Abhorrent Practices - Book 1

Chapter 8.6 - Orrin's Rock (Scene 6: The Soak House)

Sandrine and Naylor followed the directions on the note handed to them outside the Rotunda. It led them to one of the city's narrower alleyways. A poorly lit sign hung above the door at the end: Skin Deep.

Sandrine rapped loudly on the door, and they heard bolts being slid aside. The door opened a crack, and a wisp of sweet-scented, pale blue mist coiled out into the street. Sandrine felt her head go light: cinnamon! She had few memories of her mother, but for a moment she was a child again; her mother was baking a bread pudding, and the smell of spices filled the house.

"Open Sky," Naylor informed her.

A drug den, then. Sandrine's research had mentioned Open Sky, a drug found nowhere except on Orrin's Rock. She hadn't expected its scent to be so strong.  Had they been brought here by a drug dealer? Was that the type of person Jerome had fallen in with since leaving the Order?

A large man appeared at the door, barring their way. He looked them up and down, before stepping back and opening the door wider. Almost as tall as a Tharn, and twice as heavily built, he cocked his head, towards the interior.

"We were invited."

"I know," said the doorman, closing the door behind them. "Or you wouldn't be getting in."

They found themselves in a large, square vestibule, the air thick with Open Sky. Through the pale blue haze, they could see two doors to their left, and three straight ahead. In the wall to their right, there was a single set of double doors. Naylor took Sandrine's elbow.

"Are you okay?"

She pulled her arm free, and nodded curtly. Some of her clients, especially the Sharrovians, made extensive use of intoxicants in their rituals, and she'd been trained to control her breathing. She wouldn't allow her judgement to become impaired.

The doorman pushed against the double doors to their right, opening them just enough to allow them through. It was warm inside, and the mist in the air was thicker than in the vestibule. They heard the doors pulled closed behind them.

Ceramic tiles covered the walls, the floor and the ceiling. They were decorated with peaceful designs in pastel shades of blue and green. Exotic birds spread their wings among fish of every size and shape. The effect was calming, but no doubt the main reason for so much ceramic was that it was easy to clean. So much Open Sky would leave a heavy residue when it cleared.

An attendant just inside the doors smiled warmly. She was dressed in a loose fitting blue smock, and wide green trousers that ended just below the knee. Her feet were bare. Behind her, a tall wooden screen divided the room lengthwise down the centre.

"Men to the left, women to the right," she said, handing them each a towel. "No clothing is permitted in the baths."

Sandrine exchanged a hurried glance with Naylor. This wasn't like the drug dens in Tremayne or Brael, or even the temples of contemplation on Sharrow's Bluff. This was a soak house.

Naylor held her gaze, waiting for her to indicate whether she still wished to proceed. There was still time to back out, his eyes assured her. She shrugged.

"You've got nothing I haven't seen before."

On their longer sea journeys, it was not uncommon for the Jennie to drop anchor, and for the crew to bathe naked. The men would traditionally swim off the port side of the ship, the women to starboard. As a rule, however, it seldom took more than a few minutes for the two groups to meet by the stern where they'd begin splashing and ducking each other. She told herself this would be no different, but it didn't feel that way. Being alone with Naylor, without the banter and frivolity of the rest of the crew made it more ... intimate.