Page 68 of The House of Whispers

Jakkal hesitated a moment, softening his grip. He released my wrist, allowing me to raise his mask as he removed his top hat. Staring back at me were glowing eyes. One vermilion, one pale blue.

The visual confirmation of what I already knew was oddly satisfying. It offered me a faint relief while also dragging up my fears. Jakkal lowered the mask and roughly continued, moving my dress aside, exposing my bare breast to caress my nipple. He listened to my loud moans as I fought the urge to scream, biting my lower lip. “Don’t you dare,” he warned, gripping my breast hard. “I want you to fill the room with your screams.”

The volume of the music increased, drowning out my loud moans as I ruptured from within, screaming into the darkness. Jakkal roared alongside me, throbbing within me as my breathing struggled. The song ended, quickly followed by clapping and soft cheers as we breathed heavily. Jakkal slid from within me, taking his time before he moved away disappearing into the shadows. “Jakkal?” He didn’t answer me. The realization of what I had done slowly crept in, followed by a sickening instant regret. Quickly, I covered my breasts, adjusting my dress as I tried to tidy myself up. disgusted by my questionable actions.

I screamed to myself, fighting back tears as I lowered the mask back along my face.What have you done, Casper?

Nathair took my hand into his and led me back into the ballroom. Together, we had completed our assigned tasks, securing all the exits of the brothel in hopes of preventing the Ripper from escaping in case our plan failed. We snaked our way back to the ballroom, searching for Casper to move onto the next step.

“Do you see her?” Nathair yelled back to me over the swelling music. I shook my head, worried.

Where are you, sister?Something didn’t feel right.

At the center of the ballroom, a group of masked Whisps had gathered, dancing in a circle as they blew silver dust into the faces of the nearby masked occupants. Fairy dust. They were drugging the crowd, sending handfuls into the air as they frolicked in the raining glitter, giggling and cheering as it glistened in the candlelight while shadows resembling people moved among the crowd.

“Do you see her?” Nathair yelled back to me. I shook my head, worried.

Where are you sister?Something wasn’t right. If Jakkal was here, then why wasn’t Casper with him?

I scanned the ballroom, watching as guests slowly inhaled the fairy dust, allowing the drug to take control as they ingested it fully. Catering Whisps began patrolling the ballroom, offering trays filled with shots of snake venom to the occupants, adding a new level of ecstasy to the already over-stimulated and lively crowd.

“There!” Nathair aimed his finger, pointing to the furthest corner of the ballroom. Hidden amongst the shadows was Casper, alone.

Nathair held my hand tight as he and I aimed for her. We did our best to dodge the random handfuls of fairy dust tossed in the air, avoiding the waitressing Whisps as they shoved thin glasses of the neon drink in the guest’s faces. It was a true struggle trying to break through the closely compacted sea of people. Everyone’s identities were concealed, creating an overgrowth of anxiety as we weaved through, eventually bursting through the crowd and toward Casper.

“Where is he?” Nathair demanded, slightly out of breath from rushing through the ballroom. “Where is The Ripper?”

Casper peeled what appeared to be drops of dried wax from her chest, flicking it onto the floor as she sighed. “He’s here. And he’s exactly who we suspected.”

So it was true. The Ripper was Dr. Reynard.

“Where is he exactly?” Nathair looked around, confused.

Casper pushed from the wall, fixing her dress, “I lost him.” She sounded embarrassed.

Nathair furrowed his brows. “I’m sorry, but what do you mean you lost him?” She glanced at us, her lip stain smeared across her face as if she had been kissing someone.

“Don’t worry,” she growled, pushing from the wall, “I’m going to find him. Jakkal isn’t done with me yet.” She seemed angry and upset.

Nathair grabbed her arm as she tried to push past us, preventing her from running. “Casper, what the hell is going on? I thought we were all working together.” She yanked her arm from his grasp. “This isn’t the plan.” He grumbled as she stood, her creepy mask staring at us.

“Casper,” I whispered, “what’s going on?”

She tilted her head, looking directly at me. “Everything is going accordingly.”

Her words sent a shiver down my spine. Casper turned and melted into the crowd, dissolving from our sight. Nathair reached for me, pulling me to his chest as he embraced me. “Min,” he turned my head to face him as he spoke to me, “I think it’s time we face the reality that something is wrong with Casper.”

My eyes returned to the crowd, the color draining from my face. “I think you’re right, my love.”

Forcing my way through the dancing crowd, I bumped into a waitressing Whisp. Her tray fell as I snagged two tall shots of neon snake venom, leaving her to clean the mess as I resumed toward the double doors. I quickly shot the neon drinks back, tossing the glasses aside as they shattered. The drink made my skin buzz as the spicy aftertaste dried out my mouth. My body pushed through the edge of people and stepped into the equally filled parlor. Smoke filled the air as men and Whisps lounged, smoking cigars, drinking, and giggling as their legs dangled over the edge of the furniture. Wandering Whisps blew small handfuls of fairy dust into the air adding to the boiling excitement of the night. My head ached as remnants of the silver dust entered my nostrils. The Whisps and guests of the house had become increasingly reckless, stumbling and acting out as the night continued—the drugs and alcohol only fueling the inebriated fires. Typically, my job would be to extinguish these hypothetical fires, enforcing order and keeping the Whisps and Johns in check, but I had no time to monitor anyone’s behavior. I was preoccupied, consumed with the growing need to find Jakkal, immediately.

Approaching the back of the parlor, I peeked into the darkly lit hall beyond, when the sounds of faint arguing could be heard in the distance. The voices sounded familiar but were distorted by the sounds of the lively masquerade ball. A door slammed in the distance, shaking the walls as dust particles fell from the ceiling. Heavy footsteps moved along one of the floors above, growing in volume as they seemed to reach the top of the main stairs. Glancing around the hall, I spied Chesmu storming down the main staircase. He was fuming, infuriated with something or someone as he stepped into the smoky parlor and rushed into the ballroom. Seeing him disturbed saddened me. Part of me wanted to chase after him and offer him comfort, the other wanted to ignore him entirely. I felt split—half of me longing to be with Chesmu, the other pulling me deeper into the shadows. The sound of footsteps moving in the dark hall distracted me, pulling my attention away from Chesmu and back to my current task at hand. A tall, dark shadow moved to the hidden stairs, disappearing from view.

There you are.

Quickly, I dashed after the lurking shadow, climbing the spiral stairs as I followed its movements. As I reached the top of the staircase, my head ached, black flashes shooting along my vision from the mild exposure to the fairy dust. The concealed door to the top floor was cracked open, the hall beyond soaked in darkness. Thunder rumbled in the distance as a soft mist arose, thickening with each minute.

Stepping out into the hall, my foot touched the floor, the wood creaking as the weight of my body moved. The small window at the furthest end of the hall, next to my door, cast a faint midnight glow along the darkness. The hall lit up as lightning struck, illuminating the shadows for a brief moment. Movement caught my attention as my head snapped towards Madame Chepi’s door at the opposite end of the hall. The shadow dissolved into the warm light that leaked from underneath her closed door.

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