Reflection: The Stranger in the Mirror

by Rachel R. Smith

  "I meant that I don't remember having seen you here earlier in the night," she clarified, glad that the mask hid her reddening cheeks. She was getting flustered and absolutely did not want him to see her blushing.

  "This is my first time attending the masquerade, but I've been here since the beginning of the evening," he replied with an ambiguous smile. "You, on the other hand...I thought you said you had just arrived."

  He was sharp. Nerissa's lips twisted to the side wryly. "I have, in a way."

  The music stopped temporarily, and they paused to join in a round of applause with the rest of the crowd. Nerissa noticed that her partner's arm had briefly lingered around her waist before clapping. She felt her cheeks warming again and forced herself to take a deep breath. What came next, now that the song was over?

  "Would you like another dance?" she asked.

  He reached out to take the new dance book that braceleted her wrist. "I wouldn't want to have to rescue you from that puppy twice in the same night."

  Stunned, Nerissa watched as he slid the tiny pencil from its clip, opened the book, and proceeded to write his name on every line. He paused, noticing her stare.

  "Am I too bold?" he asked.

  Nerissa shook her head firmly. "Not at all. I’m told that fate smiles upon the bold." She tilted her head to read from the dance book more easily. Instead of writing the name of his costume, he had written his own name! Since this was his first time attending the masquerade, could it be that he didn't know the custom? Or had he done it intentionally?

  "Is that so? It seems I'll always have fate on my side then," he said, his voice thick with mock arrogance. Nerissa took it for mock arrogance, at least.

  "What manner of bird is a Rian anyway?" Nerissa asked. She couldn't resist teasing him a bit.

  Rian laughed and shook his head. "The boldest—and apparently a very foolish—sort of hawk, it seems."

  The first notes of the next song slowly rang throughout the room. Rian clasped Nerissa's outstretched hand and the pair began to dance again. "Now that we will be spending the remainder of the evening together, Rian, what family are you from?"

  A frown flickered across his lips, passing so quickly that Nerissa almost thought she imagined it. It was quickly replaced with another of those mischievous grins. "That's a secret. After all, if you know who I am, what is the point of a disguise?"

  Nerissa threw back her head and laughed, watching the room spiral around them. "You make an excellent argument! I should remind you that I already know your name."

  "Now that you know my name, is there something that I can call you aside from 'my lady'?" He asked, laughing with her.

  "What would you like to call me?" Nerissa asked, teasing.

  The beat of the music suddenly picked up as the song reached its climax. There was no opportunity to talk now. Keeping up with the beat of the drums required their full concentration. Soon they were spinning so fast that the colors in the room seemed to streak together. Reds and yellows blended with her orange dress like flames swirling around them. As the last notes of the song resonated, he spun her one last time then swept her back. He held her so close that she could feel his warm breath against the nape of her neck as he supported her arched back in one cradling arm. Nerissa was fairly certain that the room was still spinning, even though she knew they had already stopped moving.

  "To answer your question, I'd like to call you by your name, of course," he whispered in her ear as he gently lifted her upright.

  Nerissa was suddenly acutely aware of his hands. They were firm and strong as they held hers but were also soft and gentle. She shook her head, in an attempt to regain her senses. No matter how nice his hands were, she wasn't going to fall prey to his charms again. She had charms of her own, and it was time to turn the tables on her mysterious hawk.

  A mischievous smile spread across her face as she backed away. She waggled one finger at him and laughed as she disappeared into the crowd. "If you know who I am, what is the point of a disguise?"

  Chapter 7

  A Rose Among Roses

  The amused smile vanished from Rian's face as he watched his partner turn away and disappear into the crowd, a pert smile still on her face. Playing hard to get, was she? Surely this coy little phoenix was only teasing him and not actually leaving him here. After a moment passed with no sign of her return, he finally admitted to himself that she was not coming back. Rian snapped his mouth shut, just now realizing that it had been hanging agape.

  "No one gets the upper hand on me," he said, diving into a fleeting gap between dancing couples. So far, the evening had been much more interesting than expected. This was his first assignment in the capital. Even though the assignment was really more a formality than a necessity, it was still an honor and a great responsibility for Rian and his cohorts. It had been nearly twenty years since Casimer's failed attack, and if he were going to attempt an attack again, he would have done it long ago.

  The pair of orange wings he sought flashed a few feet ahead of him, bobbing out of sight again as a couple whirled past. With a frustrated sigh, he waited impatiently for another gap before proceeding. After dodging out of the path of a pair of twirling bumblebees and ducking in time to avoid knocking a tray of glasses out of a servant's upraised hand, he finally reached the edge of the crowd. Unfortunately, now there was no sign of the wily phoenix at all. Scowling behind his mask, Rian slammed his open palm against the wall in frustration, then resumed scanning the room for any sign of her. Realistically, it would be far easier to find another partner to help speed the evening along. In truth, he had no interest in anyone else now that he had met this girl. The phoenix had his full attention. She had captivated him from the moment he saw her hovering next to the dessert table. He had found himself filling in every line in her dance book before he had even realized that he wanted to be sure she didn't slip away.

  "She's playing hard to get..." His grumbling was interrupted as he was jostled from behind.

  "Please pardon me." The man behind him apologized hastily as he and his scantily clad peacock companion scuttled toward the exit. The swirls of tiny black and white checks on the man's suit made Rian feel like his eyes were crossed.

  "Quite alright," Rian muttered, annoyed. The pair had not bothered to wait for a response. They were already making their way to the door. Why were those two in such a hurry to leave the party? And where had his nameless phoenix disappeared to? Right when he was about to give up hope, he spotted the pair of feathered wings again—this time near the tall doors leading to the gardens. A minute later, the doors opened, and Rian followed quickly behind.

  Rian entered the garden, where the gurgling of water could be heard as it cascaded over rocks at the edge of the gardens. Ripples of light shimmered from below the water, which was illuminated by submerged glow lamps. A gentle wind rustled the leaves of the surrounding trees, causing the light from the glow lamps nestled within the branches to dance across the ground. Somewhere in the distance came the haunting call of a loon. In the midst of it all was the phoenix, watching the sun set behind the distant mountains that loomed on the western horizon. She stood with her hands clasped behind her back, innocently, expectantly, while the last saffron rays of the sun framed her in a luminous halo. Locks of hair and the feathers on her mask and wings danced in the breeze like hundreds of tiny flames. Here, she truly was a phoenix. She had enthralled him, without speaking a single word or even giving him so much as a glance. As he approached her, she turned to face him, a beguiling smile playing across her lips.

  Nerissa had hoped that he would follow her, but somehow he had managed to get lost in the crowd multiple times. She had begun to think that she would have to go back and lead him out by the beak. It was hard to suppress the urge to laugh at that thought, but she didn't want him thinking she was laughing at him...even though she was.

  Rian pried his eyes away from her, pretending to examine a garland of roses draped around one of the two tall stone pillars. "Beaut
iful," he said under his breath. As she approached, he noticed the twinkling of tiny glow lamps woven into her hair. He was unsure why such a small detail would impress him so much, but it did.

  His remark had been barely audible, as if it weren’t meant for her to hear, but it sent Nerissa’s heart soaring. Someone else had noticed the roses she had cared for so diligently! Seeing the way the delicate flowers had been handled during the preparations had been enough to make her cringe. In her excitement Nerissa almost blurted out that she had been the one to grow them, but caught herself, realizing that she would have given away her identity immediately. This man was charming in a way that was somehow completely unlike the other noblemen she was acquainted with. She wanted to know more about him without him being influenced by her name or title.

  "Aren’t they?" she asked. She reached out to pet the velvety petals of the one nearest her.

  “Aren’t they what?” he asked, confused. Then he realized that she must have overheard him and thought he had been talking about the roses. It was time to turn on the charm. "I mean, some are definitely more beautiful than others."

  Rian looked over the garland and spotted a rose with its petals spread wide and covered in dewy pearls. He plucked the rose from its place and offered it to her. It was unusually large and stood out among its peers even in the twilight. Only this one was suitable enough for her. "Anyone can spot a rose growing among weeds,” he said. “But few can see the extraordinary rose among roses.”

  "It does take a keen eye to find the one that is different from all the others when they are so similar," she said instantly recognizing that particular rose. She had hated to cut it from the branch because it was the loveliest flower in the entire garden. It had seemed a waste of its beauty to mix it in so indiscriminately with the ordinary looking roses—but it had not been a waste after all. Nerissa looked up from the rose in her hands and smiled at him, grateful that someone else had recognized her favorite flower.

  He said nothing, and his expression was unchanged, but his intense eyes were locked with hers. It was then that Nerissa realized that he might not have really been talking about roses at all.

  They were abruptly interrupted when the ornate doors connecting the gardens to the grand hall flew open, admitting a man disguised as a fox to the garden. Long tendrils of pure white hair arced behind the newcomer as he strode toward them. Nerissa felt like she was being appraised by those knowing eyes, like they saw right through her guise. He acknowledged her with a bow before addressing her companion.

  "I need to speak with you."

  "How did you know I was here?" Rian questioned, sounding peevish.

  "I followed you through the crowd," the Fox said with a shrug of his shoulders. "It's not like it was difficult to do." Nerissa snorted in amusement, earning her a quizzical look from both men.

  "There is an urgent matter that needs attending. In private," he added forcefully. The Fox then turned to Nerissa, his green eyes locking with her own. "My Lady, I would advise that you go back inside where it is safe. I have no doubt that your absence there will be noticed shortly."

  "Thank you for your concern," Nerissa replied softly. He had spoken to her no differently than anyone else, but she was unable to shake the feeling that this person knew exactly who she was, despite the costume.

  Rian's annoyance was obvious, but, strangely, he didn't question any further. Instead, he grabbed Nerissa's hand and lifted it up to brush with his lips. "I hope to see you again soon. Will you wait for me? You still owe me a few dances." With an impish grin, he swept into a low bow and departed without waiting for her response.

  "How kind of you to ask," Nerissa murmured, her eyes narrowing as the two departed. Her lips twitched to the side thoughtfully as she spun the stem of the rose between her fingers. "I suppose I can wait a little while," she said to herself, leaning back against one of the tall stone columns to wait.

  Chapter 8

  The Phoenix Takes Flight

  Rapid footsteps rang out from the marble floors, shattering the silence that had consumed the empty hallway. The corridor was devoid of both life and light, except for a pair of shadows racing swiftly toward their destination, one after the other. They ran heedlessly through the darkness with the confidence of one intimately familiar with their surroundings. They halted in front of an antique tapestry, pulling it aside to reveal a small door hidden behind. Inside lay their swords, the last two remaining of the many that had been hidden away earlier. Swords would have drawn unwanted attention. Even when hidden, they were never too far from their owners' sides.

  Raysel tore away his fox mask and sent it clattering carelessly to the floor a short distance away. A look of relief flittered across his face as he picked up Thorn. Rian followed suit, pulling the beaked mask away from his face before retrieving his own sword, Dragon's Bane. He felt the same sense of relief to be holding his blade again. This was the one night he could not keep it with him, and it had seemed unnatural not to have it by his side.

  "You said that there was something urgent, so what is it? Or did you just miss Thorn?" Rian asked. Raysel was acting peculiar, which made it abundantly clear that something serious was happening. Still, Rian couldn't help feeling a bit irritated as he fastened the sheath to his hip.

  Raysel gave Rian a withering look before turning and running onward. "We should keep moving. I'll explain as we go. Something strange is going on near the river. I sent the rest of the group ahead to scout. One of the street patrols reported hearing the cry of a loon from the direction of the docks. It was out of place since loons don’t live south of Silvus. It seems suspiciously like a signal of some sort, and we've heard it several times now."

  Rian nearly tripped over his own feet at the realization. He, too, had heard the loon earlier but had been so preoccupied that the detail slipped past him.

  Raysel continued on, ignoring Rian's misstep. "I approached the docks to investigate and found many men moving around on the decks of two of the boats. It's hard to tell for certain what they were doing, but it looked like they were moving large objects around. And I don't mean heavy crates. There are no shipments scheduled to arrive tonight either."

  They stopped, and Raysel slowly pushed open the heavy wooden door used by the servants to bring shipments in from the docks. He looked at Rian and put one finger to his lips, motioning for silence. The two crouched low to the ground and crept slowly toward a stack of haphazardly piled crates.

  "The boats are from the nobles who traveled from the north, right? It would make sense that they would have servants and crewmen that stayed on board," Rian whispered, leaning cautiously against the pile.

  A loon crooned again into the night, this time much closer than it had been in the gardens. Raysel's brow furrowed upon hearing the sound, and his face had taken on an eerie calmness. It was the same face Rian often saw when they sparred together. They crept on, rounding a corner to discover Cadby and Edson already taking cover there.

  "Look," Cadby murmured. He seemed anxious and was muttering oaths under his breath, but his eyes were fierce and he clutched his bow confidently.

  Rian snatched the lenses from his hand and gazed through them, searching through the night. It was difficult to see clearly in the dusky light, but from this vantage he could make out the outline of a catapult on the deck of one of the ships. Stacked up nearby were huge balls, and a man appeared to be pouring something onto them. Flames suddenly sprung up from lanterns and torches all around the deck, bobbing rhythmically as the ships creaked and groaned. His heart sank into his stomach. Time was short. They had been caught off guard and were vastly outnumbered.

  "An attack." The words were cold and stone-like on his tongue. "Where are the others?"

  "They are already in formation for a pre-emptive move. They are awaiting the signal," Raysel replied. He had followed his instincts when he sent the men into position. Rian nodded, already calculating their next course of action. The attackers had to be stopped before their plans cou
ld be put into motion. If his group could move quickly enough, perhaps it wouldn’t be too late to prevent this disaster. Rian drew his sword, hesitating only briefly.

  "Edson, go back inside and report this to Einar," Rian commanded.

  "I warned him on my way to find you," Raysel said.

  As always, Raysel was one step ahead. Rian was completely confident that Einar and his men would protect the Royal Family. There should not have been another thought in his mind as Cadby's flaming arrow shot into the air and he and his peers poured from their hiding places. But, for one fleeting moment, before instinct took over, his mind flew back to the phoenix waiting for him in the garden.

  *******************

  Einar dodged through the crowd, moving against the flow to reach the garden doors. He had to see for himself what was happening at the docks. Beadurinc and Harbin were watching over Rica and Parlen, while Valter was outside Nerissa’s room. The party continued on, with the revelers unaware of the impending danger. They milled about, still sipping their drinks and chattering as if nothing were out of the ordinary. There was no time to warn them. The guests’ safety was, unfortunately, secondary to that of his primary charges—the Blood, the Bond and the Heiress.

  He had nearly reached the garden doors when he saw a woman through the glass panes. She removed her mask, straining to look at something in the distance. Einar’s eyes widened in recognition. That wasn’t the costume she had been wearing earlier, and Nerissa shouldn’t be in the gardens. She was supposed to be asleep in her room.

  The building suddenly shook violently, and the crowd around him screamed in surprise and fear. All around, the world seemed to stand still. He tore off his mask and struggled forward, unceremoniously shoving aside Lords and Ladies to reach Nerissa. He watched helplessly as a ball of flames flew through the sky toward them. The building trembled again, and people now began to run. They pushed against each other, desperate to get outside. She was so tantalizingly close, just seconds more and he would be there to keep her safe. Nerissa turned, running toward the doors when the column she had been standing in front of exploded as one of the balls struck. Einar ran to her, only to be forced back as the roof covering the patio collapsed, burying the area, and Nerissa, in the rubble.