The Slain Princess by C. M. Alongi

Author:C. M. Alongi
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: C. M. Alongi

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“THIS IS A secret hideout?” Hylas whispered. “It’s, uh…”

Ontiku smirked. “You can say the word ‘brothel.’”

Hylas’s face heated. Bila giggled. She’d led them to a small wooden building that had several naked people painted on the front wall, the design cleverly hiding a skull in the background. Inside was thankfully abandoned of clients, with it being the middle of the day, as people changed the bedding in both public and private rooms and otherwise tidied up. Behind the lewd tapestries of naked people in bed, the wooden walls were painted white to look like marble. Bila set her basket on the table, hollering that she brought food.

“Daytime visitors, Miss Blue?” someone called to Bila from across the room as they dusted a tapestry. The way they said that made Hylas’s face burn brighter.

“They need to speak with the madam,” she said.

“She’s in her study.”

Bila led them up the stairs, past several bedrooms and open windows that were trying to air the place out.

“Miss Blue?” Hylas asked.

“We use code names here. Most of our clients prefer anonymity, anyway,” Bila explained.

“Does everyone here share your…profession?” Ontiku asked, in a way that said he wasn’t talking about being a “courtier.”

“No. But they’re all friendlies.”

Hylas relaxed a bit at that.

Bila knocked on a closed door and came at a woman’s, “Enter.”

The study was small, with barely any room to maneuver around the small desk and chair. The plain wooden walls were decorated with more lewd tapestries and blankets, and enough sunlight streamed from the window to make the candles scattered across the desk unnecessary.

There were two women in the room. One sat behind the desk counting coins. The other was dead, a floating green-yellow specter to Hylas’s eyes. She’d covered her body in a robe but tied it tight around her waist to show off her curvy, hourglass figure. Cleavage swooped down almost to her bellybutton. Her hair was artfully curled, cheap bronze earrings and dozens of bangles soundlessly dangling from her ears and arms.

The living woman looked up at their approach. Her hair had gone gray, but was still well cared for, clean and oiled and braided away from her face, showing off the sparkling earrings that reached her neck. She and the ghost shared the same curly hair and button nose. She adjusted her simple brown robe as she stood in greeting. “Blue.”

“Madam Violet,” Bila greeted. “Remember how you sent me into the palace to get information on the Jadiim paladin?”

“Yes…” she said at length.

“Ha. Funny story…”

“Who’s the ghost?” Ontiku asked.

Madam Violet glanced between the two of them. “My older sister, Vyca.”

“Charmed.”

Hylas waved at her, and she waved back. She must have died a long time ago, since she looked decades younger than her sister.

“Ontiku and Hylas are two of Holy Jinua’s companions,” Bila said.

Madam Violet pinned them with a look. “Does she know?”

“Yes,” Ontiku said. “We’ve been working together since Glyrta, and we picked up Hylas so his hometown wouldn’t slaughter him.”

“Working together to do what?”

“It’s a rather long story, madam.

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