thegoodfellas/blogset-br huggingface dataset:
flesh sliding intohim from behind. Full awareness came when his stirring shaft wasclasped and stroked until it was hard and throbbing with need. Heopened his mouth, but nothing intelligible came out, and he couldonly gasp and moan as Dylen slowly and maddeningly wrung anotherclimax out of him.Thistime, he winced when Dylen pulled out of him afterward. Like it ornot, there was a limit to what his body could take, and he hadfinally reached it.Helistened to the gush of water from the bathing chamber. From thesound of it, the tub was almost full. He turned his head to see Dylenemerge from the other room.Dylenreached a hand to him, saying, Come, a hot bath will do you good.Riodangrasped his hand and, groaning, sat up. Only if you join me. Hedid not let go of Dylens hand as he slipped off the bed. I daresay it would do you good as well after riding me all night.Asmiled curved Dylens lips. I do hope I didnt wear you outovermuch. It would be a pity.Riodanseyes widened. A pity? Why?Dylenonly chuckled and pulled him toward the bathing room. Chafing alittle at the lack of an answer, Riodan promptly set it aside whenDylen settled in the large tub of steaming water and motioned to himto join him. He quickly did so, settling between Dylens legs andleaning back against him.Memoriesof their first bath together assailed him, and he closed his eyes inregret. How many lazy morning soaks would they have shared all theseyears if he had only been braver and true to his hearts wishes? Heturned around and kissed Dylen briefly before reaching for the soap.Determined to make the most of this intimate interlude, he latheredDylens body, relishing the feel of every plane and contour of hislovers body under his palms and fingers.PerhapsDylen understood what drove him for he did not question him butreturned the favor, massaging the aches and kinks out of Riodansbody even as he soaped him. Riodan closed his eyes when Dylen gentlycleansed him of all remnants of his semen. He was sore, but theintimacy of the gesture more than offset his discomfort.Hereturned to his apartment afterward to dress for the day, taking careto avoid being observed leaving Dylens rooms by any embassypersonnel. He might not mind being romantically linked to Dylen instaff gossip, but the same could not be said for Dylen. Not at themoment. It simply was too soon to define just what it was they wereto each other.Theymet in the dining hall, studiously ignoring the curiosity of theother diners as to why they were rather late this morning, andproceeded to discuss their respective schedules over breakfast.Iwas promised the contract renewals would be approved today, Riodansaid. I think Ill stay close to Dimas to ensure he keeps to ouragreement. What about you?Ishall visit the craftworkers market this morning, Dylen replied.The chair I ordered for Addais ready to be picked up. Afterwards... He pushed a note acrossthe table to Riodan. This arrived while I was waiting for you.Malkon invited me to have lunch with him. In his apartment. It seemshis interest in me got the better
morn.Yougave him what should have been mine? Guyon shouted.Nay,I gave him what has always been his, Riodan retorted. I was hisleman, Guyon. He smiled broadly at Guyons horrified expression.It was he who deflowered me and taught me all there is to knowabout coupling.BeforeGuyon could muster a reply. Riodan turned on his heel and left himstanding in the middle of the room, pop-eyed and mouth agape. He sawhis aide coming down the hallway bearing a tray of his requestedfood.Makecertain Barath-tyarleaves Shenze forthwith, he instructed the Deir, taking the trayfrom him. Oh, and inform the necessary parties that we are nolonger betrothed.Idont want him using that excuse to show up here again.Riodanreentered the apartment, stalking past Guyon with nary a glance orword. He settled himself at the small dining table in one corner ofthe sitting area and set to consuming his simple meal. Biting deeplyinto a warm slice of thickly buttered bread, he listened to Guyonsprotests as he was politely but firmly ushered out. The corners ofhis mouth tilted slightly upward at this small blessing in the midstof tragedy, uncertainty and potential peril.ChapterTwenty-TwoOffensiveHefound Dylen waiting at the main terrace from which several stonepaths branched out to various sections of the palace gardens. Laralspersonal pavilion was at the far end of the east section, and theywould take the right most path to reach it. Riodan dismissed theattendant who had conducted him thence, briefly explaining that heneeded to discuss something with Dylen in private.But,almost as soon as Riodan approached him, Dylen turned to step off theterrace and onto the path. Riodan caught him by the wrist and pulledhim back.Wehave to talk, he said.Dylensface was unreadable. There is nothing to talk about. GuyonWasright.Nay!Riodan protested. Nothing he has, not even all the wealth andpower in Aisen, did he possess them, could make him right. Its youI want, Dylen. Its you I love.Beinga kings brother does not erase my past, Rio, Dylen pointed out.Yourpast? Riodan huffed in frustration. Veres almighty, Dy, I livedwith you for a year, waiting for you to come home to me, knowing youmight have taken one or all of your guests to bed before you returnedto ours! It didnt bother me then, so why should it bother me now?Aglimmer of emotion showed in Dylens eyes. You turned your backon me because of it, he dryly reminded Riodan.Inmy idiocy, I feared it would hinder me in my profession, but I neverfelt repugnance for what you did. Riodan spoke earnestly. Youlikely dont believe me but even were you not Rohyrs brother, Istill would have sought you when I returned from Tehara, Abaswill be damned, He gripped Dylens wrist pleadingly. Iregretted what I did as soon as you left that night, but I was stillruled by ambition, and so I let you go. But the contempt you showedme thenit haunted me all my years in Tehara. Yet I couldntforget you; couldnt stop wanting you. I would have asked yourforgiveness on bended knee and begged you to give me a secondchance.Butyou didnt, Dylen countered. Not when we met again and not inall the time since. You didnt even break
knew the full truth and would expose him to my uncle as soon as Ihad more evidence of it.Thenyou are aware of his ambitions and how he had to revise his plans tofulfill them.ThatSivar is my heir and therefore will come to the throne if I amremoved? Laral smiled mirthlessly. Oh yes, I have longsuspected. Ever since Uncle Arfen and then Gavan died soconveniently. And with Malkon always on the spot. But there was noproof, you understand?Completely.But that last assassin named Jubal as the instigator of the plotagainst you, Dylen reminded him.Laralsoftly said, Malkon denies he knew what his sire planned. Dylenscoffed. A likely claim!Butthere is no concrete evidence linking him to Jubals scheme beyondtheir kinship, Laral said. And the one Deir who might have beenable to reveal the truth is dead. Killed by an explosive Malkon mayor may not have thrown. Laral huffed in exasperation. He deniedhe threw that device by the way, and once again, the evidence againsthim is circumstantial. He was the only Deir in sight, but no oneactually saw him do the deed. Even Ambassador Leyhar only glimpsedthe figure of someone, but he wont be able to identify Malkon asthe culprit, will he?Dylenshook his head. So there is no way to charge him with this?Onlyif we can force him to talk. And this is where things getinteresting. Laral leaned forward, his eyes aglitter withinterest. We tried to read him, Uncle and I. But his mind isprotected by layer upon layer of shields.Saints,is he so powerful then? Dylen asked with consternation.Nay,we dont think they are of his making. They were likely placedthere by a skillful adept, if not a templar.Dylenwas taken aback. That is troubling. No templar would involvehimself in murder and the sowing of mayhem.Unlesshis loyalty to his sovereign exceeded his oaths of fidelity to thebrotherhoodandits laws, Laral pointed out. We cant discount thatpossibility. Even templars have their weaknesses.Isuppose thats possible, Dylen reluctantly conceded. I shallhave to report this to Tenryon Hadrana. He will want to discover himwhoever this Deir is. The templars wont risk harboring a renegadein their ranks.Laralnodded. Do as you must. But in the meantime, we have Malkon tocontend with. Unless he talks, the most we can charge him with ismisconduct with regards to his dealings with Dimas. As for colludingwith Jubal, all we have are suspicions. That isnt enough cause tobring him to justice. And he is of royal lineage even if theFerrendas no longer rule a realm.Dylenbrought a clenched hand down hard on the tabletop. Then we mustget confirmation of those suspicions, he growled. Tell me whatyou can about these shields.UncleAmir believes that together we could breach them eventually, Laralrelated. But he fears that the force of our attempt could breakMalkons mind and render him useless for our purpose, which is togain information. Furthermore, even if we managed to keep Malkon fromlosing his sanity, we would have to stay in his consciousness longerthan is safe for us. We did consider asking one of the physicians totry for they can remain in Malkons mind long enough to extract theinformation. But none of them have
fancy to in Shenze!Heturned to Dylen, uncaring of Malkons incredulous gape.Youhave my full consent to bugger him to death if need be, Sivarsaid. That is if you have the stomach for it.PreviouslyI did, Dylen replied. But not anymore. I would rather use othermethods. He looked at the Shaja. I understand he is resistantto normal modes of interrogation, Dyhar.Amirinclined his head. Ive never personally encountered multipleshields before, he said. But I do know what is needed tocircumvent them. Force is out of the question. Each time we breakthrough one layer, we run the risk of damaging his mind bit by bit.Makingit impossible to retrieve information at all.Exactly.The only way to get past such a defense is to locate each layersweakness and ease ones self past them. But none among us possessthe skill to do so. It is wholly the province of templars.Dyleneyed Malkon thoughtfully. The Ferrenda heir was smiling smugly oncemore. It was his overweening demeanor that decided Dylen on hiscourse of action once and for all.Perhapsnot templars alone, he softly said. The Essendris of the directline of descent are known to possess gifts beyond the ordinary.Ofthe direct line, Laral echoed. Do you mean to say you have theskill for this? I might, Dylen averred. And I may as wellfind out now.Thenyou have our permission to test your skills on him, Amir declared.What! Malkon sprang to his feet. Nay! I wont allow this.You have no rightTalvasshoved him back onto his seat. You have no say in the matter,the captain told him, his voice hard and threatening. I suggestyou make it easier on yourself and be still!Dylensilently approached Malkon. In the instant before he placed his handson either side of the Deirs head, he saw fear spark in his eyes.Buoyed by that evidence of knowledge worth uncovering, he took a deepcentering breath and took the plunge into the realm of anotherbeings consciousness.Betweenone heartbeat and the next, he found himself in a wide hazy tunnel.Darkness loomed before him, and he cautiously walked toward it.Several steps forward and he suddenly came up against a barrier thelikes of which he had not seen before. It had no concrete form butwas like an impenetrable black fog that shifted in every direction.It soared up to the apparent nothingness above and extended from oneside of the tunnel to the other. There was no apparent opening in it.Dylen thrust a hand into the fog and touched something hard within.The barrier looked like a thick inky mist but felt like a solidunyielding wall.Hestudied it closely. He knew he was seeing what either Malkon orwhoever had created the shielding wished him to see. That made sensefor how could anyone discover a way through this amorphous yetimpermeable mass? But that it was confined to a space of definitedimensions indicated a limit to its creators skill.Dylenhearkened back to his training under Rohyr and Tenryon. He would notabide the rules of this world. He would change them to suit his needsinstead.Hefocused on altering the very nature of the barrier, ridding it of itsfoggy exterior and turning it into something recognizable andtherefore comprehensible.Atonce he felt resistance. Malkon
fought him fiercely, the strength ofhis desperation making up for what he lacked in talent and power.Theirbattle for control manifested itself in a series of convulsions inthe barrier. The entire mass trembled and shifted this way and thatas if subject to the whims of a mighty wind. And from lightlessblack, the fog lightened to dark grey and then to storm blue only todarken once more to indigo.Backand forth the barrier changed. Dylen wondered how much longer hecould sustain his assault on it. And then, of a sudden, he heard anangry wail in the distance.Thefog shivered horrifically then seemed to collapse into itself.Suddenly, the violent heaving stopped, and the barrier solidifiedinto a stone wall of an indeterminate shade of grey.Dylenexhaled in relief. Malkon had given way. The barrier now appeared asDylen desired it. For there was no wall in existence that could notbe breached. And this wall would be no exception if he had anythingto say about it.Hescanned it thoroughly, searching for any sign of weakness. Hesuddenly smiled. Forcing the walls coloration to lighten further,he took a closer look at a section of it.Tinyfissures had become visible thanks to the paler hue of the structure.Dylen reached out with his senses and swiftly deduced that he hadfound a spot in the wall that was not as solid as it appeared. Itfelthollow was the closest he could come to describing it. Indeed,he now discerned numerous areas that were as vulnerable. Small wonderthe barrier had been cloaked in fog. The misty covering had made itharder to perceive its weaknesses.Dylenplaced a hand on the center of the network of fissures and firmlypushedagainstit. The wall slowly gave way before the pressure. And then the wholesection cracked and crumbled on its own accord. A gap opened in thewall large enough for Dylen to slip through.Ashe stepped past the opening, the wall shuddered and groaned to eerieeffect. Though a cold shiver snaked its way up his spine, Dylenignored the frightening sounds and forged on.Anotherbarrier soon loomed before him. Armed with the knowledge of hissubduing of the first barrier, Dylen set to defeating this one aswell. It did not prove as difficult nor did it take as long to locateits weak points. Dylen quickly selected one and soon passed throughinto the space beyond. And again he heard a howl of protest in hismind.Hedid not bother to count the number of barriers he passed butconcentrated on getting closer to his goal. Besides, he was beginningto tire. He could not afford to waste his strength on needlessexercises.Thenext barrier he confronted had a different feel to it. Not only didit transform fairly quickly, he sensed something like despair beyondit. He felt a jolt of elation. He knew he had reached his quarry.Tohis surprise, he had hardly touched the wall when it gave way beforehim. He quickly clambered over the resulting rubble.Severalpaces away, Malkon cowered like a cornered rodent. He stared at Dylenwith a mixture of disbelief and terror. As Dylen got to his feet, theFerrenda lord bleated out a frightened cry and turned on his heel toflee. Dylen raced after him. He caught up
He landedwith a grunt on the Ardans lap. Lassen half turned and lightlyswatted his smirking spouse before settling himself more comfortablybetween Rohyrs hard thighs.Dylenobserved them with a touch of melancholy. It was then he noticedRohyr regarding him sympathetically. He raised his eyebrowsquizzically at his brother.Rohyrasked, Have you visited Riodan recently?Dylenleaned back, shaking his head. Theres been no pressing need,he blandly replied.Towhich Rohyr snorted. He nuzzled Lassens ear but kept his gaze onDylen. Yet I wager certain needs were duly tended to in Asmara,he murmured.Dylencolored. I thought you were against invading peoples thoughts,Roh, he chided.Iam, and I didnt.Rohyrmoved lower to kiss the side of his now blushing consorts neck.Lassen would have elbowed him but his arms were snugly pinioned byRohyrs embrace. Rohyr grinned when Dylen shifted uncomfortably inhis chair.Iglimpsed a few of Riodans thoughts when we visited him, hesmugly informed Dylen. As Im sure you did, so strongly did heproject them as soon as he saw you. There was no need to plumb hismind at all. Rohyr slipped a hand down to lightly rest on Lassensthigh, perilously close to his crotch. Lassen gasped and slapped hishand away. Rohyr only snickered.Theimages I saw were quite incendiary, he continued. If thatshow you take care of a friend, I shudder to imagine what you would dofor a true love.Roh!Dylen finally barked. He glanced at his father and was chagrined tofind Hirlen smirking at him. One night ofof rutting does not alove affair make! he protested.Nay,but it can be the start of one, Rohyr countered. Or a secondbeginning. Dylen scowled, but there was little ire behind it. Didyou come to visit or to vexme?he muttered.Hegroaned when Lassen looked at him keenly then. If Lassen was going tostart in on him, too, he would go and seek less inquisitive company.Isaw him the other day, Lassen related. He looks so much betternow. He had the ends of his hair trimmed, and he was hardly limping.Hirlendimpled. Then he is truly on the mend. That is good to hear.Yes.And his burns have also healed though there is much scarring,Lassen said. Eiren told him the scars will fade and becomesmoother over time. But the skin on his back will always be a littlerough and patchy. I thought that of little consequence, but I fancyRiodan does not.Whatdo you mean? Dylen sharply asked.Hewas quite self-conscious about them, Lassen explained. He kepttugging at his collar to hide his nape. And he said he would probablygive away all his collarless shirts since he would no longer have usefor them.Butthats absurd! Hirlen exclaimed. Someone should tell him so.After all, it isnt his face or form that makes him such a beautybut his goodness of heart and fidelity to those he loves.Fidelity?Dylen abruptly scoffed. Much that you know, Adda.Hirlenfrowned at him. What? That he hurt you terribly at one time oranother? At Dylens stunned expression, he said, Oh, I maynot know the specifics of your quarrel, but Im not blind, Dy. Ifelt your grief even when I was at my sickest, and I noticed howassiduously you kept your distance from him when he returned. I alsosaw how you
dealt harshly with him when you couldnt avoid him. Andone more thing I saw that you refuse to see, Hirlen added. Heloves you, Dy, and he blames himself without cease for your rift. Youtold him he was unworthy of you, didnt you? Well, behold! He hascome to believe it and contents himself with the crumbs you deign totoss his way!Adda,please...Youhurt him, but you also hurt yourself, Hirlen plowed on implacably.For how can you ever be whole if you refuse to accept the otherhalf of your heart?Dylenstared at his father speechlessly. Seldom had he heard Hirlen soimpassioned and even less had he ever raised his voice to his onlyson. Hirlen must have noticed his stricken expression for his sterndemeanor promptly vanished and he gentled his voice when he spokeonce more.Forgiveme, Dy, he contritely said. I had no right to speak that wayand in front of others. He glanced at Rohyr and Lassen in someembarrassment then looked at his son once more, his eyes pleading. IjustI just want you to be happy, he professed, frustrationtingeing his voice.Dylenswallowed. He looked at Rohyr. You said the same thing, hewhispered. He bowed his head, his eyes shut tight against impendingtears.Itold him, he hoarsely murmured. I said I was afraid. How do Iget past that? Tell me, how do I conquer this fear?Heheard a sob and realized with horror that it was his. He leapt to hisfeet and stepped out onto the patio. Dylen stared up unseeingly atthe cloudless sky, his body trembling with the effort not to cry. Itproved a futile attempt when tears streaked down his face and histhroat tightened painfully.Someonetugged at his hair, and he turned with a start. Lassen stood behindhim, Vyren in his arms. The child was gazing curiously at him.Nunky!Vyren cooed. Dylen smiled through his tears and stroked his nephewsplump cheek. He looked at Lassen, a little ashamed that hislaw-brother had seen him weep. Lassen looked back at him, hisaquamarine eyes aglow with compassion.Itisnt easy to conquer fear, Dy, he murmured. But with alittle help, it is possible.Whosehelp? Dylen asked though he already suspected Lassens answer.Whoever brings you peace, was Lassens reply. Of heart andsoul and mind. Dylen sharply inhaled, startled by the mirroring ofhis earlier musings. He glancedsidewaysand saw his father and brother watching him with concern. He facedLassen again.Suchas you have, he said.Suchas you had, Lassen pointed out. For a while.Butit can be longer than a while. Lassen placed a fist againstDylens chest. Listen to your heart, Dy. What does it tell you?What is its plea?Dylenbit his lip. He noticed Vyren reaching for him demandingly. He tookhisnephewinto his arms and rubbed noses with him until Vyren shrieked withglee.Bythe way, Rohyr said, coming to Lassens side. Hes movedout of his parents house.Thatsurprised Dylen. He has? But whither did he go? A smallerhouse up Marsden Way.Dylenstared at his brother and law-brother. He caught his fathersentreating gaze. He held Vyren closer, taking in his sweet babyscent.Drawinga shaky breath, he said, I want to be happy, too.ChapterTwenty-SixRestorationTimehad never seemed to pass so slowly as it did this afternoon. Or soRiodan groused to himself. And