****
“Lira? Are you ready to leave?” Kamen's voice roused Ajalira from her work, and she looked up at him and smiled.
“Very nearly.” She fidgeted, the plug in her ass still maddening her with desire.
But Kamen was no longer listening. Instead, he was staring at her and her work. “I didn't think you would be all the way in here. Or working on that.” He gestured to the enormous X where she had so recently been bound and at his mercy.
Ajalira laughed. “This room is one of my favorites in the house, and after what you did to me earlier—” Here she patted the curve of her ass. “I could not think of going anywhere else.”
“We don't have time to play here, Lira,” said Kamen, pulling her up and kissing her roughly. “Not before the King's supper at any rate.”
“I know, but since you refused to touch me before, I had to do something with my hands.” She slipped out of his arms and showed him the neat little contraption she had added to his X. “You see, my love, you have but two hands, and sometimes they are both … occupied.”
Kamen chuckled, and the sound sent a thrill through Ajalira all the way to her drenched pussy. “So what have you designed to remedy my lack of extra hands?”
Ajalira bent forward, purposely giving Kamen a view of her ass as she tightened the last bolt. Then she flipped up the ribbed, brass dildo she had found among Kamen's toys. “I have welded it onto these little gears here, and run those down to these pistons.” She showed him the lines, running all the way to a pedal on the floor. “You can pump this with your foot, leaving both your hands free for other forms of discipline.” She smiled saucily.
“Is it intended for your pussy or your naughty little ass?” asked Kamen, running his hand along her flank, skimming her hips.
“Either,” said Ajalira. “It is adjustable.” She showed him the two different heights at which the dildo could be set.
“I didn't know you were such an inventor.” Kamen's murmur at her throat caused Ajalira's pulse to race.
“It is a trait common to all Ausir,” said Ajalira. “But I have not had cause to design anything before. Not until I came to you.” She leaned up and kissed his mouth, and he responded by grabbing her hips and crushing her against his throbbing phallus.
“And after coming to me, coming for me, your mind has turned to means of discipline.” Kamen's lips pressed against her throat in a bruising kiss.
“I am such a bad concubine that I thought it best to be prepared.” Ajalira slid her hands under Kamen's skirt to feel the thick heaviness of his cock in her hands.
A sudden slap on her ass caused her to jolt, and she moaned.
“The naughtiest concubine in Arinport.”
****
Lying in bed, Ajalira stretched. Her ass and pussy both tingled. The plug was out now, but Kamen had told her that he would use it again if he found her troublesome. She smiled. She would have to find some way to be “troublesome” today, maybe even troublesome enough to get strapped to his X.
Ajalira found that more difficult than she had expected, however, for the return of the Kimereth ambassador disturbed both Kamen's and her plans for the day.
“I bring word from Lord Ansim Kimereth.”
Ajalira interpreted, leaning down toward Kamen's ear to speak. As she did so, she noted that the Seranimesti Lord was listening intently. He was just outside the King's audience chamber, but he could, Ajalira knew, hear from that distance.
“And what does Lord Kimereth say to my offer?” Kamen's face was serene, his eyes as calm as pools of pitch.
“Your generosity pleases my lord, and Lord Kimereth will be pleased to host Your Grace and Lord Seranimesti at the Kimereth estates.”
Ajalira noted the stiffening of the posture of the Seranimesti Lord, and she whispered that to Kamen as she interpreted the ambassador's words.
“I would be upset, too.” Kamen smiled slightly. “I must regretfully decline the Kimereth's invitation to host. I will choose a neutral location. Here?”
“The Seranimesti will not agree,” said Ajalira, even before she interpreted. “They are much farther north than the Kimereth. They will assume that, even if you intend to be impartial, the sheer proximity of the Kimereth, including their later ability to trade as well as their more present naval power, will unduly influence your choice.”
Kamen's expression did not alter as she spoke, but his eyes flashed with the last thing Ajalira would have expected—admiration. “You'll have to tell me more of this afterward, but do not even suggest Arinport then. It will be better if I show them that, thanks to my lovely concubine, I have anticipated their objections. Name Godswatch as the location.”
Ajalira nearly burst with pride that Kamen so completely trusted her judgment. “His Grace says that he will receive your delegations, hear your arguments, and arbitrate your dispute. In Godswatch.”
The Seranimesti Lord strode forward as she was speaking, but when she named the location, Lord Tivanel Seranimesti stopped still.
“Is there some objection, my lord?” Ajalira smiled at the lord who, she knew, despised her for what he considered her misplaced arrogance.
“No.” The Seranimesti almost stumbled over the word.
“The Kimereth have no objection to Godswatch, either.” The ambassador's shock was as visible as the Seranimesti's.
“What?” Kamen raised his hands innocently as Ajalira interpreted. “Do you think that the Sunjaa do not foresee your difficulties?”
“How quickly can your lord be in Godswatch?” The Seranimesti addressed the ambassador directly, but Ajalira continued to speak low in Kamen's ear.
“He will be there when it pleases the Regent.”
“He must actually be in the north then.” Kamen nodded as Ajalira whispered to him.
“Yes, he must be closer to Godswatch than we are now, or he would not be able to arrive in time, allowing time for the message to reach him.” Kamen's eyes were full of pride.
“In ten days I will hear your cases.” Kamen rose. “Prepare your arguments, and have your statements ready for me then. Now I must set my own house in order before putting the Ausir to rights.”
The Seranimesti and the Kimereth ambassador both bowed as Ajalira gave Kamen's order to them, but she saw how the Seranimesti, in particular, chafed at the command in Kamen's tone.
“And do not, Lord Seranimesti,” said Ajalira, catching Kamen's eye, “think for a moment that the Regent is unaware of your pride. It is not his intention to insult you, but when you sue for his wisdom, he shares it at his own pleasure.”
Lord Seranimesti bowed again, but his green eyes shone with fury.
“And what has my Lira done now?” Kamen shook his head as they withdrew to a smaller receiving chamber. “What insult have you given my King's guests now?”
Ajalira bowed her head, fixing her gaze on Kamen's white linen skirt. “I told him not to be insulted at your commands, for you share your wisdom with them at their request and your own pleasure.”
Kamen laughed, and Ajalira caught the twitch of his cock beneath his skirt. “Always being saucy. At this rate, you will spend the entire voyage being disciplined!” He kissed her brow. “But how did you know that the Seranimesti would insist on a location other than Arinport? I mean, I understand why. What I want to know is how you figured it out.”
“I was trained in observation,” said Ajalira, a blush staining her cheeks. “I was a Lotus once, you know. It is only that I could not do anything while I was not my own.” She smiled. “Now, of course, I am yours, and that makes me more myself than ever before.”
Kamen's lips wandered from her brow to her lips.
“Your Grace?”
Ajalira stiffened and reached out to put her arms around Kamen's waist.
“Yes, Lotus?” Kamen draped an arm around Ajalira's shoulders as he turned to face Saerileth.
“Presumably, you will be sailing in the Aramina, but my master suggests that you take a guard of four ships with
you.”
Kamen smiled. “I had intended only two, but I will have the Lord Admiral bring up half the fleet with Mirsa's Crown on the tide following mine.”
Saerileth nodded. “Yes, Your Grace.”
“And I want you to choose the two most trustworthy Lotuses to bring with us.” Kamen ran his hands over Ajalira's horns as he spoke.
“The loyalty of any Lotus can be bought,” said Saerileth mildly.
“Except yours.” Kamen chuckled, but Ajalira felt a stab of jealousy. She knew that Kamen did not consider her a Lotus, but that was not what hurt her. No, it was the camaraderie with Saerileth, the easy trust between the two of them that was like a knife in Ajalira's belly.
“My master has my loyalty,” said Saerileth, and Ajalira felt the Lotus's gaze resting on her. “He only.”
Kamen shook his head. “Well, choose two Lotuses and 'procure' their loyalty. I will have them sail on the other ships while you sail with me and my lady on the Aramina.”
“Yes, Your Grace.” Saerileth bowed, Zenji-fashion, and left.
“Why Lotuses?” asked Ajalira. She could not keep the unsteadiness from her voice.
“I will need spies, my love.” Kamen traced up the tall point of her ear. “And not ones known to be loyal to me.”
Ajalira smiled. “My loyalty is not for sale, either. It belongs to Lord Kamen Itenu from now until my last day.”
She did not understand why Kamen suddenly attacked her mouth again, but she did not question her good fortune.
****
The deck of the Aramina rolled beneath Ajalira's feet, and she had to lean on Kamen for support. He, on the other hand, was as steady as in the Sunjaa throne room.
“I was a sailor before I became Regent.” Kamen winked at her. “So I have heard that the Ausir call this sea the 'Aras Arlluvia'.” He pointed out across the purpling water. “We call it the Meshkenet Sea.”
“Meshkenet Sea.” Ajalira turned the name over in her mouth. “Did the Sunjaa name it for the same Meshken whom Aren wrote about?”
“Yes.” Kamen pressed her closer against his side. “Sometimes I forget how well you know Sunjaa culture.”
“Because I am so Tamari?” Ajalira shrugged. “According to Aren, who is admittedly a poet, Meshken drowned in this sea.”
“Yes. He had grown old sailing, and it was he who led the Sunjaa into the west back in the deeps of time. He wanted to die as he had lived, in the water.”
“It is because of tales like this that I feel more like a Sunjaa than I ever felt like a Lotus.” Ajalira could understand Meshken's desire to die in the arms of his conquered foe, the sea.
“And what is the tale behind 'Aras Arlluvia'?” asked Kamen.
Ajalira laughed. “The Ausir came east this far, having originated in the uttermost west. When they first saw this sea the sun was rising over it—”
“Does the name mean 'Dawn Sea'?” Kamen rolled his eyes.
“Yes.”
“And it doesn't matter that now the Ausir live east of the sea, and the sun sets there, not rises.”
“Ausir are a prosaic people.”
“Will it please Your Grace to come below decks?” The bearer of the message was not the Sunjaa sailor Ajalira had expected, but rather a sun-darkened Fihdal or Vadal man. She looked around for Saerileth. There was something amiss here.
“Come, Lira.” Kamen helped her toward the ladder that led to the mess hall.
“Where is the Lotus Saerileth?” Ajalira asked the young man. “And why do you sail on a Sunjaa ship? You are not Sunjaa.”
“I'm Vadal, my Lady.” The young sailor flashed a grin at her. “Where else am I to sail but on a Sunjaa ship?”
Kamen looked at Ajalira, obviously puzzled. “What's wrong?”
“I did not see this man when you brought me from the Dimadan, and we were then on the Aramina.”
Kamen's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly, and Ajalira felt the slightest pressure on her arm where he held it. “It's nothing, Lira. Ships change their crews sometimes.”
She knew that Kamen understood her disquiet, and he trusted her instincts. She did not want to speak so openly before the strange man as to reveal that she heard Fihdal accents, not Vadal, on his speech. Though the language was the same, the accent was different, and it showed through even when speaking Sunjaa, as the man had.
Kamen climbed down the ladder first, and as soon as his head was below the deck, the Fihdal sailor closed the hatch, separating Ajalira from Kamen.
Ajalira, however, would not allow that. She was, she knew, abnormally strong, and though she had never mastered the Lotus Forms, she was quite good with a blade. She drew the dagger that Kamen had given her, and its aquamarines flashed in the moonslight. The sailor lunged at her, and she heard the sounds of struggle below the deck. Fury filled her, and as the sailor came at her, she stood her ground, despite the rolling of the deck. He did not reach her, though. Ajalira dropped to one knee and lashed out low, severing the tendons in the sailor's ankle just as his hands closed over where she had been standing. She rose and slit his throat, then darted to the hatch. She lifted it and dropped down inside, ignoring the ladder.
Her wordless Tamari battle cry filled the hold, and Ajalira saw at once that two men were on Kamen, who fought against them valiantly despite the fact that his left arm hung useless at his side. Ajalira screamed again and leaped onto one of Kamen's enemies, pulling his head back by the hair. His throat was bared with the motion, and Ajalira slit it quickly, just as Kamen broke the neck of the other. At that moment Saerileth rushed out into the hallway, spattered with blood.
“Thank Abrexa!” Saerileth showed more emotion than Ajalira had ever seen in her. “My master would have been furious if I had let you die.”
“Where were you?” Ajalira did not realize until she saw Kamen's blank stare that she had spoken in Ausir.
“Killing the six men assigned to take me down.” Saerileth's discomposure was already gone.
A slight grunt from Kamen drew Ajalira's attention, and she forgot Saerileth's existence. A small dart was embedded in Kamen's shoulder.
“Poison.” Saerileth spoke matter-of-factly. “But not deadly.”
“Why not?” asked Kamen. Ajalira pulled the dart from his shoulder and placed her lips over the wound.
“Unless one is quite skilled in assassination, deadly poisons can kill the assassin as easily as the target,” said Saerileth.
“Lira?” Kamen reached over with his good hand to caress her hair. “You don't have to—”
Ajalira, her mouth full of the venom she was sucking out, could not answer, but Saerileth patted her shoulder.
“You have a loyal and loving concubine, Your Grace.” Saerileth smiled as Ajalira spat out the first mouthful of venom. “I found most of the crew drugged below decks. We should be able to get underway again in a couple of hours. I will just drop anchor until then.” She glided away, and for the first time, Ajalira did not hate her.
Chapter Twelve
Godswatch was nothing like Arinport. It was cold, and even the sea looked different, darker and more menacing. When Kamen came above decks to view the approach into the harbor, he had to have a slave go fetch him a shirt. Fog lay over the city, and Kamen shivered at the sight. There would be no bare-chested guards to greet them, only chain hauberks, helmets, and steel boots, armor that would do more harm to a man than good in the desert. Like the delta of the Sweetwater, the hinterland of Godswatch was green, though the trees that grew there were either tall and pointed or fat, sprawling things, nothing like the olive, fig, or palm trees of Arinport.
Ajalira slipped her arms around Kamen's waist, hugging him from behind. "This is nothing, my love. We Tamari come from lands far north even from here, barren wastes of snow where the ground lies frozen even in summer."
Kamen shook his head. "Not a place fit for habitation. Why did your people go there?"
"Ellon Tamar, our great leader, led my people there centuries ago in protest against h
is cousin whom he thought had wronged his nation. That created the schism of the Ausir, and Ellon would not live anywhere near those he considered dishonorable. He was a soldier, bred for battle, and he lived for a challenge. And so he led his Tamari—for that is what he called his brave, fighting men—north and north until they crossed the Vise and settled in Icedeep."
"Tamari, eh?" Kamen turned around and hugged Ajalira back. "They took his surname name, then?"
Ajalira shook her head and leaned up to kiss Kamen's lips. "Tamar was not Ellon's name. He was Khajira, of royal blood and cousin to the King. 'Tamar' was what his men called him after he had bathed in the blood of his slain Nohr foes."
"What does it mean?"
"'Savage'."
"And so your people are known as 'the Savages'?"
Ajalira nodded, her lips curling into a wry smile. Kamen did not even have to say how silly he thought that was. "So, Ellon left on a point of honor alone? How much you must be like him."
Ajalira smoothed back Kamen's mass of dreadlocks. "You are kind to say so. There is no higher praise for a Tamari."
"I cannot praise you too highly." Kamen pulled her in tightly just as the sailor at the bow blew his fog horn.
They sailed straight into the harbor to find Seranimesti and Kimereth ships already there. The red rose and the silver fish flew from their tall masts, fluttering in the sea breeze. When they docked, Kamen found not only pale-skinned guards native to the city waiting for him but also delegations from the Seranimesti and the Kimereth.
Everyone jostled for position to get near the Regent, all vying for the opportunity to escort him to the festhall.
****
"Are you ready?" Kamen walked up behind Ajalira who sat at her dressing table. He looked at her reflection in the remarkably clear mirror. "This place is opulent."
A Lotus for the Regent Page 14