Chapter 15

Moon was the first to break the circle, kneeling, then rising to his feet. He gazed down at Apollo and Vaysh, still locked in a passionate embrace, mouth to mouth.

Vaysh was so enmeshed in Apollo's essence, it took him half a minute to register that the communion was over; he'd let go of Moon's hand and everyone was staring at them.

He pulled back from Apollo's face just enough to look into his eyes. "Is this magic?" he wondered, knowing one other would receive his thoughts. "Thiede worked magic like this on Seel and Swift..."

"It is magic," Apollo whispered into his mind, "but not that kind. This is real."

Once more Vaysh found his lips pressed up against the succulence of Apollo, the flavor of tart plumbs.

Elsewhere in the Sanctum he heard voices.

"What's going on?" Pell was asking.

"Um, think it's rather obvious," Rue replied drolly, to Cal's amused, low laughter.

"I think that was just the sound of ice cracking," Cal said.

It was that remark which prompted Vaysh to realize something: the ice had cracked. Melted even. Disappeared. Apollo in his arms, he felt entirely warm. A part of himself was suddenly gone. It was not a part he would be mourning. Apollo was right; it was magic.

"Time to face them?" Apollo wondered silently.

Vaysh nodded and arms still wrapped about one another, they rose from the floor.

Moon had stepped down to stand next to Pell, who was staring at the new couple with an expression of unbridled shock.

For some reason, rather than concerning Vaysh, it made him laugh. "What?!" he burst out, breaking the silence of the room. "Not what you expected?"

Pell relaxed a fraction. "Not exactly, Vaysh. I still don't even know what I'm seeing. It appears that somehow, in the communion, you and Apollo... well, you and Apollo..."

"Realized something important. We had already begun to last night, but Thiede made us see."

Cal stepped up beside his mate. "Thiede? Playing matchmaker... again?"

Vaysh suddenly didn't feel like answering any more questions. "Um, no, not that way," he responded quickly, stepping down from the dais with Apollo. "Moon, could you please explain it to them. Apollo and I would like to... go now."

Moon nodded. "Of course I will explain. I share your joy."

Dumbfounded, the Triad watched the couple leave.

Walking through the halls of the palace, Vaysh noticed heads turning. Everyone was getting an excellent view, as the couple was walking quite slowly. Vaysh's arm was still draped over Apollo's back. He felt like a new being, so much so that some worried part of himself went looking for the old Vaysh, who had sought to freeze others out. It couldn't be found and didn't want to be found.

"I've changed," he said to Apollo.

"I know. You're beautiful. More than before."

Vaysh felt himself blushing. "I feel like I've got my youth back."

"Good, you can keep up with me then." Apollo friskily pecked Vaysh's cheek. "Blushing!"

"Told you, I've changed," Vaysh giggled. They were passing through an area of conference rooms between the kitchens and the main residential block. "It's like all this pent up... silliness, I guess -- I don't know what to call it -- is suddenly just determined to come out and it doesn't care who sees it."

As if on cue, a crowd of high officials emerged from one of the conference rooms. Among them, Vaysh knew at once, was Ashmael. Inevitably, the golden head turned in their direction. Vaysh stopped in his tracks.

"Excuse me, Apollo, but there will be an interruption," he whispered. He did not remove his arm from Apollo's back.

Ashmael wasn't the only one staring at the couple, but he was the only one who broke away from the crowd to approach them.

"Vaysh...?" he asked, bewildered.

In the years Vaysh had been in Immanion, he and Ashmael had been forced to interact, although they had never been able to discuss their past openly. This was the first time Vaysh felt prepared to truly speak, even indirectly.

"Ash... I want you to meet a friend of mine," he said. "Apollo."

Apollo, whether purely obliviously or in daring, extended his hand. It was a moment before Ashmael accepted. "I'm, I'm... I'm sorry I hesitated, you just look exactly like--"

"Thiede," Vaysh finished for him. "That's because he's Thiede's son." He raised his hand, staying Ashmael from an explosion of surprise. "The Triad will explain it all to you. Don't worry about it. There's no problem, everything is the same as it was -- Triad, Hegalion, Immanion--"

"But not you!" Ashmael broke in. Stepping closer, his hand moved out to touch Vaysh's shoulder. "You've changed."

Vaysh felt the tears coming and blinked to keep them back. "Yes, I have. For the better. I'm alive, Ash!"

"Something I've been trying to accept for the past thirty years," Ashmael replied. "You... look happy."

"I think I am. Apollo and I will have to see. I promise the Triad will explain it. They're probably still in the Sanctum with Moon, Apollo's hostling."

"Hostling," Ashmael mouthed. "I had better head over there. My head is spinning. But will you-- will you talk to me later?"

Vaysh nodded. "I think maybe we can... later. For now, I'm off."

Leaving Ashmael off-balance in the hall, they kept on moving towards the residential section. As they walked, Vaysh quickly explained about Ashmael. Apollo listened without comment, then said he understood and hoped it wouldn't cause him any problems. Vaysh told him he could deal with it -- and by that he meant more than treating it with denial.

By the time they reached Vaysh's chambers, it seemed just about everyone on the floor had seem them, including Pell's servant Cleis and Attica, who eyed Apollo with awe but clearly had been informed by the Tigron of his identity.

The doors closed and they were alone. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Apollo asked.

"Possibly," Vaysh replied. "I think I do have another bottle of-- whmmpp!" His words had been interrupted by a kiss.

"That wasn't what I was thinking," Apollo murmurred, pulling away gently, speaking into Vaysh's ear. "I think you can tell what I'm thinking, if you just open up."

Their lips joined and Vaysh tuned in to that now familar channel. He knew what Apollo was thinking. He was thinking the same thing. They headed for the bedroom.