Hatta shook his head.
“Did you make it?” Surprise showed clearly on her face as she saw the answer to her question on his. “You learned so quickly. I’ll treasure it, Hatta. Thank you.”
“That would be my first colored mirror. I’m glad you find it unique.”
“Hatta, I wish you had come under better circumstances. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the kingdom has been torn apart and Lady Palida doesn’t think it’s safe to stay even one more night.” She looked around the room at everything left to pack.
A familiar sick feeling filled Hatta’s stomach and he asked, “Why must people so often resort to discord when harmony is so much more pleasant?”
Looking at him with pity, Elora opened her mouth to answer, but caught herself as she truly saw him. “You look so gaunt, Hatta. Have you been eating?”
“The money I should have, in order to buy food, was spent on rent and I had to stretch the food from Yendlie. I plan to sell my mirrors, then buy some food.”
“When was the last time you ate?” she demanded, coming forward to place a hand on his shoulders.
Elora turned and called into the chamber, “Yuli! Come in here.” She began searching through the piles of packing material and produced a large sack, not unlike the one Master Aker had used to pack the food he’d given Hatta.
A mousy girl appeared from deeper in Lady Palida’s quarters and Elora told her, “Run to the foodstores and pack this as full as you can. I want foods of all sorts.”
“But m’lady, the Lady’s things—”
“Can wait,” Elora finished. “This is more important. After you fill it, find a servant to carry it here while you run to the kitchen for some bread and a plate of whatever meat they’re serving. Hurry, we have work to do.” The girl left the room at a trot.
Servants who have servants? How deep does it go?
The thought of a sackfull of food made Hatta hungry, but how could he accept it? “Elora, I haven’t a way to pay for the food. I thank you, but I’m sure I can manage.”
“Is that right?” She looked up at him with an innocent smile. “You tell me exactly how you intend to
manage
and I’ll leave you alone.”
Hatta was stuck. The only animals in a city this big would be scavengers such as rats and pigeons who could never lead him to more than a few crumbs.
After only a moment of thought, Elora continued, “I didn’t think so.” Her face turned serious. “Hatta, the kingdom is in serious danger. Lady Palida and everyone else who has anything to do with the Provinces are leaving the city. Tonight. I’m bound to Lady Palida, but Tjaden and all of the Elites from the interior will remain loyal to Captain Markin, King Antion, and Lady Cuora. I’m sure it will work out eventually, but some people are saying the only way this can end is with war.”
A dirty word,
war
. Worse by far than other curses men used. But there was something Hatta could do. Only he still had no idea what it was.
“I’m destined to…” he began, but paused to think how to explain it. In his pause a strange retinue stormed into the room.
A servant carrying a large, thin mirror led the group. He walked backward facing the mirror toward a curious pair—a boy, not even up to Hatta’s chest, and an apparition of a woman, purely white from head to toe. At first it appeared that she was merely draped in white, but as Hatta inspected her he saw that not only were her clothes white, but her skin, hair, eyelashes, lips, and fingernails too. Everything except her eyes, which were what truly captured Hatta’s attention. They were such a dazzling blue that it appeared all the color that should have innervated the rest of her body was concentrated in two small circles. They appeared to pulsate with living energy.
He could only wrest his attention away from the woman in short bursts to examine the boy. Dressed in a thick robe the same color as Hatta’s hair, he carried himself as if leading the group of servants behind him.
Next to Hatta, Elora made some sort of bowing movement, but Hatta was too intent on the Lady to notice much. The eyes. Never in his life had he seen such an intense concentration of color.
The pair cut off their conversation when they reached Elora and Hatta.
“My Lady,” said Elora, “this is Hatta, a friend from Shey’s Orchard.” That made Hatta smile, but at the same time he was intrigued that Elora spoke to the Lady’s reflection in the mirror that the servant carried.
“To meet a friend of Elora’s is a pleasure.” As she spoke, the white-clad servant angled the mirror so Hatta and the Lady could see each other, and she addressed his reflection rather than his person. “Lady Palida am I.”
Even in the reflection her eyes engulfed him, and he couldn’t respond. She was only a few years older than Hatta. Twenty-five, maybe. And as Hatta came face to face with her, through the mirror, he confirmed that she truly was white—not albino, or blonde, but white. “Your eyes,” he managed, and she raised a white eyebrow. “My Lady, that is. I’ve never seen coloring to equal. I could swear they are living sapphires. And yet your skin lacks color in the extreme.”
“Your pardon, My Lady,” Elora interjected. “Hatta was on his way out to allow me to continue to prepare your things.” She made another bow toward Lady Palida’s reflection.
“Would you be the king?” Hatta asked the boy, ignoring Elora’s escape attempts. He’d heard Maravilla had a boy king.
The boy nodded and smiled, looking over Hatta’s garish clothes. “I am,” he said, but didn’t have a chance to say more before Elora tugged Hatta’s sleeve and led him to the door. Hatta watched over his shoulder.
The king quickly forgot about Hatta and Elora, and turned to Lady Palida’s image in the mirror. “My place is here, Mother. And I think it would be best for you to stay and appeal to diplomacy.”
“Too late is it. To stay here for me longer is not safe. Of your father and you is the land of Palassiren.” Placing a tender hand on the boy’s shoulder, she said, “Onion—”
“Mother, please.” He looked around, embarrassed. “That is not a proper name for a king.”
Smiling, she apologized and King Antion continued. “I refuse to just give up the kingdom. And I don’t see any way to avoid eventual war with Provinces that completely surround us. I fear if you walk out now it will mean the end of Maravilla.”
Though Hatta was almost out the door, he called out, “Don’t worry, I’ll soon save the kingdom with my mirrors and kindness!” The mirror bearer didn’t have to shift the angle to allow Lady Palida to see Hatta, she just glanced over the shoulder of her own reflection. The last view Hatta had of the room before Elora dragged him out was the evanescent gaze of her piercing eyes.
With a look that showed more shock than anger, Elora asked, “You do realize that was the king and one of the members of his Council.”
“I found them very gracious. Might you tell me about her colors?”
“That’s not really something that’s polite to ask about, Hatta.”
Just then Yuli arrived with a plate of food, which she shoved into Elora’s hands then disappeared into Lady Palida’s quarters. Elora said, “I don’t have any more time, but I’m so grateful to you for bringing the letter from my father...”
“And the mirror,” cut in Hatta. “Please don’t forget the mirror.”
“Of course,” said Elora. “I’m honored to have your first mirror.”
A manservant, dressed in white, delivered a bulging sack. Thankfully Elora only had time for a very short farewell. Hatta hadn’t eaten a proper meal for a week, and the plate of bread and beef was almost too much for his shrunken stomach. After cleaning the plate he picked up the rucksack and left the palace.
Activity around the palaces had increased. Now that Hatta understood the reason behind the bustle, he saw a bit of order in the chaos and realized he was witness to a momentous event in the fate of the kingdom.
In one corner of the courtyard in front of the palaces was a nook with almost no activity. Hatta had nowhere to be, so he settled in. Watching the events of the evening might give him some insight into his role.
Within two hours a line of wagons, coaches, footmen, and horses lined up in front of Lady Palida’s palace. Gaps in the line filled in and it grew longer as more and more people joined the procession. Last to arrive were Lady Palida and her retinue, including two mirror bearers, through which she inspected her convoy. Even though she was over a hundred paces away, and night had fallen, Hatta was sure he saw her eyes giving off their own light.
She and the King, her son, bowed to each other’s reflections, then the King walked north toward the largest palace, encircled by blue-clothed Elites. Elora emerged from Lady Palida’s palace carrying a small travel case and, to Hatta’s delight, her mirror! Before she and Lady Palida climbed into their carriage, the red woman Hatta had seen on the walls of the city arrived along with another contingent of soldiers.
Brief words were spoken through mirrors between the white and red Ladies before Lady Palida turned and entered her carriage. Elora moved to follow her, but the Red Lady stopped her, seized the mirror, and inspected it. Even from the distance Elora appeared nervous. After exchanging a sentence or two, the Red Lady shoved the mirror into Elora’s waiting hands, and Elora darted into the carriage.
As the procession lumbered toward the inner gates, a small rush of men moved to join it. They were clad in blue and half wore the Circle and Sword. The Elites and Fellows formed the rearguard as the people of the Provinces fled Palassiren.
The dozen or so Elites who didn’t leave, looked on as their brothers-in-arms departed, and Hatta felt a twinge of pain for his own brother. Whatever event had caused the schism in the kingdom went deep enough to separate men who considered themselves brothers.
Husbands and wives. Brothers. Mother and son. The conflict had just begun and already too many people were separated from those they loved. Squinting through the night, Hatta saw the outline of the boy on the large palace’s center balcony. His hands went repeatedly to his eyes as he watched the procession thread through the inner gates.
Only a couple years older than me when I lost my mother,
thought Hatta, and shared a tear with the boy king.
“I’ll do my best, Boy King,” said Hatta quietly into the distance. “Of course, I can’t make any promises because there is a chance I’m mad.”
Even after the refugees cleared the courtyard, Hatta stayed on the wall, looking across at the king. His father, King Barash, had been killed by the Jabberwocky only a year and a half before, and now his mother was forced to flee. Hatta would stay and keep him company as long as the King watched the empty courtyard.
A quarter hour later, the King retreated and Hatta followed his example, walking home feeling torn and trodden on.
The next morning, Hatta’s first thoughts were of his mirrors and shop. He rushed to open the doors of his business for the first time, sure that the departure of everyone associated with the Provinces would not prove a damper on his business. He didn’t have nails, or a hammer for that matter, or any easels to display his mirrors so he had to set them on the floor, leaning against the wall. It wasn’t hard to go next door and greet the tailor in his confident mood, and the old man was happy to see him.
After initial greetings, Hatta produced the large rucksack and said proudly, “I can repay your kind food now. I have…” he looked through the sack, “a gourd, a portion of a ham, plenty of bread…”
“That’s not necessary, young man. I have sufficient; you keep that for yourself.”
The old tailor told Hatta he would be happy to send his few customers to see the mirrors and even found two racks that could double as easels which he cheerfully lent to Hatta.
His first customer walked through the door an hour later. A woman, followed by a servant who carried a tied package. She browsed for a few moments then left without speaking. Over the course of the day he only had half a dozen chances to sell mirrors, all of them unsuccessful. The lighting in the building was insufficient. That was it. He hadn’t considered the north-facing shop in early springtime. Hopefully it would change as spring turned to summer.
Most people entered or left with only a word or two. But a well-dressed couple offered his highest hope and deepest worry. The woman was intrigued and even used the word “distinctive”, but her husband was quick to express his opinion.
“Why would you want a mirror that’s half cloudy? Only half of the surface reflects clearly. Mirrors should be square. These hazy, wavy borders are a waste of material.” He didn’t acknowledge Hatta standing ready to assist or answer questions.
An hour after dark, Hatta closed the door on his first day as a shopkeeper, hoping it wasn’t a sign of things to come.
I don’t care about silver, but I’ll never save the kingdom at this rate.
Chapter 17
Knight
Security in Chism’s cell was tighter than the barrel he used to escape Far West Province. Even without the injured shoulder and gimpy leg he didn’t stand a chance. Lady Cuora had always been hard, but Chism could tell by the ardor of the guards that their fear of her had grown since he left on campaign months earlier. If Chism escaped, any guard responsible would take his place under the headman’s axe.