Immunity, page 16
“So no, you do not care to make a guess?”
“I imagine over the next few weeks, the remaining servants in the palace will begin to receive more formal lessons. I think I need more time to build an entire program. Two years.”
“That is too long. Do I need to ask the Khaleesi for a favor and move you to my household harem?”
I stood. I preferred free movement during these types of conversations. I stepped into the center, taking my time before turning to Myrrh. “I believe,” I said, “that if I am to be asked questions of this nature, I should have advance warning.”
“You were formerly a highly respected professional educator. You can’t think on your feet and offer a professional opinion?”
I stared at her. She was pushing me and I thought playing games with me besides. “You’re right. I misspoke. It typically takes a human several years to properly learn a language, and to learn sufficiently to become a teacher, even longer. Four years.”
“Unacceptable. I am owed favors.” She smiled sweetly. “I will speak to the Khaleesi at another time.”
I returned her smile. “I imagine everyone else here will become vexed if you attempt to remove me from the palace.”
Her smile slowly faded, but then she shifted her gaze to Otter, and the smile returned. “Perhaps you’re right.”
“She is my aide.”
“You can choose another aide.”
“This kind of bullshit is why I didn’t want this position,” I said. “You’re playing games. You’re not even trying to be subtle. I guess we’ll see who has more influence with Rhosani. I wonder how the servants of the palace will feel if you try to steal the woman they all declared should be my aide. Maybe that’s what your want, to sow strife.” I turned my back on her and sat back down.
There was a pause, and then Rhosani asked, “Snow Dove, if I asked when we could expand the program beyond the palace, what would you tell me?”
“I might ask if you could give me three months in total, and ask again.”
“If I asked you to propose suggestions we could begin to implement now?”
“Perhaps certain ministers could assign one or two of their servants to the palace for a time. I do not know if there is more room in the harem, however.”
“The harem can be expanded. It was once somewhat larger.”
“I believe that is a conversation to have with Glisten and Light Touch, but I do not believe I would want a significant influx of more students.”
“How many would be too many?”
“Twenty would definitely be too many,” I said. “I couldn’t offer proper attention. I’d rather not grow at all, not yet. What we have is working, and we have absorbed our four new sisters.”
“If I talked to Glisten and Light Touch, and we made additional space, you could take one more.”
“Yes.”
“Two more?”
I looked across the room at her. “Are you going to keep asking until we reach twenty?”
“I imagine you would grow frustrated before I got that far.”
I turned to Otter. “Do you understand?”
“Yes.” She leaned closer to whisper into my ear, “It will be fun. Give her this.”
“I offer this tentatively,” I said. “Light Touch and Glisten should be consulted. Four, and they should be especially sweet women.”
“Eight,” Rhosani countered. “Human classrooms hold far more students than that.”
“Human classrooms are filled with students who share a common language with the teacher. When they don’t, class sizes are much smaller.” Then I smiled. “You’re just trying to grow your harem. I don’t know why. I’ve never seen you take any of us to your quarters.”
“Maybe I should start with you.”
“Maybe that’s a conversation when I am a harem slave and not a council member.”
She shook her head, responding to the word slave. Not that calling me a girl was really all that much better. “I will talk to Glisten and tell her that you agreed to six.”
“And if you do, it will be the first lie I’ve heard you tell.”
She smiled, and we moved to the next item on the agenda.
It was hard. I didn’t understand anything about most of the topics. I simply leaned to Otter for each and asked, “Should we care?”
“No,” or, “I don’t think so.”
But then Aravae stood and said, “I propose we set a schedule to ban the use of any language except Elvish in any public space.” She read the formal proposal. It was far more reaching.
I surged to my feet, and then I stared at her. I didn’t even know where to begin. I took several breaths and then said, “You are trying to erase human culture.”
“We,” she replied, “are trying to erase the culture of our oppressors. It could be worse. There are women in this room who wished to kill every human. Calmer voices prevailed.”
I was livid. I opened and closed my mouth several times. “Did someone throw a mute spell back on her?” Bellaluna asked.
“I’m not sure teasing her is helpful,” Rhosani replied. “Clearly our human member is taken aback by Aravae’s proposal.”
“Taken back?” I echoed. “She’s trying to erase a culture.”
“It’s not your culture,” Rhosani replied. “Why do you care?”
“Because I represent the people whose culture you’re trying to erase.”
“Do you?” she asked. “Otter doesn’t look angry, only perplexed.”
“Maybe you should translate the proposal into Persian to ensure she fully understands, and then maybe I should explain about Earth’s history of erasing cultures.”
Otter tugged on my arm. I leaned down, and she said, “I understand fine. Vote green.”
“What?”
“It isn’t my culture,” she said. “All women were oppressed, not just elves. My culture is the harem, and I look forward to the last day Persian is spoken there. Please vote green.”
I looked at her then straightened. “Read it again, please.” Aravae did. I shook my head. “You had to know I would have an opinion.”
“But perhaps not such a strong one.”
“Nevertheless. Please do not vote on this issue until I have had more time.”
“Perhaps a show of support, but not a final vote. Green if you intend to vote green at the next council meeting.”
Mine was the only white placard, and Otter tried to hand me the green one. “Perhaps,” said Rhosani gently, “we should give Snow Dove time to consider this proposal and to discuss it with a wider variety of advisors.”
“We are only setting a schedule,” Aravae pointed out. “One more delay is acceptable, but if Snow Dove would like to amend the proposal, now is the right time to make suggestions.”
“All right,” I said. “If we are eliminating Persian, then we should remove the restriction on elves teaching Elvish to humans.”
“I am willing to vote on that immediately,” Rhosani said. And over the next few seconds, every elf in the room lifted her white sign.
“I see,” I said. “Even if some humans welcome this change, I imagine some will not. I imagine some of the humans living outside the city walls remain only because they have nowhere to go. They might not know where to go, and they couldn’t safely get there, given the dangers of your forests. Am I mistaken?”
“Almost certainly not,” Rhosani replied.
“Good. Then I propose a resettlement program, including guidance selecting a new home, guaranteed safe, escorted passage, and some help getting started in the new location. The program would be available for any humans in the immediate region who wishes to take advantage of it.”
“An interesting proposal,” Rhosani said. “We can vote immediately.” And as I glared at her, every elf raised her white placard.
“I see.” Fuming, I sat down, saying absolutely nothing further.
The minute Rhosani declared us adjourned, I stood, turned on my heel, and headed for the exit. I ignored the Khaleesi calling my name, and I readily outpaced Otter. I then told the first guard, “Please return me to the harem.”
* * * *
I refused to talk to anyone, and when it was time to go to serve dinner, I refused. None of the guards forced the issue, and everyone left without me. The minute they were gone, I stormed to the exercise room. I tried doing yoga, but I was too steamed. I ended up running, just running.
The guards found me some time later. “Snow Dove, we are to escort you to the Khaleesi.”
“I will teach you two words of English,” I said. “Tell her: bite me.”
“We are told to ignore your attitude,” the woman said. “But we are not taking no for an answer. Will you walk, or should we drag you?”
At that, I turned to them. There were four. “I am not presentable.”
“I do not believe she will wish to wait. Walk or drag?”
“Walk,” I said. “And you can bite me, too.”
I strode between them, and they moved with me, two in front, two behind. I said not a word further, but I wasn’t surprised when they added the sack over my head, and they did all the normal tricks.
Ridiculous. It was all ridiculous.
* * * *
Rhosani was waiting in the library, Otter with her. I glared at her and didn’t kneel. Instead, I walked up to her, glaring the entire way, until I was will inside her personal space, and said in English, “I wish to be returned to Earth.”
“No.”
“You’re a selfish, evil bitch. I’m done. Create a portal and send me home.”
“No.”
I spun and headed for the door. When I got to it, I couldn’t open it. I struggled with it then spun back to her. “What did you do?”
She blew on her fingers like she was cooling them.
“Cute. Send me home.”
“You can keep asking. The answer isn’t changing.”
“You have no right! You’ve been playing with my life for years, and you have no right at all.”
“Perhaps we should sit,” she said. “We have tea. And maybe you can calm down and speak Elvish so Otter can understand.” She smiled and folded her arms. “Why did you use a language she doesn’t speak?”
I folded my own arms. “Send me home.”
“Otter,” she said. “Snow Dove wishes to return to Earth.”
“No!” said the woman. She ran to me and took my hands. “You can’t!”
“Only because that bitch won’t let me,” I said.
“You can’t speak to her like that.”
“I just did, so apparently I can.”
“Why are you so angry? I told you to vote green.”
“She made me look like a complete fool!” I said. “I knew shit like this would happen. I had no desire in being their token human, their fake council member. I was happy!” I screamed the last word. “Not all the time, but I was at least content. I would have stayed, but no, she had to play her fucking politics with me, and I don’t even understand why.” I looked past Otter. “Did you all laugh after I left? The stupid human needed to be reminded where she sits with us. She’s a nice sex toy, but we’re not going to actually take her seriously.”
“I don’t understand,” Otter said. “So angry.”
“The elves are liars. The Khaleesi is the lead liar. She’s not interested in healing. She wants to finish grinding humans under her heel. And apparently that includes me.”
“You’re being melodramatic,” Rhosani said.
“You blindsided me, and when I asked for time to give carefully considered responses, you refused. But apparently it doesn’t matter what I say, because anything I suggest is going to be denied.” I looked back at Otter. “They don’t care what we say. They’ll do the opposite. Putting me on the council doesn’t accomplish anything if all they do is laugh while saying no to everything I suggest.”
I pulled away from her and stomped back to Rhosani. “Send. Me. Home.”
“You’re being melodramatic,” she repeated.
“Tough. I’ve fully cooperated with you for three years. Well, you blew it. When will you bring a harpy here to bite me?”
“No harpies!” Otter said.
“She gave my last aide to the harpies,” I said. “You should stay away from me.”
“You must misunderstand.”
“Ask her,” I said.
“You can’t just tell her that part of the events,” Rhosani said. “Seriously, Snow Dove?”
“Did you or did you not give my last aide to the harpies?”
“She was involved in a plot to kill you!”
“I wouldn’t have been involved in dirty politics if you hadn’t dragged me into them.”
“I invited a professor of Elven Studies to visit one of the elven worlds. That is hardly dragging you into politics.”
“And yet, here I am,” I said. “Still involved in dirty politics.”
“Your aide was going to kill you?” Otter asked.
“In fairness, she told me to give Snow Dove to the harpies, that it would be better for her,” Rhosani explained. She smiled. “I took her advice.”
Otter stared at her. “You really gave her to the harpies?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” She stepped in front of me. “You stay here with me. You attend council meetings. Yell at me if you need to yell. I don’t know any harpies.”
I didn’t want to yell at her, but I was just building a fresh head of steam when she pulled me to a chair, pushed me into it, then kept me there by plopping into my lap and curling up, her arms around my neck and her head leaning against my shoulder.
Rhosani smirked. “Efficient,” she said.
“Bite me,” I said in English.
“Interesting offer.” She sat down. “Pick one item.”
“Fuck you.”
“Pick one.”
“I have no intention of serving as some sort of token human.”
“That one is complicated. Let’s come back to it. Pick an easy one.”
“We can vote on that right away,” I said, repeating her words from earlier. “White, white, white, and not one word of discussion or explanation.”
“That’s probably two items,” she replied. “We denied your first proposal because not a single one of us is willing to teach the humans, and we’re not going to ask someone to do it for us. We have you, and what you’re doing is working.”
“It’s much easier to use your slave labor.” And I waved a finger at her. “And if I’m not allowed to leave, that means I’m your slave.”
“If you still want to leave in three months, I’ll bring you myself.”
“No!” Otter said, tightening around me.
“You and I will just have to make sure she doesn’t want to leave,” Rhosani said. “What do you suppose she wants?”
“You.”
“Both of us,” Rhosani said. “She wants both of us.”
“We’re not talking about things like that,” I said. “And I did want you. Past tense.”
“Pshaw. That hasn’t changed,” she said.
“Well, it’s clear the feelings were never returned.”
“We have unfinished business, and I have confessions, and I haven’t figured out how to atone for my crimes against you. But you’re right. Tonight is not the night. Proposal one.”
“You could have said all that before calling for the vote. Or we could have talked about the entire thing ahead of time so I wouldn’t have made foolish proposals. But no, blindside me, force me to comment before I’ve had a chance to review the situation, and then belittle me when I do so.”
“That is a fair complaint. Proposal two. You’re right. Many of the humans would leave if they could. If we’re stuck here, they’re stuck here.”
“What are you talking about? Abandon the city if you hate it here. I wouldn’t blame you. It’s much more pleasant on the other side of the coastal range.”
She studied me and then said, “How sure are you that your lap mate speaks no English?”
“When would I have taught her?”
“You’ve been translating books.” She paused. “I’m not risking it.” She switched back to Elvish. “Otter, step outside and down to the other end of the hall. Wait there. I promise to keep Snow Dove here, and you can take your seat when you return.”
She didn’t question it, and the door opened for her besides. “You suck,” I said.
“I know,” she said. It was infuriating I couldn’t get a rise out of her. “If you make a promise to me, will you keep it?”
“Who says no to a question like that?”
“Honest people.”
“What promise?”
“I’m going to tell you something that you can never repeat to anyone. Ever. You’ll understand why after I tell you.”
“Are you going to tell me you use humans as sacrifices or something fucked up like that?”
“No. We’re not hurting anyone. It’s not about that at all. I am actually going to tell you things that shouldn’t make you angry, or at least not angry at any elves.”
I studied her. “Why would you trust me?”
“Because you don’t want me to send you home, but you’re rightfully angry, and you want me to fix it.”
“If you’re hurting people…”
“I’m not.”
“Are you absolutely sure I won’t consider this immoral?”
“Positive.”
“If you’re not wrong, I won’t breathe a word.”
She nodded. “The elves are stuck here. We could leave, but it would probably be disastrous if we did.”
“Why?”
“There was a portal here for a millennium and a half,” she said. “It’s a thin place between worlds, and it keeps trying to reform.”
“Fuck.”
“Yep,” she agreed. “We have to dissipate a growing portal several times a year.”
“It’s trying to reconnect to the site in Iran?”
“No. That particular site is no longer viable. We don’t know where it might attach, but we’re fairly sure it would reenable human technology, and we can’t allow that. We could make this an outpost, but then we need people to man it.”
