On an evening four weeks after retrieving the Sundered Heart, I sat in the great hall with Kegohr and Vesma while we ate a meal.
“You guys wanna train?” Kegohr asked as he gobbled up a piece of chicken.
“Indoors or out?” I fished the last piece of carrot from my bowl.
“Out, of course,” Kegohr said. “The dojo’s always crowded in the evenings.”
“That’s because it’s snowing.” Vesma pointed out of the window.
The weather was one of the disadvantages of living halfway up a mountain. The temperature was always colder here than down in the valley, and the preceding week had seen snow fall across our rooftops like a gentle blanket. It gave the whole place a stark beauty but was a deterrent to training outside. We had to train in the indoors in much smaller chambers, and our ability to use Augmentation was limited
“I think I’ll ask Nydarth whether I’m ready for her prize yet. If not, I’ll join you.”
“Suit yourself,” Kegohr said with a shrug. “What about you, Vesma?”
“I’m staying in.” She looked at me, then back at the contents of her bowl, her expression hard to read.
“All right, then,” Kegohr said. “You’re the ones missing out. Yaso and Veltai are sparring, and they’re the big contenders to win the tournament. It’d be worth watching them closely.”
“Veltai, eh?” Vesma raised an eyebrow.
Kegohr cleared his throat. “There’s nothing between us. Not that I don’t want there to be; it’s just that. . .”
I smiled at him. “Don’t worry, big fella. I bet you’ll get your chance with her. Just watch Yaso. I hear he’s got a thing for her, too.”
“Really?” Kegohr sighed and slapped his thigh. “I am no good at this stuff.”
“Sure you are,” Vesma said. “If by ‘this stuff,’ you mean fumbling around women like an idiot, then you’re the best!” She laughed, and Kegohr smiled back at her.
“I better get moving. Yaso is probably already helping Veltai train. I want to show her what I’ve learned on Flame Shield. I bet Yaso doesn’t know half of what I do.” Kegohr picked up his bowl and headed for the door, grinning as he went. “You wusses enjoy your books.”
I pushed my bowl aside and looked around. Some initiates were drifting away from the great hall, off to find some time to themselves. Others were taking out books, scrolls, and calligraphy sets so that they could study in a room heated by a great fire and the bodies of other initiates.
“Master Kyu has me cataloging her illustrated manuscripts while she’s away,” Vesma said. “Some of them are beautiful. Would you like to see?”
I’d never heard Vesma appreciate manuscripts before, and she almost always fell asleep in Master Kyu’s classes. I’d thought the only reason she worked in Kyu’s study was to fund her collection of spears.
“If you’re worried about the cold, there’s a fire.” Vesma continued after I didn’t respond. “And I found some plum wine.”
“Are you trying to get me on my own?” I asked with a chuckle.
She blushed slightly. “Would that be bad?”
“Not at all,” I said. “It sounds delightful.”
“Good.” She stood up abruptly. “Come.”
We handed our bowls to a servant and headed down a corridor deeper into the guild. This area mostly consisted of the rooms of masters. Many of them kept offices directly adjacent to their private chambers so that their work and rest were conveniently close together. But many more rooms lay empty, a sign of the guild’s lost glory.
Master Kyu’s rooms were on the second floor, near the rear of the masters’ block. As Vesma had promised, the study was warmed by a fire burning steadily in the hearth. The flames kept out the damp that might otherwise have destroyed Kyu’s precious books. They were a treasure trove of works on history and politics, and Kyu occasionally brought one out for our lessons. Some were battered by time and previous owners, others pristine. On a desk by the window, one lay open to display a portrait of an ancient empress in grand robes and a golden crown.
Vesma closed the shutters and pulled the chair out so that she could get under the desk. She emerged a moment later with a stoppered clay jug and two cups.
“Here.” She poured me a cup of wine.
I took a drink. It was sweet stuff with a strong flavor of plums that warmed my throat as it went down.
Vesma knocked hers back in a single gulp, then refilled both our cups.
“What’s the rush?” I asked. “Worried I’m going to run away?”
“I’m not good at this sort of thing,” she replied.
“What sort of thing?”
“This sort of thing.” She stretched up on tiptoes and kissed me hard. Her hand wrapped around the back of my head and pulled me down toward her. Her tongue came fierce and probing, like she was set on conquering me.
I laughed as we came up for breath. “I didn’t think you thought of me this way.”
“I like men who can fight,” she said. “So, since the Ember Cavern…” She shrugged and hunched her shoulders. “Don’t you want this?”
“Of course, I do,” I said.
“Good.”
She grabbed hold of me with both hands, and shoved me back against the wall as she tore open my tunic and started kissing my chest. Her body pushed hard against mine, and I could feel myself press back against her. My pulse raced and my skin tingled as her mouth slid across my stomach, down my chest, and ever lower.
Vesma unfastened my trousers and let them fall to the floor. Pleasure filled my senses as she worked wonders. All the dexterity she had shown in the arena was now applied to something far more sensual, as hands and mouth worked up and down in a series of turns and touches that made my head spin.
She suddenly stood and flung off her clothes, revealing a pale and perfectly formed body, leanly muscled with pert breasts and a tight ass. She
