Enchanter (Book 7) (57 page)

“We present Lady Pleasure and her Maidens of Spring!” called the herald to the stunned crowd.

Ishi had arrived at the party.

Chapter Twenty Six

Lady Pleasure

It was amazing how quickly the mood of the evening shifted.  Before Ishi’s arrival, it was a pleasant entertainment at court; after she was announced the night transformed into a tensely exciting revel.

Her “maidens” helped with the transition by dispersing themselves among the crowd, baskets of flowers in hand; as they moved they made a point of distributing the blooms to the ladies with admiring comments on their beauty, costume, and grace.  To the men, they offered feminine flattery – always with the slightest of touches to a shoulder, an arm, a face – before dancing daintily away.  They were alluring and elusive, compelling and beguiling.  And they had the stink of Ishi’s magic on them as thick as their perfume.

Welcome to my trial,
Pentandra said into my mind as I watched them move, mesmerized.
They are all local girls – Wilderland refugees, for the most part – who Lady Pleasure recruited from the camps and the streets.  Some she put to work in her brothel, others she refined into real sharps pains-in-my ass.  Her ‘maidens’, as she calls them, are anything but.  They ply their charms among the court and entice even well-mannered ministers to do their bidding.  Organized gangs of cutthroats I can contend with, Min, but a goddess masquerading as a madame?  And making policy?  This is beyond me
, she confessed.

I see what you mean,
I agreed, still watching them move.  If any of them were over nineteen, they hid it well.
Has she done anything damaging?

Apart from the court’s morale?  No, not quite.  But she has caused some serious problems for the domestic situations of a dozen officers and officials, and she’s working her way into the Ducal Council, now.  Thankfully the First Minister’s addiction is power and control, not sex.  The Duke, however . . .

He’s a young man, with a young man’s lusts,
I supplied. 
He’s enjoying his power and position. 

And he’s had to thank Pleasure publically for her assistance,
she admitted, reluctantly
.  He put forth an appeal for alms to build three new wells around the camps, to keep the people from having to walk more than two miles to the river.  She volunteered to donate an entire day’s worth of her house’s proceeds, and advertised it as a civic obligation.  She raised enough to dig five wells.

And that’s a problem?
I asked, confused.

That’s not the problem
, she said, sourly. 
I’m the last one to decry a woman’s right and choice to do what she will with her body – but the ramifications of those dalliances are far-reaching.  When ministers come to council too besotted by a nubile beauty to report or consider, or end up in a duel over one, or fights with his wife because his attentions are elsewhere, it starts to affect business.

And you’ve tried speaking to her?

Oh, yes,
Penny said, her mental voice lowering. 
That’s when she dropped your name.  And hints about her real identity I picked up on.

What did she say?

She told me things only the goddess would know,
she answered, stiffly. 
Things that are none of your concern.

Sorry!  Just curious.  Who else knows?

Just Arborn.  I had to tell someone, and I had to make him aware of the danger.  He’s counseled his men to avoid the house.  And he’s agreed to wear charms that make him resistant to them, himself.

Penny! You don’t think Arborn would—

I’m a smart enough wife not to take chances, when a goddess is involved,
she said, frankly
.  Particularly
that
goddess.  I knew her by reputation before, and now I’ve met her in person.

I would have thought you two would get along famously,
I remarked.

You really don’t know much about women, do you?
she accused. 
Min, she’s the embodiment of female sexuality.  And that’s the one thing that women use as both a measure and a method of attack with each other.  The problem is, thanks to her divine character, regular social rules don’t apply.  I can’t very well start rumors about her, if she embraces them.  I can’t ostracize her from society, because she can retaliate through her maidens by seducing my supporters.  And I can’t challenge her publically, because I would lose, right now, and she would conquer.  I can’t let that happen.

So what can you d
o? I asked, genuinely curious.  I wasn’t unaware of the complex social life that women had independent of men, but it was a confusing and perplexing thing for a man to contemplate. 

I can call for my good friend Minalan, who apparently unleashed this nightmare on me, right after he convinced me to quit my cushy job and go off into the Wilderlands to rescue a doomed duchy.  I’m
certain
he’ll know just what to say to her to get her to back off.

I paused. 
You certainly have a lot of confidence in me,
I observed.

So justify it,
she demanded. 
If you have leverage with her, use it.  She’s becoming a nuisance and obscuring our goal to restore and eventually unify the duchy.

I’m just glad we got most of the kids out of here, before she arrived.

She hasn’t indulged in that level of vice yet,
she answered. 
But the longer she goes, the more depraved things get at her bordello.  Not everyone has Arborn’s moral strength to resist their darker urges.

No one has Arborn’s moral strength,
I agreed. 
All right.  I’ll speak to her.  Not that I think I can actually do anything, but I’ll try.  Just as soon as she’s done . . . enticing everyone.

While we had been chatting and watching, Lady Pleasure had gone to the center of the hall and her maidens formed up around her, before beginning a wonderfully choreographed dance that managed to tastefully display their charms to all without crossing the line into impropriety – according to the men in the room.  The ladies were of varied opinions.

Lady Pleasure finished her performance by having her flowered minions pull the fox-faced duke into the mix and having her girls fawn all over him.  There ensued an amusing game in which he struggled to “catch” one of them, while they all eluded him with giggles and squeals of pleasure.  It was all very innocent and highly erotic at once, an enchanting and entertaining impromptu performance that demonstrated the young man’s vitality and vigor to all.

Damn Ishi.  That really
did
help establish Anguin as a man to be respected among the lusty Wilderlords.

But I could see Pentandra’s point, too.  The faces of the women in the crowd were a mixture of delight, anxiety, envy and contemplation – but none were unaffected.  Most of them were in middle-age, officers of court or wives of ministers.  Such a flaunting of youthful exuberance, beauty, and near-naked sexuality was painfully hard to bear for those who had struggled so mightily to recapture it themselves with cosmetics.  There were looks of envy and wistful regret on just about every unmasked woman’s face.

Except for Alya.  The young pretty dancers passed before her eyes with her barely noticing.  Penny was right.  She was bewitched.

At the conclusion of the dance, the maidens replaced Anguin on his throne, kissed his furry face affectionately, and then re-formed in front of him to deliver a curtsey in perfect unison while the crowd applauded wildly.

“Thus shall even the wildflowers of the Wilderlands’ fields offer their fealty to the Fox Duke,” announced Lady Pleasure, formally.  “Let us all support him as much as he works at the challenge of bringing our flaccid realm back to its full and potent form!”

It was a popular display, even among the ladies who were nearly sick with envy.  No one in court could argue the duke’s willingness to do so, but the pledge of support, even by pretty prostitutes, confirmed that he had the strength to do so.

After the performance the girls continued to mingle, outshining the other women in the room without openly antagonizing them.  Ishi herself mingled, speaking quietly with the Duke as he sat on his throne.  I was tempted to employ Long Ears to overhear them, but I wasn’t dealing with just any court ingénue; Ishi would sense such an intrusion immediately, and find a way to turn it to her advantage.

So I ignored her.

That was hard to do, but I casually made the rounds of the room myself, ensuring I was always on the other side of the crowd from her.  It didn’t take long for her to find me.  Nothing grabs a woman’s attention like avoiding her.

Pentandra helpfully led Alya over to some of her fellow baronesses who had come to court to introduce her to her fellow peers, allowing me a few moments to speak to Ishi with some privacy.  Once I found a small alcove near the end of the hall, and encamped there with a deep glass of wine, she appeared as if I had summoned her.

“Playing hard-to-get, Spellmonger?” she asked, gaily. 

“I’m impossible-to-get,” I informed her.  “Nice outfit.”

“This old thing?” she asked, picking at her stunning gown.  “I had the girls throw it together.  Very last-minute.  But thank you,” she said, graciously.

“I meant the avatar,” I pointed out, nodding toward her most prominent characteristics.  “A local priestess of yours?”

“She’s a lay devotee – with an emphasis on the ‘lay’,” she giggled, as she slid into the alcove beside me.  The hall had been built with several of them, some opening into small chambers, to facilitate private discussions of policy.  And seduction, I reflected, belatedly.

It’s hard for a man to ignore his attraction to a woman when he’s in such an intimate and confined space.  Her scent filled the air and intoxicated my spirit.  My heartrate changed, as did my breathing.  There were stirrings in the southlands I could do nothing about.

But I held firm.  So to speak.

“She’s quite attractive,” I agreed, as objectively as possible, “for her age,” I added.

“She is,” Ishi assured me.  “And enthusiastic.  That’s what counts.  As there is no real temple to me here, she was the best choice for me to accomplish my aims.”

“And just what are those aims?” I asked.

“Why, to spread the joy and solace of romance and love to those most desperately in need of it!” she said, as if invoking holy rite.  Which, technically, she was.  “I told you, Min, I’m here to
help
.  In my own special way.”

“Your way is making a whole lot of people nervous,” I pointed out.  “People who can’t afford to be nervous.”

“The stress and anxiety of power are always a problem,” she nodded, looking out of the alcove at the court.  “That’s why I’m here, to help provide comfort and support.”

“And marital disputes.  And distraction.”

“An unfortunate side-effect,” she acknowledged.  “But it hardly detracts from all the good I’m doing!”

“When people can’t do their jobs because they’re obsessed with their personal lives, it’s a problem,” I said, as forcefully as possible.  “Believe me, I know.”

“Aw! Is poor Minalan getting all worked up over his half-mad mistress?” she teased, wiggling her bosom attractively. 

That was enough.  I got pissed off with a goddess, who was doing her best to push her boobs in my face. I grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her to face me. 

“My entire
life
is threatened because of her,” I growled.  “She’s conspiring to do . . .
something
, I’m not certain what her motives are, just yet.  But you bringing it up and rubbing my nose in it
isn’t
improving my disposition toward you!”

“You’ve already given me what I want,” she countered, running a finger down my arm. 

“And I can take it away again,” I countered, smoothly.  Her finger stopped.  “Did you think I would cast a spell I could not counter?” I continued, quietly.

“Like making snowstone?” she riposted.

“That was an accident.  Granting you continuity was
not
.  Did you think I would not have a means to take away what I have given you?  I do have the recourse of stripping that from you, if you don’t behave!”

“Oh, I like it when you get all commanding!” she cooed.  But she wasn’t quite as confident.  I had to end this.

“Stop it!” I demanded.  “I am serious.  I swear by Ishi’s sacred tits, which are staring me in the face, I
will
return you to your ephemeral state, and you can go back to being a goddess-of-the-moment again.”

I guess she finally realized I was serious.  “You
wouldn’t!”

“I certainly would,” I said, evenly.  “I wasn’t thrilled to be tampering with the natural order, but as I have, I’m willing to correct that mistake.  You are
not
so vital to our efforts that we need you sticking around all the time.”

“You really
are
serious,” she said, a bit cowed, after studying my expression.  “You really would take that from me? After all the pleasure I’ve sent your way over the years?  Including
recently?”
she added, not being able to resist the dig.

“If necessary,” I agreed.  “Don’t make me take that step.”

Her pretty shoulders sagged.  “What do you want me to do?” she asked, simply.

“I want you to support Pentandra,” I instructed her.  “Your power and majesty are not in doubt, but she’s trying to put a whole society back in order.”

“And I’m helping with that!  Don’t you realize that romantic relationships and sex are the basis for
all
higher social interaction?”

“I think you’ve taken it beyond the ‘get to know you’ stage,” I said, dryly, as I watched one of her floral maidens give a young knight a sudden and passionate kiss in front of the entire hall. “Social support is one thing.  When you start playing politics, you cross a line.”

“And you think you’re in a position of authority to dictate where that line lies, mortal?” she asked, her voice turning cold.

I’ll admit, Ishi is an intimidating woman; she’s THE Intimidating Woman, for she is the most extreme example of all women.  Her beauty, her presence, her voice, her bountiful sexuality, her charisma all conspired to make her the most beautiful and socially charismatic woman in the room by default.

But there is a sense of familiarity that makes one regard such intimacies with more perspective.  As impressive as she was, I was wary of her, so that her beauty served more as warning than a lure.  That allowed me the space to keep her divine charms at arm’s length, though I was undeniably affected by them.

“Yes,” I said, hoarsely.  “I am the mage who stands between the gods and men.”

“That’s what the clergy are for!” she said, scornfully.

“I’m a more disinterested party,” I pointed out.  “Think of it as oversight, to keep you honest.  I understand that there is a role for the gods –
some
of the gods – in the permanent order of things.  But the gods are not to be trusted to act with human restraint.  Until experience brings you the wisdom to order yourselves, it shall be my job to determine where the lines are.  I’m warning you now that you are standing on one”

“So who made you in authority over such things?

“I did.  But I am not unwilling to negotiate.  Withdraw your efforts to influence the court, agree to work in concert with Pentandra and me to restore the duchy, and I’ll . . . I’ll . . . build you a temple here in Vorone,” I sighed.

“Me?  You’d build a temple for me?  In this stunning metropolis?” she asked, mockingly.  Even her haughtiness made me horny.

“Where else would you have the freedom to work without too much interference?”

“Any damn place I please!” she said, sharply.  “Do you not understand?  I am the goddess of Love, Minalan!  I take what freedom I want, and when I hit an obstacle I find a way around it to
get
what I want!”  She moved in closer, until I could smell her sweat over her perfume. 

I stared back at her as sternly as I could manage.  “If you want to stay continuous in your incarnation, then I’d advise you to take a more moderate approach.”

“Do you realize what you are daring to do, mortal?”

“I’m threatening to metaphorically spank you like a metaphorical naughty little girl, if you can’t manage to keep your metaphorical skirts down,” I said, warningly.  I don’t know how I did it.  She was extremely intimidating. 

But it worked.  She glared at me potently, until she realized that I would not relent.  So she tacked against the winds and changed course.  She submitted . . . nominally. She even cast her eyes down, and her shoulders sagged.  But it could all have been an act.  You never know, with Ishi.

“I’m sorry, Minalan,” she said, a note of compelling apology in her voice that made me want to dismiss the entire episode.  “I was really just trying to help.  I thought that maybe if the Duke was seen as a wild young buck it would help him gain the respect of his high nobles.”

“And I’m not saying it didn’t,” I agreed.  “A certain amount of public virility is a good thing, in a Duke.  And it seems to have done his confidence good,” I nodded, as I watched the young noble strut across the hall, a maiden on each arm, his mask pushed high over his forehead.  “But preying on his ministers and officials is off-limits for your girls, agreed?”

“But they get so
lonely!”
she cooed. 

“That’s because they are good at what they do,” I countered.  “They
need
to be lonely.  They have a job to do, a vocation to the duchy that is vital and necessary.”

“I take it that includes the clergy, too?” she asked, hesitantly.

“Of course!” I snorted.  Many orders had strict vows of celibacy.  Not Ishi’s priestesses, of course, but many.  Others were more lax, permitting sexual congress but prohibiting marriage, or allowing marriage but only to other clergy in the order.  But in general you didn’t think of the Landbrothers going out and seeking female companionship as they did their rites.  “They are essential to the functioning of the realm.  Disturbing their vocations is harmful, can’t you see that?  Not to mention entangling with the prerogatives of other divinities?”

“You are just taking the fun out of this for
everyone!”
she exclaimed, annoyed.  “But I promise not to single out the clergy and the ministers.”

“Or the high nobles,” I added.  “Barons and above.  Those houses are the backbone of the duchy, and that back is broken, right now.  The last thing they need is marital difficulties because Baron Brokenlance suddenly discovers his rusty old sword fits better in a new, pretty scabbard.”

“They bore me, anyway,” she shrugged.  “Although some of them have imagination. Considering the skill of their wives, it is one born out of desperation, but . . .”

“Leave them alone,” I directed.  “We need the noble families intact.  If you want to help, there are a lot of widows and landless lords around – play matchmatker.  Invigorate those boring old baronial unions, don’t challenge them.  See if you cannot use your art to bring stability to the realm, not chaos.”

“But love is the most beautiful chaos!” she pouted.

“Politics is not informed by beauty or elegance,” I countered, calmly.  “Quite the contrary, it’s a matter of pragmatism and compromise, two things Love despises.  But if sex is the foundation of society, as you claim, then see it used in the service of that society.  Encourage the people to be fruitful, not riotous.”

“I can . . . I can encourage the desire and the opportunity without directly intervening,” she conceded, with a sigh that threatened to undo my resolve.  “I suppose you are right.  Things were too fun to be productive, I guess.”