The Demi-Monde: Summer Read Online Free

small circular medallion that he had hung around his neck on a silver chain. ‘This shows that you’ve bin saved from addiction.’ He leant across the table so that Oddie could get a better look.
    The medallion was a simple affair with a Valknut – the emblem of the Fun/Funs – embossed on one side and a symbol of a hand embossed on the other. ‘What’s with the hand?’
    ‘It shows that Jesus has held out his loving hand to you and you’ve had the courage to grasp it. We’re told that we’re never to take it off.’
    As she peered at the medallion, Oddie was suddenly conscious that her face was only inches from Burl’s. ‘I’m sorry I’ve caused you so much trouble, Burl.’
    Burl’s big blue eyes blinked. ‘Don’t matter … I like you.’
    ‘I like you too, Burl,’ and with that she dipped her head forward and kissed him.

2
Venice
The Demi-Monde: 1st Day of Summer, 1005

    Copy of PigeonGram message sent by Josephine Baker, 1st day of Summer, 1005
    Senior Prelate de Sade, the Supreme Head of the Church of IMmanualism, gazed out over the crowd packed into the Sala, a crowd comprising the haute-monde of Venice, all of them waiting expectantly – reverently, almost – for the newly crowned Doge IMmanual to speak. With great difficulty de Sade stifled a smug smile of satisfaction: these, after all, were the same bastards who just a few months ago had reviled him, ridiculed him and voted for him to be exiled from Venice. But now …
    Now he was the second-most important person in the whole of Venice, outranked only by Her Most Reverend Excellency,Doge IMmanual I. Now all these arrogant swine had to bend their knee to him.
    When the death of Doge Catherine-Sophia had been announced there had never been any doubt as to who would ascend the throne: the people wouldn’t have accepted anyone other than the Lady IMmanual, not after the Miracle of the Canal. Recognising inevitability when they saw it, the Council of Ten had hurried through the paperwork and now, less than twelve hours after the death of the previous incumbent, Doge IMmanual was firmly in control of Venice.
    De Sade turned and bowed to the new Doge, signalling that it was time for her to address the crowd.
    The girl rose to her feet and stepped towards the front of the stage. In acknowledgement of the importance of the occasion she had chosen to wear a diaphanous silver robe that showed off her wonderful body –
all
her wonderful body – in a quite splendid fashion. She was an ineffably beautiful woman and one accomplished in the arts of fiduciary sex, so much so that her audience gazed at her enraptured, ensnared by her beauty.
    ‘All-powerful ABBA,’ Doge IMmanual called out in a firm and commanding voice, ‘I pray that you will give me the strength and the courage to guide the people of Venice and of the Demi-Monde to Rapture and to victory over the Beast. With this ring,’ and here she took a large golden ring from where it lay on a cushion offered to her by a pageboy and placed it on the middle finger of her left hand, ‘I wed the CitiZens of Venice to the Word of ABBA and to the Truth of IMmanualism.’
    A choir of castrati began to trill away behind the Lady, which, de Sade decided, was, in retrospect, over-egging the ceremonial pudding.
    ‘Members of the Council of Ten, delegates of the Grand Assembly, Patricians of Venice, my lords, ladies and gentlemen, some of you doubted that I have been sent by ABBA to lead thepeople of the Demi-Monde, but now let there be no doubt. You have asked for a miracle, and I have granted you a miracle. I pledged that Venice would be kept safe from the ravages of the ForthRight, and I have kept Venice safe. The time of doubt and dissension is over: I am the Messiah. Know that any defiance of the Word of ABBA and the teachings of IMmanualism is a device of the Beast by which he spreads mistrust and confusion. Such defiance can no longer be tolerated. Mark this: those who are not with me, body and soul,