Звездопад / Starfall: Глава 8

Chapter 8

Camrad_RIP 23.05.23 в 20:00

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Camrad_RIP 23.05.23 в 20:00

Their journey through the palace did not take long. The platform glided silently through the mirror-gold kaleidoscope of endless corridors and halls, and the princess was clearly not in the mood for conversation after the divination. Soon more colors of red copper and shiny black appeared in the decoration of the halls, and the halls were no longer so desolate. There were noticeably more guardsmen, servants, and court officials in very fancy uniforms of deep blue with lots of gold embroideries. After only a few minutes, the platform stopped at the huge black doors, polished to a mirror-like shine and decorated with metal filigree and plant motifs in bright blue. Near the door were two guardsmen, motionless as statues and standing, clearly waiting for the platform with the guests, was an older man with a tired face in a plain black imperial security uniform without insignia. Alex recognized him; it was the emperor's aide-de-camp.

Camrad_RIP 23.05.23 в 21:03

"I am pleased to present my compliments in person to Your Lordship Prince Cassard." The adjutant bowed his head as the platform with the princess and Alex stopped in front of him. "And a bearing to you, too, Peleng Admiral Niazur." He added, nodding to the princess as she stepped off the platform.

Camrad_RIP 23.05.23 в 21:05

"Uh... Nice to meet you." Confused, Alex replied as he followed, not knowing how to respond, because the aide didn't introduce himself.

Camrad_RIP 23.05.23 в 21:06

"His Majesty is already waiting for you." The adjutant pronounced, noting something in the infoblock he had in his hands. "Please follow me."

Camrad_RIP 23.05.23 в 21:06

The guardsmen, having received a sign from the adjutant, opened the doors to let them into a spacious room in pale blue colors, most likely intended as a waiting room. At least there were plenty of armchairs and sofas and small tables with drinks and snacks:

Camrad_RIP 23.05.23 в 21:07

"I'll wait for you here, Prince." The princess declared, avoiding meeting his gaze, and sat down near one of the refreshment tables. "I don't think this will take long." She added with the look of someone who would wait forever.

Camrad_RIP 23.05.23 в 21:09

Alex had only to shrug and hurry after the adjutant, who, without waiting for them, was already heading for the exit at the opposite side of the room. They found themselves in a long empty corridor with many doors, exactly the same as the ones they had come out of. And completely empty except for two pairs of guardsmen at the beginning and end of the corridor. The corridor turned into a staircase that led to a couple of floors below, and the atmosphere changed dramatically. Illumination became painfully bright, and rich decoration, stucco, and walls covered with embroidered silk gave way to the laconic panels of polished wood. There was a simple gray carpet underfoot which, however, was somehow noticeably springy, as if walking on thick moss, but most of all, the ceilings were surprising - they were low. And by local standards, even very low.

Camrad_RIP 23.05.23 в 21:11

Usually, palace architecture was incredibly gigantomaniacal and was more than true for the height of the rooms, where one floor could fit a normal three if not more. Here Alex could probably easily reach the light panels that covered the ceiling with his hand.

Camrad_RIP 23.05.23 в 21:13

They stopped at a featureless door, which could have been easily mistaken for part of the corridor if not for the four guards of honor standing beside it:

Camrad_RIP 23.05.23 в 21:14

"His Lordship Prince Alessandro Cassard." The adjutant announced, entering first and stepping aside to make way for Alex.

Camrad_RIP 23.05.23 в 21:15

A little hesitant with excitement, Alex went in next. The room or office was quite spacious, despite the same atypically low ceilings, the same wooden panels on the walls, a long oval table with lots of chairs, and a huge green sphere at the opposite wall.

Camrad_RIP 23.05.23 в 21:16

A perfect shiny ball of neon-green glass hung motionless, almost touching the floor, its top almost reaching the low ceiling; the wall of the room behind the sphere curved to form a niche, clearly indicating that this was its rightful place, but still, this green ball looked like a completely alien element.

Camrad_RIP 23.05.23 в 21:17

"Lord Cassard!" Smiling broadly, the emperor rose to meet him from his seat at the head of the table. His Majesty, as at the ceremony, wore a snow-white naval uniform, but this time without the mantle and crown. Walking toward Alex, still smiling, he suddenly took him by the shoulders:

Camrad_RIP 23.05.23 в 21:19

"Great shadows. It's as if Galen is standing in front of me again." The emperor pronounced, looking at the frozen Alex and not letting him go. "One face, isn't it?" He turned to the adjutant."

Camrad_RIP 23.05.23 в 21:20

"I, too, noted how his Lordship remarkably resembles his father." The adjutant's voice had evidently warmed.

Camrad_RIP 23.05.23 в 21:21

"You're probably going to have a hard time understanding right now." The emperor continued, turning to a bewildered Alex, who did not know how to respond to such a clear breach of protocol. "But when you see grown-up children carrying on the work of their fathers, there is a special feeling..."

Camrad_RIP 23.05.23 в 21:22

His majesty was silent for a moment, continuing to consider Alex, and then added with obvious sadness in his voice:

Camrad_RIP 23.05.23 в 21:22

"If Galen could see you now, he would be very proud."

Camrad_RIP 23.05.23 в 21:23

Alex, not realizing what was going on, chose to talk his way out of it. He tried to keep a straight face. All he knew was that Galen Cassard was the father of the real Lord Cassard, and had died, along with most of his immediate family, years ago. //And I think Taer said he had something to do with the Navy... So he was connected to the Imperial Navy, not the House Navy?"

Camrad_RIP 23.05.23 в 21:24

"If you please, Your Majesty?" The adjutant inquired and, receiving a consonant nod from the emperor, closed the door behind him, leaving them alone.

Camrad_RIP 23.05.23 в 21:27

"You'll have to excuse my sentiment." The Emperor said in a good-natured tone, finally letting Alex go, and pointed to the chair next to his. "Have a seat, Lord Cassard. How's the palace treating you?"

Camrad_RIP 23.05.23 в 21:27

"It's more than that." Confused, Alex sat down and quickly looked around. He could smell the ozone that seemed to be coming from the green sphere.

Camrad_RIP 23.05.23 в 21:29

"What, is it interesting to try?" Suddenly the emperor asked, following Alex's gaze.

Camrad_RIP 23.05.23 в 21:29

"I ...." Alex started, but it was too late. The emperor had already jumped up from his seat again. "Don't be shy. Everyone is curious." He exhorted condescendingly, dragging Alex with him vigorously toward the sphere. "There are so many stories around them..."

Camrad_RIP 23.05.23 в 21:31

Near the sphere, the smell of ozone was even stronger, and there was a strange feeling as if you were standing next to something very massive, like a mountain.

Camrad_RIP 24.05.23 в 05:48

//It's kind of creepy. - Alex thought, peering over the Emperor's shoulder at his distorted image on the glass surface of the sphere. He generally trusted his intuition, and now his intuition was somehow unsettling.

Camrad_RIP 24.05.23 в 05:49

"Just getting close to it." The emperor continued with undisguised enthusiasm and approached the sphere, stopping about two meters in front of it. "And... " He froze, waiting for something, and indeed in a few seconds, a distinctly audible female voice came from the side of the sphere, saying something in an unfamiliar language, and a screen with the bright yellow outline of a human palm appeared in the air in front of the emperor:

Camrad_RIP 24.05.23 в 05:50

"It means: 'Identify yourself.'" The Emperor commented, covering the emerging outline with his right hand. "Although, who am I to explain it to? You must have flame language as your native tongue."

Camrad_RIP 24.05.23 в 05:51

Above the outline of the palm appeared columns of rapidly changing numbers, gradually some groups of numbers were highlighted in yellow:

Camrad_RIP 24.05.23 в 05:52

"Isn't it dangerous?" Alex asked apprehensively, watching the chaotic yellow pattern sprawl across the screen. // 'Cause that thing looks like it might explode.

Camrad_RIP 24.05.23 в 05:52

"No." The emperor replied confidently, absorbed in the swift running of the numbers. "Not usually." He corrected himself. "Very rarely, people just drop dead during an inspection and no means of resuscitation help. A few hundred years ago, there was even a heretical cult whose members believed that such dead people ascended."

Camrad_RIP 24.05.23 в 05:54

"And for real?" Cautiously asked Alex, who didn't really believe in any method of salvation through death.

Camrad_RIP 24.05.23 в 05:54

Meanwhile, the yellow numbers filled more than half of the screen. It blinked red, and again from the sphere came a phrase in an unfamiliar language:

Camrad_RIP 24.05.23 в 05:55

"Denied." The emperor withdrew his hand from the outline with apparent reluctance. "Two-thirds at most. As for your question," he continued with a philosophical sigh, turning to Alex. "It's really only the Second knows. The only thing we know for certain is that the spheres are left over from before the Starfall when the world was blessed by the Second Incarnation of the Flame. Well and what is important in a utilitarian sense, that the abilities of adepts around the spheres do not work, and earlier somehow managed to make them produce energy, one such energy sphere still works in the old castle, though not needed for a long time, but to turn off the fear. And so..." He shrugged. "It's believed that if all the numbers turn yellow then such a person will definitely be accepted by the Second, but..." His majesty grinned. "Honestly, this idea is no better than the one those poor heretics had, or any other."

Camrad_RIP 24.05.23 в 05:59

The Emperor stepped back from the sphere, and the screen with the outline of his palm disappeared.

Camrad_RIP 24.05.23 в 05:59

"Well, will you try it?" The emperor made an inviting gesture with his hand and looked questioningly at Alex.

Camrad_RIP 24.05.23 в 06:00

"I'd rather not take any chances." Sincerely, he admitted, reflexively backing away from the sphere; he didn't like that thing at all. "I wouldn't want to suddenly add to the statistics of the dead."

Camrad_RIP 24.05.23 в 06:09

"Well, what have you got to fear, Lord Cassard?" The Emperor was genuinely surprised. "You are guarded by the Second. But if you don't want to, that's up to you. We're already distracted."

Camrad_RIP 24.05.23 в 06:16

The emperor returned to his seat and after waiting for Alex to sit down as well, continued in a solemn tone:

Camrad_RIP 24.05.23 в 06:16

"In our reasoning, it pleased us to decide that the illustrious Prince Cassard would serve this onstum by honor and antiquity as the First Lord of the High Side and Ergo Seneschal of the Capital."

Camrad_RIP 24.05.23 в 06:18

"In honor and antiquity, by my word and by the word of my ancestors, I, Alessandro Cassard, accept this service from Starfall to Starfall," Alex repeated a long-learned protocol phrase. // And memorized a huge bunch of other protocol phrases that apparently are just unnecessary because his majesty doesn't really follow protocol.

Camrad_RIP 24.05.23 в 06:19

"Hold out your hand, Illustrious Prince." The emperor commanded.

Camrad_RIP 24.05.23 в 06:39

Alex obeyed, and His Majesty pulled a large ring with a bright blue stone from his hand and placed it on the index finger of Alex's right hand.

Camrad_RIP 24.05.23 в 06:39

The ring was a little big, and to keep it from falling off, Alex had to hold it down with his thumb, peering furtively at what he received. The stone of the ring was intricately engraved with seven stars intertwined with vines.

Camrad_RIP 24.05.23 в 06:40

"Well, that's it. You have the Seal of the First Lord." With a smile, the emperor threw up his hands. "The official part is over. Congratulations on your appointment. I'm sure you'll do more than adequately."

Camrad_RIP 24.05.23 в 06:42

"Your Majesty, I don't know if you were warned, but I..." Alex sincerely doubted that he could cope all the more decently and wanted to tell the story of his unconsciousness.

Camrad_RIP 24.05.23 в 06:43

"Lost your memory." The emperor finished in his place, raising his hand reassuringly. "I know, I know everything. That is why the assignment is this way, though, of course, I would like to put you in command of the second 'Scarlet' fleet that Galen once commanded."

Camrad_RIP 24.05.23 в 06:45

"I have completely lost my memory, Your Majesty. I do not even know what an Ergo-Seneschal of the Capital should do."

Camrad_RIP 24.05.23 в 06:45