The cart moved down the road while Daryl held the reins in his hands and Caroline looked at the map. The soft wind moved through their hair as the sunlight sparkled off the leaves in the trees and Caroline moved her right index finger over the map.
"Hmmm," she said and Daryl glanced behind him to look at her.
"What's up?" Daryl asked.
"According to this, we're west of Paris."
"See anywhere fer us to stay the night?"
"There are a few villages. One of them is just down the sideroad on the left."
Nodding, Daryl steered the horse as Caroline placed the map in the backpack then she went to climb over the top of the driver's seat to sit next to his right side. They rode in silence when he sighed and she noticed the look on his face.
"We were where Murphy and Connor's uncle said he'd take me to see them in prison," Caroline said.
"How were you able to go see them?" Daryl asked as he looked at Caroline.
"Well, I couldn't just walk in the front gate dressed in jeans, my ankle boots, my black Navy Pea coat and a t-shirt," Caroline said and she smiled.
Boston
The black car moved by the first security gate while Sibeal looked at the road and Caroline sat next to him. She couldn't believe she let him talk her into wearing a nun's robes, a rosary with a wooden cross at the end, white sneakers and a nun's habit as she looked at the white gloves covering her hands and she leaned back in the seat.
"Are you sure this is going to work?" Caroline asked.
"It was th'only way I could think of t'get you into th'prison," Sibeal said with a tiny smile.
"What if they ask me to take off my gloves?"
She had shown Sibeal the scars on the back of her right hand and wrist and told him what happened. She had also seen the anger in his eyes afterward and she rubbed the back of her right hand.
"I don't think they'll do that," he said.
The black car arrived at the second security gate as he handed his identification to the guard and the guard walked to the guard station. A short time later, the guard walked back to the car and handed him the identification.
The black car moved by the security gate when they arrived at the front door to the prison and Sibeal parked the black car in the visitor parking area.
"Did you see those protesters and new crews outside?" Caroline asked after they got out of the black car and closed the doors.
"I have. It seems my nephews have acquired a rather large fanbase," he said as they walked to the stairs, went up the stairs then he turned to look at her. "Now, I need you t'keep yer head down. We don't want anyone recognizin' you."
Nodding, she lowered her head as they walked inside and they headed for the security desk. The security guards searched them as Sibeal looked at the security guard and Sibeal cleared his throat.
"Th'warden said he had left summat here fer me," Sibeal said.
"Yes, Father," the security guard said as he slid an envelope and Sibeal picked up the envelope. He opened the envelope when he removed two rosaries and he handed the rosaries to Caroline. She looked at the crosses as she moved her thumbs over the silver circle and she pressed her lips into a thin line.
"If you and the sister will follow me," the other guard said and Sibeal nodded.
"Where did he take you?" Daryl asked while he make the horse go a little faster.
"He took us to the prison infirmary," Caroline said.
Boston - Prison infirmary
The doors to the infirmary opened as the guard led Sibeal and Caroline in the room and the guard by the door looked at them. Nodding, he pointed toward Connor and Murphy, who were standing by the window, and Sibeal gently held onto Caroline's right elbow. She glanced over at the first hospital bed when she saw Romeo and she felt a little ill from seeing him with an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth, the intravenous needle taped to the back of his right hand and the heart monitor sitting to the left of the bed.
"I was told he was in a light coma," Sibael whispered.
They walked to the next bed and Caroline saw Murphy was standing with his left foot slightly off the floor.
"Hey, MacManus, your priest is here," the guard said and Connor and Murphy turned around.
Connor had bandages covering the bullet wound to his right shoulder and the bullet wound to the right side of his stomach and Murphy had bandages covering the bullet wound to his right shoulder, the bullet wound to his left calf and to his left side near his ribs.
Caroline had seen the bandages crisscrossed over Murphy's back, but she didn't see any wounds. She had lowered her head as she looked at their bare feet and Murphy lightly hopped on his right foot.
"I think you need t'go back t'bed," Sibeal said, looking down at Murphy's left leg.
"No, I'm fine," Murphy said and Caroline saw him moving a little closer. "Hello, Sister."
"Stop," the guard said, sliding his right hand toward the gun in the holster on his right hip.
"You'd shoot me in front of a nun?"
"If I have to."
Caroline saw Murphy was hopping a little more on his right foot when she barely lifted her head to look at him, but Murphy didn't react when he saw her face. She pointed to the bed as he looked at the cross dangling from the rosary in her hand and he smiled. She watched Murphy barely hop to the bed when he carefully got under the covers and she walked to the bed.
"Mind helpin' me put this on?" he asked, looking at the rosary then at Caroline. She nodded her head then she noticed the curious look on his face.
"I'm surprised th'warden let you give them t'us," Connor said, looking at Sibeal.
"I can be persuasive if I have t'be," Sibeal said.
Caroline slid the rosary around Murphy's neck when she placed the cross against his chest and he softly rubbed the back of her right hand to move the edge of the glove up enough to see the scars on her wrist.
"Thank you, Sister," Murphy said in a soft voice. She nodded her head when she moved back then she walked to Connor. She lifted her head so he could just see her face and he looked like he didn't recognize her. He lowered his head so she could place the rosary around his neck then she placed the cross against his chest.
"Thank you, Sister," Connor said with a tiny grin.
"Shall we get started?" Sibeal asked and the guard moved back enough to give them a little privacy. He didn't see Murphy holding onto Caroline's left hand as they listened to Sibeal saying a small prayer and Caroline gently squeezed Murphy's fingers.
"Uh, sorry, but I need t'take a piss," Murphy said a few seconds later then he looked at Caroline. "Mind helpin' me?"
"I'll do it," the guard said as he walked to the bed.
"I don't mind," Caroline said with a soft Irish accent.
"Sorry. But it's the rules."
"Never mind then. I'll jus' wet th'bed," Murphy said with pout and he crossed his arms over his stomach.
"He'll do it," Connor said, looking at the guard.
"Which means you'll have a big mess on yer hands."
The guard looked from one to the other as he sighed, nodded his head and moved back.
Caroline moved the covers back as she helped Murphy to his feet and he slid his left arm around her shoulders. She carefully slid her right arm around his waist as they headed for the toilet and he gently hugged her shoulders.
"You make a cute nun," he whispered and she smiled.
"Stop," she whispered.
They stood in front of the toilet as she let go and Murphy motioned for her to turn around. She turned around as he started whistling and she tried hard not to laugh.
"All done," he said a few seconds later and she turned to face him. She looked at his back as she fought the urge to touch his back and she helped him walk to the sink.
"What're you thinkin' about?" he whispered while washing his hands.
"I was thinkin' how much I wanna touch yer back," she whispered.
"It's jus' a little cut up," he whispered then quickly told her what happened.
"Everything ok over there?" the guard asked.
"Yeah," Murphy said and Caroline helped him back to the bed. She helped him get under the covers as she placed the covers around his waist then she walked to Sibeal.
"We left a short time later," Caroline said.
"Did they ever have a trial?" Daryl asked.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Security reason."
"Security reasons?"
"From what their uncle told me, the security needed fer the trial would be a nightmare. Doesn't matter if it had to do with the courthouse, the judge, the lawyers, the courthouse staff or the jury."
"Makes sense. They pissed off a lot of people."
"And there are people who didn't believe they should have been arrested in the first place."
"They'd have to worry about people gettin' paid off durin' the trial, too."
"Yep."
"Did their friend ever wake up?"
"Yeah, it was a few weeks later. He was surprised when he saw me dressed as a nun."
"Did he cry?"
"Hell yeah."
"Did anyone ever figure out you weren't a nun?" Daryl asked and Caroline smiled.
"It was when I fergot to change outta my ankle boots. Turns out the guard had people sneak in prisoners' wives or girlfriends and didn't care."
"Did they get put in with the other prisoners?"
"Nope," she said with a shake of her head. "From what Murphy told me, the warden was afraid to put them in with the others. Not just because of what they would do to the other prisoners, but what the other prisoners would do to them. And, with their popularity, the press and the protestors would riot if anything happened to them or if they were put in solitary fer the rest of their lives."
"What did the warden do with them?"
"He had a storage buildin' converted into a cellblock. Called it "Cellblock MacManus"."
Daryl snorted a laugh and she smiled.
"You ever see it?" he asked.
"Yep. It had everythin' they needed. A security station. A small clinic with a doctor, who was also a dentist, and a nurse. A kitchen with their own cook. A janitor came to clean the place once a week. A laundry room fer washin' their clothes. Some solitary cells in case they gotta little loud…."
"Did they have to go in there?"
"Once or twice," she said with a smile. "The main room had a television bolted to a stand on the wall and a couch and a coffee table. There were bookcases with some books, a Bible and some comic books. They had a DVD/VHS player with DVDs and VHS tapes. It also had three showers and a bookcase with towels, washcloths, toiletries and toilet paper. There were two cells. One for Romeo and one fer Murphy and Connor. They even had their own recreation yard. There were also security cameras on the walls and a helicopter was outside in case they needed to evacuate or for a medical emergency."
"Damn. That place sounds a hell of a lot better than the prison where we ended up," he said. Daryl had told her about their time at the prison and she nodded her head.
"You should've seen the stuff people sent them."
"Like what?"
"Shirts, t-shirts, underwear, undershirts, socks, pajamas, winter coats, coats, knit caps, scarves, gloves, books, newspapers, magazines, comic books, DVDs and VHS tapes, letters and cards, child drawings from local schools and bathroom stuff. Those were checked by the guards in case someone tampered with 'em. Any food or drink were tossed out."
"Didn't want anyone poisonin' 'em," he said and she nodded.
They rode in silence when they headed down the sideroad, but the sideroad had been blocked by fallen trees. Three Macabre had been trapped by the fallen trees and Daryl stopped the cart. He hopped off the driver's seat, removed the knife from the holder on his belt and he stabbed the Macabre in the head. He cleaned the blade of the knife off with the clean cloth from the pocket of his jeans and he headed for the cart. He climbed up on the driver's seat as Caroline handed him the reins and he backed the cart up. They returned to the road as he pulled on the reins and the cart headed down the road.
The Palace of Versailles
The cart stopped at the gate to the grand palace as they looked through the iron bars and looked at the view.
"Great," Daryl grumbled when a man walked to the gate and Daryl saw the man was wearing dark blue body armor, black leather boots and he held a rifle in his hands.
"Who are you?" the guard asked in French and he pointed the rifle at them.
"Sorry. I know this place is private property, but we're travelin' and are lookin' fer somewhere to sleep," Caroline said in French and the man looked at her.
"I will have to ask my master," he said in French as he walked to the guard station and he walked inside after opening the door.
"What if he doesn't let us in?" Daryl asked as he looked up at the darkening sky.
"I guess we keep goin'."
The man returned to the gate when he opened the gate and Daryl held the reins in his hands.
"My master will meet you at the front door. Stay on this path, please," the man said in French.
"Thank you," Caroline said in French.
Daryl steered the cart by the gate while the man closed the gate and Caroline looked behind them. The man walked back in the guard station and she turned around. She looked at the scenery as the cart headed up the path and Daryl lightly flexed his fingers.
"Where the hell are we?" Daryl grumbled.
"Dunno," Caroline said.
The cart moved down the road when Daryl saw a tall man with black, curly hair and dark eyes standing at the bottom of the stairs. The man was wearing a black suit jacket, a white shirt, a thin, black tie, a black leather belt, black pants, black socks and black, hard leather shoes. He was serious looking and Caroline saw how long and thin his fingers were.
"Who the hell is that?" she whispered and Daryl shrugged his shoulders. He stopped the cart when the man walked closer and Daryl saw the sadness in the man's dark eyes.
"Greetings," the man said in French with a small bow. "I am Remy De'Naucturno."
"Do you speak English?" Caroline asked in French.
"Yes. Excuse me for being rude."
"No. That is alright. I'm Caroline. Daryl," she said while pointing to her then to Daryl. Remy looked from one to the other when he made a tiny smile and he crossed his arms over his chest.
"You are brother and sister?"
"Yeah," Daryl said with a nod. "Do you run this place?"
"You could say that," he said with a small laugh. "I live here."
"Where is here, exactly?" Caroline asked.
"This….," Remy said as he turned around to hold his arms out. "This was once one of the greatest palaces in all of France. The Palace of Versailles!"
"I remember readin' about it in history class at school. It was built by King Louis the XIV?"
"Very good!" he said as he turned and pointed his right index finger at her.
"How did you end up livin' here? I thought it would have been destroyed to prevent people from robbin' it."
"No," he said with a shake of his head. "Like most places, the palace was called off limits to the masses after the world fell."
"How'd they stop 'em from lootin' the place?" Daryl asked.
"Loyalty."
"Loyalty?" Caroline asked.
"Many still believe in preserving the history. And this place has a history," Remy said with a sly grin. He noticed the sun was setting as a serious look appeared on his face and straightened the cuffs of his shirt. "Now, it is getting dark. Let us go inside."
They watched Remy heading up the stairs as they looked at each other and Daryl shrugged his shoulders. A young man with brown hair and eyes came to steady the horse and Daryl removed the rifle, the box under the front seat and the backpack. Caroline placed the backpack on as they got off the cart, headed up the stairs and Remy held the front door open for them. They walked by him as Remy closed the door and they walked into the main hall.
"Hunh," Daryl whispered as he scanned the room with his eyes and Caroline nodded. They watched Remy head for a young man with blonde hair and green eyes and the young man was dressed in a black tuxedo, a white shirt, a black vest, a black tie, a black leather belt, black socks and black, hard leather shoes. Caroline couldn't hear what they were saying in a soft voice as the young man nodded then quickly ran down hallway.
"This way," Remy said, pointing with his hands toward the Ambassador's Staircase. Caroline and Daryl locked eyes when they had a silent conversation, nodded and followed him up the stairs. They headed up to the staircase when they arrived at the hallway which had large doors on either sides and at the end of the hallway. "This is the Royal Apartments."
They walked down the elegantly decorated hallway when Remy stopped at the double doors and he turned to face them.
"This is The Salon of Mercury."
"The what?" Daryl whispered to Caroline.
"I think it's a bedroom," she whispered and Remy opened the double doors.
"Normally, we do not allow people to sleep in the salons, but I will make an exception for you," Remy said and Caroline's eyes widened while they walked inside. Remy stood in the doorway as he watched them examined the room then he closed the doors with a loud click.
"Shit!" Daryl said as he ran to the double doors and he tried to open the doors.
"Let us out!" Caroline shouted in French as she pounded her left fist against the door and Daryl slammed his right shoulder against the other door.
"I will let you out as soon as dinner is ready," came from behind the door in French. They could barely hear footsteps walking away as they looked at each other and Daryl slid down to the floor and leaned his back against the door.
Caroline went back to looking around the room as she looked at the paintings on the walls and on the ceiling then she walked up the small staircase to the bed. She noticed how small the bed was, but she admired the elegant bedding.
"Looks like I get the couch." Daryl grumbled while getting to his feet and he walked to his sister. He looked at the bed then at her then he saw the smaller couches.
"Ain't no way I'm sleepin' on that. Who knows the last time they changed the sheets," Caroline said.
"Hmph."
Daryl walked down the small staircase when he headed for windows with iron bars in front of the glass and he looked outside. He heard Caroline walking down the small staircase and he turned to see her heading for another door. She tried to open the door, but the door was locked and she lightly thumped her right fist against the door.
"What do you think he's gonna do with us?" Caroline asked while she walked to him then looked out of the window.
"Dunno," Daryl said.
A few minutes later, two armed men wearing dark blue body armor walked in the room and the men pointed the rifles at them.
"The Master wishes you to come with us," one of the men said in French.
"Where are we goin'?" Caroline asked in French.
"You are to be cleaned."
"We're to be cleaned?" she asked with a confused look then she looked at Daryl.
"What did he say?" Daryl asked.
"I think we're supposed to take a bath," she explained.
"Hell no."
"I think we should play along until we can find a way outta here."
Daryl nodded his head as she turned to look at the men and she slowly held up her hands.
"Let's go," she said in French and the men walked to stand behind them. Daryl and Caroline looked at the doorway as they headed out of the room and the men walked behind them. They headed down the hallway when Caroline and Daryl stopped and the men lightly shoved them. Before the men could move, Daryl turned and punched the men in the face and the men fell to the floor. Daryl picked up the rifles as he placed the straps over his shoulders and he and Caroline ran down the hallway.
"That way," Daryl said as they went around the corner and he saw a servants' staircase. He pointed to the staircase as they headed quickly down the stairs and he held up his right hand for her to stop then he looked around the corner. The hallway was empty as they headed down the hallway and Caroline had noticed the lights on the security cameras on the ceiling were off.
"The security cameras are off," she said and he looked up. They headed down the hallway when they saw a fire exit and Daryl tried to open the door. The door was locked as they kept going then Caroline stopped when she found the wall map. The information was in French and in English as she moved her right index finger along the map and she found where they were.
"What are you lookin' at?" he asked.
"This is a servants' map. Shows them where to go. So….," she said when she smiled and looked down the hallway. "We need to go that way."
They headed down the hallway and, a short time later, they came to a pair of double doors. She pushed on the door on the left and the door slid open. Daryl checked to see if they were being followed then they slid by the door and went down the hallway.
"Where are we?" he asked and she looked at the wall map.
"We're in the north wing of the palace," she said as the sound of music came down the hallway and she frowned. "What the hell?"
They walked down the hallway when Caroline saw the elegant decorations and she frowned. The music grew louder as they walked toward the doors and Daryl quietly opened the door on the left. They headed in the room while Caroline looked at the rows of seats leading down to the stage and a record player was sitting on a table in front of the stage.
