Bedtime Stories 4

Posted on Mon Jul 20, 2015 @ 12:53pm by Lieutenant Cassandra Kennings

2,256 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: All this has happened before...
Location: Kansas, United States of America, Earth
Timeline: Years in the Future

Darla launched herself into her mother's antigrav car and sat in her car seat, grabbing the restraints and pulling them into position before her mother could even reach over to help.

"And good afternoon to you as well," Cassandra said, amusement in her voice. "How was school?"

"Fun," Darla said. Normally the Chatty Cathy, Darla's monosyllabic answer surprised her mother.

"That's it?" Cassandra said, "just fun?"

"I want to hear the rest of the story!" Darla said. "You said you would tell me! I wanna hear about the Sultan!"

Cassandra sighed and shook her head a bit as she steered them home. "All right," she said. "Let's see, where were we?"

The receiving and greeting hall was large, but I figured the actual palace hall in the Sultan's palace was larger...

She walked in with her back straight, but her head downcast slightly, gesturing at Karadee to do the same. She wanted to give a pose of downcast respect, but straight-backed authority. If anything, it would leave the Sultan wondering whether or not she would obedient and keep him off balance.

The other women already in the room were sitting or lying on various seats positioned around the room. Cassandra made a quick glance around the room and counted approximately seven other women of varying ages. She appeared to be the oldest, save for the Valide Sultan, but a few of the women looked close to her age.

There was a murmur of surprise as they walked in. Cass wasn't sure if it was her appearance or Karadee's, but the chatter soon died as a door opened and a man came strutting in. He appeared only a few years older than her, reasonably tall, muscled and, Cassandra assumed, handsome by the tastes of the culture, given how some of the women were eyeing him. She glanced at Karadee who was looking up at him wide-eyed.

The Sultan walked up to them and looked them up and down, appraising them. Cassandra didn't quite meet his eyes, but watched him carefully as he moved. "Very nice," he said, finally, then stood directly in front of her. She raised her gaze up to meet his, confident that it would be allowed, since he was clearly focusing his attention on her. "You, however, are something quite unique."

She inclined her head as if he'd paid her a compliment. "Thank you, my lord," she said. "I am honored you noticed." She heard Karadee make a confused noise and willed the girl to be silent. "I hope you show you how I may be of use."

"I have ideas," the Sultan said, smiling at her. The jewel in Cassandra's headband dimmed and she gave a small shudder. His eyes glanced at her forehead and narrowed. "Where did you receive that piece of jewelry?" he said.

"It was placed on me when I reached an age of maturity," Cassandra said. "It is a talisman of my people."

The Sultan reached up and attempted to remove it from her head. Cassandra winced as the metal attached to her skin pulled and she shrank back a bit out of instinct. He looked at her in surprise. "It cannot be removed?"

"Not without precise tools," she said, rubbing her sore forehead.

"A strange land, you are from," he said. "This is a magic I have not seen before."

"That's because she's a Warrior of Light," Karadee said, suddenly finding her voice. "And you cannot stand against her!"

"Karadee!" Cass hissed. She immediately looked back at the Sultan who was eyeing the two of them suspiciously. "'A Warrior of Light' are you?" he said. "Please, mystify me with your wondrous powers."

Cassandra looked deep into the man's eyes and judged him to be not only intelligent, but shrewd. He wasn't going to fall for a half-hearted explanation like Karadee might have.

"Very well," she said. "It is true, I am a sorceress in my homeland. If you wish a demonstration, I am happy to oblige."

"Please," the Sultan said, stepping back and folding his arms over his chest. "Perhaps you'll make your young companion disappear? Conjure a small objects from nowhere? Or produce a gold coin and offer me unlimited riches? Offer me a potion that will give me eternal youth in exchange for your liberty? What magic can you offer to impress me?"

Cassandra gathered from his tone that illusionists had attempted to win his favor before. She found herself at another moral crossroad. The Prime Directive was clear about what she should do. She should deny Karadee's claims, say the girl is deluded and keep her head down and figure out a way to escape. On the other hand, she had a young girl under her care, and she needed to make sure the Sultan realized she was not someone to trifle with.

Her violet eyes glazed over, drowned out by a swirling pink miasma. Above them, just below the high ceiling, a dark spot appeared. It began to grow, billowing out and expanding into a large storm cloud above them. As it spread, several of the women let out shrieks and scurried towards the walls, backing away from it as it roiled and churned, moving across the ceiling.

"Amusing," the Sultan said, "but generating smoke is not necessarily the work of the Gods."

When the clouds had reached across the expanse of the room, Cassandra raised her hand and snapped her fingers. Instantly a downpour began.

The women shrieked again, but the Sultan stood in place, arms still folded over his chest. He didn't seem to mind the water drenching him, and everything else in the room, and he met Cassandra's gaze without fear. He walked up to her, the water pouring down his face and spoke clearly through the noise without seeming to raise his voice. "Enough," he said.

Cassandra snapped her fingers again. The rain stopped and the cloud vanished, leaving the room looking like it had been spontaneously hosed down.

He looked at her for a long time. She met his gaze, not letting herself show any sign of intimidation, however privately admitting to herself he had a formidable gaze, and clearly he didn't scare easily. When neither of them had spoken for some time, she raised an eyebrow. "Does that suffice?"

He smiled and brushed some water off his arms casually, making a point of showing that he was not alarmed or threatened. "And what use would you to be to me? Indoor monsoons are not something I require often."

"You spoke of conjuring riches," Cassandra said, walking over to the wall. Resting by the doorway was a small ceramic vase on a plinth. She picked it up, and carried it back to him. "Do you know what this vase is made of?"

"It's a common-enough material," he said.

"Name a more valuable material," she said.

He thought for a moment. "Diamond."

She passed her hand in front of it, and as she did it changed from earth-tones to crystal clear. At that, the Sultan raised his eyebrows. "My mother crafted this," he said. "How did you do that?"

Cassandra opened her mouth to respond, but was hit by a wave of vertigo and her knees buckled. In a surprising show of gallantry, the Sultan caught her and eased her onto a sopping wet bench with extreme gentleness. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Cassandra said. She didn't want to reveal her limits just yet. She sat up, marshaling her strength.

"I am impressed," he said, staring at her. He glanced at Karadee who was looking at Cassandra with renewed awe, and a touch of fear. "And what of the girl?"

"She is under my protection, and not to be harmed," Cassandra said, clear warning in her voice.

The Sultan stood up and snapped his fingers, the guard who had escorted them in rushing to his side. "Excellency," the guard said, bowing.

"Have the girl brought to a room and see to her needs. Have this one," he said, gesturing to Cassandra, "brought to my chambers." He stood and walked out of the hall without looking back.

The guard bowed again, helping Cassandra to her feet, and procured a small whistle from his belt. As he blew into it, the shrill sound seemed to fill the room. Another guard suddenly appeared, almost as if by magic himself, and bowed.

"Take this one to a room and bring her food and drink," their guard said, gesturing to Karadee. "See that she is made comfortable and not disturbed."

The second guard bowed and took Karadee by the arm, pulling her towards a corridor.

"Cassandra?" she said, fear in her voice.

"Go with him, you'll be all right, I promise," Cass said, praying it was true. She turned back to her guard and nodded. "Lead the way," she said.

He nodded and took her arm, leading her down another corridor. They'd been walking for some time, causing her to wonder just how big the palace was, when they finally arrived at a dead end. The guard reached for a wall sconce and pulled it down. There was a click and he pushed the wall in front of them and it swung forward on unseen hinges.

*How quaint,* Cassandra thought as she stepped out into a much more opulent corridor. She guessed this was part of the Sultan's private quarters, the secret door allowed passage to the women's section without them being paraded through the more public areas of the castle.

The guard led her along a marble floor, gold tapestries, jeweled vases and intricate carvings decorating the walls. They finally stopped at a set of double doors and the guard opened them, gesturing for Cassandra to step in, but not going further. *As far as he's allowed to go, I suppose,* she thought, crossing the threshold.

The room was a model of ostentatious taste. Everything was golden, bejeweled, silken and chosen for form over function. On one table, there was a pile of food, some of which was still steaming from being freshly cooked. The smell reached Cassandra's nostrils and she found herself ravenous, but didn't move a muscle until she knew what the situation would be.

"Welcome," the sultan's voice said from an unseen place in the room.

Cassandra took a step forward and looked around the room again, finally seeing him in a corner, blending in with the drapery. "Thank you for your hospitality, and care for my ward," she said.

The Sultan nodded and gestured to the table of food. "Please, avail yourself."

She nodded and sat down at the table, quickly filling a plate and eating quickly, eager to regain her strength. The sultan sat as well and helped himself, watching her carefully. They ate in silence, and when he had had his fill, he sat back and watched her refill her plate two more times. "An admirable appetite," he said with amusement when she finally pushed her plate back.

She nodded her head. "Thank you, my lord," she said. "I find a full meal helps me focus my energies better."

"I should hope so," he said. "You will need a considerable amount of energy tonight."

She caught his tone and stopped, recognizing the look in his eyes. "My lord," she said, "I regret to inform you that I cannot join you in your bed."

"Why not?" he said, his voice stern, but curious.

"My powers are dependent on my purity," she said. "If I were to break my vow of celibacy, my powers would be gone." The sultan struck her as the type to see through a lie, but she hoped that her other-worldly nature would be enough to convince him that could be true.

"It might be worth it," he said, eyeing her again. "Diamond vases and indoor storms, versus nights of unbridled pleasure. It is quite the decision to make."

"I'm sure a man such as yourself has the wisdom to see the long-term benefits of my abilities," she said. "What problems plague your kingdom that I may help solve?"

He stroked his chin as he considered her words. "You would offer your powers for the benefit of my people?"

"I am a bringer of life," she said. "If I can make your kingdom grow healthy and peacefully, I will do so, provided you ensure the well being of myself and my ward."

"My dear," he said, leaning forward and giving her a smile, "if you have such powers to benefit me, then I will provide you with all you desire."

"Then we have an agreement," Cassandra said, raising her glass.

*****************************************************************************

Darla sat wide-eyed, kicking her feet against the rung of her dining room chair. They'd arrived home some time ago, her mother's story capturing her attention. "So you helped the sultan? He was a good person?"

"Well," not exactly," Cassandra said. She smiled and stroked Darla's hair. "What you will learn someday, my little love, is that people are rarely completely 'good' or 'bad.' Often times, they are a mixture of both. It's our responsibility to help others strengthen their good side, and ignore their bad, but sometimes the bad side shines through."

"What happened?" Darla said.

"If I tell you, I won't be able to make dinner, and you won't have any time to play with Granger," Cass said. "So upstairs with you and go get washed up and changed, and I'll continue later."

Darla sighed and grumbled but slid off her chair and padded upstairs, her cat following dutifully behind.

 

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