Crow and Firefly by Sam C. Leonhard

Author:Sam C. Leonhard [Leonhard, Sam C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Published: 2012-10-29T04:00:00+00:00

THE way down the corridor was deserted. No servants hovered; no dogs lingered in the dark corners. It wasn’t cold, but Ari still shivered, dreading the hours ahead of him.

He was a married man now. He shouldn’t be afraid of his wedding bed. But he was, and not because of the wedding night that lay ahead of him.

Until his eyes had changed, sex had been an important part of his life. He’d lost his virginity at fourteen with one of the local boys who’d been as eager to be rid of it as he was. One lazy hour behind the cowshed, lots of grinning, and some embarrassment afterward—it had been worth it, and they’d done it regularly until the other boy had fallen in love with someone else.

After him, Ari had had others and always enjoyed it. Farrow was a small village, but there were others just like it a day’s travel away, and on market day, lots of strangers were around. There had been many opportunities, despite most of the rich people’s common—and mistaken—assumption that there were barely any people living on the plains.

For Ari, sex was part of him, part of celebrating life. It was joy; it felt good, most times. Sex was funny and warm. It was pure lust as well as closeness. He was tremendously glad his eyes had changed that late, giving him time to explore other boys’ bodies rather than getting marked at an early age and hence being deprived of having at least some experience. No child was born with two-colored eyes; most changed between fifteen and seventeen.

“Deal with it,” Ari murmured under his breath, his sister’s words echoing in his ears. “Sure.”

He thought about the old legend of Elfir and Hildgard. She had been two-colored and he had not. They’d been in love, and they had lain together, although it was forbidden, telling everyone that their love was stronger than the law. But no matter their love, Elfir had died screaming in Hildgard’s arms. Her two-colored eyes filled with tears, she’d taken her own life once he was dead.

No one, no matter how adventurous, ever came willingly near a man or a woman with two-colored eyes. No one besides others of their kind.

Ari wasn’t afraid of sex; he was afraid of Dagur himself, of his reputation—of his cruelty. The man was the king’s nephew, used to getting what he wanted, and once he was done, he tossed it aside, broken more often than not. Or so people said. It was the reason he lived so far away from the court. Once he was king, he would go back to the king’s castle, but for now, he was trapped in this part of the world. And Ari was afraid he’d end up in the dungeon if he didn’t do what he was told, and frankly, doing what he was told wasn’t one of his strengths. He had a strong, if not stubborn mind; he preferred to make his own decisions, and if in doubt, he acted rather than thought about it a second time.

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