“I remember this,” she whispered. “When I was six. He took time off from work to have dinner with me.”
I studied the human father and daughter. They spoke about stories, education, and various personal things. Love and security was abundant in speech and body language. I found myself entranced against my will. This behavior was not at all like the human behavior I had witnessed in the Mirror. Maybe I had been watching the wrong humans.
When the meal was finished, the male lifted his child from her chair and carried her out of the room just as other humans that I presumed were servants began to clear everything away.
“Come on,” Mercedes whispered. “He’s going to take me upstairs.”
Though it was obvious we could not be seen or heard, Mercedes kept somewhat of a distance between her father and her child self. I could not blame her for it. The male handed the little girl to a woman in a servant uniform, but not before kissing her on the forehead and promising that he would wish her sweet dreams before she slumbered.
“That’s Natalie, our housekeeper,” Mercedes said. “She’s going to get me ready for bed now.”
The woman carried the child away. The male went in the opposite direction. Mercedes bit her lip.
“I wonder…” She made to follow the woman, but stopped in her tracks. She turned to me and said, “I can’t go any further. He wants us to follow my dad.”
“Then that is what we must do,” I said not without bitterness.
We followed the male whose destination possessed a complex path. He made various twists and turns, opening doors and resealing them, all the while glancing over his shoulder to ensure the solitude of his journey. I looked at Mercedes, but she appeared as confused as I was. She had no idea where her father was going.
The last door her father opened revealed a flight of downward stairs. We followed him down, and my hearing picked up voices again. Not just two this time, but several.
“There are humans down here,” I whispered to Mercedes. “A lot of humans.”
She didn’t reply. Her skin had not yet regained its golden hue. Quite the contrary, it looked more pallid and sickly than ever. She was confused, and she was afraid.
Her pace quickened down the stairs. Upon reaching the end, I was greeted by the sight of several human males. Their garb was professional and they all sat together at a long table, sipping wine, consuming food, trading stories, smiling, and laughing. At first glance, the scene would have appeared similar to the one before with human father and daughter, but the notion would have lasted a moment at the most. The atmosphere of this setting and the faces of these humans did not contain a drop of love or security. They contained everything I had witnessed in humanity throughout my centuries of observation: greed, contempt, selfishness, corruption.
Mercedes’ father took his place at the head of the table. When he spoke, his voice was void of the gentle, compassionate tones he had used when addressing his daughter.
“I apologize for the delay.”
“You should apologize for bringing us here in the first place,” one of the men said sharply. His accent was noticeably different than Mercedes’ father’s was along with his choice of hairstyle. “We should be somewhere far less conspicuous than the house of the great Nathaniel Strand.”
“And we would be if not for the rumors that the location of our safe house has been leaked to the FBI,” Nathaniel countered. “We did not get this far by being careless. We will hold meetings in the safe house once certain meddling winds have blown over and not a moment sooner. My home may be moderately conspicuous, yes, but its security is second to none, as is the cleanliness of my hands. Do any of you disagree?”
None of them did. He continued.
“Now then, I would like to keep this short. It's getting late and I promised my daughter I would kiss her goodnight before she sleeps.” Several of the men smirked. Nathaniel ignored them. “As you all know, Strand Clean Energy is having some problems with GreenCorp. They believe we are withholding funding and services to certain states on purpose in order to keep them reliant on fossil fuels. Where they could have gotten such ludicrous ideas is beyond me,” several of the men chuckled, “but if they can falsify documents, then that could be a serious problem.” More chuckles. This time far louder. “GreenCorp is far too noble and high-strung to respond to self-indulgent forms of persuasion, so we will have to try something different.”
“Shall I arrange a few accidents for the accusers?” the accented man inquired. His smile contained a deep cruelty.
“No, that would be far too obvious,” Nathaniel said. “I prefer a more subtle, delicate approach. One that will make our accusers live to regret the foulness of their misdeeds.”
“What do you have in mind?”
Nathaniel rubbed his chin in thought. “I believe the solution is to give GreenCorp a taste of their own medicine. Igor, I will especially need your help with this.”
A slim, aging human with icy dark eyes smiled. “The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Strand.”
“Excellent. This meeting is adjourned.” Nathaniel stood up. “If you would all excuse me, I must see to my daughter now. My housekeeper will show you out.”
The humans began filing out, but Mercedes didn’t move at first. Being that this was merely an illusion, they phased right through her as though they were made of air and not flesh and blood. Her gaze remained locked on her father. I thought she had looked pale and sickly before, but had she informed me right then that she was mere moments away from dying I would have believed her. Regardless of her state, she followed her father to her child self’s sleeping chambers.
The little girl was sitting up on her bed reading from what I recognized as a datapad. At her father’s approach, she immediately put it down and smiled brightly. Nathaniel smiled in turn, hugged his daughter, and tucked her under the soft blankets of her bed. He brushed her forehead with his lips.
“Dream of the angels, little princess,” he whispered. With a final smile, he turned out the lights and left the room.
Mercedes didn’t follow him; she was staring at her younger self. At the peaceful, innocent child who appeared to be doing exactly as her father said: dreaming of the angels.
“Liar.”
I blanched, not at the word, but the amount of venom in it.
“It’s a good try, Tezcatlipoca,” she continued, keeping her gaze locked on her child self. I noted that her hands were trembling slightly. “But it’s not going to work.”
I am aware that you have an excellent memory, little key. My jaw clenched at the sound of the loathsome god’s voice. The details of this particular incidence have never gotten lost within it. At least not the part you played. I merely filled in the gaps so that you would be aware of everything.
Anger and denial warred on Mercedes’ face. After a few moments, she let out a deep breath and spoke calmly.
“My father,” she uttered, “earned his place in the business world through honesty and integrity. You have nothing to gain by telling me otherwise. I know it’s a lie.”
There was a moment of silence.
Yes. You truly do believe what I have shown you is a lie. There is not a shred of doubt in your mind. Only anger. Very well. Your anger is satisfactory enough. And I have all the time in the world.
He didn’t speak again, but we were not returned to reality. Mercedes took one last look at her child self’s sleeping face before turning to me.
“Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
Normally, I would have berated her for having the gall to give me orders. However, I was only too eager to distance myself from this place.
Mercedes stopped only when we were halfway through the frontal yard. Her back was to me and her stance retained its previous calmness.
“This is what we’re going to face, Tarasque,” she said. “This is our test. He’s going to feed us lie after lie after lie. And each one will seem more convincing than the last.” She turned around to look at me w
ith burning eyes. “We have to stay strong. We have to remember who we are.”
I nodded. Lies such as the one Necoc Yaotl just presented to Mercedes were specifically designed to corrupt her, to make her think her origins and her kin were impure, meaning that she must be impure in turn. And if Necoc Yaotl would lie about her father, he most definitely would lie about mine.
“I will always know who I am,” I said. “I am Tarasque, king of the dragons. No one shall tell me differently, god or mortal.”
She smiled. “And I’m Mercedes Strand. No one shall tell me differently, god or mortal.”
***
Shadow
The sun would be rising very soon, but I was not afraid. I knew that light the sirens had used to torture me with before was in fact sunlight summoned by some form of sorcery. Now I possessed a unique immunity to it thanks to my ravenous feasts on siren blood. Crouching in one of the very few shadows in this admittedly magnificent kingdom, I watched various sirens pass me by including several garbed in the armor of the guards I had killed. Had the area been more secluded, I would have grabbed one and interrogated him regarding the whereabouts of Eulathrin, Mercedes’ siren acquaintance. She would know where my love was.
Inwardly, I cringed against the pain that thought caused. Well-deserved pain, though. I had absolutely no right to think of her as my love, yet I could not help it. Not even when the memory of the way she had looked at me before carrying Blackhole away seared my conscience.
Get me out of here, Eulathrin. Get me as far away from here as you can.
I embraced the self-loathing, let it butcher my insides. Pain had fueled my strength many times throughout my five-hundred years of life. This time, it would give me to strength to obey my honor, to remove myself from Mercedes’ life once her safety was assured.
The sun continued to rise. I felt no pain. My enhanced hearing was beginning to pick up less sound. When it lessened to my satisfaction, I prepared to use all of my speed to move to the next area.
My body froze when I felt a presence behind me.
I did not move. I stayed there, still, fighting down the urge to punish, to wreak my vengeance.
Get me out of here, Eulathrin. Get me as far away from here as you can.
My hands curled into half-fists.
“I have absolutely nothing to say to you, as you have nothing to say that I wish to hear.”
His responding whine was sad, but highly insistent. I did not turn around.
“I will spare you for her. Leave before I change my mind.”
He growled. This time it was derisive. I whirled around, grabbed him, and shoved him against the wall. But my touch, however violent, enabled him to speak clearly in my head with no effort.
You need to follow me! The guards are coming. They’re searching every dark area in the vicinity!
“And what,” I said with deadly calm, “makes you believe that I will follow you? What makes you believe I will trust a single word from that lying, manipulative mind of yours?"
If you want my life, it is yours. I would have let you have it the first time. But we need to get out of here. He snarled at me. Now, Shadow!
In the distance, I heard the approach of guards. My eyes narrowed and I released Blackhole.
To his credit, he did not waste a moment. He led me down a path that caused me to use every ounce of stealth I possessed. We hid behind pillars, ducked around the edges of buildings, all while guards flew about and golden sunlight shining down on us. I frowned. This was the path I should have taken in the first place. Naturally, they would search dark places first, regardless of my strange immunity to sunlight. It was an error I would rectify once I was rid of Blackhole.
The Evanescence led me to a balcony at least two-hundred stories above ground. I leapt inside. My presence caused a cry of fear and anger from an elderly siren female within who had been managing displays of clothing. She continued to shout at me. I grabbed her by the throat.
“Silence,” I snarled. This old creature possessed the same smug, superior, cowardly aura I had felt so many times before. By the darkest hell, I detested sirens. My fangs emerged and I took a moment to enjoy the way her eyes bugged out in horror before drinking. Only until the last drop was consumed did I let her fall to the ground, a broken heap of flesh and feathers. Blackhole spared me a glance before devouring the corpse and any remaining splatters of blood.
“I would have hid it!” I snarled at him.
I felt our bond strain slightly when he spoke to me. You wouldn’t have had time to clean up all of it before you had to move again.
I grabbed him again, much harder than the last time. “What are you doing, you sniveling traitor?” I hissed. “If you are hoping to gain my trust again—”
I’m not after your trust, Shadow, he insisted. You heard me before. If you want my life, you can have it.
I wanted to. By hell I wanted to. But even in my rage, I knew it would bring me no satisfaction. My other reason was far more important.
“If she nearly died for you,” I bit out, “then I cannot without disgracing her. So keep your wretched life, traitor.”
I released him and gained some satisfaction when disappointment radiated from our bond.
“You wish to die so badly? You wish to be free of your suffering? After what you have done, are you so dishonorable as to believe yourself worthy of such mercy?”
I am not looking for mercy. I wish to die because in death, I will not be able to bring harm to you or Mercedes again. After a moment, he said in a much grimmer voice, But now I am beginning to believe that is a fool’s notion. If our father wishes me to harm you by my life or death, I will do so. He has the power.
Our father.
No. I would not think about that now.
“I care not for Tezcatlipoca’s power,” I spat. “I care only for the well-being of Mercedes.”
Shadow, you cannot speak of our father in such a—
“HE IS NOT—MY—FATHER!”
I stood there, panting, hating the universe and everything in it, including myself. The only star that shone in the infinite night was that of my love.
You don’t have to call him father, Blackhole said softly. But you must not provoke him as you provoked the elites. Mercedes is in his power, Shadow.
I grabbed him again. “Where,” I hissed, “Is she?”
I can’t tell you. You must find your own way.
“That is exactly what I intended to do all along.” I gave him a contemptuous shove and proceeded to walk away. “I do not know why I wasted so much time here with you.”
Just as I was about to check if there were guards hovering outside the balcony, Blackhole crossed my path.
Shadow, I know my apologies mean nothing. I know I cannot atone for what I have done. But if you wish to remain among the living, you must not provoke our father as you provoked the elites. Mercedes is vital to his plans for the dragons. She will not be harmed. You are part of his plans as well, but if you insist on becoming a liability, then you will make yourself one. Do you understand?
The sheer desperation in his voice surprised me, as was the genuine concern for my welfare. But surprise quickly gave way to anger.
“If you truly value my life and Mercedes’ well-being so much, then why serve one who wishes to destroy us? Are you so naïve as to believe Tezcatlipoca will release Mercedes once he has what he desires from her?”
Blackhole cringed. I snorted in disgust and made to walk away.
I have to obey, Shadow. I have no choice. I am bound to our father in ways you cannot imagine.
“And Mercedes and I mean so little to you that you would accept your chains without thought or question?”
I didn’t wait for answer. The way was clear, so I took it.
***
Mercedes
Only a moment passed after Tarasque and I vowed that Tezcatlipoca would never corrupt us did reality shift again. The type of reality indicated that the dark god was not at all pleased a
t our display of strength. The scenery consisted of a parched ground as far as the eye could see. Dark clouds billowed over us, and soon enough, said parched ground was greedily soaking up a downpour of rain. Tarasque changed into that magnificent phoenix again, and though his wingspan was that of a small airplane, the winds ensured that we were both soaked to the bone in a matter of seconds. Shielding my eyes with my hand, I kept an eye on the ground, trying my best to ignore how cold I was getting. I couldn’t deny my intense relief when I spotted a large cave carved into an enormous wall of rock several miles into our journey.
Tarasque, down there. There’s a cave in that rock wall.
The phoenix’s fierce but elegant head dipped down to where I was pointing. Large, liquid black narrowed eyes narrowed even further.
What a generous mercy, he said inside my head.
The cave was big enough for Tarasque to fit both of us inside. Once we were safe from the rain, he shifted back into human form and caught my gaze. We were both panting, miserable, freezing, and soaked. I rubbed my temples, determined not to let a growing headache get the better of me.
“Let’s see if there’s some excess rocks and wood around,” I said, willing my teeth not to chatter. “A fire would be very nice right now.”
“Indeed.” Tarasque said. His teeth were clenched as well, but I could tell that it was more due to rage than cold.
Now wasn’t the time to talk to him, though. Reason always worked best when one was as physically comfortable as possible. I silently looked around the cave, refusing to allow the cold to slow my movements down. Rocks weren’t a problem, and surprisingly, neither was wood or leaves. The cave was plentiful with little plants and reasonably sized branches. I gathered as many as my arms could hold and dumped them into a growing pile. Tarasque helped, but not in his human form. He gathered firewood in a form that was humanoid, but large, lumpy, ugly, and most definitely not human. I suspected it was a troll or an ogre of some sort, but didn’t ask. Whatever it was, it was many times stronger than a human. Within fifteen or so minutes, we had constructed a large pile of firewood with plenty to spare so we wouldn’t have to get up for a while should Tezcatlipoca choose to keep us here for a long time.
Tarasque changed back into his human form and raised his hand over the wood. His face contorted in concentration, but nothing happened. Finally, he growled in exasperation.