Courtesans - English version

17 Darkness

Dina's face was still a swirl of emotions as she stepped into the brothel's lobby. The guards spent not a second longer with her than necessary, disappearing behind the doors without a word. She paused in the dimly lit room, leaning her back against the entrance, and let out a deep sigh. Her mind wandered to Zevran, to little Züiya, to the scent of the orphanage garden, and then she saw Zevran's gaze again.

Pushing herself off the door, she smiled and started down the corridor. A strange smell lingered in the air—she had noticed it when she entered, but her drifting thoughts had kept her from paying it any attention. Now, however, the scent suddenly intensified, and Dina...

"Ah!" she let out a brief scream, covering her mouth. Harod was sitting in the dark, on a chair directly opposite her, likely watching her the entire time. Only the whites of his eyes gleamed, making him appear like some kind of monster. Or perhaps, he was one. He still held a cigar stub between his fingers, having only just put it out.

Dina tried to calm her ragged breathing, forcing a smile, this time for her own sake.

"Harod! You scared me!"

The half-breed stood up deliberately, stepping closer to her, and tossed the cigar butt into the ashtray on the table with a measured calm. Then he looked into Dina's eyes. She had expected at least an apology, but Harod's gaze was more akin to a hunter who has found prey in his trap. He looked down at her, confident and almost gleefully smiling.

Inside Dina's mind, alarm bells rang—I need to get out, now!

"It's late, I think I'll head off, good ni—"

"Ts-ts..."

Harod's grip on her upper arm told her she wasn't going anywhere. He pulled her back in front of him.

Dina quickly glanced up at him, but she couldn't meet his gaze, nor did she want to. Blinking rapidly, she looked away.

"Were you waiting for me, Harod?"

"If you must know: yes. I wanted to see you when you returned. And"—he nodded—"I saw exactly what I expected."

Dina forced a carefree smile. "And... were you satisfied with what you saw, weren't you?"

"Not quite, sweetheart. Not quite."

Her smile solely disappeared. "I don't know what you mean. But it's late, I've been away all day, and tomorrow I'm going again, the guest who paid the Tád a pher..."

"Oh, this famous Tád a pher guest of yours!" Harod sneered.

Dina tried to keep up the act. "But Harod...! How can you say that? We owe him for the reputation, and you said yourself that..."

"I'm tired of you not being here!" Harod suddenly grabbed both of Dina's arms, shaking her as he shouted in her face. "I'm tired of not knowing what's happening with you! He needs your company from morning till late evening, but tell me, what in hell could a man possibly do with an uneducated whore for nine hours, huh?!"

Dina stared back at the enraged half-breed in terror.

"Answer me! What?! What are you planning?!"

"Don't think badly of us, Harod... we're not planning anything, we just... enjoy each other's company, that's all, really, that's all..."

Harod didn't seem convinced. "Don't take me for a complete fool, sweetheart!"

Dina's eyes pleaded with him, but she knew there was no point in replying. He clearly needed a different kind of proof.