Before she could say anything, a well-dressed attendant rushed up to them. Bells recognized him as one of Mikah's household staff. He stretched his arms out to both sides and herded her and Jaekob toward the small flight of stairs up to the stage. "The First Councilor has entered the stage. All is ready. He requires your attendance."
He wore a smile, but Bells heard iron in his voice. That was a man who was used to having his orders followed, even if it was because those orders came from the Dragon King himself. Even Jaekob didn't argue, but merely followed his instructions. She decided she had better do the same, despite her misgivings about being on stage. She followed Jaekob up the stairs and had to fight a mental battle against the urge to grab his arm when they stopped a couple of paces behind and to one side of Mikah.
She looked out at the sea of faces and saw at least two dozen dragons, elves, weres, and trolls, all of whom were miles above her in the Pures' social order. She fought the urge to fidget and in the end, put her hands together behind her back and let her eyes go unfocused a little, which made it much easier. Maybe the soldiers were on to something with that “position of attention” thing.
After Mikah repeated the basic story about how she and Jaekob had found the mirror, he introduced them to the crowd. Bells was utterly relieved when Jaekob didn't step forward or take a bow since that meant she wouldn't be expected to, either.
Mikah's voice was practically monotone throughout the entire affair, and she figured it was mostly formality. The other councilors and Crown leaders, managers, and department heads no doubt already knew the reason for their presence. They would have already heard about her, as well, from the rumor mill.
After the introductions, Mikah began pointless questions and answers lasting at least twenty minutes. Most of them asked about the same things Mikah had already covered in his opening, just reworded. Maybe they were just being seen, and standing to ask moot questions was some kind of political dance. Jaekob had told her that was what most of it would be. He had been right about the seating order—the opposition party leader now sat far off on the right side with two others she recognized as his cronies, while loyalist dragons took up the majority of the seating space. The Crown members sat in the front rows.
How many of the others on the right side were in the opposition party? For that matter, what use was an opposition party when Mikah was a king in everything but name? A benevolent king, but still their ruler.
"... And yet you tell us you are keeping the mirror away from us for our safety," a man said, his voice dripping with irritation.
Bells snapped out of her thoughts, hit by the sudden realization that the speaker was to her left. Those were supposed to be loyalists, according to Jaekob, so why did he sound confrontational? She found the speaker in the crowd, but he was up front with the Crown of Pures attendees. He was a nondescript dragon who looked too young to be a high-ranking member, but he stood with his chin up as he looked at Mikah without flinching.
Jaekob whispered, "That's Tallon, the elf king's representative."
The dragon continued, "But surely you know what this mirror is, don't you? I saw the runes, just as you have, and that mirror is harmless now that it has been moved from the place it was activated."
Bells looked at Jaekob by pure reflex, then at Mikah. They both looked as surprised at the man's words as she was. None of them had known what the mirror was for, not even Mikah's on-duty battle mages after they took an initial look at it.
Mikah replied, "Thank you, Tallon. In fact, none of us knew what it did. You will please speak with my head of security when this meeting is over so we can learn what you know."
Bells was surprised at Mikah's friendly tone. He never talked to the Crown members so calmly. Of course, he wasn't sitting with the dragon opposition, which no doubt helped.
Curious, and a bit alarmed, Bells pushed her fae senses outward, focusing on Tallon. She knew what she expected to see, but there was a darkness in the man that made her gasp. What she had heard from him and what she saw with her own senses didn't line up with what Jaekob had said nor with Mikah's reaction to Tallon's statement.
Tallon crossed his arms, his chin still raised even as he spoke to Mikah. "I know what this mirror's enchantment does, and I suspect you do, too, but I'll humor the First Councilor. Everyone here knows that I have nothing but respect for your office, but I'm going to have to strongly request that I be allowed to leave one of my staff here with your Guardians to watch over the mirror after we leave. You see—"
"Here, here," a new voice shouted from Bells' right. She recognized Darren's voice. He continued, "It pleases me to no end to see the honorable Crown Tallon finally seeing the obvious and asking the obvious questions."
Mikah slowly pounded his boot heel on the stage three times and a deep boom rolled through the audience like thunder each time his heel came down. "Silence. None of us are surprised to see Councilor Darren so rudely interrupting his equals. It's one thing to overlook that during our local meetings, but by Creation's grace, I swear I will not allow that here at a greater convocation. Do I make myself clear, Darren?" Mikah practically spit out his name as though it burned his mouth. His eyes were locked on the opposition leader and his aura made it blindingly obvious to Bells how angry he was. He was also more than a little embarrassed, for some reason.
Tallon said, "Thank you, First Councilor. While I am loathe to have said something Councilor Darren agrees with, there is a first time for everything. It does seem odd that you seek to keep the mirror from us, even if it is, as you say, for our own safety. I must strongly request that my chief mage and head of security be allowed to examine the mirror before we leave."
Bells didn't like the ugly shifting of colors in Tallon's aura, and Mikah's aura was unchanged. She had to remind herself that he couldn't see what she saw in Tallon.
Darren said, loud enough for his voice to echo off the stone terracing in the seating area, "Be careful, friend, or you might find yourself enslaved by the First Councilor's pet fae."
There were many gasps in the crowd, as well as from Jaekob. Bells felt her anger rising and her heartbeat speeding up. A vision of Jaekob punching Darren in his smug, ugly face flashed through her mind.
Mikah stomped his boot once, quieting the outraged comments and muttering from the councilors and Crown. "She is not my pet, and it's disgusting of you to say so, though unsurprising. I don't know why I tolerate you, Darren, but if you ever insult a welcome and valued guest in my home that way again, I will tolerate you no longer."
Even from her distance, she could see the color drain from Darren's face at the clear threat, and he seemed to stagger a little, slumping. He rallied quickly, though, and straightened his perfectly pressed shirt.
The rest of the meeting was uneventful, and Darren didn't ask any more questions or make any further comments.
Before the meeting concluded with only a resolution to keep the mirror under constant guard, and an agreement to assign arch-mages to study it, the remaining councilors and Crown members were allowed to examine the mirror for themselves. Most took only a quick look, but there was no masking Tallon's genuine interest. He went over it several times, taking thorough notes, and stayed close to it until Mikah announced the meeting was adjourned.
While the councilors left, Mikah was busy with the social requirements of his rank, sending off each counselor with a handshake and a smile. Bells had the chance to let her mind wander, which was good because she was more irritated than she should be at Darren's comment. She was also pretty sure that Mikah stood up for her mostly for political reasons, not because he believed her about fae life under elven rule, and that irritated her too.
Jaekob finished shaking someone's hand and saying goodbye, then looked at Bells. His smile vanished and he came over to her, stepping away from the final few farewells. "You look tired and angry. Can I ask what happened?" He stepped up beside her and put his arm around her shoulders.
The fact was, everyone on the Council w
as safe from her and the sword. She would never use the sword to take their will. Why did some refuse to see that? After all, even without the sword, Mikah could get puppet councilors or Crown leaders any time he wanted. He had only to kill or replace those who opposed him.
The last who remained was Tallon, still examining the mirror with a journal and pencil in hand. Bells glanced over his shoulder and saw he was sketching the mirror and copying the glyphs around its edges. He had a remarkably fine hand at sketching. "You've captured its likeness perfectly. You could have been an artist, Councilor."
He put a few final touches on his sketch and then closed the book as he turned to her. "Thank you. That's kind of you to say, though I never fancied myself a real artist. Mostly, I taught myself what few basics I know only so I could appreciate the humans' works with a keener eye."
Bells cocked her head, surprised. "I wasn't aware dragons of the leadership class appreciated human art. I haven't seen any of their art, but I've heard some of it rivals that of the great Pures Masters."
"It does, indeed. We Pures have gathered human works of art all around the world, because art should never be lost merely because the artists were human. That's my belief, anyway, and there are many who agree."
The corners of her mouth crept upward. "Some say they weren't artists at all, but merely given a muse by some charitable Pure. I can't imagine many Pures doing anything of the sort," she said, trying to keep bitterness out of her voice, "but the alternative is to agree that humans had a touch of Creation in them somehow."
Tallon nodded, his eyes sparkling as he looked her over once again, apparently surprised. "Art was the one thing that made me half believe humans could once have been Pure. I'm surprised to hear a fae is aware of that theory. I doubt most Pures have heard. I mean, most other Pures besides fae. No offense."
Her stomach soured. She smiled and said, "None taken. I just get around more than most fae, that's all." There was no point getting angry about it—that bigotry against the fae was far older than she was, and it would probably still be there when she died in a few short millennium. "Thank you for your time, sir. I wish you luck in figuring out the mirror mystery."
He bowed his head, politely inclining it a few inches, and then made his way offstage. As he left, she examined his aura, hoping the darkness in his heart earlier had been due to the interaction with Darren, but she was disappointed to see that it still remained, deep inside.
She studied his aura so intently that she missed Jaekob coming up beside her, and she almost jumped when he said, "It isn't polite to read people's aura, little fae."
She turned by reflex, afraid he was upset, but relaxed when she saw the sparkle in his eyes and smirk he wore. "Earlier, when Darren interrupted him, I saw a deep darkness in him. I thought it might be just a weird way of reacting—either to being interrupted, or to Darren personally."
"And what did you find out?"
She shook her head. "No, it's still there. I don't know what it is, but he carries it in his heart. Don't trust him, okay? Promise me."
"Don't worry about that. I trust very few people, in this world or the other."
"Just keep it in mind, okay?"
"Sure. Thanks for telling me. Let's just keep that between us, though. My father would never believe it, and unless you know for sure what some mystical shadow over his heart means, there is not much we can do about it."
"Other than keep our eyes open, of course," she added.
"Of course. I will. I have to go meet with my father and his advisers to wrap this up, but I'll be back before you know it."
As he crossed the stage to rejoin Mikah, Bells tried to get the image of Tallon's aura out of her head. Many honorable people had a dark side they hid down deep inside, she told herself. So why couldn't she stop thinking about him without feeling a knot of anxiety in her gut?
Jaekob
Tired of waiting, Bells headed into the manor and made her way to the kitchen. Surely Chef would be in the kitchen that evening since there were so many dignitaries visiting the manor, but she hoped that since most had left, Chef either had leftovers or time to make something for her.
When she got to the manor's big, commercial-kitchen doorway, she found Chef elbow-deep in some sort of shredded meat. She hadn't counted on him being busy preparing food for the next day.
She was about to turn around and sneak out when he saw her and waved. Smiling, he called across the kitchen, "Hello, young lady. You look famished. Have a seat and I'll whip up something potentially edible for you."
"Oh no, I don't want to be a bother—"
"Don't insult me by turning down my cooking," he said, interrupting with a smile. "Jaekob would likely beat me about the head and shoulders without mercy if I sent his friend off in her current condition," he added, pausing slightly on the word “friend.”
She laughed, mostly because it always made Chef smile and that made her feel good, and hopped on the bar stool at the island counter. "Thanks. I wouldn't want that on my conscience, so I suppose I have to stay and eat after all."
He washed his hands in the deep basin sink, scrubbing to just above his elbows, and whistled a tune she didn't recognize as he headed to a huge refrigerator. "The walk-in is for big meals, but I keep special order ingredients in this little guy, along with my own food. How do home-style bacon, eggs, and pancakes sound?"
Her stomach rumbled loudly, and her mouth watered enough that she had to swallow a couple times to avoid drooling. "Yes, please."
While he prepared her meal in record time with the practiced efficiency of a professional, he kept up his usual monologue about the manor's goings on, and her mind wandered back to the source of her worry, Tallon. She didn't have any new insights, though, and her mental arguments ran in circles.
With a loud clang that almost made Bells jump, Chef set down a plate mounded with hardy food. He leaned both elbows on the island counter opposite her and smiled in his kindly old way. "Well? Eat! Jaekob won't pay so much attention to you if you starve to death, I think."
"Oh, right. Thanks," she said lamely, and dove in. It was home-style food, just as he promised. She'd almost forgotten how good simple fare could be with a few ingredients.
Just after she shoved a forkful of eggs into her mouth, he said, "I'm out of patience, so please forgive me for being more direct than you young Pures are used to, but I have to ask—what is bothering you so much?"
Bells' heart skipped a beat. Was it that obvious? She started to shake her head, "No, I..."
He smiled, a kindly expression, and reached across the island to pat her hand. "It's okay, miss. I've just been around long enough to read people pretty well when I want to. You tell me about it and I'll see what useless advice I can come up with. It'll be a game just between us, of course."
Bells blinked. He had always treated her like he did everyone else, not like a dragon talking to a fae, but she was still shocked. Part of her was pleased, while the other part worried he would find it trivial or laugh at her for being young and naive. Then, she wondered when his opinion had taken on such importance to her.
She said, "You mean, besides the weight of carrying an ancient sword, a looming war, and now, an evil mystery mirror?"
"If you like."
"One of the Crown elves who came tonight is carrying a secret, and a dark one. Don't ask how I know, but I'm certain of it. I'm worried about bringing it up to Jaekob, again."
He pulled his hand back from hers and, nodding slowly, said, "Yes, I can see that. You wonder if he'll listen to you or feel offended since you have no actual evidence. Is that close?"
Remarkably close, actually. "Yes, that sums it up. Maybe I shouldn't bother him with it if I don't have proof."
"Of course you should. You have a strong insight about something important, so it's your obligation to share it with the people who are your hosts. But you knew that already, didn't you? So, I'll tell you what you need to hear instead of what you asked."
"All that and a meal
? Tonight is looking up already," she said, smiling for his benefit. Her stomach still squirmed.
"They always do, eventually." He winked, then grabbed a rag and began wiping down the spotless counter. "My advice is simply this—you know what you have to do, and so you should do it without worrying. Jaekob will take it however he takes it, but that's his responsibility, not yours. One thing you learn at my old age is that we are all only responsible for our own feelings and our own actions or reactions. Let yours be to do what you think is right so long as it isn't dishonorable."
"Wow. I was expecting the usual advice people give," Bells said, and realized she had raised both eyebrows at him in surprise.
"It's always darkest before the dawn. Is that better?"
"If you have any juice to drink, I'll say yes," she replied with a smile. A part of her wondered if she had come here for advice, not food, like Chef suggested.
As Jaekob came trudging up the hill toward her, Bells was glad she had gone to get food while waiting for him to finish with his duties. He'd kept her waiting far longer than she had expected, which meant he'd be tired from working far later, as well. From where she had been lying on her back to look up at the stars, she stood up and met him halfway, falling into step beside him as he continued walking up the hill.
He gave her a quick smile but looked dead tired. He said, "I'm sorry I’m late. I hope you found something to do besides sit around waiting for me." He sounded as tired as he looked.
"I went to eat. Chef fixed me up a meal. Speaking of which, you must be starving."
"Yes, I certainly wouldn't turn food down. Maybe I'll go see if Chef is still up. Otherwise, I'll raid his private refrigerator. He always keeps extra in there for me and my father when we work late. You know, you could have waited inside where it's more comfortable. I would have found you when I was done."
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