Free The Dark Magical World of Alamptria by Richard A. Valicek Page B

play,” Enlora said.
    “My brother Andromin and father are the musicians in the family. But I know a couple of pieces. Would you like me to play?” Caprius asked.
    “No!” Enlora said sharply. She raised her hands and lowered her voice. “Sorry, I only mean to say that we have no time for music. We must finish this portrait.”
    “Yes, I understand,” said Caprius, though he did not. Her behavior was so erratic. It was unsettling.
    Caprius returned to his chair, and Enlora picked up her brush. He was becoming concerned that Enlora was so driven to finish her portrait that Calista might not have enough time to explore the house. He tried to converse, hoping it would help him stall for time. “How long have you been painting?”
    “Nearly twenty-one years. I started when I was just nine years old. My father was a painter, and I would paint alongside him, simple things like objects. Then I expanded into portraits. I love painting people. I have even done landscapes. But portraits are my preference. There is also a great deal of money in it.”
    “How did you join up with the art gallery?”
    “I approached Mr. Doody six years ago. I told him if he would agree to my business proposition, I would give him a cut of forty percent. I told him with his help and my knowledge we could make this venture work out. He saw it as a way to get extra money, and being a sound businessman, he agreed.”
    Caprius was relieved she was pausing to answer his questions. Clearly, when it came to her painting, she was happy to talk.
    Meanwhile, Calista was making her way through the main floor of the house. When she came to the corner room where Caprius and Enlora were chatting, she paused and peered through a crack in the door. Down in the village the church bells began to toll. They were still loud, but from this distance, the sound was manageable.
    Caprius heard them, and they brought his thoughts back to the battle they had endured a few days prior. Enlora spoke, interrupting his memory. “There, Mr. Seaton, the painting is finished. You may have a look at it.” She stood and gestured to him that he should come by her side.
    Caprius approached the canvas and looked at the portrait. He nearly gasped; it was as if he were looking at his twin sitting in the room with him. But it had a ghostly quality to it, as if his other self had passed away long ago, and this was a relic of him in life. “You have really captured the very essence of my soul,” he whispered. He turned to her. “But now I must get that information from you. Where is that watch shop?”
    “Come with me to the second floor. The paper with the address is up there,” she said. Enlora took Caprius’s arm in hers and left the room. Calista, who was in the hall, stepped back into the shadows just as they passed.
    Caprius and Enlora walked up the staircase and went into the bedroom. The room was large and luxurious with gilt and scarlet velvet furnishings. Heavy drapes hung over the windows, and it smelled of decaying roses. The bed was the centerpiece; it was large, round, and covered in satin pillows. Enlora opened the dresser drawer. She rifled through some papers until she found the one she was looking for. “Mr. Seaton, I have the address to the clock shop you want,” she said.
    Caprius reached for the paper, but she pulled it away. “All in good time,” she said. She lifted her face to meet his gaze with her own, then reached up and softly kissed him on the lips. She took his hand and led him to her bed, lying down and guiding him to lie beside her. She glanced at his solace claymore before quickly returning her eyes to his.
    Downstairs, Calista had found a secret staircase that led to the cellar. She was glad she’d taken a candlestick from the kitchen, for it provided her the only light source down there. At the bottom of the stairs was a large empty room. She walked through it and into another room.
    Caprius knew he had to comply with Enlora’s sexual