“Milord, can I ask why you have gone through all of this trouble?” Eliel wondered out loud.
“Of course. My name is Benha. I have been tasked by my employer to assemble only the most beautiful women for a celebration honoring some of their best men,” he said succinctly.
“I'm not sure how to reply to that, Milord,” Eliel said trying to wrap her mind around that. “You are trying to get the prettiest whores in Vallad together for this party, Milord?”
“Precisely. I have some already arranged. The party is on Saturday. I am trying to find a good variety for my client’s groundbreaking celebration. Your hair makes you stand out, and you are of course very attractive. I think my employer will be very pleased with you.”
Before she could reply, the barmaid sat their drinks down on the table. “It comes to one copper mark, Milord,” she said.
He simply gave the barmaid a silver coin and said; “Thank you, young lady.”
She took the coin and started counting out copper marks for his change. “Never mind the change, my fair girl. Just make certain that my friends’ needs are seen to,” he nodded to Eliel.
The barmaid's eyes bulged a bit. That was probably as much as the girl was tipped in a week. Eliel did like the casual way this man threw his money around. Most men who did that were pretentious pricks. So far, this man wasn't.
“Alright then, so what do I have to do, and what is in it for me?” Eliel asked when the barmaid ran to the next table after giving sincere thanks to Mr. Benha.
“Well, you would be expected to ply your professional trade of course at the demand of the attendees. We will be paying you ten gold coins for the evening,” He said taking a sip of his wine. Benha made a face at the taste. “I think I would have been better off having an ale instead of this swill,” he laughed.
Ten gold coins? Eliel's mind raced. By the spirits, that was more than she would make in three months! That has to be too good to be true, she thought. “Milord, I must tell you that I will not be beaten for a man's pleasure. I am a whore, but there are some things I simply will not do.”
“Of course,” pulling a cylinder from his jacket, he pulled papers out of it and flattened them. He produced a pen from his pocket as well. “I will write what you are unwilling to do into your contract.”
Contract? This guy is really serious, isn't he? Eliel thought with cautious glee.
Friday May 17th 1624th year of the First Great City
Truth Hurts
Thorel seated himself for his etiquette class. This class was the easiest for him: his mother had made quite certain he knew the proper modes of addressing those in authority. The class was simple, but Miss Mazuna was a very demanding teacher.
There was always an armed man sitting in a chair in front of the room. Nigel had called him a mercenary. Thorel hadn't known before Nigel told him that there were people who sold their Legion trained skills to the highest bidder. Thorel wondered why she would hire such a man instead of having an Academy guard with her.
The reason for his presence became clear during the first day of classes: Thorel had seen a young man try to strike her after she had laid his hand open with her switch. Miss Mazuna moved quickly, and the mercenary was there in seconds, having put him on the ground with one of the choke holds Korin had taught him. Miss Mazuna forced him to apologize before she had him released. She had kept him after class as well. He shivered at that thought.
Thorel had not seen any other incidents, and Miss Mazuna's class had been the model of student behavior compared to all of his other classes.
He did not expect that when he had changed curriculum’s that she would still be his instructor, but he later learned she was the only etiquette teacher in the Academy. It is only taught in the first semester.
Miss Mazuna entered the room, with the mercenary following her. He called out: “All students will rise and show respect!”
Thorel and the twenty-two other students rose: they bowed or curtsied as was proper. This room was her domain, and as such she deserved proper respect within it. The older blonde woman watched them through her round eyeglasses as they did so: she did not tell them to be seated though.
Her eyes narrowed, and she approached a young man with brown hair: Miss Mazuna met his eyes and touched his chest with her willow switch.
“All other students may sit,” she called out. They did so quickly. That left Miss Mazuna staring into his eyes; she was a small woman in front of this young man, even with her high heeled shoes. Her forceful presence did not require her to be tall though.
“Bow again,” she demanded, withdrawing her switch.
“Yes ma'am,” he said and the switch lashed out drawing blood from his hand. He cried out, and Thorel winced with sympathy. He didn't understand why she switched him for that though.
“You should have simply obeyed me, without comment. Now do it.”
The young man obeyed, and bowed properly.
“Excellent bow,” Miss Mazuna said coldly.
“Thank you, ma'am,” the young man said, tears coming into his eyes.
“But it is too late now. The bow you gave me when I entered was poor, and halfhearted. You have proven you know how to do it properly, so I can only conclude that you intended to disrespect me. Is that true?” She asked.
“No, ma'am!” He said instantly.
Miss Mazuna nodded to the mercenary, who moved quickly. The young man looked around with wild eyes: Mazuna's switch touched his chest and she said: “It will be worse if you try to run, I promise.”
Everyone in the room cringed and obviously felt bad for Mikal: with the odd exception of Martin. Martin simply attended as if Miss Mazuna was lecturing. Thorel found that a bit disturbing.
The mercenary took the man's arm and followed Miss Mazuna to the front of the classroom. She turned the chair that was in front to the side and nodded to the mercenary. He put him in it somewhat roughly.
The lightly armored man positioned himself behind the chair with his hands resting on the young man's shoulders.
“Mikal disrespected me three times. Can anyone tell me what he did that was disrespectful?” Miss Mazuna looked about and waited.
A hand came up. She pointed with the switch to her. “He didn't bow properly, ma'am.”
“Correct, but that was the easiest as I did say so. Can you tell me the others?”
“Um, he didn't obey immediately, ma'am?” She said.
“Correct, but I have not discussed this until now. Why is that disrespectful?” She asked.
“I don't know ma'am,” she said honestly. Thorel was hoping she would explain: he didn't understand it either.
Miss Mazuna took a chalk and began writing quickly on the blackboard. When she finished it said, “If it can be done immediately, obey. If it cannot, acknowledge.”
She touched the first statement with her switch and called out loudly: “If it can be done immediately, obey. This is very important. If you are in a situation with a noble, and you are given a command that can be immediately obeyed, simply do it. That way they cannot question your respect by any standard of etiquette that exists in the realm. Some will take an acknowledgment as a delay and intentional disrespect if you could have simply done what they had ordered.”
Thorel nodded. That made sense, but it was something that he had never heard of before.
“If it cannot be obeyed immediately, acknowledge. Doing so is obvious and proper by all standards, even the uneducated can usually manage this. Mikal falsely believed this was proper at all times, which it is certainly not. Now, what was the third disrespect shown?” She swept the room with her spectacled eyes.
Martin's hand went up: she pointed to him with the switch. “He lied to you, ma'am.”
“When?” Mazuna asked.
“When he said he didn't intend to disrespect you, ma'am,” he answered.
“Correct,” she said with a smile. Until that moment, Thorel had never seen a look that he could describe as impressed before on the
stern etiquette teacher. He was impressed too. Thorel thought until now he knew his etiquette quite well.
“Ma'am, I truly intended no disrespect!” Mikal said desperately.
She looked at him and said, “That may be true. I judge it most likely you were simply being lazy and did not expect to be called to account. But, in the real world you will not be forgiven for such a thing. Even if you intended no lie, when you showed you could do it properly, and denied you intentionally disrespected me it would be easily seen as a lie. In this situation, what would have been proper to say instead?”
“That I did it intentionally ma'am,” he said with resignation.
“Yes. That and a sincere apology for your laziness. If that had been the only disrespect, with a sincere apology you would likely be beaten, a slap maybe. Without such an apology, it would be far more severe. If the noble is in dour humor, a punishment for not bowing or curtsying properly can be a broken leg, or worse. Many people have lost their homes in the city because of not being able to work due to a broken leg. Without a roof, what are you?” Mazuna asked the class.
As one, they all replied: “A pauper, ma'am.”
“Correct. And no one owes a pauper respect of any kind. The common citizen can give them the kinds of commands a noble can give a commoner, and mete out punishment for disrespect. A commoner is as far above a pauper as any noble is above them.”
Mazuna continued: “For not obeying immediately, the switch I gave Mikal would have been considered appropriate by most. However, the mood of the noble in question can greatly increase any such punishment, as you should know well by now.”
The class nodded as one at the truth of that. For every rule she taught them, she also told the class two or three punishments ranging from common to extreme that have actually occurred for such offenses. Some of them had been quite gruesome.
“Directly lying to them though, is one of the most serious breaches of etiquette. It implies that the noble is a fool, and will believe your falsehood. It is good to remember that all Wizards are nobles, and unsighted nobles will have a Wizard in their employ. It is impossible to lie to a Wizard. They will detect it with their Magik. Be honest if you wish to avoid their wrath,” Mazuna looked about the classroom seriously.
Thorel was unlikely to forget that fact, ever. Not with his experiences since coming here.
She pulled a small pair of tongs out of the pocket of her skirt. “This is something that every nobles' personal guard carries. Does anyone know what this is?” She asked.
Martin's hand was the only one that went up, and she gestured to him with the switch, “Tongue grips, ma'am.” Thorel was surprised by Martin's knowledge of this. He would have to ask him how he knew.
“Correct. These are used to pull a person's tongue so that it can be cut out easily,” Mazuna clicked them together looking at Mikal menacingly. “Cutting out the perpetrators tongue is a very popular punishment for lying to nobility. It is generally thought that if you are not honest with them, they have no reason to hear anything you say again, hence this choice of punishment. Some nobles are kind enough to have the perpetrator taken to a doctor afterward. Others view burning the wound closed as a sufficient kindness.”
A student raised his hand, and she nodded to him. “Ma'am, how can burning such a wound closed be considered a kindness?”
“I am glad you asked that. It is kind because the wound will bleed profusely. Some choke to death on their own blood and others simply die from loss of blood. In fact since this semester started, there has been one case of death due to a person's tongue being cut out,” Mazuna said looking at the class seriously.
Another students hand went up, Miss Mazuna pointed to her and she spoke: “Ma'am, wouldn't that be murder?”
“Yes and no. First, if it was determined who, in fact, ordered this man's tongue cut out, a Wizard would determine if that person had intentionally caused their death under the questioning of their better. Typically, such a thing would only be judged as murder if they refused to allow them to be treated. For example; their guard suggests that they burn the wound or take the perpetrator to a doctor, and the noble orders them not to. That would be a clear case for murder charges,” Miss Mazuna looked at the class, then at the clock.
“Your best choice is to be well-mannered and aware of the local Nobility. Mikal, return to your seat, I will punish you after class,” she said.
“Yes ma'am, thank you,” Mikal scurried to his seat.
Thorel raised his hand. Miss Mazuna nodded to him. “Ma'am, how can not treating someone for a wound you inflicted not be considered murder?”
“As you know, the noble in question will be tried by one of their betters. If the matter is brought forward, they will often rule that the person in question could have sought help. If the family is more respected; for example, wealthy merchants, or a Legion officer's kin, a death toll will be called for from the noble. That is usually the extent of the punishment though,” she recited.
Thorel's mind whirled with these new facts. That was completely wrong as far as he was concerned. Even if he gained his staff and became a Wizard of noble rank, he would never just forget to see to it that someone would not bleed to death! He would not likely cut someone's tongue out for lying to him either. He would not be a well-respected noble if he were to gain his staff, and he knew it. But many of these punishments were completely excessive in Thorel's opinion.
“Now class, we have something more immediate to cover before your day ends. Today people will begin celebrating the groundbreaking of the First Great City. While the official celebration does not begin until tomorrow, I will give you some facts relevant to the observation of this holiday.”
“As you may or may not know, ground was broken for the First Great City last held by High Lady Edvina Vox on May twenty-third of the year two-hundred-ninety-eight of the old calendar. More commonly referred to as year thirty-six pre-founding. During the construction of the First Great City, we did not have many of the modern building or Magikal techniques that we take for granted in this age. It is estimated by surviving records from that time period that nearly a quarter million slaves lost their lives due to long work hours, food shortages, or accidents.” Miss Mazuna paused to take a drink of her water.
Thorel was shocked. He had no idea that so many died to build the First Great City. Or that Vox had been the First Great City!
“Ground Breaking day is a celebration of our achievement in building the First Great City, and of the sacrifice our slaves made for the betterment of all people of the realm. During this week, slaves are granted common status and paid for their labors. They are allowed to roam freely in thanks for their labors, and may use any shops or services available.”
“Until the twenty-fourth hour of the twenty-third sounds, injuring or killing a slave will be treated exactly the same as it would for any commoner. Meaning, that instead of being forced to pay damages for such a crime, you would be charged with assault or murder, and handled appropriately by Legion or House authorities,” she gave a very serious look at everyone in the room.
A man Thorel did not know the name of raised his hand. She nodded to him, and he asked: “Ma'am, won't they run away if you let them roam freely?”
“Some of them do. There are usually bounties placed on escaped slaves, and rewards for people that return them to their owners. One in every ten slaves that escapes and is returned in such a way is put to death in a particularly unpleasant manner to discourage the others next year,” she said seriously.
“Also young men, I would remind you that the pretty slave girls can raise the charge of rape during this time. I would keep that close in your thoughts if I were you,” Mazuna made eye contact with the men in the room to drive her point home.
“During this week, I encourage each of you to take a moment, to buy a slave a drink or a meal and sit with one of them as an equal. Thank them for their labors, which have made life as we know it possible. I will also be doing this, to honor the work
they have done for our civilization.”
A young man in the front row chuckled. Mazuna's switch laid his shirt and arm open instantly with a cry from him.
“It is no laughing matter. While slaves are not great conversationalists, they understand the true value of the simplest things that most people take for granted. I find them quite refreshing compared to many who have entered my classroom,” she looked down at the man she had switched through her spectacles.
Thorel found a new respect for Miss Mazuna listening to her speak. She was not simply a bitter woman taking anger out on her class: she had much deeper thoughts than he had seen before now. He wondered what topics she would speak to a slave about with great curiosity.
* * *
Martin told Thorel he had to leave quickly today and had no time to chat. Thorel was disappointed, he really wanted to ask Martin how he knew about the tongue grips. He thought he knew his etiquette well: but Martin was the true star of that class. Martin was the only person who was able to answer questions Thorel didn't know the answer to.
Thorel saw Nigel and Eliel by the house at the academy. He'd asked them to meet him here since it was near the academy's outer wall.
Thorel waved to them. Nigel stepped up and said: “How was your day, man?” He extended his hand to Thorel.
He took Nigel's hand and smiled “It was good man, you?”
Before he could answer, Eliel wrapped her arms around Thorel's waist and squeezed him.
“I'm glad you had a good day. What are you doing tonight?” She asked with a purr.
Thorel smiled and put his free arm around her. Thorel still didn't know what to do with her, but he knew he didn't want to do without her either.
“My day was good. So what are we doing tonight? There are gonna be groundbreaking parties everywhere, man!” Nigel said enthusiastically.
“If they are going to be everywhere, I'm sure there will be some in Dothranan Hold, too. The Mistress told me to go there with her on the weekends for the training she gives me. I don't know what she will have me doing tonight yet.”
Spirit of Magik (The Dothranan Chronicles Book 1) Page 27