By Moonlight Wrought (Bt Moonlight Wrought) (37 page)

         “Yes, I would,” she said.

         “No, no, Alanna.  Stay and talk a
minute,” Violet said in a friendly manner, a polite commandment issued from the
lady of one of the greatest families in the kingdom.  She rang a bell for the
servants.  Selric left as Elgorn, the chief servant, entered from the kitchen. 
Selric heard his mother speak, “I don’t know if you’re old enough for wine, are
you?  How about some fruit juice?”

         “That would be wonderful,” said Alanna,
smiling nervously at Selric as he disappeared into Mendric’s room.  Mendric
slammed the door behind Selric; he had been hiding behind the portal.

         “
That’s
who you’ve been with? 
That’s where you’ve been all week...who you gave Angelique up for?” he asked
angrily.  “You might think you’re playing with the others, but I know you’re
bloody serious.  I can read it in your face.”  He poked his brother in the
chest several times more forcefully than he actually intended.

         “So?” Selric said.

         “Come on, Selric.  Open your damned
eyes!  What can she possibly have?”

         “What’s it to you?”

         “Because you’re my little brother, and I
don’t want to see you make any stupid mistake that you might regret for the
rest of your life just to prove something to them,” he said, meaning their
parents, “to
us
.  You have the love of one of the most—the most—sought
after maiden in this city.”

         “It’s not a mistake.  Alanna is lovely,
smart, witty, funny, great in bed, and she’s
not
nobility.”

         “Are those really that important?”

         “Yes!” Selric gasped with incredulity,
chuckling at the absurdity of his brother’s question.  “Extremely.”

         “You’re just being stubborn...trying to
spite us all,” Mendric argued.

         “Maybe she’s not stunning like Angelique,
but very few women are.  Alanna is beautiful, more than beautiful enough for
me...by far.  The most beautiful to me,
by far
,” he said concretely. 
“Why does she have to be compared with Angelique?” 

         Mendric held his head.  “Whatever...I
tried.  If
that
is what you want, that is what you get.  I will say no
more against her.”  He held out his hand and Selric shook it firmly.  “Oh!  Did
you hear that?  Alone, you and me, this entire season!  Fun, fun, fun,” he
said, brightening as best he could.

         “Yep,” Selric said, “and to think I was
dreading this upcoming winter!”

         Dirk had gone for another of his
deep-thinking walks.  He hadn’t seen Tallow in over a week when he found
himself there again, making passionate love, repeatedly; for hours.  Rough at
first, growing more gentle as his lust and frustration were slowly eased.  This
time, no matter what he thought or what excuses he made, Dirk could not shake
his guilt, though this time not guilt for merely using a prostitute.  He truly
liked Tallow and didn’t feel he was using her beyond how she was used by
others.  Maybe, he wondered, that was why he did it. 

         Dirk was currently still disgruntled with
Cinder, Fiona and Melissa, and relating to them in any way, upset him.  He felt
guilty he was using someone the way those three used him—not for sex
necessarily, but his affection—and he didn’t want to be like his friends in
that regard.  They cajoled, guilt-ed, manipulated and even browbeat him into
saying yes when told and doing naught when told. 

         Dirk took Tallow to dinner at an
expensive inn and afterward bought her the dress of her choice.  It didn’t
occur to him that he was doing the same for her as some of the men in Cinder’s
life did for her, the same situation he had chastised her for repeatedly and
the greatest reason he resented her and how she refused to love him as he loved
her.

         While at dinner, Tallow grabbed Dirk’s
hand tightly.  “Oh Dirk,” she said nervously, “let’s get out of here.”  He
noticed her gaze was riveted fearfully across the room.

         “Don’t be afraid,” he said.  “No one will
hurt you.  Not with me here.”  When Dirk turned he saw, surprisingly, Fiona and
Melissa standing near the door, and there were two men by them.  “Did they hurt
you?” Dirk asked angrily.

         “Yes, one of them did.  But the other one
was there, too,” Tallow said.  Dirk rose up.  “No.  Don’t make trouble.  Let’s
just leave.”

         “Nonsense,” Dirk said, walking straight
to Fiona and Melissa.  “I may need your help,” he said.

         “Oh hi!” Fiona said, seeming intoxicated.

         “Sure,” Melissa said.  “What’s wrong?”

         “These two bothered a friend of mine.” 
Dirk turned to face the men.  “Excuse me, but that lady says that you’ve been
bothering her,” he said, motioning to Tallow.  Fiona looked at Melissa and
giggled.

         “We don’t know what you’re talking
about,” the first said.  “I don’t even know her.”

         “Me either,” said the other with a
shrug.  Dirk looked at Tallow; she was waving frantically and pointing behind
him.  He spun.  Fiona was smiling while Melissa looked dumbly at him.  Then
Dirk realized the truth and nearly fainted.  He stared at Fiona as if he wished
he could smack her.

         He didn’t know what to tell Tallow.  He
worried that she would think he and his friends were evil fiends for how he was
occasionally risqué and rough with her and what he could only imagine Fiona,
priestess of pain, had done to his new friend.  He was tempted to fight with
the two women to make it look to Tallow as though he didn’t know them.  “What
else can I do?” he thought with dour sarcasm, but he knew eventually she would
find out who his older friends were.

         “You know her, don’t you?” Dirk asked
Fiona, to which she smiled simply and nodded her head.  Fiona’s face darkened
and she pushed past Dirk, Melissa following as Dirk stood dumbly.  “What else
could happen?  I was so happy to have all these friends and now I can’t lose
them,” he muttered.  The men he had questioned laughed and Dirk glared at them
for finding his trio of lovely acquaintances amusing when to him they often
seemed to have more drawbacks than boons.

         When Dirk returned to the table, the two
women were sitting on each side of Tallow; she was cowering.  Dirk decided he
must tell the truth.

         “Don’t touch me,” Tallow begged with a
touch of anger, her arms folded tightly over her breasts.

         “This is Tallow.  She’s a good friend of
mine.  You will apologize to her and never hurt her again,” Dirk said, grabbing
Fiona’s arm with such force, she was stunned.  “Got it!” he said.

         “Sure,” Fiona answered smartly. 
“Whatever you say, Dirky-poo.”  She stood and whispered in his ear, “But if you
like her, really like her, Melissa will do worse than I ever did.”  She winked
and pinched his behind, then turned to Tallow.  “I’m sorry,” she said
insincerely.  “If I’d known you were Dirk’s friend, I wouldn’t have done it. 
See ya.”

         “Bye Dirk,” Melissa said, as if she had
no idea what was going on.  She looked winsomely at him as if she had wanted to
visit, but she followed Fiona and left Dirk with his company.

         “Good-bye,” he said angrily and with
finality, as they walked away.  He turned to Tallow.  “I’m sorry,” he said
apologetically.  “I know them.  They’re who I went into the Wild with.  Well,
two of the people, anyway.  I’m really sorry that they did…
that
.  Did
they take you to some temple?”  She nodded and Dirk knew why she covered
herself.  He remembered some of the disturbing things they had done to their
“sacrifices” during the sermon, though not one had ever been killed in the true
meaning of sacrifice.  “When did this happen?”

         “About two weeks ago.  I remember the
pain, but when I awoke, I had no wounds.  I thought it was some bad dream or
something.  Don’t worry Dirk,” she said, changing her expression, “I don’t
judge a person by his friends or occupation.”  She smiled and Dirk knew she
made sense and was dropping a hopeful hint on how she wished he might think of
her.  He smiled back and, after that moment, a little respect for the
prostitute grew in his heart.  “I couldn’t expect anybody to like me if they
were close-minded.  Look at my friends and my job,” she explained, smiling
again and Dirk knew she was referring to his tolerance—of her life—at least on
the surface.

         Two major attributes of Tallow made her
attractive to Dirk:  her dependence and her femininity.  Cinder was as feminine
as a woman could be, but she knew what she wanted and that she could get it
from any man.  Dirk would give Cinder anything to be her only man, but she
refused and he knew it was only a matter of time before she moved on and up
with her life to some diplomat, noble or rich merchant.  But Tallow needed
Dirk; he seemed her whole world.  Her own goals were either unimportant or perhaps
he had become her only one.  She always seemed to Dirk to be content, bright
and happy.  But when he would show up unannounced he could notice a forlorn
look of absence on her face, replaced for the rest of his time with the
sheerest joy.

         From dinner and the dress shop, Dirk took
Tallow to Bessemer’s and they made love again.  She slept with him overnight,
both of them staying in bed until late morning.  Dirk took Tallow for lunch and
when they were finished he walked her home and left her with an engagement for
the following eve.  It never occurred to Dirk that he might be seeing too much
of Tallow.  But truly, that was another major quality he liked in her:  no
matter when, where or how often Dirk wanted to see her, Tallow agreed, never
having other engagements or priorities or men.  From her house on Crescent
Street, Dirk walked to Sellore’s for his training, which he still managed to do
at least four days a week.  On the way he began to wonder about Fiona.  He
wondered was it a coincidence that out of all the people in the city she had
managed to wrangle Tallow to her sermon in exchange for gold?  Or had she been
spying?

        
The Unicorn’s Run
was bustling
with business.  There were tables of boisterous men with beautiful women on
their laps, gambling, drinking, and otherwise having an entertaining evening. 
Scantily clad serving girls were kept busy as they tried to keep every mug and
glass full, but they were constantly pulled onto laps, or had their rumps
pinched or slapped, or found themselves distracted or disrupted from their work
in some other way.  Now and again, the Stormweather guards would toss out an
inebriated patron, but generally, it was “anything goes.”  That is what the
guests were paying for, and what the girls were paid very generously to do as
well.  As long as the girls did not complain and no one bothered the other
guests, a degree of rowdiness was allowed, but as with any Stormweather owned
endeavor, it’s overall flavor and outlook was one of respect and honor abiding
by what was considered acceptable in their society.  Everything was by consent
only and while compared to establishments in the Docks District
The Run
was quite mild, it was boisterous and downright bawdy at times in the eyes of
the middle and upper-class patrons for whom the business was established.

         Selric, Fiona, Melissa, and Cinder sat at
their usual corner table and it took a concerted effort by the other three to
keep Cinder from pretending to be a working girl and slipping off for a
handsome and rich man’s lap.  She had already done it twice that night.  To
help curb her behavior, they placed her in the corner seat with a member of the
group on each side of her.  Though this did keep Cinder from slipping away, she
was preoccupied with watching everyone and flirting with anyone who would make
eye contact with her.  Several times the group was mistaken for a table of
customers, and others kept trying to join them.  The party did, after all, have
three of the most beautiful women in the house sitting there together.  But
each time, excepting Cinder, the members insisted on being left alone.  Most of
the revelers were accustomed to Selric’s presence, well aware that he was a
Stormweather and, thus in a way, the owner.

         That night, Alanna was with Violet
Stormweather who—after realizing that there were actually feelings of more than
lust between this girl and her only offspring—asked her to go as her guest to a
gathering of some of the other noble matrons.  These women usually proclaimed
to be weaving special fabrics, or trading family secrets regarding hearth and
home, but all that really transpired was a great deal of gossip about the local
news, politics (in which they had keen interest and, surprisingly, aptitude),
and of course the other gentlewomen who were not present.  So, Selric took the
chance away from Alanna to meet once more with his friends.

         “I wish Dirk was here,” Cinder said
during a stretch of silence at the table.  They had just finished discussing
the fact that winter seemed to be coming early that year.  Cinder had basically
been silent all night, as she’d been drinking and most of what she said was
nonsensical or off the subject of the conversation the others were in at the
time.  She sat there like a child at a gathering of somber adults:  quiet, lonely,
and extremely bored.  Her break of the silence mildly stunned her friends. 
Melissa glared at Cinder.  She missed Dirk, too, and had momentarily forgotten
about him and she resented being jerked back to painful, lonely reality. 
Cinder looked back at her, glassy-eyed but sincere.