House Shivashi Blood For Blood Pt 01

Author's Note: House Shivashi is a 3-part series with a central theme and recurring characters. It follows the events of House Ravenin - The Folded Path, set thirteen years after its completion. As such, it is suggested to read in numerical order to maintain continuity.

This is a story with sex, as opposed to sex with a story. Anticipate deep conversations, intimate connections, and heartfelt moments. All sexual activity is performed by those of age 18+. Please do not copy any of the text for public usage without my permission.I welcome constructive feedback and comments.

On a personal note, I wanted to thank all those who took time to vote and offer their constructiveness on House Ravenin. It has been truly buoying to know others are enjoying the story as much as I am in writing it. Thank you 

***

Introduction

There are some things you should know, important things in keeping with the way the world is today. I am not the Masters that came before me, nor the one who trained me. I was always going to become something different, my own light to shine as I saw fit in the wake of my decisions; choices that have defined legacies.

"The most important thing is that your light shines defiantly."

Those are the words from Master Ravenin, the only one who took time to truly understand me. He saw my true self buried beneath so many layers of lies and horrible pain, drawing out my sincere identity and letting me claim it as my own. He gave me back my life, my name, and my purpose; my whole being returned that had been concealed for so long.

There are debts in this world that I will never be able to repay. Master Ravenin's kindness, honesty, and love will always be one of them. It is a recompense I will happily spend my life returning.

Thirteen years have passed since I recovered who I was, and in that time I have served a House and Master whose warm ideals have always been inspirational and tranquil. Our daughter, Merue, has grown up kind and safe, never knowing the spying thief and assassin that her mother used to be. She only knows the woman who raised her, a warm, caring heart matching the endless dedication to house and family.

The easy smile I see on Merue's face exposes every reason for why I continue to be as I am, paving the unerring road for what I do next. There are debts in this world that are not mine to pay. Those who wronged my House, razed it to the ground and left ashes in their wake, would learn why the ire of a Shivashi was something not to be sought after or coveted.

"The storms of our lives don't wait, they claim."

, Master Ravenin had told me once.

I am Alasia, heiress to House Shivashi, and I will have my vengeance

Day 1

Whether through design or accident, the elven port town of the Western Reaches named Gar-O-Nitao, The Edge of the Razor, was shaped like a pitchfork. The path that ran down its center was straight as an arrow, allowing for travelers to move from the main gate all the way down to the bustling seaside market and shipyard in relatively short time. The long prongs of growing residentiary ran parallel to the main concourse, ever expanding in pairs and curving perfectly down to the water's edge.

Seeing all the salted stone and mossy cobbles glowing from the faint lanterns that lined the ill-repaired roads, one could easily assume that life was neither sanitary nor pleasant for those that lived there. In many regards, those observations would be correct. Gar-O-Nitao wasn't a place you chose to be, rather it was a trading post that one had to deal with.

The rickety wooden door loudly creaked as I pushed through it. The dull bell above it gave an off-kilter sound, heralding me into the small shop named Scavvy's. The haphazard piles of rusted metal and moldy wood on either side of me left way for a small path to form between them, making the small business look more like a run-down scrap bin.

I followed a rhythmic grinding sound as I wove through the sorted piles of refuse, rounding the sharpened corner made of a short stack of broken crates, to behold the sight of a black stone grinding wheel spinning over and over.

The short man at the grinder's helm stared at the short blade he was sharpening from behind a pair of dark-tinted glasses, errant sparks flying off as he twisted the sharp piece of metal. The glow of hot steel caught in the gloss across his leather-gloved hands, the constant press of the foot pedal beneath the station keeping the speed even and true.

I watched for a few minutes as the metalworker focused on the piece he was shaping, drawing it up a few times to examine its current form before placing it back down and slightly twisting it. I was amazed at his professionalism, along with the fact that he hadn't caught any of his scraggly brown hair on fire.

With a quick pull the blacksmith drew the metal off and doused it into a thin bucket of water, sizzling bubbles pairing with a respectable plume of steam. When he drew the piece back out it was black like oil, a thick leather finger rubbing across and testing its edge and form. He lifted his darkened spectacles up and turned the blackened shard of metal in his hands, discerning green eyes carefully examining it.

"You must be Scav," I offered, my voice carrying through the fading cloud of steam. "I've come to you on business."

"Oh? And who sent you, pray tell?" Scav hummed, seemingly disinterested in giving me his full appraisal. "I'm not expecting anyone, and I pay very well to remain connected to know such things."

"I only just arrived in town, so no doubt your network barely knows of my presence," I said, setting a soft grin on my lips. "I made sure of it."

Scav finally turned his unblinking green gaze upward, something akin to respect and familiarity lighting in that soft, silver-wisped glint. "Is that so? Well, I suppose I'll have to pay my people more to ensure I am better informed."

Scav set the metal shard down and slipped his right hand down to his side. My amethyst eyes didn't miss the hilt of a blade now near his fingertips. Whatever Scav was doing with his right hand was meant to draw my attention, his left sneakily curling into the hollow of another crate on the opposite side.

"Now that I get a good look at you, there is something I recognize. Deep brown hair, amethyst eyes, sharp nose," Scav hummed, his tone low as though it was a closely-guarded secret. "I knew a lady like that who once worked for a Master that frequented this town. We had two, then we had none."

"Strangely enough, that same lady matching your unique description once frequented this very establishment," Scav continued, clear acknowledgement in his firm tone. "She was a killer, serving the Master named Mirakantao. Gone for some years now, just over a decade of silence from a once very knowledgeable and fierce lady."

I nodded and took a step closer, carefully watching Scav's movements. He didn't react other than tensing his arms, which was strangely telling considering he had two weapons ready to use. Had I been someone of an identified threat, I never would have made it through the door.

"So tell me, Scav, what happened to this cunning lady you mentioned?" I politely inquired. "Did she meet her end with a blade?"

"Quite the opposite, if hearsay serves as facts," Scav said with a genuine lilt of humor in his voice, leaning back in his low-mounted chair. "Last rumor I heard the Ivory Council got ahold of her, turning her against her previous Master, Mirakantao. Just a rumor, of course, nothing solid. That self-same rumor implies she hung up her blades and is now playing house with some human noble across the border, making babies along with a respectable name for herself."

Scav leaned closer, his conspirator tone turning to intrigue. "Tell me, which rumor is true?"

I nodded and set my lips with a knowing grin, idly running my fingers over the top of his black stone grinding wheel. "I guess that depends on who you ask, as the old saying goes. If Master Mirakantao has fallen, and Master Kalinash just before on the same day, then no doubt the repercussions would have been felt here."

With a sharp note of feigned impropriety I raised my hands and covered my lips, as though trying to recapture the fallen words. "Oh, you didn't mention the second Master, did you? I hope I didn't misspeak."

Scav crossed his burly arms across his stout chest, shaking his head. "That's old news. Quite a few things have happened in Gar-O-Nitao within the last thirteen years, for better or worse. Losing two Masters definitely didn't go unnoticed. There was also that incident of the mercenary army being disbanded, the power vacuum left as

Sonnaju

stepped back into the shadows, and then the power play of the merchant guilds as they quickly forced themselves onto the scene."

"Ah, business will go on, won't it? It's what this little hovel is based on, having what people need and when they need it?" I smirked, popping the button on my chocolate brown jacket and opening it before sitting down on a crate across from Scav. "As for this lady we were talking about, I'll be sure to keep an eye out. I do seem to remember her visage being one kin to the Shivashi bloodline, yes?"

Scav nodded, easing closer as his tone shifted to near-reverence. "The late House Shivashi, yes. Their manor and seat of power was razed some time ago, catching the brunt of

Sonnaju's

and House Arktas' combined venom when Master Mirakantao came into power. I knew Dorail and Shinna. They wanted what was best for the Western Reaches, receiving the torch for their efforts."

The Sea at Night of my mental discipline suddenly churned with the after images of raging fire and tumbling stone. Blocks of aged heritage shifted and cracked against each other, colliding and crushing my lineage to dust. It was only a flicker of the past, yet the emotional turmoil left in its wake secretly rocked my being.

"Then imagine what such a daughter, once a trained killer now a dignified noble, could bring to bear against her enemies." My tone and eyes were solid, form unshaking and focused. "Venture a thought as well, Scav, what good friends could reap by assisting her."

I slowly drew my hand out of my jacket pocket, long fingers uncurling from around a small sphere of ancient jade marbled with black. As I rolled my fingers downward the orb followed the angle, Scav quickly reaching up to catch it. The marbled jade dropped into Scav's palm with the weighty feel of a bargain struck, the look inside his suddenly wide green eyes saying everything his words could not.

The lost daughter of Shivashi was standing before him, and she was ready to clean house.

Scav eased away the measurement of expensive jade with a flourish of practiced larceny and guile, barely giving it a second thought. The gravity of the agreement had settled deep into his green eyes, though, a shrug easing the tension from his shoulders with his kind grin keeping it afloat.

"Well, if the daughter of Shivashi has resurfaced, she would do well to quickly become abreast of situations concerning her return," Scav kindly informed, the tension in the room fully evaporating. "The tides have turned, and not in favor of resurrected houses."

Scav drew out two tin cups and set them between us, uncorking a mint green bottle and pouring each of us half of a serving. We lifted our cups and lightly touched them before drinking. The seafoam green liquid, called Snowdrift Tears, was cool mint as it hit my throat then quickly warmed to cinnamon as it melted into my stomach.

Setting my glass down as he did, Scav gave us both another shot before I said anything. "So, speak to me of the tides. I would hear what has become of the Western Reaches in my absence."

Scav let out a heavy breath, the first sense of foreboding reluctantly seeping into his voice. "Gar-O-Nitao was never going to be good, nor evil. It is the forgotten gem of the Western Reaches, happy to wallow in the grime and keep its luster from ever shining again. The houses, too, seem keen on keeping it lawless. Better for business, and not the savory kind."

I nodded in understanding, Scav continuing.

"When House Shivashi fell, we all knew bad times were coming.

Sonnaju

slowly soaked up all the loose authority. Like kudzu left unchecked for too long, it grew into a suffocating blanket covering the Western Reaches. When they went back underground to lick their wounds from the loss of Master Mirakantao and their failed border campaign, it wasn't any surprise when House Arktas stepped in and offered a semblance of stability that was sorely needed."

Skav slowly swirled the Snowdrift Tears in his glass, his silver-wisped green eyes seeming duller than they were moments before.

"All House Arktas did was guarantee that old business was not stopped, ensuring new business had to pay a heavy tariff to even be considered. It became a sellers market at the buyers expense, so those with money prospered and those that did not suffered greatly."

"Illunais didn't step in to assist?" I curiously asked, slowly sipping my offered drink. "Seems they'd have a vested interest in ensuring Gar-O-Nitao remained in their control, if not neutral. Since Arlia to the east has no military to speak of, and Whalegon along with the northern waterway is under human occupation, it would only make sense."

"Yet, you know as well as I do that those on the mountain don't come down to see the peasants without good cause," Scav hummed into his glass. "They're embroiled in their own brand of unsettling and recovery as of late."

"One of the noble houses, House Ciav, was crippled from within after a lengthy tribunal was held. As such, Illunais' political structure is in flux due to the unhealthy laws that were passed while House Ciav was in power." Scav shook his head in futile acceptance. "I don't see them being of help to anyone, much less themselves. Ivory towers, and such nonsense."

"With no other power bases to speak of, that leaves The Edge of the Razor to fend for itself," I finished, taking a small pull and relishing the warmth spreading through me. "Better a corrupt house ruling, than no house at all."

Scav nodded and finished his drink, turning his cup upside down before setting it on the bench. "If another house were to make inroads into passively, if not actively, competing with Arktas, I can't honestly say with any accuracy which way the lower houses would side. The status quo is in effect, Arktas keeping everything quiet and peaceful in the absence of any stable leadership. Without financial support or good reason to balk, my guess is they'll stay near the fire that has kept them in better standings than the rest of the citizenry for the last decade."

I nodded and let out a breath, finishing my drink and turning over my cup. "Well, I guess we'll have to see if we can create a better fire for those lost pups to gather around. They'll remember who their true Master was, hopefully coming back without too much leash-pulling."

A grunt from Scav drew a raised eyebrow from me. "The world has moved on, much to our chagrin. House Shivashi is gone, and

Sonnaju

has disappeared. No amount of goodwill lasts after the stones have fallen and the crest of remembrance has been scorched."

"We'll see," I kindly offered, slowly standing up and buttoning my jacket before offering a curt head nod to Scav. "My thanks for the drink, and your time. I'm sure we'll be seeing more of each other in the future."

"As if there was any doubt in my mind," Scav hummed, not bothering to get up from his seat or out of reach of his weapons. "You know, of course, that this won't stay quiet for long. Your arrival will unsettle some grave dust long set in place. I would also assume, correctly, that I won't be the only one you'll be in contact with."

"I hold only a few assumptions, Scav. One of them is that you pay, and get paid, to be very well informed about a grand many things." I straightened my brown jacket then set him with my hard amethyst eyes. "I will forgive you if word of my return finds its way into other people's ears, as it no doubt will. I also assume, correctly, that what you've told me is factual and not flippant. Your reputation is on the line, and I don't think you've disregarded the importance of that in my absence."

Scav took time to absorb what I'd just said to him, nodding in earnest. "By blood and bone, my information is accurate. If it isn't, come claim what is yours and let the gods sort us out."

"Then our arrangement holds, and the payment is fair?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"The payment is sufficient to see us through more than a few dawns. That is assuming, however, that the horizon isn't burning with blistered house sigils within the fortnite." Scav gave a chuckle at the scorching thought, however his eyes were suddenly displaying a mote of an unnamed feeling that I was only able to catch a whiff of.

Was it hope I sensed, or fear?

After Scav's chuckle faded off I held his gaze for a few more seconds, tilting my head just a little and smirking. "Tell me, Scav. Do you remember what the motto of House Shivashi is?" My voice hung in the air around us, a threat gleaming like a guillotine.

"Blood for Blood, dating back to the Inclusion War and beyond," Scav murmured, a slight tremor racing along his right hand still on the table. "Everyone knows, you don't cross a Shivashi. Whatever slight you commit, is the ire you draw."

I nodded and gave a knowing nod to Scav, my eyes not leaving his. "Keep an eye on the horizon, Scav. Leave no doubt what my ire has drawn."

I eased back through the stacks of wood and metal, my sharp steps crossing the outer threshold as I heard Scav's faint voice reach my ears. "Welcome home, Master of House Shivashi."

***

Gar-O-Nitao was named for a particular reason, even though it had adopted many other aires and damnations during its continued existence. Each new name brought with it baleful legends and grim hauntings to the mind, its legacy becoming a stark warning to any who sought to set down stakes and claim a piece of it:

Knives in the Dark, the place of murderers and thieves. The Sapphire of the West, port town of pirates and mercenaries. The Shadowed Coast, where people went to get lost and stay hidden even under the most astute of scrutinies.

All the other names paled next to the one that stuck: The Edge of the Razor. A place where things began and ended, sharply and without warning. It was a city in constant flux, shifting like a melting pot of everything it came in contact with.

All walks of life, from beggars to nobles to everything between, changed the face of Gar-O-Nitao. Sometimes for a day, other times for a dynasty.

House Shivashi had never ruled Gar-O-Nitao, and nor did it want to. There was too much at stake for one house to claim dominance, much less the volatility that would ensue if such a thing stuck for more than a few years. The pot of gold that was Gar-O-Nitao wasn't for just one set of hands, and that's how it had been since its inception.

So, I ask you this: How did House Arktas maintain control over Gar-O-Nitao, uncontested, for over a decade? The answer is simple: Alone, they couldn't have.

Which led to the next question: If someone was helping or controlling House Arktas, who would they be? The answer, again, was simple: Someone bigger than them.

It was time to find out who was holding the strings to that puppet.

In many ways, Gar-O-Nitao and Kadatan were sister cities. They had their own kind of social biology, mimicking movements kin to groups in the wild of both predators and prey. If you knew which side was which, you could see the faint movements and subtle distinctions after some weeks of practice.