Science Fiction Multi-Feature Picture Show

Gangs of Verona (Part 2)

Jules paced the uneven threshold of the antechamber. Lady Capulet was a woman of ceremony and presentation. It did not matter to her mother that they were in the middle of severe water rations. Despite the numerous raids and their depleted resources, Lady Capulet expected nothing but a perfect presentation from her daughter and niece. They were the last young ladies in the House left for trades and diplomatic marriage. It was a sad existence, one that had driven Jules to near madness all those months ago. She was still recovering from her fall from grace, readjusting the airy swaths of clothing covering her scarred chest.

There was no telling what Lord Montague's letter contained and her eagerness to reveal its contents almost led to another offense to her mother's sensibilities. Rose had snagged her before she made it ten steps, dragging her off to their shared quarters to make both of them presentable.

The face paint had dried to the point of itching, the image of a crow smeared over her skin from temple to temple. Rose braided her hair, adding a few black feathers for good measure, and tinted her mouth to enhance the golden loop through her bottom lip. Her cousin wore a simple stripe of black paint across her face, a sign of her status in the House, and fewer adornments but their gauzy dress was identical.

Her mother's steward, Gregory opened the main doors, gesturing for them to follow him into the main chamber.

"Presenting the Lady Juliet and Lady Rosaline."

Rose and Jules shuffled forward, dropping in a deep curtsy to the woman occupying the central seat like a throne. She stole a glance of her mother.

The Lady Capulet wore red, a dark crimson that blended well with blood. Her lips were tinted to match. Golden rings circled each finger while loops lined the shell of her ears, complete with a chain that connected to the septum ring in her nose. Kohl lined her eyes, flushed upward in an elaborate feathery pattern to match the carefully painted birds flying over her skin. The glitz and warmth of the gold exaggerated the chill in her eyes. Lady Capulet held no love in her dark gaze for her fallen daughter and barely a passing glance for the last niece to be married off.

Jules stepped forward and braced herself. When it came, the slap made her stagger, the taste of blood filling her mouth, but she stayed on her feet. Her father would be proud of her.

"You request my presence when I am already aware of your further failures. Tell me, daughter, why risk an audience?"

She didn't trust herself to speak, thrusting Lord Montague's missive forward. Her mother's eyes narrowed, she nodded to Gregory who extracted the note from Jules's hold.

"Read it," her mother commanded, removing a cigarette from the golden compact she kept in her breast pocket. Smoke curled through the air as Gregory cleared his throat.

"To the great Lady Capulet. I do so hope this letter finds you in good spirits. I must apologize for the rash actions of my boys. The state of their young lord has left them rudderless and without the self control they once possessed. However, I think it is high time these childish activities were put to an end for the good of the city who rely on the resources your crew provide them. The time has come for our long overdue alliance-"

Lady Capulet snatched the letter from Gregory's hands, her cigarette slowly burning away as she read the remainder of the missive. Her lips moved with the words, the furrow in her brow deepening by the end. She took a tentative drag of her cigarette, glancing for a moment at her daughter before turning away. She tapped the cigarette, sending the ash spilling over the arm of her chair. It was an oddly careless gesture from her mother.

"What is it?" Jules finally broke down, putting the question forth. Her mother ignored her, snapping her fingers for paper and pen. The scratch of her writing filled the silence. Jules fidgeted on her feet, wishing she could snatch the note from her mother's paws to see what the bastard had to say for himself. It was his doing they were forced to ration the water among so many other things. She hadn't taken a bath in a week.

From the depths of her cleavage, Lady Capulet withdrew the House seal. The sight of it still sent Jules's blood boiling. The seal should be in her father's possession, but since the sweating sickness took hold of him, he was barely able to sit up in bed. His days were numbered before his wife took full control of the House.

"You finally have an opportunity to redeem yourself, daughter," said the Lady Capulet, punctuating her words by pressing the seal into a lump of warm wax. She handed her note to Gregory. "Send this along to House Montague along with a case of sherry. This is, after all, a celebration."

"Mother?" Jules whispered, a familiar feeling of dread causing her to shiver. The last time her mother broke out the House sherry, she'd almost been married off to Paris. The man was detestable when sober, but proved a meaner drunk. She still had nightmares of his unwashed scent as his hand smothered her screams, his other wandering beneath her clothes. The man met a bad end, but then, so did the one who saved her from him. Not for a moment did she dare to hope Lord Montague's olive branch had anything to do with him.

Her mother would never allow it, no matter how badly they now needed the union both houses scorned for years. Lady Capulet clapped her hands, a thin smile stretching her painted lips. The dread in her stomach turned to full on fear. Her father might still cling to life, but her mother had full control of the House. Jules knew she'd just been sold. The only question left was to whom?

"This is it, my girl. I shall have the Nurse pack you a suitable amount of clothing. You and Rose have quite the journey ahead of you tomorrow."

She could feel Rose stiffen behind her. "Both of us?"

"Indeed," said the Lady Capulet, withdrawing another cigarette from her compact. She lit it, blowing a plume of smoke into the air before answering. "The Lord Montague has made a very generous offer. One I couldn't refuse if I wanted to, there are too many citizens depending on the goods he has promised to return."

"He stole those goods himself!" Jules hissed, finding her voice. She flinched away at the snake-like stare her mother gave her.

"It wasn't all he promised," she said, taking another long drag on her cigarette. "But it was enough to secure breeding rights for the both of you."