Soulseeker

Ann 4.2

First draft

Jasmine had taken the fake Saliph's place and was now half-sitting, half-lying on the bed of pillows. Perhaps it was just an accident, but in the process of sitting down both her veil and the strings covering her body had come loose, offering her a clear view of Jasmine's modest cleavage.

The Saliph wasn't beautiful in the traditional sense of the word but she looked exotic. Her lips were full and sensual and her skin toned, firm and devoid of imperfections. Her eyes were almond shaped - sign of her mixed heritage - and mysterious, highlighted by a thin line of black paint. Ann's breath shook when Jasmine picked up a grape from the trail nearby and popped it into her mouth, closing her eyes as she moaned with undisguised pleasure.

"Are you sure you don't want any, your majesty?" Jasmine asked, her mouth curving into a lazy smile. "They are to die for."

Ann tugged at her shirt collar. Her head was erect, her shoulders squared, and there was a mixture of wariness and frustation behind those outwardly tranquil eyes. Ann had known quite a few people at court who used their bodies as weapons but compared to the Saliph, they were just novices.

"Stop trying to do distract me, Saliph." She said sharply.

"Distract you?" Jasmine asked innocently, unsuccessfully trying to hide her pleasure at Ann's reaction.

"You know what I am talking about." Ann gave her a pointed look. "I have questions for you."

Jasmine studied her intently and suddenly smiled, showing neat white teeth. "I'm sure you do. Ask then, and I will answer you, your majesty."

Ann took a deep breath, and then asked. "How did you know?"

The Saliph shrugged. "Your body, your voice, the way you walk. Your majesty was pretty convincing," She praised. " but it was clear that you were a woman."

Ann tried not to let her surprise show. "Fine, you knew I was a woman but how did you know I was the queen?"

"I didn't." Jasmine admitted, and this time her smile was positively vulpine. "But it wasn't hard to guess. Ser Duncan is not exactly inconspicuous. Everyone knows that the captain of the royal guard is an honorable man and yet he came here, with a woman." She shook her head. "That was quite suspicious." 

Ann grimaced. "I didn't think my intentions were so easy to read."

"They were not." Jasmine said, her expression turning serious. "You were brave to come here, your majesty. I would have done the same thing if I were you. That's the only reason I knew it was you."

Ann felt herself actually blush, absurdly pleased by the compliment.

She lowered her head, clearing her throat, "Anyway, about your offer..."

"Four-tenths, that's my last offer." Jasmine leaned forward, and her dress slipped down a little more. "I think that's more than enough to satisfy your" She paused, gracing her with a smile, stunningly white against her caramel skin. "...needs."

"My needs?" She asked, her voice a little breathy.

"The crown." Jasmine backed away, her seductive voice leaving space to a calm, almost detached analysis of her motivations. "You need the coin to re-establish the authority of the crown."

"How...?" She asked, and this time she didn't make any particular effort to disguise her surprise.

"Again, it wasn't hard to guess." The Saliph replied with a somewhat peculiar smile. "For a queen, coin is just a mean for an end. I assume you need funds to build an army."

Ann couldn't help but stare at her in shock.

"I see that my assumption was correct." Satisfaction deepened Jasmine's voice. "I think that the coin I'm offering you is enough to train, feed, cloth, and arm a few thousands of men. Any more than that would be dangerous at this point. A big army is difficult to hide."

Ann gave her a dubious look. "So, are you saying this is only for my benefit?"

The Saliph laughed. "No, of course not. First and foremost, I'm a merchant. However, that's not all I'm offering you."

"I'm listening." Ann said, her interest tinged with a lingering wariness.

"I heard about your problem with the Grand Marshall. I could help you with that." Jasmine went on, and Ann managed to hide her surprise this time. "Besides, if your majesty accepts my offer, I'll give you full access to my net of informers."

Ann looked at her skeptically. "This is...awfully generous of you."

The Saliph met her gaze with a disarming smile. "There is no need to be wary. I just want to offer my friendship."

"And what this friendship would entail?" She asked in a careful tone of voice.

"Nothing much. I don't know your majesty well, but I think that you won't forget about your friends when you'll defeat the Highlords."

Ann let out a breath. "Pardon me Saliph..."

"Jasmine, your majesty." She smiled at her. "My name is Jasmine."

"Jasmine." Ann repeated, struggling not to smile back. "Pardon me if I'm suspicious, but I think this deal is skewed in my favor."

Jasmine's smile faded a bit. "I can understand why you would think so, but I think you're not taking into account all the facts."

Ann stared at her, uncomprehending. "Facts?"

"Why does your majesty think I'm hiding behind Akif?" She asked back, her expression somber.

Ann's mouth opened in sudden surprise and understanding. "Because you need a figurehead. You know that everybody takes the Saliph seriously only because they think you are a man."

Saliph nodded a bit brusquely. "In a world of men, there is no place for a woman like me." She admitted. "But that's just part of the reason."

"And the other part?"

"It's useful to confound my enemies." Steel showed in her smile this time. "As you can imagine, a person in my position has a lot of enemies."

"Your offer is...tempting." Ann admitted. "But what about the Hellfire? I heard some of your customers died."

"The Tarium can kill." The Saliph didn't try to deny it, which was a point in her favor. "But it's not as lethal as you think. Besides, the Tarium is very expensive. Most of my...customers are rich merchants, noblemen, priests."

Ann narrowed her eyes. She knew where this was going.

"And most of them don't support me." She said, her voice filled with equal parts frustration and bitter acceptance.

"Exactly." The Saliph bowed acquiescence.

Seems perfect. I can make money, and only my enemies will suffer from this. She reflected. However...can I trust her?

Ann stared at the Saliph, trying to discern her true motivations, and Jasmine met her gaze without evasion. They looked at one another in silence for a moment, then Ann shook her head.

"Sorry Jasmine, but this still doesn't make sense to me." Ann shook her head in frustation. "You said you are a merchant, but in this case, the potential losses may just be too high. If the Temple were to find out about your involvement with me, you would lose everything. Maybe even your life."

"Your majesty, you clearly don't know merchants." Jasmine explained patiently, though she was looking quite amused at Ann's discomfort. "True, we are cautious by nature, but from time to time, we're ready to bet everything if the risk is worth the reward."

"And do you think I'm worth the risk? Why?" Ann couldn't help but ask.

"Because what you're offering me is far more valuable than money." Jasmine looked frankly at Ann, her voice brimming with sincerity. "You're giving me hope."

Next chapter: Rolim POV!