Pasquinelli/Rise 465

“Well, I dunno if I have it down, pat,” Jon admitted, still smiling.

“But you did it, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Good enough for now!” said Ray as she ducked into a hallway restroom, leaving Jon alone again. She emerged less than five minutes later looking stunning again.

“Thank god I didn’t mess up my makeup.”

“Yikes,” said Jon, noticing the enormous ruby-encrusted necklace hanging on Ray’s chest. “That’s a lot of rocks.”

“Tell me about it,” said Ray, putting one hand to the necklace to make sure it was still there. “My mom doesn’t even own something like this. No one in my family does.”

“Technically you don’t either,” said Jon, offering his arm to her again.

“Yeah I know, but I still get to own it temporarily. I think it might have a Charge though. I feel like I’m not alone when I’m wearing it,” said Jotea as she took Jon’s arm and they headed back down to the ballroom. “So how long did you slow down for?”

“I’m not entirely sure... I think it was maybe fifteen seconds in real time.”

“‘Real time’, listen to you.”

“And you just said your necklace has a Charge, so look who’s talking.”

Upon entering the ballroom, Jon couldn’t wait to see Jotea and tell her the good news. He knew that ability would be very hard to perform, but that moment when the Timeline froze had him elated and he felt like nothing could bother him.

The ballroom was packed with people in varying forms of formal wear. The men were mostly all dressed in robes, and some, like Jon, had on decorative manacles in various colors and metals. Jon only spotted two or three other men with similar opal ones as he. There weren’t any familiar faces in the crowd, but only the music kept going when Ray and Jon were recognized. So many of the men and women literally froze in place at what they were doing that Jon thought he might have indeed accidentally stopped the Timeline. Whispers broke out again, but Ray took it all in stride. She plastered a smile on her face and began nodding hellos to whoever was nearest. Jon had to admire her poise -- and defiance.

There were several people they had seen before -- Prime Minister Fauntyle, Councilor Anderson, the servant who gave them one of Jotea’s letters, and even....

“My dear!” said a haughty voice. Plump Chancellor Divmi was shouldering his way through the crowd toward them.

“Oh great,” said Ray through gritted teeth.

“What? You don’t wanna have a dance with him?” said Jon to her in an undertone.

Ray dug her nails into his forearm in response as the Chancellor made way to them. He had a slender, tall wife who was dragging along behind him.

“Lovely to see you again, Miss Cavitt,” said Chancellor Divmi and extended an arm to kiss her hand. The crowd of people began to break into conversation and dancing again. Normal chatter permeated the massive gilded ballroom. Ray kept her unfaltering smile as she gave him the top of her hand. He kissed it, then nodded at Jon. “Mr. Kenneth.”

“Evening, Chancellor,” said Jon.

“I’d like you to meet my wife, Sorn.” She inclined her head to them.

“Nice to meet you. Do you think you could tell us where the Empress is, Chancellor?” said Jon.

“Oh certainly. She’s just over there,” he said, and made a grandiose gesture to the other end of the ballroom. Jon craned his neck to see where she was. A cluster of people were around her, and for once, Jon was surprised to see, many of them were her age, a far cry from the decades difference between her and most of the Councilors. They must have been her personal friends because Jon even saw her laugh once, and wished he could have been there to hear it.

“We need to talk to her,” Jon said to Ray.

“Gladly,” said Ray. She pulled Jon’s arm with her as she weaved through the crowd. “I bet he’s the leak they were talking about,” said Ray as she sidestepped someone.

“You think?” said Jon, looking back at him. Chancellor Divmi had snagged someone else to engross in a conversation. His wife was still by his side, not having said a word the entire time, but looking terribly bored.

“I don’t care. If it’ll get him locked up in a dungeon away from me for a while, it’ll be worth it.”

As they approached the Empress, Jon saw she looked more stunning than Ray even was. She wore a floor length eggshell colored ball gown, with what looked like diamonds sewn into patterns on the dress. Atop her head was a delicate circlet tiara of platinum. She too wore elaborate manacles that looked to be hundreds of years old, and were the most intricately forged Jon had yet seen.

“Empress,” said Jon, and he offered his hand to hers. She allowed him to pay homage, and greeted Ray.

“Miss Cavitt,” she said.

“Your eminence,” Ray responded, more naturally than Jon would have thought.

“Glad to see you here, you both look very lovely.”

“Thanks,” said Jon, though he wasn’t sure he was ever called “lovely” before.

The Empress looked at them both for a second. “You wish to tell me something?”

“Actually yes,” said Jon. He couldn’t keep the smile off his face. Jotea led them out to a balcony into the almost frigid night. Jon proceeded to recount the story to both Jotea and Ray.

“That is...excellent news,” said Jotea, smiling. All imperial pretense was shed, and Jotea looked genuinely happy and relieved. “I knew you would be able to.”

“Well, you are psychic,” Ray said.

Jotea laughed a little bit, and Jon only finally noticed the glass of canary yellow liquid in her hand. Clearly she was enjoying her beverage. “I am a mental,” she clarified. “I can read minds, I’m not necessarily psychic. Now you must excuse me; I am being missed inside.” And she left Jon and Ray on the balcony with a few others looking to get away from the crowd.

“Well that was rude,” said Ray, folding her arms.

“She’s just having fun. We should try to do the same.”

“I did fall on my face not twenty minutes ago. Remember?”

“Oh yeah, that’s right. How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine,” said Ray. “Let’s get something to eat.”

The ballroom had finger foods and snacks off to one side, but it was nothing like the feast they had the previous week. In fact, Jon had never seen so many different people in the castle other than he, Ray, Jotea, Solus and the servants. The evening went on, and Jon even had a fan -- a woman who was simply fascinated with Earth and himself.

“You don’t say,” she would say. “How...engrossing.” She was staring at him wide-eyed and kept twiddling her hair.

Ray had disappeared for a moment, and Jon wished she’d return. It was past one in the morning, and the crowd was becoming more inebriated and sloppy as the night wore on. Jon kept his eye on the Empress during the evening, and she had maintained her poise throughout the night. Her dress and posture remained crisp and not a hair had fallen out of place; she was still a picture of regality.

The woman he was speaking to (he didn’t remember her name) put her hand on the phoenix on his chest and said, “You know, we could use a man like you in my district.” She was slurring her words and winked at him. Jon felt himself flush.

“Sorry, honey,” said Ray’s raspy voice. “I got taken from the Councilor Divmi to the dance floor and wouldn’t let me go until I’d finished with the dance, no matter how much I accidentally stepped on his feet.”

“Oh no problem,” said Jon quickly.

“I haven’t danced with you all night, so let’s go.” Ray grabbed Jon by the arm for the twentieth time that night and led him off to the dancing throng. The forward woman was left to her glass.

“Thank god,” said Jon. “This place is starting to freak me out.”

“Tell me about it. It’s like they think the end of the world is coming and they all want to get married or something.”

Jon frowned to himself as they excused their way past the mass of people.

As Jon and Ray entered the desolate foyer, the silence was as conversely loud as the party was a moment ago. Only a few lit candles lined the walls as Ray and Jon’s shoes pattered on the now black-looking marble floors. In between the pillars were dark spaces that he couldn’t see to the end of the room. Jon couldn’t stop looking at every candle’s light as he walked by it.

One particular flame made him stop in his tracks. It was dancing wildly, as if agitated by wind -- but there was none. Ray hadn’t noticed that Jon stopped and she stepped ahead. Jon then had a very odd sensation, as if the phoenix on his chest was becoming also agitated and unsettled. Jon could feel it stirring uncomfortably as the flame fizzed. Then the flame became suddenly still, and then as if stained, also blackened.

Jon couldn’t take his eyes off the purplish light the candle now emitted, and from his peripheral vision, also barely registered that a strong wind blew all other candles out. The longer he looked at it, the more entranced he became.

“Jon!” Ray screamed at him. She rushed over and shook him hard.

He broke his gaze at the candle and shook his head. “What?”

“Why are all the lights out? What is that?” she said and pointed to the flame.

“I...don’t know. I couldn’t stop looking at it.”

Ray stared at it for a second. “It’s freaking me out.” She then promptly blew it out. All light left the grand foyer, and only forty feet away could they see a small sliver of light coming from the ballroom.

Jon and Ray stood in almost total blackness for a few seconds. Ray was having none of it. “So turn on the candles already,” she said.

Jon generated a small fireball and lit the candle Ray had just blown out. The flame stayed red, orange and yellow. Jon held the floating ball of fire near him to give them light. He didn’t want to light any more candles.

“I don’t know what it meant,” he said. “But I don’t think it should have been here.”

“It was him,” said Ray. “I know it was.”

Jon’s heart started beating very fast, and didn’t slow down to near-normal pace again until he and Ray were bathed in the warm light of the upper floor hallways.

The next afternoon during training, Jotea interrupted Jon and Ray’s session. Jon had turned to look at Jotea, and Ray had started a self-defense move, which resulted in Jon doubling over wheezing and Ray stifling laughs into her jumpsuit arm.

“I have news,” she said plainly with her hands clasped behind her back.

Jon and Ray both stopped immediately to pay attention. Jotea’s tone was one of seriousness.

“We will be meeting with Ignus in exactly four days.”

“What?” said Ray and Jon together.

“Our meeting with the head of the Onyx Guild has been set for Monday, August 25th. I expect our mission to completely successful.”

“But we’re not -- ” began Jon but he knew very well that they were indeed ready. They had been training nearly an entire month for this, endured cuts and bruises and aches and pains for days, and had hardly ventured outside the castle.

“You are ready,” said Jotea. “We will prevail. Jonathan, your fire capabilities are more than adequate for this, and Racine, your Shifting capabilities have exceeded my expectations.”

Ray gave her a “but naturally” look and proceeded to narrow her pupils to mere slits and she glowered off into the distance.

“We will be leaving Norea in three days,” Jotea explained, “and using the Windows to get there. The only problem is that the Window will only take us to within five miles of the compound in which we are to meet. We will have to walk the rest of the way.”

“That shouldn’t be too bad,” said Jon.

“Do not become over-confident. The Frost is consistently under a low-pressure zone. It will most likely be snowing, and the temperature will be just below freezing.”

“Oh...wonderful,” said Jon with an obviously feigned smile.

“So you’re saying it’s going to be butt cold there?” said Ray.

Jotea turned to Ray with her usual expression-less calm and said, “In a most crude sense, yes. But do not worry. Ray, you’re Pimicron suit is naturally insulating, and Jonathan, you will not need protection of any kind.”

“How come?” said Ray.

“Because I can create a bubble of warm air if I need to,” said Jon, trying to contemplate how he was going to keep a thermal dome around himself for several days. “And I can create fire.”

“Precisely. Tomorrow will be our final training session and you will have the last day off. Then, we leave.”

“Not that I’m ungrateful that you chose us for this important mission, but why not take two of your fabulous top secret guards with you?”

“Because none of them have the Amulet. I still don’t think either of you quite grasp how much of an asset this is,” Jotea said, surveying them both.

“I don’t know,” said Jon. “I’ve only been able to stop Time again for milliseconds since the ball during training. I’m not sure how much help that’s going to be.

“Milliseconds may be the difference between life and death. Do not underestimate yourself.” Our session is done for the day. You have both done very well. Practice the mediations I taught you, and try to divert yourselves away from the coming mission for the next two days. We will not benefit from highly strung party members.”

“Ray,” said Jon under his breath.

“Quiet,” she said in return.

“This ends our session for today; let us back to the Window. We will begin at the same time tomorrow.” Jotea started back to the Window.

Jon started breathing harder than normal. “This is really happening.”

“It sure is,” said Ray resolutely. She started rubbing her knuckles.

“Aren’t you nervous?” asked Jon.

“No way. I’m so ready to kick that guy’s ass. He messed up my summer vacation. He’s gonna pay.”

“Okay,” Jon squeaked.

“Oh what is it?” said Ray, exasperated.

“Do you realize how difficult this is going to be? How close we might be to dying?”

“Please. It can’t be that bad.”

Jon gave Ray a dubious look. “Look at what I learned to do in three weeks. Imagine after thirteen years of practice. This isn’t going to be easy.”

“Relax. You’re going to pop a pimple. This isn’t war. It’s supposed to be a mission of peace. We should be okay.”

“Yeah, but Jotea also said fighting could break out if they find out this isn’t just a peaceful mission.”

“Meh. We’ll be alright. You don’t think she’d send us if she thought we couldn’t do it, right?”

Jon couldn’t argue with that. “Yeah.”

“So there. Besides, maybe you’ll learn something from him.”

The last training session was a charged one. Jon’s nervousness was beginning to surface, and he nearly set Ray’s hair on fire -- twice. Needless to say, she was not happy about it. Ray’s Shifting was progressing at a galloping rate. She had become adept enough to grow scales all over her body, produce talons and claws, and grow venom-filled fangs. And she could also Shift her eyes from human to feline, giving her flashing eyes if she did it in the dark. Jon kept on missing his target and hitting shrubs, trees, Ray... Fortunately, Jotea was able to protect herself easily enough; her telekinetic abilities could send his projectiles off in another direction. It got so bad at one point that she sent Jon off to meditate while she worked alone with Ray. Jon was embarrassed, but then again, neither Jotea nor Ray was about to meet their future self who was totally evil and could possibly kill them all.

Toward the end of the session, Jon rejoined the other two of them. His mind was much more clear and he was able to channel his anticipation and nervousness into a singularly powerful blast of Eternal Fire at Jotea. She wasn’t able to deflect it and it threw her spiraling backwards and she landed hard on the floor and didn’t get up. She was definitely unconscious. Now panic replaced relative calm, and he and Ray ran over to her. Jon tried to rouse her and Ray loomed over the two of them with a half smile.

“Got tired of her bossing you around, huh?”

“Come on. It was -- an accident,” Jon said, holding Jotea’s hand and feeling her pulse.

“Oooh. You killed an empress. You’re gonna be in trouble,” Ray mocked as she leaned in to have a better look.

“I did not. Look, she’s coming to.”

Jotea started to stir. Her face scrunched and her legs moved. She abruptly opened her eyes very widely and gasped.

The next thing Jon knew was that he had seen a blinding flash of white light and was flying through the air. He hit the ground and rolled several times over. Fortunately, nothing was broken; he just hurt quite a bit. He got up gingerly and looked back where he came from. She had thrown them both fifty feet from her.

“What the HELL was that?” snarled Ray from the opposite side of the field.

“I -- apologize,” said a clearly disoriented Jotea. She was holding one hand to her head and looked ruffled.

“You better,” said Ray, brushing herself off.

“It...was a reflex. It will not happen again. Congratulations for rendering me unconscious,” she added with a slight smile to Jon.

“Thanks...” said Jon, although he thought Jotea was being evasive and cryptic, but he didn’t want to pursue it.

That event pretty much ended their last training session. Jon, Ray and Jotea returned to Norea. Jotea left the two of them alone for the rest of the day and they did not see her at dinner that evening.

For the first time since they’d arrived, Jon and Ray had an entire day to themselves. As it turned out, they felt like they almost had too much time. Jon was used to their rigorous training, and it reminded him of their week or so at Oak Tree Manor when they also had little to do. They both found that exploring the castle was tiring and garnered squint-eyed looks from the servants and whomever else might be wandering around. Finally they ended up in the only place in the castle they knew they wouldn’t be bothered and had the best views anywhere.

Ray was laying face up on the banister at the topmost tower of the castle, gazing up at the floating clouds. Jon was next to her, leaning over it, looking down at the miniscule waves crashing on the shoreline. He sauntered to the opposite balustrade and leaned over once more. Jon started to observe the people in the streets, and frankly, it looked like they were having more fun than he was.

Ray started naming off the clouds. “Cactus...bird with one wing...scuba diver...mmm... a pizza.”

“Ray.”

“Yeah, what?”

“Let’s do something,” he suggested.

“We are doing something.” She briefly looked back up at the sky, and then back at Jon. “Okay, so we’re not doing anything. What do you have in mind.”

“It looks like there’s some sort of bazaar going on in the Imperial Plaza.”

“You mean the one with the clock? Or the other one where they tried to kill us?”

“Clock,” Jon said. “I wouldn’t be able to tell. We’re too far from the other one.”

“Okay,” Ray agreed. She rolled herself over and stepped gracefully onto the white slate stone floor.

They then went down, down, down through the towers and halls of the castle. By now they had their favorite routes, which took the least amount of time. Jon had his favorite route with the most windows and views, but Ray looked more for one that got them out most quickly. They passed many servants; some greeted them warmly, others as if Jon and Ray were infectious bacteria. It was apparent that even among the castles paid servants, they were still fighting for acceptance. Jon only hoped the rest of the city was not so diametrically opposed. Sometimes he wondered if they would ever get total acceptance. Ray didn’t seem to care one way or the other. She just kept looking straight ahead and ignored everyone. If someone was particularly rude, she would have her eyes go yellow and growl at them.

As the blazing sun met them outside the gates, there was indeed a bazaar going on. There was much shouting and trading of many different shaped objects, clothing and food going on. Jon couldn’t help but smile. Some of the Noreans were having a grand time, while others were furious that their trinkets weren’t fetching as much as they’d hoped.

Jon noticed a beautiful emerald necklace much like the one Ray wore at the ball. This one was in a display case and claimed to be a replica of the Grace of the Valley necklace, whatever that was. “Ray, look --” he began, but when he turned around, Ray wasn’t there. Jon figured she had probably wandered off, and more importantly, she knew her way back. He shrugged and continued to look around.

The feeling of freedom Jon experienced was long overdue. He had his Amulet in his pocket, and the plain city clothes Jotea had stocked in his wardrobe more than adequately concealed his identity. No one bothered him, or even looked at him twice without the Phoenix Amulet robes on.

After a quarter of an hour of seeing what was to offer, Jon loathed two things: one, that he had left his bag with any barter able objects in the Chamber of the Gate, and two, Jotea did give them both currency (they were called Iannis marks). And he wasn’t about to go back up all the way to his bedroom and back down again.

Jon saw a golden tiara he would have loved to buy for Jotea. It was supposed to sit on the forehead and was a thin bar of gold studded with precious indigenous stones. Then, he remembered that as an Empress, she was probably the wealthiest person in the continent, and that he didn’t know how appropriate it would be for him to be buying her jewelry. Jon moved from the jewelry area to the section of nick knacks and trinkets.

As Jon looked on, several of the trinkets would start to blink and gyrate, while others would fly around people’s heads. Jon finally caught someone paying for something with money. He’d never actually looked at any of the marks; he’d left the envelope stuffed with them unopened in the desk drawer in his bedroom. The Iannisene marks were diamond-shaped paper money that had the consistency of papyrus. The different values of each mark corresponded to how many small gold diamonds in lined the actual paper mark. Coins were called “trasses,” and there were fifty trasses to one mark. Jon was fascinated by the bartering and payment exchange that was going on.

The only problem was that he was starting to become overwhelmed by the constant noise and inability to move around freely. He was unpleasantly reminded of what happened in the town square when he and Ray entered, and started breathing more quickly. His nerves were starting to get the better of him. He ducked into the refuge of a nearby restaurant. It too was full, but the people were sitting down, and the noise was not overbearing. He found an empty table and sat at it. A smiling waitress came to greet him.

“What can I get for you, sir?”

“Just a...” Jon remembered he had no money. “Water please.”

The waitress’ smile faded slightly and she went off. Jon put his elbows on the table and propped his head up on his hands. He was glancing around the room -- it was done in a dark wood motif and had stained glass windows. The waitress returned and gave Jon his water. She didn’t even ask if he wanted anything else -- she already knew. He began sipping from the glass and continued to observe the room.

A couple was boasting about a Drax Lark (apparently a bird of some sort) that they obtained at a bargain price. Another group of women were chatting about a new craze called “lipstick.” Jon’s attention rested on a group of men who were talking directly across from Jon’s table. One man in particular caught Jon’s gaze and started looking back as if trying to recognize him. Jon calmly diverted his eyes elsewhere -- he didn’t want to have to bother with ill wishers. But he was too late.

Jon heard a “look who it is” from the man he had been looking at. The group suddenly became louder and restless. Jon fixed his gaze elsewhere in the room and was determined not to look at them. He sipped his water again. He wasn’t going to let them intimidate him. They were speaking loudly so their voices could be heard not only by Jon, but by the whole restaurant.

“I wonder why he’s here.”

“The empress thinks he can be trusted.”

“That’s impossible. Look what happens to him.”

“I know. She’s so good and he’s so evil.”

“He’s not evil yet.”

“Just wait. He will be. Ignus was all fine and dandy when he came too. What’s-his-name will be next.”

“Ignus junior?” said one of the men, and they all started laughing. Jon had had enough.

“My name,” said Jon slowly and deliberately, “is Jonathan Kenneth.”

Everyone in the restaurant fell deadly silent and all of them were looking at Jon. The loud-mouthed group didn’t seem to care.

“For now,” one said.

“You could be working for him right now,” said another.

“Oh please,” Jon scoffed. “Don’t you think her majesty would know?”

“You could be using a powerful Charge, something HE concocted that we could have no idea about.”

“Unlikely,” Jon said hotly. “I wouldn’t have been here for the past month merely to confuse the Empress.”

“We don’t know that.”

Jon realized that no matter how long her argued with these people, they were never going to see his viewpoint. He was fuming but managed to calmly say, “I am here to help you. Like it or not, that’s the truth.”

“You can try to convince -- look at that!”

The whole room was gasping and pointing at Jon. Jon had no idea what they were talking about. Everyone in the room was in their seats, except one person. A man about ten years older than Jon dodged past tables to where Jon was sitting. He put his hand on Jon’s shoulder and said, “Trust me.” Jon nodded, unsure of why he didn’t react when the man came bursting over to him. The room dissolved into static, and another room reformed. It was a much brighter and smaller room. There was household furniture and square windows that looked out onto a wonderful lawn that sprawled out across several low hills. Jon was now sitting at a small dinner table. The man sat down across from him.

“Thank you,” said Jon, although he wasn’t entirely sure that this was a good thing.

“You’re welcome. Tea?” said the man. He spoke softly, and the lines around his eyes belied his age, which Jon thought was not much older than himself.

“No thanks. Why did those people get that way?”

“This is why,” said the man. He got a small hand mirror from a drawer and handed it to Jon, who looked perplexed. It subsided into mild shock and disgust when he saw what was in the mirror. Apparently, his hair had black streaks that were not there before.

“Oh no,” Jon uttered. He was just staring at his reflection. In that brief few moments when Jon was furious at that group of people, had he gotten a touch of his possible future? This incident would not help with the townspeople one bit. It also made Jon feel awful. He buried his head in his hands and said, “No wonder. These people heard me telling them I was only here to help and then when some idiot shoots his mouth off, I start looking like the thing I’m supposed to be fighting against. Just perfect.”

The man sat down next to Jon, surveying him and taking in what he said. He finally spoke. “Do not worry yourself. One of the men in that restaurant was an Illusionary. He created the illusion of black in your hair. Notice how it is fading already?”

Jon stood up and looked at himself in the hand mirror again. The black in his hair literally blinked once or twice, and Jon’s normal dark brown returned. “Oh,” he said.

The man spoke again. “That Amulet, however, does have powers greater than you can imagine. Don’t take it too hard that your emotions are tied with it.”

Jon shook his head. “Yeah I know, I’ve been told -- wait, how do you know about the Amulet? And I’m sorry but, who are you? I probably should have asked you that a few minutes ago.” Jon added, speaking more to himself.

He smiled. “I have much free time on my hands, and your Phoenix Amulet is legendary. It is spoken about a lot. Plus when Ignus appeared, the Amulet became a very hot subject. My name is Xaitrel, but please call me ‘Sye’.” He was a man in his late twenties with blond hair and an olive complexion, and had an inner composure that Jotea couldn’t even muster.

“Okay...Sye,” Jon said, and smiled when he remembered when he introduced himself to Ray in much the same way. Jon looked out the windows again to make sure then said, “Why don’t you live in the city?”

“Because I am a Mirage.”

Jon merely gave him a befuddled look and almost laughed.

“My Charge is thus...” he said and became a transparent outline of himself then disappeared and reappeared several feet away by first becoming transparent, then whole again. “And I am a Prox Mage -- a teleporter. I can transport myself just about anywhere within a ten-mile radius. And I can also take a person with me, as you witnessed. It is that fact that makes Prox Magi the pariahs of this world. That is why I live here, outside the city.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Those that hold power in Iannis are either revered or feared. Noreans fear Prox Magi because of a past history of abuse of their powers. It is also discomforting when many people think of how prox magi can come into their homes at will. And think of how the government would feel if any one of us can just appear in the castle whenever and wherever they want.”

“Oh,” said Jon. He could certainly sympathize with Sye. “But surely they can do things to keep people out of certain places, right? Some... charge or something?”

“Yes...but only the very rich or very powerful can have such enchantments. The empress refuses such protection. Not that she needs it,” he added with a chuckle.

“And they can’t just keep you out of the city like this, can they?”

“No...but they can discourage it.” Sye walked over to a bureau, retrieved an object from it and slapped it down on the table. It was some sort of bracelet with a crescent moon embedded in a square in its center.

“What is that?”

“This is why I live here,” Sye began. “It is a tracking device. If you reside or visit the city, all Prox magi are required to wear one. It registers your position to every Councilor in their homes at all times. So they can find us wherever we are in the city, and monitor where we are.”

“And the Empress?”

“Well, she is clairvoyant. And besides, she has the Hall of Records.”

Jon had no idea what that meant; the last hall of records didn’t garner any sense of knowing where everyone was in the city. “But she knows you can be trusted.”

“She does. But as you may or may not know, the Council is harder to convince.”

Jon scoffed and began glancing around the room. “Yes, I know firsthand,” he said snidely. “So why do they call you ‘mirages’?”

“Because when we transport, we look sort of like a mirage. We can also do this --” Sye wavered and suddenly, there were at least twenty wavering figures, going in and out of phase. He reformed at one end of the room. There was a stature of a woman standing in the corner of that room. Sye sat back down at the table.

“Neat,” Jon observed. “Not that I’m ungrateful, but how did you know to come in and well...save me from them like that?”

“Because,” Sye said, “I know what it’s like to be sitting at the table, alone with people coming at me. It’s not a pleasant thing to go through.”

The thoughts of the next day were running through his mind, so Jon thought maybe this new person could help him. “Have you ever...had any experiences with Ignus?” asked Jon. His attempt at a change of subject turned out to backfire.

“Oh yes. He murdered most of my family, and my wife because they were spies. They worked directly for the Emperor to gather information while he was still in power.”

“Oh...I...” started Jon, but he couldn’t finish his sentence.

“Don’t worry about it. We lost many good people that New Years Day...” Sye looked up and saw Jon’s whitened pallor. He gave him a smile. “I have no ill will toward you, Jonathan. So do not worry.”

“Thanks,” Jon said appreciatively. He wasn’t sure why he thanked Sye, but it seemed like the right thing to do. “So, what were you doing at the bazaar?”

“Most likely the same thing you were -- looking around for a good deal.”

“Well, sorta. I mean, I don’t really know what qualifies as a ‘deal’ here. Plus I forgot all of those...marks, or whatever they’re called.”

Sye merely nodded and breathed a “hmmm.”

“Wait a second, weren’t you afraid of being exposed?”

“Yes,” Sye said as he considered the matter. “But the people didn’t recognize me because I haven’t been seen in Norea for quite some time.”

“How much time?”

“I’d say...six years?”

Jon’s jaw dropped. “You -- you mean you haven’t been to the city in six years?”

“You did not listen to me properly. I said I have not been seen in Norea for six years.”

Jon paused for a moment. “I don’t understand.”

“The last time I was spotted in Norea was six years ago. It happened during the New Year’s parade, exactly three years before Black New Year’s. I was sixteen years old and my powers were still not under control. I accidentally transported directly in front of a float with two hundred people staring at me.” Sye chuckled as he was staring into space, remembering. “I was never so afraid. They took me straight to the Emperor. He surveyed me and deduced that I was of course, no threat. Obviously having parents work for him didn’t hurt either.”

“What’s Black New Year?”

“That was when our Emperor and Empress were murdered while abroad in Berens.”

“Oh, sorry to hear that.”

“It was a terrible time. After my parents were killed shortly after, I decided to leave Norea to live on the outskirts when panic and uprising against Mages spiked after Black New Years.”

“I can’t imagine what that’s like,” Jon uttered in a low tone.

“It wasn’t so bad. When she was alive, I had my wife with me. Now I’ve found myself in the silence. I’ve also been able to learn more about my Charge alone than if I was in the middle of everything. Being able to concentrate solely on one thing allowed me to increase my powers exponentially. I can transport in a ten-mile radius while many of my older fellow prox magi top out at a meager three. I am quite happy with my surroundings.”

“What do you do about money?”

“My family had quite a bit of it so I can live relatively comfortably. But...” Sye trailed off and his eyes started to dart around the room.

“What is it?”

“I’m thinking of continuing my parent’s work.”

“What? There must be another way to make a living.”

“It’s not about money. I am ready to fight the Guild. If they take over Norea, our paradise will be lost, and Ignus’ tirade will know no boundaries.”

“That’s quite a step.”

“I know. But I’m not much of a fighter. There is a way I can possibly assist, I will do it.”

“That’s very noble of you,” said Jon.

“Thank you. You’re a good man, Jonathan Kenneth.”

“How do you know that? Apparently, I’m destined to become the opposite.”

“How do I know?” Sye said with feeling. “Because you’re here -- now. You here to help us. You’re trying to correct mistakes you haven’t even made yet! If that’s not good, I don’t know what is.”

“I appreciate that,” Jon said. “It’s nice to know I have a friend from this country.”

“You also have the Empress.”

“I don’t know. I think she might be nice to us just because we can help her,” Jon admitted. He’d thought about that possibility for a long time, but never had the guts to admit it to anyone, even Ray.

“I wouldn’t jump to conclusions too quickly, Jonathan,” Sye said with a smile.

Jon gave him an inquisitive look.

“I’m not at liberty to say, but I will say that the Emperor was not the only royalty I met that day six years ago.”

Jon frowned. He wasn’t quite sure what he meant. Had he met Jotea at some point?

“In any case, you should be going. It’s beginning to get dark, and I believe you have some place to be in a few hours.”

Indeed, Sye was correct. Jotea, Ray and himself were to leave at midnight to the Frost. They would be doing it under the cover of darkness to avoid any onlookers or followers.

“You’re right. Are you going to Transport me back?” Jon added. He wasn’t sure if Sye indicated that he walk back or not.

“Of course. I don’t think you want to walk seven miles back into the city. But before you go, I want to give you something.” Sye went over to the same bureau and retrieved something else and brought it to where Jon was sitting. It was the same type of mirror that Jotea showed he and Ray the image of Ignus in -- but this one was much smaller.

“What is this?”

“It’s a Comm Mirror. It’s a visual and verbal contacting device. I have not really had any other person to give it to before now.”

“I don’t know what to say.” Then Jon thought about it. “Sure I do, thanks.”

“No problem. You will be able to contact me wherever you are, and I will be able to likewise contact you wherever you are.”

“What if I go back to earth?”

“It should still work. It worked eighty, so it should be fine.”

“Thank you again -- for everything.”

“Any time. Oh, and the first time you ever make contact with me, remember to explain yourself as thoroughly as possible at that time.

“What?” said Jon, perplexed.

“You’ll see. Now, we must be off.”

Jon didn’t think about Sye’s strange comment because he was starting to experience panicky feelings he always got when he was about to do something very brave or very stupid. He stood from his seat and Sye came over to him. He handed Jon the Mirror and put his hand on Jon’s left shoulder. Jon saw his surroundings shimmer once more, then re-connect. They were in one of the gazebos in the castle’s courtyard.

“I must go before I am spotted,” said Sye.

“I really appreciate all this. You sacrificed part of your freedom to help a stranger. I’ll never forget that.”

They shook hands, and Sye disappeared in an instant.

Jon stood there, alone for a moment, and looked up at the castle. Its stones were bathed in golden sunlight that was rapidly fading. His mind flitted to what would or could happen within the next few hours. He took a deep breath and started toward the double doors.