The most well-known de Velt with that trait was Ajax de Velt, a man who had conquered half the Welsh Marches and was starting in on the Scottish Marches when he met the woman who tamed him. He had brown eyes except the left one had a big splash of bright green in it. That trait, to varying degrees, was carried by the male line of his family and, in some cases, even the women had it. Theodis had it, but his was quite pronounced – his right eye was brown, while his left eye was brown except for the pupil being encircled with a ring of bright green. It was beautiful, bold and startling, something that only enhanced the interesting nature of a very handsome, and very volatile, man.
In fact, he was being volatile right at this very moment. Andreas spied him over near the kitchens as he threw punches with a very large man who seemed to have murder on his mind. As Andreas headed in that direction, Theodis caught sight of him and decided to end his brawl once and for all.
One big fist in the face and his opponent went out as quickly as blowing out a candle.
“Come on,” Andreas said, motioning the man to follow. “We’re leaving.”
Theodis grinned as he joined Andreas, a gesture that most men saw as rather frightening because his canines were prominent. It made him look like a fanged beast.
“Why?” he asked, keeping his fists balled in case someone decided to charge him. “Look around you, Dray – it’s a party.”
Andreas had to chuckle. “A party, is it?” he said. “This is one party I no longer wish to attend.”
“Why not?”
“Because this place smells like vomit, you wretch. I need fresh air.”
Theodis laughed, pushing him through a still-writhing crowd to the front door where William and Tor were waiting. Together, the four of them rushed the front door, ending up on the muddy road outside with the River Thames before them.
Andreas drew in a long, deep breath.
“God,” he muttered. “I can finally breathe. Well, it was fun while it lasted.”
William, a serious and somewhat shy man, scratched his dark head. “It was some of the better entertainment we’ve had,” he agreed. “What now? Do we retire to Lothbury House?”
Theodis shook his head. “We are not retiring,” he said. “I haven’t been to London in a few years and I am not going to miss a second of it. Are you lads up for a new adventure?”
The three of them looked at him. “What adventure?” Tor demanded. Big, handsome, strawberry blond Tor attracted women like horses attracted flies. “What do you have in mind?”
Theodis tapped is head as if he had a grand idea. “I realize you de Wolfe lads don’t get to London too often, you poor little country mice,” he said, taunting them. “I think your family likes to keep you all bottled up, afraid of what will happen if you get a taste of the decadence London has to offer.”
Tor sneered at him. “And you’re so worldly,” he said sarcastically. “Well? Tell us what you have in mind so we can get this over with.”
Theodis was grinning as he looked around, getting his bearings. “This way.”
Curious, and slightly irritated, the de Wolfe men followed.
“Where are we going?” Andreas asked.
They were heading in the direction of the Tower of London on a moonlit night. The moon was reflecting on the waters of the Thames and the smell from the river was strong, like rotten fish and sewage. Theodis pointed towards the Tower.
“The last time I was here, I came with men I had served with long ago,” he said. “We were in town for a funeral of a lord we had once served. We’d heard through some other knights that there was a miraculous place here for the taking, a place so scandalous, so filled with debauchery, that only the rich, handsome, beautiful, or utterly outrageous were permitted entry.”
Andreas frowned. “What kind of place is this?” he said. “I’ve not heard of it.”
Theodis grinned, his fangs reflecting the moonlight. “It’s called Gomorrah,” he said. “It’s beneath the old St. Dunstan’s Church, an old Saxon church that burns down every time the church rebuilds it. The church was built atop the ruins of an ancient Roman temple and no church built upon those ruins has ever survived. It is said that the property itself is cursed.”
In spite of the suspicion, he had their attention. “So what is the place you’re taking us to?” Tor asked.
“I told you,” Theodis said. “It’s an exclusive guild where every fantasy can come true. It was started a long time ago by a Hessian lord who married an English noblewoman, Lady Camberwell. The Hessian used the Camberwell money to buy the property from the church and start his guild, which costs a small fortune to access, but the family pays the church part of those proceeds so they look the other way with what goes on there. There is feasting, drinking, entertainment, fornication – whatever you want is provided. Anything and everything.”
Now, they were more intrigued. “Anything?” Tor said.
“Anything.”
“But you said it costs a small fortune to access,” William said. “How much?”
“A pound.”
That brought outrage. “A pound?” William spat. “I could buy a week in London and live well for that much.”
Theodis shook his head. “But you’ll not live like this,” he said. “You must experience this once in your life, Will. Consider it an enrichment of your education as a man and as a knight. Tell them you’re a de Wolfe and that will be your key to entry. They only take the elite and the rich and the beautiful. I tell them I’m a de Velt and, terrified of my family name, they admit me. Truly… you must experience this place.”
He said it passionately enough that they were intrigued to the point of being agreeable. William looked at Tor, who lifted his big shoulders and nodded. Then they both looked to Andreas, who was usually the level-headed one in the group, and he simply shrugged.
“We may as well,” he said. “We’ve experienced Sodom back at The Pox – let us experience Gomorrah beneath this dead church.”
Theodis put a big arm around Andreas’ neck and began pulling him down the street. “You are going to live to regret this,” he told him. “But you are going to have the time of your life doing it.”
Andreas wasn’t sure if that made him feel better or worse. Having no idea what they were in for, he tried to keep an open mind. He was a man who could judge things evenly, from all sides, and deliver what he considered a fair and just decision. Within the family, he was known for that ability and Andreas’ judgment was unchallenged in any case.
But he wondered if this was going to be one of those rare bad decisions.
The look on Theodis’ face told him that it very well might be.
The quest for this mysterious and scandalous guild took Andreas, Tor, William, and Theodis more than half a mile down the road that paralleled the River Thames, heading in the direction of the Tower of London. The area, in particular, was known for high crime with plenty of murders and robberies and other unsavory deeds. It seemed strange that the area next to the Tower of London, such an icon for a just and right civilization, should be considered the seedy side of London.
Therefore, the four of them were on their guard as they traveled. Not that they expected any trouble, because they were four extremely large and well-armed knights, but one never knew when fools would attack. The moved further away from the section in town that contained the taverns and hostels, a quieter area that was rather dark and without much traffic.