The Phoenix Key

\"The Phoenix Key\"



By: Delilah deSora

Pagan_nyght@yahoo.com



Chapter 4



**



I was told once that slaves weren\'t supposed to speak but no one ever thinks to tell us not to listen.

-Trey



**



Ivan found himself in a singularly advantageous position. Due to the \'vicious, cowardly and underhanded\' attack on the Tsar\'s remaining intelligent son, Ilyia the sorcerer had been given an important position.



Royal tattletale.



It was his job to find other uses of magic within the palace that the Tsar might not be aware of. It gave him not only the undivided attention of the Tsar himself but also the freedom he needed to put his final plan into action. He had to hurry though; he only had four days left in which to enjoy the Tsar\'s firebird. Unfortunately for his father Ivan had no intention to ever give the key back.



He leaned back against the hard wooden back of the chair, tilting the parchment towards the firelight so he could study the words and make sure it held no information that could be traced back to him. Across from him Trey worried a piece of bread.



\"I don\'t understand!\" The slave finally blurted out, \"Why does the Tsar of Dolmat help you when you tricked him before?\"



Ivan set the page down to dry, well aware of the source of the other man\'s confusion. Tsar Dedumil had agreed to give him the firebird in exchange for a particular horse owned by a neighboring Tsar. He had brought him the horse but, at the last minute, had sent the wolf, disguised magically as the horse, opting to keep the mount for himself. The ploy had worked leavinm inm in possession of both horse and firebird and leaving the Tsar of Dolmat with nothing.



\"Oh he\'s not happy about it but we\'ve reached a mutual agreement.\" He assured.



\"What mutual agreement?\" Trey asked suspiciously.



\"My father\'s collected magic from all around the world. In exchange for his help putting me on my father\'s throne I will give him a third of the magic my father has collected here.\"



The red head snorted. \"And he believes you?\"



Ivan smirked. \"Trusting fool, isn\'t he?\"



Resting his head on the tabletop, Trey watched him with gold eyes. \"You said the people were telling a tale about us?\" He asked, almost sounding like a child asking for a bedtime story.



Reaching across the table Ivan ran his fingers through the warm strands of Trey\'s hair. \"Yes. They don\'t have it quite right yet but soon we\'ll correct them.\"



Gold eyes closed sleepily. \"Then you\'ll get to be the hero.\"



Ivan paused. \"Yes I sup I w I will.\"



\"You don\'t sound very pleased with that.\"



He pulled back and stared at the fire for a moment. \"I\'m not a hero, Trey. I\'m just the lesser of four evils.\"



\"Aren\'t you? The hero I mean.\" Trey pressed.



\"No.\"



The younger man frowned. \"You could be, if you tried.\"



Ivan snorted. \"I don\'t want to be a hero.\"



\"Why not?\"



\"Because,\" Leaning on his elbows to stare across the table at the kneeling man Ivan continued, \"A hero would have to set you free.\"



Trey looked away from him, troubled, and Ivan laughed.



\"So you see, in our little fairy tale I\'m the villain. And if that\'s how it has to be to keep you, my firebird, I\'m willing to make that sacrifice.\"



\"They\'re going to die, aren\'t they?\" Trey whispered, still not looking at him.



Ivan frowned. \"Who?\"



\"The Tsar, and your brothers.\"



Ivan sighed, leaning back and folding his hands in his lap. \"Yes.\"



Trey stared at him incredulously. \"And that doesn\'t bother you?\"



The black haired man considered his slave\'s words for a moment. \" I won\'t say I\'m completely comfortable with it but I\'ve had five years to come to terms with reality.\"



\"Reality?\"



\"Dmitriy and Vasiliy forced this fate the night they attacked me and took you away. They didn\'t hesitate and neither will I.\"



\"And you father?\"



Ivan met the firebird\'s golden eyes and held them. \"He died the day he touched you.\"



Trey shook his head but a faint smile touched his lips. \"You aren\'t the villain in our fairy tale, Ivan.\"



The black haired man blinked. \"Aren\'t you disgusted by what I\'ve done? What I am going to do?\"



Trey sat back on his heels, which placed him below the table top, forcing Ivan to slide his chair sideways to see him. \"I\'ll admit you\'ve done things I don\'t like. I don\'t think you should have deceived the Tsars . . .\"



\"Even after what happened to you in Dolmat? Or am I mistaken in believing you disliked being kept in a golden cage?\" Ivan snapped.



\"That was wrong of him as well!\" Trey insisted, \"but that doesn\'t mean he should have been cheated.\"



Ivan made a \'tsk\' of irritation. \"You really are living in a fairy tale world.\"



Trey pursed his lips, looking like an overgrown child. \"Not everyone in the world is sneaky and underhanded.\"



\"That\'s true. If they weren\'t the rest of us wouldn\'t have slaves like you.\" Ivan pointed out caustically.



The firebird turned as red as his namesake and Ivan almost grinned at the show of emotion but the younger man visibly fought down his anger. \"Why do you say such things?\" He demanded.



Ivan sighed and picked at the robe he\'d donned for lunch. \"Because they were said to me. Because they are true. The weak are made to serve the strong, Trey. It is the only universal truth in the world.\"



\"g cog compassionate and true to your word doesn\'t make you weak,\" Trey insisted, \"doing so will make you stronger than men like your father or brothers will ever be.\"



\"Yes and that\'s why I\'m sitting here plotting five years after I was left for dead in a bramble bush!\" Ivan grumbled.



Trey came to his side and, to Ivan\'s surprise, placed his head on his lap. \"Yes,\" he whispered, \"that\'s why you\'re sitting here now and I\'m about to give you some information that may make your task easier and hopefully prove that being compassionate and true to your word is stronger than being a manipulative liar, though,\" a smile tugged at the slave\'s lips, \"being manipulative might be a bit helpful.\"



Ivan stared down at the other man in surprise, not quite sure how to react. \"I don\'t understand. What information?\"



Trey shook his head, pulling back to sit up. \"Promise first.\"



\"Promise what?\" Ivan asked suspiciously.



\"Promise that you\'ll never beat me like,\" Trey\'s voice cracked slightly and he had to pause before continuing, \"like your father does.\"



Ivan collected the larger man in his arms, fingers tracing the scars marring pale flesh. \"I\'d never do that. I told you before that I won’t cause you pain just for pain’s sake.\"



Trey pulled away with a faint smile. \"I know but I have to hear it first.\"



He nodded. \"I promise.\"



\"Promise you won\'t give me to others for their own enjoyment.\"



Emerald eyes flashed dangerously. \"You\'re mine, Trey. No one else has a claim to you. I won\'t let anyone else touch you.\"



\"Do you promise?\" Trey insisted.



\"I promise.\"



Trey paused for a moment, licking his lips nervously. \"And promise that you\'ll let me outside,\" he held up a hand to stall Ivan\'s protest, \"I won\'t run away, I swear! But . . . I can\'t stay here forever! I need to go outside, even if it is just within the orchard. You can keep me locked up in some room or chained to the wall or whatever you wish the rest of the time but please, please let me feel the sun on my skin every now and then!



\"I also ask you to take me with you if duty calls yo som some other land. My parents were travelers and so too am I. I need to see new places and,\" he blushed, \"I would like to see them with you. I swear I\'ll do as you say, be your slave and never leave your side, but please take me with you!\"



Ivan chewed his lower lip, eyes distant. Trey could tell he hadn\'t liked the last requirement but the red haired slave was firm. He had to get out! The outside world scared him but he needed what every being was entitled to. He needed sunlight, fresh air, and grass under his feet.



Finally Ivan sighed. \"Alright I promise. But if you try to get away or disobey me I\'ll lock you up in the darkest room I can find and leave you there, do you understand me?\"



Trey grinned and nodded.



\"Now what is this all important information?\" Ivan demanded.



\"Well, its two things really.\" Trey shifted so he could sit crossed legged on the ground. \"The first is that your father is going to attack Tsar Afron.\"



Ivan blinked. \"What? That\'s insane! Afton has a stronger army than we do!\"



Trey shrugged. \"He\'s been integrating his men into Afron\'s army for years. When he goes to attack he said that those men would sabotage Afton\'s army from within. Um,\" Trey frowned as he searched his memories trying to work through the haze of pain he\'d been in when these words had been uttered, \"poisoning, assassination, mutiny, I can\'t think of what else.\"



Ivan pondered silently for a moment. \"How do you know this?\"



Trey blushed. \"The Tsar and Dmitriy like to talk after they\'ve finished using me. I\'ve overheard them discussing it. I think the Tsar is planning to attack as soon as summer arrives. He says that most of Afron\'s army will be fragmented around the kingdom by then and easier to overcome.\"



Ivan\'s face darkened at the reminder of what his firebird had been through while he had been holed up in dark libraries for five years. \"And the second bit of information?\"



\"Dmitiry is sleeping with Vasiliy\'s wife.\"



Trey smirked as his master began choking on his own tongue.



**



It was a most profitable affair

-Vasiliy Tsaravich



**



Ivan leaned against the wall, nearly invisible in his black robes. The halls were perilously dark at night but he\'d run through them enough times as a child to know where each squeak in the floor board and each fold in the carpet was located.



The figure that was slowly coming his way seemed privy to that information as well.



\"Princess.\"



The woman reeled back from him in horror, tripping over a table and sending it crashing to the floor. Bright blue eyes stared up at him before quickly scanning the area for others who might overhear them.



\"I! Yo! You . . . you surprised me!\"



His smile was cold. \"Funny, I\'m not surprised at all.\"



Small hands came up to tug lightly at a long golden lock. \"I . . . I don\'t know what you mean.\"



He reached out and she shied away from him, making him sigh dramatically. \"Shall we go talk in private, lady, or shall I just scream \'harlot\' now?\"



A petal pink lower lip began to tremble and Ivan tsked. \"None of that, lady. We\'re all adults here.\"



With a furtive glance she stood, leading him to an empty sitting room. \"What do you want?\" She demanded, her voice quivering slightly.



\"Nothing that\'s not within my reach, lady.\" He poured himself a glass of vodka but didn\'t r anr any to his guest. Wouldn\'t do to have her shouting that he\'d gotten her drunk to force a confession. \"I must say you\'ve certainly placed the final nail in your husband\'s coffin. A scandal like this so soon after the last one will certainly kill his political career.\"



Elena stared at him silently, an ice queen who thought she had nothing to hide.



\"Why Dmitriy?\" Ivan found himself asking. \"Surely Vasiliy is much better than that one?\"



Blue eyes glimmered with anger. \"A commoner like you wouldn\'t understand.\"



Ivan smiled sardonically. \"Then let me guess. Is it because second son isn\'t good enough for you, princess?\"



She started and then shrugged. \"Vasiliy isn\'t a man. He just sits at his desk counting money. At least Dmitriy makes a name for himself!\"



\"By making a whore of his brother\'s wife. Or did you go to him first?\"



She stood, stomping her foot. \"Its none of your business!\"



Ivan bowed his head in agreement. \"As you wish. You asked me what I wanted so I\'ll tell you. Your father\'s kingdom was very fine wasn\'t it?\"



A smile softened Elena\'s features, showing Ivan the selfish creature she truly was. \"Oh yes!\"



He forced himself to sound sympathetic. \"It must have been hard coming to a place like this.\"



She scowled gathering up her skirts as though to keep them from getting muddy. \"I hate this place! They hide me here like some treasure in the dirt!\"



Ivan nodded. \"Then I think I may have a solution that will satisfy both of us.\"



\"How?\" She peered at him.



\"Tomorrow at dinner I want you to stand up and proclaim, in front of the entire court, that Dmitriy has been using a charm on you, forcing you to come to him at night.\"



All color drained from the woman\'s face. \"I could never . . .\"



\"You will!\" Ivan snapped forcefully, \"or I will rouse the entire palace now and you will have no way to hide your shame. At least this way you can hide behind \'evil magics\' and I swear I will provide you with an escape from this horrid place.\"



\"An escape?\" She whispered.



Ivan smile turned dark. \"Yes.\"



**/>
/>


What need have I for swords or strength when I can buy them?

-Vasiliy Tsaravich



**



\"Oh my husband! Dmitriy, your brother, has used foul magics upon me! Through t mag magics he has made a mockery of our marriage and you a fool!\"



Ivan rolled his eyes as Elena over dramatically collapsed in a weeping puddle of silk on the floor of the dinning hall. On cue Dmitriy leapt up, calling her a lying tart, to which Vasiliy took great offense. Of course it could also have been the part where Dmitriy had been sleeping with his wife that he took offense at as well.



Vislav, predictably, tried to calm his two sons down but, thanks to spells Ivan had woven into Dmitriy\'s ever present sword and the golden chain that hung perpetually from Vasiliy\'s neck, neither noticed. As the spells stroked their anger and turned it into blind rage, Vasiliy grabbed a sword from one of his bodyguards and flung himself bodily at his brother.



He was dead before he could even complete a second swing.



Dmitriy, though bleeding profusely from a deep cut on his shoulder, continued to hack away at his younger brother\'s corpse until three men dragged him down to the floor and Vislav himself had to knock him unconscious.



The hall erupted into shouts and Ivan smirked.

Su
Suddenly the kingdom didn\'t seem so sure of having a raving lunatic who would sleep with his brother\'s wife and tear into his brother\'s corpse like a madman as their heir apparent.



A quick glance showed Elena passed out on the floor and Ivan hid his smile behind a napkin as he made his way to her side. He noted that her maidens were staying well away from her, as though by admitting her indiscretion she had contracted a fatal illness. He waited by her side until the Tsar tired of gawking over the dead form of one son and staring in horror at the other before claiming his attention.



\"My lord?\"



The Tsar stared at him and, for a terrifying moment, Ivan feared the man recognized him for who he truly was but then dar dark eyes blinked and the moment escaped them. He glared at the woman Ivan had gathered up into his arms.



\"Get her out of my kingdom!\" He howled.



Ivan bowed his head and waved off the guards who moved to take Elena\'s limp form from him. \"My lord, may I look into this matter of the magic she spoke of?\" He asked quietly.



The Tsar glared at him. \"It doesn\'t matter now.\"



Ivan bit back a sigh. \"My lord, this magic is coming from somewhere. Is it not in your best interest to find out who is targeting your sons?\"



Vislav hesitated a moment more but a quick glance at the body being covered by servants in a tablecloth made up his mind. He waved his consent



Bowing low, Ivan allowed the guard to take the princess away but quietly ordered them to secure her in an empty room rather than throwing her to tolveolves. Getting up he quietly slipped from the chaos.



**



You ask me why Elena should live while Vasiliy died when it was her own choice to betray him. Well I shall tell you. Vasiliy died but it was quick and his pain short lived. Elena, however, must live every day with the knowledge that every person who sees her will know of what she did and that she will never have the trust of another man again.

-Ivan Tsaravich



**



Ivan followed progressively less and less used corridors until he reached the large wooden doors of the firebird\'s cage. Stepping inside and away from the cold dampness he was glad to see two packages and a note stacked on the single table. No human hand had brought them and Ivan wondered absently what the red haired slave must have thought when he turned around and found a previously empty table suddenly occupied.



As he pulled the chair up to the table he chose to ignore the disappointment of not being greeted at the door. Trey was not psychic and Ivan didn\'t wish to deny him what little freedom he had when he was alone.



Opening the note he smiled in relief. So Tsar Morevna wanted his daughter back, even if she\'d been \'broken in\'. Nice to know that somewhere in the world one father missed his child.



Ivan was busy inspecting the larger of the two packages when his slave appeared, dripping water from wet curls. Vapor rose up from his red skin, informing Ivan that the firebird liked his baths practically boiling.



\"I guess a firebird does steam when it gets wet.\" He teased.



Trey jumped and stared at him in surprise. Ivan delighted in the small quirk as the younger man tried to cover himself for a moment before remembering where he was and dropping his hands. With a sniff the red head sauntered over to stand by the fire to dry off.



\"I didn\'t hear you come in.\" Gold eyes peered at him from the side as though the slave expected to be beaten for the slip.



Ivan shrugged and went back to studying the black wood box. Opening the catch he carefully lifted out page after page of writing. Dedumil\'s scribe had captured Dmitiriy\'s child-like handwriting and style perfectly. Each word was another stamp on his brother\'s execution order.



The note complained profusely of Morevna\'s failure with Vasiliy\'s double yet praised the charm’s, which Dedumil had been so kind to provide, effects on Elena. It also, just to prove that Dmitriy had no qualms over fratricide, contained a confession on how he and Vasiliy had killed their youngest brother and stolen the firebird from him on his return to Vislav\'s kingdom. Hazardous perhaps to remind Vislav of his other dead son but it was a risk Ivan was willing to take.



Finally came the most damning piece of evidence. The motive that would make an adoring father charm his daughter into loving a man other than her husband. In the note Dmitriy lamented the shame that such a powerful Tsar\'s only daughter be bound to a second son and his promise to rectify the situation and provide Morevna with a suitable heir.



That, more than anything, would rankle Vislav.



Ivan folded the note and closed the box tightly. Trey had slipped behind him and was reaching for a pair of pants folded on top of the wooden chest when he reached out and caught the thick wrist. Golden eyes peered at him questioningly as Ivan stood and pulled him into a deep kiss.



\"Soon.\" He breathed against his slave\'s lips.



The larger body pressed against his, Trey\'s breath shuddering across his throat as his firebird tucked his head under Ivan\'s chin. \"Promise?\"



Ivan ran his hands up the broad back, thrilling at the play of muscle under his fingertips.



\"I swear.\" He promised.