“The building that is now Aphrodite’s Feast used to be a temple in the days of old,” Desdra said, entering the building with the herd of men behind her. “To the left, in this big chamber, is the reason for the name. You will see an ancient mosaic that comprises the floor, a feast for Bacchus, but he is surrounded with goddesses, all of them happily drinking, and that is where the name comes from—Aphrodite’s Feast.”
Six heads popped into the doorway of the room she was indicating. Just as she’d explained, there was an elaborate mosaic on the floor of a feast with many beautiful women and a male in the center of it all with a cup of wine in his hand. The chamber itself wasn’t huge, but it was still a feasting room. There were tables and food in it. A doorway on the north side of the chamber led to a larger room beyond.
“And this,” Desdra said, continuing to the chamber directly across from the feasting room, “is a reception chamber. This is where men who have come to Aphrodite’s Feast gather and await their companion.”
All six of them moved across the entry to the chamber opposite the mosaic chamber. Inside the reception hall, heights of luxury existed. Satin lounges, satin-cushioned chairs, tables with food and wine, and carpets upon the floor. Orion entered the hall and crouched down to touch a rug that had come all the way from Baghdad. It was a spectacular piece. Everywhere in the chamber was an example of not only the de Long wealth, but the reach their shipping business had.
It was a Hall of Wonders.
Tables with works of art were everywhere. The group wandered into the chamber, looking at everything, but no one was looking with more interest than Jareth. He made his way over to a beautifully carved table that held the statue of a big, bulky creature with a long nose and elaborate dressing over its back and head. Jareth peered closely at it.
“What is that?” he asked.
Desdra, who had been walking behind him, came to stand next to him. “It is called an olifant,” she said. “It hails from a land far to the east, so far that it would take years to reach it. There are great herds of these olifants, I am told, and some men tame them and ride them like horses.”
Jareth’s eyebrows lifted, in both approval and understanding. “Remarkable,” he said. “Have you ever seen one?”
Desdra smiled faintly, shaking her head. “Nay,” she said. “I would like to, mayhap someday. I’m told that when they are born, they are tiny and adorable. I would like to see a little one.”
Jareth’s gaze lingered on her moment before he turned away, moving to the next table, which stood on its own against a wall. The table itself was made from dark wood, elaborately carved, and atop it sat a statue carved from ivory. It was a horse, but a very distinctive one. Every muscle could be seen as the animal reared up, its mouth open, its expression fierce. The hooves were painted gold.
“And this?” Jareth said, pointing at it. “Where is this from?”
“A place even further away than the land of the olifant,” Desdra said. “This is an ivory statue from a land called Cathay. Lord Chester was particularly fond of the land and its culture, so much so that he did a good deal of trading with men from that land in Damascus. Their treasures are miraculous and great. Would you like to see more?”
Jareth nodded, and she motioned to him to follow. He caught Aidric’s attention, who caught the others’, and the six of them followed Desdra through a corridor and toward the rear of the establishment. There, she paused at a closed door long enough to find a key on her chatelaine ring to open it.
“Why is this chamber locked?” Jareth asked.
Desdra turned the tumblers in the old lock and opened the door. “Because Lord Chester’s greatest treasures are in here,” she said. “He only displayed it to his friends or finest patrons.”
With that, she opened the door. Beyond was a magical chamber that contained more marble statues. It also contained tables with gold bowls or other precious treasures upon them. Desdra led them to the rear of the chamber, near the arched windows that overlooked the east, where something tall was covered up with a big piece of linen fabric. Reaching up, Desdra pulled the fabric off and set it aside.
Two six-foot-tall statues of men in strange armor, with strange faces, loomed over them, as they were standing on a platform. A pole at their backs secured them from falling. Jareth studied them, moving forward to scrutinize both without touching them.
All the while, Desdra was watching him.
“These are two ancient warriors that Lord Chester purchased from a man who had come from the ancient land of Cathay,” she said softly. “From a city called Xi’an. He said that these were the bodies of ancient warriors buried with their king. Men who fought in ancient times, in ancient ways. Lord Chester felt they were the most valuable thing he had.”
Now, all of the Guard of Six was crowding around the two figures. Even Hugh was crowding up because he’d never seen these before. Aidric reached out to touch one, feeling it under his fingers, before thumping on it gently.
“It feels like plaster,” he said to Jareth, to the rest of them. “My lady, did you say this was a body? That it had once been alive?”
Desdra shrugged. “It was a body in the sense that it was made to look like someone who had once lived,” she said. “It is made of baked earth, so it can break, I assure you. That is why Lord Chester has them both tied to a post.”
Jareth was looking at the face of the figure in front of him. “Earthenware, you say?”
“Aye, my lord.”
Jareth reached out to timidly touch the chin of the statue he was looking at. “My God,” he muttered. “I can see hair on his face. Utterly remarkable.”
He caught her looking at him, but she was quick to look away, focusing on the sculpture. “As the story goes, these two statues were part of a great army for an ancient king,” she said. “They were found buried in a burial mound and brought to the Levant to help educate the people on other lands and other countries. But the merchant who brought them told Lord Chester that the Muslims viewed these men as idols, as sacrilege, so he could not sell them. Lord Chester bought them and brought them here. As you can see, he treats them carefully.”
Jareth immediately looked to the windows, which were close by. “Then they should be kept away from the windows,” he said. “Moisture and weather can affect them.”
Desdra turned to the windows also. “I know,” she said. “But he preferred to keep them where there was the best light. He always made a great show out of displaying them to a select few.”
It made sense, sort of. Uncle Chester had wanted the two statues illuminated well when he showed them off. With a nod acknowledging the reason, Jareth continued inspecting the statues because they were unlike anything he had ever seen. The entire Guard of Six was crowding up around them, so Desdrawent to stand by the door, waiting for them to tire of their inspection.
