Here is the second chp I promised... enjoy.
JMH
trandar2002@yahoo.com
"Where is he?" Gerick shouted, pounding his fist on the table.
"Why should you care?" Kentor asked innocently.
"The deal was you would hand Joshua over to me."
"Yes... let's just say I am keeping him hidden as insurance."
"Insurance of what?" Gerick demanded.
"Oh don't be coy with me. You're in love with the boy. It's all over your face."
"Why should I not kill you and be done with it."
"You could kill me but Joshua would not live much longer past my own death. I also believe your love of power outweighs any feeling you have for the boy."
Gerick gritted his teeth. He did not want Kentor to know that Joshua did indeed meant more to him then power least he use such knowledge against him.
Seeing he had won this round, Kentor stood up. "Shall we complete our alliance in the bedroom?"
"Will that not warn Prelate Lorien of your betrayal?"
"Yes... but I do not wish to remain bonded to him any longer than I have to. Once I bond to you, the Guild's men loyal to Lorien will lose their access to warped space. Lorien will not be able to summon reinforcements when we attack Earth with Felix's fleet."
"I see..." Gerick nodded. Kentor was indeed a dangerous fellow with whom Gerick will have to teach obedience to. He might as well do that from the bedroom.
Joining Kentor on his feet, Gerick removed his obsidian mask. Kentor responded in kind before opening the door that led to a large gilded bed. Letting his white Guild uniform slip off his body, Kentor spread his long body across the red silk sheets, his sex an erect pole sticking out from his body.
Gerick had to admit the treacherous counterpart was indeed handsome as his mouth salivated on imaging the taste of Kentor's manhood. Letting his own black uniform join the counterpart's on the floor, Gerick climbed on top of the blond man... his manhood leaving a wet trail up Kentor's leg. Moving his mouth up to the counterpart's lower lip, Gerick bit on it till he tasted blood.
"You bit me." Kentor said shocked as he touched his bloody lip with one of his hands.
"Would you like me to stop?" Gerick asked as he wrapped his hands around the counterpart's throat.
"Stop... stop... stop!" Kentor yelled as he chocked for each breath.
Gerick did not stop however. He did not kill the counterpart but there were times Kentor wished he would as Gerick rode him as if he were trying to break a wild stallion. Kentor had made two mistakes. First he underestimated Gerick's dominating will. He also had foolishly dismissed Joshua's fear of the man as being nothing but a sign of the young man's immaturity. Had he realized either truths... Kentor would never have invited Gerick to his bed. Now it was too late. Kentor was trapped. Soon he would be broken.
The quarters... if they could be called that had reminded Joshua of the cell he had in the mines... small, dark, wet, and smelly. Joshua did not complain however... for they could have done worse... taking his Protector away from him. Brail also knew this and therefore did his best to hide his anger over the Inquisitor's treatment of his charge.
The world they arrived at was a nameless dead world that orbited around a weak red star. It was a prison world... for men that the Guild did not dare kill but could ill afford to ever let go of.
For Joshua it was as if his life had come full circle as he was taken deep under the planet's surface where the prison complex was located, where the prisoners were put to work digging to expand the prison.
On arrival Joshua was stripped of his mask and his Guild uniform, replaced with a red stripped grey jumpsuit. The warden... a man by the name of Horace, then went over the rules... "Try to escape, disobey a guard, or become too much of a nuisance and you will be punished." The way the warden said the word "punishment" Brail and Joshua had no illusions that a person was ever punished twice.
Finally they were sent into the main cavern... the place that was to be their prison for the rest of their lives... It was a circular shaft, over a thousand feet deep and three hundred in diameter. Built into the sides were the prison cells, connected together by one long spiraling ramp. As Joshua and Brail were the newest prisoners they were sent to down to the bottom of the shaft where the prisoners had been kept busy expanding the complex.
"Brail..." Joshua whimpered with the iron door to their cell was closed and locked behind him, sending the room into total darkness.
"I'm here Joshua... I'm here," His protector replied as he reached out into the dark room till his arms wrapped around the young man.
Joshua's entry into the prison did not go unnoticed by his fellow captives. How could they ignore a man with white on white eyes... the mark of a counterpart?
"Did you see him as he passed by?" Ogden asked the stoic man next to him.
"Yes... I did see him." The man replied in a flat tone.
"So what are we going to do?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well sir... won't the other gangs go after him. Does he not represent an opportunity?"
"Yes he does... but I don't think we should make the first move."
"But sir... he is a counterpart."
"He is more than that." The man murmured under his breath.
"What was that sir..."
"Nothing... never mind."
After a moment of silence the Ogden spoke again. "Sir... your orders?"
"Have the word spread that the Conclave lays claim to the counterpart and his Protector."
"The other gangs will not like that."
"I do not care what they like. They know better than to fight us... at least openly."
"As you say sir." The man said with a deep bow, excusing himself... eager to get away from the man's hard red eyes.
The next day... Joshua and Brail assumed it was day... the door to their cell opened automatically letting in a dim florescent light. Joshua climbed off his Protector and began putting on his prison uniform. Outside his cell he could here the sound of heavy machinery as the convicts went back to work expanding the shaft.
Joshua made to leave his cell but was stopped when Brails arm took hold of him. "Don't go out there." He warned.
"What's wrong?" Joshua asked as he tried to peer past the open door.
"I don't know but I sense danger waiting for you if you leave this room." Brail said as he moved ahead of Joshua."
Once outside the cell Brail saw four large and burly men, it was the largest of them... a bull of a man with green eyes, the green eyes of a soldier, who spoke. "Protector," The man bowed his head.
"Can I help you?"
"We are here to see if we can help you," The man grinned hungrily as he tried to see past Brail to where Joshua was hiding.
Knowing that look all too well. Brail moved himself to stand in the middle of the doorway. "Well unless you know a way out of this hole I don't think we need your help."
"But I think you do... or do you think you can keep that counterpart of yours safe all by yourself?"
"Brail crossed his arms across his chest. "I think Joshua and I will manage."
"Joshua... what a beautiful name," the man smiled as if he had just heard a piece of pleasing music.
"I think you should go now."
"And we think you should die!" The large man shouted as he and all three of his companions rushed forward.
Brail did his best to hold back the would be rapist, breaking one of the men's arms while snapping another's neck but he was eventually subdued, put into a headlock that threatening to send him into unconsciousness.
As he struggled to free himself, Brail watched as the gang leader and one of his goons trap Joshua in a corner of the cell. "Fight them Joshua... fight them!" Brail mentally screamed. He knew from personal experience the power Joshua had within him... but be it the young man's gentle nature or the past abuse he had suffered in the mines Joshua, as strong as he was, did not have the spirit of a warrior in him.
Not wanting to witness what was about to happen, Brail closed his eyes, as he tried to block out Joshua's screams from his mind.
Watching the scene from higher up the ramp, was the leader of the Conclave... the most feared gang on the prison world. He had warned the Consortium, the other gangs, and even his own men to stay away from the counterpart but it seemed that Rankor... a former Guild soldier and leader of the Consortium had chosen not to listen. Making a quick chopping motion with his left arm, the leader of the Conclave watched as his men raced into the counterpart's cell. Soon deeper yells joined the young counterpart's screams but they were soon silenced, the only sound now reaching the leader of the Conclave's ears being Joshua's sobs.
Hearing the sound of footsteps approach from behind the leader turned to face the red eyes of his aid. "Report."
"Rankor is dead. You were right... he could not resist going after the counterpart, leaving the safety of the level three."
"And the counterpart and his Protector?"
"Looks like the worse he got was a black eye, a torn uniform, and the scare of his life... but he should be fine. As for the Protector he's still trying to catch his breath."
"Find the counterpart some clothes and move him to level four. Bring the Protector to me."
"As you wish." The aid bowed.
The leader of the Conclave waited for the Protector, watching as the shaken counterpart was led out of the cell, a blanket wrapped around the torn shreds of his red and grey jumper. Even from this distance the man could see the counterpart's beauty... a beauty that made the leader of the feared Conclave weak in the knees. The leader become so focused on the young man he did not notice that the Protector was next to him till the counterpart disappeared from view.
"So I guess we should be thanking you," Brail whispered, his voice horse from the manhandling he had gotten.
"Yes you should be." The leader grunted as he turned to let his own red eyes glare into Brail's.
"You are a Protector." Brail said surprised.
"I was a Protector... my mistress executed long ago... killed by the Prelate's orders. The only ones I serve now are myself and those who follow me."
"I noticed that they are also Protectors."
"Yes... we are the Conclave... a brotherhood of Protectors who failed to save the ones they were bonded to," The leader said sadly.
The two stood silent for a while till Brail spoke again. "May I ask you two questions?"
"You can ask me whatever you want. Having me give you an answer is another issue."
"I am willing to take that risk."
"Very well...ask away."
"Why did you save us?"
"Simple... it gave us a chance to settle scores with the Consortium."
"So you knew in advance this was going to happen?"
"Yes... does that disturb you?"
"You could have warned us."
"If we had done that... the Consortium would have noticed and suspected a trap. I do not think it would have stopped Rankor from attacking the counterpart but he would have brought more men... which would have put you, the counterpart, and my own men in greater danger."
"I see. May I ask my second question?"
"Yes." The leader sighed.
"What do you intend to do with us now?"
"You are a Protector... therefore if you chose you may join the Conclave. As for the counterpart... I think he would be safer with me."
"And why should I believe you are any better than Ranktor."
"Let's just say I have the counterpart's best interests at heart," the leader chuckled as he turned away from the edge to begin his climb up the ramp.