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Tobi wonders how many of his own, or, even more deliciously, how many of Harok’s fingers he could take inside himself when Harok is recovered. But he says nothing. He is too close. Finding Ambolk words is beyond him. Instead he reaches around himself and slides the two wettened fingers into his hole with a gasp. His head falls back. His throat exposed to Harok.

Harok murmurs, “Suskara, you are so beautiful.”

At these words, Tobi gasps with pleasure. He moves his hands faster, stroking his cock and his hole wildly as he spends. Putting on a show for Harok with every part of himself as he spills onto the sheets that cover Harok’s body.

Harok pulls Tobi to him. Tobi’s body is still shaking with pleasure. Harok kisses Tobi’s hair and coos sweet things against his skin.“Suskara so beautiful,” over and over.

Tobi turns his face to look up at Harok. “My beast,” he says in Artemian.

“Karran,” says Harok.

“I know,” Tobi says, sweetly. “It was Lymok that taught me that.”

Over the next days and nights, as Harok slowly recovers from his injury, they begin to work through the many pages of the book together.

It is blissful and exquisite. Harok’s bed had been one of pleasure before, but there seems to be no end to the delights the book can bring them. Acts Tobi craves and ones he has dreamed of but never dared ask for from Cyrus or anyone else, and acts Tobi would never have even thought of. They take the book page by page. Tobi learns more Ambolk bedchamber words than he ever thought possible. He thinks he must know as many words for acts of sly love making in Ambolk as he does in Artemian.

Harok has deferred the rule of Urynwud and the Amber Forest to Mereli. He comes to Harok’s chamber daily to update him and ask his counsel. Tobi tries to follow what is said. He learns more Ambolk words out of curiosity as Mereli and Harok speak of grain storage and trade with Ceruleum, the tasks necessary to ensure Urynwud is safe and warm and fed until spring.

And, of course, a significant topic of conversation is the movements of the Exceli. Lymok survived Harok and Baby’s rescue of Tobi and scouts have reported sighting him at one of the Exceli camps. The size of the Exceli force continues to grow. Bolstered both by Azurian support and the fact Harok is not out ranging. But whenever Tobi voices concern, both Harok and Mereli assure him that the Exceli will never breech Urynwud.

Often, Mereli informs Harok that other people wish to see him. And Harok receives them lying in bed, with Tobi at his side. Tobi listens, playing the sweet kushir as Harok speaks with his warriors and other members of his council. But Tobi notices that whenever Mereli tells Harok that his mother Yaelin has asked for an audience, Harok always refuses.

One afternoon, with the help of an image in the book, Tobi asks Harok to curl his big hand around his throat as he fucks him.

Harok’s eyes grow dark as Tobi explains, breathlessly, in Ambolk words and pointing at pictures in the book, how he wants Harok’s hand on his throat. Harok can only use his left arm well. But it is good. Despite his still weakened shoulder, Harok is so strong, when Harok holds Tobi down on the bed, Tobi is certain there is no way he could free himself unless Harok allowed it.

He has stars before his eyes as he spends, harder than he ever remembers doing before.

He knows his father is not coming for him. And more than that, he knows the Empire hopes he perishes here. He decides he will not. He will flourish here. If Azuria does not want him, no matter, Urynwud does.

In Urynwud, pleasures he has been taught all his life were wrong and something he could only enjoy in secret, are permitted. Not only permitted, but the inspiration for beautiful art and poetry. This is the place he is meant to be. He always knew he was meant for something more than his life travelling with players and living in a caravan that leaked in the rain. He had thought that better life was to take his place at his father’s side as a prince in the Rose Palace. Now he knows better. His place is here. As kushir of Urynwud.

Surrus moon wanes and Nubis moon waxes, outside the weather turns cool, but Urynwud is warm. And with the fire banked high and the limitless pleasures of Harok’s body, the bed Tobi shares with his Irgorye is warmer than high summer in Attar.

One night, as Tobi lies naked in Harok’s bed, he turns to the next page of the book. He knows what is coming. He has been looking forward to it. It is one of Tobi’s favourite images. It makes Tobi’s cock throb to look at it. He shows Harok the picture, saying, “I like this.”

In the picture the kushir is tied to the bed by wrists and ankles and the Ereyek holds a leather strap. There are marks, vivid and red, on the kushir’s ass.

“This,” Tobi says, pointing to the image. “I do before. Before I come to Urynwud. I like it.”

“You were punished by another Ereyek?” Harok says.“What did you do, Suskara? Run away into forest?” He laughs.

Tobi rolls over onto his back to pout up at Harok, kneeling over him, naked and breathtaking. He shakes his head. “Ei. I did no wrong,” he says lightly. “I liked it.” He points to the blissful kushir in the picture. “Like it. Like this.”

“This punishment is pleasure for you?” Harok says. His voice sounds thick.

“Sho, Irgorye.” He reaches for Harok’s hand and lifts it, bringing the palm close and kissing it. “It makes me hard.” He slides closer and leans in to press his mouth to Harok’s neck and says against his warm skin, whispering as if telling a delicious secret. “It makes me spend.”

Tobi sees Harok’s eyes darken, but what he says next isn’t what Tobi expected. “Tell me about the one who did this.”.

“Cyrus?” Tobi says, looking up to meet Harok’s eyes. “That is long story.”

“We have time, Suskara. You have Ambolk words?”

Tobi nods. Although it will take some effort to tell the whole tale in Ambolk. Perhaps this is a test of Tobi’s fluency in the language he has been learning.

“Cyrus,” Tobi says. “The man who spoke Ambolk when you took me.”