Part Three: Swimming Horses

Shudoshi was fretting.

"Six hours. Six hours. Six hours, and I'm back to being someone's slave.Back to whatever he wants of me, "Yes, sir," "Absolutely," and "Your wish is my command." Back to--I should have asked Freye what she had heard about this guy. But after sixteen months of alone, I'm almost looking forward to it." He shook the photograph uselessly at the floor. "And, oh, I'd be disappointed if it weren't him. No matter what he's like, he's better than that last one. But do I remember everything? ...Better look over my books one last time..."

He scurried off to peruse his battered copy of The Kama Sutra, and to meditate.

Andri blearily survived the two-hour trip to the tiny airport, remaining lost beyond all comprehension. He was half-carried to the twin-engine by the driver, loaded in with his bag, and all but patted on the head and told to have a nice time. They were definitely laughing at him. Only his tight grip on the Key in his pocket kept him from telling the world to go to hell.

The flight was not terribly long, perhaps another hour or two, but decidedly turbulent, and extreme motion sickness kept him well distracted. As the plane touched down, however, he felt a distinct blur of anticipation. His questions might soon receive some answers!

As he stepped out of the plane, Andri was disconcerted by the stillness. He stood, blinking for a moment, registering the warmth of the ground, the faint glow over the horizon. It seemed very peaceful, and very unlike where he ought to be just a few hours out from a large city. He was completely unprepared for the sudden howling desert winds and whipping sand. Scarcely realizing that he spoke aloud, he shouted into the storm.

"How is this possible? There aren't any deserts in this area--not for thousands of miles!"

His voice was eaten away by a thousand granules of sand, his throat brushed dry. It didn't matter that this was impossible, didn't matter that it was preposterous. It was happening, and Andri, a little Northern boy, was a fish out of water.

Fortunately, a group of drab-robed figures appeared just then, surrounded him, and led him, shivering, around the plane. The winds stilled just as quickly as they had sprung up, and he was startled, no, shocked, by the expanse of white and black marble that rose up before him.

The Palace soared high above the tawny sands, peaking, and swooping in graceful curves. There were domes here and there, with deep, beautiful arches and the occasional mother-of-pearl inlays catching the first glints of sunrise. There was a porch with an alcove surrounded by carvings of angels--androgynous boys with long hair and slender bodies--and keys, elaborate and familiar. There were doors, oak and steel, waiting heavily in the burgeoning light. Andri gawped. He couldn't help it. It was all too breathtaking.

Someone took his hand, someone else gently pushed at his shoulders, and he was hurried to the porch, then inside.

It had been a nervous six hours, and Shudoshi felt faintly worn. He could almost feel the invisible presence of every Owner he had ever had hovering around him. Some were gentle, loving; others glared with a bloody hatred. He tried very hard to forget the sound of bone cracking beneath his hands....

He slammed his hand into the wall, shaking his mind loose from the bad memories.

"This is a new chance, a new experience. I-Have-Been-Forgiven. All is well."

His voice reassured him. He was still Shudoshi, Shu-chan, Shoe-nashi*... Still that happy, trusted Key. Life was good. He couldn't wait to see his new Owner, almost shook with the anticipation...

The room that Andri was shoved into resembled nothing so much as a hotel lobby, complete with potted palms. A woman, draped in strange taupe robes, waited at a desk.

"You are here with a Key, I expect."

Andri nodded dumbly, not certain as to what to do next. The woman simple stood there, waiting patiently for him to complete some unknown ritual. At least he held out his hand, fingers numbly curled around the now-familiar shape of the Key. She arched an eyebrow, as if implying that he still wasn't finished with his action, and he revealed it. The Key looked somehow small and insignificant when compared to the gorgeous Palace, particularly given that it was settled in his own rather small and insignificant palm.

Her eyes brightened immediately, and she scurried out from behind the desk to examine it.

"Ah! The Cancer Key! We've been waiting for you. Come this way!"

Andri, too tired and nervous to do anything else, complied quietly, allowing the woman to drag him into a long hallway which opened into a magnificent antechamber hung with blue and silver silks.

"Wait here, and Freye will be along in a moment to see you to your Room."

He waited, again chewing his nails. He knew it was a terrible habit, but nervous habits are the hardest to break yourself of. His thoughts roiled and beat like wings against his skull. What was this Key? Where would it lead him? Where was he? How was it at all possible to be suddenly in a desert from the chilly depths of the Northeast?

The gentle tap on his shoulder nearly brought a scream to his lips. He whirled around on the woman who, like most of the other servants (?) in this place, was draped in a silky fabric, this time in a brilliant azure. Her eyes, what he could see of them below the soft wave of blue obscuring her face, were pale and sightless. It frightened him.

"Please come with me, young Master. Your Key is waiting anxiously for Your arrival."

"...My...Key? But I've got it right here..."

A faint smile trickled across her lips.

"I...see. You will be in a for a bit of a surprise, then. Please, walk this way."

Andri was briefly tempted to imitate her curious shuffling pace, but sense got the better of him and he simply followed her through a curtain and into a long hall filled with doors. Simple doors, elaborate doors, wooden, metal, glass doors. He tried to pause to look at one of them that seemed to be fashioned of gold and silver filigree worked in knotwork patterns, but the woman, Freye he supposed, hurried him on past it with the gentle swishing of silken robes.

At last she stopped in front of one door. Andri was a little disappointed for a moment when it seemed to be simply a wooden door. His disappointment vanished when he noticed the delicate carvings and engravings decorating its otherwise simple surface. The mermaid that formed the centerpiece was more Waterhouse than anything else, with a high forehead, long, elegant nose, and tangled, entwining hair. Her tail drifted down into a fine carven foam littered with tiny crabs and fish. Surrounding her were thin vines of kelp and seaweed, larger crabs, and elaborate seashells. It held his attention for long enough that the woman had to cough several times to actually get his attention. She gestured towards the door. Andri tried the simple silver knob and found it locked.

"It's locked."

She smiled, and said, "Don't you have a Key?"

Feeling foolish, Andri fumbled with the Key, trying the lock and missing, nearly dropping it on the floor.

Shudoshi started up from his meditative drowse at the sound of rattling at the knob. His heart began pounding, and he knelt in preparation just in front of the door. He carefully arranged his hair so it draped just so over his right shoulder, and waited...

Andri finally managed to fit the Key into the lock. Suddenly his heart leaped into motion and he felt a sense of faintness and fear. What could possibly lie within the door?

He turned the knob, slowly, and the world shivered...

Shudoshi was prepared, was as ready as he could ever dream of being, and as the door creaked open, he closed his eyes, mouthing his first words silently.

"Welcome...my...owner...I...am...What?!"

Suddenly he was on his feet and darting forward to catch the slender body that had slumped against the door, slamming it open and tumbling to the carpet. He ended up kneeling with an armful of sandy velvet and lace and one small, pale, exotically beautiful boy.

At first all he could feel was a vague sort of exultation--It was him! That delicate little boy from the photo!--but that faded swiftly into worry.

His new Owner had deep circles under his eyes that couldn't be simply the remnants of makeup; his breath smelled strongly of vodka; his heartbeat was vaguely arrhythmic in a way that suggested drugs running through his system and mixing badly with alcohol.

"Freye, be a sweetie and get a medic down here. I don't think he's had a good night."

"I don't think it's anything that a bath and a decent meal can't cure."

"I do, if only because I would feel unbearably guilty if he were to go into cardiac arrest before I'd had a chance to kiss him. Besides, if you don't go, I'm going to have to play the Bad Key again and carry him up myself. It's not as though I'd have a problem doing so. He can't weigh more than a hundred and fifteen pounds."

At this he proved his point by lifting Andri carefully into both arms and standing.

"Come on, Frey'. It's a good cause. And be glad you can't see this kid's face. It's pretty, but he looks like hell."

Shudoshi never could tell what convinced her that he was serious, but she nodded curtly and strode off, leaving him alone with his unconscious Master.

"Goodness, Sir. What a lightweight you are," Shudoshi arched an eyebrow as he laid Andri gently on the lower part of the bunk bed that rested in the center of the room. "And what elegant taste in clothes, despite the hair."

Smiling gently, he brushed a few stray strands away from Andri's forehead. He very badly wanted to see this boy awake, lively, eyes (what color would they be? brown? blue?) sparkling. He wanted...what did he want? Gazing down at his new Owner's girlish cupid's bow mouth, he wondered, and further more, wondered what he would want in return.

Freye returned with the medic. Shudoshi stood immediately, and moved away, but not too far, displaying a surprising protectiveness. Almost amused, the doctor examined him, took his pulse, blood pressure, temperature, and checked his pupils for dilation. Rising, he looked at Shudoshi carefully.

"You were right to call me down, Key. He's in a slightly precarious position. Fortunately, his vital signs are pretty strong and it doesn't seem as though he's mixed his drugs too strong. The most severe danger is probably that he'll vomit in his sleep and choke. I can't tell, not from this cursory an inspection, exactly what he's taken, but I'm going to leave him with you. If his condition becomes markedly worse, feel absolutely free to call me. Otherwise, I think this can be safely marked a case of two Tylenol for the headache when he wakes up, and feed him in the morning. Or evening, as the case may be. Either way, he'll feel terrible, but probably survive."

With this, both he and Freye swept out, she giving Shu a look as if to say, "You see, nothing that couldn't be fixed with a bath and some food." He ignored her, focus returning to the still limp figure.

He started carefully lifting him up to remove the velvet coat, eyes drifting closed with a sigh. A gentle movement culminating in a soft tap on his hand (currently pulling the coat off one shoulder), snapped his attention back immediately. He glanced down, and froze. The wide, slightly frightened eyes that met his were an absurd shade of lavender, almost lilac. They were bloodshot, and seemed blurry, as though their owner wasn't seeing reality properly. Shudoshi was so focussed on the eyes, that the movement of the lips didn't catch his attention, and so the rough, sand-burnt voice surprised him as it slithered out.

"M..Mandy? I...I feel terrible. Can you find Clem and tell her- tell her..."

Suddenly he shot up from the bed, clutching his hands over his mouth. Shudoshi recognized the signs immediately, grabbed him, and herded him swiftly to the curtained recess that contained the bathroom.

A few moments later, the boy, ragged and faintly ridiculous in his half-removed velvet coat, stared up from the swirl of water in the toilet at the enormous brown eyes and vaguely pitying face of his benefactor.

"Who...who are you?"