“Lady Aiwenor…?” Kaiji asked tentatively, looking up at the mistress of the house while sitting on her knees at the right hand of the chair in which Nua reclined. Priceless was opposite on the left. Nua herself stared out the great window of her quarters, to the borders of her estate and beyond.

“Yes, Kaiji?” Nua replied, folding her hands together and resting her chin on their knuckles after resting her elbows on the arms of the chair.

Kaiji thought for a moment. “H-How can I serve you?”

“That is the question… isn’t it, slave?” Nua’s voice was bitter. “Life was easier before.”

“Before? Before what, mistress?” Priceless spoke up, and Nua shot her eyes down toward the once nearly mute woman, then gently rested her right hand on the soft brown hair. Priceless did not flinch from the touch, if anything, she blushed.

“You’ve grown a great deal in just a few months… I’m very proud of you, Priceless.” Nua said, her blue eyes blinked back pools within.

“Th-Thank you, mistress. But… I still don’t understand.” Priceless said, flushed.

“Before, I gave not a damn if anyone in this part of the world lived or died. I had one goal, and I’d have burned half the world to get it. Things aren’t so simple anymore.” Nua’s gentle voice was torn, her eyes lingered on the meeker of the pair, and her stroking hand went to Priceless’s chin and raised it up.

Priceless did not resist, she allowed her face to be brought to meet the sky blue eyes she’d come to serve worshipfully as those of her savior. “I am responsible for you two… you and all those who serve me. When I began all this, you were nothing but pawns, but you mean more to me now. Not just you either. Sobella became a dear friend… and this was her home. She died to protect everyone in it, and that included me.”

“Mistress, are you setting aside your goal?” Kaiji asked, turning to look up at her goddess.

“No, Kaiji, only recognizing that I need to add another reason to it. I have come to believe that Prince Sado was right, I may have to borrow some of his ideas, change a few of my plans. I will have to work harder. More than that, I will have to work everyone harder. To answer your question, Kaiji… just be here with me for a bit. I draw comfort from the both of you… your loyalty and faith… they restore my weary spirit, and remind me there is more at stake than I was willing to admit before.” Nua reached out and caressed the silky dark hair of Kaiji, and felt an agonized pang when she thought of the last time she’d stroked the great length of a live Sobella’s own dark tresses.

‘I hope Raymond doesn’t mind if I have more than just him on my mind… I have slaves to protect, and an empire that doesn’t know it belongs to me… yet.’ Nua thought and then took her hand away from Kaiji and pointed to a drawer beside the large bed. “Open that drawer, take out the book you find within, and when Freyjin returns, have her draw the money necessary to buy either a book maker… or a group of scribes and slaves capable of making books. I want enough copies to go to every soldier in the Breakers, and in each of the homes of their free relatives, by the time we get back from the first contract.” Nua had barely said half the order before Kaiji was up and moving.

“Priceless, go bring me the list of military contracts, I will make a decision now as to whose side to take and where.” Nua didn’t notice the acknowledgement of the order, but she did see the way Priceless rushed from the room, not even closing the door all the way, and that was enough.

Priceless’s mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, ‘She cares about us…? Is it even… possible, really possible?’ She wondered, it was a strange concept to be sure. She recalled the dramas, usually tragedies where a slave fell in love with an owner who was married, and was either sold, killed, or otherwise ruined. Some bright ones were happy things where the couple abandoned everything… ‘Those were always my favorites… but they’re… impossible.’

Part of her ached to deny it, she recalled the love affair between Sobella and the Prince, then how that turned out, ‘Look what happened to her, his love for her made it desirable to punish him by destroying her… now she’s dead anyway and he…’ She could not help but pity him.

Nua’s office had been left empty when Priceless passed by the guard outside and snatched up the documents she needed and turned around to rush them back. ‘It shouldn’t matter if she cares about me or not, it doesn’t change what I am. Or does it? Is it better be a whipped dog or a beloved one… both are dogs, but which one is truly happier…?’ Priceless was still arguing with herself when she knelt before the chair with her head bowed and the documents held up for the Lady Aiwenor to take.

“Good, stay at my left, Priceless.” Nua said abruptly and began to go through the papers one by one until Kaiji returned.

“She wasn’t there, Lady Aiwenor, but I left the book and a note with instructions on her desk.” Kaiji said without being asked as she reclaimed her place kneeling at Nua’s right hand.

Nua crossed her right leg over the other and waved the sheaf of papers toward her, “Give me your thoughts, advisor.” The wood elf assassin drummed her dread left hand on the armrest of her chair and waited after she spoke.

Kaiji was ready, she looked up at her beloved goddess and replied as she had once upon a time addressed the fallen Sado, “My Lady, I recommend…” She held up her hands and bowed her head, Nua put the sheaf in her hands and waited. Kaiji shuffled through them, setting several on the floor in rapid succession with a shake of her head that was probably not conscious.

Finally she held up two.

“There is one to the north, several key cities in the grain trade are involved in some ugly disputes over water rights. Given your actions meant to ensure famine, diminishing any of them now will be advantageous later.” Kaiji said and extended that one to Nua, and then set the other in front of herself with the ink facing her Lady.

“This one however… will definitely have fewer casualties, pays more, and since we got a letter from Queen Vexia saying she wanted to meet to establish trade ties…” Kaiji let that statement hang and stared up at her owner.

Nua did not need a map drawn, ‘She wants to get a read on the one buying up Komestra and Komestrans.’

Kaiji carried on, “Mistress, the Queen of Vexation is a powerful magic caster, she’s the ruler of our race, and the last descendant of the great creator’s most powerful successes. She is not to be taken lightly. She can use sixth tier magic, and demon-elves everywhere revere her as a child of divine salvation. A gift of the stars themselves.”

“Does that include ‘you’ Kaiji?” Nua asked pointedly.

Kaiji vigorously shook her head before staring up with blazing red eyes of fury. “Never, at least, never again. I follow the god of my goddess… I reject the stars, detest the stars, and curse that I ever followed them. My loyalty is only to you… but I don’t speak for all my kind.”

Nua gave that statement some thought. “So should I not meet with her, then?”

Kaiji lowered her head, “If my loyalty still lay with her I would have said yes, but even now that it doesn’t, I think that still might be wise. I think… I think if you do, go with Lady Solution to protect you if it is necessary. The Queen of Da’nak is dangerously ill tempered when she is crossed. But she is shrewd, she’s lasted as long as she has for a reason. She brokered the alliance that destroyed Komestra. If you disrupt her plans, or appear to, she will try to do the same with you.”

“That might pose a problem… but this contract isn’t with her.” Nua pointed out, “Though you make a good point regardless.”

“No, no mistress it is not. Prince Isaura of Kai’sen has a dispute with the city of Fen’sai. She normally wouldn’t have a problem with one minor city… but Fen’sai has managed to drag a few other small cities into it, so she’s being cautious.” Kaiji swallowed and rubbed her temple. “I fear, mistress, that the destruction of Komestra had larger implications than anyone ever realized before it happened.”

“How do you mean?” Nua asked with hard eyed interest.

“Great cities have been defeated before, but never was one so completely erased as my home. Doing so set a precedent that it ‘could’ be done. Our aura of invincibility, that we were too big to fall, too big to be destroyed, was wiped out. Not just for Komestra, but for the remaining six. Now the smaller cities will look at us not as leaders to join with, but as targets to repeat what happened to Komestra. In bringing my city down, the other six may have damned themselves as well.” Kaiji let a malicious smile form, “And it serves them right.”

“I understand what you’re saying, Kaiji, but those cities will be part of my empire soon, I can’t have them being burned to ashes. Tell me more about this one, and what you know of the region.” Nua ordered, and Kaiji’s malicious personal happiness vanished under the weight of her profession.

“Fen’sai is somewhat swampy, not ‘directly’ of course, but they have a very well protected flank of their city riddled with swamps for several miles. They are not a great city because they have little farmland, but what they have yields enough, and they have some influence with other small cities around them. If they’re going to war with Kai’sen there can only be one cause.” Kaiji sighed with annoyance.

“Money? Land?” Nua guessed.

“No, not quite. Fen’sai is a licentious place, not as much as Pas’en, but still, it’s known as a city of vice. Gambling, sex, disposal of stolen goods… even ‘smuggling’ of the sort Bracer engaged in.” Kaiji explained.

Nua growled unhappily, recalling the brutal tearing and wounds on Lenah and Straen, not to mention the rest of what they found in pursuit of Bracer. “I see.” The Duchessa hissed like an angry cat.

“It’s not uncommon for a smuggler in that region to kidnap someone off the road, drag them to Fen’sai and bribe an official to mark the person as a slave. Their preferred targets are migrating families, sometimes even from that very city. If I were to guess, they snatched up someone they shouldn’t have, and Isaura gave them an ultimatum about it. They then deny all wrong doing, and…” Kaiji rolled her eyes, “Well, they’ll wage a token war over it. A few hundred will die on both sides, then the stolen person will be quietly ransomed back or their body will be discovered somewhere away from Fen’sai and the Prince will deny they had anything to do with it.” Kaiji took a deep breath after she rattled all of that off, and Nua took it in stride.

“I see, so this is… routine then.” Nua pondered the matter and reached up to stroke her chin, “Bracer was one of the three great smugglers, tell me something, slave, the second smuggler, has your opinion of them changed between your former and current status?”

Kaiji didn’t hesitate to answer, “Not even a little bit. They’re a problem for everyone but the ones who profit from their doings. Merchants have to spend more money on security, would-be bandits have powerful forces to join… and of course they are traitors to all of us.”

“And if I can say it, mistress, forgive me for speaking without permission…” Priceless kept her head bowed apologetically for speaking up, “but as you’ll own the Lur’gin company, the smugglers will hurt your business too. I’ve been sold many times… and the security around me was almost all to protect the goods from theft, not to keep them from running away.”

The casual way Priceless described her shiftless menial existence struck Nua with a pang of pity, and she impulsively leaned over to touch the top of the bowed head with her right hand. “What you say is good advice, Priceless… you can always speak up with that.”

The brown haired young woman blushed, but also beamed happily at the encouraging praise.

“I’d say that settles it all then. Send word to Prince Isaura, I will march with all three thousand Breakers for the contract rates as well as first plundering rights over any town, village… or city we enter first.” Nua rubbed her hands together and then turned to Priceless, “Reach out to Kara through the drop box, find out if she has ever heard anything about this other great smuggler, any rumor, no matter how far fetched, is worth money.”

“I’ll go to the bank today, My Lady.” Priceless said with pride and stood up at the same time as Kaiji did, they moved together toward the door, ready to enact their mistress’s will, once again.

“Good, see to it, I have somewhere to be... oh, and one more thing, Priceless.” Nua added as she headed toward the door after them, Priceless froze with the door open. “After Freyjin returns with word of our acquisition of the Lur’gin company, I want you to go to their local pens, inspect the stock. Find any slaves with useful skills, write down their names, specializations, city of origin, family members, everything useful.”

“I understand, my lady. Nobody knows this business, better than the product.” Priceless bowed her head, and held the door to allow Nua to pass, before she and Kaiji went out together.