Brent Lambert (he/him) is a Black, queer man who heavily believes in the transformative power of speculative fiction across media formats. As a founding member of FIYAH Literary Magazine, he turned that belief into action and became part of a Hugo Award winning team. He resides in San Diego. A Necessary Chaos from Neon Hemlock is his first novella.
In a world of magical empires and the anarchists that would tear them down, A Necessary Chaos follows two mages, Althus and Vade, each assigned to spy on the other by opposing sides. But when they both catch feelings, what happens when they're commanded to kill their target? They must each decide if they'll follow orders or find a way to make their romance thrive beyond the lies.
It's spy versus spy against a background of political struggle and intrigue, star-crossed gay romance and lots of action in this fast-paced urban fantasy. – Catherine Lundoff
"A Necessary Chaos is a modern epic of enemies-pretending-to-be-lovers with horrifically awesome magic and immaculate vibes. This Is How You Lose The Time War meets Rage Against the Machine."
– Kate Elliott, author of Unconquerable Sun and The Servant Mage"A Necessary Chaos is the gay 'spy versus spy' story that I've been waiting for. Short and sharp, this is a powerful jab of a novella: it'll leave you dazed and dizzy and a little bit in love."
– C.L. Clark, author of The Unbroken and The Faithless"Horny and heartbreaking, exhilarating and emotional, A Necessary Chaos is jam-packed with brilliant worldbuilding and stunning character work—heralding the arrival of a major new talent on the SF/F/H scene."
– Sam J. Miller, author of Blackfish City and Boys, Beasts and Men"Proudly anti-imperialist and unapologetically queer, A Necessary Chaos is a sensual action-packed fantasy that doesn't shy away from feelings. Amor vincit omnia—even empires."
– Francesca Tacchi, author of Let the Mountains Be My GravePrecise judgment was a prerequisite for Vade's work and he could say without a doubt that nobody had an ass like Althus. Vade watched his assignment, his lover, his…something he didn't have the courage to name yet, walk towards the pristine ocean completely naked. Their bodies were the most honest thing between them. And Althus's was a masterpiece to behold. Wide shoulders, smooth light brown skin, and ample cheeks Vade never got enough of cupping his hands around.
Coming to Lapis Beach had been Althus's idea. Vade had to laugh at all the ways Althus tried to disarm him over the course of their sporadic but long-lived, staged romance. They linked up four or five times a year at vacation spots in sensual, eclectic locations. This was meet-up number…twenty? Twenty-two? Keeping track of anything was hard when he watched Althus. There were people you fucked and people who fucked you. Althus fell firmly in the latter.
Desiree, his commander, would kill him for the thought. Althus was a target. A rebel to be observed, mined for information, and eliminated one day for the greater security of the world. It was cold analysis and should have been easy after fifteen years of being a Whisper. Finding the quietest way to kill someone, discovering the slightest stroke to end a so-called social movement and the smallest push to topple uncooperative nations had been his sworn duty. Was still his sworn duty, but Althus left him confused. The man's smile and his grip, sowed doubts.
Vade walked to the water, wrapped his arms around Althus's chest, and pressed his body against his lover's muscular curves. This wasn't confusion. This felt right. Them alone and the world too far away for him to give a damn about any of its expectations. Vade knew he should have told his superiors he was compromised years ago, but he refused to give up these moments.
Guilt poked at him, torn between duty and…he wouldn't name it.
"How'd you know I wasn't some deranged killer sneaking up on you?" Vade asked playfully. The beach horizon marched towards eventide, giving them a sun caught between orange and purple.
"No one comes to a place this beautiful to start shit," Althus laughed, leaning his head gently back against Vade's shoulder. "And besides, I know your footsteps. I know your breathing. I know your heartbeat."
"Ha! What heart? I am strictly a man of business." Vade traced his fingers along Althus's bicep, wondering if he touched the dragon tattoo magic kept hidden. The tattoo marking Althus as part of the Phantom Dragon, sanctimonious rebels entirely sure that the chaos they sowed would bring about a better world.
"Please! You melt every time a kid smiles at you."
Althus wasn't wrong. Vade felt momentarily exposed, but knew how to flip it back. "Your smile does that too. Every. Single. Time."
"Don't get used to it. I don't like you that much."
The way they held each other conveyed the exact opposite.
Vade squeezed tighter. "I'm glad you decided on this place. I thought Iluma was beautiful, but holy shit this water is damn near translucent."
"We should stay the night and watch the glow eels dancing in the waves."
Vade kept his composure but he saw the dig for what it was. The glow eels circling around the Corrin Islands were a byproduct of magical experimentation conducted by the Compact thirty years ago. Maybe most people would see them as unexpected beauty arising from the need for progress, but not Althus. And as much as they talked around their feelings, they talked around their politics too. Vade held no illusions. He knew Althus was spying on him too. Their cross purposes had always been clear to one another.
Vade took his own jab. "The glow eels are a real marvel. There's too many people who don't appreciate them."
Though regrettable, the military experiments conducted were critical towards ending the twelve-year long civil war in the Xiogo Coast. Maintaining the delicate balance in the world required strength.
Vade could admit it wasn't a perfect arrangement. But the world wasn't made for perfect. The best you could hope for was something lasting, and even that was a gamble. Althus and the Phantom Dragons would tear the serenity of the world apart to sate their over bloated, unrealistic sense of justice. He admired their conviction and their willingness to stand against forces so much larger than themselves, but the path of destruction those beliefs paved infuriated him.
"I've heard the locals learned to make a pretty interesting meal out of them," Althus said. "We could order it at dinner tonight."
It was a concession. Vade traced a finger down Althus's abs and smiled when the other man shivered a bit. It felt good knowing his touch could still evoke that response.
"I can think of a few other meals I'd rather try first." Vade nibbled a bit on Althus's ear. "Unless business is going to have you tied up tomorrow?"
This was their lie. They told each other they were international businessmen. Not assassin and rebel. Not enemies.
"Business is one of those things I can always re-arrange. What'd you have in mind?"
Before Vade could give a proper answer, a group of Corrin Island locals swept over a sand dune. They danced to the rhythm of drums and sparkling, golden maracas, just as naked as they were. Their arrival put a heart-crushingly large grin on Althus's face. He gave Vade a brief wink and joined their dancing. That was how it was on the Corrin Islands: happiness overflowed with soul-soothing music, fish seared to perfection, and perfect nights on the beach. Vade watched Althus take an elderly woman into his arms—she taught Althus a few steps and soon he was bouncing off his heels like they were.
Vade simply observed, making sure none were using their instruments to conceal weapons. The Corrin Islands might be joyous, but they still had their rebel elements. Yesterday, Vade had inspected an underground site not too far from this very beach where the Amos-Morbine Compact carried out interrogations of high level targets. Vade had wondered more than once since arriving if Althus was aware of it.
That was the constant ebb and flow between them. Vade trying to figure out Althus's true motives in their every interaction and Althus doing the same. At least, he assumed that to be the case. What other reason could a rebel have to not just kill him outright? There was so much else Vade knew about Althus, but it would all be deemed superficial and unimportant by his superiors.
Vade knew Althus was allergic to cats and could barely breathe around them. He knew Althus laughed at his own jokes so vigorously he pulled everyone into laughter with him. And he knew Althus loved to dance. The first time Vade let his guard down around Althus—in a sweaty, backwater club tucked into the isolated, white shrubbery-covered mountains of Guerrado, where the drinks were strong and the people came to party without pretension—Vade remembered thinking Althus moved his hips like the rhythm was made just for him. Vade almost forgot he was a Whisper that night, dancing up against him. It was then he knew he wasn't going to shake Althus loose.
Watching Althus move with abandon on a nude beach was a hell of a turn on. He enjoyed this snippet of unfiltered, unmasked happiness. Who knew what life might be if they could have this moment forever, but like water crashing against sandcastles on the beach, nothing happy between them would ever last.
Eventually, the locals tired of Althus's boundless energy and moved on. "I think you exhausted them," Vade teased when Althus came back.
Althus put his hands on his knees and laughed. "They had at least ten more rounds in them. It's just late is all."
"Late, huh?" Vade looked him square in the eye and bit his bottom lip. "Probably not as many people here."
"Say less." Althus slid into his arms, grabbing the back of Vade's neck to bring warm mouths together.
This was how it was with them. Electric. Unquenchable.
Vade gripped Althus's hips and pulled him closer as they made out. His body was warm and flecked with sand. Tracing Althus's body felt like caressing a piece of art. Vade knew exactly where to touch him. A press against his lower back made Althus arch and like the steps of a memorized dance, Vade ran his tongue against his lover's neck.
Their love-making was no longer furious, lustful grabs. They had spent enough time exploring each other to treat it like a long road trip, finding beauty in each stop along the way. In the beginning, Vade hated himself for wanting Althus so bad, for letting him distract from his mission. But now, all he ever looked forward to were these moments where they came together like a cosmic alignment.
The friction, sand against skin, turned him on even more. There always came a point in their love-making when his body demanded more. Vade reached under Althus's thighs and hoisted him up to his waist.
Althus laughed, feeling Vade's stiffness against him. "You think you'll be able to keep me up the whole time?"
"I've bounced you off worse places." Althus had been joking, but the exchange filled Vade with a sudden need. They both moaned as Vade entered him, right there on the beach. Vade didn't care. The thought of being caught made his strokes faster, until the sound of hips slapping against ass became louder than the surf. Althus groaned against his chest and dug his fingers harder into Vade's shoulders. Anyone stupid enough to try and arrest them would regret it. Vade was the invisible scalpel of a gigantic empire, and this moment was his work (he kept hoping if he said it enough times he'd believe it was only that).
As he came, Vade heard another voice, masculine and insidious, roaring within his mind: Take him. Consume him. Make him yours.
For as long as he'd known Althus, since the first time they came together, he'd heard this voice in his mind. Maybe he should be more frightened, but he didn't know how to explain it and the words left Vade feeling charged. He wanted to make Althus his. And if he reported the voice to his superiors, they would pull him off this mission. He'd get thrown into a lab for them to poke and prod. Vade had made too much progress for that be his end.
"That was fun," Althus said after, laughing while fighting for breath. "Walking back to the hotel might be a little rough though."
Vade, emboldened by the voice, leaned in for another possessive kiss and gripped Althus's hard-on. "Taking care of this will buy us some time. I could keep kissing you."
Althus would have no idea that Vade's last words—"I could keep kissing you"— were something else in Two-Voice, the magical language practiced by Whispers like himself. Only those who could speak it could understand it. To everyone else, it sounded like innocuous phrases, normal and out of place alike. He'd just returned some of the energy Althus must have lost from the dancing. Maybe enough that he'd change his mind about—
"Naw. It's getting late. Let's just get back to the hotel." Althus rubbed Vade's ear between his fingers.
Vade swept his target up in his arms. "I'll carry you."
And he would figure out the voice. He'd make this all work somehow.