QueensQuest by Suz deMello

He
would not preen so had he merely purchased the ruby from a Darkside merchant.
“Where did you get it?” I asked.
    “We made it.”
    My mouth dropped open. “You m- made it?”
    “In the laboratory.”
    “This is beyond marvelous. But I thought your work had to do
with cells and such.” I touched the gem again and he put it around my neck. It
lay on my breast, gleaming in the soft candlelight.
    “I was part of a team making rubies in the laboratory. They
have many applications, among which is the seduction of women.” He smiled at
me, and we cuddled together on the bench.
    “’Twill work tonight, though you really didn’t need to.” I
again touched the ruby. It was glorious. “But I’m glad you did. It will be one
of the treasures of my realm.”
    He stroked my cheek. “Our realm, I hope.”
    “Perhaps.” I hesitated, then said, “You understand that this
decision cannot be made solely upon the leanings of my heart or the yearning of
my body.”
    “Are you telling me ‘no’ already?”
    I shook my head. “I have not made a decision.”
    “Good.” He sounded relaxed, accepting. “Whatever your
decision, I hope we can reach an accommodation.”
    “An accommodation? New trade agreements with Darkside and
Shadow? We have plenty of opportunities to work those out, the three of us.”
    He said, “But how long can these agreements last? Storne’s
clan may not long hold the throne.”
    I was about to respond when a voice sounded out of the
shadows. “I would not bet against Storne.”
    Frayn emerged from around the curve of a graveled path. I
wondered how long he had been listening.
    “What do you know of this matter?” Kaldir asked him.
    He shrugged. “His clan is rumored to be exceptionally
well-armed and well-trained.” His glance strayed to my breast, upon which the
ruby lay. He raised his brows.
    “That is my information also.” Kaldir rose to pace. “He
troubles me.”
    “Why so?” I asked. I could see that the amorous dalliance I
had planned had become a meeting, and accepted it. I shifted so the taqqa rod
sat more comfortably within me.
    “Darkness could easily overtake both Shadow and Light,”
Kaldir said.
    My glance caught Frayn’s. I sensed we shared the same
thought, that perhaps the DesertDwellers possessed no special weapons. However,
Kaldir could be testing us to find out whether we had secret military might. I
said, “Taking is not holding. Our territory is not vast, but unless biology has
changed, Darkside’s population is not large enough to conquer and hold even the
Shadowlands, to say nothing of the Desert.”
    “You are right.” He sighed, and his shoulders drooped just a
bit. “Power sits uneasily upon me, I fear. Most of the time I would prefer to
be in the laboratory. Matters of state elude me while I invent troubles that don’t
exist.”
    I rose and touched his arm. “All of us charged with
responsibility for others worry. You are not alone.”
    “Definitely not.” Frayn had a new wrinkle between his brows.
    “What is it?” I asked.
    “Working late. I ask your pardon for my tardiness.” Frayn kneeled
at my feet.
    “Granted.”
    Frayn reached for the hem of my gown. He and Kaldir lifted
the dress over my head. Both men gasped as they bared my body. I looked down.
Shadow veiled the curve of my breast, the dip of my waist, while my secrets
were hidden by the darkness. I sat on the bench. Frayn tugged my right slipper
off and kissed the arch of my foot.
    I heard a startled grunt. Kaldir…I guessed he had never
thought of a woman’s arch as a sexual area. But it was, at least on me.
    Frayn lifted my foot, continuing to feather his lips along
my arch, and slid a finger between my largest toe and its neighbor. The sense
of being parted there, opened, sent a wave of need through me. I leaned against
Kaldir, who now sat beside me, watching. He wrapped his arms around my torso
and cupped my breasts with gentle palms. I untied his trousers and reached for
his