After my escape, Evrett would send Claire off to The Eye and perhaps it was best, as they had their experience with Oracles. It was not fair that the circle handled her like an object for their, not so clear, agenda. As far as I knew, the common goal was to gain control over the village but that was already the case and it left me confused.
“Curl.” Bryon shook Claire by the shoulder. “Curly, it’s time to party.”
“I’m not in the mood,” she mumbled.
Bryon left to get dressed up, while I picked a fit for myself.
“Are you sure that you want to stay here?” I asked while caressing her.
“I’ll see you afterwards,” she said and I failed to tell her that there would be no afterwards. As long as she and I were safe from the inner circle, I could live with my cruel decision.
21. Parlor
This time, fewer people arrived and the music was slow, relaxing, rather than danceable and made everybody stay away from the dancefloor.
After a few drinks, couples paired up and swayed left to right while orbiting around other couples.
Tonio taught me the basic steps. “I’m glad to see things work out nicely,” he said.
“That’s what you call nicely?”
“It’s not ideal, somewhat off-road to the original plan but it’s not like you’re innocent in this outcome. Maybe you provoked it on purpose.”
My part in Claire’s worsening condition was undeniable. I had neglected her, even though I was aware of her sensitive character. Me running away would do good for both of us. Every conversation with the inner circle assured me of that.
As soon as we became tired of dancing, the party died down and carriage after carriage took the guests home, while our group remained awake.
We sat in the living room and listened to the clinging of cutlery and the removal of tables from their Wintergarden.
Yawning, I animated them to sleep, without success. I wanted to run away by sunrise, after excusing myself to the tower for a moment. As long as they didn’t leave me unattended, my personal plan shifted back by every hour we stood awake.
“Let’s go to the parlour,” Kress said. His head laid on Bryon’s chest, like many times before, only I had assumed it to be the closest of friendships.
“The parlour?” I asked.
“Oh, no,” Tonio sighed.
“Oh, yes,” Kress jumped up. “Now, we’re definitely going.”
We let the carriage take us to the coast, not to the harbour, but further West, where the stench of fish was out of reach.
The architecture of the parlour seemed familiar, almost Southern, with its sand-coloured pillars and triangle windows.
When Kress swung open the door, a cloud of smoke and servants in revealing outfits greeted us.
“Master Colvin,” a woman with a covered face offered him a chalice of wine, “the usual?”
He looked over to me and Tonio, who hid his face by looking in another direction. “More, for my company.”
We walked by niches and I got a glimpse of the scenes. Different groups sat on the floor behind a low table that offered drinks and food. They smoked through long pipes but not Sosden. The odour was fruity and the smoke as dense as fog. They engage in kissing and other bodily pleasures.
The parlour turned out to be a luxurious brothel.
Tonio nudged me. “It’s impolite to stare.”
We entered a suite, one of the few that had heavy curtains for doors, unlike most of them, that were separated by colourful but translucent fabric.
The room contained a large bed and many sofas. Just like in the other niches, the piped instrument stood on the low table and a servant prepared it with heated coal. Afterwards, he presented many glass containers, filled with different Morell—a distant relative of Sosden, Tonio informed me.
Kress let me sniff on every container and pick one. I chose the one they called ‘Strawberry’ and when I took my first breath, its taste fulfilled my expectations.
Unlike Sosden, Morell awoke my desires instead of numbing my limbs and made me forget the urgency of my escape.
After eating biscuits covered in green nuts, the entrance-lady made her servants line up in front of us. They all wore more or less translucent masks from their nose bridges down to their chins. Tonio took deep breaths out of the pipe, nervously looking at and away from me.
“Soon to be weds, you go first,” Kress said, “you can get bored of each other elsewhen.” He was the perfect host, always caring for our comfort with little things. They accumulated over time until I appreciated him more than the rest of the circle. Knowing his orientation made me relate to him even more.
Tonio looked over to me, searching for my approval and I nodded to him.
“Shalea,” he pointed at a dark-skinned girl with black curls. She looked like a slender version of Claire.
The main-lady took off Shalea’s mask and let her lay down in Tonio’s lap. I remained silent, though their bodies were seducing, as was the Morell.
All eyes were on me.
“Liarana and Dela,” Kress pointed at two girls, “for the dear wife. Make sure to leave a pleasant first impression.” He had known of my preferences, too, and I didn’t mind, as they were magnificent girls.
I would disappear anyway, I thought and let the worries go for the night.
Then, I watched Kress and Bryon pick their favourites, male and female. It was the first time I saw Kress kiss another man. His body moved carefree and he smiled more than he usually would, or more authentic you could say. His preference was not a perversion in the parlour.
The girls filled a pipe with Morell and ignited it for me before they led me to the bed, where I would lie between them.
“You’re fascinating,” Dela whispered to me. “You’ve come from far far away.”
“Your eyes are as black as the deep sea,” Liarana
