Entrance to the Song (completed)

Chapter 22 - Renewal of Realms

The Song of earth is unending

We wasted no time with preparations for going into the Sleepers Keep. It had been two days since the meeting, and we were to go into the Keep tonight. I gazed at myself in the mirror of the mud spa. "You can think on your feet, Penny. You got this." I bounced from foot to foot and threw a few punches at my reflection.

Mistress Vega gave me a belt that made an ex across my chest and went around my waist. It had several pockets for weapons and earth. I had one weapon made of steel; all the others were constructed of earth hardened to be as strong as steel. It was, a genius way to carry dirt. I could form the weapons into whatever I wanted them to be.

I did a high sidekick in the mirror for good measure and then made my way to the beauty room where Daddy would be transformed. He seemed undisturbed by being changed. He said he trusted Mistress Vega which infuriated me even more. There was always a reason for him to touch her, and I confronted Shiah about it, but she said Daddy was free to do as he wished.

Daddy was alone gazing at himself in the mirror when I entered the room. "Hi, sweetheart," he said smiling at me. He turned back to the mirror. "Do you consider me handsome?"

"What?" I asked suspicious. "Why are you suddenly concerned about being handsome?"

He shrugged. "I was just wondering." He sat in a chair. "I've chosen to be handsome and dark."

I stared at him bewildered, trying to imagine his light skin dark. "I thought you were going with ordinary and unnoticeable features."

"They will be handsome but not too noticeable features." His eyebrows bounced up and down. I shook my head; his logic made no sense.

Mistress Vega strolled in wearing a tight fitting variation of the uniform we both wore. The leggings under her slanted skirt were royal blue to match the strip of cloth around her neckline. The rest of the outfit was silver. Her hair, which she usually wore in a tight bun, flowed down her back in dark waves. I was slacked jawed, and Daddy was too.

What are you up to Vega?

She looked at me and smiled. "Good morning Penny." Her smile grew larger when she looked at Daddy. "Master Erben, how are you today."

"I'm much better with you in the room," he said grabbing her hand and kissing the back of it.

"What's going on here?" I asked. It slipped out before I could catch it, so I might as well push it. "You two are actually flirting when we have important and deadly things going on around us. Sol is in danger and so is the rest of the world!" I waggled my finger for good measure.

Mistress Vega seemed somewhat embarrassed, but Daddy frowned. "That's enough Penny. We are adults, and how we act doesn't concern you." He stabbed his finger in my direction like only a parent could. My face warmed and the veins in my head throbbed, but I kept silent. He stared me down until I looked away and crossed my arms.

Benin and Shiah walked in relieving some of the awkwardness. "Are you nervous Erben?" Shiah asked sitting next to him.

"No, not really. Mistress Vega knows what she's doing."

Shiah bobbed her head. "Yeah, I know, but it's still a little scary if you ask me."

I was nervous even if Daddy wasn't.

"I've already injected the combination of features we discussed yesterday," Mistress Vega said to Daddy. "Because of the extent of the transformation, it can take anywhere up to ten hours to see the full transformation. There are no dampening effects, so you'll be able to go on with business as usual."