Excursion

Chapter Twenty-Two - My Memory Begins to Fail Me

  I wasn't meant to be alone in the room for long, for as soon as Nova's image disappeared, in walked Adair from one of the double doors behind me.

  "Have you finished with your meeting, Nomen?" he inquired.

  "Yes, indeed. It was... marvelous," I breathed, thinking back to Nova's voice and her incredible way with words.

  "Good," the guard replied curtly. "Come along, then."

  I wanted nothing more than to tell Adair about my visit with Premier Nova, but every time I opened my mouth I remembered that he was only a guard. He wouldn't want to hear the tale of my adventure, especially with that no-nonsense expression he was wearing. Even so, I found it hard to keep my thoughts to myself as I followed him down the sprawling halls of the Lazullian palace and walked into my guest room. Adair locked the door behind me as I began pacing, trying to determine exactly what I was feeling after meeting with the Premier. It was definitely awe and delight, but it took me a moment to realize that both of those were magnified to such an extent that I was certain I was experiencing something else entirely. It was as if I had just met an otherworldly being. Maybe I had.

  Faintly, I could hear people speaking outside the door of my room.

  "I'm just..." It was Adair speaking. He sounded much less professional than before. "... I'm not altogether fond of the Premier's choice for marriage."

  "You mean Esis?" another asked. I didn't recognize his voice.

  "Yes."

  "Why? Don't you like Esis?"

  Esis doesn't need any more power than he has now."

  "Why is that?"

  "Well... Esis is a man who wouldn't do well with a lot of power; let's put it that way."

  "But who do you think she should be with?"

  "Well, there is another man in her life that I think would be far more suited for the title of co-premier than that snake in the grass. Lavern."

  "Oh yes, I've seen him around once or twice."

  "He's a kind-hearted, working-class man who wouldn't hurt a fly. He's in charge of the more subtle aspects of Magnicum, such as handling finances and treaty documents. I think he and Nova would do very well as a couple both for their own sake, and for the sake of the entire region. She would bring him up to a status and life of grandeur, and he would help humble her and bring her attention to the needs of the people." Adair's voice took on an ominous tone. "It would be a crime not to think of him as a worthy candidate for Nova's heart."

  "Personally, I don't have much of an opinion on the matter. I don't know enough about Esis or Lavern's character to judge them fairly."

  "I think you'll come to a conclusion soon enough. The entire region is divided over the matter, you know. If you pick a side, you'll soon find yourself with many friends, and many enemies."

  The speakers moved onto other simpler topics, and their voices eventually faded away until they were gone entirely. I briefly thought about what was said, but again my mind drifted off to think about Nova. What a woman! So smart, so beautiful, so educated... I felt like an utter slob in front of her, and yet she treated me with such kindness. I walked over to the window in the far corner of the room. I wanted to open it so that I could spew my praises forth into the world but then remembered that my hands were bound, and saw the window was bolted shut.