Chapter 6 An Alliance
Chapter 6 An Alliance
“Useless, utterly useless,” Lanfear paced angrily around the small room, staring down at her messenger at every turn. His eyes were cast down to the ground and he inhaled and exhaled deep, as if he was taking his last breathes. “Mistress, I cannot help but have my sources…” she cut him off with a single glance and said, “You really should stop talking right now,” and so he did. “I wonder if you even think for yourself, at least for once in your life you should try it, be amazed at the power of your own mind.” She knew it was useless to tell this man what to do. He was a darkfriend, a simple man who ran a market stand in Tar Valon and who reported to her now and then. Yet now, his report sufficed him to say there was no real activity in Tar Valon. “People are returning to the city, but too many are dead to say that there is real activity,” and she nodded. He had said so before and the words sounded true enough, yet it was not the kind of information she was looking for. “Where are they? She asked him sternly and looked as he bowed his head. “I do not know, my power does not go to those who use the One Power.” He said it as if he was referring to some higher force of being. Lanfear licked her lips as she tried to calm herself, “Fine, leave then,” he nodded, bowed deep and left the room curtsying and muttering low “Yes Mistress,” remarks under his breathe. She forgot about him soon after as the door flung open and a woman of remarkable height stepped in. A little trick that most of them used to impress those who could be impressed, Lanfear did not use it herself. She had other ways to show her presence and the importance of it.
With a flick of her wrist she lifted the woman about a foot up in the air and said with a smile, “Welcome Kamarile.” She was not even that high up in the air and Lanfear thought for a moment on the idea to turn her upside down. “Is that the way you greet an old friend?” the woman asked with a sneer. Lanfear nodded, “Yes, what do you want?” She nodded, seemingly forgetting that her skirts were dangling loosely around her legs and that her feet had yet to touch the ground. Graendal, psychologist before she turned to the Great Lord could analyze this situation from afar and remained calm as she gazed over Lanfear. They had at one point been in alliance and then something had happened between them that had made them break their promise. Lanfear remembered this well, as she had thought of the red-haired woman as someone worthy of her time. The woman might have made wrong choices in the past, maybe time could have changed her and it was time to find out. Lanfear decided to lower the woman, who seemed as uncaring to be up in the air as she was about being released again. Graendal brushed through her curls and adjusted her skirts until her round curves were emphasized again by the soft yellow cream-colored fabric and her bosom was just exposed enough to turn a man into a meek wonder of himself. Lanfear appreciated the talent this woman had in opening a man’s eyes and not allowing him to do anything but stare at her. She herself had never understood the pleasure in taking over a man to a spineless physique that only had one thing on his mind. She enjoyed the solitude of her own intellect, for no man matched her by far and no woman dared step closer than a full arm’s length. And as Graendal did step closer, Lanfear’s brow furrowed.
“I came because I heard some rumor about you wanting to know what we did, I understand that you have your doubts, but you cannot doubt that you were involved yourself,” Lanfear licked her lips again. The woman was right but it was no time to let her know of that fact. “You heard correct in that I have sought for the answer to the question what we did and moreover: Why we did it.” She did not feel the need to say more, but Graendal settled herself in the chair the servant had left empty. “You always choose the simplest of throne rooms when you roam the world Mierin, I wonder why that is.” Lanfear nodded absently, she did not need silk and satin to get her point across. Unlike some people, she thought to herself and smiled softly. “Let’s get to the point, I want to help you. Together we can form a new alliance, a new plan can be made and we can bring them to their knees for what they did.” Her eyes shone bright, as bright as the color of her hair and she smiled at Lanfear with lust shining through, unmistakably. “No,” Lanfear said in reply, “No, we cannot say they were the ones who did what we all did, we were involved as you said yourself.” Graendal shook her head, “With the right tools we can make them believe our version of the truth,” Lanfear shook her head and started to pace again. “What do you mean our version, there is no need for a new version. All we need to do is find a way to free Him, after what we did he will want us dead. No matter how far we run or how deep we bury ourselves in this ‘our truth’ talk, he will find us and he will seek his revenge. There is one man guilty for rowing us up and once I have him, we’ll see who gets to live and who gets to meet his Lord before his time,” this time it was not nerves or doubt that shone on her face. Lanfear’s eyes blazed with the power of knowing that she would have it that way, she pursed her lips together and then turned her eyes over to Graendal. “That said, you are allowed to change your offer and help me nonetheless,” the woman nodded in thought.
“Allowed, you say?” but she did not seem to want to protest against this choice of words. Maybe it was something that she could use later, when everything fell through. She could say that Lanfear had allowed her to join her plan, not that she was persuaded or had even thought of it herself. Yes, Graendal had expected this turn in their conversation and she did her best to hide that and to ponder over what she knew Mierin would suggest. “Fine, I will see what I can find out. We shall agree to meet soon, I do hope you will reconsider our Alliance,” this time she came up to Lanfear and ran a finger over the woman’s cheek. Lanfear gazed at her almost absently and then stared past her, her gaze locked on the door, “You should leave, we are not Allied yet, though your help on this might change that.” She smiled and ran a finger through the woman’s red curls, “I might be… tempted,” she added and then turned around. Her back turned to the woman, waiting for her to leave. As the door closed, Lanfear waited and then exhaled a deep breathe. She had held it for some time as she tried to think about what she would do next. Her move would have to be bold, a statement that could not be denied, not by anyone. “Just wait and see,” she mused in the darkness and then brushed out of the room as if never having been there. The room in the Sirens Call was one of few that could still be called a room, the rest of it was demolished. Lanfear stared at the familiar sight as she stood outside it, then left.
