Chapter 6 #3
“He instructed me on how I was to behave,” Kerik says, thinking that is more or less the truth. The scent of the incense burning in the corner has started to pervade the room. It’s thick and heavy. A strange scent. Like sweet rot. Pleasant and unpleasant at once.
“Did he?”Perl says as if this is amusing.
He shifts so one bare leg presses against’s Kerik’s below the hem of his sleeping shirt.
Vane’s skin is cool. “So I suppose you simply choose to defy him. Unless he told you that wandering the halls at night using Silence for Secrets was how you were meant to behave.”
“I could not sleep,” Kerik says, taking the crystal glass Seridil passes him. “This is a strange place for a mortal.” He takes a sip from the glass. The drink tastes like sweetened milk, it reminds him of Milk of Gaari. He wishes it was wine.
Vane suddenly darts forward and grasps Kerik’s chin. The sudden touch makes Kerik almost spit out the liquid in his mouth and he has to force himself to swallow.
“I see you’re glamoured too,” says Vane. He snaps his fingers in Kerik’s face. Kerik feels a strange sensation as if magic is draining off him.
“Am I, sire?” Kerik says, taking another sip of his drink.
Vane snorts and taps Kerik lightly on the cheek.
“Oh, how amusing. Your Magaar is gone. You’re speaking Artemian now.
” Kerik realises as Vane says that, that he is having to work to understand what Vane is saying.
Piecing the words together one by one. Kerik does speak Magaar, it was part of his lessons in the Rose Palace.
But this is the first time he has ever had to struggle to understand what is being said to him in Vylenor.
“Perl made my Magaar good,” Kerik says, speaking more slowly as he struggles to find each word in a language he has not spoken in years.
Vane looks into Kerik’s eyes for a moment before he says, “Oh no, I can’t bear listening to that.
Let me put it back.” he snaps his fingers again.
Kerik feels another jolt as Perl’s glamour falls back into place.
“But this is all very interesting,” Vane continues, still speaking Magaar, but now Kerik can understand him easily.
“Your eyes without the glamour. Very telling. You’re quite the creation. So who are you really?”
“I am Perl’s thrall,” Kerik says. The scent of the incense seems to be growing stronger. Every inhale seems to be mostly sweet smoke. Kerik feels like it is an effort to take a breath.
Vane makes a sharp scoffing noise. “I know very well that Perlash would not take a thrall in the truest sense. I have known him for a long time. It is not his taste.”
Kerik knows he has been a fool. Wandering the halls of Vylenor protected by magic he barely understood. Nevertheless, he pulls as much bravado into his voice as he can manage to say, “Tastes change.”
Vane’s voice is deeply amused. “Not his. I doubt he would have done the things he did if he’d had any possible other choice.
” Quite suddenly, Vane kicks at one of the thralls on the floor, still making love to the other.
The thrall pulls his mouth from the other’s cock and looks up at Vane.
“Get out,” Vane snaps down at him. “Both of you, go and wait for me in my bed chamber.”
The thralls scramble to their feet, managing to be quite elegant despite their bound wrists. They each give Vane a nod before departing through a wide set of doors that lead further into Vane’s quarters. Next Vane says, “Seridil, come here. Kneel.”
Seridil had been standing at one side of the settle after he delivered Kerik’s drink, head bowed and hands clasped behind his back. He comes over, sliding to his knees before Vane in a single movement that makes Kerik think of flowing water.
“Seridil here,” Vane says, taking the thrall by the chin, “used to belong to Perl, isn’t that right?”
Seridil nods. “Yes, Master.”
“When Perl left, poor Seridil was an unclaimed thrall. And after Perlash, well, there were few fae who would have taken dear Seridil to their bed. So I took it on.” Vane lets his hand drift over Seridil’s cheek, stroking.
“You’re happier now, you’re being treated correctly, aren’t you, my sweet Seridil? ”
“Yes, Master.”
Vane slaps Seridil’s face hard. Seridil does not even flinch. “Turns out Seridil is quite a delight.”
Kerik looks at Seridil. So Seridil was once Perl’s thrall.
“My aunt cares for Perl a great deal, “ Vane says idly, fingers stroking over a reddened patch on Seridil’s cheek.
“He was special to her. She did a great deal to protect him. It broke her heart when he left and she is so happy he has returned. He will exploit that, of course. But she should not allow such emotion. It makes her look weak. Considering he is such an aberration. If you ask me, she should have taken his head as soon as he walked into the Ice Hall with you.”
Kerik frowns at Vane, uncomprehending. “Why would caring for someone and being glad he has returned to her make her look weak?”
Vane laughs. “He really hasn’t told you much about faerie has—?”
As Vane says this the door to the chamber suddenly slams open, swallowing the end of Vane’s sentence.
Kerik startles and looks over and finds he is not at all surprised to see Perl standing in the doorway.
He looks different. He is angry and his anger seems to be glowing, lighting him up like a great force.
Kerik inhales, breath shuddering. The power crackling around Perl is intoxicating.
“What is happening in here?” Perl snarls. “Vanel-areti-ai, how dare you abduct my thrall.”
Vane jumps to his feet, knocking Seridil sprawling backward on the rug. “Careful, Perl,” he says in a cool tone, far different from Perl’s furious one. “You’ve just shredded my wards with your base power. This is my chamber and you will calm your uncontrolled magic.”
Perl darts across the room with a speed Kerik has never seen from any man. He pulls Kerik from the settle by one arm. His strength is extraordinary. When Kerik is up on his feet, Perl slaps him around the face. “What do you think you are doing?” he snaps. Kerik can see the fury lighting his eyes.
Kerik blinks. His face is smarting, his ears ringing.
This is not play acting. This is real. Pure vicious fury.
Vane takes a careful step back, away from Perl, but his voice sounds as cool as ever as he says, “That’s a disobedient thrall you have there. Wandering the halls using some old silence for secrets ring. Interesting it could use that. Did you grant it?”
Perl turns his furious face to Vane. “What business is it of yours if I grant my mortal thrall a magical token?”.
“Because the only reason to grant your thrall such an item would be to send it spying. Is that why you are really here, Perl? After all this time? Do you love mortals so much that you are indulging in treachery? I am sure few here would be surprised if you were. But perhaps it stole that ring. Perhaps it is simply a thrall that needs discipline. Which is it?”
Kerik can see Perl’s jaw go tight. “Come with me,” he says. “We will discuss this in my chambers.” He moves Kerik around, fingers still tight on his upper arm.
“So, you simply take it to bed. Unpunished,” Vane says.
Perl rounds on Vane. “I punish my thrall in private.”
“If a thrall stole a magical ring from me in order to wander freely around the palace, I’d take the skin off its back. In public.” Vane tips his head on one side. “As you are reluctant to do such a thing I assume it was doing your bidding.”
Perl walks out, pulling Kerik with him. “Goodnight, Vane.”
After them, Vane calls, “I could do it for you, if you wish.”