Page 44 of The Gentleman’s Thief

“Indeed sir. It will be my absolute pleasure to serve him.”

“Come, Benedict”, Charles Ashe said in an all too familiar way. “Just follow my lead, answer questions when you are asked, and answer truthfully. Brother Blake really can see into your soul.” Ashe warned.

And so, with my heart pounding, we padded silently, bare feet on ice-cold floors. I followed the younger man out of the changing room and across the hall to the room Cavell and I had perused before—the reading room. There we met the other acolytes, all masked and robed, lounging in chairs, and reading newspapers. It reminded me of a theatrical Green Room full of players.

“We are ready!” Ashe said. The masked form of Lawrence Blake stood and strode to stand in front of me. I knew I was trembling inside but I hoped that my fear was not reflected in my body.

“You are here willingly, without coercion?”

“I… I am,” I stuttered. Blake watched me for a moment, then nodded and smiled with satisfaction. He passed by me and exited the room. I must have passed his first test. The other six acolytes filed out behind him and then I joined at the back of the line. I hoped Sebastian genuinely had something up his sleeve, for every cell in my body wanted me to run and not stop until I was safely hidden in the secret room behind my bedroom wall with my most personal prized collection.

The sight that met my eyes when I entered the gymnasium was not the same view I had seen through the hatch in the wall. Being inside the room that was set up for an erotic ritual was stranger than being on the outside as a voyeur. Again, candelabrums were set in each corner, sending dancing candlelight to make eerie shapes on the walls, at once disguising the utilitarian use this room saw by day. A large luxurious Persian rug was laid out, and there were purple cushions laid in a circle. A purple and gold silk covered table sat in the position it had before when I’d witnessed Leopold’s defilement. Today the silver chalice for the collection of ejaculate sat beside a coil of thin red rope. But it was when my eyes set on a sight at the back of the room that I was horror-struck and unable to move my feet to walk further inside.

Not only were all six acolytes who had indulged in the last ritual in attendance, but there was another man. Gymnastic apparatus had been put to torturous use. The naked man at the far end of the room was facing the leather pommel horse. His arms were tied to the apparatus. A black hood sat over his head. A cleaner’s broom had been tied to his ankles to keep his legs spread apart and so his pale backside was on display in the most humiliating way. Why was he being held in such a frightful position? I worried for a moment that this could be Sebastian, for the prisoner’s physique was similar. Could he have slipped up and been caught by Blake? I recoiled from the sight and made to step back, but then Benjamin Cavendish returned and took my arm, again, he had no qualms about touching me whether I consented or not. I was outraged but held my temper in check in case the prisoner was indeed my special companion. I could not be of help to him if I riled the Brothers. Cavendish led me into the room and the double doors were closed behind me.

The candelabrum burned candles that I noticed had an unusual scent that after only a few minutes of inhalation, made me feel woozy. Blake stood with his back to the imprisoned man and announced.

“Welcome, my brothers. Today, at last, we tie our new brother into our circle.”

“Bless-ed is the Seed,” The acolytes murmured.

“He is a man of great wisdom, gentle kindness, and strength of will. The gifts he shares with us all will fortify us in our mission to move forward, and not only complete our great work, but also go out into the world and bring like-minded men to our cause.”

“Here, here,” The men mumbled as if they were in the House of Commons.

“But first we must address a problem! One among us is a betrayer. One among us promised an heirloom that would move our cause forward. One among us now says he no longer possesses the sacred heirloom.”

“Shame, shame, shame”, the acolyte’s bayed sounding like sheep. From what Blake said of the prisoner, this was not Sebastian. Blake turned and walked up to the poor wretch tied to the pommel horse, his arms secured by the leather belts from several pairs of trousers, it seemed! I wondered how long the poor fellow had been in this room. The gymnasium was used by the Young Men’s Christian Association boys during the afternoon and vacant in the evening when meetings and performances were going on in the halls upstairs. I recalled that Leopold had drunkenly spoken of a brother who had ‘made promises he could not keep’. What had this wretch done? How far would Fratres Seminis go to punish one who betrayed their cause? What would they do to me when they discovered that I too had betrayed them and their precious ‘chosen one’ was gone?

“Shall I untie him so he may witness the binding? Blake asked his brothers.

“I say no. He does not deserve to witness. His failings delay our work. I don’t know about you, brothers, but I am deeply disappointed.” A man whom I did not recognize gruffly announced. His voice was cultured with a hint of Yorkshire to it.

“Agreed”, another said and then the rest of the men responded, braying in agreement.

“We shall begin the binding and deal with our problem later. Where is the Vessel?” Blake asked.

“I’m sure he’ll be along soon! Monkman has his instructions.” Brother Ashe spoke up before I was forced to comment. Blake grimaced,

“This will not do! I’ll need to have a few concise words with our wayward darling afterward. Tardiness is unacceptable!” Blake stated his hands on his hips. He stood pensively for a moment of thought and then decisively announced, “This time, we shall start without him!”

Blake beckoned us to stand on the rug. I was relieved for it felt luxurious on the soles of my icy feet.

“Kneel, brothers”, He collected the coil of thin red rope from the table and threaded his right arm through the loop. We all knelt on cushions in a circle. Blake stepped into the circles in front of me. He took a turn, cupping each man’s face and caressing them before the acolyte kissed Blake’s palm. It reminded me of a houndsman and his pack of dogs. Blake did not touch my face. He knelt in front of me and then without a word he slipped his hand through the opening in my robe and cupped my tackle. I gasped with alarm; I had never been manhandled in such a way by a stranger. I am sure all of these men were used to back-alley fondling, but I did not indulge in that sort of behaviour. With the sensation of being stroked my treacherous manhood began to pulse and fill. I was sure the other men could see how I fought and trembled against my arousal. I could not look Blake in his heterochromatic eyes and I wondered what the hell he was planning to do with my cock and balls in his hand.

“Brother, do you come to us after full consideration with love and respect?”

“I…I do,” Gods, Blake’s touch gave me confusing chills of horror and excitement at once. My bollocks felt heavy and my staff was at a full stand.

“Do you vow to keep all secrets of Fratres Seminis, love, and protect your brothers until death and resurrection?”

This was sounding alarmingly like an occult marriage ceremony! Where the devil was Sebastian? I was waiting for something to happen to stop this ritual in its tracks. Sebastian said he would be here. What if he let me down? What would I do to escape this mess I’d been pulled into? I bit my lip to prevent a roar of anger and trembled with fear and unwanted desire. I said a prayer; pleading for forgiveness for the sins I was committing and decided that my best way forward was to continue to play along.

“I do,” I replied, lying once again. My voice sounded shaky as that bony hand continued to massage my shaft. Oh, I knew it then, I was going to hell!

Then to my growing alarm, the two acolytes either side of me each took an end of the coil of rope on Blake’s arm. It had been coiled in such a way that when each end was tugged it would unravel in opposite directions. The result of this was that when the rope was pulled to its full length, there was a noose of red rope remaining on Blake’s wrist of the hand that rubbed at my shaft. He loosened the rope and threaded it onto his erection. Then to my growing alarm, he poked my stiff member through the hole to stand beside his. Then one by one the other acolytes tied a noose around their cocks and passed the remaining rope, tugging and tightening as they went on until we were all joined by this thin red rope. The two men at the ends of each strand tied them together.

“As this knot is tied, our lives are now bound. We are linked in unity, brother-to-brother. We vow to share our seed and our souls. These gifts we share willingly.”