Chapter 25

Kal was more than a little pissed off. Though he wasn’t a prisoner, having an armed escort when taking his first step onto Ikuno’s homeland felt like a slap in the face.

The mage tried to distract himself by checking out his first Azumbahan city. The people had the same skin tone, features, and language as the merchants he bought his Boots of the Traveler from on the way to Lantaris, but that was expected from Ikuno’s descriptions.

Their clothing caught his eye. Both men and women wore a brown or blue robe over light shirts and pants or skirts. The women’s robes had larger, flowing cuffs at the end of their sleeves, while the men’s were a little more conservative. Wealthier men either wore a loose robe with another robe-vest garment over the top that sported very pointy shoulders or a suit of ornate and expensive-looking leather armor.

Four men carried on a litter with gossamer curtains that did little to hide the noblewoman inside. Her clothing’s cut matched the style of the commoners’ but was made from shimmering pink silk and with bright red, pink, and orange flowers. She noticed Kal first and sat up on her litter, her face taking on a sultry look. A moment later, she saw Kashka walking beside him. The woman’s expression turned to disgust before flicking open a paper fan and holding it in front of her face.

“Her loss. More for me,” whispered Kashka once they were out of earshot.

Despite his dour mood, Kal caught himself smiling.

Aside from the slight differences in architecture, clothing styles, and new spices used by the food vendors, Kal realized that Kuji was just like any other city. It had the same blacksmiths, tailors, bakers, and herbalists he saw in Carriston, Lantaris, Fazal, and Calfera.

The mage felt the soft touch of Kashka’s thoughts across the bond and grunted in reluctant agreement. Their situation was ruining his experience. If they weren’t under guard, then he might have a more positive view of the city.

They walked for the better part of an hour before leaving the city’s houses behind. A lush, green forest grew on either side of the road that took them to the castle wall. Kal noticed the forest stop just before the stone fortification. A wall wouldn’t do much good if you could climb a tree and jump over it. When they passed beyond the forest, Kal and Kashka discovered it was more than a break in the trees. A handful of paces from either side of the road stood a low wall barely knee high. On the other side, it dropped straight down into a wide moat with high, sheer walls. Kashka also brought to his attention the two large steel troughs covered with oilskin mounted above the gate. Kal believed the troughs were likely filled with oil and had some means of creating a fire beneath them. The low walls would keep the searing liquid directed into the path of any attackers, while slits in the wall around the moat allowed archers to pick off those trying to get away from the oil.

A couple of bored-looking guards stood beside a large open gate made of a richly-colored redwood. Their escort nodded toward the men in acknowledgment before continuing past. The area inside appeared to be forest at first but quickly gave way to an immaculate garden and orchard with many plants Kal had only seen in drawings.

A small army of servants tended to the trees and plants. Some carefully measured and manicured the branches and leaves from the tops of ladders, while those on the ground plucked off dead leaves or flower buds and dealt with any bugs or weeds. Kal had seen numerous orchards and gardens in his travels but none where the owner paid this degree of attention to the plants.

The smooth stone road snaked back and forth across the grounds, ascending shallow ramps with each pass until it reached the castle proper on the far side. Kal groaned. Most of the walk through the city had been uphill, but unlike Kashka, Kal spent a fair amount of the past weeks in bed. Admittedly, sex was good exercise and fun as well, but his legs were sore, and he didn’t know how the guards might react if he used his stamina rune.

On the far side of the palace grounds stood another thicker wall with a more robust gate. After passing through, they followed the winding stone path up several steps into the castle. The Azumbahan people had a very different version of a castle from what Kal had seen in the past. It more closely resembled a tall, thick tower that grew smaller with each new level. Though the height made it difficult to judge its size as they approached, Kal guessed the topmost level to be about the size of Telsin’s Inn. Several smaller buildings of the same style had been built into the main tower, while others were connected by partially enclosed breezeways. Wooden panels meant to protect from attack or bad weather were held up by poles and allowed Kal and Kashka to see the castle staff making their way back and forth between the buildings.

The castle appeared to be made mostly of wood. The choice of building material made little sense to Kal. With the threat of flaming arrows and magic-users, there had to be some enchantment on the structure protecting it from fire.

As they ascended the last few steps, they passed under another of the metal, oilskin-covered troughs. At the top of the stairs, Kal looked over to see a metal vent beneath the trough, confirming his assumption the metal basins were for heating oil or something similar to repel invaders.

One of the two guards at the castle door called out, “Halt! What business do these foreigners have in the castle, Hanto?”

“This man has been summoned by Counselor Miyaki, and the cat is his bodyguard,” answered their escort.

“Very well,” the guard replied, then looked at Kashka’s clothes and bare feet, “but she will need zori and to keep her body covered. The lord’s wife and concubines will not tolerate another woman parading around with her skin showing. Especially a bakeneko.”

Hanto sighed. “Understood,” he said, then turned and relayed the guard’s words to Kal and Kashkain Common. By the disappointment in his expression and voice, mage and assassin guessed he had enjoyed the occasional glimpse of Kashka’s body.

The cat-girl flipped her hood up and held her cloak together in the front. The garment’s enchantment held the seams together but not so strongly that she couldn’t tug it apart at a moment’s notice. She claimed wearing the cloak this way boosted its invisibility-like powers. If that were true, then Kal doubted the lord’s wife or concubines had any chance of seeing the cat at the moment.

As they stepped inside, Hanto directed their attention to racks full of thong sandals made of woven bamboo. Jagi and some of the Reaver’s former servants spoke highly of the plant as a wood substitute. By stripping bamboo fibers, they could make long sturdy cords comparable in strength to hemp ropes. Anika’s manservant also mentioned this miracle plant grows extremely fast and suggested the arachne trade for some shoots and start farming it as soon as possible. Anika left the details up to Jagi, only adding that he made sure to plant them outside any potential excavation areas.

After only hearing about bamboo, Kal found it interesting to see sandals made from it. Kashka donned the footwear, and the mage chuckled as he realized the hats, baskets, and a plethora of other items he saw coming through Kuji had all been made from the same fibers.

Kashka wiggled her toes. “These are actually quite comfortable.”

Their escort swallowed hard as he stared at her feet. “P-Perhaps it would be best if you wore one of these,” he said, lifting the bottom hem of his garment to show his feet covered in a split-toed sock.

“Why?” she asked, genuinely confused.

“Prostitutes show their feet when trying to attract customers.”

“But in the city I saw plenty of women wearing sandals while barefoot.”

“Those were peasants. You are the bodyguard of a magic-user and noble, not a peasant.”

“And because I’m not a peasant, this makes me a prostitute?” Kashka asked, lifting a foot and wiggling her toes.

Their escort sucked in a sharp breath. “A lady’s feet are considered quite erotic, which is why prostitutes show them off.”

Peering to either side, Kal noted two of their four guards seemed to bear out their Hanto’s words. Both seemed flushed and kept stealing glances at Kashka’s exposed foot. Of the other two, one rolled his eyes at the flustered escort, while the other’s impassive face showed no emotion at all.

“How far do you think I should take this?” Kashka asked over the bond.

“I’ll admit I’m enjoying their discomfort a little too much after ruining my day with this detour. Take it as far as you want, but don’t be surprised if a couple of these guys make a mess in their pants.”

Kashka looked at the escort. “I think I might like some of those socks, but my feet are dirty, is there somewhere I could wash them?”

Hanto swallowed hard. “Please, have a seat,” he said, directing her toward a bench near the rack of footwear. “I shall have one of the servants bring warm water and washing powder,” he said before disappearing down one of the hallways leading away from the foyer.

Kal used the moment to take in their surroundings. Massive beams of dark red wood stood in the room’s corners, supporting the structure above their heads. On the foyer’s walls, gold-trimmed sashes framed golden lion heads with cast bronze circles beneath them. The designs within the circles hinted at runes. Looking more closely, Kal could faintly make out magic trickling into them from a source somewhere below.

The walls appeared to be coated with parchment. Kal couldn’t figure out why someone would construct an already flammable building and then fill it with even more flammable paper. Regardless, it covered the walls everywhere they could put it. Admittedly, the light color seemed to help with lighting. He wasn’t having difficulty seeing with only the castle’s open door as a light source.

A small glass vial bouncing on the stone caught everyone’s attention.

“Oops,” said Kashka.

Kal glanced over to see the cat step over the empty vial and then crouch down to pick it up without unsealing her cloak.

He continued to stare at her as she stood back up and flashed him a grin.

“Feeling daring today, are we?” he asked over the bond. “You realize these soldiers are just doing their jobs, and I’m just being a grump.”

“Should I stop? I’ll admit it’s fun to tease them, but I don’t want to just be mean.”

“Oh, you’re being mean. But judging by their reactions, I doubt they will complain much. I really don’t get the feet thing, though.”

“You also don’t come from somewhere that turned feet into a sex symbol. Your memories revolve around a lot of large boobs and wet pussies, not feet.”

“I like asses too.”

“Yes, but I haven’t seen any memories of the younger you drooling over Marda’s and Elta’s butts the way you did their boobs.”

“Fair enough. That didn’t really start until I met Ikuno. I am a little surprised these men are acting so casually toward you.”

“Ratt told me that I might be more welcome than some of the other girls on the ship. It sounds like the Azum people see some monster girls as manifestations of the creatures in their folklore. We cat-girls resemble an Azumbahan feline monster called a bakeneko, but with more human faces.”

“That’s what the guard called you.”

“Right. She also said these cat-women were often concubines or prostitutes and known for being lusty.”

“That explains why our escort thought you were my concubine.”

“My thought as well, ” she replied as their escort returned. Instead of bringing a servant, Hanto instead carried a pail full of water in one hand, a shallow wooden basin under his other arm, and a towel thrown over his shoulder.

“The servants were all occupied. Instead, I shall personally take care of washing your feet, if that’s alright with you and your master,” he said, looking between the mage and cat-girl.

Kal answered with a disinterested shrug and looked away as Kashka nodded.

Hanto set the pail down then put the basin beneath the cat-girl’s feet. Kneeling in front of her, he gingerly lifted her leg by the ankle and then wet Kashka’s foot using a small ladle hanging from the side of the pail. The towel on his shoulder contained a washcloth with a packet of washing powder wrapped inside. After wetting the cloth and applying some powder to it, their escort began gently and meticulously cleaning her foot.

“Oh, my, ” Kashka sent over the bond along with feelings of surprise.

“What?”

“This feels really good.”

“I’ve washed your feet in the bath before. You didn’t seem very excited about it then.”

“Probably because you weren’t very excited about it. You gave my feet no more thought than anything else below the knee.”

Kal frowned in annoyance. “Now I feel like I’ve been neglecting you.”

“Maybe you have when it comes to this, but I know how you can make it up to me, ” she replied while sending him an image of their cabin on the Scarlet Bitch. Instead of Hanto, Ratt lovingly washed her feet as Kashka sat in Kal’s lap and slowly slid up and down on his cock. Kashka let his prick slip out of her, and the rodent monster girl leaned forward to take him in her mouth. Ratt’s blowjobs were more tongue than up and down motion because of her large front teeth. Since her real prize was Kashka’s juices covering his cock, this suited her just fine. She released his prick and returned to washing the cat-girl’s feet as Kashka sat on his cock again. A similar scene played out repeatedly on Ratt’s night with him and Kashka but without the foot massage and washing.

“That’s enough, ” he sent, adjusting himself as his trousers tightened. “I don’t know how important this Miyaki is, but meeting her with a hard-on probably wouldn’t be a great first impression.”

“With you, I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” she replied.

Kal rolled his eyes and looked around at the guards to distract himself from the waves of pleasure coming from the cat. Nothing changed much among the men. The two acting aroused earlier might be breathing a little harder and have a little more red on their faces as they watched. The stoic one’s features seemed to be carved in stone, and he refused to even look at Hanto and Kashka. The last guard leaned on his spear, his expression reflecting boredom instead of exasperation.

Their escort was a different story. His breathing had quickened and become labored as he carefully lathered and washed Kashka’s feet. Once both were clean, he used the ladle to rinse the first foot and lifted it again to dry it off with a towel. From somewhere in his robes the man produced one of the socks with a notch for the big toe and slipped it on Kashka, then took one of the ‘zori’ sandals and carefully put it on her. The cat-girl placed her foot down outside the shallow basin as he began rinsing the other.

Once the escort finished drying her foot, Kashka pulled her leg up and out slightly while smiling down at him. “Thank you for doing this for me,” she said.

Hanto didn’t hear her. The cat’s movement lifted her cloak slightly, and instead he stared up the inside of Kashka’s leg, where fingers rubbed her exposed pussy for a moment before spreading her sex open.

Their escort grunted and doubled over, his eyes never leaving the cat-girl’s sex. When he heard the guards move forward out of concern, Hanto held a hand out behind him. “I am not hurt,” he said, waving them back and shuddering as he watched Kashka dip two fingers into her pussy. “The powers of the bakeneko are more than just legend.”

Kashka smiled down at him and continued slowly masturbating as their escort dried her foot, then slipped the second sock and sandal on.

When the cat placed her other foot on the floor, Hanto’s face reddened in embarrassment as he came down from his sexual high. To his credit, aside from the red face, he cleaned up the area and pushed everything under the bench before helping Kashka to her feet as though nothing unusual had happened.

Kashka wiggled her toes again in the white socks, “I hope I don’t have to shift in these. They feel nice and I wouldn’t want to tear them.”

“That would be ... a shame,” said their escort before leading them down one of the side halls to a set of stairs.

Open windows on the upper floors let in the sunlight, which in turn lit up interior walls and doors made of the same bleached parchment covering the outer walls. The few people they encountered gave their group a wide berth if they were dressed like Hanto, while the menial servants stood with their backs against the wall, bowing respectfully.

The top of the sixth flight of stairs opened up into a large room with low tables surrounded by cushions that looked to be a meeting space. A wooden wall sectioned off the far side of the floor, and Hanto led them towards the ornate door in the middle.

Dropping to his knees, the man touched his head to the floor before sitting up and calling out. “Counselor Miyaki, I have returned with the magic-user from the ship in the harbor and his bodyguard.”

Kal heard muffled voices from inside, followed by approaching footsteps. A woman’s face appeared in a small, well-hidden window in the middle of the door before it swung open. The woman from the little window and the man accompanying her were dressed in a similar manner to the other servants they met in the castle, but the materials looked to be higher quality. Both stepped to the side and bowed as Hanto stood and waved Kal and Kashka in.

“Welcome, please come in,” said a woman in barely accented Common from further inside the room.

They walked past the bowing servants into a room with trinkets, most of which shone with magic to Kal’s eyes, adorning wall-mounted shelves. Among them were jars filled with various oddities like a preserved monkey’s paw or filled with shimmering powder. An alchemist’s station on par with his own bubbled as she distilled some unknown elixir, and a table with an assortment of mortar and pestles stood between floor-to-ceiling shelves of various dried components. On the room’s far side, an older woman peered through a copper-clad spyglass mounted on a tripod.

Counselor Miyaki looked to be around the same age as Jurien or Nina, but as a magic-user, the woman could be several years or even decades older. Her robe, or kimono, was much more elaborate than any he had yet seen. Multiple colorful layers were held together with a wide belt that sported a huge bow in the back. Her silver headdress swept back over her black hair in jagged lines that reminded him of lightning.

“Takeo, Ayako, please attend to our guests for a moment,” the woman said without taking her eye from the small telescope. Her servants showed Kal and Kashka to a nook on the opposite side of the room from the various workbenches and near the counselor’s personal desk. Inside stood a low table, and Ayako invited them to sit on the cushions laying on the floor as Takeo brought a tray with a teapot and a set of cups. The counselor muttered to herself, smiling for a few minutes before reluctantly abandoning her view and joining them.

Her welcoming smile faded when she noticed Kal’s dour look. “To be invited to the castle is an honor, yet you do not look happy,” she said.

“For two years, I’ve traveled the land to eventually come to Azumbaho, the home of one of my lovers, only to set foot on its soil under armed guard and get marched through the city. After ruining such an important moment in my journey, this hardly feels like an honor. What business do you have with me?” As he spoke, the male servant set small cups in front of them and filled them with a green, fruity-smelling tea. Kal picked his up and set it back on the tray, drawing a gasp of surprise from the servants.

Their next gasp was even louder as Miyaki bowed low over her teacup. “My sincerest apologies for your introduction to our land. I meant no harm,” she said as her servant’s eyes attempted to fall out of their heads. “As to why I asked you here,” the counselor blushed slightly and directed his attention to the spyglass. “I enjoy watching the ships that come in to dock, and your ship, in particular, has caught my eye on several occasions. This morning as they launched the cargo boats, I saw you tossed from the boat and float a good distance from the ship before falling into the water. Later, you burst up out of the water and floated toward the whale-woman’s tentacle-person, then later flew beside her as you said goodbye. I want that spell.”

“It’s called featherfall,” he replied curtly.

“Not that one. I noticed you were falling slowly, but you were still falling. I meant the spell for the other two times.”

“I have no reason to give it to you, and even if I did, there is little you could do with it.”

“You presume I am incapable of understanding a spell you mastered?”

“Yes,” said Kal while ignoring the warning signals coming from Kashka over the bond. “The gravity rune is like nothing you have ever seen before. It took months of study with the help of a Fae for me to render it even slightly usable. But that’s beside the point, you have offered nothing in exchange, or did you expect me to give it to you out of the goodness of my heart.”

She held out a hand at her female servant, “I can offer—”

“No,” Kal said with a little more force than intended. “I don’t need stones around my neck, and I don’t need another woman to take care of and protect.”

Counselor Miyaki looked at Kashka, “Your escort said she was your bodyguard.”

“And my lover. I’m not going to let her senselessly die any more than I’m going to bring along your servant so she can spy on me and bring my hard-earned knowledge back to you.”

The counselor raised an eyebrow, “You assume much.”

“I’m traveled enough to know the habits of those seeking power. The woman is intelligent far above her station as a simple servant, as is the man. It shows in their eyes.”

After regarding him carefully for a moment, Miyaki bowed her head. “Astute observations, these two are more than mere servants. They are my apprentices. They also take care of my physical needs, much like your bodyguard.”

“I’m surprised to hear you say that. I was told the Azum people were very guarded when speaking about intimate relations.”

“We are, in general. During my magical studies, I have been exposed to many different cultures. It has made me become more open-minded than most. What could I offer you in exchange for your gravity rune?”

“Nothing. If I gave it to you, you would call me a cheat and a liar because you wouldn’t be able to use it. In all likelihood, you would destroy it just trying to learn its secrets.”

The counselor’s lips tightened into a thin line. “Again, you assume I am incapable of understanding something an upstart such as yourself has mastered.”

“Ria, come out here, please,” said Kal.

The sprite appeared a moment later and looked around for a moment before flitting over to his shoulder. “How can I help you, Master?”

Kal unintentionally winced at the title. “This person wants to trade me for the gravity rune. I’m refusing because I don’t think she could use it. Would you tell her why, please?”

“Because to her, it will just look like a big black spot on a piece of paper? Are you sure that’s wise to even consider, Kal? Sapphire only gave you two copies when we left.”

“What do you mean, a big black spot?” asked Counselor Miyaki.

“The gravity rune is a bunch of overlapping and interconnected runes that all work together. Put on paper, the runes are so dense it looks like a large black spot with tiny gaps where the paper shows through. I can tell you from experience it is so finely tuned that if you feed magic power into the wrong point, it will pop in your face. Without special knowledge and abilities, the rune is worthless to you.”

The woman seemed taken aback for a moment but then leaned forward, her eyes shining. “Long have I dreamed of my lord’s troops flying into battle. How am I supposed to turn down such a challenge?! I must have it more than ever.”