“They strip the brides naked,” Ovren says. “The klericks chant a bunch of shite, then take turns fucking the girls.”
“Sometimes they lash them, too,” Ham adds.
“Yeah,” says Ovren. “If this princess isn’t a maiden, she’ll be well-whipped afore she’s fucked.”
“And between rounds of fucking, too,” Ham adds.
They both shake their heads. “Don’t much like what these klericks do in the name of Othrix,” Ovren says. “And princesses get the worst of it.”
“Bastards,” Ham mutters even though not moments ago he was referring to this as a great sex show he’d get to witness.
“Do you know where these future Wives of Othrix are housed?” I ask.
I need to find Rosomon and ensure she doesn’t end up at this marriage ceremony tomorrow.
“We don’t got access to the wives’ den,” says Ovren. “Only klericks get in there.”
“But we know a place where you can sneak a peek,” Ham adds. “See them naked.”
Ovren kicks Ham and shoots him a disapproving look.
“Take me there.” I grin at them, as if my only interest is in catching a glimpse of female flesh.
The men take me into the building, then through a maze of increasingly narrow hallways—the last barely wide enough for Ham’s body. We stop at a wall with several holes bored through it.
“Look through one of them holes,” Ham says in hushed tones. “Sometimes they’reallnaked!” His already ruddy cheeks have grown even redder.
I peer through the hole. As the men promised, the room has dozens of naked women inside. Did Glorya go through this humiliation before being brought to our castle?
I spot a flash of pink hair, and my heart nearly stops. Two larger women, both wearing long robes and head coverings, roughly tug Rosomon toward a bath.
“After you’re cleansed of that filth,” one of them says, “you’ll be inspected to be sure you’re a maiden.”
I turn to the men. “How do I get into this room?”
They shake their heads. “Not possible,” Ovren says. “It’s locked, and no men but klericks allowed. Not ever.”
“Lucky bastards,” Ham adds.
My mind is spinning, quickly running through hundreds of scenarios, hoping to find one where I not only save Rosomon, but also uncover the secrets of Othrix. Meeting these workers was highly fortuitous. I’ve always been blessed with good luck and a genius intellect.
I come up with a plan. “I’ll make you a wager,” I say as confidently as I can.
“What kind of wager?” Ovren asks.
“I’ll bet you that, not only can I get into that room, but I can free that pink-haired princess.” I grin. “Either that or fuck her senseless.” I add the second part to make my wager seem like a win-win from their side.
Ovren laughs. “If you can do that, I’ll give you every piece of silver I have.”
“I don’t want your silver,” I tell him, then take several gold coins from a pouch on my jacket.
Their eyes widen. “This is what you get if you win. And if I win, you’ll take me backstage and show me the altar. You’ll show me the klericks’ tricks. And…” I know I’m pushing it “…I want to be in the wings with you tomorrow.”
“We’d lose our heads!” Ham says.
“He’ll never be able to do it,” Ovren says to Ham.
“Then why not take my wager?” I grin.
