The next morning Alex is woken by a guard unlocking his barred gate. He cycles some prana to relieve the stiffness and climbs down following the guard to the shared facilities at the end of the car. Ten minutes later he is kneeling on the observation deck and is joined shortly after by Candy. It’s another hour before Mistress Lyre and Master Syllen appear and start to play their game.

They continue to journey through the day, and the scenery passes providing extraordinary contrast, from empty fields of grain and grass to extensive forests. They even pass through the mountains, its thin soil supporting dense boreal forest broken up by bare rock, rivers and a multitude of striking lakes. As they go up the mountain many animals including, deer, goats and even something similar to a large grizzly bear are seen. As they descend, he appreciates meadows of colorful flowers and a sea of tall trees.

However, despite the stunning scenery, Alex is losing interest in what is outside of the train. He reflects that by the time you’ve seen your millionth tree, you’ve seen enough of nature. So, he spends the time cycling his prana and pushing it into his bones and muscles. As they leave the mountains the forests give way to more farms and land so flat that the horizon sometimes merges with the sky. This new scenery goes on for hours and after so much emptiness, it almost comes as a shock when the skyline of a city appears in the distance.

Just after lunch, they arrive at a large station on the outskirts of a city and wait for half an hour or so to change some of the train staff and add more cars. This gives Alex time to admire the magnificent station, its design, breathtaking with sweeping lines of glass and chrome, with a distinct lack of people to distract from the inspiring architecture. The train begins to move once more.

“When do you think we will reach the portal?” Mistress Lyrei asks.

“We’re on schedule, so should be just before dinner.” Master Syllen responds while concentrating on the game.

“Well, let’s not waste any more time. Talia, get the writing materials and continue teaching Eilaes.”

“Yes, Mistress.” Candy responds, then promptly stands, bows and exits the observation deck. She returns a short while later with two wooden cases and kneels and gives a bow.

“Use that table.” Mistress Lyrei says, pointing to a table just to the side of the couch she is sitting on.

“Yes, Mistress.” Candy replies then moves to the table and unpacks items.

“Off you go, Eilaes.” Mistress Lyrei declares. Alex moves next to the table and his lessons begin. As the afternoon progressed Alex didn’t pay any attention to the scenery that was flying past and instead was focused on improving his script. Suddenly his concentration is interrupted when Mistress Lyrei exclaims.

“Look, it’s the gate. I always love approaching from this side as you get to see it power up.” It was starting to get dark outside. “It’s a shame that most of the gates are buried in tunnels.”

“It makes them easier to defend. I’d rather sacrifice the beauty of the view than the whole world if the host attack.” Master Syllen responds.

“But, it’s not in a tunnel on this side.”

“If this rim world becomes valuable then they’ll relocate it to somewhere defensible. At the moment it’s not worth the cost or the risk of moving it.”

Alex becomes distracted by a faint blue glow outside that gets brighter as each second passes. The train follows a long shallow curve, but not slowing down. Ahead there’s a large glowing circle with a corona of blue sparkles that are being sucked into the center. The train is hurtling towards the circle, will they crash into it or pass through it? There is only a handful of seconds until that question is answered. Suddenly there’s a flash and a wall of blue light fills the circle before it ripples and pops like a bubble leaving a black hole.

They hit the black hole and Alex’s skin tingles, then he feels himself become lighter and his ears pop. There’s no evidence of any impact and the scene outside goes black, which results in him looking at his reflection. After fifteen seconds the train abruptly bursts from a tunnel and emerges into bright daylight. They are greeted by a landscape on an enormous scale and it starts the appearance of a great phalanx of ashen rock, flecked with snow, rising above a carpet of trees.

Alex still feels lighter as the train heads into the mountains, slowing to safely pass spectacular waterfalls and traverse a series of bridges. They continue the ascent and the route provides some spectacular moments as the train clings to exposed slopes through river canyons that become cauldrons with the fast-flowing water from the snowmelt. As they squeeze onto a bridge that crosses an immensely deep ravine, he glimpses white water rushing below along the canyon and disappearing into the distance. The train then plunges into darkness as they enter another tunnel.

“Well, the scenery is over for now, so back to your books.” Mistress Lyrei calls out looking at Alex and Candy.

“Yes, Mistress.” Alex and Candy reply at the same time.

The tunnel goes on for nearly two hours and ends when they emerge onto a rain shrouded forest that is clinging to the side of the mountain. The train begins to slow as it negotiates a series of sweeping curves that descend the mountain. As they get lower the rain gets heavier until nothing is visible after a few hundred meters. The occasional cluster of large metal structures appears, similar to those found at oil refineries, hidden among the trees. Eventually, the peaks subside and industrial madness appears as they pass through derelict, overgrown yards, housing a sea of small fires and hundreds of figures that are huddled around them.

As they continue they pass a once beautiful giant building with tall majestic columns, now standing alone, dilapidated and empty. A symbol of a greater past? The gargantuan building is so different from the landscape it inhabits that its purpose is beyond understanding. They continue passing less imposing dilapidated buildings until it the surroundings change into a cityscape that is dark and brooding, perhaps due to the perpetual rain.

They continue until they eventually come to a city whose streets are full of people with brightly colored umbrellas, masks, and what appear to be flamboyant punk getups. These are in strong contrast to Misresss Lyrei’s restrained scarlet attire and Master Syllens ever-present plain blue. What catches Alex’s eye, besides striking resemblances to busy streets on Earth, is the futuristic shopping arcades, the neon-lit billboards, the garbage, the drunks, and the huge ten by five-meter video screens acting as an immense icon of power as they play to the masses.

The station they eventually arrive at presents a scene of widespread confusion. Many people sit, waiting patiently, their luggage and boxes clustered around them. Besides the actual passengers, the station is crowded with those who have come to see off friends and relatives. After they have been stationary for a few minutes the train gently vibrates just the way it did when more cars were added at the last station.

An Elven woman appears and bows. “Mistress Lyrei, Master Syllen, I regret to inform you that we will be delayed while we reconfigure the train to take more passenger cars. I do deeply apologize for any inconvenience this will cause you.”

“How long will this take?” Master Syllen asks without moving his gaze from the game.

“We were scheduled to be here for twenty minutes while we deliver the freight cars from the last station. This will be extended by a further forty minutes to attach the passenger cars.” The woman responds still bowing.

“I’m sure that you will be making suitable recompense to the Yegella Estate for the delay.”

“Of course, Master Syllen.” She responds before hastily leaving.

“They just want people crowded onto the train so that they can make more money taking them to their new life.” Mistress Lyrei comments scornfully.

“Running the portals takes a lot of liquid prana. They want to get as many cars through as they can, at our expense, and people do pay handsomely to move from a spoke-world to a hub.” Master Syllen advises.

As the train remains at standstill figures hurry to clean the windows of the train. They rush up and down, pulling large trolley’s on floating platforms with them, which they use to reach the higher windows. After thirty minutes the barriers across from the train open and passengers make a great rush forward in a mob. People of all races hurry to board with families struggling to remain together. Some individuals are rude, others polite, but quite a few are angry. There is an air of desperation as people board the train.

“The passenger compartments will be so crowded that I’m sure someone will suffocate.” Mistress Lyrei comments as she watches the scene outside the window.

“There should be no such issue, it’s only an hour to the next gate.” Master Syllen advises.

Ten minutes later the passengers have boarded the train and it departs. As they speed away through the sprawling city people move in the rainy streets while flying speeders soar overhead. In the distance, there is an immense building above which the sky flashes with belching clouds of fire and smoke interspersed with flashes and the rumble of thunder. Far below the dark clouds and torrential rains sprawls an industrial city of glass and steel, a city that’s dead and decaying with all vestiges of nature long since eradicated. The people visible are a despondent jumble of different races slowly shuffling from factories and heading towards tall towers in the distance.

They spent the next hour speeding away from the city and the mountains towards the next gate as the rain continues to fall. Alex returns to his lessons only giving the occasional glance outside at the dismal view. Mistress Lyrei and Master Syllen were so immersed in their game that they request food be brought to the observation deck rather than going to the dining car.

Less than an hour later, Alex jumps in surprise when the train suddenly passes through a gateway guarding a high wall. He gazes out of the window to catch a glimpse of lake a surrounded by low mountain through the sheets of rain. Then a second later they are again plunged into darkness as they enter another tunnel as they speed on. Then there is a faint blue light that gets more brilliant by the send until Alex‘s skin tingles and his ear pop then the blue light begins to fade before abruptly disappearing. Ten seconds later they appear from the mouth of the tunnel into dappled sunshine within a dense forest comprising of tall imposing trees crowding the train causing a natural tunnel of branches and canopies.

Alex feels a little heavier and the sunshine is faintly blue, which he ignores as he returns to his lesson. The train exits the forest almost an hour later into a landscape of rolling fields of grass with the occasional tree or coppice. Five minutes later a city skyline appears in the distance that stretches across the whole horizon.

As they approach the city, groups of buildings become visible that are covered with small trees and other greenery, with the occasional sparkle of a waterfall cascading from tall structures. There are tall twisting towers with sections covered in large blooms of algae. It initially has a derelict appearance, but then the patterns of clean areas that follow some design resulting in individual cells which house the greenery become apparent. This is accentuated when the skins of the towers respond to sunlight in ways that are uniform rather than a random jumble of reflections. Then, as the train approaches closer it makes it easier to discern the towers are a vertical manicured park of greenery and the swarm flying around the towers resolves into speeders.

The train slows as it enters the city and the towers create forests of plants with positive energy, with housing, clearly visible. The houses are arranged in steps with garden balconies and at the side, a stream of water cascades down each level rejected by the inhabitants and used to feed the fruit trees. On the tops of the building in the distance, large food gardens are being tended, surrounded by an array of mirrors focused towards the garden for the sun’s rays to increase the temperature.

The train coasts through the sprawling city until it reaches a large building that welcomes the city's visitors with grandeur, in a stunning example of engineering in glass and metal, a splendid monument to the city's claim to commercial and cultural wealth. The train slowly enters a platform that is largely open with steel and glass lattice arches.

A guard enters the observation deck. “Mistress Lyrei, Master Syllen. We will be departing from the left side of the train once the main passengers have begun disembarking on the right side. Please follow me.”

Master Syllen stands and smiles at Mistress Lyrei. “It appears we will have to declare this game void.”

“As long as you give me the opportunity for another. You are still three games ahead.” Mistress Lyrei states with a pout.

“It’s four and I’ll be pleased to continue our games until the ball.”

They leave the observation deck and move down to the doors where two guards are waiting holding carbines. The doors open and the noises from a crowd of people wash over them and the first guard steps out followed by the second.

“Merchandise, assume protection positions. Now, let’s go.” Commands a voice from behind. Alex glances over his shoulder and there are two more guards holding carbines. They exit the train and when they are all on the platform the four guards move into a diamond formation as they all move forward. They head towards a set of open gates near the train where a single man waits.

“If you will please follow me.” The man requests with a low bow.

Walking through the main station there are lofty arches and white stone facades that combine elegance and efficiency. They soon emerge into the main hall that impresses with a vast dome of glass, metal and white stone surrounding an array of vines, flora and shrubs on the perimeter of the space. The main hall's walls are covered in murals and its ceilings leading to the dome in frescoes depicting progenitor’s in the scene’s of dance, music and trade. As they exit the main hall, they move into a stunning street-level rotunda made from white stone with a floor fresco a monument to the glamorous days of the progenitors.

Standing in front of the exit is an armored transport with two speeders all with their doors open facing the group. Guards holding carbines in Yegella Estate colors are standing next to each of the vehicles scanning the area. The man steps to the side and bows low before turns and walking back the way they have just come.

The guard leading them calls out. “Mistress Lyrei, Master Syllen, if you would please board the transport. Unfortunately, the merchandise will be travelling with you.”

They enter the transport along with two of their four guards while two more guards enter. Two guards each of the speeders, a few seconds later and they all rise and leave.

“Why the extra security?” Master Syllen enquires of the new guard on his right.

“Security has identified an increased level of surveillance at the mansion. We investigated and it appears there are multiple groups interested in you and Mistress Lyrei and we estimate the current threat level to be high. We are using a three-vehicle convoy with the best drivers we have available. Our departure times for this pickup have been staggered so any opposition will not know of the convoy composition. The return will also be via a route not normally used by us. Details of specific safe houses and the local hospitals have been fully briefed to the team, so I would appreciate you following our lead.”

“Understood.”

They skimmed down a wide avenue for nearly ten minutes before there was an announcement made from hidden speakers. “This is over-watch. There is an unscheduled vehicle approaching. Speeder one to block and speeder two move to forward position.” The transport continued forward and a minute later. “No hostile action. Speeder one assume the rear position. Five minutes until we reach our destination.”

They continue for those five minutes, then the transport quickly slows and the guard next to Master Syllen declares. “We are in the parking under the mansion. Please remain seated while the area is secured.”

A few minutes later and the door to the transport opens. Stood waiting are an elegant middle-aged Elven man and a tall Elven woman, both bow when Mistress Lyrei and Master Syllen step from the vehicle.

“A pleasure to meet you, Mistress Lyrei, Master Syllen. I’m Master Gelrian and this is Mistress Panolanna.”

Mistress Lyrei and Master Syllen bow in response. “Thank you for accommodating us. I hope our arrival hasn’t caused you too much trouble.”

“Not at all. The Baroness had advised that there might be some meddling to try and prevent you from attending the ball. Mistress Lyrei, Panolanna has been assigned as your assistant and bodyguard. She will remain with you at all times and if your offer is accepted by Lady Vaeri Panolanna will go with you.”

“It’ll be a pleasure to ensure that you can promote Baroness Yegella.” Panolanna responds with a small bow.

“Won’t it be suspicious if I have an assistant? I’m only a new trainer of merchandise with no standing.”

Panolanna smiles and lifts her hair, exposing one of her ears. “Don’t worry, Mistress Lyrei. I’m half-Elven and we’ve let it be known that you are a favored of the Baroness and I’ve been provided to allow you to focus on improving your skills.”

“Rooms have been assigned to you and your merchandise. There is no other merchandise present at the moment for security purposes, so your merchandise will have additional duties.” Master Gelrian declares.

“Of course.” Mistress Lyrei responds, then continues. “Has everything been arranged as I requested?”

“It has. The merchants will be attending later this afternoon.”

“Is that wise? If people are trying to interfere with us attending the ball won’t they use this as an opportunity?”

“I have it on the best authority, Master Syllen, that you’re a little tongue-tied and at times clumsy when you are introduced to elegant society ladies.” Mistress Lyrei responds. “And besides, I’ve seen your wardrobe and you have nothing even remotely suitable for the ball, I mean look at what you’re wearing.”

“I beg your pardon?” Master Syllen answers coldly.

“Not at all,” replies Mistress Lyrei. “Now, Master Syllen, I want your full cooperation and for you to be realistic and sensible.”

“What do you want?”‘

“I want, or rather, the Baroness wants me to ensure you are properly attired, and if possible to remind you how to play with words, how to be attractive to women, how to—”

“That’s enough!” Master Syllen cries. “I get the picture. Does the Baroness have so little confidence in all I have learnt over the last year? I have come here to succeed in courting Lady Vaeri.”

“Well, I like your spirit,” acknowledges Master Gelrian.

“Can’t you—“ Master Syllen suddenly stops and swallows. “Surely I have all that I need already? Anything I’m missing I can send someone to get from the shops nearby.”

“No, you don’t have everything you need. We’re going to need to get you new apparel and if we go to the local shops all your enemies will be watching as you transform from what you are to what you need to become.” Mistress Lyrei exclaims. Master Syllen is about to reply, then pauses and then relapses into silence. “We need to get selected shops to bring their best products here and all in the next few days. Luckily, the Baroness has given you more money than is good for you, so you do not need to restrain your spending. I’ll take time to groom you, clothe you, and advise you as to the way to act.” Mistress Lyrei says with a smile.

“That’s your entire plan? Is going on a spending spree and is drawing such attention to us before the ball a good idea, Mistress Lyrei?”

“It is,” Mistress Lyrei states with a laugh. “I know you will find it a chore, but you will just have to tolerate being poked and prodded. However, you don’t need to worry about me as I dare say I’ll find plenty to keep me entertained.” She chuckles. “Oh, and not a word to the Baroness or to anyone else about what we are doing. As far as everyone is concerned, you’re a recluse, a man of mystery, and when you appear at the ball you’ll make a splash and turn heads.”

Master Syllen sighs heavily. “This flashy approach does not appeal, but I suppose it’s what I must do. We shall just have to see how it goes.” He pauses, then walks to the window and grimaces. “I’m not looking forward to pandering to the toadies and I despise the silly games everyone plays.” He laments. “However, I feel that we will struggle to make a meaningful impression as I’m neither noble nor laudable. The socialites don’t care about a man’s reputation or his character. Just that he must speak to them softly, and charm their ears with silly compliments, and then dazzle them with pretty presents. Nothing else is of consequence.”

“You’re a war hero of course you’re worthy! And what did you expect? You got into this knowing what you needed to do,” Mistress Lyrei states annoyed. “Remember, that all the well-bred ladies are the same, spoilt rotten vixens and your job is to charm them.”

“I was hoping this one would be different.”

“More fool you,” Mistress Lyrei says cynically.

For the rest of the afternoon, there is a procession of different merchants attending the house all bringing their best wares. While this occurs Alex sits with Candy in a separate room with two guards watching over them. Candy is showing him how to braid hair and complete a top knot.

“Preparation of hair into the tapered braid culminating in a warrior’s top knot is traditional for those that have seen battle. The styling is very important because it helps to show a lot about the affiliation, prowess and social status of the wearer. This is shown by the inclusion of colored strips into the main braid and the use of beads in the hair bangs.” Candy explains.