Vannerbehn's Luck Pt. 08

So I made up a story for her.

- "Jerian keeps meeting with these independents, these unaffiliated captains. I'd like to know more about them. And then there's these cheap brothels he goes to. It must be a front for something else. I have to find out who he really meets when he's there."

"But I can't be everywhere at once."

- "I can help." she said. She even managed to sound eager.

I gave Teeshay a list of people of places, let her pick half of them, and arranged to meet her the next day.

Then I went to the new house, to see how Marta was doing. Taliesine and Kima had even more conservative tastes than I did, but they liked Marta, and trusted her good sense. She had already procured several pieces of furniture, thick brocade curtains, and some very large carpets.

But she was more than ready to call it quits early, and collect a part of her payment. I took her to the Narimac, and gave her some money to play with. Meanwhile, I caught up with Ludianne.

- "How did things go with your friend, last night?" she asked.

- "Good." I said. "Good."

- "So you have not slept with her."

- "What? No - I'm ... taking it slow." Aware of how stupid that sounded, I corrected myself. "I like Aressine. She's ... different."

- "Then I wish you success." said Ludianne. She kissed my cheek, and went back to work.

Marta lost her stake with surprising speed, and claimed the second part of her reward much earlier than I'd expected.

- "If I didn't know better, I'd swear you lost the money on purpose, just to get to the massage."

- "What if I did?" she said, with a grin.

I had a hot bath prepared for her, and a light meal to follow. We talked about the house, and Kima and Taliesine. Marta and I knew each other well: there was no shyness on either side as she soaked in the tub, naked, while I served her food and wine, fully clothed.

Then I treated her to a long-drawn out massage, which was what she'd really come for. This time I paid more attention to her ass and pussy than her big breasts, and brought her off using my fingers. I went down on her, and swiftly brought her to a second orgasm.

I let her fall asleep, and covered her with a light blanket.

***

"I want you to show me the Gale." said Aressine.

- "What? Pamna told you about -"

- "She said that you spend a lot of time and money there."

Darn the witch! She was just having fun, I suppose. Or maybe she was trying to help, in her own odd way.

- "Aressine - it's not a tavern." I said. "It's not a pub, or an inn."

- "Oh. Oh!" The blonde fighter leapt to the wrong conclusion. From the sudden colour rising in her cheeks, she must have thought that the Gale was a whorehouse.

- "No - it's not ..."

- "That's alright. My mistake." she said, still flustered.

- "Look - if you don't mind a walk, I'll take you there. It's not what you're thinking."

- "How do you know what I'm thinking?"

- "I don't. But I can guess. And the Gale isn't what you expect."

- "Alright. I trust you."

As we walked down the Hill, it occurred to me that I knew very little about Aressine, other than the fact that she wasn't native to the Pirate city.

- "Where did you grow up?" I asked.

- "Everywhere." she said. "Oh, it isn't a secret, or anything like that. My mother was the concubine of a governor in the Eastern Empire. My father was a soldier. An officer. She was desperately unhappy, and he could see it."

"So they stole away together."

- "Did they really?"

- "Oh yes. It was all very daring, and very dangerous. The Governor sent troops in pursuit - but in the wrong direction. My father was very clever. He brought my mother to Albysia."

"They changed their names, of course, and father made a living as a dueling master. He taught fencing, and trained young noblemen. I was born there."

- "That's very dramatic. Very romantic." I said.

- "I wish it had been. Mother died when I was six. She was very sad, as I remember. Glad to escape from concubinage, but life as the wife of a fencing instructor was not quite what she'd been hoping for."

"My father had no one to look after me, so I spent the day with him, while he taught."

- "Is that how you learned?"

- "There was nothing else to do, but to watch, and listen. I was 12 before my father realized how much I'd learned. He finally agreed to train me - but only in private."

- "How did you end up here?" I asked.

- "Father passed away, of a flux, when I was 17. There was nothing for me in Albysia, so I came here, to 'seek my fortune', as they say."

- "I'm glad you did."

As we reached the bottom of the Hill, Aressine began to show some concern. She could see - and smell - the difference. Her brown eyes were wide, and her mouth slightly open.

"It's alright." I said. "I know my way around down here. Welcome to the Bottoms."

- "This is the Bottoms?" She'd heard of it, though obviously she'd never been here. People who lived elsewhere rarely had a reason to come to the Bottoms, unless they were looking for cheap thrills. More often than not, those could turn out to be very expensive.

The Gale was a complete surprise to her - just as Pamna had intended. Meddlesome witch. Aressine couldn't seem to believe where we were.

- "It's a ... it's -"

- "A hospice. A hospital." I introduced her to Mehdawi, after he'd finished embracing me. Thankfully, Mehdawi was too busy to tell any embarrassing stories. Instead, he dragged me off to see a difficult case he was having trouble with.

An hour later, Aressine and I stepped back outside.

- "I had no idea." she said.

- "You weren't meant to." I said. "This was Pamna meddling. Matchmaking."

- "And you grew up here?"

- "I certainly did." On a whim, I took her to Morley's. There was no sign on or above the door. Only locals knew where - or what it was.

Morley's house was a tavern, of sorts. It was a simple room, without a single table or chair. Most of the space was taken up by four barrels of ale, and two casks of wine. There was a simple shelf, perhaps six inches wide, at elbow height. It was just wide enough to rest a tankard or a cup on.

Patrons stood around the edges of the room. Most brought their own drinking vessels, which Morley kept re-filled as quickly as he could. He was permanently crooked, from bending over to ply the taps of his barrels. He also had a wart on his thumb the size of an extra finger.

- "Ah! The rich boy!" he said, when he saw me. "'Ere's the lucky lad. You'll be wantin' a cup, will ya? My Lord ..."

- "Two, Morley, if you please. How is Mrs. Morley?"

- "Makin' my life a misery - as you well know. 'Ello, Miss." he said, to Aressine. "You after 'is money?"

- "No." said Aressine. A moment later, she blushed, realizing that Morley had suggested she was a gold-digger.

- "I was jestin', lass." said Morley. "You wouldn't be 'ere if you was. By garsh, she's pretty, Kelsen. A cut above yer usual, if I'm not mistaken."

Morley could say whatever he liked. One of the boys I'd saved at the Gale was his son. The lad had been knifed in an alley three years later, but Morley had never forgotten me. He was too tough, too rough around the edges, to show emotion. So he needled me, teased and insulted. You'll have to take my word for it; that's how the Bottoms showed affection.

- "This place is ... I've never been anywhere like it." said Aressine.

The other patrons ogled her mercilessly, but no one ventured close enough to give offence. Some knew what I did, at the Gale; others knew that I carried two loaded pistols.

Aressine remained wide-eyed, almost stunned by this entree into a world she hadn't even guessed existed. Not that she was spoiled, or isolated; but the lower classes sometimes never realize that there are still classes well beneath them.

We had a couple of pints, while she laughed, and promised that Pamna was going to get an earful.

- "She likes you, Aressine. I know that she likes me. Pamna thinks that we would be good together, so she's not above a little meddling to ... help things along."

The blonde fighter looked thoughtful, for a moment. She had trouble meeting my eye.

- "Kelsen, I would ... invite you to ... my place. But my living conditions are ... complicated. I don't want to go to the Narimac, and I don't believe that your house is ready. Leastways, that's what Kima said." She was blushing again.

- "I'm flattered." I said. "And just so you know - I have two rooms - two separate rooms. Secret and ... private. We could go there ... but I don't think we should. Not tonight."

- "No?" Aressine was understandably flustered. She had just offered herself to me - at least, that was what I thought she was doing. And I was saying no.

- "I think that you've been affected, a little, by the Gale. And the Bottoms. It's not my idea of a romantic evening, but ..."

I looked her in the eye.

"I do want you. But I want you to be sure. I'm not going anywhere. You can think it over. Take your time. And if you would like to ... we can have supper together. The day after tomorrow? I have a room we can go to ..."

Aressine and I walked up the Hill together. Then I walked her home. We didn't say much, either of us, for the last quarter of an hour.

- "I'm good from here." she said.

"And the day after tomorrow sounds like a good idea."

***

The next night, the skies were clear. I would have preferred more cloud, but it wasn't raining, and the ground had dried up before dusk. The opportunity was there: it was a good night to break into Jerian's house. I waited until past midnight.

Soft boots, a short cloak ... sometimes, they made all the difference. I had a soft, pliable mask of black silk, to hide my features, light enough that it wouldn't cause me to sweat.

I left the rapier in my room, but a dagger was essential. It was more of a tool for effecting entry than a weapon. For defence, I had my pistols. Yes, they were cumbersome, and it would have been much easier to move about without them. But they had saved my life so many times, I didn't even think about leaving them behind.

Jerian had a pair of his pirates circling the house, at random, unpredictable times. But neither man was particularly light on his feet, so it wasn't difficult to hear them coming. I got over the low stone wall, and up close to the house, without being seen - or heard.

I'd had four nights of observing Jerian's house to choose my approach. There was a ground floor window, on the west side, where the kitchen was. It was blessed with an extra wide sill, ideal for letting bread and pies cool. There was a single set of solid wooden shutters, but no glass, and no inner shutters.

I cast my silence spell. Then I was easily able to pull myself up onto the sill, until I could kneel on it. I had grown quite adept at not getting my pistols caught on obstructions.

The shutters were well-built; I couldn't fit my dagger between them. But my boot knife was slimmer, and it slid between them easily. I lifted the latch, opened one side, and climbed inside. The first thing I did was close the shutters behind me - but without latching them.

It was dark, in the kitchen. But there was a dim sliver of light under the door, coming from the hallway. I waited, and listened. Slowly, carefully - I opened the door.

There was no one outside the door, or in the hallway. But I could hear voices coming from a room further down the corridor.

Trusting to my silence spell, I left the kitchen, and moved towards the sounds.

- "... should wait a little longer. Best not to rush it."

I couldn't hear the answer. The second voice was pitched lower, too indistinct for me to identify.

- "No." said the first voice. "Better safe than sorry. There's no need to hurry."

I knew that voice. It was Syrava, the fey wizard.

The second person said something, but I couldn't make it out. Jerian, I assumed. Speak up, damn you!

- "There are too many (inaudible) watching us right now." said Syrava. "I would prefer to wait."

I considered inching closer, to be able to hear the second speaker - Jerian. But there was no decent cover anywhere near the door to that room. My silence spell is wonderful - but it doesn't make me invisible.

- "Why don't we leave this, for tonight?" said Syrava.

The reply was inaudible.

- "We could ... go upstairs." said the fey. Her voice had gone soft, as if she was cooing. "I could help you to ... relax."

I couldn't hear what Jerian said. But I also missed Syrava's next words. She had moved - or lowered her voice. A moment passed, where I wondered what they were doing.

- "No." said Syrava. "That's not ... it's not just sex, for me."

What? My eyebrows rose so fast that they slammed into my hairline. Had I heard that correctly? Or perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised; Jerian was a randy pirate.

- "Wait!" said Syrava - loudly. "What's -? Damn it!" Then she raised her voice even higher - she was practically shouting.

"I'M GOING TO MY ROOM! MAYBE I'LL GET SOMETHING TO EAT, FIRST!"

I got back to the kitchen in a heartbeat. There was nowhere to hide, in there, and if she brought a candle, or a lamp, I was done for. There was no time for second guesses. My instinct told me to get out - immediately.

I couldn't latch the shutters behind me, but I closed them as best I could. Then I dropped lightly to the ground. Luck was with me; neither of the perimeter guards was anywhere nearby.

It took only a few moments to get away from Jerian's house, and over the wall.

***

I almost didn't go to meet Aressine.

I needed to do some thinking, first, about what I'd heard in Jerian's house. Was Syrava actually speaking to Jerian? Why had she stopped, so suddenly? And her final words - why had she shouted?

That alone was so odd ... I began to wonder if she had somehow known that someone had broken into the house.

Though it wasn't the most conducive place for reflection, I went to the Narimac. I needed Ludianne's advice. There was time for a nap before she finished working. My partner woke me up, as I'd asked her to do.

- "Trouble?" she asked.

- "Lots." I explained what had happened at Jerian's, and repeated - word for word - what Syrava had said. "Is it possible that she knew I was there? Magically?"

- "I know the moment a person enters the Narimac without paying the cover charge." said Ludianne. "There is no need to react instantly, because I am not in danger."

"Sorry, Kelsen. I am fascinated by the type of magic you and other people cast, precisely because it is so very different from what I do. You need help from someone who understands what Syrava is capable of. Perhaps your friend Taliesine?"

- "You're a treasure." I told her. "That's excellent advice." I kissed my partner on the cheek.

It was far too early in the morning to go looking for the wizard. I probably should have gone back to sleep. But Ludianne leaned into the kiss, and I felt the pressure of her breasts against my chest.

There was also the constant visual stimulation. Repeated exposure hadn't rendered me immune, or anything near. She was, simply, irresistible. If she was in the mood, I wasn't about to deny her.

***

Neither Taliesine nor Kima were at the house yet, Marta informed me.

- "Please tell them that I'm looking for them. I'll be back later today."

Then I was off to meet Teeshay. I didn't particularly want to, but if I failed to show up, that might tell Jerian that I was on to her. I started thinking of something to do that would keep her occupied for a while, far enough away to keep her out of my hair for a time.

Teeshay was too excited; I could tell the moment I saw her.

- "I have something." she said, immediately. "It could be really important."

- "Oh?" It was going to be a lie; the only question was, what kind of lie?

- "Remember you told me to keep an eye on Jerian's bodyguards? Well, two of them went to a house yesterday. I checked the place out after they left. It wasn't a tavern, and it wasn't a whorehouse."

- "No?"

Teeshay grinned, and shook her head. "It was Nanamon's house."

- "Who?"

- "Nanamon. One of Evor OneHand's captains!"

- "Oh!" Never mind that I didn't believe Teeshay for a moment. But I had to pretend to, because if this information really were true, it might be the supposed breakthrough we'd supposedly been searching for.

- "Let's go take a look." she suggested.

- "I will. I'll go straight away."

- "I'll go with you." she said.

- "Teeshay - thank you. But I work best alone. Let me do this on my own. I'll meet you tomorrow, and we can compare notes.

- "Alright. If you say so."

Was she giving in too easily? It didn't matter; I didn't trust her half as far as I could throw her. I went to find Denya, her brother, and four more of my people, and sent them to have a look around the area, for two blocks in every direction from the address Teeshay had given me.

They turned up nothing. "All clear." said Denya. "Want us to stick around?"

I gave her additional instructions. Then I went to Nanamon's house - if that's really what it was. I doubted it.

In fact, I doubted it so much that I walked past it. Then I reversed direction, and walked past in the opposite direction. It might be a trap of some kind - but what kind?

There was nothing obvious about the house. It was a modest dwelling, sandwiched between other houses that were virtually indistinguishable, except for their brightly painted front doors. Nanamon's was green.

No, I didn't knock on the green door. Instead, I pressed myself against the wall of the neighbouring house, and cast my third spell. Telekinesis.

I'm not very powerful, so I can't draw an enemy's sword from its scabbard, and then fling it across it the street. Nor can I lift an anvil, and drop it on your foot. But a door latch I can manage.

I lifted the latch of the green door, and began to pull it open.

There was a sudden blast, as from a blunderbuss, and pellets flew across the street, to slam into the wall opposite. The shock of it took me by surprise, and spoiled my spell. I took off running in the opposite direction.

I ran a long way. There was no pursuit.

Interesting.

***

Taliesine and Kima hadn't come to the house yet. Marta hadn't seen them.

Denya came to the Narimac to find me.

- "Four men. Two with guns, two with swords." she reported. "Didn't know you could run so fast. Impressive."

- "Thanks, little smartass. You followed them?"

- "They split up. Two went to the Anchor Chain, two went on board the Headbutt." The Headbutt was a ship - belonging to Jerian.

- "Good work, Denya." I paid her off, and went to change my clothes.

Yes, I had much to think about. But I wasn't going to sneak into Jerian's house on consecutive nights, so I had no reason to break my engagement with Aressine. Truth be told, I was looking forward to it. For a short time, I'd forget about Pirate Lords, and liars, and all of their intrigues - and I would concentrate on a beautiful woman.

She came to the Narimac, just after dark. I had a basket with two bottles of wine, a loaf of bread, half a cheese and some green peppers. It was not part of my plan to get her drunk, or to stuff her with food.

A quiet, peaceful place, where we could be alone ... that was the idea. The light in Aressine's eyes told me that she was in complete agreement.

I took her to my third room, which I hadn't used since I'd first rented it. It was the most secret, most private place I could think of. Aressine was no 'fancy' girl; she didn't need luxuries, or expensive food and drink.

In fact, she didn't seem to need food or drink at all. Once we'd climbed the stairs, I doffed my cloak, deposited the basket on the bed, and turned to her.