Janaxia awoke, feeling relaxed. Sunlight was pouring in from above, a skylight she hadn’t noticed last night. She stretched, smiling as she felt the scratches from last night, enjoying the sensation. Akoni still slumbered, her body stretched out on the bed. Janaxia gently kissed her on the back, without any response, her breathing coming slow and regular, body pleasantly warm – she must not be a morning person. Although to judge by the sunlight, it was well into the morning.

In the sunlight, Janaxia was able to better inspect the room – the items on the walls, and neatly arranged in cupboards, wardrobes and chests, showed a wide and extensive variety of interests. And some rather intriguing outfits, although admittedly not for public use. And similarly for some of the other items, at least the ones she could identify uses for. She held up a smooth-sided steel cone, running to a blunted point, a gem on the wide base. What on earth was that meant to be used for? Although if she ever had occasion to take a holiday with some like-minded compatriots, this would definitely be a good place to come.

She checked herself over in the mirror – naked, her clothing having all been ripped and torn off during the night. Her back, shoulders and arms were covered with scratches and welts, Akoni’s nails having done sterling, and pleasurable service as they coupled. Not quite as harsh as Kalmaris and her myriad of fangs, but enjoyable nevertheless, even without any strange poisons involved. She managed to find something at least mildly appropriate from the clothing in the bedroom, managing to find a slip, admittedly a little too sheer for breakfast. Normally she would have adjusted it magically, but she last night had been rather tiring, and so she couldn’t will herself to make the effort. Although, looking further, there was something similar in style to Akoni’s robe, if lighter. Another advantage of this place was that magic kept it all warm, otherwise she’d be wanting rather more layers before venturing forth.

From this side, the hidden door was easy to find, opened by a lever mechanism. She stepped back into the hallway, turning and making sure she could find the entrance again. As she walked down the grand staircase, she heard activity coming from below, Hakara walking past, face puffy and tired, showing the ill-effects of too much drinking. Janaxia coughed, drawing her attention, before making a stately descent, her clothing long enough to flutter slightly as she moved.

‘Good morning.’

There was a long pause, Hakara seeming in need of time to form a response. ‘Good morning.’ Janaxia shifted her clothing slightly, making sure that her scratches could be seen. It wasn’t every day that one was marked by such an individual, and it had been rather pleasurable. Hakara’s face reddened, a clear sign that she had noticed.

Before she could scamper off, Janaxia spoke again. ‘Has breakfast been served yet? Where are the others?’

‘I think they, um, ate already.’ She took in the wounds Janaxia bore. ‘Do you need healing? That looks, um, painful.’

‘Oh, these?’ Janaxia lowered her sleeves slightly, showing off even more scratches. ‘They will heal in time. And were rather pleasant to earn. Akoni was most gracious in victory.’ The look on Hakara’s face showed doubt, but she clearly lacked appreciation for the finer things in life, and clearly had little experience of carnal pleasures.

‘I think that Stathis and Miss Parth are in the study. Has Akoni already left?’

‘Oh no, she sleeps still. It was a rather tiring night, although most pleasurable for both of us. Although the bed was highly comfortable, far better than the inns we most usually endure, let alone the ground! Are Kethys and her compatriots still present?’ Janaxia glanced outside – the blizzard had ceased, but the ground was covered with snow, making it unlikely anyone would be leaving immediately.

‘Yes, they are. I think they’re planning on leaving today – I’m not sure where they’re travelling to, but they seem friendly enough. I was expecting thieves to be more, well, prone to stealing things.’

‘It would be best to keep an eye on your belongings, nevertheless. While Kathys does seem rather strict, they are all likely rather low people, prone to myriad criminal tendencies, no doubt. Although Semari would likely aid in the recovery of any stolen goods, it seems best not to tempt fate. I strongly suspect they are on their way to some job, and do not wish to draw attention to themselves.’

A swift staccato thudding sound emanated from the direction of the study, drawing their attention. With the pangs of hunger starting inside her, Janaxia drifted towards the sound, and the dining room that lay beyond.

Parth and Kethys were staring at each other, sat on opposite sides of a small table. Each had a knife in one hand, their other splayed on the wood, as they stabbed away, hitting the spaces between fingers, without cutting themselves. Their tempo increased, stabs faster and faster, their faces bland and impassive as they stared each other down, neither wanting to back down.

Janaxia gestured with both hands, bolts of energy streaking out and hitting the two of them, unfortunately for Parth, just at the moment she was stabbing downwards, the blade stabbing into her hand.

‘What do you think you are doing? That table is likely centuries old, and not something to be destroyed for some silly game!’ She strode forward, inspecting the damage – the rich glow of the finely polished wood was now marred, countless nicks and scratches sullying the fine surface. Next to them were several empty bottles, the scent of alcohol strong in the air. ‘Have you two been drinking all night?’

Kethys took far too long to look up, red eyes slowly focusing, head tilting, as Parth blinked at her blearily and spoke. ‘Important. Must defeat enemy.’

Kethys finally managed to focus enough to talk. ‘Lightside bitch needed showing who was better.’ Her head tilted back and forward, eyes looking somewhere behind Janaxia.

‘Simply because you have some ancient feud is no excuse for such disgraceful behaviour! I sincerely hope you will apologise to Domus for your behaviour. And stop this ridiculousness. You both reek of alcohol. Go wash yourselves, and sleep it off, and I don’t want to see any more behaviour like this.’

Kethys half fell forward, stopping bare inches from Janaxia, staring up at her before slowly standing, a little shorter than Janaxia, although slumped rather than standing straight. ‘You smell, smell of…’ She sniffed. ‘Blood. Blood and sex.’ She tipped backwards, Parth stopping her cracking her skull on the table. ‘A lucky night with the lucky lady.’

Parth was less wobbly, even if just as drunk, taking even longer than normal to find words and speak. ‘Bound by luck. Fucked by luck. Sucked by…’ Janaxia flicked her forehead.

‘That will be quite enough of that; there’s no need for such crudity. And at least I was able to entertain myself without damaging the furniture. Now, if you are quite done, off to the baths with the both of you.’

They wobbled off, arms over the other’s shoulders, an odd image of solidarity, given their mutual animus for each other. Hopefully they wouldn’t drown in there, given they both appeared barely conscious, except when it came to knife play. She snapped her fingers, summoning the house-spirit. ‘Domus, can you repair this damage?’

The light pulsed for a moment, washing over the scarred table. ‘I shall do my best, Lady Janaxia.’ The table shone for a moment, before the light faded – Janaxia ran her hand over the table, where she could still feel some of the scars and gouges, but at least it looked less obviously damaged. ‘Thank you. My apologies to you for this rather unseemly event. However, if it isn’t too much work, could I trouble you for some breakfast?’

‘Of course. And for Lady Akoni as well. She is often rather hungry after such a night. Your companions have already eaten, but it is no trouble to prepare some more food. Something light for yourself, and rather heavier for Akoni.’

‘Excellent. Thank you, Domus.’ The energy blinked out, off to prepare some food.

Something slammed into her back, opening several off her scratches, pain flaring.

‘She didn’t eat you then? At least not, like, you know, “ripping and tearing and omnomnom” eating? Or have you eaten her soul or something?’

Semari was almost disgustingly perky, clearly having had an enjoyable night herself. She slapped Janaxia on the back again, making her hiss in pain. ‘She is currently abed still. It was pleasurable, but she seems unlikely to rouse herself soon. I suspect she is not a morning person.’

‘Yeah, Hadric’s pretty dead too. Always gets mouthy, then can’t go the distance! Worse ways to spend the night though. Although Parth and Kethys did their weird elven thing, kept trying to kill each other, and blaming each other for all the crap that happened to the elves back when. Then they got really, really drunk and started singing.’ Semari pressed her fingers against one of Janaxia’s scratches. ‘Nothing too tight for you for a while, I guess?’

Strangely perceptive of her – although she obviously had firsthand experience of wounds, Janaxia didn’t expect for her to offer practical fashion advice. ‘These will heal soon enough, I would say. At least if you would stop poking them!’

‘Feel any luckier? Maybe I can get some of that to rub off on me.’ Semari poked Janaxia again.

‘If you wish for fortune, then ask Akoni yourself.’

‘Nah, I hear she can get mean sometimes, and I don’t wanna drown in a pit of cockroaches. Nasty way to go. And this is far more fun!’ She tried to poke Janaxia again, fingers deflecting off a barrier, as Janaxia summoned a protective field. ‘Hey, that’s cheating, no fair. You should watch out for Akoni though. Like, that snake lady might be bitier than normal, which, hey, whatever you’re into, but Akoni’s, like, super-old. Didn’t think she’d be grey though. But she’s got all sorts of stories about her, and a lot of them ain’t nice.’

‘Oh? I must say that I haven’t come across her name before.’

‘Well she ain’t much of a one for fancy stuff that you’d know about, but down in the gutters, there’s a lot more. She diced at the fall of Camran, saw Setha before the ash fell, been there for a lot of crazy shit. Like, not evil, not like you, but just weird ‘n old. I don’t think she’s gonna eat your soul, if you’ve got one, but might, like take an eye or something? I guess you could probably work an eyepatch, but be a pain in the ass to be blind on one side.’

‘She has been nothing but courteous thus far.’ Semari tried to poke a scratch-wound again, Janaxia shifting to evade it. ‘A certain level of passion is permissible, of course. And she was most adept. And I would thank you not to imply such things about my morality, it is exceptionally rude and uncouth. Although I must admit to a certain level of curiosity myself, she is something of a unique individual. It is nice to meet someone of such elevated status though.’

Domus shimmered into being. ‘Food will shortly be ready, Lady Janaxia. And Lady Akoni appears to be stirring – do you wish to breakfast together?’

‘Yes please, Domus. Thank you.’

She managed to evade a final prod from Semari, moving swiftly enough to evade a follow-up, but hopefully not fast that it seemed to be a retreat. Back in the hidden bedroom, food was materialising, the scents obviously reaching the drowsing Akoni. Janaxia briefly contemplated some of the costumes available, but, for now, the food would take priority. A pot of tea appeared, the scent unmistakably Sethan.

Akoni stirred herself awake, inhuman eyes bleary, blinking away sleep. She saw Janaxia, grinned and reached out, grabbing the sash around Janaxia’s waist and pulling her over, toppling her onto the bed with a laugh. ‘Breakfast and some fresh meat? You really do know how to treat someone.’

Eventually, they uncoupled themselves, both sweaty and flushed with effort. Akoni had been more gentle this morning than last night, keeping her claws from scratching and rending, instead covering Janaxia’s body with kisses and rubs. By the time they were done, it was well past noon, although Domus was good enough to bring fresh food, their original breakfast having cooled past eating.

The hidden chamber even had its own private cleaning chamber, bound elementals conjuring forth hot water, allowing them to wash of the sweat of their exertions and dress themselves. Akoni ate, as Janaxia went to find her companions.

Now the sun was at its height, it could be seen that the blizzard had died away, drifts of snow rapidly melting away. Stathis was sat in her chair by the fire, reading again, looking up as Janaxia approached.

‘Wow, looks like you had a rough night. We’re going to try and move on later today, if you want to get packed – the weather looks like it’ll turn again, and if we get heavy snow, we’ll be stuck here for days. We should be able to get down and out into the riverlands if we travel through the night. And maybe get some soft clothing and bandages, we’ve not got any healing potions around, and it’ll be a pain if you’re bleeding everywhere when we’re travelling. Kethys and her lot are travelling a different direction, so at least we won’t have to worry about them showing up on a job or something.’

‘Could we not stay just another night? This is a rather nice place, after all.’

Stathis shook her head. ‘Yeah, it’d be nice to stay, but I don’t want to get stuck here too long. And I’d quite like to get somewhere with a big temple that can heal the damn wounds from the banshee! I assume Akoni can manage to get herself out of here?’

‘I would imagine so, she is rather potent. It will be a shame to leave her so soon though.’

‘Yes, I can see that you’ve gotten friendly. Guess those claws of hers aren’t just for show? Anyway, go get your stuff, I’ve asked Domus to make some food. And dress up warm, it’s shitty weather out there still.’

Akoni was walking down the stairs, now dressed again in her finery, as Janaxia walked back. ‘It has been a pleasure, Janaxia of the Tremari, but I must take my leave of you.’ She grabbed her in a tight embrace, Janaxia powerless to break free as she was pulled off her feet and kissed. ‘Pass my greetings to Kinnevar if you see him.’

She put Janaxia back down. ‘That is a shame, it would have been nice to spend rather more time with you.’ She stood up on tiptoes, able to kiss Akoni back. ‘I hope our paths will cross again sometime, in equally pleasant surroundings.’

‘Who can say? The fates are murky now, even for one such as I. Darkness and light blaze and shroud, making what should be clear, hidden and occluded. What was certain is now in doubt, and the balance is broken.’ There was a squeak from behind, as Hakara walked in, already dressed for travelling, saw them, and turned around immediately, heavy pack banging against a wall. ‘But yes, it was a pleasurable night, and you have impressive talent for pleasuring others.’ Somehow, a hand had ended up beneath her top, nails lightly running down her back, Janaxia squirming slightly. ‘But all things must end.’ With a final delicate scratch before detaching herself, leaving Janaxia gasping, Akoni stood back, her horns glowing with a strange, warping glow, the space around her stretching and distorting as some transportation spell was employed. Janaxia kept well back, not wanting to get half-caught in the effect, curved shards of light showing dim images of distant realms before popping like soap-bubbles. The air snapped, and suddenly Akoni was gone, the light normal again.

It didn’t take long to pack, Domus helping, her scant goods all packed away neatly, along with a few bottles liberated from the cellars. Something to relax with later, should there be an appropriate occasion. She altered her clothing, thickening it as much as she could without loosing her shape amongst the material, changing her shoes to drearily sensible walking boots, and leather gloves for her hands.

As soon as they stepped outside, the air was like a punch to the gut, her breath misting in the chill. Semari and Hadric had to be pried apart, although Hadric was looking rather exhausted, Semari’s stamina clearly being greater than his own. The dark elf and her followers set off further into the mountains, apparently seeking some further criminal stronghold hidden amongst the barren cliffs and canyons, as Stathis led them away in the opposite direction.

As they left the manor house behind, windows still gleaming with enticing firelight, a shimmer filled the air, protective spells warding the place, blurring the local geography and making it harder to find. Well, with any luck soon they would be down in warmer climes.

Hakara was staring at her, her face mostly hidden behind a heavy scarf. After some rearrangement of fabric, she managed to clear enough space that she could be heard. ‘Did you bargain for your destiny with Akoni the Fated? That was brave of you, considering the legends of those that have lost against her!’

Janaxia preened slightly. ‘It was mutually pleasurable, and we both enjoyed ourselves. Hopefully we will meet again, for a longer time. She had other engagement, and had to leave. Although it is to be hoped that we will be out of this dreadful weather ourselves before long. Stathis, how long do you expect the journey to be, before we reach some rough approximation of civilisation?’

‘It’s about three days, if we don’t hit bad weather or bandits. And I’m not cleaning your back for you!’

Janaxia groaned. ‘Three days of interminable rock and snow? What a dreadful way to start the year.’

Semari dropped down from a tree. ‘Nothin’ ahead, tracks clear. And starting the year wrist deep in fate sounds pretty lucky to me! Especially because she let you keep your wrists, your wits and your life, I’d say that’s a win. Anyway, lets get moving, it’s bloody cold.’

They started moving along the track, shadows already long in the winter sun.