My heart started to droop as we headed to Silver District, but my adrenaline was also pumping. Essmay and I would have to have our wits about us as we entered.
This District had huge soaring buildings that were impossible to see the top because they were technically for the Higher City dwellings. They used to use Lowland as a base for their sky cities, but since the treaty had been broken they had gone to disrepair. There were letters carved on the building as a makeshift greeting sign into Silver territory. There was an exiled list on the wall beside it with numerous names of people who had pissed off the old District Leaders. There, in the fourth row, the second column was an emboldened family name. It had been crossed out and then redrawn as if the maker hadn't been sure of his decision. "Starborne" it read. I squirmed in my saddle, nervously sipping my juice.
The streets were eerily silent, with a layer of fog dampening any noise. Essmay shuddered and I wondered if she was as nervous as I was. It was so dark, I could barely make out the cobblestone pathway. It had been lit with candles, but most off them had been snuffed out by the fog. I ruffled my wings and prepared to take flight if necessary. Luna would be too fast and dangerous for someone to go after which meant that leaving her ground-bound would be my best option if trouble arose. Of course, being in the air left you in a different kind of vulnerable, one where you could be attacked from all directions. Plus, in this fog, it would be better to stick to the path. Still, the quietness was too eerie for my taste, but I was too afraid to break the silence and more afraid of what my sound would bring.
We passed a tavern that had the first sign of life in it since we entered. Many voices were cheering inside and I felt a knot in my chest loosen. Still, as the tavern noises faded away my palms started to sweat once more. Eventually, after too long in suspense, we reached the door to Mr. Silver's lair. It was a large brick building, with a white oak tree growing through the middle of it. Two guards stood outside and opened the door for Essmay and I. We dismounted and led our wild cats through the doorway.
As soon as we entered lights, heat, and the smell of alcohol flooded my senses. Essmay raised an eyebrow. We had yet to meet the new Mr. Silver, but reviews so far had not been comforting.
"I don't remember being so desperate as to ask you to take me to a brothel," I said, my voice bewildered.
"I don't remember taking us to one either," Essmay responded, eyes wide at the sight before us. The house was larger on the inside than it looked initially and the roof had been remade to add several extra feet. The floor was littered with some glittering substance and the walls were lined with cushioned couches, all of them occupied by entwined figures. The music from a band whose location I could not pinpoint was obnoxiously loud and the fog had somehow made its way inside the house just to add more confusion to the mix.
"What the-" I stopped mid-sentence as a figure approached us. He was hard to discern through the fog, but he had on a steel mask of some sort and the wings of a predator. He paused and looked at us, then ushered with his left gloved hand to follow him. Essmay and I hesitated, exchanging wary glances, then followed the masked man. He took us through different hallways, all with men drinking and canoodling with scantily clad women. I hoped to all hell this was not an actual brothel and that these women were willing participants. If not, I would have something to say about it, payday or no.
We arrived at a smaller room which had several vultures guarding the door. They nodded at the masked man and let us enter, though they gave our mounts wary looks. Inside was less foggy, somehow, with several chairs facing the woman dancing on a platform. From the looks of it, she was some sort of bird of paradise, with long and colorful plumage mesmerizing the dozen men. She wore a netted see-through top and a sparkling mini skirt. It did not leave much to the imagination.
The masked man lent over and whispered in a shorter man's ear who had long copper hair put in a low ponytail. He turned to us, orange eyes gleaming, and got up from his seat. Walking toward us, I could see he was not much taller than me.
Extending his hand to Essmay he said in a smoky voice, "Greetings. I am so happy you could join us for tonight's entertainment." Something about the way he looked Essmay up and down had my feathers on edge.