Despite Caspian"s protests, Erica managed to drag him into one of the many shops lining the street.
Having never shopped for clothes before (all of the clothes he owned at the academy had been provided by the academy), he was surprised by just how large the store"s interior was. It looked much bigger on the inside than it did on the outside. Lining the walls and interspersed throughout the store were shelves and racks filled with many different types of clothing, all of which were for women.
Erica dragged him over to one particular section that seemed to contain nothing but fashionable―not to mention expensive―dresses.
"Which one do you think would look better on me?" she asked, holding up a dress in each hand. The one in her left hand was a light blue evening gown that showcased a strapless top with a high slit running up the left side of the dress. The gown shimmered and sparkled as Erica moved it about, making Caspian realize the entire outfit was adorned with thousands of small gemstones. The other dress was a red silk blend fitted fishtail gown. Its plunging neckline told Caspian that, if Erica decided to wear it, she would be exposing far more of her cleavage than he"d ever seen before.
Both were extravagant, and both looked like they cost more money than Caspian would have in his lifetime.
"Why are you asking me?" Caspian asked. "You think I know anything about fashion? I wear the same uniform almost every single day. By the Spirits, even the clothes I wore on that train were picked out for me by the headmaster."
"So the headmaster picks out your clothes?" Erica giggled. "That"s kind of pathetic, don"t you think?"
Caspian twitched at the insult. "It"s not like I have any choice. I don"t have any money to go shopping for my own clothes. Bite me!"
"I would love to, but unfortunately, I"m currently with my loyal but bedridden Derek," Erica lamented, even going so far as to put a hand to her head and act like she was ready to faint from depression. She recovered quickly, however, showing that it was just an act. ""Twood be a shame if I betrayed my loyal Knight"s trust and fidelity like that." Her lips twitched into an exotic smile, made all the more bewitching by her single visible eye. "But, after my poor Derek kicks the bucket, I"ll be more than happy to bite you all you want. Who knows. Perhaps I shall even let you bite me back."
Caspian sputtered incoherently for several seconds.
"W-w-what the heck makes you think I"m going to bite you?!" He paused, but only to catch his breath. "And it was a figure of speech! Don"t take me so literally."
"So which one do you like better?"
"Would you stop ignoring me?!"
When Erica just gave him a blank look, Caspian"s shoulders slumped. He looked away from the Sorceress, trying to hide the new color to his face. This woman really was the worst.
"The red one," he mumbled, his gaze flickering over to her, only to look away again. "You look better in red." Why was she looking at him with those succubus eyes (or would that be eye?) of hers? Couldn"t she see that her stare made him uncomfortable?
Then again, maybe that was the reason. He"d heard rumors about Erica Angelo long before they had met on that train. At the time, he had not believed them, thinking them to be just what they were called, rumors. Now though... now he wasn"t so sure.
"I do, don"t I?" Erica"s smile was so obnoxiously cheerful that it made Caspian"s right eye twitch. "In that case, I"ll add this one to the pile, then. Now, let"s see what other clothes we can find."
Caspian groaned as he was dragged off again.
What must I do for this day to end?
***
There were few things Caspian hated more than waiting around-and waiting around in a women"s clothing store was quickly becoming one of those things.
You stood stalk still for what felt like hours, looking like a fool, while the person you waited on took their sweet time doing whatever it was they were doing.
It was even worse when you were the only person waiting, because then all of the people pa.s.sing by would point and stare. Some would even laugh, as if taking pleasure in your plight. It didn"t help that most of the people giggling at him were of the female variety.
Don"t those girls have anything better to do than giggle at me like pre-p.u.b.escent children?
Caspian scowled at several of the girls t.i.ttering about, pointing and giggling at him. When they saw that he was looking at them, they squealed girlishly and looked away before giggling some more. Behind him, the rustling of fabric continued to sound like a death knell to his pride.
He grunted. "Are you almost done in there?"
"Patience, Caspie. Good things come to those who wait."
"I"ve been waiting here for hours. And it"s Caspian! Stop calling me Caspie!"
"You"ve been waiting there for five minutes," Erica chided him from behind the curtain. She sounded indisputably condescending while she did it. "A few more minutes won"t hurt."
This woman is really getting on my nerves.
"Whatever."
Crossing his arms over his chest, Caspian leaned back against the small support post he was standing by. His index finger tapped a steady rhythm on his left forearm while he waited. Every so often, he would look at the clock to his left and, upon seeing how little time had pa.s.sed―a few seconds at most―he would proceed to glare at it, as if doing so would make the hands move faster.
"Caspie."
"It"s Caspian. And what?"
"I need some help. Could you come in here for a second?"
"I-in here―you want me to enter the changing room?"
"Yes." Caspian could almost feel the eye roll in her voice. "Now get in here."
Before Caspian could give voice to any more protests, a hand shot out from behind the curtain, grabbed a handful of his shirt, and yanked him inside so quickly he doubted anyone else noticed it happen.
Caspian rubbed his now sore neck, which he was sure would have a rash tomorrow. He looked at Erica, tossing her a fierce glare--or at least he did, until he saw what she was wearing.
Then his jaw dropped.
Erica had chosen to wear the red fishtail dress, the fabric of which conformed to her body in ways that would send any man into a delirious state of l.u.s.t and pa.s.sion. What made the outfit even more enticing was that it was not fully on. The back was still undone, allowing him to see the silky, unblemished skin of her shoulder blades and the small of her back.
Dark raven hair whipped about her face as Erica turned her head to look at him. The smile curling her lips told him that she knew exactly what he was staring at. Caspian tried to look away, but found himself incapable of even turning his head.
"Would you mind lacing this up for me?"
"Shouldn"t... isn"t this something only Derek should be doing?" Caspian tried to get out of this situation. How had he even gotten into it in the first place? And why weren"t his legs moving like he told them to? "I-I mean, he"s your Knight, right? And I heard that, well, a Knight and a Sorceress are, like, really close, or something, right? Wouldn"t this be kind of like cheating on him?"
"Fu fu fu, you are so naïve and adorable." Caspian felt his face grow flush, though whether this was from anger or embarra.s.sment, he didn"t know. "A Knight is a confidant and protector, but that doesn"t necessarily mean they"re lovers. There are many Sorceress-Knight pairings out there who do not have a romantic relationship with each other. Sylvia and her Knight, for example."
"So, then, does that mean you and Derek aren"t―"
"No, we are," Erica interrupted, tinkling with laughter when she saw the look on Caspian"s face. "In a way, at least. Derek is, hm, how should I put this? Oh, yes! Derek is my plaything!"
Caspian stilled. "Your... plaything?"
"Hm hm!" Nodding her head, Erica gave a joyful smile that seemed completely out of context with her words. "My plaything. I play with him however I want and he enjoys it. Or he would be enjoying, but right now he"s sick. That"s why I have you. You"re my temporary boytoy."
"Oh, no," Caspian shook his head. "Listen here, lady. I have no intention of being your boytoy or whatever. That"s just not happening. I"m not going to be doing anything of that nature with you. No way."
"You"re such a prude," Erica pouted. Caspian tried to glare, but he wasn"t very successfully because his face felt like it had been burnt by Helios" flames. "But don"t worry. It"s not like I plan on draining you of your vitality through acts of pa.s.sion. Derek is still my Knight, after all, and so long as he remains my Knight, I shall remain faithful to him. I just meant that you"re going to amuse me for as long as our partnership lasts. Nothing more."
"Is that all?" Caspian rolled his eyes. "Well then, please do tell me, oh wise and powerful Sorceress, what is it that I can do to keep you entertained."
"Well..." Erica smiled a beatific smile. "You can start by lacing up this dress."
***
From high above, Dranor watched Erica walk out of the clothing store, a seductive smile touching her lips, tantalizing those around her. Being dragged by the arm was the young man who"d interfered in his a.s.sa.s.sination attempt. So he was protecting her, then? Was that what was happening? Did that mean Derek had been replaced?
He wrinkled his nose in disgust. To think that the sacred ritual used to bond two souls together was being used in such a sickening manner. d.a.m.n those Sorceresses! The sacred ritual wasn"t made for one person to bond with so many! It was supposed to bond two souls together for the rest of their lives and beyond!
"You"re getting angry. Calm yourself, love."
"I can"t help it. Everytime I see how these humans have perverted our rituals, I feel nothing but hatred and contempt."
"I know. It is hard seeing the sacred rituals our kind has upheld for generations as the pinnacle of intimacy being abused like this. I understand that. But, you must calm down. Please. There is nothing either of us can do right now. Getting angry about it will not avail us here. It will only ensure that we are unable to think with a clear head."
Dranor closed his eyes and leaned back. His fingers splayed against the cool concrete of the wall, his hands acting as pillars of support to keep him from falling. He took several deep breaths, feeling his heart slow down and return to its gentle, steady rhythm. When he was sufficiently calm, he opened his eyes.
"Thank you, Vanya."
"You"re welcome. Now that you"ve calmed down, we need to plan on a course of action. What should we do?"
"We"ll continue watching them for now. However, we need to get closer to them somehow. I"d like to observe their habits and rituals before making a plan."
"Leave that to me. I believe I can get inside of Dorehan Tower without much ha.s.sle."
"Very well, then. I shall leave the task in your capable hands."
Dranor stood up. Slowly, he made his way over to the building"s ledge and looked back down. Erica and the boy had just entered an expensive-looking MAFT with a sleek bullet-shaped design and tinted windows. He narrowed his eyes.
"We"ll continue our surveillance, gather more intel, and then, when we are ready, we"ll strike."
Looking up at the sky, Dranor could only frown at the smog choking the air.
"Soon, everything will come to an end."