advantage for their sons, and for the Outland clan families in the years to come.
Lara returned to Hetar. She was not yet ready to inform the Lord High Ruler of Hetar’s most recent escape from the darkness. Hetar needed to be reformed, and the only way that was going to happen was if Jonah and his minions still believed they were in danger. She appeared in his privy chamber to discover him enthusiastically fucking a dark-haired female he had bent over his worktable.
“Give me your juices, Aprika,” Jonah panted. “Give! Give!”
“Oh, my lord Jonah, it is too much! Too much! I die!” the female cried dramatically. “Oh! Oh!
He grunted, stiffened and then sighed gustily as he stepped away from her, drawing down his robe. “You may go now, Aprika,” he said coldly.
The female arose slowly, and, turning, put a hand upon his arm. “My lord, did I not please you?” she murmured. “You said last night that I pleased you.” Then she gave a shriek of surprise as her eye met Lara’s.
“Go along, girl,” Lara told her in a kindly tone. “Your master is a pig who takes pleasures from little slave girls like you, but rarely gives them back. Good morning, my lord Jonah. You are well, I see.”
The girl gaped at Lara, then scuttled from the room without another word.
The Lord High Ruler of Hetar strolled around his worktable and looked at the faerie woman. “She is our sex slave,” he said. “And my wife was too busy taking pleasures with our two male sex slaves to attend to my needs this morning.”
“You really must be firmer with Zagiri, Jonah. She will not respect you if you are not,” Lara told him. She almost felt sorry for him but that she knew he was a coldhearted man. “Sell Aprika, and one of the male slaves. Then see that your wife receives and gives pleasures only with you. The slave you keep will be for special occasions, or when you are away inspecting the new roads that are going to be built,” Lara said.
“We are building new roads? Who is to build them, and from where is the coin to come, Domina?” he demanded to know. He was feeling irritable. Aprika had not satisfied him at all. Despite her reputation he found her boring. Only his beautiful wife could please him completely. He was a fool, but he actually loved Zagiri, and was terrified she would one day realize she had married a man old enough to be her father, and despise him for it. Or fall in love with another, younger man.
“The coin will come from the taxes you collect from the magnates for their unconscionable profits in these hard times. Odd that they should profit while the rest of Hetar suffers. The workforce will come from the general population who need jobs,” Lara told him, breaking into his thoughts.
“The magnates don’t pay taxes. They claim no profits,” Jonah protested.
Lara laughed. “They lie as well as they cheat. Did you not enact a new law that says they must pay taxes. And instead of taking a percentage of their profits if they have none we shall take a percentage of their losses. The bigger their losses, the bigger the tax to be collected. That should end the lie about no profits. You know they have been cheating you, and you allowed it so your own sin of greed might not be brought to public light.”
“You are harsh, Domina,” he said.
“You are this kingdom’s leader. Behave like a leader!” Lara snapped back at him.
“What of the Hierarch?” Jonah wanted to know.
“I will attend to him next,” she said, and then Lara disappeared from his sight.
Jonah swore softly beneath his breath. The faerie woman was very irritating, but now he realized from where his wife got her fire. Lara was right. He would sell Aprika and Casnar this day. As for Doran, they would keep him. Jonah had actually come to like Doran, and he was more talented than his companion. His mind turned back to the Hierarch, who had been silent of late. What could he be planning? Jonah wondered.
Cam, however, was planning nothing, for he did not know what was wanted of him. Ciarda had been strangely absent in the last few days. Cam was beginning to become very frightened. He was trapped in Hetar, and his face was now recognized by every man, woman and child. He could not walk out into the streets for fear of them touching him, begging for his blessing, asking when it would all be all right again. He was actually beginning to wish he were back herding cattle in the New Outlands when Lara appeared in his small chamber.
“Aunt!” he cried.
She saw his fear and smirked inwardly. “Well, Nephew, you seem distraught. What is the matter?”
“Where is she?” he asked her. “Where is my Darkling?”
“The Dark Lands have a new Twilight Lord on its throne. Ciarda has been chosen to bear his heir. The mating has already taken place. Lord Kolgrim has no further interest in you, Cam. Ciarda’s powers have been stripped from her. Women in the Dark Lands are not expected to be ambitious or intelligent. They are expected to accept their inferior position. Ciarda is now learning her proper place, Nephew.”
“Then what is to become of me?” he shouted at her. “What happens to me?”
Lara heard Andraste begin to hum softly from her position in the scabbard on Lara’s back. “You are the Hierarch,” Lara taunted him mockingly. She was so tempted to leave him here to be unmasked as the fraud he was.
His bravado crumbled. “You know I am not,” he said, low.
Lara nodded. “Aye, I know, but you will have to continue this charade, Cam, for a little while longer. Hetar needs hope, and the Hierarch represents that hope.”
“But I have no powers,” he said. “What can I do?”
“You will do precisely as I tell you,” Lara answered him. “And if you agree to my terms, Nephew, I will see to it that a Shadow Prince stands by your side, invisible to all eyes but his own kind. It is this prince who will perform the miracles that will be attributed to the Hierarch. And Hetar will walk the road to recovery.”
“Why do you care what happens to these people?” Cam queried her. “They sold you into slavery. They persecuted the clan families for centuries. Is there any good in them, Aunt, that you would help to save them?”
“There is good in everyone, Nephew, even you,” Lara told him. “Yet there is also wickedness. But the light must prevail, Cam. Now, will you agree to my terms?”
“Aye, I will. I just want to go home to Rivalen,” he admitted.
“You will, and soon,” Lara told him.
“And you will keep your promise to me? You will give me Anoush to wife? Land? Cattle?”
“Land and cattle I will gladly give you, Cam, but remember I have said it is Anoush’s decision to wed you or not. If she will have you then I will have you,” Lara said to him, and she smiled.
“Then let us do what needs be done,” Cam said. “I find I am eager to return to my own life and leave this Hierarch behind.” Aye, he had had enough of magic folk, and power games. He had been a fool, but no more! He would have wealth and Anoush.
“So it shall be,” Lara told him.
18
IT WOULD HAVE BEEN EASY for Lara and her allies to simply correct the problems that Hetar had burdened itself with, but they did not. The lesson would not have been learned had they done so. At Lara’s direction Cam walked through the streets of The City to the palace in the Golden District. He was garbed in a simple long white robe, a black rope girded about his waist, leather sandals upon his feet. His young face was smooth shaven, his short dark hair, which had become ragged in recent days, trimmed neatly, his blue eyes resolute. He trusted that a Shadow Prince walked with him, for his aunt had promised him that he would have a companion to perform the small miracles he needed to perform to reassure the people of The City.
And they came forth to greet him. Touching his robe, calling his name. His heart beating furiously, Cam smiled, stopped to touch an infant held out to him. “Blessings, my child,” he murmured with a soft smile before moving on. “The Celestial Actuary be with you all,” he called to the crowds that followed him to the gates of the Golden District, where they were barred from entering.
“Hierarch!” a voice in the crowd called out. “Let us come with you!”
Cam turned. “Nay, my brother,” he replied. “This is a journey I must make alone. Wait for me here. When I have spoken to Lord Jonah I will come again to you.” Then, turning, he was passed through into the Golden District
