one end of a long mahogany table. Normally composed and relaxed, his entire body seemed tense. His three-piece suit looked impeccable as ever, though. “Zahra,” he said, a little too pointedly. “How nice to see you again.”
Sourial dropped into a chair, then crossed his ankles on another chair. He pulled out a flask. “Can we kill these pigs or what?"
Ernald laughed nervously. "I thought you were just here to listen. That was my understanding. No death here tonight on the Merry Cauldron. Wasn’t that the plan?”
Samael cut in, "That's right. We are only here to listen. We're not going to strike right now. There's much information that we still need to gather. I want to know where they meet. What their numbers are. What they have planned. What valuable items they might have in their possession.”
I glanced at Sourial, lounging casually on the chair. It was so hard to reconcile this version of him with the dark-eyed monster I’d seen earlier today. Because when he was standing before those dead women, he’d looked like he was about to burn the world down and tear everyone apart, limb from limb.
29
Lila
Ernald rubbed his hands together. “Well, let’s get down to brass tacks.” He pointed behind me. “There’s a room where you can hide. Built long ago, back when an order of warrior monks were at war with the Albian king. The monks used to hide in secret rooms on these ships to escape the purges, burnings, all that. And now, my guests can pay extra to watch men and women …enjoy themselves …” He cleared his throat. “Well, you get my meaning. And you have certainly paid me handsomely indeed, so you can watch as much as you like.”
Then he looked at me. “Zahra.” Again over-emphasizing the name, as if he was trying to remind himself. “We’re going to need to change. You look lovely, but it's not that sort of place." He waved at my plain black trousers. "The women are wearing a lot less fabric than you are. Like you normally do, in your role as courtesan.”
I sighed. “I understand."
“And you may need to act in uh … accordance to your role. As courtesan.”
Here we go again. I closed my eyes, wishing I could get out of here.
Ernald pointed behind me again, and I turned to see a full-length mirror, framed with ornately carved wood. He sauntered over and pressed a small button on the right side of the frame—a small cherry carved into the wood. The mirror swung open, revealing a small room.
"This room has two entrances and exits," said Ernald. "There's another hidden door to the right just here."
I peered inside. It was only about two-foot square, with a plain bench where Ernald had left my outfit—if you could call the little bits of pale blue silk an outfit. The room had two-way mirrors on either side, giving a view of both the lower cabin and the captain’s cabin.
I supposed I’d better get changed. I slipped inside and closed the door behind me, then pulled off my dark clothes, my trousers. I slid out of my pink underwear, courtesy of Finn.
Because given what I was supposed to wear tonight, the hem would be sticking out. I tried to navigate the ribbons and straps and stockings, though it seemed things were criss-crossing in the wrong way. My thighs were completely bare, and on top I was wearing nothing but a thin camisole made of blue silk. I was in ridiculously tall high heels again.
I clenched my fists, feeling like I was about to walk out there completely exposed. And with the two-way mirror, I already felt disturbingly aware of every inch of bare skin.
The pale blue fishnet stockings came up to my thighs, with little garter ribbons connecting them to my underwear, and a lace belt around my waist that seemed to serve no purpose.
But I was supposed to be a courtesan, wasn’t I?
I suppose we all have different ways to serve our country.
And yet I wasn’t about to shag a bunch of random men, so I’d have to be quick on my feet.
When I walked back out into the Captain’s cabin, the room fell silent. Sourial leaned forward in his chair, darkness sliding through his eyes. His sensual lips curled in a lopsided smile. “Now that has my attention. But you’ve done it wrong.”
He rose from the table, then knelt at my feet. He started unhooking the ribbons at my thighs, pulling them from the hem of the