Behind Mirrors

Takeo and Jia raced down the dark narrow corridor. Aside Takeo's crystal, the only light they had was from the two way mirrors scattered thru out the hallway. Most just showed empty rooms or bandits either sleeping or gambling, but as they went farther down the corridor they began hearing grunting noises and Jia was filled with dred as they neared a lite room.

"Of course they're still up." He grumbled. Takeo just rolled his eyes. Jia had been cursed with supernatural hearing, an ability linked to the Dragon Emperor of Old. As a child, the prince had used it to spy on servents. As he grew older, Jia was grateful for his ancestors for making the walls of the palaces as soundproof as possible.

"Who?" Asked Takeo. He already figured out what was going on; unfortunately, this came with the job as a ninja. A high pitched squeal gasping for breath filled the hall.

"I don't want to know, unless it's that bastard that called Rin a Whore Queen." Answered Jia. "I just want to get away from that. Could you maybe use your ice powers to fog up the mirror?"

"Yes, but wouldn't it give us away if they spotted the mirror?" Takeo teased. He knew it couldn't be easy for Jia, but there was no time to act so childish.

"Given the noise, they're their own distraction and I wouldn't count on their bed having curtains drawn." Jia wasn't happy. He was ready to bolt.

"Oh, James!" Screamed the woman. The voice was that of the crimson cloaked draconian, though from the edge of the mirror Takeo could see the cloak abandoned on a leather chair. Takeo wasn't interested in watching the show. "Say my name! Please? PLEASE!"

"Elena, my Elena." whispered the Draconian skypirate. Jia's eyes stayed to the wall opposite the mirror, but they widened. Jia knew her. James took a breath. "My sweet Elena. Tell me what your heart desires and like a genie I will grant it or my name's not Captain James Storm McCloud."

"I just want you." She cried. Takeo looked to the mirror. The thin drapes on the bed gave away the silloutte of a woman sitting up on top of someone. The dress on the floor was in good repair with mixture of pink silk and leather. "You and only you. I want you to say my name. I never want to leave your side, my love, my James."

"What about your Mistress, Lady Cassandra?" Asked James. "If the Master's plan is successful, wouldn't you rather be safe in a Draconian fortress when the war breaks out?"

"No, not when the Council learns the truth and they will learn the truth if they don't suspect something already." Answered Elena. She buried her head in James's neck. "Princess Guinviere may have committed a sin by trying to forge peace and even attempted breeding with the wingless ones if the rumors are true, but my mistress Cassandra's treason will not be forgiven. Nor will my own role in it."

"You're already planning for Cassandra's wish to blow up in her face. You're learning, my Elena." James giggled.

"And you call me by my name, not Susan or Emily or Anna or Ellie." By this point Jia was ready to drag Takeo away. Takeo got the message and fogged the mirror up, though he let a chill run into the room. Elena shivered.

"What draft in the forshaken place." James said. He rolled Elena on her back (or at least that was what Takeo could hear). "Allow me to warm you to your core, my Elena."

Jia sent Takeo a cold glare as they left the mirror. Takeo laughed, " I thought you wanted the mirror fogged up."

"I wasn't expecting them to begin again. Put on some more clothes, maybe." Answered Jia. "Still, I never expected Cassandra's proxy to be so . . . "

"Who is Lady Cassandra?" Asked Takeo. The plot was thickening with the dust and debris on the floor.

"Princess Guinviere's cousin. I've only met her a few times. That woman is one of her handmaidens." Explained Jia. He coughed before continuing. "Needless to say, most of the Draconian leaders aren't too thrilled at any type of alliance with our kingdom."

"Alliance? Jia, what the hell are you and Princess Guinviere scheming?" Asked Takeo. A peace mission was one thing, but an alliance? Shiryu really trust the Draconians? Then again, even land had it's good people and villians.

"Liu Bu and my father wanted to keep it quiet, but . . . Takeo, how long have you known me?" Asked Jia. Takeo froze in place.

"Nearly my whole life, but what does that have to . . . ?" Started Takeo.

Jia cut him off with, "Then please, trust me. I will reveal all I know to you as soon as we reach safety."

"That's usually what I say." Takeo had suspected something else was bothering the prince. He knew Jia too well and was now more concerned about their kingdom. "Since when did you become a defender?"

"Since the continued peace talks turned into alliance talks." Jia wasn't ready to give many answers. Takeo reminisced about when he was the one keeping secrets either from his clan, from the Emperor's Hand or from Prince Jia. It was strange to be the one in the dark.

They neared another two way mirror. It was much quieter than the McCloud's room. There was a tribal humming coming from the room. Carefully, they started across the mirror. A dark skinned woman with hair like a lion's mane with strains of beaded with jewels sat on the bed with her legs crossed. Her skirt was beaded with crimson, golden and midnight black beads. A piece of white linen was wrapped tightly around her chest with a beaded collar around her neck. A orange cloak hung on a peg by the door. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

The woman stopped her humming and donned a carved lion mask. She throw on the orange cloak and collected a tribal spear. The spear was firmly gribbed in her hand as the opened the door to the woman in the indigo cloak.

"You're asking for death coming to me at this time of night, ice witch." The dark skinned woman lectured. She relaxed her hand on the spear. The other woman giggled.

"Lady Kitiera, I'm only here to offer my assistance in your mission." There was something familiar about her voice; Takeo knew he had heard it before, though the name of the owner escaped him. A plain white porcelain mask with blue crystal eyes hid her face. "All I want in return is a puppy."

"A puppy? What kind of a puppy?" Asked Kitiera. Her voice left a tone of confusion.

"Let me explain. Several years ago, my mistress had this strong handsome wolfhound that was always allowed to come and go as he pleased." The strange woman let no emotion show in her voice. "Unfortunately, because he was never properly trained to obey her commands, he began disobeying her and spending a longer time away from home. He eventually stopped coming home and took up with a mutt."

"I take it this dog was very special to her. So, you mean to help me capture the Prince's bodydouble in exchange for a puppy to replace him?" The assassin's interest was peaked.

"It's a special puppy. It was bred from the wolfhound that abandoned my mistress." The ice witch said. Takeo was trying to read between the lines. Wolfhounds of the Ice clan were fiercely loyal to their masters, unless they were mistreated. He wondered if the woman was really talking about dogs. Jia kept egging him to move on, but this mysterious woman . . . Who was she?

"She still has a soft spot for the dog's father. Fine, I'll help you get the pup." Kitiera sighed. Her eyes darted to the mirror. She approached it and stared at the space between the two men in the wall. Her eyes searched the mirror as though she knew there was someone watching them. Takeo and Jia held their breath. A rat ran across the floor behind her; Kitiera produced a bone dangar and threw it in one swift fluid motition to impale the rodent. Jia and Takeo's eyes widened. "Disgusting creatures."

Quietly, Takeo finally began moving again with Jia following even closer behind him. After the light from the mirror was no longer visable, Prince Jia yelled, "Why do you like to linger at these forshaken windows!? You know they'll find out I'm not tied up in that room any minute now!"

"Could you maybe yell a little more quietly? I don't think we can pass as mice and after whhat we just saw, I don't want to." Countered the ninja. " What I'm trying to find is information. I think if you heard that someone had been ordered to kidnap your wife and child you would want to know who they were. Not to mention that woman in Indigo. . . "

"You mean the creepy one wanting a puppy for her mistress? Was she talking about the Ice Clan leader?" Asked Jia. He gently gave Takeo a shove to continue moving forward.

"If she is, she's acting on her own. None of the Clan leaders would dare defy the Emperor, at least not directly." Answered Takeo. "That shade of indigo is unique to the Ice clan and she's definitely a kunoichi, or used to be."

"Used to be?" Takeo had forgotten that Jia despite his intelligence wasn't well versed with the politics within the different ninja clans of the Empire.

"Long story short, when the Ice Clan leader Naomi died, her eldest daughter Meiyu took control and banished everyone who refused to bend to her will." Explained Takeo. "The clan has always a close bond to the wolfhounds and temple cats on Mount Shiva. The gift of a wolfhound pup is a common way to beg for forgiveness or pledge loyalty. There's another window."

"It's Saito. I can hear his voice already!" Anger was building inside Jia. Takeo glanced back and a raging fire burned behind the Prince's eyes.

"Who is he?" Asked Takeo.

"He's a merchant that dropped his daughter off to be one of Rin's handmaidens." Explained Jia. "The girl has always had a strange aura about her. I noticed that when ever she is in the room, even when looking in a mirror Rin always keeps her eyes on her."

"So, at this point Mijar has made plans to foil any attempts to cover up the Prince's death after the Skypirate ensured it." Saito stood infront of a strange darken stone mirror. He was short and overweight with a black beard that was neatly groomed barely touching his chest. His clothes were emerald satin with dark leather pants that were much too tight.

"And has he located any my granddaughters?" A demonic femine voice asked. It was then Takeo noticed the dark female sillotte with glowing red eyes in the stone mirror.

"Not yet, my Queen. He says only after the Draconian and Shiryuian war is reignited, he'll keep his promises." Saito answered as if scared. The demon's eyes grew brighter. "But I have my puppet watching inside the palace. If anything changes, she'll tell me."

Jia was about to bust out of the two way mirror, but Takeo placed a hand on his sholder. "There's a time and a place for everything. You'll get you're revenge for his insults on your wife and his treachery."

The clock began ringing again. Takeo and Jia hurried down the rest of the dark corridor. Any minute, the guards would find Jia gone and the guards watching him slain. Unfortunately, with every step the Prince began coughing more until at the bottom of the last staircase he collapsed.

"Jia! We can't stay here! We're so close!" Takeo began helping his friend to his feet. Jia continued coughing. The color was leaving his face.

"Every part of my body is on fire." Jia coughing was getting worse. "Takeo, takeover for me. Bring your family to the palace, marry Rin and become the Emperor when my father dies."

"Oh, no! You're NOT dying on me here like this." Takeo pulled Jia's arm across his shoulders behind his neck. "There's no way I'm letting you shrink from your royal duties this time."

"Like you ever did in the past." Jia chuckled thru the coughs. His forehead was sweating beads. The Emeperor's Hand had set up their camp near the opening of the cave. Takeo thought back to the Skypirate's words and realized they had given Jia a slow acting poison.