by RF Hurteau
“Why, mother,” he said, an expression of shock and pain on his face, “you should do it for me, of course. Your beloved son.”
The sound of his voice seemed to bring Onyx back to reality. She unclenched her fists. The anger in her face subsided, replaced by a placid look. “Of course,” she said, sounding defeated. “For my beloved son.”
Pike laughed and clapped Felix on the shoulder. “You always had a way with her, Laevus!” He said. “If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to have a word with Nero.”
Felix’s heart entered his throat as he looked up to see Nero, the Elf who had tried to destroy Sanctuary and everyone in it, a mere twenty feet away. He stood engaged in a quiet conversation with what Felix assumed to be several other Council members. He marveled that Willow, so gentle and kind-hearted, could possibly be the daughter of this cold, uncaring monster.
“Laevus!” whispered Penelope, drawing him out of his thoughts. “This is bad!”
“What? Why?” he muttered, not looking at her.
“If they have every intention of placating the Culeian Ambassador, what can you possibly do to sabotage the talks?”
Felix thought a moment. This was definitely a kink in their plans. “I don’t know,” he admitted quietly. “We’ll think of something.”
The Evicti lined up in two rows, facing each other across the span of the Gate, and Tobias, Penelope, and Gavin moved to follow suit. Felix saw Pike and the other Council members approaching the far end of this line, and he strode toward them, putting on his best air of superiority. His stomach lurched violently as he drew closer to Nero, but outwardly he managed a curt nod. “Nero,” he said loftily. He kept his eyes on the ground, and remained a little further away than strictly necessary. Inside his head, warning bells were screaming at him. Would Nero recognize him?
“Laevus,” replied Nero, his face scrunching up a bit as if he’d just smelled something unpleasant. Felix let out a tiny, relieved breath. They both stood, Onyx between them, staring at the Gate. Looking through the arch, Felix could see the landscape beyond, all green grass and bright wildflowers and trees. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected—perhaps to see the cold icy Antarctic landscape. He hadn’t had much opportunity to study the Gate when they’d come through since the only thought on any of their minds had been staying alive. He wondered how it would appear, when—if—the Ambassador came through.
He didn’t have to wait long. The Evenmire throbbed, emitting a bright light and a low hum, and suddenly, as if by magic, a man stood in the middle of the opening. He looked quite surprised, his eyes squinting in the sudden light. He held a large crate in front of his pot belly, and he wore a heavy parka with a fur-lined hood. Four other men appeared, two flanking him on either side, a millisecond later. He glanced at them before stepping forward, hesitantly.
Pike had come up behind Felix, who nearly jumped when he heard the low growl of his voice. “You’re up,” he murmured in Onyx’s ear. “Don’t let us down.”
Onyx stepped forward, walking up to the man and offering her hand and a warm smile. “Welcome to Thera, Ambassador. We are so pleased to have you here.” He gave her an uncertain smile, staring around at the tall, imposing Evicti on either side of them. “Don’t worry about them,” Onyx purred comfortingly. “They’re simply an honor guard. Part of our welcome party.” She waved to the nearest guard, which happened to be Gavin. “Here,” said Onyx, “let him carry that for you.”
He nodded and cleared his throat, handing the crate to Gavin, who stepped back into line wordlessly. “Of course, of course,” he said, more to himself than to Onyx, pulling off his leather mittens. “I am Bohai, Chief Ambassador of Her Majesty’s Royal Fleet of the great nation of Culei. On behalf of our entire populace, I thank you for agreeing to meet with us and discuss terms for a formal alliance.”
Onyx smiled and nodded. “The honor is all ours, Ambassador. Please, if you’ll come with me.” She took his arm and led him toward Felix and the Council members. “Allow me to introduce you to my son, the Lord Laevus, esteemed member of the Elder Council.” Felix inclined his head slightly, and Bohai offered a low bow. “These are the rest of the High Elders, Lords Pike, Nero, Emmerus, Theron, Winsled, and the Most High Elder, Lord Talmet.” Bohai bowed to each member in turn. “My Lords, on behalf of Her Majesty, I greet you in peace and with hopes of a long and prosperous future together.”
“Yes, yes,” scoffed Nero, who had never been one for platitudes. “Shall we proceed, then? Very good. You’ll be accompanying Laevus back to our capital city, Imradia. We have arranged to hold our meeting there.”
“And my entourage?”
Nero looked the four over. “Guards?” he asked Bohai suspiciously.
“Oh, fathoms, no! There’s Rupert, our pilot, and Terrance, our head engineer, and—”
“Servants, then. There is no need for them to attend these meetings, Ambassador. Send them back to wait for you with your…vehicle.”
“Ah, well, actually,” said Bohai, “it is rather cold back there, you see, being Antarctica and all…” His voice trailed off as Nero pivoted on his heel and walked away. “But, of course! Of course, I’ll send them to wait for me, then, shall I?”
Felix watched as Bohai exchanged a few frantic words with his fellow Culeians. One of them, a tall man with a long, dark ponytail that did nothing to mask his receding hairline, seemed nonplussed by the turn of events. He looked around at the Elves with a scowl that needed no interpretation. He did not approve of this arrangement in the least. His eyes roamed over the crowd until they fell on Felix, who quickly looked away. Moments later, Bohai’s team had returned through the Evenmire, and the Ambassador was following Felix to the Floater, bowing and scraping to all he passed. Felix winced as he watched the short, balding man struggle to gain a foothold. In response, Gavin gently motioned for him to step aside. He pressed a small button on the side of the Floater, and a small set of stairs appeared from a panel in the hull, unfolding themselves noiselessly. “Brilliant!” said the man with delight as he scrambled up the steps.
“Why didn’t he show us that before?” grumbled Penelope under her breath. They all mounted the steps and settled into their seats. The Ambassador shed his heavy parka and reached for the crate, which Gavin handed to him before taking the pilot’s seat.
“So,” said Felix uncertainly, “I hope you didn’t have any trouble getting here?”
“Oh no, no trouble,” replied Bohai. “It was really only a matter of reaching Antiquity’s Gate, and the Culei are quite an industrious people. When we put our minds to something, nothing can stop us!”
“And you didn’t encounter any—resistance?” Felix pressed.
Bohai looked concerned. “None at all, why do you ask?”
Felix tried to look nonchalant. “No reason.”
They sat in silence for a moment, the Ambassador clutching his crate tightly. “What’s that?” Felix asked at last.
“Hmm?” said Bohai, who had been staring out at the landscape. “Oh! This is a case of our most precious commodity,” he said, brightly. “Nouritas! It’s a wine made from squid ink.”
Felix forced his face to remain neutral. “Oh,” he said, “how…interesting.”
Bohai nodded enthusiastically. “I brought it to toast our new alliance! Would you like to try some?” he said, eagerly. Felix was about to politely decline when Onyx leaned forward from behind them. “He’d love to try some,” she said. “It’s a bit of a ride to Imradia, Ambassador. Perhaps, in exchange for some of your fine beverage, Laevus could offer you some advice for speaking with the Council.”
“Oh, much appreciated, much appreciated,” said Bohai as he pulled open the top of the crate and drew out a tall, delicate frosted green bottle. “I don't know the first thing about Theran culture, begging your pardon, Lordship. Any tips you could share with me would be coveted, to be sure.”
“Here,” said Onyx, reaching for the crate. “Let me put the rest back here for you. There’s plenty of room.
”
He handed it to her gratefully and drew a small item from his pocket. “Corkscrew,” he said, holding it up. “Wasn’t sure if you had any here, so I brought my own.” He uncorked the bottle and looked around for something to pour it into. Onyx nudged Felix, motioning toward the console in front of him where several small glasses sat next to a small crystal decanter. Felix gave them to Bohai, who poured him a small glass of the thick, black liquid. It smelled unpleasant, and Felix forced a smile as he took a sip. The liquid did not want to go down his throat, coming back up several times before he was able to force it down at last. “Good,” he managed to say, unconvincingly.
Bohai chuckled. “I’m afraid it is something of an acquired taste,” he admitted. “But I do hope the Council enjoys it.”
“Oh, I’m sure they will, Ambassador,” said Onyx quickly, casting a warning glance at Felix, who had been thinking that the taste of the Nouritas might well be enough to end the alliance talks all on its own.
“So,” Felix said, putting up his hand to stop Bohai, who had been about to pour more of the vile substance into his glass, “you’d like a crash course in Theran culture.”
“Oh yes,” said Bohai, handing the bottle back to Onyx, who stored it in the crate with the others. “I would be ever so grateful. You see, as Ambassador, I take the need to understand the people I’m meeting very seriously. This is all well and good, when it is a meeting between nation-states on Earth. But beyond what we have been able to recover from the time just prior to the Sequencing, which isn’t much, we know very little about the mysteries and nuance of the Theran people.”
Felix thought back to everything Willow had told him before he left. “Well, first off, always make eye contact. Try not to blink. It’s a sign of respect. It shows, uh, that you are equals.”
“Eye contact,” Bohai said, nodding to himself. “Right!”
“And Therans are a very tactile people,” Felix continued. “You should always offer your hand, or better yet, offer a hug.”
“A hug?” Bohai looked uncertain about this, a small frown tugging at the corner of his lips.
“Oh yeah. Therans do a lot of hugging. It’s all about the desire to be closer to one another, and to the planet, stuff like that. It’s about friendship, fellowship.”
Bohai still looked a little hesitant but nodded. “All right,” he said. “You know best, of course.”
What else had Willow taught him, and how could he convince Bohai to do the exact opposite? “Deference to the Council will be seen as weakness,” he said. “You should address them strongly, almost aggressively, if you wish to be viewed as a suitable ally. There are many on the Council that are on the fence about the wisdom of allying with your nation. Not me, of course. I’m all for it. But many are wary of Humans and worried that your only desire is to use us for our resources and technology.”
“Oh, I can assure you that is not the case!” exclaimed Bohai, aghast. “Our primary goal is to forge a solid, equal friendship with all the people of Thera.”
As they headed toward Imradia, Felix continued to offer every ounce of bad advice that he could think of, whilst Bohai hung on his every word. Onyx interjected several times to offer suggestions, and by the time they entered the gleaming city, poor Bohai was, without a doubt, ready to offer insult to any Elf that crossed his path, eagerly and with gusto.
“Oh my, would you look at that!” he exclaimed as Imradia came into view. “What a marvel!”
“She certainly is,” declared Felix, momentarily forgetting to mask his own wonder at seeing the city for the first time. The city Gates were a white marble copy of the Evenmire, and once through, an entire, sparkling white city lay before them, tucked into a valley that curved gently along the base of a towering mountain range. The buildings were all very similar in appearance, constructed of the same white metal alloy as the Floaters and the Sigil building back in Sanctuary. The homes all had delicately curved tops, each covered with triangular panels that reflected the sun. The glare from them was so powerful that Felix had to look away, and discovered, when he did so, tiny ghostly triangles remained before his eyes long after he had ceased to gaze at them.
The Floater moved purposefully among the houses, heading for a central building which rose high above the rest. They passed commons where pristine fountains sparkled, white marble statues of Elves and animals adorning each square with solemn beauty. The streets were immaculate, dotted here and there with Elves who would stop what they were doing to glance up at the convoy as it passed. Imradia was truly a wonder, but something about it made Felix uncomfortable. It seemed too bright, too sterile. It lacked trees, flowers, or anything remotely natural in origin. A far cry from the little village of Solera where his mother resided. He found himself missing the shade of the forest canopy, the songs of birds. With a start, he realized that this place reminded him quite a bit of Sanctuary, where nature had been for the most part restricted to the agricultural dome. Had it truly been only six months since he himself had existed like this? How quickly he had become accustomed to the plants and animals so abundant in Pravacordia. He had no desire to return to a life devoid of all that. He felt a pang of sadness for all these people, surrounded by wonder but confined to a prison they’d constructed for themselves.
Before long, they were disembarking from the Floater. Onyx took Bohai’s arm and guided him toward the Council Headquarters, where Felix saw Nero, Pike and the others filing inside. He took a deep breath, composed himself, and followed.
ten
Fool Me Twice
Once inside, Felix’s eyes took a moment to adjust to the light, which was, mercifully, much dimmer than that outside. He took the lead, following whispered instructions from Gavin who walked a few steps behind him, still carrying the Ambassador’s crate. When they reached the tall double doors that marked the Council chambers, Felix hesitated for a moment. Then he reached out and gave a firm push. Despite the door’s size, it was surprisingly light, and flew open with a bang as it swung wide and hit the wall. He felt himself going slightly red in the face and tried to cover, throwing his arms up in a wide, dramatic gesture. “Welcome to the Elder Council chambers, Ambassador Bohai!” he said, his voice echoing in the cavernous room. Bohai stepped forward and looked around, clearly impressed. Then, without hesitation, he strode forward to the long marble table where the Council members had begun to arrange themselves. He walked between them, practically trying to stare them down, offering each a firm handshake of greeting as they looked around at each other in obvious discomfort. Felix had to choke back a laugh as Bohai neared the head of the table, where Nero remained standing, glancing around as if looking for a way to escape the Ambassador, who was approaching rapidly. Bohai threw his arms around Nero and gave him a solid embrace, exclaiming in a loud voice how honored he was to be counted an equal among such esteemed personages. He continued his bold chatter as he made his way to an open chair, and Nero struggled to collect himself.
“Ambassador—” he began, but Bohai was an unstoppable force, clearly trying to utilize as many of the tips and tricks Felix had given him as quickly as possible.
“Before we get down to the nitty gritty, I would like to offer a gift to the Council,” He motioned to Gavin, who stepped forward with the crate of squid ink wine, put it down, and left. Bohai pulled one of the bottles out, holding it almost lovingly as he showed it to the Council members. “Nouritas, the most beloved beverage in Culei, a prized export. We shall drink to your health and to many more bottles shared amongst friends in the fruitful years of our new alliance with Thera!”
The thought of watching Nero and Pike choke down the black sludge was almost enough to make up for having had to drink it himself, Felix thought. He ran his tongue along the front of his teeth, but it did nothing to reduce the strong aftertaste that still lingered there.
Nero, as far as Felix knew, had two states of being: angry and livid. He was angry now, flustered in a way Felix had never witnessed before, clearly unsure ho
w to deal with this arrogant, flamboyant example of the Human race. “Ambassador, we really should—”
“Come, come, Nero,” Winsled said soothingly. “Surely we should graciously accept a gift offered in friendship from our future allies?”
Nero hesitated, clearly biting back his opinion, and nodded. Felix had doubted that Bohai’s insults would be enough to break down the alliance, but Nero’s response thus far was promising. Now, if only Bohai could rile up the other members, who seemed somewhat more level-headed, they would be getting somewhere. Felix glanced around at the faces of the others but couldn’t get a read on many of them. Most wore the aloof expressions he’d come to expect from Elves, which made their emotions difficult to ascertain. Winsled gestured to a demure woman who had been standing beside the door, and she offered a quick bow before backing out of the room. She reappeared several moments later, carrying a tray of crystal goblets, which she began to distribute amongst those seated at the table.
“Now,” said Nero, speaking slowly, “if we may begin?”
“Certainly!” said Bohai, focusing on Nero with rapt attention, unblinking. Nero stared back, clearly unwilling to look away from the Ambassador’s unabashed gaze. Bohai seemed completely oblivious to the fact that Nero’s glowering eyes looked likely to burn a hole straight through the Ambassador’s skull if this went on much longer. They sat like that as the serving girl began to unpack the rest of the bottles from the crate, placing them on the table. Bohai broke his stare to glance at her. “Oh, wonderful! Here! You’ll need this!” He pulled the corkscrew from his pocket and began to demonstrate its function for her.
“As I was saying,” said Nero, eyeing the Nouritas with suspicion as it oozed into the goblets in slow, sticky ropes, “we’ve asked you here to finalize the terms and conditions of a potential Culeian-Theran alliance. We have discussed the Culeian proposal at length, and we are willing to accept all of your terms. When we begin the restructuring of the other nation-states and their current governments, we will allow the Culeian monarchy to continue ruling your country as a sovereign power.” Bohai, who had taken Felix’s instructions to maintain eye contact deeply to heart, had returned his gaze to Nero and was nodding fervently. “Excellent, indeed. And in return?”
