Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 61872 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61872 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Breakfast has still not arrived when I head back into the bedroom. The door is locked, but a few tries with a straightened hairpin takes care of it. My mother tried to control me with locked doors, too.
I creep into the hall. The air is cool on my mostly bare skin.
Any minute now someone might come up with breakfast, so I left the bathroom door shut with the lights on and fans blowing inside. Maybe it'll fool them for a little bit. But probably not for long with these trackers on my wrists. Gabriel probably can look me up and see where I'm going. So I better hurry.
I don’t have a plan of escape. The key, I think, will be getting Gabriel to make a mistake. So far Mr. Control Freak hasn’t let down his guard with me. The closest he came was letting me give him a blowjob while I was in the cage. And even that he controlled as much as possible.
Time to turn his life upside down. First item of business: get some clothes. Second item of business: create mayhem. And, if possible, escape.
I follow the winding hall until I find the suit of armor that was my landmark before. The window is sealed shut, and a grate of iron bars cover the outside. Gabriel works fast. He must have an army of servants to keep this castle running. Or robots. Or both.
Out of the corner of my eye, a lick of fire seems to dance on a doorknob. When I turn, it’s disappeared, but I know better than to ignore my instinct’s nudges. I slip over and pick the lock.
The door swings open before me, and a light blinks on. The scent of mothballs reaches me. I'm in a parlor sort of room bookended with two floor-to-ceiling gilt-framed mirrors. The space is filled with racks and racks of clothes.
I grab the closest thing to me, a red and gold robe a lot like the one Gabriel was wearing last night. It makes sense that he has a few of these to lounge in when he's not wearing his Brioni suits. The robe reaches my ankles, and I have to roll up the sleeves, but when I tie the sash as tight as I can around me, I look pretty good.
Time for the next phase of the plan. Create mayhem? Or more exploring to find some food? I’m not going back to my bedroom. My stomach rumbles, giving its opinion.
I need to keep moving.
When I step out of the bedroom, there’s an amber glow at the end of the hall. Not coming from a lamp or any light source. This is another sign. I don’t hesitate, I head towards the light, following it down a long hall to where it forks, and choose which way to go by following the light again. One thing I’ve learned from being cooped up in this castle: don’t ignore my psychic gifts. I’ve never been so quick to follow my visions or intuition before.
The glow leads me down a stone staircase and up another. I’m in a different part of the castle. The air is colder. The carpet, older and faded. After one turn, the modern molding and drywall disappear, leaving only the stone pavers and exposed wooden beams of the original castle. Medieval shabby chic. The hall twists and turns, intersecting with others like a maze.
My vision better lead me back the way I came; otherwise, I’m going to be lost.
I round a corner and the glow has disappeared.
Well, fuck.
I’m in a long, drafty hall. The only buffer from the chilly stone walls is a huge red and gold tapestry, unfolding in stages. There have been plenty of tapestries at the auctions I’ve attended, but this one is the oldest and most well preserved specimen I’ve seen. Each panel tells a story. To the left, where the colors are most faded, is a forest scene with all sorts of animals. A lion, a lamb, a faun, a unicorn, all clustered around a huge golden egg.
The story continues left to right. In the next panel, yellow shards of the egg lie around a tiny red lizard-like figure. The fauns and unicorns and rest of the creatures are cavorting around the baby dragon. There are a few panels documenting the red dragon’s growth, culminating with him on top of a mountain, blowing a plume of fire into a blue sky. His red scales have a touch of gold thread. More gold thread lines the bottom of the tapestry panel, depicting piles of gold.
Hello, Gabriel.
The central panel is a portrait of Gabriel. Dark hair, short beard, long red and gold robe like the one I’m wearing. Gold thread for his eyes. In his left hand is a book, and in his right, he holds golden scales. A wise and learned rich guy.