Temple of the Traveler: Empress of Dreams (29 page)

“Yeah, not doing that.”

“Sex may end in the body, but it begins in the mind. You seduce a man with your thoughts before he even sees a bed. I have collected dozens of foxtails from men who want to bed me and give me what I ask for.”

Sarajah raised her eyebrows. “You are a freaking dangerous woman.”

“I am a lady of the first circle; we do not survive without such skills.”

The next morning, Pagaose exercised with the guards. His mood was positively buoyant. “When Tashi gets here, you’ll see some impressive Stone style. Niftkin, send someone to see what’s keeping him. In the meantime, I’ll teach you how to trick your opponent into underestimating you. When I wore an older body, I called this combination ‘Oops.’” He hunched over, holding his rod of office as a cane. The men could almost see him age. When the guard swept toward him, Pagaose put his hand to his ear and the staff stuck out as he turned his body. “Eh?”

The faux-attacker tripped, falling to the ground. When he heard the impact, the emperor about-faced, striking the prone man in the head lightly for effect. The crowd clapped politely.

“When asked how much of a martial art he knows, a master will always say ‘a little.’”

At the end on the session, Niftkin announced, “Sir Tashi prepared the ship last night and is resting. He sends his regrets.”

When the emperor walked to the bench, Lady Evershade held out his kalura shirt. She wore a crisp harem robe, her standard for household duties, and powder on her face to make it even paler. To indicate her new status, she wore a headpiece that was so massive it required two tent-peg-sized stakes to affix it to her hair bun. “Sire, you have your usual Stoneday meeting with Lord Pangborn, your first class with Lord Pinetto and the dancers, the citizen readiness committee, and another complaint from the observatory about the watch fires. I’ve assigned Niftkin to handle the last two. We served three-berry jam on oat bread for breakfast. I brought you a sample.” She handed him a fresh slice, still warm from the oven.

“Wonderful. What would I do without you, milady?”

Sarajah suggested, “Highness, wasn’t there something in the Council chamber you wanted to show me?”

Pagaose raised an eyebrow.

The noblewoman looked down and whispered, “She wishes to have a meeting with the two of us.”

Loudly, he played along. “Yes, but I left that book in my bedroom. Come with me and bring the chaperone to keep things proper.” He led the way to his room, with the two following.

“How goes your dragon hunt, sire?” asked Sarajah casually on the way.

“There must be a hundred tiny islands inside the radius we drew. Scribbles is still gathering data on all of them. It would take years to sift through all of it.”

Lady Evershade suggested, “My fishermen may be of use to you. They know the islands without a chart, as do the ferrymen. I can find someone to take over Scribbles’ real-estate duties while he concentrates on the more pressing problem.”

When they reached the door to his suite, Niftkin and another guard stayed in the hall.

Once inside his sitting room, he asked, “What’s this regarding?”

Sarajah grinned evilly. “Disciplinary action against a wicked vixen.”

His majesty dropped the bread, and it landed jam-side down. “It was real?”

“The antechamber of the Halls to Eternity is dream, sire. You are more real there than you are out here,” Sarajah explained.

Lady Evershade scooped the bread and, kneeling, she wiped up the jam with her sleeve to prevent stains on the marble.

“I didn’t mean . . . gods. Did I force her?”

“No. His majesty is welcome to anything in his harem he sees,” Lady Evershade said warmly.

Guilt was followed by relief and then more guilt. Sarajah muttered something about, “Teach you how to enter and exit lucid dreaming intentionally.”

In the process of cleaning, Lady Evershade flashed him the briefest hint of flesh down the V of her robe, and he was inflamed beyond reason. Even focusing on the backs of her legs stirred him. The entire talk, he was fantasizing about licking that wonderful jam off her clothing, and then her perfect, pale body. He had to sit on the bed or he would’ve fallen on her then. Most of the discussion was a buzzing in the background, as Sarajah went on about the rules of shared dream space. “The body there is a reflection of self-image. Mortals aren’t as malleable as Dawn folk, but their environment is. Once the link is established, it can be shared over almost any physical distance.”

Lady Evershade locked eyes with him, and he shivered. She smiled knowingly. An entire world of possibilities had opened up to them if only they were discreet.

****

While the emperor washed at his basin and changed, Lady Evershade met with her cousin in the Council Chamber. “Cancel the visitors,” she hissed. “The queen has surrendered to my claim.”

Pangborn pulled back. “One doesn’t change one’s mind with these individuals. I kicked the hornet’s nest. Someone
will
be stung.”

“Useless,” she muttered, stomping from the room.

Next, she checked the secret entrance leading over the palace wall. The flower marking the location was gone. The military either knew how to gain entrance or was already inside. She needed another plan.

When she burst open the door to Komiko’s room, Ember was on top of the witch, strangling back a moan. When the slim girl saw the chaperone, she squeaked, “Company.”

“Tell the maid to come back; we almost got the third point lit. That new mineral really works,” said the witch. The silence brought her out from under the covers.

Lady Evershade closed the door.

“We’re out of the contest, aren’t we?” guessed Ember.

“I will hold my silence on this matter, but you two are going to do something for me. You’re both trained in combat?”

Ember said, “I can kill with my bare hands, but I prefer to kick or use a spear—better reach and more stopping power. I can defend against swords with two staves.”

Komiko said, “That is so hot.”

“As a princess of Intaglios, there has been some
question
as to whose side of the war you are on,” Lady Evershade said to Ember. “I give you an opportunity to prove yourself beyond a doubt.”

“What do you want us to do?” the girl asked warily.

“There are two types of noblewomen: high-strung lapdogs, bred for looks, and pit bulls who defend their house. The three of us are the latter type.”

“Father has men like that; he calls them enforcers,” said Ember.

“Yes. Can I entrust you with a mission of vital diplomatic importance?”

Komiko snickered, “Like what? Cleaning that stain?”

“An unknown number of assassins have infiltrated the secret passages in the Pleasure Dome. They plan to kill Sarajah. To warn her of this would be to admit we can’t control our own military. Men cannot be sent in to counter them because they are forbidden in the Pleasure Dome. The three of us must prevent the assassination before the queen is endangered.”

The women looked at each other. Komiko said, “I’m game. Do we stun them for questioning?”

“That would lead back to Lord Ashford, embarrassing all of us. Everyone who does not listen to our demands to flee must be killed.”

Komiko began, “Look, you don’t know what’s involved in . . .”

Lady Evershade pulled a three-inch blade from her hair. With a continuous motion, she cut the stained sleeve off.

“Forget I opened my mouth. If we do this thing, can we keep sharing this room?” asked the witch.

“The chaperone’s duty is to defend the virtue of her charges against all
men
.”

“Yes!” said Komiko. “I’m in. Once we gather weapons, how do we access the passageways?”

“Meet me in my room to discuss the skill demonstrations you wish to incorporate into your dances.”

****

Tashi came back earlier than expected. Sarajah caught him putting the last dollop of orange marmalade in his mouth; he was scooping it out of the crock with the heel of the bread loaf. His hunger resonated with her. “Well, don’t you have appetites this morning?”

He nodded, swallowing.

She inhaled the overpowering smell of his sweat. “But you need a bath.”

“I’m almost done.”

“And get out of those clothes,” she said suggestively. “You were very understanding last night and deserve a big reward. Lady Evershade shared some of her secrets with me last night.”

He stood up so fast he knocked the chair over, and he followed her to the Pleasure Dome like the fox on its leash.

Once through the door, he was kicking off his boots and shedding clothing like mad.

“Easy,” she admonished.

“I’ve been waiting for months,” he panted. The air was thick with sweet spirit incense.

“A girl’s first time is special. I think we should kiss for awhile,” she said, demonstrating. Someone, no doubt Violet, had thrown more sweet incense on the hidden brazier. Haze filled the room. They kissed until Sarajah felt dizzy. Pausing to catch her breath, she said, “We’ll clean each other, and then . . .” She shrugged and her cloak fell off her, leaving her gloriously naked. She was gratified by the involuntary, male gasp and lowered herself into the warm pool.

When she looked up, Tashi wasn’t watching her; rather, he searched the room. The sound hadn’t been his. As he approached the rice-paper partition, a masked man dove through the false wall. The attacker swung a club, but Tashi caught the arm and used his momentum as a weapon, smashing the man’s head against the stone bench. Blood spattered on Sarajah. She shrieked in surprise and disgust, but when she tried to stand up, her legs didn’t want to cooperate.

She watched Tashi charge into the secret tunnel and snap another masked man’s neck and disappear from sight.

From a second secret panel, a third masked assassin crept to her side. “There’s going to be a terrible tragedy.” He clamped a leather-clad hand around her mouth and started to push her down into the water. Struggling, she inhaled more of the cloying incense and almost swooned. The smell was making her sleepy! She thrashed, trying to reach the man’s solar plexus with her fingers, but she kept slipping.

Just as suddenly, the man tipped past her into the pool. A crimson stain flowered out of the back of his neck, filling the pool. Lady Evershade stood in his place. Her hair fell limply from the unraveled headpiece, and her eyes were glassy. The noblewoman wet her sleeve as she helped the queen out of the water. They both flopped to the floor.

“Incense drug,” gasped Sarajah, unable to move.

Lady Evershade put her wet sleeve over her face and ran to the corner brazier. Either the brazier was extremely heavy or the noblewoman was nearly drained of energy. Through force of will alone, she dragged the brazier inches across the floor toward the nearby cold pool. When dragging didn’t work, she used the wall to help push the metal bowl full of coals forward. Her hand slipped and her stomach pressed against the hot metal. Her face turned red as she screamed, but she kept pushing until the coals splashed into the water, hissing.

Then she lay on her side, unable to move from the pain.

Inside the narrow tunnels, another woman screamed. A small explosion sounded and a man cried out. As Sarajah recovered her senses, she heard Tashi’s savage war cry again and again. Eventually she was able to wrap a wet cloth over her own face and crawl over to the Pleasure Dome’s front door. She opened both inner and outer doors to bring in fresh air. Sarajah met Nightglow and several pop-eyed guards.

“We heard the shouts but couldn’t come in,” Niftkin said, focusing on her eyes. “I’ve sent a man to get the emperor.”

“Men wait here. Nightglow, come with me. Don’t make a sound. I don’t know how many are left.”

There was quiet in the Pleasure Dome.

Together, they picked up the injured Lady Evershade. The noblewoman’s face contorted in pain, but she didn’t make any sound that might betray their position as they dragged her to the entrance. As Niftkin leaned in to assist, Sarajah whispered, “Take care of her, and I’ll go help Tashi.”

She found him covered in blood, searching the pools and bedding. “There you are. I was worried. We killed them all. Ember’s leg is broken near the knee. Komiko is tending to her.”

“Are you hurt?”

“No, I was so angry I reached into a man’s ribcage and crushed his heart. It made a mess. We found Violet’s body stuffed in a cabinet, too.”

Either because of the incense fumes, the sight of the floating corpse, or the detailed description of the carnage, Sarajah was shivering. He sat beside her and put an arm around her. “The weirdest thing: for the first time since the Battle of the Falls, I’m not hungry.”

“All this turned your stomach?”

“Um . . . no. I think I absorbed some kind of energy from the people I fought. This might be why the creature I met in the Halls asked me not to kill anyone. My body might be developing a dependence.”

Not knowing what else to do, Sarajah wept.

Nightglow made burn salve and liberally applied it to her mother’s stomach. However, the pain was still intense. The emperor sat by her side. Sarajah came in to inform them, “I’ve splinted Ember’s leg, but she’s not going to dance by spring. It doesn’t feel right that she gets disqualified for helping me. Komiko is nursing her.”

“We all know she was never very fond of me, but I owe her a debt of honor. The dead man beside her was former Commander Taka, a vile man; he had orders to kill Anna at one point. Ember performed admirably. We can arrange a professional nurse for her,” Pagaose offered.

Lady Evershade croaked, “Highness, the two heroines are incredibly . . . fond of each other.”

“Good friends, to be sure.”

Both older women shook their heads. Nightglow covered her mouth.

Pagaose’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh? How do they . . . ?”

“As often as they can,” Lady Evershade assured him.

“Several of my handmaidens had this proclivity.” Sarajah explained the mechanics briefly. “Komiko and Ember have made great progress refining Pinetto’s coursework.”