Chapter 7

A room full of eyes watched us. I scarcely dared to breathe; something in this room was wrong, and surely not only I felt it.

Then, applause broke out, beginning with the man seated furthest to the left and spreading its way through the tiny audience like a few sparks among kindling. Madam Dro joined in only at the end, though she also wore a smug look and a smile.

“Excellent!” announced the first man. “I’ll take three!” And a few others laughed warmly at what I presumed to have been a joke.

“That one!” A woman near the center pointed straight at Elodie. Her face appeared ageless, and she had hook-like fingers. The hunger in her eyes was clearly visible.

My bowels twisted painfully. Elodie did not even react.

“Nonsense!” Madam Dro scoffed, swatting the woman’s arm playfully. “We haven’t even begun the demonstrations. Curb your appetite, Jinete, or it may just swallow you whole!”

“But she’s gorgeous” the woman named Jinete protested, admiring Elodie up and down without any embarrassment. “If you all weren’t so blind, you’d call dibs on her, too!”

“No one is calling ‘dibs’.”

A figure near the back now rose from its perch. He was a tall man, made even taller by his placement in the chamber. A dark black robe hooded his face and filled out his body even more, so that he appeared to loom over the assembly like the shadow of a monster.

“That’s quite alright” Madam Dro said dismissively. “Make your preferences, surely, but stay your desires until after the demonstrations are concluded. Give all of our gifted youngsters a good look over; I promise that you won’t be disappointed.”

Jinete grumbled but withdrew her hand. The man in the back sat down again.

I surreptitiously glanced at my friends. All of them remained stiff as bones, holding their curtsies and bows, their eyes occasionally fleeting around just as mine were.

They all looked terrified, even our upperclassmen. All except Ellie, whose face was as serene as ever. Not even a pin could shove its way through the cracks in that mask, as there were none to be found. Torvis, too, looked remarkably composed, although some of his uneasiness had begun showing around the corners of his mouth.

I looked once again to Madam Dro, hoping that my own face conveyed none of my own fright.

Dro clapped her hands together and stood up. “That is enough. You all may relax your postures.” A number of nearly imperceptible sighs flowed between us before she continued: “I believe the best way for each of you to introduce yourselves is through a little song and dance, if it pleases the Ladies and Lords.”

“I could do without the song” the large man in the back said gruffly, while a man furthest to the right responded, “nonsense! I do love to hear my boys sing during their efforts! How fare their voices, M’lady owner?”

“I happen to agree with Lucan” Madam Dro said pleasantly, waving the second man down. “Allow yourselves to delight in only their movements to start. I know! ‘The sweetest bird saves its song for last’, as an old friend of mine was fond of saying. Let us save their voices for your own private demonstrations, Lords, so that it might tickle the edges of your fancy until such time as you slake your curiosity. I promise – not one amongst these children will disappoint you on any front.”

She directed a look at us, then, hidden by her face from the clients’ view. At all of us. I had never seen the look of wraith before, but I imagined it went something like that.

Her face didn’t change so much as it pulled back, revealing an expression behind it that was somehow both unreadable, and yet promising of her displeasure, should we make a liar out of her here today.

There were layers to her, I now realized. And even as one might reveal itself for the first time, there were others – many, many others, each of them somehow darker and more mysterious than the last.

Beside me, I heard Mylannes gasp, revealing that I wasn’t, in fact, crazy. I felt a shiver run through the entire group.

Madam Dro sat down again and began waving in front of our metaphorical noses. “So. Which. One. Of you. Shall. We. Have. Dance. First?”

Her eyes wandered from face to face, as though tempting each one of us to meet her stare, perhaps to determine who might take initiative.

Her finger wound up pointing at Mylannes. The girl shriveled up as much as she could without breaking her composure. I could’ve thanked the gods that she didn’t step backward or attempt to flee the room just then, as who knows what might have become of her had she dishonored Madam Dro in that way? Instead, Mylannes held her ground, though her eyes were bugging slightly from her head.

I touched her arm, trying to make it look like I was lauding her good fortune rather than bolstering the confidence of a person who was obviously nearing her breaking point. Mylannes looked to me like she was about to faint, though she didn’t let on in any obvious way.

Madam Dro grinned at her warmly. “That’s a good girl. Ladies and Lords, I present to you our very own little miss Mylannes. Step forward, girl. The rest of you, stand back near the outer wall.”

We all did as she instructed, leaving Mylannes all by herself near the edge of the rug.

Madam Dro continued: “This lovely little thing is our most recent graduate from the Ward of the northern wing. She is young, she is nimble, she is oh so generous with her warmth, and maiden Threwon tells me she is a delight to anyone she graces with her presence, as I’m sure you all are feeling already.”

Her words stirred up the assembly. A few of them rocked forward on their seats with interested expressions on their faces; the rest showed less interest, though all of their eyes were now watching her intently. Only Jinete, near the front, seemed to have no interest whatsoever.

“She’s too young” she said flatly.

“There is no such thing.”

“Agreed. I wish to see her in action.”

“Then how about you all see what she is made of” Madam Dro announced vivaciously.

She stepped forward, laying a hand gently – but possessively – upon the girl’s forearm. Dro effortlessly steered her in a circle before letting her go, acting much like Mylannes was a show horse, and the chamber, a barnyard.

“Alright, darling. It is your turn now. How about you perform for us all ‘the Dance of Soliloquy’? Maiden Threwon tells me you’re particularly well-versed at that one.”

Mylannes’ slight hands trembled behind her back, but she gave the assembly a nod and a bow, remaining fluid and graceful in her motions. Madam Dro returned to her seat and gave Mylannes the spotlight, so to speak, signaling for her to begin.

I scarcely dared to breathe. Mylannes took a deep breath and then launched into her performance, looking for purposes like a tuft of white seed borne straight from a dandelion.

Her movements were beautiful, yet subdued. Her legs spun in a pirouette which opened the dance, her arms spreading out wide, hands tipped upward cautiously to taste the morning sun. From there, her form began to contract and then to unravel, undergoing a series of movements intended to convey submissiveness mingled with a growing delight.

I couldn’t take my eyes off her. It was a truly beautiful display of skill and sensuality. Most of the assembly reacted the same way; even Jinete, who swore she wasn’t intrigued by a thirteen-year-old girl, showed it in her eyes that she could appreciate the beauty of the dance.

‘The Dance of Soliloquy’ was often considered to be more femenine in nature, though I could perform it quite passably as well. All of us could. Then again, seeing Mylannes in action, I didn’t doubt that maiden Threwon told the truth when she’d spoken of the gift the girl had for this particular dance.

Strangely, I began feeling a sense of pride watching Mylannes perform. It wasn’t as though I could take any credit for her skill, nor had we ever been particularly close. Mylannes was a shy girl for the most part, though she was well-liked by all the members of the Hall, including her peers. Somewhere along the line I must’ve begun thinking of her like a younger sister. That thought surprised me, and also filled me with warmth.

‘I wonder if perhaps I have a sister somewhere, a real one’ I thought to myself. ‘I wonder who she is and what she’s like.’

Mylannes continued on through the motions of the dance, which thankfully wasn’t a very long one. All of the clients were now sitting forward and paying her close attention. I heard gasps and sighs at each of the high points of the dance, and I couldn’t help but smile at their genuine appreciation. Madam Dro was beaming now more than ever, her gloved hands working absently at the tassels on her robe.

With one final flourish, the dance was over – and then Mylannes, no doubt winded by her performance, stumbled a little bit in regaining her balance.

Her ankle twisted too far to one side and she fell, catching herself quite ungracefully on one knee while her hands sought out the floor. Not at all a part of the performance.

I sucked in a breath. A hush fell over the assembly. No longer were the clients watching Mylannes with adoration and approval; they now displayed their shock and disappointment most evidently on their faces, having abruptly changed their tunes from mere moments ago.

Madam Dro in particular looked to be upturned. Mylannes hurriedly got to her feet, her face flushed with embarrassment and the exertion, and no small amount of fear in those blue eyes.

The silence stretched on. Then, Jinete threw up her hands and announced, “see? I told you she was too young.”

“She needs work” said a woman on her left, shaking her head. “If that was her best, then she needs work.”

“I might still find a use for her” said the man on the far right, giving Mylannes what might’ve been his attempt at a reassuring smile. Somehow, his words didn’t quite match his eyes, which seemed predatory.

Madam Dro had regained her composure. With a smile that was a little too wide, she stepped forward, taking the girl once again by the arm.

“You may rejoin your fellows” she said flatly, giving Mylannes a little shove before returning once again to her seat.

Mylannes practically stumbled backwards into us, her face shining now with tears. We all immediately moved to make room for her. Elodie quickly wrapped an arm around her shoulders and nuzzled into her hair.

“It’ll be ok” she whispered gently to the girl, who was trembling openly. She clung to the older girl’s shirt and obviously tried hard not to sob. “We mess up from time to time. It’ll be ok.”

I felt angry. Furious, really. Dornell was also acting unusually perturbed. I stared hard at Madam Dro with what I hoped was just enough of a veil between my anger and the clients’ watchful eyes so as to go unnoticed, or if it was, to be written off as nothing more than an incidental expression.

Mylannes was like kin to us. She was family. For the past three and a half years she had been beside us through every rigorous routine, had gotten up with us every morning and laid down again at night. I didn’t think I spoke only for myself when I swore that this humiliation would not go unpunished.

And then…

“Ooooh!” exclaimed Jinete feverishly. “Well now, I like the look of that one! Hey, get a load of the fire in that boy’s eyes! And everywhere else, too, now that I think about it…”

She let out a long, low whistle, and my cheeks began to burn as her gaze traveled up and down my awkwardly-clad body, lingering fondly in places where I decided she had no business looking. “He can light a fire inside a part of me,

anyday.”

“That one’s too pretty for you, you old crone!”

The man furthest to the right leaned forward, staring at me with a hunger that matched Jinete’s. “My, what an absolutely exquisite specimen, you’re right about that Jinete. However, I would much rather like to take him home with me. You wouldn’t know the first thing to do with a fine young man such as himself; he’ll be much more at home in my own estate, and welcomed most lovingly.”

Jinete whipped around with anger burning in her eyes. Madam Dro, perhaps sensing an opportunity and seeking to regain posture from her earlier embarrassment, leapt quickly to intervene.

“Lady, Lord!” she harried. “Let us please not argue amongst ourselves! This is supposed to be an enjoyable event for all, a chance for our most esteemed and trusted clients to have a first sampling in what are sure to become most beautiful assets for our collective distraction. If any blame here is to be laid, it is upon me; I fear I may have sullied your appetites with an imperfect, though I believe still promising beginning.”

“That’s right you should be sorry” complained the man on the far left. “As some of your most frequent clients, you should know that we have very informed expectations as to our potential future ‘distractions’, as you so elegantly put it.”

He ran a hand through his balding head of hair. “A thousand apologies for my lack of manners, Mistress Dro. This sort of thing happens every so often, and the girl truly is very young. I suppose an argument could be made for her case, and I suppose her performance truly was impressive considering.”

He now puffed out his chest, looking quite stern. “However, I believe you still owe all of us an apology for toying with our expectations, even unintentionally! So – what are you going to do to make it up to us, Lady owner?”

Madam Dro appeared to consider this outburst for a moment, one hand of hers resting thoughtfully upon her chin, fingers tapping against it lightly. Then, a wicked grin spread across her pretty face. It sent a shiver jolting directly from my skull down to my tailbone, and she wasn’t even looking at us.

“A fine point, Lord Guren” she said in a manner that made me think of a spider in the midst of her web, plucking at her strings. “A fine point indeed. Well then, I’ll tell you all what.”

She turned to face our group slowly and with much intent behind those eyes of hers, letting a dramatic pause wear out before she spoke again. “Our next performer will be one which I think has caught all of your eyes by now, if I’m not mistaken – and honestly, let’s not pretend that I am. This time, not only will he perform a dance which I think will be most to your liking, but I will also allow you to lend some… hands-on approval, showing your appreciation of his efforts.” 

She then looked directly at me and raised a hand, one finger pointing at somewhere between my ribcage and my crotch. “Mr. Veille, please step forward. Do give our clients your very most heartfelt greeting.”