Page 49 of Into The Rift

“Nothing and that’s the point. Both are way too beautiful. The other residents will learn you belong to me, if we’re here long enough, but until they do, maybe you can tie your hair back. I don’t suppose you’d wear a veil?”

“Are you crazy?”

He shrugged. “Just a thought.” He gave me one last kiss and then turned to leave the room. “You can bathe in that room over there, if you like, and I’ll go find the servants to prepare us something to eat.” He pulled out a small device from his pocket. “This is a translation device. Use this if anyone tries to talk to you before I get back. I’ve programmed it for you.”

“Thank you,” I said, delighted that he’d thought about that and wanted to help me. “This will help a lot.”

“It will. And will it tell me what to say in return?”

“No, unfortunately. Tygerian is not one of the languages it already knows, though I’ll work on trying to program it in.”

I kissed his cheek and he blushed a little. “Be good. Stay inside these rooms and I’ll be back soon.”

Since the idea of a bath sounded really good, I went in the room he’d pointed out and found the bathing facilities, which weren’t all that difficult to figure out once I’d sorted out the various knobs and levers. I took a hot shower, using some of the huge assortment of soaps in a dish beside the big tub, and I felt much better. There were drying cloths hanging up, so after I finished, I wrapped myself in one large one and went out to select one of the robes to wear.

I found one that was in a pretty amber color that I thought matched my eyes and slipped it on. It wasn’t scratchy, like I’d feared, because it was fully lined with a soft material. I used the comb I found in a drawer to comb out my hair so it would dry without tangles, and by that time Niko had come back in. He gave me an appreciative look and sat down on the end of the bed.

“You look good enough to eat. I might just do that after I rest here a moment.”

“Promises, promises,” I said and sat next to him.

He angled a look down at me. “I miss the days when you were frightened of me.”

“I was never frightened, and no you don’t.” I leaned in closer and whispered in his ear. “Have you thought yet of what to do? I know we just got here, but we have a problem we came here to solve.”

“You don’t,” he said decisively. “I told you I want you to stay out of this. To answer your question, I’ve thought of a dozen things, but I haven’t settled on any of them yet. You saw how contentious our relationship is at the council meeting. There’s no question of gaining his trust and insinuating myself into his company. I’ll have to find another way.”

There was a soft knock on the door and the servants came in to set several trays on a table near the window. It was a low affair, with big cushions instead of chairs. They brought us a platter, laden with heaps of what looked like potatoes and green vegetables fixed in various ways. There were large leaves of some kind filled with meat and rice and skewers of roasted meats, all of which smelled delicious. There were also many sauces and gravies in bowls on the table, and I was amazed at how much they’d brought for just the two of us.

When I said as much to Niko, he seemed surprised. “They’ve just brought us a variety to choose from. Don’t you like these foods?”

“I’m sure I probably will, but that’s not the point. It seems like such a waste.”

That didn’t seem to compute in his brain at all, so I finally gave up. I did tell him I hoped the servants would put away what was left over, and he looked at me oddly and uncomprehendingly again. We were finished with our huge meal, and I’d just sat back and said I couldn’t eat another bite, when a servant came knocking softly again.

“Sir, you have a visitor. It’s Lady Melanius, and she says she needs to speak with you.”

“Melanius?” Niko said, getting quickly to his feet. “Send her in.”

I recognized the name as the lady Niko was supposed to have been having an affair with—Linnius’s wife. I’d thought she was in prison—or so she had the last we’d heard. I quickly slipped in the translator device Niko had given me, because I wanted to eavesdrop. It fit neatly inside my ear.

I heard a rustle of fabric and then the lady herself was walking in, with a jangle of bracelets, in the cloud of heavy perfume that surrounded her. She wore a long red robe similar to the one I was wearing, with an embroidered blue coat over that. Her hair was brown, streaked with blonde and hung down to her shoulders, and she had a pale face that was attractive but unsmiling. Her eyes were a little small. She was a bit older than Niko and looked to be around thirty-five or maybe even forty years old in the way I’d been used to counting time.

Perhaps that was a slight exaggeration, but I wasn’t inclined to be kind. This was a former lover of Niko’s, and I was finding that I was a jealous person.

She gave me one quick, scowling look as she came in, with no attempt at civility at all, and then she went immediately to receive Niko’s greeting—one that was entirely too friendly in my opinion.

He kissed her on both cheeks and held her out from him to gaze at her. “I was told Linnius had put you in prison awaiting execution. I heard that he suspected you in the attempt on his life, and I was worried.”

“You heard correctly, but Linnius, that cowardly (word does not translate, my device told me) doesn’t have the nerve to hurt me. He knows what my family would do to him if he did.”

“Come in and sit down so we can talk. Would you like something to eat or drink?”

“No, tatalus, I’m fine. I rushed here to see you as soon as I heard you had returned.”

That last word she used? Tatalus? My device had translated that as “lover.” I was not pleased, to say the least. I mean, I was standing right there, and I knew she must have heard already that Niko had claimed me. I decided that I truly hated her. She glanced over at me and blanched a little when she saw the look on my face. She turned back to Niko.

“Your hostage is a fierce looking little thing. Is he safe to be around?” She drew closer to Niko, and I think I may have growled a little, which was a mistake, because it only made her grab his arm and get even closer.

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