The chancellor beckoned to them.
'Prince Crispin. What a pleasant surprise.'
The young men came forward obediently.
'Hard at work then, Crispin?'
'We are sorting through the grass collections, my lord.'
'Admirable. You can't let up from your scientific work for a moment, can you, Crispin? Not even when your sister has been captured by Plaid Koerno terrorists?'
'Doing routine work helps take your mind off things, my lord.'
'I'm sure you are right.' The chancellor gestured towards Tom. 'I would like to introduce our newest guardian. This is Professor Tom Carter. He was an archaeologist before he joined us. I am sure that he would be most interested in your work. Perhaps you could arrange a meeting.'
Tom nodded in Crispin's direction and was wondering what to say when the chancellor brought the exchange to an abrupt close.
'Now. We must not detain you young people any longer.'
Crispin took his cue and left. Tom guessed the chancellor kept the prince under tight control and wondered about the sister who was, allegedly, captured by terrorists. As if reading his mind, the chancellor provided the answer.
'Princess Liala attempted to capture you, Professor.'
'Are we talking about the young lady who dresses as a mermaid?'
'We are, Professor. She is hot-headed, as you probably gathered. Her brother is strongly influenced by her. We have reason to believe that Liala has formed a liaison with a young man who belongs to a notorious family of terrorists and subversives in one of the fishing villages. His sister was one of those young hussies whom you encountered when you arrived.'
'And you want me to talk to the young prince?'
'He and Liala knew you were coming.'
'You want me to find out how they knew?'
'Precisely. If the subversive elements have knowledge of the realms then our plans could be jeopardised. It is imperative that we find out how much they know and take appropriate steps.'
The chancellor glanced at his tablet.
'Incidentally. Our special forces have captured the person who was on the island with you. He says his name is Balduur and he comes from the Seventh Realm. Can you confirm that?'
Tom thought carefully before replying.
'I believe that to be so, my lord.'
'He says the whirlpools are the entry points to the realms.'
'Entry and exit points, my lord.'
'Do you think we should invade both realms?'
'Why not?'
'Why not, indeed, Professor?'
The chancellor made a note on his tablet and looked up.