POLITIC by Sievert Dinar
You better believe me. I don't own any of the characters I write
about, and have no intentions of ever owning them or using them for
personal financial gain. Of course, you might like to believe that
this is a possibility, but it'll only see you behind the locked
doors of a private hospital.
I sit within my study and glare at the bottle of wine,
wondering if this one is, too, poisoned. A lot of them seem to be,
lately. Well, those delivered to my good self, anyway. It makes me
smile, thinking of all those who wish to kill me. Yet there is
nothing that they do that I have not already done. They are all so
much younger than I, these days, and that age difference is my
defence.
I consider what I should do with the wine, its fruity bouquet
and juicy redness moistens my pallet, wishing to taste its delights.
But it is just as possible that I shall tip it into the garden,
outside my window, like I had done with the last bottle. The
thought of such a classic drop being brutalised in this fashion is
enough to make me want to weep, but as long as I value my life, I
must be careful.
"Narcissus!" I snap my fingers, turning from the large wooden
desk to the torchlit recesses of the doorway. It is amazing how I
have come to revel in this dark little bolt-hole, especially
considering my open nature as a young girl. Of course, everybody
tended to take me at face value, not really seeing the depth that
existed within me. Another defence I have used over the many years,
the innocence of the apparent fool.
My advisor, Narcissus, entered my study with the usual
deference he would allow himself to show me, much as it would annoy
me for him to do so. He was a short little man in his middle years,
with thinning grey-brown hair and a round, rat-like face. His build
was also thin, and the early signs of a hunch were starting to show.
All those years of bowing and scraping must have their consequences,
I suppose. The package was neatly completed with a simple, grey-
blue gown that had seen too many years of wear, although it could be
one of an entire collection, for I rarely saw him wear anything
else. "You called for me, Ma'am?" He scampered across the floor,
towards me, like a rodent.
"Oh, of course I did. Who else can you see in this room?" I
gestured around, expansively, to all the dark grottoes that existed
within my study, filled with books and manuscripts, many of which I
had produced myself. With the imbecility of one who was trying to
hard to humour me, he glanced into these dark corners, then
shrugged, smiling all the time. The sight of his crooked teeth gave
me no pleasure. I sighed and waved at him, dismissively, then
gestured to the bottle of wine. "I take it this burgundy was chosen
by the chef, Thylassis?"
"Yes, ma'am. Is there anything wrong with his choice?" He
leaned forward, feigning concern. Always feigning concern for
everything I did. I have had many advisors in my long life, and
they all feigned concern for me. I knew better. Nobody ever rose
to the position of a Senshi's advisor without harbouring some great
ambition. Not within the body politic of the Council of Elders.
Something we all had to learn quickly upon the death of Jupiter,
slaughtered through the deceptive practices of her own advisor,
Entrimedes. I was the one who had the pleasure of uncovering he and
his band of co-conspirators... and the one who had the pleasure of
putting they and their families to death. Of course, Narcissus also
knew this.
"No, there is nothing wrong with the choice. In fact, I would
wish for you to commend Thylassis on his persistent brilliance in
always choosing the right wine for the occasion."
"When put like that, it almost sounds like he is doing it to
spite you, Madam Venus." I shot Narcissus a look, and he shifted
uncomfortably on his feet. He also knew when he'd overstepped the
mark, the two-faced toad.
"That is not what concerns me about this wine." Turning from
him, I picked up the bottle of wine and poured a small amount into
two silver goblets that had been sitting on my desk. Placing the
bottle to one side, I watched as the candlelight, that illuminated
my desk, reflected its flickering glow in a blood red mockery of its
original radiance. Narcissus said nothing, merely watching my
silent musings with a mixture of boredom and nervousness. Slowly, I
reached out to one of the goblets with my right hand, picking it up
and holding it aloft.
I turned my chair to face him, directly, and swirled the wine
in the goblet for the both of us to see. "This wine..." I started.
"Has a sweet bouquet. It entices me into its bloody, yet ethereal
depths. I feel most nervous about tasting a drop of this nature
before another. Call it a whim of mine." I held out the goblet for
Narcissus to take. He stared at it with wide eyes.
"You wish for me to taste the first drop, my lady?" The
concept seemed, somehow, abhorrent to him. I couldn't blame him.
He knew, as well as I, that there was a possibility the wine was
poisoned. Who knows, perhaps he was the one who arranged for it to
be. Well, there was only one way to be sure, and I wasn't going to
test it, myself.
"Yes, Narcissus. I wish for you to drink it before I indulge
myself. I feel, most desperately, like drinking myself into an
oblivion tonight, and it would be a pity if that oblivion... were to
be permanent." I underlined those final words with the air of
threat for which they were intended. Not that they needed to be,
for I could see that Narcissus understood, perfectly. He stared at
the proffered goblet, almost shivering with fear and anticipation.
Was it possible that he DID know something? That the wine was,
indeed, poisoned?
With a shaking hand, he took the goblet from mine. I
retrieved the hand and placed it in my lap, sitting with a
deliberate poise. I waited for him to sum up enough energy to down
the beverage, brushing down at the creases in my bright orange and
golden robes, noticing the stains and marks that came from wearing
them for too long. Perhaps I was spending altogether too much time
within the confines of my study? I pushed these thoughts away as he
lifted the goblet to his lips and downed the wine with several deep
gulps.
He let out a breath as he finished, and allowed himself to
lower the hand holding the goblet. Some of the wine ran from his
lower lip, down his chin, which he wiped away with his other hand,
shaking with a nervous tension. Then he started to breathe more
easily. "It is most.... palatable, my Lady Venus." He bowed to me,
slightly. "I highly recommend it to you."
I watched him for several minutes, leaning back in my chair.
He dared not move for fear of upsetting me. Only then, when he
continued to show no signs of ill health, did I put out my hand for
him to return the goblet. "So I see." I said, eventually. He
closed his eyes and shivered, then opened them again, handing me the
goblet. "Same time tomorrow, then?" I smiled, grimly. He nodded
and bowed to me.
"May I have permission to leave, Ma'am?"
"Oh yes, indeed you may. In fact, you may go home early,
tonight." He bowed again, then turned and strode to the doorway.
Just as he reached it, I added.... "Send your wife and children my
best wishes. I hope they continue to do well." He paused, not
looking back at me.
"I shall, my lady." And with that, he left, closing the door
behind him.
I returned to my desk, placing the empty goblet on the table
and touching the second, gently. One day, they might finally get
me. It might be one of a million ways, but they might just succeed.
But tonight was not going to be that time.
And I downed that goblet, as memories of innocent days,
surrounded by the warmth of friends, filled my mind.
Sievert Anathea Dienar sievertd@start.com.au
You better believe me. I don't own any of the characters I write
about, and have no intentions of ever owning them or using them for
personal financial gain. Of course, you might like to believe that
this is a possibility, but it'll only see you behind the locked
doors of a private hospital.
I sit within my study and glare at the bottle of wine,
wondering if this one is, too, poisoned. A lot of them seem to be,
lately. Well, those delivered to my good self, anyway. It makes me
smile, thinking of all those who wish to kill me. Yet there is
nothing that they do that I have not already done. They are all so
much younger than I, these days, and that age difference is my
defence.
I consider what I should do with the wine, its fruity bouquet
and juicy redness moistens my pallet, wishing to taste its delights.
But it is just as possible that I shall tip it into the garden,
outside my window, like I had done with the last bottle. The
thought of such a classic drop being brutalised in this fashion is
enough to make me want to weep, but as long as I value my life, I
must be careful.
"Narcissus!" I snap my fingers, turning from the large wooden
desk to the torchlit recesses of the doorway. It is amazing how I
have come to revel in this dark little bolt-hole, especially
considering my open nature as a young girl. Of course, everybody
tended to take me at face value, not really seeing the depth that
existed within me. Another defence I have used over the many years,
the innocence of the apparent fool.
My advisor, Narcissus, entered my study with the usual
deference he would allow himself to show me, much as it would annoy
me for him to do so. He was a short little man in his middle years,
with thinning grey-brown hair and a round, rat-like face. His build
was also thin, and the early signs of a hunch were starting to show.
All those years of bowing and scraping must have their consequences,
I suppose. The package was neatly completed with a simple, grey-
blue gown that had seen too many years of wear, although it could be
one of an entire collection, for I rarely saw him wear anything
else. "You called for me, Ma'am?" He scampered across the floor,
towards me, like a rodent.
"Oh, of course I did. Who else can you see in this room?" I
gestured around, expansively, to all the dark grottoes that existed
within my study, filled with books and manuscripts, many of which I
had produced myself. With the imbecility of one who was trying to
hard to humour me, he glanced into these dark corners, then
shrugged, smiling all the time. The sight of his crooked teeth gave
me no pleasure. I sighed and waved at him, dismissively, then
gestured to the bottle of wine. "I take it this burgundy was chosen
by the chef, Thylassis?"
"Yes, ma'am. Is there anything wrong with his choice?" He
leaned forward, feigning concern. Always feigning concern for
everything I did. I have had many advisors in my long life, and
they all feigned concern for me. I knew better. Nobody ever rose
to the position of a Senshi's advisor without harbouring some great
ambition. Not within the body politic of the Council of Elders.
Something we all had to learn quickly upon the death of Jupiter,
slaughtered through the deceptive practices of her own advisor,
Entrimedes. I was the one who had the pleasure of uncovering he and
his band of co-conspirators... and the one who had the pleasure of
putting they and their families to death. Of course, Narcissus also
knew this.
"No, there is nothing wrong with the choice. In fact, I would
wish for you to commend Thylassis on his persistent brilliance in
always choosing the right wine for the occasion."
"When put like that, it almost sounds like he is doing it to
spite you, Madam Venus." I shot Narcissus a look, and he shifted
uncomfortably on his feet. He also knew when he'd overstepped the
mark, the two-faced toad.
"That is not what concerns me about this wine." Turning from
him, I picked up the bottle of wine and poured a small amount into
two silver goblets that had been sitting on my desk. Placing the
bottle to one side, I watched as the candlelight, that illuminated
my desk, reflected its flickering glow in a blood red mockery of its
original radiance. Narcissus said nothing, merely watching my
silent musings with a mixture of boredom and nervousness. Slowly, I
reached out to one of the goblets with my right hand, picking it up
and holding it aloft.
I turned my chair to face him, directly, and swirled the wine
in the goblet for the both of us to see. "This wine..." I started.
"Has a sweet bouquet. It entices me into its bloody, yet ethereal
depths. I feel most nervous about tasting a drop of this nature
before another. Call it a whim of mine." I held out the goblet for
Narcissus to take. He stared at it with wide eyes.
"You wish for me to taste the first drop, my lady?" The
concept seemed, somehow, abhorrent to him. I couldn't blame him.
He knew, as well as I, that there was a possibility the wine was
poisoned. Who knows, perhaps he was the one who arranged for it to
be. Well, there was only one way to be sure, and I wasn't going to
test it, myself.
"Yes, Narcissus. I wish for you to drink it before I indulge
myself. I feel, most desperately, like drinking myself into an
oblivion tonight, and it would be a pity if that oblivion... were to
be permanent." I underlined those final words with the air of
threat for which they were intended. Not that they needed to be,
for I could see that Narcissus understood, perfectly. He stared at
the proffered goblet, almost shivering with fear and anticipation.
Was it possible that he DID know something? That the wine was,
indeed, poisoned?
With a shaking hand, he took the goblet from mine. I
retrieved the hand and placed it in my lap, sitting with a
deliberate poise. I waited for him to sum up enough energy to down
the beverage, brushing down at the creases in my bright orange and
golden robes, noticing the stains and marks that came from wearing
them for too long. Perhaps I was spending altogether too much time
within the confines of my study? I pushed these thoughts away as he
lifted the goblet to his lips and downed the wine with several deep
gulps.
He let out a breath as he finished, and allowed himself to
lower the hand holding the goblet. Some of the wine ran from his
lower lip, down his chin, which he wiped away with his other hand,
shaking with a nervous tension. Then he started to breathe more
easily. "It is most.... palatable, my Lady Venus." He bowed to me,
slightly. "I highly recommend it to you."
I watched him for several minutes, leaning back in my chair.
He dared not move for fear of upsetting me. Only then, when he
continued to show no signs of ill health, did I put out my hand for
him to return the goblet. "So I see." I said, eventually. He
closed his eyes and shivered, then opened them again, handing me the
goblet. "Same time tomorrow, then?" I smiled, grimly. He nodded
and bowed to me.
"May I have permission to leave, Ma'am?"
"Oh yes, indeed you may. In fact, you may go home early,
tonight." He bowed again, then turned and strode to the doorway.
Just as he reached it, I added.... "Send your wife and children my
best wishes. I hope they continue to do well." He paused, not
looking back at me.
"I shall, my lady." And with that, he left, closing the door
behind him.
I returned to my desk, placing the empty goblet on the table
and touching the second, gently. One day, they might finally get
me. It might be one of a million ways, but they might just succeed.
But tonight was not going to be that time.
And I downed that goblet, as memories of innocent days,
surrounded by the warmth of friends, filled my mind.
Sievert Anathea Dienar sievertd@start.com.au