The room we went into was draped with gauzy, bright fabrics that fluttered in a mysterious breeze. Neither fan, nor open window could account for the draft. There were carpets and pillows on the ground. The only furniture was a table covered with paint supplies and a stack of canvases.
In the corner of the room, easels rested against the wall. Moroccan-styled metal lamps with colored glass hung down from the ceiling. They emitted scented smoke, but the air smelled off. There was a burnt hair smell under the bizarre layer of sweet and pungent smells. It tickled my nose, threatening to make me sneeze.
In all there were maybe twenty of us gathered in the art room. Emma Lynn stood near the canvases and everyone else sat on a pillow. The idle chit chat of before was gone, in its place was a sense of anticipation. Each of them sat with straight backs, eager to please as they waited to hear what their surprise was. It was creepy and reminded me of those pod people who are humans that get taken over by aliens. None of these people acted normal. And the smoke was itching my throat and making my nose tickle. I fought back a sneeze.
Muffin was already sprawled on the floor, taking up more room than I thought possible. It was the kind of sprawling only dogs did. His switch from defensive guard dog to sleepy was weird. It was so sudden. I’d like to think it was because the threat was gone, but nothing was normal about this case or my other one, so why would this art lesson be any different?
“Now that everyone is settled, are you ready for the surprise?” asked Emma Lynn.
Quiet murmurs of yes was the only response. A man entered the room and someone cried out. Another person fell off their pillow prostrating himself and mumbling gibberish. Some were shaking. It was even more bizarre than their previous behavior. What have I gotten myself into?
Chills ran up and down my body and my adrenaline surged. If I didn’t need to solve the case so badly, I’d leave and only come back with weapons. Leia insisted that no one was permitted to bring weapons to this event. Why was it that every single freaking time I needed my weapons, I was in a position where I couldn’t have them?
“Be still and at peace, my children. I did not mean to overwhelm you. I’m here to observe your lesson,” said the man in a singsong voice. It was a voice that was soothing, but also captivating. I leaned forward to catch each word, feeling that if I missed a single one, I’d be somehow missing out.
“We have a guest,” said Emma Lynn.
“A guest and an animal. Welcome. We accept all who are searching to connect with The True One. May your experience here open you up to new possibilities,” he said.
Now that wasn’t creepy or anything. Even Muffin was sitting up and no longer relaxed. That was confirmation enough that I was right to be wary of this place and also the silver-tongue preacher or whatever he is.
“Jarl, your highness, the guest is mine. Her name is Marty,” said Leia in a soft voice.
“Welcome Marty,” said the group in an eerie monotone that came out as a single voice rather multiple ones.
“Please bring her to see me after the lesson. Now, I’ve taken away enough of your time with Emma Lynn. Please continue,” he said.
Emma Lynn clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. I faced towards her, but kept my body at an angle, so I could discretely study Jarl. Even from here, I could feel an obscene amount of magic coming off him. It crashed into me and almost made me rock back from its strength. It made my own rise up protectively.
Muffin shifted closer to me until his side was pressed against my knee. Once he made contact with my leg, his rigid posture relaxed a bit. I scratched behind his ears and he leaned into me more. I fought back a smile.
Emma Lynn asked everyone to select an easel. I sat in front of mine dumbfounded. No one else had that problem. They held paint brushes at the ready, eager to show their artistic mastery. Somewhere a gong was struck and everyone stilled.
“Close your eyes. Clear your minds. Open yourself up to the greatness that is The True One,” said Jarl. “Center yourself. Take deep calming breaths.”
I found myself doing exactly what he asked.
“Can you please tell your animal to stop eating the cushions,” said Jarl.
My eyes snapped open and I saw that Muffin was happily gnawing away at a pillow. Dang it, way to make us look bad, buddy. I snatched it away from him after a brief tug of war. During the struggle, his eyes briefly flashed with fire. It was honest to god, literal flames. I thought only Hell Hounds had flames in their eyes, so what is wrong with my dog?
“Sorry everyone,” I said, and meant it. I was here to investigate and although it meant participating in some group meditation/painting thing, I still wanted things to progress as they normally did. When people felt uneasy or upset, it altered their normal interactions with each other. I relied on the things they said as well as the non-verbal. I hoped Muffin’s hankering for eating things he shouldn’t didn’t alter the standard group dynamics.
Someone laughed, breaking the tension, and Jarl smiled.
“Well then, it’s not every day we get a human guest and animal guest. Let’s continue, shall we?” he said.
I settled back down. Each inhalation of smoke made my head swim until my body felt light and fuzzy. My lips tingled and I grew more and more calm. They could patent this stuff and
