She reached Akkad in safety. Without a patron, Zenobia found work in one of the taverns, cleaning tables and providing sex to customers, and splitting her fees with the innkeeper. Encountering Trella one afternoon in the marketplace, Zenobia had impulsively told her tale, and the captain’s slave had immediately sensed an opportunity.
Trella gave Zenobia a few copper coins and told her to find a decent inn where she could sleep safely at night. It hadn’t taken Trella long to figure out how Zenobia could become an ally, assuming any of them survived the barbarians besieging the city. From time to time, she sent Annok-sur to give Zenobia more copper and to tell her to be patient a little while longer.
The siege had ended more than two months ago. Now the time had arrived.
“Zenobia,” Trella began, “I’ve thought a great deal about you and your plight. It occurs to me that we could be of great help to each other. To serve my husband, I need someone who can gather information from the rich and powerful in Akkad. With your experience and skills, many men would whisper their secrets to you. If you are willing, I can provide protection for you and help you open a house of pleasure here in Akkad.”
Zenobia’s eyes went wide at the prospect as doubts rushed to her lips.
“Mistress Trella… is such a thing possible? To furnish a pleasure house with trained women would take much gold, and a strong man would be needed to oversee such an establishment. And there are the other brothels and alehouses to compete with.”
“I am not talking about just another brothel, Zenobia. Nor will there be any competition. I want you to establish the finest pleasure house in the land, and fi ll it with the most expensive women and the fi nest furnishings.
I have a strong protector in mind, and he can provide men to guard the house and your women.”
“Who would this protector be, Mistress Trella?”
“Gatus, the captain of the guard, will be the official owner of the house, Zenobia. He will provide a soldier or two to keep order, as well as a scribe to record all the profits and expenses. He will take one-tenth of the profits, and I will take another four-tenths.” She watched Zenobia’s eyes grow wider. “The rest would be yours alone. There will be no man to take your share.”
“But, mistress, much gold is needed to start such a business. A large house would have to be found. Girls must be recruited and trained, furnishings bought. Fine wine and exotic foods must be available. There is much that…”
“I’m glad you understand how difficult it will be, Zenobia. But I have considered all these things as well. To start, I will loan you twenty gold coins, more than enough to buy a good-sized house and furnish it properly. It will probably take another ten coins before you are fully established, especially if you begin your search for girls at the slave market. I’m sure there are plenty of women in Akkad who would be willing to work for you in the beginning-and for very little.”
Trella paused for a moment, to make sure Zenobia understood her words. “If more gold is needed and all is proceeding well, it will be provided.
Six months from now, you will begin repaying all the gold loaned to you at the rate of three gold coins each month. That is in addition to our regular profits. You will have to work very hard to make sure you are successful, and there are other conditions as well. Are you interested, Zenobia?”
The woman’s head bobbed up and down with excitement. “Yes, of course, mistress, I am very interested. What else must I pay?”
“You need pay nothing further. If you work hard and the house is successful, you should be able to repay all of the loans within two years. We would charge you no interest on the loan, Zenobia.” Again she paused to let that information sink in. “You would be required to train the girls, teach them the love arts, and make sure they learn how to please their customers. Can you do that?”
“Oh, yes, Mistress Trella, I have been well trained myself, and I’ve trained new girls for many years.”
“There is one more thing, Zenobia, and this is the most important.”
Trella shifted her position on the chair to look directly into the woman’s eyes. “Your establishment must be the best house of pleasure in Akkad. It must be the one place where all the rich and powerful men come to amuse themselves. They will come for your women, they will drink too much wine, and they will talk about many things. You will instruct your girls to report all that they hear only to you, and you will pass it all on to Annok-sur or myself. And you must do more than just listen. You and two or three of your most trustworthy women must learn to extract as many secrets as possible. You will reward those girls according to how much information they gather.”
Zenobia opened her mouth, but Trella continued on, her voice harder now. “That is why we do this, to gather information, not because we wish to make a profit in a business arrangement. You must make certain that no one learns of this. No one. Only Gatus, and the three of us. If any of the girls refuse to obey, you will take whatever steps needed to make sure that they do.”
“I… understand, mistress. It shall be as you say.”
“Make very sure you understand me, Zenobia. You will tell no one what you do with the information, and you will keep silent about me. Also, you will guarantee that none of your girls tell anyone, especially their customers. They must understand the penalty for careless talk. As must you. If you fail, then you will be removed. Since you will not officially own any part of the business, you would simply disappear. So you will have great incentive to remain loyal and faithful.”
Zenobia swallowed nervously but didn’t hesitate. She had been in the village long enough to understand Trella’s meaning. To “disappear” in Akkad meant a splash in the river in the dark of night. “I will be loyal, mistress. None will learn of our arrangement.”
Trella smiled at her, then reached out and gently took her hand.
When she spoke, her voice sounded soft and pleasant again. “I am glad, Zenobia. If you do this, in a few years you will be rich and respected.
Starting tomorrow, you will meet with Annok-sur to begin the planning.
You will report only to Annok-sur or myself. When you have listed all that you require and have an idea of the cost, we will begin buying what you need.”
“Yes, mistress. Thank you, Mistress Trella.”
“One more thing, Zenobia. If you hear anything about Korthac or his men, anything, you are to get the information to us at once.”
“The Egyptian? Yes, of course.”
“Then we are agreed.” Trella pushed back her chair and stood. “You will start tomorrow. If all goes well, in a few weeks you will have the finest pleasure house in Akkad.”
Zenobia stood also and bowed again, this time so low that her hair brushed the tabletop. “It will be as you say, Mistress Trella. I will learn all the men’s secrets for you. I promise it.”
“Then we will both prosper, Zenobia.”
Annok-sur stood also. “Zenobia, it’s too late to walk the streets,” Annok-sur said. “Spend the rest of the night here. I’ll escort you back to your home in the morning.” Taking Zenobia’s hand, she led her from the workroom to one of the rooms below.
In a few moments Annok-sur returned to Trella’s presence. “We’ll leave the house right before dawn. With her cloak drawn, no one will notice her.”
“Thank you, Annok-sur.”
“I think she will do well, Trella. It will take many months, perhaps years, but Zenobia will gather much useful information. And you spoke to her with the voice of command, with the voice of someone twice your seasons. You know the ways of power and how to bend both men and women to your will.”