“Come on,” I said, and began marching towards the rear of the mansion. A few minutes later, we were inside.
Chapter 18
We were able to get inside my father’s mansion without a lot attention or fanfare. In fact, we were probably there a good ten minutes – with my grandparents inconspicuously greeting old friends and the rest of us following in their wake – before people in general began to realize that the guests of honor had arrived. (Apparently they had been expecting us to come through the front door.)
After our presence became known, we quickly found ourselves hemmed in on all sides by what looked to be scores (if not hundreds) of people. The atmosphere was a little madcap for the next few minutes, as various folks in front, behind, and on both sides of us tried to get a word in with my grandparents. Thankfully, Mouse – who had seemingly arrived early – was on hand, and quickly took charge. Bringing order to chaos, he placed the five of us into something akin to a receiving line in the mansion’s ballroom and then whipped the crowd into an orderly queue.
For the next fifteen minutes, it seemed as though I was incessantly glad-handing a long string of people, like a political incumbent who was worried about re-election. In truth, however, it wasn’t that bad.
I was fourth in the receiving line – after my grandparents and mother, but just before Myshtal (who was generally identified merely as my “friend”). Unsurprisingly, a good number of those I met were my grandparents’ contemporaries. Thus, they’d spend a quick minute chatting with Gramps and Indigo about the old days, devote a brief moment to Mom (whom many of them remembered as a child), and then briefly shake my hand – the grandson that few of them even knew existed. (And it was pretty much a certainty that none of them knew I was Kid Sensation.) But in all honesty, I think everyone gave me short shrift in order to get to Myshtal, who was as engaging as she was beautiful. In fact, it was difficult to say who the guests preferred speaking with – her or my grandparents.
I managed to obtain a brief respite from handshaking when one guest – a rotund, middle-aged fellow with a handlebar moustache – spent more than the average amount of time with Mom. Worried that she might be getting bored, I took advantage of the opportunity to check on Myshtal.
“Having fun yet?” I joked as I turned to her. “Hopefully it’s not too tedious.” I actually addressed her in Caelesian, which would give her a chance to give a frank response without worrying about anyone understanding what she was saying.
She giggled slightly before answering in her native language. “Oh, this is nothing. You should see the lines I have to endure when I attend an event with the queen.”
I nodded in understanding, having actually seen Queen Dornoccia and Myshtal at a formal event and noting how many people they had to greet on such occasions.
“So,” Myshtal went on, “how many of the people here are supers?”
I took a quick glance around before answering. “Most of those on the guest list don’t have any special abilities to speak of, but there are a good number of people with powers present. For instance, that lady over there” – I pointed to a silver-haired woman who appeared to be in her sixties – “can shoot lasers from her eyes. That fellow by the far wall in the cowboy outfit and ten-gallon hat has a magic gun – or magic bullets, I forget which…”
I went on in that manner, pointing out a few other supers in the vicinity that I recognized.
“What about the gentleman speaking to your mother?” Myshtal asked, nodding at the guy with the moustache.
“Apparently he thinks his super power is charming women half his age,” I replied stiffly.
Myshtal erupted into laughter at my comment, the outburst making several nearby guests turn in our direction – including the man who had been talking to Mom. Thankfully, we had still been speaking in Caelesian so he surely hadn’t understood us, but his attention only made Myshtal succumb further to her giggling fit. A moment later, I joined her, chuckling heartily at my own quip. I was about to make a further attempt at humor when a familiar voice sounded behind me.
“You two,” said my grandmother, who had apparently stepped out of the receiving line without me noticing. “Come with me.”
Her tone was somewhat stern, and immediately brought our jocularity to an end. Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked away; Myshtal and I quickly fell into step behind her.
Indigo marched determinedly across the ballroom, heading towards an empty patch of wall on the far side of the room. Once we reached it, she halted and turned to me and Myshtal.
“This should be fine,” she announced. “You’re discharged – both of you.”
Myshtal and I exchanged a confused glance; neither of us had a clue what my grandmother was talking about.
“Discharged?” I repeated quizzically. “I’m sorry, Sxahnin, I don’t know what you mean.”
“It means you’re both released from your duties in the receiving line. From what I could overhear of your conversation, it’s pretty obvious the two of you are bored.”
I felt my cheeks turn slightly red as I realized I had
