Ghastly Glass (9 page)

Every woman in the audience perked up. It was hard to tell what the Devil really looked like under the gold and red mask, but his body language spoke for him. He advanced on the dancing girls, tossing some of them up in the air as though they weighed no more than the silk they wore.

“He’s really something, isn’t he? ” Maid Marian of Sherwood Forest settled down beside me, tucking her green cape around her. This Marian had been at the Village for a few years now. When I’d first started, there was a new Marian every few months. Those Merry Men could get a little too merry.

“Yeah. He’s interesting all right.” I watched as the Devil sidled up to one of the dancers and pulled her against him, running his hand down the length of her body.

Marian cleared her throat and moved her cape around again. “I
love
to watch him dance. He’s a real artist.”

I had to agree with her. Both of us were lusting for him in our hearts. By the time the dance was over and the Devil disappeared in a puff of red smoke, leaving the dancing girls prostrate on the stage, Marian and I were fanning ourselves with our hands.

“I wish I could teach Robin to dance like that.” She sighed.

“First you’d have to paint him red. I don’t think the Devil was wearing any clothes, do you? Maybe just red paint.”

“Except . . . well, you know.” Marian actually blushed, and we both laughed.

“I know where I’m coming for lunch from now on.”

“He does an evening show, too. He looks even better with some shadows around him.”

I was wondering who the likely dancer was playing the Devil when I caught a glimpse of red leaving the back of the stage. Marian was already on her way back to the forest. Probably just out for a little shopping, maybe some spying. I think Robin had assigned her the job of locating the toaster ovens the Merry Men often made off with; she also kept her finger on what was happening in the Village to report back to him.

No harm introducing myself to the sexy Devil and finding out who he was. I mean, it wasn’t being disloyal to Chase just to talk to him, was it?

The dancing girls were getting to their feet again and complaining about different aspects of the performance as well as various aches and pains. I skirted around the stage and picked up on the bright red Devil as he cut through the open space behind the privies and the tree swing where the old storage huts were located. “Excuse me!” I said before I lost him. He was tall and long-legged, so he moved fast. “I just wanted a minute of your time. I was watching you dance. You’re really hot.”

Some people might think this was a little forward, especially since I already have a boyfriend, but life is short. Getting to the point is always the best way.

He stopped and turned to look back at me. Marian was right. He was painted red from head to toe. His only clothing was a small band around his groin and a cape draped down his back. He was in great shape. Not better than Chase, but there was something about him that was incredibly fascinating. Maybe it was the same charisma that always accompanied the Prince of Darkness.

He laughed. “You think so? ”

I knew that voice! Suddenly I was totally disgusted and felt like taking a dozen hot showers. “
Tony?
Is that
you
under there? When did you start dancing? ”

“If you would’ve paid any attention to me at all last night at the pub, you would’ve known. But then I would’ve missed this great opportunity to make fun of you for the rest of your life. You found your own brother hot. Your
twin
brother, no less. There’s something totally wrong and revolting about that, don’t you think? What do you think that says about you, Jessie? And how do you think Chase is going to feel after I tell him? ”

I
couldn’t worry about what Chase would think at that moment. I was too revolted by what I’d thought. I couldn’t believe I thought my brother Tony was sexy doing
anything
. I couldn’t believe Marian and I were drooling over him. I felt like I needed therapy or something. It was awful.

He just stood there, looking like the Devil, and gloating. I decided retreat was my best way out of this. I didn’t want to talk to him about it anymore. Especially with him still wearing the almost nothing I’d found so attractive. Who knew (besides the fairies) that he was hot?

“I’ll see you later.” I turned and walked away, but he wasn’t going to let me go that easy.

“Maybe we should do lunch some time. We could make it a threesome; you and me and Sissy.”

“Shut up! Do you
hear
yourself? That’s just sickening.”

“Come on, Jessie. You didn’t think it was so bad when I was up there dancing.”

That was it. No one knew how to make me mad better than Tony. I turned to face him and pushed my finger into his chest. “Okay, I made a mistake.
You’re
just as disgusting talking about it.”

He pushed back. “Yeah? Well coming from Little Miss Perfect, that’s a hell of an admission!”

I pushed him again. He pushed me again. We glared at each other like pit bulls.

“Hey there!” Master Armorer Daisy Reynolds came from her shop where we’d ended up confronting each other. “If you two want to put on a show, let’s do it.”

I hadn’t realized that we’d drawn a crowd of visitors. The flashing cameras finally gave me a clue. Sometimes it was hard to remember that anything you did could be completely fascinating to the people around you. We were in Renaissance clothing (at least I was). That meant we were doing something that could be seen only in the Village. I supposed Tony would stand out anywhere dressed as he was.

“What did you have in mind? ” I asked her.

Daisy was a large woman with muscled arms from her time as sword and weapon maker to the Village. She wore a breastplate with an image of a phoenix on it. Her badly dyed blond hair was wild on her head, giving her the look of a Viking war goddess. No one ever argued with Daisy.

She held out two wooden training swords. Tony snatched one, and I took mine, too. I suspected I was more reluctant than Tony to actually battle, even with a fake sword. But the crowd was really pressing in with the possibility of a show. I guessed we’d have to oblige them.

“I’ll keep score,” Daisy said. “Whoever nicks the other three times with the sword is the victor. Are you ready,
gentlemen
? ”

Until then, I’d forgotten I was dressed like a man in the Craft Guild. I wondered if it would make any difference to the crowd. They looked fairly bloodthirsty. Probably not. Who wouldn’t want to see a good fight with the Devil?

“It’s like on TV,” one little boy close to me said. “Who do you think will win? ”

His friend grinned and said, “I’m betting on the Devil. That other guy looks like a girl.”

Before we could take up arms, Chase and two security guards arrived to see what was happening. Daisy explained that she was in charge of the pseudo-match and would coordinate everything.

Chase glanced at me. “Are you sure about this? ”

“Not really, but my stupid brother seems to be.”

“Is that you, Tony? ” Chase laughed. “I’m not surprised. I always thought you had a little devil inside you.”

Tony gave his evil Devil laugh. “That’s right. And I’m betting gold I can best this craftsman. Then we’ll talk.”

“Okay. Let’s make it a fair fight,” Chase reminded him.

“Oh, it’ll be fair all right,” Daisy said. “Or I’ll take something out of someone’s hide.”

“If I win, you confess to Chase,” Tony snickered.

“And if I win, we never talk about this again,” I rejoined.

So my twin brother and I faced each other, with the crowd from the Pleasant Pheasant and the joust that had just finished watching us. I’m sure we seemed equally matched to the visitors’ eyes. We were both right at six feet tall. Tony was broader in the shoulders and chest. I’m sure I appeared more lithe.

Before anyone could say go, Tony swooped in and nicked me with the point of his sword.

“Hey! That wasn’t fair. That shouldn’t count. Daisy didn’t say we should fight yet.”

Daisy shrugged. “It’s not a running match, Sir Craftsman. No one has to tell you it’s time to fight the Devil.”

That made me mad. Or madder. The whole thing was stupid. Unfortunately, I tended to forget that when at the Village personal issues should be dealt with behind closed doors. Anything outside in the street was fair game to be turned into faire entertainment. “Cheater!” I taunted him.

“What did you expect? I’m the Devil. I don’t play fair.” He tried to get past my guard for another nick.

I moved away quickly and spun back to catch his arm with my sword. It reminded me that during the Renaissance fights like these were all too real. These nicks meant nothing to us, but had this been a real sword fight, we’d both be bleeding, possibly dying, before the cheering crowd.

“A point for the craftsman!” Daisy called out. “They are fairly matched.”

The presence of the bailiff and his security men meant an ever-growing crowd of watchers. Not only visitors joined us but also at least ten residents that I noticed. Tony came close to catching me again with his sword. I decided I’d better pay attention.

We feinted, parried, dodged, and whirled around each other to the delight of the crowd. Tony’s long red cape punctuated his every movement. You might think most people would be on my side, but there were as many people cheering for the Dark One.

Too bad for Tony that he hadn’t bothered taking the free fencing lessons given by the master swordsman who’d been in the Village two years ago. His movements were a lot of jabbing and twirling while mine were actually skilled efforts.

I gave him a second nick as he worried more about how his cape flew out around him.

“Second blood goes to the craftsman!” Daisy called.

Tony glared at me, and I smiled back at him. “Just luck,” he said. “I have longer reach.”

“Whatever. We’re the same height. That means our arms are close to the same length. With my added skills, I shall smite thee down, Satan.”

I went in for the kill but realized my mistake a moment later as Tony tagged me again with his sword.

“Strike two for the Devil!” Daisy addressed the crowd. Half of them booed while the other half cheered. It was like being at a joust without horses. I noticed King Harold standing on the sidelines watching. He was surrounded by his courtiers, as always. A few new female faces were at his side (maybe the rumors were true about him and Livy breaking up).

The event that had started so innocently was about to be over. I’d noticed Tony’s propensity for overcompensating because he liked to make his cape swing out. I went in for the pseudo-kill and stepped on the edge of his cape as he got ready to twirl it around for show. This made him step back and turn toward me, but his sword was in his left hand (Tony is a southpaw like our dad, while I’m a righty like Mom). I brought my sword in quickly, tagged him, then moved quickly out of his reach.

“Score! The craftsman wins the match!” Daisy called out and held up my sword arm. The crowd went wild. Even the people who were for Tony were applauding me.

Tony snarled and swept his cape around him as he dropped his wooden sword and stalked away from me.

Of course, I’d never hear the end of this. Just one more thing I did better than my brother, which included most life skills. But I’d never be able to dance the way he had at the show. Maybe that was where his true talent lay. I knew he’d keep his mouth shut now. He never went back on a bet.

The king came up and joined the event. He called for his squire to give him one of the gold plastic medallions they awarded from time to time, usually to visitors. “For ridding our Faire Village of the Evil One, we salute you, Sir Craftsman, and would know your name so it might be heralded throughout our kingdom for all time.”

“I am Jessie the Fearless of the Village Craft Guild.” I held up my sword, and the crowd shouted, “Huzzah.”

“We thank you for your good work, Jessie the Fearless. We invite you to join us for our feast tomorrow evening at six P.M. at the Great Hall in the castle near the main entrance. Tickets for the event are available at kiosks around the Village. Huzzah!”

I was less than impressed by the king’s commercial. Still, a personal invitation to the feast meant I didn’t have to worry about what role I’d have to play there. I’d been everything from a kitchen scullion to the jousting knights’ squire in the tournament.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” I responded as I thought appropriate. “I shall attend thee at the feast on the morrow.”

King Harold thanked me loudly for the benefit of the crowd, then whispered, “I’m sorry to have to do this to you, Jessie. No frills tomorrow. You’ll have to ask Portia for a gentleman’s feast attire. Can’t have the crowd expecting a hero and getting the belle of the ball. See you there.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.” I inclined my head toward him in deference to his station, but my mind was already playing with possibilities that might surprise him.