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kind he had taken great care to satisfy
    his partner’s every appetite, even the unspoken ones. He satisfied
    every yearning they might have, even those they themselves didn’t
    know they had, however repulsive they were to himself. The
    resulting abandon and total loss of personal dignity of his ugly toys
    was simply spellbinding. Having their every, even most secret, wish
    fulfilled by this gorgeous and evidently eager lover was too much
    to wrap their poor little starved minds around. Their gratitude was
    bottomless and their zeal to please him in their turn was boundless.
    Of course, he knew by then not only what they liked, but also what
    they loathed. They did it anyway, with total disregard for their self-
    respect. Blushing and cringing, biting their lips, sometimes visibly
    mortified, they did what he wanted, just because he asked them with
    his velvet voice, his charming smile and his imploring eyes. Of course,
    the experience was never repeated, but he was sure that this one
    time would be their most fond memory for the rest of their famished,
    unfulfilled lives.
    As they walked to their barracks through the cold night, he
    looked at his companion. Crooked teeth and a nose that stood a bit
    askew on his nevertheless not altogether unpleasant face. Ratty hair
    and far too long legs in proportion to his body and an ashen skin.
    His hands, with the long bony fingers, were his best feature. He had
    slept with far worse, and seen far, far worse, and yet something told
    him that seducing and bedding this young man would have a certain
    spiciness.
    Yes, he decided, young Ambrick, son of the count of Keyld, would
    Bonds of Fear
    45
    be an ideal, quite amusing, little diversion. Meanwhile he would
    learn everything there was to learn about his highness.
    The prince was most definitely on his list. On the long term one.
    The very short one.
    The one with only one name.
    Instead of riding directly to the meadow where Marak and his
    archers were lying in wait, he gave it a wide berth and neared it
    from the eastern direction. There was a ridge in the landscape that
    made it impossible for them to see him. He dismounted and started
    ascending the slope, almost without making any noise, leading his
    horse by the reins. Myrmos as was to be expected of a perfectly
    trained Cheridonian fourblood, didn’t make a sound. A few trees
    stood together on the top. They provided enough cover for him and
    his horse. He had an excellent view of the whole meadow, since
    the weather had held and there were few clouds. It was nearly full
    moon. He noticed, satisfied, that all the men were looking towards
    the south, from where they expected the pigeons to come, and not in
    his direction. He settled down for an extended wait.
    For hours nothing happened, except a false alarm. He had seen
    an archer stand up, draw his longbow and aim it at the sky.
    “You idiot”, he had heard Marak shout, “that’s an owl. Can’t you
    tell the difference?”
    At about two in the morning one of the men pointed out a bird
    nearing the field in a descending course from the south. More than
    a dozen bows aimed at the unsuspecting pigeon, and when it was
    right over the field several twangs followed each other in rapid
    succession. The bird was simultaneously struck by three arrows,
    stopped in mid flight, and fell to the ground like a stone. The archers
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    Andrew Ashling
    shouted in triumph.
    Marak, followed by his men, went to retrieve the bird. He handed
    over the arrows to their proud owners and congratulated them.
    “What are you going to do now?” Anaxantis wondered silently.
    He strained his eyes when he saw Marak look for the capsule.
    When he had found it he untied it and put it in his pouch without
    giving it a second look. He gave his men the order to return to their
    barracks and went to his horse.
    Anaxantis descended the slope. He had surveyed the surroundings
    a few days ago and had discovered a route through the fields that
    was shorter