Dark Lord (5 page)

“That is not acceptable to me,” Nefertiti said.
“I am entitled to experience
the most ultimate of pleasures.
I will not have the house of Avenal deprived of something that the other great houses are doing routinely.
I will not be laughed at when I go to court because I remain ignorant of true pleasure.
The only solution is to deliver me this expert, someone licensed in the art, or at least certified and credentialed.
I will not be made a fool.”

Briella
did not believe it for a minute that the
nobles and
royals at court were into bondage games, but she could not accuse her of lying without proof.
She would have to ask
Dev
, who would be knowledgeable of the happenings at court.
“Countess, think of the safety risks in continuing your chosen sport.
If one of the lords should be damaged or killed, you would be charged with a criminal offense.”

Nefertiti stared at her with calculating eyes.
“Safety is important to me,
Briella
.
I see no reason why I cannot enjoy myself and experience anything I desire when the ladies
will be ensuring a safe and secure environment.
The lords, the concubines, the peasants, and even the lowliest slaves deserve a safe environment when I call upon them to service me.
Briella
, I appoint you as the new safety officer.
You will be in charge of safeguarding the harem
and
ensuring the environment is safe and free of any threats.
It is a very important position indeed, so I will attach a salary of one piece of gold for every week that everyone stays safe.
If anyone dies due to your negligence, then I will deduct gold for every person harmed.
”
Nefertiti’s smile stretched across her face as she clapped her hands excitedly.
“
Everyone, congratulate
Briella
on her
new
promotion.”

Briella
groaned as people started clapping for her.
She was sure that she would not enjoy being responsible for the safety of everyone, especially since she would likely have no real authority to make things safe.
It was also not lost on her that she would get blamed if anyone happened to
die.
The
C
ountess scheduled an advisor’s meeting for the next morning to discuss details of the trip to Eros.

Chapter
3
:
Safety First

Triniti
spent a long night
in the cold tower room, uncertain of her fate.
She knew that Payne had been assigned as her guard, but he had not talked to her at all.
He remained outside the door, ensuring that there was no escape.
The next morning, she heard the sound of her brother’s voice outside the door.
He was asking to see her and it appeared that Payne was refusing his entry.
She put her ear to the door to hear them.

“The
Countess
nearly ordered her execution, Payne,” Jules said.
“I had to talk the bitch out of it.”

“The hell you say,” Payne said
in an outraged tone.
“She cannot order the death of her ladies.”

“I had to remind her of that fact.
The woman has lost her mind and she needs to be declared unfit to be the
C
ountess.”

“There’s no precedent for that, Jules.
We cannot fix this through legal means, especially since the
C
ountess has not broken
Flourdan
law.”

“The laws need to be changed, Payne.
Let me see my sister.”

Triniti
leapt from the door and stood by the narrow cot.
The door opened and Jules enveloped her in a hug.
He told her that he was working on getting her released.
They talked for a while,
then
Payne told Jules that he had to go.
“What would it hurt for Jules to stay with me a little longer?”

“You know that he cannot,” Payne said.
“She’ll accuse Jules of conspiring with you and lock both of you in the tower.
What were you thinking, giving the
C
ountess the idea to use whips and chains?
You thought it would be a good idea to put weapons in her hands while she has others bound and helpless?”

Payne sounded very upset with her
.
He acted like he believed that she had killed
Ericio
, and although she really didn’t care what he thought of her, she was still plagued by feelings of despair
.
“I’m sorry.
I never intended for anyone to get hurt.”

“Grow up,
Triniti
.
This childish stunt you pulled caused someone to die,” Payne said.

She was aware of moisture filling her eyes and it embarrassed her.
No one ever saw her cry.
“I know I made a mistake.”

“I hope the rest of us will not have to pay for your mistakes.”

She
thought Payne was being a
real
pain in the ass.
“You’re not being fair.
I did not harm anyone; it was the
C
ountess who murdered the concubine.”

“Do not use the word murder with the
C
ountess,
Triniti
.
Did you know that she ordered your execution and your brother had to talk her out of it?
Say nothing about the
C
ountess.
Let Jules work on your release and do not say anything that will cause the
C
ountess to order your execution again.”
Payne left the room then, leaving
her
alone in the tower room.
She glanced about the room, seeing nothing but white walls with chipped paint.
The small cot had only a ratty mattress and there were no sheets or blankets.
She shivered with the cold and began weeping again in despair.

***

Devereux attended his first
Swordbrother
meeting in the
falinn
, their special meeting area in the mansion
.
They were supposed to be preparing their bodies and minds for the Countess’s pleasure, but they were not about to conduct themselves like pampered whores.
Since he was new, he intended to observe rather than take an active role.
He had not even been initiated into their order.

“Grand Master, we need to have
this
meeting, but Payne cannot leave his guard post,” Vane
said
.

Prince Caspar, the Grand Master of the
Flourdan
Brothers of the Sword, nodded and gestured for Vane to take a seat.
“We need Payne to be present when we initiate Devereux.
For now, we’ll operate as if
Dev
is already a member and we’ll have the proper ceremony for it later.
We need to discuss how we can obtain proof of Nefertiti’s alliance with the Romans
.
W
e also need to know who else is involved in this conspiracy.
The
Q
ueen would like to know as well
, as she ha
d
ordered that no
additional
tribute be paid to Rome.”

“We know that she tried to send a tribute of peasant girls along with some gold,” Vane said.
“We rescued the villagers, but we were unable to discover any more, as the eunuchs escorting them escaped.”

“Could the eunuchs identify any of you?”

“No.
Our features were concealed by hoods,” Vane said.
“It is strange how the
C
ountess has not mentioned the eunuch attack, though.
Any ideas on how to get into the treasury or the war room?”

Caspar lowered his head in deep contemplation.
“She may even keep such information in her private chamber.
We need to gain entry to all those areas and somehow remain undetected.
Dev
, have you developed any hybrid abilities, such as invisibility or instant teleporting?
That would be helpful.”

Dev
considered whether he had anything remotely similar to it, but he did not believe he did.
“I don’t think so.
I haven’t tried to do those things and I’m not sure how to go about trying.
What if I teleport into a wall
or the bottom of the sea?”

“Try making yourself invisible,” Vane said.
“I’ve heard that some
Asstrumnians
can do that.”

Dev
concentrated on becoming invisible and he watched as his right hand disappeared.
He concentrated some more, but the rest of his body remained visible.
“Not good enough to help.”

“It’s promising,” Caspar said.
“Keep practicing.
What else can you do?”

Dev
remembered how he had influenced Nefertiti with his suggestions.
“I may be able to persuade or even compel people to do things.”

“You must practice that skill and develop it
,” Caspar said
.
“
If you could get people to
reveal information to
you
, that
would be useful as well.
Let us adjourn this meeting.
We cannot linger here much longer, as the lords will surely be missed if they are unable to participate in Nefertiti’s quarterly circus.
”