main | table of contents The Reflecting Eye Copyright © 2003, S. Y. Affolee 39 The Reflecting Eye Verity tripped and feel down to her knees, hard. She let out a pained grunt, but whoever shoving from behind didn’t care and hauled her back to her feet only to propel her forward into the crowd of hooded strangers, presumably staring past her impassably. Gammell similarly struggled, but he did not put up too much of a fight. They were sadly outnumbered. This was stupid, thought Verity. Why hadn’t they come prepared with a group of their own or at least the police? She thought of the small knife in her pocket. She might be able to use it once, but not more than that. There were too many people and she had no way of gauging any of her opponents’ strengths underneath their concealing cloaks. The head of the group, otherwise known to most people as Dr. Miram Greene turned his head when he noticed the scuffle. Something resembling a smile crossed his face, but Verity found it ugly and terrifying when his gaze fixed on her. But before she could turn her head, one of the shorter cloaked members grasped her face with clawed hands. “He’s mine!” hissed a voice beneath the cowl. It was the imp-like man Colbrin. She was so close to him that she could smell his foul body odor and nearly gagged. “Mine, mine, mine, mine!” “Don’t gouge her eyes out yet,” called out Greene. Colbrin dropped his hands and the doctor grinned. Verity shuddered. “Not until I’m done with her.” “Don’t touch her,” said Gammell. His arms were restrained by two other hooded novices. Greene turned to look at his former patient. “Why should I listen to you, mad man? You are nothing to me. Perhaps I should keep you around to keep milking money out of your sister, but why should I? I have enough money as it is. And after tonight, I’ll have everything else.” Gammell glared at him. Greene laughed. “Speechless, aren’t you? Well, anyways, I have just decided. See this here?” The doctor held up a clear vial of red liquid. “This is my dear old friend Tiberius Verne. He was a bit naïve, you see. He cared too much about his own science and not about the big picture. I once told him about the old religions and he laughed in my face, telling me to go ahead and take up my new hobby in mythology. Mythology! Just imagine.” “It is mythology,” said Gammell. The doctor tsked. “A Rothburne of all people does not believe! In all the sessions that we had, don’t tell me that all of what you said was false. Because frankly, I don’t believe you.” “You told me before that what I said was delusional. That no one would believe me. And now you’re taking back your word?” “My word can be anything I want,” he said dismissively. “Tell you what, Gammell. I have decided that this would even be better. Tiberius was part of the old family lines even though he wasn’t directly connected to the old rituals. But his line was definitely odd. Right Ms. Tage? His family had numerous files in the institute archives filled with their own delusions and hallucinations. I thought he was the perfect offering despite his departure from his familial stereotype.” Verity found herself snarling and she tried to wrestle with her own captors. Colbrin who was standing nearby backhanded her. “I could have your neck easily broken,” the little man hissed. “You’re crazy,” said Gammell. “No, you’re crazy,” the doctor replied. “But you’re even better than Tiberius Verne in some ways. You’re the direct descendent of the first Rothburne who came over here. Your family is one of guardians, ones who disrupt the coming of the Other every year. You would be an even better offering to the one who must not be named. Especially this year when there is finally a new moon.” Gammell tried to move his arms, but the henchmen behind him held fast. “That’s a futile effort,” remarked the doctor. “All right, me, just put him there across the mirror and leave him. He has no way of escaping except for jumping.” The hooded figures dragged him over directly across from the covered object and left him on the ground. Gammell stayed there, looking up, seemingly calm. Verity thought of using her knife to create a distraction, to allow Gammell to escape, but when she glanced over at the door leading to the stair on the tower, it was guarded by two more figures. “Tonight, we will finally see a new era,” announced Miram Greene, his voice ringing across the top of the East Tower. “With our offerings, we will greet our new god and master, one who is not nameless, but unnamable.” Greene pulled off the cover from the object. Verity winced. The whispering was louder than ever—like cacophonic shouts of massive crowds. But it was just not normal language; it was a strange language with frequencies not meant for normal human ears. She had do doubt that it was coming from the huge body-length mirror. She had seen the frame once before in the Verne Storehouse, but it had been empty of the reflecting mirror itself. But this time, someone had installed the mirror, the one that was supposed to be made of titanium. She was sure, however, it wasn’t titanium or any sort of metal that she knew about. It was completely black and unreflective and it looked like it was moving. Briefly, Gammell’s eyes met hers. She felt something sizzling down her spine. She still didn’t know exactly what was happening, but he did. Greene unstoppered the vial of blood and drank it quickly. Verity felt her stomach churn in revulsion. The doctor grinned, his mouth bright red. From his cloak, he produced a large dagger. “I never come unprepared,” he mocked at Gammell. “Neither do I,” Gammell replied. He took out the small mirror that Verity had initially found in the institute archive’s sub-basement and placed it in front of his face. “What sort of ridiculous thing do you think you’re doing?” smirked the doctor. But then his gaze fell to the non-reflective surface of the small mirror and his smile fell. He cursed and fell to his knees, but his eyes were riveted to the small mirror. Verity belated realized that the doctor had found himself between two mirrors, watching a reflection within a reflection. The doctor let out a high pitched squeal which sent all the hooded followers scattering as far away as possible. Green clawed the air as if there was something trying to attack him. He surged to his feet and shouted, “No, no, it’s not supposed to be like this…” He backed away toward the larger mirror until he bumped into it. He screamed again and convulsed as if he was being electrocuted. The larger mirror which had been placed at the edge of the platform teetered. “The mirror!” screeched Colbrin. The imp-like man rushed in panic to save the mirror, but when Green saw him, he gave a shout as if he had spotted another demon and the two began punching and scratching at each other, the cumbersome robes slowing their arm movements and further unbalancing them. The large mirror finally toppled as Greene stepped too far back. Colbrin gave and outraged and horrified shout, but the two men and the mirror fell over the side. The screams were abruptly silenced. Verity had been paralyzed, but her mind began to work quickly and she twisted out of her surprised captors’ grasps and brandished her knife. “Get away from me,” she shouted at them. Gammell slowly stood up, the smaller mirror in his hands. Seeing that the cause of their leader’s death was mobile, the hooded figures shouted and scrambled in their urgency to escape. When the tower platform was finally empty, Verity stuffed her knife back into her pocket. Gammell put the smaller mirror away. She put her arm in his and they stood out looking into the night, waiting for the hour to turn to the new year.