Kelan sat in the Prima's office looking at a cute young waif of a girl standing before him in little more than a silk nightgown. "I suppose she will do. She looks like she would break as soon as you touch her. You said she was a ward of the temple? So no family?"
"Yes, she was dumped here as a small child. As for how frail she is, You will have to be the judge of that, Kelan. Go on, Alina. Go get ready. You will train with Kelan for a while, understand? Learn well from him, and do not disappoint me." Zadok said.
"Yes, Prima." She said and bowed. "Is there anything I need to be aware of to pack properly?"
Kelan leered, "Clothes will not be of much concern."
Alina blushed madly and backed out of the office.
Kelan watched as the Prima squirmed, "What? never had the courage to pop that cherry yourself? Jealous I am going to beat you to it?"
"No, of course not. Don't think such blasphemy of me."
A grin crossed Kelan's face as he jested, "Psh, if half the rumors my spies stir up are true, you likely are the cause of there being so few priestess's left in Targu. Not that Bayan is much safer for them. My home is always open to them of course. I have no problem providing for their, hem, physical needs."
"And what of our other deal?" the Prima prodded.
"Yes, Yes. The little bitch is proving to be a bit more of a chase than I anticipated. I thought you groomed her for marriage for years. She doesn't at all seem to have taken to that notion." Kelan complained
"I have been working on her, but ever since she broke into that stone room, she had it in her head that she is something special. That is a hard notion to squash once sparked. Kerrigan will come around in due time."
"Well, no matter. Her secretary gave me some good insight. Though I may still need to deal with that one." He paused to consider. "I do hate loose ends. Can she keep her mouth shut?"
"Who? The secretary? Hmm, she has family, so there is leverage. If you need it." Zadok offered.
Kelan frowned, "Three can keep a secret when two are dead. So, I will take care of it. Never you mind."
"Perhaps if you learned some self-control, you might not bruise them so badly," Zadok said with a frown.
"Where is the fun in that?" Kelan stood and summoned his own servant, "Have someone go to Dragon Corporation tomorrow evening. Katie drives an old blue car, normally parked in the back corner of the garage. She likely isn't going anywhere other than home tonight as sacred as she seemed. However, I want to make sure she doesn't get any ideas tomorrow of trying to run or something stupid."
Zadok stood, "Stupid? What do you think she might do?"
"Dear Zadok, the weak seek the strong to defend them. You know this. She may try to hire some street thugs to mess with me. She is more likely to get hurt herself by such people, so one can never be too careful." Kelan grinned maliciously. "You never know when the one you ask for help might be the one to stick the knife in your back."
"Kelan, you may have the run of Bayan Province, but I cannot have you simply killing people indiscriminately in my home court. It reflects poorly upon the temple and on our city." Zadok complained.
"My dear Prima, you vastly underestimate me. I don't 'kill' people. Problems simply, shall we say, permanently disappear, never to be seen or heard from again. I am not asking them to deal with her this time, simply keep an eye on her for now. If she makes a poor decision, well then, I have to make sure that decision does not affect our future plans. Don't worry it will be handled quietly."
Prima Zadok looked unconvinced but nodded slowly, "No wonder there are nothing but rumors around you. Fine. I will not ask questions. There are some things I don't want to know. But if my temple starts being affected by your 'dealings', we will have issues. Understood?"
"Yes, Prima. I will do my best to leave your little haram alone. I do appreciate you allowing me to have Alina. I will be sure to talk with my father about inviting you to next month's Lords meeting in the capital. It should prove to be enlightening for you to see how this kingdom's finances are truly allocated."
Zadok smiled, "I look forward to his invitation. In the meantime, be careful with Lokir. She has some claws of her own, and should she decide to use them against you, it could prove bloody."
Kelan plucked a grape from a bowl beside his chair, and slowly peeled the skin, revealing soft fleshy pulp. "I don't mind a bit of blood. It keeps the game, interesting."
"I am serious, Kelan. She is more than just some orphan. She is a public figure."
"Zadok are you telling me that she has family to be worried about?"
"Kelan, regardless of any family, Kerrigan is not some nameless face. She is very truly the face of Dragon Corporation. The whole kingdom would be on the hunt if she were to suddenly come up missing without a trace. The fucking media would even get involved in a case like hers."
Kelan frowned but shrugged, "I wasn't planning to kill her, Zadok. You and I both need her for now. I was just going to... soften her up some. I suppose she does hold a challenge in figuring out how to break her without destroying public trust. I think that will be part of the fun. Besides, once I conqu that one, we can both be rich beyond reason. Just think about how much my father will be willing to pay for increasing his market share into Targu province. You might just be considered the hero of Dragon Corporation once you out the little bitch and give Dragon Corporation proper management."
Zadok smiled at that concept. "Indeed. Now, young benedict, I have things I need to address."
Kelan stood, "Of course of course." Kelan left the prima to stew over his words. Kelan hoped his nudges and suggestions would make the prima more admenable to his future dealings. Now... to deal with Katie. She would be a fun one to finish.