***
Leah looked all around her. The ballroom was crowded with people joyfully chatting, drinking, eating, and laughing. The room was huge and also, strangely familiar.
The men were dressed in a variety of styles and colors. Many were in classic black tuxedoes and bow ties. The women’s gowns ranged from the outrageous to the elegant. Everyone was wearing masks.
A dense sea of humanity swims all around me.
It was the masquerade ball she had attended fifteen years ago. She was waiting for her boyfriend to pick her up, but he never showed. When she had phoned him, he was with another girl and admitted he had been cheating on her. No way was she going to miss this event over a cheating scumbag that broke her heart over the friggin’ phone.
She remembered the painful loneliness of being in a crowded room.
My God, am I truly here? I don’t want to go through this again.
She closed her eyes for a moment, and felt a tingle through her, and relaxed.
She could hear the strains of a beautiful waltz playing. Yes, it was Strauss’ Blue Danube. She stepped forward to watch the dancers perform but felt like she was floating on air amongst the socialites, the beautiful people.
She smiled and nodded her way through the crowd to the ballroom floor. There was so much glitter, dazzle, and glamour. Would she ever make it to the dance floor? Looking down, she saw one hand was holding a sleek champagne glass full of bubbly, and the other, the tiny chain of her clutch purse, draped around her wrist.
Her eye caught her reflection in the mirrored walls of the ballroom. Dressed in a long, flowing, shimmery pale pink gown of silk and organza, an off shoulder low cut bodice revealed plenty of décolletage, trimmed with sequins accompanied with pearl necklace and matching earrings: simple and elegant. Her shoes were high heeled making her well above her natural height, but they were comfortable. Her hair was up in a French bun, tiny wisps cascaded down her neck. Light translucent makeup covered her face. She admittedly looked stunning. Was it really her?
Though this “memory” was familiar, the dress was far more elegant and sumptuous than the one she wore a lifetime ago. In fact, the whole atmosphere seemed more…romanticized.
Her reflection seemed to glow in the mirror, and she looked away.
She stood at the edge of the dance floor which was chock full of dancers. Waiting like a wilting flower as no one had come up to ask her to dance. It seemed like everyone was ignoring her. Did she have a sign on her saying “mad cow disease–avoid contact”? All the other women had partners and she watched them enviously, their faces painted with smiles and joy. As if their lives were perfect.
Huh! Life should have been perfect for this twenty-six year old, who had forced a foul mood aside thanks to the ill timed revelation from her asshole boyfriend.
She realized she was the only one without a mask. The one that stands out from a crowd, that’s me. No other bared their face. Was that the reason for being ostracized? She was a non conformist.
I have nothing to hide, she comforted herself.
A masked man emerged from the crowd. It was strange, people stood back, making way for him. Wow, he was the proverbial cliché of tall, dark, and handsome, the epitome of her perfect man. Well, physically anyhow!
She took a deep breath and hoped; yes, he was heading directly to her.
He held out his hand. “Would you honor me with this dance?”
A wall of silence took over. The whole room froze. The music, the chatting, the clinking of crystal glasses, the chairs sliding on the floor—all stopped. Everyone was staring at her. She could feel their eyes on her, but Leah could not look away from the handsome stranger’s dark eyes. She was entranced. It embarrassingly felt like a teenage crush on the boy next door, worst when she felt her cheeks heat up.
She found her voice. “Yes, I would love to.” She could not put her glass down fast enough and took his hand. A radiant warmth spread through her. He led her onto the dance floor. In one fluid movement he put one arm around her waist, and interlaced his fingers with hers. She could not put her other hand on his shoulder due to his height, so she settled for his solid upper arm. He was, in fact, the tallest in the room, and she thanked God she had on high heels. He pulled her tightly to him, the music began to play from where it left off, and just for a magic moment they were alone, dancing, woven together, and everyone watched but did not move.
A second later, Leah was blissfully unaware of everyone else, as she was entranced with this stranger’s eyes. They were so dark, and she felt like she was being pulled into them. He whirled her around the dance floor. Oh, this man creature can take the Blue Danube and call it his own, she thought. He smiled at her, and she sensed an aura of confidence, a self assuredness that no one would dare challenge him. Such a damn, fine dancer. Everyone else carried on dancing but made way for the attractive couple. She noticed a beautiful silver ring with a small emblem on his left middle finger. It shone so brightly; she stared at it for a second.
The whole scene seemed surreal, and she was happily caught up in it.
She was the center of attention. For her, it was a classic romance scene. It made her think of the movie Labyrinth with David Bowie as the Elf King and a young Jennifer Connelly as the Princess. The scene was where they were dancing together in a bubble, as she was in a trance caused by biting a cursed peach. All around them were people with masks laughing and watching, watching and laughing.
“You do not wear a mask,” he interrupted her thoughts.
“But you do,” she replied.
He warmly smiled, “Would you like me to take it off?”
She thought of Phantom of the Opera. Would he be scarred?
“That is up to you.”
He whipped it off. She was not disappointed.
“You, your eyes, I used to see a face in shadow.”
He put his finger to her lips. “Shh my dear just enjoy the moment. I must say, you look so beautiful tonight. No man should ever stand you up; ever, my dear Leah.”
“T–Thank you, how do you know my name?”
“I know so much about you.”
“Have we met before?”
“Yes, a long time ago, you probably don’t remember.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I—”
“Please, just dance with me. We don’t have long.”
Leah resisted the urge to ask if he had to dash off before midnight for fear of his carriage turning into a pumpkin!
She was more than smitten with this handsome stranger, bestowing such attention on her. Her intuition warned her that she was not the one in control and be cautious. She decided to slam the door on everything and savor the moment. It was what she needed right now, and this man was giving it to her. Leah got the impression he seemed to know it. He had a sensuous, animalistic quality that she drank in.
That fact was further illustrated when he stopped and kissed her, a warm, lingering kiss. It took her by surprise, and she did not resist too much, her heart was beating so hard and fast. Don’t stop was all she could think. She didn’t want to pull away from him, not if her life depended on it, so strong were her feelings.
But he did.
“We will meet again, if you truly desire it,” he breathed.
Should she ask if he was living close by, maybe grab his phone number; shit, she didn’t even know his name. Are you insane woman! Don’t let this catch get away. But she had lost the ability to speak or think clearly.
Before she could find her tongue, he awarded her another smile that highlighted his handsome face, took her hand again, bowing and stated, “Good night, your highness, your journey to a wondrous destiny awaits you.” He turned and disappeared amongst the swirling dancers whose presence brought her back to reality.
She felt a wave of disappointment flood over her. Frantically, she searched through the crowd, but he had gone. Her heart gave a jump as she spied his tall frame hastening up some steps to a mezzanine floor. Hitchin
g her dress, she followed suit. She pushed past the bodies that were everywhere. It almost felt like they were deliberately blocking her way, so contrary to when she was dancing. At last, she got to the stairs, squeezing past the last few bodily obstructions. It felt like an eternity before she finally got to the top, and there was no sign of him. She saw a door with a luminescent EXIT displayed. She spied a doorman and ran to him. “Excuse me. Did you see a tall, dark haired man leave, only a few moments ago?”
He looked at her. She could swear she had seen his face before.
“No one has left in the last ten minutes.”
Leah thought for a second. “Did you notice anything strange a few minutes ago, during the Blue Danube; everyone in the room, er, froze and the sudden silence?” The man stared at her, and his eyes darted furtively around her. “Has someone spiked your drink? This place doesn’t stop until 5:00 a.m., honey.”
She stepped back, staring at him.
He took a step towards her and put his hand on her shoulder, as if he was going to whisper in her ear.
Instead, he fell to his knees and began choking. He looked at her, eyes bulging and gasped, “I can help you, Leah, beware…always watching you, everything you do. Will stop me helping you, don’t follow…evil.”
“What? Who are you?”
To her shock, the man flew back into the wall with a sickening crash, pieces of brick crumbled around him. Something thrust him into the air and brutally slammed him hard into the floor with a force that shook the whole floor. His head was pounded into the floor as if some great force repeatedly was hitting him over the head. He began shaking as if he was having an epileptic fit. Leah, mortified, yelled, “Help, somebody help him!” She tried to bend down to help him herself, but something was stopping her, holding her back.
“No! Help me, someone!” she shrieked and struggled like a wild cat.
The seemingly happy dancing crowd rushed up the stairs and turned on the hapless man, grabbing and pulling him down to the dance floor.
To her horror, they started viciously kicking and beating him.
“Hear me—” he screamed.
Leah saw his ghastly bloodied face once more before he was swallowed up inside the vicious crowd. They were like hungry sharks in a feeding frenzy, tearing apart a tasty morsel.
Invisible hands began pulling her towards the exit; she could not fight back. She was pressed hard up against the door and felt the hands tug at her gown. Terrified, she tried again to pull away but was no match for the strength that had overcome her; she heard the inevitable ripping of her beautiful gown.
“Please no!” she begged and began sobbing.
She squeezed her eyes shut, then heard a soft murmuring in her ear. Her mind surrendered, and her body followed suit. Like being a marionette, but yet not being totally helpless. What was happening?
Leah gasped, “Oh God!”
What…was doing this? Was this evil?
Whatever it was, it felt good.
She threw back her head giving in to the rising surges of passion and fire race through her body.
She did not care about the doorman the crowd were beating up. He had disappeared, and in fact, the whole crowd had all gone.
She was alone, yet.
Oh, yes, please don’t stop, I’m gonna…
She felt a gentle tug on her arm and her eyes shot open. She was lying on her bed back in her glamorous room. A face was peering down at her. Leah squealed in fright, the face stumbled backward in recoil. Attached to the face was an older woman, of some Asian descent, in her late fifties, early sixties.
“Who the fuck are you?” Leah angrily exclaimed. “You woke me from—”
The woman threw her head down. “I am so sorry, my lady. I beg you to forgive me. You were yelling in your sleep. You were mixing your words. You seemed much stressed. I was concerned. My name is Sini.”
Leah shook her head to clear it. “What? I am fine. How dare you wake me?! And what are you doing in my room?” She was furious at this interruption. She wanted to see how far this particular “dream” was going to take her. Compared to past dreams, it was rather pleasant and seemed to be almost like a romantic fairytale. Though it got quite violent, it did not seem to shock her as much as she thought. Who the hell was the man at the exit. She felt like she knew him. He was trying to tell her something. He’d said “don’t follow evil.” Who or what was he talking about: Kalvich? Cemel? The gods?
Leah was getting sick and tired of this unexplained dreaming and visions. Anyway, more importantly, who was that tall dark stranger, what a honey! She could take an educated guess it was Kalvich. Why did he run off? Wish he had told me more about my journey and if it involved him. He did say he would meet me again. And those invisible hands feeling her up, it woke feelings in her she had not experienced for quite some time.
Reality hit, she felt her cheeks redden with embarrassment as if Sini had witnessed it.
“Are you sure you are alright, my lady?”
“Eh, what? Sorry, I was miles away. Yeah. Oh, Sini, why are you here?”
Sini gathered herself together and curtsied. “I am your personal servant. I am here to help with any needs you may have and to advise you of proper Trimadian Ways.”
Leah did not want this at all, especially a tiny old lady, she assumed of Chinese heritage, who spoke with halting English. She wore a traditional brightly multi-colored cheongsam, with high collar and it stopped just below the knee. Tiny slits at the side would assist when she sat.
At this stage, Leah was ready for anything. But she had better play along. She did not want to seem too ungrateful. “Oh okay, but I think I can manage, you know, dressing myself. Thank you.”
Sini bowed her head. “As your ladyship desires, however, the ceremony and celebration is only two days away. You need to make preparations. It is important and a great time for you.”
Leah paused. “So you are here to advise me, Sini? Hmm, how about you ask your boss to come here now, as I want to meet him face to face. I have a few questions. Number one, where is my companions I traveled with? He can also help shed some light on my weird dreams and visions.” Leah stopped. Sini had her head bowed and was trembling.
“What’s wrong?”
“I‑I am sorry your highness, but, you must only address the master as ‘Supreme Ruler’ or ‘My lord,’ and his name is never to be spoken. Respect must be shown at all times.”
Leah thought that was stupid, then she remembered Montava mentioned the same. When in Rome…
“Look, he is not even here. Anyhow, what is wrong with someone saying ‘Morning, Kal, how’s it hangin’?’ That is just being friendly,” Leah teased.
Sini looked aghast. “No, you cannot talk that way. You will be punished severely.”
“What? Get my bottom smacked?”
Sini looked more confused than horrified. “You should not speak in such a way.”
“Or what? Is the usual punishment for speaking one’s mind to be sent to the mines I keep hearing about?”
“I–I–I am not sure, he could.”
Leah sighed. “Listen, Sini, do you know who I am, what I have endured and how far I have traveled to meet his oh great mighty supreme one?”
She bowed her head and said, “You are the Chosen One, Your Royal Highness, Queen Leah. I’m sorry, I do not know the circumstances you have—”
“Good one, Sini,” she replied smugly. “Now I know you probably haven’t met someone like me before, but if you knew me six thousand years ago, I guess you know me better than I do.” Leah screwed her face up at that, but continued. “But I need to make some things clear. I am a reincarnation of the Leah that lived in the past. For me, I am not used to having servants. I am a human from a wee planet called Earth. Okay, some humans worship different Gods. You Trimadians worship your God. That’s fine. To each their own, I say. But for me–I do not. That is my choice. I want you to go back to Kalvich and tell him I need to meet with him
pronto. So Kalvich and I apparently knew each other six thousand years ago; great, sounds fantastic, yeah, I know. But his wizard Cemel was my wizard before he took him away, and I want to learn about these powers that I possess and how to use my stones and try and make friends with your Trimadian people to keep my planet safe!” Leah’s voice had risen as her frustrations began building.
Sini looked as if she was going to burst into tears.
Leah sighed resignedly. She should not pick on the poor woman; it was not her fault. She decided to stop antagonizing her. “Look hon, you won’t get into trouble by passing a message from me.”
“You don’t understand the Trimadian way yet,” she sniffed. “Very powerful warlike, no nonsense.”
“Are you a Cantal, Sini?”
Her eyes brightened. “No, not a pure born. I was told my ancestors were originally from your Earth. I was born at the great Necradome City, and my purpose is to serve the Supreme Ruler.”
“So you do not have a Cathexistome inside you?”
“Oh no, of course not, that is only for the strong, worthy male Cantals that will be reborn as Trimadian, the one true race.”
Oh boy, Leah thought, she is cooked. Kalvich will be a challenge. Just at that moment, Leah noticed the sweet aroma that was present before she fell asleep was gone.
“Sini, what was that blissful scent that was filtering through my room.”
Sini seemed relieved for a change of subject, “Ah, my lord advised me to make sure you are what he terms ‘comfortable and made to feel at home.’ Apparently, you enjoy oils from Earth’s plants and flowers.”
“Yes, especially that mixture, he was spot on, but there was another ingredient in there I could not recognize. What was that?”
“I do not know the names. My lord simply instructed me to burn the oils for your comfort.”
Yeah, of course he would not tell her what was in it or more importantly what it did to my mind: have one hell of a dream!
“So how does he know I enjoy that?”
“He knows everything, he is immortal, and he is our God.”
“Do you fear him?”
Sini looked at her. “You should not question our Supreme Ruler. He takes care of us, and he destroys all our enemies.”
Somehow, I expected that for an answer.
“Do you think I should be with him, to rule with him?”
Leah gasped as Sini fell to her knees, and clasped her hands to her face, “Please, my lady,” she whispered as if the walls could be listening. “You are both each other’s destiny. That should not be in question. It is preordained that you are to be his queen.”
And did you just say that to make Kalvich happy in case he is listening in, or is that simply blind loyalty? Leah tried a different tact. “Look, I don’t mean to sound unappreciative or show any disrespect to anyone, especially if I have not even met them. But think about it. Wouldn’t it be so much nicer to meet someone and get to know them before you start making celebration plans for anyone’s destiny?”
“I’m sorry, my lady, I know nothing of the sort, I am here now to serve you.”
Sini was looking very flustered. But Leah was feeling strange, feeling fire burn deep inside her, and ready to erupt. Her patience was fast diminishing. In fact, since she arrived on Heliostronus, she had fainted, met a nincompoop doctor who was a total wacko in her book, had a drug induced romantic weird sexy violent dream, and now a servant was pushed on her, all within a few hours. And she still had not met her host. “They seem to do things back to front here,” Leah mumbled to herself.
There was something else that had occurred to Leah—growing inside her ever since she was with Talokta on his ship and now on the Trimadians’ home world, inside this enormous, gorgeous playhouse. She was starting to acknowledge a feeling of, and she could not describe it any other way, belonging and superiority. She sensed she would somehow fit in here. She had not said anything to anyone, but there was no denying that whatever she was feeling made her more confident.
Earth was getting further from her mind, and she found the urge to fight for it less and less. By all accounts, this was not like her at all. Alarm bells should be ringing.
God forbid, she was enjoying herself.
Chapter 35—Final Preparations