“No, but I’ll notice if you leave with five, which would be if I’m lucky. I found these books.” Nakia tapped herself in the chest. Her books would vanish with Saniyah the second she left them unguarded.
Saniyah smiled at Nakia, bright and beautiful, a promise those books would be gone the second she left. She could not do anything about that. She needed to see her sisters and best friend. She gave Saniyah a hard look before walking off, which did nothing to change the smile on Saniyah’s face. Before Nakia left the library, she instructed a servant to go to her area and gather her books. If the servant acted fast enough, she would not have to spend tomorrow finding new pieces. With that out of the way, she rushed through the palace, not wanting to be late for her own lunch date.
Hurrying through her partially completed home, Nakia could not help taking in some of the art as she zipped by frescos and tapestries, depicting a multitude of stories, which she had learned to appreciate. There was a mix of religious stories from both Kairon and the Roshan. Her favorite, like much of the Empire, was the story of Ashni’s parents and it was told in several different areas across mediums.
Nakia patronized many different artists to tell her and Ashni’s story. Nakia worked hard to normalize their relationship in Kairon, to get Westerners used to seeing two women together, happy like any other couple, and doing things they were often told women could not do. There were plays, stories, and art of all types showing, promoting, and embracing same sex relationships. Beyond her own, Nakia patronized art throughout the territory depicting Roshan same sex couples’ love stories and adventures. There were no shortages of such tales and they were growing in popularity among people who did not quite fit in with Kairon’s strict society.
Nakia had to dodge many people in her mad dash. The palace was always a hive of activity. It did not help that it was still under construction, as was the city. This was home. Their western capital, but it actually used to be home even before it became home.
The city was once known as Phyllida, but Ashni changed the name for several reasons once it fell under her control. It was now Nakian, a reminder to the people of why it was still standing after the way their former king behaved toward the Roshan, especially toward Ashni. While Ashni never had plans to destroy the city, she could have, but she would rather give it to Nakia.
The gesture still made Nakia’s heart flutter. It reminded her of what Ashni’s mother told her when they met; Ashni would conquer the world and give it to Nakia as a gift. Ashni tried to rename all of Kairon after her, tried to gift the whole territory to her, but Nakia objected. That was too much.
“You made it,” Bashira said the moment Nakia stepped into the lush eastern garden. The smell of mint and mist greeted her. There were fountains to keep the area cool, but also made the whole place shine when the sunlight hit it properly. It was like walking into a place for the gods or great heroes.
Nakia smiled as she stepped close and greeted her dearest friend with a kiss on her cheek. “Of course I did. You didn’t even have to send someone to find me this time.”
Bashira scoffed. “Because my aunt was already headed to the library.” She looped her arm around Nakia’s and walked her to the lunch area.
“Nakia, we feared you forgot us!” Thia climbed to her feet, rising with all the elegance and grace of a queen, and her smile beamed at her younger sister.
“How could I? This is our first lunch with Saffi.” Nakia’s eyes fell to her other sister. She smiled so hard at Saffi it hurt her face but filled her heart with joy.
Saffi rose to her feet. She was not as graceful as Thia and did not stand with the same posture as Thia and Nakia. Her brown eyes sparkled, but the light was new and helped display age lines on her face. She seemed worn, older than Thia, even though Thia had a couple of years on her. Time with them should remedy that, or so Nakia had been told by others.
Saffi wore Roshan attire, like Nakia, which Nakia delighted in. She wanted her sisters to embrace her and her adopted culture. Saffi adorned herself in Roshan fashion for a similar reason to Nakia. She viewed the Roshan as her saviors. Ashni rescued her from her husband, Ferox, a wild man king who foolishly stood against Ashni and the Roshan.
Ferox put himself in Ashni’s line of fire first by aiding Dorian, Nakia’s father, and standing against Ashni. Then, he ran after she made a fool of him in battle. He probably thought he got away or she forgot about him as she conquered more of Kairon, but it was really that his kingdom was too far at first. That changed a year ago. Ashni’s army made it close enough to his land and also found a purpose for what most of Kairon thought was a wasteland. As it turned out, it was a great place for rice fields. That was enough for Ashni, who conquered it with glee, and was all too happy to defeat Ferox and his prized chariots. When it was all said and done, Ashni brought Saffi to Nakia, reuniting the sisters. It was slow going to build a relationship, more because Saffi had been through so much than anything else.
Saffi bowed her head to Nakia and Nakia grabbed her into a hug. “Please, we’re sisters. You have to stop bowing.”
“I’m sorry. This is still so incredible. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be able to see you both again,” Saffi said, her voice low. It was like that whenever she spoke, like she had been trained to whisper, like her voice did not matter. She glanced back between Nakia and Thia.
Thia smiled as she reached out, stroking Saffi’s cheek. “I’m happy for it. I worried over you.” She embraced Saffi and then pulled Nakia into the hug. “I worried for you as well. Our father didn’t do right by either of you.”
None of them could argue that. Saffi got the worst of it, though, which was probably their father’s intent. Saffi’s time with Ferox had not been kind and it turned out it was not even him. His other wives had tormented and tortured Saffi. Saffi had not opened up much about it, but it was clear she had been at the bottom tier with Ferox’s wives because she had not produced a child.
“Let’s eat.” Nakia motioned to their lunch set up.
Lunch was set up in a Roshan style, pillows for them around food trays on low tables. There was an umbrella shading them from the radiant sun. The spread was a mix of Roshan and Kairon foods, which Nakia always did when she set up for a meal. They settled on their pillows, all close to each other. Bashira sat by Nakia and Saffi sat on the other side of her. Thia was close to Saffi.
“How long will you be here, Thia?” Bashira asked. She was very familiar with Thia after moving to the West with Saniyah two years ago. Saniyah wanted to be close to her spouse and Bashira wanted to be with her aunts.
Thia studied the food for a moment. “I believe we’ll be here for the rest of the month. Wicus wants to discuss the trade routes and Ashni had a matter.”
“It’s probably the tribes across the river,” Nakia said. The tribes up north, across the Great River Reve, were giving Ashni, Adira, and Layla fits. Ashni did not even want to expand across the river. It was too cold for her liking, but the northerners did not know that. They raided towns and villages in Roshan territory, making pests of themselves. They needed to be stopped, but they were spread to the point Ashni wanted as many soldiers at her disposal as possible to take them out at roughly the same time.
“So, an invasion?” Thia arched an eyebrow.
Nakia shook her head. An invasion implied plans to stay. “Nothing of the sort. Just getting the tribes to stay on their side of the river.”
Thia let loose a delicate snort. “We all know they won’t stay on their side. They want all of the new, shiny goods in Kairon.”
Bashira waved her hands around. “Can you two save this for when you’re sitting in the meeting with your spouses and generals and such?”
Nakia laughed. “Sorry. That was rude.” She glanced at Saffi, whose head was down. While this was annoying for Bashira, who simply had no desire to hear about military matters, it was foreign to Saffi, who did not have the type of spouse who shared any information with her as theirs did.
�
��Very. Forgive us.” Thia bowed her head.
“You can sit in on meetings and discuss what the army is doing?” Saffi asked.
Nakia nodded. “We can bring you too, if you like.” She recalled reigning had actually been an interest for Saffi. It was one of the biggest divides between her and their father as she would challenge his decisions and how dare she do such a thing as far as he was concerned. He always wanted Saffi to stay in a woman’s place and she never seemed to know what that meant or where it was.
The color left Saffi’s already ashen face and Nakia hated to imagine what her life had to be like with the Tyrans. It would seem they broke Saffi. That would not do. She would devote time to Saffi and rebuild her the moment Saffi allowed it.
“We should go shopping,” Bashira said. Not the most subtle change of topic, but it was safe.
“Don’t you have a show you’re doing?” Nakia asked, as that was more interesting than shopping to her now.
Bashira’s face lit up and she clapped. “You can all come! It’s a wonderful show if I do say so myself.”
“I still can’t believe you’re allowed to be in shows. And dancing of all things,” Thia said.
“I still can’t believe you refuse to come see me. Nakia will tell you. I’m quite good,” Bashira replied.
“She’s not lying or boasting.” Nakia reached for some dates. They used to be considered a delicacy, but since trade opened up with the East, they were easier to get. “She is quite good. Her friends in her troupe are all nice as well.”
Thia scoffed as she finally settled on having ginger cookies. They were also from the East. “They’re obligated to be nice to you,” she said with a smirk.
Nakia laughed. “I wish that was the case. I’ve had diplomats sit across from me with Ashni three seconds away from burning their cities to the ground and they’ll treat me like I’m lower than dirt.”
“And then you still talk them into an impossible deal and save their cities,” Thia said.
Nakia did not dispute that. Technically, her sister could be considered the first to fall victim to her. She had done that to Wicus and Thia. No, they did not look down on her, but they had underestimated her early on when Ashni sent her to hammer out the details of their alliance. But, now was not the time for that. She swung the conversation back to Bashira and they enjoyed the good food and warm weather.
***
Ashni typically did not mind relaxing or spending the day watching matches at the arena, but there was so much to do. Sitting in the arena, while she was supposed to be watching rather important matches, all she could think about was half the seats were empty because those sections of the building were not done. Even as she, Adira, and Wicus made their way back to the palace, all Ashni could see were the things in the city that needed to be taken care of. Temples were barely up. In fact, every temple they passed was under construction. There was no theater yet. Shows were put on in tents and some streets were unpaved. They cut through the marketplace, which was small, especially compared to Khenshu.
Ashni wanted Nakian to become Khenshu’s sister city. Nakian had a long way to go, not enough temples, the palace was still a work in progress, and the city was a fraction of the size she had planned. It would take time to become what she wanted, but it would take longer if she was out lazing about. A city named for her spouse needed to be as spectacular as her spouse.
“The city has become quite a crossroads. I see so many Roshan influences,” Wicus said as they walked through the crowd. He used to complain about walking among the commoners until he realized it was a thing Ashni did and would not stop to accommodate him.
“Things are coming along,” Ashni replied. The city was very much Roshan meets Kairon, East meets West, and Ashni wanted it to stay that way. She liked that both she and Wicus blended in, even though she was dressed in Roshan attire while Wicus had on the robes of someone from Kairon. The mix was all around them.
Wicus had to split a wooden pole with Ashni as they walked. “Then we’ll be able to get more goods into Valen?”
Ashni sighed. “I thought we were waiting for tomorrow to discuss business. Our spouses would have our heads if we did this without them.” Not to mention Layla was not there. She would never hear the end of it if she discussed business without her sister.
Wicus nodded and the matter was dropped. Ashni liked that he respected Thia so much. She had not come across much of that in Kairon. The concept of men being above women was not new to her, but it never failed to set her on edge. Any society that valued appearance over talent did that to her.
They continued on before Wicus cut into the silence again. “That arena was a work of art. What were those matches we watched again?” He liked to make conversation. It gave him ample opportunity to be charming. He could not help himself.
“We got lucky today. Those matches were for joining warrior guilds,” Ashni replied. It would only be a matter of time for those who won their matches today would end up in the military, helping her take more of the West when she was ready. For the moment, she needed to shore up her power in conquered territory.
Wicus arched an eyebrow.” A warrior guild?”
Ashni took a breath. How to explain this to someone not from the Empire? “There are four warrior guilds in the Roshan society. You join one and those are your partners for life. We respect all warriors, of course, but the members of your own guild are special to you.”
“So, which are you?” Wicus asked.
Ashni was about to question his eyesight, certain her guild was obvious. But he did not know about the warrior guilds. This was all new to him, even though she had introduced guilds to the West two years ago when she paused her conquest to establish herself and her spouse.
“I’m of the Lion guild, as is Adira,” Ashni answered.
Wicus nodded. “So, to become a member of your guild, I would have to kill a lion in the arena?”
Adira snorted. “If only it was so easy.”
Ashni touched a lion’s tooth around her neck. No, the trial to join a guild was much more ruthless than simply killing a beast in the arena. Despite being proud of her guild, what it took to join would always leave a mark. That was why all big cats were to be respected and treated well in her land. It was the least she could do.
“You don’t think I could do it?” Wicus asked, a daring glint in his eye.
Ashni spoke up before Adira insulted the man. “I don’t doubt you could. I’m not sure you’d want to. You noticed everyone we saw was a teenager, right?”
“Yes.”
“There’s a reason for it. You’re hungrier to prove yourself. When you’re an established warrior and commander, it’s a little harder. It takes more of a toll on you.” It took a toll no matter what, but if she did it now, after all her experience, it would come across as senseless. “If it’s really something you want, I’ll arrange it.” The guilds helped Ashni’s popularity in the West. Social mobility gave her the masses. For a person who had nothing, joining a warrior guild was like suddenly gaining fame and fortune. Joining the military was the same. It gave people who had nothing something and that was worth keeping, worth fighting for. Ashni was worth fighting for. The Empire was worth fighting for.
Wicus nodded and squared his shoulders. “I have to discuss it with Thia.”
Ashni and Adira laughed. “This is why you’re our ally.” Ashni patted him on the shoulder.
“You’re definitely one of us,” Adira said.
Wicus smiled at this, his eyes twinkling. “Not a bad place to be.”
The trio made their way back to the palace. Wicus went to check on his children. Ashni really admired that. Wicus was a good guy.
“Why aren’t there more of him around here?” Ashni asked as she and Adira made their way to the throne room.
Adira shrugged. “Would make things too easy?”
“Probably.” Ashni had not expected to like Wicus as much as she did, but it was a pleasant surprise. He really was family. Well,
the right kind of family. Some of her actual family left a bad taste in her mouth. “Should we try to get some work done before tonight’s feast or not?”
Adira squared her shoulders and smiled. “I really like how responsible you’ve become. There are some reports we could go over since your spouse is with her sisters and my spouse is doing research.” That settled it.
***
While the feast last night was amazing, Ashni was glad to get to the business portion of Wicus’ visit. If things went well, the rest of the visit could be friendly and calm. For now, a small meeting room held everyone necessary for the matter. Ashni settled on a pillow with Nakia pressed to her. To her right, Layla and Naren sat. To her left, Adira and her now second-in-command Hafiz Vivek. He had matured in the three years he had worked more closely with them. Ashni had to admit Adira picked well when she picked Hafiz.
“So, we want to discuss getting more trade into Valen,” Wicus said, sitting across from Ashni and Nakia.
Ashni gave a shrug. “What’s the issue? You have merchants coming into the city. You’re getting goods from all over the Empire like everyone else.”
Thia spoke up. “We get goods well after other cities. It’s all leftover goods, if there’s anything at all. Our nobles expected better, expected more. Where is the luxury? Where is the beauty? Where is the ease?”
Ashni rubbed her chin. “And I’m supposed to get merchants to you faster?” The fact that their nobles were up in arms because they could not be decadent was a waste of time. “You could easily remind your nobles where they would be without this trade deal.”
Nakia patted her thigh. “Not helping.”
“So, you want the merchants to come to you first?” Layla asked.
“It would calm down our nobles who think we made a mistake allying ourselves to you. We don’t want them to have an excuse to start trouble, as we know we’ll be the first to have to deal with any issues they start,” Wicus replied.
Taming the Wind Page 29
