JULIEN
II
Chapter 31
Bis repetita
They threw a party. And what a party! The First Lady Alexia, Niil's mother, who had somehow come to hear about it, sent a present and paid for the feast. The present conformed perfectly to ancient traditions by being directly connected with the reason for the party: it consisted of a beautiful, and obviously very old, wooden box which contained a number of 'toys' made of precious materials, the mere sight of which sent Julien into a fit of blushes. It wasn't easy to work out what some of them were for, but others left nothing at all to the imagination, being anatomically correct in every particular. Niil himself became embarrassed when Dillik, who was always eager to learn, started asking him questions about the correct use of this item or that one, although the embarrassment only lasted until he realised that Dillik was winding him up: unlike Julien, the boy clearly knew exactly what each item was for. He had, of course, been raised in an inn and had run about the streets with the kids who hung about the harbour and who were consequently fully aware of what went where.
Ambar, sensibly, kept his mouth shut. He'd lived on the quays himself at one time, but he thought it would be better not to show off his knowledge.
Julien pointed out that nobody had thought, or perhaps had dared, to give him a present like that, and he wasn't sure if he ought to feel jealous or relieved. Once again it was Dillik who gave the game away.
“We wanted to give you one,” he explained, “but Subadar said it would be a bad idea, because you don't have this sort of celebration on Earth. That's a shame, I think.”
“It certainly is,” agreed Julien.
“They're a bit primitive, I reckon,” Dillik went on. “It's like in some of the archipelagos on Dvârinn. My father says they don't even celebrate the Kouwa Djoung Neh at all. They have some sort of tradition, with some ancient gods or something, that says it's dirty! Can you believe that? It's like saying it's shameful to... I don't know, eat, or something! And they're not allowed to have either the Garland or the Garden there, either. They're banned! It's not as bad as that on your world, surely?”
“Well, maybe not everywhere, but in most countries, yes, it is.”
“What, it was like that where you lived?”
“Yes.”
“That must have made you really miserable!”
“Not really. I didn't really think about it much.”
“What?!?”
“Well, I mean... yes, I thought about it, but... that's how it was. We just didn't talk about it. And I was an only child, so I didn't have any brothers to talk to about it.”
“But... didn't you know any other boys?”
“Yes, of course, but...”
For a while now Niil had been looking serious again. Obviously he wasn't happy with the way the conversation was going and he thought that Dillik was scratching away at a wound which would be better left undisturbed to heal over time.
“Dillik,” he said, “you need to go and get ready for the party.”
“It's all right,” said Julien. “He's right, and anyway, I live here now. I have no intention of going back to Earth ever again.”
oo0oo
Once the party got going Julien quickly realised that this one was a lot more... well, spicy, than his own had been. It took place on the First Trankenn of the Ksantiris, and although it was a private affair there were a good fifty guests there, all male (as was proper for such a party), including Lord Tahlil and two of his sons, Dillik's father Master Dendjor, and a few of Niil's cousins, distant or not so, all of whom were delighted to have been invited to take part in the frivolities. Nobody was bold enough to suggest anything to Julien – not that he would have accepted, anyway – but the younger boys saw Ambar as fair game, and he had to use a lot of tact and diplomacy to turn down a number of invitations, not least a persistent one from Lord Tahlil's youngest son, a charming, doe-eyed boy who thought it might be fun if he and Ambar went off somewhere to compare certain aspects of their anatomy. And when the boy took Ambar's hand and guided it to the front of his laď, where it encountered a projection that was perhaps not particularly large but was incontestably very hard indeed, Ambar's resolve was close to breaking. He was saved by the sudden appearance of Dillik, who was swaying slightly (he'd been at the dregs in the glasses again) and who insisted on examining for himself the projection under discussion. He slipped a hand inside the laď's large pocket, giggling as he did so, and proceeded to explore the item at great length. Satisfied by his exploration and with Bacchus helping him to overcome any of the few remaining social constraints on the evening, he checked that Ambar wasn't intending to accept the invitation himself and then guided young Yendhil towards one of the numerous unoccupied cabins which had been set aside for exactly this purpose.
Niil, on the other hand, had no reason to pretend to excessive virtue, particularly not at a party of which he was the guest of honour. His bond with Julien was primarily one of friendship and did not in any way prevent him from sampling other possibilities whenever he felt like it. So when Tengtehal, Lord Tahlil's eldest son, suggested that they should perhaps retire to a private kang to get a little peace and quiet, Niil didn't hesitate for a second. Tengtahil was around fifteen cycles old and definitely worth getting to know a bit better, and once they were in the private kang Niil was delighted to discover that the young man's Victorious Sword was definitely big enough to keep him happy.
Tannder had clearly recovered from the worst of his injuries and so was being watched closely by Karik, who fended off with exceptional skill the attentions of anyone likely to prove a temptation to the Master Warrior. Tannder found this quite amusing and so made a point of talking to the most flirtatious of the young men present – after all, he thought, it wouldn't do for Karik to get bored... Of course Tannder would never have accepted any invitation from anyone here, not least because he would never do anything to hurt his apprentice, but Karik wasn't to know that.
When the party had been going for long enough Julien went up on deck with Ambar. The sky was clear and the air was almost warm. The huge ship was steadily making her way beneath the stars, and Gorkar, Dvârinn's only moon, was just a hand's breadth above the western horizon. They spread out the blanket they had brought with them on the polished boards of the deck and settled down on it to watch the sky turning gently above them.
oo0oo
When they woke up next morning they found that someone had placed another light but warm blanket over them. Tannder was crouched beside them, gently shaking Julien's shoulder.
“Excuse me, My Lord,” he said. “It's time to head back to the Burrow.”
Shivering a little in the morning air the boys pulled their blankets around them and, after a last glance at the slate-blue waters of the ocean, headed towards the ship's target-klirk where Aďn was waiting for them. Without thinking, Julien said 'Tchoktseh' to himself, and to his immense surprise he immediately found himself, with Ambar (whose hand he had been holding), in a totally unknown landscape.
oo0oo