The servants had been only minutes after Ramon had left in filling the ornate brass tub with steaming water. They were there and gone with barely a word or two of Spanish between them, none of them even sparing a glance toward Gail. Though, there had been two clearly guarding the door.
One had taken her dirty clothes as he left, and she had called after him to make sure she got them back, but there was no telling whether that was going to happen. That was her good work suit!
Now, she stretched out in the long, deep tub of luxuriously warm water. They had also poured some kind of oil in as well that smelled of lavender and did not go unappreciated. It was certainly an upgrade from her previous situation.
She examined her bandaged arm as she carefully washed her hand, making sure not to wet the wraps. There wasn't even a speck of blood seeping through.
Turning the arm over, she checked the back of her hand. No black veins. Hopefully she was right in thinking the parasite wouldn't be able to take hold of her. Not that it was THAT much of a plus. She was still stuck here, and when they realized that their plan hadn't worked, what good would she be to them then?
No good alive.
Scrubbing the filth from her, she thought back to the little castellan. She couldn't say the man was exactly stable, far from it. But he had shown signs of being capable of human decency. He had actually felt like the most human creature she had been in contact with through this whole ordeal. Hopefully he had the type of sway he thought he did, so if she played her cards right, he could at the very least keep her living.
Gail yawned, looking to the large canopy bed. When was the last time she had slept on anything but concrete or an exam table? She was gonna sleep like a baby tonight, plaga or no.
When the water had started to cool and her hair was halfway dry, she stepped out of the tub. Looking at the doors at both sides of the room, she realized someone could walk in on her at any time. Whatever… If they did, that was their own fault for not knocking.
Once dried, she wrapped the towel around her and went to the wardrobe in the side room. It creaked as she opened it and was met with what looked like several QUITE expensive dresses. They must have belonged to Ramon's mother at one point. Or maybe an ex-lover? She doubted it, what with the current state of things.
She found what looked to be the most comfortable: a relatively simple, white shift, pleated around the shoulders and bunched around the upper arms, ending around the elbows. Some toiletries had also been set on the dresser, which she used at her own discretion. This included a perfume bottle that she took a whiff of and found to be quite nice. She didn't usually wear perfume, but it was pleasant enough. And even if it hadn't been, she imagined it would be an offense to her host if she declined it. Best to go ahead and put that on.
There was also a small tube of toothpaste, the brand name reading "Corpore Sano", with a fresh bamboo toothbrush next to it. She squeezed some of the paste onto the brush, thankful that despite how old fashioned everything was around here, Ramon was up to date on oral hygiene.
After brushing her teeth, she pulled down the covers on the bed and snuggled in. She found a comfortable position quickly, and she was out in what would later seem like seconds.
~*~*~*~
Gail roused very slowly from sleep. The bed was heavenly, and as wakefulness seeped into her consciousness she found herself not at all wanting to move.
"Levántate, hermosa mia."
Gail barrel rolled at lightning speed with a shriek of "What the shit!", and she found herself face to smirking face with Ramon Salazar.
His mischievous chuckle told her he had gotten the exact response he had wanted, and she rubbed her eyes with a tired groan, "CHRIST! You trying to put me in cardiac arrest!"
"Only keeping you on your toes, as it were…" The toothy grin didn't leave his face.
"Ya don't think that could be bad for a growing plaga?" She sat up, suddenly thankful she had awoken earlier to use the chamber pot so she hadn't accidentally pissed herself.
"Not at all!" He leaned forward slightly, hands linked behind his back, "A growing plaga needs a bit of excitement on occasion…in preparation for excitement to come."
Gail wasn't one hundred percent sure what that meant, but she was still too drowsy to care too much.
"Do sit on the side of the bed, por favor."
She sighed, knowing his intentions and wondering if he would find what she thought he would. Other than the fog of just having woken, she felt fine. She hoped it was early enough to not arouse too much suspicion should he find no signs of her having accepted her plaga.
She draped her legs over the side of the bed and sat still as he reached up to examine her iris again. She forced herself to keep eye contact as the subtle shift in his expression was apparent.
"Hmm…" he remained there for a painfully long few seconds before finally releasing her and beckoning with a flick of his fingers, "Your hand…"
He was motioning for her good arm, and being sure not to hesitate, she placed her palm in his.
Ramon examined her hand thoroughly, scanning for any hint of black veins at all. Just one. His teeth clinched ever so slightly in his delicate jaw, and he quelled his nerves as he placed his other hand on top of hers, running fingers over the soft ridges there, pressing lightly for any sign of anything.
Nothing…
He flipped her hand in his and pressed fingers into the smooth skin of her wrist and forearm.
Nothing…
"My doctors always told me I've got deep veins…" she attempted to sooth his suspicions, "They always have to poke me a million times to draw blood…"
Ramon's brows furrowed in frustration, "You should be showing by now…" he said this more to himself than to her.
Gail scoffed, "Is this a plaga or a pregnancy?"
Ramon's glare raised to her as his grip on her tightened, and she thought fast.
"Honestly, though, I've always been a late bloomer," she shrugged a shoulder, "It's only been maybe half a day anyway. Some of the ones back in the labs seemed to take a long time too."
His eyes widened slightly, and he still kept a firm grip on her arm, "The labs? Why would you have been kept in the labs."
Gail's stomach sank as she realized she may have let too much slip, and she quickly scrambled to recover, "I…think they were monitoring me for some reason. I guess…whatever they found made Saddler decide to give me that special plaga?"
"LORD Saddler," he corrected her in a snippy tone.
"RIGHT!" She bowed her head in an outward show of reverence, "Lord Saddler…"
Ramon's suspicious look didn't waver, but it did soften, "Perhaps this class of plaga DOES require a longer incubation period. It WAS the first one I've implanted myself." He nodded toward her with an authoritative stare, "You will remain in bed for the day, Miss Crain. And I would like for you to try to get as much sleep as possible."
Gail only nodded, thinking it best to not press her luck by speaking further.
The black cloaked Verdugo approached them, presenting Ramon with the medical kit, and Ramon held out a hand again, "Allow me to provide you a fresh bandage."
Gail raised her head as her features brightened, and she let him do just that. When her old bandage was removed, Ramon's mouth turned up in a much more satisfied expression.
"Here is a good sign! You are nearly healed!"
Gail gave a soft gasp as he traced where the wound had previously been, and she only felt a faint sensitivity there, "Really?!"
"See for yourself," he pushed her arm back to her, with no need to redress it, and sure enough, there was nothing but a raised scar.
"Perhaps my plagas manifest differently than the other tiers," he mused happily, "Hm! I shall discuss it with Lord Saddler soon."
Ramon then joined his Verdugos again at the door, "The servants will be checking in to make sure you are obeying my prescribed order for sleep and will alert me should your transformation progress further." He seemed quite satisfied as he clasped his hands together, "And with that, I will leave you, señorita."
She nodded again as the door lowered shut. Sleeping was all she felt like doing now anyway. And she had time. So she obliged in getting as much sleep as she could for the rest of the day.
Servants came through the smaller door on the left every hour for the first four hours, then the fifth came three hours after that, then the sixth three hours after that. The fourth had brought her a tray of water, a small glass of white wine, and a perfectly flaky salmon filet, well seasoned with the definite taste of garlic.
After another long nap, the sixth zealot brought another tray with water and wine, red this time, and a cut of steak she didn't recognize that was really only seared on the outside. She didn't mind, as she usually enjoyed her meat practically still moving on the plate, and JESUS, was it a good steak! It must have been something only someone as rich as Ramon could have gotten his hands on.
She took a few sips of the wine, appreciating the indulgence, but not taking too much. Wine in general wasn't exactly to her taste, and there wasn't enough to get even a bit tipsy on, so she stuck mostly to her water.
Once Gail had finished off her steak, she was feeling quite alert. She stood from the bed for the first time since the night before and stretched with a yawn. It was time to explore her surroundings.
She turned to the dresser next to the bed where a lamp, a clock, and a decorative plate sat. She noted that the clock showed five thirty seven, fairly close to the time she suspected. In the middle of summer in Spain, there would be about four more hours of daylight, give or take.
With a glance back around the corner to the smaller wooden door, then to the larger metal one, she quietly slid open the top drawer. It was full of lightly laced, white, linen shirts. Men's undershirts, she guessed, and pulling one out, her suspicions were confirmed. These were definitely Ramon's. They would have fit him a bit loosely, but on Gail, they would have been bordering on skin tight.
She folded it back up and tucked it away, checking the remaining drawers. All Ramon's clothes. She realized that she recognized the scent on them as his cologne, a mixture of floral and wood scents that wasn't at all unpleasant. The man had amazing taste, she was learning that quickly.
She moved on to the rest of the room. The fireplace across from the bed she had gotten most familiar with already, as it had been in her direct line of sight when she was awake. There was a vanity next to that, but instead of a mirror there were cabinets with various bottles and combs and brushes inside. The drawers below weren't much different.
Noting a table with an old typewriter not far from the wooden door, she turned back to search the side room next to the bed. Knowing already what the right wardrobe held, she went to the left one. All more of Ramon's clothes. There were several more blue and gold coats, waistcoats, and breeches all with slightly different detailing. One set was in all gold, and she couldn't help think of how dapper the little castellan probably looked in it.
In the far wardrobe, there were a few old shoeboxes and a small, bejeweled mirror. Nothing of real use to her now… She turned back to the threshold to the bed, and her eyes spotted the clock again. She didn't really need to know the EXACT time, did she? No, she decided, and she scooted across to the other side of the bed to grab it.
Gail quickly flipped it over and opened the back. There was what she needed: the thin, hooked metal piece that held the pendulum. The perfect lock pick.
She removed the piece, wasting no time in taking it to the wooden door. Pressing an ear to it, she heard nothing. Good.
It took about fifteen minutes, including rechecking for movement on the other side of the door a few times, to get it unlocked. Slowly, she opened the door. There was a short hallway that turned left into the rest of the room. With no shoes, she tramped quietly to the bend, gown trailing behind her like a cape before she stopped to peek around the corner.
It was the dining room. There were two large tables, and the places were all set as if Ramon had been expecting many guests soon. She had no time to examine further as a small group of zealots entered from the other side. But she did get a long enough look to see Ramon himself enter the room behind the others to take a seat at the head of the far table.
Guess it's HIS supper time now.
Her gaze landed on the silverware at the nearest table, and she formulated a new plan.
She risked another peek, and saw that one of the zealots was headed her direction.
Quickly but quietly, she padded back to her wooden door opening then sliding it shut, thankful for its well oiled hinges. She scrambled to relock the door with the small metal piece. It didn't take long, luckily, and she went back to her bed to wait out for a bit in case anyone got suspicious and came to check on her. Before that, though, she grabbed for the dirty silverware on the plate she had left on one of the chairs, and shoved them under the pillow.
And she would be glad she had, as she heard the sound of the cylinders clicking, and she went limp onto the pillow as the door opened. She watched as the shadow of a female zealot approached and closed her eyes as she rounded the corner and took her tray with the dirty plate and glasses, apparently not noticing the absence of the fork and knife.
When Gail's eyes opened, she realized that there was a third figure present. The unmistakable shadow of a tricorn hat ghosted onto the wall facing her.
Had he seen her?
He lingered there far longer than it had taken the zealot to leave with the dishes and her stomach sank. There would be hell to pay if he knew she had gotten out. Maybe she should have waited longer. She still needed to gain his trust. She knew she wasn't escaping here just by breaking out.
Her thumping heart calmed as his shadow was eclipsed by the door as it slowly slid shut and was locked. He might have been suspicious, but he hadn't SEEN her.
Gail decided to rest for a while longer. She hoped he wouldn't make her sleep the whole day tomorrow; she wasn't sure she'd be able to sleep through the night.
She starred at the wall where Ramon's shadow had been. She couldn't get caught next time. He had to think she wasn't trying to run, or she would never make it out of here. Charm would only take her so far in gaining his good favor.
For the coming hours, she contemplated her options until another servant came to check on her. Once gone, she rose again, wasting no time in retrieving her makeshift tools and coming to the metal door.
She pressed her cheek against it to look up into the gap between the door and the inside of the inner wall. She could barely make out the cogs inside, perfectly within reach of her knife and fork. And with that information, she got to work.
