"Where have you been?" Yoo-Jin hissed, grabbing her by the arm he propelled her towards the double doors not caring if her tight formal slippers required her to walk slowly. "He has been waiting for you, you stupid halfling."

Roughly, Yoo-Jin pushed her through the doors, but Ahzma was careful enough not to let herself trip. Half stumbling, she quickly righted herself just over the threshold. Keeping her eyes lowered, she walked gracefully with small practiced steps underneath her long silk skirts into the grand room. This was the palace's finest room, this was where all the formal guest, dignitaries, and elite were meet with the royal family of Upra. Stopping at the edge of the fine embroidered rug, as she was trained, Ahzma waited.

"My lord please forgive me, this is my sister Ahzma Ji the princess of Upra," it was always startling to hear her brother introduce her formally. Ahzma was only ever used to his viscous remarks and scathing nicknames, she rarely heard her own name in her house much less her formal title.

Bowing deeper at the waist, Ahzma waited for the person's reply. After a few silent seconds, she lifted cautiously and peaked up beneath her lashes. There was no one there.

Some of the finest furniture in all of Upra was in this room. Two large chairs sat in the center of the room in front of an ornate sofa, all three pieces carved from the bones of sacred Marmut beast that roamed the grasslands in the East. A large clock inlaid in gold and Simpra Titanium was on the far-left wall, standing like a great colossus over the room, nearly touching the thirteen-foot ceiling. Other extraordinarily expensive pieces of artwork and decorative furniture littered the room in between the large windows, reminding every visitor of Upra wealth.

Or at least wealth that once was, she thought with a sigh.

She wanted to turn to her brother, to see what he was thinking. Was this another one of his cruel jokes? It didn't seem likely though, the more she thought about it. Yoo-Jin was cruel, twisted, abusive and many more things but above all he was lazy. Surely, he wouldn't have told her for a week now about this "fake" visit with the Prince of Narvis galaxy, a small unknown, heavily guarded galaxy far from Upra.

Just as she was about to turn her head to look back at Yoo-Jin for answers, he stepped forward from behind her grabbing her elbow with a painful grip. Years of training kept her from crying out, the punishment would be so much worse if she dared make a fool of herself. Tugging her along, he rounded the sofa and forced her to stop abruptly just in front of the low table in between the chairs and sofa.

"My Lord," Yoo-Jin acknowledged again towards the empty chairs, giving her a veiled threatening hint to follow suit.

Ahzma felt a stirring of panic in her stomach. What was going on? There was no one here. What did Yoo-jin want her to do to an empty chair.

Swallowing nervously, she resisted wiping her sweaty hands against the careful crisp pleats of her silk skirts. Passing her eyes over the chair and floor she paused. The carpet just in front of the chair was flat in two places. As if depressed by something very very heavy. Instinct told her what she was registering, but the logical side of her mind fought it. But she couldn't wait any longer, every second of her hesitation, she could feel Yoo-Jin's anger rising.

Holding out her right hand she extended to the hair. Keeping her head straight she stared to the windows in the back of the room. "It is my honor, my lord."

Time seemed to disappear as she felt air around her hand shift. Suddenly, she felt the electrifying contact against her hand. It was so startling, Ahzma had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from jumping with a cry. There was someone here, someone she couldn't see standing right in front of her.

Rough and very large, the invisible hand wrapped around hers.

No, not someone. This was not someone, not with hands like this. The texture was all wrong. It felt as if his whole hand was lined and ridged, with large coarse fissures crisscrossing back and forth, and over and under his hand. Finally, the hand enclosed around hers and stopped, waiting for her.

Forcing her mind to pull itself out of its shock, Ahzma went on with protocol. Lifting her left hand, she cupped the underside of the rubbery scale-like flesh and bowed her head to her forearm in Upra tradition of women royalty receiving guest of higher rank.

"Good, good," Yoo-jin chimed with nauseating fake merriment behind her, as she lifted from the pose and stepped back one step. "As we discussed my Lord, I will allow you to visit with my sister."

Firm fingers gripped her shoulder with painful expertise and pushed her onto the sofa. Ahzma did her best to school her face as she looked up to her brother's evil smile as he gave her a quick bow of farewell.

Wait! He couldn't leave her in here. Not unchaperoned, not with this invisible creature. Turning in her seat, Ahzma clutched the back of the sofa and watched her brother walk to the large double doors and turn with a flourish of his silk robes and grab the door's handle, giving her one last silent threat with his eyes. Don't fuck up, she could practically hear his familiar threat in her head.

Heart pounding in her chest, she turned back to the empty chairs in front of her. The room looked empty, but she knew it was not. Glancing back down at the impressions on the rug she realized they were quite deep. It must be a heavy creature, she thought. Feeling terribly awkward, she wasn't sure if she should stand back up or remain sitting.

"I...I'm sorry," she began with a stutter, clearing her throat she continued in a soft and hopefully pleasant voice, "Since I cannot see you my Lord, I am unsure as to where to look."

"Stand."

The sudden sound of the deep resonating voice made her want to immediately run for the door. To just take her chances at whatever punishment both her brothers doled out. Visions of their anger however, gave her the courage to stand.

"My Lord," she stood up with a small bow of her head.

"Tilt your head up," the unnatural reverberation to his voice felt like waves of seismic activity. What in all the galaxies could make such a deep sound when it spoke?

As ordered, nervously she tilted her head upwards. Her hands lay clasped at the high waistline of her skirt just below her breast, just to keep them from destroying the fine material of her skirt with her sweaty fidgety hands.

"Like this, my Lord?"

"More."

Again, she tilted upward until she felt she was practically staring at the ceiling.

"Good."

Waiting for his next cue, Ahzma was staring up at the far corner of the ceiling when the space just above and a little in front of her shifted in light. Like on a hot summer day, the air in front of her warbled and shimmered like a mirage of water before two glowing, menacing gold eyes flashed out of nowhere.

Covering her mouth in shock, Ahzma stumbled backwards back into her seat, pushing her body as far against the back of the sofa as she physically could. It was ginormous. The menacing gold eyes hovered almost eight feet in the air before blinking off and the warbling air around him went still again, leaving him completely invisible.

A long slow succession of clicking noises sounded around her, before the chair in front of her creaked under a sudden weight. It must have sat down, she thought. Panic seized her again. What was she supposed to do or say to this thing? What did it want with her?

Pulling from years of formal training, she tried to relax her posture in her seat and could only manage a stiff stance. Smiling apologetically, she scooted up to the edge of her seat and reached for the bell.

"I can order us tea…if you like, my Lord," her hand still hovering over the bell suggestively. She could only pray he said yes, she desperately wanted someone else in here with her. It didn't matter if it was a maid or even one of her maniacal brothers, just someone.

"No."

That little bit of hope died, as she nodded in acknowledgment and sat stiffly back in place.

Unable to stand the silence that settled back between them, she tilted her chin and looked in the position she assumed his eyes were. "Please my Lord, tell me what you have requested me for and I will do my very best to help."

The clicking noise sounded again but stopped. Gold, evil upturned eyes flashed and again his large body was vaguely outlined in disrupted wavy light.

"I am the leader of Ojibwe, to you that is located in what humans have labeled the Narvis galaxy," It was a growl. That was the deep vibrating sound of his voice she couldn't quite place, it was an animalistic growl.

Smiling politely, she shook her head. "I am sorry my Lord, I have only a vague understanding of star mapping I do not know where the Narvis galaxy is." She still did not understand what he wanted to meet with her for.

The glowing eyes tilted a bit to the side as if he was cocking his head in thought. "Your brothers, the kings of Upra have formed an alliance with Ojibwe," his voice rumbled. "They seek protection from a Corvarion armada headed this way. They sent out an open bounty for protection."

An Armada? She wasn't told anything of this. Dread coursed through her, as she thought of what the creature was saying. Ahzma tried to think how her brothers' thought.

"What was the payment?" She felt numb just asking, because deep down she knew she wasn't going to like the answer.

"You."