Chapter 15
After the telepathic conversation with my father, I only stayed long enough to confirm with Mouse and BT that they would both be in attendance at the party. After receiving their assurances, I teleported.
I reappeared outside a small apparel shop that specialized in men’s formal wear. I dashed inside and emerged a few minutes later holding two tuxedos – one for me and one for Gramps. (Once it had become apparent that my grandparents’ little shindig had escalated into a formal event, Gramps had insisted that the two of us get new attire for the occasion.) With black tie vestments now in hand, I teleported back to the embassy.
I popped up in the main living room. I laid my grandfather’s tux across the back of a sofa, then mentally reached out to let him know where to find it. After receiving a telepathic acknowledgment from him, I teleported to my room, where I proceeded to hang my own tux in the closet. Once that was done, I felt that I was finally caught up on all my current tasks.
Taking advantage of the momentary break, I kicked off my shoes and stretched out on the bed. Bearing in mind everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours – from the Dream Machine mission to visiting Paramount to my debriefing (not to mention getting ready for the upcoming gala) – I felt like I’d barely had a moment’s peace. Physically I wasn’t particularly tired, but mentally I was exhausted.
I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples, simply trying to relax. It seemed as though everything in my life had been going at a hundred miles per hour lately, and my strained relationship with Electra wasn’t helping. However, there really wasn’t a lot of blame I could lay at her feet; she was dealing with an incredibly awkward situation, and handling it with more poise than could reasonably be expected. She really was special, and it suddenly occurred to me that I should probably do something to convey that to her.
Maybe flowers, I thought, yawning. Or candy…or…
*****
I awoke with something of a start. I had clearly dozed off, and – judging from the dimness of the light coming through my window – had slept for several hours. Checking the time on my cell phone, I noted that it was nearly time for us to leave for the gala. There was maybe half an hour left before we were supposed to depart.
For a moment, I wondered why no one had bothered to wake me – and then almost laughed at my own oversight. There was probably little concern that I would be late, even if I woke up only five minutes before our anticipated departure time. As if needing to prove this, I shifted into super speed and zipped into the bathroom. Two minutes later, I had not only emerged – freshly showered and well-groomed – but was also dressed in my tuxedo and ready to go.
As I prepared to leave my room, I spent a moment glancing in the dresser mirror to make sure I was as presentable as I thought.
Hair combed, I said to myself. Tie straight.
Out of the blue, my stomach rumbled loudly, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. (And in truth, I was feeling a mite peckish.) However, recalling that there was to be a lavish spread at the gala, I decided to forego eating anything for the nonce and instead tweaked my internal physiological systems so that I wouldn’t be bothered by hunger pangs. Satisfied now that neither my appearance nor growling belly would cause me any embarrassment, I left and went downstairs.
I made my way to the main living room, but didn’t see anyone. My grandfather’s tux was gone, indicating that he had retrieved it at some point while I was napping. Reaching out empathically, I sensed my mother and grandparents in their respective rooms, presumably still getting dressed. Myshtal, on the other hand, was on the ground floor with me. Rather than wait alone, I decided to see what she was up to.
I found her near the parlor, standing in front of an alcove that was home to an oddity: a weird contraption that looked something like a medieval suit of armor with supple, spider-like limbs.
I frowned, as I always seemed to these days around the bizarre device. Its formal name was the Beobona Onufrot (or simply “Beobona” for short), and within its frame was an incredibly ancient and unbelievably powerful relic – the Beobona Jewel.
The Beobona had actually saved my life on several occasions – most recently during my trip to Indigo’s homeworld of Caeles – so one would think that I would be happy to have it around. But, in truth, there was a very real possibility that the Beobona had manipulated events (and perhaps even me) for its own ends. Thus, I tended to be wary around it to some extent.
As I watched, I saw Myshtal reach towards the Beobona’s torso, an area that appeared to be a smooth metal surface but which would occasionally spiral open to reveal the Beobona Jewel inside. On this occasion, however, it stayed shut.
I must have made some noise, because Myshtal suddenly spun in my direction. As she did so, I took note for the first time of what she was wearing.
She was sporting a floor-length, halter neck dress that was navy blue in color and exceptionally form-fitting. The halter itself seemed to be made of some type of bejeweled material that was an amalgam of silvery metal and cloth, while the bodice was adorned with tiny gemstones that – amazingly – appeared to move in some unknown fashion. Finally, her hair was done up in something akin to French waterfall braids and adorned with a goddess headpiece that culminated in an exotic azure jewel that rested on the center of her forehead. All in all – even without a crown – she looked like nothing less than a fairy-tale
