The Inverted Glass: The Wizard's Scion, #5

Prologue

Nicole was chained hand and foot, standing in the Heart Forge council room, feeling extremely confused. Hadn’t she just died? She could have sworn she’d just died. However, where she expected to see the city council seated, instead there were five strange figures.

She had very short, snow-white hair, similar to a buzz cut, though it was uneven, having been cut by herself just to keep it out of the way. Her stark hair color extended even to her eyebrows, the only outward sign she was a troll, rather than human. Her face was divided between two skin tones, with the line between them going down the center. On the right she had pale skin, but on the left it was a little darker, as though tanned. Her left eye was green and the right was blue. These unusual features marked her as a chimera, the embryonic fusion of twins to form a single body.

Seated at the center of the large conference table was another troll woman with short hair, wearing a smooth, white, featureless, porcelain mask with no eye slits, ensuring she was unable to see. She wore a gray, official-looking robe. Her skin was similarly two-toned, just like Nicole’s, with the divide visible, going right down her neck. On the table in front of her was an ancient style of scale for balancing two weights against each other, with a pair of trays hanging from chains. Beside that was a judge’s gavel on a stand.

On the left hand of the first woman was a figure in a black robe and executioner’s hood, though her long, wavy, white hair dangling from the back marked her as another troll. The woman had a slight frame, too small to wield the large, double-headed ax that lay on the table in front of her.

To the executioner’s left was a feminine figure with skin as black as ink, who tainted everything she came into contact with, leaving oily black marks and stains. Nicole was unable to see her face, because she wore a very-familiar, battle-scarred, wooden mask, peering out at the world through a pair of eye-slits. She had short hair, but even that oozed with vile, black filth and appeared oily. The mask was identical to the one Nicole had long ago worn in battle. Aside from the mask, she wore a robe that had been soaked in the same oily, black fluid that dripped from her skin. Heavy chains dangled from her wrists and ankles, looking far heavier than any prisoner should ever have been shackled with, but the intent seemed to be to slow her down, in case of escape.

On the right hand of the first figure was another petite woman, dressed in a plain, white robe and wearing a white veil that obscured her face. She had long, red hair, but the stark whiteness of the roots revealed her troll heritage had been hidden by coloring her hair.

The last figure sat in the second seat over on the right hand of the first, her long, white hair dangling to her mid-back, marking her as yet another troll. She appeared young and vibrant, with a kind of emotional lightness exuding from every tiny movement. Her face was veiled and she wore a white robe, but the most striking feature about her was the pair of white, feathered wings jutting from her back, which were currently folded up.

The central figure rapped the gavel and spoke, Court is now in session and the case of The Universe versus Nicole-

She’s guilty! The oily figure interrupted, irrationally screaming, She deserves the worst kind of punishment, the same as I! She harbors daily thoughts of murder!

The first forcefully slammed the gavel down, shouting, I will have order in this court room or you will be ejected and I will cast your vote in your place!

The oily one grumbled a bit, but was remained quiet.

The central figure started over, The case of The Universe versus Nicole may now begin. Turning her head to face Nicole, she continued, You stand accused of crimes against human, dwarf, elf, goblin, ogre and even troll-kind, including mass-murder, torture of countless individuals and worse yet, taking pleasure in such abominable acts. Before we begin interviewing witnesses, do you have anything to say?

Nicole wasn’t sure about those accusations, because they felt just, but on the other hand, she knew much of that list hadn’t been committed by her, but rather the original Nicole, who she’d been a clone of. However, what bothered her most was the fact that her judges were all masked or veiled.

Nicole stood up straight and spoke with strength, I have nothing to say other than to demand to see the faces of my accusers and know their names!

The central figure nodded and looked around the table, as each of the others nodded, in turn.

With a silent consensus reached, she removed her mask, revealing facial features Nicole had seen in the mirror every day, because the woman’s face was exactly the mirror of Nicole’s, including the skin tones being swapped. The one big difference was that her eyes had no iris or pupil, appearing as pure, white orbs.

She introduced herself, I am Justice. I’m blind, that I might hear the facts as they truly are. That my judgment may be fair, I’m a neutral reflection of your subconscious, neither good nor evil.

The figure to her right lifted her veil, revealing the face of Nicole’s mother as she spoke, You know my name is Atropos. I’m here to see you get a fair trial, she glared at the dark judges, so you don’t get railroaded.

Next, the woman with the wings lifted her veil, revealing herself, Lyra, your sister. I’m here because I love you and want what’s best for you.

The executioner removed her hood and stared at Nicole without emotion. Nicole looked on a face with innumerable eyes, all staring back, each looking like they’d come from a different person, aside from the normal pair.

She asked, Don’t you recognize me, Nicole?

Nicole shook her head, silently.

The executioner patiently explained, "I’m your sister, Ida, the Thousand-Eyed. I’m here to see justice done and, if needed, to take you to your...final punishment."

Finally, the inky figure removed her mask. It was difficult, but she managed to carefully wipe the filth from her face for a few seconds and Nicole was stunned to stare into the remorseless eyes of a true monster. Though she recognized the features of the face as her own, the inky figure wasn’t mirrored and the line of different skin tones was right. She wasn’t sure how she knew, but the knowledge came all the way up from her bones, with a chill: she was looking at the original Nicole!

Accept no substitute, I’m Nicole! The vile one spoke with a wicked smile, Unlike you, I’m not a bad imitation of the original. She chuckled, "I’m here to make sure you get what you deserve, right next to me!" She laughed some more, in an unnerving fashion.

Justice stood and leaned over the table, catching Nicole off-guard by reaching into her chest! She stared down as the hand of Justice rummaged in her chest cavity, feeling no pain or even discomfort. After a moment, Justice withdrew her hand, holding Nicole’s still heart, which was placed on one side of the scale and a feather was obtained from one of Lyra’s wings, for the other. Before the weight could be determined, Justice draped a sheet of gray cloth over the scale.

Countless hours, or possibly even days, had passed and Nicole felt sick to her stomach, having heard from each and every last one of her victims, from the old days. She’d tried to object, several times, that the actions they testified about weren’t her own, but in the end Justice silenced her with the gavel, suddenly stripping her of the ability to speak!

Nicole knew the face of each and every one and as they were introduced, it was agony itself. Just before each, Justice pulled a file from one of countless boxes, reading the official list of crimes she’d committed against them, before they were allowed to testify.

Currently, she looked on the face of a dwarf, the long-dead commander of a fortress, named Tybold. She remembered torturing him by telepathically shouting at him for three hours straight, after physically and mentally torturing several of his men to death, right in front of him. The dwarf never broke and the secrets of his fortress had been kept from her, a testament to the dwarf’s stubborn will.

As he told his tale, repeatedly referring to Nicole as a female dog, in dwarvish, Nicole felt the worst, most awful kind of guilt.

He was followed by a series of troll witnesses, being her own men, consisting mostly of brothers. Each testified of one of Nicole’s failures as their leader, leading to their deaths through negligence, or even worse, willfully sacrificing them for the success of the mission, something she’d done far too times.

Nicole wept and watched as the darkest secrets of her soul were trotted out and aired before everyone. When she finally felt fully stripped of all illusions about herself and knew any punishment would be appropriate, Lyra stood.

Her sister spoke on her behalf, These were the actions of the original Nicole. The one we’re here to judge today can’t be held accountable for them. While these events are relevant for establishing her mental state, I vote we expunge them from the record.

I second the motion. Atropos chipped in.

The original Nicole shouted, She’s just as guilty as I am! Look at the mess she’s become! Look at the guilt in her eyes! She deserves punishment alongside me!

Ida shook her head, I agree with Lyra. It’s the only logical conclusion.

As do I. Justice completed the vote, adding, These events shall be stricken from the record and Nicole will be judged only for her own crimes.

Nicole was shocked as the guilt she’d been feeling was suddenly swept away and she heard a metallic clink from under the cloth covering the scale, as the balance suddenly shifted.

Taking what seemed like an eternity to sort through the files on the table, a small handful were produced and laid flat on its surface. The boxes of files were taken away, leaving the table almost clear. Those doing the work were a trio of troll women with a striking resemblance to Nicole, though two of them had blue eyes and pale skin, while the other had green eyes and slightly darker skin. Nicole imagined they were the other deceased clones of the original, that she’d once been told about by Lyra.

With just a few files to work from, Justice opened the first and called out, James Hezekiah Geller.

Geller walked into the room, dressed in the green and gray everyday military uniform of the Northwestern Empire. He walked with a perpetual slouch and wore glasses. His hair was gray, with a large bald spot at the back. Nicole knew his face and cringed, remembering what she’d done to the man.

Justice read the list of crimes, Torture, conspiracy to murder and attempted murder.

She snapped my neck! Geller started to cry like a baby, blubbering, I went to all the trouble to clone her and the first thing she did after waking up was torture me for information and then break my neck! She did it just right, so it’d take hours to die! If Ida hadn’t saved me, I would have!

Nicole felt horrible guilt, because she had no defense. He’d been part of a conspiracy to destroy her world, but she hadn’t known that at the time.

Geller left the room and Justice opened the next file, Daniel Malachi.

Through the door stepped a tall, imposing figure, dressed in the same green and gray military uniform. His hair was gray and cut short. Nicole knew him as another of the time travelers involved in cloning her.

She’d betrayed him, then faced him in combat, because he’d also been involved in trying to destroy her world.

Conspiracy to murder and attempted murder. Justice read.

Malachi looked Nicole in the eyes and started, "We teleported down to the planet, intent on changing history to suit the wishes of his highness, Joel Nisim, who I believed to be the rightful heir to the throne of the Northwestern Empire, at least at the time.

"As soon as our boots were on the ground, the trolls turned on us and I was on defense, backing away from Nicole’s whirling blades. In the end, I bumped into a tree and then got pinned in place by Ida’s magic. With nowhere to run, Nicole cut my head off.

However, I was lucky. As a powerful wizard, I was able to muster all of my rage and the last of my strength into a spell that saved my life. I actually managed to re-grow my body with a regeneration spell, though it was the most painful thing I ever experienced.

Thank you. Justice nodded to him, You may go.

I’m not done, ma’am, not by a long shot. Malachi refused to move.

Then speak freely.

"I realized in the moments before I was beheaded, I’d been serving the wrong master, so I should state for the record, my anger was mostly about that, rather than being upset my life was in serious jeopardy. I was on the wrong path, which naturally put Nicole and I into conflict.

When she took my head, I realized who I should have been serving and my loyalties changed, in an instant. It’s the closest I ever came to dying and it gave me perfect clarity. In retrospect, he smiled at Nicole, you changed my life forever, in a positive way. Thank you for stopping me from making the biggest mistake I could have. He turned to Justice and finished, I hold her guiltless of the crime you’re accusing her of and as the victim, that should mean something.

In truth, the only part of taking Malachi’s head Nicole felt any guilt about was for having enjoyed it. Malachi left the room.

The next file was opened and Justice declared, Ida, the Thousand-Eyed.

Ida stood.

Justice declared, Attempted murder.

Nicole shrugged. It was true, but there were extenuating circumstances.

Nicole stabbed me right through the eye and into the brain. At the time, Lyra and Nicole were locked in mental combat and Lyra had won for just a moment. Lyra used Nicole as a weapon to try and kill me. I hold Nicole guiltless. She would never have attacked me without external influence.

Ida sat and Justice moved to the next file, which turned out to be a long list of minor sins, the worst of which had been injuring her psychotherapists and causing the last to wet herself, in fear. Nicole felt embarrassed about all of it, but it paled in comparison to previous crimes.

As she looked on the face of her last therapist, the elf woman finished, I realize Nicole was doing her best to repress the desire to kill me and I applaud her for the progress she’s made. It wasn’t easy for her to overcome those dark impulses. I hoped she might someday live a normal life, but clearly that was never meant to be. I’m saddened she missed that opportunity and I’m grateful her actions got me to let go of my career and spend my final days with family.

As the elf walked away, the last file was opened and Justice began calling witnesses, by the thousand! Nicole’s mouth hung open, in shock, as every last person who’d been in Heart Forge for the final conflict with the rock monsters from the moon testified that her actions had saved their lives! Next, the female prisoners from the Heart Forge prison testified about the positive ways she’d changed their lives, by teaching them to dance, sing and defend themselves! The last of the prisoners to speak was her cell mate, Dagnae, a dwarf woman with a long beard, that had a few gray bows tied in it.

Dagnae smiled and declared, Nicole, ye were the best cell mate me ever had. Ye were always considerate and kind. Ye were the only real friend me ever had.

Dagnae blew her nose on a hankie as she left the room.

Finally, Lyra stood as witness, speaking emotionally, "Nicole helped my husband straighten up when he was going down a dark path, toward magic addiction, just by writing him a letter, and she saved the lives of everyone in Heart Forge. No one expected her to transform and blossom the way she has. In fact, I once condemned her for the memories inside her head, purely out of fear.

I never expected my personal bully and villain to transform into the heroine of the city, let alone a loving sister. I never would have predicted that she’d sacrifice her life to save us all. To my mind, it wasn’t possible, but it’s true. Nicole has proven that no matter how one’s life began, there’s always hope and a chance to change.

Justice declared, Nicole, we will now vote on the worth of your soul.

Not guilty! Lyra spoke boldly, Nicole, you’ve more than made up for your crimes.

Agreed. Atropos nodded, You’ve proven moment by moment, you’ll consistently choose to do better. Your sacrifice should earn you rest, rather than punishment.

The original screamed, with enthusiasm, Guilty! Your ‘good’ works pale in comparison your evil thoughts and deeds!

Ida spoke without emotion, Guilty. The intent behind your actions is what matters most, Nicole. The desire to do evil still burns in your heart, even now. That hasn’t changed.

As expected, I’m the swing vote. Justice sighed, My vote will be determined by the scales of justice, weighing your heart in balance against the feather.

She pulled the cloth off the scales.

The two sides wavered for quite some time, since the cloth had caught on the edge of one of the dishes. Everyone stared long and hard, with baited breath. Nicole started to cry and closed her eyes, because she could hardly bear the anticipation!

Part 1

Grief

People came to the docks from all over the city as a strange, flying sailing ship burst from the clouds and lightly touched down in the water of the bay. It wasn’t unusual to see star ships fly into the space port, or sedans passing overhead, but the ship was something special and unique.

The sails of the red ship propelled it through the air and the crew used the wind to navigate, a novelty in modern times that hadn’t seen widespread use for thousands of years, but the unusual ship was even more of a throwback than most, being actually made of wood, despite somehow having been made space worthy, if the rumors were true. It had first been spotted in orbit, having appeared on all the news feeds for several days as the crew leisurely used a solar sail to navigate their way into stable orbit, seemingly via muscle power, ropes and rigging, all without external guidance.

The ship fully settled into the water and sailed toward the docks. After a shouted conversation with a harbor patrol boat, it was directed to an open pier.

James Stern was the harbormaster, which was normally an easy job that involved collecting licensing and docking fees on pleasure craft and a few commercial fishing boats. While he’d been trained on how to handle aquatic-landing star ships, which he did occasionally see, he’d never been trained for space-faring sailing ships. Having been informed the ship was coming, he’d examined regulations in great detail until he found rules that seemed to fit, however loosely.

In truth, there was no reason for James to personally greet the captain of the new arrival, but he wouldn’t have missed the opportunity to greet the owner of such an odd ship for all the money in the empire, so he’d left his assistant in charge of the office for a few hours.

He stood on the docks with a tablet computer in hand as the plank was lowered and the captain disembarked. The woman was dressed in high, black boots and a black, leather dress that reached halfway down her calves, with a heavy, black coat over that, because it was a chilly morning. Around her neck was a multi-layered necklace of bone and steel beads, each polished until they shined, looking like some kind of ancient tribal art, with each bone bead carved into a face. To top it all off, she wore a broad-brimmed, black, leather hat that came to a point, though that had sagged and hung limp down the back. Only her bright, red hair and pale skin added any color to her appearance. She looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties.

She was followed closely by a small girl with dark hair and blue eyes, dressed in baggy, colorful clothes she might someday grow into. The girl looked about eight years old and was staring at the distant scenery with wide eyes.

For a brief moment, the woman seemed not to have noticed him and was instead taking in the view of the greenery-draped skyscrapers in the background, the beginning of tears forming in her eyes as she muttered, softly, It’s good to be home.

James cleared his throat and bowed, in greeting.

The woman stared in surprise for a brief moment, then bowed, in turn.

With the traditional gesture of greeting complete, she smiled at him, It’s been so many years since I last saw the Imperial Bow of Greeting, I’d completely forgotten about it. She wiped a tear away, Thank you.

James held out a hand, to shake, James Stern, Harbormaster of this bay.

She took his hand and smiled back, My birth name is Eden Nisim, but I’m more used to my goblin name, Cha’da.

James nodded, Very well. Shall we begin?

Of course.

What’s the name of your ship?

"Her name should translate as The Sanguine Maiden."

What’s the nationality of yourself and your crew?

The woman answered, I’m originally from the empire, but I’ve been away for at least fifteen-thousand years.

He nodded and noted her response for his records, even though he already knew. The ship had been through quarantine and customs in orbit, and the docking questionnaire was simply the last piece of bureaucratic red tape. It had been quite a shock for James to see the crew’s immigration documents and passports were specially signed by the Empress, herself.

How did that happen? He asked, purely out of duty, once again knowing the answer already.

I was a colonist on a disavowed colony ship, then an over-long nap in a suspension tube. That’s why my immigration documents were signed by the Empress. Once she heard my story, she wanted to restore my status as a citizen of the empire, to make up for the wrongs of her ancestors. She seems very eager to repatriate anyone from a disavowed colony.

What about your crew?

She sighed and shrugged, Unofficially, they’re without nationality and effectively nomads, but since we departed from Heart Forge, I’m told they’re legally and officially considered citizens of that city state.

Any other passengers to declare?

She rubbed the head of the girl, who accepted it with a smile, My adopted daughter, Nicole Jacobs. She was born a citizen of Heart Forge.

Finally ma’am, what’s the purpose of your visit?

Cha’da looked to the city and spoke in a far-away tone, I was born in this city. I want to live here for at least a few years and reconnect with my roots, to really learn what I left behind, because I was only a child at the time. Of course, my crew and I will have to earn a living while we’re here, so officially, we’re a traveling circus.

James looked up from his tablet and smiled, What kind of show do you put on?

Cha’da grinned and looked him right in the eye as she winked, Why magic, of course, but my husband also does a decent knife-throwing act.

He chucked and shook his head, I’ve heard all kinds of strange rumors about Heart Forge. If even half of what people say is true, then your show ought to be spectacular. I look forward to seeing it!

Cha’da winked again. There was a slightly theatric flash of light and a puff of blue smoke from her hand. As it cleared, he saw what looked like a pair of passes to see a show had appeared in her hand. With a smile, she handed them over.

He grinned quite wide, because he loved slight-of-hand tricks, especially when they were so skillfully delivered. He checked the date on the passes, seeing the line for it marked with ‘TBA’, meaning to be announced.

Please let me know when and where, ma’am, and I’ll be there. James promised.

She nodded and headed toward the city, calling out, I will, just as soon as we book a venue!

Uh, ma’am, there’s still the matter of your docking fees! James had nearly forgotten to do the last part of his job.

As if in response, a three foot tall, green-skinned humanoid with black, slicked-back hair leaped down from the ship and landed at his feet, holding up a charge card, That’s what you need, right?

The goblin man was dressed in a ship-board uniform of the type common on star ships, decorated in a mixture of dark red and black, with gold trim. It was both a comfortable everyday outfit and an emergency vacc suit, in case atmosphere was lost, requiring only the addition of a helmet to form a vacuum-seal, a very practical concern on a ship where the only thing keeping the atmosphere intact was a shield generator.

James had been warned to expect seeing goblins, but he was still mildly disconcerted. He’d heard rumors of all sorts of strange people living on worlds near the galactic core, in pirate territory, but he’d never actually seen anyone that didn’t appear fully human.

He recovered quickly, accepted the card and ran it through the slot on his tablet, asking, Who would you be?

Umak, First Officer. The goblin spoke in a high-pitched voice, with a thick accent, as though he’d only recently picked up the language.

The card cleared and the required fees were paid, so James handed it back, If you or your captain need anything while you’re in port, don’t hesitate to ask at the main office. We may not have what you need on hand, due to the...unusual nature of your ship, but I’m sure we can at least help you find what you need, in the city. I hope you have a pleasant day.

Umak nodded and climbed back on board, as James returned to the office, to file his report.

It had been a long , busy day and Nicole Jacobs yawned as her mother and father put her to bed in her little room on board the red ship she called home.

Her red-painted wood bed was anchored to the wall, to prevent it from sliding as the ship bobbed in the water. She snuggled in under a yellow, orange and red blanket of square blocks that had been sewn in a pattern resembling a stylized sun.

To one side of the bed was her dresser, which, like her blanket, was also a colorful work of art. The bottom layer and drawer were brown, like dirt, with painted rocks, plant roots and even a set of cartoonish mine tunnels on one side. The next layer featured painted grass and trees, with an entrance to the mines on the side. The third layer was fluffy, white clouds and blue sky. The fourth and final layer was painted to appear like the stars of space and mounted to the top of the dresser was an extremely accurate model of The Sanguine Maiden, complete with little, articulated, toy figures of goblins and a woman in a black dress, at the tiny helm.

Goodnight, Nicole. Her mother, still in her black captain’s dress, leaned down and kissed her on the forehead, lovingly.

Her father had curly, blond hair and was about the same height as her mother. He was dressed in a larger size of the uniform worn by the goblin crew of the ship, with a pair of pistols holstered on his hips.

He smiled at her, I love you!

Thinking of the things her mother said when they arrived, Nicole furrowed her brow and asked, What does ‘adopted’ mean?

Her mother frowned and sighed, It means I’m not really your mother, at least by blood, and Max isn’t really your father. It means we take care of you, in place of your real parents.

Then who’s my real Mom? Who’s my real Dad? Nicole looked upset, Why don’t they take care of me? Didn’t they want me?

Nicole’s adopted parents shared a long, silent look of concern and then her mother reassured her, They love you a lot, but it wasn’t safe for you to stay with them, so your father asked us to take care of you. I get letters from them, from time to time, asking how you’re doing.

Nicole still looked upset, Will I ever meet them? Why wasn’t it safe?

"I’m not sure if it will ever be safe for you to meet them, but we