Night had come. 

I hastened to the agreed location. Horns were blown, signifying the imminent raising of the gates against the rising Night-Blood. The streets were quickly illuminated by hanging lanterns while people hastened home beneath them, caught off guard by the Aeterna's mood. The agreed location was a street corner where the lantern was not lit, bathing the surroundings in darkness under the shadow of a mansion. Even so, the mansion was well lit and the crowd was gathering to enter.

A soldier stepped out of the darkness and approached me. As he neared, the inner veils peaked out of the creases, revealing him to be the Mirrad-Blood. He passed to me a scroll bearing the signature and wax seal for entry to the party signifying payment had been completed in full. He then stepped back into the shadows.

When he was done with his little 'errand' the signal for my departure was that another of Caius' men would bring a message in the name of my brother. 

I entered the line of party go-ers. The line was fairly long, but there was several servants inspecting our credentials allowing a steady flow. Most of us were Ne-Blood, but a surprising number included Ire-Blood. Kes-Blood and Ire-Blood slaves were not in short supply.

I approached the gate servant and handed to her my credentials. She inscrolled it, inspected the signature and the wax seal, and nodded in approval. "It looks in order, but you did not sign which services you would want."

"Pardon?" I asked.

"Well," She explained professionally. "You paid the entry fee, but along with that is a number of services and activities you may enjoy at no cost, so long as you show this paper to them to verify you paid. Right now you will only be permitted to the entrance and the banquet."

I shouldn't limit my access nor ability to work. So I asked, "I understand. So, tell me of these services."

"We have an auction, mostly of choice slaves and priceless antiques from across the Empire, but includes a special, secret auction in the end." My sun-child may be among them. I nodded. She quickly wrote on the paper. "We will be holding an open gladiator tournament. Is it wrong to assume you have no entry? Good. Would you like to spectate?" I nodded. "We will be holding a board game tournament for the nobles." I immediately nodded. "As well as physical tournaments in archery and fencing." I nodded. "Between each banquet course, and during, will be entertainment: jesters, minstrels, jugglers, mummers, pageantiers, erotic dancers, chorales, poets, an acting rendition of the Ne's conquest over Ire and Kes, and a mystery play the guests may participate in. This you will find play out in the banquet premises and requires no special pass, but be aware of it."

"I understand."

She jotted down my requests, then asked, "Would you like to taste some of the local youth?"

This question, and its sexual implications, caught me off guard, and if it were not for years of social graces pounded into me, I would have fallen on my face. Thankfully, I did not react, didn't even need to clear my throat. "You are referring to adolescent girls?"

"And young boys, yes." She answered without flinching. "Ne, Ire, and mostly Kes, as to your chosen pleasure."

I clenched my shaking fists behind my back and clamped my mouth shut, even as bile threatened to rise. My first reaction was a resounding 'no', but the urgency of my purpose locked my answer in place. Aelius was the child, and I was the adult. It was on me as his sun-father and king to look into the horrors with open eyes, so his eyes could be shut.

"Yes," I answered, managing to keep my tone proper.

"Very good." She wrote my reply. She rolled the scroll back and handed it to me. "Take this to the bellman just over there, please enjoy yourself." I couldn't get away fast enough to find a corner to vomit in.

I presented my paper to the bellman. He unfurled it, with barely a glance at me. "You may want to clean up a bit there." He pointed at a spot where I had failed to clean up properly. I thanked him and used my handkerchief. "What titles do you have, my lord?"

I thought of it a moment. Just because the Aeterna did not think of me a certain way, as he revealed, did not mean others would not. "The Hostage-King of Kes." I decided to add, "and the Successor of Adam."

"Of the Numerenai Guild? Very good." He cleared his throat, leaned in to me, and whispered. "Do you want me to use your name? Some might know 'val' in Kes means 'tiny', and dishonor you as 'tiny dick'."

I did not mind. I was used to it, but it would not be me suffering if this failed. "Just the titles will be fine."

He nodded, blew the trumpet, and announced me as the Hostage King and Successor of Numerenai Adam. The titles earned me a number of turned heads and surprised whispers. The Numerenai were a guild-state unto themselves and recently were accepted by the Aeterna as his holy soldiers, and Adam was an infamous historical figure. It was no small thing to claim, but then it is no small decision. If word reached the Emperor's ears, he would understand better than anyone what it meant.

I entered the banquet.

The host owned a castle complex as the greatest landmark of the city, second only to the Solaris Tollis. The full grounds was fifteen acres, surrounded by walls and moats on all sides, with no less than six turrets as vantage points just within the wall and a secondary wall and moat half-way to the center. At the center of the premises was a river flowing through its center, though stopped up for the night. In the very center was a building raised up above the water as the mansion, several stories tall and supported over the water by a series of eight bridges, giving it a spider-like appearance. Between the inner and outer walls was a barracks, weapons storehouse, food storehouse and kitchen, garden, orchard and grove, slave facility extended into a coliseum, treasure house, and, connected with the wall at the river through a breakwater was a port complete with a drydock, crane, and other merchant and shipbuilding facilities. 

"And I am supposed to find the host in all this," I muttered.

Thankfully, the servants were many, and approaching one on the path, I inquired as to the host's location and schedule.

"I am sorry, my lord, but he is occupied."

"At his own party?" I asked.

"Even so. Many wish to meet with him for one reason or another, and so he must be selective. He will be in his room except for a brief speech towards the end of the banquet." I thanked her and let her be. 

If he was refusing to leave his room even for his own party, it was no wonder Caius and his goon needed someone to get him out for longer than just a few words. He had been at the Aeterna's holiday all day, but his guards wouldn't have been occupied as they were now. I needed to draw him out and find Aelius.

Horns were blown signifying the first course meal. Hungry, I followed the crowd to the feast. The banquet hall had servants standing by handing out menus. On which were twelve kinds of fish, frumenty with venison, blancmange of chicken, fish and rice in spiced almond milk, egg soup in sweetened wine, custard tarts, whole rotisserie chickens piled high bathed in garlic and honey, seven wild birds and seven more in pies, roasts of every animal I knew and a dozen I didn't. At the bottom of the menu was 'The First Course of Twenty'.

I settled for a handful of bread and dipped it in milk while walking by.

"Val the secret!" A voice called.

Surprised, I turned to see the father of Senec approach with a wide smile. He caught me off guard with a bone-crushing hug and lifted me briefly into the air, not a pleasant experience while trying to swallow. "He-!" I coughed. "I'm sorry, I!" I bent at the waist and coughed.

He put a hand to my back while I bent over. He asked worriedly, "I am so sorry! Are you choking? Do I need to get a doctor?"

"I'm-!" I took a deep breath and coughed. "Fine!" I dabbed my eyes, and tried again, "Hello. I'm sorry, I never did catch your name from back then."

"It is Krakow, my lord." He bent at the waist.

"Well, Krakow, I must say I am surprised to see you here. I took you and your son to be humble merchants."

"And you seem to be not lacking of mystery yourself. The Successor of Adam! For a man named 'tiny' your secrets are not small."

I chuckled, albeit nervously. I didn't expect the title to spread so far and so quickly in a matter of minutes. Hopefully it was not an overstep. "Yes, well, father had a sense of humor. But, lets change from that topic. Trust me, you do not want us to go down that path. Tell me, how are you and Senec doing since the caravan dropped me off in Ire?"

He motioned me over to the side as the other guests became increasingly disgruntled with us holding up the table. When we were better placed, he said, "Well, after you saved our lives, we continued on into Ne. The journey was peaceful, but also tense, what with inspections after every hill. The caravan split off quickly in Sana'Ne and we continued here. We bought a spot by the river where I could do my work, but days after we received word of something terrible happening."

"The Long Night." I guessed.

"The one and same. We packed up everything into the tower, we were among the first even, and waited it out. Soon after the Night-Blood receded I bought full citizenship for myself and Senec, set up our shop, and set to work. In the last year we have made a lot of friends in high places. Which is how we ended up here."

"And what exactly is your work? Must make a lot of money."

"Oh, no. It was not the money per say that bought me a ticket to this occasion, but those connections who vouched for me. I am a rug cleaner."

"A rug cleaner." I repeated, to be sure. "I have not heard of it."

"Well, my family is the biggest in the rug business. We have been for generations. But they get filthy easily. Cleaning them ruins the color and so they are replaced regularly. But, I discovered a process to clean them to where the colors aren't saturated, preserving it for many years, and restoring old ones."

"I can imagine that doesn't sit well with the rest of the family who depend on the disposability."

"No, no it does not, but they will deal. This is the way of Ire after all." He turned, leaned against the wall with me, and motioned to the feast hall grounds. "See that rug? That is why I am here. When the course meal is finished, it will be rolled up under my supervision and taken away for another to be unrolled. Tomorrow I will be many towers richer and with twenty large rugs to clean."

I raised an eyebrow, "A bit excessive of him."

Krakow chuckled, "Don't tell him that, he may just change his mind! I do not want to deprive myself of sleep and put up with these bureaucrats and well-to-dos for nothing. Let me tell you something, if any of these ass-hats were where you and I were that night, none of them would have done what you did."

I shook my head. "Lot of good, I did. I failed to fix the perimeter and needed to be rescued too."

"Don't sell yourself short." He stopped me. He turned and looked me in the eye. "You saved my son's life, and my own. If you ever need anything just let us know. You gained a friend."

Somehow, the knowledge of a friend with connections in a foreign land was more reassuring then an army of chariots. I've admired generals for their strength, charisma, and tactically sound confidence, but the realm of diplomacy requires the same traits no less and can achieve through fostered friends with a few words what would otherwise take a foolish, isolated king a hundred-thousand men to force.

"Thank you." I said, "In fact, I might know a way you can help me now."

I explained to him my purpose here and how I knew the host. He asked a few questions, such as how old Aellius was. I did not mention my brother nor the espionage, but that I did need to find Aellius through the host.

He thought a moment and said, "Slavery is rough when it is your family. He is probably one of the 'pleasures'. He is too young to be on the work force, and there is no war for the Empire to train him."

I took a deep breath, otherwise I might have hit him, though he was not at fault. "Yes, I was informed young children are being..." I couldnt say it.

"Bled." He supplied.

I stared at him blankly, confused. Why would Aelius be bled? Krakow looked back at me expetantly, then he blinked. "You don't know? You thought- Oh! Well I am sure there are plenty of slave child prostitutes, but no that is not the special occassion is here. The host isn't just showing off his victory at the little event, no, no. He is showing off inventions he has funded and new forms of pleasure, including something called 'Youth'. Its a nasty piece of work the nobles have been abuzz about lately."

"What is it?" I asked.

He sighed and looked down at me, despite being the shorter, his eyes full of pity. "It would be better if I showed you."

xxx

Izthark the Numerenai plunged the crybar in, and with a quick jerk, popped the lid of the crate and peered inside. Inside the crates were an assortment of spear heads, fifty by his count. Beside him were another ten opened crates with similar luggage.

"Why would they be shipping this to Ne?" He wondered. "What war would Ne be preparing for?"

Nearby he heard the heavy metal clanking steps as Jyesthra stepped down into the cargo bay with him. "Well, spoke with the captain. He was far more inclined to cooperate with the Empire then the previous two."

"And?" Izthark asked as she neared. 

"He remembered." She answered. "Dropped off the young master at the capital some days before the holiday. The young master took up some work with the Pain Artist as a shiphand in return for passage across the channel as they exchanged slaves for weapons."

"You mean these?" He asked.

 She looked down into the crate he leaned over. "Huh." She looked up, tilted her head curiously, then gazed across the cargo bay with its open containers. "Oh. Thats... a lot. Why would the the pirates be shipping the cargo right back with the slaves?" She reached in and picked one up, weighing it. "These aren't decoration. This is heavy."

"Has the master spoken of another war?"

"Not to me. Who would he conquer? There is no corner of the world left."

"Except the Mirrad." Izthark mused, darkly.

"He wouldn't!" She argued. "Even he wouldn't do that! That's what he condemned the damn Kes for!"

Izthark looked up at her. He hoped she was right, but then the old master was not someone whose thoughts he could judge easily. "Your right." He offered, putting a hand on her shoulder. "He wouldn't. Still, we should return and report to him. These weapons are going to somebody and he will want to know the young master's progress."

xxx

Krakow led me to another building dubbed the 'pleasure hall'. The scantically adorned servants at the door and the many drapes did not help my expectations. They approved my papers, but Krakow did not have papers allowing access, just his work visa to be on the premises.

Wordlessly, I entered the brothel. Immediately my senses were overloaded in colors and smells as no less than a dozen incenses were burning and every surface was painted, shined to a mirror, and-or draped in brightly colored veils, and then the sounds. I had never attended the Ire orgies following many of the parties, but the sounds still made it difficult to sleep, and what I heard now brought me back to those nights. Then, I was annoyed, now, I was fuming.

The first floor was mostly a series of halls connected to small rooms for obvious purposes. I brushed by the staff and poked my head about searching. A few disgruntled nobles were all I had to show for it upon finishing my inspection. Many were once my people and looked like they were old enough to be my son or daughter, but they were not. None of them were Aelius. 

The second floor was more finely furnished with a large lobby filled couches and beds, but here I stumbled. Their pleasure was of a different sort. Glass tubes plugged into metal containers that moved and gyrated in mechanical nature sat by each bed and operated by a Soran-Blood. Connected to each set was a small series of bended tubes like clear noodles plunged with little thorns into noble's arms. Every container was filled with blood. Whatever it was, the nobles looked like they were in extecy. Aelius was not here.

I bypassed them and checked the other rooms. The backrooms had similar assortments of machines tied into people, Soran-Blood, and beds; however, by contrast the people, children, were pale and sickly, and the beds were covered in piss stains and smelled horribly.

"You should not burden yourself with the backrooms. The pleasure hall is that a-way." A delicate voice said, though with finality.

I turned to look at her. One of the pleasure slaves, albeit older with more training, with a Soran-Blood standing by adorned in fine robes, though haphazardly as if an afterthought. She looked down, not meeting my eyes like a good slave, while he stared back at me. Can Soran-Blood even blink?

"That's enough out of you, I was just looking for my slave." I held my head high and put on the airs of insulted insolence. Still, I hadn't found my sun-child, so I moved past them. "One of mine was seen here, and I don't care for thieves."

"If it pleases you, my lord, perhaps we might be able to help you." 

I stopped and looked back at them. That could be helpful. "Can you now?"

"Yes, the Soran-Blood assistances have perfect memory." She motioned to the assistant with a hand. He continued staring at me, until she nudged him, and he abrubtly got the message.

"Declaration: This object knows which. This object has an excellent memory."

I fully turned to face them. My heart jumped so hard I couldn't think. I was so close. My request came out by  trained instinct, "Then try and recall this name: Aelius'Kyltu'Ne."

"Declaration: Aelius'Kyltu'Ne is an unknown object. The closest match is Aelius'Kyltu. Question: May I revise my search?"

"Thats the same thing!" The slave whispered.

"Where is he?" I asked.

"Declaration: Aelius'Kyltu is in the warehouse resting and will be due for the next blood siphoning in five days, six hours, seventeen-!" He stopped when the slave nudged him again.

So the siphoning had already happened. He was alone in a sickly place like that crammed together with others, dumped after being drained as the others in these backrooms on the border between life and death.

I nodded. As much as I wanted to thank them, it wouldn't be in keeping with the nobleman persona. But perhaps there was another way. "What is your name, slave?"

"Kusatta'Chizu, my lord," She bowed.

I put the name to memory, turned, and left. On my way out I heard the Soran-Blood wonder if he had done something wrong and Kusatta replied that other bloods don't want information near as much as Soran's do, and he replied 'then why did the Kes-Blood make inquiry?' She sighed.

I left the dimension of hell. Thankfully, Krakow was waiting. 

"Well, did you find anything?"

"Yes." I answered. I took him by the arm, perhaps a bit roughly, and led him down the path until we were a fair distance. "I have a plan. You want to begin honoring your debt?"

"Lay it on me."

"Make sure everyone far and wide knows I called the host a cheat."

"Oh, spreading rumors." He breathed. "Thats easy. But how will that benefit you?"

"I keep being told the Ne are mighty competitive. Let's see if that is true."