The Phoenix Key 2 "Deliver Me"

\"The Phoenix Key\"

Deliver Me

By: Delilah deSora

Pagan_nyght@yahoo.com



Chapter 8



**



Now that you’re here, now that I’ve found you

I know that you’re the one to pull me through



**



Ivan awoke to a bone numbing coldness. He felt empty in a way he had only felt once before in his life. He peeled open his eyes and blinked up at the emerald canopy over his head. It was terribly familiar but his mind refused to provide him with any memories of it. He reached up to rub away the ache in his head and hissed as the movement sent pain through him. He frowned and stared at his arm. A thick strip of fabric bound his right hand up to his elbow. Unable to come up with the energy to keep his arm suspended he let it fall to the bed.



He spent the next few minutes just trying to find the energy to breath. His thoughts slowly began to collect themselves and he finally managed to recognize the canopy to his own bed. He turned to stare at the length of the windows, heavily curtained so that no light came in from them. Only a low burning fire lighted the room and he was grateful for it. Even staring at such a low source of light hurt his eyes.



Something sed ned next to him on the bed and he stiffened. An arm wrapped about his waist and he tried to pull away from it. The covers lifted and he frowned up at the man that hovered above him. A wane smile lit golden eyes before he found himself the recipient of a firm kiss that he couldn’t respond to.



Trey collapsed back next to him and nuzzled against his neck, the arm about his waist drawing him firmly against his slave’s side.



“We were worried,” Trey whispered against his skin, “Nobody knew when you would wake up.”



“What happened? How did we get back here? How long have we been back?” Ivan demanded, wishing desperately for something to wet his dry mouth.



Trey shrugged. “I don’t know how long. I woke up two days ago when my fever finally broke. The healers didn’t want me here but I wouldn’t let them move me and Byely told them to leave me be. Nobody tells me anything but after you collapsed during your . . . fight with Dedumil Byely came. What happened? Why did the magic turn against you?\"



Ivan started to shake his head but thought better of it. \"I don\'t know. Magic can be fickle sometimes. It probably just sensed my blood and went after it. Now what happened after Byely came?\"



\"Afron’s men were with him,\" Trey continued, \"I think Maryushka led them to us, she had been planning on helping you but Dedumil caught you before she did. He thought she was under his spell so he didn’t keep her locked up after they were married, she may have been able to lead Byely into the castle without Dedumil knowing. My fever got the better of me before we returned but they must have found a healer along the way. You didn’t look so good before that. I don’t think anyone thought you would survive the trip back.”



Ivan peered at the broad shoulder on his chest, reaching up to gently trace the scarred flesh. “My arm?” He asked.



Once again his slave shrugged. “I don’t know but they had to sew the wound closed.”



“And Dedumil?”



Trey was silent for a long time. “I don’t know.”



Ivan sighed, letting his eyes slide closed. His energy was spent and the mattress beneath him was sinfully soft. He felt Trey’s breath even out against his neck and he reveled in the warmth he stole from his slave’s body. He heard someone enter the room but was asleep before he could discern who it was.



When he awoke he found himself in the middle of an argument. An older man was frowning at his slave and trying to order him out of the bed. Trey was refusing to be budged and clung to the covers, threatening to take them with him if he was bodily moved. Two younger men hovered behind him, as though waiting to be given permission to drag the arguing slave from the room.



He drew in a deep breath that silenced everyone and tried to sit up. “Leave him be.” He ordered.



The older man immediately helped him lean forward so that pillows could be piled behind him. With a sigh of relief Ivan sank back against them, glad for the extra support. He watched as the man hastily dug through a satchel. He sat pliantly as the healer poked and prodded at him. His arm was unwrapped and he winced as the angry red gash was exposed to the air. He was assured that it was not infected and that he would not lose use of the hand. He was warned, though, that it would scar but they doubted anything more serious would occur with it. Considering all that he could have lost being left with such a mark did not seem such a high price to pay.



The healer hesitated and gestured to his slave questioningly. Ivan nodded firmly and watched as Trey submitted to his own series of prods and medications. Byely appeared to usher them out and Ivan managed a grateful smile for Aubrey who brought them food. He nearly laughed aloud at their combined infirmary as his slave struggled to sit up but it proved to be too large an expenditure of energy. He instead focused his attention on his guardian.



Byely pulled a chair up to the bedside and surrendered to Ivan’s barrage of questions. He explained that Afron had given him the use of a few men. They had traveled to Dedumil’s palace where they had encountered the white firebird that had led them to a little used garden. They had staid there until the morning when the Tsarina had come and let them in. She had bid them stay hidden until she could locate him. They had waited until night when the firebird had again reappeared and frantically brought them to the tower room.



They had arrived at the end of the battle and taken both magically drained tsars into their custody. They had come across a healer who had tended to his wounds but been unable to explain Ivan’s unconsciousness. Trey had told them of what had transpired and they had taken Dedumil to the dungeon upon their arrival home. His Tsarina had accompanied them as well but she had been given less severe quarters.



Feeling his energy about to give out Ivan sent his guardian and servant away, promising to call when he awoke. They left, taking the candles with them and leaving the room in semi-darkness. Ivan smiled softly as strong arms wrapped about him. He drew his slave’s pale face to his and kissed him gently.



Trey returned his smile and curled up against him. “Thank you.”



Ivan snorted and buried his fingers in the long red curls. “Did you think I would not come?”



“I knew you would, though there were times I wished you would not.”



Ivan\'s eyes narrowed. “You didn’t think I could stand up against Dedumil?”



Trey shook his head. “I did not know. I have never seen you use magic in such a way before and . . . I was ashamed,” he whispered, “I never wanted you to see me in such a way.”



“You made a fine bird.” Ivan replied, caressing the warm face.



Trey buried his face under his master’s chin. “You really think so?”



Ivan chuckled and nodded as much as he was able. “Yes.”



His slave murmured something intelligible re tre they both succumbed to their bodies’ need for sleep.



**



Trey slipped from the bed, peering underneath it for the pair of pants he had worn the night before. They were nowhere to be found and he sighed, mentally cursing the quick-fingered servant. Drifting over to his own set of chests he pulled out the pair of pants on the top. Glancing out the window he unfolded them and began to pull them on when a pair of arms wrapped about his waist and pulled him down against a taller body.



Lips stroked the skin just beneath his ear and he shivered at the feather light touch. Groaning he reached up to wrap his fingers about the long black strands that cascaded over his shoulder. Sharp nails flicked across his nipples and he arched, gasping. Ivan’s placed small bites along his jaw to his neck and he closed his eyes, listening to the sensations singing through his body.



When Ivan’s hand brushed against his stomach and drifted lower he caught the hand in his, wrapping the long fingers with his own. “Shouldn’t you be ruling or something?” He murmured, turning to bury his face in the spill of black hair.



Ivan snorted, lifting his face to stare out the window. “Nobody seems to want me to do anything but lie around. At the moment I’m in no mood to correct them.”



Trey turned within his arms and nibbled at his bared chest. “It’s only been a week since we returned. Nobody expects you to do much until you are better.”



Ivan stroked his fingers through the tangled curls. “Well I think some exercise is in order, I’m feeling restless.” He smirked as he ran a few fingers over the curve of his slave’s back and legs, eliciting a slight gasp from the pale lips. Golden eyes peered up at him wantonly and he bared his teeth at the man beside him, nipping at the full lips before claiming them in a possessive kiss.



“I love it when you wake me up for sex.” Ivan teased between breaths.



Trey shuddered under the kiss, his head spinning as his master’s hands traveled his body. A soft brush of fingers against his tense stomach, a sharp nail across his chest, a firm hand pressing their naked bodies together, all of it calculated to force him to whatever pinnacle his master chose to leave him at.



He never fully understood why Ivan chose to please him first. Maybe it was to hear the cries it tore from him, maybe it was to revel in the knowledge that it was his pleasure to give, or maybe it was to torture him. He didn’t know and with Ivan’s mouth and hands claiming him, wiping away any lingering touches from others, he didn’t care.



A talented tongue traced his ear moving in delicious circles. Trey whimpered at the cool breath that followed, whispering words into his ear. \"Mine to take, to ravage. I want to hear my name on your lips, always.\" Long fingers brushed his hair back from his face, baring his neck to sharp teeth and harsh kisses.



Trey arched underneath him, begging for more wordlessly and Ivan smiled against the pale skin. Opening his mouth he took his slave’s thick member. He sighed in pleasure at the keening cry it tore from the man underneath him. Letting it slide from his lips he licked from the base to the tip and back down again, earning a hiss and a golden-eyed glare.



He lapped at the gathering precum before once again swallowing his slave’s erection. Trey bucked against him and he gave into the urge to finish what he had started. His teeth grazed the flesh and he pulled away quickly at his firebird’s cry. Lunging forwards he caught Trey’s mouth with his own, swallowing the cry of his own name as he milked his slave. Trey arched frantically against the bed as he came, spilling his seed across his stomach and chest.



He stroked softsoftening member firmly a few time before letting it fall from his grasp. He winced at the sharp pain that came from his arm, telling him he’d over used it. He collapsed down next to his panting slave. Trey nuzzled against him instinctively and he smiled despite the receding pain.



Red lashes fluttered open. “Do you want me to roll over?”



Ivan shook his head. “No. I don’t think I have the energy to do anything more.”



“I thought you wfeelfeeling restless.”



“I was but you stole all my energy. Now let me rest you greedy creature and then I’ll finish with you.”



Trey laughed and clutched him tight until sleep overtook him.



Ivan awoke to an empty bed and a recharged libido. He trailed the sounds of a bathing slave to the bath and pounced, dragging the surprised man down underneath him and peppering him with kisses until he stopped struggling to get away and was struggling to get closer.



They worked their way to the edge of the bath where Ivan draped himself across his slave’s back, letting the stronger man support his weight. He plunged into the welcoming heat, forcing himself to slow down and drag out the reunionlonglong as possible. Trey’s soft cries proved his undoing and he gave into the pleas, spilling himself deep within his firebird. They lay togeton ton the floor, the warm water that had sloshed over the edge during their excitement soaking into their hair.



Trey dragged him down into the bath and they played like children, splashing and chasing each other through the water until fatigue put an end to their amusement. Clinging to each other they made their way back to the bedroom where they found a roaring fire and a table full of food waiting for them.



Trey flushed at the realization that someone had overheard their watery tryst but a naked tsar with a plate full of his favorite foods chased such thoughts away. They fed each other until the warmth of the fire wound its way into their bodies and turned them to limp forms dozing on the oversized bed.



Aubrey woke them and warned Ivan that Tsar Afron had arrived and wished to speak with him. He also explained that thar war wished to see Trey as well. The auburn haired servant brought out the clothes Ivan ordered while Trey stood patiently as his master dressed him. Ivan sent Aubrey away and Trey watched him curiously as he produced a length of cloth. He held the thing up to the light and Trey gasped in surprise.



“I thought it was lost.” He whispered, reaching out to finger the familiar collar.



Ivan shook his head and moved behind him. His hair was lifted and he shivered as the collar was fastened about his neck. It felt strange and wonderful at the same time and he stole a kiss from the man behind him. Ivan pulled away with a soft smile and a brush of his hand along the embroidered length.



Trey took the hand, turning it so he could see the inside of Ivan’s forearm. Meeting his master’s green eyes he brought it to his lips and kissed the wounded palm. Ivan drew him into his arms and held him for a moment before reluctantly pulling away.



Trey followed him silently through the rooms they shared and into the hall. When they reached the more used area of the palace Trey hung back, allowing Ivan to bask in the well wishes of his court. He smiled to himself as the black haired tsar moved among his people, meeting questions with a faint smile and a promise that he was fine.



The grey wolf appeared, garnering a wide berth from the crowd and leaned up against Ivan when it looked like his energy was leaving him. Trey shadowed them through the crowded halls until they came to the reception room where they met with Afron. Trey blushed at the greeting that the tsar gave him, embarrassed to receive such words from the man who had offered him his freedom from Ivan twice before but he was more than happy to drop to his knees to receive a hug from the large man’s daughter. She clung to him until her nurse peeled her away. He laughed softly, promising to see her later.



He watched silently as Ivan and Afron spoke, entwined in the world of politics. He genuinely liked Afron aas gas glad that Ivan seemed to respect him, though their ways of governing werepletpletely different. Ivan had taken him to Afron’s court multiple times over the last few years and he loved the freedhat hat came with such visits. Afron disproved of slavery for the uses that Trey was for and had offered to harbor him if he wished to be free of Ivan after he had saved the princess from drowning in an ill fated boating trip on the river. Trey had refused the offer, not yet ready to be on his own, but thanked the tsar for the extended freedom of his palace grounds.



Trey had feared that Ivan would be insulted by the offer and he had been angry about it but not so much so that it affected the relations between the two tsars. The offer had been extended again a few days ago in a discreet letter that Trey had burned. He knew what waited out there in the free world for him and he wanted nothing to do with it. He hadn’t thought about it until he had answered Maryushka’s question but worrying over his comatose lover had given him a chance to think through his circumstance and left withwith one simple truth.



Ivan needed him. For who else knew him as a man and not the tsar the rest of the world saw him as? Who else would be there when he proved to be just as mortal as the rest of them? Who else would pick him back up when he fell?



He would, Trey swore as he watched Ivan sag back in his chair. Ivan had come for him. Ivan had gotten hurt to protect him. Ivan had been there in his time of need. He would always be there for Ivan in return.



Always.



**/>
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“How do you feel?”



Trey opened his eyes and blinked up at his master. Ivan peered down at him in concern, the rising sun reflecting off his brilliant green eyes. Trey smiled and reached up, cupping the angled face and drawing it down so he could kiss the aristocratic nose.



“I’m fine.” He replied, releasing Ivan.



The arms around him tightened as Ivan leaned back against the apple tree, peering up at the shimmering stars. “Don’t let yourself get too cold,” Ivan warned, “your fever might not be gone yet.”



Trey shrugged and buried his face against Ivan’s lap, purring at the feel of fingers drawing through his hair. “Keep doing that.” He murmured and Ivan repeated the motion, his long fingers brushing through his hair.



He dozed, cradled in his master’s lap as the dawn wind blew over his skin and rustled his clothes. He smiled as he breathed in the cool air and heard the night birds ending their mating calls. He mbermbered past nights, sleeping out in the open with his brother’s snores and his sister’s gangly limbs poking into his back. He remembered his father’s voice as he named the brightest stars and he remembered his mother’s soft words as she told him the stories of those immortalized in the sky.



He opened his eyes and peered up. Pointing towards the stars he named them as they began to fade, Ivan silently following his finger as he spoke. He paused on his favorites and related the stories for them, smiling at Ivan’s disbelieving snorts at some of the more incredible ones. He sang a song for the setting moon that his mother had sang to him and her father before her.



The last notes of the song flew away on the wind of a new day and he sighed, letting his arms fall to his sides. “Stories,” he whispered, “my entire life was being told of other people’s lives. Lives that had past long before we were born yet who still touch us. I asked my father why we should remember them and he told me that it is through others that we learn to live our own lives. There are infinite possibilities of life, a million paths we might take but how would we see them if our eyes weren’t open to the choices other have made before us?”



He laughed softly. “I never tht myt my life would be anything but the life of my fore-fathers. They traveled the land until they met someone with whom they could share their stories and their lives.”



Ivan kissed his fingers. “Would you take all this back, if you could?”



Trey shook his head. “Why should I? I have everything I want right here. Ego philo su. Eg elskar deg. Tha gradh agam ort. Te iubesc. Ya vas lyublyu. I love you, Ivan,” he fell silent, feeling a faint blush on his cheeks as he admitted his feelings, “Would you like it in any other languages?” He teased, trying to relieve his embarrassment.



Ivan laughed and shook his head. “No. One is more than enough. I love you as well.”



Trey sighed and entwined their hands together. “I wonder if they are well. I wonder if Elden took Rowena out for her first tour of the world. I wonder if she was as much trouble as I was when he took me out. It was supposed to be my job, you know. The older child takes out the younger one. Father took Elden, Elden took me, I was to take Rowena and she would have taken whomever came next.”



“Even the women of your family travel?” Ivan asked.



Trey nodded. “Yes. The wanderlust that runs in our veins knows no boundaries. There are some who say the women are even more frightful than the men because you’ll never expect something so delicate to come at you do fiercely. Like a swan protecting its young,” he laughed, “I can remember my mother making atheather, a man who was easily twice her size, cower in the corner because he was late for dinner.”



Ivan was silent and Trey peered up at him in concern. “I do not know what to say to that,” Ivan replied softly, “you knew my father. My mother . . . she died when I was young.”



Trey frowned and reached up to brush his c. “I. “I’m sorry.” He whispered.



Ivan shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I have no fond memories of her. She was unbalanced. She coddled Dmitriy, was indifferent to Vasiliy, and hated me. She used to call me faerie spawn and would chase me away from her first son.”



Trey stared at him in disbelief. “That’s horrid!”



Ivan shrugged. “It was her way.”



“She never told you stories or sang to you?”



“No. She used to sing to Dmitriy and . . . sometimes I would listen at the door,” he laughed humorlessly, “I know a handful of stories but not how they end. I had to leave before she finished or else she would find me at the door and scream loud enough to wake the whole household. I actually learned to read just so I could look up those old tales and find out what happened to the different characters.”



Trey shook his head sadly. “Well you needn’t leave before I finish mine.”



Ivan laughed and kissed his forehead. “I’m never going to get you to shut up now am I?”



Trey grinned at him broadly.



“Come on, the sun has risen and Afron will be leaving soon. Byely should be dragging our guest up to meet with him around now.”



Trey shuddered. “What does he want with Dedumil anyway?”



Ivan held the door to the orchard open for him. “He wants to annex Dedumil’s land and to do that he needs to hold Dedumil in his own palace.”



“Don’t you want Dedumil’s land?” Trey asked.



Ivan snorted. “No. I have enough work to do without adding on a whole new kingdom of people who aren’t going to be happy about losing their Tsar. Let Afron’s army deal with them. I just want his library.”



Trey paused and touched Ivan’s arm. “How did you know that Dedumil would release the bands when you challenged him?”



Ivan smiled secretly. “Because he is proud man and he would never allow anyone to think otherwise. If he had met the challenge without freeing me he would have proven that he really was a coward.”



Trey shook his head and fell silent as they passed into the crowded main hall. Ivan led him to a private audience room where Afron and his entourage stood waiting. Ivan spoke with him while Trey made faces at the princess who giggled and responded with a few of her own when the nurse wasn’t looking.



Trey was surprised to find Maryushka among Afron’s people and he made his way towards her. She smiled at him softly and Trey frowned over her paleness. She promised him that she was well, just tired. He asked about her presence and she explained that as tsarina she had to go as well. He vouched for Afron’s character and promised that he would listen to story. That brought a smile of relief to her face before something over his shoulder caught her attention and made her shrink back.



Trey turned to meet his former master’s dark glare.



Dedumil moved through the suddenly silent room to stand before Afron. They exchanged neutral words and Afron thanked Ivan for his hospitality. They turned to leave and Trey breathed out a sigh of relief. He turned to give his goodbyes to the lady but her eyes widened and he heard a shout from behind him before something sharp tore into his arm. He cried out and fell back, feeling a sickening flash of fire from deep within.



A hand closed about his throat and he shrieked and thrashed strong wings against his attacker. Dedumil cursed as his nose was smashed but he refused to release his hold on the frantic firebird. He swept the struggling creature up and backed away from the gathering.

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Ivan advanced on them, murder in his eyes and Dedumil shook the firebird sharply. “I will kill it.” He warned.



The black haired tsar froze. “You wouldn’t survive more than a heartbeat after it.”



Dedumil barked a laugh. “Better dead than a prisoner.”



The firebird suddenly flailed, tearing a deep gash into the sorcerer’s hand with its sharp bill. Dedumil cried out in pain and dropped it, clutching his hand to his chest. The bird shrieked and fled from him, huddling behind Ivan’s legs.



“No!”



The firebird started and peered upwards at Ivan’s sudden shout.



A gurgle left Dedumil’s throat and he collapsed onto the floor, Byely’s sword lodged deep within his back. The firebird and tsar stared in silence as they watched the Koshchey’s blooblood flow out onto the floor, seeping away with it all hopes of changing the frightened bird back into a human.



**



Two firebirds huddled together in the night wind, watching with sad eyes as the man beneath them cried out in frustration and flung the hand written tome from him. Ivan collapsed onto the ground, cradling his arm to his chest. He bowed his head at the soundfeatfeathers and the heavy weight of a firebird on his shoulder. His firebird took some of his hair in its beak and preened it gently as he waited for the pain to recede.



“I’m sorry.” He whispered, reaching up to stroke the red feathers. “I don’t know what else to do. I’ve read through his journal. I know how he built the spell and how he cursed you with it but I don’t understand how he keyed it. I don’t know what makes you change.”



The firebird chirped softly and rubbed its head against his cheek.



Ivan forced himself to his feet shakily, leaning heavily on the wolf at his side. The white firebird in the tree chirped encouragingly but he ignored it. “I don’t know what else to do,” he hissed to himself, “if only there were someone who knew how to undo this spell!”



Soft laughter drifted around them, rustling the leaves of the trees in the orchard. Ivan stiffened and whirled, searching for the intruder. The white firebird shrieked and took flight from its perch. Ivan steppack,ack, staring at the creature that sat in the firebird’s wake.



Long silver hair framed a delicate face and large emerald eyes that sparkled with mischief. The female creature smiled and held out a pale hand. A green gossamer scarf fluttered in a nonexistent wind and she laughed again at his wary look.



The firebird on his shoulder chirped and stretched out its neck to her, making Ivan stare at it with a frown.



“I can help you,” the faerie whispered, drawing his attention back to her, “I know a spell to turn a firebird back into a human, permanently.”



Ivan eyed her carefully. “Who are you?”



She laughed. “Humans call me Libertine. I can help you, like I helped him when he wished to escape a tsar once.” She pointed to the golden-eyed firebird.



The firebird chirped and nodded firmly. Ivan remembered his wonder at the magical flute and Trey’s entrance into his father’s impermeable orchard. He stared at the rusalki, suspicious of her timely arrival.



“Why do you offer this to me? I thought the fae didn’t like humans.”



She shrugged. “We don\'t and do not think this offer is for free. I will use my magic to turn a firebird into a human . . . in exchange for your most treasured possession.”



Ivan stiffened. So that was the catch. The help of faerie magic in exchange for his most treasured possession. Trey for his father’s kingdom. He laughed softly, shaking his head. “You think that is a fair trade?”



Libertine shrugged again. “It is not a light spell to cast, as you well know human. It is a spell that you will spend your entire lifetime searching for. In the end will you not lose that possession just as surely as you would lose your squandered years? Tell me your decision, human. As a sorcerer your word is your bond. Tell me if you agree to my offer or not. But think carefully, Ivan Tsaravich, there will be no going back once you speak.”



Ivan grimaced. “Your words are true, rusalki. Fine, I agree to your offer. Use your magic and take my kingdom.”



Her green eyes glittered brightly and he stepped back as she stood. “No, Tsar. My magic to turn a firebird into a human for your most treasured possession. It is agreed.”



Ivan didn’t have time to wonder at her words for she raised her hand and the white firebird cried out in fear. He watched as it fell from the tree in a mass of feathers. By the time it reached the grassy ground Maryushka was whole again. She peered at her hands in shock and then up at him, blue eyes shining with happiness.



Ivan turned from her to the rusalki who was smiling at him. “Now my bird, faerie.”



She laughed gaily and leapt into the air, her scarf flaring like wings about her as she hovered above him. “Oh no no, dear Ivan! I have fulfilled my bargain, now you shall fulfill yours.” She held out her hand and Ivan started as his firebird shrieked and leapt into the air after her.



Hered red up at the bird that was screeching at the fae before it. “What is this?” He demanded.



Libertine smiled down at him. “The fulfillment of our bargain, sorcerer. A firebird turned into a human in exchange for your most treasured possession,” she reached out to run a hand over the screaming bird’s crest, “Is he not your most treasured of possessions?”



Ivan felt his heart skip to a stop as the realization dawned on him. “No!”



The rusalki tsked at him. “I told you that there would be no going back on your agreement once you voiced it. I stated not which firebird I would change. You did not say which you wished. You would have given up your kingdom in exchange for a slave, sure sign that you treasure the slave more than your kingdom. He is mine now. There is no going back.”



Ivan fell to his knees and cried out as Libertine disappeared and the golden-eyed firebird, shrieking its rage into the night sky, flew beyond his grasp.