Page 3 of The Hunchback

I suspected that, beyond courtesy, the gesture had meant to draw my attention to his body, and the skin-tight white shirt that hid nothing of the deep grooves of his chiseled abs, with the lumis embroidery emphasizing every curve of his muscular chest and narrow waist. His subtle flirting flattered me, but I was in no hurry. It was common for Vestals to bed or marry their Praetor. However, my focus for now remained on the upcoming Festival… and meeting High Seraph Phoebus.

“The honor is all mine, Praetor Frollo,” I said with sincerity. “But please, no titles required. I am not very formal. You may simply call me Esmeralda or Mera, as most of my friends do.”

“Then,Mera, I must insist you call me Frollo,” he said with a beaming smile. I nodded in response, and he gestured towards the temple. “Come, you must be tired after such a long trip. Here is Our Lady of Paris, your new home. I hope it will live up to your expectations.”

“I’m sure it will exceed them,” I said with a grateful smile.

It had indeed been a long trip from the dark moon Obscura, the Fifth Circle where the Temple of Vesta was erected. I had spent the past nineteen years of my life there, being trained since the age of six to serve the Citizens of the Light.

Moving past the stalls of the open market on each side of the plaza, we walked over the reinforced glass pane which covered the Well of Power currently recessed into the ground. The slow, pulsating glow of the markings on the Well intensified as I strolled over it. I welcomed the gentle caress of its energy poking at me.

“The Well approves of you,” Frollo said, with a seductive smile.

“And I of it,” I replied, playing along, although the Well wasn’t a sentient being.

As we strolled towards the temple, I let my gaze roam over its beautiful white columns, the ornate frescos around the top edges of the walls, the statues of the different orders of angels, but mainly of Seraphs with their lightning staves, lances, and bows, and the tall spire in the center. It rose like a giant sword stabbing at the heart of Our Lady of Paris. The pommel constituted the beacon, the Light of Vesta, which represented life, hope, health, and prosperity for our people: our light into the darkness. In practice, however, it merely meant power flowed through the realm. Directly connected to the Well, a single beam of light ran up the ‘sword’ to the beacon that shone bright for the whole realm to see. Woe unto anyone who allowed it to go out.

But even as Frollo casually told me of the accommodations he had prepared for me and of the temple’s schedule, my eyes kept being drawn to the beacon. I couldn’t say why, but something was calling out to me. Forcing myself to pay attention to the Praetor, I averted my eyes confused by the pull that only grew the closer we came to Our Lady of Paris.

After we climbed the steps to the massive doors of the temple, Vesta’s symbol carved on them lit up, and then they parted before us. The guards lined up on each side of the doors let us through. They remained outside while the Maidens followed in behind us.

The greeting hall was everything I had expected, with the luminous, intricate carvings on the walls, and more pillars. Wall sconces shaped like ornate braziers, with a hovering orb of energy instead of flames, lit the room. Tall windows let the rays of the midday sun flood in. At the back, on each side of the circular lift, two doorways gave access to what I assumed would be the chapel. Sideways-facing Seraph statues carved into the doorframe gave the impression they were holding the top of the frame.

We stopped in front of the elevator and, after a respectful bow of their heads, the Maidens filed into the room beyond, four on each side. I’d be joining them later for the evening Chant and to prepare for the Chakra services in the morning.

“Let me show you to your suite,” Frollo said, waving a hand towards the elevator.

“Thank you,” I replied with gratitude.

His palm settling on the small of my back to give me a slight nudge forward startled me. You didn’t touch a Vestal without her express consent. His kissing the back of my hand earlier had been inappropriate. But in public, it could be deemed innocent. With the two of us alone, it spoke of a bit too much familiarity that I would need to keep in check. Not wanting to make a scene so soon after my arrival, I let it slide, especially considering his touch had been brief—and not actually unpleasant. However, I needed to carefully manage his expectations and mine.

As we reached the tenth floor, I swiftly stepped out of the lift just as his hand started moving towards my back again, avoiding his touch. The discreet smile on his lips told me he wasn’t fooled. That suited me perfectly. The message had been conveyed without needing to be spelled out… I hoped.

We walked past the first door to the left of the elevator to another door on the side wall. My jaw dropped at the opulence of the room beyond. The massive room was bigger than the dorm I had shared with twenty other Initiates upon my arrival on Obscura, and for my first ten years there. Besides the imposing bed, big enough for four adults, the room had its own en suite with a full bathroom, walk-in closet, a music area, work area, breakfast table, and sitting area. Many large windows gave a breathtaking view of the east side of Paris, with the other set of windows overlooking the plaza.

“This is stunning,” I said to Frollo, who had followed me inside the room. “You certainly know how to make your guests feel welcomed.”

“You are not just a guest, Mera,” he said, his voice dipping into baritone. “This is your home now. Maybe your permanent home…”

“Still very welcoming of you,” I said, pretending not to understand his underlying meaning.

It was both flattering and slightly irritating. I didn’t like a man coming on too strong, and he’d been right about the trip having been tiring. Finding him a little too close for comfort, I walked towards the table where a tray laden with appetizing food waiting to be devoured sat.

“Very thoughtful of you,” I said, waving at the food. “I hadn’t realized how famished I was, until now. A shower, a quick meal, and a short nap should have me in top shape for tonight’s Chant.”

Once again, his smirk conveyed that he wasn’t fooled. “I will let you rest then. If you need anything, my room is just next door.”

My smile stiffened on my face, but I nonetheless managed to nod graciously. “I doubt that will be the case, but thank you.”

Frollo pressed his palm to his chest as he had done earlier, bowed his head, and then left my quarters. I closed and locked the door behind him, feeling somehow violated. I didn’t understand my strongly negative reaction to his open flirtation. After all, I had come here in the hopes of marrying him should none of the Elohim wish to take me as his consort. A Vestal couldn’t hope for a better prospect than the Praetor of Paris. He was drop dead gorgeous, and it was common practice for a Praetor to pop a Vestal’s cherry.

Technically, we weren’t forbidden to have sex to serve Vesta, but the choices were pretty slim and mostly unappealing on Obscura. In fact, I always suspected it was intentional so that we would save ourselves for the Elohim. Many of the Vestals counted the days until they could finally get down and dirty. To be honest, so had I. And I still did. Which made my reaction all the more bizarre. I should be honored he would make his interest known. The contrary would have probably offended me. And yet, that we should share neighboring bedrooms felt presumptuous of him, if not disrespectful. While his energy drew me like a magnet, something about him turned me off. Even now, I could feel his divine aura all around the room. The temple was suffused with it.

Shaking the confusing thoughts, I settled at the table and gorged on the food before taking a quick shower. I never took that nap, unpacking my belongings instead and meditating to realign my chakras. Tonight’s Chant would be the first test. Frollo hadn’t requested my presence a week before the Festival so that I could enjoy an extended vacation, but to see if I could charge his city. If I failed to demonstrate my power over the next few days, I would be sent back to Obscura in shame.

Andthatwas not an option.

Chapter 3

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