Kingdom of Mirrors and Roses

by A. W. Cross

  Something felt off-kilter to me. I couldn't place it. Yet, my father seemed absolutely ticked with the invitation. "We don't have any plans. We are staying at the Floating Terrace. If you'd like, we can have dinner at the restaurant there?"

  "The Floating Terrace? Now that's something I don't have the opportunity to visit often. With work and all."

  "Of course!" My father gleefully agreed. "A man in your position must be kept quite busy. Why I'm surprised you are even given time to visit these types of events."

  Brody Jensen smirked. "You'd be surprised, sir, what is considered work-related these days." He said adding a wink at the end. Giving me ample room for my imagination to run rampant.

  "Why don't you meet us in the lobby at seven sharp? I'll make the reservations. Hopefully, we can get a great open view."

  "Sounds like a plan. See you both then." He said with a tilt of the head and subtle bow, then turned and walked away.

  We'd been so preoccupied with the general that we hadn't even noticed the people, eagerly awaiting to try my father’s Horologium invention.

  The general disappeared into the crowd, but not before taking one last glance in our direction, making eye contact with me. A chill moved down my back when his pearly white teeth smiled at me.

  "Lily. Lily!" I caught my father saying.

  "Yes?"

  "This gentleman is a speculator. He'd like to try the invention. Isn't that great?"

  It was truly great. The more investors who took an interest in the machine, the more opportunity to procure a stable foundation of money so my father could tweak and improve upon his product.

  "That is great."

  We all watched, once again as my father walked the gentleman through the procedures. Like before, everyone held their breath, waiting as the man pulled the lever. Only this time, it seemed half of the hall was watching, with people pushing through trying to get a first-hand experience.

  My heart raced to wonder if the first time was an isolated fluke? Could my father truly have invented something so unique that it would hold its own to some of the greatest inventions known to time?

  Steamboats. Steam-engines. Airships. All of it.

  If his Horologium worked again, he was sure to be a success.

  The gentleman was holding the contraption in his hand, seemingly lost in thought. Only, this time it seemed to go on for longer.

  It scared me.

  Yet my father's eager smile gave me hope.

  After more than three minutes, the gentleman broke his posture, allowing his free hand to comb through his hair.

  "What an amazing invention." He said rather to himself.

  My father reached over to retrieve the contraption from his hand and pulled on the lever to retract it, yet again. All while the man stood silently, staring down at the nonconsequential clock.

  "Sir. What did you call this invention of yours again?" The man finally said, breaking his silence.

  "The Horologium."

  The gentleman extended his hand, "I'm Samuel LaBaron. I'm prepared to make you an offer, to back up this invention."

  He turned to look at me. I smiled. letting him know it was all right to discuss the details. After all, that was why we were there.

  "I'm Drew...Andrew Anderson. This here is my daughter, Lilian. If you are prepared to discuss it right now, I'll grab my things and meet you at the cafe on campus."

  "Excellent. I'll meet you there in fifteen minutes. Nice to meet you, miss." Mr. LaBaron said as he turned away.

  "Dad! This is great. Now, remember. Listen first to what he's offering you before you decide. And you don't have to decide on the spot. You can sleep on it. Also, we are here at this wonderful exhibition for the rest of the week. You don't have to jump at the first offer if you don't want to. Just don't close the door."

  "Yes, yes, Lily. I know. I'm just glad that we are finally getting a much-needed break in our work."

  I laughed. "Gee, thanks, dad. But really. I have nothing to do with this. It's all you."

  "Nonsense. You are just as much a part of this as I am."

  "Whatever you say," I said as I gathered all our things, storing them back into our rollaway carts. One of the wisest investments we'd ever made, considering the number of exhibitions, trade shows, and street fairs we visited.

  "Why don't you put the clock back in its case and lock it up?"

  He nodded.

  When I was all done, I turned back to my father who was sitting with the clock in his lap. His sharp brown suit looked good on him. He was older, but there was a lot of fight left in that heart.

  "Dad? Why don't you give me that so I can put it away and we can get going? You don't want to keep Mr. LaBaron waiting."

  "Aww, yes.” He said as if slightly forgetting our purpose. “Here my dear. Handle it with care."

  I opened the clocks case, carefully placing this inside.

  My father had custom fitted the interior with thick protective foam and straps to hold the clock in place. He was always so protective of his inventions, even if these didn't amount to doing much. He cared about each one as if they were his prized possession.

  I strapped the clocks case onto my leather backpack and wore it facing forward. We'd learned long ago not to trust some of these onlookers. For among them were thieves, just waiting for the opportunity to snatch up something they could sell on the black market. Especially something like the Horologium. It had massive potential. And anyone who was paying attention would know this.

  The meeting had gone well and therefore we moved on to the amazing airship. Thankfully my father was good friends with the owner. They'd met in their youth, both tinkers extraordinaire.

  No wonder the general was impressed when he learned where we were staying.

  While we rode the elevator to our suite. We had one of the more amazing suites, I watched the staff carefully. I'd always heard how important it was to pay attention to the employees. If they were happy, there was a good chance the owners were treating them well.

  "What's on your mind, Lily?" My father said. His spectacles laying low on the tip of his nose.

  I smiled, "Just soaking in how wonderful this place is! Your friend really did a great job of incorporating a lot of fun elements. I mean, the monkeys in the lobby, carrying the drinks? Mechanical monkeys, dad!"

  "Oh, Lily, that's nothing. He has an open zoo per se where you will find lions, tigers, birds, and even elephants. All made from discarded metal. Scrap, really. Gears and whatnots. He truly has a passion for repurposing that which others no longer care for."

  My mind was racing a thousand miles a second. "Is that here? On the airship?"

  He nodded.

  "We need to go see it before we leave. Promise me, please?"

  "Anything for you my beautiful Lilian."

  His eyes teared up; his hand immediately caressed my face. "You look so much like her."

  My mother. He always said so.

  "I'm thankful for that. I'm thankful she was my mother and that I look like her. I know it must be difficult at times for you to see me and remember her."

  "My dear child, I too am so thankful of how much you are like her. You are an extension of her and therefore, a piece of her will always be here, with me."

  The elevator arrived at our suite. We walked in taking in the opulence of the place. My father whistled as he circled the foyer.

  "Look!" I shrieked running toward a massive window. "We have our own private balcony and this view...it's breathtaking, papa. It truly is breathtaking."

  We stood in complete silence. Gob smacked with our accommodations.

  "I don't know how I'll ever go back to living a mundane life." I said, laughing so hard I had to catch myself from sliding to the ground.

  My father smiled but there was question in his face.

  "Papa? Is everything all right?"

  "It is. I'm just thinking about the proposition the gentleman made. It was a great one. But I don't know, Lily. I don't know how I fe
el about uprooting us. You."

  "Oh, if that's all you are worried about, don't fret. I'm fully prepared to pick up and go. Besides, as much as I love the country, you know just as well as I do, we don't fit in. the townsfolk are always giving us strange looks. Heck, they don't even have a proper library. Living in a city will be a nice change. And it's temporary, right?"

  "Yes, indeed it is. The offer really is too good to pass on. I do enjoy very much that all our living accommodations will be fully covered, therefore, you wouldn't have to find a job. And the pay is quite handsome, if I do say so myself."

  "I agree!"

  "So, what do you say Lily? Shall we make the move official? Across the great pond? Live in a foreign country. Start a new life?"

  I nodded quite hard that I thought my head might go rolling off.

  "Okay, we'll talk to him tomorrow. In the meantime, we have a dinner to prepare for. Wear whatever you've brought that is best. You'll have to start getting used to dressing up for dinner if we are going to be living in the city. For I am certain we'll be invited more frequently to nicer outings and formal affairs."

  "Aww. Well, I do have a dress that will do, for now. But if we move here, I'm afraid I'll have to go shopping."

  "Don't look so put off by it."

  I rolled my eyes. "You know how much I detest the sport. I really don't get it. People going crazy over frocks."

  He reached for his pocket watch. "Okay, we are in panic mode. Hurry. Let's get going. After all, we don't want to keep the general waiting."

  The general was already at the table when we arrived.

  "General! I hope we didn't keep you waiting for too long." My father said as he stretched his hand across to shake the general's hand.

  "Not at all. In fact, I arrived a little early. I wanted to make sure I had no trouble getting up here."

  "Why would you have trouble?" I said acknowledging his show of kindness by helping me into my seat.

  "Well, they typically have very special rules for guests of guests."

  "But you're a general. Surely, they make an exception for someone of your stature within the military."

  He shook his head. "Not all people take too kindly to military personnel. We are a bit disliked in certain parts of the country, most especially the bigger cities."

  "So, general, what brings someone like you to the city?" I said as I carefully placed the deep read napkin over my lap.

  "I'm currently stationed here. More of a PR position these days. I took a hard hit while fighting off a few insurgents on the border, trying to breach our walls on the countryside. I received high honors, but the military felt I was too valuable to lose, so they reassigned me. I've been quite unhappy, you see. I prefer to be down in the trenches, with my men and women. Alas, I don't call the shots. I just follow orders, like every other good soldier."

  The server came around to take our drink order.

  "How about a bottle of your nicest red wine" The general asked if we drank and my father happily said we did, on both of our behalf. I gave him a side eyed glance, but he didn't see it.

  Once he and my father placed an order for a bread and cheese plate, they continued discussing the military and the generals likes and dislikes about the city, while I sat carefully observing my surroundings. If my fathers’ words did come true, I'd have to practice the art of small talk.

  2

  The mini air blimp transported me back down to the mainland from the airship. I felt as if we’d broken an invisible surface when we moved closer through the air toward the city below. The pollutants in the air were that dense.

  I cleared my throat of the nasty film that was forming at its back, realizing I hadn't noticed how bad it was before.

  "New around here?" One of the passengers asked, holding his suspenders.

  "Why do you ask?"

  "That tickle at the back of your throat is a tell-tale sign of not being used to these here conditions. And by the looks of your modest dress, I'd say you are more of a country girl from the old lands."

  He wasn't wrong. I was just shocked that I was that out of place.

  I smiled. "Well, you've got me pegged."

  He laughed. "It'll take some getting used to, but you'll do fine in no time. And for whatever it's worth, don't go on worrying yourself with fitting in. You're a beautiful young lady with a unique sense of style all your own. I happen to like it and feel we need more of that." He gave off a deep throaty laugh. "I'm Jeb."

  He offered his hand as a friendly gesture. "Hello, Jeb. I'm Lily."

  "Well, Miss Lily, enjoy your stay here in Albercadia. It's quite an innovative city. The hub for hot new ideas and inventions. If you find yourself bored and nothing to do, head on over to the World's Greatest Innovators Guild of Inventors Exhibition." He pointed to the university. "It's right down there. You can't miss it. It only happens every five years and there are some amazing gadgets."

  "Yes. Thank you." I grinned as I looked back down toward the school's clocktower. Even from the sky, I could distinguish the teeth of the gears, the wheels turning, while the levers adjusted. A massive spring looked to bounce ever so slightly while the main wheel turned the dial.

  It was yet early, but my father wanted to get to the hall and setup, opting to put Mr. LaBaron off until the end of the day. Hoping to gauge if his decision was sound and determine if there was any more interest in the Horologium.

  I turned my attention to the streets. From high in the sky, everyone looked small, reminding me just how truly minuscule we were when compared to the universe around us.

  The blimp moved in closer toward our landing destination and on the tarmac below, flaggers guided the captain to a safe landing.

  The few passengers waited patiently as the side door panel was opened and the ramp appeared.

  "Well, Miss Lily, it was fine meeting you. Maybe we’ll see each other around." Jeb said, with a tilt to his top hat upon exiting.

  "Thank you, sir, have a great day."

  I waited until the last person was off the blimp then I took my time and strolled down the ramp welcoming the warm morning air. The city came suddenly alive with people talking everywhere as I moved on the sidewalk toward the university, but I was quickly distracted by a shiny contraption on the road moving toward the city center. Surprised by what I was seeing I gasped.

  Could it be?

  I rushed in the direction of the moving object; it was the hovercraft my father had built many years earlier.

  Running now towards the vehicle, I pushed a few people aside. "I’m so sorry," I said barely turning to excuse myself as I continued following the hovercraft. The driver suddenly stopped in front of a shop and a young man came out and handed him a parcel. "Please wait!" I hollered barely catching my breath "Sir. Sir? Sir if you would please…"

  The young man turned towards me and turned back to the driver who now stood in the compartment of the vehicle. He said something to the young man who once again turned in my direction and waved me over. Thankful they noticed my attempt to get their attention I moved quickly.

  "Thank you for holding him."

  I greeted the young man with a kind smile then turned to the man and the vehicle. I didn’t recognize him. "Sir, thank you so much for waiting. This vehicle where did you procure it from?"

  The man turned to the young man with a look of confusion, as a motorist from behind irritated swerved past the hovercraft. "Get a move on with it!" The other driver screamed.

  The man made no attempt to acknowledge him.

  "I ask where you procured the contraption from, as I know it wasn't sold to you. That is why."

  My attempt to gather information was going nowhere, I could tell. The words simply weren't coming out right. "My father made it; you see. Therefore, I was surprised to see it here, in Albercadia of all places."

  The sharp dressed man motioned to the young man and he quickly sprang into action, by helping the gentleman out of the hovercraft and hoping in to move it.

  "Wh
at is your name, miss?" His deep voice was chilling as he removed a glove from his right hand.

  He wore a shorter black top hat, a long deep burgundy velvet dress coat with shiny gold buttons and a black silk shirt with ruffles that rivaled the most elegant of modern clothing. His black pants and shiny long leather boots made the look more regal. But it was the black cane that truly pulled it all together.

  "Lily," I said, accepting his hand in greeting.

  "Miss Lily. Are you telling me you are the daughter of Andrew Anderson? The inventor extraordinaire?" He walked slowly with his arms behind his back, holding the cane in place. It was evident the cane was merely a prop.

  "I am. Albeit, I'm not quite sure most folks to refer to my father with such admiration."

  He laughed. "How is Drew? It has been years since I last saw him. And to answer your first question, you are correct. I am not the original owner of the hovercraft. That was my belated brother. He'd left it to my nephew who went missing. The vehicle sat years under a tattered old cloth. I figured I'd pull it out and make it my own. For surely, such an amazing vehicle such as this one shouldn't be stored away. It should be on display for the world to see."

  His statement made me smile. "I couldn't agree more."

  The young man came around the corner holding the keys in his hand. But the gentleman winked his eye, causing the young man to scramble back into the building he'd originally surfaced from.

  "So, who are you?"

  He stopped in his tracks and turn to give me his full attention. "My apologies. My manners have seemed to slip me in the presence of such beauty. I am Dominic de Pierre."

  My jaw dropped opened. "From the de Pierre family?"

  If our planet still had royalty, the de Pierre's were above them in money and power. They were behind some of the greatest innovations of all times.

  His eyes closed ever so slightly as he bowed. "Indeed."

  "Amazing. You can drive whatever vehicle you want, yet you chose the hovercraft? Surely, there are more interesting vehicles out there for you?"