The Princess and the Blade

[Soran Nightblade]

Come to me tonight?

A direct invitation. Ren leaned into the wall for support as Laurius withdrew. He managed to nod. "If you want," he agreed, looking away and resisting the urge to squeeze a hand over his racing heart. He was certain now that something was abnormal with it, and this was no time to add to his master's concerns.

"What will you do?" he asked instead. "Those two seem like they really intend to go home, and your clients..."

_________________

Havitharon stared into her eyes and stroked her hair back. She said she was happy. And they'd just proven that he could be at her side without causing her more injuries. The full implications of that finally began to settle onto him. It felt both soothing and overwhelming, like submerging himself in a hot bath.

He could be hers and still uphold his promise to her mother. He didn't have to leave. He squeezed her tight and thought about her words. She didn't just want him to be hers one-sidedly. My sun. Your moon. The possessive, dominant behavior of the males in the story Felicity read him came to mind again, and he tried for the sake of argument to imagine it as an expression of affection, rather than selfishness. He wasn't sure he could ever be that kind of male, but for the first time, he considered why she kept emphasizing this mutuality, and why she might actually want him to claim her in return.

He kissed her shoulder. They had time, now. He would ask her. They would talk through it, and make it work together. "...My moon," he agreed, awkwardly, like a man courting his Yurivis with a poem for the first time. Even the embarrassment felt warm. He squeezed her tight. "You make me happy, too."

It occurred to him that she was making him a little bit too happy, despite climaxing only moments ago. The thought of going for another round brought back the unpleasant reality of how they'd basically torn each other's clothes off in front of their host and then evicted him into the next room. He didn't want to leave the heat of her body, but he didn't feel like giving the next room the satisfaction of an encore either. "I nearly forgot that we have an audience," he whispered apologetically, and slid from her before his cock could finish returning to its full potential. "Later, let's take our time."

[Emora Deen]

Laurius scratched feverishly at the back of his head, something he did when he was anxious. He forced a smirk. “Well, they can’t just up and leave today. I have to book their passage on the next ship for Hajara, and that could be days from now… As for my clients, well, maybe I can give them this book and these notes and that might appease them…”

The look on his face said otherwise, though. He glanced at the frosted glass, at the shapes moving beyond it. He knew what would appease Arken most of all, but it would mean making an enemy of Tenara.

—-

Tenara bit back her whimper as he left her, because she very much wanted to stay as they were. But the promise of later—of taking their time… She nodded, slipping away from where she was bent over Laurius’s desk, and smoothed her skirts down. She felt the heat of him running down her legs, and her cheeks burned. “I should clean up…”

She ran her hand over his arm as she passed toward the door, smiling at him before she stepped out.

Laurius’s head came up quickly, looking spooked, but she quickly averted her eyes and headed to his lavatory.

A moment later, Laurius peeked his head back into his office. “Lunch?”

[Soran Nightblade]

Havi looked up at Laurius as he proposed lunch. The Ivis had redone his fly... with some difficulty... and had been waiting for Tenara's return. Oddly, the frustration he'd felt with their host over the last few days didn't come over him. Perhaps their experiment's success had justified the means, at least to some extent. Sure, the man's tests had been ruthlessly practical, but they'd also pushed them where they were now. "Lunch sounds wise," he acknowledged, gesturing to show the man was welcome to cross back through his domain.

Ren stepped out of the shadows behind his master as he crossed the room, but ended up slowing just short of the door. "I'm... going to read a bit more," Ren said. Havi tilted his head. Why did the other Ivis seem so serious? His interest in Ren waned as Tenara stepped out from tidying herself.

"We'll ask Merry to bring you something here," Havi offered.

"Yeah. Thanks," Artisuren said, looking spooked as he did any time Havi behaved against his expectations.

Havi rolled his eyes and offered Tenara his arm. Ren could do as he pleased.

____________________________________

The afternoon was spent in a small flurry of mundane tasks. Repairs and cleaning were needed in both of their rooms after the chaos of the past few days, and it seemed proper to leave things in working order before going home. Birds also had to be sent ahead to let Tenara's family know of their plans to return. By the time the dinner bell rang, it felt like it had been several days and not just one.

Havi didn't mind. Planning their return felt like its own kind of celebration. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this relaxed. Every time he caught sight of his altered horn in a pane of glass, he remembered Tenara's words earlier, and a sense of elation would sweep through him. At the sound of the bell, he set aside what he'd been packing and crossed the hall to poke his head into Tenara's room.

_______________________________

Ren raised his head from Laurius's tome at the sound of the bell. The Ivis rubbed between his eyes and huffed out a trapped breath. Despite spending the night before and most of the afternoon studying this thing, he hadn't found any breakthroughs that would help Laurius appease his client. He rose stiffly and stretched his long limbs. Laurius's spooked behavior that morning had him concerned. He had never seen his master act so disconcerted. It hadn't escaped him, while evaluating the cards his master had to play, that he himself was one of them. Sure, the man had shown him favor recently, but Ren still couldn't afford to make any assumptions about his importance.

He donned his coat to return to the main hall, mulling over the few spells he'd managed to translate as he went.

[Emora Deen]

Laurius emerged from his room at the sound of the bell, combing fingers through his tangled red hair as he bunched it back into a loose ponytail at the back of his head. He paused before shutting the door, looking at the green journal he'd been transcribing his notes into. His wrist ached from all the work, and he'd gone through a pot of ink already... He sighed, and headed for the stairs, only to be greeted by a flustered servant.

"Mr. Mar... Dinner is ready, but..."

"But?"

She hesitated. "You have dinner guests, and I wasn't aware, and I didn't prepare a proper meal for them..."

Laurius frowned, rubbing his tired eyes. "I'm not expecting..." The merchant seized up. Coldness settled in his bones and his heart raced a beat faster. "Are they outside?"

"Inside, sir. Waiting for you in the dining room. They said they were expected and I remember a few of them from a while ago so I let them in... I'm sorry. I don't remember you telling me we'd have guests. I would have sent for a proper meat..."

Laurius nodded numbly as he approached the dining room. "How many?"

"Seven, sir. More are outside on the ridge. He arrived with a company, but only his entourage came in."

His entourage?

Who had they sent?

Laurius motioned for the servant to go but then called her back. "Keep Tenara—" Laurius was about to tell her to stop Tenara and Havitharon from coming down to dinner, but a shape moved in the doorway and a familiar voice eased into the air. "Laurius," it said, and the merchant turned his attention to the Arken Prince. "Come, I'm starving and its rude to get started without the host."

"Elias," Laurius greeted, feigning pleasantry. "You made the trip here yourself. I thought for sure you or your brother would send Vardner."

"I brought him too," Elias said, and Laurius spotted the man as he followed the prince into the dining room. A sour feeling churned Laurius's stomach as he spotted the grizzled captain. His scarred visage was more horrifying in the low lamp light. The dining room lights had been dimmed to a moody feeling set apart from the usual bright, cleanly look Laurius appreciated. The table chairs were filled except for five empty places, and several of Elias's men stood along the wall near the door.

Elias slipped into the chair at the head of the table—Laurius's chair—and motioned to a seat at his right. There were two available to his right, and two to his left. Laurius chose the one closest to the door.

"I also brought Milandra," Elias said, motioning to the opposite end of the table, to a thin woman with skin as pale as the moon and eyes as dark as night. Her lips were red, but not from paint. "You’ve met before, I think?"

"Many years ago," Laurius said. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Sorceress."

“Before we begin our conversation, put your dagger on the table, please,” Elias said, settling back into the chair.

Laurius hesitated, but a second more and Vardner cleared his throat, sliding a one-eyed gaze his way. The man picked up a table knife and began cleaning his nails with it. Laurius made a sound in the back of his throat and reached under his shirt for the sheath at his chest. Slowly, reluctantly, he placed the dagger on the table. He coughed to clear his throat, and let his gaze slide to Milandra. "If I remember, you never strayed far from your twin. Where is Narissa? I hope she's well."

Milandra smiled, revealing pointed fangs. "She is... around."

----

Tenara turned toward the door as Havi peeked his head in. She was brushing out her hair near the window, and upon his entrance decided she was done and tossed the brush into her trunk. She had packed... preemptively. Laurius had said it could be days before they could leave, but she had decided to put hope to the test and pack anyway. She wanted to be home so badly, she even didn't mind the thought of being on a ship again.

Tenara curled her hand around the pendant at her neck. "I think Laurius has some guests," she said. "I saw people ride up on horses a little while ago. The snow was falling too hard to really see them, and the dark didn't help. I wonder who he invited for dinner?" She slipped her arms around Havitharon's waist and look up at him. "When we first arrived, a servant said he liked to throw lavish parties. Maybe he wants to celebrate his scientific achievement?"

[Soran Nightblade]

Out in the main hallway, Ren's steps faltered at the sudden absence of Laurius's presence at the other end of their connection. It wasn't as if his master never set the dagger aside, but when he did, it was a very noticeable sensation. He wondered why he would take the weapon off just to eat dinner. Something felt off.

Just then, Tabetha bustled out of the kitchen doors and bowled straight into him. The servant nearly jumped out of her skin, scampering back to look up at him with wide eyes. The look on her face was enough to jog his thoughts away from the dagger.

"What's wrong?" Ren asked her warily. A bad feeling was settling in the pit of his stomach.

"You need to get to the dining room, quick," she whispered tightly, taking his wrists in her hands for emphasis. "Arken came unannounced, and they're in there with him alone."

Ren flinched. The pit he'd felt in his stomach before had just grown spikes. "Okay, I'm going," he told the girl, gently freeing his arms and rushing toward the dining room. What if the reason Laurius had taken off the dagger was...

He shook off the thought and burst into the room, scanning its occupants. There were more people there than he'd expected. The only one he recognized was the one who was sitting in Laurius's usual seat. The prince. He'd seen him at the banquet in Hajara.

The guest who stole his attention, though, was the young Yurivis with the blood on her face. Her bearing was so similar to Kishva's that for a moment, his mind went blank. No, no, of course not. Her skin was pale instead of cinder gray, and she had no horns. She just felt like Kishva.

It was then that he realized he'd drawn the attention of the whole room with his sudden entrance. Their stares had the same predatory energy as a pack of wolves. Luckily, he had a lot of experience behaving politely in the presence of predators. He sought Laurius's eyes for direction and walked with forced composure to his seat, right beside Kish-... beside the pale woman. "Good day," he addressed the room.

__________________________

Havi rolled his eyes at the idea of Laurius celebrating today as his "scientific achievement", though it definitely seemed like something he would do. "Alright. Let us go drink to our host's genius," he smirked as they left arm in arm for the dining room.

About halfway there, one of the butlers zipped in and out of a closet before scurrying off. Another maid burst out behind him, carrying a tower of fresh linens, and was out of sight. The sense of urgency seemed out of place in Laurius's characteristically laid-back estate. "I wonder if something's going on with the servants tonight," he pondered aloud.

[Emora Deen]

Laurius looked to Ren, and he wondered if the panic in his heart was evident in his face. It was one thing for Arken to send Vardner, it was another for them to send the Black Sisters. And, while he knew Elias’s favor with his mother was near criminal, he wasn’t so poor off as to not be prided for what little gifts he offered the kingdom—he wouldn’t be sent for just anything.

“I see you learned the princess’s trick for making the ghosts of these swords real,” Elias said, taking a drink. He smiled at Ren.

Milandra appraised him too, her gaze sweeping him over before settling on the blade.

“It’s really quite straight forward. I have the notes… I can share them with you, along with—“

—-

Tenara watched another servant skitter past as they approached them dimly lit dining room door. “They look as if this was sprung on them,” she said, taking one last look down the hall as they turned into the dining room.

When Tenara went to greet Laurius at his usual chair she found someone altogether different. Her mind couldn’t quite compute it, that she was looking at Laurius’s chair and seeing Elias. She went cold and stiff. As her gaze traveled the room, landing on less familiar faces, she saw the line of soldiers along the inner wall near the door. The cold bled into panic and she began to back up, trying to drag Havitharon with her.

A shadow moved and a woman was next to them. As something like a snake uncoiled from her hand and slithered around Tenara’s neck before she could scream. The snake became a collar, and all the magic roaring to the surface of Tenara’s skin snuffed out like a candle flame. In her panic to claw the thing off her neck, she didn’t notice the woman pull the sword from the sheath at her waist.

“And there’s Narissa,” Milandra mused.

[Soran Nightblade]

Ren's stomach rolled over as Elias correctly identified exactly what he was. The man had put it together, just like that. He was firmly holding the shock back from his expression when Thvoros and Tenara entered the room. Then another Yurivis came at the princess, and all hell broke loose.

Thvoros's hand shot out and clenched over Narissa's, shoving the sword back down in its sheath. "Do not touch," he snarled a warning. He placed himself squarely between her and Tenara, his tall form forcing her back a step. However, the black-horned Ivis seemed to be holding back from attacking Tenara's assailant. "Laurius, explain," he demanded.

Ren stared at Tenara to see if the strange collar was hurting her. He was still trying to put together what was happening. Elias had taught him some of the history between their kingdoms, and that was more than enough to understand just how volatile this situation could become. Maybe that was why Thvoros was showing such composure.

"What did you put on her?" he heard his own voice say. He realized in horror that he was standing up, drawing the attention of the visitors around them. Worried for the princess? Who, him?

[Emora Deen]

Narissa curled her lip in a wicked smile that was a cross between a grin and a snarl. She lifted her dark eyes at Havitharon and flexed her hand in his grip, but didn’t relinquish her hold on the sword.

Milandra’s voice filled the air, answering Ren’s question, “It’s a serpent circlet, a bind for naughty witches at the Citadel. If her magic was of Thar, it would not have closed. But she is ours, and so it did.” Milandra met Elias’s gaze.

“Tenara is not—“ Laurius began.

“The Princess’s magic can be volatile… I’ve heard. It’s difficult to have a meal when our presence will cause her to obliterate the table and your house,” Elias said, and motioned to the chairs around them.

Tenara pulled at the thing around her neck until it cut into her skin. “You’re a bastard,” Tenara snarled at Laurius. “You invited them here?”

Laurius shook his head. “I didn’t!”

“We sent Mr. Mar many missives about our arrival. This was not a shock to him,” Elias said. “Mr. Mar was paid for a product and it is now back in his possession vicariously through you. We’ve just come to work out an equitable solution to being robbed. But first, dinner?”

Tenara turned her gaze on Havitharon, feeling more like they should bolt for the door than go into the room and sit down. But there was the thing around her neck and… Her gaze settled uneasily on Narissa and Havitharon’s overlayed hands on the sword’s hilt, feeling the weight of their grip on her hip. “Get your hands off that,” she said, hoping the witch complied before giving Havitharon some command.

[Soran Nightblade]

Havi pressed down on the woman's hand, refusing to let the sword leave its hilt and become a live weapon. Despite years of practice restraining his emotions, Havi's anger was rapidly building. Everything Tenara said set off alarms like dots connecting in his mind. "Did you do this because she asked to go home? No more experiments to run on us, so time to cash us in?" he asked coldly. It surprised him that he felt betrayed by Laurius. He hadn't thought he valued the man enough to find his loyalty personal. He'd considered that the man might manipulate them into staying, but he honestly hadn't expected him to put Tenara in danger.

[Emora Deen]

Laurius shook his head, exasperated. “No. It has nothing to do that…”

Narissa sighed. “I do not have the patience for this game, Milandra.”

“Sister…”

Narissa’s gaze flicked back to Havi, sure and swift and dangerous. “Release me, boy, and show this little witch to her seat.”

[Soran Nightblade]

Before he could register what was happening, Havi's hand twitched away from the woman like she was on fire. It hadn't been voluntary. He stared at the sword in the stranger's grip.

Crap.

Oh, crap!

His thoughts were frenzied as he placed a hand at Tenara's back and tried to guide her to her chair.

[Emora Deen]

As Havi’s hand pressed to Tenara’s back, and her body took an involuntary step forward, Tenara scrambled to grab the sword from the woman as she snatched it free from its scabbard.

“That’s mine. Let it go.” She grabbed at the woman, trying to wrench the weapon from her even as the hand on her back urged her further into the room.

“Sit her down,” the woman said again, her gaze flicking to Havitharon.

Tenara clawed at the hand, panic climbing. This wasn’t happening. This wasn’t happening…

[Soran Nightblade]

Havi could feel Tenara resisting him, and found himself pushing her forward anyway. It was easy to overpower her smaller form, and he hated it. He steered her to her seat and guided her into it while his soul shriveled up into a ball.

Ren watched the scene in growing dismay. He feared Thvoros, but that was all the more reason that seeing the other Ivis buckle so easily under the sword's command was its own kind of disturbing. It made him suddenly realize that if these people meant to hurt Laurius, defending him would mean being pitted against Thvoros.

It was then that he noticed Milandra looking over the weapons on the table, her eyes settling on his dagger. What if she knew what it was. No, no, no. He needed a distraction. Desperate, he reached out for his glass and fumbled it, spilling wine across his place setting and hers.

[Emora Deen]

Milandra raised her gaze to Ren’s, her dark eyes twinkling in the candlelight. She reached forward and righted his glass, tapping the crystal with a sharp, black nail. “Careful,” she said, her voice acrid and soft. “We wouldn’t want to break your master’s fine glassware.” Her hand pivoted after righting the glass and stretched for the dagger, curling by her long hands around it and drawing it closer for inspection.


The whole way to the table, Tenara had thought about grabbing Havitharon by the horn, as she had once when he was under the control of the bounty hunter, but she knew her odds. While outnumbered, unlike last time, she had a bind around her neck. She’d rather bide her time than give them another hint at one of his weaknesses, should this all go south.

She stopped fighting Havitharon’s grip because it was useless and because she knew he hated forcing her into the chair. She settled there on Elias’s left side and clawed the inside of her palms.

Panic was a vice constricting her chest. She didn’t register how quick her breath came, how wild and search her eyes were. She counted the amount of people in the room, and watched Narissa pace around the table, admiring Havitharon’s sword. Tenara’s skin crawled watching her trace the blade with her finger. She might as well have ran it up his spine.

She spiraled, calculating the many ways she could get it back before someone stopped her, but all the possibilities ended with her being overtaken by someone—more likely by Havitharon himself.

“Tenara, I really didn’t invite them…” Laurius began, snatching her away from her thoughts. He looked upset, remorseful even. She was too angry to believe him.

“But he knew we were coming and it seems he felt no need to warn you,” Elias added, before sighing and motioning for the servant to bring the food. A moment later, a trail of them came with platters and delivered them to the table.

Tenara made no move to eat or drink, and wouldn’t as long as Elias was in the room. She looked at his hands, at the gold rings glinting on his skin, and the blunt edge of knuckles where Havitharon had taken two of his fingers on one hand.

“As I was saying, I’ve made notes and a lot of progress on my research. I can get the book and the notes, and I have some of the materials. You can forge a new weapon,” Laurius said. “A better one than the sword.”

Elias chewed for a moment, considering the words, and nodded. “Fetch this book, then.”

Laurius turned to a servant and whispered to them feverishly before the boy ducked out of the room. Silence hung in the air until it was broken by Milandra stabbing the dagger through the tabletop.

[Soran Nightblade]

Ren jumped when Milandra stabbed the table. His wild eyes sought and fixed on Laurius like he was the only reef in a stormy sea.

Milandra observed him with a bemused smirk, then followed his eyes to Laurius. "Oh," she grinned at Laurius like she'd just discovered a delicious secret. "You're fucking him." She fondled the dagger's handle suggestively and stared the merchant down. "Am I making you jealous?"