10. Addie

10

ADDIE

T he Room of Sighs was absolutely huge. Like an airplane hanger, Addison thought—the kind that can house the really big passenger jets that fly overseas. The shadowy darkness seemed to stretch out forever in every direction and the ceiling was far above their heads.

In the middle of all this darkness was a circle of light. It was coming from thick, pillar candles, each as big as one of Addison's thighs, placed around a wide circular dais. They would have looked huge anywhere else but they were dwarfed by the vast, shadowy blackness.

"Now children, come forward and each of you take a place between the candles," Ls Prissa instructed. "I and my colleagues will stand in the center of the circle, as befits our status of those who have already held the title of Queen of Night."

Addie frowned uncertainly as she came to stand between two of the candles. So the three Aged Ones had once been crowned Queen of Night themselves? How long ago was that? Her head was still swimming from drinking too much of the gupcha and she stumbled a little and would have fallen if Sparki hadn't caught her arm.

"Careful!" she whispered in a hushed voice. "You don't want to draw attention to yourself in here!"

"Why not?" Addie whispered back. But her lady-in-waiting only shook her head and put a finger to her lips. Then she helped Addie up onto the dais where they stood side-by-side separated only by a single candle.

"Now then," Ls Prissa remarked when all of them were standing in their places around the circle. "I hope each of you is willing to give the ultimate sacrifice to become the Queen of Night."

Addie wondered uneasily what "the ultimate sacrifice" might be. From the grim looks on the other girls' faces, it wasn't good. She didn't know any of them except for Sparki and Teeza, her other lady-in-waiting who had also been chosen, but none of them looked happy. Many of them kept stealing furtive glances at the ceiling, which was so high above them that it really couldn't be seen in the darkness.

There was a tension in the air Addie couldn't define but it made her uncomfortable, despite her inebriated state. Also, she kept hearing soft sighing sounds all around her—what was that all about?

Maybe that's why they call it "the Room of Sighs" she thought and suppressed a hiccup.

"Now I will bring you the Cup of Sheelash's Bounty," Ls Prissa announced. "You must each take a sip and pray for Sheelash's will to be done and that the right girl will be chosen as the next Queen of Night."

She produced a large golden goblet from somewhere. It was filled to the brim with something, but Addie couldn't see what kind of wine or liquor was in it. She hoped it wasn't too strong—she was already a lot drunker than she liked. She had to keep closing her eyes to stop the dizzy, spinning sensation that threatened to overtake her and it took everything she could do just to stand upright in one place.

I'm going to be soooo hung-over tomorrow, she thought, squeezing her eyes shut to fight the dizziness. It wasn't until Sparki nudged her elbow that she opened her eyes and realized that Ls Prissa was standing right in front of her, holding the golden goblet.

"For the glory of Sheelash," the older woman intoned and held the goblet up to Addie's mouth.

Instead of automatically taking a sip, Addie took a moment to look at the contents of the cup…and then wished she hadn't. The thick, milky-clear mixture looked unpleasantly like semen and it had a pungent, earthy aroma that made her nose wrinkle.

"Hey, what is this stuff?" she asked, forgetting that she needed to be quiet and obedient like the other girls.

Ls Prissa frowned disapprovingly.

"It is the Bounty of Sheelash, of course! You must drink it in order to be a candidate for the Queen of Night."

"Yes, but I mean what is it?" Addie persisted. "I mean is it a kind of wine or liquor or?—"

"Do not be sacrilegious!" Ls Prissa hissed, glaring at Addie. "Do you not know that seven strong men died that you might have a single sip of Sheelash's Bounty?"

"They died? How?" Addie asked. What was this stuff they were asking her to drink?

"In the milking process, of course," Ls Prissa snapped. "The Goddess of the Web is not always cooperative when it comes to giving up her bounty. Now drink!" And she shoved the cup against Addie's bottom lip and tilted it so that a large amount of the slimy liquid poured into her mouth.

Addie choked and nearly gagged. Had she thought the blood cube she'd had for dinner was bad? This was so much worse. It was so bitter and acrid she could barely swallow and it left her tongue feeling numb, as though she'd taken a drink of poison.

She wanted to say something, but Ls Prissa had already moved on to Sparki, who was standing beside her. The normally cheerful lady-in-waiting was solemn and she sipped dutifully at the cup and didn't even make a face.

Addie watched as girl after girl drank from the goblet and noticed that things were starting to look wavy around the edges. Also, she was beginning to feel light and floaty. What was wrong with her? Was the stuff in the goblet making her high? That was all she needed on top of being drunk!

Ls Prissa made her way around the circle until she came to the last girl. It happened to be Teeza, Addie's other lady-in-waiting. But when Ls Prissa raised the cup to her lips, Teeza began to whimper.

"No, please—I don't want to!" she cried, pushing the cup away and turning her head to the side. "I don't want to be the Queen of Night and lose my youth and my looks! I'd rather stay pretty and young. Please, just let me go—don't make me drink it!"

Addie thought that Ls Prissa was going to explode with anger. Her face turned nearly purple with rage but before she could berate the hapless Teeza, a loop of white silk came down from the ceiling and wrapped around the lady-in-waiting's skinny neck.

Teeza gave a cry and reached for her throat but before she could even try to escape, she was whisked away—lifted straight up into the blackness of the ceiling far above.

"Hey!" Addie gasped. "What happened to her? What?—?"

A hand was suddenly slapped over her mouth and she was looking Sparki in the eyes.

"Shut your mouth! Do you want to be next?" her lady-in-waiting hissed, her eyes wide with fright.

Addie shook her head quickly.

"Good—then be quiet!" Sparki gave her a last warning glare and then removed her hand and stood back in her own space.

Addie stood there, feeling stunned. She wasn't sure what was going on at all—had she really just seen Teeza swooped up into the sky? Or the ceiling or wherever?

It was hard to say since the feeling of being high was growing every minute. Everything that moved seemed to leave trails of light behind it. She stared at her own hand and wiggled her fingers, amazed to see the rainbow swirls they left behind as they moved through the air…

"And now it is time for all of you to lay down and receive Sheelash's Kiss," Ls Prissa said. But her voice sounded like it had been slowed down—as though she was speaking in slow motion.

All around her, Addie saw the other girls lying down on the circular dais with their feet pointing to the center. She tried to do the same herself, but stumbled and would have fallen if Sparki hadn't caught her.

"Easy, now," she whispered to Addie as she helped her lay down. "Just relax and pull your skirt up—it's almost over."

"Pull my skirt up? Why?" Addie tried to ask, but the words came out like molasses—all thick and syrupy. She found herself laying down on the cold stone floor of the dais and somehow her skirt was pulled up to her waist.

"Bend your knees! Open your legs!" Ls Prissa was walking around the circle. She had a long stick in one hand and she was using it to rap the girls who weren't in the right position. "Wider!" she exclaimed, smacking the insides of Addie's thighs with the stick. "The agents of Sheelash will be here soon!"

Agents of Sheelash? What the hell is she talking about? Addie wondered as she spread her legs wider. She was vaguely aware of a cold breeze tickling the curls on her bare mound. The sensation seemed wrong, but whatever had been in the cup had made her feel so high she could barely move. So she just lay there, looking up at the dark ceiling and the candle flames around her. The flames all seemed to have grown to be a hundred feet tall and were reaching up into the blackness like golden rainbows—it was an awe-inspiring sight.

Her feeling of euphoria and peace was abruptly shattered when something bit her, high on her inner thigh.

"Ouch!" Addie gasped, reaching down reflexively to grab at her wounded thigh. Something bristly that felt like coarse hair brushed against her fingertips and from the corner of her eye she saw a black shape skittering away.

What the hell was that? she wondered woozily. Did that thing bite me?

She didn't have time to consider it for long because the next thing she knew, Sparki was grabbing her by the arm and hauling her upright.

"Come on," she whispered fiercely to Addie. "It's over and we can go but we have to hurry!"

"Why?" Addie asked, but her lady-in-waiting didn't seem to hear her—or else she just wasn't in the mood to answer. She got Addie to her feet and rushed her quickly but quietly off the dais and towards the exit.

Before she knew it, Addie was stumbling out of the golden double doors, arm-in-arm with her lady-in-waiting. Apparently the Ceremony of Choosing was over. But who had been chosen?

Addie had no idea.