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Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Merchant Girl From Tanhae
🕑 Added 2025-05-13 13:05:51 +0000 UTCGoogle Docs: For Suggestions
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“And how did all this happen?” Aiden asked as he stepped into the room carrying a tray of food. The restaurant workers he was assisting let out little gasps of shock as they took in the scene of devastation and lust-driven violence.
“She happened,” Amelia said with a grin, gesturing to Serena standing proudly over a pile of unconscious demons. “The one with three pairs of horns put his blade against my throat, so Speaker Halen protected me!” Amelia emphasised Serena’s title as a Speaker, which had the intended effect; the restaurant employees suddenly became very docile, and their eyes took on a mixture of fear and respect as they fixed their gaze upon Serena.
She figured that, considering Serena’s status as a Lord-Prospect, war hero, and Speaker, the establishment might be willing to avoid the hassle of kicking them out. Her prediction turned out to be correct as the owner soon appeared and, after a quiet conversation with Serena and Aiden, they were given a smattering of apologies as the unconscious rabble were removed.
They even gave them another bottle of blue loqua on the house!
“When I become a citizen, will I be able to go around giving such firm etiquette lessons myself?” Amelia asked Serena after the employees had left.
“Stop calling them etiquette lessons, idiot,” Serena said while rolling her eyes. “You were assaulted. This was self-defence. Here.” She sat down and poured the three of them a glass of blue loqua. Now awake, Amelia licked her lips in anticipation.
“A toast,” Serena said, raising her glass. Amelia and Aiden copied.
“To what?” Amelia asked.
“To…” Serena hesitated momentarily. “To the end of the war!”
“To the end of the war!” Amelia and Aiden echoed. They clinked their glasses and took a sip. Although the taste was every bit as delicious as she remembered, Amelia couldn’t help but catch the sombre look in Serena’s eyes. Her girlfriend had been at war for a long time and it had slowly taken its toll.
As long as the conflict went on, Amelia silently vowed to be Serena's unyielding support. She would shower her girlfriend with as much love and affection as she could during and after the war ended.
“Oh, sweet hells,” Aiden mumbled. “My sweet, delicious, blue friend! How I’ve missed your taste! Oh, and what’s this!” The demon’s eyes widened as he saw the extra bottle of blue and green Serena had bought. “You’ve brought your family along! Praise the Empress and her drinks!” While it looked like he was about to weep from happiness, Amelia asked Serena something that had been bothering her.
“I heard Lord Jin refer to himself as a Lord-Prospect, but everyone called him lord. Are both titles correct?”
“No. Lord-Prospect is the correct title, but his lackeys were likely trying to appease him for their own benefit.” Serena shrugged, sipping her glass. “Titles are tricky. Employees of the house will refer to me as Lady, a Cascadian Lord would refer to me as Lord-Prospect, while to anyone else, I would be Speaker or Captain.”
“So many titles! Will I become a Lord?” Amelia asked. The rules of Cascadian Lordship were terribly confusing. They were unisex, non-hereditary titles, meaning a female Lord would be referred to as such. She was sure it would take a while to internalise the system.
Instead of replying, Serena gestured towards Aiden, who appeared to have recovered from his ecstasy enough to join in the conversation.
“With Lord Yulan and Grandmaster Gu’s recommendations, they’ll make you a citizen and a Lord, I’m sure…” Aiden said, trying not to slur his words.
“So fast?” Serena asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Well, they would make her a Lord-Prospect first. They’ll want to lock her down. Remember, she’s a friendly Speaker of a healing branch.” Aiden leaned back, swirling the loqua in his glass. “Demonkind has no gods of healing. Sure, aura helps recovery, and some of the support wards from the mages can do their part, but nothing like the human Aseco branch.”
“Still… a human Lord…” Serena murmured.
“There are some human Lords in Centralis,” Aiden said with a thoughtful expression. “And the North. It’s only the Eastern and Southern Overlords who prohibit it.”
“What about the West?” Amelia asked.
“Eh…” Aiden wobbled his hand in the air. “The West has their own way of doing things.”
“What’s their overlord like?” Amelia had long noticed the West was the least talked-about Empire territory.
“Who knows?” Aiden shrugged. “No one has ever seen him. Or her, for that matter. Well, I suppose the Empress knows who they are. Even their name is unknown. But get this.” Aiden leaned in with a mysterious glint in his eye. “The one singular fact that is public knowledge about the Western Overlord is that they are the strongest of the four. Quite the mystery, right?”
It was quite the mystery! Amelia suddenly felt an urge to explore the West. “Can we go there?” she asked Serena, who shook her head.
“The borders have been closed for centuries,” she explained. “You need a good reason and a visa to go there, whether by air or ground. It’s not like the rest of the Empire. Things work differently there.”
“Look!” Aiden interjected as he pointed out the window. “The main procession is here!” Amelia followed his finger and saw the main square filling up with the festival-goers. A large stage had been erected upon which important-looking people were taking seats.
“Those are the Highlords,” Serena explained as she peered below. “Looks like Highlord Ru is absent, but that’s expected. Guess what Lord Yulan said is true; the seat for the Greatlord is empty.”
“What did Lord Yulan say?” asked Aiden.
“That something important was being transferred to Centralis, and Kenhoro’s Greatlord was personally guarding it.” Serena eyed Aiden with a suspicious eye. “You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
Aiden threw one hand up. “I’m not so high up on the ladder that I get told what the Greatlords get up to. It’s news to me.” Serena held his gaze for a moment before turning back to the square.
“The dancing will start soon,” Serena said, a hint of eagerness creeping into her voice. “We should change into our dresses, Amelia?”
“S-sure!” Amelia sprang up and fetched Aiden's bag with their dresses. Serena adjusted a paper screen to block the view from Aiden or anyone else coming in and the pair of them set about undressing and dressing each other. They fumbled about, the alcohol taking its toll on their dexterity. Serena didn’t need any help with her black dress, but Amelia needed the extra pair of hands to assist her.
An extra pair of hands that didn’t miss the opportunity to grope her breasts.
“I can hear you giggling!” Aiden called out. “Don’t think I can’t guess what you’re getting up to!” Having been caught, the pair of them finished up and exited.
“Seven hells,” Aiden exclaimed as they appeared. “Don’t you look like quite the pair! This is the first time I’ve seen you in a dress since graduation,” Aiden said, tilting his head towards Serena. “And of course, you look lovely in red, Speaker Thornheart.”
Amelia giggled at the compliment. “I wish we had dress shoes!” Both she and Serena were still wearing the practical work shoes they used on their day-to-day adventures.
“I’d rather have our feet in something we can move in if a fight breaks out,” Serena explained pointedly, tapping her shoes against the wooden floor.
“Who’s going to start a fight down there in front of all those Highlords?” Amelia asked.
“Who’s going to start a fight in a café?” Serena answered with a blank expression. “Who’s going to Speak in public? Who’s going to start a fight in here?” Serena reached out and slightly ruffled Amelia’s hair. “You’re a magnet for trouble, you know?”
“Hey! Don’t mess up my hair!” Amelia protested and began adjusting her braids. Serena rolled her eyes and dug out two rainhats for them.
“It’s drizzling, so wear this.”
Donning their hats and receiving the very strongest promise that Aiden wouldn’t drink all the loqua while they were gone, they proceeded downstairs and out into the main square. The space was packed with people who were dancing to the festival drums. Serena pulled her into the throng, and the pair of them began giggling as they tried to copy everyone else's energetic movements.
Turned out, with enough alcohol in her, Serena was every bit as much of an enthusiastic dancer as Amelia was!
Luckily, the tailor did an exceptional job; the dresses were tailored to allow vigorous movement. As the night stretched on and the tempo of the drums increased, Amelia felt herself fall into a trance-like state, much like she did while training. She wasn’t sure but, for a few moments, she felt like the connection she had with her girlfriend actually manifested into something tangible. She could sense something in the aetherfield, or perhaps some other layer of reality.
Or maybe she was just terribly drunk.
“So, I did it, didn’t I?” Serena asked when the tempo slowed down and they could simply hold each other in an embrace while swaying from side to side.
“Did what?” Amelia asked, enjoying the close contact. Their hats had protected them from much of the rain, but enough had gotten through to cause parts of their dresses to stick to their skin, leaving little to the imagination.
“I knocked them all out within five seconds.”
“Oh... Oh!” Amelia grinned as she saw Serena begin to blush. She tried to meet Serena’s gaze, but every time their eyes would have met, Serena would look away with a nervous smile.
“Stop grinning like an idiot, idiot.”
“I can’t help it!” Amelia felt her grin grow even wider. She removed her rainhat so she could nuzzle against Serena’s neck. “So what did you want me to do?” she whispered. “You’re so warm…” Amelia mumbled to herself.
“I…” Serena began before becoming quiet. As the silence stretched on, Amelia could imagine the inner battle that was taking place within her girlfriend's mind. She would never tire of how adorable Serena became at times like this. It was the real Serena, unlike the stern captain act she put on for the crew.
“Can I take a guess?” Amelia whispered. “If I’m right, you only need to say yes, and I’ll do it tonight.”
“...Fine,” came the quiet reply.
“Well,” Amelia began, giving Serena a soft kiss on the neck. “What you did the other night with your tongue… You know, between my legs?” She felt Serena freeze a little at her words.
Bullseye!
“I think it would only be fair if I could return the favour…” she whispered, giving Serena another kiss. “I don’t have any horns for you to hold, but I’d like it if you ran your hands through my hair. Would you like that?” For a moment, Serena didn’t reply. Eventually, she seemed to gather her courage.
“Yes…” Serena whispered. “I’d like that.”
“Wonderful!” Amelia pulled back and lifted Serena’s rainhat to give her a kiss on the lips before her girlfriend could protest. “You know what they say! You get what you ask for!”
“Shut up…” came the small reply. Still, Serena pulled her into an embrace and Amelia took the opportunity.
“You’re not going to believe how fast I can move my tongue,” she whispered.
“Damn you… Let’s go,” Serena said quietly, pulling Amelia by the hand.
“Where?” Amelia asked.
“To get whatever loqua Aiden hasn’t drunk and then…” Serena paused, not turning back as she guided Amelia through the crowd. “...And then we go back to the inn.”
Amelia felt her face blossom with happiness as an atmosphere of anticipation fell upon them.
It would be another night with little sleep!
The following day, Amelia yawned as she exited the inn. She rolled her sore tongue around her mouth. Who knew tongues could get muscle soreness? Not only that, but her jaw ached, too. Serena wasn’t with her. Her girlfriend was still passed out from the activities of the previous night. Amelia giggled at the memory and set about finding a café where she could get some morning coffee.
Serena’s favourite coffee was made from beans from Jimar, a plateau city somewhere in the Southern Terra-Firma. The delivery for the inn still hadn’t come in yet, so Amelia thought she would go hunting before Serena woke up.
Navigating through the streets, Amelia found luck in her third café. Take-out cups didn’t seem to be common in Cascadia, so she was forced to purchase a large flask as well. After paying, she exited the café to see a city guard arguing with a human woman dressed in simple work clothes.
“Look! I’m just trying–” the woman protested against the city guard who’d grabbed her by the arm. She had an unusual accent that Amelia had never heard before.
“I saw you skulking about!” the guard barked. “What’re you doing around here? Do you have a work permit?”
“I docked just the other day! I’m part of the convoy from Tanhae!”
“Is that so?”
“Yes! Yes, it is! Look, I have my documents here!” The woman pulled out some papers and shoved them into the guard's face. “See! I have a visa!” The guard let go of the woman’s arm while glaring at her. After a moment, he began sifting through the papers one by one, glancing up at the annoyed-looking woman every few seconds.
“The Mehta Group?” The guard asked. “That who you work for?”
“Yes! I help run the books!”
“And you are…” The guard flipped through the papers. “Tatiana Lebedev? What’s a Federation girl like you doing working this far south?”
“I go where there’s money to hire me,” Tatiana said bluntly.
“Is that so…” The guard looked like he wanted to interrogate the poor woman further, but then he noticed Amelia spectating awkwardly to the side. He frowned at her momentarily before his eyes widened slightly in recognition. “Hrmph!” he grumbled, handing back the papers to Tatiana. “Stay out of trouble. Don’t wander out of the human districts, or you’ll cause problems.”
“...Yes. I’m sorry,” Tatiana said with a defeated expression. The guard glanced between them before clicking his tongue and walking away. Tatiana walked over to a nearby table and collapsed with a weak groan.
“They don’t seem bothered by you,” Tatiana said with her face in her hands.
“Me?” Amelia pointed at herself. Was she talking to her?
“Yes.”
“Well…” Amelia scratched her cheek. “I guess they’ll get to know you eventually.”
“I was only sent to buy everyone some morning coffee… The human districts don’t have the good stuff…” Tatiana mumbled, rubbing her face before slamming her hands on the table. “Alright! Just a little setback. You can do it, Tatiana!”
Amelia couldn’t resist a soft chuckle at the woman’s determination. She reminded her a little of herself! “They do Jimari coffee here,” she said, shaking her newly acquired flask. “It’s a favourite of demons if you have any in your group.”
“Just humans…” Tatiana said, “You don’t seem worried about being stopped. Why is that?”
“Well…” Amelia sat down opposite Tatiana. “I’m a maid for one of the noble houses, so if I get stopped, I can just wave this around!” She pulled out the House Halen insignia and wiggled it before Tatiana’s face.
“House Halen…” the woman mumbled before her eyes suddenly went wide. “Sorry! We merchants need to know the important houses. House Halen employs you, then?”
“That’s right! Well…” Amelia tilted her head to the side, looking up in thought. “I’m employed directly by Ser– I mean, Lady Halen.”
“So lucky…” Tatiana said, her face filled with amazement. “I wish I could find employment at a proper house like that! No one wants to hire a Federation girl down here, so I’m stuck bookkeeping for Sabanis merchants!”
“I suppose it must be difficult…” Amelia said, unsure of what to say to ease Tatiana’s frustration. “Not all demons are bad, though! Many are really nice once they get to know you!”
“And the rest just harass and mock us for fun, I suppose… Sorry, I’ve had a rough week. I get airsick easily. Not a great trait for a merchant, is it?”
“That’s okay! Here, have some coffee!” Amelia offered Tatiana some. There would be plenty left for both her and Serena, so she didn’t mind being generous.
“Thanks… Uh, I’m Tatiana, by the way,” Tatiana said as she poured some of the coffee into a small cup she had produced from her person. “What’s your name?”
“I’m Amelia! Nice to meet you! Want to be friends?” She gave her best let’s-be-friends smile. It hadn’t worked on Mel at the academy, but it might work here!
“Umm... sure. We’re not docked for long… but it’s better if we humans stick together, right? Being around so many demons…” Tatiana rubbed her arms awkwardly. “Makes me uncomfortable. Having another human to walk around with would make me feel safer.”
“Mmm! Sure! There’s so many amazing buildings to see! Oh, and there’s all kinds of tasty food at the marketplace! We can go there if you want!”
“Ha… You’re so kind,” Tatiana mumbled. “Where are you from, anyway? With that golden hair… are you from Christdom?”
“I’m from Karligard!” Amelia answered cheerfully.
“Hmm.” Tatiana sipped the coffee as the satisfying fragrance tickled Amelia’s senses. “You’re a long way from Karligard.”
“Well… I go where there’s money to hire me!” Amelia was happy to see a smile appear on Tatiana’s sullen face. It felt good to cheer someone up!
“What kind of services are you hired for?”
“I’m a healer of sorts!” Amelia briefly considered keeping it a secret, but she was already aware that the knowledge of her healing was spreading in all kinds of circles, so she didn’t see much point in hiding it. “I provide healing services under Lady Halen’s direction.”
“You’re a mage! Amazing!” Tatiana’s eyes went wide in shock. “Are you a member of the Church!?”
“Uh… no. I kind of avoided them. Took a different path, I guess…” Amelia rubbed her nose awkwardly.
“It’s no problem. We all take our own journeys in life,” Tatiana said, her eyes taking on a faraway look. “Would you like to meet up later in the week and walk around the market? I need to buy stationery and ink, and I would feel better if someone local were with me. The rest of my group doesn’t want to leave the human district. The guards harass us when they get bored.”
“Sure! We could do it today, if you like?”
“Sorry,” Tatiana shook her head. “I have so much work to do. Can we do it in three days? On the twenty-fourth?”
“Mmm! Can do!”
“Would it be okay to meet here? At midday?”
“Could we do two o’clock? I have training midday.”
“Training?”
“I’m learning the sword at the academy. I train there every day at lunch!”
“A healer learning the sword? How strange…” There was a brief flash of confusion on Tatiana's face before it settled back into a smile. “Are you a student?”
“No, but the Grandmaster took an interest in teaching me 'cause I’m a–” Amelia caught herself. She shouldn’t go around telling everyone she’s a Speaker. It might make her new friend treat her differently! “Because I’m a mage,” she finished.
“So, two o’clock here in three days?”
“Sounds good! Do you want me to come in while you buy your coffee?” Amelia noticed Tatiana had brought a large flask with her, a level of preparation that Amelia hadn’t thought of. Tatiana nodded, so the pair of them went inside and Amelia waited while Tatiana got her flask filled.
“This is the good stuff,” Tatiana said. Amelia’s friend had cheered up a lot now. “Jimari coffee is hard to come by outside Cascadia. No better way to start your morning.” Amelia found herself nodding. She had grown to like the bitterness and lasting aftertaste of the Jimari beans.
“So, what kind of stuff does your merchant group… merchant?” she asked once they had exited the café.
“The group I’m with brings down spices from Vinay, stopping at Tanhae and then here. We take back silk and cloth. Although, there are other merchant ships taking part in the convoy. It’s safer to travel as a larger group. It’s also cheaper to pay for protection.”
“Have you visited much of the Empire?” Amelia asked. Unfortunately, her hopes of stories of adventure and pirates were dashed when Tatiana informed her she had only run the routes from the Sabanis Dominance down to the Eastern Terra-Firma and back.
“Well, thanks for everything,” Tatiana said. “It’s really nice for you to stick yourself out for me… with the war and everything, I just don’t feel comfortable around demons…”
“Don’t worry! It’ll be just us! You can tell me about the Federation! I’ve never visited!”
“Ha… sure!” Tatiana gave her a friendly smile, her brown hair waving in the wind. “See you in a few days, Amelia!”
“See you in a few days!”
Amelia waved bye before skipping away, whistling cheerfully to herself. A new friend! How exciting! She would let Serena know, of course. Maybe they could eventually meet!
Maybe…
Serena did glare a lot at humans she didn’t know.
Ah, well. It’d work out eventually!
Polina Volkova’s heart had only begun to settle down by the time she returned to the merchant ship. Boarding the deck, she navigated into its depths before stopping at a heavy wooden door. She gave the prearranged knock to indicate she wasn’t under duress and a moment passed before the sound of an iron bolt moving could be heard and the heavy door swung open.
“Coffee?” she offered the room, holding the flask. “It’s Jimari, the good stuff.”
“You’re back,” Natalia Marakova coolly intoned. “Close the door.” Polina shut the door behind her and approached the group of five: three men and two women. There were more embedded in roles in the city itself, but Polina didn’t know anything about them.
Things like that were on a need-to-know basis.
“Well?” Marakova asked as Polina sat down.
“It went well,” Polina answered, placing the flask on the table. No one seemed to move to have some, so she busied herself by pouring some into her cup. “A guard started harassing me outside the café Ame- I mean, Target One visited. But that turned into an opening to start a conversation.”
“Give us the rundown,” Marakova commanded.
“She’s really a maid employed by Target Two, or at the very least, she believes she’s a maid. My blessing cannot distinguish between the truth and an honestly believed falsehood. Her name really is Amelia.” Polina took a sip of the coffee, finding it challenging to relax under the intense gaze of four experienced field agents.
“She claimed to be from Karligard, but that was a lie. She said she’d never visited the Federation. That was the truth. She claims not to be part of the Church. That was also the truth.”
“Where in the Six Heavens did she come from…” one of the field agents muttered.
“What else?” Marakova questioned.
“She was telling the truth about providing healing services for Target Two. She admitted to being a mage, although we knew that already.” Polina took a moment to gather her thoughts. “She’s training at the academy under the grandmaster every day at lunchtime.”
“What!? Why?” Marakova’s eyes widened in shock.
“She’s learning the sword. I know, I found it weird too. Apparently, the grandmaster’s interested in teaching a mage.” Polina took another sip as the surrounding agents murmured for a moment amongst themselves.
“What academy is that?” someone asked.
“It‘ll be the Kenhoro Officer Academy. It’s the only one here with a grandmaster directing it,” Marakova explained. “Senior Volkova. Recount the entire conversation from start to finish. Don’t miss anything out, no matter how trivial it seems.”
Polina swallowed her coffee and recounted the events of that morning in as much detail as she could remember. She was surprised to find Marakova wasn’t annoyed at Polina arranging to meet Amelia in a few days and actually congratulated her on the initiative.
“We’ll have agents tailing you for your little date,” Marakova said with a sly smile. “If Target Two appears, then you are to make your excuses and leave as quickly as possible. Once Target One reports that she’s made a friend with a Federation accent then Target Two will likely investigate.”
“Our cover should hold, right?” Polina asked. The merchant company they were sailing under was an honest company registered in Vinay. Polina wasn’t sure, but she suspected most of the employees and perhaps even the company owner himself didn’t know it was a front for Federation Intelligence.
“It’ll hold… Unless someone gets captured,” Marakova said with a grim expression. Capture meant interrogation, and interrogation likely meant torture. “Keep the pill close at all times. Hold it under your tongue during the next meeting.”
“Yes, team leader.” Polina couldn’t help but swallow nervously. She would have to gather intelligence while holding a pill in her mouth that would kill her if she swallowed it accidentally. It was nerve-racking yet, on a weird level, exhilarating.
“We’ll spend the next few days going over what questions we need answered. We’ll run you through example conversations so you’ll know what to say in any circumstance. You’ll be alright, Polina Volkova.”
“Thank you, team leader,” Polina gave a smile and felt the determination in her heart solidify.
She was so close.
So close to getting revenge.
So close to Serena Halen.
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