Page 48 of Lord of Dance and Desire

Esseum sneezed.

I sympathized, eyeing the blooms he carried. My Lord had advised me there would be a delivery for his consort before the evening was over, so we had not subjected the terrified delivery boy to too rough an interrogation.

The bouquet was what it appeared to be; an extravagant arrangement of the rarest blooms available in Casakraine, no expense spared, which when seen by the other dancers would stand as another mark of Andreien’s favor towards Hasannah.

Of course, Anali would see only a bouquet of lovely flowers. Fussy, she would likely call it, as she smiled and stroked the petals, pleased in spite of herself. She chafed against her cage, but her flutters for freedom were weakening by the day. My Lord was building such a pretty, delicate trap, baited with every pleasure she might possibly desire. Soon, she would not fight him at all.

I almost pitied Anali, but our Lord loved her. She was safest with him, and she needed someone to take care of her.

Esseum set the bouquet on her vanity, pausing to bend and inhale the fragrance. “There's something about this.”

I frowned, alerted by the bemusement in his tone. “By what do you mean?”

“I feel as if I've scented this fragrance before.” He inhaled again. “No, not this, but something similar.”

Wanting to understand what he was experiencing, I followed his lead. The scent invaded my nostrils and filtered down into my lungs. . .

And hit my head moments later.

I sneezed. Sneezed again.

Laughed. “I think we are both allergic.” I clasped him on the shoulder and tugged him back towards the door. “Come. Her time on the stage will be ending soon.”

We left the dressing room to return to the outskirts of the stage where Theland watched our little dancer as she performed for the pleasure of the Sahakians. I regretted missing her performance, but her safety was more important, and there would be other times to watch her dance.

Alone. If I was lucky, clothed in nothing but moonlight and her long hair. Perhaps in the future I would have a bonded of my own, but I almost dreaded the day. Anali was becoming as dear to me as if she were mine.

As we walked the corridor, the faintest scuffing of feet caught my attention. I turned, hand going for my blade, and narrowed my eyes when I recognized features that should absolutely not be present.

“Find Lady Hasannah,” I ordered Esseum and Theland, and followed the ghost.

What should be a ghost.

By the time I realized I'd been led on a fool’s chase, fear wrapped around my spine. I abandoned hunting the white rabbit and turned on my heels, running back towards the stage.

Bright light and heat ripped through the hallway followed by a shock of sound, stone and wood breaking.

I tripped over something; no, someone. “Esseum!”

He groaned, proof of life. I bent down to grab his shoulder and stumbled, the same fragrance from the bouquet wafting in the air.

Darkness be damned. I was an idiot.

“Hold your breath,” I snarled at my fallen luudthen and inhaled a deep, fast sink of air before the contamination reached me.

After pulling him to his feet, we staggered towards the backstage, only to discover Anali had left a half hour prior.

I’d lost a half hour of time, and it had felt like five minutes.

Terror I had never known before gripped me.

Darkness do not let her be dead.

I had failed her so many times. If she died, this would be my last failure.

I feared simple death was not to be her fate, however.

ANDREIEN

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