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Baby teeters over them. She cannot maintain this stance for long. Tobi gestures to the girl to clap her hands. She grins up at him, excited now and he nods. The girl claps. At the same moment Tobi makes a silent hand signal and Baby drops flat on the ground at the girl’s feet.

The girl hoots with laughter, then leans forward to pet Baby. The Solwen in the room laugh, some of them applaud. Tobi gives Baby the meat and bows, before picking up the rope harness, walking her back over to Harok and Mereli. Harok is staring at Tobi, unsmiling. “You see,” he says to them both. “Please tell Harok the beast obeys me. I am her master as he is mine. And she is no more dangerous to the Solwen than a dog or a cat.”

Mereli repeats this to Harok.

“Sho,” Harok says eventually, before speaking more to Mereli. And Tobi allows himself a little hope, although Harok’s face betrays nothing.

When he is done, Mereli turns to Tobi. “Irgo Harok says that you should have sought his leave before doing such a thing. However, he understands you care for your beast. You have his permission to walk her through Urynwud. But you will keep her on that rope.”

Tobi smiles pleased with his small win. “Chancellor Mereli,” he says, “How do I say thank you in Ambolk?”

“Damalik,” Mereli says with his own amused expression.

Tobi steps forward. He strokes the back of his hand down Harok’s chest, looks into his eyes and says breathily, “Damalik, Ereyek.” And he flicks his tongue out of the corner of his mouth.

He sees Harok’s eyes go dark with lust. He says something else in Ambolk. His voice low and throaty, before he turns away and walks back across the hall.

Tobi turns to Mereli, “What did he say?”

“He said you need to go to your chambers and prepare for dinner.”

Tobi does as he is bid, he takes Baby for a short walk around the wooded grove, then returns her to her cage and makes his way back to his chamber.

Since Tobi was last here earlier in the day, the chamber has been aired and the fire tended. There is a clean alit laid out for him and a golden bowl on the dresser beside the window. When Tobi inspects it he finds it is full of warm water with flower petals floating in it. There is also an urn, similar to the one Mereli had, with a jar of honey, a wooden box of the flaked bark and two glazed clay cups beside it.

He pours himself a cupful, adds honey and takes it over to the fire. He’s drunk most of it when the chamber door opens and one of his body servants appears, giving Tobi a small bow, before waiting patiently for instruction.

Tobi cannot easily give any instruction, but after some pointing and miming he has her help him wash and change into a clean alit.

When Tobi is prepared, the serving woman bows and leaves.

Tobi walks over to the chair beside the fire. He takes his cup and refills it from the urn, then settles in to wait for Harok to summon him. His belly growls. The light outside is softening. It must be time for dinner soon.

Eventually Harok stalks back through the adjoining door from his own chambers. He has washed and changed too. He wears a different but similar outfit of short breeches, chest harness and cloak, this time the one in all black. Perhaps the black outfit is what Harok wears for the evening. He wears his crown and the black paint under his eyes has been reapplied. Tobi wonders if he did that himself or if he has his own body servants. He feels a strangely sharp pang of jealousy at the thought of someone else decorating Harok’s face with black paint, leaning close and daintily applying it to his broad cheekbones.

“Kushir,” Harok says. “Idi nal.” He holds out a hand.

Tobi stands and walks over to Harok. He lets Harok take hold of him by the forearm and draw him in. Harok pulls him close, presses their bodies together. Tobi is quite stunned by how fast his lust rises up in him again so soon after being satiated. He looks up into Harok’s eyes. Harok smiles at him and kisses him gently on the forehead.

He is sure idi nal means something like let’s go or time to go. But Harok seems in no rush. He kisses Tobi on the nose and then on the mouth slow and sweet, letting his tongue part Tobi’s lips. Tobi breathes in the scent of Harok, rich and dark. Memories of the previous night in Harok’s bed, of the quick, rough dekuna in the stables, rush into his mind. His belly is forgotten. There might be meluce-lil and honeyed plums awaiting him at dinner but he wants something far sweeter.

He sighs as Harok bears down on his mouth, forcing his head back. One of Harok’s big hands is on his chin. Tobi wonders what would happen if he reached up and guided Harok’s hand a little lower, had Harok wrap that big strong hand around Tobi’s throat as he took him in this deep claiming kiss.

But Tobi does not try to move Harok’s hand. He simply allows the idea of how strong Harok is, how easily he could control Tobi, how he has taken Tobi, claimed him, desires him so much he snatched him away from his whole life, to cloud his mind with lust. Tobi’s knees go weak. He feels like it is only Harok’s other hand, the one on the small of Tobi’s back, that is holding him upright as he groans with pleasure.

After a few moments, Harok pulls back from the kiss. Tobi is squirming, cock fully roused under the alit.

He stares at Harok, burning with lust, but Harok says firmly, “Idi nal, Suskara.”

Harok takes Tobi down to the Sacred Hall of Urynwud. The part of the hall closest to the firepit is arranged with long tables laden with food. It is not the grand feast of the night before, but there is still a fine number of rich dishes. Tobi is seated beside Harok up on the dais. Mereli sits on Harok’s other side.

The food is perfectly delicious. Roasted pig served with buttered roots and greens and plenty of bright herbs. Tobi is certainly eating better here than he did in the mess tent of Copperhead Circus. He is a little disappointed to find that this time he is not to be fed from Harok’s fingers.

For the entire meal he receives very little attention from Harok, who speaks to Mereli and the rest of his council, allowing Tobi to fend for himself. He is frustrated. After the way Harok kissed him in his chamber he was hoping for more of Harok’s lust to be directed at him during the feast. Tobi feels alone sitting at Harok’s side, ignored, unable to understand a word of what is being said all around him.

He consoles himself by pouring out and drinking two cups of mead — meluce-lil — which are delicious, rich and sweet as pure honey. They make his head spin. When he finishes the food he has been served, he looks at Harok beside him. He finds himself gazing at his Irgorye. He looks mouth-dryingly handsome in his black outfit. He might be the most comely man Tobi has ever seen. His strong, sharp jawline. His heavy brows. Those eyes, sapphire bright, dancing above all that black paint he wears on his face.

Harok has his body mostly turned away from Tobi, deep in conversation with a woman who looks as if she works in the stables. Harok doesn’t seem to have eaten much. His plate is still piled with glistening slices of the roasted pig.