The duelist 2, p.36
The Duelist 2, page 36
“It’s definitely not the silver,” Horus said as his eyebrows pinched together.
“No, it’s Zoie,” I breathed as realization finally struck. “It’s the sound she makes when she is distressed.”
The second the words left my lips, a long ‘Rrriiiiiooooowwwlll!’ rent the air, and my heart dropped.
Chapter 23
“Horus, stay with Rylan!” I bellowed as I sprinted toward the gardens in front of the Jewel House where I last saw the orange and black butterfly-pegasus. “Prosper!”
There must have been enough urgency in my tone to get the message across that I needed him, pronto, because he bolted straight for me and landed on the ground with a high-pitched whistle.
My thoughts were too jumbled to try and telepathically convey to him anything other than ZOIE, GO, and NOW, but when I jumped up into the saddle, Prosper didn’t even hesitate to take off into the sky.
“Go, boy!” I shouted, and I flattened my body nearly horizontal over my mount in order to urge him on faster.
My thoughts were racing, and when we landed near the carriage house, I already had my sword drawn as I ran to where I could see the bright flame of Shay’s red hair and Zoie’s dark briar locks standing off against another figure that looked vaguely familiar.
“My husband is not ‘obligated’ to do anything of the sort!” Zoie’s growling timbre finally became decipherable now that I was closer.
“Hey!” I shouted and brandished my weapon at the slight shape under a crimson hooded cloak.
“Don’t--!” a screech sounded, and the person under the red hood stumbled, stepped backward on their own cloak, and crashed down on their behind.
“Alex, wait,” Shay said calmly and stopped me from advancing on the interloper. “She is harmless.”
“She?” I asked, and then I used the tip of my blade to lift the person’s hood up and away from their face.
Under the crimson cloth were a familiar white-feathered crest that reminded me of a cockatoo, a pair of sharp coal-like eyes, and a sour expression belonging only to Vel-Rala, Nata’s resident busybody, cruel social climber, and now the widow of Asher Gordos.
“What are you doing here?” I lowered my blade, but I didn’t put it away completely. Call it paranoia, but it wasn’t paranoia when people are actually out to get you.
“I have come to seek an audience with you, the man who slew my husband,” Vel-Rala said as she tried to recover her dignity by getting back to her feet as gracefully as she could. “I was just telling your lovely wives it’s the least you could do.”
“First of all, I didn’t slay your idiotic husband, he managed to get himself killed all on his own,” I growled as I took a menacing step toward her. “And second, you don’t ‘tell’ my wives anything. I think, given your current position, you have no grounds to be ‘telling’ anybody what to do.”
At this last salient point, Vel-Rala’s proud mask crumbled, and her shoulders curled inward to present the true picture of the beat-down cockatoo-woman just as she was.
Now that her haughty mask disappeared, I could see how life had recently taken its toll on the older woman. Dark circles bruised her under eyes and made her naturally pale complexion look wan and washed out. Her white-feathered head, usually so fluffy and buoyant, now laid limp and lackluster as if she went a little too long without access to a bath or shower, and her clothes were a bit more worn and threadbare than I ever remembered seeing her in.
The cockatoo-woman seemed weak and diminished somehow, and instead of disgust or rage, all I was starting to feel was pity.
“You’re right,” she admitted in a small, shaky voice. “I am in no position to tell anyone what to do.”
The humble comment coming from anybody else wouldn’t have really fazed me, but coming from this once proud and manipulative socialite, was enough to make me finally put away my weapon.
I glanced at both of my wives to see what they might have been thinking about this unwanted visitor gate crashing our estate.
Zoie, of course, was aggravated and on edge with her shiny tail puffed up like a bristly bottle brush that she lashed back and forth while she stood there with her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Next to her stood Shay with a similarly thunderous expression on her elfin face as she stood with one hand cocked on her hip. However, there was a small thread of something else in Shay’s expression besides disgust, and I could tell she was feeling the same pity for the cockatoo woman as I was.
So, I made the decision to at least hear her out.
“Okay, you have your audience, now what do you want?” I asked as I got straight to the point.
“Might I be invited in for some refreshment?” Vel-Rala asked as she tried to brush the dirt and dust off her already dirty clothes. “I’ve come all the way from Gatetown, and I am quite weary.”
My wives and I all exchanged looks of exasperation, but eventually we all silently agreed to fulfill the cockatoo-woman’s request.
“Let us all go to the courtyard behind the manor where we might rest a while and discuss in the peaceful atmosphere,” my phoenix-wife suggested. “Just leave your carriage, our staff will take care of it promptly.”
Then the three of us all followed behind Shay as she led us through the mansion and toward the magnificent courtyard I remembered when I first laid eyes on Icarian Estates.
Behind the mansion was an area that fed out into the harbor where Shay’s sailing vessel, the Soaring Light, was anchored. Up from there was a ramp that led to a large circular area covered by a jade-domed gazebo, which was supported by marble columns just like something out of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
In the middle of the stone lily pad platform suspended was a sunken area cushioned with all sorts of luxurious pillows for sitting and lounging. In the center, a squat table sat with a flagon of wine already set up with crystal glasses for all of us. On the table, a glow stone in the shape of a blooming flower was the centerpiece, and it lit up the cozy place with its golden ambiance as dusk began to roll across the sky.
“Anything I can be getting you and your guest this evening?” The omnipresent badger-woman, Nevra, suddenly appeared out of thin air it seemed and caused me to inwardly startle.
“Maybe something soothing to drink, and whatever soup you have on hand,” Shay ordered, and she took the pitcher of water and bowl of tithe stones from Nevra’s hands so the badger-woman would be free to fetch us some snacks.
“Yes, Miss.” She curtsied and bustled away.
Now that the nit-picky details were out of the way, I wanted to hurry up and get to the point already, but I held back from barking at the entitled cockatoo-woman when I remembered how sly she could be. She did manipulate her way up the ranks of society, after all.
If living in Aventoll had taught me anything, it was how to hold my cards close to my chest when dealing with weird social politics.
So, I glanced at my two wives on either side of me who seemed to be up for taking my cues, leaned back with a goblet of purified water, and took a slow sip as I stared into Vel-Rala’s sparkling coal-like eyes.
If I gave her nothing to work with, she wouldn’t be able to manipulate her way out of a paper bag.
She tried her level best to keep eye contact with me, but I let the awkward silence stretch out between us until she was shifting uncomfortably in her seat.
Eventually, Nevra came back with a serving cart laden with about a dozen small bowls, no bigger than teacups, each with a covered top.
“Chef has made a variety of exotically spiced soups from the Alem Quarter,” she informed us as she passed three different cups out to each of us. “They are best eaten by dipping cubes of fresh herb bread into the broth. If you need anything else, please ring this crystal bell, and a server will arrive promptly.”
“Thanks, Nevra,” I said as she set a big platter of bread with a vase full of handled little skewers similar to fondue.
I finally broke eye contact with Vel-Rala as I stabbed one of the bread cubes and dipped it in the creamy white soup on my right. When I pulled out the bread, a crusty edge like burnt mozzarella appeared, and when I popped the whole morsel into my mouth, it tasted like really spicy pepperjack combined with crispy bacon.
“You can eat, you know,” I pointed out as the cockatoo-woman had yet to take a bite even though she was staring at the food before her like she was starving.
She jumped and blinked at me like she forgot I was there for a second, and then she hurriedly grabbed one of the thin utensils so she could set to work on her own meal.
I frowned slightly when she began eating with relish, and I wondered when the last time she ate was. Then I put another bite into my mouth and forgot about everything but the heavenly taste, and for a few moments we all just dug into our delicious fondue.
When I finished the bowl with the creamy white broth, I then turned my attention to the next in the lineup, which was a nutty orange color with a slightly fruity smell. As I pulled my bread cube out of the soup, I watched the outer layer caramelize to a brick-red color, and when I bit into it, the flavor and texture reminded me of dried, chili-flavored mangoes.
“So, what is it you wanted to discuss?” I finally addressed the cockatoo-woman after I swallowed my spicy-sweet bite.
Vel-Rala set down her skewer and dabbed her lips with a cloth napkin.
“I have come to make a plea.” She cleared her throat, but her gaze never wavered. She was apparently tired of dancing around with all the ceremony and decided to cut to the quick.
“A plea, not a demand?” I arched my eyebrows as I swirled my last piece of bread through the broth in the third cup. The chocolate brown liquid immediately turned into the consistency of soft caramel and tasted exactly like cheesecake when combined with the bread.
“I recognize the history between all of us has not been a good one, and I would like to start by deeply apologizing to everyone present for any ill-will I may have inspired,” Vel-Rala said.
“And toward our son,” Zoie added with a slight snarl to the edge of her words.
“You mean the orphan, Rylan Daal?” the cockatoo-woman sneered.
Before she could say another word, I slammed my palm down on the table with a bang.
“Be very careful of what you decide to say next,” I warned the startled bird-woman. “I hope you at least know by now I will not tolerate hearing anything vicious, ugly, or untrue about those I care about.”
“So, the rumors are true,” she said as she looked between Zoie, Shay, and me. “You have claimed the boy as your own.”
“Yes.” I picked up my skewer utensil and stabbed through the mound of bread so it would stick upright. “Now, I suggest you change the subject and get on with it.”
Vel-Rala fluffed her white-feathered crest in that annoyed way she had, but she wisely refrained from voicing her thoughts.
Instead, she clasped her hands humbly in her lap and lowered her gaze to the table.
“I have come to ask you to save me from my fate,” she said as her crest flattened. “Gordos was killed without a Duelist to claim his assets. And as such, he was not a powerful man and made very little business contracts that called for the movement of such assets in the event he died without being challenged.”
“Meaning what?” I asked. “No one knows what to do with you?”
“Meaning that because I am a particular asset, I must return to where I originally come from if no other Asher chooses to purchase me in the open market,” she answered as her hands fidgeted nervously.
“Where you came from?” I puzzled.
“The Traders,” Zoie stated, and my eyes shot to her.
Zoie never talked about her time with the Traders, but the little she did say was almost more disturbing because it left my worst imagination to fill in the details.
Even now, the hollow way she said the dreaded word ‘Traders’ was enough to send chills down my spine, and looking at the inward curve of Vel-Rala’s shoulders and the way she shivered, I could tell she was just as haunted by her own experiences.
“Correct,” the cockatoo-woman said and cleared the sudden hoarseness in her voice. “In a few days, the Traders will be leaving port with any chattel they don’t manage to sell at auction. I have come to request that you purchase me as a wife or a concubine so I will not end up there again.”
“You want me to buy you,” I deadpanned. “For what?”
“I-I am quite skilled as a lover and--” the cockatoo-woman started, but I held my hand up in order to cut off the head of that snake.
“No, there is not a chance I would purchase a person just because they are willing to have sex,” I said with a distasteful grimace. No matter how acclimated I became to the bizarre slave-culture of Aventoll, sex trafficking would always sit badly with me no matter how accepted it was. “If I were to purchase you, it would be for some sort of useful purpose mutually beneficial between the two of us. So, I’m asking: what benefit do you think you could bring to me and my estates?”
“Well…” Vel-Rala started and then trailed off as if the question was a novel one that needed some thought. “I, um, I am…”
“She definitely has two hands,” Shay sing-songed with a sly expression on her heart-shaped face.
“And it also appears as if she has two working legs,” Zoie added, and I suddenly knew where they were going with their cute little banter.
“Hm, you’re both correct,” I said with a smirk. “I bet you would be a fine addition to my serving staff here at Icarian Estates, Vel-Rala.”
“Serving staff?” Vel-Rala squawked.
“Yep.” I grinned and popped another hunk of plain bread into my mouth.
“You want me to crawl around on my hands and knees as a maidservant?” she reiterated in her screechy offended voice.
“Actually, what I want is immaterial,” I said and leaned back so I could drape both arms around each of my wives. “It’s actually up to Zoie and Shale-Lea. They are the ones who manage my assets.”
The color drained from the cockatoo-woman’s face when she realized the people she really had to win over were her toughest audience yet.
“For a long time, you have made a business of manipulating people through your cruel tongue and vicious lies,” Shay said with a hard expression. “I would bet all the gold in the vault there is not a single person willing to liberate you from the Traders. Am I right?”
“Of course, you’re right!” she spat. “Why do you think I am here at the mercy of my enemies?”
“You turned Alex into your enemy,” Zoie snarled slightly. “Don’t forget that.”
Vel-Rala’s crest ruffled, but she wisely chose not to argue the fact and instead bowed her head.
“And that is just one of the many mistakes I have to live with,” she said wearily and pursed her lips to keep the sudden tremble in them at bay. “I suppose I have to thank you for at least taking the time to listen, and thank you for the added hospitality.”
Then the dejected cockatoo-woman went to get up as if to leave, and I glanced at both my wives who seemed to have a silent conversation between the two of them with just their eyes.
“Vel-Rala, wait,” Shay spoke up and caused Vel-Rala to stop and sit back down.
“Do you think you could possibly lower yourself to the level of a maidservant?” Zoie asked as her intense blue-flame eyes bored into the cockatoo-woman.
“Yes,” she answered without hesitation.
Smart.
“And the thought of being a commoner doesn’t disgust you?” Zoie prodded.
“No,” Vel-Rala said with only a little hesitation this time, and then she turned her damp eyes on me. “I will do anything, Asher Brightwood. You must believe me.”
“I believe you,” I finally said. “But you have to understand that if my wives let you join us, you will have to play by our rules. No more slander, and no more lies.”
“Understood,” she said back to me and then cast her pleading eyes on Shay and Zoie. “Please.”
“You must give us some time to discuss where exactly we have use of you,” Shay said. “We will have to make sure we can even afford to provide food for another person.”
“But the Traders leave port soon,” the cockatoo-woman said.
“And you will have your answer if we decide to come to auction,” Zoie snapped. “Be grateful we are even considering your case.”
Vel-Rala closed her mouth, even though I could tell a big part of her wanted to snap back. However, she took the olive branch for what it was and nodded her head respectfully.
“Thank you for listening to me,” she said as we all got to our feet, and then we climbed out of the sunken seating area so we could make our way back to the carriage house where Vel-Rala stored her carriage.
“Are we really in danger of running out of resources to provide for everyone between the two estates?” I asked my phoenix-wife as we all watched Vel-Rala trundle away.
“We have enough of everything to provide for a hundred more staff if we so wanted,” Shay answered. “But I wanted to give us all some time to really think if we even wanted her.”
“She has nothing else going for her,” I pointed out.
“Yes, but it shouldn’t fall to you to save her, especially since she already did a fine job ostracizing herself due to her meddlesome ways,” she argued.
“However,” Zoie interjected with a flick of her ear. “She will be sent off to the Traders if we do not provide her a boon. I wouldn’t wish that fate on even the likes of her.”
“Okay, so if we all really decide to cut her a break, what would she do?” I asked.
“She has always had success in the market selling her wares to people,” Shay mused as she tapped her lips with one delicate finger. “Maybe she would be useful once we started selling our bumblebird honey and our kolee tea.”
“She has to prove she can be trusted first,” Zoie said and punched her fist into her palm.
“I agree,” I said to my cat-wife. I knew why Zoie was more hot-tempered than Shay over the matter because we were both the direct targets of the nasty duo at one point. “We’ll start her on a trial basis.”
