Hollow Dreams: The Second Book of the Curtain of Perception Series

AUTHOR

Chapter 1

Two Years Later:

ALIKA:

The chilly air blew over the bed, the air conditioning unit growling in the window. My extra-long tank top had risen to my hips and covered the waist of my shorts. Though the bedroom was cold, I stayed warm curled up with my back against his body. He had his arm wrapped around my waist. I forced my body to move from its spot snuggled deep in the covers and pillows to be able to see his face.

He leaned against his elbow, his face exactly like I remembered it. He was still handsome and he had the same bronze skin and emerald eyes I could moon over for hours.

I’ve missed you. I said.

He bent down and brushed my cheek with his lips. I came when I could. He said.

You waited two years, Zifa. Two years is a long time.

I’m here now though, and I still care for you. He said.

I love you. I said. The words flowed easily from my mouth, a sentence that would never be a lie. I’d never say those words to anyone unless I meant it.

He fingered the chain around my neck, and placed the ring dangling from it between his fingers. I remember when I gave this to you. We barely knew each other then.

We knew plenty about each other. Remember you saw my thoughts, mind reader? I chided. After brushing a piece of his stray hair into place, I wrapped my arms around his neck.

I need to go. Zifa said.

Don’t! I said.

I’m not leaving forever. I’m going to make breakfast for us. Go back to sleep since it’s not seven yet. I’ll wake you when the food is ready. He said. With a final kiss on my lips, he rose and headed for the door.

I woke up breathing hard. My mouth felt like sandpaper and something soft was nuzzling my chin. I opened my eyes to find Sophie with her little black nose directly in front of my face.

None of it was real. Zifa wasn’t back, or lying beside me. The only thing true in the idyllic dream was that two years had passed and his ring that he had given me minutes before his death rested against my throat.

If I didn’t like you, I’d throw you off this bed for making me leave that dream. I said to my cat. She purred, while I tried to convince my sleepy brain that I was home and Zifa was still MIA.

I rose my entire body shaking. The dream had caused a flood of emotions.

The dream was bittersweet. I’d glimpsed Zifa again, but it was the picture of him that my mind wanted me to see. Also, when would I say I love you? I’d liked Zifa a lot, but I wasn’t sure I’d ever say I’d completely and utterly loved him. At least I wouldn’t admit it to anyone that I had. I didn’t let myself admit it. We’d kissed in the dream, finally finishing what we’d started in Boston when Owen had interrupted our attempt at a first kiss.

The dream had been extremely vivid, so much so that every detail of my bedroom was perfect even down to my rattling air-conditioner. I could almost feel the imaginary kiss still tingling on my lips.

Sighing, I washed my red face. I couldn’t help but blush and grow giddy when I thought about the way Zifa and I had been so comfortable with each other in the dream. Today was the third anniversary of Zifa’s death and the battle. I’d expected to be a little scatterbrained and out of sorts because of the anniversary, but I hadn’t expected an entire dream with him.

The realistic side of me reminded myself that, no matter how sweet the dream, my real life was nothing like that and never would be. He was gone.

If he hadn’t died, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know where he was and why he hadn’t returned. Even if he hadn’t come back for me, he’d have come back for his mother and sister. Like me, his family had heard nothing about him since the battle. My contacts as vizier of Anndalin gave me no more information about him. It was as if the moment the sword went through his side, he had been wiped off the earth.

Hundreds of soldiers were MIA after the battle. Zifa was just another number on a long list in the records.

Curling my hands into fists, I tried not to think of how many nights I had cried after his death, or how many times I had checked my thoughts because I thought he might be reading them. How could someone impact me that much in two weeks?

A few tears gathered in my eyes, but I wiped them away. It hurt to think of him, but at the same time thinking about him and the pain of the battle was like an addictive habit that couldn’t be stopped.

I was vizier now. I had more important worries besides my past.

Chapter 2

Six Weeks Later:

ALIKA:

Every night that followed was filled with dreams, but these were horrific. We weren’t cuddling and we didn’t have any ‘happily ever after’. The dreams resembled my real life.

In every dream Zifa died again, each night more painfully. I could never save him in the dream no matter what I tried. Each death was more gruesome, ranging from drowning to beheading.

Early June, several weeks after the anniversary of Zifa’s death, Max called for me to speak in the throne room. He had something private he wished to discuss with me. Unwillingly, I left my home, as I was with my parents eating dinner, and walked to Anndalin.

The guards let me enter without question as they’d seen me enter the throne room hundreds of times. Max held all political meetings in the throne room. Trevor Lewis, my bodyguard, accompanied me as he followed me anytime I was in Anndalin. I rarely let him shadow me in the non-Ukiletian world.

Anndalin’s vizier looks sour today. Max said as I entered.

I finished school less than two week ago. I’m still tired from exams and late night studying as well as catching up on work here. I said.

You’ll love to hear then, if you’re tired, that I have a relaxing trip planned for you. Max said.

No normal trip I’m guessing? Am I spying on someone, filling out paperwork or attending a boring meeting?

You’re going with your mentor, Amadeus Qwera, to another civilization for a few days to attend a wedding.

You make that sound so nice, but if it was nice I wouldn’t be going. What’s wrong with the situation?

You’re going to Asterile. It used to be part of Undalun until it gained its independence. Max said.

You’re sending an Anndalin to a place that used to belong to Undalun? Won’t there be Undaluns still there? I said. I didn’t want to be near Undaluns as they hated Anndalins. Plus, I thought of my unbreakable oath to Undalun; the oath that I never wanted to have anything to do with.

Yes, there will be many Undaluns attending the wedding. However, you’ll be safe as they are there on peaceful terms. Many civilizations are sending ambassadors. You’re going because Asterile has a king that was crowned recently. It’s speculated that the king might not be…fit for ruling.

Not fit for ruling?

The king of Asterile is rumored to be Mortac’s son. Max said.

My voice left me.

You knew about the existence of his son, but I realize this may still come as a shock. I wouldn’t send you, because I understand you have qualms about anything that has to do with Mortac because he flogged and captured you, but the king of Asterile requested that you go. You, Amadeus, and I are the only Anndalins that my spies know of to receive invitations to the wedding. He said.

Shouldn’t Ruth go? She is the ambassador. Could we tell the king I am unable to attend, therefore Ruth will attend in my place? I asked.

Max shook his head. Anndalin and Asterile relations are too unsound for any bargaining. You have to go. You leave this evening and will return within two weeks.

Two weeks? I questioned. That was more than the few days I’d imagined.

Pack a lot of books to read. Asterile has little to do.

You said you were invited. Why will you not attend?

I’m leaving on a trip to Europe. I won’t be back for a month. Ruth will be in charge of the duties of vizier that need attention here and my mother, who has finally returned to the public eye for the first time since father’s death, will be ruler in my place. Everything will be fine. Max said.

Once again I wondered why I was vizier, and why I enjoyed it. Plans needed to be made as my parents needed to know the details of my trip, though Asterile was only a few minutes’ drive from Anndalin.

What bothered me most, besides the short amount of time I had to pack and plan my trip, was that Asterile used to be Undalun. Every time I thought of Undalun and the more I studied its history, I felt drawn to it. I was like an insect drawn to a flame, but the flame of Undalun was both dark and mesmerizing. I couldn’t understand the obsession I had with Undalun that had grown ever since the battle. My common sense told me Anndalin was the one preserving justice and keeping peace, but something in my heart kept whispering that that wasn’t right and Undalun had been a victim instead of an enemy.

I didn’t understand the feelings and I didn’t discuss it with anyone, for it certainly would mean my death to even raise such questions.

Within a few hours, Amadeus, Trevor and I were headed to Asterile. It was located only a few miles from Anndalin, but it could take Amadeus, who was driving, all day to get there. I’d never seen him drive over thirty-five. I would have volunteered to drive had it not been that I’d received my license a few months before, and Trevor and Amadeus didn’t trust me behind the wheel.

We were five miles down the road when I realized Trevor wasn’t himself. Today he was daydreaming, staring out the window with a blank expression on his face.

Are you alright, Trevor? I asked, interrupting Amadeus who was busy giving me a lesson on the history of cars.

Oh, I’m fine. Why do you ask? He said. By his tone I knew he wasn’t really listening to me.

You seem…I guess you’ve been a little odd lately. I said as I thought back to the past month. He wasn’t one to make mistakes nor was he a fool, but for several weeks now he’d been running into walls, tripping over furniture, missing meetings that I asked him to attend with me, and other odd things.

Trevor didn’t answer. After a few minutes of silence, he began to finger his ring. He pressed down on the amethyst jewel on top, and the ring popped opened like a locket to reveal a picture. He gazed at the picture with longing.

The picture was less than an inch in size, but I could see it showed a girl with curly, dark hair. She had creamy skin and wore a traditional Anndalin gown. From her young face, I guessed she couldn’t have been older than nineteen.

Whose picture is that? I asked.

Her name’s Mirabelle Lark. I met her the other day.

She happened to give you her picture but you met recently? I questioned mischievously. It’s the girl, isn’t it? You’ve fallen head over heels, haven’t you?

I’ve done no such thing. He snapped.

Sorry, I said hesitantly. He never became angry with me.

He sighed. Likewise, I’m sorry, Miss Clarke.

Do I get to meet her? I asked. I was surprised that Trevor, in his late twenties, would be interested in a teenager. Sometimes I still cringed at Anndalin’s marriage traditions and age differences.

We’ll see. Trevor said.

When we arrived at Asterile a few minutes later, I was surprised to find that the entrance to Asterile looked like a plain, humongous rock. When it was lifted (it was carved to look like a stone and yet hollow) stairs led down into a tunnel below the surface of the land.

For fifteen minutes, we hiked through the torch-lit tunnel until coming to a door of solid copper. An elephant, the national symbol of Asterile, had been engraved onto its front and inlaid with gold and shimmering jade.

Amadeus knocked.

Silence…

They knew we were coming. I said.

Amadeus knocked again. Slowly, the door opened to reveal an ugly, grey creature.

Full blooded Asterileans were short with a fuzzy body and a Cyclops-like eye. This came from all their cities being underground and that they had been miners for hundreds of years. Few full blooded Asterileans remained.

Vizier Alika Clarke and Sir Amadeus Qwera, we have been awaiting your arrival. Please follow me. The creature said.

We made our way into an area the size of a football field. The ceiling was hundreds of feet above and skylights in the domed roof allowed for little light. Entering a dreary courtyard, I took into account the scarcity of plants. No shrubbery grew except flowers heavily attended to by gardeners. The only sounds that echoed in the enclosure beneath the ground were sounds of dripping water and the normal shouts of living beings inside and around the palace grounds. I pulled my jacket close as I noticed the cold temperature. A restless chill seeped into my body and the feeling wouldn’t leave.

Looking up, I realized the palace stood before me.

The palace made me immediately think of a haunted mansion because of lanterns that glowed in the stained glass windows. The building was made of stucco over stone slabs and the roof appeared to be tile, although the light was too dim to be sure. Short stone walls surrounded the castle and guards stood alert at the main gate.

We strolled past the guards and came into a hall. It was well lit and cozy with pillars and tile on the floor and ceiling.

His highness is in his study. I will inform him of your arrival. Please wait here. The Asterilean said before tottering out of the room.

This is an interesting place. I said.

It is strange if this is your first visit. I visited here many times, but that was twenty some years ago. It has changed a great deal since my last visit, but that is to be expected. Amadeus said. I didn’t question him on how he knew the place so well for I had learned that, though I might ask, he wouldn’t tell me any more information until he wanted to.

Five minutes later the Asterilean returned.

I am afraid my lord cannot see you at the present time, but I will take you to your rooms. I am General Samuel Heituno, advisor to his lordship. Please follow me. He said. I glanced to Amadeus. The lord asked for us but could not greet us? Something seemed wrong, but I chided myself for being quick to react. Perhaps his lordship was a busy man.

The creature led us down a side corridor. Jasper statues of mythical gods and goddesses in alcoves carved into the walls caught my attention. We turned down a hall and stopped at a dead end that had one door to the right and another to the left.

This will be Vizier Clarke’s room. Your bodyguard’s room attaches off of the living room, my lady. Heituno said, unlocking the door to the left. The room to the right will be yours, sir. The rest of the guards may accompany me to where they shall be staying. The chief of the four guards looked to Amadeus for permission. Mr. Qwera nodded. The guards and the Asterilean moved up the hall.

Dinner is at seven. I will see you there. Make sure to wear one of the gowns you bought this past week, Alika. Amadeus said. Mr. Lewis, please make sure she’s ready on time.

I walked into my room and sat my handbag on the table. The bedroom was decorated in red and gold, and massive oak doors separated the bedroom from the rest of the apartment which I appreciated for my privacy. Three or four sofas and chairs were tastefully arranged in the living room. A bathroom attached off the bedroom. It will suffice. I said out loud. I have seen far worse.

Trevor immerged from his bedroom. I think this is quite satisfactory. If you don’t mind miss, I have a letter to write.

Go on, I said, wondering if the letter was to Mirabelle.

My bags were already in place so I had an hour to shower and dress. I chose a sky-blue dress with short sleeves. After slipping on silver sandals that tied half way to the knee, I brushed my hair. While doing so, a knock sounded at the door.

Just a minute. I said preoccupied with styling my short hair cut. Who is it?

It’s Amadeus.

The door is unlocked. I said. I heard the door creak behind me as his reflection appeared in the mirror I faced. He moved to one of the chairs in the living room. I will be ready in a moment.

I was curious to know whether you sense something dark about this place or if perhaps it is my imagination. He asked.

I sense that I may not want to have Trevor far from my side if that’s what you mean. I said.

I hoped you would say that as I felt the same sensations. Now if we do not leave dinner will start without us and his lordship shall not be pleased. He said.

I always disliked the announcement for entering banquet halls, because people would stare out of interest. My nerves jumped while Amadeus and I waited outside the massive doors. Decades seemed to pass before they opened.

Sir Amadeus Qwera and Vizier Clarke of Anndalin, A herald announced.

Amadeus took my arm as we were led to two empty cushions mid-way up the table. Once we were comfortable, those watching returned to their business.

I approximated that fifty people were present at the long table in the center of the room. Chatter had already begun and drinks had been poured. Previously, Amadeus had tutored me a little on Asterilean customs, so I wasn’t greatly surprised that everyone sat on cushions and ate Asian food. Asterile’s civilization was primarily based on Asian society, unlike Anndalin which was medieval.

The food was different from anything I’d experienced in any of the Ukiletian civilizations I’d been in before. Instead of having duck or beef as was common in Anndalin, Asterile served things like sushi and dumplings. Asterile also preferred pork as its main meat at banquets.

I hate formal events and all the pomp that comes with it. I said.

You should be grateful you are Vizier and allowed to attend these events. Remember that it is by the Archduke’s consent that you are allowed to be a part of Anndalin.

Great, thanks for agreeing. I said sarcastically.

Excuse me, but I must agree with the lady. Formal events are far too big of a fuss. I am sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I am Julius Chantzler. He shook hands with Amadeus then reached for mine.

The man I supposed to be about my age or a little older. He wore a tuxedo which coordinated with his curly, coffee-colored hair, matching eyes, and bronzed complexion.

And you must be…? The stranger questioned.

I’m Amadeus Qwera and this is Vizier Alika Clarke. Mr. Qwera said.

Oh, you come from Anndalin. Mr. Chantzler said.

True, Amadeus said. The evening passed in conversation between the three of us. The ruler never arrived.

At nine-thirty, Amadeus stood from his chair.

It is time for me to retire. Stay if you wish. Make sure to be in bed by one. He said to me.

Yes, sir, and good night, I said. Amadeus had complete charge of me when we went places. I sometimes became annoyed by it, but I knew Max had to assign someone to keep track of me.

You talked little this evening. Julius Chantzler said.

"I speak