The Price of Faith (13 page)

The serving girl’s hair, almost as black as Jezzet’s own, hung down to her shoulders and served to frame the mask; it shook a little as she babbled something in a language Jez didn’t know before turning and rushing from the room. Yet another injustice done to the women of Soromo was that they were forbidden from learning the common tongue, at least not those of common birth, and therefore could not communicate with outsiders.

Lei chuckled and took out a smoking pipe, packed it with dried leaf and lit it from the single candle in the centre of the table. Jaeryn spread his hands wide with a resigned smile and reached into his jacket for a din, a wooden chip that served as money in the Dragon Empire and was worth more than the common lat.

“Every time,” Jez said with a sigh and a shake of her head.

Jaeryn nodded. “Costs about as much just to let you drink in these places as it does to feed you all for a night.”

“Don’t pay then,” Jez replied casually. “I’ll teach them not to be so disrespectful.”

Jaeryn snorted. “You’d bring the damned guard down upon us. Might be alright for you given how taken the empress is with you but us… we’d be executed for disturbing the peace.”

Jezzet nodded, public executions were not uncommon in Soromo for all manner of crimes and disturbing the peace was certainly one of them. Barbaric as blanket capital punishment was it did tend to bring crime levels down.
Or just forces the criminal class to work smarter and be more discreet.

A tall man wearing robes that identified him as the owner walked through the door and pointed at Jezzet. “Out,” he ordered with bulging eyes.

Jez turned her head and gave the owner a dark smile that made him step back in fright but Jaeryn was already up and placating the foolish man. A few calming words and a din later and the owner grunted his approval at Jezzet staying. She applauded him as he left the room but he ignored her.

A few minutes later the serving girl reappeared. Some people might have thought it a different girl but Jezzet could tell it was the same one. She noticed it in the way the woman walked, and the minute head twitches Jez’s way. The women of Soromo always found her fascinating and given the way that they were treated she wasn’t at all surprised.

They ordered some food and something to drink and the all the while the serving girl said nothing, only bobbing her head enthusiastically. Jezzet watched her and shook her head. “The way you people treat women is disgusting,” she said accusingly at Jaeryn and Lei.

Lei smiled and shrugged but Jaeryn laughed. “Me people or my people? I myself allow my wife all the comforts and rights she deserves. Unfortunately she refuses to allow herself those same rights I wish to give her.” Jezzet snorted but Jaeryn forged on. “It’s true. An unfortunate consequence of the culture we live in is our women truly believe they are less than the men.”

“They are,” Lei said speaking for the first time that day and, judging by experience, probably his only time that day.

Jez stared a burning hole through Lei but he simply shrugged and ignored her.

“I personally,” Jaeryn continued, “do not believe this to be a fair derision. The way we relegate women to menial duties only, the objectification exhibited by most men including my silent friend here. All wrong, in my mind at least, but then what am I to do? I am a simple man of simple means. I work to support my family. I am no revolutionary.”

“Why not?” Jez pushed. “Take a stand, make a difference if you truly believe what you just spewed up.”

Jaeryn laughed and shook his head. “Simple man. Besides I’ll wager you’re doing more than I ever could just by being you in this fair city of ours.”

Jez snorted. She felt like spitting but doing so in Soromo was considered rude especially when indoors.

“Oh you don’t believe me? But it’s true. You spread dissension by your very act of being, Jezzet Vel’urn. The women envy your freedom and your strength while the men they realise they want something more than the meek shadows that are sold to them as wives.

“The day you and your Arbiter arrived you had the whole city in an uproar.”

“He tends to do that wherever he goes,” Jezzet said.

“Not him, you. Some of the high-born, men from clans Seisei, Rolyn and Reika petitioned the empress to have you killed. When she refused they begged her to banish you. When she refused again they argued. She had each man’s first born son executed to show them she would brook no more argument.”

How very merciful. The empress is as bad as her people.
Jez thought about it for a moment.
Actually she’s worse.

“Even now there are people who are afraid of the way you influence her at court,” Jaeryn continued. “You are a bottled storm, Jezzet Vel’urn. Wherever you tread turbulence and change follow. Be careful, there are elements in this city that will stop at nothing to see you gone.”

Jez grinned. “Let them try, I’ll personally show them that storm.”

Jaeryn shook his head, his face dropping. “They will not come at you directly; they won’t risk the empress’ wrath.”

“You seem to know a lot about this, Jae,” Jezzet said.

He shook his head. “Just a man with his eyes open. As I’ve already said, I just want to feed my family, I’ve no intention of joining a revolution.”

“And I’ve no intention of starting one,” Jez countered and for a while both stared at the other.

“I think this place could learn a thing or two from the Five Kingdoms,” Sally said as he took the sour-wine bottle from the serving girl. “Back in my hometown of Kitswald the women are even tougher than the men. They look after the kids and the house, make the town decisions, even take up arms with the men when it’s needed.

“I remember one time my father came back near gutted by a wild boar. He killed the beastie good and proper but it damn near stuck one of its tusks through his belly. He dragged the thing home and collapsed on the ground just outside our cottage. My mother found him, cleaned him up and tended to his wounds, skinned the boar and cooked it and then spent the next few weeks doing his job as well as hers all the while stopping me and my sisters from killing each other.” Sally grinned. “They were good times.”

Never really knew your mother, Jez, or your father
. They had tried to sell her to a pleasure house at the age of nine years. Only the timely intervention by one of the brothel’s regular patrons had saved Jez from the life of a whore.
Lucky for me that patron turned out to be a Blademaster
.

For a long time after her parents had sold her Jez was furious at them. She was young but not too young to understand what they had tried to do and what she had been saved from. Back then she hadn’t realised what was to come but her master, Yuri Vel’urn soon made it clear. On her first night as his new apprentice Jezzet had lost her virginity. He was not rough but then he wasn’t gentle either, at nine years old it was a terrifying experience for her and that night she cried herself to sleep.
Cried yourself to sleep the first month, if I remember right, Jez.

The next morning Yuri started Jez out with small tasks designed to test her, make sure she had what it took to be a Blademaster. Physical ability could be earned through hard work, skill could be taught, although Yuri always preached Blademasters were born not chosen, but there was a particular mind set required to complete the training and he tested Jezzet to make sure she had it.

At first he set her menial tasks and far too many than she could realistically complete in one day. The tasks were designed to drive her to exhaustion both physically and mentally and then push her past those barriers. The master needed to know his apprentice had the drive to keep going beyond her limits. More than once Jezzet had returned to their home too tired to think or feel, sometimes she was literally asleep on her feet and she knew for a fact Yuri had occasionally used her body for his own pleasure after she had passed out from the day’s grind.

After he was certain his apprentice wouldn’t give up or complain about the workload Yuri tested her ability to learn. He gave her tomes of history to read, dull, dry literature that had her yawning so often she thought it would be easier simply to keep her mouth open. At night, after he had had his fun Yuri would quiz her on what she had learned, making sure to focus on the details. There was the physical learning too; he would show Jez a dance just once then leave for the day, she never knew where. When he returned he would order her to recite the dance perfectly.

Those were the easy tasks, the ones she never got wrong. After just three months of testing her Yuri Vel’urn decided Jezzet might just have what it took to be his apprentice. Her training followed and it pushed her to the edge of death more times than she could count.
There was even that one time he actually killed you, Jez.

“Mind if I join you?” Came a voice from the doorway behind Jezzet. It was a voice she wished she didn’t recognise.

“I do mind,” said Jaeryn, his voice devoid of its usual smile. “This happens to be a private gathering, friend.”

You should probably say something before he gets himself killed.
“Hello, Drake,” she said without turning to look at the pirate captain. She did however take great pleasure in watching the colour drain from Jaeryn’s face.

“Y-you’re Drake Morrass?” asked Jaeryn.

“I am,” replied Drake. Jez could tell he was smiling even without looking. “And you’re Jaeryn Ito.”

Jez wouldn’t have said it was possible but Jaeryn somehow managed to pale even further. “You know my name?”

“I know everyone’s name. Evening, Jezzet.”

Jez waved a hand over her shoulder in greeting and reached for a meat dumpling, popping it into her mouth without ceremony and chewing loudly.

“Such manners,” Drake purred. “No wonder my empress is so taken with you.”

“Reckon she’s a little more taken with you. At least I’d hope so,” Jez snorted out a laugh but none of the others joined in, they were far too busy being in awe and fear of the dreaded pirate standing behind her. It would take more than Drake Morrass to make Jezzet Vel’urn wet with either.

“Mind if I join you then?” Drake asked as he sat down.

“Yes,” Jezzet replied around the dumpling in her mouth, still not sparing the pirate a glance.

“No, of course not,” Jaeryn spoke over the top of Jez and bowed his head. “It’s an honour to host such a prestigious member of the empress’ court.”

“Prestigious?” Drake asked with a laugh.

“Well you are fucking the bitch,” Jez said. “Personally I’d have gone with deceitful or sycophantic.”

“Not charming?”

Jezzet just aimed a level stare at Drake. The man was pretty and no mistake, with sharp features, rugged, weather-beaten skin, dark-oak hair and flashing eyes but Jezzet had seen prettier and she’d fucked prettier. She saw Drake Morrass for what he really was and it was anything but attractive.

“Guess not,” the pirate continued before turning to the rest of the little guard crew. “How about you boys go stand around outside for a while so I can have some one-on-one time with miss Vel’urn. As payment I’ll say the evening’s on me.”

Lei stood without hesitation but Sal and Jaeryn at least had the courtesy to look to Jez for permission. She favoured them with a genuine smile and nodded, it was well known to be unhealthy to deny one of Drake Morrass’
requests
.

Jezzet picked up something that looked to have once been part of a fish, now wrapped in rice and held together by some culinary trickery, and popped it into her mouth while the others left the room. Drake sat down opposite her. It did not escape her notice he was still very much armed.

“What d’you want, Drake?” she asked around a mouthful of fishy-rice.

He smiled at her and for a moment Jezzet thought it might be genuine, then her common sense kicked in. “I want to be your friend, Jezzet Vel’urn.”

She gave him her very best blank stare and picked up the small bottle of dry, rice wine and, forgoing the use of the tiny, flat cups, took a healthy swig.

Drake laughed. “Fine. I want to be more than your friend.”

Well that at least sounded more honest.
Jezzet thought while continuing her silent stare.

Drake picked up one of the other wine bottles, poured a thimble worth of liquid into one of the cups and sipped it.

“You and me, Jezzet, we’re very similar,” Drake started. Jezzet scoffed but the pirate continued regardless. “Do you really think you’re happy here in this place? When was the last time you fought someone? When was the last time you killed someone?” He fixed her with a dark stare from eyes that seemed to twinkle in the light. “You aren’t meant for such tedium, Jezzet. This inaction doesn’t suit you.” He took another sip then placed the cup back on the low table and leant back on his elbows. “And it doesn’t suit me either.”

Jezzet took another large swig from the bottle and gulped down the wine, it was stronger than she was used to and she could already feel the alcohol working its way through her system making her both more confident and less capable all at the same time.

“So what? We’re two peas in a pod?” she asked him in a mocking tone. “Perhaps we should just strip down right here and go at it on the table. Oh sure, it’s probably a social insult to the establishment but so is simply serving a woman so I think we could get away with it.”

Jez was ready to break the pirate should he actually try anything but Drake made no move, just sat there grinning at the Blademaster.

“It’s tempting, Jezzet, but I think I’ll have to decline.”

“It wasn’t meant as…”

“Besides, I had something far more interesting in mind.”

Once, Jezzet knew, she would have loved this sort of banter but these days it just frustrated her. “What do you want, Drake?” she asked again, far more seriously this time.

“Your services,” he said smiling through his stubble. “Your whole little crew’s services as well, I suppose, but mainly yours. I’ll talk to Jaeryn Ito outside but I wanted to ask you first.”

“What do you want?” Jezzet asked one last time, punctuating each word.