“Well,” said Finn, “I don’t know about the rest of you , but I have a feeling. A feeling we are safe and sound. Maybe Pinewood could be our new home.”
“Even with our friend Freud Blankis?” Clayton asked. “A little impatience isn’t that terrible. I’m for seeing how long we can make this last. With only the lake to gain access and the surrounding woods protected by hidden mines, I can’t see how Huglund could even get us, even if he tried. Blondie needs to stop being so winked and see that, the broiled squab.”
Clayton shook his head. “What?” Finn asked.
“He’s trying. He is genuinely trying, Finn. Give him time, he’ll surprise you.” With that, Clayton walked over to a nearby table. Adelaide took Finn’s hand and clasped it gently as he smiled at her. She was just about to make her way over to join Clayton when the bartender walked from behind the counter and approached them. His breath smelled appallingly of liverwurst.
“With compliments of Mayor Oderheim, I’ve been ordered to….” “Yeah, ye ah we know, supply us with Honeydrop,” Finn chuckled. “I’ll have one, thanks. Aurora here will take a Cinnamon Cider.”
“I don’t understand,” the bartender said. “I saw Mr. Blankis speaking with you.”
“What is it with you people and drinking?” Adelaide exclaimed. “If I want to drink, then I’ll rotting drink.” The bartender frowned, his bushy eyebrows arching up as he did so.
“Well, I suppose if you don’t want any, you don’t want any.” “Thank you,” Adelaide laughed. “Now do you have any good musicians in this town?”
“Ah,” the bartender sighed smiling. “You will find we have something much better.” He cautioned them over to the side of the bar. Something was sitting on the surface, hidden under a duty blanket. He pulled the covering off to reveal a peculiar looking device molded out of shiny, light metal, much like a typewriter. On the front of it was a series of buttons with letters on them. A pair of stereos, connected to the device by a thin strand of cord, sat against a nearby wall.
“What is it?” asked Adelaide. “T he next stage in music,” replied the bartender. “Though somewhat outdated in Memoriam, this contraption is the newest means of enjoying music in the whole of Sanctumsea. It allows you to listen to a series of favored songs from multiple lands beyond our own. You simply push any two buttons, one after another, and a song will emit. Try it out.”
Finn pressed down on the letter A, and then played with his other choices before finally resting his finger on the letter P. The box made a subtle whirling sound and a quiet cackle rose from each of the stereos.
“Wait for it,” the bartender said. The cackling soon turned into a pleasant, forgotten ditty from a time long past. It rolled and danced swiftly from ear to ear as a dozen different instruments and melodious voices chimed in together. No one could tell what it was about, and no one seemed to care. It was impossible not to smile and imagine a better time.
Finn started to sway his hips along to the beat. His overabundant confidence masked his lack of talent very well. Adelaide laughed heartily before joining in. She turned to see if Clayton was planning to dance as well, but shook her head as she witnessed his gaze lingering on the givie sitting on the chair beside him.
“Unbelievable,” she thought, “and with someone of her profession.” Her brows unfurled as she allowed Finn to wrap his arms around her shoulders and plant a kiss on her lips. The pair was soon dipping back and forth to the rhythm of the song.
Clayton watched them both with a tranquil smile on his lips. He found himself, however, shifting uncomfortably in his chair as the young woman next to him leaned closer in, studying his face intently.
“Didn’t your folks ever teach you it’s not polite to stare?” he finally asked her. “They aren’t around to teach me anything th ese days.” “Perhaps they didn’t like your choice in career.” “Well” she laughed. “A girl has to eat.” “Maybe you should change your diet.” The givie pulled back for a moment. “You’re different than the rest.” “What do you mean?” Clayton inquired.
“Any Red Hand who comes through this town can hardly wait to down a glass of Honeydrop or bed the nearest givie. I take it you haven’t completely fallen for Pinewood’s charming façade?”
“I don’t know about that,” Clayton laughed. “It seems well enough.”
The givie shook her head.
“It’s a web,” she whispered. “Once you’re in, it’s hard to see what’s about to happen until it’s too late.” Clayton turned to face her.
“And what is about to happen, exactly?”
“I…” she stammered. “I shouldn’t say.”
“I disagree.”
“Why should I trust you?”
“I’m having a similar debate.”
“If you tell Blankis about what I’m saying to you, they won’t just make me lie on my back. They’ll peel it off my spine.” “I reckon my companions and I can keep our mouths shut. Freud Blankis isn’t exactly our friend at the moment.” “Because you declined his offer of spirits?” she chuckled. “Yeah that never happens when your kind come running. There’d be an empty bottle and a satisfied customer by now. Honeydrop is a funny thing. The chemistry of it is so rich you can hardly notice the laudanum lacing the rim of the bottle. These people need you all unconscious and awaiting your fate.”
Clayton tilted his head curiously.
“What fate would you be referring to?” he asked.
At this point, the givie cleared her throat and glanced out the window. She seemed adamant that no one catch what she was saying.
“ Look,” she began. “I’ve already been warned about helping you people out, and I figure if you’re too winked to see it yourselves, then I can’t do much else except sit and watch it all unfold. So I’ll just say this: Just run. Don’t stop, don’t think. Find a way out of this place. Oderheim may have brought us back from poverty ten years ago, but what he did has cost us all our humanity.And the town doesn’t interfere as long as it keeps food on their plates and breath in their lungs. Just pretend, for a moment,that everything that’s happened since those two rotters Puck and Boras found you in the woods have been part of a plan, a plan to do something truly unforgiveable to you and all your friends.”
The bartender was giving her an odd glance, his eyes darkening intensely. Seeing this, the she grabbed Clayton by the collar and pulled herself onto his lap. Before he had time to react, she was placing kiss after kiss on his lips, allowing them to linger before granting him the chance to contribute as well. When she finally let him up for air, the first thing Clayton saw was Adelaide’s brightly flushed face as she stared at him, her cheeks starting to quiver. She immediately snatched Finn’s face in her hands and planted a series of quick but passionate pecks on his mouth, checking every now and again to see if Clayton was watching. He did, for a second, but then turned back to the givie with confusion on his face.
“Not bad, Red Hand. I think he’s convinced. Unless you think a trip upstairs would help?” Clayton remained silent. “Well?” she whispered, softly breathing into his ear. “I’m thinking,” he chuckled.
“Well,” she sighed, removing herself from his lap. “When you decide, ask for Tazme. People around here call me Taz.” “What kind of name is Tazme?” “It’s short for something, a place in Memoriam, I think. My dad told me once it was where his ancestors came from. Anyways be careful. I doubt this calm will last much longer. Try and stay close to your friends and leave by sunrise. It doesn’t bode well for your kind. Oderheim considers you a rich payday, nothing more.”
“Oderheim is one of us,” said Clayton.
Taz shook her head.
“He might have the mark , but he’s in the clear as long as he keeps at his plan. I can’t say anymore. Just keep your group safe.”
She turned her head to see Adelaide and Finn leaving the dance floor to retreat to a bench outside, where their actions were swiftly cut from view.
“She does realize she isn’t fooling anyo
ne, right?” Taz chuckled.
Clayton looked at her curiously. “Wow,” she laughed, rolling her eyes. “I guess you are winked after all.” With that, she smiled and leaned in to give him another kiss on the cheek, but then changed her mind and planted it on his lips. As she finally walked away, the bartender gave Clayton a suspicious glance. Thinking fast, the Red Hand jerked his thumbs up with an obnoxious grin. The bartender smirked and nodded in agreement.
“I’ve got to warn the others,” Clayton thought. He got up and started moving casually towards the front door. Once outside, he could see that Adelaide and Finn were nowhere to be found.
The streets of Pinewood were deserted. Clayton felt nervous standing there; the only breathing body on the street and visible to anyone who might care to peak outside their windows. Not a sound emitted from any of the buildings nearby, making his nervous breathing the loudest thing to be heard. He was just about to start looking for his friends when a rustling noise from two houses down caught his attention. Glancing about to see if anyone was watching him, Clayton slowly crept along the walkway, wincing as the boards beneath his feet creaked with each carefully placed step. He hastily ducked down beneath the window as a loud crash sounded from inside the house.
“Winking rot, Jade; don’t be attracting any attention. We need to keep a low profile.” “Well,” a woman’s voice responded. The shrill, penetrating sound of it made Clayton cringe. “We couldn’t possibly attract any more with your ear-splitting mouth breathing.”
A third voice spoke. It didn’t take Clayton any effort to know who it belonged to.
“Well now thath the liths are on, we cath see where we’re going.” Clayton crouch ed down as low as he could go. Puck couldn’t have been standing more than a couple feet from the window pane.
“Alright, so we are all agreed,” Jade stated. “No mistakes this time. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you what Freud would do if he discovered that grave out in the woods, where Hollis is supposed to be buried, is actually rotting empty.”
“He’ll kill us all,” the first man said. “Exactly,” continued Jade. “I still can’t believe that rotting cleaner actually ran off without saying goodbye to the givie. He adored that sack of silky flesh.”
“She wath always trouble,” said Puck. “She probably it h trying to warn those four Red Haths me and Boras found in the wooths.”
“She wouldn’t dare,” growled Jade. “Not after what Freud did to her parents last summer. She knows to follow the rules he set when Red Hands are brought to town.”
“Even so,” the first man said. “I reckon we should go secure them now before they get suspicious. I heard they didn’t drink.” “Everyone drinks the Honeydrop,” Jade muttered. “It’s almost tragic how easy it is to get them all to do it.” “Well they didn’t,” the man announced. “No Honeydrop means no sleep. So we might have to get a little rough if we want to be done before those riders arrive tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” aske d Puck nervously. “They’re that cloth?” “Right on the heels of those naive squirms,” cackled Jade. “Freud says they will be here by first light. After we tear this place apart, we’ll get Boras and head over to the tavern. They should be asleep by now, with or without the drug.”
“And Oderheim will uphold hith deal thith time?” asked Puck. “I don’t want juth Boras getting all the tasty snacks again.” “Shut your hole you rotting wink, you’ll give me night scares,” yelled the first man. “I swear, I’ll never understand how you two can do that stuff and still sleep at night.”
“Ith a choice,” Puck chuckled. “Frankly , ith you ever find yourselves with the option to consume some yourself, I highly recommend it.”
The girl, Jade, spat in disgust. “I’m with Garrick,” she said. “I’ve done a few unnatural things in my day, but to do that is….ugh I cannot begin to describe it. And to call them critters, like they are mindless beasts you just pop from a rabbit hole and cook over a fire. I swear, only a sickly beast can rightly consume his own kind like that. It isn’t natural.”
“Enough chatter,” Garrick said. “Let’s make sure the cellar is ready to go downstairs and get over to The Lambshead. I want to have a little fun with that girl before we lock them up. I imagine Tibris Guards don’t mind getting them a little used, as long as they’re still breathing.”
Clayton didn’t hear Garrick’s remark as he nearly tripped backwards in shock from Jade’s comment to Puck. He stayed in the shadows as he quickly snuck his way back towards the tavern. It was clear to him now what Taz had meant. He knew it was time to leave Pinewood.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Raoul was surprised as he approached his room. There seemed to be a peculiar smell rising from behind the door. It was foreign and exotic, like a lost flower sprinkled with various spices and a touch of orange-scented perfume. It was repulsive, to say the least. Cautiously, he edged his way up to where the door stood partially ajar, and poked his head inside.
The room was mostly empty. The only pieces of furniture were a table covered in a hand-stitched quilt, a pair of wooden chairs, a master desk by the window, and a twin-size bed across the room. The wallpaper on the walls was worn, portraying an assembly of countryside images including rolling hills, small ponds, white board fences and a series of old dirt roads. The source of the intensely female smell, however, did not come from any of these items. The source came in the form of a young girl lying directly in front of him, her legs curled up at the foot of the bed and her tiny head resting on the palm of her hand. She blinked her eyes a lot, all the while trying to appear alluring from beneath the blankets wrapped loosely around her shivering form.
Raoul looked at her curiously, not completely sure how to react to the situation. Was it some kind of joke? The little girl certainly wasn’t laughing. In fact, she was doing her best to hold back a tear as he stepped inside, closing the door behind him.
“Umm…..hello,” he said. The girl smiled and shook her hair back, an act which was supposed to appear alluring, but ended up just looking sad and unnatural. Raoul was less than comfortable.
“Hello yourself,” she replied in a low voice. Raoul felt disgusting just for listening to it.
“Can I….I’m sorry but can I…um, help you…with anything?” He certainly didn’t mean that the way she took it. The words were hardly out of his mouth before she slid seductively to the end of the bed and slowly arched herself upwards.
“I don’t know. Do you think you can?”
The blanket slipped away.
Raoul should have averted his eyes. He knew he should have. For a good ten seconds he stood there, his gaze wandering the girl’s scrawny form, studying her twists and curves. A single thought crossed his mind, which he quickly quelled before turning away.
“I…umm….I don’t know what it is you expect me to do here, but….umm…oh boy. As flattered as I am, I have to tell you there won’t be anything happening here tonight. Sorry.”
The girl looked at him strangely, as if she didn’t understand his response. “So, if you could please put some clothes on, I would really appreciate it. It’s not that you….you know, aren’t attractive, I just don’t feel well, that’s it.”
This seemed like the appropriate road to take, and Raoul felt pleased with the way he had handled the situation. He was, however, horrified to hear the girl start sniffling and rocking back and forth as she grew more and more upset.
“Oh rot, um, I’m sorry, I know you were probably…um…looking forward to it, but I am sorry. I’m just not in the mood, and quite frankly, I feel a little uncomfortable just having this conversation. Please stop crying.”
“I know,” she moaned, her head falling into her hands. “And I know why.”
“Ah,” Raoul said, sighing in relief. “Good, then it isn’t just me.”
“Yes, and I am sorry,” she continued. “I know I am quite ugly, but I have to try regardless.”
“Well I hope you…..wait, sorry what?”
“I am ug
ly. I know I don’t have pretty features; like beautiful eyes with fluttery eyelashes, or a nicer and larger pair of…” Raoul coughed loudly to cut her off. “Well, you can see,” she continued. “ I am not fit to serve you tonight, or anyone for that matter. I should have known you would have been displeased.”
“I beg your pardon?” “It is true that I have no prior experience, but I was told very specifically what to do. I would not disappoint you, especially if your eyes were closed.”
“I…..I mean what the…what?” “It would mean a day of good eating for my family,” she pleaded, her tear stained eyes beaming. “They aren’t my real family, of course. I was given to them after my uncle was killed and eaten in the woods by a couple of wild animals, or so that man Boras told me. They may not love me and make me clean and cook, but I still hate to see them live off crumbs and watered down soup all the time.”
Raoul’s expression was that of extreme discomfort. He wanted to leave, badly, but here before him was a scared, sad little girl who was speaking as if she had no choice but to act in this manner. He felt sorry for her, a strange thing, since he had never felt sorry for anyone at any point in his entire life, except maybe himself.
“Look,” he started. “It isn’t that you aren’t….well, attractive. I mean how old are you?”
“I’m not sure. We don’t celebrate birthdays at my home. Well, not mine anyways. I can recall at least thirteen years.” She seemed so sweet, so innocent; completely unaware of the action she was adamantly pursuing and what it would mean for her. Standing there, looking at her, Raoul wanted nothing more than to find the people forcing her to do this, and take several hours in teaching them some respect. Well, that and an hour or two comforting her, perhaps slipping into that bed with her, letting her unbutton his shirt….or perhaps just to know her name.
“What are you called,” he asked. “My name is Cherry Ather ton. I mean…Lovely Lavender. Yes, Lovely Lavender. That is the name I was given when they told me to come here.”
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