What Phinneas Saw, Part 1
A peek into what Phinneas thought the first time he met Mairead and Connor...
Good morning, threes of fans!
As promised, I'm bringing you something different today--a scene from Ravenmarked that I've rewritten from a different point of view. As I've started delving into the lore of The Taurin Chronicles more, I've found myself wondering what Phinneas knew and when he knew it. This revised scene answers a little bit of that.
In the original, this scene broke across two chapters--the first part from Mairead's point of view, the second part from Connor's point of view. When I rewrote the whole thing into one scene, it turned out very long, so I'm splitting it into two parts. I'll bring you part two next week.
Without further ado, here's what Phinneas saw when he met Mairead and Connor for the first time.
Phinneas looked up at the knock on his study door. “Yes, Shen?”
The young man entered the room and bowed, hands folded inside his sleeves. “The slaver sends word of another girl for you to examine, holy one,” he said in Amuni.
Phinneas held up a finger. “In Taurin.”
Shen bowed again. “Forgive me, holy one.” He repeated the message and held out a piece of parchment. “He says this one originally came from Taura and that she was in the care of Prince Henry.”
That piqued Phinneas’ interest. “Noble?”
“He is unsure. She claims she is not, but he says she is educated.”
Phinneas leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers under his chin. The requests for his examination were increasing, and the trips were almost always worthless. Both Allyn and Mac Mahon had learned that Phinneas was willing to pay well for any girl who had even a smattering of the qualities he wanted for a member of his sect. But the emperor wearies of funding these endeavors without something to show for it. How many more girls can I send back before I find the one we seek? Already, the facilities in the Zh’asta Mountains strained with the number of people he’d sent back for training. And what have we to show for it? “What do you think, Shen?”
Shen gaped and blinked nervously. “Holy one?”
“You have read all the same texts I’ve read, or all the important ones, at least. You know who we seek. My visions have narrowed us to this place in this general time, but no more specific guidance, no matter how I wander in time or spirit. Do you believe this girl, this time, this description is the one we seek?”
The young man hesitated. Phinneas liked Shen. He had an earnest, serious nature and undertook his duties without complaint. Phinneas had taken him from the emperor’s court when he was not yet fully grown and brought him to this place—this wilderness outpost, this disappointing place full of brutality and need. While Shen showed no significant gift for creating wonders, he nonetheless demonstrated a sharp mind and dedication to their cause—without the corruption that would have come with remaining in the emperor’s court.
Shen held out his hand. “May I see the note again?” Phinneas gestured to where it lay on his desk, and Shen picked it up and read it. “If she originally came from Taura, that’s a good sign. He describes her as about twenty years old—that’s the right age. And the fact that she was Prince Henry’s ward could mean that she has some noble blood or comes from an elite family.”
“The texts are clear that she will not proclaim her nobility.”
“That does not mean that no one will recognize her nobility. It could only mean that she travels without pomp or that she dresses as a peasant.”
“We have said these things about other women.”
Shen frowned. “Do we not have an obligation to investigate each one?”
Phinneas inclined his head. I can’t risk missing her. What if this is the one? “Have my horse saddled. I’ll be away shortly.” Shen retreated, head lowered as he left the room.
Phinneas opened his safe and removed a bag of gold from the piles already sorted and weighed. He considered for a moment, then removed a second bag. If she is the one we’ve been looking for--
But he thought that every time, and every time, his hopes were dashed.
Not that these excursions hadn’t uncovered some beautiful, talented young women. He was proud of the work they’d done, rescuing young girls from the clutches of the brutal slaving empires Allyn and Mac Mahon had built. It meant sending them to the far east, but they gave them a better life in the process—a chance to practice and refine their true gifts, to live free of the yoke of slavery.
Keep reassuring yourself.
Phinneas grimaced. They all had a choice.
He found his horse saddled at the door of his house, and he mounted while Shen held the gelding still. “Have rooms prepared for her.” Shen inclined his head, and Phinneas trotted out of the gate, shivering slightly as he passed through the wards.
Once on the plains, he took a deep breath of the clear night air. There was a time he thought he would never become accustomed to the climate of the steppe, but as the decades passed, every winter became easier. He was reminded this night of his youth in the Zh’asta Mountains, learning from the other eunuchs, discovering for the first time that he could manipulate time and spirit, understanding that simply drawing the feel of a future summer onto his body could warm him. And now I no longer need such tricks—at least, not usually. Now, I am as comfortable on the plains as I ever was on the mountain or the shore.
When he arrived at Allyn’s camp, he could hear women and children crying, men moaning in pain. Somewhere, a thug was beating someone, and from the sound of it, the victim had little life left. Phinneas swallowed hard and tightened his fists. This is not your time, he reminded himself. This is not the moment to demonstrate your power. You are here for one woman—one, only. “Your master sent for me,” he told the man at the gate.
The man nodded and let him through, and Phinneas trotted to the house and dismounted. As he did, he shivered at a disturbance in the elements. He looked around, frowning.
“Something wrong, eunuch?”
Phinneas shook his head. “Your master—he said he has a girl for me to examine.”
The guard nodded. “This way.” He led Phinneas into the house and up the stairs.
Phinneas could hear the shouting, the struggle, the blows as they approached the room, and he resisted the urge to tell the man to hurry. The man knocked on the door.
“I’m busy,” came the reply.
“It’s Phinneas. He wants to see the girl.”
There was a long pause, one more faint whimper, one more kick, and then the door opened. Phinneas looked up into the brutal, angry face of the slaver Allyn as the man tied his breeches. He spat and muttered epithets designed to insult both Phinneas and the young woman.
Phinneas ignored the insults and stepped past him to see the mostly naked young woman lying on the floor, curled into a fetal position, struggling to breathe through what was likely a broken nose. “You’ve raped her? When you knew I was interested?”
“Ye caught me before I could finish. She’s still a virgin.”
Phinneas knelt next to her and put two fingers on her temple. The girl winced as he brushed near her swollen eye. “You’ve beaten her badly.”
“Fine. Leave her. I’ll take what I can and put her in a brothel. She’ll earn her keep.”
“Do you know if she’s educated?”
“Claims she was raised in a sayada. She acts noble.”
Phinneas closed his eyes and summoned spirit.
It rushed up so fast, so intensely, that he almost toppled backward. The flame of the girl’s spirit nearly overwhelmed him as it greeted the exploratory strands he channeled into her mind. Fierce, bright with purpose, mission. This woman could conquer continents, lead armies, bear kings. She has both mercy and brutality in equal amounts. And her strength—gods, this may be the strongest woman I’ve ever found.
It took a moment to gather his composure before he could speak. I can’t be certain—I can’t know it’s the lioness—but I cannot leave her here. At the very least, she would make a brilliant assassin. “I will take her.” Don’t reveal what you’ve found—don’t show that she’s any more valuable than any other I’ve rescued. Phinneas stood and held out the coins. “One thousand. Our standard payment for a girl like this.”
Allyn didn’t move or speak for some time. “One thousand. Your best offer?”
“You could buy ten youthful girls for a thousand gold pieces. For a girl with education, beauty, and virginity, a thousand is a fair price.”
Allyn grunted. “All right. One thousand.”
The money changed hands, and Phinneas pointed at the girl. “I want her cleaned up.”
“She’s your problem now. Take her as she is.” Allyn walked away and closed the door.
Phinneas knelt next to her again. He supposed that if he were interested in such things, he would find her quite beautiful. If she weren’t beaten half to death. “Can you talk?”
The woman forced her eyes as open as she could and turned her head toward him. “Who are you?”
“You may call me Phinneas for now.” He untied her and helped restore her modesty, then steadied her as she stood. She pulled up her breeches and tied them, hands shaking, but more composed than any woman in such a position had reason to be. “I’ll attend your wounds when we’re away. Can you walk?”
“I think so. Where are you taking me?”
“For now, to the camps. After I’ve treated your wounds and you can travel, to Tal’Amun.” He tied her torn tunic closed. “Put on your boots.”
She walked shakily to the boots and sat down on the cot to pull them on. “So I’m to be a concubine for your emperor?”
“No. I have another plan for you. But I need to test you first.” Phinneas reached into his robes and pulled out a dagger. He gave it to her hilt first. “Before we go, you must kill Allyn.”
Come back next week to find out what Phinneas thought of Connor the first time they met!
Until next week!