Hi! here's the next chapter. I think I'm getting a bit carried away with all the subplots and everything. Don't worry, I'll try to tie it all together sometime soon. And slip some "good bits" in too. Thanks to those of you who e mailed me, if anyone has some constructive critisism I would love to hear it! cheers!
When I woke up I felt fine. Not fine in the sense of "not awful" but fine in the sense of a fine wine, or a diamond. I lay in the slanting rays of sunlight wrapped in my white comforter and felt utterly relaxed and luxurious. Stretching languidly I could hear Joelle humming....humming? Joelle? in the next room. I heard a rapping on the door that entered onto the hallway and rolled over to see if I could hear who it was. There was a whisper, the door closed and then Joelle came bursting into my room, as flustered as I'd ever seen her.
"Wake up Saskia, you have a summons from the Empress. You had better get up right now!"
There was the old Joelle, clear and to the point. I felt a pang of apprehension as I climbed out of the warm bed into the slightly chilly air, grabbing for my robe.
"Why? I mean, why would she want to see me?"
Joelle rolled her eyes. "I have no idea, I don't know what's going on in Her Highnesses head. Hurry up though, you don't want to keep her waiting."
"Geez, I know that."
I donned a dark green semi-formal dress and after trying to subdue my hair for a few minutes, gave in to it's unruly spiky nature and bolted out the door.
There was nobody in the Empress' private reception hall when I arrived, flushed and out of breath. I paced the length of the elegant room, anxious that I smelled of sweat or alcohol from the night before. The ceilings of the room were so high that they disappeared into the gloom above and dust motes swirled and danced through rays of light in the silence. After a time, an Attendant came and escorted me down a hallway and into a small room with a verandah that looked out onto a private garden. The empress was seated at a table there, cradling a mug of tea in both hands and gazing into space. I was shocked to see her black hair down, flowing over her shoulders and arms. Usually it would be coiled into the largest and most intricate formations on top of her head and I would wonder how her slender neck could take the strain. But now she looked like a... well, like a person. A real one. I approached her slowly and she turned and smiled, beckoning me to come and join her. In silence I obeyed her gestures and sat in the intricately carved chair opposite her own. She gazed at me in the strangest way, and then, after a time, she spoke.
"I'm sure you are very curious why I have called you here." Her voice was soft and implied an accent that rounded off all the hard sounds.
"Yes." Suddenly I couldn't remember any of the lengthly formal titles that the Empress was addressed by.
She took a deep breath and opened her pretty mouth.
"I'll be honest with you. I have become disillusioned."
"Um. What about?"
"For years I harboured fantasies of escape from this life. I live this way because of duty, not any affection for my position. But as I say, I now see the impossibility of this. It is to remain a fantasy."
The morning sunlight glinted off of the Empress' white teeth as she smiled again, somewhat bitterly.
"You probably think that I spend my time dealing with affairs of state, religious matters, things to do with running an empire yes?"
I could tell that "yes" was the correct answer,
"Yes."
"Well I don't. I am an Icon. Nothing more. I show my face in the appropriate places, my approval for the appropriate causes, and inspire patriotism in the people. Councilors tell me what to say and when to say it, I am barely allowed to put on my own clothing, let alone see the world."
This was all very confusing. I couldn't really figure out what she was talking about, but I nodded and tried to pay as close attention as possible.
"Basically, Saskia, what I am trying to say is that I am bored. I need something new in my life. And maybe you will be it. I want you to be my friend."
what???!!!
"Um... "
"Saskia, this is not mandatory. It is not an imperial order. It's up to you. I would request your presence for a few hours a day, allowing for your busy practice schedule of course. I am longing for the company of someone my own age, who will talk to me about anything other than politics and the messy love lives of the imperial families. I want to hear stories about your travels, about your experiences, about your loves....Oh, I'm sorry, would you like some tea?"
She then reached out and poured me a cup of fragrant, flowery tea. She did it herself. I was stunned that no Attendant had come to do it for her. That she had called for no service. This was just too confusing. The empress wasn't supposed to pour tea for herself, let alone a lowly entertainer. But I sensed that her intentions were good, and for the first time I found myself raising my eyes, tentatively to meet hers.
I expressed my feelings as simply as I could.
"I think I'd like that."
And with that, I became the "Imperial Friend".
This didn't involve much. In fact it was rather unexciting. The Empress and I would take tea most days in her quarters or in the gardens. Afterward, sometimes we would walk around the palace grounds, or play silly games in her rooms. But mostly what she wanted was for me to talk. It was a rather pleasing mental exercise to try to remember the details of my life and relate them to her. We began with my ancestry, which I knew little about, and moved into my early childhood. I did enjoy making her laugh, so I admit, sometimes I embellished the truth a little. But harmless details, I assure you. She seemed to find my life fascinating, while I found hers a bit dull.
At first when I got back to my quarters Joelle would grill me for the details of my hours spent with the empress, but she soon realized that I did most of the talking, and there was really nothing to tell. One thing that did come of these excursions within the palace walls (other than a certain notoriety as the Empress' rumored secret love slave) was that it gave Joelle and I something to talk about.
The more time Joelle and I passed in each others company, the more the air cleared. I grew to enjoy her company, and looked forward to the evenings after practice when I would soak my aching muscles in the bath and we would converse. I still saw Isaac frequently, but never mentioned what I had seen that strange evening. Nor did any sign of the relationship between Isaac and his Attendant surface until one sodden night....
The sight of the two of them in my quarters was a bit surprising. Isaac barely knocked before barging in like a raging bull, demanding that Joelle and I accompany himself and Adam to The Treehouse. This was a cabaret where Isaac and I had spent a fair bit of time and even more money in the last few years. Every weekend there was different entertainment there, and though it was never advertised, you had to have an "in" in order to attend. Generally the entertainment was artistic, elegant and semi erotic. Isaac had charmed the club manager's daughter one evening, and ever since he had been a welcome guest.
"So hurry up and get dressed, the second show starts at midnight." Isaac commanded, knowing that I was always a sucker for free entertainment and fine wine.
Joelle balked.
"I think not. I will stay here, and Saskia, you would do well to stay in too. You don't want any trouble." Joelle was stiff and proper, as she had been when we met. I looked at her, taken aback.
"Shit Joelle, come on!" Isaac laughed before I had a chance to protest. "You'd do well to come out with us! A little trouble would be good for you, love! Saskia needs some time off.... and of course we'd love to have the pleasure of your company."
There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice, and I shot him a look to wither his ego.
"Shut up Isaac, she'll come if she wants to."
Joelle's eyes were blazing, I could tell that Isaac had infuriated her, but then, to my further surprise, her posture relaxed and she visibly gave in.
The rain came down in bucket-fulls as we ran out the gate to hail the nearest cab and the city was dark and gleaming. I've always loved the rain, it makes my hair stand on end and my pores open to gratefully drink. By the time the four of us climbed into the back of the taxi we were drenched but cheerful, my silk dress blotched, Joelle's hair sticking to her face. This served only to make her look even wilder than usual, her eyes flickering this way and that like a nervous animal. Isaac wrapped his arm around me as we sat facing the other two, and I listened to the sound of vehicles hissing by on the wet road outside. I shivered and Isaac tightened his grip on me, pressing his damp cheek against mine, and not for the first time I found myself wondering if I had really seen what I had seen that night after the performance.
The city outside the palace grounds was enormous. The buildings dwarfed everything, towering high into the night sky, their upper lights eclipsed by fog and rain. Dark and wet though it was, the city still looked like some overgrown fairground, people crowding the sidewalks, lights flashing and blinking like miniature suns. Above us walkways and overpasses twined between the buildings, continuing up higher than we could see. Explosions of light erupted from wall-sized advertisements and music blared everywhere.
I gazed interestedly out the window, though none of this phased me remotely. Life for the entourage was pretty much nomadic, excepting our time here. In the twelve years I had been a member I had seen most of the planet, entertaining audiences of the strangest races and in the strangest places. We had been off the planet more times than I could count as well, though we never strayed too far. A person, (or an entourage, as it may be) had to have some sort of home base. Even if that home base was an entire planet. For some reason, the Imperial Palace had never really become home. Each year we were assigned different, if uniform quarters, different attendants and there was never really adequate time to get attached. As these thoughts flew through my mind I wondered if this year was going to be any different. Already there had been so many.... abnormalities...
"So what is this that we are seeing tonight?" Joelle's voice brought me back to the real world. I was pleasantly surprised that she was trying to make conversation.
"You've never been there?" Isaac asked incredulously.
"No."
"How long have you lived here?"
"In this city, most of my life. The palace, just a few months."
"And you've never been to the Treehouse? What have you been doing with your life? No, don't answer that, I'm sorry. But you should know that you are in for a treat!"
I pitched in, as I knew that Joelle would take my word over Isaac's who she seemed to have an automatic aversion to.
"It's really quite incredible, you never really know what you're getting into. Every time we've been there it's been like walking into a different place. The acts change, the decor changes....the only constant is this huge room with a huge stage and a very interesting clientele."
"But what makes it so good?" Adam asked, speaking for the first time that night.
I thought for a moment, then said "Well.... I think it's the mystery... the unknown. You just never know, y'know?"
Adam laughed at this and I saw the corner of Joelle's mouth twitch. By now I had learned that Joelle appreciated humour just as much as the rest of us, she was just so suspicious of people she didn't know! Without realizing it I had taken it upon myself to soften her up, and it had become a slight obsession.
"I brought something for the ride over..." Isaac said, pressing something into my hand. It was a small bottle. "It's a bit of a drive to the Treehouse, and it's cold and rainy after all." He had a sly grin on his face. He explained to the other two.
"It's October Brandy. Some off-world concotion containing God-only-know. Saskia loves this stuff. Last time she drank it she was naked and dancing on the table by ten o'clock!"
"Shut up Isaac, I was not!" It was more like twelve.
"Unfortunately it is very hard to obtain. I think it's even illegal in some countries. Easy Adam, just a tiny sip! It's vicious stuff. A glassfull can put you in the hospital."
Already I could feel my body warming, my face feeling soft and a smile touching my lips. Suddenly the world looked just a little more beautiful. Isaac's arm around me felt good and I watched as Joelle hesitated and then raised the bottle to her full lips. The thought occurred to me that maybe we were pressuring her into too many things that she didn't want to do, but the thought fled as quickly as it had come. I could see her fighting the urge to cough from the burn, but she stifled it and Isaac recorked the bottle and put it in his jacket.
After that things got more jovial in the cab. Isaac entertained us all, doing dead on impressions, making us all collapse in giggles. He did me, flitting around and being a flirt and a primadonna to which I laughingly protested.
"Hey! You could never be me. I'm much better looking!"
"Yeah? well check this one out!" and suddenly he sat up, straight backed and blinked owlishly, making some pretentious snorting noises. "Now Saskia! home by eight. And tell me if you're going to take a shit. I'm supposed to accompany you everywhere you go." He spoke in a high clipped voice and then changed back to his normal self in an instant. "Who am I?"
oh no. What's he done now?
I looked to Joelle to gauge her reaction but after a moment of realization she burst out laughing, leaning on Adam's shoulder and holding her belly. I breathed a sigh of relief.
Pulling over, the cab driver lowered the screen between us and announced our arrival. And that we owed her a fortune. We reluctantly handed it over and made our way onto the rainy street, clutching our coats around us.
The entrance to the Treehouse was located deep in a tiny alley off of the street, unobtrusive, perhaps to deepen the mystery of it all. Isaac conferred with a dark man in the entrance way and after a few minutes the man reappeared with an elegant woman in her mid thirties on his arm. She was tall and big boned, yet somehow graceful. Her nose curved down in a gentle hook, and her eyes, they were large and intelligent. They moved everywhere at once, taking in her surroundings and processing them in an instant. She was introduced as Kavriona, the "daughter of the establishment", whatever that meant. She shook my hand and Adam's, but lingered with Joelle's, seeming to stroke her fingers as she slowly drew away. Joelle's reaction was nervous, a slight wrinkle forming on her high forehead.
Kavriona's voice was a low purr as she spoke.
"Darlings, you have had the exquisite luck of appearing tonight of all nights." She then paused dramatically. It was Isaac's role to rise to the challenge.
"Oh? and why is that? Because we'll have the pleasure of your company I'm sure?"
"Ah, a lovely idea, but alas, not this evening. We have a new entertainment ce soir, something un peu plus exotique..."
More exotic than usual? I couldn't even imagine the possibility.
At Kavriona's statement, a uniformed servant appeared, carrying some strips of black cloth over his arm.
"We are asking all of our guests tonight to wear these petite accessories." She picked up one of the strips to tie it around Adam's surprised eyes. His mouth opened as if to protest, but shut after a moment's thought. The cloth had two small holes, approximately the correct size and placement for eyes. I had to chuckle at the sight of him, the masked man in evening wear, but before I knew it we were all similarly bedecked.
Kavriona then led us into a large, no, huge hall, full of round, cabaret style tables and decorated with lush swaths of red velvet cloth, hung from the ceiling and walls, seemingly random. There were dozens of people there, sitting and drinking, many laughing, smoking, all wearing the same black masks. I could tell that the people here were bursting with curiosity, much as I was, about what was going to happen in this mysterious room. We were seated at a candlelit table, and served dark red drinks by a masked server. Kavriona dropped by after a while, seating herself next to Joelle and focusing all her attention on her.
"You do have the most appealing eyes my dear, where were you born?"
Joelle looked uneasily at the woman. "I was born here in the city, ma'am."
"Now let's not be so formal hmm? Call me Kavriona like everyone else."
She regarded the silver identification bracelet that all people who worked for the palace wore.
"And what do you do there at the palace?"
"I'm an Attendant."
"So the silver ones are for Attendants, and the entertainers wear these copper ones?" She gestured to my wrist.
"Yes."
"Very interesting.... pretty Joelle."
At that moment the lights dimmed even further, so that the only illumination came from the candleabras at each table. I wasn't sure but I thought that I saw Kavriona's hand brush Joelle's cheek as she quickly arose and moved off through the crowd. I felt quite a flurry of emotion at this gesture, but it was quickly overshadowed by the nearly tangible tension in the air. All crowd noise had ceased and I felt a wave of apprehension. What were the masks for? I thought of Joelle there in the silence and leaned over to ask,
"How are you?"
Her voice was a little less confident than usual, but that could have something to do with the alcohol. "Fine thank you."
I was skeptical, but my attention was caught by the raising of one of the velvet hangings to my right. There was a man standing on a raised block there, ten feet up, wearing a pair of billowing white pants, a streamlined mask like the head of a sleek white panther, and nothing else to cover his dark greenish brown skin. He stood there for a moment, silently, his head turning slowly, regally, as if surveying the crowd, surveying his kingdom. And then his voice boomed out.
"If anyone here is afraid of new experiences... If anyone here is frightened of the unknown... I suggest you leave now. This is not a show. It is an education. It is not for the meek, nor for the faint of heart."
I recognized this style of speech. I heard it every time the entourage performed. Danule was a master.
"We are Masakfar. The mask makers. We made the masks that you all wear in this room, and we understand...." Here his voice dropped to a bass rumble "the masks that you all wear in your lives. We are mask makers, meaning we create masks, and if one has the power to create, one has the power to destroy. Tonight... is a night of destruction. The destruction of the masks that bind you from moment to moment. The destruction of the lies that we all live. And the creation of you as a new being."
I turned to meet Isaac's eyes across the table. We shared a meaningful glance, silently amitting that this guy was very skilled in the art of manipulating an audience. However we both knew he was putting on an act.
"So I repeat..." The Masakfar continued "If anyone here is afraid to have their true identity revealed.... leave NOW."
There was a rustle in the room, but as I looked around I could see nobody leaving. After some more introductory jargon, the man announced that first we would be seeing a traditional "taking down" dance of the Masakfar and then he withdrew into the shadows.
A different cloth was raised, this time to my left, and everyone turned and clapped appreciativly as five dancers appeared on the stage. They were wearing the most intricate masks, each one twice the size of the dancer's head. They belonged in a gallery. Extravagent would have been too weak a word for these creations, for they were alive and most exquisitely artistic. The faces were so intricate, blazing with colour and character that it took quite a while to notice that the dancers, all female, were wearing next to nothing. From the bottom of each mask hung strips of multicoloured gauze, but beneath the gauze... skin. Graceful, undulating, greenish skin over taut muscles dancing to a primal music. I couldn't take my eyes off of them. Nor could anyone else I'm sure. I could hear Isaac swear softly to himself. The dancing went on hypnotically for an untold amount of time and then it was over, a sigh wafting up from the audience. Clapping just wouldn't have been appropriate for those gentle creatures, so entrancing. There followed a number of other acts, all involving similarily incredible masks, and then the room went dark as a cold wind swept ominously through, dousing all the friendly candles.
There was a murmer from the assembly, a shifting, a drawing together in the darkness. I heard a woman exclaim in fear "Darling, where are you?" and then from far far above, a joyous laughter. A woman, laughing in clear pure tones. The man in the white pants reappeared on his platform, lit from behind this time, and announced
"People. This is an unusual event. Tonight, for the first time in centuries... we have a woman who has requested an un-masking. The Mask Makers have a ceremony for this which is has existed for millenia. It is tradition, and tonight, we have chosen to share it with you. There are no words to describe this ceremony... you will just have to see for yourselves." And with this, a golden light flared directly in front of us and a larger stage was revealed. Hanging from her wrists, feet dangling twenty feet above the stage was a figure wearing an identical panther face to match that of the announcer. And yet her elegant dress and staturesque figure looked familiar. Joelle and I realized who it was at the same time and I made a nervous grab for Joelle's hand as she breathed, "Kavriona."
Surely this was all a set up. I looked to Isaac hoping to see the usual knowing grin on his face, but he was obviously as confused as I. Kavriona laughed again in that bell tone, but this time I noted a tiny note of hysteria in the mirth.
She hung there for a few moments as the crowd tried to comprehend the situation, and then slowly, smoothly she was lowered toward the stage until just her toes were touching. Music filtered through the apprehensive air, eerie but beautiful and two of the dancers appeared on the stage without their masks, or redundant gauze. Their faces were as delicate as the rest of them, elfin and immaculate, dark hair pulled severely back from their slightly elongated heads. They approached Kavriona and Oh! the things they did to her! At first I was afraid they would hurt her, but soon realized how ridiculous that was. They gave her pleasure I could only imagine. At first it was hard to watch, but there was no avoiding it. Their fingers and tounges darted everywhere until they had her hanging there completely naked, moaning and tossing her head. They oiled her body from head to toe and then stroked her with soft feathers and flower petals until she pleaded for release. During all this time the audience sat transfixed. Kavriona's body was amazing, big heavy breasts (which the dancers suckled) and a thick patch of hair between her legs (which the dancers teased). They worked the woman into such a frenzy she was crying out and her breast was heaving and then, abruptly, they left her.
Something about this spectacle was enthralling, while at the same time, very disturbing. This had gone far beyond the line of eroticism that the Treehouse usually encouraged. I felt almost guilty, as if I shouldn't be seeing this. But I also felt warm and slightly aroused, not to mention curious as to what was to come.