The Fallen

by R. L. Drummond

  Lily held up a hand against the sudden surge of the armoured man’s stance, for she knew instinctually that Tellan meant her no harm. She then sketched her eyes across Tellan’s steadfast form yet again, taken with how proudly he protected this little girl. It became clear to her then that the man would not budge from his insistence, but rather than be annoyed at his defiance of Orchid’s order, she couldn’t help but be impressed. And so she hitched an eyebrow in acquiescence and stood back slightly, noting carefully how gratefully the little girl stared up at this man.

  “But you stay here.” Lily commanded as she pointed a finger at Jenko, “Orchid will call for you when she’s ready.”

  Jenko huffed indignantly, “Yeah sure.” He said, but his words were ignored as Lily knocked upon the double door’s smooth lacquer.

  When a muffled invitation to enter was sounded, the armoured man stood aside with a gracious bow and as Tellan and Reya stepped forward, he smartly followed behind in silence.

  “I’ll just stand here then, shall I?” Jenko called after them wryly.

  When the door closed Reya all but gasped at the beauty of the new room, shrouded in deeply coloured curtains that ran luxuriantly from ceiling to floor. In the centre of the room there was a dipped, round seating area filled with clusters of silken cushions of different sizes and textures and just behind it, there was a small, almost legless table with a delicate tea set upon it. Above this hanged a trio of intricately carved brass lanterns and rich, musky incense billowed from their wonderfully elaborate facades. Reya’s wide eyes drank in everything as she scanned the room in awe, gasping at how the four postered bed by the corner was swathed in even more finery. Black silks and furs were draped upon its incredible size and between the posts, shimmering voiles stretched and fluttered softly from the clouds of incense.

  But nothing compared to the astonishing beauty of the woman who sat upon a grand chair before a small table in the other side of the room, her proud back as straight as the gleaming black hair that cascaded down her shoulders. As she stood slowly, the black satin robe she wore accentuated her slender figure and the deep slash of its neckline plunged to her diaphragm, unashamedly yet demurely displaying the firm curve of her breasts. Jewels twinkled softly in her ears and at the cuffs of her wide sleeves and, as she regarded Tellan with a proud silence that commanded such elegant presence, light gleamed from the jewelled hair chains that crowned her exquisitely made up face.

  Reya knew without having to be told that this woman was Orchid, the madam of this brothel and with it came the irrefutable knowledge that she was very powerful indeed.

  “Orchid,” Lily began with a bow, “It is my pleasure to introduce to you the young lady Reya and her guardian Tellan.”

  Orchid’s striking navy eyes never wavered as she responded in a voice as richly smooth as her hair, “The pleasure of receiving your company is mine, Reya. As is the presence of your unexpected companion.”

  “Forgive my intrusion, Orchid.” Tellan said deeply as he bowed respectfully, “But on my honour, I couldn’t leave Reya unchaperoned.”

  Orchid’s dark red lips smiled then, such a little gesture that exuded such power and after a brief moment of observing Tellan’s manner, she replied, “A commodity that is seen so rarely these days.” She then gestured at the enormous, armoured man and added, “But as you can see, we are not without our own security.”

  “With respect, Orchid, to you and your bodyguard, but Reya’s safety is my responsibility.”

  Orchid’s smile widened in genuine respect for Tellan’s candour and she approached Reya with a hush of satin, touching a slender hand beneath the girl’s chin. “You have beautiful eyes, Reya. A pity they are laden with such sadness.” She said.

  Reya’s eyes fluttered at Orchid’s attentions, flattered that such an alluring woman could call her beautiful, and when Orchid’s immaculately manicured hand touched Reya’s fingertips softly, she found herself reciprocating instinctually.

  “Thank you, my Lady.” Reya whispered in astonished awe.

  Orchid’s blue eyes shone as she smiled at the title Reya had given her, and asked, “Do you know where you are, child?”

  “Yes.” Reya answered timidly and she blushed as she finished with an awkward murmur, “This is a brothel.”

  “And you know what happens here?”

  “Yes.” She mumbled with a deep flush of embarrassment and the burning in her cheeks reinforced her innocence endearingly to Orchid.

  Orchid smiled caringly at her youthful naïvety and as she gathered her hand in hers, she gracefully led her towards the cushion pit in the centre of the room. “Beautiful naïvety is as precious to some men as the most flawless of diamonds.” Orchid said with a velvet voiced wisdom that Reya couldn’t help but be enthralled with, “You sparkle very brightly indeed, Reya.”

  Tellan remained where he stood and watched as Orchid encouraged his niece into the softness of silk with a gentle hold upon her hand. Reya nervously sat upright as she watched Orchid lounge back languidly on a cluster of pillows, ever beautiful as she regarded the young girl thoughtfully through thick lashes.

  “There are those within this world that would seek that naïvety for themselves.” Orchid continued. She then watched Reya’s reaction in silence for a moment until she finally asked, “You are not frightened by me, child?”

  Reya blinked at the blunt question, in spite of how silken Orchid’s tone was. She then shook her head and answered truthfully, “No, my Lady.”

  “But you don’t know me. I could be very kind, or very cruel.”

  This time Reya was the one who smiled, “That isn’t why I’m not frightened.”

  “Oh?” Orchid asked as she stretched her arms along the back of her cushions, “Then enlighten me. What stops you from being afraid of me?”

  Reya turned her head and smiled broadly at her stoic guardian. “Tellan is here.” She answered simply and, with the return of her gaze upon Orchid, Reya explained with a confidence that held no threat, “If you tried to hurt me, he would stop you.”

  Orchid laughed at the stark belief in Reya’s words and her voice was a gentle tinkling of sugar spun glass in her throat as she replied, “He is just a man, sweetheart; a man in my house. Surrounded by my people.”

  “That doesn’t matter.” Reya answered and she blushed at how audacious she was being in the face of this woman’s powerful presence, “With respect, Orchid, this may be your house, and you may have many bodyguards, but I am Tellan’s niece. He will protect me from anyone and he will best them all.”

  Orchid’s eyes flashed shrewdly then and when she spoke next, her voice was harsh in its clarity, “And why are you so important that you warrant such a powerful guardian?”

  Tellan’s heart hammered within his chest at the blatancy of the question, unsure of how Reya would respond to this woman whom they had just met. His tongue moved wordlessly as he fought the instinct of answering for her, but he had said he would remain silent and so he waited in electric apprehension.

  In spite of how naïve Reya was however, the same instinct had crept into her own mind and as she bowed her head, she thought on how the truth could be told without revealing the raw nature of her plight. Orchid was right: she didn’t know her and if she were to learn the truth of Reya’s abilities and the nature of where they had come from, could she trust that Orchid wouldn’t seek Belial for her own ambition? But her origins and the curse it brought were only a part of her story, a part of her that she had never known until she had fled Fieldhaven.

  With that sudden realisation of knowledge came an overwhelming desire within Reya; she needed to tell her side of the story, the forgotten side of an innocent girl lost in a sea of violence. It was all she knew and, from her perspective, it was all she could speak about. Finally Reya swallowed and as she looked upon Orchid’s fierce beauty with an unwavering gaze, her thoughts tentatively lined up within the bruised melancholy of her mind.

  “My father is…was…a very powerful
man, my Lady.” Reya began carefully and her eyes fluttered against the pain her words still brought to her heart, “And the man who killed him wants me for himself.”

  Orchid regarded Reya in silence before she demanded candidly, “Tell me how he died.”

  Reya’s face wavered momentarily, dismayed that Orchid would ask her such an all–encompassing question so emotionlessly. “He…he died defending me.” She answered through a slight choke. But when Orchid spoke nothing, just stared at her with those unblinking eyes that watched her with hawk–like precision, Reya’s face crumpled. Under that scrutinizing gaze she felt obligated to continue and when she opened her mouth once more, all the words within her mind suddenly tumbled forward at once like a pushing crowd.

  A single sob burst from Reya’s chest before she blurted, “I–I didn’t know who the man was, he just seemed so nice! And…and when Papa came to get me it just…everything happened so fast.”

  Reya rubbed her nose and wept freely when so many images flashed through her mind spasmodically, “They fought and when others came, Papa told me to go, that I wasn’t safe. But I couldn’t leave him! And then…and then Tellan came, but Papa was so far away. There were so many of them.”

  Tears spilled down Reya’s cheeks unheedingly as she sobbed for her father’s death; she knew she wasn’t making sense, but she had to get the words out, like a splinter lodged painfully under her skin. They tumbled from her in a mess of sounds, she knew, but now that the gate had been opened she couldn’t stop them, even if she wanted to.

  “He…he killed Papa right in front of my eyes!” Reya all but shrieked as the sobs wracked her body, “I’ll never forget that! Every time I close my eyes, even blink, I keep seeing that moment!”

  Even as the girl’s mouth trembled and gaped in an impotent agony that could barely frame the words she spoke, Orchid kept her unblinking eyes upon her, watching silently as Reya revealed herself to her. When Reya began to sob uncontrollably into her hands, Orchid finally looked across at Tellan and found herself yet again impressed at how silently he stood, in spite of how closely her own bodyguard watched him. Tellan stood tall and proud, straight backed and strong in his shoulders in the manner of a military man. But as steadfast as he stood, she saw the motion within his throat that spoke of great control, and the wetness of his eyes also told that the girl’s sorrow was met by his own.

  “He was smiling, you know? When he killed him. He smiled and looked at me; he wanted me to see what he had done.” Reya’s ragged voice wept and, in spite of her lack of outward reaction, Orchid’s heart fluttered at the momentary tremble within Tellan’s face. Orchid made her own conclusions then, accurate without the need for verification and when Reya spoke again, she flashed her eyes back to her.

  “But Tellan saved me.” Reya continued with a loud sniff and her reddened eyes were proud in their gratitude as she looked at her guardian, “He fought them back, even when they came after me and chased us. He and Jenko have risked everything to keep me safe. But the man that killed Papa is still out there looking for me. You asked me why I wasn’t frightened of you, Orchid?”

  Reya then passed her haunted gaze back and Orchid’s eyes wavered at the horror that cast a cold shadow over the girl’s face. “Because he frightens me more than anything ever could. Believe me when I say: there is no one on this earth more evil and cruel than this man.” She finished with a far greater truth than Orchid could ever comprehend and within the horror of that terrified voice, Orchid recognised the gravity of Reya’s plight.

  Silence descended within that beautiful chamber, but in spite of the opulence that surrounded them, the room was enveloped in a shroud of fearful sorrow that chilled Orchid to the bone. She sat up abruptly and, with her eyes still fierce upon Reya’s weeping face, she called decisively, “Lily?”

  “Yes, Orchid?” Lily responded.

  “Take Reya to my private bath house and give her a new set of clothes. Take Omus with you; at no point is she to be left unchaperoned, is that clear?”

  “Yes, Orchid.”

  Orchid then stood, her posture imperious and dignified, and as she held a hand out for Reya, she said to Tellan, “Lily is the most loyal of all my girls and Omus is my personal bodyguard; there are no others I would trust with my life. You have my word now, Tellan, by my heart and soul your niece will come to no harm in this house.”

  “Thank you, Lady.” Tellan said with a bow.

  Orchid aided Reya to her feet with a warm smile and as she watched the heartfelt embrace between the girl and her guardian, she added to Lily, “Bring Jenko to me.”

  “As you say.” Lily said and with a final bow, she walked towards Reya and wrapped an arm around her shoulders with a smile that illuminated her eyes, “Come on then, let’s get you cleaned up.”

  The enormous, armoured man opened the door silently and as Lily escorted Reya through, she hitched her head at Jenko in an indication that he was finally granted permission to see Orchid. He swaggered through with a tug of his waistcoat and upon the wide cheeky grin that spread across his face, Orchid smiled in return.

  “Jenko.” She said warmly and lifted her hands for him to take.

  “Orchid!” Jenko replied as he swept up her hands and kissed the back of a palm, “You bloom more radiantly with every meeting. How goes the flower arranging business?”

  Orchid’s smiling eyes told him that she was impervious to such outrageous charm and as Jenko looked at Tellan still stood rigidly to attention by the door, Jenko wondered what had occurred for his face to have become so drawn. But the madam held out a hand in the direction of the chairs and table by the far corner, and so the two men dutifully followed.

  “Reya has told me what needs to be said on why she and Tellan are here, but with you, Jenko there is always something else.” Orchid said as she sat down gracefully, crossing her legs in such a manner that her flawless, porcelain skin peeked from the split in her dress. She then looked at Jenko piercingly and asked shrewdly, “Why are you here and what do you want?”

  “To the point, eh? Alright.” Jenko began and he settled casually in the chair opposite her. He then placed his forearms upon the table’s polished ebony surface and made his case, “We need shelter for the night at least, and anonymity for the young ‘un. Just until my contact turns up.”

  “I expected as much, which is why arrangements have already been made for her. But cut to the chase, Jenko,” Orchid endeavoured as she sat back in her seat, ever graceful in her motions, “why come to the Flowering Garden? We are a brothel, not an inn.”

  “You wound me, Orchid. I thought ours was a firm friendship.”

  Orchid remained silent, but the harsh glint in her exquisitely painted eye told of her diminishing patience for his tiresome charm. Jenko sensed the blossoming irritation within her and so he held up a hand and said seriously, “In truth I had arranged for Vella to meet me at the Herald’s Square, but…she wasn’t there. And since we didn’t want to risk Reya being seen so openly, I needed to take her somewhere reliable.”

  Orchid’s sudden smile flashed with delight, “Reliable? A word fitting for your companion, perhaps, but one that is ill suited to you, Jenko.”

  “I’ll give you that one – may I?” Jenko replied with a heft of the crystal decanter of brandy that rested upon a silver tray in the middle of the table. He unabashedly poured himself a generous glass and continued on, “But there’s more at stake here than my unpaid tab.”

  Orchid’s eyes flashed dangerously at his flippant words. “Unpaid tabs and drastically inaccurate amounts of promised medical supplies are more than just a ‘stake’ for the Flowering Garden.” She warned.

  Jenko at least had the good grace to breathe an embarrassed laugh at the edge of harshness within the madam’s voice, before he took a sip of his brandy and replied diplomatically, “Of course, Orchid and I am sorry for my less than business–like conduct. If I could have, I would have brought what is owed to you myself. But with Reya in danger my efforts have been
…diverted–”

  “Cut the shit, Jenko.” Orchid suddenly blurted and Tellan blinked in shock that this graceful woman would utter such a stark statement in so harsh a voice.

  Jenko stared at Orchid momentarily before he placed his glass down with a firm click; the time for smooth talking had clearly run its course.

  “Alright.” He said in acceptance and as he leaned forward, he looked directly into Orchid’s beautiful eyes, “I know I’ve fucked you over, that I owe you big time and I know you’re angry with me. Hell, stick me in a room with Omus and have him beat the shit out of me for a spell; I won’t argue and say I didn’t deserve it. But Reya…she needs protection and I came to you in spite of what’s coming to me. Because keeping her safe is far more important than any of it.”

  The silent glint in Orchid’s eye told Tellan that Jenko had finally given her what she had wanted from him, the truth in his heart, and as she leaned back in her chair and spread a hand upon the table, she asked, “What are your intentions?”

  Jenko sighed silently in gratitude that she had accepted his plea and replied a little hoarsely, “Vella was supposed to come by and see you in any case with a load of silk; a goodwill gesture for my previously discussed lapse in professionalism. But Lily tells me she hasn’t arrived yet.”

  “No she hasn’t.” Orchid answered and with a flip of her perfectly manicured hand she added, “And what on earth am I supposed to do with a few meters of silk?”

  Jenko suddenly grinned like a fox. “Not meters, but one litre of Ashtaria silk.”

  Orchid’s lips pursed reflexively in approval at what was more than just a desperate bribe. Ashtaria silk was painstakingly refined into liquid form, making it an incredibly rare and rich commodity famed worldwide for its beauty enhancement properties. Jenko had clearly done his homework on her preferred bathing habits. “Go on.” She replied.