The Hunter

Chapter 9 - Child

Between the rape attempt, the assassination attempt, the disrespect and being dragged halfway around Cohpa to a royal prison, Lola was on the verge of tears. She had prided herself of keeping her emotions in check but it was just too much. Not only was she being treated like a child still under her mother’s skirts, but she was also being guarded by complete morons.

Jack, who she had come to hate, had been muttering to himself for the better part of an hour while the bumbling giant was still trying to get out of his clothes.

She was about to order Chad to stop—preferably before he broke all the buttons on her father’s vest—when Jack exasperated in a deep voice, “Later.”

Lola starred at him as he made a face and mumbled the word ‘later’ again.

What the…

Turning, Jack headed for the bedroom door, leaving her gawking.

Chad had stopped in his fumbling at Jack’s outburst and, upon seeing him departuring, he suddenly became fearful. She wanted to believe it was because he thought his partner was a complete loon but, to her anger, it was because he was being left to guard her alone.

Complete idiots.

“Where the hell do you think you are going!” she yelled at the Kalian just as he reached the door.

Lola heard him grumble, “For a bloody walk” before he turned down the hallway that led to the large antechamber.

High Merchant Marcus Crown’s antechamber, she reminded herself.

It was said that not even the King had seen Marcus before. Although it wasn’t highly known, she had heard of Anna before. She was as striking as Lola had been told, if not more so. And to think she had begun as a slave was a story that few nobles wanted known—a fact that Lola now thought was all part of Marcus’s plan.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when Chad went back to his fumbling. Throwing up her hands, Lola exasperated, “For the love of the Gods!”

Storming over to him, she skillfully untwined the buttons and lace in two passes. “You see? Not that hard.”

He began to mumble an apology but she held up her hand for silence. It was faint but Lola knew she had heard it. Chad curiously watched her as she tiptoed to the door Jack had partially closed.

Placing her ear to the hair wide crack, she immediately recognized Anna’s irritated voice.

“I don’t care if Lord Hito is threatening to pull his support from the Legislation. We do not tell him what his Roof Mistress was doing here. We do. Not. Disclose our client’s intentions. And. We. Do. Not fold to threats. You can tell him that I am more than willing to bring his trade to a crawl if he pulls his support.”

Lola knew High Lord Hito Moore was an avid Traditionalist who had a firm hand toward the women he bedded. It was a wonder to her that Sev3n would get such a person’s support in the Kalian’s Legislation since many of Sev3n’s policies were based on Imperialistic principles.

There was a significant pause before the Roof Mistress said, “Diah, make sure Hito’s Roof Mistress gets a complimentary night with us the next time she is in town. Now moving on, what is the Ce’l situation?”

Another woman’s voice immediately answered, “I’ve found ten sites suitable for our needs between Deshar and our boarder establishments. As of yesterday we have three merchant families bidding for our business and two schools are already halfway completed. As for staffing, we may have some trouble. There are a few key members of the Hand guild who don’t want a Kalian business inside their borders. Even with the Empress’s support….it will be a tough--”

Anna must have cut her off for the woman stopped abruptly. Another woman spoke up as if on cue. “The Caprians feel threatened by us and demand to speak with Marcus. As for the last request for an audience, they’ve refused. On the Ghourd front, they aren’t talking but I do have a source that tells me that if the five High Lords get the Clyde deal, we will get into their boarders.”

Lola heard a smile in Anna’s voice when she said, “Tell Clyde to give the contract to the five. Once the Woodmasters learn that their sure deal fell through and that all the wood they had been producing this season won’t be used… Well I’m sure we can use the wood once the majority allows us in. Below market price of course.”

From her lectures as a child, Lola knew the Woodmasters was the nickname for the four High Lords of Ghourd that had the majority of the forest and wood trade. The Clyde deal, Lola believed, was High Merchant Clyde who was the biggest ship builder in Kalian--and she knew the Woodmasters would want exclusive rights to him.

But if they gained Sev3n’s instead, Lola thought, Then they will have twice the amount of business than if they took the Clyde’s contract… even if they feel threaten by Sev3n’s trade power. And the majority of the Ghourd Lords, the five other High Lords they were talking about, would convene and allow Sev3n in, giving the Woodsmasters no choice but to bend to Sev3n’s demands. That is both ruthless and brilliant…

“Hmm,” Anna murmured in thought. “We need Capri’s coal as much as they need our business--even if they don’t like us. Both King Jarule and King Token’s sons are here on daddy’s money for their Academy graduation present. Make sure their stay is more than enjoyable and pass on word of our intent to cross into Capri’s kingdoms through one of the girls. While they might not be part of the loop in these mindless dealings with the Caprians, they do have two of the Kings’ ears. And comp their return trip. As for King Wes, I have strict orders from Marcus to play the bitch. Have George and Shane loose this moon’s shipments to his kingdom. And then send him a bottle of our finest wine. We don’t need his support if we have the two other King’s who have the boarder and the majority of Capri.”

Lola hadn’t known that High Merchant George Wylie and Shane Dubbouse were in Sev3n’s pocket as well. They held the majority of the wine, silk, cotton, and wheat trade in both Capri and the Kalian kingdom. Knowing King Wes was infamous for his love of wine, it was as ruthless as Anna’s Ghourd solution. Showing her strength in the market would make King Wes tread carefully around Sev3n in the near future.

“Oh,” Anna said in afterthought, “Make it known to the Merchants in Capri that we are open for contracts for supplies in both Capri and Ghourd. Marcus doesn’t want to own any of the supply lines in any of the lands other than Kalian.”

“That reminds me of a letter I received earlier,” The first woman who had spoken of Ce’l said. “Four Winds is gaining momentum in the People’s Council.”

The only reason Lola knew of the Four Winds was because Terry had stayed there on her visit to the Empire. Similar to Sev3n, it was largest inn business in Ce’l. The People’s Council was new to her, however. She imagined it was similar to the Kalian’s Legislation.

“Of course,” Anna sighed. “The nobles would follow the Empress without question but the peasants question the Royal’s every move.” And then Lola heard a hint of laughter when she muttered, “Stubborn men.”

“Well, we can’t have them disrupting our plans. Grab up all the Merchant Guilds in the Empire that you can and offer them a 20% discount if they sign the four year contracts with us now. Include an annual renegotiation into the deal too. And I want all the Merchants, not just the major players. Four Winds will be limited to the resources they have now and won’t be able to expand beyond Deshar. We can deal with them later.”

The unnamed woman who appeared to be in charge of Ce’l’s operations said, “The Empress was wanting another audience with you over some of the offers we have been getting in Capri. She also wanted to meet Marcus and offered her private guest mansion to him for the next moon.”

Anna yawned and then muttered, “Marcus, Marcus, Marcus. You’d think he had planned this from the beginning. More trouble than—Yes, yes. Diah, send a messenger by portal that I will only approach her about the offers if she accepts the tax break we originally wanted. Until then, she can keep her nose out of our affairs.”

Portal? Surely they can’t afford messengers by portals…

Diah, who had been quite during the entire meeting, chuckled. “That tax break is your ultimate no, isn’t it?”

Anna chuckled too. “Marcus’s idea from the start. Tempting to take but not that tempting.”

There was a noticeable pause and Lola’s imagination play with the idea that she had been found. “How is the boy?”

There was great concern in her voice.

“Physically he is healed but… He has been through a lot and refuses to speak of it,” Diah sighed.

Anna sighed despairingly. “It is like he is another person at times.” There was another long pause before she whispered, “Show him to my quarters. I will be there soon. Until tomorrow ladies.”

Chad, who hadn’t moved an inch since Lola had left him, snapped out of his gaze and eased the vest out.

She was almost back to the bed when Anna strode in. Chad froze with his vest in hand upon her entrance.

“How many times must I tell you?” Anna mused from behind Lola as she closed the door. Turning to face the blonde woman, Lola was given a knowing look from her and another fearful thought of being caught shivered through her. It made her feel childish beyond reason.

“Sorry Mistress,” Chad said, crestfallen. He pulled the vest back on. “This is just wrong.”

“You don’t have to like it. Now leave us.”

The man didn’t hesitate and was out the door before Lola had the chance to exhaule.

“I really have to learn that trick,” Lola said as the door closed upon Chad’s dash.

“Perhaps when you grow up, it will come to you naturally,” she replied as she walked to the kitchenette in the corner. The casual, almost friendly, ridicule took Lola by surprise.

“Pardon?” It was the only thing she could think of in response.

Lola had followed her without pause and was in front of the counter that wrapped around the corner that sheltered a number of items that could be found in a kitchen.

“Sit.”

“I think not,” Lola said. A sudden unexpected anger came to her. “And I demand you release me from this prison!”

Anna looked up from her hands that had disappeared behind the counter. “Demand?” her eye brow arched in the absurdity of it.

Again she felt the child in the eyes of the woman. Anger steadily boiling in her, Lola blurted, “Yes I demand! I’ve been treated like a mere slave here!”

She immediately regretted saying the ‘s’ word in front of Anna and involuntarily flinched when Anna pulled up a knife from below. It was one of the bigger ones the butchers used. Anger was immediately replaced with cold fear.

Bring it up high; Anna brought it down with a loud thud against a cutting board that she hadn’t seen before.

She’s making a bloody sandwich! The anger immediately came back.

“You are a mere child,” Anna said, shaking her head. “And you have not right to demand anything.”

Lola knew she was no younger than a moon to Anna, which brought the senseless anger to her voice. “A child?!”

She was shaking now with furry.

Although the Rush effects had dwindled over the day, there were still remnants of it and she felt them. “A Child?!”

Anna had brought the sandwich up to her mouth and looked her straight in the eye. “Ch-i-l-d,” she pronounced every syllable as if she were speaking to one.

Forcibly calming herself, Lola tried to recall all the inconsistencies of the last twenty hours. It was a feeble attempt to reign in the senseless anger. Between gritted teeth, Lola gritted, “What is the real reason why I am here.”

Anna nodded her head in bliss as she chewed. When she finally swallowed, the insufferable woman said, “Good. Acceptance.”

Lola watched through a red hazed furry as the woman bit into her sandwich again, completely oblivious to her fury. Ignoring her.

Always ignoring me.

She felt her hands ball up and they shook under her restrain.

Looking over her sandwich, Anna pointed with her eyes to her fists, “Those aren’t going to help you here, child.”

Reason had flown out the door well before Anna had taken her first bite, which added to Lola’s lack of shock when she pulled back her balled fist and lashed out at the intolerable woman.

Sandwich still in hand, Anna danced around the lunge skillfully and Lola unceremoniously flew over the counter. Arms and legs flailing, she tumbled over and kissed the titled floor faster than she could think.

Now on her back, Lola moaned as the pain in her hip and head throbbed into existence—sending her rage to the back of her mind as quickly as it had come.

Anna’s face came into view, the tiled ceiling framing her beautiful face. “If I’m to make a Queen of you, we will have to learn how to manage that anger of yours properly.” She sighed, “Lot’s of work I’m afraid.”

She bit into her sandwich again and left her tunneled vision.

Queen?

And then Anna’s words echoed back to her. “If I’m to make a Queen of you…”

Queen?

She blinked. Her eyebrows furrowed. Then she blinked again.

Stunned, she slowly lifted herself up off of the ground. “Wh-What?” Lola croaked.

“And no more Rush. A ruler must be healthy and strong for her people.”

She had just finished her sandwich and was making her way back to her bedroom door.

“A ruler?” Lola repeated stupidly.

“You are a girl until I say otherwise. Now make yourself a sandwich and stop gawking.”

Lola eye’s followed the back of the woman’s figure as she exited. Chad immediately came in after she left.

“Queen?” Lola whispered again, seemingly for the hundredth time. She couldn’t comprehend it.

When Chad looked worriedly at Lola, she saw it. It was a change in his features, like the reassurance of an idea.

An idea…

He knows. It’s true? But how does—that would mean. Which means the King….The rape… The mercs…

And then her eyes narrowed as each piece fell in beside the next like a puzzle. When she saw the whole picture, one name whispered to her.

Father.