Keepers of the Flame (49 page)

Elizabeth
hadn’t told Faucon. He was taking the loss of a father figure hard, as anyone
would. So Elizabeth was comforting him, too.

Sooner
than they expected, they had a message from Koz. During dinner Bri was having
with Sevair, Elizabeth contacted Bri mentally.
Did you hear from Koz?”

A
note saying you’d discuss something with me.
Bri hadn’t had the energy or the
curiosity to contact her twin. That was getting harder and harder. As hard as
believing they’d whip this sickness, as hard as putting on a smiling mask.

Just
as we’ve been working hard on curing you.
Elizabeth’s thoughts scattered,
realigned.
He’s been learning mirror magic. Apparently it’s a much different
magical system than Bossgond’s Dimensional Corridor processes. Koz believes he
can put a mirror into my apartment.
An undertone of wistfulness shadowed
Elizabeth’s mental voice.
We may even get audio and visual capabilities.

That’s
wonderful
.
Bri meant it, just didn’t have a lot of juice to say it.

He
wants to experiment tonight. Wants us to be there.

Bossgond’s
island. Ttho.

No,
he already has some sort of location mirror to lock onto my apartment
.” A mental
shrug.
I have no idea how it works.

Sounds
good
.
Bri hated the night. Hated sleep, even with Sevair’s arms around her. Even
after lovemaking.

He
won’t be here until very late.

That
didn’t bother Bri.
Still fine with me. When?

There
was a little hesitation.
Would you spend the night with me here in my tower
suite?

Bri
sniffled.
I’d love to.

I
want to be near you, just tonight. Sisters. Twins.

Me,
too.

So
Bri explained to a scowling Sevair that it was a twins-only night together. He
didn’t like it and that actually cheered Bri. The man was not too good to be
true. They argued with some heat before he remembered her condition and
grudgingly gave way. She kissed him, grabbed her solar backpack and all her
remaining goodies and flew with Mud to Castleton.

They
ate chocolate—Elizabeth still had more than Bri—took turns listening to Bri’s
music player, sang silly songs and did a few gentle dances together.

It
was late, near 2:00 a.m., when Koz strummed the doorharp and knocked. The door
opened and Elizabeth saw him. “Finally,” she grumbled. She and Bri had been
dozing on the love seat, tilting toward each other.

Koz
smiled. “That’s a lovely sight.”

“Huh,”
Bri stood and stretched, a little too pale. Elizabeth’s heart squeezed. She
hoped Koz wouldn’t notice.

But
Bri had a diversion ready. She reached into her pack and pulled out gold-foiled
candies. “Want some chocolate?”

Koz’s
eyes sharpened, his teeth gleamed in a smile and Elizabeth realized the light
had dimmed in the room—after she and Bri had stopped speaking and fallen
asleep. “Lights.” The room brightened. Bri grunted.

A
chocolate nugget disappeared in Koz’s mouth.

“Have
you got the stuff?” Bri said, then giggled, not quite the usual Bri giggle, but
Koz shouldn’t notice that. “I always like saying that.”

Elizabeth
relaxed at Bri’s cheerful tone. Bri was feeling upbeat. This would all be
easier.

“Brilliant,”
Elizabeth said, looking expectantly at Koz.

He
didn’t answer, merely opened a belt pouch and brought out a thick wad of velvet
which he put on the nearby dining room table and began to carefully unfold.

“Koz?”
Bri asked.

“Enjoying
chocolate here,” he mumbled thickly and Elizabeth understood he was letting the
candy melt in his mouth, not chomping it down, demonstrating patience and
sensuality. Too bad neither of them had fallen for him. He deserved a good
woman.

A
minute later two hand-sized mirrors were revealed.

Koz
swallowed, gave a little moan, shook his head, sighed. “Don’t know if I’ll ever
ask for that again. The taste buds aren’t used to it and that makes the
experience all the more intense. When that candy’s gone, it’s gone.” He
grimaced, a corner of his mouth lifted. “Like the nuts by the way. Thanks.”

Touching
one of the mirrors, Bri cocked her head at Koz. “I didn’t think they made magic
mirrors so small.”

“
They
don’t. I do.” He grinned, tucked his thumbs into his belt. “Revolutionized the
process—which is progressing fast and cutting edge for this culture, don’t
think anyone understands that. Good people, mirror magicians.” Nodding at the
mirrors, he said, “Think of them as cell phones. One for each of you. They’ll
tune to your personal Song as you use them.”

Elizabeth
picked up the other. It reflected her face and the room darkly.

“It’s
not a real mirror,” Bri said.

“Of
course it is,” Koz said. “It just doesn’t show what’s around you, but is linked
to a different place.”

“My
place?” Elizabeth asked.

“How
do we activate it?” Bri asked.

“Bossgond
can occasionally transfer an object to and from Earth.” Koz waved a hand. “It
depends on the cycles of the Dimensional Corridor, which is shifting by the
way, soon to close between here and there.”

“We
know.” Elizabeth couldn’t keep the sharpness from her tone. That had been
mentioned in the Exotique Lorebooks, but no one had spoken of it to her or Bri.

“Right,”
Koz said. “Bossgond’s the only Circlet who knows the cycles, but the Singer
knows, too.
She
was the one to tell the Marshalls the day to Summon
Alexa. Anyway, Bossgond got a large magical mirror into your empty apartment.
He says empty is easier and best, though he tried several times. That’s the
first. If it works, we’ll try to put one in your folks’ place.”

“Oh.”
Bri sat down all the way to the floor. She cupped the mirror in her hands, held
it close to her chest.

Elizabeth’s
knees felt weak and her eyes watered. Koz took her hand, eased her and himself
to the floor, too, with him between Bri and her. He pulled Bri’s hands gently
away so the surface of the mirror could be seen by all of them, gestured for
Elizabeth to angle her mirror the same.

“Let’s
see if it works.” He was tense. “Tap the mirror and say ‘abracadabra.’”

37

“A
bracadabra!”
Elizabeth looked at him.

“What?
You wanted ‘open sesame’?” He lifted and dropped a shoulder. “They’re my
mirrors. I wanted something easy for us, the Exotiques, to remember but hard
for the Lladranans.” Another shoulder twitch. “Security measure.”

“Good
idea,” Elizabeth approved.

“Colorado
time’s a couple of hours behind us, so your apartment will be empty. All to the
good.”

“It
will be dark, how will we know—” Bri started.

“Abracadabra,”
Elizabeth said.

But
her apartment wasn’t dark. The glow of the lamp on her desk in her living room
cast soft light. Elizabeth’s breath caught at the rush of affection for all her
old, familiar things. Another life. Another lifetime ago.

“I
didn’t think you left that light on,” Bri said.

A
man groaned.

It
wasn’t Koz.

“We
have audio, too,” Koz whispered proudly.

Cassidy
Jones sank down into the desk chair. He riffled the pages of Elizabeth’s open
desktop calendar, as if he’d done it time and again. He propped his head in his
hands, despairing.

“Cassidy!”
Bri hissed softly.

“Him
again,” Elizabeth muttered. But her chest tightened.

“He
looks bad,” Koz said in normal tones.

“Can
he hear us?”

“Safety
feature, for not causing folk to think they’re insane,” Koz said. “You have to
tap the mirror and say, ‘Testing. Testing. Testing.’”

“Will
someone be able to see us, too?”

“That’s
the idea, though of course we haven’t tried the audio or visual. Gonna take
guts on the other side to try that. Looks like you ripped him hard,” Koz said.

“You
have it wrong,” Elizabeth said coolly. “He dumped me and ripped me hard.”

“Guy
got the guts to accept voices from the air?” Koz asked.

“He
couldn’t even believe in my gift for healing and he’s a doctor and
saw
how I helped. Of course not. I don’t want to talk to him, anyway. Damn man, in
my
apartment.”

Cassidy
moaned again, whispered, “Where
are
you, Elizabeth? I’ve checked all
Bri’s flaky friends and the refugee camps. You aren’t with Doctors Without
Borders or Hospital Ship Hope.”

The
three in Lladrana stilled.

“Uh-oh,
trouble,” Koz said.

“He’s
talking to himself,” Bri said. “The great Cassidy Jones. Not like him.”

“I
have contacts with all the international groups. Where
are
you,
Elizabeth?” He stalked to the mirror. “This is new, a present from your
parents? Suits you.” His mouth turned down. “I can almost
feel
you,
Elizabeth.” He shook his head. “I was such a fool.”

“Sounds
like the man has had this conversation with himself before,” Koz said. “Sure
you don’t want to try to contact him?”

“I’m
sure,” Elizabeth said.

“Would
he be cruel enough to tell Dad and Mom?” Bri turned wide eyes on Elizabeth.

Elizabeth
shook her head. “No, he loves them. He won’t tell them.” She looked at Koz,
“How do we disengage?”

“Tap
the mirror and say ‘signing off.’”

“Signing
off.” Elizabeth touched the mirror, watched it fade into darkness, waited for
Bri to do the same.

Her
twin stared into the mirror. “I wouldn’t have thought it of him. Who knew?” She
shrugged, tapped the mirror. “Signing off.”

Koz
rose easily to his feet and went to the door. He bowed, expression serious.
“The mirror magicians and I worked hard on these mirrors. It isn’t Circlet
Power like Bossgond’s interdimensional magic. We’ve initiated a link with Earth
through your apartment, and intend to send one to your parents’ house. Or maybe
we send it to your place and have you ‘call’ them again and take it to their
home. You’ll be able to see and talk to them even after the Dimensional
Corridor shifts and the portals between our worlds close. Think of
that
when considering your futures.” Another bow and he was slipping out the door.

Elizabeth
met Bri’s gaze. Koz had meant the little talk to be about the Snap, their
choices. That was far outside the orbit of their concerns right now. The only
fate they cared about was whether Bri would live or die.

Carefully,
Elizabeth put the mirror in its sleeve. Bri’s eyes were wide and staring.
Elizabeth could feel her being sucked into despair. She wouldn’t let that
happen. She wouldn’t accept that her twin sister would die. Not possible.

So
she put her arms around Bri and kept her safe through the rest of the dark
hours of the night. And prayed.

B
ri waited until
she knew Sevair had gone to work before she flew back to her tower. She stopped
at her bedroom threshold, staring at a plump, foot-long hamster snoozing on the
broad ledge of her windowsill.

A
little surge of delight, some fizz of Power, when she saw the magical being.
The fey-coo-cus had been absent from the Castle scene for a while.

When
he saw her he rose to his haunches and clasped pink-claw-tipped paws together.
His Song, a mixture of classical Earth music and lilting Lladranan notes,
pulsed with deep yearning. A tingle ran down Bri’s spine.

The
baby needs good nuts to grow well
.

Bri
stared. “Baby.”

Tuckerinal
thrust out his hamster chest. It looked more like his belly.
I am a father.

She
grappled with the thought for a minute, caught him staring hungrily at her
backpack. Good thing she hadn’t left it. “Um, can’t the Circlets make it good
nuts?” Knowing that group, they’d be making atom balls and whatever like mad to
feed the new fey-coo-cu and see the results.

Not
the same. The baby needs EARTH nuts, since it is half-Earth
.

She
clutched the backpack to her chest. The evil sprout inside her burned. She
refused to let it dictate her life.

Look
appealing,
Tuck said, and Bri got a jolt when she realized he was speaking to a small
shimmer of air beside him. A pinwheel of sparkling rainbow color coalesced and
spun rapidly until she looked away. When she looked back, there was a pale pink
kitten, half the size of Tuckerinal. It lay curled on the windowsill, then
opened blue eyes at her and gave a tiny mew.
Hel-lo
.