Chapter 10

Mother Shamita, jolly mistress of The Foundlings' Nest, was busy making dinner for the little hostel's current residents when there was a knock at the front door. Answering it, she found not only her newest guest, the golden-haired girl who was not quite Shaelin, but the last resident to really land on her feet in Freeport as well.

"Raven!", exclaimed the plump, tawny-skinned woman, throwing her arms around the black-haired Phantasia dancer. Strides-Tall could not react so positively to the tall female, however, for something about her seemed amiss - more than once, the elf had half-caught sight of a fleeting shadow hanging over Raven, and that shadow had wings. Not the wings of the bird the dancer was apparently named after, but the wings of a bat - or a Dyal...

"I suppose you're leaving already?", Shamita asked of Strides-Tall. "You little lost birds have got a habit of leaving almost as soon as you arrive, these days."

"Fortune is like the wind", said Raven. "You can only find out where it will take you if you let it carry you away."

"Ashyra said I should come and see you before I moved in with her", said Strides-Tall, "if only to thank you for your kind offer of shelter."

"Well, it's not as though you needed to stop by to pick up all your gear", said the cheery hostel-keeper, gesturing to the adventuress's bulging shoulder-bag, which the elf kept with her at all times.

There were a few more smiles, a laugh or two, and Mother Shamita had a kiss for both Strides-Tall and Raven, then the three friends said their goodbyes, and headed off into the twilight. It did the stout woman's heart the power of good to see those stranded in Lord Serpentine's realm do so well, but she had to remind herself that, had it not been for her intervention, Ashyra and Raven might never have met Strides-Tall.

I told her to try The Thorny Rose first, she told herself as she stood at the door, waving. I'd normally warn girls to stay away...

Shamita paused as a presence manifested itself in the hallway behind her. "I still wish you hadn't asked me to do that", she said, without turning. "It goes against all I believe in to manipulate her like that!"

Shamita turned now, and as she had expected, the presence had taken the form of a small figure in a hooded robe. "She is already being manipulated", the visitor said. "She thinks she is free, but nothing could be further from the truth. By doing this, we have put her in a position to survive, and from there, she can free herself."

"I still believe it's wrong to trick her so", said Mother Shamita sadly. "I know I can trust you Fayreen, but how can the girl learn to trust anyone when we're doing this to her?"

The small figure pushed her hood back, revealing smooth metallic sea-blue hair, large pointed ears and big cat-like slanted eyes that glittered like the finest gold. "That lesson she is already learning, as you have seen, dear friend", said the little woman. "The company she now keeps ensures she could not be any safer."

"I hope you're right", sighed the hostel-keeper, swinging the front door shut. "I do so hope you're right."

"Does dancing really pay this well?" was the first thing Strides-Tall could say when she was introduced to her new companions' two-floored town house with its large open-plan rooms and bright comfortable interior.

Ashyra and Raven looked at each other. Ashyra giggled. "Yes - if you've danced for royalty", the Shaelin girl eventually responded, grinning broadly. "Usually, you can just about afford to rent a place - if you share."

"You seem to have a very interesting life here", said the adventuress. "Tell me more..."

Ashyra cooked dinner, and the three girls sat around eating, drinking a little wine, and talking. The dancers had some astounding tales to tell, especially concerning their recent engagement as entertainers for the Prince of the Sapphire Cluster, when they had not only been performers, but bait for pirates. Strides-Tall got the impression that they did not tell her everything, but she kept the feeling to herself, aware that they needed to get to know her as much as she needed to get to know them before they would be true friends.

The elf, on the other hand, was as open as she dared, when it was her turn to tell her story. She told them about Mashilahantradar, the monsters in the red passage, her kidnap by the Skywolves, her escape at Kattan'Gyar...everything. Telling the dancers of her ordeals made the whole thing easier to deal with, and integrate into her life of experiences both sweet and bitter.

"Oh girl, you sound like you could do with a real drink", said Ashyra when Strides-Tall eventually brought her story up to date.

"I guess you're right", sighed the adventuress. "It's hard to enjoy yourself much when you're on the run from Dyals and Shr'Ganti."

"I know just the place", said a slyly-smiling Ashyra. "What better way to introduce you to your new place of work...?"

The girls almost never spent any of their off-duty time at The Phantasia, but for Strides-Tall's benefit, they made an exception. A short carriage-ride brought the three girls to a set of double doors, without embellishment or any kind of sign, but the elf knew they had come to the right place when those doors were opened, and warm air and music flooded up from below street-level.

Sounds almost like home, she thought, and followed the two dancers down the scarlet-carpeted stairs.

The stairs took the girls into a heavily-converted basement area, stretching under a number of shops and other establishments, the main feature of which was a long lobby with archways along both sides leading to areas where people could meet, drink and watch girls dance. The lights were bright, the music was loud...and the girls were, without exception, beautiful.

Most of the customers were enjoying the entertainment, but a few were moving from stage to stage, or just taking a break in the relative calm of the lobby, and they applauded and whistled as Ashyra and Raven walked by. One or two approached the girls, and asked for autographs - and sometimes more - but a signature on a photograph was the most they received.

***They never try to...well, you know...take advantage...?***, asked Strides-Tall. That, above all else, was what she was most anxious about.

***They may try, but they don't get far***, assured the Shaelin dancer, and she nodded towards a darkened corner. Strides-Tall saw nothing at first, but as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could make out the silhouette of a tall, muscular female figure.

***Sshraada, the club's resident "troubleshooter"***, Ashyra explained. ***A guy'll take a chance with a pretty girl who's smaller than he is, but he won't mess with a seven-foot-tall, venom-spitting snake-woman with a razor-sharp two-handed sword.***

Ashyra went over to talk to the mysterious Sshraada, and the "troubleshooter" stepped out of concealment to meet the dancer halfway. The girl had not be exaggerating - Sshraada was at least seven feet tall, and her body was covered in small, shiny black scales, right up to the tip of the snout of her serpent's head. The snake-woman bent down so that the girl could talk right in her ear, and be heard over the noise, then the scaly warrior fell in behind the dancers and their guest.

***If we're off-duty***, said Ashyra, "we attract a lot of attention if we visit the stages - but Sshraada helps keep things sociable.***

The dancers visited each themed performance area in turn, usually staying long enough to give Strides-Tall a taste of each, but from time to time they stayed to watch a feature dance by a particular girl, or chat with a dancer after her show. On one occasion, Ashyra became part of the performance with a friend, a girl in silver leather called Chal'Shi. The Shaelin girl beckoned the dancer to the front of the stage, then hooked a hand round the back of her neck, pulled her close, and kissed her passionately on the lips, to a roar of applause.

In the "Diamond Suite", a dazzlingly lit room with many mirrors and lots of chromed fittings, Strides-Tall was introduced to Skylla, a tall, athletic blonde woman who was the bearer of the title of "First Dancer". She was the star attraction, and after a breathtaking, masterful and erotically charged performance, taking full advantage of all the mirrors, she took a few minutes to relax at the bar and talk with her fellow dancers. Perching on a high stool, Skylla crossed her legs, and Strides-Tall had to watch, for the dancer's boots, like her two-piece swimsuit-style costume, were made of an unusual variety of snake-skin that retained the shine and colour of a living reptile.

All my years living in a desert town, and I never saw snake-skin like that, thought the elf.

"Drasheel has the final say for every candidate", she reminded Ashyra and Raven. "I can only advise. You two have even less influence, no matter how self-important you feel now that you've earned the club the approval of royalty. Your new friend will have to audition, like all the rest, and on that alone will she be judged."

The First Dancer took a sip of her drink, then added "I don't think you'll have anything to worry about. Drasheel's always looking to expand the troupe, and take some pressure off the shift rotation to give us all more of a break."

Ashyra glanced out of the corner of her eye at Strides-Tall. "You better do good, girl", she said, with mock seriousness.

The Shaelin girl then engaged Skylla in a private conversation, leaving Strides-Tall and Raven on their own together. Now's as good a time as any, thought the elf, and she reached out with her mind in Raven's direction. ***Can you hear me, Raven?***, she asked with her mental voice.

***Yes***, came the reply. ***I'm an empath, and that's enough to make me receptive to mind-speech.***

***An - an empath? Then you must know...***

***How uneasy you are around me?***, Raven finished for her. ***Yes, and it's quite understandable. I'm a bit uncertain about myself, these days. I've recently started to manifest a new range of powers I previously wasn't aware of, and with them comes a degree of...physical transformation. It's good that I'm getting this chance to warn you in advance.***

***Thanks for being so open about it***, said the elf.

***Can we be friends now?***, asked Raven, smiling hopefully.

Strides-Tall nodded. ***If Ashyra is comfortable with your situation, then I'm sure I can be, too. Perhaps I could even help you hone your abilities - I've had, well, centuries of practice, and I'm looking to work on my powers, too.***

***I wouldn't think it, to look at you***, the black-tressed dancer responded.

***I'm eight hundred and sixty years old, by my world's measure***, the elf revealed. ***That's pretty young by my people's standards.***

***I'm not at all sure what age I am***, admitted Raven. ***I have no reliable memory of who - or what - I was before I was found drifting on the Star-Sea.***

***Perhaps I can help you with that, as well***, offered Strides-Tall. I just hope we both don't end up regretting what we find, she thought, that aura of darkness now plainly visible to her inner eye as a shadowy pair of bat-like wings, rising from the dancer's head.

Strides-Tall chose to think nothing more of the matter, pushing it to the back of her mind until both she and Raven were confronted by it. The last wall between herself and the dancers torn down, she could finally relish their company to the full, drinking, talking and laughing with them until it was time to head home.

"We've all got a big day ahead of us", Ashyra announced, as the three women stepped out into the cool night once more. "Let's get a good night's sleep - and see what we can do about ensuring that Strides-Tall here becomes the newest addition to The Phantasia!"

 

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