A Deadly Play

Tirnys then seized a heavy brass candelabra and smote the demon on the brow, but the weapon, clearly a flimsy stage prop, made no impact. Orrtunath advanced slowly, its wings spread wide to bar any chance of escape, and drove the two doomed lovers toward the edge of the stage. It seized Tirnys by the throat and Kasimira by the hair and dragged them away screaming.

Vercenx advanced to stage before the stage, monologuing about the betrayal he had suffered and the cruel fate he would visit upon the betrayers. But Bromm's interest had largely left the stage with Nessia. She returned to the stage in Kasimira's dark cell, calling out to the stars for Tirnys or the gods' mercy, to no avail. After rejecting Vercenx's offer of reconciliation, she took her own life by jumping from the top of a tower.

It was the tragic end to the tale he had learned in the songs and poems, but when the curtain call came, Bromm forgot all about the grisly end of hero and heroine, and his eyes rested solely on Nessia's smile as she bowed before the audience. Bromm stood barely more than an arm's length away from her when she stepped forward with the man who played Tirnys and took their final bows together. For a moment, as her steel blue eyes swept across the applauding crowd, they seemed to linger on Bromm, and he felt his spirit soar.

When the curtain came down at last, Bromm and his friends found that all they could remember was the sight of Nessia nude and fucked on the bed. They piled out of the theater with the crowd and, on the busy street outside, selected a whore from among the streetwalkers. She led them to an alley where they took their turns on her. Bromm was sitting on a crate in the alley, breeches around his ankles and his cock in hand, while Sahat fucked the girl from behind against the wall. The others impatiently waited their turn, but Bromm's thoughts were still with Nessia.

"What's the matter, Bromm?" Pyet asked. The young man had stripped off all his clothes and stood naked in the alley, unconcerned by the occasional look cast in by passersby on the street. "You look lost. It's only a play, they're all still alive."

"It's not that," replied Bromm, "I want just thinking of the actress."

"This again?" Grumbled Sahat. "We've got a whore right here, forget about the actress."

Bromm frowned as he looked to the girl. She was tanned, nearly flat-chested, and dark-haired, showing the skin of a woman who spent much of her life on Torvuls' sunbaked streets. A rather plain girl, she did not earn her coin with her face. Her mouth and purse, on the other hand... She was no beauty like Nessia, but a sailor in heat did not need a beauty. Sometimes he just needed himself.

"It's so like you," Sahat continued as he fucked the woman against a brick wall, "To be dreaming of some woman beyond your reach when you've got a willing little slut right before you. You've already paid, so go on, fuck her mouth if you need something to take your mind off things."

"I'll suck you, sailor," the woman offered, extending a hand. Bromm sighed and thrust his cock into her mouth. She took him with the ease of a professional, swallowing him up to the base and caressing his balls. She sucked him well enough, but Bromm could not shake Nessia from his mind. Her pale skin, shapely breasts, and groomed sex called to him. He closed his eyes, trying to pretend that it was her mouth around his cock, but it was no use.

Sahat came with a grunt, pressed the whore against the wall one last time and then withdrew from her. His sticky seed dripped down her leg, but Imre wasted no time in mounting her next.

"Sorry," he said apologetically, "I couldn't wait. Don't worry, I'll be quick."

And quick he was, lasting just a few dozen strokes before he pulled out. "Turn around," he commanded, and she squatted before him, naked except for her crude sandals. Imre groaned and came on her face, his cum dribbling down her chin to drip onto her little breasts. Bromm stood beside her, stroking his cock and scowled.

"Now you've got your cum all over her face," he complained. "Bad enough you made her stop sucking me off, but now I'm going to get your cum on my cock."

"Cheer up, Bromm," suggested Pyet. "We've still got some money left and afterwards we can go for ice cream."

Imre shrugged. "You were going to get my cum on you when you fucked her anyway. We all get each other's cum on ourselves when we do this. Why are you so ornery tonight, Bromm?"

Bromm sighed, and Pyet took advantage of his distraction to pull the whore up onto a crate, spread her legs and start fucking her cunny.

"Sorry," said Bromm, "I was thinking of Nessia again."

"Thinking of Nessia when you've got your cock in another woman?" Sahat shook his head. "You're never satisfied, are you?"

"That's why I'll make a great captain," he said. "I'll not let us settle for plundering ships full of cotton and grain, I'll take us into the southern lanes and look for imperial treasure fleets!"

"You'll get us all killed is what you mean," Sahat chuckled.

"That's Bromm, always looking out for us!" Pyet laughed, grunting as he tweaked the whore's nipples between his fingers. "At least we're likely to die rich men."

"If need be," said Bromm. "I'd rather live as rich men."

"Then you can fuck all the actress that you want." Said Imre. "I hear that in the Auric Empire, actresses are whores, even the rich ones. It's a shame Nessia is an actress here instead, you could have her for a few coins, I reckon."

"I don't want just any actress," Bromm replied. "I want her."

"You and every man in the theater tonight," replied Tahavi with a laugh. He was drinking from a clay jug he had bought from a theater vendor, and the drink had made his cock shy. He stepped up to the whore as her legs shook under Pyet's thrust. "Here, girl. Make him come out to play."

She stroked his cock in one hand and steadied herself against the crate with the other. Tahavi turned to Bromm and gestured to the girl.

"Everyone else is having fun, come on and join in. We've all paid for her."

Bromm sighed. He wanted Nessia, it was true, but this whore was all he had. He stepped up to the crate where she sat and held out his cock toward her. Wordlessly, she took him in her hand and began to stroke him as Pyet fucked. Pyet held her tighter by the waist, her shaking threatening to knock her over now that she used her hands to fondle cocks instead of propping herself up. The touch of her seasoned hands made Bromm's toes curl on the dirty alley's cobblestones. He wished that he had convinced his friends to make for a proper brothel instead of an alley.

But when Pyet pulled out and came on the girl's little breasts, he wasted little time in taking over for his friend. He plunged his cock into the girl's shaven sex and began rutting away at her. Her hot body quivered in his arms, cooled occasionally by an autumn wind off the sea. With thoughts of Nessia in his mind, he did not take long to finish.

Pulling out, he bid the girl kneel down before him. She obeyed, and he showered her face in his seed, watching it drip down her face to her flat chest. Tahavi came soon after him, painting the whore's face white as he did. The four of them stood in the alley, naked or nearly so, and admired their handiwork.

As she knelt before them, she dabbed at their cum and licked it off her lips and fingers. Once again, Nessia drifted into his mind. These women could not be more different, could they? One, a poor woman subjected to dirty, humiliating sex in an alley with rude sailors for copper coins, the other, a wealthy woman admired all over the city and beyond for her poise, grace, and charisma, and available only to an elite few. Yet they both bared their bodies for strangers, inspiring lust in hundreds of men.

"Well, I'm all fucked out," Sahat pronounced. "Ice cream?"

Tahavi and Pyet nodded, and they began to dress themselves. Bromm buckled on his weapons belt, accompanied by a plain iron sword and an ornate, ivory-handled pistol. He adjusted the pistol's position on his belt with pride, then pulled on his coat.

"All ready?" asked Pyet, and Bromm nodded.

At the end of the alley, a pair of sailors who had been looking in and watching moved forward.

"You lads all done with her?" the lead sailor asked, and Bromm nodded. "Good then. Don't mind if we do. How much, girl?"

"Two coppers," she replied, and they began undoing their breeches.

"Goodbye," Bromm said to her as he and his friends left the alley. She nodded in their direction, but already had her mouth full of cock. Bromm shrugged and moved along.

"Tell your friends," she called after them. "I'm Mella, and you can usually find me at Sea Dog's Square! Just two coppers and I'll make you come!"

Bromm and his friends left her behind and headed down the street to the ice cream shop south of the great market. He followed them at a few steps, his mind occupied with thoughts of Nessia even while his friend chattered on about how to spend their remaining money before Gonnsar called them back to the ship for a new voyage. In time, they began to wonder what the captain was planning.

Bromm had no opinion, something that frustrated his friends. They asked him no more questions until they had their ice cream in hand. Eating their frozen treats, their minds wandered to more immediate concerns.

"I think I'll head back to the gambling halls," said Sahat. "I feel a hot streak coming on."

"You feel like losing the rest of your money, more like," countered Pyet. "Hang on to something, I don't want to be paying your way until we hoist anchor."

"You'll see," Sahat shot back. "I'll win the whole house, then we won't need to go to sea."

"I feel like a whore, myself," said Pyet. Sahat rolled his eyes.

"You just had a whore," he protested.

"In a dirty back alley. I want one of the beauties from the Lotus, or the House of Silk."

"A proposal then," offered Tahavi. "Sahat and I will head to the Royal Lounge for some dicing, and Pyet can go to the Lady's Arms across the street. When one or the other is finished, just cross the street to join up and we'll decide what to do next."

The three of them nodded, then turned to Bromm.

"Dice or girls," asked Tahavi. "Which will it be for you and Imre?"

Bromm sighed. "You go on without me. I'll go back to the inn and sleep."

His friends groaned. "Come on, Bromm. You can't spend all your time ashore pining after this woman. Come to the Lady's Arms, you might find someone who looks like her."

"No, I'm not interested."

They sighed. "Suit yourself, you'll know where to find us if you change your mind."

Bromm turned away and made for the inn, but Imre caught up to him and grabbed his arm as the others headed down the street. "Hold on a moment," he said. He pulled the two of them into the doorway of a baker's shop, shuttered for the night. "I know something that might cheer you up."

Bromm raised a skeptical eyebrow. "What's that?"

"There's an alley behind the actors' colony where you can climb the wall and look down into the yard. Sometimes you can see the actors dressing there. Perhaps you can catch a glimpse of Nessia. Perhaps she'll even be naked, they like a bath after a play."

Bromm chewed his lip in thought. He disliked the idea of being a spy, but the offer was too tempting to ignore. He had been cursing himself for not following her into the bath, and the looks at her body he had seized on stage only made him regret it more.

"Lead the way," he heard himself say and Imre smiled. "Come on. We can watch her in the bath a bit, then catch up to the others later."

Bromm sighed. He was a weak man. "Lead the way."

They wound their way along the streets back toward the theater, then around the back of it to an alley not unlike the one where they have fucked the flat-chested whore. On the south side was a tall stone wall topped with a spiked iron railing.

"Over the wall," said Imre with a pointed finger. Bromm took a look at the wall. It was tall to be sure, but he was an experienced climber who had scaled buildings all over the city. It would prove no great obstacle to him. He tightened his sword belt and tested a toehold on the wall. It held, and he smiled to himself.

"Wait here," Bromm said. "I'll take a look."

"Alright, but be quiet about it."

Up he went, his fingers finding nooks in the masonry to cling to easily enough. The stone was damp from the evening mist, but the rough brick gave him good traction. Both the moon and the city lamplights gave him the light he needed and soon he was pulling himself over the lip of the wall. He lifted his head over it slowly to peer down into the theater's backlot, not sure what to expect.

The first thing he saw was the back of the stage. It was a mere skeleton of the façade, bare wood and canvas with a few simple staircases running up to balconies. He found himself somewhat disappointed to see the truth of it all. But below it was a sprawl of tables, crates, and clothing racks, some laden with costumes for this play and others with all manner of props and costumes for others. He saw suits of armor, colored kaftans, a great prop head for a dragon, and many-colored silk robes. The grandeur of it all made him gasp slightly. Someone had spent a great deal of money outfitting this theater with everything it might need.

Nearer to the wall, the lot was broken out into open-topped cells divided from one another by curtains hanging on ropes. In most of the cells, he could see an actor dressing. Some cells were larger than the rest, and he soon realized that they were for the principal actors. He saw that man who had played Vercenx combing his beard, which he had removed from his face and set on a stand. The man who played Tirnys was lying on a cot smoking a pipe.

And then there was Nessia. Just as Imre had predicted, she was lying naked in a large copper bathtub, her arms on the rim and her head lying on a pillow. Her green eyes were closed, but she faced up toward the stars. Bromm heard his breath catch as he caught sight of her. He felt his cock hardening against the stone wall he hung from.

Now what? He thought. Am I just going to hang here until she gets dressed and leaves? Or until she catches me? He thought to pleasure himself at the sight, but he could hardly hold his cock and keep his place on the wall at the same time.

From below, he heard a noise. Looking down, he saw Imre standing directly below him, looking skyward. Imre raised his eyebrows and mouthed a question. Bromm smiled and raised a thumb in the affirmative. Imre mimed stroking his cock, and Bromm shook his head and pointed to his position on the wall. Imre smiled and seemed to suppress a laugh.

With a roll of his eyes, Bromm looked back to Nessia. She was still lying in the bath, a contented smile across her face. He stared hard at her, trying to burn the image right into his mind. He licked his lips and pulled himself further over the wall, threading his arms through the iron railing for support. He stared right down into Nessia's tub, drinking in her nude image.

Someone was approaching along the aisles. Bromm quickly lowered himself until just his eyes were looking over the wall. The man was richly dressed in a plumed hat, a short cape, and puffy pantaloons. He approached Nessia's cell and stopped outside.

"Nessia, dear," he called, and she opened her eyes.

"Come in," she replied, sitting up naked in the tub. The man pushed open the curtain and stepped into the cell. The two of them smiled at each other, and the man spread his arms out wide.

"You were brilliant tonight, my dear. Just brilliant!" he approached the tub and bent down to kiss her cheek.

"You are too kind," Nessia answered sweetly. She laid an arm around his shoulder and returned his kiss. "The audience loved it."

"Indeed they did," he replied. "We will be the talk of the whole city in no time! I see your star rising very high indeed."

"And all thanks to you, Caius." He smiled and kissed her a second time. Bromm, leering over the wall, scowled. This man must surely be Caius Cipius, the man who had recently bought and renovated the theater. And here he was, using his position to bed a beautiful woman half his age. Bromm's eyes narrowed. Below him, Imre hissed something that he ignored, and overhead a bat or other night flyer swept by, but Bromm kept his eyes focused on Nessia and her guest.

"I merely put on the show," he continued. "It is your magnificent performance that draws in the crowds and sets tongues wagging."

"You like wagging tongues, don't you?" she purred. Caius laughed.

"I like one wagging tongue in particular. Shall I climb in there or will you join me out here?"

Nessia giggled and reached for a towel.

From the other side of the actors' colony, there came a scream. Bromm's gaze was wrenched away from the naked woman in the bath and toward Tirnys' cell, where there came a loud tearing of cloth. The whole of the area was writhing with fury, the thick canvas dividers roiling as something thrashed about in them. Other actors ran from the site in panic, and Bromm pulled himself higher over the wall for a look, one hand falling to the pommel of his blade.

There came another scream, this one more of pain than terror. It died off in a strangled gurgle, and Bromm knew in his heart that a man had just died. For a moment, all was still and deathly quiet. Then something shot upward from the tangle of cloth, rising up into the air higher than Bromm atop the wall. Bromm's eyes alit on it and for a moment he did not believe them. In the night sky was a horrible monster, with glossy black skin and red eyes aflame. Great wings of a bat sprouted from its back, beating at the air to keep it aloft as it scanned the ground, its sinuous tail flicking back and forth behind it. The thing floated there for a brief moment, and Bromm felt painfully exposed where he was, with no cover but the dark and only one hand to wield his weapons. The monster's red eyes swept across the theater yard until it reached Nessia's cell. It shrieked a piercing cry that set Bromm clutching at his head.

Then it dove at Nessia like a hawk, screaming all the way. She and Caius screamed too, a primal cry of terror as it plunged at them. Nessia scrambled from the bath, her bare legs throwing waves of water over her unfortunate lover as he too scrambled for the door.

Cruel claws stretched out before the monster, and Caius crashed through a wall of curtains in a blind panic.

"What's happening?!" Imre hissed, and Bromm felt himself jolted from his shock. "What's going on?!"

"Come up!" Bromm cried, and without waiting for a response he threw himself over the wall.

"Up?!" cried Imre in confusion, but Bromm had other things on his mind. He had leapt without looking and now found himself plunging toward a pile of crates and clothes. Gods, I hope those are soft, he thought in the scant moments he had to think before he crashed down among them.

The clothes were soft enough to break his fall, but not before he smashed right through two crates. Wood cracked and splintered all around him and he heard himself cry out a curse. He tumbled through the wreckage wrapped in a thick black cloth as his arms and legs beat at it frantically in the hopes of finding a way out. Though muffled by the cloth, he heard the continuing screams and snarls of the monster and poor Master Cipius.

A lucky thrashing of his hand swept the curtain away from his face and Bromm scrambled to his feet. Ahead of him, he could see the monster's wings unfurl, rising over the rows of curtains. He reached for his sword, only to find that it was not there. He clutched at it again, stupefied by the chaos and hoping that his hand might have just missed it, but to the same result. He cast a desperate look around him and to his relief spied the hilt sticking out from under a fallen costume.