O’Melissokomos
The Bee Keeper

Dark Stone 8

by Iainlthr

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Almost immediately, or so it seemed, Arcturis was making plans for me to leave. He quickly summoned a meeting of the Circle, at which he presented to the other members a mental picture of my doubts and inner feelings. I was not excluded from this meeting at all. In fact, I was the centre of their attention as several of the others probed my mind for confirmation of how I felt. I could not have lied, or hidden my feelings from them even if I had wanted to.

With a real sense of both sadness and foreboding, the Circle came to the consensus that I had to leave, that I had to explore my feelings.

"We shall miss you, Australis," Democratis said inside my head.

"The Circle will be the lesser without you," echoed Orientalis.

"You may not see it, but you are a powerful and valued member of our brotherhood!" This sentiment from Ursus, which surprised me a little, yet I felt nothing but sincerity and concern from him, just as I did from all of them.

Arcturis was the one from whom I felt the greatest distress.

"You are me," he said. "We are one, and so long as we are apart, neither of us can feel complete. But to have you stay would do nothing but eat away at you, and therefore at us. You must go, my Australis. You must find the answers to your questions, and return here to the place where you belong."

Half-heartedly, I began to disagree. I wanted to tell him, to tell all of them, that I really did know that I belonged here, but deep inside a small voice whispered away at me. Somehow I still needed to convince myself. There was now, and if I did not go, would always be, the tiniest of doubts. The world I had left behind, the world of everyday worries and mortal joys, was something with which I still felt connected.

Later, when we were alone again, I held Arcturis tightly, feeling the burning satin of his skin and the cool hide of his leather against me, drinking in his very being.

"When?" was all I could say.

"As soon as possible - with the first light of the new day, you shall leave the Keep and commence your journey," he said gravely, his arms wrapping around me and drawing me into him.

"So soon..."

"Yes," he nodded sadly, before a wicked thought sparkled in his eye. "So we should make the best of the night, should we not?"

Instantly my mind was filled with a sense of lusty delights and dark, heated pleasures. No single picture emerged, but more a promise of pure ecstasy. I grinned at my Master, licking my lips.

"You're the boss!"

With a hunger born of need and desire, I stared into his eyes and whispered throatily, "What would you have me do, my Lord?"

"Surrender!"

My heart leapt as I tried to control the urge to throw myself at him. Instead, I stepped back and allowed my eyes to feast on this remarkable man, this god-come-to-life. From the piercing eyes ringed by the shining blackness of his hood, my gaze travelled over his body, quickly but appreciatively. His impossibly wide shoulders, his chiselled pecs accentuated by the studded bands of his harness, the 'V' of his torso where it narrowed to the slimmest waist, all of it was mine, and I belonged to him. The light dusting of hair emphasised the ridges and lines of his body, and the inky shine of his chaps highlighted the white skin beneath and the rippling muscles of his legs. And beckoning at his groin, the shimmering crown of his pierced cock and the alluring silver circle around his genitals.

All of this I took in quickly, committing it to memory. Remembering his command - to surrender - I lowered myself onto my knees before him, slowly bowing my head.

"I am yours, Master!" I said with conviction. As my eyes lowered, I was still able to see the quickly growing tumescence of his penis as it lengthened and thickened, a serpentine tube of satiny flesh, and knowing that I was the cause of his excitement aroused me even more.

He moved forward then, as I prostrated myself before him, until all I could see of him was the polished leather of his boots and the gleaming, pliant hide which encased his calves. With his feet apart, spread widely before me, I leaned forward and licked slowly, tenderly at the toes of his boots. The taste of leather, and the musky scent of maleness, filled my head and made my heart race. But he allowed me to lave his feet only for a few moments, before I felt his hand pulling at the collar around my neck, urging me to straighten.

Still on my knees, I lifted my face until my eyes were level with his manhood, now engorged with pulsing life, standing proudly erect above his rolling nuts. My tongue licked out at the glistening prize of his cockhead, rewarded with the capture of a pearl of pre-cum and the cool feel of the steel which adorned him. Again he tugged at me, and I rose obediently to my feet, standing so close to him that I could feel the heat radiating from his body, and the wispy movement of his breathing. Our eyes locked, islands of white in a sea of black, and I drowned in his gaze, falling slowly but endlessly into absolute submission.

It was his arms which brought me back to consciousness, as he encircled my body with his limbs and drew me against himself - mouth to mouth, chest to chest, legs to legs, and cock to cock. The lubrication of our sweat made movement against each other possible, while the protesting screech of leather against leather re-inforced our desire to join, to become as one.

My arms gripped his shoulders as our lips met, and as his tongue invaded my mouth I felt the thrill of his large hands travelling down my back until they came to rest on my arse cheeks. There was power in them, strength and urging need, as I felt him begin to take my weight. Following his lead, I let myself go, until he was holding me, and instinctively, I raised my legs, wrapping my knees around his waist and crossing my feet behind him. My dick was pressed into his gut, my balls crushed against his abdomen, and I whimpered with suppressed delight when I felt the solidity of his prong nudge at the crack of my butt.

I could feel the slimy coating of his masculinity now, as his pre-cum juice spread out and over him, and I felt him lift me higher, his powerful arms supporting my thighs as his hands kneaded and spread my cheeks, opening me. My anus twitched and puckered of its own accord, wanting him inside me as I held tightly to his massive frame. Where the chaps I wore pressed against his skin, I could feel the heat of his body through the hide, and where my bare skin encountered his leather I tingled with delighted sensuality, but it was where flesh met flesh that raw jolts of electric excitement passed between us, and nowhere more intense than where his throbbing, swollen rod nudged its way along the valley of my arse. I could feel the cold steel of his piercing, and the scorching heat of his armed weapon as my body anticipated his penetration, and ached for that moment when he filled me yet again.

And then it began! The rounded head of his penis was against my entrance, and while there was no change in the intensity or concentration of our kiss, I suddenly felt him sliding between the muscles of my sphincter, pushing against the quickly disappearing resistance of my body, as the huge mushroom cap that was his prong took possession of my rear. In the time that I had been his, that I had become a part of the circle, I had grown accustomed to his size, but always I was amazed that I could still take the gigantic pole of flesh that he slid slowly into me. The briefest flash of pain made me shiver as he stretched me to my widest, and then it was gone, replaced by that indescribable sense of fulfillment as my ring closed tightly around his shaft, and I felt the chrome of his PA scrape along my chute.

Slowly but irresistibly, he continued his entry, the girth of his prong holding me open while his arms pulled my body down onto that living phallus. As his staff found my prostate, I tried to gasp with the sudden rush of pleasure, but he lifted one hand to the back of my head, and holding onto the hood I wore, he covered my mouth with his own and breathed a heady cocktail of arousal into me. Still his penetration continued, the length of him sliding across my pleasure spot as his sword scabbarded itself in my bowel, so deeply and so hard that I felt it would have to split me asunder.

For what felt like hours, he pushed into me, deeper and deeper, as a remote part of my logical brain said this could not possibly continue. But the part of me which he inflamed, the lusting, animal part, begged it to go on and on forever. When finally he came to rest, I was sure that his prong must be wedged into the pit of my stomach. I was so full, filled with him and by him, and complete. I began to move, trying to lift myself so as to drop again, to start the friction of passionate coupling, but he steadied me, his thoughts telling me to wait.

Slowly, I do not know how, he managed to lower the two of us, connected as were, firstly to his knees, and then so that he lay beneath me, my legs spread over his torso and my knees on the soft leather covering of a mattress. Our mouths parted and his body fell back against the ground, affording me yet another view of him as I clenched the muscles of my arse around the long, steel-hard rod inserted into me. As I smiled down at my Arcturis in satisfied delight, he swung his right arm out into the shadows, then back again. From where I do not know, he produced a new toy - three pieces of silver chain, each about 25 centimetres long, all of them joined at one end to a single ring of metal, and with the opposite ends of the individual pieces set with tiny clips.

Still resisting my attempts to get him to move inside me, Arcturis reached forward, and clipped the free ends of each piece of chain to the silver rings which were set into my nipples and through the end of my cock. As I sat back a little, I realised that whilst the combination was not so short that it caused any discomfort, it effectively connected my nipples and prick into a single centre of sensation, since any movement caused the chain to pull against all three places simultaneously. I was ecstatic. The arousal was amplified a hundredfold with each tug at my body, and the only way to reduce its intensity was for me to hunch forward, which simply drove his cock deeper into my body and brought our strapped and leathered upper bodies closer together.

Now Arcturis began to move - almost imperceptibly at first, pushing upward into me with agonisingly slow patience, then dropping back to withdraw just a little before my weight fell upon him again and drove him back in to the hilt. With each thrust and drop, my body rocked against him, the chains connecting my extremities pulled taut and sent pulses of ecstatic pleasure shooting through me, and then I relaxed and awaited the next movement. Bit by bit, he increased his tempo, gradually building up both the intensity and the pleasure as we humped against each other, my being surrendering all control, all shred of individuality to him, joining with him and becoming a part of him. Cast upon a sea of unending and ever increasing need and desire, I bounced along on his massive cock, my hands gripping at the harness around his sculpted torso for anchor in the storm of unleashed passion.

Soon he was slamming up and into me, his thick and meaty prong a pile driver as it rammed into my body, before fighting the suctioning muscles of my gut when I tried to prevent him from slipping out of me as he dropped back to the mat again. Still the speed of his thrusting grew, as we became a blurred mass of leather and flesh, pumping up and down, his cock plunging deep into my body and pounding pure pleasure deep into my squelching innards. I rode him as a cowboy might ride a bucking steer in a country rodeo, flung about and tossed from side to side - but I had one huge advantage. I could not be easily dislodged from the spike of flesh and muscle connecting us, holding me on him, and filling me with unimaginable joy.

He fucked at me so hard and so fast now that to an observer it would have been impossible to see us clearly. And still I held on, still I clenched at him, and still I fucked him back, locked with him in a primitive but powerful explosion of animal lust and masculine abandonment. My body felt limp and ragged as I let his power throw me about, but always my cock was steel as I felt him thundering into me, my arse impaled on his towering spear, the metal of his PA rubbing my insides raw and filling me with ecstasy.

For a minute, an hour, a life-time, he powered onwards, spearing his massive masculinity up and into my accepting, desiring cavern. He owned me, and I gripped at him, wanting more. In the frenzy of our fucking, he tugged hard at the chains connected to my chest and groin, pulling my nipples and my inflamed cock into the abyss of pure abandonment and absolute pleasure. I bounced and bucked atop him, a vessel being filled by his strength. Fighting to keep my position, my hands slid from his harness and fell onto his chest, and there against the burning satin of his skin I found two tiny pinpoints of cool steel - the rings through his nipples. Instinctively, I pinched at them, pulling his tits up and out.

The reaction I got was unexpected but amazing. He let out a bellowing roar of approval, and renewed his fuck with intensified vigour, ramming himself at me now as though he were determined to fill me with not just his prick, but his entire body. I sweated and gasped in raw joy as my body burned and electricity zapped my being. I knew my peak was approaching fast, and wondered if I should try to warn Arcturis, but it was too late. My balls contracted sharply, and at the very moment that a gusher of cum erupted from my swollen prick, my Master slammed himself one more time into my body and spasmed with release. Even as I came, I felt the scalding heat of his essence flowing into my gut, filling me with himself as I poured out my own seed onto his sheened, sculpted torso.

As the river of jism which flowed from me spread oozingly across his body, I slowly fell forward, sandwiching my juices between us. Our lips met again as my arse clenched around his manpole, refusing to relinquish its prize, and we kissed long and slowly, sated and complete.

'You need to rest!' came his voice in my mind, and I mentally agreed.

In another of those incredible telekinetic motions, I suddenly found myself no longer seated upon him, but lying face down on the leather mattress, his body on mine, his cock still lodged deep within my rear. He was not heavy, I was not uncomfortable. The opposite, in fact. It was comforting and fulfilling to lie there, feeling every inch of him buried deep inside me, his arms around me, his body blanketing me like some living coat of indefatigable protection. I did not sleep - we did not need such any longer, but I quickly felt my strength revive, my body invigorated yet again.

***

Although I could not see it, deep in our safe place as we were, surrounded by the darkened stone of the castle, I sensed that morning was come to the outside world once more. I stirred involuntarily, brought back to the memory of what that meant.

Arcturis responded, lifting himself from me, and finally, reluctantly, I surrendered his prong as he sat back on his haunches, turned me over, and stared deeply into my eyes.

"It is time, my little one," he said gravely. "You must face the world, and face your doubts Australis."

I began to argue with him, but the words failed on my lips. He was right, and we both knew it. Instead, a sudden fear overcame me - how would I manage without him, without my Arcturis, without the Circle?

'We will be with you always!' came the answer in my thoughts. And it was not just Arcturis, but the entire brotherhood of Priapus that I heard. 'You shall go alone, yet not alone.'

I looked to my Master questioningly, and he took my head in his hands, held me and looked into my face yet again.

"Australis, remember the first time you saw me?"

I nodded, recalling the sight of him, naked and beautiful, unashamed of himself.

"What you saw then, was what you wanted to see. I was at that time as I am now, garbed in the leather and chain of Priapus. One of the gifts granted by the Lord Priapus is the ability to have mortal beings see what they wish, rather than the actuality. You can do this yourself, when you journey from this place." His mind entered my own, and insight filled me; I knew I could project an image of myself - no, I could project a power which allowed others to see me as they thought I should appear.

"This is how you can move about in the world of men," Arcturis said. "By being what is expected, you cause no questions, you raise no doubts or fears, and therefore you become almost invisible. And more than this, my slave - you will find that you can see the thoughts of mortals - at least, see the way that they see you. You cannot 'read minds' or change opinions, but you can have some influence upon them. It is an ability to open someone's mind to an agreeable suggestion. If a person will not accept any new ideas, you cannot force them to, but if you meet someone who is ready to consider you favourably, you will find that you can enhance that readiness, make it seem more desirable to them. Do you understand?"

I thought carefully on his words. "I am not sure, but I think I do," I answered. "If I meet someone who hates me, I can't change that hatred, but if I meet someone who is open-minded, I may be able to make it seem to them that liking me would be a good thing - does that make sense?"

"Yes," he said, smiling. "That is very much what I mean."

I nodded with comprehension, although I was still uncertain of how this could be used, or whether it would do me much good.

"And know always, that I, and the other members of the Circle, will be with you," Arcturis went on. "We are a part of you as you are a part of us. Find us when you need us, in your thoughts and your mind."

"I know that already, Master Arcturis," I answered with solemn conviction.

He smiled then, approvingly and my heart lifted, some of the doubts and fears melting away. "Now, Australis, you must be prepared for changes outside. How long is it, do you think, since you came to the Keep of Priapus?"

I wondered. It seemed like only a few days, yet when I thought of how much had happened I guessed it to be several months at least. I had been instructed, I had been joined to Arcturis and to the Circle, I had been through the difficult time with Ursus, and become one with my brothers. How long had I been here? Suddenly, I felt lost again, looking to him for guidance.

"The seasons have cycled four times in the outside world, my slave boy," he said in response to my consternation.

Four years? Impossible, I thought.

"Remember again, that time passes differently here, that the gift of immortality bestows other changes upon you. Within these walls you are still the newcomer, are still learning. Outside, the world has moved on. Do not let the surprises that await you unsettle your mind."

I nodded slowly, wondering how I would survive this test I had set myself.

"It is time!" declared Arcturis, breaking into my thoughts again. I gulped, then bowed to him in acquiescence. He placed his hand on my shoulder, and together we walked through the darkened hallways of the Castle until he brought me to the doorway which led out into the world - the real world, I told myself. I sensed we were not alone, and found the other five couples who constituted the Circle there with us, their combined well-wishes surrounding me and urging me on to a safe journey and swift return. I hesitated, but with the gentlest urging Arcturis pressed me forward, and I stepped out into the sunlight of the mortal earth.

Once begun, I could not go back until I had fulfilled my mission, and somehow it was easier than I thought. I made my way down the hill, and across the fields toward the village. It was early summer, similar to that time when I had entered the Keep, and I could almost have believed it was no more than a dream, except that I felt the strength of my Master and the others deep inside my mind. With growing determination, if not true confidence, I walked on quickly, seeing in the distance figures moving about the square of the little town.

As I got closer, I could see three men lounging about near the tiny store. At the same time it suddenly occurred to me that I was still dressed in my leathers - my head hooded, the collar about my neck, glistening hide of my harness and chaps molded to my body, the cool silver of my nipple rings, cockring and Prince Albert clearly on display. I began to panic, but Arcturis' voice was there with me. 'Be what they expect' he said. 'Project yourself to them as normal, usual, uninteresting.'

I remembered his lessons, bent my mind to the task of surrounding myself with an aura of normalcy. With a beating heart, I stepped onto the roadway, and approached the men. I was almost upon them before any looked up, and when they did, it was with a cursory glance in my direction before they turned back to their conversation. Immensely pleased with myself, and surprised at how easily I had accomplished it, I allowed myself the luxury of trying to see what it was that they had seen. I reached out with my mind toward the man standing nearest to me.

Amazingly, I discovered his thoughts quickly and simply. I saw an image of a young, clean cut man walking along the street, a back-pack over his shoulder. And overlaying the picture was a sense of rightness - that this was as it should be - young tourists traipsing around the countryside in the warmth of the summer. I grinned as I looked down at myself and saw the silver rings and gleaming leather adorning my body, wondering what they would think if they saw the reality.

Pleased with myself, but still not confident enough to go up and speak to them, I walked by, ignoring them and being ignored. I found my way out of the village and along the road which headed toward London, walking easily and feeling a strange combination of sadness at leaving the Castle, yet joy at being out in the air and in the world again.

For several kilometres I trekked happily in the near silence of the rural lands, until I heard from behind me the noise of a car. Moving to the side of the road, I realised that I was now automatically projecting this power of making myself appear normal, without having to try, or even to think abut it. The vehicle drew up to me, passing safely by, and then came to a stop, the driver rolling down his window.

"Where you off to?" he asked as I came level.

For a moment I was confused, and then the image he had seen of me appeared. He expected me to be hitch-hiking, so that was what he had seen, and he had stopped to offer me a ride.

"Making my way back to London," I answered.

"You're in luck!" he declared. "I'm going all the way into the City myself. Hop in."

I grinned, both at him, and at how easy this was becoming, and opened the passenger door. Taking my seat beside him. In my mind, I saw him picture me tossing a backpack onto the rear seat.

We drove on for some time, making easy conversation as I overcame my urge to wonder again at what he would think if he could see me as I really was. I began to realise that I did not need to worry, and even to see myself the way others saw me, so that despite my connection with the Circle of Priapus being obvious whenever I looked at myself closely, my reality became almost that of the people I was encountering.

The man who had picked me up was friendly and chatted a lot, asking questions about where I had been, and how long I was in England for. I answered easily enough, making conversation with him while I let myself try to read his thoughts. I could not actually see what he was thinking, but I could sense that he was genuine in his comfort with a stranger, and quite open to whatever my background might be. I found that I could think on these things and still speak to him at the same time, almost as though I had two separate brains.

"So you've seen enough and heading home?" he was saying as I nodded. "Got yourself a girlfriend waiting for you?"

Suddenly I was wary. "No," I said slowly, searching for any sign of disapproval. But there wasn't one. Feeling better, I went on.

"I don't have anyone waiting for me at home. Truth is, I met someone very special here."

He smiled. "So why are you leaving then?"

"I guess there are things I have to sort out for myself back home, decisions to make, about whether I can leave all that and come back again," I answered truthfully.

"Must be hard," he mused. "Giving up a life on one side of the world, and trying to start another so far away." I could sense a real curiosity in him now, but still there was no disapproval. I decided to risk even more truth.

"Yes, it's a big decision," I said. "But he said he would wait for me."

I sensed surprise, even a little shock, and knew that he was appraising me with new eyes, but still there was no disapproval. Trying out even more of my new-found power, I attempted to project to him something of the love I felt for Arcturis, and to suggest in his mind that what I felt was true and right. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke again.

"Well, if you can manage to find true happiness, then you're probably luckier than most," he said with a smile. "And it doesn't matter where or with whom."

I grinned widely now, looking directly at him. He turned his head to face me for a moment and smiled back openly, and a warm glow spread through me. For the rest of the trip I happily told him a mixture of truth and imagination as I described how good Arcturis, or 'Arthur' as I reverted to calling my Master, made me feel, without revealing the more detailed facts of our relationship. He didn't ask any uncomfortable questions, but I knew that he approved of me, and that he was genuinely happy for me.

When finally we reached the City, Peter dropped me off near Victoria Station. As I was about to exit his car, he said, in a serious voice, "I really hope you sort out your questions, Nathan." I smirked again. It still sounded strange, hearing the name I had been given, before I found Arcturis and the Circle. "It's a huge thing to do, leaving your homeland. But if I'm any judge, then I think you and Arthur can make it. Don't let a little thing like distance stop you from finding true love."

I blushed a little, but more from emotion than anything. "Thanks, Peter," I said. "For the ride, and the advice."

"Not at all. You seem like a really nice young man. I hope everything works out for you!"

I smiled my thanks yet again, and closed the door, standing and watching as he drove away. I felt good, but sad - that Arcturis was not with me to see it. And then I felt him, and knew that indeed he was there with me, and that he had seen and heard, and approved.

In the crowded streets of the City, I felt self-conscious once more for a moment as I stood there, garbed in full slave leathers. But the throngs milled around me, ignoring me, and I grinned at the ability I had been given, offering a quick prayer of thanks to the Lord Priapus before making my way into the station. I approached the ticket window with some caution, trying to think of what the clerk would expect.

"One way to Heathrow, please," I said, and pretended to push some money under the glass. Amazingly, it worked, and I was given a ticket, and even some change! I travelled out to the airport without any difficulty at all, and went through a similar process at the check-in desk. The attendant expected me to have a ticket to Sydney, and so she issued me with a boarding pass. At immigration, I was expected to have a passport, and so I had one! It was all so simple.

The flight seemed to pass quickly. I was sure that somehow my true nature allowed the 20 something hours to pass in what seemed like two or three. I 'suggested' to my neighbouring traveller that I was asleep, and he accepted it, leaving me alone. Of course, I didn't need to sleep, but spent the time thinking of my man, my Master, and knowing that he was with me.

Breezing through customs and immigration back in Sydney just as I had leaving the UK, I took a train into the city and found myself outside Central Station. The sun was warm even though it was winter here, but my journey wasn't complete yet. I boarded a bus for Ulladulla, and settled back into the seat to watch the countryside as we drove south along the coast to my birthplace, a sense of foreboding nervousness growing within me with each passing kilometre.

When I finally found myself standing on the street, the bus disappearing into the distance, it was overcast and a bitter south-easterly wind blew in from the ocean to match my mood. The sea itself was grey and rough, the beach empty and uninviting. I walked slowly toward my parents' house, asking myself what I would say, what I wanted to hear, why I was even trying. I passed a few familiar faces on the street, but no-one looked back at me, no-one seemed to recognise me or even acknowledge me. All of a sudden, I knew I didn't belong here any more. But I had to finish it, had to complete my journey.

Resisting the inclination to simply walk into the house, I stopped and rang the doorbell. Looking down, I saw again the leather chaps, saw my own nakedness and the muscular shaping of my body encased in hide and chrome. Consciously renewing my 'projection' of what was expected, I waited for an eternity until I heard the lock turn.

My mother opened the door. She stopped for a moment, looking lost and confused as she stared at me with a vacant expectation.

"Mum? It's me, Nathan," I said plaintively.

Recognition came slowly. "But ... I ... it can't be," she said stutteringly, still staring at me, still protected by the wire screen.

"Aren't you going to let me in?" I asked sadly.

Wordlessly, she opened the second door slowly, and stepped back, away from me, almost as though she were afraid of me. I tried to probe her impressions, but all I found was an emptiness, like I didn't exist. "Is Dad here?"

"He's through there," she managed, pointing to the back of the house. I walked in the direction she had indicated, sadly leaving her behind me.

My father was sitting in an armchair, a book open on his lap. I moved around from behind him to stand where he could see me.

"Hello, Dad," I said softly, summoning all my courage, and trying to use whatever power I might have had to make him feel favourable toward me. "It's Nathan. I've come home."

There was no lack of recognition this time. No confusion or wondering in his eyes. But the venom in his voice pierced me like a knife.

"Get out of my house, you filthy pervert!" he hissed.

"But, Dad, I'm your son," I wailed.

"I don't have a son," he spat. "My son died four years ago. Now get out before I throw you out." His hand came up in a fist and I knew he was readying himself to strike me. Quickly, I tried to project again, but instead I saw what he saw - an image of evil which had robbed him of the loving but dutiful son he thought he deserved. Suddenly, I sensed that he truly hated me, that I had no chance of changing his mind. I was shocked by how powerful his emotions were, and incredulous that such a bigoted, cruel monster could have been my own father.

"You're right," I answered quietly. "You're son is dead. 'Nathan' doesn't exist anymore. I'm going now, but you should know that it was you who killed him. My name is 'Australis', and I have found true love and happiness in another place, with another man. Not only will you never see me again, but understand that you will never be thought of again either."

I turned my back on him and felt satisfaction. He was out of my life. I passed my mother still standing in the entrance hall where I had left her, still staring into empty space.

"Mum?" I tried, reaching out for any shred of hope. But there was none. She was a nothing, a vacuum. I could not waste words on this woman who had managed to wipe away all memory or thought of her own son. How could these two ugly people have given me life? But they did not; Arcturis, and Priapus, and the Circle - they had given me life. I closed the door quietly on my parents and my past, and walked away feeling sad but certain that I was right.

I returned to Sydney that same day, and checked into a hotel on Flinders Street, a block from Taylor Square, the gay heart of the city. No longer did the sprawling metropolis hold any fear for me, but neither did it offer any welcome. It was busy and crowded, full of life, but the life was a fleeting one, with no soul and no meaning. I spent several days visiting the bars and night-clubs I had known before, looking for acquaintances and friends, but even when I found familiar faces, they did not seem to recognise me, or if they did, it was with disinterest that they greeted me, more determined to find the next hot fuck than to renew any friendship. I missed Arcturis and the Circle more and more, and knew deep in my soul that I belonged with them, that nothing was left for me or of me in the world I had left behind.

I trudged back toward my hotel, a little sad that the places I had once enjoyed were no longer for me, but with growing joy at each step that I had reached my decision time, and knew what it was. I belonged in the Circle, I belonged to Arcturis, and tomorrow I would return to him! My spirits lifted and I sent a message of love to my Master, and was rewarded with an explosion of rejoicing in my mind that he agreed I was ready to come home, home to him and to where I belonged.

Cutting through an alley to avoid the crowds on Oxford Street, I walked in blissful ignorance of my surroundings, concentrating only on my Master, when I was jolted back to the reality of my physical location. A shadowy figure blocked my path - a large, bulky man who stood directly in front of me, his hands on his hips.

"What do we have here?" he said in a leering, mocking voice.

Instantly, I projected a sense of my harmlessness, my normalcy, and tried to suggest to him that I was someone to ignore. But there was no response to my thoughts. He was already determined. And then a voice answered his question.

"I think we've found a poor, little lost poof," it said from behind me.

I spun around to find five more shapes coming toward me in the darkness. But it was not so dark that I could not spot the glint of steel - at least three of them carried knives. Fear descended upon me heavily as I remembered Arcturis' words when he first told me about my immortality ... 'you can be killed. A sword piercing your heart will stop your life just as surely as if you were still of mortal blood ...'. Well, there were at least three 'swords' getting very close very suddenly.

"Leave me alone!" I said loudly, trying to sound confident.

"Oh, I don't think so," replied the head thug, the one who had blocked my path. "You know, it's not safe on the streets anymore. Too many perverts and loonies out there. You never know what could happen, especially to a pretty boy like you ..." He was ginning evilly, his face contorted in some kind of maniacal pleasure as he worked to instill as much fear as possible in me. And he was being successful!

He lunged forward, grabbing my arm in a vice-like grip. But one of the many gifts of Priapus had been a massive increase in strength, and I spun away from him quickly, shaking him off and at the same time kicking out at his shin. The speed and intensity of my reaction shocked both of us as he went down on the ground, but it wasn't enough to prevent him yelling to his bully-boys.

"Get the little fucker!" he screamed. "I'm gonna cut off his fuckin' balls for that!"

I tried to run, but they were surrounding me now. The first to swing at me copped a hefty kick in the groin which saw him go down like a sack of potatoes, but two more grabbed my arms while the last threw his arm around my neck and pulled my head back hard. Their chief was on his feet again now, limping but furious as he shoved his face into mine.

"Say goodbye to your nuts, homo!" he menaced.

I was terrified, and all I could do was think of Arcturis. "Master" I begged, thinking I had spoken only in my head, but I had formed the words with my mouth.

"Master?" laughed the ugly giant. "I think we've found ourselves one a them, whaddaya call 'em, S n M perverts," he chuckled. "You're in for a real treat then, boy, cuz we're gonna give you some serious torture."

"Arcturis, Democratis, Ursus," I called out loudly now, not even trying to hide my plea within my mind. "Priapus, help!"

"Whad'e'say?" asked the brute on my left.

"Who knows," replied his sidekick. "Prob'ly some foreign shit. Bet he's a fuckin' wog as well!'

"Watch where ya hold 'im," added another, "He's prob'ly shit himself by now!" They all laughed at their own joke.

The leader once again advanced on me, and now I could see that he too held a long bladed knife. He raised the point and held it against my throat.

"Worried I'm gonna cut you?" he whispered. "Well, I am. But not up here, and not yet. By the time I'm finished with you, you're gonna wish I'd just cut your throat to start with, boy."

It hit me then that I was about to lose my life. Somewhere, I found a strength of self, and stopped my struggling against them. I consciously willed myself to end the projection of usualness which I had still been maintaining.

My appearance in their eyes changed instantly. No longer did they see me in street clothes, but suddenly I was visible in my hood and collar, chaps and harness, boots and piercings. That stunned them, so much so that the ones holding me dropped their grip as all of them stepped back with mouths opened in shock. Emboldened, I spoke out in a loud voice.

"You shall not have me! I am the property of the Master Arcturis, a member of the Circle. In the name of the Lord Priapus, I demand that you release me!"

For a tantalisingly long moment, I thought it had worked. Although still surrounded, I stood on my own feet as the thugs gaped at me, their mouths hanging open. But they quickly recovered.

"Holy fuck!" declared the leader. "We got ourselves a real kinko this time, fellas. We're doin' the world a favour by getting rid of it." With that he lunged forward, the knife in his hand and aimed directly at my chest.

"STOP!" thundered a voice from above us that made the very ground shake. As the word rang out, the man driving toward me fell backward as if he had struck an invisible wall. The knife flew from his hand and clattered away on the street.

"What the fu ..." he began, then stopped, a look of pure terror overtaking his face. I turned around to follow his gaze, and behind me, even larger and stronger than I remembered, in all his leathered glory, was Arcturis.

"This slave Australis belongs to me!" announced my master. "You shall not harm him, on pain of death!"

"Why you dirty fucken' ..." began the man as he scrambled back to his feet. For a moment I marvelled at the tenacity of the guy.

"Silence!" thundered Arcturis. "Leave now, if you wish to do so unharmed."

"Oh, yeah, by you an' who's army?"

My Master said nothing but swung his arm around in a wide gesture. As he did, the street thugs looked about, and I followed suit. The entire Circle now stood there, ringing this motley band. I swelled with pride as I saw the concern for me and the determination on the faces of Orientalis and Deltaris, Linguaris and Unctius and all the others. And closest to the leader of the men, almost overshadowing him now, was the giant bulk of a very angry Ursus.

"We need no army to dispose of you punk," said Ursus quietly but menacingly. "Now go!"

The would-be bashers suddenly found their feet, and their senses, and fled without another word, racing away from the alley, and I suspected that at least one of them had achieved what had been predicted for me, and lost control of his bowels. Finally I began to relax, filled with happiness and joy to find myself surrounded by my brothers. I turned to Arcturis gratefully.

"Thank you, my Master," I grinned and reached for him.

"Not yet, Australis," he cautioned quickly, and I stopped in surprise.

"Why not? They are gone, and I doubt they'll be back in a hurry."

"No, you are safe for the moment," he agreed. "But we are not really with you. we have scared the witless idiots who threatened you, but what they saw, and what you see, are only apparitions. We have expended great energy and almost all of our combined strength to project the images of the Circle such a great distance and in such detail, but the reality is that we are still within the Keep, and must now go, to recover our strength."

Now I understood. And I realised how much it must have taken for them to do this for me. "Master Arcturis," I called out quickly. "Know that I know - I love you, and I am yours - without reservation and completely. I will return to the Keep, to the Circle and to you as fast as is possible." I turned around slowly, looking into the eyes of each of the others standing there. "My deepest gratitude, and unending loyalty goes to each and every one of the Circle. Thank you my brothers. By the grace of The One Master, I shall be reunited with you all shortly."

The figures about me began to fade then, but I felt their joy and acknowledged their approvals. Finally, only the shadowy figure of Arcturis remained with me. As he too began to fade from sight, I heard his voice, full and strong.

"Thank you, Australis, I love you," he said.

"I love you, Arcturis," I answered.

"Hurry home!"

"I am!"

Read next part

This story is a fantasy, it is not real and only happened in my imagination. YOU MUST REMEMBER that in the real world, you can DIE from having unsafe sex. It is your right and your duty to make sure that condoms are always used, whether you are giving or receiving. It doesn't matter how good looking or how ugly he is, and it doesn't matter whether you are top or bottom, USE A CONDOM!