by R F Hurteau
Penelope looked hopeful. “You’re right. I wonder how they even planned to get to the Gate at all? I mean, Pravacordians live to fly. But Culeians? There’s no way they could construct an air-worthy vessel that could make it all the way down to Antiquity Island. And it’s not like they can just swim right up to it, it’s a pretty long way from the shore. And after the shore, there’s the ice shelf to contend with.”
Felix shrugged. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Maybe our job’s taken care of itself. Maybe we can all just go home.” He gave a scornful laugh. “Wouldn’t that be nice?”
Onyx looked tense. “They’ll get through,” she said. “Evil always finds a way.”
They spent the rest of the trip discussing their strategy. Felix practiced his impression of Laevus, concentrating on matching his voice as Onyx pointed out his mannerisms, correcting them until they met with her satisfaction.
“No,” she’d say, “you’ve got to smile. He’s condescending and wicked, but he always does it with a smile.”
Or, “No, no, no, Laevus would never hesitate to make eye contact. He thinks everyone is beneath him.”
After a dozen more corrections, Felix threw his hands up in frustration.
“You know what? I’m just going to go with plan A and wing it. Besides, the Culeian Ambassador doesn’t know anything about Laevus, so we won’t have to do much to fool him, at least.”
“No,” conceded Onyx, “but then there’s the Elder Council. You’ll need to interact with them, too, before this is over.”
Felix shrugged in defeat. “Listen, our plan is weak, our preparation is beyond rushed, and we’re about to dive straight into the belly of the beast. I think a little improvisation isn’t going to make or break us, here.”
“You should take this more seriously, Felix,” scolded Penelope. “All of our lives are on the line here.”
Felix’s smile turned to a scowl. “You think I don’t know that?”
It was a mark of how on edge he felt. He could not recall ever having snapped at Penelope before.
“You think I want to die here, and leave Willow, leave my children, alone in Pravacordia? No one wants them there. They’re an inconvenience to the Ministry. They’re ‘unfinished business.’”
His mouth snapped shut and he tried to steady his breathing and regain control of his anger. “I refuse to fail this mission. If I don’t come back, who knows what will become of them? What the Ministry might see fit to do?”
He sat back in his seat, drained. “We aren’t going to die here, Penelope,” he said, but gentler this time. “I promise.”
They were all quiet then. It seemed a long while before Gavin broke the silence. “Almost there. Get ready.”
Penelope and Tobias pulled their hoods up again, obscuring their faces. Felix tried to relax, forcing his body to portray the casual indifference that Laevus had exuded. Onyx sat at attention, staring straight ahead.
The Evenmire came into view and Felix heard Penelope let out a little gasp.
“It’s beautiful! I didn’t get a good look at it before.”
Though the opening of the Gate was scarcely larger than Pluto, perhaps eight feet wide and twelve feet tall, the structure itself was much grander.
It rose from the ground in a delicate, organic fashion—two massive, gleaming columns of lavender crystal, all smooth sides and sharp edges. They met in a peak above the opening which rose another six feet into the air. The arch gave the appearance of two waves crashing against each other.
The whole structure seemed almost to glow, as if it were absorbing the sun’s rays into its depths and radiating them back out again, throbbing with an inner light. The effect made it seem almost alive, and Felix knew that some people believed that to be the case. He’d never bothered to dwell on it before, but found it somewhat unnerving now.
“On Earth,” whispered Tobias, “they tried to dig down, to see if they could move the Gate to a more hospitable location in order to study it. But the crystal extends deep into the ground. So deep, in fact, that they were unable to ascertain just how far down it goes.”
“Whoa,” commented Penelope.
“Whoa, indeed,” agreed Tobias.
They stopped talking as Gavin brought the Floater to a halt. The sun was low in the sky now, but there were no other vehicles in sight.
“They’ll be here soon,” Gavin said. “Keep up appearances, keep your heads down, and keep your mouths shut.”
He turned to Felix. “Except you, of course.”
Felix swallowed hard, an anxious feeling growing in his stomach.
“Right.” He nodded, bracing himself. “I’m ready.”
They exited the Floater and stood, silent. Penelope and Tobias stayed behind.
“Stop fidgeting,” Onyx snapped at Tobias, who was bouncing in his seat.
“Sorry,” he replied, rather sheepishly.
It wasn’t long before they heard the sound of more Floaters approaching.
Felix looked toward the noise and saw three of the vehicles coming over the crest of a hill. The Floaters came to a stop, and a tall, menacing looking Elf was the first to disembark.
He walked toward Felix, who studied him. Thin, severe eyebrows crowned icy blue eyes. A sinister, hungry smile was accentuated by sharp cheekbones, and a pointed chin jutted out from beneath his gaunt face. Felix felt his mother tense beside him and knew who this Elf must be before she said it.
“Pike,” she said coldly, by way of greeting.
“Still forgetting our manners, I see. It’s Lord Pike, Onyx, my dear. As always. How nice to see you again. I assume you know why we’ve brought you here?”
“I’m aware of the situation, yes.”
Felix’s mother radiated anger, but her expression remained emotionless. Pike either didn’t notice, or didn’t care, how his arrival affected her.
“Good, good.” He nodded, looking her up and down in a way that made Felix feel as though she were a rabbit, and Pike were a wolf. Then Pike shifted his attention to Felix, who had to force himself to offer a nod of acknowledgement.
“I do hope the Ambassador is prompt,” said Pike, sounding almost bored. “It would be best to get this over with.”
Felix wasn’t sure how to answer, so he nodded a second time, saying nothing.
“I mean, we don’t want him sticking around any longer than necessary,” Pike went on. “I’m not sure why the Council didn’t just agree to the terms and be done with it. All this pomp and circumstance seems ridiculous.”
Felix could tell by the way Pike was looking at him that he was expecting a reply. He made a small, disdainful sound and nodded yet again, wondering how long this response would prove adequate.
“Ridiculous,” he agreed. He wanted Pike to stop talking, but the Elf seemed unable to help himself.
“There’s no need for him to come at all, is there? We could agree to whatever they want. It’s not like we’re going to honor any of their demands. Humans.” He rolled his eyes dramatically. “All we require is their assistance establishing a transportation system to the mainland. Now that we have CEDAR up and running, it’s just a matter of getting there, isn’t it?”
Onyx looked up sharply at this, eyes wide.
“CEDAR? But I thought it was abandoned when Sanctuary was destroyed.”
Pike frowned at her. “Don’t be a fool. We’d been working simultaneously with Nero all along. We couldn’t leave him and his incompetent team to be the only ones attempting to bring our interests to fruition. But you needn’t worry about that. You are here at your son’s request in order to make the Human feel comfortable. Give him whatever he needs. Get him to trust you.”
She straightened her shoulders, staring at Pike with a wild, defiant glare.
“Why should I do anything to help you?”
Felix could sense that her feelings toward Pike were clouding her better judgement. He wasn’t sure what CEDAR was, but the pronouncement of its success had rattled her. Felix had to
act, and fast.
“Why, mother,” he said, his best approximation of shock and hurt on his face, “you should do it for me, of course. Your beloved son.”
The sound of his voice seemed to draw Onyx back to reality. She unclenched her fists. The anger in her face subsided, replaced by a placid expression.
“Of course.” She sounded defeated. “For my beloved son.”
Pike laughed and clapped Felix on the shoulder. “You always did have a way with her, Laevus! That’s my boy! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to have a word with Lord 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, standing 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.
“Hey, Laevus!” whispered Penelope, drawing him out of his thoughts. “This is bad!”
“What? Why?”
“If they have every intention of placating the Culeian Ambassador, what can you do to sabotage the talks?”
Felix thought a moment. This was a kink in their plans.
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But I’ll think of something.”
The Envicti lined up in two rows, facing each other across the span of the Gate, and Gavin moved to follow suit, motioning to Tobias and Penelope to stay behind. 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 as he drew closer to Nero, but he managed a curt nod.
“Lord Nero.”
He kept his eyes on the ground and remained a little further away than necessary. Inside his head, warning bells were screaming at him. Would Nero recognize him?
“Laevus.” Nero’s face scrunched up as if he’d just smelled something unpleasant. Felix let out a tiny, relieved breath.
“I believe you mean Lord Laevus,” came Onyx’s scathing retort, which made Felix’s heart skip a beat.
“Now, now, mother,” he soothed, “no need to stand on formality.”
Nero eyed both of them with disdain before turning his attention back to the Evenmire. Felix gave Onyx a meaningful look, but she avoided his gaze until at last he turned to watch the Gate himself.
Looking through the arch, Felix could see the Theran landscape, all green grass and bright wildflowers and trees.
He wasn’t sure what he’d expected—perhaps to see the cold, icy Antarctic beyond. 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 to find out.
The Evenmire throbbed, emitting a bright light and a low hum and, as if by magic, a man stood in the middle of the opening.
He looked quite surprised as he stood squinting in the sudden brilliance of daylight. He held a large crate against his skinny frame, and wore a heavy parka with a fur-lined hood. He stumbled forward, as if wanting to put some distance between him and the unfamiliar mode of transportation.
Four other men appeared a millisecond later. He glanced back at them before stepping toward Nero’s retinue.
Pike had come up behind Felix, who almost 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 approached the Ambassador and offered her hand.
“Welcome to Thera, Ambassador. We are so pleased to have you here.” He gave her an uncertain smile, staring around at the tall, imposing Envicti on either side of them.
“Don’t worry about them,” Onyx purred. “They’re an honor guard. Part of our greeting party.” She waved to the nearest Envictus, 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, and Bohai offered a low bow. “These are the rest of the High Elders, Lords Pike, Nero, Emmerus, Therinis, 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.
“Oh, fathoms, no! There’s Leon, 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,” replied Bohai, his tone tentative at best, “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...but 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 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 motioned for him to step aside. He pressed a 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.
“Because they are for children,” Onyx murmured in an equally low voice.
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, still wracking his brain for ideas, “I hope you didn’t have any trouble getting here?”
“Oh no, no trouble,” replied Bohai. “It was simply a matter of reaching Antiquity’s Gate, and the Culei are quite an industrious people, as you’ll soon see! 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 appear nonchalant. “No reason.”
They sat in silence for a moment, the Ambassador clutching his crate.
“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 replied, eyes sparkling in the tw
ilight. “Nouritas! It’s a wine made from squid ink.”
Felix forced his face to remain neutral, though the thought made him feel rather ill. “Oh,” he said, “how...interesting.”
Bohai nodded enthusiastically. “I brought it to toast our new alliance! Would you, perhaps, like to try some? There’s plenty.” The Ambassador’s eyes were eager.
Felix was about to decline when Onyx leaned forward from behind them.
“He’d love to try some,” she replied for him. “It’s a bit of a long journey to Imradia, Ambassador. In exchange for some of your fine beverage, I’m sure Laevus could offer you some advice for speaking with the Council.”
“Oh, much appreciated, much appreciated.”
Bohai 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, your Lordship. There isn’t much literature on the subject, I’m afraid. 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. Laevus must like to travel in style. 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 substance 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, unconvincingly, as tears welled in his eyes.
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,” Onyx assured him, 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.
