Take the door on the right

After placing his ear to the door on his right and hearing nothing from within, he quickly ducks inside. To his relief, he finds a small bedroom that is unoccupied.

Taking a deep breath, he looks around and sees a wash basin and towel. He gratefully splashes cold water on his sooty face and scrubs it until his normal features look back at him from the mirror. He dries himself off with the towel and is just about to sit down and catch his breath when he hears the sound of footsteps approaching from the hallway. With only seconds to act, he throws himself on the floor and scoots under the bed, crawling as far against the wall as possible. He settles into place just as the door opens. He sees two pair of feet enter the room and the door close behind them.

“We will be able to talk in here, Xabar.” The feminine voice is in a whisper, and although Alex cannot see the face of the speaker, it is easy to determine that it comes from the owner of the smaller set of feet.

“Talking wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.” The male voice sounds like it comes from someone Alex’s age. He sees the male feet step close to the woman, resulting in her stepping back, regaining some distance.

“No, Xabar... We really must talk.” The female voice sounds urgent. “You told me your treatment would work, but....”

Xabar’s feet again close the distance to the woman. The two take a few steps to the side, and for a moment, Alex is able to see the other occupants of the room as their reflections appear in the mirror that is barely visible from Alex’s vantage point. As he suspected, Xabar is a young man. He has black hair, and even in the brief moment in which he is visible, Alex discerns an expression on Xabar’s face that radiates deceitfulness. He is speaking to a young woman with dirty-blonde hair. Her face is troubled, yet it retains a certain hopeful naivety. Their images are visible for just a moment, because Xabar guides her out of the range of the mirror. Seconds later the feet are directly in front of Alex as they both sit on the edge of the bed. Alex hears the bed frame creak and sees the mattress sag directly above him.

“Laura, you mustn’t trouble yourself,” Xabar says in a syrupy voice. “Sometimes it takes longer to work, and occasionally it requires multiple treatments.”

Laura’s voice sounds uncertain. “I know that. It just seems hard to believe that my virginity could be restored; I had never heard of anything like that before.”

“And that, my dear, is exactly why it was a fortunate day when you stumbled across a genuine wizard like me,” says Xabar.

“And you are sure you prepared the treatment properly?”

“I am certain of it. The ancient runes are quite clear that the virtue of a deflowered maiden may be restored by drinking juice of the purple grape that has been enchanted with the Spell of Refloration and then making love to a man who has yet to experience the pleasures of the flesh. You procured that exquisite bottle of red wine from the headmistress’s private inventory, and I said the spell exactly as it was written. And then we....” His voice trails off, but Alex can tell from the shifting of the mattress and the giggle from Laura that Xabar has leaned toward her and made some kind of intimate physical contact.

“Yes, I remember,” she says. “And how fortunate I was to have encountered you when I did. I am to be wed in less than a fortnight, and if my beloved were to suspect that I have been with other men....”

“Trust me,” says Xabar, scooting toward Laura until there is no space between them. “Your new husband will find a nicely-restored maidenhead on your wedding night, ready to be attacked and conquered with husbandly pride.”

Laura’s squirms and giggles suggests Xabar’s hands are busily at work.

“But that’s why I sent word to you to meet me tonight. It has been a week since we — Well, since your treatment of me. And it still has not worked.”

“Hmmm.... Are you certain? Perhaps I should make an inspection and see....”

One of Xabar’s feet lift off the floor as he leans over Laura. Apparently she pushes him back; within seconds, his foot returns to where it was.

“Believe me, Xabar, I have checked. What am I to do? Are you certain you were a virgin when we were together? You seemed so confident — so much unlike what I have come to expect from a boy when it is his first time.”

“That is only because of your tender and understanding touch, my dear,” cooed Xabar. “And because my motivation was purely to help you — not because of any personal agenda. That’s part of my training as a wizard, you understand. As pleasurable as the experience surely was, I was merely acting in a professional capacity. I am just thankful that I was able to serve you in your hour of need.”

From under the bed, Alex rolls his eyes. “Is this girl really so dumb that she believes a word of this? If she is this naive, it’s no wonder that she lost her virginity, and it probably happened the very first time she was alone with a boy.” He imagines the scene. “Here, Laura, try sucking on this... It tastes like candy!”

Before he can imagine the scenario further, Laura speaks again. “So why have I not yet had my virginity restored, Xabar?”

“As I told you, sometimes it takes a while longer, but the best way to speed up the process is for you to have another treatment.”

“Another treatment? Surely not with you, though? You are no longer a virgin.”

“Ah, but that’s the beauty of this magic, my dear,” says Xabar. “Since I performed this service with the noblest of intentions, it does not count against me. I am still a virgin.”

“Surely not!”

“I promise you upon the grave of my dear father that I am just as pure today as I was when our bodies first came together.”

“I thought your father was the chancellor of Häzadertroth’s Academy,” says Laura, suspiciously.

“I’m adopted,” came the immediate response. “The dear man took me into his home after my father was killed by a fierce dragon while defending a princess from its razor-sharp teeth.

His foot again lifts off the floor as he leans over the young woman. This time she does not push him back.

“But we have no wine,” she says.

“Not to worry. I happen to have this flask with me.” Alex hears the sound of fumbling and something being withdrawn from a pocket. He hears Laura take a sip before coughing and sputtering.

“This tastes like whiskey; I thought it needed to be the juice of a grape.”

“It’s close enough,” says Xabar, kicking off his shoes and flipping over so that his body is on top of Laura’s. Alex sees the hem of her dress disappear upward over the edge of the bed as the young man’s hands slip under her clothing.

“And the spell?” she asks, as her breathing begins to speed up.

“Right... Um... OK... Oh, Aphrodite, we call on your power; To allow my hard member to restore this girl’s flower.”

“Oh, that’s so beautiful, Xabar!”

Alex nearly groans in disgust as their conversation gives way to the sounds of lips and tongues making and breaking suction with flesh. After a few moments, he is treated to the sight of articles of clothing landing on the floor beside the bed. The creaking of the bed increases, and the sag of the mattress shifts until Alex has to scoot even further back to avoid getting squashed.

The sounds of passion above him tell Alex that the couple is as distracted now as they are likely to ever be. If there was ever a time to try to sneak out, this would be it.