126 CHAPTER 125

Matt shrugged, feeling the weight of the anorak crushing the courage he was trying so hard to muster. Whoever created the tunnel was wise to design it in such a way as to keep the heat from the surface. It was not chilling down here, but it was better than the boiling temperature above. The captain had insisted he remained in the anorak, however hard he had complained. It will keep the eyes of the people away from you. He had said the last time. Even though the weight of the anorak was ten times that of any wool Matt could think of, it was oddly becoming comfortable.

They took another flight of stairs, this time, ascending out of the tunnel, into a huge metal door that was opened by two guards. The sound of music resounded, resonating through the hall. It was a palace or looked like one—there was no throne and the Miens standing at the far end had no crown of any sort on his dark hair. The walls were polished with gold and stood elegantly high above the ground until they met each other and formed a triangle. There were hovering portraits blending on the walls too, covering the white ceiling.

Matt tugged the hood of the anorak, but let his eyes continue to do the work. The pictures on the walls and ceiling looked like a war that had been captured by the mind of an artist. It was a beautiful work and Matt had not seen anything like it before.

Miens of different sizes and with different black lines on the skin stood side by side, making merry and singing joyful songs. Must have been the entire Miens community. Banners were written in a language Matt did not know, danced in the air, blinking with the lights of the sun. The people had come to welcome the captain and his crew, and the smiles and joy on their faces was nothing compared to the Miens Matt had seen earlier on, who looked too gloomy to be happy.

"Try to keep your head low," Xerta whispered quietly so that only Matt's ears could hear. "the people must not notice your alien face." He leaned away, waving his hands and shouting out in Olic.

Matt tugged the hood again, making sure no strands of his blond hair were falling out and giving him away. Xerta was an idiot for thinking that he was a fool. He really was a big idiot. 

"Welcome," 

Matt lifted his head slightly to the voice of the fellow standing on the podium. A black robe hung on his gray jumpsuit, revealing the pomposity about him. His hair was long and slick and shadowy. There were heavy dark lines trailing all over his face that it was almost impossible to see the pink skin lining his body. Unlike most of the Miens, Matt had seen, this fellow had a small dark growth on his jaw, giving him the look of a teenager who just discovered his pubic stage. There was no crown on his head, but the aura of authority seemed to orbit around him. He commanded so much respect and attention that made the presence of a crown unnecessary.

"...to our brave heroes and workaholic citizens. It's a day of party. Let's celebrate." The fellow finished and the frenzy in the crowd burst into cheers and whistles. The song and the instruments resounded as well, adding more vibe to the festive air. Again the atmosphere was not heating. It must have something to do with the building, Matt concluded, because the light of the sun pouring into the hall should have heated everywhere.

"This way." Xerta gestured to the door at the western side of the hall.

Matt nodded and followed behind his towering features. The rest of the crew had dropped behind, making merry with the crowd. Boze and Xerta were his only company now, and the looks on their faces said that they had been looking forward to this time alone, away from the rest of the crew.

The metallic door cracked when Xerta opened it, but the noise of the crowd seemed to drown it. They walked into another room, and as Xerta shut the door behind Boze, the music and the happy screams of the people seemed to fade away.

"Welcome, Captain." Someone said.

Until the voice had spoken, Matt did not know where they were. He tugged down the hood, keeping his eyes away from the Miens who had spoken.

"Thank you for having an audience with us, Lord Vudga," Boze said, stepping forward.

Lord Vudga? Matt held down the hood, resisting the urge to lift his head so as to get a glimpse of the 'mighty lord'. He hated leaders who usually invokes too much fear in their followers.

"Your message sounded urgent," Vudga said. Matt longed to see his face, to see the Miens who had commanded the entire community, but that would give him away, so he maintained the act and kept his head as low as he can, looking at everywhere but to them.

There were metal chairs all around, and from Matt's observation, he could guess that the place was a waiting room or some kind of private place where the Lord meets with his proposed subjects.  

"It is my Lord, and it will interest you greatly," Xerta said, coming to stand beside Matt, "You can remove the hood now." 

Matt was reluctant, struggling with the urge to punch away the amusement on Xerta's face. If they think I am some kind of trophy to parade in front of their king… He swallowed the frustration as he drew back the hood and lifted his head away from the polished floor.

"By the gods," Vudga shouted. His eyes were wide with surprise even before Matt could recollect his features.

It happens that Vudga was the same Miens in the hall. The black robe still hung on the shoulders of his gray jumpsuit, blending with the shiny dark hair and goatee. He still had that authority about him, did not try to hide the surprise in his face.

"It is true. What you said was true. The humans are alive, " Vudga said, standing up from his seat and started towards Matt.

"Yes my Lord," It was Boze who was speaking at the moment, "Until now, the books and all that was in it was true."

"It is still true, Boze," Lord Vudga snapped but did not break his attention away from Matt. "Everything the books have said is true. Even though they appear inaccurate at the moment, we should be careful not to write them off. Those histories were written by our father's father. And the father before them."

"I know, my Lord," Boze said, gaining confidence and pacing the room as though he was the king and not Vudga. Matt pouted at his arrogance, "Just a little curious. Pardon me if I say the books could be wrong. Because I just can't see how the events it predicted could come true. Some of its predictions had been right and had gotten the perspective of things right, but on the other hand, most of its proposed prophecy had failed. The book said humans are extinct and so is the world of green and blue. But now, everything is just so…"

"I get it." Lord Vudga said. He had supported his chin with his palms and was still staring at Matt with those intense gray eyes. There was something dark in his features that Matt could not place a hand on at the moment. It was subtle, as if lying in wait for the right moment. 

"If this human was here," He continued, "it means that the land of green and blue was not destroyed after all."

"Exactly, sir. That's actually what I am saying." Boze nodded, "If this human was here, then we might just be at the end of the book without the rest of the story. I mean, we have bigger trouble at the moment."

"Lord Vortex," Xerta whispered softly. It was so soft that the words could have passed without the ears detecting them.

Matt shifted his weight to the other foot, looking from one gray eye to the other. The Miens were all staring at him, making the bones in his body waxing away.

"Enough," He shouted and started to unzip the anorak. None of the Miens seemed to move or tried to stop him. They all continued to stare at him as though he had suddenly grown a second head out of the blue.

"You all will cease acting as if I am not here," He hurried out of the cloth and tossed them on one of the chairs. "What is going on? What is all these talks about the apocalypse and why do you think I am involved?"

Instead of answering his question, Boze walked up to him, and with his free hand, slammed Matt in the face, as hard as his fist could allow.

"You will talk to the king with respect," He said before going to stand beside the king.

"Respect," Matt grunted, wiping the blood from his lips, "What happened to, 'I give you my word, no harm will come your way"

Boze grinned mischievously. "Too trusting, I lied, my dear. I really meant the opposite.

Lord Vudga seemed to have lost attention. He snapped his finger and one of his guards runs into the room.

"Call the village seer." He said, "Call me Clare Lakewood."

The guards bowed inwards and disappeared almost immediately