The most obvious effect of the delays at the border are the increased number of traders and travellers filling the town of Berak on both sides. It’s a small place, but clearly dedicated to the trade that passes along the route on which it sits. There are several large inns, but they are busy.

The differences between the two countries that meet here are starkly apparent, even at the distance they are separated from one another. There’s a no-mans-land of about a hundred yards extent, a neatly maintained stone wall on the Tanerian side and what appears to be a ramshackle, broken-down fence on the Benterian one with tangled heathland between.

The buildings seem to have been built for the climate. They are short and broad, yet each with a steeply pitched roof of thick slate. Even now, it’s dramatically cooler in the mountains than it was down in Tanis. The snow-capped peaks on either side of the valley hint at harsh conditions in winter.

Luckily, the town is well-set to cater for even this glut of travellers and Alex finds a set of rooms at only the third inn that they try. As usual, Brion and Garvan head off to the stable with the horses. Peta nods to Alex and casually wanders off down the main street in the direction of the border.

The landlady seems to be struggling to cope with the press of people, but she manages to give Alex three keys and direction to their rooms. “We’re almost full,” she tells him with a smile. “Your rooms are on the second floor, up in the attic, up and to the right. Still fine rooms, mind, just two flights of stairs.”

“Thank you, Mistress,” Alex tells her with a smile. “There do seem to be more people about than I remember.”

“Aye. New rules at the border or some such. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

Alex hands one key to Cato and, after just a few moments, gives the other to Garvan as the other two men come in through the back entrance carrying the most important of the packs. Each key has a wooden tag onto which has been screwed some small brass numbers. They have eighteen, nineteen and twenty.

At the top of the main staircase, there are two much narrower flights, one going off to the left and the other to the right. Alex leads them up the one to the right and finds just four doors. The first is the expected washroom and the next three have numbers matching their keys. The narrow passageway is tall, clearly showing the pitch of the apex of the roof high above their heads.

Alex had handed out keys without even looking at them, but has, by chance, picked the end-most of the rooms. He opens the door at the end of the passage to find a quite large, reasonably well-furnished room with two large beds. There are two windows at the end opposite the door and the roof clearly slopes down on either side. After a moment of bustle outside and a few quiet words, Jamie follows Alex into the room and drops his pack on one of the beds.

“And what are you doing?” Alex asks him.

“Changing the rooming plan,” Jamie tells him with a grin. “Cato is too old and boring as a room-mate.”

Alex looks out through the still open door as he approaches to close it. Cato, popping his head out of one of the other doors, merely raises his eyebrows and shrugs in resignation.

All Alex can manage in return is a look that’s full of both resignation and acceptance of the inevitable. There’s no point in making a scene. Anything that might draw attention to the group right now can only be seen as dangerous. He finally nods at Cato and closes the door behind himself, turning the key in the lock.

“What am I going to do with you?” he asks Jamie carefully.

“Well, I’m sure that you can think of something. We’ve a couple of hours at least before even thinking of supper.” Jamie is already looking a little flushed at his own boldness, but hesitates for only the barest instant before closing the gap between himself and Alex.

Jamie seems to tremble slightly as Alex wraps his arms around him, pulling them slowly together and allowing their lips to meet in a soft and tender kiss. It’s a shudder of pure anticipation and Jamie is soon returning Alex’s kisses with pressing passion, hands roaming across Alex’s back and down onto his buttocks.

When his hands wander around to the narrow gap between them, Alex pulls back slightly. “What do you want, Jamie?”

“I want to explore. I want to touch and be touched,” he manages with a whisper.

“Then we probably don’t need these clothes in the way,” Alex murmurs as he begins to unbutton Jamie’s tunic.

Jamie blushes even more deeply, but manages to start working on Alex’s buttons with a will. Within moments, the two men are a whirlwind of arms and legs as boots, stockings, shirts and trousers are scattered onto one of the beds. With only pants remaining, Alex is happy to take the lead, drawing the smooth fabric down over his obvious arousal and allowing the garment to drop to the floor.

Jamie’s blush is now spreading down onto his neck and chest, but he hesitates only for a moment before carefully allowing his own pants to drop and stepping out of them. His erection, long, straight and slender pops almost vertically upright, pale skin pulling back to reveal the hint of a purple-red tip.

Alex closes the gap between them slowly, his own thicker and slightly shorter member twitching as his own foreskin pulls back completely to reveal a cherry-red swollen tip that is already slick with clear fluid. As their bodies press swiftly together, Jamie moans softly and shudders as their cocks press tight between them and their lips meet once again.

It takes only moments for Jamie’s building desire to overcome his uncertainty and reticence. One hand drops down onto Alex’s buttock as the other slips down between their abdomens. Alex follows suit, allowing the less experienced man to move at his own pace. There’s something deeply erotic to be found by simply duplicating a partner’s movements.

As Jamie begins to stroke slowly, his grip on Alex’s shaft firm yet gentle, Alex does the same in return, matching the pace of the younger man’s movements. Alex moves them slowly to one of the beds, breaking apart long enough to push Jamie back down onto the mattress.

Every touch is new to Jamie, every movement an exquisite delight. Alex kisses his neck, slowly planting delicate lips against collarbone, throat and chest. Sucking delicately on one nipple causes it to instantly expand in arousal, allowing Alex to nip it gently between his teeth, eliciting a guttural moan from Jamie’s throat.

Alex moves slowly, never letting up with his slow and deliberate hand-strokes along Jamie’s throbbing length. His delightful track of kisses continues down across Jamie’s abdomen with only one possible destination in mind.

As Alex’s lips make their first, almost imperceptible touch against the base of Jamie’s shaft, the young man’s body shudders in delight, amplified by Alex’s thumb slowly pulling his skin all the way back to reveal his throbbing, slightly slick glans.

Shuddering turns into wild twitching, arms thrown over his head as Alex’s warm mouth envelopes him and the first hints of movement and pressure make themselves felt. As the intensity of Alex’s relentless bobbing and sucking continue, Jamie thrusts his hand into his own mouth to stifle impending shouts of ecstasy.

All thought of pleasuring Alex is lost in a mist of building pressure as Alex uses his tongue and throat with practiced skill, keenly bringing Jamie to a hitherto unthought-of release. 

“Alex…” Jamie finally manages to moan as his body tenses and he thrashes with orgasmic abandon, gushing spurts of semen filling Alex’s mouth and throat. Alex continues to suck and swallow, until Jamie moans in protest and twitches from the over-sensitivity of his quickly softening member.

After what can only be a few moments, Jamie stirs, hand seeking Alex’s member and quickly stroking him back to full arousal. “I want to try,” Jamie whispers as Alex rolls onto his back.

“Only do it if you’re sure you want to. You can just use your hand if you’re not certain.”

“No, I want to do this for you. What should I do.”

“I’m not sure I can tell you. Just think about what you’d like or have just liked from me and try and do the same. Don’t try and go too deep for a first try and relax.”

Jamie begins slowly, gently pressing his moist tongue to the tip of Alex’s cock and licking slowly around the corona. He allows himself to savour the taste of Alex’s juices before tentatively taking the tip into his mouth and sucking gently. Alex’s low rumble of pleasure is enough to reassure and embolden the younger man, giving him the confidence to take a little more of Alex’s length into his mouth and begin a steady rhythmic movement.

Almost gagging when he becomes a little over-enthusiastic and takes in too much of Alex, he quickly readjusts and finds a steady rhythm with a more concerted application of pressure on each upward stroke.

Long abstinent, Alex quickly unravels, moaning and shuddering as his orgasm approaches. “Jamie, I’m going to…” he groans, attempting to push his lover’s head up and away from his inevitable release. Jamie looks up at him from under his brow and sucks deeply one last time. Overwhelmed, Alex surrenders to the power of his ejaculation, spurt after spurt of hot liquid fountaining into Jamie’s waiting mouth.

Jamie wriggles back up the bed into the crook of Alex’s waiting arm, accepting a gentle kiss before resting his head on a muscular shoulder.

“Hmm…” Jamie murmurs after a few minutes of silence, both men’s breathing now much nearer to normal. “That wasn’t in any of the books that I read.”

“Wasn’t much of a library on the subject, then.” Alex tells him, a smirk crossing his face briefly. “Never was much of a man for learning from books.”

“As a dedicated man of learning, I’ll take some convincing about that, but your first lesson went pretty well as far as I’m concerned. I learned a lot!”

The common room of the inn is packed with delayed travellers for supper. There’s little chance to talk about the plan for the following day, or even to talk among themselves. Finally, Alex whispers something to Jamie and, when he nods, Alex gestures to Peta that they should go outside and speak.

“Sorry about the changing sleeping arrangements,” Alex mutters with a grin as the two men stand in the yard behind the inn, close to the stables. “Wasn’t given much choice in the matter.”

“That’s royalty for you,” Peta replies with a grin. “Just treat him as well as he deserves, Alex?”

“Of course. I just hope we’ve not complicated things too much.”

“If he gets too big for his boots, tell him I knew all about his watching spot above the practice yard. He lacks focus and awareness of his surroundings when his… base urges get the better of him.”

Alex lets out a low chuckle. “Damn. He’d be truly mortified if he knew. Thanks Peta. Now, tell me what happened down at the border post?”

“Our side of the border is all sorted. I know enough of the staff that I had no trouble getting the attention of one of them. They’re smart enough to not let anything slip as well. When we go down to cross over tomorrow, the staff will be ready with an exchange set of paperwork for us. No-one will be the wiser.”

“And the news from the other side?”

“Not so good. With the right paperwork, we should have no problems getting through the border post, but there’s quite a bit of talk about bandits and patrols. It’s a bugger. We’ve no choice of path until we get half way to Benteria itself.”

“Damn. Is there any indication that they know who they are looking for?”

“No, at least we have that going for us so far. The few snatches of gossip I managed to hear suggest that the patrols are simply looking for a group of men. No hint of numbers and no indication that they know anyone in the group. Again, Jamie’s relative anonymity plays to our advantage.”

“Okay. Well, we don’t have an alternative plan for the next few days, so we just have to go with the flow. I hate to say this, as it goes against everything that I believe and hold sacred. If we get into trouble, there should be no survivors.”

“I agree. I’ll let the boys know. We have no choice. The longer we go unrecognised and unreported, the better a chance we have of keeping out of Haran’s grasp.”

Alex runs his hand through his hair, scratching at the back of his neck in agitation. “I hate it. Needs must. Will you make sure Cato understands his role for the morning and I’ll try and explain just how dangerous the next few days are going to be to Jamie?”

“Aye. Don’t know when we’ll get another night in an inn, so I’m having more ale.”