Pushing himself out away from the wall, Zander headed toward the stairs of his house, leaving Leyna there to stare after him in the hallway. “Get to cleaning, woman. She’ll be here any time now.”
Oh, she wanted to slap him. It had been a long time since she’d wanted to strike anyone as badly as she wanted to strike him. She couldn’t tell if it was an act, or if he really was the scoundrel he appeared to be. Completely different from the man they sat with at Malic’s. Her only hope was that he was a good man deep down, and that it was his time spent around such villainous people which made him so insensitive. He had to know that any mistreatment of her by him would be reported to Thade. If he was smart, he would do his best to keep his hands to himself.
She was no stranger to house work. Maeri and Leyna had been in charge of keeping Lady Faustine’s home clean and tidy in case of visitors. It was obvious to Leyna that Zander’s house was neglected in the way of cleanliness, the dust and cobwebs covering the furniture and floors in a thick layer. Fetching water and a rag, she went to work scrubbing the floor of the dining area, grateful for the distraction from the task they would be facing.
Dust filled her nostrils, tickling her senses to a point where she thought she would dissolve into a fit of sneezing for a week. Zander sat with his feet propped up on the table, watching her every move while she cleaned. “You are surprisingly convincing as a slave girl.”
“You may want to be careful. I will be the one making your food.” Tossing the water soaked rag down onto the floor, she wiped the sweat from her forehead. The sound of Zander’s self-amused laughter was cut short by a rap at the door. Panic rushed over Leyna at the noise. She wasn’t ready for this. What had she been thinking? Acting was never something she practiced in her spare time.
Grabbing onto the rag, she lowered her head down to the floor, continuing to scrub at a more vigorous speed. Keep her nose down. That was all she had to do to get through this. If she could just avoid having to make any contact with Gislan…
Zander was already at the door, pulling it open to greet his guests. “Gislan… I didn’t realize you were bringing a friend.”
From the corner of her vision, Leyna could see the blonde woman from the tavern brushing by Zander into the home, followed close behind by another man that she had never seen before. In knowing the common heritage amongst Gislan’s people, she questioned whether the man was truly a full Vor’shai, as he appeared. His ears rose up from his neatly combed black hair, coming to a sharp point at the tip. His skin was pale, the features on his face more wide-set than most others of her people. The glow of his soft green eyes told her he was at least gifted with the Vor’shai magic. His appearance looked pure enough to pass as a full blood.
“Zander, I think you have met Kael before?” Gislan waved dismissively, ignoring the disappointment on Zander’s face. “I asked him to come and help me get a good look at this girl of yours. I want his opinion before I put in the money.”
Closing the door behind them, Zander stood with his back to the room briefly, muttering a silent curse to himself. Regaining his wide grin, he spun around to face Gislan and Kael, motioning over to where Leyna was knelt down, scrubbing meticulously at the floor. “You are buying her? I thought you were thinking I should sell her to Mikel? I’ve been training her accordingly.”
“Well, yes. Mikel’s birthday is in a few days. I thought it would be a lovely gift for him. His very own Vor’shai slave girl – and I figured you would maybe give me a bit of a discount.” Slinking over to Zander, Gislan traced her fingertip along his chest, batting her eyes at him flirtatiously. “If you did, I would compensate the price in other ways.”
Perfect. If she could convince Gislan she was a worthy slave, she would be exactly where she wanted to be. It was just a matter of pulling off the difficult task to get there.
Pressing the rag hard into the floor, Leyna slid it forward across the surface, flinching in surprise as her hand struck the thick black boot of someone’s foot. Fearfully, she shifted her face upward to see who was standing there, finding herself staring into the green eyes of the man that had been brought in with Gislan. Kael. How convenient that her guest would be the other man mentioned by Thade and Feolan as an ally. If only he knew about their plan, it would be easier to convince Gislan that she was worth the price for Mikel.
She inhaled a hesitant breath at the sight of him, retracting the rag away from his foot with a wide-eyed gaze. Afraid. She had to make him think she feared his hand striking her for dampening his boot. A pained expression passed over his face, the sight of her there hitting him harder than Leyna anticipated. “You make a habit of enslaving your own people, Zander?”
“That one was already a slave. I figured I was doing her a favor by taking her away.”
“Doing her a favor would have been setting her free.” They hadn’t even been there for more than a couple of minutes and Leyna was already at a loss for how to react to Kael’s behavior. He was offended by her position. That could pose a problem if he argued against allowing Gislan to purchase her. Their plan would be foiled by their own ally.
Gislan stepped away from Zander, glancing over to Kael with an irritated glare. “Kael, relax. The only reason I brought you here was to tell me whether or not she is pretty… not to argue her predicament. Mikel would never accept an ugly slave and in my opinion, all women are less than adequate in comparison to me and my sister.”
It was made easier to feign her discomfort by her honest uncertainty about this man who was presumably on their side. For someone who was supposed to be undercover, he made no attempts to hide his favoritism toward the Vor’shai. She reflexively jerked away from his hand reaching out to her chin. His speed was admirable, catching her in his grasp despite her efforts to avoid him. Gently he raised her to her feet, twisting her head from one side to the other to examine her intently. “She is Vor’shai, so I will say she is already superior in beauty than Mikel’s wife. If that is what you are looking for, then she would be the perfect choice. If not, then I would say to kill this dog keeping her and release the poor girl.”
“Look at her, Kael,” Zander prodded. Leyna couldn’t see his face, but she could feel his hand lightly stroking the skin of her cheek, trailing down her neck to her collar bone. “You can’t tell me you wouldn’t want her doing your bidding, if you could have her.”
Kael’s hand released its hold on her chin, clenching into a fist angrily. He thought better of it, lowering his arm to his side, furrowing his brow in frustration. “Have you had her, or are you just making an observation?”
“It is the best way to tame them –”
With incredible speed, Kael pushed his hands against Zander’s chest, sending him stumbling backward across the floor. Anger flared in Zander’s eyes at the insult, balling up his fists at his sides. This was exactly why it was a bad idea for them to not be aware of the other’s true intentions. Leyna hoped in the end it would prove more beneficial that Kael was left in the dark.
Zander’s body twitched sharply. He wanted to take a swing at Kael but something in the back of his mind wouldn’t let him. It was either knowledge of Kael’s allegiance with Thade, or the fact that a fight between them might jeopardize their plans. “Eleni. Why is lunch not ready yet?”
Anxious to get away from them all, Leyna hurried off toward the kitchen. She was used to men throwing their weight around to look more masculine than the others, but the animosity between Zander and Kael appeared to be deeper than a simple show of strength. As long as Leyna was present, there would be no chance at Zander being able to conduct business talks with Gislan for her sale to Mikel.
The kitchen was a cleverly disguised mess. On the surface, everything looked to be orderly until she opened the cupboards, finding dishes tossed about haphazardly wherever they would fit. She was happy for the peace and quiet. The time it took her to dig out the pots needed to cook the meal gave her a chance to think about everything in more detail. There were still some aspects of th
e plan which were gradually becoming clearer to her that she wasn’t comfortable with.
Cooking was easy enough for her to manage, however it was the least of her concerns. If Mikel was a breed of Ven’shal heritage, she was almost certain her work wouldn’t be nearly so simple and pleasant as cleaning and preparing meals. For him, it would be like having his greatest enemy at his service whenever he snapped his fingers. She would be a trophy for him, above all else. Any disgusting task he had that needed to be done, it would fall on her to do, and he would bask in every minute of it.
She avoided going out into the dining area other than to serve the food to Zander and his guests. Her eyes remained low to the floor, not wanting to make contact with any of their watchful stares. Kael never once took his gaze from her, following every movement she made with her body. It was uncomfortable for her to know that he was so attentive to her. She couldn’t be sure if he watched her because he felt sorry for her, or if he was looking for signs that would belie her ruse.
From the doorway of the kitchen, Leyna watched and waited for everyone to finish eating. Their voices were too hushed for her to be able to make out most of their conversation. Kael’s eyes drifted over to where she was standing, causing her to duck out of sight, not wanting to draw attention to herself. She hated the idea of lying to him about her situation, but there was no other choice at this time. Truth would have to wait until she was securely in place within Mikel and Oksuva’s home.
When the plates were empty of food, she slipped quietly from her hiding place, collecting the dishes from the table. Leaning over to gather Zander’s utensils, she jumped in surprise at the impact of his hand, slapping boorishly against her rear. Unsure of how to react, she cast an uncomfortable glance at Gislan and Kael, hurrying quickly back to the kitchen with the dishes she managed to fit in her arms.
This was ridiculous. Throughout the war, she’d knocked men off their feet for less than what she was allowing Zander to do. Even Teagan had been more respectable – back then. There was no saying what he would be like now. If their meeting at Malic’s was any indication, she could only assume he would treat her similarly to Zander. An abuse of power.
Calm yourself. It was all an act. He warned her that he would have to do it. There was no doubt he was enjoying it, however. A cheap thrill at her expense with the excuse that it was for the good of their mission. How much longer would she have to expose herself to it?
One of the plates fell through her fingers, shattering into pieces on the floor. Idiot. She was letting everything get to her. This was what she had wanted. The excitement and adventure of working undercover. She couldn’t keep letting every little thing bother her. If she couldn’t play along with her role without becoming offended, she would have little chance at convincing anyone that she was what she claimed.
That was quite possibly the most frightening thing of all. Once she was under the employ of Mikel, it would no longer be just an act. She would be his slave in reality. This meant she would no longer have her freedom when out of the eyes of her enemies. If Mikel told her to do something, she would have to do it or risk a punishment like that which Thade had feared. Her role required more of her than she’d considered before jumping to accept it.
“Eleni?”
She almost let another dish crash to the floor at the sound of Kael’s voice coming from the doorway. Don’t speak. Slaves don’t speak. The words repeated themselves over and over in her head, her eyes looking up to him from where she was crouched down on the floor, gathering up the broken pieces of the plate into her hands. Everything else was scattered about the counter, placed there in a rush to get them out of her grasp in fear of dropping it all.
His eyes were hypnotizing, the way they peered down at her with such emotion, the sight of her there stinging him to his very core. He made no effort to conceal his discontent for her position. It was charming, in a way. She was a complete stranger to him and yet he cared so deeply about the trouble she appeared to be in. Forced to do the bidding of her kin while being taken advantage of in every way imaginable. If only he knew it wasn’t true…
“Let me help you with that –”
“No…” Her voice was nothing more than a whisper. Quickly, she snatched up several pieces of the broken plate, trying to gather them all before Kael could get a hold of them. He grabbed her hand lightly, preventing her from collecting any more.
Their eyes met, her arm pulling away from his nervously in fear of someone walking in and seeing them there together. “You will get me beaten. This work is for my hands, not yours.”
“He would not dare to strike you in my presence,” he replied calmly, picking up the last of the pieces from the floor. “If he knows what is good for him, he will never lay another finger on you.”
She found herself watching his lips. There was something about the way they moved with every word he uttered in their native tongue. Every syllable was perfectly pronounced, laced with an air of confidence similar to that which she had grown accustomed to hearing from the nobility in Tanispa, though his features were almost too rugged to be of noble birth. Aristocrats tended to have sharper and more elegant shapes.
Finding herself staring at him, she averted her gaze, looking down to the floor bashfully. He was good looking, she couldn’t deny it, but this was hardly the time and place for her to be admiring him. There was still much work to be done in order to guarantee her a place amongst Mikel’s people and Kael’s chivalry risked destroying it all if he felt compelled to force her to escape captivity. How could she explain to him that she wanted to stay if he opened the door for her to leave?
She remained on the floor as he rose to his feet, disposing of the broken plate fragments in a container near the far counter. Gislan and Zander had to be aware that he was no longer in the dining area with them. It felt strange that they had allowed him to wander off without questioning his intentions – especially knowing his disapproval of her treatment. To leave him alone with her seemed foolish. “You should not be here.”
“Me?” He peered back at her quizzically. “I am here as a free man. If anyone should not be here, it is you.” With long strides, he made his way back over to her, taking a knee. Gazing deeply in her eyes, he brushed a stray piece of hair from Leyna’s face, tucking it lightly behind her ear with a delicate motion. The gentleness of his touch surprised her, sending a shiver down her spine. “You deserve better than this. Your beauty should be showcased in finery instead of these rags he places upon you.”
Silently she scolded herself for letting him so close to her. She should have flinched away from his hand. A slave would never have trusted someone of higher station to touch them without fear of being struck. Something about his presence was scrambling her thoughts, making it difficult to focus on her task. “You should not say such things. I am but a slave. I deserve none of these things you speak of.”
The sound of approaching footsteps brought them both to their feet instantly. Her eyes gazed nervously toward the door while Kael stood tall and proud, his fists clenched in preparation for confrontation. Gislan’s lithe figure stepped through to the kitchen, leaning casually against the door frame. “Find anything interesting, Kael?”
“I was coming to check on what the noise had been. Zander will be short a plate for his next luncheon.”
Gislan laughed an airy, almost haughty laugh, tossing her head back in amusement. “You went through the trouble of coming in here just to check on the status of Zander’s dishes? Do you take me for a fool?”
“Of course not,” he frowned. Gislan had backed him into a corner with her words. He hadn’t shown enough care for anything of Zander’s for him to convince her that the shattered plate was the only reason for him coming to the kitchen. “She is rather enticing. I think she would do much better under Mikel’s employ than this wretch’s.”
Her laughter stopped abruptly, the sound of it echoing throughout the silence of the room. She looked him over carefully, ascertaining whether or not
he was speaking truthfully before choosing her words. “I am glad you think so, because the deal is already done. She will be returning with us when we take our leave for Dalonshire.”
“We will be taking her with us today then?”
“No,” Gislan giggled, stepping backward through the door with a motion for Kael to follow. “You would like that too much, I think. She will stay here until we are ready to leave. That will give Zander time to have her better prepared.”
At Gislan’s retreat back to the outer room, Kael turned to Leyna, leaning his face down close to her ear. “I will make sure that you find your freedom, somehow. It may not be possible right away, but eventually –”
“Kael, stop fondling Zander’s wares and get out here!” Gislan’s voice rang loudly through the doorway. Letting his words trail off, he straightened his back, sharply twisting on his heel toward the door.
Curiosity pulled Leyna forward after him, taking hesitant steps from the kitchen into the room with the others. She remained cowered against the wall, hoping that if she stayed still enough, they might not notice her presence. Zander’s eyes lingered on her for only a moment before he moved to Gislan’s side, wrapping his arms around her in an affectionate embrace. “I do love when you visit. You should try to come by more often.”
“We shall see,” she mused, glancing over to Leyna disapprovingly. “Make sure you clean her up a bit. She looks like a pathetic ragamuffin. That will never do for Mikel.”
“Ah, he and I have different tastes then,” Zander winked. Lightly Gislan pressed her lips against both his cheeks, smiling up at him in adoration.
Her movements were fluid and graceful, more than would be expected of a common woman. She carried herself with a strong confidence that would intimidate a normal man. Without saying anything in response, she stepped through the front door, leaving Kael to linger behind near where Zander was standing.
The Myatheira Chronicles: The Vor'shai: From the Ashes (Volume 1) Page 24
