Page 21 of The Hunchback

Raising my hovering platform near one of the walls illuminated by the flowers, I stopped where she would have the greatest chance of seeing me. Her eyes widened when she found me at last. Hesitant at first, she smiled and waved timidly at me. My chest constricted with emotion realizing that, despite my horrible behavior, she appeared not to hold a grudge. Raising my hand in the light, I waved back. Her smile broadened, and she slightly bowed her head before returning back inside.

But even as darkness swallowed her room again, my silly grin persisted through the pain. With renewed energy, and an inexplicable sense of hope, I went back to work, counting the hours until the Festival.

* * *

“How the fuck did your condition progress so quickly?” Frollo demanded, eyeing me with a mix of suspicion and confusion.

As with every Festival of Light, he always brought me a basket of food with minced pies, pastries, roasted meats and sautéed vegetables. Those were the best meals I ever got to enjoy, even though they weren’t as good as I imagined the ones fresh out of the oven tasted on the plaza. I never quite understood this odd kindness Frollo showed me on those occasions—not that he was ever actually cruel to me.

“I don’t know,” I said with partial honesty as I genuinely didn’t understand why Esmeralda’s power affected me in such a way when other Vestals never had. “But I will need to be drained in the next few days again.”

I gave him an apologetic look for being such a burden to him. What I wouldn’t give to be able to perform the procedure on my own.

“Right…” Frollo said pensively.

The absence of annoyance in his demeanor made me feel better. For all my misgivings about the Praetor, he’d never balked or complained about helping me with my condition. Well, except for that night I’d intruded on Esmeralda’s Chant. Cupping my face in his hands, he tilted my head left then right while examining my swollen features.

“I will be performing the Orb Relay to the peripheral city tonight and tomorrow after the Festival. When I return on Sunday, we’ll assess your condition,” Frollo said before releasing me.

“Thank you,” I said with genuine gratitude. The pain was still tolerable, but not for long. And draining my spine too frequently could do permanent damage. So, we had to delay as much as possible.

Frollo harrumphed his acknowledgment as he always did whenever I thanked him for any act of kindness, as if it embarrassed him or made him uncomfortable. Turning around, he headed for the door to my cabin, then appeared to hesitate. He looked at me over his shoulder, a frown on his forehead as if he debated with himself.

“Once the celebrations begin, you may watch from the spire. But see that you return here before the festivities end.”

I gaped at him, stunned by that unexpected about face. He’d been so furious with me for sneaking into the chapel. My mouth opened and closed, words failing me, but Frollo didn’t wait for my answer. I watched his receding back, feeling more confused than ever. Victus and Lazarus pawing restlessly at the food basket Frollo had brought forced me to refocus. I opened it and gave them small pieces of meat to chew on. Munching absentmindedly on a slice of minced pie, my feet led me to my bedroom and to the closet where I’d hidden the Fallen mask Esmeralda had brought me.

For the past couple of days, I’d gone back and forth in my mind whether to use it. Until a few moments ago, I’d intended to do so in order not to miss out on the celebration completely. But now that I could return to my old quarters, even if only for a few hours, did it make sense to put myself and Frollo at risk by traipsing the streets of Paris amidst the crowd?

But I want to…

Ibadlywanted to. For once, I would belong, surrounded by all the other citizens, dancing, laughing, and singing with them. No one would question or challenge my presence. With my costume, I would blend into the crowd.

But what if my condition acts up again?

I could rush back to the temple the minute the symptoms manifested themselves… or rather, if they noticeably increased since pain already plagued me. As long as I didn’t go too far down the plaza, it would be no problem. And with all eyes focused on Esmeralda, the Well of Power, and the Elohim, no one would notice my discreet exit.

Silencing the unease swirling in the pit of my stomach, I spent the next couple of hours rationalizing all the ways this made sense. I’d never had such a perfect costume before, and I could help Esmeralda. She’d been nervous about her performance, knowing what high expectations everyone had of her. But my presence enhanced her power. Even if I needed to run halfway through my woman’s dance, she would blow away everyone’s mind.

As the first notes of music rose over the city, I stood in front of my mirror with my Fallen mask over my head, the holographic suit reinforcing my alien appearance, and the cloak for good measure. The mask had much bigger horns on the forehead than my own, and thicker scales over a larger surface of my cheeks. Instead of the mostly discreet facial spikes along my jawline, the mask had a series of bone spikes ending on each side of my chin. The mask didn’t cover my mouth. Normally, bluish-grey makeup would have been used to match my skin to it, but it was unnecessary for me. The holographic suit gave my hands long, hooked claws, far more vicious looking than my own when I extruded them.

Heart pounding, I made my way to one of the secret back entrances into the temple, then used the lift to go up to the spire. Entering my old room, I made my way to the balcony to assess the situation outside. Frollo was already standing on the dais where the table of honor had been erected, speaking with some dignitaries from the peripheral cities. As expected, Esmeralda and the Light Maidens were nowhere to be seen. They would make a grand entrance in thirty minutes or so, when the trumpets would herald the impending arrival of the Elohim.

An already thick crowd milled about, cheering on the public entertainers performing over the reinforced glass plate covering the Well. Many a bystander flocked from one of the large buffet tables to the next where generous helpings of various amuse-bouche had been laid out for all to freely indulge in. Once the Ceremony of Light to charge the Well of Power ended, a feast would replace these appetizers.

Unable to resist, I gave in to the wish that had been denied to me for the past two decades, since my first arrival in Paris as a child. Despite the burning urge to finally exit the temple through the main doors, I snuck out onto the plaza from one of the open gates into the garden. No one would question a reveler traipsing about the temple’s backyard, which I always specially decorated for the Festival.

I could barely breathe from my heart pounding so frantically into my throat. Walking on shaky legs, I threaded my way through the throngs. My head spun from having so many people around me, but in a good way; in a happily drunken way. The energy amongst the crowd was overcharged.

None of them knew me, and yet they smiled at me and laughedwithme. Many complimented me for my fabulous costume. A pretty female I’d often seen working at one of the stalls of the open market grabbed both my hands and spun us around three times. Disoriented, I gaped at the woman when she smacked a loud kiss on my cheek, released my hands, and waved goodbye with a beaming smile. Seconds later, she hooked arms with another female and they spun around, too, before parting ways to a different partner.

I burst out laughing, feeling free, feeling happy… feeling like I belonged.

Losing all inhibitions, I stopped trying to walk straighter. No one questioned my stooped posture as I, too, went from table to table to sample the food offering. Even though the amuse-bouche were the same as the assortment Frollo had brought me, food had never tasted so divine than in that instant.

Overwhelmed by this emotional and sensory overload, I didn’t see time fly. The blaring trumpets snapped me out of my unbridled revelry. A hush fell over the crowd that suddenly sobered. Like a neatly sliced ripe fruit, the people parted with almost military discipline on each side of the plaza. The main doors of the temple opened on Esmeralda in the lead, followed by ten Light Maidens, paired in twos.

It shocked me to realize how far I’d gotten from the temple, carried away by the celebrating crowd. But that didn’t matter. The breathtaking sight of the Anointed Vestal had everyone entranced. Dressed in a shimmering neck wrap crop top, embroidered with glow pearls, and a short sarong skirt in a similar pale fabric, Esmeralda seemed to glide rather than walk as she approached the plaza.

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