by Ian Gregoire
“You heard me correctly.”
There was a brief silence, and Fay didn’t need to peer behind her to know that her two male counterparts were exchanging glances. It was Darrian who eventually broke the silence. “You seem so certain that Kayden has gone to Timaris,” he said. “And wanting twenty men to head out there after you suggests you are expecting trouble to follow her.”
“It’s just a precaution,” she insisted. “It’s unlikely there’ll be any further attempts on Kayden’s life tonight… but I can’t rule it out entirely.” Someone had gone to a lot of trouble in an effort to eliminate her apprentice. The men tasked with ensuring that it was done were prepared to sacrifice themselves in order to accomplish it. Until Fay knew who that someone was she would be prioritising Kayden’s protection over everything else.
A short while later the Sanatsai trio exited the dormitory and halted outside the entrance. Taking in the sight of the ongoing clean up of the scene of the bloody attack, Fay realised an explanation would have to be provided to the apprentices. First thing in the morning she would have them summoned to the assembly hall where they would be provided with a story close enough to the truth. Confidence had no doubt been shaken given the number of deaths, but she would use her simmering anger at the night’s events to restore the sense of security and invulnerability.
While Isko departed to assign twenty men to go to Timaris, Fay instructed Darrian to head to the communal hall to inform Briselda that the apprentices may return to the dormitory. Before he set off, she let go of her hold on the newly agitated reaper stone. It flew swiftly out of her hand, making ready to resume its search and destroy mission. She instantly invoked Yuksaydan to neutralise it permanently, causing it to erupt and splatter to the ground in a small puddle of blood.
“It’s made of blood?” said Darrian.
“Of course!”
Darrian departed without another word, leaving her alone outside the women’s dormitory. She peered upwards at the black canopy overhead; it was time to drift her way across the night sky to Timaris. Not only did she want to ensure the safety of her apprentice, she needed to know what exactly Kayden was getting up to. Remembering the stealthy manner in which the young woman had left the grounds, Fay couldn’t shake the sneaking suspicion that Kayden’s breaking of curfew was by no means a one-off occurrence.
She invoked Makfayshulat to levitate into the air.
CHAPTER TWO
The Perks Of Being Miss Jayta
Kayden was annoyed to be arriving in Timaris later than she would have liked, and all because one of her stupid roommates had taken so long to put out her damn light and go to sleep. It had needlessly delayed her stealthy departure from the dormitory. And though she could have run from Antaris to reach her destination a little earlier, she didn’t want to arrive sweating like a pig. In future, she might have to give serious consideration to breaking curfew by coming to Timaris immediately after the final class of the day, and simply remaining outside campus past curfew. This would increase the risk of being discovered, but she knew at least one apprentice who regularly did this and avoided being caught… so far.
As it was, Kayden was just relieved to have made it into town once again without being rumbled by Fay. On each occasion she had broken curfew these past four months, she had grown increasingly worried that this time would be the time her luck finally ran out. Given how her relationship with Fay had developed over the course of the last two years, Kayden didn’t like the idea of disappointing her master. Not only were they genuinely good friends now, that friendship had brought about a drastic improvement in her disciplinary record at Antaris. She had only been sent to Fay’s office to be reprimanded on three occasions—the last time being over eighteen months ago.
Unsurprisingly, given the late hour, Kayden encountered very few townsfolk out and about by the time she arrived outside the Delmara Inn. The glow of firelight could be seen flickering through several windows of the two-storey building, and the ‘No Vacancies’ sign was on display outside. Fortunately, the arrangement she had with Rondario, the innkeeper, meant the spare room in the attic was always kept vacant for those occasions when she visited unannounced.
She pulled back the hood of her cloak then knocked upon the door, employing the rhythmic beat that would let Rondario know it was her. Moments later, she heard the door being unbolted from the inside before swinging open to reveal the burly, middle-aged landlord. He was casually attired in dark brown trousers and a grubby white vest; his jowly face sported a week’s worth of salt and pepper stubble, and his thick, bare forearms were covered with dark hair. Kayden promptly crossed the threshold into the establishment and stood silently, observing as Rondario bolted the front door again.
With the door securely locked once more, the innkeeper proceeded to lead her through the tables and chairs of the deserted saloon, weakly lit by two wall-mounted lanterns on opposite walls.
“Miss Jayta,” he said, guiding her towards the stairs leading up to the floor above, “I was beginning to wonder if you would be showing up tonight; your um… colleague arrived almost an hour ago.”
Though she had slowly grown accustomed to it, Kayden still found it somewhat amusing to be addressed as Miss Jayta.
“Well, I’m here now.” She halted at the foot of the stairs and waited for Rondario to go through the usual routine of telling her to let herself out when she was ready to leave, and not to worry about payment for the room in the attic.
“We’re completely full tonight, for a change,” Rondario announced. “Lots of visitors from out of town come to see the Shintanese troubadour, Petro Serendini. He is touring Mirtana, and will be performing in Timaris later this week.”
The break in their established routine caught Kayden by surprise.
“Oh… that’s nice,” she replied, trying to conceal her lack of interest.
“I feel awkward having to say this,” continued Rondario, looking suitably awkward in the dim light, “but I… I would really appreciate it if you could keep the noise down to a minimum while you’re here tonight.”
Kayden stared pointedly at the innkeeper, eyebrows raised. What noise was he talking about?
He blanched under the weight of her gaze. “I mean no offence,” he said in placation, “but I’ve received the occasional complaint about the noise coming from the attic when you’re here. In fact, last week one of my guests—after checking out—actually reported me to the Local Guard, claiming I had brutally murdered a poor young woman up there. It took a while to clear up that misunderstanding.”
Under normal circumstances Kayden would have taken exception to such a gross exaggeration, but she really didn’t want to be having this conversation with Rondario. “Fine. I’ll try to keep that in mind,” she said in a non-committal tone. She then ascended the stairs, leaving the innkeeper below.
A short while later Kayden was on the next floor, pacing through the nondescript corridor that led to the staircase leading up to the spare room in the attic. As she ambled her way there she heard murmuring voices emanating from several of the rooms she passed by; the inn really was full, it seemed. Coming to a halt at the bottom of the narrow staircase, a half-smile curled Kayden’s lips as she stared up at the door at the top. After a brief pause, she began to climb the stairs, growing ever more excited with each step she took—she couldn’t wait to enter her room.
By the time she reached the top of the stairs, standing before the closed door, Kayden’s heartbeat had quickened in anticipation. Smiling, she wasted no time in pushing open the door. Instantly, the smile disappeared from her face. She was both surprised and annoyed to discover the room was dark and appeared to be empty. Impatient son of a bitch! She wasn’t that late in arriving. Oh well, no matter, she thought to herself; she would just have to amuse herself for a while before heading back to Antaris.
With a sigh, Kayden trudged into the room and quietly closed the door. As she slowly turned back around, intending to invoke Sinjaydan to brighten the
room with an illumination orb, a dark shape came from nowhere to pin her up against the door, a hungry mouth finding her neck, kissing and licking. Kayden gasped, then a hand found her left breast, squeezing enthusiastically through her uniform, while the other hand snaked round her waist, gliding quickly down her lower back to squeeze her behind. Closing her eyes, she tilted her head back; the excited smile was back on her face. She should have known he wouldn’t have left, no matter how late she was.
It wasn’t long before the teasing nibbling at her neck, and the fondling through her clothing ceased to be enough. Kayden was on fire—she needed more than that… a lot more. Using both hands she pushed back his head, forcing his mouth from her throat so she could find his lips with her own. Immediately, her tongue slipped between his lips, exploring his mouth, and he urgently reciprocated. Her hands fell away from his face—one finding its way down to his groin, feeling through the fabric of his uniform. It was no surprise to discover that, as usual, his not-so-little friend was desperate to be freed from the restraints of his trousers, and she had every intention of giving it what it wanted… imminently.
As he began pawing eagerly at her uniform, she slapped his hands away then pushed him backwards. Before he could object, she invoked Yuksaydan, sending him hurtling across the room where he landed on the bed. Wasting no time, Kayden dashed forward, springing onto the bed to pin him beneath her. It was time to have her wicked way with him, and if any of the inn’s guests objected to the noise coming from the attic… well, they could go stroke themselves.
There was almost no one on the street when Fay alighted outside the Delmara Inn where she could sense Kayden’s presence indoors. The lack of witnesses at the scene was ultimately irrelevant since she was invisible, having decided to invoke Raytandushay as she traversed the night sky en route to the town. She gave no thought to how her unseen journey from Antaris was a feat only two other members of the Order were powerful enough to emulate. It just seemed prudent to avoid potential gossip about what the administrator of Antaris campus was doing drifting through the air, and traipsing around Timaris after curfew.
Realisation that her apprentice had absconded from campus to check into an inn immediately provoked negative thoughts in Fay’s mind about what Kayden was getting up to inside. It was impossible to forget that two years previously she had compelled a confession from the once ill-disciplined apprentice: a confession by which Kayden admitted to blackmailing the now disgraced former Sanatsai, Turan Kodi, into absconding from Antaris three nights in a row to stay at an inn where she forced him to teach her how to invoke Barmityanzak. Obviously, Kayden wasn’t the same person today that she was then, making it hard for Fay to believe the apprentice was doing anything quite so unscrupulous now. Nonetheless, her young charge had to be up to no good.
Standing outside the establishment, Fay dismissed the idea of announcing her arrival by knocking on the front door. She didn’t want to give Kayden advanced warning, allowing her to either flee or cover up whatever she was doing. Instead, she invoked Naymutandushay to pass silently through the door into the inn.
On the other side of the door she stood still for a moment, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the interior. Gradually she could make out the tables and chairs of the saloon laid out before her. Beyond the serving counter she saw firelight emanating from beneath a closed door—presumably the innkeeper’s quarters. She turned her attention to the stairs leading to the floor above, then ambled cautiously through the saloon as she concentrated on Kayden’s presence.
A short while later Fay came to a halt at the foot of a narrow staircase leading up to the attic where she saw a closed door. She was forestalled from immediately ascending the steps, and barging through the door, by the unmistakable sounds of intimacy coming from within. It seemed her absconding apprentice was laying down with someone… and if the amount of noise she was making was any indication, Kayden was having the time of her life.
Fay ceased her invocation of Raytandushay, becoming visible once more. She slowly pulled the hood of her cloak back, pondering what to do next. Though Kayden wasn’t someone prone to feeling embarrassment about anything, Fay knew her well enough, now, to be certain she wouldn’t appreciate being walked in on by her master at that moment. But it was a relief to have confirmation that Kayden wasn’t engaged in something criminal; and as Fay didn’t wish to listen to the apprentice’s intimate encounter any longer than necessary, she decided to head back downstairs to speak with the innkeeper. She wanted to know for how long Kayden had been frequenting the establishment.
Just as she was about to depart, Fay’s eyes widened in surprise upon recognising the voice of the other half of the noisy coupling. Well, that’s unexpected! Somehow, whenever she thought Kayden could no longer surprise her, the apprentice succeeded in proving her wrong. Fay would never have guessed the identity of Kayden’s lover, but her newfound awareness of the illicit liaison helped her to make sense of the curfew breaking. It was Kayden’s way of concealing something she didn’t want the rest of the campus to know about.
With a wry smile curling her lips, and a shake of the head, Fay stepped away to begin the short walk back to the ground floor of the inn.
The burly innkeeper and his matronly wife were both startled when Fay’s incorporeal form passed silently through the closed door to their living quarters like an apparition. The wife, dressed in a nightgown, dropped the hot beverage she was handing to her husband seated on the couch before her. In response, he rose swiftly to place himself protectively between his wife and the interloper.
“I apologise for intruding upon you unannounced,” said Fay. “Please don’t be alarmed.” Though she was sincere, Fay had deliberately frightened the couple. With their hearts and minds racing it would be more difficult for either to try to deceive her by answering her questions less than honestly. “I would like to ask the innkeeper a few questions.”
“That would be me.” The innkeeper’s tension appeared to ease a little. “How may I be of help, Master Sanatsai?”
“My name is Fay Annis. I am the administrator of the Antaris campus.”
“Oh, yes! I recognise you now.” He took a brisk step towards her, offering his hand. “I’m Rondario Moriantis. This is my wife, Sandrina.” He gestured at his wife who was bending down to recover the ceramic mug she had dropped.
Fay accepted Rondario’s outstretched hand, allowing him to enthusiastically shake her by the hand; his grip was firm and strong.
“Can I offer you a hot drink?” said Sandrina as she stood upright.
“No, thank you. I don’t want to impose on you and or husband any longer than is necessary.”
With that, Sandrina promptly exited the room leaving Fay alone to speak with her husband.
“Mr. Moriantis,” she began, having finally pulled her hand free of Rondario’s excited grasp, “I would like to discuss the two… guests you have staying up in your attic at the moment.”
A bright smile lit up Rondario’s face. “Oh, you mean Miss Jayta and her… um… colleague.” He raised his eyebrows suggestively.
Miss Jayta? What had Kayden done to deserve that kind of consideration? Fay wondered. “Mr. Moriantis, you are aware that—”
“Oh, please, call me Rondario!”
“Mr. Moriantis,” Fay continued, pointedly ignoring the offer of over-familiarity, “you are aware that Antaris campus institutes a curfew for its apprentices? Seventhday to Fourthday they are required to be back on campus by midnight, if they leave the grounds. It’s only on Fifthday and Sixthday they are permitted to stay out a little later, and return by Second Hour in the morning.”
“Yes,” confirmed Rondario, “of course, I’m aware of that.”
“Then could you explain why there are two apprentices out past curfew having intimate relations up in your attic?”
Looking confused by the question,” Rondario replied, “Well… she’s your apprentice.” His tone seemed to suggest he believed this to be all the ex
planation required.
“And?” It was Fay’s turn to be confused; the innkeeper’s response seemed to imply that Kayden, in particular, was not bound by the same rules as every other apprentice.
“And… Miss Jayta is entitled to special treatment and privileges in town… Isn’t she?”
Frowning at the burly man, Fay inquired, “Mr. Moriantis, why would you think that?”
“Everyone knows it!” She noted how he was beginning to look unsure of himself. “I mean… she’s the Vaidasovian apprentice… the star pupil of the administrator of Antaris… favoured by the Order over every other apprentice in the Nine Kingdoms.” Rondario was starting to look like a man coming to the realisation he’d been duped. “Every business in Timaris is required to give Miss Jayta anything and everything she asks for… free of charge.”
“On whose say so?”
Rondario conspicuously hesitated before replying. “Yours?”
Surprisingly, it was not the response Fay was anticipating—it was actually worse. Had Kayden been taking advantage of their burgeoning friendship, deceiving people into believing their close relationship entitled her to violate campus rules? Had she been exploiting the goodwill of the townsfolk to gain special treatment and privileges for herself? If so, Fay was going to put the apprentice firmly in her place when the time came to reprimand her in the morning.
How dare she do this! And for how long?
Fay was so indignant she barely noticed Sandrina returning to the room with a small bucket of soapy water and a cloth to clean up the earlier spillage on the carpet.
“Master Sanatsai,” said Rondario, intruding upon Fay’s ruminations. “I’m getting the distinct impression that Miss Jayta’s visits were not sanctioned by you.”
“Mr. Moriantis, just how long has… Miss Jayta been frequenting your establishment?”
“Uh…” That the innkeeper appeared to be racking his brain surely wasn’t a good sign. “She’s been coming regularly for almost six months now. The first few weeks she was always alone, but for the past four months her… uh… friend has been dropping in to… uh… visit her.”