The rose of a desert. Volume 3. "Book of Flame" Chapter 4

It was a great day - a day of falconry. They left before dawn. The falcon was carried separately in a cage tied to the saddle. We were not going fast. The desert was just beginning to wake up from sleep. The sun was rising in the east. The sky was colored by its rays.

Arshad put on a large leather glove on his right hand, they brought him a falcon with a cap on his head and a chain on his leg, which was fastened to the glove.

Having put the falcon on his glove, Arshad moved forward, all the others followed him. Kai kept to the right, slightly behind, realizing that he should not go in front of the Sheikh.

There were about thirty riders in total, at first they rode at a trot, then went into a gallop. Arshad vigilantly scanned the space ahead, at last, he saw a point in the already blue sky. Without stopping the horse, he unfastened the chain on the bird's leg and took off the cap from it. The falcon instantly saw the victim and soared up. It was beautiful and so exciting.

They spurred their horses, trying not to lose sight of the falcon flying towards its prey.

An eternal drama unfolded in the azure blue of the sky: the hunter and the victim. Here the chances were equal. The victim also saw the falcon and soared upward, and then began to maneuver, changing the angles of flight. The falcon kept up with it, took aim, and finally made a throw. Together they fell from heaven.

The riders screamed and rushed to the place of their fall. There, a falcon was sitting on the sand, clutching still the warm body of its prey. The riders whirled around them, continuing to scream. There was noise and chaos.

Arshad jumped off the horse, put a cap on the falcon, and put it on his arm, fastening a chain on its leg, then bent down and lifted the carcass of a bird by its paws, from whose chest a scarlet trickle of blood was flowing. Arshad triumphantly lifted it, everyone around again shouted in a greeting. Arshad's eyes were burning, he was in the heat of the race and the adrenaline because of the caught prey. He looked with his eyes for the one whose eyes he wanted to see now and saw - these eyes were sad, the face bewildered. The young man lowered his gaze and turned his horse away from Arshad, immediately hiding behind the backs of the other riders.

Arshad was confused, froze, then called the servants, handed them the falcon from his hand, and jumped on his horse. He found him a little to the side, looking into the distance of the desert.

"What's wrong?" Arshad drove up close to him and looked into those sad eyes.

"You know, I read so much about such a hunt and really wanted to see everything myself ... but now when I've seen the red blood on a dying bird ... I've realized that I do not want this. Sorry…"

Kai touched the sides of the horse and walked slowly to the side. Arshad looked at him, realizing the meaning of what he had said.

"Wait!" he caught up with him, their legs were touching, so close now their horses were walking with each other.

Arshad suddenly hugged him around the waist and held his hand there. Kai threw up his head and faced the very strange look that Arshad was looking at him with. In those impenetrable dark eyes, there was something that frightened Kai.

He tried to move away, but the hand at his waist was holding him too tightly.

Arshad saw this fear in his eyes, but he also saw his lips, which were too close, his breath, his smell - intoxicating vanilla with chocolate. Arshad inhaled and touched his lips with his lips.

Just a fleeting touch. Arshad removed his hand and pulled away from him.

"If you don’t like it, I don’t want to force you to be present on such a hunt. Don't worry, I'll hunt without you. Do you mind just riding?"

"Yes."

Kai was still in a strange state, not understanding how to evaluate what Arshad had done now. It was too difficult for him to understand. He clearly could not attribute this to a friendly action. What then?..

Kai saw Arshad spur his horse and galloped forward. He followed him. This galloping - flying over the desert - made it possible for him to forget about everything! They galloped, overtaking each other, laughing and fooling around. Now everything was clear and understandable to Kai, but he forbade himself to think about what had happened before ...

On this day, after returning from the hunt, they had lunch, and then Kai was taken by Maksud to make him beautiful. However, he allowed him to spend several hours in the library, then before going to bed, Kai played with the console and fell fast asleep after such an active day.

***

The next morning, Maksud woke him up and said that Arshad was waiting for him for a horse ride. Kai jumped out of bed with joy and, hurrying and scolding Maksud for his careful dressing, finally went towards the stables.

Now their escort was not so numerous. There were ten riders in total. Immediately leaving the gates of the palace, they took a very fast pace of riding. Basically, they walked at a gallop, moving a little to a trot, then they walked, giving the horses a rest, then again they made them move in a gallop.

Kai realized that Arshad loved such intense horseback riding in the morning. It was a joy to him. Therefore, they briskly galloped in a race or stirrup to stirrup. Having met the morning so well, they returned before the onset of the heat.

Kai unsaddled his horse himself. Arshad did not interfere with him, on the contrary, he was there. They again discussed their favorite topic - horses. After completing everything with the horse, Kai took it into the stall, where the hay lay. The horse rushed to it and, crunching, began to swallow.

Kai turned to leave the stall and saw that Arshad was standing right in front of him. He stepped back, but immediately rested his back against the wall of the stall. Instantly Arshad's hands were on both sides of him, and Arshad's face began to approach. Kai froze, unable to look into his burning eyes and see in them what he was so afraid to see. He watched the horse eating hay at their feet. He felt Arshad's breath on his temple, the imperceptible touch of his lips cracked from sand to his cheek, then again his breath on the earlobe, then again on his cheek, and a light touch to his lips.

Kai didn't know what to do. He just stood there, forgetting to even breathe.

Arshad's hand lay on his shoulder and very slowly crawled down his arm, then felt his palm. He took his hand in his, squeezed it.

"Well, why have you petrified? Come on, let's have breakfast!"

Arshad went to the exit from the stall, dragging Kai by the hand.

Kai again forbade himself to think about it, he just walked, and then, sitting at the table, ate, trying not to meet Arshad's eyes.

Then the Sheikh, referring to the deeds, left, and Kai followed Maksud, who noticed his strange detached condition.

Only reading books in the library helped Kai to distract himself from what he was afraid to remember.

In the evening, Maksud informed Kai that tomorrow morning he would have another horse ride in the company of Arshad.

***

Riding on horseback, Kai forgot about the sad thoughts that began to visit him after such a strange behavior of the Sheikh. On horseback, he generally forgot about everything. Returning to the stable, this time he did not occupy himself with the horse, immediately went with everyone towards the palace, Arshad caught this change but did not say anything, only said that he was waiting for him at the table.

After breakfast in the company of Gifar and Maksud, Arshad again left to do business. Kai went to the library and became interested in reading.

Now he was reading Imagawa Yoshimoto, the commander of Suruga, who in 1560 with an army of twenty-seven thousand went to Kyoto and was defeated by Oda Nobunaga at the Battle of Okehazama, where he died. All this was written in hieroglyphs; Kai was carried away so that only the touch of hands on his shoulders took him out of the battlefield at Okehazama.

Kai shuddered.

"I didn't mean to scare you," hot breath burned the guy's ear.

Arshad bent over him, standing behind his chair.

"Oh," Arshad saw the hieroglyphs in front of Kai, "is it interesting?"

"Yes. Extremely."

"And what is it about?" Arshad again approached Kai's ear and now slightly touched the lobe with his lips, then transferred light touches to the neck.

"About Warlord Surugi, who subdued Hojo in Sagami and Oda in Owari," Kai felt the breath, a strange shiver ran through his body.

"I’m glad you’re attracted to such things. And what else is interesting there?" Arshad continued to touch him with light kisses.

"These are the best days of the Imagawa clan during their alliance with the Hojo," Kai's voice broke off as he felt the heat of a kiss on his neck, which sent goosebumps down his body.

"Go on," whispered Arshad, now touching his lips to the guy's ear.

"You’re not interested," Kai didn’t know what to do now, so he just sat holding on to the table.

"Yes, maybe now I'm a little indifferent..." he touched his lips to Kai's hair, inhaled its aroma, then straightened. That was a cocoa smell, how it inebriated him! Because of it, Arshad's voice was now hoarse and low.

Then Kai felt the fingers touch his hair again, very gently, neatly.

"I thought it was soft, silky," Arshad passed Kai's elusive curls through his fingers, which again took the form of curls.

Kai sat, felt Arshad's hand caressing his curls, twisting them around the fingers, and then letting go.

Then he squeezed the hair and pulled it towards himself, Kai's head lifted, and Arshad, bending down sharply, touched the lips.

Kai shook his head and lowered his face.

Arshad froze, then laughed and left the library.

Kai looked at the open book in front of him and realized that he did not see the inscriptions, he put his hands on it and dropped his head.

Now everything was so obvious that deceiving himself was already foolish. He got up, left the library, went to his room, wandered aimlessly onto the veranda, and, feeling that his legs were not supporting him, sat down on the floor, pressing himself against the wall. He found cigarettes and a lighter in the pocket.

Maksud was against his smoking, but at the same time brought cigarettes for him at his request. Kai practically did not smoke, but now he needed it.

He dragged on, trying to calm the complete mess in his head and deal with what was happening.

So, what became clear as day was Arshad's intentions towards him.

"But what are the intentions?"

When Kai tried to remember everything he knew about such a relationship, an illustrative picture, arranged for him by Prokhor, when his boys raped a guy, emerged in his mind. But there was something completely different! No one then kissed that guy so tenderly and breathed in his ear, they violated him there, harshly, roughly, without preludes.

What Arshad was doing now was incomprehensible to him. After all, if he wanted to deal with him, like the guys of Prokhor with that guy, then Arshad only needed to give the order, and he would be undressed and tied with his ass up.

Then why did Arshad do all this if he only needed his ass?

Kai realized that his head was a complete mess. On the one hand, like in a kaleidoscope, pictures of rape that he had seen appeared, on the other hand, Arshad, his actions were not unpleasant to him. They were rather incomprehensible.

Kai tried to combine rape pictures with the image of Arshad, it meant ... it meant nothing!

He lit a cigarette again.

"Maybe Arshad thinks I'm a girl? Of course, all these earrings, eyes, brocade, silk. No, do I believe myself? Who is the girl? Arshad is not a moron to think that ... "

He started another cigarette.

"But why does he pay attention to me as if I am a girl?" Kai finally said what he was afraid to voice even mentally for himself.

"Arshad pays attention to me! That is, he is going after me, seduces. But I'm a guy! And he's a guy! What stupidity!"

Kai heard footsteps. Maksud came out onto the veranda. He saw Kai, went up to him, squatted down, lifted the chin with his hand, looked into the eyes.

Kai saw that Maksud knew a lot. But he could not be angry with Maksud. In this man's eyes, he saw sincerity and kindness to himself.

"Come with me," Maksud took his hand and pulled him up. "Now there are two not very pleasant things for you. But you have to find out about them."

Kai tensed. In addition to everything that had already happened, there were two more unpleasant things - in one day it was too much!

"Well, don't be so scared. It's not so scary. Let's go. Now you will understand everything yourself."

Maksud walked down the corridors, holding Kai by the elbow.

Passing numerous halls and stairs, they went out to the inner courtyard, there they went down the stairs to another one, then to another, and there Kai saw three people sitting on the ground, one boy and two girls.

He realized what attracted him to them. They were beautiful, very beautiful, but they had no hands. Instead, there were bandaged stumps.

Kai froze. Maksud took his elbow tighter and began to speak in a slightly strange, distant voice:

"The great Sheikh Arshad is the son of the great and almighty Sheikh Harib, may Allah prolong his years. Just like his father, he is a representative of the ancient clan of sheiks. The Almighty Himself blessed this clan for reign. No mortal can touch the Great Sheikh Arshad. Those who violate this law are punished by cutting off their hands! Only in this way can they wash away the sacrilege that they have committed!" Maksud waited for a pause and added more calmly. "Great Arshad can be touched only if he permits it himself."

Now Kai understood everything: who these beautiful young people were and why they did not have hands. He felt sick, Maksud squeezed his elbow harder, feeling that the guy was shaking.

"And what will happen to them now?" Kai turned to Maksud.

"The helicopter will take them to the city. Their fate has already been decided. There are brothels where clients like these cripples. They have everything else to work there."

Kai began to turn deathly pale in front of Maksud's eyes. The man pulled him to himself and, hugging him around the waist, led him back.

Kai didn't resist. He walked, realizing that he was not ready to learn and see this.

Then he remembered that Maksud spoke about the second not very pleasant news for him.

"And what is the second thing?"

"You will find out now."

Maksud finally led him to the inner chambers and, passing through the next corridors and halls, they entered a room that corresponded to a well-equipped medical office.

Maksud sat Kai in a chair and sat down next to him. The doctor came in, judging by the white coat he was wearing. He greeted them and immediately, without any explanation, turned on the plasma panel on the wall, where the video went, which he began to comment on, leading the pointer over the screen.

Kai turned from pale to red from a rush of blood to his face after the first seconds of this video. There they showed a detailed section of the male anus, from a medical point of view they explained the passage of food through the stomach, then its accumulation in the intestines and exit in processed form.

Further, he spoke in great detail about the function of the enema, how it works, and how long this effect lasts afterward.

It was a medical film, but Kai guessed why he was shown it.

The screen went blank. The doctor turned his gaze to Kai.

"I will help you with bowel flushing."

Kai wanted to jump up, but Maksud restrained him.

"You can do it yourself if you promise me that you will do it."

"Are you going to check?" Kai asked in a trembling voice."

"I am glad that you still have a sense of humor," this made Maksud laugh, then he became very serious. "If you promise me to do this, I will believe you and will not check."

By the tone in which it was said, Kai knew that, despite the absurdity of what was happening, Maksud was not joking. He tried to imagine Maksud's verification of the fulfillment of his promise, and he again felt bad. And then he remembered the guy who was raped by the bros of Prokhor, who then from his ass, in addition to blood and sperm, also sh*t flowed out. Now he knew why and what kind of flushing the thug was talking about then.

It would be better for him to do this enema to himself than the sh*t would flow from the *ss.

"I promise I will do it."

"Regularly! Your bathroom will have everything for this. You must always be clean. It is useful for hygienic purposes."

"I promise," Kai realized that the hygiene goals here were very different. But he did not say anything to Maksud. He wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible. "You've said that there are only two bad pieces of news, I hope that's all."

"Yes, all. Let's go."

Maksud got up and as if nothing had happened left the office, also leading Kai under the elbow.

"Where are we going?"

"It's time for you to take a bath."

Kai didn't argue. Now he didn't care. There were too many things. But most importantly, he was never able to figure out and understand for himself what was happening in his life.

***

That evening, after all the baths and rubbing, Kai was dressed strangely. Previously, he had not been dressed like that: too thin trousers, a translucent tunic on top, then a thin belt, then a dressing gown, again too thin and transparent, then again a belt, again a dressing gown, a little denser. They put on beautiful, oriental-style sandals without heels. There were bracelets on his hands, earrings in his ears, and strings of pearls hung around his neck. A young man came and began to put on mascara, shadows, gloss on his lips.

"Maksud, am I going somewhere?"

"Yes. You will find out everything," Maksud answered calmly, watching the process of the guy's transformation.

Kai first decided to ask again, but what for? If soon he found out everything himself. Trying to resist such dressing was also stupid - with so many servants and wonderful tinctures of Maksud, they would tie him up, give him a drink, and then he definitely would be trapped. Better to be conscious and remember everything.

When Maksud was convinced of the guy's beauty, as he called it himself, they walked along the corridors in the direction of the night half of the palace.

Kai didn't allow himself to think about it ... he just walked.

Maksud led him into a room too large for a bedroom, but in the center was a huge bed with red canopies hanging from it. A luxurious red carpet covered the entire space. On it there lay cushions of silk with gold ornaments. Low soft armchairs and sofas stood against the walls. On an elegant table, there were fruits, oriental sweets, and various drinks. Half of the wall was decorated with a mirror, and another one was on the ceiling.

In general, the situation did not inspire optimistic thoughts about what they were doing here.

Maksud led him to the center of the room and bowed out.

Kai drove all thoughts away again. He just stood there and waited. He heard footsteps, turned around.

It was Arshad. The Sheikh was wearing clothes similar to those that were now on Kaya. Kai decided that this was some variation of the nightgown adopted here.

At first, Arshad froze, looking him from head to toe, then began to approach - softly, smoothly.

Kai was frightened by Arshad's eyes, they were too frank in his desire. He retreated, but Arshad made a dash and embraced him. The man hugged, felt that the guy was not twitching, let go. Arshad moved his hands from the guy's back to the shoulders, then began stroking them, then going down to the elbows, then again rising to the shoulders.

He touched Kai's chin with his hand, ran over it, lifted it, and began to lean towards his lips.

"Arshad, don't," Kai breathed into his lips.

"You are so beautiful, my Desert Rose," Arshad's lips touched his lips.

"Don't," Kai tried to twitch, but immediately felt that he was enclosed in an iron embrace.

"A beautiful Rose of the Desert ..." Arshad's lips almost covered his lips.

Kai put two hands forward and rested on Arshad's chest, and then remembered that he had done something that these same hands must be cut off for.

He turned pale, looked up. Arshad's gaze was deathly black.

"Do you know how it is punished?"

"Yes," Kai whispered, dropping his hands, trying not to touch him anymore.

Arshad released him, took a step back, and continued to look. Kai stood pale and confused, realizing that losing two hands when you just start living was very scary.

"Lay on the bed!"

Kai, in a state of frustration, wandered over to the side of the bed and lay down on it.

Arshad sat down next to him, took the guy's hand in his.

"You have very beautiful hands," - he examined Kai's hand, "such thin fingers," then the Sheikh brought the guy's hand up and fastened the handcuff on the wrist. He did the same with the second hand.

Kai did not notice that this bed was also equipped with all sorts of devices in advance.

"I will forgive you for your act. But remember - this is the first and last time," then Arshad's voice softened, "for this, you will give me a kiss."

"I cannot."

"Why?"

Kai turned away. Arshad turned his chin.

"Why?" he looked into Kai's eyes.

"Men cannot kiss each other."

"Why? You are saying nonsense."

"Arshad, I'm not a girl. Why don't you kiss a girl?"

"I want to kiss you."

"It is not right. I can't kiss you."

Arshad caught the guy's chin again, turned the face towards himself.

"Have you ever kissed a guy?"

Seeing the answer in Kai's eyes, Arshad let go of his chin, his face expressed amazement.

"You are so handsome. Why haven't you ever kissed a guy?"

"You mustn't kiss guys," Kai replied stubbornly again.

"Have you been brought up in a monastery?"

"No."

Arshad fell silent again, thoughtfully began to run his fingers over Kai's face, traced the thin line of his nervously compressed lips.

"Okay, but you're interested in trying how it happens?"

"No. Not interested."

"How intractable you are. Then it is even more interesting for me to kiss you for the first time in your life."

Arshad bent down sharply, Kai turned away, twitched, feeling that the handcuffs were holding him tightly.

Arshad laughed. Apparently, the whole situation amused him very much. He began to catch the face of Kai, who turned away from his lips now to the right, then to the left, and then Arshad's lips fell into his cheeks, cheekbones, neck, and the man kissed him and then again resumed trying to catch his lips.

Kai knew that if Arshad wanted, he would just do it. But, apparently, Arshad was amused by this game.

Then Arshad climbed onto the bed and sat on top of Kai's thighs, thereby completely depriving him of the opportunity to wriggle on the bed. Now it was much more comfortable for him, hanging over his face, catching his lips.

Arshad was in no hurry, he liked it. Kai, on the other hand, was already tired of this pointless game.

"Are you tired of spinning around and running away from me?"

Kai threw a haunted look at Arshad.

"But I'm not tired. The night is long - let's play some more," and Arshad again began to hunt for his lips.

Having tortured Kai in this way, he straightened up again and looked at him.

"Give me just one kiss and I'll let you go today. Let's come to an agreement?"

Kai understood that if he did not agree now, then Arshad would simply take this kiss himself. But the prospect that this was all for today pleased Kai very much.

"Will you let me go?" he asked hopefully.

"Do you doubt the words of the Great Sheikh?"

"Kiss!" Kai breathed doom and, closing his eyes, prepared his lips for the kiss with the look of a man who decided on a desperate act.

Arshad again ran his fingers over the guy's lips and slowly approached them, then began to gently bite them. Kai felt his breath, then his tongue, which penetrated between his teeth and began to touch his tongue very gently - it was pleasant to Kai, strange, unexpected ...

Kai, without even realizing it, opened his mouth, and then Arshad hungrily kissed him with such passion, with such desire ...

Kai gasped at the kiss, his body twisted from the wave of heat he felt inside him. No one had ever kissed him in such a way, and he had never kissed anyone like that, he did not even know that this was possible.

The room began to blur, a strange wave went through the body again, the muscles became amorphous, it seemed to him that he was melting in the sun and spreading into a shapeless mass.

Arshad was kissing, coming off only for breaths of air, and then falling to his lips with a renewed passion ...

How long this went on, he did not remember. Everything suddenly disappeared and dissolved in his mind, only these lips remained, which were so hot and gave forbidden caresses, and then everything disappeared. And something like a groan of disappointment flew from Kai's lips ...

He opened his eyes, suddenly feeling that he no longer felt those lips, which turned out to be so intoxicating.

Arshad looked at him with a strange smile. Then he unfastened the handcuffs, examined the guy's wrists, there were traces of metal on them.

"And was it worth it to twitch? A silly boy ... you felt good," he breathed into his lips.

Then he got up and left the room.

Kai just lay, it seemed to him that he was a jellyfish in the sand, an amorphous mass. Moreover, the same mass was in the head. Or rather, there was nothing there at all.

He heard footsteps - it was Maksud who helped him to get up. Then he detachedly followed Maksud along the corridors of the palace.

Already going to bed, he looked at Maksud for the first time with a meaningful look.

- Give me, please, something from your wonderful tinctures to sleep.

Maksud, as always, smiled knowingly.

Making sure that Kai fell asleep, Maksud went to Arshad.

"Great Arshad, whom would you wish for your chambers today?"

"That's enough, Maksud! Nobody's here. Can you talk normally?" Arshad said this with mock irritation. " I would not wish anyone. I'll go to sleep. By the way, please give me one of your wonderful tinctures for sleep.

Maksud, as always, smiled at understanding.