“You have been the Fortress’s most important patron for some time now,” Ventress said. “I’m delighted you’ve given me the privilege of a meeting.”
Lucian nakedly ran his eyes over Clarissa. He could sense her bronze-rank aura, see the body sculpted into lithe perfection by the magic of her essences. She wore an exquisite green dress that both commanded and provoked. Lucian had heard the delta contained several breeds of snake that were beautiful in their colouration, but deadly to encounter. He had the same impression of Clarissa Ventress.
“The pleasure is genuinely mine,” he told her.
Lucian’s assistant Cassowary brought refreshments, setting them on the table as Lucian and Clarissa exchanged more niceties.
“As you may be aware,” Lucian said, “I am an enthusiast of the fights here in the Fortress.”
“I have heard as such,” Clarissa said.
“Normally it is the evening battles that interest me. Fighters with a full set of essences. But lately, I have found one of the lower-card fighters to be highly compelling. One of your fighters.”
Clarissa smiled. The key to controlling a person was finding what they wanted. Now she understood what Lucian wanted, her concerns melted away.
“The Nightingale,” she said.
It was hardly a leap of deduction. A certain kind of man took perverse pleasure in breaking the will of a strong woman. It was the reason Sophie made such a useful stick with which to prod Cole Silva. Clarissa enjoyed such men; she found them weak and easy to handle.
“Her real name is Sophie Wexler,” Clarissa said. “She came into my employ under the condition that I would protect her.”
“Give her to me.”
“Of course, I would like to do nothing else,” Clarissa said. “But there are complications.”
Lucian scowled.
“You must understand,” Clarissa said, “that my deal to protect her is widely known. That knowledge is no small part of where the protection comes from. I have gotten where I am on the strength of my reputation. If I make a deal to protect a person, then hand them over to someone else, I am no longer able to vouchsafe any agreement on the strength of my word alone.”
“And if I just decide to take her?”
“Then no one in Old City could stop you,” Clarissa said. “But if Old City was all you had to worry about, you already would have. The Director of the Magic Society can’t just go around kidnapping women for his own pleasure, and that kind of thing has a way of getting around. What you need is to have her placed under your power in such a way that will not be given a second glance.”
“Go on,” Lucian said.
“I think, perhaps,” Clarissa said, “there is a way in which we can have both of our needs met. It will take some effort on my part, but the conclusion should be mutually satisfying.”
“Explain,” Lucian demanded.
“You must understand that one's word is not something that can be repaired. Once broken, it stays broken. I made an agreement to protect the girl from external influences, in return for certain services. Should something befall her in the course of providing those services, I cannot be expected to protect her from herself. You may or may not be aware, but she is a professional thief. If she were caught through lack of ability in her chosen trade, then I could hardly be blamed. Once she was in the hands of the legal system, I have no doubt a man of such staggering influence as yourself could take charge of the matter from there.”
“I do believe I could,” Lucian said thoughtfully. “But can you get her there?”
“It will require me to take some pains,” Clarissa said. “But what’s a little pain in service to a man such as yourself?”
53
Nightlife
With Jason’s Adventure Society field assessment looming closer by the day, Rufus, Gary and Farrah pushed him harder than ever. As a release, they would spend their evenings exploring the nighttime entertainments offered by the city. Danielle Geller acted as their guide to local society, usually with her son, Humphrey, in tow.
The symphony was a revelation to Jason. The concert hall was situated in the guild district, conveniently close to their lodgings, and they enjoyed the view from the Geller’s private viewing box.
The instruments weren’t any he recognised, although many were similar, at least in appearance. It was the magic they contained that made the performance as magnificent visually as it was musically. As they played, dancing streamers of light rose up from the instruments, galloping out over the audience to frolic in consonance with the music. Harmony of light and sound came together to transfigure the performance into something unlike any Jason had experienced before.
“How often do they put this on?” Jason leaned over to ask Danielle.
“The full symphony? Once per month, although smaller performances happen all through the week.”
“Is there a membership or something I can get?”
“There’s a patronage program with the Musical Society,” Danielle said. “I can introduce you to some people from the Musical Society if that is of interest to you.”
“Please and thank you.”
At an evening of ballroom dancing, they encountered the young acolyte of Knowledge, Gabrielle Pellin.
“Fancy that,” Danielle said innocently.
When Humphrey failed to muster up the courage for an approach, he was left watching in horror as Jason taught her a dance from his own world. After Jason slipped the string quartet a few coins, they claimed the floor to demonstrate it in full, to the applause of the gathering.
Afterwards, Jason escorted her in the direction of Humphrey, Danielle and Jason’s friends.
“You’re quite the spirited dancer,” Gabrielle told Jason as they walked leisurely around the dance floor. “You never did tell me the name.”
“It’s called the tango,” Jason said.
“Is it well known, in your world?”
“It’s probably the most famous dance there is. It was my older sister who taught me to dance. I wasn’t very interested until my father gave me some sage advice. He told me that if I wanted to be successful in love, I needed to learn three things. How to dance, how to cook, and how to keep my damn mouth shut.”
“How did that work out?”
“Well,” Jason said, “I can dance and I can cook. Gabrielle, you’ll remember Humphrey Geller.”
“Of course,” she said. “I haven’t assessed that many people for the Adventure Society, but of those I have, I think he may have been the most talented.”
“You realise you assessed me right after?”
“I do,” she said primly.
“Ouch,” Jason said, turning his gaze to Humphrey. “It seems this rose still has her thorns. Humphrey, I think I’ll leave this next dance to you.”
They both looked to Humphrey, who was looking nervous. His sheepish embarrassment could not hide the broad shoulders and chiselled features, however. He was another in a long line of annoyingly attractive people Jason was getting to know.
“I think that would be delightful,” Gabrielle said, taking mercy on him.
“What do you say, Humphrey?” Jason asked.
“That… you… I would like that very much.”
Unlike most society hotspots, the theatre district was actually located in Old City, quite close to the Fortress. It allowed members of high society to seem like they were heading to a play instead of the less-savoury delights of the city’s chief den of iniquity. Leaving a private viewing box, Jason and his companions discussed their opinions of the play.
“The stage combat was actually rather impressive,” Rufus said. “I found the plot to be a little slight, however. I like a performance with something to say.”