The Dartagnan Brothers Hotel

Chapter 14

Jonas's eyes were taken by a momentary surprise. He read, and reread the words of the tomb several times, until he could be sure that his mind was not playing tricks on him due to the mental confusion he had been suffering all night; and, as it seemed, that was the tomb of Getulio Dartagnan. 'Born: September 7, 1954; Dead: December 7, 2019.', the dates were engraved just below the small phrase that symbolised what was once someone's existence.
'You mentioned my brother before. I have no idea of how he could have appeared in your dreams, but there he is.' said Giovanni, pointing to the tomb that Jonas was watching very closely.
'That proves nothing.', he thought, knowing how easy it would be for Giovanni to build a fake tomb within his own land.
'He died not long ago...' said Jonas whilst looking at the small inscription of the tomb. 'How did he go?'
'He was sick, diabetes.' replied Giovanni, making the a cross sign whilst turning his back to the tomb.
'There's no photo.' it would be a relief to see a face different from what he was used to.
'None of the tombs here do.' Mr. Dartagnan was now walking among the other several tombs scattered throughout the cemetery.
'Now that I come to think of it, Lara did mention that the party would be introduced by the two Dartagnan brothers, why do you continue to maintain your brother's illusion if he is already dead?' asked Jonas without any parsimony.
'When someone holds a favourable position in society, it is sometimes necessary to keep up appearances.' Giovanni answered lucidly.
Jonas was trying to find a way he could confirm the events he had experienced a few hours ago as he needed to know what was the reality he was living into. He started walking in the opposite direction from Giovanni to look for two names: Mateus and Claudia. Surely the Dartagnan brothers' parents would be around somewhere in that graveyard. 'It would be impossible for me to dream something so exact.', he thought at the same time that he realised that those machines had the latest technology and could surprise his expectations.
'Are these your parents?' he asked when he came across a double tomb right next to Getulio's.
'Exactly. I haven't been here in ages.' replied Giovanni as he stopped beside Jonas and, once again, made a sign of respect for the names of Mateus and Claudia.
'And these other people?' asked Jonas, knowing that the property had started with the generation before his.
'Just some other people who lived here and were close to the family.' he replied whilst adjusting his coat as he started to head back to the iron gate that signalled the exit of that place.
Jonas didn't think twice about following Mr. Dartagnan; in addition to hospitals, cemeteries were within the places he detested most in the world.
The two started to wander around the property. Giovanni did not speak anymore, he seemed to be reflecting on the moment he had just experienced, his expression was that of someone who had many nostalgic thoughts knocking at the door of his mind, which could lead his peace of mind to oblivion among a tangle of existential questions and doubts. Jonas was no stranger to that feeling, he had spent hours wondering what he had done to deserve to be there, but deep down, he knew exactly what it was, despite not thinking that such extreme matters, that were to be taken by Giovanni and his sect, were necessary.
'You've told me you are not a religious man, do you have a particular reason behind your disbelief?'
The young man was startled by a brief deja-vu that, for a fraction of a second, took the reins of his mind. He felt as if he were in the presence of Getulio, who had just asked him the same question. He had not yet stopped to notice how similar the Dartagnan brothers were; the voice, as well as the way of speaking, could be confused even if the two were in the same place, and the pride with which they spread themselves before people left no doubt that those two gentlemen were brothers, children of the same father and mother.
'Nothing in particular. The idea of ​​an all powerful super-being doesn't make any sense to me.' he replied without making any case of trying to deceive Giovanni. He knew that a sudden religious redemption would not save him from whatever fate the old man had prepared for him.
'That's the problem with these new generations.' he said whilst chanting sadness and shaking his head in a negative way.
'Or maybe...' started Jonas already regretting it and knowing it was too late to go back. 'The problem was the excess of religiosity in the older generations.'
The anger that Giovanni had begun to exhale was palpable. Despite the old man showing tremendous subtlety in his ability to hide his expressions, Jonas could see that what he had just said was bothering him deeply, but Giovanni kept his composure and decided to continue the matter as a civilised man.
'What would make you say that?'
'Wouldn't you say people stop believing in what they do not see as the learning of reality becomes more concrete?' he replied as he implied something that seemed to be confusing Giovanni.
'What I think...' he started with an ironic tone. 'Is that the excess of useless information that people receive today replaces real values ​​that were preserved with more kindness in the past.'
'So you believe that today's values ​​should not behave in a way that combines mistakes from the past with intellectual advances?' he decided to enhance his own vocabulary when he realised that Giovanni wanted to clash with extraordinary words.
'I believe that god and all of his wisdom are present in every moment of mine, yours, and every single life on earth; and the day will come when we will all be held accountable for the mistakes we've made.'
Giovanni now seemed more devout than ever. 'Maybe the old man is finally showing his true colours.'
'So you believe that we will all be judged for the mistakes we made during our lives?' he asked whilst thinking: 'Whilst he seems to be completely sure that he is doing some divine service with all those atrocities, he doesn't seem to realize that his own speech puts him in the same judgment as a victim.'
'And rewarded for the services provided.' he completed Jonas' sentence at the same time he stopped walking and started to face him with mystery behind his eyes.
'Are you hungry?'
Jonas was stunned by the sudden change in the conversation.
'Let's have breakfast. I doubt anyone at that party will miss me at this point.'
He was as hungry as he was tired. He realised that he hadn't eaten anything for hours and that nothing would please him more at that moment than a well-served breakfast. It was one of those rare situations where a person feels a little hope in a legitimate turmoil of despair.
He followed Giovanni's footsteps, curious to know where the host would take him that time. He could see that as they walked, they were going back in the direction of the main building of the property.
'This maze is incredible.' said Giovanni as they reached the grand staircase. 'If you want I can show you some secrets later.'
It looked like a joke, but Jonas couldn't laugh. The mere thought of walking into that place again gave him the creeps.
'Now you believe that what you experienced was nothing but dreams?'
'But how do you explain that I dreamed of something I never experienced?'
'This part is quite difficult to explain, but I believe it has something to do with the fact that you were connected to the dream chair without the right drug in your system. If you want, we can go see the doctor.'
'It wouldn't be a bad idea, why don't you invite him for breakfast?' replied Jonas knowing that Douglas would be the only person in that place who could feel any remorse to the point of helping him.
Getulio was no longer a reality. Even if what he was experiencing was another one of those weird dreams, the old one-legged man would have been stuck back in the water fountain or, in the worst case, killed by his own brother's henchmen.
However, Jonas was increasingly letting himself believe that he was living that new reality. He did not know how to explain it, but with every minute he passed in there he felt as if he were more and more alive, in the exact same way he felt whilst he had been with Getulio.
He really needed an explanation.
As they passed the main ballroom, Giovanni ordered one of his servants to ask for doctor Douglas. So they went on their way up stairs.
They passed through two huge doors at the end of the corridor and entered the largest room that Jonas had ever laid eyes on in his life. The place was very well decorated and furnished. Various works of art, such as paintings and sculptures, were distributed in order to harmonize the field of vision of whoever laid their eyes in there. Although the place was shaped like a room, it was more similar to a huge apartment, except for the fact that the rooms are all interconnected; a door that separated what Jonas had assumed to be where Giovanni's bed was and another one that gave way to a small bathroom.
Giovanni sat at the end of a grand dining table stretched across the extremely clean and polished floor. He motioned for Jonas to settle wherever he pleased. 'I'm inside the lion's den.', he thought when he realised that Mr. Dartagnan could have him wherever he liked without putting any effort to it. He had to be sure that any stories or statements told by Giovanni, or anyone else there, would be taken into consideration and analysed thoroughly by him. All the care in the world would not be sufficient until he could perform the miracle of finding Getulio or any other way that would take him far from that place.
'Could you send any of your employees to find Rodrigo? I need to speak with him urgently.' he pleaded with Giovanni whilst buttering his bread as he was eager to speak to his friend.
'Of course.' replied Giovanni, making a sign with his eyes to one of the servants who was standing by the room door. A short time lapse crossed his mind when he remembered the dream where his friend was tortured by Mr. Dartagnan's sect. He shook his head and blinked his eyes hard to chase away the bad thoughts so he could focus all of his attention on the conversation that would follow.
'Doctor! Join us.' said Giovanni, without bothering to get up.
'How can I help you?' asked Douglas politely refusing to sit down, giving the impression that he was not there to stay.
The doctor had a depressed and worried expression. Jonas could feel that Douglas was not enjoying being involved in that situation. 'A job like any other.', he thought when empathising with the situation of earning some extra money without asking how. He had his head down and rarely looked Giovanni in the eye to answer; his voice was tired and held a deep tone of regret.
'Our illustrious guest here has some doubts about what happened to him.' said Giovanni as he began to make use of the grand banquet that had been set at the table.
'You spent hours unconscious, but now I believe that there will be no more psychotic episodes.' the doctor said dryly as he continued to aim the floor.
'But what happened to me? How can you explain these dreams I had?' Jonas knew that the answer would not be the most honest.
'You already know what happened. You took the wrong drug, which led the lucid dream induction to have unknown effects.' Douglas was facing Jonas now. 'But, unfortunately, I cannot tell you what happened in your dreams, that is beyond my control.'
'I am sure that a doctor with your reputation can eloquently clarify the doubts of this young man.' Giovanni dropped his cutlery on the plate.
'As I mentioned, I can clarify any aspect of a medical nature, but I do not have the ability to guess why someone dreams what they dream.' the tone in Douglas's voice had clearly changed; sarcasm seemed to challenge Giovanni Dartagnan, making it clear to Jonas that the doctor was trying to tell him something.
The three were silent for a while, allowing the chewing and splintering of the dishes to be responsible for the soundtrack of that uncomfortable situation. Douglas continued to stand in the same spot, where he had looked down again without wanting to reveal anything that might put his security at stake. Jonas knew, and understood, very well that it would be risky for anyone there to disrupt Mr. Dartagnan's plans.
'Anything else?' asked Douglas as he started to move his feet, indicating he was about to leave.
'I am not in the mood to think about questions that have no answer.' said Jonas, realising it was a mistake to ask for the doctor in there. It was more than certain that Giovanni's employee would not be babbling truths in front of his own boss.
'If I may, can I have a private word?' asked Giovanni before Douglas could get out.
'Certainly.'
The two left the huge structure that was Mr. Dartagnan's room. Jonas was restless in his chair, yearning to be alone in Giovanni's room. He knew that the boss's quarters would be monitored by cameras, but he had to take risky chances if he wanted to find any solution to get out of that place unharmed. He ran over to where the bed was and tried to go through the drawers with the hope that he could find a working phone or anything else that might help him.
There was way too little furniture in that place. The bed was surrounded by works of art and had a nightstand on each side. 'This can only be the side he sleeps on.', concluded Jonas when he noticed a small statue of a saint he did not know and remembered that the other side of the bed should be occupied by Lara Farlet. He closed his eyes and let out a grunt of disgust at the thought of how that woman had been deceived her whole life and had no idea that she slept with her own uncle whilst her father was being tortured.
He tried not to misplace things, let alone break anything, but his backside didn't seem to follow the same instincts and caution as his brain. Before he could even realize what was happening, he heard the splintering of the small statue shatter across the tile floor that covered Mr. Dartagnan's rooms. The noise was intense, and he could only hope that Giovanni was having a warm and loud conversation with Douglas on the other side of those giant doors. Jonas looked like a table tennis judge, looking from side to side without knowing what to do. He tried to control his nervousness and find a quick and temporary solution so that he could think clearer about what to do with the mess that was at his feet.
He knelt on the floor and tried to collect the remains of porcelain into his pockets and, not before he managed to make a small cut in his hand, he came across a small piece of paper with one of those stamps made with candle wax melted and branded by the well-known Dartagnan family crest. 'Ubi Est Cadaver Ibi Congregantur Aquilae', said the front of the small card. 'The jargon of Giovanni's sect!', he thought as he remembered the small pamphlet he had read in Getulio's hut, realising, with excitement, that he was not going crazy after all. He quickly put the small piece of paper into his jacket pocket.
He managed to go on collecting the small pieces of ceramic and rubbed his hand on the back of his shirt. He tried to hide that he had cut himself, but it didn't look like his palm was going to stop bleeding anytime soon. He cleaned the floor close to Giovanni's bed as good as possible and ran back to the chair where he was supposed to be sitting. At that time, he knew that it would not be good enough to hide that cut, he would have to come up with some random excuse so that Giovanni would not suspect his misfortune around the room. He took a slice of bread and the butter-stained knife and let the blood stain it red, then reached for his cloth napkin, which was on the floor, and wrapped it around his hand.
'You cannot be left alone, can you?' said Giovanni as he sat down at the table once again.
Jonas just twisted the corner of his mouth and made a negative sign.
'Do I need to call the doctor back?'
'It won't be necessary, it's just a small cut and this piece of cloth should suffice.
'If you need it, don't hesitate to ask.' Giovanni went back to eating his meal whilst he stopped paying attention to Jonas.
The piece of paper he held in his pocket was the only thing he could think about. He needed to find some excuse to be alone with his thoughts and try to organize a strategy that would take him away from that hotel.
'I haven't been to the bathroom in hours.' he said pointing to the amount of food he had devoured. 'I think I'll go to my room and take the opportunity to rest for a while.'
'Don't be silly, you can use the bathroom here. Before you can get back to the party, I need to show you one more thing.' said Giovanni as he pointed to the closed door that gave access to the bathroom.
'Show me one more thing...', that story was already getting repetitive. Jonas had already made a mental note that Giovanni wanted to keep him out of his own room for as long as possible, he knew he wouldn't find Rodrigo. If all the things would fall into place and align with his recent memories, it was obvious that his friend had had some trouble along the way.
It was not the time to contradict who was holding all the cards in his hand. He got to his feet and headed for the door Giovanni had pointed to. The bathroom, to his surprise, did not match the rest of the room, it was a simple and functional room, in fact, everything he needed.
The candle wax seal was broken; obviously, no one would hide a not yet opened piece of letter inside a statue, and Jonas was certain that the information there was extremely important, information that had already been read and reread.
Jonas made sure he was making some gruesome noises as he opened the lid of the vase as he sat down the patent with his clothes on so he could open the little note quickly.
'By spending a few minutes in this dirty and abominable bar, I can confirm that heresy has long been taking over the space left by the constant growth in religious disbelief. I regret to say, but we must fight evil with evil; there is no more space or time for us to face reality by standing idle. If our leaders are no longer able to deal with the growing problems we face, it is time to put aside hypocrisy and literally practice what we preach. The word has been given. There is no turning back.'
The macabre tone of the newly read words no longer scared Jonas, who was already beginning to make peace with the fate that had brought him there. The note insinuated that someone had been researching people and some kind of superior order had been given, making it look like there were more people involved into that situation besides Giovanni and the members of his sects. Time had begun to drag on since he entered that bathroom, and Mr. Dartagnan might be beginning to get suspicious of his late absenteeism. He turned on the sink faucet and ruffled his shirt so he could rub his arms with soap and water. He knew those tattoos were there, covered with something. He felt they were real. His arm bruised from the strength he used to rub it, but there was no sign of ink.
'What else do you want to show me?' he asked as he sat back in the chair.
'Finish eating...'
'I'm already satisfied.' intruded Jonas before Giovanni could deliver yet another thrifty speech about how his old age made him better than others.
He kept thinking about that note and any mysterious hidden meaning that those words might hold, but there was no much more he could understand from the message besides the points he already knew: the importance that all that crazy inquisition and religious fundamentalism held to Mr. Dartagnan. The only thing that could bring him a little peace and calm was the certainty that what he had lived during the distant hours he had been with Getulio were not a lie. He still couldn't quite understand what it all meant, but at least he was sure his mind wasn't running a mock about the things he had experienced.
At least, not completely.
The two took the same path they had taken before to reach Giovanni's room, but this time, instead of heading towards the cemetery, they turned right and, to Jonas's surprise, started to head towards the beautiful church built years ago by the Dartagnan family. A sudden fear came to take over his feelings; he was sure that this was the place where he had dreamed that Rodrigo was being tortured. The place where he would probably receive his much-acclaimed penance. His mind had been drawn to memories that were not his own, memories of a dream Rodrigo had had and that he was not yet able to understand. The grotesque landscape that took over his imagination brought back the anxiety he thought he had learned how to control, but his biggest problem was the imminence of what was about to happen.
'Why are we going there?' asked Jonas trying not to show any concern as they approached the building.
'I want to introduce you to someone. A friend of mine.' replied Giovanni.
'What a Friend?'
'You don't really know how to be patient, do you? Wait and soon you'll see.' he replied as the two approached the church more and more.
Jonas was already hoping to find the same stained glass window that repeated Rodrigo's face in his dream, and, despite the fear being emphatic in signalling that his body should run away as far as possible from that place, he was more than curious about what was to come. He couldn't understand what he was feeling; he seemed to have a fear of not having slept well, which resembled a regret of spending an entire night at a party and not being able to sleep the next day. It was a hangover feeling, without him actually being hung over.
He felt very strange.
'Do not worry.' started Giovanni as he realised Jonas looked worried. 'A visit to the church will do you some good.'
The moment Giovanni opened the heavy wooden doors that held a dense air eager to escape from inside that place as if it was fleeing from an enraged animal, Jonas could notice that the 'little chapel', of which Getulio was referring to, was neither macabre nor hunted, it was a church like any other, and its right foot was much higher than Jonas could remember from the lucid dream. The windows were large and clean, allowing sunlight, which was now beginning to warm the dew left by the cold night, to illuminate the poorly decorated and dirty stone walls.
His attention was quickly taken up by the silhouette of a man walking through the bank aisles towards the simple altar that ended the small building. The man wore a simple cassock and carried a cross intertwined into his fingers. He followed the familiar path whilst humming something indistinguishable between his lips.
'Jonas, I would like to introduce you to a friend of mine.' said Giovanni as his steps approached the man who stopped paying attention to whatever he was doing.
The introduction was not necessary. Jonas knew exactly who the clergyman was.
'Father Romulo, pleased to meet you.' the remembrance brought by that voice made him shiver as he held out his hand so Jonas could return the gesture.