Agony tore through Kaden's shoulder like a harsh mistress seeking to punish him for being too bold. Face buried in the soft sheets of his bed, the pillows muffled his accompanying screams.

Hernah, sitting on his back, forced the dislocated joint to return to its proper place. The injury, while still painful, immediately felt better.

"How's that?" she asked sweetly.

"It's been better." Kaden grunted and bared the continuing but lesser discomfort.

"Princess Lyla appears to have given you quite a lesson today." Legs on either side of him, Hernah began messaging the bruise left behind and the equally battered muscles his across back. "I assume it was only with her swords? Hmm?"

The hint of jealousy her voice displayed at having to share Kaden with the princess was growing more and more noticeable by the day. Knowing that soon she'd out of the picture no doubt bothered her. But Hernah's hands worked magic, and the way they moved on him spoke of what she wanted from him next. And it wasn't idle banter.

The clearing of Sahl's throat interrupted Hernah's thinly veiled resentment of the woman Kaden was ultimately promised to. It also disrupted what the vigorous rubbing would have surely progressed to had it been allowed to do so.

"Should I leave the Karo Shar to his business?" his friend said with a smile, only partially entering the room. "Perhaps I should come back later after his urges have been satisfied?"

"No." Kaden rolled over. And in a not so gentle motion, he ushered Lyla's slave off of him. Much to her disappointment based on the groan she let out. "I summoned you for a reason, and that reason cannot wait. Hernah? Would you mind leaving us? This is official business of the Karo Shar of Ison."

The woman who had become his daily sexual play thing turned her nose up at the rejection of her advances, but did as she was asked. She couldn't refuse the request from the Karo Shar. Not even if she wanted to, and it was obvious she wanted to. Her posture spoke of how much she might have wanted to rip his urk off and fuck him right in front of his own slave.

However, none of that happened. Hernah left in a huff, giving Sahl the nastiest of looks at being interrupted. And neither Kaden nor Sahl spoke for long moments until both were certain she no longer lingered beyond the corner of the door. And when one did speak, it was Kaden.

"How's the research going?"

"It's going well," Sahl informed him. "I've got quite a little a trove of formulas that should be quite profitable for the shop."

"You know, I was thinking, we never did discuss how much I'd pay you to run my father's old distillery."

Sahl produced a hesitant laugh. "I figured it would be the typical rate of one percent, and then you'd charge me ninety-nine percent in rent for the shop. Pretty much ensuring that I, like every other slave, could never earn enough to buy my freedom."

Kaden's face scrunched. "I was thinking paying you more like forty percent," Kaden said with a sour taste upon hearing his friend's assumptions.

"Forty percent?" The shallowest of breaths could have knocked Sahl over. "Are you mad? If anyone found out—"

Kaden held up a hand. "I have the right to pay you whatever I please. Forty percent for you. Forty percent for me. And the remaining twenty should cover the expenses of running that business. You find ways of trimming those expenses, short of cheating people or scrimping on product quality, and we'll split the difference." When Sahl didn't respond, Kaden prompted him to. "Well? What do you think?"

"What do I think? You realize that at that rate, if the shop even does modest business, I'd be able to buy my freedom in five years."

"Closer to four. But yes, I do realize that. Although I'd hope that you'd stay on and continue to run the business for me."

"Well, I suppose," Sahl smiled, "I have nowhere else to go. Thanks."

"You deserve it, Sahl. I was freed, but I'm still not free. I'm going to give you what I cannot have. And, while that discussion was important, it wasn't why I originally called you here. I need you to add something to your list of those items I have you researching."

"More to research? You must think I have all the time in Imeron," Sahl's joy faded as he delivered his snarky response, knowing his friend would not punish him as some masters might.

"Have you ever heard of a kingdom called Ieron?" Based on Sahl's immediate and shocked look upon the mention of the name, Kaden already had his answer. "I take that as you have."

Sahl took a moment, his mind working and it visibly showed on his face. "Yeah, my mother used to talk about it. Tell stories and spin yarns. But, it's one of those topics that, she said, if the wrong person hears you speaking about it can get you in a lot of trouble. Especially with the Decree regarding bearing false witness to the official history of Imeron. Apparently some of the things we think we believe may not be completely accurate."

"Why wouldn't that surprise me?"

"I've heard others talk about it as well in the Lower Ring," Sahl continued. "But never in the Upper Ring, and never in the palace. Maybe they do, but they're more careful. A lot more agents of the throne around here than in the Lower Ring. Where did you hear that name?"

"From Princess Lyla."

"Hmm," Sahl said. Then followed it with another, "Hmm."

Kaden got out of the bed, working soreness out of his arm. "She said there used to be a ninth principality known as the Barren Sands."

"Yes," Sahl confirmed, looking over his shoulder not once, but twice. Something he realized he should have done before now. "Ieron was always ruled by a princess, according to rumors. It was, according to my mother, a society of all women. Women from all over Imeron. And they were the best warriors of all. More accomplished than even Prince Relastin or his father."

"Yes. Princess Lyla called best of them the Sava Warrioresses."

Sahl nodded. "I've heard that name too."

"And what do you know?"

"Not much." Sahl's head shook. "Other than what I just told you. Stories, as I said. They supposedly guarded the trade routes between the cities, slaughtering the Black Rohs and keeping the numbers of those nasty creatures to a minimum. Not like now. Those damn things infest the Barrens like the Koronai do the Abyss below us. Making trade difficult."

"And what happened to them? What happened to Ieron?"

"Don't know." The accompanying shrug emphasized Sahl's meaning. "They just vanished, it seems. About a thousand years ago. Without a trace. All we have are stories about their heroism in battle and their fights in the desert against Black Rohs. And in the Abyss against the Koronai."

"Well, sounds like you've good base of knowledge to work from then." That fact pleased Kaden. He thought he'd have to explain more about what he wanted. "Add it to your pile of things to look into while you're researching uses for distilled essences and formulas for salves and potions we can make and stock the shop with. If you would, please?"

"Sure."

Kaden stretched his should again as the pain once dwelling there subsided further. "I did some digging on my own, but I didn't come up with much. Pretty much just dead ends. Found one reference. And that was covered by a fortuitously shaped ink blot. Someone tried to erase history. But their work was shoddy. Still, couldn't read much other than the name and a few words here and there. I've got a lot of reading to catch up on regarding combat tactics and techniques. Too much so to focus on that sort of thing as well."

"Anything in particular you're looking for?"

"Honestly? Everything you can find. Knowledge is power. But really anything you can find on this." Kaden fetched his weapon to display it for Sahl. The same weapon Sahl was already familiar with. "The princess say's it's called a Rohs Fang." He then separated it with a twist and a click into its two distinct pieces. "According to her, it was a weapon used by the elite warriors of Ieron. I'd be particularly interested in if you can find any texts on its uses in combat. Strategies. Styles. That sort of stuff."

"All right. Will do. Now, is that all?"

Kaden touched the open wound on his chest. He remembered how the trace essences in the salve Touran had given him had him felt when they were applied directly to the wound. "I'm working on something else too. I'll let you know when I'm ready to explore that as well."

Sahl bowed at the vague granting of being dismissed, and left.