The Ones that Survived
(Sintra, Portugal, Present day.)
A figure concealed by a heavy black hooded cloak entered through the half-closed doors of the ancient library. The rustling of the heavy cloth on the stone floor broke the silence of the place as he crossed the path he had traveled countless times before. The smell of old books and old wooden shelves was still the same as in his childhood. He had fled, all his adolescence, from this place, where the memories were too strong to be dispelled by a single thought.
He walked slowly to the pulpit, which stood in front of a huge stained-glass window depicting the Triple Goddess, right in front of the library's main door. A sad smile came to his lips as his eyes found the old family book. He remembered the hours spent reading and re-reading the words in it, listening to the old voices whispering from far away. He could still feel the tingling that the energy contained in those pages transmitted. With a sigh, he wiped away the tears that insisted on appearing and burning his eyes.
From the side of his gaze, he could make out a small shadow moving gently in the far corner of the room. It was a small figure, so familiar and so sweet that it gave him the calm he needed for what had to be done next.
"Hello, little Quiron!" he said in a calm tone. "It's been a long time... too long since I've seen you."
He ran a hand over the animal's head and back, which purred at the display of affection.
The animal lounged among the old wooden shelves. Much larger than a domestic cat, the black creature fixed its emerald green eyes on the hooded figure in front of the pulpit.
"Hello, Little Master," said the creature in a voice that was audible only to him. "I knew that one day you would return to your place."
Uncovering its head, the figure let the light coming through the stained-glass window bathe the thick golden curly hair that framed its face. His honey-colored eyes looked at the animal in assent.
Taliesin was 23 years old and 5.90 ft tall. He was athletic due to his intense swimming and CrossFit training, without being overly muscular. In fact, looking at his body was like seeing Alex Pettyfer at the age of 20 with perfect pectorals muscles and abs. A light golden fur covered his chest going all the way down to a treasure trail. His voice was melodious yet carried a depth and wisdom that went far beyond his tender years.
"I've been away too long. But the blood and duty called me home. It remains to be seen whether I have the necessary knowledge to answer the call." he replied sadly.
"But, little master, you've always been here, even though far away. You never left your home, your roots. These are the walls that saw you born. They are your strength and your refuge." The figure rubbing against his legs spoke in the same secret voice. "Your life will always be protected inside this house."
Looking at the small animal and then at the pages of the book, he read in golden letters his name on his family tree.
"Yes, Quiron... I will always be Taliesin to the others... But in this house, under these roofs, I am something else. I am the Guardian. "
But Taliesin was more than that. He was one of the last descendants of the ancient witches of Zugarramurdi. The witches who were killed and burned in caves by the bonfires of the Inquisition. After all, all the witches and wizards were the grandchildren of those who managed to escape. Their family tree stretched back to the ancient Druids of the islands of Brittany.
Ever since his grandmother anointed him as the future Guardian, still in his crib, Taliesin was trained to take over her. His birth was prophesied long before he was born, weighing heavily on his shoulders. Too much responsibility for such a young kid.
He looked again at the small animal and the heavy ancient book, which was now wrapped in a different glow, as if it were rejuvenating itself. He could feel the pulse of energy returning to that place, at the same time being filled and becoming one with the house. He began to leaf through the pages.
Centuries of knowledge, conjures, magic formulas and sacred geometry. Various areas of magical knowledge. Yet the pages showed no signs of wear. As if they had just been written.
"What do you want from me?" he said, looking at the book. "What threatens this house and this family?"
The words came out no more than a whisper as if there was no one tangible to answer them. He looked at the animal, which was waiting for the young Master's next actions.
"Hum... I feel lost, my Quiron! My mother would have known what to do immediately. My father would have conjured up half a dozen spells by now to figure out what's going on. But I'm not them. Not anymore." he said with a dejected tone.
A whistling wind echoed through the corridors of the library. In a passageway to his left, a small curtain fluttered down, showing an ajar window through which the night air poured in. The wind itself was charged with a foreboding that made him uncomfortable. His insides revolted at the energy he felt.
"Come on, Quiron! We have things to do, people to talk to." he said as he closed the heavy book and resealed it.
"Yes, Guardian. There's a lot to do and not much time to do it in." replied the animal.
Taliesin could sense the urgency in his familiar voice that urged him to move, to return to the old traditions. He had to leave his fears and insecurities behind. There was work to be done. He closed his eyes, concentrating on the energy of the place and allowing it to flow through him.
In an almost hidden corner, a door began to be drawn in golden lines. First, they appeared faintly, like filaments of light on a mirrored surface. Then, they became progressively sharper, more charged.
Moments later, the door was fully visible. An ancient arched door with inscriptions in Latin and Greek. In its contours it was possible to see ivy and rose bushes.
Raising his hands as he had done so many times in the past, Taliesin chanted the old words he had been taught as a child.
"Per Deam et Per Deum, Portam aperti ad Hortum Sacrum." he said melodically as he raised his hands to the strange door.
A golden glow danced between his fingers as the door shone brighter. The heavy wooden doors open themselves without anyone touching them. Beyond the doorframe, a garden filled with soft sunlight stretched to the horizon without anything else obstructing his view. From there came a fresh breeze with the scent of pine and flowers. It was like another country or world.
"We have to go, Quiron!" he said with a sigh. "Summerland awaits and whatever is threatening the family needs to be found and controlled."
Taliesin stepped through the door and the air became sweet. The scents of flowers and herbs invaded his senses. The garden itself was unchanged, untouched. It was exactly as it had been 15 years ago.
"Premises of magic." thought Taliesin with a smile as he walked with determined steps to the ancient stone table in the center of the garden.
The ancient space was a mishmash of different plant species. Such a mixture that it didn't make sense for them to exist side by side. There were large desert cacti next to white poplars, huge fields of violets flanked by desert roses. And all of them perfect, without a blemish or sign of being out of place.
Among this unreal carpet of plants and species so different from each other, a small path of fine and perfectly white sand stretched from the door that hung in the air to the clearing centered by the stone table.
The copper color of the table contrasted with the two large trees that covered it. A huge Celtic oak with its typical autumn colors and a willow tree with its verdant foliage and drooping branches served as a natural cover for the table, casting a soft, sweet shadow over it.
"The Great Goddess and The Great God. Side by side... the two faces of Magic. The duality in every human being." thought Taliesin as he stopped at the edge of the trees.
Quiron followed in front of him in an undulating movement typical of felines, stopping in front of the large table and tapping the ground with his front paws. From the center of the table, a small ball of golden light appeared, redoubling and growing as it enveloped the entire area.
"BY THE AIR THAT IS THE BREATH OF THE GODDESS. BY THE FIRE THAT IS HER SPIRIT. BY THE WATER THAT IS HER WOMB AND BY THE EARTH THAT IS HER BODY. The circle is cast and never broken," said Taliesin, raising his hands to the heavens and feeling the energy circle around him.
Quiron remained motionless as the sphere of energy swirled around the central table. As they watched, images began to appear inside the sphere.
Figures appeared, people from their past. A succession of images were unfolding and revealing themselves before their eyes.
"Quiron! This can't be. Please tell me I won't need HIM again," said Taliesin with a sigh.
The figure that appeared in the ball of energy was familiar. Too familiar and equally painful for Taliesin.
The animal began to prowl around the table, changing. As it walked, its figure transformed, taking on its true identity, growing to a height of 5.5 ft tall. In front of Taliesin now stood a young man, who looked no older than 18. His long hair fell down his back in black curls. His skin was white, as pale as the light of the full moon. But his eyes retained the green color typical of his feline appearance.
He was naked, as if that nakedness was the most natural thing that existed. With the exception of his full head of hair, his eyebrows and his long black eyelashes, his entire body was devoid of any hair.
"Yes, little Master! He really must come!" said Quiron in his almost human voice.
Quiron's voice was sweet, melodic. As if a man and a woman were speaking at the same time.
Not even the figure of his familiar spirit dispelled Taliesin's despair. He felt his heart beating faster. His hands began to sweat and his breathing became faster and shallower.
"Cian... I'll have to call him then. And try not to finish him off as soon as I have him in front of me!" he said with a mixed tone of sadness and anger in his voice.
Walking over to the table, the young man concentrated on the ball of energy that was still redoubling. He felt the energy grow inside his chest and he breathed it out in the form of words that came out of his mouth like golden dust.
“Per tempus et spatium voco et clamo ad te. Cian me audit et ad vocationem meam venit!” said Taliesin blowing into his open hands.
A small whirlwind of energy appeared on the stone table and then flew away. Shortly afterwards, Taliesin heard a deep voice behind him.
"Ad vocationem vestram, respondeo!" the voice said. The ancient greeting given when a wizard is magically summoned by his Priest.
It was Cian. 24 years old, dark tan, tall and with a timeless charm. There was a mischievous sparkle in his blue eyes. His long light brown hair was tied up in a man bun. Taller than Taliesin, at 6.39 ft tall, Cian managed to make everyone look at him as soon as he entered a place. The perfect mix of sensuality and arrogance. His body looked like Hugh Jackman one. Every single ripped muscle. Cian was handsome and he knew it. Being a regular bodybuilder also helped him catch glances wherever he went.
He looked at Taliesin with a curious glint in his blue eyes and then at the slender figure of the familiar spirit perched on the stone table.
"My, my! Look at what the cat dragged out!" said Cian in an ironic tone, smiling defiantly at Quiron.
The young Quiron growled low, making his nails grow like claws.
"Careful, Cian! Don't forget where you are, who I am and your position here." replied Quiron.
"Of course...of course! But I'm more interested in him. And what the fuck he's in for calling me." he said, pointing at Taliesin.
"Believe me. If it were up to me, I'd never look at your fucking face again, you fucking traitor!" snapped Taliesin, squinting his eyes. "But the Great Goddess, in her infinite wisdom, has other plans for you and me."
Cian's defiant smile disappeared.
"The Great Goddess called me back? Why?" asked Cian with a mixture of curiosity and fear in his eyes.
"I've been called back home. Here, in Summerland, I summoned the Sphere of Destiny. And you appear!" he said, staring at him. "I don't know what's going on, what's threatening the family, but as much as it pains me, I have to join forces with you."
As he approached Cian, Taliesin could smell him. The mixture of musk and sea water. The warmth that radiated from his skin was still disconcerting to him.
Inside him, he felt a mixture of hatred and something else grow... perhaps even love. But how could he still feel love for someone who had hurt him so much?
Cian approached Taliesin too. Inside him, old feelings surfaced. The memories of kisses, of touches. The words whispered between their two mouths. The feel of Taliesin's body on his.
"I missed you," said Cian almost in a whisper. "You still smell like flowers and pine."
"Stop it! Don't even start. I know you too well to know those little tricks of yours by heart." said Taliesin, trying to control the emotion in his voice and evoking an incantation of "Majesty", making him seem unattainable and bigger than he really was.
"Ah! Come on! Don't start with little incantations that I know too." said Cian with a smile, as he ran a hand over the back of his neck. "You've just reminded me of your father. He was scary when he invoked the majesty of the Goddess."
Taliesin felt a flush cover his cheeks, making him turn his back on his former boyfriend.
"Fuck you!" he snapped in a bitter tone as he headed for the stone table.
How could his body still react so viscerally to the other man's presence? Even after everything they had experienced.
Cian's betrayal was still alive in his mind, with the memories of that day coming back like a wave sweeping through his senses.
He could vividly remember coming home after a day's study, tired and in need of affection, and hearing, coming from the room they shared, the moans of pleasure that cut through the night. In their bed, Cian was furiously penetrating another man. The two bodies joined together, undulating in a sexual frenzy. Cian's long hair was stuck to his face and body by the moisture that covered his skin.
The smell of sweat and sex dominated the place. Above all, his scent of musk and sea water. Cian's ecstatic expression as he unloaded his semen inside the other boy. His clenched eyes and half-open mouth swollen from the kisses they should have exchanged.
And what tore his heart and soul in two. The look of defiance that the passive threw at him when he discovered him standing in the doorway. Just like he remembered the look of pain on Cian's face when he saw him witness the betrayal first hand.
Taliesin shook off the memory that assailed his mind, turning to Cian.
"You killed everything I gave you that night. You killed the best I had in me. And now you're here. By some strange stroke of fate, you're here." he said, as tears stubbornly ran out of his eyes. "And you talk to me as if your actions haven't caused any damage. As if they haven't changed anything between us."
"I..." began Cian, lowering his gaze to the floor.
"Forget it. You've said everything there is to say. You've given every excuse there was to give." said Taliesin, trying to keep his composure. "I thought that after I kicked you out of the house, I'd never see you again. Yet, here you are! But who am I to go against Her Holy Will. Fucking irony."
Cian walked slowly over to the young man in front of him, pulling him against his chest. Taliesin's mind was screaming at him to move away, but his body wouldn't obey, and, after a long time, he let the tears that were stubbornly coming to the surface fall again.
"I don't deserve your forgiveness. I don't deserve you! You were always the best one of both of us!" he whispered in Taliesin's ear. "But I've never forgotten you. I've never forgotten the shit I did that took the best thing I've ever had in my life away from me. I've been wandering around, not knowing what the fuck direction to take. That night I lost my compass. Because of one fuck, I ruined my life."
"You didn't just ruin your life, Cian! You ruined my dreams. You managed to ruin everything I had planned for us, in one fell swoop. You ruined my life too." said Taliesin, leaning his head on the hunks shoulder.
Quiron watched the scene from afar. His green eyes shone with hidden knowledge. In truth, the small young man hid more truths within him than he showed.
"Little Master! Don't doubt again. The your Mother is never wrong!" he said in his melodious voice.
Taliesin looked at the young spirit who radiated a soft, tender light. His whole body glowed as if embedded with thousands of tiny crystals.
"I know I shouldn't doubt it! I am a High Priest of the Great Goddess. An anointed of Ancestral Magic. Guardian of the Raven Clan. I know that She, Who is Three in One, is never wrong," he said in a whisper. "But, Quiron, how can I not doubt? I'm human! And it still hurts so much."
His voice was broken by a sob that cut off his speech. On the one hand, he wanted to get away from that body he knew like a map. But on the other, his heart cried out for Cian.
"Little Bird... Forgive me! Without you I was like a ship adrift on the high seas!" said Cian, looking into Taliesin's tear-stained eyes. "Choose my punishment, condemn me to the harshest of sentences and I'll run to fulfill it. I'll do it now, if it means staying with you again."
The young Guardian nestled his face into the stud’s strong chest as he listened to him use his nickname. The same one he used so often when they were together. He inhaled its scent, letting his mind wander back to happier, simpler times.
Then, as he had done so many times before, as if time and space had not separated them, as if his actions had not driven a dagger of pain into Taliesin's chest, Cian held his chin and turned his face towards him.
He gazed longingly into those honey-colored eyes. The same eyes that had once looked at him with devotion. At his marked, masculine features. At his jawline, finally stopping at Taliesin's plump, half-open lips. Those lips that had been his madness. Without a second thought, he leaned in, letting his lips gently touch Taliesin's mouth.
The touch was soft, light. Like the wings of a butterfly brushing against the boy's mouth.
Taliesin was overcome by feelings. Something he had tried for two years to hide and bury inside him made its way into his chest. He opened his mouth to the kiss that was forming, allowing Cian's tongue to lap at every nook and cranny of his mouth.
He pulled his mouth away from the hunk’s, who looked at him with sweet eyes.
"I hate you. And I hate myself for not being able to stop loving you!" said Taliesin in a hurt whisper. His breath enveloped Cian's face, making his body throb with desire.
"Fuck! How I've missed you. I missed your caresses, your kisses. I missed the sweet way you looked at me. I even miss your harshness when you made me study. I missed us and I miss you!" said Cian as he clasped the young priest's body in his arms, in the despair he felt that he might escape again. "Forgive me. Please!"
"Forgiveness is for the followers of the Risen Lord," he said in a determined tone. "But... if the Goddess wills it, I bow to her will."
Taliesin snuggled into the chest of the young wizard in front of him and, looking into the blue sea of his eyes, sighed.
"I've missed you too, Cian! But what you've done... won't be easily erased. I've always told you, trust is the most fragile of flowers. It breaks easily. Hard to recover." he said as he pushed himself out of the other man's arms.
"Anyway, this isn't the place to deal with that situation," he said as he walked over to the large stone table.
Raising his hands, Taliesin concentrated on the energies of the place. Quiron left the table and knelt down next to the young priest, followed by Cian, who stood on his other side.
"THANK YOU, MYLADY, FOR YOUR PRESENCE. WE LEAVE IN PEACE, AS WE ARRIVED IN PEACE," he said. Never had the oft-repeated prayer sounded so false.
The energies in the place diminished and the ball of energy, that had been swirling in the center of the table until now, disappeared.
He began to walk back to the door suspended in mid-air along the path of white sand, closely followed by Quiron and Cian.
When they crossed the threshold, they were back in the old library. It was still night, as if time had stood still while they were in Summerland.
With a little wave, the heavy wooden doors closed and the glow that had existed disappeared completely.
Quiron slowly reverted to his feline form and leapt nimbly to the top of one of the wooden shelves, while languidly licking one of his paws. Taliesin smiled and started walking towards the main door, always closely followed by the young wizard.
"You know what? I could spend years watching you use magic... and you never cease to amaze me," said Cian with his eyes on the floor. "But you've always managed to do that. Amazing me."
Taliesin let out a small giggle as he crossed the entire corridor of the old library and crossed the heavy wooden door, closing it behind them.
The lights in the family mansion were on. In the large entrance hall, several doors could be seen that gave access to other parts of the house. A large round table stood in the center of the hall. On the floor, drawn in various types of wood, there was a Triquetra, symbol of the Three in One Goddess.
To the right of the library, right in front of the mansion's front door, was a large dark mahogany staircase leading to the upper floor, flanked by two corridors leading to the back of the house. Taliesin followed a corridor on the right-side of the staircase into the great hall.
The soft lights of the table lamps created an intimate atmosphere, casting faint shadows on the walls. The young Priest took off the cloak covering his figure and laid it carelessly on the back of a sofa, inhaling the peculiar fragrance of that room. A mix of leather, wood and old parchments.
Cian continued to follow him closely. He gazed longingly at the muscular figure of the man in front of him. The way the jeans contoured his thighs and buttocks. How the black T-shirt marked the silhouette of his torso, fitting the contours of his pecs and biceps.
"You look... stunning." Cian said in a voice tinged with emotion. "But... you're always stunning." he continued as he approached Taliesin from behind, encircling him with his arms.
“You… oh Fuck! You look beautiful as always, Cian. You know you are!” said the Taliesin.
He detangled himself form Cian arms, knowing that if he stayed, he wouldn’t be able to keep himself from giving to the desire and lust that was brewing in his chest. He walked to a far liquor cabinet on the other side of the room, opening the two wooden doors. Inside a collection of whiskeys, tequilas and several other bottles.
“Care for a drink?” he asked looking above his shoulder to the wizard that took a seat on the large sofa in the room, leaning back, spreading his arms on the back of the sofa and crossing his legs.
"WOW! Since when do you started drinking?" asked Cian with concern in his voice.
Taliesin's eyes fell on the sprawled figure of his former boyfriend, squinting.
"Since you fucked with my heart and soul! Ever since I thought I had a man by my side I could count on and it turned out he was a fucking liar!" he said in a burst of words that carried the unresolved emotions inside him. "So don't fuck with my head."
Cian straightened up on the sofa as if the words had physically hit him.
"I… I guess I deserved that one." he said, looking down at his hands.
Taliesin poured two glasses of whiskey and carried them over to the sofa where Cian was, handing him one.
The young wizard thanked him, bringing the amber liquid to his lips, savoring the notes of oak and smoke.
"Ah! This one's from home!" he said nostalgically as he looked at the liquid rippling in the glass.
Taliesin nodded with a slight smile. His eyes were still on the glass itself, while he took a seat near the young stud.
"I don't know what's going on, Cian! Why, after all this time, the Grimoire called me back. I tried to talk to my parents, to no avail. Neither by normal means, nor by magical invocations. Nothing. Wherever they are, something is blocking my magic," he said, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. “And this. Your return. The feelings that I pushed aside for so long, bubbling again. This untamed desire to forgive you, to let everything go.”
Cian raised his eyebrows. He felt the same. Something was definitely strange in all of this. They were orbiting again. The longing to be together. And there was another thing even more troublesome. Blocking Taliesin's magic wasn't for everyone. Whoever was behind what the priest was feeling had to be strong.
"Are you sure your parents aren’t the ones who don't want to be found?" asked Cian as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, turning his head to the young man.
Taliesin stood up, walking to a globe representing the Earth and spun it around. He was silent for a few moments.
"I don't know! It could be... I don't know!" he said with a sigh. "The last time we spoke we said some... not so pleasant things."
Taliesin stared at the Globe, remembering the argument that had led to him leaving the mansion. His mother and father's harsh words. And his rebelliousness. Wanting to live life as a normal boy, away from the responsibilities that “Guardian of the Raven Clan” title carried. Words were spoken that now weighed heavily on his heart and mind.
"I crossed the line that night. Ever since that day I've been trying to stay away from this house. I've been trying to prove that I can live a normal life." he said, as he turned to Cian. "But I'm NOT normal!"
Cian got up from the sofa and walked slowly over to the young man, taking his hands.
"And what is normal? Explain it to me! What is normality?" he asked, looking Taliesin in the eye. "We hold in our hands a power that many envy. We have at our disposal energies that are the source of stories and legends. You should be honored by what you've been given."
With a nod, Cian enveloped Taliesin right hand whit his own, conjuring there a small rose of silver energy looking as he looked him in the eyes.
"Show-off!!!" said the priest with a smile. "You know that magic has limits and costs."
"I know... I know! I am well aware of the Witches Creed. You used to make me recite it every day." He said with a rolling his eyes.
Taliesin giggled remembering the endless hours teaching Cian.
"We share more than a bed! You were my best friend. We grew up together between here and your house. How did we end up like this?" he asked, holding the young wizard's hands.
They had known each other for so long. In fact, they had been playing together since they were babies. Cian’s mother was a powerful witch who belonged to the Raven Clan. She had served Taliesin’s grandmother as Protector in the magic rites celebrated in the house. During Sabbaths and Esbaths, the two spent their time playing and watching the adults.
As time passed, the two youngsters orbited around each other like two suns. Wherever Taliesin was, Cian was not far away. They were inseparable.
The blossoming of their love was seen as something natural, serene and right by the whole Clan. In a world that had always persecuted and condemned difference, the followers of the Old Religion accepted and embraced what was different. Taliesin and Cian’s love was seen as a wonderful gift from the Goddess.
The Guardian and his Protector. Side by side, united by more than mere duty.
There was, however, one element of that clan that Cian couldn’t win. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he struggled, no matter how many cuddles he tried, no matter how many offers he made, he couldn’t win Quiron’s trust.
Taliesin’s guiding spirit always looked down on the young sorcerer, never allowing him to get too close to him.
"I fucked things up in the worst possible way. You didn't deserve it... you really didn't." said the young wizard, looking away from Taliesin.
"Listen. I feel like something broke inside me that night. Something was damaged that I've spent the last few years trying to repair." said the High Priest as he held the boy's chin, forcing him to look at him. "As much as it pains me to say it, as much as it pains me to admit it, do you know when I felt complete again? When you recited the invocation."
With both hands he held Cian’s face, searching for the features he knew so well.
"I love you. I've always loved you... and until the end of my days, I will. It will take time to trust you again. But I'm willing to try." he whispered as he looked Cian in the eye.
The young protector held his hands, letting out a sigh he didn't know he had inside him.
"Little bird... My love. I'll do anything to win back your trust. To show that I am worthy of you, even if there is..." he said as heavy knocks on the oak doors echoed through the silence of the mansion.
Taliesin lowered his hands and turned, preparing to walk to the entrance, only to be stopped by Cian, who wrapped his arms around his love.
"Love, let them knock. We'll feign dementia and stay here!" said Cian, squeezing the young man against him.
"My love... you know I can't. People who come to this house, usually do so because they need help!" said the young priest with a frown.
He disentangled himself from his lover's arms and ran to the heavy oak doors. The knocks continued to sound, breaking the silence of the night. His skin crawled as he began to approach the doors. Quiron jumped out of the shadows and stood beside him, staring at the entrance to the house.
"Little Master... This one you will need to answer quickly!" he said in a voice only audible to Taliesin.
"Why?!" asked the priest.
The animal just remained seated licking his paw without answering.
The high Priest opened the heavy wooden door with the care and reverence that any visitor deserves.
On the other side, a male figure stared at him. Spikey black hair and violet eyes that shined in the night. His broad shoulders and athletic figure filled the doorframe. His plump, red lips cracked into a smile. Almost as tall as him, the young man was dressed in black, in a suit that accentuated his entire body.
"Yes? Can I help you?" asked Taliesin, taking a defensive stance.
“Good evening, Taliesin!" said the man politely. "My name is Rafael. I'm a lawyer at the offices that work for your family. Your parents have left a package for us to deliver on this very day and at this very time."
The boy handed the young priest a package wrapped in brown paper, tied with string and sealed with a red seal. I could see the family crest on the seal.
"I need you to sign here!" said Rafael, handing over a document proving the delivery of the object.
After signing and saying goodbye to the messenger, Taliesin returned with an inquisitive expression to the hall. Inside, Cian had returned to the sofa and was holding a glass of whiskey.
"Who was that?" he asked, looking at the boy's confused expression.
The priest stopped by the sofa, lifting his eyes from the packet to stare at Cian.
"A lawyer who works for the law firms that represent the family! He's brought a package, addressed to me, with specific instructions to be delivered today." he said as he took the weight of the object in his hands.
Cian hastily got up and stood next to the other man.
"Baby, open it up! It looks important. And it's sealed with the family crest!" he said, placing a hand on Taliesin's shoulder, trying to comfort him.
The young priest sat down on the sofa, while Cian sat next to him. He broke the seal on the string and opened the package. Inside a wooden box, perfectly packed, were an athame and an envelope. He immediately recognized his mother's fluid, drawn handwriting.
He opened the envelope impatiently. His mind was in overdrive. His hands were sweating and his heart was pounding in his chest.
"My son, My Guardian...
When you read this letter, you should be sitting in our lounge with Cian by your side and your father and I won't be there.
It is very important that you are together and that you have forgiven him. He wasn't responsible for the actions he committed. He was as deceived as you were. The threads that wove the events were powerful.
Son, the Raven Clan has always been a protector of magic in our world. It is the energy that connects us to each other, that nourishes and sustains us. And what keeps us united with nature.
Unfortunately, there have always been clans who have sought other ways of harnessing this energy. May the Great Goddess grant that they never succeed.
Your birth is shrouded in prophecy. A little raven will come and bring unity and finality to the conflicts.
Even Cian's betrayal was cruelly planned to prevent you from assuming your role in our clan.
Of course, by now, you've realized that the spell cast on the Grimoire to call you back... is mine. As well as Cian's presence back in your life.
Find your roots again Taliesin... Little Crow!
P.S: Do me a favor. Give Quirom a back rub... he was important in bringing you back!"
When he had finished reading, Taliesin held the letter like someone holding the most precious possession they own. Tears streamed down his face, tracing wet paths. He looked up at Cian, who was just as surprised as he was.
"So she did it! She planned the whole thing. Your return. My return. Even your forgiveness." He said, letting himself fall back against the back of the sofa. "Fuck. When I grow up I want to be half the witch your mother is!"
"Even me... I still have so much to learn. She's always been an extraordinary psychic. Her powers of clairvoyance are something of wonder." said the priest with genuine pride.
In a corner of the hall, a pair of green eyes twinkled.
"Sorry for the deceive, Little Master! But it was necessary!" Quiron emerged from the shadows, slowly transforming into his human form.
"And you knew it. That's why you insisted that I forgive him!" said Taliesin with a torn smile.
"I may not trust him... He's too handsome, too proud and... too big. But I can see that he's good for you, Little Master!" he said with a sly glint in his feline eyes.
Cian stuck out his tongue at the familiar, who responded with a small growl.
"By the Great Goddess... are you going to start the bickering?" he said in an exasperated tone. “Children… I am surrounded by children.”
“He started it…” said Cian pointing to the familiar spirit standing in front of you.
“And you are annoying!” shoot Quiron hissing to the young wizard.
Taliesin looked between the two males bouncing from one to another as they changed accusations.
"FOR ALL THAT IS MOST HOLY... You two behave yourselves." he said, throwing his hands up in a gesture of theatrical despair.
Cian and Quiron turned their heads to look at the priest, who was falling backwards in feigned frustration.
Taliesin's face broke into a smile that eased the tension of recent events. He looked at the two men in front of him, shaking his head.
"Have you two calmed down?" he asked amused. "Can we get back to concentrating on what I still have to do?"
Cian nodded in embarrassment as Quiron sat cross-legged on the floor of the hall, right next to Taliesin's legs.
The priest stared at the box. The athame emitted a strange pulsating energy, like an energy beacon that drew him in ever more. He held it, examining the intricate designs on the handle and the way the sharp blade snaked. It was a ritual weapon. It was intended for magic work, not to be used to cause harm.
"Wait. The letter..." he said with his eyes wide open as if he were having an epiphany.
He grabbed the handwritten paper again and reread the last few words. He jumped up and ran to a desk, opening the drawers in a burst of energy.
"That's it... that has to be it! It has to be that!" he said as he searched frantically through drawers, shelves and corners of the room.
Cian looked intrigued at the boy who was running from one place to another, leaving everything in disarray as he passed. He looked at Quiron, who shrugged with a look as confused as the young wizard's.
"Don't look at me! I know as much about this part as you do!" said Quiron, following the young master's gaze as he moved from shelf to shelf, searching all the drawers.
"A-AH!" he exclaimed triumphantly as he turned to his companions with a map in his hands, showing it off as if it were the greatest discovery of the modern world.
"WOW!" said Cian ironically, bringing his hands up to his face in an exaggeratedly theatrical movement. "A map! You know we have apps on our cell phones that show maps." he joked
"So funny! But for this one I need a physical map!" he said smiling as he opened a map of Scotland on the floor.
"Of course...!" said Quiron with a torn smile. "The Old Guardian, your grandmother, was Scottish."
Taliesin moved masterfully, pushing aside anything that might get in the way of the work he was about to do. He ran around the hall picking up all the candles he could find, scattering them around the map to create a physical circle. As soon as he had finished, he took two steps back, analyzing what was in front of him.
The map lay open on the floor. At each end a candle held it in place. Around it, several other candles of various sizes and shapes marked out an area for three people to stand inside.
"A locator spell? But you said it wasn't working!" said Cian, looking at what the priest had organized.
"Yes... I can't locate my parents. But this isn't about them... it's about me. SEEK YOUR ROOTS!!!" he said enthusiastically. "The last words written in the letter."
He grabbed the Athame and placed it on the map, signaling the others to join him.
Quiron and Cian entered the circle of candles under the watchful eye of the priest. He knelt down, followed by the others.
"Ignis" he said as they pointed to all the candles around them.
Magically, the candles lit up as soon as his finger passed through them.
"Sanguinis iter ostendit quo itur." he said, picking up the Athame
"Per spatium et tempus ostendit quomodo sequatur." said Cian, joining his voice to that of the priest.
"Claustra destrue et fluere magicae!" said Quiron with his eyes shining in a superhuman way.
"Incantatores creatus est!" said Taliesin as he grabbed the Athame and cut his hand, causing blood to flow over the map.
At the same moment a blast of wind was felt throughout the hall, making the flames of the candles dance on its strength. The small pool of blood began to move slowly, climbing up the map until it stopped at a village.
"Braemar!" exclaimed Taliesin "My pretties... I have my destiny!" he said with a smile.
Cian ran to grab a cloth and wrap Taliesin's wounded hand in it, trying to stop the small bleeding that ran from his hand.
"So... you're going on a trip?" he said with a careful tone.
Taliesin smiled as he adjusted the cloth around his wounded hand. He looked longingly at Quiron and Cian.
"WE'RE GOING TO TRAVEL! You and me." he replied in a determined tone. "My mother and the Great Goddess want us together again? Then so be it!" he said with conviction. He didn't really need much convincing anyway.
Cian's face lit up at Taliesin's words. A trip would be ideal for them to get back together. To win back the priest's trust. He felt a tremor of anticipation grow inside him, like a child before entering a candy store.
"But... I don't have anything ready. I have to go home and pack a bag." he said as he stood up and began to walk out the door.
Suddenly, without anything to predict his actions, he turned around and walked back to Taliesin, grabbing his face with both hands and kissing him.
The kiss was intense, as were the feelings bubbling up in his soul. For a moment, the priest stiffened, not expecting that action but, almost immediately, embraced the young sorcerer and melted into the kiss. When they parted, Cian rested his forehead on Taliesin's forehead.
"I'll be back soon," he said almost in a whisper.
The priest nodded, only to see his lover stride off in long, determined strides towards the door of the mansion. He sighed deeply and walked up the stairs to the second floor and into his bedroom.
The room was large, sober, with two large windows opening onto a balcony. Next to them was a desk with his computer and a desk lamp. On the king size bed he placed a large suitcase. He went to the closet and took out the clothes he would need on the trip, arranging everything carefully and quickly. He then looked at the suitcase, making a mental note of everything inside, trying to see if there was anything missing.
He turned on the stereo. Music helped him concentrate when he had mental work to do. The music broke the silence of the room allowing to take a deep breath before heading to his desk. He logged onto the airline's website and browsed for two seats on the first flight available to Edinburgh airport in Scotland.
The Great Goddess was working in his favor. There were two seats available on the first flight of the morning from Lisbon airport. Purchased made and hotel reserved through another site.
As soon as he had finished all the preparations, he looked around. Everything was ready. He put his suitcase by his bedroom door, printed out their boarding passes and waited. It wasn't long before he heard Cian's footsteps approaching the room. He was carrying a suitcase in his hand and a backpack on his back.
"I've got everything. When are we leaving?" he asked excitedly.
Taliesin laughed at the impatience of the man in front of him. It was always like that. When something excited him, Cian was like a child.
"Tomorrow at 10 o'clock. I got tickets on one of the first flights in the morning. I also booked a room in a hotel in Braemar, the ‘The Fife Arms’ and I've already got the car rental for when we get there!" he replied with a smile.
Cian's eyes widened in genuine amazement. The speed and efficiency with which Taliesin had taken care of everything was to be commended.
"Put your luggage next to mine," he said, pointing to the door. "And come here!"
Cian dropped his bags next to Taliesin's, then headed towards the man in front of him. Taliesin wrapped his arms around Cian's body, pulling him into a passionate kiss.
The music continued on the sound system:
"The world was on fire and no one could save me but you
It's strange what desire will make foolish people do
I never dreamed that I meet somebody like you
I never dreamed that I lose somebody like you
No, I don't wanna fall in love (this world is only gonna break your heart)..."
Cian began to rock his body to the sweet rhythm of the music while kissing Taliesin's exposed neck.
"Never has a song been so appropriate for an occasion, don't you think?" purred Taliesin, exposing more of his neck to Cian's sweet kisses.
"Wicked Games... you think? Never again. I won't break your heart. Ever again." he said in a whisper as he traced kissing paths from Taliesin's ear to his neck with his mouth.
“But you did. You broke it in the worst way possible.” said while still dancing. “And it took me a great deal of willpower to get back on my feet again. And now… we are doing another dance, again”
Cian hooked his fingers in the collar of his T-shirt, pulling it aside, exposing his shoulder, which he immediately nibbled.
“I never felt this way about anybody. You drive me insane. You ARE driving me insane right now.” he said in a low growl.
"... what a wicked game you play, to make me feel this way
What a wicked thing to do, to let me dream of you
What a wicked thing to say, you never felt this way
What a wicked thing to do, to make me dream of you..."
Taliesin allowed the stud to continue dancing softly with him, letting his body move to the same rhythm as the young sorcerer.
"I know I shouldn't love you. I know I should make you stop. But I can't. This goes beyond what's rational." he said as he took one of his hands behind Cian's head and pulled it against his skin.
Cian lift is head to face him. With one arm he wrapped his arm around Taliesin's waist while with his free hand he held his chin, seeking out his mouth with his own.
His kiss was gentle. He sucked slowly on the priest's lips, savoring every part of them. Taliesin responded to the kiss by opening his mouth slightly and allowing himself to be kissed and kissed back. Their mouths danced a sensual dance as their bodies moved to the hypnotic sound of the music. Cian's tongue crossed the entrance to Taliesin's mouth, seeking out his tongue in a slow, caressing movement. He was taking his time. He wanted to taste his ex-boyfriend's mouth again. He wanted to show that he was there. That he would never leave him again.
Taliesin's arms encircled the young stallion's muscular body, pulling him closer. A wave of heat surged from his crotch up to his chest. His pants were getting tighter and tighter. Painfully tight. He could feel Cian's erection rubbing against his own.
The music changed but still continued to bless this reunion. It seemed that time and space themselves were bending to welcome the young lovers, and that fate itself was choosing the soundtrack for them.
"You're the light, you're the night
You're the color of my blood
You're the cure, you're the pain
You're the only thing I wanna touch
I never knew that it could mean so much, so much"
"It’s you who are doing this." said Taliesin with a smile.
“I’d like to say yes. That I’m the one changing the songs and creating this on purpose. But, little bird…I’m not!” said Cian smiling.
In a dark corner, a pair of green feline eyes pierced the night unseen to the pair. The figure of Quiron curled into a ball nodding gently as it begun to purr. In his feline form mouth a small smiled formed. His eyes always looking at his young master and his lover.
In one fluid movement, Cian took off Taliesin’s T-shirt, pulling it over his head and throwing it away. He disentangled himself from his own shirt, almost ripping the buttons off in the process. He wanted to feel his skin against the young priest’s skin. The embrace was tighter, more demanding. And the kiss grew in intensity. It was no longer just affection. Beneath the surface there was a long-denied desire. A desire that had to be satisfied.
Taliesin let himself be carried away by the intensity of the moment. His mind was telling him to stop. His body was forcing him to move on. His hands caressed the firm abs of the man in front of him as they slowly slid down to the belt of his pants, opening and unbuttoning the buttons that prevented him from reaching his goal. His hand slid inside Cian’s undies, grasping the cock already wet with pre-cum.
“Fuck. Taliesin..I…!” said Cian with his breathing cut off by little moans.
“Shh! Don’t talk. Kiss me!” said Taliesin more like a plea than an order.
“Love me like you do, Lo-lo-love me like you do
Love me like you do, lo-lo-love me like you do
Touch me like you do, to-to-touch me like you do
What are you waiting for?...”
Cian kissed back that mouth that was driving him crazy. How could he deny na order that he fulfilled with such great pleasure? His hands got rid of Taliesin’s jeans, causing them to fall at his feet and he kicked them away, leaving him totally naked.
Cian did the same to his pants, pulling Taliesin’s body close to his. The two wet cocks rubbed against each other, sending waves of pleasure through the two bodies that continued to move to the sound of the music.
He slowly kissed his way down Taliesin’s neck, stopping at his Adam’s apple, calmly licking and kissing that piece of skin that he knew was Taliesin’s weak spot. He continued to plant kisses all along Taliesin’s body, lower and lower. Now on his knees, he licked each of the sensitive nipples before continuing down further and further until he reached Taliesin’s cock. He smelled the young priest’s irresistible masculine scent. He smelled like musk and soap. He fully engulfed his throbbing member, letting the pre-cum run down his tongue, covering it completely and tasting it again.
“Fuck. I love the taste of you. I’ve missed the taste of you so much.” He said, his voice full of lust and desire.
He continued sucking, letting the man’s cock go deeper and deeper, touching the back of his throat. As he moaned, he sent vibrations throughout Taliesin’s cock, making him throw his head back in a movement of pleasure and abandon.
His tongue worked its way through the entire length of Taliesin’s shaft. The slurping and occasional gagging sounds were added to the music that filled the room.
Taliesin spread his legs wider, allowing a better access to his throbbing member and hanging balls.
“Cian…please…don’tt stop.” plead Taliesin while entangled his fingers on the stud long hair.
The young sorcerer had no intention of stopping. Nor did he intend to slow down the way he was bringing Taliesin to pleasure. He was devouring his lover cock as a delicacy that was for a long time denied to him.
“Cian! I…I…!” stammered Taliesin.
“Shh…Not yet!” said the young wizard as he pulled himself up to his lover.
The two collided in a passionate kiss, a dance of tongues and lips, each seeking more and more of the other’s taste. Each of them swallowing the other saliva as a way to cope for lost time.
Taliesin broke the kiss only to crawl to the bed, pulling the young stud with him. He layed back it, pulling Cian on top of him as he took his mouth by storm. Their cocks remained trapped between the two bodies as the two men rubbed against each other in search of more contact and friction between them.
The dance of bodies continued. But this time more demanding. Their hands were roaming and exploring each crevice, curve and part of their bodies.
Cian looked deep into the young Guardian’s eyes as if searching for his soul.
“I want you. I want to make love to you..” said Cian with a voice full of desire.
“Well? What are you waiting for? A formal invitation?” replied Taliesin with a smile.
In one fluid movement, Cian got down on his knees between Taliesin’s spread legs. He lifted the young man’s hips while inhaling the musky scent of his anus.
“Fuck… fuck!”he said as he stretched out his tongue to touch the boy’s expectant entrance.
The Guardian pulled his legs towards himself, allowing more of his ass to be exposed, while Cian slowly licked the sensitive skin around it.
“Cian…By the Holy Goddess…OHHHH!” he moaned loudly as he turned his head to the side, receiving waves of pleasure from the young hunk.
“Shh…let me enjoy this…I missed this so much…Glorious Goddess!” he said as he kissed Taliesin’s anal ring.
Cian licked and coated with spit the young man's anus, while nibbling and kissing the sensitive skin. His tongue traced paths of saliva until it stopped at Taliesin's velvet entrance.
Slowly he darted his tongue forward, making it enter the tight anal ring, swirling it inside. Each movement was deliberately made to add new layers of pleasure to the squirming body of Taliesin.
Cian took his time tasting and feeling the familiar warmth. It was still the same skin. The same smell.
The priest moaned with pleasure as he buried his fingers in Cian's long hair, pushing his head down, making him go deeper.
The sucking and kissing sounds increased in intensity, causing the young man to convulse in pleasure.
"By Cernunnos... Cian... OH!" he let slip through his lips as his cock spurted out a copious amount of pre-cum.
Cian took his hand to Taliesin’s member and milked it of the clear, gelatinous liquid that was dripping down his abdomen.
"FUCK!" he yelled as the sorcerer squeezed the natural lubricant from his body.
He greased his index and middle fingers with it, penetrating Taliesin throbbing orifice, rotating them in a search for Taliesin's prostate.
As soon as he reached this sensitive spot, the priest squirmed and yelped with pleasure, pushing his body against Cian's hand. He rotated and massaged the sensitive spot, making him moan with lust. His whimpers and mewls increased in intensity as the stud increased the pace of his thrusts.
He wanted more... needed more. His mind was lost in the sensations Cian was giving him. The touch was so familiar. Cian knew his nooks and crannies, his weak points.
Cian withdrew his fingers just long enough to position himself and aim the head of his nine-inch member.
"Little bird... Look at me. Just look straight at me!" said Cian as if asking permission to enter the most sacred of spaces.
His eyes, flooded with love and lust, returned the gaze to the man hovering over his body. In a serene, almost imperceptible movement, he nodded and at the same time grabbed Cian's wrists, preparing for penetration.
The young sorcerer lunged forward, making the head of his monstrous cock overcome the resistance of his lover's sphincter. Taliesin hissed in a mixture of pleasure and pain. His breathing was rapid and shallow as his body adapted to Cian's invasion.
Inch by inch, Cian fed his cock to Taliesin's hot, throbbing hole, burying his thick pole up to his heavy balls. He stopped, not daring to move an inch, under the risk of hurting his love. He just stayed there, breathing heavily looking at his lover’s face.
“More… I want more!” he said pleadingly, as he gazed deep into the blue sea of Cian’s eyes.
"Little bird... Are you all right?" he asked, looking at Taliesin's countenance.
He nodded. How could he not be. Inside him was the cock of the man he had never stopped loving. Inside him pulsed, in tune with his own, the heart of the man to whom he had dedicated his love.
With does words, Cian began to move. His initial thrusts were restrained and short, as if probing Taliesin's reaction to his movements. When he saw Taliesin abandon his thrusts, he slowly withdrew his cock almost completely, only to reinsert it in one continuous thrust.
His ass contracted with each thrust, pushing his rigid member deeper and deeper into Taliesin's body. His body swayed to the rhythm of Cian's determined thrusts.
The young sorcerer leaned over the boy, seeking his mouth in a frantic kiss without ever losing the rhythm of his thrusts.
Taliesin's arms came up to wrap around Cian's damp body. He needed him close to him. To feel his body next to his.
Cian's muscular ass was now moving up and down faster and faster as his breathing increased in intensity.
The sounds of flesh hitting flesh and guttural sounds filled the air as the music in the background continue to rock them to a bliss.
“Fuck… Oh, Fuck!” said Cian feeling is cock reaching to the most inner depths of his lover’s body.
Taliesin ass was enveloping that thick and powerful shaft as a glove, squeezing and letting go in a pleasure driven rhythm.
Cian thrusts became more intense as he was going deeper and deeper into Taliesin body. He moved and turned, searching every single point of pleasure in the young man guts, making him hisse and whimper in pleasure.
Taliesin begun to grind his hips against Cian, meeting his thrusts and pulling the young stud dick into him creating a obscene amount of wet sounds of flesh clashing against flesh.
Cain movements begun to get more erratic. His breathing shallower as the impending orgasm was upon him.
"Little bird... I'm... close. I can't... I can't hold out for long!" he said in a breath interrupted by the rhythm of his thrusts.
"Fuck... Come... Come inside me!" cried Taliesin into the young stud's mouth as he searched for his own orgasm.
With one final thrust, Cian pushed his entire shaft into Taliesin's hot body, spurting jets of hot cum as he let out an almost animalistic roar.
The sensation caused by the immense cock pulsing inside him, stimulating his prostate, was enough to make Taliesin explode into a violent release of his own cum without touching his cock. He screamed, tilting his head back against the sofa has his fingernails were digging into the muscular back of his lover.
His anus begun to milk every drop of the thick, white liquid that Cian was planting inside him, to the rhythm of his muscle contractions.
The young stud fell forward, covering with his body the young priest frame that was ejaculating between their two bodies.
They remained like that, lost in the afterglow of their bliss, neither of them having the courage or will to break the spell of that long-awaited reunion.
"Little bird... I... I love you so much!" said Cian. His messy hair was stuck to his forehead and face by thick drops of sweat.
"My centaur... I love you too. I've never stopped loving you!" said Taliesin as tears escaped his eyes again.
Time passed slowly as the young lovers exchanged kisses and caresses, letting their bodies be lulled by the music still coming from the sound system, resting finally on the bed that they have shared so many times before.
"What now? What am I to you?" asked Cian as he leaned on one arm, raising his body and looking at Taliesin.
"You are what you have always been. My protector. And you'll be my boyfriend again." he replied, his eyes shining with unshed tears. "I'm allowing you back into my life. To my heart. Don't destroy it again!"
With these words Cian kissed him again, rolling on top of him.
"Never again!" he replied between kisses
The night was spent rekindling the old passion. Kisses and moans of pleasure filled the room for hours until dawn, when tired and sated they finally lost themselves in each other's arms.
In the morning, the journey to the airport was punctuated by impatience and tiredness from the night before. As they got out of the cab, they were greeted by a frenzy of people coming in and out of the airport.
They headed to check-in with their luggage, handing over their boarding passes and passports. The attendant greeted them with a smile as she checked the information and finished the baggage identification formalities.
"Mr. Taliesin Ravenwood, Mr. Cian Blacksword. Boarding is already underway, I suggest you hurry. I wish you a safe journey. Boarding gate number 5." he said as he made a small gesture in the right direction.
They headed for the boarding gate in large strides, managing to get inside just a few minutes before the doors closed. The flight attendant checked the tickets and indicated the seats.
"Please, seats 82 and 83. First class. Have a good flight." he said with a smile.
Taliesin sat by the window looking out. A whirlwind of thoughts raced through his mind. What he would find in Breamar, who was running against the Clan, where his parents were... all this made his anxiety soar until he felt Cian's hand on his.
"Hey! Little Bird. We're in this together! I'm here and I won't leave you!" said Cian with a little squeeze.
A smile appeared on Taliesin's face. He approached his boyfriend and kissed him.
The plane began to move down the runway, picking up speed and taking off, taking them to another country.
But Taliesin's heart was heavy. Something still wasn't right.
(Continued)
