A routine descended upon Anelle. Morning chorus then breakfast and lessons. Followed by helping the others courtesans dress and serving drinks during opening hours.
The main hall filled with a warm glow as patrons came and went. The nights were filled with music and laughter as the courtesans convinced willing gentlemen to stay longer and spend more. Vetha and Anelle quickly picked up on the signals to serve drinks or collect payments from customers. They got used to leering eyes and learned how to avoid the occasional uninvited touch.
Her dancing lessons with Nyssa became a dreaded affair, her feet were sore, knees and hips bruised from falling and her waist felt like she was being pricked by a needle every time Nyssa poked her. And she had only gotten half way through the routine. Vetha was making far better progress but even she was unable to help Anelle.
Her music lessons were far better. The piano had been tuned and pulled out from the wall. While struggling to dance she often counted down the minutes until she could hide in the basement and play to her heart's content. When it came to piano Celno was less a teacher and more of a good listener; she could tell instantly if a note was wrong but was lost for a solution. Celno would often lounge in the music room letting Anelle play whatever she wished.
The sound of her playing drifted up into the house above, through the ceiling and walls. Often an audience would slowly trickle in and out over the afternoon. Dame Luel had come down to listen. She gave Anelle a slight nod of approval before leaving.
Once lessons were finished there was about an hour of quiet for people to catch up on sleep or in Anelle's case speech lessons with Moreal. First they went over the alphabet, painstakingly pronouncing every letter exactly as it should sound in Ealrian. A few days later they moved on to common words. Today Moreal was explaining how certain letters made different sounds at the beginning and end of words. However, Anelle was only half listening, wishing she could be napping.
"Repeat what I just said." Moreal said.
Anelle woke from her daydream. She racked her brain of what Moreal had just been talking about but came up blank.
"Repeat what I just said." Anelle said back to her in her best Ealrian accent.
Moreal shook her head, a slight smile touched the edge of her lips. "Go rest. Tonight will be a long one."
"Thank you." Anelle said with a sign.
"Wait, say that again."
"Thank you." Anelle said with her best emulation of Moreal's pronunciation.
"Better."
*****
Her head hit the pillow and she closed her eyes.
The dressing gong rang out.
The sun would be descending below the western side of the city, not that Anelle could see as the house had very few windows. Comadean house was an hour from opening its doors for the busiest night of the Pantheon. Ibar was the ninth day of the pantheon and celebrated the father of Ibaris, who guarded the gate into the next life. Pious citizens of Ealrian ate a meagre meal and tended to church in the evening. But for the inhabitants of the pleasure district it was the busiest night of the pantheon due to no curfew.
Anelle dressed and tied her ribbon choker around her neck. She entered the busy hallway and flattened herself against the wall. Guards and courtesans bustled about the lower floor preparing extra beds. To add to the chaos a shipment of alcohol had been delayed and delivery boys were bringing in crates under Dame Luel's watchful eyes. Anelle slipped through the crowd and shot up the stairs.
The second floor was just as chaotic. The courtesans moved about the corridor, a few doors were flung wide open, as they applied paint to their faces. Gold and white fabrics flourished around with the courtesans in different stages of dressing.
Down the corridor Vetha ducked into the furthest room on the right side of the corridor. Anelle turned and knocked on the door to her left.
"Enter!"
Anelle entered and closed the door behind her.
"I'm here to help you dress, Liligo." Anelle said.
"One moment."
Liligo sat cross legged on the ground in front of a small brass mirror propped against the wall. She has light skin and brown frizzy hair that she was artfully pinning into waves around her head. She grabbed a white flower and pinned it to the centre of her creation.
"I hate that Nyssa looks good in gold, the colour doesn't suit me at all. I look like a ghost all in white." Liligo complained. "No, a lost child playing a ghost."
Liligo stood. The top of her head only reached halfway up Anelle's chest. Anelle carefully lifted the dress over Liligo's head. Then lifted her corset as well. Anelle set about tightening the strings as Liligo held the front.
"Ow, not too tight. Not for Ibar. I don't remove it when serving customers, it takes too long." Liligo said.
Anelle loosened the strings slightly.
"There is a place called Garlon," Anelle took a deep breath and pushed past her feelings of shame, "where women are considered more beautiful if they are short and petite. I can still hear the way my step-sister and gentlemen used to belittle me for my height. I would have given my soul to the abyss if it meant I could be as short as you. Even if I had to swear off wearing gold."
Anelle turned to leave.
"Thank you." Liligo responded with a slight smile.
Anelle left and raised her hand to knock on the next door.
A gut wrenching scream rang out across the corridor. Everyone turned towards the sound. A stampede of feet began moving down the corridor. Anelle joined the fray as new voices joined the screams. The metallic smell of blood wafted through the open door.
Everyone crowded around the threshold. A heavy thud sounded as one of the girls fainted, those around her crouched down. Anelle was able to look past them and into the room.
Innki lay on the ground, coughing blood over her chin and onto the floor. Her lips trembled as she gasped for air. Her skin was pale and slick with sweat.
Vetha bent over her, holding her head up. Blood splashed onto her as Innki went into another coughing fit. Vetha looked back at the crowd. She opened her mouth to speak but closed it. She put her hand to Innki's face and whimpered in horror as her hand left red prints.
"Get the Wyrish!" Someone shouted. "Someone go!"
Anelle broke from her shock and turned on her heels. She sprinted down the corridor, ignoring the instant pain in her chest and legs. She leapt down the stairs in three jumps and kept hurtling down the corridor. Anelle shoved her way through the crush of people on the first floor and turned the corridor to Moreal's room. The door crashed against the wall, splintering pieces of wood into the air.
Moreal and Russelia sat on the floor opposite each other, Moreal's hand delicately placed on Russelia's face as she worked. They looked up in shock at Anelle's entrance. Anelle's heart was pounding through her body, she breathed deep trying to find sounds to speak.
"Come…quick…Innki…coughing blood." Anelle spoke through quick breaths.
Moreal jumped to her feet. The situation dawned on her; brow furrowed in worry. She ran to the shelves grabbing jars of different things and threw them in Anelle's direction.
"Where?" Moreal asked urgently.
"Her receiving room." Anelle answered.
Anelle ran back the way she had come. This time the first floor occupants moved to the sides as they approached at speed. Taking three steps at a time they reached the second floor. Anelle began to slow. Moreal pushed past her, heading towards the crowd.
"Let me through! Let me through!" Moreal shouted.
*****
Moreal knelt down beside Innki. The woman had stopped coughing. She breathed short shallow breaths. Moreal lifted her up into sitting and thrust her fingers down Innki's throat.
"Get a chamber pot!" Moreal said.
Vetha grabbed the chamber pot and handed it to Moreal. Innki heaved and threw up.
"Anelle, the jar with the black lid. Pour some of the charcoal into the lid and mix a small amount of water into a paste."
Anelle set down the jars and opened the one containing the charcoal. Anelle reached for the water jug.
"Not that one! Anything in this room could be the cause," Moreal looks at the crowd of women standing at the door, "Liligo, fetch the water from your room."
Liligo returned a moment later. Anelle mixed the charcoal and handed the lid to Moreal. She placed the lip to Innki's mouth and tipped it back. Innki struggled for breath as she swallowed the black paste. Moreal held her head up. After a few moments Innki's breathing began to even out. Moreal grabbed a pillow and laid her down.
Moreal turned to the crowd at the door.
"Everyone go back to your rooms and get ready. Innki will be fine. We open in less than an hour." Moreal instructs. She turned to Anelle. "Go get Yulin from the main hall and make sure everyone is dressed."
Anelle left the room.
Moreal reached inside herself and called forth the Tue. Tendrils slithered from her chest down her hand and into her finger tips. She closed her eyes. The Phy-Tue glyph for rest blazed into the back of her eyelids.
A knock at the door sounded. Dame Luel stepped inside.
"Will she live?" Luel asked.
Moreal responded with a nod. "I think so. If I knew any healing Phy I would be more certain but I don't."
The old lady let out a breath and her shoulders sagged.
"Thank the dark mother for her mercy." Luel said. "We will have no more weaving tonight, unless it's an emergency. You can drain Vetha and Anelle. We survived the last three pantheon's with only Yulin. We can do it again for one more night."
"Have everything in this room moved to my chambers. No one is to touch anything with their bare hands. They are to spend time outside once everything is moved. Until we know what caused this I don't want to take any chances. Can you keep the girls from talking? The last thing we need are rumors about a curse driving away patrons."
"Do you suspect foul play?" Luel asked.
Moreal looked over at the table. An array of glass chalices and liquor bottles lay strewn about. "Innki is well known for mixing drinks. She is one of the few women in this house who can afford not to sleep with clients. I don't believe she would have given herself alcohol poisoning, even if she was concocting a new drink. But I can't say if it's foul play." Moreal looked over the table again. Her eyes fell on an unfamiliar bottle. "Do you know where that liquor came from?"
Luel picked up the bottle and sniffed it. "It was delivered this afternoon. The harbour master recommended another trader as Basen and The Fair Lady are stuck further down the coast." She swirled the bottle around and took another sniff. "It has an odd earthy smell."
She held out the bottle for Moreal to smell.
"It does. Just in case separate any bottles from that shipment and don't allow it to be served to customers. Do you know if Innki was planning to see a specific client tonight?" Moreal asked.
Luel shook her head. "You should get some rest. It's going to be a long night."
"No, I want to stay until she gets a bit more colour in her cheeks." Moreal used the sleeve of her dress to clean the blood from Innki's chin.
"I will send Anelle to fetch you shortly before we open."