Churl Interrupting

    Flick yanked herself away from Sean like she’d been stung, interposing herself between the intruder and her friends.

    Aster had already entered the room, trailed by two figures. Both were robed and hooded, but where the larger of the two was wearing the brown-grey robe Sean had mentally filed as the Thairis standard, the smaller was attired in a slightly different shade. The robe was a bluish, rather than a brownish grey, and the cut looked tailored rather than off-the-rack.

    “My, the lady here is certainly tense. Could it be your task went less smoothly than you’d anticipated?” Aster said.

    Mordren’s breath whistled out, causing Aster to tilt slightly so that he could peer around the woman. “I see that is an accurate assessment. Well, no matter. My men have verified the core’s removal from the site, and so here I am.”

    Sean looked at the man, his eyes narrow. “Mordren was your man for decades, and that’s all you have to say about-“

    “Ah ah,” Aster tutted, “Your attendant’s condition, while unfortunate, is your own business. The closing of this contract is mine.” A note of steel entered his voice. “Now sit, kingling, and let’s be done with this.”

    Begrudgingly Sean took a seat at the table, moving around the coffer trolley that was sitting between it and the bed. Aster’s glance flicked to the heavy box, a slight scowl wrinkling his forehead.

    “I move forward under the assumption that the core will be removed promptly at the conclusion of our dealings. Failure to do so will result in immediate penalties.”

    “We’ll take it out of your hair as soon as we can. Weren’t you in a hurry?”

    “Of course, let us proceed to the giving of the gifts you so astutely negotiated for.”

    Aster motioned to the larger of his two attendants, who pulled a large jewelry box from his robes and set it on the table in front of his master. With a flip of the latch, he pulled the lid back to display its contents.

    “This,” Aster said, highlighting the item with his hands, “is a fang of the great leviathan, Inith. It was obtained as payment for a minor service to your world’s sea goddess.”

    The tooth was at least a hand and a half long and pointed at the tip. Along its sides, Sean could see intricate scrimshaw depicting something whale-like engaged in various violent activities. A scene in which the creature seemed to be eviscerating a man-of-war was particularly detailed, down to horrified looks on each tiny sailor’s face.

    “It’s a beautiful piece,” he said, “but will it help me with my monster problem?”

    “Of course it will. The artifact may be used to compel Inith to the wielder’s service, provided they are well enough versed in the rituals of Passei.”

    Sean felt heat rise to his cheeks, but Aster preempted the outburst. “I am fully aware that you do not have the magical knowledge required. As I am nothing if not a man of my word, I have also procured the means for you to utilize the tooth. Which brings me to the second part of your reward.”

    The second attendant stepped forward and bowed. Beneath her robe, Sean noticed a flash of sea-green silk that marked the most color he’d seen since they’d arrived in Thairis.

    “On receiving your request, I undertook to acquire this priestess. Her connection to your sea goddess is more than strong enough to bind Inith.”

    Aster’s gaze slipped back to the core. “Provided you fulfill the last piece of your task, she will accompany you back through the transition point. Once you are back in Aiane, her ownership will transfer to you.”

    “Ownership?” Sean asked, the word feeling ugly on his tongue.

    The man waved the question away. “Custody, fealty, call it what you will. The simple fact is that she has been marked in a way that requires an owner.” He looked at the priestess. “Show him.”

    The priestess lowered her hood in a cascade of wavy chestnut hair that spilled down the back of her robe. Her fine, almost aristocratic features might have been beautiful in another circumstance, but there was a hollowness in her pale green eyes that Sean couldn’t see past.

    The woman – the girl, really, he didn’t think she looked older than twenty – lowered the collar of her robe to show the edge of a dense, navy blue tattoo. What it was of, he couldn’t make out, but it circled as far around her back as far as he could see.

    Aster held up his left arm, pulling his sleeve back to show a similarly colored tattoo on the inside of his wrist. This Sean could see clearly, it was a heart tied around in ropes.

    “This will transfer to you when you leave Thairis, and I will be glad to be rid of it. If you attempt to remove either of your marks, or if you die, the priestess’ life will be forfeit.”

    He rolled his sleeve back up. “Beyond that, she will do nothing without your explicit order, so do be careful not to forget her somewhere on your travels.”

    “Is there a way to nullify the geas? To free the lass?” Flick asked, almost desperately.

    “What your lord does with his things is, again, his concern.” Aster said breezily.

    He laid a small stone, engraved with a sigil on the table. “This is the final piece of your reward. With it in your possession, you will exit the transition point just outside of the town you call Oarhaven.”

    The man began to stand. “I believe that concludes our business. Unless you’d like to quibble over your reward, I really must be off.”

    A soft rattling in the back of Mordren’s throat mirrored the rasp of Aster’s chair along the floor. All eyes went to the dying man, and Sean knew in an instant what he needed to do.