Oathbound: The Emperor's Conscience, Book 2

by Michael Combs

  “What’s your name, son?” I asked.

  “Willem, sir,” he said shyly. He seemed nervous talking to me, but he did glance at me when he spoke. I imagined he was chased often by men thinking he was going to steal. They were likely right. His bare, dirty toes scrunched into the thick carpets just as they had in the mouth of that alley. I wondered if he had ever walked on carpets so lush before.

  “Tell you what. Nan says you can’t work here, and she’s the boss.” Willem’s head dropped again, and he fidgeted. “But perhaps she could be talked into taking you back to the kitchens to get you a proper meal. I’ll let you in on a secret.” I leaned forward and cupped my hand beside my mouth. “Nan makes the best sweetcakes in all of Trular.” Willem’s eyes widened. “Maybe even the best everywhere.”

  Nan’s back straightened. “I’ll challenge anyone to find better,” she said with a wink. “Come, young man. We’ll just see how good they are, shall we?” She looked at me then and lowered her voice. “You have an idea. What are you thinking?”

  “I heard of someone who might be able to help Willem,” I said. “I don’t know yet, though. I’ll go now and check it out. Keep him here until I return. If he scurries off, we may never find him again.”

  “If I feed him, he may never leave,” Nan chuckled.

  “Shani, would you like to join me?” She had been watching the boy retreat down the hallway with Nan. She had a sad look on her face. “Shani?”

  She jumped. “Yes. Yes, I’ll go.” She started for the door.

  “It’s a long walk,” I said, looking at her slippered feet. “Would you like better shoes? I was told that what I’m looking for is just outside the city.”

  “I need to get out of here for a while,” she said. “Besides, if my feet hurt, you can carry me.”

  “You can ride on my shoulders.”

  “You just want my legs around your neck.”

  “There is that,” I said with a grin.

  We walked in silence for several blocks. We were lost in our own thoughts, and I believed I knew where Shani’s lay. I was wrong.

  “So,” she began. “You and Oni? I didn’t expect that.”

  “She tried to bully me. Historically, I don’t react well to bullies.”

  “It didn’t look like she was the one bullying.”

  “I merely called her bluff,” I said. “She’s been teasing me since you all told her about my choice in nightwear.”

  Shani halted and grabbed my arm. “Oh, no.” She shook her head vigorously. “Oni doesn’t bluff.”

  “I know that, now.” I laughed. “That’s what I like about her. She wears her emotions for everyone to see and doesn’t care how they feel about them. She is brazen, bold. It’s very sexy.”

  She was quiet for a time, thoughtful. “You said once that we were all your type, and that we were too good for you. What did you mean by that?”

  “I meant what I said. I find every girl in The Pearl unreasonably attractive, and for very different reasons for each.”

  “Alright then,” Shani said as we continued toward the edge of the city, “what is it about Kitty that you find so attractive?”

  “She needs spectacles.”

  “What? How is that sexy?” Shani asked incredulously.

  “She squints. It’s cute. It’s because she reads constantly. Have you noticed that she speaks with very common phrasing? That’s an act. She is actually quite literate. When she is not working, she is curled up in that mammoth robe of hers reading and drinking coffee.”

  Shani looked at me askance. “There is a scholar that comes in sometimes and pays her in books. You picked up on that?”

  I nodded. “He’s a professor at the college. Teaches ancient philosophies, I think.” Shani looked at me with new eyes. I took the expression to mean she didn’t believe me. “Think I’m lying? Ask her sometime her opinions on the moral dilemma of prostitution. Pour your wine first, though, you’ll be there for a while.” I smiled. “Kitty is deceptively intelligent. She hides it well. It makes me want to unwrap her and find out who she really is.”

  I went on about the rest of the girls. For each, I listed those characteristics that I found irresistible. When I had gotten to the end of the list, Shani asked me. “And the guys?”

  I shrugged. “Not really my thing. I assess all people as threats, then I look at the women more closely, to be honest. Men never make it past the threat assessment with me.”

  “What did your assessment tell you?” she asked.

  “They are certainly no threat. They look strong, but they are too pretty to have any martial skill.” Then I laughed, recalling my early days at The Pearl.

  “Gorge, on the other hand...” I started.

  “Are you telling me Gorge is a threat?” Shani said with a smirk.

  “No, although he could be with some training.” I chuckled again. “I think I had been working as security for two or three nights. Gorge was supposed to be off, but I was told I would meet him soon enough. Anyway, as I walk through the salon, I see heels that lead to stockings, that lead to a really nice ass.” I laughed again. “I thought to myself that we had gotten a new girl, or it was someone I hadn’t met yet, but I was sure I had met everyone by then.”

  “Then what happened?” Shani grabbed my arm, hanging on my words.

  “Then Gorge turned around, and his pecker was hanging just below the hem of a skirt that was perfectly too short to be seen in a brothel.”

  Shani’s hands flew to her mouth, and she spoke through her fingers. “What did you do?”

  I shrugged. “What could I do? I wiped the drool from my chin and carried on about my day. I didn’t look him in the eye for a week.”

  We both laughed at that. Shani had to stop and rest her hands on her knees to keep from hyperventilating.

  “I’m telling Gorge you think he has a nice ass,” Shani said at last, then burst into giggles.

  “Too late. I already did,” I said with a broad grin.

  “What?”

  I nodded. “Me and the guys were playing cards after work one night. Gorge had just cleaned me out. We were drunk as badgers and looking for a fight when I accused him of cheating.”

  “Oh, you hadn’t yet learned not to play cards with Gorge?”

  “No, I hadn't. No one had filled me in on that little bit of information. Anyway, we were arguing, and it was about to come to blows. Then I told him my story.”

  “What happened?”

  “Took the fight right out of him,” I said with a swipe of my hand. “We had a laugh and we’ve been friends ever since.”

  “He’s a good man,” Shani said. I nodded my heartfelt agreement.

  “You mentioned everyone and what attracts you to them. You didn’t mention me. Don’t you find me attractive, Evan?” Her tone suggested she was laying out obvious bait. But I decided to take it. There was no truthful answer to that question that didn’t involve a compliment anyway.

  “I do. I have since I first laid eyes on you,” I said. “When I first arrived, it was a real struggle not to reach for my purse on my days off.”

  Shani looked at me curiously. “I’ve wondered about that. You haven’t patronized any of the girls since you came here, at least until you stopped working security. I still haven’t figured that one out, to be honest. Why not?”

  “Don’t fuck the help,” I quoted by reflex.

  Shani thrust her hands to her hips. “Excuse me? I don’t work for you.”

  “It was something Master Brenn used to say,” I said with a chuckle. “He was my trainer with the Guardians. I think it was supposed to be a warning against fraternization within the ranks, but I took it on as a personal rule. It seemed like good advice. The way I saw it, if I kept from soliciting the people I was supposed to protect, they could look at me as someone they could always come to, no matter what, and with no expectation other than that I would protect them.”

  Shani looked thoughtful for a moment, then let her hands fall to her
sides. “I guess that makes sense,” she said sullenly. “So, what is it then? About me?” We had passed the city gate and onto the road leading into the countryside beyond the city proper.

  “You’re innocent,” I said.

  She snorted.

  “You know my story. You know what I do for a living. You know better.”

  “That is but a type of innocence, Shani,” I said. “There are many others.”

  “What do you mean, then?”

  “You see the world around you and are not afraid to confront it for what it is,” I said. “You taught me to see it too and for that I am both grateful and resentful. Your innocence, however, has nothing to do with what happened to you all those years ago, or what you have done in the meantime to survive, and even build a good life for yourself. And yes, I would call it a good life.”

  Shani eyed me warily as though she were waiting for me to deliver harsh news. I hoped she would not think that what I had to say was unkind, but she’d asked, and I owed her my honest opinion.

  Never leave anyone wondering what you think of them, son, unless you are trying to deceive them, Uncle Tamil told me once. He was drunk when he said it. We were sitting in one of the little shrines in the Grand Temple. He had a faraway look about him, and I didn’t understand at the time what he meant.

  I do now, I thought.

  I was not trying to deceive Shani. Far from it. I was trying to explain to her why I loved her. Though I was doing a poor job of it.

  “But that in itself is not innocence.” I said, “Your innocence lies in your contradictory nature. You are not innocent in the way the world comprehends it—you are innocent because you still, after all you have been through, believe in hope. That is the most beautiful thing in the world. Yours is the kind of innocence that I want to protect from all harm.”

  “I understand what you’re saying, but I don’t see how that means I am innocent.”

  “Then answer me this,” I said. “Why did you suffer the baker’s touch?”

  Shani’s eyes grew hard as stone. “Is that what this is about? It was my job, Evan. You know what I do for a living.”

  “I don’t care what you do for a living, Shani. If you haven’t noticed, you and I have the same job description lately. But you didn’t answer my question. Why did you suffer the baker’s touch?”

  “Because I could take it!” Shani spat as the words caught in her throat. Then she sobbed. “I knew that if I did it, then poor Willem wouldn’t have to.”

  “There,” I said, pointing a finger at her. “There it is. That is what I find most attractive about you.”

  “What?” She wiped at her reddening nose.

  “Your innocence. It lies in your strength. You believe that if you are strong enough, and take the burdens of the world onto yourself, then you can spare others. Shani, if that isn’t innocence, I have never seen it.”

  “But he’s dead!” Shani screamed. “I tried to help by giving that little boy food. I even made sure to attract that horrible man to get him to leave the child alone. But the baker’s dead now and I can’t help him anymore.” Tears streamed down Shani’s face and she looked on the verge of hysteria. “I can’t help him anymore and now what is he going to do?” She threw up her hands. “He has a name now, Evan. Willem. That’s his name, damn you.”

  I made my decision, for right or wrong. “Come,” I said and turned off the road. We had walked a fair distance from the city and were surrounded by orchards. Trees in neat rows lined the road, and fruit hung heavy on the late summer branches. It was near harvest time, and the nights were turning cooler. The road was deserted, and the orchards were more deserted still. I walked into the trees.

  “Where are you going?” Shani was still visibly upset, but my abrupt change in course shook her from her rampage.

  “I need to show you something,” I said. Shani, still wanting to be mad but now shocked, reverted to what she knew, flirtation.

  “I’ve seen it. Besides, couldn’t you have done that at home?” she called as she stepped between two pear trees. “It is the place for such things, you know.”

  We walked until we couldn’t see the road. Even if someone had been watching, they would have seen a young couple heading into the trees for a tryst, perhaps. It was common enough this close to the city.

  “What?” Shani called as she stopped. “What is it, Evan?”

  “I want you to promise me you won’t scream or run away,” I said.

  “I am really not in the mood,” Shani said with a sigh.

  “That’s not what I wanted to show you,” I said, and I dropped to shadow. My clothes fell to the ground, and I emerged, fully Aspected.

  I did not get the reaction I had expected. Shock or fear I could have understood. Instead, Shani flew at me.

  I retreated several steps, but she came on. She balled her fists and pounded them against my chest, tears and curses falling from her face in equal measure.

  “Why didn’t you come for me?” Shani screamed as she struck me again and again. “I prayed! I begged! Do you have any idea what he did to me?”

  I wrapped Shani in a hug and held her against me. Her flailing slowed and she sobbed into my stomach. She was so tiny. In her current state, and compared with my Aspected form, she looked very much like the helpless child she was no doubt remembering. My heart broke for her. I couldn’t fix that. I would have if I could. I would have butchered anyone if it would take her pain. But this was not an enemy I could fight, and I so needed an enemy I could fight right now. It was a long time before her crying slowed. It was longer still before she pulled away and looked up into my silver eyes.

  “You killed him. You are the Andvari,” she said.

  “No. I am not. But I did kill him, and I would do it again.” My voice came from all around her, and she staggered back and cast about as though trying to detect the source. I subdued my Aspect and gathered up my clothes to dress.

  “I wish I could do that,” Shani said with a pout as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.

  “Do what?” I asked.

  “If I could just step out of my clothes, I could make a fortune,” she said with a sniff and a giggle.

  I couldn’t help but laugh, too. “You can practice on me, if you want.” I hoped the light banter would ease her mood. She was calmer now, but I knew her well enough to know that a good portion of that was an act.

  “You mentioned the Andvari earlier. I’ve never heard of it. What is it?” I asked.

  She huffed. “Tales of the Andvari are told to children by their nannies and parents. The stories differ. Some say that the Andvari can’t tolerate the suffering of children and will deliver them in their greatest need. Others say he will eat up children who misbehave or don’t go to bed when told. Both are lies.”

  She fell into a somber silence, and I left her to her thoughts.

  Humble Beginnings

  “You know Oni won’t give up, right?” Shani said. We had returned to the road from the orchard and been walking for near half a mark.

  “Does that bother you?” I asked.

  “Are you kidding? I want to watch. I’ll get Kitty and we can drink wine while you and Oni show each other what’s what. We might even offer pointers.”

  “I never thought I would say this, but that’s a real turn on,” I said.

  Shani giggled.

  “You mentioned all the things that attract you to us, but you never once mentioned what we look like.”

  “That’s because it doesn’t matter,” I said. “Women look how they look. Women are beautiful.”

  “You believe that, don’t you?” Shani asked. “You said once that ‘all women are Ladies if one has but eyes to see.’ That makes sense now. I thought it was just some line.”

  “It is a line,” I admitted. “It is also true. It is the truest thing I know about women, though I admit I know little.”

  “You seem to do pretty well now that you aren’t working security.” Shani grinned.

&nb
sp; I smiled, and looking into her sea-green eyes, I knew.

  “I credit my success to your lessons,” I said. “But the truth is…The others? They are alluring and beautiful and I could be with them, gratefully enjoy my time with them, and then leave them. But you? No. I would not want that. I would keep you, Shani. I would love you. I do love you.”

  Shani smiled sweetly and placed her hand on my cheek. It was just a moment, but it was our moment. Then it passed. She straightened and nodded down the road and we continued.

  “What is it? The ‘Aspect’ as you called it?” Shani said.

  “It is a part of me. It is tied into my magic, tied by my magic, if the Priests are right. I have to keep it under control or it can get loose. It’s aggressive, violent. It needs to hunt, to stalk. It feeds on the souls of the dead and it is always so damned hungry.”

  “I am sorry. It must be terrible,” she said.

  “At first, I thought it was. There came a point, though, where I had to decide to accept it. I don’t think the decision much mattered, to be honest. It is part of me. I had to learn to live with it regardless. It is taxing at times. I can feel it inside me. It is like it is trying to talk to me, or escape, or both. There are times when I can almost hear it. But no matter how close I listen, its voice is just at the edge of my senses.”

  “It sounds like more of a burden than anything.”

  “It is useful,” I said. “The way I see it, it is a tool. It is a tool that I am going to use to get to the Mata.”

  “By scaring her to death?” Shani asked.

  I chuckled and told her my plan.

  By the time I was finished, Shani was looking at me as though I had lost my mind.

  “You’re going to get us all killed,” she said. “Does Nan know about this?”

  “She knows some of it.”

  “Does she even know about this Aspect?”

  “No. She does know I was trained as a Guardian. She figured that out when I fought the assassin. She hasn’t seen my Aspect.”

  “Do you want me to keep this from her? She is risking everything on a crazy plan that she can’t even begin to understand. Do you know what it is like to place such trust in someone?”