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“Stephen, please get the car ready for tonight and drive Myrina to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine for her confession.”
“Of course, sir. But I won’t be finished organizing the household until after dark. I hope that won’t be a problem for Miss Myrina,” the butler objected. Despite my surprise, I kept my eyes lowered to my plate as I dug into my scrambled eggs. Since when did he care if something suited me? He was up to something. Or was he perhaps partly responsible for the attempted kidnapping at the museum?
I had to be as careful around him as I was around Thomas, at least in case he showed up again.
"Well, that's settled then," my father expressed satisfaction and, at that exact moment, engaged Jordy and Rick in a conversation about the latest deliveries to various ports in the city. Chris, who was as uninterested in the subject as I was, took his leave shortly afterward under the pretext that his community needed him.
Since I wasn’t hungry this morning anyway, I asked Dad to let me get up from the table, too, so I could finish my handiwork. It would be a long day before I was finally allowed to descend into the tunnels. I couldn't wait to challenge my body and sweat the handprints of the two men off my skin.
Never again did I want to feel weak and helpless. I would make sure of that.
For Jordy and Rick, the rest of the day was about the weapons they had to get for my training and smuggle them into the underground labyrinth. I knew that, even without it being discussed.
Probably, even with his bland remarks about trade and the current economic situation, Dad secretly gave tips on where the two of them could get the items they needed.
Hoping to run into Aza somewhere, I roamed the various rooms on the first floor until I finally gave up in disappointment, picked up the needlework kit, and spent the rest of the morning embroidering flowers on a handkerchief. I already owned an infinite number of these floral handkerchiefs. They were piling up in the linen closet, and no one was served by one more, but I had to do something, or I would go crazy. This eternal waiting drove me crazy; it was just another form of powerlessness I hated so much. To be able to shape and organize my life myself, this form of self-determination had been taken away from me, as well as from all other women.
Time did not want to move on. The afternoon became even worse, as I could not stand any more wool, needles, and littleflowers, and the garden was the only alternative tostaring in front of me. I wandered aimlessly among the old trees, admired the spring flowers that now shot vigorously from the earth, and watched two squirrels fighting over a nut.
After I had passed the small bench next to the garden door for the tenth time, darkness finally set in, which I now welcomed with open arms. In my room, I slipped into my black church robe, under which I hid my necklace. I braided my hair and then put it up into a practical chignon. This way, no annoying strands could fall into my face during training.
The more the sun gave way, the more excited I became. Dad didn't have time for dinner together, so I sat alone in the dining room with a plate of soup when Stephan told me he had driven the car up and was now ready to take me to the cathedral. Undameable, I put the plate to my lips and drank the rest of the soup in large gulps. Then I jumped up and stood beside the limousine when the butler finally left the house. It was so dark by now that the moon and the first stars were visible on the horizon. The evening air was pleasant, and even in my black dress, which threatened to suffocate me during the day in the sun's scorching heat, it was bearable.
Stephan opened the car door for me, and shortly after, we were driving down 5thAvenue past Central Park toward the Upper West Side and Columbia University.
In front of the cathedral, the butler, sitting silently at the steering wheel the whole way, stopped the vehicle, only to open the car door again the next moment.
“Miss Myrina, I will be waiting for you here,” Stephan informed me as his gaze slid over to the imposing house of worship. With narrowed eyes, he looked at the façade of the main entrance. Surprised, I followed his gaze. This did not fit at all with the image I had of him. The devout spy of the Knightsof the Seals. Or did the stone sculptures from the Revelation of John put him off?
"It's all right, Stephan. I'll be back in two hours." I peered uncertainly up the steps to the large wooden gate, which was closed. It was not a long way, but it cost me a lot of effort to walk it alone after yesterday's incident.
“Of course, I’ll do my duty first and see you to the church gate,” I suddenly heard the butler’s cold voice say. Whether he was doing it out of a sense of duty or perhaps out of some form of humanity, I would have liked to hug him in gratitude.
Undeterred, Stephan climbed the steps of the cathedral. At a distance, I followed him, and despite his company, I felt the cold breath of the monsters lurking everywhere on the back of my neck. Men who took advantage of the new system and lived it out joyfully. Aiming to oppress, humiliate, and ravish women. Before, I had not thought it possible, but man is the cruelest and most dangerous predator that walks the earth—created by a God in his image. Then what does that say about this God?
Suddenly, one of the heavy double doors opened with a groan. My brother Chris appeared in his priestly robe in the doorway and eyed the butler suspiciously, who stopped at the exact moment and, without glancing at me, started going back to the limousine.
“I’ll wait in the car,” he grumbled as he passed.
“Come quickly, Myrina. Even two hours fly by!” Chris said and hurriedly pushed me into the interior of the church. It was unlit except for a few candles, and the shadows of the trees that fell through the high windows were ghostly on the stone floor. A black web of veins ran through the entire building, enclosing it like a net.
Stumbling, I let my brother pull me along. My tension grew the deeper we penetrated the nave. Behind each sinister shadow, I suspected an attacker who wanted to finish what had failed lastnight on behalf of the Knights of the Seals. To kidnap and kill me.
Sweat was already standing on my forehead, and my knees were soft. When we finally reached the confessional where the secret tunnel was hidden, my heart was beating so loudly that I feared it might betray us even through the thick walls.
Silently, Chris thrust a flashlight into my hand and pushed me through the heavy curtain into the darkness. The air in the booth was as oppressive as the burden of sins must be for many of the confessors.
I felt my brother urging me from behind to keep walking. Reluctantly, I took a step forward into the unknown and felt my way along the wall until I discovered the secret passage.
I quickly slipped through, almost dropping the light from my sweaty hand. At the last moment, I could catch it and turn it on. The tunnel system spread before me, and the trepidation gave way to anticipation of the upcoming training. It would also help me to get my fears under control. Full of drive, I ran off, following the small cone of light.
CHAPTER 15
This time, the way to our underground training room seemed much shorter. I waited patiently before the door for Chris to pull out his key and unlock it. But he just grinned mischievously at me, walked past me, and opened the unlocked wooden door without any key.
Oddly enough, the candles were already burning on the table, around which chairs had now been placed. The whole room had changed since my last visit. It had become more homelike. A shelf with books was the first thing that caught my attention. Next to it was a seating area with several armchairs and a sofa. I was inclined to grab one of the books to curl up in the comfortable wing chair in the corner and read. But I didn't have time for that. I was here to work out, and they had stocked up on that, too. Fitness equipment had somehow been moved into the room, and I also discovered a sink that suggested running water. And what was that? A light bulb dangling above the exercise mat. Electric light? How had Chris managed all this on his own?
With an astonished look, I turned to my brother, who, not at all worthy of his priestly robe, was standing there leaning casually against the wall and watching me with a grin.
