And after that, you will slit my throat and throw me out a window, she thought. All for getting struck by lightning in the right place at the right time. Odhran gave her a long look before taking his leave.
Lily sat quietly and ate her breakfast, savoring each tiny taste. This might be my last strawberry, she thought, letting the juice trickled down her chin. She longed for Chase, for his body, for his daunting smile and his lean frame. She wanted him inside of her every moment, from now until the rest of her life. But they would never have that time together unless the grey-walkers weren’t hunting her. Lily wrapped the bland robe around her body and stepped to the door. Odhran was waiting for her outside the room.
“Follow me.”
They were in a gigantic hallway, as wide as a football field, with grey stone arches supporting the ceiling above. The ceiling was a cave ceiling – rocky, uneven and jagged – but it had been painted over with the brush of a master. Angels and demons danced in unending passion across it. Separate from them, an army of grey-walkers stood in a line, armored with grey light and holding the words “Justice” above their heads.
Lily realized with a flutter of fear that she was in way over her head.
“You like the painting?” Odhran asked.
“I do” said Lily. “It weaves an intimidating story.”
“It’s our history. Our legends say that we were created by angels to watch over humankind. We grey-walkers have a proud lineage.”
“And yet, I stand trial today for my life. Not for anything I have done, but rather for something that was given TO me.”
“Indeed. But part of keeping humanity safe is keeping humanity’s knowledge of our existence limited to fairy tales and scary stories. If humans knew about us, there would be a multitude of suffering. Our existence cannot be placed at risk for one girl with the grey-sight, no matter what she promises.”
He’s telling me I will die, thought Lily.
Odhran continued. “It’s not fair, but it must be done, for the good of all. The grey-walkers are a noble people.”
“The first man who tried to kill me was planning on raping me as well.” said Lily. “Was that noble?”
Odhran grimaced. “No. And we were glad to hear that Chase dealt with him accordingly. Not all grey-walkers are perfect; in fact some have turned into quite the hardened monsters.” He looked at Lily with narrow black eyes. “Not unlike your own race.”
At the end of the massive hallway, Odhran opened a small red door.
“Here are the dressing rooms. You will be bathed and dressed for your trial in here. The women will ring for me when you are ready. In these rooms, we will make sure that you are relaxed and ready.” Hesitant, Lily pushed open the door and gasped with surprise.
Chapter Eleven
She had expected big ivory tubs, with heavyset maids that would scrub her clean before dressing her in uptight corsets.
What she found instead was a den of pleasure.
Fourteen low pools, only knee deep at most, lined the room, each a different shape. There were some that were basic shapes, but most were more unique shaped: a lotus, a yin and yang symbol, the shape of a crashing wave, the subtle curves of a shell. A few of the pools were empty, but most were occupied by people – people in the very throes of pleasure. The first pool she walked past had a stick-thin girl pleasuring a big man with her mouth, his moans of ecstasy rippling through the room. She was wearing nothing more than a string of blue gems around her neck, and she looked to be getting as much pleasure as he was.
On the pool to her right, two men and a woman caressed and stroked each other’s nether parts, all standing in a triangle of lust. She walked past a pool shaped like a crescent moon where one woman was inserting a long, phallic shaped piece of blown glass into another, the woman hovering inches above the water, her legs splayed out on the side of the pool. They eyed Lily as she walked past them, and one of the girls beckoned her to join them. Lily kept her eyes down, but even then it was hard to miss the love-making that was happening right in front of her in the largest pool of all.
A woman was bent over in the pool, her face almost submerged, but for her mouth. A man, huge and glistening black, was taking her from the rear, his thrusts and slaps loud enough for all to hear. As she screamed, he climaxed, his inhuman roar shaking Lily’s legs. He let the girl splash down into the pool and turned to a man who sat patiently on the side, waiting. The girl climbed out of the water, shook out her hair and pushed her shaved mound up against the other man’s face. He reached out for her, a naughty smile on his face. All three looked at Lily as she walked past them. She saw their black eyes light up with delight.
“The mortal…” mumbled the black man.
Lily recognized him – he had been the man who let them into the lighthouse. Suddenly, there was a crowd was following her. The naked girls with their glass phallus, the big fat man and his tiny girl, all crowded around her.
“A mortal, a mortal…” they all whispered, their black eyes gleaming.
Someone grabbed her arm and yanked her towards the pool. Lily’s heart hammered in her ears and she clutched the robe tight to her body.
“Let go of ME!” she snapped.
Her good arm shot out and a naked young man went tumbling into one of the pools. Someone else yanked at her robe. A tall woman, clad only in a jeweled thong, stepped out behind her. She held a spear, her black eyes squinting angrily.
“Move back!” she yelled. “This one is not for any of the likes of you! She is a guest of the Furies, and has sanctuary!” There was an audible grumble, but the crowd dispersed quickly, none returning to the same pools or the same partners.
“Sorry about that” she said. “I’m Inora. I’m the lead washerwoman here. I’ll be getting you ready for your trial today.” Lily’s hands were shaking and her arm felt like it had blossomed into pure pain.
“Thanks.” She looked around, wondering how best to ask the question without being insulting. “What…what is happening here?”
“What is this place, you mean?” Inora laughed.
Lily smiled shyly. “Yes. I’m sorry, I don’t want to be insulting.”
“Your bewilderment is both amusing and sexy. This is the dressing room.” Inora intoned with a naughty grin. “Every day the good inhabitants and guests of House Fury come in here to be bathed, pleasured and dressed.”
“Pleasured?” asked Lily.
Inora gestured to the pool beside them, deeper than the others. “Take off your robe, child. They won’t bother you any more, not as much as a look. Sanctuary is sacred here, and no one would dare disturb that, less they have their throat opened from ear to ear.” Lily delicately slipped out of her robe. She was right. No one even looked her direction, as they were all engaged with new pleasures and partners.
Inora clicked her tongue. “Into the pool.”
Lily let herself sink waist deep into the warm pool. It felt better than she could have ever imagined, the perfect temperature. The water lapped at her skin, soft and silky and smelling of herbs. She let out a long sigh.
“If I’m going to die today, then I’m glad I came here first. This was just what I needed.”
Inora slipped in the pool beside her, taking an oatmeal bar of soap in her hands. “Put your arms out.”
Lily could tell that Inora was a person who didn’t waste time. This was a welcome change from Odhran, who she didn’t trust, even with all this kind words. She liked Inora. Lily obediently put her arms out the side. Inora slipped in behind her, and Lily could feel her coffee colored breasts pressed up against her back.
“See, at House Fury, and most of the other Great Houses, we believe that one cannot function or think without the release of pressure.”
“Pressure meaning lust.”
“Exactly. Until you have chased the hunger from your soul, you cannot think clearly. House Fury prides itself on being just and level-headed. Three centuries ago, Ezhor the Kind, opened up the first pleasure pools. He presented them
as a gift to House Fury, as a place where servants, nobles, soldiers, even the Lord and Lady Fury themselves can come and be truly free. Inside these doors, there is no rank, class, marriage, or loyalties. Once inside these doors, you are free to touch who you want.”
Inora’s hands soaped up Lily’s breasts. Her nipples became hard, but Lily had no interest in “freeing herself” here. She would never be more free than she was when she was with Chase and Chase alone. From here on out, it would only be Chase, for the rest of her life.
Which might not be much longer.
“See that couple there?” She pointed to a large redheaded man pumping away over a lean olive-skinned woman with midnight black hair. “That is Antony, a common soldier. And underneath him is Lady Fury. Our Queen, for lack of a better term.” Lily’s mouth dropped open. Lady Fury’s legs were spread wide as the soldier pulsated and thrust inside her curly haired womanhood. Another man stepped into the pool and began sucking at her rounded breasts.
“Here, there is no royalty. Only NEED. It is good for the house, good for the people. It is a place where all are equal and desired. This is why we have had peace for 200 years.”
Inora reached under the water and scrubbed between Lily’s thighs, casually slipping a finger up inside her mound, the rest of her hand stroking Lily’s sore inner lips.
“Would you like me to release any pressure?” She asked.
“Sorry” said Lily, stepping away. “I’m not like the queen.”
She removed Inora’s hand from between her leg. Inora gave a tiny pout.
“I see, mortal. You have someone.”
“I have someone.”
“And he would not be happy for you to use the pleasure pools?”
“NO.” He would kill you, she thought.
When Inora was done scrubbing her raw, she washed Lily’s hair and brushed it out. She tied it up in a large twist at the back, with a tiny seashell at the crown. Lily was given clean undergarments and an elegant white robe to wear. “To distinguish you from the grey-walkers.” She said.
Lily bowed her thanks and headed nervously to the door. On her way there, she caught the queen’s eyes as she pleasured two men with her hands. The queen stared back, her black eyes unyielding in the bright light of the pools. Lily looked away. Her fate would be decided soon enough, she said. But not here, not in this strange and disturbing den of lust.
She reached the door, where Odhran was waiting for her. She didn’t care to look back, but could hear the sounds of pleasure and climax echoing down the hall far beyond the pleasure pools.
“Are you ready?” he asked. Lily felt her heart thudding in her chest.
No, she thought. No, I’m not ready. Last week I was just a normal woman, going about my life, and now I stand trial to save it for something I haven’t done and can’t control. My eyes were blue and now they were grey. Her roommate was dead, and Lily was in a castle underneath a cliff. Nothing was normal, and she was deeply afraid, and yet she wouldn’t change a minute, not for anything or anyone. She had seen Chase, touched Chase, loved Chase.
Lily wanted to be with him forever, this was something she had to do.
She took a deep breath. “I’m ready.”
Chapter Twelve
Odhran led her down through endless stone hallways – some richly decorated with white marble and silver candlesticks, some damp and dripping with seawater.
“This place is huge” said Lily.
“It has been here for 500 years.” He answered. “Many famous grey-walkers have passed through these halls. You should be honored to set foot in this empire.”
“I will be grateful when I am not being hunted anymore.” Answered Lily testily.
They passed through three locked doors until they stood below a black obsidian arch.
“We’re here. Speak only when you are spoken too. Do not yell, do not show emotion. Nothing will sway House Fury but the truth. Your counsel will meet you inside. Best of luck, grey-sighted Lily.”
“Who is my council?” Lily asked.
“Must you even ask?” he said with a smile.
The doors swung open with a loud creak. Lily’s stomach contracted. She stepped, head bowed into the circular cavern. Its walls were wet and slick, carved from pale green stone that seemed to glow from within. Hundreds of grey walkers sat in a crescent shape, all facing a perfectly flat slab of rock. Their grey light filled the darkness, a misty fog, simmering with malcontent. Standing alone on the slab of rock, Chase waited for her. Lily trained her eyes on him and him alone. He stood tall and proud, wearing a striped navy-blue suit that hugged tight around his slim waist and emphasized his strong arms. His black ties stood against a perfectly starched white shirt.
Chase didn’t hold a suitcase, or even a piece of paper. He simply stood, waiting for her. His black eyes looked straight into hers, and Lily felt all traces of her fear dissolve. She had always been his. Her life was in his hands, and somehow she knew that she would be safe.
Odhran gestured to a small sea stone chair next to the rock. “This is where the accused sits.”
“NO.” Lily climbed up onto the rock and stood next to Chase. “I will stand here.”
He took her warm hand in his and the council stirred uncomfortably. Chase looked deep into Lily’s eyes.
“I love you.”
With that, he stepped forward and addressed the army of powerful grey-walkers that stood before him.
“For centuries, the House Fury has stood as the protector and cornerstone of the grey-walkers. As we straddle the line between life and death, we have been ruled by the five Great Houses, but none among them are as powerful or as influential in the course of our history – and the history of the world – as House Fury. This is the House that first agreed to the Great Reckoning, the Rite of Voluntary Passing, and finally, The Grey-Sight Resolution, which decries that those gifted with the Grey-Sight are dangerous. “ Chase gave the silent crowd a dazzling smile.
“And indeed they are. In the past, those given the grey-sight have tried every possible way to tell the truth of our kind to the world. This is where the concept of “ghost stories” came from – those with grey-sight trying to pass on their knowledge of our world to their children, and their children’s children.”
Chase gave Lily a confident grin and she stared back, unnaturally confident in his ability to sway the glowing crowd.
“The world has whispers of us everywhere, all because those with the grey-sight have needed to share their experience. And can we truly fault them for trying? They experienced something otherworldly, something that made them feel alone and terrorized. And so we punished them, and at the time it was justified. We could not risk our very existence for the sight of one mortal. They didn’t come around very often, and when they did, they were hunted and killed so swiftly, that we never had time to consider the consequences of our actions, to look at the life – and the gift- we robbed them of.”
Chase took a deep breath and looked over at Lily.
“This woman, Lily Harrow, was given the grey-sight two days ago, when she happened to be at the right place at the right time. Since that moment, she has been strangled, chased through a train station, threatened, stabbed, stalked, and has seen her roommate needlessly murdered by two cowardly grey-walkers. And let me take this moment to I remind you that her roommate did NOT have the grey-sight when she was murdered. Justice should be swiftly served upon those who took her life.” Riggor and Sappho sat motionless in the jury, their faces simmering with fury.
“Ms. Harrow has been through hell, and for what?” He walked towards the council. “Let’s ask ourselves, what are we truly afraid of from these grey-sights? Look at those sitting next to you. Look around you. We are the powerful. We are the righteous, the just, called by the angels to protect humankind, and to bear witness to history. At some point, we decided that we should be scared of…this.” He gestured to Lily. “A mortal with the grey-sight. What could she possibly do to us? What do we have to fear?
House Fury is defined by its greatness and its history of logic, and this does not seem logical to me.”
“So let’s ask ourselves, why do we have this law? A silly law that pits an entire race of grey-walkers against a simple mortal? Those with the grey-sight aren’t a danger to us; they are in awe of us, of the supernatural around them.” Chase reached for Lily’s hand.
“Until now, those with the grey-sight have been just names. Names that we hunt and kill for great reward. We tell ourselves that it is just, but it has become a race for ransom money, and House Fury cannot deny it. We have created monsters that find joy in the hunt.” Chase paused, his eyes raking in every inch of her face and body.
He had enjoyed the hunt in a different way.
“Look before you now. Does this woman, this beautiful creature, threaten you? Does she make you shake in your robes? Does she bring fear into your grey heart?” There was a few shaking heads in the crowd. Chase had them in his seductive grip, his words washing over them like a silver wave. Lily could feel the palpable seduction of his tone. The time was right. She gave Chase’s hand a tight squeeze.
“I want to speak for myself.” She announced loudly.
There was a great commotion in the crowd. Finally, the Lord Fury stood up.
“I would like to hear the girl out.”
Lily gave a slight bow and fixed her grey eyes on the crowd.
“I may have just received my grey-sight two days ago, but I have always been a watcher of the line between the living and the dead. I never felt like I belonged in this world. I drifted through life, never fully alive. I am as much a grey-walker as you are. When I was gifted with the grey-sight, I saw what I always knew to be true. I saw REAL life. And with it, Chase Husher. No one has ever been more real than he is.”
She willed herself to be brave as she stared into the sea of black eyes around her.
“I vow, here and now, before all of you, that I will NEVER betray the secrets of your kind. I will stay faithful to your purpose and laws. I will watch and observe the grey-walkers, but never share. I will be a liaison between your kind and mine own. I will atone for the sins of those who have been given the grey-sight before me, who have sought to expose you for their own gain. I know that you have no reason to trust me, but you trust Chase. He has served the House Fury for many years.”
The Grey Sight: An Erotic Novella Page 6