Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 127933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
When we arrived at the town and stepped out of the car, Esther’s bubbly energy seemed to return in full force. She looped her arm through mine as we walked down the cobblestone streets, her laughter light and infectious. It was easy to get swept up in, especially after that car ride. We made our way down a sidewalk and entered the same bakery I had visited before, its warm, inviting smell of fresh bread and pastries immediately wrapping around us. Inside, Keres and Pandora were already seated at a table.
Pandora wore her signature blindfold, a soft cream that matched her dress, while Keres was leaning back in her chair, her usual easy grin plastered across her face. Beside them were their servitors, Drita and Nanno, each quietly observing the room.
“Finally! Thought you two were ditching us,” Drita joked, her accent thick. She greeted us with a playful wink to show it was all wholesome fun. Her long dreads were tied back in a tidy ponytail, and she was dressed in a way that showed she was of lower status, her dress a muted color much like Nanno.’
“Never,” Esther laughed, her mock-serious expression doing little to hide the warmth in her eyes. “Besides, our Sponsa Diaboli needed a breath of fresh air.”
I kept my face neutral at the shift in title. I wasn’t surprised. Esther was always the first to ensure that, in the eyes of the Isle, I was addressed correctly. I felt the weight of the title more with each passing day, a reminder of what I was becoming.
Pandora, though her eyes were hidden behind the familiar blindfold, tilted her face toward me, offering a gentle smile. “How are you feeling today?”
“I’m better now that I’ve had a moment to breathe,” I replied, slipping into the seat beside her. “How about you?”
“That’s good to hear,” she said, her voice as soothing as ever while Nanno silently poured her a fresh cup of tea. “I’ve been taking things one day at a time.”
For the next hour, we sat together in the bakery, the conversation flowing easily.
It was too normal, a stark contrast to the weight of the Isle’s dark rituals looming over us. Yet, in that moment, it was comforting. The tourists passing by barely registered, their curious glances becoming little more than a distant hum in the background. We simply existed, suspended in this rare moment of calm.
Keres, Pandora, and I exchanged idle chatter, their servitors and Esther hovering nearby to join in, always attentive. As I sipped my iced Frappuccino, a tinge of curiosity gnawed at me. The way Pandora moved, her calm demeanor—there was something more beneath the surface. Her connection to the man in the deer mask—Phoenix—seemed too easy, too seamless. It made me wonder how she fit into this world.
Pandora.
Phoenix.
The names aligned in my head; their connection was obvious once I thought about it. Could they be…?
No that couldn’t be the case. Pandora was brought here the same way Keres and I were. Then again, her past could be just as murky as mine. I shook the thought away, trying not to dwell on it. I wasn’t going there. Keres caught my eye and gave me a look as if to ask, “Are you good?”
I gave her a smile as if to say, “Yeah,” but k she knew better. She understood we couldn’t speak openly where we were, if ever. That meant keeping all the heavy stuff to ourselves. Our other option was to confide in the men we belonged to. I wasn’t sure what that looked like for her. Her presence was a puzzle I couldn’t quite piece together, even less so than my own connection to the Isle. She didn’t seem like the type to bend easily to anyone’s will, and yet she was here, tied to this place just like the rest of us.
It made me question if anyone ever really escaped the Isle’s grasp.
After our coffee, we moved from shop to shop, winding up lingering in a boutique. The air smelled faintly of lavender and leather; racks of clothes spaced out like art displays. Keres picked up a jacket, inspecting it with a raised brow.
Esther reminded me that whatever I wanted could be sent back to the estate with just a word. Keres couldn’t resist making light of it.
“Look at you, living the high life. Rich and so humble about it.”
I forced a smile, but the joke tugged at something deep inside me. Rich. The word felt foreign, almost laughable when I thought about how far I’d come from the life I once knew. I couldn't help but think of Anya. If our positions were switched, would she have thrived in this world?
She had always seemed adaptable, like she could fit in anywhere she wanted to. But the Isle was different. It wasn’t fitting in—it was about survival. Could she have survived this? I wondered if she would embrace the wealth, the luxury, and the dark, twisted allure that came with it.