Temple of the Traveler: Empress of Dreams (25 page)

He could hear the fire pop. Even the guards were leaning forward. “Um . . . when the man distributes his energy, he visualizes the four-dimensional shape represented by the triangle and connects his partner’s power points, touching on each pleasure zone to help activate the resonance. If you’ve done it right, the circle flares. Simple.”

“I’m definitely converting,” said Ember, breathless.

“This will take more than a quarter to teach,” Komiko said.

“An-any side-effects?” asked Niftkin.

“Our wards repel spirits as well as traditional wards. It’s much harder to visualize the six-point shape after all those hours of work. It helps if you keep an origami model to focus on. If you try to go beyond six points, your partner might pass out. It doesn’t hurt her, but you have to start again. A good magician perseveres.”

The witch muttered, “Are you sure I can’t get you to show me just once, for educational purposes?”

“Trust is very important . . . for proper magic. I would never be unfaithful to my wife.”

“Then how are we going to teach this?”

“Um . . . people could bring their own partners and do homework?”

“There has to be a demonstration,” insisted Komiko. “Does the one doing the release have to be a man?”

“I don’t know. The outer points are female driven. If a man were absolutely required, he’d only need to do the binding in the center.”

“Then you tell me the techniques and I’ll test the theory.”

“The recipient would still be a virgin until then?” asked Ember.

“In theory,” said Pinetto.

“I volunteer to test the theory,” said Ember with enthusiasm.

Komiko took her hand and led her away. “We’re about to make history,” she purred.

Pinetto swallowed hard. “Can you explain this to his majesty?”

“Sure,” said Tashi. “You get to explain to Sarajah, Sajika, and the chaperone.”

“That went out the window with the rice wine. Maybe we can pretend it never happened.”

Almost an hour later, soldiers marched onto the beach. “Which of you is Lord Pinetto?”

“The emperor works fast,” the wizard said swallowing hard.

Tashi sighed. “Oh, yeah. We were supposed to brief them on enemy tactics.”

“Tonight?”

“Before the invasion,” the head soldier said. “We’ve been looking for you all day.”

“That’s not supposed to be until Fireday,” Pinetto complained.

“The enemy will send scout parties ahead of time to map and sabotage,” said Tashi. “Pagaose wants us out of here before then.”

“And our patrols start tomorrow,” said the soldier. “Your great-uncle wants your advice.”

The wizard sighed. “Lead on.”

****

That night, Pagaose wore no clothing to bed. He held the bird figurine and feather on his bare chest and dreamed of Lady Evershade again. She crawled into his bed through the secret passage wearing the tight, red dress. “I got your gift, sire,” she whispered in soft tones that traced chills down his spine.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

She laughed, throatily. “Just for that, you get to finish my demonstration.”

His breath stuttered.

“For this part, it’s better if we hide somewhere no one else can hear.”

Eagerly, he led her to the second secret passage adjoining the Council Chamber. Inside, she pointed to a chair. “Sit. Remember the rules: no noise, no touching.”

He nodded rapidly.

Undressing slowly, she used the silk ties from her dress to bind him to the chair and cinch every limb tight. Then, she whispered pillow talk to him as she tickled him with the feather from his bed. The sensations were agonizingly erotic. As she lingered near his navel, he struggled against the bonds. With tight circles, strokes, and polishing movements, she teased him until he exploded, groaning into wakefulness.

He lay back, caressing the smooth bird carving contentedly. One wing was the same ice blue as her eyes. He didn’t need to defile a concubine to vent his abnormal urges; with the magic of the Eog, he could imagine the woman he wanted whenever he went to sleep. He could live like this until he chose a wife in spring.

Moonday was his busiest day, so Pagaose skipped his usual workout and went straight to the breakfast table. He read over tea. Sarajah was the first to join him, in the cloak of Archanos. “You were right; that hammock in the Pleasure Dome is the best.”

He poured her a cup and passed the sweetener tray. “Did Tashi sleep on the mat or the divan?”

“He never came back last night.”

“He doesn’t know what he missed.”

Lady Evershade took this as her cue to enter with a heaping tray of baked goods sitting atop a tea towel. She wore her harem robe and it was dusted with flour. The emperor salivated. “Ah . . . southern sweet rolls. My good lady, I’d think you were trying to fatten me up.” She smiled at the compliment.

Sarajah said, “Although something small and hairy woke me early this morning, wanting to play.”

He remembered the otters in the Pleasure Dome pools. “Mr. Rumpus, sorry. He’s been going hungry since Anna’s been ill, and he’s very persistent.”

“Mr. Rumpus?”

“Yes, Anna named him. Hers is Miss Wiggles.”

Assuming they were speaking in euphemisms, their server turned pale.

The seeress giggled, taking a bite of sweet roll. “Mmm, I can try feeding him. Does he like anything exotic or just straight off the breakfast table?”

Lady Evershade nearly dropped the plate as she placed it in the center of the buffet. She fussed over the other offerings, primping the grapes and folding napkins while continuing to eavesdrop.

“I haven’t found anything yet he won’t try to steal.”

“It’s rude to read when you have guests,” Sarajah noted.

“I’m studying. This afternoon, I have a meeting with the high court to revise our animal laws, if you can believe that.”

“Well I’m more important. I’m only going to be here for a little while, and I need your opinions on the equality of women and other . . . theological issues.”

Pinetto trotted in, drenched from the morning rain, and Tashi followed soon after. The former troll said, “We just spent the whole night explaining enemy tactics to the generals. I took an hour to tell them how the Executioners work in small teams and how the Intagliosian army works hand-to-hand. Pinetto gave them chapter and verse on every type of wizard they have, spearmen, night-fighting tactics. I fell asleep in a chair and my neck is kinked.”

“That took all night?” asked Pagaose, sipping his tea.

“Then Pinetto and his great-uncle had to play with the miniature catapults at the war college.”

“Yes, cadets practice with them. There’s a mock castle battle with the miniatures every year. They’re very popular.”

“He wants to take one with us on the voyage.”

“I think that could be arranged. We’re building real catapults to help defend the mouth of the harbor. They won’t stop a fast-moving cutter, but hopefully they’ll deter the warships and any fire mages on deck.”

“My mother used to make porridge like this!” Pinetto said. Lady Evershade ladled him a bowl personally, showing him the tray of toppings. “Thanks, you’re the best.” She smiled.

Pagaose said, “We’ll continue our discussion in the Council chambers. I have until midday.”

“Sire,” said Lady Evershade, “what about the fitting for the girls’ dresses? You promised.”

He winced. “Do I have to be there? I don’t know anything about fashion.”

Lady Evershade was adamant. “It’s not about fashion. Every girl has the right to be appreciated and to show her strengths. It’s part of the courtship process we discussed. It should only take two hours. We’ll send out the invitations today. The tailors will work Stoneday. We have the rehearsal on Windsday, and the event on Waterday morning if you want your friends to attend.”

He rubbed his face. “Fine. Tashi, can you spare your woman for an hour? We need to . . . iron out a treaty.”

Tashi piled three rolls on his plate and grunted.

The emperor and Queen Sarajah excused themselves. She said, “You need to delegate more. If this many decisions got to me at the Temple of Sleep, someone lost their job or their head.”

Ember entered the dining area, soaked to the bone and wearing her clothes from the day before. Lady Evershade scolded, “This is not appropriate apparel for a lady. These men can see through your blouse!”

Every man in the room, unaware of this fact until then, swiveled their heads to see. By then, the chaperone had wrapped her in the tea towel and herded her toward a room to change.

Soon after, Nightglow bounced into the room and waved cheerfully, taking a cluster of grapes. Komiko sauntered in wearing an oilskin slicker, a short robe, and no glasses. “Good morning,
Master
Pinetto.” She sat down beside him, exposing a generous portion of leg.

The wizard tried to make small talk. A part of him knew that the witch only wanted power, not him. In his entire career as a college student, he hadn’t seen as much to tempt him as he had in one day of marriage. “H-how did your research go yesterday?”

“We lit two corners,” the witch said.

“That’s useful. Do you think it was due to interference from the existing wards?”

“I think I need a man to make my center flare.”

“May-maybe it’s a materials problem,” Pinetto suggested, a small static charge playing across his fingertips.

“Ember did say the sand made things painful toward the end.”

“Pain is the enemy of release,” noted Pinetto. “I meant that we should experiment with other magical material for ward components.”

Nightglow suggested, “Like Imperial paving stones and Emperor’s pearls. Pagaose could help with that.”

“Good idea,” Pinetto said, taking another spoonful of porridge.

“I’m not wearing any underwear,” Komiko confided in sultry tones.

“Nobody does,” said Bovina matter-of-factly as she walked in. “Sweet rolls!” She dove for the plate, pulling the entire pyramid of rolls toward her place at the table.

A jolt of energy ran down Pinetto’s spoon into the porridge, making it bubble. Tashi saw it happen as well.

Nightglow put her hand to her chest in horror. “I most certainly do.”

Niftkin nodded. “Very tasteful ones, too.”

“Thank you,” Nightglow said, gratified.

Pinetto stood, desperate for any excuse to leave. “We can’t spend the morning with you ladies because . . . we’re going to the zookeeper’s house to pick up a present for you right now.”

“Why her?” whined Bovinia.

Tashi said, “Anna had the first ticket and first gift. As ticket number two, Nightglow should get the second gift.”

“It takes two of you to fetch?” asked Komiko.

“A wild animal,” insisted Pinetto.

“Called Kitten,” said Tashi, standing as well.

Pinetto smacked his arm. “Good-bye!”

“Want to arm wrestle for the last roll?” Bovinia asked Tashi.

Both men fled, leaving a panicked Niftkin behind to face all the women.

“Help me clear the plates?” asked Nightglow, rescuing him.

“Gladly.”

****

Certain that Queen Sarajah was up to no good, Lady Evershade slipped through the passage into his majesty’s room and then into the listening room above the Council chamber. Pagaose and the queen babbled about his suggested changes to the section on power-flow mechanism, ethereal physics, as well as the small statements objectionable to the generals. The lady’s eyes glazed over from boredom.

He smiled at one suggestion and then said, “I shouldn’t be agreeing this easily. Your cloak is bewitching me. Would you do me the favor of removing it while we bargain? I want to remain uninfluenced by your wiles.”

Sarajah slid off the cloak, clad in a tight-fitting harem robe underneath.

He said, “I was wrong. You’re even more beautiful and distracting.”

She blushed.

She got even redder in the face when he added, “I’m obligated to inform you that you, too, qualify for the Dance. You could be the representative from your country. Indeed, were we to wed, our combined empire would cover the world. I’m told it’s accepted practice.”

Sarajah laughed. “What? I hop up on the table, stare at the ceiling, and five bits later walk away half owner of the world?”

Lady Evershade drew in such a hard breath that Pagaose heard her.

He rubbed his ear to warn the queen and moved her into the room’s blind spot behind the latticework. “If you wish, you could rule from your own country and do what you wish from there. No one else would know the truth.”

She said, “That would be just another form of ownership and wrong to Tashi.”

He raised a hand. “Consider it; talk it over with your favored. Think of how pleased Archanos would be if his priestess ruled the world.”

“Are you trying to trick Serog on your side?”

“Your mother said I had to give you anything you requested,” he said softly.

“I’ll consider it while you get more tea,” Sarajah said loudly. “I want to read over your notes on the
Book of Dawn
.”

Ninety heartbeats later, Pagaose crept up behind Lady Evershade at the peephole. “There are severe penalties for what you’ve done.”

She shrieked and lifted her head so fast that her hair snagged in the metal sliding cover for the hole. “Ow. Ow.”

“Hush,” he said sternly. “Do you want the whole house knowing my secrets? Gods forbid you wake Anna with all this fuss.”

“I only wanted to check whether you needed anything. The servants—”

“Don’t
lie
, you wicked vixen! Next time I will beat you with the evidence.”

She bowed submissively. “Forgive me; I was jealous . . . for my daughter’s sake. I feared the foreign queen would enchant you as she has so many others.”

Narrowing his eyes, he said, “You nobles are all alike; you think you’re above the law. I could lay any penalty I wanted on you right now and no one would gainsay me.” Pagaose grabbed the tangled piece of hair near the side of her face. Desire flooded him.

She closed her eyes and arched her back. She was in his bedroom, in harem robes, and she wanted him—just like the dream. This was the same room as the dream visit. He couldn’t breathe. The stone hummed in his pocket. If he took her now, it would be legal, but the damage to her name and Nightglow would be irreparable. Through no fault of her own, the girl would be cast out of the competition and probably high society.