Herald of Shalia 5

by Tamryn Tamer

  “I am intrigued,” Frost said with a grin. “What’s her class and…”

  “We’re not sure,” Desdemona said while shaking her head. “Even though we can scan her the information constantly changes.”

  “I imagine so,” Cassia said pensively. “But here is no such thing as immortality. Necromancers maintain immortality by encasing their spirit in a phylactery but if you smash the phylactery the soul will return to the body and you can kill them from there. But I doubt it’s necromancy. Unless your brother is an idiot, he checked for that first.”

  “He did,” Desdemona nodded.

  “Be sure to submit everything you know about necromancers and necromancy to me by the end of the week,” Frost sighed while rolling his eyes at the white-haired prophet. She taught him a lot of spells and abilities but there were always things that she conveniently forgot to mention.

  “I don’t actually know any necromancy,” Cassia said sullenly. “And even if I did it’s not something that we should permit people to learn. I’ve just killed a few necromancers over the years.”

  “Then we should have the information on how to deal with them,” Frost said sternly. “And even if we shouldn’t practice necromancy, I’d still like to be aware of what necromancers can do. So, be sure to write it down.”

  “Fine,” Cassia said while crossing her arms.

  “As for the Herald of Niri, I’m hoping to be in and out of the country before she knows I’m there. If I can even get there. I’ll need to send a messenger to Haru to…”

  “Oh,” Iris shook her head. “That’s not necessary, Herald Frost. Madam Gardenia is always notified whenever you enter or leave the village. Rose probably sent a messenger the other day. She’s probably already on her way.”

  “Oh, good,” Frost said. “Well, I suppose we can hold off on anything else until she arrives, huh?”

  “Haru?” Ka stared up at the ceiling like she was inspecting it for spots. “I’ve heard this name before, yes. I remember! You said that I should not tell her of how you praised my softness, yes!”

  “Just like I said, notorious gossips,” Brynn said proudly.

  “None of you repeat that to her,” Frost said while glancing around the room threateningly. Everybody averted their eyes except for Slade who simply looked at him and smiled.

  “How much is it worth to you fox-fucker?”

  CHAPTER 18

  Madam Gardenia arrived just as Iris predicted.

  She arrived in the village with several of her courtesans and dozens of bags of goods. The scarlet-haired Kina smiled excitedly as she jumped out of her wagon and rushed toward Frost, pressing her soft chest against him while wrapping her two fluffy tails around him. She moved her tails up and down as they embraced, covering him in tiny red hairs and marking him as hers.

  Frost found himself wishing that business could be delayed as her luxurious tails brushed against him. The fluffy fox-eared madam was also expecting the trip to be more pleasure oriented based on the gorgeous formatted green dress she was wearing.

  Unfortunately, the redheaded beauty was disappointed as the talk quickly turned to business instead of pleasure. Despite her irritation, she forced a smile and hopped out of her wagon before directing the courtesans escorting her to deliver her things to her Inn since Frost had yet to have her estate built.

  Once inside of the conference room, she was briefed on the situation and her mood seemed to shift considerably.

  “Why don’t I have an estate yet?” Madam Gardenia asked while staring at Lysandra. “We agreed that I would have a proper residence.”

  “We built an extra room for you upstairs,” Lysandra said defensively.

  “So that I can listen to your moans while I lay unsatisfied?” Madam Gardenia smiled at Lysandra. “A proper mistress should have a proper estate.”

  “Haru,” Frost smiled at the beautiful redheaded fox-woman. “You’re hardly ever here and I spend a fair amount of time with you.”

  “You think the amount of time you spend with me is fair?” Madam Gardenia asked in a tone that highlighted her disagreement.

  “Fairer than the time he spends with me,” Brynn said.

  “It’s plenty fair,” Lysandra insisted. “Herald Frost is very busy. He’s only spent a night with me since he’s arrived back.”

  “He hasn’t spent any with me,” Lishri said quietly.

  “You’ve been in Linna,” Frost said defensively. “You know that I love spending time with you Lishri.”

  “I was aware that I would be sharing my partner but I am beginning to grow concerned,” Ka said while glancing around the room.

  “As you should be,” Madam Gardenia said while smiling at the harpy. “A woman as beautiful as you should be worshipped by whoever you choose as a mate.”

  “I agree, yes!” Ka said cheerfully.

  “But Herald Frost fails in that regard,” Madam Gardenia said while shaking her head. “Surely you’d prefer to find another mate…”

  “Trickery! Tricky predator, yes!” Ka shouted, quickly catching on to Madam Gardenia’s game.

  “Calm down Ka,” Lysandra said while stroking the harpies back.

  “It was worth a shot,” Madam Gardenia sighed. “But my point stands. We agreed I would be your mistress and mistresses are given estates. I want a place where I can feel at home while I’m spending time with you.”

  “If we’re on the topic of estates,” Brynn interjected. “Olivia will need one large enough for her and her handmaidens. She’s fine staying in my room for now but she really needs a place of her own if she’s going to be comfortable.”

  “The topic of conversation is not estates but getting me to Nir,” Frost said while glaring at the women. “I am not going to place massive homes in the middle of the village while everybody else lives in small homes. The village is growing rapidly but I’ll have them built once I know where to place them and how to place them and come up with a system that they find fair.”

  “How much is this prophet worth to you?” Madam Gardenia asked.

  “What are you looking for?” Frost asked the vibrant red Kina.

  “An exclusive home, office, warehouse, and dock built for me in Kald,” the fox-eared woman answered with a playful grin.

  “I’ll give you the rights to have them built but I’m not paying for them,” Frost answered. “And you’re leasing the dock and land. You’ll also have to work things out with Hansel for whatever you’re planning since he’s in charge of the town.”

  “Wonderful!” Madam Gardenia smiled as her tails flailed back and forth excitedly. “In that case I’ll just need to message some people to get things in order. It’ll probably take about a week.”

  “Before you start that, what exactly is the plan?” Frost asked.

  “Oh,” Madam Gardenia smiled. “When we arrive in Nir we’ll apply for a temporary license that’ll allow you to do business in the city for forty-eight hours. They are only granted in special cases but one of those cases is if the person is being recruited by a trading company. The head of the trading company will need to interview the potential candidate so it’s only natural that they be permitted to stay for a bit.”

  “Forty-eight hours might not be long enough,” Frost said.

  “You’ll actually be interviewing,” Madam Gardenia said. “If I were to say you were there for an interview and you didn’t interview, I would be in trouble. If you will be given a license that allows you to stay as long as you like which solves your issue. You will need a very large amount of rel for the membership fees though. You should have at least two or three million rel just in case they decide to be difficult.”

  “I see,” Frost said.

  “And we’ll need a reason for you to be joining,” she continued. “I suggest buying slave contracts at the market. That’ll also help establish a reason for you to be looking for a specific person.”

  “Speaking of slave contracts,” Frost glared at Madam Gardenia. “Care to tell me why I had to
find out from Iris that she is a slave?”

  “Iris is not a slave!” Madam Gardenia said defensively. “And I take offense to that. I may have purchased them but I offered them interest free loans to purchase their contracts from me as soon as we arrived in Zira. I also offered them jobs if they wanted them. They chose to work at the brothel because it paid the best, not because I forced them. I am not that type of woman.”

  “How much did you sell them their contracts for?” Brynn asked while smirking at the fox-eared woman.

  “I would be curious to know as well,” Lysandra said while crossing her arms judgmentally.

  Desdemona and Ka watched quietly, both of them sipping from their drinks.

  “None of your business,” Madam Gardenia said. “But I assure you that it’s a perfectly fair amount given the amount of time and energy I invest and far less than what I could charge.”

  “Fine,” Frost grumbled as he realized that he wasn’t going to get a straight answer from the fox-eared merchant. “So, you think I should be there to buy slaves. It’s not a bad cover.”

  “Good,” Madam Gardenia said. “So, what does the Florenne girl look like? Do you have a picture of some sort?”

  “About that,” Frost sighed. “The only thing I know is that she’s a Florenne named Amaya that came on a ship from Naran.”

  “There are hundreds of ships that come from Naran and the slaves are moved all over the city,” Madam Gardenia said. “Also, if you run around asking about a specific name people will become suspicious and cause all sorts of issues. There is also a glut of Florenne slaves. They’re very docile and make very good housekeepers and nannies so you’ll see them everywhere. I don’t think it’s a good idea to go there without a way to find your target.”

  “I have an idea but I don’t really like it,” Lysandra said timidly as she glanced at her mother. “Prophets can tell when another person is a prophet.”

  “That is a wonderful idea!” Cassia said cheerfully. “I haven’t left Pluma since my trip to Zira!”

  “The territory will be vulnerable if we both leave,” Frost said while staring at the excited elf.

  “Not really,” Brynn said pensively. “Slade might not be as high level as the two of you but he’s really good at killing and Hestia was bumped up to level forty-one thanks to that little killing spree in Blackwater. Chasa is level sixty-six after clearing out those mines and could probably take you on. Slakka is also extremely powerful and there are a lot of powerful Arachne. Sir Isaac, Sir Adamus, and the other knights sitting in Filan might not be the smartest bunch but they’re strong. Then you have Ena, Fayeth, Renna, Shael, and all of the other monster hunters. They are definitely coordinated enough to defend the territory if it came to that.”

  “As long as it pays well,” Slade said.

  “Everybody is so strong,” Desdemona sighed while staring at the table. “I’m only level sixteen.”

  “Don’t feel bad predator Des,” Ka said while patting her horns. “You might not be powerful but your potential is limitless as long as you push forward, yes.”

  “I agree,” Lysandra said, tilting her head at the harpy priestess. “That was remarkably wise.”

  “Because I am remarkable, yes!” Ka said proudly.

  “I suppose you have a point about there being plenty of powerful people to defend the territory,” Frost said while thinking things over.

  “I’m not really worried about the territory,” Lysandra said while glancing at Cassia. “But you know how my mother can be. She could do something horribly foolish.”

  “Another good point,” Frost said. “But I’ll be there to keep her in check and I won’t let her out of my sight.”

  “You promise?” Cassia said, smiling as she leaned over the table to show off her ample cleavage.

  “I don’t like that either,” Lysandra said, biting her lips as she crossed her arms and pouted. “You and mother on a long voyage together. She might try something.”

  “Might?” Frost laughed. “Knowing your mother, I’d say it’s a sure thing.”

  “That’s not helping!” Lysandra shouted.

  “I wouldn’t concern yourself with that,” Madam Gardenia said while smiling lasciviously at Frost. “I would be there to keep Herald Frost entertained along with any other girls we bring along. I would suggest Jasmine, Iris, and Zinnia since you’re most comfortable around them but if they’re unable to come I could ask any number of girls to join us as long as they’re natives of Nir.”

  “Why do we need more people?” Frost asked.

  “We can’t arrive without slaves if you want to portray yourself as a slave trader,” Madam Gardenia answered.

  “I don’t really like the idea of bringing any demihumans back to the country that sold them to you,” Frost said. “What happens if somebody tries to capture them and resell them?”

  “That doesn’t happen in Nir,” Madam Gardenia insisted. “There are severe consequences to stealing another merchant’s slaves or attempting to force citizens into slavery. There are rules.”

  “Fine,” Frost said. “But you can’t force anybody to come with us. It’s their choice.”

  “Of course,” Madam Gardenia said cheerfully. “Hm, there’s still the matter of the ship. We’ll need a licensed merchant vessel. One of the ships returning from Seera would be the best option since there has been lots of trading happening there lately due to the conflict. It’ll probably be a week before I hear back though. Then who knows how long before they arrive in Kald. It might be a couple weeks after that.”

  “The prophet will be in Nir by then,” Frost groaned.

  “There’s not much I can do about it,” Madam Gardenia said. “If you have a faster way to locate ships bouncing between ports as well as delivering messages to them, I’m all ears.”

  “Ahem,” Ka cleared her through loudly and spread her large elegant white wings. Everybody in the room turned their eyes toward the elegant harpy. “I, The Sun Chaser, The Moon Hunter, The Softest Lover, The Storm Racer might be of service, yes!”

  “What was that middle one?” Madam Gardenia asked while glaring at the smug-looking harpy.

  “You heard what the feathered cunt said,” Slade mumbled as he sipped his drink.

  “That actually isn’t a bad idea,” Frost said, moving the conversation along before Ka answered. “But I’m not sure how I feel about you flying around for meetings with random pirates. Most of the world isn’t too fond of harpies.”

  “That’s a good point,” Madam Gardenia said while glaring suspiciously at the harpy. “They would likely assume you’re a thief. It isn’t unusual for the harpies along the coast to target ships at night. But maybe if we dressed you up.”

  “Dressed me up?” Ka asked while rushing over to Madam Gardenia. She leaned down and stared at Madam Gardenia’s jade gown. “A pretty dress like yours, yes?”

  “Not quite,” Madam Gardenia said as the harpy invaded her personal space. “It would need to be white with a black crown in the center. A banner of some sort might help as well, just to ensure the spotters see you coming. Probably need a specialty pack as well. Something that you can easily fly with and sort through with your talons to carry the messages and replies. But I imagine it could be done.”

  “Hmm,” Ka smiled and opened her already large eyes wider as she moved within an inch of Madam Gardenia’s face. “And there will be payment, yes?”

  “Payment?” Madam Gardenia asked.

  “You asked Herald Frost for payment for helping you,” Ka said. “I must deserve payment as well, yes?”

  “I suppose,” Madam Gardenia said, backing away as Ka attempted to press her forehead against hers. “But since we’re all helping Herald Frost, he would be responsible for the payment.”

  “I want dresses, yes!” Ka said cheerfully. “Many colorful dresses! Beautiful dresses for myself and my handmaidens! And I wish for a big temple for Twi for my followers! And more dances! Elegant dances like the one my partner performed t
o earn the right to bed me! And…”

  “Dances?” Brynn said, staring at him. “Handsome doesn’t dance…”

  “He is a very elegant dancer, yes!” Ka insisted.

  “Is he now?” Slade asked while smirking at Frost.

  “Hold it,” Frost said as he tried to avoid being sidetracked about a discussion of his dancing. “Part of the agreement of joining my territory was that you would help out when needed. I’m fine with the dresses but…”

  “Trickery!” Ka jumped up on the table and walked across until she was right in front of him. She leaned down and shoved her face in his, her large golden eyes glowing like a pair of fiery stars. She stretched one of her massive wings out and poked Madam Gardenia in the face with the tip. “That one is being given a private dock and a house,” she stretched her other wing, narrowly missing Brynn’s face. “And that one asked for a house that fits your new wife and fifty servants, yes! I am your partner and will not be tricked! Partners get to make demands, yes!”

  The entire room went silent as the women all glanced around at each other. Ka maintained her focus on Frost, waiting for him to flinch as she slowly moved her face closer until her forehead was pressed against his.

  “She has a point, handsome,” Brynn said, breaking the silence. “But Ka, handsome is just asking you to deliver messages.”

  “Handsome is asking me to deliver important messages, yes!” Ka said without blinking. She slowly raised her wings higher as she pressed her head against his, as if changing her size would increase her chance of success. Frost quickly leaned forward and pecked Ka on the lips, causing her to jump backward and tumble off the edge of the table into Desdemona’s lap. Ka looked up to see Desdemona flashing her fangs as she smiled at the obstinate harpy. “Predator! Don’t eat me!”

  “I wouldn’t,” Desdemona said as Ka clumsily flapped her wings and rolled off her.

  “Yes,” Ka nodded at Desdemona, patting the demoness’s crimson hair several times rapidly. “Right, I am sorry, yes. I was very startled, yes.” Ka glared furiously at Frost. “Trickery!”