Chapter 51: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner ---------------------------------------- "An escape?!" exclaimed Akfek. "We cannot allow such a thing!" To say the least, he was not happy with the situation. "Yes, sir," said Seyla, still slightly out of breath from her sprint through the castle. "I tried to stop her, but..." "Are you alright?" Sascha asked, looking at her friend's wounded shoulder. Seyla grinned wanly. "I'll be fine. I've had much worse." "It's just a flesh wound," muttered Rokeg Kromm in a bad English accent. "What?" the others asked in unison, all turning to face him. Kromm grinned sheepishly. "Oh! Er, nothing...." Sascha shook her head dismissively. "Mason!" she barked, turning to the squat officer, "send out a patrol immediately! She must be recaptured!" Mason nodded and scurried off to do his mistress' bidding. Garland watched in awe as his lady issued orders with an aura of cool command. Sometimes he forgot that she, along with the despotic Akfek, was the leader of the New Imperial Army...But then, there were things she didn't know about him, too... While Garland mused, Akfek had begun to pace the hallway. "We cannot allow ourselves to be seen as weak!" he shouted, waving one hand in the air. "Don't worry," purred Sascha, "she *will* be caught. And when she is...she will be *severely* punished." An evil grin spread across her face. But even the prospect of torture was not enough to cheer Akfek up. "All this has given me a headache," he announced. "I'm going to my quarters. Sascha, I will see you at dinner." With that, he stalked off down the hallway. Seyla watched him go with an odd look on her face. "So that's Akfek?" she said, thinking out loud. "What an...interesting person." Sascha saw at once what the older woman was thinking. "Ohhhhh, no Seyla, I don't think..." "He sure is something..." Seyla continued dreamily. "Oh, he's *something* all right," muttered Garland. Kromm snickered. "Garland!" exclaimed Sascha, exasperated. "You know," said Seyla, "I think I'd better go get ready for dinner..." She walked slowly down the hall, as if floating on a cloud. "She doesn't know what she's getting into," sighed Sascha. Her shoulders slumped. Garland put an arm around her, as if to offer her his strength. "Akfek uses people... I'm really the only person he likes..." He nodded in understanding. "She's a big girl. Let her solve her own problems." "The bigger they are," whispered Kromm, "the harder they fall..." With that, he too disappeared down the hallway. Garland looked up and down the corridor. "Well, well, well," he said, with a mischievous grin. "It would appear that we are alone..." Sascha's spirits lifted as if buoyed by helium. "Hrm. So we are..." At least, they were, until Lieutenant Thomas Oliver ran smack into Sascha. "Oof!" she exclaimed, as the breath was knocked out of her body. Oliver, seeing who his victim was, blushed crimson. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" he sputtered, helping his commander to her feet. "I didn't mean to - Ohhhh... nuts!" He slapped himself on the forehead. Sascha grinned bemusedly as she dusted herself off. "It's alright, Oliver," she said. "I'm not a monster... or a beast, if you prefer. But tell me, what are you in such a rush for?" "Actually," said the lieutenant, "I was, er, looking for you. You see, ah, well, that is... Um, I mean to say... Lieutenant Hart is... er..." "Spit it out, Oliver!" "I want to marry Lieutenant Hart!" he blurted out. "Sir!" Sascha smiled broadly. "Is that it? Well, go right ahead!" "Sir?" Oliver looked confused. "What? Did you think I'd refuse? I'm human too, Thomas, no matter what the Returners call me behind my back. We can even have the ceremony here! The Empire takes care of its own, Lieutenant." "Er, thank you, sir!" "Right! Now go back to Kimberley, where you belong!" "Yes sir!" Oliver snapped off a salute, and dashed down the corridor. "Youth," muttered Sascha, shaking her head. Garland chuckled. "Now," she said slyly, looking to make sure the hallway was deserted, "where were we?..." * * * * * The places for the meal had been set with the finest silverware, and covered with the finest silk cloth. The plates were what remained of Doma's finest china, and were trimmed with elaborate designs etched in mithril. The table was laden with the cooks' specialties, and the crystal goblets waited to be filled with wines of the finest vintages. When both of the Empire's commanders were present, dinner at Doma was quite a fancy affair. Sascha was the first one to arrive downstairs. Garland had been experiencing some difficulty with a pair of cufflinks, so she had come ahead. She hated to be late. She took her place, and selected an apple from a bowl of fruit in front of her. It was not long before Akfek arrived. He grabbed an orange from the same bowl, and sat down across from her. "So, he began," apparently in a somewhat better mood, "where's your new toy?" "*Garland* is upstairs. He'll be down in a minute." Akfek sighed as he began to peel the fruit. "I don't know about him, Sascha. I just don't trust him. I wish you wouldn't give him the run of the castle!" "Don't worry; Garland wouldn't do anything to hurt me! He's so sweet...." Akfek rolled his eyes, which prompted Sascha to toss her apple's stem at him. This provoked one of Akfek's rarely seen smiles. She just hoped that Garland and Kromm would leave him alone tonight. They had no idea what he was like when his temper was roused... She heard a rustle of cloth from the stairwell, and looked up to see who was there. "Oh!" she gasped. It was Seyla, but not like Sascha had ever seen her before. Her shiny black hair was swept up off her neck in an elegant chignon, and she was clad in a beautiful decollete black satin gown. She looked...fantastic. "Good evening," Seyla purred, sounding like one of those women in a spy book. She glided across the room, and took a seat beside Akfek. He nodded a greeting as he continued to eat his orange. But then, as he looked at her, Sascha noticed an unfamiliar gleam in his eye... At this point, the rest of the officers began arriving. Mason, Kromm, Oliver, Hart, and a few others whose names Sascha couldn't remember, entered the hall and took their seats. "But where's Garland?" she said softly, thinking out loud. "Who cares," said Akfek, finishing off his appetizer. "Hey you," he called to a serving girl, "I'm finished my orange. Take this peel away!" "But Akfek," came Garland's voice from the stairwell, "A rind... is a terrible thing to waste." Akfek's eyes darkened, and Sascha groaned inwardly. It was going to be a long night...