Insanity is the only reasonable response to such a responsive reality.—WAHRHEIT ERTRINKT, PHILOSOPHER
Acceptance, Abandonment, and Trepidation stood facing each other. Those within the mirror, engaged in an intense conversation of their own, ignored those without.
The commingled bloodstains of Tragen Nachrichten and Chief Scientist Aufschlag Hoher tugged at Acceptance"s attention. Those dark smears covered the older stains left from his beating. Hidden, but not forgotten. He"d have his revenge soon enough.
Acceptance watched the reflections from the corner of his eye, careful not to seem too interested. He didn"t want to give anything away. Trepidation, far too paranoid, would never fall for the trap he"d arranged with the reflections. Abandonment"s fear of being left out, he gambled, would leave him susceptible.
Abandonment made no attempt to hide his suspicion. "You knew the reflections would point at Aufschlag before you saw the shards of broken mirror on his shoes. I saw you notice the gla.s.s. I saw, in your eyes—"
"Eye," Acceptance corrected coldly.
Abandonment shrugged. "I had no choice." It wasn"t an apology. Konig"s Doppels were no more capable of apology than Konig. "I saw in your eye the conception of a plan." He rubbed his chin, giving Acceptance an appraising look. "Or perhaps the completion of a plan already in motion?"
Acceptance allowed a small, smug smile to grace his lips and die. "I have a means of communicating with Konig"s reflections."
"You wrote notes and held them up to the mirror?" asked Abandonment.
Acceptance ignored the question. He needed to give Abandonment just enough to draw him in. "If Morgen Ascends as Konig plans, we will remain, at best, Doppels. Forever. With his made G.o.d he may even banish us. Anything is possible. With Aufschlag gone, Konig"s one source of rational wisdom is removed. He fears Morgen will be infected and so he will slay the child." Acceptance showed broken teeth in a victorious leer. "Konig is terrified and alone; he is not thinking clearly. Morgen will recognize his a.s.sa.s.sins and know Konig sent them. It will poison the new G.o.d against the man who created him. Konig"s mind will crumble and we will rise to supremacy." And I will slay whichever a.s.sa.s.sin kills the child, for Konig will be long dead by the time they return.
"Your plan has flaws," said Trepidation. "If Morgen turns against Konig, he may kill the man. We would not survive."
"You developed some simple sign language?" Abandonment asked.
Acceptance snorted in derision, again ignoring the question. "Morgen is incapable of hurting anyone."
"People change," whispered Trepidation.
Abandonment"s eyes narrowed. "You can somehow hear the reflections?"
Acceptance froze for a moment before answering. "It is very difficult."
"How?" Abandonment demanded.
"Why?" Acceptance asked, feigning suspicion. "What are you planning?"
"Planning? How can I have a plan if I just learned of this. If you figured it out, I can too."
Acceptance pretended to deflate. "First, if they"re not already looking, you have to bang on the mirror to get their attention." He pretended annoyance. "Sometimes they ignore you. If you press your ear to the mirror you can hear what they"re saying. Just like pressing your ear to a door or window. They have to do the same on their side to hear you." He uttered an embarra.s.sed laugh. "It"s comical, really."
Abandonment, as incapable of humor as Konig, examined the mirror without expression. The reflections within, lost in their own conversation, ignored the Doppels.
"It might be dangerous," hissed Trepidation.
"Trepidation is right," suggested Acceptance carefully. "It might be best if only I communicate with them."
Abandonment ignored him and approached the floor-to-ceiling mirror. He rapped twice on the gla.s.s with his knuckles and watched as the reflections looked up and then returned to their conversation. He stared at them for a moment before turning and walking to Konig"s ma.s.sive oak desk. He collected the heavy clay mug and returned to the mirror. This time he knocked on the mirror"s surface with the mug. Hard. The reflections looked up, startled, and froze when he mimed smashing the mirror with the mug. Abandonment gestured them toward him and they hurried to press their ears to their side of the gla.s.s.
Abandonment glanced over his shoulder at the other Doppels. "They must understand who holds the power here." He returned his attention to the mirror. "Tell me everything you told Acceptance or I will smash the mirror." He looked thoughtful. "Do you see into the future?"
Leaning back from the mirror"s surface, they nodded and started babbling. Abandonment pressed his ear against the gla.s.s to listen. His eyes narrowed, as if he was struggling to hear what the reflections were saying. They widened suddenly, glancing at Acceptance in alarm as grasping hands reached through the mirror"s surface and tangled in his clothes.
Abandonment screamed in terror as the reflections dragged him through into their world. He didn"t stand a chance with over a dozen reflections clawing at his robes and hair. In his panic he dropped the mug and it shattered across the floor.
Trepidation understood immediately. Acceptance set this up, planned it from the beginning. Trepidation also learned something: He wasn"t a manifestation of Konig"s fear of others or the unknown. He was Konig"s fear of himself.
Abandonment"s screams and cries for help choked off as his head pa.s.sed through the mirror"s surface. Acceptance and Trepidation watched the reflections claw the Doppel apart in eerie silence. They watched the reflections devour the small chunks torn from Abandonment. Within minutes there was no proof the Doppel ever existed.
"Would you be so kind as to clean up the broken mug?" Acceptance asked.
Trepidation backed away. "If you think I"m going anywhere near the mirror, you"re crazy."
"Of course I"m crazy. So are you. We"re figments of a deluded mind." Acceptance showed sharp shards of broken teeth in a mad leer. "Abandonment abandoned Konig. He faded to nothing. You understand what this means?"
"I am a manifestation of fear, not one of . . ." Trepidation trailed off, looking for the right word. "Drive."
Acceptance lost the crazed look. "True. And perceptive. Konig was right; we Doppels will never work together. So let"s get it straight: we are not cooperating. You will obey or I will feed you to the reflections."
Trepidation bowed low. "You will replace Konig, but you will always have need of fear and caution. They keep us alive. You, with your need for acceptance, were always at odds with Abandonment." Trepidation chose his words carefully. "Abandonment is gone and you will Ascend to take Konig"s place."
"With you at my side," said Acceptance.
"No," corrected Trepidation. "With me one step behind. In my place."
Acceptance cleared the fragments of shattered mug from the floor but kept a close eye on the reflections. He did not want to suffer Abandonment"s fate. He might use the reflections, but he certainly didn"t trust them.
He whistled tunelessly as he worked. He hadn"t felt this happy since . . . he tongued the ragged edges of broken teeth. Glancing about to make sure Trepidation wasn"t looking, he drew out the small mirror he"d begun carrying around to check on the progress of his healing; the large floor-to-ceiling mirror still refused to show his own reflection. Holding the small mirror to his face, he lifted his eye patch, grimaced at the puckered wound around his missing eye, and shuddered at the ruin of his mouth. His lips were cut and swollen, covered in ill-healed scabs. Acceptance"s good mood curled and died like a wisp of paper in a raging fire.
One debt repaid, one to go. Only then, with his fellow Doppels gone, would he take Konig"s place.
HOURS LATER KONIG returned to his chambers and glared at the two Doppels awaiting his return. His gaze darted about the room.
"Where is Abandonment?"
"He is gone," said Trepidation.
"He faded away not long after you left the room," agreed Acceptance.
"Faded away?"
The two Doppels nodded in perfect unison.
"You understand, do you not, what this means?" Acceptance asked.
Trepidation answered. "You have shed your fear of abandonment. Sending Asena away broke her hold on you much as commanding the a.s.sa.s.sins to slay the boy broke—"
"They had no hold on me," Konig muttered. "I need no one."
The fool lies even to himself, thought Acceptance.
The two Doppels bowed their heads in acceptance of the reprimand.
"Asena means nothing to you now," said Acceptance.
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Konig looked doubtful. "I sent her away. I fear no betrayal or abandonment."
More lies.
"No," said Trepidation. "I am still here. She may yet betray us."
"Betray me," corrected Konig.
"You," agreed the Doppels in unison.
Konig met the eyes of his remaining Doppels. "She is dangerous."
They nodded their agreement.
Acceptance didn"t care if Konig truly believed that he had shed his fear of abandonment. With the thought planted, the belief would grow. Gefahrgeist excelled at convincing themselves. It was their greatest strength and most terrible weakness.