I have traveled the length and breadth of all the known lands. I have come to learn that the art of the deal is not selling merely products or services, it is the art of selling that which people value most of all—sincerity.
- The Path of the Merchant by Gelgor Badawi.
The apartments I had been assigned in the palace were much to my liking. The walls were a soothing sky-blue marble, and the ceiling was high and airy. Tall, narrow windows allowed ample light to stream in, while the mosaic pattern on the floor resembled the sea, giving the room a relaxing and peaceful atmosphere. The furniture too was of a luxurious make, mostly made from imported wood from far-off lands. Each piece would have been the center of a conversation in a lesser home.
More importantly, adjoining my extravagant rooms was a bath and toilet, complete with running water—a true luxury in this world.
When it came time to move my belongings, Elenora clasped my shoulders with a firm grip, insisting on accompanying me. In the court of the Salahaem, a man without at least one body servant was unthinkable, she explained with a prim smile. It was, in her words, a loss of face and reputation, one of the most important things in the world of high society.
With a resigned shrug, I allowed her to come along, knowing all too well the games of power and appearances that ruled this world. It seemed that she knew the rules better than I did. Also, I would need a general dogsbody for this and that, the nights were cold here after all. I vaguely entertained asking her where her partner or apprentice from before was, but thought better of it.
As for Theo, she was left in Naira’s care to learn a trade. Hopefully, that would not include servicing the male clientele of the Begonia’s Shade like Ninurta, but that was hardly my problem.
So together with Larynda, we loaded Patches up with our things. Though the donkey was a bit longer in the tooth, she was still strong and was most enthused to be going out and about.
Larynda too, was given a separate room, at my insistence, down the hall from mine. We needed to stay close and I did not want her going back and forth from the Begonia’s Shade. The girl had grown to be useful, a living piece of magical artillery that I controlled.
When it had come time to give my farewells to Naira, her expression had been flat, stoic, and impassive. The older woman congratulated me on my position with a weak smile and told me that I would always be welcome there and that she would keep a room for me. She reminded me of my promise to look for her daughter. Regrettably, there was no notification of a Quest so I placed her request in the back of my mind.
In return, I told her to keep an eye out for the incorrigible Elwin and tell him where I was. Whatever was that old Rogue up to?
Smiling to myself, I reflected on the chain of events that had led to my elevated station. Lady Aelayah had accepted my proposal, though in truth, she had little choice in the matter. Her hand had been forced, as refusing me could have laid bare the weakness of her House. It served her well to keep me close and treat me well.
And treated well, I was. Days passed in a haze of indolent luxury, the kind that dulls the senses and weakens the will. Occasionally, Larynda or Farzan, of all people, would question me about preparations for the Festival. I deflected their thinly veiled suggestions with ease, claiming that I could not risk injury before such a significant event.
Besides, I had done enough training to last a lifetime.
Yes, Farzan and I had become not-quite-friends. My display of martial prowess had curbed the greater part of his hostility. Words that were once sharp, had softened, though not entirely free of the green sting of envy when I spoke casually of his mistress. Yet, the tension between us had lessened, the sharp edges dulled by time spent together and circumstance.
It turned out that Farzan had a penchant for games of chance. Dice, cards—it mattered little to him. He was a gambling man through and through, and in this, we found a tenuous bond. I made it a point to lose slightly more than I won, ensuring that our nightly games concluded with him savoring the sweet taste of victory. It was a calculated effort, an investment in his goodwill that paid dividends in the form of a much-lessened enmity.
It was certainly better than enduring his dagger-like glares every time we crossed paths in the cool palace halls. The wisdom of the old world had taught me there were subtler ways to destroy your enemies than through just direct conflict.
I do believe I was maturing.
One particularly memorable evening was spent in Lady Aelayah's company. The exchange lingered in my mind, and I found myself replaying our conversation, examining it from every angle.
She had invited me to the gardens at an hour that brushed the edge of impropriety, leaving me little choice but to accept. We were served a light meal, seated alone together beneath the roof of a garden gazebo.
We were of course, not alone, for Farzan would have had guards posted at a discreet and invisible distance away. He could be a stick in the mud at times but he had spent the greater part of his adult life doing his job. He was competent, trained, as it were, from almost birth for his role.
Above us, was a Zajasite light, a stone of the Travelling People, if I was not mistaken. The crystal cast its strange glow, tinting the early dinner in shifting shades of blue. The unique lighting lent the evening an exotic, almost surreal atmosphere. Also, for the most part, it obscured Lady Aelayah’s unsettling eyes, which made our conversation flow more easily.
Placing her fork on the stone table's smooth surface, she asked casually, “Won’t you tell me of your origins, Gilgamesh of Uruk?” The girl could hide her emotions well, but there was a hunger to know in her words.
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I gave her my best rakish smile, wanting to tease this out. “I was born in my world with a battle cry, as all babes do. A cry to life, a cry to live,” I answered in mock seriousness to the Salahaem princess.
She turned her head to the side, covering her mouth as she broke out into a musical peal of laughter.
“My, my… Master Gil. Can I call you, Gil?” she requested, pausing to regard me fully. I skillfully suppressed a small shudder.
The folds of her outer robes were artfully loose, revealing a kameez, or chemise, that was cut dangerously low. I decided to rest my eyes there for lack of better options. Better to suggest desire than disgust.
A servant brought in new platters of food, stopping to whisper something in the Lady’s ear for a moment. A frown crossed her delicate features before her sensuous smile returned.
“Gil, whatever do you mean by ‘my world?’ What new and delightful flight of fancy is this? Is this not your world?” she replied, raising an exquisitely curved eyebrow in question.
With a force of will I met her eyes. It would be best to immunize myself to her alien gaze as soon as possible.
I answered with as much gravitas and seriousness as I could. “Not yet, at least,” I boasted.
Intrigued by my response, the girl placed both hands on the table’s edge and leaned in closer. Despite my best efforts, my eyes drifted south again.
She leaned back, stretching her arms like a cat, almost spilling out of her clothes. “Ah, the man of mystery. Let me tell you a small mystery of my own with you. Did you know that some say the Salahaem did not descend from the original founders of the city? It’s a ridiculous notion, of course, but the ancient histories of our house claim that we took shelter in underground stone halls during the last Cataclysm when fire rained down from the skies and so on, and so forth,” she added, her fingers playing with an emerald necklace.
To distract myself, I summoned my Sage’s Sight, hoping to dispel some of the mystery surrounding Lady Aelayah.
Aelayah Salahaem - Troglodyte Assassin [Human lvl. 17]
Health: 132/132
Stamina: 32/32
Mana: 19/19
My eyes widened in surprise at what my magic revealed to me, not just at her class, but also her ethnic origins.
“Perhaps there is some truth to the old tales,” I responded diplomatically. Looking over at her Status, I realized that her attributes were probably all over the place.
However, seeing my expression, she grinned knowingly, taking my reaction for something else. “By your meaning, would you claim that perhaps you are from the Moon, like the tales of the Woodsman? Or perhaps a traveler from the Distant World, beyond the mists and starlit seas? For if so, a rare person have I claimed to my service.”
“Or is it that you seek to conquer this world, my invader from a place beyond? You would have ambition at least. How would you go about such a plan?”
“Not so difficult if one had but enough time and resources to see such a goal through… if one were to find a place in the halls of power,” I mused.
Lady Aelayah played along with rambling. “The problems with great plans are the details. Again, the how is the meat of it.”
“An alliance with a great house… perhaps an alliance with yours… or maybe to claim new land in virgin wilderness,” I said, airing out the thought. “...Or perhaps, to claim you,” I flirted.
Aelyah’s strange, alien eyes, widened at my directness and her lips pursed prettily. “Again you jest. Let us say for the moment, I entertain your far-fetched ambition. An alliance with one such as I is a matter of what advantages such a bond would bring. You bring us no wealth, no land, no status. And…”
“And yet it is me who is sitting at this table, and not a line of would-be suitors paying court. I assure you, I can bring at least two out of those three,” was my too-quick reply. Too flippant by far for what had become a serious conversation.
Aelayah’s eyes flashed fire, but she paused for a moment as if measuring my words and finding them lacking. “Then still, you would be one short. You think I am like one of those Aranthian women in the colder lands, that I can be swayed with words and promises lightly given. The Salahaem deal only in the cold reality of coin.”
“I have always believed that certain things should be free to grow without boundaries, without restrictions, like wildflowers in bloom. And, do not value yourself so lightly. I have never believed for a moment that you were a woman that could only be bought for mere coin,” I countered.
“What do you…” she started indignantly before she controlled herself. “Again, with the fine flowery words that are as light as air and are made to spin the situation to your liking. It changes nothing. Think on this Gilgamesh of Uruk, I need no white knight in shining armor, but a headsman that can dance to the tune of my plans.”
“I can start by offering you the prestige of being the House that wins the festival, I will dedicate such a victory to you,” I promised, and in that moment, truly meaning it.
This was a woman of status, privilege, and wealth. This was a woman that was worth it. As for flaws, it was nothing that an eyepatch could not fix.
“Ha! That would at best… what do they do in Aranthia? Yes, give out a token of their favor. Perhaps a handkerchief… or would you prefer one of my undergarments?” she teased, trying to steer the conversation back into lighter territory. “Now the hour is late, and…” Aelayah started to get up, sniffing in protest as she adjusted her dress against the cooling night air.
I stood up, my arm shooting out to grab the highborn lady’s wrist. I pulled her close to me.
"For the grace of your hospitality, I offer you this: If it is gold and silver you require, bring me your sick and dying, and by my hand, they will be saved for the price that you dictate. If total rule is your desire, give me lives to feed upon, and I will turn their deaths into strength. Man or great beast, it matters not. The stronger and more violent, the better. Deliver unto me a river of it, and by all that is true, I will deliver this city to you," I vowed, locking my gaze with hers. "I, and I alone, can grant you this. This shall be our covenant. No matter your suspect origins."
All three of her pupils dilated, whether in surprise or arousal, I could not tell.
I fancied I heard the soft whisper of weapons being drawn. Aelayah's arm trembled in mine, and she shook her head, a silent command for her hidden guards to stand down—or perhaps a denial of me, though I doubted it.
"By the vow of fealty you have given, you owe much of those things already, should I command it," she stated bluntly. "Your words are spoken so truly that I think you almost believe yourself. My dreams are not something that can be so easily granted by another. Release me."
I did as commanded, powerless for now to do nothing but watch her retreat back into the palace. A part of me expected her hidden guards to attack me once she was out of view. Unfortunately for me, they were far too well-disciplined for that.