Sufferance Ch. 10

Now I smirked back. "When a stronger body uses far more energy than it takes to study a book, wizard, that body has to eat more. Is this a difficult concept to grasp?"

He slowly shook his head. "No. I suppose, then, that most Noble Houses don't know how to feed a Red Sister."

"No, they don't. But it's rarely a requirement."

There was a pause in the quiet conversation as I observed the details around me. Not as decorative, overall, as D'Verin or even Itlaun. The materials were sturdy and as lovely as the simpler stuff could be made, but I'd often seen much better. Not quite as much wealth here at House Peniel.

"Does this House have a Consort?" I asked.

"You must have been tired indeed to wait this long to ask, Red Sister."

"Just answer the question, powder sifter."

"No, Sister, they do not have a Consort."

I was quiet as I chewed. After I'd swallowed, "Why is she visiting, then?"

Shyntre shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"With your history, I'd say yours was probably better."

One corner of his mouth rose up. "Possible."

"So you have a guess."

"Maybe. You want to hear it?"

I gave him a sarcastic look. "Are you feeling generous?"

"Not particularly, Sister. I wouldn't mind a trade, though."

"I didn't take anything else of yours."

"Just a trade of knowledge, that's all."

"A guess and actual information is not a balanced trade. Best you can ask is a guess from me."

He shrugged. "What about an educated guess?"

I shook my head. "Forget it. I'm no longer curious in your thoughts."

"You should be."

"I've heard it before, wizard."

He sighed. "Fine."

We were quiet the rest of the time. I finished up and we were heading back where I would settle in for a long eve just watching Kerse watch the Priestess and the wizard sleep. I wasn't looking forward to that, unless I could get him to sign with me.

Shyntre murmured again as we re-entered the guest wing. "I asked for a separate room in which to rest this time. The Priestess granted it."

I could admit I was surprised. "Just like that?"

"Well. For a bloodstone before we got here."

I remembered the two bloodstones that might still be sitting in the sink of water wrapped in cloth and bit back my curse. I'd forgotten.

Or rather, I'd slept through any chance to put them back in place. I would just have to admit that I had swept the place and didn't appreciate being recorded having sex. Still, it might have been nice to have the option to choose whether to say anything or not.

"Thanks a sackload, wizard."

"Sorry. I didn't have a chance to warn you."

I shook my head. "I found those anyway, both of them. They were absorbing water waves the whole time."

"Ah," he smiled. "Thwarting her fetish, then."

"If spying is a fetish, I think it is a racial one."

Shyntre shrugged and we fell silent well before some servants would turn the corner. They stopped in their tracks when they saw us but only stepped aside when we didn't acknowledge them one way or another. Fortunate for them that they were heading the way we'd already gone. He stopped by the door closest to the Priestess's guest chamber and indicated he would go inside.

"I'll check your potions again tomorrow, if you like," he offered.

I nodded, noting how now he actually looked more exhausted than me; he had been awake and tending to the Priestess the entire time I'd been in reverie. "Get some rest. You look like death wrapped in a spider's egg sac."

"Lovely imagery, Sister. I shall try to recover my glowing skin and perfect hair in a single reverie, just for you."

I grinned; somehow that familiar derision and sarcasm had lifted my spirits a bit. "I'm still going to get you alone and naked, you know. You'll love it."

He rolled eyes. "Do wait until after this trip to *try,* Red Sister?"

So consistently defiant. By Lolth, he would be such a delight to dominate.

"Absolutely. Consider it a courtship, then. I'll anticipate your invitation to the Tower."

He glared at me and I chuckled, choosing that moment to leave and return to Wilsira's room. Shyntre opted to let me have the last word and retreat alone into the privacy of his own guest room.

I was more envious of that than I was willing to show.

******

As it turned out, Kerse had saved me from even explaining the bloodstone. As I slept, he must have taken them back out of the water, dried them, and replaced them where they'd been—spent and dormant. I witnessed the Priestess blatantly pulled them back down, frowning as she gripped one in her hand before slipping it in her pocket. She looked at me and I smiled back knowingly. She harrumphed.

The Draegloth may have taken action against his dam again, but he was still maddening in his signing after she was in reverie that eve. We went around and around in circles and eventually, after more than four marks and getting nowhere, I gave up. Even being rested and aware, I was not able to get him to admit to any kind of cohesive plot. He even denied moving the bloodstones.

I stubbornly refused to doubt the hints I'd received, though; they had been real, my mind wasn't playing tricks on me. But the Draegloth only acted as he was expected to act from there on, and when we travelled once again to our second inn, Wilsira not only insisted on watching but also participating, and I had no more time alone with him.

Shyntre received his bloodstone back—the Priestess was not impressed with his personal one, he said—and he continued to advise me on the potency of the remaining, fast-diminishing potions but otherwise tried to stay out of the way.

Wilsira's lack of close attention to him demonstrated that she was far more interested in me and her son than she was the wizard. At best, he was only here to have afforded her that first, tempting draw which had given her the opening she needed with which to trap me.

The wizard seemed quite glad he was being left alone, and eventually managed a sign that gave me a heads-up at one point. Due to his efforts, we were both gaining immunity to the particular incense the Priestess liked to use to encourage us to be more docile when lust filled the room. It was only coming slowly, as his resources were spare and some of it was trial and error.

On the road, the tension for me started to ramp up as the familiar shape of House Itlaun came into view. This was going to be the toughest of the tests; so many possibilities for compromising secrets, and I hadn't had a lot of time to think about plans and back-up plans.

I was going to have to rely as much on my "creative improvisation" as I was my training, my knowledge, and observations. Intangible twins, please don't abandon me now.

I had my cowl up now, as I had often when attending the Priestess outside the bedroom. With luck it would give me more time to try to warn Curgia to silence about knowing me, before Wilsirathon talked to her.

In some way, even in these circumstances, I was looking forward to seeing Auslan again. Perhaps we would even interact, a private dance on the edge of a blade. I had to leave open the possibility that he would give something away to Wilsira, but...he and I both knew that would also get him yanked from House Itlaun immediately, possibly on this very trip, and his fate would be quite uncertain at that point.

Chances were much more likely that the Consort would do all he could to keep the Priestess from discovering our connection. I knew I would not give him away intentionally.

I was careful about not seeming too familiar with the surroundings as we entered the plantation grounds and eventually passed through the guarded gate. We were expected and welcomed with show and pomp that certainly wasn't typical for their everyday uniforms and drills, I knew from experience.

Matron Itlaun came down the steps to greet us in the courtyard, a sharp-eyed and elegant Drow, though her body did seem wasted. The Red Sisters were probing for possible poison or spells, but all so far seemed to indicate an illness she denied publicly but only nominally kept hidden from the Court.

She was much older than my former Matron, but her current daughters were around my age. The Matron had needed to start over birthing and raising heirs when she lost all three of her previous, fully-grown batch to a series of events that may have been more ruthless purge than straight misfortune. Not even the Sisterhood had been able to uncover that, however. Still just misfortune in the notes.

Matron Itlaun had also taken direct control making sure her newest daughters caught more heirs early, and with a status-laden connection to the Priesthood no less. Tulia shone brightly with her pregnancy, young and simply happy for the moment as she did her mother's bidding without question, but I hadn't seen Curgia since talking with her in the garden. The two sisters were not far behind their Matron, and I studied the older sister while standing still behind the Priestess's small entourage.

Curgia was showing her pregnancy the same as her sister, now choosing to wear the gowns that made it apparent as opposed to cloaking it. Her back was straight and chin up as she walked into the courtyard behind her mother. She was not proud or simply happy as her sister, but she did not look miserable as she had before. I could almost think she'd gained some maturity in her face, a wizened shadow that her sister simply did not possess at this time. She was trying to overcome her fear.

Wilsirathon exchanged greetings with the Matron formally and the two daughters stepped forward to curtsy as well, as opposed to bowing awkwardly with bulging bellies.

"Such wealth your House is gaining, Itlaunia," the Priestess praised the Matron, referring specifically to her daughters, and even from where I was standing, I could tell when her eyes shifted from Tulia and fell on Curgia.

Kerse was not standing next to his mother but well behind her closer to the coach, and he was being quiet. However, the young Noble's resolve to maintain the gaze with the Priestess was tested sorely as she suppressed a shudder as she swallowed.

She was indeed aware of the Draegloth though she hid it fairly well. She managed to keep her chin up, although she may have been looking at Wilsira's forehead or chin as opposed to her eyes. It was the better option in public if one was honest enough with one's self to know who would win an eye match. I couldn't really blame her. It was more impressive than I had been expecting.

"Your very presence only enhances it, Priestess," the Matron responded. "I pray our humble accommodations suit your too-brief time here."

The Priestess bowed. "It is my first visit; I look forward to a tour."

"Of course, Priestess."

"And is your Consort available? I should like to see him with his new family."

Fully expecting the request, Matron Itlaun bowed and turned to gesture while raising her voice, "Consort, come greet your Sponsor from the Sanctuary."

As at House D'Verin, the Consort would have been standing just out of sight in order to enter the courtyard so readily. Auslan was wearing a fine, pale garment of silk, his arms still bare, his neck fully accessible and displaying his owner's circlet, his legs visible to mid-thigh with sandals that allowed us to see well-formed feet. His hair had been pulled up into a top-knot but otherwise left flowing down his back.

There were too many reactions to catch all of them, but I focused on the Consort himself and my own traveling companions, figuring pride and appreciation were the most likely to be all the Matron and her daughters would show.

Wilsirathon looked him over from head to toe, asking him to turn around to show her his back and move his hair out of the way, much as she did with the lavender-eyed Consort at D'Verin.

Auslan obeyed and moved with poise and grace, his face unreadable even with the Priestess reached to touch the symbol on the circlet. She next trailed her nails lightly down to his collar bone and playing with the edge of his garment at his chest, as if she might slip her fingers beneath the fabric to touch hidden, perfect skin, and he remained still without being stiff, watching her with an almost vacant expression.

She'd done the same to the D'Verin Consort, but he had betrayed some nervousness and self-consciousness, as if he wondered whether the Priestess would next instruct him to strip naked in front of the Household. It had amused the Priestess for certain, though she did not continue to harass him and he remained clothed in public.

She did not get the same source of amusement from Auslan, and I definitely felt satisfaction there. Even some pride. In a different life, I may have searched for one like him to be my companion and consort if I'd in actuality become Matron of House Thalluen. Coupled with the proper domestic skills, he would be quite a valuable prize to have at one's side at Court and at home.

That particular life was long out of reach, however, and I did not yearn for it now. The intrigue and secrets I shared with him would have to be enough, given my true calling.

The reactions of my other two travelling companions as this went on were surprisingly similar. The Draegloth slunk back closer to the coach and he seemed to try to make himself a bit smaller, looking away and setting his jaw. He was not so much intimidated as he was pouting, I thought. The wizard, by the same token, crossed his arms and I knew that set look of distain well. Even though both kept their eyes averted and did not stare with hostility at Auslan, it was clear that neither of them liked the Consort.

The reaction was stronger than it had been with the purple-eyed Consort. Was that personal, or due to the unequal functions and status of the place each male held? Knowing now that the two sulking males had lived in proximity to each other before the wizard was relocated, and that there was a personal grudge there, I knew it was entirely possible that Auslan had grown up around them as well. Shyntre and Kerse hadn't seemed quite this annoyed around the D'Verin Consort—but that one had been younger than Auslan, less experienced.

I wondered whether my Consort and my wizard were around the same age? It was hard to tell; Shyntre looked his age of two centuries, but Auslan was so distracting and atypical in his beauty that I didn't truly know. I only knew they were both older than me.

The challenges and distractions that faced me now due to these three males whom I had met individually but somehow were all connected thanks to the Priestesses...they were threatening to overspill. Meanwhile I still had to pleasure the Draegloth and satisfy his mother in her thinking that she may have her claws in me, just as she had them in Curgia.

I shifted a few steps at a chosen moment, as pleasantries started up again and the Priestess complimented the House on the Consort's continued health. The movement drew the eyes of the family members of the House; by all accounts, they'd known I was there but were ignoring me in favor of the greeting rituals. My movement made them nervous, but also placed my covered face farther out of Curgia's view and closer to Auslan's. It was a risk, but if he had controlled his responses so well now, I couldn't imagine he wouldn't continue doing so.

We made eye contact very briefly, and he looked away. His expression did not change and his body temperature increased no more than it had with the others; his energy was heightened but it was easily explained away. He did, however, straighten his garment a bit down by his thighs, holding on to the hem just a little longer than necessary.

It was just about exactly where we had been playing tug-of-war with his modesty all those months ago, as I'd had his back pressed against his wardrobe with no escape. I'd kissed him, and unlike our first encounter on the farm...he'd submitted to my kiss and answered it.

The only other lips I'd kissed recently were Gaelan's...and Callitro's when I'd forced him to share his own seed on our tongues. As habit I did not kiss many; only those I had dominated in some way. Auslan's was different because...it had left me with the greater regret. I still wished, intensely, there was a win-win way to fuck him.

The Consort did not look at me again in that courtyard, but I was sure that he knew it was me. He was perfect for this kind of intrigue, had been groomed for it his whole life.

After that, the Priestess and her entourage went through a now-familiar routine to get settled into new guest rooms. I moved methodically and slowly as before, checking over the room, ignoring that the overall scent of the place which was actually familiar.

The wizard had been sent for food and drink. He had protested, rightly so, saying that this was the servants' job, but he'd been sent away anyway. I knew it was because Wislira wanted to talk to me alone.

Wilsira was scratching beneath Kerse's chin, looking thoughtful, when she said, "Kerse needs a quick mounting, Sirana, before we visit the firstborn daughter this mid-cycle."

I turned to look at her. "It is a touch early for the mid-cycle. Why now?"

"Because he knows her, as he knows you."

She was watching my face carefully, and I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

"You mean...?"

She lifted her chin, still studying me but making no reply.

"Ah," I hesitated. "You mean he has coupled with her...is this one of those 'seductions' you mentioned when you could not tend him?"

"Yes," she answered in what I knew to be an outright lie. "Exactly why I have been so grateful for your help in this journey, Sirana. You saw that she carried, correct?"

I nodded. At least she had confirmed that she definitely didn't know I'd been watching that particular fertilization, even though Kerse had.

When she didn't continue, I blinked in near-genuine amazement. "Wait...did she catch from...the bulge is from him?"

"Unfortunately," Wilsira sighed, leading the reveals with relaxed confidence. "The only mistake so far. But she has been in denial, hoping it to be their new Consort's offspring instead, since it was close timing with the last worship ball. It cannot be, my son came first, if you'll pardon my saying." Her mouth quirked slightly. "I am here to see what may be done with her."

In that case, so was I.

I pondered some. "You mentioned denial. Is she refusing an abortion, then? Have you offered?"

The Priestess nodded and she sighed. "At first. She was terrified it could be the Consort's still and did not want to risk such an insult as shedding such valuable offspring. She may yet change her mind. I hope she does, as I am quite certain that she risks no insult."

"Hm. Would there be an advantage to letting her birth it?"

"No, none."

"Really? None?"

The Priestess smiled. Kerse had shifted to stand behind his mother when she had turned her attention fully on me. She couldn't see him but I noted that, along with narrowed eyes and a frown, his pointed ears had somehow flattened closer to his skull. I hadn't seen that trait before...he didn't look happy.

"And the disadvantages?" I added.

She shrugged. "Plenty, but there aren't many quarter-breeds that have been studied."

"Seems unusual, given how much the half-breeds are focused on sex."

"Most of those pregnancies are never completed. Those that are...well, you are probably not of high enough rank yet to have been told."

I opted to ignore that last jab. She obviously still wanted to talk about other things, if not that. "Not completed on whose order?"

"The desire of the families, mostly. Although I do believe our Valsharess was the one who first began discouraging the mixing of blood. The primary birthing is necessary for the Priesthood and our power, but she did not want us creating a new race over time. Thus such birthing of further diluted Abyssal blood has never held any status, only distain."