Felix and Jacob went downstairs. The hall was packed. Long tables and benches had been set throughout the room, with people of all types sitting, eating, and drinking. Music filled the space—stringed instruments and a kettle drum. The center of the room had been left open for dancing, while lanterns hung strategically around the walls, casting a warm glow over the crowd.
“Follow me,” Jacob said, raising his voice over the noise.
They moved through the crowd toward the kitchen and grabbed bowls. A man at the cauldron filled each with a large ladleful of stew, handing them a piece of bread.
They moved to the back of the room and found some empty space on a bench.
“This smells like heaven,” Felix exclaimed, spooning a bite into his mouth.
His eyes rolled back.
“Jesus fuck! Cardamom? This is incredible!”
The stew had a rich stock, colorful vegetables, and chunks of meat that practically melted in his mouth. Felix finished the bowl, using the last of his bread to sop up the remaining broth.
“More!”
He pushed through the crowd back toward the cauldron.
“Compliments to the chef! I haven’t had a meal like that in a long time. Might I have a little more?” Felix asked the smiling cook.
“Someone who appreciates the craft?” the man said, ladling another serving.
“The caramelized shallots really sweeten the profile. There’s a flavor here that I can’t quite place.”
Felix leaned closer, hoping for the secret ingredient.
The cook laughed.
“You know better. I thank you for the compliment. It’s not often someone notices my work. Enjoy, sir.”
Felix bowed, accepting the second helping, and the cook bowed in return.
Felix returned to his seat and devoured the second bowl.
A woman carrying a large tray of steins walked by, placing one in front of each patron, Felix and Jacob included.
They lifted their steins, toasted, and drank.
The brew was delicious—perfectly balanced, neither too sweet nor bitter, and just the right strength.
Felix took several deep gulps.
“Easy,” Jacob cautioned.
“Holy crap! This is how you guys eat?”
“Ehh. This is pretty good.”
Felix was too busy finishing his second bowl to answer.
The music died down, and the banter of conversation hushed.
Staff lowered shades over the perimeter lanterns, casting the crowd into darkness. A new light grew in the center of the room as an interior ring of lanterns illuminated a single point.
A woman stood in the center, clad in finely embroidered silk robes.
She approached a nearby table and lifted the stein of a rather large man.
“Tonight, we celebrate. We feast. We drink. For tomorrow is a new day that may never come! Let us humble ourselves in the presence of life.”
She took several deep gulps from the man’s stein, then filled her mouth. Leaning over, she grasped the man’s chin and poured the drink from her mouth into his.
The crowd erupted.
The music roared back to life with the deep hammering of kettle drums. A lone violin-like instrument sounded a slow, mournful melody.
The woman began to sway, stomping on the fourth beats of the drum and clapping on the others.
Within moments, the crowd had picked up the rhythm. The strings grew louder and more fervent.
The woman spun, her body moving effortlessly to the beat.
The crowd grew louder as the dancer climbed onto the tables, winding through the patrons like smoke. She stroked the faces of men and the hair of women, lifting drinks to their lips as she passed.
The music took on a fiddling cadence as others began dancing, mimicking her movements.
The woman danced from table to table, sometimes being carried between them, until she reached Jacob and Felix.
She leaned down, her eyes level with Felix’s. Her face was silhouetted against the lanterns. He could smell her perfume, the drink beginning to ease his trepidation.
She thrust a hand into the air, and a stool appeared on the table in front of Felix.
The woman rose onto it, wordlessly pointing at the stool while continuing to undulate to the music.
“Best get up there,” Jacob laughed over the noise.
Felix glanced at him, confused.
“I thought we were laying low.”
“Refusing a lady is going to garner much more attention.”
Jacob pushed Felix forward onto his feet.
Felix took one step up, then another, until he was standing on the table with her. She pointed again, and Felix sat on the stool.
She slowly circled him, eyes fixed on his. Her hand rested casually across his shoulders until she stood behind him.
She lifted his stein, drinking what remained, then pulled his head back and kissed him, letting the beer spill into his mouth as he tasted her on it. She gently squeezed his throat.
Felix could feel his blood rushing as his temperature climbed.
Their eyes remained locked.
She leaned his head back and carefully undid the knot of his bandana, sliding the cloth down over his eyes. As she resecured the knot, she leaned close to his ear.
Felix felt something slide beneath the bandana.
“Be still and let me,” she whispered.
Her touch never left him as she danced around him, using him like a stage prop. Her body occasionally brushed against his, her hands gliding along his chest and ears.
The crowd cheered.
She pulled away slightly and forcefully grabbed his chin, lifting the bandana from his eyes. She was inches from him.
Felix’s heart raced.
She leaned in to kiss his cheek.
“You are in danger here, but you are not alone.”
As she withdrew, her lips briefly brushed his cheek and mouth.
She leapt to her feet, arms extended above her head, clapping and gesturing for the crowd to applaud Felix’s participation.
Feeling a little light-headed, Felix climbed back down to his seat. Patrons clapped him on the shoulder as they passed.
Across the room, several women eyed Felix with interest.
Jacob finally broke the silence.
“Easy there, Nathan Jason. You might want to get some air. Then let’s sit, have our beers, and head to the room. Early day tomorrow. No getting involved.”
“Where do I go to pee?”
“Out back. Come on. I’ll show you.”
Jacob stood, and Felix followed.
Together, they moved along the edge of the room toward the back wall. A door led outside, and the muffled sounds of music and laughter grew faint as they stepped into the night air.
Felix could hear the songs of thousands of frogs as they stepped onto a balcony overlooking a swampy grassland.
Jacob approached the railing and began to relieve himself into the waters below.
Felix did the same, now feeling a little swimmy from the beer.
“That’s some strong stuff,” he said.
“We’ll get some water when we go back in,” Jacob replied, eyeing Felix suspiciously.
Waiting.
Felix finished and turned to walk back inside.
“Let’s have it.”
Jacob blocked his path.
“Have what?”
“The note under your bandana. Open it.”
Felix sighed irritably and slid the object from beneath his bandana.
It was indeed a folded piece of paper.
He held it out to Jacob.
Jacob didn’t reach for it.
“Go on. Read it,” Jacob prompted.
Felix unfolded the note.
“We kno…”
“Not out loud. Are you slow? Just read it.”
Felix sighed again and held the note toward the moonlight.
“We know who you are. The Clergy do too. They are not what you think. If you survive, find us.”
That was all the note said.
Felix held it out to Jacob, who took it and read it.
He crumpled the paper and threw it over the railing.
“There’s a lot here you don’t know, and there are a lot of people who have their own ideas. Not all of them are bad, but not all are good either.”
He stepped closer.
“I would really recommend you stick to the plan. Or do what some strange lady with a note tells you. How bad could it be, right?”
Jacob fixed Felix with a FAFO stare, then turned and walked back inside.
Artavus Quill 