Date: Tue, 2 Dec 2014 15:57:12 +1000
From: Jeff Albertson <albertson194@gmail.com>
Subject: Lasse's Peril

Lasse's Peril

a story by plantagenet

Author's note: This is part 3 of a (hopefully) short series. Reading parts
1 ("The Third Son") and part 2 ("Focke and Lasse") may well make it more
understandable and enjoyable. The creation of this episode has taken about
3 years longer than I expected. Waiting for it to emerge from my
imagination was more exasperating than waiting for the next volume in the
Game of Thrones series. My humblest apologies to anyone whose patience I
sorely tested. May I also add my regrets for being so tardy in answering
the emails of those who cared enough to write.

Disclaimer: All fiction. Not suitable for minors. None of this ever
actually happened, as far as I know. Any resemblance to living people is
unintentional (but would make a great story...hmmm...)

The story so far: Gunther, a public functionary in a Northern coastal
village, has met and wedded a young boy, Focke, while an ambassador to a
distant settlement. He has brought Focke and a friend, Lasse, back to his
home village with him to live. The boys begin to explore their new
surroundings when unexpectedly, Lasse vanishes.

Lasse's Peril

Focke slumped into my arms. He had obviously run the whole distance from
the village market without pause. I picked him up and carried him within my
portal to a couch. Fanning his face with a parchment, I waited for his
breathing to settle and the healthy colour return to his face. I touched a
few drops of water to his lips, which brought him around.

"Oh, Gunther, Lasse is...I do not know, he is gone! I have failed you yet
again! Rip out my stones and sell me to the whoremaster, it is all I am
good for!" After making this declaration, the boy began to weep
piteously. I tried all in my power to soothe him, or at least to slow his
wails. But the boy refused my comfort. I laid him down on our bed and
searched for a sleeping draught among my medicines.

"All my fault...my fault...he is gone and it is all...zzzzzz" The merciful
arms of sleep finally embraced my lovely boy. But what of his tale of woe?
What had become of Lasse? I needed more information - I did not earn my
position as Arbiter by rushing into action thoughtlessly. I looked out my
portal towards the village, and saw Varens, the boy from Mentor Gaius'
group of scholars whom Focke had bested and subsequently befriended,
approaching.

I waved at the boy, catching his attention. "Did you call me, Sir?" he
asked after trotting over to the front of the villa. The usual entrance for
the group of young scholars was the portico at the eastern side, which took
the best morning light - I was not sure whether young Varens had ever been
at this part of my lodgings before.

"Yes, Varens, I require your assistance, if you would. I have been told
that there was a disturbance at the village market today, and I need the
counsel of mentor Gaius to plan my course of action. Be so good as to visit
his lodgings and ask him to call upon me at his earliest convenience.
Please impress upon him the urgency of my request."

"At once Sir - uh, is...is it Focke? Is he...well?"

"Focke is well - it is Lasse for whom I fear. Make haste."

"At once, Sir", the boy repeated and set off towards the village at a good
pace. I returned to my den and considered Focke's shocking news. Who would
kidnap a gelding? And one so young? Was it a visitor to our village, or
perhaps one of the townsfolk who bears me a grudge of some kind? Has the
boy already been smuggled away, or is he still here somewhere, captive,
despairing of rescue?

My mind wandered down the halls of reason and imagination as I considered
how to proceed. I lost track of the sun chariot's passage, because it was
all too soon that I was roused by a familiar sound. "My...my Lord?" I
quickly turned on hearing the voice my beloved. Focke had risen from the
sleeping mat where I had laid him, after removing his robes. He now stood
naked before me, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

As I admired his newly wakened body, I reluctantly observed the truth of
Lasse's remark of a few days ago: my boy was indeed falling into the
embrace of adulthood. His stones were a little larger than they were on the
day I first bedded him; his pouch hung a little lower than it had
previously, and its flesh seemed a little ruddier. Soon, no doubt, the
first hairs would fringe the base of his pizzle, and his sparrow would have
its own nest, perhaps forsaking mine. He was beginning to leave his boyhood
behind.

"Come here, Focke my love, and tell me what you can remember of the
morning's events." The nude boy padded over and sat on my lap, wrapping his
bare arms around my neck. His voice, almost inaudible at first, gradually
became stronger as he relayed what he could recall of the circumstances of
Lasse's disappearance. I casually stroked his little sparrow to comfort
him.

"We...Lasse and me...we took our garments, the ones we made, to the market.
There were some empty tents there, so we asked one of the men there if we
could use one of them. He was...very helpful. He said we could show our
wares in the tent next to his. So we laid them out on a table and...waited
for the customers. But nobody stopped to look. Then I had the idea that we
should wear the garments, so that people could see what they looked like on
a boy"

"That sounds very sensible. Go on, my darling", I urged him, grazing my
fingertips around his pouch.

"Lasse also thought it was a good idea- he said he should wear the
garments, and I should talk to the customers, because he is still a little
shy before men, from his time in the pleasure-house in our old village. I
agreed, so he entered the tent and donned a garment. Because it was dark
within the tent, I bade him walk up and down in front of the table, where
all could see him. Soon, we had several men stop to look".

"So, your idea was a success, my beloved." I cajoled, returning my
attentions to his stiffening pizzle, but not so vigorous as to distract the
boy frm his recollections.

"It was, my lord. But Lasse also helped, by...er...smiling at the men, and
moving his hips in a seductive way, you know how he does it. I suggested
that to him - I saw other boys do this in the pleasure house - it makes
some men more...interested".

"You boys had a good plan. What happened next?"

"We had a sale, my lord! A man, dressed in strange clothes, purchased one
of our garments! He offered to pay twenty silver, even though I had not yet
told him a price. I was only going to charge ten silver, because you told
us the materials had cost you five. Lasse removed the garment, and I folded
it carefully, as you had shown me, and gave it to the man. He gave me the
twenty silver in a small leather pouch. Lasse and I were very happy!"

"Hmm", I mused. "Focke, my love, when Lasse removed the garment you sold,
was he wearing anything underneath?"

"Underneath? No my lord - Lasse has no undergarments. He was naked after he
took the clothing off. Why do you ask?"

"It was but a passing thought. Did the man look at Lasse after he
undressed, do you think?"

"I...I cannot be certain, my lord Gunther. He may have done. I think he may
indeed have been watching carefully - perhaps to ensure that Lasse did not
damage his newly bought garment with a clumsy foot?"

"Perhaps. What followed?"

"The man left. But a short time later, he returned. He had another with
him, older, and more finely dressed, with his head wrapped around in a
cloth, and with jewels draped upon his neck, and on his fingers and in his
ears. This second man spoke strange words, I could not understand him, but
by pointing, I guessed that he wanted Lasse to demonstrate another
garment."

"You thought he might make a purchase, like his friend did."

"Yes, my lord. So I bid Lasse put on another garment within the tent. Lasse
came out into the sun, wearing the fresh garment, and the older man walked
all around him, looking at every part of him. At times, the man lifted the
hem of the garment and looked beneath it."

"Hmm. When he did so, do you think he could see Lasse's little sparrow and
empty pouch?"

"I...I suppose so, my lord. I thought he was looking at the inner side of
the garment, to examine the lining."

"Of course. So what ensued?"

"The man gave me a small bag of coins. He did not even ask the price! I
entered the tent to put it safely with the other silver I received from the
first merchant. I thought Lasse was removing the garment, to give to the
man, while I wrapped both sacks of coins carefully in a rag, so it would be
disguised. The man in the next tent had warned us to do this, to discourage
thieves. When I had finished, and left the tent, I could not find Lasse
anywhere. He had vanished like the morning mist. I thought nothing of it,
indeed I thought he had gone to the trees to relieve himself. But he did
not return! It is all my fault" the boy added, and began a piteous
whimpering.

"Do not burden yourself, Focke. We do not yet know for sure what has
happened. Would you like a piece of fruit, after your rest?" I offered the
boy. Focke smiled weakly and nodded. Even in tragedy, a boy is still a boy,
with a strong appetite. As Focke rose from my lap and left for the
scullery, the boy Varens, breathing heavily, entered the portal, closely
followed by mentor Gaius.

"I have brought him, Sir - Mentor Gaius" the boy gasped.

"My thanks to you, Varens. You may go and join Focke within, and he will
share some fruit with you"

"Thank you Sir" As the boy left my study, calling out Focke's name, Gaius
strode to me and gripped my arms.

"Varens has told me of your urgent need. What is it, my friend?" Gaius
began, as we retired to our couches.

"Lasse is missing. From what he has told me, it appears that, unwittingly,
Focke has sold him to a travelling merchant at the village maket today".
Even as the words left my mouth, the air was rent asunder with a boy's wail
of despair from within. Unbeknown to me, Focke and Varens had positioned
themselves behind a drape, to overhear what passed between Gaius and
myself. My words were not intended for my beloved, they were but thoughts
from my darkest fears.

Before I could comfort the boy again, he had already run, crying freely,
from the villa. Varens was left behind, speechless, alone. I dreaded what
my boy might do, in a delirium of despair, on hearing that I thought him
responsible for selling his dear friend.

"Today is proceeding from bad to worse, my friend" I lamented to Gaius. He
led me back to the couch. Varens asked if there was any service he could
render me. My initial thought was to send him after Focke, but that would
have been a futile errand. I knew that Focke was easily the swiftest runner
in mentor Gaius' group, and Varens would quickly lose sight of him. A
better plan rose in my mind.

"Yes, Varens, there is. Can you gather together all of the scholars from
mentor Gaius' group, and bid them assemble here before another hour has
passed. Tell each one to bring a water flask and a pouch of dried food for
a day, and to advise their parents that they are performing a special task
for me - no, for the village, and may be away overnight. Be swift, now!"

The boy nodded and sped away, and was soon lost to sight under the trees.
Gaius asked me what I was thinking, and I opened my mind to him. "Put
yourself in the sandals of a travelling merchant, dear friend. He visits a
small coastal village which is new to him. He does not know the local laws
or customs, but has heard information from a fellow merchant of a market
wherein a gelded boy is selling clothes. Perhaps the gelding is also for
sale? You attend the market with your friend, and make an offer for the
boy, which is accepted. Now that you have made your purchase, you...what
exactly do you do, my friend?"

Gaius paused. "I should think that I would return to my caravan with my new
purchase. If I have concluded my business dealings in the town, I would
pack all my goods, load my horses and carts, and make ready to depart"

"Indeed. But depart for where? And has he already left? Surely Lasse knows
that something is amiss, that he should not be going anywhere with this
stranger? Would the boy try to escape?"

The visage of Gaius became more grim as he considered these dark thoughts
of mine. "I too have an affection for Lasse, perhaps even more so than my
fondness for Focke. I long to see him returned to you safely, and I cannot
imagine that whatever life he goes to is superior than the one he enjoys
now in your household"

"So. Let us combine our wits, and save the boys we love," I urged my
friend. "I will wait for the young scholars to return with Varens, and set
them about searching all of the winehouses, lodgings, encampments and
bathhouses, for any sign of Lasse. I will send them out in pairs, so that
if one is taken, the other can report back to me."

"Excellent", commented Gaius. "Several of the boys have confided in me that
they enjoy the attentions of men, so it will not be a difficult task for
them to use their charms to obtain useful information for us. And what of
Focke?"

"What indeed...the boys have explored the village, but they have not told
me of any special place that they would hide when in distress. Focke may
already be doing what we shortly will be sending the other scholars out to
do. If so, he is placing himself in grave danger. I fear for him, Gaius, in
his vulnerable state"

Gaius nodded. "In my lessons with the scholars, I have strived to impress
on them the values that you and I hold dear, Gunther. The search for
wisdom, the importance of friendship, the supremacy of loyalty. But these
are only boys - you remember what it was like for us, Gunther: how we
followed our hearts when we should have heeded our mentors."

"Indeed, my friend," I answered. "Now, we cannot seek our beloved boys
without some food in our bellies, and we should be ready to act when Varens
returns. Come, let us eat." I led Gaius into the galley and found fruits
and dried meats. We had just completed a small repast when Varens returned,
along with several of his fellow scholars.

"I have brought them, my lord," the boy announced. I addressed the group of
lads. They had prepared as I asked, with food in their leather bags and
sandals on their feet.

"Boys, your mentor and I need your assistance. Two of your fellows, Focke
and Lasse, are missing. I believe Lasse was taken from the village market
this morning, and now Focke, in his grief, has rushed out blindly to search
for him, or perhaps...something more dire. I propose to send you boys out
in search of any sign of Lasse, while mentor Gaius and I try to find Focke
before harm befalls him. Do any of you know of a place that he might go, in
his anguish at the loss of Lasse?"

The boys looked at each other, a look I had seen before on men whom I had
questioned. It was a look of guilty knowledge, but I could not possibly
have guessed what knowledge this look presaged. One of the boys spoke
up. "Sir, I am Cornelius, the son of Xenus the tanner. Might Focke have
gone to the Temple of the God of Night?"

My confusion showed on my face. "What would Focke do at such a place? The
God of Night is not known to him?"

"We meant no harm, Sir, only Focke asked us about it" answered another
boy. "Uh, I am Calydon, son of Pragnus. We were talking amongst ourselves,
just boys together, and Piera here mentioned his night visions, you know,
the stories that your mind tells you in your sleep, and that you remember
when you awaken?"

Another boy, whom I took to be Piera, piped up. "Yes, my lord, it is just
as Calydon says. I told the others about my night vision in which my
mother's brother, er, visited me and..." All of the boys exchanged glances,
so I encouraged them to speak freely.

Calydon continued. "When Focke said that he also had experienced night
visions, and asked us whence they came, we told him they were sent by the
God of Night. We told him that some believe the God of Night has the power
to grant wishes to supplicants, but only if they make Him an offering of
great value"

Gaius bid the boys pause. "Is it possible that Focke has gone to the temple
of this god to make an offering, his wish being the safe return of his
friend?"

I nodded. "It is exactly the kind of reckless, trusting, foolish, wonderful
thing he would do, if he thought it could produce the return of his beloved
Lasse"

"But what offering could Focke make? What does he possess of value?" Gaius
wondered aloud.

A fearful thought struck me with utter clarity. "I believe I know. Gaius,
we must visit this temple immediately! But first, boys, go in pairs, sort
yourselves out, and search out all of the places where men may be found,
men who might take a boy as a... companion"

Calydon gave me a cheeky grin. "You mean men like Piera's uncle?"

"Exactly. Men who may enjoy the intimate company of a boy. I am sure you
are wise enough to have seen and understood the look in the eyes of such
men. We may be looking for strangers to the village, but do not exclude men
who live here. We do not have many hours left to us."

"Cornelius, you come with me" Piero declared.

"Egitus, you are with me," stated Calydon.

"Varens, we will go together", said a boy who Gaius later identified as
Phidias, the son of Diametus the blacksmith. The boys departed, after
receiving instructions from me to report as soon as they learned something,
or by nightfall. Some begged to be allowed to continue to search all night,
but I forbade it. I had a different plan for the dark hours. But my
immediate concern was for this temple. I had thought that I knew all of the
holy places in the village, but in these times, new faiths spring up like
weeds.

"Where is the temple of this night god, Gaius?" I quizzed him as we
departed the villa.

"It was formerly the dwelling of the oracle of the Sun God, but it fell
into disuse when she made so many inaccurate prophecies and departed in
disgrace. I had thought that only ghosts dwelt there, but this new cult
must have taken up residence. The building sits atop one of the Four
Hills."

Now I knew it - all seafarers were familiar with the Four Hills, which
stand in a rank above the shoreline. We strode quickly through the fields,
and within an hour beheld the temple. We ascended the hill, noticing from
afar the figure of a man, no doubt one of the acolytes who served in the
temple. He was waving his arms, seemimgly in some distress. When we drew
nearer, we could discern his words.

"Help! Help, oh help!" the man cried piteously. At the moment we reached
him, he collapsed into my arms.

"We did all we could! We tried to stop him! And we tended him as best we
could! No blame lies on us!" the man wailed, as Gaius and I tried to make
sense of his words.

"I shall be the one to decide where blame lies, after I have heard your
words", I cautioned the distraught man. "Speak, and be swift! Whom did you
try to stop?"

The fellow looked at both of us, clearly trying to decide who would be the
more sympathetic. He decided on Gaius. "My lord Mentor, it is the outlander
boy, the one with hair like a stallion's mane and eyes of ice! He...he came
to the Temple beseeching that the God of Night grant him a wish. I told him
that all supplicants must make an offering. But I did not expect...my lord,
the offering is usually a small bag of coins, or a basket of fruits and
meats, not...oh! The blood!"

I began to lose patience with this blabbering fool, who preyed on the
desperate by claiming to grant wishes on behalf of some god who had sprung
from his own fertile imagination. My hands approached his throat, ready to
throttle him and do the world a favour, but Gaius, ever the diplomat,
stayed my desire. "My good sir, we are in your debt! It appears you have
news about the very boy whom we seek! Pray, calm yourself, breathe slowly,
and tell us in your own time what you know! I would regard your aid as a
kindness!"

The man was soothed by the temperate words of mentor Gaius, and his
breathing began to return to a more normal pace. "The boy-" he began, but I
interrupted.

"He is called Focke!" I declared.

"I am sorry, my lord. Focke. Yes, Focke arrived at the Temple around
mid-afternoon. He asked what he must do to make an offering to the God of
Night, as he had a most important wish that must be granted. I told him
that the God of Night considers all supplicants, but grants wishes in his
own time, which may not be in our short and sorry lifetime. The boy, er,
sorry, Focke, then declared that the God would not dare refuse him, and so
I led him to the Room of Supplication."

Gaius smiled at the man. "You are doing very well, Sir. Please continue.
Did Focke make his offering?"

The man's eyes dropped. "I did not expect it, my lord, you must believe
me. I never dreamed a boy would...oh, the dreadful sight will haunt my
night visions for many a year!"

Gaius soothed the man, hoping to discover more. "Of course you did not
expect it - who would? Focke is a strong-willed boy: even if you knew, you
could not dissuade him. But tell us, exactly what did he do?"

The acolyte sighed. "In the Room of Supplication is an altar of stone, and
in its centre lies a brazier with live coals. If the supplicant brings a
bag of coins as his offering, I, er, retrieve the coins from the fire with
tongs after the bag has burned away and the supplicant has departed. Well,
the God does not expect me to waste good coin, after all!"

"No, no, of course not," Gaius smoothly agreed.

"And if the supplicant brings a basket of fruits, I permit him to put but
one into the coals, and I save the rest for...well, there are several
people living here at the Temple, and we cannot survive on fresh air and
sunshine alone!"

"Indeed not, my friend. I am sure the god happily shares the offerings with
you. Do go on. What did Focke offer?"

A look of immense sorrow crossed the man's face, so that even I felt his
misery. His eyes grew distant as he recalled what he had seen earlier.
"Before I could stay his arm, the boy drew a knife from beneath his tunic,
lifted the hem of that garment and straddled a corner of the altar.
Demanding that the God of Night honour his offering and grant his wish,
he...I could not stop him, my lords, you must believe me...he... the boy,
Focke, he...cut off his own pouch and threw his stones onto the coals!"
Saying this, the man fainted.

It was as I had feared. Focke had often spoken of his wish to remain a boy
forever, and had many times demanded that this travesty be done unto him,
the removal of his stones. I thought that when he learned the value of his
stones in the act of love, as he would do very soon given his approaching
manhood, he would abandon this foolishness and accept the path that the
gods had set out for him. But recriminations and might-have-beens must
wait! Where was my beloved boy?

Gaius voiced my unspoken question. He gave the man a gentle shake. "And
where, my good fellow, is Focke now? Has his injury been tended?"

The servant of the god of night roused himself out of his stupor. "Oh, yes,
my lords, as soon as I saw what he had done, I picked him up and carried
him to one of our women, who has experience in the tending of wounds. She
has ministered to those who have been injured by wild animals, or in
battle, and knows much of the healing arts. She has often used her skills
to-"

It was the turn of Gaius to interrupt, lest the man drone on forever about
the talents of this other devotee of the god of night. "Of course she
is. And where may we find this worthy nurse?"

"I will take you there, my lords" he answered, struggling to his feet. The
three of us set off through the temple precinct until, in an outbuilding, I
found my beloved lying on a straw mattress, covered by a moistened cloth.
An old woman sat beside him.

"My lords, thank the gods, you are here. The boy told me you would come!"
she said, rising from Focke's bedside.

I restrained myself from telling the crone that his name was Focke,
desperate as I was to embrace my boy. He was awake, but feverish.

"Gunther, my love, it is done," he whispered. "Two stones for two wishes.
The god cannot refuse me."

I brushed the sweat from his brow, and pulled his head to my chest. "Oh, my
beloved, the god will not refuse to honour such bravery. Even now, your
fellow scholars are searching throughout the village for any sign of Lasse,
and your sacrifice will surely ensure their success. But...what of this
second wish?"

"To be your boy forever, my love. Now the gods cannot change my body into
that of a man...I will always be your boy" As if his words took the last of
his strength, he fell back into a slumber.

The old woman took the opportunity provided by Focke's sleep to explain to
me what she had done. Drawing back the linen covering his body, she showed
me Focke's damaged groin. It confirmed the acolyte's account. The boy had
sliced off his own pouch cleanly, doing no damage to his little pizzle, and
the old woman had skilfully sewn the cut edges together. "I bathed the
wound in warmed wine. It will take a halfmonth to heal, and the catgut
stitches can then be pulled out. Bathe it twice daily in wine to keep it
clean, and the boy will most likely live. He has strength, this one. I have
treated many soldiers with worse afflictions, and most of them still walk
the earth."

I thanked the woman for her care, and I noticed Gaius slip a pouch of coins
into her wizened hands. Focke felt surprisingly light in my arms as I
picked him up, as though he had divested himself of a great weight. Night
had begun to fall, and the early stars aided our way back to my villa.
Gaius offered to share the burden of bearing the boy, but I managed to
cover the whole distance myself, my grief lending strength to my arms. I
laid the boy on his own bed, soothed his brow, and waited for the scholars
to return.

The excited chatter of young voices from without warned me of the boys'
return. Leaving Gaius to tend Focke, I admitted the boys into the villa,
bidding them be seated, and tell of any news of Lasse.

Calydon leapt to his feet. "Egitus and I searched the alehouses down by the
docks. My mother says that there is a man there, Fenfir the shipwright, who
knows all there is to know about ship arrivals and departures, repairs,
passengers, cargo and suchlike. We found him at a table in a dark corner,
drinking and crying."

"Ha! Fenfir the drunkard!" quipped Cornelius. "If he is a shipwright then I
am a...a Mentor!"

"Fenfir the braggart!" added Piera.

Calydon quieted the other boys and continued his telling. "I told Egitus to
rub his rump on Fenfir's arm, like he does with his mother's brother when
he wants to make his manhood rise."

"Fenfir's weapon rose like the moon!" Egitus giggled. "I let him feel my
rump, while Calydon questioned him"

Calydon shrugged. "Sadly, he knew of no boys, or boy-sized baggage, being
loaded onto any ships." I thanked the two boys for their efforts.

Phidias was the next boy to stand. "My lord, Varens and I crept under the
casements of the whorehouse, to listen to the men within while they lay
with their whores. My father told me that men ought to keep a careful guard
on their tongues when they lay with a woman, but no man ever does. We
listened at every window until our weapons felt as thought they should
burst from hearing the sounds of rutting, but no man spoke of a gelded boy"

Varens agreed with him. "We had to satisfy each other with our mouths
before we could return, lest anyone guess where we had been. I am sorry, my
lord".

I hugged both boys around the shoulders to comfort them. "Do not be
dismayed, boys; you made a valiant effort."

Cornelius spoke up next. "My mother says that a man's tongue loosens when a
boy's tongue is loose. I never knew what she meant until Piera and I
visited the bathhouse today"

Piera interrupted. "We sneaked inside a room full of steam, and found a man
sitting in there. We left our tunics at the doorway, so they wouldn't get
all damp. The man was by himself, and bare of his robe, so we sat one on
each side of him."

Cornelius took up the narrative. "I remembered what my mother said, about
tongues, and tried to loosen him up. I lowered my head to his lap and put
my tongue on his manhood. He made this groaning noise, so I kept doing it,
licking all around the crown of his weapon"

Piera piped up. "I prayed to the gods that we had found the right man: only
with the help of the gods could we find one who might know something about
Lasse, but we had to try. I took the man's stones in my hand, and said to
him that a boy with no stones was especially good at giving pleasure to a
man, but who knew where such a boy could be found?"

"Well done, boys!" I commended their efforts. "Did the man make any
answer?"

Piera giggled. "His manhood answered all over Cornelius' face! But when he
was spent, he hugged me with his big hairy arms and asked if I had any
stones of my own, since I enjoyed fondling his so much. So I reached down
and tucked my pouch between my thighs, to conceal my little stones, and
told him he could feel if he wanted."

"And did he?" I asked, feeling the impending possibility of useful
information.

"Yes, my lord, he felt my little dagger, but did not find my pouch. Then he
kissed me on the mouth and thanked me for my gift. He asked me if he could
return the favour. I said that I always wanted to find another boy like
myself, with no stones, to play with."

"Piera was very convincing, my lord," Cornelius added.

"I have no doubt," I agreed. "But did he offer any news of Lasse?"

Piera shook his head in sadness. "I am sorry, my lord. All he knew of boys
with no stones was that he had seen one for the first time at the village
market this morning"

My mind alerted instantly. "He said that he saw a boy with no stones, at
the market? It must have been Lasse! Gaius, are there any other gelded boys
in the village?"

Gaius closed his eyes in contemplation. "The only one of whom I have any
knowledge is Anexis, the son of Eriphon the cartbuilder. The boy was,
sadly, born without any stones, but is yet beloved of his parents. It could
not have been Anexis that this man saw, because Anexis has only six
winters, and his father does not permit him to go alone to the market."

I gathered my thoughts. "So, the man in the steam bath saw a gelded boy in
the market this morning, who was most likely Lasse. He would only know that
Lasse is gelded by seeing him undressed, as he would have been when he
removed his garment to give to its purchaser. Now, think carefully and
slowly, Piera: did the man say anything further about the gelding he saw?
Anything at all, even a scrap of speech may help."

Piera scrunched up his face, trying to force Memory to co-operate with his
tongue. "The only other thing he said, my lord, made no sense. He said 'I
thought Malchior had only daughters'. I did not understand what this meant,
so I did not ask the man about it. Does it help, my lord?"

"Malchior!" I growled. "Now does this whole affair begin to grow clear! The
man must have seen Malchior take Lasse, and was surprised because he knew
Malchior had no son, only daughters! Varens, go within and see if Focke has
awakened."

"At once, my lord" answered the boy and ran to Focke's bedchamber. Shortly,
he returned, leading my beloved Focke by the hand. Calydon gasped when he
saw the damage the knife had done to Focke's pouch, but held his tongue.
Following their eyes, I discerned that all the other boys, alerted by the
sound Calydon made, also observed my beloved's loss. It was inevitable that
they would discover it, so it may as well be now.

"Focke, my boy, are you well enough to tell us a little more about the
events at the village market this morning? Did you sleep?"

The boy nodded slowly, and wavered a little on his feet, as one who has
drunk too much wine. "Is Lasse returned?" he whispered. "Where is Lasse?"

I walked over to the boy and comforted him in my arms. I felt the eyes of
every boy upon me, so I kept my caresses mild and fatherly. "We will find
him, my boy. Now, think slowly and carefully, and tell me if you know the
man whom you saw in the tent next to yours."

Focke's beautiful eyes fluttered shut, and a slow sigh rose from his
chest. His eyes suddenly opened and he exclaimed "Yes, my lord! It was the
one you called Malchior, the one with the two comely daughters, who met you
at the dock when we first arrived in this village. He said we could use
that tent - has he accused us of an offence, my lord?"

"No offence, my boy. You have done well. We are now a step closer to
finding Lasse. Gaius, Malchior has a villa on the First Hill, does he not?"

"Indeed, my friend - I can be at its gates with four strong men of the
village within the hour!" Hearing his words, the scholars immediately
protested. Since they had already become involved in the search for Lasse,
and it was their friend who was missing, they demanded to be involved in
his rescue. It was Phidias who made the most telling observation.

"My lord," Phidias said, "if this Malchior finds a group of men at his
gates, he may well do harm to the only one who can testify against him:
Lasse. But who would fear a few scrawny boys?"

A silence covered the villa at the obvious truth of the boy's words. It was
broken by Focke, who jumped off my lap and ran to his bedchamber. Before
anyone could remark at his disappearance, he returned, clothed and shod,
carrying his knife. "This is one scrawny boy who will suffer to wait no
longer!" The other scholars cheered and stood, eager to leave. Rather than
attempt to talk the boys out of their reckless course of action, Gaius and
I exchanged looks and silently agreed to go along, or rather, follow along,
because the boys had already stormed out of the villa, running towards the
First Hill by the light of the stars.

Even though Gaius always counselled his scholars to think before they act,
to make a plan, while considering all possible alternatives, the group made
quick decisions on the run, which I never do. Varens fell back from the
leading group of boys to convey their intended course.

"We shall climb his wall into the garden while you and mentor Gaius occupy
him at the front gate. If Lasse is within, we will find him. Focke has a
fearsome look in his eyes - if anyone comes between him and Lasse, I fear
for them", he gasped, then increased his pace to rejoin the other boys.

At the gate to Malchior's villa, I rang the bell. Malchior sent a servant
to discover who was calling on him at that time of the night, then met us
in person when the servant returned within to tell him the name of his
visitor. He greeted us unctuously, making no sign that he had done anything
amiss, making me begin to fear that I had reasoned incorrectly. I began to
discuss the matter of the division of his father's estate between himself
and his brother, and stated that I was ready to consider any new
information which may assist his case. Gaius stood beside me, nodding at
times as if following our words. I did not know how much time the boys
would need to free Lasse, or even to find him, but I put my trust in the
gods (and in my ability to make a small matter into a long-winded speech).

Malchior listened politely to us, as I spun out tale after tale of
precedents and similar cases of which I had heard or read. I hoped that the
boys would give me some signal that their mission had succeeded, but none
came. After occupying Malchior for an hour (or possibly more, judging by
the moon) I had no more left to say. I bid the loathesome man a good night,
and Gaius and I departed, dejected, for my villa. We neither saw nor heard
the boys.

As we approached my villa, I could see light coming from within, although I
was certain I had extinguished all the candles when we left earlier. Before
I had reached the portal, Focke rushed out of the villa and threw his arms
about my neck, covering my face with kisses and thrusting his hips at my
loins.

"What took you so long, my lord?" he demanded. "We brought Lasse home
nearly an hour since!  You must have enjoyed discussing matters of law with
Malchior at his gates in the middle of the night, you were at it for so
long! Or was he trying to wed one of his daughters to you?"

I smiled. My old Focke, the cheeky, lively, happy Focke had returned. I
allowed the boy to drag me within, where we found the group of scholars
feasting on my food, reclining on my couches or resting on my floor,
regaling Gaius and I (and each other) with tales of their bravery and
cleverness this night.

"It was Varens' idea to seduce the guard" declared Calydon.

"Agreed, but it was me who had to disrobe and wiggle my rump at him"
countered Piera.

"Phidias knew the way from the garden to the cellar" extolled Cornelius.

"My father took me there once when he was bid by Malchior to instal an iron
door in the deepest bowels of the villa. I always wondered why Malchior
thought his wine so valuable that it needed such protection", Phidias
explained.

And then it was Lasse's turn. He entered from the galley with a tray of
fruits, placing them on the low table. "This is the second time you have
saved me, master. It is a debt I can scarce begin to repay", he stated.

"If there is any debt, it is to your friends", I suggested.

"But especially to Focke", Lasse continued. "His offering to the god of
night was accepted, and his wish granted. The other boys told me what he
did. I do not know how I will discharge such a great debt"

I bid the boy come to me. "I know a way, if you are willing. Do you
remember when you stood on the shores of your old village, before you and
Focke departed with me aboard our vessel?"

"I will never forget it, master. You promised that no man would rut with me
save with your approval and Focke's agreement", the gelding answered.

"In truth. So now, if you are ready, I propose that you reveal your heart
to mentor Gaius, and permit him to love you in the same way that I love
Focke. Do you agree, my love?" I turned my face to the boy on my knee.

The scholars who had searched for and found Lasse fell silent, listening to
the conversation between myself and the two boys in my life. The room
hushed, waiting for Focke to give his blessing.

For once, Focke spoke with a serious tone in his voice. "Lasse, when I
first met you in the men's pleasure house in my father's village I felt a
deep sorrow for the loss of your stones, but a deeper one for the other
loss you suffered, the loss of your ability to love men, to give yourself
to them. I have learned to give myself to Gunther, and it has made my life
complete, even though I am not worthy of his love. He keeps loving me
despite my failures. I think that mentor Gaius loves you, and desires you
to be his lover. Will you have him?"

Lasse looked at the boys around the room, who all waited upon his reply.
"Do you...do you think he will let me...feel his stones?" he asked in a
tiny voice, causing an uproar of laughter to erupt in the room, breaking
the tension.

end