Hotel Montblanc

The Hotel Montblanc was exquisite, with marbled floors, creamy walls, and fresh flowers arranged in huge stone vases.  Scattered cushioned seats and sofas grouped into intimate settings were arranged so that they looked out over the beach area. 

Even from where we stood, within the lobby, there was a direct and unencumbered view of endless sandy beach complete with swaying palm trees and a single magnificent setting sun. 

In the air was a delicious scent of coconut and freesias and somewhere, there was the tinkling of a piano.  It was most definitely a vacation spot. 

Within a matter of minutes, Abe returned with an older gentleman. 

He was well-dressed and heeled, down to the perfect press of his trousers and buffed shine to the toes of his expensive-looking black leather shoes. 

Not a strand of his pewter silver hair was out of place, and his mustache was waxed and curled into perfect matching sine waves across his upper lips.

"Er—ahem."  Abe cleared his throat.  "This is my good friend, Sir Henri Montblanc." 

He turned to Sir Montblanc. "Henri, these are my traveling companions.  We were on our way to Zircon when we got hit with a huge Scourge Wind. 

We managed to survive it, but now we've lost that destination and we need a place to lay low for awhile."

The gentleman turned with curious sparkling eyes and assessed each of us, in turn.  I returned his gaze with a boldness I did not know I possessed. 

There was something about his eyes that I felt an affinity with but I could not put my finger on the reason why. 

He smiled with something akin recognition when his eyes touched mine.  It was only for a single moment and then his gaze moved to the next person in our traveling band.

"You all survived a Scourge Windstorm.  I am impressed," he nodded, "although I'm fairly certain it had nothing to do with your prowess and abilities as a tour guide, eh my friend?" he turned back to Abe.

Abe laughed, a wheezy choking noise that sounded as if he was getting an asthma attack.  "Heh!  If it weren't for these boys," he pointed to the twins and Simon, "I'd have turned into some white bones sticking out of the desert sand."

Sir Montblanc raised an eyebrow, and then gave a single nod of acknowledgment.  "And to whom, may I have the pleasure of accommodating at my humble establishment?" 

Abe ticked off our names in random fashion as Corwin and Connor both straightened to their full heights and gave the man a deferential bow. 

It didn't matter if this man was a doorman or the Chief Executive of the hotel.  His physical presence demanded respect without fail. 

Simon, however, simply stared at him, slack-jawed, unable to form a word, while the illusion-camouflaged Tarzan held onto the leash of a very subdued looking Max without saying anything. 

"Welcome, everyone," he said with warmth and then led us over to the front desk where he procured for us key cards which, I assumed, gave us access to rooms of our own. 

He passed us over to a bellman who took us up to one of the top floors, where our rooms were located. 

At first, I thought we would be given two or three rooms to share, but as it turned out, we each had our own room, including each of the Osiris twins who had always shared quarters for most of their lives. 

Since there were six of us, we took up an entire wing of rooms on the west-facing side of the hotel.  The guys made sure I was able to gain access with my key card before leaving my side to go check out their own rooms. 

The room was much larger than I expected.  It was more of a suite than a single room, with a sitting area separate from the bedroom itself. 

I walked into the sleeping area, taken up by a huge bed that could probably hold all of us mages as well as Tarzan if we snuggled up as we did in the train tunnel. 

A large window covered with heavy beige brocade drapes took up the entire back wall. 

I walked over to the side of the window and pulled back the drapes, exposing a huge expanse of glass which faced into the western sky.

The view took my breath away.

I stood there, mesmerized by the blue ocean just beyond the large plate glass window, shimmering and glittering in the distance. 

Without thinking about anything, and without casting my senses outward searching for signs of scouts or danger, I stood still, breathing deep gentle breaths. 

The group had agreed to meet downstairs in the lobby area in one hour, as our host had so kindly offered to feed us in return for stories of our escapades.

I quickly took advantage of the wonderful hot shower and changed into some fresh clothes before taking off for the lobby area.  As beautiful as the room was, food was highest on my list of needs at the moment. 

When I reached the designated meeting spot, there was no one around other than the bell staff standing near the doorway.

"Might I interest you in a glass of mimosa?" a voice spoke out from behind me.  I smiled, recognizing the speaker before I had even turned to face him. 

"Sir Montblanc!"

"What an enchanting young woman you have turned into, now that you've had a chance to relax for a moment after your difficult journey." 

He handed me a chilled stem glass filled with orange juice, topped with a cute little paper umbrella. 

I accepted with gratitude and followed Sir Montblanc to the lower deck. 

He sat me down on one of the cushioned chairs which surrounded one of the many round tables covered with thick white linens. 

I smiled at the centerpiece, a round glass bowl holding a single fresh pink water lily blossom immersed in fresh water. 

It reminded me of Magus Asada and her koi pond filled with water lily blossoms. 

"So tell me Nana," Sir Montblanc said in between sips of what looked to me like a dark red port.  "What brings you to the fair city of Solaro, other than our amazing scenery and famous seafood cuisine, that is?"

"Isn't this place amazing enough to come to without having any ulterior motives?" I asked, not sure how much I should reveal to him.

"Normally, I'd say yes.  Solaro is a destination point in and of itself, as is also our beautiful hotel." Sir Montblanc agreed with a proud smile. 

"But my dear," he placed his port back on the table. 

"You and your group have just left an extremely volatile area that has very recently been condemned as utterly destroyed by a type of natural disaster that has not been seen for over a century." 

He paused for a moment. 

"I am…somewhat concerned that you might still be chased by the very destructive forces with which you fled from and will inadvertently be bringing it here."

"I can understand your concern," I took a tiny sip of the orange juice to buy a few seconds so I could figure out the best way to approach his probing. 

It was a bit sour. 

"Please do not worry about anything like that.  We were already almost out of the area before the Scourge Winds hit, so it wasn't chasing us so much as we were caught within its path. 

The storm moved eastward and we continued northwest towards Solaro."

"Still, if I were a wagering man, which I am not, I would bet a pretty penny that your presence here indicates your flight from destruction led you here for a purpose." 

His eyes sharpened.  "Otherwise, you would have done your best to return to your home to check on your relatives and also to gauge the level of damage that your city might have sustained, wouldn't that be a fair assessment?"

"Fair enough," I agreed readily. 

He splayed his fingers expressively.  "You most certainly would not continue forward to a resort area to enjoy the sunshine and not give a hoot about your family's welfare." 

He cleared his throat.  "So once again, I must inquire as to your reason for coming to my fair city."   

I smiled and took a big gulp of the orange juice.  Not only was it sour, it had another taste that was at once bitter and bubbly. 

"You are correct," I conceded.  "We are following the trail of a group of primates which, I have reason to believe, is somewhere in the general vicinity of Solaro."

"Primates, eh?"  Sir Montblanc sniffed and scratched his brow.  "You mean like monkeys?"

"No sir.  Great apes."

"I see.  How large is this group of apes that you are talking about?"

"I'm not sure," I shook my head.  "I think it is well over ten-thousand individuals, maybe more." 

"Interesting," Sir Montblanc raised his eyebrows.  "Why would this group of primates be of interest to ones such as yourselves?"

"They have been taken from their rightful owners," I said.  "We are charged with finding their location and then, if possible, assist in the effort to return them to their homes."

Sir Montblanc regarded me with narrowed eyes.  "A few monkeys are not going to raise any eyebrows.  Neither will a few gorillas." 

"But an entire battalion of large apes—there is no way that they can be hidden for even a day, let alone several weeks." 

He cast his eyes toward the setting sun.  "A huge group like that consumes a tremendous amount of resources. 

Ground troops on the march tend to cut a huge swath through the countryside as they are moving from one point to another.  That's just how it is." 

"They aren't ground troops," I shook my head.

"What are they exactly then?"

"They are basic, general workers.  The ones I worked with directly were sous chefs and food servers." 

I ticked off a few more with my fingers.

"Others that I've come in contact with are gardeners, caretakers, groundskeepers, housekeepers, door guards, and deliverers of various sorts." 

"Within this group that I am trying to locate are also lactating females and the very young who are not part of the workforce but are still a part of the primate group."

He wagged a finger in protest.  "Nevertheless, even if they are not troops, which I still have doubts about, they would still require plenty of resources.  They cannot be hidden for any length of time." 

"Furthermore, if those who take them have the resources to move such a huge number, which I will presume to be true, you will not be able to go up against them, regardless of how talented or…powerful you may be." 

He took another sip of port.

I glanced at him, trying to determine what he meant by the last words he said, but Sir Montblanc was busy refilling his glass with the port bottle on the table and did not see my intense scrutiny. 

I could no more tell him that the primates were probably being hidden by magik than I could tell him that Tarzan was not a burly guy with dreadlocks and a hefty body.

"I have not heard of any large force such as this primate group moving through our area," he finally said after he had taken yet another sip of the dark red spirit, "but I think I know of someone who can help you."

That caught my attention.

"I know someone who has spent the last twenty years of his life studying primates, and if there are any in this area, he will know of it." 

Sir Montblanc stood up with his port glass.  "I see your comrades coming this way." 

I followed the direction of his gaze and found the familiar forms of the twins and Simon moving towards me with long strides. 

Abe followed behind, chatting with Tarzan as if they were long time buddies even though Tarzan never responded with much but a few grunts here and there. 

He gave a quick nod at me.  "I will definitely be in touch with you in the very near future and if you wish, I can arrange a meeting between you and the primate specialist."

"Yes, please.  As soon as possible, if you don't mind."  I responded.

"Not in the least," he said, and then turned to the group who had reached us at this point. 

"Abe, my old friend.  I hope you don't mind.  I took advantage of a momentary lapse on your part.  By leaving this beauty unaccompanied for even a short time, I was able to spend a few pleasant moments in her company."

"Nana is more than the beauty that you see.  She is very special," Abe's eyes twinkled as he looked at me.

"I am absolutely sure of that," Sir Montblanc said. 

"I will have a waitress bring you and your group some menus from the restaurant." 

He looked up into the cloudless evening sky. 

"The weather is very pleasant this evening so my recommendation is that you stay here on the veranda and have your meal by candlelight and tiki torches."

"We absolutely will.  Thank you." 

"Please enjoy your dinner, and we will speak again in the morning." 

With that, he excused himself and left.