Pirate's Honor, page 27
"Eel pie?"
"Flick said it was your favorite, but the captain held it back to ...discipline you. I asked him to put it aside for me, knowing that you would be hungry." He smiled warmly and placed the dish on the table beside a silver spoon.
"Great Master, you honor me." She knelt before him, bowing her head in thanks for his gracious gesture. Briefly, she considered doing without her magic tonight to further test his feelings for her, but rejected the idea as too risky. She cast her charm spell under the cover of her obedient position. "You should not have risked yourself for me."
"It's not such a risk, Celeste. I am a guest on Captain Akhiri's ship, and he's trying to curry my favor. Come and eat."
He took her hand and helped her to her feet. Only then did she notice that he had placed the dish not in front of the chair where she usually sat, but on the opposite side of the table. He guided her to his bunk and sat her down, then uncovered the dish and handed her the spoon. She thought to demure again, but she had skipped dinner and the pie did smell wonderful.
Misreading her hesitation, Ekhan said, "Here, I'll have some wine to keep you company while you eat." He poured himself a cup of the venom-laced wine and sat beside her on the bunk.
Celeste forgot about her hunger and the pie cooling in front of her. A discomfort, a feeling of being cornered, surged through her, but there was also a trembling thrill, a tentative wanting. All she could think about was how close his leg was to hers, close enough to brush against if she just shifted. He seemed larger sitting so near, and his proximity lifted the hairs on the back of her neck. The atmosphere seemed charged with energy, as if she had readied a powerful spell and held it in check only by sheer force of will. She wondered if Ekhan felt it, too.
"Eat, please, Celeste," he requested.
"Yes, Great Master."
Ekhan sipped his wine as she ate, uncomfortable under his unwavering gaze. It took all her training not to fidget under his scrutiny. This close, it was a challenge to renew her transformation without his notice, but she had much practice doing so. More than once, when he had noticed her mumbling, she dissembled, explaining that she often spoke oaths or pleas to the stars in her native tongue.
When she had finished most of the pie, she dabbed her mouth with the napkin that had covered the dish and asked, "May I beg to ask a question, Great Master?" She took another bite of pie and cast a fleeting glance at him, drinking in his dark eyes.
"Only if you do a favor for me, Celeste," he said with an intensity she had yet to hear in his voice.
Stars be kind, this is it. She steeled her nerves. Despite all her training and the knowledge that this moment could come, Celeste was unsure if she was capable of following through with his request. Hesitating long enough to steady her voice, she whispered, "Anything, Great Master."
"Call me Benrahi."
"What?" She looked up at him in honest shock. This was not the command she'd expected. "Great Master, I—"
"Tut, tut! You will call me Benrahi, or I'll take away your pie and will not ask you back to my cabin ...for a week."
She swallowed, ducked her head, and said, "You honor this humble slave beyond her due ...Benrahi."
"See? Was that so hard?" He brushed aside a tendril of her hair and lifted her chin to face him, the now-familiar gesture that always made her feel so strange. So warm. "Now, what's your question?"
"Why did you do this?" she asked, gesturing to the nearly consumed pie. "Why are you being so nice to me?"
"Do I need a reason?" he asked with winsome smile and another sip of wine.
Celeste wanted to slap the cup out of his hand, scream that it was poisoned, but she didn't. She had a job to do, but first she wanted—no, she needed—to know the answer to her question.
"If you do have a reason, Great—Benrahi, I'd truly like to know it."
"In truth, I don't know, Celeste." He rose from the bunk and began to pace the confines of the cabin. As she watched, he snapped sharp glances into the dim corners of the room, his uneasiness seeming to increase. Her stomach clenched on her meal; she knew it was her venom wreaking havoc on his mind. "This voyage is tedious and doesn't agree with me. You are beautiful and interesting, and I enjoy your company. Talking with you eases my mind."
"Only talking?" she asked, surprised at her own question.
Benrahi stopped pacing and stood facing her, his mien serious. "You are another man's property, Celeste, and I am his guest aboard this ship. I'll not break the law of ownership by ordering you to please me."
"But ..." Celeste paused as the warning itch of her failing spell spread over her body. With his attention right on her, it would be impossible to recast the spell without him noticing. She let the silver spoon fall from her fingers to clatter to the floor, and bent down to recover it. While doing so, she surreptitiously recast the spell, shifting her form ever so subtly, and breathing easier when she felt it take effect. She put aside the spoon and stood. It was time to do what she had come here to do and get out before things went too far.
He smiled, indicating the empty plate, and asked, "Did you enjoy your eel pie?"
"I did," she admitted, giving him a smile. "It is my favorite. Thank you."
"You are quite welcome."
"I should go, but ..."
"Yes, my dear?"
"You are so kind to me. I know you will not order me, but if I ...chose to please you ..." Celeste eased up to Benrahi, using all the moves and gestures that Vreva had taught her and hating herself for the sudden hunger it brought to his eyes. She leaned in, and he did not pull back. Their lips met and parted, and she flicked her long forked tongue into his mouth.
Benrahi jerked back like he'd been slapped, bringing his hand to his mouth in horror. "You ..." He stared at her in shock.
Celeste collapsed to the floor, her face in her hands, her dismay only partially an act. He had been so kind to her, and she was trying to drive him mad. She didn't have to bite her lip this time to urge her tears.
"Oh, Great Master, I apologize for my rudeness. I thought ...I didn't mean to ..." Her face hidden from his sight, she muttered her transformation spell yet again, felt her tongue shorten, the forks fusing into a round human shape.
"No, Celeste! I'm sorry!" He clutched her arms, pulling her to her feet, his face contorted with distress. "I'm having ...I think I've had too much wine, is all. I was startled."
"I was too forward, Great—Benrahi." She averted her eyes. "You should not apologize. I am only a slave."
"No, Celeste. Never only." His voice was low and rough, and when his fingers touched her chin and brought her eyes up, she felt as if she could drown in the dark depths of his gaze. Their faces were so close she could feel his warm breath on her lips, her skin burning like fire under his touch.
This isn't supposed to happen! she screamed in her mind. She stood like a rabbit hypnotized by a swaying cobra as he leaned in. She was helpless to resist—and, deep in her soul, uncertain whether she wanted to.
"Stars be kind," she murmured as their lips met again, and the heat of his kiss burned through her like fire.
∗ ∗ ∗
"How did it go?" Torius asked, closing and locking the door before turning to Celeste.
She stirred from her position beneath the skylight to look at him, then turned back to the stars. "He gave me the pie. The rest went much as you expected it would."
"Excellent!" He smacked his fist into his palm in triumph and gave a low chuckle. "I knew he'd try to kiss you! Serves the bastard right! I hope he has nightmares for a month!" He reached for the bottle of rum and poured himself a nightcap.
"Do you?"
"What?" He turned to Celeste, his mind stumbling over her question.
"Do you have nightmares?" She slithered over to him and flicked her forked tongue. "You've kissed me like this. Does it give you nightmares, Torius?"
"No, Celeste, it doesn't. I love you." He stared at her, dumbfounded. She sounded upset. What the hell is going on?
"Do you?" She slithered back to the skylight and turned her face to the heavens. "You told me you were unsure whether you loved me or were just addicted to my venom."
"Yes, I did, but you haven't bitten me in weeks." He hated himself for the half-lie. Half-truth, he corrected. He did love her, and she hadn't bitten him. That he was still addicted to her venom was an entirely different issue.
Then why don't you tell her?
He forced the thought down. Not today. He'd tell her later, once this was all done with. "I'm over it, Celeste, but I'm not over you."
"You're sure?" She looked at him, but he couldn't read the thoughts behind her dark eyes.
"Yes, I'm sure."
She broke their gaze and looked back up to the stars, and he sighed in guilty relief at having skirted the addiction issue once again. He sat on the edge of his bunk to sip his rum. "What brought this on, anyway?"
"It's Benrahi. I don't know if I can continue this act anymore, Torius."
"What?" He felt like he'd been kicked in the gut. After all their work, all their planning and pain, blood and lies, she was having second thoughts?
"After ...tonight, when I came back here I was sick. Physically sick, Torius! Without being magically charmed, he thought enough of me to procure a meal when he believed that I would go hungry. He was kind and considerate, and I tortured him. Can't we figure out a way to simply take his money? He's not the villain we thought he was."
"Oh, really?" He put his cup down, his hand shaking with sudden anger. Were they even talking about the same man? Torius dealt with the smug merchant for hours every day, but Celeste only saw him for fleeting minutes while he was charmed by her magic. Well, it was high time to remind her who they were dealing with.
"Do you remember Joss, Celeste? How about Jorey, or that Varisian woman Cammy, or One-Eyed Pete? You remember Ginny Greenpockets or Bottlenose Bart? How about Ponce, the lad with the scraggly red whiskers that wouldn't ever grow in fully because he was probably only sixteen, and he'll never be seventeen! You should remember them because you were there when they died." He snatched up his drink, knocked it back and cracked the cup down onto the navigation table.
"I remember them," she said quietly.
"Good, because those are my nightmares, Celeste!" He fought to keep his voice low, but his blood was boiling. "I hear their screams every night and see their faces every time I close my eyes. That son of a bitch Ekhan killed them. He might not have held the sword, but he killed them nonetheless."
"I understand that, Torius." She looked at him again, tears glittering on her cheeks. "But will destroying Ekhan bring them back?"
"No," he admitted, then added, "but it might just help me sleep at night." He turned away from her and rolled into his bunk, not even bothering to kick off his boots. Her scales rustled across the cabin floor and stopped next to his bed. The blanket pulled itself up over him.
"Very well, Torius," she said, and he rolled over to look at her. "I'll try to carry it through, but that doesn't mean I have to like it."
"No." His anger dissipated as he remembered saying those very words to her not long ago. "No, it doesn't, and I'd be worried if you did. Just promise me that if you decide you can't follow through, you'll tell me, not Ekhan."
She reeled back as if he'd slapped her. "I would never betray you like that, and you know it!"
"I thought I did, but after tonight, I wasn't sure. It's good to hear you say it." He rolled back over. "Good night, Celeste. I'm sorry we fought."
"As am I, my captain," she replied softly. Her scales rustled away, and she resumed her solitary contemplation of the stars.
paizo.com #2495541, Ronald Hartman
Chapter Twenty
Merchant's Paradise
Welcome to Katapesh, Master Ekhan!" Torius swept his arm out to encompass the sprawling metropolis. The early morning breeze blew from the shore, bringing with it all the scents of the massive, bustling city. Added to that were the odors of the fishing boats heading out for their day trips, their reeking nets piled high on their decks, and the pungent scent of the guano that streaked the towering Dockside Giant.
Ekhan wrinkled his nose. "It is ...dirtier than I imagined."
"It may not smell pretty, but it's a merchant's paradise. Any commodity in the world can be purchased, sold, rented, or bartered for here. There's no place else quite like it in all the world!" Torius grinned with an elation he didn't feel. In fact, he had been dreading their arrival. If their disguises were ever going to be penetrated, it would be here. Torius and his crew were well known, and just one person greeting him by name in front of Ekhan would destroy their entire scam.
"It looks rather ...chaotic." Ekhan squinted at the waterfront with its tangle of docks, ships, and colorful canvas awnings, then beyond toward the maze of bazaars. Suddenly, he jerked away from a coil of line on the deck. He prodded the rope with his toe and shook his head. Signs of his hallucinations had become even more prevalent of late.
Torius barked out an involuntary laugh. "Oh, it most assuredly is chaotic, Master Ekhan."
"I look forward to perusing the bazaars while you trade out your cargo," the merchant prince said with a nod. "I have heard much about the—"
"Oh, no!" Torius interrupted. This was exactly what he could not let happen. "We are here for one purpose, and one purpose only, Master Ekhan: to recover the Star of Thumen. I risked your safety once, and that was one time too many. You are my guest. I am responsible for your life."
"I'm not helpless, Captain Akhiri!" Ekhan argued, but Torius shrugged and spread his hands wide.
"I don't suggest that you are, but you're not familiar with Katapesh, either." He swept an arm again to indicate the vast walled city. "This is not Azir, Master Ekhan. There are near a quarter million souls in this city, and most of them are blacker than a demon's heart. Someone of your obvious wealth and stature becomes a target for thieves, kidnappers, or worse. I must insist that we minimize your exposure to the ruffians by taking a large security force with us to purchase the Star of Thumen, then return immediately to the ship. We won't be staying here long anyway. We can turn over our cargo in a day or so."
"I've heard many tales of Katapesh, Captain, and I've never heard that it was so dangerous." Ekhan may as well have called him a liar by the tone of his voice.
"Consult with Master Farfan if you don't believe me. He's well-acquainted with the baser elements of the city. But first we must dock the ship and offer the proper gratuities to the local authorities. The dockmasters here are just as vile and avaricious as the thieves, and the sight of you will certainly set their palms itching. I must ask you to retire to your cabin until all formalities are completed; it'll undoubtedly save us both many hundreds of scarabs."
"Very well." Ekhan stomped down the steps toward the sterncastle door, obviously perturbed. Grogul followed dutifully, looking back at Torius to roll his eyes.
Torius motioned Thillion over and handed him a heavy pouch. "As soon as we touch the dock, I want you to talk to Kerrig. Make damned sure he understands that nobody comes near Sea Serpent and nobody knows us. Tell him I'll double what's in the pouch when we get out of here safely."
"Aye, sir." Thillion pocketed the pouch.
"Then get to Jhamaal and make sure everything's still set. He can expect us later today."
"Aye, sir."
"While we're off dealing with Jhamaal, I want you to get those Aziri silks sold and a load of pig iron stowed aboard. Don't bother haggling. I want to be out of here as soon as we can. Nobody comes aboard, and we handle the loading ourselves."
"Aye, sir."
Torius sighed heavily. "You think we can pull this off?"
"I don't know, sir," Thillion said with a grimace. "Without getting recognized and Ekhan finding out ..."
"I was hoping you'd say, ‘Aye, sir.'"
"I didn't want to lie to you, sir." Thillion gave him a crooked smile and a shrug.
Torius waved his first mate away and focused his attention on docking the ship. With the last dock line secure and Thillion on his mission to Jhamaal's shop, Torius went below and summoned Ekhan and Farfan to the galley.
"Gentlemen, we are ready to retrieve the Star of Thumen, but first, I must insist that you both wear kaftans and head scarves for our trip into the city. We do not want to look like tourists." Torius laid out two kaftans on the galley table, one sized for a halfling and one for Ekhan.
Ekhan picked up the garment and made a face.
"I apologize that I don't have anything more resplendent, but wearing fine clothes in Katapesh is an invitation for thieves and pickpockets. It'll be dangerous enough with my men carrying your chest full of treasure."
"He's right, Master Ekhan," Twilp said, donning his kaftan with practiced ease. "The garments keep you remarkably cool, as well."
"I am familiar with the function of a kaftan, Farfan. I simply hoped to don a clean one!"
Torius sighed, tired of the merchant's grievances. Not only was the tainted wine giving him hallucinations, it also seemed to be making him paranoid and moody as well. That would work to their advantage when they sprung the trap, damaging his credibility with the Sothis authorities, but putting up with him in the meantime was testing the pirate captain's patience.
It would be easier to kill him, buy the Star of Thumen with his money, take it back to Sothis, and have Vreva return it for the reward. But that wouldn't clear their names with the Osirians, and Torius wasn't much for blatant murder.
"Please, Master Ekhan, I assure you that the garment is clean. See, you can use this fold of cloth from the head scarf to cover your face if there is blowing sand or some unpleasant odor. Like this." He brought his own scarf around his face and tucked it in the other side.
"A remarkable innovation!" Ekhan's sarcasm was thick enough to cut with a knife. He quickly mimicked Torius's action and let the material fall back.
