Way of the Heron

The Way Of The Heron

By C. T. Creekmur

Prequel Two

The Journey Of Broken Cross

Author's warning: This story depicts men performing sexual acts upon one another that immature people might find shocking. If graphic depictions of sex between men upsets you, or if you are under 21 years of age, then DO NOT READ THIS! - go read something else!

Please understand that this is a work of fantasy and fiction, set in a time when safe sex was unheard of. It is not intended to provoke or promote promiscuity or abandonment of common sense where sex is concerned. Especially in this day and age.

Though historical personages are mentioned, none of the principal characters are based on real individuals and any similarity to such is coincidental. This story is copyrighted (c) by the author and may not be reproduced in any form without the specific written permission of the author.

Historical Note: In August of 1680, after nearly a century of cruel oppression, the Native Americans erupted in revolt against the Spanish who occupied New Mexico. The revolt drove the European colonists out for over ten years. It is against this background that the second prequel to the adventures of the heron men unfolds.

And now, on with the story!

THE JOURNEY OF BROKEN CROSS

Young Hernando de Ulloa believed his father had his future entirely mapped out for him. He seemed inescapably destined to marry an heiress and become a great and rich landowner, one of the elite who dominated the royal Spanish province of New Mexico...

...but Hernando did not know that fate had different plans for him and a handful of others in New Mexico who shared Hernando's man-loving nature, saving them from a looming catastrophe, giving them strange allies and a wondrous destination to seek, sending them off on...

THE JOURNEY OF BROKEN CROSS

"Hernando!"

Hernando de Ulloa had just finished securing his horse's saddle when he heard his name being called. He looked up from his task and saw his father, Melchior, approaching. The young man sighed, sure he was in for another lecture. His father had been busy with many plans lately, and his second son was at the center of them all.

"I wanted to remind you to do your errands in Santa Fe quickly and then get back here as fast as you can," Melchior urged. "As you know, Dona Ursula de Quexos and her daughter, Senorita Seraphine, are coming to dinner tonight to celebrate the union of our families. You of all people cannot afford to be late for that!"

"Yes, papa," Hernando dutifully answered.

Inwardly, the twenty-one year old shuddered at the mention of his future wife's name. A younger son, Hernando had been dedicated to the church at his birth and educated in the expectation of his entering a religious order. But upon the death of Dona Ursula's husband, who left no male heirs, one of the richest haciendas in New Mexico fell to an unmarried heiress, Seraphine de Quexos. Don Melchior de Ulloa, also master of a rich estate, did not hesitate to leap at the chance of expanding his land holdings and influence through Hernando.

Don Melchior was swift to come to an understanding with Dona Ursula, who was by no means loath to ally herself with one of the first families of the royal colony. Between themselves, they had arraigned everything beforehand. Neither Hernando nor Seraphine had any say in the matter, as it was understood by all that the good of one's family overrode any personal considerations in such matters. Tonight's dinner was a mere formality, to introduce the young couple and sign the engagement agreement. Melchior did not miss the anxious look on his son's face. He went on reassuringly.

"Don't worry, my boy, you'll like married life. I know I didn't teach you the things I taught your brother, Vicente, because we thought you were going to be a priest, but there's still time for you to learn about women." Melchior looked around to make sure no stable hands were nearby and whispered. "I bought a new slave girl, a pretty little senorita, just for you! Like you, she's a virgin, so if you fail on your first attempt to breech her, she won't know better and laugh at you! I know you'll be nervous, the first time, but I assure you, you'll feel very different afterwards! I'll send her to you tonight. Use her as much as you like, she's yours. And with any luck, we'll get some new field hands out of her!"

Melchior ended his speech with a lewd wink that made Hernando feel more than a little sick and apprehensive. He was a virgin, where women were concerned, but not because of lack of opportunity. There were many women who were willing and available on the hacienda, whom he could have had anytime. The problem was, he did not want them, he desired their brothers, husbands and sons!

Hernando had kept this dark secret well hidden from all save one, his half-brother, Acoma. And if not for Acoma, who shared his forbidden desires, Hernando was sure he would have been dead by then. He knew all too well that the punishment for his 'unnatural' yearnings, if discovered, would be death by burning at the stake. His religious adviser, Fra Antonio, had heartily approved of Hernando's aloofness from women, but thought it stemmed from Hernando's desire to enter the priesthood unstained by carnality. The friar seemed blissfully unaware of his student's lust for manflesh, and Hernando had no desire to undeceive him.

Hernando had come to think Fra Antonio a total hypocrite. Since Melchior had decided Hernando was to marry Seraphine, Fra Antonio had not ceased to sing the joys of matrimony to his young communicant, just as he had the joys of a celibate religious life beforehand. It had not escaped Hernando's notice that the priest had a fine new horse and suit of clothes. No doubt his father had bribed Fra Antonio well to turn his son's mind away from the cloister and prepare him for the upcoming marriage.

As far as Hernando knew, he and his half brother were the only members of his family who were inclined towards mansex. Their father Melchior was on his third wife. Hernando's mother had died some twelve years earlier, the second had died in childbirth along with her first baby and the third wife, Juanita, had presented Melchior with a third son, Denys, and three daughters. Hernando's older brother Vicente had two sons of his own. The continuity of the Ulloa family seemed assured.

But that was not enough for the potent men of the Ulloa clan. Hernando knew his father and older brother both sowed their seed regularly in the slave quarters, as had his grandfather Roberto and Melchior's brothers. It had been a family tradition for the owners to breed their female slaves themselves, one that dated from the founding of the hacienda by Hernando's great-grandfather Arturo, who had been a young soldier in the army sent by Spain to conquer New Mexico in 1598. No one was really sure how many half-brothers and sisters, nieces, nephews or cousins Hernando had among the hoard of servants who worked on the extensive lands of the Ulloa estate.

Perhaps that had something to do with the way Melchior treated his slaves. Unlike many of the landowners in the Spanish colony, he did not work them mercilessly or punish them savagely when they disobeyed, since Melchior could not bring himself to order a man to be whipped who might share his blood. Hernando had come to believe that because of their better treatment, the slaves of the Ulloa family worked harder than most others, making their hacienda a particularly rich and productive one.

While all this swirled through Hernando's head, he led his horse outside. The hot August sun smote him an almost physical blow as he exposed himself to its rays. It was the eighth of August in the year 1680, a typical summer day in the royal Spanish province of New Mexico. As the elder de Ulloa walked out of the stable with his son, he spied another man waiting with his horse.

"Ah! Here's Acoma. Are you going to town with your brother?"

"Yes, Senor," Acoma replied respectfully. He was taller, more muscular and fair skinned than the average native of New Mexico, but his eyes and hair were still dark, unlike those of his blue eyed, crimson haired father and brother.

Acoma was just one of the many bastards Melchior had fathered on the women of his estate, but one that Melchior acknowledged, since Acoma had been born on the same day as Hernando. Because of that coincidence, Melchior decided Acoma was going to be Hernando's personal servant, and the pair had grown up together. The half-brothers were quite close, far closer than anyone supposed.

"Watch over your brother, Acoma. Make sure he gets back here as quickly as possible."

"Yes, Senor."

Acoma watched Melchior embrace Hernando. When he released his son, Melchior looked at Acoma, then glanced around again to make sure they were not being observed. Then he pulled Acoma to him in a bearhug and spoke to both his sons.

"Oh my dear, good boys!" he breathed. "I want you both to know that on the day Hernando is married, I intend to free you, Acoma, in return for all the years of faithful service you have given me and your brother, Hernando. Acoma, if you want to leave here, I'll give you money so you can start a new life somewhere else. But I hope you will stay, so that I can see the grandchildren I'm sure you will give me."

"Papa... " Acoma choked, hugging back harder, "I love you... "

"I love you too, son. Why are you crying?"

"It's from joy, papa," Hernando said, teary eyed himself. He joined the hug. "I never thought... "

"...that your old man might be human?" Melchior grinned, releasing his sons.

"Papa! Papa!!"

The men turned to see ten year old Denys. He rushed up to them and Melchior caught his youngest son up in his arms easily. The boy squealed with delight as his father tickled him.

"What do you want, shorty?" Hernando joked, tousling his half-brother's mop of red hair.

"Please, papa!" Denys begged. "Please let me go to town with Hernando! I swear I won't be any trouble!"

"I'm sorry, little one. Your brother has business to attend to that must be done quickly. And he could not do that if he had to keep an eye on you. Besides," Melchior sniffed loudly to emphasize his next words, "you need to take a bath if you're going to come to the formal dinner tonight! Now hug your brothers goodbye."

Denys almost leapt from Melchior's arms to Acoma's.

"Ooof! You're getting too big for this game, Denys!" Acoma said, giving the boy a tight hug. "I will always love you, little brother," he whispered in Denys' ear before passing him on to Hernando.

"I love you, Hernando."

"I love you, Denys," Hernando affirmed as he put his little brother down.

"Now go, you two! Get on your horses and ride. And get back here as fast as you can!" Melchior ordered Hernando and Acoma.

Hernando mounted without more ado and waited for his brother to do the same. Acoma climbed into his horse's saddle, but paused. He turned unexpectedly sad eyes to Melchior and Denys.

"Farewell, papa. Farewell, little brother."

"Goodbye, Acoma. Have a safe journey."

"I pray it shall be," he answered and spurred off. Hernando exchanged a puzzled look with his father and then went after Acoma.

"Hey!" Hernando called as he caught up with Acoma. "What was that all about?"

"Oh, my dear brother!" he wept, tears rolling down his cheeks as he rode.

"Acoma! What's wrong?"

"Do not ask me now. I will tell you later."

"Alright," wondered Hernando, "I can wait until you're ready to tell me. I trust you... and I love you."

"I love you too, Hernando, more than I can say, but I know events are going to occur that will soon blight our love... "

"Never, Acoma! I'll never feel for Seraphine de Quexos what I feel for you! I swear it on my life!"

"I don't doubt you, my love, but life always brings unexpected things." Acoma answered, sighing as he wiped his face with a fine green bandanna Melchior had given him on his last birthday. Looking at his father's gift made Acoma feel sad, so he stuffed it quickly into a pocket before going on. "Shining Mountain wishes to see us," Acoma informed his brother.

"Why?"

"He says he has had medicine dreams about us. He also says it is very important we hear what the sacred spirits of my people have told him about us."

Hernando was not taken aback by Acoma's mention of native spirits. Most other fellow members of his superstitious Spanish race would have been. They would have crossed themselves and muttered frightened prayers for protection against the powers of darkness. But the recent events in Hernando's life had undermined his faith in the church to a great extent.

But long before that, despite the church's teachings that the native religions of the Americas were 'satanically inspired', Hernando had always felt at ease with Shining Mountain's ways, which did often seem to verge on the supernatural. And the fact that the shaman was Acoma's maternal grandfather meant Hernando trusted him as much as he did his half-brother and secret lover. Shining Mountain knew about the brothers' love, and approved of it.

"Alright. After we do our errands in Santa Fe, we'll go see him."

Acoma nodded in agreement and Hernando reached across the space between their moving horses to grip his brother's arm in lieu of a kiss. Acoma smiled in understanding. He pointed to the vast expanse of nearly ripe wheat they were then riding by, one of many such fields on the Ulloa estate.

"If we had time, my brother, I would like to lie with you, hidden in the tall grass, as we have done many times in the past... "

"I'm glad you taught me that game, and all the other ones we played as boys... "

"I wonder if you are wanting to learn something new, a game I cannot teach."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I have seen the maiden your father bought for you. She is an attractive senorita."

"Acoma!" Hernando blushed fiercely. "I only just found out about her myself! I don't want her, or Seraphine, or any other woman!"

"You must do it, my love, or else everyone will guess our secret... "

"How would they know about you? I'd never tell, even if they tortured me! I swear!"

"We have grown up together, my brother. If they suspect you, they will suspect me, even if it is just of keeping your desire for men secret. And you know as well as I that I am required to confess such things to the priest. Anyone who lies during confession is a heretic, and you know what they do to heretics... "

"Santa Maria! Acoma, I never considered that!" Hernando's shock swiftly settled into a grim resolution. "Very well, my love, To keep you safe, I will act the part of a husband. But you must forgive me if when I couple with a woman I imagine myself thrusting into your ass or mouth. Otherwise, I am sure I shall never be able to bring myself to spill my seed inside of her!"

"And I will forgive you, my love. I am not asking you to forget me entirely. We shall find ways to be together. I understand the estate of the Quexos family is large. The owner might have to take a couple of days every month to ride around it for an inspection of its borders. He would have to camp at night in remote places and, of course, take his personal servant along with him."

"But, our father has promised to free you," protested Hernando. "I wouldn't expect you to continue to act as my servant!"

"How else could we stay together and avoid suspicion, my love?" Acoma answered. "Besides, I could not leave the man who owns my heart."

"I love you, Acoma! If I didn't have you, I... " Hernando paused and shook his head. "How is it that the God who condemns what we feel for each other would arrange for us to be together?"

"Fra Antonio would probably say it was to test our strength of will, to gain greater merit in heaven by denying ourselves the physical pleasures we crave here on Earth."

"Then I am afraid I shall never see heaven, my love! I cannot deny what I feel for you, Acoma, nor can I restrain myself from acting on it!"

Acoma sighed as he looked fondly at Hernando. "Do not say so, my dearest brother. Do we not experience the joys of heaven whenever we are together?"

Hernando nodded at the truth of Acoma's words. They sounded just like something Shining Mountain would say. Acoma's expression became more serious and he spoke again.

"Do not worry, my love. I think I know what Shining Mountain wishes to speak to us about. If I am right... well... " Acoma looked troubled again, just as he had when he took leave of his father and Denys earlier. He shook his head, dispelling his uneasy thoughts. "I ought not guess at my grandfather's intentions. Let us wait until we see him and hear his words for ourselves."

"Alright."

As Hernando agreed with his brother, the pair reached and passed through a singular arch of mortared, rough hewn stones that marked the main entrance to the Ulloa estate. In the distance they could see the shimmer of the Rio Grande. A dusty road that led to Santa Fe ran just past the stone arch and the men turned south to follow it to their goal. An hour's ride later, they passed a few whitewashed adobe dwellings on the outskirts of the town before coming to a guardhouse manned by two sleepy sentries.

One of the soldiers halfheartedly acknowledged the riders, carelessly waving them on. New Mexico was by and large a peaceful province. Hernando quickly did his business in Santa Fe, checking in with various merchants to see if supplies ordered by his father had arrived and arranging for them to be delivered if they had. Everyone he spoke with had heard the news of his upcoming wedding and all insisted upon congratulating Hernando.

That was bad enough, but the last shopkeeper he saw, Luis de Paederastio, was almost unbearable. Thinking he was talking to another man who enjoyed the ladies, Luis had many crude insights on women that he wished to share with Hernando. All the young man could do was smile and grit his teeth as Luis prattled on.

"Enjoy your bride while you can, Don Hernando," he smirked. "Her tight virgin pussey will last only until her first child. After that, they're ruined! My wife has had five, and now she's so loose I don't enjoy fucking her anymore. If it weren't for little Bonoya here, I wouldn't have any satisfaction at all!"

The young native slave girl of whom Luis spoke was carrying items of jewelery to the rough wooden counter for Hernando's inspection. She scarcely looked to be older than ten. Bonoya kept her eyes resolutely upon the floor in what Hernando thought was shame as Luis patted her rear affectionately.

Hernando nervously glanced at his brother. He wished Acoma did not have to witness this unnecessary cruelty. That was a quality his fellow Spaniards seemed to have vast quantities of, unfortunately wedded to a penchant for careless display of it. But Acoma's face was a placid mask, hiding whatever he was feeling, which Hernando was quite sure was not approval.

"Yes, there's not a man in the province who doesn't wish he were you today, Don Hernando! How surprising life can be! One minute you're on your way to becoming a priest, the next you're going to be married to the wealthiest heiress New Mexico ever produced! Not that there's anything wrong with being a priest, that is, but I'd rather have a woman to fuck than altar boys to diddle!"

"Yes," Hernando laughed nervously, trying to keep himself from looking too shocked. Even though it was commonly known what some priests did with the younger members of their flocks, almost no one would have the bad taste to comment on it as openly as Luis had done. "Well, my father was adamant about my getting back as quickly as I could, so I'll take those two," he pointed. Luis nodded his head.

"A good choice. Senorita Seraphine de Quexos will be pleased with them, I'm sure."

Luis picked up two identical, finely wrought gold chains. Each had a single, small, teardrop shaped pendant of turquoise, native work. He put them in Hernando's hand and Hernando gave Luis a heavy gold coin in payment, stamped with the effigy of their current ruler, King Carlos II of Spain.

"Thank you, Don Hernando," the merchant smiled unctuously. "Please accept my congratulations on your upcoming marriage."

"You're quite welcome Don Luis. Come, Acoma."

Again, the August heat slapped the men in their faces as they left the shop. The pair went to their horses which were tied in the shade of a narrow, deserted alley. Acoma could tell Hernando was upset. And he had good reason to be.

"Dios mio! Am I glad to get out of there! What a filthy pig, to brag about... Phaug! And with that little girl!" Hernando said, looking thoroughly disgusted. "No wonder we Spanish are hated so by your mother's people!"

"Do not think of it, my brother." Acoma soothed. Then he smiled wryly before going on. "May I ask why you bought two necklaces? I have heard some of the woman servants gossiping about Seraphine de Quexos, and a few of their stories were rather entertaining, but I did not know the senorita had two necks!"

Hernando laughed. Acoma smiled. He was glad his joke had dispelled his lover's black mood.

"My father instructed me to buy something to give her as a token of my love," Hernando said before he looked around to make sure they were alone. He pulled Acoma between their horses so he could give his man a quick, surreptitious kiss before pressing one of the chains into Acoma's hand. "Please accept this as proof that nothing will ever change my love for you, my dearest brother!"

"Oh! Hernando!" Acoma breathed as he lifted the chain to see it sparkle in the sunlight. "It's lovely! But how can I wear such a fine thing? Questions will surely be asked!"

"I didn't think of that," muttered Hernando ruefully.

"I know!"

Acoma grinned in a way that told his brother he was up to some sort of mischief. After another look around, Acoma unlaced the front of his pants and hauled out his cock and balls, which caused Hernando to lick his lips in sudden desire. Then Hernando's eyes went wide as he watched Acoma deftly slip the fine gold chain beneath and around his genitals, doubling and redoubling it. When he was done, the necklace surrounded the base of Acoma's private parts and the turquoise pendant hung alongside his dark skinned cock.

"That stone might cause some difficulties when I'm hard, but this way I can wear your gift and only you will know, my love!"

"You are amazing!" Hernando chuckled as Acoma tucked himself away. The man shot a glance at the angle of the sun as he did so.

"Come, let us go see Shining Mountain."

Leaving Santa Fe, the pair rode back the way they had come. Then, at a point a few miles south of the Ulloa estate, they turned west and crossed the Rio Grande, using a rocky ford. The river was low and sluggish that time of year and the men scarcely got the bellies of their horses wet. As they climbed the farther bank, Hernando was a little surprised to see a native encampment set up nearby. Ordinarily, the natives avoided Santa Fe unless they could not help it.

Acoma greeted some braves who rode to meet the pair in his mother's tongue, a difficult language which Hernando had tried to learn. Though he caught a few words, Hernando could not follow the ensuing conversation. The hostile stares he received from some of the natives were more eloquent and not wholly unexpected, given the actions of his fellow Spaniards. Unfortunately, too many were like Luis, and too few were like Melchior when it came to attitudes about how the natives of New Mexico should be treated.

"What was that about?" Hernando asked as the party waved Acoma and himself on.

"They wished to know why we came near their camp," answered Acoma with deliberate blandness.

Despite his casual reply, Hernando could see the sudden concern in his brother's eyes as they followed a familiar trail that led to the base of a small mesa. Soon their horses' shod hooves were chattering on bare stone as they came within eyeshot of the entrance to the cave that the shaman Shining Mountain called home. Hernando noted eight braves who were camped outside of it. Acoma looked them over nervously as they approached and his brother noticed that too.

But before Hernando could ask about it, six of the braves challenged Acoma somewhat harshly while giving Hernando more sharp looks. The remaining two, oddly, seemed rather more pleased than otherwise to see the newcomers. As Acoma begaan to respond to the warriors, an imposing figure appeared at the entrance to the cave.

Shining Mountain had never looked so threatening to Hernando. His nearly nude body was fantastically painted and besides a twist of deerskin around his loins that scarcely concealed his genitals, his only garment was the skin of a very large puma. Its well preserved, lifelike head was perched on top of the shaman's head so that the great cat's fangs looked like small white horns against the elder's forehead. The forelegs of the predator were loosely bound to the native's arms, allowing the rest to hang down behind like a cape.

He shouted at the braves, who gave way at once. Then he went up to Acoma and spoke a few quiet words in the natives' tongue. Acoma's eyes widened and he looked troubled. But he composed himself, nodded his head and turned to Hernando.

"My brother, do not be afraid. My grandfather wishes to adopt you as his grandson, so you and I will be real brothers in the eyes of his fellow tribesmen. But it must be done here and now, before the eyes of these warriors."

"Of... of course," stammered Hernando.

The young man knew enough to know that this was a great and serious thing to Shining Mountain, who had mentioned his desire for such a connection with Hernando before. But the shaman had never set a date for the ceremony. The medicine man turned towards the cave and called out in Spanish.

"Sun-in-his-hair! Come forth and greet your brothers!"

"Hernando? Acoma?"

As the pair dismounted and allowed their steeds to be taken to join a few others nearby, they looked when a voice called their names. They saw a shirtless, golden blonde headed white man emerge from the cave. His bared, yellow furred chest was almost as thickly haired as his bearded face. His upper left arm was bandaged.

"Tobar! Tobar de Loaisa!" exclaimed Hernando, recognizing the man. "What are you doing here... Hey! You're hurt!"

Tobar glanced at the blood stained rag encircling his arm and grimaced through his thick yellow beard.

"I'm alright. Shining Mountain adopted me."

"And now it is your turn! Remove your shirt!" the shaman ordered shortly. When Hernando had done as he asked, Shining Mountain went on. "Hernando de Ulloa, do you wish to become my grandson, and the brother of both Acoma and Sun-in-his-hair?"

"Yes," he answered.

Hernando froze when he saw the knife in the shaman's hand. It rose to trace a wound in Shining Mountain's left arm opening it again. Then he grasped Hernando's arm and drew the blade across the skin in an identical spot.

Hernando tried hard not to react to the pain. He knew the watching braves honored men who bore pain stoically and despised those who did not. He was glad to hear one murmur some pleased sounding words as the shaman pressed his wound to Hernando's, mingling their blood.

"I accept you as my grandson. Your name in our tribe shall be Broken Cross. This is the name you must use when you are among your adopted family. Do you understand?"

"Yes, grandfather."

"Behold your brothers, Acoma and Sun-in-his-hair. Love one another, as brothers should." Shining Mountain released his new grandson and Acoma bound his arm. "Come inside with me. We must talk. And there is little time to say what must be said."

The three new brothers followed the shaman into his home. A small fire was burning within and Shining Mountain motioned for them to sit around it. While the shaman busied himself searching for something, Hernando looked at his fellow Spaniard. Tobar was twenty, the son of a colonial official close to the royal governor, and Hernando knew Tobar often helped mediate disputes between the natives and the Spaniards, because he had a gift for learning languages and knew all the local dialects. Beyond that, Hernando had little personal knowledge of the man.

"Tobar... "

Acoma put a hand on Hernando's arm gently.

"You must use his tribal name here, my love."

"Acoma!" Hernando's alarmed eyes flickered between his lover and Tobar as fear of exposure possessed him.

"Don't be afraid, Broken Cross," Tobar smiled. "According to Shining Mountain, I share your nature, as he calls it. Do you understand?"

"Yes, To... I mean Sun-in-his-hair," Hernando said in relief, "but I never would have thought... "

"Yes, I do put up a good front, don't I?" The handsome, butch looking blonde smiled. "But Shining Mountain saw right through it and helped me understand my desires for other men." Tobar licked his lips nervously before going on. "I've never made love to another man, though I've always wanted to. I hope that will change, now that I have two handsome brothers."

"Broken Cross and I are lovers, and have been since we were boys," Acoma murmured, taking Tobar's hand, "but if Broken Cross allows it, I will give you my love as well, Sun-in-his-hair, and gently, for you are new to mansex. It took Broken Cross many nights to learn how to comfortably accommodate my warclub in his backside!"

"Acoma!" exclaimed Hernando, blushing furiously. He looked from Acoma to Tobar as he calmed himself down. "I've only seen you on a few occasions, Sun-in-his-hair, but I thought you a handsome man too. I'm glad you're my brother now, and I'll do what I can to love and please you as much as I do Acoma, if he agrees."

"Our love is big enough to shelter another, Broken Cross." Acoma assured his lover as he took Hernando's hand and brought it to join his and Tobar's. "Let us be brothers and lovers, sharing all we have with each other."

"I agree," Tobar replied with a voice full of gratitude.

"I too, my brothers," said Hernando.

"It is good to see my instincts were correct," Shining Mountain broke in as he seated himself. He handed out intricately decorated earthenware bowls to the men. "Drink, my grandsons, and then listen to what I have to say."

The men obeyed and lifted the makeshift cups to their lips. Hernando was surprised to find he had been served what seemed to be a very fine Madeira wine, though it had a slightly bitter aftertaste. The shaman looked around at his guests and spoke when the wine was gone.

"I have told each of you about the tribe whose symbol is this," he began, using his finger to draw a singular, curling glyph on the sandy floor of the cave.

"The heron men!" Tobar breathed.

"Yes. For some time now, through sacred dreams, I have spoken often with the heron men's chief shaman, Many Wings. The spirits who aid him know of your situations here and that your natures are the same as his. They have spoken to Many Wings of you and he invites you to join the heron men, or Elxa as their tribe is also known. There you can live freely with men who know and share your desires. I recently received these gifts for you."

The shaman picked up three objects and handed one to each of the men. Hernando studied his. It appeared to be a dark, flattened pebble, smoothed by the action of water, a little larger than the diameter of a Spanish silver dollar, the ubiquitous pieces of eight that circulated throughout Spain's American colonies, and far beyond. The stone was pierced and had been strung on a rawhide cord, obviously meant to be worn around the neck. Engraved upon it was the same curling glyph, a stylized heron's head.

"They are Elxa glyphstones, worn by all heron men. Put them on." The men complied and Shining Mountain went on. "The men you saw outside my home will escort you to the northeast as far as two days' journey. After that, I have been told you will meet two heron men who will lead you to the Elxa's hidden home."

"Now?" asked Hernando in surprise. "As much as I want to go, I could not leave without saying goodbye to my family first."

"Me too," Tobar added.

"Oh my grandsons, it is a heavy thing I must tell you. You must leave very soon, and you must never return here. If you do not do these things, the warriors outside have orders to kill you. They have had terrible geas placed upon them by their war chiefs. If they let you leave here and go back to your families, they will be tortured to death, in ways that would make your Spanish Inquisition's methods seem mild!"

"But why? Why must we go now?"

"Do not ask me that, Sun-in-his-hair, for the answer would rack your heart and trouble your mind. Trust me, my grandsons, and leave this place while you can. Go and live in freedom and happiness with the heron men, for if you stay here, you will surely die."

"No," Hernando managed. He was beginning to feel woozy, which puzzled him. One bowl of wine should not have been able to do that. "I must know why I cannot say goodbye to my father and brothers!"

Tobar nodded in agreement, then placed a hand to his forehead. He too was feeling slightly befuddled. Shining Mountain sighed heavily. He began to explain, in a voice laced with sadness.

"The cruelty and arrogance of the Spaniards can no longer be borne by my people. The war drum was beaten, the chiefs met to lay their plans in utter secrecy, and the warriors have gathered in strategic locations. Now all await the signal that cannot be stopped or mistaken. At the rising of the sun tomorrow, the ninth of August, hundreds will attack in unison and seek to kill every Spaniard in New Mexico, without mercy or pity... "

"No!" Hernando lurched to his feet. "You can't... My father! Vicente! Oh, Denys! I won't... "

Hernando's legs buckled beneath him and refused to move. Acoma lifted his lover and held him. Shining Mountain did the same for Tobar, who had also tried to leave and found he could not.

"Now you know why I was so sad when I said farewell to our father this morning, my love," Acoma choked as new tears formed and fell. "Though I knew about the planned uprising, I did not know when it would come and treasured every moment I had with him as if it would be our last. We know Melchior is a good man, but there is nothing we can do to save him, or our brothers, or any of the others."

"No... Papa! Vicente! And little Denys... " Hernando broke down and wept. He could hear Tobar crying as well, already in mourning for his own doomed family.

"Oh my brother, I pray your love for me will not turn to hate because I have decided we both must live!" Acoma sobbed as the world faded into an unrelenting black for Hernando.

'They are unconscious, Shining Mountain.'

A strange voice spoke unexpectedly in Acoma's tongue. Acoma started and wiped his eyes as he looked around for the person who had spoken. As his eyes searched the cave unsuccessfully, he realized he had not heard the voice with his ears. It had sounded mysteriously within his own mind. Acoma turned questioning eyes to his grandfather.

"Do not be afraid, my grandson." Shining Mountain soothed.

"Who is with us?"

"A heron man, one of the two who have come to guide you to their secret home. His medicine is very strong. He will guard you and your brothers during your journey to the hidden city of the Elxa."

'I am called Hunts-by-night,' the telepathic voice came again, 'I have seen what is in you and your brothers' minds. You are good men and the Elxa will be strengthened by your love and brotherhood.'

Acoma looked sadly at Hernando.

"Can you tell me," he murmured, "if my brother will forgive me and continue to love me?"

'Though I can read minds, I cannot predict the future, Acoma. However, the anguish I saw in the minds of Sun-in-his-hair and Broken Cross has moved me to pity, for they are my brothers as well, and I too will love them, if they allow it. When night falls, I will go from here to see if I can save your family and the family of Sun-in-his-hair. But I must warn you, if they do not heed my warnings, then I will not be able to protect them. As Shining Mountain has told you, my medicine is strong, but nothing can stop the massacre that is planned for tomorrow. The Spaniards will reap in full what their unchecked cruelty has sown in this land.'

"I understand. And I thank you for whatever you can do." Acoma stroked his lover's crimson hair gently. "Broken Cross would thank you too, and Sun-in-his-hair, if they knew of it."

'Yes, I am sure they would. You must leave now. The warriors are waiting to escort you away from here. I will come to you tomorrow after sunset to let you know what has happened.'

"Thank you, Hunts-by-night, my new brother."

"Come, Acoma," Shining Mountain began as he reached for Tobar's shirt and placed one of the man's limp arms into a sleeve. "We must get your brothers ready to go."

Slowly, sensation returned to Hernando. At first, he was puzzled by the odd, seemingly endless rocking motion. But as he became more aware, he realized why it was happening.

He found himself slumped forward in his horse's saddle, his feet bound in the stirrups, his hands tied to the saddlehorn. Hernando noted his shirt and hat had been put back on him as he straightened up and looked around. He was in the midst of a group of mounted natives. Acoma was leading the horse he rode up a steep, winding trail.

Not far away he saw Tobar in a similar plight, except that the golden blonde haired man still seemed to be unconscious. The landscape they were moving through was unfamiliar to Hernando. He tried to judge their direction of travel by looking at the angle of the sun.

But something seemed wrong. The sun was in the wrong place. One of the warriors who escorted them said something and Acoma turned to look at Hernando.

"Ah, you are awake. I hope your bonds are not painful, my brother."

"Acoma, where are we?"

"We are on our way to join the heron men, my love. Don't you remember?"

Suddenly, it all came rushing back.

"No! Acoma, we have to warn papa!"

"It is too late." His words were pained. Hernando looked at sky again and felt fear grip his heart.

"How long have I been asleep?"

"The drugged wine Shining Mountain gave you and Tobar was stronger than he intended. You both have slept for many hours. The sun has sat and risen again. It is late in the morning of the ninth."

"No! It can't... "

The group reached the top of the trail they had been following and one of the warriors interrupted Hernando with a shout. The others turned to see him pointing back the way they had come. Hernando looked as well.

From their vantage point, a great section of the Rio Grande valley was exposed to their eyes. On any other day it would have been easy to pick out distant details, but not that day. Clouds of smoke roiled in the valley, especially from one point that the warriors were observing with extra excitement. Hernando turned to Acoma.

"What is it?"

"Santa Fe," answered Acoma sadly. "It is being sacked and burnt."

"Madre de Deos!" Hernando exclaimed, turning back. He looked to the north of the town, towards the spot where he thought his family's hacienda would be, but the thick smoke had settled in the river valley, hiding all details of the land.

"You must be thirsty," Acoma said, bringing his horse alongside Hernando's as he opened a waterskin. "Drink."

"No!"

"You cannot live without water."

"To hell with the water! You should have told papa what you knew, about the attack! How could you let him die?"

"There were spies among our family's slaves. They would have known if I tried to warn you. Our family would have been the first to die in order to keep word of the planned revolt from getting out."

"Ohhh... My head... " moaned Tobar as he awoke. The native who was guiding his horse spoke to Acoma and he nodded, coming over.

"Here, my brother, drink," Acoma offered the man water.

Hernando watched Tobar drink and licked his dry lips. Suddenly, Tobar snorted and choked. Acoma pounded his back as he coughed.

"Forgive me, my brother, I did not mean to give you too much."

"No... " Tobar choked. "I just remembered... We have to warn them... "

"It's too late, Tobar," Hernando informed him. "The savages have begun their attack."

"No!" The man turned to look down into the distant valley and his shoulders slumped when he saw the smoke. "No... " he whispered again, feeling helpless.

"You must drink, Hernando," insisted Acoma.

"Very well."

Hernando took several gulps of water before pulling away.

"That's enough."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

The coldness in his brother's voice pained Acoma. But he had expected it. Acoma went on, addressing both Hernando and Tobar.

"Soon we will reach the spot where the heron men will be waiting to meet us and lead us to their home... our home."

Hernando turned his head away, refusing to listen. Tobar's eyes were downcast as he felt grief rising within him once again for his family. Acoma sighed and turned to follow the warriors again, who had ceased their sightseeing and resumed the journey.

The sun was fierce again that day, but at last its heat lessened as it declined. When it was a palm's width above the horizon the warrior in the lead called a halt. He chattered to the others and pointed. Hernando looked and saw a streamer of smoke rising somewhere ahead.

"It is a fire," Acoma told him. "Perhaps we have found the heron men's camp."

Hernando did not answer. He had no desire to speak to his brother. He glanced over at Tobar, who looked listless. Hernando determined to hug and comfort him the first chance he got.

Soon afterwards, the group approached the source of the smoke. An overhang of ruddy rock sculpted by aeons of windblown sand shaded the camp of a native man who looked to be around thirty years old. He was sitting beside the fire they had seen, tending something cooking. He rose as soon as he spotted the riders. A headband of woven leather thongs kept his long hair out of his eyes. Below that point, it cascaded over his shoulders and halfway down his back like an ebony waterfall as he moved.

"Hello," he greeted them in Acoma's tongue. "I am Coq'wima."

"I am Acoma. These are my brothers, Broken Cross and Sun-in-his-hair. We are glad to meet you. Are you of my mother's people?"

"Yes. My birth name was Kimaniva, but I am Elxa now." As Coq'wima studied Acoma's white brothers he did not think they looked very happy to be where they were. He switched to Spanish and went on. "I have heard of what is happening in the valley. Is that why your brothers are bound?"

"Yes, but there is no longer any need for that."

As Acoma dismounted and started to untie the leather thongs that bound one of Hernando's booted feet to his stirrup, a warrior objected. There was a short and sharp discussion and at its conclusion, Coq'wima moved to unbind Tobar. Acoma explained, quietly and earnestly.

"Listen carefully, my brothers. The warriors are still bound by their geas and will kill you if try to return to New Mexico."

Freeing Hernando's feet first, Acoma untied his hands and helped his brother down. At once, Hernando stepped away from Acoma and helped release Tobar. Then he embraced the blonde man.

"Tobar, are you alright?"

"Yes," he choked, hugging Hernando back, "but my... my family... "

Hernando looked daggers at the natives who surrounded them. A few were fondling their weapons, as if they hoped the white men would give the warriors a reason to kill them. Hernando hugged Tobar to him protectively before nuzzling his comrade's ear gently. He whispered.

"The savages have taken everything we have... except for each other, my brother... "

Tobar gave a soft sob and hugged Hernando harder. Acoma watched them and Coq'wima sensed his sadness. He put a hand on Acoma's shoulder and spoke softly, in Spanish.

"Come to my fire. I have food if you are hungry. We will wait here until sundown, when our brother Hunts-by-night will join us. Then we will begin our trek to the home of our brothers."

"At night?" Tobar asked, lifting his head to look at Coq'wima.

"It is better not to travel during the day. The heat will be less, and with Hunts-by-night's help, we will avoid any war parties that would seek to do us harm."

"Come and eat, my brothers," Acoma urged. "You must be hungry."

Tobar nodded at Acoma's words and, withdrawing from Hernando's hug, took his hand with a shy smile.

"I'm glad you're here with me."

"Tobar, I know we don't know each other well, but I hope that will change."

"It will. I've always wanted an older brother."

"And I will love and protect you as an older brother ought to."

Hernando pulled Tobar back to him and kissed the man. Tobar responded, wide-eyed. Hernando was a little surprised by his reaction and broke it off sooner than he would have liked.

"What's the matter?"

"I've never kissed a man before. I'm a virgin, remember?"

"I promise to remedy that at our first opportunity, if you'll let me, little brother."

"Oh, God, yes, Hernando... " Tobar muttered, hugging him. After a short while, he sighed. "I suppose if we're going to be traveling all night, we'd better get something to eat while we can."

"So... you've decided to go on?"

"There's nothing I can do for my family now, Hernando. There's nothing behind us but death. But before us is life, and perhaps, love as well... "

A strange feeling came over Hernando and he whispered.

Life is before you, and love as well; in fact, it surrounds you...

can you not feel it flowing through my arms as they hold you close?

"Hernando? What did you say?"

"I'm not sure... "

"You have made the soul-music, my new brother." Coq'wima murmured, suddenly beside them. "All heron men sing when their hearts are moved by love. Your song was beautiful, Broken Cross, and we believe that the first song a heron man sings is sacred and blesses those who hear it. Acoma and I and our fellow travelers thank you for it. Please come and eat with us. Our journey will be long and you will need all your strength to endure it."

Hernando and Tobar went to the fire. Whatever Coq'wima had cooked, it smelled delicious. The white men realized they were not the only ones who were hungry.

"There is plenty for all," Coq'wima assured them as the warriors came and took skewered hunks of roasted flesh from around the edge of the firepit.

"What kind of meat is this?" asked Tobar as he and Hernando took their share.

"Wild pig. I was lucky my arrow found its heart. If I had struck a less vital spot, I suppose it would have run for miles and died hidden in some arroyo."

Hernando only half listened as he savored the taste of the roasted pork. Coq'wima was correct when he said there was plenty. It had been a large animal.

As his hunger was assuaged, Hernando became more attentive to his surroundings and noticed something that appeared odd to him. Six of the warriors who had been part of his escort had withdrawn to sit and talk among themselves. The two remaining braves were sitting and conversing easily with Coq'wima and Acoma.

They looked familiar. Then Hernando remembered what he had seen when he and Acoma had arrived at Shining Mountain's cavern home the previous day. There had been two among the group of natives waiting there who did not seem hostile towards them.

"Tobar," he whispered to his companion. "Do you know who they are?"

"Oh," he began, looking at the pair Hernando indicated. "You didn't get a chance to meet them, did you? They brought me to Shining Mountain's home yesterday. Their names are Zoqui and Xiguex. They are lovers who were also invited to join the heron men."

"Which is which?"

"Zoqui is the shorter of the two... well, that's no help to you since they're sitting," Tobar said, looking. "Ah, Xiguex is the one wearing the fringed shirt."

Hernando looked them over. Both looked like the typical sort of natives one might see in New Mexico, wiry and tightly muscled. Like Coq'wima, their skin was dark, showing little or no white ancestry. The pair appeared to be in their early twenties.

"They have pendants like ours," Hernando commented, spotting the Elxa glyphstones they wore.

"Five stones were sent to Shining Mountain. Two were for them." Tobar sighed and tossed his third empty skewer on the fire. "Now that I'm full I wish I could wash."

"Say, er, Coq'wima," Hernando began, getting the heron man's attention. "There wouldn't happen to be any water nearby, would there?"

"There is a pool over there," the native pointed. "You have a good idea, Broken Cross. We all should have the opportunity to wash before leaving here. Take Sun-in-his-hair and go first. No one will disturb you."

"Thanks," he said, rising. He extended a hand to Tobar. "Shall we?"

Tobar smiled and let Hernando help him up. Going in the direction Coq'wima had indicated, the land descended gently until they found an unexpected and delightful spot. A sizable gouge in the bare rock, perhaps twenty feet in diameter and five feet deep, lay in the path of a tiny stream. It was no more than a trickle, fed by a spring that seeped from a crack in the rocks, but it was enough to keep the gouge filled.

"The water's so warm!" wondered Tobar, testing it.

"Well, let's wash," Hernando suggested, stripping off quickly. "The others will be waiting their turn."

Tobar blushed as he pulled off his clothes. Hernando noticed it, but he waited until they were both nude to say anything, enjoying the sight as the man's blonde furred body was bared to his eyes. Hernando inspected the wounds Shining Mountain had made on Tobar and himself and was pleased to see they were healing cleanly. His exploratory touches excited Tobar. The blonde's thick cock hung heavily from a yellow bush, threatening to become a rampant rod of pleasure at the slightest provocation.

"You alright?"

"I've never been naked and alone with another man before."

"Well, this is a day of firsts," grinned Hernando. "I suppose you've never been drugged, kidnapped or tied to a horse before either!"

Tobar chuckled and stepped into the pool, followed by Hernando. After dunking themselves to wash off the sweat, they rubbed themselves and each other's backs. When Hernando was done doing that to Tobar, the man's excitement was obvious.

"Come over here. You can dry off on this rock."

"What're you going to do?" asked Tobar as he sat on a warm, flat boulder.

"Give you your first blow job," Hernando said nonchalantly as he knelt before his wide-eyed friend. "Just relax and enjoy it," he added before he took his fellow Spaniard's hard tool in his mouth.

"Dios mio!" Tobar hissed as he felt Hernando's expert tongue and lips go to work.

Hernando worked his tongue under Tobar's foreskin and lapped at the plump, slimy glans, making his companion squirm. Though he wanted the experience to last for his friend as well as for himself, Hernando knew Tobar probably would not be able to restrain himself. And it was so. All too soon, Tobar was pumping his hot Spanish mancream down Hernando's hungry throat. Hernando kept licking and sucking on Tobar's tasty organ until it was soft and spent.

"How was that?" he smiled as he stood up.

"It was... I don't have words... " Tobar gasped, shaking his head. A hungry look came across his face as he gazed at Hernando's genitals. "Let me return the favor... "

"I'm afraid we don't have time for more fun right now. The sun is close to setting." Hernando shook his head. Then he cheered Tobar up. "We'll probably have to sleep all day tomorrow. We'll find a private spot to cuddle up together in and then... "

Hernando winked at Tobar, who smiled in understanding and stood to give Hernando a hug. Their red and blonde mats of chest hair meshed as they kissed. Tobar was thrilled as he tasted his own cum on Hernando's lips. He also noticed they were nearly dry.

"This desert air wicks away the moisture pretty quickly."

Hernando made that comment as they dressed. Then he felt something in his pocket and looked to see what it was. It was the twin to the necklace he had given Acoma. Hernando knew at once what he wanted to do with it.

"Tobar, will you wear this as a token of my brotherhood?" asked Hernando as he offered the necklace.

"It's beautiful! Of course I will! Thank you, Hernando!" Tobar answered at once before putting it on. They finished dressing and went back to the fire, hand in hand.

"Hey, where'd the warriors go?" asked Tobar, noticing their absence first.

"Back to get their share of looting and killing, no doubt!" Hernando muttered under his breath, so that only Tobar could hear.

"The braves have returned to their people," Coq'wima answered as Acoma, Zoqui and Xiguex got up to go wash in the pool. Hernando watched his brother go with mixed feelings as Coq'wima went on quietly. "Do you both intend to come with us?"

"It seems we must," Hernando grumped. "We have nothing to go back to, and would be killed if we tried!"

"Have you forgotten what you sang to me, Hernando?"

"No, Tobar." Hernando looked from Tobar to Coq'wima. "Ever since Shining Mountain told me about the heron men, I've wanted to go join them. I never wanted to be a priest, or get married, or do any of the things my family expected of me. I loved them deeply, but they... they... "

"They could never really understand you, your spirit." Coq'wima finished quietly.

"Yes. That's it."

"All the heron men have similar stories, Broken Cross. We almost all love and cherish the families we were born into, but they cannot give us the kind of companionship our spirits crave. I do not speak of sex. I speak of the comfort men like us get from knowing that the man you work beside or eat with or wave at as you go about your business, has the same nature, understands how you feel, knows what you have been through. Will even stop whatever he is doing to give you a hug, or more, if you need it.

"It is hard enough to live in a world which despises our desires for mansex. It is even harder when you realize that even if those who hate us suddenly changed and wanted with every fiber of their beings to understand us, they would never be able to, because their nature is different from ours. That is why we heron men choose to live apart from the world, associating only with our own kind."

"I hope we can fit in."

"You will, Sun-in-his-hair. You have been called by the invisible forces who protect us, our tribe. They watch over all men who live in the Way of the Heron, whether they know it or not."

"The Way of the Heron?"

"It is the path of power men like us walk. And there are many spirits who favor and protect us during our journey along it."

"Why would spirits help us?"

"When two men of our nature make love, Broken Cross, they raise unique and subtle energies. The spirits who aid us are attracted to and nourished by this peculiar power we man-loving men exude. Our tribal legends speak of a time, long, long ago, when ice covered much of the land. It was then that these totems came and spoke to men like us in sacred dreams. These entities revealed the spiritual mysteries of manlove, and its wondrous potentials to our forebears, whom they guided to find each other and create the Elxa tribe. The energies generated by two such enlightened male lovers can be directed by the couple to accomplish healing, among other things. Allow me to tell you a story... "

One tale led to another, and then another. Acoma, Zoqui and Xiguex returned from their bath and sat to listen. Hernando noticed the necklace he had given Acoma was around his brother's neck and smiled at what Xiguex and Zoqui must have thought when they saw where Acoma had been wearing it. Coq'wima continued to tell the group legends of the heron men as the twilight faded and the stars came out to wink down upon the men.

'Acoma.'

Acoma's heard the familiar telepathic voice in his mind. It pulled his attention away from the story Coq'wima was telling. But he did not start or reply to it out loud.

'Hunts-by-night?' he attempted to think back.

'Yes. I am sending my thoughts just to you, Acoma. As casually as you can, leave the fire and come to me. It is important.'

'Where... '

As Acoma began to think the question, he saw the answer as a picture in his mind. A spot a little ways to the east, behind a massive boulder. Excusing himself quietly, he arose and followed the directions Hunts-by-night had given him.

Finding the great stone he had seen, Acoma circled it. He saw the heron man called Hunts-by-night for the first time, waiting for him there. Acoma was surprised to find he was a white man who looked as if he were around thirty years old.

Hunts-by-night was clothed in a finely sewn suit of dark buckskin. His hair and beard were long, and a golden blonde color, nearly the same shade as Tobar's. Hunts-by-night's eyes were icy blue and the starlight glinted off them in a most uncanny way. The only weapon he seemed to carry was an unusual one. A short sword of antique design was sheathed in a scabbard hung at his side from a heavy belt.

'Do not speak.' Hunts-by-night thought, holding a finger to his lips. 'If you will allow it, I will tell you what happened to your family.'

'If they are dead, I would rather not know how they died.' replied Acoma mentally.

'They are not dead, my brother. Don Melchior was not sure if I was an angel or a devil, but he heeded my warning, gathered his family and fled into the valley of the Pecos. I covered his escape as far as I could. I believe they are safe.' Hunts-by-night looked away to the east and Acoma could sense the power of the unusual man's mind as it probed into the distance, like a lighthouse beam shining across a stormy sea. 'Yes,' he went on after a few moments, 'they are still alive and no one is pursuing them. They have a good chance of reaching the settlement at El Paso alive.'

'What of the family of Sun-in-his-hair?'

'I was able to persuade them to come with me to Don Melchior's estate. They are all traveling together.'

'Sun-in-his-hair and Broken Cross will thank you, Hunts-by-night, and I thank you too, from the bottom of my heart.'

Acoma went and embraced his heron brother. Hunts-by-night returned the hug happily. Acoma wondered why the man's hands and skin felt so cold as Hunts-by-night spoke silently again.

'Unfortunately, there was one slight problem.'

'What?' Acoma thought.

Hunts-by-night released Acoma and once more motioned for silence. He pointed to a niche in the boulder. Acoma saw something there wrapped in a blanket. As he went closer to investigate, Hunts-by-night telepathed to his companion again.

'Don Melchior forgot something in the confusion, and by the time I discovered his oversight, there was no time to rectify it. So I brought the bundle to Shining Mountain for safekeeping during the day. Then, after sunset, I brought it here, for you and Broken Cross to look after.'

'What do you... '

As Acoma began to think his question, be opened the blanket. His jaw dropped.

"Denys!?!"

"Ohhh... " the boy stretched and rubbed his eyes before looking around. "Acoma!" he cried happily, jumping into his brother's arms as soon as he recognized him.

"Denys! Are you alright?"

"Why, yes. Hunts-by-night saved me from the rebels, and Shining Mountain fed me and showed me his cave and told me stories... " Denys paused and looked around himself again in puzzlement. "Where are we now? I remember going to sleep in Shining Mountain's arms... "

"I brought you here so you could be with your brothers, Denys." answered Hunts-by-night.

"Why didn't you return him to our father?" exclaimed Acoma.

Hunts-by-night looked at Acoma. A flurry of telepathic words and images flowed from the uncanny heron man to his new brother. In just a few moments, they told Acoma of the many things that had happened since the time Hunts-by-night left Shining Mountain's cave. Acoma's face registered his surprise when he heard about what the shaman had learned about Denys.

'Do you understand?' Hunts-by-night thought at Acoma.

'Yes,' he nodded.

"I want to stay with you and Hernando! Where is Hernando? I want to see him!" Denys demanded. He had not heard any of the telepathic exchange between his brother and Hunts-by-night.

"He is nearby, come."

Hunts-by-night picked up a second large bundle and followed the pair, sending a silent message ahead of them to Coq'wima. The heron man interrupted his story to let his listeners know that Hunts-by-night was there. Then he looked at Hernando, who was wrapped comfortably in Tobar's arms.

"What!?!" Hernando ejaculated, sitting up in shock when he heard the news Coq'wima had to impart.

"Hernando!!" Denys cried happily as he dived into his brother's arms and started hugging and kissing him.

"Santa Maria! What are you doing here?!"

"Acoma will explain about Denys," an imposing blonde stranger replied as he set his burden down. "I scavenged some supplies we might need from the ruins of Santa Fe. Divide them among yourselves." The light from the fire showed Acoma and the others that Hunts-by-night's entire outfit had been dyed. The buckskin suit and moccasins were all a dark red color. His unusual eyes glittered coldly as they turned towards Coq'wima. "We must talk, my brother."

"Is that Hunts-by-night?" asked Tobar as Coq'wima and the crimson clad newcomer went a little way from the fire together.

"Yes," Acoma answered, sitting by the fire. "Much has happened in the colony since we left it. Let me tell you all that Hunts-by-night has done."

"He saved them all!" Tobar clapped his hands in joy as Acoma finished.

"All but one!" muttered Hernando as he eyed his little brother ruefully.

"But I want to be with you and Acoma when you go to see the heron men!" Denys exclaimed, surprising his listeners.

"How do you know about that?"

"Shining Mountain told me. While I was with hm, he performed a magic rite and called on his spirits. I was scared at first, because Fra Antonio says the Indian spirits are devils! But they were nice!"

"You saw them?!"

"Yes! Shining Mountain was so surprised when he realized I could see them as clearly as he could! They came and danced all around us, saying I was special, like you and Acoma are... "

"What do you know about that?!"

"Shining Mountain told me. Sometimes two men fall in love just like a woman and a man do, and they do the same things, except they can't have babies! He said you and Acoma were like that."

"Well, yes, we are... Does that bother you, Denys?"

"No! The spirits said I was like you! They also said that I ought to go to the heron men, so they could teach me magic. Please let me go with you, Hernando! I want to learn that!"

"I thought you did not like being taught," teased Acoma. "Fra Antonio always complained that you would not pay attention to his lessons!"

"But he was so boring!" Denys exclaimed, making the men laugh. "I couldn't get bored learning magic! Please let me go with you!"

"Won't you miss our papa and your mama and sisters?" Hernando asked gently. Denys hugged Hernando harder and pressed his face into his brother's chest.

"Yes... I miss them already... but I have you and Acoma. We'll always be brothers together, won't we?"

Hernando suddenly felt ashamed of himself. Denys' innocent words were like a slap across his face. He turned his stricken eyes to Acoma, reached out and took his brother's hand.

"Yes, we will be... please forgive me, Acoma... I've been acting like a damned fool... "

"No, you were acting like a sorrowing son who thought you were being prevented from saving your family." Acoma replied. "Your resentment was natural."

"I'm still sorry I hurt you, Acoma."

"I can think of some ways you could make it up to me," he winked.

"Can I watch?" asked Denys.

"No!" They exclaimed in unison.

"But I want to see what men like us do together!"

"You are not a man," Acoma said flatly, "and if you are going on this journey with us, you had better behave and obey us."

"Yes," added Hernando. "Otherwise you might get captured by the Navajo."

Denys stiffened. He knew about the savage and warlike Navajo. The stories of their wicked and bloodthirsty ways had been a regular feature of the bedtime stories he had been told on many a night, until Denys saw little difference between the Navajo and demons from hell.

"Yes, Hernando," the chastened boy nodded, "I understand. I don't want to get eaten alive!"

Zoqui said something at that point in his tongue and those who understood him laughed.

"What's the joke?" asked Hernando.

"Zoqui said, 'The Navajo would feast on such a delectable little redheaded boy for a long time, probably until he was a handsome man!" Tobar smiled.

"Who are you?" asked Denys.

"Don't be rude, Denys. This is our new brother, Tobar de Loaisa. Shining Mountain adopted him along with Acoma and myself, so now we're all brothers."

Denys climbed out of Hernando's lap and got into Tobar's to hug the blonde man.

"I like your beard," the boy said as he combed his fingers through the thick yellow hair on Tobar's face. Tobar hugged the boy.

"And I like you, Denys. It'll be nice having you for a little brother."

"I wish we could get word to papa that Denys is alright. He and Juanita must be worried sick." Hernando muttered.

"Hunts-by-night told me that Shining Mountain promised to get a message through to El Paso as soon as he could, to let Melchior know. He also told papa we were safe." Acoma told a relieved Hernando.

While listening to Acoma and his brothers, Zoqui and Xiguex had been investigating the contents of the sack of supplies Hunts-by-night had brought. When the others turned their attention to it, they found a variety of useful objects laid out for their inspection, including several weapons. They were an especially welcome addition to the party.

Hernando tried out a sabre he had selected. Despite the decision by his father that he was to enter the church, Melchior had seen to it that Hernando knew how to defend himself, and he was familiar with the uses and handling of weapons. He had also hunted as often as he could with Acoma. Though the trips gave the brothers an excuse to be alone together, they had not spent all their time in the wilderness rutting and both had become fairly good hunters.

As the men armed themselves and packed the supplies for their journey, Tobar picked up a bar of soap and showed it to Hernando.

"We could have used this earlier!" he grinned.

"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll get another chance to take a bath together," he winked.

Tobar glanced at the supplies again.

"I wonder how Hunts-by-night carried all this and Denys too."

"That's not too much for a man on horseback."

"Where is his horse?" asked Tobar. As Hernando realized the heron man did not seem to be mounted like the rest of the group, a familiar voice spoke.

"My brothers."

The men looked to see Coq'wima and Hunts-by-night had returned from their talk. Coq'wima introduced his heron brother to the group and Hunts-by-night outlined the form their journey would take. Soon thereafter, the group mounted and moved off into the night, following Hunts-by-night, who had gone ahead on foot. Tobar and Hernando traded puzzled looks while Acoma suspected that Coq'wima's course was being directed by telepathic messages from the blonde guide. If the others wondered how the heron men found their trail, they did not mention it.

Hernando thought at first that the mounted party would catch up to Hunts-by-night quickly, but he soon realized the horses could go only so fast over uneven trails at night. He had mounted Denys in front of him, facing him, so the boy could rest his head on the man's shoulder. In that position, Denys soon fell asleep again. Hernando stroked his brother's back gently as they rode.

Unbidden, the words of Luis the merchant came back to Hernando. 'How surprising life can be!' Hernando took his eyes off the rider in front of him and glanced upward.

The stars were so bright and seemed so close! Hernando almost reached up to try and capture one, but that would have meant letting go of Denys, which he would never do. He lowered his lips to kiss the top of his younger brother's head and returned his attention to the journey.

The hours passed, and Hernando found it increasingly difficult to keep his eyes open as the group moved steadily northwestward. The stars overhead turned slowly and he tried to guess the time by their position. He realized he was underestimating when their trail brought them to the top of a rise.

Looking to the east, they all saw the faintest tinges of dawn light playing on the horizon. The men continued on, across a sage brush covered plateau. Xiguex pointed and exclaimed quietly when he saw the flickering light of a distant fire.

"It is Hunts-by-night," Coq'wima explained. "He has found us a safe spot to camp at during the day."

Hernando was not the only one who worried that someone else besides them would see the signal, but when they arrived at the camp Hunts-by-night had chosen, it was obvious they would be safe. The site stood at the edge of the plateau, where more hills reared upward, and the fire burned just within the narrow maw of a cave, so that only someone behind or in front of the party could have seen it. They soon found the cave opened up once one was past the entrance to be more than ample enough to shelter themselves and their horses.

"Hello, my brother," Coq'wima greeted Hunts-by-night as he approached the fire. Gobbets of meat were cooking over it, filling the cave with an appetizing aroma.

"I have scouted the area," Hunts-by-night told him and the others. "You will be safe here during the day. I caught a deer." He gestured at the hunks of venison skewered and roasting. "Eat and rest." He got up and walked to the opening of the cave.

"Hey, aren't you eating with us?"

"No, Tobar. I have already eaten." Hunts-by-night looked at Coq'wima, who nodded before the guide left the cave.

"Did Hunts-by-night touch your mind?" Acoma whispered to Coq'wima while the others were distracted by talk and food.

"Yes. He will return at sunset to continue guiding us."

"He isn't sleeping here?"

"No. Speaking of sleeping, would you like to share my blankets?"

"Yes, Coq'wima, I would... "

"But?"

"I'm not sure where Denys will end up. I am sure he will want to sleep with either myself or my brother."

"Let him join us. I can wait to be alone with you, Acoma, but Sun-in-his-hair has many things to learn from Broken Cross. Let them have this time alone together."

"You are... very considerate, Coq'wima."

"As I am sure you know, Acoma, there are many ways to make love. Clearing the way for our brothers who desire to be together is just one way we can show our affection for them."

"I am glad your spirits have found me worthy to be a heron man."

"I am glad as well, my brother," Coq'wima murmured, leaning to meet Acoma's lips halfway in a savory kiss that tasted of roast venison.

Hernando's eyes fluttered open as he was awakened by soft, intriguing noises. He slowly turned his head and saw Xiguex mounted on Zoqui's back, moving rhythmically as his hips plunged and thrust. Their blankets had slipped down, leaving no doubt as to what the pair were doing.

Hernando's manhood responded to the visual stimulation and strained upward. Tobar yawned and turned to face Hernando. When he felt what was prodding him in his belly, he grinned at his bedmate.

"Would you like me to suck you off again?"

"Actually, I'd like to do that to you!"

As Hernando whispered, he nodded at their fellow travelers. Tobar looked and watched wide-eyed as Xiguex pounded his load into Zoqui's ass, whose face was a mask of bliss. Tobar felt Hernando fondle his virgin ass and trembled, but having seen the look of pleasure on Zoqui's face, he was inspired to try it.

"Alright, Hernando. What do I do?"

"We'll need some lube," Hernando muttered, thinking of how tight Tobar's innocent hole was. He had probed it determinedly while sucking his friend off earlier and had scarcely been able to get the tip of his index finger through it.

"Too bad we don't have any leftover pig fat from yesterday," Tobar chuckled nervously.

As Hernando pondered his problem, he saw the solution. The native couple had changed positions and Zoqui was rubbing something into his lover's ass gently. Then his fingers retreated to dip themselves in a small leather pouch before stroking his stiff rod. It glistened with an oily sheen, reflecting the little daylight that managed to penetrate into the cave.

Hernando rose from his blankets. He padded over to his neighbors, his erect cock swaying before him in the semidarkness. Zoqui looked at the naked, aroused, hairy redhead in a way that told Hernando he desired him.

"May I?" he whispered, pointing at the leather pouch.

Zoqui nodded as Xiguex turned his head and also got a generous eyeful of bearish crimson beauty before Hernando turned from them. Xiguex drew in a sharp breath.

"He has a beautiful ass," Xiguex murmured.

"He's not the only one," answered Zoqui as he lowered himself and pushed into his lover's body.

As Zoqui and Xiguex became lost in their own lovemaking, Hernando got busy with the borrowed lube. Telling Tobar to just relax and let him do the work, Hernando sucked on his friend's tool while fingering the soon-to-be-non-virgin hole. The mirific slickness allowed Hernando inside Tobar at last, and he pushed more of the lube up inside the man. Tobar shivered as the grease made his insides tingle. Hernando coated the innocent flesh well in the process as he searched for Tobar's prostate.

Finding the soft button of flesh, Hernando massaged it like Acoma and he had learned to do for each other. Tobar seemed to melt beneath him and the young man's prong swelled a little larger and reached rock hardness before it spat its hot, viscous load across Hernando's flexing tongue. At the same time, Hernando added another finger and stretched the innocent anus open some more while Tobar was distracted by his orgasm. The ease of that intrusion told Hernando it was time.

"I love you, Tobar," he breathed as he removed his fingers, slathered his sex with the lube and brought it up against the man's slick hole. He too felt a curious tingling as the grease soaked into the sensitive skin of his cock. "Since it's your first time, there will be some pain. Forgive me... "

"I don't care... I'm glad you are my first, Hernando, my brother... I love you... "

Tobar gasped again as he felt Hernando push into him. The sharp pain seemed to subside as soon as Hernando's shaft was in as far as it could go. As Tobar got used to the curious sensation of being filled, Hernando began to move.

Tobar found that he could squeeze Hernando's member with his inner muscles, and that Hernando liked it. Hernando's long, sensuous strokes progressively became shorter and more forceful. Eventually, he gave Tobar a helpless look of longing before he lowered his head and kissed the man fiercely while Hernando's hips thrust frantically. As Tobar responded to the kiss, he felt a small explosion of warmth deep in his ass, while Hernando channeled a moan of raw passion through his lips into Tobar's mouth.

"Santa Maria!" gasped Hernando as he broke the kiss. "Your ass is so tight!"

"If you keep fucking me like that, it soon won't be!"

"So, you liked it?"

"Yes," Tobar affirmed, reaching to run a hand over Hernando's ass as he did so. "I'm looking forward to trying you again, too."

Hernando recalled how he had yielded himself to Tobar's desire in that way earlier, soon after they snuggled in their blankets. Sleep did not come until the men had come twice apiece, firstly through another reprise of the oral pleasures Tobar had sampled earlier. Then, finding Tobar to still be aroused and erect, Hernando had invited his bedmate to fuck him.

Tobar's first trial of that masculine act had been entirely successful. Another orgasm was coaxed out of Hernando as Tobar enthusiastically drove himself into his new brother's body, relishing sensations he had never felt before. And feeling so much closer to Hernando afterwards, as if their spirits had been joined as well as their bodies.

"Well," Hernando murmured through a smile, thinking of all that as he looked towards the cave entrance. He noted that the daylight slanting in was still strong. "Let's rest a little before doing that again, alright?"

"Sure," smiled Tobar. "We're not made of iron!"

"Go to sleep, you!" Hernando smiled back. After another kiss, they cuddled and drifted off.

Time passed sweetly and comfortingly until Hernando was roused by the smell of smoke. Lifting his head, he saw Zoqui kneeling naked beside the rekindled fire, warming some of the leftover venison. Rising quietly from his blankets, he let Tobar sleep on. Hernando glanced briefly at their clothes, lying nearby in an untidy heap. He decided to remain naked and approached his fellow traveler.

"Hello, Broken Cross," smiled Zoqui quietly. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thanks to that lube you let me borrow."

"You must thank Coq'wima. He brought the special salve, which is made by his brother tribesmen. The heron men use it as a dressing for wounds, or it can make the way easy between lovers."

"Well, it certainly made my way easy."

"I understand Sun-in-his-hair is... inexperienced. Do you mind if I ask if his first time was good?"

"Yes, I think he enjoyed it," Hernando smiled.

"That is good. My people believe the first sex act with another is sacred, no matter what the sex of the people involved."

"Hmm."

Hernando had never thought of sex as sacred before. It had always felt like a natural and fun thing to do with Acoma when they were boys, despite what they were told about it being 'sinful'. But it had led to his and Acoma's finding a deeper connection, becoming lovers, and that was surely a sacred thing.

He looked towards the part of the cave Acoma, Denys and Coq'wima had retired to. He could hear no sound from them. Zoqui's quiet words pulled Hernando's attention back to the fire.

"My lover and I find you very handsome, Broken Cross. If you would ever like to make love to either of us, or both of us together, we would welcome your company."

"I will remember your invitation, Zoqui. For the time being, I think Tobar would like to be with me, and I also need to be with Acoma."

"I understand." Zoqui took a skewer of smoking meat from the fire and offered it to Hernando. "You had better eat, if you intend to please so many on our long journey!"

Hernando returned Zoqui's mischievous grin as he took the proffered skewer.

"I think I'll be able to endure it, and take on you and Xiguex as well, at some point."

"We look forward to it."

As he responded, Zoqui nodded at something behind his companion. Hernando turned and saw Denys approaching. The boy was as naked as the men and his little penis was a hard prod sticking out proudly in front of him.

"Hi," he giggled, looking at his brother's and Zoqui's dangling cocks. "Wouldn't it be funny if we all went naked, all the time?"

"Not a very practical way to travel, I fear." Hernando allowed his brother to use him as a chair, then he hooked a thumb at Denys' rigid cocklet. "When I was your age, I used to beat off whenever that happened."

"I have, three times already, and it still won't go down!" Denys said ruefully, as he started stroking himself towards his fourth release that morning.

"If you can do that when you are as old as we," Zoqui smiled, "you will make your lover very happy!"

"You don't care who sees when you jerk yourself?"

"We're heron men now, we're not supposed to hide what we do... Oh!" Denys gasped as he shot a single gout of clear fluid onto his belly.

"Feel better?"

"Yes," Denys answered as he scooped up his spooge and licked it off his fingers.

"You'd better eat more than that before we start traveling again. Here, have some venison."

No sooner had the sun fallen beyond the western horizon than Hunts-by-night reappeared, ready to resume leading the party. The next two days passed in much the same manner as the men followed a river's trace across the high desert country. The sometimes muddy, more often dry bed of the stream lead them through vistas of barren rock, eroded by the wind into weird and fanciful shapes. Though there seemed to be little life in that country, Hunts-by-night always managed to find water and food for the men and their horses. It was close to dawn on the third day when Hunts-by-night stopped the group somewhat earlier than they had come to expect.

"There is an obstacle ahead that I can get you over, but you must trust me and ask no questions."

"Sure," Hernando nodded, as did the others.

By then, Acoma had been intimate with Hunts-by-night and had learned more about the unusual heron man from him and Coq'wima. He did not pass on what he had discovered, for the information seemed too incredible, the least of it being that Hunts-by-night had joined the Elxa almost seventy years before, this despite the fact he appeared to be no more than thirty or so. The rest of the travelers had become accustomed to his disappearances during daylight. And all did trust him, though his next request was rather unexpected.

"Please dismount and give your horses' reins to Coq'wima."

After they had done this, Hunts-by-night asked them to lie down and close their eyes. As Hernando wondered what was next, a word was suddenly pronounced inside his head. He was sure that it came from their strange guide.

'Sleep!'

And at that word, Hernando and his companions sank into a dreamless darkness.

"Hernando?" someone was saying. "Hernando! Wake up!"

"Wha... " he managed, opening his eyes and focusing on Denys.

"He's awake Acoma!" Denys hugged his brother. "I get to sleep with you today!"

"Oh, right. It is my turn, isn't it... Hey!" he said sitting up and looking around. "Where are we?"

"It's a camp Hunts-by-night brought us to while we were asleep!" gushed Denys. "Isn't it great!"

"Incredible," Hernando agreed.

The travelers were sheltered beneath a large overhang of ruddy sandstone. Hernando got up and went out into the early morning sunlight. It fell upon his uncovered head like a blow from a hot hammer. The newborn day promised to be yet another broiling one.

He saw at once that a huge mass of the same red rock towered over him. The camp was in a space that looked as if a huge gouge had somehow been sliced cleanly out of the base of the cliff. Denys came out to take Hernando's hand.

"Look at this!" he insisted, pulling his brother to the edge of a sheer dropoff.

"Bendito Salvador!"

As his exclamation flew outward into thin air, Hernando instinctively stepped back, pulling Denys with him. A vast gulf of empty space opened before them, causing vertigo in Hernando just by looking at it. Denys laughed as he freed himself and got down on his belly at the edge.

"You can look at it this way if you feel dizzy!"

Hernando laid himself down beside his little brother to have a good long look. Far, far below, a river twisted at the very bottom of the grand, immense canyon. Bare layers of multicolored rock showed where the effects of centuries of weathering had exposed them. Hernando shook his head in disbelief as he looked at shadows and realized they were on the north side of the uncrossable looking canyon.

"How did we get across?"

"Everyone asked that as soon as they woke up," Denys replied. "Coq'wima reminded us that Hunts-by-night asked us not to question him."

They laid there a few minutes longer, looking into the great emptiness, feeling small and insignificant by comparison. Then Denys yawned. Hernando smiled and patted his back.

"Ready to go get some sleep?"

"Alright."

Going back to his blankets, which someone had wrapped him in while he slept, Hernando rearranged them, looking over the camp as he did so. Zoqui and Xiguex were resting in each other's arms, talking quietly. Since it was his turn to sleep with Denys, Tobar had joined Acoma and Coq'wima.

It all felt very comfortable and natural as Hernando undressed. He wondered if the city of the heron men, which he had been told was similar to some of the adobe cliff dwellings of the natives of New Mexico, would be like this. A community of gentle men casually going about their business, meeting, touching and loving, freely and easily... Denys' impertinent giggle intruded rudely on Hernando's reverie.

"What?"

Denys grinned and pointed at his brother's cock. It was almost erect, from his thinking about being with the rest of the heron men. Hernando tousled his little brother's hair.

"You've seen it plenty of times now, hard and soft, and all the other men's too, for that matter! Are our dicks really such a source of endless amusement for you?"

"It made me hard, see?" Denys said as he pulled off of his clothes and proudly showed off his stiffy.

"I've seen that plenty of times too," Hernando replied in mock annoyance as he laid down. "Let's try to get some sleep."

Denys snuggled up against Hernando as he jacked himself. Hernando tried to relax and ignore the wriggling boy. If things went as they usually did, Denys would get himself off three or four times before he would finally settle down and sleep.

"Yuk!" Denys suddenly whispered. "You smell like that mountain goat Zoqui shot yesterday!"

"Oh yeah?" sniffed Hernando. "Well you smell like the brother of a mountain goat! One way or another, we are going to get a bath soon. I'll ask Hunts-by-night if he can conjure up a mountain lake. That ought to easy for him, after getting us and our horses and equipment across that huge canyon over there!"

Though he ought to have been surprised, Hernando was not when Hunts-by-night appeared after sunset and pulled him aside to let his fellow traveler know that the next campsite would have plenty of water for bathing. After leaving the north rim of the great canyon, the party traveled across high plateaux for most of the night. Then their trail began to slope downward.

The group heard the murmuring of water before they saw it, as starshine reflected vaguely off its rippling surface. As usual, Hunts-by-night had a fire going and meat was cooking over it. This time, he had bagged a young bear.

Coq'wima was delighted with the skin, which joined their growing collection of pelts. Washing and/or scraping them was a chore the heron man did during the day, after he got his fill of sleep. When he saw Denys' interest, he began to teach the skill to the boy. After watering the horses in the predawn darkness, Hernando lingered at the gravel and sand edge of the river and got the impression they were on a sort of beach.

"That is exactly right," Hunts-by-night murmured, suddenly standing beside the man. "We're in a canyon, cut by a river that goes on to fall into the bigger canyon we left at sundown."

"Oh," Hernando wondered. By then all the travelers knew of Hunts-by-night's telepathic gift, which was an open secret among the heron men. "Well, thanks for finding us water. We could all use a bath. Especially Denys. I intend to scrub him well, later."

"Yes. I'm going in now," the guide said, pulling off his clothes.

Taking that as an invitation, Hernando stripped too. Hunts-by-night and he smiled when they saw each other's erections. The guide took Hernando's hand and led him into the cool water. He had a bar of soap ready in his other hand and began lathering himself briskly.

"I have to be quick," he said in an apologetic manner. "The sun will soon be up."

"Where do you go during the day?"

"If you stay with the Elxa long enough, you will find out." Hunts-by-night said as he reached out with soapy hands and started caressing Hernando's body. His fingers were cold and Hernando blamed the water for that. "Until that time comes, please believe me when I say I mean you no harm."

"You talk as if I'd think you a monster if I knew more about you. I know some people who might think you a wizard and be afraid, but I'm not one of them. The church tried her best, but I'm not frightened of things that might seem supernatural," Hernando replied. Hunts-by-night gave him a pensive look as Hernando took the man's hard cock in his hands and began to deftly stroke the cold flesh, warming it. "Are you Spanish?"

"My family originally came from Italy. I was born in Constantinople," Hunts-by-night replied as his hands also fell to grip his companion's rigid meat.

"I would've never guessed. You speak perfect Spanish." They worked on each other determinedly for awhile before Hernando spoke again. "Would you like me to suck you?"

In silent reply, Hunts-by-night allowed one slick hand to slide around and slip into the crack of Hernando's ass, one digit deftly finding the manhole and palping the muscular ring gently. Hernando nodded and turned around. Soapy fingers slickened his hole thoroughly before the man slid his steely length into Hernando.

"You are a handsome man, Broken Cross... " Hunts-by-night hissed as he thrust into his companion and jacked him at the same time.

"As are you, my friend... you feel so... ahhh... Ahhh... AHHH... "

Hernando's cock abruptly spewed, his sperm leaping out in hot, opalescent gouts to splash and mingle and float away with the nightdark river water. Hunts-by-night came soon after. He withdrew from Hernando and turned the man so he could kiss him.

"I wish I could stay and sleep with you."

"We can do that after we reach the heron men's city. Er, you do have a home there, don't you?"

"Yes," the guide nodded. "And you are welcome to share my bed anytime."

They dunked themselves to rinse off the soap and went back to shore. As they dressed, Hernando thought about what Hunts-by-night had said. He took the heron man's hand gently.

"Do you not have anyone special to share your bed with?"

"Not now, no. I have had lovers since I joined the Elxa, and expect to again. But I am not lonely, especially when I have friends like you to play with." He kissed Hernando passionately and hugged him. "I will see you again soon, my brother."

Hernando watched as Hunts-by-night went to Coq'wima and spoke with him. Then he saw Tobar coming nearer. He grinned at Hernando.

"What?"

"That was quite a show you two put on!"

"You saw us?"

"We all did," he chuckled. "Acoma had to put his hand over Denys' mouth to keep him from cheering when he saw you shoot! I suppose you'll be too tired now to play with me," Tobar went on in a tone of mock despair. "Perhaps Zoqui and Xiguex would like some company tonight... "

Hernando growled and pulled Tobar to him. He kissed his adopted brother until the man was gasping for breath. Then he chuckled.

"You ought to know by now that I'm good for more than just one time!" Hernando's nose wrinkled. "But if you want to sleep with me tonight, do us both a favor and get in the water and wash first! Hunts-by-night left the soap on that rock."

"Alright, big brother," Tobar smiled as he stripped.

As Tobar picked up the soap he wiggled his ass seductively at Hernando before wading into the river. The redhead sighed and pulled off his clothes again. Someone had to wash Tobar's back...

Hernando cocked his head and curiously studied the fine suit he wore. Candlelight caused silver trim to shine against black velvet as he wondered how he had come to own the clothes. His eyes wandered back to the open book before him, resting on his lap. An illustration of Saint Michael pinning a rampant dragon to the earth with his spear occuiped one of the pages. Idly Hernando traced the Latin words that surrounded the picture with his eyes, the translation coming easily.

'Go, ye fallen one, ye accurst, into the flames prepared for ye... '

Looking up from the book, he scanned the familiar room, lit by many candles. He knew where he was, in his father's library, but that was wrong... impossible. Hernando had a vague recollection of falling asleep cuddled with Tobar after the men had exhausted themselves in loveplay, but the memory was hazy, like trying to remember a dream. Closing the book, the puzzled man started to rise. A soft voice halted him.

"Yes, Hernando, you are asleep. I have made this dream for us so we can talk, if you wish it."

A previously empty chair was now filled. Hernando saw Hunts-by-night seated there, calmly returning his gaze. The heron man was dressed in the height of Spanish fashion, his long beard spreading incongruously across the front of the rich brocade coat. From head to foot, the leathers and satins and velvets he wore were all a deep scarlet. The man glanced down at himself before smiling at Hernando.

"Is it too much?"

"Not for a costume ball!" Hernando replied. "How... "

"...do I do it?" finished Hunts-by-night. "Like telepathy, making dreams is a mind trick I have mastered. The native Elxa accept me easily as a supernatural being, for they commune with spiritual forces as a part of their everyday lives, but the white men who come to join the tribe have only their childhood tales of demons and dark forces to guide their judgement of me, at least until they learn I am not a threat to them. After that, they accept me without question as well. You, however, are different and could better understand what I am."

"How am I different from the others?"

"You were in training for the priesthood and carefully educated. Tell me, in the course of your studies, did you ever come across the legend of the fallen ones?"

"Fallen ones? You mean fallen angels?" Hernando did a double take at Hunts-by-night. "Dios mio! You don't mean to say you... "

"No, Hernando, I am not an angelic being, fallen or otherwise. Let me tell you the legend as it was told to me, long ago. You will, no doubt, recall a certain story in Genesis: before the flood, there were angels who became enamored of the daughters of men and abadoned heaven in order to slake their lust. The offspring of women and angels were giants who wrought much evil in the world, adding to that which offended God.

"The flood cleansed the earth of that evil, but no amount of water could destroy an angel. Unable to save their wives and children, unable to drown, the fallen ones were swept up by the waters and carried away. It is said God willed that the fallen ones be gathered together and sealed away in the depths of the earth, where He cast them into a dreamless slumber. Time passed. The descendants of Noah multiplied and spread across the earth, building new cities and empires.

"Like the wicked who perished in the flood, these men also grew proud and arrogant, believing they could do anything. So once again God brought them low by confusing their languages and scattering them across the earth. But that was not considered to be punishment enough for them. God awakened the fallen ones and made them his avengers in this world. From then until the end of days they would haunt the night, hunting evildoers and feasting upon their blood... "

"Vampires... " Hernando breathed.

"Yes."

"So you are... "

"Yes."

"But how? If you are not one of these fallen ones, how did you become a vampire?"

"The details of my life are best left for another time. For now, let me emphasize that I do not know how much of the legend of the fallen ones is true; indeed, none of it may be. I only know that I have met a non-human vampire older than recorded history, one who might have inspired the story of the fallen ones, and I know that others like her exist.

"I also know that these ancient beings, for reasons of their own which I do not pretend to understand, have shared their blood and the power it carries with certain humans, transforming them into vampires as well. It was such a transformed human who was responsible for making me what I am."

"And... you have done as the legends say you must?"

"I have hunted evildoers and killed them for their blood, yes. So many I cannot tell the score. And it never seemed to make any difference; there was always another thief or rapist or murderer ready to take the place of those I slew. And those I was protecting, the innocent and law abiding, hated and feared me more than they did those I preyed upon.

"But when I encountered the Elxa, I discovered something new. I found a community willing to accept me as I am, as an equal, despite what I was. And the fact that they were manlovers like me was an added bonus. The heron men adopted me into the tribe, their spirit helpers gave me a new name - a rather apt one in fact - and I became their defender. Not that they were in any great need of defending, you understand.

"As you might imagine, the Elxa are perforce a small tribe in comparison to the others that live around them, a tempting target for war parties and raiders. But the heron men's unique alliance with the spirit world gave them a great advantage; not even the stealthiest native can sneak up on the Elxa's spirit helpers! And the refuge of the Elxa is a natural fortress. No enemy has ever violated it, or so I am told."

"How did you find the Elxa?"

"Sheer accident. I had a lover, another vampire who was once an ordinary man, a Roman legionaire in fact, but like us, a lover of his own sex. Long ago, he went on a journey, promising to return to me. He never did. I have been looking for him ever since. After searching the extent of the old Roman Empire for him in vain, I came to the New World and in time I stumbled upon the heron men. But no doubt our shaman, Many Wings, would say I was being led by the spirits who befriend the Elxa."

Hunts-by-night paused and glanced away. Hernando looked in the same direction as well. Through a nearby window, delicate traces of dawn light could be seen playing on the horizon, announcing the immenent arrival of a new day.

"Let this suffice for now, my new brother. We shall have many opportunities to speak together in the future... "

As the vampire's voice faded, the dream world he had created did likewise. Hernando's consciousness lapsed easily back into an ordinary sleep...

"That's right, Denys. Light, even strokes. Don't press too hard... "

Hernando wondered at what he was hearing as he woke up later that day. Recognizing Coq'wima's voice, he sat up and looked to see what the heron man was doing with his little brother. Though their conversation sounded as if Coq'wima was in the process of relieving Denys of his innocence, Hernando saw them both crouched over an animal skin as Coq'wima showed the boy how to preserve the leather.

Satisfied with Denys' technique with the stone scraper, Coq'wima left the boy to work on the deerskin by himself. The heron man turned his attention to the plush pelt of the young black bear whose meat had provided the travelers with their dinner that day. Hernando glanced at the sky and guessed it was noon. Effulgent sunlight filled the small canyon and scintillated joyously upon the rippling river as it flowed past their campsite.

Tobar moaned and stretched against his side. Hernando smiled and lowered his head to kiss him. Then he whispered.

"I'm going for a swim. Want to join me?"

"No... I'm still tired... "

"Ha! Remember that the next time you think I can't keep up with you!"

Getting up from his blankets, he stretched and yawned and scratched his belly. He saw Acoma still wrapped in his blankets. Zoqui and Xiguex were sitting beside the fire and talking quietly.

No one seemed to be wearing any clothes and Hernando smiled to himself over that. Then, as he went to the river, he saw someone had been busy. Freshly laundered clothing was laid out on the rocks drying and Hernando spotted his items among the display. He resolved to thank someone as he waded in.

The sun was hot on his skin, but the river was cool. He swam against the current a little, then floated on his back with his eyes closed and let the river carry him back to the camp he shared with his fellow travelers. He was so relaxed he did not tense at all when he felt a hand come to run up his leg, across his genitals and catch him by an armpit as he floated along.

"Do not float away, my brother," he heard Xiguex murmur as the man gathered Hernando into his arms.

The pair kissed and fell easily into a slow bout of lovemaking in a shallow spot. Both ebullient sunlight and warm ripples of water lapped at and caressed their flexing bodies, adding to the men's erotic experience. Zoqui came to join them and the three pleasured one another determinedly until they lay exhausted and spent in each other's arms. Seeing the sun beginning to slip beyond the western edge of the canyon, Hernando sighed.

"I really don't want to leave you two, but I must see that Denys gets a bath before the sun goes and it starts getting cold."

"Acoma washed him this morning, while you and Sun-in-his-hair were sleeping, so do not worry." Zoqui replied.

"I do not wish to leave either, but I am hungry." added Xiguex, lazily scratching his belly.

"I can't imagine why!" Hernando chuckled.

"Come, my brothers," Xiguex stood and stretched. "Let us see if what is left of the bear is cooked."

Hernando and Zoqui exchanged mischievous glances.

"I'd rather eat this," Zoqui began, sitting up to take Xiguex's limp cock in his mouth.

"It is tasty, isn't it?" said Hernando before he started lapping at the native's balls.

"Oh, my dear brothers, that feels very nice, but I fear I must have food and drink before I can give you my manly juices again!"

"Alright then, let's eat!"

Giving Xiguex's balls one last lick, Hernando rose with Zoqui and the three men waded back to the camp. Hernando noticed the laundry again. He looked at his companions.

"Who washed all the clothes?"

"We did," Xiguex informed him.

"Thank you. I'm sure mine needed it. Let me know if there's anything I can do for you in return."

"You just did, and you did it very well!" laughed Zoqui.

As they moved to join the others, Hernando looked over the campsite. Tobar, Acoma and Coq'wima were conversing and tending the food cooking over the fire while an odd looking creature, all hairy and strangely floppy, was skipping and twirling around them. Hernando waited and grabbed the thing as it danced past him.

"What's this?"

"I'm a terrible, ferocious, wild beast!" Denys growled menacingly from within the bearskin he had wrapped himself in.

"I wonder if wild beasts are ticklish?" asked Hernando as his hand slipped into the fur and found the naked boy within.

"No! Stop!" Denys squealed as his brother's fingers found his most sensitive skin. "Acoma! Help me!"

"Ferocious wild beasts are not what they used to be, it seems!" Acoma laughed.

"Perhaps you need to eat and get a little bigger," Hernando suggested, cuddling the skin clad boy in his arms. "Then you'd make a more convincing wild beast!"

"Alright, Hernando."

As soon as he put Denys down, the boy flung off the heavy fur and folded it up carefully. A layer of sweat shone on his skin, which was getting quite tanned. Hernando looked himself and Tobar over and thought before the journey was over, they would be as dark as the full-blooded natives. Acoma already seemed to have darkened to match them.

"It looks like you need another bath," Tobar commented.

"That bearskin's hot!"

"Think how warm it will keep you in the wintertime," Coq'wima said. Noticing Hernando's questioning look, Coq'wima went on. "Because he has been such a big help to me lately, I have made a gift of the skin to Denys. It is not quite ready yet, but it will make him a fine, comfy sleeping robe."

"That's very generous of you. Thank you." He looked at Denys. "Did you thank Coq'wima?"

Denys went over to hug and kiss Coq'wima. The heron man laughed.

"You already thanked me like this before!"

"I promised to obey my big brothers so I could come on this trip. And I like hugging and kissing you!"

"Let us eat," smiled Coq'wima as he allowed Denys to sit in his lap. "And perhaps get some more rest afterwards. We still have a long way to travel."

Over the next several days, the heron men's path became more northerly. The land continued to be harsh and arid, but Hunts-by-night seemed always able to find water for them and fodder for the horses. Eventually, they encountered and skirted a large lake.

One experimental swim was enough for the travelers who had not been there before. The water was many times more salty than any ocean and left an irritating white crust on their skins as it dried. Coq'wima packed a couple of leather bags full of the coarse salt to take with them.

Continuing north, they passed through a hilly, pine forested land that was liberally gifted with natural springs, many charged with carbonic acid gas. The first one of these they saw appeared as if it were boiling as the bubbles of gas rose and broke and roiled on the surface. But the water proved to be cool and refreshing.

There were also hot springs in that land. One day's camp was near such a spring and while some of the men took their turns relaxing in the hot water, others stood guard, for Hunts-by-night had warned them that there were bands of hunters in the area. While not overtly hostile, such groups would not pass up the opportunity to try and steal the heron men's horses, not to mention the guns and metal weapons of the travelers, which were still quite rare outside of the European colonies.

The guns were for emergencies anyway. The smooth bore flintlock rifles and pistols were too unreliable to hunt game with, being highly inaccurate at anything but a short distance. The other drawback of the guns was their noise. Anyone using them gave away his position to any number of unseen ears.

Hunting was a job for bow and arrows, which the natives taught Hernando and Tobar how to handle. After Denys demanded to be included in the lessons, they taught him too. Coq'wima gave the boy a short bow which he began carrying proudly around with him, as if he were already a mighty hunter.

But Hunts-by-night remained the mainstay of their defense. The signs he left for anyone who might be following their trail provided another measure of safety. His sign was just five odd looking marks, but they were a warning that was taken seriously by many.

Hernando had not been aware of these marks until after the party passed the lake of salt water. When he asked about them he was told that all the tribes for hundreds of miles in all directions of the heron men's lands knew of Hunts-by-night, who was the Elxa's mighty protector. The last part did not surprise Hernando.

However, Hunts-by-night's marks, when he saw them, did puzzle Hernando. Thanks to the education he had received as part of his preparation for the priesthood, Hernando recognized the glyphs as letters of the Greek alphabet, but their meaning eluded him. He knew that the language had been used in Constantinople, where Hunts-by-night had said he was born, but that had been centuries ago, before the Turks conquered it. Hernando wondered exactly how old the vampire was, and suspected he was very old indeed.

However, the continuing day-to-day concerns of the men's wilderness journey did not encourage Hernando to dwell on such mysteries. They soon reached another canyon running east and west. It was wide and deep, but nowhere near as impressive as the one they had seen farther to the south. They did not cross this barrier, but turned west and skirted the southern edge of the canyon.

The land they trekked through was very bad: dry, alkali desert that even most Native Americans avoided, with no way down into the canyon and to the river that tantalized the heron men. While the harsh conditions made for safer traveling, the heron men would not have survived their passage through that barren land if Hunts-by-night had not been with them. Somehow, everyday, he managed to find and bring fodder for the horses, food for the men and kept the party's waterskins full.

Little by little, the land became more hospitable as the course of the river slowly curved to the north. The canyon they skirted gradually disappeared until the travelers could easily approach the banks of the river. It was a joy for the heron men to frolic in water again and wash the dust of the desert off of themselves.

By that time, the clothes they had been wearing in New Mexico were packed away and everyone was dressing in the most barely modest fashion. Coq'wima had made moccasins and breechclouts for them all from the skins of the kills they had made along the way. As comfortable as the skimpy garments were, Denys could hardly be prevailed upon to cover himself at all.

If it had not been for his bright red hair, the boy with the dark, all over tan would have been mistaken for a native. As Hernando watched his little brother go about his business so unselfconsciously, he shook his head. It was hard to believe Denys had ever worn clothes in his life by the time the party turned away from the river. They followed a tributary that led to the northwest. Hernando was told it drained part of the wide, grassy valley the heron men used as their primary hunting grounds.

They did not go far along that stream before encountering a village of conical lodges and the heron men were invited to visit awhile by the tribe's shaman. Hunts-by-night assured his companions he sensed no danger and conferred with Coq'wima before they accepted the invitation. Hernando was a little puzzled, seeing as he had been told the Elxa's city was close now, perhaps three more days away, but Acoma soon let him know what was going on.

Most of the men of the encampment were away hunting. The resident medicine man, Asavo, had a son, Daraca, who thought he was being led to join the heron men. Their visit gave Coq'wima a chance to speak with the young man and guide him in an Elxa ritual.

"What kind of ritual?" Hernando asked when Acoma told him of it, the next day.

Hernando and Acoma were seated near the stream outside the village, where they could keep an eye on Denys. He was at play with four native boys who were about his age. Their naked brown bodies shone in the sunshine as they splashed and frisked happily in the water.

It was that tribe's custom to let their young boys go naked until their semen turned thick and white. After that, they would be given a breechclout to wear and get taken along on hunting expeditions so they could learn the necessary skills from the older braves. As that was their first step on the road to becoming men, the boys tended to masturbate constantly, always looking hopefully for the sign that would elevate their status within the tribe.

"It is good you ask," began Acoma, "for Coq'wima has said he wishes us to take part in the rite. We will not do much, only witness it."

"All of us?"

"Yes... but not Denys, of course. Coq'wima will smoke a sacred pipe with Daraca and they will have medicine dreams. Our job will be to see that they are not disturbed until they awaken, or if they sleep beyond a certain amount of time, to wake them up."

"Wouldn't they wake up eventually on their own?"

"Perhaps. But they might also be tempted to stay in the world of the spirits they will be communing with."

"Oh! You mean they would die?"

"One thing Fra Antonio did speak the truth about, my love, is that while the body may die, our spirits are eternal. Coq'wima is not frightened of death, for he knows it is only a transition to another kind of life, where he would live and work with those spirits the Elxa revere, joining other heron men who lived before us. But he also knows his work here in the flesh is not yet done. He wants us to be a sort of anchor to this world for him, so he can be sure of finding his way back to it."

"Of course," Hernando nodded. "I'll help him in any way I can."

"Look," smiled Acoma.

Hernando glanced at the stream. Denys and the native boys were busy pulling on each other's immature pricks. The men were not sure if the boys were having a race or not, but if they were, Denys came in second as one after another the boys shot various amounts of clear fluid, blasting each other's bellies with their juices. They inspected their cum closely, and Denys was not the only one who scooped it up and licked it off his fingers.

"It's hard to believe Denys is taking so naturally to this new life."

"Shining Mountain's spirits did not lie about him, it seems." Acoma touched Hernando's hand. "Another thing I should mention about the ritual, my love: we might see visions as well. But Coq'wima has assured me that we will be in no danger."

"I remember Coq'wima saying we would all have to take a vision quest at some point. I suppose this is sort of like that. Will Coq'wima need help preparing for the ceremony?"

"He and Tobar, Zoqui and Xiguex are seeing to it."

"When will it happen?"

"After sunset. Hunts-by-night has agreed to help guard the lodge we will gather in, so we will not be disturbed."

"I wonder if he could keep an eye on Denys, too."

"I will ask, though I would not be surprised if he has already heard our request."

"Though Hunts-by-night has told me much about himself, I find myself still full of questions. I cannot help but wonder at the things we've seen him do."

"As Shining Mountain told me, his medicine is very strong."

"Well, I'm glad he's on our side. So, we have nothing to do but wait until sundown?"

Acoma smiled in reply as he ran his hand up Hernando's arm, ruffling the coppery hairs that grew there.

"We are free to do whatever we wish until then."

Hernando pulled Acoma to him in a fierce kiss. The men were soon lost in their lovemaking upon the grassy bank, unmindful of the show they were putting on for their audience. The boys in the stream watched in open mouthed wonder at first.

Eventually the sight of the rutting men spurred the youngsters on to imitate their elders' actions. Seeing the men use spit to lube their man sized members, the boys followed suit. Denys was not the only boy among the group who lost his cherry in the next hour or so as they spit on their cocklets and thrust them up each other's backsides until all had a turn being active or passive.

"What are you doing, Red Horse?" asked Long Rabbit, who had just gotten fucked by his friend. Red Horse had knelt and pulled Long Rabbit's asscheeks apart.

"I want to see if I shot seed. Try and push it out."

Long Rabbit strained. A small turd popped out and hit Red Horse squarely in the face. The boys burst into uncontrollable laughter as Red Horse scrubbed his face furiously in the water.

"I didn't mean to do that!" Long Rabbit managed, frightened that his friend might hit him, but unable to keep himself from laughing as hard as the others.

"I know," Red Horse said sourly. "I think I'll stick to pulling it."

"There's something else we could do," suggested Denys, kneeling before Red Horse.

"What?"

"I can suck you. Then after you shoot I can spit it out for you to see."

"Sure," encouraged Red Horse as the other gathered to watch. It had never occurred to them to do anything other than jerk each other off before then. Denys sucked like he had seen the heron men do and it was enough. "I'm shooting... " Red Horse gasped his warning as he thrust into Denys' mouth.

"Did he do it?" asked Long Rabbit.

Denys spat Red Horse's juice into his hand to show the others. They were impressed. Long Rabbit knelt and took Denys in his mouth as the others turned to each other to try it.

"I don't believe it!" whispered Hernando. He and Acoma had gotten off some time earlier and had watched the boys experimenting on each other since then. "Denys is debauching them!"

"And who do you think he got the idea from?"

"From either of us, I suppose." Hernando stretched himself out on his back in the grass. "Wake me when they're done. I want to make sure Denys eats something before we start that ceremony."

"Denys is lucky to have such a loving and attentive brother," Acoma murmured, stroking the crimson fur on Hernando's chest.

"He's not the only one who is so gifted," whispered Hernando. Acoma's eyes, full of love, rose to meet and hold Hernando's as a meadowlark burst into joyous song somewhere nearby.

A few hours later, Hernando was sitting in the lodge of the shaman whose son, Daraca, was to be guided by Coq'wima into the spirit realm. He, his companions and the medicine man watched as the pair involved in the rite smoked a pipe, passing it back and forth. The heavy, yellowish, sweetish smelling smoke did not seem to Hernando to be like that produced by tobacco. He learned later that the shredded leaves came from an herb grown especially by the heron men for ritual purposes.

As the potent smoke took hold, Daraca and Coq'wima laid down and soon were asleep. The others could not help but breath some of it in as well. As time passed, Hernando's eyes grew heavy. He closed them, thinking he would rest them for a short while.

Abruptly, Hernando found himself floating above his friends. He looked down and saw his own body, still seated between Acoma and Xiguex. Then he looked at himself, his spirit form, which appeared to echo the shape of his nude body. Softly glowing pinions, his spirit wings, which Coq'wima had told his fellow travelers about, spread from Hernando's back. They showed shifting, unexpected subtleties of color, like the fire of a fine opal.

He glanced at the others. All their bodies were surrounded by subtle, multicolored glows. However, the auras of Coq'wima and Daraca were not as strong. As Hernando looked from their prone bodies to his own, he noted a similar diminishing of intensity. He guessed it was because their spirits were absent.

Looking up towards the top of the conical lodge, Hernando wondered if that was where they had gone. Willing himself upward, he passed through the skin hides that sheathed the lodge as if they had no substance. The night sky seemed magnificently exalted. Never had the stars seemed so bright to his eyes. A quiet voice attracted his attention.

Looking back down, Hernando saw Hunts-by-night sitting before the flap of the lodge. The vampire heron man's aura was different from those of the others Hernando had seen, being suffused with a rich, ruby red light that almost overpowered the other colors that struggled through the crimson glow to show themselves. Denys and two other boys were with him. Hunts-by-night was telling the boys a story, a legend of the Elxa.

Hernando listened for a bit. It proved to be a tale he had heard before from Coq'wima, of the mighty warrior chief Red Bear, who had been the first white man to embrace the Way of the Heron, long ago. The boys' faces were intent as Hunts-by-night spoke of Red Bear's battle against a wicked sorcerer who could draw lightning down from the sky to kill any who opposed his evil will.

Hernando smiled and raised his eyes. Not far away, two native women were busy cutting up a large elk that Hunts-by-night had brought in with him that evening. Strips of meat were being hung on a rack to dry into jerky. A third woman was scraping the bloody skin with a stone tool.

Hernando looked up and wondered if he could follow Coq'wima and Daraca. Another spirit form drifted up and out of the lodge to hang in the air before Hernando. He recognized the medicine man, Asavo, who spoke to him.

"Go up, heron man, and see if my son is safe."

"Can you not go yourself?" Hernando asked.

The Spaniard wondered at his sudden ability to understand the shaman's speech. Only Coq'wima and Hunts-by-night had been able to speak the tribe's dialect, though Tobar, thanks to his gift for learning languages, had picked up on it quickly and was already able to carry on simple conversations. Coq'wima had also taught Tobar the Elxa's tongue by then and he was patiently relaying what he had learned to his fellow travelers.

"They have gone into a spirit world that only men of your nature can enter. I do not desire the love of men, so I cannot follow after them," explained Asavo.

"I have never been to that place myself, but I will try now."

Hernando began to will himself higher. Then he felt an odd sensation, as if someone had touched his shoulder, in order to get his attention. Apologizing to Asavo, he floated back down to see what had happened.

His dreaming body had slumped over and Acoma had caught it. He watched as his lover gently laid him down so his head could rest in Acoma's lap. Hernando tried to kiss his brother, forgetting that he was intangible, then rose again.

He passed Asavo who had begun chanting a song of power to aid his son. Hernando rose higher and higher. He looked to the northwest, where the hidden city of the heron men was supposed to be.

Hernando gazed across the great, roughly circular valley that was partly drained by the stream near the camp. He spied a range of weathered, broken hills on its western extent and thought that was the landmark he and his fellow travelers sought. It had been often described to them by Coq'wima in the course of their trek.

Above one of the chasms that scarred the rugged area, Hernando could see other men who appeared to be, like himself, floating free of their bodies. The sight did not surprise him overmuch. After witnessing the things Hunts-by-night could do and hearing Coq'wima's tales of Elxa magic, Hernando was prepared for wondrous sights. He noted the entrance to that particular canyon before looking around some more. He spotted a camp of hunters to the southwest and wondered if they were the men of Asavo's tribe. Slowly, Hernando's view of the world shaded away as he rose ever higher and another revealed itself.

To his great surprise, Hernando suddenly found himself standing in a wide stretch of grassland. As the man looked around himself in curiosity, distant landmarks seemed to tell him he was back where he started, at the site of the native encampment, though there was no sign of any human habitation. He wondered if the spirit world was a sort of reflection of the earth as it ought to be, unspoiled by the detrimental activities of mankind.

"That's exactly what it is, my friend."

Hernando turned and confronted another white man who had addressed him in Spanish. The unexpected appearance took Hernando aback. The newcomer, who appeared to be middle aged and whose dark hair and beard were generously shot through with gray, smiled warmly at Hernando. His spirit wings sparkled marvelously as they waved gently.

"You must get used to sudden happenings here. We spirits move at the speed of thought."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Lucano de Solis."

Lucano embraced Hernando in greeting. It was another unexpected shock to feel his spirit body hugged. It seemed that in this place, his spirit was no longer intangible.

"That's right. You catch on quickly!" Lucano replied. "May I know your name?"

"Hernando de Ulloa. But you could have read my mind and found that out yourself, couldn't you?"

"While we're in this place, the spirit realm, yes. But that would have been impolite. The only reason I sensed your thoughts before was because you have no training in shielding them. This is your first time here, right?"

"Yes. Are you a spirit?"

"You mean am I alive or dead?" grinned Lucano. "I'm very much alive, thanks to the heron men. I was a sailor on the galleon 'Ira Regina' which was shipwrecked on the Pacific coast over twenty years ago, far to the west of here. I was the only survivor and the natives who found me enslaved me. But soon after, Hunts-by-night came to offer to buy my freedom. The spirits of the Elxa knew I was a man like them and moved their human partners to bring me into their brotherhood. I have lived with them ever since, learning their ways. Like how to induce the state of sacred dreaming and visit the spirit realm at will, among others."

"You didn't wish to go back to civilization?"

"Back to a place where I was always afraid of being burnt at the stake because I ached for the loving touch of other men? Certainly not! If that's civilization, give me savagery every time! Do you want to go back to... Where are you from, Hernando?"

"The colony of New Mexico. And no, I wouldn't want to go back, even if I could. It has probably been completely destroyed by now."

"Yes, We heard about the native revolt."

Hernando glanced around, but saw no one else within sight.

"Lucano, I was looking for my friend Coq'wima. He has brought another man here, Daraca. I want to find out if they are alright. Do you know where they are?"

"They are safe, Hernando. But they are deep in communion with our guiding spirits. It would not be good to disturb them. You can see them though," Lucano offered, pointing.

Hernando looked away and saw with an uncanny clarity a scene that seemed to be very far away. Coq'wima and Daraca were seated before a huge and imposing heron. Its eyes were balls of intense violet flame. Around these three floated other spirits, their bodies odd to Hernando's eyes. Some were simple: spheres or cubes; others were more complex, winged, bird- or insect-like, or else resembling no animals Hernando could name. One looked like a veil blown by the wind, floating and curling gracefully as its color changed, like a rippling piece of rainbow as it slowly circled the meeting place.

"That one," Lucano began, indicating the veil-like spirit, "is a protector."

"I don't understand. Why... "

"Do we need protection?" finished Lucano. "Because there are evil spirits as well as good ones. But I assure you, we are completely safe here."

"Amazing," Hernando managed at last. "I guess I can let Asavo know his son is safe now."

"You're not going to stay?"

"I didn't expect to come here at all, Lucano. I think I'd better wait and talk to Coq'wima before I do this again."

"Hmm. That's probably wise. But take a look over in that direction before you go."

Following Lucano's pointing finger once again, Hernando saw a circular formation of large rocks, forming a natural fortress. Nearby, a large hot spring sparkled and smoked. The site appeared to be a day's travel to the north.

Two men and a boy Denys' age had set up a camp there. Hernando was surprised to see that the youth was white, with dirty blonde hair, and his older companions appeared to be of mixed blood, like Acoma. He looked questioningly at Lucano.

"How many white heron men are there?"

"Three, counting myself. Your group about doubles our number."

Hernando looked back at the men in the camp near the hot spring.

"They appear younger than you."

"Etienne and Francois were only a little older than you, I would say, when they came to us five years ago. They were outlawed by the French authorities for freely trading with the natives. There are many like them, called coureurs de bois, but I believe they are the first to have come this far west."

"Who is the boy?"

"Timothy was being held in captivity by a tribe whose warriors had murdered his family while raiding an outlying English settlement. The French traders ransomed him and treat him like a little brother. Since he and Denys are the only boys among us, I hope they will become friends and playmates."

"I was a little worried about what Denys would do for friends here. What are they doing there?"

"They are waiting for you," Lucano informed Hernando. "Francois and Etienne went to set up a camp to meet your group when they heard you were close. They too are hoping Timothy and your little brother will be friends. As you can see, they are only a day's journey from Daraca's village."

Hernando wondered if Hunts-by-night had helped the three reach the sanctuary of the heron men's lands as he had Hernando's group. He was aware that the French and English had colonized the lands far to the north and east of New Mexico, in contravention of the Pope's decision to divide the 'West Indies' between Spain and Portugal. The Frenchmen's trek must have easily been longer than the one he and his friends had endured.

"There is another thing I wish to mention before you go, concerning Denys."

"What about Denys?"

"Our chief shaman, Many Wings, has spoken to me about some medicine dreams he has had about Denys. He believes Denys has the potential to be a powerful shaman, and looks forward to meeting and teaching the boy."

"I understand Shining Mountain had similar visions... "

Hernando felt another odd sensation, like the one he had experienced earlier. He wondered what was happening to his body. Lucano noticed Hernando's distraction. He offered Hernando some advice before saying goodbye.

"Just will yourself downward. You will always naturally find your way back to your body. I look forward to meeting you in the flesh, Hernando."

"Farewell, Lucano," Hernando replied as he let himself begin to drift downward.

After another vague moment of transition, Hernando found himself once again high in the sky above the scattering of native lodges. He continued down until he saw Asavo again. The medicine man looked at Hernando expectantly.

"Your son is alright," Hernando told the relieved father as he looked around. Hunts-by-night was still sitting before the entrance to the lodge, with Denys asleep in his arms. Hernando felt another vague touch.

"You must go back to your body, young man," Asavo advised him. "Thank you for your news."

Hernando nodded and reentered the lodge. Acoma was speaking softly to his brother's sleeping body. Hernando drifted closer and suddenly he was back inside, looking up at his lover's concerned face.

"I'm alright," he whispered, sitting up and glancing around.

Coq'wima and Daraca were still asleep. Asavo was sitting cross legged, his eyes shut. The others were looking oddly at Hernando.

"What?"

"Did you dream?" Tobar asked.

"I saw some strange things, yes. I want to talk about the experience with Coq'wima first, though."

Eventually, the ritual was concluded successfully. Daraca awoke first and seemed quite happy, though he explained that he had to keep what he had seen to himself until he could speak with the Elxa's chief shaman, Many Wings. Coq'wima and Asavo also came back to their bodies without any ill effects.

After conferring with Asavo, the medicine man reluctantly agreed to allow Daraca to go and visit the heron men in their city. Asavo still had hope that his son would get married and give him grandchildren, though that seemed highly unlikely to Hernando, especially after Tobar shared the story of a hot sexual encounter between himself and Daraca in the stream while washing the next day. Listening to the details, it appeared to Hernando that Daraca had the makings of a first class heron man.

Eventually Hernando found time to be alone with Coq'wima to discuss what he had heard and seen during his unintended spirit journey. Coq'wima confirmed everything Lucano had told Hernando. And the heron man nodded his head solemnly at Lucano's prediction about Denys.

"He is a special child. I fear I, Zoqui and Xiguex have come to love him as much as you, Acoma and Sun-in-his-hair."

"Coq'wima, how much longer will we stay here?"

"We will leave at sunset. Asavo wanted time to be with Daraca. He is finding it hard to accept that his only son has a spirit like ours, one that will not walk his path and leave children behind him."

"I imagine my father would have been just as disappointed in me, if he had known what my spirit was like."

"Almost all men like us come from parents whose natures are opposed to ours. It is natural that few would accept the fact that their offspring are so different from themselves. Indeed, some parents are never pleased by their children, no matter how hard the children try to conform themselves to their parents' expectations."

Hernando nodded in agreement. Then they turned to the tasks of gathering their belongings and preparing to go. When Hunts-by-night came to them after sunset, he found the group ready to travel. Hiding his feelings, Asavo stoically bid his son goodbye. Daraca mounted his horse and fell in behind the heron men.

Their night journey followed the same stream for awhile, then turned to the north. They climbed some low hills, coming out on a higher level of grasslands, the heart of the Elxa's lands. After midnight, Hernando caught the sharp odor of sulfur on the wind. Denys, who was sitting in front of his brother and handling the horse's reins, noticed it too.

"What's that funny smell?"

"Don't you remember, Denys?" asked Coq'wima. "We smelled the same odor when we camped by that hot spring several days ago."

"Oh! Then we must be close to the camp you told me about!" he replied excitedly. "I can't wait to meet the other boy!"

"Don't be disappointed if he's asleep, Denys. He hasn't had to stay awake at nights and sleep during the day, like we have," Tobar cautioned.

The sulfury smell of the hot spring proved to have drifted far. It took another half hour of riding before they saw the mist rising off a fair sized pool of water. Hunts-by-night and another man got out of the hot spring and greeted them.

The naked stranger, speaking in the Elxa tongue, introduced himself as Francois Roberval. His partner, Etienne Nouel, and their adopted brother Timothy Wright were sleeping. As the others joined the camp though, Etienne awoke and moved to build up the fire so everyone could see what they were doing.

The new light showed the rock formation that surrounded them was just as Hernando had seen during his separation from his body. It was a natural fortress, easily defensible. And just a few feet outside its entrance smoked a wonderful pool of hot water, ready to receive and refresh the weary travelers.

All the activity roused Timothy as well, who also knew another boy his age was going to arrive there. The men smiled as they watched the pair drawn to each other like a pair of magnets. Timothy was already naked and Denys quickly lost the little he wore as Timothy led him out to play in the hot spring.

"I hope they get along," Etienne said to Hernando and Acoma. "Timothy loves living here. The heron men are like a hoard of indulgent uncles to him! But we always felt like he needed a friend his own age."

"I'm glad for the same reason, for Denys' sake," Hernando responded as Acoma nodded in agreement.

The men sat and talked, getting to know one another. About an hour passed and the boys came back. Denys pulled his bearskin from where it had been packed and threw it down over Timothy's blankets, then they burrowed under the shared covers together. The skin appeared to be possessed as it undulated, showing the boys were busy playing private games of their own beneath it.

"Well, it looks like they got past the language barrier," Francois smiled.

"Does Timothy speak Elxa?" asked Tobar.

"Oh yes. In addition, we taught him French and he taught us English. Maybe now he'll learn Spanish too!"

"Well, I taught Denys some Elxa. Now he'll have a real incentive to learn more and use it!"

Hernando awoke to a delicious feeling. A mouth had surrounded his morning hardon and was suctioning gently. His hands reached out to stroke the shaggy haired head that bobbed above his groin.

"Oh Acoma... " he breathed. "How I love you... "

Knowing Hernando was awake, Acoma sucked harder on the rigid shaft and was soon rewarded with a mouthful of his brother's liquid love. Acoma nursed on his lover until he was soft, then turned to kiss him. Hernando swallowed the portion of his seed Acoma had saved to feed to him.

"I want to feel you inside me, now... " Hernando begged as the kiss ended.

"I will get the lube, my love."

Uncovering their heads, the pair's eyes were dazzled by daylight. It was nearly noon and the sun shone almost directly down into the natural fort, but not with the debilitating fierceness of the deserts Hernando and his friends had passed through. They had come much further north and the summers there, though still hot, were moderated by the surrounding highlands and the abundance of plantlife: tall grasses and occasional stands of trees in the wide valley the heron men used as their hunting grounds.

The brothers looked around and smiled. Etienne was mounted on Francois' back murmuring love to him in French as they coupled. Both men were dark haired and skinned. They were metiffs, mixed blood offspring of French settlers and Huron women. The partners had related their story to Hernando's party the previous night.

Like many of their fellows, the intrepid coureurs de bois, whose activities did much to bolster France's territorial claims in the New World, they had made their living by fur trapping and trading with tribes far from the tenuous toeholds of European civilization. Already men like them followed the Mississippi and traded regularly with the great Sioux nation, far to the west of the nearest French settlement. But France repaid these men poorly.

A few greedy noblemen, who had never set foot in the New World but held royal monopolies on the fur trade, were upset by the lack of control they had over the coureurs de bois. The latter were just as happy to sell to the English or Spanish, if they could make a better profit. In 1673 a royal decree of Louis XIV forbid the free trappers from trading with anyone but French merchants. It basically made outlaws out of the coureurs de bois and had the effect of driving them away from any settlement where the decree could be enforced.

Cut off from their livelihood and having heard of the Elxa from more than one tribe in their travels, Francois and Etienne decided to go in search of them. They found and purchased Timothy from his captors in the course of that trek and their contacts among the Sioux were able to point out an ancient trail of marked stones leading west, left by the Elxa long ago to guide future men of their nature to the hidden home of the heron men, somewhere beyond the wide plains and high mountains.

They followed a band of Sioux whose wanderings took them as far west as the tribe went in its annual buffalo hunt. Then the metiffs and their adopted brother struck out to the west, passing over the mountains and through a land filled with hot springs and geysers, before encountering and following the same river Hernando's group had followed. Hernando was not surprised to hear that Hunts-by-night had appeared soon after that to guide the three the rest of the way. He was sent by the heron shaman Many Wings, who had seen the three new brothers coming to the Elxa in his medicine dreams.

As Acoma went to get the pouch of special slave the heron men made, Hernando noticed Tobar and Daraca holding each other in their blankets and speaking softly. He wondered if the men would become lovers. The prospect made him happy for his brother.

Coq'wima had joined Zoqui and Xiguex in their bed, but the three natives' blankets were empty. No doubt they were enjoying a soak in the hot spring. Hernando intended to join them as soon as he and Acoma were done making love.

Moved by curiosity, Hernando got up and went the few steps to the bedroll of the last members of the group. Lifting the bearskin carefully, he saw Denys and Timothy snuggled in each other's arms, sleeping peacefully. He smiled and covered them up again.

"Denys is alright?" asked Acoma as Hernando joined him in their blankets.

"Yes... Ooo... " Hernando moaned as Acoma thrust a slick finger into his ass, coating the tender flesh well with dark amber grease. "That salve feels so cool and tingly... "

"Coq'wima told me it has the juices of many herbs mixed into it. No doubt that is what makes it so." Acoma held up a plump bag for Hernando to see, nearly full of the heron men's fulvous gel. "It is good Etienne and Francois brought more with them. Coq'wima's supply was nearly gone."

"We have shared much love on this trip," Hernando nodded as Acoma positioned himself.

"I love you," breathed Acoma as his rigid cock pushed into Hernando.

"Acoma... " Hernando returned, centering his attention on his brother as the men's joined bodies were stroked by the shadow of an eagle, flying high above them. But not as high as the lovers' soaring spirits...

Hernando rose from where he had been lying, in a shallow spot at the edge of the hot spring. He went to stand on the grassy bank to admire the view. The sun was setting, a vast, dull red globe that hovered above the highlands to the west, and Hernando studied the distant hills. He had been told the heron men's hidden city was there, somewhere, two more days travel from the hot spring.

Now that they were safely in the Elxa's lands, there was less need for precautions against enemy tribes. Etienne and Francois were prepared to guide them to the city beginning tomorrow morning. Hernando was glad he would be going back to the normalcy of sleeping at night and being awake during the day.

He did feel somewhat sorry to be losing Hunts-by-night's companionship. But their uncanny guide had invited Hernando to share his bed in the Elxa city. It was something Hernando was looking forward to.

"As do I, my friend," a familiar voice said, as a cold hand rested on his shoulder.

While Hernando had been lost in thought, the sun had set. He turned easily to face Hunts-by-night and kissed him passionately. The vampire released him and quickly stripped off his clothes.

"Come," he invited, extending his hand.

Hernando took it, accepting not just the invitation to join Hunts-by-night in the hot spring, but to join him and his fellow heron men in everything the new life before Hernando offered. Wading in until the warm water lapped at their shoulders, they embraced and kissed again. The steam rose dreamily off the rippling surface of the pool, rising like the heron men's passions, and like Hernando's hopes for the future.

EPILOGUE

The night was clear and the moon was full, flooding a certain canyon. Between brilliant moonlight and inky shadows, one's eyes could be tricked easily in such a place. But the angular contours of the old cliff city of the heron men revealed by that uncertain play of light and shadow was no illusion.

The members of the Elxa tribe went about their business as they would on any other night. But on that particular night, a pall of sadness hung over the inhabitants. Everyone knew their chief shaman was dying and that his time was close.

Deep in the maze of rooms and corridors that made the city seem to be one gigantic building, nearly filling a natural void in that canyon wall, the tribal elders had gathered. Once all were seated around the deathbed, Ta'hoa touched the occupant of that bed lightly. The shaman's eyes fluttered open.

"Ah, my son... I was having such a nice dream... my brothers were here... they are waiting to take me on another journey... " the old man smiled. "We shall journey again, just as we did long ago, when we first came here... " His eyes swept the circle of anxious faces who watched and listened, lighting upon a white man whose buckskin garments had been dyed a deep scarlet color. "Do you remember, Hunts-by-night?"

"I remember," the vampire answered somberly. He reached to wipe away bloody tears with hands that still looked the same as they had some ninety years before, when he had used them to hold a small sleeping boy. The boy had grown, becoming the most powerful shaman the Elxa had ever had. But now his life was almost over.

'You go where I cannot follow,' the vampire telepathed, his thoughts carrying his sadness. 'As a spirit, I shall never see you again, except through others' minds, those you speak to from the spirit realm.'

'Though you will no longer feel it, my love for you shall endure.' Blue Badger responded silently.

"Ta'hoa." he spoke aloud.

"Yes, Blue Badger?"

"You have the totems?"

"Yes."

"Let me hold them one last time."

Reverently, Ta'hoa handed the Elxa treasures to Blue Badger. With his left hand he gripped the hilt of a very old sword, forged from unearthly blue metal. It rested upon the old man's chest, its point upon his right shoulder. His right hand gripped the shaft of a spear, shortened in a long ago conflict, a story sung often by Elxa tribesmen. It was tipped with a colorless crystal that managed nevertheless to throw off sparkles of multicolored light. He rested the crystal tip on his left shoulder.

"My brothers," he began, "my time is short. I have tried to teach you the great mysteries, of the increible potential locked in our man-loving male hearts. I thought I had found the key to unlocking this potential, but the final piece of puzzle has eluded me. We know our power affects the earth, makes it fertile, shapes what it brings forth. Someday another will find the key, complete my work, and that day will be a wonderful one... the power of our love will work miracles... "

Blue Badger closed his eyes and his voice fell to a whisper.

"Ta'hoa, you must guide the tribe now. Use Bluefang and the Sky-Spear as I have taught you and you will do well. You are ready... you have been ready for a long time, my son."

"Yes, my father," Ta'hoa wept as his lover, a red haired and bearded white man, gatherered the next chief shaman of the Elxa into his arms comfortingly. "Oh, Nathan... "

"We will all miss him, my love, but you know he will never be really gone from us. The spirit realm is close... " was all Nathan could say before he too began to weep.

"There shall be rain, I think... a gentle rain... for the next few hours... "

The crystal wand that rested over Blue Badger's heart gave off a faint blue sparkle. Though the others could not hear it, Hunts-by-night's supernatural hearing caught the distant patter of rain beginning outside. Then he heard Blue Badger's heart shudder and become still.

'Goodbye, Denys... '

The shaman caught that last thought. Then an odd thing happened. Blue Badger felt an overwhelming desire to go outside. Without thinking about it, he got up from his deathbed and left the room. He followed familiar passages through the Elxa city and came out into a sort of plaza. As he looked around, a young blonde haired and bearded man came out of the nearby stables, leading two horses. Blue Badger, born Denys de Ulloa, smiled at his first lover.

"Timothy."

"Are you ready to go, Denys?" he smiled back. "The others are waiting. See?"

The city around them seemed to be melting away, like fog. A long way off, Denys saw his brothers, Acoma and Hernando. There were others as well. Denys saw Etienne and Francois as well, Timothy's foster brothers. Tobar was there, and Daraca as well. Coq'wima, Xiguex and Zoqui stood by, holding their horses' leads.

"Hunts-by-night shall not be guiding us... " Denys began, touched by sadness; the vampire could not see the Elxa spirits directly, his nature was too different.

"We have another guide now," Timothy responded, pointing.

Denys saw the Heron Spirit then. The greatest of all the Elxa spirits looked even more imposing and powerful to Denys than it had in any medicine dream he had ever experienced while he was alive. The godling turned its head, fixing its blazing eyes on Denys. He nodded.

"I am ready."

As Denys mounted the horse Timothy brought him, he noticed for the first time that he was no longer an old man. He looked at Timothy and remembered the nights of strong love they had shared as young men. Desire for his first love came over him again as they started off, galloping across a verdant dream of deep, waving grass. They were joined by the others, calling out greetings. The Heron Spirit flew ahead, skimming over the green, undulating prairie. It sang as it flew, making a sound like a concert of native flutes. Denys smiled as they rode. He did not know where they were going, but he was quite sure it would, once again, be someplace wonderful.

THE END

of The Journey Of Broken Cross

the 2nd prequel to the series

'The Way Of The Heron'

by C. T. Creekmur

Copyright (c) 2009 by Charles T. Creekmur

"All Rights Reserved"

submitted to nifty.org 1/3/2009