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“Both.”
“Everything is delivered, so we can’t leave the castle, but we can leave the apartments. We have our own cafes and meet up spots with servants of other houses. We put together events and have a lot of fun; you’ll love it here!”
Great, I knew I wouldn’t be able to count on her for help. But she did say they deliver everything. I wondered if I could find a way out from that piece of information.
She led me from the servant’s wing and throughout the main rooms until we reached the kitchen. This place was massive and airy. The streams of golden light penetrating the windows reminded me of the forest homes on Vanir. I missed the placealready, nearly homesick to the core. Nothing had gone right since I got here, just one dreary shit show after the next with the gloomy weather to match. I loved the city, but that wasn’t enough. I wanted to swim in the warm blue-green waters and explore its depths for the lost tech left behind.
“Something smells good,” I said, breathing in the savory aroma in the kitchen. Zane, the handsome male servant from before, stirred a small pot of food and poured the contents into a clean bowl which he promptly covered with one of those fancy dome thingies.
“The master is ill tonight, so there won’t be much to do on your first day,” Hannah said, picking up the tray and handing it to me. “So that you don’t feel we made you dress up for no reason, you can take the Master his meal. Soon we’ll get back into the groove of things.”
Seeing him again so soon was not something I wanted to do. I was afraid of losing control of myself. There was a powerful force pulling me to him, wanting to be comforted in his massive powerful arms, but I guess I had no choice. That nervous jolt ran through me again, and I wanted to drop this damn tray and make a run for it, but I doubt I would get very far in this colorful get up. Just be patient, you idiot.
It then occurred to me that this is food meant for a titan. Just what the hell did they eat? The thought of him chomping on a bowl full of blood and guts was enough to make me feel a bout of nausea coming my way. “Um…what is this? People? Please don’t say, people.”
Zane laughed. “I thought the same when I was a kid.”
“I thought they ate kids!” Hannah chuckled.
“It’s meat. He eats a lot of it. The other servants have said the same. Meat makes up the bulk of the diet, and you cook it like anything else. He also likes his vegetables lightly steamed and some fruits. This is a light meal, a vegetable stew. Still, Itook care not to overcook the vegetables. They have a different idea of overcooked to us. They prefer them practically raw, so it’s steamed enough for a crisp bite. The broth contains no salt, and we have cooled it to keep from cooking the veggies in the bowl. The drink is a hot apple cider. If you’re a good cook and can remember most of this, then you could end up with the easiest job in the house.”
“Well, I do like to cook,” I said, hoping to get this job rather than cleaning up behind someone. Not that I planned to remain here, anyway.
“Go on, take it up, and make a good impression.”
“I think the time for first impressions are over.” I groaned once again, reminded of what happened earlier. “Where do I go?”
“I didn’t have time to show you the upstairs rooms. The Master’s room is at the end of the hall. You can’t miss it.”
Careful not to spill the tray, I headed upstairs. The hallway stretched out before me, long and spacious, decorated so splendidly. The walls were paneled in rich, dark wood, intricately carved with swirling floral patterns. Thick burgundy carpets ran the length of the hall, muffling the sound of my footfalls. Every few feet, golden electrical sconces protruded from the walls, housing candles that filled the space with a warm, artificial flickering light.
Massive portraits in gilded frames lined both sides of the hallway, depicting titan nobility, men and women with haughty expressions. Beneath the portraits, side tables held vases of freshly cut flowers, perfuming the air with their delicate fragrance.
A chandelier of crystal and gold dominated the ceiling at the landing, casting a cascade of rainbow prisms across the walls.
It felt as though I had stepped into a fairy tale, surrounded by beauty and opulence at every turn. As I made my way down thatlavish corridor, I felt like I was in the court of some great king. A far cry from the dirt and muck of the lower levels.
At the very end of the hall was a massive doorway. ‘She was right, I couldn’t miss it even if I wanted to.
I passed what looked like a large bathroom, but the door was cracked so I could only make out bits and pieces of the interior as I walked by. The door to the next room was also cracked opened enough so that I could see that it looked almost like a dance studio with what looked like sheer curtains inside. Curiosity took over as I sat down the heavy tray on a small table in the hall and pushed open the door.
Like the area downstairs, the room was white marbled, but the soft rugs were red and gold, along with the sheer curtains hung from the high ceiling lining the circular floor beds. Pillows that looked like they came out of a bohemian desert. Vanity dressers lined the far side of the wall, but I saw no make-up or combs or anything else I would imagine would fill this furniture. There were a few walk-in closets, but they too were empty and waiting for the clothes that would fill it. This most certainly was not a dance studio.
What the hell was this place? Or, more importantly, did those windows open?!
I ran over to the windows, but there were no handles to pull them open. I could see the city landscape outside, the black smoke billowing from the distant factory levels, the wild sea, and the people passing by like small dots on a map.
There has to be a way out there just has to be! I moved the curtains and checked along the corners and saw a small box attached from the wall to the window with hinges. Seems like I could unscrew the panel if I had a screw. Maybe the fork could do it. I wasn’t as good of a hacker as my dad, but he taught me a thing or two. If I could cross the wires, then perhaps I could…
“I didn’t know dwarves could fly.”
The voice was enough to seize me in place; it was like I turned to stone right then and there. I didn’t want to turn around and face the owner of that resonant voice, but I couldn’t stare outside forever. He caught me, no doubt about it, and I felt the fool for having acted so recklessly!
He stood in the doorway, dressed in a clean red and gold trimmed robe. He must be in love with the color. His hair was dry and hung loose and draping over his shoulder. I wanted to run my fingers in it.
“How fitting you would run to this room. Do you know what this area is?”
“I got lost,” I said, walking toward him, my head coming to his crotch.
