The Soldier's Lotus by Adonis Devereux Page B

was to put his arm around
Saerileth. She leaned into him. The Lotus. Saerileth
had been lost at sea. She had told Darien about how she had been bound for
Arinport, that she had been purchased. Ulen? Was Ulen
the buyer? Darien looked down at Saerileth, but she did not return his stare.
Instead, she maintained her practiced smile and spoke gracefully to Ulen as if
he were no different from any of Darien’s other guests. She must not have known
that Ulen was her buyer.
    “ Welcome to the House
of Darien,” she said in flawless Sunjaa , repeating
the greeting she had given everyone else. “His house is yours. Come, and eat
your fill as Jehiel at Elendrie’s board.” And she bowed.
    Ulen only stared. His fury radiated from him like light and
heat. Darien wondered if he might lash out and strike either Saerileth or
himself. Though he did not move, his muscles tensed, and he stood vigilant. But
Ulen was holding up the line, and though he moved past the couple and received
his floral crown and wreath, he did so with an ill grace. He grumbled and
stared, muttered and cursed. Darien watched from the corner of his eye as Ulen
took a glass of beer from a tray and guzzled it. Words would pass between them
before the night was through, Darien was sure of it.
    Once all the guests had arrived, Saerileth played the
perfect hostess by calling for a toast to Darien’s health, after which
entertainment ensued. Oboes accompanied the string instruments, and as Darien
listened from his seat of honor – everyone else sat on lower stools or lounged
on pillows – he thought about the dulcimer he had commissioned for Saerileth.
He planned to give it to her at this party, and he took pride in the fact that
she played her instrument better than any of the professional musicians there.
Topless dancing girls clad in jewels and translucent, flowing skirts and not
much more twirled and jumped through the house, interacting with the male
guests in suggestive ways. Lithe acrobats came next, twisting their bodies and
flipping all around the place. Darien found it all rather distracting, but he
applauded and laughed where appropriate. If nothing else, he marveled at
Saerileth’s ability to so quickly organize such a complex party as this was
turning out to be.
    Darien’s eyes sought Kamen, and he found his friend
standing off near the edge of the gathering, watching the entertainment and
leaning against the wall sipping his wine. His eyes met Darien’s, and he
smiled. Darien looked away, now seeking Ulen. He found him, and he was already
staring at Darien. Ulen made no effort to hide his wrath; he stood with arms
crossed and a perpetual frown on his face.
    The dancing completed, food was brought, carried in on
numerous ornate silver trays, laden with every good thing the River gave the Sunjaa . Cheese and grilled fowl; beef flavored with
rosemary; ham glazed with mustard sweetened with honey; figs and other fruit.
The commingled scents of cumin, garlic, parsley, and cinnamon filled the air.
Low murmurs of appreciation filled the air as all guests were served plates of
boiled cabbage. It was a Sunjaa delicacy, eaten
before the meal properly began. Everyone partook, and Saerileth, too, ate
daintily. Darien remembered how she had laughed upon arranging the banquet. To
a Zenji, there was nothing more plain and unappetizing than plain, boiled
cabbage.
    Other meats – duck, goose, goat, fish – were brought in and set around the guests. Everyone ate from low tables;
Darien alone sat in a normal chair, and Saerileth stood by his side. Servants
passed around trays filled with chickpeas and beans, imported fruit and local
vegetables such as onions, cucumbers, and lettuce. And everyone ate garlic –
lots of it. The Sunjaa thought it good for one’s
health, though Darien ate but little, for he knew how Saerileth disliked it;
and he did not want to torture her, given how many kisses he planned on giving
her later that night.
    And then there was bread.