Draka

An hour before sunset I was waiting outside the Tesprils’ estate in the high city. The last time I was here it had been raining heavily, too. That time I hadn’t known if the house belonged to them, and they had no idea about what was about to descend on them. This time they were expecting someone, but they couldn’t know if that was me or Mak or someone else, and I wasn’t exactly planning on announcing myself.

Like I had the first time I came here, I waited for an opportunity. That time it had been the front door; this time, someone opened a window, braving the rain to get some fresh air, and I slipped in that way. After that, getting to the master bedroom on the second floor, the same room where I’d first met Kesra, was easy. I slipped into the unoccupied room and settled myself in a corner to wait.

Kesra came first. She carried a bright lantern, which she hung on a hook in the ceiling, but that was apparently not enough. With the lantern hung she then walked around the room, using a burning stick to light a multitude of candles that stood everywhere on trays and pedestals. The candles were new. The last time I visited there had only been one on a nightstand, and another on the writing desk by the wall. As Kesra lit them the whole process had the air of routine, almost a ritual, about it. Only when every candle was lit, and I was squeezed in tight in my little shadow, did she leave.

She returned a minute later with her older sister, Zabra.

The Night Blossom had seen better days. She was gaunt, like she hadn’t been eating well since I last saw her, and had dark rings around her eyes. Even then I couldn’t help but think that she was terribly beautiful, only in a tragic way instead of the strong, confident way she’d had before. How much of that was her Advancements messing with my head, I had no idea.

There were no chairs or couches in the room, so they settled in on the bed to wait. It didn’t take long for Zabra to start fidgeting. Her breathing gradually grew quicker, and she began looking from the door to the window. Meanwhile, Kesra was more and more visibly keeping herself calm. She was too still, her breathing to even.

Finally Zabra couldn’t take it anymore. “Where is she?” she said with an anxious tone that I hadn’t heard from her before.

“We don’t even know if she’ll come. It could be one of the ladies Drakonum. It could,” Kesra said. She’d answered in an odd mix of Barlean and Karakani, and her voice was tight and even.

“No, it’s her. I know it’s her. I know it! I don’t… Kes, do I have to be here? Can’t I…?”

How long has it been since I last saw them? I asked myself. Two weeks? Two and a half? There was little of the Zabra I remembered in what I saw now.

“No!” Kesra almost hissed the word. “The message specifically said that we should both be here. You’ve done enough damage, you have, without pissing off the gods-damned dragon any further!”

Zabra lowered her head, and whispered, “I don’t want to face her again, Kes. I don’t.”

“I know,” Kesra said, and there was so much love and frustration and anger all mixed up in that statement that it almost made my heart break a little. Which reminded me that I shouldn’t stay for too long, since they both had Advancements that messed with my head. I was about to come out of the shadows when Kesra continued. I held back, curious to hear her out.

“How do you do it, Ra? How? Our whole lives. How do you keep making our lives so much better, then so much worse every fucking time!?” The last part was almost a snarl. Zabra flinched away, her shoulder coming up, and Kesra’s hands were locked on her knees so hard that I could see the flesh paling around her fingers. “From the street, to Lord Vassaram’s house, and then you fuck it up and land us in a brothel! Then I convince Tark to get us out of there and you make us rich, but is that enough? No, you have to get into smuggling!”

“I’m sorry, Kes,” Zabra whispered.

“And when we finally manage to get a legitimate trading business going so that we can stop the smuggling, what do you do?”

“I’m sorry!”

“Sorry? You’re sorry? Gods damn you, Ra! Slaving? Innocent people? Adventurers? And then the fucking dragon! What possessed you, Ra? What? Why didn’t you come to me first? Why?”

Zabra simply broke down at that point, crying silently with her hands in her lap. I sat somewhat stunned in my corner, watching as Kesra first watched her sister coldly, then slowly softened before moving over to wrap her in her arms.

“It’s okay, Ra,” she said softly. “I’m sorry for getting angry. I am. It’s okay. We’re alive. We’ll get out of this. We will. You and me, Ra. You and me. I just wish you hadn't hid so much from me.” She let Zabra cry herself out, then got off the bed and pulled her to her feet. “Come on. We’ll get you cleaned up, we will. Can’t have you all puffy when the lady shows up, whichever one it is.”

Zabra sniffled, nodded, and Kesra let her out the door.

When they returned shortly thereafter, I was waiting for them.

I must have cut an impressive figure, sitting in the middle of the room. My head nearly reached the ceiling, and with my wings relaxed as they were they spread out a little to the sides. My shadow had apparently decided to add to the effect: despite the lantern which hung in front and to the side of me, and the many, many candles all around the room, a single, pitch black picture book silhouette of a dragon stretched before me towards the door.

Kesra, understandably, jumped when she saw me. Zabra…

I wasn't sure what I’d expected from her. The Zabra I’d just seen, who seemed to defer entirely to her sister, was like an entirely different person from the arrogant and self-assured woman she’d been. From the way they'd behaved I couldn't believe that it was a new development, either.

When she came into the room, when she saw me, she tried to be that strong woman again. Her back straightened. The worry on her face gave way to a pleasantly amused smile, and the Night Blossom was back. She took two confident steps past Kesra.

“Lady Draka,” she said, her voice as smooth and warm as ever. “How pleasant—”

My shadow fell on her, and her voice cracked. Her steps faltered and she stumbled, Kesra rushing forward to catch her under the arms as her legs buckled, bringing her to her knees before me. She slowly raised her head to look up at me, and the fear and reverence that I saw there started a low rumble deep inside of me, something that normally only a big bag of silver or gold could do.

“My lady,” she tried again, straining to speak. “What can I do for you?”

“Zabra,” I said with affected sweetness. “Lady Tespril? Night Blossom? I’m not sure what to call you.”

“Call me whatever you wish, my lady. I live by your mercy.”

“Zabra?” her sister whispered, and the frustration and anger from before was gone. All I could hear now was concern, and I had no way of knowing if she was only playing a part for my benefit or if it was genuine. Kesra looked at me, with real fear — I could smell that much — then looked at the polished wood floor beneath me, no doubt noting that it was entirely dry.

When Zabra didn't speak, Kesra settled on her knees as well, keeping an arm around her sister. “To what do we owe the pleasure?” she said, failing or not bothering to hide — or perhaps putting on — a tremor in her voice.

“I wanted to see you. And to ask some questions. Zabra, have you not been eating?”

“I— not well, my lady.”

“Sleeping?”

“Poorly, my lady.”

I snorted. Damn my instincts, or whatever it was, for making me worry when I heard that.

“I’ve been told that you barely leave the house, either. That you’re not doing your job, leaving your sister to take care of everything.”

“She’s still recovering!” Kesra said, with the barest hint of an accusation in her eyes. “She’ll be back in shape in no time. My lady,” she added hastily.

“I hope so. Zabra, I want you to eat properly, at least. Can't have you wasting away, and everything you’ve built falling apart, can we?”

Zabra looked down. “No, my lady. I’ll eat better.”

Kesra just looked between us, a single wrinkle between her brows, lips slightly parted, clearly not understanding how Zabra was bound to me. Nor did I feel like explaining it. She’d figure it out soon enough.

“Good. I want you to try to sleep more, too. I can only guess what's troubling you, but if it has to do with me then you can relax. As long as the two of you behave, neither of you has anything to fear from me. Which brings me to my next question.”

I saw them both relax somewhat, which was instantly undone by the next things I said. “Mak tells me you still haven't delivered a single bent bit. Why?”

“We— we’re still bringing it together,” Kesra said quickly. “It’s a fair sum, so—”

I interrupted her. “You could pay it little by little. Zabra, what’s the real reason?”

“We’re trying to minimize our losses,” she answered meekly.

“Oh.” That wasn't so bad. I’d thought they'd be trying to find a way to weasel out of it. “How so?”

“We need to liquidate some investments to raise the cash. Kesra is still trying to figure out which ones would be least profitable in the long run, but some of our numbers aren't up to date.”

Kesra looked at her sister, still more confused than anything. She could plainly see what was going on, but not why. Why was Zabra not even trying? Then she sighed and turned back to me. “Like my sister says. We're trying to decide what we can get rid of without losing too much in the long run.”

“Yeah, all right. That's fine.”

Kesra turned her head to stare at me, absolutely gobsmacked. “That’s fine? You’ll give us time?”

“It does me no good to ruin you. I’m past revenge. You two and your businesses are assets now, ones that I want to be profitable. Pay whatever you can afford at the moment, tomorrow, then the rest once you get rid of whatever dead weight you’ve got. Just don’t take too long. If I’m forced to decide at some point that you’re stalling or trying to pull one over on us, I will take what I’m owed, in whatever currency I see fit.”

“Of course,” Kesra said, the relief on her face speaking wonders about her confidence in their ability to deliver. “It shouldn’t be too long, a tenday, two weeks at most, I hope.”

“Great. I’m so glad we cleared that up. And what about your other obligations? Have you made any progress in tracking down your victims?”

Kesra winced and looked down. “Tark’s,” she said weakly.

“Excuse me?” I turned my head, sideways, sticking my face close to hers. Really, I was impressed that she’d managed to talk back at all, but I was playing a role that night. The role of their terrifying dragon overlord, whose word was law. “I didn’t quite catch that.”

“Tark’s victims,” she said, pulling back as much as she could while still remaining upright. Her voice was only just above a whisper. “I had nothing to do with it. My sister only signed off on some things.”

Kesra had smelled of fear before. Now she positively reeked of terror, and the fact that she was standing her ground honestly impressed the hell out of me. Really, she intrigued me in general; I’d seen some very different sides of her since the first time I spoke to her in this very room. There was the one who’d been willing to die rather than betray her sister; the one who’d walked into our hands, choosing to risk her life to bring her sister back out; the one just before, when they hadn’t known I was there, domineering and seemingly on the edge of violence; and now there was the one before me, too proud to accept blame for something that she’d never known of before it was too late, and with the backbone to stand up for herself even in the face of, well, me.

I had a sudden urge to apologize to her, which I quashed as soon as I felt it. She was getting into my head, and that was my cue to finish up and leave.

“Tark’s victims, then,” I said drily. “Progress?”

When Kesra took too long to answer, probably trying to think of the best way to couch it, Zabra spoke up instead. “Very little, my lady. With Tark dead, Hardal has been trying to find his contacts. We’ve sent some messages, but no replies yet. We—” her voice choked off, and when she continued she was forcing every word out. “We may never find where they went, much less get them back. I’m sorry, my lady.”

“But you will keep trying.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“Good.” There was just one thing more that I needed to address before I left them. Something I’d seen when Kesra first came to find her sister in our cellar, but had dismissed. Something that I now felt absolutely certain about, after having seen them together when they thought themselves alone. Something I needed to talk to Kesra about.

“Zabra,” I said, “I believe that there is a balcony at the other end of this floor. Go and wait for me by the doors.”

Zabra raised her head, then looked at Kesra. I could see her struggling, unwilling to leave her sister alone with me despite her fear, unable to resist my command but trying.

“Go!” I snapped, and she rose smoothly to her feet, leaving with one last anguished look at her sister.

Kesra looked at me with dawning comprehension and horror.

“Go on,” I told her. “You look like you have a question. Ask.”

Her voice was a whisper, like she didn’t want to hear the answer. “What have you done to my sister?”

“What I had to, and less than she deserved.” My shadow crept closer to her, splitting and curling around her without actually touching, and her breathing grew quick and shallow as eyes flicked between myself and it. “The Night Blossom was far too dangerous to be left alive without a leash. My Zabra, on the other hand, will never hurt anyone I care about. The question is, what about you? Do I need to put a leash on you, too?”

Gods, how sweet the scent of her fear was. She looked around her, eye flitting around, searching for some way to escape and finding none. My shadow wasn’t touching her, but when she spoke it was like she could barely breathe. “I— I’m harmless. I wouldn’t— wouldn’t—”

“Is that why Zabra cringes every time you raise your voice?”

This time it was Kesra who flinched, turning her face away in shame. She didn’t deny it.

“Understand this, Kesra. Zabra is no longer yours to do with as you will. She is mine. Now, I am willing to believe that you love her, and that she loves you. I don’t want to get in the way of that. I’m willing to share. But I need to know that she is safe, at least in her own home. Is she?”

“Yes.” It was a sharp exhalation, laden with pain and regret.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“When was the last time you struck your sister, Kesra? And don’t lie to me. I’ll ask her if I have to, and she will tell me the truth.”

She shuddered, and brought her hand up to cover her eyes. It didn’t matter. I could smell her tears. “Months. I’m getting better.”

“How long?”

“Since she got us kicked out of the first home I’d ever known, and landed us in a brothel. She just keeps ruining everything! I—”

“I don’t care about your justifications,” I hissed, and she leaned back from me as far as she could without falling. It broke my heart to see her cry; I couldn’t even be sure if her tears were honest, but she was getting to me. Her Advancement that made everyone want her to be happy, or whatever it did exactly, was getting in my head. I needed to get out of there. “Do you swear that you will never again touch her with anything but kindness?”

“I swear! I’ve already sworn it to myself a thousand times.” She looked up at me then. Of all the emotions I might have seen: terror, anger, shame; I didn’t expect what was there. I didn’t expect to see hope. “Will you keep her safe from herself?”

“She’s mine. I’ll keep her safe, full stop.”

“Then I’ll be nothing but loyal. On my life.”

The relief on Zabra’s face when I brought Kesra with me to the balcony doors was enough to make my heart sing. You’d think that entirely dominating someone would make you immune to their Advancements, but no. Being around Zabra made me want her approval as much as ever. I was just fully aware of it and able to ignore the feeling.

Instinct probably helped a lot with that. Instinct didn’t give a rat’s ass about some human’s approval. She just wanted her toys safe.

The double doors were individually just wide enough for a person to walk through. With both open wide I still needed to pull my wings in to step out onto the shallow balcony. I put both hands on the rain-slick stone balustrade, testing that it could hold my weight, then snaked my neck back over my shoulder to look at the two sisters. Zabra’s face was full of anxious gratitude; Kesra’s, of cautious hope.

The combined effects of their Advancements hit me, and before I could stop myself I spoke from the heart. “Behave yourselves,” I told them, “and submitting to me might be the best thing that ever happened to you.”

Then my brain caught up to my mouth, and I leaped out into the rain.

You did fine up until then, Conscience whispered. She was trying to soothe me, but I wasn’t having it.

“‘...submitting to me might be…’ what the hell was I thinking?” I muttered to myself, burning with embarrassment as I flew away from there as fast as I could.