Bloodkin (Jaseth of Jaelshead) Read online

  At the mention of her name a dark figure sitting in the corner rose and came over to us. She was almost as tall as Charlie, her black robes practical – tight and split down each side to reveal black leather boots strapped firmly to shapely legs. Her white hair was pulled back into a severe bun, but with one look at her face I recognised her instantly.

  “Aӣấ?”

  “Oh Ϛaioћ, it’s so good to see you.” Her voice was low and molten as she embraced Charlie. “See? Ten years does not take so long to pass. And this is Jaseth? Oh, I remember when I got Hanniash – my first Bloodkin – I was so nervous.” She chuckled, a deep, warm sound. “Come, please, sit with us.”

  She took Charlie by the arm and sat him on a couch beside her, Fiona, Aliakh and I following.

  “Jaseth, my name is Aӣấћtiжầ Ұρeжoлe of the Жanờ Enclave, although I understand that Nea’thi is a difficult language for Humans to pronounce, so you may call me Anna.” She shook my hand with the formal Nea’thi greeting.

  I studied her face in the dim glow. She was just as beautiful as in the painting. Older, yes, a few fine lines radiated out from her eyes. Huge and almost violet, they were different too, darker and sadder.

  “Did Ϛaioћ – Charlie – mention me? We were good friends when he was a Journeyman.” Charlie shot me a warning glance.

  “He, uh, might have mentioned something.”

  She laughed, to my bemusement. “I bet! He used to kick around with my younger brother. They were the same age.” I wondered at her phrasing. Were the same age? “Anyway, my favourite horticulturalist has brought something special for us to try.”

  Fiona giggled beside me, “You have to say that!”

  “Well it’s true! Jaseth, have you had much experience with moss?”

  “Er, yes, a little.”

  “Good. Фyѫea, be a dear and pack the hookah.”

  Fiona lifted the lid off the big brass vase thing on the floor to reveal a small chamber at the top which she filled with moss from an embroidered bag. She set it alight and replaced the lid, offering me one of the hoses.

  “This is a wee something I’ve been working on, a variant from a strain of Red that’s just come over from Hầiờ. It’s a bit giddy and sweet, I rather like it.”

  I sucked on the mouthpiece then handed it to Charlie, the three women smoking gracefully from the other hoses. It tasted of apricots and cherries and I began to feel a warmth bubbling inside me, quite separate from the heat of the fire at my back.

  “So Jaseth, you’re the Lord’s heir?” remarked Anna, letting her hose dangle delicately from her fingers. “Sweet Lilbecz, you’re a lucky one Ϛaioћ, all I ever got stuck with were religious weirdos and whores,” she remarked drily, flicking Aliakh a grin.

  “Cheeky wench! I was the best whore in this city ‘til you came along!” The others all laughed with Aliakh, though I missed the joke. “Poor Jaseth doesn’t get it. Don’t look so shocked dear, I used to be a very pretty girl, if you can imagine it.” She tossed her abundance of crimson curls and I could more than imagine it. “I spent a number of years very gainfully employed before Anna came to ‘rescue’ me.”

  “And you’re still gainfully employed, as the best Madam in Lille! Don’t pretend you mind!” Anna and Aliakh grinned at each other, and I didn’t know whether it was all the wine, or Fiona’s special mix, but I was still wholly confused.

  The others had moved on to gossiping about the other new Academy recruits.

  “Toѫneж is back, remember him?”

  “No, really? He’s still going? Gosh, he’d been through about seventeen Bloodkin already by the time I was assigned Aliakh! He must be what, a hundred by now?”

  Charlie nodded, “One hundred and three. You should meet the boy he’s got now, way too much energy. Oh look, you can see him,” Charlie pointed over the balcony and we could indeed see Telgeth, his lime green robe like a beacon as he was trying to chat up some girls seated below.

  “What? The gangly ginger in that ridiculous robe?” One of the girls took offense to Telgeth’s advances and slapped him across the face. He just shrugged and wandered off into the crowd. We all laughed.

  “Luckily he has the patience of a saint. Can you imagine what Jeetz would have been like at the Academy?” They all groaned. “I would have thought he’d have gotten sick of Humans by now and gone to settle down in the Enclave.”

  “He’s only just hit one hundred, there’s still plenty of time for that,” remarked Fiona.

  “Oh yeah? Still got a thing for old Toѫen then?” Charlie ribbed her.

  She might have blushed slightly; it was hard to tell in the muted ambience of the mezzanine.

  Charlie winked at her and moved on. “And Jyѫaжa is here again too, he’s got a girl.”

  “What, your mad friend from Ұiờ? They let him loose with a lesbian? Gosh, he must have turned out alright then.”

  “I met his last Bloodkin of course, at the Academy,” Fiona told us, gesturing with her hookah hose. “He was rather an odd boy, but Jyѫ must have done something right, he’s training to be a Solast.”

  I felt like an intruder, listening to these old friends, but I had to ask. “So lesbians always get male Mentors then?”

  Anna smiled and nodded. “They sure do. And gay boys get female Mentors. Sexual tension between Mentor and Bloodkin is seen as highly disadvantageous to the learning process.”

  “So… What about, um…”

  “Bisexuals?” Anna answered with a laugh. “They get someone old!”

  “Or ugly!” cried Fiona, and they all fell about laughing.

  “So what’s she like then, Jimmy’s poor girl?” asked Aliakh.

  “I’ve met her, she’s pretty as a picture, shy though,” Fiona remarked, running a hand through her yellow mane.

  “Heh, I’ve got a new beauty down at the Rose who likes the ladies, maybe we should hook them up,” Aliakh grinned wickedly.

  I caught on. “You can’t buy Lolitha a prostitute!” I exclaimed, and the others shrieked with mirth.

  “Look what you’ve done Ali, you’ve offended his delicate Lordly sensibilities!” chuckled Anna.

  “Oh Jaseth, you poor thing, I wasn’t meaning that. She only works in the front room. And even professionals get time off, you know.” Aliakh smiled kindly at me.

  How Lolitha would react to being set up with someone who worked at a brothel I could only guess, but I imagined it would take some persuading.

  The musicians had resumed their places on the stage below and began their second set. I took another suck on the hookah pipe and went to stand on the edge of the balcony to watch, leaving the others to talk about their old acquaintances. I listened to the enchanting music, watching the singer to see if I could tell how she made the amazing sounds. I spotted Sallagh in the crowd, looking slightly out of place in her wide skirts. She glanced around a couple of times – maybe looking for me? – but the thought of being down there amongst all those people made me a bit queasy.

  I felt a presence beside me and was surprised when I turned to see Anna, leaning on the railings.

  “Nice view from up here, isn’t it? One of the perks of the trade, I’m afraid.”

  “Ah, yes.” I didn’t know quite what to say to that. I wasn’t exactly sure what her trade was, and I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to know.

  “It’s okay Jaseth. I presume since you are with Ϛaioћ that you have some inkling about who I am. If you had gone to one of the other Academies I’m sure you would never have had the chance to know, but you’re here and you do, so…” She sighed and turned to me. “I am, as you may have guessed, the head of an unsavoury but necessary organisation. Лấ Ұaßaлioӣ.”

  “Lya Vassalion?”

  She nodded. “How I came to the post is a long and difficult story, and I’m having far too nice a time to be dredging up old and painful memories, but perhaps Ϛaioћ will tell you sometime. It’s more his story to tell anyway.” She paused and looked out over the tavern, considerin
g. “My identity as Lya Myn is a necessary secret, and I will not insult you by asking that you keep it that way. A select few know – my three personal guards, two of my highest-ranking associates and my closest friends.” She indicated the group behind us, “And now you. It is a dangerous thing to know, Lord Jaseth, for which I apologise. I was trained as a Mentor and as such I value highly the safety of our young Bloodkin friends. I hope no ill shall befall you as a result of this knowledge, but it is something to keep in mind.” She shook her head. “Enough of this serious talk, this music is far too lovely to waste. Come and enjoy the wine with us.” She turned to me, large violet eyes unreadable. “It has been a pleasure to meet you, Jaseth of Jaelshead, I pray our acquaintance will not cause you trouble.”

  We turned back towards the others and she leaned close to my ear and spoke quietly. “You’re lucky to have Ϛaioћ as your Mentor. He is a good man.”

  I looked at her to see if her expression gave anything else away, but she was already smiling at the others as we sat back down.

  “Gosh, they’re good, aren’t they? I do hope O’Malley keeps them on, it’s nice to hear songs in Nea’thi for a change, reminds me of home.”

  The others all raised their glasses and we finished our wine as the musicians finished their set and departed the stage to rapturous applause. They were replaced by the same Nea’thi who had opened for them.

  We could see the Hall crowd gathering below and Charlie levered himself off the couch.

  “Well it looks like our team is ready to head off. Yұieӣấ has organised us a picnic tomorrow.”

  Anna laughed, “How civilised! Jeetz will be sore he missed you, but it was lovely to see you again, and a pleasure to meet you, Jaseth.”

  Just then we heard heavy footsteps on the staircase and a deep voice outside the curtained arch.

  “Good evening old chap, the ladies about? Yes, right!” And a massive figure pushed through the curtains, tangling himself neatly.

  “Hullo my darlings, looks like I missed the main act. Rough business down at the club, I tell you what— Oh! Ϛaioћ!”

  The newcomer was a huge beast of a man, in his mid-forties perhaps, with tanned but oddly greyish skin and long bushes of hair and beard. His exquisitely tailored robe was a pale grey and pink stripe, and instead of a hood it had a starched collar, wrapped around with a bright cerise silk cravat. On his head he wore a sort of trilby hat in black velvet. His hooked nose and huge dark eyes gave him the look of an enormous bird of prey.

  “Jeetz, you’re looking well!” Charlie was enveloped in a massive hug from the man.

  “Ϛaioћ, bloody good to see you. Enclave life treated you well I trust? And who’s this?” He peered down at me. “Oh right, yes, you’re Mentoring now, good work.”

  “Jeetz, this is Jaseth of Jaelshead, my Bloodkin.” Jeetz shook my hand formally.

  “Ϛaioћ and Jaseth were just leaving, they came down with all the Bloodkin and Mentors from the Hall.” Anna pointed over the balcony at our group, gathered by the door and looking around for us.

  “Of course! I saw my old Toѫen on the way in, great to have him back, it’s been years. But I won’t hold you up, was lovely to see you again, boy.”

  Anna smiled at us as we made to leave. “Bring Toѫen and Jyѫ and their Bloodkin up next time Ϛaioћ, we should like to meet them.”

  Charlie hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Of course. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”

  Jeetz, already with a glass of wine in his hand and a hookah hose in his mouth, waved us goodbye. Fiona and Aliakh hugged us both while Anna simply raised her hand in farewell.

  Charlie and I stepped through the arch and down the stairs, nodding at Anna’s guards. Jimmy waved us over as we came out into the main tavern room.

  “There you are! Shall we all head back to the Hall? I’m whacked!”

  O’Malley looked up from wiping the bar as we passed, waving at our group, and with Charlie and me bringing up the rear we left the smoky warmth of the tavern to make our way home.

  As if to forestall any awkward questions on the walk back through the Quarter, Charlie told me about Jeetz.

  “He’s a Mingle. You know what that is, don’t you?”

  “A half-breed?”

  “Well, it’s impolite to call them that, but yes.”

  “Of course, we had one at home!”

  “What? You told me you’d never met any Nea’thi before!”

  “Well it’s not as if he looks like you!”

  Charlie laughed, “No, he probably wouldn’t.”

  “Yeah, he’s head vintner at one of the wineries. My parents never let me have much to do with him though.”

  Charlie humphed, then continued with his story.

  Jeetz’ mother had travelled up from Yhull as a young woman, seeking her fortune, and was working at one of the rowdier taverns in the Docks area of Lille. She had caught the eye of a Nea’thi Journeyman, drunk on cherry vodka, and they ended up spending the night together.

  “Silly twit didn’t even realise you need to use protection with Human women.”

  By the time the waitress realised she was pregnant the Journeyman was long gone, off on his travels, but she decided to keep the baby anyway. When she finally gave birth to a little grey Mingle she struggled valiantly to raise him. But like Nea’thi infants, young Mingles are horrifically sensitive to light and cold, and the babe sickened and almost died. Desperate, Jeetz’ mother went to the Temple, where they advised her that the baby had to be taken down to an Enclave to be raised. Most Mingle babies are simply left on Temple doorsteps to be cared for, their mothers ashamed of having given birth to a half-breed. Not Jeetz’ mother, however. She refused to give him up, and insisted on taking him Underground herself to care for him. Seeing as she had no idea what Enclave the father had come from, she decided to go to Жanờ, the Enclave closest to Lille.

  Underground, she lasted two full years with the young Jeetz before the heat and lack of sunlight drove her reluctantly back to the surface. The Жanờ Nea’thi had grown rather fond of this bolshy young mother, and sent her with a wagonload full of Nea’thi-crafted trinkets, jewellery and other curios that fetch high prices in the Human world, and she set up shop in Lille’s market district. She had a shrewd eye for a bargain, and traded her way to a modest fortune while she waited for Jeetz to be old enough to leave the Enclave.

  Due to their Human heritage, Mingles mature faster than pure-blood Nea’thi youths, and are permitted to sit the Journeyman exams when they are twenty-one years of age. Unlike full-blooded Nea’thi however, they are then assigned a Mentor and study at an Academy with Human Bloodkin. So when the young Jeetz turned twenty-one, he passed his exams, was assigned to Thomas and studied at the Lille Academy for two years.

  “So what does he do now?” I asked when Charlie wound up his story.

  He winked at me and tapped his nose. “That’s a tale for another day, boyo,” and he discreetly moved up to talk with Donnick, Adam and the Journeymen as Sallagh wandered over to walk beside me.

  “Where did you get to before?” she asked as she took the arm I offered. She seemed a little put out.

  “Oh, Charlie wanted me to meet some old friends of his.”

  She sniffed, definitely annoyed. “Well the rest of us had a nice time dancing, if you can even call it that. I mean, the music was nice, but not what I’m used to.”

  “Yeah?” I encouraged. Seeming to soften a bit, she grinned unexpectedly at me.

  “Oh yes, my girlfriends and I, we used to sneak out and go down to the Docks sometimes. They have proper dancing there.”

  “You? Sneaking out? But I thought…”

  “That I was a nice, well-bred girl who wouldn’t dare set foot in a Docks tavern? There are lots of things you don’t know about me, Jaseth of Jaelshead.” She tried to look mysterious, glancing up at me from beneath lowered lashes.

  “Well, uh, maybe you should show me what Lille is really like then.” She curved an eyebrow at
me.

  “Maybe sometime I will.”

  We had turned into the lane that led to the Hall and up the front Jimmy made a big show of putting his finger to his lips to shush everyone. We all crept in and across the reception room floor. Sallagh and I were the last in, and as I went to close the Hall door behind us she slipped her hand from my arm and wove her fingers through mine. I led her up the stairs and we paused outside her room as everyone else peeled off with whispered goodnights until we were alone in the hall. She pulled me close and kissed me softly.

  “Goodnight Jaseth.”

  Before I could say or do anything she was gone, her door closed behind her.

  I almost skipped down the corridor to my room, stumbling into Charlie inside.

  “Oi, watch out!” he grumbled, but laughed when he saw my face. “Now that is the smile of a man who has just been kissed by a pretty girl. Hell Jas, you don’t muck around, do you?”

  I tried to be dignified as I swayed across the room.

  “You’d know all about mucking around, wouldn’t you?” I gave him a sly smile. “Anna seems nice.”

  He threw up his hands in mock defence. “Fine! Fine, point taken!”

  I wrestled with the door to my room before it opened suddenly and I almost fell in with it.

  “My room’s all dark!” I complained. “Charlie, how do you make the glowbe thingy work?”

  He came over and moved a small lever that rolled the glowbe in its bracket. Slowly it came to life.

  “What are these things anyway? We don’t have lights like this at home.”

  “It’s a strain of bioluminescent algae that grows in the Enclaves. It produces the chemical luciferin, which reacts with oxygen to make light, so movement gets it started. When they go dim you have to take the lid off to feed it.”

  He twisted the top of the glowbe and a small crack appeared, then the top half lifted off in his hand. Now I could see that the bottom half was filled with a sort of slime, glowing a rather sickly, bright yellow-green. Charlie showed me the lid and I could see it was the amber glass that gave the light its homely colour.