by s. Behr
I flushed, realizing we were alone. I wondered what was behind his intense gaze. “If you think this grand painting can’t impress me, what do you suppose would?”
“I don’t know why, but I imagine a meadow with a spring surrounded by purple flowers.” He paused as if picturing it. “But then, it would be more than the way it looked. For you, it would be everything, the air, the smell. The people.”
I stared at him. How could he know? My eyes narrowed. “This is some kind of Phoenician trick,” I accused.
He stared back at me, his eyes equally narrowed, and his face broke into a grin. “No, I am sorry.” He laughed. “Your father told me a story about your grandparents’ farm. It sounds like a magical place.”
Relieved, I tried to put on a playful pout as Lily would have, but it was useless with a smile like his. It was contagious. Everyone had moved on, and we followed at a slower pace, falling more and more behind. To my surprise, I was glad.
When I’d first seen Leo, I thought he would be exactly the way the gossip feeds portrayed him. Arrogant, haughty, aloof. Watching him throughout the week, I thought he would be like the typical courtier, full of false flattery with just enough wit to make him interesting. He proved he was talented in navigating through the politics that masqueraded as a banquet and dance. He was kind. Every time I found myself around him, there was just something about him that felt comfortable. A feeling I never would have expected after the devastating tribunal.
I turned to see Leo watching me with his face shadowed with concern. “I’m sorry, it was a poor joke on my part. I know what most people think of my realm. Siri always says I should stop trying to be funny.”
“What? Oh, no. That was funny.” I flushed, not knowing how long I had been standing there in silence. “I just… Well, I just get lost in my own head sometimes. It’s a terrible habit. It’s not you, truly,” I said as my cheeks flamed. Great, first you almost kill him, then you ignore him. Good going, Princess, I admonished myself, taking both sides of the conversation I would have had with my inner voice.
I felt my grasp on sanity slip. To my dismay, I spewed. “You are wonderful. I mean your humor is wonderful…” I squeezed my eyes shut and sucked in a deep breath. “What I am trying to say is I don’t usually get a lot of visitors here in Neyr. This is all pretty new to me. I don’t know why anyone thought this was the time for me to learn to entertain. I’m afraid I’m not very good at it.”
“Well, I get lots of visitors and have been to all the courts, which I think makes me somewhat of an expert,” he said with a crooked grin. “And as an expert, I think you are doing just fine.”
He couldn’t be real. His expression looked sincere, his gaze piercing. I had to get out of here before I made an even bigger fool of myself.
“We should probably find Siri before he says something we will all regret,” he mercifully suggested.
“Good idea.” I exhaled with a sigh of relief.
We stopped for lunch, and all went outside to the veranda where Rall waited with a hover full of baskets perfect for a picnic. Each of us had our own, and Rall delivered Penelope’s to the lime green blanket she had chosen for herself.
“All of this is for me?” she said, her eyes wide.
“It was my duty to make sure this was delivered to Penelope Yzer. That is you, isn’t it?” For a moment she looked unsure, then Rall showed her a brass plate with her name. “Something to remember today by. King Henry made these baskets himself.”
Penelope grinned, showing off her collection of grapes to the group which took up half the space in her basket.
“Those have become Pen’s favorite,” Kai said, watching his sister with a soft expression on his face. “When we first arrived, Lily found some growing wild in the queen’s garden. She did what your people are famous for and ripened them for my sister. Though I am not sure which she has grown more fond of, Lily or the grapes.”
Thoughts of what I had learned this morning made me realize this was probably more food than Penelope was given in a day, though none of the human delegation had shown any feelings about the way we had supplied our people with food until now.
“This basket could feed a family back home,” Kai said, picking at his roasted chicken salad, tossed with persimmon and arugula.
“I think the chefs want to make a good impression,” I offered, watching Leo help Aspen and Cam with their blankets.
“Your people do know how to make an impression.” He chewed on a grape as he eyed Siri and Lily sharing a basket.
The way he stared across the lawn, I wasn’t sure if I should say thank you or ask Siri to take a walk. Suddenly, a pinecone the size of a grapefruit hurtled toward us. It nearly hit me in the face when it stopped in mid-air.
Kai had sprung to his feet like a cat when a breach opened up, and Clark came through. “Score!” he yelled as he grabbed the pinecone. “That’s one to nothing, Team Pike.”
Barton stood at the edge of the veranda, shaking his head. “It doesn’t count if there is interference.”
Clark smirked. “What interference? I didn’t see anything, did you Vi?”
I was still trying to understand why there had been a pinecone aimed at my head when Siri said, “The game is keep away, not kick the cone. Let me show you how it’s done.”
The woody cone lifted into the air and out of Clark’s grasp, dangling twenty feet above his head.
“Too easy.” Clark grinned just before vanishing into thin air and reappearing to grasp for the cone. Then Barton, the son of the King of Shields, put up his hands and Clark’s grin vanished as he hung ten feet off the ground, unable to move.
“Got it. Score, Team Bowie,” Barton declared.
“It doesn’t count if I am holding it,” Clark snapped “Now let me down.”
“I don’t know, Aspen, what do you think? Your brother looks good in the air. He could practically be an Angel.”
Aspen, who had been giggling with Camelia, sat up. “You mess with one Pike twin, you mess with both.” She vanished from her picnic blanket and reappeared behind Barton. They both disappeared, and just as Clark began to fall, Siri lifted his finger and caught Clark as he dangled upside down. With ease, he lowered the Pike twin to the ground. A moment later, Aspen and Barton reappeared high up in the tree at the edge of the lawn.
“Hold tight,” Aspen warned Barton with a wink. It was only Barton up a tree as Aspen reappeared on the ground with a grin.
“Remember what I told you,” Leo grinned at Penelope as she clapped and cheered.
Francesca watched with fascination as the rest of us laughed along as Siri kept Clark trapped upside down.
“Okay, Dog Star, let me down,” the unhappy Pike twin demanded.
As the two negotiated the terms of Clark’s release, Kai looked at me with confusion and asked, “Is that a slight?”
Shaking my head, I smiled. “Not really. He is named after the star Sirius. His mother is named after the Spartan Queen Leda. She was the mother of Helen of Troy, as well as Castor and Pollux. We have a flower theme; they have a star theme.” I shrugged. “It happens. What about you?”
“Well, as we are the Ameran descendants, the people of the Tri-City Region tend to use ancient American names.”
“Kai doesn’t sound too American.”
“You would be surprised what is considered American if you search the data long enough.” He shook his head. “There was a time when people put themselves in the wilderness with no food, nothing except a camera and their wits, and they did it for fun. It was a genre called Reality. But no one I know in reality would ever put themselves in that kind of situation on purpose.”
“I can honestly say that is a period of history I am unfamiliar with. I started listening to the music of the era, but Ameli forbid it.”
“You do what she says even though you are her superior?” he asked.
“No one is Ameli’s superior, and everyone does what she says. Especially Captain Rall,” I added with a laugh
watching Kai scan the area as we ate. “Besides, I have done nothing that deserves respect. At least not yet,” I answered, thinking about the Ark and the end of my suppression.
“You make my sister happy. You have my respect,” he said with a tone that sounded so earnest, it threw my train of thought off track.
We finished our meals, and Rall collected the baskets to be delivered to their quarters. The rest of the group had already filed back into the Archives when Penelope looked longingly at the grapes.
“Lady Penelope, you hardly touched your food,” the Captain said with concern.
Her cheeks turned pink as if she had been caught doing something wrong. “I just wanted to save some for later.”
My heart twisted. Rall and I shared a hard look. He got down on one knee. “Did you have enough for now? I know Princess Violet’s tours can be quite demanding. I think you need to keep up your strength.”
She looked at the grapes. “We leave soon, and I just wanted to save some for the trip. Lily said they will stay good for a few weeks.”
“You like these?” Rall asked, holding a large bunch of red grapes in his hand.
She smiled sheepishly and nodded. “Yes, they are my favorite. We don’t have grapes back home.” A shadow of sadness fell across her face, making my heart hurt.
“I have known the King of Neyr my entire life. I would dare to say I have no better friend. Do you have a best friend?”
Pen beamed, nodding.
“Well, I will make sure that grapes, just like these will be delivered to your city every year on your birthday.” I looked at Rall and knew if he said it, that meant he would find a way.
“Will there be enough for everyone?” she asked.
“I hope so. We will do our best. Will that be good enough for you?”
“Yes,” she agreed happily. “Thank you. Princess Violet, did you hear that?”
I nodded. “Do you want to bring some with us for the rest of the tour?”
She eyed the basket and gave a sheepish nod. “If it’s okay? I don’t want to ruin anything. Everything is so beautiful in there.”
I filled a napkin with grapes and tied it into a sack. “You could never ruin anything. If you want more, Lily makes excellent grapes.”
“I know. She made me the first one I ever had.” Penelope smiled as if she could still taste it.
After making sure the basket would be waiting for her in her room, she held Kai’s hand as they searched for the others. I watched Rall fly away, knowing that he didn’t lie and I was glad.
But this was nothing compared to what the Hg-1 most likely needed. I suddenly understood why my parents were so important to the Hg-1; why the humans had chosen our realm. I didn’t know what they were asking for, but for Pen’s sake, I hoped there was something we could do to help.
Resuming the tour, our group decided to split up. Lily took Pen to see her favorite section, the Fashions, and I was surprised to see Siri and Barton join them. After an attempt at coaxing Leo to the Gardens, Aspen and Camelia were left disappointed when they transported out with only Clark.
Leo, Kai, and Francesca stayed with me, and we wandered through the halls until I waved at my favorite pieces. “This is Cupids Kiss, and over here the Veiled Vestal Virgin. That brings us to the end of the sculpture wing.”
Far away, the central oak clock chimed. “Where has the time gone? That’s the sunset hour bell,” I said.
Kai clapped. “It seems our tour was more captivating than our need for dinner.” Francesca’s lips curved, but her eyes remained cold. “I believe we are expected back at Empire Tower to dine with the Exans?” Kai questioned aloud with a shrug.
When we reached their hover, Kai walked up to Leo and shook his hand. “I will see you tomorrow.”
“That is the plan,” Leo said, matching Kai’s firm grip.
“Don’t stay up too late; we will want a fair match. Don’t want to blame anything on the wine.” Kai laughed.
“I don’t believe we will need any excuses,” Leo replied easily.
“Thank you for the lovely tour, Princess. It was…” Francesca paused and said, “Enlightening.”
I gave her a curt nod. “It was my pleasure.”
“I look forward to seeing you there, Princess Violet,” Kai said. “Today will be a highlight of this entire trip. Tomorrow, perhaps, we will make a little history. New World Cup Champions.” He grinned and kissed my hand, then strode away, offering Francesca his arm which she took with an air of reluctance.
Leo and I watched as their hover left the bay, and the lights of another hover approached. We stood waiting, and once again, I realized we were alone. This time I managed not to trip on my words.
“Are you ready for the match?” I asked Leo as the arriving hover slowed to a stop, and the door opened.
“We could probably use some practice.” He leaned into the hover and programmed the com. “Princess Violet Amplifien to the Chrysler Tower. Authorization Prince Regent Leo Asher.”
I tilted my head, confused and deflated that he was sending me alone. “I guess I will see you at the first global game in centuries.”
“This is all my brother,” he said with a wink. “I am really just participating for moral support. Which team do you think will win?”
I stopped as a pang of worry hit me. “If we are lucky? Neither.”
“Now, that is magical,” Kai proclaimed with rousing applause for the twelve, eleven-year-olds who had been allowed to use this soccer match as their final exam.
Just outside the grand ballroom of Chrysler Tower, the children had grown a rectangle of Bermuda grass on top of the stone surface of the western terrace. The height and density were perfectly symmetrical. The boundary, center circle, and goal lines were marked by blooms of white alyssum. The goals were made of a wood frame woven with long willow branches.
A ridiculous envy reared its ugly head in the pit of my stomach. I took a deep breath and squashed the feeling down, trying to remember that someday, and soon, I would be able to do that very same thing. The envy dissolved into hope, and I cheered along with the other spectators who had gotten wind of the match and now congregated around the outer edges.
I found Lily talking with Orlea’s Princess Reyna. When she saw me, she waved as she strode away from the group and across the field directly toward me. I could see a look of panic on her face even from this distance and jogged to meet her halfway.
“Lily, what’s wrong?” I asked, catching my breath.
“Have you seen Penelope?”
“Not since yesterday. Why?”
Lily blew out a breath as her gaze never stopped scanning the growing crowd. “I had brunch with them this morning, then I took Penelope down to the marina. Kai was supposed to meet us, but he never showed,” she said, clearly distracted.
“He’s probably worried about the match. He seems to be particularly keen on winning today. But Kai has been here for a while now, and I haven’t seen Penelope.”
I began scanning the crowd along with Lily, hoping to see the young girl’s giant smile. The “athletes” from Amera had arrived early. Leo and Siri, along with Barton, Aspen, Clark, and Gage were joined by Camelia, which surprised me.
They took the field immediately and began practicing, kicking and passing the soccer balls as they waited for the rest of Kai’s team to arrive. Even without using their abilities, they were in good shape and managed to look like they had done this before.
As the start time neared, the rest of Hg-1’s team had yet to arrive. I wondered what was keeping them. If they were playing a mind game, it was working, at least on me. But more than anything, I hoped Penelope was with them.
Next to me, my friend searched each new face that arrived, but with every hopeful look a deflated one followed, and Lily’s worry began to seep into me.
“I’m sure she’ll show up,” I said, offering Lily what comfort I could. “She probably just went to change. The sun and sand aren’t something she’s used to. Maybe
she took a nap.” I gave her a hopeful smile.
Lily’s frown deepened.
“What is it?” I asked, truly concerned. “I haven’t seen you this upset since I tried to wear boots to last year’s harvest festival.”
“Violet,” she started, her face contorting with worry. “I don’t know what happened. We were going through the marketplace, and we stopped to pick out pieces of shells for her to bring back home. Once Reyna and Nyssa arrived with their friends, we all started talking. But when Nyssa finally took a breath, I looked around, and Pen was gone. I assumed she went back to Empire Tower to get ready for the match, but the queen’s palace hover was still in the bay waiting for her. The pilots were useless; they knew nothing.”
“Maybe she found Kai,” I offered.
“I thought of that, but I checked the security feeds.” Her mouth tightened. “It’s like she just vanished. She was there one minute and gone the next. It looks like she went into a shop, but if I didn’t know any better, I would say it looked like a glitch in the feed.”
“Have you told her parents?” I asked, joining Lily in searching the faces in the growing crowd. A knot of worry formed in my chest.
“They were out when I stopped by, and their people wouldn’t tell me who they were with, so I couldn’t even ping them.” Lily shook her head. “I searched all the shops and scanned the beach for hours. She doesn’t have a citizen’s bracelet, of course, and she isn’t showing up on any scan. I even used my dad’s clearance.” I didn’t want to know that, but she looked so desperate, I understood. “I’ve tried everything I can think of,” Lily finished.
“Did you check with her security?”
“I did! They said she was here. I came straight back to Chrysler Tower, and I just got here.”
“Okay, then that means she has to be here somewhere. We’ll find her. Don’t worry,” I told her despite my own.
“I haven’t seen her,” Lily cried stifling a sob. “I stopped and asked Reyna if she saw anything or anyone, but she was oblivious to anything outside her own scales. Violet, how could I have lost her? What am I going to do?” Lily wailed, on the verge of tears.