Card Tales - 3. Tale 3

Upon his return to his room, Cardanniel inspected it for signs of entry and found none. With a sigh of relief he entered and gathered a change of clothing, he needed to find the baths. Leaving behind anything that could be stolen while he soaked away the travel grime, he rewarded the door and went in search of the bathhouse.

At the door, he paid his entry fee then paid extra for privacy. When the attendant asked him to choose a companion Cardanniel looked over the expectant faces and chose a young man who wore little more than a breechclout and a sheen of sweat and did not seem to expect to be chosen. His name was Dart.

"Would you prefer to soak or steam first? There are several private options," the lad smiled.

"Oh?"

"Yes, we even have mud baths if you would like."

Cardanniel looked at Dart, "Mud? To bathe in?"

"Well you soak in it actually, then you steam, then you bathe."

"That sounds like quite a process, getting dirty to get clean," Cardanniel chuckled. "I think I shall skip it today. I think a steaming then a soaking will suit my needs just fine."

Dart nodded then led the way to the steam rooms. There was a small disrobing area outside the entrance to the small private space carved out of the bedrock. "I can wait for you here, or I can attend your needs inside," he suggested softly, "you have paid for my services either way."

"And what do your services include?" Cardanniel asked now realizing what the excessive price he had paid for the private bath just may include.

"Anything you require," Dart said softly.

"And if I require you to keep my secrets?"

"I will, if it will please you."

Cardanniel looked the boy over and smiled. "Then enter the steam room and prepare it for me Dart, while I undress, then we will discuss how you may allow me some pleasure." He could have sworn he saw a look of revulsion in the boy's eyes and a tremble in his limbs, but he came willingly. There was something wrong here, but Cardanniel did not know what it was, yet. Once the boy had entered the steam room, Cardanniel entered the changing room and stripped his clothing, folding it neatly. He wrapped a towel around his head and around his hips and entered the steam room armed with nothing more than his heart-dagger and his faith that Aglaia was not finished with him yet.

Dart knelt before the brazier and dipped water on the coals creating clouds of steam as Cardanniel entered, and he remained there while Cardanniel took one of the two reclining positions carved into the stone and loosened the towel around his hips exposing the full expanse of his flesh. Dart looked up then, and looked away. "What is it you fear?"

"I can not speak of my fears," Dart spoke quietly, "it is not allowed."

"Even if hearing of your fears brings me pleasure?"

"Does it?"

"Yes, now tell me of your fears," Cardanniel commanded as he ran a hand over his flesh.

Dart dipped more water onto the coals and began speaking, hesitantly at first. "I fear they will harm my sisters. For every day I come here, for every man who chooses me, that is one who does not choose my sisters." He croaked.

"The girls, they were your sisters?" Cardanniel focused on his pleasure, not on his words, not on the anger that was building behind the boy's trauma.

"Two of them, the youngest and the taller flaxen-haired one."

"Do they not want to be here?"

"We, our family, owe a debt. My sisters are bound until it is paid in full."

Cardanniel closed his eyes; his back arched slightly, "How much more is owed?" he grunted out.

"By who's books? My mother says none. The taskmaster says most of it still. I fear we will never be free of this place," Dart said as he inched closer to Cardanniel. "Does it really bring you pleasure to hear of my fears?"

Cardanniel did not answer, instead he grunted and his pleasure made itself known. "Come here, Dart."

The boy came as close as he dared and Cardanniel reached over to smear his face with the evidence of his pleasure and remove his breechclout. "Go get your task master and bring him to me. Tell him I have a proposition for him. And, Dart, don't wipe your face."

Wide-eyed the boy managed to nod before backing out of the room, Cardanniel could feel his confusion and he smiled. Vengeance came in all forms and it seemed that this family was due theirs.

A short time later Dart returned with a man in lightweight trousers. "The boy says you wished to speak to me."

Cardanniel motioned for Dart to come to him, and he placed the young man in his lap. "How much for him?"

"For the night?"

"I've already purchased him for the night. How much for him."

"We do not have slaves here at the Traveler's Inn."

Cardanniel smiled. "So, you are telling me he is free to leave with me in the morning if I so choose?"

"He wasn't much good in bed anyhow."

"And I will be requiring some females for my servants, do you have any of those available? Or should I take Dart's suggestion and bring his sisters along?"

The man looked sharply at Dart who had relaxed under Cardanniel's touch to the point he did not react as expected. "Take the boy, take his sisters, take the whole family for all I care."

"And their debt?"

"Debt?"

"The one that they have been working to pay off."

"I don't know what the boy has been babbling on about."

"So you admit, you owe at least him wages?" Cardanniel coaxed the truth out of the man.

"Yes, of course. Wages."

"And you will have their wages for them tonight, so they may leave in the morning." Cardanniel watched as the man grew red in the face. Dart was panting under his touch now, squirming against him.

"Yes."

"Swear on your life, for it will be forfeit if you fail to keep your word," Cardanniel instructed and the man swore. Dart gasped out his pleasure, and Cardanniel licked off his fingers. "Remember or be forsaken."

The man nodded and left the steam room.

"You are free now Dart," Cardanniel whispered in his ear.

"No, you bought me, at least for tonight. I heard you say it." Dart said as he turned around, "and you still need someone to attend you in the bath."

"You will attend me willingly?"

"Yes," Dart said as he leaned up to kiss Cardanniel's cheek. They were a long time getting to the baths.

Finally clean and dressed more like a desert prince, Cardanniel re-entered the Traveler's Inn with Dart at his side. The boy had scrounged up some clothing after giving his sisters the good news that they were no longer in service and would be leaving in the morning. Now it was time to celebrate with dinner. Settling in at one of the less crowded tables, Cardanniel waited until the serving wench came to take their order, of which he requested the house beer and two servings of what ever it was that happened to be roasted with vegetables. It came a short time later on a single trencher with a loaf of dark bread. Cardanniel dug into the meat and when he noticed that Dart had not moved he looked at the boy, questioningly.

"Have you never shared a trencher with a traveling companion before?"

"Never." The others at the table laughed.

"Then I suggest you become accustomed to it, for this is how your food will be served until we part ways."

Dart moved a little closer and stabbed a tuber, eating it.

"Take some meat too," Cardanniel insisted cutting him off a goodly sized portion and pushing it toward his side of the trencher.

"That is too much," Dart whispered.

"I can't have you weak or sick, eat."

Dart bobbed his head and ate. The entertainment began and before their bellies were full, they were laughing as if they had known each other for years instead of hours. The night was wasting away when Cardanniel finally decided to head to bed. They were halfway up the stairs when he heard a woman's scream over the festivities below. Running toward the scream Cardanniel warded himself and Dart with protection spells. It was sloppily done, but protection spells was something he happened to be very good at doing, even on the move. Another scream and another flight of stairs, more footsteps now, headed down. A young woman fell the last half the flight right into Cardanniel. Dart gasped.

"Nel!"

"You know her?"

"My sister!"

Cardanniel watched as her soul separated from her body and she gave a shuddering last breath. "She's dead. Now let's go find what killed her," he laid her aside and pulled Dart away, dragging him up the stair more cautiously. At the head of the stair was a broken open crate. On top of the crate a garrat raised up on its hind legs and chattered at them. Two other girls lay on their beds; one had a small furry vastole sitting on her chest. She was alive, just terrified. The other was bleeding from a bite wound and had likely been poisoned by the same creature but Cardanniel did not see the rodent that was responsible.

"These creatures should not be up here, they belong with the other animals in the stables," Dart said shakily.

"Not these. They are too expensive, they were probably in their owner's room until someone decided to give them their freedom." Cardanniel said as he walked over to the vastole and picked it up. The large eyes blinked slowly at him and the tail wrapped around his hand. He spoke soothing tones to it. "This one did not kill your sister. Nor did the garrat, who seems intent on protecting its home." Cardanniel laid the vastole on an empty bed and the creature burrowed into the blankets. "Take the girl and go down stairs, I'm going to try and find the animal responsible," he instructed Dart.

Dart got the girl to her feet and they were halfway to the stairwell when the creature dropped on Dart from the ceiling. It bit his neck tearing away flesh before Cardanniel realized he did not have his sword. Anger welled up in the Elvin lord and he yelled at the girl to run. Luckily she did. Cardanniel reached for the power granted him by the death-bringer and reached for the soul of the creature, killing it instantly. Then with his own soul still ablaze from the power he started to heal Dart, but the boy's flesh knitted before his very eyes with out his help. Confused, Cardanniel looked to the other girl. She was still alive, barely. He laid his hands on the wound and pulled the poison from it in a putrid ball then cleaned and sealed the wound. Her eyes fluttered open just as Cardanniel collapsed.