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What debt does my father owe him?
Will the debt ever be repaid?
And what must I do to repay him?
These questi
ons whirl around in my head, threatening to overtake me. Forwal seems to notice my sudden distress, because he pulls me close to himself and holds me tightly, quietly, for a long minute.
Eventually, my breathing slows, and I calm down. I’m okay. I’m fine. Everything is going to be all right.
“Evelyn,” he says slowly, but I shake my head.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine,” he lifts my chin with one finger and looks at me. His eyes search mine, and he finally sighs. “I wish I could tell you that you’re safe here,” he whispers. He doesn’t finish the sentence. He doesn’t have to.
We both know I’m not safe.
I won’t ever be safe again.
After a minute, he releases me from his hold and guides me deeper into the mansion. He opens the door to a new room and motions for me to go in. I hesitate for just a second, but then I steel myself. It can’t be as bad as the dungeon room. It just can’t be. I walk ahead and what I see takes my breath away.
A library.
He’s got a library.
I turn around and look at him.
“How?”
“How what?”
“You have so many books in here. Have you read them all?”
“Not all of them. Quite a few. I have a lifetime to work on them, though. Go ahead,” he motions toward a chair and I go take a seat. He plucks a book from a shelf and carries it to me. “Have you read this one?”
“No.”
“Read it,” he says. “I’ll return for you in an hour.”
He leaves the room and closes the door. For a minute, I think I’ll be free to roam the mansion, but then I hear the click of the door locking, and I am a prisoner once more.
Chapter 7
Forwal returns for me later. I don’t have a timepiece, so I have no way of telling exactly how long it took for him to come back. I do know that I read four chapters of the story. At one point, someone dropped off food for me, which I instantly devoured. Apparently, being kidnapped hasn’t doused my appetite.
“Interesting?” Forwal nods toward the book.
I hold it up to him. “Yes. Very.”
“Which part are you at?”
“The part with the sailor,” I chuckle quietly. “And the monkey.”
“Ah, yes,” Forwal smiles slightly, and I realize he’s not only read this book before, but also enjoyed it. Is this one of his favorites? Is this his way of letting me into his life a little bit?
Just as instantly as his smile appeared, it vanishes, and he takes me by the arm.
