No Escape by Julie Moffett
Chapter Forty-Seven
Lexi Carmichael
“You’re back,” my dad exclaimed as soon as he saw me, jogging across the dining room at an alarming speed to wrap me and Slash in a combined bear hug. I was so shocked that he’d included Slash in the hug, I was speechless.
“Did you solve your challenge?” he asked, finally releasing us.
I managed to find my voice. “We did, Dad. What about you guys?”
“We did, too,” Dad said. “Gio was great, and your mother was indispensable. We’re unstoppable. Lexi, I can’t remember the last time your mother and I have had so much fun. Thanks so much for arranging this, pumpkin. And, Slash, I sincerely appreciate you including Clarissa and me in this adventure. It’s been wonderful getting to know your parents and family.”
Slash lifted an eyebrow at me over my father’s head, and I smiled back. Who knew it would take a castle full of escape room challenges to bring our families together?
I didn’t have time to process it, because we were immediately surrounded by the rest of our group. Everyone started asking questions and sharing exciting tidbits of who did what for each puzzle.
While it was interesting to hear how the other team had solved their challenge, it was too many people in too-close proximity. I started to get a headache from all the noise.
Brando finally had to intervene and ask us to sit down and eat so we could progress to the final challenge. I sat with Slash on one side of me and Juliette on the other. Chiara and Ciro served us bruschetta with fresh tomatoes topped with garlic, basil, and olive oil and served on toasted slices of thick Italian bread. There was a lovely selection of meats, cheeses, and olives, as well as some fresh fruit.
Slash was chatting with Vittoria, so I carefully put a few slices of meat and cheese on his plate, avoiding the ones I knew he didn’t care for. I filled up my plate and then passed the tray on to Juliette.
Eventually, Slash turned to me, noting his full plate. He leaned over to kiss me on the cheek. “Eat the protein first,” he murmured. “It will help with the headache.”
I stared at him in surprise. How had he been able to tell that I had a headache? Was I that transparent?
Regardless, I did as he said, and my headache began to subside just like he had predicted. I even managed to chat coherently with my mother-in-law while sipping a small glass of fruity wine.
When Slash excused himself to go to the men’s room, Juliette surprised me by putting her hand over mine. “Lexi, I wanted to be sure to tell you Oscar and I are impressed at how well you and Slash have performed in the challenges, together and separately. You are remarkably well suited for each other, more than I could have ever dreamed. When Nonna told me how perfect you two were for each other, I didn’t believe her. Romeo is a complicated man, guarded and reserved. He takes care of everyone, but he rarely lets his guard down so someone can take care of him. I feared he’d never meet the right person, someone who could bring him the kind of peace, contentment, and happiness he deserves.” She paused a moment, collecting her thoughts. “You’re his true match, Lexi, and I don’t say that lightly. I see the way he looks at you, the fierce love in his eyes. As his mother, that means everything to me. I couldn’t be happier for the both of you.”
I set my wineglass down without drinking any more. Her words touched me more than I could say. “Thank you, Juliette. I was so nervous to meet you because Slash adores you. I was afraid I wouldn’t measure up, that I’d be lacking somehow. But you and Oscar have been so kind to me that not only do I feel welcome, but I feel accepted, and that’s really important to me.”
“You’re everything Slash said you were and more,” she insisted. “How lucky we are to have you in our family.”
“That’s exactly what Slash said you’d say.”
“And he was right,” she replied, smiling. “As usual.”
I didn’t have a chance to respond, because Brando clinked a fork against his glass, getting our attention. “Honored guests, please finish your lunch in the next five minutes, as we will proceed with the final challenge of your stay here at Castrum Augustus.”
A few minutes later, Slash returned to the dining room and was promptly intercepted by my dad. Whatever Slash said to him caused Dad to laugh and give him a friendly smack on the shoulder. Their relationship had definitely moved to the next level. I didn’t think I could possibly be happier or more relieved about it.
When lunch concluded, the gamemaster led all thirteen of us to the large high-ceilinged foyer of the castle. “Every group that has come through Castrum Augustus has been brought to this point and given the opportunity to solve the final challenge,” he said. “Prior to this, none of our guests have solved more than three of the escape rooms leading up to this point. In fact, the average of the groups coming through the castle has been just one puzzle. What you’ve accomplished as a group has been truly extraordinary and quite unexpected.”
His compliment made most of us smile. But when I glanced at Slash, there was no humor in his eyes, only determination. He wasn’t swayed by the gamemaster’s words or praise. Nothing was going to distract him from finishing the final challenge. In fact, I wasn’t even sure his motivation was any longer about Gio’s honeymoon, the pope’s reputation, or even the orphanage. Somehow, this castle challenge had become personal. A test of his insight, creativity, and leadership. He was determined not to fail, and I was just as determined to help him win for whatever reasons were important to him.
“Even though those earlier teams were not nearly as successful as you’ve been, they were still offered the chance to tackle this final challenge,” Brando continued. “Oh, I see it surprises you. Yes, indeed, it’s possible for anyone to solve the final challenge without having solved each, or even any, of the prior rooms. Therefore, everyone gets one last chance. It’s certainly far more difficult to solve this last challenge without any prior successes, but it’s not impossible. Although all of you seem quite capable of solving the impossible.
“I truly commend you on your ingenuity and how you have all worked together. I did not expect several of these challenges to be solved for many years, if not decades. I have pondered why you’ve been successful when so many of the other, seemingly far more qualified teams have failed. My theory is that a primary weakness of the other teams was they were too dependent upon only a few people. The random process, especially for the last two puzzles, magnified that weakness.”
He studied us for a long moment. “However, your team seemingly has no weaknesses, and you work well together regardless of the configuration of the team. The only thing I can attribute to that is you’re a family. At least most of you.” He acknowledged Tito and Father Armando with a slight nod of his head.
Slash spoke up. “Tito and Father Armando are as much a part of our family as anyone here.”
Brando nodded. “Of course. I retract my statement. You are, indeed, an amazing family unit. In fact, I’d wager that given your success, you’re a particularly close family.”
I looked around the room, but to my surprise not single person disabused the gamemaster of that notion or mentioned that most of us had just met for the first time on the castle grounds.
“And because of that, Mr. Zachetti will permit Father Armando to participate once again in the final challenge, if he so desires,” Brando continued.
“I’d be delighted,” Father Armando said.
Brando led us from the castle foyer through a door opening under and between the two marble staircases leading upstairs to our rooms. When we walked through the door, we found ourselves in a dim, circular room with a high, curved ceiling. A large, elaborate marble table spotlighted by several overhead lights dominated the center of the room. Classically styled, cream-colored statues of two nude men supported the table on each end, almost as if they were carrying it across the room. The table held a huge, raised, flat, circular stone device.
We crowded around the table to stare at the oddity. The stone device had seven large, concentric rings, each about four inches wide. The rings were grooved along the edges, which made me suspect they could be moved independently. Embedded in all but the center circle were dozens of the same round golden discs we’d won at our challenges.
These discs appeared to be equally distributed around each circle, and all of them had numbers engraved on them. Rising from the center circle was a metal device that reminded me of the gnomons on the sundials in the garden maze. This one’s angled shape rose over the rings, pointing away from the door we’d just entered.
As my eyes began to adjust to the dimness of the room, I realized the walls and ceiling were covered with small lights, as if stars were glimmering in a night sky. It made me think of a planetarium.
“The final challenge starts here,” Brando said. “In order to claim success, you’ll need to provide me with two names prior to dinner cocktails, which will begin promptly in the lounge at six thirty this evening.”
“Give you the two names of what?” Slash asked.
“That’s for you to determine,” Brando responded. “In addition, the attire for cocktails and dinner is formal, as we are expecting additional guests. Please be sure to give yourself time to solve the challenge and clothe yourself appropriately. From this point on, I’ll not take any further questions. Be advised you’re free to roam anywhere in the castle or on the island, except for the kitchen and the staff’s quarters on the upper floor, in pursuit of the answer to the final escape room challenge. I wish you the greatest success.”
We all stared at him in disbelief as he exited the room.
“Wait. What just happened?” Stefan asked. “What’s the challenge? What does that mean, we have to provide him with two names? Whose two names?”
I was as stunned as everyone else. I had no idea. Slash and I looked at each other uneasily.
“Well, that was unsettling,” Mom said. “Here, team, solve a puzzle, but we’re not going to tell you what the puzzle is.”
“That’s bizarre,” Gio burst out. “He didn’t explain the challenge at all. How do we form a strategy if we don’t know what we’re supposed to be doing?”
“Excellent question, Gio,” Dad said. “I don’t know how the gamemaster expects us to solve an escape room if we don’t know what the point of the challenge is. We don’t even know where to start.”
“Yes, we do,” Slash said, putting his hands on the marble table. “We start here. The gamemaster brought us here for a reason.”