Immortalys

Chapter Twenty-Three: Ae'Horn

The door to the Alcyone 200 spacecraft opened grandly upon the shimmering mountaintop landing pad of Polaesshia, allowing a rapid procession of seven individuals to exit. Four armed officers proudly escorted Altair and two of his most trusted diplomats from the spacecraft and along the shining stone pavement which led to the majestic building perched on the edge of the mountain.

"Malfik," Altair said to one of his companions as they approached the building, "who else has arrived here in the last few minutes?"

Looking at his Surface, Malfik replied, "Just the kings of Laitus Halgon, President Sol, and ourselves. Many of the others stayed overnight on Polaesshia."

"Are Queen Terahoirr or Bo'Razhar here yet?"

"The former, yes," replied Altair's other companion, who was called Delphi. "The latter, not yet."

"Typical," Altair mused.

The conference building on the edge of the crag was large and spacious, with long dark carpets through the hallways and tall windows that allowed people to see the miles of hazy purple mountains outside. The reception hall was filled with people of all kinds milling around and talking among themselves. Altair noticed a few people with whom he was acquainted, and hoped he would get a chance to talk to them after the meeting when the Polaesshians would serve refreshments. Normally he would have visited with them before the meeting as well, but the time of the conference was getting close and for reasons known only to himself he felt antsy to get it over with.

He and his officers headed for the conference room, which was closed off from the hall by tall wood doors. As he approached, the Polaesshian officials standing guard each gave him a deep bow and opened the doors wide.

Within the large circular room streaming with natural light, Altair and his officers found the intricately carved wooden chairs in a raised ring, each labeled with a name in gold letters. Altair found his easily, it being in the same spot as the last time he was here. Attending meetings with one diplomat only was the custom, so Altair sent Malfik to sit in the reception hall and kept Delphi by his side.

While the other leaders filed in and stood around in the center of the room looking for their chairs, Altair glanced over his notes which he perfected earlier that morning. He kept getting distracted by the entrances of the leaders he knew well, interested to see how they were doing and if they looked any different than last time. He noticed how all of the leaders appeared at least a little more aged than when he had last seen them; he wondered what sort of concerns or conflicts they had been dealing with recently.

After all the chairs had been filled, the room quieted, and a Polaesshian officer stood in the middle of the circle and addressed them all in the universal standard language.

"It is my pleasure to introduce each respectable and worthy leader who has sacrificed his or her time to be here at this grand gathering in Polaesshia," he said in a loud and dignified voice, holding the Polaesshian equivalent of a Surface in his hands. He glanced down at it in order to make sure he pronounced all of the names right.

"Her Majesty Hehatl Terahoirr, Queen of Ethel'reille." He gestured grandly to the tall woman who stood next to the door, her skin pale and her shiny dark hair woven into three thick braids. She gazed around at the rest of them sternly and regally, and then took her seat again as the man moved along the room.

"His Most Worthy Protector Bo'Razhar, Dictator of Ak'har." The short and stocky man stood up (which didn't make much of a height difference from sitting) and glared around at everyone. His dark hair was short and he wore a long fur coat embroidered with gold.

"Her Grace Slé Avonn, Priestess of the Lowénna Radiance." Dressed humbly, the religious leader rose from her chair and inclined her head respectfully to everyone, making the large golden star on her chest shimmer with sunlight.