by Ian Gregoire
Once the Sanatsai instructor exited the privy, closing the door behind her, Kayden turned away and stared blankly at the four empty cubicles. She barely noticed the Zarantar emanating from the pit deep beneath the outhouse, where human waste was instantly incinerated into vapour and ash. That Master Briselda felt so comfortable speaking to her with such blatant disrespect caused her to think back to events in the communal hall a few days ago. It was ever more clear now that the lack of respect people had for her was directly related to the favour she enjoyed from Fay. Simply being the best apprentice on campus wasn’t sufficient as long as her critics perceived her as the administrator’s pet, worthy of their disrespect. Neryssa had said there was nothing Kayden could do to make anyone respect her, and at the time she had agreed. But it wasn’t true. She could compel people to give her the respect she was rightfully due. All she had to do was step out of Fay’s shadow, and the avenue to achieve that objective had been presented to her earlier in the week.
In that moment, Kayden resolved to grab the opportunity with both hands. She had a week in which to devise a viable plan of action, and when she successfully executed it no one anywhere in the Nine Kingdoms would ever be able to disrespect her again.
Kayden completed her sanitation job without incident shortly before midday. She returned to her dorm room and peeled off her grubby uniform. Wasting little time, she wrapped herself in a bathrobe and promptly returned to the bathhouse to freshen up. After a lengthy soak in the hot tub she went back to her dorm, put on a clean uniform and made her way to the mess hall for a late lunch that she ate alone. For the rest of the afternoon Master Briselda gave her a series of menial tasks around campus. Each job entailed nothing more challenging than lifting, cleaning, repairing, carrying, packing or counting something, so she did as instructed without complaint. Fortunately, Briselda refrained from any provocative words or actions. Presumably, the crabby woman knew better than to push her luck further after Kayden’s less than subtle threat earlier, though the disdainful look never left her face.
Shortly after the clock sounded the arrival of Seventeenth Hour, Kayden began the task of loading sacks full of dirty laundry onto carts to be transported to Timaris for washing. She was both grateful and amused that the riders of the four horse-drawn carts had insisted on steering their wagons onto campus grounds and pulling up outside the storage building, in spite of Master Briselda’s objections. They even chose to help loading up the carts.
Tossing another sack into the back of a cart, Kayden suddenly wondered how the campus managed to get through so many bedsheets, towels, uniforms, and whatever else was in the sacks during the course of a single week. She quickly shook the thought from her mind, ready to get another sack of laundry. As she was about to head back into the storage building to grab another load, she caught sight of Neryssa and Lazar. The two level nine apprentices were standing outside the library, conversing.
Eyes narrowing, Kayden wondered what the pair could be talking about: they may be classmates, but they were by no means close friends. Nonetheless, whatever it was they were discussing clearly had Neryssa excited. Kayden continued to stare at them until Neryssa caught sight of her and waved, prompting Lazar to look in her direction, too. His expression shifted abruptly before he averted his gaze. He said something to Neryssa then departed quickly from the scene.
Nothing suspicious about that, thought Kayden.
Curiosity piqued, she decided it was necessary to ask her friend about the nature of the conversation she’d just witnessed. If Lazar had been blabbing about their sexual shenanigans… “Mr. Torris,” she said, gaining the attention of one of the wagon drivers. “I need to have a word with my colleague over there. I won’t be long.”
The tall, burly man mumbled his assent, and she strolled towards the library.
“Don’t tell me Sinton was right,” said Neryssa when Kayden joined her. “You’re really doing the work of the grounds staff just to prove that being Master Fay’s favourite apprentice doesn’t exempt you from hard work?”
“No, actually!” Kayden dismissed the question to change the subject. “So, what were you and Lazar just talking about? I hope I didn’t interrupt something.”
Neryssa’s face lit up like a child who’d just been given a gift. She replied, “Oh, Lazar invited me to come with him to see Petro Serendini performing in Timaris tonight.”
“What?”
“I know!” said Neryssa, beaming. “Can you believe I’m actually going to see the most renowned troubadour in the Nine Kingdoms, performing in little old Timaris?”
“You said yes?”
“Of course I did.” Neryssa looked at Kayden as though she had asked the most ridiculous question imaginable. “What are the odds that a famous troubadour will ever again visit a small town like Timaris while touring?” she asked. “I’m just glad whomever it was Lazar bought that second ticket for let him down. If only she knew what a wonderful surprise he had planned for her; maybe she would have waited until tomorrow before ending their courtship.”
Wait a moment, thought Kayden. Had Lazar acquired tickets to see Petro Serendini, hoping to take her out for an evening of folk music performed by the much heralded Shintanese troubadour? An evening he no doubt intended to be followed by a visit to Delmara Inn, for a night spent in bed getting hot, breathless, and sweaty.
“Oh well,” said Neryssa, a happy smile curling her lips. “Whoever she is, her loss is my gain.” She rubbed her hands together, theatrically.
An image of her friend naked in bed with Lazar flashed through Kayden’s mind. He had Neryssa on her hands and knees, his hands gripping her hips as he thrust himself vigorously into her from behind.
“You’re not going to lay with him?” blurted Kayden, wide-eyed, imagining Neryssa crying out in ecstasy.
Frowning, Neryssa replied, “With Petro Serendini?”
“No, you idiot; with Lazar.”
“Kayden!” Neryssa was visibly affronted, and sounded it, too. “How easy do you think I am? I’m not going to lay down with Lazar just because he has a spare ticket to see Petro Serendini. I can’t believe you think so little of me.”
For a moment Kayden was silent, lowering her eyes to the ground. “I didn’t mean to offend you, Neryssa,” she said. “It’s just that…” She looked up at her friend. “I don’t want to see him using you in a futile effort to make someone else jealous.”
“What are you talking about? Why would Lazar want to do that?”
Kayden mulled over the question, trying to think of an answer that didn’t involve admitting she and Lazar had been secret lovers for several months. “Think about it, Neryssa,” she said, finally. “You said yourself he planned to take someone else to see Serendini perform this evening. Someone you should assume he was having intimate relations with. It would be just like him to make a public display of seducing you, hoping that laying with you will make the other person so jealous of his new conquest that she goes crawling back to him.”
“But, why me?” asked Neryssa. The earnest look upon her face suggested she considered the accusation to be plausible. “If that really is Lazar’s intent, don’t you think he would choose someone else? There are better looking women than me on campus. I’m sure some of them would happily lay with him, even knowing it was just to make another woman jealous. So, why waste time pursuing me?”
Because you’re my friend, and those other women are not. Kayden didn’t give voice to the thought.
“Anyway,” continued Neryssa. “When Lazar asked if I would be interested in his spare ticket I didn’t get the impression he had ulterior motives. I think you’re reading too much into it. Besides, like I said, I’m not easy.”
Maybe Neryssa’s right, thought Kayden. Perhaps she was reading too much into Lazar’s actions. In any case, why should she care who he was laying with? It was none of her business at the end of the day. Though not entirely reassured that his intentions were innocent, she elected to drop the matter, informing Neryssa that s
he had to get back to her chores. Before departing, she rebuffed an invitation to hang out in the communal hall later, but agreed to meet Neryssa outside the mess hall at Nineteenth Hour.
The campus clock chimed the arrival of Nineteenth Hour, and the beginning of dinner. Kayden gladly ceased what she was doing, still aggrieved she had been made to clean Master Briselda’s living quarters in the women’s staff residential building in the first place. That the crabby woman was exploiting her labour for personal gain was bad enough, but witnessing the relative luxury in which the campus instructors lived compared to the apprentices made it all the more galling. At least she could take comfort in the realisation that the past half-hour spent cleaning Briselda’s quarters probably meant the stupid woman was running out of tasks to give her. Tomorrow promised to be a much less strenuous day.
Vacating Briselda’s quarters, Kayden figuratively gave herself a pat on the back for resisting the temptation to trash the place. She hurriedly left the building, setting a course for the mess hall to meet Neryssa. As she walked by the women’s dormitory her pace slowed. For a moment she wondered if it was worth her while to pay another visit to the bathhouse before sitting down to eat. She decided it wasn’t. Officially she was expected to be at Master Briselda’s disposal until midnight, and the old bag had already assigned her to stable duty after the evening meal, so it was a given she’d be getting grubbier and smellier than she was at present before the night was through. Resuming her swift pace, she continued towards the mess hall where she caught sight of Neryssa waiting outside. Her friend wasn’t alone. Standing with her was Lazar. The pair were talking, and appeared to be sharing a humorous moment.
Once more Kayden slowed down. She frowned, wondering about the nature of the exchange between them. Surely Neryssa hadn’t invited Lazar to eat with them? He had his own circle of friends with whom he could sit down and have dinner. The prospect of Lazar sitting across from her, rubbing her nose in the fact he was taking her friend out for the evening—no doubt intending to take advantage of the later curfew to lay with Neryssa—was not a welcome one. Noticing that her fists were suddenly clenched, Kayden flexed her fingers, unable to understand why the thought of Lazar in bed with another woman bothered her so much. She continued to stare at the pair until Lazar finally noticed her approach. He quickly looked away to say something to Neryssa before disappearing into the mess hall.
“Yanina and Sinton are saving seats for us inside,” said Neryssa once Kayden joined her. “We’re always having to wait on you.” She shook her head in indignation, though the smile on her face said she wasn’t really annoyed at all.
“Well, I just wanted to let you know not to wait for me.” The words came unbidden, taking Kayden by surprise. “I need to go to the bathhouse, so you should start eating without me. I’ll try not to be too long.”
“You’re really taking the volunteering for Master Briselda seriously.” Neryssa scrutinised her intently. “You know you don’t have to do it, right? You’re already one of the hardest working apprentices on campus.”
“I do what I must,” Kayden replied with a sigh. “Now go inside, your food is getting cold. I will see you later.”
Before stepping away to enter the mess hall, Neryssa mentioned that if she was gone by the time Kayden returned, it would mean she was already on her way to Timaris with Lazar. If that proved to be the case, she would meet Kayden for breakfast the next morning—assuming Kayden wasn’t still slaving away for Master Briselda.
Now that she was alone, Kayden wondered what to do with herself. Though she had offered the excuse of needing to use the bathhouse, she had no intention of going there until much later, when it was time for her pre-bedtime wash. In the interim she had to do something to avoid returning to the mess hall too early. She couldn’t stomach the idea of seeing Neryssa and Lazar leaving campus together, hand-in-hand, on their way to Timaris.
A two-man roaming patrol breezed past Kayden, marching southward. Staring after them, she pondered whether she should follow them as far as the communal hall, where she could seek refuge until she was sure there was no chance of her bumping into Neryssa and Lazar before they had left the grounds together. She quickly dismissed the idea. It was possible the pair wouldn’t head to Timaris immediately after eating. What if they decided to lounge in the communal hall for a while before leaving?
With a resigned sigh, Kayden started walking to the stables. She decided she would ask Ruso, the head stableman, if she could begin her duties an hour early, allowing her to finish early and still have time for dinner before the mess hall closed its doors for the night.
Kayden left the tack room once it was tidied, and ambled across the stables to sit down on a bale of hay. Inhaling the scent of fresh hay mingled with the equine musk of the stables’ four-legged inhabitants, she stared out towards the south entrance of the campus through the wide-open doors, waiting for Ruso to join her. The head stableman had promised to let her leave after cleaning the tack room if she agreed to narrate how she successfully completed the ‘capture the box’ exercise two years ago. He had become curious about it after this year’s current iteration of the exercise, which had taken place the previous week, had yet again ended in failure for all the level seven apprentices. She gladly accepted the proposal. Her completion of the assignment was a source of pride, despite some of the underhanded steps she had taken, and opportunities to brag about her accomplishment were few and far between. Very few people had ever asked her about it.
Outside the stables Lazar walked into view, halting midway between the communal hall and the south entrance. Though there were a handful of other apprentices loitering in the vicinity, there was no sign of Neryssa with him. Lazar stood alone, hands in his pockets as a gentle breeze fluttered his cloak. Several thoughts ran through Kayden’s mind: this was likely her last chance to confront Lazar about his intentions towards Neryssa. If she was going to warn him away from her friend, now was the time.
Ruso slumped down beside Kayden on the bale of hay, taking her by surprise. “So, tell me about the famous night two years ago,” he said. “I remember hearing many outlandish theories in the days after the event, but I assume I never heard the true story. All I know is that the exercise was instituted a quarter of a century ago, and devised in such a way as to make it impossible to accomplish.”
Glancing back in Lazar’s direction, Kayden said, “All right, but you’ll have to make do with a somewhat expurgated account of what happened—certain details I cannot divulge. First, I need to speak with my colleague over there.” Without waiting for agreement, she rose to feet and marched swiftly out of the stables towards ‘Pretty Boy’ Lazar. He spotted her approach before she reached him but remained unfazed by her appearance.
“What do you think you’re playing at?” said Kayden.
Lazar looked bemused. “I’m waiting for Neryssa,” he replied, haltingly. “She noticed an insignificant gravy stain on her tabard and insisted on changing into a clean uniform.” Rolling his eyes he added, “Sometimes you women like to make mountains out of molehills.”
“Don’t act dumb with me. You know what I’m talking about.” Kayden fought the urge to raise her voice, speaking in a hushed tone to avoid being overheard. “If you think laying down with one of my friends is going to make me jealous and come crawling back to you…”
The expression on Lazar’s face changed, gradually. It was as though the mist of his confusion was slowly burned away by the rising sun of an unexpected revelation. A smile tugged the corners of his mouth. He had the triumphant look of a man who couldn’t quite believe he had just defied the odds. “Ah! So you’re saying you’re not jealous that Neryssa will be enjoying the pleasure of my company tonight,” he drawled, sounding altogether too pleased with himself, “as we listen to the melodious crooning of the finest troubadour in the Nine Kingdoms?” He raised his eyebrows suggestively, adding, “And whatever may occur afterwards.”
“Of course I’m not jealous! I couldn’t care le
ss what you do with your worthless life,” said Kayden. “But you and I both know that it’s me you want to be taking out this evening, and it’s me you want to be laying with tonight, so don’t think I’m going to let you get away with using my friend—just to discard her like a dirty rag, once you finally get it into your thick head that I don’t want you.”
Looking smug, Lazar raised a hand to casually stroke his chin in a gesture of faux contemplation. “Hmmm! I’ve never looked at Neryssa in that way before,” he mused, staring up at the sky. “But now that you mention it, she’s not a bad looking woman. I certainly wouldn’t kick her out of bed.” He brought his gaze back to Kayden. “And I’m sure you’ll agree she’d have a great time in bed with me.”
Inside her boots, Kayden’s toes clenched, while her hands clenched into fists at her side. She focussed on keeping her breathing steady until the urge to lash out subsided.
“Calm down, Kayden,” said Lazar in a breezy, placating tone. “I’m just teasing you.” The carefree smile on his face confirmed that he was just having some fun at her expense. “If it makes you feel better, Neryssa wasn’t the first person I offered my spare ticket to. In fact, she was the twenty-third. Who would have thought that most of the apprentices here are so uncultured they’d pass up the opportunity of a lifetime?”
Kayden said nothing. If Lazar had spoken truthfully then it was doubtful he was trying to make her jealous. Maybe now she could put the images of Neryssa laying with Lazar out of her mind.
“For the record, I don’t believe you when you say you’re not jealous,” said Lazar, intruding upon her thoughts. “So, if you have a problem with me taking Neryssa to the show this evening, now’s the time to let me know. I can tell her something has come up and I can’t go any more. But only if you admit the real reason for your objection: that you have feelings for me as I have for you.”
