Gray Sage
Beware the JubJub Bird
Djac stared at the ceiling of the little hovel, watching the smoke twist and dance in rivers above the bed. Morning crept through the single window of the room, already bringing heat before the sun was fully above the horizon. It was today. Today the plan would be set into motion. He wondered how long it would be before he started to see any real effects. Still, he trusted in its logic, confident in his role.
He took another drag of the rolled tobacco and blew it out in a slow, steady wave, wondering briefly if it would affect him differently if smoke could harm him.
“Do you have to do that in my house?” cooed the voice beside him, stirring from her slumber. He ignored her, trying to stay focused on the plan. He had difficulty concentrating, however, as his companion started nuzzling his shoulder, making her way up his neck until she caressed his ear. “Some of us don’t have resistance to smoke.” she whispered. Djac put out his vice, and lifted himself from the bed, looking around the twilit room for where his trousers had been discarded the night before.
“No come back!” Tamina moaned, grabbing his hand before he stood. “Smoke all you want! I changed my mind, I don’t care!” she flirted.
“Won’t your husband be back this morning with the traveling merchants?” Djac asked, snatching his pants from the floor and sliding them on.
“So?” she replied, started to sound genuinely irritated. Djac turned back around to face her, sliding his fingers through her long black hair and looking intently into her eyes.
“So,” he said gently “I can’t imagine he’ll be very happy to see me.” he placed a soft but sensual kiss on her lips before pulling a way to look for his tunic. “Besides, I need to be back at the palace early. I have important business I need to attend to.”
“Fine.” Tamina sighed, her irritation melting. “But my husband will be gone in another two days.” She shrugged. “If you’re still in town…”
“I’ll know right where to find you.” Djac said, pulling up the rest of his belongings. He crossed the tiny room in three strides and silently slipped through the door, giving her one last smirk before the door latched again. He turned to face the city, the high position of the secluded room giving him a modest view of Agnihar with a glimpse of the sea and the incoming ships.
The city was starting to wake; merchants pulling out their goods, pedestrians making their way down the cobbled streets. Djac stopped to buy spiced pita to fill his growling stomach as he walked toward the palace.
Only a few miles from his overnight lodgings, the walk was refreshing, giving him a chance to see Agnihar’s citizens up close, however dreary they were. He thought life in the country was bad. Things seemed equally depressing, if not more so in this area. And this was one of the wealthier parts of the city. Who knew what the poverty stricken areas looked like.
The palace was made of an ugly orange brick, though marvelously constructed. It towered above all the other buildings in the city, protected by a mote of dried tar, which the correctly gifted person could turn into a boiling vat should an enemy come calling.
The draw bridge was down, allowing Djac make it halfway up to the palace before two guards blocked his path.
“I’m Djac Nassar, I’m here with my clan for the Congregation.”
“All of the clans arrived yesterday, and were given instructions not to leave.” The guard said.
“Yes, which is why I had to sneak out.” Djac rolled his eyes, not realizing it was going to be a challenge to get back into the palace.
“Djac?!” Yelled a voice from inside the courtyard. His second oldest brother, Haresh.
“Haresh! I’m so glad to see you! Please tell these gentlemen to let me through!” Djac waved back, a stupid grin on his face. Haresh gave the guards a nod as he approached, and they let him pass.
“You were told to stay in the palace. We’ve been looking for you for nearly an hour.” Haresh growled in a low voice, shoving Djac forward.
“Oh, come on! We’re only in the city a few nights and you don’t think I want to take in the sights!”
“Yeah? Did these sights have a name?” Haresh shoved him again.
“Tamina. As lovely as the night sky, and twice as invigorating!” Djac chuckled, but Haresh shoved him against the wall, pinning Djac there with his forearm.
“This is not a game!” Haresh seethed. Djac twisted his brother’s arm, simultaneously kicking Haresh’s foot out from under him, causing him to fall to his knee. Djac pulled out a dagger and slightly pressed the blade to Haresh’s throat.
“Don’t try me.” Djac warned. Haresh huffed in annoyance and Djac resheathed his dagger. Harshed got to his feet again, rotating his arm to shake off the pain Djac inflicted.
“If you want some company we could have gotten it for you.” Djac rolled his eyes. Haresh knew full well Djac would never pay for his trysts. “But the princess is coming today, you can’t slack off! You can’t be running around galavanting however you see fit! You know how important this is!” Haresh harshly whispered as a servant walked passed.
“I’m well aware of my role in this operation. I don’t want it to fail any more than you do!” Djac answered back.
“Good! Then you’d better start acting like it.” Haresh took in a deep breath and composed himself. “Kasim will want to see you want to see you in his chambers.”
“Fine, but after I have a bath. We can’t have the princess meeting me like this! I smell like another woman’s jasmine!” Djac clapped his brother on the shoulder and left for the bath house.
Djac made quick work of getting clean, and found his way back to his room where an attendant dressed him in a simple aegean blue tunic that cut off at the shoulder to keep his arms cool on the increasingly hot morning. He trimmed up the goatee shaping his upper lip and chin. He looked at himself in a small mirror mounted on his wall. He stared back at his reflection.
Djac had been described as heartbreakingly handsome. He had a strong jawline, perfectly drawn features, from his lips to his eyebrows. His black hair always managed to fall in just a few soft curls over the side of his forehead. His body showed just the right amount of muscles, and his skin tone was a silky bronze.
He was the third of four brothers, and yet he outshone them all. Better looking, better with a sword, more gifted with fire, and the most gifted with women. And that was the real reason he was there, after all. Kasim and Haresh gave Djac just enough work to feel important. He knew how they manipulated him and his gifts, supposedly all in the effort to better the clan. But, despite their grabs for power, their love of money, and their general asshole nature, Djac loved his family, and he loved his clan. He wanted to see them prosper.
So that’s why he had agreed to this venture. That’s why he and his brother’s had come up with a plan. That’s why Djac had to seduce the Princess.
He took another drag of the rolled tobacco and blew it out in a slow, steady wave, wondering briefly if it would affect him differently if smoke could harm him.
“Do you have to do that in my house?” cooed the voice beside him, stirring from her slumber. He ignored her, trying to stay focused on the plan. He had difficulty concentrating, however, as his companion started nuzzling his shoulder, making her way up his neck until she caressed his ear. “Some of us don’t have resistance to smoke.” she whispered. Djac put out his vice, and lifted himself from the bed, looking around the twilit room for where his trousers had been discarded the night before.
“No come back!” Tamina moaned, grabbing his hand before he stood. “Smoke all you want! I changed my mind, I don’t care!” she flirted.
“Won’t your husband be back this morning with the traveling merchants?” Djac asked, snatching his pants from the floor and sliding them on.
“So?” she replied, started to sound genuinely irritated. Djac turned back around to face her, sliding his fingers through her long black hair and looking intently into her eyes.
“So,” he said gently “I can’t imagine he’ll be very happy to see me.” he placed a soft but sensual kiss on her lips before pulling a way to look for his tunic. “Besides, I need to be back at the palace early. I have important business I need to attend to.”
“Fine.” Tamina sighed, her irritation melting. “But my husband will be gone in another two days.” She shrugged. “If you’re still in town…”
“I’ll know right where to find you.” Djac said, pulling up the rest of his belongings. He crossed the tiny room in three strides and silently slipped through the door, giving her one last smirk before the door latched again. He turned to face the city, the high position of the secluded room giving him a modest view of Agnihar with a glimpse of the sea and the incoming ships.
The city was starting to wake; merchants pulling out their goods, pedestrians making their way down the cobbled streets. Djac stopped to buy spiced pita to fill his growling stomach as he walked toward the palace.
Only a few miles from his overnight lodgings, the walk was refreshing, giving him a chance to see Agnihar’s citizens up close, however dreary they were. He thought life in the country was bad. Things seemed equally depressing, if not more so in this area. And this was one of the wealthier parts of the city. Who knew what the poverty stricken areas looked like.
The palace was made of an ugly orange brick, though marvelously constructed. It towered above all the other buildings in the city, protected by a mote of dried tar, which the correctly gifted person could turn into a boiling vat should an enemy come calling.
The draw bridge was down, allowing Djac make it halfway up to the palace before two guards blocked his path.
“I’m Djac Nassar, I’m here with my clan for the Congregation.”
“All of the clans arrived yesterday, and were given instructions not to leave.” The guard said.
“Yes, which is why I had to sneak out.” Djac rolled his eyes, not realizing it was going to be a challenge to get back into the palace.
“Djac?!” Yelled a voice from inside the courtyard. His second oldest brother, Haresh.
“Haresh! I’m so glad to see you! Please tell these gentlemen to let me through!” Djac waved back, a stupid grin on his face. Haresh gave the guards a nod as he approached, and they let him pass.
“You were told to stay in the palace. We’ve been looking for you for nearly an hour.” Haresh growled in a low voice, shoving Djac forward.
“Oh, come on! We’re only in the city a few nights and you don’t think I want to take in the sights!”
“Yeah? Did these sights have a name?” Haresh shoved him again.
“Tamina. As lovely as the night sky, and twice as invigorating!” Djac chuckled, but Haresh shoved him against the wall, pinning Djac there with his forearm.
“This is not a game!” Haresh seethed. Djac twisted his brother’s arm, simultaneously kicking Haresh’s foot out from under him, causing him to fall to his knee. Djac pulled out a dagger and slightly pressed the blade to Haresh’s throat.
“Don’t try me.” Djac warned. Haresh huffed in annoyance and Djac resheathed his dagger. Harshed got to his feet again, rotating his arm to shake off the pain Djac inflicted.
“If you want some company we could have gotten it for you.” Djac rolled his eyes. Haresh knew full well Djac would never pay for his trysts. “But the princess is coming today, you can’t slack off! You can’t be running around galavanting however you see fit! You know how important this is!” Haresh harshly whispered as a servant walked passed.
“I’m well aware of my role in this operation. I don’t want it to fail any more than you do!” Djac answered back.
“Good! Then you’d better start acting like it.” Haresh took in a deep breath and composed himself. “Kasim will want to see you want to see you in his chambers.”
“Fine, but after I have a bath. We can’t have the princess meeting me like this! I smell like another woman’s jasmine!” Djac clapped his brother on the shoulder and left for the bath house.
Djac made quick work of getting clean, and found his way back to his room where an attendant dressed him in a simple aegean blue tunic that cut off at the shoulder to keep his arms cool on the increasingly hot morning. He trimmed up the goatee shaping his upper lip and chin. He looked at himself in a small mirror mounted on his wall. He stared back at his reflection.
Djac had been described as heartbreakingly handsome. He had a strong jawline, perfectly drawn features, from his lips to his eyebrows. His black hair always managed to fall in just a few soft curls over the side of his forehead. His body showed just the right amount of muscles, and his skin tone was a silky bronze.
He was the third of four brothers, and yet he outshone them all. Better looking, better with a sword, more gifted with fire, and the most gifted with women. And that was the real reason he was there, after all. Kasim and Haresh gave Djac just enough work to feel important. He knew how they manipulated him and his gifts, supposedly all in the effort to better the clan. But, despite their grabs for power, their love of money, and their general asshole nature, Djac loved his family, and he loved his clan. He wanted to see them prosper.
So that’s why he had agreed to this venture. That’s why he and his brother’s had come up with a plan. That’s why Djac had to seduce the Princess.