Fairytale - part one

[maderr]

I guess I should say right, right now, that minus a coupla three things I feel are owed here, you'll not be seeing much more from me in the way of posted straight to LJ stuff. Snippets, drabbles, all that stuff, but more and more of it is going to lulu, or something similiar. You will definitely see Midnight, Taste of Magic, and Black Magic. Past that, I cannot be certain. I am sorry to those this displeases, but when I say that in a couple of years I want to quit my job and live off my writing, I mean it - and the looming January marks that goal, so from here on out, I'm devoting most of my time to stories that likely will not see the light of day immediately.

That being said, I have been struggling with Pied Piper for a very long time. It was hard to figure out an interesting way to execute it. This is what I landed upon. It should be noted this is Not Work Safe. It's also unbeta'ed, and will be beta'ed later on. As I do not now how the rest of my week will play out, better to post it now than who knows when -_-

In two parts, cause LJ hates me.

Play Me A Song

Pretty pied piper, won't you play me a song?

The voice jerked him from his dreams, and Kaleo sighed as he stared up at the dark, dusty ceiling of the room he'd taken for the night. He closed his eyes again, but the effort was futile—he would get no more sleep tonight.

Heaving a louder, longer sigh, Kaleo threw back his thin blankets and sat up. He hummed a quick, coaxing tune, and the candle on the side table flared to life. A few more bars, and the lamp on the table lit as well.

In the orange glow of their flickering light, he gathered his clothes and began to dress. His clothes were unremarkable, much the rest of him. Simple, drab browns from head to foot; even his skin was brown from all his traveling, though winter snows were heavy upon the ground now. Brown hair, brown eyes, brown tunic, brown breeches, boots, belt, and all the rest—except for his coat.

His coat was made of hundreds of colors, fabrics, shapes, and sizes. A collection of every place he had ever been, each one reminding him of a time, a problem, a spell—a song. It was his pride and joy, his coat, even if everyone told him he looked a proper vagabond in it.

What was he though, save a proper vagabond? One who carried a King's Seal, though he seldom had cause or desire to display it, but a vagabond nonetheless.

Settling the coat, he then combed his fingers through his hair to smooth out the worst of the tangles, then swiftly braided it, leaving it then to fall between his shoulders blades, stopping just past them.

Yawning, wishing mournfully that he could go back to sleep, Kaleo checked his pack, ensured that he had all his belongings, left an additional coin upon the table for the innkeeper, and departed.

The night was cold, bitterly so, the snow hard beneath his feet where it had started to melt beneath the sun, then frozen again as the temperature dropped with night. High above, the clouds had moved off to give the moon all the glory of the sky she was due—full and silver, a soft shine against the hard glitter of the stars around her, making the snow seem to glow. He walked in a world of hard white, feeling completely, utterly, and wretchedly alone.

Pretty pied piper, won't you play me a song?

Why must he think of Tihan now? He did not even know where Tihan had been sent, or when he would see him again, or if…if when they met again, Tihan would still find him interesting. They were travelers, vagabonds, it was stupid to hope and pine…

Yet every time that voice invaded his dreams, he was pulled from them, subconscious convinced that it was his lover calling to him, and he would see him upon waking….and all he ever woke to was an empty bed.

He was tempted to take out his pipe, to play some tune that would ease his mind, drive back the unrelenting silence of the night, but he dare not wake up something best left sleeping. So, instead of the pipe, he hummed softly as he journeyed on, allowing his mind to focus on the reason he was being sent to a small village in the northernmost part of the country.

Rats, the missive had said. The village was overrun by a plague of rats that could only be the result of spell work.

If it was spell work, it was complicated. He admired the skill, if not the method of employment. Controlling one animal was fairly easy, minus a few species which simply resented being controlled in any fashion. It was harder to control several animals at once, but not impossible. But controlling enough that they could be described as a plague?

That was frightening. Impressive, but frightening, especially since rats were one of those species which resented any manner of control.

He wondered what the mage behind it hoped to accomplish, and what manner of spell work he used to cast it. Each method had its own strengths and weaknesses; it would be interesting to see how the mage cast his spells.

Being from a musical family, Kaleo had taken up that method without hesitation. He excelled at it, and loved it, even when that skill was the reason he travelled endlessly and likely would for a long time to come.

The matter of the guilty mage was one which would have to wait, though, ponder it as he might. Typical of missives, those who wrote them included the crime, the location, and precious little else. At least they had not mentioned his needing support—if the Powers That Be thought a mage would be all right without assistant muscle, then it should not be too difficult a problem to resolve.

It was somewhat disappointing, however, since requiring support might have offered one slim chance of seeing Tihan. Selfish, of course, because he didn't want people to suffer more than they already were…but he was always eager for anything that might bring him Tihan.

Kaleo sighed at himself again, but really, what could he do? Fall out of love? Ha! If that were possible, he might have been able to avoid falling in love in the first place. Unfortunately, he'd had no day in that matter. He was hopelessly, painfully in love with a man who saw him only as a pleasant way to pass the time when their paths crossed. Albeit, an extremely pleasant way to pass the time, and Tihan was closer to him than most others—or so was Kaleo's hopeful impression.

When he felt like making himself particularly miserable, however, he did wonder with whom else Tihan chose to pass the time.

Grimacing, he ceased humming and swung his pack off his shoulders, quickly pulling out the small packet that held a meal's worth of food within it. Handy at times like this, when there was no good place to stop. Resettling the pack on his shoulders, he slowly ate the bread, cheese, and jerky that was all too often all he had to eat. He finished them with bits of dried apple and some lemon candies.

When the sky began to turn gray, he at last found a place he could rest for a bit. It was too cold and comfortable to sleep; at least while he still had Tihan on his mind, but as he still had a day's worth of travel to make it was a welcome respite.

He watched the sun rise, soothed by the beauty of it, if not entirely settled. There were perks to his vagabond of the king life, and this was one of them. Constant travel was both pleasure and pain, and when he was not gloomy over being woken by a presence that was never there when he wished, it was definitely more of the former.

Reaching into his jacket, he extracted his pipe from its special pocket there, and put the enchanted metal to his lips.

He played a song that seemed to fit the cold but pleasant morning. Soft, quiet, cheerfully hopeful. This early in the day, nothing was determined and anything—everything—was possible. He encouraged that, added to it without overburdening the feeling.

Around him, those things which were not bothered by the frigid temperatures and difficult snow began to show themselves, began to explore. Some even ventured closer, caught by the music. He played on, until the sun had well and truly taken over the sky.

When he finally let the music fade away, more than a few creatures had gathered to listen, and they trickled away again only slowly. Kaleo smiled, and tucked his pipe away, wishing everything else in life could be so simple.

It never was, though.

Settling his pack, he walked on.

When he finally reached the proper village, rats were the least of his concerns. Until he saw them, anyway. Black, fat, and bold. Nasty creatures that knew they had strength in numbers, knew there was nothing to fear—and the telltale gleam of bewitchment in their eyes. Like an animal shine, but harder, brighter.

One drew close to him and he lashed out, kicking it hard, sending it into a wall only to fall amidst a pack of his brothers. Kaleo was grateful for the growing dark that would make them harder to see. Better a visible enemy, he knew…but those rats were vile.

His fingers twitched to take out his pipe, to do something about them…but only a foolish mage cast a spell before he knew the whole of the situation. Best to leave well enough alone, even if that meant not getting rid of the rats immediately.

Kicking another one away as it tried to crawl up his boot, he darted into the first pub he saw. Unfortunately, it proved to be filled to the brim. They were probably all here for the very same reason as he; strength in numbers, and though he could see a rat or two amongst the crush, they stood no chance against so many tightly packed humans.

Shoving and elbowing his way to the bar, he all but clung to it for dear life and signaled for an ale. It was just what he needed, when he got it. Not the best he'd ever head, but far from the worst. Gulping it down as quickly as he could, he called for a second, and sipped at it more leisurely.

He sat in the racket and simply enjoyed it. There was no rhythm, no control, nothing but a cacophony, but after his silent days of travel and little sleep of late, it was a welcome chaos. Sighing, allowing himself to forget about everything but food and drink for a bit, he called for a third ale and put in an order for food as well.

The pushing and bumping and shoving was to be expected; he scarcely noticed when someone pressed up against him from behind for more than a second—until a mouth hovered by his ear, and murmured, "Pretty Pied Piper, won't you play me a song?"

Kaleo jerked, ale splashing as he set it down with a thump. Heart hammering hard in his chest, he turned his head to stare in shock and a fierce, white-hot pleasure-pain that could only be caused by one man. "Tihan."

Tihan grinned his boyish, playful lopsided grin. "Kaleo. I think I'm hurt you did not immediately sense or see me."

"Oh, please, in this crush I would not notice the King if he were dancing naked upon the table," Kaleo said with a snort, fighting an urge to reach out and steal a kiss.

Then Tihan leaned forward and brushed a soft kiss across his lips, and Kaleo caught a brief hint of ale and meat, something sweet.

He drew a sharp breath, and looked at Tihan in surprise, wanting to know why Tihan would kiss him so openly and impulsively when normally any sort of public display was simply not Tihan's style. But all that came out was, "I didn't know I'd see you here. Passing through?"

"No," Tihan said, frowning. "I was told to report here to protect a mage and help him solve the riddle of the cursed rats."

Kaleo frowned in his turn. "My missive said nothing about my needing help."

Tihan shrugged, then grinned, but this time there was something smoldering in it. "Well, if you don't need my professional services, pretty pied piper, I'm more than happy to offer other services."

"I'm certain I could employ you for both," Kaleo said, smiling in return, reaching out to tug playfully at Tihan's dark blue tunic. He had another moment of surprise when Tihan obediently moved close, and reached out to tweak Kaleo's nose, just barely brushing over his lips before his hand fell away.

Then that smoldering smile again. "I have a room already," Tihan said, "if, say, you wanted to eat in peace and quiet, discuss the case…if you can use my services…"

Kaleo smiled, and turned to have the barkeep send the food to their room.

Upstairs, finally alone, he wasted no time sliding into Tihan's arm, slipping his own up underneath Tihan's tunic to get at the beautiful body he had not seen in months.

Dressed, Tihan appeared ordinary enough. Handsome, if not beautiful, though he had always taken Kaleo's breath away. His hair was a brown so dark is could almost pass for black, though with enough sun the ends lightened a bit. Short, with a hint of a wave. Sunshine also brought out the small smattering of freckles that Tihan absolutely hated, and Kaleo loved. His nose was slightly squashed and crooked looking, from being broken on more than one occasion. He was tall and broad and fit, an especially fine agent of the king.

Kaleo tugged Tihan's tunic away, revealing how magnificently unordinary he was when the clothes came off. Tihan was from the far south, the plains where people said life still had a barbaric edge to it, though anyone who had actually been there knew better. Except, perhaps, for the tattoo work. That still had a wild edge to it.

Wrist to shoulders, down back and chest, all the way down until the edges just brushed along the tops of his thighs, was an intricate, scrolling body tattoo. It all meant something to the plains tribes, Kaleo knew. He also knew Tihan periodically went home to have more added to it—the last time they'd seen each other, the work had stopped right at the bottom of his back. Now it continued on down, curving over his ass cheeks as Kaleo stripped his clothes away to see more and more. Marks of battles, achievements, his tribe and place in it, all his travels….the various knots and whorls and calligraphy-like work all bore some significance.

Kaleo moved around Tihan's body, touching whatever he could reach, dragging his mouth along Tihan's back, biting back a moan at the feel and flavor of the man he had sorely missed. He struggled not to wonder if someone else had done this recently, if he was just one more bed warmer or if his touch in particular had been missed.

He froze as his hands met something new across Tihan's abdomen. Pulling away, he turned Tihan around and stroked his fingers again over the livid, only recently healed scar that ran the length of Tihan's gut, icy fear cooling his blood. "Tihan…"

Tihan's hand curled around his own, pulling it away from the awful wound. "Ran into a bit of trouble couple of months ago, but a mage was near to hand and managed to save me. Looks worse than it was, I promise." He chucked Kaleo under the chin, and drew him close enough to kiss. "Don't frown so, I'm perfectly fine."

Kaleo nodded, and obediently opened to the kiss, not bothering to keep back his moan this time, kissing back hard to drive back the fear that still coiled in his own gut. A wound such as that…if a mage had not been close, and obviously skilled, Tihan would have died. Such wounds were most often fatal, as it was rare anyone was close enough to heal it within the small frame of time that was the only chance.

Hands shoved beneath his own clothes, and Kaleo shivered as his skin was brushed by cold air and hot, calloused hands. When Tihan pushed, he went easily down upon the bed, the roughness of the blankets still another delicious contrast.

He sank his hand into Tihan's hair as a knowing mouth went to work on his chest, Tihan knowing precisely where and how to bite and suck and lick, working his way down with agonizing slowness. When he finally drew close to where Kaleo most wanted his mouth to be, still Tihan insisted on torturing him, choosing instead to nibble at the soft skin of his inner thigh, touch and taste the sensitive skin where thigh met groin—then finally, finally, the bastard took hic cock.

Kaleo cried out, hips rising to meet Tihan's wicked mouth, and hazily Kaleo thought he heard a knock upon the door, but then Tihan's tongue made him shout again and he heard the rattle of someone setting a tray on the floor in the hallway.

Cheeks hot, he nevertheless encouraged Tihan with touch and noise and movement, until he came so hard the world around him ceased to exist, and came back only slowly. He had no more time to gather back the scattered pieces of his mind, however, before Tihan's fingers were pressing inside him, slick and warm.

Tihan kissed him, warm and slick with sweat against him, amber-flecked green eyes hot and bright, like jewels in the sunlight, and focused entirely upon Kaleo. Tihan nibbled and licked at his lips, sucking on his bottom lip before kissing him deep and hard, fingers all the while stretching and teasing.

Then the fingers withdrew, and Tihan was pressing inside, and Kaleo eagerly spread to accommodate him, fingers digging in to the broad shoulders, head falling back on a long, needy groan. His own cock, so recently spent, was already stirring back to life. He was always eager for Tihan. Always.

"Missed this," Tihan said with a groan, holding entirely too still for a moment, panting, before kissing him again and finally beginning to move. Slow at first, pulling out and sliding back in—then he began to move in earnest, thrusting hard and deep, nearly making Kaleo dizzy with it.

They came within seconds of each other, and Kaleo thought he came first but could not say for certain.

When everything finally calmed down again, and he could breathe properly, he gave Tihan a lazy, sloppy kiss. "I'm glad you're my assistant," he said with a smile. "Much better than doing the job alone."

Tihan grunted, and slowly withdrew, making Kaleo groan.

"I'll get your food," Tihan said with a laugh, kissing his brow.

Kaleo tried to reply, but it was interrupted by the sudden growling of his stomach, which made Tihan laugh again. Making a face, he bundled up in the blankets and enjoyed the view as Tihan fetched his food.

He ate quickly, stew and bread and a hot, sweet pudding, chased with more ale. All the while Tihan was silent, merely watching him, lazily stretched out beside him on the bed. Finally Kaleo finished, and set the tray aside on the floor to be returned downstairs later. He reached out to pet Tihan's stomach, fear stirring again as he stroked over the scarred flesh that was even more livid for being surrounded by the beautiful, intricate tattoo.

Tihan caught his hand, and dragged it up to his mouth, pressing a soft kiss to the open palm. "You need not worry, Kaleo. Have I not just proven I am perfectly fine?"

Kaleo's mouth twitched. "I suppose so," he conceded, then smirked. "Though, if you wanted to offer more assurance later, I would not protest."

Tihan's eyes smoldered as he yanked Kaleo down to lie atop him, teeth grazing his throat. "Gladly," he murmured, then said huskily in Kaleo's ear, "Pretty Pied Piper, won't you play me a song?"

"What song shall I play thee?" Kaleo asked softly, hating the way his heart sped up, because he knew Tihan would never make the one request Kaleo most wanted to hear."

"Play me a lullaby," Tihan said, lips moving soft but sure across Kaleo's, familiar and sweet, and if Kaleo felt a crushing disappointment, well, that was his own fault.

Nodding, settling down to rest comfortably along Tihan's side, he half-sung, half-hummed a lullaby until they both drifted off to sleep.

He wasn't certain what woke him at first, and then was immediately distracted by the way sometime in the night, he had wound up on his side, with Tihan pressed up behind him, his arm wrapped possessively around Kaleo's waist. Tihan was hot against his back, breaths soft and warm against his neck, and Kaleo wished that he could wake so the rest of his life.

Then he heard the music.

Immediately wistful thoughts fled, mind focusing on the music, the magic of it—there was another sound mage in the village.

Behind him, Tihan's breathing abruptly changed, and he tensed with waking, but never moved.

"Get dressed," Kaleo said softly. "Someone is casting a spell with music."

Tihan said nothing, merely obeyed, pulling away and sliding from bed, reaching for his clothes as Kaleo hummed a few notes to light the candles.

Any other time he would have been more than happy to enjoy the view, and relish the feel of Tihan's eyes upon him, doing the very same. Now, however, they were all business. They had already neglected duty too long in favor of one another.

He finished dressing first, and waited as Tihan strapped and buckled his sword and daggers into place, secreting other things upon his person that remained a mystery to Kaleo, even after their long and intimate acquaintance.

Finished, Tihan moved soundlessly to the door and opened it. Kaleo followed silently after him, down the stairs, across the empty tavern below, and into the street. Outside, the streets were filled with rats. They were everywhere, like a mass of shadows come to life beneath the bewitching power of the moonlight and the midnight hour. They streamed from doors and windows, barrels and crates, every nook and cranny and crevice. They crawled over the tops of his boots, and Kaleo struggled against an urge to kick and crush them.

"What's going on?" Tihan asked in a low undertone, intended for only Kaleo to hear.

"Re-enchantment," Kaleo said, closing his eyes and listening carefully to the soft music he could just barely hear over the fervor of the creeping, scuttling rats. "Musically cast spells much be renewed. The more powerful the spell, the more often it must be redone. This spell is powerful, and intricate; it probably has to be recast every night. Offhand, I can hear the spell emboldening the rats, persuading them to remain here, making them even hungrier than they would normally be…and over them, a slight coating of fear. Whoever the mage is, he's making the rats extra terrifying."

Tihan grunted. "That would explain why they bother me, when they never have before. I grew up using them for target practice." He frowned. "But, if it's just a slight coating, that would not explain the fear weighing down the villagers. They're damn near drowning in fear."

"What do you mean?"

"You really were hungry and tired," Tihan said with a soft, fond laugh, shaking his head. "You'll notice it tomorrow, if I haven't worn you out overmuch." He winked, then sobered again. "There's a pall over the village. They act normal, but it's just that—acting. Beneath the surface, they're all cowering in terror. Like the rats are preferable to whatever would result from fighting back. If that's the case, it's a bloody miracle the King was contacted at all on the matter, and that we were sent here."

Kaleo worried his bottom lip as he thought. "So they are being held hostage, or some such. They fear the rats, but fear more fighting them or even speaking out. We must find the reason for that, and the mage. One, of course, will bring the other…but the mage, I think, will not be easy to find."

"No?" Tihan asked. "There's not many that can cast spells in such fashion. Sound mage are few and far between. He can't be that hard to find, in a village this size, even accounting for the surrounding countryside."

"If it were that easy, I would have already felt him—lovely distractions aside," Kaleo replied. "I did not even sense my type of magic was being used. Only my well-trained ears heard the song at all. I would wager you did not hear it until I said something."

Tihan nodded, fingers drumming idly on the hilt of his sword. "So he's blocking." He sighed. "Let's hope this one doesn't jump out of the bushes and gut me like the last one."

Kaleo tensed, head snapping around to stare at Tihan. "Is that what happened?"

"Yes," Tihan said with a grimace. "We never sensed the bastard at all. At least I was with the mage I was meant to be protecting. Like I said, though, I'm fine now. Shouldn't have mentioned it, except now I really hate when mages block."

"Well, we're not going hunting for him now," Kaleo replied. "I'd prefer to start investigating during the day, see what we can glean from what the villagers do and do not say."

Tihan nodded. "These rats are creeping me out. Why are they all out here?"

"Succumbing to the music. They're running off to school, essentially," Kaleo said. "Once the spell is recast, they'll disperse and all will return to relative normalcy." He tilted his head up, closing his eyes to listen to the music once more. "It's beautiful spell work, really. It must have taken months to compose."

"You could do better," Tihan said.

Kaleo shook his head, and opened his eyes. "No, I couldn't. I can't control more than one or two animals at a time, and only the more willing species. There's no way I'll be able to break this spell…I'll have to try something else, but that is for another day, after we better understand what we're facing."

Tihan looked as though he wanted to argue, and the faith and loyalty that implied warmed Kaleo all the way to his bones. He wasn't as good as Tihan thought, but it was nice Tihan thought it. He hadn't known Tihan thought so highly of his skill.

"Let's go back to bed," he said, taking Tihan's hand. "There's nothing more we can do tonight. At least we have a taste for the challenge before us."

"A city held hostage by rats," Tihan muttered, and led them back inside, still holding firmly to Kaleo's hand. "That is a new one on me, and I thought myself well past being surprised by this job."

Kaleo laughed. "You should know better than to think you've seen it all."

Tihan grunted, and did not argue, merely began to undress again once they reached their rooms—but this time he kept his sword close to the bed, and slid a dagger beneath his pillow.

Sliding in next to him, pulling up the blankets, Kaleo could not help but reach out to stroke the scarred flesh.

"It's all right," Tihan murmured in his ear. "Stop fretting, Kaleo. We have enough to worry about. I'm perfectly fine."

Kaleo nodded, but his fretting would not go away so easily. He had been that close to losing Tihan and never knew it. He swallowed, sick to the stomach at the thought of how close he had come to living in a world that did not have Tihan. It made him want to do foolish things, like admit that he loved Tihan, that this was no idle on and off love affair to him.

But he didn't, because he did not know how Tihan would react to such words. Would they drive him away? Force an unconquerable distance between them? He would rather die himself than face that.

So, instead of speaking, he simply pressed as close as possible, and wrapped Tihan tightly in his arms, and fell asleep breathing in their mingled scents.

Morning came too quickly, and only reluctantly did he stumble down the stairs behind Tihan to begin solving the riddle of the rat-besieged village.

Over black tea and porridge, he saw clearly what he had missed the night before. As Tihan had said, it was all acting. The villagers went through the motions, but it was obvious that deep down they wanted nothing more than to break down and scream in despair.

Finishing their breakfast, they paid the room up for a few more days, then ventured into the streets. Kaleo immediately kicked away a rat which came toward him, somewhat mollified when he saw it hit the corner of a building in just such a way its neck broke.

The villagers might be too fearful to act, but he suffered no such qualms. If he had to kill the bastards one by one, he would, though hopefully his seedling plan would eventually bear fruit.

They wandered the village slowly, exploring every street and alleyway, every courtyard and corner, until they at last sat to rest in the small square that boasted the primary village well. It also had several stone benches, one of which they gladly overtook.

Kaleo started to speak, when a flash of bold color caught his eye. He watched, frowning deeply, as a man walked toward them, hand in hand with a beautiful little girl not more than six or so years of age. The man was tall, with black hair and dark eyes, wearing a brilliant scarlet tunic and a rich velvet cloak held fast with a cloak pin of gold and silver, encrusted with sapphires and rubies. He was a handsome man—no, he was more beautiful, really. Dark, but beauty was not limited to the light.

Beside him, Tihan tensed.

They remained sitting as the man drew close to them, standing only when they saw the crest of a city mayor upon the breast of his tunic.

He smile coldly at them, and Kaleo felt a chill. There was something…off…about that smile. Like more acting, but not the same manner of acting as the villagers. They worked to hide their fear…this man was hiding something else, but what, Kaleo simply did not know.

The man was not scared; neither was his child, though she looked unhappy and petulant. She was his spitting image, dark of hair and eyes, with pale skin. Someday, she would be a breathtaking woman.

His boldness left Kaleo reeling. Obviously, this man was responsible for the rats—why was he not trying to hide it?

"I am Joffer von Steffen," the man said, drawing himself up. "This is Ala, my daughter. I am mayor of this village. What does a mage here, and with strong arm company?"

Kaleo smiled, putting his own acting skills into play. "It's not his arm I make use of," he said with an unmistakable smirk. Then he pitched his voice more loudly, so that the whole of the square would hear him, if they wanted. "I am the Pied Piper, and my skills are many. I once rid a town of a plague of cats, another of a problem with spiders. I heard your fair village, lord mayor, suffered from too many rats. I have come to offer you my assistance."

Joffer scowled, something very much like fury flashing in his eyes. Kaleo had very neatly trapped him—he could not say no, they were fine, when a man declared he could rid the village of what was obviously a problem. Even now, three scuttled right over their shoes, and Tihan them hard, causing them to squeal before they abruptly hit wall or ground and fell silent.

Then he recovered, and gave them a cold smile. "Oh, I doubt it mage. Many have tried before you, and all of them of no little talent, and they failed. One even died trying. I would hate for such a fate to befall you."

Beside him, Tihan tensed with anger. That had been a barely-veiled threat. Kaleo was amused. That meant the mayor feared he might actually be capable of doing something. Or perhaps he simply feared anything that might stir the villagers to rebellious action.

He ignored the threat. "As I said, I have accomplished feats at last as great, if not greater. I should like to try, and what can be the harm in that? It is my life to keep or lose. Let me try."

Joffer sneered. "Indeed. What would you demand for this service, Pied Piper?"

"One thousand silver," Kaleo said, the price more than fair. If he could actually do it, he would be well within his rights to demand a thousand gold.

They both knew it, but Joffer did not press it.

"Papa," Ala suddenly said. "I do not like the rats."

Joffer patted her head. "I know, dearest, but papa keeps them from bothering you, doesn't he?"

"My friends don't like them either," she said plaintively.

Joffer frowned, but said nothing further, and for a moment Kaleo thought he saw something that almost looked like pain flicker in his eyes. Then his expression eased, and he picked the girl up, as though she weighed nothing more than a feather, and kissed her cheek

The rest of him might be an act, but the love he felt for his daughter was genuine. She was obviously in ignorance of her father's responsibility for the rats, and obviously she played with the other children in the village. He wanted her happy.

Interesting.

"Very well," Joffer said at last. "You may try."

Kaleo beamed, and swept a dramatic bow. "I thank you, lord mayor." He swept another bow to the people who had stopped to cautiously listen, hating the bleak hope in the backs of their eyes, the way they obviously knew that to really hope was a waste of time.

Why was he holding them prisoner?

He also wondered why he could not sense so much as a single shred of magic from Joffer. He could have been completely magicless, and Kaleo would have dismissed him as a possibility, except everything else made it blatantly obvious Joffer was responsible for the rats.

"Good people," he said aloud. "This time tomorrow, the rats will be gone and you will be free again."

Instead of cheering, or even booing his bragging, they simply nodded, then scurried away, as though afraid to be caught not working.

Nodding stiffly, the mayor strode off, leaving Kaleo and Tihan alone in the square.

"What are you thinking?" Tihan snapped, the words bursting out of him "How could you say something like that!" His hands curled and uncurled, as though he would like to throttle Kaleo, or shake him very hard. "You said last night you can't match his magic!"

Kaleo nodded. "I can't—but I have something else in mind. We'll try it tonight. If I fail, well, it won't be anything the villagers didn't expect. If I succeed…oh, then the game is afoot. He was strange, Tihan. I could not put my finger upon it, but he was acting even more than the villagers. But at what, I could not tell."

"At being human," Tihan said with a sigh, shooting him a last glare before dropping the matter of his plan. "I'll eat my boots if that bastard was human."

"Not human?" Kaleo said. "How can you tell? I sensed absolutely nothing from him. Not a single thing."

Tihan grunted. "The eyes. I know animal eyes when I see them. There are few humans in the world with eyes like that, I promise you. Humans like that, may as well be animal. There is a wildness to them, no matter how hard they try at being civilized. The real question is, what sort of animal?"

Kaleo frowned in thought. "There aren't many with magic strong enough to alter shape," he said slowly. "If you're right, and I can't see why you would be wrong, that does narrow the field of what we're up against. Did you read anything from the child? They do not hide things as well.

"She…there is humanity in her," Tihan said. "She seemed to be a mix. A mongrel, if you will."

"Fascinating," Kaleo murmured. "What in the hells is going on here?"

Tihan sighed. "I don't know, but I sense we will find the answer the hard way. What are you going to do tonight, to get rid of the rats?"

Kaleo smiled faintly. "I'm going to play along," he said, and laughed when Tihan scowled at him. "Come, strong arm, we have to find a good place for tonight."

"Strong arm? I thought you kept me around for other reasons, Pied Piper."

"I do," Kaleo murmured, and smirked as he dropped his eyes to Tihan's crotch. "Those reasons will have to wait a bit, unfortunately. Business before pleasure."

Tihan laughed, and lightly gripped his upper arm, tugging him forward and dropping a quick, firm kiss upon his lips.

Kaleo's breath caught, as he stared into Tihan's jewel-bright eyes. That was the second time Tihan had kissed him so openly, when it was something he had never done before. "Tihan—"

"Let's get to work," Tihan said, letting him go and stepping away, turning to lead the way from the village and out into the surrounding woods.

Frowning, wondering at the abrupt shift—had he done something wrong? But Tihan was the one who had kissed him—Kaleo ran to catch up, and walked alongside him, wishing he could say what he felt, but the words refused to unstuck from his throat, too long paralyzed by fear.

Several hours later, with food and wine sufficient to keep them for several hours more, and a bit of spell work to keep them warm and dry, they watched the village from a high knoll just outside it. They sat in the large branch of an enormous tree, it and the darkness working to make them more or less invisible to anyone who might happen to glance their way.

Not that anyone would. As soon as daily duties permitted, people vanished into their homes or the nearest tavern, of which the village boasted three. Looking at it now, as twilight slowly turned to full dark, it might have almost been a deserted village.

The rats were not so shy; they scurried about much as they had the night before. Soon, Kaleo thought, soon the music would start and the rats would appear to be washed anew in magic. Hopefully, his own plan would work.

He had done such things before, but on a very small scale, and more to support another mage—or another mage supported him. The idea was simple enough, in theory. He and Joffer were both sound mages. They both used music. He would simply turn Joffer's solo into a duet. He could not cast such powerful magic—but he could manipulate what was already being cast.

In theory. He had never tried it with so powerful a spell.

Tihan held out a cup of mulled wine, kept warm by magic, and Kaleo sipped it gratefully. He wished the troublemakers they were sent to quell would at least have the decency to misbehave in pleasant weather. Why would anyone want to work in the cold and snow?

He'd just finished his wine when he heard it. Hastily handing his cup to Tihan, pressing a quick kiss to the frown upon his face, Kaleo leapt down to the snowy ground. He fumbled for a moment, but quickly regained his balance, moving to the edge of the knoll and listening carefully.

As he had hoped, the music carried perfectly to the spot where they stood. He could hear it clear and true and perfect. Closing his eyes, Kaleo concentrated, humming along to get the nuances of every note.

Finally, when he was certain he had it, eyes still closed, he pulled out his own pipe and began to play.

He turned the hard, commanding music into something colder, turning firm battle song into a funeral piece, convincing the rats that what they really wanted, what they needed, was to leave town and throw themselves into the river.

Throughout, Kaleo was braced for when Joffer would hear the new addition to his song, but the moment never came. There was no challenge, no abrupt halting, no alteration in the music. Kaleo played on an on, his world narrowing to sound and magic, to manipulating the rats.

Satisfaction poured through him as he realized it was working—the rats were leaving the city, were throwing themselves into the half-frozen river. One by one, at first, then by two and threes, then dozens, he could feel them slipping free of the control of the music as they succumbed to the far greater power of death.

At last, just as his energy began finally to run out, he felt no more rats in the spell. They were dead.

Kaleo blacked out.

He woke with a groan in a candle-light room, and after a moment realized he was in the inn. What time was it? What had happened? The rats!

The door opened, startling him, and he stared wide-eyed at Tihan as everything came back in full. "The rats. I passed out—why did I pass out?" He shook his head, then groaned again, realizing it hurt. Which answered his question. "I used too much energy. I haven't done that in years. Guess manipulating that spell took more out of me than I realized."

Tihan frowned and set the tray he held at the foot of the bed. Then he sat down next to Kaleo, and cupped his face. "You too about twenty years off my life, Kaleo. I've never known you to drop from over-exertion before."

Kaleo yawned and made grabbing motions at the tray, the contents of which smelled fabulous. "I've never manipulated such a powerful spell before. Should have occurred to me I might overexert myself, but to be honest the thought never crossed my mind."

"You should be more careful," Tihan said with a hint of growl. "What if I hadn't been there to take care of you?"

"But you were," Kaleo said, and almost said, almost—but at the last, simply drank the tea which had been pushed into his hands.

Tihan sighed and looked away, staring at his hands for a long time before finally speaking again. "You'd think the villagers would be grateful, but I think they are even more miserable than they were before."

Kaleo nodded. "I'm not surprised. That does confirm our good lord mayor holds something over them we won't easily break. The question remains—what? What could he possibly have on them, that they would choose to live in constant terror?"

"There is no telling," Tihan said. "We need to know what manner of creature he really is, I think, before we can answer any other question. That shouldn't be too hard, if we just focused on it. What sort of creatures are magically powerful enough to maintain a human shape, and control rats?"

"Not many," Kaleo said, eating the apple bread Tihan gave him with relish, alternating bites with gulps of tea and swallows of porridge. He was always ravenous after using a great deal of magic, and he had not passed out due to magic since he'd finished his lessons and taken up a King's Seal. "Faeries, but they don't live around here. Certain goblins, but again, wrong part of the country." He snorted. "If not for the fact they're more or less extinct, I would say it's dragon work, but that's absurd."

Tihan frowned. "Absurd?" He tilted his head. "Are you certain?"

"No one has seen a dragon in fifty years or more," Kaleo said with a scoff. "They were wiped out during the Hunts. Anyway, why would a dragon do something this cruel? They only got that nasty when their treasures were…"

Comprehension struck them both simultaneously. "No way," Kaleo said. "It couldn't be."

"But it fits," Tihan challenged.

Kaleo made a face, and finished his breakfast.

Dragons were notoriously possessive creatures—and notoriously mean when their possessions were harmed or messed with in any way. The most infamous dragon story in history actually involved the royal family and the crown jewels.

They had been stolen by a bold—and stupid—knight from the nest of what he'd thought was a dead dragon. He'd looted the nest, put the fortune to good use, and several years later became King.

Twenty years later his entire family was dead from one tragedy after another, whittled down until only that foolish knight-turned-king and his youngest granddaughter remained alive. Then and only then did he learn that his trust steward of fifteen years was actually the dragon he'd thought dead.

Mages had saved the King, then, though only barely. The line had continued, from a bastard who until then had kept him identity secret—the story was a famous legend, reshaped into glorious fashion to be told to the masses, where an evil dragon maliciously attacked a good and innocent King.

But those who bore the Seals knew the truth of that founding story, of events now over two hundred years old. There were other tales of dragon cruelty, but none so well known as that of the First King.

"I cannot believe it," Kaleo said, shaking his head. "It cannot be a dragon." And yet…the brightly colored clothes, the jeweled pin, the arrogance, the way he obviously doted upon his daughter, the power behind manipulating so many rats…

Tihan grimaced. "As much as I wish otherwise, I think it must be."

"No one has seen a dragon in decades. People are beginning to regard them as pure myth." Kaleo argued, even though he knew it was futile. If Joffer was a dragon, then that would also explain why no one had challenged his spell last night. Dragons were powerful, but that power was not limitless. If he were human all day, he would have to rest by night. Very likely his spell was pre-set somewhere, to play over and over again every night. That the dragon would reset and strengthen every day.

Which meant if he was going to fight back, he would do it today, or rework his spell to do something different tonight.

If they really were dealing with a dragon…Kaleo stomach clenched with fear, and he wished suddenly he had not eaten so much, so quickly. It made his blood run cold. "What are we going to do?"

"Deal with it," Tihan said grimly. "We have already gone too far to think we can back out now. It would explain why the village is so terrified, however. I'm astonished they can even act like everything is normal."

Kaleo pushed away the rest of his food. "Our only chance is to strike before he does. We must strike now, hard and fast, before he enacts revenge upon us."

"First," Tihan said, standing and beginning to pull on his winter clothes, "we have to get out of town. We're sitting ducks here. At least in the woods, we will be harder to find, and no one else will get hurt. Any ideas on how to strike?"

"Maybe," Kaleo murmured. "It isn't nice…but it might work. We'll see. Let's get out of town, first. Then we have to find the dragon's set spell."

Tihan nodded, and if he had any questions about what Kaleo was talking about, he was too accustomed to working with mages to voice them yet. He packed their things quickly, then drew his sword and led the way downstairs.