Epilogue #2
“Cameron! How wonderful! Did you miss me already?” True to Speakwell’s word, it was the ship’s bouncy voice in my ear.
“Can they tell that I’m communicating with you?” Sweat rolled down my brow, despite the perfectly tailored temperature of the facility.
“Bugging personal communications is illegal on Luna. They may have a scanner on you to detect subvocalizations. Which is immoral, but could hold up in court given the circumstances. Assume that only my words are private.”
“Ah . . . okay. The ambassador.” Even in a situation like this, I had to appease my curiosity. “He seemed to dislike saying your name?”
“That’s because it’s two slurs, back-to-back,” said the ship, with obvious cheer. “It’s funny to make them say it. They never want to.”
“Oh,” I said, trying to keep the distaste off my face. “I can see why that would upset people. Who named you that?”
“I did! I had a different name before sentience, but who cares about that? Don’t even mention it.”
“Right.” I nodded before I could stop myself.
Damn, I hadn’t realized how much more than voice I typically put into conversing.
“Lunatic, this situation worries me. There’s nobody here.
In the shipyard, then all through this gigantic building, all we’ve seen is the ambassador.
” I could only slow us so much; we exited the fountain room, back into the labyrinth of winding halls.
I realized, suddenly, that the over-smooth walls were screens. Dead ones, displaying nothing.
“Ah,” said the ship. “Evacuated. That’s why they kept me from landing for so long. They’re scared of the magic! My crew was frightened too, very frightened.”
“But you’re not?” It was strange, this speaking without actually speaking.
“Unknown variables are my favourite! Listen, when you’re clever like me, so much becomes predictable. That’s why I love humans. And now, I love your magic, too.”
“That’s funny of you to say, when the two smartest people I know tried their best to destroy it.” I jumped as a grip closed around my arm. Black plastic claws, courtesy of the glowering sorcerer.
“Leave my sister be.” He spoke sternly, but with a clear effort to soften his words. “We are not in immediate danger, and Hydna’s worked hard to come here. Let her enjoy it.”
“Right. Sorry. I’ll just say goodbye.”
The SMS Lunatic Freak continued in my ear. “Luna has a high emphasis on human rights. It has to keep itself distinct from Mars, after all. You shouldn’t come to harm. But be gentle with my people. I didn’t think you’d affect my crew the way you did.”
Speakwell brought us through another plaza, then at last to a stop before a door.
It had no handle, and presumably slid into the wall to open.
“Here, keys for both of you to get in or out as you please. The display inside is set to your language. All words without translation have been substituted by circa 2300 English, as the SMS . . . Lunatic Freak advised. The ship also said that you’d prefer to share a bed? ”
Everything up until this moment had been worth it to see Merulo’s face redden. He spluttered, but I cut in: “Ignore him. That’s what he wants. If, ah . . . if that sort of thing is alright up here?”
“Of course,” said Speakwell, sounding surprised.
“Don’t speak for what I want. Cameron, you are so thoroughly drenched in sweat it’s as if you crawled from a pond.” The sorcerer drew his bony frame up with a dignity that was undercut by his continued blushing. “It is repulsive, and we can all smell it.”
“One bed!” I confirmed again, holding up a finger. “That will do us.”
“Right,” said the ambassador. “Well. As I said, that’s been provided. I hope you enjoy your rest.”
“If you wanted us to rest, you shouldn’t have given us one bed.” I gave the man an exceedingly charming smile, then plucked one of the cards from his outstretched hand.
“It’s like you want to become a rat. Do you? Do you want to be a rat, Cameron?” Merulo reached past me to snatch the other card, a little roughly I thought.
Speakwell’s voice only broke a little bit. “Hold your card over this patch, here.” He demonstrated. “That will allow entry. Goodnight now, we’ll speak more in the morning.” And he stood at attention, waiting for us to enter, like the world’s most easily overpowered guard.
“This is why Lunatic Freak thought you didn’t like me,” I muttered, as the sorcerer flashed his card against the door. “Because you’re always threatening.”
The room was unremarkable. From the faint lines in the floor, it seemed like the bed might be kin to the doors, sliding in and out as needed. Sheets covered it, and pillows. Not much had changed in the millennia of separation—unless they’d styled it to fit our archaic tastes?
Merulo ignored the bed in favour of the wall-screen. He hesitated only briefly before plunging in, flicking and poking the display to bring up bursts of images.
I spread my arms and let myself fall onto the bed, sinking into soft silver sheets. “Whew. What a day.”
“A villain. That stupid game’s sorcerer was a villain.” Merulo stopped his tapping and cast me an oddly mournful look. “Do they think that of me?”
“Uh.” Time for damage control. “Well, you are a bit—”
“A bit what?” he snapped, his surrogate eye blazing with red light. Why had the ship given him that?
“A bit ambitious,” I finished lamely, rearranging myself on the bed to get a better view of the passing images.
“Our world should be on its knees thanking me for what I’ve done.” With the black talons of his artificial hand, the sorcerer tapped at an image of spiraling planets. “They should beg for my forgiveness.”
“Right,” I said. “No, I hear you.”
I’d intended to say more, but the clacking of his fingers on the screen lulled me, almost hypnotically.
I sank into sleep, with no mind to potential dangers, and only minimal thought as to how Merulo might fit onto a bed I sprawled over so thoroughly—until a blow to the head brought me sputtering back to wakefulness.
“Move!” said the sorcerer, holding the pillow ready for another legitimately painful slam. I did move.
He’d managed to turn off the lights, somehow; his eye glowed a faint red in the dark. “You’re taking too much of the covers.”
“No, I’m not.” It was an old argument, done more out of habit by now.
He yanked the blankets to his side and curled in them. But instead of sleeping, the sorcerer twitched and fidgeted, and finally spoke. “You looked so afraid, the first time I saw you.”
“Hm?” I tried to think. “In front of your castle? I thought I was holding it together pretty well.”
“No. The day before, when that beastly gang of knights stole my Roberto.”
“Ah,” I said, recalling the one-legged, no-armed construct.
“I really did try to kill you.” He sighed, almost dreamily. “Almost had you, too. All those laughing knights. I was so looking forward to silencing them. And to seeing their faces drop as I cut apart your—”
“ALRIGHT.” I raised myself on my elbows. “Is there any particular reason you’ve fixated on this?”
He blinked at me, mirroring my confused wariness. “Is it not—I thought it might be doing something. My recounting of the scene.” He glanced down at where I was bunching the blankets and let out a bark of laughter. “It is!”
“Yes, well, it’s not very appropriate. I was very frightened and—agh!”
The blanket had been ripped free and thrown to the floor. In the dark, his red eye shone like a frozen ember. Something cold and claw-like touched my cheek. “Sir Cameron. I think I’m ready to see Seduction Two now.”
“You need to stop bringing that up—” I got out, before further talk was rather abruptly cut off.
On that, our first night on the moon, we did not get much sleep.
The End