"An assistant to prepare breakfast would be nice," I said. "That way I won't be spending all day every day cooking."
"Then ask for a day off," Teeg suggested. That stopped me cold.
"You may have eight-day off—I have dinner with my casino managers on that night," Arvil said. "And only worry about dinner unless I ask for something else the day before. This veal is excellent. Is there any more?" Arvil got more veal. Teeg left after a while, leaving Arvil and his wizards to finish their dessert.
If I'd thought Arvil San Gerxon was a benign autocrat who liked his meals, I was shown something different the following day.
"You let it slip, didn't you?" Arvil's assistant was standing in the kitchen and cringing as Arvil shouted at him. The cruel-mouthed wizard and Delvin were also there as I worked out a menu for the following week. The cabinetmakers faded from the kitchen quickly. I started to leave but Arvil barked for me to stay. "You need to learn, boy, just how things are around here," he snarled. Arvil nodded to cruel-mouth, who lifted his hands.
Even I didn't expect the assistant to scream as he burned alive. I think I dropped to the floor in the corner where I stood while the poor man screamed out his last and died on the kitchen floor. "Clean up the mess," Arvil shouted at Delvin afterward. I stared at Delvin in shock. He'd willingly given himself to this, and dragged me along with him. He didn't even look at me as he and cruel-mouth dragged Arvil's charred, former assistant away. I hadn't even learned what it was the man supposedly did to earn a death such as this.
No, the wizard blasted him with flames and he burned to death, I sent to Lendill later when I could breathe normally again. I don't know what he did.
We raided Birimera yesterday and burned a hundred drakus seed fields, Lendill returned. That made me swallow uncomfortably. If Arvil remembered that he'd said that within my hearing, I could be next. Reah, that wizard can't harm you with his power, Lendill reminded me.
I don't have protection against a physical attack—you told me not to turn, I reminded him.
Reah, we said you could leave if they are about to harm you. Make sure it is real harm—you've given us good information so far. I wanted to ask what he meant by real harm. Had his and Director Keef's little escapade that caused my convulsions been classified as something other than real harm? I was too afraid to ask.
I have to go to work, I said instead, cutting off the mental communication.
"We can't salvage this," Teeg said later as he examined the cracked and burned tiles. "You don't have to tell me what happened," he muttered softly. I'd knelt beside him so he could show me the damage. My new assistant had cleaned what was left of the floor after the body had been carried away.
"I didn't even know his name. Will his family be notified?" I asked, focusing on Teeg's dark eyes.
"Re, people who work here generally don't have families," Teeg stood and lifted me by grasping my arm in his fingers. "Eight-day is tomorrow. Why don't you come by? I've been thinking about going up the mountain for some fresh air."
The mountain was an artificial ski slope north of Campiaa City. "Here's my address," Teeg flipped a card in his fingers before handing it to me. "Come early."
I was at Teeg's apartment shortly after breakfast. Thinking of him had kept me awake the night before, and that hadn't happened to me often. I considered sending mindspeech to Tory and Aurelius, but then Teeg thought I was a boy. He wasn't one to be attracted to young boys or men—I don't know how I knew that about him, but I did.
"Come on in—I'm almost ready." Teeg led me inside. A snowboard leaned against the wall just inside the door, and a bag that held clothing and equipment lay next to it. His apartment was nice too—it looked comfortable to me.
"You do this often?" I looked around me as he disappeared down a hall. The kitchen was small, but it would do for him. I got the idea he didn't do a lot of cooking for himself.
"Whenever I get the chance." He was back with three sets of dark glasses in his hands. "One of these should fit," he settled one pair over my nose. "No—too big." He tried the others before settling on the best pair. "Better." He grinned while I tucked the offered glasses inside my jacket pocket. I usually wore a jacket if I didn't have my cook's apron or coat on. My breasts were small, but my nipples did show occasionally. That might be a giveaway if anyone were looking.
A shuttle ran every few ticks, hauling visitors up and down the mountain. Teeg ran his chip over the scanner for both of us. The ride was nice, lasting half a click. The tourists and locals on the shuttle were chatting away while Teeg and I rode in companionable silence. I was busy looking out the window—we'd taken seats so I could see the ocean. It sparkled below us as I peered over the edge of the cliff running alongside the road.
"Didn't get to see the ocean much?"
"No." I chewed my lower lip as I turned in my seat to look at Teeg. He seemed so familiar at times, but I knew that was silly—I'd never met him until a few days before. I worried that Arvil might be asking him to spy on me and was determined not to let anything slip. Arvil didn't need to learn anything about me. Delvin already knew too much and he could easily get me hurt or killed. That thought made me frown. He'd promised to protect me, but then he'd betrayed Bel and the others. How could I trust that?
"You had such a frightened look on your face just then, Re." Teeg leaned down to stare into my eyes. I wished I could have told him my worries and fears. He seemed such a good man, but he was on Campiaa. Was anyone on Campiaa good? Who intended to be there?
"It's nothing." I turned to stare out the window again. The ocean had lost some of its sparkle.
"It didn’t look like nothing," Teeg murmured, but he didn't push it.
I used my chip necklace to pay for ski rentals. This was something I'd never done or ever dreamt of doing. I watched Teeg slip his feet into the slots for his feet on the snowboard and go skimming down the artificial snow. He appeared so agile as he made sweeping arcs, snow spraying from the edge of his board.
The ones who'd rented the equipment to me had given me a brief lesson, but that information was deserting me now as I gazed down the side of the mountain. It looked steep from where I stood. Sighing, I hopped to the edge, turned my skis and let myself drop over the side.
My ankles were unprepared. That was the excuse I gave to Teeg, who was laughing when I reached the bottom of the slope. I'd fallen at least six times before reaching the bottom, too. "Come on, you'll get the hang of this." We took the lift back up the mountain and I watched with envy as Teeg went down again. He must have done this hundreds of times. I was about to give it my second try.
"Not too bad for a first timer," Teeg teased as I returned my rented equipment later. My legs felt as if they were made of rubber as we walked out of the rental hut. "Next time, we can go swimming." Those words almost had me stopped in my tracks.
"I don't swim," I made the excuse. I knew it was a lie. Teeg probably did too. "Well," I amended, "I don't like wearing the suit—I have knobby knees."
"Ninety-pound weakling?" Teeg grinned again. I didn't understand the phrase. "Never mind," he chuckled. "That joke is a lot older than you."
"Thanks for inviting me," I said when we climbed off the shuttle later.
"I'll walk you back to The San Gerxon," he offered. That was the name of Arvil's casino—The San Gerxon. I knew I should refuse—any young man would have done so. I didn't, and I hoped it wouldn't bring me harm later on.
"I'll see you tomorrow—we'll finish up those base cabinets. Then I'll get the stone cutters out to take measurements so we can fit the countertops," Teeg promised as I reached for the door to slip inside the casino. I thought I might stop by and see if Xiri was on duty before heading back to my room.
"I need to go grocery shopping again tomorrow," I said.
"That's fine; I'll be there before you leave." Teeg sounded so confident. I wished I had a fraction of his confidence. I felt as if I walked a knife's edge every moment I spent inside Arvil's palace. After I'd seen his assistant burn with nobody to even care that a man had died, well—I had truly seen why Campiaa had the reputation it did.
"Don't think about that," Teeg watched my face carefully. "That's why I invited you out today—to get it out of your mind. Don't fall into that pit, Re." Teeg turned away and jogged down the steps leading to the casino. I wished I could forget. The poor man's screams still echoed inside my head.
"Re!" Xiri was truly glad to see me, I think. Xiri was tall and thin, and with the tall hat he wore as night cook, he looked even taller and thinner. He had reddish-brown hair that curled around the edges of his hat, making him look somewhat comical. When he threw out his arms in greeting, he made me smile.
"We have an order for dessert for guest Wilffin," one of the assistants informed Xiri, interrupting our hug.
Xiri cursed softly and let me go.
"He is very difficult to please," the assistant explained as Xiri turned toward the pastry prep area.
"Then let's give him an assortment," I said. We ended up sending six smaller desserts on a single plate, including a generous portion of the oxberry puff tart with sweet cream.
"Now we sit back and wait for the complaints," Xiri fanned himself and sat down on a stool.
"Well, I need to go back—I went up the mountain today and my ankles are angry now," I smiled at Xiri. "Some people are impossible to please. Just remember that what makes them happiest is seeing the misery of others. Don't let them win." I patted Xiri's arm and left the kitchen. It was advice I should take for myself, but it was so hard at times. So very hard.
"There's my cook." Arvil was raiding the keeper when I trudged down the hall toward my small bedroom. It did have a decent bed, its own bath attached and a tiny closet. There wasn't much space for anything else.
