‘That was beautiful.’ Yersin said into Nua’s mind.

‘Thank you. I always wanted to cut the cock off a rapist… and set one on fire. Two things crossed off my wishlist in one day.’ Nua replied.

‘You don’t mention the woman though.’ Yersin replied with a hint of curiosity in its voice.

Nua looked around as she answered, Yersin’s little world was slowly starting to emerge within her consciousness, the faint shape of a ground beneath her feet, made out of dead grasslands, brittle and broken, was quite tangible. ‘No. I didn’t enjoy her, that was mercy. She had nobody to help her, I can’t spare our healing potions when we’re about to go into a battle. If she’d had a relative or family in a nearby village I would have had her dropped there, but… all she wanted was to die. I know that feeling.’

‘You took no pleasure in the splattering of her brains?’ Yersin asked, it clearly doubted her.

Nua replied calmly to the death loving gem, evenly and without emotion. ‘No. I understood her too well. Under the right circumstances, I would have saved her life, kept her alive, and maybe… just maybe, she’d have gotten better, gotten a life back, something. But after Hodge had me tortured, all I wanted was to die. When Aalon betrayed me later… all I wanted was to die. When I was made to lose our baby, all I wanted was to die. True, I’m glad I am alive now. But so much pain could have been spared me, if only someone had been merciful any of those times, and many others besides. I am as I am now, only through impossible circumstances that happen not ten times a century. I couldn’t give her that, so since all she was going to do was suffer, I gave her the only mercy I could. But no, I did not enjoy it.’

‘I don’t understand.’ Yersin replied.

Nua chuckled, ‘You don’t have to. Don’t worry about it, a lot more death is coming your way. But on another subject, I see you’re starting to build your world here. I’m not surprised by the dead grass. So I guess you got some mana out of those kills?’

‘Yes, I did. But why didn’t you use me to kill anyone?’ Yersin sounded disappointed.

‘You can do that?’ Nua asked in surprise.

‘Yes, if you touch me to a living body, I can drain their life.’ Yersin answered, ‘I assumed you knew, isn’t that why you wear a glove?’

‘No I didn’t know that, but… wait, you have to promise me that you won’t do it except when I order you to.’ Nua responded as intensely as she could. ‘I know you want to spread death, but I can’t have you getting rid of those useful to me. Or, just as importantly, anyone I actually ‘like’.’

Yersin was silent.

‘Make me this promise, or you’ll stay gloved and I won’t let you come out and play. There are almost two hundred lives we’re going to take before the end of this particular venture, and I’d just love to let you have your fun… but if you won’t obey…’ Nua trailed off and let the statement hang.

‘Fine! Fine! It’s been so long though… and those four just made me long for more!’ Yersin answered urgently.

‘When I give you more death, what will you make here? Could I manifest a body, could you? It’s weird just talking to a disembodied voice in my head?’ Nua asked hopefully.

‘As my wielder, I would be willing to give you that, as long as you let me feast on the demise of many.’ Yersin replied with conversational pleasantness.

‘Yersin, if you follow my instructions, I will use the hand you’re in to sign every document that brings death to others. As a future ruler, that will be many… many lives, perhaps more in a few years than you’ve taken in all your existence before.’ Nua made the promise with the easy confidence that was born of her observation of what it meant to rule.

Yersin ate it up, ‘If this is true… then under the rule of our god of death, I will remain faithful to you, and rejoice in it!’

‘See that you do.’ Nua replied, and withdrew her mind from the inner space of thought.

“Have a pleasant conversation with Yersin?” Solution asked with a knowing smile.

“He is an… amiable individual.” Nua said neutrally, keeping her eyes ahead of her.

“Yes he is, you’ll find him very useful, but…” Solution looked seriously over at her student until Nua turned her focus to her Teacher, “if ever you fall to your old self, he will dominate your body and rule it as his own.”

Nua smiled lovingly, “Teacher, your concern for your student is wonderful, but my old self has died a hundred times over. Nothing of her remains, that is why I can sit here now, beside you, and look on you with affection even knowing what I know.”

Solution snorted. “Just don’t forget it, Nua.”

Nua’s smile was broad and sincere. “I believe that’s the first time you’ve actually called me by my name.”

Solution shrugged, “Small thing, you made a smart choice, putting down that elf back there, no unnecessary burdens.”

Nua looked ahead of her again, “I remember, but I was a needless burden once, Teacher, and now you sit beside me. There may be potential that you don’t see right away, for all your power, you can be blind to future usefulness in others.”

“It makes no difference to me, just don’t be wrong and don’t waste my time.” Solution replied glibly, “Now where are we heading anyway.”

“Well,” Nua answered with a wolfish grin, “we’re going with plan B. Those stupid dead animals back there gave up everything, and that tells me we’ve got a fine ambush site up ahead. So we’re going to halt our pursuit, and let the prey come to us.”

“Because of the Prince?” Solution guessed immediately.

“Yes, because of the Prince.” Nua responded with a twisted smile. “I can’t go attacking a Pas’en escort myself now, can I? Besides, they’ll probably be well armed and well equipped. Let Bracer go for them, I doubt he’d attack unless he was sure he could win, and if he’s going this way, he’s sure. But I’ll just bet he’ll take some losses along the way.”

“And when he comes back this way…?” Solution savored the smile on her student’s face.

“Well obviously, they all get to die. Will you be willing to fight, Teacher?” Nua asked hopefully.

“You brought me all this way without asking, why ask now?” Solution asked, twirling her curly blonde hair innocently.

“Because you’re a whimsical demon prone to tormenting me and everybody else until the last minute, and that last minute is coming along soon.” Nua answered bluntly.

“Yes, I’ll fight, you’re only twenty six without me, besides, I get to eat by guarding you, I ‘am’ your bodyguard after all, as long as you do what you’re supposed to and not engage in any stupid heroics.” Solution replied with a hungry licking of her lips. “You did promise me feasts, and it looks like you’re about to deliver the first of many.”

“I am.” Nua said calmly, the clip clop noise of horse hooves was absent on the dirty road, and the double rows of trees reminded her of distant memories of her childhood home, around her she smelled the scent of unfamiliar plants, and occasionally saw unfamiliar birds and beasts. For all that was familiar, it was as if the whole place conspired to remind her she was far from home. The feeling of the almost alienness kept her hands gripped tight on the reins of her mount, but did not infect her voice.

“When we reach our destination, we’ll probably have about a week before Bracer reaches our position, we’ll use that time to prepare. Lymestra and Orcis did their best in the day they had, but these slaves need a lot more work before a serious fight.” Nua stated the assessment with flat certainty as she scanned the area back and forth.

“You don’t intend to make it a serious fight, do you?” Solution rubbed her hands together eagerly.

“Of course not, I intend it to be a massacre.” Nua replied, “I’ll face off against Bracer myself though, the way you expect. No point in wasting the lives I’ve bought. I doubt they could handle him, if they couldn’t handle little old me.” She shrugged it off as a minor point, “besides, I need to set the example, like our lord does. Slaves obey, but I want them to be more than slaves, I want them to be warriors again, and that means they have to follow me for reasons other than ‘I’ll whip you if you do not.’ You understand.”

“Not really, but I don’t care to, either. I’m just going to enjoy watching my student work. This is your ‘operation’ so don’t let me down. Maybe one day…” Solution nudged her horse closer to her student, set her hand on Nua’s thigh, and letting one finger turn into its bluish natural shade and pass through the fabric covering her leg, she caressed the elf flesh. “Maybe one day,” she said duskily, “I’ll tell you with all truth, that I am proud of you.”

Nua shivered with excitement, despite the sudden feeling of almost burning heat from the finger on her skin. “I would be… pleased, by that, Teacher.” She said as calmly as she could.

Priceless opened the door when she heard the knock and immediately recognized the worried face of Karlo. “Come in, sir.” She said with her eyes down, and closed the door behind him. “I have nothing to offer you but… if you could tell me anything, I’ll take it down and give you your first payment.’

She moved to the table and took out a quill and paper.

Karlo was quiet, “Where is Lady Kaiji?” He asked hopefully, moving to the table where Priceless gestured, he took a seat.

Priceless looked at him with a serious expression. “Lady Kaiji is dead, sir. Kaiji the slave though… is out tending errands for our Mistress.”

“Lady Kaiji… is not… well, she is but… she shouldn’t be… she doesn’t deserve to be… a slave I mean.” Karlo said in a halting manner that ended in a confident but awkward manner.

Priceless set her quill down. “No… she doesn’t. I’m sure of that too, sir. She’s refined, educated, graceful, beautiful, wise… but yet she wears a collar of bronze and our mistress owns her the same as she owns me. That is simply the truth sir. Please… please don’t call her Lady Kaiji anymore, you have no idea how much that hurts her.”

Karlo stared at her, trying to process her words. “Has she… has your mistress hurt her at all?”

“I shouldn’t talk about things like that but… if sir, you’ll stop asking, I can tell you that no, our owner has not beaten or abused us. She is a… confusing woman but, I think… I think we can still find happiness under her. Please… be content with that. The woman you remember is dead, let her stay that way, it hurts Kaiji to hear herself addressed… like the sort of person who would have owned me.” She then held her hands out across the table imploringly. “If you’re truly grateful to her for… before, then let her start to live this life, and don’t push her to be who she isn’t anymore.” Her brown eyes glistened with tears she barely held back.

Karlo frowned deeply as he stared at the shaking in her hands, “You’re in love with Lady Kaiji, aren’t you, slave?”

Priceless bit her lower lip and shook her head. “I… no, I never met Lady Kaiji. I know only… the slave.” She tried to say more, “H-Her I… I...sir… I…” she couldn’t form the word she wanted to say, so she just gave a little frightened nod.

“You’re just saying these things… hoping she’ll stay with you, you don’t want her to be free, that’s being selfish, slave.” Karlo reprimanded her, and Priceless flinched at the accusation, snapping back as if he’d struck her.

“I… I want Kaiji to be happy, we can’t have freedom… but if she wants to be free, I’d want that for her… even if I had to say goodbye, sir.” her lower lip trembled and she kept her eyes yanked down so she didn’t have to look at him.

He stared in angry silence. ‘Not a chance. Lady Kaiji was… is a proud woman, a noble woman, she could never be happy in a bronze collar next to… some little mouse of a slave that spent her whole life scraping to obey everybody else. It’s Lady Kaiji’s kindness that has this slave so damn deluded.’ He thought to himself, and suppressed a swelling of pity for the brown haired girl in her bronze collar, but shoved it aside with a sigh.

“Whatever, tell Lady Kaiji that I leave my respects and will work hard to ensure she’s kept safe. Here is what I learned and what I’ve done…” He said, and then proceeded to dictate it to Priceless, who sat across from him and wrote it down with a trembling hand that ruined her handwriting.

When he was done, she extended ten silver coins to him, sliding them over the table. “Your… payment, sir.” She said and folded her hands in her lap and looked down, clutching the quill in her small fist.

He snatched it in hand and pocketed it quickly. He stood up, and she removed herself from the seat and went down to her knees, her eyes lowered deferentially, she felt him staring down at her, the uncomfortable moment stretched out. “Thank you… sir, for your services to our Mistress.” She finally got out, hoping it would prompt him to leave.

It did, he spun on his heel and headed to the door, as soon as she heard it close, she stood, went to it, clicked the lock shut, and wiped her brow. Her back fell against it a moment later, she felt her knees quaking as she thought the encounter over. ‘Mistress… I wish you were here now… you wouldn’t let him make such… errors, and torment Kaiji so… you’d set him straight and he’d never make that mistake again!’ She gritted her teeth, and waited several minutes before she went and snatched up a handful of small denomination coins and went out to buy their bread for the next few days.

‘I guess… I’m getting more comfortable with the Lady Aiwenor. I feel safer with her who has the keys to our collars… than I am with… that young man. Baby faced as he is, I could feel he doesn’t like me. Well, at least he’s gone, and I don’t have to worry about him for now. And I can put up with it, if it keeps him away from Kaiji, so he can’t hurt her anymore.’ Priceless thought as she descended the stairs, walked across the lobby, and out the front door.

While across the wide open area, a pair of eyes set in a baby face, stared hatefully at her as she made her way out.