Chapter 2: The erotic festive

The mansion no longer looked deserted.

There was no sign of that sleeping beast of a building. The structure was the same—a two-story stone building with broad windows, a gazebo, and a fountain. Yet nothing was as Eli noticed it from outside.

The mansion had changed. The dry, rusted, algae-covered fountain Eli had seen was now working smoothly on her left. The water was so transparent that Eli saw a few goldfish swimming in the pool. It was deep enough to let a large man swim in it. The gentle sound of the water broke the silence of the night. Small lanterns were hanging around the mansion's walls to illuminate the space in front of the estate, though none were lit.

The ruins of the gazebo, now before Eli's eyes, had turned into a well-built domed pentagonal pavilion with tall carved stone pillars and railings. Inside the gazebo, sofas and comfortable couches were placed around the empty fire pit.

The entrance was a few steps away from the ground. The building was no longer a ruin.

The doors were made of high-quality, shiny, dark mahogany wood. The parts of the house that Eli thought had collapsed were now gargoyle statues, staring at the road outside its gates with their open claws and determined grim faces.

Eli stepped back unconsciously, and her shoulder hit the wall behind her.

What diabolical hell had Malikan dragged her into? Eli was sure the bastard knew more than he let on.

Eli didn't make a sound. Apart from her heart beating like a scalded cat, the fountain sound, and one or two crickets among the rose gardens, no other sound disturbed the garden's peace.

No lights were on inside or outside the building. If anyone lived in this mansion, they still didn't notice Eli's existence. Eli thought if a dragon were to come out of the ground to kill her, it would have arrived by now. So she gathered what was left of her fading courage and took a fragile breath. Then, she lowered her head and ran along the wall to the back of the building without making a sound on the pavement.

From outside the walls, Eli had seen an abandoned vegetable garden with wild thorns covering the ground behind the building. But now, there was a beautiful small farm field surrounded by raspberry and strawberry bushes.

But Eli didn't spend her time examining the back garden. She had seen a small door at the back of the building, which she assumed opened to the kitchen. Of course, the door Eli had seen had come off its hinges and was covered with spider webs. And this one was all healthy and shiny, had a small lock, and was dark blue.

Eli smiled at the lock, and some of her muscles eased their tension. These locks wouldn't stop someone like Eli. She squatted in front of the door and took out two thin metal sticks from the small pocket of her leather vest.

The lock was not magical, and it opened with a slight click. Eli quietly put it down and pushed the door inside.

She guessed right. The back door opened to the kitchen. Everything seemed to be in order.

She hesitated before stepping inside. Part of her wanted to turn back and leave desperately. The magic of altering the shape of the house was a strong indication that things weren't as they seemed. She'd be wise to run away while she had the chance.

She could have explained it to Malkan and hoped he would not kill her. Or worse, sell her away.

Eli's heart skipped a beat. The mere thought was enough to push her face whatever was inside the house.

She took another deep breath and stepped inside.

***

Eli couldn't remember when the last time everything was this quiet. It was like the beast of a place had held its breath and sucked all the sound in the world. There was no rattle from the stone floor or a rat squeaking around. Eli couldn't even hear herself breathe, even though her heart was beating fast. It was so unnatural that Eli had to tap on the kitchen table slightly with the tip of her nail to check that her hearing ability was intact. The sound was oddly distant.

The house looked ordinary...well, the part that Eli could see, at least. It was pitch dark, and it took some time for her to adjust her eyes. When she could finally distinguish the objects of her surroundings from each other and ventured quietly through the ground floor, she realized that the inside of the mansion didn't look any different than a regular house. There was a living room, a long dining table, and what seemed to be a study on the western side of the mansion. Not a headless giant or a cauldron of magical poison on fire. Not even some animals are trapped in cages somewhere.

Some doors were locked, and some were open to simple guest rooms, bathrooms, or broom closets. In the dark, she couldn't see many details, and she didn't dare light a fire to see clearly.

Eli stood in the middle of the foyer. The giant mahogany doors she saw in the garden were shut behind her. She didn't know where to start to look for the ruby. She didn't even know whether she should. Part of her expected that she would have faced the mage by now. But he was nowhere to be found.

Eli was half convinced he didn't live in this place anymore. Maybe he managed to escape. Or perhaps he died peacefully in one of these rooms, or worse, he was lurking in the shadows to jump on Eli's back when she was not expecting it.

She didn't know.

But then she saw a faint, trembling light falling on the spiral stone staircase cast from upstairs.

Eli stood at the foot of the steps. That was it. She had a feeling that, unfortunately, wherever the light was coming from, it was the same place the ruby was hidden.

Eli sighed soundlessly and started climbing the stairs. Her boots made no sound on the grey stone stairs. Halfway up, she could see the light coming from a double door. There was a faint sound of music playing. She unsheathed a blade from her belt and held it ready before she climbed further.

But something made her halt again. There was something about the music. It was a strange yet familiar melody combined with something else. Was it hushed whispers? Or... sensual moaning?!

Eli's eyebrows jumped upward. Malkan noted there was only a mage here. He didn't mention anyone else.

Yet now, Eli was sure what she was hearing was the sound of people fucking.

 And definitely more than a pair.

She resumed climbing and looked around when she reached the top of the stairs. There was not much to see, as it was also dark everywhere. Except for the half-closed double door steps away.

Eli held her breath. What was this place? Was she trapped in some mind illusion, and there was no going back? Or perhaps Malkan was joking around? The latter was out of option because she saw with her very own eyes that the mansion had changed its appearance after she jumped in.

Eli tightened her fingers around the blade. She was overthinking.

The sooner Eli faced what was on the other side of the door, the faster she could die and be done with all this bullshit.

So she stepped forward and peeked through the door.

***

After dwelling in the darkness of the mansion, Eli's eyes took a second to adjust to the light. She couldn't see much through the door, but the lights in the chamber were enough for her to realize the room was large. The lanterns shone bright red light. The music was more explicit from there, and it was strangely familiar. Eli knew she had heard the melody before but she couldn't identify it.

But none mattered compared to what was happening before Eli's eyes. Eli blinked once, twice, three times... and when what she saw didn't evaporate, her mouth dropped in surprise.

There was an erotic festive inside.

Everywhere Eli looked, on cushions placed on the ground, by the walls under the red light of lanterns, there were naked, lustful bodies lying, swaying, thrusting, and tangling with each other. Eli couldn't tell where one body started and the other ended. There were at least two dozen people, each lost in the heat of the moment.

Eli watched hands caressing bare full breasts, the mouths welcoming erect cocks, tongues licking tanned golden skin, legs wide open for all holes. Men and women were enfolding one another. Their skins glistened with sweat and oil under the lantern's red light. Their moans, filled with desire, were so loud now that Eli could barely hear the instruments. Two musicians were sitting half-naked by the wall; one playing the lute, the other playing the harp.

Everyone seemed drunk; apparently, no one knew who they were and what they were doing, as if they were all lost in a distorted dream.

Only one woman stood in the middle of the room among the crowd by her feet, dancing slowly. Her body was wrapped in a red transparent silken cloth.

Eli narrowed his eyes. Something was strange about her, about them all.

She took a sharp breath. None of them were human. Apart from their short height, they all had tiny, sharp fangs. Instead of nails, they had tipped claws, and their ears were pointed.

The woman dancing in the middle had transparent wings. They looked light and fragile, resembling dragonfly wings.

A deep sigh dragged Eli's attention to the top of the room.

A man was sitting on what seemed to be a throne.

He was wearing nothing but dark pants. His bare feet splayed on the steps of his golden throne. His head rested on the back, looking down at the crowd. His straight, shoulder-length black hair pulled back on the red velvet cushions of the throne.

Eli didn't dare move. She didn't even do so much as a blink. She knew instantly that he was the mage. There were no signs of horns, claws, or fangs. He didn't look like any creatures lost in their mating ceremony. He was just...a man. And a young one, Eli thought.

She angled her head slightly to get a better look at him. The mage didn't seem interested in what was happening before him. He looked...Eli frowned. He seemed sad, grieved, haunted. As if a mist of sorrow had clouded his sight, blinding him to the pleasure feast upon him.

Eli's eyes slipped down. On his bare chest lay a golden chain with an enormous red ruby stone.

"Fuck." Eli whispered.

***

Before Eli had the proper time to panic, the mage rose. She sucked her breath. The whole room came to a halt. The music paused, and the tangled mass of exotic creatures stopped moving. Everybody turned their heads towards him.

His eyes were so dark that it seemed the man had no pupils. He was noticeably taller than anyone in the room. The muscles on his stomach were delicate and slim. As he stepped more into the light, Eli noticed a tattoo on his right hand. She couldn't figure out its shape, but it wrapped around his wrist and went up to his shoulder.

The mage raised his grail with narrowed eyes. "You all know the occasion of the evening. We all do remember it very well," his deep, husky voice sent a shiver down Eli's spine. The corner of his lips curved upward into a lazy, wicked smile. The hair at the back of her neck rose. It was the only trace of excitement on his face, though the slumped shoulders and slightly tilted head claimed otherwise.

"To tonight…," the mage said.

Everyone cheered. Their voices were squeaky and low. The mage closed his eyes for a moment and inhaled deeply. Then he opened his eyes, closing the grail to his lips, and his smile grew. His dark eyes sparked as if he had just realized something amusing.

"And, he continued, "to the special guest the night brings."

Eli took a sharp breath. The mage was looking directly at her.