The Ardor - 10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Maraki hadn’t moved yet. His chin rested on his chest and his muscles were tensed up, but his breathing had calmed down.

I put my hands on the floor to get up.

This smallest of movements had been enough to draw his attention. Faster than I could see, he had jumped into a crouching position. He was leaning to his right and his left leg was stretched out. He supported himself with both hands. His gaze was fixed on me. Those eyes had lost all resemblance to amber and had turned into two pits of molten steel. But they were devoid of any maliciousness and watched me with intent curiosity.

“Maraki?”

He tilted his head to the left. I pushed with my hands to rise off the floor. Maraki shifted his position. He brought his arms to the front, the right one a little more than the left one. His upper body was twisted against his hips. He had bared his teeth and was growling. I sank down to the floor again and couldn’t help but think of him as a wild dog, intrigued and yet careful. His muscles rippled at every tiny adjustment of his posture. Most slowly, I took my hands off the ground, extended them and turned my palms upwards. I had no idea whether he understood this gesture of peace. The snarling stopped. He was hesitant and creasing his forehead. The look in his eyes had changed quality. Curiosity was complemented by another emotion. It took me some moments to recognize it, but there was no doubt: lust. That was the Ardor’s doing. This sign of attraction gave me hope that a tiny piece of Maraki was still remaining.

I was antsy in an expectant way. Fear, however, had not come. It was him, my Maraki. There was no reason to be afraid. Careful not to provoke him, I retracted my hands. I grabbed the rim of my shirt, and in a deliberate pace, pulled it over my head. He leaned a little more into my direction, sniffing. With the same cautious movements, I removed my shoes, my socks and my trousers. He was torn between keeping his distance and closing it. I got up. This time, he didn’t threaten me, but his gaze followed me. I pulled down my underpants and stepped out of it.

“I am yours. You won’t hurt me, because all the things you covet I covet as well.”

Though he hadn’t understood the words, he had taken in the message, for he was crawling over to me. A smile formed on my lips. A Step before me, he stopped and looked into my face from below, his eyes burning. He faltered and was unsure whether to cross this last threshold. I nodded and brought my arms to the front, inviting him. He rose from the floor to full height. His body was like a fluid in motion, powerful and of delicate grace. For the first time, I saw his cock which had been hidden in the shadows of his crouch before. Though I knew its size, the sight was breathtaking. It was only half-erect, but put every male I had seen nude to shame. The comparison with my lower arm had not been an exaggeration. Still, on Maraki, it didn’t look out of proportion. Below his dick, two mighty balls, each as large as one of my fists, dangled boldly. And not a single hair anywhere. Without the barrier of the cloak, the musky odor was mesmerizing. I closed my eyes and inhaled it, drank it. My cock stiffened in response, the blood pulsing in it. I opened my eyes again and looked up at Maraki. He was posing for me; he flexed the muscles in his chest and had curled his arms by bringing his hands together in front of his stomach. The fact that he was trying to win me over, though he could have done with me whatever he wanted to, made a bolt of electricity run through my entire body. Goosebumps formed all over my skin. I reached out to touch his lower arms. He growled once more, but this time it was a sound of desire. He bent down and buried his face in the side of my neck. I felt the waft of air when he breathed in my scent. Another shiver ran down my spine, accompanied by a moan.

Maraki was so absorbed in discovering my body that he hadn’t registered the arrival of the Nuzr. He was coming down the stairs. I hadn’t noticed before, but his movements were stiffer than usual. When Maraki had attacked him, some of his ribs had been broken. The healers of the Nur’Zhul used magic to do their job, but even the most powerful spells could only accelerate natural healing. He was on level with us now. With folded arms and a grin on his face, he watched us. I’d make sure that he’d be disappointed. I turned back to Maraki.

He had descended down my neck and was sniffing at my armpit. With eyes closed, he pressed his nose into my skin. His cock, which was fully hard by now and curving upwards, slapped against my chest. Maraki continued his way down, bending his knees. His dick slid down my torso, leaving a trail of precum behind. He arrived at his destination: my crotch. His hands grabbed my butt and pulled me close. The warmness of his touch and the rough texture of his skin made me gasp. His breathing accelerated as he nuzzled deep into me. He howled in despair. His head shot up and he looked into my eyes. The same desperation that was heard in his voice was showing in his gaze.

I had been right all along. Maraki’s gentleness was rooted so deeply in his nature that even in full Ardor he was unwilling to take advantage of me. It was torment for him: the Ardor was demanding only one thing and its command was absolute. I fondled his face with both hands. He closed his eyes.

It was as much my decision as it was a necessity for me.

I sat down on Maraki’s thighs, facing him. He opened his eyes, a question in them. For words wouldn’t work, I reached down for his dick and placed it in my butt crack. Our gazes locked for a moment before I put my arms around his neck and nestled my cheek against his. Maraki’s right arm closed around me with well-dosed strength. He sank down on his knees and adjusted the position of his feet. He lifted me up, and moments later I felt the massive shape of his cock head being placed against my hole. My muscles cramped in a hopeless attempt to deny entry to the oversized intruder. It required the better part of my willpower to relax at least a little bit. Maraki shoved my body down. The pressure of his dick against my hole increased. What began as an unpleasant sensation became an agonizing pain. I bit on my own lip to keep quiet, eyes pressed close. At most, one third of his head was inside of me and it already felt like I was ripped apart. Without relent, he pushed me down onto him. When the widest part of his mushroom shape was forced into me, I couldn’t bear it any longer.

I screamed at the top of my lungs, tears ran down my face and my whole body went rigid.

The pushing stopped though he didn’t pull out. His left arm closed around me as well and he cuddled me in the gentlest way, cradling me from side to side. The love that manifested in these simple gestures had a physical quality. Where our skin was in contact, emotions trickled from every pore and united into a powerful deluge. My mind and body dissolved into this raging sea. In this floating state, pain didn’t exist and time had no meaning. Only when my butt cheeks touched Maraki’s thighs, a part of my consciousness resurfaced into reality. Maraki had not let go of me and he was inside of me, all of him. A pleasant fullness had replaced the pain and the satisfaction of being one with him ousted all other feelings. He savored our unity as well, not moving at all. Our bodies were glowing and drops of our sweat mingled on our skins. I wasn’t sure anymore where I ended and Maraki began. He pulled out for the fraction of a Jot and glided back in. My own cock was rubbing against Maraki’s abs and I wouldn’t endure this for long. I moaned into his ear. The ferocity of this moan frightened me, but it riled him up in return. He removed a little more of his cock and pushed it back in with the right amount of force. He quickened the pace. Soon, he was hammering away at my ass, but in my whole life nothing had felt as good as this. His thighs tensed up. One, two more thrusts and he swept me along into our shared climax. In perfect synchronicity, we spurted shot after shot of cum and growled together in a weird, but melodic harmony. We were panting and clung to each other.

A thought separated from this bliss, a dangerous and bold thought.

“If you’re out of the Ardor, move the fingers of your right hand.”

I had kept my voice so low that the Nuzr couldn’t have heard me. On my back, five little taps were my answer.

“Just play along. Pretend to be exhausted and let go of me.”

His grip loosened. I let myself fall to the right side where the Nuzr was standing behind the security of the bars. Groaning, I crawled towards him. The sound of a body slumping down told me that Maraki was playing his intended role.

“Nuzr…”

I was croaking and added a liberal amount of suffering to my voice.

“Nuzr…”

I coughed. When I had arrived at the bars, I tried to pull me up. The Nuzr squatted down before me.

“Is there something you want to tell me?”

The smirk almost split his face and every word was dripping with sarcasm.

“Yes, I…”

Less than a whisper, followed by another fit of coughing. He came closer.

“Yes? What’s on your mind?”

I looked into his unshaven face. With a firm voice, I answered.

“Never come close to a master pickpocket.”

With a wide-eyed stare, he reached for the little chain with the key ring, only to find nothing. I pushed away from the bars, but wasn’t fast enough. The Nuzr had grabbed my arm. The scar on his cheek was glowing red.

“You son of a Teleran whore… now you’ll d…”

His sentence was interrupted by a strangled noise. His body rose up into the air and I turned left. Maraki was holding the Nuzr by his throat. He was gasping for air, struggled with his legs and tried to pry himself out of the iron grip.

“You won’t touch him!”

Maraki extended his arm a little more, and with a quick movement pulled it back inside the cell. I heard the Nuzr’s tendons snap, before a terrible cracking noise echoed back from the walls. The Nuzr’s lifeless body dropped to the floor; his head joined it a Fraction later. Empty eyes were staring at me. I averted my gaze.

Maraki was still holding the bloody pulp that had been the Nuzr’s neck. He looked down at me. His eyes had returned to their golden color. They widened in terror and he turned to the place where we had made love. I followed his gaze. Where Maraki had knelt on the floor, a small puddle of a dark liquid had formed. From there, a thin trail extended to my position. I faced Maraki. He was looking down at his member which was dripping of blood, human blood. I reached for my rear and the sticky wetness left no doubt whose blood it was. He let go of the remnants of the Nuzr’s neck and dropped to his knees.

“What have I done…”

He fell forward onto his hands, the blood on them coloring the floor red.

“The Nur’Zhul will be here any moment. Maraki, listen.”

I tried to get up, but my legs didn’t support me. I crashed flat onto the floor. Maraki stared at me, shaking his head and mumbling the name of the goddess A’ra’mai over and over again.

“Maraki nu’tar shin tai fren to sika’ral!”

In the name of our friendship, Maraki, you have to be strong!

He snapped out of his vapor. Nodding at me, he jumped to his feet. In a blur, he moved over to the heap of his clothes and dressed himself. Grabbing the cloak, Maraki hurried to my clothes and picked them up. Now that he was standing before me, he hesitated.

“No time to lose.”

I handed him the key ring. With utmost care, he wrapped me and my clothes into the cloak. Carried in his left arm, I felt save despite the danger we were in. The first key he tried didn’t fit the lock; the second one opened the cell door.

“He won’t need it anymore.”

Maraki picked up the Nuzr’s rusty sword.

“Though it’s nothing more than a better bread knife…”

It was in bad condition but looked quite massive. I would have had difficulties wielding it.

We had ascended half of the stairs when the wooden door flew open and two guards stormed into the room. With a wide swing of his right arm, Maraki pushed them down the stairs using the hilt of his sword. He closed the door and secured it with the large iron bolt. Those two guards wouldn’t turn up in our backs. Neither one of us knew what was behind the door, because we both had been blindfolded when brought here. I had counted steps and had tried to remember directions, but details were lacking. A very short corridor, which immediately turned to the left, extended before us. On its walls, the same orbs as in our cell cast their dim light. Maraki bent around the corner. Another door was standing open; our attackers had been in too great a hurry to close it. We passed through it and were standing in a square room approximately half the size of our cell. Behind a row of seven Nur’Zhul soldiers, the Councilor expected us with arms folded over his chest. Maraki assumed a battle stance, sword pointing at the Councilor.

“You didn’t believe you could escape from here with this pathetic excuse for a plan?”

Even now he was smiling and speaking with a mellow voice.

“We made it past the Nuzr.”

I hoped to put him off-balance with my comment. But his demeanor didn’t change at all.

“Not too much of a loss if you ask me.”

The faces of the soldiers showed that they begged to differ, but no one dared to speak up.

“Would you be so kind and return to your cell now?”

“I don’t think so.”

Maraki answered through gritted teeth.

“You’re aware of the facts that we are outnumbering you by a factor of four and that Elyran obviously isn’t in the shape to put up a fight?”

Though he was right, we still had a strategical advantage: me.

“You’re aware of the fact that you cannot risk my death?”

The Councilor’s smile deepened.

“Not yours, but…”

His hands and fingers moved in a complicated pattern while he uttered words in a strange language.

“Ursak nar shinan dalor!”

A ball of fire formed between his hands, rotating and oscillating, but not moving.

“I always hit my target. And since this is not a channeled spell…”

The fiery sphere darted towards Maraki’s right side. Without thinking, I extended my arms, palms facing towards the fire ball, fingers pointing sideways.

“NO!”

The sphere came to an abrupt halt half a Step before us. My vision had shifted. I wasn’t able to see the real world, but everything had become patterns of swirling energy. Myriads of colors and structures formed the essence of every object and person around me. A fine tendril approached the fire ball from what must have been the Councilor’s hand. I reached for the flames and a golden light surrounded them. As the tendril touched the barrier, it withered and dispersed into thousands of glimmering motes.

“That’s not possible!”

The energy forms of the soldiers moved back as they realized that the Councilor wasn’t in control of the fire ball any longer. With my fingers, which had become ethereal shapes flickering in an unfelt wind, I slapped it. It shot back towards the Nur’Zhul. Something that resembled a large water jet emanated from the Councilor, slowing down the sphere. He was fighting against it with brute force. The ball stopped, but didn’t return to us, though the Councilor was blasting at it with undiminished strength. It was a stalemate.

“When fighting for something, sometimes it is wiser to give it up.”

A lesson my uncle had taught me over and over again. Finally, I could put it to good use. My fingers elongated as I grasped for the fire ball. I didn’t know enough about this spell to manipulate it in a meaningful way, but destroying something was more often than not quite easy. I closed my hand and pulled at the interweaving threads of energy. The pattern unraveled and the magic, tamed into this form against its will, escaped its abhorrent cage.

My vision returned to normal and a searing pain ripped through my skull, making me inhale sharply. I had felt weak before, but now I was emaciated to the core.

“Maraki… cover!”

I squawked those words, but he complied: he turned around and ran. I looked back over his shoulder. The fire ball pulsated in a wild dance, before it collapsed towards its center.

For a Fraction, there was nothing but silence.

An ear-deafening roar shook the building to its foundations. From the point of collapse, a spherical wall of fire expanded at tremendous speed. Maraki dove around the corner into the corridor. Somehow, he managed to spin around in mid-air and landed on his back, still holding me safe. A fiery hail of debris crashed into the wall where we had stood a moment before. Smoke was everywhere and it was difficult to breathe. I coughed. Everything around me was blurred, for I couldn’t get my eyes to focus. I closed them. Maraki got up, coughing too. He ran. The smell of burned flesh hung in the air and knotted up my guts. Given the heat and the cracking noises all around me, the explosion had incinerated the entire floor. Maraki ran on, zigzagging around obstacles. He stopped dead.

“Hold on tight!”

I didn’t know what this was about but nestled closer to his chest. He dashed off. I was shaken by an impact and heard wood splintering. Maraki staggered, but didn’t fall. Cold air wafted into my face. He resumed his sprint. I forced my eyes open: a hazy image of a house on fire… a blurry night sky… bleary shapes of trees.

Then there was darkness.