Alice took the arm he offered, her skin tingling at the close contact. She allowed him to sweep her forward through the ballroom. Altair and Gabriel halted awkwardly and then hurriedly followed behind them. Ambrose ignored them completely, but the women following him shot them flirtatious glances.

            As they were escorted across the ballroom floor and into the thick of the party, Alice had the opportunity to see one of the golden statues more closely. She was shocked to see the statues eyes flickering back and forth. She gasped, noticing one of the golden hands tremble slightly under the platter.

             “Do you like my statues?” Ambrose glanced at her, gauging her reaction. Instinctively she kept her expression neutral.   He led her through the crowd, which parted for them as they crossed the floor.  She could hear people whispering as they swept past. The women shot the pop star seductive glances, and stared at Alice with ire, backing away when Shakra came close. The men simply nodded at them as they passed, and one or two eyed Alice with interest.  “Come.” Ambrose continued, “I will give you the tour.”

            They exited the ballroom, emerging into a spacious hallway.  Crystal draped chandeliers hung from the high domed ceiling, and their feet made no noise on the plush red carpet. Alice glanced at some of the paintings on the walls as they passed. They featured Grecian heroes with spears and swords, and she wondered if any of them were supposed to be Ambrose.  There was only one painting that didn’t depict a bloody battle. A dark haired Grecian beauty posed against a grey backdrop. Alice paused, taking in the exotic eyes and proud features. The woman clutched a clay jar to her bosom, and her expression was one of mischievous contempt.       

            “First, I will show you my room of amusement.” Ambrose beckoned them to a door at the end of the hall. He pressed his thumb into a glowing electronic pad at the edge of the doorframe and the door slid to one side as he gestured grandly.

            “Have a look.”

            Alice walked into the dark room cautiously. Ambrose followed close behind, saying loudly, “Let there be light!” The room suddenly flooded into view, lit by another chandelier.  It was massive, and behind her Tricia and Lacy gasped. Alice kept her face impassive, but secretly she was rather awed. The entertainment room was done all in white, with a large flat screen TV at the far end presiding over a gas fire place.  At the other end a Jacuzzi was surrounded by white candles and pink rose petals. None of the candles were lit, but it was easy to picture. Alice coloured slightly. Ambrose was watching her reaction, and she was grateful her mask hid most of her face.

            “Do you like it?” Ambrose’s voice was low, his dark eyes burning from within his mask. Boys in school had never looked at her like that - they were awkward or shy or just not interested.  Altair was different, with his flirtatious mocking, but Ambrose was intense, almost predatory. She remembered what Gabriel had said about Ambrose looking like he wanted to eat her, and she suppressed a shiver, doing her best to keep her voice level.

“It’s lovely.”

            Behind them, Tricia and Lacy were proclaiming how amazing the room was, and Ambrose’s women continued to flirt with Altair and Gabriel. When Alice turned she saw Gabriel looking confused and tense. Altair was rigid where he stood, ignoring the women as they tried to catch his attention. His blue eyes were troubled. He’s very nervous. I wonder if any of them would try anything with so many guests around.

            Allira was the only one who wasn’t flirting with the two men; instead she was staring at Alice, hands clenched into fists. The Siren was giving her a look of such loathing that Alice nearly backed up a step. Ambrose took her arm again.

“Come, let’s move on.”

            The next room was done in jade and gold, and housed a circular spa bath. Two massage beds sat on either side of it.

            “The spa room,” Ambrose murmured to her. “Here my servants give you the most marvellous relaxing massages and salt scrubs. They also do a wonderful mud wrap with minerals straight from the dead sea.”

            Her eyes widened. “It’s beautiful.”

            He smiled widely. “You shall come early next party to experience the pampering of my servants!”

            “Oh, I couldn’t,” Alice protested.

            “You shall,” Ambrose said firmly. “Think nothing of it.”

            Was that him being gracious, or the spoiled pop star demanding his way?

“That’s very generous of you.”

            “Darling, you are my honoured guest.” Ambrose took her arm gently, taking her hand with his, rubbing his thumb gently along the edge of her fingers. “I wish to know all about you,” he purred. “You fascinating girl.”

            Why is he doing that? Tingles ran down her wrist and arm as he stroked his finger along her hand. She was starting to get goose bumps. His eyes were sparkling, dark and full of promise. She forced herself to look away.

“What’s next on the tour?”

To her relief he released her hand and gestured grandly. “Come! Let’s move on.”

            He guided her back through the group, and she caught Altair’s eye again - this time he was staring at Alexie as if he were trying to calculate his motives.

            She was supposed to be acting cold and powerful, not like some giddy school girl!  She had to be impersonal and removed, even if she felt overwhelmed by him. Alice reached out and placed her hand on Shakra’s back, comforted by her presence. They passed through several more grandiose rooms, including a gym and another games room, this one complete with billiards tables, pool tables and even a slot machine.  Here and there they ran into servants, or couples kissing and fondling in nooks, crannies and empty bedrooms. The pop star paid them no mind, as if he were used to that sort of thing. Alice wrinkled her nose at the public display, wondering how wild these parties got. They ended up in a huge living room with fur rugs, and a brick fire place. Ambrose clapped his hands and a servant brought in a tray of mulled wine.

            “It’s spiced just right,” he said. “You’ve got to taste it, flown in from Venice.”

Alice took hers and sipped it politely when he urged her. It was pleasant tasting enough, with hints of cranberry and cloves. 

            Allira glided forward suddenly, and whispered something in Ambrose’s ear, her eyes flickering to Alice, staring at her under long dark lashes.

            “Splendid idea,” Ambrose said. “Allira has just suggested a tour of the wine cellars.”

            “Oh!” Gabriel had been taking a glass of wine from the platter and it slipped out of his hand, smashing on the floor with a crash. “Oh no! I’m sorry.”

            Alice backed up a step, looking at the spreading stain on the hem of her gown. “Oh dear.”

            “Alice!” Gabriel groaned. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened. Your dress…”

            Azura stepped forward, all business. “That will come out.” She looked upwards then back at Ambrose. “There’s no magic here. Unless you’ve got another place with more in it, we’ll need to head back to the ballroom.”

            “I’ll rinse it first,” Alice said firmly. “It’s a red dress, so it will hide well until we get to the ball room. Where’s the rest room?”

            “I’ll take you,” Allira offered smoothly. “You all go enjoy your tour of the wine cellars and we’ll get the stain out and join you in no time.”

            After some persuading, Ambrose took the rest of the party down a steep set of stairs at the far corner of the room, and Allira gestured for Alice to follow her out into the hall.

“This way, dear.”

            Alice trailed after her, not appreciating being alone with the Siren. She had little doubt that Allira could be vicious if she wanted to, and there were no magic threads in this area of the house to rely on.  She didn’t think the Siren would try anything when her master seemed so interested in Alice, but it still made her nervous following her down an empty corridor.

            “You know why Ambrose is so fascinated with you, don’t you?” Allira looked sideways at her as they went down the hallway.

            Alice glanced over at her, nervous of the malicious look the other woman was giving her.

“Why?”

            “You turned him down - foolish of you, really. If you had simply said yes, he would be no more interested in you than anyone else.”

            “Well I’m here now,” Alice snapped.

            “It’s too late,” the Siren hissed. “Now he sees you as playing hard to get. It’s the thrill of the hunt you know. He’s very old and powerful; he gets what he wants.”

Alice looked at her calculatingly. The woman made her just mad enough to be catty.  “It bothers you, doesn’t it?”

            “Here you are.” Allira stopped abruptly in front of a set of white double doors, her expression making it clear that the conversation was over.  Alice entered the largest bathroom she’d ever been in. The sink was a heavy looking stone basin set in a pillar of jade. She turned the silver faucet marked “H” and grabbed one of the little white towels rolled up in a basket beside the sink, dabbing gently at the wine stain. The wine barely showed on the dark red dress, and after a moment, Alice shrugged and dropped the towel in the basket under the sink.

When she looked up, her breath caught in her throat, and then she laughed, feeling very silly indeed.   The tall dark women in the red dress wore a fierce looking feathered mask.  Her eyes stared at Alice intensely, lined heavily with black.  Imagine, me being startled by my own reflection. How stupid.

            She turned away from the sink and took a deep breath, readying herself to go back out and face Allira once more, horrible woman. She opened one of the double doors and stepped back into the hallway. It wouldn’t surprise me if she was lying in wait to…

She stopped, looking down the hall. Allira was gone.

            “Allira?” Alice called softly. Her voice sounded small and timid in the vast empty space. Damn that woman, she’s gone and left me. “Allira?”

            Nothing met her but silence, and she felt a stab of panic. How big was this house?  Alice wracked her brain, trying to remember the turns they had taken to get here. How long would she wander around trying to find the others? Perhaps she could find her way back to the ballroom, at least there was magic there to help her.

            Alice decided to go right, that was the way they’d come down this hall, she knew at least that much. She walked for several minutes until the hall split into two separate corridors.

            Crap! This place is like the cornfield maze that Jason and I used to do at the Fair. But with Sirens lying in wait to rip your throat out…Alice snorted grimly at her private joke and took the right corridor again. Maybe if she kept going right…the worst she could do was a complete circle and end up back at the bathroom. Maybe not, since the house isn’t actually a corn maze. Hell of a fancy corn maze…

            The right hand corridor took her through a series of archways. Up ahead she could hear the sound of laughter and voices; twinkling light slipped through the cracks in a pair of double doors just ahead. Thank God, this must be a side door to the ballroom.

            Alice opened one of the doors a crack and looked in.  She stared in surprise at the brightly lit room beyond.  Instead of the ballroom, it was a large lounge area, much the same as the one Ambrose had showed them, complete with Jacuzzi and white candles.  But this Jacuzzi was currently occupied, the candles lit. All over the room women lounged. There was every kind of women, tall and short, with every hair color, every tone of skin. They all had one thing in common though, every one of them was dressed in gauzy, nearly see through material, and Alice blushed just looking at them. Ambrose’s harem.

There were quite a few men there too. Several sat in the Jacuzzi, looking as though they’d died and gone to heaven. She spotted several narrow couches, draped in silk curtains for a measure of privacy. One pale blonde man was lying back on the bed being fed grapes by two of the women.

            Alice felt her cheeks flush, a hot rush of anger surging through her.  Who was any man to keep a harem in his house? That jerk really did think he was a god. There has to be at least twenty women here! One of them spotted her, a dark skinned, full bodied woman, her black hair done in a long pony tail. She smiled at Alice, and beckoned her in with a waggle of her finger.

            “Don’t be shy. Do you thirst?” The woman hooked one finger around a lace choker at her throat, and moved the collar to one side so Alice could see the many healed over puncture marks. Horrified yet curious, she moved in, reaching back to untie the ribbon from her mask to get a clearer look at the woman.

            “Ah…” The dark woman looked disappointed. “You do not thirst.”

            “I’m not a Vampire.”

            “A Witch then?” a tall golden blonde said, gliding forward. “Welcome guest. I am Vera, favoured of Ambrose. We are his harem; do you come to sample our delights?”

            “I…no!” Alice stammered awkwardly. “I just got lost.” 

            Other women began to crowd around, very interested in the newcomer in their midst.

“Do guests just come and…sample?” She hoped she wasn’t turning bright red.

            “Some do, and we welcome it. We live to serve Ambrose,” the woman said, and then she glanced slyly backward. “Or at least, most of us do. Isn’t that right, Maya?” The woman directed her question to a girl sitting in the far corner.

The young woman had her knees drawn up to her chest, and her face was hidden behind her hair. The girl looked up from under long, dark lashes and Alice stared in surprise. She could have been the sister of the woman she’d seen in the painting. Except, she saw with a sinking heart, that instead of an expression of mischief, this girl had a purple bruise across her cheek. Her eyes were deep brown, and full of abject misery, and Alice clenched her fists in anger.

            “You don’t like it here?” Alice asked.

            The girl simply shook her head, refusing to speak, and lowered her gaze again, her hair falling back over her face.

            The other women looked at her scornfully.

            “To be Ambrose’s woman is the highest honour, Maya,” the blonde woman lectured her. “Would you be happy being a common trollop?”

            The girl didn’t move or speak.

The blonde smirked and turned back to Alice. “You see, honoured guest? This foolish little girl turns up her nose at her master. We are not so ungrateful.” The woman took a few steps closer, giving Alice a predatory glance. “How did you come to be here among us, miss?”

            “Ambrose was giving us a tour.” Alice tied the ribbon of her mask around her neck so she didn’t have to hang onto it. “I got separated.” Her gut was churning angrily; already she could think of a million things she’d like to scream at Ambrose.

            “A private tour?” a tall girl with copper coloured hair spoke. “You must indeed be an honoured guest.” She came closer, and Alice thought nervously of vultures looking for scraps of meat.

            “Are you a movie actress, miss?” Vera purred enquiringly.

            “I’m not famous.” Alice frowned. “And my name is Alice.”

            Vera’s voice was suddenly sharp, “Alice Cunningham?”

Alice stared at her, unsure if she should admit it. ”Yes.”

            Several of the women murmured excitedly, and Vera came even closer, a devious look in her eyes. Alice stood her ground.

            “So you are the great Sorceress Alexie speaks of.” Vera’s spiteful hiss was both jealous and afraid, though she had the care to keep her face straight. “You have caught our master’s eye. He speaks…enthusiastically, of you.”

            Alice couldn’t help raising an eyebrow. “Does he?” She didn’t bother to ask what Ambrose said, since Vera was standing with one hand on her hip and a smirk on her face, clearly waiting for her to ask. Instead Alice turned back to the miserable young girl sitting in the corner.

“Tell me, Vera, where do you all come from?”

            “Everywhere.” Vera spread her hands to indicate the women around her. “Ambrose has traveled all over the world and found the most beautiful women in each country.” She noticed where Alice was looking and sneered. “Except Maya - she was here before us. I don’t know where she comes from. The gutters, I expect. Ungrateful child. Ambrose showers unending love and attention on her, and this is how she acts. I don’t know why he holds onto her as fiercely as he does. Stupid girl.” Alice thought darkly that if unending love and attention from Ambrose got you a bruised face, she would pass.

            Maya blinked quickly and refused to look up.  It looked like she was holding back tears.

            “Do Sorceresses have harems?” Vera asked.

            “No,” Alice murmured, but as she spoke an idea sprang into her mind. There was no way she could leave this girl here to be subject to whatever hell she was going through.  She would have to pretend to be the arrogant Sorceress they thought she was.  She took several broad steps to were Maya stood, grasped the girl’s chin and tipped her head up as gently as she could.

“We have servants.”

 She had to make a conscious effort to keep her face expressionless as she saw the girl’s face again. I wonder who did this to her. Him…or these bitches.

“Exotic facial features. Good skin.” Alice spoke in her most confident voice, “If he’s had you for so long, perhaps he will part with you.”

The girl’s eyes widened, and for a second there was a spark of hope in them, although it was quickly replaced by fear.  Alice gave her a  wink while her back was turned to the others.

            “Oh.” Vera sounded shocked, which made Alice smile with satisfaction. “Ms. Cunningham, I don’t know what Ambrose would say…”

            “We shall see.” Alice turned and strode for the door. “Perhaps I will see you all again soon., Goodnight.” She ignored their goodbyes and shut the door behind her, heaving a sigh of relief. Acting like a bossy, demanding Sorceress was going to be harder then she thought.  Alice took a left down the hallway and then a right, trying to remember which way she’d been going before she found the harem.

            Moments later she was completely lost. Alice paused at yet another break in the corridor. Did she turn left, or right? Comparing this place to a maze was no longer funny, it was alarmingly accurate.  She felt the beginnings of panic until a light tug on her wrist made her look down in astonishment.

The key charm on her bracelet was floating upwards, dragging the silver links with it, pulling Alice’s wrist in the direction of the right corridor. As soon as she set foot in that direction the key went still, dropping to hang against the chain. It was bizarre and comforting all in one. There was a repeat performance the next time she hesitated, and the key told her to take a left. At last she found herself standing in front of the bathroom that Allira had led her too. A few more twists and turns and she should be back with the others.

She walked for several more minutes before the hallway started to shift and she sagged to the ground. Something was wrong - at first she thought her legs were just shaky because of the tension she had felt amongst Ambrose’s harem, and the fear of being lost, but soon she knew it was more than that.  There was a strange feeling spreading up through her body, her legs felt leaden, too heavy to move, and she sat down and rubbed at them, trying to get the feeling back. It was the same sensation she got sometimes in the morning when she’d slept on one arm all night, as if they were somebody else’s legs.

Alice breathed deeply, trying not to be alarmed. What the hell is going on? What’s wrong with me? The feeling of lead spread slowly up from her thighs to her waist, and soon her efforts to remain calm failed entirely.  She wondered if she should call for help, but by now the feeling had traveled to her arms, and the sense of wild panic surpassed all rational thinking. Alice’s vision began to grow bleary, and as she lost the feeling in her upper torso she fell over onto her back, knocking the breath from her lungs. I am going to die, here in this lonely corridor, in this awful man’s house. Someone’s poisoned me. She remembered Ambrose offering her the tray of wine with a smooth gesture and a smile, and Allira’s nasty, subtle glances.  Was it him, or just her? Or both of them? Is this meant to kill me or just shut me down?

Alice forced herself to take deep, calming breaths, shutting her eyes to keep the ceiling from spinning in dizzy circles. She took stock of her prone body, attempting to move an arm, a leg, even wiggle a finger. Her body refused the commands. She lay absolutely still, feeling horribly exposed and vulnerable. Her eyes snapped open and she felt a jolt of horror as soft footsteps sounded down the hall.  All she could see was the ceiling. She had no control to turn her head and see who was coming around the corner. It’s Ambrose, he’s come to do horrible things to me. Or Allira, she’ll just stab me and leave me for dead.  

Cold chills went up and down Alice’s body as she lay there, until the footsteps stopped and a voice said, “Alice! What the hell…” 

            Gabriel! The footsteps grew louder; he was running. Suddenly his blurry outline was leaning in close, and she could smell his skin and hair as he loomed over her.

“Alice, what’s wrong? Oh geeze, what the hell! Can you hear me?” She felt Gabriel gather her numb body into his arms, pulling her upper torso onto his lap. “Alice?”

            The panic in Gabriel’s voice made her desperate to reply, but her tongue seemed melded to the roof of her mouth, and her lips wouldn’t respond.  Only her eyes did what she wanted. She moved them searchingly over Gabriel’s face, wanting to communicate that she was awake and hearing him.

            “Okay,” Gabriel breathed, “You can move your eyes. If you can understand me blink at me a few times or something…”

            Alice blinked furiously, and he grinned in relief. “Okay, so you’re awake and understanding. Good.” He frowned down at her. “Can you feel your body at all, do you have any control over it? Once for yes, two for no.”

            She blinked twice.

            “Okay…I’m gonna carry you to Azura. She has to be able to do something about this.”

            Gabriel slid his other arm carefully underneath Alice’s legs and stood, lifting her off the ground. He seemed to know where he was going, and walked quickly down several corridors, taking turns that she would never have been able to remember. Eventually they ended up in the same huge living room; the fire place crackled and filled the room with the scent of burning pine. Alice could only see the ceiling going past as Gabriel carried her, but she heard Azura’s voice and Shakra’s low growl as they entered the room.

            “Gabriel! What happened?”

            The sound of running footsteps and then everyone seemed to be there at once, leaning over her. She could see the bright red blur of Lacy’s hair, and Tricia was beside her, flapping her hands in dismay. Azura’s grey hair and the outline of her face, and Altair was there, swearing, hovering over her. He attempted to take her from Gabriel, but the Elf pulled back protectively.

            “Put her on the couch.” Ambrose was suddenly looming, his white shirt was blinding, and the mask he wore blurred into his face, lending him the look of a demon.  Directly behind him stood Allira lurking in her black dress. She was ringing her hands together, staring at Alice from the eye holes of her mask, calculating.  Alice would swear there was something else in her eyes. Disappointment?  Several more of Ambrose’s company stood by, all silently watching.

            “What ails her?” Ambrose’s smooth voice cut into her thoughts, and she switched her gaze back to him.  Did he look angry? Was he trying to cover up his rage over losing his opportunity? Which one of you did it?

            Azura’s sharp voice said, “I don’t know what this is. It almost looks as though she’s been drugged.”

            “Surely not.” Ambrose’s voice didn’t sound as surprised as he tried to make it. She could have sworn his eyes flicked back towards Allira. Wondering if it was her? Or annoyed she didn’t put enough in the wine?

Azura reached into the little white clutch she carried and drew out a glass vial.

            “What’s that?” Allira said.

            “Stored magic - every smart Witch carries some in case of emergency.”

            “Is there enough?” Altair’s voice was worried.

            “I’m more concerned with what spell to do, since I don’t know why she’s like this.”

            “Try a detox spell,” Shakra urged, “For poison. It will work on drugs too.”

            “Yes, I think I’ll treat it like a poison.” There were undertones in Azura’s voice, on the verge of accusation.

            “This is horrible,” Ambrose said, and again Alice glimpsed the slight head movement as he looked back at Allira. “Under my roof, on tonight of all nights!”

            “Shall I get her some water?” Allira offered.

            “No,” Altair said sharply. “The glass of wine was enough.”

            Allira narrowed her eyes at him slightly. “Perhaps she’s had a bad reaction to it.”

            “Perhaps,” Altair said shortly.

Alice desperately wished they would take her away from Ambrose and his evil lackeys. Their deathly silence was unnerving, and she found herself wondering what else they were. One woman in the back had pale skin that glowed slightly, a Vampire, another one had the same dangerous way of moving as Allira did, another Siren. One slight woman in an orange dress was clearly a fairy; she kept flicking her wings back and forth as she stared at Alice, the light reflecting off the gossamer surface. None of them looked friendly. Her stomach churned.  She heard the sound of a stopper being pulled, and Azura leaned over her, looking her in the eyes.

            “Alice,” she said softly, “Try to relax. I’m going to try a spell on you now. You won’t feel anything.”  Azura tipped the glass bottle forward and several threads slipped out onto her palm. She picked a bright blue strand and a yellow one, and placed the rest carefully back. She wove the magic together and then paused, her eyes closed. Gradually the strands melded into one another and turned a brilliant shade of white.

            “Just relax and breathe deeply.” Azura released the thread. 

As Alice took her next breath, the white thread darted towards her. She gasped and in a heartbeat the thread entered her mouth. She had the strange sensation of a feathery liquid substance trickling down her throat. Just as suddenly, it stopped, leaving a pleasantly fruity after taste. It started with a tingle in her fingers and toes, and after several seconds Alice was delighted to be able to wiggle her little fingers.

Azura breathed a sigh of relief. “I think it’s working.”

            Her hands began to tingle with pins and needles, the feeling spreading up into her wrists and arms.  Alice sucked in a huge, relieved breath as she was finally able to wiggle each of her fingers. The sensation of thousands of tiny prickles ran over her stomach and chest, and then over her neck and cheeks, until she was finally able to open her mouth and gasp out, “Oh, that feels strange.” She looked up at the concerned faces surrounding her.

            “Welcome back.” Altair leaned over and grasped her hand. “Do you feel alright?”

            “I think so.” Alice moved her arms and legs, testing her returning movement. “Help me up, would you?” Altair slid his arms under her and helped her struggle into a sitting position.

              “Are you alright?” Alexie was kneeling at her side, his dark brows creased. Behind him stood Allira, not bothering to hide her contempt. Alice stared coldly back, and then turned to Ambrose.

“I’m alright. But I think we should go now.”

            “I’ll call the driver.” Altair drew a small black cell phone from his pocket.

            “Please…” Ambrose offered Alice his hand. “Let me call my driver to take you. I feel truly terrible that this happened.” Alice took his hand and he pulled her gently to her feet.

            “Allira,” Ambrose said over his shoulder, “Get the driver and be quick about it.”

            She shot him a glare, and then turned around sharply, her skirts rustled noisily as she swept from the room. Alice’s legs were wobbly, but she managed to stay on her feet, swaying a little with the effort. Altair reached out and took her hand from Ambrose, giving him an even look. A minute later Allira arrived with a man dressed all in black.  He appeared to be human, to Alice’s relief, and gave them a deep bow.  Ambrose instructed him to drive them wherever they wished, and to exit out the back, to avoid traipsing through the ballroom and crowds of curious people. He turned to Alice and bowed deeply over her hand.

“I feel terrible,” he murmured. “I assure you, the wine will be tested, and if it was deliberate, the guilty party will be found and punished severely.”

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak, lest she accuse him of being guilty.

            Flanked by Altair and Gabriel, Alice followed the driver as he escorted them past the fireplace and through a set of double doors at the back of the room. There was a white stretch limo parked at the curb, bathed in the lights of the house.  She climbed in and sat down on the soft leather seat with a relieved sigh.  She could hardly wait to get away from there.  The others joined her, and Altair knocked on the glass partition to signal they were ready to go.

            “Well…”Gabriel finally broke the silence. “That went well.”

            Alice blurted out without thinking, “Do you think it was Ambrose?”

            Azura cast a warning glance to the driver at the front, not knowing how well he could hear them; it wouldn’t be wise to speak of the events of the night just yet.

            “Why would he…” Tricia began to speak and received a swift elbow in the side from Lacy.  Alice could barely keep her thoughts in; she was vibrating with anxiety and anger. 

I could swear it was Allira. Was it supposed to kill me? Would it have, if Gabriel hadn’t found me on time? What’s her motivation? The worst part was, she didn’t want it to be Ambrose. The way he looked at her…she had never had anyone look at her with the intense desire that had burned in his eyes.  But maybe she was being stupid.  There were plenty of handsome men who were bad news. He was probably one of them. Thoughts racing, she descended into silence for the duration of the ride. Lacy and Tricia chatted quietly to fill the empty space, but nobody had much to say other then what was obviously on everyone’s mind.

            At last they arrived at the shop, and Alice flung the door open and climbed out, breathing in the fresh night air.  The shop lanterns were bright and welcoming, the threads glowing through the window panes. In the dark they were a wonderful sight.  Once inside they turned the shop lights on and everyone sat down around the fire.  Gabriel made a pot of tea and handed out mugs.

            “Thanks.” Alice received her steaming mug gratefully. “That was horrible.”

            “What did it feel like?” Tricia said what they were all thinking. “You were totally paralyzed?” Lacy shot her friend a look.

            “I couldn’t even feel my body.” Alice shivered. “It was awful. It must have been a slow acting drug, because it didn’t hit me until after I left the harem.”

            “The harem?” Azura asked.

            “I ran into it when I was lost. It’s disgusting.” Her stomach clenched angrily. “There are at least twenty women in there. I think Ambrose’s guests visit it regularly.” Alice scowled into her tea.  She remembered the girl’s face, how miserable Maya had looked, and her resolve never to go back to Ambrose’s manor faded.  How can I just leave her there to be bullied and used?

“I have to go back.”

            “What? You’ve got to be kidding,” Gabriel protested. “Alice, he tried to kill you.”

            “We don’t know if it was him,” Alice said. “I have my eye on that woman, Allira. She hates me.”

            “Either way, someone there tried to kill you. Why on earth would you want to go back?”

            “You didn’t see them,” Alice said furiously. “The harem was awful, all those women are hateful and greedy, all they care about is being Ambrose’s favourite. Except one girl - she isn’t there of her free will. You should have seen her. She’s miserable. I can’t just leave her there to be one of his…pets.”

            “What did she look like?” Altair leaned forward and asked. “Dark features? Tiny little thing?”

Alice blinked. “Yes - do you know her? I swear there’s a painting in the hall of Ambrose’s house that’s nearly identical to her.”

            “I don’t know her name, but she’s been with Ambrose forever. I remember seeing her around when I first met him.”

            “Her name is Maya,” Alice said grimly.

            “Alice,” Azura said in a gentle voice, “You have to realize that Ambrose probably has some sort of spell over her. If it’s not magical, then it’s physcological. If she’s been with him for many years, she may hate it there, and fear him, but she’ll still be attached to him.  And he’s got Wizards working for him.  He’s probably feeding the girls spells that make them stay. They’re addicted to him, mentally and physically. If you swoop in to rescue her, she may not welcome the effort. It’s like trying to rescue a crack addict from his drug.”

            “She’s a slave,” Alice said angrily. “She’s got no choice.”

            “That’s very heroic of you and all,” Altair said, “But you’re really going to risk going back there for some girl you don’t know?”

            “You’ve just got over being poisoned,” Gabriel said. “You’re not thinking straight.”

            She glared around at all of them.  “I am thinking straight; I want to do the right thing. I’m sick of the way this community looks at things. I am not someone who’ll just walk away when someone needs help, just because it’s ‘not my business’. I’m making it my business!”

            They were all quiet for a minute, and Alice felt her cheeks flush as they stared at her in surprise.

            “Okay,” Altair said at last, “Let’s say we try to go get her. Ambrose’s court is a dangerous place, as already proven.”

Gabriel added, “And you’re going to sneak in and steal one of his women?”

            “I’m not going to steal - I’ll buy.” She thought about the ten thousand dollars that Aunt Ruby had left her. Would that be enough?

            “You’re going to ask to buy her?”

            “She’s a slave, right? Don’t you buy slaves?”

            “You’re going to buy a slave?” Shakra asked.

            “With the purpose of setting her free of course,” Alice said, indignantly.

            “Can we just figure out who drugged you first?” Lacy sounded exasperated.

Alice looked over at the two girls for the first time. The red-head had her arms folded across her chest, her hair had fallen out into tangled curls and her eyes were tired.  Tricia, on the other hand, looked excited and full of energy.

“I can’t believe Ambrose would do that.”

            “It was probably Allira,” Alice muttered.

            “You’re sticking up for him?” Gabriel’s voice was laced with suspicion, and she glared at him, daring him to say anything else.

            “That Allira woman does seem to dislike you,” Azura speculated.

            “Dislike me? She looks like she wants to rip my face off,” Alice grumbled. “Every time I looked around she was glaring at me. And she was the one that left me at the washrooms. All signs point to her.” Or both of them, but she didn’t say that out loud.

            “I believe what you have there is a classic case of jealousy.” Altair rocked back in his chair and stuck one booted foot on the hearth of the fire place. “She clearly does not appreciate Ambrose’s interest in you.”

            “The question is,” Lacy put in, ‘Is she jealous enough to attempt to kill you?”

            “Maybe she didn’t want to kill me,” Alice mused. “Maybe she just wanted it to look like Ambrose had drugged me, in order to make me into an enemy. She clearly hates that he’s paying special attention to me.  I’ll confess, I thought it was him at first.” She blushed. “I mean, the symptoms were similar to a certain date rape drug…”

            Gabriel’s fists clenched. “Why that dirty...”

            “I’m saying it wasn’t him,” she interrupted the Elf’s impending tirade, “but meant to look like him. How did you say you knew him, Altair?” Alice turned to him, “From the streets, right?”

            Altair sighed and pushed blonde hair out of his eyes. “It’s a long unpleasant tale.”

            “Tell it,” Alice instructed. “I have all night. I certainly won’t be sleeping.”

            “Me either,” Gabriel muttered.

            “I knew Alexie Ambrose before he became the “rock god” he is now.” Altair’s voice held traces of bitterness, as he dredged up past memories. “We both grew up on the streets of Seattle, picking people’s pockets to survive.  Eventually, we both found somewhere to belong, I guess. He chose to run with drug pushers, and in the end the drug king pin - the “highest of the high”, they called him - a vampire named Sharook. I don’t know the whole story, but something happened and one day Ambrose killed his mentor. He quickly took Sharook’s place as drug king.”

“I was adopted by a thief who taught me tricks and cons. He…became like a father to me.” Altair rubbed his chin and scowled.   “One day, Ambrose caught my mentor stealing from one of his drug lords. Ambrose killed him,” he choked out, “Bringing down his house on top of him in a fit of magical rage.”  Altair straightened and took a deep breath. “I have no love for him and he knows it.”

            “That’s horrible.” Alice set her tea cup down on the floor.
            Altair’s bright blue eyes narrowed. “It was, and I can assure you he’s plenty dangerous.”

            “I know he’s dangerous, but I want that girl. I have to go back.”

            “I can’t believe you.” Gabriel threw up his hands in frustration. “You were nearly killed tonight and all you can think of is this girl?”

            “Well I wasn’t killed,” Alice snapped. “And I’m fine now, thanks to Azura.”

            Gabriel looked slightly wounded and Alice admitted, “And you of course. How did you find me anyways?”

            Gabriel looked embarrassed. “I went to find you. I wanted to apologize again, about spilling that wine on your dress. I still don’t know how that happened. I was reaching for the wine glass and Allira just gave me this look and...I dunno...” he finished weakly, his cheeks flushed.

            “Siren,” Altair said, pointedly.

            “I wonder if that was a happy accident, or something she planned,” Alice muttered.

            “Whatever it was, I felt so bad. I had to go find you.”

            “It’s a good thing you did. I’m surprised you didn’t get lost looking for me.”

            “Photographic memory.”

            “Really? Well, I’m glad you found me, and that Azura had the magic to fix me.”

            “Ah, that reminds me.” Azura stood up from her chair and went into the backroom. They heard the clink of bottles and she re-emerged holding a tiny glass vial on the end of a silver chain. “Put this around your neck with your cupboard key and don’t let either out of your sight.”

            Alice took the silver key from around her neck, and threaded it onto the other chain. It fell with a gentle “clink” against the glass vial. She watched as the threads in the vial shifted and changed colors subtly, turning from light pink to dark, then to light red , turning slowly into plum.

“Why does this pattern change color?”

            “I made it so the magic is very flexible. It will essentially do whatever you want it to in a heartbeat, rather than having to search around for a way to use it.”

            “That’s really cool. Can you teach me how to weave a pattern like that?”

            “I can.”

            “Thanks. This will be comforting to have the next time we go.”

            “There shouldn’t be a next time!” Gabriel cried. “Regardless of whether it was Allira or Ambrose, you’re still in danger there. Someone means you harm.”

            Alice ignored him and looked at Azura, who shrugged resignedly. “I don’t like the idea, but if this is something you feel you need to do, we’ll go with you. I only ask that you take the next few days to think about it. Ambrose is a powerful enemy to have, and if we pay him insult, he may become just that.”

            “I’ll be diplomatic,” Alice promised. She wasn’t sure how, but she wasn’t about to mention that.

                        They continued to talk long into the night, until Alice was caught yawning several times. They sent Lacy and Tricia home, and Altair left only after Alice reassured him she would not rush off to Ambrose’s manor without him. She climbed the long flight of stairs to her room at the end of the hall, feeling relieved that she was finally able to collapse on her bed.  Finally, alone and in silence, she allowed herself the indignity of tears. It had been a terrifying night; she had worn a mask, both literally and figuratively, for the entire time. What am I doing? I feel like a child playing pretend - I don’t really know how to drive a car or make dinner for my husband, and I’m really only six.  And going crazy by the sounds of it…It felt like her body was melting into the bedspread, and whether it was the some kind of after effect of being drugged, or just the release of tension, she welcomed the feeling, stretching out her arms and legs and letting out a deep breath, shutting her eyes.

            Then her cell phone beeped.

Slowly Alice turned her head and glared at the offensive thing. Reaching out to turn it off, she saw who the missed call was from and snorted in unladylike mirth.  Jason.  She was dealing with magic, malicious Greek gods and Sirens, an attempt on her life, and Jason was calling her?  How absolutely ludicrous. Alice chuckled, and then turned over and buried her face in her pillow, shaking with silent laughter. Soon after that, she accidently slipped into dreams, vivid dreams full of cruel intentioned, ancient gods and pleading-eyed slaves.

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