“Typical,” I sighed. “At this rate they’ll be going house to house taking people’s food and hanging ‘hoarders’ soon. Well, we’d be better off traveling with a decent-size party anyway. You know anything about being a merchant?”
She gave me a puzzled look. “Not much. Mom used to send me to market sometimes when I was a kid, so I’m not hopeless at bargaining. But I don’t know anything about taxes or trade routes, and the one time someone tried to explain investment loans to me I was totally lost. Compound interest is about my limit when it comes to figures, and that’s pushing it.”
I chuckled. “I’m pretty sure just knowing that there is such a thing puts you ahead of most people. Anyway, I just need you to figure out a way to sell some magic to whoever has money around here. Warmth cloaks, magic stoves, maybe some ever-burning torches. We need to raise money so we can buy supplies before we have to leave again, not to mention paying all these people we’re trying to hire.”
“Do retainers get money where you’re from? Weird. It doesn’t work that way here.”
Oh, right. Medieval economies used a lot of barter, didn’t they? “Oh?”
“Yeah, usually servants just get upkeep. That means food, shelter, clothing and whatever tools they need to do their work, plus a few pennies at the end of the year if you feel generous. Soldiers get a little money, maybe a few pennies a month, and a rich lord might pay his favorite servants a little, but mostly it’s just upkeep.”
“I see. Ok, I can work with that. What about apprentices?”
She grinned. “Same deal, but how you keep them reflects on you even more than with personal retainers. Sexy sorceress apprentices should definitely rate nice dresses and spending money, and a good boning a couple of times a day.”
I laughed. “Oh, is that part of your daily essentials? Three meals, a warm bed and an orgasm?”
“More like five or six with me,” she admitted cheerfully. “Because I’m such a slut. Avilla would probably be happy with fresh ‘cream’ every morning, but you know how obsessed with food she is.”
“Heh. I can live with that. Though honestly, you don’t strike me as a ‘fancy dresses’ kind of girl. More like tight leather and lots of bare skin, with a bloody dagger in each hand.”
She twined her arms around my neck, and went up on tiptoes to kiss me. “Aw, you say the sweetest things.”
“No doubt. Can you handle the bartering, then? Get with Avilla about what we need, and get whatever use you can out of Beri’s contacts?”
She rubbed her nose against my chin like an affectionate cat. “Sure. I’m not a professional, but I shouldn’t get robbed too badly. One cloak would probably cover the essentials, so it shouldn’t be hard. Do I get some extra ‘upkeep’ out of it?”
“Hmm. Tempting.” I kissed her, letting my hands fall to her tight behind and pull her close. She practically purred, rubbing her lithe body against me. I could feel the heat blossom inside her, just like last night. But this time the effect was less overwhelming, and I retained enough wits to wonder what caused it. Some interaction of my flesh sorcery and her own magic? That was an aspect of my new powers I hadn’t explored much yet.
Experimentally, I reached out with the magical senses I’d gained in my journey to this world. Her body pulsed with life, a warm glowing weave of magic in a dizzying array of flavors. Most of it was tightly contained within a shroud of concealment, but other parts were reaching out to touch my own aura. A warm mist of trust and affection, surrounding a dozen sharp-tipped tendrils carrying stronger emotions….
Wait a minute. Was she casting a love spell on me?
I reached out with my flesh magic, and lit up every pleasure sensor in her body at once. She yelped, and collapsed against me as her legs gave out.
“Minx,” I teased her. “If you play like that, I’m going to play back. I bet I can make it so you get wet every time you look at me.”
“Okay,” she panted. “Fuck, that was intense. Do me again?”
I chuckled. “Maybe later. But no using mind control spells on me, or I’m going to get pissed off.”
She pouted. “I was only playing, Daniel. Like I told you this morning, sometimes I can’t help it. Besides, you have magic like that too. Don’t you want to play with me?”
“Mind control isn’t a game,” I frowned.
She rolled her eyes. “When did you turn into such a grouch? I thought we were going to have fun together?”
I sighed. “I’m not rejecting you, Cerise. Just… look, I need to finish this while there’s still enough light to see. Can we talk about it later?”
She frowned at me. “I’m not sure what talking has to do with anything, but I guess I should let you work. After dinner?”
“After dinner,” I agreed.
She stepped back, gave me an oddly confused look, and then went back inside.
I finished up the tower roof with a heavy door to block access to the stairwell, and a large water tank with a warmth enchantment. It would be nice to make that fill itself somehow, but for now I walked down to the river on a stairway made of force walls and collected a few hundred pounds of ice. It would take a while to melt, but that gave me time to run a pipe down the central column with an outlet in the second-floor room where Avilla had set up her kitchen.
She gave me a brilliant smile when I showed her the water tap.
“That’s amazing, Daniel! Did you think of this just for me?”
I shrugged. “It’s a common setup back home. Besides, it’s entirely selfish. A smart man keeps the cook happy, after all.”
“Oh, you!” She giggled happily. “Thank you. Um, I told Captain Rain our guard detail could set up in the room with the door, downstairs. Is that alright? I was thinking we’d sleep in the room next to the kitchen, here.”
“That’s fine,” I agreed. “I’ve got a little surprise planned for the back room on the bottom floor, unless you need it for something?”
She shook her head. “No, not really. With no windows it’s too dark in there for anything but storage, and you said we won’t be here long. That reminds me, dinner will be ready soon.”
“Alright, let me just finish up here.”
I ran the pipe down another floor, and split it to provide water for a crude shower and a large bathtub. Drains were easy, since I could just shape the stone to form small pipes leading outside. They were only a couple of inches across, but I put in nice thick stone grates just to make sure we wouldn’t get snake monsters crawling in through them or something. Then I washed my hands, and headed upstairs for dinner.
It was a pasta dish this time, with a nice cream sauce and side of steamed vegetables. I wasn’t going to ask how Avilla had managed that with nothing but a magic hot plate and the utensils in her backpack. Tina went on for a bit about what an amazing cook Avilla was, while Beri was more subdued.
“My uncle offered to arrange a marriage for me,” she explained when I asked if something was wrong. “Apparently one of the Baron’s knights is looking for a young wife, and they know each other. I wasn’t sure what to tell him.”
“We’ll discuss it,” Avilla put in before I could reply. “He isn’t pushing for an immediate ceremony, is he?”
Beri shook her head. “No, I explained the situation. But the offer won’t be good for long. I don’t mean to presume, Miss Avilla.”
“We’ll discuss it,” she repeated. “So, Daniel, I believe you said something about another surprise? Maybe we could have a look while the girls clean up here?”
“Sure.”
Whatever Avilla actually wanted to get me alone for, the bath completely derailed her train of thought.
“The water’s warm!” She exclaimed, holding a hand under the stream from the shower. “And, you just turn the knob and wait for the tub to fill? No carrying buckets of water back and forth? Marry me, Daniel!”
“The tub’s big enough to share,” Cerise observed eagerly. “Start it filling, and I’ll go fetch towels and a change of clothes.�
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“Shower first,” I told her. “The idea is you get clean there, and then you can soak in the tub for as long as you want.”
“What a wonderful idea,” Avilla enthused. “Alright, we can have our discussion in the bath. Just close the door when you get back, Cerise, and ask Tina to make sure no one tries to listen at it. That girl’s too honest to hide anything.”
“Discussion?” I asked.
“Please. What do you think of the maids so far?”
“Ah. Tina reminds me of a lost puppy, to be honest. Desperate to please, but doesn’t know what to do. Beri is smarter, which might make her more useful, but she’s already looking for angles to play.”
“That’s more or less what I thought,” Avilla replied. “I’m not sure about Beri yet, but I think we should keep Tina. She’s a hard worker, and I think she’ll be very loyal. A little insecure, but she’ll get over that with time. Is she pretty enough for your taste?”
I raised an eyebrow. “That’s not exactly a requirement, is it?”
Avilla looked at me blankly for a moment, and shook her head. “Your land must be a very strange place, Daniel. Do I really need to explain this?”
I sighed, and sat on the edge of the tub. “No, I get it. I just don’t know that I want to do things that way. Back home it’s actually against the law to hire a woman because she’s decorative, let alone tell her that sleeping with you is part of the job.”
“That’s nuts,” Cerise interjected from the doorway. “What, do you have a really ugly queen who’s trying to get revenge on all the pretty girls?”
She set a bundle of cloth down on the floor, and pulled the door shut with a thump. The room was plunged into twilight, lit only by the candle-sized magic flames I’d set in fixtures on the walls.
“It’s a republic, actually. Everyone over eighteen gets to vote on who represents their district, and the council of representatives makes all the laws. There’s also a president who commands the military when we’re at war, but he’s elected by popular vote too.
“Weird.” Cerise made a face. She slipped her dress off, and stepped into the shower.
I shrugged. “My ancestors were obsessed with preventing tyranny. It worked pretty well on that front for the first century or so, though lately it seems like we’ve just discovered how to create one where no one is in charge.”
“That’s interesting,” Avilla said. “But how does republican government lead to oppressing pretty girls?”
“Oppressing? Wow, talk about culture clash. It’s supposed to be about keeping them from being oppressed, actually. Why should a woman have to sleep with her boss to get a job?”
“Who else would she want?” Avilla asked seriously. “A woman in that position obviously doesn’t have a husband to care for her, so who better than the man who has authority over her?”
“Not to mention that every girl knows a guy who’s fucking you will treat you better than one who isn’t,” Cerise put in. “There’s nothing like a good blowjob to make sure the boss is happy with you.”
I shook my head. “Women really think that way here? What if they’ve got someone they like, or they’re just trying to get by?”
Cerise stepped out of the shower, and Avilla took her place.
“How would that even happen?” The dark-haired witch asked curiously. “I mean, if you’ve got a husband lined up and something happened to your family you’d go live with him, right? If you’re a widow or can’t find a husband you’d probably end up being a whore, or maybe a nanny or a seamstress if you’re really lucky. The only way a girl could end up working for a guy is if she’s his servant, and that’s a lifetime deal unless you screw it up.”
I thought about that for a minute. In a medieval economy there isn’t much of a job market, and without modern technology most of the jobs that did exist would involve a lot of heavy manual labor. In a world without affirmative action laws no one would hire a woman for something like that. Besides, this was the kind of society where most women went straight from their parent’s house to their husband’s, and never needed to support themselves.
There were bound to be exceptions, and it would suck to be one of them. But how many societies give a damn about people who don’t follow their expected script in life?
“I think I see what you’re getting at,” I sighed. “But this isn’t exactly a normal situation. There are probably hundreds of young women in this town who’ve had their lives shattered.”
“Yeah, but you can only take in a few of them and they all know it,” she pointed out. “Seriously, Daniel, those girls are both worried sick that you’re going to replace them with someone better. The only way they’re ever going to feel secure is if you give them something to hold onto. Not that it’s a big deal to me either way, but keeping them worried doesn’t seem like your style.”
I sighed. “I suppose I see your point. It just doesn’t come naturally to me. Back home anyone who did that would be a total sleazebag.”
Avilla stepped out of the shower, and laid her hand on my chest. “Do you trust me?”
Somehow I managed to look at her face, and not the water droplets clinging to her breasts. “Um, yeah.”
“Then trust me to arrange things. I’m already picking our staff, so you needn’t violate your taboos by asking them uncomfortable questions. Just do what comes naturally if one of them offers something you desire, and I’ll make sure things work out. Fair enough?”
“Sure. I guess.”
Her smile took my breath away. “Good. Why don’t you get cleaned up and join us?”
I did. Half the reason I’d built the bath was because I was already getting sick of being filthy all the time, and the tub was easily big enough for three. When I was done I settled into the warm water with a sigh.
“This is great,” Cerise said dreamily.
“I could stay in here all night,” Avilla agreed. She paused, and bit her lip.
I raised an eyebrow. “Something wrong?”
“No,” she replied hesitantly. “At least, I hope not. Well, normally I’d be subtle about this, and let things develop at their own pace. But your customs are so different from ours that I’m afraid we’ll have some terrible misunderstanding if we aren’t blunt, and I don’t want to risk it. I am very aware that you have no obligations to me.”
I frowned. “I’m not going to abandon you to the monsters, Avilla. I like you, and you’re important to Cerise, and besides all that I don’t want to lose anyone if I have a choice. You know, you don’t have to buy my protection.”
Cerise frowned at me, but Avilla just nodded. “I understand. May I be equally to the point?”
I shrugged. “Sure.”
She shifted across the tub, and settled carefully onto my lap with her knees beside my hips. Her eyes met mine from a few inches away.
“Daniel, I appreciate very much how careful you’ve been not to get between Cerise and I. But we both want a man in our lives, and you don’t seem nearly as interested as I’d hoped. Is there some reason you don’t find us appealing?”
“What? No! Are you kidding me? Avilla, you’re both beautiful. You’re like some kind of domestic porn goddess, and Cerise has the badass babe thing down cold.”
“Then what is it?”
I sighed. “It’s complicated. Partly I was worried about the same thing you were, misunderstandings caused by the culture gap, and I didn’t want to do anything that might hurt one of you. But mostly I’m just not looking for a relationship. I’d just found out my wife was cheating on me a few days before Hecate’s call, and I suppose I’m not quite over it.”
“You have a wife?” Cerise asked, startled. “But I didn’t sense any… oh, right. Had a wife, I guess. Wow, she must have been an idiot.”
Avilla chewed her bottom lip consideringly. It was so adorable it was all I could do not to kiss her.
“Well, that makes this difficult. I’m sorry, Daniel, and I don’t mean to press you. But I think we’d best be clear abou
t things. Cerise, are we agreed?”
Cerise moved to sit next to me, and nodded. “Yeah. I’m no good at this, and I really don’t want things to get screwed up. We need to go all-in.”
“This sounds ominous,” I commented.
Avilla shook her head. “Maybe. But if you have doubts about our trustworthiness it may help. You know Cerise and I are coven-sisters, right? Well, we can’t form a proper coven with just the two of us. The high rituals all call for at least three members, if not five. Even our personal magics are terribly imbalanced right now. Cerise needs an anchor who can resist her succubus charms, or she’ll never be able to fully master the power she’s claimed. My domestic magic needs a mate to serve as a focus, and there’s enough of a fertility aspect to it that it won’t work properly with another woman.”
“Not unless I use that incubus transformation,” Cerise observed.
Avilla blushed brightly. “If you do that without an anchor you’ll lose yourself, kitten. I’d lose dominance sooner or later, and you’d eat me, and then we’d both be lost. Beside, why spend all that effort on desperate mystic perversions when we’ve been lucky enough to find a man who can do the job?”
“So, you want me to join your coven?” I said slowly.
Avilla shook her head. “No, Daniel. We want you to lead our coven.”
“You always know what to do,” Cerise pointed out. “You can kick ass like a god, too. We need you.”
“Our aspects compliment yours,” Avilla went on. “I’m nurture and support, Cerise is infiltration and assassination. We can be strong together. If you fear betrayal, we can make fidelity a part of our coven-bond. That, and mutual trust and affection.”
“This sounds like a permanent commitment,” I observed.
Avilla nodded hesitantly. “Yes. Eventually. The best coven-bonds can’t be undone. We don’t expect you to make a decision right now, Daniel. But please consider it.”
Fimbulwinter (Daniel Black) Page 12
