Demon Child Ch. 17

Balla stared at Aylanna's white skin and red hair, "I know the others were trying to make fun of how you look, but if I may ask, why do you look so different?"

Aylanna looked down at her pale skin and shrugged, "A demon came to the northern lands. He forced himself on my mother, a plainswoman. She said he had hair like fire and eyes like smoke, like me. They killed him. I was born. I am all that is left of him. They called me a demon and perhaps I am one."

Balla stood behind Aylanna and rubbed some more scented creams into her hair, "Your hair is like fire and it has a baby's softness. Why is it so short?"

The question sent Aylanna's mind spinning back to when she tried to hide her differences, to disguise her strange alien appearance. Her time with the Twisted Dagger had planted a seed of pride at her differences but here, apart from them she realized she was once again starting to feel the self loathing she had suffered throughout her childhood. Aylanna suppressed a shudder as the old name, 'Neekah', rose up in her memory. In a sudden flash of determination she decided she was not going to let that happen, let any of these strange women make her feel like anything less than them because she looked different, was different.

Her voice was low and determined, "It was a mistake, one that I will never make again."

Balla's voice was busy, her overactive mind already moving past her questions, "Well, it appears to be growing back." After Aylanna got out and blotted the water from her slim body with an impossibly soft cloth, Balla gave her some more scented oils to rub into her skin. "Miss says a courtesan should be pleasing to all the senses, soft to the touch, music to the ear, sweet to the nose... it's a whole long list but anyway, I like the smell of this oil, spicy and fruity both." Aylanna wrinkled her nose at the strong smelling oil, in her opinion it was far too sweet.

Balla picked up the gold dress, and frowned, "Don't worry about dressing. It is permitted to walk to and from the bathing rooms unclothed. Miss encourages us to be comfortable in our skins, saying we should take pride in our beauty, to stand tall and walk proudly." Balla looked up at Aylanna's height, "And you are tall, taller than most of us, tall enough to be a guard, though you are pretty skinny, most guards are sort of big, you know what I mean, built more like a man, you are definitely not built like a man." Balla's voice trailed off. Aylanna realized that the girl was staring at her body, and looked down at her long, slender frame. Unconsciously her hands came up in a hesitant gesture to cover her nudity. Balla's eyes slipped away, "Um... anyway, we can just walk to your room. No reason to put on the... um... formal dress. With recently oiled skin, you could stain it."

They met no one else in the hallway. At first Aylanna did not recognize her room. She stepped back and recounted the open archways.

Balla did not seem to understand her hesitation, "You don't have to stay in here. We can go back to the commons or the courtyard, but you will need to dress if you want to go to the common room."

Aylanna shook her head and stepped in; the room was dimly lit with a small flickering oil lamp. Blankets and pillows covered a raised sleeping platform. A cabinet stood in one corner and a low table with a thick cushion to sit upon. Balla opened the cabinet and pulled out a folded piece of cream colored fabric, "Here, put this on." She carefully hung the shimmering gold dress up on a hook inside the cabinet. She smoothed the fabric carefully, "It is beautiful, in many ways nicer than most of the dresses any of us have, and your necklace," her eyes looked at the large jewel around Aylanna neck, "I have never seen anything like it. Your warriors must have valued you highly."

Aylanna pulled the dress over her head, turning her back so Balla could not see the tears filling her eyes. She shook her head, inhaled a sharp breath and held it for moment. When she spoke her voice was flat, emotionless, "Balla, I am tired. Could you leave me alone?"

"Oh, oh, of course, I'm sorry, I should have guessed. I will come get you in the morning."

Aylanna did not speak as she watched the little, talkative girl, still chirping to herself about the upcoming day, "Miss is probably going to want to spend a lot of time learning more about you, she asked me endless questions when I first got here, about all kinds of..." The girl's voice dwindled as she headed off down the hallway.

Letting out a long sigh of pent up tension; again her eyes strayed around the little room. It was small, only a few paces square, but like all the rooms of the courtesan's quarters, it was sumptuously furnished. Even with the open archway leading into the passageway, Aylanna felt trapped, confined in an upholstered cage. Whoever had moved the things into her room, had closed the shutters, and she moved to open them once again.

The endless sound of falling rain flooded into the room and she leaned out, inhaling the cool, clean damp air. Across the courtyard she could see lights and movement beyond the open shutters of a room on the second level, the wives quarters.

Someone was there, leaning out the window, a silhouette against the brighter light behind. Aylanna thought to herself, 'another bird in a gilded cage'. For an instant she sensed that whoever it was, they were looking at her and she wondered who it was.

A movement and the sound of a throat being cleared behind her made her flinch and whirl. A large female guard stood at the open archway of her room, a bag in her hand. Aylanna's eyes widened as she recognized the leather bag Kwal'kek had given her to put her few belongings into that morning. Had it been just a day?

The guard's voice was curt, "This was sent." She dropped the leather bag on the floor, turned away and was gone before Aylanna could thank her. Aylanna wondered at the guard's attitude of suspicion and wondered why there were so many guards watching a mere handful women. What were they afraid of?

She shrugged and opened the bag; a small pang of memory rose up as she smelled the scent of horse. Slowly she pulled her few belongings out, one by one, her well worn dress that Tollarra had helped her sew, the little yellow and green dress she had worn briefly at the gathering so long ago, the purse with the demon coins, the spinning bobbin, her mirror and comb, her old blue square of cloth she had worn as a scarf for so long and the newer silk one she had recently purchased. Each item she smoothed and fondled, thinking back to the time she had gotten it, the memories and feelings. Finally she held up the old, stained shift that Jhardron had given her that first day with the Twisted Dagger, the first day she had been a ha'akh, thinking how she had no idea then what lay ahead, how she had been both frightened and confused, how the casual gesture of him handing her this simple garment had meant so much. She held the cloth to her face, for the first time letting the tears flow freely, grieving for what she had left behind, and once again facing an uncertain future.

She slept curled up on the sleeping platform, her old shift clutched in her hands, resting her cheek on its softness, finding some margin of solace in the faint, familiar scent.

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Aylanna woke with the first light, looking around her unfamiliar room. Her belongings were still spread across her sleeping platform and she ran her fingertips across the blue silk scarf. Her bladder was full and she pushed herself to stand and wandered out, rubbing her eyes. The passageway was empty except for the omnipresent guards and their watchful eyes.

Again Aylanna felt oppressed by the suspicion in their spirits and wondered what they thought she would do. She avoided their eyes as she hurried to the latrine. As she sat down over the strange indoor toilet, she looked at the room more carefully, taking in the extra ventilation and the small basin of continually flowing water for cleaning afterwards. Her lips twitched as she took in a slightly comic sculpture of a fat, female figure, contorting to twist around to look at her huge bottom.

As she walked back towards her room, Mallinika approached from the opposite direction. The older woman smiled in greeting, "Good morning, Aylanna."

Aylanna stopped and looked at the older woman; once again she was wearing a spotless, cream colored floor length shift. Her white braids were caught up in a complex knot. Swallowing down her resistance, Aylanna forced her voice to match, "Good morning."

Mallinika smiled, "Thank you for that. Come along; let me walk you back to your room." As they walked side by side, the older manager of the women's quarters spoke, "You have risen early. I suspected you might. A warrior regiment wakes with the sun and a ha'akh must be ready to serve at any time. You will find we have a very different schedule here. Most, if not all, of the duties of a courtesan are performed after the sun falls. It is customary for us to sleep until the sun is high in the sky. Until you are accustomed to your new schedule, we can take advantage of this quiet time of day to talk."

As they entered into Aylanna's room, Mallinika looked around critically. "I will assume you had little opportunity to straighten your room before using the latrine. But I will tell you that it is your responsibility to keep your space neat." She looked at Aylanna's wrinkled shift, "I can see you slept in your dress. It is our custom to sleep without clothing; the walls of the Khan's court are thick. It is rare that you will find yourself cold, even at midwinter, and if you do, we can issue you more blankets. It will keep your clothing cleaner and unwrinkled. Go ahead and put on a fresh dress and hang that one so the creases will fall out."

As Aylanna pulled the crumpled fabric off and hung it up, Mallinika spoke softly, "Stop, let me look at you." Aylanna's hands froze, once again looking down at her body to avoid the eyes staring at her. "You have not born a child. Clearly you do not conceive easily. That will be a blessing for you." It was a statement, not a question, and Aylanna did not answer. "When was your last blood?"

Aylanna frowned thoughtfully, counting on her fingers, "Nearly ten days ago. I think."

"Do they come regularly?"

Aylanna shrugged and nodded, "Regularly enough." She glanced up at Mallinika, "Among the Ramaldi, women were required to keep themselves away from the men of the village during that time. When I was with the warriors, they did not require me to stay apart. Is there a place here I should go when my blood time starts?"

Mallinika shook her head, "There are no men here. Generally a Bak wife might offer up prayers to the goddess to grant her a child in the coming month, even visit the temple to make sacrifices and offerings. But for a courtesan the conception of a child is a complication. Generally we see the bleeding time as a blessing. Not a few of us send a prayer and a gift to the temple in thanks. You will be instructed in methods to prevent a child from being conceived and how to dislodge one from your womb."

Mallinika spoke softly, "It can be very dangerous for a courtesan to carry a child to term. Any child that is born to one of us could be seen as a potential threat to any legitimate heirs to the court, even now that our Khan is ill and has not lain with a woman in many moons, any child born in the courtesan quarters could be seen as rival. Many courtesans have died of complications of pregnancy." Her voice was grim, "But as a novice, you will not need to worry about that. Go ahead and put on a fresh dress."

The older woman sat down on the cushion by the table, gesturing at the bed and the tangle of blankets and belongings. "I see you received your bag. Put your things away as we talk." Aylanna began to pick up her things, fold them carefully and put them into the cabinet. When she picked up the comb, Mallinika held out her hand, "Bring that to me." Aylanna reluctantly handed the carved horn comb and she turned it over in her hands, "A fine piece of work, considering the medium. Come, sit at my feet, child, let me comb your hair as we speak."

Aylanna hesitated, fighting down an urge to refuse, her eyes scanning the room. Mallinika did not repeat the request, just sat tapping her palm with the comb, her eyes assessing. Finally Aylanna ran her hand over her hair, smoothing it nervously and moved to kneel at Mallinika's feet.

For several minutes the older woman did not speak as she meticulously picked out the tangles in Aylanna's curls. Finally when she did speak, her words were oblique, "It is not my intention to rule here through fear. But do not be mistaken, I do rule here. It is my duty to train the courtesans and maintain a harmonious home here for all the women, both courtesan and wife. It is not an easy task, for the wives outrank me and I must use all my wits to convince them that it is in their own best interests to cooperate. Mark my words girl, I have neither the time nor the patience to match wills with you. I do not doubt you are strong willed, but do not underestimate me. I do have the power to punish a courtesan, especially a novice new to her training."

"I can order you beaten, locked away, even killed if I felt it necessary, though our Khan would question me at length if I went so far. But I have never once felt the need to resort to such extremes," Mallinika's voice was dry, "but do not think that because I disagree with such cruelty, that such things do not happen. If you offend the wrong person and they whisper your name in the ear of the Khan or his wizard, suggesting that you plot against the Khan. You could find yourself in the dungeons beneath the keep. None have returned from such a visit."

Mallinika stood and walked to the open window, speaking with her back to Aylanna, "I tell you this so you will be motivated to learn caution. This is a very dangerous time at court. Our Khan is convinced that there is a conspiracy to assassinate him. His personal wizard has prophesized that he will die at the hand of a woman."

"Already, four courtesans and one of the Aga Khan's own wives have been put to the question. As a warning, the last one was put on display before an assembly of all the women of the court. She had been," Mallinika paused and swallowed, "mutilated. I am not sure what her fate was after that. It would have been a mercy if she had been put to death."

Mallinika stood up straight and turned looking down at Aylanna as she sat on the floor, "Child, this is a strange and dangerous place in normal times. And with the events of late, that danger has become far worse. I will do my best to teach you how to survive, but you must listen and learn quickly. Your reluctance to speak is not a bad thing. Far too many have spoken and regretted their words, but if our Khan were to ask a question of you, a refusal to speak could mean a slow and painful death."

"Always think carefully. Do not share your secrets with anyone. Do not trust anyone, not even me. Here at court, all have their own agenda, first and foremost survival, closely followed by the continual jockeying for power. The power ebbs and flows through these halls like the waters of a river in flood. It is nearly impossible to keep from being sucked into the intrigues. You will be watched to see where your loyalties will lie. It goes without saying you already carry the mark of the Twisted Dagger, but that will not keep others from courting you."

"Remember that any offer of friendship comes with a price. Befriend one faction and you will alienate another. At court you cannot make a friend without making an enemy, perhaps many enemies."

Mallinika took a deep breath, "Enough of this talk, it is not all darkness and suspicion, we courtesans have many opportunities for joy and pleasure. Now that the warrior regiments have all returned, perhaps we will even have call to entertain once again. Come along to the common room with me. We will eat and I will ask you some questions. Hopefully you will see the wisdom in choosing to answer."

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Their low table in the common room was laden with bowls and platters. Mallinika helped herself to a bowl of steamed grains and fruits.

She waved a hand at the bewildering variety of foods, "Eat, your body is all angles, like a new born colt. Most men prefer a woman with more flesh on her bones, something solid to grasp and a softness to press against." Aylanna looked up at the ribald comment, her face coloring, and Mallinika chuckled, "Don't delude yourself, child. The role of a courtesan is to provide pleasure, and the gift of the goddess is one of the most powerful of our arts."

As they ate, Mallinika began to ply her with questions. "Tell me about your life before you were taken as a ha'akh."

Aylanna paused, staring into her bowl of food, thinking of Mallinika's own words about danger and Jhardron's warnings to keep her magic secret. She chose her words carefully.

"I was always different. My mother was from a northern plains tribe. She was heavy with me when she arrived in the small Ramaldi village. She told a tale of a demon who forced himself upon her. She went to the local witch doctor and begged him to help her. I was born there and she left."

"I was raised by the witch doctor, but never accepted by the people. After the witch doctor died, I lived like a wild animal on the edges of the village, a pariah. The people threw garbage at me, named me 'dirty thing'. The wild gangs of boys hunted me for sport. I was happy when the warriors came and killed them all."

Mallinika listened without comment, her head tipped to one side. "And your life as a ha'akh, how was that?"

For the first time since she arrived in the courtesans quarters, Aylanna smiled, "The warriors were nice, they fed me, gave me a dress, and they did not hurt me when they shared the blessings of the goddess with me."

"My Khan, Jhardron, he said I learned the Bak language quickly and he used me to help him talk to the northern tribes. I felt useful, valued. It was good."

A shadow came over Mallinika's face, "A word of caution, the Aga Khan is 'your' khan now. It would be unwise to refer to the Khan Bak Tai Twisted Dagger as 'your' khan. It hints at disloyalty. A poorly chosen word like that could put both you and your former khan at risk." Then she smiled, "But it is good to know that you found joy in serving your warriors. And I am pleased to hear you learn quickly. You mentioned the goddess, what do you know of her?"

Aylanna paused, "Just the stories that the warriors would tell. Stories about how she could change into a white bird or mare, how she mated with Jha'Mak'Tah and was the mother of the horses and all the people. They told me stories about how the demons and the gods fought a war and broke the land."

Mallinika asked her dozens of questions about things Aylanna had no knowledge of, dance, music, and history but did not seem too surprised when Aylanna had no answers, just responding that she did not know. Mallinika smiled gently, "Do not be distressed. I am sure you will be a quick learner and sometimes it is easier to teach someone who admits they know nothing rather than someone who is convinced they know a great deal. Tell me what things do you know a lot about?"

Aylanna paused thinking carefully, "The witch doctor that raised me was widely renowned for his skills in treating issues of impotence, infertility, and the birth. He taught me how to gather the herbs for the medicines he made. He taught me about poisons and..."

Her words were cut off abruptly as Mallinika's hand flashed out and slapped her hard. The older woman's words were an almost silent, deadly hiss, "Stop, stop now. Your life hangs on a thread. It is a death sentence to even say that word out loud in the court of the Aga Khan." Mallinika looked carefully around the room, lifting her hand and covering her lips so only Aylanna could see, mouthing silently, "Poison is an assassin's tool." Her spirit was in turmoil with absolute terror.