They were working on an illusion that the magician called "The Gilded Cage." It also involved a perilous escape, with Grayle wrapped this time in barbed wire, adding to the degree of difficulty. He was to be dropped from the highest bridge in North America, which was in West Virginia, into a river chasm some five hundred feet below. He had conceived the Gilded Cage stunt two years ago. The design challenges were enormous. The Gilded Cage would replace the illusion for which he'd been denied access to the Colosseum in Rome. That production, now on the back burner, featured some comely female gladiators, a chariot drawn by six black horses, a pair of lions, and Grayle himself locked inside a body bag with ten pounds of raw liver. Big, better, best. His perpetual quest as an illusionist. Always searching for an edge over his competitors. Dedication to his art kept his theatre filled every night while other Vegas magicians were closing up shop for lack of business. When their working meal was over, Grayle rolled up two sets of plans for further study, had a second glass of sauvignon blanc from his Napa Valley winery poured for him.
