The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #2
The Angel's Game
by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Contents
Act Two - Lux Aeterna — Chapter 9
Overview
Driven home in a silent Rolls-Royce after meeting Corelli, David Martín spots Isabella sleeping in Fly Alley and thwarts two men attempting to assault her. He arms himself, forces the attackers to withdraw, and brings Isabella upstairs to wash, eat, and rest. Their bond deepens as David assumes a protector’s role amid growing urban menace.
Summary
After midnight, a butler sees David Martín into a lavish black Rolls-Royce that delivers him from Corelli’s hilltop house to the edge of Calle Flassaders. The chauffeur departs wordlessly, leaving David to his thoughts as he climbs to his study and opens the apartment to the humid night and the city’s distant chimneys.
Looking down into Fly Alley, David spots Isabella asleep on a doorstep. Two men approach, one blocking the exit while the other kneels and threatens her with a knife. When Isabella screams, David races down, seizes a heavy metal bar, and confronts the attackers as the knife-wielder presses the blade to Isabella’s throat.
David orders Isabella to take his keys and run. Weighing the risk of the bar against his knife, the lead assailant folds the blade and retreats, his accomplice following. David finds Isabella trembling by the stairwell; she refuses a doctor, insisting the attackers “hadn’t managed to do anything.”
Back upstairs, David directs Isabella to wash while he cooks from leftovers. She eats despite shock, sips watered wine, and trades tentative, calming banter with David. He settles her for the night with the door ajar, promising proximity if she needs help.
Alone, David notices dried blood on his cheek and the ache of exhaustion. The episode leaves him physically spent but affirms his commitment to protect Isabella within a city that feels both intimate and perilous.
Who Appears
- David MartínProtagonist; returns home by Rolls, stops Isabella’s assault with a metal bar, shelters and feeds her, ending exhausted.
- IsabellaDavid’s young protégé; found sleeping in Fly Alley, nearly assaulted, rescued by David, then washes, eats, and rests.
- Knife-wielding assailantLeads the attack on Isabella, threatens her with a blade, retreats when confronted by David’s metal bar.
- Accomplice assailantBlocks the alley and assists the attack, withdraws once the leader backs down.
- ChauffeurSilent driver of the Rolls-Royce who drops David near Calle Flassaders after midnight.
- ButlerOpens the door to the Rolls-Royce and sees David off from the hilltop house.