Children of Steel (46 page)

"Now let us go spend some of the King's
largess on those who are worthy." he said, and we spent the next
two hours shopping.

Shopping was fun. He bought some things for
his estate, and bought both Helena and me something. I got the
impression he
always
bought her something, she purred with
delight when he gave it to her, it was more jewelry of course. The
rest of the things he bought were for the King's government.

He ordered supplies for many different
things, what they were I had no idea. He bought desks, boots,
stationary, all sorts of odds and ends, much of it from smaller
shops, and in large quantities.

"What is all this for?" I asked him quietly
at one point as we traveled between shops.

"Oh it is simple. Every government needs
supplies of course; it is my duty to see that the wealth is spread
around. The King wants to make sure that all of his people share
equally in this time of prosperity. We can't allow any of our
merchants to go under."

"But he's the King, why should he care?"

"Because even Kings can fall from grace," he
answered shrewdly. "We may choose to live like the ancients, but
we're not as ignorant as they were, especially the common man. An
unpopular ruler may soon find himself soon consigned to the Gods
and another standing in his place."

"Isn't he so wise?" Helena breathed in my
ear, "In the seven years I've been his, the King's popularity has
always been high. Of course the King's enemies would like him out
of the way, that's why the King gave me to him. But that just adds
to the fun."

"The
King
gave you to him?" I
whispered back amazed.

"Yes, I was a Temple Jaguar. It was a very
impressive thing, for the King to give me to him; my Master's
biggest enemy was outraged." Then she added evilly, "But I took
care of
him
."

"I'll bet you did," I smiled back. Obviously
they played for keeps here, I thought as I absently rubbed at one
of my scars, but was my job any different?

Not really.

Later that night, I romped in Helena's room
with her again. I was surprised to find that the room was
immaculately clean with no sign of our earlier fight, even the spot
where I had run her head thought the plaster wall, (all us cats
have notoriously hard heads), had disappeared.

The next morning was an early one, her Master
having to go visit the King. I was surprised to be included on this
trip as well. I wasn't allowed to wear a knife of course, but
otherwise I was attired the same as the night before.

We made the trip in a very large limousine,
with a second one following behind. The palace was really something
to behold, with the concealed ground to air defenses just adding to
its majesty I thought. I was surprised that the place was so
heavily fortified, but being of a military bent, I enjoyed it. We
went through two major checkpoints, but as soon as then saw who was
in the car, we were waved right through.

I never got to see the King. Once we were
inside the palace, the King's own guards came and escorted him into
the 'presence'. Helena was going to go with him, but he told her
she could stay and keep me company. So while her Master was
speaking with his boss, I got a tour of the less private parts of
the palace.

The next several days passed quite enjoyably,
except for the gentleman whose arm I broke when he tried to thrust
something at Hyberious from my side. He was dragged off kicking and
screaming by the other guards, and Helena told me that if I wanted
I could help her interrogate him later. She licked her lips as she
said that, and I suddenly realized just how bloodthirsty she
was.

I agreed more out of curiosity than anything
else. I was curious as to what techniques they used here; most
corporations used drugs and such. Though the way she licked her
lips did make me a little uncomfortable.

Later when we went shopping again, Hyberious
bought me a gold arm bracelet that had several diamonds and
emeralds set in it.

"I was just trying to repay the kindness you
and yours have shown me on my vacation sir," I said humbly as he
gave it to me.

"Nonsense, I insist." he said personally
putting it in my hands. "It was a job well done, and I would be
remiss in my thanks if I did not see you properly rewarded."

I could see why Helena liked him, he really
was nice to you.

Much later that night, after Helena had
herself rewarded me for protecting her Master, she led me to the
cells below the townhouse, where the would be assailant was
quartered.

I was surprised at the amount of equipment
that was down there, and people. The upstairs might have been a
show piece of art and style, but down here it was science and
technology, a good deal of it looked like communications gear, and
some presentation rooms. We went down a second level and next to a
small arms range was the security area with several cells. When the
prisoner saw us he started to curse and yell, insults about
Hyberious, Helena, the King and even me.

Helena grabbed him through the bars and
pulled him forward, banging his head and body against the cold
metal until he spat out several teeth and quieted down.

“Insult my Master or the King again at your
own peril!” She hissed at him, and then pushed him back so hard he
hit the far wall. At which point she opened his cell and walked in,
cuffing him hard in the face as he tried to rush her. She grabbed
his throat then and choked him until he passed out.

“Grab his legs Raj, would you? I want to take
him to the interrogation room.”

I nodded and helped pick him up. He came too
while we were carrying him down the short hall to a clean
whitewashed room with a table in it. He struggled while I pinned
him to it for Helena to strap him into place. He didn’t look so
brave anymore.

“I want to know who sent you,” Helena began
quietly. “I suggest you tell me. Otherwise it will not go easy for
you.”

He spit at her and cursed her of course.

That was when she started to torture him.

I won't go into detail what happened next, as
I realize now that I backslid quite a bit that night in my efforts
to act more civilized. I could blame it on Helena’s behavior and
her coaxing; I could blame it on the things he said, the scent of
the blood, or even the heat of the moment. But I wouldn’t be
blaming the right person then. I did find out two things however,
the first was that no matter what you do to a fanatic, they don't
talk.

The second was what a human heart tastes
like.

Of course, Helena probably deserved most of
the blame for what took place in that room. She was the one who
supervised everything, and had obviously not only done this before,
but had been very well trained at it as well. But I have to admit I
helped. Even enjoyed it some.

"Where did you learn to do these kind of
things?" I asked her later as we lay on the floor covered in blood
and gore.

"The temple, where else?"

"You do this in the temple?"

"Not as often as we might like," she smiled
nastily and began to lick the blood off. "But it's the punishment
for attempted assassination, and a few other capital crimes."

"It's barbaric," I said quietly.

"I noticed you didn't abstain though," she
grinned at me, "and thought nothing of screwing me in all this
blood afterwards."

"I know, and I feel strange about the whole
thing. Part of me feels like I do after a hunt and like I did after
I wasted that bastard on Arboral. But another part says that it was
wrong."

"Well, if it will make you feel any better,
here it's legal and expected."

"Just like getting buried alive with your
Master when he dies?" I asked her.

"Oh that won't happen to me. Wouldn't happen
to you either if you were to stay," she smiled shyly as she said
that. "It's voluntary, and they give you a poison to drink once
you're inside."

"It's voluntary?" I stopped cleaning myself
for a second in amazement.

"Yeah, you'd be surprised what some of the
more devout will do when their beloved Master dies."

"You seem pretty much in love with him
yourself." I observed.

"Oh I'd die for him, don't get me wrong. But
as a temple cat, I learned that one's duty is here in the world.
People like you and me are too valuable to just suicide when
there's so much work for us to do."

What scared me the most later that night when
I stopped to look back at it after we had cleaned up and retired to
her rooms was how easily led I was when someone else was giving the
orders and doing the worst of it. How I had let myself do things
that now caused me to have some severe second thoughts. And the
further she took me, the more willing I was to be led.

I quietly got up from the bed and went to the
bathroom, and as I got quietly sick over the toilet I wondered if
everyone suffered from this kind of problem? Maybe that would
explain where the people on Timpleton had gotten their followers
from, people caught up in the moment. Which might explain why some
folks risked their lives to save my sister, once the heat of the
moment wore off and they realized exactly what they were doing.

I slept very uneasily that night, my dreams
weren’t pleasant ones, they involved Cassandra and Balizar telling
me how disappointed they were in me, my actions. I woke up twice
from my dreams, and looked at Helena who was sound asleep with a
smile on her muzzle, the peaceful sleep of the innocent. But I knew
she was anything but, yet I couldn’t condemn her or criticize her
for what she had done. I knew she was being truthful that what she
did was accepted here, and the man we’d killed was an assassin, he
had been carrying a weapon after all.

The next day was my last; I'd have to be
reporting back by the following morning. Hyberious thanked me for
helping in the questioning, and Helena told him that she had been
unable to learn anything worthwhile. He didn't seem surprised, but
said he was happy to see that she had done a rather thorough
job.

That day was quite enjoyable, we went to a
rather nice party, one that was even wilder than the first had
been. We left very late and on the way back Hyberious surprised me
and asked if I'd like to become a member of his household.

"But sir I have a rather considerable debt
left to pay." I mumbled shocked by the offer.

"Ah, it is nothing. I've already talked to
your Captain about it, and while he seems most hesitant to let you
go, he said if you agreed to it he would have no choice."

I thought about that, a little bit of shock
creeping into my mind, he had already talked to the
Captain!
About
me!
I tried to keep my voice under control, "Why me
sir? What makes me worth so much money to a man who could easily
get many leopards like myself much cheaper on planet?"

"Oh please Raj, do not sell yourself so
short. My Helena has taken an obviously liking to you, and that
would be reason enough of course." Helena purred as he said that,
"But you have shown me that you are skilled at work such as this.
In fact I have even heard you say that you enjoyed it and found it
to be fun.

"Surely a life of relative ease and luxury
such as you have enjoyed these last few days is much better than
that you have working for one of the myriad of companies, where
death is always close at hand."

I had to admit he had a point there.

"And for someone like yourself," he continued
"who obviously enjoys those very things that companies often kill
leopards for, you should consider it seriously. Those very
proclivities in your record that have gotten you in trouble in the
past are understood and even encouraged here."

I blinked, a small chill running down my
spine, how the hell had he gotten into my
records?
I was
shocked at that, though what he had said was true, I had seen that
myself. The very things that got me in trouble would be okay here.
As long as I did it in his service of course,
a little voice
whispered in my head.

But then I'd never see Cassandra again
either.

"I don't know Sir," I said thinking about
everything he had said and everything I had seen. "I really have to
think about it, it would really be a major step."

"Fine, think about it tonight and in the
morning let me know your decision."

I thanked him and turned to give my attention
back to Helena, who was trying to rape me on the seat in the
limousine. I didn't give in until we were back at her room though,
I really don't enjoy an audience.

That night, she did everything she could to
try and convince me to stay, and it was definitely having an
effect. That morning I awoke tired and confused.

"Well Raj," she asked, "Have you
decided?"

"I honestly don't know Helena. It's all too
sudden, I need more time. I just don't know." I said
exasperated.

"I'd really miss you if you left Raj, You're
special, I've known a lot of cats, but I've never known one like
you." She was rubbing her face against mine as she talked.

"I don't know. Let's eat okay?"

We went down to the kitchen then and got
breakfast. While we were eating I heard somebody enter at the front
door and talk to the servant there.

"We're here for Raj Rakir," I heard from the
hallway.

"Balizar!" I said in amazement, and headed
for the front door.

"Raj! There you are," he said smiling, I
noticed Herza was there too, and she didn't look right for some
reason.

"It's great to see you both, what brings you
here?"

"We came to bring you back," said Herza a
little testily.

"But I'm not due in for six hours yet," I
said looking at my watch. "Oh, where are my manners? Let me
introduce you to Helena, she is a member of the household here and
a very good friend of mine."