Revolution (Book 3 of POE Chronicles)

Chapter 24 Balikova

As soon as we hit the ground, Katerina was up and by the door, which slid open gracefully and I scrambled to get in place behind her. Saralisa threw me a wry smile, as though she knew exactly how I felt and we exited the plane so quickly that it felt a little surreal.

"Miss Falcon." A voice greeted us and I peeked over Katerina and Saralis's shoulders to see Francesca Balikova, wearing a grey, expensive looking suit along with an entourage. She looked no different than the last time I saw her in Katerina's castle, and from the slightly eager look on her face I could tell that the news of the Academy must have reached her.

"Andrewson?" She asked, unable to contain herself and her professional façade fell a little, showing us a worried woman. I had never considered her relationship with Mr. Andrewson, but it appeared that they knew each other very well, and might even be closely related.

"He disappeared." Katerina answered, stepping sideways so the rest of us could congregate into a better grouping. "Perhaps we should talk somewhere more private?"

Nodding, I saw Francesca put her façade back on and led us across the tarmac towards a waiting limousine. It seemed extravagant and unnecessary, but for once I was glad that we were all able to be accommodated in one vehicle.

"I hope the flight went well." Francesca made small talk, but fortunately didn't mention anything about the circumstances at which we boarded the flight. She was sitting rigidly, as were the rest of us, waiting for the limo to get us to our destination, which I had no idea where, so we could have a proper conversation.

I glanced out of the car's tinted window in an attempt to distract myself. The city of Budapest blurred past me and I couldn't help but admire the buildings and structure. It didn't seem to be divided, like London were, and the walls seemed to be done more elegantly.

"That's the Liberty Bridge." A voice recalled me back to the car and I follow the sound to see the smiling face of a white-haired man who seemed to be in his sixties. He gave me a grandfatherly smile and I smiled back, turning my head back out to get a better look at the bridge that was rapidly moving out of my view.

"It's gorgeous." I said, feeling the urge to reply. Surreptitiously glancing at Viktor and Diego out of the corner of my eyes, I could see that the former had actually fallen asleep while the latter had his eyes closed.

"The city had seen many things." The man nodded, smiling at me again and somehow I felt more relaxed. "But it's a resilient thing."

After some more polite chit-chat, we finally pull up beside a massive, grand building that seemed to ooze an elegance that even the Academy couldn't compete. With bronze dome roof and gilded façade, it was on a slightly raised hill overlooking the city.

"Please go right in." Francesca gave us a tight lipped smile and gestured for us to enter through the massive double door, and I was immediately enveloped by the scent of a historical building. However, what really startled me was the huge full length painting of Victoria Balikova on the left side of the entrance, right in front of a long flight of marble stair case.

"We have it painted it using one of the earliest photos of her." The grandfatherly man informed us as he followed our line of vision. "It was taken just after she fended off a Legre attack in the city."