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The doctor straightened his back and looked sternly at Neeraj who was lying in bed at the royal palace knowing exactly what his sickness was but eager to hear an expert's opinion.
"Too much alcohol, your majesty," the doctor said. "One more glass and it will kill you. It has become poison for you. Stop drinking now if you care for your life."
Neeraj scoffed and shooed him away. He didn't care for his life. He had started his heavy drinking after Yash's death and doubted Ramesh had noticed anything. It had taken him three years, but now he had reached the point of no return. And he was ready to go.
He pulled himself up and said the transport spell that took him to the underground city of the Sect. He went to the Temple of the Goddess and stared at the black statue towering over the altar and the pit – the face of the Bloodthirsty Goddess was almost welcoming.
He went to visit Hayato, next. He liked the almond eyes and exotic features of the young man who had been one of Kumar's friends and was still a prisoner – of his own twin sister.
Neeraj lay down next to Hayato who always cuddled him whenever he visited.
"Where have you been?" Hayato asked. "I haven't seen you in a long time."
"Royal matters, blah blah blah." He settled against the other's body and closed his eyes, relaxing. "I'm king, but I'm tired of it," he admitted.
"You let go Jayanta."
"Yes, I thought he deserved it."
Hayato sighed. "I wish Keiko were that considerate of me! Will you abdicate in favor of one of your brothers?"
"No, I'm going to die and name Ramesh my successor." He chuckled. "I don't think he'll like that, but he'll have to deal with it."
"I don't think he wants to be king, or he'd have stolen the throne from your father."
"I know, that's why I'm going to bestow it on him."
"But you're younger than him you still have many years..."
"No." He opened his eyes again to look at Hayato's face. "No, Hayato, I don't have many years left. In fact I came to say good-bye to you."
"What?"
He smiled at Hayato's puzzled expression. "You're very sweet and I enjoyed your company. I hope one day you can be free."
"Not until my sister lets me go, I'm afraid."
"I think Keiko will become High Priestess soon."
"Neeraj, whatever you plan on doing, don't do it."
Neeraj caressed Hayato's face, thoughtful. "You're so different from your sister... I can't believe you're twins."
Hayato smiled ruefully. "I know. And I don't recognize her anymore. This place changed her. She has become ruthless."
"And strong enough to capture and keep a Fajrulo. That certainly impressed Ramesh. Pity both of them are female, they can't keep his attention for very long."
"Well, I'm glad I'm too old for him now."
"I still miss him. I miss his touch." Neeraj sighed. "Can I sleep here tonight?"
"Of course..."
One last night in the arms of a tender lover. And then one last talk with his one and only love.
***
"What do you want, Neeraj?" Ramesh glared at the king who was lying on his bed, fully dressed.
"I need to talk to you."
"About what?"
"Passing you my throne."
"I don't want your throne, I'm busy enough already!"
Neeraj scoffed. "As king of Arquon you can have all the boys you want and make yours the official religion."
"I don't care, Neeraj, what's with you?"
"I'm tired." Neeraj sighed, rolling on the bed to stare at the ceiling. "Tired of being ignored by my lover. Therefore I will bestow everything I own on him and leave this crazy world..."
"Don't be silly, Neeraj," Ramesh snapped. "We never talked about love. Only lust."
"No, you never talked about love!" Neeraj pointed an accusing finger at him. "I did, from the first day."
Ramesh scoffed. "I'm sorry, but on that very day I also made it perfectly clear what this was all about. And you accepted it. It's not my fault if you thought you could change me."
"You're right." Now Neeraj was humble again, and he was really racking at Ramesh's nerves. Stupid, spoiled prince who had become a stupid, useless king.
"Can we make peace and split as good friends?" Neeraj pulled himself up and stared hopeful at him.
"We're not fighting, we're discussing," he replied with a shrug. "Now go back to the royal palace and keep being the good king you always were."
"I was an awful king," Neeraj said ruefully, pouring a drink for both of them. Ramesh hadn't noticed the decanter by the bed, he didn't need alcohol to feel high.
"Let's have a toast, shall we?" Neeraj offered him one goblet while he held the other close to himself.
"A toast to what?" he asked impatiently, grabbing the goblet.
"To the new king of Arquon." Neeraj raised his goblet.
"You're still young, Neeraj," he scoffed. "But if it pleases you..."
"It pleases me."
Ramesh toasted and sipped some of his drink – strong liquor, apparently. He watched Neeraj gulping down the whole goblet and wondered if the king had taken on a drinking habit he wasn't aware of.
Then Neeraj fell back on the bed, shivering as if he were delirious. Stunned, Ramesh put down the goblet and tried to bring him back from wherever he was going.
It was a short agony. A poison couldn't have been quicker. Ramesh cursed under his breath, pulling away from Neeraj's still body and fixed stare. The bastard had planned it. He had killed himself under Ramesh's eyes as a form of revenge.
You can be king, the husky voice of the Goddess said. More power to you. More lust. More blood.
"And who shall worship you in your temple?" he asked, sarcastic.
You know, she purred.
A vision of a woman in a cage hidden behind the statue of the Goddess reminded him he might have found another worthy successor after all.
***
Keiko had spent ten years in the underground city of the Sect trying to grab that power that kept eluding her. Of course she had managed to capture and subdue Maya, but whoever had helped her was still too tied to Ramesh.
Sometimes she thought it was Hayato's light that didn't allow her to bond with the Bloodthirsty Goddess. He always had to remind her that he was only a prisoner, and Ramesh's toy. That the real power still belonged to the High Priest. Until now.
"He's making me High Priestess!" she announced, excited, rushing in Hayato's room.
"What?" Their communications were almost completely broken after ten years with the Sect, and he stared puzzled at her.
"Ramesh is becoming king of Arquon and is making me High Priestess," she explained with a snort.
"So Neeraj is dead." He looked thoughtful. Maybe he knew something that she didn't.
"Obviously," she snapped.
"He drank himself to death, Keiko, are you going to be next?"
"Of course not! Let me become High Priestess, and you'll see!"
"I'll see what? The sun and the jungle and Akkora? Or will I be stuck in this goddamn city forever?"
"A little longer," she said. "Give me the time to gather the power. After I kill Ramesh, we can leave."
Hayato scoffed. "He'll never allow you to become stronger than him, Keiko!"
"He doesn't know what I'm capable of."
"Yes, he saw what you can do. He knows where Maya is and that's why he trusts you enough to make you High Priestess. But this doesn't mean he'll give up some of his power."
"I get to do the sacrifices instead of him. I'll gather power whether he wants it or not. And eventually I'll be stronger than him!"
Hayato shook his head with a sigh.
"You're killing me," he said, averting his eyes.
"No, I'm not. I'll free us both, I promise," she replied impatiently. Why was he so dense? Why couldn't he understand her anymore? What was happening to both of them in that underground city?
She stormed out of his room and went to the temple, to the little dark room where she kept Maya.
"I'm becoming High Priestess," she announced again. "I'm thinking of sacrificing you first."
Maya scoffed. "You can't. Drop me in the Goddess Pit and you will set me free. Fire is my element."
"I'll rip your heart out."
"Keiko, just because you locked me in Human form doesn't mean I have a Human body. My skin is still Fajrulo and I doubt your sacrificial knife can pierce it."
Keiko pursed her lips, glaring at the creature who looked so harmless but obviously wasn't. She couldn't fail in front of the whole Sect, though. She'll have to find another victim.
***
Ramesh had found a new toy at the royal palace, as Neeraj's youngest brother Mahesh was barely fifteen and the late king had kept him hidden for that very reason. Mahesh was as pure as Neeraj had been, but while Neeraj was made of darkness, Mahesh was made of light. Like Yash, he might not survive long – or he might adapt, like Hayato had done, surviving his teenage years.
Harish, who was twenty-five, wasn't very happy to learn his unmarried brother had named Ramesh his heir. Harish had married Princess Chandra of Lakeshi after being denied Lalita of Akkora, and the foreign princess had opened his eyes on what was going on in his royal house.
Neither Harish nor Chandra had ever seen the underground city of the Sect and many in the royal council backed up Harish's claim to the throne. Not that Ramesh really wanted it, but having it meant he could control everything and everyone. He could have Mahesh as toy boy and marry a princess to generate a real heir – although Meena was dead and her sister Naina was married.
Thus he thought about Keiko. She had proven herself a dutiful pupil in the ten years she had spent with the Sect, surprising him when she had managed to subdue a Fajrulo and showing him she could be as wicked as he was.
And that she would never be a puppet, even if she was still weaker than him. She couldn't overthrow him, but she loved working for him. It was time to teach her some of the most powerful lust spells. She could practice on Harish and Naina's husband Roshan...
First he taught her the transfer spell that brought them both to Harish's bedroom in the middle of the night. He showed her the sleeping couple and felt her lust for Harish. So he taught her how to call on darkness to abduct him and take him to her windowless room in the underground city. He knew she could do the rest by herself and left her to play with her new toy.
***
Keiko watched Harish sleep feeling the darkness stir inside her. Yes, he was handsome, but not as much as Kumar. She had no idea why after ten years she kept comparing every lover to her long lost love and looking for someone that could replace him. Kumar was too unique to be replaced.
Anyway, she liked the idea of stealing a foreign princess's husband. A haughty noble who wouldn't look at her twice could be at her mercy. Besides, if Harish was here, Ramesh would stay in Zarquon to ensure the throne was his and she wouldn't have to deal with him as often as now.
All right, Harish wasn't Kumar, but he was a man. And one full of light at that. She could feed on him instead of draining Hayato with the help of fellow Sect members – she wasn't crazy enough to have sex with her twin, but she could absorb his light when he was having sex with somebody else.
So, new light and lust source. Excellent. She noticed Harish stirring and slowly smiled. He was waking up at the perfect time.
He opened his eyes and slowly focused on the room, then on her. Startled, he sat up, gasping, his eyes wide open staring at her.
"Who are you and where are we?" he demanded.
"Welcome to the underground city of the Sect," she answered pleasantly. "My name is Keiko..."
"What? Who dared bring me here?" he interrupted her, outraged.
She was about to tell him the truth, but thought better. "I did. I am the new High Priestess, I thought it was time we met."
"I am not a fool like my brother Neeraj, I don't believe in your Bloodthirsty Goddess," he replied haughtily.
"Well, you should, because she's very powerful."
"I know, she drove my father and Neeraj and Meena crazy, but she shall not have me."
"She doesn't need you." She chuckled. "But I do. And I shall have you."
"Don't you dare touching me, woman!" he threatened.
She laughed. "Oh, really," she purred closing in on him.
She felt strong. Darkness was with her, enhanced by his sudden terror. He might be a man, physically stronger, but there wasn't much he could do when snakes of darkness tied him to the bed.
"Don't you dare!" he whispered panting as she undressed.
"Watch me," she replied before stealing a long kiss from him. Ripping off his night clothes was an unexpected perk. Touching and teasing him was even more fun, considering his desperate efforts to resist.
"Stop!" he begged, unable to control the pleasure she was sending through his body with her hands and her lips.
"Shut up," she whispered, and darkness filled his mouth, gagging him while she rode him until the explosion of light filled her.
That was powerful! Not a reflection of Hayato's light, that was the real deal! She felt so powerful she almost jumped off the bed to go and kill Ramesh. The Goddess stopped her.
You're not ready yet. But now you know.
Yes, now she knew the full power of lust and how to use it. She laughed out loud, ignoring Harish's distressed expression.
***
It took her almost a year to extinguish Harish's flame. He was a soulless body when she sent him back to Zarquon. All he could do was stare one last time at his shocked wife, then he went to the highest terrace of the palace and jumped.
Chandra screamed and cursed Ramesh and the Sect – to no avail. Ramesh raped her and then married her, controlling her with drugs and spells. While Keiko pondered who her next victim could be Ramesh kept using both Mahesh and Chandra, until she was pregnant. Nine moths later she was dead, and the baby girl was given away for adoption.
Ramesh invited his High Priestess to Zarquon and introduced her to Naina and Roshan. As soon as she laid her eyes on Roshan, Keiko knew she had found another Harish. She didn't wait for Ramesh's suggestion to abduct him.
"What do you want, Black Dame?" Roshan wasn't surprised nor scared like Harish had been. He wasn't haughty either – and he had just given her a nickname that suited her. In spite of both red and black being the official colors for the Sect's garments, she had always preferred black. Only during ceremonies to the Bloodthirsty Goddess did she wear a red scarf over her black dress.
"I want you, Roshan," she answered, caressing his naked chest. She had abducted him during a hot summer night and all he was wearing was a loincloth.
"Will you kill me like you killed Harish?"
"I didn't kill him, he jumped."
"You killed him long before that jump."
Keiko smiled. Roshan was smarter than Harish.
"Yes, I will probably kill you," she admitted. "Unless you surrender and start enjoying the dark side."
Roshan smiled ruefully. "I don't think I can do that."
"Why not? Don't you think I'm beautiful?"
"You are attractive, but I love my wife."
"I think your wife will end in Ramesh's bed before next year."
"Ramesh likes boys."
"He likes both. Trust me, he didn't shy away from my sexual education eleven years ago."
"Then both Naina and myself are doomed," he said, lowering his eyes.
He had unusually green-blue eyes and brown curly hair that made him even more good-looking than his late brothers-in-law. She pulled him closer, aroused by his behavior.
"Don't worry," she whispered. "You shall die of pleasure."
"I doubt it," he managed to say before she closed his mouth with hers.