“I need six strong women. Women who can work the day long and be used for pleasure by the lower lords at night. Even I can see that the child is too young to be mounted.” He glared at Noss. “How old are you?” he demanded of her.
“Twelve, my lord,” Noss quavered.
“Are you moonlinked yet?” Durga persisted.
“No, my lord,” the girl whispered. She had begun to shake with her fear. Belda put an arm about her to keep Noss from collapsing.
“I will not accept her,” Durga said firmly.
“That is your decision, my lord,” Rolf Fairplay said. “I am content to refund you your coin for the girl, or send back to the City for a stronger, older female for you. The bill of lading says the little lass was but five gold pieces. I can take her along with me to sell in the Coastal Province. As I have pointed out, I did not take this order from you myself. I did not choose the women in the consignment. I have only made the delivery.” He stood tall and firm before the Head Forester.
“I wanted six young women,” Durga grumbled.
“I offer you my most abject apologies, my lord. Had you placed the order with me there should have been no difficulty. I am aware of your tastes. I will bear the extra cost above your five gold pieces for another woman in an effort to regain your favor,” Rolf Fairplay said smoothly. “It is the least I can do for the inconvenience caused you.”
“Well,” Lord Durga said sourly, “I suppose if that is the best you can do I must be satisfied, Rolf Fairplay. Your reputation for honesty is well known throughout Hetar.”
The Taubyl Trader felt an easing of the tensions in the hall with Durga’s words. But suddenly the slave woman Truda broke away from the other women and fell to her knees before the Head Forester.
“He has another woman in his caravan, my lord!”
“What is this?” Durga growled fiercely. He stared down at Truda, deciding he liked her large pillowy breasts. He would mount her later, and take pleasure of her. Then he looked directly at Rolf Fairplay. “Is this true? Is there another woman with your party? Have you attempted to cheat me by palming off this child on us while you keep the woman meant for us?” His hand went to the dagger at his waist.
If he had had a weapon he would have slain Truda where she knelt, Rolf Fairplay thought angrily. Instead he said, “I do indeed have another woman with my caravan, my lord. She is a consignment for one of the Coastal Kings from my cousin, Gaius Prospero.” He smiled a quick smile, but his eyes were cold and cautious.
“I would see her! Bring her to me now, Rolf Fairplay,” the Head Forester said.
“My lord, she is already consigned to Arcas, a king’s son,” the trader lied.
“Give him the girl, Noss,” Durga replied.
“My lord, this girl is a very rare and expensive slave. The plain truth is that you could not afford to purchase her even if she were for sale, and she is not.”
“She’s half faerie,” Truda murmured wickedly.
At this both the Head Forester and his younger brother cast a meaningful look at one another. “Leave us,” Durga said waving them all from the hall. “Rolf Fairplay, await me outside the hall. He turned to his wife who had been sitting quietly at his knee. “Sita, take these new slave women to their quarters. Return the girl, Noss, to the caravan.”
Bowing her head in acknowledgement Sita gathered up the slave women and hurried them from the hall, which was quickly emptying. Rolf Fairplay was the last from the great chamber. He hoped the Head Forester, a rather dull-witted man, would not attempt to steal Lara from his caravan. He was well guarded for travel purposes, but not enough to fight off a small army of Foresters. He touched Sita’s arm as she passed him.
“Beware Truda, the one who spoke. She is a troublemaker,” he said softly.
“I saw it at once, Rolf Fairplay,” Sita answered. “My thanks.” And then she moved away with the slave women.
Inside the empty hall Durga turned to his brother. “A half faerie girl,” he said thoughtfully. “Is it possible if we breed her we can somehow remove this curse that hangs over us, Enda?”
“I do not know,” Enda replied. “Who has studied what breeding can do or cannot do, Durga? I just enjoy mounting a woman, and pleasuring myself on her body.” He was a tall, handsome man with a ruddy, outdoor complexion, dark auburn hair and brown eyes. He looked nothing like his elder brother although they shared the same parentage.
Durga was a stocky man of barely medium height with small black eyes and black hair. He disguised a rather bad complexion with a bushy black beard. The Head Forester looked just like his late father whereas his brother looked like their mother. That woman had died birthing Enda, who had been a large infant. Her fortuitous death had saved her master the trouble of disposing of her.
Durga considered. “It was a faerie who brought this disaster on us in the first place,” he said. “Why can a faerie not remove the scourge?”
“The slave woman said she is but half faerie, brother. I doubt her magic is strong enough. The curse has been on us for over seventy years now. Only the faerie queen who spoke it can remove it, and the faeries are gone from the Forest thanks to our foolish grandfather and his stubborn pride,” Enda remarked.
“The faeries were just as obdurate,” Durga insisted. “Was it not one of their own who led the hunting party on that day, and then mocked them?”
“Was it necessary for that hunting party to violate the faerie, and then kill her?”
“The faerie girl was asking for it, taunting the men with her charms. What did she think would happen? Besides she might have vanished away if she chose. She wanted those men between her legs, brother,” Durga said crudely.
“You know as well as I do, brother, that a faerie having spent a day shape-shifting as that one did would be weakened when she took her own form once more, and unable to act in her own defense. So did our men. Did we not in those days rule the Forest along with the faeries, and the giants? We knew each other well once. But now we have driven our allies away and are cursed for it,” Enda said.
“The faerie girl could help us regain our purity, Enda, I am certain of it,” Durga insisted. “And our children would have faerie blood in their veins. The girl would help to bring her queen to us to remove Maeve’s curse on the Forest Lords. Each generation born to our breeders grows less pure, no matter they are raised in our traditions. Our women are also of impure lineage now. Only two of the pure blood remain among our clans, Enda. We must reverse the tide of our destruction before it is too late. Mayhap the half faerie girl will not be the answer, but she suddenly has been placed in our midst, and so we must try. It is surely good fortune that has brought her to us, brother!”
“She is consigned to a Coastal King,” Enda said. “We do not want difficulties with the coast, Durga. We are no longer as strong as we used to be. If the faerie girl has been paid for we must let her go on with the caravan, and we will seek another half faerie girl for our purposes. But if this girl is to be paid for upon her delivery, which I suspect is the case, then we must pay Rolf Fairplay the amount agreed upon ourselves. As long as Gaius Prospero receives his monies he will not care, and another girl can be found for the son of that Coastal King. First, however, we must learn her price. And if it is as high as I suspect it is, where is the coin to come from, Durga?”
“We have wealth,” the Head Forester said. “Our hidden wealth, Enda.”
“But will it be enough?” the younger man asked.
“You and I will pool our resources,” Durga responded.
“Agreed!” Enda replied. “But you must agree to allow me first rights with the girl. You are too rough, and lack finesse to deal with so delicate a creature as a half faerie girl. If you didn’t kill her outright with your wooing, you would likely frighten her to death. She will be a virgin without a doubt, else her price would not be so high.”
“Our mother always said you were too greedy,” Durga grumbled.
“You are impatient with virgins, brother. I have seen it before. We do not want to ruin our investment. I will woo her gently, and when she finally enters your bed she will be well trained and eager,” Enda tempted his elder.
“What if you get her with child right away?” Durga asked.
“When she has spawned her child then you will have her next,” Enda said reasonably. “Besides, I saw you looking at that big breasted wench among the new slave women, the one who spoke up in an effort to gain your favor. Don’t tell me you didn’t intend getting between her legs tonight,” he chuckled. “She’s a healthy-looking
