Nick had pretty much recovered from his shock by that night. 'Tomorrow,' he thought, 'Tomorrow is my birthday . . . and I won't be in the U.S. anymore.' No, tomorrow, he would be flown to the capital of Cartasia, or the "Floating City," as they called it because it was perched upon the clouds. The city was so cleverly constructed, using the Earth's magnetic fields to levitate it. The city glittered in its grandeur, floating in the sky and capturing the sun's solar energy to run its factories and provide the city with electricity and heat energy.
The only other bit of information that the President's men sparingly gave him was that Queen Feya Dejais was still very young, only 19. Her people referred to her as "the Enlightened One" because she was wise beyond her years. She had tons of sisters, but most were younger than her and none possessed her knowledge and charisma. She had brothers too, but in Cartasia, men were just objects of procreation. They existed only to support and care for the women.
Already, Nick began to think that this trip was a bad idea. The Soothsayer's words began to play back in his mind as he remembered all too clearly. "Be careful, on your 18th birthday," she had warned him. Nick now started realizing the truth behind her words. He closed his eyes remembering the part about the pain. She told him to be strong, to withstand the pain. He didn't know what kind of pain she was talking about, and maybe, he didn't want to know!
Meanwhile, in the palace in the "Floating City"
"Your highness."
The Queen looked up from her books and scriptures.
"Tomorrow is your birthday. The festivities will be endless. You should sleep, your highness," her handmaid said with concern.
The Queen looked out the window, her lavender eyes glittering like a star in the night sky. "Yes, tomorrow will be a long day, but an exciting one." Her eyes revealed a mischievous nature. She was young for such an important position. But she could handle almost anything. She was good at everything she did, and at almost 20 years of age, she could understand and speak over 50 languages. Her judgments were keen and her personality unflawed. She was more REASON and less COMPASSION. She was INTELLIGENCE, not EMOTIONS. But one thing that everyone complained about was her WILD nature. She listened to no one, and she obeyed no one, but the will of her heart. How else could she rule if she listened to others?
The Queen diverted her attention back to her handmaid. She didn't feel like verbally abusing her. "Get to bed," she said sharply, and the handmaid scurried away, afraid to disobey.
The Queen laughed mischievously. How she loved the power and the excitement of being the most important person on Earth.