Death's Handmaiden Read online

  She was in the middle of unpacking the third carton of four when her door chimed. She stared at the offending portal for a second. ‘Open.’

  The girl standing in the doorway was familiar; Nava had been staring at the back of her head for most of the day. ‘H-hello,’ Melissa said, ‘I am Melissa Connelly Avorn. I’m y-your n-neighbour.’

  ‘I know who you are, Melissa Connelly. We met in class.’

  ‘W-well, yes, I know, but now I’m introducing m-myself as your n-neighbour.’

  Nava had the last apartment on the floor, so this was her only neighbour. They were in the same class too. It seemed that it would be a good idea to make a friend of Melissa Connelly. ‘Okay. In that case, I’m Nava Ward. Please come in. I’m afraid I don’t have anything to offer in the way of refreshment. I’m still in the middle of unpacking.’

  Melissa’s expression shifted into a smile which, this time, seemed a lot less nervous. ‘That’s okay. Uh, if you want, I could make coffee and bring it over. I moved in yesterday.’

  Nava looked around at her few belongings, piled on the table, and the box-and-a-half she had left to unpack before she could begin arranging things to her liking. ‘Actually, Melissa Connelly, that would be nice.’

  ‘Call me Mel. All my friends do.’

  ‘Then you should call me Nava.’

  ~~~

  Melissa, it seemed, had a number of coping strategies to deal with her shyness. She admitted that she was shy, but she was working on it by, for example, forcing herself to go next door and talk to her new neighbour. Admittedly, that had been easier since they had already met, but it was all part of her plan to become a less timid person.

  Nava heard all of this while she put away her things because one of Melissa’s coping strategies was to talk. Nava barely had to say a word, just drop in appropriate sounds such as mm, ah, and oh. That worked fine because it told Nava a lot about Melissa while requiring nothing in return.

  Melissa had three brothers, two older and one younger. None of them had any real talent for sorcery, though the youngest could manage a basic cantrip. Neither her mother nor father could work magic. In fact, magicians were rare among the Connellys as a whole, so when someone with real talent turned up, the entire family got together to pay for them to be properly educated. So, in a way, Melissa was there on a grant too, or so Melissa said.

  Melissa knew several spells already. That included Armour, Shield, and Force Wall, all important support spells, and Flight. Melissa loved flying. She was the kind of person who liked to be around other people, so long as she knew them reasonably well, but she also loved the freedom of flight. It was a shame the weather was not exactly great because she would have loved to go flying.

  Melissa kept up her stream of chatter through Nava’s unpacking and then through dinner, which they ate at the nearest of several refectories dotted around the campus. Then Melissa suggested a trip to the baths. Nava was feeling a little funky after her labours and had nothing better to do…

  Public bathing on Shinden followed the Japanese model. The original colonists of the system had been Japanese, hence the name, which meant ‘temple’ or ‘sacred place’ apparently, and there was a sort of overlay or veneer of Japanese culture to the place. It was more like someone had picked the best bits and plastered them on top of a more generic culture, or maybe it had started with a Japanese culture from which the worst parts had been cut away. Whatever, the baths were run like a Japanese sento and Nava was quite surprised to discover that she had to guide Melissa through the process. In fact, Melissa said there were no public baths on Avorna.

  ‘I’m a little surprised that you wanted to come here if you’re not used to this,’ Nava said as they sat at individual wash stations to clean themselves before entering the bath itself.

  ‘It’s part of my plan,’ Melissa replied. ‘A-and, okay, so I’m trying really hard n-not to freak out being naked in public, b-but we’re the only ones here, so I think I’ll m-manage.’

  Nava was also a little surprised that, yes, they were alone in the women’s side of the bathhouse. It was not long after dinner, and some students might be eating late. It was also the first night in a new place, so some would be out discovering what they could of the campus. Some were probably flaked out in their accommodation after a first trying day. Still, she had expected there to be more people about. It was a surprise she was perfectly happy with.

  Melissa finished washing as quickly as she could and then hurried ahead to sink up to her neck in the hot water. She was working on her shyness, certainly, but it was a process. Nava was impressed really. The redhead was nervous, but she had managed to get naked in front of a woman she had known for less than a day. Not that Melissa had anything to be ashamed of. Her body was not exactly toned, but it was shapely, and her breasts were magnificent. Round and firm, they sat there on her chest as though gravity had not been invented. They were proud, even if their owner was now hiding them.

  Part of the issue might have been signalled by Melissa’s comment as Nava joined her in the bath. ‘Your body is amazing. I wish I looked like that.’

  Nava was not really sure what to say in reply. She was not really sure why someone would think that way, though she knew that she was attractive by the standards of the Clan Worlds. She was fit and her body carried a lot of obvious, lean, lithe muscle. Her stomach was tight and ridged, and her thighs and biceps were clearly developed. She was not especially tall, but she had fairly long legs for her height. Her breasts were nowhere near the size of Melissa’s, but they were a nice shape: pert and slightly pointed. She had no complaints about them. Her skin was light brown and contrasted with her hair, which was stark white and very straight. It fell to the upper slopes of her breasts at the front and almost to her waist at the back, like a white curtain framing her face. Currently she had it tied back to keep it out of the water. Her fringe was cut straight across her dark eyebrows, as though her hairdresser had used a ruler to judge the cutting. She had a moderately small nose which curved to a perky point, full lips, and eyes the colour of a cold, winter sky, more grey than blue. She had been told that she was beautiful, but she had little experience to judge how accurate that assessment was.

  ‘Thank you,’ Nava said after some consideration. ‘I think you’re underselling yourself, however. You’re very attractive, Mel. What size bra do you wear anyway?’

  Despite the fact that her breasts were entirely submerged, Melissa covered them with an arm and went scarlet. ‘D-double-D-D. They’re as much a nuisance as a b-benefit.’

  ‘I’d imagine they attract male attention. That can’t–’ Nava made a silent ‘ah’ face. ‘But attention like that would make you uncomfortable.’

  ‘Y-yes. A-and some of the girls back home got very catty when I was g-growing and they w-weren’t. I’m not good with confrontation.’

  ‘Mm. I take it that means you don’t duel?’

  ‘I would. If I had to. I learned Concussive Force so I could duel. If I had to. I’ve n-never had to.’

  One of Nava’s eyebrows rose fractionally. ‘Concussive Force? Not Slice?’

  Duels did come in three varieties: first strike, blood, and death. Blood duels were by far the most common because they had an obvious, non-lethal ending. When blood was drawn, the wounded participant had lost. First strike duels needed a referee to determine victory. Some unscrupulous duellists fought blood duels with Concussive Force because it did not draw blood until there was significant internal injury. Such duellists were trying to kill their opponents in what were supposed to be non-lethal duels.

  Melissa’s blush deepened. ‘I, um, well, I can’t stand the sight of blood. If I had to fight a blood duel, I’d just lose it. I’m not really sure I could ever fight a death duel.’

  So, Melissa was not an unscrupulous duellist. It had seemed out of character. ‘I’ve never fought a duel either.’

  ‘I bet you’d win if you fought one. You look like someone who would win duels.’

 
Nava considered that for a second. She nodded. ‘Yes. If I fought a duel, I would win. However, I have no intention of fighting one.’ She paused, considering again. Melissa was now a friend, or perhaps a potential one. How would she react to Nava’s true feelings on the matter? Perhaps it was better to find out now rather than later. ‘To be quite honest, I find the idea distasteful.’

  ‘Oh!’ Not a good start. ‘Well… I suppose… I suppose I do too. It’s just not the kind of thing you hear someone say in the Clan Worlds.’

  ‘I am an orphan. Clanless. To much of society, I have no honour.’

  ‘That’s just stupid. Just because you never knew your parents, doesn’t mean you have to act in a dishonourable manner. Just because you belong to some powerful clan, doesn’t mean your honour is unquestionable.’

  Nava’s lips curled slightly; it was about as close as she got to a smile. ‘I do believe we are going to be friends, Mel.’

  Melissa started to smile back – with a much broader smile – but then the door to the changing rooms slid back, announcing the arrival of someone else in the baths, and instead she sank down until her chin was resting on the surface of the water. Becoming less shy was definitely a process.

  ‘Do you want to leave?’ Nava asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Melissa shook her head. ‘Good. I’m rather enjoying this.’

  ‘S-so am I. The water part anyway. It’s hot and the weather’s not.’

  This was true. Outside the bathhouse, Shinden was in the middle of winter. The planet had a six-degree axial tilt which would have meant little in the way of seasons, but it also had an eccentric orbit. When it was close to its star, it was a sauna, averaging over three hundred kelvin. When it was furthest out, like now, it dropped to a cool two hundred and seventy-eight kelvin. It was not freezing, on average, but it was far from warm and it got distinctly cold toward the poles. Luckily, the school was more or less on the equator. Nava was convinced she would not be calling that ‘lucky’ come summer.

  ‘What’s Avorna like? Weather-wise.’

  ‘Temperate. Pretty much all year round. We don’t really get seasons, but we do get a long growing season.’

  ‘Sounds nice.’

  ‘Yes, it is. Oh!’

  The exclamation came as the new entrant to the baths stepped over the edge to join them. Nava turned her head to look at the newcomer and it was quite a sight. The legs doing the stepping were long. She pointed her toes as she slipped her foot into the water, an elegant action which seemed to fit with the woman’s demeanour. She looked aristocratic, important, but in a terribly simple way. A country countess, stepping lightly into her bath. Her figure was slim and she was tall, easily ten or twelve centimetres taller than Nava. She had high, pointed breasts, not especially large, but that fitted with the catwalk-model impression she gave. A long face came with a pert, slightly snubbed nose, a small mouth with full lips, and high cheekbones. Her eyes were dark brown, almost black in the subdued lighting of the baths, and her hair was jet black. That was wound up into a bun behind her head, but from the amount of hair on show, it likely fell to her waist.

  She settled into the water with a sigh, sinking down until her breasts were submerged and closing her eyes. Then she moved, sitting on the seating which ran around the side of the bath and coming to a relaxed sort of rest with her nipples just visible above the waterline. Dark eyes regarded her fellow bathers briefly. ‘Good evening,’ she said.

  ‘Evening,’ Nava replied.

  The newcomer’s pupils were dilating. Nava detected slight colouring of her cheeks, more obvious since this was a pale woman. And her nipples were starting to stiffen before Melissa’s motormouth started going.

  ‘H-hello, I am Melissa Connelly Avorn. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.’

  Inwardly, Nava sighed. Melissa had introduced herself in the kind of overly formal manner which indicated a nervous speaker. Nava would have to do the same. ‘Nava Ward.’

  The woman’s eyes flicked away from Nava’s. She looked… conflicted. She bowed her head and, when she raised her gaze again, she said, ‘I am Mitsuko Trenton Sonkei. The pleasure is all mine.’ She had a soft, velvety voice, dark and melodious and easy on the ear.

  Melissa let out a little gasp and tried to sink even lower in the water. Unfortunately, that would have meant holding her breath, so she was out of luck. Nava could understand the reaction, to some extent. They had been joined in the bath by a member of one of the highest-ranking clans in the Clan Worlds, never mind the fact that the Sonkei clan ruled the planet they were on. ‘We’re first years,’ Melissa blurted before her brain could catch up with her mouth. ‘Support stream.’

  ‘I see. That would be why I don’t recognise either of you. I haven’t had time to familiarise myself with the support stream students. I’ll have everyone worked out by next week, at least well enough to recognise.’

  ‘You aim to memorise everyone in the year?’ Nava asked.

  ‘The school. I will be running for student president next month. Knowing who I’ll be representing is an important part of the job.’ Mitsuko’s gaze swept over the only visible part of Melissa. ‘You’re nervous. There’s no need to be. I may be a Trenton Sonkei, but I’m still a perfectly normal girl.’

  ‘Mel is just nervous,’ Nava replied for her friend. ‘She’s a little shy and you are intimidating.’ Melissa gave out a little squeak, though whether it was in protest or horror at Nava’s blunt statement was unsure.

  ‘Intimidating?’ Mitsuko asked.

  ‘And far from a “perfectly normal girl,”’ Nava added in her usual uninflected tone. ‘You are both subjectively and objectively a beautiful young woman. Your family name gives you power and influence. We have only just met you and know nothing of your temperament, but you have just stated that you have considerable political ambition. I believe it is unusual for a first-year student to become student president, but you intend to take the position. Your name suggests that you could achieve that goal. To sum up, you are a beautiful woman with a strong, dominant personality and the capacity, should we somehow offend you, to make our lives a misery. That would be intimidating to anyone with a working brain.’

  Melissa whimpered, presumably at the thought of what Miss Intimidating was likely to do because of Nava’s blunt appraisal. Nava just watched Mitsuko, her gaze unwavering. There was an avalanche of expression flickering over Mitsuko’s face. Anger was in there. There was still more than a little attraction. The anger faded very rapidly to be replaced by a quirk in Mitsuko’s brow which suggested curiosity or intrigue…

  ‘And you say you’re studying support sorcery, Nava Ward?’ Mitsuko asked. ‘You have the self-confidence of a combat student. I clearly don’t intimidate you.’

  ‘The support and academic courses appealed to me more than the combat courses. You’ve done nothing to intimidate me, Mitsuko Trenton. I don’t wish to imply that you are trying to, simply that your very nature is likely to make a shy person of lower social standing uneasy.’

  A slow smile spread over Mitsuko’s face. Not the smile of a politician in the making, but a genuine smile with just a hint of curious interest. ‘I apologise if I am, inadvertently, intimidating, Melissa Connelly. That is not my intention. Please be at ease. I am not even slightly offended. Frankly, I find Nava Ward’s bluntness refreshing. I should make you an advisor, Nava Ward.’

  ‘An advisor?’ In the corner of her eye, Nava could see Melissa relaxing some. Her shoulders broke the surface of the water for one thing.

  ‘Yes. Have you ever heard of the court jesters of ancient Earth?’

  ‘I’m not well educated in ancient history.’

  ‘A jester was an entertainer of sorts who catered to the royal courts of the time. Because he was, as some put it, a fool, he had latitude to make fun of his social superiors. It’s said that many wise kings took the words of their jesters to heart when some joke was made of their actions. The fool was pointing out that the king was not, perhaps, taking the wisest
course of action. You are clearly no fool, but you don’t let social niceties get in the way of pointing out flaws. I think I like that. It could be very useful.’

  Nava gave a shrug. ‘I’m not big on social niceties. You might even get my vote for president if your actions match your words.’

  ‘I’d v-vote for you,’ Melissa put in. ‘Um, might I ask w-why someone like you is using the b-baths all the way out here? You m-must have better ones c-closer to your ap-partment.’

  ‘Probably,’ Mitsuko replied. She stretched. It was a little like watching a cat waking up after a good nap. ‘Today is my birthday. Of all days to start at a new school, I have to do it on my birthday. If I were to spend my evening where my social equals spend most of their time, I would be faced with too many people inclined to false flattery and I’d want to challenge someone to a duel before curfew. I am, I suppose, in hiding.’

  ‘H-happy b-birthday.’

  ‘Thank you. It’s just another year to add to the collection.’

  ‘Every year above ground is a year to be celebrated,’ Nava countered.

  ‘You are an enigma, Nava Ward. I’m going to keep an eye on you.’

  ‘If you wish. I think you’ll be quite bored doing that, but if it’s what you want, I can’t stop you.’

  235/1/18.

  ‘M-m-m-may I s-s-sit here?’

  Nava looked around at the person asking to sit with her and Melissa at the refectory table they had selected for lunch. She was not entirely surprised to see Rochester Hunt Leighton standing there holding a tray. ‘If you wish.’

  ‘Thank y-you. I am R-Rochester Hunt L-L-Leighton.’ He sat down on the bench beside Nava. He left more than a respectful distance between them.