by M. M. Perry
Kali’s attention was drawn to the wall opposite the door. It was the only surface not completely covered in tapestries, rugs, gold or gems. Instead, its smooth surface was only marred by tall lettering chiseled into the stone that made up the supporting walls of the home. The words were written in overly stylized lettering and each letter was highlighted with gold and gemstones.
Kali read the words aloud.
“All your desires granted. Youth, beauty, and riches. Three days and nights are yours to decide. Seven years free of poverty, sickness and the frailty of old age, and then a peaceful end to your days.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Lauren said, “That only stays up there until your three days are done. Then it goes away. You can hang something over it if you like. I’ve a lovely tapestry of a waterfall over my bargain,” Lauren said enthusiastically.
“Oh,” Kali said surprised, “You haven’t been here for three days yet? I thought the necklaces…”
As Kali mentioned the gold band around her neck a dark look passed over Lauren’s face as she touched her own golden collar.
“No,” Lauren’s voice lacked the sing-song merchant’s pitch it had had up until now as she replied, “I’ve been here quite a while now. My bargain vanished long ago. I just never took the tapestry down is all,” she said.
“I know you’ll probably each want your own house once you’ve decided to stay,” her voice lifted again. She stepped back to the entrance. “Don’t worry, we’ve got plenty of space. I look forward to seeing you around town.”
Lauren walked out and pulled the door shut behind her.
“She is a little off, isn’t she?” Kali asked Patch. “I mean, I guess I could be forgetting how crazy people are, but I hope not.”
“No, you are not mistaken,” Patch chuckled. “She’s a bit odd. But then, she’s probably been here most of her time now. I imagine as they get close to the end they do go a little strange. Come on. Let’s get freshened up and decide what to do next. I think that looks like a bedroom up there, and there’s probably another one somewhere around here.”
Kali looked to the top of the stairs where Patch was pointing and nodded. The bannister that ran up either side of the staircase was covered in a colorful pearlescent material that gave it a smooth, glossy feel under Kali’s hands. At the top, she found hallways where, predictably, thick carpets covered golden floors. Kali wondered how enough wealth could possibly exist to outfit every home in the city as this one had been.
She opened the door to the room Patch had directed her to and found a bedroom drenched in lavish décor. The bed was a four poster canopy, with gossamer sheaths of silk in several colors and layers draped over the top. Kali could not deny the soft pillowy mattress looked appealing, particularly to someone who had spent the last few weeks sleeping on an uneven cave surface. She didn’t see the wash basin she expected, but on quick inspection found another door and wondered if that might lead to a washing room.
When she opened the door she gasped as the sight of the wash room that met her. The bath was set into the floor in the center of the room. It was a made of marble polished to a brilliant sheen. Even more impressive than all the marble and gold was the spigot that gracefully arched out at one end of the tub with a lever on either side of it, indicating that this home was plumbed for running water. Most houses, she knew, did not have such luxuries. Running water, let alone hot and cold running water, was only found in the castles of the wealthiest royalty or the largest, fanciest inns. After a moment, she noticed that a wall, a little taller than head height, carved out a separate area in one corner of the room. She padded over and opened the door that concealed the small self-contained room to find an elaborate garderobe. To call the bench that she found inside a latrine simply didn’t do the arrangement justice. The wooden seat was even padded, which left Kali questioning the maintenance and sanitation implied by such a lavish place for tending to ones necessaries. She closed the door and returned to the tub.
Kali knelt and tentatively pulled one of the levers next to the bathtub spigot and sure enough, steaming water began to fill the tub. Kali saw there was a small shelf below the spigot that held a single cork plug. She grabbed it and mashed it into the drain, stoppering the tub. Despite the impressive flow coming from the faucet, it would be a while before the grandiose tub, large enough to easily accommodate three or four people at once, was full. She decided to explore the bedroom while she waited and see if she couldn’t find some clean clothes to wear. It would be a shame, she had decided, to take advantage of this lavish commode only to then don her grimy, tattered clothes afterward.
Kali found a wardrobe back in the bedroom. Upon opening it she was not only surprised by the wide array of colorful clothing hanging inside, but by the fact that every garment happened to be the correct fit for her as well. Most of it was gaudy, lined with gold and silver and studded with gems, but after some rummaging Kali found something relatively conservative. Even that outfit was made of a fabric so fine she didn’t doubt that it was worth its weight in gold. She laid the garment out on the bed and went back to the wardrobe to look for a pair of shoes. In the time it had taken her to walk to the bed and back, all the clothes she’d sifted through before had vanished form the wardrobe, to be replaced by items more similar in design to the garment she had chosen. They were all understated yet highly tailored outfits that Kali found far more agreeable than the gaudy foppery she’d first sorted through.
Kali realized then just how much power had been put into this city by the god who claimed it. The house was responding directly to her desires and Kali reckoned it would probably continue to do so as long as she stayed there. She pulled out a pair of shoes from the bottom of the wardrobe and tried them on briefly, unsurprised to find they fit perfectly. She took them off and put them on the bed next to the clothes. She returned to the bathroom so see the tub was full and that the water had turned itself off to keep it from overflowing. A large silver platter occupied with what looked to be soaps and bath oils had also appeared beside it. Kali stripped off her clothes and lowered herself into the deliciously warm water. She took the time to thoroughly wash herself, going over every part of her body several times. After all the freezing cold baths she’d had over the last few weeks, the warm water was a luxury she cherished more than anything else the house had offered her so far.
When Kali had finally finished and dressed she made her way back downstairs and began hunting for the kitchen. The first room she stopped at was portioned off from the rest of the house with gauzy colored fabrics. As she pushed them aside and entered the room she realized immediately she was not in the kitchen. The dimly lit room before her, from what she could see of it, was larger than most folks’ houses. The air was thick with steam. She ventured in a few steps when her foot smacked into a tall mound of silk pillows. Further in the room, she saw the source of all the steam—a bath even larger than the one she’d just left. And around it she could make out figures in the steam. Though they were obscured, she could discern enough details to see that they were male. One silhouette detached itself from the rest and approached her revealing himself to be a tall, deeply tan man. He was heavily muscled with hair so fair it might not be blonde, but white. He was wearing naught but a small loincloth that left nothing to the imagination. He had piercing ice blue eyes, and something about him awakened a long-slumbering longing in Kali she hadn’t been aware she harbored. Yet despite their beauty, his eyes seemed lifeless. Notwithstanding the initial twinge of animal emotion, Kali found her passion rapidly cooling and took a step back as he came near.
“Is there something I can help you with, my lady? I am all yours,” the man spoke with a thick accent that seemed familiar to Kali, yet the recollection was as slippery as all her memories were, and she couldn’t place it.
“I… No I…,” Kali stammered, trying not to look into the strange emotionless eyes of the man.
“If I am not pleasing, I can summon another of your harem,” the man c
ontinued.
It was at that very moment, as Kali was backing away, that Patch arrived. He took one look at the huge man and grinned. He took Kali gently by the arm and led her out of the room. Her face was bright red with a mix of physical heat, ardor, and most of all, embarrassment.
“You have a thing for Braldashadian men, eh? Well that’s something to go on, then” Patch said jokingly.
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Kali said uncomfortably.
“Just like the rest of the house, the harem gives you what you want. It sensed your desires and responded. You might not consciously remember it, but the magic of the house was able to peek into your mind and find what you fancy,” Patch said grinning, “which is apparently size. So much for the old saying that it doesn’t matter, eh?”
“Don’t you tease me. I’m sure your harem is every bit as titillating and embarrassing,” Kali said defensively.
A cloud passed over Patch’s face.
“Not really,” he said, voice empty of all cheer.
He turned and gestured for Kali to follow him.
“Food is this way if you want to eat.”
Kali followed him down the hall and past several other rooms before they finally came to the dining room. She expected him to lead her to a kitchen, cupboard bursting with any number of culinary delights she’d enjoyed in her past but couldn’t now remember. She wasn’t prepared for the dining room they came upon. The table that ran its length was laden with fully cooked food of every kind Kali could imagine. Patch strolled over and began eating right off the serving platters. Kali followed him and grabbed up a hot roll so fresh that it steamed as she bit into it feverishly. After she’d had a few mouthfuls, she set the remains of the roll back down and looked at Patch.
“They aren’t real people, I hope. They’re just magic copies or something, aren’t they? Those eyes couldn’t belong to real, living people,” Kali said around a mouthful of food.
Patch shook his head, “No. I doubt they are, or ever were, alive. They are likely golems. I imagine they take some getting used to. That is, if you aren’t the type of person who’d enjoy living in a place like this. I’d hope most people would find living like this rather un-nerving fairly quickly.”
“What, having your every desire granted almost before you realize you want something? I don’t like it, especially not dead-eyes back there, but I’m sure a fair share of people find it’s their every dream come true,” Kali said looking over the table of food.
“You say that now but you haven’t met the people, the actual living people, who stay here yet. Or at least haven’t seen them in their natural element. Lauren was performing a role. I think you’d find her much different in her own home. Tomorrow you should take a look around. I think you’ll find the city isn’t the fantasy turned reality that Lauren would like you to believe. Anyway, get some rest tonight. Tomorrow afternoon we’ll head out and I promise you, despite what hardships we encounter later, we won’t look back. But for now we can take advantage of everything the city is tempting us with,” Patch said.
Chapter 3
Kali woke very much refreshed. She stretched and got out of bed, quickly getting dressed. She planned to check out some of the city like Patch had suggested before they go. None of it was jogging loose any memories, but Kali wanted to be sure.
While she walked through the empty streets of the city, she again began to wonder on why Patch was helping her. His reason before, that they had something in common, was clearly a diversionary tactic on his part. She was sure he had an ulterior motive, but for the time being he had been keeping it hidden. He had been truthful about the city though. It posed no danger so long as they left before the three “free” days as Kali had been calling them, came to an end. She noticed the necklace seemed to be a little snugger than the day before and she reached up to try to loosen it. That’s when she realized there were now only two gems there, the third having disappeared at some point in the night.
“Well, at least Midassa isn’t subtle about what’s happening here. I suppose he could just trick people into it, but he seems to genuinely want you to understand what you are getting into here,” Kali said to herself.
It was then that she saw a young man staring at her across the street. Kali waved at him and he looked startled by the gesture. He turned around as if he’d suddenly see someone behind him.
“Are you seriously looking to see if I waved at someone else?” Kali asked incredulously, “I mean, I’ve only been here since last night and even I know the chance of that is low.”
The young man looked a bit embarrassed and scratched the back of his neck nervously.
“Yeah, alright, it was stupid. But you don’t know how long it’s been since a beautiful woman waved at me, let alone made eye contact with me,” he said sheepishly.
“Now he flirts… I can’t decide if you’re just stupid or slightly amusing,” Kali said crossing her arms.
“Bit of both, actually. Name’s Suman. I’m going to take a wild guess and say you just got here,” he said.
“The necklace didn’t tip you off?” Kali said touching her gems.
The gold collar around Suman’s neck was set off handsomely by his dark skin. Suman noticed Kali looking at it and touched it.
“Yeah, that might have helped a bit as well. I’m sure you’ve realized by now using the same brilliant deductive techniques that I’ve been here a bit longer than you. Hey, why don’t you come in and check out my house.”
“Is that your best line? Come check out my house? Are you going to offer me candy next to try to lure me into your den of torture? Are women here so stupid that works?”
Suman held up his hands as to ward off further accusations of lechery. “Hey, okay. I know, it sounds weird. In truth, I might be a bit rusty at this whole casual conversation thing. People around here aren’t particularly social, if you haven’t noticed the empty streets and the closed windows. No one who has been here for very long cares about anyone else. I just want to show off my place to a real person now that I have the chance,” Suman said.
Kali looked at Suman skeptically. “Isn’t your place identical to all the others?”
“Nope. I can guarantee you that.” Suman waited but Kali made no movement toward him.
“Come on,” he said, giving his straight black hair a playful flip, “you aren’t staying here. I know you aren’t. No one who stays here leaves their house those first three days. They are too busy stuffing their faces and stuffing their harems. I’m not planning on doing anything untoward. I can’t anyway. You can’t be harmed here. Not even by the other inhabitants.”
Kali, feeling as if she was about to do something really stupid, reluctantly stepped toward Suman. He smiled again and walked backward while he talked.
“You’ve made my day, you know? I mean, you’ve probably made my seven years. I know, hard to believe with all this place has to offer. But trust me, you walking out of here is the best decision you’ll ever make… uh, I mean second best. The first best is agreeing to marvel at what I’ve done with my house,” Suman chatted happily.
Kali couldn’t help but chuckle a little at Suman’s enthusiasm.
“Hey, don’t laugh. I’ve been here a long time. More than six and a half years with no one to talk to, and you’d sound like me, too.”
“Six and a half years?” Kali said.
“Yeah, I know. I ain’t got much time left. Stupid mistake, but I’ve got to live with it. Or die with it. Whatever. Sorry, I babble a lot. The harem girls don’t know how to hold a conversation so I’ve been living with people who just sit and placidly look at you and the only way to make that whole thing not awkward is to fill the space up with words so I’ve pretty much been doing that so apologies in advance,” Suman said.
He stopped in front of a house that looked like all the others and opened the door with flourish.
“My lady, please step inside my humble abode,” he said with a cheesy grin.
Kali
stepped inside shaking her head. She looked into the great room that was so similar to the one in the house she had stayed in and gasped. The high ceiling was filled with the most elaborate hanging structure. Pieces of gold and jewels had been affixed to slivers of silver metal and bent into intricate shapes and patterns. All were hung from the central piece in such a way that they balanced perfectly, swaying gently in the slight breeze. Suman had somehow managed to break out some of the ceiling so that sunlight shone down on the piece of art, the shafts of light hitting the gems and splitting fragments of light around the room that spun crazily every time the structure shifted.
“Wow,” Kali said, genuinely impressed.
“Thank you, so much. You’ve no idea what it means to me to be able to show this to someone who would care even the slightest bit. I’m glad you don’t hate art. It would be such perfect punctuation to my whole life if the one person who showed up here in the city who I managed to drag in here hated art. I should have probably asked you first, if you liked art I mean, to save myself the disappointment. But that would have ruined the surprise,” Suman said as he surveyed the piece.
Kali’s eyes fell on the wall across the room where in her temporary home the contract with Midassa was engraved. In Suman’s house the number one hundred seventy-nine was engraved instead. Suddenly Kali understood why Lauren would want to cover up that wall.
“Yeah,” Suman said following Kali’s gaze. “I don’t have much time left, do I. Don’t pity me. I made the mistake fully aware of what I was doing. Wait, I take that back. Are you the kind of woman who when she pities a man has sex with him? Because if so, pity away. Please.”
Suman’s green eyes looked so hopeful and earnest, Kali found it hard to be upset at his advances.
“I’m afraid not,” she said good naturedly placing her hand on his shoulder.
Suman made a tsk noise.
“Damn. Well it was worth a shot. Hey, why are you here anyway? You really don’t seem like the type of person to seek out a golden city devoid of all human contact in exchange for your life.”
