Forty eight

Little Palace, is not so little. It is immense. It would take half a day to walk around and be able to explore every nook and cranny.

I covertly measure the white oak double door in front of us. Very much like, the manor, it stands at approximately thirty feet tall. Briefly, I wonder, who the hell needs doors so big? What is even the point?

" Please, this way," The doorman turns, and leads us over the threshold, onto a floor that makes me gasp, in amazement.

The entire floor is composed of firestone labradorite, various hues of blues bleeding into one another, giving the impression of walking on water. My eyes trail up, at the beautifully accented walls with vibrant colours ranging from bronze to soft hues of orange, and blue. Each bleeding into the other, creating a breathtaking painting. Various sculptures are on display, none of them hold a specific meaning to me, but somehow they fit perfectly in the grandiose Palace. We walk past a double staircase bracketing a long wide corridor, leading to god knows where. But once again I'm struck by the sheer decadent, dazzling luxury surrounding us.

My eyes trail up the stairs case only to land on a balcony overlooking the entrance. The staircase itself is a work of art, with intricate designs, and the bannister is polished to perfection.

We remain silent, mostly preoccupied with ogling the Palace. Graham on the other hand remains unfazed, if not mildly bored. The doorman ahead of us has not said a word, but chatter and music filter through, and it sounds far away and close by at the same time. But there isn't a soul in sight.

We reach another set of stairs, and as we move towards the top of the stairs, the source and location of the chatter come into view.

A grand chamber, with high ceilings and a glass rooftop allows an undeterred view of the night sky. The domed ceiling, with metal detailing and a turret right at the centre of it. Right in the middle of the room there is, a helix staircase, leading to the roof. It is safe to assume that this was once, or probably still is an observation point.

While the doorman announces our presence, my eyes fall back to the rest of the room. The floor catches my eyes once more, since it is clear, with limpid turquoise water underneath. It creates the optic illusion of walking on water, and it looks beautiful.

Graham pinches my arm, the world had gone out of focus for a moment there. It is hard not to be taken by surprise by the sheer exuberance on display.

As we slowly start to descend the stairs, Timeea, makes her way through the crowd wearing a lilac dress, with rich orange embroidery, and a touch of silver. A beautiful smile blooms on her lips as she approaches, her expression brightens, and her eyes glitter in the same way Mason's does. For a moment, I doubted my assumptions, but seeing her for a second time, I firmly believe that Mason and Timeea share a blood relation.

" Welcome my darlings. I'm pleased that you have decided to honour my invitation. I have been waiting for this day since that day we met in Takka," If you think any of that was directed to me and Graham, you couldn't be more wrong. Timeea is looking straight at Mason, examining his features with a sense of nostalgia. If it weren't for Mason's masculine traits, they could easily pass as twins.

" Allow me to introduce you to some people. I hear that a wedding is in the works. And perhaps you'll take the helm of Morston once the mayor steps down. It's a wonderful opportunity," Bollocks. Word travels fast, too fast for my liking.

Politely smiling down on Timeea, Mason takes a silent breath, " I'm afraid your assumptions are incorrect. I have no desire to follow a political career. And yes, indeed there is a marriage in the works, but I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you," Mason smiles grimly back at Timeea's aghast expression. Her eyes fall on me for a brief second, and then nods. Just like Mason, Timeea is careful to mask her expressions. And she is very good at it.

" But I'm here to discuss a matter of a rather sensitive nature," Timeea nods, while Mason carries on," It strikes me as odd our uncanny resemblance. I'm an orphan. I have no recollection of my birth parents, and yet we look so much alike that I find it difficult to dismiss this as a coincidence," Timeea looks around the room for a brief second. Everyone is chatting merrily, drinking and helping themselves to the food being passed around by the servers. But I can't help but notice a few glances thrown our way and I'm pretty sure that we have someone's ear.

" Let me show you around," Timeea says into the silence that has settled between us. Aside from the fact that Graham and I are nothing but awkward spectators to their conversation, we shouldn't even be here. But I guess, she was just trying to be polite.

" That is a very lovely dress, Miss Abernathy," Timeea says as we walk past a column of limestone, that could easily kill a few people if it fell.

" Thank you. Yours is lovely too. The colours do wonders to your complexion, " I actually have zero knowledge about that topic but I'm just trying to make conversation. Mason bites down on a smile and gives me a long sideways glance. He knows I'm lying. I shrug in response to his silent teasing while Graham scrutinises the hallway we are walking down on with intense focus. Dear God, he is going to rob the place, at some point in time. He has the means why wouldn't he?

We reach a cavernous room with- thank god- solid flooring that seems to be in desperate need of some love and care. On the walls, fading murals depicting various scenes of people among lush forests, in meadows, and that is enough for my neural network to begin firing up like crazy.

From what I've seen of Takkara so far, it is easy to conclude that they are in tune with nature. More than in tune, they can influence it somehow, if not control it.

But silence reigns inside the room as Timeea inspects the murals as if she's seen them for the first time.