Kingdom of Mirrors and Roses

by A. W. Cross

  Under the guise that you’ve simply had enough. Then, when it happens, you can plead ignorance. They’ll never know that you knew. It won’t be you who breaks her heart.

  But it just wasn’t in him to lie. Not anymore.

  “Do you remember the man I was speaking with at the ball? Gideon? The one you danced with. He’s told me about the future of The Vault.” He ran his hand through his hair. Where should he start? “So we were—”

  “Cillian? Why are you talking so much?” Cybel knew him too well.

  Just say it. “In one month, The Vault will be destroyed.”

  For a moment, Beauty didn’t speak. Then she smiled. “But isn’t that a good thing? Doesn’t that mean they’re going to announce the war is over?” Her eyes shone as she considered the possibilities. “We’ll be able to go outside…start new lives. Why do you look so miserable about that? I mean, people will be angry at first when they find out, but once they see what their new lives will be, they’ll—”

  “They’ll never find out, Beauty.” This was worse than he’d thought. It had never occurred to him that she’d misunderstand.

  She frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “In a month, they’ll collapse The Vault in on itself. With everyone inside.”

  “But they’ll die.” She said it as though the idea hadn’t occurred to him.

  And there’s nothing we can do to stop it. “Yes. Its usefulness is over. As Gideon put it, Grace Alpha don’t want any loose ends. They have the future they wanted.”

  “But they can’t— What will we do?” Her lips trembled, and she pressed them together.

  “We’ll leave. Tonight.” As soon as they were ready.

  She was shaking her head. “But how? Where would we go? And how could we get that many people to—”

  “I’m not talking about everyone in The Vault, Beauty. I’m talking about us. You, me, and Cybel. I can get us somewhere safe. It won’t be easy, but—” We may just make it.

  Beauty rose from her chair. “Us? Just us? You’re going to just let everyone in The Vault die?” She clutched at her throat, as though the dust had already settled in her lungs.

  “What other choice do we have? We can’t stop Grace Alpha. Escaping tonight is our only chance. You need to start packing.”

  She took a step back, and Cillian breathed a sigh of relief. He’d been afraid she was going to fight him on it. She was still so loyal to her Guild, despite what Quinn had done to her. But she clearly saw they had no choice. So where should they go first? Straight out of the city? Or move around for a few days then—

  “No.”

  “No, what?” In his mind’s eye, they were already fleeing under cover of darkness. The shuttle could be traced, so they couldn’t—

  “I’m not going.” She stood defiant, her feet planted, her arms crossed over her chest.

  “What do you mean, you’re not going?”

  “I can’t just run away with you tonight.”

  “Okay, fine. We can go tomorrow. But it has to be—”

  “I can’t go at all!” She looked incredulous, like the entire idea was ridiculous. “We can’t leave everyone in The Vault to die.”

  “But, Beauty—”

  “No! I won’t do it.”

  “We can’t evacuate everyone. It’s just not possible.”

  She chewed on her lip. “Fine. But we have to at least tell them. Give them a chance—”

  “What chance? We can’t tell them. Do you have any idea what would happen?”

  She raised her chin. “They would fight for their lives. They would—”

  “Panic. They would spend the next month in chaos. Who knows what they’ll do to themselves? To each other?” He didn’t want to be there to see it.

  “But they can escape. They can leave The Vault. If enough of us do it—” Her voice rose, the words tumbling over each other.

  “They can’t leave, Beauty. The Vault isn’t meant to keep people out. It’s to keep them in. There’s no way for them to escape.” The memory of burning flesh still made his nose itch.

  “There must be.”

  How could she still believe they had that choice? “Think about it. Other than the Collectors, have you ever heard of anyone leaving? For anything?” As she opened her mouth to reply, he clarified, “I mean actually leave. Not just set out to.”

  She hadn’t, of course, because no one had. The charge on The Vault saw to that. Death was instantaneous, the bodies secreted away in the dark. It was the second-best-kept secret of the city.

  Her face was pale. “But we have to do something.”

  “We will. We’ll escape, and we’ll live.” He reached out and took her hands.

  The paleness evaporated, replaced by a blazing fury. “You would save yourself and leave them all to die?”

  “I’m saving you. You and Cybel are the only ones I care about.” It was harsh but true. Once they were safe, he’d worry about everyone else.

  “Don’t you dare put this on me! We have to tell them, Cillian.” She stood stiffly, unyielding, as she glared at him.

  “We can’t. You can’t. We—”

  She yanked her hands from his. An expression had returned to her eyes, the expression he’d dreaded ever seeing again. Her voice shook. “You really are a monster. A selfish, murderous monster.”

  “Beauty—”

  “No.” She turned and fled the room.

  “Come back!” He sprinted after her. Why couldn’t she see this was the only choice? Yes, it was selfish, but he didn’t care. All he wanted was to see her safe. Damn the rest of them. She didn’t understand what it would be like, to see everyone she knew die around her and know she was next. He did. And even if she hated him for the rest of their lives, at least she would be alive to do it.

  He caught up to her at the front door. Her chest rose and fell as she took deep, gulping breaths, and as she heard him behind her, she turned on him, her lips pulled back from her teeth in a snarl. “Get away from me. Don’t touch me.”

  “Stop. I—”

  “Let me out.”

  “No.”

  “I said let me out!” She pounded her fists on the door. “Let me out!”

  There was no way he was opening that door. “What are you going to do? Tell everyone? Do you think they’ll believe you?” If she would only just stop and think about it, she would see there was no other option. They couldn’t fight this. The best they could do was try to survive.

  “I don’t care. I have to do something. If I tell them, even if only some of them believe me—”

  “And word gets out? And gets back to Grace Alpha? What’s to stop them from collapsing The Vault tomorrow? A few vases? Some scrap metal? You mean nothing to them.” He reached out for her. “But you mean something to me.” You mean everything.

  She slapped his hand away. “Open this door, now.”

  “I’m not opening the door. Beauty, listen to me. You—”

  The door slid open. They both stared at it in shock. How—

  Cybel.

  Beauty saw her chance and was through the door before Cillian could react. His reflexes weren’t what they used to be. He started after her, but— His mask. He couldn’t go anywhere without his mask. If even a single secret got out now, it would open the door for others. “Beauty, stop! We can talk—”

  She stopped at the end of the narrow corridor and braced herself against the wall. “I’m done talking to you. Forever.”

  And then she was gone.

  14

  She made it around the corner before the tears came. They flowed fast and hot, making it difficult to see where she was going. She took turns as they came, randomly and instinctively, until, finally the warm air and smells of The Vault bathed her face. She staggered to a halt, trying to catch her breath. Would he follow her? She strained to listen but could hear nothing in the tunnels behind her other than the echo of dripping water. She didn’t know whether to be relieved or angry.

  How could he
be so cold? So cruel? After everything that had been done to all of them, how could he think of simply leaving everyone to die? He hadn’t even considered an alternative. His only concern had been to get out as soon as he could, to save his own skin.

  And yours.

  How could he think she’d be all right with that? How could he be? Everything she’d ever heard about him was true—he was more machine than man. And yet he’d fooled her, had made her believe he was something different. Someone different. Someone she could…

  And I kissed him.

  She wiped at her mouth, as though she could erase the last few hours. Well, she’d gotten away from him. And not a moment too soon.

  But what was she supposed to do now? She had nowhere to go, not until she’d decided what she was going to do about The Vault.

  Her feet turned toward the city square. The night market would still be open; there were a few hours left before sunrise. Maybe some familiar sights and smells would help clear her mind. A couple walking toward her stepped off the sidewalk to give her a wide berth; word must’ve spread that she was the Beast’s now.

  If only they knew the Beast wasn’t their biggest problem.

  She came to the edge of the market square, an outsider looking in. Most of the food stalls were still open, the scent of roasting meats and vegetables thick in the air. The tables in the center were full of people, some coming home from a disappointing night, others just heading out. All talking and laughing, blissfully unaware. It was surreal, every bit as much as the ball. Only now did the horror she should’ve felt earlier—first when Cillian told her the truth about the war, then later, at the ball—grip her. But that had been too bizarre. Cillian, all of it…it was too much like a dream. Her disbelief had buffered her against the truth at first then—despite the ugly reality just below the glittering surface—the ball had enchanted her, making her forget.

  As had he.

  But now, the full reality hit her. All these people would be dead in a month. Dead. Without ever knowing the truth. Killed by those they’d devoted their lives to, whether they knew their true faces or not. They fought with each other, jockeying for a position in a life that would never exist. And every night, they got down on their knees and thanked their murderers for the opportunity.

  The world spun, and for a moment, it seemed to darken, beckoning her to give up, to just let it embrace her, or worse, to turn around and go back, deep underground where she would be safe.

  But she couldn’t. If she did, she would be the very thing she’d accused Cillian of.

  Cillian. How could he be so ruthless? Why couldn’t he just tell them the truth? Consequences be damned. Some soldier. How could he let the same people he’d sworn to protect die?

  He’s sacrificed more than most.

  So what? That didn’t absolve him. He owed it to them to keep fighting. Even now he was probably on his way out of the city.

  Well, screw him. If he won’t help me, I’ll do it myself.

  But do what, exactly? The city square was the best place to start…but now that she was here, she was confused.

  Where would I even begin?

  Her stomach rumbled. It had been hours since she’d eaten anything. She wandered to the nearest stall and ordered a bowl of broth. Maybe once her stomach was full, her mind would sort itself out and she’d be able to come up with a plan.

  She seated herself at the counter and waited. Within seconds, a bowl appeared in front of her, full to the brim with steaming liquid and a smell so rich it made her stomach cramp. As she dipped her spoon in, the man behind the counter cleared his throat.

  “You gonna pay for that?”

  “Of course. Sorry.” She reached into her pocket. Her empty pocket. “I’m so sorry, I—”

  “It’s my treat.” A feminine voice spoke at her shoulder. “Have you got any bread?”

  The man grunted and took the offered coins before slapping a hunk of stale bread on the stained counter.

  The woman from the buffet table slipped into the chair beside Beauty’s. “So we meet again. How lovely.” If it hadn’t been for that crooked smile, Beauty wouldn’t have recognized her. Her clothes were casual now, the stiff brocade replaced with soft fabric in the faded colors of The Vault. With her hood pulled up over her dove-gray hair, she could pass for any other member of the doomed city. A Guild master perhaps, given the no-nonsense air about her.

  But Beauty was having none of it. “Come to witness our death march for yourself?” Why else would she be here?

  The woman didn’t seem surprised. She gave a wry laugh. “So he told you, did he?”

  How dare she laugh at her? “That you’re all a bunch of liars and murderers? And so is he? Yes, he told me.”

  “His heart always was bigger than his brain.”

  Beauty ignored the woman, digging into the soup with relish. Grease coated her lips and she sighed with relief as the warmth trickled down her throat. If this didn’t set her right, nothing would. Maybe if she ignored the woman, she would take the hint and go away.

  She didn’t.

  Finally, Beauty had had enough. She slammed her spoon down on the table. “Well, if you’re not here to mock us, why are you here?”

  “The same reason you are.”

  “Which is what?” Her patience was growing thin. Besides, the bread was gone.

  “Cillian.”

  At his name, Beauty’s breath caught in her throat. “What about him?”

  “I assume you’re here because he told you about Gideon Black’s plans.” When Beauty didn’t answer, she raised an eyebrow and gave her a small smile. “And I’m guessing he wanted to run away with you. And you refused.”

  “How could you possibly know that?”

  The woman smiled. “I know Cillian. And if you’d agreed with him, you wouldn’t be here now.”

  “And?” She knew she sounded petulant, but she didn’t care. If this woman had a point, she’d better get to it sooner rather than later.

  “So why didn’t you go? I know it’s risky, but it’s less risky than certain death.”

  Beauty glanced at the man behind the counter, but he was oblivious, picking dirt out from under his fingernails with the knife he’d used to slice the bread. “Because it’s wrong.”

  “Wrong?”

  “I— I can’t leave. Not when everyone else will— Look at them.” She waved at the square of people. “They have no idea. They’ve given everything they had, believing they were helping their country survive and building a better future for themselves.” Tears burned hot behind her eyes again. “It’s just so—”

  “Criminal?” She laughed at the surprise on Beauty’s face. “What? Do you think we’re all the same as Gideon Black?”

  Yes. “I don’t know.”

  “Well, we’re not. Not all of us agree with what’s happening. The Vault isn’t the first city to be buried, and it won’t be the last.”

  “Why don’t you do anything? How can you stand by and let it happen?”

  “I ask myself that question almost every day.” The woman sighed. “There are many answers—none of them good. Perhaps I’m a coward. Perhaps I am afraid of what will happen if we simply remove the wall. We’ve gotten used to living in our golden tower.” She put her hand over Beauty’s. “But this is why we need people like you. And like Cillian.”

  “Cillian? He’s no better than you. He was perfectly happy to let people die. He’s lost his damn mind.”

  “Do you really think that? Or do you think maybe he’s more worried about losing his heart?”

  Beauty’s head was beginning to ache. “What do you mean? He could tell people, show himself to them. They would believe him if they saw…what happened to him.”

  “Do you know how much danger he’s put himself in? Bringing you to that ball? Telling you the truth? Why do you think he told you?”

  “I don’t know. He said…he said he thought I was different.”

  “Well, maybe you are.”

 
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Did the people of Grace Alpha always talk in riddles?

  “Don’t be so hard on him. He knows they’ll kill him if they find out.”

  “He thinks they’re going to kill him anyway.”

  The woman shrugged. “He’s probably right. Gideon knows what kind of man he is.”

  “How can you say that so calmly?”

  “Cillian has nowhere to exist. Grace Alpha will kill him for what he knows, The Vault will kill him for what he is. Did you think of that?”

  She hadn’t. But the woman was right, of course. Cyborgs were an abomination here. How had she forgotten that in such a short time? Because of who he is. He would be beaten to death before anyone would listen. It would cause chaos, even if they believed him.

  “Put yourself in his position. What would you do, if you finally found a true reason to live?”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “You, Beauty. You’ve given him something he never thought he’d have—a heart open to who he is. What he is isn’t important to you.”

  It was true, but… “How do you know all of this? About Cillian? About me?”

  The woman gave a gentle laugh. “I was one of Cillian’s doctors. He was brought to us in pieces on the final day.”

  “You. You’re the one responsible for his body.”

  “Yes. We’d been watching him for some time, and he was a man worth saving. Someone we thought would help bring us all to that brighter future. And that’s why I’m here now.” She shook her head as the man behind the counter pointed to a second soup bowl. “Forgive Cillian. He’s had nothing for so long then he finally found something precious, only to endure the threat of having it taken away. You can see why his first instinct was to leave, can’t you? This city has no love for him, despite the sacrifices he’s made. I’m not,” she held up her hand in warning, “condoning what he suggested. I’m asking you to try to understand. That’s all.”

  But could she? Would she have done the same in his position? In her books, the heroes always sacrificed themselves for others. They risked everything for those they loved.

  And Cillian had done that. In his own way.