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CHANCE AND TONY WAITED by the door. The alley was a dead-end making Chance uncomfortable. It must have been nearly twenty minutes before an unkempt figure with long, chaotic hair, wearing a plain brown tunic and smelling of sandalwood came around the corner from the offices.
“Mister and Missus Terry and Christine Shane?” he asked.
“Yes,” Tony said warily.
“Sam Wilson, come with me, quickly.” He strode to the end of the alley and knocked on a door to the adjacent building. The door opened and they went inside.
Once her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Chance looked at a strange collection of skins and feathers and herbs scattered along benches against two walls. Above them were shelves with bottles of more sizes, colours and shapes than she thought existed and all this lit by just a few candles.
“You’ll be safe here,” a voice beside the door said.
Chance turned and saw an extremely pale, blonde woman wearing a short tan leather dress.
“Put your bags under that table,” Sam Wilson, if that was his name, said.
Tony took the carpet bag from Chance and put it and his satchel under the table. The woman tossed a hessian cover over the table and moved a wooden box in front of it.
“They are to be called Terry and Christine,” the man called Sam said to the pale woman. He looked at Tony. “You have a gun on you.”
Tony nodded. “Do you want that under the table too?”
“No,” Sam said. “Since you don’t smell of curse, it says you stay clear of the gaming areas. That’s good.” He looked at Chance. “You’re recently charmed,” he said and reached for a small canvas bag of powder. “Sprinkle some of this on you so we can pretend this is the charm.”
“What is it?” Chance asked.
“Special preparation to make a woman conceive,” he said. “You shouldn’t have sex for at least five days after you wash it off, unless you want to be pregnant that is.”
Chance looked at the bag.
“Hurry up dear,” Sam said. “There’re people on their way who can sense these charms better than I can. They’re going to need a reason for the charms over your lives.”
“What do I do with it?” Chance asked.
“Never use perfumed talcum powder?”
Chance nodded and turned away from the men to discreetly unbutton her top. “You said charms on us, like we both have multiple charms over us.”
“You’re both charmed,” Sam said. “Whether that’s with more than one each I don’t know.”
“Well what about Tony?”
“You mean Terry,” Sam said. “Remember that. And you’re married. Remember?”
“What does that mean?”
“He means your charms on you will rub off onto him if you make love,” the woman answered. “Except his is older than hers.”
“Charming,” Tony said.
Chance glared at him.
Sam reached into his pocket and produced a silver coin. “Hold this.” He handed it to Tony.
“What’s this?” Tony asked.
“It’s a novelty, a trinket. It makes the bearer feel lucky. Makes you look like a chump.”
“You’re a shaman?” Chance asked.
“Give the lady a prize!” Sam said. “You just figure that out?”
“I’ve never heard of a white shaman before.”
“You want a shaman round here you better find a white one,” the woman told her. “That or content yourself with a doctor.”
“Doctors are good for what doctors are good for,” Sam told her.
“And what’s that?” she asked.
“Everything I’m no good for,” Sam answered.
“Housework?”
Tony chuckled.
“That’s enough,” Sam told them. “In here, I’m Samuel de la Croix, this is my assistant Genevieve, you’re Terry and Christine and you’re here because you’ve been unsuccessfully trying to make a baby. Now sit on the mats over there and I’ll get things ready.”
Tony and Chance sat while Sam prepared a concoction of dried herbs. He nodded to the woman Genevieve who took a saucepan off one of the shelves. She went to a bucket on a bench and filled it.
“What’s that?” Chance asked.
“Water,” Genevieve answered and placed it on a small gas burner. She struck the burner alight and looked at Sam.
“This’ll do it,” Sam said and dropped the herbs into the water.
“What’s that then?” Chance asked.
“Tea dear,” Sam told her. “I don’t know how long before we have visitors, so we might as well wait comfortably. You should like this. I’ve added some bergamot oil, along with a couple of other citrusy herbs. Quite refreshing and it’ll give the room a different smell. Nothing like an exotic smell to impress.”
Genevieve place four mugs beside the saucepan.
Sam looked into the pan. “Should be enough,” he said.
“I’ll get some more.” Genevieve took one of the mugs to the pail of water and returned to pour it into the saucepan.
She looked at Sam.
Sam peered into the saucepan, and nodded.
Genevieve returned to her position beside the door.
“How did you become a shaman?” Chance asked.
“Same way all shaman do.” Sam moved away from the burner and squatted on his heels. “I found a mentor who was happy to show me the way and lead me to my path.”
“You mean you found somebody to sell you the dream herb and you were lucky enough to not die,” Tony said.
Sam looked at Tony. “You’ve known somebody who did that?”
“Every shaman I’ve spoken with.”
“Well, that’s about right.” Sam returned to the saucepan. “Hasn’t been on long enough to boil,” he said. “Let’s fix that.” He reached his hand toward the saucepan and exhaled sharply. “I hope you don’t mind there’s no milk, sugar or honey. Rodents don’t allow it.”
Tony shook his head and looked at Chance.
“That’s fine,” Chance said. “It smells delightful without it. How did you...?”
“It just happens that way,” Sam said looking at Tony.
“Alright,” Tony said. “There’s more to it than just a dream journey.”
“The dream journey takes you into the place between this world and the other,” Sam said. “Between Hayteswood and whatever that other world is called.”
“Paris, isn’t it?” Tony asked.
“Sometimes,” Sam said. “Sometimes it has other strange names. Bagdad when I was near, others have said it’s called Thessalonica, or Constantinople.”
“What’s called Constantinople?” A man wearing a black business suit pushed into the room, past Genevieve.
“The name of the place on the other side where I found the secrets this couple need,” Sam turned and said.
Two other men came into the room. They looked the same. Black coat, black trousers, black shoes, white skin. There was little to distinguish one from the other. Even their hair was black with the same short-back-and-sides, probably from the same barber.
“What’s that fucking stink?” one of them asked.
“Special friendship potion,” Sam said. “Would you like some?”
“We’re looking for a couple of gamers,” the first man said. He was obviously the mouthpiece of the three. “A man and a woman.” He looked at Chance and Tony.
“Gamers you say?” Sam asked. “Like the ones who frequent that Strip place?”
The mouthpiece nodded.
“I’ve often thought we should go there,” Tony said. “Just to see what it’s like.”
“Well don’t,” Sam said. “Not unless you’re prepared to leave that pea-shooter of yours behind.”
“I don’t feel safe without it,” Tony said.
“Well you won’t be safe with it,” Sam said. “Least that’s what I hear.” He looked at the mouthpiece.
“There’s a curse that kills anyone who takes a gun there,” the mouthpiece said. “What’re you two doing here?”
“They’ve come because they want to conceive a child,” Sam said. “I keep telling them that they should have sex, but you know these religious people.”
Two of the suits laughed.
The mouthpiece shook his head gravely. “I want them to answer.”
“It’s like he said,” Chance looked at Tony.
“We’ve been married for three years and Christine here... well, you know how women get once their friends start having babies.”
The mouthpiece’s face took on that smug smile that said he knew exactly what Tony was speaking about. Chance marvelled at Tony’s ability to create a deception that could reach anybody.
“Good luck,” the mouthpiece told them. “If you come across a strange couple, be wary. They’re dangerous.”
“Dangerous?” Chance asked.
“Yes missus, dangerous. They tossed a couple of sticks of dynamite into the Casino Cosimo earlier this morning. Word has it they’re trying to board a boat here.”
“Oh dear,” Chance said. “Was anybody hurt?”
“Lots of people, and some of them dead.” He turned and walked outside again, taking the other two with him.
When the door closed, Chance looked at Tony. “Well,” she said. “This is an unexpected development.”
“How did they know we were trying to get out on an ironclad? I wonder.” Tony looked at Sam.
“I can ask around.”
“No,” Tony said and turned to Chance. “We’d best get off these docks as soon as we can.”