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He nodded at the bottom of the building nearest us. There were many layers of stone, but the bottom two feet were created from larger rocks almost boulder in size. “These structures were some of the first permanent buildings to rise out of the foundations of the city.”
I snorted as he led me up to the small door. “I guess even here people want their entertainment first.”
CHAPTERSIX
As we approachedthe door it swung outward and a man hurried out. He was a little below average height and his hood-covered head was bowed. A plain tan-colored monk’s robe covered his body except for his heavy brown boots.
He was in such a hurry that he crashed into me. I would have fallen from the collision had Ben not kept a tight grip on me. The man stumbled to one side and lifted his head to reveal a large nose.
A few mumbled words left him. “Sorry about that. . .” He scurried around us and soon turned the corner onto the main thoroughfare where he vanished.
“Charming people around here,” I quipped.
Ben gave me a crooked smile. “You should see the security staff.”
“I hope I don’t. . .” I mumbled as we continued to the entrance.
Ben opened the door to reveal a long, shadowed corridor.
I inspected the dark area with a wrinkled nose. “Your friend isn’t a giant rat, is he?”
“Many of the show managers rent office space beneath the performance halls they most frequent,” he explained as he set a hand on the small of my back. “And they keep the area very safe for visitors. It isn’t good business to scare their customers.”
“Too late. . .” I murmured as we ventured inside.
After a few paces, the door shut behind us and the hall became even darker. The only sources of light were the thick candles that hung from the ceiling. Bland wood doors lined either side of the hall, and situated in the center of the hall was a pair of heavier doors that I guessed led into the main part of the building. Many of the doors had nameplates on them shoved into slots where they could easily be replaced.
Ben read each of the plates before he stopped in front of one particular door. The plate simply read ‘Wexelman.’ Ben knocked on the door.
A man’s middle-range voice answered. “It’s open!”
Ben opened the door and we found ourselves in a small square room. There were no windows, but an expensive chandelier hung above us and provided enough light for a ballroom. A hefty old black walnut desk stood at the rear of the small room, and a few cabinets were pushed against the wall on the far right beside the desk.
A tall, lean man of fifty sat behind the desk. He had short brown hair speckled with gray and his skin was on the pale side. The man wore a simple black suit with a white undershirt and black tie, and there was a small ring on the middle finger of his right hand. I could just make out a simple silver jewel in the silver band.
He had a piece of paper in front of him with a pen in one hand. A small clear glass bottle filled with some black swirling substance sat near the paper. He looked up at our entrance, and a great big grin spread across his face.
“Well, well, well,” he greeted us as he stood and held out his hand. “It’s been a while, Castle.”
Ben strode forward and shook his head while I reluctantly stepped into the room. “Quite a while, Wexelman. How has business been?”
“Great!” Wexelman replied as he puffed out his chest a little. “The band’s been making money hand over fist. If things keep up this way I’ll have to rent out two of these offices. One for me and one for my coins.”
Ben’s eyes flickered to me for a moment as I moved over to a pair of seats in front of the desk. I noticed his eyes twinkled and he gave me a wink. “Then they’re popular?”
“Popular?Popular?” Wexelman threw up his arms. “Where do you live, Castle? In a hole? These guys are the best!”
“Are they also available for private lessons?”
The man froze with his arms still raised up and blinked at Ben. “Come again?”
Ben nodded at me. “My friend here would like a private lesson for her flute.”
Wexelman dropped his arms to his side and cocked his head to one side. He stared at Ben as though he’d grown two heads and was trying to sing harmony. “Seriously? That’s why you’ve come here?”
Ben shrugged. “Why else?”
Wexelman nodded at me. “I thought perhaps the lady here wanted some tickets. I couldn’t give them, anyway, seeing as how they’re all sold out, but lessons?” He shook his head as he dropped back into his chair. “I’ve heard it before, but I didn’t expect it to come out of your mouth, Castle.”
