Chapter 12
A light but steady rain had started falling an hour or so after dawn, and it continued throughout the morning—the kind of rain that seemed to trickle down through layers of clothing to chill the skin, soaking and relentless. Dae and her roommates were scheduled to work outside today, weeding and tending to the herbs and vegetables growing in orderly rows behind the monastery, but an hour or so of slogging through the mud, clothing drenched and clinging to their shivering skin, convinced them to abandon the task for a later date. They returned to their room and dried off as much as they could, all four of them giggling and joking together.
“I could use a shower to clean off,” Cass said, ruffling a towel through her unevenly cropped hair and making parts of it stand up in wild spikes. “Anyone care to join me?” She grinned at the three of them in open, slightly carnal, invitation. Kaylee quickly grabbed a change of clothes and went with her, but Tricia declined.
“I’ve had enough of water for one day,” she laughed. “I’m going to the dining hall to warm up by the fire, but you guys have fun.’
Cass turned to Dae, eyes sparkling merrily. “What about you, Dae? Wanna get soapy?”
Dae laughed at the suggestive, and very tempting, offer, but to their obvious surprise she shook her head. “Sorry. I can’t.”
Kaylee gave her disappointed look. “Are you sure? It could be…you know? Fun.”
Dae grinned, not at all surprised her friend was hoping for playtime, impressed by how far the previously so innocent girl had come. “I’m sure. I have a little something else to do first, but maybe I’ll join you later.” Kaylee looked slightly uncertain, but Dae gave her gentle nudge. “Go on, you’ll be fine. I’m sure Cass would be happy to wash your back for you…right Cass?”
The pixie grinned fully and reached out to take Kaylee’s muddy hand. “Absolutely. Come on, Kaylee, let’s go clean up.”
Kaylee glanced at the slender girl, only blushing a little at the friendly heat in her eyes, and allowed herself to be led away. Dae smiled as they headed out of the room, confident Kaylee would relax with Cass and readily be tempted to enjoy her companionship. As much as she would have enjoyed sharing the experience of her two friends getting more intimately acquainted, she set the thought aside for now in favor of other pleasures.
Dae had more wily quarry on her mind.
It hadn’t taken much to get Kaylee to confess to spying on her late-night antics with Zafirah. She described Lyric’s reaction with considerable excitement, explaining how she’d offered to give her pleasure and how obviously tempting Lyric found her offer. Dae knew Lyric was struggling to control her desires now…that the mask of disdain was slipping. Cracks were forming in her armor, deep and wide, and Dae intended to press her advantage if she could. Though Lyric rarely participated in the same chores everyone else did, Dae still had an idea of where she might go on a rainy morning such as this. She turned her feet once more toward the monastery, her stride slightly bouncy with anticipation.
Sure enough, she found Lyric in the monastery, standing by the same window she had stood by herself just last night, a clean rag in one hand, a bucket of soapy water at her feet. Lyric had apparently set herself the task of cleaning the enormous stained-glass window…though watching her for a few minutes, it was clear to Dae that her focus was wandering. She aimlessly wiped the rag over the panels of glass, gazing out the window at the trickles of rain running down the pane outside. Though she made no effort to silence her footsteps, Dae’s approach failed to attract Lyric’s attention…and she could guess what thoughts were distracting her from her work.
“Something on your mind?” she asked, breaking the quiet. “You seem lost in a daydream.”
Lyric's posture went from wearily relaxed to defensively rigid so suddenly that the snap of her stiffening spine was practically audible. She recovered from her surprise and glared coldly at Dae. “What are you doing in here? Don’t you have chores of your own to attend?”
“The chickens are fed and the goats are tended to, but it’s too wet to bother with gardening today. It’s so peaceful in here, I thought I’d come in to clear my head.” Dae ran the fingers of her right hand through her damp hair, letting her eyes wander for a moment over Lyric’s frame in open appreciation.
Lyric stiffened even more under her gaze. “Well…I’m busy, so…”
“Mmm, so I see.” Dae stepped closer, her posture inviting. “Are you remembering what you saw me doing in here last night?”
Lyric looked away guiltily for half a heartbeat before she recovered and gave a derisive snort. “Kaylee told you?”
“She hardly needed to tell me, Lyric; you weren’t as stealthy as you think. I heard the two of you the moment you slipped through those doors—the hinges squeak a little. Still, I didn’t mind you watching.” She paused, regarding the taller girl with amorous eyes. “In fact, I quite enjoyed knowing you were there. That the sight of me with Zafirah aroused you.”
Lyric snorted again and turned back to the window, starting to polish a little more enthusiastically. “I only came in to make sure you weren’t doing something stupid like trying to escape. If your father learned of your actions he could attack the Jaharri, and none of us want to give your barbarian lover cause to start a war.”
“Indeed.” Dae’s voice dropped to a lower, throatier pitch. “Yet you stayed far longer than you needed to, if all you wanted was to confirm I wasn’t trying to leave. Why else would you linger, if you did not find the sight of us pleasing?”
“You’re mistaken.”
“Kaylee told me you watched us with hungry eyes,” Dae teased. “She said your excitement was obvious.”
“She was also mistaken.”
“And yet you return now to wash the window. Interesting… Trying to wash away my sins from last night? Or is it that you’re trying to recall every detail of what you witnessed?”
Lyric spun around to face her, tossing the wet rag into the bucket beside her and leveling her glacial eyes on Dae. “Is it not enough that I don’t report your wanton actions to Father Douglas?” she demanded, a slightly desperate edge creeping into her voice. “Can’t you just…just leave me alone?”
“Is that really what you want?” Dae didn’t flinch, recognizing that Lyric was trying to cover her more troubling emotions with a show of anger. She took another slow step closer to her. “You fight against your desire, Lyric, but it’s a wasted effort. I see it within you; every line of your body fairly screams with it.” She took a deep breath and smiled salaciously. “The air around you is thick with hunger. Why deny what you know you feel?” Dae ran a hand over her own body, aware that her damp shirt was clinging to her curves…that her nipples were stiff and visible through the fabric. She saw Lyric’s eyes drop helplessly down over her body, and stepped closer still. “I can see in your eyes you find me every bit as pleasing as I find you.”
Lyric turned her face away, but Dae saw her throat constrict. “I don't—”
“Are you afraid someone else will learn of your indiscretion? Your family, perhaps? They have no eyes or ears in these halls. Why resist me, when I’m so willing to answer your needs?”
“You shouldn’t offer—”
“But I am the perfect person to vent your yearnings with, Lyric. You and I shall both soon be leaving this place, never to see each other again. With me, you could surrender to your lust without fear or shame. I would permit you anything…would do anything…to see your desires sated. Afterwards, we need never speak of it again. You may return to your family, to the man they've chosen as your husband-to-be, and I shall return to the desert, far from the ears of any who would judge us for sharing pleasure. Yet we would each share the memory of our time together.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not? Do you still hope those feelings will diminish if you continue to deny them? Or is it that you fear they will only grow stronger, more powerful, if you give in?”
Lyric remained frozen, her hands clenched into fists at her side, trembling slightly. “You’re mistaken, Dae. I put all that behind me a long time ago. I’m cured of those perverse thoughts.”
Dae raised a single eyebrow in playful challenge. “This is what you call ‘cured,’ is it? Hiding away in here, where you won’t be tempted? Trying not to let your thoughts dwell on what happened here last night…or what might have happened if you’d taken Kaylee up on her offer last night?”
“I-I wasn’t— That is, I never did anything with—” Lyric seemed to struggle between making a defensive or dismissive response.
“It was wicked of me…wasn’t it? Letting you watch us like that. Hoping you’d be tempted.” Dae fluttered her eyelashes and tried for a look of seductive contrition. “If it would ease your conscience, perhaps I could let you discipline me for my indiscretion.”
These words finally seemed to shatter Lyric’s resolve; Dae saw her ice-blue eyes darken, her pupils dilate with forbidden hunger. A blush rose in her cheeks, vivid against her pale skin, and Dae grinned in dawning comprehension…recalling how Lyric had responded to her last invitation to punish her.
“That’s it, isn’t it?” she said, her eyes bright with victory even as Lyric looked away, realizing she’d been caught. “That’s what you like? That’s what you find most pleasing…the thought of punishing me?”
“I don’t—”
“Will you lie to me again? I’m not a fool, Lyric, nor am I blind.”
Lyric seemed to be struggling now, and Dae felt a flash of pity for the girl; she could see she was embarrassed, ashamed, and looking to retreat. “Those things…” Lyric’s voice trembled, but she managed to return Dae’s mild, playful look steadily. “Those appetites…they no longer control me.”
“Hmm.” Dae wasn’t willing to abandon this opportunity. “In truth I’ve never played such a game before,” she said quietly, temptingly. “There have been opportunities, certainly, but I've not yet tasted the delights of such a surrender. I confess, I find the thought…extremely exciting.” The tension between them was palpable; Dae could see the naked craving in Lyric’s gaze. “You could teach me. I'm always happy to explore new paths of passion…to accept the lessons of those more experienced than I. Just say the word, Lyric…command me…and I shall fall to my knees as your willing and obedient servant.”
Lyric appeared to have forgotten the need to breath; her lips were parted, eyes ravenous…but she turned away. “I can’t.”
“Why not? I can give you what you need; I understand how to answer your passion.”
“You understand nothing, Dae!” Lyric cried, rounding on her suddenly with a fierce but pleading expression. “Do not presume to know me! Yes, I once fell prey to my own darker desires, and the shame I felt when they were discovered almost ruined me! But I will notbe weak again! I will not bring further disgrace upon my family by giving in to animal lust. I am in control of my own heart—not the priests, not my uncle, and certainly not you!”
Dae fell back a pace, but she recognized that Lyric was hoping to drive her away with her angry words, and met her fury calmly. “You think it's a weakness to accept your desire?” she asked, looking pointedly to Lyric’s trembling hands. “From what I can see, restraining those desires is far more taxing than giving in to them could ever be…not to mention far less fun. Wouldn’t you rather be shaking with satisfaction instead of frustration?”
“Why are you doing this?” The facade of rigid stoicism had slipped fully from Lyric’s beautiful face, and her eyes were wide and sparkling with desperate tears. “Why must you tempt me when you know I cannot give you what you want?”
“Because I like you, Lyric,” Dae answered earnestly, some of the seduction melting from her voice to be replaced by compassion. “I’ve seen how you keep the other women at bay, treating them like they’re beneath your notice…but it’s just an act. Just another wall you put up to keep you safe from temptation. There’s an essence of nobility in you that was utterly lacking in your cousin. I like you as you truly are…as you could be if you only lowered your guard a little. It sickens me to see how the judgement of people who are truly unworthy of your attention has forced you to hide so much of who you are. You could be so magnificent if you only accepted yourself…allowed that lust inside you the freedom to be expressed. You have no idea the ecstasy and joy you would find if you only embraced that side of your nature.”
Dae took a step back from Lyric, saw a flash of disappointment flare in her eyes and knew that if she pressed the matter further, she could claim the girl as a new lover with ease. But Dae remembered Rashida's advice from her time among the Herak—a prize of any value should not be won easily, or often. She wanted Lyric to consider her a prize of great value indeed. “But I can’t force you to accept my affections if they are unwelcome. I am not the priests, and I am not your family; I would never see you bend to my will as they would have you bend to theirs. I’m not like them.”
“No.” Lyric seemed to be recovering her self-control a little…but she was looking at Dae as though seeing her for the first time. Her voice, so uncharacteristically vulnerable it made Dae’s heart ache, quavered slightly. “You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met.”
Dae gave her a gently teasing smile. “Nor any lover you have ever bedded.” She paused, letting her eyes traverse the smooth, slender lines of Lyric’s body in a slow and lingering caress. “A pity, really. I would very much enjoy learning new pleasures at your hand. Still, I’m sure when I return to El’Kasari I can find someone in the harem who’ll be only too happy to offer such instruction.” She turned away from the still-trembling Lyric and made her way back down the aisle between the rows of pews. “If you change your mind, you know where to find me.”
She was almost to the door when she heard Lyric call after her.
“Dae?”
She turned; Lyric appeared to struggle with an internal debate for a long moment, before she finally said, “Beware of my uncle, Lord Blackwood. Jonathon came to me a few days ago, and though he gave no specifics, he hinted that his father was planning to incite the Jaharri against Lord Everdeen.”
“What?”
“He wants them to attack each other…and if they won’t do it on their own, I think he'll do whatever it takes to spur them to violence. Your marriage to Jonathon would have neutralized your father as a rival, and as heir to his estate now bound by blood, in time would have allowed the Blackwood name to absorb your father’s land. But when you rejected my cousin, you made such a union impossible. I think you also offended both their egos, and they intend to see your father’s forces weakened by conflict with the Jaharri before they step in and finish the job.”
Dae considered the warning a long moment in silence, wondering. “Why are you telling me this? You owe me no loyalty, Lyric.”
“No…but I saw you with your wife last night.” Lyric’s expression was hard to read, too many emotions stirring in her features for any one of them to be clear. “I saw how she looked at you…saw the love in her eyes. It was…” A long pause. “It was beautiful. Neither of you deserve to be hurt because of my uncle’s ambition.”
“And you would betray his plans to me? I’m touched.”
Lyric snorted and turned away. “Don’t be. I’m only giving you fair warning; what you choose to do with it is up to you.”
Dae stood there a moment longer, watching Lyric retrieve the rag from the bucket of soapy water and return to the task of washing the stained-glass window. Just before she turned and exited the monastery, however, she whispered, “They don’t deserve you, Lyric. You’re a better person than any of your family.”
Outside in the hallway, Dae took a moment to consider the warning as she made her way slowly back down the corridor. It certainly explained the events occurring outside the reformatory. She was quite familiar with the politics of the nobility in the Heartlands…the back-stabbing and subtle manipulations that so characterized power-plays among the upper classes. It made sense that a rival might take advantage of her father’s conflict with the Jaharri to further their own ends. Lyric hadn’t given her any real evidence to support her claim, but Dae didn’t care; she knew Zafirah needed to know what was happening. She headed at once through the dining hall and into the hallway and antechamber beyond, stepping outside into the freezing rain. Looking around, she quickly spied one of her father’s guards and summoned him with a gesture.
The man approached, offering a tiny bow. “My lady?”
“I need you to go at once to the Jaharri camp and ask that Inaya attend me right away. I have an important message for my father, and I trust none but her to deliver it,” she told him quickly. She wasn’t willing to dismiss the possibility that Lord Blackwood had leveraged one of her father’s men to act as his pawn. “Tell her the matter is urgent.”
The guard gave her a slightly suspicious look, but after a second he bowed again and strode purposefully away. Dae watched him begin making his way back down the hill toward the distant Jaharri camp, shivering in the rain for a minute longer before escaping back into the warmth of the building. She rubbed her frigid hands together to warm them, wondering how long it would take for Inaya to get back here. Doing a little mental calculation, she figured she had at least a half-hour…and a playful smile curved her lips.
Plenty of time. Dae raced back to her room and retrieved a change of clothes and her towel before heading down the hallway to the showers.
She just hoped Cass and Kaylee hadn’t already exhausted one another’s energy; after her stimulating conversation with Lyric, Dae was keen to play.
* * *
Standing in the Scion’s tent with Zafirah and Inaya, Richard considered the Jaharri pleasure-servant’s report carefully. He was still weak from blood-loss and the pain of his injury, but Zafirah’s healer had extracted the bolt and stitched the wound well. He’d then applied a poultice which he advised would help prevent an infection from setting in, before wrapping him in gauze bandages. Richard had been sipping on a bitter medicinal tea all morning which helped to deaden the pain, and he’d been up and moving since dawn. “Lord Blackwood? She’s certain?”
Inaya nodded. “His own niece informed Dae of the plot just this morning, though she could give no specifics. Lord Blackwood’s son boasted to her of their plans to see you weakened in conflict against the Scion before they sent in troops of their own.” The girl gave a pretty pout which somehow conveyed her contempt, and added, “It is a strategy I might expect from pirates or brigands, not those who claim noble heritage.”
Richard saw Zafirah studying him, her sapphire eyes glinting eagerly in the light of the scattered oil-lamps. “This man…he is your enemy?”
Richard nodded, still processing the new information and not liking how perfectly the pieces fit together. “A neighboring rival whose business interests compete with my own. I had planned to unite our Houses with a marriage between Dae and his son, Jonathon, but their introduction didn't go well. She was less than polite in rejecting his offer of courtship. It seems he’s decided to seek another means of eliminating me as a rival.”
“So you believe him capable of planning these attacks?”
“Oh, certainly he is capable,” Richard assured her, already formulating a strategy to deal with their enemy now that he had been identified. “But more than that, he’s just the type to hold a grudge against me for Dae’s insult to his son…who, I believed, had matured into a more respectable man than his father.” When Zafirah raised an eyebrow questioningly, he explained. “She, uh…may have called his manhood into question by suggesting he could never…well…satisfy her in bed.”
Zafirah and Inaya exchanged smirks, both obviously amused by the thought. “My Consort only spoke the truth,” Zafirah said smugly.
“Yes, well…” Richard cleared his throat awkwardly; he doubted he’d ever be comfortable discussing his daughter’s sex life, but he was committed to the task of accepting it. Dae would be lost to him forever if he could not at least put his distaste over the subject behind him. “…in any event, her taunt did little to ease tensions between us.”
“And where can this Lord Blackwood be found?”
Richard hesitated, hearing a lethal edge in Zafirah’s voice that gave him pause. “His estate lies maybe three days hard travel from here…longer for an army,” he replied carefully, seeing the eager gleam in the Scion’s eyes. “But we have no evidence of his complicity in either attack…certainly not enough to level an accusation.”
“Evidence?” Zafirah smiled coldly. “I have the word of my Consort, and your own assessment of the man—more than sufficient to earn this man an early grave. My forces can be on the move before nightfall—”
“No, Scion.” Richard held up a hand to stay her fury. “Attacking him will only attract the wrath of King Gerald; you are sworn not to engage your army against the nobility.”
“I am not in the habit of leaving an enemy still drawing breath behind me.”
“There’ll be no need of violence. However greedy and underhanded his tactics, Blackwood is still a noble lord of the kingdom, and there’s a better way to deal with him.” Zafirah glowered at him, but Richard returned her gaze calmly. “I’ll send him a request to speak with him here…hinting that I may be seeking his aid in ridding my lands of the Jaharri army.”
Inaya raised her hand, her expression doubtful. “You truly believe he will come? He is a rival, is he not? Why would he believe you would seek his aid?”
“By now he should have realized his latest effort failed…but it wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume tensions between our forces are growing. Blackwood won’t want to miss an opportunity to watch me squirm,” Richard said coldly. “He’ll come. He’ll want to enjoy the fruits of his endeavor…hear me plead for him to send troops to save my lands and my honor from your desert savages. By the time he arrives, Edmund and your advisor should have finalized the details for our alliance. He can witness his failure in person.”
“You would allow him to go unpunished? Not a drop of blood spilled for his crime, save that of the poor fools he hired as cut-throats?”
“Trust me, Scion, this is the better way.” Although Richard had seen that there was more to the Jaharri—and, indeed, to Zafirah herself—than simple barbarism, he realized now that at least some of their reputation for savagery was true. The Scion did not look pleased at the prospect of an adversary walking away from his crimes. “This is not the desert, and as much as we may not always understand your culture, so you may not always understand ours. Blackwood will live, yes…but we will make him understand his actions have been discovered, and the blame for any continued hostility will fall squarely on his shoulders. He won’t bother us again.”
The expression on Zafirah’s face suggested she wanted to argue, but after a moment she grunted and waved a hand. “Very well…I will abide by your decision. Hazim will have parchment and quills for you to write your message.”
“Don’t look so disappointed, Scion,” Richard said, smiling through his beard at the tall woman. “This is good news; the culprit is uncovered. After our treaty is completed and Blackwood no longer a threat, your Consort will be returned with my blessing.” Zafirah glanced at him, the strong and usually stern features of her face softening with an expression of hope, love, and adoration that was so clear Richard could not help but recognize it. He gave the taller woman a slightly melancholy smile. “I will miss her when she is gone.”
“But she will never be lost to you again,” Zafirah said quietly. “The journey to El’Kasari is long, but you are welcome among my people any time you wish to see her. And I am certain we can facilitate written communication between us.”
“True.” Richard nodded, clearing his throat quietly. “The least I can do for my daughter is come out there and make certain you're providing well for her. It's no more than I'd do had she married a man of my own choosing.”
Zafirah seemed genuinely pleased at the thought of him visiting the desert city…and Richard had a feeling her joy was mostly stirred by how much such a visit would mean to Dae. Perhaps, he thought, the pain of handing his daughter over to this strange, charismatic woman would not pierce as deeply as he had feared.