Silent Intrigue

Riddles and Riding

Sophia glanced up when Silence burst into her office just in time for lessons. He started flashing signs at her rapidly.

'The horse had her baby last night. Francois let me help because the horse likes me. He likes me. Francois touched me so that means he likes me, right?'

Sophia blinked, trying to keep up with the rapid fire signs as Silence bounded across the office to settle in his seat. She slowly smiled as she worked it all out.  'That's all very good. Now sit still and learn.'

Silence quivered with excitement and snatched up his slate to start on the equations Sophia had already written out for him. He was done with all of them in a much shorter time than she had anticipated. She frowned and wrote out another batch, these a little more complicated, after she had checked that the first ones were all correct. Silence solved those in short order too. He gave her a cocky grin when she checked them all and found them all correct.

She arched a brow as she wiped the slate clean and quickly wrote out- A doctor and a carriage driver were both in love with the same woman. The carriage driver had to go on a ten day long trip, so before he left he gave the woman ten apples. Why?

Sophia handed the slate back and watched Silence read it over. He finished and looked up at Sophia, puzzled. She gave him her own cocky smile, pleased that she had stumped him on something. Then she was grinning even wider when Silence brightened as he got it.

He dropped the slate into his lap, too excited to write it out and signing it instead.  'An apple a day keeps the doctor away.; He quickly handed the slate back. ' Another.'

Sophia chuckled and they spent the rest of lessons playing with riddles. Sophia looked up when the door opened and Pierre walked in, just a little before dinner. Silence quickly twisted in his seat and flashed signs at him. Pierre frowned, looking to Sophia for a translation. "He wants to know how far a fox can run into a grove."

Pierre snarled. "Who cares about foxes?!" Pierre stalked over to the wine and ignored the glasses, drinking straight from the bottle. Silence's good mood faded and Sophia studied Pierre with concern.

"Something wrong?"

"The Le'Roy's are wrong!" Sophia frowned and sat back with irritation as Pierre started in on a rant that was ages old and no closer to being right than the first time he had spouted off his nonsense. "I've been trying for the past three days to convince them that they would be better off marrying off their daughters and securing allegiance without weakening themselves by binding Vampires."

Sophia cut him off before he could continue further. "And you have repeatedly presented yourself as a candidate to indirectly elevate my status."

Pierre tipped back more wine, managing to drip some down his chin and demonstrate that he had already been drinking before this. Likely not wine however. "It's not like I want to tie myself to any of those brats, my heart is ever and always with you, Sophia. But you deserve more. You're one of the oldest and most cunning of the Vampires, strong enough to hold a position on this new council they're setting up with ease. Once I've secured your way in you and I could be lovers. I'm sure the princess will have her own lovers so it won't null anything."

Sophia shook her head. "Pierre, I've told you already, I can claim power for myself. The Le'Roy's will never marry off their daughters because His Highness spoils them. And while you are my most trusted advisor, I don't believe we would be a compatible match beyond what we can achieve as business partners."

Pierre darkened even further and drank more wine. This wasn't the first time Pierre had expressed his desire for her. She had enjoyed the attention for a while. But Pierre had a terrible jealous streak that would only be made worse if she were to encourage him. Sophia enjoyed her freedom too much to allow Pierre to turn her into a housewife.