AN: Czernobog is "he", Jahanara is "she", and Jahanara's body is shared property. Sometimes, the gender of pronouns are switched to whatever feels more appropriate.
"I demand to see the warden!" Czernobog screamed with all their might, their Thanati accent shamelessly announcing itself for all to hear. "Let me the fuck out, you sons of bitches!" was what they have been screaming since they'd awoken 10 minutes ago. They had tried screaming it in every language Jahanara knew, even her native Thanati; though it clearly was useless since it was obvious to them that they were not in Thanatos anymore. But what did they have to lose? The farther from Thanatos, the better actually. There was nothing for them there but a death sentence for murder.
"I suggest you settle down, girl " came the low voice of a man sitting on the opposite side of the room. He was speaking in Yoreiqi. "You're the only one of us here..." nodding towards all the other occupants who were similarly bound in chains, "...who can speak the common tongue." Scratching his nose with one chained hand, he looked straight at her now to continue. "It would be to our advantage if you could still speak when there's actually someone to speak to."
The man had a point. With a reluctant puff of breath, they decided to sit down and change tactics. Time to try a little DIY. Czernobog gathered a width of chain from the one on their right wrist. He then tried to summon his otherworldly demonic powers to break it but disappointingly got nothing. Jahanara's body was probably too weak to handle the transfer of magic.
With that plan ending in failure, he decided to do the next best thing- wait. There wasn't any harm in waiting. They weren't going anywhere. And there were a lot of things for Czernobog to ponder... starting with "What the hell happened?"
The last thing Czernobog remembers, he was drowning himself in the very very fine wine the poor dearly departed sap he offed still had lying around in his apartments. It was a complete and total waste to just leave without finishing it. But apparently the wine was laced with sleeping powder because thats the last he clearly remembers. He could only wonder what Jahanara did to get them from there to who-knows-where this godforsaken place was. He also vaguely recalls waking up to fierce waves trying to swallow them and the burning pain of lungs deprived of oxygen. But that was as much as he could remember.
His thoughts were interrupted by the clink and pull of their chains being tightened- probably to restrict their movement. This meant someone must be coming inside. Whoever that idiot was, they must be ready for them. Czernobog let down their hair into a sexy messy pile and pulled their shirt lower to show off more of their cleavage. Pushing the twins higher for good measure, they arranged themselves into the most sultry position they could manage with chains on both arms and feet.
In came a lone man carrying a pot of pale brown porridge-like goo. At least thats what it looked like when he poured it into the bowl of the captive nearest the door. From the look of the man, it wasn't something to look forward to. That was ok. They weren't actually planning on eating it anyway.
They got their bowl ready and as they waited, they made sure to give him a hot suggestive gaze all the while until it was their turn. As the man stood in front of them, they passed a lingering glance at his crotch and faked a coy little blush before slowly giving him their bowl. They made sure to pass it by some specially scenic spots. "I want a taste of that." they said in a low growl, glancing at his crown and jewels again at the last word.
Judging by the hint of color creeping up his face, Czernobog was sure that trick made something in him rise.The low voiced prisoner sitting across from them could only shake his head at the scene.
The jailer gave her a thorough look as he poured mush into the bowl. While still giving him a very provocative look, they breathed in deep to accentuate some choice areas and Czernobog could swear there was a very telling twitch somewhere in the region of special interest. The man was now smiling somewhat when he reached out to give her the bowl. Czernobog also reached out to take it but let go the very second he did, thus spilling the contents all over her lap. "Clumsy me." she said then gave him a puppy-eyed look of remorse and pouted. "Perchance, could you help this poor girl out of these dirty clothes?"
There was another twitch.
Not a moment longer, she sighed in pleasure when the chains on their wrists came off. She groaned in ecstasy when the ones on her ankles followed suit. Extending her hand to him, they commanded, "lead me."
And lead he did... right into the office next door. Czernobog loved how easy it was to dupe mortals.
The moment the door closed and they were alone, the guard fell on her like a sailor newly docked. He kissed her all over, all the way up to her mouth. But the moment his lips touched hers, it was game over for him. Czernobog fed on his essence until none was left and his body fell limp to the floor. They then wiped their lips, crossed their arms and debated with themself what to do next. The demon picked up the keys the jailer carried and snuck out the door and up the hall in search of the way out.
Ascending a flight of stairs, Czernobog saw a group of men passing by the upstairs hallway. The demon decided it was wiser to turn back. It was unfortunate though that another sentry had come upon her from downstairs. He shouted for them to stop so they had no choice but to run up the stairs before the people there could realize what was going on. Czernobog ran straight for the nearest window in hopes that they weren't too high up to jump but before they could reach it, a group of richly dressed men rounded the corner up ahead and she ran straight into the figure in the middle. Before she could recover, the man's companion smacked her in the head with the plate of dates he was carrying and she fell unconscious.
"How did you convince me to come along with you?" Vanadis asked rhetorically to his best friend and scribe, Dahl as he walked through the Essyrni merchant's manor. Dahl responded with a cheeky smile and soft chuckle, happy that he was able to coax his lord to accompany him on official business; business that Vanadis should be engaging in but always leaves to his poor, dutiful servants.
Vanadis wore a black and gold surcoat laced with gold and pearls. The sigil of House Duval was threaded on the breast of the coat, noting the source of his Adelan nobility. On his back he carried the magic bow given to him by his father, every now and then reaching back to touch it to make sure no one had snagged it off his back.
Dahl wore similar clothing, except donning a longer surcoat and wearing a satchel containing important documents and trinkets, as well as first aid materials just in case Vanadis did something stupid--which he was prone to doing. In addition, he was carrying dates to reciprocate the Essyrni hospitality the two had been shown, doing his best not to spoil the good faith between the merchant they were about to see.
"A lord should really take better care of his house" Dahl said to Vanadis freely. Although most nobles would see this as disrespectful, the two boys had been close since Vanadis' birth, where Vanadis had always seen him as an equal. "It's not like it's going to get up and go somewhere" Vanadis retorted in a sarcastic but lighthearted manner, not breaking the stone cold face he almost always possesses.
Just as Dahl was about to open his mouth to respond, a scantily clad woman charged into Vanadis, knocking him down butt first. Filled with anger that someone would strike his lord--albeit unknowingly--Dahl struck the woman with the plate of dates, knocking her out. He then reached out for Vanadis' hand. "Are you okay?"
Vanadis ignored his question and instead glared at his friend. "Why did you do that? It was obviously an accident" he said as he crunched up his brow, revealing a frustration that he rarely shows. Vanadis knelt down in front of the woman to check her pulse. Luckily she was still alive and breathing. He held her head up and stared at her face. "Hello, can you hear me?" he asked.
Jahanara awoke to a young bronze face.
"Who are you?" she managed to say though a little groggy. "Where am I?" she added when she noticed the unfamiliar surroundings.
The Thanati girl thought hard to recall any sort of explanation for her current circumstances. The farthest she could recall was waking up to the sight of a dead body.
The corpse belonged to that of her mother's murderer. Being found in this man's chambers did not bode well for her. Right then and there, she decided that it was best to disappear knowing that she had a very good motive for wanting him dead despite not having anything to do with it. She didn't even know how she came to have awoken on this man's devan. But that wasn't her immediate problem. She was glad he was dead but she needed to run. She changed out of her severly wine-stained dress and stole into the first boat leaving Thanatos.
That was as far as she could recall when a group of guards came to a hault in front of them. The sight made her panic. She was scared that they might take her back to Thanatos where she shall be beheaded for a crime she only wished she had commited. She turned to the lad and pleaded. "Don't let them take me away."
"Hey Dahl" Vanadis said as the guards approached the group, "reschedule our meeting with the merchant." Dahl sighed in response as he opened his satchel to retrieve a small pouch of flour.
They could kill the guards quite easily of course, however becoming a wanted criminal in Essyrn was not an ideal way for them to conclude their trip. Vanadis let go of the woman before quickly retrieving and drawing his bow simultaneously. At the same time, Dahl tossed the pouch of flour in the air in front of the guards before them, where Vanadis shot an arrow through it. A cloud of flour covered the area for a short time, providing a suitable misdirection that would allow the trio to escape.
"Can you run?" Vanadis asked the woman in front of him before grabbing her arm to help her up, not waiting for a reply.
"My lord, if we don't start running they'll have our heads in no time" Dahl said frantically as he could hear more footsteps approaching.
Jahanara uttered an exclamation of surprise in her Thanati tongue as a cloud of flour rained down on all of them. She had averted her eyes to no good and was fanning away the stuff from her face when one of the men grabbed her arm and hauled her up without much ado.
Hiking up her skirt with one hand, she ran as fast as she could with what little strength her starved body still had. She was actually surprised to find herself panting from exhaustion before long as if she had just ran a marathon. That puzzled her greatly but for the moment she focused on the more immediate question to ask. "Where are we going?" she managed to say betwixt pants. They were running through doors and corridors that looked all the same to her.
"To be honest" Vanadis said as they turned a corner, "I have no idea." As they turned the corner a tall and muscular guard stood in front of them, shouting "Halt!" To their left, a long window with open red drapes overlooked a two story drop into several hedges of bushes.
Vanadis drew his bow as the guard ran towards them. "Dahl" he said, where Dahl nodded and kicked the glass of the window, causing it to shatter. Vanadis shot the guard in the foot, pinning it to the ground and causing him to lose balance. "Jump" Vanadis said to the woman as he leaped through the broken window with Dahl following.
Jahanara had no clue what was going on, who those men were, and why they were running away. It did make sense though to run away from angry men flailing weapons in the air so when the boy ordered them to jump, she did just that. Her heart skipped several beats and she could feel it falling to her stomach when she felt pure air beneath her feet. She screamed as she descended and screamed even louder when they fell through a canopy and into a pool of perfumed water.She was sputtering and coughing when she hauled herself over the edge of the pool and over the side. She looked up through the hole to see the guards looking down at them. Then their heads disappeared and she knew they were now on their way to chase after them. "Looks like the chase isn't done" she said to the boy and his companion.
Vanadis nodded and looked around. They had landed several meters from the entrance to the orchard. Surely guards and servants alike patrolled that area, but the shrubbery and other fauna could provide temporary hiding.
"Follow" he ordered as Dahl obeyed without hesitation. They crouched and inched closer as they could hear footsteps in the distance. Although those guards already knew of their location, possible ones in the orchard did not--yet. Vanadis slowly moved towards a bush, when suddenly a pair of servants walked in on them.
Jahanara followed the boy's command. It seemed like a sensible thing to do seeing as he was perfectly composed despite the situation while she was not. She hunched herself low in the bushes and followed behind the other man. They haven't gone far though before Jahanara found herself between the man's buttcheeks. Looking up to see what had caused them to hault, she found two burly guards looking down at all three of them. Jahanara started to turn around to see if she could at least escape while the guards in front were busy dealing with the two but found that two more sentries had appeared. Jahanara blew out an exasperated breath and waited for a command.
The guards in front of Vanadis drew their sorts without warning. In an involuntary response, Dahl lept up and swept his leg underneath the two guards to knock them down. Vanadis, who sensed the guards that approached them from behind, rose up and quickly shot an arrow at one of the guards' kneecaps. He followed that attack up by dashing forward and swinging his bow around the legs of the man, similar to Dahl's tactic. When all the guards in the immediate area were fallen, Vanadis took the woman's hand and began to run forward through the orchard.
"We should be good now, we have a good amount of distance between the other guards" he said breathily as he ran. "I'll cover you if any more appear" he said to the woman as the trio ran away from the manor.
They had ducked into a more private location and were now catching their breaths. Jahanara took the time to examine her rescuers more closely particularly the boy who seemed like he was in-command.
"I do not know why you risked yourself like that for me," she told them in between breaths. "...but I thank you." She bowed low to express her deep gratitude. "How can I repay you?"
Vanadis and Dahl both raised their eyebrows, glancing at each other before Vanadis offered a response. Vanadis scratched the back of his head as he slightly blushed in embarrassment, to the surprise of Dahl who would rarely see Vanadis retreat from his usual stoic mannerisms.
"To be honest, I don't know" he finally answered, candidly. "I don't know why those men were after you, but you don't seem like a bad person to me. And I try to help anyone who doesn't seem like a bad person to me."
Dahl sighed and lightly smirked at Vanadis' response. His willingness to help others was precisely why Dahl would follow him through hell. He shifted his attention towards their new companion. "Why were they after you?" he asked, referring to the guards.
"To be honest, I don't even know where I am or how I came to be here." she replied with a look of innocence. "The last thing I remember was waking up in a beach and being captured by strange men. And before that, being at home in Thanatos." she continued, staring into the distance in recollection. "Where are we anyway?" she asked no one in particular. "But then again, I don't think I can go back to Thanatos even if I knew where we are." a pained look spread across her face which was quickly replaced by a look of deep sadness. Then she sighed in resignation.
Jahanara though it wiser to probably forget her old life and start a new one. Though she knew it was never a good idea to trust people right away, in this moment in time, she was alone and had no choice. This young man and his servant will have to extend their helping hands a little bit longer now.
"If you could please, I have nowhere to go. Maybe you need a maid or companion, good sir?" she pleaded with doleful eyes. "I would be forever in your debt."
Thanatos? She's far from home. What could possibly be the reason why she was wanted here in Essyrn? Dahl thought to himself. He tended to err on the side of caution, and thought the woman, despite her aura of innocence, was quite suspicious. The fact was Dahl did not trust her, but did not see her as a threat--yet. His master, on the other hand, always wanted to see the good in people, so he was not surprised by Vanadis' reaction.
Vanadis held a straight face for a moment, analyzing the situation. "I don't need a maid or a companion" he said coldly with a stern face. He then extended his arm and cracked a slight smirk before saying, "However, I could always use a friend." Clearly this girl was in trouble, he thought, and he felt guilty for getting ready to do business with the merchant whose men chased the girl.
"Oh, thank you, kind sir." her somber face broke out into a smile. "Err..." she laughed. "I'm sorry. I don't even know your name." looking inquiringly at the boy and sparing a similar glance at his companion. "I'm--"
She was about to say her real name when caution stopped her. Though the details were a little hazy, she recalled some scenes that suggested that she was a very wanted person back home. It would not do to reveal her true identity. At least, not until she can ascertain the trustworthiness of her new acquaintances.
"I am Czer" she uttered as the words were whispered in her head. She did not like the name much. It was a strange name and how her brain managed to come up with that was puzzling. But it wasn't really the time to be thinking about that. It would serve.
She smiled at them waiting for their response.
Dahl noticed the slight hesitation before the girl gave her name, but he ignored it. "My apologies, it's a pleasure to meet you, Czer" Vanadis said politely, "My name is Vanadis Duval, lord of House Duval. This here is my scribe, Dahl." Dahl exchanged a quick smile with the girl before stepping out into the street leading to a residential part of the city.
"Let's get you a bath and some nice clothes" Dahl told the girl, noticing how suspicious she looked juxtaposed with the noble and his loyal servant. "We should be safe from those men now that we are in public" he continued, "they wouldn't dare cause an international dilemma." Vanadis nodded as he followed Dahl and beckoned the girl to join them.
"A bath sounds like heaven! Thank you!" Jahanara rejoiced, eager to be rid of the layers of dust, sweat, and whatever else that coated her skin and clothes. She was also glad because for all that time, she had also been quite self-conscious about her disheveled state in the presence of what she thought must be a noble man (which Vanadis now clearly was). She also was excited about the prospect of having new clothes, these most definitely exotic and local. Looking about her now, she admired how intricately stylish and elegant the clothing of the people was and wanted very much to see such a style on herself. She thought she would look quite good in such. This was indeed a pleasant distraction to the direness of her current circumstance that she decided to just give in and enjoy the little gifts of this moment. Worry about the future when it comes, she decided.
The boy beckoned to her to come and she followed. "I thank you again for your generosity, Lord Duval. I hope in the future I may repay you for this."
"Take her around the market and back to the house" Vanadis ordered Dahl. He felt bad for continually telling the girl what to do, but also would feel more at ease if the girl was in a state of comfort before finding out more about her and her situation--and more importantly to see if she is a threat.
"We are staying at an Essyrni merchant's manor for the duration of our trip here" Dahl clarified to the girl he knew as Czer. "We'll take a quick stroll through the market before heading there" he continued, "feel free to pick up anything you'd like--we'll take care of the money." Dahl said the latter part reluctantly, but did not want to undermine Vanadis' authority by not reciprocating his generosity.
"I'll meet up with you and Czer at the manor; I want to do some sightseeing by myself" Vanadis said as he began walking away from the two. In truth, he wanted to begin his investigation into the woman's situation. She was definitely hiding something, he thought, but still did not seem like a bad person.
Perhaps Dahl should've accompanied me. His servant was far superior in the realm of politics, and often only revealed information about business prospects that were deemed necessary. The name of the merchant Dahl had given to Vanadis was Umar Kathir, however Vanadis suspected that this was just an alias.
I should ask nearby innkeepers what they know. He was pessimistic about the amount of information he'd actually get, but figured Dahl naturally would be interrogating citizens as well and receiving a greater wealth of information than him.
So she was in Essyrn. The boy mentioned that was where they were. And if she remembered correctly, Essyrn was a merchant city. It was a jewel of the desert and it was found all the way south. She must have been travelling for days but did not know it. Recently, it seems she had been experiencing hours and even days of black outs where she would wake up with no recollection of what had happened and what she had been doing. As far as she can remember, this started happening after that fateful event.
"No... it can't be that..." shaking her head at herself. No, it was simply impossible. She dismissed the thought even before she could complete it. It was simply absurd. Right now, she had more important troubles-- things far too real to even begin considering mystical explanations for the unknown. Right now she must focus on this special experience. It was not everyday she could go shopping in a place such as this and definitely not everyday that she could spend someone else's money.
The market of this city was huge. It was rows and rows of open air stalls that Jahanara could swear she'd get lost if she wasn't careful. All kinds of wares and services were being peddled from the most mundane to the most exotic. There were shops that sold jewels and other trinkets, another that sold colorful liquids in varied bejeweled containers, another belonged to entertainers for hire, and another that was filled with pets of different sizes and shapes. Dahl and Jahanara stopped in-front of a stall lined with fabrics on either side with only a small gap in the middle that acted like a doorway into the shop. Inside were more fabrics and some mannequins with skirts, tops, turbans, and tunics, and shelves of various footwear. Jahanara's eyes widened at the beautiful selection of dresses. One in particular caught her eyes. A dress of turquoise and black.
"Oh how lovely!" She exclaimed, taking it off the rack.
"Come this way and we'll try it on you." the shopkeeper directed her.
She followed her deeper into the shop, to a cubicle with a curtain to shield her. The shopkeeper left her there and she dressed quickly. Having done so, she stepped out of the cubicle to admire her reflection amongst the many golden accessories and jewels that lined the way to the changing room.
She was admiring herself though her reflection on a black crystal when her own reflection smirked at her. That caught her offguard and she fell backwards. As she was rubbing her back, she heard a laughter coming from the direction of the gem. Pain forgotten, she got up and moved closer. "Who are you?" she asked the reflection. "What are you?" she added.
"And so we finally meet. Though I was hopping to enjoy your body without your knowledge a little longer." Her face on the obsidian stone said.
"What do you mean?" she began when it finally dawned on her. "You're that demon!"
"One that you summoned to rid yourself of your father's murderer. You're welcome!"
She was about to reply to the demon when the shopkeeper returned, cutting their conversation.
"Are you finished, my lady?" the shopkeeper asked her.
Jahanara quickly grabbed the gem and smiled at the shopkeeper. "I'll take this dress and this gem."
The shopkeeper had a puzzled look on his face at the sight of the gem but then smiled anyway, bowed, and said, "Of course, my lady."
A thousand questions swam in Jahanara's mind as she and Dahl left the shop but she shall have to wait until she was alone to be able to do anything about them. Presently though...
"Thank you so much for buying me these things. Where are we headed now, Dahl?"
"You have many wonderful articles of clothing here" Dahl said to the shopkeeper as she left Czer to try on the dress. "I wonder how many wealthy merchants have wandered into your shop." He thought he could dig for some information while the girl was preoccupied. After all, Dahl knew very little about Essyrn, and even less so of the merchant he and Vanadis were scheduled to meet.
"Oh several have. Essyrni men and women have quite refined taste." She smiled at Dahl as she tidied up a rack.
"Really" Dahl said with some intrigue, "has an Umar Kathir presented himself recently, perhaps?" The woman looked at him with a puzzled expression before replying. "I'm sorry, I have never even heard that name." She paused momentarily, as if she had an epiphany and turned to face Dahl. "I should go check on your slave" she said as she walked back towards Czer's location.
Slave? Dahl arched his eyebrow as he understood that's how the pair looked like considering how they were dressed. Even so, he couldn't help but wonder if that's what she truly was after all
"It is our pleasure" Dahl said with a smile as Czer returned. At least she is polite. Dahl was wary of the girl as she was still a big mystery, however it was his master's wish to provide her with some comfort, so he had no choice but to oblige. "Let's head to the manor and ready you a bath and a meal." Dahl extended his hand to offer to carry both items that the girl purchased. "I'm sure Lord Duval is waiting for us."
Elsewhere in the city, Vanadis wandered around asking whomever he could see if they knew anything about Umar Kathir. However, the answer was always the same. "I'm sorry but I have never heard of the man" with an apologetic face. Tired of his lack of success, Vanadis retreated to a nearby tavern dubbed The Silver Serpent.
As he ordered coffee, the innkeeper noticed the face of the boy who was deep in thought. "You seem troubled" he said as he cleaned a glass. Vanadis looked straight at the innkeeper. He seemed too old to be running a tavern, but healthy and fit enough to do so. Maybe he knew something the other Essyrni people did not. "Tell me" Vanadis began as he ignored the concern of the innkeeper, "do you know a man named Umar Kathir?"
The innkeeper tilted his head as he stopped cleaning the glass. "Sure, but he has been dead for a couple of decades. He had no heir so his dying wish was to donate his wealth to a hospital. Why the interest in this man?" Vanadis stood up without finishing his coffee, confused by this revelation. "Thank you" he said to the man as he dropped a few coins onto the table and returned to the street as he made his way to the manor.
Jahanara and Dahl got back to their mansion before Vanadis did. She was shown to her room-- a small apartment compared to her rooms in her father's place, however many times more luxurious than what she had been residing in for the past few weeks (or months). There was a canopied bed that dominated one wall with floor to ceiling windows occupying another. Outside of that could be seen a small terrace with a potted date tree to one side and a metal garden set opposite that. It was the perfect place to lounge under the starry sky. Perhaps, tonight she just might do that.
Through a small archway was an adjoining private bath that boasted of a bathing pool that could probably seat four people all at once. Jahanara was quite impressed with this and also quite curious as to how long it will probably take to fill it up.
One of the servant girls went to open the curtains, another prepared her bed, while the most senior of the lot was beside the door directing a pair of boys that were carrying in buckets of warm water. Then the one who had opened the windows rifled through a drawer and took out what looked like a towel, comb, and a bar of soap. The old servant now came to Jahanara's side and said, "This is Bailu. She will be assisting you in your bath."
Despite having a nobleman for a father, she had always done her washing by herself and thus felt awkward that another human being was told to wash her body for her. "Thank you.But I can do that well enough on my own." she replied.
"No my lady. You are a guest of the Lord Duval. You must permit us to serve you." she responded with dignity. "I will not have it said that the house I serve cannot pamper their guests right.
She was a stubborn old woman so it took her way longer than the boys could fill her bath for her to convince the old servant that letting her wash herself would not in any way be an insult to her, to herself, or to their lord and master.
With a sigh of relief, she finally closed the door to the last exiting servant and with great pleasure disrobed and gingerly planted herself into the foamy bath water. Lying back against the side of the pool, she thought hard about what could have happened to her yet nothing new surfaced from her memories. She thought also of the reflection she saw in the onyx gem and decided that it was time to have some answers. She looked around and saw the gem lying on top of her new clothes on the drawers in the corner. She got up and tiptoed to get the gem. She then tiptoed back to her place and sat back down. Now comfortably seated, she looked hard at her reflection in the gem and demanded, "Who are you?"
Silence
Again she demanded the same question but this time with a more imperious tone. "Who are you?"
It was then that the reflection of her face began to cry. "How mean of you to speak to me like that." it sobbed.
Alarmed at the display, Jahanara apologized. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."
But then the reflection laughed. "This is exactly why you need me in this world, my dear." the reflection spoke. But then it became a little blurry and the reflection morphed into the face of a man. "If it weren't for me, you'd be a legally bound sex slave to the most lascivious man on this planet. And I dare say he can very well rival me." He laughed out loud at that.
Jahanara shushed him, afraid that they would be heard.
"Relax,landlady. Only you can see me."
"Landlady?" she asked with a puzzled look.
He simply gestured towards her body with his eyes.
Jahanara instinctively covered her breasts in shame.
"Pfft... ain't nothing I haven't seen before, sweetness."
"Who are you? And what do you mean?"
The man in the jewel stepped back to reveal himself from the waist up and made a courteous bow. "That's how you humans introduce yourselves, isn't it? I am Czernobog, previously resident of the dark realm. It is thanks to you, my pretty, that I can now roam free in your world."
Jahanara gasped. "A demon! Oh no!" she stood in alarm and paced about the room, thinking. But then she turned back to the jewel and demanded again, "How do you go back? Leave me! Go away!"
"I'm afraid I would not tell you even if there was a way." he began with a haughty air. "and besides, how will you keep your neck on your shoulders without me?"
"What..."
And here Czernobog showed her a vision of what had happened. Of how she murdered the noble who was to become her husband.
Her left hand flew to her mouth. "No!" and tears began to fall as she saw guards chasing her. She was now a wanted criminal. Then the vision changed. It was now an image of the boy from this afternoon. Of him asking around about her. Jahanara's spirit fell. Of course his generosity is too good to be true. If he finds out what she had done, he will most likely hand her over to the authorities and she will be beheaded.
"You need me." came the male's voice again.
Jahanara slumped to the floor in defeat. "What do I do?"
"Just sleep."
Now here Jahanara laughed. "With what you just told me, how do you expect me to sleep?"
Czernobog shrugged. "Wine had always worked."
But their conversation was cut off by a knock on the door.
The color left Dahl's cheeks. Demon? Dahl did not understand who Czer could be talking to as he overheard her seemingly one sided conversation outside the door to the bath. He wanted to alert her of the meal that was prepared for her, but was now worrying about what dangers he could have possibly allowed into the manor. He hesitated before knocking on the door. Perhaps I misheard. Although Dahl was always cautious of possibly threats, he had grown to like the woman and wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt.
Dahl knocked on the bronze door three times in quick succession. "Your meal is ready, hurry on out before it gets cold." Dahl sat on the lofty bed in the adjacent room, as he was to escort Czer to dinner. Although he insisted he wasn't sure of what he heard, he couldn't shake the troublesome feeling in his chest, and how worried he was for Vanadis.
Elsewhere in the manor, Vanadis was greeted by a young servant. "Master Khadgar will be here shortly" she said with a smile as she clumsily moved the several black strands of hair covering her hazel eyes. "He has been eager for your return." Vanadis nodded with a straight face as he tied his hair into a pony tail, causing the girl to slightly blush.
Khadgar, as he went by mononymously, an intriguing man. Having no wives or children, he devoted his life to studying fire magic, creating a business, and being an active figure in Essyrni politics. He was a short and stocky man, standing just 5'5", with graying and receding hair covering his bronze head. Uneven stubble covered his face, where it was darker and more prevalent underneath his jaw, and he wore circular spectacles with strong lenses that, to someone standing in front of him, made his eyes appear to be larger than they actually were.
"Greetings, my boy" Khadgar said as he entered the room with a gentle smile and soft tone. "You look troubled." Although Essryni people were not fond of foreigners, Khadgar cherished the boy a lot. He had known Vanadis' father and became good friends with him. Although Vanadis personality wise was very different from his father, appearance wise he was a spitting image of him. In addition to Vanadis' resemblance to his father, Khadgar cherished the boy as having an Adelan noble stay at his manor would be quite the power play in Essyrni politics.
"I need your help." Vanadis explained what the innkeeper had told him about the real Umar Kathir. "What I don't understand is how this could go by so many people."
"Money is more powerful than magic" Khadgar replied as he plopped himself on a crimson chair embroidered in gold. "I did not even know the original, perhaps any official records of him were erased and those who were close to him were paid to keep quiet." Vanadis sat down in a similar chair to the right of Khadgar. The room they were now in was small but cozy. Two mahogany bookcases stood against the wall behind Khadgar as a stone fireplace that was not currently being used was in front of him. A rug depicting a battle between dragons covered the ground beneath them. "Regardless of how he maintained his facade, the man must be quite wealthy--and dangerous. Now tell me about the mysterious girl your servant brought here."
Vanadis nodded before he explained the situation. Khadgar grunted upon hearing the story so far. "You need to be more careful here, you are still a foreigner." Khadgar stood up to reach for a small book of poems. "Do you think she is dangerous?"
Vanadis remained silent as he sat back and relaxed, more worried about the false merchant than the mysterious girl.
"I'll be right there!" she answered loudly then turned to dress herself, tucking the jewel between her breasts. She did not dare risk losing this important gem. She was irritated that her conversation was interrupted but there was no helping it now. Hopefully, she can continue it later. Either that or do as she was directed-- get herself drunk and see what miracle this demon can pull to make sure they stay alive.
A few minutes later, she was dressed and walked out into the room where Dahl was waiting.
"I'm here. Thanks for waiting" she smiled at him.
Dahl did not say anything or move his face as he looked at the ground. "Follow me" he ordered as he continued out of the room and to a stone, spiral staircase. Dahl led her to a room with a long dining table and windows overlooking the garden. The walls were maroon and contained several paintings created by foreign artists. Khadgar was sitting at one end of the table with Vanadis sitting adjacent to him, who was currently out of the robes he had on earlier and in much more casual clothing--his typical black jacket and red scarf.
"Ah Czer you look lovey" Vanadis said to the girl as he beckoned her to sit down across from him.
"Good evening, my lords." she greeted Vanadis with a warm smile, and the other man with a slight curtsy and addressing that man now, "My lord, I thank you for your hospitality." she said. Then she took the seat pointed out to her by the younger lord.
The table was filled with such concoctions of various colors and textures that Jahanara was quite puzzled which were edible and which we not. Nevertheless, her mouth started to wet as delicious aromas filled her nostrils. She looked longingly at a bird roasted to golden brown, with roasted vegetables all around it and stuffed into it. The bird was foreign to her but still it looked very inviting. But she schooled her expression because it was not at all lady-like to behave like a starved slave; and she still had her pride despite living like a slave for the past few... she had no idea how long exactly.
Then a servant came beside her. Curtsied and poured a red liquid into the goblet at her right.
"That's it!" she heard that voice echo in her head, the onyx orb warming between her breasts.
She thanked the servant and took a sip. Indeed it was wine. She remembered what the voice had said to her. It told her to get drunk, pass out, and let the demon take over for her.
Jahanara stared meditatively at the goblet filled with more than just wine.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Czer; my name is Khadgar" he said as he rested his chin against his clasped hands. "Vanadis told me all about your little adventure." He watched the girl as she took a sip from the goblet, a vintage imported wine from Adela. Khadgar himself refrained from eating, as he traditional only did so after his guests have finished as a sign of respect.
"I found out more about your captor" Vanadis blurted out as he took a bite out of a shrimp. Dahl's eyes widened and brows rose as he looked at Vanadis, who was still looking at his food. "He is using a dead man's identity." He stopped again to take another bite and wipe his mouth before setting the light red napkin he used beside his plate. "Do you have any idea who the real person could be?" This time, Vanadis sat forward and looked straight at Czer with a blank expression. There were many unknowns, however Vanadis had no choice but to act according to what information he would be given in order to bring the fake merchant to justice.
Jahanara took a moment before she realized it was her that was being addressed but had enough wit to cover up her little mistake. "I'm sorry. I was admiring the table that I didn't realize... No, I'm afraid I don't really know much about who had captured me." and here she though it best to say as little as possible. As they say, the less said, the less mistakes. Instead she decided to take a small sip of the wine.
It was far different than the wines of her nation. Definitely more aromatic and quite unusual to what her own palate is used to. Despite not really liking the flavor, she took a larger sip and smiled at her hosts. "My compliments. It is exquisite." and took another sip. Hopefully, this stuff was stronger and it will not much for her to accomplish her mission.
"I see" Vanadis said as he reclined into the lavish chair. The room grew nearly silent, as only the sounds of chewing and sipping were audible amongst the backdrop of the whispers from the leaves outside. A few moments later, the servant girl who had greeted Vanadis earlier entered the hall and headed for Khadgar, whispering delicately into his ear.
"Excuse me" Khadgar said with a smile as he got up in a hurry, following the servant girl. Vanadis nodded in response as he stared at the food on the table.
Jahanara's head felt fuzzy, her eyes grew heavy, until she felt a presence pushing her back into the recesses of her mind.
***
"You have a very interesting friend indeed." Czer crooned. "He must be a very important man if he has the privilege to house a noble such as yourself, milord." she took another sip of her wine at the end of that sentence and licked her lips very slowly as to make a show of it.
Vanadis leaned in and stared at Czer. "Important to whom?" He did not break eye contact as he sat still and watched the woman as she drank. "That is entirely subjective. Some might say you're quite important too, given our brief history together." He adopted a more interrogative tone as Dahl sat patiently looking down at his food and playing with his thumbs. He was still worried about what he overheard, and was beginning to feel more tense in the room.
Outside the dining hall, the sounds of footsteps and whispers that often cluttered the manor were absent. Only the soft breeze from outside was noticeably audible.
"Oh? AM I important?" she said, crossing her legs and leaning forward, resting her chin the palm of her right hand. "I dare say I like the idea of being important to you, milord." she added, snaking the most charming smile she had, her eyes twinkling.
She giggled at seeing him play with his thumb. "Tell me, milord, what brings you to such a place as this?"
Dahl's hands shook slightly as his chest compressed and he blushed nervously. He did not understand fully Czer's mild flirting, but still reacted as a boy would. Combined with his anxiety over what he had overheard earlier, he felt very uneasy.
Vanadis, on the other hand, maintained his calm, stern composure. He was intrigued by the change in attitude by the girl, from shy and grateful to confident and flirtatious. "Are you important to me? That remains to be seen." He maintained direct eye contact, rarely blinking, the entire time. Vanadis reclined against his chair as he relaxed his jaw against his hand that was being propped up by the armrest. "Business, trade partners, a lot of boring stuff" Vanadis said earnestly, not knowing nearly as much as Dahl on this subject. "I'm much more interested in why you're here, though."
"Then I am afraid I cannot tell you much, milord." she said before taking a piece of shellfish from a tray and sucking it out. "I am but an innocent girl from a foreign country who found herself suddenly in dire straights. I tried to run from my captors and fell into your greatness." she gave him a slight bow with just her head. "I am a lucky girl indeed to have found such a gallant nobleman." she smiled at him.
"A foreign country you say?" Vanadis replied while ignoring the flattery. "Tell me about it, and your family. What are you parents like?" Vanadis leaned against the table before him with his arms crossed, as he began to start feeling suspicious.
Dahl rose up from his chair and proceeded to the double doors they had entered the room from. Candlelight seeped through the slight opening, however he shut the door completely and locked it, hoping that this private conversation may remain private.
Czernobog felt rather than actually see the taller man lock the door. Inside him, he felt the girl's panic heightening but he did not let this influence him. He continued smiling at the young lord as if nothing was a-miss.
"I am nothing and I am nobody, my lord. Just a poor Thanati girl in need of help. That being said, I can be anyone you please."