Through a Mirror, Darkly

by R F Hurteau

  He threw Bohai to the ground and addressed the nearest Envictus. “Lock him up. I’ll deal with him later.”

  Felix felt his stomach lurch again as Nero approached the table once more. His mind was racing, his heart pounding. It took every ounce of will he had to force himself back into character.

  One false move and their next stop would be to join poor Bohai—wherever he was headed.

  Felix looked at Nero and inclined his head toward the prone form of Lord Talmet. “It appears that the seat of the Most High Elder is unexpectedly available.” He forced his horror down into the churning depths of his gut. “Congratulations on your promotion, Lord Nero.”

  He offered a curt bow, nausea threatening to overtake him as he did so.

  Nero’s chest was heaving as he stared down at the bodies of the dead Council members, now quite still.

  “Get them out of here,” he commanded the remaining Envicti. Then he locked eyes with Felix. “You may be a Halfsie, but I would expect you to be a little less flippant about such an atrocious loss of life. Lord Pike raised you. Have you no respect for the man who gave you everything you have? No care for the First Order?”

  Felix shrugged, attempting to choke down the bile that had risen in the back of his throat.

  “Pike was boring,” he managed.

  The words came out nonchalant even while his instincts screamed at him. This was so wrong. So very, very wrong. This had not been the way things should have happened.

  “The whole Council was a little boring, frankly. It could do with a little...rearranging.”

  Nero snarled, turning his back to them and marching to the door, his shoulders rising and falling with each heavy breath.

  “You don’t make it easy to ignore your Human ancestry. Just as bloodthirsty as any of them. Get out of my sight,” he snapped. “I need to think.”

  Felix bowed again, and he and Onyx left the room.

  They walked down the corridor and out into the glaring sun once more.

  Neither of them spoke as they met Gavin at the waiting Floater. Neither of them spoke as Gavin drove them out of the city. Felix’s breaths came in shuddering gasps as the horrors of the morning began to sink in. Tobias looked as if he wanted to say something, but thought better of it.

  Only when they had left the White City behind did Felix finally round on Onyx, furious.

  “What did you do?” he spat. “What did you do?”

  Onyx’s eyes flashed triumphantly, and Felix could see that she was suppressing a victorious smile.

  “What needed to be done.”

  There wasn’t even a hint of uncertainty in her even tone.

  “Stop the Floater,” Felix said to Gavin, who complied without comment.

  Felix hopped out, not waiting for the stairs to descend, and started to pace back and forth, his footfalls muffled by the soft earth.

  “Would anyone like to fill us in on what is going on?” demanded Tobias as he watched Onyx rise to follow Felix.

  “Most of the Elder Council members are dead,” Felix said flatly.

  Gavin’s face revealed no shock; his next words were calm and serious. “I don’t think it’s wise to stay here. We should get back to your ship.”

  “Dead?” squeaked Penelope. “What do you mean? What happened?”

  “She happened,” Felix said, pointing at his mother, his voice cold. “She poisoned the wine, and she let that poor, gullible idiot Bohai take the fall for it.”

  “I did what needed to be done,” Onyx insisted again, sounding somewhat indignant at Felix’s words. “Your mission required the talks be sabotaged, and so they have. There will be no alliance now. Nero would never allow it, not in a thousand years.”

  Felix gaped at her, disbelieving. “Do you even hear yourself? Do you really believe you did this for me? To accomplish my mission?”

  He advanced on her, feeling his cheek twitching as he fought the urge to continue shouting, grinding his jaws together so hard that it hurt.

  “You did this for you. You saw an opportunity to take out Pike, and you took it. Consequences be damned.”

  Onyx continued to stare in defiance, but he saw her confident expression waver.

  Tobias’ voice was meek. “What are we going to do now?”

  “I just need to think!” Felix snapped, squeezing his eyes shut, trying to block them all out.

  Onyx approached him and reached out, but he recoiled from her touch. When he’d arrived, he’d marveled at how she’d remained unchanged after so many years.

  He could not have been more wrong.

  These were not the actions of the mother he remembered so fondly. The one who had tucked him in, sang him songs, run her fingers through his curls and whispered comfort when he was ill.

  “Felix...”

  “Don’t touch me!” He backed away. “You could have gotten us all killed back there. You know that, don’t you? You don’t care about me, or Gavin, or my friends. All you cared about was getting revenge. Well, you have it,” he jeered, and he heard his own voice become mockingly pleasant. “I hope it’s everything you dreamed of.”

  “I didn’t mean to hurt you, Felix. I would never try to hurt you. Don’t you see? Don’t you understand what they did to me? To our family?”

  She reached out again but stopped, letting her hand drop to her side. “The Council doesn’t speak for all of Thera. They haven’t for a long time. They were like a festering wound. They needed to be cleansed.”

  “Well, you missed one.” Felix scowled, rage brewing inside him as he digested the betrayal. “And now the only member left is Nero, who hates Humans more than any Elf alive! It’s possible that some of the other Council members could have been reasoned with. But not Nero, never Nero.”

  He ran his fingers through his hair, thinking. “Whatever they had planned for Earth, it’s going to be a hundred times worse with him in control.”

  “Everything is going to be okay,” Onyx said, her attempt to sound soothing hollow instead. “We’ve stopped the talks. We’ll get you back to Earth. You can be with your family again. You have to trust me.”

  Felix looked at her. He felt tired, drained.

  “Just like you trusted me enough to tell me about your real intentions?”

  He trembled, pangs of sadness tugging at his chest. “I can’t trust you. I can’t trust anything you say. You just murdered a room full of people. What’s worse, you used me to do it. You used Bohai.”

  “Bohai was here on behalf of a people that would see the rest of the Earth enslaved!”

  “You had no right!” Felix spat, venom dripping from every carefully enunciated word.

  Her face became cold again, eyes narrow and brow furrowed.

  “I had every right.” Her voice had gone eerily quiet. “They took everything from me. Now the debt is repaid.”

  Felix couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Great,” he retorted. “Go back and tell Laevus what you’ve done. I’m sure he’ll be the son you always wished he’d be, now that you’ve settled things with Pike.” Then he put a finger to his lips, tapping them as he frowned, as if a worrisome idea had just come to him. “Oh, wait, that’s not how life works, is it?”

  He climbed back into the Floater where Penelope and Tobias shrank back in their seats a bit, afraid to get involved in the situation. He sat heavily and Onyx followed a few moments later, sitting down in silence, her movements subdued.

  When they reached Pluto, they found Ambrose outside waiting for them. His face flooded with relief as they entered the clearing, and Penelope ran forward to hug him.

  “I’m so glad you’re back safe, Penny!”

  “Where’s Laevus?” demanded Felix, and Ambrose gestured at the ship.

  “He said he was cold. So, I took him into the ship to keep an eye on him while I was working. Found some damage to the exhaust manifold so I…”

  His explanation trailed off as, without another word, Felix stormed into Pluto’s hold, still fuming.


  “So...” said Laevus pleasantly, undaunted by his brother’s livid expression, “How did it go?”

  “Pike’s dead. They’re all dead, except Nero.”

  Laevus’ eyes twinkled with approval. “Pike was boring.”

  He yawned, and Felix felt the bile rise back up into his throat at the memory of having said the same thing.

  He barely knew Laevus, and yet his performance had somehow been perfect. I’m not like him, he told himself. It’s a coincidence. I’m not like him.

  “I imagine the meeting must have been terribly exciting though. They’re always rather dull. All prideful boasting and idle posturing, hardly ever a mass execution. Oh dear, does this mean Nero is in charge now? That doesn’t bode well for your little Human friends, I’m afraid. He isn’t very fond of them, you see.”

  Felix ignored this and squatted down so that he was level with Laevus. He spoke in hushed tones.

  “What is CEDAR?”

  “A type of tree, I believe,” replied Laevus, his eyes dreamy. “Although, it could also be a shrub. Flora never was one of my strong suits, you see.”

  Felix grabbed him by the nape of the neck and pulled his face close.

  “Don’t play games with me, Laevus. I’m not in the mood. Pike mentioned the name CEDAR before we met with the Ambassador, and my mother seemed very surprised.”

  “Our mother, dear brother,” corrected Laevus, raising an eyebrow with a look of feigned offense. “And if you have questions about how she feels, you ought to address them with her.”

  Laevus searched Felix’s face, gauging his response. “Oh my, are you two fighting already? That didn’t take long, did it? Tut, tut. Perhaps if you’d taken the time to get to know her before deciding to follow her you might have been more...prepared. Don’t be embarrassed. I’ve had a lifetime to get to know her. It’s only natural that I’m more aware of what she’s capable of.”

  It took Felix a moment to grasp what Laevus was saying. It seemed too absurd to be possible, and yet...

  He rocked back on his heels, letting go of Laevus. “You—you expected something like this didn’t you? You knew she would try something.”

  He stood, pacing the short distance between Laevus and the cockpit.

  “That’s why you insisted it be her. You wanted Pike out of the way, but you couldn’t do it yourself. You hoped that she would take care of it for you, and she did. All of your problems solved, and you wouldn’t even have to get your hands dirty.”

  Laevus offered a delighted smile. “I did hope that she would take care of Pike, yes. But the rest of the Council? Well, that, dear brother, has exceeds my wildest expectations. She’s just full of surprises, isn’t she? Much more talented than I’ve given her credit for, I’ll say that much. Now if only she’d managed to take out Nero, too. That’s a whole different sort of mess we’ll have to contend with.”

  He let out a dramatic sigh of regret. “Ah, well. We can’t have everything we wish for, now can we?”

  Felix was reeling. He backed away from Laevus, shaking his head in denial, unable to form words.

  Stepping back outside he made a beeline for Tobias, who was attempting to light a fire.

  Tobias saw him coming and started.

  “Oh, Felix. Um, listen, I know you’re upset, but—”

  “Not now.” Felix stopped him short.

  He didn’t understand what he was feeling well enough to discuss it with others. And he wasn’t sure that he’d want to talk about it even if he did understand.

  He felt hot all over, anger and disgust and fear pumping through his veins. He needed time to think.

  “I just need to know if Ambrose has been able to fix the ship.”

  Tobias cringed. “No. From what he’s told us, Pluto’s prospects aren’t looking too promising. If we had more time, and spare parts, maybe. Ambrose patched up all the holes while we were gone, but he found more. Sanctuary really did a number on us. I hate to say it, but it’s a miracle that poor Mr. Wilks was the only one hit.” He sighed. “And now we’re in the middle of the forest on an alien world.”

  He looked around, peering into the fading light of dusk as if hoping that some spare airship parts might appear amongst the trees. “Not a whole lot we can do without the proper materials, I’m afraid.”

  “Well, figure something out.”

  Felix had every confidence that if anyone could find a way to get a crippled ship up and running again, it would be Ambrose, Penelope and Tobias. Apart from Ripley, and perhaps Ben Parker, he had never met someone with more creative and innovative minds than the trio. They’d think of something.

  He had to believe they’d think of something.

  “We’re going to need a way out of here—and soon.”

  “What’s the plan?”

  “The plan is it’s late, and everyone’s exhausted. Why don’t we forget the fire. Let’s all get a little rest. It will be easier to think after some sleep.”

  Onyx was approaching but Felix raised a warning finger in her direction. “And you, stay away from me. I’m not interested in anything you have to say.”

  Eleven

  Rising Waters

  NELSON was irritated. He drummed his fingers impatiently on the Council table as the others began to file in and find their seats. Edwin was taking this situation too lightly for his liking.

  A few days ago they had stood united, prepared to destroy an unknown ship because it posed a potential threat to Sanctuary. Now, though, a second mysterious vessel shows up on their doorstep, and Edwin invites its crew in for tea and a chat? Just what was the man’s line of reasoning here?

  He scowled as Edwin entered the room with Sylvia. They were speaking in hushed tones, which only made him angrier. Anything they had to say, they ought to be able to share with the group.

  He was about to point this out when Ben slipped into the chair beside him.

  “Exciting stuff, huh?” Ben said. “What’s up? You look tense.”

  Nelson turned to stare at him. “Oh, you think so?” he retorted. “Glad you can be so calm about it, considering that a bunch of invaders are about to come through that door, and we’re just sitting around, waiting to invite them in!”

  Ben chuckled. “They’re hardly going to run through the door and attack us,” he pointed out. “We’ve got them under guard. We’re just going to hear what they have to say, that’s all. Try to breathe, Nelson.”

  “Oh, we’re just going to hear them out, are we? Like we can just assume that everything they’re going to say is the truth?”

  Nelson made a fist, rapping his knuckles against the table so that several of the others turned to look at him. He crossed his arms, slouching down in his chair with a sour expression on his face.

  “Honestly, Nelson, you need to relax. You’re going to give yourself high blood pressure or something.”

  “I’ll give you high blood pressure!” Nelson began, but Edwin had moved to the head of the table and cleared his throat.

  Finally, thought Nelson. Let’s get to it!

  “Alright, Denton,” Edwin said, gesturing. “We’re all here. Bring them in.”

  Denton nodded, waving a hand to his team in the hall, and the four outsiders shuffled in, led by their large, round-faced leader.

  Nelson watched as the man took in the Council chambers, and all at once he felt embarrassed. He wished they had a more intimidating room in which to interrogate these people. We should have constructed something, he thought. A great big theater, where we could all look down on them from high seats as they cowered before us!

  Instead, the four men took the empty chairs which had been arranged for them at a smaller table before the Council. Hardly impressive. Quite pathetic, really.

  The leader looked up as a young man handed him a glass of water, offering a quiet “Thank you.”

  Nelson scoffed. Unbelievable. What was next? Snacks?

  Edwin was still standing.

  “Friends,” he said, and that was enough.
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br />   That was what tipped Nelson over the edge.

  “They aren’t our friends,” he exploded, standing up, too. “We don’t know anything about them. They just show up here, pop through the Gate, come back, and what? We’re just having them in for refreshments? What is wrong with this picture?”

  He pointed an accusatory finger at the outsiders.

  “They are our enemy. They want to make a treaty with the Elves. We all know it’s true. And when the Elves come through that Gate, what do you think their first order of business is going to be?”

  Nelson was shaking his head, scanning the room for a sympathetic face, his disbelief consuming him as he railed at them. He wanted them to feel ashamed. To feel the urgency of the situation. To stop playing games and start acting like he thought they ought to be acting.

  “Do you think the Elves are going to come and pop in for a glass of water and then be on their way? They tried to destroy us once. Twice. They aren’t going to hesitate to do it again. What’s that old saying? Third time’s the charm?”

  He could tell he’d hit a nerve, but he wasn’t backing down. Edwin was smoldering now, unwilling to have a shouting match in front of all these people.

  But Nelson was tired. He was tired of deferring to Edwin. When they’d taken control of Sanctuary, he’d needed a little time to adjust. It had been a shock. He’d agreed to follow Edwin’s lead in the weeks and months that followed. But no one hadn’t trusted him enough to tell him about the crash site in D6. What else had Edwin been keeping from him?

  And if the man in charge couldn’t even handle dealing with four unarmed Humans, what kind of a leader would he be against an army of invading Elves?

  “I’m with the peacock,” came a studious voice from behind him.

  Nelson, startled, whirled around, taking a moment to realize that this comment referred to him. Everyone was staring at the man whose appraising eyes roamed over the Council members, though his head remained still. His body appeared relaxed, but his lips were tight in a hard line. He took another sip of water and let out a little sigh, his expression turning to a frown as he swirled the glass.