Chapter XII.

A Dangerous Rendezvous

"Phoebus, Phoebus, Phoebus," Esmeralda kept repeating as we all walked together back to the Court of Miracles. All the other gypsy girls giggled along with her.

I couldn't believe it. It seemed as though every man in the city wanted something to do with Esmeralda, including myself, and Esmeralda was falling for one of them, even though she was recently married to Pierre. I didn't know Pierre all that well, after all he had only been living with us for a day now, but I felt bad for him. At least when Ramus and Anisa had been married, Anisa hadn't flirted with other men.

"So, what are you going to do about Pierre?" I asked Esmeralda as we walked along.

"Do you have to keep reminding me about him?" she asked.

"Sorry, I'm just trying to prevent you from doing anything that you shouldn't," I muttered. "You know, like cheating on him or something."

"What kind of a person do you take me for?" Esmeralda asked.

I sighed. "Ok, just forget it," I muttered.

As we continued along I couldn't shake off that creepy feeling about Claude Frollo. Being a priest meant that he couldn't be involved with any girl, much less Esmeralda, but he was human, so what would he do if instinct took over? I was about to tell everyone else what Marcel and I had noticed about him, but then I decided that it would only irritate Esmeralda further. I could already tell that she was slightly annoyed by the way I was reacting to her conversation with Phoebus.

"Look," Marcel suggested, "just ignore Esmeralda's love life. It's far more complicated than you need to get involved in. And don't worry, Esmeralda's a smart person, she'll know what to do. Just don't get involved, it'll just make things worse, and more complicated for yourself.

I sighed. Once again, Marcel's annoyingly accurate logic was taking over. But I decided to take his advice.

Later that night, we were all lying around in the sleeping chambers in the Court of Miracles.

"Julian, could you hand me a cup of water?" Anisa asked from her bed. "Ramus went to get us some dinner, but I'm very thirsty."

"No problem," I replied. I was glad I could help her out, because as Anisa's pregnancy wore on, simple tasks became more and more difficult for her, and since Ramus's hands were often full doing things for her, help from the rest of us was often appreciated.

I took the wooden cup from her and headed to the "fountain" that all the gypsies used. It was really a drip pipe that leaked from the city's main water system, but the water was clean, and that was all that mattered.

But as I filled up the cup, a flash of something scurried across my peripheral vision. I looked just in time to see a hooded figure disappear behind a corner, toward the Court of Miracle's entrance. It seemed strangely suspicious.

"Jasmine," I called, "can you give this to Anisa? I have to go check something out really quick."

Anisa nodded and took the cup back to the chamber to give to Anisa.

"Thanks."

I then raced over to the corner to where I had seen the figure disappear. I had a strong feeling that I knew exactly who it was. It was dark, and I couldn't see anything, but the faint sounds of splashing told me exactly what I needed to know.

I followed the sound of the splashing down the tunnel, and eventually it led out of the catacombs, in the cemetery near the river.

It was a moonlit night, I realized as I stepped outside, and in the distance, the purple glow of Notre Dame's rose windows was beaming. I could hear the faint singing of the monks, which was customary every evening.

"Where did she go?" I asked myself. I was fairly sure that it was Esmeralda under the hood and cape. It was dark, but I finally noticed the figure running away from the cemetery, towards the riverbank. As quietly as I could, so as to not be caught following her, I ran after her in hot pursuit.

The hooded figure who I suspected to be Esmeralda raced across the bridge leading onto the ile de la cite, the island in the middle of the Seine that Notre Dame was located on. Why was she going there?

I followed her across the island, but she ran right past the cathedral. Obviously Notre Dame wasn't her destination.

Eventually, she led me past the entire island and onto the other side. From there, she exited on another bridge, leading to the other side of the river. I tried to keep silent even though the puddles of water splashed under my feet.

Finally, after leaving the island and following her down several alleys and through a large plaza, she came to a stop at a small dusky tavern. I waited outside for a few moments, peeping in through the window. Most of the people had already left, and I saw that the she was creeping up the stairs to the upper floor above where everyone drank and ate.

Quietly, I slipped inside. The man who owned the tavern wasn't there, which was probably just as well, and I slowly walked up the stairs. I winced every time the steps creaked under my feet. I knew that I shouldn't be following Esmeralda and that if she found out that I was following her, she would be upset.

The staircase led up to a small hallway with three doors that led into different rooms. I assumed that the tavern owner lived up here, so what was Esmeralda doing? That's when I heard the voices coming from the wall.

"I didn't think you'd come," said a male voice. It sounded familiar, very familiar.

"I didn't think I'd come either," a second voice answered. It was defiantly female, and defiantly Esmeralda. I had been correct about that the whole time. But what was she doing here with another man when she already had a husband back at the Court of Miracles? Something wasn't adding up here.

Slowly, I tiptoed over to the door of the room that the two of them were in. The door was cracked ever so slightly, and I peeked through. There was Esmeralda, with…PHOEBUS! I couldn't believe it!

What are you doing Esmeralda!? I wanted to shout out, but I couldn't say anything, or I'd get into trouble.

The two of them were sitting on the window sill in the room, that overlooked the street below. A shaft of moonlight was flooding into the room, casting bluish white glows on both of them, and making Esmeralda's olive skin a strange turquoise color.

"You look awfully beautiful tonight," Phoebus was saying to her. "Almost as beautiful as you looked dancing in the street this afternoon when I met you."

Esmeralda giggled in a nervous way. "Thank you."

It was disgusting!

It was like a moray eel luring a little fish into the dark cave so it could eat it. Phoebus was the eel, and Esmeralda was the tiny little fish. I wanted to jump in and stop the mess that was just waiting to happen.

Phoebus began to hold Esmeralda closely and kissed her lightly on the forehead, and then on the face, working his way around to her mouth. Esmeralda welcomed it by wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

"Oh, Phoebus," she sighed. "If only we could get married. I'd be so happy. But unfortunately I've been forced into marrying a man I don't even know. I did it only to save his life, but it's you who I love."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at this.

Phoebus just sighed.

"Do you wish we could get married?" Esmeralda asked him.

"What?" Phoebus asked.

"Do you wish we could get married?"

Phoebus paused as if he didn't know what to say, but then answered, "of course not. I'm married. And I love my wife very much. This was just for fun, because you're such a beautiful woman."

"What?" Esmeralda asked, confused. "You mean…oh. Well, in that case, I'd best be on my way."

"Wait, don't just leave like that," Phoebus objected.

Suddenly, I heard a voice from downstairs in the tavern. It was also strangely familiar. It sounded just like…the Archdeacon Claude Frollo! Oh no!

"Did you see a gypsy girl come here?" he asked the tavern owner below, who had apparently shown up.

"If you mean a girl with dark hair wearing a long cloak and hood, then yes," the tavern owner replied. "She went upstairs to meet with one of the soldiers."

"Thank you," Frollo replied.

I could hear him now, slowly walking up the stairs. What was he going to do? Whatever it was, it was best that he didn't see me here. Desperately, I searched for a place to hide. There was nothing, except the closet, so I stuffed myself inside and shut the door.

Frollo's footsteps slowly plodded along closer and closer as he approached. Suddenly I heard a pause. All was quiet, except for the mumblings from Esmeralda and Phoebus inside, which I could no longer hear since I wasn't pressed up against the door to their room.

Then, suddenly without warning I heard the door to their room fling open and Esmeralda screamed the most bloodcurdling scream I had ever heard. Several thuds were heard, and then the rush of footsteps racing down the staircase again.

I waited for a few minutes, sweat pulsing down my forehead and I could hear my heart beating. Then I slowly opened the closet door and approached the room. When I opened the door, I saw the most horrifying scene I'd seen since the night in Istanbul when the Crusaders burned the city to the ground.

On the ground, lay Phoebus, with a knife plunged deep into his back. Esmeralda was there, tears streaming down her face as she desperately tried to pry the knife out of him.

"What happened!?" I cried, horrified. Blood was oozing out thickly from his back onto the wooden floor of the room.

"What are you doing here!?" Esmeralda shrieked. "Never mind, you've got to help me."

"Again, what happened," I repeated my question.

"I was in here with Phoebus, when a horrible man wearing a mask and hood burst in and stabbed him. Then, he fled the room."

I barely had a chance to respond before more footsteps were heard stomping up the stairs towards the room. Two large men wearing armor and carrying swords stormed in.

"You, gypsy girl," one of them said pointing to Esmeralda desperately trying to pry the knife from Phoebus's body.

From a different stand point, it almost as though she had done the murder herself.

"You, are under arrest for murder of a soldier."