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Job turned to see a liveried man enter the Great Hall, not through either doorway, but through a hidden panel in one of the mirrored walls.
Job assumed he was Montro, Yuan’s butler. It was hard to be sure, since Reflection Phases changed their appearance on a whim. Like all the Reflection Phases he had a slick, almost plastic perfection about his features. Trying too hard to look “naturally beautiful” was the kingdom’s favorite pastime. And the more they worked at it, the farther away they got.
“That guy just said ‘shan’t.’” Cross whispered to Gion. “Like with no irony at all.”
Gion nodded bleakly.
“We’re not here to cause trouble.” Job assured Montro, ignoring his nephew. “I just need a few moments with Yuan.”
Montro sniffed. “Very well. This way. He’s in the butterfly enclosure.”
“Butterfly enclosure?” Cross murmured to Job, as they made their way through a maze of mirrored corridors. “That’s literally Silence of the Lambs. I told you Yuan was a psycho.”
Job didn’t bother to point out that the bugs in Silence of the Lambs were moths. He was smug about understanding the reference, though. Tessie had been exposing him to human movies, and now Job considered himself a bit of a film buff.
Montro led them into a huge room with a sizable glass structure in the center. He pushed open the door of the strange little house, revealing rows of plants. Job realized it was an indoor butterfly garden.
Brilliant butterflies danced around colorful blossoms and a water feature bubbled in the center. It was surprisingly serene. But Job’s Earth energy could feel the struggle it took to create the habitat in such a hard-edged kingdom. The overhead grow-lights and the highly fertilized soil were the least of the effort. Making the Reflection Kingdom hospitable to delicate insects must’ve taken an incredible commitment on the part of its king.
Gion looked around the carefully maintained environment in palpable distaste.
A butterfly flitted past Cross, and he swatted at it like it was a mosquito.
Job grabbed his arm before Cross could squash the poor thing. “Do not kill Yuan’s pets.”
“Bugs carry disease.” Cross argued, as if Elementals were always succumbing to butterfly-induced illness and he alone could save their suffering people.
“Job!” Yuan called, making his way through the rows of vegetation. Today, he looked like Luke Skywalker from Star Wars. Job had seen that movie, too. “Good of you to drop in… even if it is unannounced.”
Pretending not to hear things was one of Job’s most useful talents, so he disregarded the criticism. “Thank you for seeing us, Yuan.”
“What do you think of my hobby?” He waved a hand around with a proud smile. It was almost Mark Hamill’s boyish grin, but not quite. There was something too-perfect about it. “It’s a celebration of completely natural beauty.”
“If it was natural, you wouldn’t need to lock the butterflies inside of it.” Gion pointed out.
“The butterflies are lovely.” Job assured Yuan, before anyone else could remark on Gion’s less-than-flattering opinion. “I just had a few quick questions about those Reflection Phases attacking the Cold Kingdom.”
“All the perpetrators of that ugliness were killed.” Yuan lamented, taking off his gardening gloves. “The bomb saw to that. Questioning them will be difficult, I’m afraid.”
“I realize they’re dead. I’m curious to know why they signed on for the attack in the first place.”
“Well, I imagine whoever hired them paid handsomely.”
“The attack was designed to aid Vandal, of the Light House, who is currently a fugitive from the Council. Anyone who hired your Reflection Phases to help in his escape would therefore be considered a traitor.”
“You should ask the Light Phases. Vandal’s part of their House.”
“The single time they met him, Vandal locked Kahn in some kind of force field bubble. They’re obviously not in league with each other. We need to know who Vandal is actually working with and what his plans are. The dead Reflection Phases might’ve left some clues.”
Yuan sent him a droll glance. “Clues? Will you carry a large magnifying glass and wear a deer-stalker hat to search them out?”
Job wasn’t in the mood for bullshit. “I’ll have written authorization from the Council.”
“This is my kingdom, Job.”
“And it’s bound by laws, like everyone else’s. We’re not making the mistakes of the past, where every House did as they pleased. I’d prefer your approval to search the homes of the dead Phases, but I don’t need it. The good of the realm supersedes everything.”
Yuan pretended to consider the request, although they both knew it wasn’t a request. “I suppose you’re right.” He finally relented. “You can search whatever you like. My kingdom has nothing to hide.”
