Innkeeper Chronicles 3.5: Sweep of the Blade Read online

  twinkled in her left ear. A coat of pale sandy fur, covered with tiny blue

  rosettes, sheathed her small body. Her face, with a long muzzle, was a

  meld of cat and fox, and her big emerald green eyes shone slightly when

  the light caught them just right. She wore a diaphanous apron of pale

  pink, decorated with black embroidery.

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  “A kitty,” Helen whispered.

  Ha! The Universe provided a teachable moment. “No, my flower. That’s

  a lees. Remember how I told you about hiding your strength? The lees

  hide their strength. They look cute, but they are dangerous and very

  cunning.” They were also excellent assassins and they would poison

  their enemies in a heartbeat, but that was a lesson she would deliver a

  few years down the road. “See her little apron? She’s from a merchant

  clan. The markings tell you which one. This one is from Clan

  Nuan. Remember how I told you that Grandpa and Grandma were

  innkeepers? They would buy things from Clan Nuan, and sometimes

  they would take me with them. Your grandpa told me to never bargain

  with a lees, unless I absolutely had to. He was right.”

  Helen craned her neck, trying to see better. “At Baha-char?”

  “Yes, my flower. And every time I visited, Nuan Cee, the great Merchant,

  would give me candy. It was the best candy ever and it wasn’t for

  sale. He gave me candy because he liked me, but also because he

  wanted to make a good deal with my parents. It’s hard to bargain with

  someone who made your child happy.”

  They reached the lees. The little fox glanced at them.

  “Greetings,” Maud said.

  “Greetings,” the fox answered.

  “Please pass our respects to the honorable Nuan Cee,” Maud said.

  “You know our clan?” the fox asked.

  “Our family has done business with Clan Nuan. My parents were

  innkeepers. You may know my sister, Dina. She is an innkeeper, also.”

  The little fox froze.

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  Maud tensed.

  “Dina? We know Dina!”

  The little fox grinned, showing all of her tiny teeth, and hopped in place,

  bouncing like a balloon filled with excitement. “We know Dina! You

  come. Come with me now. My uncle twice removed will be so

  happy. Come, come!”

  “We are—”

  The fox grabbed Helen by her hand. “Come with me now!” She ran

  down the hallway and Helen dashed with her.

  Just what they needed. Maud sprinted after them. They turned right,

  then left, then right again, and the fox jumped into the doorway, pulling

  Helen with her. Maud lunged through and slid to a halt.

  Veils in pastel colors draped the stone of vampire walls. Soft, luxurious

  rugs hid the cold floor. Plush furniture, carved from pale wood so ornate,

  Louis XIV would’ve turned green with jealousy, offered seating by little

  tables. Glass and metal bowls sat on the tables, offering fruit, sweets,

  and little pieces of spicy jerky. A dozen lees chatted, snacked, and played

  games. In the center of it all, on a six-foot-wide floor pillow stuffed to a

  three-foot thickness sat Nuan Cee. Silver blue, his fur darkened on his

  back, dapples with golden rosettes, and faded to white on his chest and

  stomach. He wore a beautiful apron of ethereal silver silk embroidered

  with Clan Nuan’s sigils and a necklace of sapphires, each as big as a

  walnut.

  It was like stepping into a Merchant’s shop. Maud almost pinched

  herself.

  The little lees ran into the room, pulling Helen with her. “Dina’s

  sister! And her young!”

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  Helen froze.

  Nuan Cee raised his paw-hands in surprise. “Matilda!”

  He remembered her.

  Suddenly the memories came flooding back. Walking with Mom and Dad

  through the sunlit streets of Baha-char within a current of shoppers from

  all of over the Galaxy, while the galactic bazaar hummed with a million

  voices. Reaching Nuan Cee’s shop, a cool oasis in the middle of the

  desert heat and hearing Nuan Cee’s sing-song voice bargaining and

  chuckling. The taste of ru candy in her mouth. Suddenly she was twelve

  again. Maud almost cried.

  She started moving before she even realized it.

  Nuan Cee pushed off his pillow and took three steps toward Maud. She

  barely registered the honor. She reached him and they hugged.

  “There you are, Matilda,” the Merchant said.

  Somehow she found her voice. “Yes.”

  They broke apart.

  “And who is this?” Nuan Cee widened his turquoise eyes.

  “This is my daughter, Helen.”

  The lees let out a collective squee.

  “She is so cute!”

  “Look at her hair!”

  “Look at her little boots!”

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  Helen stood in the whirlwind of lees, looking slightly freaked out, like a

  cat greeted by a pack of overly enthusiastic little dogs.

  “I am Nuan Ama,” the lees who found them announced. “Come with

  me. We have the best sweets.”

  Maud almost laughed as the lees dragged Helen to the nearest table and

  thrust a dish of candy under her nose.

  “Have you seen your sister?” Nuan Cee asked.

  “Yes. She is all grown up.”

  “And an innkeeper!” Nuan Cee raised his hands. “Who would have

  thought?”

  Maud laughed. It was that or crying.

  “What are you doing here?” Nuan Cee asked.

  “It’s complicated.”

  “Come, come.” He led her to a divan by his pillow. “What are you doing

  here?”

  Someone brought her a glass of sweet wine. Someone else delivered a

  dish of bright red ru candy. She ate one, savoring the taste melting on

  her tongue, sweet with a slight touch of sour, but so refreshing, it was as

  if her whole mouth sang.

  “Tell me all about it,” Nuan Cee said.

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  Chapter 5 Part 1

  March 2, 2018 by Ilona

  Many thanks to Prof. Bronwyn H. Bleakley for her generosity in explaining

  evolution of social behavior to us. All errors of theory, fact, and science

  are

  ours

  alone.

  Tell me all about it.

  Oh you clever, clever lees. Maud leaned back and laughed.

  Clan Nuan watched her, the little foxes caught in identical poses, their

  ears flicking. For some reason it cracked her up even more. She laughed

  until she snorted.

  “Did I say something funny?” Nuan Cee inquired.

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  Maud managed to get the giggles under control, enough to squeeze out

  a few words. “How long was Nuan Ama waiting in that hallway for me?”

  The room was suddenly quiet.

  “I mean, it had to be since the beginning of the dinner, because you had

  no way of knowing if or when I would throw a hissy fit and storm out in

  a huff. I’ve been wondering since I came through the door why the

  Merchant of Baha-char, a distinguished guest, wasn’t at dinner. This is so

  well done, honorable Nuan Cee. The pillows, the veils, even the candy,

  all for my benefit. Here I am, all alone, a stranger in a strange land, and

  you’re bringing back all of
my childhood memories. Such a clever,

  manipulative trap. I’m primed and ready to spill all of my secrets.”

  For a moment the Merchant just stared at her. Then Nuan Cee raised his

  paw-hands and dramatically rolled his eyes. “You can’t win them all.”

  The lees around them giggled.

  “You’re as ruthless as ever,” Maud said.

  “You flatter me, Matilda,” Nuan Cee said.

  “Are there jammers active in here?” she asked.

  “Please.” Nuan Cee waved his left hand. “Of course, there are. We jam

  the audio, but we do give them the video feed. We have to give them

  something or they will throw us out.”

  They were being watched, but not heard. Just what she expected. “Did

  you bug the feast hall?” Maud asked.

  Nuan Cee rocked his head side to side, then grinned. “Yes.”

  Maud chuckled and popped another piece of candy into her mouth.

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  “You can’t blame me, though,” Nuan Cee said. “You wield great influence

  over the Marshal.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far.”

  “Oh please. Arland is besotted with you.”

  “Besotted?”

  “Yes. I’ve used that word correctly. If there was a river of fire and you

  were on the other side of it, he would strip off his ridiculous armor and

  swim through the flames to get to you.”

  Maud laughed. “First, the tachi, then you. What is this really about?”

  “I doubt the tachi know about your relationship. They are academics,”

  Nuan Cee said. “Which does not mean they won’t pounce on you once

  they know.”

  “What is this about?”

  “Business.” Nuan Cee bared a mouth full of sharp teeth. “And a great

  deal of money.”

  “I’m listening.”

  He reached over, took a tall glass of some pink liquid from a side table

  and sipped it. “You have seen the battle station?”

  “I have.”

  “The battle station changed everything. This is now the safest area of

  space within this quadrant. There are many trade routes that intersect

  here, or they could, provided there was a safe haven. A place where a

  spaceship could dock easily without worrying about burning fuel in

  orbit. A place of trade and commerce.”

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  The light went on in Maud’s head. “You want House Krahr to build a

  trading space station.”

  “Yes. And I’m trying to give them money for it.”

  “A space station in vampire territory giving access to other

  species? Dozens of foreign vessels docking in the Holy Anocracy’s

  system? That has never been done.”

  A little lees with turquoise fur brought her a glass of pink wine. Maud

  sipped. It tasted like watermelon, strawberry, and sweet grapes rolled

  into one.

  Nuan Cee groaned. “How can a spacefaring species be so

  closeminded? They already built the battle station. They have made this

  expensive thing that can guard the whole of the system. It is sitting there

  and costing them money. I’m proposing something that would bring a

  huge profit for everyone. There is not a docking station anywhere within

  the quadrant.”

  “Anywhere within the Holy Anocracy’s territory, except for the

  diplomatic space station near the capital star system, as I recall.”

  “Exactly. Dozens of species desperate for a port facility. Dozens of

  species who now have to go around the vampire-controlled space.

  They’re hanging there like ripe fruit. All I am asking the vampires to do

  is to stand under the tree, open their mouths, and let the bounty fall into

  them. They could recoup the cost of the battle station within two years.”

  He was right. The trading space station would earn House Krahr a

  fortune.

  Nuan Cee moaned in genuine distress. “I do not understand. Do they

  not want to make money?”

  “Is that why the tachi are here?”

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  “Yes. They have an archaeological dig on On-Toru. They have to travel

  hundreds of light years out of their way around the vampire space to get

  there. A space station here would give them a near straight shot to that

  colony. They’re willing to pay top prices.”

  Maud leaned back. Getting the vampires out of their “by vampires for

  vampires” mindset would be next to impossible.

  “You know vampires,” Nuan Cee said. “And you have influence with the

  Marshal.”

  “As I said, my influence doesn’t go that far. Dina told me that you and

  House Krahr have reached a settlement on Nexus that made all of you

  rich. You should be the natural ally for the Krahrs. If they are resisting

  you despite all of your shared history, nothing I say would matter. I am

  a nobody here.”

  “You are Matilda Demille.”

  The family name slashed across her memory. Her parents were still

  missing. She missed them so much.

  How would mom go about this?

  “Have you noticed how obsessed with defenses they are?” Maud

  asked. “As a species, the vampires spend more time in armor than out

  of it. Take this castle, for example. A smaller structure would’ve

  sufficed, yet here it is, a monstrous fortress with impossibly thick walls

  and enough defenses to hold off an assault by an overwhelming force. I

  haven’t been under the castle, but I would bet that below us is a network

  of tunnels burrowing into the mountain, so deep, it would withstand an

  orbital bombardment. The chances of such an attack happening are

  exactly zero. You’ve seen their fleet. Arland’s destroyer alone can hold

  off a small armada. The system is already as protected as it could be, yet

  they built a battle station on top of it. You’re asking them to allow

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  outsiders into their space, many different outsiders, not just a select few

  trusted allies. You are forcing them to go against their nature.”

  “I’m offering to make them wealthy beyond their wildest dreams.”

  “They don’t care. It’s not about money.” Maud swirled the wine in her

  glass and took another sip. “It’s about the Mukama.”

  “I have heard about the Mukama,” Nuan Cee said, his face

  thoughtful. “But never from a vampire. You are almost a vampire.”

  Maud smiled. “Would you like me to tell you about the Mukama?”

  “Yes. There is a piece missing that I do not understand.”

  “Very well. It goes back to the Law of Bronwyn.” The Galaxy had very

  few universal laws, but the Law of Bronwyn had proven true again and

  again, so often that it was simply accepted.

  “Once a species is introduced to interstellar spaceflight, it will advance

  technologically but not socially,” Nuan Cee said.

  Maud nodded. “Yes. Their individual standard of living may drastically

  improve, their technological progress will continue, but their social

  construct mostly stays the same. The ability to travel between the stars

  removes some of the pressure factors known to drive societal

  change. Once you get interstellar spaceflight, suddenly the population

  density is no longer an issue. Geographical limitations are gone. The

  competition for the natural resources is
largely gone, at least in the initial

  stages. Different splinter groups within the society no longer have to

  learn to coexist; they can simply move apart from each other.”

  Nuan Cee nodded.

  “Societal change is hard, because a society is made up of the

  individuals. These individuals learn how to be successful in that

  particular social construct, and they resist change, because it threatens

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  their survival. To really implement a change, one must convince the

  population that their survival as a whole is in doubt unless they alter their

  course. Because interstellar flight removes a lot of these survival factors,

  the society in question generally stays as it is once it’s achieved. If they

  were hunter-gatherers, they remain so. If they were a republic, they

  remain a republic, and so on.”

  “Yes. It is a known fact,” Nuan Cee said.

  “The Mukama invaded the Holy Anocracy when the vampires were in a

  feudal period. The vampiric society, at that point, consisted of powerful

  clans led by warrior aristocracy and bound together by a strong

  religion. The Mukama must’ve thought the vampires, so technologically

  behind them, were easy pickings. What do you know of the Mukama?”

  “Not much,” Nuan Cee said. “They were a secretive species and this

  conflict happened a long time ago.”

  “They were a predatory species,” Maud said. “They didn’t want the

  planet. They wanted the vampires themselves, particularly

  children. The adults were used as the workforce and the children as food

  source. The Mukama found children to be tender and delicious.”

  Nuan Cee grimaced.

  “The vampires retreated to their castles. Reducing castles to rubble

  would have destroyed all of the lovely meat inside, so the Mukama had

  to commit to ground assault. It was discovered that the Mukama didn’t

  do well in narrow enclosed spaces. They were an aerial species. They

  hunted from above. It was also found that the Mukama’s stun weapons

  didn’t work against a vampire in armor. It was a long war.”

  “How long?” Nuan Cee asked.

  “Almost two decades. At some point, about eight years into the conflict,

  the main Mukama flotilla lost contact with the orbital fleet dispatched to