Темное, кривое зеркало. Том 3 : След на песке.

Attach it to your clothing.

Her master was angry this time, and she hastily did as she was ordered. The disc clipped easily on to her jacket.

Now. This is what you must do.

She listened attentively, and then made her way as she had been directed. She had not much time, and the fate of the entire human race depended on her.

* * *

"How do I look?" Lady Elrisia asked, pondering her reflection in the mirror. She knew perfectly well how she looked, but a little extra flattery made all the difference. Not that Cartagia would notice, but a lot of the other nobles would. Not all of them were like her husband, thank the Gods.

Elrisia was a creature of the Court, and she always had been. Trapped first by her father and then by her scheming, single-minded husband, she had learned a great deal about power and how to gain it. Oh, of course women could have no official power within the Court or the Centarum, but unofficially, that was another matter….

Now if only Cartagia would do as he was bid. He was enough to try the patience of a saint! She thought Refa had been bad enough, but Cartagia was almost exactly the opposite. Where Refa had been concerned only with power and glory and nothing else, Cartagia seemed…. hardly bothered about anything. He wrote poetry he would not let her see. He kept a diary no one else could read. And he talked to himself. Frequently. Loudly. In gibberish.

But insanity had never stopped anyone else becoming Emperor, had it? The thirteenth Emperor had made a small fruit tree his Minister of Defence after all, and hardly anyone had complained. But then, compared to most of the other Ministers at the time, the fruit tree was probably the most efficient of the lot. It was the only one never to try to seize power for itself.

"You look beautiful, Mistress," said her maid, bowing her head. Elrisia's mood lifted a little. Of course she looked beautiful. She knew that. As long as the Court knew it too. Appearances were important, after all. If only Cartagia would see that.

She looked at the maid, trying to remember her name. Adira something…. Oh well, it didn't matter. Truthfully, Elrisia didn't like this maid. She preferred ugly servants wherever possible, so that her beauty would shine the better, but Adira had been foisted on her. Besides, she was one of the few servants left in the Court who hadn't run away or been burned alive.

Elrisia snorted and turned back to the mirror, contemplating her reflection again. The door suddenly opened, and she sighed. A guard stepped in.

"Master Vir Cotto, from the Court, my lady," the guard said, and in came a bumbling little man Elrisia had hated for years.

"The…. um…. the…. uh…. the Court is…. uh…. ready for you…. um, my lady." Elrisia sighed. What a pathetic person. Still, he had put up with Refa for quite a while, and amongst Minbari as well. That would be enough to drive anyone insane. Elrisia more than half suspected that this…. Vir's appointment with Refa to Minbar was an offhanded insult from Mollari.

"About time," she muttered. "Has word been sent to Prince Cartagia?"

"Yes. Oh yes, Lady. He is…. um…. he is…. ah…. on his way, yes. He's on his way to the Court."

"Well. That is a pleasant surprise. I was half expecting him to be at the other side of the city or something." She suddenly noticed Adira was still beside her. "What are you still doing here? Go away." The maid curtsied and left. She flashed a nervous smile at Vir as she did so, and he made a pathetic sort of wave in response.

Elrisia paused next to the mirror for a moment, and then smiled. Perfect. "Is my escort ready?" she asked.

"Oh, y…. y…. Yes, Lady. Just as you requested."

She sighed. "Tell me, just who exactly made you a Runner for the Court?"

"The Emperor Refa, Lady. Just before he d…. just before he, um, died, Lady."

Ah. That explained a lot. Refa obviously had understood the insult, and was seeking to pass it around. "Well, then. Let us go." She paused and looked at him carefully. "That is a delightful brooch you're wearing. Where did you get it?"

He fingered the circle-of-light badge pinned to his jacket. "Ah yes, Lady. I…. um…. I…. er…. bought it in the marketplace…. Lady. A…. er, Minbari fashion, I believe."

"Ah. A pity. I can't see many people wearing those lately." Elrisia then swept past him, and went on her way to meet her destiny.

* * *

Kats was alone, surrounded by a great and terrible darkness. Not a physical darkness, but an emotional one. He would be dead by now. Dead, because he had spoken up, and she had remained mute, silent.

He is dead.

She had given up trying to meditate. The necessary peace of mind just would not come. All she could think of were Kozorr's last words. He had said he loved her. Somehow she had always known that, but she had never dared to speak. He had already risked so much for her: his hand, his health, his position…. and now his life.

The sound of footsteps outside her room roused her, but she did not turn. It would be either Sonovar or Forell, and she wished to see neither. She had tried to warn Sonovar about Forell's corruption, but he had not listened. Was he corrupted as well? Obviously. He acted…. he seemed insane. Or was that nothing more than ranting warrior caste honour? She could easily see Sinoval behaving the way Sonovar had if he felt he needed to, and that scared her more than anything else she could think of.

"He died well." It was Sonovar, with an almost…. accusing tone to his voice. "A noble death. He did not flinch, or cry out, or beg for mercy. He did try to say something as he died. I believe it was your name. I couldn't be sure, though." He was inside her room now, his footsteps approaching directly behind her.

"Yes, a fine and noble death, indeed. A warrior's death." There was a flurry of movement, and his pike thudded into the ground less than an inch from her side. She cried out in shock, and recoiled, noticing that it was stained with blood.

He grabbed the collars of her robe and hauled her roughly to her feet. Some of the fabric tore, but she did not notice as she looked into his eyes. They were blazing with a powerful fury.

"A true warrior's death. A better one than you deserve, you worker coward!"

In desperation, and a considerable portion of terror, she reached out and slapped him across the face. Another blow was aimed at his gut, but he blocked that one and tossed her back.

"You said you would let me go!" she snapped.