Title:
Velvet
Author:
Xavier Axelson
Genre:
Erotica, Historical, Gay Romance,
Publisher:
Seventh Window Publications
Ebook
Words:
50,471
Purchase:
Book
Description:
The
first novel from Xavier Axelson is set against a backdrop of
decadence, privilege and intrigue. Virago, the royal tailor, makes a
discovery that will test the bonds of brotherhood, unravel the
forbidden secrets of his heart and threaten the very fabric of his
existence.
In
a land where cruelty is disguised as allegiance, loyalty is masked by
obligation and the laws of sumptuary govern the people, nothing is
more dangerous than Velvet.
Excerpt:
I’d
been staring at the vast body of water surrounding the ship when I
was startled to find a woman, heavy with child standing by my side.
She wore a red gown that gathered beneath her ample breasts. The gown
fell freely, billowing against her in the brisk sea air. Her red hair
hung in two braids threaded with crimson leather. Upon turning her
head, small red jewels, woven throughout her hair, caught the light.
“The
sea is dark as the grave, and as good at keeping secrets.”
“Who
are you?” I asked. Since I’d boarded the ship the day before, I’d
conversed only with Seton and my brother, Sylvain. I’d yet to earn
my sea legs and everything seemed strange.
“I
am Adis, wife of Doremme, the man whose ship you stand upon.” She
came closer. “Secrets are only as powerful as those who carry them
and the sea is a perfect place to bury what haunts you.”
“You
talk as though you know me, and as I am a stranger on this ship, I
know this cannot be.” I was about to bow and take my leave when she
laughed.
“Fear
is not your way, tailor. You were the royal tailor of the king whose
land we left, were you not?”
Were
the royal tailor… Her words struck at my heart. I felt this truth
so keenly that I gripped the ship railings to steady myself.
“I
fear only those who know more of me than I wish, and while I am
indebted to your husband for granting us passage, I am in no mood for
games.”
Though
her laughter died, a smile lingered on her lips. “I mean you no
harm, but you seem to have caught the interest of my child.”
I
looked at her swollen belly. “Your child?”
“This
is my third and final.” Her hands caressed her stomach. “She will
be a visionary, and in her birth, I will know death. Not unlike your
mother. She bore your brother, who I am told is also a visionary. And
blind. How fortunate. Those who are physically afflicted see further
than those who aren’t. Nature seldom curses without blessing at the
same time.”
This
time I laughed. “Perhaps you should ask my brother if he thinks
himself fortunate. Or better, summon my father from the grave. Ask if
he wished his wife lived and his son had sight!”
After
this outburst, we grew silent, but the woman did not leave my side.
I
closed my eyes and swallowing hard, felt the pull of the stiff fabric
scrap tied around my throat. The raucous shrieks of hungry gulls
overhead made me look up into the sky. I watched as the birds swooped
and mercilessly chased each other. I envied their flight, but cringed
beneath their cries. Behind my eyes, I saw white peacocks, heard
their shrieks, and felt the crawl of disease. I shuddered, shook my
head of further memory, and let my eyes fall upon the distant
horizon. Would I never know peace? Or would memories chase me like
the gulls chase one another, endlessly hungry and insistent?
When
Adis eventually spoke, these questions and memories faded
away.
“True, your father suffered, but his gifts as a tailor
delivered him from the grief of losing his wife and gave him the
strength to care for a blind son.”
The
truth in her words, stirred long buried pain. While Sylvain’s
blind, tumultuous, and bloody welcoming into the world killed our
mother, it also strengthened my father’s resolve to care for us at
any cost.
I
know not what would have become of us without King Killian’s demand
for my meager abilities as a tailor. We would have been lost, we owe
our king a great debt and service.
My
father told this to me one day when I found him bleary eyed and
exhausted at his work. I could remember the way his hands trembled,
the nerves in his fingers twitching involuntarily as he struggled
with buttonholes on a vest meant for Killian’s nephew.
When
his voice vanished, a bitter sadness rose in me as the sea’s waves
crashed against the ship.
“Say
no more to me. If you were not mistress of this vessel I would think
unkindly of you!”
Before
she could reply, music, soft and familiar reached us. I knew the
player of the tune, knew it because my heart leapt at its playing as
it did the first time I’d heard it.
“Someone
has leant Seton a lyre. How beautifully he plays, and how lucky his
hands are healing. He is a man of passion and strength. It is no
wonder you found love with him, as he with you.” Adis placed a hand
on my wrist. “I am no witch or visionary. My daughter beckons from
my womb. I am but a vessel as is this ship. She is my most precious
cargo, and anxious to know life. You must forgive me if I have
angered you. Her voice comes from my lips, so I am often unaware of
what I say.”
The
music rose, fell away only to start again, and as it did, I examined
the woman, and seeing her kind face, put a tired hand over hers.
“There is nothing to forgive. I am the one speaking from another
place.”
“Your
voice comes from the shores we have left behind. It would be wise to
find a new sound to carry with you.”
Beyond
her I saw my brother sitting cross-legged, his fox playing in his
lap. He seemed peaceful. “I keep staring into the sea hoping it
will take the past from me, but it seems I may never know peace.”
“In
time, you shall. Nothing is forever, except the sea.” Adis cast her
eyes from my face to the expanse of water surrounding us. “She is
our eternal mother and will listen to you forever.”
Behind
Adis’s rather mystical analogy, I had a sobering thought. “There
is so much uncertainty in the world. I wonder if I have done right.
Perhaps I could have done better.”
“You
left a land soon to be riddled with illness. This alone made it the
wisest decision for you all.”
Her
knowing so much of my life discomforted me. “Must everything be
told in portents and omens? What of reality? What of truth?”
“Ahh
truth. It is a funny thing and varied as the sunlight on the waves. I
am a merchant’s wife and have seen much in this world. Men who love
men, women who love women, even a man who loved a woman he believed
to have been transformed into a goat by the tree witches in the
north! The world is wide and there are many lands with many kinds of
people. You will see soon enough.”
“I
have not heard talk of the tree witches since I played at my mother’s
feet. Surely they no longer exist!” I replied, incredulously.
“I
cannot say. Who can say if they exist or ever really did?” Adis
said.
I
sighed resignedly. “I have lived a small life in the court of a
small king, and I carry the wounds of that life as sure as I carry
the clothes on my back.”
“It
is not for me to say what you carry with you, but I can give you a
piece of advice not from my daughter, but from my own lips: Stop
trying to escape what haunts you, instead think long and hard about
it. Every detail, every nightmare, dream and transgression. Leave
nothing out. Do this until you have expelled the poison, and when
there is no more, you will find yourself exactly where you are
supposed to be.”
With
these words, Adis left me. I stood alone, listening to the sea, the
sound of Seton’s music, the distant cries of the squabbling gulls,
and my eyes focused on the unknown horizon.
What
led me to find myself on the water, destination unknown? The life I
knew was gone, broken, and mercurial as the swirling foam frothing in
the ships crushing wake.
I
would tell myself the story, if only to steal a glimpse at the
unknown ending.
How
would my tale end? Beginnings are for children; fairy stories begin
with “Once upon a time.”
Once upon a time there was a tailor.
He knew string, scissor, and pin. He did not know his heart.
My
breath caught.
Oh, my heart. Once upon a time, there was a heart
and it was not free…
I was a tailor.
Once…
No, it cannot
begin this way.
My heart knew dangerous things, but now it was
free and in it’s new freedom I allowed it to teach me the way my
story should begin and knew by wild instinct, if I followed it, I
would know the ending, a true, and dare I hope, happy ending.
With
no one to listen but the dark sea and the wheeling, crying gulls, I
closed my eyes and let my thoughts move with the undulating water,
its gentle rocking seeming to urge the release of my torment.
The
castle, dark and glorious, loomed up in my memory…
About
the Author:
Xavier
Axelson is a writer and columnist living in Los Angeles.
Review: Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for a review.
An enjoyable and emotional m-m read set in an intriguing setting.
I am used to historical settings either in historical fiction or a fantasy setting. I don't believe I have read a unique historical setting that wasn't in the two aforementioned genres. It was an interesting setting although I felt that I was lost at times and couldn't always get a good grasp on the world. The use of velvet as the catalyst for the book was fascinating. One could truthfully say that is it just a fabric, but it becomes so much more when emotions, especially greed and desire, are attached it.
I loved all the characters, especially Virago. He dealt surprisingly well with his desires and the taboo of gay sex in his country and culture. I did feel the relationship between Seton and Virago moved a too fast although it was a sweet and caring relationship. Even though what happened to Virago was terrible, I was glad that it happened because it made him realize that he had to leave so he could find happiness. The way the book ended leaves the stage open for a sequel. I would gladly read a sequel since I love to read more about the characters and learn more about the world.
Rating:
Recommendation: I would recommend this book to those that enjoy m-m romance.
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Author Kailin Gow
