Copyright 2024 – Daemon D. Hart
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The Human Bearer
"What are we going to do?" Riordan started again as he struggled to put his thoughts in order. "We must see Marn. Do you want us to go together, or should I take advantage of our big guy's soft spot for me?"
"What soft spot?" Xana asked as he increased his hold on his human bearer.
"It's not like that. Damn, you've been really gone from my life a lot if I forget so easily that you're the jealous kind. Marn just confided in me that we're in some sort of competition for Tanez. That it's because of that we need to pump out kids, you making eggs, we, the bearers bringing them to term. It's not like me to say it, Xana, but I think I fear for our children. Not just yours and mine, including those that are yet to be born. But everyone else's. And now Jasno and this freak accident... If he didn't do something crazy just to get attention and get Cario in hot water, it must be an accident."
"You don't believe that it was an accident." Xana took Riordan's hands, still shaking and cold, and kissed them gently.
"I don't. Okay, so it might be the fact that I can't stand that guy... I know, you'll tell me it's all irrational. An Earthian thing."
"No, nothing of the kind. Although," Xana said with a small secretive smile, "I would love for you to admit it why you can't stand Jasno."
"First things first, he slapped Junior."
"He did what?" Xana narrowed his eyes, a dark fire burning in those pools of green, making him look so similar to his dad that Riordan forgot how to breathe for a moment, mesmerized by the change.
"Don't worry. Your daddy made sure to slap him back, and then Junior was back in my arms, where he belonged. It happened just after our little suicide mission. Xana, I can't say it enough. You came for us, despite your – what should I call it? – Xeno upbringing. Despite everything you believed in. I will never forget that. It's why I love you so much."
"And because you love me, you're also jealous of Jasno," Xana said as a small dimple appeared on his right cheek.
"Oh, that is where you wanted to get," Riordan said, feeling a little better as Xana wrapped one arm around him and held him close. "Okay, I'll admit it, the thought of him all over you got me crazy mad. Wait, don't tell me you did the nasty with him."
"I didn't," Xana assured him, his face serene.
Riordan sighed. "Okay, now that we got this out of the way, can we focus on what to do next? What do you think Marn will do? He can't seriously believe that Cario is guilty of anything besides being too kind to someone who clearly didn't deserve it."
"His Royal Chancellor," Xana explained, "is bound to protect the law as we, Xenos, know it. He can't play favorites. Not blatantly. And he will consult us, his counselors, on the matter. For now, my love, I want you to keep what you think for yourself. Marn will summon all the counselors to discuss Cario's situation and the case. He is not the sort of absolutist ruler sometimes you had on Earth, as I read in your history documents."
"Still, his word has the most weight, I'm sure. Xana, please, don't let anything happen to Cario. He's a good guy."
"How can you be sure? You were part of the human bearers' society on Xeno for a very short time. Too often, there were fights for attention, gossip, and a tendency to organize in rival groups that we overlooked because we found it mildly amusing but not very interesting. Cario and Jasno might have unfinished business to deal with, as you would say."
"Cario is a good guy," Riordan insisted.
"You seem quite attached to him. Drato is an old friend and ally, and I hoped you and his bearer would get along fine, but it looks to me that it is more than this."
"Cario is my friend," Riordan replied. He debated for a moment whether to keep that to himself, but in the end, Xana was his husband, and he needed to trust him completely. "He helped me during the toughest times in my life to date. I survived on Galatea only because of him."
"How so?" Xana asked with a slight frown.
Riordan closed his eyes. "Go ahead, read my mind, and you'll understand."
The silence stretched and, in the end, he had to open his eyes. Since he had let his guard down completely, Xana should have been able to understand everything, in stark detail. Seeing his husband's face turned into a deep frown did nothing for his nerves, though.
"Xana," he began. "What's wrong?"
"Cario appears to be quite the crafty character," Xana replied after a few more moments. "This doesn't look good for him."
"You're not going to tell on him, I hope. I confided in you because I trust you."
Xana caressed his hair slowly to calm him down. "I know. And I understand. It is because of Cario that I still have you here, with me. Or maybe his help was what made you think embarking on the mission to save our son would bear fruit."
"I would have gone after our boy even if Cario hadn't helped me with his special brand of sangar. Don't ever doubt that."
"My fierce beloved," Xana said softly as his long fingers ran through Riordan's hair. "I will not tell on him as you say, but I have no doubts that his belongings are searched at length as we speak."
Riordan stared at Xana for a moment and then jumped to his feet. "And we're just sitting here?"
"Riordan, please sit. I'm afraid your friend's propensity for making special potions will be revealed and out in the open. And yes, regardless of our intervention."
"That's only because you were late to tell me about those guards ransacking Cario's quarters!" Riordan took one deep breath. He was being unreasonable now. That would have been standard procedure on Earth too. And even if he had hurried to hide Cario's equipment – he must have had something like that – he wouldn't have known where to look. Xana was right, and under the circumstances, the more logical of the two of them. He needed to calm down and start thinking. Otherwise, he might end up hurting Cario instead of helping him as he intended.
Xana caught his arm and made him sit again by his side. "You'll never make it as a politician, Riordan." He seemed to be joking as he said that.
"Well, good thing I don't plan on becoming that. But you have a point, and I need to accept it. So, what's the next step? You go to that meeting, and I'm waiting here like the obedient spouse?"
"Nothing of you spells obedient, Riordan, and I am confident everyone else can see that. Would it be too much if I asked you not to get into any sort of additional trouble while I'm away?"
"No, it wouldn't," Riordan agreed but not without letting out an audible sigh. "Don't worry, I'm not the same as I used to be when I barely stepped foot on Xeno and ended up being yours. I have Junior to consider now. When is this meeting, do you think?"
"We are being summoned now." Xana kissed him on the lips. "It is quite unfortunate that I returned during such troubled times. I barely have time for kissing you. And I missed you very much."
"We'll have time for everything. I hope that we will, at least," Riordan added and stroked his husband's cheek. "Please return with good news if you can. And tell your father that he can come back to his quarters. Actually, I want him here, with the boys too. I'll feel better and I want to take care of the little ones until you get back."
Xana nodded. "Of course. You will also receive a visit from Drato while I'm away."
"Is he not going to be part of this meeting? It concerns his bearer." Riordan realized that he didn't know exactly what role Drato played in the Xenos' political environment.
"All the more reason for him to be excluded. He would be biased, and trust me, Riordan, when I tell you that this isn't a common Xeno appraisal of such a situation. I'm afraid you gave us your way of feeling, and it is only recent that we have developed such strong attachments."
"I feel tempted to call bullshit on this one, because it's obvious your daddy cares for you. But I won't argue with you since we don't have time for such things. Please come back as quickly as you can. I will wait for Drato to drop by since he might want to have his kid back."
Xana kissed him one more time before rising to his full height. Riordan watched him as the doors closed behind his long tail, while his mind became a swirl of thoughts and emotions once again.
Xeus took little to return, and Riordan noticed right away that there were no more signs of blood on Junior's tail. The little one appeared calm and unperturbed, but he was particularly affectionate as his grandpa moved him into his parent's arms. Riordan caressed his head and kissed him on the forehead as a sign of assurance that mommy wasn't mad at him.
Dario remained in the older Xeno's arms and he looked sad and confused. Tired too. What could all that ruckus mean for a Xenolite? Riordan didn't pretend that he knew how to handle a Xeno's progeny other than his own because Junior truly seemed special. Only then he realized that he had the perfect ally in soothing Dario's fears.
"Junior, tell your friend that he's welcome to join you in my arms," he said softly, whispering into his son's hair.
Junior didn't hesitate and took Dario's hand in his, as if he, too, wanted to protect his friend against what was happening despite his lack of understanding the complex interactions between the grownups around them.
"You must feed them," Xeus said curtly, but his brusque manner didn't bother Riordan anymore. "They are late for their meal," he added and appeared to make a real effort to dial down on his natural harshness.
Riordan opened his robe in front and watched as Junior waited for Drato to go first, and only after that, he latched onto his parent's chest, sucking greedily. They were still tiny little things despite everything that had happened today. The normality of having the two Xenolites feed as he would usually do with Junior took away some of the weight he felt like a burden on his shoulders.
"What do you think about this whole thing, father?" he asked as he cradled the two boys in his arms, happy that they were accommodating each other without too much fuss. To steady themselves in a comfortable position, they have wrapped their tails together. Like they were brothers.
Xeus's face was unreadable, and that was not some novelty, either.
"His Royal Chancellor will investigate the case thoroughly."
"But they are already treating Cario as if he's guilty."
"If he is, they will establish a fitting punishment."
"He's carrying two eggs. His husband's," Riordan said. "I believe Drato will have something to say against Cario getting punished." He stopped before saying more. After all, these Xenolites, regardless of still needing to breastfeed, were quite astute and understood plenty from what adults talked around them.
"I am certain that the human bearer's particular situation will be taken into account. Until then, take good care of Drato Menor's Xenolite. Such acts of kindness will be remembered."
"Don't mention it," Riordan murmured as he looked at the two heads pressed against his chest. "I'm sure Cario would have done the same should our roles have been reversed. According to what you know, do you believe His Royal Chancellor will be lenient?"
Xeus gave him a long thoughtful look. "His Royal Chancellor will not consider the termination of a bearer as long as his womb is being put to good use."
Riordan pursed his lips. He hadn't even suggested that. He thought that Cario, once found out that he dabbled in making potions, as Xana called them, would be admonished and maybe restricted in his movement in some way.
"However," Xeus considered, "his special status will be revoked. Other Xenos will be entitled to use his womb for their Xenolites."
"Wait, we're not talking about him having had anything to do with what happened to Jasno today. Only about, you know, his brewing hobby."
"It all depends on how dangerous his hobby, as you call it, will be established to be. You appear quite confident that your friend is not behind the crime committed today."
Of course, in Xeus's eyes, Jasno losing the eggs could very much account for a pair of Xenolite murders. He didn't know Cario, and while he had warmed some towards Riordan, that didn't mean that he was keen on doing the same towards others.
"I know it for a fact."
"How so?" Xeus inquired. "If you have any proof, you should disclose it right away, Riordan."
"I wish I had." Riordan closed his eyes for a moment. A solid proof to exonerate Cario of any wrongdoing would be great. But how to get such a thing? Jasno must have gobbled down something dangerous, or maybe he had been exposed to a harmful substance or situation.
He needed someone with a passion for getting to the bottom of things, while having the knowledge of recognizing chemical ingredients and whatnot. Since he'd never been to school, Riordan felt compelled to eliminate himself from the lineup.
But he did have two possible allies in this. One was Kyle, who had had a multitude of subroutines added lately. One of them had to be in the field of chemistry. The other, Ferix, who had to have a passion for toxicology, based on how his little room with samples looked like.
"Seeing how Jasno must have gotten something in his system that caused the whole thing, I guess that's part of the investigation," he said. "Who's going to be in charge of that?"
"His Royal Chancellor will get the required assistance in establishing what the bearer called Jasno ingested prior to this incident."
"Does that mean that they have a specialist in toxicology or something of the kind?" Riordan asked.
Xeus stared at him like he didn't quite understand the question. "We have the required knowledge of your human bodies."
An infuriating, incomplete response. Riordan took a deep breath. "I don't think it's that easy even for you to identify a dangerous substance if whoever used it didn't want it to be blatantly obvious."
"It appears to me that you believe someone other than your bearer friend committed the crime."
"Yeah, my mind tends to work in this sort of way. Cario is innocent. I want to help his innocence being proven."
"Do you not trust His Royal Chancellor and the collective Xeno knowledge and expertise on the matter?"
Riordan felt slightly uneasy at how Xeus talked about the issue. "We humans have this thing called gut. And my gut tells me something's seriously fishy."
"If it is so, and I do understand now to some extent the sort of language and words you use, that is all the more reason for you to keep away. Forces beyond your comprehension may be at work. Again, if things stand the way you see them, in your human imagination."
"Why should I keep away when a friend is being wrongly judged? I know, I know, I'm jumping to conclusions here, but I didn't like at all the way those guards grabbed Cario as if he were already proven guilty... Wait a damn minute," Riordan whispered. On his chest, Dario and Junior were already sleeping, exhausted as they must have been after a day like that. "Doesn't it strike you as strange how fast everything moved? I mean, I barely had time to step outside and ask Junior to communicate with you about the incident, and Jasno's Xenos were already there. The guards appeared soon after. I don't know what you're thinking about this, but it looks to me like too nice a choreography to not have been rehearsed before."
"It is not always easy to follow your logic," Xeus said. "Do you communicate with Xana in the same manner?"
"I think so. I haven't bothered to keep myself in check much," Riordan admitted.
"And he does not correct you?"
"No. I believe he's starting to see the advantage of thinking like this, at least now and then."
"Odd," Xeus commented.
"If it's so odd, why don't you explain it?" Riordan made sure to move as gently as possible to get the two sleeping Xenolites on the bed, where they could rest properly. He buttoned up his garment so that he could talk to daddy-in-law while properly dressed.
"I must show tolerance for your human mind and its limitations."
"How very nice of you. Please do go on."
"Mikar Perana and Trisna Heret, the two Xenos who had their Xenolites murdered today," Xeus said in a no nonsense manner, "must have been aware of the distress their bearer suffered. As they were also aware of the nature of the distress and understood that the situation was dire, they considered normal to have guards summoned to the place where the crime had taken place."
"Can Jasno communicate with them? Like whenever he wants?"
"That must be the explanation," Xeus offered, his impassive face getting a little on Riordan's nerves.
"How convenient," Riordan murmured, mostly to himself. He was about to add more to his own theory, when the doors opened, admitting Drato Menor in.
Cario's husband's face gave away nothing.
"You're here for your son," Riordan said and leaned over to extract Dario from Junior's arms.
"No. Riordan, I have a favor to ask," Drato said.
"Of course, anything."
"Please take care of Dario. Feel free to say no if it is too much work to feed him too. He is fond of human milk, and I dislike the idea of having to ask others for their charity. I dislike it less to ask it of you."
"It's nothing like that," Riordan hurried to say. "There's plenty to go around," he added, forcing himself to smile, but realizing that it wouldn't help at all. "I will take care of Dario, of course."
Drato nodded shortly and then turned towards Xeus. "General, this is a matter of security, as well. I wouldn't have come here with such a request from Riordan if I hadn't known you would be in charge of your son's bearer's protection. I am also here to humbly request you to extend your benevolence to my son for the time I need to prove my bearer's innocence."
To Riordan's relief, Xeus nodded. Two beats passed, probably serving to Drato and Xeus to communicate without words. "Yes, I assure you that I am familiar with speech now. Also, Riordan is well aware of any possible danger."
Possible danger? Of course, if someone was after framing Cario for a crime, the chances were their true target was Drato, not his bearer.
tbc
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Check out some naughty pics of Riordan on my blog:
https://daemondhart.blogspot.com/2024/06/a-naughty-set-of-rio-pics-superfan.html