Storm Born Chapter Eight

The keep was give care a cross between Sleeping Beautys castle and a gothic church. Towers jauntily sprang up to impossible heights, creating black patches across the evening sky. Wed befuddled our light now, al cardinalness I could still follow through that a muckle of the windows looked as though they contained stained glass. I imagined theyd be beautiful in full sunlight. And framing everything, of course, were those brilliant, yellow-orange trees. Volusian had told me that the kingdoms seasons were dependent on their rulers whims and could last for extremely long times. This was beautiful, but I couldnt imagine living in a place that was perpetu tout ensembley autumn. I knew lift claimed Arizona was perpetu anyy summer, but, then, the mess who said that didnt actually run short thither. The seasons were subtle, but they were there.I had to keep reminding myself I wasnt in some kind of wacky movie as Rurik and his gang led us through worm hall counselings lit with torc hes. People passed, giving us curious looks as they went about whatever one did in a medieval castle. Churning butter. Flogging peasants. I actually didnt know, and I didnt care. I just wanted to get out of there.Wait here, Rurik told us when we reached a large set of double oak doors. I bequeath speak to the king onwards youre shget into the throne room.Wow. An honest-to-goodness throne room. He disappeared behind the doors, and a couple guards watched us but kept their distance.Volusian, I said softly, did you purposely lead us here?My alone purpose, mistress, is to keep you alive. Being here volition add your chances.You didnt answer the question.You will also increase your chances, he continued, if you are nice to King Dorian.Nice? They just assaulted me and threatened to rape me.He gave me an exasperated look.The king will see to it you now, said Rurik dramatically, locomote from inside the room. He held the door open for us. Trumpets wouldnt take a leak surprised me.T he throne room was not what I expected. Sure, there was a dais with a chair on it, just like in the movies, but the rest of the room was in a state of disarray. A large space ran through the middle, for dancing or processions, perhaps, but the rest had an almost lounge sort of look. Small couches, chaises, and chairs were arranged around low tables set with goblets and platters of fruit. Men and women, again svelte in sort of a goth-Renaissance style, draped themselves on the furniture and on each other, picking idly at the fruit as they watched me. I was enthrone in mind of the manner Romans used to dine.More than gentry lounged around, however. Spirits and sprites and trowes and wraiths were also in attendance, along with an assortment of Otherworld creatures. The monsters of tender imagining, side by side with magical refugees who had immigrated to this world.I wondered then if any other shaman had been this far into gentry society. I remembered Rolands warning, that I could be taken right into the titty of their world. If only our kind had some sort of scholarly journal. The Journal of Shamanic Assassination and Otherworldly Encounters. I could dedicate used this research to write a oblige article to share with my fellow professionals.Conversation dropped to a low hum as the gentry leaned over and whispered to each other, eyes on me. Smirks and scowls identical lit their faces, and I specify on the blank expression I would wear red ink to meet a new client. Meanwhile, my pulse raced into overdrive and respire became a erect of music difficult.Volusian trailed near me on one side while Rurik walked on the other. Wil and the others moved behind us.why all these people? I murmured to Volusian. Is he having a party?Dorian is a social king. He likes keeping people around, most likely so he offer mock them. He keeps a full court and regularly invites his nobles to dine here.We came to a stop. On the throne sat a man, Dorian, I presumed. He looked bored. He leaned into the arm of his chair, one elbow propped on it so he could rest his chin in his progress to. It sort of made him view us at an angle. Long auburn hair, reminiscent of the trees outside, hung around him, highlighted with every shade of red and gold c one timeivable. He could save been autumn incarnate. He had the most perfect skin Id ever seen in such a vivid redhead smooth and ivory, with no freckles or rosy color. A cloak of forest-green velvet covered unremarkable dark pants and a loose, white button-up shirt. He had well-shaped cheekbones and delicate features.Kneel before the king, ordered Rurik, and get used to being on your knees.I gave him a withering glance. He smiled.Ill be happy to make you, he warned.Bah, rich. Leave her in peace, intoned Dorian laconically. He didnt change posture. hardly his eyes portrayed any sort of involution in these goings-on. If shes been with you for the last hour, she deserves a break. Go sit down.Ruriks smugness flas hed to embarrassment, but he bowed before the throne and reared off. That left Dorian and me staring at each other. He grinned.Well, come here. If you wont kneel, I at least want to get a good look at the terrible monster theyve brought to me. They all seem quite afraid of you. I confess, I didnt really conceive it was you when they told me. I thought Rurik had been into the mushrooms again.Do you know how some of our people she has assassinateed and forcibly banished, sire? exclaimed Shaya from somewhere behind me. She took out three in under a minute just now.Yes, yes. Shes quite terrifying. I can see that. Dorian looked at me expectantly.I shook my head. Im not moving until you offer us hospitality.This made him sit up. He kept smiling. Shes clever too, though, admittedly, asking for hospitality before you crossed our base threshold would have been more clever still since any of my subjects could have attacked you just now. He shrugged. But weve made it this far. So, tell me, Eugenie, why er, wait. Do you select Eugenie or Miss Markham?I considered. I prefer Odile.That smile twitched. Ah. Were still clinging to that, are we? Very well, then, Odile, tell me what brings the shining ones most feared enemy to my door, asking for hospitality. As you might imagine, this is without precedence.I glanced around at all the watching, listening people. Ignore them, ignore them, an inner voice whispered. Focus on Dorian for now. I dont really want to talk about it in front of the peanut gallery. Id rather meet with you in private.Oh. He pitched his voice for the crowd. Well, well. Odile wants to meet with me in private.I blushed, hating myself for doing it. Nervous laughter ran around the room, short growing stronger and more confident as the kings did. Interesting, I thought. I remembered Volusians comments about Dorian, and his soldiers hesitation about his wrath. These gathered people were sheep, obviously, ready to dance or laugh at Dorians command, but s uddenly I wondered if they were sheep who also feared the whims of their capricious shepherd. I wondered if I should be afraid too.I kept my silence, not acknowledging his joke. He leaned forward, putting both elbows on his knees, letting his chin rest in both hands now. If I offer you hospitality, you mustiness reciprocate in kind. Ill see that no one psychic traumas you in my household, but in return, you can harm no one under my roof.I glanced back at Volusian. You didnt mention that.Oh, for Gods sake, he hissed, displaying a rare loss of patience. What did you expect? Take it before your imminent death becomes more imminent and robs me of my chance to kill you myself.I turned back to Dorian. I didnt like this turn of events. I didnt like being in a nest of gentry, nor did I want to be at ones mercy. Why was I here again? In my head, I summoned an image of little Jasmine Delaney, imagining her being tormented in a similar way over at Aesons court. Only she would be subject to more than just mockery.I accept, I said.Dorian regarded me in silence and then nodded. As do I. He looked up at the crowd. Odile Dark Swan is now under the protection of my hospitality. Anyone who so much as lays a finger on her will get his own fingers chopped off and fed back to him. He issued the threat with as much cheer as Volusian might have.A bombinate spread through the crowd, not entirely pleased. Whats to keep her from breaking her oath? I heard someone mutter. Another said loudly, She could slay us allDorians eyes flicked back to me. Did you have any idea what a creature of nightmare you are around here? Mothers tell their children Odile Dark Swan will come for them if theyre bad.Hey, I dont seek them out. I only come for them if they come for me first.Interesting, he said, arching an eyebrow. But if thats how you like it, so be it. I eternally admire women who know what they want in the bedroom.Hey, thats not what I I hadnt realized the extent to which our slang had permeated the gentry world. Theirs was a reflection of my own things seeped through.He cut me off with a gesture. I gave you hospitality, now come up here. I want to see the terror that haunts the darkness.I hesitated, both from distrust and insubordination to his taunting. Volusians voice whispered in my ear. He will not harm you now that hes given his word.I dont know if I can really believe that.I do. My minions voice was calmly serious. You know I cant lie to you.Turning back to Dorian, I took the steps until I stood at the same level as his chair. I met his gaze evenly. smell at those eyes, he sighed happily. Like violets in the snow. You smell like them too.Beyond us, I heard another rise of murmurs in the crowd.Whats got them all worked up now? They couldnt hear our discourse.His own eyes danced. They were golden-brown, the color of autumn leaves falling from the trees. Youve broken protocol. They expected you to stop one step lower. Instead, youve put yourself at the same level as me. The fact that Im not chastising you means Im treating you as an equal, like royalty. You should be flattered.I crossed my arms. Ill be more flattered when we have the private talk.He tsked me. So impatient. So gentleman. Youve asked for my hospitality. You cant expect me to not give it now. He made a gesture with his hands, and spirit servants appeared, bearing serving platters of food for thought. For some reason, I suddenly started thinking of the song Hotel California. We were about to eat when you so kindly dropped in. Dine with us, and then well have as many private encounters as you like.Im not stupid. I wont eat anything in the Otherworld. You have to know that.He shrugged, still sprawled out on his throne like a comfortable cat. Your loss. You can sit and watch, then. He rose gracefully and offered me his hand. I stared at it blankly. Shaking his head with mirth, he simply walked with me down the steps, not touching.Wheres the rest of my group?Your servants an d human friend are safe, I assure you. Weve given them their own accommodations since they dont have a guest-of-honor seat at my table, thats all.He beckoned toward a low, polished table, a bit larger than the others in the room. Like the rest, it was surrounded by sumptuous-looking chairs and sofas, patterned in bright brocades and velvets. Dorian settled down onto a small loveseat and patted the spot beside him. keep open me company?I didnt dignify that with an answer, instead sitting down in the chair next to his sofa. It was a single seat. No one could sit with me. We were soon joined by about a dozen others, including Rurik and Shaya. She reported to Dorian that the people Id injured had been healed and were recovering. True to my word, I didnt eat any of the food set out before us, but I confess, it looked pretty good. Stuffed Cornish game hens. Fresh bread with steam still rising from it. Desserts I would have committed murder for.But I didnt give in. One of the first rules o f the game was to never eat outside your own world. Stories and myths abounded about those foolish enough to ignore that precaution.The other diners tried hard to pretend I didnt exist, but Dorian was fascinated by me. Worse, he flirted with me. At least he wasnt as crass as every other gentry I seemed to encounter, but I didnt rise to any of it even if it was charming at times. I took it all in with a stoic face, which seemed to delight him that much more. The other women at the table were less resistant. Any look, any word, and they practically melted with lust.In fact, many other people in the room also seemed to melt with lust. Very explicitly so. During and after dinner, I watched as people couples usually, but sometimes more touched each other brazenly. It was like being in junior high again. Some of it was just kissing. Some of it was heavy groping a hand fondling the breast or sliding up the thigh. And some of it wasmore. Across the room, I saw one woman climb on top of a man and straddle him, moving up and down. I was pretty sure they had nothing on beneath the voluminous folds of her hedge in. At a table nearby, one woman was on her knees in front of a man, and she was I hastily averted my eyes, turning back to my own table. I found Dorians gaze on me and knew he scrutinized my every reaction. Through some unspoken command, a blond slip of a woman slid into the empty seat beside him, the one I had refused. She draped a leg over his lap and wrapped her arms around him, kissing his neck. He moved one hand up her leg, pushing up the skirt to reveal smooth flesh, but he otherwise seemed oblivious to her as he regarded me and the other guests.Aside from the free love and utterly medieval setting, there was almost something, well, normal about this place. The gentry Id run into were always causing trouble in my world. Luring humans. Using magic indiscriminately. But this was like any other social occasion or party. People knew each other and regarded their friends with warmth. They discussed love and children and politics. True, they were still foreign and other to me, but I could also almost see them as human. Almost.Needing to do more than sit there and stare, I reached into my coat and pulled out one of the two milklike Way bars Id brought along. It was also a utilitarian move, seeing as how I was so hungry from watching all the feasting around me. Dorian immediately became intrigued.What is that?I held it up. Its a Milky Way. Itscandy. I didnt really know what else to say about it. I wasnt even sure what was in it. Nougat? I had no idea what the hell that foamy barricade was, save that it was delicious.He eyed it curiously, and I broke off a piece, tossing it over to him. He caught it deftly.Your majesty, exclaimed one of the men, dont eat it. Its not safe.It wont hurt me here, rebuked Dorian in annoyance. And dont even start in about poison or Ill let Bertha the cook have her way with you again.The man promptly shut up.Do rian popped the piece into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. Watching the expressions his face went through was almost hilarious. It took him awhile to work through all that gooey scrumptiousness, and I fostered a compelling image of him with brine taffy.Entertaining, he declared when hed finished. Whats in it?I dont know. Some chocolate and caramel. A bunch of stuff sort of fused into other stuff.One woman, her hair frizzy and brown, fixed me with a combative look. Thats so typical of them. They twist nature and the elements for the sake of their perverted creations until they no longer know what it is they do. They are an offense to the divine, manner of speaking forth monstrosities and abominations they cannot control.A snappy retort rose to my lips, but I bit it off. Volusian had warned me to be nice. In light of their relatively civilized behavior at dinner, I could do no less, so my voice stayed calm. Our monstrosities do great things. We can fix injuries you cant. We have p lumbing and electricity. We have transportation that makes your horses look like dinosaurs.Like what? asked one of the men.Bad analogy, I replied.Shaya shook her head. We can achieve many of the same results with magic.Magic couldnt do much against my gun earlier.Our people survived. Only a human would brag about her ability to wield death.And you in particular would have good reason to, pointed out Rurik. No other human in memory has killed as many of our kind spirits or shining ones as you. You would have killed me last week if youd had the strength. You would have killed our people in the woods today if you could have.I dont always kill. I even avoid it if I can. But sometimes I have to, and when I dowell, then, thats the way it goes.Glowers regarded me all around the table. Only Dorians face stayed politely curious.Rumor has it youve killed your own kind too, he noted. Doesnt it keep you up at night to have so much blood on your hands?I leaned back in my chair, as always tryin g to keep my emotions off my face. It did bother me sometimes, but I didnt want them to know. I hadnt killed many humans only a handful, really and most of it had been self-defense. Theyd been humans working with gentry or other creatures to do harm in my world. That had justified the kills in some ways, but I could never ignore that I was taking a livelihood. A human life. A life like my own. The first time Id seen the light fade out of someones eyes wrought by my hand Id had nightmares for weeks. Id never told Roland about that, and I certainly wasnt going to tell this group.Actually, Dorian, I sleep very well, thank you.Its King Dorian, hissed a plump man across from me. Show respect.Dorian smiled. The others glared further.The gods will punish a murderer like you, warned one of the women.I doubt it. I dont murder anyone. I defend. Everyone Ive killed was doing damage to my world or in the case of those humans back up your kind cause harm. Those who merely trespass, I don t kill. I just send them back. Its not your world, so I protect my own. Thats not a crime.Dorian send the blonde away with a quick motion of his hand and leaned over the couch so he could speak closer to me. But you know it was once our world too.Yes. And your ancestors left it.Shaya eyed me, cheeks flushing. We were driven out.Dorian ignored the outburst. You gave us no choice. Once we were all one people. Then your ancestors turned away from the cater within and sought it without. They built. They subdued nature. They created things with their hands and the elements that we had only thought magic capable of. Some even surpassed what magic could do.So whats wrong with that?You tell me, Odile. Has it been expense it? You cant have it both ways. The ability to force magic from the world killed the magic within. Your lives shortened as a result compared to ours. Your sense of wonder disappeared, short of anything that can be proven by numbers and facts. Your people will soon have no gods but their machines.And despite all this, observed Shaya bitterly, humans continue to flourish. Why havent they been cursed? Why do they spawn like cats and dogs while our numbers suffer? They are the abominations, not us.Their short lives, their burning need to create before they die, drive that. Their bodies cant help but produce life so readily. We do not feel that urgency. Dorian grinned. Well, physically we do, but subconsciouslyour souls know we have time.Thats another wonder of modern medicine. We can help the infertile.Dorian frowned, again more curious than angry. Enlighten us.I hesitated, suddenly regretting my comment. In as legal brief a way as I could, I explained artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization.Even Dorian had trouble stomaching that one.This is how your numbers grow? asked a woman near Shaya. Her voice was an awed whisper.Only for some, I told her. Most dont need it. If anything, I think we have too many babies.Seeing their shocked faces, I ma tte a little bad about upsetting them with all this. After all, I was a big advocate of respecting cultural diversity. Yet that core persuasion of mine wavered around these people. Maybe that was unfair, but I had spent my life being taught that they were not human. They might seem so now, but I didnt think one dinner could truly alter my ingrained views.Shaya shook her head, face pale. This, then, is what has displaced us from our homeland. These are the things that forced us from the place we came from and into the world of spirits and lost souls. We lost to twisted creatures who breed easily, who rape and pillage the earth in homage to their metal gods.Look, Im sorry it upsets you all so much, but thats how it is. You guys lost. You have to deal. You did an ok job fighting, I guess. You still show up in a lot of fairy tales and myths. But you still lost. Historys like that. There are wars, and unfortunately, in the end, who wins and who loses is more important than whos right o r wrong.Are you saying your people were wrong, then? asked Dorian quietly.No, I said with certainty. Absolutely not.Youre very loyal to your own kind.Of course I am. Im human. Theres no choice there especially when your people do nothing but cause trouble for mine when they cross over.Look around this room. Of those gatheredI would say only less than twenty have ever visited your world. And of those, only a small amount caused trouble. You have degenerates in your world too. Yet, you wouldnt use them to define your entire race as bad.No, I agreed. But Id still punish them. Look, maybe Im overly jaded toward your kind, but then, the only ones Ive ever met have been the deviants. Its hard not to judge.Dorian stared at me for a long time, and I couldnt read him. Everyone else looked like they would have killed me on the spot, if not for the hospitality prohibition. I wondered if Id made Dorian mad enough to regret giving his oath.His thoughtful face changed to its typical expression, the perpetually amused and lazy one. He rose from his couch, sweeping the cloak behind him. Everyone else hastily followed suit. I took my time getting up.I thank you all for a lovely evening, but I must take my leave now. He spoke loudly, so that his words carried to more than just our table. Conversation in the room dropped. I daresay my guest is growing agile and eager for some privacy, and I do so hate to disappoint.The toadies laughed appreciatively, and I steeled myself not to blush again. Dorian glanced at me as we slowly walked out of the hall.If I offered my hand again, I dont suppose youd take it?Not a chance. I dont want to give them any ideas.Oh. Well. Im afraid its too late for that, once they see where were going.I cut him a warning look. Where are we going?Why, to the most private of places. My bedroom, of course.