by E G Manetti
“The decision trials? No.” Marco smiles crookedly. “I am not prescient. I but knew that Blooded Dagger needed to add to its capabilities in analytics and problematics. Blythe happened to be available for acquisition.”
“You made a good choice with that acquisition.” Lucius tilts his glass toward Marco while Trevelyan shifts uncomfortably at the mention of the bond purchase.
“She is learning.” Marco returns the gesture.
“Learning?” Lucius wonders. “Is there aught amiss with the woman? I will have no risk to Lilian or Bright Star.”
“It is naught of commerce.” Marco sets down his empty glass. “She is deplorably lacking in grace and discipline. Apparently, the scholar gave little effort to her instruction beyond his calculations.”
“Readily enough corrected.” Lucius releases his concern. At the approach of a servitor, Lucius rises. “Command what you wish, I have other matters to attend.”
“Naught for me.” Marco rises. “I have an apprentice practicing her discipline in my quarters on the tenth storey. I believe I shall enjoy discovering her progress.”
“I am for home.” Trevelyan follows suit. To have a residence in this tower or a membership at this club, one must possess a seigneur’s signet. With Lucius’ sponsorship and insistence, Trevelyan holds membership. Lucius has been unable to persuade his spymaster to abandon the River Quarter for a flat in the prestigious tower.
Leaving his seigneurs at the main riser bank, Lucius turns to the private riser that will take him to the penthouse where Lilian waits.
»◊«
Curled on the plush sofa with her slate, Lilian embraces the extensive assignment queue that keeps her distracted from thoughts of Fenrir and concerns over her decision trial algorithms. The latest report on the Desperation Vistrite experiment is all Lilian could hope. It is the work of moments to create a summary for milord. Instructions to the refinery chief are more complicated. The half-consumed small bites on the side table cool and the glass of wine warms as Lilian focuses on her task.
Three chimes pull Lilian’s attention to the entry foyer riser. Milord.
Laying aside her slate, Lilian rises, twitching the new hunter-green wrap into place. The silky gauze is a little heavier and darker than the sea-green wrap and clings more snuggly. Her peaking nipples are dark shadows beneath the green, while the deep hue turns her pale skin nearly alabaster in the dim light.
Striding from the riser, milord’s eyes rake her form and take on heated approval. Lilian meets milord halfway, reaching to assist him out of his jacket. Taking the jacket from her fingers, milord drapes it over the back of the sofa. His hands reach for her, pulling her against him, his chest solid and warm beneath his silk tunic, the columns of his legs hard against her thighs. With a sigh of contentment, Lilian reaches for his broad shoulders, sliding her hands beneath the loosened tunic to stroke warm, satin skin as she raises her mouth for milord’s kiss.
Milord tastes of citrus, vodka, and that which is uniquely milord. A primal taste that sends Lilian’s senses swimming and her pulse pounding. Arousal flares, turning Lilian’s limbs liquid as it ignites fiery passion. Boldly, Lilian tangles her tongue with milord’s, impatient for intimate contact and the soul-searing release milord can provide.
Milord’s mouth softens and pulls away. Lilian opens her eyes to meet dark ones, sparkling with anticipation. Milord’s hands cup her buttocks, holding her to him as straightens. “Have you eaten?”
“Yes, milord.” Lilian tilts her head toward the abandoned plate.
“Not enough,” milord rumbles, his hands lightly squeezing. Lilian’s defense of her lack of appetite is lost in the sensuous haze of milord’s touch. With a sigh, she arches into milord, the motion shifting the silk over her breasts and revealing one taut and eager tip.
“It can wait,” milord decides, his mouth lowering to capture the hard pebble.
The hot pull of milord’s mouth sets Lilian trembling. Her legs entwine with milord’s, rubbing her sex against a hard thigh applying pressure to the increasingly sensitive center of her desire.
With a sound that is half amusement and half lust, milord releases her breast and lifts her. Eagerly, Lilian wraps her legs around milord’s waist, nuzzling his throat where it joins his shoulders, inhaling his scent as she rains nibbling kisses into the curve. The world tilts and whirls. Milord perches her on the back of the plush sofa. With a sharp tug, the wrap unwinds and trails to the floor, a silk streamer anchored beneath her. Milord’s fingers thread her hair, turning her face for another impassioned kissed.
Clinging to milord for balance, Lilian’s thighs loosen and part, her sex hot and aching for milord’s touch, yearning for contact to ease her mounting need. Milord’s hands travel from her hair to her waist, his kiss becoming a featherlight touch against her lips. “Hold onto me. Do not let go.”
Lilian grips milord’s shoulders as milord’s hands release her waist to find her breasts. Cupping and caressing, the thumbs tease the pebbled tips into tight, hard, aching points. Her head falling back, Lilian clings to milord and arches into the erotic torment. Her spread thighs rub restlessly against the crisp fabric of milord’s trousers and the strong thighs within. From her precarious perch, her feet dangling, she can get no closer to milord, to the promising hardness tenting milord’s trousers. “Please, milord.”
“Soon,” milord murmurs, his lips grazing her shoulders as a single finger strokes the length of her sex, sliding along the slick surface, teasing her into further arousal.
“Milord!” Lilian whimpers, pressing against the stroking finger.
A second finger and a third join the first as milord expertly works her cleft and the small nub that controls her passion. The fingers retreat and Lilian moans her frustration. A whisper of sound and milord’s trousers find the floor. Milord is between her spread thighs, the heat of his legs against her thighs followed by the brush of his shaft against her sex. Desperate, Lilian reaches for milord. Teetering on her perch, she grips milord’s shoulder with one hand as the other grasps and envelops the long, hard length of milord.
Milord’s breath hisses, “Yes.”
Lilian guides the length to her, the swollen tip nudging in as milord grasps her hips. “Hold on.”
Milord lifts and drops her, his sex penetrating her in a single, powerful, satisfying thrust. With a cry of delight, Lilian wraps her arms and legs around milord, taking him deep, reveling in the slide of his rod over delicate inner flesh, the unbearably sweet fullness. With a groan, milord leans forward, grasping the back of the couch, bracing them as he begins to move. Milord drives into her with deliberate strokes that build her passion, darken her vision, and overwhelm her senses with pleasure. Milord’s motion roughens, quickens, becomes a whirlwind that lifts Lilian and tosses her into ecstasy as with a wild cry of release, milord pulses within her.
»◊«
Under milord’s watchful gaze, Lilian dutifully fills a fresh plate while milord replaces the half-consumed wine with a fresh glass. Milord has said naught of Fenrir, although he should have taken the chalice bells gone. Unable to contain her curiosity, Lilian asks, “Milord, what of—”
“Fenrir is no more,” milord interrupts.
The release of tension she did not know she held makes Lilian light-headed, the serving spoon rattling against the tray.
“Peace, woman.” Milord places a steadying hand on the small of her back, taking the spoon from her fingers. “He can harm you no further. Given his crimes, I imagine he is bound for Rimon’s Dungeons.”
“Yes, milord.” Lilian takes a deep breath, dispelling vertigo. “My thanks, milord.”
Milord scoops a few more delicacies on her plate before guiding Lilian to the sofa. “Sit, eat. I will tell you all.”
Perched on the sofa, Lilian spears a tidbit before turning her expectant gaze on milord. Sprawled against one end, milord’s knees graze Lilian’s hip. Taking a sip of wine, milord shoots a sharp glance at the tidbit on Lilian’s fork. Lili
an dutifully chews and swallows, barely tasting the delicate blend of vegetables and spices.
Milord smiles approvingly. As Lilian continues with her meal, milord relates the results of the investigation. “Seigneur Marco confirmed Fenrir’s passing at sixth bell. The honor and blood fines from Matahorn are considerable and will be deposited next Settlement Day.”
“Was Monsignor Horatio difficult to persuade?” Lilian wonders, spearing another bite.
“He was not pleased,” milord admits. “But the evidence was irrefutable. He now owes me a boon in addition to the fines.”
Nodding her understanding, Lilian swallows wine. “What of Monsignor Omar?”
“Naught connects him to these crimes.” Milord shrugs. “Seigneur Marco believes Omar’s shock at Fenrir’s reactions unfeigned.”
“Seigneur Marco is exceedingly astute,” Lilian agrees, pushing aside her plate.
“He is indeed.” Milord’s smile turns anticipatory. “Come here.”
Strong arms enfold her. Milord’s mouth is on hers in a drugging, wine-tinged kiss. For some moments, naught more is said as Lilian gives herself over to milord, her senses swimming under his heated assault.
Releasing Lilian from his kiss, milord murmurs, “I have something for you.”
There is another ruby dangling from milord’s fingers.
“Seigneur Fenrir’s head, milord?” Lilian touches one finger to the dangling gem.
“Indeed.” Lucius returns the smile as he affixes the ornament to the warbelt.
“My thanks, milord.” Lilian’s smile flickers in her delight with the latest ‘head.’
Raising his head from the belt, Lucius tightens his arms. “You have several bells to thank me properly.”
A period later, Lilian curls against milord’s chest, his arm tight around her. Beneath her cheek, the light rumble of deepening slumber is evidence of milord’s satisfaction with her expressions of gratitude. If milord does not rouse within a bell, Lilian will consider herself dismissed and slide free without waking him. Until then, she will rest in the safety of milord’s embrace while the moons rise high above the Great Crevasse. Safe. For two years, Lilian has only felt safe when within milord’s arms. No custom violations to concern her, no dangerous enemies to outwit, no commerce challenges to bedevil her. In those brief bells, there was only milord, and milord’s passion.
Milord’s light snore brings a smile to her lips as she runs her finger over the latest ruby. The lovely jewel is wondrously pleasing, but its value lies not in its price but in its demonstration of milord’s favor. Milord’s protection. Milord sent Seigneurs Trevelyan and Thorvald—the best of Blooded Dagger’s and Serengeti’s security forces—to find a lowly, disgraced apprentice. A rescue milord joined, abandoning all of his other duties and obligations. The notion is so astounding that Lilian cannot quite grasp it. The powerful emotions filling her cannot be named. Looking out at the abyss that forms when the lights of the Crevasse meet the night sky, with milord’s arm tight about her, Lilian does not fear falling.
Coming in 2018 – Serengeti Valor: The Apprentice, Volume 5
Ruthless, devious, and ambitious, Lucius Mercio has elevated the Serengeti Group to the third wealthiest cartel in the Twelve Systems, cementing his place among the twelve most powerful members of the ruling warrior class. With Lucius’ rise, his enemies increase in both number and subtlety. Few will dare to attack Lucius directly, instead they will move in secret, targeting the most vulnerable aspects of his empire including his disgraced and reviled apprentice, Lilian.
As Lilian begins the third and final year of her trial by ordeal, she is more determined than ever to survive and repay Lucius’ protection and trust with loyalty and diligence. Expecting only the meager assignments reserved for apprentices, Lilian was stunned to receive the conservatorship of a valuable Vistrite Crevasse—an honor reserved for proven and trusted warriors. When a lethal disaster strikes Desperation Mine and Refinery and imperils Lilian’s conservatorship, hidden adversaries seize the opportunity to plot the downfall of Serengeti.
The Apprentice Protocol
Apprentice Protocol
1. The bonded will submit to and execute the bondholder’s will in all matters.
2. The bonded will address the bondholder with deference and submission.
3. The bonded will defend the bondholder’s estate, life, and honor by any method necessary unto the death of the bonded.
4. The bonded will permit only the bondholder carnal access to the bonded.
5. The bonded will engage in any and all carnal activities the bondholder requires.
6. The bonded will not presume to know the bondholder’s will.
7. The bonded will adhere to the letter and the spirit of the governing protocols.
8. The bonded will not bear arms in the presence of the bondholder.
9. The bonded will not speak unless addressed.
10. The bonded will answer truly to any inquiry.
11. The bonded will flank the bondholder at all times.
12. The bonded will defer to and honor all of greater rank.
13. The bonded will not complain.
14. The bonded will respond to instruction without hesitation.
15. The bonded will learn from observation and not require instruction.
16. The bonded will offer contrition for transgressions.
17. The bonded will accept and learn from correction.
18. The bonded will not by voice or action slander or otherwise question the honor of the higher ranked.
19. The bonded will behave with discretion.
20. The bonded will present a modest demeanor.
21. The bonded will execute its duties diligently and to the full of its abilities.
22. The bonded will maintain a strong, healthy physique.
23. The bonded will not overindulge in drink or other excess.
24. The bonded will not wager or benefit from wagers.
25. The bonded will honor all commerce commitments.
26. The bonded will not engage in illicit commerce.
27. The bonded will dedicate itself to acquiring the skills offered under the bond.
Serengeti addendum
28. The bonded will respect and honor the protocols and strictures of Cartouche and Cartel.
29. The bonded will defend the wealth and honor of the Cartouche unto death.
30. The bonded will defend the wealth and honor of the Cartel unto death.
31. The bonded will accept the authority of the Associate Master or other delegate in the absence of the bondholder.
32. The bonded will be permitted one and on half period of respite each commerce day.
33. The bonded will limit respite to fifteen minutes except for one period between midday and first bell plus thirty.
34. The bonded will not consume food or drink except within the designated sections of the Cartel.
35. The bonded will proceed at an orderly pace.
36. The bonded will adhere to Cartouche and Cartel guidance in matters of garb.
Devotional Litanies
The Warriors’ Litany
I am the sum of my ancestors.
I am the foundation of my family.
Honor is my blade and shield.
Honor knows not fear.
Honor endures.
Honor acts as duty commands.
The Warriors’ Litany—Archaic
I am all that my family was.
I am the stone laid for the future.
Honor is both shield and blade.
The honorable do not bend to fear.
The honorable do not yield.
The honorable accept duty’s scourge.
Socraide’s Credo
Self-master.
Master desire. Master pain. Master pleasure. Mastery of body.
Master fear. Master anger. Master joy. Mastery of mind.
Master ambition. Master sorrow. Master affection. Mastery of Spirit.
Se
lf-master.
Universalist Acclamation
We began as cosmic dust.
We are formed from stellar glitter.
The stellar is within and without. We are one.
We are ephemeral and eternal.
We end as we began and begin again.
Cosmic dust.
Glossary of the Twelve Systems
~A~
Adelaide Warleader: See Warleader, Adelaide.
Acolyte: Junior prelate.
Anarchy: Three centuries of warfare that almost destroyed the Three Systems that are the foundation of the Twelve Systems.
~B~
Ben Claude, Rimon: The Second Warrior. His dominion was the two habitable planets of the Second System.
~C~
Cartel: A powerful commercial interest that controls a significant aspect of commerce to the exclusion of all others.
Cartouche (singular/plural): The device or ‘coat of arms’ representing a warrior ‘family.’ A warrior family that can create ranked members also known as ‘seigneurs.’
Cohort: A commerce enterprise that controls a particular industry or market in a geographical region or stellar system. Example: agri-cohorts dominate the agrarian enterprises in specific systems. No single agri-cohort controls sufficient systems to dominate the entire industry as would a Cartel.
Consortium: Association of individuals or enterprises assembled for a specific commerce endeavor.
Crevasse (singular/plural): A deep fissure or canyon from which Vistrite is mined.
Crevasse-crawler: Terrier-sized rodent resident in the Crevasse.
Crevasse-wallower: Chemically addicted inhabitants of the Crevasse.
~D~
Discipline Master: Prelate skilled in the martial discipline of a warrior sect.
Doxy: Sex worker (derogatory).
~F~
Final Draught: Lethal poison administered for the execution of criminals.
Five Warriors: Deities of the Twelve Systems, they were five warlords who rose to prominence in the final years of the Anarchy and established Order. See Order of the Five Warriors.