Slave Trade - Sword Point Politics
Slave Trade
Sword-Point Politics
copyright 2013 comidacomida
Sidney looked neither left nor right as he made his way out of the stables. He didn't check to see who was present and didn't bother to acknowledge anyone who glanced his way; in the fox's mind, he had little time to present himself to Lord Hector before Lord Talvin. In the end, however, as the slave master emerged from the stables, he could clearly see that he'd already lost.
The wolf was standing beside a strange looking metal carriage without any apparent draft beasts. Within arm's reach of the visiting lord was the stag, his silvery fur alight with motes of gold and orange reflected from the dawning sun. The regal elk's ears were focused on the wolf, who was obviously well-into a discussion of some topic which was surely beyond Sidney's understanding, but the fox was not concerned with that in the least because Lord Hector's eyes were focused only on him.
Sidney moved with as much poise and grace as if he were performing in the bedroom, enjoying the chance to saunter for his master, but the fox was also skilled and moving quickly while doing so, and wasted no time closing the gap between himself and the two lords. Only once there was a break in what appeared to be Lord Talvin's one-sided conversation did Sidney offer his master a bow. He then turned and courteously did the same for the wolf.
"Good morning, Sidney." Lord Hector inclined his head.
"Hector..." Lord Talvin's voice was immediately full of chiding good-humor, "Do you mean to tell me that you do not have your slave master presentable in the morning?"
Sidney paused at the comment and immediately realized that he had not bothered to smooth his fur, straighten the longer fluff on his head or of his tail, and he certainly hadn't done much more than haphazardly toss his limited clothing on; he barely avoided wilting when he realized he must have looked horrible. Lord Hector stalled any self reproach the fox had been preparing by smiling pleasantly and offering in return a simple, "You ARE an hour early, my friend."
"Early... late... on time..." the wolf mused, "Time makes such little difference in the scheme of things, is that not what you once told me, my dear stag?"
"You forget your countrymen are the ones who created clocks." the stag responded casually, "I find it hard to believe that any Tenvierian cares so little about schedules."
"Ha... I spent far too many years worrying about schedules, my sweet Lord Hector." the wolf waved the concern away as he turned to regard Sidney. The fox took a tentative step closer to Lord Hector when Lord Talvin's predatory gaze landed upon him. "The sun has risen from its sleep so why not we?" the wolf smiled at the slave master despite the comment being recited for the stag's benefit.
Lord Hector's ears raised in mild amusement, "Quoting Vensian poets now, are we?" the stag's hand moved over and began smoothing out Sidney's mane; the fox felt his knees grow weak and all the fur along the back of his neck stand on end.
"Decidedly not as beautiful a line when spoken in Prossian..." Lord Talvin's gaze returned to the stag, and the wolf licked his muzzle, "Though, considering the context in which it was written, I still find it... stimulating."
"Indeed... not unlike your ever-engaging conversation." Lord Hector nodded, "And, however stimulating our discourse may be, I am afraid that I must claim my slave master for a few more minutes before turning him over to your care."
The wolf offered a deep, courtly bow, "Never let it be said that Lord Talvin is anything less than a gracious guest. By all means, my friend... take as much time as you desire, only so long as you note the time at which we depart and consider my return on the morn to be no earlier than twenty four hours hence."
"And THERE is that well-documented Tenvierian dedication to the clock." the stag winked playfully, "Now..." he took gentle hold of Sidney's slave collar and urged him toward the side of the manor, "...if you will excuse us..." The fox followed his master obediently until they were out of view and, supposedly, out of earshot of the visiting Lord, "Good morning, Sidney." Lord Hector spoke up in greeting when they were finally alone. It was so casual a comment that it practically caught the fox off his guard.
"Good morning, Master." the slave master responded purely by reflex, his mind racing to process the blithe nature of the conversation. The levity, however, did not last long.
"I would like you to do whatever Lord Talvin requests of you."
"Yes, Master." Sidney nodded, feeling a faint pit develop in his stomach in response to the direct order.
His ears and tail must have drooped because the stag obviously noticed, "Calm yourself, Sidney... Lord Talvin is any ally and, despite some rather... eccentric ways, I can think of nobody else I would trust more with any of my slaves."
"Yes, Master." there was no other possible response, but Sidney DID feel a little better at his master's reassurance.
"Lord Talvin is likely having the carriage loaded while we speak. We have made additional agreements this morning and I need assistance in transporting several important pieces of cargo." the stag took the discussion time to smooth out more of the fox's fur; despite the fact that he knew it was for Lord Talvin's benefit, Sidney had to fight back a smile as he felt desired and appreciated due to the attention he was getting, "Most of all," the stag added, taking a step back to assess the slave master's appearance, "I expect you to learn as much as you can during your stay with my good friend the wolf."
Sidney bowed his head, "As you wish, Master." and started at the small 'tink' that sounded as Lord Hector attached a mid-length green lead to his collar.
Without another word, the stag led the fox back to the carriage which, as per Lord Hector's comment, did appear to sit slightly lower to the ground, its strange wheels appearing to flex from what was obviously a good amount of added weight within the transport. Lord Talvin, who was looking in one of the door and saying a few calm words to whomever was inside, finished up the conversation and looked back to the two as they approached, "Ah... nothing quite as breathtaking as a lightesome, pliant, and handsome little fox obediently adorned with a finely woven, verdigris lead."
"You are always at your most verbose when impressed." the stag offered, handing the leash to the wolf." "Why thank you, Hector and if I might say--"
"...or when you're trying too hard to impress." the stag added, providing the wolf a sound smack on his rump as he departed, "Tomorrow, at nine." and Lord Hector didn't stay around for further discussion.
The insides of Lord Talvin's ears reddened slightly and he glanced at Sidney, who quickly looked away, "I have no doubt," the wolf commented, "that you realize how fortunate you are to have such a fine master like Lord Hector." Sidney, of course, did.
* * * * * *
For some unknown reason, Lord Talvin elected to ride on the roof of the carriage, and had Sidney do so with him; based on the fact that there was an easily accessible ladder beside the windowless carriage door, the fox assumed it was not at all an abnormal request. Despite the strange accomodations, the fresh morning breeze blowing in his face was pleasant and Sidney found the transportation to be strangely comfortable. As the slave master gazed forward down the road, however, the absent beasts of burden made the entire experience surreal.
"Marvelous, is it not, Sidney?" questioned Lord Talvin, seated with his legs crossed on the roof of the carriage beside him, "Tenvierian ingenuity, my dear fox... the ability to pass easily from point A to point B without the need of a draft animal or a jument slave."
Sidney's response was automatic, "Yes, Lord Talvin." Sidney leaned back to better view the wolf, supporting his weight on one arm as he glanced over his shoulder.
"You silly little fox." Lord Talvin reached out and pushed against the inside nook of the fox's elbow, causing him to fall onto his back, "I wanted your opinion, not your agreement." The wolf stared down at Sidney, one paw on the slave's chest, pushing his back against the roof of the carriage, "Now... have you ever seen a steedless carriage before?" "I have not, Lord Talvin." Sidney admitted instantly.
"And what do you think of it?" the wolf inquired, lifting his paw from its place on the fox's sternum.
"It scares me." the slave master admitted, "Moving forward without being pulled along feels wrong."
"Ah... of course..." Lord Talvin acknowledged, paw absently migrating to the top of Sidney's head as the fox sat up, "I grew up in Tenvier, thus it is not particularly noteworthy." and the wolf gave him a gentle pat between the ears before taking his paw back.
"You do not have an accent." the observation was out of Sidney's muzzle before he could stop it.
Rather than get angry, however, the wolf laughed, "Ah yes... but accents can be faked easily enough, Sidney the Bane." Lord Talvin winked, "So much of life is not about who we are, rather, it is about who we present ourselves to be." Sidney held his tongue but his ears gave away his curiosity; the wolf noticed it readily, "I esspek yew to speek to me, Sidney." Lord Talvin noted, his words immediately switching to an accent the slave had only heard on rare occasions; it was seamless Tenvierian, "If yew do no' ask questions, how do yew esspek to learn?"
The fox was stunned by the sudden change in the wolf's dialect, but he recovered quickly enough to do as Lord Talvin had bid, "Why would you fake where you're from?"
Lord Talvin's tail twitched side-to-side as he smirked, "Ah, my fren'... an' THAT is the real question." Sidney realized at that moment that, despite the wolf's apparent openness, there were probably any number of inquiries that he wouldn't answer. The fox chose to stick to a safer course instead.
"How does the carriage move?" he asked.
"Fair enough." the lord acknowledged, his words coming out with the earlier Diermynian accent, and he began to explain the method the transport used, not only to move on its own, but also how it stayed on the road without any guidance. In the end, Sidney felt his brain begin to hurt and he was actually no closer to understanding it than when they first began, "And so," the wolf offered in closing, "Tis more a matter of having the control key and having a clear destination than any supposed 'witchcraft' you may hear about from the unenlightened Prossian gossip circuit."
Considering the fact that Lord Talvin brought it up, the fox knew exactly what he would ask as a follow-up question, "DO Tenvierians practice witchcraft, Lord Talvin?"
"Not in the way some Prossians suggest, no." the wolf shook his head, "My homeland is known for some grand creations, but the artificing that is common from Tenivier is a far cry from the fate weaving and fortune charms of the Vensians."
"Grand creations?" one of Sidney's ears drooped, "Like the Sardassi?" he asked, feeling his tail tuck behind him at the merest mention of the device.
"Ah, Hector... you shrewd son of a bitch." the supposed insult was spoken in a smooth tone of Diermynian admiration, and Sidney had a hard time trying to figure out the reason for such a comment, and he lost a chance to consider it further when Lord Talvin's eyes met his and held him in a stare, "He had mentioned that you were introduced to it... I trust that the education has been less than ideal?"
"Lord Hector said that I am not to discuss it." the fox noted resolutely.
"Ah... of course... of course." Lord Talvin nodded thoughtfully, "Although I assume he also means for you to be close-lipped around those not as intimately familiar with it as I." the smile on the wolf's muzzle made Sidney feel almost as uncomfortable as the lord's use of the word 'intimate'.
"I do not understand." Sidney spoke plainly, hoping it would encourage Lord Talvin to further explain-- it did.
"The Sardassi was a gift from me." Lord Talvin inclined his head slightly in the fox's direction, "I gave it to him, you see."
Both of Sidney's ears went up, "You gave it to him?"
Lord Talvin smirked and reached out to caress the side of one of Sidney's ears, "And here your master had told me that you have good hearing." he chuckled, "Yes, Sidney... I maintain a number of fine, artificed items I have collected, gathered, and commissioned over the years."
"Why did you give him the Sardassi?" the fox asked, mind blank of anything other than the sudden revelation.
"As I said," Lord Talvin noted casually, "It was a gift..." the comment was offered up in casually aloof fashion but, after the chiding remark, the wolf leaned in closer as if about to reveal a secret, and he whispered, "Your master had a great desire for it when he first saw it, and, in my infinite generosity, I gifted it to him."
"Gifted--"
"Hector and I have quite a history together..." Lord Talvin stated in a matter-of-fact tone, "And the Sardassi is one of many pages in that history ." he leaned back, raising a paw to his face as if to examine the claws on it despite the fact that it was gloved, "Besides... I have others, you know."
"Other Tenvierian items?" the fox inquired, glancing at the trees that slid by in the foreground. The carriage had just passed into some thick woodland, and Sidney couldn't help but admire the change in scenery. It felt so strange to be so liberal with his questions, and the power to learn left him just a little drunk with freedom, "You have other items like the Sardassi?" his ears lowered slightly, "A lot of them?"
"Of course... though I meant specifically other Sardassi." the nobleman lowered his gloved paw and looked back to Sidney, "Tell me, Sidney... do you--"
Whatever question Lord Talvin was about to ask never was finished as the wolf reached out and grabbed hold of Sidney's leash, yanking him onto his back as an arrow whistled overhead. An imposing shout of "STOP THE CARRIAGE" was all the warning the fox heard... and that wasn't until after he was laying on the roof of the transport.
"What is the meaning of this??!" Lord Talvin spoke, his fur standing on end as the transport halted in the middle of the road. The wolf bared his teeth, "I am Lord--"
"Who you are is no surprise." the soft, well-spoken voice sent a shiver up Sidney's spine; he recognized it readily.
Apparently so did the wolf, "Lady Fody..." he didn't bother to relax his noiseless snarl and he turned to regard the ferret woman as she emerged from the undergrowth beside the road, "I assume there is a good reason why you are here in the forest with random ruffians who obviously do not mind firing their bows at passing noblemen?" his words dripped with displeasure, and yet, somehow the wolf maintained a courtly tone.
"Oh...?" the ferret woman paused, resting a hand on her chest as if taken aback by the observation, "I am certain I have no idea to what you are referring, my dear Lord Talvin... I am merely out for a ride this fine morning."
"Then I trust you would have no capacity to call off the four bowmen lurking in the trees, or the half-dozen axe men in the bushes?" the comment was spoken by the wolf with dull indifference, but Sidney didn't share the same bravado; there were murderous bandits hiding in the forest, and the fox didn't like that one bit.
"Oh..." the ferret woman laughed, dabbing at the side of her neck with a laced kerchief, "Well... I have a fair share of sway with any number of common folk, dear Lord Talvin. I'm certain if a fellow noble were in distress I could render aid."
"And I assume said aid would be free," the wolf's sarcasm was NOT hidden, "and full of good will and well-meaning charity."
"Doubtlessly." Lady Fody smiled, not unlike a smile Sidney would expect a snake to give to a mouse before it struck, "In this case, I have no doubt that any bandits, highwaymen, and charlatans on THIS road would gladly disburse for the small, petty fee of... oh... I don't know..." she overplayed a theatrical version of thinking to herself, "Perhaps some fox slave or other... nothing important."
"Your audacity astounds me, Fody Dejaron..." Lord Talvin slid off the side of the carriage and landed on his feet beside it, "To attempt to take Lord Hector's property by force not once, but TWICE and still playing at--"
"I'm certain I have no idea what you mean." the ferret interrupted.
"You know precisely what I mean... MY LADY..." the wolf strode forward toward her, "And I, for one, will not--"
"Will not what, chuckles?" questioned an ENORMOUS elephant, emerging from behind a thick oak, an axe resting on his shoulder. Sidney did NOT miss the fact that the man-at-arms wore Lady Fody's house colors.
"Oh?" Lord Talvin's eyes went from the elephant to Lady Fody, and he smirked, "So first you try it with Grinders... and once that failed you become desperate enough to resort to hired help instead of easily manipulated road trash..."
Sidney watched the way the ferret shifted in the saddle, and saw the tell-tale signs of her fur standing on end; Lady Fody was NOT pleased, "Perhaps you would care to clarify what you mean, my dear."
"Do you have any idea how long it took me to clean my sword after trail blazing my way through that many Grinders?" the wolf inquired, leaning on a walking stick. Sidney didn't recall the wolf having a walking stick, but what he was more focused on was the way the ferret's fingers tightened their grip on the reins she held.
"I wondered why they couldn't accomplish something as simple as--" she began, but Sidney's brain went off on a different tangent when the wolf's words sunk in; he alone had killed all of those Grinders? When the fox had first seen Lord Talvin ascend the ridge to join them in the cave Sidney thought that the wolf probably had guardsmen with him to fight off the Grinders, but if what he said was true--
"Enough." Lady Fody's snarl cut Sidney's thought short, "I do despise spilling noble blood, but this has already gotten too messy to overlook loose ends." she pointed, "Kill him... fetch the fox."
Lord Talvin maintained his grip on his cane but his other paw, which had been in his pocket, suddenly emerged, and a small glass vial came out with it, and it was tossed onto the rocks at his feet. A faint pop sounded later from the spot on the ground, and the area was suddenly filled with smoke. Sidney let out a cry of surprise and alarm as the carriage beneath him suddenly rocked, and a great weight shifted within it before the door opened but, by then, the entire area was shrouded in the dense, white, sulfur-scented smoke.
"Get the fox, you idiots!" Lady Fody cried from across the road, and Sidney ducked down, hearing the sound of arrows whistling overhead. Somewhere off in the featureless white beyond Sidney's vision he heard a small bang, followed by another.
"Tenvierian arms!" shouted the voice that Sidney recalled belonging to the elephant, followed by the sound of a solid flesh-on-flesh impact.
"It's called a fusil, thank you." Lord Talvin's voice spoke up with his Tenvierian accent playing through. The comment was finished off by another loud bang, and the sound of a heavy body hitting the ground. By then, the smoke started to dissipate, and what Sidney saw caught him by complete surprise.
On the far side of the road, Lord Talvin stood with a long, thin blade in one paw; it had the same grip as his cane which, the fox reasoned, had apparently been a carefully disguised scabbard. The wolf's left paw was pointed toward the fallen elephant, who had a large, gaping hole where one of his eyes had once been; beside him lay two other dead warriors, each with similar wounds in their chests. A faint trail of gray smoke rose from the left wrist-hem of the wolf's fine tunic; Sidney just managed to make out a thin metal tube sticking out from beneath it before Lord Talvin quickly concealed it from view.
The lord, however, was not what surprised Sidney the most. Standing in the middle of five dead bodies was Maern. As it became quickly apparent that there were no more foes, the stallion drew himself to his full height, relaxing his combat stance, and looked back to the fox, who, still laying on the top of the carriage, was head-height to the large horse, "Hell-oh, Sid-ney." Maern offered in greeting.
"Maern?" the slave master gaped, "What are YOU doing here? I thought--"
"KILL HIM!" Lady Fody cried from her place on her steed. At first, Sidney was worried that she was ordering Maern's execution, then he realized that her eyes were focused on Lord Talvin, who was closing in on her. Only once the fox had finished going over the obvious choices did he stop to take stock and realize that her finger was pointing right at Sidney himself! "KILL HIM NOW!" she screeched.
A slight motion in the branches over the ferret's head signaled the location of the bowman. Eyes wide, Sidney watched in slow motion as the arrow raised to his level, set in the bow as the archer drew the string back... and, suddenly, Sidney lost his balance as Maern tilted the carriage back, lifting up on the side facing the archer.
The fox quickly scrambled to find purchase on the smooth top, and just barely managed to grab hold of the lip of the side, hanging by his fingers. *CLANG!* the arrow bounced off the side of the transport, causing the fox's paws to open in surprise, and he slid right off of it and onto the ground with a resounding, painful *thump*.
"Maern!" Lord Talvin's voice shouted from the other side of the carriage, "Kuus ih!" it took Sidney a moment to realize that the wolf was speaking in Vensian.
"Iya, Lord Tal-vin." the stallion replied, and Sidney, from his vantage on the ground, saw Maern reach down and tear an enormous cobble-stone rock from the road. The horse planted one hoof... and took a step with the other. The fox heard the slave grunt with strain, tracked the sound of a very large object as it hurtled through the air, and winced at the fleshy impact it made when it hit its target... then a second, similar sound when the stricken archer landed on the ground. There was no further noise from that part of the field.
"Now, as for you, my dear Lady Fody--" Lord Talvin spoke up.
He was interrupted by a loud "HYAH!" and the sound of reins striking flesh.
"Maern?" the wolf inquired calmly. Sidney heard the sound of an affirmative snort from the stallion, "Kuus ih... ov koss hull."
"Iya, Lord Tal-vin." Maern confirmed, and Sidney saw the horse's hooves become a blur as he raced off out of view. "Sidney?" the wolf called his name aloud, "Where are you, my dear boy?"
The fox slowly got to his feet, "Here, Lord Tal--OW!" and he stumbled when he attempted to put weight on his ankle; it took a few moments for the adrenaline to drain away, and, only then did it sink in that his foot was turned in the wrong direction, "oh..." he murmured.
It had not been the worst injury Sidney had ever suffered, but the fox greatly despised being lamed. He did his best to hide it as Lord Talvin rounded the carriage, but the wolf's observant eyes picked it up right away, "You're wounded..."
"I fell off the transport." Sidney admitted, somehow managing to avoid looking sheepish as he disclosed it; something about having been shot at gave him the impression that his ankle injury wouldn't be chalked up to clumsiness.
"Ah... I see... then we'd best get you seated inside." Lord Talvin acknowledged.
"Maern is with us?" Sidney felt no need to hold his tongue since the wolf had not yet revoked his right to ask questions.
"Indeed he is." the nobleman confirmed, "Your master is very keen and highly insightful." Lord Talvin lowered his head and wrapped one of Sidney's arms around his neck, leading him to the carriage door, "Lucky for both of us, I would say."
"He... suggested Maern come with?"
Lord Talvin chuckled, "Demanded is more like it... Lord Hector can be quite stubborn when he wants to get his way, you know." and he lifted the fox up, easing him into the finely appointed traveling coach; Sidney realized it smelled strongly of Maern, "Besides..." the wolf continued, closing the door after getting in himself, "He said that you and Maern had some talking to do, and I am not one to step between a Slave Master and a slave."
If Sidney was expecting Lord Talvin to stay in the carriage with him, he was sorely mistaken. The wolf practically oozed across the interior and, in a seamless motion, had the door open and was dropping to the ground, "Now," the wolf offered in courtly fashion, "If you would be so kind as to excuse me, my fine slave master, I believe I hear Maern on his way back with our quarry." and, as if on cue, the stallion emerged from the undergrowth with a disheveled-looking Lady Fody under one arm.
Transfixed by the spectacle of a noblewoman at the mercy of an imposing slave like Maern, Sidney watched as Lord Talvin directed the stallion to set her down. Although there was a decent amount of distance between the carriage and the far side of the road, the fox was just able to make out snippets of conversation. Though he missed a large portion of it, Sidney did catch that Lord Talvin was accusing her of some kind of unpleasant act... and she wasn't making any attempt at denying his accusation.
The conversation went on for several minutes until the ferret finally looked up... and spat in the wolf's face. At that point, Lord Talvin turned to Maern and spoke something quietly to him. The stallion nodded and, without saying a word, returned to the carriage. Sidney scooted back across the seat as the large horse climbed in, "Hell-oh, Sid-ney." he repeated his earlier greeting, "Uh.. good morn-ing." he elaborated.
"Maern?" the memories of the previous night began to well up inside the fox, and he found himself blabbering an explanation mixed with an apology mixed with incoherent rambling. The stallion raised a finger and a thumb and, gently sticking the finger over the bridge of the fox's nose, and hooking his thumb up onder Sidney's chin, brought them together-- the slave master fell silent when Maern applied gentle (for him) pressure, shutting his muzzle.
"Sid-ney..." Maern stated, staring right at him with his icy blue eyes, "Lord Heck-tor..." the stallion's muzzle screwed up for a moment, ears flicking alternately, "He... he say." the horse offered in explanation.
"Hnnh?" the fox questioned, muzzle still held shut.
"Lord Heck-tor... say..." Maern pointed with his free hand to Sidney, then to himself, "Bzzt." the stallion added as a sound effect.
"HE'LL KILL YOU!" Sidney heard Lady Fody's screech clearly, "HE'LL HAVE YOU HANGED AND LEFT TO FEED THE BIRDS! HE'LL CU--" and she went suddenly silent, sending an uneasy chill up the fox's spine.
"Yes?" Maern asked, pulling the fox's attention back to the stallion; the powerful fingers were suddenly released from Sidney's muzzle. The horse seemed completely unconcerned by the shouting and immediate silence.
"Lord Hector..." Sidney repeated back to the horse, "he said...?" the fox hoped that Maern could tell he was confused.
"Iya... yes." the stallion nodded, "Lord Heck-tor said." and the slave motioned between himself and the fox.
"Um..." Sidney paused, "What did he say?"
The conversation stalled as Lord Talvin climbed back into the transport. The wolf wiped at the blood on his paws with a fine silk kerchief; Sidney recognized it as Lady Fody's. "All better..." he smiled pleasantly at Sidney, tossing the soiled cloth out the window, "Time to continue our journey."
"Lord Tal-vin..." Maern spoke up, "Hua huus di 'sidohu' ni Prossiani?"
Lord Talvin glanced between the slave and Slave Master before looking back to the horse, "Huus doma 'explain', Maern."
Maern nodded his head in thanks, then looked right back to Sidney, "Lord Hector ex-plane." and the stallion pointed at Sidney, then himself, and made the 'bzzt' sound-effect again. The faint widening of the horse's eyes and the quivering of his ears that accompanied the immitated sound should have been funny, but Sidney suddenly realized exactly what Maern meant, forestalling any humor to it.
The slave master glanced at Lord Talvin, who was watching them both intently. The fox did NOT like the knowing smirk that perched on the wolf's lips... no, not at all. "We'd best continue on our way..." the carriage began moving once more and Lord Talvin tented his paws in front of himself as he gazed across the cabin at Sidney, "that ankle will need tending to." the noble man's smile was genuine, but Sidney couldn't get past the scent of scorched sulphur that wafted up from the wolf's sleeve.