Incubus Tales: Chapter 23

Welcome to Incubus Tales: A Thousand Words by Hushicho. In Noctemberg, it is always night. Dhiar, proprietor and gay incubus, welcomes you to Phantasies, a very special shop. Sensuality is more than just Dhiar’s stock in trade, it is his raison d’être. NSFW.

A new chapter appears every Thursdays. This week is Chapter Twenty-Three.

23rd Night—Time of the Season

The sun shining down on them was as different as could be from Noctemburg’s perpetual night. At first it hurt Dhiar’s eyes a little bit, to be so bright. But even it was not as oppressively bright as it could have been.

There, in the subterranean grandeur of Dis, the Great City of the Abyss… there, the place which Dhiar had known for so much of his youth, which all of his kind know and had known… the trees grew taller than buildings, the streets cobbled and the buildings a mixture of the most beautiful of designs.

In this place, Siros felt completely awed. It was a bit like Dhiar felt around Siros, like this other person, this splendid other person in his life, had such power and knowledge, such a natural awareness of things that he himself could not. In this place, he could stretch his wings. He could fly, and fly into a sky; despite being underground, the Abyss actually had a sky, celestial bodies, and other things that seemed like luxuries by comparison to Noctemburg.

In autumn, of course, the vast trees rained down leaves of all colours on the city. It looked like a city afire, as the leaves twirled and floated down, like a kind of snow. Siros could imagine that in spring, the blossoms of some of the trees probably made a closer resemblance, with white and sugar pink.

“Isn’t it marvellous?” Dhiar called over his shoulder. “I thought, enough with rolling it over in my mind! I should go back, even if only for a little while. And you had wanted to go, so…”

“Oh yes,” Siros replied. “It’s amazing.” He hurried to catch up to the Incubus, flapping his wings and gliding along the broad street. “Were you born here?”

Dhiar pursed his lips thoughtfully, before making his answer. “Not exactly,” came the unhelpful reply. “Oh! The Cathédrale du Thé!”

Frenetically the Incubus pointed down a side street. “Hurry! Let’s go that way. You can make it faster… carry me?”

“The… the what?” Siros held out his arms, for Dhiar to make himself comfortable.

Dhiar climbed up, wrapping his arms about Siros’s neck and resting his head on the man’s shoulder. “The Cathédrale du Thé. It’s a cathedral, you see, and they serve tea, coffee, and things like that. It’s wonderful. Probably the most popular of such destinations in the Abyss. Come, come, just down that way and up the larger street where it opens.”

By the instructions given, the winged man hurtled into the air and over the buildings making up the block. His eyes could see it as he reached the air: a vast structure, stretching up, up, with spires and flying buttresses, and so many touches that staggered the imagination. Stained glass gleamed as the sunlight caught it, and he could only dream, for the moment, of the shapes and colours it cast within. All of these things seemed to celebrate the delight and glory of tea, in all its forms.

They set down at the front, near the steps and inclines, and made their way in the giant doorway. Doors in the Great City rarely ever closed, at least in the case of large places like this. The most public of landmarks, how could they ever? At all hours of the long day and night, there stood the Cathédrale, welcoming one and all to its aromatic insides.

Siros slowly took in a breath, setting Dhiar down but keeping his arms around the Incubus. “It’s…” He simply trailed off, leaning his head against Dhiar’s and closing his eyes for a moment, to let his sense of smell take precedence.

“Isn’t it?” Dhiar chuckled, knowing the meaning, even if the words remained unspoken. “I’m glad to take you of all people here. You really can appreciate it. And of course, I can appreciate the company.”

Reaching up, the Incubus stroked the back of Siros’s hand, and the angel opened his eyes. His smile slowly spread, and he turned to kiss Dhiar’s ear. “Mm. Let’s get some tea.”

They made their way to the counter. There must have been a hundred jars behind it, if there were one. Baked goods and sweets of all kinds were listed on the menu, and a few of them stood in the display. The people behind the counter were every bit as interesting and notable as the rest of Dis’s inhabitants, each bearing a certain unique quality that set him apart from everyone else.

The most important difference, Siros reflected, in the Great City, in the Cathédrale, and the rest of the worlds that Siros had seen, was the fact that the people here who worked in these places did so because they wanted to do so. They loved them. And the people who came recognised that and were there, likewise, because they wanted to be. It was a remarkable dynamic: so simple, and yet so perfectly reasonable.

It seemed no time at all before the two of them sat at one of the tables a little higher up, looking down on the main floor, near the largest stained glass in the place. The inside of the Cathédrale looked a kaleidoscope to his eyes, ever-thrilling and stimulating with all the colours of innocent delight.

Siros pulled his chair closer to Dhiar’s, leaning over to kiss the corner of his mouth. “Tea goes best with kisses,” he murmured to the Incubus. “I don’t know if you were aware.”

Dhiar turned to press his mouth full against the angel’s, closing his eyes and running a hand through his hair. “Mm… I’ve always said so,” he replied softly, pulling back and gazing intently into his eyes. “So… do you like the Great City?”

“I love it!” Siros laughed, sitting back in his chair and reaching out to take up his cup of vanilla chai. “I couldn’t ask for something more marvellous. It’s one of the most… it’s the perfect city for me, I have to say.”

Dhiar nodded his head, eyes twinkling as they never did in Noctemburg. “Even if it’s only for a little while, I think we can enjoy our time here. Anything is more valuable, more appreciable, when one doesn’t have it. We’ll whet our appetites here and then, well… then we’ll be happy wherever we go, for our memories.”

Siros lifted his cup in a sort of salute, as if making a toast. “Memories!” He echoed.

* * *

Can’t wait a whole week for the next chapter? Skip ahead: download the whole book from Amazon or from Circlet Press!

About the author: From an early age, Hushicho held a special passion for storytelling. Throughout his life, he has worked in numerous media and various places in the world. He is the author of the long-running Incubus Tales webcomic, upon which this serial is based.

Incubus Tales
by Hushicho

Welcome to the intriguing city of dreams, Noctemberg, where it is always night, and to Phantasies, a very special shop run by Dhiar, proprietor and gay incubus. Sensuality is more than just Dhiar's stock in trade, it is his raison d'etre. In Incubus Tales: A Thousand Words, Dhiar meets new loves, rekindles relationships, and bring his special brand of sexual healing to lovers and readers alike.
Also available in paperback!

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