The Serpents and the Skulls, Chapter 2.1
27 Mar 2017Michael Wolfe
This time, I did not sleep in my mistress’s bed.
In fact, I did not sleep at all. Marra had been relaxing in her suite with me when the call from Degginal came in. I could tell that she was both irritated and excited to embark on some field work. The reason for the call itself was mystifying- the Gold Crew’s consular ship had sent out a distress call, and it was a matter of state that someone important from Black Omega personally investigate.
My mistress was gone all night. I am seldom able to sleep when she is on a dangerous mission, even with that black-armored brute Idris protecting her. But return she did, and in a fearful mood. Kat von Steuben had unexpectedly resurfaced, a member of the dissenting Gold Crew who had massacred their own Inner Circle. And she had caught my mistress in a vulnerable position a second time, toying with her before contemptuously allowing her to live.
Even after being up all night on-mission, there was no rest to be had for my mistress. She barely deigned to acknowledge me except to curtly order that I prepare a business suit for an emergency council meeting. She took a shower- alone- and a handful of stimulants to renew her energy, and silently allowed me to dress her and arrange her hair.
I sprayed some scent into my hands and dabbed my fingers to Marra’s neck. She reached up and help my hand in her own as a slight gesture of affection, though her eyes remained dour.
“The weeks ahead will be hard,” she said. “You must prepare yourself.”
I nodded silently, grateful for the morsel of acknowledgement. My mistress turned to leave, striding to the suite entrance with me in tow. As the door slid open, she glanced at me over her shoulder.
“And Apollonia?”
I looked down at my feet, pursing my lips. “Mistress?”
“You are contacted daily by those seeking my patronage, are you not?”
I seldom discussed the legion of sycophants who were ever trying to worm their way into my schedule. Only the most worthy or advantageous were even mentioned. I didn’t know how Marra knew of them, but it didn’t surprise me that she did.
I nodded, still looking at the floor. “I am.”
The slightest trace of a smile curled my mistress’s lips. “Tell them that my favor is now measured in snake skins.”
My mistress didn’t return for several hours. When she did, she was in an even more dour mood than when she had left. By now, it had been well over twenty-four hours since she’d slept, but there was still much to do. All the fleets and enforcer battalions of Black Omega were being mobilized, and Degginal had ordered that Marra get some rest.
Mindful of my mistress’s mood, I cautiously undressed her and crawled into bed beside her, silently rubbing oil into her back to calm her nerves. Despite the lack of sleep, she remained awake and sharp eyed. My hands on my mistress’s body normally had a soothing effect, but this time was different.
The fatigue was wearing on me as well, but my thoughts remained focused on Marra. I shifted position to straddle her, gently squeezing her neck and shoulders in my hands. Her muscles were hardened and tense, resisting the pressure from my fingertips. Though her eyes were closed, I could see the rapid movement under her eyelids.
I leaned over my mistress and whispered in her ear, frowning. “What has happened?”
Her eyes flew open, but they were different. Unfocused, flitting around, wild. I felt a bolt of unease shoot into by belly. I knew this look…
“It was her,” Marra said.
I continued to move my hands along her back, hoping that my mistress was taken by sleep soon.
“Who?”
My mistress moved her head, glancing not at me, but through me, her eyes darting from place to imaginary place.
“The she-serpent. The one who could end it all. The one who killed you.”
I looked down at my lap, not knowing what to say. Beneath me, Marra’s lips were moving, but not quite forming words. I stretched out over her body, trying to hold her hands in my own but feeling them clench the sheets instead.
Through her incoherent mumblings, my mistress faded. Her breathing was still ragged, but her body finally started to relax. Before her final descent into slumber, I heard one last cogent whisper escape her lips.
“And now, she comes for me…”