Page 21 of Felix and the Spy
“I’ll go ask them to prepare something to eat,” Petronilla stood and left the room, leaving Amara and Felix under Acelina’s watchful eye.
“Is this your first time in Inferno City?” she asked Amara.
“I’ve been here before, but never had time to see anything,” Amara confessed.
“How are you liking it?”
“It’s rather warm, but the sights are beautiful. I passed by the palace this morning and it was resplendent. I hope I get to come back here again.” Her answers were polite. Reserved. Felix wondered if those were her genuine feelings.
“And you? General Darius says demons have a hard time adjusting to the cool weather of Sigilis. I’m sure you miss Inferno City.”
“Sometimes,” Felix admitted. “But I am enjoying the change of scenery.”
“I hope I get to visit Sigilis sometime. My duties at Duality keep me tied up.” They heard a loud crash outside the room, and Acelina stood up hurriedly. “Excuse me, I think I should go check on what’s going on outside. I’ll be back in a minute.”
She moved with a flutter of her silk kimono. When they were alone, Felix turned to Amara. Her molten chocolate eyes were on him.
“About last night—” They both burst out together.
“I’m sorry,” he cut in before she could. “I was out of line. I should never have kissed you. What was I thinking? We work together. I assure you, something like that will never happen again. It was a mistake.”
Her eyes fluttered rapidly. When her voice emerged, it was low and defeated. “I see.”
“Next time, I’ll seek the company of a courtesan if I want to have an affair,” he threw in. “I don’t know what I was thinking, burdening you like that.”
She shook her head but said nothing. Amara appeared rather gloomy. Felix wondered if he’d said something wrong. Before he could enquire, however, Petronilla arrived. Behind her, a woman carried a table full of food.
“Dinner is served.”
Acelina joined them soon after.
“One of our patrons knocked over a vase,” she said, pouring drinks. “I was worried for a minute.”
Amara remained silent throughout dinner. She drank the endless refills of wine and ate everything on her plate, but she seemed remote. Withdrawn. Acelina must’ve noticed, for she brought up a topic that interested all of them.
“You worked together to track down Ifer, did you?” she asked. “It’s sad we never found out his real identity. Did you have any suspects in mind?”
Amara glanced up and then down quickly. She knew more than she was letting on. Felix had always wondered about that.
“You’re right,” Petronilla said. “General Darius had his suspicions, but they weren’t true. He thought Ifer could’ve been a woman.”
Felix had wondered about King Delton’s sudden decision to call off the search for Atea’s most notorious crime lord after speaking to General Darius. The timing had coincided with the queen’s return to Cadia, and somehow, Felix had always found that rather odd. “The whole country would like to know the truth.”
“Too bad we’ll never know,” Amara said. “I was sure we’d get him. Maybe if we had a little more time, we could’ve.”
A red flush filled her face, indicating she’d been drinking more than usual. Though she wasn’t anywhere near drunk, Felix wondered if something had upset her.
The door slid open once again and this time, two men and women, dressed to impress, stood on the other side.
“Come in.” Acelina waved her hand at them. “The courtesans I promised you,” Acelina said, signaling the boys and girls to step in. “They’re here to liven things up.”
Amara lay eyes on the newcomers, then turned to Felix. For a moment, he thought something akin to sorrow passed over her. Abruptly, she stood up.
“Excuse me.” Her voice was a low whisper. “I think I need some air.”
Then, she left.
Petronilla blinked at him, concerned. “Is she all right? She’s been quiet all night.”
