Dragon's Mistress

Chapter 1

"You've got to be kidding," Dani said with a laugh to the man on the view screen.

He smiled blankly at her. "No, Miss," he replied in a neutral tone of voice.

He was a young man, in his early 20s at most, wearing the livery of the Von'hot household. The Von'hots ruled the system, but Dani wasn’t intimidated by their power. She could tell he was uncomfortable with his assignment, but he tried to cover that unease with professionalism. "His Grace has specifically requested your services for the evening. We'll be sending a car for you shortly before sundown. Please be prompt, as His Grace appreciates timeliness in all his people."

"I'm not one of his people," Dani replied with a tight smile, trying to hide her annoyance at his attitude. "I'm a representative of the Pleasure Guild here on a diplomatic passport. And besides that, I'm retired. I no longer entertain clients."

The messenger’s mouth gaped. Clearly, he had never heard anyone say "no" to his master before.

"But—"

"Please let Lord Von'hot know that I am flattered by his invitation, but that if he would like professional entertainment for the evening he should consider contacting local representatives of the Pleasure Guild. I've met the Guildmistress here in the capitol, and I've found her to be a competent and professional woman. I'm sure that she'll be able to find someone to take care of His Grace's needs. After all, it would be unpardonably rude of me to simply step in and take a contract in her city. Goodbye."

Dani reached over and turned off the screen with a decisive click, enjoying the look on the young man's face as she did so. She had no idea why Lord Von'hot had sent her such an invitation, and she didn't care. She was on vacation, and no man—even one who owned his own planet—was going to mess up her plans.

She stood and walked over to the balcony. Stepping out, she shook out her long, blond hair and gazed at the city before her. The view was stunning—her hotel room was on the 700thfloor of the building, high enough that the atmosphere was thin and the air cold. Of course, none of that bothered her, as her balcony was enclosed in a force field that kept it comfortable. She leaned against the railing, somewhat amused by its presence. It was strange, but even after hundreds of years of technological development, humans still liked their balconies to have solid, visible railings no matter how unnecessary they were for safety reasons. After all, the shield would catch her if she fell.

Around her balcony, the spires of a thousand buildings reached up into the sky. More than a 100 million people lived there, according to the tour she’d taken the day before. It was a wonderful place for a vacation, even better for a vacation paid in full by the Guild. A small satisfied smile crept across her face at the thought. Serving as a diplomatic courier had its perks.

A chiming noise sounded softly through the air. Another call, she realized with a sigh. She walked back into her room toward the view screen terminal.

"Yes?" she answered politely as a face shimmered into focus.

"Dani, darling!" her caller trilled. The Guildmistress' perfect features smiled at her from the small screen.

"Hello, Guildmistress Karya," Dani said, her pleasure at this call genuine. "So good to hear from you again. I had a wonderful time at the reception last night. I can't tell you how long it's been since I've enjoyed a party that much."

Karya smiled back. She was a middle-aged woman, probably in her late 50s, yet she was still stunningly beautiful. Dani had heard stories of Karya's youthful conquests during her younger days. At the time they had seemed impossible to believe—she had been mistress to the old emperor himself, or so they said. But having met her, all the stories made sense. She was both beautiful and intelligent. No wonder the Guild's high council had been after her for years to take a leadership role. But she refused to move, saying she loved her home on Von'hotten too much to leave.

"Dani, my dear," Karya said. "You made quite an impression on our guests last night! I understand that Lord Von'hot's people have been in touch with you?"

"Oh, that," Dani sighed, making a disgusted face. "Don't worry, I got rid of them. I know better than to poach on your turf, Guildmistress Karya."

Karya looked startled, then burst into laughter.

"You'll never get far in the Guild hierarchy with a blunt attitude like that, child," she said, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. "I've heard you were straight-forward, but my goodness!"

Dani laughed with her.

"Well, that may be, but I've never had much interest in administration anyway," she replied lightly. "Besides, I've decided to retire, as you well know. I'm just running a few errands and traveling right now. When I find someplace I like, I plan to settle down, perhaps buy a little house and live off my pension."

Karya raised one eyebrow questioningly.

"I have trouble seeing you settled in 'a little house' as you call it," she said with a smile. “You seem to like going where the action is. I heard you broke hearts all over Saurellian space before you returned to the Empire. Don't tell me you'd be content for more than a week in some boring backwater, because I simply won't believe it."

"Well, believe what you like," Dani said, still smiling. "I'm ready to relax and enjoy life. Too much work makes me a dull girl, you know.”

"That's what I wanted to speak to you about, actually," Karya said, her smile fading. "I realize that you’ve stopped entertaining clients, something I completely understand because I've been retired myself for nearly 20 years. But our Lord Von'hot is apparently rather taken with you. It would be helpful to me if you would reconsider your decision to meet with him."

"Why is that?" Dani asked, startled. "It's totally against Guild protocol for me to meet with a client in your district, especially one like Lord Von'hot. Even if I wasn't retired, I know Guildmistresses who would have me thrown off planet for even considering it."

Karya chewed her lower lip gently, seemingly lost in thought for a second.

"May I come to your room, child?" she finally asked. "I'd feel more comfortable if we could discuss this in person. Do you mind?"

"Not at all," Dani said, truly confused. "Please, I would be happy to visit with you."

"Thank you," Karya said, smiling kindly. I'll be there in about half an hour."

Dani nodded, then switched off the terminal.

* * * * *

Karya swept into Dani's suite of rooms in a haze of perfume. A small, timid looking woman followed her, carrying a large package.

"Calanna, wait in here," Karya said to her assistant, waving toward the couch. "Dani, can we speak on your balcony? We're far less likely to be overheard out there," she added giving Dani a confidential smile. They walked together out on to the balcony. Karya turned to her, her expression grave.

"It's difficult to explain all of this, Dani," she said with a sigh. "Normally I wouldn't share this information at all, but under the circumstances it seems necessary. You'll need to keep this to yourself, of course. It isn't exactly public knowledge within the Guild," she added with a meaningful stare. There was power in that look and Dani had to stop herself from squirming like a chastened youngster. No wonder so many movers and shakers in the Guild feared this woman, she thought. She’d met Imperial commanders with less authoritative gazes.

"For some reason, Lord Von'hot has been less than cooperative toward the Guild since he inherited the title last year. He allows us to continue our work here, but he hasn't been very forthcoming about policing the unauthorized pleasure houses and brothels that are always springing up in the city. He’s also cut off several other sources of revenue, and we’ve recently discovered his people have been working against us on a number of business ventures. To be quite honest, it’s undermined our position here considerably. We've been keeping the situation quiet, of course. The last thing we want is for every Lord and ruler throughout the Empire to follow suit."

Dani gasped. The implications for the Guild were too horrible to imagine—for centuries the Guild had maintained a monopoly on the pleasure industry, protecting their members and keeping them safe from exploitation. How many thousands, hundreds of thousands of women, would find themselves without protection if the Guild faltered? They had always been completely independent of local politics…

"How have you managed to keep this a secret?" she whispered, stricken. "I've never even heard rumors about this."

"We've been extremely cautious," Karya said, suddenly looking her age for the first time. "It's why I've been stationed here, to keep an eye on things. Lord Von'hot is a very dangerous man, and he has peculiar ideas on how his people should live. His entire family has always been that way. I'm sure you've noticed the lack of slaves here?"

"Yes," Dani said, thinking quickly. "It's actually one of the things I've liked best about this planet."

"Yes, we all like it," Karya said absently. "After all, the Guild has never allowed members to keep slaves. In fact, we’ve always felt a certain natural alliance with the Von'hots, a shared sense of values because of it. After all, they outlawed slavery five hundred years ago. I suppose it’s part of what led us to lower our defenses here…”

Her voice trailed off, and she seemed lost in thought, almost sad. Dani coughed uncomfortably.

She realized she was getting a glimpse of Karya that few people saw. The older woman blinked several times, then turned back to her.

“Drake Von'hot is very subtle, far more subtle than his older brother ever was,” Karya continued. "In the time since he's inherited, Drake has eroded our power here to the point that we no longer have access to intelligence about his troop movements. We haven’t been able to manipulate the financial markets for months, and he’s even managed to have considerable assets confiscated or frozen.

All of this has been done behind the safety of dummy corporations, of course. We can’t prove anything.

“The worst, though, it our loss of control over the pleasure houses,” she said, her face grim.

“More than 200 Guild-owned pleasure houses have been shut down or gone out of business in the past year. Independent contractors have taken over. And you know what that means."

Dani nodded, her stomach twisting in knots at the thought. Independent pleasure workers, without the power of the Pleasure Guild behind them, were open to exploitation. Often all their money went to pimps, and they rarely had any future or retirement. Even the most foolish of Guild workers had a solid future following retirement. She had seen first-hand what could happen to women in that situation in the mining belts and space stations of the disputed territories. It wasn’t pretty.

"What is he thinking?" she asked, genuinely confused. Usually rulers were welcoming to Guild workers. They paid their taxes and helped keep crime under control. Lord Von'hot's attitude simply didn't make any sense.

"I have no idea," Karya said, holding her hands out in a gesture of helplessness. "I've been to any number events with him since he came into power following his brother’s death, and he's hardly acknowledged me. He's never been willing to meet with Guild representatives in a formal capacity at all.

That's why I was so surprised to hear he had an interest in you. Have you even met him?"

"No," Dani replied, deeply confused. Aside from her fellow Guild members and the people at the diplomatic reception last night, she hadn't met anyone on Von'hotten.

"Well, it would be a great service to the Guild, and to me personally, if you would meet with him," Karya said with a sigh. "I realize you've retired, but this is the best chance we've had to get close to him since we realized what was happening. We can't afford to let it slip through our fingers."

"Yes, of course," Dani said, a feeling of helplessness coming over her. During her time with the Guild she'd entertained hundreds of clients, but always men of her own choosing. She didn't care for Lord Von'hot's attitude, simply ordering her to appear at a given time. But the Guild needed her; there was no escaping that fact. She owed her Guild sisters everything. She wouldn’t fail them now.

"How shall I make the arrangements?" she asked, looking up at Karya with confusion. "I have no idea how to contact him," she added with an uneasy laugh. "I suspect he's not listed in the city directory…"

"I'll take care of that," Karya said, giving her a relieved smile. "You'll be well-compensated for your time and effort. Simply try to find out as much about him as possible. I don't have a specific assignment for you, just to get close to him. Anything you can tell us is helpful."

"I'll do my best," Dani said, looking at Karya earnestly. “I know my duty.”

"Thank you, child," Karya said. "I knew I could count on you. Now, let's go back inside. I've brought you a special outfit to wear, and some jewelry. I thought you deserved something new and lovely, seeing as you're willing to do this favor for me."

"Thank you, Guildmistress," Dani said, startled.

"Call me Karya, child," the older woman said with a graceful smile. "The Guild is fortunate to have you among its members."