Gems and Pebbles Chapter 2
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A Note: All characters in this story are written to be over the age of 18.
Chapter 2
The music started slowly with a steady drum beat. With every thrum Raj’s rich brown hips jerked from side to side. His arms slowly began to stretch out as the music increased in tempo. The taut slender limbs, adorned with gleaming jewelry, then stretched luxuriously over his head revealing his dark smooth armpits; Raj ran his long slender fingers through his thick black hair. Sweat began to bead on his soft skin, making him start to glisten.
“Watch how Raj is using his eyes, ladies!” said Mara, the Azzari dance instructor. James pulled his eyes away from the window he had been gazing out of and glanced at Raj. The performing boy was flexing his stomach muscles and moving his arms in elaborate fluid motions. He was sweating freely now, the savory aroma of his body mixing pleasantly with his subtle perfume to create a scent that made James' caged nub start to leak.
“See how he is constantly ready to keep eye contact? The eyes are windows to the heart, it is said in Azzar. Look into their hearts and fill them with desire.”
James sort of saw what Mara was talking about, Raj’s eyes were half closed, sometimes closing them slowly with the music. Then Raj caught James in his gaze and what Mara was saying made sense. James couldn’t look away, and he shifted on his pillow to ease the tension between his legs. James’ heart almost skipped a beat when Raj licked his soft pink lips, before he released the gawking boy from his eyes. James knew Raj was Master’s favorite, and moments like this reminded him of why.
The music reached a fever pitch, this was the tricky part. Raj began to twirl and gyrate his hips more fiercely. One by one the silken garments Raj was wearing found themselves on the floor or tossed to his brothers on the pillows below the stage. Soon his glistening body was fully exposed, golden rings in his chest, a fire red ruby in his dark navel. His hips accentuated his large supple ass as he moved his groin suggestively, inviting a man to take and grab and hold and thrust. As the music swelled in a final push Raj fell to his knees and the music stopped instantly with him, head bowed and chest rabidly going up and down as he caught his breath.
“Excellent Raj! Excellent!” Said Mara as the harem clapped and wooted praise for their brother, even James was clapping, although without the enthusiasm of the others.
“Alright Raj, take a seat with your sisters.” Said Mara taking the center stage. Mara always called the boys of Master’s Harem ‘ladies’ and ‘sisters’. Men were uncommon in Azzar and the language of the poet warrior women reflected this.
“Who is next?” She said crisply. The boys, all seated on pillows, were now suddenly very silent.
Mara raised an eyebrow “No one?” She said looking over the seven lithe boys on the floor. They were all dressed the same, save for the now naked Raj, veils over their noses and mouths, loose fitting silk pants, and silk ribbons lightly hanging between bracelets on their upper arms and rings on their middle fingers. She sighed “You have all had a week to practice this routine, and we must very soon move on to getting you all in time with each other. Surely you have been practicing?”
James closed his eyes as a familiar pit dropped into his stomach. Yes, he had practiced, but Raj, who was a natural at dance and acrobatics was a less than an ideal teacher. For hours in the evening James had listened to Raj call him an oaf with two left feet. The routine was called “The Plucking of the Flower”. Originally meant for the dancing girls of Azzar, it had traveled West to the harems and brothels of Skallzar, where the men of the Empire delighted in having their lithe possessions perform it for their entertainment.
Mara snorted softly. “Very well, you’re all going to show how well along you are before we finish today. So if I must volunteer you then so be it.” She paused looking over the harem boys slowly, “James, lets see how you have progressed with the routine.”
James closed his eyes, of course. First breakfast, now this; today was just going so well. He took a deep breath and got up before Mara raised her voice and rattled his nerves even more. James stepped on to the stage, closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he waited for the drums to begin. And soon their slow tattoo thrummed through the silent hall.
James moved his hips to the beats of the drum, taking a small sigh of relief that he had been able to keep his movements in time as the drums increased their tempo, once the flutes began he would need to turn, and that would be the hard part; seeing all those eyes on him.
James forced himself to turn when the moment came and saw all his brothers in front of him. Raj was lying down in Sasha’s lap, having his long black hair braided by the sweet brunette. Kai and Justin were sharing a pillow, while Clay was laying down on his belly, his head resting on his hands. Behind them all was Mara, hawklike in assessing every movement and gesture.
All their eyes were on James, and he felt the pit in his stomach grow heavier. He knew he was terrible, he knew he was going to mess up somehow, he always did. What would happen when he wasn’t ready at Masters banquet? Would Master send him down to become a palace slave? A pebble scrubbing floors and eating gruel? Or would Master sell him? He could see it so clearly, one of the stewards taking him to market to become a brothel slut; one all the Men could all laugh at while he flopped around on stage before taking a night of their ruts.
“James! Keep your focus!” The voice of Mara pulled him out of his fortune telling. The strings were starting and soon the twirling and shedding of the silks would have to happen. James began and soon one green silk ribbon was fluttering away towards the seated boys, then another off on the other end of the stage. Soon it would be time for the pants, he had to suck his belly in just slightly and they should fall effortlessly.
The high pitched Tsara horn signalled that it was time to disrobe entirely and James imperceptibly sucked in his belly and the pants began to fall, revealing the black cage over his soft white groin. The nakedness also revealed the scars across his ass and thighs...James looked over the small huddle on the floor and saw Kai whisper something in Justin’s ear, and the other boy gasped and giggled. A flash of anger filled his mind and before James knew it the floor of the stage was rushing up to meet his red face. He had tripped over his pants and was lying naked on the stage.
Raj was rolling his eyes, Justin and Kai were stifling fits of giggles while only Sasha and Clay had looks of concern. Mara was coming on to the stage, and James prepared himself to be criticized and shamed. But the thin older woman picked him up and helped him to his feet. James was looking at his bare feet but Mara gently lifted his head to meet her eyes.
“You are much improved James.” She said gently “You just need to master your focus. This part of the dance is very tricky and plenty of my girls have had a hard time with it. A bit more practice and you'll be ready.” James nodded his head to show he understood, but really all he wanted was off the stage, away from the laughing eyes of his so called “brothers”.
Mara gave him a long and patient look. “Alright, go join your sisters.” James rushed down to hide his scars in one of the plump pillows on the floor, one that was well away from the other gems.
_________
Steam wafted over the water in the baths while the gems floated about lazily, splashing at the rose petals drifting over the water's surface. The lesson had concluded after another hour and they were preparing to attend Master at dinner in the harem. Raj was holding court on one end of the large bath, Kai was brushing his long hair while Raj spoke about the different dishes that were going to be served at the banquet. James however floated alone in a corner, resting his head on the cool black marble on the edge of the pool.
“What am I going to do with you?” Master had said that with such disappointment that it amounted to disgust in James’ mind. James knew it, Master hadn’t said anything else but James could fill in what was unsaid, Master was disgusted with him. Sargon had said so, back in his villa while he used his horse whip on him; James was a disgusting worthless slave. James closed his eyes. No, he wasn't going to think of Sargon; his day had been shit enough without thinking about that monster.
“Hey James?” James lifted his head from the floor to see Clay swimming over to him. James sighed and rolled his eyes, of course Clay was going to play mother and check on the new baby of the harem.
“Yeah, Clay?” James tried to sound nonchalant, demure, uncaring; but he just sounded tired.
“You ok?” Clay asked as he rested his arms on the pool's edge next to James.
“Fine, never better.” James was sick of Clay and Sasha constantly trying to force themselves on him, asking what he was doing, if he was ok, if he needed anything. Part of James suspected it was a prank, a ploy to get him to reveal too much and have all the gems laugh at him.
“It’s a really hard dance,” Clay persisted, “But we have a lot of time to get it down. Mara is really nice too.” James nodded, but then Clay leaned in and whispered in his ear “But I hate that she calls us ‘ladys’ ” James turned and looked Clay in the eye, confused.
“Why? I don’t think it's a big deal” said James:
“Well, you wouldn’t,” Clay said with a smile. “But again you were born with this'' Clay quickly reached out and gave James’ locked nub a playful shake. James spluttered back startled at the sudden sensation, but couldn’t hide a smile as he remembered. The other boys glanced over before returning to methods of getting the men at the dinner to eat plenty of Grecia root to make their cum sweeter.
James blushed, the gods hadn’t made all men or boys the same way, but they were all brothers under the protection of the Great Locksmith, he gave an apologetic smile.
“Right, you’re one of Borinn’s sons… I forgot...sorry”
Clay gave a sardonic smile. “You're not the only one with scars you know”
James felt his heart sink. So they were noticeable after all, even after all this time…
Clay continued “I understand what it’s like to be different, more than anyone. But Master values and enjoys that about me. It gives Him a different perspective...along with other things.” Clay nudged James again to get him to smile. James stubbornly refused to be drawn out.
“When I first joined the harem I was a lot like you, you know.”
“What do you mean a lot like me?” said Jame’s petulantly
Clay laughed. “I mean a standoffish bitch.”
He gave James a playful splash, inviting him to play in the water. But James only returned his head back on to the floor. “So they all think I’m a bitch” he thought. James didn’t know how he was going to make it through dinner.
Clay seemed to realize that had pushed James a little too far, the smile had made him think that perhaps he had broken through to the other boy. Clay pet James’ hair gently.
“Well, we’re all over there if you want to join us. The water is a lot warmer over there than here.”
James nodded his head but didn’t say a word. Clay swam over and rejoined the rest of his Master’s harem.
_________
The harem was lightly buzzing with the pebbles of Dorm C settling up the table in the main area for Master’s arrival. The scantily clad slaves did their work silently and quickly, trying to avoid starring overmuch at the Masters collection of beauties, their caged nubs nine the softer for their restraint.
Sasha was offering to help where he could, but being politely refused at every request. Raj lounged with Kai and Justin gossiping over the latest drama in the palace. Clay sat off in a corner playing the Azzari flute softly. James was away from all this, on the balcony Master held his special dinners on.
James was trying to focus on a scroll of poetry by the poet Abeo, the great poet of Skallzar. But try as he did he couldn’t feel the words or hear the rhythm of Abeo’s lines. James’ mind was being pulled back to the balcony outside Master’s bedroom that morning. To the incident at breakfast.
Sebastian was always fun to torment, the little red head was so sensitive it was barely even sport. But this morning, looking at his soft blue eyes peeking up from under that bowl he was holding...James’ felt beautiful. Sebastian didn’t know about his scars, he didn’t know that the other gems thought of him as a bitch.
To that freckled ginger James was a gorgeous flower. That hadn’t been the first time he caught the ginger pebble looking at him either, and every time... he liked it. Yes, Master was great, a powerful figure of manhood, and James knew Sebastian couldn’t make him feel the way Master did, safe and protected...but Master looked at him the way Sasha or Clay did, with pity.
The thought suddenly came in James’ mind. Did Sebastian even know how to fuck? All the gems were aware that when Master needed a quick rut he would take one of the pebbles like Noah or Nick. But as James had caught glimpses of Sebastian ogling him this morning, the little red head didn’t seem to have the slightest clue as to what to do when Master put his thumb in his mouth. James remembered thinking then “Let me show you how he reacts to his feet in a boys mouth” before Master had rammed his cock another inch down his throat.
James took a deep breath, the idea of teaching James how to serve like one of the harem was making him strain and the other boys would laugh if he made a stain in his pants before dinner. But still...the idea of teaching Sebastian all the things he knew made him feel...good. James tried to return to his poetry.
But try as he might he couldn’t and soon gave up the fountains and pools of love of Abeo to gaze out over the great garden below him. In the center was a great pond, with a roaring fountain in its center, and on the near bank the pebbles of the other Dorms were swimming and laughing; splashing each other and...if James' eyes weren’t tricked by the red light of evening, even embracing and kissing.
Unwillingly, James tried to pick Sebastian out of the crowd. His mind drifted to Sebs lips when he gave him the strawberry that morning; soft, softer than he had imagined...and the pebble had enjoyed the strawberry...or had he enjoyed the kiss?
There he was! Walking with the blonde pebble with the limp. They were leaving the pond, their caged nubs swaying with each step. James leaned his face against the cool granite column that held up the railing of the balcony. He wondered what they were talking about, what it'd be like to curl up in one of the close cages the pebbles slept in. To feel Sebastian's lips on his again.