“Make things right?” Gaga said, disgusted. “Your Vince destroyed innocent people’s lives. He ruined an entire city and who knows how much of the rest of the world. He tore apart your own family, basically murdered your husband and children and altered your past so you don’t even know what’s happened to you!”
“First of all, no one is innocent,” Belamie said. “And anyway, that’s impossible. He can’t change the past. The Aeternum is the only thing that can really change timelines, and what do you mean he murdered my children?” Belamie asked. “I have other children in the future? More, supposedly, besides you?”
“You have twins,” Matt said.
“Twins!” Belamie exclaimed, clutching both her head and stomach.
“I know,” Haha said. “I was shocked when I met them too. But they’re really delightful. You’ll like . . . what are their names again?”
“Gordon and Riley,” Uncle Chuck said.
Matt frowned. “Corey and Ruby.”
“Oh, right. Sorry. My brain is a bit fuzzy.” Uncle Chuck shook his head.
“Ruby,” Belamie said a bit wistfully. Her eyes lit up at this name, a spark of recognition. Matt knew it was her middle name, and her own mother’s name.
“Ruby looks just like you,” Gaga said. “Acts like you too. She’s a fiery little thing.”
“Good with a sword too,” Matt said. “And Corey is funny. He always made you laugh.” Matt winced even as he said the words. Made you laugh. Past tense. He had no present now. And possibly no future.
“I was there the day they were born,” Gaga said, “and I’ve never seen so much love in anyone’s face as I saw in yours, Belamie.”
Belamie seemed to look inward, almost as if she were trying to picture her children in her mind. “But they’re gone now? What happened to them?”
“Vincent . . . took them away,” Matt said.
“How? He kidnapped them? Discarded them?”
“Something like that,” Matt said. He was tiptoeing around this now. They had convinced his mom that they knew where the Aeternum was. That was the leverage they had in getting her to cooperate with them. If they lost that, if she knew Vincent already had it, he didn’t know what would happen.
Matt glanced briefly at Albert who gazed back at him with a bored, indifferent look. Albert knew very well what had happened, perhaps even more than Matt did, but he didn’t say anything. He wondered how long that would last.
“Your father,” Belamie said. “The one I supposedly choose over Vince. What was his name again?”
“Mateo,” Gaga said.
“No, I’m Mateo,” Matt said.
“Oh. Yes,” Gaga said. “Sorry. I’m getting old.”
Matt frowned. He’d never thought of Gaga as old, and she’d never been forgetful. “His name is Matthew. Matthew . . .” Matt tried to say his last name but couldn’t for some reason. It was like it had suddenly slipped into a fog. He shook his head. “His name is Matthew . . .”
“Huh . . . Huh . . . ,” Uncle Chuck began but couldn’t seem to finish.
“Hurston,” Haha said. “Matthew Hurston. He’s my son.”
Hurston . . . Was that it? How on earth could he have forgotten his own last name?
The doors suddenly burst open, and Jia came out, her eyes sparkling, her cheeks flushed. Matt ran to her.
“It’s okay,” she said. “I spoke to my father. He has invited us to dine with him tonight! He has agreed to help us.”
“That’s great!” Matt said. “I knew you could do it.”
Jia beamed.
“Did you ask the emperor about the Aeternum?” Belamie asked.
Jia’s smile slid off her face. “Not quite,” she said, wincing a little. “It was a little difficult to explain things. Yinreng was there, the crown prince.”
“Would he be your brother, then?” Matt asked.
Jia nodded and shivered a little. “Half brother. I didn’t think it would be wise to give too many details. Yinreng is not trustworthy.”
Belamie looked a little skeptical. “But the emperor has invited all of us to dine with him tonight?”
“Yes,” Jia said. “His servants are preparing our quarters now. We’ll be very well taken care of.”
Just as she said these words, a servant approached and bowed to Jia. He addressed her as Gōngzhŭ and told them that their quarters were ready now and to follow him.
“Gōngzhŭ?” Matt questioned.
Jia blushed a little. “It means ‘princess.’”
Princess . . . yes, of course she was a princess. She was the daughter of an emperor.
“Well then,” he said, stepping back and holding out his arm, “after you, Gōngzhŭ.”
Matt thought Jia must have impressed her father quite a bit, because they were basically given a palace to stay in. It was an enormous house, richly furnished, with a spacious, open main room twice the size of Matt’s apartment, and many more rooms surrounding it, each with their own bathroom. Unsurprisingly, Jia noted right away how she would like to update the plumbing so they could have flushing toilets, but before she could get too far in her plans, a servant came and told her she needed to prepare for supper with the emperor. Another servant lifted her hair between two fingers and looked over her filthy state, frowning in particular at her bulky tool vest. “We have much work to do,” he said without any tact. Jia gave Matt an exasperated look as she was pulled away by both servants and disappeared into a room.
Jia wasn’t the only one who would have to endure a fair bit of grooming. They were each given their own servant to attend to them. One of the servants approached Chuck and stroked his long beard, chattering on about the different ways he could groom and fashion it.
“What’s he saying?” Uncle Chuck said.
“He likes your beard,” Matt said.
“Oh, why thank you,” he said, patting his beard. “Took me a quarter of a century to get it this way, and a lot of conditioner.”
Two more servants approached Gaga and Haha and guided them each to separate apartments.
Matt’s servant’s name was Tong. He was a small, cheerful old man who was delighted to find that Matt could speak some Chinese and instantly started chattering away. Matt only understood about half of what he said, but he gathered their presence in the Forbidden City was a very exciting thing.
Tong prepared Matt a bath, for which Matt was grateful, as he was starting to feel quite itchy from all the dirt and grime on him. As he removed his clothes, he was careful to take out the scraps of time tapestry from Corey and Ruby and set them under a washbasin where he could retrieve them later.
While Matt soaked in the soapy bath, Tong started to brush and style his hair. He first tried to style it in a bun on top of his head, but it wasn’t long enough for that. Next he brought out a razor and told Matt he would shave the front of his head.
“It is a good style,” he said. “Very Chinese. Just like Crown Prince Yinreng.” Aside from the fact that Matt really did not want his head shaved, he also did not think it would go over well with Jia if he came out looking like her brother whom she clearly despised and feared. He declined as politely as he could and told Tong he would rather keep his hair the way it was. The servant sighed, disappointed. Matt got a sudden flash of the first time he’d been to see Brocco on the Vermillion to get some new clothes. Corey and Ruby had gone as well, and Brocco had been so disappointed when he couldn’t get Ruby to wear a dress. And just as soon as he thought it, the memory slipped from him, faded, and Matt was simply left with a feeling of familiarity with the situation, but without reference as to why. It was just a moment of déjà vu, he thought.
Tong brought Matt a set of blue silk robes. As much as he would rather wear his regular clothes, Matt didn’t think he could decline this offering as he had the hairstyle, so he thanked Tong and put them on. Tong helped him tie the sash properly and noted with pleasure that he looked almost Chinese.
When Matt came out of his room he found Gaga, Haha, Unc
le Chuck, Albert, and Belamie also clean and changed into silk robes in the Chinese fashion. His mother looked quite beautiful in purple silk with wide, draping sleeves and her hair swept up in a bun, held by two crossing sticks. Her face was powdered and her lips painted red. The rest of the group looked a little odd and quite uncomfortable. Uncle Chuck’s hair had been slicked back into a ponytail, and his gray beard had been trimmed and braided. He kept jutting out his chin to see the braid. Gaga’s short silver hair had been wrapped around an ornate headpiece. Her face was powdered white and her lips painted red. She wore a blue dress that matched Haha’s robes. Haha kept tugging at it self-consciously. Albert’s robes were a little too long at the hem and sleeves, so he had to keep holding it up as he walked, which his servant kept telling him not to do. Of course, Albert didn’t understand so he kept doing it, and round and round they went.
But when Jia came out, the whole room went still and quiet. Matt felt he could have been knocked over by a feather. He almost didn’t recognize her, and for a split second he thought it was someone else. She was wearing white silk robes embroidered with silver and blue flowers. Her hair was swept up and adorned with white lotus blossoms. Dainty pearls dangled from her ears. She glided out of the room, holding herself tall and proud. She looked every bit the part of a princess, and Matt suddenly felt he should have known all along who she really was, that she was no orphan or ordinary girl.
Jia stopped in front of him and smiled. “Nĭ hăo, Mateo.”
“Nĭ hăo, Gōngzhŭ.”
Jia blushed and looked down at her dress. “It’s not really me, is it?”
Matt cocked his head, studying her. “It is if you want it to be,” Matt said. “I think it suits you very well.”
Jia smiled. “Thank you. You look very handsome. So smart. My father will like you.”
They stood there just staring at each other for a moment, until Gaga cleared her throat and they both jumped, remembering that there were other people in the room. Matt looked around and saw everyone staring at them. Gaga was smirking a little, and his mom was looking quizzically between him and Jia.
“Are there rules we should know before we attend dinner with the emperor?” Gaga asked. “I shouldn’t like to get my head chopped off for not eating the proper way.”
“Yes,” Jia said. “It is fairly straightforward, and your servants will assist you, but the basic rule is that you do nothing before the emperor. You do not sit until the emperor sits, you do not eat until he eats, you do not speak until he speaks and only if he speaks directly to you.”
“What do we do if he speaks to us and we don’t know a lick of Chinese?” Uncle Chuck said, clearly agitated by the thought of not being able to communicate.
“Matt or I will translate for you,” Jia said. “Don’t worry. It’s going to be fine.”
Somewhere from inside the house a gong sounded.
“That’s the signal,” Jia said. “It’s time.”
Matt felt a small fluttering in his stomach as Jia took him by the arm and they walked out together.
It was evening now. The sun was setting, casting a pink glow over the city. The air was cool with a slight breeze. They had to walk to another building within the city, and this time they had many more eyes on them. News must have spread of the strange visitors within the walls of the Forbidden City. Women and children and servants lined the streets to watch them pass. Matt listened to their chatter. Some of them laughed at how pale some of them were, or their wide eyes, but many seemed to be most curious about Jia. Who was this beautiful girl they were calling a princess? Who was the boy at her side? Matt scanned some of the faces as they walked, wondering if the younger Jia was among them.
“Jia,” Matt whispered. “I didn’t rescue you today.”
Jia frowned. “I know. Maybe I wasn’t remembering right. Don’t worry about it. I’m sure it will all make sense.”
Matt nodded. “Okay.” He kept his eye out for a younger version of Jia. He didn’t see her.
They entered another building with rooms simpler in design than the Hall of Supreme Harmony but still elegant. They were led to a room with a large square table in the center. One golden chair was elevated at the head, clearly the seat of the emperor, while chairs were set lower on the other three sides of the table.
A gong sounded, and all were quiet as the emperor entered the room, followed by a young man Matt knew could only be Yinreng, the crown prince. Perhaps it was the way Jia had described him, but Matt definitely thought there was something evil about him. He gave Jia a look of pure venom. Jia ignored him, kept her chin held high, but the look sent a chill down Matt’s spine. He hoped they would not have to deal much with him.
The emperor looked at Jia, nodding his approval at her appearance. His eyes then shifted to Matt. He asked Jia if this was the supposed time traveler she had mentioned earlier. Matt couldn’t help wincing on the word supposed. Clearly, the emperor did not fully believe who they were or why they had come.
“Shi,” Jia said. “This is Mateo Hudson.”
Hudson! That was the name. Hudson. He repeated it in his head. Hudson, Hudson, Huuuuh . . .
“Do you speak Chinese?” the emperor asked him.
Matt started a little. Whatever he was thinking about quickly left him. “Shi,” he said. “I am learning.”
The emperor nodded, clearly pleased.
“Father,” Yinreng interrupted. “I still do not trust these people. If they say they are time travelers then I think they should offer us proof.”
The emperor nodded. “It is a fair request my heir makes. May we witness how you travel?”
Again, Matt looked to Jia.
She shrugged. “Just . . . travel forward a few minutes?”
Matt took out his compass. Yinreng stepped closer, trying to get a look, but Matt didn’t want him to see it for some reason. He kept it cupped in his hand and tilted toward his chest as he turned the time dial just one click forward. He was sucked away, and then a moment later (but perhaps five minutes for the others) reappeared. He was a little off-balance, but Jia caught him by the arm.
The emperor clapped his hands. “Remarkable!” he said excitedly. “Well done.”
Yinreng looked stunned. He clearly didn’t believe that Matt could time-travel, but now that he did, Matt wasn’t sure he was glad of it. He thought he could see the wheels turning in Yinreng’s mind, plotting. He tucked the compass beneath his robe.
“Oh, thank goodness,” Gaga said, clutching at her chest. “I thought you’d disappeared for good. Just like Marcus.”
“Who’s Marcus?” Haha asked.
“Our son!” Gaga said.
Uncle Chuck shook his head. “You mean Mathis?”
“Mathis? No, that’s not his name. Don’t you think I know my own son’s name?”
Matt opened his mouth to correct them, then felt a sudden fog descend upon his mind, and he promptly forgot what he wanted to say. He shook his head. His brain felt so fuzzy.
“Who are your other companions?” the emperor asked. “I assume they also traveled through time with you?”
Matt nodded. He introduced Gaga as his grandmother, Haha as his grandfather, and Uncle Chuck as his uncle. If the emperor was confused at all about their age differences, he didn’t show it. Perhaps he had guessed that in cases of time travel, these sorts of things were not unusual.
“And you are?” the emperor asked, now addressing Albert.
“He’s a friend,” Matt said quickly, before Albert could introduce himself as a hostage or enemy. It would have been more accurate, but he felt that would needlessly complicate things. When the emperor came to Belamie, though, Matt faltered. He looked to Jia for help, but she didn’t seem to know what to say any more than he did. How was he supposed to introduce his mother who didn’t remember him or believe she was his mother? Belamie, sensing their hesitation, seized the moment to make her own introduction. She stepped forward and bowed before the emperor.
“I am Captain Bel
amie Bonnaire, of the ship Vermillion,” she said in somewhat stilted Chinese. “I have traveled very far in order to speak with Your Majesty and hopefully gain some of your knowledge and wisdom.”
“I am honored,” the emperor said. “I should be very glad to share any wisdom that I can. After I eat. No one is wise when hungry.” With that he turned and stepped up to his elevated seat, assisted by two servants, leaving Belamie looking a bit confused.
After the emperor was seated, Matt and the others were led to their seats as well. Yinreng was seated to the right of the emperor, Jia to his left. Matt sat next to Jia, and his grandmother sat next to him and Haha next to her. Belamie, Uncle Chuck, and Albert were seated on the other side, with Belamie seated farthest away from the emperor, which clearly annoyed her. She glared at Matt with something like jealousy. It pricked his heart and made him just a little afraid.
As soon as they were all seated, a whole parade of servants poured into the room with steaming dishes. They set them carefully on the table, bowing to the emperor before they left.
Matt was amazed at the feast before them, not just the array of dishes, but the artistry of it all. There was jasmine rice garnished with blossoms, dried fruit, lotus root, dragon-headed prawns, chicken and broth, steamed fish, dumplings and pastries, and all kinds of rich delicacies that Matt had never even seen before, some molded and carved into shapes like dragons and flowers.
A servant began to play a harplike instrument in the corner of the room, a slow, soothing melody. Another servant put a little of each dish on a plate and tasted it himself. Matt realized he was testing the food for poison.
After the servant had tasted everything and deemed it safe, he served the food to the emperor, who took a bite, signaling that others could eat as well. Albert fumbled with the chopsticks and spilled a dumpling and sauce all down his front. Yinreng cast him a derisive glance.
Matt was starving. He ate as quickly as he could without seeming impolite. Much of the food was unfamiliar to him. He pointed to a dish that looked like gray crumbly cheese and asked Jia what it was.
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