The 361st Septicultura Gala was in full swing. Titans of influence from all over the city quarreled endlessly to secure and maintain their invitation to the event. A primary invitation was an honor. A plus-one was a distinction above the rest. Maria Caligo needed neither. Her proof was in her essence; the truth of her name alone carried a weight unlike any other. She was House Caligo, one of the seven sacred houses of the Endless City. There could be no question as to her place among the powerful. While none challenged Maria’s attendance, a few had spoken of an impropriety she indulged for each Gala that glared even more now that she was the host. Maria arrived alone at each event. She did not lack acceptable prospects in the eyes of her peers. They couldn’t fathom how she ended up without an escort to any event, let alone one this important! When Maria was approached about the subject, the response was always the same;

  “That place at my side is spoken for,” She would say.

  This answer never satisfied the inquiring party. Invariably, they would press forth like eager hands clawing supple flesh. They all wondered who so had spoken. For whom was she saved? Why weren’t they with her now? Surely they couldn’t let her attend such a prestigious event alone?

  Maria would smile and ask a question of her own. “Shall I have you escort me then? I’d relish the chance to see how you compare to him.”

  Most could sense the danger in her offer and politely excused themselves. Some were too naive, innocent, or stupid to understand; Maria sent them away gently. Others weren’t so fortunate. The cocksure, the reckless, and the prideful. Maria did not send them away at all. She vivisected them throughout the night. Maria would rend every tender place she could find, ripping out each piece she fancied. In the end, Maria would often discard them, maimed. Other times, she would devour them. People would call the latter a mercy.

  Maria Caligo sat alone in a booth reserved for her House. The incarnated space she had created to host the Gala was decorated in deep scarlet reds and tenebrous blacks. The room was arranged in a spacious circle around a central stage, which was surrounded by elegant, voluminous ivory curtains. The stage was reserved for the various speeches and entertainment that would occur that night. Between the seating and the stage, there was a sizable open floor space for dancing. Maria cast her gaze over the crowd. She searched for no one in particular. The act of surveying became her.

  “Oh, Maria, you should have told me you would be alone again. It’s such a sad state of affairs, seeing a woman of your caliber unattended,” a man interrupted. He was pallid grayscale wrapped in an ivory-white suit. He adorned his ensemble with a deluge of red silk from his neck, neatly wrapped and draped over his chest. One of the man’s eyes was clouded white and stricken with deep red veins.

  Maria didn’t even cast her eyes over him as she responded.

  “Good evening, Alain,” She said absently. “You may sit if you like.”

  “I shall, thank you,” Alain cooed. He slipped into the booth in a single, graceful movement. “You don’t know how long I’ve been anticipating this night, my dear.”

  “Anticipation blooms from expectation,” Maria stated. “What do you have planned for your presentation tonight?”

  “You know I couldn’t bear to spoil the surprise,” Alain teased. “Suffice to say that after tonight, House Trevelli will enter a new renaissance under my direction.”

  “I’ve only heard you be so full of bravado on one other occasion, Alain,” Maria said, her voice lowered to a cloying whisper. “If I recall correctly, that misstep cost you quite dearly.”

  Alain’s milky eye twitched erratically. He donned the mask of a smile and dropped his tone to match her hushed whisper. “Surely the rewards outweigh the risks.”

  “Oh, Alain, if you only knew,” Maria pressed a bit closer to him. “All the pleasures you’ve ever known would be swept away like dust. You’d come to know just how starved you are. How much you have yearned.”

  “I have…I have yearned,” He murmured softly, drifting closer. Alain reached out, placing his hand on Maria’s thigh.

  Maria grinned. “You don’t know the meaning of the word. Not yet. I believe you might learn after tonight.”

  “Is that a promise?” Alain asked, breathless.

  “It’s a hint,” Maria said. She reached down and took hold of Alain’s hand, removing it from her leg. Maria cupped his hand with one of her own, tracing a finger softly over his upturned palm with her free hand. “You’ll have to puzzle it out for yourself.”

  A quiver darted through Alain’s body at Maria’s gentle touch. “You’re so cruel, teasing me this way.”

  “I can be anything you like, Alain. You know the price…” She whispered.

  Alain ripped his hand from her grasp. He looked torn between desires as he stared at her.

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  “You calamitous witch…” He muttered. “Just wait. You’ll be singing a far sweeter tune after tonight.”

  Maria turned away from him, returning to her slow survey of the crowd. She still had faint hints of a smile. “I’ve never met a man so right for all the wrong reasons.”

  Alain stood up from the booth, preening and bothering over his suit and silken cravat. “Don’t toy with me, Maria. I am not one of your precious marionettes.”

  “A pity. You could have me over this table if you were,” Maria said. She cast her gaze in an arc toward the floor. She raised her chin, pouted with her lips, and pleaded with her eyes.

  Alain stared. He vacillated between full-hearted desire and unobstructed horror.

  Maria broke into a self-assured smile. She held his gaze and waved her hand at him dismissively. “Run along and practice your speech, Alain. I’m done with you.”

  Alain was incensed immediately. A fury grew in him one moment and died the next as he clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth. His face was twisted in disgust. Though it was not for her. “After tonight, you will rue the way you have treated me, Maria.”

  Maria had turned from him already. She watched the ivory curtains around the stage burst into a shower of shimmering feathers. An orchestra began to play. Their song started with the whispering tones of the woodwinds and the quivering of strings. The brass sprung forth to herald in an angelic voice from a lone woman singing. The crowd looked on in awe. Maria smiled.

  “I’m sure I’ll remember this night, Alain, and I guarantee you will be the reason…” She mused.

  Alain limped away like a wounded animal.

  Maria closed her eyes and sunk into the plush cushion beneath her, paying no more mind to Alain Trevelli.

  A message formed in the corner of her darkened eyes. She was being called.

  She let out a short, beleaguered breath through her nose and mentally answered the message.

  Yes, Vila, go ahead. Maria instructed.

  Madam. I’m happy to report that Sergeant Hayward was successful. Vila announced.

  Lovely. You may send the rest of his compensation. Keep him on our ledger. He’ll prove useful again, I’m sure.

  The kudos have been transferred madam.

  Well, don’t keep me in suspense. How did it go?

  I’ve collated all the available stringer feeds into a highlight presentation for you. I believe you’ll be pleased with the results.

  A swirl of images passed through Maria’s mind. It spun for her the tale of Elias and Livia. Their dive into the bacchanal and their pyrrhic triumph. Maria grinned as she watched. The music from the orchestra faded as she reveled in the sounds from the footage.

  What a gift I’ve been given. Maria declared.

  There is another piece to consider, madam. Vila informed.

  Do tell.

  There has been a marked increase in searches and intrusions for information surrounding Elias. I’ve succeeded in countering them for the time being. I won’t be able to keep them at bay indefinitely.

  Build a bit more anticipation. The dossier and the collated footage will be released then. Use that buzzing gentleman, Mr. Buglass. He seemed eager to please.

  Should I inform Elias, madam?

  No. Let’s see how he does after his trip to the garden.

  Understood, madam.

  Vila, is our other presentation ready?

  Yes, madam. I’m awaiting your command.

  Good girl.

  Maria opened her eyes as the orchestra’s song began to wane. The singer held a sorrowful note that carried into the silence. The music ended. Applause rose from the crowd. The Gala proceeded in a similar fashion for many long hours into the night. The celebration was punctuated with grand music, dancing, and abundant excess. This was a shadowed place within the city where no unwanted eyes pried. It had been crafted and curated by Maria Caligo as a gift to her peers. It was a responsibility she cherished. The prestige of it held no allure for Maria. She craved for stranger pleasures. Hosting the Gala was a pretense for one of her favorite games.

  The curtains around the central stage turned red and dissolved into the floor. Alain Trevelli stood at the center of the stage, smiling at the crowd. The crowd paid their due respects in applause before quieting to allow Alain’s presentation to begin.

  “Good evening, my friends. I am humbled and honored to be given the opportunity to speak to you tonight. I have no doubt that you’ve all been wondering what House Trevelli has been up to as of late. Many of you have already asked me to divulge the particulars of our latest project. I had to disappoint you at the time, but only to preserve the awe you all deserve. House Trevelli has blazed a trail across the cutting edge of neurochemical product development since the early days of the Convergence. We are at the forefront of Impulsate prevention. Our recently released therapeutic, Vim, has cut the instances of Indolent outbreaks in our city by fifty-five percent. But tonight is not about our past successes. Tonight is about our future. The lifeblood of this city is its people. They are crying out, desperate for help. They have grown tired and weary of feeling disconnected. They yearn for a new frontier of intimate experience. To sate these desires, we have developed a brand new class of therapeutic that we call; Rapture!”

  Alain raised his hand into the air in a flourish as several holographic screens appeared above him. A slick, salacious product launch video started playing.

  Maria Caligo sent a mental command to Vila as the video progressed.

  The screens above Alain flickered. A woman in a hooded gray dress appeared on the screen, her face obscured by a black haze.

  “We hope our guests can forgive the sudden and regrettable interruption to the celebration tonight. Our host has been asked by Dice to broadcast a dangerous and developing situation from the eastern city section. If you are physically present in or around the area, please make a particular note of Dice’s instructions,” the woman announced. She walked out of the frame of the holographic screens before a new broadcast began.

  A Dice official appeared on screen, a haggard-looking man with a metallic lower jaw. He began to detail the Orgiastic outbreak within the Trevelli habitation unit, Dice’s immediate response, the deployment of a team of Dealers on retainer from House Caligo, and the aftermath of the operation. He concluded with assurances that an investigation into the incident was ongoing.

  The crowd’s attention was locked on the Dice broadcast. The room had fallen into a near-perfect silence.

  Alain Trevelli glared at Maria from the stage. He looked ready to explode.

  Maria met his gaze with a satisfied grin. She turned up her palms and shrugged her shoulders lightly.

  She had tried to warn him.

  What else could be expected when you crossed House Caligo?