2-Armies of Light & Dark

  He started down the corridor once again. He wasn’t sure why it should be so, but he felt himself feeling colder. It was purely in his imagination, though he was sure of that. But he wasn’t entirely certain why…

  Certain why …

  Why…

  The next thing he knew, there was a voice in his ear saying, “Vir Cotto. Can you hear me? Is everything all right?”

  At first, Vir said nothing. It was as if he had to remind his body to respond to the commands from his brain. Something had completely blanked him out.

  “Vir,” and Galen’s voice was sounding more concerned than before. It’s nice to know he cares, Vir thought mirthlessly . “Vir, are you…”

  He still wasn’t moving, however, and it was with tremendous effort that he pushed himself forward. His feet felt tremendously heavy, but each step took him farther and farther, and soon he was walking with-if not confidence-at least some degree of surety.

  He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination again, but it seemed to him as if there was less and less light. What in the world was going on, anyway? It was as if he’d entered a floating black hole.

  There was a room off to the left. He glanced in. Nothing. Another room to the right, and still nothing. Every step, though, it was becoming harder and harder to focus. He realized belatedly that the two young Prime Candidates had come from a cross-corridor, and had not actually been in this particular section of the palace at all.

  Every nerve in Vir’s mind was telling him that he would be well advised to get out of there. But he was concerned that he might not have such an ideal opportunity again. He had to keep moving, had to hope that he was going to be able to pull this together-whatever “this” turned out to be. He suddenly wished that he had a weapon on him, which would have been an interesting experience for him considering that he’d never used one before.

  He suddenly realized that he wasn’t hearing Galen in his ear anymore. Perhaps the techno-mage simply had nothing to say.

  Then he saw the door.

  His eye had almost gone right past it, which was curious in and of itself. Given that this was the palace there was nothing extraordinary about it. It was a large double door, decorated with elaborate carvings around the edges. It seemed to have a slight reddish tint to it, although Vir couldn’t be certain whether that came from the door itself or was just some sort of trick of the light.

  He studied it for a long moment, waiting to see if there was any response from Galen.

  Nothing.

  The chances were, then, that it was perfectly safe. Either that or Galen wanted him to go in and see what was what.

  Once upon a time, Vir would have hesitated. Indeed, he might very well have headed in the opposite direction entirely . But he had been through too much at this point in his life to be afraid of something as benign as a door. Besides … he was invincible.

  Still … even invincibility didn’t mean that one couldn’t exercise a reasonable amount of caution.

  He placed one ear against the door to see if he could hear anything.

  It felt like ice.

  He pulled his head away, momentarily concerned that the door was so cold that his ear was going to stick to it. It pulled away from the door easily enough, but the sensation had been extremely disconcerting.

  “What’s going on here?” he wondered out loud. The door was antique, with an elaborate handle on it. It didn’t slide open and close automatically like most of the doors in the newer sections of the palace. In a way, Vir felt as if he was stepping back into another time.

  He gripped the handle firmly.

  In his entire life, Vir had never been as close to death as he was at that moment.

  Galen did not panic. Never came close. But he immediately turned to Gwynn and Finian, and said, “We have to get word to him. Have to stop him.”

  “If we go in, the Drakh will know we’re there,” Gwynn said flatly. “They were able to detect us within the Shadow base, and that was in unfamiliar territory. They’ve had several years to lace the palace with detection devices. They’ll know the moment we’re there.”

  “We have to do something! Look!” Finian said, pointing at the holographic representation still floating before them.

  There was the shimmering outline of the door. And on the other side of it was a distinctive outline-that of a Drakh. There was something else beyond the Drakh, something else in the room that was great and dark and pulsing, and Gwynn couldn’t make out at all what it was. But she knew one thing for sure: within seconds, Vir was going to see it, and it would be the last thing he ever saw For the Drakh, from his body posture, was clearly poised and ready to leap upon Vir the moment the doomed Centauri set foot within. It figured that the Drakh wouldn’t simply lock the door in order to prevent intruders from entering. Anyone who was curious enough to intrude into that area was someone the Drakh wanted disposed of.

  “There’s no time. They have wards against us,” Galen said.

  “What?” Galen’s words were stunning to Gwynn. “They’ve actually erected wards?”

  But Galen wasn’t talking to her. Instead he was leaning forward intensely, as if trying to get through to Vir with sheer force of will. He saw Vir’s hand entering the holo image, reaching for the handle to open the door. “Vir!” he shouted. “Vir … back away from it! Do not go in there! Hear me, Vir! Vir!”

  “Vir! “

  Vir froze in place at the unexpected voice that seemed to explode within his head. He turned and blinked in surprise, like an owl in the full glare of daylight. “Londo?”

  The emperor of the great Centauri Republic stood at the far end of the corridor, and it was impossible for Vir to tell what was going through his mind. Was he about to erupt in fury over Vir’s presence in this part of the palace? Would he lecture him over his involvement with Mariel? Would he demand to know why Vir had dared set foot back on Centauri Prime when it had been made quite clear to him that the best thing for him to do was stay off the Homeworld for good?

  Londo approached him slowly, swaying slightly. Vir tried to determine whether he was drunk, but he didn’t think so. Then he realized what it was: Londo was out of breath. It was as if he’d been running from some other point in the palace to get to Vir before …

  … before what?

  Vir wanted to glance back at the door, but something stopped him from doing so. He He wasn’t quite sure why, but he didn’t want Londo to realize that he had almost entered there. Or perhaps … perhaps Londo already did know. It was so hard to say for sure. Nothing seemed certain anymore.

  Londo slowly strode toward him, and Vir braced himself, uncertain of what was about to happen. And then Londo covered the remaining distance between them with quick, urgent steps, and he threw his arms around Vir in a hug so forceful that Vir thought it was going to break his ribs. “It is good to see you,” he whispered. “It is very, very good.” He separated from him then and gripped Vir firmly by the shoulders. “You,” he said decisively, “should always be at my side. That is the way it was meant to be with us, yes?”

  “Well, now, I don’t know anymore, Londo,” Vir said slowly.

  “You do not know? Why?”

  Londo had a firm arm around Vir’s shoulder, and he was starting down the hallway, away from the door. Vir had absolutely no choice but to fall into step next to him. “Well,” Vir said reasonably, “the last time we saw each other, you told me that we had separate paths to walk, and we should walk them from a distance. And right before that you knocked me cold because I said …” He felt Londo’s fingers suddenly clamp onto his shoulders with such force that, with a bit more strength, his arm might find itself dangling from the socket. “… because I said something you said I should never say again.”

  The grip eased, ever so slightly, on his shoulder. “That is correct,” said Londo. “But that was last year, Vir. Things change.”

  “What things have changed, Londo?”

  “Have you not noticed? You’ve had time to mingle
here, I take it. Meet and greet all of the various ministers and political heads of Centauri Prime. Certainly you must have some observations to make regarding them, yes?”

  “Well …” Vir paused. “Putting aside the fact that I don’t know any of them…”

  “Ah … that is not a fact that I would put aside so quickly, Vir. There are no familiar faces anymore, Vir. And those faces that are there … they seem to look right through me, as if I were not there. Do you know what, Vir? When enough people look at you as if you are not there … do you know what happens next?”

  “You … stop being there?”

  “That,” sighed Londo, “is unfortunately absolutely correct . I am not looking to you to be here all the time, Vir.” He stopped walking and turned to face Vir, and this time when he took him by the shoulders, it was almost in an avuncular manner. “But your last visit was so unfortunate, so tempestuous … I just want you to feel that you can come and go here as you please. That you will not be a stranger here.”

  “If that’s the case, why didn’t you simply invite me back here? Why all the subterfuge?”

  “Subterfuge?” Londo raised an eyebrow. “I’m not certain exactly what you mean.”

  There was a hint of warning in his voice, and Vir immediately realized that he had erred. He wasn’t sure why or how. It was just the two of them. There was no one else around, as near as Vir could see. Londo didn’t even have a retinue of guards following him. So it wasn’t as if they had to watch everything they said. Then again … how could Vir know for sure? There might be spy devices planted anywhere and everywhere. Why not? After all, he was carrying a device on him that at that moment-was feeding information directly to Galen.

  So if he went into detail as to the little bits of information that Londo had been feeding him, he might very well betray all Londo’s efforts, to someone who was listening in on their every word.

  The slightest flicker from Vir’s gaze to Londo was enough to let the emperor know that he understood. Out loud, however , Vir said mildly, “I suppose `subterfuge’ isn’t the right word. I suppose what I’m asking is, why didn’t you just come right out and say so.”

  Londo nodded ever so slightly in mute approval. Without saying a word, they had said everything. The rest was simply for the benefit of whomever else might be listening.

  “It is not simply for me to say,” Londo answered him. “There are many considerations that must be made these days. For all the power that I wield, there are others whose feelings must be considered.”

  “Others such as Durla,” Vir said hollowly.

  Londo inclined his head slightly. “Durla is minister of security . You, Vir, seemed on quite friendly terms with Timov. We know what happened with her.”

  “But that’s-“

  Londo didn’t let him finish. “And let us not forget that you are stationed on Babylon 5.”

  Vir wasn’t following. “So?”

  “So you spend a good deal of time associating with members of the Alliance. They are rather pervasive on Babylon 5, after all. I think-and this is purely my speculation, mind you—I think Durla does not entirely know where your loyalties lie.”

  “My loyalties?” Vir actually laughed bitterly at that. “Londo, the people on Babylon 5 regard me with suspicion because I’m Centauri. If it weren’t for Mariel charming all of them, none of them would even be speaking to me. As it is, even with their speaking to me, I know they still don’t trust me. Perhaps I should tell Durla that…”

  “Oh yesss. Yes, you do that,” Londo said with heavy sarcasm in his voice. “You go right to Durla and tell him that the Centauri ambassador to Babylon 5 garners no respect and is not trusted. That is certain to elevate your stature here at court.”

  He knew Londo was right about that, but wasn’t entirely sure where to take it from there. “So … so what do you suggest?”

  “You are here, Vir. For now … that is enough. Durla seems inclined to tolerate your presence here, and that should be enough to keep the situation stable for the time being. From what I understand, Mariel is working the same magic here that she was able to perform on Babylon 5. We have a new court, you see. The stigma attached to her, as a discard of the great Londo Mollari, seems far less problematic for all the new faces presently inhabiting the court. We should not be surprised over that, Vir.”

  “We shouldn’t.”

  “No. Because, you see, the Centauri have no sense of history . There was a Human who once said `Those who do not listen to history are doomed to repeat it.’ You know,” and he chuckled softly, “for a backward race, those Humans certainly know what they’re about.”

  “Did a Human say those words scribbled on Cartagia’s statue?”

  They had passed the statue only moments before, and Londo cast a glance behind him, even though the statue was out of sight. His eyebrows knit a moment in confusion, and then he remembered and smiled, showing his pointed canines. “Ahhhh yes. Yes, they did. I wrote them.”

  “You?” Vir couldn’t help letting his surprise be in evidence . “You did?”

  “Yes. I wrote them in honor of you … our answer to Earth’s Abraham Lincoln. Oh, wipe off that innocent look upon you, Vir. Did you think I wouldn’t find out? Helping to save the Narns. Do you think me entirely without my own resources , Vir?” He made a scolding, clucking noise with his tongue. “You must think me the greatest fool on Centauri Prime.”

  “Oh, no, Londo!” Vir protested. “I don’t!”

  “It’s all right, it’s all right,” Londo told him. “In all likelihood, it’s an accurate enough assessment. The point is, Cartagia died at your hand. And part of you … ” His voice softened. “Part of you died that day, too. Yes?”

  “Yes,” Vir said softly.

  “Well … when Abraham Lincoln died, his assassin called out, `Sic semper tyrannis.’ It is an old Earth tongue called Latin. It means `So is it always with tyrants.’ Anyone who is a tyrant can look forward to similar unhappy endings. Words for us both to live by. For me … and for you … when you are, eventually, emperor.”

  “The prophecy,” Vir sighed. “Sometimes I wonder whether to believe it. Sometimes I wonder whether to believe in anything.”

  “I stopped wondering about that a long time ago.”

  “And what was the answer you came up with?”

  “Believe in nothing,” Londo told him. “But accept everything.”

  Vir laughed bitterly at that. “And if you do that … what? You’ll live longer?”

  “Oh, Great Maker, I hope not,” sighed Londo. “But it will make the time you are here that much more tolerable.”

  Minister Castig Lione threaded his way through the courtiers and got to Mariel’s side. She was deep in pleasant conversation with several others when he placed a hand on her arm and said, “Lady Mariel … if I might have a minute of your time?”

  “For you, Minister?” She smiled that dazzling smile that could bring most mere mortals to their knees. “Two minutes.”

  She draped an arm through his elbow and together they moved off from the crowd. Castig Lione guided her, gently but firmly, to his office in another wing. Because of his great height he had to bend somewhat to do so, but he managed to accomplish the task and still look less than foolish. The moment his office door was sealed behind them, he turned to face her with a grim expression on his face. “Would you mind telling me,” he said briskly, “what you are playing at, milady?”

  “Playing at?” She looked genuinely puzzled “I do not understand, Minister.”

  “You, Lady Mariel,” and he stabbed a finger at her, “are supposed to be working for this office. You are supposed to be reporting to me. Instead,” he said with arch sarcasm, “you appear to be spending most of your time under Ambassador Cotto.”

  She didn’t come close to losing her composure. “Are you implying I am not doing my job, Minister?”

  “No, I am not implying it. I am coming right out and saying it. The amount of valuable information you have been
turning in regarding the Alliance has dwindled. Need I remind you, milady, that this office is serving to keep your account at a healthy level. You would do well to remember that, unless you believe that Ambassador Cotto’s personal fortune will be enough to sustain you.”

  “Vir is not a rich man, Minister, and furthermore I resent–’

  “I resent this game you are playing, Lady Mariel,” Lione told her flatly. “Cotto was simply supposed to be a cover, a means to an end. Yet you seem to have lost sight of that and become genuinely enamored of him. That is not tolerable.”

  “A woman’s heart cannot be regulated by memos and mandates , Minister. It’s high time you remembered that”

  “And it is high time you remembered, milady, that Vir Cotto is-“

  “Is not up for discussion, Minister. That aspect of my life is personal.”

  “A personal life is a luxury you cannot afford to have, milady ,” Lione shot back.

  “As long as I am associated with you.”

  “Correct.”

  “Very well,” she said with a small shrug. “Then I will resign , effective immediately.”

  “It is not that simple, milady,” Lione said.

  “It is for me.”

  “No. Not for anyone.” His voice became low and-most frighteningly-friendly. “You are a spy, Lady Mariel. There are those who would not be pleased to know that their confidences have been leaked to this office. I assure you that I can make certain, with no hint of connection to this office, that some of those individuals find out just what you have been up to.”

  Mariel glared at him, her jaw steely and twitching. “You would not dare.”