to know. Thank you, Reijir- dyhar .”
Reijir chuckled and released Naeth from his gaze. He walked past Naeth, ruffling his hair once more as he did. Naeth remained where he was for the longest while, waiting for his heartbeat to slow down.
Saints above, will I always react to him this way? he thought with dismay.
At length, Naeth inhaled deeply then headed for the blue parlor where he would await Keiran. He fervently hoped his color would return to normal before the latter joined him. Because if it didn’t, he was all but certain Keiran would subject him to an interrogation the likes of which Naeth knew he would never withstand.
Chapter Five
Stirrings
C.A. 3007
“Hey, Orosse! Join us! We’re going out to celebrate!”
Naeth smiled at the student who’d hailed him but shook his head. “I can’t, Javari,”
he said when the latter and his group neared him. “His Grace asked me to be home early today. He wishes to fete me for graduating on time.”
A youth behind Javari spoke up, his mouth curved in a smirk. “Why? Is His Grace so stingy that he would begrudge you any extra time to finish this last year?” he drawled.
“And here I thought him a generous soul. How disappointing to discover otherwise, eh, Orosse?”
Naeth stifled the impulse to snap back. “His Grace is a generous soul,” he pleasantly replied. “Hence his guardianship of my humble self. What he is not is profligate, which I understand is the bane of many a formerly rich Deir. Isn’t that so, Semrel?”
He knew a welling of satisfaction when the insolent youth flushed an unbecoming red. It was well known around campus that Semrel’s sire had depleted the family coffers due to an addiction to the gaming tables.
“At least I‘m not an impecunious nobody in need of a generous patron to see him through school!” Semrel crossly shot back.
Naeth felt a familiar stab of anger mingled with sorrow. “Yes, how fortunate for you to still have family for that purpose,” he retorted.
Javari slapped the back of Semrel’s head. “That is beyond the pale, oaf!” he muttered. “We beg your pardon, Orosse. You know how it is with Semrel—his wits seldom keep apace with his tongue.”
“And thus ensures his foot is almost perpetually stuck in that big mouth of his,”
another student quipped.
Before Semrel could react, Naeth said, “I hope you enjoy yourselves. But I really must go.”
He dipped his head to them then briskly walked away, ignoring the imprecations that spewed from Semrel’s aforementioned big mouth.
Truth be told, he was not going home but headed for the exclusive training hall a few blocks away from the Arthanna townhouse where many of the city’s bluebloods honed their fighting skills. While Reijir and Keiran usually preferred to pit themselves against the seasoned soldiers who frequented the Citadel exercise yard, they occasionally joined aristocrats of their acquaintance in the training hall for the greater variety of fighting styles including the brutish tactics displayed in the violent brawls that nightly took place in the streets and taverns of the south district.
Ordinarily, Ruomi acted as valet to both the Arthannas, but today he requested that Naeth take over as Reijir’s attendant. Right after his practice bout, Keiran would go home to freshen up then head for a meeting with his solicitors over a dispute involving one of his properties. Reijir always insisted that Ruomi accompanied his brother to potentially contentious meetings to minimize the risk of a heated argument erupting should Keiran’s volatile temper be ignited.
But even had he not been instructed to meet the brethren at the hall, Naeth was not interested in drinking the afternoon away. He knew his schoolmates would celebrate the start of their gap year by getting as inebriated as possible before they headed for their
respective homes. It was the only form of mature recreation Deira their age could legally partake of.
By and large, sexual
Reijir chuckled and released Naeth from his gaze. He walked past Naeth, ruffling his hair once more as he did. Naeth remained where he was for the longest while, waiting for his heartbeat to slow down.
Saints above, will I always react to him this way? he thought with dismay.
At length, Naeth inhaled deeply then headed for the blue parlor where he would await Keiran. He fervently hoped his color would return to normal before the latter joined him. Because if it didn’t, he was all but certain Keiran would subject him to an interrogation the likes of which Naeth knew he would never withstand.
Chapter Five
Stirrings
C.A. 3007
“Hey, Orosse! Join us! We’re going out to celebrate!”
Naeth smiled at the student who’d hailed him but shook his head. “I can’t, Javari,”
he said when the latter and his group neared him. “His Grace asked me to be home early today. He wishes to fete me for graduating on time.”
A youth behind Javari spoke up, his mouth curved in a smirk. “Why? Is His Grace so stingy that he would begrudge you any extra time to finish this last year?” he drawled.
“And here I thought him a generous soul. How disappointing to discover otherwise, eh, Orosse?”
Naeth stifled the impulse to snap back. “His Grace is a generous soul,” he pleasantly replied. “Hence his guardianship of my humble self. What he is not is profligate, which I understand is the bane of many a formerly rich Deir. Isn’t that so, Semrel?”
He knew a welling of satisfaction when the insolent youth flushed an unbecoming red. It was well known around campus that Semrel’s sire had depleted the family coffers due to an addiction to the gaming tables.
“At least I‘m not an impecunious nobody in need of a generous patron to see him through school!” Semrel crossly shot back.
Naeth felt a familiar stab of anger mingled with sorrow. “Yes, how fortunate for you to still have family for that purpose,” he retorted.
Javari slapped the back of Semrel’s head. “That is beyond the pale, oaf!” he muttered. “We beg your pardon, Orosse. You know how it is with Semrel—his wits seldom keep apace with his tongue.”
“And thus ensures his foot is almost perpetually stuck in that big mouth of his,”
another student quipped.
Before Semrel could react, Naeth said, “I hope you enjoy yourselves. But I really must go.”
He dipped his head to them then briskly walked away, ignoring the imprecations that spewed from Semrel’s aforementioned big mouth.
Truth be told, he was not going home but headed for the exclusive training hall a few blocks away from the Arthanna townhouse where many of the city’s bluebloods honed their fighting skills. While Reijir and Keiran usually preferred to pit themselves against the seasoned soldiers who frequented the Citadel exercise yard, they occasionally joined aristocrats of their acquaintance in the training hall for the greater variety of fighting styles including the brutish tactics displayed in the violent brawls that nightly took place in the streets and taverns of the south district.
Ordinarily, Ruomi acted as valet to both the Arthannas, but today he requested that Naeth take over as Reijir’s attendant. Right after his practice bout, Keiran would go home to freshen up then head for a meeting with his solicitors over a dispute involving one of his properties. Reijir always insisted that Ruomi accompanied his brother to potentially contentious meetings to minimize the risk of a heated argument erupting should Keiran’s volatile temper be ignited.
But even had he not been instructed to meet the brethren at the hall, Naeth was not interested in drinking the afternoon away. He knew his schoolmates would celebrate the start of their gap year by getting as inebriated as possible before they headed for their
respective homes. It was the only form of mature recreation Deira their age could legally partake of.
By and large, sexual
Similar Books
