Lupi 04 - Night Season

isn’t angry at the servant,” Ruben said.
    Cullen turned. “What about you, Cynna? Brooks? Any offers?”
    Cynna frowned. She’d been pretty upset when Adrienne gave her little “I am your servant” speech. Had Adrienne’s offer to provide service in the baths meant…uh, yeah. It had. “I didn’t pick up on it. She wasn’t obvious.”
    â€œInteresting,” Ruben said. “Did your own servant make a similar offer, Mr. Seabourne?”
    â€œHe did. He wasn’t afraid of me, so I didn’t think anything of it.”
    Of course not. Cullen got offers like that all the time.
    â€œMy servant did, also,” Ruben said, “albeit somewhat ambiguously, so I asked him to clarify. He confirmed that sexual services were among his duties. I didn’t detect any upset or embarrassment on his part, but I lack Mr. Seabourne’s sense of smell.”
    Cullen stood very still for a moment. “I overreact, you think.”
    â€œAnger on behalf of the helpless or the abused is always appropriate.”
    Cullen held Ruben’s gaze a moment longer, then nodded. “But not always helpful. Yes. This gives us one more point to bring up when we meet with the Council, however. You will allow me to deal with it.”
    And that, Cynna thought, was not a question.
    Cullen frowned. “What about Gan? She wouldn’t have any qualms about getting sex whenever and wherever possible, but she didn’t seem to be in a postcoital glow.”
    â€œCynna, you’re on good terms with her,” Ruben said. “Ask her when you have a chance. Right now, I’m curious about the way this was handled. We were each assigned a servant of our own sex who then offered to engage in sex with us. Apparently same-sex relationships are regarded differently here than in our culture, but why would they be specifically encouraged in our situation?”
    â€œBabies,” Cynna said suddenly, then flushed. “Well, it makes sense. They think it’s okay to expect servants to give sexual pleasure, but not okay to risk making babies with them.”
    Ruben nodded. “Very good. That fits with other observations I’ve made…I believe it’s time for private discussion. Mr. Seabourne, did you find that Agent Weaver’s rooms are as we expected?”
    â€œJust like yours and mine. The hall, too, for that matter.”
    Cynna frowned. “Does what you saw have something to do with the way this place feels? Kind of creepy, I mean.”
    Cullen shot her a glance, his eyebrows lifting. “You feel it?”
    â€œThe air is oily.”
    Ruben looked at McClosky. “Mr. McClosky, if you would get the door, please. Mr. Seabourne, are you able to secure our privacy?”
    McClosky closed the door. Cullen closed his eyes and began chanting softly.
    They’d discussed this, too, while on the barge. The shield spell might have been a ruse, but the gnomes were obviously aware of many forms of eavesdropping. They’d decided the chances were good their rooms would be magically bugged…an assumption that had proved accurate.
    In less than a minute Cullen tossed up both hands. With a quiet poof the lights went out.

SEVENTEEN
    â€œN OT again,” McClosky moaned.
    â€œOne moment.” That was Cullen, and a second later four mage lights bounced into place in the center of the room, making it about half as bright as before.
    The room felt better. The air was just air—cool and dry and tinged with unfamiliar smells, but no longer oily. Cynna lifted a hand to run a diagnostic, curious about what kind of spell he’d used.
    â€œDon’t,” Cullen said sharply, taking a seat on one of the floor cushions. “We’re in a magical dead zone. It’s temporary, and I left a loophole so I could pop out the mage lights, but if anyone else tries to use magic before the effect fades, the results could be…unpredictable.”
    â€œBut what did you do? You didn’t have time to set wards.”
    â€œNo. They wouldn’t work. The walls of this place are crawling with shaped magic—that’s why you were uncomfortable, by the way. Gnomish magic is not a good mix with Air.”
    â€œThat makes sense. It doesn’t answer my question.”
    â€œThe gnomes have had centuries to fine-tune the spells in these walls. They’ve got an abundance of power. I couldn’t outpower or outfinesse them,