The Empty World | The Empty World Sequence [complete | rewriting]

Eight (these scenes move to Twelve in revised scene list)

Behind The Palace's sequoia-like columns, its facade boasted numerous balconies and terraces, and many sections of the wall were glass, in some cases enormous stained glass windows at least three times Morpheus' height. Whole gardens were lain out and growing on the polished marble foundation. Swings were suspended at different heights from its vault. Geysers shot up, just missing the garden with their boiling water. The area was hot and steamy, and automatic devices periodically wiped the windows, and then the glow of video screens could be seen within.

Morpheus entered at the largest door, feeling an invigorating rush of cold air as he stepped to the threshold. Absidus happened to be in the hall talking to a man who reclined on a couch, outfitted in chiton and buskins both. She smiled, herself wearing a tunic dress of a more modern era, and stiletto heels. "I have never seen you here, Morpheus," she said.

Morpheus bowed to the Devi Angel. "I'm sorry I did not come looking for you." He walked deeper into the palace, the air was cool to the point of being annoying, made his bare chest shiver. He saw there were many statues set into alcoves, each neatly labeled by a gold plaque. "Galatea and the Doppleganger," he read.

"You watch out for him!" said the boy. It was the same accent Laudanum had, exactly, speaking English with a Greek accent of a certain era.

Morpheus turned back to the statue. An elegant woman standing, a figure curled at her feet that looked as if the sculptor had not quite finished it. Morpheus saw it move, but questioned his eyes, statues didn't move.

He stepped away from the statue, just in case.

"Have you come looking for Jophiel?" Absidus asked.

Morpheus shrugged; knocked River off balance. He petted the lizard. "I was just sort of wandering, so I may have meant to come here, but I did stop to ask for Beholder...Jophiel." Morpheus didn't quite understand the reasoning behind the etiquette, but Devi Angels were given new names upon being raised up, and were always addressed by these names, even in the case that they were regents, and so being used to address by name, they tended to address all Angels by a personal name ...but they didn't all use the same ones.

Psyche was stuck, it seemed, calling Angels by their Greek names. Absidus usually used slightly older names, but Morpheus didn't think Absidus was older than Psyche, actually he was pretty sure Absidus was one of the younger, if not the youngest, of Night's children.

"This is Star. He died of a venereal disease, so we were able to get him. I knew him quite well in that world, actually."

"Hi," said Morpheus.

The man smiled, blinked his blackened lashes over milky green eyes.

Morpheus looked away. He found the boy about as creepy as Hyacinth.

"Well, Beholder is out in one of the gardens, out near the fall." Absidus turned away, stopped and turned back. "I'm leaving."

The boy remained on his couch, guarding the entrance.

Morpheus wandered vaguely fall-ward through the palace, climbing stairs, or descending as the paths went, there were no doors, only gauzy curtains or beads that obstructed detail. He started really thinking about the palace. Dream's Allegory was full of symbols relevant to his work, and so were all the other houses, the entire regions actually. It hit him then, he was in the Amber Palace, but unlike other regions this one was much vaster, it had more than one Regent working it. Everything he saw, the geysers, the steamy gardens, the curtains, the statues, the piles of money and drugs laying on tables, these were all representative of love, sexual desire, want, obsession, or infatuation.