Path: newsspool1.news.atl.earthlink.net!stamper.news.atl.earthlink.net!elnk-atl-nf1!newsfeed.earthlink.net!newsswing.news.prodigy.com!prodigy.net!newsfeed.cwix.com!border1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!newsread.com!newsstand.newsread.com!POSTED.monger.newsread.com!not-for-mail Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated Approved: ascem@earthlink.net Organization: Better Living Thru TrekSmut Sender: ascem@earthlink.net Message-ID: From: "Richard Schultz" MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list ASCEML@yahoogroups.com; contact ASCEML-owner@yahoogroups.com Subject: New FFF: "Today" 1/1(Uber VOY: Uber Janeway/7/B'Elanna)R Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Lines: 3093 Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2004 13:55:11 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 209.198.142.218 X-Complaints-To: Abuse Role , We Care X-Trace: monger.newsread.com 1104242111 209.198.142.218 (Tue, 28 Dec 2004 08:55:11 EST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2004 08:55:11 EST Xref: news.earthlink.net alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated:86415 X-Received-Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2004 05:55:15 PST (newsspool1.news.atl.earthlink.net) Title: Today Author: R Schultz ( cousindream@msn.com ) Fandom: Not Star Trek Series: Not VOYAGER Rating: A li'l sex and violence makes this an R Pairing: F/F love Disclaimer: Paramount owns Trek. How bizarre. This story has naught=20 to do with Trek, therefore ViaBorgCom may go fish. I write these=20 things for fun, not money. Summary: Red Mouser and Sevein are lovers, female, and Free Swords,=20 lover to the pair is Belanna, the High Priestess of the Temple of=20 Gogorol (a green frog who brings beneficent rains). Belanna dances=20 naked twice a day during services at her Main Temple. She's cute,=20 virgin, rich, generous, lesbian and sister to the child Naomi. In=20 recent months Belanna's mother Samantha Wildman has been threatened=20 by High Priest Chakay, been torched by a Fire Salamander, jailed,=20 murdered, cremated, and revenged. The revenge didn't bring Samantha=20 back, but it has stopped Banker Datalore from ever hurting anyone=20 else. It's a hard winter. Warning: This fic talks of love and sex between adult consenting=20 females. No like? Then go away. Others of young age or residing=20 where they dis-legal TrekSmut are also told to go away. 13,700=20 words, February, 2004. Written for the FFF, and will then be posted=20 to the ASCEML. May be archived if desired, though permission is=20 requested first.=20 Comments to: R Schultz at ( cousindream@msn.com ) --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------- TODAY By R Schultz At last the dividing frame was in place. Now was my chance. I wasn't accustomed to children. All these years of doing it out in=20 the open in conjunction with the jibes of my fellow mercenaries and=20 I'm developing a shy streak. My lips were burrowing into Sevein's neck bones just underneath her=20 hair, I was totally oblivious to those hairs tickling my nose, and I=20 hoped Naomi was fast asleep. "..darling..." Sevein murmured, and I detected a smile in the word.=20 I carefully fitted my aging body against her exquisite rump and=20 wrapped my arm around her waist, in order to get at her breasts. My=20 own nipples hardened as I squirmed against my responding wife,=20 lover, woman, forsworn companion, my flower. This was exactly why I'd had the little frame erected right THERE,=20 and the exorbitantly priced little piece of decorative drapery=20 tacked to it. Sweet Naomi was on the other side, and hopefully=20 Emilia with her. All these years in the free swords and now if possible I want a=20 little privacy when I'm with my woman. I'm getting dotty in my old=20 age. Outside, the snowfields in the stable yard yielded a little pale=20 almost-light through the small narrow windows. Barely enough to=20 offset the darkness in our room. Suddenly I was on top, and a wriggling Sevein was bringing the=20 blankets back over us. Holding the blankets in place with one hand,=20 her other caressed my head, my back, sneaking between to tweak my=20 own breasts with her own. We kissed, before one insistent hand was urging me to travel down=20 her body, to feast upon her and love her. Soon her sighs and giggling were all I heard. Apart from the roaring=20 in my ears as I opened her thighs with my mouth. My feet got cold,=20 for they were sticking out the other end of our cocoon of blanket=20 and female, but they've been cold before. We were late risers this morning. A perfect beginning. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - It was still dark out, of course, but 'Voyager' was already busy. A=20 line stretched back on either side of the door as our poorer tenants=20 made use of the four free Sanitary Boxes sitting outside. Chilly and=20 elevated seating, perhaps, but it was free to our guests. To be=20 animalistic in their rooms meant immediate eviction, and the snow=20 was drifting high this winter. Most rooms have multiple occupants, and for a week's free rent their=20 companions would gladly reveal the culprits in any such misdeeds. Most gingerly carried buckets, large pots and suitable containers,=20 for none wished to be out in those drifts if they didn't have to be. Some craftsmen were up and out already, as well as more than one=20 laborer, and a few working souls were just arriving.=20 The Dandy Kapitan Riker put a possessive hand on my butt, whispered=20 a slightly obscene word in my ear, and quickly backed laughing when=20 I swung on him with my fist. "Pardon, sweet lady, I have made a terrible mistake in recognition."=20 he cried. "I thought such a beauty as has blinded me could be only=20 Sevein, who all know as the stately and Imperial Princess wrongfully=20 stolen at birth, replaced by a commoner sort, and now set before us=20 as a shining example of perfect womanhood!" Sevein had an arm suddenly around his throat from behind, her arm=20 lock and smile lighting my morning. He feigned choking, but instead=20 backed into her large giving body. "You are perfectly correct, ruthless mercenary that you are," she=20 said. "She is indeed a beauty, an Imperial Princess, and a shining=20 example of womanhood. Unfortunately you laid a hand on a part of her=20 more customarily the property of her wife, and off bounds to males=20 of any ilk." By now none were unapprised of our love and marriage. The High=20 Priestess of the Temple of Gogorol, Belanna, had given us proper=20 public rites Winter Solstice, we paid the City fee, our names were=20 written in the City Registrar for tax purposes, and she then shared=20 a glass of wine with us, and was very sure to kiss both brides,=20 many, many times. In public and later, in private. She had given=20 both of us double strophium of creamy silk for us to hold our large=20 and soft breasts, then tried them on, and then took them off. I was a wife now, and feeling very vulnerable. It was the third marriage for both of us, none of our husbands=20 having survived the next war or the next battle, but such was life=20 in the mercenary forces. Hers had been with men in the Black=20 Company, as were mine in the White Company. We had been Free Swords=20 in varied mercenary armies, those amongst them. The Black Company=20 was disassembled after their near destruction during the Battle of=20 Aschelion, and fate had then delivered up Sevein to me. Now I was hostage to outside forces. Riker sat at my table, once he'd gotten a bowl of Lwaxana's potato=20 soup for breakfast. The poorer sort had already garnered the three- for-a-farthing loafs of yesterday's baking. Come Spring the Masons were to add another hearth and an oven, made=20 of good fieldstone and kiln brick. It would be an unsightly bulge=20 into the Stable yard, probably. But certainly necessary. We had yet=20 to find a Baker, and add him or her to the vast Empire of the=20 Kitchen which our cook Lwaxana already ruled as tightly as a snake=20 did a mouse inside its stomach. The baker was already being sought.=20 It might make it ultimately a little crowded in the kitchen, but I=20 preferred to think of such an arrangement as cozy. Lwaxana had appeared a tad flighty when she began work for Samantha,=20 but she'd created an independent and armed Grand Duchy out of the=20 kitchen. Unless the new Baker were rebellious, he would submit to=20 the higher authority. Her ongoing campaign of conquest regarding=20 Publican Bashir appeared even more certain, but I had my doubts. The=20 additional hearth would warm the Inn better, and increase my=20 business costs with the woodcutter. I felt so very rooted it scared me. Breakfast came with his small private room, I'd told Riker, and he=20 was gracious enough not to doubt my word. His latest work partner had not appeared, he noted, and he'd had to=20 do the job of guarding Tuvok's warehouse all alone again. It wasn't=20 the first time. Tuvok on his part now kept black rock 'coal' for his=20 office hearth and told Riker to scatter the residue outside for=20 traction upon the ice. He didn't try to keep my one-armed ex- mercenary friend out of the office. Tuvok simply mentioned he wanted=20 Riker to leave it clean and warm, for his sons when they arrived in=20 the morning. A quad of barges had arrived after the end of season, and the barge=20 owner was slowly ridding himself of the contents of black 'coal'=20 rocks as the winter progressed. At scandalous prices, true, but=20 the 'coal' rocks were ready to hand, and the wood seller perhaps a=20 little unsure in his deliveries, down there in the center of the=20 Free City. Instead of having to rely on a seller to carry in brush=20 and logs from the forest, there now existed this temporary source of=20 fuel. "Mistress Mouser," he asked, "did you know you had a man hidden in a=20 corner outside watching your place?" he asked in a conversational=20 tone. To all intents and purposes 'Voyager' was my place now, mine=20 and Sevein's. I felt a little pang inside at the transition. "Had something lumpy under his cloak?" I asked. "Crossbow, maybe," Riker supplied. "Problem?" "Problem being solved." At Riker's unspoken question I explained. "Jhaake got me up early=20 yesterday to show me the two stable hands selling horse's grain to=20 strangers. Dismissed them on the spot." Sad memory. "Now Jhaake is Stable Master, at least temporarily, and I've been=20 recommended this ex-Watchman as a guard for the premises. It struck=20 me as much more than probable that the two hands might be back soon=20 for a little revenge in the form of arson." "You could have sent them to the Throne to have their skin publicly=20 Peeled in Sathridin Square," he pointed out. "For a few bags of oats? Besides, 'Voyager' is large enough now to=20 need a permanent Arm." He looked about the crowded Commons and=20 nodded an agreement into his stroup of porter. "Ex-Watch?" he asked then. "And feisty to boot," I returned. "Didn't=20 want to do a few things most Watch didn't have any problem doing for=20 their masters. But then I don't seem to have much trouble with men=20 with a little iron in their spine." Not mentioning Emil had said he'd been let go rather than murdered=20 for his differing views. Personal Honor not an attribute to be found=20 in all ex-Mercenaries, but appreciated by Sevein and I. I am comforted by the bustle, the usefulness of my labor, the love=20 of my wife, my children (even if one is a ghost), and the hectic=20 placidity of the place. I am also trapped. Here I am vulnerable. I will not yield to fears, but conquer. A very snowy Odo then entered the Commons from the kitchen. I=20 believed his face got the way it is from boiling pitch or water from=20 some Gate's energetic defenders. The Empire is littered with such=20 refuse of its many wars and quarrels. Being disfigured didn't make=20 him any less useful, or less of a man, was my way of thinking. Odo saw me, and edged his way to my table. Once here he put his foot=20 in the front goat of his arbalest, and released the ratchet with a=20 twang. The square-headed quarrel was already in his side quiver. Riker made a few words of admiration at 'my' new Arm, my ex- mercenary and ex-Watch; most particularly the crossbow he was=20 carrying. Riker inspected it with the eye of a professional, eyeing=20 carefully the plates of engraved ivory on the stock of the weapon. Without any further prompting Odo shucked his cape over a bulky=20 chair and put his foot again in the front loop. He stuck a quarrel=20 in the grooved slot, and used the other thick hooked wire goat's=20 foot to pull back the bow, setting the string in the catch, and=20 presenting it to Riker's remaining hand. Resting it on the table=20 Riker flipped out the two cranks, working the string back a little=20 more. Fully back, a cranked arbalest quarrel would go clean through=20 a set of front-and-back armor, with a man in between. "Mistress Mouser," Odo said, "I have need of the morning." "You have it," I said, wondering what he intended doing. He waited a moment before continuing. "I may not be back until afternoon." My head nodded and I said that was fine. He paused again, and then=20 bowed a fraction of a centimeter and said a polite 'Thank you' and=20 left, by way of the kitchen. When he was gone, Riker commented that there was fresh blood on the=20 right sleeve. I said I'd noticed. He also commented on the fact I=20 had not questioned the ex-Watch with the disfigured face as to what=20 he meant to do. I asked him how well did one have to trust one's own housekarl? He knew the answer was totally. Naomi came out during a break in the kitchen and teased Riker,=20 sitting in his lap and telling him little stories and adventures=20 Emilia and her had experienced. She was wearing a sprig of Thyme in=20 her dress collar, I could tell by the tiny blue flowers. No doubt a=20 gift reluctantly given out of Lwaxana's kitchen horde. As for Riker,=20 the poor man was obviously groggy, after his stomach had been fed;=20 but more the effect of a night up than anything else. Suddenly the Commons was nearly empty. He pulled himself away,=20 kissed Sevein's hand on his way out to re-visit the Sanitation=20 Boxes. He would be a-bed shortly. Emilia sat down and I chased her away from the dregs of Riker's=20 porter. I had my little thousand-year-old-dead ghost on a strict=20 beer rationing, and those few of the staff who could see her, knew=20 it. Bashir saw her, as did Ezri, and Lwaxana tried mightily to get=20 work out of her, but failed in that endeavor. Naomi appraised the moving Riker as he hurried to a comfortable=20 stuffed pallet in a frame, and more than a few blankets. "I'm not at all sure I want to marry Kapitan Riker," she said out of=20 the blue. I looked a question at her. She looked me in my eyes and sniffed her=20 dried thyme flowers. "I watched you and Sevein this morning making love, and it was=20 really nice, and I think I'll have myself a wife like her when I=20 grow up and get married. Or like you, perhaps. I can't have but the=20 one wife, can I?" I tried not to raise my eyebrows. "I know you'll say I don't know yet about such things, and I guess I=20 don't. But you really enjoyed a lot what she did to you and I know a=20 few other girls, we talk, and their mothers or sisters they don't=20 usually get much pleasure from their men. "Women are probably better." Gods above and Demons below. What? Seven? Eight? I should also cease=20 my new-found cursing, even if it is only in my own mind. "Sevein and I love each other very, very, very much, Naomi, and we=20 married only a month ago and some, and maybe you shouldn't use us as=20 a comparison." "I should wait?" I nodded agreement, working furiously not to smile at all this=20 serious calculation on her part. "You should wait." "Will you and Sevein marry me off to someone I don't like? Most=20 everyone I know, their parents married them off and that was that." What to say? At least Sevein, Belanna, and I, we won't be packing=20 her of to some ugly or stupid prince or margrave far, far away, in=20 order to bolster the dynasty. But yes, we'll arrange her marriage=20 when it is time. Certainly wait until she has her full growth and=20 not too quickly even then. Certainly years after she has acquired=20 her flows and breasts. The truth would be best. "We, Sevein and I, and Belanna, we'll probably look at a number of=20 future husbands=85" "Wives. Don't forget that. I may decide I like a wife, like you and=20 Sevein." Gods above and Demons below. "=85But we'll try not to even look at anyone you don't like." "I can't decide for myself?" Meaning like the way I did, and three times to boot. "It'll be years and years yet and we don't really know what things=20 will be like then. But yes, Naomi, we're your parents now and we'll=20 be deciding who you are given to be wed." As if it's likely anyone=20 ignores completely their children's wishes. Over-rule them, yes, but=20 not ignore. Thoughts of a future without us prompted a spasm of fear in her,=20 recalling with sharp edges how fast and how far things can change.=20 Adults know change and death comes. Children do also. But it's=20 different for them, and during most of her life until recently Naomi=20 hadn't really conceived of the notion Samantha might not be present=20 for her, since she'd always been there before. Naomi rode my hip for the next quarter hour before Sevein rescued me=20 and took her off to perform the morning inspection of the many rooms=20 in 'Voyager' Inn. Naomi carried both of our real forged steel=20 hammers, and the cloth bag of precious expensive nails and metal=20 wedges. Sevein carried the saw, a few thick lengths of wood and an=20 air of brooking no argument from any quarter. They would be re-setting inside bars across a few doors which still=20 lacked them, or had experienced damage since. Also inspecting the=20 rooms for other damage and animalistic voidings. Some wished us not to enter their space, and cunningly let down the=20 bar behind them with thin shims of metal. They reckoned without=20 Sevein's skills in using a thin steel blade of great strength to get=20 in spaces most knives cannot. Our first and second floor guests, in=20 the bigger rooms, had locks on their doors and thus a modicum of=20 privacy. Sevein didn't even bother carrying a set of keys; her=20 skills at entering were so profound. The kitchen still smelled of fresh plaster, as did the entire=20 building of fresh cut timber. While I was in the kitchen cutting=20 carrots, potatoes and onions, the Tax man bustled in. Lwaxana sent=20 the new scullery girl over, and she cut whilst I concentrated on the=20 City factor. He was a new man, accompanied by a giant housekarl=20 positively round underneath his layers of clothing. We stayed in the=20 kitchen, the hearth fire maybe too warm, but he'd need some time to=20 lose the frost on his beard and moustache. I admitted to a well outside, now unused in winter, one pump in the=20 stable, and three pumps inside the inn, two inside the kitchen. I=20 showed him the immense salt boxes, all with the proper City Tax=20 stampings on the bags piled behind them. The Commons license chit=20 and the beer and wine taxes were also up to date. The City=20 Sanitation slaves came around once a day in their wagon for our=20 slops and the contents of our Boxes. There'd been no Dancing Plague, Black Death, Spotted Fever or any=20 other common pestilence in Tar-trigon the entire summer. Maybe the=20 beastly things were of use after all. "You have four Sanitation Boxes now," he said, "for which you pay=20 the Free City one gold Half-Quadregga a week each, am I correct?" I looked up at him suddenly, detecting an odd tone to his voice. He=20 had an even odder look to his eyes. "Because it is strange, but I see by my records that you are only=20 blessed with two, instead of four." Meaning we could work a deal if need be. The others could disappear=20 off the records and we could split the difference. And some fine day I could wind up hailed before the Sathridin in an=20 attempt to explain the difference. No thank you. "No," I explained carefully, "there are four. We need that many for=20 our custom. I shouldn't want to cause any bother or fuss, but I=20 shouldn't want to be thought delinquent in my paying of proper City=20 taxes." The ENDLESS Free City taxes, I thought to myself. He was not happy at that correction, and I thought furiously. "While you're correcting the forms, here, why not pull a stool up to=20 the breading table, do it in comfort? "For being a brave soul and riding through all this snow, could I=20 get you and your housekarl something to eat and drink? We've a few=20 better wines these days, and you'd probably appreciate one of them.=20 We have both white and dark. And we don't enhance the wine with=20 opium or Hemlock, so you've safe vintages to drink here. "Let me get you a small belt skin to take with you, and we have the=20 roast done if you're a mind to sit for a spell and chat and warm up.=20 Or you can even have your wine hot?" He looked out towards where the snow was and settled back on his=20 stool. Hot wine would be acceptable. He chooses our thick sweet dark=20 Falerian. His big housekarl remained standing. Soon I brought over a tiny cloth purse with his bread and slice of=20 beef, saying there was the tax, in silver coins of the Empire, and=20 could I have a stamped chit please? He counted out the coins, than again. "You've overpaid by - "; then suddenly stopped talking. The extra=20 silver coin disappeared, and he smiled broadly after that, obviously=20 managing to enjoy his breakfast with genuine gusto. He even smacked=20 his lips over our best unwatered wine. He gave me my little stamped=20 clay chip and I was paid until next time. He knew the silver Groat for a peace offering, and accepted it as=20 such. Later, Lwaxana, who saw everything, said I could have paid him a=20 third as much and still have left him happy. She also said the Tax=20 Collector's housekarl had been appreciative of a woman of some=20 substance and maturity. The old doxie had been as busy seeking=20 information as any Dungeon Questioner. The new Taxman had paid too much for his position and sought=20 diligently to make up his loss, Lwaxana said the housekarl had=20 mentioned. Well, the Tax Collector had gotten my silver Groat, but=20 he'll have to go elsewhere for the difference. I reflected that I had eight hundred gold Quadregga in four bags=20 buried underneath my Sanitation Boxes, and I was begrudging a few=20 silver pieces.=20 But I was not supposed to be rich, or hold still greater wealth safe=20 in the keeping of the Thieves Guild. With the result that Sevein and=20 I were not a target of thieves; or the Sathridin who might inquire=20 suspiciously how we came by such gold. I turned my attention back to the vegetables. They didn't bring=20 worries to my brow. Eventually Naomi came back, Emilia trailing 'their' rag doll in her=20 wake.=20 Naomi set to making pie dough. Lwaxana was a good cook, and only=20 stole a little bit, no more than was expected of a servant in her=20 position. However Sam had been known far and wide for her hot meat=20 pies in the glazed pottery bowls. Such pleasures were missed on cold=20 mornings. Lwaxana's were passable. But Naomi knew, somehow, how to=20 recreate her dead mother's tasty creations. She had also made=20 similar pies with sliced apples cooked in them. She added sugar and=20 cinnamon and nutmeg and created a thing of joy. Sugar made from cooked watered honey was difficult to create, and=20 spices and boughten beet sugar were terribly expensive, but the pies=20 sold for stiff prices to the better sort. And I always had to shoo=20 Emilia away from them. Only ghost I ever heard of with a sweet tooth. Sevein came down with a few splinters embedded, and I took out her=20 little pointed knife and eased the wood out of her fingers. Jhaake brought the cold in with him when he came through the kitchen=20 door. "Three men are here for the stable hand's jobs," he said. Word had=20 evidently spread quickly of 'Voyager's' need. Looking down at my wife's poor scarred fingers, I told Jhaake to=20 talk with them, or give them all a chance to prove their worth, or=20 do as he saw fit. "Don't you want to talk with them?" he asked. "You're the Stable Master here," I replied. "You handle it as you=20 see fit. But we do need another pair of pairs of hands out there.=20 You know the work that needs doing." He lingered, trying to say something. At my questioning look he=20 finally came out with it. "One only has one hand. Arm." I worked very hard to keep my face neutral until I could say; "If=20 you are unsure, I would say give them all a chance. Just remember=20 that when dealing with horses a fine hand is required, not two=20 stupid ones." He smiled at my ancient homily and Sevein hid her=20 grin. A happy Jhaake left, puffed up with his new responsibilities=20 and eminence. I had, of course, accepted Sevein's estimate that Jhaake was good=20 with horses, seeming to know their needs with only a hint from=20 herself or the beasts themselves. "Old wives sayings now?" Sevein asked. "From an old wife," I grimaced, feeling my joints suddenly. For which words I suddenly found myself held tight by a young woman. I shall conquer. I must. It was while Ezri and I were out in the Commons cleaning, that I=20 observed the Dwarf. Not many dwarves seen in Tar-trigon. Certainly=20 not in winter season. I thought they hibernated, like the badger or=20 the bear or the skunk. I looked up from my Whitestone, cleaning the tables, and saw this=20 little red pointed hat apparently moving by itself across my field=20 of vision. Bashir had come around the bar, following the progress of=20 the little fellow. Blue tunic, high boots, thick red cloak, all the=20 usual garments. I moved to view what the Dwarf was doing myself. He spied me, gave=20 me a nod, mumbled a "Mistress", and took his pointed little knife to=20 the first booth. He seemed only to touch it, and I hurried over to=20 it, to survey any damage. By touch I could barely find the sliver he=20 had nicked off a corner. He touched knife to the side of my new square table, and turned to=20 me with a sweet little smile. "I gave you no leave to damage my Inn or anything in it," I glowered=20 down. "My pardon, lady," he said, doffing his hat in respect. "I meant no=20 harm to you or yours. I but need a splinter, the merest part of your=20 fine new furniture, in order to keep the City up to date." A madman. Mad dwarf. Give him respect for novelty. "Well, I'll be having you know that I shan't allow you in again if=20 you're going to be damaging my property. Having given fair warning,=20 I shall ask you to leave." "But they're already grown back," he pleaded. Feeling instantly=20 foolish and gullible my hand reached for the affected corner and my=20 fingers found smoothness. It had not been my imagination, I'd felt the splinter gone. "Magic", I breathed. "Not truly," he returned. "All trees try to repair themselves, and=20 for the seconds of my nearness they are living things again. I am a=20 Dwarf of the Weald." "What are you?" I demanded. "Just a Dwarf." My face told him to continue. "There are over five hundred septs and races of dwarves on this=20 world, Mistress, and mine is most akin to the Forest Kinnae. Naiads,=20 Greentooths, Quicksteps, that apiece of thing."=20 "Naiads," I said. "Hopefully not TOO close to Greentooths?" Those=20 were the rumored beasts that relished the flesh of men. "Things of and wedded to the tree, Mistress. And we are wedded in=20 spirit to trees as are they." I finally asked; "Why here? The city, then?" "I build the cities." Ambitious. Not too proud, either. "Me thinks you've help, then," I ventured. He shook his head in a no. "Just for the - the simulacra of it." He=20 kept circling his head about, obviously looking for something.=20 Finally I pointed a finger at him and asked what he sought. "You see me,' he softly explained, "and as you've a touch of the=20 White magic to you, that's easily enough explained. Control animals,=20 do you? Small ones?" I looked about, noticing Bashir and Ezri were watching, but were=20 probably unable to hear. "That sort of wild talk could see someone hurt, little man, and=20 yourself pitched out in the snow. You know, they still have a Witch=20 Board to regulate such Acts, in this City," I bit at him.=20 "And it minds to me that such divining itself falls under such=20 laws." Warning him. No one wants to be Questioned by the City. "My apologies, Mistress," he bowed. Continuing in a lower voice, he=20 stuck his head closer for a secret's passage. "Usually when a Dwarf is about his business in a place filled with=20 mankind, he wears his glamour, to hide him from men's eyes. "I came in here with my glamour on and naught feeling amiss but I=20 find myself visible. As stated, you yourself could possibly see me.=20 Someone in touch with the Gods might also. "But your Publican and the serving girl? "For a commonality such as this, undoubtedly there are also shades=20 or spirits abroad.=20 "Do you ever have the feeling in this place, of unseen presences, of=20 things happening as they should not, of colds in a place of warmth=20 and heat in a room cold freezing?" "Ghosts?" I asked. He nodded a yes. "As a matter of fact here my ghost is right now," I said. Emilia trailed in from the kitchen, but abruptly stopped when she=20 espied the Dwarf. The two viewed each other warily, until Emilia=20 came scampering to hide behind my dress. "Your ghost," he observed, "is behind you right now." "Her name is Emilia," I returned with a smile, "and she is the shade=20 of a child who sacrificed herself for the good of her religion and=20 city in far Nomurea a thousand years ago." I reached out for her shadowy head and urged her forward. There=20 seemed little malice in this small bearded male, and someone who was=20 astonished by my little clinging ghost, for some reason, brought me=20 pleasure. The dwarf bowed. In return Emilia gave a most uncommon curtsey, and=20 the Dwarf held out a forefinger, which Emilia briefly clasped before=20 retreating behind me again. Though her head reappeared on my other=20 side soon enough. "Remarkable," the Dwarf murmured. I indicated the new square table and edged onto one of my stools. He=20 sat with me, being companionable, his legs dangling, melting snow=20 dripping off his thigh-long boots onto my new wooden floor. "So long=20 as you're here," I pointed out, "do you wish anything but slivers of=20 my furniture?" He took a stroup of ale, smacking his lips loudly over the flavor.=20 There was little sourness to Sisko's beer or ales. Sisko, and=20 his "Golden Red" brewery built alongside 'Voyager' Inn, were=20 becoming known throughout the City of Tar-trigon. The Dwarf paid with a tiny silver coin I'd never seen before. Quite=20 thin, square, and with a fearsome image (possibly dwarvish),=20 glowering full face on one side. I estimated it was a silver penny=20 worth, and he took four brass farthings for change. "A pleasant Inn," he said. He left the four farthings on the table=20 and finished his cup of brew. Bashir took two farthings and the=20 leather cup and refilled it, his dubious looks having tapered off as=20 the Dwarf and the Mistress conversed. It developed that the Dwarf was named Roxesdaduenamamanoff. I think.=20 He accepted as how humans could call him Roxdew. I asked him what he=20 did, and he said he kept the living city. "I have a large room in my own insulae," he said, "and I keep models=20 of everything in it that is built in the City of Tar-trigon." His eyes twinkled, and I knew he was japing me about something he'd=20 just said. Fair enough. I'll jape him back. "I'm surprised you are not busy instead pulling gold and diamonds=20 out of the earth, like most dwarfs do," I commented. Common legend=20 said they wrested wealth from the bowels of the earth as no others=20 could. Or was that Kobolds? He produced another of those little silver pennies and I allowed him=20 Free City brass for change. With the remaining two farthings from=20 his previous silver Penny, he began on his third ale. I hoped I=20 shouldn't soon have a tipsy Dwarf on my hands, and wondered if=20 they'd get sick from indulgence, as humans did. He sipped this one=20 slowly, and accepted a thick slice of bread from the morning's=20 loaves. I shooed Emilia away when she would have sneaked a drink=20 from his cup. "You have heard of us dwarves being able to find treasures in the=20 earth, yes?" he smiled. Probably another dreadfully inaccurate=20 legend, I assumed. "I can," he admitted, "but with me it is a very small skill, for I=20 have nothing like the talent that other races of dwarves have. My=20 skill is with wood, living and dead. Yet, with your little friendly=20 ghost here, I feel the Draw Rising." He looked around a little. "The Publican has a string of gold pieces=20 in cracks underneath the bar," he noted. Any fool knows a Publican=20 maintains a few coins for change, but hides them from theft. "There are four large accumulations of gold in the stable yard, past=20 that wall," he added, "all buried well." He indicated where the=20 Sanitation Boxes stood, and my close at hand hoard buried underneath=20 them. I think I kept my face clean from surprise or sudden suspicion. "There is another much smaller bag buried underneath the kitchen=20 windows there," indicating the stable yard again. "Three paces=20 straight from the wall." Samantha's hoard. It had to be Sam's own small hiding of coin. Something put away for=20 unforeseen need. All people had their small treasures, some=20 pitiable, but all hid a tiny treasure if they could. Samantha=20 Wildman had died suddenly and violently, but all believed she had a=20 small handful of coins hidden somewhere. Her tiny secret treasure,=20 her ready cash to hand when need arose. It had never been found, and=20 I had a feeling I now knew where to dig. When the ground was not frozen, perhaps I could pretend to find a=20 much richer bag of coin, and I could begin laying in a few fine=20 cloth dresses for Naomi, and maybe one of the porcelain-headed=20 dolls. Like a fine ladies child did. I had always known I'd wished=20 such a fine thing when I was a child. But I'd wanted many things,=20 when I was young and a child in heart. It suddenly struck me Naomi had the making of a fine beauty. And she=20 was growing up, as well, like a weed. For a bare moment I had dreams=20 of marrying her off to better than she now was.=20 Foolishness on my part. We were all base born, and life was always=20 too unsteady a twig to hold to. I continued as smoothly as I was able. Emilia went in search of=20 Naomi and I asked more of the Dwarf. It developed he owned a large multi-story building all his own,=20 closer to the Maze, and kept his models in his insulae there. I'd=20 never heard of such foolishness as a small fake Free City in all my=20 life, though I'd viewed tiny constructs when some Generals had=20 models built by magic and craft, to ease his conducting a siege or=20 campaign. The Duke of Windfire inherited a grand representation of his=20 Grandfather's realm, and still kept it carefully tucked away in one=20 of the rooms in his Town Palace, in Brumere. Exquisite it was=20 thought of by viewers, and he had a cloth carefully fitted to a=20 frame and levered to the side when he wished to view it or show it=20 off to guests. The cloth helped keep it from damage and accumulated=20 dust. Purportedly all the major streams were there, the bridges and=20 the towns, the villages and castles. The City of Tar-trigon was=20 represented there, it was said, as well as much else that was not=20 part of the Grand Duchy. Whether the Duke had ambitions to include=20 much in his realm, or was just being accurate, was not known. The=20 Empire sometimes had trouble restraining the disputes and greed of=20 its realms. Windfire was no exception. Under urging, he described the miniature city as including the land=20 about it, for such adjoining fields and villages and byways indeed=20 were included as part of the legitimate patrimony of the Free City,=20 granted by one Emperor or another, or boughten from one of the two=20 Duchies. He explained the Free City had been originally less in=20 extent, but it had slowly spread its small borders outwards with the=20 generations. His little city, he said, showed each building in the city. He said=20 if I wished, he would show me his treasure, though he would have to=20 swear me to silence about it. I presumed he meant a spell would be=20 used to seal my lips. Other souls would not be as benign as me, he=20 said, and his treasure was rightly the property of the race of=20 dwarves, rather than just himself. The thought of seeing this miniature Tar-trigon suddenly fascinated=20 me. "My girls," I asked, "could they come with us to see it?" "They would tell, and I should have to move." "A secret may be held by them, and besides, Emilia speaks only to=20 Naomi. And include my wife in the showing as well." Gods Above and=20 Demons Below, she was certainly holding secrets at this very moment,=20 even as I was. He hesitated, and I knew I had won my point. "Can you carry them in the snowy streets? The girls? There and back=20 again?" he inquired.=20 "Twenty leagues and ten," I said. "I can put them under a sleeping geas, and as I said it is on the=20 edge of the Maze. It would be a short journey. "You understand I should have to lay another geas on your lips,=20 yours and your wife's, to keep my secret place unknown. If you=20 object, I cannot indulge you." He was eager now to unfold his treasure before admiring eyes.=20 We had encountered a Monk once, who was building a picture of=20 stones, a mosaic, to his God of Winds. He had no talents for singing=20 or writing, and was looked down on by the others in his Temple. But=20 he was creating a visual paean of praise to his God, and he was=20 breathlessly eager to show Sevein and me his creation, once we had=20 expressed a genuine interest in his art. It had been composed of uneven stones, it was not finished, not all=20 the colors were true, and the proportions were askew. However, it=20 was one of the most beautiful things either of us had seen for years. I heard later the roil of war had washed over his province again,=20 and wondered whether he had ever been permitted to finish his=20 mosaic, and how it appeared when finished, and whether the other=20 monks appreciated it when it was done. The Dwarf also saw himself as an artist, and he wished to show his=20 work. Very well, I shall view his efforts. At worst I should have=20 wasted a few hours and my feet would complain of the snow they=20 walked through. I expected to see a map with a few small lumps on it=20 representing great buildings. Yet, let us be off. I wished to be out of here, and to take my=20 swelling brood to something unexpected. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Naomi rode Sevein's ample hip, Emilia mine. We two cloaked figures=20 hurried in from the cold, through two sets of doors, and another one=20 composed of hanging drapes. Inside was darkness broken by hearths=20 glowing warm. Two more dwarves in gowns of forest green appeared and=20 remonstrated with Roxdew, uneasy about human visitors. I watched=20 their beards waggling, taking in the immense platform laid before us=20 at thigh height. The room was large, and all but the sides of the room were filled by=20 this platform. Shapes were visible upon it, and the hairs on the=20 back of neck began to lift in anticipation. Sevein shivered, shaking her spine suddenly, and I knew we were=20 about to view a spectacle never before seen by the likes of us. The two green-clad dwarves came to take our cloaks and coats, and=20 bit by bit warm whitish Wizard lights burst into their small glories=20 near the close roof of the hall. We eased the girls down as we relieved them of their own coats and=20 cloaks, and Roxdew touched their eyes to awaken them. It were a Glory. A wonder to take our breath away! Magic! And yet my=20 nerves were not edged with the shrill warning of its proximity, nor=20 did my steel daggers in my belt ring in the distress common to their=20 nearing Wizardry. The Free City was laid out before us. Not some painted carvings and=20 a few irregular splinter-and-glue approximations. The Free City=20 itself lay before us. It was awash with detail far beyond the=20 ability of mere mortals to construct. And crafted throughout on a=20 scale that made me seem I was a giantess kilometers high, in=20 comparison to it. I bent to view a tiny village at the verge, and saw the huts, the=20 stables and dwellings. Little roads drifted in miniature snow hooded=20 them and softened their angularities. Trees, bare for the most part,=20 studded the landscape, with an ordered few proclaiming their being=20 an orchard in other seasons. My eyes lifted from the edge and I followed the road until it met=20 and merged with another, leading inexorably towards the stone=20 curtain walls of Tar-trigon. Lines of trees marched along the way, as well as stands of timber,=20 such as oak and maple, elm and pine, poplars and ash, willows and=20 linden. Tiny pebbles were giant boulders in this landscape, and=20 elderly maples tiny twigs. I saw rolling fields with a ghostly mist of stubble and snow, and=20 the orderly ditches of rice paddies in the flatter ground. There=20 were small streams and large, small bridges and culverts, all were=20 there. My eyes gazed in wonder on the ramparts of the Free City. In=20 increasing wonder I viewed the open city gates, the minute Gate=20 Guards sentry boxes, the infinitesimal steel-weaved portcullis=20 visible in a gateway arch, the finials and battlements of the=20 periodic towers of metropolitan defense. There was the city within. There was a steel framework about the City model here, and I=20 gingerly laid my hands upon it, testing its strength. I expected=20 some give, for it was only a frame, but it had the feel of a single=20 giant and solid block of metal. There was no wobble, or give, or=20 tremor. Naomi leaned against it with all her weight, her eyes the=20 size of target shields, her mouth showing the pink warmness of her=20 inner mouth. "It is the work of a God," Sevein murmured in my ear. "Not so," Roxdew replied as he stood alongside her. "The work of=20 dwarves." I sat down. I had to. With my legs underneath me, the perspective changed and I could more=20 clearly see the mild ups and downs of landscape leading to the nut=20 of black granite upon which so much of the Free City of Tar-trigon=20 was built. From here I could see the needles which were the=20 flagstaffs and pennons upon which flew the banners proper to the=20 City. They always flew the standards of the two adjoining Duchies on=20 their walls and gates, and I could tell the tiny dots of color of=20 Windfire, scarlet, and of Kleinboggen, and its golden yellow. Then the hair on the back of my neck stood stiff and away. On a tiny road leading away from a tiny village at the edge, a tiny,=20 tiny cart moved. I could not tell if it was powered by mule, horse, or ox, but it=20 moved. I watched it slowly pass by a stand of match-like trees. "It is alive!" I cried. "No," Roxdew corrected. "It is only a simulacra. It represents=20 faithfully what is in the real world. A mimicry, a playlet in=20 miniature, a pretend. A bit of Dwarf magic to be sure, but only a=20 pretend." "This cart," I said, pointing with a finger. "Does this cart move as=20 right this instant a real cart moves, out there, far from the city=20 gates?" "An exact simulacra, a copy, a pretend. It is only a pretend."=20 Meaning yes, it mimics reality.=20 Roxdew held out his hand and I managed to struggle to my feet=20 without falling down again. "Mama Sevein," Naomi asked, "can I touch the little houses?" "No!" she said in unison with all three dwarves, and myself. She drew back a step in dismay, her finger quickly in her mouth=20 instead of about to caress the delicate creations spread before us.=20 Emilia looked about and then entered the miniature City landscape.=20 Passing right through solidity, of course. For a few minutes we watched her bent head view the City, her eyes=20 level with the buildings as her head passed through the walls=20 surrounding. Of a sudden I knew Emilia could spend days, weeks,=20 studying this fantastic treasure. I knew I could. And from the awe on her face, Sevein as well. Naomi had found paradise. A paradise out of reach, but a paradise=20 none the less. The dwarves beamed under the concentrated awe we females bestowed=20 upon their creation. Hedge Magic. White Magic. Dwarf magic.=20 Certainly Magic. Most people studied magic, the Thamumagratical Arts, for one purpose=20 only. To find and grasp Power, and wealth, and Respect. Fear if=20 nothing else. They seek the elevation of themselves, nothing more. Magical Healers of whatever rank from Emil and his nostrums to Great=20 Wizards of medicine, are of a differing sort. For their fame is=20 uncertain, and their wealth is often gained through the sweat of=20 their own constant labors. But it might be fairly said they usually=20 gained some renown and wealth in the process. Power they held little=20 of, excepting that of granting surcease to the injured and ill, and=20 for that benediction usually gold came their way. But the power of=20 more customary Wizards, with their Flying Carpets and great castles?=20 No. This was White magic. Magic held for purposes of other than self.=20 Well, to be honest, these dwarves obviously pleased themselves with=20 this marvel, but it was not the satisfactions an ordinary (and=20 untrustworthy) Wizard gained with his Powers. No Nobles begged of them, no rich merchants pleaded with them, no=20 lowly such as us begged their lives of them. Wizards wanted to be bullies. Rich bullies, but bullies. The strong=20 pushing and squashing as they wished. Of course OTHER Wizards pushed back, which is the nature of the=20 balances in this world today. No Wizard lacks his rivals, no Witch=20 lacks the holder of antidotes to her spells, and no Warlock lacks=20 the adversary who can unchain his enchantments. This was, therefore, a White magic, which explains why my nerves=20 were NOT on edge, and my steel did not sing to me of Wizard's Bane=20 nearby. "We will view the City more closely," Roxdew said. With that cryptic=20 statement he scampered off to a side door and re-emerged with an=20 armload of nothing. A fourth Dwarf appeared, all in white, adjusting a wide-brimmed flat- crowned white hat on his head. Roxdew motioned us back and he=20 unrolled nothing that we could see upon the frame before us,=20 guarding his simulacra City. Obviously there was SOMETHING there, but Naomi earned a series of=20 harsh rebukes when she made to test it with her finger. Sevein=20 practically put her nose to the nothing being spread over the frame.=20 Somehow it was stretched by dwarvish arms, and made to fit. They=20 stepped back, sweating, obviously well pleased with themselves and=20 their business. Then the little man in the white hat eased the=20 nothing onto the frame tightly, and turned his back. He removed his=20 hat and never looked back as he retreated to his unseen niche. There were short boards against the walls, and the dwarves threw=20 some half dozen of them unceremoniously upon the air above the City. They seemed to have no problem apparently lying upon the vacant air,=20 but one had to presume there was SOMETHING across the frame about=20 the miniature City. All the boards glided easily a small distance=20 and Roxdew grunted as he hoisted himself into mid-air above the=20 models. "Well?" he asked. "Climb aboard one of the lengths of wood and visit=20 the Free Imperial City of Tar-trigon to your heart's content." He=20 put action to his words walking out on air and then by lying full=20 length upon a segment of board. He smiled, and using but a finger against the invisible surface=20 easily pulled himself about. He glided at will, with but a simple=20 exertion sufficient to proper him as if a skilled skater upon smooth=20 ice. Naomi was instantly up and lying on a board, and Sevein up before I=20 made my own decision. I laid down on one and saw Naomi careening=20 hither and yon with the use of her hands, skimming over the roofs of=20 this great City at some speed. She bumped the frame, and fell off=20 her board, but was soon back on it and keening with joy. "Mama Mouser," she said when she stopped. "It's 'Voyager' Inn." In a second all of us were gazing down on our massive home and Inn,=20 and the Stable, and the Brewery linked to us by a bridge. Little wisps of smoke poured out of the chimneys, and blew away in a=20 rising wind. Emilia's eyes were level with the stable yard, and she was watching=20 something intently. It was so small it was hard to tell, but I think=20 a person was walking down a horse, circling it around and about,=20 coaxing it through the cold until the blown animal could be brought=20 inside and cared for. "Would you wish to view?" Roxdew handed me a magnifying glass=20 procured somehow from inside his blue tunic. It was a one-armed man. One of those Jhaake had newly hired for the=20 stable. I could tell he lacked his right arm, whereas Riker had lost=20 his left. Ezri, I think, came out of the kitchen, her arms tight about herself=20 in the cold. Jhaake moved with a certain amount of youthful grace=20 past the one-armed man, giving him a pat on his arm. Jhaake and Ezri kissed, or at least wrestled, and held it for some=20 moments, before Ezri retreated again within the kitchen. Gods Above and Demons Below. Sisko won't be terribly happy to hear=20 of his only son being with a mere servant girl. He was a vaunted=20 Master Craftsman, and he had great plans to apprentice his son, I=20 was sure. Still, maybe this was but a fling. We'll see. Sevein took the glass next, and surveyed 'Voyager' with her mouth=20 and eyes open. Emilia beckoned me over, and I beheld the modest=20 Temple of Gogorol. Naomi showed us Sathridin Square, and Sevein=20 carefully eyed the two twin Fangs, the jails of the Free City. From=20 above we viewed the homes of the rich, inside their courtyards and=20 circles of Gargoyles, Guards, Wizards, Imps and ferocious dogs. In=20 the center of the Free City the lofty spire of Chakay's temple=20 soared until it almost touched the invisible nothing upon which we=20 glided. The Spire of the Great Temple of The Day's Truth. The gold=20 that gilded it glinted in the light. I made out the barges stranded by the river docks, the warehouse=20 where I spent so many nights guarding with Sevein, all the many=20 districts of the Free City. Emilia was observing something on the southeast road, on the far=20 side of the City. I scuttled over there on my board and took the=20 dwarf's glass to a horseman nearing the gates. I think it was such.=20 In any event the horse foundered, falling, and the rider leaped=20 clear as the poor beast collapsed in the cold road. The rider=20 disengaged the saddle from the horse, hefting it on his shoulder.=20 Then he did something to the horse and I saw the spreading dark=20 stain. He had cut its throat, I believed. The horseman moved on towards the open gate, ignoring the horse=20 dying behind him. A hard man. Someone had been in a terrible hurry, I feared. Then the city took me again. We watched the Markets, especially the Maze Market, teeming even=20 despite the weather. A troop of cavalry rode across the bridges on=20 Old Island to the other side, and a pair of horsemen came to Tuvok's=20 warehouse. There was a procession entering the no-doubt welcome=20 sanctuary of the Wind's Temple. A few mounted and probably desperate=20 travelers were entering by the Northeast Gate. A small building near=20 that gate was smoking, probably afire. Further afield Sevein pointed=20 out a small figure which had appeared on a rooftop, and begun=20 crossing the distances. He was jumping the spaces, keeping his=20 footing on the tiles and shingles and amongst the icy chimneys and=20 stone faces which decorated most eaves. Possibly even Tom Pare on=20 some errand for the Thieves Guild. A need to void reminded me of the passage of time, and I remembered=20 we should return to 'Voyager'. For a second I felt trapped, needs=20 chaining me to a place. Then Sevein snuggled against my back and=20 reminded me I was bound to much more than walls and duties. I shall prevail. Naomi and Emilia wished to stay, but were comforted to know they=20 might someday return to the viewing. We were all given enchantments=20 of silence by the Dwarf all in white, said Dwarf quietly being a=20 Wizard literally of the hedge sort. We viewed such a restriction as=20 a small price for what we had seen, and might see again. The enchantments were all too necessary, unfortunately. For even I,=20 a keeper of secrets, wished to tell every soul of my acquaintance=20 all that I knew of the wonders in the low-ceilinged hall of the=20 dwarves. As we trudged home with two sleeping children held under our cloaks,=20 it came to me I had not seen what the Dwarf used my splinters for.=20 Mayhaps most likely it was magic, and we were outsiders there and=20 not properly within their Circle. I could not help but look above me as I walked, wondering if I were=20 being viewed by a little man in a pointed red cap. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The City slaves were struggling to fill the tanks in the horse-drawn=20 cart when I stuck my head out the door again. Miserable day to be=20 out in it, but again I noticed the way the City made sure their=20 slaves had warm clothes and heavy usable boots, the kind with the=20 leather bottoms and the thick felt tops.=20 The Sanitation cart had to come by each day, barring the disaster of=20 a genuine blizzard, for 'Voyager' had grown in custom in the short=20 time since Samantha Wildman's murder. Our cheaper rooms were all=20 rented, and many of the others, and our kitchens seemed to feed more=20 people each day. Lwaxana wanted a second full-time scullery maid to=20 supplement the one she already had, as well as Naomi's irregular=20 labor. She continually mentioned how happy she would be when we=20 obtained our own baker. Odo was observing the slaves as they worked, perhaps taking it upon=20 himself unasked to monitor everything which occurred at 'Voyager'.=20 As he blew seemingly irritated breath in the stable yard, the wood=20 seller hove to. At least on this matter Lwaxana took it upon herself=20 to be sure 'Voyager' got every gram of firewood the Inn paid for. As=20 well as of a fixed quantity of hardwood mixed with the cheaper pines. This was one of the areas where Lwaxana garnered a tiny kickback,=20 and I saw no reason to begrudge her those few farthings gained. In=20 the cords of wood I saw a quantity of sections of branch with dead=20 acanthus still attached, and I recalled a fine marble villa of some=20 long-dead Magnifico rising into wilderness air, its ruined pink=20 columns replete with the leafy pest. It had been in Barnine, I=20 recall. The dwarves magical miniature Free City for some reason put me in a=20 retrospective mood, and Sevein noticed my distractions. She took the=20 time to touch the back of my neck and give me a smile before going=20 upstairs again. Ezri noticed my absent-minded scrutiny, and was made mildly nervous=20 by the look produced by the rumblings my mind made inside my skull.=20 Poor woman dropped a terra-cotta bowl as I watched, and that snapped=20 me out of my reverie. As I helped her pick the pieces up she fidgeted under my eyes. "You and Jhaake," I began, and then could not continue. I belabored=20 my mouth for being so nosy and rude, for what she and Jhaake might=20 do was more properly the problem of Sisko than me. "I have no dowry," she began, and then froze in pain. Of course she=20 had no dowry, anyone working as a scullery maid and general dog's=20 body girl was too poor to have a dowry. She would have to settle for=20 whoever came along, and try to maintain herself intact until she has=20 her man. Gods above and demons below. She has her man, and he's several years=20 younger than she is. Six years? Seven? Jhaake is also destined for the secure life of a craftsman if his=20 father has anything to do with it. Sisko would never countenance a=20 dowry-less marriage. Not for the money, but because of the need to=20 place his son well. I was about to ask her whether they'd been making the beast with two=20 backs, and then realized I already knew the answer. "Do you know Belanna?" "The one who married you and Sevein; she's the Priestess at the=20 Green Frog God's Temple." Suddenly the edge of panic retreated a=20 hair from her eyes. She hoped I had a plan. She was right. I always have a plan, as Sevein has reminded me more=20 than once. This one involved her seeing a good Wizard who would dry=20 up her flows for a while, and purport to do it through the medium of=20 Belanna's Temple and charity. The Wizard would need gold before=20 doing anything, but I recalled the elderly Healer Wizard who had=20 ridden out to the 'Voyager' Inn the night Samantha Wildman had her=20 throat slit. He had a mildly outlandish name, not so strange for an Issaurian,=20 though. Lenard Makoy, if memory served me right. That he horsed=20 himself and rode to visit his patient at all told much about his=20 obviously patient and forgiving nature. He'd likely be willing to=20 fabricate some story for Ezri's ears, and for a year perhaps,=20 prevent her getting in the Family way. Just until I could work=20 something out. Sisko should know of this liaison in any event. Ezri stood close to me and we conversed for some time, with me=20 telling her what good friends Sevein and I were with the lissome=20 morsel who was High Priestess to the Rain God, Gogorol. Which was=20 quite true. Belanna would arrange everything, including the services=20 of a Wizard Healer. That Ezri had given her heart to a younger man, was true. That she=20 was not seeking to merely better herself and leave the drudgery of=20 this lowly laboring was also apparent to me. If I was deceived, her=20 skill at subterfuge was beyond any I had previously ever known. She was a Fool, but not a raptor. Still, I had all those pigs of gold held by the Thieves Guild, and I=20 could afford to be of assistance to the pretty thing. If she lacked=20 a certain amount of common sense, she had by pure chance fallen into=20 generous hands. We'll see what develops. At that time an odd portly man appeared with red cheeks and a=20 pointed hat. His long tunic overflowed with pockets, and he sought=20 me out. "Gracious beauty," he began, "You are the owner of this estimable=20 establishment, are you not? If you are it is indeed your lucky day,=20 for I have chosen to bless this most commodious Inn with my=20 unparalleled services." He did not let go my hand, and he lightly kissed my reddened=20 knuckles with his lips. Charming, but untrustworthy, I judged. "I am Cyrano Jonas," he explained. Another Issaurian, I thought, if=20 that his name. "I am a musician the likes of which you will never=20 know again. I am improbably gifted bard and a melodic singer of=20 immortal ballads that shall ring for millennia. "Today, during the limited time I pass through the great and noble=20 Free City of Tar-trigon, I am offering a unique service far and=20 beyond those pleasurable ones already mentioned." He talked with his=20 hands a great deal. "I shall free this marvelous building of rats." I calmly stared at him, busily repressing my urge to laugh. With my=20 talents, 'Voyager' was probably the one building in Tar-trigon most=20 lacking in a population of mice and rats. Normally I called them to me each night, let them crawl into a large=20 stout bag, and tell them to sleep the sleep of the dead. They never waken. Their life force slowly goes away, at my command, and by morning=20 their cooling remains go into the slops barrel outside. Not knowing how it was done, Lwaxana presumed an expensive Wizardly=20 visit. She continually promised me she could find a new Wizard to=20 take over the rodent death magic, and probably at less than what I=20 was now paying. I believed her implicitly. Whether her now Wizard=20 would be worth his cut-rate fee was another matter. He'd surly want=20 silver for his troubles. As I worked for free, I fended her off and told her I wouldn't dream=20 of dismissing a Wizard (or Witch) who was doing such a splendid job. With my silence and faint smile, Cyrano was encouraged enough to go=20 on with his sales talk. He pulled a flute from somewhere and waved=20 it at me. "Here you see the marvelous death sentence for mice itself." He=20 certainly did use his hands a great deal. "I play on my flute, and the rats swarm to me. They huddle around me=20 and worship my music. I can lead them out of your residence, true.=20 But the needs of an honest Innkeeper such as you would be best=20 served by their destruction. Total and absolute destruction. "The mice will follow me outdoors and sit enraptured. They will=20 ignore the one-by-one murder of their fellows, and you might receive=20 the satisfaction of sending them to the Ferryman by your own hand." "Does your music work?" I asked. I had long since detected the two mice he had hidden in a bag=20 between his pants and his tunic. He was using the same method of=20 transporting mice as I did when I was employing them to spy on a=20 building or Residence. As expected he swore it would work, just you=20 wait and see. He would give me a demonstration, he said. He bustled about and gave=20 forth a loud "Eureka!" near my booths. He let loose his mice,=20 intending for them to be frightened out of their wits and be seen as=20 they scurried across the floor. Upon which his no-doubt effective=20 Flute would summon them, and coax them outside where their once=20 captured and once enchanted bodies could be crushed by the heels of=20 my boots at my leisure. I commanded them to hide under the booths. Cyrano commanded them to appear and follow him. I again told them to hide. Cyrano kept playing, his face gradually=20 becoming redder than it already was. Come forth, his music bade them. Stay hidden I told them with my Talent. The matter was complicated=20 when I realized we had attracted three small mice that had but this=20 morning infiltrated the kitchen. They were running across the floor=20 to the Piper. I told them to hide behind the bar. Bashir tried to stomp on them, but missed. Encouraged by that=20 partial success, Cyrano kept playing. Long minutes later Cyrano had to break off his piping, having been=20 completely blown by his unsuccessful efforts. "I don't understand it," he gasped. "I learned this art directly=20 from the Pied Piper of Hamelin, the other side of the Duchy of=20 Kleinboggen. I even know how to call small children to follow my=20 music. "But never before have I failed to call MICE!" For his troubles and in partial apology, I gave him a stroup of beer=20 and a tad of yellow cheese, black hard sausage and bread. Seeing his sad and low spirits, I relented and encouraged him to try=20 his skills again. This time I allowed all the mice, both his and my=20 sneaks new snuck into the kitchen, to go to him. He stared long at=20 his flute, and shook his head, wondering what the problem had been.=20 With a smile, he led them outside and Bashir followed. I let my=20 Publican do the honors of finishing their small lives with his=20 boots. He didn't care for mice or rats. Their gory remains were tail- thrown into the presently empty slops barrel. The Stable cats=20 emerged to investigate the smell of deceased mouse, and discovered=20 the fresh corpses in the bottom of the barrel. Inside again I declined the services of Cyrano, but gave him a=20 silver Groat for his troubles and the five dead mice. At this time the muscular Sisko himself appeared, carefully backing=20 a keg of his brew down the stairs. He had taken the convenience of=20 having a covered bridge and immediate access to the 'Voyager' Inn,=20 to fulfill many orders. Bashir, Sevein and he heaved it into=20 position behind the bar, and then I beckoned Brewmaster Sisko over=20 for a talk. First order of business was that a Dwarf would be by, and he was to=20 let them have for their cart a barrel of his best brew. Or worst.=20 Whatever the dwarves wished. The cost was to be borne by=20 the 'Voyager' Inn. We were seated in a booth, and he controlled his usual broad smile=20 as he picked up some hint that there was a problem. Sisko asked how Jhaake was doing as the new Stable Master, and was=20 pleased to find no complaints on my lips regarding that issue. "You know my serving girl, Ezri?" I asked. Sisko had a quick mind, and he leaped to the correct conclusion with=20 no more fact than my bare question. I held my tongue while he fumed=20 and then controlled himself. "She did not strike me a schemer," he allowed, "but rather an=20 uncomplicated wench. Is there a serious problem?" Meaning was she pregnant. By customary law in the Empire and in most=20 other places, the father must be responsible for the upkeep of a=20 child. The laws demand it. Empire writ probably still ran true in=20 Tar-trigon, or the Free City undoubtedly had its own similar laws in=20 these matters. Such a burden could cripple many heedless young folk. I evaded a direct answer and reassured him, letting him think that=20 particular matter was under control. It would be, in short order, I=20 thought to myself. Sisko didn't buy my evasions. I allowed as how Ezri was going to see Belanna tomorrow, and she=20 would safeguard the young couple from the consequences of their=20 folly. I showed as much patience as I could, waiting for him to unwrap=20 himself of some of his hot anger. In the meantime I told him of what I could of the girl. Her sister=20 Jadzia had been murdered alongside Sam Wildman, and I felt=20 responsible for the orphan. She was a hard worker, and sought to=20 maintain a shy smile in the Commons. We both knew the license many=20 males felt they earned by the simple purchase of a little food and=20 ale. I felt strange hands on my body, even up between my thighs, on=20 a constant schedule. Sevein and I carried lead coshes on our belts=20 for such adventurous hands, and more than one finger had been=20 suddenly broken for their mistake of thinking the women here=20 available whores. We didn't put Hemlock or Opium in the wine to enliven it, and we=20 didn't allow slatterns to ply their trade in the Commons either. Slowly, I hope, customers here were learning to restrain themselves.=20 Either that or suffer the consequences. Maybe not. It was depressing at times. Sisko in his turn stated he hoped Jhaake would follow in the=20 Brewer's trade. He was a touch bitter about my promoting him so=20 suddenly in the Stable area. Sisko felt Jhaake was not making the=20 right decisions. That the boy, man, was enraptured with the horses,=20 far beyond what he should, was apparent. And now we had the problem=20 of Ezri. He thought I should fire Jhaake as Stable Master, and=20 encourage him to return to the brewer's trade. With Sisko and his=20 own new assistant Brewer, he could give Jhaake a proper=20 Apprenticeship, and find him a good wife. Meaning one with a little=20 more status, and a dowry. It was impossible to argue with him on the quite logical points=20 raised. I had a plan, though. I always have a plan. Through Belanna's charity Ezri could gain a modest dowry, and Sisko=20 had already admitted Ezri to be an agreeable woman, well disposed,=20 and willing to work. It struck me that Sisko could approve the=20 alliance, despite her being older and much poorer, if he made=20 Jhaake's becoming a Brewer's Apprentice a condition of the match. We'll see. I might suggest such an arrangement to Sisko once I'd=20 arranged for a dowry. With the aid of others she could be taught the graces necessary to=20 the wife of a Master and Craftsman. Sevein would enjoy planning the=20 wedding Feast. I did, however, have the feeling that my family was again expanding.=20 That was a sadness mixed in with a joy. How could we leave them? Sevein and I. Calmed down to a great degree, Sisko agreed to let me send Ezri to=20 dear friend Belanna first, and we'll work on the next series of=20 problems later. For a mercy Sisko was not a violent man, beyond the ordinary. I had=20 never seen Jhaake flinch away from the presence of his father, as I=20 had seen many others do. Next to the letter Ezri shall carry to Belanna. I'd discovered=20 Bashir was surprisingly a man of some learning, being able to not=20 only cipher his numbers even without his abacus, but to read and=20 write well. Soon he was assisting me in writing a cunning note to=20 Belanna when Odo returned inside. I can read and write quite well,=20 thank you, but we were composing a pleading note to Belanna for her=20 to obtain the services of Makoy (or someone of his reliable nature)=20 and help Ezri. Ezri could read and write a little, and I wished her to think me a=20 friend rather than conspirator with Belanna. If Ezri read the note I=20 was going to send with her. I presumed she would, and I purposefully=20 left the letter unsealed. My life was becoming so complicated these days. I gave Odo dinner and watered wine amongst the before-evening crowd,=20 refusing payment of him for his food. He was an employee, not a=20 customer. I sent Ezri packing, telling her to stay the night in Belanna's=20 Temple rather than return in the dark. Sevein eyed me, but trusted me to have a reason for sending Ezri off=20 when the Commons was already half-full of custom. "So tell me, Odo, just what happened between you and my arsonists?"=20 He was relaxing over his meal's remains, and had evidently been=20 expecting my inquiry. "Arson was what they had in mind," he commented, and then looked me=20 in my face. "They had four brimstones and piles of trashy kindling=20 in their arms. They were virtually unarmed, so I took the=20 opportunity of drawing short sword and knife and confronting them,=20 instead of sending a crossbow bolt through one. "The one fool panicked and rushed me and I drove my knife through=20 his hand. The other had more fear or sense." He glanced down at the=20 dark stain of blood on the sleeve of his coat. "You did rightly," I told him. "You defended my property and acted=20 well. What did you do after?" "The three of us walked to the Brumere Gate, after I'd bandaged the=20 one's hand. The fool never stopped crying and pleading for mercy. I=20 think he thought I meant to murder him." He stared me in my eyes. "I've killed before, Mistress Mouser, and=20 probably will again. But not in the cold way I've seen others=20 perform the act." For myself I had an image of wounded thieves at our warehouse. In=20 great pain and no hope of it getting better for them. That had been=20 an act of mercy, not murder, and I must recall to myself that fact.=20 If Sevein wielded the actual blade then, I was party to it. Here too=20 I was a party to it. "At the Gate?" I asked. "I told the City Guard the two were arsonists, and not to allow them=20 back into the Free City. The Guard was full of jeers and threats,=20 but allowed them free passage through. The last I saw of them they=20 were trudging into the snow. The one probably would not survive the=20 night. The other? I cut him between two of his fingers. Just enough=20 to mark him for the City Guards.=20 "Their gloves still lie in the snow behind the Stables. They will=20 not be able to hide their wounds. "If they go bandit I know from my days with the Watch that the=20 villages hereabouts are wary of predators debouching from the City,=20 and are both alert and armed well. "Very likely the fools will seek to re-enter by another gate, but=20 the Guard will most likely not allow the wounded men to enter when=20 they likely were ejected by another gate. The Guardian Imps and=20 Gargoyles at any Gate shall alert the City Guards as to the bloodied=20 condition of either man. The fools will have explanations to make.=20 As well, the stupid men were not dressed for an extensive journey in=20 this cold. The Guard will be suspicious. They shall not return to=20 Tar-trigon. However, if they do, I shall keep an eye out for either fool.=20 Hopefully, if they re-enter the City, they will avoid 'Voyager' and=20 all of it." Neither arsonist may make it through the cold night. Yet they shall=20 have a chance. The Gods will decide. "You did well," I quietly said. "You did as I would have done." He=20 gave me an odd look out of his ruined face. "I have seen the mighty exercise considerable cruelty simply by the=20 expedient of avoiding the sight of their victims. Any fault in the=20 matter lies with me and Sevein, not with you. "It was necessary to harm them, and if you had killed either or both=20 that too would have been by my hand. "MY hand."=20 What an odd attitude, he was probably thinking. But perhaps not. He=20 had been a mercenary Free Sword, and been made unhappy by casual=20 murder by the Night Watch. I was certainly gathering an odd assortment of people about myself=20 and Sevein. I told him not to let Emilia to have a drink of his wine, and he=20 told her to mind her elders. Yes, very odd, and my little ghost was=20 perhaps the oddest. I went back to work, using my cosh on a straying hand, and noted Odo=20 took his stroup and plate to the kitchen to be dipped in water and=20 re-used. When he veered to the side closest the Stable, I noticed the red- haired whore for the first time. In winter there is always the=20 problem of slatterns and other sneaks seeking entry, attempting to=20 find some corner where they will not freeze. This one simply sat=20 crouched unnoticed on the floor, probably wondering if she would=20 survive the night. Her cowl was back, which is how I knew her for woman and red-maned.=20 Odo was quietly remonstrating with her by the time I arrived.=20 Perhaps I should turn around and leave her to him. Then I saw she was neither whining nor defiant. There was not the=20 visual stamp on her of a life gone irremediable. Odo saw my interest, and subtle man that he could be, he noticed my=20 face. He straightened and began being inconspicuous. In plain sight=20 he became nothing worthy of a second glance. He must have been a=20 remarkable Night Watch. I slid down beside her, my back to the wall and sideways looking at=20 her, taking her in. I was noticing she was dirty, but her odor was=20 light and she had made some attempts to clean herself. Despite her=20 broken nose she had prettiness to her. There was no smell of wine or other evils to her, and she seemed to=20 have all her teeth. "You do not practice your trade in my Inn," I said. "I simply wished a little warmth for a little while," she stated in=20 return. It cost her, but her statement was carefully neutral. Not=20 defiant, nor whining. "Nothing more." What to say? Sometimes a woman had to make unpalatable choices. It=20 struck me she was newly pressed into her new service. Such things=20 happened. The father died, the husband died, even all of the=20 relatives died, things happened. In her case I wagered she had been a wife until recently. Besides, underneath her grease and the hideous way her nose had been=20 long-ago broken, she was indeed a comely wench. And not too far gone=20 into her new trade, I guessed. "What is your name, girl?" I commanded an answer. "Kira Nerys," she replied, suddenly looking hopeful. Hope. I'd said=20 or done nothing to warrant that look of hope. Yet at times it takes=20 nothing whatsoever to bring hope, if you're desperate enough for the=20 least spark. Besides which, so long as we conversed, she stayed inside in the=20 warmth. "Do you like your work?" I gently asked. Her face spasmed for a=20 second before she re-clamped control. "I gather you have no protector," I noted. Panderer. "Might you care for scullery work instead?" Her husband had died recently and she was destitute and desperate,=20 though she made no excuses. I think he did not die in an ordinary=20 manner, for she did not volunteer how he had perished. Thus it was that my family grew again. Lwaxana was aghast, and I=20 carefully explained to Kira and Lwaxana both that the first sign she=20 was again re-applying her trade, it was out the door for the=20 newcomer. The first time she did not follow Lwaxana's commands, it=20 was out the door for the newcomer. Kira knew she was on a rein, and a short one at that. By now I had=20 faith in Lwaxana's ability to master Kira without cruelty. The cook=20 would brook no rebellious subjects in her Empire of the Kitchen. Yet=20 she would be fair. Work hard or leave.=20 Lwaxana was at some lengths concerning a maid's duties. Kira for her=20 part seemed attentive and resigned. Not fearful or sullen. Lwaxana=20 complained of Kira's filthy clothes and filthy Kira, and I promised=20 we would see that right. I thought of putting her in a room on the third floor, with two=20 women who worked for Sisko sorting grains and hops. Lwaxana asked=20 her about diseases and pests such as lice, and I hastily revised=20 myself. "Odo," I beckoned him over. "Are you still able to travel at night=20 despite the curfews?" "So long as I have needful business," he said. "Where do you want me=20 to take her?" Fast off the mark was my new Arm. Odo stated he could manage to take her to Belanna, and see to it=20 that Belanna found a Healer Wizard to resolve our new scullery=20 maid's diseases and uninvited tiny pests. If she were free of such I=20 should be surprised. Her trade precluded freedom from such taints. Lwaxana found a shift in the rags bin that would fit Kira, and=20 handed Kira a bowl of rough gelid soap and pointed towards the=20 second hand pump in the kitchen. A space existed between bags of=20 vegetables and potatoes, and the salt bin. "Get a bowl and basin and clean yourself some," she commanded,=20 already Kira's Superior Officer. Hopefully she would be given a=20 proper bath at the Temple of Gogorol, but this allowed us to begin=20 inspection immediately. Her breasts were lightly bound in a whole=20 strophium, more to hide two short knives than modesty or anything=20 else. There were a few bruises, but no obvious diseases. Thus it was that Sevein returned in time to see a woman naked to one=20 side in the kitchen. She looked at her, then at me, and smiled. "Pretty," she commented. "If she's a sudden gift for me, dearest,"=20 she ruefully smiled, "I have to admit I already have all the red=20 haired women I can manage safely, yes I do." She knew the woman for another charity of mine and kissed me on her=20 way out again. Which reminded me that I had things to do other then=20 admiring naked redheads with no doubt pleasantly soft and large rear=20 ends. Well, I thought it a touch large. Nice, but large. Look at=20 Sevein. I like large. Bashir kept an extra cloak and he allowed Kira it. It would save=20 trouble for me to purchase it from him, but I'm supposed to be the=20 money-aware Keeper of an Inn, not a highly successful burglar, I=20 must continually remind myself. I mentally promised I'd have it=20 Wizarded for pests before he got it back. Back in the Commons a voice caught me. "A moment, wench," the voice=20 spoke to my back, "could you tell me where I might find Mistress=20 Mouser or Mistress Sevein?" Well, I was doing the work of a serving girl, so his mistake was=20 quite pardonable. I turned to face him. It was Golden Eye. The brother of Datalore, the invincible champion=20 of his brother's wealth and ultimately assassin at his brother's=20 bequest. The same golden-toned skin, the same gilded agate eyes. Gods above and demons below. There was a third one, a twin to the=20 one we could not kill. I kept a smile on my face, and wiped my hands on my apron. "You've=20 found her. I'm Mistress Mouser. Sevein is in the kitchen. What can I=20 do for you?" He leered a tiny bit, caressing his narrow little moustache. "I startled you," he said. "Your brother, the Banker Datalore, was someone I had seen closely a=20 few times before. The resemblance is close enough that I presumed he=20 was your brother. You ARE his brother, aren't you?" "Datalore was my brother, and I have ridden here from far Nomurea, a=20 considerable feat in the snow." There returned to me the sight of the rider who had cut his horse's=20 throat by the southeast Gate. The rider had struck me then as cold=20 and uncaring, even as I watched in safety and comfort from above the=20 miniature City the dwarves maintained. "My brother was struck down by an assassin, and I mean to do=20 something about it." ------------END ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ASCEM messages are copied to a mailing list. Most recent messages can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCEML. NewMessage: