The Courts Of Pleasure Ch. 05

Even then it was obvious that 'The Emergency' was inevitable. And it was she and my mother who took the final measures to protect The Court from the outside by severing all connections with the city. We do not exist as far as Plainfield is concerned and we are totally self-sufficient. It has been my charge to preserve our way of life, and now Vivienne's responsibility is to be so much greater."

"Yes, you see," Coverly went on. "There is much more at stake now than just our way of life. The Court is one of the few places where all that is left of a great heritage remains. That world, Sarah, in which you have lived, is determined to wipe out every last vestige of the gift we guard. There have always been those who hated and feared The Force, which inspires great art and the freedom to know, to understand, and to question.

The Force has always challenged the craving of those who want to dominate every nuance of human life. They have been fanatically jealous of the power of The Force and have sought to make it their own. Now in the confusion and fear generated by the 'The Emergency' the very core of our creativity, The Force of Eros, is threatened.

"Exactly!," Eva asserted. "Your painting Sarah, Katia's dancing, Vivienne's poetry. All the wonderful artistic creations and the progress of science and humanity spring from that generative force that we know as sexuality, or Eros, and it can be either encouraged or suppressed.

Coverly continued, "We have a great task ahead of us which is simply to preserve and nurture the very essence of what makes us human, our capacity to be creative. That's what The Court is all about. That's why we have offered you the commission, Sarah."

Sarah sat back in her chair and opened her hands in wonder. "The commission?"

He nodded, "Yes. This is rather more complicated than it may have appeared to you at the outset. The Court depends upon its survival for two things, protection and financial support. The latter is not a problem as we have always had generous benefactors in the arts.

In the past the measures that mother just described gave us the isolation we desired but in these times we need certain protections. Our lifestyle, the sensuality we encourage here, and the liberated people we attract to us make us particularly vulnerable to The Slavers.

"The Slavers?" Sarah gasped in confusion.

"Oh yes," Vivienne put in sardonically, "the Sex-Slavers would be most interested in we women of The Court if they could find us. So far we have eluded them but we know they are constantly on the lookout for women who are marked by their sensuality. In these times women who are 'hot-numbers' command a very high price in the sex-slave traffic. If they could find us we would be sold into the international sex trade or to the Cornucopians."

"You see Sarah," Coverly continued soberly, "The super-rich Cornucopians still enjoy all of the old pleasures of the arts from fashion to erotica, and all the vices too from pornography to prostitution. Their high-rise world of Bountiful Towers in the New City insulates them from the realities the rest of us face. All that they demand of us artists is that we keep a low profile. Keep what we do for them hidden from the rest of the world. The arrangement sucks, but our arts are sublime. They use us, and we use them to keep what we have created alive."

He took a deep breath, glanced soberly at Sarah and continued. "There is someone, whom we only know as 'The Patron', who offers us protection from the Slavers.

The man whom you ran into today in the arbor is 'The Buyer', the go-between, who arranges the transactions between The Court and The Patron, and he knows exactly what The Patron wants, and what the Patron wants right now is what we have commissioned you to do."

"But I don't know what that is myself!" Sarah exclaimed.

"When I first brought 'The Passion Flower' to The Court the Buyer saw it. All I can tell you is that he wants what 'The Passion Flower' suggests, but more fully realized. Much, perhaps everything, depends upon our being able to please The Patron."

"And how will I know if I have satisfied him?"

"I expect we will all know if he is displeased. This is not the type of request that we have had from him in the past. We gather that he has become fixated upon this expression and even the Buyer is nervous about pleasing him."

Sarah shrugged helplessly, "All I can do is try to discover what is within me and give it expression. If your Patron honors the truth we will succeed. If not....."

"We knew the risk when we offered you the commission. It's the gamble we're prepared to take." Coverly nodded.

"In that case it might have been better if I didn't know what was at stake."

"We don't see you as a pawn, Sarah. We see you as an artist," Eva interjected.

"Well I am honored, but anxious beyond measure. How much time do I have to meet this challenge?"

"The Patron wants what we have here in The Court. He wants us to show him the source of our creative power, he wants to feel it, maybe even possess it somehow. And that is why we have invited you here, so you can see the force for yourself, live it, and experience it in your own heart. When that has happened you will know when to begin the actual work."

Eva raised her glass to the sober faces surrounding her, "Here's to challenges," she said "and all that they bring."

The dinner which had begun on such a light note had taken a somber turn but Vivienne was determined that it should end in pleasure as it had begun. This meal had been a success, a breaking of bread, the initial rite in the bonding that must come if all was to succeed.

Her gaze touched upon Sarah and fell upon Cliff and Katia and she studied them over the rim of her glass. Including Katia in the supper had been a good move she concluded: Cliff was clearly engaged.

The wine was suddenly delicious upon Vi's tongue as she turned to him. "Are you interested in dance, Cliff?" she murmured, her eyes touching Katia's for an instant.

"Depends" he muttered.

"On what?" there was amusement in Vivienne's eyes glancing into his.

"On the costumes I guess."

"Or the lack of them," Katia laughed turning to him. "You get an 'A' for honesty, Cliff."

"Do you live here in The Court?" He glanced at her hands, at the deft gracefulness of her movements.

"Yes, I have my studio in the Lilac Cottage. I teach and we rehearse there."

"And where do you perform?" he asked.

"My choreography is frowned upon out there. There hasn't been a public performance since 'The Measures' went into effect ten years ago. The general public doesn't approve of such uninhibited movements and displays of the human body as I offer. My ballets are mounted for private performances."

"Private performances?" he queried.

"My work has become an entertainment exclusively for the Cornucopians of Bountiful Towers, for those few whose wealth puts them beyond the reach of public disapproval."

"I'll have to visit your studio some time," Cliff ventured.

"Do," she said. "I'm sure you would enjoy it."

The meal had wound down now through dessert and coffee to cognac. The conversation ebbed and flowed around the life in The Court touching upon the crafts of the artisans who lived there, and their work. S

arah observed Cliff and Katia chatting quietly on their side of the table. He was clearly taken with the woman's beauty and with what he could see of her curvaceous charms beneath her costume.

Sarah sipped her cognac, her thoughts turning speculatively to what this new acquaintance with Katia might offer from the warm glances directed at herself, sensing also some connection perhaps between Katia and Vi with the casual unspoken gestures between them, but for the moment Cliff had Katia's full attention.

Lounging back in her chair Sarah turned to Vi. "I've been looking at the pendent on your necklace all evening," she exclaimed bending forward and lifting it from between Vivienne's breasts. The small gold triangle hung by its angles from the chain and sloped down to the point, which was set with an oval ruby. "It represents a woman's sex doesn't it?" Sarah queried.

Vivienne nodded. "More than that. The ruby signifies that the wearer is fertile; if set with a pearl, you would know that I had been sterilized. But don't worry I'm safe for sex. It's just that I'm Eva's daughter and I will bear the heir to The Court some day."

"Well I guess my pearl is perfect," Sarah laughed fingering the gem at her neck. "I made the decision long ago to be sterilized. I hope Katia is safe too!" she whispered wryly with a nod across the table at Cliff.

Vi nodded. "Oh yes. She's like you, permanently infertile."

"It's a good thing," Sarah murmured watching Cliff shifting into his charming mode with Katia as the evening drew to a close.

*****