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shirt and along the fine skin over his ribs, or touch you this way, his other
hand cupped Reji s groin carefully, applied just a little pressure, or lick
your....
Enough! Reji growled as he crushed his mouth on Kei s and kissed him
hungrily. Gods, Kei, were you always this infuriatingly desirable, or have you
been practicing?
Just...ah...missing you...oh, yes, do that again....
And then Kei gave up teasing, because he needed to concentrate on the
wonderful things Reji was doing with his mouth and his hands, and talking
was by no means what he wanted to be doing for the next few hours with his
lover.
The winds are with us, Arman. A good omen, Jozo said, coming to the rail
of the ship.
That it is. I hope the weather holds until we cross the mountains.
I hope this blasted secret route is as good as the mapmakers claim, Jozo
replied, his lips pursed. I don t fancy being on top of an urs beast on a
mountain pass if there s a rock slide.
Trust in the gods, Jozo, Arman said calmly, slightly amused by Jozo s
anxiety. Jozo far preferred to travel by boat or on foot to riding an urs beast,
disliking the hairy animals intensely but there was no doubt that they were
supremely well adapted for the Darshian terrain. The smaller, lighter jesigs
were fine on Kuplik and the rest of Kuprij, but would make heavy going of the
sand and long mountain passes. Arman rode either as and when needed, and
rather enjoyed the higher seat and rocking motion of the urs beasts. They
made an imposing impression en masse, for certain, which was often useful
in suppressing rebellion.
I d rather trust in decent maps, Arman. Arman frowned at his impiety,
even though he too, like any decent military man, wanted good intelligence
and maps to guide him as much the will of the gods. I hope those idiots in
Urshek have got the supplies right this time. We can t go scampering back
there from mid-Darshian because they haven t calculated the weight of lem
flour properly. Morale is going to be hard enough on this campaign as it is,
without the men going hungry.
Jozo, we ve spent months on this. Ritus will have impressed on the
granary merchants the importance of the task to Her Serenity.
Jozo barked out a laugh. And if that doesn t put the fear of the gods into
them, nothing will.
General Jozo? Sei General Arman?
Arman turned and saw his staff sergeant waiting politely. What is it, Staff?
The priest is ready for the sacrifice, and begs your attendance on the
quarter deck.
Arman nodded, and the staff sergeant left. Jozo groaned. Ugh, the smell of
burning blood always makes me want to vomit. Maybe I ll go join Loke and his
bucket.
Arman grinned and clasped his fellow general s shoulder firmly. I thought
you were made of sterner stuff, Jozo. That s not much of an example to set
the men.
Half of them are puking too. Why aren t generals allowed to be sea sick?
Because it would harm the dignity of the crown, that s why. Come on.
Their troops and what seemed to be most of the ship s crew were
assembled on the deck, and the ship s captain was waiting with the elderly
priest for Jozo and Arman to join them. They took their place behind the priest
on the poop deck, behind his portable altar, and waited for him to begin.
The priest lifted his hands to the sky, and spoke in a high quavering voice.
Lord Niko, ruler of the heavens, we ask your blessing on this mighty venture,
so that your people may spread the glory of your name, and crush the
ignorant. Arman winced as the man s voice cracked unpleasantly on the last
words, and hoped the gods would not take offence.
Rather more certain in his actions than in his voice, the priest took a black
feathered fowl from the basket next to him, and, holding it over the brazier, slit
its throat neatly, the blood hitting the coals with a sizzle and a sickening
stench. The dying bird struggled briefly, then was still. The priest dipped his
finger into a bowl of sacred oil sitting on the altar and smeared it along the cut
in the bird s neck, before nodding to the three military leaders, who came
closer and knelt in front of him, heads bowed. Bear the mark of this offering
to Lord Niko, and let your deeds be also an offering to him, so that he will
bless and guide them, he said to each in turn, using his thumb to make a
bloody smudge on their foreheads.
Arman murmured, May he bless them, as he received the mark.
They remained kneeling as the priest cast the corpse of the fowl across the
railing, into the water. Lord Quek, ruler of the seas, also bless this endeavour
for the glory of your brother Niko, and all the gods. Preserve this ship from
harm.
The sailors among the assembled men quietly chanted the name of the god
Quek, needing a special contract with him since their very lives routinely
depended on his mercy, as the priest muttered a few more prayers and then
doused the brazier with the last of the oil, making it flare up and spatter,
clouds of acrid smoke briefly billowing up, before he quenched the fire with a
dipper of water.
That was their signal to stand. Arman was glad of the god s mark on his
face, but it itched rather unpleasantly. Reminding me of the bargain, he
thought. A continent s subjugation for the glory of the gods.
The priest bowed to them and withdrew. Arman also bowed to the captain.
A propitious beginning, Ard Peku. It was always good to show proper
respect to the man who held your life in his hands, at least while they were on
the water. Besides, the captain was the best and most senior in Her
Serenity s navy. Nothing had been left to chance on this campaign.
That it is, Sei Arman, Peku rumbled. A fair wind, a clear sky. Lord Quek
smiles on this work, and on your journey.
I can only hope he does, Arman agreed. Right, Jozo, I m going below to
get some rest. I ll join you for lunch if you haven t tossed your guts by then.
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