by L J Andrews
Catching sight of her they ceased their barking laughter. One man pressed his palm against the wall in front of Isa’s way, blocking her exit. “Pretty,” he slurred.
“Step aside,” Isa said. He only laughed as his smelly companion wobbled on his feet.
“Pretty,” he said again, though now leaned his drunken mouth toward Isa. His breath was hot and rank.
Isa moved swift enough she had a moment to roll her eyes before the edge of her hand chopped against the man’s throat. His eyes widened and he gasped as she yanked his greasy hair back and kicked the side of his knee until he crumbled to the floorboards. Clutching his throat, he sputtered, while his cheerful friend chuckled with glassy eyes and lifted a wooden stein in salute, before he stumbled back against the wall to guzzle the final drops.
Straightening her shoulders, Isa lifted her chin and continued down the hallway, leaving the gasping, sputtering man huddled on the ground.
Outside the morning was in full bloom. Covering her mouth with a sheer veil, Isa stepped onto the dusty roads and became part of society though she doubted most women carried three blades beneath their dresses.
“Annis, beautiful annis, come see these beads. They will sit so lovely on your neck,” said a merchant, holding up a jade necklace.
Isa held up her hand, though more calls came as she made her way through the busy market.
“Whole quail, annis, feed your entire family…”
“A woman so fine should have gold, nearly pure gold rings for you, jamila…”
“Ah, you see my baskets of fishes, pretty lady. Fresh from Tjuvar just this morning. Come, come see…”
Isa dipped her head at each insistence but remained silent as women would be expected to be unless they were prepared to barter. The words of praise and beauty were sweet on her ears, but if any of the haggling merchants saw she was a halfling, their backs would turn, and shops would close. The thought left a twinge of an ache across her heart. Memories of traipsing carefully through town hand in hand with her father left her feeling bittersweet. Her head had always been wrapped, her face concealed, but still her father had spoken to her proudly as he explained the art of bartering for the right price. Her persuasive tongue came from his lessons more than any learned in Tyv.
One day, when Isa hadn’t yet turned ten, her veil had slipped as she admired glass statues of stallions and leaping fish from the sea. The merchant had seen her light, brown skin and tossed a basket filled with soiled towels he used to clean the glass at her, then shoved Isa to the ground and struck her three times with a switch before her father returned and intervened by taking the switch to the merchant’s hand.
It had been the beginning of her family’s downfall. Though so many years had passed, there were still moments the thief of Tyv wished she might return to that time and beg her father not speak; to keep his beliefs that halflings would be the ones to restore order to the Bloodlands secret. It was the beginning of the end as his predictions increased after that day.
Isa shook her head and turned toward the east gate, leaving the calls of merchants and dealings at her back. The gates surrounding Jershon had been beautiful once with white stone and fountains of azure water. Now the fountains were barren, and the walls were rebuilt in gray stone and iron. Keeping her eyes trained to the stone walk, Isa avoided most of the patrols that seemed a mix of Jershonians and Mulekians. The once proud, stalwart army now snapped their teeth and whistled at her backside as she slipped toward a few juniper trees near the eastern wall. When she’d left Joshua outside Jershon she hadn’t thought returning would be so difficult. But a piece of her heart scorched for her fallen homeland.
A man in a clean tunic with gold buckles on his boots stood with his back toward her as Isa slipped into the grove of trees. She cleared her throat and tightened her accent. “Bok Tov, sir.”
He turned. Isa thought he could be handsome with his dark eyes, but his brows grew together, and his lower jaw jutted out a bit. “A beautiful morning to you, lady.”
“Are you Jakai?”
He nodded. “You must be Lady Aba.”
Lady Aba? Her sister had a dry sense of humor. Aba, the governess who’d tended to the sisters as young children. Isa could still feel her curled fingernails scraping through her hair as Aba tried to braid the locks, and the woman’s relentless complaints on their messes, and her obvious favoritism of the full-blooded, legitimate daughter.
Isa grinned and nodded her head deep, so the thin gold charms on her veil clinked. “I am.”
Jakai seemed pleased. “A pleasure to meet you. I hope you have come prepared with shields and armor.”
“Why would I need such things?”
Jakai chuckled, and Isa caught a glimpse at a genuine goodness inside the man. Perhaps, Lilian had found a decent sort to love. “Because, annis, the Lady of our general will certainly be ready to battle you every step of the way.”
Isa laughed softly, but worried if the woman were as combative as all that how she could convince the lady to keep her around long enough to discover the pieces of the run.
“I have dealt with many difficult studies,” she lied.
Jakai grinned and escorted her around the edge of the market toward a winding road that would lead to Kawal’s manse on the hill.
“Forgive my boldness, but how does a lady of such youth come to be a tutor?”
“Ah, you see my father wanted sons, but the gods only saw fit to deliver two daughters. Still, he insisted his children be educated. When I was hardly grown into my nose, he sent my sister and me on journeys around the empires to learn from masters of language, arts, and etiquette of the high courts.”
“Truthfully? Your father was quite a slave to your education. A rare find for young ladies. Do you hail from a noble house?”
Isa’s mind was accustomed to deceit and continued her lie with ease. “Scribes, sir.”
“Really?” His voice darkened as Jakai looked to the distant shards of scribe square.
“Don’t mourn for us. Our house was not affected in the siege as we were abroad at the time.”
“That is good. So many scribes were lost, but Kawal has trained many to replace the lost.”
“Then Jershon will continue the honored tradition of wit, and, cunning, and mental strength,” Isa said.
“Well spoken, lady.”
They pressed onto the upper terraces. From above, the view was more stunning and concealed the smells and dirt of the broken empire below. Isa could see the sparkling waves of Tjuvar port over the wall, and new fruit in the sprawling manse vineyards kept her mouth salivating as Jakai stepped to the stone wall surrounding Kawal’s home. Two Mulekian guards blocked the gilded gate and muttered in broken Jershonian at Jakai.
“I wish to present a new tutor for Lady Angelet to General Kawal.”
The two guards shifted their weapons and studied Isa as though she were an insect that needed smashing.
After a tense moment of scrutiny, one guard huffed and stepped aside. “Go in.”
“For a moment I thought they weren’t going to let us through,” Jakai whispered once they were well into the courtyard.
“I fear the difficult part is still yet to come.”
Jakai chuckled and ushered Isa through an arched doorway to the inner court of the manse first. Tall trees with drooping leaves shaded the area. A fountain was positioned in the center with enormous golden and white fish swimming lazily in the water. Stone and marble benches dotted the courtyard and Isa noticed more than a fair share of noblemen and ladies strolling in the morning sun, sipping sweet juices.
“General Kawal certainly surrounds himself with fine company,” Isa said.
“Yes, annis. If you are offered the position you will constantly be surrounded by nobles of all empires, except Corian, of course.”
“Of course.”
“Do not let it intimidate you, though. You seem a fine sort yourself. I’m certain you could fit in without too much bother.”
“Kind of you to say,” said Isa. “Though, I might ask, and forgive me for prying, but I wonder how it is you know our mutual acquaintance?”
“Lilian?” Jakai asked over his shoulder. “Oh, I met her in the market before last season’s harvest. I had only been promoted to an officer and stationed in Sortis. I was raised a simple farm boy and had never been to the city center. Lilian helped me navigate the bustle for a time.”
“And you paid no mind to her…profession.”
Jakai scoffed as they slipped into a cool corridor wide enough to fit five men shoulder to shoulder. “We all must make our way, annis. I understand Lilian’s story, and know she has found ways to survive like many in Jershon. Can I fault her for such a choice? When she has paid her house debt, I will see to it she never has to set foot in one of those houses again.”
Isa tried to keep her smile muted, but the corners of her mouth curled up. “I find you a good man, sir.”
Jakai chuckled. “Well, I do try lady. Ah, here we are.”
Isa stopped in front of enormous wooden doors with snarling desert lion heads as the handles.
“Are you ready?” Jakai asked.
“Yes,” Isa said, taking a deep breath through her nose. “Yes, this is what I’ve come to do, and I intend to do it.”
Pounding three slow raps with his fist, Jakai took a step in front of Isa. In a matter of two heartbeats, the hinges groaned, and the doors opened. It was time to prove her worth.
Chapter 19
The General’s Lady
Each wall gleamed like the pearls found in the South Sea. Isa knew the rare pearls well and had stolen many for Tyv before. The inner hall was bright, open, with pillars that arched over a ceiling painted in an intricate battle scene. She half expected to see a throne at the far end since the manse was more a palace than manor.
A long table with gold trimmings was in the center of the room and huddled around the far end was a cluster of men in purple robes and silver armor. Jakai nudged her in the side when they looked up. He bent at the waist and Isa lowered to one knee and held her palms toward the ceiling as greeting to the officials.
“General Kawal, I have come to answer the need for a tutor for your esteemed wife,” said Jakai.
Isa rose from the coarse rug and met the narrowed gaze of the man in the center. She’d never seen Kawal in all his status. He hadn’t been general when she’d fled Jershon. Kawal was broad with a large forehead that shadowed his dark Jershonian eyes. It seemed over his military years he’d grown accustomed to learning to intimidate by his movement as he stalked around the table.
Isa didn’t blink as Kawal pressed too close as if he needed to broach her inner space to inspect her true nature. His dark eyes trailed her face, her shoulders, somewhere on her back as he circled her like a wolf. “Too young.”
“I assure you, her youth pales compared to her skill and knowledge. And perhaps a woman closer to the esteemed lady’s age might be just the move to make.”
Kawal scoffed. “Esteemed lady? She doesn’t deserve such titles. Would such an esteemed wife do this?”
Isa glanced from the corner of her eye as Kawal held up his forearm ravaged in healing scratches. Inside she smiled and liked the wife of Kawal already.
“I’m certain she shall learn, General Kawal. She simply needs the right tutor to teach her the expectations of women,” said Jakai.
Kawal clicked his tongue and stared at Isa again. “You are from Jershon?”
“Yes, my lord. Though, I have studied throughout the land.”
“What do you think of the current leadership of Jershon? What do you think of my part played in placing Emperor Baz on the throne?”
Isa smiled softly. “I pride myself on my education and knowledge of languages and etiquette, my lord, but I am not a fool to understand that as a woman I cannot begin to comprehend the art of war.”
Kawal grinned, rubbed his thumb over a stone that looked as though it trapped flames inside around his neck. “Wise woman.” He laughed over his shoulder when the other officers grunted and chortled like forest boars. Jakai smiled, but seemed more nervous as time passed by.
“You,” Kawal said, turning his attention back to Jakai. “You serve in the emperor’s armies?”
“Yes, General. For two years I have served honorably.”
“And what would you ask as payment should this arrangement succeed?” Kawal asked as he folded his arms.
Jakai shifted and balled his fists at his side. “I would seek…a lieutenant’s sword.”
Kawal lifted one brow and grinned with a touch of wickedness. “Don’t hesitate, man. Say what you’ve come for with boldness.”
“Yes, General.”
Isa watched the exchange with a certain disgust for Kawal’s arrogance. Jakai yearned to please the man, she saw the same desperation in herself around Hadeon, but the difference being Kawal was half the leader Hadeon was.
“A lieutenant’s sword is a coveted advancement, but I do tire of taming the cat,” Kawal said as he squared his shoulders against Jakai. “I find myself inclined to agree to such an advancement if this works.”
Jakai grinned and Isa had the desire to wipe it off his face, but she kept her role unsullied by remembering all she’d studied of Kawal and Jershon over the last year. She needed the man to trust her until she could finish the job. Kawal expected meekness and men and women in opposite places. In the General’s mind it was impossible for a woman to understand how to wield a sword, let alone know how to kill. A man who didn’t wasn’t a man to the general. Kawal’s arrogant thinking would give Isa an edge should she need to fight the man. The problem remained: she still had no idea what she was looking for.
“You shall both dine with me and my household tonight,” Kawal said gripping the hilt of his sword. “I wish for you to meet your potential student.”
“It would be my honor, my lord,” Isa said with a slight bow to her head.
“After I see your interactions, then we shall negotiate what you desire as payment, lady,” he added. “You shall come as well, Lieutenant.”
Kawal smirked and spun on his heel. Something about the way the general said the word, Isa suspected he was taunting Jakai. But she wouldn’t be the one to tell him. Not by the way he was grinning as they turned to leave.
Lily pulled the hood around her face so Isa could only make out her eyes. “You’re sure you can do this?” she asked as Isa adjusted the sheer shawl over her long hair.
“Lil, I can do this. Don’t worry.”
“It’s just now that you’ve given me the possibility of paying off the debt it’s all I can think about. I suppose I didn’t realize how desperate I was to be released from the house. Now, I feel as though I’d do anything to make certain it happens.”
Isa gripped her sister’s hand and peered through the thick brush in the upper hills. Jakai had his back turned toward them and waited in his finest tunic to escort Isa back to Kawal’s home. “Hold onto that hope, Lilian. It will be over soon.” Isa grinned in the twilight. “Jakai is a fine man.”
Lilian beamed and gripped Isa’s hand tight. “I know. Good luck, Isabelle. I must hurry back before Madonna Eep notices I’m missing.”
Isa moved aside as Lilian slipped out to bid farewell to Jakai. She watched through the branches of the trees as her sister kissed the man, and she wondered what it might feel like to truly love another in such a way.
Jakai was smiling when Isa stepped through the trees. “You look as lovely as ever, Lady Aba.”
“Well, I am trying to impress, correct?”
Jakai held out his arm to escort her down the steep slope. “Well, consider me the first to be impressed.”
“Are you unsettled at all?” she asked after a moment.
“A bit,” he said. “But I’m certain you will secure your position.” Jakai cleared his throat and glanced to the stars that were shaded in near crimson. The Bloodmoon was mere hours away. Tomorrow the sun would be shaded, and it would be the final
day to retrieve whatever it was Hadeon wanted. “Lady Aba, Lilian told me what you offered. I don’t know how you would have the wealth to settle her debt, but I’m grateful. You are a kind lady.”
“Lilian is in my fondest childhood memories. We were playmates. I wish her to be happy, not trapped in a life she does not want.”
“Well, know that you have my gratitude. I could not hope to pay off her debt until I was a Captain at least.”
“Well, let us celebrate once all goes according to plan.”
Soon they stood, once more, in front of Kawal’s massive home. Guards stood at attention along every wall as groups of guests filtered through the front courtyard. As night came, golden flames ignited the lush yard in light and caused the clear water of the fountain to sparkle like diamonds. Though it was hardly dark beneath the russet moon, the light added an inviting glow that seemed to beckon each guest forward with anticipation.
Jakai held up the paper tag Kawal had given before they’d left earlier, and a guard clad in the Mulekian serpent nodded them inside.
Isa swiped her tongue over her lips when savory smells wrapped around her senses. Ushered like pigs to slaughter with the other guests, Isa marveled at the vast dining hall. The table could fit half the Tyv guild in its seats and marble pillars as wide an ancient oak held up the golden ceiling. Jakai urged her to take her place near the head of the table and for the first time Isa felt a rush of nerves.
“All the noblest of people from Jershon and Mulek dine at Kawal’s table,” Jakai said through a long guzzle of sparkling water. “We are privileged to be invited. See there, that couple controls the entire silk trade in Mulek.” Isa glanced down the table. The woman had a long neck with skin so dark she seemed to fade into her ebony gown. The man was narrow like a needle and sniffed whenever he prepared to speak.
“They dress very fine,” Isa said.
“And that man,” Jakai pointed to an enormously fat man, shoveling oil-soaked bread into his mouth. “He was once the head of Emperor Abram’s Watchers.”
