Hours later, the representatives of the twelve clans were gathered in a meeting around their leader. It was time to decide on how to respond to the tergs’ clear declaration of war. Twenty-four eagles circled around a small fire with sombre expressions in their eyes. Every clan leader was accompanied by his second in command. In Mara’s stead, Junior was allowed to take part as an honorary guest, but he was there only to observe. Due to his young age, he had neither the experience, nor the wisdom to offer to this council, and he humbly accepted that. Mara’s second in command, Ha’za, would speak for their clan.
Hëna and Séraphin sat on either side of Junior, and also kept silent and simply observed.
The meeting went on for a good while. Every clan leader took his or her turn to express their anger and outrage at the tergs’ attack on their leader’s camp, and asked for immediate retaliation, pledging their entire clan’s participation in the coming war. Ìskender might be their father and leader, but he respected each clan’s autonomy and would not force the decision on anyone.
Hëna could practically see the eagles’ blood boil and smell their hunger for revenge. She did not blame them. This was an honourable race that had done their outmost to lead a peaceful life and make a place in their world even for their enemies, yet their lives had been turned upside down in a single night and they risked losing everything they had ever build for themselves, including their lives and freedom. Still, she knew only too well that war came with consequences for both sides and wished that there could be some other way to resolve the conflict between the two races.
After the clan leaders unanimously pledged all their able bodied eagles to war, it was time for Ìskender to speak again. He sat on the ground on the same level as everyone else, yet he still towered over them all, being easily the biggest, as well as the oldest one of them.
‘It warms my heart,’ he began, ‘to see no clan, not a single eagle remaining behind and shying away from this battle. If you would indulge me for one more moment, I would like to show you something with the help of our two new friends.’
No one objected, of course, and he motioned for Hëna and Séraphin to stand up, something they had clearly pre-arranged. They did, coming forward, with Séraphin producing a small pile of sticks in his hands, about seven or eight of them. He made sure everyone could see them.
‘Try and see if you can break them,’ Ìskender told him.
Séraphin wrapped both hands around the pile and tried hard to break it, but without success. Stacked together, the wood sticks were unbreakable. After a couple of tries, he finally gave up and lowered his hands, red washing over his face.
‘Now, you try,’ Ìskender this time addressed Hëna, who nodded with her head and took the pile from Séraphin’s hands. She did not do things the same way as Séraphin, however. Instead, she took the sticks apart, and one by one broke them all, while the eyes of every eagle in the camp followed her every action. When all the sticks were broken in half and dropped at her feet, they both sat back down where they were.
‘Thank you,’ Ìskender told them both, before he continued to address to the whole council. ‘As no doubt you understand the point I was trying to make with that little demonstration, there is weakness in being divided, but strength in unity. As long as we all stay together, we will be unbreakable and should fear no defeat. This is why we will win this war and the tergs will lose it.’
He signalled to one of the eagles waiting in the distance behind him, who in turn signalled to someone else, even farther back. In a matter of seconds, another eagle flew in from the west, landing just outside the circle. That’s when they all saw the small man climbing down from his back. Immediately murmurs and whispers broke into the camp, with several of the leaders getting up and protesting loudly.
Ìskender seemed to have expected this, for he did not appear concerned. He spoke calmly, yet with a commanding tone.
‘Hold your peace, brothers, please. Nazir is here as my guest and he is to be treated as such. He has information that we will want to hear.’
The murmurs slowly died down and the eagles sat back into their place, but hostility was still in the air and none felt it more than Nazir. The little man - he barely rose up to Hëna’s shoulders - stared timidly at the giant birds, who looked at him as if he was nothing more than a morsel. Or maybe that’s how he felt in this very moment. Head down, he proceeded to walk towards Ìskender, positioning himself before him, inside the circle.
‘Welcome, Nazir; we have been expecting you.’
‘Thank you for agreeing to see me, your highness,’ Nazir replied with his voice trembling. Several of the eagles laughed at his choice of words.
‘I am no king, Nazir. You may call me Ìskender.’
‘Of course, my lord Ìskender,’ Nazir hurried to agree, bowing his head down.
‘I do not believe we have met before, have we?’ Ìskender asked.
‘No, my lord. You have met my father, the former counsellor of our king. He died two years ago, and that’s when King Aram asked me to take over his duties.’
‘I am sorry to hear of your father’s passing. I remember him; he was a big supporter of the peace treaty which myself and King Aram signed back then. The news of his death is most troubling to hear; may I ask how he died?’
‘We do not know, my lord Ìskender. He was found lifeless in the king’s palace by his men, but what caused it, we could not tell. The king ordered an investigation, but since they could not find anything, they concluded that he must have eaten something bad that killed him.’
‘And what do you think?’
‘The unrest of my people has been growing louder over the past few years, my lord. My father was one of the biggest supporters of the treaty, to the point, I fear, that it might have caused him his life.’
‘And what is your position on the treaty between our two peoples? Do you honour it as your father once did?’
‘I do, my lord, I do. And so does King Aram, still. But I’m afraid, that no longer matters. King Aram has been dethroned and imprisoned, by his own son, I might add. Prince Amir and his followers have grown tired of the life underground and seek to establish a new kingdom on the surface. Most of my people agree with them and have joined their ranks to fight, but there are still a few of us who respect the old treaty and are happy with our life the way it is.’
‘I see,’ Ìskender said. ‘I cannot say this comes as a surprise. There were barely a couple hundred of your people when the treaty was first signed, but I knew that your numbers would grow with time and eventually we would clash again. I guess I’ve just been too naïve, believing that the treaty would last for ever. I know better than that.’
Ìskender lowered his heads and remained silent for a moment. Nobody else spoke either. Hëna and Séraphin continued to watch and listen as everything unfolded before them.
‘You said your king has been dethroned and imprisoned,’ Ìskender returned to the conversation with the young terg.
‘Along with a few other supporters,’ Nazir added.
‘What about you? Does Prince Amir not consider you a supporter of his father?’
‘He does, my lord. I was imprisoned along with everyone else; he only let me out so I can deliver his message to you.’
‘Then, do what you were sent here to do,’ said Ìskender.
Nazir took out of his pocket a rolled parchment, unfolded it and swallowed once before beginning to read.
‘His royal highness, the High Sultan of the new Terg Empire, Amir the 1st, hereby nullifies the existing treaty between the two dominant races of terg and eagle, and state our claim of rulership over all of Arbanon, above and below surface. The eagle oppressors, who have forced us to live in hiding, away from the light of the sun, while they and all the other beasts roam freely on these lands, will be given one chance only to relinquish dominion of all of Arbanon territories, and migrate beyond the great river, or face annihilation. They will have no more than three days to comply, after which, I, Sultan Amir, th
e 1st, will unleash my entire army against them and wash the land with their dirty blood.’
Having finished with the message and rolling the parchment back up, Nazir put his hands back down, not really knowing what to do next. Shyly, he raised his eyes to meet Ìskender’s, all the while around him there was dead silence. Nobody seemed to even be breathing for that one single moment.
Soon enough, however, the initial shock from the message made way to cries of outrage and anger from all the clan leaders in the camp. Everyone apart from Hëna, Séraphin and Junior seemed to be ready to jump on the poor terg and strike him down where he stood. It took all the authority that Ìskender could invoke to calm them down and restore order in the camp once again, before he could reply to Nazir.
‘Your young prince has indeed grown overconfident, if he thinks he can intimidate us with his arrogant words.’
Nazir did not answer. He just stood there, pretty much convinced that he was done for. The eagles would not let him live after this, and even if they did, he had nowhere to go. Amir would send him back to prison, or worse, kill him, if he went back to his people. Whatever happened next, there wasn’t much hope for him.
Before him, Ìskender seemed to have fallen into deep thought as the clan leaders demanded that he order them into battle once and for all. Hëna understood his hesitation all too well. Pride demands action, but love urges caution. It was clear that the eagles would never even consider abandoning Arbanon and that eventually meant war, but this war would come at a terrible cost, and not just for all the eagles that might fall during the battle. There could be no coexistence with the tergs after this and that could only mean that there could be no tergs left standing in the end. It is no small a thing for a leader to consider, the extinction of an entire race.
‘Tell me, Nazir,’ Ìskender finally spoke again. ‘How many of your people do you think still remain faithful to the king and the old treaty?’
‘I don’t know, my lord. It’s probably about five or six hundred of us, if you include our women and children.’
‘And would they follow you and your king still?’
‘If it means life and peace, my lord, yes. Not all of us are after land and blood.’
‘Very well. I may have a proposition for you, but I will have to discuss it first with my clans. So, please, retreat back to your camp, and I will call for you when we are done here.’
‘As you wish, my lord Ìskender,’ Nazir bowed his head down once again, putting one hand on his turban to stop it from falling off his head. He then retreated away from the circle of eagles, appearing relieved.
Ìskender now turned towards his fellow eagles, claiming their undivided attention.
‘I have heard you voice, brothers and sisters, loud and clear. Arbanon is our home, our birthright; nothing and no one will ever drive us away from it or take it from us. We will all die defending it, if it must be, but we will not flee to save our feathers and much less abandon Arbanon and all of its natural inhabitants to be butchered and slaughtered by a people whose greed has ever been greater than their respect for any other living and breathing race. We have been charged with watching over the animal kingdom in this world, and we will not fail them. So, yes, to war we will go.’
Shouts of approval echoed through the camp as the clan leaders rejoiced at the decision. Ìskender had not finished, however, so they soon settled back down and allowed him to continue.
‘However, there is something that I beg you to consider. There is a fair number of innocent tergs down there that did not ask for this war, and they should not pay with their lives because of it.’
Silence suddenly fell over the camp as these latest words seemed to rub most of the clan leaders the wrong way. Some of them began murmuring amongst each other. The one closest to Ìskender, an elderly looking grey-feathered eagle decided to voice his opinion.
‘What would you have us do, father? They were a small number when you first signed the peace treaty with them, and they promised to honour it. Yet, here we are now, preparing to fight to defend our home and our lives from them. If we were to let even a handful of them live, eventually history would repeat itself, and our children would judge us for not learning from our mistake.’
‘They don’t deserve a second chance,’ the eagle next to the first one said, ‘they would only abuse it and would shed more of our blood. They need to pay for what they’ve done, and if we have to get rid of every single one of them, I say we’re all the better for it.’
‘They can no longer share this world with us,’ called another leader farther down the line.
‘No, they cannot,’ Ìskender raised his voice, unwilling to listen to any more negative comments from his leaders. ‘And, my firstborn is right, we have to learn from our mistake and do things differently this time. It is clear that our two races cannot coexist and that there is no place in this world for a people such as them. But I will not be responsible for their extinction. They are not all evil, and not all our enemies. There is good in them, too, and I think that in the right place and with the right conditions they could become a great people.’
‘Then, what do you suggest we do, father?’ his firstborn asked again.
‘I suggest an expedition,’ Ìskender replied, now confusing everyone. ‘I would like to send one of our own down the river to the next world, to check whether it’s a place fit for life. If we learn that it is and that there is enough room for them all, we will send them down there to build their new home.’
‘But, my lord, how will we know? No one can return from there if they went.’
‘No one has ever tried, as far as we know,’ Ìskender corrected. ‘I have a plan that I think might work. It’s a long shot, but in the end, if it fails, we can decide on a plan B when we get to it. For now, I just need one of us to shoulder this responsibility, and I know just who to send,’ Ìskender finished, his eyes fixed on Junior.
Freddie finally opened his eyes, yawning uncontrollably. Daylight was strong in the room, which suggested that it was well past morning already. He was alone in the bed; Serena had apparently let him sleep in.
He sat up, wiped the sleep from his eyes and ran his hands through his short messed up hair. He had not slept much that night; having Serena lying beside him had made it virtually impossible. She’d slept in his arms practically the entire night and he’d been constantly alert, making sure she was comfortable and nothing disturbed her sleep.
But that had not been all of it. He had been unprepared for how good it would feel to lay next to her, so close that he could sense her body heat merge with his own. The scent coming from her hair had been intoxicating, and the feel of her skin even more so. Despite his tiredness, he had been unable to allow himself to go to sleep, unwilling to miss even a second of this night, which he was sure he would never live again. So he had stayed awake for as long as he could, until sleep had conquered him, too.
But now that the morning was finally here, he felt conflicted. He was obviously attracted to this girl, and that wasn’t good. There was no future for the two of them, even if by some miracle she liked him in the same way. Though, he failed to see how a beautiful girl like her could like him. He told himself that last night had meant nothing; she’d needed a friend and that was it. He’d just happened to be there; it could have been anyone else. She didn’t really like him that way, did she?
So what if she did? That didn’t change the fact that he had a job to do; more than his own life depended on him succeeding. This was a good thing anyway; after all, the first half of his job was to make the girl fall in love with him, his boss was adamant on this. Apparently this would help her unlock those powers that supposedly lay dormant inside her. He didn’t really know what this was all about and what it would mean, but he suspected nothing good. His boss needed the girl to master her powers, and then he would take over. On that part he had been a bit vague, but Freddie had not pushed. All he cared about was that his boss honoured his part of the agreement, and that wa
s why he could not afford to care too much about Serena.
Shaking his head in frustration, he got up from the bed and proceeded to wash himself in the bathroom. He could not allow himself to do much thinking; he was already too confused about this whole thing. He would just forget about last night and proceed with his plan; he had no other choice.
Exiting the bedroom, he headed downstairs towards the living room, but Serena was not there. He checked the kitchen, but still nothing. He then looked out the window and saw her sitting on the patio, with a cup of coffee in her hand. Her gaze was lost somewhere in the distance and she appeared thoughtful, yet somewhat calmer and not as tormented as the previous evening. Seeing her again, it brought back all of his earlier doubts and feelings, and he knew then that he was in trouble for real.
He went back to the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee, silently hoping that it had turned out better than Serena's first few tries. He then went outside to join her.
‘Good morning,’ he greeted, not sure if he should smile or not. He didn’t have to think on it for long, Serena’s eyes lit up of their own accord when she saw him and her lips formed a half smile. She was still sad, but seemed genuinely happy to see him, or so he hoped.
‘Good morning,’ she said, taking her feet off the empty chair in front of her. Freddie pulled it back slightly and then sat down. He sipped on the hot beverage; it was drinkable enough.
‘How long have you been up? Why didn’t you wake me?’
‘I don’t know really; it’s been a while. You looked like you needed it, so I just let you sleep. I must have kept you awake all night, I’m sorry.’
‘That’s alright,’ said Freddie, ‘I think I’m just not used to sharing a bed with other people, that’s all.’
‘Me neither,’ Serena smiled again. ‘In fact, that was the first time I ever slept in the same bed with a boy.’
‘Oh yeah?’ Freddie teased, ‘and how was it?’ He immediately rebuked himself for turning this into flirting.
‘It was nice,’ Serena kept smiling her half-smile and didn’t even think to look away. ‘You were very sweet and you smell so nice; I slept like a baby.’
Her candour made her even more disarming, and Freddie felt himself panicking on the inside. Or was it something else? Her words were like honey for his bitter soul, her smile and gaze like fire on a cold winter’s night; and for that one short moment he felt his craving satiated. Only for that moment though; he was beginning to see that this craving was growing stronger and stronger the more time he spent with her. He just hoped he’d be able to control it somewhat and not let it overtake him.
Feeling a bit self-conscious and not knowing what to say next, he decided a change of subject was the best strategy.
‘I will call the hospital in a bit and find out about David. I am sure he is just fine, though, you’ll see.’
The half-smile now disappeared from Serena’s face as her mind raced back to her grandfather. She made the effort to hold back a fresh wave of tears, and when she eventually thought she had it under control, she turned to Freddie again.
‘Who was that man? Why do they want to kill me, Freddie?’
Freddie moved slightly in his chair as if he was re-positioning himself for an official talk. It had been a long time coming and he had prepared for this.
‘Do you remember what I told you about the Order of the Guardians? About how they exist to protect the world from Dreamers gone bad?’
‘Yes. But why would they think that I’ve gone bad? I’ve only just arrived here.’
‘It’s not that they necessarily think you’ve gone bad, Serena. It’s a bit more complicated than that. Here’s what I know; there is a very old prophecy about a very powerful Dreamer who will appear one day. The prophecy says that this person will have the ability to change even the real world; you know, the same way your dad changed Endërland when he first appeared there. Now, I don’t have to tell you that a person like that is obviously very dangerous, especially here in the real world. So, when the Order learned about your arrival from Endërland - something which has never happened before - they assumed that you are the Dreamer of the prophecy. They got together and decided you are to be eliminated, before you can become a real threat. I tried to convince them to give me time to prove to them that you are not a danger to us, but they shut me out. So I left them and came to warn you as soon as I could.’
‘But this doesn’t make any sense, I don’t have any powers. How can they decide to kill me without even knowing for sure whether I’m dangerous or not?’
‘These people have spent their lives dealing with Dreamers, Serena. The Order has been around for more than two thousand years and they know their job well. If they think that there’s even the slightest chance that you are the Dreamer of this prophecy, they will not hesitate to eliminate you. The way they see it, they are sacrificing one life to save billions, and they’re ok with that.’
‘Yes, well, I’m not,’ Serena raised her voice, sounding angry and frustrated. ‘I am not this great Dreamer and I do not have any powers. We have to convince them, Freddie; I don’t want to die here, not before I’ve lived. I have to go back home, see my parents again.’
‘Well, you see, the thing is, Serena, I am not so convinced you are not the Dreamer of the prophecy.’
‘What? But you know me. You know I don’t have any powers.’
‘Hear me out for a moment, will you? It could be that you don’t have powers, or it could also be that you do, only, they have not manifested themselves yet. Think about your dad; he didn’t know he had any powers until long after he went to Endërland.’
Serena made as if to say something, but then stopped and got to thinking. Was it possible that Freddie was right? Could she actually have powers and not know about it? It was true that her dad didn’t know he was the Great Lord until they almost got defeated in the Great War. What if she was just like him? What if she had the same kind of power, only she hadn’t discovered it yet?
‘Let’s suppose you’re right,’ she said to Freddie. ‘Let’s suppose I am the Dreamer of the prophecy. What would that mean?’
‘It would mean that you have great power. It would basically make you a god in this world.’
‘A god?’ Serena asked, not familiar with the word.
‘Great Lord,’ Freddie explained.
‘Okay, but why would that make me dangerous? I mean, unless there’s more to this prophecy, there’s nothing there about this great Dreamer being good or bad. It just says that he or she will be very powerful.’
‘I don’t know; it’s kinda hard to explain. You see, we already have many gods in this world, though they are either invisible or distant, and do not really get involved in our lives. And the world is fine with that. But if one of them were to suddenly make an appearance and start messing with our world and our way of life, people would get hostile and try to get rid of them.’
‘But why? Wouldn’t the god know better?’
‘You’d think. No, people or society always think they know better and they protect their way of life at all costs.’
‘But I thought you said this Order existed to protect the world from bad Dreamers.’
‘In their own minds they think they do, and they might have started out that way. But they have been in the world too long and are no better than the rest of it. They view a threat to their way of life as a threat to the people themselves and that’s why they make such drastic decisions.’
‘So, you’re saying that even if I do have these powers, I’m not necessarily a threat.’
‘Well, yes and no. I guess what I’m saying is that even if you weren’t a real threat, you’d still be considered as such.’
‘So, I may be dangerous? Is that what you’re saying?’
‘Serena, anyone who has the power to create or change life is dangerous. Don’t you understand? If you are who they fear you might be, you’d have the power to destroy everyone and everything if you chose to.’
>
‘But why would I do something like that? I’m not a bad person.’
‘I’m not saying you would. But life is never that simple, Serena. Take yesterday, for example. Did you get angry at the man who shot and wounded your grandfather?’
Serena wasn’t sure she liked where Freddie was going with this.
‘Yes,’ she answered reluctantly.
‘What would you have done to him if you had him in front of you, not now, but at that moment?’
‘I don’t know,’ Serena tried to avoid answering, sure that she would fall right into Freddie’s trap.
‘I’ll tell you,’ Freddie did not relent. ‘If you’d had him in front of you right then and there, and if you knew that you had the power of a god, you would have probably done something terrible to him.’
‘And he would have deserved it,’ Serena defended her hypothetical actions.
‘True, but that is what would make you dangerous to this or any other world.’
‘But that would be justice.’
‘No, that would be revenge,’ corrected Freddie. ‘That would be “taking the law into your own hands”, and it goes against everything this world stands for. Even in Endërland you have laws, right?’ Serena nodded. ‘Well, they have laws here too; in fact, the world’s come a long way and struggled a lot to get to the point where it’s the law that looks after justice for everyone. So, if someone who is very powerful comes along and they’d suddenly decide to do whatever they wanted and go against everything this world knows, they would be considered a great threat. And that is why the Order has chosen to eliminate you before they even know whether you possess this power or not. Do you understand now?’
‘Yes. No. I’m not sure, I’m very confused,’ Serena shook her head in frustration. ‘I don’t know what to think now. If I have these powers, it wouldn’t matter whether I am good or bad, they will kill me. So I guess the best thing for me would be not to have any powers at all.’
‘If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my life, Serena, is that you cannot fight your true nature. You can never escape who you are meant to be.’
‘What are you saying?’
‘If you are indeed the Dreamer of this prophecy, the Great Lord of this world, then it is your destiny. That is bigger than you or me, or even the Order of the Guardians. I know they are afraid of this, Serena, but I’m not. Think about all the good things that you can do in this world. For all its rules and laws, people are constantly suffering and dying all over the globe. You can change all of that, it is your moral obligation as a human being. You were born for this, Serena, and you cannot run away from it.’
‘So what am I supposed to do then?’
‘I suggest we first try to determine whether you actually have any powers or not. If you do, maybe I can help you to develop and control them. Who knows, maybe you can even find a way to go back home once you do.’
Freddie knew he’d hit the spot once he’d said this. Right now, Serena wanted nothing more than to go back home and be with her parents again, and the idea that her powers might help her with that, was indeed enticing.
‘What about the Order? They won’t stop looking for me, will they?’
‘No, they won’t. But I’m gonna make sure you’re okay. I will keep you safe, I promise.’
It wasn’t his words as much as his candid smile that told Serena that he really meant it. After all, he had proved that already; he’d saved her life last night, putting himself between her and the bullets, and he’d taken her out of harm’s way and into safety. He’d said that he would not leave her until all this was over and she believed him. She was just hoping that he would not leave her even after that, not ever. She didn’t know when it happened, but she had a feeling she might just have found The One.
Putting the finishing touches to his evening attire, Drake looked upon the image on the mirror in front of him. The person staring back was a far cry from the little boy who used to sneak in and out of people’s homes and pockets, who fell asleep listening to Greek tales of gods, heroes and monsters, and who’d worked hard to keep those he had considered family, happy. The man in the mirror had left all of that behind him, in yet another life. His appearance might give the impression that there was nothing but innocence and kindness in his heart, but appearances can be deceiving, and Drake's was the most deceitful of them all.
His hands were shaking. He’d been working towards this for months, and now that the hour was finally upon him, he was nervous. But it wasn’t cold feet, no. It was more like an aching to finally get what he’d been chasing after for so long. And the closer he got to it, the more impatient he grew. He was like a hound smelling blood, and he couldn’t wait to get his “fangs” on his prey.
The party was already underway when he arrived at the mansion. It was the biggest one in the neighbourhood and he knew that everyone who was anyone would be there that night, including the Bagleys. He handed one of the butlers his coat and gloves, and proceeded to the main hall, where it seemed all of London’s elite had been gathered. Men dressed in tuxedos and women wearing their best dresses, most likely tailored for this very occasion, greeted him from all sides. He knew some of them, most he was clueless as to who they were. These were all people that, were they to know who he really was and where he came from, would not hesitate to give him the evil eye instead of that most genuine smile, and throw him out on the street with a ceremony. As it were, for all appearances he belonged among them, and so they treated him as one of their own. But Drake knew that would not last long and he didn’t care. He had only one goal tonight, and by whatever god was up there, he would see it done.
As he reached near the end of the hall, he spotted Samuel with the rest of his new friends, and headed in their direction. Lily stood not far from them with a group of other young women, all talking demurely amongst each other and stealing shy glances towards the boys. Her brilliant eyes almost stopped him half-way, inviting him over, despite what the proper protocol dictated. Drake felt his feet wanting to change direction and speed towards her, but he commanded them to keep going straight.
He had not seen Lily for a few weeks now and found that he missed her company. He’d told himself that this was for the best, but now that he saw her again, he wanted to ignore everything and everyone in that hall, including the Bagleys, and just hold her hand and drown into those sky-blue eyes.
For the shortest moment in time he actually considered this. He could give up his revenge, his past, his entire life up until a few months ago and start anew with her. After all, if he really wanted to, he could make it work. He was smart and hardworking, and he knew that whatever new lie he made up to cover up all the old ones, she would believe him. But that was just it; he would still have to lie, for he knew that she would never accept him if she knew the whole truth. No one would. And so the temptation passed, and his feet took him where the group of his new friends were standing, smoking cigars and drinking brandy, laughing jovially while gazing back at the girls. They made room for him as soon as they saw him, treating him as if he were just another one of them.
As the evening wore on and all the guests seemed to have arrived, the host proceeded with presenting his young daughter, a petite little thing, not so much pretty as she was obviously worth, but who nonetheless had a fair number of courters that night.
Drake chuckled to himself as he witnessed everything, but to everyone else he kept smiling kindly. Did he really want to be a part of this world of frauds and fake smiles, gossip and backstabbing? Was the beautiful Miss Lily Worthington worth all of this? He hated hypocrisy with passion.
When the ball finally began, Drake managed to spot the Bagleys dancing among the other couples. They looked like they really belonged in this huge and fancy room among all those beautifully dressed people. Drake guessed that in a way they did. Still, he gritted his teeth at their seemingly serene and happy sight. He could walk up to them right then and there, and strangle them with his bare hands. But he didn?
??t; he had a plan. Pretending to need to use the lavatories, he proceeded towards the main exit and called over a courier boy, handing him a sealed letter and telling him where to go. Then, he went back inside and re-joined his young friends.
After about ten minutes and a couple more waltzes on the dancefloor, a commotion was noticed at the entrance and raised voices were heard. Before the master of the house could make his way to the door to investigate, three policemen entered the room and stopped for a moment, scouting for someone. Their eyes met Drake’s for a single moment, but then skipped him and kept looking at the direction his pointed. When they spotted their target, they set off once again in great haste and stopped only when they reached the Bagleys, who were still standing in the middle of the ballroom.
‘Mr. and Mrs. Bagley, in the name of her Majesty, the queen, I hereby place you under arrest,’ the one who seemed to be the captain shouted, while the other two policemen positioned themselves one on each side of the stunned couple, and grabbed them by the arms. The first policeman then proceeded to take from his belt, an old-looking pair of handcuffs, and tied the two to each other.
‘But, there must be some mistake,’ Mrs. Bagley tried, sounding all innocent and confused. ‘We’re the Browns.’
‘Of course you are,’ one of the two policemen chuckled. ‘And I’m Mr. Green, my friend here is Mr. Red and my other friend there, Mr. Yellow,’ he motioned towards his two colleagues. ‘We’ll go grab Mrs. Blue on our way out and go make us a fine looking rainbow.’
Listening in on them, Drake couldn’t help but be amused. The second policeman joined the first one in laughter, but their captain ordered them both to be quiet at once. The room had grown dead silent by now; there were no sounds of dresses rubbing against each other, nor of glasses clinking or people speaking. There were only gasps of surprise and shock.
‘What is the meaning of this?’ a stern voice was suddenly heard from behind them, while the faces of the Bagleys went from white to whiter. The policeman at first did not even turn to face the man who was asking.
‘This is government business, sir, if you don’t mind. I suggest you get back to your evening; we’re almost done here.’
‘Have you any idea who I am, sir?’ the stern voice continued. ‘I demand you tell me at once what is going on here and why are you apprehending my guests.’
Realising this was the master of the house, the policeman now turned to face him and put on a sympathetic look.
‘Ah, I do beg your pardon, Mr. Windsor, sir. We’re awfully sorry for the inconvenience here, but I’m afraid this could not be helped. We’re under strict orders to apprehend these two individuals without delay and escort them down town for questioning.’
‘Might I ask why are you arresting Mr. and Mrs. Brown? They are my honoured guests, and an insult to them, is an insult to me. And I don’t have to tell you, sir, that an insult to me would be an insult to the Lord Chancellor himself.’
The Bagleys kept looking as shocked as everyone else and at the same time mortified at this most embarrassing misunderstanding. They kept throwing apologetic smiles on all sides, while the exchange took place. Their faces, however, were red with more than embarrassment; they were terrified, but this only Drake could tell.
From back inside the room, Samuel and friends pushed themselves to the centre, in order to see and hear better. In doing so, they also dragged Drake along with them.
Seeming ill at ease, the police captain now drew closer to the master of the house and whispered.
‘Perhaps this is best discussed in private, Mr. Windsor?’
‘No,’ the nobleman refused flatly and stubbornly. ‘I demand to know here and now. You either tell me why you are arresting Mr. and Mrs. Brown, or you let them go right at this instance.’
The policeman finally gave up and replied out loud.
‘Mr. Andrew Harrison Brown and Mrs. Marie Geneviève Brown are not under arrest, sir. In fact, they are not presently in this room; they have been dead for over five years, I’m afraid. The gentleman and lady you know as Mr. and Mrs. Brown, are in fact impostors. Their real names are Alistair and Marjorie Bagley, a couple of low-born citizens from Whitechapel, wanted for years in connection with e series of thefts, child abandonment and possible murder of their nanny, as well as that of the real Mr. and Mrs. Brown.’
The policeman had not even finished speaking, when from all around them came outraged sounds of shock and disgust. The Bagleys began to protest that this was all a terrible misunderstanding and that they were innocent, but Drake knew that nobody would believe them now. He could see the hateful looks of everyone in that room and how much those looks stung the Bagleys, and he felt vindicated. He’d done good.
Mr. Windsor finally stepped back, appearing surrendered and betrayed.
‘Get them out of my house immediately,’ he bellowed and turned his back on the group.
Silence reigned in the room once again as the policemen now pushed the Bagleys through the crowd, with them barely able to put one foot in front of the other. Their heads hung down in shame. Whispers followed their procession and murmurs of disgust and disapproval. Not a few people spit at them as they passed by. Some even threw their drinks at them.
When they came near to where the young men were standing, unable to stop himself, Drake separated from them and stepped right in front of the arrested couple. He had not planned on doing this. Raising their eyes from the ground, first Mr. Bagley, and then his wife, could not believe what they saw. It had been almost five years and he’d grown and changed so much, but there was no mistaking his face.
‘Drake?’ Mr. Bagley asked, confused. ‘You’re here.’
Mr. Bagley was unable to add anything else to that revelation, because his wife just then exploded in a raged tirade against the young man standing in front of them.
‘You dirty bastard; this is all your doing. I hate you, I hate you. I should have left you to die in the midst of that filth I found you a long time ago.’
Drake snickered but said nothing in return, the look in his eyes telling them all they needed to know. The policemen pushed him to the side and continued to drag the Bagleys away, kicking and screaming, while everyone’s eyes now turned to face a smug-looking Drake, wondering what it all meant.
The first to ask the question was Samuel. Even though he was a head shorter and considerably smaller in size than Drake, the young man boldly looked up at him.
‘What is going on here, Drake? Do you know those people?’
Drake, unwilling to take his eyes off the leaving couple and their guards, answered a very calm and satisfied, ‘Yes’.
‘How?’ Samuel demanded, his tone of voice a far cry from that of Drake.
‘From a time long ago,’ Drake answered again, satisfaction never fading from his face. The crowd continued to push and spit at the humiliated couple and throw more things at them. From the back of the room, the voice of Mr. Windsor was heard calling for music to begin playing again.
Samuel seemed to be fuming just then, as were many others around Drake, not that he noticed. The short boy grew red hot in the face and was beginning to lose his composure.
‘Are you one of them?’ he asked the third question, and suddenly Drake took his eyes off the Bagleys and now turned to face his angry friend. Gazing into his baby blue eyes - they looked so much like his sister’s - Drake watched him with an eerie interest, never losing his smile. After what felt like minutes, he finally answered.
‘I am.’
He kept smiling and looking down on Samuel, really curious now as to what the young man was going to do. Samuel looked back at him, completely taken aback.
‘You lied to us. You just pretended to be one of us.’
‘Yes,’ Drake replied, not a flicker of change in his facial expression.
‘Why?’ came the last question.
Drake understood why the boy was mad. He liked Samuel; he was actually a decent young man, with a good heart and a gentle soul. He had actuall
y planned to leave on good terms with him, with all of them, but now he found that he did not care. The person they knew did not exist, and the person he was they would never accept. So why should he care about them at all? They were not his people; they would never be.
Here, he turned to look at the stunned face of Lily and answered in the same quiet tone.
‘Because I could.’
That last answer completely confounded Samuel and he drew back, not knowing how to feel and what to do. Instinctively making a fist, he made to step towards Drake, but then changed his mind and walked off in the opposite direction, followed by his friends.
Still smiling, Drake remained behind, surrounded from a distance by the rest of the outraged guests. Lily stared from the distance, not really knowing what was happening. She was too far to have overheard anything.
Only seconds later, a butler walked over to Drake and handed him his coat and gloves without saying anything. Drake understood that this was their way of asking him to leave. At least he would be walking outside of his own volition, no ceremony. That was at least something, wasn’t it?
Turning one more time to look at Lily and give her one last challenging smile, Drake took his time to throw on the coat and put on his gloves, finally following the Bagleys out of the door.
Chapter 7
Down the Rabbit Hole