Bridge Ch. 02

Author's note: Thanks for the positive feedback on chapter one! Please leave a comment or send me a message if you have a critique or suggestion. I love to hear from my readers. I'm going to try to stick to 6000-10000 word chapters keep updates manageable and regular; sorry if they're not long enough for you!

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Aerlin awoke alone in Urien's bedchamber. Light was streaming in through the window, covering her face and pillow in an oblong finger of sun. At some point in the night they'd squirmed under the covers, but the prince's side of the sheets had been thrown back, his body nowhere in sight. She heard soft noises from the next room, though, that told her Urien was still close by.

Aerlin rose, not bothering to cover her nudity, and retrieved her staff from where it had rolled onto the ground during the previous night's activities. She walked into the adjacent sitting room and saw Urien sitting in cushioned arm chair, bent over as he laced up his boots. He was otherwise fully clothed, and looked nearly ready to depart. I wonder if I can convince him to stay a while, she thought, and hugged her staff to her chest to it rested between her breasts suggestively. She recalled the night before, and how she was still a bit sore from the vigorous pounding he'd given her.

"Good morning, my prince," she said. "I trust you slept well?"

He looked up with an affectionate smile. "Rarely have I slept more soundly. My apologies-I meant not to wake you."

Aerlin shrugged. "I'm an early riser. And besides, I felt bereft without your presence beside me." She crossed over to where he sat and ran a hand through his unruly black hair, looking longingly into his golden eyes. "Must you leave so soon?"

Urien breathed in deeply before exhaling in a long, disappointed sigh. "Would that I could, but duty calls. I'm not in Bridge for pleasure, Aerlin."

Aerlin pouted. "Pity," she said. "You haven't seen half the tricks I have to show you."

The prince grinned back at her and grabbed her arm, pulling her down for a gentle kiss. "I may be free this evening," he said, stroking the side of her breast. His hand trailed down her side to her hips, snaking around to give her backside a squeeze. "I seem to recall some talk of seeking out the performer from last night and bending her to our will."

"Hmm," she said, and looked up and left, pretending to be deep in thought. "I'll have to consult my schedule. You're not my only client, you know."

Urien gave her ass a gentle swat. "I'll bet I'm the only prince, though."

"The only one this week, at least," said Aerlin playfully. "I have work to do this morning as well, but I'll send you a note to let you know if I'm free or not this evening."

"Very well," said Urien. He stood and walked over to her, pulled her into an embrace, and kissed her forcefully. "Stay here and freshen up as long as you like. I'm in Bridge for another week at least, so I've no doubt we'll meet again, if not tonight."

"Till next time, then," said Aerlin.

Urien nodded. Then he straightened his posture, and as he drew himself up his regal, princely mask settled over his high-cheekboned face, transforming him once more into the stiffly polite prince she'd met the day before. "I bid you good day, Miss Aerlin," he said. Then he turned on his heel and left.

Aerlin watched the door for a few seconds after he'd closed it behind him, still feeling his austere presence lingering in the room. Let's just hope I'm free tonight, she thought. And let's just hope Altena's willing to keep paying me.

Aerlin took liberal advantage of Urien's offer to stay and freshen up. She ordered a hot bath and enjoyed a long, scalding soak in water perfumed with jade and honeysuckle. Aerlin relaxed, thinking about the blonde-haired performer in the boiling tank of water and her night with Urien. It was too much to resist. She swirled one finger around and Willed the water in the tub into an insistent jet that she directed toward her clit, soon bringing herself to a draining climax as she pictured the prince fucking the performer. She dozed in the tub in the afterglow, letting the minutes tick idly by. She'd drawn deeply on her Well of Soul the night before, and the extra rest helped her replenish it. It was half an hour before she finally climbed out and got dressed.

Urien's room was furnished with a large mirror, so Aerlin took her time pulling her long chestnut hair up into another elaborate bun, fixing it in place with a pin. When she was satisfied, she took a last look around the suite, hoping it wouldn't be the last time she saw the inside of it, and left.

As she entered the foyer of the Bell and Candle, Pendlewort the concierge spied her from across the room and called her name. He rushed over, weaving his way between throngs of hotel patrons and staff. The rotund little man was surprisingly adroit for someone of his age and stature.

Pendlewort reached her, breathless, and said, "A message for you, Miss Aerlin." He took a moment to catch his breath. "The Mairie requests that you meet her at the Council Hall as soon as you are able."

Aerlin sighed. Altena wastes no time, as usual. "Did she say what it's about?"

"No," said Pendlewort. "Only that you were to come immediately. Not one for polite banter, our Mairie, eh?"

"No, she's certainly not," replied Aerlin.

She left, sashaying away so the old man could get a nice, long look at her backside-her way of saying thanks for relaying the message.

The Council Hall wasn't the largest or most opulent building in Bridge, but it stood out all the same. It was positioned almost precisely at the midway point between Bridge's eastern and western gates, and situated on an artificial stone summit against the northern wall. Bridge was around two thousand years old, and many buildings had come and gone in that time, but the Council Hall had stood as the center of government in Bridge for its entire history, even back in the undocumented early days when the great Shapers of antiquity constructed the colossal city over the Rift. Empires in the East and West rose and fell; men, elves, dwarves, and goblins made war on each other; the population of Bridge swelled in times of plenty and dwindled in times of want; but for two millennia the Council Hall had watched over Bridge like a great grey-stoned monolith. Its design was classical, with a high arched roof sloping down at either side. Lines of thick columns supported the roof, gray and weatherbeaten with age but still magnificent. The building itself wasn't particularly tall, but it sat atop a set of wide open air steps nearly as tall as the building itself, suggesting voluminous basement chambers beneath which penetrated into the deep tunnels burrowing through the stonework of the great bridge itself.

Pomp Square was only a short distance from the cluster of administrative and civic buildings that surrounded the Council Hall like and audience before a stage, so Aerlin walked, enjoying the cool breeze of the summer morning. The half of bridge north of the great central Promenade was by and large much wealthier, cleaner, and safer than the thronging southern half, so Aerlin didn't feel at all ill at ease picking her way through its broad avenues. It's not like I couldn't defend myself anyway, she thought as she walked. I'm still a graduate of the Academy, after all.

Aerlin soon reached the Council Hall and began climbing the long flight of steps to the summit, passing arbiters, secretaries, junior council members, and other functionaries on her way. At the top she paused to catch her breath before continuing inside, passing between the enormous brass double doors into the seat of Bridge's government. In the entry hall an enormous crimson banner bearing the stone-and-sun insignia of council hung from the ceiling, just above an enormous marble statue of Enuo, a Shaper believed to be responsible for Bridge's construction and, so the legends told, had a hand in creating the Rift itself in the War of Wills. Enuo had one hand raised, palm open. His mouth was open a crack, speaking a word of power, and his stone eyes glared forward confidently. His long hair was tousled and restless, as if tossed by an invisible wind. Handsome guy, thought Aerlin, as she often did. Too bad I wasn't alive back then. I'm sure he would have had a lot to teach me.

Throngs of functionaries and undersecretaries milled about, seeing to the day-to-day functions of a civil servant. Their job was critical in Bridge. With representatives of every race and nation in the Realm gathered into their own districts and sub-societies within Bridge, there was no substantial majority of any one ethnic group. Bridge had, over two thousand years of existence, become the only true republic in the Realm, a place where the prosperity of the whole depended on the equality of the many. In less than a minute of people watching, Aerlin saw four air elementals, three elves, two green-skinned goblins, and a great, hulking, hairy beastman who shook the stones with his footfalls.

Aerlin knew the way to the Mairie's office well. At the sides of the entry hall were dozens of doors leading to meeting rooms and offices. A large set of double doors at the back led into the Council Chamber. There was a staircase on either side of the hall that led up to the second floor, where Altena's office was located. Aerlin made her way there, enjoying the ancient feeling of the stone surrounding her, as if she could feel the energy from all the time and Will it had soaked up over two millennia radiating from the stone blocks themselves. When she reached the Mairie's chambers, there was a guard outside the door who admitted her immediately upon recognition

She stepped through into the antechamber before Altena's inner sanctum. There Aerlin encountered Altena's secretary, an aging, severe woman called Noyn, who sat behind a desk of her own. She was the last, and most vexing, line of defense between Aerlin and the Mairie, and the old woman fixed Aerlin with an appraising gaze as she approached.

"The Mairie is busy at the moment," said Noyn in a voice like a pen scratching over brittle parchment. "I can tell her you're here, but you'll have to wait outside."

"Oh no, that's quite all right," said Aerlin, flashing a winning smile. "I'll just show myself in, Noyn, don't trouble yourself."

This was a game the two of them played often; Noyn did her level best to stymie Aerlin's plans to barge into Altena's office, and Aerlin, who had the advantage of being a wizard, generally did whatever she pleased.

"Now see here," said Noyn, starting to rise from her seat, but Aerlin waved her hand and willed the old woman's legs to go numb. Noyn collapsed back into her chair, and Aerlin gave her a slight bow and a wink before throwing open the door to the Mairie's office.

Altena looked up from her massive desk and scowled at Aerlin, a sheaf of papers splayed before her. The room was large and stately, with windows lining one wall and the red stone-and-sunlight banner of Bridge hanging on the wall behind the desk. The windows faced south, and they afforded the Mairie a stunning view of Bridge, a dense city of varied architecture clustered in the ten mile space between the northern and southern walls. To the south Aerlin could see the Great Rift running in a seemingly endless route to the south, disappearing into the misty edge of the horizon.

Two chairs sat on the opposite end of Altena's desk, but Aerlin ignored them, instead crossing to where the Marie sat. Aerlin brushed aside some papers and took a seat on the desk itself, steadying herself with her staff on the floor in front of her, and crossed her legs. Altena's scowl had turned volcanic, and her blue eyes narrowed to slits on either side of her sharp nose. She has no idea how cute she is when she's upset, thought Aerlin.

"My dear Mairie," said Aerlin. "You summoned me?"

Altena took a deep breath and closed her eyes, massaging her temple with one hand. "And as usual you've been very obliging." She reached into a drawer in her desk and withdrew several rolls of thick gold coins, which she put into a drawstring purse and handed to Aerlin. "Your payment for last night. How did it go with Prince Urien?"

"The prince is very well-endowed, as it turns out, and required very little coaxing before he threw me onto his bed and-"

"Enough," said Altena, holding up a hand. "Must I always be literal with you? I'm paying you well enough, you could at least be cooperative."

Aerlin sighed. "Oh, you're no fun. But very well. The prince has urgent business in Bridge, so urgent that I could not waylay him this morning. He will be in Bridge at least another week. Urien is the youngest of three princes, and thus most suitable for sojourns beyond his country's borders, yet still an important royal who wouldn't be sent on some trivial assignment. He is used to being in control, yet more considerate than any Heggish noble I've ever met. He wears his coat of arms openly in the streets, yet keeps only a single guard who follows him at a distance. Based on this fact, and the haste of your summons yesterday, I surmise that he traveled to Bridge in secret. He is a most intriguing man."

Altena nodded throughout the account, pursing her lips and steepling her hands on the desk before her. When Aerlin stopped talking she shot her a questing look. "That's all?"

"You expected more? It was only our first night together, dear Mairie. I'm sure our Urien will have much more to give me tonight."

"I'm sure that's true," said Altena, nodding. She either didn't pick up on the innuendo or was choosing to ignore it. "But I'm afraid you may not have time to see him. I have another job for you, and matters here may be getting very complicated very quickly."

Aerlin raised an eyebrow. This is getting interesting, she thought. "Do tell."

"You're correct that Prince Urien arrived unexpectedly yesterday. Bridge is but a single autonomous city-state, and we only control small parcels of land around the gates. We don't have the resources for a large spy network, so it's not surprising that we never received word of the prince's departure from Hegg. From what I've gathered, it appears that he was traveling as a commoner with a very small retinue, and only announced himself when he drew near the West Gate. The official reason he's given for his visit, confirmed by a sealed letter from King Rogar, is to make a state inspection of the various merchants and representatives of the Heggish crown here in Bridge."

"But you suspect more," said Aerlin.

"Of course," replied Altena. "Why else would he surprise us like this?"

"What's he up to, then?" asked Aerlin.

Altena shrugged. "That is unclear to me."

"But you have a guess."

Altena shook her head. "I assure you I am in the dark. But it grows more complicated: about a week before we learned of Prince Urien's visit, my agents in the East sent word that a traveling party had departed from Rondelac Castle. Bridge will soon be graced by royalty from Langelia as well: Prince Garin and his twin sister Princess Narya both make their way towards Bridge with a full contingent of retainers. We had a message last night that Prince Garin rides hard with an advance guard and should reach Bridge by tonight. His sister will join him in the next day or two."

Aerlin whistled appreciatively. And she couldn't have told me about this sooner? "My, my. Any other important guests I should know about? Is the Air King descending from his cloudy citadel to pay homage to us as well?"

"If he is, we wouldn't know it. I've no agents among the elementals, and that goes for the elves, goblins, dwarves, and beastmen as well. They could all be converging on Bridge and we'd be none the wiser. As it is, we'll have three royals in the city at once, which is more than we've ever had during my tenure as Mairie. My city guard is scrambling to increase security, but we've already seen an influx of tourists and merchants drawn here by the news. Crime will soon be on the way up, and my arbiters are overworked as it is. Not to mention the fact that we've been planning celebratory functions for a week expecting two Langelian nobles, and now we have to scramble to include a Heggish Prince in our calculations." She shook her head wearily and scratched her scalp covered in straight black hair pulled into a tight ponytail.

Aerlin leaned back on the solid wooden desk and drummed her fingers thoughtfully. A sudden notion occurred to her: This is an opportunity. "You need me. You need more information."

Altena gave a curt shake of her head. "No, what I need you to do is be there when we greet Prince Garin tonight and entertain him if he so desires it."

"Hmm," said Aerlin. "But something's going on here, and you need to know what all these important people say and do over the next week. There's no one more capable of getting to the bottom of this than me, and you know it." She had Altena's attention now. The Mairie, still relatively young for someone in her position, was peering intently at Aerlin, her blue eyes fixated in a manner Aerlin would have found flattering under different circumstances. She thought about trying a charm field, but reasoned that it would only upset the Mairie. I might be able to retire after this week, but I have to choose my words carefully. Altena appreciates a direct approach. "I want an indefinite retainer until the royalty leaves. Double my normal rate, every day. Sineo too."

Altena let out an exasperated sigh. "Must we involved that peacock?"

"Not everyone is interested in my company, Mairie. Some prefer the male touch. Besides, you know that Sineo's really a sweetheart beneath that cocksure exterior, and he absolutely adores you."

Altena scrunched up her forehead in concentration. "One and a quarter your normal rate, for you and Sineo both, for five days only. Anything more will be negotiated at a later time."

"One and a half, for a week, starting today," countered Aerlin.

"Done," said Altena. "Meet me at the East Gate at sundown. We'll talk more then."

Altena waved a hand dismissively and looked back at her papers. Aerlin stood and stretched, thrusting her breasts out as far as she could, but the Mairie wasn't paying attention. One day I'll get you to drop that stiff exterior, thought Aerlin, turning on her heel to leave. Or maybe Sineo will. You can't be completely asexual.

Aerlin waved to Noyn on the way out, barely remembering to release the old woman's legs with a snap before she left. Noyn stared daggers at her back as she left, but Aerlin was in too good a mood to care. It's not like she would have been stuck there all that long if I had forgot, thought Aerlin. Will doesn't last forever.

Outside the Council Hall, the bright sun was still shining overhead, but a pleasant breeze ensured the day didn't get too hot. Aerlin smiled contentedly as she made her way back towards Pomp Square. She was in high spirits, considering the purse full of gold Altena had just given her and the promise of more to come. Her next stop this morning was Force Majeure, and she found herself getting very excited indeed about the possibilities that awaited her at the theater.

Buoyed by a raft of happy thoughts, Aerlin walked briskly through the streets of northern Bridge, soon arriving at Force Majeure. The main doors were locked during the daytime, so Aerlin walked around to the side, locating the smaller entrance used by performers and staff. She let herself in, bidding a greeting to the burly set builder she found inside. The man, a Heggishman called Bront, recognized her immediately.