Segun

"Quiet!" my father bellowed. "I made arrangements with Sharr and paid good money, so Segun will not be harmed."

"Being held to public ridicule won't harm him? Being jeered at? Having things thrown at him?" Papa spoke with a quieter voice but was no less fierce. He was furious.

Father looked down at his plate, his cheeks blazing red. He had done his best with the circumstances, but his expression revealed he was just as unhappy as Papa. But Papa wouldn't let go of his indignation.

"And this Tolen? Is he to replace me in your bed?"

Father stood suddenly and ripped Papa's chair from the table, and hauled him to his feet. I watched, horrified until I realized he clutched Papa in an embrace.

"You fool," he said. "It is you I love and always have, and no fresh body will change that."

"So, I'm a fool," said Papa bitterly.

"And you know it, too. I would not have you die trying to bear another child as so happens to Cursed. I am happy with the one you gave me. This, our family, is what I live for. And I'm sorry I did not heed you about a partnership for Segun, but I was hoping for better prospects for our son. I would not have him live your birth parent's story—a loveless marriage for the sake of the Trademaster position."

"Partnership, not marriage," said Papa. "The Church does not allow Cursed to marry."

"Bother and damn the church. Our is a marriage written by the Lord High himself. I refuse to believe that the King of Worlds would create one as beautiful as you and then call you damned."

"You're the fool," said Papa.

"And a happy fool I am. And I want our son to have such happiness. I want him to know love, Rebus. My dear, dear Rebus."

Father stroked Papa's hair and murmured soothing words, and I turned my head away at this rare intimacy displayed before me. They were such private people. You would hardly know the depth of affection between them. My father was hard-headed and sometimes indelicate in handling family matters, but it was plain that both men loved each other deeply.

If I knew half that love, I would be a joyous man.

But first, I must endure my first and hopefully last Shaming.

I didn't have to wait long.

In a week, rough men pounded on our front door and presented the arrest warrant signed by Gyenn Sharr. Papa Rebus cried, muttering they shouldn't because my heat was starting. But they yanked me from his arms, and Father held Papa to keep the situation from escalating. Even partnered, if Papa insulted one of the Church police, he would suffer Shaming too. The disgust and hate in the eyes of the guardsmen, as Father did so, made me reassess the seriousness of my situation. I resolved to go along quietly and say not a word they could hold against me.

They had no such restrictions. The men bound me in thick ropes and tossed me in the bed of a farm cart sticky with manure. They laughed about the liberties they would take with my body if they weren't such holy men. One poked me with a stick, but I lay there, my face burning in shame though they should wither with humiliation for their actions. What happened to the loving God of All who only wanted the best for his children? He seemed to be fast asleep this night, as most of Kiji Ost, as they ripped me from my home.

I resolved not to fear. That would solve nothing and give my tormentors an additional tool. But that didn't stop me from shivering as the unwieldy electric cart creaked and whined through the city streets.

Through the slats at the side of the cart bed, I spied the side streets we passed. Burgion, Foster, and on past the many that ran parallel to the large plaza that spilled out from the front of the church. Finally, we passed Roselette, the last of these. Lanterns that stood sentry before the church blazed around us. The cart jolted to a halt.

"Hey, there, wine merchant. What are you doing here? Curfew was an hour ago."

"My cart broke down. I just finished with repairs."

Even through my misery, my ears strained. I do not think I heard such an alluring voice. It was deep and rumbled with authority.

"You should move along," said one of my tormentors.

"I'll be on my way," the man said.

No! Don't walk away. Involuntarily I trilled.

It was an ancient thing, that trill, made when one of my kind calls for his mate. It was a sound that men both desired and despised because, according to the Church, it was the call to sin.

A cruel blow struck my back.

"Quiet, you."

I sucked in my yelp of pain.

"What are you doing there?" said the beautiful voice. It was filled with concern, and I adored that.

"None of your business."

"Ah, I suppose you are right," he said, and my heart shrank. Just another one of those who thought Cursed wasn't worth much. "How about some wine, eh?"

The holy men of the church agreed, and soon my ears caught the sound of liquid splashing, presumably into cups. "And here," he said to one who now stood at the end of the cart to prevent my escape.

"No. My compatriots may be fools, but I am not. I will not chance to show up drunk at the barracks."

"Well, what about him? Come on. Even through the manure, I can smell his heat."

"Be quiet, fool," the guard said. "Or we'll take you in for Shaming, too."

"Oh, come on. No need to let an opportunity go to waste."

My heart sank further as I heard coins jingle. Would they accept this bribe so this man could abuse me?

"That's it," said the guard. "Irkin, Wallack, bind him."

"Do it yourself, you officious prick," said one.

"Yeah," said the other. "He's a good man and made proper offerings to the church." Both Irkin and Wallack laughed.

The third man moved away from the back and rushed toward his fellows. "I'll report both of you," he fumed.

In the meantime, the man, the delicious-smelling man, bent toward me.

"Are you okay?" he whispered. His voice once again was filled with concern.

I said nothing. What is wrong with him? Speaking to me would earn his arrest, too.

"Speak, please. If they've hurt you, I'll report it to the church. I saw that man hit you. They aren't supposed to, you know."

"Go away," I gritted, even though I didn't want him to leave. "You'll make this worse."

"I'm just trying to help."

"Look, my father paid the proper tithes. I'll be fine if you just leave me alone."

"If you say so. What's your name?"

What is wrong with me? The longer the man stood close to me, the more I wanted to do anything he asked. I spoke my name, though it made no sense to do so.

"Segun Klath."

The man drew in a sharp breath. "The Trademaster's son?"

"Yes. Now, go away." It hurt me to say these words, but now, unaccountably, I was utterly concerned for his safety. That's insane. I was the one bound and laying in a manure-lined cart.

"If you wish." He spoke with such sadness that it broke my foolish heart. Then he leaned in closer as the arguments of the church police grew louder.

"My name is Aulkus Wren."

Chapter Four

Aulkus

People are dying, and there is nothing I can do. The harvest yields only half of what we need, and we all live on insufficient rations. The corporation has not sent contracted supplies, and there are no replies to our frantic messages.

Something has happened on the home world, and we are all alone.

Journal—Captain Winston Veller, Governor, Ostakis Colony

My father was utterly incensed that I refused the money to buy the fertility blessing from the Church. It was not an argument he could win, for who can gainsay a child who demands to support himself and his family? Nor was he happy that I announced Sela would go with me.

"Have her help you? That's unseemly. You can take one of the field hands."

"And pay wages when I need not? Sela can work the taps while I handle the money. Besides, the novelty of a woman handing the men wine will help business. And it's not illegal to have my wife work alongside me, so I don't understand where you get the inappropriate part. Besides, what else will she do while waiting for the church to hear her petition?"

He glared at me as I drove off in the cart laden with wine towards my cottage.

The trip to Kiji Ost was slow and laborious. My father overloaded the cart, and the weight strained the motor and batteries. Fortunately, the sun was strong, and I had replaced the solar panels the previous week, though we groaned into Kiji Ost slower than I would have liked.

Sela muttered and prayed as we neared the church, which rose dark and forbidding higher in the sky than any building in Kiji Ost. This was her first visit to the capital of the planet, and she was in apparent awe of the ugliest edifice on it. The unsightly lines of the thing were all straight and up and down. Even the portico arches that marched down the front and sides of the monstrosity were "v's" instead of graceful arches. It looked like the monster that visited my childhood dreams that wailed and gnashed its teeth. But Sela's face beamed in happiness the closer we got, so I spoke nothing of my feelings. There was no need to spoil her good mood.

But the cart gave up its struggle just as we rolled into our contracted spot on the Church Plaza. Father's gamble lost. The extra profits from the overweight portage would get eaten by repairs if I can't manage them.

The first day went well enough. The Festival doesn't officially start until tomorrow, so we took the time to go to the church and take our turn to make our petition. There was a line of people outside the church courtroom waiting for theirs, and we spent several hours in that closed space while I calculated the lost sales while we stood there.

At long last, we were called, and Sela gripped my arm as we entered the room. By the Lord of Heaven, it looked like a courtroom, as if we were to be tried for our sins instead of asking for a dispensation that I will buy with my hard-earned coin.

"Please rise. The Reverend Thyenn Sharr will hear your petition."

I've heard of Thyenn Sharr, and when I first saw him, I shivered as if a ghost walked on my grave. A menace hung about him that his priestly robes did nothing to disguise. He smirked at us from the raised judges' bench, where he sat as if we were guilty of many sins.

I wanted to smack that smirk off his arrogant face.

"Yonsu Aulkus Wren, we know your House is from Kiji Amst, but you have a petition before this ecclesiastical court?" He sounded incredulous, as if we had some cheek in doing so.

"Most Reverend, my wife and I ask the indulgence of the Church to grant a blessing to facilitate the bearing of children."

"I see," he said, tapping the petition paper before him. "And has sin marred your marriage?"

"My wife is a godly and devout woman who walks in His Holy Ways."

"And you?"

"I am a man and, as the church teaches, is a sinner as all men are."

"Quite right," said Sharr thoughtfully. "So, you study the scripture?"

"My father saw to my education most vigorously." You officious prick.

"As well he should. But have you sinned, Aulkus Wren? Is that why your wife does not bear your fruit?"

Oh, for Heaven's freaking sake. He's looking to increase the price of the blessing because of my supposed sin.

"If you require a statement from my local cleric—"

Sharr banged his hand on the bench.

"Have you or have you not sinned seriously enough to cause your wife the misery of childlessness!"

"If I have, I am unaware of it, Your Reverence. If I had, I would most vigorously atone for my transgressions."

"Then why are you here!"

"To please my wife, Your Reverence."

"You indulge a woman's foolishness and waste this court's time!"

"Your Reverence, tell me what I must do not to waste your time?"

I could not be clearer in my intention, and Sharr's eyes narrowed.

"Approach the bench. The woman stays where she stands."

I moved forward, hating this man more with each step. How much of my hard-earned money will he extract? I swear, when I become a rich man in my own right, I will make this man's life a misery.

"Why have you not brought this matter to your local church?"

"I would have. My wife thought your indulgence might weigh stronger in the eyes of the Lord of All."

"She is wrong."

"Then shall I tell her you've referred us back to our home church?"

"No! She shall get her blessing. A godly woman shouldn't suffer for the sins of her husband."

"Thank you, Your Reverence." Oh, how I wanted to strike this arrogant, judgmental man. I do not appreciate that he shamed me in front of my wife. But I will go through with this for her sake.

"Do not thank me," he growled. "I find you guilty of the sin of indulging your wife, and if you indulge her, surely you indulge yourself."

I thought about the hacked books from the library and could not disagree.

"But she should not suffer for your transgression." He wrote a string of numbers on a slip of paper and then signed his name on the petition. "Take both of these to the purser's office, and he'll stamp it once you donate to the Church."

"Thank you, Your Reverence." I bowed and backed away.

"What did he say?" said Sela as we walked from the room. If she could read, I would have shown her the ungodly sum he marked on the paper—more than I imagined. I would have to borrow father for money to survive the rest of the year as this demand bankrupted us. I thought I should walk out of her and tell her the cleric referred us to the local church, but my lie would be found out eventually. So I went to the purser and wrote a bank draft, and since my family is well known in Kiji Amst and Kiji Ost, the purser accepted it. He jammed a woodcut stamp on it and signed his name. Sela would get her blessing.

So much for me saving money to attend the University here in Kiji Ost.

She is so happy I do not have the heart to tell her that this was the last thing she would receive from me for a long time.

We opened the wine cart for the afternoon. Sela drew the wine with special zeal and took the money. If there was one thing Sela understood, it was a coin, and I had no doubt she'd handle it properly. Plus, I needed her to do the work while I fiddled under the cart to find its problem. I found it was a middling expensive blown energy convertor. Fortunately, it was an easy part to replace, so I got out from under and helped Sela sell wine. We made enough money for the hotel room, dinner, and the part I needed to repair the cart.

A messenger drove by in colors of House Mem on his pedal cart, and I stopped him. Mem had a reputation as extremely reliable even though they were a family of Cursed. Their business was set up at the city's original charter, so they were grandfathered against later restrictive laws that prevented Cursed from engaging in business. I contracted the messenger to buy the part and returned to selling wine. Soon the messenger brought my package. After closing the cart for the evening, we ate, and I installed Sela at the hotel. I couldn't leave the cart alone for long because of its cargo, so I thought I'd repair the part and drive it to the hotel parking lot.

Back at the repair part in hand, I'd set to work, and though it seemed an easy job, it was not because I lacked the proper tools for the repair. So, as I worked with what I had, the sun when down, and the street lights turned on. I hung a lamp from the undercarriage and pulled at parts, cursed and sweated in trying to remove the old part and put the new one on.

That was when I learned how they brought the Cursed to the Church. Three carts rolled by me on the streets cleared by curfew. Finally finished, I got out from under and went to start it when another of the damnable carts stopped.

"Hey, there, wine merchant. What are you doing here? Curfew was an hour ago."

"My cart broke down. I just finished with repairs."

"You should move along," said the man driving the cart.

"I'll be on my way," I said. There is no reason to anger these men.

Then I heard it. The trill of a Cursed either in or nearing heat, and I do not think I've ever heard a more alluring sound. Cursed were sequestered during their heat not to incite men to sin.

"Quiet you!" said the man driving the car. One of his fellows struck the Cursed with his whip. My nostrils flared, and smelled the young man's fear. How brave he was not to call out. It was plain they were abusing him, which was not allowed by Church law. The abuse was only allowed during Church sanctioned events and only by supposedly trained clerics

My indignation rose. Bad enough that Thyenn Sharr robbed me and humiliated me in front of my wife. Now they abused this young man whose crime was being born different from most of us? But what can I do? But I find I cannot walk away from this situation. So, I offer wine in hopes of getting close to the Cursed. Two accepted it gratefully. The last was a joyless prick. But that worked out when he argued with his fellows.

"Go away," insisted the Cursed.

I could not see him in the dark and with him huddled toward the forward portion of the cart bed, but I smelled him, and it was an aroma that brought previously unimaginable thoughts. My manhood stirred, and I wanted to get next to him. How could I let this delicious creature endure punishment? I drew from him his name and was shocked. The Trademaster's son? Surely the Trademaster could pay whatever coin it took to spare his child this trial?

A thought gripped me then that I should protect this man. I know him not, but the need to keep him from harm shook me to the core.

"My name," I said, "is Aulkus Wren."

Chapter Five

Segun

Father of All, please hear me in my time of need. Grant me your presence so I might save my eternal soul. I seek this of you with true devotion, o creator of all. Bless me with your heavenly warmth. Prayer for Aid—Faith Progressive Church

"Hey there," said the nastiest guard. "Get away from him."

I do not care what the guard said because I know his name. Aulkus. What a wonderfully strong, and authoritative name. My misery lifts because I have found him—my Yonsu.

This is a moment of celebration for a Cursed. To find your Yonsu, the man that was the key to your heart, was a rare thing. So many Cursed lived lives of quiet frustration, legally bound to a yonsu who used their body but never connected with their soul. As creatures of sin, we didn't deserve our partner's love, at least in the Holy Church's judgment.

But Aulkus would love me. I knew it.

In the next second, I scolded myself that I knew nothing of this man or anything of him. But I think I might. Wren? Is that not the vintner family from Kiji Amst? Their wine shipped to all the city-states on Ostakis. But now I'm confused because there is only one son in the Wren family, and he is married.

No, my heart and body snarled. He is mine.

I do not know from whence this declaration came. It was as if my soul split apart when I met Aulkus, and things I did not know about myself seeped out. The desire I had for him was unimaginable. This sense of ownership I felt toward a man with which we shared a handful of words is outrageous.

It matters not, my foolish heart said.

Dear Lord Above, I do not care if Aulkus Wren is married. I want him next to my body, touching me, enlivening my desire. A fire built within my balls, my dick filled to rock hardness, and the slick of my passage tickled my intimate entrance. Oh, a kiss or a touch would do so much. Who did I fool? I want more than that. I need Aulkus Wren in my body.

The thing between us is ancient, running through the building blocks of life that make us what we were. This is not a human response, but from the bloodline of this planet's Unspoken, the Old Ones, that runs through each of us Cursed.