The Succling and Her Dues

Chapter Three: Act 6

[Persian District, 1730 (Continued)]

“Eat while it is still fresh.” Syifus bit into a flank, scarlet driblets running through his chin stubble as he tore off some meat.

Anara gawked, her eyes sparkling at the handsome man before her. Feeling Cauva’s leering hold, she picked at a rib with her fingers and sheepishly digested the small bits of muscle. She turned to Cauva and cleared her throat, “Tell me about your powers. I have never seen such things before.”

“What is there to tell?” Cauva scoffed before leaning against a withered abarkouh cedar trunk. “You have eyes, dear girl.”

“Did Death—did he bless you with such feats?” Anara pressed.

“Simple mortal, all succulors are born with unique gifts and talents. Death, on the other hand, bestows gifts to whom he deems worthy—even to the most trivial beings… like yourself.” Cauva rose from her place and plopped beside Anara, wrapping her arms around her. Cauva brushed a few curly strands from Anara’s face, then said, “His powers are far more superior. No matter. All will be as it should, once you fulfill Death’s command.”

Anara froze. Death’s command? Had he not sought me out to grant my desires? “What is it… that he shall claim once the command is reaped?”

Cauva smirked, her rose-gold orbs flickering like golden stardust. “He did not say…”

“Oh…” Anara’s head drooped, her mind flooding with more questions. She bit her tongue, assuming everything would reveal itself in time. “If it pleases you, I hope to have powers, grace, and beauty that match yours in the coming years.”

Amused, Syifus chimed, “You will, dear flower. For what little time we have to reach the palace, Cauva will be your ostād. Before long, you shall become queen.”

Cauva jabbed her elbow into his side, her face twisting to a welcoming rictus. Her eyes, too, narrowed on his distant gaze. “How generous of you to grace a mere child with mine own services.”

“But, of course,” he gasped. “I am not endowed like you, nor possess the grace and patience that comes with courting royalty.”

“I see.” Anara slumped her shoulders back, her elbows pressing into the soft stalks of grass. “Would His Majesty still have me if he knew the price of my life?” she muttered aloud. “I still wonder… why did those men come for me, only to take the one thing that coveted my being?”

“Power.” Cauva rose from her spot and gleamed at the passing clouds. Dew drops splashed on her skin, rippling into shimmers of light peony. “It is the one thing mortal men desire, and they will stop at nothing, especially when threatened. You are a curse that continues to plant weeds in their gardens of order.” She towered over Anara and glowered. “They are scared beasts. Scared of your power. Fearful of a prophecy that has yet to be fulfilled—”

“I did not command this!” Anara stood, matching her wild gaze with Cauva’s. It was as though fire flickered in the cinnamon shards of her eyes—the attempt to break free and set everything aflame. “I must know of this prophecy. Why every person is wary of my presence. I ask my… I’ve begged Mama to tell me, but she would spout similar sentiments as if it were a blessing. What am I?”

The rage she belted from her lips… Anara had not realized she had been tugging on Cauva’s sift. Her hands trembled while clutching the folds of sea-foam silk. She let go, distraught; her eyes shifted to Syifus, whose eyes filled her with warmth and comfort. And soon she regained a steady breath. “What… am I… to you?”

Cauva extended a tender hand out but hesitated to touch Anara’s face. Her eyes wandered, conflicted. Her lips opened and closed, holding back any explanation. A lie would be better, Cauva thought. “You see…” She played with Anara’s hair, studying her facial features.

Inwardly, Cauva’s guts twisted and churned at the sight of the doe-eyed girl. How Anara’s face narrowed at the chin to a smooth point, which complimented her downturned lips of brushed coral. Oh, how the ringlets framed her face and bellowed in the air, creating an ethereal crown for but a moment.

And Death wanted her. A notion he reminded Cauva of every chance they were together. He should want me, not some “Half-bred succubus,” She uttered the last part.

“What?” Anara asked, too stunned to speak.

“You heard me, girl.” Cauva retracted her hand and cantered away. “I should have realized it sooner. Half-bred succubi are rare in this world and mine. You are considered an abomination to the realms.”

“Is that why they—”

“Yes.” Cauva’s first lie. “And for that to happen, a human woman must seduce an incubus from a powerful clan. How foolish your mother had been… To know the consequences of consummating with an incubus—”

“We are treading dangerous ground, Cauva,” Syifus growled. “Do not terrorize the poor flower over something she cannot rewrite.”

“You are right; I forget myself,” Cauva curtsied, her lips beholding a gaffed smile. “But who is in power, here? It most certainly is not you.” She turned to Anara, holding the same smile as an open threat. “I was powerful… once. And the fear men bestowed upon the earthly gods became my downfall. The assurances I can grant are not written in the stars or in the scrolls of time, but I promise you that you will live for the will of others. Are you prepared for that, Tê klaré?”

Tension played the three like strings. Death cloaked himself among the foliage as a small snow-speckled dove. Seeing Cauva fold from her jealously, he cooed in delight, then descended to a closer branch to indulge further in her suffering.

“Do you hear yourself,” Syifus shouted. He stationed himself between Cauva and Anara, acting as their mediator. “I am a demigod, after all. My words hold more power than ink and dust.”

Cauva gritted her teeth, her eyes screaming for him to silence his tongue, but he pressed on.

“Anara,” Syifus addressed. “What is it that you desire? It shall be done.”

What do I desire? It was the second time someone had asked, yet she did not have an answer. Still, she felt inclined to respond, for his smile captured her gaze. Something she would keep in memory.

“Companionship,” she stated. “I am alone in this world and would be forever grateful to have someone to confide with.”

“It is done. You will have Cauva as your confidante and friend.”

“Mama died protecting me, so if I am to befriend Cauva, I require assurances that no harm will come to us, should rash circumstances come to light.” Anara grasped Cauva’s fingers, gently squeezing them. “What say you? Will you govern and protect me, too?”

This did not bode well for Cauva or Death. But Death could not intervene and Cauva remained silently sulking at the idea of acting as something more than…

Phǎ åmœ nüę. “Whatever you command, Tê klaré,” Cauva rasped, drawing her hands away from Anara, “it will be done.”

Relieved, Syifus embraced Cauva with a deep kiss, sealing their verbal contract. Once he let go, he approached Anara with caution. His promises had always been sealed with a kiss, as it was custom to do so. To make do with a promise he kept with Death, he brushed his fingers through her hair. Buds of Persian shields, tulips, and pomegranate blooms sprouted from the crown of her head to the tip of her tresses. Symbols of two promises not yet fulfilled.

Pleased with this, Death took flight in search of a favor from a special friend from across the sea. One that would be better suited to Anara’s company.

A bleating kid of but a few days old, white with tawny spots and black streaks across its snout, trotted toward them. It kicked about before nudging Anara’s hand over his tiny horns.

“It seems an offer for His Majesty has appeared before us.”

“She is peculiar,” Anara chimed. “What shall I call her?”

Syifus chuckled. “She wouldn’t be his pet.”

“Then why offer something so young and frail?”

“That is for His Majesty to decide how best to use the offering.”

“I see.” Anara hoisted the baby goat, cradling it. “For now, she will be Nane. For she will be my charm.”

The kid leaped from her arms, sporadically jumping on all fours before falling to its side, paralyzed.