“But you are my child,” he said with a show of spirit.
Lara smiled at him. “In the Outlands I was called Lara, daughter of Swiftsword,” she told him. “And I have always been proud to be your child.” Standing on her toes she kissed his cheek. “Goodbye, Father. I do not know if we will meet again.”
Quick tears filled his eyes, and he blinked them away. “Goodbye, Lara,” he said.
Then he turned, and gave his hand to Magnus Hauk. “Keep her safe, my lord,” he told the Dominus. “She is my only daughter, and her mother’s memory still lives within me.” Then turning, John Swiftsword departed the garden where they had sat.
Magnus Hauk put his arms about his wife. “He is a good man, Lara.”
“I know,” she answered him. “But he is Hetarian. I have confused him with my tale. Once we are parted a short time, however, he will once again believe what he is told by Gaius Prospero and his ilk, because it is comfortable to believe it. Believing it will not threaten his status, or endanger his wife and sons. His loyalty will always be to Hetar first,” she said sadly. “I am glad you agreed to take in the Outlands families, Magnus. At least there will be no bloodshed, and I know my father will not die this time.”
“This emperor is a wily fellow,” Magnus said thoughtfully. “And he desires you, wife. Are you aware of that?”
Lara laughed. “Gaius Prospero is simply greedy for the finest that life has to offer, no matter what it is. It is his advisor, Jonah, who is truly dangerous. One day Gaius Prospero will discover that to his detriment.”
The innkeeper hurried into the garden. “My lady, I did not realize that you were the daughter of a Crusader Knight,” he said. “Why did you not say so when you arrived? I am honored to have you in my house. I remember the great stir you caused several years back among the Pleasure Guilds. But forgive me — the emperor has sent a message, and a litter for you.” He handed her the small rolled parchment.
“Tell the litter bearers to return to their master,” Lara said as she opened the message from Gaius Prospero, and perused it.
The innkeeper stared openmouthed in surprise at her. She was refusing the emperor’s command?
“Go!” Lara told him impatiently, and he hurried off.
“What does he want?” Magnus asked her.
“To see me privately on a matter of interest, he writes,” Lara replied.
“You don’t intend to go?” her husband queried her.
“I will go, but I will use my own means of transport,” Lara told him. “I see I have not yet instilled in Gaius Prospero the proper amount of respect for who I am and what I have become. It is time that I did that. Come, my lord, I must fetch Andraste.”
They returned to their chamber, and Lara changed from the simple gown she was wearing into her leather trousers and silk shirt. She slipped her doe-skin vest with the silver edged horn buttons on, and then calling Andraste from the shadows put the leather scabbard across her chest. The sword with its woman’s head peered over her left shoulder. Then she drew on her leather boots. “Am I suitably intimidating?” she asked her husband with a small smile.
“He lusts after you,” Magnus said. “There is nothing you can do to prevent that.”
“It is not his lust that concerns me,” Lara said. “I want him to be afraid of me, my lord husband. So afraid that he will consider well the folly of attempting to seek out Terah at any time in the near future.” She kissed him, and with a smile disappeared from his sight in a small mist of mauve.
GAIUS PROSPERO looked up from the table where he had been going over the invoices concerning new merchandise just received in his warehouses. Lara was standing before him, observing him. “I did not hear you come in,” he said. “You were not announced.” He stood up and came toward her.
Lara held up her hand, and he found his progress impeded. “You will not come any closer, my lord,” she said to him. “I returned your litter and came by my own means of transport, magic. I shall depart the same way. What do you want of me, Gaius Prospero?” She lowered her hand, but he found he still could not move toward her.
“You had no magic, or claimed to have none when you left the City,” he said. “Now it would appear that your mother’s blood flows hot in your veins, Lara.” He gave her a weak smile, for the truth be known, he found himself a little nervous in her presence now. Still he could not resist speaking with her one more time. Without Jonah hovering near his elbow. Without Vilia and Anora leaning forward to catch every word he spoke to the beauteous faerie woman.
“Why have you sought to see me again, my lord? What is it you want of me?” she repeated. “Tomorrow I mean to depart Hetar. I doubt I shall ever return.”
“You are Hetarian,” he said. “You are everything that is good about Hetar. You are beautiful, strong, intelligent and wise, Lara, daughter of Swiftsword. Return to Hetar, and I will place you at the pinnacle of power.”
“And where is that?” she asked him mockingly.
“By my side, as my empress,” he said.
Lara laughed, but it was a cold sound. “Gaius Prospero, I have power of my own. I do not need yours. I have faerie power, which is stronger than any power you could offer me. I am the Domina of Terah. I am loved by a great man, Magnus Hauk. When you killed Vartan of the Fiacre, were you driven more by your desire to annex the Outlands or your lust for me? You sought power first, and now that you have it you have decided you want me, too. Beware, my lord, for power, all power, is an illusion and illusions eventually fade away. I have a destiny to fulfill, Gaius Prospero. I do not believe you will play a great role in that destiny.”
“Foolish woman, do you not realize what it is I offer you?” he demanded, and attempted to move toward her again.
Andraste began to hum softly in Lara ear. “Show him your power,” the spirit in the sword told her.
Lara drew the weapon forth, holding it before her. “My magic is protecting you from your own folly, Gaius Prospero. Were you able to approach me I should be forced to slay you for your insolence. Listen, and Andraste will sing for you. It is a song usually heard only by those about to feel the kiss of her sharp blade. It was heard by those I fought and slew in the Winter War.”
He could see the sword’s jeweled eyes opening, and then Gaius Prospero heard the dark voice as it began to sing.
“I am Andraste, and I drink the blood of the traitor, the betrayer, the foolish who cannot see the truth! Fear me, Gaius Prospero, and pray to your god that we never meet in battle, for if we do I will sup upon your very essence!”
The color drained from Gaius Prospero’s plump face. His legs felt weak beneath him. “You have killed?” he said in a terrified voice, looking directly at Lara.
“Did you not put about the rumor that I had, my lord?” Lara mocked him. “Well, ’tis truth. I took the head of Durga, once Head Forester, from his thick shoulders when through bribery he attempted to subvert Hetar’s laws. He was my first kill. I slew Mercenaries in the Winter War who at your bidding had invaded the lands of the Tormod and the Piaras, enslaving its people, stealing its wealth. And when Adon killed my husband, Vartan, I slew both him and his stupid wife without mercy. Yes, Gaius Prospero, I wield this sword with skill, and I am not afraid to kill with it. I am not the girl you sold off eight years ago while complaining your profit was not enough. I am Lara, Domina of Terah, daughter of Ilona, queen of the Forest Faeries. I fear neither you nor the might of Hetar. You insult me with your suggestions. You betray your wife, Vilia, who has been devoted to you. As for that pretty creature you call your second wife, I know her not. But you do her an injustice asking me to stand by your side and be your empress. Both your women deserve better of you.”
“But Lara,” Gaius wheedled, “I wish only to honor your beauty with my fervent admiration.”
“Lustful man! Do you want to know what it is like to take pleasures with me? I can show you within the cavern of your mind what it would be like. But if I do, be warned that no woman will ever give you satis
faction again, my lord. Are you foolish enough to seek a moment’s pleasure for a lifetime of emptiness?” Her green eyes blazed.
He wanted her. He had always wanted her, but he had not taken her when he purchased her from her father because half of her value was in her innocence then. But now it was different. He burned to possess her. “Yes! Yes!” he gasped. “Show me!”
“If I do,” she cautioned him a second time, “you will never know pleasures with another woman again. Oh, you will couple, but you will feel nothing, Gaius Prospero. This will be my punishment for your presumption.”
“Show me!” His voice grated harshly. Suddenly he was naked and vulnerable to her. He felt her hands on him, stroking his nakedness, fondling his love rod, cupping his seed sacs in the warmth of her palm. He felt the full swell of her beautiful breasts against him; her hard nipples pushing into his chest. Felt the press of her body against his body. Yet he could not move. He was drowning in sensation as he felt her tongue licking every inch of him, sucking upon his nipples, his rod. He tasted her nipples in his mouth, and he sucked hungrily aching as his need rose like a fever within him. He felt himself being sheathed within the hot swamp of her. Gaius Prospero moaned with his desperation, for while he felt everything a man would feel while taking pleasures with a woman, Lara stood directly before him, a cold smile upon her lips. Helplessly he savored love’s rhythm as its tempo increased with each stroke of his manhood. His eyes closed with the incredible pleasure he was experiencing. Again and again he thrust, and thrust, and thrust until his crisis could not be denied. It was perfect. And then he felt himself spilling his seed in great spurts that seemed endless. He groaned, for it was almost painful. Finally it was over, and he opened his eyes to find Lara was gone. He was alone. He was fully clothed, and the front of his long tunic was soaked with the remnants of his lust. Gaius Prospero collapsed onto the marble floor sobbing.
What had he done? Her faerie magic had offered him paradise only to snatch it away. She would pay for her cruelty, he vowed. She would pay! And one day he would put her beneath him, and know in reality the bliss she had shown him this night within his mind. She would give him the pleasures he wanted from her, or he would kill her. Gaius Prospero slowly began to regain control of himself. Pulling himself into a seated position he considered the possibility of sending his guards to the inn where she stayed, arresting her and having her husband slain.
No. Her faerie power was too strong now. He would be patient, and he would find a way to destroy her power. Then he would seek out this Terah and conquer it. She would be his slave once again, and he would make her watch while he had her husband tortured and killed before her beautiful green eyes. Gaius Prospero smiled to himself. If she had daughters, he would give them to his Mercenaries and make her watch while they were violated. He would neuter her sons. And then he would bring her back to Hetar to serve him for all of her days. Faerie women lived long lives. Gaius Prospero climbed to his feet, and walked slowly from the chamber, his thoughts of revenge warming him.
Lara had watched him from behind her cloak of invisibility as he recovered himself. She sensed the darkness within and surrounding Gaius Prospero. He had always been her enemy, she knew, and now he knew it, as well. But he was unlikely to find Terah soon without help. She was weary with her efforts to punish him, and with her remaining strength she transported herself back to their room at the inn.
“I was growing worried,” Magnus said, coming to put his arms about her. “You are cold, my faerie love. What has happened? What did Gaius Prospero want?”
“Me,” Lara told him. “He wants me to be his empress,” she said. “I punished him for his presumption.” Her legs gave out beneath her.
“I will put you to bed,” he said.
“Nay, we are no longer safe here,” Lara replied. “Gaius Prospero can be unpredictable when denied. I have not the strength to take us away right now. We must leave the inn, however, and ask refuge of the Shadow Princes in the Council Quarter. In the morning my full strength will have returned.”
“What did you do, Lara?” he asked her warily.
She laughed weakly. “I will tell you when I feel we are safe,” she said. “Put me down, Magnus. I can stand now.”
He set her on her feet and fetched their cloaks. Putting them on they left several large coins upon the table for the innkeeper. Andraste still on her back, Lara took Verica from the corner and they slipped from the chamber, down the darkened corridor and out onto the busy street. It seemed, Lara noted, that the City was never silent for even a few hours anymore. Across the thoroughfare the gates to the Council Quarter were already closed. A single guard slept on a stool nearby. Lara put a gentle hand on the man, and he sunk into a deeper sleep. She raised her hand to the gates, and they opened wide enough so she and Magnus could slip through. Then they closed again, and Magnus heard the click of the gates’ locks behind them.
“I thought you had no powers left,” he said to his wife.
“I am drained, but not completely,” she told him as she led him into the building housing the province representatives of the High Council. “The Shadow Princes live on the top floor,” she said as they began to climb the central staircase. Reaching the top of the building Lara knocked upon the door. It opened.
“Lothair!” she exclaimed. “Magnus, this is Lothair who was one of my teachers. He taught me how to fight!”
“I had heard you were in the City,” Lothair said ushering them into his quarters, “but I had not expected to see you.”
“Offer us some wine, and I will tell you everything,” Lara said.
“Your companion?” Lothair pressed gently.
“Oh.” Lara flushed with her embarrassment. “Lothair, this is my husband, Magnus Hauk, the Dominus of Terah.”
The two men shook hands, each giving the other an amused look. The Shadow Prince settled them in a comfortable room overlooking the gardens below. He brought the wine, and sat down with them. “Tell me,” he said.
Lara related the visit to the City. “I’m sure Kaliq has told you everything else,” she said, and he nodded.
“So the emperor asked to see you tonight?”
“Aye. He declared he wanted me as his empress. That he would give me power such as I had never had.” She laughed, continuing her tale. When she reached the point where she told them of the illusion she had given Gaius Prospero both men looked disturbed. “What is the matter?” she asked them.
“Until now you have used your growing powers wisely,” Lothair said. “Tonight, however, you were possessed by the tiny streak of wickedness that lives in all those with faerie blood. You were cruel, and cruelty is a language the emperor understands all too well. He will want to repay your cruelty in kind. You have made an enemy of Gaius Prospero when you did not have to make an enemy of him at all.”
“He offended me,” Lara said coldly.
“He offends most people,” Lothair replied, “but they do not give him the illusion that he is experiencing sexual pleasure and intense gratification only to find himself on the floor with seed-spattered garments, Lara.”
“He had the choice to refuse me,” she said stubbornly. “I warned him he would never know pleasures again with other women if he took the path he took.”
“The fool lusts after you,” Lothair answered her. “Of course he would take the path you offered him.” He laughed. “It really was most inventive and wicked of you.”
“I do not find it amusing at all,” Magnus said stiffly. “It disturbs me to learn that Gaius Prospero believes he has known my wife.”
“Magnus!” Lara cried. “He was across the room from me the whole interview. He never even touched my hand. He knows nothing of me. He only believes he does. But do not all men imagine what pleasures would be like with women they desire?”
“You are my wife. You are the Domina of Terah,” Magnus Hauk said icily.
“You are being childish,” Lara told him.
“And you were wanton,” he snapped.
“Next you will say it is my faerie blood. That all faeries are licentious,” Lara said.
The Shadow Prince quickly froze the scene in place before Magnus Hauk might say something he was going to very much regret. The poor man was hopelessly in love with his wife, and mortals had the ability to ruin their own happiness when their foolish tongues ran away with them. “Lara,” he said to her knowing only she could hear him. “Apologize to your husband before this quarrel escalates into something dangerous. What you did was amusing to those of us with magical powers, but your husband cannot understand the humor in it. It was also witless. You have now made this Hetarian emperor an enemy. Gaius Prospero is not a man to forget an insult.
“He will not be content until he finds Terah now. Would it not have been simpler to kill him?” Lothair concluded dryly.
Tears filled her eyes, and he released her from the quick spell. “I have acted stupidly, but when I saw that creature who once sold me into slavery, the lust so open in his eyes, I could not help myself, Lothair.”
“Apologize to your husband, and end this discord between you, Lara. We will need him again one day. He has done us a great service by taking in the Outlands clan families,” Lothair said quietly. “Magnus Hauk loves you, Lara. It is a pure and true love. Do not, in your pride, fling such a gift away.”
“Erase his memory of what came after he said I was his wife, and Domina of Terah,” she requested. “I will apologize, and my faerie blood will not be in question.”
“It is done,” Lothair told her.
“You are my wife, and Domina of Terah,” Magnus said icily.
“You are right, my lord husband,” Lara replied. “I acted foolishly, and I regret it.”
Magnus put his arms about her. “Lara, my faerie love, it is forgotten, and you will forgive my jealousy, will you not?”
“Your jealousy is rather flattering,” Lara murmured, looking over her husband’s shoulder at Lothair, who shook a playful finger at her.
Then the Shadow Prince said, “I think you will both be safer if I send you to Kaliq’s palace in our desert realm. If the emperor sends to the inn and you are found gone he will assume your faerie power took you both away. No one saw you leave?”
A Distant Tomorrow Page 37