“Thank you,” he said to Taylor, as she ran a comb through his hair for the finishing touch.
“You’re welcome,” she said. “If you wish to return the favor, put in a good word with Lady Katara for me.”
She looked hopeful and serious about the request. Hal nodded, though he didn’t understand what his word would be worth to his elven mistress.
Willum came into the room a few minutes later. He glanced over Hal and gave a slow nod, a slight frown set onto his features.
“What is it?” asked Hal. “What’s going on?”
“Lady Katara wishes for you and I to attend an event with her this morning,” said Willum. “We’ll be traveling with her alongside her regular bodyguards.”
“Okay…” said Hal. He scratched his head. He could understand Lady Katara using him for her nightly gratification, but it seemed unnecessary for her to take him into her company during the day.
Willum gestured for Hal to follow, and the two of them walked out into the hive’s hallway. Hal was already thinking about how he could take advantage of the situation to plan his escape when Willum abruptly came to a stop, turning to face him.
“Halrin,” he said. “You should know that Lady Katara has certain… tastes, when it comes to the male slaves who serve her directly.”
Hal nodded slowly.
“Yeah, I think I get your meaning,” he said.
She seemed very willing to introduce me to those tastes last night.
“Do you?” asked Willum. He took a step closer. “There is much more at stake here than our mistress’s enjoyment.”
Hal met Willum’s eye and considered his words.
“Would you care to explain it to me, then?” he asked.
“She is very close to some of her slaves,” said Willum. “She listens to what they say, and the advice they give. It’s something that could potentially affect the power dynamic in the Upper Realm, but only if the right person is whispering in her ear.”
There was a hint of jealousy in Willum’s voice that undercut the logic of his statement. Hal weighed his response and decided to go with the blunt truth.
“I don’t care,” he said. “I’m not here to play politics. And she’s an elf, Willum, and a noble. She’ll make her own decisions and do whatever she wants. Whatever is in her best interest.”
Willum narrowed his eyes into a glare, and he pushed his arm against Hal’s neck, pinning him to the hallway.
“This isn’t a game, you idiot!” hissed Willum. “For the Bastard’s sake, are you that stupid?”
Hal felt his own anger surge in response. He whipped his arm at an angle, catching Willum in the face with his elbow. Willum fell back a step and clenched his hands into fists.
“Hey!” shouted a guard, from down the hallway. “Lady Katara is on her way into the courtyard. She’ll be expecting you two.”
Willum glared at Hal, who gave a small shrug.
This isn’t a fight that we need to have now. Or at all.
CHAPTER 17
They walked through the hive in silence, heading out into the courtyard. The sky was overcast, and a thick fog blanketed the surrounding area, as though the Upper Realm was inside of the offending cloud.
Hal and Willum waited next to the crystal cart until Lady Katara emerged from the Edge Hive, flanked by a guard on each side. She smiled at them as she approached, or rather, she smiled at Hal.
“That’s a very nice color on you,” she said.
Hal nodded, unsure of what to say. Lady Katara wore a white dress over black leggings, and her hair was loose around her shoulders. She climbed into the crystal cart. Willum and Hal sat across from her, while the guards took a seat on either side.
Lady Katara hummed to herself as the crystal cart slid into motion. She was wearing sandals, and she kicked them off after a few minutes, lifting her feet up and dropping them into Hal’s lap. He had the sense to keep his mouth shut, even as Lady Katara began pressing her toes against his inner thigh and crotch.
I’m past the point of pretending to understand why this woman does what she does.
Hal tried watched the trees passing by outside of the crystal cart’s window, trying to keep his expression neutral as Lady Katara’s foot continued to tease him. They were headed along the same track that Hal had originally come in on, which meant they were headed back into the capital city of Zelnata.
The crystal cart followed behind several others as they entered the collection of hexagonal buildings and obelisks. It seemed as though the crystals that sped the cart along also accounted for adjusting its speed in relation to other carts, automatically slowing and falling into sync. Hal was a little curious about how the mechanism worked, but he kept his focus on the area they were headed into, trying to notice anything that might be relevant to his escape.
The cart came to a stop in front of a massive building in the shape of a pyramid, made from blocks of gold and silver colored stone. Lady Katara stared at Hal, and only a tap on the shoulder from Willum alerted him to the fact that she was expecting them to disembark first.
They each stood on either side of the cart’s door, helping Lady Katara down onto the street. She and her guards led the way, with Hal and Willum trailing just behind them. It gave them just enough privacy to talk quietly without being overheard.
“What’s this all about?” asked Hal. “Where are we going?”
Willum scowled at him.
“This is the Hall of Judgement,” said Willum. “Lady Katara is here to attend a justice seeking.”
“Justice seeking,” repeated Hal. “Is that sort of like a trial?”
“Of a sort,” said Willum. “Crime works differently, here in the Upper Realm. The eklids have too much honor for petty crime to have much of an impact on their society. Major crimes, such as murder, treason, or slander are overseen by the judgement of Empress Kay. She will hear the arguments of both the victim and the accused and decide if justice can be sought for the charge.”
“What does it mean, though?” asked Hal.
Willum glanced over at him. There was still a hint of his earlier anger in his eyes. Hal felt a little disappointed by his reaction, given that he was Laurel’s brother. He’d gotten along with Laurel so easily, but the difference between her and her brother in temperament was night and day.
“If I wanted to seek justice against you, for instance, I would plead my case to the Empress in the Hall of Judgement,” said Willum. “And if she allowed it, it would be my prerogative to challenge you, or your chosen champion, to a confrontation of violence or intimacy.”
“Uh…” Hal shook his head. “What?”
“Either a duel to the death, or…” Willum cringed slightly. “A public display of… sexual dominance. It’s a cultural thing.”
“That seems excessive,” said Hal. “And in the case of a duel, wouldn’t it come down to every noble pulling from an endless supply of champions to defend their honor?”
“It depends on the charge,” said Willum. “For some infractions, the noble in question has to stand for themselves. Look, quit asking so many questions. You’ll understand soon enough.”
Hal shrugged and let the point drop. They made their way up the steps and into the Hall of Judgement. Rows of stone seats overlooked a lower area in the center of the hall, which could have as easily been a dueling arena as a space for justice to be handed down.
There was a single bench at the front of the open space, and it took Hal a few seconds to notice the gruesome details of it. The bench towered over the ground below, and it was made of black onyx with skulls and other bones cemented onto it as ornamentation.
Lady Katara led Hal and Willum down to take seats in the second row, which put them near the front of the hall. More elves filed in all around them, and some humans, too, though most of them sat in the back rows, higher up.
A few minutes went by before Empress Kay entered the hall, making her way down the aisle without looking or speaking at anyone as she took her plac
e atop the high bench. She wore a multilayered dress of white and gold which flowered outward, flying in the face of the standing eklid fashion trends Hal had otherwise observed.
Her hair was twisted into a long braid which circled once around her neck before falling across her shoulder. She was a stunningly beautiful woman, and it wasn’t the first time Hal had seen her.
I spoke to her through the necromancer’s view crystal, though she wasn’t able to get a good look at me. She might recognize my voice, but I somehow doubt it.
The assembled crowd quieted as she took her place, not completely, but enough to emphasize the respect the elves clearly had for her. Hal glanced over at Willum, who was frowning slightly.
“Is the Empress a popular woman?” asked Hal.
Willum’s frown deepened, but he seemed to consider the question seriously.
“I’m not sure that would be the right word for it,” he said, quietly. “Empress Kay is one of the oldest of the eklids. She became Empress by overthrowing her half-sister, and she’s ruled with wisdom ever since then. She has centuries of experience, and people respect her decisions enough for the system to work with her maintaining absolute power.”
Hal wanted to ask more, but a small door down had opened across from the judgement bench on the lower level. Two guards were leading a naked, female elf out into the center of the hall. A naked, female elf that Hal instantly recognized.
Zoria looked confident, even though she stood with her entire body on display in front of the assembled crowd. Her brown hair was loose across her shoulders, and her emerald green eyes were focused entirely on Empress Kay. Hal couldn’t help but admire her petite figure, her medium sized breasts slightly paler than the rest of her body, and the way the curves of her butt emphasized the strong muscles of her lower half.
He felt a stab of jealousy at the thought of all the other elves in the audience who she was also exposed to, but it waned as he glanced around and noticed a number of bored faces. Nudity wasn’t a taboo for the elves, as it was for surfacers. Hal had felt similarly when he’d first arrived in Krestia’s Cradle, only slowly adjusting to all the women running around in pants, instead of dresses.
The last time he’d seen Zoria had been just after he’d finished replacing her tattoos months earlier in Meldence. Hal could see the evidence of his handiwork, intricate patterns mixed with eklid symbols and calligraphy along her back, shoulders, and arms. He was tempted to call out to her or signal her in some way, but the hall had gone completely silent, and Hal sensed there would be repercussions if he did.
“Zoria, daughter of Felice,” said Empress Kay, her voice booming to fill the hall. “You have been accused of transgressions against myself and other high eklid. Do you understand why justice has been sought against you?”
Zoria’s lip twitched slightly. To anybody else, she might have looked stoic, and resigned to her fate. Hal, knowing her as well as he did, could see the anger simmering beneath the surface.
“Justice has been sought on your behalf,” said Zoria, speaking slowly. “But the crimes I’m accused of are fabricated, or a result of my circumstances. And I’ve come here to seek my own justice against those who would dare to accuse me so falsely.”
She turned and looked at a specific person in the crowd. Hal followed her gaze and saw another face he recognized. Gardius, the elf who’d been at the head of the raiding party who’d captured him and Vrodas, appeared to be the target of Zoria’s anger.
“Very well,” said Empress Kay. “You are young, Zoria, and have not had much time to know you amongst my valkyries. But it is as you say. The evidence here is loose, and I would ask for your statement on each of the accusations, as they have been presented.”
Zoria nodded. Empress Kay stared at her, her eyes searching for something in Zoria’s expression.
“You are accused of murdering an eklid in cold blood,” said Empress Kay. “The raiding party who brought you back to the Upper Realm claims that they discovered you standing over the body of Petarr, son of Danallius.”
“He refused to allow me to yield to him,” said Zoria. “Very strange. And made only stranger by his association with Gardius. Petarr was one of Gardius’s men, and the two frequently shared a bed.”
Empress Kay considered Zoria’s point in cold silence.
“You are also accused of raiding across the surface without the express permission of myself or one of my counselors,” said Empress Kay.
“There’s truth to that,” said Zoria. “But it was out of circumstance, rather than choice. I was framed and betrayed, as I’m sure you are coming to understand, Empress. I did not leave the Upper Realm of my own free will.”
“Which brings me to the last accusation,” said Empress Kay. “Zoria, daughter of Felice. Did you conspire against me and plot to assassinate myself and a number of my counselors?”
Zoria stood up straighter, looking nervous for the first time since the start of the trial. She took a breath before speaking.
“I did not,” said Zoria. “The accusation was fabricated by Gardius out of jealousy over my quick rise through the ranks of the valkyries.”
Gardius looked as though she wanted to explode out of her seat, and glared at Zoria with such intensity that Hal would have smiled, had the situation been less dire.
“Petarr was with the raiding party I encountered by chance,” said Zoria. “But his refusal to accept yield leaves no doubt in my mind. He saw the danger it would pose to Gardius to allow me to return to the Upper Realm. He attempted to kill me in order to cover his lover’s tracks. And I’m here to seek justice against Gardius in the name of my honor.”
The assembled crowd broke into whispers. Gardius finally stood from her seat, her hands clenching into fists, but she said nothing. Empress Kay was the only one in the hall, other than Zoria, who still appeared to hold her composure.
“You speak the truth,” said Empress Kay. “Or at least, you believe you do. I can hear it in your voice. I grant you the right to seek justice, Zoria.”
“I challenge Gardius, here and now, to settle the dispute through combat or intimate domination,” shouted Zoria. “Here and now!”
CHAPTER 18
The eyes of the room turned to look at Gardius, whose expression had taken on a visibly shaky and uncertain quality. She glared at Zoria, and then relaxed her face as she turned to address Empress Kay.
“My Empress,” said Gardius. “May a champion stand in my place?”
Empress Kay slowly nodded. Zoria’s expression flashed with frustration, but she didn’t interrupt.
“Then I nominate Cannis, son of Rocka,” said Gardius.
The elf sitting next to her rose to his feet abruptly. Hal recognized him as another member of the group that had originally taken him and Vrodas to the Upper Realm. He began stripping off his clothing and continued until he was completely naked, jumping down from his seat into the judgement area below.
It was a strange sight, and it made Hal uncomfortable to see it. Zoria and Cannis stood a dozen paces from each other, both completely naked. The crowd was louder now, with people whispering and talking to one another openly.
Hal wasn’t sure whether he was more concerned with what would happen if Zoria fought Cannis, or if the two engaged in the second option, the so called “intimate domination”. Cannis was muscular for an elf, and his face was set into a cocky smile. Zoria’s expression, in contrast, looked cold and a little unhinged.
“May this encounter bring this dispute to an end,” said Empress Kay. “Begin.”
Cannis said something to Zoria. The crowd was too loud for Hal to make it out, but he could tell from the elf man’s posture what it had been. He was giving her the option to avoid a fight and engage in sex with him, instead, with the winner of the encounter whoever took power from the other during intercourse.
This is so bizarre…
He found himself hoping that she’d say no. Zoria lifted a hand in the air, and in flash, her runic spear and armor coa
lesced into existence, making her decision clear to all.
The armor was a ghostly violet hue, insubstantial when observed directly, but as strong as steel and more flexible. Zoria didn’t have a full set, only shoulder pauldrons, a chest piece with a cup for each of her breasts, along with gauntlets and boots.
The spear in her hand was as long as she was and matched her armor in color and consistency. Hal had experienced her fighting with it before. Zoria had control of the weapon as though it were an extension of her body, and she could twist it around people or objects to hold them in place, if she so chose.
She waited with an expectant look on her face. Cannis shouted something in elvish, and then summoned his own runic armor and sword. It was all gold, and it covered more of his body than Zoria’s did. Hal felt a stab of anxiety shoot through him at her prospects.
Zoria was moving before he could do any more worrying. She lunged at Cannis with her spear. He deflected it, but Zoria attacked again, swinging it in an overhead strike. Cannis blocked it, but Zoria immediately reversed, attacking with the butt of the weapon, instead.
She caught him in the jaw, and then in a flash of movement, she slammed the spear through Cannis’s eye socket. It happened so quick that Hal had to glance around to confirm what he’d seen. Cannis’s runic armor and weapons disappeared as he slumped to the ground, dead. Zoria let hers evaporate in much the same way. She stood naked again, this time with a bored expression on her face.
There was applause from the crowd. Hal joined in, even though it disgusted him a little to see the way they celebrated a man’s death. Hal reminded himself that he had killed before, too, under similar circumstances, even.
The man in the arena who I thought was the dragon rider. And I’m not even sure he deserved it…
Empress Kay waved for silence, and then turned her attention onto Zoria directly.
Dawning Ceremony (Sexcraft Chronicles Book 3) Page 9
