Pirate's Honor, page 4
"I know the rules, Captain." The bosun gave him a grin and a salute. "Have fun with your negotiations."
"Fun?" Torius sneered. "I'd rather spend time with a bad-tempered ogre."
"Aye, sir, but you gotta admit, Vreva's good to look at."
"So is a succubus," Torius commented, waving to his detail. "Come on."
Their trek through the city was mercifully short. The opulent inn where Vreva Jhafae made her home and conducted her business was close to the Fleshfairs, where her clientele plied their trades. Torius kept his eyes fixed on his path, ignoring the presentations of merchandise as they passed slave shop after slave shop. He knew what he would see if he let his eyes wander: men, women, boys, and girls of every race arrayed in orderly, if not aesthetically pleasing, displays. Most wore tattered rags, chains binding their hands and feet—new stock that had not yet been broken. Experienced, well-conditioned slaves wore better clothing and no chains, their yellow collars of ownership the only evidence of their status. A few unfortunate enough to be deemed pretty or handsome wore little more than those collars, their "wares" displayed openly for the perusal of prospective buyers.
"Not today ..." Torius murmured through clenched teeth, steering them clear of the worst of it.
The Inn of the Eighth Sin was not exactly a brothel, but a few of the higher-class ladies of Vreva's ilk made their homes there. The innkeeper enjoyed a brisk business in all manner of entertainments, some mundane and some not. He also employed an inordinate number of guards to keep order.
"Captain Vin!" With some difficulty, the rotund innkeeper extracted himself from behind the glistening mother-of-pearl front desk. He waddled out to greet Torius with all proper ceremony, bowing low, touching his brow, and sweeping his arm in a wide arc. The man had a phenomenal memory, and greeted all of his returning customers by name. "Abadar exults to see you once again in my humble establishment. You honor me with your presence."
"The honor is mine, Master Quopek." Torius bowed low, mirroring the man's gesture. In his travels, he had mastered the customs of myriad cultures; the problem was remembering which one to use where. A gesture that denoted friendship or trust in one culture could be taken as a deadly insult in another.
"What can I do for you and the fearsome crew of the Stargazer today, Captain? We have some very fine Chelish wine and the best refined pesh available on the market. Some company, perhaps? We have slaves of all manner to see to your every whim. Baths, massage, women, girls, boys ..."
"I received an invitation to visit Miss Jhafae," Torius said, struggling to maintain a calm demeanor. "If she is not entertaining a ...client, I would see her at once."
"Ah, of course. I remember that she is a special acquaintance of yours." Quopek winked broadly and turned to his desk. "She is not usually busy so early in the day, but let me just consult her appointment book." From a drawer of his desk he pulled a thick book bound in mauve leather. He consulted its pages and nodded. "Yes, she is free, and in her apartments. If you wish to proceed, I will see that your people are well entertained in your absence."
"Not too well entertained, Master Quopek." Torius bowed again and cast a warning look at the grinning Joss. "You stay sober, Joss, or there'll be the devil to pay."
"Sober as a magistrate, Captain!" Joss saluted, though his eyes strayed toward the scantily clad ladies who lounged in the inn's common room.
"Good." Torius tightened his belt a notch, smoothed his mustache, and climbed the sweeping marble stairs to the top floor where Vreva Jhafae made her home.
The double doors to her suite were works of art, burnished teak deeply carved and inlaid with polished brass and semiprecious stones in a mosaic of the goddess Calistria. The deity was displayed in all her lascivious splendor, surrounded by adoring subjects in the throes of lustful homage. He lifted the erotically shaped brass clapper and rapped it three times, feeling instantly like he needed to wash his hand.
"Torius Vin!" Vreva exclaimed in her musical contralto as she swept the doors wide. Her eyes gleamed, and her rouged lips glistened as she smiled. "Please, do come in!" She swept her arm in a graceful arc and curtsied with the poise of a dancer.
Despite himself, Torius caught his breath at the sight and subtle scent of her, remembered so vividly from his dream. She wore a less revealing garment than she had in that vision: a pastel confusion of veils drawn snug around her slim waist by golden cord—translucent, opaque, and startlingly transparent in varying shades of purple and pink. As she moved, subtle hints of her fabulous figure were revealed just long enough to catch his eye before becoming hidden again. Her coiffure was an elaborate confusion of onyx waves and intricate braids woven with more golden cord, a few delicate curls dangling to caress the nape of her neck. He steeled his resolve and entered her abode.
"Vreva." He looked around. She had redecorated her suite since his last visit. Instead of the former silver-and-white palette, the walls, floors, upholstery, and curtains were a riot of crimson and gold. It was artfully done, but not his style. "Can't say I like what you've done to the place."
"Alas, I am a slave to fashion, dear Torius." She closed the doors and moved to the expansive sideboard, where she filled two long-stemmed crystal goblets with blood-red wine from a matching carafe. "My decorator is a Taldan, and he's all the rage. Of course, now I'll have to buy a whole new wardrobe, since the new colors clash horribly with all my outfits. Oh, well!" She proffered one of the wineglasses, her delicate fingers tipped with pink-lacquered nails.
He considered refusing the wine on principle but relented. She was bringing him business; it would be bad manners to refuse her hospitality. He lifted the goblet from her grasp, taking care not to let his fingers brush hers. "Thank you."
"To our continued profitable association," she said, raising her glass for a toast.
"I'll drink to that," he said as the crystal vessels touched, chiming a musical note. He took a sip, and his eyebrows arched in appreciation. Oak and walnut, plum, and a hint of smoke caressed his palate. Vreva had excellent taste in wine. "This is delicious. Chelish?"
"Why, yes!" She beamed at him, her sensuality glowing with her seemingly honest delight. "A touch of my homeland. I find it staves off the lingering desire to return there more effectively than anything else I've tried." She sipped again and waved a hand at a lavishly upholstered divan. "You never told me you knew wine."
He sank into the cushions at one end of the divan. Beautiful though it was, the blatant opulence discomforted him. Much like its owner, he thought. As much as he reviled her profession for personal reasons, her constant manipulative attempts at seduction were what really set his teeth on edge. Vreva reclined at the far end, stretching her legs so that her lovely bare feet were inches from his knee. She was far too close for his liking, but his back pressed against the armrest, and he couldn't retreat any farther without standing.
"There are a great many things about me that I have never—and will never—tell you, Vreva." A pure white cat emerged from behind the divan and hopped up into Vreva's lap, where it curled into a purring ball. No accounting for taste. "Your cat doesn't match your new decor either. Guess it's time for a new one. You must go through pets like you go through men."
She stared at him for a moment, her eyes veiled, before continuing as if she hadn't heard the insult.
"You do enjoy playing the mysterious pirate, don't you? I, on the other hand, am an open book." She sighed and waved her hand in a graceful arc. "A slave to the passions of men and a hedonist beyond compare." She adjusted her position, unconsciously—or perhaps intentionally—exposing an expanse of shapely thigh. "Is that why I make you uncomfortable, Torius? Am I too honest in my licentious lifestyle for your delicate sensibilities?"
"I'm a pirate, Vreva," he said, though he wasn't telling her anything she didn't already know. She'd been profiting from his piracy for more than three years. "I don't have delicate sensibilities."
"Oh, but isn't it true that you refuse to traffic in slaves, Torius?" She arched her ebony eyebrows and sipped her wine. "That's unusual for a pirate. It sounds like the choice of a man who has some moral code from which he refuses to deviate."
"It's the choice of a man who doesn't want to shovel human shit from the bilge of his ship," he said casually. "And I could never fly yellow sails. They'd clash with the rest of the ship."
"I see." She sipped her wine, the deep, dark pools of her eyes studying him relentlessly.
After an extended silence, he began to feel even more uncomfortable with her scrutiny. He tossed back his wine as if it were cheap grog and rose from the divan. "You mentioned a business proposition?" He strode to the sideboard and refilled his goblet without asking. The neck of the carafe clanked against the rim almost hard enough to chip the crystal. "Something lucrative?"
"Quite lucrative, if you can manage it." She waited with the patience of a spider as he strolled back to the divan and sat. "A very valuable item has been stolen. The thief who stole this item will board a ship in four days. If you can intercept the ship and take the item, it will fetch you a small fortune in the bazaars of Katapesh."
"I'm interested," he said with cautious expectation. Stealing from thieves was one of his favorite pastimes—much safer than stealing from rich men directly. Rich men had guards and traps and nasty spells protecting their treasures. But thieves ...What were they going to do, call the authorities? He took another sip of wine and held it on his tongue before swallowing. He could get used to this taste, but a bottle probably cost more than a good healing potion. Which reminded him ... "How much do you want?"
"Thirty percent," she said, her casual tone at odds with her businesslike gaze.
"Twenty, after our expenses," he countered, more comfortable now that the haggling had begun.
"Twenty-seven percent, before your expenses." Her smile was sweet enough to make his teeth hurt.
"Twenty-two percent, after fifty percent of expenses. Without knowing the ship I'll have to take to get this thing, I insist that you incur some of the risk of damage to Stargazer."
"Twenty-five percent, and I see no reason why I should be held responsible for anything that happens to your ship. If you don't feel up to the challenge after you learn the details, you can decline the offer."
"Twenty-four percent, and half my expenses. I really must insist."
"Insist all you want, Torius, but I'm not—" She suddenly raised one immaculately manicured finger, her eyebrows arching like a recurved bow being pulled to fire. "How about this? I'll pay all your expenses, and meet your twenty-four percent, if you spend tonight here with me. Just the two of us."
He gaped at her, unsure if he had heard her correctly. "You what?"
"I'll pay your expenses," she repeated as she leaned forward, exposing a distracting swell of pale flesh, "and agree to twenty-four percent of your take on this enterprise, if you share my bed this night." When he didn't answer, she laughed musically. "Oh, come now, Torius. Men have paid me as much as we're haggling over for an afternoon's dalliance. Surely you don't believe that you wouldn't enjoy my company. In your dream, you seemed quite—"
"Twenty-five percent." He clenched his teeth in rage at her offer, as well as his body's irrepressible response to her sensuality. He crossed his legs and growled. "No expenses."
"My dear Torius!" Vreva gaped at him in honest surprise. She stared at him for a long moment, then inclined her head in a polite nod of acceptance. "Whoever she is, she must be very special for you to refuse my offer."
"My personal life is not up for discussion, and my physical attentions are not up for barter, Vreva." He quaffed his wine, set the goblet on the low table beside the divan, and stood. "Now, do we have an accord, or do you prefer to continue your childish games?"
She emptied her goblet and nudged her feline companion. The cat hopped down with an insulted look common to its kind, and Vreva rose to her feet, seemingly at ease with his brusque manner. She held out a hand. "We have an accord."
Against his better judgment, Torius reached out and took her hand. Her grip was like fine silk, smooth and supple yet strong. In his dream he had only imagined her touch, not truly felt it. Now he remembered why he avoided it. They had sealed deals before with a handshake, and each time Torius felt as if he left a tiny sliver of his soul in her grasp.
Vreva smiled as their hands parted. She picked up his goblet and flowed across the carpeted floor to the sideboard. She poured more wine for them both and returned, holding one out for him to take.
"The name of the ship is the Queen's Chalice; she will leave Sothis bound for Ostenso in four days. The item you seek is a necklace called the Star of Thumen. Until recently, it belonged to Keiratek Nhil of Sothis. He is wealthy and powerful advisor to the Council of Sun and Sky. The necklace is magical, and is said to bestow untold knowledge upon the wearer." She sipped her wine.
"What kind of knowledge?"
"I haven't the faintest idea," she admitted with a shrug. "The thief's name is Twilp Farfan, a halfling. He's experienced and very careful, which is why he's letting things cool down for a few days before boarding the ship."
"Contract theft, or is he looking for a fence?"
"Contract. Some high something-or-other in Egorian, which is how I learned of the heist." She lifted her glass. "My wine importer often brings me news from home."
"Ah." He swirled his wine, admiring the hue, but then noted a tiny smudge of Vreva's lip rouge on the rim. She had switched glasses. He wondered if she'd done it on purpose, then dismissed it as a simple mistake. Nevertheless, when he brought it to his lips, he made sure to place them where hers had not touched. "You've never told me why you left Cheliax, Vreva."
"There are a great many things about me that I have never—and will never—tell you, Torius," she said with another smoldering smile.
He couldn't help but laugh at having his own words thrown back at him so readily. He raised his glass to her. "A fair touch." Crystal chimed again as they clinked glasses, and he took another sip. "Four days. Good. That'll give me time to hire a new first mate."
"Oh? What happened to Caliel?"
"I killed him," he said, fixing her with an even stare and levying a smile of his own.
"Dare I ask why?" She seemed unperturbed at his admission.
"He betrayed me. That simple."
"Remind me never to betray you, then."
"Very well. Never betray me, Vreva. If you do, I'll kill you as quickly and easily as I did Caliel."
"Then I've got nothing to worry about." She finished her wine.
"Good." He finished his and handed her his goblet. "Thank you for the wine. It was remarkable. Next time you order a shipment, get an extra case and I'll buy it from you."
"I'll be happy to give you a case, Torius." She escorted him to the door and opened it for him. "I'll have Quopek deliver it to your ship."
"Thank you," he said honestly. A gift of wine was one offer from her that he was willing to accept. He gave her a sweeping bow and turned to go, but the dulcet tone of her voice stopped him in his tracks.
"And tell your lady, whoever she is, that I envy her your attentions." He looked at her, but could detect no guile in her expression. "I would very much like to meet her one day."
The thought of Celeste meeting Vreva made Torius laugh out loud. "For your sake, Vreva, you better pray to your goddess that you never, ever do."
∗ ∗ ∗
Scales whispered on wood, back and forth, back and forth, her tail twitching with every sinuous turn. Torius's cabin was barely large enough for the ship's captain to pace, let alone a lunar naga measuring ten feet from head to tail. She bumped the stool beside the chart table with the tip of her tail, and it fell over, causing her to turn and hiss. Celeste was in a fine, high temper, and she had only herself to blame.
Dreams and wealth, desire and wealth, dreams' desire. She turned and re-turned the prophecy over in her mind. Wealth, dreams, desire, lust ...
Vreva ...
Celeste despised the woman, though she'd neither met nor even seen her. She was a professional seductress, and though Torius had explained exactly why that was abhorrent to him, he had also admitted to being unable to control his own body. And now Celeste was stuck here on Stargazer while he was with Vreva.
"And I sent him to her!" she hissed, turning again in the confined space.
What a cruel joke the stars were playing on her. But her prophecy could not have been false. The stars never lied.
Her tail quivered, rattling against the leg of the chart table. She sighed and stopped her incessant slithering, coiling instead in the center of the floor. Closing her eyes, she tried to still her mind and focus on Torius. She had no doubt of his feelings for her. Years ago, he had rescued her from a fate she didn't want to even consider, and had offered her a place aboard Stargazer despite the risk her presence created. Here she had discovered night skies far from the polluting light of the cities of humanoids. Oh, what glorious starscapes they had seen together! They had counted the shooting stars in a meteor shower east of Absalom, charted an unnamed comet's progress across the sky while transiting the Obari Ocean, and pledged their love under the arc of the heavens at both solstice and equinox.
But now ...
She shivered with the memory of curling around Torius, closing her eyes and laying her head on his chest while he stroked her hair. And their short but sweet stolen moments when she made love to him in human form, the bitter taste of the potion disappearing with his kisses. She had thought it enough, but as Celeste remembered Torius's reaction as he dreamed of Vreva, she considered that perhaps she had been wrong. With what she'd learned about the libidos of human men aboard a ship full of pirates, and what she knew of Vreva, she thought it might be far too tempting for him to satisfy his physical urges with her. And if he did, Celeste knew that she would never again hold his heart as she did now.
