Marc lifted a corner of the handkerchief tied around his throat. “You invited us, remember?”
Theo jerked to a stop, and his eyes widened. “Master Marc! Miss Larkin! I’m glad to see you’re still here. I’d begun to suspect you had stood me up. Miss Dolios is most anxious to meet you. If you will come this way.”
We returned to the dingy hall and continued down its broken tiles. An exit door stood on our right, but we passed that and neared the rear of the building. Doors on the left led into small rooms with mirrors of various sizes, no doubt for the vanity of their performers.
A door at the end of the hall was flung open, and a man in a heavy overcoat stumbled out. He was about Eldric’s age and wore a pair of thick spectacles. The fellow caught himself before he fell, only to be struck by a large black bag. The contents spilled out onto the floor.
A sharp voice shot out of the doorway and could have speared the wall if it had taken solid form. “What do you know about my throat! About anyone’s throat!” The door slammed before a reply could be given.
“Only everything. . .” the man muttered as he knelt and began cleaning up the mess.
I hurried over and stooped in front of him, where I picked up a few unbroken glass vials. “Are you alright?”
He smiled at me. “Quite alright, my dear.”
“Let me help you.”
“That would be very kind of you.”
Theo and Marc came up behind us, and our guide’s lips were tightly pursed. “We can’t keep Miss Dolios waiting, Miss Larkin.”
“Oh, yes, we can,” Ramaro quipped.
Theo blinked at me. “Pardon?”
“I was just saying this won’t take more than a second,” I rephrased as I plucked the contents off the floor.
Marc stooped, and the three of us had most of the items picked up before a shadow stretched across the floor and over me. I felt a cold chill run through me and looked up to find Iris Dolios standing in the now-open doorway. She was attired in a bathrobe, but a gaudy dress stuck out through the two front sides of the robe like a wart. Her dress was covered in thick color lines of bright browns, puke greens, and even a mix of dark oranges and bright yellow. It was enough for anyone to feel nauseous just looking at it.
Dolios stamped her foot. “You let him lie there! That fool just tried to scrape everything out of my throat, including my beautiful voice!”
The man picked up his tools of his trade and lifted his chin. “I did nothing of the kind, Miss Dolios, but I can assure you I will do nothing more for you. Good day.” He spun on his heels and marched up the hall, where he disappeared through a side exit.
Dolios scowled at where he had gone before she whipped her head around to Theo. “Find me another throat specialist at once!”
Theo bobbed his head. “Of course, Miss Dolios, but I have brought my friends to visit you. You remember, I told you about this young woman who had a very nice voice.”
Dolios’ sharp eyes fell on me, and she looked me over like I was a one-dish meal when she was expecting three. “Is she? She’s rather small.”
“Impressive, isn’t it?” Marc spoke up as he smiled at me. “She doesn’t need any fat to let that voice work its magic.”
Our hostess closed her robe and narrowed her eyes at him. “What do you mean by that?”
Marc grinned. “Only that I remember you were rather pudgy when we were younger, and I was wondering if that was still true.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “When we were younger? Do I know you?”
Marc’s left eye glowed, and his disguise collapsed. “It’s been a while, Iris.”
Dolios’ mouth dropped open, and she stumbled back. “Marc! What in all the seas are you doing here?”
He clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Showing off this singer. I haven’t heard anyone this good since you sang along the coast.”
She straightened and wrinkled her nose. “That was a long time ago, and coasts don’t pay the bills.” She paused and looked him over. “Who takes care of your skin? You look like you’ve hardly aged a day in ten years.”
“I let the sun take care of it.”
She scoffed before she half-turned to the interior of her dressing room. “I’m sure. Now, come in and let me hear this voice.”
