Silk's Sly Stocking
Silk had been stalking Queen Vangera for months. He was tired, fed up with the entire mission and feeling more than a little humiliated at the moment.
"Well, that's everything," he said, casting aside his breeches he stood completely naked in the center of the chamber. He resisted the urge to cradle his arms to his chest and shiver, standing unclothed as he was in the path of a cold draft wafting across the room. He was a professional, after all … the best, in fact.
"Not quite, Prince Kheldar," Queen Vangera, ruler of the Isle of Van Xal, lounged on the great bed which dominated her private chamber, admiring the little man's vulnerability. She snapped her fingers and made a twirling motion. Two serving women came forward from the shadows of the far wall and began mussing through his hair, poking fingers in ears and mouth, and vigorously wiping at his lips with a rough, alcohol soaked rag. "Though you are unclothed, and for all intents and purposes unarmed, still there are places of concealment for poison," the Queen informed him languidly, "your reputation precedes you, Kheldar, not only as a great seducer but a magnificent rogue, as well."
He only hoped his secret identity as the Drasnian spy Silk hadn't also been 'uncovered.' No, that couldn't have happened, if it had he would be dead by now. The only thing he was really hoping at this point was that the prying women now thoroughly pawing at his person wouldn't take their search too far, that would only further inflame his irritation.
Queen Vangera was ruler of an independent island nation located almost dead center in the Sea of the East, midway between the western continent and the Empire of Mallorea. Sitting in such a strategic location, Van Xal had managed to keep a strict neutrality for years by never taking sides and playing off one power against another. But that had all ended when Vangera's father, King Vaneth, died suddenly and mysteriously the previous year. Upon assuming the throne the new Queen promptly cast aside Van Xal's neutrality by coming into open alliance with King Taur Urgas of Cthol Murgos.
The old king's death was not terribly surprising, in hindsight, considering the amount of Murgo red gold which Drasnian intelligence had learned began flooding Van Xal in the months leading up to the king's untimely demise. Couple that event with reports of a proposed betrothal between Taur Urgas and then Princess Vangera put forth at the same time, and Murgo meddling was more than a little obvious. But then, Murgos were an unsubtle people.
It was also notable that the late King had steadfastly refused to agree to the betrothal. The proposed alliance would have made Vangera the Principle Queen, over all Taur Urgas' wives, of Cthol Murgos and thus the power behind the throne in the East. Such an alliance would have allowed Taur Urgas to cut off the shipping lanes between the Kingdoms of the West and the Mallorean Empire, giving the mad Murgo monarch a stranglehold on trade and seriously jeopardizing the West's security.
Obviously keeping King Vaneth in place was very much in the West's interest, unfortunately what could not be accomplished one way, was achieved by other means. Upon her ascension to the throne Vangera self-betrothed herself to Taur Urgas and it was that event which had forced the hand of the West. The hand, in this case, that was forced turned out to be Javelin's, head of Drasnian intelligence, and it was he who gave Silk his mission orders: kill the Queen, hopefully her successor would be more rational in their judgment.
And so he had come to her court as the urbane and witty Drasnian Prince Kheldar, ostensibly an enamored admirer from afar, to gush over her as he wormed his way into her entourage of courtiers, and then hopefully into her bed. So close now. It had taken a good deal of time and effort but it was all about to pay off. If these blasted serving women would leave off at long last!
"He's clean and unarmed," one of them announced at last. Obviously, he fumed to himself, there wasn't anything visible on him from head to foot.
"Leave us," the Queen commanded, only after they had departed, she said, "Now, Prince Kheldar, what shall we do with you?" She stretched luxuriously in a gauzy gown upon her bed. Oh, she was desirable, sure enough. But business before pleasure, he reminded himself.
"Ooohh, I've an idea or two," drawled the Prince and spy, sauntering over to the foot of her bed.
She purred an indulgent laugh, "I'm sure you do. Remember, your reputation. Let's hope you live up to it," this last carried a hint of a warning, danger.
She held out her arms to him. He slipped onto the bed and crawled the fairly considerable distance to her, upon completion of which journey he was enfolded in an expectant, hungry embrace, crushed against her lushly ripe body.
Their lips met and they both entered into a protracted exchange during which the Queen was so preoccupied that she failed to notice one of Silk's hands slip away from her and edge slowly downward. But not towards her own thigh, and shin and ankle, and foot … but to his own. She was equally unaware that he surreptitiously removed something from down there, a something which shouldn't have been there, and brought it just as casually back up where he gently slipped it around her neck and began slowly to tighten it with two loving hands.
In her passion she did not respond to her windpipe being slowly constricted until it was too late, at which point Silk pulled the invisible stocking tightly and only relaxed his grip when Vangera's thrashings had finally subsided to stillness.
Hurriedly he removed the unseen stocking and pulled it back on his foot, then redonned the rest of his clothes. He had to be quick and make good his escape, to linger would only invite discovery and he couldn't be sure who else knew of his presence here, or indeed what other 'entertainments' Her, now late, Majesty had had in store for the evening.
As he gathered together bed sheets and ripped down tapestries, knotting them together, he reminded himself to thank Polgara the next time he saw her. The spell she had cast on his stockings to turn them invisible had worked like a charm.
Unfurling his makeshift rope over the balcony after tying it off, he agilely went over after it. Javelin would be well pleased by the success of the mission, though perhaps more than a little put out by the anxiety it had caused him due to the considerable delay as Silk worked his way close to his target. Silk's methods were his own, however, and not to be rushed. Javelin would simply have to deal with it.
Upon alighting at the base of the castle wall Silk quickly got his bearings and darted off into the night. The only thing nagging his thoughts was the missed opportunity of taking his pleasure with the beautiful Queen before regrettably snuffing out her life's candle. He quickly dashed this pang from him, however, such passions could lead to a sentimentality that might ultimately bring about his own end. As it had the Queen.