Copyright 2019 by Stephen L. Hadley
All Rights Reserved.
Do not reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document electronically or in printed format. Unauthorized storage or recording of this publication is prohibited except by written permission of the publisher and/or copyright holder.
Baron of Hearts
By Stephen L. Hadley
Chapter One
It had been nearly a month since the last of the fires had been extinguished and the city was almost back to normal. For weeks, Ansiri had been abuzz with rumors and speculation, spreading as if carried aloft by the breeze and ashes.
No, the Duke was not dead. No, the Hammonds had not been consorting with dark forces to bring back the age of magic. And no, there had not been a coup.
At least, not in the manner the gossipers imagined.
Baron Leo VanOrden had been busy. He’d spent much of the past month consolidating his gains. But, to his surprise, he found that the overseers of his new colonial inheritances cared not a whit that they’d been given over from Hammond hands to VanOrden ones. Those within courier distance had responded to his notifications with stiff, appropriately respectful replies, assuring him that they were well-provisioned, self-sufficient, and on pace to meet the requirements of their quarterly tithes. He wasn’t entirely sure he believed them, but until the situation in Ansiri stabilized, he was in no position to verify their claims.
The servants located within the city itself had been trickier. A few, presumably those most loyal to Baron Hammond, had vanished without a word. Leo could have tracked them down as their unauthorized departure had effectively stolen a handful of sovereigns from his coffers. But, under the circumstances, he wasn’t willing to risk further scandal.
The rest he’d ordered to several properties outside the city limits. It wasn’t fear of betrayal that motivated him; most servants cared little more than his colonial overseers who they served. But since he couldn’t be assured of the loyalty of those he’d inherited, it seemed better to him to begin with a clean slate. And, if nothing else, their arrival would remind the distant plantations that he was unlikely to forget them.
Unfortunately, his current predicament was not as easily remedied as the fires had been. His usurpation of the Hammond family, while technically legal, had made him notorious amongst his fellow nobility. Which, in turn, was why he now found himself walking the familiar streets at dusk with nearly a dozen guards. A few of which were even his own.
This late into the evening, the streets were less crowded than normal, most of the city’s residents hurrying home after a hard day’s laboring or with plans to begin an even harder night’s drinking. Many cast askance glances his way as he passed, though he suspected that had more to do with the composition of his guards than anything else.
Karran marched beside him, head uncovered and her dark, curling horns proudly displayed. She’d traded out her dress for a feminine sort of armor—inspired by Davin’s, he suspected—with a stiff, leather breastplate and short skirts that barely covered a matching pair of greaves. Though she carried no weapon, she hardly needed to. Her claws and talons were exposed and looked as though she’d deliberately polished them to a black, obsidian sheen.
Far less conspicuous, though no less deadly, was the trow couple that followed in Leo’s wake. Mihal and Nyssa wore hoods and formless, grey cloaks, though a close observer would have noticed the odd bulges created by the armor and swords hidden beneath. Not that anyone was in a position to observe such things, thanks to the assortment of thugs surrounding them. If the men on loan from Davin had any qualms about escorting nonhuman slaves, or Leo himself, they had not mentioned it.
In fact, they hadn’t said a word since leaving the former Hammond estate.
Leo didn’t care; he preferred their silence. It had been a long day and was still far from over. Fortunately, the walk was not a long one. It took only a few minutes to reach the slave market from his new residence.
Visiting Nicolo had become something of a habit by now. Every two or three days, when his new workload permitted, he would find an excuse to venture out and purchase a new collection of kobolds. He must have owned at least a hundred of the diminutive creatures by now, but they were cheap and his ever-expanding tunnel network meant that there was no end to the work. It was the closest he came to a hobby these days.
His slaves tensed as they reached the auction hall. Leo couldn’t blame them, but he was surprised that they had not yet grown accustomed to the sight of it. They must have visited the place with him a dozen times by now.
“Wait here,” he said, as he reached the threshold. “This won’t take long.”
It was a small mercy, but a mercy nonetheless. Not for Karran and the trow, but for those working inside. He did not doubt that his slaves would gladly have slaughtered every human inside the place, if Karran’s visceral reaction to merely glimpsing Nicolo a few weeks earlier was any indication.
Leo didn’t bother knocking. He was known by now, and the usher inside greeted him with nothing more than a friendly nod and a slightly improper wave. Answering the man with a nod of his own, Leo turned and headed for Nicolo’s office.
The room was a mess as always, but Nicolo somehow seemed immune to the chaos. He sat—squatted, more like—on his chair, writing notes on one of the many pages strewn across his desk. Looking up as Leo entered, he grinned and hurried over to offer an elaborate, overly enthusiastic bow. Coming from anyone else, it would have seemed mocking, but Nicolo had a way of making the whole charade feel entirely authentic.
“Baron,” Nicolo said. “How can I help you?”
“I need kobs,” Leo said, without missing a beat. He held open the office door and smiled indulgently. “Shall we?”
Nicolo beamed, nodding eagerly and practically skipping as he led Leo out of the office and into the cramped warehouse behind the auction hall’s stage. Now, as always, the foul odor was oppressive, but Leo had almost grown used to it. More worrying, he had almost grown to like it, or at least associate it with the bargains he’d come to expect.
What he had not grown to like, however, were the relentless, dull-eyed stares cast his way by the room’s shackled inhabitants. Perhaps it was because the unsold slaves recognized him as a frequent guest, but the nonhumans no longer hung their heads or averted their eyes when he visited. They stared at him, some in loathing, but most with a sort of weary indifference that struck at some deep, hidden spot behind his sternum.
Leo looked away, focusing on Nicolo’s back as the man led him up the stairs to the cages on the room’s second floor. They had to walk nearly the length of the room before they came to an occupied cage, though that may have said more about his purchasing habits than the success of Nicolo’s business.
At least a dozen kobolds huddled in the designated cage, scales and eyes cloudy from confinement. The condition had worried Leo in the past, though he had quickly come to realize the effects faded quickly. Oftentimes, the kobolds he purchased improved noticeably even before reaching their new home.
He made a quick count, then turned to Nicolo. The man stood waiting, hands folded and a smile on his face.
“The usual terms?” Leo asked. “Eight per head. Fourteen kobs makes for… well, let’s call it a hundred sovereigns.”
As usual, Nicolo scowled. His eyes, however, retained the same hint of mirth that Leo expected from the man. He heaved a sigh and shook his head in mock resignation.
“As expected, my lord,” Nicolo said. “Your negotiation skills far outstrip my own. Alas, I will have to accept one hundred.”
Leo chuckled and shook the man’s hand.
Rather than release it, however, Nicolo tightened his grip.
“But, before you go…” Nicolo turned and gazed toward a cage in the far corner of the room. “I have something that might interest you. Come, my lord, if it please you.”
It didn’t, but Leo was in no mood to argue. Besides, Nicolo might be a slave-trading bastard, but he certainly had an inkling for Leo’s tastes.
No sooner did Leo catch a glimpse of the figure than he realized how correct Nicolo had been. His impatience vanished in an instance and he gripped the railing to keep from staggering in his surprise.
At first glance, Leo had mistaken the shackled creature for an ambrosian, due to the blackened horns sprouting from her head. On second glance, however, he chastised himself for even making the error. The female’s skin was a pale, icy blue but mostly hidden behind a pair of large, black-membraned wings she had wrapped around her nakedness. She had drawn her legs up within the makeshift cocoon, leaving only her face and arms poking out. The latter were held aloft by iron restraints and bound securely to the wall. She hardly seemed to notice, though, so intense were the pride and fury on her angular face. Her eyes were a brilliant crimson. But, even more distracting, her pupils gleamed silver-white. And every bit of them stared Nicolo down in utter contempt.
“Releassse,” she hissed, baring a mouthful of gleaming, devilishly pointed teeth.
“You see?” Nicolo said. He didn’t even bother turning to look at Leo. “I told you she’d interest you.”
Leo nodded slowly, unable to tear his eyes away. The female still had not turned to look directly at him and he was strangely glad she had not. There was something intimidating in her stare that reminded him of Karran. But, where the ambrosian’s intensity had been almost feral, the creature before him projected a cunning sort of ferocity.
“What is she?” he asked.
Nicolo turned to look at him, as did the female. Leo held her gaze a moment, keeping his face blank to disguise the way his stomach seemed to flip within him. Only then did he meet the man’s eyes.
“She’s a drakonid,” Nicolo said.
Leo almost laughed, despite himself. It was only the utter seriousness on Nicolo’s face that kept him from it. Glancing from the man to the caged figure and back, he struggled to find words.
“Where—” he began. “How did you…?”
“The Academy,” Nicolo said. “An exploration party found her on an unexplored island—or at least, that’s what they told me. They had planned to open her up, but apparently, our sedatives have no effect on her kind. Three dead surgeons later, they decided she was worth more on the block.”
“And they just… sold her to you?”
Nicolo laughed, his grin returning. “Hell no,” he said. “They paid me to take her.”
Despite the warnings his gut screamed at him, Leo turned to study the drakonid once more. To his surprise, he discovered the female was no longer glaring at him. Instead, she smirked wickedly, seemingly amused by Nicolo’s account of her dangerous nature. One of her brows, hairless but otherwise human, quirked invitingly.
Then, with the same mischievous expression, she drew open her wings to offer him a glimpse of the pale, smooth body below. Leo drank in the sight, transfixed.
He jumped as Nicolo aimed a resounding kick at the cage’s bars. The drakonid jumped as well, folding her wings back around herself and hissing indignantly at the slaver.
“As a friend,” Nicolo said, choosing his words with uncharacteristic slowness. “I would advise against buying her.”
Leo was quiet for a moment, then offered a thin smile.
“And as a merchant?” he asked.
Nicolo laughed again and offered his hand to shake.
“As a merchant, I would say fifty sovereigns is a bargain to own Ansiri’s one and only drakonid.”
Leo shook.
***
If Leo had any worries about transporting the drakonid female to his estate, they were swiftly put to rest after seeing Nicolo’s careful precautions in restraining her. The shackles around her wrists remained and were joined by others. Heavy, iron cuffs wrapped in leather secured her ankles, her neck, her wings, and even her thin, whip-like tail, until she could manage nothing but snarls and a clumsy shuffle.
Then, with the addition of a wide muzzle, the growls ceased as well.
“Is all this really necessary?” Leo asked as he watched Nicolo’s men guide the drakonid down the stairs. Elsewhere, two more handlers assembled the kobolds he’d purchased into a makeshift chain gang.
Nicolo looked at him sharply.
“You can ask the Academy if you’d like,” he said, and left it at that.
Chapter Two
Leo arrived at his new estate well in advance of Nicolo’s men, trusting that his standing orders on the disposition of new slaves would be sufficient for the kobolds. However, he was not about to take any chances concerning the arrival of his newest, more unique purchase. No sooner were they inside than he turned to Mihal.
“I want you to prepare a room for the drakonid,” he said. “Make sure she’s comfortable. But, you know, secure .”
From his expression, Mihal harbored reservations but nodded, nevertheless. Squeezing his lover’s hand briefly, he hurried up the stairs and out of sight.
“You’re in charge of the kobs,” Leo said, looking at Karran. “I’ll have Delia bring over some food. Once they’re settled, put them to work with the others.”
Karran, of course, had nothing more to say than Mihal had. Her acknowledgement of Leo’s orders, however, was far more intimate than the trow’s had been. Taking his hand in hers, she lifted it to her cheek and nuzzled it once before departing.
Only once they were alone in the foyer did Leo turn to Nyssa. Despite her proven deadliness, he’d found himself relying on her more and more domestically over the past month, until he could not even conceive of trying to manage his household without her. And, judging from her thin smile, she knew it.
“Master,” she murmured. “How can I help?”
Leo considered the question for a moment before answering.
“Find Delia,” he said. “Let her know that a new batch of kobs are on their way and will need food. Then, tell Brigit I want to see her.”
“Of course, Master. Will that be all?”
“No,” Leo said, grinning at the note of surprise on Nyssa’s usually stoic face. “After that, I want you to get a message to Davin. You don’t need to go directly, just tell one of her men. Let her know I’d like to meet. At her convenience, of course.”
“Will that be all?” Nyssa repeated, in a tone that very nearly bordered on insubordination.
“For now,” he said, grinning. “I’ll be in my chambers.”
There was something refreshing about having a moment alone. Leo allowed his shoulders to slump with exhaustion the moment Nyssa vanished from sight. He trudged up the stairs, thankful that his new residence lacked the multitude of ancestral portraits that had lined the original. Their oily, unseeing gazes had always made him feel a bit guilty for resting or wandering, as though there was something more productive he could have done with the time. Now, absent their judgment, he could indulge in a moment’s self-pity.
Unfortunately, he did not have long to indulge. He had appropriated the former Baron Hammond’s chambers for his own and the odor of smoke still had not faded entirely. From the very moment he set foot inside the room, the scent reminded him almost too much of the steps he had taken to get here—necessary, delightfully wicked, and wholly tiresome.
A part of him wanted nothing more than to flop wearily onto the newly purchased bed and close his eyes, but the day’s work was not yet done. Instead, Leo seated himself at the plain, corner desk, one of the few items he’d paid to have brought from his previous estate, and waited.
It was not long before Brigit arrived. She entered without knocking, closed the door behind her, and quietly placed a tea tray on the desk before him. Then, with all the forthrightness
of an owner, she seated herself on the foot of his bed.
Leo took the tea, sipped it once, and returned it to its saucer before turning to Brigit.
“I assume Nyssa told you that—” he began.
“You need more servants, Leo,” Brigit interjected, grimacing.
“I just bought a dozen more kobs,” he said, taken aback.
“Servants,” Brigit repeated. “Not slaves. You’ve already got enough of those. No, what you need are more bondservants.”
Leo frowned but resisted the urge to argue. Instead, he sipped his tea again.
“Go on,” he said, finally.
“It was hard enough before,” she said. “Delia and I managed as best we could. But even when it was just the three of us, it was impossible to finish everything that needed doing. Now, the two of us spend all day in the kitchen, trying to keep everyone fed. If it wasn’t for Nyssa and Mihal helping out, this place would have fallen apart already.”
“I could buy more trow.”
“You were lucky. Those two are an exception. You need more servants. Human ones.”
Leo sighed and set the tea aside. The warmth and aroma were pleasant enough, but the aftertaste proved too astringent for his liking.
“Very well,” he said. “How many do we need?”
“Ten,” Brigit said, so quickly that it gave Leo pause. “Twice that would be ideal, but we can manage with ten.”
“That’ll be expensive,” he pointed out. “I’m going to be meeting with Davin soon and I’m going to need a great deal of capital.”
“And you have it. You inherited, what, fifteen thousand sovereigns? You can spare a couple hundred for bondservant contracts.”
“I might need that money.”
“For what?” Brigit snapped. “To buy more brothels? Does it matter how many you own if your own home looks rundown enough to be one?”
Leo chuckled and glanced up at the still soot-stained ceiling. “That might actually be an upgrade at this point,” he said. Then, before Brigit could respond to his quip, he held up a hand. “It’s all right, Bri. You’ve made your point. Buy as many as you need.”
Baron of Hearts (Master of Monsters Book 2) Page 1
