Empire of Night Ch 43

Lisril guided Alex through the halls; he wrapped up in her cloak, her arm folded around his waist. They walked silently, trailing after her mother, who walked shoulder to shoulder with Eli.
Alex leaned against her and kissed the top of her head. “You’re mad at me.”
“Hush,” she said, “don’t be ridiculous.”
He took the hand at his waist, squeezing. “I’m sorry.”
“Stop that; I’m not angry with you,” she hissed.
It was true; she wasn’t angry, more concerned. Lisril was meant to have a competition with this woman, and she was practically wearing his colors.
What did that mean? He favored her; that much was clear. She was, Lisril could admit, more impressive than the usual human girl. She’d told him she didn’t want any Dyrantoro women, but would she have it in her to deny him if he pressed the matter? To refuse him a woman of his own kind?
Perhaps she was overthinking things; Alex had a streek of chivalry peculiar to Dyrantoro men. It could simply be a matter of that cultural difference rearing its head.
Regardless, Jessica Albright, it was a name to remember. They had history, and even if Alex were simply being kind, Lisril didn’t believe for a second that this woman’s interest was merely academic.
Her man was too attractive a prize.
There was, she supposed, one way to know for certain. “Alex,” she said. “What is your relationship with that woman?”
He glanced around; they were surrounded by more than a dozen women, her sisters and aunts, his other wives, except for Serra, who was fetching her own family, and Ms. Albright herself. “Now?”
Lisril blushed at her own imprudence. She’d become so caught up, so fixated, on this unexpected rival that she’d forgotten propriety.
She cleared her throat, hoping to cover the flush in her cheeks with her hand. “Of course not, just- bear the question in mind.”
She wasn’t even sure what she meant by that. Keep it in mind? But there was no taking it back now; she simply had to hope he could ascertain her meaning.
He kissed her cheek and smiled at her. “You don’t need to be jealous. I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you too,” she said, squeezing him tight against her hip.
There was no doubt in her mind as to his candor; his love and affection were beyond doubt. But that didn’t mean he was telling her everything, nor that she had nothing to worry over regarding this woman. What was to say he couldn’t love another woman more?
 Thus far, all had transpired, more or less, as she had intended. She could increase his prestige and secure his position and power while maintaining her own place as the first of his wives.
This Dyrantoro woman was a complication, an unknown; Lisril would have to be cautious if she wanted to maintain her proper place as first wife.
After all, she hadn’t worked so long and carefully to be first above the empress herself, only for a woman to appear from an unknown quarter and supplant her.
What would prove the best tact in that endeavor was a matter of investigation. Lisril might forbid him from pursuing this woman, but that presented its own risks, of course.
For the moment, she could test this interloper’s metal. There was, after all, no point fretting if this Dyrantoro lady couldn’t even shoot.
They trailed after her mother back down toward the courtyard. Eli had constructed an impromptu shooting range behind the palace but still within the curtain wall. It would have, perhaps, cost less labor to borrow facilities from the Dyrantoro military. But relying on Eli’s authority was simply more expedient.
Her mother stopped before their impromptu range, constructed of piles of dirt and snow, set behind archery targets.
On the ground, before their targets, the palace porters went about unpacking Alex’s supplies. Lisril broke away from him and approached Jessica, arms crossed over her chest.
The Dyrantoro woman spotted her immediately, “Are you cold? You can have my cloak if you like.”
Lisril glared at the woman; she had to admit, this Dyrantoro was, at least, a fair hand at crafting barbs. “Why would I need that? It’s hardly cold at all.”
“That’s good,” Jessica said, smiling pleasantly. “I’d hate for you to be without your husband’s warmth if you needed it.”
Lisril clenched her fists, lips thinning. “Let’s hope you shoot half as well as you talk.”
“I’ll do my best,” the dark-skinned woman promised, glancing at Alex. “I’d hate to disappoint.”
Lisril snorted. “We’ll see.”
“Would you like to have our exhibition first? As a bit of a demonstration?” The woman asked.
Lisril scratched her nose, considering it. “Very well,” she said. “We can add it to our lesson.”
“I’ll let you lead, then,” Jessica said, reaching under her jacket, presumably for her sidearm. “Maybe we’ll have a chance for a proper match someday. Do you do three-gun at all?”
“Why don’t we see if you can shoot?” Lisril asked, “before we make plans for a rematch.”
“Fair enough, lead the way,” Jessica said, laughing.
Lisril pushed past her; she was confident; that much was obvious, but was that confidence well placed? They would have to see; she stopped before the firing range and allowed her gaze to pass over the palace porters. “That’s enough,” she said, “clear out.”
The women turned to Eli, looking for approval, bowing as she nodded, leaving their work where it was and excusing themselves.
Jessica joined her, surveying their work.
“Impressive, to have managed this, in this season, in so short a time,” the Dyrantoro woman said.
Lisril tossed her hair. “The ingenuity and persistence of proper women.”
“I’ll have to take notes,” Jessica said. “Shall we begin? I’m eager to see your form.”
“I’d hate to disappoint you,” Lisril said, stepping up to the range. “Alright, gather around you lot! Let’s not make my husband stand around in the cold too long.”
The women turned from their own conversations and gathered around. Lisril surveyed them and waived her wives closer. “Ms. Albright and I are going to start with a little demonstration. Would you like to start? Ma’am?”
“Well, I certainly can,” Jessica said. “But if it’s all the same, I think I’d like to watch you work; first, I’ve heard rumors you’re quite the prodigy.”
“You’ll have to see. Very well, I’ll go first. You girls pay attention to my form,” Lisril said.
She stepped up to the firing line, smoothly drawing her sidearm from beneath her jacket, assiduously keeping the muzzle fixed groundward.
“It doesn’t look like much,” she said, reversing her grip and taking the weapon by the barrel, showing it to the gathered women. “But I assure you, it’s a weapon of deadly efficacy and effortless operation. When so armed, it’s imperative you practice special care.”
She paused, looking at the gathered women. “Ensure that when you present it,” she turned, thrusting her pistol toward the targets and plunking five holes in the target. She didn’t warn them of the sound and let the concussion of it rattle the gathered women. “That you’re prepared to destroy what you’re pointing at.”
She dropped her magazine, pocketed it, and cleared the chamber, locking the slide back.
“I rushed a little,” she said, leaning forward to get a better look at her group before turning to Jessica. “I hope you’ll go easy on me.”
“I’ll consider it,” Jessica said, “would you like me to take a little time? So they can get a look at the proper form?”
“Take as much time as you feel you need,” Lisril sniffed.
Jessica laughed, took Lisril’s place, and, in a smooth motion, drew her pistol and fired. She shot her group in rapid succession and stepped back. “Want to get a closer look?”
Lisril pursed her lips and stepped forward of the line, Jessica walking beside her. She inspected the target and shook her head. She had expected some argument about whose shots were whose that one group was tighter and more centered. But in fact, whichever shot belonged to who, each had a mate, neatly placed half the width of a Dyrantoro’s pinkie finger to the right.
Lisril stared at the target; this woman was as bad as Alex and a crack shot. She turned to the Dyrantoro lady. “Touché.”
The woman offered a small, pleasant smile. “Do I have your permission?”
“It takes more than a steady hand, girl,” Lisril said, but she scrutinized the woman more closely. It was more than an impressive feat, and it raised questions.  “Set up a new target for the girls; I should stop indulging myself and do what I came here to do.” 
“Alright.”
Lisril nodded at the woman and left her to the task, rejoining the rest. As she strolled back toward the group, spotting Serra’s family approaching as she did.
“Alex,” Lisril called, nodding to draw his attention to the approaching family, and joined them as Serra broke from the group to take Alex’s hand. “You should meet my sisters,” the younger woman said.
Alex smiled at her. “Of course, I’m glad we’re finally getting the chance.”
Serra took his hand, guiding him to meet her family. “Mama!” she cried. “It looks like we’re a bit late; they started without us.”
“We’ll have to find our way to forgiving them,” her mother said, affecting a bord tone.
“You didn’t bring your husband?” Lisril asked, looking past the woman.
“Of course not,” the woman scoffed, “and you should consider your own man’s reputation, bring him out to an event like this.
“Ma’am,” Lisril said, “if he’s to give a demonstration, this will hardly be the least scandalous of his appearances this week.”
The woman huffed, shaking her head, but didn’t push the topic. She waived at the women who stood behind her. “Introduce yourselves.”
The girls stepped forward, each offering a hand to Lisril, which she shook before they turned to Serra.
She smiled at them. “Girls,” she said, pulling Alex close. “This is my fiancé. Alex, my sisters, Jelese, and Hili.”
“A pleasure to meet you, my lord,” Jelese said.
“A pleasure,” Hili agreed.
Alex smiled and offered his hand, each girl taking it and drawing his fingers to her lips.
“It’s nice to finally be introduced; I’m sorry it took so long,” he said.
“Nonsense, the circumstances were beyond your control,” Jelese said.
“Thank you. Why don’t we catch you ladies up?” He asked.
“Yes!” Hili cried. “We understand we’ll be learning how Dyrantoro women make war.”
“Well, how we do it on Earth,” Alex said, returning to Serra’s side.
“And let's stop standing in the cold jabbering,” Lisril said; she wrapped her arm around Alex’s shoulder and guided her family back toward the group.
She saw Jessica, having finished her task, Chatting with Eli and her mother. She must have shown some emotion on her face because Alex leaned against her and rested his chin on the crown of her head, “You really hate her?”
“Shush,” she hissed. “Later, and no, I don’t.”
She didn’t hate Jessica; she was suspicious, certainly, but that was her responsibility; Lisril was his wife; she had a duty to protect him.
She kissed his cheek and guided him back into the crowd. “Why don’t you get the rifle ready?”
He nodded, breaking away from her and taking Serra to the cases laid out on the ground by the range while Lisril approached her mother. “Mama, Eli, I think we’re ready to continue.”
Eli gave Jessica a side-eyed glance, pursing her lips. “Good to hear,” she said at last. “We’ll join Alex, then, come along, Miss Albright.”
“As you like,” Jessica said, joining Eli and leaving Lisril alone with her mother.
“I see you’ve finally begun to court Earth’s gentry.”
Lisril chuckled, shaking her head. “I think you misread my intentions, Mama.”
“Then perhaps I’ve misread the sort of woman I’ve raised,” Mama sniffed.
“Mama!”
“Don’t give me that; your letters and the things you’ve told me about their empire since returning paint a picture of wealth and power beyond imagination. It would be criminal of you to cut him off from that, and I believe the courts would agree if he asked them to.”
Lisril sighed, shaking her head. It was probably true, but none of them understood. “It doesn’t work like that on Earth; their women-”
“Did miss Albright mention she was a member of the admiralty to you?” her mother asked.
“No,” Lisril said, shocked. It seemed the sort of thing a woman might lead with.
“Well, she mentioned it to me. An admiral and now a high-ranking diplomat. Perhaps she’s the only worthy woman on Earth, but if she is, you’ve a responsibility to secure her for your husband.”
Lisril cleared her throat. “I also owe it to him to be cautious. But why don’t we talk more later, privately.” In truth, she had no counterpoint. Her mother was correct as to her legal duty, though Lisril wasn’t wrong herself.
“As you wish,” her mother said. “But consider what I said.”
“Yes, Mama,” Lisril sighed. She turned her attention back to the crowd of women and returned to Alex’s side as he hauled a rifle from its case and began showing the gathered girls how to use their sights.

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