Page 37 of Semper
“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.
Maybe she would’ve found a way to charm her way into every room, spinning webs of her own. Or maybe she would’ve fought it harder than I ever had. I wasn’t sure. But I knew one thing for certain—she wouldn’t have been as trapped as I was.
That thought made the guilt twist in my gut even more.
Keres must’ve seen the shift in my expression because she leaned in slightly, her voice softer. “You know I’m always ready to be a sounding board, right? You can talk to me if you ever need to get something off your chest.”
Before I could respond, Esther, who had been busy at the other end of the boutique, suddenly chimed in, her tone light but her ears clearly tuned in. “Same goes for me, Lo. You can talk to me about anything. My lips are sealed.”
I forced a smile, my hands tightening slightly on the hem of the dress I’d been pretending to admire. I didn’t believe her for a second. Esther was many things, but a confidante who wouldn’t run straight to Alexander? That wasn’t one of them.
"Thanks," I replied to them both, keeping my tone light.
Keres gave me a look, something that told me she understood more than she let on, before shrugging playfully and turning her attention back to the racks of clothes. Pandora stood beside a display of jewelry, her fingers lightly grazing a few pieces as Nanno described the colors to her.
I couldn’t help but notice how peaceful she seemed as if she’d been living like this her whole life—navigating without sight, but never appearing lost. As we stepped out of a shop and onto the sidewalk, a woman suddenly rushed out of a nearby storefront and headed right toward us, her face flustered. She quickly composed herself, aware of the tourists, but it was clear something was wrong.
“You need to get to the Delacroix residence,” she said urgently, her voice low. “They need the closest hands.”
Esther stepped forward, a frown forming on her face. “What’s happened?”