly puffed his chest out and tried to stand up straighter. Then his face scrunched and he turned pale.

Rix caught him as he fell.

Transportation was easily achieved. As they rode, Rix stroked Amberly’s cheek. “They look enough alike to be brothers, but this isn’t him.” Then he reached up, stroked the human’s hair and sighed. “Hanover is one of the names on the list. I’m sure of it. I’m concerned, Gilban. He makes me want to…”

“What?”

“Fuck.”

“But you are already Bound.”

“I know. I shouldn’t be feeling this way, but he makes me want to pin him to the ground and pound and pound… almost the same as I did the other one. It was why I could not wait to address the issue with him properly but took him in an alley.”

“You can’t have two, Anarix.”

“I know that Gilban. The other one is healthy enough for the bonding to be working at least somewhat now as well. I can feel him sometimes now, but that still does not stop the way this one’s scent makes me feel. Why would the gods make two who stir my blood and make me want to offer myself in such a way when none have caught my senses for so long?”

“Perhaps it is because you waited for so very long the gods wanted to make sure one of these crossed your path.”

Rix looked up at his brother-in-law. “Do you think something may happen to my mate that the gods have given me more than one so the madness…”

Gilban shrugged. “Anything is possible. You are to be king, Anarix, you are your father’s only heir and he went through great lengths to get you. Never forget that. You will not be sent to the temple, nor will you go mad. Your father may threaten it but he would never allow it so long as it was in his power.”

Once in the hotel they went to the room number printed on the key and opened the door. There was only one bed, but since they claimed to be married, the two were placed on the bed side by side. Gilban pulled off their shoes, but otherwise left them dressed. They were nearly back out the door when something shiny caught Rix’s eye. He turned to look and it was a silver picture frame. He stepped over to it and picked it up. Inside it opened like a book. To the left was a picture of the two on the bed along with another young man. To the middle was an older couple. To the right was a picture of four siblings: three males in various stages of adolescence and one girl not quite a young woman. The youngest male in the picture was asleep in the bed. The oldest should be asleep in Rix’s bed. Rix flipped the picture over to see if it was marked with a name, date, or anything that may help him. The first had “Our Wedding” and a date that was rather recent. The second said “Mom and Dad” with a date a bit over a year old. The third was marked with a date that was over five years ago. There was also a list of names, all of them in precise block handwriting with numbers behind them. At the bottom, it said, “Christmas.”

“It not his handwriting,” Rix said and turned it over for Gilban to see.

“There are names. We can see if one matches the names we are already searching. He is Amberly. That leaves Puck and Kismet. I think Maggie would be the girl’s name. The name Puck Hanover is the one the research station says is on the ‘special mission’. I think we have found our link to him. Now to find him.”

Gilban nodded in agreement and grinned. “I’m not sure what you find so appealing about him. He’s a bit skinny and very redheaded. And he’s married, Rix; that would prove a problem.”

“There is another one,” Rix indicated the picture.

“The girl looks a bit young.”

Rix rolled his eyes.

“Oh, that other one,” Gilban grinned, “well maybe we will to have to secure his whereabouts as well. Although….”

Gilban leaned over and sniffed the human. Then indicated the guard should do the same. The guard made a face and Gilban shrugged. “He doesn’t smell particularly sweet to us. Maybe it’s your line. Should I have your sister send Torzet out to test the theory?”

“Bastard.”