  &quot;What a hand of cards you have been dealt,&quot; a smooth feminine voice greets me, amusement coloring her silky tones. My eyes flutter open and I find myself on the bank of a crystal clear pond surrounded by trees that create an otherworldly place comprised of shadows and bright beams of pale morning light with tiny glinting particles swirling within them. A heavy, unnatural silence fills this place, but somehow it is not oppressive. Indeed, this place is refreshing. I have never felt so at home before. &quot;Welcome to my abode, Aerys.&quot; I rise to my feet and turn towards the voice to find a startlingly beautiful woman clad in wispy silvery-blue standing nearby.
  &quot;Thank you. Who are you?&quot; I ask. The words taste strange; my mouth is unaccustomed to speech. How long have I been here? How did I get here?
  &quot;Interesting that my identity should be the first questi

  &quot;What in blazes is this?!&quot; a British male voice demands loudly, dragging me out of an unusually restful slumber. Do I want to know who that is? Doesn t matter. I m awake now, and I ll have to fact him eventually.
  Wesley stands in the doorway to my chamber, irate and glaring at me.
  &quot;Whatever do you mean?&quot; I inquire sleepily as I try to stretch, only to be prevented by a warm, restraining weight around my middle. Something behind me stirs--Dmitri. That s what.
  &quot;What the…OH. Father, I swear, this isn t…what it looks like,&quot; Dmitri adds, startled awake. Don t bother, Dmitri. It s too late.
  &quot;Not what it looks like?!&quot; Wesley storms over to the bed and yanks Dmitri out of it by one arm, causing his son to yelp. I wish I could melt away into the mattress. &quot;Fie, boy, you d best have a better explanation than that for turning up in your fiancée

  I foolishly assumed that the party would end after Zinaida fainted, but Wesley simply appeared from the crowd, scooped Zinaida up, and carried her away, muttering to Dmitri that it was now his responsibility to keep everyone entertained, at least until he and his wife recovered from the understandable shock of all of their secrets being made known to me at once.
  &quot;And please, for the love of God, let s try not to have any more fallout. Your mother will be more than upset enough as things are,&quot; Wesley pleaded. Dmitri and I just exchanged glances, and then Dmitri replied with the &quot;Of course, Father&quot; that was expected while intending that we would simply return to our former acting routine. And so we find ourselves now in conversation with Nadezhda and Torcuil, the orange-suited man with a heavy brogue who unleashed so many secrets.
  &quot;A pity  bout all this mess,

&quot;What a hand of cards you have been dealt,&quot; a smooth feminine voice greets me, amusement coloring her silky tones. My eyes flutter open and I find myself on the bank of a crystal clear pond surrounded by trees that create an otherworldly place comprised of shadows and bright beams of pale morning light with tiny glinting particles swirling within them. A heavy, unnatural silence fills this place, but somehow it is not oppressive. Indeed, this place is refreshing. I have never felt so at home before. &quot;Welcome to my abode, Aerys.&quot; I rise to my feet and turn towards the voice to find a startlingly beautiful woman clad in wispy silvery-blue standing nearby.
  &quot;Thank you. Who are you?&quot; I ask. The words taste strange; my mouth is unaccustomed to speech. How long have I been here? How did I get here?
  &quot;Interesting that my identity should be the first question to cross your mind. No matter. You have always been unusual. I favour you because of it. Aerys, d

Chapter 22 Acionna