Page 15 of The Tricksters Deception

The room is filled with low moans and laughter, the sounds of pleasure and pain mingling in a cacophony that makes my stomach churn. Bodies are intertwined in ways that speak of both ecstasy and desperation. Couples and groups are draped over the velvet couches, lying on plush rugs, and leaning against the walls, their limbs tangled in a twisted embrace. The flickering candlelight casts a warm, almost intimate glow on their faces, but their expressions are a mix of rapture and something darker, more primal.

The floor is littered with discarded garments and empty glasses, the remnants of indulgence and excess. The walls are adorned with tapestries depicting scenes of myth and legend, their intricate patterns and vibrant colors a stark contrast to the raw and carnal reality of the room. The air is heavy, almost suffocating, with the scent of incense and sweat, a mixture that clings to my skin and fills my lungs.

Doing my best to face a wall, I hear Corvu groan. "We're not staying near any of this," he states firmly.

"Don't worry your pointy-ones, pretty boy, you can stay upstairs, away from the fun." Halla chuckles as we continue to follow her around the room and up a flight of creaky, wooden stairs. The stairs creak under our weight, and the sounds of the room below grow fainter with each step, though the lingering scent follows us.

"Is that what you call it?" Corvu retorts.

"What do you call it?" Halla asks, a teasing lilt in her voice.

"Disgusting? Messy?" Corvu stops just before we reach the top of the stairs and turns to face me. "Smelly?" he whispers directly to me. I can't help but smile; there is an interesting…smell here, a mix of sweat, incense, and something else I can't quite place.

"That way are the baths," Halla points down a dark hallway. "They'll be empty for another hour, but when we close up they get full, so don't be too long. You lot can stay in this room. I don't have many girls working tonight, so you'll be on your own." Halla swings a door open, revealing a modest but clean room. She leaves us with a swagger in her hips and a roll of her eyes.

The room is a stark contrast to the chaos downstairs. Simple wooden beds with clean sheets and a small window that offers a view of the dark alley outside. It’s a small refuge from the overwhelming strangeness of the place. Gecko leaves the room, excited at the prospect of hot water and a much needed bath.

“I’ll take the bed next to the door.” Corvu says, throwing his satchel on the ground beside it and begins removing his weapon sheaths, holsters and pouches. I hadn’t planned on sleeping in the same room as anyone, but since it was somewhat cold, I didn’t need to worry about the idea of fully undressing either way. Removing my boots and the vest that holds my tunic down, I fold the scarf Bella gave me into my backpack and stand back up. It was actually really good to get the weight off, I don’t even know how long it’s been since my body felt so relaxed. Stepping over to the stained glass window I make note that it’s not clear enough to see anything through it, especially with how dark it is outside. This was nothing like New York. Beyond this window was dead silence.

I turn around and halt immediately. Corvu had been standing right behind me, shirtless, and I had no idea. It was clear that having this kind of lifestyle pays him well in body image. My attention is caught by the odd light blue markings around his shoulders. They weren’t discoverable while he was dressed, but the celtic knots were in full view now. I don’t move as he touches the amulet dangling around my neck, brushing my skin gently with his fingers. Leaning down to face me closer he asks, “So where did you acquire this, exactly?” It took me a moment to process the question with how close he was to me. I’ve had a boyfriend before, but I wasn’t used to guys being this space invasive previously.

“Uh,” I begin, stepping back toward the window, letting the pendant drop against me from between his fingers, “, a homeless woman.”

He tilts his head curiously, “You took it from a homeless woman?”

“What? No. She gave it to me.”

“Why did you take it?”

“I told her I couldn’t accept a gift like that but she insisted. I didn’t know what to do. In all honestly I’d like to ask her if she knew what it was when she gave it to me.”

“So you didn’t know what it was at all when you transported yourself here?” I shake my head and he takes a step back, turning to go and lie down on his cot, leaning up against the planked wooden wall. “Why did the homeless woman give it to you, exactly?”

“Because I was nice to her.” He raises an eyebrow at me,

“Was there a reason for your gracious behavior or are you always nice to strangers?”

“Well,” I sigh, sitting at the end of my cot near the window, “, we weren’t exactly strangers. We met nearly a year ago. I hadn’t been able to make the deadline for my assignment that week so I asked for an extension. The teacher agreed if I handed it in before midnight later that week. It was really late but since I didn’t see any cars on the road-” I saw his face scrunch up out of confusion, “-I’ll explain what those things are later, but to continue, I crossed the street in a hurry and didn’t see a speeding car come around the corner. It was actually a car being chased by police, so of course it didn’t care that I was on the road and it certainly didn’t see that I had dropped my headphones and was trying to pick them up off the snowy street. It was so quick, but the homeless woman had jumped into the street to push me out of the way. I really thought I was going to die but I didn’t. The speeding car ending up swerving and crashing, which is when it really got interesting.” He’s intently listening, trying to keep up with the new terminology I’m using. I feel bad that I can’t explain everything, but I feel the same way when he speaks sometimes. “The man that was being chased by the police got out of the car and grabbed me, put a gun to my head and insisted that the police let him go. It was even scarier than the idea of the car hitting me. But that woman, she was brave and clogged him across the head from behind. She saved me twice. I owe her a lot.” At this point he sits up and faces me, his interest in my story is rising, unfortunate it was ending. “After this I decided to visit her as often as I could. I work at a convenience store so I would buy lunches and bring them to her by a fountain nearby the park where I lived. That’s when she decided to give me this amulet. She told me never to take it off. I guess that means she knew what it was.” I lift the amulet up off my chest and look at it. I wonder why she chose me to have it. Did she intend for me to end up in this world? Was it all a rouse? I hope not.

“Hm,” he begins, “, what’s a convenience store?” I laugh at his response, I truly didn’t expect that to be the first question he asked me.

I know a lot of people feared him, or at least feared what he was, but Corvu didn’t seem like someone I should worry about. Despite everything, he’s gone out of his way to help me. Although I do wonder, what would he do if he was able to use the amulet for his wish? Would he still be willing to help me get home or would he just disappear? Thinking about it makes me feel lost inside.

Gecko returns from the bath, I almost don't recognise him without being head to toe covered in some kind of dirt. He’s actually a lot paler than I thought. Ignoring the question that Corvu had asked me I decide to tell him something that had been plaguing my thoughts,

“I can’t make the amulet do things, I don’t know how others do it, but it’s magical ability is useless on me. I don’t think I’ll be able to help you find, well, whatever it is you’re looking for Corvu.” He returns to leaning back on the cot, preparing to sleep as he responds,

“That’s alright, I’m pretty sure we will get killed long before we reach the capital city.” He smirks, “After all, you have no fighting capability and the flightless fairy over there will probably fall off a cliff on the way.” In response to this, Gecko casually throws the boot he was removing at Corvu, who evilly chuckles about it.

“What’s that?” Gecko questions as I lie back in the bed, lifting my feet up.

“What’s what?” I respond,

“There’s something on your foot.”

“Oh.” I lift my left foot up to face me, which probably faced Corvu more than it did myself. “That’s a birthmark. I’ve had it since I was born. Nothing special. Kind of looks like a tiger, though.”

“I don’t know what a tiger is, but it sounds scary.” I chuckle and Gecko makes himself comfortable. Corvu is looking at my foot but otherwise says nothing, then turns his head to fall asleep.

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