Blackjack Wayward (The Blackjack Series) (10 page)

“Artenanka?”

“A little,” I shrugged, only then realizing how strong the alcohol was. The intoxication had seeped in like a secret, and my emotions were on fire, fomenting its effects. I had almost killed Drovani, who had only been protecting his liege. Artenanka seemed to have a narcotic quality that not only put your senses on edge but also heightened your awareness.

Then again, I was angry and I couldn’t tell why. I was looking for a fight, even though I had just ripped apart dozens of Vershani. I could feel the blood thumping through my temples, the breath straining between my clenched teeth. Perhaps it was a similarity between Hashima and what had just happened, that I had been the difference-maker and was rewarded with castigation and scorn.

“I took your fucking ship,” I snapped making him fire his hands out defensively.

“We know this–”

“You wouldn’t have gotten a fucking thing if not for me, you understand?”

“But that is what–”

“I took it!”

He paused, waiting to see if I was done, and put his hand gently on my shoulder, intending to calm me down.

“Everyone knows you won the day, Blackjack,” Drovani said, smiling. He softened his handsome features as much as a golden demon can, but I could sense how tense he was. He wasn’t scared, despite my innumerable feats of strength, but the Vershani was wary nonetheless.

I felt my anger wane, if only for the moment, and shook my head in frustration.

“I’m sorry, Drovani,” I said, and he smiled.

“Perhaps this is how you humans become friends. You fight, then drink, then are like brothers.”

I laughed, “Sometimes, yeah.”

“Very well,” he said, slapping my shoulder. “I think I shall enjoy being your brother. Now come, the goddess wishes your company. We shall take the next skiff to my ship.”

I looked at him, a bit impressed. “Your ship?”

He pointed to the big one. “It’s mine.”

“Nice,” I said, following him down the stairs to the main deck.

“We must find you worthy clothes,” Drovani laughed. “And you must bathe. You smell like a Vrekoshen. A good bath and a warm meal will clear you of the effects of Artenanka. It is strong stuff, my friend.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Oh, what’s her name?”

“The goddess?”

I nodded.

“She is First Khalifa of Eleisshan and her name is Aryani Ynis Mayawethriadnerulissë Arquelessiel.”

“All of that?”

Drovani smiled. “If she becomes fond of you, you will be allowed to call her Aryani.”

“Aryani,” I said, half-ignoring the warning in his tone.

The longboat struggled against the swirling eddies of Shard World, traveling at a hard angle into them and keeping us on course to the Vershani ship. Drovani didn’t speak the whole way, standing in front of me like Washington crossing the Delaware, beaming as if he had rescued the goddess all by himself. I was sure he’d take credit for it, reap the reward. The bastard was opportunistic if he was anything.

I just wanted a chance at the tall brunette.

As we came closer to the big ship, the Vershani crew noticed us and began lining the gunwales, climbing up the rigging when the sides of the ship were too crowded. A song began and all joined in, a song that was reminiscent of the national anthem of an eastern bloc nation.

Drovani stood straighter, waving at his people, catching the longline himself to drag us beside the big ship. He hopped off before the longboat bounced on the hard sides of the Vershani vessel, and the crew mobbed him like Sicilians welcoming Patton’s liberating army.

I came to my feet, stumbling once the longboat pilot slammed us alongside the Vershani dreadnought, but I caught myself and jumped after Drovani. Several Vershani warriors in splendid armor pointed spears at me, and one commander-looking fellow drew his sword and approached me. It was only when Drovani called them off that they reluctantly checked their weapons and let me pass.

Drovani came up to me, clasped my arm, and raised it in the air, yelling at the crew in his rapid-fire tongue. The crew then added me to their jubilation. I felt like Lawrence of Arabia at Aqaba as every Vershani warrior struggled through the throng to salute me by slapping my arms or shoulder, tussling my hair and face. Some even grabbed my biceps in wonderment, comparing my muscled arms to their smaller limbs. Surrounded by members of only one race, I was like a Gulliver in a sea of Lilliputians. On the Lady’s Nightmare there were plenty of folks bigger or taller than I, like Skeetrix, Gav, or Morlocki, but here I towered over even the biggest of the Vershani, who must not have been more than five feet tall.

I looked around the deck and also noticed something: there were no female Vershani. There were also a large number of tiny androgynous creatures, with skin like one of those gray, hairless cats, sporting long twisted ears that dangled downward as if dragging behind. These little things painted the decks and railings, cleaned sails and rigging, and did just about everything on the ship that needed doing. In fact, they were the only ones doing anything aboard, wretches keeping the vessel in working order while the Vershani enjoyed the fruits of their labor.

The jubilant Vershani swept me to the wheelhouse, with Drovani leading the way. He jumped up onto the railing overlooking the main deck and gave a rousing speech. I didn’t understand a word, still excluded from his language by his magic translation spell, but he referred to me several times to raucous cheering. Eventually, two of the female Vershani came above and Drovani motioned for me to follow them. They led me below decks and I noticed the vast difference between the pirate ship and this one. The pirate ship had been a cramped wooden crate, musty and dark, with low roofs and narrow passageways. Stairways were sharply angled and dangerous, basically ladders. The Vershani ship, on the other hand, felt vast and open, with huge chambers, sweeping staircases, and styling more like what you’d expect in a Roman palace. Mosaics decorated the floors and tapestries hung on the walls, and everything was well illuminated, a stark contrast to the Lady’s Nightmare.

The female Vershani were larger than the males, almost as tall as a human man and with a sturdier build than their male counterparts. The two who guided me had lighter skin as well, more like a bronze hue atop a pale base than the bright metallic sheen of the males, giving them a look more akin to a well-tanned human woman. Their hair was long and black, pulled back into twin tails with long threads of silver silk. They wore cropped tops with sheer sleeves and a silver bodice, with matching red velvet pants that made them look like something out of Arabian Nights. They wore nothing on their faces, and only minimal jewelry save some gold bangle bracelets.

They led me to a large chamber dominated by a decorated pond, replete with colorful fish that reminded me of Retcon’s idyllic koi pond. Perched on a golden ring were several red and yellow birds with long plumage and even longer tail feathers. One of them spread its wings and shook them for a moment before returning to its feeding bowl. Plants rose from the pond and ringed the room, making it feel more like a hidden oasis than a chamber deep in the bowels of a ship.

One of the girls motioned for me to enter the pond down a set of steps, and when I hesitated, she went in first and beckoned me to follow. I shrugged and went in, figuring I could use a bath. The water was cold at first, and the small fish scattered when my body entered the pond. The first girl flashed a smile when I flinched from the cold water, revealing teeth more like mine, rather than Drovani’s sharp fangs. She motioned me to follow her to the deepest part of the pond, where the water reached her waist and halfway up my thigh. More girls came out of nowhere, surrounding me and gently making me come to my knees. They reached into the water, coming out with blue and red sponges with which they scrubbed my body clean. It felt like the sponges were covered in some sort of anesthetic, or perhaps it was the water itself, because I felt the tingling cold of the water fade and my senses dull. Then again, I had these attractive creatures rubbing my upper body, shoulders and head, and the feeling was intoxicating. The lead girl stayed in front of me, whispering something softly in her tongue, the seductive repetitiveness of her voice lending itself to the euphoria of the moment.

“What are you saying?” I asked her. She smiled, cupping her hands in the water and lifting them over my head to spill their contents all over my face.

“Seshine,” she said, so close I could feel her breath on my face.

With her hands she rubbed my cheeks and eyes, massaging tired muscles along my face and jaw, on my chin and lips. I couldn’t help myself, reaching out and feeling the smallness of her waist, pulling her closer to me.

“Alessine, Seshine,” she said, and when I opened my eyes, I saw her smiling and shaking her head playfully. Perhaps now wasn’t the time, but my, did I feel like it was! The others continued unabated, ignoring the two of us. I brought her closer to me, one hand around the curve of her back and the other reaching down her leg, then coming up to her small breasts.

“Alessine,” she said again, and I wasn’t sure if it was her name, or if she wanted me to stop. Her face told me to go on so I pressed my chest against hers to give her a kiss, but she brought her hand gently across my mouth, letting me know it wasn’t all right.

“Sorry,” I said, letting her go, but she didn’t recoil or retreat. She stayed right where she was, lowering her hand, her blue eyes flashing from my lips to my eyes. Only then did I notice the other girls had stopped their ministrations and were watching us with a growing sense of curiosity.

“I don’t understand,” I said.

She was tempted, coming closer, caught in the same feeling I was, pressing against my body. I reached down and held her buttocks, so tiny in my massive hands, lifting her toward me until we were but a few inches from each other. The girl had a hard time keeping her eyes open almost in a stupor, and I felt my whole body responding to hers.

Before we could kiss, though, one of the girls behind me made a coughing sound and I turned to see someone was approaching from the hallway we had used to enter the room. I put the girl down in time for Drovani to enter the chamber, wearing the same clothes as before but now sporting a long, regal cape, with a pair of adjutants in tow.

“My friend,” he said, either unaware of what was about to happen, or unconcerned.

“Hey,” I responded, looking back at the girl who had shaken the moment off and now just sat in the water with her head bowed low, subservient to Drovani like the other girls.

He snapped at them and they returned to cleaning me.

“They will clean you and prepare you for the goddess,” he said.

I nodded, realizing I had completely forgotten about her in the bliss that had overtaken me.

Drovani came up to the edge of the pond and crouched so we would be closer to eye level, giving the girls instructions.

“Your women are beautiful,” I said, still feeling the girl’s warmth on my chest and face.

“They have their uses,” he said. “These girls, take them if you wish. Do what you want with them. They are your rewards, if you like.”

“And the goddess?”

He laughed.

“You must save your energy, I suppose. These two men,” he motioned to the two armed Vershani soldiers that flanked him, “Hroneth and Elgar. They are your bodyguards. They will die before you are harmed. I have taught them the basics of your tongue, so anything you need, they will ensure you have, including food, drink and ... well, anything else within reason.”

“Thank you,” I said.

He stood.

“No, thank you, my friend. Because of you, our world will have life and not death. Because of you, my people have a future instead of a certain doom. I could spend a lifetime thanking you, rewarding you, and it would prove unworthy of the thanks my people owe you.” He bowed curtly. “I do not wish to trouble you with affairs of state, or talk of politics. Instead, you must eat, rest, and bathe. In the name of the goddess, I could smell you from above decks. Later on we will speak more, and you will have an audience with the goddess herself.”

“Aryani,” I said, and noticed how everyone bristled at the mention of her name.

Drovani smiled, “Yes. But please refer to her as ‘Goddess’ for your own sake.”

I nodded, looking back at the girl, who had barely moved.

“What does Seshine mean?” I asked.

He looked over at the girl, his expression suddenly stern, almost murderous.

“That one used the term?”

Drovani was tense, his fingers clenched. He was quick to anger, that one. This was the third time he had gone from friendly and fun-loving to dangerous in the blink of an eye.

I moved over to her reflexively, “Easy,” I told him.

He sneered a threat to her and the girl began to cry, but he took a step back when he saw me interceding between them.

“It means ‘consort,’ Blackjack,” he said, becoming calm and composed as fast as it had taken him to turn baneful. “In the feast of celebration, the goddess will proclaim you and grant you both title and property. You will become as wealthy as the richest of our people, with thousands of...” Drovani struggled for the right word a moment before finding it, “...workers. A large estate in our home world, and one hundred Harkul Champions, like Elgar and Hroneth here, who answer only to you.”