Hardly feeling the fall in the flood of information, he rose to his knees and brought the weapon up to aim at the advancing pirates. He pulled back the hammer, squeezed the trigger, and was astonished by the force that pushed his hand back from the blast as he quickly fired another two shots. As intended, the bullets struck a crate, but the attack forced the pirates to duck down for cover.
Twist stared at the gun in his hand, utterly bewildered by the realization that he had just fired it. He’d never even held a gun in his life, let alone fired one. His confusion fell away as Skye met him and fired at the pirates with her own pistol as they began to advance again. One managed to evade well enough to get within reach, but Twist jumped to his feet and swung his cane like a club, catching the man in the jaw and sending him flying to one side.
“Nice shot!” Skye said, taking aim again.
Just then, another man flew in from the side, landing on the barrels beside Twist. Twist readied to swing at him again, but the man aimed a pair of pistols at the pirates and began to fire. Looking at him properly, Twist recognized the man’s clothing as the blue uniform of a Rook aeronaut. Another Rook flew in, swinging on a long rope, and landed near Jonas to fire at the pirates as well. Twist stood up to see that the Rook ship had stopped firing on the pirates in favor of sending a swarm of men to board the ship.
“I’m with Agent Skye Blue!” Jonas yelled to an advancing Rook, holding up his hands submissively.
The Rook paused instantly. Twist rushed toward Jonas.
“How many other friendlies are on the ship?” the Rook asked before he raised his weapon to aim at Twist as he approached.
Twist stalled in his steps, hands up.
“He’s with us!” Jonas said quickly. The Rook lowered his aim. “There’s three more on the second deck: two gypsies and an automaton.”
“A what?” the Rook asked.
“You heard me,” Jonas snapped.
The Rook shook his head and held a small box with a glowing face up to his mouth. “Five friendlies on board, along with Agent Blue, apparently,” he said into the box before hurrying off, continuing to speak into the box.
“How bad is that?” Twist asked, peering at Jonas’s arm.
“I’ll live,” Jonas said, grimacing as he covered the wound with his hand again. “It think it’s just a graze.” He looked at the pistol that Twist still held. “When did you learn to shoot?”
“Just now,” Twist muttered, looking at the weapon hesitantly.
A man’s face appeared over the edge of the crate, a mere instant before the barrel of a long rifle appeared as well. Twist stood instantly, aiming his gun squarely on the pirate’s nose. He pulled the hammer back and waited as the pirate realized that his own weapon wasn’t even aimed properly. The pirate gave Twist a weak smile and then dove back behind the crate again. An instant later, Twist heard the pirate scream in fright before Kali’s massive form leaped up onto the crate. She looked at Twist with a decidedly happy face and then ran off to find her next prey.
Twist glanced down to Jonas to find a smug smile on his face. “And you thought you’d freeze up if someone tried to kill me.”
“It was a nightmare,” Twist snapped. “I wasn’t at my best.”
“But at your best, you’re a terror,” Jonas said brightly. “Twist, you make me feel so safe…” he added with a wistful expression.
“Shut up.”
Despite the taunting, Twist indulged himself in a moment of pride. Shortly after, the sounds of fighting died entirely, and Twist heard the Rooks call to each other to hold fire. He let out a heavy breath, realizing that the battle was over.
“Any wounded?” a voice asked. Twist turned to see a Rook appear, hurrying by at a jog with a bag slung across his back.
“Me,” Jonas said, raising a bloodied hand.
The Rook medic knelt down before him and began to inspect his arm. “This isn’t bad.”
Jonas hissed in pain. “It still hurts, damn it! Don’t poke it.”
“Relax,” the Rook said with a sigh. “I’ll have you patched up in a moment.” Jonas pulled his goggles on over his eyes with a sigh.
“Twist, go make sure no one kills my family, will you?” Jonas asked as the Rook began to treat him.
“Right!” Twist said, suddenly remembering the gypsies. He left his pistol with Jonas and then turned to hurry off for the stairs.
When Twist stepped down onto the second deck, he found Myra speaking with a pair of Rooks while the two gypsies watched silently.
“Oh, yes,” Myra was saying pleasantly. “Twist, Jonas, and I are all rather good friends of Aden. He’s such a lovely man. Do you know that he plays the violin? You should ask him to play for you some day.”
“Right…” one of the Rooks said slowly.
“Everything all right, my dear?” Twist asked, walking up to her.
“Oh!” she gasped, looking at him. “You’re all dusty.” She reached up to brush at his hair and shoulders.
“It’s fine,” Twist said, smiling as he grabbed her hands to stop her. He was grateful to see that she and the others appeared entirely untouched by the battle.
“Which one are you, Twist or Jonas?” the Rook asked.
“Twist,” he answered. “Is there any trouble?”
“Did these pirates kidnap you, or are you part of this crew?” the other Rook asked.
“Perhaps I should let Agent Blue explain all of that,” Twist said as coolly as he could. “But I assure you, sir, my friends and I are not against you in any way.” Twist glanced at the gypsies, both of whom simply stared back at him.
“Well, you were certainly on our side, in that battle,” said one of the Rooks with a smile.
Twist looked at the two of them and found it odd that it was rather difficult to tell them apart. They both wore identical blue uniforms, were of the same build, and had a similarly pale skin tone. Their dark hair was kept in exactly the same fashion as well, and their features were remarkably alike.
A sound at the stairs drew everyone’s attention. Twist saw Skye and Jonas approaching with another Rook. This Rook, however, was dressed in a slightly different-looking blue costume. He also had a full, bushy black beard, which did wonders in distinguishing him from the others. Beside this, Twist was instantly struck by how much the man looked the way he’d always imagined Captain Nemo might. At the sight of him, the two who had been speaking with Myra snapped to attention.
A bruise seemed to be blooming on Skye’s cheek, and there was a splash or two of blood on her hands, but she seemed otherwise unharmed. She was also holding her necklace watch open in her hand. Jonas’s arm bore a bandage now, and drying blood was still splattered on his jacket. Myra gasped at the sight of him; Jonas quietly assured her that he would be fine.
“At ease,” the Nemo look-alike said with a nod to the Rooks.
“Everything all right down here?” Skye asked Twist.
“It looks that way,” Twist said, nodding.
“Captain,” one of the Rooks said to Nemo, “we believe that this might be a clockwork person,” he said, gesturing to Myra.
“What else would I be?” Myra asked him.
Nemo’s eyes flashed with alarm. He moved closer to Myra and peered at her carefully. “Are you a sentient creature?” he asked her.
“Are you?” she asked back, her tone sharpening.
“Aden already knows about her,” Skye said. She was looking pointedly at her watch, which she held open in her hand. It was only then that Twist noticed a soft, music-box-like melody wafting softly out of the blue glow. “She’s the one he sent out on tour.”
“Really?” Nemo asked. He looked at Twist sharply. “Has she been stolen by these pirates, as well?”
“Skye?” Twist asked, looking to her.
He knew a single misspoken word could easily cast suspicion on whatever plan she had come up with. At that moment, the soft music in the light of Skye’s watch cut off.
“Agent Blue?” a voice in the l
ight asked.
“I’m here,” Skye answered instantly.
“Aden has received your message,” the voice said. The gypsies seemed to rustle nervously, now staring directly at Skye with frighteningly strong gazes. “He wishes to speak with you as soon as possible. You are ordered to report to the mirror station immediately, and to bring your guests with you.”
“Understood,” Skye answered. She then snapped her watch closed and looked to Nemo. “Captain, will you please comply with these orders and escort my guests and I onto your ship?”
“Right away, Agent,” he said, turning to lead them all away.
Twist and his companions followed Nemo to where the aeronauts had placed a thick wooden plank, bridging the small gap between the now-parallel airships. Twist clenched his jaw and refused to let the open air below bother him as he stepped across the makeshift bridge. Sure enough, he arrived safely on the open deck of the Rook airship without mishap.
This ship instantly struck him as vastly more organized than the pirate ship had been. Shining iron cannons rimmed the recently washed, uncluttered deck, and every rigging rope was tied off in neat and uniform knots. He and the others were then led below decks—a space that was well lit and scented only with a lingering ghost of soap and salty air—and through the crew quarters to a closed-off room at the stern of the ship.
Nemo opened the door and invited them into the darkness within. There were no portholes or windows of any kind, and the door was shut immediately behind them all. The only light in the room came from two white candles that stood on a shallow table against the far wall. A huge square mirror in a simple frame hung on the wall, just above the table, and a number of simple chairs cluttered the floor in front of the mirror.
Twist instantly remembered a similar room that he’d seen in Australia, on the top floor of the Elizabethan Hotel. He was therefore only mildly surprised to see that no one in the room was reflected in the image of the mirror. He also didn’t jump, as the gypsies did, at the sight of Aden walking into the empty, dark room beyond the mirror. Myra waved to the image of Aden, and he smiled in return to her.
As everyone was invited to take seats where they pleased, Skye approached the mirror and took her pocket watch from around her neck. She turned the clock face over to reveal the soft blue glow on the back side and then pressed the glowing face against a corner of the glass. On the other side, Aden did the same with his silver pocket watch.
“Hello, can you hear me?” Aden asked, his voice emanating from the glass of the mirror.
“Yes, sir, loud and clear,” Skye responded.
“Lovely,” Aden said. “Now. What the devil is going on over there? Why are you on a pirate ship, Agent?”
Skye began to recount their recent exploits quickly, omitting all but the more crucial information. She told of meeting with the gypsies and of deciding on the pirate ship for its speed. While she spoke, Luca leaned closer to Jonas and asked him quietly who the man in the mirror was. When Jonas answered him, Luca and Harman both gaped and looked to Aden’s image in awe as well as dismay.
Coming to the end of her report, Skye paused and pulled something small out of her pocket. She then looked directly into Aden’s eyes with a cold determination. Twist suddenly realized that she couldn’t possibly do as she had promised she would and pin the theft of the vial on the pirates. Aden’s Sight would alert him instantly if she tried to lie to him. She could only tell him the truth. Had she planned to betray them all along?
“That’s when we found this aboard the pirate ship, sir,” she said to Aden, her voice strong and unwavering as she held up the seemingly innocuous little vial of dragon’s blood. Twist was astonished by how closely she had skimmed the edge of deception without actually straying beyond the truth. “I’m fairly sure,” Skye went on, “that this is what you lost in Mexico, sir. It’s lucky we found it.”
Aden seemed confused as he looked at her. “You found it on the pirate ship?” he asked her slowly.
Twist’s apprehensions tightened. Had Aden’s Sight picked up on something she’d said, after all?
“That’s what I’m telling you, sir,” Skye said firmly.
“I see…” Aden said, glancing at the others in the room. His cool gray eyes stuck on the gypsies. “And you were joined by these good people in Peru. That’s interesting.”
Twist’s heart began to beat more quickly. Aden was no fool. Surely he could tell what had truly happened. The gypsies were unmoving and grim, clearly expecting to be found out at any moment.
“Sir, there is another issue,” Skye said, drawing Aden’s attention. “We’re still en route to meet with Aazzi in Africa. But we’ve only just learned that her husband, Philippe, was taken by vampires. According to them,” she said, gesturing to the gypsies, “a few drops of what is in this vial can protect people against vampire attacks. If I could administer the smallest possible amount of it to us, we can be sure to rescue Aazzi’s husband without any losses and still retain most of this potion to study.”
“I’ve never heard of that use of it,” Aden said, looking at the vial. “Tell me once more, as a statement, that it will work.” Skye complied. Aden listened to her carefully and then nodded. “Well, that’s not a lie.” Aden took a slow, thoughtful breath and then looked at the gypsies again. “Mr. Davis?” he asked, not looking to Jonas.
“Yep?” Jonas asked, his voice calm despite the tension Twist felt in his spirit.
“Exactly how well do you know these people?” Aden asked.
“They practically raised me, and they taught me everything I know about crime,” Jonas answered with a smile. Harman glanced to him, clearly worried by his answer. “Well…” Jonas amended, “everything I didn’t pick up from pirates.”
“Of course,” Aden said, rubbing at his brow. He then looked at Skye again, studying her silent, stoic expression. “Is there anything else you’d like to report, Agent?” he asked her.
“Not at the moment, sir,” Skye answered.
Aden nodded. He then looked to the gypsies and put on a cordial smile. “Well, it seems to me that this would be a good time to introduce myself to you properly. My name is Aden, and I am the leader of the Rooks.”
The gypsies glowered at him defiantly but didn’t respond.
“I realize that my predecessors have treated those of your culture unreasonably,” Aden went on. “I want to assure you now that I hold none of their closed-minded prejudices. In recent years, I have ordered my Rooks to treat all of your people—as well as many other groups—with compassion and respect. I believe that it is only through cooperation that we can all achieve our true potential. Now, I understand that you have no reason to forgive my fellow Rooks’ past transgressions, but I dearly hope that we may begin again, as allies. From this moment on, I wish there to be no more animosity between us over anything in our pasts.”
The gypsies listened to Aden as if he had suddenly begun to speak a different language. Harman looked to Jonas in confusion. “You’re in bed with these people,” he muttered. “What the hell is he trying to pull?”
“I’m not in bed with anyone, thank you,” Jonas grumbled. “But…” He paused for a sigh. “I’ve dealt with Aden a few times now. He’s never exactly betrayed me.”
“You trust him?” Luca asked Jonas darkly.
“I’m not sure I trust you,” Jonas answered. “Hell, I could count all the people I’ve ever trusted in my whole life on one hand. But if you want my advice, I’d say take the handshake over the execution.”
Twist felt a subtle, sourceless vibration on his skin, wafting over him like a chilly wave. He glanced around but found no evidence of a draft.
“I’m not threatening anyone here,” Aden cut in quickly, drawing Twist’s attention.
Twist’s eyes caught a faint motion behind Aden, in the darkness of the room beyond the mirror glass. When he looked for it, nothing discernible appeared to him.
“You’ve got secret assassins all over the world,” Jonas snapped a
t the image of Aden in the mirror. “And they can’t all be thrilled about sudden regime changes. You don’t have to threaten anyone. All you have to do is look the other way.”
“This is exactly the sort of misconception that I’m trying to change,” Aden countered.
Twist felt the odd sensation on his skin once again, but this time it was much more noticeable. Jonas glanced to him as Twist’s confusion grew.
“Honestly, Jonas,” Aden went on, as Kazan stepped out of the shadows behind him, “how many times do I have to prove—”
Twist’s heartbeat sped up sharply as he stared at the apparition’s terrible grin. The human form of the dragon looked no less imposing and dangerous to Twist than he did in full form, but nonetheless, Aden didn’t seem to notice as the creature stepped right up to the mirror glass. Aden still spoke on, oblivious.
“Twist?” Jonas asked softly to call his attention.
His luminous orange eyes still locked on Twist with a hungry gleam, Kazan suddenly pulled back a fist and smashed it against the glass between them. Twist gasped and leaped to his feet as the glass splintered under the force of the blow with a wretched whine. Everyone turned to Twist with questioning eyes. Kazan laughed and pulled his fist back again.
“What’s going on?” Jonas demanded, his worried gaze on Twist.
The glass let out a terrible shriek as the dragon’s fist smashed some of the fragments free.
“He’s coming through!” Twist yelled, pointing to the horror that continued to laugh.
“Who is?” Jonas asked, glancing to the mirror for only a moment before looking back to Twist with fearful yellow eyes.
“What?” Twist gasped, looking to Jonas in an instant of pure confusion. “He’s right—”
Twist’s words came to a complete halt as he looked back to the mirror. Kazan had vanished. The glass appeared untouched, as if it had never been broken at all. Twist’s frantic thoughts leaped to a possibility of a future-flash to explain this impossibility, but he still remained on his feet, and everyone was still looking at him in alarm.
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