Dinner with Lord Piotr had concluded an hour ago, and now the Draavosi visitors had been split into two parts.
Zaiden had been shown to the suite which had been prepared for the envoys of Al-Ador. But at his request, his sister Zara had been allowed to stay in the private suite of rooms which belonged to Lord Piotr himself. This was not quite as salacious an arrangement as it might have at first seemed. The Lord of the Blackfort had several rooms that comprised his suite, including an additional bedroom where Zara was to be quartered. Moreover, Akris was being allowed to guard her assigned bedroom, protecting not only against hostile invaders... but also against any accusations of impropriety.
Outside of this suite, two of the Blackfort guards stood in the hall, adding a layer of security to all within.
Lord Piotr seemed especially bright-eyed as he retired to his own bedchamber, "Just over there..." A hunger seemed to live within him. A hunger which hadn't been sated by the recent repast.
This left Akris and Zara to their own devices. Remarkably, the Sand Devil found himself in the inner sanctum of a historic enemy of the Draavosi. Over there was the Lord's office. Over there, his bedroom. The servants had been sent out for the evening. Had his mission been one of assassination, Akris could have accomplished it effortlessly.
But that was not his mission. Nor Zara's.
They were part of a diplomatic mission.
Of course, 'diplomacy' and 'intelligence' were so often two sides of the same coin.
What they would make of this remarkable opportunity was for them to decide...
"The Sand is Everywhere...You Cannot Escape the Sand...You Cannot Keep The Sand Out."
Akris glanced around out of habit to ensure this outer area was safe, then he turned and pushed through the door into Zara's room. He pushed the heavy door shut behind him and looked at her. '
"Not a guard...not a servant...only his lecherous self. One would think he has entirely too high an opinion of his ability to seduce you..." The Sand Devil shook his head as he watched her getting ready. "...I assume you are going to play to exactly that opinion?"
"Fire burns brightest in the dark"
Everyone was born with shackles around them. Most were too simple minded to ever see them. Zara had always seen hers, felt hers, and been fully aware of the manacles that were wrapped around her flesh. She never had any illusions about her role in the world. She never had to guess where she fit in, what the future would hold for her. She knew that from the start.
Her destiny had been foretold before she had entered the world. Zaiden and Zara had accepted their shackles years ago. After all, one couldn’t fight fate. Because of the path already laid out before her, there were no real decisions for her to make, no choices for her to pick from. All of it had been decided long ago and all of it without her consent. There was no concept of freewill, it didn’t exist, not for the twins.
When Zaiden had made it clear what was expected of her, what her duty was, there was no need to rattle the chains wrapped around her. She had bathed and put on the softest and prettiest robe that she had. Her hair had been combed until it shined, a bit of vanilla added to give a sweet smell to add to the seductive allure.
"Not a guard...not a servant...only his lecherous self. One would think he has entirely too high an opinion of his ability to seduce you..." The Sand Devil shook his head as he watched her getting ready. "...I assume you are going to play to exactly that opinion?"
Zara realized that they had foolishly not done enough background into the bodyguard they had brought with them. The man had hardly spoke more than 5 words during their trek here, and now that they arrived at their destination, it had become glaringly clear that the man was a deeper danger to them than the country and people of Brydd.
“It is not an opinion, it is fact. I will not bring dishonor to my people. Do not dally, be thorough but quick. An hour, no more can be promised."
"Diplomacy is the perfect kindling for my art."
While his sister had the more unpalatable job for the evening, Zaiden was left to his own devices in their assigned suite of rooms.
As was so often the case in diplomatic encounters, everyone thought they were getting what they wanted from everyone else. But only one party would truly get ahead. In theory, Zaiden was getting his sister into a protected position while a criminal ran loose in the vicinity. In theory, the Lord of the Blackfort had graciously offered that protection in order to get access to a succulent foreign fruit. In reality, Zaiden's sister would conquer by being conquered. Her seduction of the aged Lord would gain their party access to the Lord's secrets. Hopefully, some would be purloined successfully.
Much rested upon the hands of their protector, a contracted assassin who'd been assigned as their bodyguard. And there, too, competing interests danced. Zaiden had believed they were getting a loyal operative in addition to a guardian. His sister would be counting on the Sand Devil to seep into the Lord's private places and secure valuable intelligence. But only the Devil himself knew his true intentions. To their mutual dismay, Zaiden and his sister had recently discovered that the Devil they knew might be more dangerous than the devils they didn't.
On a mission like this, a man who couldn't be trusted to follow orders was a bear-trap waiting to snap.
Perhaps it was no accident. Perhaps their grandfather had other, secret orders for the Devil.
But if so, Zaiden could not fathom how that could be to anyone's benefit.
____________________
In the suite of the Lord Reeve Piotr Mindolin, it did not take long for the old man's lusty nature and ultimate plan to be revealed.
While Akris stood guard over the room, activity began in Zara's bedchamber. A cabinet of clothes moved on a set of faint ruts in the stone, its passage greased to be silent. Behind the cabinet, the frail, elderly frame of Piotr Mindolin. He looked even frailer than usual in his bed robe, which left precious little to fill out a body that had only a handful of years left to enjoy the world before it became food for worms. There was some evidence that he had once been a powerful figure. But the faded echoes of yesterday's glory could not conceal the frailty which Zara now beheld.
Behind the Lord, a narrow passage stretched behind the wall... a secret hall connecting one room to the next. Doubtless the Lord had used this passage to avail himself of many female guests over the years.
"I hope I did not startle you," he said, a glint in his eyes. "I thought I should check on you, to make sure worry about the outlaw has not stolen your sleep..."
With the Lord of the Blackfort here, the rest of the rooms in the Lord's suite were vacant.
Unprotected and vulnerable.
"The Sand is Everywhere...You Cannot Escape the Sand...You Cannot Keep The Sand Out."
Akris sat in a chair outside the door to Zara's bedchamber. Standing might be more intimidating but he had found that letting his body relax while keeping his senses alert allowed him to function much longer than someone who stood simply for standing's sake. The sound of a mechanism and something moving brought his head around to stare at the door. Akris flowed to his feet and stood at the thick wooden panel...listening intently.
"I hope I did not startle you," he said, a glint in his eyes. "I thought I should check on you, to make sure worry about the outlaw has not stolen your sleep..."
Akris' visage hardened as he heard the lord's voice. He could not decipher the words, but somehow the old lech had made his way into her room. Akris exhaled and focused himself. She was doing her part...she had only promised him an hour and no more to accomplish his part of the mission. The Sand Devil turned in a silent whirl of robes and strode across the capacious suite of rooms.
Akris came to a stop before the huge double doors leading to the Lord's bedchamber and work area. He knelt and looked at the thick metal box that housed the handles and lock. It was complex and old, as befitting someone of his stature. Akris slid a hand into his robe and came out with a thin throwing dagger. He inserted the tip into the keyhole on this side and moved it about a bit, then pushed so the key inserted from the other side fell onto the carpet with a soft thump.
Akris hid the dagger again and stood. His eyes closed and he crossed his arms over his chest as he concentrated and called upon the gift that had been taught him. Several seconds later he threw his arms up and out, his body dissolving into a swirling man sized tornado of sand. It stayed in place and then bent, entering the keyhole and passing through to pour out of the keyhole and into the floor on the other side...once the sand stopped pouring, the pile swirled upward to a man's height, then resolved into the shape of Akris. He raised his head and slowly opened his eyes and lowered his arms as he exhaled, gathering himself after the transition. He bent and picked up the key and replaced it in the lock before he moved into the room, beginning a rapid but thorough check of the rooms, looking for anything that might be useful to their cause. Akris did quickly locate the secret passage to the other bedchamber...leaving it the way he found it but now knowing to listen for the returning Lord while he went about his mission.
"Fire burns brightest in the dark"
Zara hadn’t been sure just when the Lord would appear in her room, but she had known he would. That was a fact, just like it was a fact that fire burns. What she hadn’t known was that he wouldn’t just knock on her door. No, he had used some kind of secret passageway. Now that was interesting information that she was sure her brother would be glad to know.
It would also allow Arkis to move freely without being seen as well, it played right into their plans.
"I hope I did not startle you," he said, a glint in his eyes. "I thought I should check on you, to make sure worry about the outlaw has not stolen your sleep..."
She of course acted startled, and gave a little gasp of surprise. Her hand went to her chest, as if clutching her heart at the intruder. When her eyes fell upon the Lord, she quickly blushed brightly and curtseyed to him. A lady of impeccable manners, an innocent small smile on her lips as she profusely apologized.
“Oh my Lord, you did give me a bit of a fright. I’m so sorry I didn’t recognize you at first. This whole being away from home, and knowing that,” Zara leaned forward slightly and whispered to him, “that criminal is out there…”
She shuddered, but then pulled herself together for his Lordships visit. “I’m so sorry for my manners. I was just going to have a cup of tea. I was hoping it would allow me to get some rest. The worry had kept me awake.”
“Can I offer you a cup? I’d be very honored if you would stay….” Zara pretended that she didn’t realize the silk robes had fluttered open, and the candlelight would surely outline her flesh for his gaze.