Alora eyed the aforementioned stairs as if they would grow teeth and bite at her feet. They appeared either solid gold or gold-plated, though from what she’d heard of Opulence, the former was the likelier truth. They were gaudy to her personal taste, but still so extravagant that the idea of stepping on them seemed almost blasphemous. Master Merridon cleared his throat at her dallying, which prompted Alora to smile over her shoulder at him.
“My apologies. There is only so much to admire!”
Master Merridon offered her a small smile in return, though she thought she caught a twitch of impatience in the expression. “After you, Miss Pennigrim.”
Alora ascended ahead of him, much to her chagrin. For the first time, she couldn’t ascertain how an interview was going, and it bothered her to no end. Around and around, she followed the gold railing—definitely solid all the way through—until a crimson door with a gold plate presented itself. She paused at the threshold. “I thought I saw Door One below.”
“You did. Each door below corresponds with the one above, a sort of…prequel. My favorite room,” said Master Merridon. “The room in which Opulence Mansion, and myself, got its start. As you’re likely aware, we operate by membership only, opening our many doors at dusk and closing them at dawn. These memberships are coveted, expensive, and limited, and soon you'll know why.” The scent of whiskey and tobacco enveloped her as he stepped around, sending the door sailing inward with a flourish. “Door One: Room of Forgotten Memories.”
Chapter Three
The Room of Forgotten Memories was, in fact, a bathing chamber, with a massive porcelain soaking tub on golden feet. The walls were entirely mirrored, and the chandelier trailed strings of crystals to further reflect the light of the candles burning atop it. Alora turned slowly, absorbing her reflection from every angle. It was far more of herself than she needed to see, and she didn’t dare imagine what it must be like to be bare before them.
“How…stimulating. I’m curious at the decision for so many mirrors,” she said, trying not to offend, but wonderingwhy?Why would anyone choose such a thing?
“Eyes are a window to the soul, would you not agree?”
“I suppose so. In a poetic way.”
“And the soul is where our memories reside, molding and remolding, until we become the person you see standing here, mirrored back at you. Look closely, and you will see every moment having shaped you.” When Alora made to step before such a mirror, he stopped her with a light touch to the arm.“Not now. Not with another present. This sort of thing is best done alone, unadorned. And, if one decides something to be too painful, too heavy, to continue allowing its mark on their soul, to bear with them through the entirety of this lifetime and even into the next, they may climb into the bath.”
“To rest and ease the burden?”
“In a sense, though I can tell you are thinking of basic needs. No, Miss Pennigrim, this bath is part of Opulence Mansion and so it is much more. The tub will siphon one’s bad memories away for eternity.”
“Oh my. That is—”
“Spectacular?”
Alora wasn’t so convinced. She stared at the bathtub as if it would surge, taking every memory until she’d become nothing but a shell, unfeeling, not knowing what made her.Good gracious…
“Come along. There is more to see.”
Twenty-four numbered doors made up Opulence Mansion’s second floor. Alora soon visited them all.
Not once throughout her tour did Master Merridon ask for her opinion again. There were rooms designed for unique entertainments, like the Room of Fire behind Door Eighteen, and rooms designed to evoke peculiar sensations such as the Room of Lightness beyond Door Seven. The corresponding doors on the first floor offered changes of attire, if applicable, and special refreshments, if desired. By her leave of Door Twenty-four, Alora’s legs protested loudly and her mind just as much.
One didn’t live in Enver without expectation of enchantment, but Opulence Mansion defied normal existence. She couldn’t help feeling overwhelmed.
“Master Merridon,” she began, hand pressed to her forehead. “I’m afraid I still do not understand your specific requirements. Are all rooms to be redone? Or a few?”
Master Merridon paused in his descent of the final staircase. “Only one, Miss Pennigrim. I simply thought you’d like to see the rest of the establishment before encountering the project I plan for you. Many people wish they had the chance to step into the mystery of our world, but unfortunately, never will. Life can be unfair that way.”
Alora lowered her hand at his choice of words. “Does this mean there are no other applicants?”
“None I would entertain,” he replied, bright smile returning. “I knew from the moment we met that you were the one I wanted.”
Something twinged inside her at his declaration; Alora decided it must be hunger. As of one hour ago, this appointment had become the longest interview to which she’d ever been subjected. “I’m certainly eager to learn of this project,” she said, managing to do so without gritting her teeth.
Two hours ago would have been preferable, you showboat of a man.
“Allow me to show you our final room then. Door Twenty-five.”
“I thought there were only twenty-four numbered rooms in Opulence Mansion?”
“Not anymore,” said Master Merridon. Face alight, he gestured her to follow, and around and around they descended. “Just there.”
Returned now to the first floor, Alora squinted down the remaining corridor. For all its shadows, it may as well have ended there. “I'm not sure I can make out a door.”
