Death's Handmaiden Page 6

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘He’s really handsome, isn’t he?’

  ‘I suppose he is.’

  Kyle was, in fact, objectively handsome. He was tall and powerfully built, which lent itself to his current role as watchman. His uniform – which had a gold collar to indicate his position in the SSF – stopped it being obvious, but he had a narrow waist to go with the broad chest and thighs which definitely filled out his slacks fully. He had dark-brown skin, a fairly broad nose, and full lips. His cheekbones were high, and his jaw was strong. His hair was a dark blonde, tousled-looking, and carefully trimmed. Not exactly a military cut, but it probably would have passed muster. He really did look very good in his military-inspired uniform.

  ‘Here comes Ryan Fairhaven,’ Nava observed.

  Ryan was a fairly handsome man too, though he paled in contrast to his guardian. Paled was actually a good description since he was as pale as Kyle was dark. His hair was jet black which made his skin look paler, but both men kept their hair short. Ryan walked out to the lectern at the front of the stage as various images of him appeared on the display wall behind him. He smiled at the audience and waited for them to grow mostly silent. Then he began.

  ‘Ladies. Gentlemen.’ Short pause. ‘Fellow students.’ It was a statesmanlike beginning. Quite good for a start. Unfortunately, he did not get to say anything else.

  Without warning, the lectern exploded. It was not a fiery explosion with lots of shrapnel. Instead, a sphere of white light burst free from the plastic stand, swallowing Ryan whole and continuing outward. Kyle vanished into the light along with the middle of the first row of the audience, and then it began to thin. The second, third, and fourth row remained visible through the glow before the energy which had been released dissipated and the screaming started.

  Melissa was one of those doing the screaming, but she cut off suddenly as Nava rose into the air and flew down toward the stage. The scream turned into a squeak, and then Melissa was bringing her own Flight spell to the front of her mind to follow.

  Nava swept down to land lightly on the now pitted and burned surface of the stage, her gaze sweeping over it. Chaos had descended upon the auditorium and people were trying to leave as quickly and as inefficiently as they could. Some were looking after their wounded compatriots in the first few rows. Nava gave one glance to what was left of Ryan Fairhaven and then moved toward Kyle. His wonderfully smooth, dark skin was now badly burned. Half his uniform was gone, showing the torn and bloodless flesh beneath it. He was on his feet, but clearly badly hurt and reeling. Courtney was not going to be happy.

  ‘Nava Ward,’ he said. His voice sounded weak. ‘What are you–’

  ‘Please shut up and heal,’ Nava told him. The bare flesh, which looked almost like it had been eaten away by acid, began to reform almost immediately. Nava turned away and started for the victims in the first row of the audience.

  That was when Melissa flew in from above and landed beside Nava. She took one look at the mess of corroded flesh and bone that had been Ryan and clutched a hand over her mouth. ‘Oh, God.’

  ‘Are you going to be okay?’ Nava asked. ‘You shouldn’t have come down here.’

  ‘I can help!’

  ‘If you’re sure… Keep an eye on Kyle Maynard. He should be back up to full strength by now, but you check him out. Make sure he’s healthy before he starts ordering us off his crime scene.’

  ‘I can check out Kyle Maynard,’ Melissa said, nodding enthusiastically.

  ‘Down, girl.’

  Melissa went scarlet.

  ~~~

  Courtney was a little beyond unhappy. She was utterly furious. ‘Why is it that, every time something bad happens around here, I find you right in the middle of it?’

  Nava found that highly unlikely. ‘I came to hear Ryan Fairhaven speak. Melissa Connelly came with me. I’m trying to listen to as many of the candidates as possible. Naturally, I’ve been to the only two speeches so far.’

  ‘Right. And the description of this explosion sounds a lot like the spell you used to kill Devin Girard.’

  ‘It was a release of quintessence,’ Nava replied, ignoring the implicit accusation. ‘A somewhat larger one than my Magic Burst spell. I’m not trained in demolitions, but I’ve seen the result of a C-sized Q-Cell rigged to explode. This looked similar.’

  Courtney frowned. ‘A Q-Cell explosion?’ The heat had gone out of her anger in an instant and her analytical brain was picking up the slack.

  ‘Yes. They can be rigged by anyone sufficiently versed in magitech repair. Modern cells have safety measures to avoid short circuits, but those can be bypassed. Setting one up to explode on command or on a timer would, I’d imagine, require some more specific knowledge. A C cell produces an explosive force roughly equivalent to half a kilo of TNT, though the effects are different. Pure quintessence destabilises matter rather–’

  ‘I know what that kind of release does. What did you do to Kyle? He was badly injured and in pain. Then he wasn’t.’

  ‘An Active Recovery spell.’

  ‘You know how to cast– Obviously, you do.’ Courtney paused, still frowning. ‘Thank you. His uniform is a total mess, but at least he’s okay.’

  ‘It was my duty to do whatever I could to assist in the situation. This attack further confuses things. The sniper is also a demolitions expert. I don’t believe we are dealing with a student, Courtney Martell. It seems that all of the student president candidates are in danger.’

  ‘Yeah… I think you’re probably right. We’re going to have to shut down the campaigning until we can find a way to keep them alive to be elected.’

  ~~~

  ‘We had eight candidates, now we have three,’ Mitsuko said. ‘Obviously, as one of them, that makes things easier for me, but I can’t see this as any form of good thing.’

  ‘No,’ Courtney said, sarcasm heavy in her voice, ‘someone died.’ She had assembled all of the remaining candidates in the SSF’s meeting room to discuss the situation. It was going about as well as she had expected.

  ‘Yes, but it also damages what is supposed to be a democratic process. The reduction in candidates does make your job easier, I’d imagine. You have fewer people to protect.’

  ‘I want to assign someone to all of you.’

  ‘Well, I don’t need some sort of bodyguard,’ Tracey Spears stated flatly. ‘So long as you do your job and make sure there are no bombs in the auditoriums, I can handle my own security.’

  ‘I’ll take someone,’ Sebastian Ranta Voll said. ‘I’m not sure why anyone would want to kill me, but I’m not taking any chances.’

  Courtney looked around at Mitsuko. ‘I,’ Mitsuko said, ‘am not stupid enough to refuse the help.’ Tracey Spears bridled some at that comment. ‘However, I’d like to see if I can source my own guardian before I take you up on your offer.’

  ‘Someone from your family?’ Courtney asked.

  ‘No, someone from the school.’

  Courtney frowned. ‘Who?’

  ~~~

  ‘May I come in?’ Mitsuko asked.

  Nava frowned, very slightly, but stepped back from the door to allow her in. ‘I’m not duelling anyone this time, so I assume this is not another warning. Do you mind Melissa being here?’

  Melissa, sitting at the table, gave Mitsuko a timid grin. ‘Hi.’

  ‘Hello, Melissa Connelly,’ Mitsuko said. ‘I came to ask a favour of Nava Ward.’

  ‘A favour?’ Melissa asked.

  ‘A favour. I would like you to consider being my bodyguard until the elections are done with, Nava Ward.’

  ‘Her b-bodyguard?’

  ‘I think that’s my line,’ Nava said. ‘Why?’

  ‘Courtney Martell has decided that all of the remaining candidates require protection,’ Mitsuko explained. ‘Tracey Spears has declined. Sebastian Ranta has accepted. I would like someone a little less formal than a member of the SSF. I would be grateful if you accepted the position.’

  ‘
W-what about the other candidates?’ Melissa asked.

  ‘There are no other candidates. The other four have dropped out. And the last is dead, obviously. I understand you were there when it happened, Nava Ward.’

  ‘We both were,’ Nava said. ‘Melissa assisted with first aid.’

  ‘Luckily,’ Melissa said, ‘there was n-no b-blood. I don’t get on well with b-blood.’

  ‘It makes your actions all the more commendable, Melissa Connelly,’ Mitsuko said, smiling. Melissa blushed.

  ‘You’ve explained why you need a bodyguard,’ Nava said. ‘Perhaps I should have been clearer in my question. Why me?’

  ‘Because I trust your honesty and because I am confident in your abilities.’

  ‘Your family could supply a small army, I’d imagine. Won’t they be a little annoyed at you going to an outsider?’

  ‘Not in the least. Trentons are self-sufficient. My parents will be worried when they hear about what’s going on, but they’ll accept whatever arrangements I make.’

  Nava’s eyes narrowed. ‘You haven’t told them?’

  ‘No, because they’ll be worried. Will you do it? Then I can call them and tell them I have the entire situation under control.’

  ‘Really? I’m a clanless nobody. Without honour. You believe they’ll be happy with–’

  ‘Please don’t go there. I can’t argue that you’re not an orphan, but you have as much honour as anyone in the Sonkei clan. I believe you claim not to have as a shield against those of us who might use your parentage against you.’

  ‘And you called me blunt. Okay, I’ll do it, assuming it won’t interfere with my classes.’

  ‘It won’t. While I’m in class, the school’s security will deal with anyone meaning me harm. I’m not entirely helpless. I simply want you to be watching my back when I’m outside of class.’

  ‘Okay,’ Nava said. ‘Then you have a bodyguard.’

  Mitsuko smiled. ‘Excellent. I’ll wait while you pack a bag.’

  ‘Pardon?’

  ‘My apartment has two bedrooms and if you stay with me, you’ll be able to look after me from morning until we turn in at night.’

  ‘I don’t think–’

  ‘Are you crazy?’ Melissa asked. ‘Her place is way better than what we have. You’d be nuts to turn down staying in one of those apartments for a month. I bet her shower is wonderful.’

  ‘Both of my showers are wonderful,’ Mitsuko said with a smirk.

  Nava opened her mouth but concluded that Melissa did have a point. She restarted the statement she was about to make. ‘No, I am not crazy. I’ll pack a bag.’

  ~~~

  ‘Do you have any assignments you need to get done?’ Mitsuko asked as she led the way into her apartment. It was quite a change from Nava’s accommodations.

  There was a lounge with a big wall screen and comfortable sofas arranged to watch it from. Off to one side of that was a dining table with four chairs. The kitchen was in a separate room rather than just wedged into the same one. There were two, good-sized bedrooms with double beds, wardrobes, etcetera. And the main bathroom had a bath and separate shower along with the usual other fittings. The main bedroom also had a shower room. Everything was clean and fairly new. Lots of subtle shades and very little grey which was the dominant colour in Nava’s apartment.

  ‘I did that on Friday night,’ Nava replied. ‘This is nice. Very spacious for one person.’

  ‘I considered getting a roommate. But then I wouldn’t be able to bring anyone back for nights of wild passion without checking with them first.’

  ‘You have intentions to do that? I’d have thought someone intending to be student president would need to be rather circumspect about that kind of thing.’

  Crossing the lounge, Mitsuko pushed open a door. ‘That depends entirely on who I’m having the wild passion with. But, in truth, it’s not terribly likely. I think finding the right person to take to bed is harder than you might think. This is your room.’

  ‘I don’t really think about taking people to bed.’ Nava walked past Mitsuko and into her bedroom for the next few weeks. It was probably not actually larger than her whole apartment, but you would have needed to take measurements to be sure. ‘I’ll get settled in and we can go over the arrangements for your security. Unless there are assignments you need to complete?’

  ‘Oh, no. I did mine on Friday as well.’

  ~~~

  ‘That’s a nice outfit you’re barely wearing,’ Nava commented as Mitsuko emerged from the bathroom.

  The tall brunette was wearing a red robe, barely. It was belted loosely around her waist and was no longer than a miniskirt, and the looseness exposed a large amount of cleavage. The fabric was translucent anyway. The swell of Mitsuko’s breasts was obvious through the material and the outline of her inner thighs was more or less as clear.

  Mitsuko smiled. ‘Thank you. I like it. The material feels wonderful against my skin.’

  ‘I’m sure it does. Should you be wearing it in front of… anyone?’

  ‘I don’t think I’ve anything you haven’t seen before. You’re free to use the bath if you wish.’

  ‘I’ll take a shower before bed. Your first public speech is tomorrow afternoon?’

  Walking across to the sofa Nava was sitting on, Mitsuko settled down beside her, crossing her legs. Her robe parted to flow over her thighs. ‘At fifteen hundred. There are no classes tomorrow, so several other candidates have… had meetings planned. Sebastian Ranta will be giving his opening address in the morning. I’d like to be there.’

  ‘So would I. I think it’s important to hear what every candidate has to say.’

  ‘That’s very responsible of you. We’ll go to see Sebastian Ranta together then. What did you think of Tracey Spears? Before someone tried to shoot her, obviously.’

  ‘I was unimpressed. If she has policies, she is determined not to reveal them. She speaks of honour and reputation, but she says nothing. It’s like her purpose is to minimise the amount of meaning while using the greatest number of words possible.’

  Mitsuko’s grin was positively mischievous. ‘Yes, well, that’s politics for you.’

  Nava showed no sign of noticing the grin. ‘I didn’t think that kind of politics existed in the Clan Worlds. Politicians are largely an extinct species.’

  ‘Anyone who says that hasn’t encountered enough people high up in the clans. Yes, the governance of clan-run worlds falls upon the high-ranking clansmen. The more powerful families essentially run things in every system, but you can’t really rule like that if you don’t have the support of the people below you. There’s still a need for politics, even if it’s just understanding the needs and desires of your people and at least making it sound as though you’re meeting them.’ Mitsuko regarded Nava for a second. ‘You are something of a conundrum.’

  ‘I am?’

  ‘Yes. Your abilities are remarkable, that’s one thing. You yourself are something else. You appear to have only one expression. Though I’ve seen a smile and a frown, I think, both are barely different from your disinterested, passive resting expression. You exhibit both amazing awareness and common sense and a degree of naïveté which is quite surprising in this age.’

  ‘I had a sheltered upbringing,’ Nava responded. ‘I don’t talk about it.’

  ‘Uncomfortable memories?’

  ‘Something like that. Some of them are very uncomfortable.’

  ‘Then I’m sorry for bringing it up. It was not my intention to cause you discomfort.’

  Nava raised an eyebrow, just slightly. ‘No, from your mode of dress, I’d say your intention was quite the opposite.’

  Both of Mitsuko’s eyebrows rose. ‘Would it bother you if that was my intention?’

  Slowly and carefully, Nava lowered her eyes so that she could scan Mitsuko’s body from her toes to the top of her head. By the time Nava’s eyes met Mitsuko’s again, the brunette was squirming. ‘No,’ Nava said, ‘it wouldn’t bother me a
t all.’

  235/2/4.

  Mitsuko’s shower was objectively better than Nava’s own one. It had multiple heads, side jets, and it was significantly larger. Everything was controlled from a waterproof touchscreen which let you set pretty much every parameter you wished. Mitsuko had better soap too.

  This specific shower came with an additional option which had nothing to do with plumbing. A hand slid over Nava’s hip, onto her stomach, and then began sliding down. A second hand cupped her left breast. Fingers began teasing at her nipple. She pushed up onto her toes to give Mitsuko easier access; the height difference between them was fairly large. However, what she said was, ‘Didn’t you get enough of that last night?’

  ‘A new lover is something I can never get enough of,’ Mitsuko replied, her lips right beside Nava’s left ear.

  ‘Really?’ Mitsuko’s fingers found Nava’s clitoris and began to stroke. Nava let out a soft whimper. ‘And how many lovers have you had?’ she asked when her breathing was even once again.

  ‘Oh, I’ve had–’ Mitsuko stopped herself. Somehow, she doubted that lying to Nava was going to work. ‘I’ve had exactly one. You. I still think that a new lover is something I could never get enough of.’ Mitsuko punctuated the assertion with two fingers, slipping them into Nava with absolutely no resistance.

  ‘Ah! Well, y-you’re my first too. You know w-we’ll be late to Sebastian Ranta’s meeting if you k-keep this up.’

  ‘We’ve time. I’ll make it quick.’

  ‘Liar.’

  ~~~

  ‘What did you think, Nava Ward?’ Mitsuko asked.

  Nava was busy watching the crowd around them, but she had sufficient processing capacity to handle answering the question. ‘Sebastian Ranta appears to be aiming to get votes by appealing to anyone who sees you and Tracey Spears as too radical. He has no policies other than “Don’t rock the boat.”’

  ‘Hm. And what about you, Melissa Connelly? What did you think?’

  Melissa let out a squeak. ‘M-me? You want to know w-what I thought?’

  ‘I wouldn’t have asked otherwise.’

  ‘Yes, of course. Right. Um, I thought he sounded n-nice. Like Nava said, he didn’t really s-say much… Anyway, I already decided to v-vote for you.’