"Calanna, wait in here," Karya said to her assistant, waving toward the couch. "Dani, can we speak on your balcony? We're far less likely to be overheard out there," she added giving Dani a confidential smile. They walked together out on to the balcony. Karya turned to her, her expression grave.
"It's difficult to explain all of this, Dani," she said with a sigh. "Normally I wouldn't share this information at all, but under the circumstances it seems necessary. You'll need to keep this to yourself, of course. It isn't exactly public knowledge within the Guild," she added with a meaningful stare. There was power in that look and Dani had to stop herself from squirming like a chastened youngster. No wonder so many movers and shakers in the Guild feared this woman, she thought. She’d met Imperial commanders with less authoritative gazes.
"For some reason, Lord Von'hot has been less than cooperative toward the Guild since he inherited the title last year. He allows us to continue our work here, but he hasn't been very forthcoming about policing the unauthorized pleasure houses and brothels that are always springing up in the city. He’s also cut off several other sources of revenue, and we’ve recently discovered his people have been working against us on a number of business ventures. To be quite honest, it’s undermined our position here considerably. We've been keeping the situation quiet, of course. The last thing we want is for every Lord and ruler throughout the Empire to follow suit."
Dani gasped. The implications for the Guild were too horrible to imagine—for centuries the Guild had maintained a monopoly on the pleasure industry, protecting their members and keeping them safe from exploitation. How many thousands, hundreds of thousands of women, would find themselves without protection if the Guild faltered? They had always been completely independent of local politics…
"How have you managed to keep this a secret?" she whispered, stricken. "I've never even heard rumors about this."
"We've been extremely cautious," Karya said, suddenly looking her age for the first time. "It's why I've been stationed here, to keep an eye on things. Lord Von'hot is a very dangerous man, and he has peculiar ideas on how his people should live. His entire family has always been that way. I'm sure you've noticed the lack of slaves here?"
"Yes," Dani said, thinking quickly. "It's actually one of the things I've liked best about this planet."
"Yes, we all like it," Karya said absently. "After all, the Guild has never allowed members to keep slaves. In fact, we’ve always felt a certain natural alliance with the Von'hots, a shared sense of values because of it. After all, they outlawed slavery five hundred years ago. I suppose it’s part of what led us to lower our defenses here…”
Her voice trailed off, and she seemed lost in thought, almost sad. Dani coughed uncomfortably.
She realized she was getting a glimpse of Karya that few people saw. The older woman blinked several times, then turned back to her.
“Drake Von'hot is very subtle, far more subtle than his older brother ever was,” Karya continued. "In the time since he's inherited, Drake has eroded our power here to the point that we no longer have access to intelligence about his troop movements. We haven’t been able to manipulate the financial markets for months, and he’s even managed to have considerable assets confiscated or frozen.
All of this has been done behind the safety of dummy corporations, of course. We can’t prove anything.
“The worst, though, it our loss of control over the pleasure houses,” she said, her face grim.
“More than 200 Guild-owned pleasure houses have been shut down or gone out of business in the past year. Independent contractors have taken over. And you know what that means."
Dani nodded, her stomach twisting in knots at the thought. Independent pleasure workers, without the power of the Pleasure Guild behind them, were open to exploitation. Often all their money went to pimps, and they rarely had any future or retirement. Even the most foolish of Guild workers had a solid future following retirement. She had seen first-hand what could happen to women in that situation in the mining belts and space stations of the disputed territories. It wasn’t pretty.
"What is he thinking?" she asked, genuinely confused. Usually rulers were welcoming to Guild workers. They paid their taxes and helped keep crime under control. Lord Von'hot's attitude simply didn't make any sense.
"I have no idea," Karya said, holding her hands out in a gesture of helplessness. "I've been to any number events with him since he came into power following his brother’s death, and he's hardly acknowledged me. He's never been willing to meet with Guild representatives in a formal capacity at all.
That's why I was so surprised to hear he had an interest in you. Have you even met him?"
"No," Dani replied, deeply confused. Aside from her fellow Guild members and the people at the diplomatic reception last night, she hadn't met anyone on Von'hotten.
"Well, it would be a great service to the Guild, and to me personally, if you would meet with him," Karya said with a sigh. "I realize you've retired, but this is the best chance we've had to get close to him since we realized what was happening. We can't afford to let it slip through our fingers."
"Yes, of course," Dani said, a feeling of helplessness coming over her. During her time with the Guild she'd entertained hundreds of clients, but always men of her own choosing. She didn't care for Lord Von'hot's attitude, simply ordering her to appear at a given time. But the Guild needed her; there was no escaping that fact. She owed her Guild sisters everything. She wouldn’t fail them now.
"How shall I make the arrangements?" she asked, looking up at Karya with confusion. "I have no idea how to contact him," she added with an uneasy laugh. "I suspect he's not listed in the city directory…"
"I'll take care of that," Karya said, giving her a relieved smile. "You'll be well-compensated for your time and effort. Simply try to find out as much about him as possible. I don't have a specific assignment for you, just to get close to him. Anything you can tell us is helpful."
"I'll do my best," Dani said, looking at Karya earnestly. “I know my duty.”
"Thank you, child," Karya said. "I knew I could count on you. Now, let's go back inside. I've brought you a special outfit to wear, and some jewelry. I thought you deserved something new and lovely, seeing as you're willing to do this favor for me."