Chapter 26

"Lady Janna K'garon, representative of Lord Duric K'garon of the Keyas Province!"

Silence fell upon the chamber so suddenly upon this proclamation that Janna hesitated an awkward moment after she rose from her chair. Surely they were not intent upon riveting their attention to her as they had Tarras?

No one after Tarras had been given such an honor. Oh, they had paid more attention to the Lords that immediately followed him, largely out of guilt, she guessed. But once the next day came, most had gone back to their old ways.

Janna cleared her throat awkwardly, which sounded embarrassingly loud in the quiet chamber. Even her footsteps sounded deafening as she walked around the end of the table and towards the center of the room, her heart thumping.

She lifted her gaze and set it cool and formal as her eyes flicked around the room. As she caught their faces, the ways they were seated, and the looks in their eyes, it was clear to her now why she had their undivided attention. It was because she was female and attractive.

"Use whatever you can to your advantage to get them to listen, Janna," Tarras had told her that morning when she had desperately asked him for help with her speech. "That is all I can really tell you."

Janna stood in the center of the chamber. For a moment, she had no idea what to say. But as she let Tarras' words sink in, it came to her.

Her lips curled into a small smile. The coolness in her eyes slowly gave way to a warm sultriness. She forced herself to relax her stance and let her arms hang more loosely at her sides. She shifted her weight and let her hips tilt, one foot sliding forward slightly.

"I am quite sure that all this rapt attention is for the words you so eagerly anticipate coming from my mouth," Janna's voice rang out, carrying the familiar touch of suggestiveness to it. "Yes, that's certainly it. My words."

A soft but brief wave of laughter washed over the assembled Lords. Janna turned her head just enough to give Tarras a quick glance. She found him smiling. That alone was a great relief to her.

Okay, now if I can just play this up and not go too far either direction, she thought. With luck, I won't sound like either a total ass or a total harlot.

She strolled casually towards a group of Lords at one of the curving tables. Their faces brightened when they saw her approach. She kept her step lively, picking up her feet a bit more to let the bottom of her dress swish around her legs more and draw attention to them. She caught the gaze of at least one Lord flicking that way immediately.

"I guess you get tired of looking at dour old men for day in and day out and want something a little nicer to look at," she said, giving the one that ogled her legs a wink. "So I won't disappoint."

More amused laughter around the tables, more appreciative smiles.

She turned away from that table and started back towards the center. Her gaze alighted on another group directly ahead of her. "Though I am sure you will find it in your hearts to forgive me when I keep to some rules of decorum."

"Well, damn!" one Lord behind her suddenly exclaimed, which set off a brief spate of raucous laughter among the others.

Janna was elated by her success so far, though in the back of her mind was the worry that she would fail to say anything of substance to them. She was thinking of each line only after she had said the previous one.

All speeches to the Caucus were unprepared. That tradition was sacrosanct. Tarras had not prepared his, even if it had sounded like he might have. Or if he had done any preparation, it had been in the privacy of his quarters beforehand.

There was a moment of panic when she drew a blank as the laughter died down. No, just free associate, like you always do, she chided herself. Your little speeches to rivals at court are never prepared.

But this was different. She was speaking to a large group of Nobles above her normal rank and station.

Yet as her eyes fell on the group in front of her, inspiration struck.

She quickened her pace, and to the surprise of several of the Lords in her field of view, she was right at their table, laying her hands upon it and leaning towards them. She gave them a sultry smile. "Tell me... are you missing your slaves?"

For a moment, the three Lords before her exchanged confused glances.

"Missing their companionship? Their warmth next to you on the chilly nights? The way they... well... I suppose I should keep to rules of decorum with my words as well."

There was a very brief wave of laughter behind her. One of the three Lords in front of her finally dared to speak when it was obvious she was not asking a rhetorical question. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do miss them. Unavoidable, given the Emperor's attitude towards slaves."

Janna felt her heart race again, but this time it was with excitement. It was just like at court. For the moment, there were no other Lords in the room, just these three, and now just the one that responded to her. She could relate better now. She could do what her forte was, which was make a person say something that would take her in the direction she wished to go.

Janna smiled at him and drew away from the table, backing away without turning from him. "Ah, yes, the Emperor. Mmm, he has a great many attitudes, doesn't he?"

She stopped, paused a beat, then whirled around and approached another group of Lords. "For instance... what do you imagine he would think of me?"

The Lord directly ahead of her blinked, glanced off to the side, then pointed at himself and mouthed "me?" Janna smiled, licked her lips, and nodded her head once. The Lord's eyes widened a bit and he leaned back in his seat. "Um, well... I guess I'm not quite sure what you mean by that question."'

Janna put her hands on the edge of the table again and leaned forward, this time far enough to let her breasts weigh against the dress holding them in place. She kicked one foot back, making her body shake briefly and her mounds jiggle. "If he were here now, do you think he would approve of the way I'm... presenting myself?"

The Noble Lord gave a smirk with a hint of lasciviousness to it. "Most certainly not."

"And you?"

"Um... me... what?"

"Do you approve?"

Several other Lords laughed. It helped embolden him and he answered, "Oh, most assuredly, Lady Janna," which elicited more laughter.

Janna chuckled herself and turned away from the table. She let her gaze slide over the other Lords, not letting herself focus on all of them. She kept up the illusion that they were not there save for the ones she let herself see immediately before her eyes. Meanwhile, her mind raced as she approached the center of the chamber again.

Do I go further? Do I make another example? Or is that enough? Or...

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted, and it made her pause in her stride. She was too stunned at first to believe it, and almost did not recognize it, as long as she had gone without someone having to contact her that way. But it was unmistakable. Someone was summoning her to a Farview audience. And there was only one person that would be doing that.

Dammit, Duric, not now! Janna cried in her head.

She knew she could just ignore it for the moment. Yet the fact that he was contacting her now likely meant he had something for her to do, and it sent her stomach heaving.

Janna exercised sheer force of will and pushed her doubts and worries away, allowing her to recover her stride. No, I need one more, she thought.

She passed the center and headed towards another table, the one where she and Tarras were sitting. For a moment she contemplated going to him, and even started in his direction. At the last moment, she veered off and stopped before someone a few seats down from him.

Tarras gave her a secretive little smile.

No sooner than Janna had leaned over the table when the Lord grinned like a schoolboy and said, "Oh, yes, I approve as well, Lady Janna."

Another wave of laughter.

"I am so glad you do," Janna said in a husky voice. "And... aren't you glad that you can?"

"Hmm? I'm not sure I follow."

"You're free to appreciate me... for the excellent representative that I am for Lord Duric."

The Noble Lord chuckled. "Oh, yes, that. Indeed."

Janna bent over so that her elbows rested on the table, thrusting her rear out and up behind her, and making her breasts dangle under her. "And in other circles, even outside the Imperium, this would be frowned upon. The peasantry can be a prudish lot sometimes I hear."

"Yes, they can be at that."

"And as for you being able to do it with impunity?"

He chuckled again. "Rank has privilege my dear. Always has. Always will."

Janna smiled lustily. "Mmm, indeed..."

She winked at him and drew herself up. She turned slowly and headed to the center of the chamber.

Tarras leaned forward, his eyes on her every move. But unlike everyone else, he also had his ears on every word. He was guessing where this was going, and he hoped it would take the other Lords by surprise.

Janna reached the center of the room. She looked the epitome of poise and calm. She turned to the first group she had talked to. "Your slaves, my Lord?" she said loudly. "You can't have them anymore. Sorry."

This was met by confused and astonished stares.

She turned to the next one with whom she had spoken. "And from now on, we will have proper conduct at meetings such as this. Perhaps... even write down our speeches ahead of time."

This was met with an ominous grumbling noise.

She turned to the last. "And privilege? Rank? No. No more of those."

The Noble Lord frowned.

She turned away from him and addressed the room for the first time. Now she could, as she knew every word of what she was going to say. "You can't do these things anymore because the Emperor doesn't want you to!" Janna declared.

The room fell into an uneasy silence.

"So many words have been spoken during this Caucus about the Emperor's growing power, and how he is exerting it against our neighbor. We have focused so much on what he is doing with this power that we are missing the concept of the power itself! He claims he has gathered power to himself to fight an enemy of the realm. What happens when that enemy is defeated? Has he given any sign that he will relinquish that power? Or will he simply turn it elsewhere? Inward instead of outward!"

She swept her arms towards the door. "You have seen what his vision is! He dislikes slaves, so everyone will as well! He keeps rigid rules of decorum and protocol, so everyone will as well! He wants no one else to have any power to oppose him..."

She paused a beat.

"... so no one will."

She let her eyes alight on the faces of the Lords, even as a second summons to Farview came to her. She ignored it more easily this time. She was almost there. She had everyone's attention as raptly as Tarras did, and it had nothing to do with her body.

She lowered her arms. "You wish to keep Oceanus intact. You wish the system we have had in place for two centuries to continue. Then stop him here. Do not compromise. Do not let him attain even a single scrap of power more." She smiled humorlessly. "Unless you want this to be the last time that you can get to see a pretty lady flaunt herself at a gathering such as this."

With no further fanfare, she turned and headed back towards her seat, leaving silence in her wake.

Just as she got to the space between two tables, she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She looked over just in time to see Lord Uras rise from his seat and begin applauding enthusiastically.

Janna was so stunned by this she froze in place. Uras was quickly joined by a half dozen more. In moments, it became as thunderous as when Tarras had concluded his speech.

She was almost too overwhelmed with emotion to move. Yet she managed to retain her composure, straighten up, and proceed to her seat.

Tarras saw that she was struggling to control herself and placed a hand on her shoulder. She flinched at first, but quickly gave him a look of appreciation. She took a deep breath and let it go. Feeling his touch helped steady her somehow.

As Uras finally stopped applauding and called for order, Tarras leaned over to Janna. "Extremely well done. I was very impressed."

This made Janna blush, at least until the third summons came.

"I-I have to get away, Tarras," she said anxiously.

"Something the matter?" asked Tarras with concern.

Janna lowered her voice, as by this time Uras had gained control of the chamber. "I'm being Farviewed."

"Duric?"

She sighed and nodded.

"You fear something has gone wrong with his little project?"

"Yes... well, no, not what you think. Look, I can't explain it to you, not yet. I just need to talk to him as soon as possible."

Tarras nodded and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "Uras will be concluding the session very soon. It would be bad form to leave until then, especially after just speaking."

"I know." Janna leaned back in her seat with a frown. Her stomach was going to remain twisted in a knot until she had heard what Duric had to say. And perhaps even more after that, depending on what he asked of her.

Lanno listened patiently to Vanlo's detailed explanation of what each part of the apparatus did, but he comprehended less than half of what was told to him. He understood the individual components, as every Healer had to learn how to make his own potions and salves. But the way Vanlo had connected some of them together seemed to defy all logic.

Lanno simply nodded each time and gave no indication that he had anything less than full understanding. Yet when Vanlo was done, the older Healer sighed and shook his head. "You really just don't understand how it all works, do you?"

"Did I say that?" declared Lanno, frowning a bit. "I never once stopped you, did I?"

"I can see it in your face, Lanno."

The frown deepened. "You're not saying I'm ignorant, are you?"

"It would not be your fault. It is apparent that they have vastly scaled back the curriculum at the Healer Guild since I was apprenticed there."

Lanno gave Vanlo an incredulous look. "You mean they taught you this stuff back then?"

"Well, not this specific setup or technique," Vanlo replied, gesturing to the apparatus. "But they did teach basic genetics. I took additional instruction as an elective for the rest. And I did some learning on my own. Have they at least taught you anything of genetics?"

"Of course they did. I know all about inheritance, dominant and recessive attributes, all of that."

"That barely scratches the surface. However, there is at least one comfort in all this."

"And what's that?"

Vanlo paused to adjust something that had been knocked slightly out of place while he was showing Lanno the various valves and controls on the apparatus. "That I did not remain at the Guild Hall to bear witness to the demise of its former excellence." He straightened up and looked Lanno squarely in the eye. "You have much to learn."

Lanno wanted to be angry with Vanlo for yet again accusing him of not being experienced enough. Yet the more he listened to Vanlo, the more he was coming to realize that there was some truth to the old man's words. Now he envied Vanlo for having had access to a better education than he had.

He still felt he had what it took to be a master. Never once did he waver in that. But he finally understood that he needed to know more if he wanted to get anywhere at this Manor, especially in the shadow of someone like Vanlo.

"Anyway... now that I know about this thing, you want me to help you move it into the back room of the office?" Lanno asked.

Vanlo shook his head. "Everything is already calibrated. If I move it, I will need another day or two to set it right again. And besides, we have one more person we need to keep this a secret from."

Lanno nodded slowly. "Jollis. Though I don't ever recall him being in the Healer Office."

"True. But we cannot assume this state of affairs will continue."

"He could still sneak into your quarters while you are away, you know."

"This is true. But he will have to know that there was something suspicious to be found. Whereas in the back room of the office, there is a chance he will see it upon a casual visit. This is the safer of the two options."

Lanno considered this and shrugged. "Guess I can't argue with that. So long as you don't mind me stealing into your quarters during the day sometimes to see this thing in action."

"That is fine, so long as you do not touch it. Though I daresay that watching the operation of the apparatus will be much like watching paint dry. It is not terribly exciting."

Lanno nodded at this, but that had not been what he had intended anyway. He wanted to track the progress of it day-by-day rather than moment-to-moment. "Okay, so what's our next move? You have all the ingredients for this thing, right?"

"In terms of the reagents, chemicals, and magic, yes. What I need is what I was about to procure today."

"A hair sample."

"Any genetic sample would do, but hair would be the easiest to locate."

"All right, so do we try now? Looked like he was heading out of his quarters when we last saw him."

Vanlo considered for a moment and then shook his head. "We must assume the worst, that he is a spy of some sort. If that is the case, it is possible he will already suspect that we have attempted something, and will take steps to either thwart an attempt to enter his quarters when he is not present, or provide a means of sounding an alarm to him."

Lanno raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that pretty far-fetched?"

"No more so than the supposition that he was behind the stilling of my Portal sense."

Vanlo could finally say the words without a remaining trace of bitterness or sadness. It had simply become a fact of life for him. He needed that in order to feel that he could move on. Now it was officially in the past and thus behind him. He need only look forward now.

"So what now? We're pretty much stuck if his quarters are off-limits. How do we obtain some of his hair now?"

Vanlo thought for a long moment on this. Slowly his lips curled into a knowing smile.

Lanno raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"We obtain it the same way that I once obtained a blood sample from an Imperial agent," Vanlo declared. "Though the utmost trickery and deceit."

The illumination had dimmed until only the feeble glow of deep velvet twilight remained. All there was left for Janna to see was silhouetted movement against the ceiling of her room. Even this had progressed to such a frenzy that there was no coherence to what she was seeing. What had been supple limbs and graceful body moving in sensuous rhythm above her had become a dark blur of motion.

Janna didn't care. She didn't need to see. She didn't need to hear. She just needed to feel.

She barely heard her own gasps and moans. She could not sense the strain of her thigh muscles holding her legs apart so wide for so long. She was too focused on the rocking of her body against the bed, and the thrust of thick manhood in her tunnel.

Her hands pressed into Tarras' shoulders, fingers curling hard into muscle as her pleasure rose slowly. Too slowly. She didn't need a romantic, tender fling, she needed a rutting, something strong enough to drown out the other emotions that had welled up inside her all afternoon after the Caucus.

And after Duric.

Janna moaned her desperation and pulled on Tarras with as much strength as she had. He nearly fell onto her, but in the process, drove himself hard and deep into her. Janna uttered a strident gasp. Before Tarras could think to "correct" his mistake, Janna threw her arms around him tightly and sought to slam her hips against him. She could not move very far with Tarras' bulk atop her, but he quickly got the message.

He changed his position over her slightly and moved his hips like a piston, pounding hard against her. Janna threw her head back and moaned loudly, finally able to feel it as she wanted. She closed her eyes, her breath a wild pant as her pleasure soared. Her pussy ached from his girth slamming into her, but she didn't care. The intensity of all the other sensations drowned it out.

She did it. In that moment as she rose to climax, everything else ceased to be. Her world was this. She held onto it as long as she could, crying out her desperation as she came.

Tarras was not there yet, but his breaths came heavy and labored. Janna felt him trembling. No, she didn't want him trembling. She wanted him to be a rock. She wanted to put her anchor here.

The moment passed, as Janna suddenly drew in her breath sharply. She had relaxed her hips a bit in the wake of her orgasm, and now suddenly his cock was striking just the right place to send a shudder of anticipation through her. She rosed precipitously, gasping in another breath of air, only to let it go as a startled cry. Her back arched, and for a moment her throat completely locked.

Hot fluid abruptly squirted from her slit as she came hard. Her hips bucked even as her voice remained locked in silence from the intensity of her second orgasm. Finally she let go with a strident moan, her body quivering madly as the pleasure overcame her senses.

In the flood of sensation, she had missed it. It was only now she heard him groan and felt his manhood throbbing. It was already fading, as she had missed the start of it. It was all right. She had what she needed: a moment of bliss to push back the fear and the worry.

It was going to be short-lived. She already felt her orgasm fading. There was the lingering ache in her sex, but it would soon fade as well. She needed more but there was no more to be given at the moment.

Tarras had already sensed something was amiss. But instead of trying to ask her what was wrong, he simply slipped his arms around her and gently rolled them over until she was lying atop him. Janna whimpered and clung to him for a few moments, feeling his arms tighten around her in return.

Tarras had been a bit nonplussed by her sudden lust when they had come back from dinner. She had been rather quiet the whole time, hardly responding to his attempts at conversation, and barely touching her food. She would not say what was wrong, and he did not want to press too hard.

But he could guess.

He had seen the mounting desire in her dark eyes, even behind the pain. He had let himself respond to it, more for selfish reasons than altruistic, even if it turned out to be the right thing to do. Or at least he hoped it had been.

Janna's breathing finally slowed and her body grew calm and still. Her muscles relaxed, save for the arm that curled around his chest. She was using him as her anchor. But she knew that this would not work unless she told him.

Tarras finally could not stand the silence. "Janna..."

"He wants me to spy for him."

Tarras fell quiet again.

"The Imperial patrols are erratic. He needs to know their schedule. He..."

"Perhaps you should not be speaking of this to me, Janna."

Janna lifted her head and stared at him in alarm. "You don't want to hear about this?"

A pause. "I didn't say that."

"But... you don't really think Z'haas has an eavesdropper on the room? That's insane! That..."

Tarras lifted a hand and cradled it against Janna's cheek. Janna's eyes went wide. The next moment, she relented and let out a despairing sigh. Had she just given away all of Duric's plans in one ill-timed statement born from emotion rather than logic?