The Bastard’s Pearl

by Connie Bailey

  “AYEESH! GET on the horse,” Kashyan said impatiently as Sheyn fiddled with a stirrup.

  Sheyn looked at Kashyan over his shoulder. “If I’m reluctant to ride, whose fault is that, Bastard? Who’s the cause of my soreness?”

  Kashyan glanced around to see if anyone had heard, and of course everyone had. His glare discouraged the smirks, but he found he wasn’t all that angry with Pearl. What harm was there in letting his men know he was enjoying Pearl’s charms? It would only enhance their respect for him. If only it didn’t make him feel weak.

  “Did you hear me?” Kashyan asked. “We need to be in the wind. The longer we stay in one place, the more likely it is that a Sumadi scout will find us.”

  “As you command,” Sheyn said as he got into the saddle. “But next time, be a bit less enthusiastic when you take me.”

  Kashyan heard the muffled snickers, but he didn’t acknowledge them. “I’ll take you in whatever way pleases me.”

  “To be sure,” Sheyn answered, eyes twinkling. “But don’t complain if I can’t ride the next day.”

  “I should have brought a silk pillow for your precious behind,” Kashyan said as he mounted Karkaran. He looked around at the five troopers. “Who’s ready for a little sport before the sun gets much higher?”

  The Black Hawks slapped the hilts of their swords to signal their readiness, and Kashyan led them away from camp. Once they were gone, there was little sign they’d ever been there.

  After riding for some time, Kashyan called a halt. “The Sumadi have moved their lines back,” he said. “We’ll have to go farther away from the fortress to find them.” He paused, but no one had anything to say. “All right. We’ll water the horses and ride until we find some Sumadinim to discourage.”

  Keeping to the trees, Kashyan led his band to a rock-strewn brook that cut through the thick moss of the forest floor. While the horses drank, Sheyn walked a short distance away along the bank of the stream. He could feel Kashyan’s presence behind him, coming nearer, but it was no longer an odd feeling to know where Kashyan was or what he was feeling. It had become as natural as breathing.

  “Don’t stray too far,” Kashyan called softly.

  “I won’t.” Sheyn paused. “I can’t.”

  “I feel it too,” Kashyan said as he came closer. “It’s as though there’s an invisible rope tying us together. The farther I am from you, the tighter it grows.”

  “I keep forgetting that you’re a victim as well.”

  “I don’t mind so much now.”

  Sheyn leaned his back against a tree and watched the water slide by. “I’ve heard how you despise daaksim. You even told me so yourself. Isn’t it odd that bedding me could change you so completely?”

  “You think it’s your divine ass that converted me?”

  “What else am I to think? Bedding you certainly had a profound effect on me.”

  “Haven’t I told you that I love your fire and your courage? I love how you stand by your beliefs. I love that you never once showed any real fear of me. You fascinate me, and I’m willing to look like a fool for loving you. What more can I say?”

  “Isn’t this a fine turn of events?” Sheyn swallowed, and his voice was a trifle unsteady when he spoke again. “Of all the suitors I imagined for myself, not one resembled you.”

  “I know I’m not what you’d have chosen.”

  “Hush! It doesn’t matter what I would have chosen. I’m not known for my wise decisions.”

  “Pearl?”

  Sheyn took a deep breath and let it out again. “Yes, my lord?”

  “Can you love me?” Kashyan looked away as if fearing what he’d see in Sheyn’s face. “Or will the manner of our meeting always stand between us?”

  “You really have no idea how I feel about you? That’s interesting. I guess that connection doesn’t work both ways.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Haven’t I said that I love you?”

  “No,” Kashyan said without a shade of doubt in his tone. “Never.”

  “Well… perhaps not in words, but I gave myself to you.”

  “Of course you submitted. You’re my daaksi.”

  Sheyn snuffed a spark of annoyance with a sticky-sweet smile. “You’re so witty, my lord.”

  “You’re making fun of me again, aren’t you?”

  “I assumed we were both joking.”

  Kashyan snorted. “Will I ever get the better of you?”

  “You shall always have my best,” Sheyn said softly.

  Kashyan swept Sheyn into his arms and held him with fierce tenderness. “It’s all worth it,” he said. “To feel like this for even one moment.”

  Sheyn hoped for a bit more than just moments, but he kept silent and enjoyed the sublime feeling of being held in loving arms.

  “The horses have probably had enough to drink by now,” Kashyan said.

  “Then we should go.” Sheyn paused. “You’ll have to let go of me.”

  Kashyan loosed his hold, and Sheyn stepped away. They walked back to the others and got back on their horses. Kashyan noticed the smirking and winking among the troops, and abruptly he missed Djenya so intensely his chest hurt.

  “Are you well?” Sheyn asked, leaning in the saddle toward Kashyan. “You look as though you took an arrow in the back. I’ve recently seen someone take an arrow in the back, so I know what it looks like.”

  “I wish Djenya was here,” Kashyan said. “He’d have enjoyed this.”

  “He’d be teasing you unmercifully.”

  “I miss his teasing. He was so clever. And no matter how ill things were going, nothing dimmed his high spirits.” Kashyan tightened his grip on Karkaran’s reins. “I still owe the Red Temple a blood debt.”

  “One enemy at a time,” Sheyn said. “Get rid of the Sumadinim, and you’ll have a clear path back to Taar Muergan.”

  “You’re right.” Kashyan squared his shoulders. “Let’s send the Sumadinim home so Djenya’s spirit can rest easy.”

  At midday they found a Sumadi camp. Leaving the horses in a thicket, they crept close and watched the Sumadinim for a few minutes. The soldiers walked about picking body parts from the ground and trees and pitching them into a bonfire. Kashyan gave a signal, and the Black Hawks met where the horses were tethered.

  “They were attacked by demons,” Kashyan said.

  “It certainly looked that way,” Lanzha said. “That must be why they pulled their men back.”

  Kashyan nodded. “It’s easier for the monsters to pick off a small number of men.” He looked around the circle. “I’m changing our orders. Dasha, you’ll go to the rendezvous point and wait for the other squads. The rest of us are going back to the fortress. I need to talk with Kholya.” He looked in the direction of the Sumadi camp. “And I think they’re demoralized enough for the moment.”

  Chapter 20

  KASHYAN WENT directly to Kholya and found him in his chambers. Luks was there and offered khai before Sheyn declared he’d kill all of them for a bath. With a two-man escort, Sheyn and Luks left for the bathhouse while Kashyan spoke with Kholya.

  “It looks as though the Sumadinim had a visit from the Red Temple’s pets last night,” Kashyan said.

  “We heard nothing of it here.” Kholya sipped from his cup. “Why would the high priest send demons to attack the Sumadinim?”

  “I doubt he even knows they’re here. The demons probably attacked the first men they happened upon.”

  Kholya nodded his agreement with that theory. “They don’t seem to be very bright.”

  “The demons or the Sumadinim?”

  Kholya chuckled. “I should include that in my next dispatch to the high king. Djulyan will—” He broke off at a knock on the door and called out permission to enter.

  “Commander,” said the messenger. “A delegation from the enemy is at the gate.”

  “Ognyan has no sense of timing,” Kholya said as he rose. “I was looking forward to seeing our daaksim when they
returned from their bath.”

  “Is there a better smell in the world?”

  Kholya chuckled again as he buckled on his sword. “I can’t think of a single one. Unless it’s the smell of their sweat after they—” He grinned at Kashyan. “But I don’t have to describe it to you. Are you coming with me?”

  “Of course.” Kashyan followed his brother out of the room.

  “YOU’LL REWRITE all the rules before you’re finished,” Luks said as Sheyn massaged lather into his scalp. “I still find it hard to believe that you went on a raid.”

  “Rinse,” Sheyn said, pushing Luks’s head down into the water.

  Luks stayed under for a minute to get all the suds out before he surfaced facing Sheyn. “What did you do while you were in the wilderness with all those men?” he asked with a sly smile.

  “Most of the time, I watched them kill Sumadi soldiers. Once in a while, I helped.”

  “That’s—” Luks shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t make myself believe it.”

  Sheyn sighed. “I know I’m not a proper daaksi, but you’ll simply have to forgive me.”

  “Forgive you? No. You misunderstand me.”

  “But everything I do and say scandalizes you.”

  “Yes, you’re scandalous, but I… I admire you. I wish I could be half as brave.” Luks smiled shyly. “That probably surprises you, but you’re my hope that daaksim will one day take their rightful place again.”

  “I’m speechless.”

  “Surely not.” Luks smiled again. “Let’s dry off and get dressed. I’d like to hear Prince Kholya’s plans for the evening.”

  “You should see your face. Does it make you so happy to care for him?”

  “Yes, it does. It’s what I was trained to do, but I enjoy my duty. The prince is kind. He cares for me, so why shouldn’t I care for him?”

  “It’s good to see you happy. With all that’s happening around us, everyone is so grim.”

  Luks wrapped a large square of cloth around his torso and tucked the end in at the top. “That’s why I’ll do my best to make my lord comfortable when he’s in his chambers.”

  In a rare affectionate gesture, Sheyn leaned to kiss Luks’s cheek as they left the baths.

  “What a pretty sight,” said a man who was leaving the officers’ bath.

  Sheyn froze at the sound of Yozif’s voice.

  Luks glanced at Sheyn and then at Yozif. Confused, he fell back on etiquette. “Sir,” he said, looking at the floor. “We’re not acquainted, so please don’t approach us with familiar words.”

  “I know you well enough,” Yozif said. “Pearl and Velvet. You belong to the Savaani princes.” He smiled. “Princes in exile, I should say.”

  “Please clear the way,” Luks said.

  Sheyn found his voice. “Why are you walking around free?”

  “I have an escort here somewhere. There was a lot of steam and I lost sight of him.” Yozif smiled as he let his gaze travel over Luks and Sheyn. “You really are two of the finest daaksim ever created.”

  “Do you know what you did to me?” Sheyn asked. “You changed my life completely without asking permission. What gives you the right to do something like that?”

  “There’s never just one reason,” Yozif said as a Savaani soldier appeared in the doorway. “And I don’t have time to explain. However, if you want to speak with me, I’m not terribly busy at any time of the day.”

  “Can you change me back?”

  Yozif shook his head. “That’s quite impossible. The divine spark is part of you. To remove it would mean death, and only the Goddess can take back what She has given.”

  “Then I have nothing to say to you.”

  “There are many things I could teach you about yourself.”

  “What could you tell me that Luks doesn’t know?”

  Yozif showed his teeth in another smile. “Luks was clearly awakened in stages by the monks at the Shrine. He has the best breeding and the finest training. He is the current ideal of a daaksi, and he can share much knowledge with you, but he can’t tell you anything about how you were made.”

  “What are you talking about?” Luks said. “There’s only one way to make a daaksi.”

  “So they teach at the Shrine, but it isn’t true. You’re the pinnacle of what Anaali’s faithful are creating these days, but it’s possible to make a lesser form.”

  “That’s sacrilege.”

  “So I was taught, yet I’ve performed the ritual many times since I left Her service and She hasn’t seen fit to blast me.” Yozif’s eyes glittered as he fixed his gaze on Sheyn. “I wonder if you have any idea what kind of miracle you are.”

  “It’s time to return to your room,” said the Savaani soldier at Yozif’s back.

  Yozif bowed to Sheyn and Luks. “I hope I’ll see you again.”

  “I’d sooner have a conversation with a demon,” Sheyn said.

  “You should be careful what you say,” Yozif said as he turned away. “Words have power, and the Gods have a cruel sense of humor.”

  “My apologies if the prisoner upset you,” the guard said to Sheyn and Luks without looking directly at them.

  “Take him away,” Sheyn said as Luks murmured something polite. “That man makes my skin crawl.” Sheyn shuddered dramatically.

  “I don’t like what he was saying about the ritual.” Luks glanced at Yozif’s back as the sentry led him down the hall.

  “It wasn’t news to you, was it? With all of these demon attacks, you must have figured out the Temple was getting daaksim from somewhere for their filthy ceremonies.”

  “I suppose I didn’t want to think about it.”

  “If you’ll pardon me saying it, you should think a bit more.” Sheyn put his arm around Luks’s shoulders as they walked. “You’re not stupid, but you’re used to pushing aside the things you consider unpleasant. You’ll never solve your problems like that. You have to… take your troubles by the horns, as Aeriq used to say.”

  “It seems to work for you,” Luks said. “But I’m not you.”

  “I understand that you have a lifetime of training to overcome, so start with small steps.” Sheyn nodded his thanks as the guard at the daaksim quarters opened the door for them. “First, you should decide what you’d like to change.”

  “I’d like to change this drying cloth for a soft robe that will tempt my lord to stroke it.”

  “Is seduction all you think about?” Sheyn asked as he threw his drying cloth over a rack. Naked, he walked to the collection of trunks he and Luks had amassed. There wasn’t a lot to choose from in the stores of clothing left at the fortress over the ages, but the items were all of good quality and kept the wearer warm.

  “I wish there was one pretty thing here.” Luks sighed as he put aside another dull gray garment. “Why do we have all these colorless wool tunics?”

  “They fit me,” Sheyn said as he slid his arms into the sleeves of a jacket of leather and woven wool. “Which is a true miracle. Are all Kandaari men formed like the God of War?”

  “They were formed by the God of War,” Luks answered. “Most Kandaari nobles and warriors are descendants of the tribe created by Raas at the dawn of this world.”

  “It makes sense, then.” Sheyn smoothed his leggings and sat to pull on a pair of boots.

  “There are also Kandaari descended from the children of the God of Harvests and the Lady of the Forests and the King of Winds. The Ocean God’s people haven’t been seen for ages, but maybe they exist somewhere deep in the Sunred Sea.”

  “Your head is so full of fanciful thoughts that I’m astounded you’re so practical.” Sheyn buckled his sword belt around his waist and turned to look at Luks. “You’re beautiful.”

  Luks adjusted the circlet of tiny golden leaves on his auburn curls and shrugged the shoulders of the thigh-length white tunic back into place. “Do you think anyone will notice that I’m not wearing an undergarment?”

  “No one will notice anything e
xcept how beautiful you are.” Sheyn paused. “Aren’t your legs cold?”

  “Foreigner,” Luks said as he twirled a cloak around his shoulders. “If you’re too cold, your blood is too thin.”

  “The cold certainly doesn’t seem to bother anyone else. Half the army walks around bare-chested most of the time.”

  “Is that right? I hadn’t noticed.” Luks led the way to the door and out into the hall. “I see you’ve taken to wearing that sword all the time.”

  “It comforts me.”

  When they reached Kholya’s quarters, the guards told them that the commander had gone up to the parapet. Since no orders had been given concerning the daaksim, Sheyn and Luks weren’t hindered when they walked away.

  “This is not a good idea,” Luks said as they approached the main entrance to the fortress.

  “Aren’t you curious?”

  Luks looked out at the bustling courtyard. “If it’s important, someone will tell me about it.”

  “You’re not serious, surely.” Sheyn stepped outside. “Come on. I’ve been up there before. Just follow me.” For a moment, it occurred to him that Luks was probably right, but his curiosity spurred him on. “Take my hand.”

  Sheyn and Luks climbed the stair to the parapet, and none barred their way. At the top, Sheyn saw Kashyan and Kholya standing near the sentry tower over the gate. He edged closer with Luks’s hand in his until they could hear what was being said.

  “You can’t deny it,” Ognyan shouted. “You used sorcery against me, sending monsters in the night to slay my men.”

  “If monsters slew your men, you should be having this talk with the high priest of the Red Temple,” Kholya answered.

  “You lie like the coward you are. Yesterday you threatened me with a plague of demons and they came in the night. You’ll answer to the high king’s court for your crimes.”