by Megan Derr
"You're the two who claim the Last Empress necklace was stolen and replaced with a fake," the man said. "You want to tell me how you know that?"
"The jewels are wrong," Elton said.
"You can tell that how?" the man asked flatly, hands on his hips.
"Elton is a jewel expert," Lana said before Elton could speak, standing up and bracing her hands on her own hips, perfectly mimicking the guard, chin tilted up in that stubborn, challenging way of hers. "He's helped in thousands of case of theft and fraud. He can tell the difference between a Cela diamond and an Earth diamond in a glance. You test that necklace with your stupid machines, and they'll tell you the same thing we're trying to tell you—you've been had."
The man's stony expression cracked slightly, a small smile slipping through as he looked Lana up and down. "We're working on it, Princess."
"My name isn't Princess," Lana said coolly.
"No, it's Lana Witmer. You're Elton Witmer," He said, pointing at Elton. "Room 277165 in Blue Dragon Tower. You purchased a Grade Two vacation package and have five days remaining. Your IG files are sealed. Why?"
"If you don't have the clearance to open our personal files," Lana said, "then it's none of your damn business."
"If I need permission, Highness, I'll get it," the man replied.
Lana sneered at him. "Our records were sealed by Lower Chancellor Kavalerov. He promised us no one would be permitted access without his express permission, and we've done nothing to merit his giving you that permission."
The man said nothing for a moment, clearly more interested in whatever his in-specs were telling him, then asked, "So why are you on Bangkok?"
"What sort of stupid question is that?" Lana demanded.
Elton covered his face with one hand.
The man regarded her coolly, but not without some amusement. "A legitimate one, Princess. You're here in a museum awfully early, and I'm supposed to believe your brother can tell by looking that the jewels are—"
He stopped as his in-specs exploded with images and information. "Shit. The jewels are wrong. Lock down Bangkok. Get me the IG now—and summon their lordships."
Finished giving orders, he looked at Lana and Elton. "Come with me, Princess, Sir."
"My name isn't Princess," Lana said again, moving in front of the man, forcing him to halt. "Use my name or address me more respectfully."
"I am," the man said, grinning briefly. "You've got too fine a bearing and too much fire to be anything less. Now come on, I haven't got all day—" His in-specs flashed again. "And you're expected."
Startled into silence, Lana let Elton take her hand and lead her along.
Leaving the museum, the guard led them to a transporter just behind it, in-specs flashing again as he silently gave the transporter commands. There was the usual flash of blue-white light, and they left the museum entirely, arriving in a moment in an elegant lobby of black marble decorated with touches of white and silver."
Every lobby of the dragon towers matched its namesake color—blue, yellow, red, green. If this lobby was black, then they could only be in the most elite and private of the five towers—Black Dragon Tower. Elton shared a look with Lana, but she was too busy scowling at the guard's back to pay Elton any mind.
The guard led them to an elevator, then into a room decorated in more black and silver, though here there were touches of color in the throw pillows, the decorations, and the array of bottles set beneath a bar made entirely of glass.
"What's going on?" Lana demanded.
Before the guard could reply, the door slid open again, and the most beautiful person Elton had ever seen stepped inside. He was… Elton could not find the right words to describe him. Not even the jewels he had always loved could compare to the man before him.
He was tall, but not excessively so, with skin that was pale without being sickly. His hair was the true blue-black of Jupiter ink, feathery soft and fine, falling just barely to his chin. Pretty, elegant, but definitely masculine. His clothes were probably making Lana all but hyperventilate—a suit to match his hair, made from Parthon silk, a crisp white shirt and a tie of jewel-bright aquamarine silk that…
That perfectly matched the man's aquamarine eyes. Elton had never seen such eyes. They were like jewels come to life.
"Lord Baxter," the guard said, breaking Elton's stupefied state. Who was Lord Baxter? Obviously someone important to have the authority to summon them to Black Dragon. Someone in charge of the museum? All of the museums? Perhaps he was the Jeweler Premier for Bangkok.
Beside Elton, Lana was looking distinctly bug-eyed, so 'Lord Baxter' must mean something to her. Probably to everyone, save him. He really never had cared to pay attention to the world beyond his jewels; he had even less a desire to do so now.
"So these are the two who realized the necklace was a fake?" Lord Baxter asked, and his voice made Elton shiver, and he fervently hoped no one noticed.
"Elton did," Lana said. "He admired it yesterday. We went back today, and he saw it had been changed out for a fake."
"How?"
Lana looked like she was about to well and truly lose her temper, so Elton stepped forward and said, "The way they look."
The man's face hardened. "The way they look," he repeated. "That isn't possible. No one can tell the origin of a gem just by looking."
Elton frowned and strode closer to the man, annoyed even though he was long used to no one believing him. Despite his ire, he was briefly distracted by Lord Baxter. This close, he was even more beautiful, and gods have mercy he smelled so good. Elton had never in his life been so painfully aware of another person.
Struggling to ignore the way the man affected him, he focused on the jewels Lord Baxter wore—no small fortune’s worth. "Your diamond earrings are Cela, from the southern mine to judge by that particular shade of blue. The aquamarines are from Tredad, and the onyx and diamonds in your tie-pin are from Zero." He made himself look up into the aquamarine eyes, and for a moment could not remember how to breathe, but at last managed to say, "Your bracelet is a mixture of Cela and Zero diamonds, but the one in your ring is an Earth diamond."
The man regarded him in silence for a long, torturous moment, then said quietly, "Correct, on all counts. Either you are privy to a dismaying amount of information, or you speak the truth about your abilities. But I've never known a man who needed only his eyes to tell the origin of a gemstone."
Elton shrugged and dropped his gaze, unable to endure the eyes; he had never been as brave and bold and bright as Lana. "It's a family trait; I got it from my father."
"I see," Baxter said softly, something in his voice that Elton did not understand. "Cadence, clear them. They aren't our thieves. Chancellor Kavalerov is sending his experts, but I think we might have an expert all our own, right here…" He smiled briefly at Elton then returned his full attention to Cadence. "Hopefully our new friends here have allowed us to trap the bastard on Bangkok. See these two are given accommodations here in Black Dragon, in case—" He broke off as the in-lens in his left eye flashed. "I'll be right back. Why do all the problems crop up at once?" Then he smiled at Elton again. "We'll resume this discussion in a moment, pretty. Thank you for the help." He cupped Elton's chin and tugged him forward, then kissed him, hard and brief.
Then he was gone.
Elton stared at the door and strove to ignore the way his face heated, the way that short but forceful kiss lingering on his mouth, warm and tingling. The man tasted the way he smelled—like a fine, dark and spicy Bangkok rum. "Who—who was that?" He turned to Cadence, who looked at him as if he had lost his mind. Then he looked at Lana, who was clearly struggling not to laugh.
"Oh, Ellie—"
"Never mind," Elton snapped and moved to sit down on one of the sofas. "I think I’m happier not knowing." He slumped on the sofa, shoulders hunching. All he had wanted was a quiet vacation, to recharge and learn how to be happy again.
Instead, he had wound up in yet another mess, and why was his stu
pid ability always the source of his problems? Why had they not all just left him in his backroom, quietly identifying gems and creating pieces for his family to sell?
"Ellie—"
"Just forget it," he said tightly. "I'm fine. I just want this all to be over."
"Your new accommodations are being prepared," Cadence said. "They should be ready shortly."
"Why are we being moved?" Lana demanded. "Who the hell are you, anyway? Cadence, was that what he called you?"
"You can call me Warden, Princess," Cadence replied. "Lord Baxter said move you, so I'm moving you. When their lordships give orders, I obey."
Lana expressed her opinion on that with several choice words, but before Elton had to worry about whether they would be spending the night in a cell somewhere, the door opened again.
He must be losing his mind. There was no other way to explain the fact that it seemed Lord Baxter had a twin. One man of such impossible beauty should not exist; how in the stars could there be two of them?
But it seemed there were two of them. Stars be merciful, he was as beautiful and breathtaking and perfect as his brother.
"I'm sorry I had to leave so abruptly," the man said smoothly. He smiled at Elton, and the tilt to it was not quite the same as Baxter's smile. "Now, pretty, I'd like to hear more about this family trait of yours."
They were screwing with him, Elton realized, and began to grow truly angered. He knew he was strange, nothing like the rest of his family. He knew his ability confused people, that everyone thought him a liar at first. He had spend his entire damned life being subjected to tricks and pranks and tests from people who wanted to see him be wrong just once, from people who wanted to prove him a liar, who had been thrilled when the scandal of his father had ruined his family's reputation forever. And it was bad enough the authorities had used him against his own father, and the scandal had driven his father to kill both himself and their mother—
All they wanted was to be happy again, and he had just tried to help by telling them the necklace was wrong, and all they wanted was to fuck with him.
He was tired of it.
Surging up from the couch, he stalked across the room and jabbed the man in the chest. "You are not the one he called Lord Baxter," he snapped, pointing at Cadence.
"What?" the man asked, sounding startled.
"Don't play games with me!" Elton snarled, hands trembling with anger. "Why do people always have to fuck with me? I was trying to help, and all I get is harassed and tested! You're not the one your stupid Warden called Lord Baxter. I don’t know who the hell you are other than Lord Baxter's twin, but that's all you are. If you want to prove I'm lying about my abilities, you're going to have to try a hell of a lot harder than this."
He glared, trying to still his trembling, but then realized the man was staring at him with naked shock, eyes wide, mouth parted. "You—how did you know I wasn't Baxter? Even Cadence can't tell us apart."
Cadence grimaced, making it clear that he had not known it was not Baxter standing with them.
"You're alike," Elton said, still angry, "but you're not that alike. That's like trying to claim all diamonds look the same."
"But they do look the same, pretty," the man said softly, aquamarine eyes locked on his face, something in them that Elton just could not understand. "Except to you, it seems. My name is Lucid." He tilted his head in curiosity when his name evoked no reaction in Elton other than a polite nod. "You… don't know who we are, do you? Baxter was right: your every thought and feeling is plain upon your face."
Elton flushed and recoiled, lingering anger immediately banished by pure panic. Why did he always lose his temper at the worst time and with the worst possible persons?
Lucid reached out and snagged his arm, pulling him close—so very, very close, and why were they only more beautiful every time he looked at them?
"Calm down, pretty," Lucid said and kissed him as briefly as Baxter had before, but more softly. Where Baxter had been dark and spicy, Lucid was tart and sweet, like a good Vrill wine.
"S-stop doing that," Elton managed, face hot, and he was never going to museums again. What else had he wanted to say? Oh. "My name isn't pretty."
"That seems to be a problem around here," Lana muttered, shooting Cadence a scathing look.
Lucid laughed softly. "Sorry, pretty." He shook his head and laughed again. "Sorry, Elton. But you are pretty." He smiled in a way that made Elton think he and his brother got out of a lot of trouble with those smiles. "If you don't mind, I would like to have you look at something else. If one necklace has been stolen so neatly, we must assume other things have been as well. We've pulled all our major exhibits and displays. You've proven that you can identify all jewels at a glance. Would you assist us by identifying a few more pieces?"
Elton's chest hurt. It was too much like the old days that were really not so old at all. Once upon a time, people had brought jewels into the shop all the time. They would ask him what they were, and he would tell them, and they would go away and leave him alone again. He had hated the people, the fuss, but he had loved every single gem they had brought to him.
Then his father had ruined everything.
He could not seem to make himself speak, so he finally just nodded. "Splendid," Lucid replied and turned to Lana. "My lady, though I am certain you prefer to accompany your brother, I must ask you remain here for now, or permit Cadence to escort you to your rooms Security measures, you understand. I promise we will return your brother unharmed."
To Elton's surprise, Lana laughed. "After what Ellie just did, I'm not worried about your taking him. But you had better not hurt him, in anyway."
"We won't," Lucid said. "We promise."
"Then I'll see you later, Ellie," Lana said and crossed the room to give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Have fun."
"I don't even understand what's going on," Elton said, but was dragged away before he could hear Lana's reply—though he did catch that she was laughing again. He turned hesitantly to Lucid and forced himself to speak. "I’m probably going to regret asking this, and obviously I should know the answer, but who are you?"
Lucid shook his head, that look of wonder sliding over his face again. "You really don't know; I can scarcely believe it." Elton frowned. "Oh, don't pout," Lucid said, smiling. "I'm not trying to upset you, pretty. It really is just that you leave us feeling… awed."
"I doubt that," Elton said flatly. "Between the clothes and the jewels, you're wearing over 100,000 points apiece. You're obviously wealthy and powerful, not to mention beautiful. Nothing about me could possibly awe you."
Lucid only smiled, then stopped in front of a door, his in-lens flashing, and then the door slid open. Lightly taking hold of Elton's arm, he tugged Elton inside.
Ordinarily, Elton's attention would have been exclusively for the gems and jewels upon the table, and he would have been oblivious to everything else in the room. But he could not drag his eyes away from the impossible sight of Lucid and Baxter as Baxter walked across the room to join them and stood next to his brother. Knowing there was two of them had been bad enough, but seeing them side by side…
He was going to embarrass himself—worse than he already had—but oh god, he thought they might be more addictive than all the Earth gems combined.
"Hello again, pretty," Baxter said softly. "I'm sorry it seemed like we were trying to trick you."
"You were trying to trick me," Elton said, some of his earlier ire returning.
"No," Lucid said. "We wanted to see if it was actually impossible to trick you."
"Huh?" Elton said, feeling stupid. "What does that mean?"
"No one can tell us apart," Baxter said. "I do mean no one. But I believe you when you say you can."
Elton frowned, irritated. "Like I said before, you're not that alike. Close, very close, but not quite perfect." He fought down a wild, half-hysterical impulse to tell them they tasted different. "Why am I here?"
"To examine these," Baxter sa
id and seemed to drop the strange conversation—but, Elton sensed, only for the moment.
Looking where Baxter indicated, Elton moved to the table to examine the glittering array set on velvet across it. Necklaces, diadems, tiaras, bracelets, rings, earrings, slave bracelets, belly chains, anklets, broaches, cuff links—everything. There was virtually enough wealth in the jewels to buy a large planet, or two small ones.
He recognized every piece set out. How could he not? They were coveted pieces, as priceless or very nearly, as the Last Empress. They were the kinds of pieces he had always wanted to create. Costly, one of a kind works of art worn by a precious few in the whole of the IG. He had worked for years to obtain permission to recreate the crown jewels and had only managed it, he suspected, because his mother was friends with Lower Chancellor Kavalerov.
"These are all precisely as they should be," he said with a frown. "Not so much as a pearl is wrong. That seems strange to me, unless we caught the thief right as he was beginning to work."
"Unlikely," said a new voice, making Elton jump, and he realized he had been staring at the jewels so hard and so long, he had not noticed the new arrival. The man continued, "A thief of this caliber must have been operating for some time." He smiled at Elton, one of those thin, condescending smiles people always gave Elton before he managed to prove himself. "You are the man about whom I've already heard so much, but I confess my doubts. You only glanced at that table; how could you know any of them are right? Oh." He stopped suddenly and held out his hand. "I do apologize. My name is Myer Cantz. I am Jeweler Premier here on Bangkok."
Elton barely heard him, attention only for ring on the hand held out to him. It was a very handsome, very elegant sapphire surrounded by square-cut diamonds. He grabbed Myer's hand and looked at him. "What are you doing with this? Where did you get it? This is part of the Star of the Empire! Where in the hell did you get it! Who destroyed—destroyed—" He couldn't finish the sentence, could barely finish the thought.
The Star of the Empire had been a gift from Earth to the then Grand Chancellor of the Infinitum Government as a show of gratitude for permitting Earth to join the IG. Five terms ago, the necklace had been stolen while being transported from one museum to another along with a dozen other pieces. It had been a blow to the jewelry world, the historical world.
