“It’s simple,” Nan said. “Don’t confuse that with easy.” She took a drink of her wine and set the glass carefully on the table in front of her. “You must get close to the Prince, or rather be present among his court. We already know that getting close to the Prince himself is impossible, but not to the Jardir and the Mata. They are very active at court. They are the most senior members, in fact. You have to get close to them. The Jardir himself is out, short of joining the Jerean army, and you don’t seem patient enough to rise through the ranks just to get that far into his good graces.”
Nan thought, drumming her nails on the table.
“No, your ultimate target will be the Jardir’s wife, the Mata. It translates to the ‘Eye.’ She comes in looking for new playmates whenever we have someone new. I’ve not been able to learn her given name. None are permitted to speak it without permission, and she doesn’t give it. The Mata holds a position similar to Tamil in the Empire. She is counselor to the Jardir as his wife, but also runs his spy network on behalf of the Prince. It is believed to rival that of the King in its thoroughness.”
My brows nearly climbed into my hairline. I sputtered. “Then isn’t she the one who sent the assassin after you?”
“Possibly,” Nan said. “But that doesn’t matter. She failed. She might know that by now, she might not. Assassins guilds are reluctant to disclose failure. It is bad for business, though to be honest, this may be a first for them.”
Shani was trailing a nail down my chest as Nan was talking. I placed my hand over hers, ostensibly to hold it, but in truth, to stop her pleasant distractions. I was trying to pay attention to what Nan was saying, I really was, but I was having difficulty concentrating under her alluring touch.
“Won’t that anger the Jardir against us even further?” I asked. “They already want you dead, wouldn’t bedding his wife incite him even more?”
Shani pulled her hand from mine and wrapped her arms around my neck. She snuggled into my shoulder.
“No,” Nan said. “Theirs is an arranged marriage, and a dangerous one at that. They are both from wealthy families, and both families are notoriously ambitious. Yet, like most noble marriages in Trular, or anywhere else for that matter, there is little love. While they share a bed, it is well known that they both seek their pleasures elsewhere. It’s a common practice among the Trulari nobility.”
“Then why share a bed?” I asked as Shani began nibbling on my earlobe. I gently turned my head to pull it from her teeth. She grunted to emphasize her displeasure.
“Tradition,” answered Nan. “It is a symbol of loyalty to one’s family. But you are not just trying to bed her. You have to seduce her. The goal is to get her to name you her Consort. That will get you in the front door of the palace—or the back door at any rate. With their level of activity in the Prince’s court, you are more likely to find information about the children.”
“Seduce?” I asked. “How do I do that by selling myself here?” Shani ground her bottom into my lap slowly and giggled when she got a reaction from me. I couldn’t ignore her any longer. “Shani, what in Hessa’s name are you doing?”
Shani looked up at me and slowly blinked her big doe eyes. “What you will have to do to the Mata,” she said sweetly and ground herself into me again. Again, I reacted. She smiled, satisfied in her efforts. “You have to make her want you, not just sleep with you. Getting her into bed is easy. It is more than that, though. You have to make her need you so desperately that she will name you publicly. That will take some effort on your part, because you will have to do what I have done to you—find out what she wants and give it to her.”
“And this is what I want?” I asked as I ground against her. Shani’s eyes widened in surprise when a twitch pressed against her bottom. “Like that?” I asked with a smirk.
“It’ll take more than that,” she said with a grin, “but that’s a good start.”
I decided that I’d had enough of Shani’s mischief for the moment. I traced the sensitive line of her spine with my fingers but she yelped when I pinched her backside. She jumped from my lap and rubbed at her rump through the thin dress.
“Easy there,” she scolded. “Don’t bruise the merchandise. I have to sell that later.
Before heading into the wider world, I had always thought spies were just regular people that told other people what they knew in exchange for coin. Or perhaps it was because they felt a kinship of some sort. It appeared that was only the case for the lowest of the eyes and ears. The level of political insight that Nan demonstrated proved Tamil’s praise of her cunning. That was what Nan was already teaching me: to look beyond the obvious, understand the politics and motivations of the players, and not get trapped by simple schemes.
She tasked Shani to teach me to be a courtesan. I didn't think I needed that much training, to be honest. How hard could it be? Sex was easy. It's pretty self-explanatory. I rolled my eyes at her when she suggested we begin our lessons with shopping and lunch. The shopping part of her suggestion made sense, because I needed new clothes in my role, as did lunch, because I was getting hungry. What I didn't understand was the need for a lecture.
We were browsing the market stalls in search of clothing suitable for me to prowl the salon in search of customers. She said they would start me off easy by announcing a fresh man in the stable and seeing what that drew in by word of mouth. She told me to expect a small rush at first, as it had been a while since there’d been a new man on staff at The Pearl. When I balked at that, she tried to calm me down.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “It will only be two or three per night. That won’t be a problem, will it?
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Will you be able to perform three times in one night? You are young and fit. I assumed you would be able to.” Shani sighed. “Most of the men who come to see me have trouble with the one visit. It’s a lot of work.”
I thought about her question. I knew what she was asking, and while I wasn’t necessarily uncomfortable talking to her about these things, it just wasn’t a subject that normally came up in conversation. “Um. I suppose I can. I don’t know.”
She stopped and turned to me, surprise in her eyes. “Wait. You’re not…Please tell me you’re a virgin, because I’ll fix that right now.” She had an impish gleam in her eye. “I always wondered why you never took us up on our flirts.”
“No,” I answered too quickly. “It’s not that. It's just that, with one really bizarre exception, I have been with two women” and those relationships progressed more naturally.”
“Then we will have to work in some practical lessons as well.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“What do you think?” Shani smirked. “If I am going to teach you to be a courtesan, I’ll not have you embarrass me or The Pearl. If you aren’t any good in bed, then it doesn’t matter how much effort we put into getting the Mata to show.” I bridled at that.
“Are you trying to suggest that I don’t know what I am doing?”
“I am sure you are fine…for an amateur,” she said. “But you just admitted that your experience is limited. That will be a problem.”
“I don’t see how. I haven’t had any complaints as of yet.”
“You probably wouldn’t have,” she said. “Unless you were just plain awful, and that’s no guarantee. It’s not your fault.” Shani held up a hand when I made to respond. “There is a difference between pleasing someone who loves you and pleasing every woman that hires you for a romp. A woman that loves you will overlook much. A woman coming to you to satisfy an urge, a need?” She shook her head. “They have expectations, and you had better deliver. Especially when it comes to the Mata.”
I opened my mouth to object, then shut it. I wanted to object. I needed to object. But I had no words.
“We’ll address that though. I will fill in any gaps you have in your knowledge.”
We walked for a time in awkward silence. I was still trying to figu
re if I needed to take offense at Shani’s words. I knew she meant them to be helpful, but still they stung. I felt foolish. If teaching me meant what I thought it did, however, then who was I to object?
“Tell me about her, your first. You loved her, didn’t you?”
I thought for a time and Shani must have taken my silence for offense. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to pry. If it is painful—”
“No, it’s fine,” I said quickly, “I was just thinking about her is all. She and I all but grew up together. We were training to be Guardians. We became very close over the years and things kind of evolved.” I fell silent, reveling in my memories of Ivey. Her hazel eyes, rust-green in the lantern light of her room, still caused me to smile.
“What happened?” Shani asked. “I mean, why aren’t you still together?”
“She passed her training and was bound to her Finder. The two of them are out there, I suppose. It is what she wanted.”
“And you?” she asked. “What did you want?” I shook my head.
“I’m not sure it mattered what I wanted,” I said. “I still had work to do and my path was more complicated.”
“Would you have done things differently if you could?”
I honestly didn’t have an answer for that. I thought about being with Ivey. Imagined what that could be like. It was a wonderful dream. A dream any man could be proud of pursuing. She had her own dreams, though, and I wasn’t in them. I wasn’t bitter about that. It was just the way it was.
Then I thought about the children I saved from that mad necromancer Priest and the Duke, and the ones I was on the hunt to save now, and I knew that there would never really be any choice for me. I was meant to do this. I had learned that time meant change and I would have to accept that and get on with it or be forever wishing for stagnation. That was no life.
“No,” I finally said. “I am happy for her and I hope she is safe and happy. As for me,” I breathed deeply and when I let it out, much doubt and anxiety left with the air, “I think I am where I am supposed to be.”
“That’s good.” Shani smiled and took my arm as we walked. She laid her head on my arm in comfort. “That is a beautiful story. I am happy for you. My own tale was not so romantic.”
I didn’t know what to say, so I went with lame. “I’m sorry, Shani.”
“No need for that.” She swatted my arm. “I am telling you this to reinforce a lesson. I am teaching you, after all.”
“Alright, but how does that teach me to be a courtesan?”
“What do our clients want?”
“Well, sex is the obvious answer, but I think it is more than that. Since I have been here for a while and seen what goes on behind the scenes, I would have to say your actual wares are fantasies, or in some cases, comfort.”
Shani looked surprised. “You’re smarter than you look.”
I smiled at her. “Even a blind squirrel finds a nut occasionally,” I said automatically—one of the many sayings Master Guardian Brenn had drilled into my head.
“What if you went to a customer and asked them why they came to The Pearl? What do you think they would say?”
I shrugged.
“Sex,” she said. “If you asked them, they would tell you sex, every time. It is because they, themselves, don’t understand what they need, only that we provide it. Not every place can, or does. There are a dozen brothels in the city. Each different. This is a busy trading port and you can find anything here. Many places cater to men and women to give them what they want. They charge accordingly and their clientele get what they pay for. We are after information, however, so we want to attract the clients that have information: wealthy nobles, successful merchants, and the like. We provide what they need, and they tell us things while we sell them what they want.”
“Surely it’s not that simple?” I asked.
“No, it takes a long time. First we have to make them feel comfortable. We loosen their purses to distract them from loosening their tongues. They pay for sex. We sell it to them. That is an even trade. We shop for information and they give it to us. Only instead of paying in gold, our coin is intimacy, comfort, and fantasy. That is what you will have to give the Mata.”
“What does that have to do with Ivey?” I asked.
“Everything,” she said. “You will have to pull up those feelings and wear them for your clients, the Mata included.”
I scowled.
“I wouldn’t dishonor my feelings for Ivey like that.” Shani was shaking her head.
“You are looking at it all wrong,” she said. “It isn’t that you are betraying your love for her, but you are using your experiences to give your customers the illusion that you have those feelings for them. If you don’t, they can tell. It has to ring true, even though they know, intellectually, that it’s fake. They can buy fake anywhere. You spend the coin of genuineness and fantasy, however, and suddenly you have two men fighting naked in the street for you…Or women, whatever. You must take my point.”
“But…how do I do that?” I sputtered. I was starting to panic. I was in so far over my head. This was completely beyond me. Give me the girls’ location and I could break in, secure them, and fight my way out if necessary. That was simple. I understood that. But navigating personalities, and psychologies, of not only other people, but myself as well, and then using that against them? That was so far beyond my scope of experience that I felt the need to stab someone just to keep a familiar taste in my mouth. I needed an enemy I could fight.
“Relax,” Shani giggled. “That’s why we are here. I wanted to begin your lessons with something simple.”
Lessons
Shani pulled me to a stop in the markets near to Chadri’s. I knew the area, having been here many times. Merchants and craftsmen lined the streets in front of their shops advertising their wares, and I could smell roasting meat from a tavern not far away. It made my stomach growl.
“Pay attention,” Shani said, giving my arm another swat. “See that man there?”
I looked and saw a leather worker in front of his shop across the street. He was quietly stitching a delicate glove. It looked to be of excellent quality. He worked away and would occasionally nod at a passerby or make conversation about an item on his table. A woman came out of the shop behind him carrying a plate and cup. She was a handsome woman with crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes and laugh lines around her mouth. She wore a leather apron over a simple but well-made dress. The apron was a fine piece of work. Even from this distance I could make out the delicate traceries and embossing that must have taken much time and effort to make.
The craftsman's face lit up as she handed him his food. He took it, set it aside, then grabbed her hands, pulling her over toward him for a kiss, and she fell into his lap, laughing. They shared a tender moment before she disappeared back inside.
Shani let out a contented sigh. “I could never get that man into my bed,” she said, shaking her head. “I can’t compete with that.”
I spun on Shani, shocked. “What are you talking about? You are a thousand times more beautiful than her.” Shani reached up and patted my cheek.
“You’re sweet. I know what I look like. I have to in order to sell to my strengths. I can’t pull off exotic, like Oni, or the secret mistress, like Kitty. You are missing the point, though.”
“Then what is the point?” I was starting to believe I was truly hopeless. If my success or failure relied on being able to see something I was truly blind to, we were doomed. I might as well storm the Palace and demand to know where the girls were. Suicide? Probably, but at least it was straightforward.
“I wouldn’t be competing with her,” she said. “I would be competing with his perception of her.”
“I’m lost. You are beautiful and kind. Once he got to know you, I am certain you could lure him away if you wanted.”
She’d started shaking her head the moment I began talking. “It wouldn’t work. Look at him. He is in love with her, completely besotted. Ev
ery woman he looks at gets compared—not to her, but to his idea of her. If you asked him to describe his wife, he would tell you of the most beautiful woman in the world and you wouldn’t be able to identify her in a crowd. That is because his feelings for her determine his perception of her.”
She shook her head. “No, the most I could do is play the lost waif. He would probably take me in and treat me as a long-lost daughter. If they don’t have children, or can’t have children, it would be better because she would likely fall for it, too. I could have a good life, learning to make purses and belts at my adopted father’s side. But he would never be my lover.”
I was beginning to understand, and I didn’t think I liked it. “It seems cheap, almost dirty, to think of love and relationships in such a way. Are you really such an authority?” It was a genuine question. I meant no challenge or judgment, and I was grateful that Shani hadn’t taken offense. She just smiled. It was a very mature smile that looked completely out of place on her youthful face.
“No one has a deeper understanding of love than a whore,” Shani said, a note of sadness in her voice. She shook herself. “Come on. There is something else I want you to see.”
She led me further down the market and we paused in front of a scarf merchant’s stall. Shani selected one and tied it around her auburn hair. She studied her face in a mirror and twirled to show me. She flashed me a smile. No, not a smile—that smile. It stole my heart and made me want to wrap her up and carry her away. I knew it was a show put on for the proprietor, but I didn’t care. I beamed back at her, complimented her on her selection, and paid the man. Shani giggled and bounced on her toes in a genuine show of affection. It seemed genuine to me, at least. It made me suddenly wonder what Shani’s true feelings for me were. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed me. That got a smile from the proprietor.
“You two are adorable,” he said before leaning forward and whispering, “Don’t let her pa find out, son. He’ll give you a beating something fierce. I know I would, you come buying pretty things for my little girl like that.” The middle-aged merchant sighed in defeat. “Still, you two look a delightful couple. It’s clear you are in love. Can’t say I’d truly begrudge my Nora one who dotes on her like you do on this pretty thing here. I’d grumble about it mightily, though. Threaten him within an inch of his life, I would.” He shook his fist but sheathed it in his apron when Shani bounced around the table and planted a kiss on his cheek. He stood straighter and smiled like a proud fool, needlessly smoothing his smock.
Oathbound: The Emperor's Conscience, Book 2 Page 5
