“Here so soon, boy? I thought you’d be hiding like a mouse,” Rhadamanthus said as he glanced over to Ashiyn standing in the corner of the room. He smirked when he caught Ashiyn staring at the naked woman being used beneath him and doubled his efforts. “Yes, enjoy her. Soon you’ll learn this as well.”
“Master, there is an important missive from Rurik. I personally had to deliver it because your guards are idiots and Ackthar decided it wasn’t important,” Ashiyn said as he studied the woman. Usually, Rhadamanthus had his favorites. This was a new servant Ashiyn had never seen before. He did not understand why the women always looked horrified that he watched. It was certainly not the first time he had seen his Master take a woman.
Rhadamanthus finished with the woman and casually threw her to the floor. He growled as he fastened his pants and stormed over to grab the missive out of Ashiyn’s hand. “Did you deal with Ackthar?”
“I only broke his arm. I assumed you would like to finish his punishment appropriately,” Ashiyn said. He kept his eyes on the naked woman as she got up and fled the room. Rhadamanthus had already torn open the message, so he didn’t see Ashiyn leering. Ashiyn lowered his gaze to the ground as he sensed Rhadamanthus looking his way and patiently waited to be dismissed.
“Who brought the missive?” Rhadamanthus asked, his black eyes narrowed.
Ashiyn froze. He did not understand Rhadamanthus’s sudden mood change, but he knew it was dangerous. He forced himself to shrug. “One of his acolytes. Some boy. I don’t know really, I wasn’t paying attention to the servant to be honest.”
Rhadamanthus threw the scroll onto the table then grabbed Ashiyn’s chin and made Ashiyn look into his eyes. “You stay away from Rurik and Rurik’s boys. Unless you want them to use you like I just used that woman.”
Ashiyn scowled but managed not to flinch. His mind whirled though. He barely understood what was going on with the woman the thought that two males could simulate it was too much for his young mind.
Rhadamanthus growled and let Ashiyn go. “My brother is sick. He has perverse tastes. He enjoys young boys instead of women. I will kill him if he ever touches you, but be wary. He might be foolish enough to try one day. And he passes his sickness to all those boys. Stay away from them lest you catch it as well.”
Ashiyn shuddered and dropped his gaze to the floor. He was confused but he dared not ask anything more for clarification.
“Are you still standing there? You have training to do, boy. Get to it,” Rhadamanthus snarled as he snatched up the scroll again.
Ashiyn turned and bolted from the room, not willing to suffer another death to his Master’s rage today.
CHAPTER TWO
Ashiyn tore the man’s heart out of his chest and stood there with the still beating organ in his hand. When he looked up from it, he saw Soryn standing in the doorway. Ashiyn had almost forgotten the other boy. It had been four years since he’d met Soryn. Oddly, the look on the other boy’s face was confusion, not horror. Ashiyn dropped the organ to the floor casually, then grabbed a cloth off a nearby table to wipe away the blood and gore from his hand. “Soryn, was it not?”
Soryn lowered his gaze respectfully. “Yes, Prince. I am humbled you remember.”
Ashiyn could sense the other boy wanted to ask something, so he raised a brow questioningly. “What do you want to ask?”
“You just tore that man’s heart out with your bare hand. What did he do?” Soryn asked. Again his tone held more curiosity than the usual horror Ashiyn was accustomed to drawing with his torturous antics.
Ashiyn shrugged. “I think my Master simply desired the man’s wife. He was in the way. Now she will submit to Rhadamanthus, as she should.”
Soryn did cringe and look horrified at that. “What?”
Ashiyn threw the bloody rag on the table and leaned against it, rattling the array of metal weapons laid out there. “The fact that I murdered him doesn’t bother you? Just the motive behind it disturbs you?”
“What if she loved her husband? She shouldn’t be forced to…” Soryn started to say, then looked at the ground. “Sorry, Prince. Not my place to question. You had requested I return when I would not be missed. This was the earliest I could manage. My Master does not leave me unattended often.”
Ashiyn narrowed his eyes. Too vividly he remembered Rhadamanthus’s claims about Rurik’s sickness. He walked closer to Soryn, circling him. “You are one of your Master’s favorites?”
Soryn turned pale and looked a little ill. “Yes. I am my Master’s favorite of all.”
Ashiyn came up close behind the other boy, noticing Soryn trembling. He scowled. “Are the rumors true about what he does to his servants?”
Soryn shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t know what rumors you could have heard, my lord.”
Ashiyn backed away from the other boy, wary. “My Master says Rurik is sick. Perverse with his acolytes.”
All of the color drained from Soryn’s face, but he raised his chin and looked at Ashiyn. “We both have our burdens to bear, my lord. Your Master is no kinder to you.”
Ashiyn bristled at that. “My Master would never touch me in that way though. My Master has women as one should.”
“Should they? Who said? Your Master?” Soryn snorted. “Just because that is what he prefers does not mean that is the only way.”
Ashiyn scowled. “So you do share your Master’s sickness!”
Soryn rolled his eyes as he walked closer. “It’s not a sickness, my lord. It’s no different than desiring a woman. My
