72Chapter 2: Deal in the Desert
Keith thought he might choke on his own saliva when he inhaled sharply in surprise. Then he saw the haughty smile on Alair's lips, and Keith thought he might choke the boy with his hands.
The little shit must have drugged him. There was no other explanation.
At least no other reasonable explanation.
"Welcome to the outskirts of Eastland." Alair said with his smug expression as he held his hands out to present the barren desert.
"Enough." Keith growled.
He wasn't going to play this game. He was going to turn around, take the elevator back to his apartment, lock the door, and maybe barricade it with some furniture. Then he could ignore the world as he slept-off whatever drug was in his system that made him see whatever he was seeing.
Keith tuned around, but the elevators door had already shut. The second thing Keith noticed was the absence of his apartment building. He had just walked out of the building yet the doors stood alone, not attached to a wall nor elevator shaft. Knowing it must be an illusion Keith didn't bother himself over the disappearance. It was the absence of the button to open the doors that mired his attempt to remain calm. He felt around for where the button should be, hoping it was merely invisible, but the only thing his hand hit was air.
Giving up on the button, Keith tried to pry the doors open. His muscles strained and his fingernails clawed, but he couldn't grip the seam.
"What the hell did you drug me with?" Keith yelled as he still pulled at the unaffected metal.
"I didn't drug you with anything." Keith could hear the offended pout in Alair's tone. "This is real."
Keith realized with a start that the doors were moving, but not in the direction he'd intended. The doors slipped downwards slowly sinking into the sand. Keith used all his strength to hold the doors up, but his clammy palms shrieked with protest as the metal slipped unaffected into the sand. Keith's exit continued to descend till nothing was there, leaving him staring into the expanse of desert.
Keith spun around and nearly bared his teeth at Alair. "Bring the elevator back."
Alair crossed his arms. "No."
"Don't mess with me." Keith demanded as he moved towards Alair with his hands out and ready to grab what he could get his hands on.
Alair nimbly darted out of his way.
"I'm not messing with you." Alair protested. "I need you to help me."
"I wouldn't help you find your left foot." Keith declared as he continued advancing towards Alair.
Maybe it wouldn't do anything to alleviate the hallucination, but Keith wanted to get his hands on the boy. Punching Alair directly in the nose would at least give Keith some semblance of satisfaction.
"I have a key." Alair announced.
Keith froze with Alair inches from his fingertips.
"Will it bring back the elevator to my apartment?" Keith asked warily.
Alair nodded.
"Then give it to me." Keith demanded as his opened his palm towards Alair.
Alair's body language showed no intention of handing Keith anything. "I will not give it to you. But I will open the door for you."
"Then open it." Keith growled impatiently.
"When you help me and my people, I will open the door to your world."
Keith pinched the bridge of his nose hoping to stop the migraine clawing its way into his skull. They were going in circles. Keith thought he'd made it clear he wouldn't help Alair with anything.
"And how am I supposed to help you?" Keith asked with some curiosity but mostly impatience.
"There is an energy that supplies Eastland with the power to grow crops and support my people. But its potency has been fading, so I need to find its location."
"If it's so important, then why don't you know where it is already?"
Alair ignored his comment. "The prophecy says you are the one who will help me find it."
"Let me tell you something about prophecies." Keith said referring to the movies he'd seen. "They have a way of coming true, no matter of what you try to do, how you try to accomplish them, or how you try to stop them. So I plan to take the easy way and go back to my apartment while you let this experience with me help you find whatever you're looking for."
"I don't think you understand your position." Alair warned.
"What position is that?" It sounded like the shrimp was trying to threaten him.
"You're stuck in the middle of a desert in a land you don't know with no food, water, or shirt on your back. I have a key that will take you home, but I would sooner let a selfish man wander in the desert, left his own resources, then make the effort to open that door."
Keith crossed his arms and glared at Alair. Maybe Alair was bluffing, or maybe Keith could intimidate Alair into handing over the key. And as fake as the desert should be, a very real heat was pounding against his skin.
Alair stood perfectly still with his eyes returning every defiant spark of Keith's glare.
"I can compensate you." Alair said to break their silent stare-down.
"Oh yeah?" Keith raised his eyebrow. He couldn't stop his eyes scanning Alair's body. "With what?"
"Gold is very valuable in your world, isn't it?"
"It is." Keith answered with no emotion in his tone.
"I will let you return to your world with as much gold as you can carry if you help me fulfill the prophecy."
Once again Keith looked around the very barren, very empty desert. There was no sign of anything let alone something to indicate the boy had pounds of gold stashed away.
"So I'm supposed to take your word for this?" Keith asked.
"Do you have a choice?" Alair said, not giving anything away.
Keith gritted his teeth. This desert had turned into his prison and Alair was his only way home. "I suppose I'm as good as your captive here and my only choice is to get a bonus if I cooperate."
Alair nodded once with a hint of smug satisfaction at the corners of his lips.
Keith would cooperate for now, while he prayed the hallucination would ware off soon.
.
.
The man was a pain.
Despite being tall, built, and generally pleasing to look at, Keith had the stubbornness of quicksand and the personality of a sinkhole. Alair would have been perfectly happy if the prophecy had sent him to someone else. But it had brought him to Keith, so Alair had to trust that something would come of it.
The struggle to retrieve Keith was nearly worthwhile when Alair revealed the two camels and saw the man's reaction. Alair hadn't wanted to draw attention to the location or encourage thieves while he was away so he'd used a spell to hide them from sight. When he'd finally convinced Keith to go with him, he removed to spell and the man jumped with a cry of the surprise.
"Where the hell did those come from?" Keith asked.
"I had them hidden."
Keith opened him mouth like he was about to ask something else, but he shut it again and shook his head.
Alair reached into one of the saddlebags and retrieved a large piece of thin fabric then held it out to Keith. Keith looked at it blankly for a brief moment before crossing his arms and stiffening his back in a stubborn manner.
"No thanks." Keith grumbled.
Alair gritted his teeth to keep himself from saying something rude. Instead he thrust the fabric into Keith's tight stomach that didn't budge at all from the rough contact. When Alair released the cloth, he was inwardly pleased Keith grabbed it before it fell to the ground. Apparently Alair could never do things the easy was with this man, but at least Alair was stubborn enough to compete.
"Your skin is already changing color." Alair said, pulling his eyes away from Keith's stomach muscles. "I'd put that on if you don't want to turn to charcoal before we reach some shade."
Restraining a retort Alair knew was dancing on Keith's tongue, Keith obediently put the fabric over his shoulders. The fabric was sized appropriately for Alair, not someone so tall and broad shouldered. But Keith was able to wrap it around his chest, back, and arms before tucking the ends into his pants to hold it in place. The clothing was meant to fit loosely, but wrapped tightly around Keith it did little to hide his strong build.
"Will this do?" Keith's brown eyes watched Alair with a raised eyebrow.
"Fine." Alair answered sharper than he'd intended while trying to hide the fact that he'd enjoyed the view. "Do you know how to ride?"
Keith crossed his arms again.
"No." His voice was firm to say he didn't know how to ride a camel with the added assertion that he had absolutely no intention of trying.
"Don't be a child." Alair scolded. "Do you really intend to walk?"
The man looked like he might say yes.
Alair shouldn't have called him a child. The man didn't wan to be with Alair in the first place, so insulting him would only press his luck. For all Alair knew, the man was stubborn enough to spite Alair, sit down right where he was, and wait for the sun to bake his eyeballs.
"I don't like driving something with a mind of its own." Keith finally answered.
Despite his bravado, Alair saw the man's eyes flick between the animals. Alair realized Keith much have been nervous to ride the camel. He'd either never been on one before or had a bad experience in the past. Alair contained a smirk while he momentarily entertained himself with the image of Keith falling off a camel onto his proud, stubborn ass.
Alair climbed onto one camel after tying the rains of the other to its saddle. He looked back at Keith who hadn't shifted his posture.
"I'll drive." Alair said, holding his hand out to Keith.
Keith watched Alair's hand and hesitated long enough for Alair's arm to start feeling tired, but he finally took Alai's hand since it was the best of all his options. Keith put his foot in the stirrup and Alair helped to pull him into the saddle behind him. It was a graceless attempt, but he didn't fall back into the sand, so Alair counted it as a success. The space between the camel's humps made the saddle only large enough for about one and a half men, so Keith's chest pressed against Alair's back. Keith's body was tense and his legs flexed to hold himself to the animal, but also resulted in Keith's strong thighs wrapping tighter around Alair's rear and thighs.
In another setting, Alair would love to rub against a strong man plastered to his back, but he would first have to find a less obnoxious partner.
"Put your hands on my waist and relax your legs a bit." Alair suggested for both their sakes. "You won't fall off that easily."
Keith's hands slipped along Alair's waist and rested on his stomach. With the man wrapped around him, Alair had to remind his heating body that there was nothing sexual about their situation. But his mental scolding didn't stop the blush in his cheeks or the rush of heat between his legs. At least the grip on his ass had loosened.
.
.
Alair loved seeing the kingdom grow closer. The only sea Alair had ever known was the desert, and Eastland was its island oasis. Four large walls encased the kingdom with a single giant gate open to welcome peaceful visitors and travelers. Most of Eastland's citizens lived within the walls where there were several markets and plenty of room for farming. With an abundance of plants visible through the gate and over the stone walls it was hard to see that Eastland was growing sick. Plants were wilting, the wells provided less water, and the farmers reaped smaller and fewer crops.
Keith didn't remark on the nearing city, but Alair could feel the man sit straighter in search of a better look. As they got closer, Alair knew Keith would be looking at the abundance of plants, colorful tiles decorating the stone walkway, and intricate floral carvings on the stone walls. Hidden among all the lush plants, he wouldn't notice the large green leaves and vibrant flowers beginning to wilt. But Alair wished he could show off his city in the splendor it had been only a year ago.
As they crossed the archway leading into the city, one of the guards nodded a greeting to Alair then turned his eyes on Keith. He looked at him with interest, but didn't say anything. Keith's skin alone made it apparent he wasn't from around here; the pale color suggested he lived indoors or under clouds most of his life. His hair had seemed an ordinary brown before, but the desert sun revealed a hint of red hue. On close inspection his hair was trimmed neatly to avoid his ears, and his fingernails were clean. It was easy to guess his profession didn't often involve physical labor, though his fit chest, arms, and legs suggested otherwise.
Keith turned the heads of several villagers in the market. Very few people from Antiquem came to Eastland, so they always drew a lot of attention. Kole, the last Key Keeper and Alair's great uncle, had arrived from Antiquem over 80 years ago. Within one moon cycle, Kole had become the Keeper, defeated an ill intentioned sorcerer, and married the king. The people who turned their eyes on Keith probably expected something equally legendary from the visitor, and none of them knew about the prophecy.
Keith didn't say anything when Alair stopped the camels. Alair dismounted first so he could help Keith off, but the man ignored the hand Alair held out to him. Keith's climb down was about as smooth as his climb up, but he managed to find the ground with both his feet instead of his ass.
Shame.
"This is the palace." Alair said proudly and turned towards the large building.
He waited for Keith to call Alair's home an illusion, but he remained silent. Maybe he was starting to understand reality.
Keith followed Alair up the stairs and through the archway leading inside. The cool air in the palace washed over Alair and he welcomed it gratefully. Mere steps inside, someone called his name.
Logan hurried over to him with the blue fabric of his robes disheveled. Despite being king, Logan had never gotten used to proper decorum.
"You're back already." Logan was slightly out of breath when he reached him. He must have hurried down to meet them as soon as he heard Alair was back.
Alair bowed his head slightly as an informal but respectful greeting. Since the king was his cousin Alair wasn't expected to act overly gracious around him, but it was a different matter for Keith. Alair wanted to cringe when Keith didn't give the slightest bow when Alair introduced whom he was standing before. Keith merely shifted his weight as though he was board, but Logan didn't seem to mind.
"So you're the man from the prophecy." Logan asked Keith.
Keith's frown stretched out slightly. He obviously didn't like being associated with the prophecy.
"And you must be the man with all the gold." Keith replied casually.
This time Alair did cringe, though he hoped Keith didn't notice.
"Gold?" Logan asked, confused by the turn in their conversation.
Alair didn't look at Keith, but he could almost see the man's eyebrow rise at Logan's response. Alair was starting to wonder if nothing would come easy to him today when an empty handed maid walked into his sight.
"Fiona." Alair called her towards them while cutting off any continuation of the topic.
She hurried towards them and bowed to the three of them with a curious glance at Keith. "Yes, Lord Alair?"
"Can you show Lord Keith to the courtyard and bring him something to eat?"
"Yes, Lord Alair." She turned to Keith. "Please come this way, Lord Keith."
Keith's narrow eyes gave Alair a sideways glance, making it clear he suspected something of Alair. But Alair was overly grateful when Keith followed without a word of resistance, though Keith's expression made it clear Alair would have his hands full later.
Knowing it was a moment to be discrete, once Keith left them, Logan pulled Alair into a small, empty dining room off the entrance.
"Did you bribe him with gold?" Logan was on the edge of scolding while he waited for Alair's answer.
"Short of knocking him out and dragging him behind a camel, there was no other way of getting him here."
"And what gold do you intend to bribe him with?" Logan's frown looked like it was trying to reach the corners of his jaw.
"There is supposed to be gold where the energy is located." Alair defended.
"That's what the stories say." Logan replied skeptically. "Did you at least tell him about the prophecy?"
"Only the beginning part." Alair answered with no show of apology.
Logan pursed his lips and shook his head disapprovingly, but he didn't look surprised that Alair hadn't told Keith the entire prophecy.
"Everything will be fine, Logan." There was a hint of annoyance in his assurance since he wished the King had more faith in his Keeper.
"Prophesies are sometimes hard to fully understand," Logan warned, "and they don't guarantee happy endings. Eastland's problems my be resolved, but be careful what it will lead you to."
"Prophesies have a way of coming true no matter what we do." Alair said, unconsciously using the same argument Keith had used on him. "As long as I can save Eastland, I won't worry about what's going to happen to me."
It was Alair's responsibility and he would take care of it.
"What about that man?" Logan asked. "Are you sure it's alright to not tell him everything in the prophecy?"
"I would have better luck moving the palace walls if I told him." Alair replied over his shoulder as he left to confront the man who would be Eastland's savior and possibly Alair's downfall.