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110
First thing I notice is his nose isn’t broken.
It’s then that I realize that also means he has no recollection of our prior meeting.
Because my arrival was timed two hours earlier than my last visit, as far as the groundskeeper is concerned, this is the first time he’s seen me.
I shoot him an indignant look, and in a chirp of warbled French, I warn him in no uncertain terms that he cannot speak to me in that tone.
It’s only after my show of bravado that I notice my stockings and shoes are draped over his shoulder, and while his left hand holds the golden sphere he must’ve seized while I was lost in the vision, his right hand wields a dagger I soon recognize as my own. Next thing I know, he’s pressing it fast to my throat.
“You take what does not belong to you,” he says, his French so rapid, it’s a moment before I can translate. He slips the sun into a small leather pouch he wears tied at his waist, then angles the tip of my blade until it nearly pierces my flesh.
The same blade I’d foolishly left on top of my shoes in a misguided attempt to keep the holster from getting wet. A ridiculously rookie move if there ever was one.
“You have no business here,” the man whispers bitterly into my ear, as he yanks hard on my wrist and pins my body tightly to his. “And now, you will learn what happens to thieves at this court.”
He’s barely finished the threat before he starts dragging me away, and though I struggle with all my might to break free, my efforts are wasted. This man holds the unfair advantage of being five times my size and possessing three times my strength.
The soles of my bare feet scrape along the gravel, while the sopping skirts of my gown cling to legs now rendered so numb, they feel as though they belong to somebody else.
When we reach theParterre D’eauand a crowd of gowned and masked revelers turn to stare, I can’t believe my good luck, knowing that soon, this will be over.
I mean, yes, my hair is a halo of frizz, and I don’t need a mirror to know my dress is a catastrophe, but surely they can see past the tragic exterior to the quality of my carriage, the gleam of my jewels, the requisite trappings of wealth meant to convey my rightful place here.
Surely, once they take note of my well-practiced air of breeding and refinement, the only logical conclusion they can possibly draw is that I’m a poor misunderstood noble who’s had the misfortune of running afoul of an irrational groundskeeper, and I require their immediate help.
But as I watch their heads bob together, rouged lips tipping with laughter, I remember that no matter which class I appear to belong in, as a female in this place and time, I am completely devoid of all rights.
To their unseasoned eyes, this angry, indignant groundskeeper must have a good reason for dragging me through the night toward a destination known only to him. Clearly, I must’ve done something egregious to deserve such treatment. So why would they bother to step in?
The realization slams through me as the truth of my situation kicks in. To them, I’m just another addition to the night’s entertainment, along with all the jugglers, acrobats, fire-eaters, and musicians. And if I don’t find a way out of this mess, it’s just a matter of time before the portal shuts down, I cross my own timeline, and I cease to exist.
Cease. To. Exist.
The idea is terrifying enough, but it can’t actually be true—can it?
I mean, how can a person just…stop…being?
Just…vanishas though they never existed?
A jarring shudder passes through me, and I know it’s got less to do with the frigid night air, and everything to do with the tidal wave of nausea now rolling up my belly, leaving me gagging, choking on a bitter stream of bile swirling its way up my throat.
I need to find a way out of here—a way to break free.
I need to—
I thrust my body hard against the groundskeeper, jamming my shoulder into his arm. But he doesn’t so much as grunt. He just tightens his grip on my elbow and continues to lug me along.
But my right arm is free, and I lift it toward my mask, my fingers discreetly tapping the side, needing to know just how much time I have left, only to be met with blank space where the green arrow and the countdown clock should appear.
I tap it again, firmer this time, but the result is the same.
No green arrow.
No countdown.
Nothing but blackness in the space where the way out should appear.
