by Tony Verna

Created on: September 15, 2009   Last Updated: September 17, 2009

When we left our story, Jancy Hall had been milling within the mansion of Colonel Raithburn, readying to perform her "gift of seeing." On the floor above, her lover, the magician Tonio de Aldo, was also readying his performance -an accompanying act of revenge. Now as we rejoin our story, we find Jancy's childhood friend and protectorate, Chester Cronklin, along with his boss, Professor Jordan, slipping into the back kitchen door to check out Colonel Raithburn's Christmas festivities...and more.

* * *

The kitchen was in a stew. The area was clogged with dozens of kitchen blacks, turbaned in white, working feverishly-cooking, boiling, simmering. Everyone was so busy preparing dinner that the two men who had just tumbled in went unnoticed. As he moved past the pots and pans, Chester's eye roamed over the two entrees, the canvas-backed ducks and the live lobsters. The ducks were having their bottoms stuffed with wild celery while the lobsters were having theirs dumped into boiling water. But it was the trays of seafood appetizers that fixed the Professor's attention. Next to the assortment of fish treats was a single blue-stemmed wine glass, sitting on a separate tray. Next to it was a small jar of spiny sea urchins.

"A species that does not appeal to me," noted the Professor.

Chester could hardly hear the Professor's remarks over the whistling of the gas jets, the clicking of china, and the rattle of silver. Moving to a quieter spot, Jancy's would-be hero was fortunate to find a black boy cracking a large block of ice. The young servant offered Chester a wet rag to wipe the white quicklime from his boots. While Chester was removing his "war wounds," the Professor was sneaking a peek through a serving door into the immense main room with its great high windows and glass turned violet with age.

Some of the partiers had stopped dancing and were now busy looking at a trophy Major Raithburn had put on display. The items which once belonged to a Confederate soldier were being passed from guest to guest, fingers running over the gold braid of the man's jacket, his hat with its great feather passing from head to head as the Major proudly produced the man's saber. "Virginia cavalry, A casualty from the Battle of Fredericksburg, two weeks ago. Killed while protecting the right flank of Stonewall Jackson against our Union forces."

Then Jancy refocused the group's attention by planting herself in the middle of the guests, causing a shudder of awe to run through the

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