Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 09:41:36 -0400
From: bertmck@aol.com
Subject: Crystal Throne/Power of the Dark Lord 1 of 22

THE POWER OF THE DARK LORD
by Bert McKenzie
Copyright 2010

Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction.  Any resemblance to any real
person alive or dead is coincidental and unintentional.

Chapter I

"So help me, if you fall and break your neck " That was all Scott managed
to say before his lover disappeared down the mountain side, his skis
kicking up a light powder behind him.

"Jeez, Scott, lighten up!"  His friend Jennifer stood eyeing him
skeptically.  She was standing next to him, wrapped in a trendy skiing
outfit, hood pulled back to allow her curly auburn hair to blow in the
stiff, mountain breeze, and her dark goggles pushed back on her head.

"But they've never even been on skis before," Scott protested.  "They had
one lesson at the beginners' class and here we are on top of this
mountain."

"They seem to be doing just fine to me," his friend observed.  In fact,
looking down the steep slope, it was evident that the three were doing much
better than 'just fine.'  One would never guess they were novices at the
sport.  Scott was amazed at how his other-worldly friends managed to pick
up such complex feats.  But then, every day he was amazed by some such
remarkable event or action.  He had only known his lover and his friends
for four months and the novelty of their unusual history continued to
astound him.

Scott Quartermain was an average sort of person.  His five foot ten inch
body was crowned by a handsome face with steel grey eyes, a generous smile
and topped off by thick brown hair.  A short few months ago he had fallen
in love with a beautiful, six foot tall man with perfect skin, classical
features and long, curly white blond hair.  He soon discovered that his
gorgeous lover wasn't quite human.  He was, in fact, the king of Tuatha, or
as humans have called it for ages, the land of Faerie.  Scott found true
irony in the fact that he as a gay man had fallen for a "real" fairy.  They
were married or "bound" together spiritually in a Tuathan ritual of joining
just a few weeks back, and Scott had lived as Robin's mate and consort ever
since.

Jennifer, Scott's best friend from the human world had also fallen in love
with an inhabitant of this alternate existence.  Caseldra, the five foot
tall, dark haired daughter of the Tuathan court wizard, turned out to be a
lesbian, and had awakened passions in Scott's friend that Jennifer had
never known existed.  The fairy world was reeling from these astounding
inter-species, homosexual love affairs when Alex, Scott's old flame from
the past began keeping company with Akuta, one of the palace guards.

Their trip to the Colorado Rockies served a two-fold purpose.  It provided
an excellent honeymoon for the lovers as well as taking them all away from
the palace in Tuatha so the fair folk (as they called themselves) could
have time to adjust to this new lifestyle which was so quickly thrust upon
them.  For hundreds of years there had been no contact between the world of
humans and Faerie.  Now there were humans living in the Palace of Esbereth,
and not just humans, but reversals at that.  This was the Tuathan term for
gays, because of the attraction to the reverse gender of what was usually
typical.  Reversals were extremely rare in the magic realm of the fair
folk, and now three members of the high court, including the king himself,
turned out to belong to this scarce group.  Fortunately, prejudice and
homophobia were equally rare qualities in Scott's newly adopted land, since
the Tuathan religion celebrated each person for his or her individuality,
thus eliminating most stereotypes.

"Come on," Jennifer said as she pulled her goggles down to cover her blue
eyes.  "They'll be at the lodge and you'll still be grousing up here on the
mountain."  With that she planted her poles in the snow and pushed off down
the slope.

"I just think people who have never tried something like skiing ought to be
a little more careful," Scott grumbled as he pulled his own goggles down in
place and pushed off to follow his friends.

At the bottom of the mountain Scott had to argue forcefully to keep Robin,
his lover, and Rood, Robin's personal guard and friend from heading back to
the lift again.  They had already been on all the slopes since sun up that
morning and Scott was exhausted.  "Don't you ever get tired?" he asked
Robin.

"Of course," came the quick reply.  "But my love, this is so exciting!  I
have never experienced such a marvelous way to travel!  Let us go again,"
the tall, blond fairy pleaded.

"If you two want to make another run, fine," Scott finally agreed as he
looked at Robin and Rood, the breeze ruffling their long blond hair.  The
two tall men could have been brothers.  They both had the same fair
complexion and long, blond hair, and the same tall, thin physique.  They
also had the same characteristically pointed ears, which were thankfully
covered by their long hair, hiding the obvious alienness from normal
humans.  Robin's intense, green eyes were the one striking difference from
Rood's bright blue.  "I'm going to have some lunch with the girls," Scott
said.  Caseldra and Jennifer were heading into the lodge already.

"Let us go, my lord," Rood said as he tugged at Robin's sleeve like a small
child dragging his mom to a toy store.

"Just be careful.  Don't fall off the mountain," Scott said.  He realized
that they were big boys and did not need him to take care of them.  But at
times his elfish friends seemed so ill-prepared to cope with the world of
humans.

"Enjoy your lunch, my love," Robin said and leaned down to kiss Scott on
the lips.  He then hurried off after Rood as they made their way toward the
lift.  Scott watched them go, oblivious to the number of stares or looks of
surprise, shock and possibly even some disgust from several passers by who
had witnessed the kiss.  He blushed in embarrassment and hurried toward the
warmth of the lodge.

"Every muscle in my body aches," Scott said as he finally joined the girls
in the coffee shop.  "How come they aren't affected?  I don't think Robin
is in any better shape than I am."

"Perhaps our muscles are different, my lord," Caseldra suggested.

"Who knows?" Jennifer responded with a shrug.  "Oh, here.  The desk clerk
gave me this earlier.  It's for you."  She handed him a folded piece of
paper.

"It must be from Alex," Scott said as he opened it.  "He's the only one who
knows where we are."

"What's the matter?" Jennifer asked.

Scott had scanned the paper, then reread it more slowly.  His eyes mirrored
his concern.  "I'm not sure," he answered and handed the note to his
friend.

Caseldra looked over Jennifer's shoulder at the odd markings on the scrap
of paper in her lover's hand.  "What do these runes say?" she asked.

"Tried to call but you were out.  Having problems.  Call soon 213-555-7850.
Alex," she read.

"What signifies these numbers?" Caseldra asked.

"I'll be back in a bit," Scott said, getting up from the table and taking
the note with him.  He headed out of the coffee shop and across the lobby
toward the big curved stairs.

"It's a phone number," Jennifer explained absent-mindedly as she watched
her friend leave.

* * *

The phone rang six times before it was answered.  And then someone picked
it up, but didn't say anything.  "Hello, Alex?" Scott said into the
receiver.

For a moment only silence answered him.  Then a familiar voice said, "No,
Alex is not present."

"Akuta, is that you?  It's Scott."

"Scott?" the voice responded.  "I am pleased to hear your voice in this
device."  It was obvious that the palace guard was not used to talking on
the telephone.

Akuta was one of the high born fairies, like Robin and Rood.  He was
slightly taller than Robin with yellow blond hair and a slightly darker
complexion than his king.  He had been keeping company with Alex Madison,
Scott's friend and had traveled with Alex to Los Angeles.  They were all
planning to vacation together, but Alex insisted that he had some business
to conclude first.  He had tried for a career in film, and apparently had
to settle some things with his agent.  Scott had some misgivings about
Akuta, a member of the palace guard and a stranger to this world, traveling
to Hollywood with Alex.  But as Robin pointed out, they were not children
and Scott was not their mother.  "You don't understand the trouble Akuta
could get into in our world," Scott argued with his lover.

"I understand all too well," Robin countered.  "Forget you that I have
lived in your world before?  I was exiled here for many years.  I well know
the confusion of difference, and the fear of the unlike your people would
have were they to know of our true nature.  But Akuta is an intelligent and
responsible individual, perhaps more so than friend Alex.  He will manage."
Scott had to agree.  Alex could be thoughtless, and a bit scatter brained
at times, but Akuta seemed to have a stabilizing effect on him.

"So how are you and where's Alex?" Scott asked into the phone.

"I know not," the fairy replied.  "Alex has departed."

"Departed?  Where did he go?"

"He said he had to meet with an agent and then left.  I have not heard from
him since.  My lord, I worry for him.  He was so different before he left."
Scott could hear a slight catch in the voice, as if Akuta was close to
tears.  He couldn't imagine the calm, serene guard ever being that upset.

"Robin and I will catch the next plane," Scott assured him.  "Are you still
at the Sheraton?"

"Sheraton?"

"The hotel " Scott tried to think in Tuathan terms.  "The guest lodging
with many rooms and several floors?"

"No.  Alex asked a friend if we could stay in his dwelling while he was
absent."  Akuta was lost in a strange city in this unfamiliar world.

"You stay put.  We'll have the phone company trace the number," Scott said
reassuringly.  "We'll be there as soon as possible.  Don't worry.  And if
Alex shows up keep him there."  Scott hung up, then called the airport, the
desk and a taxi.

A few minutes later, the door opened and Robin entered.  "What troubles
you, love?" he asked in concern.

"How did you know something was wrong?" Scott asked as he continued to
pack, stuffing their clothing hastily into their bags.

"Forget you we are bound?  I felt your anguish.  What is this?"

* * *

The next morning a cab pulled up in front of a beach house in Malibu.
Scott, Robin and Rood got out, Robin and Rood grabbing the bags while Scott
paid the driver.  They had managed to catch a late commuter flight to
Denver and after a lay over, caught a red eye into L.A.  Some fancy arguing
and a few well chosen lies to the phone company managed to get the address
that corresponded to the number on Alex's note.  The three men walked up
the curved sidewalk to the door of the A-frame structure and Scott pushed
the bell.  They could hear it ring, but there was no response from inside.
After waiting a few minutes, Scott knocked loudly on the carved wooden door
and again they waited.  Finally, Robin reached for the knob and tried the
door.  It was locked.  He made a quick gesture with his hands and tried the
knob again, this time easily opening the door.

"This could be considered breaking and entering," Scott said.  Robin and
Rood both looked blankly back at him.  "It's against the law."

"Shall we stop?" Robin asked.

"No.  I just wanted to clarify what we were doing," Scott explained.  The
three entered the house.

The living room was furnished in ultra-modern with a cathedral ceiling and
an open loft at the far end that served as a bedroom.  A small kitchen and
dining area were located under the loft area with no walls separating them
from the living room.  The backside of the A-frame structure was covered
with huge glass windows giving a spacious and open view of the beach and
ocean beyond.  The house contained no sign of their missing friends.

"Akuta, Alex," Scott called as they dropped their bags by the door.  But
there was no reply.  Scott went to the phone and checked the number.  "This
is where I called.  Akuta was here yesterday afternoon," he told his
friends.  Robin and Rood began to look around, searching the house.

In a few minutes Rood called to them.  "I think I have found him," he said.
He was standing at the windows looking toward the ocean.  Scott and Robin
joined him to see a tall thin figure sitting on a boulder on the beach
below.  The solitary person was wearing a swimsuit and had shoulder length,
blond hair blowing in the ocean breeze.  He appeared to be meditating as he
sat staring out at the water.  The three men opened the sliding glass door
and crossed the redwood deck to the long wooden stairs leading down.  They
were soon approaching their friend.

"My lord, we are here for you," Robin said softly in their native language.
Akuta turned to look at his friends and Scott was shocked to see the change
in his face.  The young guard had always appeared to be the robust picture
of health and happiness.  Now his bright, aquamarine eyes seemed to be
sunken into his face with deep blue smudges circling beneath the eye
sockets.  His gaunt appearance and sallow complexion added to the unhealthy
look.

"Thank you for coming," Akuta said as he lightly jumped down from the rock.
"May we go home now?"

"Let us go break your fast and discuss this," Rood suggested as he draped a
consoling arm around his friend.

"I want not food.  I wish only to return to the land," Akuta said in a
resigned voice.  The four of them slowly crossed the sand and headed up the
stairs to the beach house.

Once inside Robin went to the kitchen in search for and prepared some food
while Rood and Scott sat on the couch in the living room and talked with
their friend.  Rood forced Akuta to drink a tall glass of water to steady
his nerves, then asked him what had happened.  It seemed that once they
were back in Hollywood, Alex had changed personalities and became a selfish
and cold uncaring individual.  Akuta, hot having much experience with
humans was totally at a loss as to how to react.  The tall fairy had really
fallen in love with the handsome, red headed man, and could not understand
the switch.

"Akuta, a long time ago before I met Robin, Alex and I had a relationship,"
Scott explained.

"Yes.  I know you have been friends for many seasons," the fairy responded.

""No, I mean we were lovers."

All three Tuathans froze and looked sharply at Scott.  "How is this
possible?" Rood questioned.

"Well," Scott stumbled, blushing fiercely.  "We just sort of fell for each
other.  But after a while I realized that the only person Alex really loved
was Alex."

"He did not love you?" Akuta asked.

"Not the way I wanted him to."

"And you did not love him," Rood said.

"At the time I thought I did.  But then I realized we weren't right for
each other," Scott explained.  "What I'm trying to say is, I understand how
you feel.  Maybe he isn't the right one for you."

"Love, you know not of what you speak," Robin said.  "Come and eat."  He
was setting plates of fresh fruit on the table that he had found in the
refrigerator.

"This is the deep love; I know it!" Akuta exclaimed.  "I cannot believe he
felt it not."  They all sat at the dining table and picked at the food
Robin had prepared in silence.

After the meal, Rood stripped his clothes off and donned a pair of shorts
that Alex had purchased for Akuta, and he and his despondent friend left
for a walk along the beach.  When they were gone, Robin tried to explain
the situation to Scott.  "When one of us gives his heart, it is forever.  I
thought you understood that.  You humans fall into and out of love so
easily, as witnessed by your story.  But we are different.  Akuta has
already committed himself to Alex, as surely as if they were bound.  He is
in great pain and will not recover.  This is one of the reasons why our
worlds were separated so long ago."

"I can't leave him like this," Scott said as he watched the two men on the
beach below.  "It's my fault they met in the first place.  I've got to do
something."

"But what?"

Scott climbed the spiral stairs to the bedroom loft and began looking
through the things that Alex had brought with him.  He finally hit pay dirt
when he found a small address book in the bottom of one of the bags.
Slowly looking through it he found a number listed under Morritz Agency.
Picking up the phone, Scott punched the number.

"Morritz Talent," a bored sounding female voice answered.

"Do you have a client named Alex Madison?" Scott asked.

"Are you calling in reference to an audition or an offer?" she asked.

"An offer," he said, thinking quickly.

"One moment," she replied and suddenly the phone became a radio playing
mellow-rock.  In about thirty seconds a man, identifying himself as Alex's
agent answered.

"I wanted to contact Mr. Madison," Scott said.

"Is this with an offer?" the man asked.

"Yes."

"Stage or film?"

"Film," Scott lied.

"Mr. Madison is working on a film right now, but if you'll send me your
outline, a contract and a list of the other guys you've got lined up I'll
see he signs it."

"I really want to talk with him first.  Can you tell me how to reach him?"
The agent gave Scott the phone number of the beach house, the same phone he
was currently using.  "I tried that number.  Do you know where his film is
currently shooting?" Scott persisted.

"We don't normally give that information out, but I guess you would get to
see him in action with a few of my other clients," the man agreed.  Scott
finally had to promise to arrange a personal meeting for the following
week.  But he eventually got an address.  It was another house not far away
right there in Malibu.

"I know where Alex is," Scott said as he came down the stairs.

"What is this?" Robin asked as he held out a video cassette box.

"Just a tape.  Why?" Scott asked.

"It holds the image of Alex."

The box showed Akuta's missing lover dressed in a very short loin cloth and
held the title "Lust on Safari."  It was rated XXX.  "I don't believe
this," Scott said in astonishment.

"I found it on that shelf," Robin said, pointing to a row of similar tapes
over the television set.

Scott looked at the boxes.  "This is all porn," he said.

"What is porn?" Robin questioned.  Scott gave him a curious look, then
snapped on the TV.  The picture brightened into a detergent commercial.  "I
have seen this before," Robin said as he sat on the couch opposite the set.
"It is called television."

"But this tape is called pornography," Scott said and shoved "Lust on
Safari" into the VCR.  He hit the fast forward button and let some of the
tape wind, then pushed play.  The detergent commercial was quickly replaced
by a close up of an erect penis.  As they watched, another man lowered
himself down onto it and began gyrating.

Robin's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open in shock.  "This is this is
"

"This is pornography."

"We should not watch this!  We intrude on their privacy!" Robin said, his
eyes remained glued to the screen.

"No," Scott corrected him.  "These men perform in front of a camera so
others can watch them."

"Their act of love is so public?"

"It's not love," Scott explained.  "They get paid just to have sex on
film."

"I understand it not," the fairy said as he shook his head.  He suddenly
sat up on the couch.  "It is Alex!"  The camera had panned up to the face
of the man who was gyrating above his partner.  It was unmistakably Alex.

"So this is what his film career was," Scott said in astonishment.

"How can he do this to Akuta?" Robin asked.  "It is a betrayal."

"Where is he that you have these pictures of him?" an angry voice demanded.
Scott and Robin both turned to see their two friends standing behind them.
Akuta and Rood had evidently just entered in time to catch the show.  Scott
had never seen Akuta quite so angry.  His turquoise eyes seemed to flash
fire and his normally golden skin had taken on a faint bluish tint.

"Call for a driver," Robin told Scott.  "We are going to speak with Alex."

"I don't think that's a good idea at the moment," Scott replied.

"Call now," Robin commanded.  Scott picked up the phone.