Golden by RL Mosswood

Author:RL Mosswood
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, gay, lgbt, fantasy, paranormal, magic, captivity, demisexual
Publisher: NineStar Press

“Tell me more about the sea,” Elin asked. He and Hathar were lounging near the fountain in the wooded part of the garden, in what he’d come to think of as “their” place: the one spot they were reasonably assured of some peace and privacy from the whispered taunts and disapproving sidelong glances that otherwise followed them.

Hathar chuckled indulgently. They had covered the animals—the great grey whales singing songs beneath the waves that caused the very timbers of the ship to hum, and the spritely dolphins that would materialize out of nowhere to leap and spin in the wake. They’d spoken of the changeability of the weather—red skies and seething storms that could reduce masts to splinters, so different from the repetitive balmy pleasantness of Minal’taneen, and they’d covered the exotic ports and peoples, with their fascinating customs and foods and modes of dress.

“What more do you want to know?”

Elin twined his fingers absently in the silky strands of Hathar’s hair as he thought, relishing the weight of his lover’s head in his lap. “Tell me about your boat,” he said, finally.

“My boat…” Hathar repeated. “Well, first of all, she’s a ship. A ship can carry a boat, but a boat can’t carry a ship, you know.” Elin did not know but he nodded, encouraging Hathar to go on.

“She’s a three-masted fluyt. My father’s, originally. He was an excellent trader. Very methodical. He had his route, and he stuck to it, year in and year out. Kept perfect books. He could tell you how much he made on a bale of raw cotton any time in the last twenty year, if you just gave him a moment to consult his ledgers.

“He named her The Prudent Mistress. I’ve often wondered what my mother thought of that, but she died of fever when I was only a few years old, so I never got the chance to ask.”

Elin’s brow furrowed. He didn’t have much of a memory of his own mother, of course, having been delivered to The Dragon at not much more than two years old, but he still felt a pang at the thought of tiny Hathar going through such a loss.

“I sailed with Dad after that. Not a bad way to grow up really, with the whole world as your classroom. Lacking a little for playmates, maybe, but he kept me busy, and I did have a monkey for a while.”

“A monkey?”

“Yeah. Cute little thing. Used to steal treasures and bring them back to me. Of course…a monkey’s idea of treasure… Sometimes it was a nice stone or a piece of broken glass, sometimes coins or brooches. Once he proudly presented me with three brass buttons from the coat of a wealthy merchant who’d come to meet with Dad. That took some explaining.” He laughed at the memory and trailed off, staring up past Elin into the cloudless sky.

“So then,” Elin prompted, “you took over from your dad at some point?”

“Right.” A shadow fell over Hathar’s expression as he continued.

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