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Sieg and Marien - A Basitin Love Story - Part 9 - Climbing Uphill

In truth, what the people of Basikal Island called 'Caster Mountain', wasn't really a mountain at all. While it was the highest peak on the island, it was really just a steep, rocky hill covered in moss and coarse shrubbery. The peak was a rounded top of exposed, wind polished grey stone.

Halfway up the mountain's eastern side, two small figures slowly wound their way upwards.

Shifting the heavy pack on his back, Sieg called out, "Where are we going?"

Marien looked over her shoulder, the wind whipping her hair wildly around her face, "What's wrong? You tired already?"

"No!" Sieg shouted back from a few dozen paces behind her, "I just want to know where we're going."

"You'll see! Just keep up!"

"That's not really an answer you know!"

"We're almost there, come on!"

Despite feeling like he needed to gasp for air, Sieg fought to keep his breathing steady as he hiked behind Marien. The pack on his back was heavy, he was drenched in sweat, and the rough stones and gravel hurt his feet. Still he soldiered on.

They had left just before morning, sneaking out of the city and meeting up at the base of the trail. Now it was well into the afternoon, the sun just starting to sink in the west.

The trail they were climbing wound its way up the eastern slope of Caster Mountain. The trail was extremely narrow, little more than a dirt path, with a long, steep grassy slope that ended in a rocky streambed and then thick forest. The hill was steep enough that if one fell and started rolling, they would almost certainly keep rolling until they crashed into something unforgivingly solid.

Sieg braced himself as a powerful gust of wind slammed into him, his cloak flapping wildly. The winds rolling off the ocean whipped around the peak, fresh and clean with a stinging bite of salt.

Scrambling to the top of a boulder that had fallen across the path, Marien paused and reached a hand to Sieg.

"Don't worry." She said, pulling Sieg up atop the boulder, "It's not far now."

"Just... wait for a moment." Sieg reached for his canteen and took a long, deep drink.

Stifling a giggle at Sieg's obvious exhaustion, Marien climbed to her feet. "You know, standing around on the dock isn't the best exercise. Maybe you should join my company?"

Sieg frowned, his ears flattening against his head, "What are you trying to say?"

"Nothing." Marien smiled innocently as she shrugged. "Just that maybe a bit of real training would be good for you. Besides, we're always looking for fresh meat."

"Well then, if it's all the same to you, I'll take the lead." Sieg climbed to his feet and tightened the straps of his pack. "Keep up if you can."

"You don't know where we are going!" Marien called out as Sieg jumped down from the boulder.

"It's one path, how hard can it be?"

Marien sighed as Sieg strutted on ahead, head held high and back straight. "Fair enough."

About ten minutes later, Marien caught up to Sieg standing at a Y shaped fork in the path. A small wooden sign post was hammered into the ground, but the writing on the signs had long since been worn away. A dense thicket of spiny bushes flanked both sides of the path.

"So..." Sieg looked sheepishly over at Marien. "Thoughts?"

Marien held up her hands. "Oh no, I wouldn't dare question the guards' decisions. All yours, mister pack leader."

Sieg paused, staring at the two paths. The left seemed to go down the mountain, while the right continued up.

"Right?"

"Hmmm... I'm not certain about that way." Marien said, stroking her chin dramatically.

"Fine, left?"

"You know, I'm not entirely sure about that way either.... I suppose we could just flip a coin and keep walking."

Sieg sighed heavily, "Come on Marien..."

"Do you surrender?"

"I surrender."

"Good." Marien leaned in and kissed Sieg on the nose, "Then follow me."

Marien led the way up the right hand path for a few moments, before climbing atop a boulder sitting beside the path. Sieg blinked in surprise as Marien slid down the back of the rock, seemingly into the thicket of thorny bushes.

"Marien!"

As he scrambled to the top of the rock, Sieg could see a carefully hidden path that had been cut into the rock through the thicket.

"Come on." Marien said, grinning up at him from inside the narrow cut of rock.

As he slid down the rock and rejoined Marien, Sieg looked around. The path was just barely wide enough for him to walk through. The thorny bushes almost blotted out the sky above.

"What is this place?"

"You'll see." Marien reached out and took Sieg's hand, "Come on, follow me."

The narrow rock cut wound through the bushes, the thorns inches from the tips of Sieg's ears. Eventually the cut dove into the mountain and opened up into a low cavern.

A rushing stream of crystal clear water poured out of a gash in the side of the cavern and filled the space with the deafening chorus of running water. Droplets of water ran down the massive stalactites hung from the ceiling before dropping into a honeycomb of small pools carved out of the rock floor.

Sieg gazed around in amazement as Marien led him through the cavern.

"It's amazing!"

"It gets better."

As Marien and Sieg walked, following the stream, a light appeared at the far end of the cavern. After a few moments they arrived at the mouth of the cave overlooking Kaiser bay. The mouth of the cave was opened onto the side of a sheer rock face, partially covered by vines and thick moss. The stream plunged over the side of the cliff, crashing down to a bed of jagged rocks far below.

Far, far below, at the distant foot of the mountain, was Basikal city. The buildings were tiny splotches of distant colour. Even Basikal Fortress, sitting atop a hill just outside of the city, seemed like a child's toy, the tents outside of its walls little more than specks of white. The brilliant blue water of the ocean shimmered in the sun, while hundreds of seagulls, mere white specks, wheeled about the docks like moths around a lamp.

The beauty and splendor of the place left Sieg unable to speak.

Marien squeezed his hand and rested her head on his shoulder. "Told you it was worth the hike."

"And you were right."

For several minutes the two stood and stared out at the beauty laid out before them.

"Shall we get set up?" Marien asked.

Marien set about unpacking the supplies while Sieg started setting up a fire.

"How did you find this place?" Sieg asked as he used a knife to create a nest of thin shavings beneath a small stack of twigs.

"I didn't find it, my housemate Palles told me about it."

Sieg raised an eyebrow as Marien stepped away and began unpacking her pack. "Palles? Is she the creepy one who doesn't speak?"

"She isn't-" Marien sighed, "I wouldn't say she is creepy, she's quiet. She's a scout, it's in their nature to be stealthy. But that's not the point. The recon division uses this place for survival training. I may have mentioned that I wanted to spend some time with you, Palles owed me a favour, so she told me about this place."

"It's certainly well hidden." Sieg admitted.

"Only the fourth scouting regiment knows about it," Marien continued, laying out a thick, warm blanket. "They've been deployed and won't be back for three months.

Sieg's tail started to twitch, "So... no visitors."

"Nope."

"Then, we could do whatever we wanted."

"That's the plan."

"Anything?"

Marien looked up, a sultry smile on her lips, "Why Mr. Kolvest, what could you be suggesting?"

Sieg climbed to his feet and knelt down in front of Marien. "Well I don't know, Mrs. Kolvest, what could I be thinking of?"

Marien leaned close, her forehead gently brushing against Seig's, her voice little more than a whisper and her tail thumping excitedly against the cave floor, "I think you're a strong, lustful male, alone on a mountain, with a beautiful young woman."

"My lady, you wound me." Sieg purred, gently stroking Marien's ears, "The insinuation that I would be so inappropriate is-"

"Oh shut up and take your clothes off!" Marien growled playfully, tossing down the pack and leaping on top of Seig.

===

Marien and Sieg lay side by side beneath a blanket at the edge of the cave, watching as the sun set over the bay. The horizon was aflame with orange and pink, while dark purple clouds drifted across the sky, their edges glowing like red hot steel.

"All those colours just... melding together so perfectly." Marien rested her head on her arm. "It's amazing."

Sieg nodded, "It is."

Marien turned and noticed Sieg was staring at her. "What is it?"

"Nothing, just looking at you."

"You're missing the sunset."

Sieg leaned in and kissed Marien's forehead, "Doesn't matter, I'm already looking at the most beautiful thing in the world."

Marien blushed a little, her heart filling with a warm glow. "You didn't get that from a book did you?" she murmured, reaching up and stroking Sieg's cheek.

"Not this time."

"Well," Marien wrapped her arms around Sieg and pulled him close, "It is a very good line."

For a long time the two held each other and stared into each other's eyes, each taking the precious moments they had to seer every detail into their memories.

In that moment, the kind of moment that seemed to last for a hundred years and a millisecond at the same time, there was nothing but the two of them. Two creatures, deeply in love, holding one another at the edge of nothingness.

And as they moved together and kissed, it was the kind of kiss that even the most lovestruck couples experience but a few times in their lives. It was a connection that went beyond flesh, went beyond pleasure.

As the kiss ended, and Sieg and Marien held each other close, arms and legs intertwined, Marien leaned close to Sieg's ear.

"Sieg," she whispered. "There is something I have to tell you."

"Mmm?"

"I'm pregnant."

The words struck Seig like stone from a catapult. His eyes widened and the entire world seemed to slow down around him.

"Are you sure?" He wheezed, his voice little more than a gasping squeak as he pulled away and met Marien's gaze.

"I went to the doctors two days ago." Marien's eyes glistened with happy tears. "Sieg, we did it! We're going to have a baby!"

Sieg was silent, his mouth open and his eyes worryingly wide. "She's looking at you," his mind raced. Say something! Say anything! Do something!"

Marien tilted her head, "Sieg? Are you ok?"

Sieg's tongue felt as if it had been hammered flat, but finally he was able to form words. "M-Marien, we... We're going..." Instead of speaking Sieg pulled Marien close to him and buried his face in her neck.

"Okay..." Marien smiled, stroking Sieg's head. "I'm sensing joy and excitement, those are both good."

After a moment, Seig released his tight grip on Marien and once more met her gaze, "We're going to be a family."

"We are! You're going to be a father."

If one observes an object travelling at extreme speed, colliding with an object that is standing still, there are a few brief moments where the speeding object does not seem to affect the still one. When a cannon ball strikes a melon, there is a split second where normalcy is maintained despite the massive forces working against one another. For a fraction of a moment, except for the precise point of impact, the melon holds its shape. It does not move. It is still a melon. And then, as indeed it must, all hell breaks loose.

As the word 'father' left Marien's lips and entered Sieg's world, the effect they had on Sieg's thoughts were much the same as the cannon ball entering the melon's world.

"Father..." Sieg murmured, his head spinning, "I'm going to be... a father."

"Are you pleased?"

"P-pleased?" The question seemed so absurd that Sieg couldn't help but start to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Marien asked as Sieg shook with deep, genuine laughter that echoed through the cave. "What's... what's so..." As she spoke, Marien started to laugh as well.

After a few moments, Sieg and Marien were both in utter hysterics, tears pouring down their cheeks as they laughed. They kicked their legs, pounded their fists on the ground, completely unable to control themselves. Finally, both had to pause to catch their breath.

"So I'll take it, that's a yes." Marien chuckled as she wiped tears from her eyes.

Sieg nodded, still gasping for breath, "Pretty safe bet, yeah."

Marien shifted to rest her head on Sieg's chest, "I'm so glad."

"When... when are you due?"

Marien raised an eyebrow and Sieg nodded. "Right... stupid question."

"It's going to change things."

Sieg nodded, "Yeah... Do you know if it will be a boy or a girl?"

"You really don't know much about this, do you?"

Sieg shrugged as he gently played with the tufts on the ends of Marien's ears, "My mother once told me that she knew I was going to be a boy from the very first moment she knew she was going to have me. She said it's a thing some women just know."

"Well either that, or that crazy nudist may actually be magic." Marien thought to herself.

Closing her eyes, Marien took one of Seig's hands and guided it down to her lower belly. "Well then, what do you think?"

"I can't feel anything."

"Shhhh, just close your eyes and feel."

Closing his eyes, Seig Leaned close to Marien. He could feel her heartbeat, her scent filled his nostrils, she was his entire world. Through her fur he could feel just the beginning of a bump.

"Girl." he said finally, his eyes sliding open.

"You think so?'

"I... I know! I don't know how I know... but it's a girl."

Marien laughed a little, "I hope you're right."

"And she'll be strong and fierce, just like her mother."

Marien shifted onto her side and nuzzled against Sieg's chest. "And brave and sweet, just like her father."

Holding Marien close to him, Sieg stared up at the ceiling of the cavern. The last rays of the sun were fading, and the first stars were beginning to twinkle in the sky. As the light faded, replaced by the pale glow of the moon, Seig felt Marien fall asleep against him, her breathing soft and steady.

"I'm going to be a father." he whispered, sleep pulling at his eyelids, "I'm... going to be a father..."

===

"NO!"

Sieg sat up, sweat pouring from his face and his breath coming in desperate gasps. For a moment he forgot where he was, the unfamiliar sight of the cave filling him with terror. He reached for his knife, but in the darkness only managed to knock it away.

As the seconds passed, and the shadow of the nightmare faded, he remembered where he was.

Beside him, Marien shifted but stayed asleep.

After taking a moment to catch his breath, Sieg pulled off his blanket and climbed to his feet. Moving as quietly as he could he padded over to the mouth of the cave, getting as close to the edge as he dared.

Far below, the lights of Basikal city twinkled in the darkness, ghostly streamers of smoke rising from the chimney. A few clouds drifted across the sky, casting long shadows across the moonlit bay. Far in the distance, out over the ocean, barely visible in the glow of the moon, a massive tower of clouds, occasionally lit up by a flash of ligtning.

Sieg closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the cool, clean air. There was a sharp twang in the air that announced the end of summer and the beginning of the cold rainy season.

It had been three days since that first night, when Marien and Seig had climbed the mountain together. Three glorious days of swimming in the deep, clear pools at the back of the cave, of huddling together around the fire, of falling asleep in each other's arms. They had made love more times than Sieg could count, sometimes with desperate passion, but most of the time with simple, gentle tenderness. They had talked long into the night about things both important and inconsequential, joking, bickering, crying, and laughing.

But as ever, the world outside the cave had once more sunk its talons into them. Their food had run out, and so had their time. In the morning they would break camp and head back down the mountain, back to their real lives.

As Sieg stared down at the lights of the city, he felt a powerful rush of anger. Those lights, those damned lights, the lights of a city at war, of a fortress built to train soldiers to fight the enemy, of the harbour where he spent his days on the lookout for the enemy. At that moment it all felt so maliciously pointless.

Sieg was overcome with a rage so deep, so dark, that it felt like he was choking. All those lights, arrayed against the enemy, the same enemy that Marien would be fighting, the enemy that his daughter would be trained to fight. The enemy that looked exactly like his wife, that looked like him.

"Damn you." He snarled, clenching his teeth so hard they squeaked. He bent down and picked up a rock and threw it with all of his might at the city below. "Damn all of you!"

As the rock clattered to the ground far below, Sieg felt his anger subside into a dull ache that made him want to throw up.

As Sieg stared out at the bay, a warm pair of hands wrapped around his waist.

"Are you alright?" Marien asked, resting her chin on Sieg's shoulder.

"I..." Sieg looked down at his hands, "I don't know."

"What's wrong?"

Sieg sighed heavily, "If you asked me three days ago about the war or the westerners, I would have said the same things everyone else says: 'it's unfortunate, but it is necessary, they are savage, ignorant brutes that must be brought to heel, they'd kill us all if they could'. I never really believed any of that, but I would have said it because that's what was expected."

Marien paused, she'd never heard Sieg talk like this before. There was something in his voice, a darkness that frightened her.

"What are you saying?"

"I had a dream." Sieg looked down at the rocks far below, "Spears... so many spears. They were all aimed at you and our baby. I fought them, I tried to defend you, I tried to defend her. I really did, but..." Sieg squeezed his eyes shut and his shoulders started to shake.

"Dammit." He sobbed, his hands clenched into fists so hard that his claws dug deep into his palm, "I fought so hard. I tried, I really tried, but I couldn't..."

"Hey!" Marien spun Sieg around and cupped his face in her hands "It was just a dream."

"No, it wasn't. It was real, I saw it, I felt it!"

"It was just a dream." Marien shook Sieg's shoulders, 'You know how I know that? If anyone ever dared to aim a spear at our baby, I would be fighting beside you." Her eyes narrowed, "If anyone ever threatens her, they will die."

"But what if we can't protect her?"

"That's our job."

"And if we fail?"

Marien's eyes narrowed, "I don't fail."

"What if... what if we left?"

"Left?"

Sieg looked out over the ocean. "Left Basikal. Hell, what if we leave Basidian altogether. Just... took a ship and went somewhere else."

"You don't know how to sail."

"Then we bribe one of the trading ships to smuggle us out."

"Oh Sieg..."

"I'm serious." Sieg turned back to Marien, determination flashing in his eyes, "We find a way and we get the hell out of here. Away from my father, away from the war, away from everything."

"W-where would we go?"

"I..." Sieg sighed heavily, "I don't know."

"We couldn't go to the Human Empire, goodness knows we wouldn't be safe there."

"What about the Fox lands? Or the Wolf territories? Or the Tiger lands, I hear they are always interested in hiring experienced soldiers to train with their army."

"Sieg..."

"Or... what if... what if we went to the Western Alliance. At least then you would be safe, and so would our child."

"But I'm not Western, not really."

"You're a Captain, there must be... something that you know that we could trade for safety."

Marien had to keep herself from reaching out and slapping Seig.

"Listen to me, and listen to me closely." she growled, trying hard to keep her anger under control, "I will never, ever, betray my unit, do you understand me? I may not like this war, but I will not betray them."

"I didn't mean that, I..." Sieg shook his head in frustration, "I don't... I don't know what to do."

Taking a calming breath, Marien wrapped her arms around Sieg. "It's okay." she whispered, holding him tight, "It'll be alright."

"I'm scared."

"I am too."

"Do you think... Do you think all parents think like this?"

Marien reached up and gently stroked the side of Sieg's face. "Just the ones like you," She whispered, "Just the ones hearts as big as yours."

Sieg sighed and looked back out over the bay.

"Come on." Marien said, taking Sieg's hand in hers. "We have a long hike tomorrow. We should get some rest."

As he followed Marien Back to bed, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close, Sieg's mind continued to spin.

The words of Major Dauntless flickered unbidden through his mind, "Fight or flee, you cannot do both."

The next morning, just before sunrise, Sieg and Marien woke. Without a word spoken, they started packing. Ashes from the fire were swept into the stream and carried away over the cliff. Every scrap of litter was collected, every trace of their presence wiped clean.

Finally, just as the sun was beginning its ascent into the sky, Sieg and Marien climbed out of the rock cut and back onto the path leading down the mountain.

"Are you ready?" Seig asked, taking Marien's hand.

"Are you?"

Sieg shook his head, "No... not really... but we don't have any choice."

"We have one choice." Marien squeezed Sieg's hand, "We can make the best of what we have."

"You don't think we could stay up here do you?"

"What? Become hermits?"

"Sure, we could become urban legends of the mountain, the wild Basitins that roam the slopes of Mount Caster." Sieg turned to Marien, "So, what do you think?"

Marien smiled and kissed Sieg. "I think that you would get sick of mountain living. No beds, no fish, no hot water for baths."

"True... Without baths, how would we get the honey off the next time you try to surprise me."

Marien's tail twitched and her ears flattened, "We said we wouldn't talk about that again."

"Which part? The part where we had to cut ourselves apart, or the part where we had to sneak into a public bath to get the honey off? Oh, what about the part where we nearly got caught?"

"Shut up." Marien grumbled, punching Sieg's arm.

The mountain side echoed with laughter as, hand in hand, Sieg and Marien made their way home.

===

Jabarain sighed as he descended the stairs towards Lyon's chambers. The ringing of the servant's bell rang through the corridor, the beckoning call of his master.

As he pushed open the door to Lyon's room, Jabarian's nose wrinkled in disgust. Empty bottles lay around the floor, Lyon's bed was a complete mess of dirty and tangled sheets, and there was litter all over the place. There was a sizable collection of dirty dishes scattered about, many still bearing half eaten meals. The whole room stank of stale food and beer, pipe smoke, and most worryingly, Fox Leaf.

Lyon sat slouched in a high backed chair in front of the window, a half empty bottle in his left hand and his unsheathed sword in his right.

"Master Chariot, you called for me?"

"You're getting slower Jabarian." Lyon grumbled, "I rang for you ten minutes ago."

"With respect sir, you rang a mere six min-"

"I want more wine, fetch me some."

"Sir, perhaps you have had enough already."

"Why did she do it." Lyon muttered to himself, slumping further into his chair and tossing his sword aside as if it were little more than trash, "My poor, sweet Amber... why did she start a fight like that, why did she leave me..."

Jabarian's eye twitched in annoyance. For months his master had been swinging wildly back and forth between bouts of anger and frustration, to bouts of depression and isolation. His fixation on his previous wife was starting to become a problem.

"She was beautiful, heart and soul... She was so soft, so warm, so gentle... her voice was so soft... She was going to be such a wonderful mother... and our children would have been so beautiful.

Lyon put his head in his hands. "Why did she do it?" he moaned. "And then to die the way she did..." "If I'd been by her side, she wouldn't be dead. I failed... I failed my wife."

"Women are indeed a mystery sir."

Lyon turned his head, "Why are you still here? I ordered you to get more wine. Now go!"

"Sir, I don't think-" Jabarain had to duck as Lyon whipped the half full bottle at his head. The bottle smashed against the doorframe, showering Jabarian with stale wine and fragments of glass.

"Get. More. Wine." Lyon snarled, trying and failing to stand from his chair.

For a moment Jabarian stood still, his gaze flickering over the hundreds of tools he could use to murder Lyon. In his drunken state, it would be a simple matter for Jabarian to put Lyon in a headlock and snap his neck. Perhaps retrieve his sword from the ground and put it through the arrogant little twats chest. He could even pick up one of the half empty bottles and force it down Lyon's throat and make it look like he'd choked to death. Or perhaps he could simply take one of the larger fragments of glass at his feet and slit Lyon's throat.

Finally, Jabarian let out an exasperated sigh and bowed his head, "Of course Master Chariot, more wine."

Carefully closing the door behind him, Jabarian started back up the stairs.

"Three hundred and nineteen ways, you little shit." He growled to himself, "And that's just with my bare hands."

As he reached the top of the stairs, Jabarain almost collided with Shani.

"What happened to you?" Shani laughed, picking a chunk of glass out of Jabarians hair.

"Your brother wants his bottle." Jabarian grumbled, "Now, if you will excuse me."

"So he's still moping about Amber?" Shani asked, following behind Jabarian as he made his way towards the wine cellar.

"It would seem he got quite attached to her, far more than anticipated."

"He always did have a thing for blondes," Shani shrugged. "Still, I suppose he wasn't as satisfied with your little one-act play as you thought he would be. Shame, it was such a neat little tableau I am told."

"This isn't funny. Our plans will all come to naught if he keeps drinking and scrambling his brain with Fox Weed."

"Well we don't have to worry about that anymore at least." Shani replied, examining her claws disinterestedly, "I figured out who his supplier was. Poor man had a terrible accident down at the docks. Tragic really."

"And what about the ship that's smuggling it in?"

"Oh, I sent the Victory out to take care of it. Need to run the dogs from time to time, and Captain Moore does enjoy a good search and destroy mission.."

"Well that's something at least." Jabarian grumbled as he pushed open the door to the wine cellar. "Goodness knows we couldn't put a weed-head on the throne."

The wine cellar was extensive, hundreds upon hundreds of bottles arrayed on ancient wood shelves. Some of the bottles were well over one hundred years old, others bottled just the year before at a vineyard the Chariot's operated on the mainland. The collection included bottles from every corner of the world, every nation and species. There were even several from the Templar's private stock which glowed with magical light.

Shani sat on the table, in the middle of the room and watched as Jabarian set about selecting a few bottles. "I wouldn't worry about it, things are proceeding as planned."

"Yes, it seems so. And what did you think of your future plaything?"

Shani laughed and lay back on the table luxuriously, "He is such a sweet thing. He gave me a lovely tour of the city, even bought me a flower and paid me for the eggs that I so thoughtlessly dropped. And the name I picked out, Naomi, oh you should hear his voice when he says it. He's a treasure Jabarian, truly."

"And his wife?"

"He's devoted to her for certain." Shani folded her arms behind her head, "We're going to have to be careful in that particular arena. If he gets even the slightest hint that we are responsible for dealing with her, we will almost certainly lose him."

"Irritating."

Shani rolled over, cupping her chin in her hands, "It really is genuinely sweet actually. I may even try to keep that side of him, it might be nice to be fawned over. I imagine he is really very gentle, perfect house-husband material. I might not even mind having a child by him, it could be fun."

Jabarian withdrew a bottle and examined the label, "Sounds like you are developing an actual affection for him."

"Aw, don't be jealous, Jabarian. You will always have a very special place in my heart."

"At least one of the Chariots appreciates my talents."

"Oh Jabi..." Shani crooned, "Don't be too angry with Lyon. He's honourable, noble; exactly the fool that father brought him up to be."

"He's endangering the plan. We should consider replacing him."

As Jabarian reached out to grab another bottle of wine, a blade flashed past his ear and buried itself in the wood between his fingers, missing his flesh by a hair's breadth.

"Better watch that temper Jabarian," Shani purred, sitting up and twirling another blade around her fingers. "It's making you say things you will regret. You should know better than to threaten my brother around me."

"And you should know better than to throw me a weapon." Jabarian replied, looking over his shoulder, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"Oh? Is the master finally going to take on the student?" Shani licked her lips, her tail thumping the table with excitement. "Not the venue I'd pick for a fight, but if you insist..."

With a heavy sigh, Jabarian pulled the knife out of the wood and tossed it back to Shani. "Stop joking around my lady. We both know the outcome of such a contest."

"Oh come on you old grouch." Shani grinned, "I'm sure you'd put up more than a sufficient fight to hold my interest."

"Perhaps my lady is forgetting the first rule that I taught her: never reveal the full extent of your skills."

"Funny... I thought your first lesson was how to kill a useless old woman, who didn't know enough not to strike her own daughter, and make it look like a tragic accident."

"Truly, lady Shani, I have no idea what you are talking about.

Shani raised a hand to her mouth as she giggled. "You know Jabarian, I really do truly adore you. If only you were a few years younger, I'd make you mine for real."

"My lady honours me."

Retrieving the final bottle, Jabarian placed it in a basket at his feet and began towards the exit.

"Here, let me." Shani held out a hand and took the basket from Jabarian.

"I can manage."

"I know." Shani leaned in and kissed Jabarian on the cheek, "But I'm going to go and have a talk with my brother. Why don't you go to your kitchen and do some baking, that always makes you happy."

A genuine smile crossed Jabarian's face as he bowed his head, "Thank you Shani."

"I feel like something sweet. Make us something we can share."

"Lemon cake?"

"Whatever you want." Shani smiled, gently twirling Jabarian's beard in her fingers, "Surprise me."

===

"About time." Lyon grumbled as his bedroom door opened, "You really are getting slower."

"You should be nicer to poor old Jabarian." Shani said, stepping forwards, "He's the one who makes your food after all."

"What are you doing here?" Lyon demanded, "Why are you in my chambers."

"My brother is sad, I came to cheer him up."

"I'm not sad." Lyon grumbled, turning back to stare out his window.

"Of course not, you've just decided to become a basement troll for fun." Setting the basket down, Shani sat on the arm of Lyon's chair and smiled down at him, "Come on Lyon, it's not so bad. Amber wouldn't want you to be sad."

"And how would I know that? Apparently I didn't know her well at all."

"She loved you, you know that."

"And yet she betrayed me."

With a sigh, Shani leaned back and flopped across her brother's lap, "A bit melodramatic don't you think? She picked a fight, she lost. She couldn't handle the pain and she took too much poppy nectar. It's sad, but there it is."

"But why did she pick the fight? Why attack from behind, without warning?"

"Who cares?"

"I care!" Lyon snapped, trying to push his sister off his lap.

'Hey, hey hey hey." Shani reached up and touched the side of Lyon's face, "I'm on your side, okay, I'm always on your side."

Lyon sighed heavily, "I know."

"Hey Lyon?"

"Mmmm?"

"What's that poking my back?"

Lyon's face turned red, "Shani!"

Shani laughed out loud, "I'm kidding, it's your belt buckle you pervert."

"Will you get off!"

Rolling off her brother's lap with a burst of laughter, Shani knelt down in front of him. "You know, there is one place where you could get some answers." She mused, resting her elbows on Lyon's knees.

Immediately Lyon perked up, "W-where?"

"There was a survivor of the duel, perhaps you should talk to her."

"The Kolvest woman?" Lyon scoffed, "She already told me everything."

"You're sure about that?"

Lyon paused.

"I didn't know Amber as well as you did, but I tend to agree, it doesn't make sense that she would go and pick a fight for no reason. Perhaps there was something that happened before their duel? Surely there was some kind of history there."

"Even if that was true, why would Kolvest tell me the truth?"

"People tend to be honest with their friends. Even more so with their lovers come to think of it."

"Lovers? What the hell are you talking about?"

Shani stood and sat back down on the arm of Lyon's chair, "Hear me out. The Kolvest woman is western in all but name. I can't imagine that's made her life all that pleasant."

"Likely not, no."

"And I am sure that she would be very happy to accept the support of a powerful house, should that house offer to become a patron of her and her troops."

Lyon paused while Shani reached down and picked up one of the bottles of wine, "You're suggesting that the Chariot family extended patronage to her company?"

"Why not?" Shani asked with a shrug, "We've certainly done it before. And by all accounts her troops are actually rather well trained, so it's really not a bad investment."

Shani tore the cork out of the bottle with her teeth and took a swig before handing it to her brother. "You go to her, offer her armour, weapons, whatever they need. You get close to her, and when the right moment arrives, you use your charm to sweep her off her feet. And when you have her wrapped around your... finger, she tells you what you want to know."

Lyon raised a hand to his chin, "That might actually work."

"As a bonus, she's yours for the taking. Its not like she would be welcome in polite society after such a moral lapse, even less than she is already. You could keep her as a pet if you wanted."

"That would be dishonourable."

"Oh?" Shani reached over and pulled on her brother's lip, revealing the gap in his teeth, "Is it as dishonourable as whacking you across the face with your own helmet?"

"Stop it!" Lyon snapped, swatting Shani's hand away.

"The way I see it, even if she doesn't know anything, we still get to function as patrons to a dedicated military unit, so that's a win. And while you may not be able to challenge her little hubby to another duel, if you take his precious wife into those big strong arms of yours, I'd consider that a fairly substantial victory. You get an exotic mistress, loyal troops, and the answers to all your questions." Shani took the bottle back from her brother. "All in all, a good day's work."

"It... could work."

"Of course it will." With her sleeve, Shani wiped the wine from the corner of her mouth, "And anyways, it sure beats sitting down here in the dark getting drunk and feeling sorry for yourself."

With a heavy sigh, Lyon reached up and tousled his sister's hair, "You might be right."

With a playful giggle, Shani leaned in and kissed her brother on the cheek, "Now, I want you to go and apologize to Jabi."

"Apologize?!"

"You were very rude to him. Come on," Shani leapt off the arm of her brother's chair and pulled him to his feet. "It's the honourable thing to do."

Brushing himself off, Lyon sighed again, "Yes... you're probably right."

"Of course." Shani hooked her arm around her brother's. "I'm never wrong."

End of Chapter 9

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