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“Autodriver, take us to the Palace—the East entrance please.”
The vehicle hummed to life.
“As you wish,” it said in a soft, musical voice. “Shall I take the regular route? There is some traffic congestion which may be avoided by taking an alternate way.”
“Take the alternate route then,” the Chancellor instructed.
“As you wish,” the vehicle said again. Its engine started with a quiet whirr and it moved forward and then slid smoothly into traffic.
Solon was a bit nervous about being driven through the streets of an alien city by a self-driving vehicle, but the autodriver was excellent at navigating through traffic. After a time he relaxed and simply described the views of the city which he saw outside the windows to Abbey.
One thing he noticed was that all the streets were laid out in the same grid pattern and all the shopping districts they passed seemed to be very similarly laid out in the same kind of spoke pattern. When he mentioned this to Chancellor Maprist, the older male nodded.
“Ah yes—uniformity is very important on a world with so many Inner Seers,” he explained. “We keep the layout of streets and stores and other public places the same.
“For instance, every food store has the exact same layout, though they may sell different foods. You know that if you walk into a store that sells food, you can walk to the right and immediately find the produce section. Then, if you take a left and move further into the store, you’ll find fresh meats. Beside that is the area where dry goods are stored and sold. And so forth and so on.”
“How interesting!” Abbey exclaimed. “It sounds so much less confusing than the way things are laid out on my home planet of Earth. But we don’t have nearly as many blind people, er, Inner Seers, as your planet,” she added.
“Yes, many centuries ago when nearly half our population began to lose their sight, we made changes so that they would still be able to get around and function as part of our society,” the Chancellor told her. “And we learned that as they lost their Outward sight, they gained an Inner Wisdom—a discernment and perception that those with Outward sight lack.”
“Do the Inner Seers of your world enjoy a special place in your society then?” Solon asked.
“Oh yes.” Chancellor Maprist bobbed his bald head agreeably. “For instance, all of the judges in our judicial system are Inner Seers. They are not swayed by outer appearances and so can make a more equitable judgment. Also, many of our professional entertainers—our musicians and voice actors—are Inner Seers. And of course our Perfumers, which are so very important to our society, are all Inner Seers as well. Their sense of smell is much more acute than that of an Outward Seer.”
“Why are Perfumers so important?” Solon asked. “Is it because your people often identify each other through scent?”
“Through scent and through our Eye-Pets.” The Chancellor nodded again. “When each Inward Seer becomes an adult in our society, they go to the Perfumer who will make a personal scent just for them. This scent is one of a kind and may only be sold to and used by that one person. It identifies them in the way an Outward Seer’s visual appearance does for those who can see it.”
“How fascinating!” Abbey remarked. “On my planet, Earth, people wear many different perfumes. I have five or six myself that I use, depending on what mood I’m in.”
“Oh dear—that won’t do, I’m afraid!” Chancellor Maprist sounded rather shocked. “Here on Tengula Five, you can be arrested for Scent Crime if you purloin someone else’s scent and try to impersonate them that way.”
“Oh, nobody is trying to impersonate anyone,” Abbey assured him. “It’s just that on Earth, perfumes are sold to anyone who wants to buy them.”
“So anyone can smell like anyone else and many people could smell the same?” The Chancellor shuddered. “How dreadful! That would never be allowed here. In fact, I think it would be advisable for both of you to visit a Perfumer and get your own personal scents made, so that you can mingle in Court without any problems.”
“I wouldn’t mind having my own custom perfume,” Abbey said, smiling. “Er, is it expensive?”
“Oh no, my dear! The cost of your personal scent is paid by the State. It’s a necessity, not a luxury,” the Chancellor said. “I’ll set up an appointment for you, if I may.”
“Certainly,” Solon said as Abbey agreed as well.
At that point, they finally made it to the East Entrance of the Palace which had a high, golden gate and several guards on duty. Chancellor Maprist instructed the autodriver to roll down the window and one of the guards stuck his face in and sniffed him.
“Ah Chancellor Maprist, welcome back,” he said, nodding. “The Empress is waiting for you and your guests. Please proceed straight to the throne room.”
“Thank you, we will.” The Chancellor nodded and the gates were opened to allow their vehicle entrance.
They drove up a long, smooth walkway and came to a stop in front of an impressively large building. In the front, instead of stairs, was a broad ramp leading up to the entrance. Solon supposed this must be another accommodation for the blind part of the population or “Inner Seers.” It occurred to him that during their drive through the city, he hadn’t seen a single set of steps anywhere, though he had seen many ramps.
They exited the vehicle and walked up the ramp. Abbey held onto Solon’s arm as he murmured to her about where they were going and described the palace, which was vast and grand. The floors were wood that had been stained a deep, rich red and the walls were gleaming white. Solon was glad for the high contrast because he knew that made it easier for Abbey to “see” where she was going.
Everywhere they went, people stopped to sniff them and say hello. They greeted Chancellor Maprist too after smelling him.
“Please remember that our new visitors have not visited the Perfumer yet, so their scents are not set,” he told people several times, who exclaimed about how good Abbey and Solon smelled. Solon hoped, a bit uneasily, that they wouldn’t be required to wear extremely strong scents—as a Monstrum Kindred he had a keen sense of smell and disliked strong perfumes and odors.
The throne room was vast and clearly marked with the deep red floor extending in a single straight line right up to the throne. The flooring on either side was gray marble, again providing a contrast for anyone with low vision. Sitting on a broad marble throne with a crimson cushion was a plump, friendly looking Empress.
