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Part 72: Where All Journeys Grow

Chapter 25: Table

V2.0 – 10/11/2025

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With Freya holding my arm, I led us through the hallways to the large formal dining room that looked out over the lower gardens in front of the mansion. As we got closer I could hear soft classical music getting louder and louder.

“I’m nervous.” Freya whispered to me as we walked. Then in a more cheerful voice whispered, “But I’m also starving.”

I laughed and agreed, “I am too.”

We passed by the two guards that flanked the entryway into the dining room and entered the massive room. We halted together just beyond the threshold. There was a massive table that ran down the center of the room. It was covered by a white tablecloth and was set with golden dishes. Tall silver candle holders with three candles each lined the table. The table could easily sit 50 comfortably I guessed. At one end of the table sat a chair that was more adorned than the rest. That would have to be Mr. Zaryan’s chair.

There was a large group of people standing around chatting in the room all dressed in their finest waiting for dinner. I recognized only Jason and Aaron among the group. Jason wore a blue suit and on his arm was a beautiful middle eastern woman wearing a flowing white dress. Aaron wore a black suit and escorted a lovely short Asian woman. I led Freya over to where Aaron and Jason stood with their partners.

“Ah, Caleb welcome.” Aaron said formally.

Jason gave me a nod.

“This is my lovely wife, June.” Aaron introduced the woman standing next to him to us. Then to his wife he introduced us, “This is Caleb Feldman and his lovely companion Freya.”

“Nice to meet you.” I told her. Freya bowed a slight curtsy and smiled.

“And this is my wife, Purna.” Jason told us.

“Pleased to meet you as well.” I told the woman at his side.

“I see the clothing fits you well. And, from her lovely appearance and smile, Mr. Zaryan’s gift suits you as well.” Aaron said, pleased with himself.

I knew he meant Freya. “The clothing fits… and Freya here sure does know how to put together an outfit. I would have been lost without her in that huge closet.” I replied. They all nodded and smiled to that.

A servant entered the far end of the room and struck a small mallet against a drum that sat on a table near the door he had entered from. The sound echoed in the room and got everyone’s attention. Silence fell. Everyone moved to stand behind their chairs around the table. Aaron directed Freya and I to our seats that sat toward the middle of the table then led his wife down to stand behind their seats.

Everyone waited.

“Mr. David Zaryan.” The servant announced in a loud voice.

Mr. Zaryan entered the room dressed in a black suit, nodded to us all, and sat in his chair at the head of the table. He motioned for us to sit. I pulled out Freya’s chair for her and waited as she sat down. Then I took my seat next to her. I counted around 25 people at the table. The chairs closest to Mr. Zaryan’s end of the table were empty and I guessed those were for his wife and children when they were at the compound. Aaron and Jason sat just beyond the empty chairs.

Mr. Zaryan lifted his hand and dinner was served.

“I want to welcome the newest members of my little family. Caleb and Freya.” Mr. Zaryan announced as he motioned for us to stand.

Freya and I stood to our feet and gave a little bow to those at the table then sat back down.

Mr. Zaryan continued, “Caleb was pulled right from the ocean not weeks ago. Poor guy was holding onto a plank of wood for dear life shivering in the cold water, but my good friend Osiris rescued him and offered him to me. He’s going to serve me well here once I get him trained.”

Everyone around the table were raptured as he spoke. The servants brought in our salads, what I guessed would be the first course of the meal for the evening. I took a bite of the salad. It was fresh and delicious.

“And the young lady next to him was gathered from town just this afternoon, a gift to Caleb from me to welcome him to his new home here.” Mr. Zaryan informed us all of his generosity.

Everyone clapped and then continued eating.

This was the strangest dinner I had ever attended. The luxurious wealth of it all. The opulence of everyone’s clothing and jewelry. It all felt so wrong somehow. I wondered how many around the table had found their way here the same way Freya and I had. I wondered if they had had their identities wiped away and served this man out of fear now. It was a strange kind of imprisonment. It was so insidious. So unfathomable that anyone could be plucked out of their life and given a whole new one just like that. I ate quietly while I pondered my circumstances.

The servants served us course after course: salad, bread, something sweet, a cooked bird that tasted like chicken, vegetables, then finally a desert of a cake drizzled in caramel and chocolate. There was a strange rhythm to it all, as if each course were served, timed, and then gathered up before the next course was served. It was a strangely beautiful dance. Was this how all my meals here would be?

We were given both water and wine to drink. I didn’t drink any wine but drank plenty of water. The food was rich, salty, and sweet. I noticed that the people around the table ate what they wanted whether little or much.

Freya stayed quiet the entire meal. I didn’t blame her. I stayed quiet as well and just listened to the various conversations that went on. Some were between Aaron and Mr. Zaryan about business dealings. Some between Jason and Aaron about my education and training. Some about the latest happenings in Cairo or among the ever-present archaeology teams around the pyramids or on some new dig site that had been discovered.

I felt completely out of my element. I opened my spiritual eyes to the room and cringed at the darkness I felt. It was oppressive. I did sense my guardian angels about me as well as the Dark One and his minions.

As I took a bite of the cake, Mr. Zaryan abruptly asked, “So, Caleb, I’ve been told you are a Christian?”

Everyone around the table grew silent. It seemed the darkness of the room had grown.

“I am.” I replied simply.

“Well, in that case, I guess God has… what is that verse from your Bible? Prepared a table before you in the presence of your enemies, or something like that.” Mr. Zaryan mocked me with a laugh.

Everyone in the room laughed as well. I remained silent looking at him.

Mr. Zaryan stood up and picked up the flask of oil that was used as the salad dressing from the table. He walked around the table as he said, “Now what was the next part of that verse?… Anyone?”

A man I didn’t know across the table from me said, “He anoints my head with oil, I believe it goes.”

Mr. Zaryan nodded as he walked up behind my chair and said, “Well, I guess we had better make the scriptures true for him then. Shall we?”

And with that he poured the flask of oil out over my head, drenching me in it. The oil ran through my hair and down my face onto my suit and into my lap. Freya gasped. Everyone around the table erupted in laughter.

“And what is the next part?” Mr. Zaryan asked the room as he sat down the empty flask next to me on the table.

I wiped the oil from my face with my napkin as best I could. I was sure my face was red now. I tried desperately to contain the anger that swelled in me. I was beyond embarrassed. I was humiliated.

Aaron’s wife spoke up, “My cup overflows.”

“Ah, yes.” Mr. Zaryan said. He waved his hand, and a servant brought him a full bottle of what I was sure was very expensive wine. “Caleb. Pick up your glass please.” He commanded me.

I picked up my wine glass and held it in front of me. Mr. Zaryan showed the bottle’s label to everyone in the room and read its label to the room, “1945 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-ContiWell.”

Everyone gasped but I didn’t understand its significance. I knew nothing about wine.

“Shall we make his cup run over?” Mr. Zaryan asked. No one moved. Everyone sat watching in horror.

Mr. Zaryan then poured the wine from the bottle into my glass and continued to do so until the entire bottle was empty. The wine filled my glass and overflowed, flooding my lap and mixing with the wine there. My pants were drenched. My shoes filled with the cold oil and wine running down my pant legs.

“Scripture fulfilled.” Mr. Zaryan mocked and let out an eerie howl of laughter. I knew the Dark One laughed through him. The room erupted in laughter.

Freya remained frozen beside me, and I didn’t blame her.

I closed my eyes and prayed, “God, give me the grace to endure this.”

Mr. Zaryan leaned down and whispered in my ear, “Surely my goodness and my mercy will follow you as long as you live in my house. And I know that you’ll dwell in my house forever. Isn’t that how it goes?”

Mr. Zaryan handed the empty bottle to the waiting servant then returned to take his seat again. He looked at me and said, “I think it’s time you retired, Mr. Feldman. You start your training tomorrow, don’t you? Oh, and take your gift with you.”

Freya and I stood to our feet and left the room together. Aaron, Jason, their wives, and the others in the room watched us go silently. Wine and oil dripped from me onto the floor as I went. I could hear the howls of laughter from the Dark One and his minions in the spiritual world.

“I’m so sorry.” Freya whispered to me as we made our way back to our room.

“It’s ok.” I told her.

We reached the double doors of our room and entered closing them behind us. I quickly removed the drenched suit in the tiled area of the entryway of the room. I left my underwear on.

“What can I do?” Freya asked me quietly.

I looked at her and shrugged. She gave me a comforting smile. I nodded to her and tried to return her smile. I felt humiliated in front of her as well, even though I had just met her.

I walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind me. The oil and wine had stained my underwear and body beneath my suit. I walked over to the shower and entered it. I turned on the hot water and cleaned myself off as best I could. The oil seemed to cling to my hair and was slick on my skin.

I broke down and fell to my knees in the shower’s spray. Tears poured down my face. I was trapped. Humiliated. Someone else. I didn’t know how to sort my thoughts now. I didn’t know what to pray or what to think. I just cried. I felt abandoned. I felt betrayed. I felt lost.

Jason was right, this was surely a prison of comfort. Perhaps if it had been an actual prison with an actual cell I would be reacting differently but since I’d never had that experience I had nothing to compare to this one.

Nothing in my life had prepared me for a prison like this.

I picked myself up off the tile floor and finished my shower. I wrapped myself in a towel and went back into the room. I saw that Freya had laid out sleep clothes for me. She was nowhere in sight and the door to her small room was closed. I quickly changed and slid myself into the large bed pulling the covers up over me.

Freya knocked lightly on her door and then entered the room. She had changed into a simple night dress. She crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed by my feet. We looked at one another for a time.

“Well, that was crazy.” She finally said.

“It was.” I said laughing a bit.

“My parents were Christians.” She told me, then added, “But I never really understood any of it.”

“God is my life.” I said pulling the covers tighter around me, then said, “I know He brought me here for a reason.”

She nodded to that considering it.

“Let’s get some sleep.” I suggested, “We are both tired and I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a very long day.”

“Sounds good. Can I get you anything before I turn in?” She asked, resting a hand on my leg.

I hated the temptation that surged through me at that moment. I looked at her and smiled. “I’m good. Thank you.” I said with a smile.

“Goodnight then, Caleb.” She said, standing to her feet.

“Goodnight, Freya.” I told her as she crossed the room to her doorway. She stopped as she reached it and turned back to me to ask, “Would you pray for us?”

“Sure.” I replied.

Then I closed my eyes and prayed. I felt the room fill with God’s glory and grace. I prayed for God to help us serve those we’d been brought to. I prayed for God to teach us to be patient and kind while here. I asked to be freed from this prison. I ran out of words then said, “Amen.”

“Amen.” Freya said with a smile, “Thank you. Goodnight.”

She entered her room and closed the door behind her.

I shifted to a more comfortable position in the bed and wondered if I shouldn’t have let Freya take this bed and me take the smaller bed in the other room. Somehow that seemed dangerous to me. I was sure that Mr. Zaryan was monitoring us closely. The last thing I wanted was to get Freya in trouble.

I put it all out of my mind, tomorrow would worry about itself.

I quickly passed out with the smell of wine and oil surrounding me.

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