The silos of cassava and sorghum sat huddled under rock and hay like the houses of entry nobility. Their mud-brick walls were solid, keeping out all moisture, and the entrance was bolted shut. Akhutenan reached the granary under the watchful gaze of Sarakh guards and armored fighters.
An envoy of a few soldiers stood behind the Zhuong Crown Prince, who sat underneath a makeshift canopy with thin bamboo curtains to curtail the sun's heat in a heated discussion with the ambassador, who kneeled, contrite.
"The only protection I can offer you is to send you back," the Crown Prince said and then snorted. "I'm offering you a deal. And you're better to take it than throw it back in my face."
"I offer my apologies," the Ambassador Chen bowed and then kept her head down as she spoke. "I have no way to survive if I leave. Whether I die here or there, the difference will be in whether I can fight and in the chances to win."
The Crown Prince stood up, and the soldiers fell to their knees in unison, saying, "Your Highness, may you keep your temper."
"You think," the Crown Prince hissed. "You think you have a better chance of surviving me than surviving back home on the borders?"
"I believe that I have no chance at the borders, Your Highness," the Ambassador replied. "But here, I may convince you to change your mind."
"Oh?"
"Yes, your Highness, instead of becoming a replacement, perhaps it would be better to take the in-between territory for yourself. I have information regarding that," the Ambassador said as she pulled out a lengthy missive. One of the soldiers handed it to the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince sat down as he began to read.
"This religious figure in the Carolingian Empire is snatching up farmlands in the in-between lands, who have no protection. In return for protection, they request that their territories be listed under the Zhuong Empire."
The huddled guards behind him shoved him forward and he had garnered their attention.
Akhutenan stepped forward and said, "May I speak?"
"Ah, you've arrived," the Zhuong Crown Prince said with a grin. "Of course, speak on behalf of the Carolingian or the Sonhrai and offer me a better deal."
The Zhuong Crown Prince's kind smile was tainted by his sharp-toothed grin.
"Many of those vassals are descendants of or are of Carolingian lineage," Akhutenan said even as the Ambassador huffed at his side. "The Pastor is, unfortunately, acting on the Emperor's orders, but the Carolingian Crown Prince means to end his rule and the Pastor's by consequence. It should no longer teeter the balance then. There are territories similar to the ones mentioned earlier, belonging to the Sonhrai lineage. Unlike the ones of Carolingian, they would not appreciate being under the banner of Zhuong and prefer their independence, thus splitting the land through the middle. It would then be detrimental as a territory, split off from Zhuong."
Akhutenan felt that he was speaking out of his ass but at the Zhuong Crown Prince's less sharp smile, he saw that it did something, at least.
"Do you have anything to counter with Ambassador Chen?"
The Ambassador sat on her legs and frowned, while the Crown Prince sighed.
"I'm disappointed, Ambassador," the Crown Prince said. "You've been here for over twenty years and have nothing to show for it except personal wealth."
Akhutenan knew that this must have been the signal, yet he hoped that Nwaijaku had received it. What if Kinya was right? He was never more than a pawn in his grandfather's game of lineage and inheritance. Why would an elder whom he's never met be any more merciful?
The Crown Prince stood up and then gestured for the Ambassador to stand up. He lifted up her arms and then patted her shoulders. "Don't you think it's time you retire and have a rest?"
"But, your Highness--"
"There's nothing else that needs to be said."
Akhutenan could tell from this angle that the Crown Prince's gentle patting was tense. And when the Crown Prince glanced at him and then nodded, before he turned around with his hands clasped behind his back. He gestured for the Ambassador to leave, and Akhutenan knew that if he didn't kill the Ambassador right then, it would be too late.
He knew too much. He wondered why they let him listen in.
It was a threat.
They'll kill him to make sure the information doesn't get out, and it will be grudgingly accepted that the Commander heard too much. And while he closed his eyes, he thought, at least Donte will be free; however, the consequences are.
As soon as his hands snatched at the helm of his sword and the sharp metal sound screeched as it unsheathed, a whizzing flew past his ear and he heard the gurgling of a death gasp.
The Ambassador was struck in the chest. She gasped, grappling against her chest, falling to her knees. Blood sputtered out from her chest.
Dead.
It was quick.
Whoever shot the arrow was precise and wanted it over with.
Another arrow and then another whizzed by until they were hailed on by a stream of arrows.
Soldiers began shouting, "Protect the Prince! Protect the Prince!" as they crowded around and drew up shields for the arrows to bounce off.
Akhutenan rushed to the kajawa for cover when an arrow whizzed by. It knocked into the carriage and scared the camel into running. For a second, he thought of joining the animal, but knew when he saw the Crown Prince glaring over that if he left, he would be blamed for the attack. Instead, his eyes tightened and he shouted, "They're in the forest! In the trees!"
Two figures emerged from the forests shouting, as if hearing his voice, "They're Akira Lin's men! Search for cover!"
He didn't trust their convenient appearance.
The rogue figures wore traveling clothing, with cloth covering their faces, and curved, woven hats shrouding their faces. But as their swords swung out, knocking and diverting the arrows, they figured them for their saviors and not enemies. He had no choice but to accept their help. Sliding across the back of the kajawa, he reached the duo and yelled, over the sounds of clashing weapons and gurgles of death, "Who are you?"
"Rebels at your beck, call me En," the male rogue said and flung five daggers, striking the assassins in the head, dead. "This is my travel companion, Valerie."
Akhutenan blinked. He recognized that name but before he could ask further, the trees bent back and rows of warriors poured out.
He thought, "I wish I had written more letters to leave behind." Leaning forward, he brandished his sword as the overwhelming forces attacked their small group of fifteen.
The guards removed the jars, and the carcasses had been cleaned from her tables. It was as if the table was prepped for decorations instead of waiting for its next dissection. One of the basins had been left behind and she lifted it, handing it to one of the guards. This particular guard mumbled apologies and then rushed off.
Her eyes caught the slip of the guard's uniform as a bit untidy.
It was odd but not unusual.
They lined up in a single uniform line in their exit, which was also odd for them but she figured today was a peculiar day all in all.
Ordinarily, she would've been pleased at the structured, quick, and efficient way her servants did their duty. It was rare for them. So she said nothing to them about the guard's untidiness.
Yet, instead of sitting in such a good mood, after her sister's departure, she twisted around until her gaze fell on Chamai.
Lawali's lips unfurled.
"It takes audacity to stare a royal Princess in the eyes. Is that something you have?" She said, as her hand clutched under his jaw and curled around his face, squeezing his jaw tightly. "Well, I'm waiting."
"No, your Highness," and Chamai lowered his eyes.
"Good," she exhaled sharply and then smiled before loosening her grip and pressing a kiss against the corner of his lips. "You're one of my favorites, and I would hate to find a replacement for you, especially when you're so pretty."
A guard entered the room and then kneeled until her fury settled into cold fire. The heat never escaped her chest but it needn't burn hot all day. "Inform me."
"Crown Princess," the guard began. "Halabi is ready to return to the chambers, and the one sold by Zhuong has arrived, courtesy of Adan Han. We will leave him in the bathing rooms per your orders."
"Good! Good! And don't forget the Labor Bed and their pillows," she reminded the guard, nodding before bowing out the door. She continued, "It's good at least one of you knows the importance of birthing these bastards."
It was rare for her to buy or find someone to carry her children, like Chamai. There truly wasn't that much value in her lineage, but in others, who had nowhere to lay their heads? Although she lacked her alpha heir, plenty of alphas discarded enough of their pregnant omegas that she could make use of their children as weapons and spies under her tutelage in life or death as experiments to understand better the diseases that overwhelm their kingdom.
She would create a clan that would rival the Mawaddah and call them the Khia Clan. Oh, the plans she had begun to draw.
For now, it was time to check their vitals and their weekly invigorations. Her fingers brush against Chamai's neck before clamping her hands around it as her other hand's fingers stroked down his neck, twisted around his nipples, ignoring his muffled gasps, to palm his belly.
"You never said it was so active," she said as her thumb wrapped underneath, and she felt for any injuries outside the skin from the kicking inside. "Does it hurt?"
"No," was all Chamai said.
"One day, you'll be bored of these theatrics."
Chamai spat at the ground and glared.
Now that his orchestrated "fear" done in front of her sister was over, he was his typical, standoffish, cold persona. It made Lawali a little hot when she thought about his faked doe eyes of earlier.
"You realize that our children will be the leaders of this clan," Lawali sighed and then grabbed Chamai's hips, kissing his belly. "They will revolutionize the land and you'll be able to get your vengeance, only through me. Remember that the next time you're glaring at me while full-bellied with my child. A child who, if I died, could be used in your favor. Realize the weapon I've given you willingly."
Chamai's mouth wobbled and breathed out before going quiet. His eyes fell to the ground.
Lawali had created the poison, but the users of said poison were Kinya Sarakh under the orders of her Imperial Mother. His merchant family dared to rival the powers of Akira Lin and her Imperial Mother's trade agreements.
They might as well have requested their execution.
She reached around her hips for her measuring sticks. There were eight in total, with only five in use. She planned to add the Zhuong slave to one of them and find two more being sold somewhere between the two kingdoms.
Grabbing Chamai's stick, she measured his belly and marked the growth. Much larger than before and likely in his last few weeks.
She stood up and lowered Chamai's shackles slightly so that he could relax.
Siddiq was next.
He sat quietly as she reached over and grabbed his jaw. His eyes stared back at her before dropping to the floor. If she hadn't seen Chamai first, in all fairness, Siddiq would've been chosen but all's fair in love and war. Some noble up north got to him first and now she reaped the rewards. Her fingers retraced the same trails but he winced when she reached his nipples.
"Sore?"
He trembled out a, "Yes, for a few days now, I--"
She hushed him before massaging his chest and carefully pulling his head back until he relaxed in her hold, before he groaned, and her finger was damp with milk.
"Fascinating," she said aloud. "Is this new?"
"Yes," he whimpered. "I'm sorry."
Lawali kissed his tears and wiped his face with her thumb. "You did well. Very, very well."
It was rare for male omegas to be able to breastfeed but not uncommon. Yet, for many generations in the Sonhrai, few if any male omegas could. For poorer omegas, this was often what led to the death of their children. She would have to mark down to make sure he carried several children, preferably omegas. Oh, what a stock!
She measured his belly and found little growth compared to the previous. He was still a healthy size—nothing to worry about for now. A quarter portion would be added to his meals.
"Your Highness," Siddiq whispered. "Could you--I can't."
Her eyes caught that he had gotten bothered by the petting and she hummed as she flattened her hand around his hardened cock and twisted gently until his moans, rolling and thrusting stopped with a shiver and a sigh.
"I'll add you for a weekly tomorrow," she said as Siddiq nodded, before lowering his shackles like Chamai.
She wiped her hands on one of the towels clinging to her research robes and walked over to one of her basins to clean her hands with a bit of saltwater and lye. When she reached the line, Musa avoided her eyes.
Her hand grabbed his jaw, feeling around for any lumps before sliding her hand down his neck and trailing her fingers down. She could tell in the last few weeks he had nearly doubled in size. Much like Chamai, he also carried her child.
"I'm going to lift you slightly, raise your hips and legs," she said as she raised the shackles, deadbolted to the wall, with hooks to maneuver more or less of the chain. She twisted him around and felt underneath his belly around his hips were harder but still flexible. There was no restriction on his belly and hips. HIs belly dipped forward and she rolled her hands over, feeling nothing out of the ordinary. She gently massaged his belly and heard him sigh. There were a few things that could be the issue so she waited as she massaged his belly for any movement and felt a kick. The kicks were out of rhythm. "It appears you'll be having twins, sweetheart."
When she turned him around, she could see his face go pale.
"Am I going to die?" He cried. "I knew it. I knew it."
She hushed him and then rubbed his back until he stopped chanting, lowering the shackles for him to sit comfortably.
"This is why I'm here and contrary to the disgusted looks on your face when I'm around the cadavers," Lawali repeated. "It's possible to keep you alive and the twins because of my work. It only means we'll have to be careful for the next month. If you feel any discomfort--it could mean yours and their lives. Understood?"
He quickly nodded.
"Good."
And now it was time for Nigel.
She turned to him and noted that he shrank as she drew closer. "Do you remember the name of the alpha?"
"No--I--no," Nigel muttered and his eyes fell to the ground.
"No worries," she repeated as her hand grabbed his neck and trailed down his body. "No matter who the alpha is, you and the child will be Khia from here on out."
She knew to be careful as the omega drew his lips open with a sigh and sucked her finger in his mouth. Those relieving servants were no joke. She lowered her hands twisting around his cock as she thrusted her wet fingers in his heat, pulling and thrusting until his reddened lips fell open and his release covered her hands. He slumped in the shackles and said, "You're not going to--?"
"No," Lawali smiled. "Be aware you're still in the early months. I'll make sure your diet is filling but light in this time. No more of that tongue thing. Behave, understood?"
Nigel pouted but nodded.
She heard the door open as she finished washing and drying her hands again. It was the Labor Bed, a reclining chair with pillows sewn in for comfort and wheels underneath for movement, with Halabi and the baby in his arms. She only commissioned three Labor Beds built for use and might need more. Her resident carpenter died of old age, and there were few and far between whom she trusted enough to make the beds.
The shackles and chains linked to the sides left enough movement for the omega father to move, carry, and feed the baby until they aged up enough to hold themselves up. She would construct their motor and thought skills training from then on. Once recovery was over, Halabi would be added back to the wall.
Halabi was angular-faced with full lashes and a shorter height. The baby, to her gratitude, was an omega. She gestured to the guards to leave the pillows on the floor and push the bed closer to her.
"Call the omega maid to prepare them for rest," she ordered as they swept out again.
The omegas eyed the bed and the occupant with interest.
She told them, "This is what you will be giving birth on. I will be the main physician with some of my own royal scribes recording what happens. If I find that any of you are a danger to the child, I will remove you, isolate you to see if we can come to terms, or if it's an illness; likewise, if it's none of those, then our relationship as clan members will be cut. And you will be executed as is per the typical procedure if I hadn't interceded."
"What if the child is a danger to us?" Chamai said.
"Your lives are of the utmost priority," she replied, and Chamai's brows furrowed. "Is that not what you want?"
Chamai merely eyed the floor.
She turned to Halabi. "Have you named him?"
"Husani."
"That's a good name."
"May I ask, your Highness--?"
Lawali gestured for the baby to be handed to her and the omega hesitated before shakily handing him over. She carefully cradled the baby in the crook of her arms as the baby sleepily yawned. "Ask away."
"What will be done with me when I'm healed?"
"I will orchestrate settings in which you will have the opportunity to sleep with nobility or those with access to resources, especially those with no heirs," she said as she hummed. "And you will offer at least three children to our new clan. After your duties are done, you will be a member and your only job will be to eat, sleep, and keep together."
Halabi stilled, but his hands clutched the blanket.
She sighed. "I will not choose someone that you or I could not handle. This is the payment I'm owed. Unless you would prefer to be out on your own."
"No, I do not, your Highness."
She returned the baby to Halabi and then turned to the omegas against the wall. Typically, she would take each pillow and slide it underneath them, pushing the shackles against the wall so that they could sleep. The pillows were puffed and filled with feathers and airy fillings with a tall backing for their heads to cradle on.
Her hands grasped the pillows and an interesting, familiar flowery odor floated in the air. Without much fanfare, she tucked the pillows under her arm.
Returning to Halabi, she leaned over and whispered in his ear while cupping each hand on each of his wrists as she spoke. Her hands trailed over him as if checking him like she did the others earlier and cupped around his ankles too, much like his wrists.
By the time the omega maid entered, bringing in servants with buckets, bowls, and towels to help her omegas prepare for the night, she brushed through on her way to her bathing room.
Her main royal guard, Neta Khan, was a tall, lithe alpha with thick, wavy hair that reached down to her back, wearing the gold trinkets of her clan across her body like trophies, and loose, breathable fabrics shipped from far up north, where the Malahi's family village was located. A scimitar was hitched to her hip.
Lawali handed her the pillows and said, "The feathers aren't soft enough. Order one of our servants taken from my father's palace to find out how one of my servants made such a mistake."
They shared a look before Neta stood at the door at the ready, preventing any interruption, when the door closed behind her.
The bathing room was a large mosaic room with a chimney to allow the heat and light steam to escape. A large wooden carved tub with a metal bottom, big enough to carry five adults at once, sat in the middle with towels and her favorite oils along the wall. The steam underneath it came from a small, smokeless fire. Inside the tub sat a pale figure, much like the rumors she had heard of Zhuong, with thick black hair.
"Ho Yao?"
The figure in the bath swiveled around and splashed in the motion, wincing and then displaying horror as he realized water fell out. Lawali laughed and undressed, slipping in.
It was only in a quick once-over she could see that he was more than halfway along. His body bent back but froze as she spoke, "I'm going to touch you. Check for anything wrong. Let me know if it's tender or hurts. If you could tell me, how far along you are?"
"Seven months."
Ho Yao was flushed red and his hands covered his body as if his nakedness could be hidden. His hair fell over his shoulders like rivulets of rainfall down the mountains, and her hand delved into the water, carefully palpitating her fingers up his hips, underneath his relatively small belly for this stage in his pregnancy, rolling her hands over his back when he winced. She nodded. He was malnourished but not dangerously so. She shouted, "Neta! Send for a late dinner!"
Neta rapped at the door, confirming she heard.
"Come here," she motioned towards the skittish omega. His twitching hands grazed her own, and she pulled him in, tucking him over her lap, interlocking her hands with her arm cradling under his belly. His eyes peered up at her. "I hear you're a gift from Adan Han. Does Osura know about you?"
He shook his head.
"The child is his, then?"
The omega pursed his lips, and she nodded then. It was enough confirmation.
Adan Han and Osura, his wife, hailed from the far north but along the borders of Zhuong. They spoke the language of Zhuong and catered to those sensibilities. He had been trying to curry favor with her for years under the guise of peaceful negotiations but the Hans had disrupted trade along the border against Akira Lin.
For such a small noble family, she doubted they had done so alone. Their timing for such a gift was impeccable.
"I will be taking care of all your needs," she told him. "In return, you will offer my clan three of your heirs, none of my blood, to be raised under our banner, and then you will join as an official member. Your debts will be wiped clean, and you will be considered a family member of mine. My army, resources, and protection are temporary until then, when they will be at your leisure. Have I been clear?"
The omega sighed and then leaned his head on her chest. "Yes, I will do my best."
"Good."
Neta entered the room and slid four platters with a three-layered bowl full of meats, sauces, soup, and utara. A steamed towel was left tucked in a bowl alongside a pitcher of water.
"Did it begin already?" She asked Neta as her eyes flitted over the foods, trying to imagine which ones would appeal to a Zhuong palate. "I haven't heard a squeak."
"It did. Exactly as you guessed."
"Make sure it's over before I return. Don't clean up before then."
"As you command."
She wiped her hands with the hot towel and then grabbed the utara, the soft doughy bread, and dipped it in the thick brothy sauce, as she said to the omega, "Open your mouth. And then swallow."
The omega's eyes widened, and then he nodded as he opened his mouth. She slid the food onto his tongue and watched him swallow the bread. Bit by bit, piece by piece, she fed him the platters of food until the plates slowly emptied and his eyes drooped close.
She had Neta lightly lace the food with a draught to cause sleepiness, safe for pregnant omegas. Lifting him out of the water, she grumbled to herself that he was indeed far too light. The dinners would be half the size of the food fed to him, and he would still gain a decent weight.
One of her servants dropped a robe around her as she wandered back to her research hall. She ordered the servant to bring a new pair of robes, extra buckets of water and towels.
When the door squealed open, blood splattered across the floor with the splayed dead bodies of guards contorted in pained expressions and positions, elbows twisted, arms detached, and bleeding eyes, with a few maids piled amongst them.
Halabi's shaking form sat in the middle with a curved metal dagger tucked out of his sleeve, dripping with blood down his fingertips.
She stepped over the bodies, surveying the scene.
Hasani was safe, quietly cradled in his blanket, left on the Labor Bed. She turned to the omegas pressed against the wall with a cursory glance at each of them. Chamai and Musa were unphased, per why she chose them as her omegas. Siddiq trembled harder than Halabi while Nigel's hands covered his eyes and ears.
Reaching over to grab the shackles, she loosely chained Ho Yao to it with his sleeping form pressed against the wall and his body sitting over his hips, his legs as a cushion, like the others. She gently pulled Nigel's hands from his ears, even as he flinched, and said, "It's over now."
His eyes opened, and then he slammed them shut again.
The sight must be still too brutal for him. She would have to train that out of him.
She leaned over to Siddiq with a coaxing hand and a hum. Her hands wrapped around him as she nuzzled against his neck, whispering, "I protect what's mine. There's nothing to fear in my home."
His shaking continued but to a much lesser degree.
Her arms cradled him, and with the loosened shackles, rocked him, humming for a few more minutes until his shaking lessened to periodic trembling with her kisses trailing over his face until his hand fell into hers. She rubbed her fingers against his hand until, finally, he breathed out.
She drew more kisses as she said, "Oh, you did so well, moteke." and his cheeks flushed pink. He blearily blinked as his panic wound down. Thus, as his panic eased, so did his breathing ease him into sleep, even as she continued rocking.
Neta entered the hall and kneeled. "The traitors and spies have been dealt with. What would you have me do next?"
"Send our mercenaries after Adan and Osura. Drag them here. Alive. And kill the Ambassador."
"Are you--?"
"Don't question me, Neta," she hissed. "I am not in the mood."
"Understood, apologies, Your Highness."
"Did you find the one who poisoned the pillows?"
"Yes," Neta paused. "We believe this was a separate attack."
"A little too easily found and less thought out. It was abortifacient dabbed on the feathers inside," she said. "If I hadn't smelled the fragrance, by tomorrow morning, this flooring would've been covered in blood again."
"We will continue to--"
"I know who did it," Lawali sighed. "Send a kajawa to my palace. Tell them I've ordered Crown Prince Consort Baphomet's presence."
Cleaning maids entered the halls with buckets and towels and began to scrub the blood as Neta left the halls. She situated Siddiq against the walls and walked over to Halabi's frozen form. Her hands detangled the blade from the omega, snatching one of the towels from a maid's bucket, wiping the blade clean before tucking it back in her sleeves, from where it was initially.
She patted his back, "As I promised, you will no longer have to bear more heirs, unless it's to your interests. I will welcome any and all except for any alphas I have not reviewed. You are now an official member of the Khia Clan, welcome," and then Halabi collapsed in her arms. Fainted. She gestured towards one of the maids to put him on the Labor Bed and to settle him in one of the rooms with the baby.
"What will you do about him?" Chamai said.
Lawali could hear shakiness in his voice, but it hadn't been there when she first appeared. Her eyes fell to Chamai's hand, grazing his belly, and she nodded. "What do you want done?"
His return was cold and sarcastic, "I'm not worthy of requesting--"
"That's not what I asked," Lawali insisted and then knelt at Chamai's level. Her hands flitted over his hips, and she could feel his fear ease off. "What do you want?"
Chamai gritted his teeth and then said, "To never feel this way again."
"I understand."
And when Baphomet arrived at the Calligraphy House entrance, one of the servants, under Lawali, wrote up an order. The servant unrolled the written order and read aloud, "Kneel to accept the Crown Princess' order. Baphomet Mu, First Husband of the Crown Princess and Crown Prince Consort, will graciously accept that Ahmad will have free-range access to their palace residency and an equal status, title, as henceforth ordered. You will take this second order and read it to Ahmad, officially greeting him into the Crown Princess' house as Second Husband, Second Crown Prince Consort of the Crown Princess. Please, take the order and acknowledge the order given and pass along to Second Crown Prince Consort.
"I--acknowledge," Crown Prince Consort Mu's eyes jumped from corner to corner searching for what Lawali imagined was her figure, but it was better that her Consort sat in her failure and fear.
The order was handed over and his hands clenched the missive with a furious expression falling over his face as she snapped out orders to return to the palace.
"I thought you didn't plan to accept Ahmad?" Neta asked, her arms crossed and her overbearing shadow casting a curve under the light. "It will cause a split between Kinya and you."
Lawali laughed. "After today, it will only be a slap in the face in comparison. Let's enjoy our evening and prepare for some sightseeing. The real battle begins tomorrow."
Their forms slid into a darkened kajawa and rolled into the night, trailing behind Baphomet Mu.