Excursion

Chapter Twenty-One - I Go to See the Premier

  Valentino hadn't even stood up to leave the room when the key jingled in the lock one again, this time with Adair pushing it open.

  "Mr. Nomen?" he inquired with a smile. "The Premier wishes to see you."

  "You didn't tell me about this yesterday."

  A frown appeared on the guard's brow. "Yes I did," he insisted as he locked me into another pair of handcuffs.

  "No, you didn't."

  "Yes, I did. You just forgot."

  I pondered the events of yesterday for a moment, and realized that there was so much going on that I could have easily forgotten a passing remark like 'you're going to see the Premier tomorrow'.

  "Oh. All right, then."

  "Are you doing the honors of escorting the gentleman, Adair, or should I?" Valentino inquired, springing to his feet with his picnic basket over his arm.

  "Well..." Adair murmured, glancing at myself, then to the matchmaker, and back, "... are you going there anyway?"

  "No, but I am going to the kitchens, which is right next to her meeting room."

  "Do you mind taking him?"

  "Not at all."

  A few moments later, I was being led along the corridors of the Premier's palace with a chain tied to my handcuffs. My hands were at least in front of me this time. The other end of the chain was in Valentino's grasp. The two of us had a very pleasant conversation as we walked along the hall. We discussed his wife, how dark and creepy the Ixmin Forest was, and the remarkable architecture of the palace – all of which were spoken in cheerful tones intermixed with laughter. By the time I got to the Premier's meeting room, my heart was beating in gleeful excitement - not anxiety - as the huge double doors were pushed open by two guards. The matchmaker led me inside.

  I realized almost as soon as I entered the meeting room that it looked scarcely different than all the other areas of the palace I had been in. Tall ceilings, blue and white walls with accents of gold, and paintings and tapestries hanging upon almost every bare surface. I was expecting Nova to be seated at the front on a golden throne or cross-legged upon an intricately-woven rug, but she was nowhere to be seen. There wasn't even an empty throne, or a rug. There was a door at the far end which looked slightly ajar, but no one was physically present. In fact, as I looked around, I didn't even see any guards.

  "I hope you have a good visit, Dahling," Valentino proclaimed, unclasping his chain from my handcuffs and giving me a brotherly pat upon the shoulder.

  "Um... thanks."

  "Don't worry," he responded with a wink as he strode out. "You'll love her."

  The double doors slammed behind Valentino, and it was only then that I began to traverse the area, wondering if there was something I hadn't seen.

  "Hello?" I called. "Is anybody here?"

  Birds chirped outside the huge glass windows and the nearby waterfall burbled happily, but no one answered. Instead, the response came in the form of a quick, mechanical buzz.

  Startled, I looked towards the front of the room and laid my eyes on a beam of blue light shooting up from the floor, creating a melodic drone as it fluctuated and wavered until finally stopping, and allowing a figure to appear in the middle. The form inside was also entirely blue, but it was in the shape of the most beautiful, graceful, elegant woman I had ever seen.