"So...if that junction is a three-way junction, where do the other two tunnels go to?" Mira asked.
"Well, one of them goes to Ashrya and in fact, opens into Topaz. The one that Prince Erick is talking about opens into Andalusia. The third tunnel goes to a place we call Azure."
"Azure…" Mira's jaw dropped.
Erick's eyes glinted darkly. "Has that portal been deactivated? I was told by my own people that it had been destroyed."
No one could confirm this with Erick. He growled under his breath in frustration.
"Since we have no intel on it, I'm going to assume it's been destroyed. This leaves the two remaining portals Topaz and Andalusia wide open."
"Yes."
"Does that mean there is traffic flowing to and from Topaz and Andalusia still?"
"It would seem to be the case, yes."
"It would have to be open for the Primate Warriors to be running amok in Diamond."
"But isn't Topaz at the southern end of Ashrya and Diamond at the northern end? You can move a small number of people through a portal, but you can't move entire armies."
"You are correct, but it is only a four day train ride. If you are familiar with the dwarven train system, you could take several connecting trains and go from Topaz to Diamond within four days."
"We would never allow entire squadrons of Guardian Primates to embark on any of our trains." Alfric staunchly responded.
"Is it possible that they have their own trains?" Mira mused out loud.
Alfric shook his head.
"Then the only other way is moving them above ground or we have a…" Mira squinted into the distance.
"Traitor!" Mira and Erick spoke in unison.
"That is impossible!" But even as Alrich said the words, his eyes betrayed the fact that it could very well be possible. He raised a hand and one of the servers came to his side.
Alfric made a slight motion and the server bent his head down close to Alfric's mouth. He listened intently for a few seconds, nodded and then took off.
"I will have my men chase down any suspicious activities. Meanwhile, let's not get too wrapped up in something that does not yet have any basis for claims."
🌺🌺🌺
After breakfast, the group disbanded, each to their respective cabins to rest during the long train ride.
Aside from the engine cars, the dining car and the parlor car, there were twelve remaining cars that were designated sleeper cabins with four large sleeping pods in each car.
Each member of Mira's group had their own sleeping pods with the remaining pods split between the various staff members and personal guards who had joined the group's venture.
Aside from Alfric who suddenly had a plethora of paperwork to do, hardly anyone else spent much time in their cabins. The staff had work to do and the rest of the passengers were hanging around in the parlor.
The parlor car was something that looked as if it came straight out of a casino bar. There was a small staffed bar at one end serving drinks of all types. Beyond the bar was a small set of steps that led up to a mezzanine with an image of a pipe drawn onto a wooden plaque.
Velvet burgundy fleur-de-lis wall paper covered one entire side of the car setting off the scattered dark brown leather seats and mahogany wood tables. On the floor was a deep rich wine rug that dampened stray sounds and kept the bar anchored in a hedonistic dimension of the senses.
Erick was already seated at the bar chatting up a storm with the blue-haired bartender by the time Mira entered the Parlor car.
"Would you like a drink?" The bartender looked up as he saw Mira approaching.
Mira stared at him. "You look familiar. Aren't you one of Erick's bodyguards?"
The Ashryan laughed. "We all are. The staff on this entire train is made up of Elite Royal Guards."
Mira laughed. "Are we in that much danger?"
Erick patted a stool next to him. "Sit here with me awhile, my Princess. What would you like to drink?"
Mira approached the bar and hopped up on the stool. It was made for very tall Ashryans so she almost had to clamber on. Erick saw her struggling and levitated her slightly so she could get on without too much loss of dignity.
She flashed him a grateful smile and then turned to the bartender.
"I'll take a lemonade."
As the bartender got busy filling her drink order, Erick turned to her. "There is an uneasy feeling in the air. I feel as if something is coming down the pipelines but I can't put my finger on it."
Mira leaned back against the stool's backrest. "You said something that caught my attention awhile ago."
"And that is?"
"You said there was a train that goes to Azure."
"Ah. Yes. There is definitely an Azure track. No train I know even takes that track, but as far as I know, it does exist."
"Where is it?"
"That track begins in Topaz. It is what you would call a subverted railway. Ashrya as a kingdom has forbidden its citizens to enter Azure but not everyone follows the rules. Not even the princes of the empire." He reddened slightly.
"To be fair, you were unconscious when you landed on my doorstep."
Erick shook his head. "I knew Zander had figured out the mathematics portion of the spell that would create a portal from Ashrya to Azure. I just didn't think he would attempt it in the middle of an ambush at Tourmaline Bog."
Erick shook his head and took a sip of his drink. "We got so damn lucky we met you. It could have ended very badly for us had we met anyone else." He shuddered. "I would have been dead. Without your medicines, I was not going to make it."
"You don't know that."
"Oh yes I do. We are mages. We know our own bodies well. The medicines you gave me over the course of the ten days we were there completely cured me of all the poisons that had been accumulating in my body all these years."
"An accumulation of poisons?" Mira gasped. "How is that possible?"
Erick tossed his head. In one gulp he finished the cocktail. "I've been poisoned off and on ever since I was a child. The Crown Prince title comes with it the kind of intense sibling rivalry that no one should have to endure."
"So technically, I don't have to go to Tourmaline Bog to return to Earth. I can leave from Topaz if I have a train that will take me there."
Erick smiled. "The easiest way for you to get home is always going to be Tourmaline Bog since Daran has fixed that portal for you. Just port to Tourmaline Bog and from there, wait for the Azurian portal to appear at twilight. But Mira…" he extended his arms wide. "You do have a train. This was built especially for you. It even has your name written on the side."
Mira frowned. "The train is all black isn't it? I don't remember seeing any name…"
Erick laughed. "It's only black if you cannot see it. In reality, your name is in glowing pinkish violet colors on the train's surface."
"Ah. Similar to black light paint."
"What is that?"
"Nevermind." Mira laughed. Here was an area where high tech and high wizardry had converged.
As the bartender returned with her lemonade, Mira pondered over what Erick had told her. Trains coming and going to Earth was something that was completely unexpected and rocked her world down to the foundations. The connection between the two worlds was HUGE!!!
"Topaz seems to be a very interesting place."
Erick chuckled. "It is a very unique place. Let me remind you of something. Do you remember the Princess Celeste Zaravan of Topaz?"
"Yes. I met her twice. She is extremely beautiful."
"And she is extremely redhead." Erick nodded.
Mira blinked. What did that have to do with…
Her eyes grew round.
"I thought only people with blue hair were part of the royalty."
"Absolutely. But only for the Northern Realm. The farther south you go, the more people with red hair you will find until you get to Topaz. It is there that you will find all royalty to have either reddish honey blonde hair or in some cases where the lineage is extremely pure, a very deep red."
"Similar to the various blues that the Northern Realm royalty have. Your hair is a teal and Zander's is a slate blue."
"That's right."
"What happens if you married the Princess Celeste Zaravan and had children? What color hair would they have?"
"They would all have light to dark brown hair and hazel to dark brown eyes."
"But red and blue mixes together to make magenta…"
"We don't have purple kids."
Mira and Erick looked at each other and suddenly burst out laughing.