Chapter 18 #3
An auburn-haired girl in gold materialized at Julian's elbow a moment later, her fingers trailing up his arm. “Want some company, sir?” she purred.
Julian's response was immediate. “Not tonight.”
The girl pouted but drifted away. Julian still didn’t move. Just stood there like a barrier between me and the rest of the chamber, his back to me as if he'd simply stopped to survey the room while he enjoyed his whiskey.
As long as he stood there, I remained invisible to the rest of the men in the space. I had to wonder: was this intentional? Had he somehow recognized me and decided to protect me? Or was I reading too much into a total coincidence?
I didn't have much time to analyze it, because another man started drifting in our direction, his gold mask gleaming in the eerie candlelight. If he got close enough, he might spot me posted up on the wall behind Julian and try to make a move.
I took a careful step to the side, then another, moving along the perimeter. All around me, the celebration continued; laughter, music, the clink of glasses.
Near the back of the chamber, I spotted a narrow wooden door half-hidden behind one of the massive Corinthian columns.
Relief sparked in my chest at the sight.
The service entrance. I’d forgotten about it until now, but it was the perfect place for me to slip into, given that it was designed for staff to enter and exit while attracting as little attention as possible.
I glanced back at Julian.
He was exactly where I'd left him, now engaged in conversation with two other black-masked men. His posture was relaxed, his attention seemingly absorbed by whatever they were discussing. He didn't look at me again. Didn't even glance in my direction.
I turned back to the door and reached for the handle.
It opened without a sound, and I slipped into a narrow stone corridor lit by a single overhead bulb.
My legs felt weak as I hurried down it, my heels clicking against the stone.
I'd have to figure out how to navigate the labyrinth, and then figure out how to get back to the dressing room, grab my clothes and phone, and—
Footsteps suddenly echoed ahead.
I froze, pressing myself against the wall. A figure rounded the corner; one of the black-uniformed staff members carrying a tray laden with champagne flutes. He barely glanced at me as he passed, clearly used to seeing scantily-clad women wandering the estate's back passages.
I took a deep breath. “Excuse me,” I called out. “Could you please help me with something?”
He turned back around. “Bathroom’s that way,” he said with a jerk of his chin, pointing back the way he'd come. “Next to the kitchen.”
“Thanks, but that’s not it,” I said, stepping a little closer. “I need to get out of here, but I don’t know how the labyrinth works, and I can’t ask any of the men back there, because… well… I’m pretty sure I’m not supposed to leave early. So is there any chance you could show me the way up?”
“I would if I could, but I’m not supposed to leave either,” he said, dipping his chin toward the tray in his hand. “These guys pay triple what any bar would, and I really don’t want to lose the gig. Mortgage payments, y’know?”
My heart sank. “I get it. Thanks anyway,” I said, giving him a small wave as I turned away.
“Hold on. I can still help you,” he said.
I whipped back around. “Really?”
“Yeah. The labyrinth is designed to look and feel really confusing, but there's a pattern, and it’s easy. It’s alternate left and right turns the whole way up. Just don't lose count or you'll end up going in circles.”
I blinked. “Seriously? Just left and right on repeat?”
“Yup. I guess it didn’t make sense to build something that members and staff would constantly get lost in,” he said with a wry smile. He jerked his chin toward the end of the passage again. “There’s another entrance to it through there, if you don’t want to go all the way back into the chamber.”
“Thanks so much,” I said, shoulders sagging with relief. “You’re a lifesaver.”
Literally.
“No problem. And don’t worry.” He winked. “I won’t rat you out for leaving early. Us lowbies gotta stick together, right?”
He waved goodbye before continuing down the corridor, and I turned and headed the opposite way. After a few yards, the passage ended at a stone archway. Beyond it, stone steps climbed upward.
The labyrinth.
I took a breath and started climbing, my hand trailing along the cold stone wall for balance.
At the top of the first flight, the passage split.
I took the left corridor, then right at the next junction.
The walls here were carved with the same strange symbols I'd seen below; vines and grapes intertwined with figures that looked half-human, half-beast.
Left. Right. Left. Right.
I lost track of how many turns I made, my sense of direction completely scrambled by the winding passages, but I kept to the pattern, trusting the directions. Gradually, the air began to warm.
The ceiling lowered, the stone walls gave way to plaster, and then, finally, I emerged through a small wooden door into a narrow hallway with papered walls and modern lighting.
I'd made it.
I found my way back to the dressing room and slipped inside. My black cloak lay crumpled under the chair where I'd left it, my phone still wrapped inside the folds. Thank god. I quickly stripped off the gold costume with shaking hands, but when I reached for the mask, I hesitated.
If I walked out of here with my face fully visible, would someone recognize me? Remember me? I'd passed so many staff members already, and while most hadn't given me a second glance, that didn't mean they wouldn't recall me later if questioned.
I decided to keep it on for now. Better to keep some anonymity until I was clear of this place.
I grabbed my phone, slipped it into my jeans pocket, and headed for the door, leaving the cloak behind. Then I stopped, fingertips lingering on the handle.
I’d just recalled the security guard from earlier, who’d escorted me up here and told me to hurry before I missed the ceremony.
If I tried to leave through that same side entrance and head back to the tunnel, would he still be patrolling that whole area?
Would he spot me again and demand to know why I was leaving so early?
And what about the other armed guards posted at the main doors? If I tried to exit through there instead, would they stop me and question who I was and why I was leaving? Or would they just let me go without a word?
Doubtful.
My mouth went dry as I considered the risk.
I’d been caught sneaking around earlier and gotten away with it, but that was incredibly lucky.
In fact, it was improbably lucky. So if it happened again, I seriously doubted I'd be able to talk my way out of it.
And if they decided to verify my story… definitely not.
I needed a reason to leave that wouldn't raise suspicion.
It occurred to me that the staff here had been surprisingly helpful so far. The waiter downstairs had given me directions for the labyrinth without asking questions, and he’d treated me like I belonged here.
So maybe that was the key: act like I had a legitimate reason to leave, and ask someone who wouldn't care enough to verify my story.
Most of the staff were probably like that waiter; just trying to get through their shifts and collect their paychecks.
And unlike the guards, they probably weren't invested in policing every person who wandered these halls.
I poked my head into the corridor, looking both ways. Empty. Most of the staff had likely cleared out, given the late hour. But as I moved down the hallway, I spotted a woman in a maid's uniform emerging from one of the rooms, her arms full of crumpled linens.
I approached quickly, lowering my mask so she could see the friendly, innocent expression I’d pasted on my face. “Excuse me. I'm so sorry to bother you, but I wanted to ask you something.”
She looked up. “Yes?”
“I was supposed to be working in the ceremonial chamber all night,” I said, letting a note of distress creep into my voice as I gestured to my mask.
“But I just got a text from my family. My brother’s in the hospital, so I need to leave right away.
But I couldn’t find my boss to let them know, and I don't want to walk out without telling anyone and have security think I'm sneaking around for some reason. So can you tell me the quickest way out of here? And maybe let someone know I had to go?”