AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Dad clapped his hands.
“Now that everyone is finally present, we should get going quickly. Stephan is already waiting with the limousine.”
Chris gallantly offered me his arm, and I was very grateful to him for that. My body had yet to entirely get used to the shoes.
Together, we walked out of the house behind the others.
"Always stay close to me," he whispered, barely audible. "If anything goes wrong, Aspasia and Alex will await us."
“Did you find the entrance to the tunnel?” I whispered back. My brother nodded inconspicuously.
Relieved, I smiled at him.
“I’d be happy to spend the evening with you.” I winked at him. His grin was that of my older brother at the time of our childhood. The boy with whom I had experienced so many adventures back then.
All the other family members had already entered the limousine, and Chris followed them into the car's spacious interior. Stephan was standing next to the car door. His cold gaze slid once up my dress and back down again. It wasn't one of those looks that made you feel like you were being undressed. On the contrary, it was one of admiration.
"You look especially beautiful tonight, Miss," he murmured softly, bowing slightly to me.
Surprised, I stared at him and climbed into the limo with Chris' help. What was it with the men? None of them reacted as I had expected. Thoughtfully, I looked down at myself. Maybe the dress was less sensational than I felt it was?
As soon as I was seated, Stephan started the engine. An oppressive silence spread across the back seats. Everyone stared anxiously ahead. Even Rick, who was no longer chewing, could see his concern. Anne nervously fiddled with her dress, and my father pulled uncomfortably at his shirt collar.
Fortunately, the trip to the Metropolitan Museum was a very short one. Otherwise, I would still have lost my heart in the prevailing mood.
Stephan drove up to the entrance. Like last time, the building was festively decorated. Only this time, much more effort had been put into it. The outside of the monument was illuminated by green light. The color of the coat of arms of the Brotherhood.Green like the hope they believed themselves to be. To the right and left of the entrance stood giant statues. Knights, in addition to shields with the familiar coat of arms, also carried swords representing the symbol of divine omnipotence and God's wrath in the Old Testament.
To make matters worse, one had to walk past seven bowls in which a fire was burning. Seven bowls like those of the wrath of God from the Revelation of John.
The Brotherhood used every moment to remind us of the apocalyptic Scriptures. Of those words that were meant to excuse their own deeds. Even the girls and women were allowed to learn these parts of the Bible.
Chris walked beside me, and Rick briskly closed in on us when we reached the security guards. As expected from me, I lowered my eyes. Surely, all hell was about to break loose. After all, my dress violated all the prevailing laws imposed on women. But strangely enough, they just waved us through to the Great Hall. There, we encountered giant ice sculptures and twins of those which already greeted us outside the building. Their coldness radiated into the entire room, and despite my long sleeves, a chill ran over my whole body.
Just like on my last visit, I felt directly observed as my brother pulled me further into the hall. Uncertainly, I raised my eyes and lifted my gaze to the gallery surrounding the Great Hall like a balcony. But it was empty.
“Come,” Chris whispered nervously.
Aware by now of the many Knights of the Brotherhood who had also been invited to the gala, I pressed a little closer to him. We crossed the hall with the family to join the other guests, spilling out into the various halls.
“We’re assigned to the American Court,” my father explained grimly, leading us around several clusters of people.
Jordy had now taken Anne in his arms as well. Despite their divisiveness, the shared past prevailed today. He pressed her tightly against his body. Anne had gone completely pale and could no longer suppress a slight tremor.
Arriving at the entrance to the hall assigned to us, a waiter met us and escorted us to our table. My father and I looked at each other anxiously when we noticed we were assigned the same hall as last time and the same table, number 13. I deliberately chose a chair where I sat with my back to the door. Not again was such a distraction allowed to draw the attention of the Knights to me.
"We sit in the room with the leading families of New York and the top Knights of the Brotherhood," Rick stated with his eyebrows drawn together.
A waiter came to our table and, without asking, poured champagne into all the glasses. It was clear what tactics were being used this evening. Alcohol made people careless and talkative. Nowhere on the tables were water carafes. Either people drank the alcoholic beverages on offer or dispensed with liquids altogether for the next few hours.
Suddenly, it became so quiet in the hall that I felt everyone could hear my much too-loud heartbeat.
A gentleman stepped up to the microphone on a small platform at the far side of the room.
"Welcome to today's gala in honor of our distinguished visit from the Knights of the Seals. Before introducing our honored guests, I want to say a prayer."
Everyone in the room stood up, and I did the same.
"Praise the Lord, my soul! Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty," the man on stage intoned Psalm 104, one of the most widely used psalms in the Bible by the Brotherhood. The entire company followed his lead, reciting verse by verse by heart.
