Very early on, Simna had mastered the art of seduction while still maintaining control over the men who sought her favours. Only twice had she miscalculated and been left with bruises from men who needed to inflict pain in order to be aroused. They had appeared so charming before they entered the bedchamber that she had been fooled. But only twice. Simna now immediately recognized their subtle signals and avoided engaging such men. And the two who had abused her had found themselves barred from at least five of the better establishments. Her ability to read people well was a trait she shared with Klast and one of the reasons he admired and trusted her.
Klast was aware of the code that existed among the ladies of pleasure. When one woman found out that a man had certain tastes, word passed around. Such men soon found it difficult to engage any woman on whom they could inflict their rage or hatred. On rare occasions, when a woman had been badly injured or maimed, the man who had inflicted her wounds ended up dead in a gutter in another part of the city, stabbed through the heart or with his throat cut from behind. Their assassins were never apprehended. No one mourned their loss.
Klast had met Simna several years earlier when business had brought him to the Lucky Stallion. Simna had come to see that Klast did not desire a woman in that way. Over time and many shared meals, they had formed an understanding that resembled friendship, though Klast would not have recognized it as such. Klast trusted her not to ask unwelcome questions, and she welcomed the company of a man who merely wanted conversation.
Now, Klast could see her assessing him with mild curiosity. No doubt she could already tell that this occasion was different.
As they waited for the food and wine Simna kept silent, but Klast could tell that her interest was piqued. Klast was grateful that she knew him well enough not to pry. She knew he would tell her what he wanted in his own time. Simna had learned patience over the years. Theirs was a comfortable bond with no unwelcome expectations.
They waited for the food to sate his hunger and the wine to ease a little of the tension in his shoulders. Simna leaned, relaxed, into the back of the bench, letting go the airs and postures she employed to call attention to herself. When he finally looked up to meet her gaze, she quirked a brow in encouragement.
He cleared his throat. “Simna, I have a strange request to make of you.”
Simna could not help herself. Her eyes danced and she put a lilting flirt into her voice, though her relaxed position did not change. This was teasing, not seduction.
“Why Klast, are you finally here to succumb to my charms and let me take you to my chamber? You won’t be disappointed.” Her laugh was rich and throaty, her face alight with mischief.
Klast, too weary and nervous for banter, just shook his head and continued. “No, Simna, I need your wisdom and your help with a delicate situation.” He hesitated, then plunged on. “It concerns a young woman.”
She looked at him in mock surprise, having intuited where this was leading. “Klast, I do believe you have fallen in love. I had not thought to ever see you subject to the wiles of a woman.”
Klast shook his head again. “No wiles, Simna, quite the contrary.” He told her very briefly how he had met Brensa and fallen in love with her. Simna listened without interrupting, nodding occasionally. As Klast told of Brensa’s rape and rescue she grew serious, and her face took on a deep compassion and understanding. Simna well understood the harm some men could do.
At last he came to his reason for seeking Simna out. “Simna, I need to learn how to woo her, to help her relax and to desire me, so that I do not frighten her or hurt her. I must not cause her more pain. I would rather live without her.”
He put his elbows on the table and rested his forehead on his palms, his hair clenched roughly in his fingers. “Simna, though I have just said so, I cannot live without her. She fills my thoughts and my dreams. I must find a way to help her find contentment … no, for us to find it together, or we shall both live in need and misery.”
He looked up at Simna, making no attempt to hide his feelings. “Simna, I have not the skills to court her. I do not know where to begin. You know how I have shunned such things.” He held her eyes a moment then let his head fall back into his hands.
Simna sat still for several moments as she observed him. Klast knew she was considering what he had revealed. He did not rush her.
When she finally spoke her voice was soft and solemn. “Klast, I am sure you already know that what you seek will require all the patience even you can muster. I do not wish to dishearten you, but I must warn you that it may not even be possible … though I do not I think it is without hope. If she loves you, as you say, and has courage, she may overcome her fear. Am I correct in understanding that you will do whatever it is in your power to do?”
Klast calmed somewhat. “You are.”
“Then I must tell you that you cannot learn how to please a woman by speech alone. To learn what you need, I must show you. For that you must come with me to my chamber.”
Seeing Klast blush deep red and begin to shake his head in protest, she added, “I will not require you to betray your lady. You will need to see me and to touch me, but I can teach you much without bedding me. It is the only way.”
At first Klast sagged, then he drew himself up and squared his shoulders. “Then let us begin,” he declared grimly, as though he had just agreed to some distasteful task that had to be tackled.
This made Simna laugh again, lightening the mood. “I trust you will not find it so onerous as all that. Come.” She stood and led the way. Instead of going to the chamber where Simna usually took her clients, she led him into her private bedchamber. No man had ever been admitted there. “I think this will suit better, my friend.”
Klast understood the rare privilege and felt honoured. This would be the gift of a friend, not a business transaction.
Simna’s chamber was simple. It held a large bed covered in blankets of muted colours. The window wore the same fabric. Against the wall, opposite the foot of the bed, stood a chest, also decorated with a cover of the same cloth. A small round table stood in the corner along the window wall. It held a wash bowl, ewer and a dish with a sliver of scented soap. In the opposite corner sat a second, square table with a small chair in front of it. On top lay a hairbrush, the silvered disc she used as a mirror, and a small jar of the kind that held the berry juice women used to enhance their colour. She had left the walls bare. The effect was of serenity and order. Klast took it all in and decided that it suited her.
“Klast, I will not require you to remove your clothes. But, in order to teach you what arouses and pleases a woman, I will need to remove mine.” Then she smiled. “But not all at once.”
When Klast indicated that he was ready, she took his hands and showed him how to hold her and kiss her.
For the next couple of spans, Simna directed Klast in where and how to touch her, showed him how to gauge signs of arousal and how to increase these. Though both were aware that Klast was aroused, they tacitly agreed to ignore it.
Finally, satisfied that Klast had learned how to court her, Simna disengaged and looked Klast in the eye. “The rest may be harder. Brensa will, no doubt, be more frightened by certain postures that remind her of her rape. You will need to avoid these as much as possible, at first. But there are ways of coupling that are very different from how she remembers it. They may allow her to relax enough for you to enter her. And she may not permit light or be willing to undress at first.”
Klast nodded cautiously. He had heard enough bragging among the soldiers at the barracks and in other situations to know a man might enter a woman many different ways. But their talk had always centred around the men’s prowess and how the women were unable to resist their advances and had lustily participated with them. This was not the way it would be with Brensa.
Simna proceeded to show Klast several positions which would allow Brensa freedom of movement, in the event she needed to break away; on their sides, both facing a
nd spooning, and with the woman sitting facing the man while on his lap.
Both of them continued to ignore the arousal they felt, neither willing to break the trust between them. Klast was aware that Simna was also aroused, now that she had taught him the signs. When she had shown him all she could, Simna pulled away and took a robe from a peg on the wall. Pulling it around her and tying the sash, she sat on the side of the bed. She eyed Klast sideways, as he sat up and regained control.
Simna lightly rested her hand on his knee. “Ah, Klast, I hope she deserves you. You are an apt student. She will have a gentle lover.” She removed her hand and gave a small sigh. “Had we met years ago, even I might have been persuaded into joining by a man such as you.” Then she stood up, a signal that it was time for Klast to leave. She added one last admonition. “But you must be patient. She will need it. It will take all the skill you can muster to win her.” With that she opened the door.
Klast stood and started to leave, then turned back. “Simna,” he began hesitantly.
She put up her hand to stop him. “I know my friend. You are welcome. There is no need for words.”
Klast sent her a grateful look and left, hearing the door shut firmly behind him.
~92~
HAPPY REUNION
Corrin’s band entered the city without incident and headed for the open area set aside for traders, a large grassed space with several tall trees. The ground had been levelled here years ago, making it ideal for setting up camp. A well stood at the centre, with buckets hanging from pegs on a post. At the far end, behind a row of cedars, ditches used as latrines had been dug. These were turned over regularly, the dirt from the new ditches used to cover the old ones. The field was well populated at this time of year, though not as crowded as other years, after the plague had reduced the flow of goods. Corrin found a good spot close to the well and, once the wagons had been unloaded, Nellis and Mikost thanked him and his family and set off for the castle.
“Mikost, do you have the seal of introduction Argost gave you?” Nellis asked.
“Right here.” Mikost grinned as he patted the leather sac at his belt.
Nellis smiled back in relief. She let her gaze rove as they walked. Bargia looked very different from Catania, and her head bobbed back and forth trying to take it all in. She carried baby Borless in her arms so Mikost could keep his hands free in case he needed to defend them, though the precaution proved unnecessary. They had left their belongings behind with Corrin, until they could be certain where they would stay and where Mikost could stable his horse. No one accosted them until they reached the main entrance to the castle, although they had spotted several pairs of guards or soldiers patrolling the streets.
The sinking sun showed the first hints of red on the horizon as they approached the castle gate. Here, two well-seasoned guards stopped them to demand their business. Nellis felt a shiver of fear as Mikost showed them the seal, but the guard showed no signs of suspicion. The first guard instructed a younger one, eating his supper in the stall behind them, to inform Gaelen and verify the seal.
The young soldier came back in short order with an escort. Mikost took Borless over as they followed him. Nellis’ knees shook with anticipation. She had to be told twice to keep up because she could not stop looking about, trying to take everything in. Bargia’s colours, blue and yellow, hung everywhere in banners and pennants. They made the castle seem light and airy. The great hall looked huge, much bigger than the one in Catania. She guessed it could probably host a dinner for twice as many people. Servants, guards and others bustled about on their business. It all gave her an impression of optimism and efficiency. Nellis sensed none of the suspicion that she had experienced at Cataniast’s court. This seemed a much happier place. She liked it right off.
The guard escorting them spoke to Mikost. “I have sent a messenger to Lady Marja to tell her of your arrival.” Just at that moment, Nellis spied Marja entering the great hall from the stair on the left.
“My lady!” she shrieked and hurtled herself across the room to meet her, alarming the two guards posted in the hall.
They all reached the same spot together, Marja running almost as fast as Nellis. She laughingly waved off the guards, one of whom had already drawn his sword.
“Nellis! What do you here?” she asked as she hugged her friend. Then she spotted Mikost with Borless and hurried to greet them. But she kept Nellis’ hand gripped tightly in her own, taking her with her.
Marja reached for Borless, but he, not familiar with her and upset by all the commotion, would have none of it, and set up a loud wailing.
Mikost looked embarrassed and started to reprimand the poor babe, but both Nellis and Marja stopped him, Nellis with an angry, “Mikost, he is afraid. He does not know better.”
And Marja with a laughing, “Oh Earth, I have much to learn about babes,” as she pulled back and patted her now considerable bulge.
Brensa had entered the hall closely behind Marja, but once Nellis laid eyes on her lady she had looked no further. Now Nellis spotted Brensa standing shyly to one side.
Nellis started to reach for Brensa. Then, just as suddenly, she froze. Her face lost its exuberance and filled with concern. She recovered quickly, and went to give Brensa a hug.
Brensa had caught the shock Nellis had been unable to hide. She pre-empted her with, “I am fine Nellis. I am only still recovering from the illness that has taken so many.”
For the time being, Nellis had to be satisfied with that explanation.
After a few moments more fussing and exclaiming over each other, Marja exclaimed, “Earth, I am forgetting my manners!” She sent the young guard who had escorted them in search of Gaelen. Then she ordered a private supper brought to their chambers, so Nellis could feed and change Borless and they could all catch up.
Gaelen joined them about a span later, admitting he was tired and hungry. “But I am pleased my surprise worked so well. I had a hard time keeping the secret from you,” he said as he grinned at Marja.
They spent the remainder of the evening together in high spirits, swapping stories and cooing over Borless. Wine flowed freely, and food disappeared in quantity. Only Brensa remained subdued, though even she had plenty of smiles for Borless.
Gaelen had sent to the camp for their belongings and given directions for the stabling of Mikost’s horse so that they did not have to leave again that night. Maids set up chambers for them across the hall and found a cradle for Borless. Long into the night, after the castle had quieted and all but the guards had gone to find their cots, the weary but contented group split up and headed for their beds.
~93~
MIKOST
Gaelen met privately with Klast about the role Mikost should be given. He suggested Klast might mentor him.
“I think you will find Mikost an apt student,” Klast said. “But my concern is that his loyalty to his wife and child may prevent him from taking the risks that are necessary in the work of an informant.”
“True, my friend,” Gaelen countered, “but I have others I can send on the more secret and dangerous missions. I want to keep Mikost close to home for Marja’s sake as much as his own. After almost losing Brensa, she would never forgive me if Mikost lost his life in my service … though I believe you may be wrong about his willingness to do his duty. But his damaged arm means he will never have the weapons skill needed. And it will make it hard to keep his identity secret in any case.”
“So what do you propose, my lord?”
“I need someone who can get inside Messalia’s circle. We both know she is no true seer. But she knows a great deal and has influence. She bears watching. Do you think Mikost has the skill to do so without making her suspicious? Since Mikost is new here, she will not yet know him.”
“Messalia is clever. It will not do to pretend he does not have connections to court. But as you say, Mikost is new to Bargia. And he is young.” Klast thought for a moment. “Young men, new to a demesne, coul
d be very ambitious. They would want to know how best to advance themselves. Perhaps Mikost might consult her on his future within the court. Drop some names later. Give her a few interesting bits of information … Yes, I think I can instruct him on this. He must appear slightly overeager and inexperienced. But he needs to offer her some things she will wish to know. What can we start with?”
Gaelen looked disturbed for a moment, then nodded in reluctant agreement. “Yes, she is too clever to be content with trifles. But let us proceed slowly. We may decide as we go. The first few times she will realize he is too new at court to know much. Perhaps her questions to him will give us the clues.”
“Perhaps it is not too soon, now that she is so near her time, to give away that your lady bears a son, an heir.” Klast gave Gaelen a wry smile. “But it will unfortunately dry up the gamblers’ wagering.”
Gaelen barked a laugh. Since Marja’s condition had become obvious, the gamblers had changed from “Is she?” to “What is it?” Now they would have to find another question. “Yes, I suppose there is no longer any harm in it, with Marja so close to her lying in.” The thought brought a faraway smile to his face. Klast noticed how much younger he looked when he forgot his cares for a moment.
Gaelen straightened, the meeting over. “Well, my friend, I shall leave Mikost to you then.”
~94~
A PACT
The two letters found in Sinnath’s desk confirmed that he had been conspiring with Wilnor. The two men had an agreement that Sinnath would rule Bargia and Wilnor would govern Catania. Wilnor had promised more than a hundred soldiers led by his own captain. It turned out Klast knew of this man, and doubted very much he could lead effectively. He was a soldier in name only and had a reputation for cruelty but no skill. If the hundred men proved no better, Wilnor’s chances of victory were laughable. Sinnath, however, did not know this.