-
Zephyr and Gale
Chapter 10: Upstairs
Gale was crying. “I don’t understand.”
Zephyr was leaving the room to let them talk first, but his own thoughts were racing. He decided to go downstairs again for another drink and let them talk.
Karis would send for him when she was ready.
“Wait, Zephyr. I want you to hear this too.”
It was the one thing he hoped wouldn’t happen. He sighed, and closed the door.
“All right then, why?” The strain in his voice surprised him, since he was trying to be calm.
“I’m tired, children. I thought I would be an asset. I could be, but I don’t know who’d recognize me, or when.
“I told both of you that night I didn’t want to go, but you convinced me to try. I tried, and I’m still tired, and….and to be honest, not a little scared. So, on the journey over I made this decision.
“Believe me, I don’t like it anymore than you, but it’s the only one that makes sense, and it will be safer for you in the long run.”
Gale sniffled. Zephyr waited in seething silence.
“I often speak of targets on backs, and I’m the most vulnerable here, the most likely to be recognized. Is that not so?”
“Maybe it is, Karis, but you still came with us. Some part of you must want to live.”
“All of me wants to live, Zephyr, but I just don’t see it as viable for the two of you to escape.”
“And what of me?” asked Gale. “You trained me to take your place. You had my parents killed, took their role, and now you want to leave me through violence, asking the other one whose parents you killed to do it?
“They were right about you then, Karis. For years around the palace I’d heard you’d grown soft. I saw it, but I thought it was just with me, and because of me, when you set me free to do the bidding in the slave markets.
“Was I enough like you, that you felt so safe?”
“I not only felt safe, Gale. I was confident you could do it without me. Either way, I wouldn’t be around forever. If not for the rebellion, you’d have taken my mantle anyway. The realm would not do without its slaves, and they’d have made you rich to not let that happen.
“But it’s also true that I grew tired of the blood, tears, odors, and wretchedness of bodies taken against their wills, which were broken to the point where we called them ‘Dociles.’ “
“The Dociles are not rebelling, but the families of those you’ve taken over the years have had enough of it. They’d come for me as your successor faster than they’d come for you.”
“You seemed willing to take the risk. What changed?”
“Zephyr. He was always there for me, like a shadow, to watch over me. I love him.”
“We love each other.”
“I can see that. It was an unintentional consequence of putting you together in the first place, but I don’t regret it. I did nothing to stop it. But now, the rebellion is far from us, far from you, and whoever they’re looking for, the nobles will eventually pay the price.
“Make peace with your gods, and thank them we got out in time.”
Gale shook her head. “You owe me, Mother.”
“I’m not–”
Gale rushed up to her. “You are! You are!”She clutched Karis in a hard embrace and her breath hitched.
“In all but blood, you are. Please don’t leave me.”
Karis embraced her as she cried.
This had been unexpected, and the title Gale had given her touched her heart.
She felt her own eyes heat, and her vision blurred as they welled up, but she still looked at Zephyr, inquiring with her eyes over the weeping girl’s shoulders.
Will you do it?
In all his training he’d done a lot of dark things, and his blade was true despite the prayers, pleading, bribes, and lewd offers he received to spare lives that he’d been paid to take.
Now, he wasn’t sure if he could do this, despite the fact that everything Gale told her was the truth. She had his parents killed, insulted his weight, but then told him to keep his eyes lifted and never lower them for his enemies.
From that day on he never did.
Watching the two of them, he supposed what Gale said was also true for him; she was his mother in all but blood.
And he was taught, before his parents were killed, that he had to listen to his mother.
He gave a single nod.
Karis then buried her face against Gale’s shoulder, weeping her own tears of love, grief, regret, and forgiveness .
He saw his chance and took it, leaving them to say what needed saying about things between them he could do without knowing.
-
Zephyr and Gale
Chapter 7: The Breakaway
“We can’t leave her here, Zephyr.”
“I don’t know that we have a choice. She was an enslaver long before you, Gale. She’s built a history here, and likely elsewhere, to the extent where she really has nowhere to escape.”
“I know that. I’d still like to try.”
“Dammit, Gale! Time’s getting away from us. The rebels are winning, and when they get within sight of these walls, there’ll be no stopping them.
“If we stay here, we’re all dead.”
The look of desperation on her face to save the one who took her innocence and future away broke his heart. He understood it, but he couldn’t indulge it.”
“What do we do?”
“They’re still some distance away. Pack light. Talk to Karis if you think it’ll do any good. I don’t see it happening, but you can try.
“I’ll go to book passage, and I’ll be back to get you. I’ll take her if she wants to go, but I won’t waste time trying to get her if she doesn’t, so do your best.”
“I will.” She left him, already heading to Karis’ room.
**********************
Fitting, and fortunate.
The air in the harbor was cold and foggy, just right for a fugitive run.
He hoped the Guild wouldn’t send anyone for them; fighting would be difficult in these conditions, and as trained as he was, he wasn’t sure he was up for it.
There was light in the harbormaster’s office, so he went there.
************************
“I need passage going northwest.”
“How’d you get in here?”
“The door was open.”
“No it wasn’t.”
“But here I am.”
“Look, I don’t have anything in here worth stealing.”
“Good. Not why I’m here. I need to know what’s sailing northwest?”
The harbormaster sighed.
Anyone giving general directions was on the run. He tried to avoid getting involved in that kind of thing, lucrative as it was, but this slightly-framed man looked dangerous. The fact that he’d be roaming the harbor at this hour was proof, and the harbormaster decided he loved his wife and children and couldn’t wait to get home.
He took the book out and set it on the desk with a low, loud thunk.He flipped some pages, then said: “A ship called The Crackin.”
Zephyr laughed. “As in the creature, or as in falling apart?”
The harbormaster smiled. “Falling apart. The captain thinks it’s funny. The crew does not.”
“I wouldn’t either.”
“I can vouch for its seaworthiness, though. And despite the captain’s bad sense of humor, he’s got some years under his belt, and his crew respects him, even if they don’t like him.”
Zephyr tossed a couple of gleaming coins on the desk.
“Thanks.”
It was said in such a way that the harbormaster got the gist, and only nodded, breathing a sigh of relief when the door closed.
He briefly wondered if there was any reward money out for fugitives, but poured himself a drink to steady his nerves, and wisely decided to forget this even happened.
*****************
He saw a couple of shadowy men tying heavy rope over already loaded cargo.
“You there! I need to speak to the captain.”
One shadow looked over the side rail, sized him up, and asked: “Can you pay now?”
Zephyr nodded.
“Be right back, then.”
In a moment, the captain came out, looked down and nodded. “Take his money. He’s from the Assassin’s Guild. We want no trouble with them.”
The man looked again at Zephyr, his eyes wider than before.
“I wanted to speak to the Captain.”
“He’s got things to do, and he seems to know where you came from, if not who you are.
“You’re booking passage, that’s good enough. We don’t ask questions, and we don’t want none asked.
“You alone?”
“Two others.” He said it as an act of faith.
“We ain’t full, but that’ll still cost.”
As he was speaking, Zephyr handed him the money.
He looked down at it. “That’ll cover. We set sail in two hours.”
“I’ll be back in one.” He gave the man a look. “Be here.”
The sailor’s skin paled a bit as he swallowed.
“Like the captain said, sir, we don’t want trouble with your kind.”
Zephyr nodded and left as the man scampered back up the rope ladder.
Chapter 8: New Dawn
Zephyr arrived at the palace in the light of false dawn.
He was pleasantly surprised to see Karis, and smiled at Gale, who returned it.
“The ship sails in two hours. I’ve booked passage on…the Crackin.”
Karis laughed. “I know that ship. Ridiculous name, but a good crew.”
“Did they transport…?” Gale ventured.
“Not for me, if they ever did.”
Zephyr prompted them: “We can talk on the way, but let’s get this wagon loaded. Gale can drive the team.”
In moments they were on their way out of the gate.
The watchmen, seeing the three of them leave as they had before, simply raised the gate.
When it closed behind them for what they knew to be the last time, they all grew quiet, lost in their own thoughts as the eastern sky gradually brightened, and the sun bid the moon farewell.
*************************
Eventually, as the sky grew flush with real dawn’s colors, they began to discuss what they were going to do, and where.
Zephyr told them: “We’re heading northwest first. It’s getting cold there now, so anyone looking for us will be discouraged to try. It’s also not as populated as the northeast.”
“I don’t like the idea of traveling into cold weather, but it’s sound reasoning.” Karis said.
“We don’t have to stay long, just long enough to get news of the rebellion’s success or not.”
“My homeland never got winters,” Gale said. “I’m curious to see what it’s like.”
Karis and Zephyr exchanged a look and chuckled, but Gale didn’t hear.
He asked Karis, “Why’d you change your mind?”
“I know the land better than either of you. As a Mistress, I’ve traveled extensively. There was no Kenjin for me to readily acquire slaves. The armies did the raiding, and we had to travel to select which ones to bring back with us to serve the nobility.
“I can help get you through checkpoints faster. There are places where Gale might not be recognized, and that could make things difficult.
“In short, I wanted to expedite your journey.”
His look turned uncertain: “You mean ‘our journey’?”
“Yes.” Her smile was enigmatic, but while she was more familiar to Gale, she was no stranger to him either. She was planning something, and if it was betrayal, he’d kill her himself.
The Assassin’s Guild had at least done that much for him.
He left it up to fate, as they had no time to lose, and gave her a nod of gratitude.
“Let’s go then,” he said, and she followed.
-
Zephyr and Gale
Chapter 6: Realignment
They were in Gale’s room, sitting by the hearth when Karis joined them.
The strain of the growing rebellion, and what it would ultimately mean for her, was getting to her; there were lines of worry crossing her face that weren’t there for as far back as Zephyr remembered.
“I can’t let that happen,” she told him. “They can’t kill her. I’ll offer myself if it comes to that.”
“I won’t let them kill her, Karis. And if I can help it, you won’t have to offer yourself either.”
She sighed. “I don’t care what happens to me now, Zephyr. Gale has done an admirable job replacing me. While she is both feared and respected, I’m the one who grew the markets to where they are now, and while the assassination attempts have shifted focus to her, they’ve never really stopped for me.”
“Then why not…?”
They both looked at him, waiting, but he shook his head and said, “Never mind, Gale already told me. To even begin talk of ending the trade would invite even more fighting.”
“It would.” Karis said, getting up to pour more wine. “The only thing I can see is if the two of you managed to escape before this rebellion expands. The others who profit from it can hire their own men, and the king might just let it all spend itself before he comes and claims the spoils.”
“Why wait until then? If we leave, you could come with us,” Gale offered.
Karis’ face revealed her surprise at the offer, and it took her a moment to answer. “I’m not up for the rigors of being a fugitive, dear.” She gave a rueful smile. “I’d only slow you down and get all three of us killed.”
“Karis…” Zephyr ventured, but she held up a hand.
“You…both of you, owe me nothing. Your service has been exemplary, and your friendship, if we’re now able to call ourselves such, has been a treasure in this thankless, heartless trade, and my own lonely life.”
She yawned, then smiled again. “Well, that’s a sign. I’m afraid this will be the last wine I share for the night, but there’s no reason the two of you can’t finish it while you make your plans.”
Zephyr returned her smile. “Thank you. We’ll finish it, but we’ll not make plans with heads full of wine. Nothing in the histories says anything planned that way ended well.”
She chuckled. “I suppose not.”
She kissed them both. “Good night then, my children. And godspeed your escape.”
They bid her goodnight, and when the door closed, Zephyr looked at Gale and raised the bottle and his eyebrows in inquiry.
“Shall we?”
“When have we ever turned down a mission, my friend?”
-
Zephyr and Gale
Chapter 5: The Last Meal on the Balcony
He saw her as she’d been years ago, standing there at the balcony railing, looking out over the gardens. She’d been a powerless, frightened child then, and he’d offered her some comfort.
Now the gardens were hers, and all these years later, standing in the sunlight, she looked more beautiful than he’d thought possible.
She turned as he approached, and smiled with the quiet warmth of longtime friends and sometime lover, but she was surprised.
“Zephyr? I wasn’t expecting you.”
“I thought it best to come unannounced.”
She laughed. “They announced you, you fool. I was curious as to why you’re here so early.”
“Oh? I’m disappointed, Gale. I thought I could just walk in on you at anytime.”
“You can, as long as I allow it. It’s good to see you.”
“And you.”
“Join me.”
He sidled next to her and looked at the view.
“So, before the Dociles come with our breakfasts, what do you want to say?”
He sighed. “The most important moments in our lives always seem to happen here.”
“They do. Out with it, Zephyr. You’ve never done this before. Tell me.”
“The Guild thinks that eliminating you will help stop the Kenjin Market’s expansion.”
She gave a small sigh. “They’re not wrong.”
Surprised at her answer, he stopped leaning on the rail. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying they’re not wrong. The Slavemistress title comes with a lot of responsibility, and that includes expanding their markets. The raids, the mercenaries, the auctioneers, the market grounds, and how to pay them all.
“Karis taught me all of that, Zephyr. My presence at the markets inspires more vigorous bidding, just like hers did. At the same time, it opens us to vengeful family members. You remember what it was like, what happened, and how you felt.
“If you’d escaped the one that captured you, would you not have come after Karis herself? You wouldn’t know how, in the heat of the moment, but only that you wanted to do it.
“I have to think about those who’d plan that out and do it. That’s why I wanted you with me in Kenjin. Maybe I didn’t explain it well, but all of this opulence and servitude aside, there’s a glowing target on my back I can’t take off.
“So yes, killing me would do a lot to quell those plans. The problem is, it would also stop a lot of profit and trade that affect people who will do evil things to keep their profits, whether from the slaves or all the accessories that come with it: chains, shackles, whips, weapons, custom branding irons, potions for sex…
“I still wear chains, Zephyr. They’re just not visible.”
“I had no idea.”
She shook her head. “Why would you? I have no idea what your own training involved, except it was bloody.”
The Docile came and set down the trays, poured their drinks, and left.
Neither of them had an appetite by then.
“So what do you want to do? I have to take a message back to Riselle.”
She faced him fully, gathering her thoughts.
“You know how I feel, Zephyr. You feel the same. What would you have me do?”
“I would have you, when we’re alone, call me by my true name. I’ll do the same.”
She smiled. “I’d like that. And what of the rest of it?”
“Let’s eat first, Amala. Suddenly, I’m hungry again.”
“Me too, Ikari. Food’s getting cold.”
“After this, I’ll need to talk to Karis.”
“She sleeps late these days. I’ll send a Docile when we’re finished.”
He looked out over the gardens. “This may be our last meal on the balcony.”
“The most important moments…” she repeated his earlier words.
He chuckled as they left the railing.
They sat down and ate in a silence that was laced with excitement at what would happen, not knowing what it was, but knowing there’d be no turning back from the outcome.
-
Zephyr and Gale
Chapter 3: A Reluctant Embrace
Gale was fighting her own mind, alone and awake, a Docile somewhere in the shadows awaiting her command, probably wanting to sleep themselves.
She dismissed him, surprised to find he actually looked startled, wanting to ask her if she was sure, but not wanting to question her authority at the risk of being beaten.
They don’t know me yet.
She sighed heavily. Maybe it’s time I did something about that.
While she didn’t want to be a slave trader, she’d been trained for nothing else, and if she was being honest with herself, she worked hard at it to do well in order to please Karis.
Was it a matter of survival, or did I want to please the only mother figure I had left?
She supposed it was both. That Karis would have sold or killed her was not a question.
Pouring another cup of wine, she took stock of things.
I don’t want to do this.
I love Zephyr.
I need a way to sabotage the rebellion, or betray the slavers.
Another heavy sigh. Considering all, I’m already in with the slavers.
She finished her wine, took a look around her beautiful, moonlit room in all of its delicate loveliness, a look that belied what she really was, but maybe not who.
Taking some comfort in that, she lay down on the big, soft bed she’d enjoyed all these years, and went to sleep.
Betray the slavers…
Chapter 4: The Journey Back
Riselle and Zephyr both woke to the sound of ringing metal.
Their heads hurt from the strong, cheap, bitter wine, but Amadi was already working at the forge.
He smiled at their dour, pained expressions.
“Sorry,” he said with no apology in his voice. “Dealing with the two of you, I’m behind in my work. No Guild business for me today, and you both need to leave now, unless, Zephyr, you want to stay and help me.”
He wanted to because he enjoyed it, and it would delay the inevitable with Riselle, but his head wouldn’t take the ringing.
“I’d like to stay my friend, but in my current state I’d likely make more mistakes you’d have to correct than help you be productive.”
Amadi saw the wisdom in that, nodding. “That is true. Best be on your way then.”
“Why the rush?” Riselle asked. “No breakfast or nothing?”
Amadi smiled. “No. Leave. You have much to discuss between you, and I’d rather not be privy to it.”
The seriousness of the dilemma began to build, but Amadi was right.
“You ready, Zephyr?”
“Yes, Riselle.”
She kissed Amadi on the cheek. “Thank you. We’ll see you soon.”
Amadi shook Zephyr’s hand. “See you soon.”
***************
Out of earshot of the busy forge, and neither wanting to start the conversation, they rode in a companionable silence enjoying the morning view and breeze that did nothing to relieve their bleary heads but was pretty to see and nice to feel.
But the journey back would be too long, and the subject was too serious a matter to wait.
*****************
“Zephyr, we have to talk about Gale.”
“Amadi stepped between us, but I made my position clear. It hasn’t changed. It won’t.”
“So you’re going to force me to do it.”
“Not forcing you to do anything, I’m trying to stop you from making a mistake.”
“Because you’ll defend her? Because you’re in love with her?”
“Because I’m not so sure she wants to be a slaver, and it may yet be that she’ll help us with the rebellions. They’re starting to gain some ground, and if you kill their mistress, there’s more of them than us.
“It’s become clear the king will not support us no matter what. He’s sent not so much as a useless diplomat here because he profits from it, so why would he see it ended?
“We’re on our own, Riselle. Let me talk to her.”
“And if she doesn’t want to help?”
“I’ll find a way to work around it, but I won’t let you kill her.”
“I can have them send someone else.”
“Then I’ll have to come after both of you.”
“You’d do that?”
Zephyr raised his voice. “Have you not been listening? I will challenge you, Riselle. You trained me, but I’ve been studying and practicing as well. You’ve taught me a lot, and for that I’m grateful, but you haven’t taught me everything I know.
“Killing Gale would be the easy way out, and we’ll have lost a possible ally who’s on the inside.
“Don’t be so quick to revert to our baser skills.”
Riselle, taken aback by the knowledge he’d done independent studying, let the silence settle back down as she considered her own options. None of them involved a way around him.
“Talk to her, then. See what she’ll do.”
“Very well. I’ve got free entry into the palace. I’ll speak to her tomorrow.”
-
Zephyr and Gale
Chapter 2: Restless Minds
The wine proved to be somewhere in the middle, not cheap enough to cause raging headaches, not rich enough to ask about where it was sold.
Zephyr was fine with that as he lay awake, thinking about Riselle’s new mission.
Amadi set up Riselle’s room on the opposite side of the forge, and Zephyr’s room next to his.
After all those years of ringing iron and steel, his own hearing was deteriorating, so if the two of them began to fight he wouldn’t get to her in time. As much as he admired Zephyr, his duty had brought him to a crisis point: protect Riselle, at all and any cost.
But what if he didn’t, or couldn’t? The guild had money on them either way.
If Zephyr only knew…but he can’t. A boy with a deadly skill set, and an innocence despite that, that’s yet untried in the world. He’ll either be jaded or dead in the next five years.
****************
Riselle was mentally kicking herself and did not get under the covers Amadi provided for the bed she’d use.
She thought Zephyr would understand there was nothing to be gained in keeping Gale and Karis alive. Indeed, their demise would put a huge dent in the expanding of Kenjin’s markets.
That Karis would be instrumental in that expansion, Riselle had no doubts.
Gale was another matter. If Zephyr was able to talk to her, then perhaps she too would be interested in helping them depose Karis. She supposed she could let him try after all.
As for Zephyr himself, he threatened to stop her if she made an attempt to kill Gale.
It was good that he felt the confidence to try her; it was bad because he wouldn’t win, and in the ensuing duel, she’d have to hurt him.
And if he persisted after that…
The thought of killing him pained her, but above all else, assassins learned self-preservation, so she’d prove no exception to the rule if he tried her.
The hours he’d sparred and practiced had accelerated his progress past all expectations.
He’d prove a formidable match, even with all her experience and completed assignments.
The epiphany hit her like a brick in the forehead: He loves her.
She never felt more stupid…
*******************
Zephyr was seething.
He tried to keep it at that level, and not rage, not let his emotions cloud his judgment.
Not let the fact that she gave herself to me turn me into a world-blind fool.
In his years at the palace, he’d been betrayed before, but not by those who truly advocated for him. There were those who’d helped him thrive, fill out, and grow strong; while he’d never outlive the bones-on-a-rope thing, he was determined not to stay that way.
Where he was strong, Riselle was nimble.
Where he was straightforward, she was subtle.
Where he was heavy handed, she was dextrous.
He imagined it would be much like a lion swatting at a dragonfly.
The imagery didn’t make him smile; she’d be a fast and narrow target that would likely slash him open before he realized he was cut.
There was no way he’d beat her in a fair fight; his targets were unaware of his presence and intentions, and he wasn’t above stabbing them in the back.
Riselle was too well trained not to know where he was and what he intended.
If she goes after Gale, I’ll have to kill her from a distance.
When he’d read the history of the Guild, it had once been an honor for a trainee to wound his mentor. Some had been more severe than others, but none had killed those who taught them.
It was rare that mentors were beaten, but it had happened, and those proteges and prodigies who’d done so went on to have fearsome reputations in their secret circles.
Collectively, a dark cabal of killers for hire.
Riselle was even more unique by being one of the few females to attain rank.
Enough, Zephyr. Take your rest…
But the wine was bitter and thick in his stomach.
He doubted it was poisoned, but he was sure it went bad.
Haven’t we all? He smiled, despite the stomach gripes, and fell asleep.
-
Zephyr and Gale Pt 3
PART 3
Chapter 1: Meeting of Minds
Riselle met with Amadi at his forge to discuss Zephyr’s readiness after his assassin’s training.
At first Zephyr stood outside like a recalcitrant schoolboy, then decided to make himself a part of the decision. He’d passed both his training and his tests, and after being captured, no one was going to decide his fate without his knowledge, permission, or participation.
When the door to the forge opened, they looked at him in surprise.
“You’re not supposed to–” Riselle stated.
“I can, and I am.” His tone was quiet, but she and Amadi both knew there would be no gainsaying him short of fighting him, which looking at the coiled spring his tone implied, neither of them wanted to do.
Amadi kicked-shoved a chair over to him.
Zephyr spun it around and sat backwards, his arms on the backrest. “So what have two decided for me?”
“The talk of revolt grows,” Riselle said.
“ And the slave markets are expanding,” Amadi said. “We don’t want another Kenjin. The realm has over its share of servants through its conquests and politics.”
“ It does for now,” Zephyr said. “Servants die, and replacements are needed, are they not?”
They looked at him for a moment before Riselle answered. “If they revolt against the markets, and don’t win, the nobility and their allies will strip us of the land through exile and execution, and seize it for themselves. Then it will be the rebels themselves in the markets.”
“So what can we do?”
“The Guild has been asked to join the rebellion.” Riselle said.
“I thought we owed ‘allegiance to those who will pay us’,” he smirked at Riselle.
“They’re willing to pay us, Zephyr.” Amadi said.
“You’re an assassin?” He looked at Amadi in surprise. “I don’t understand. You came here a free man.”
“I did, but I wasn’t always. This goes well beyond us all.”
“How so?”
“The slavers of Kenjin want to expand, to take over the smaller markets and place them all in the cities. They are no longer content to sell prisoners and hostages whose families defaulted on ransom, or even rebels.
“They’re paying the nobles to raise armies and capture the realm’s peasantry, seize farms, and create a new supply of Dociles.”
“To what end?”
Riselle sighed at his denseness. “From there, Zephyr, they will fight among themselves to carve out the biggest piece for one of them to rule the others. It began all those years ago, when they brought you and your friend here.”
“We want it stopped.” Amadi said.
“What can I do to help?”
Riselle took a deep breath before answering. “The Guild wants you to kill Karis and Gale.”
The moment had come.
He fell silent, thinking.
Gale had known Karis wanted to expand, but likely didn’t know it was a kingdom goal.
He’d been willing to protect her, so if there was a way to save her from death, especially at his hands, he had to find it.
Gods be damned, I do love her. We gave each other our true names.
“Are there any noble houses on your side?”
“If they are, they haven’t come forward to say.” Amadi offered.
“And even if they do, we can’t trust them.” Riselle said. “Amadi and I brought you here because we know you were in Kenjin with Gale, and we need to ask now if you will join us in stopping Kenjin?”
“Don’t answer too quickly. Consider your words.” Amadi said.
So Karis knew where I lived though I told no one, and these two knew I was in Kenjin though I told no one. Spies, indeed. I’ll have to rid myself of hands that would make me a martyred pawn.
For a few moments they listened to the fire’s crackle, a contemplative silence falling on the room as his both his forge mentor and blade trainer waited for his answer.
He closed his eyes and settled himself, concentrating on the fire’s hiss and pop.
“Zephyr?” Riselle’s prompting, an echoing whisper from another world.
He didn’t see her grip the handle of her knife, or Amadi slowly reach for his own.
In another moment or so, he gave them his answer with a nod.
“I’ll help you. But I won’t kill Gale, let me–”
“I’ll do it,” Riselle said.Amadi groaned inwardly. Foolish girl, she didn’t know.
“I was going to say, let me talk to her. Riselle, if I won’t kill her, that means you can’t.”
“I outrank you.”
“I don’t care.” He stood up.
“Both of you, stop this.” Amadi stepped between them. “It grows late, and cold. We’ll speak no more about it tonight. Rest here, and we’ll see what the morning brings.
“Zephyr, help me bring in more logs for the fire.”
He dared not leave the two of them.
Zephyr, not trusting himself, gladly took the offer.
Riselle, also grateful for the break, stayed inside lighting candles and pouring wine that would see them all sleep well.
-
Zephyr and Gale
Chapter 4: Residue
There were only ten bidders still in the running by the time the auction ended.
Two of them were not that much older than Gale when she’d been taken.
When it was over, the auctioneer assigned two guards to escort Gale’s wagon back to the border. They’d report to the watchtower at the gate, spend the night in town, and return in the morning.
“Until next time, Gale.” He kissed her cheek, as was the custom there for all who bought slaves. His robe smelled of cinnamon and sweat, and his breath of a pipe mixture she didn’t know. It wasn’t unpleasant, but neither was it welcome.
She’d had enough of stenches for one, pleasant or otherwise.
Fortunately, the breeze off the evening water was clear of the scents of fish offal, brine, and salt. It was actually a bit chilly, and Gale breathed deeply as she stood by the wagon while the guards brought out the new slaves.
Zephyr watched the process in a sort of daze, only helping them to keep their balance and get settled onto the blankets on the floor.
For whatever food and water they’d need, that would be given when they returned to the palace.
He took a moment to watch the ocean, calm at low tide, hissing whispers to the sand in a language eons old, taking a little more land as it receded.
If the rebellion ever grows large enough, I’ll lead the charge myself that sees this hell ended.
His head hurt from the raucous din of the bidders, musicians, and wailing slaves that comprised the bulk of his afternoon. As it went on, he found it difficult to keep the memory of his parents’ butchering at bay.
He vowed he’d never come here again, unless it was to lead the charge that saw this hell burned to the ground.
Not even for Gale.
****************
The new slaves, cowed by the muscled, well-armed guards, kept their silence, resigned to their fate. They were too tired to worry about what would happen, and too frightened to risk death by defying the guards and Zephyr to kill their buyer.
Zephyr sat beside her, seeing the stress of the day on her face as well.
“You hate this too.”
Gale nodded.
“Then why take her place?”
“She left me no choice. As I served her, she claimed to see parts of herself in me…”
“Your defiance.”
“I guess so. But you…”
“She got to me early too. I had no choice but to embrace the training. My thinness made me sport among the squires and stable hands, until Amadi…”
He looked at her profile until she felt his gaze on her and met it. “Gale, no one I care about is ever going to get taken from me again, not without a fight.”
“So it’s come to this. I put people in chains, and you put them in graveyards.”
Zephyr sighed and sat back. “They’re both death sentences. One just takes longer to kill the soul.”
It was Gale’s turn to sigh. “We’re going to wind up on opposite sides of this, aren’t we?”
“Seems so.”
She stopped the wagon, and one of the guards called from the back. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing. Let them stretch and relieve themselves. We’re close, but not close enough.”
“All right.” The slaves began to emerge, grateful for the opportunity despite the circumstances.
She looked at Zephyr. “Let’s do this now then, before the weight of it collapses on us.”
“Do what?”
Going the opposite direction of where the guards were sending the slaves, she took him by the hand and led him into the woods.
Chapter : Release
There was a tender intensity passing between them in the exploration of bodies and taking of pleasure, leaving them both with a sense of regret and wonder.
He was no longer ‘bones-on-a-rope,’ filling her hands with hard muscles and hot skin, and the sounds he made against her ear and in the hollow of her throat as he took her pushed her to greater passion.
**************
He felt the longing emanating from her, the fear and uncertainty of their fate disappearing in the moment.
He slowed himself, seeking to savor and prolong, guiding her to match the rhythm he wanted, feeling her yield to it, feeling his desire not to let her go because of what could happen when it was over.”
“Tell me your real name, Gale.”
She did. “Now give me yours.”
He did.
The release came moments after, more intense for the moment of intimate trust that prompted the exchange.
He hoped it was a moment that wouldn’t cost them everything.
She hoped it was one they would never regret.
************
The guards had the slaves back in the wagon, standing beside it, all smirks as the two of them emerged.
She ignored them as she got back into the seat to take the reins again.
Their smirks disappeared when Zephyr looked at them, though he never visibly changed the expression on his face.
He climbed up on her side, took the reins from her, and got the wagon going.
Gale smiled, and blushed when he took her hand and placed it on his thigh.
But she left it there.
-
Zephyr and Gale
Chapter 2: Kenjin
Gale’s stomach churned, just as it had all those years ago. She’d never gotten used to the scents of the markets, and supposed it was a mark in her favor even though they were more or less the same: blood, waste, sex, and sweat.
In Kenjin, it was as if the sea wind gathered them all and presented the bouquet by shoving it into her nostrils.
For his part, Zephyr looked disgusted, but seemed to be holding his own against the malodorous miasma.
As early as they were, the market was alive and well, full of thriving, wriggling humanity as the sun baked them while the salt air stung the scars and wounds on the merchandise.
Looking around, Gale didn’t see an empty space. She didn’t see Zephyr either.
He’d left her to scout out the trouble spots, and found that while Kenjin was large it wasn’t creative. The thieves, tricksters, fake merchants, and those who bribed their way in had their own section where the crowd wasn’t thick and the pickings were slim.
A man came up on his left side, not as big as Zephyr, but he had the look of a man who could fight if he had to.
Zephyr cursed silently, watching the man who was watching him until he couldn’t take it anymore.
“What is it? Have I done something wrong?”
“No. You look like a thief, and I wanted to warn you that the penalty for stealing is death.”
“Death? Isn’t that a bit extreme?”
“It is, but you’ll only do it once, so it’s not a problem we have. Consider this a friendly warning.”
“I’m not a thief.”
“Didn’t say you were, said you looked like one.”
“What’s the difference?”
“You just told me: you’re not. Don’t be one for the rest of the day.”He walked off, and after one last scan Zephyr began looking for Gale.
Careful of not stepping in the numerous droppings of man and animals, he was satisfied that no one could sneak up on them, even though the crowd was in constant motion.
Since that was the case, the best place for him was at her side.
*****************
She’d stayed close to the entrance, and smiled when she saw him.
“I was worried for you. Should I be worried about anything else?
“Not that I noticed, but I’ll have to stay with you. There’s a lot going on here, and distance could make all the difference.”
“What do you mean?”
“If I follow you, something happens, and I don’t get to you in time.”
“Oh.”
“Stay close.”
“I will.”
She cursed inwardly when he told her he’d have to go with her, but the quiet resolve in him left no room for discussion. She’d be lying to herself (again) if she didn’t admit she was relieved, though she would have preferred him not to see her practicing her trade.
Chapter 3: The Breaking of All
The auction was about to start.
Gale took Zephyr’s arm and walked to her place in the bidder’s gallery.
The auctioneer saw her. “New customer, Gale?”
She smiled, and the auctioneer looked at Zephyr, who gave him a single nod.
He seemed to shrink back a little, but tried again. “Not the cleanest market, sir, but we have the best stock.”
“That’s why I’m here.”
His response seemed to put the man at ease. “Hope you find things worth bidding on.”
Things, Zephyr noted.
A bell rang outside the auction tent, and more people came inside.
The smell ranged from uncomfortable to stifling.
“Send out the first batch. We’ll have to make this quick,” said the auctioneer, who then covered his mouth and nose with a dirty kerchief that hung around his neck.
The first batch of captors stepped up on the dais, a family of five, collared and shackled together. The unbroken chain meant they were to be sold as a family, no exceptions, the reasons being exclusively shared with the owner.
A different bell rang, deeper this time, a single knell, and the bidding began.
*************
It took everything for Zephyr to keep his concentration on those closest to him and Gale, and it was an effort to unclench his fist and leave his knife in its sheath.
That she was known here was a plus, but not necessarily a prevention or deterrent to an attempt on her life.
These markets were full of ambitious men, competitors, and vengeful family members who were the bane of slavers.
It was those Zephyr was most worried about. The slave auctions stuck to rigid, consistent schedules, and any slaver worthy of the trade and regardless of their power took that into since one well thrown knife could ruin everything.
He also had to concentrate on not throwing that knife into the barker’s throat, since that increased the odds he and Gale wouldn’t make it out alive.
That became his focus, and not the fact that his heart was racing, and the trouble he had unclenching his fists.
He felt its presence at his side more keenly than usual, and he was ready.
For Gale, he would always be ready.
-
Zephyr and Gale
PART 2: TEN YEARS LATER
CHAPTER 1: Covering New Ground
It was late when Zephyr’s target finally left the tavern, almost closing it.
That was good, because the streets were mostly empty.
The man folded like a snapped stem when the knife went in, falling to the ground with his mouth gasping for air it no longer had the strength to inhale.
Zephyr left the body in the newfallen snow, in a poor and putrid part of town.
The exposed body, the blood, and the work of scavengers would send the message to his client’s enemies that he was not merciful.
As he collected his payment, Zephyr liked the heft of the purse the client put in his hand.
**********
Gale needed a new ritual knife of her own, one that Karis hadn’t touched or bloodied.
She knew it really wasn’t a need as such, only an excuse that would put her back in touch with Zephyr, who hadn’t been back to the palace for quite some time. The truth of it all was she missed him, but she wasn’t willing to admit it.
They’d had sunset dinners a few more times after that first one, when he made her blush and didn’t know at that moment she’d given her heart to him. The memory of it still made her smile (and blush), and his presence still unsettled her.
It was the most intimate she’d been with anyone without sharing her body.
Still convincing herself the need for new ritual knives was not a pretense, she rationalized there was nothing wrong with having her own custom blades as she grew into the role of slave mistress and made it her own. It was silly and impulsive at best, unnecessary at worst, but she’d already convinced herself she had to see him.
And after performing the blood rituals with Karis, she couldn’t sleep.
Tonight was such a night.
Stepping onto her balcony, she watched the moonlight place coronas around the snowfall that made a pristine, gossamer veneer of alabaster on the quiet streets below.
Resplendent and full in its own right, the moon seemed a celestial jewel for a goddess on her throne.
Her mind made up, she sent a guard to the stables to tell the boy to prepare a small wagon and harness a mountain pony for her.
***********
The wagon wheels were all but silent, muffled by the deepening snow.
Cloaked and hooded, Gale still had her shoulders hunched up against the cold, imagining that when Zephyr gave her the new knives he’d hold her hand again.
****************
Zephyr woke up to the sound of soft knocking, so low that by itself it told him whoever had come was doing it in secret.
As he lived remotely, his house hidden from the view of nearby roads, and he lived alone, he took his dagger from the nightstand and moved in stealth and silence. He never told anyone where he lived, not even Gale, so no one should have been able to find him.
Looking through one of the many covert holes in his walls, he saw what appeared to be a merchant, their cloak covered in snow. They were short, slender of build, and seemingly unarmed.
He waited, letting them shiver, then flung open the door, slamming into them and knocking them back into the wagon, his knife at the merchant’s upturned throat.
Gale cried out, half scream, half shouting his name as her hood fell back and her hair came down across her shoulders.
“Gale! What are you doing here?” He dropped the knife and hugged her.
She’d peed herself a bit from the fright he gave her.
He’s learned his craft well. Tentative, she hugged him back.
“Are you alright? Did I hurt you?”
Her back was, in fact, hurting from the force of hitting the wagon, and from how far he bent her with the knife to her throat.
“You did.”
“Come inside, come inside. I’ll tend to it. I’m sorry.”
They went inside, and he got her settled by the fire as he went off to make something for the physical pain, pouring a Guild-approved pain medication and mixing it with wine. He gave it to her with some bread to soak it up, lest she be intoxicated on the ride home.
She ate and drank, grateful, still coming down from the adrenaline rush he gave her.
He went back out, tending to the pony, sheltering it in the tree line and covering it with a blanket. It had already started pawing to see if there was any grass. In the back of the wagon was a small bale, and he took it out and dropped it.
The pony dug in, and Zephyr made a mental note to thank the savvy stable boy who’d done this, if he ever saw him.
He’d bring some water later.
**************
When he came back inside, they spent some time catching up on what they’d done in the time apart. She was grateful to find he was still a good listener.
Gale was getting her own reputation in the slave markets, though she’d grown to hate it.
Zephyr had passed his training under Riselle, who was a match for Karis in sheer will. She’d pushed him past endurance, past capacity, out of comfort zones, until his hands shook.
She massaged him then, looked after him, applied creams and ointments to his hands and the scars she gave him. She taught him how to clean the blood off his knife and polish it.
He knew they were growing closer, and it was against Guild rules, but every now and then, when the adventures and fights were especially intense, they’d share a bed.
Gale deflated a bit at that news, but couldn’t blame him.
She looked at him as he got up to tend the fire.
“You’ve grown bigger, Zephyr. Broader too. No one’s going to call you–”
He gave her a sharp look, and her voice trailed.
Bones on a rope…that seemed a long time ago now.
“What Mistress Karis called me?”
She nodded.
“I hated that, but it stuck in people’s minds.”
“I’m sorry I said it too.”
“That’s the only time it bothered me.”
“Then I won’t bring it up again, Zephyr. I promise.”
He nodded, shrugged the tension out of his shoulders, and sat down again, draining the last of his wine as they watched the fire in a comfortable silence that wasn’t quite relaxed. He waited, figuring that if she’d been looking for him with such determination she wanted something from him.
Finishing her own wine, she got down to it.
“This isn’t a social call, my friend, obviously. I need…I need a new set of ritual knives. Are you still smithing with Amadi?”
“Yes, when I’m not traveling for the other jobs they pay me to do.”
“Who’s they?”
He shrugged and smiled mysteriously. “Who knows?”
Gale laughed. “That’s a good place to start.”
“It’s better if neither of us know. The Guild doesn’t encourage questions.”
“I don’t doubt it.”
“Gale, you didn’t come all this way under cover of night to catch up.”
She sighed. “No, I didn’t. This isn’t social, though it is nice.”
He waited.
“I want a set of ritual knives.”
He sensed the hesitation. “And?”
“I wanted you to come with me to Kenjin Market.”
“Kenjin? The slave market…”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Karis wants to see how I fare without her. Do you know about Kenjin?”
“It’s the largest, and most dangerous. Larisse and I had cause to go there a few times. But you’ve been at this for some time, Gale, and you’re no sloth at fighting. Why do you need me?”
“Because I don’t share her certainty that I’ll do well, and I’d feel better with someone at my back.”“Someone like me.” he smiled.
She returned it. “Yes. Will you?”
“Yes. Now let me ask you, how did you find out where I lived? I told no one, not even Amadi.”
“Can a girl keep her secrets?”
He laughed. “All right. As long as you want to risk your life appearing randomly in the middle of the night. A stranger’s reflexes might not be as good as mine.”
She sobered at that observation, and figured she might as well tell him the truth.
“Karis has spies, Zephyr. She always knew where you were. She kept up with your progress at the Guild. I expect one day she’ll likely use your services to protect her.”
He nodded. “I should have known. I guess you can say she created me.”
“She exploited you in your grief. She exploited us. If the rebellion wasn’t growing, we’d have no chance to be free at all.
“I hate being a slaver, Zephyr. I hate it, but I’ve been trained for nothing else.” Her eyes welled, which was the last thing she wanted to happen.
He knelt in front of her, and took her hands. “Yes, there are chains wrapped around your fists, Gale, and blood on my own hands. We’ll do what we can to clean them. As much as we thought we found favor not being assigned to labor and service, they assigned us to much worse, but we can use what we know to our own advantage.
“Let’s focus on that.”
She wiped her eyes, and he stood up and released her hands.
She stood up too. “I need to get back.”
He wanted to ask her to stay, but they both knew she couldn’t, and part of his training had been not brooding over what couldn’t be helped. He should have known it applied to more than killing, but that didn’t lessen the sting.
He walked her back out, taking water for the pony. They spent a few minutes in silence again, admiring the stars now that the snow stopped, letting the pony drink.
She kissed him before she climbed into the wagon, and was encouraged by how slowly he released her to help her up, though she didn’t need it.
It was tempting to invite him back to the palace so he wouldn’t have to travel on his own, but something in her knew he’d refuse, and since she trusted his judgment, she didn’t bother.
He watched until she was almost out of sight, then went back inside, spending a restless night, the heat of a tender kiss replacing the fire in the hearth that he let die on its own.
ByteSyzes 