Rachael and the Warlord Pt. 03

It's evening before I find time to compare thoughts about Meghr with Amina and Farai. With three caravans staying overnight, Dania, Phoebe, Sharina and Zahra are providing the evening entertainment, while Meghr is among the four slaves serving refreshments. Despite being made to wear an uncomfortable chastity belt, Meghr seems to to enjoy the task.

"Without knowing her background, it's difficult to understand Meghr's motives," says Amina. "She has clearly spent a lot of time in a community where obedience and submission was expected from her. Meghr seems eager to fit in here at Wadi Halaf. She's intelligent, and it's obvious that she understands far more than she can communicate. If I had enough time, we could develop a more comprehensive sign language for her."

"Can she read and write?" I ask.

My question is wishful thinking. Only girls from wealthy families receive any form of education. The few who can read and write, like me, are invariably self-taught.

"She didn't understand the letters and numbers I drew, Sai," replies Amina. "If she can read, then it isn't in any script that I know. However, that may be an advantage."

I acknowledge Amina's comment about the possible advantage of Meghr being unable to read and write. A buyer looking for a slave who is unable to tittle-tattle about her master's secrets, is of greater value if she cannot simply write down what she hears. Meghr's training is providing an interesting challenge for Amina, Farai, Phoebe and me, but I mustn't lose sight of the financial cost of prolonging her training. I could sell Meghr as a pleasure slave at a small profit, but that would be a waste of her potential. Meghr's unexpected response when she thought Ramiro was attacking me makes me hesitate to send her to the market straight away.

"The Grand Fair is in three weeks," I say to Amina and Farai. "That would be a good time to sell Meghr. In the meantime we shall train her in everything we think is necessary to increase her value."

The Grand Fair is an annual event held just before the winter snows start closing the mountain passes, and trading caravans stop until spring. Many caravans visit the city around the time of the Fair as merchants rush to complete one last journey before winter forces them to take a break. The slave markets are busier than usual during the Fair. The demand for attractive female slaves is high as merchants look for bed warmers to amuse them over the winter months.

"Sai. If you intend to sell Meghr as a bed warmer at the Fair, then we should consider Phoebe's suggestions about developing Meghr's sexual abilities," says Amina.

Amina's proposal has merit. While Meghr prefers sex with women, she isn't averse to pleasing men. She has skilfully handled serving refreshments during the raucous partying at evening entertainments. Even an experienced slave can struggle with carrying a tray of food while having her body squeezed and fondled by several pairs of hands. Meghr has been able to cope with the trials that aroused men impose on her as she works.

However, I know Phoebe's suggestions go much further than having Meghr dance and have sex with the audience. I recall what Amina observed when she first locked Meghr in the dungeon. Meghr expected her wrists to be shackled when she was placed in the dungeon. She also offered her wrists to be bound when she made an error in attacking Ramiro in my room. But I very much doubt she has experienced bondage as part of some sexual game. I don't want to push Meghr too far too soon, so I devise a phased approach.

"Have Meghr wear wrist fetters while she serves refreshments tonight," I say to Mia. "If she is okay with that, then we'll try adding a waist chain as well."

"What about adding her to the dancers?" asks Mia.

"Not tonight. Let's see how she manages working in chains," I reply. "Once we add her to the dancers, it will be hard to preserve her virginity. I will need to sell her soon, or add her to the slave women belonging to Wadi Halaf."

I'm always mindful that my tenure as mistress of Wadi Halaf is only until Efrem reaches his sixteenth birthday. Consequently I make an effort to keep ownership of slaves clearly defined. Amina, Farai and Meghr are my property in my own right, whereas Hanna, Sharina and Zahra were 'sold' into Wadi Halaf's slave stock when they moved here. Similarly, when my uncle purchased the Halls of Valhalla, the proceeds belong to me, and not to the caravanserai. For now it probably makes no difference since I control both my own and the caravanserai's money. But one day it may matter.

__________________________

Chapter 15: An alderman's threat

__________________________

As much as I want to keep a watch over Meghr's progress, my other duties don't always allow me the time to do so. Recently, my intervention has been required to resolve a long running issue between Ramiro and the meddling aldermen. The stand-off relates to the number of soldiers under the warlord's command. The situation isn't helped by Alderman Samvel refusing to talk directly to Ramiro because he is a slave. Samvel's attitude towards me, as a woman and a former slave, isn't much better. Fortunately the other four aldermen are more pragmatic, and at least listen to Ramiro's and my views.

I'm surprised one afternoon to be informed that Alderman Samvel has come to Wadi Halaf to discuss resolution of the impasse. Samvel has been wisely avoiding me since my return to the city, even though there is little I can do to damage his influential position in city politics. Before his death, my father made it widely known that Samvel was the alderman who capitulated to the Grey Monks' demands, and that Samvel offered me as a hostage to prevent my father and his soldiers from intervening.

As much as I would like to shun Samvel, I know that Ramiro is relying on me. I need to ensure Ramiro has enough trained soldiers in the garrison to keep bandit activity in check. On receiving news of Samvel's arrival, I order refreshments to be made ready. I prepare to meet him in the meeting room Ramiro uses. Samvel must regard me as dangerous because he arrives with two burly henchmen. As is customary, they leave their weapons at the gate, although their robes could easily hide a dagger or two.

"Your guards are unnecessary, Alderman," I say when Farai escorts Samvel and his two henchmen into the room.

"I will be the judge of that," says Samvel with one of his usual sneers. "Your opposition to my proposal to reduce the size of the garrison is only delaying matters. The city guard can take responsibility for some of the garrison's duties."

"The city guard are nothing more than a rabble of thugs and failed mercenaries. They haven't captured my father's murderer despite the numerous witnesses. How do you expect them to deal with organised bandits?"

"Your father's death was a consequence of his own folly," replies Samvel. "Slandering a city alderman is bound to offend many good citizens. It's hardly surprising that one of them decided to silence such foul words."

To me, Samvel's comment is effectively an admission that he is behind my father's death. But I've no proof, and Samvel is head of one of the city's most prosperous families. A prosperity that owes much to corruption and skulduggery that would make any bandit envious.

"You appointed Ramiro as warlord, and as his owner, I am required to oversee the exercise of of his responsibilities," I say. "I see no justification for reducing the number of soldiers under the warlord's command. Bandit activity is minimal along the main routes because we have sufficient soldiers assigned to the task of keeping the bandits away."

"I disagree. This document requires your signature. It withdraws your objections to my proposal."

"Why should I sign such a ridiculous document?"

"Because my men here will break your slave's neck if you don't."

At first I think he is threatening Ramiro, but when I turn towards Farai I see that one of Samvel's men has his arms around Farai and his hand over her mouth.

"You dare to threaten me in my own house?" I snarl at Samvel.

"Yes. To me you are still nothing more than a slave, fit only to obey my bidding. Now sign the document, or your young slave will pay the price."

The scene is momentarily interrupted by the arrival of Meghr with the tray of refreshments that I had ordered. Before I can shout a warning to Meghr, Samvel's second guard promptly makes a grab for her. Meghr reacts like lightning. She tosses the tray at him and moves out of his reach. The guard draws a dagger from the folds of his robe, and he advances on Meghr. Samvel blocks my view, so I'm unsure what happens next. Somehow, Meghr disarms the guard and flings the dagger at the guard holding Farai. Despite the difficult target, Meghr's throw is accurate. The dagger embeds in the guard's throat. He makes a short gurgling sound before dropping to the floor like a stone.

"Farai, summon our guards," I shout, realising that Farai has an opportunity to reach the door.

Samvel's surviving guard tries to intercept Farai, but a powerful kick from Meghr has the guard doubling over and clutching his balls. Farai's escapes from the room. However, Meghr hasn't finished dealing with the guard. Both Samvel and I stand speechless as Meghr grabs the crippled guard by his head and promptly breaks his neck like a chicken. Then she advances on Samvel.

"Call you slave off, woman," screams Samvel, who looks ready to shit in his pants.

"Wait, Meghr," I cry, adding a hand signal to my instructions.

Meghr halts her advance but stands ready to pounce on Samvel if he so much as twitches a muscle. Farai and two of the Wadi Halaf guards arrive moments later, followed by Ramiro. The guards quickly check the two fallen henchmen, and confirm that both are dead. I need to think quickly before Samvel overcomes his panic.

"Warlord!" cries Samvel when he sees Ramiro arrive. "This slave has killed my men, have her thrown in the dungeon and make her confess who ordered her to make such an unprovoked attack on my men."

"The slave is mute, Alderman," replies Ramiro. "We'll learn nothing from her. What are your orders, Mistress Rachael?"

I've only a half-baked idea about what to do next. The moment Samvel is away from Wadi Halaf we'll have the entire city guard laying siege on us within the hour. But detaining Samvel against his wishes is risky. To the wider world, this whole episode comes down to Samvel's word against mine. Our corrupt city politics means that the word of an alderman will always outweigh that of a former slave regardless of the facts.

"Lock Samvel in the dungeon," I order. "Move the dead guards out of sight."

"You can't imprison me," fumes Samvel. "I'm a city alderman. You're signing your own death warrant."

Perhaps. But fortune favours the brave. My father said that Samvel wasn't liked by his peers, and now I must put that observation to the test.

"You came here with malicious intent," I reply. "Your guard drew a hidden weapon. I was defending my myself and my property, as the law entitles me to do."

"I'll see you back in chains, whore," snarls Samvel. "The moment my family realise you have imprisoned me, then you and everyone in this place will suffer. I'll have you whipped until your... nghh!"

Samvel collapses on the floor. He's unconscious. I'm not sure which of the guards escorting him knocked him out, but it at least means he can be moved to the cells without making a scene.

__________________________

Chapter 16: Revenge

__________________________

Fortunately Samvel's arrival, attack and imprisonment has only been witnessed by a handful of guards and slaves employed at Wadi Halaf. It won't take long for rumours of Samvel's imprisonment to spread among the other guards and slaves, and there is a risk that the caravanserai's guests may hear about what has happened. The loyalty of those working at Wadi Halaf is put to the test, and I'm delighted that I receive unwavering support.

Ramiro and Amina quickly devise a plan to mislead anyone who hears rumours, and starts enquiring about the whereabouts of Samvel or his dead guards. Samvel's love of sneaking about and conducting secret meetings works in my favour. Even Samvel's most trusted servants won't know about his activities beyond seeing him depart his house with two robed guards earlier this morning. Having witnesses observe two robed guards accompanying a man in Samvel's clothes leaving Wadi Halaf will misdirect any inquisitive minds.

My half-brother, Hugo, is the same size and build as Samvel. He puts on Samvel's robe, while two of Wadi Halaf's guards don the dead men's robes. The three of them leave on a wagon carrying the two dead henchmen under a tarpaulin. They keep their hoods covering their heads, discouraging any close inspection by passers-by. Nevertheless, enough people in the street will notice them leave the city by the south gate. The gate guards normally make a thorough check of the identities of the travellers into and out of the city, along with the contents of their wagon. Again the aldermen's self-serving rules work in our favour. The gate guards have standing instructions to allow aldermen to travel through the city gates without hindrance. At the sight of Samvel's distinctive red and white robe, the gate guards wave Hugo and the guards on their way without any check.

Once clear of the city the wagon is taken to the edge of some woods, a short distance off the road. The guards return their robes to the dead henchmen, who are left lying beside the wagon as though they are the victims of an ambush by bandits. Hugo and the Wadi Halaf guards change back into their own clothes, and the horses are unhitched from the wagon. The three men circle back to the city, arriving through the west gate. Two days later, a trader reports discovering an abandoned wagon and two dead men in the woods, not far from the south road. Ramiro leads a troop of his soldiers to investigate. They recover the wagon and bury the dead henchmen.

By now, the other aldermen have noticed that Samvel is missing. They give the city guard the task of looking for him. Since Samvel periodically disappears for days at a time on secret missions, nobody seems unduly worried about his absence. The city guard give the task a low priority. Consequently, after three days of searching, the only clue the city guard gather is that Samvel passed through the south gate on a wagon with two robed guards a few days ago. The city guard lose all interest in following Samvel's trail. Investigating matters outside of the city boundary falls to the warlord to investigate. Consequently the aldermen reassign the task of finding Samvel to Ramiro.

Meanwhile Samvel is languishing in a cell in Wadi Halaf's dungeon. With his robes borrowed for Ramiro's subterfuge, Samvel is forced to wear a slave's loin cloth. His initial confidence at being rescued within a matter of hours has given way to a tirade of empty threats and rambling monologues. I'm still uncertain what to do with him. I strongly suspect Samvel was behind my father's murder, but without evidence the other aldermen will likely support Samvel's claims of innocence. But I have a bit of time to consider what to do. Ramiro has been successful in spreading the story that Samvel's wagon was attacked by bandits, his guards killed, and Samvel kidnapped. Surprisingly, there is little enthusiasm from Samvel's extended family to mount a rescue. Samvel's business interests are being managed by his nephew, who seems content for things to remain that way.

"What are you going to do about Meghr?" asks Amina.

On one hand I'm grateful for Meghr's defence of Farai and me, but on the other hand a house slave can't be allowed to go around killing people without consequences. Meghr has been shackled and confined to the dungeon since the attack. The other slaves became nervous at what Meghr did, and I decided to keep her apart from the others. Meghr clearly expected to be punished for killing Samvel's two guards, despite the justification. Nevertheless, Amina has continued Meghr's training and continues to develop a sign language with her.

Dania proposes a solution to my dilemma concerning Samvel. When Dania's father was warlord, he had contacts with many shady gangs who supplied him with victims for his perverted sexual desires. Those victims were usually slaves stolen from their owners, but a few were kidnapped citizens who fell foul of the gangs' leaders. In Emarukistan, even a wealthy citizen can be reduced to slavery if they aren't protected by family or friends from misfortune. Neither Samvel's family nor the other aldermen have been willing to make any serious effort to find and rescue him, so I doubt that anyone else will try to protect him.

At my behest, Dania makes contact with one of the gang leaders. She's taking a huge risk that she doesn't fall victim to the gang herself, but she is confident in her ability to achieve our goal. Two days later, a nondescript wagon driven by two strangers arrives at Wadi Halaf shortly after dawn. As arranged, a drugged Samvel is bundled into the bed of the wagon and quickly covered in hay. When they are ready to depart, Meghr is brought out to the wagon. She is still in her shackles and needs to be helped onto the wagon bed to sit on the top of the hay. Without any further delay the wagon departs. The whole transaction takes less than five minutes.

To anyone who witnesses what is going on, it appears that I have sold Meghr to the two men, and they are transporting her away. The gang leader, know only as Claw, has promised to dispose of Samvel far from the city. Meghr is his payment. However, he doesn't know that Meghr hides a key to her shackles. She is under instructions from me to kill Samvel, and any gang member involved, should there be any sign of betrayal or double dealing. Dania may trust Claw, but I can't afford the risk of him accepting a better offer from Samvel. I've told Meghr that once her mission is completed she may return to Wadi Halaf if she is able to escape. I'm not proud that I'm using Meghr in this way, even though she and Ramiro are supporting my actions. Whether Meghr will succeed in escaping is something only time will tell. As an added precaution, Ramiro has assigned one of his trusted men to follow the wagon at a discreet distance until it is well clear of the city.

I spend the next few days waiting nervously for any sign that I've been betrayed. I give a silent sigh of relief when Ramiro's tracker returns with Samvel's dead body draped over a horse. I had assumed that Claw was going to sell Samvel in one of the unofficial slave markets that fail to keep any records of a slave's origin. However, it seems Claw preferred a more permanent solution.

Samvel's body is handed over to his nephew, who arranges for a funeral with a minimal amount of fuss. Samvel was known to engage with dangerous people as part of his shady dealings, so his violent death comes as no surprise to those who knew him. Based on Ramiro's tracker's report, and the earlier ambush of the wagon Samvel was purportedly on, there's no further investigation into the cause of Samvel's death.

I now turn my full attention to running the caravanserai and developing a renewal of the Halls of Valhalla trade using Wadi Halaf's facilities.

_________________________

Chapter 17: Epilogue

__________________________

Six Months Later:

I don't see Meghr again, although I suspect that she is very much alive somewhere nearby. Ramiro has achieved remarkable success in his role as warlord, foiling several raids and devious plots against the interests of our city's citizens. Even the aldermen are impressed and are keeping their own business dealings relatively honest. Rumour has it that Ramiro has a network of spies embedded in the underworld of bandits and criminal gangs operating in the city and the adjoining region.