Strangers and Shadows (9 page)

The room erupted into applause.

Ava curtsied, bowing slightly, graciously accepting the welcome.

Asher, having never been in such a situation before, found himself blushing with embarrassment.  He quickly followed Ava’s lead and bowed low.

When the applause died down, Ava raised her voice and addressed the room.  “Citizens of the Seventh, and gracious hosts, on behalf of myself and my world, thank you for your warmest welcome.  It is indeed
my
hope that our Verses may be friends and allies forever more.”

Again the gathered guests showered the room with applause. 

As it died down, the woman at the podium spoke again.  “Very good.  Our friendship is begun.  Now then, let us celebrate the arrival of our new friends!”

With that, dancers streamed into the courtyard from all sides and an orchestra, descending from the ceiling on a floating platform, began to play.

Dorian led Ava and Asher up on the dais where the white-haired woman waited.

“Hello,” the woman said, extending her hand first to Ava and then to Asher.

Dorian introduced her.  “This is the Prime Minister, Lady Julia White.” 

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Ava said.

“Prime Minister, may I introduce, Princess Ava, and Asher,” Dorian said.

“The pleasure in our meeting is all mine, I assure you,” Lady White said.  “Come, there will be time for talk later.  Let us eat, I’m sure you must be famished by now.  You’ve had quite a trip, from what Dorian tells me.”  She showed them to their seats at the table and they all sat down.  Asher beside Dorian who sat next to Lady White, with Ava on the other side of her.

The dinner consisted of course after course of every kind of food that Ava and Asher could imagine and many more that they could not.  Asher lost count of the courses after fourteen.

After what seemed like hours, the dinner ended and the cocktails began.  Guests stood and began to mingle as servers came around and took drink orders.  They had had several different wines with dinner, and both Ava and Asher felt a slight buzz despite all of the food they had consumed.  When the server came around to take their cocktail order they first stared at each other blankly and then at Dorian.  “Would you mind ordering something that you think we both might like?” Ava asked to Asher’s surprise.  It wasn’t like her to ask a man for help or advice.

Dorian was delighted to help and ordered separate drinks for the two.  Asher tried to catch the names, but they just sounded like random words strung together to him.

While they waited, Dorian introduced them to several of the guests near them.  The first was a senator and his wife, who as it happened, was also a senator.  Drinks arrived and small talk was made, usually beginning with exclamations of amazement over the quality of the cocktails.  After the senators came more senators and then a cabinet member and still another senator.

Asher listened quietly, minding Ava’s instructions earlier at the door.  Every now and again he would nod in agreement at one of Ava’s remarks.  Mostly he just sipped his drink, which was a little strong and bitter for his taste.  He didn’t mind being ignored in these circumstances, as most of the politicians they met were interested in the beautiful princess standing next to him.  He never was comfortable in affairs of the state.  Too much pageantry and play-acting, in his opinion.

Ava, on the other hand, excelled at it.  She was born into this sort of life and groomed for this kind of interaction.  She was a statesman in every sense, and it showed in all of her movements.  A slight bow of the head, a raised eyebrow, the polite laugh in response to a joke that plainly was not funny.  This was her world, Asher realized, and one that he would never fully be able to comprehend or be a part of.

Asher finished his drink and a server came around with a tray to take the empty glass.  

“Care for another, sir?”

Asher glanced at Ava, trying to judge whether or not he should, but she was deep in conversation and not paying him any attention.  “Another drink would be lovely, yes.  Thank you.”

While he waited and pretended to follow the conversation around him, he was overcome with the need to empty his bladder.  “Would you excuse me for just a moment?” he asked those gathered around.

Ava glared at him questioningly.

“I’m afraid I must make some more room if I’m to keep enjoying your Verse’s hospitality.” 

A statesman laughed politely and several of the others joined him.  “Please do.  I fear I will be joining you shortly.”  

Asher saw Ava relax with the group’s acceptance of his interruption, and he breathed a sigh of relief.  He didn’t want any more stress between them right now.  And certainly not for having to take a piss.

He took his leave from the conversation and his band guided him out of the dining hall and down the hallway to the restroom.  Upon his return, he was greeted by a smiling middle-aged man with wild, wispy white hair and a long beard to match.  The man had a pot belly and rosy cheeks.  No doubt a result of the drink, Asher thought.  Something else about the man gave Asher pause until he put his finger on it—the pot belly—Asher hadn’t seen anyone in this Verse who didn’t appear to be in prime physical condition until now. 
How strange
.

“Hello!” the white-haired man said boisterously.  He was holding a drink in each hand and extended one to Asher.  “Here, I noticed you were out.”

“Thank you, sir, but I have another drink already ordered.”  Asher didn’t know what to make of the man.  He didn’t seem like the rest of the guests he’d met tonight.  He was more intense, but less serious at the same time.

“I took the liberty of canceling your order.  My son is good at a great many things, but ordering drinks for strangers is not one of them.  Here,” he said, again extending the glass.  “Try this.  I’m almost certain you’ll like it better than your last.”

Asher took the drink from the man’s hand.  “Your son?”

“Dorian.”

He nearly choked on his surprise.  “
Dorian is your son
?”  

“Don’t look so surprised.”  The man held out his hand, now that it was free.  “My name is Ander, but most folks just call me Wizard, and you may do the same.”

Asher shook his hand.  “Asher.  Nice to meet you…
Wizard
?”

Wizard laughed.  “It’s an odd name to be called, I’ll give you that.  It began as a joke a long time ago.  I’m good with tech and machines… a
wizard
as it were.  Hence, the name.  It caught on, and over the years it seems to be the only thing anybody calls me anymore… Aside from the curse words, of course.”

“I see…”  Asher tasted his drink, as the old man chuckled at his own joke, and felt his mouth explode with flavors. He was so shocked, he nearly spit it out.

“It’s not
that
bad, is it?”  Wizard laughed.

“No! Not at all.  It’s delicious!  I just wasn’t expecting it.”  Asher could swear that his tongue was vibrating.  “What’s it called?”

“Why,
The Wizard,
of course.  After all, it’s of my own invention.”

“Well, it’s very good.  Thank you.”  Asher made his way to rejoin Ava with her now growing crowd of conversationalists.

Wizard reached out and grabbed Asher’s arm with the quickness of a much younger man and held him in place.  “Pardon my rudeness,” he said, “but I was wondering if my son had explained to you the reason that you are here.”

“Uh…” Asher stammered, caught off guard by the sudden change of topic.

“Hmmm…” Wizard mused.  “So you haven’t made it that far yet, I see.”  He pulled Asher in close and lowered his voice.  “They want something—no,
need
something from you.  Something they cannot do themselves.  Which says something right there, as their power is considerable.  What they want, I can only guess at, but it can’t be good.  You can’t trust them, Asher, they will—”

“I see you’ve met my father,” Dorian interrupted, clapping Asher on the shoulder like they were old school chums.

“Yes, a most interesting man, your father,” Asher replied, his heart racing now.  He felt like he had been caught stealing test answers from the teacher’s desk at the academy.

“Father, I wasn’t aware that you would be attending this evening,” Dorian said.  His mouth barely opened as he spoke.

“How could I miss the chance to meet our young guests from the Fourth?” Wizard replied.  “It’s the chance of a lifetime.  First contact with members of the Fourth Verse.  It’s all so exciting.”

“Yes, it is, isn’t it?”  Dorian turned to Asher.  “Ava was asking after you.  Why don’t you rejoin her, and I’ll see to my father.  It would appear he has had a bit too much to drink.”

Asher, glad to be out of the awkward situation, excused himself and made his way across the room to where Ava was still surrounded by a small group of people fawning over her.  Halfway there, he turned back over his shoulder and saw two large men on either side of Wizard escorting him out.  He hadn’t thought the old man was that drunk, but maybe he’d been wrong.  Or maybe… No, it was best not to entertain such thoughts.  The old man had just been talking craziness in his cups.

He rejoined Ava and nursed his cocktail as the night wore on.  Just before Asher finished his drink, Lady White and Dorian took them aside.

“If you’re up to it, there is something that I’d like to discuss with you, before the hour grows too late.  I’m sure you must be tired,” Lady White said.  “After all, you’ve had quite the day or two.”

In fact, Ava was not tired at all.  She felt wide awake and energized, as if she could go all night and into the day.  “We would be delighted.”

They retreated to the Prime Minister’s office on the top floor of the Embassy building.  They were seated comfortably on two couches that faced each other.  “Can I offer you anything?  A nightcap perhaps?” Lady White asked.

“I’d love one,” Ava replied.  Lady White looked to Asher for his reply.

“Nothing for me, thank you.”  In truth, he had been thinking about the drunken ramblings of Dorian’s father. 
Had
he been rambling, or was this what he had been talking about?  Asher couldn’t be sure about anything right now, but he did know that he wanted as clear a head as possible.  In fact, now he was wishing that he’d taken it easier on the drinks altogether.

“Lovely.”  Lady White poured the drinks herself from a small bar along the wall.  One for Ava, Dorian, and herself.  After passing them out, she began.  “I’m sure that by now you must have countless questions, but one most likely reigns above the others—
why are you here
?  What did we go through all the trouble of bringing you to our Verse for?”

“Well, the simple answer is, of course, that you need our help with something,” Ava replied confidently.  “And, given the very advanced state of your world over ours, it’s clearly something that only
we
can do for you.  Am I right?”

“Perhaps more right than you know,” Lady White said.  “In truth, there
is
something that we need you to do, and you are uniquely suited to accomplish this task.”  She paused, gaging their reaction.  “You see, there are
other Verses
… Ones that are not so kind and benevolent as ours.  Regrettably, one such Verse—at one time considered to be our closest friend and ally, has committed an unspeakable crime.  They have stolen something very dear from me.

“I became pregnant during a sensitive time of political unrest and conflict with the Verse responsible, the Sixth.  Fearing for the safety of the child, I had the embryo removed from my womb and preserved.  Many years later, agents from the Sixth found out about it and managed to steal the embryo.  I have searched tirelessly for the last fifteen years for any trace of my child.  Several weeks ago, one of our agents stationed in the Fifth came across what turned out to be, my son’s DNA markers in a random search.  Every attempt to get closer to him has resulted in one of our agents going missing.  We believe that the Sixth has agents of their own in the vicinity, and they are closing in on his whereabouts.”

“What can we possibly do that you can’t?” Ava asked.  “If your agents keep disappearing, what makes you think the same won’t happen to us?”

“An excellent question, Ava.  I’m glad you asked.”  Lady White continued, “This is where your unique makeup comes into play.  You see, the members of the Sixth Verse are unlike the rest of the MultiVerse.  Whereas we have evolved with the help of our technological advances, they have evolved somehow without them.  We’re not exactly sure how it happened, but it did.  They have the ability to communicate directly with each other’s minds.  The cruder term for it is telepathy, but I assure you, having experienced it in my dealings with them, it is much more than that.  They have the ability to affect our brains in such a way that they can make us see what they want us to see and hear what they want us to.  And all at a distance, no less.  Most of the population possess only the basic ability, but a very small subset, those who become agents, have powerful abilities that go far beyond the others.  We refer to these agents as
Shadows. 
Some, but not all of them, have the ability to move matter with their minds—the effects of which can be quite unnerving, believe me.”

“And you want
us
to go up against
them
?” Asher asked, not believing his ears.  These people were insane.  He thought back to the terrible feeling he’d had just before they’d gotten in the car with Dorian.  It was not a feeling he hoped to ever experience again.

“Please, Asher, let our hostess continue,” Ava admonished.  “I’m certain she was just about to explain.”

“Yes, we have come up with a plan, that, with your help, will bring my son home, where he belongs.  It is not without some risk, but most of it will be on our agents, and, with luck, you and Asher will be in and out before anything is suspected.” 

“But the Shadows keep intercepting your agents—how will it be any different this time?” Ava asked.

Lady White turned to Dorian.  “Do you want to answer this one?”