Blackstone - The Green Sea of Darkness

Impending Doom

"Maybe some other time, Your Highness. I'm kind of all sweaty and gross and I'd like to shower. Besides, I've got a dinner date with the Ross Family in about an hour," I said.

Prince Val Tarran nodded. If he was disappointed, he didn't show it. I imagine that life in the royal court of the Orion Empire had given him plenty of experience at masking his feelings. It was certainly a skill I was hoping to master. Mary always told me that there were times when we had to hide our true feelings away.

"Very well. I shall, as the saying goes on Earth, see you around," Prince Val Tarran said with a grin and strolled off to the water's edge with his entourage in tow.

I watched the prince go for a second and then walked into the main building of the resort. I took the elevator up to the top floor where the Presidential Suite was located and slipped inside. I smiled when I saw who was waiting for me

"Bloody Hell, Eliza. Where have you been? We've only got dinner with the whole damn Ross Family in less than an hour," Thomas Adebayo said and looked at his watch.

I gave Thomas a soft punch in the shoulder. He was looking sharp in a crisp black suit and tie that fit his slim frame perfectly.

"Looking good, Tom," I said.

"I may be from the mean streets of London, but I can clean up all right when I have to," Thomas said.

"I'll say. You're going to have to watch out. The girls are going to be all over you."

"Thanks. Now hurry up and get changed. I don't want us to be late. You know how Michael Ross is with people who make him wait."

Didn't I know it. There was a part of me that wanted to saunter in late just to show the great Michael Ross that I wasn't one of his employees or book lickers, but I knew that anything I did would come back on David, and I couldn't hurt David.

I left Thomas and hurried into the bathroom. I stripped off my running clothes and jumped in the shower that was practically bigger than my old bedroom back in Astoria. I turned on the water until it was as hot as I could manage and relaxed for a moment. I still had plenty of time before the big dinner with the Ross Family, and I needed some time to think. I didn't know that Prince Val Tarran was on Calypso. Interesting that both the men that I cared about – David Ross and Eric Val Tarran – were in the same place at the same time. A girl could get used to this, I thought and reached for a green bar of soap.

Suddenly, I was overcome by a vision of a desolate beach that looked out on a black ocean that bubbled with noxious oil. A choking green mist moved in from offshore, and terrible twisted creatures swam in the ocean and flew through the air. The feeling of despair, of complete devastation and spiritual emptiness was the most striking feature of the vision, and I almost cried out.

Just as soon as the vision appeared, it vanished. I shuddered in revulsion at what I had just seen. I remembered my dream that I had back when I was training at the Blackstone Forge of what the Earth would look like if the Grimm were allowed to win. This was similar. The creatures that I saw could only be from the OtherVerse. The imagery was clearly the work of the Grimm, but why had I been granted this vision? Did I just see the future? Was it too late to prevent this awful scene from happening?

"Carrie would know," I said to myself and then immediately regretted it. I still hadn't gotten over Carrie. Even working with her again to rescue the wayward Prince Charles from the clutches of the Church of Darwin hadn't eased the sting of her betrayal. I just didn't see how anyone could choose duty over friendship, but then I remembered my own mission. There would soon come a day when I would have to choose between the friends I'd made at Blackstone and my own duty to the Earth and all of its people.