Read Online A Lesson for the Cyclops by Jeffrey Getzin - Free Book Online
Authors: Jeffrey Getzin
Tags: Fantasy
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looks stunning on you! Now for the final touch …”
He caressed her face, and then she felt something soft and warm settle upon her head. She heard the scrape of him picking up another item from her dressing table. She felt a brush against what must have been a wig.
“We’ll drape it like so …” he said. “To shadow the eye socket but not hide it. Lend a little mystery, perhaps, but not tell any lies … which is a darned sight better than I do for myself!”
He fitted something over her missing eye. “And finally… there!”
He moved away from her. She heard him circle around her, once, twice, then a third time.
“I think this demonstrates my point. You may look now, Maria.”
She did and saw him evaluating her.
After a few moments, he nodded his head, looking pleased. His eyes gleamed.
“You know,” he said, in quiet awe, “I think even I may have underestimated myself.”
He smiled broadly, and fished a large hand mirror from that magical bag and handed it to her.
“Cyclops,” he said, “it is my very great honor and privilege to introduce you to Maria.”
Chapter 21
She wasn’t beautiful. For all his talents, D’Arbignal wasn’t a mage. He couldn’t perform miracles. But that said …
She blinked, mesmerized by her reflection. She wasn’t beautiful; no, that was too much ever to hope for. But she was … she was …
She was attractive. Her complexion was youthful and unblemished. The contrast of her new wig to her olive skin was just right .
He had given her long, dark, enticing lashes. Her new hair fell partially over the black eye patch that now covered the scarred socket her other eye had once occupied. It played with the shadows around it to make it look mysterious, dangerous even.
There hadn’t been much he could do with the bony stub of where her nose should have been, but he had blended the raw redness away to make it look less severe.
But the dress. Oh, the dress!
It was a long, dark green dress with a daring neckline that hinted at much but revealed little. Against her skin color, the effect was astonishing!
She looked … good. She actually looked good.
“No,” she said in anguish. She yanked the wig from her head and threw it to the floor. “This is wrong. I shouldn’t look like this.”
D’Arbignal looked perplexed. “I have to admit that this wasn’t the reaction I was expecting.”
“ It’s all wrong!” she repeated. “I shouldn’t look this way!”
She ran to her trunk, found the folded portrait buried near the bottom. She unfolded it and showed it to D’Arbignal.
“There!” she said.
He glanced at it, confused. “All right, so you want to look like her. I don’t think that shade of blonde will suit you, but I suppose I can—”
She shook her head sadly.
“I don’t want to look like her,” she said. “The portrait is of me, before this was done to me. I used to be pretty, beautiful even. I don’t deserve that anymore.”
Chapter 22
“Have you ever been in love, D’Arbignal?”
“Sure,” he said, “all the time!”
The Cyclops began to despair. If she couldn’t share this with D’Arbignal then there was no one.
“No,” she said, turning away. “That wasn’t what I meant.”
D’Arbignal touched the side of her face, gently bringing her back around to face him. His expression was more somber now. “My apologies. What did you mean?”
She sighed and thought back to her time with Hernando, so many years ago. The shame, the loss, the anguish, and the pain all resurfaced in her mind as fresh.
She shook her head.
“Forget about it,” she said.
“If you don’t tell me,” he said, eyes gleaming conspiratorially, “then I won’t show you the last surprise I have for you in this bag…”
She felt enervated. She had had almost no sleep last night, then Marco telling her that he was casting her out, and now this. She wished she were made of sand, so that the winds and rains would erode her into nothingness. Nothingness
He caressed her face, and then she felt something soft and warm settle upon her head. She heard the scrape of him picking up another item from her dressing table. She felt a brush against what must have been a wig.
“We’ll drape it like so …” he said. “To shadow the eye socket but not hide it. Lend a little mystery, perhaps, but not tell any lies … which is a darned sight better than I do for myself!”
He fitted something over her missing eye. “And finally… there!”
He moved away from her. She heard him circle around her, once, twice, then a third time.
“I think this demonstrates my point. You may look now, Maria.”
She did and saw him evaluating her.
After a few moments, he nodded his head, looking pleased. His eyes gleamed.
“You know,” he said, in quiet awe, “I think even I may have underestimated myself.”
He smiled broadly, and fished a large hand mirror from that magical bag and handed it to her.
“Cyclops,” he said, “it is my very great honor and privilege to introduce you to Maria.”
Chapter 21
She wasn’t beautiful. For all his talents, D’Arbignal wasn’t a mage. He couldn’t perform miracles. But that said …
She blinked, mesmerized by her reflection. She wasn’t beautiful; no, that was too much ever to hope for. But she was … she was …
She was attractive. Her complexion was youthful and unblemished. The contrast of her new wig to her olive skin was just right .
He had given her long, dark, enticing lashes. Her new hair fell partially over the black eye patch that now covered the scarred socket her other eye had once occupied. It played with the shadows around it to make it look mysterious, dangerous even.
There hadn’t been much he could do with the bony stub of where her nose should have been, but he had blended the raw redness away to make it look less severe.
But the dress. Oh, the dress!
It was a long, dark green dress with a daring neckline that hinted at much but revealed little. Against her skin color, the effect was astonishing!
She looked … good. She actually looked good.
“No,” she said in anguish. She yanked the wig from her head and threw it to the floor. “This is wrong. I shouldn’t look like this.”
D’Arbignal looked perplexed. “I have to admit that this wasn’t the reaction I was expecting.”
“ It’s all wrong!” she repeated. “I shouldn’t look this way!”
She ran to her trunk, found the folded portrait buried near the bottom. She unfolded it and showed it to D’Arbignal.
“There!” she said.
He glanced at it, confused. “All right, so you want to look like her. I don’t think that shade of blonde will suit you, but I suppose I can—”
She shook her head sadly.
“I don’t want to look like her,” she said. “The portrait is of me, before this was done to me. I used to be pretty, beautiful even. I don’t deserve that anymore.”
Chapter 22
“Have you ever been in love, D’Arbignal?”
“Sure,” he said, “all the time!”
The Cyclops began to despair. If she couldn’t share this with D’Arbignal then there was no one.
“No,” she said, turning away. “That wasn’t what I meant.”
D’Arbignal touched the side of her face, gently bringing her back around to face him. His expression was more somber now. “My apologies. What did you mean?”
She sighed and thought back to her time with Hernando, so many years ago. The shame, the loss, the anguish, and the pain all resurfaced in her mind as fresh.
She shook her head.
“Forget about it,” she said.
“If you don’t tell me,” he said, eyes gleaming conspiratorially, “then I won’t show you the last surprise I have for you in this bag…”
She felt enervated. She had had almost no sleep last night, then Marco telling her that he was casting her out, and now this. She wished she were made of sand, so that the winds and rains would erode her into nothingness. Nothingness
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