Episode Three

   Nefario Chill rose from the throne and stretched his arms with fingers interlocked. Two bony knuckles cracked.
   "Down" he said. His voice was sibilant in the green gloom. The dais began to move downwards. After five minutes the dais floated out of the stone tunnel into a vast circular chamber hovered in the centre.
Arched openings ringed the chamber.
   "My rooms" he said. The dais moved across to one of the openings. Nefario Chill remained upright and perfectly balanced.
   He stepped off the dais. A heavy red curtain fell across the opening behind him. He stood in a green lit marble antechamber with fluted columns leading to a graceful vaulted ceiling. His steps resounded off the walls as he strode to a door at the opposite end of the room.
   He stepped into a room full of sunlight and winced. It was an elegant sitting room with a wide glass window looking out across the rainforest. High piles of cumulonimbus clouds moved in the near distance, softly sculptural in the morning light.
   One of the Polis' marvels was that it appeared to be a grey monolith yet in truth it was spotted with windows.
   He passed quickly through the sitting room to a curtained doorway. The fabric rippled aside to let him pass, then fell back into place.
   He walked through a stone tunnel whose walls were like glass. His steps echoed as he made his way to the end of the passage then he entered a round room with no windows.
    Blue light shone from a large globe sitting on a plinth set upon a round table in the centre of the room. Additional green light came from the hanging globes, making the room feel like an underwater grotto. A bench ran the entire circumference of the room with work stations, laboratory equipment, electronic consoles and screens, books, drawings, specimens preserved in fluid.
   "Good morning Nefario"
   "Good morning Polis"
   The voice emanated from the glowing blue globe. It contained an opaque fluid, swirling behind the glass.
   "The Blessing went well" said Polis. It was a statement of fact.
   "I suppose so" said Nefario
   "Disgruntled?" asked Polis
   "Bored" replied Nefario
   "The workers were awestruck for the most part" said Polis
   "For the most part?" questioned Chill
   "There was a female who showed evidence of disquiet"
   "There are usually a few fearful ones"
   "No, this female showed active dislike, little awe, veiled rebellion"
   "Show me" said Nefario moving towards the blue globe. An image of the workers wavered into view across its smooth surface. She had been standing towards the back of the group. The image sharpened and drew close to the girl's face. Nefario Chill watched the micro expressions flow over her face. He realised with indignation that her look of distaste reflected the times she was looking towards the dais where he himself had been seated. She was looking at him.
   "This is unusual" he said
   "You are disturbed Lord Chill" Nefario did not comment. Assent showed weakness, denial was pointless. Polis did not suspect he was disturbed, Polis knew.
   "Which locality was this group from?" he asked
   "Chamalon" replied Polis "They have already been transported back"
   "Make a note of this incident" said Nefario Chill. He needed to consider the matter privately.
   "How is production today?" he asked
   "Five localities are due to deliver today. Three districts have delivered the requisite skeins. One has delivered ninety three percent of its due skeins. One has yet to deliver."
   "See to it" said Lord Chill.