[coronatiger]

19th of Ratanu, year 412 (continued)

With only the faint rustling of cloth behind me, I was able to concentrate on my meditation. When I spat the third dose of venom into my vial, Yana put a hand on my shoulder. “I’m hungry, Nuur-Karif. Are you?” she asked. It was seven or eight hours since we last ate, and I was starting to feel peckish myself. I put a stopper in the vial and stood up. “I’ll just get dressed and then we can go downstairs and eat,” I said, but Yana would have none of it. “Oh no, you won’t! I’m going to fetch food so we can eat here, where I can enjoy the sight of your delectable …” A knock on the door interrupted her, and she withdrew her hands like she’d been bitten.

I opened my mouth to speak but had to swallow a couple of times before I could get a word out. “Who is it?” “It’s me,” Xipil replied. I opened the door and let him in, ignoring the look in Yana’s eyes; the asexual lizard man wouldn’t care if I was clothed or not.

Xipil informed us that Tivito had offices and possibly living spaces at the Golden Arrow Inn. He had learned from our prisoners that Elanus Larma was in charge there, and he wanted to go and spy on the place tonight, after he had eaten. A glance out the window told me sunset wasn’t far off. I sent Yana to bring food for all of us.

Now that Xipil had joined us, a romantic meal was out of the question, so I put on my white dress, the one with the blue embroidery. I took the opportunity while Yana was away to ask why Xipil and the others had decided to let the captured Tivito cultist go free. While I was chasing after the fleeing cultist, our captive had turned cooperative, and he had managed to convince my companions that he would get into trouble with his superiors if he admitted to them that he had surrendered. I groaned inwardly. Xipil hadn’t even asked Yana to confirm the captive’s truthfulness. There was nothing that could be done now, so I didn’t berate Xipil for his gullibility.

Xipil asked what I had done with the river thistle, and I told him about spiking the beer; unfortunately, events had unfolded in a way that forced me to use my knives instead.

I was more or less finished with my story when Yana came back. She caught my gaze, then looked questioningly at my dress. I cast a glance sideways at Xipil to explain. He perceived the exchange and was out of the room with his soup bowl in a flash. I couldn’t tell if he was being considerate or merely uncomfortable.

Yana put down our food and began to sing in a soft voice, gliding up to me. She caressed my hair and my cheeks while telling the story of a farm girl who went to town to sell her wares. Yana peeled off my dress and my face began to burn when I realized it wasn’t fruit or vegetables this farm girl was selling. Yana smiled innocently while she sang, but the song grew rowdier and rowdier, and her hands were all over me, emphasizing what wares the song alluded to. When the song was over, Yana licked off her finger and declared that it was time to eat. I nearly fainted from anticipation, but she sat down and picked up her bowl of soup, leaving me trembling.

It took me a minute or two to calm down enough to use the spoon without spilling soup. “I’m going to get you for this,” I threatened. Yana grinned. “I can’t wait. Are you done with your meditation?” I was not. My vial of venom was only half full. Yana sat down on the bed, resting her head against the wall, watching me resume my prayers.

Xipil knocked on our door again after a while, to ask us to look over his disguise before he went outside. I barely interrupted my meditation to ask Yana to deal with it.

When I spat the last dose of venom into my vial and stood up, I realized that Yana had extinguished the candle and gone to sleep. She was curled up in the middle of the bed, and I would have to move her to find room. It didn’t look very comfortable, lying on top of the covers, still in her dress, but she was so adorable! I brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face and bent to kiss her forehead, but Yana’s eyes popped open and despite the dark, she guided my lips to hers. “I must brush my teeth,” I stammered when she started to get frisky.

I looked out the window while I brushed. There wasn’t much of a view to speak of, but I listened to the city. Unlike certain others, I’m not good at telling the time by watching the night sky, but the city sounds made me think it wasn’t yet midnight.

Yana was waiting for me on the bed when I turned back to her, and she had removed her dress. Chocolate velvet skin beckoned at me and pulled me across the room. I reached out and touched her cheek, and she gasped. Yana withdrew from my touch but patted the bed next to her. “The walls are thin here,” she whispered. “Can you be quiet? I seem to recall giving you a promise before.” She kissed my neck, my shoulder, my breast and my stomach. I recalled her promise very clearly and clamped my mouth shut.

The ecstasy lingered for an eternity after Yana had finished me off. I couldn’t think coherently, and when I opened my mouth to speak, only a weak moan came out. Yana had to initiate our evening prayer, and it wasn’t until I felt Your soothing coils that my mind cleared.

O Ashtar! We surrender our lives to Your coils. Take us while we sleep, or grant us another day in Your service, as You will.