“She’d have more power in virtually any other situation, if you’re talking about faculty, the ability to act. If I wanted to say more than that, I’m afraid, again, I would need to bill you.”
“Again with the billing,” I said.
“Everything has a price, Mr. Thorburn. Even a leisurely walk and talk with me.”
“What’s the price there?” Rose asked, a note of alarm in her voice.
“It gives me time to convince the latest diabolist of the Thorburn line, in ways both subtle and overt, to join us. You two are growing to like me, just a touch, because I’m one of your only allies in a sea of enemies. You’re growing to trust me, because I’m more or less trustworthy. My knowledge can be granted in exchange for your trust. Knowledge I deem valuable enough to exact more of a cost comes with a price tag.”
“You’re not going to share the knowledge on vestiges,” I said, “because you know it’s something big? Something we need to figure out if we’re going to survive?”
“In part. But, as a suggestion, perhaps we could go for a walk. We’ll take a detour on our way back. If I give you material you can use to find your own way, instead of giving you the complete, more costly answer.”
“A walk to where?” I asked.
“A bit up the main road here. We’ll make it back in time.”
“No trick? Nothing conniving here?” Rose asked.
“No. Only an illustration.”
“Sure,” I said.
She smiled, pointing the direction.
It was only half a block before we reached the main road. One four-lane street that ran north-to-south down the middle of Jacob’s Bell. The buildings on either side were typical for any of the regular places between one of the major cities. Fast food places, a big gas station that stood out as much as anything, a strip mall set off to one side, with a parking lot as large as all of the collected stores put together. Here and there, there were other businesses, more for locals than people stopping in for a coffee and donut or to fill up their gas tanks. A vet’s office in a repurposed old residence, fitting in the same general era as the Hillsglade House. I made out a hospital off to the side, just off the highway. One of the largest buildings here, and Hillsglade House was visible on the other end of the small town, looming over things.
We approached the highway. The road dipped in a very deliberate way as it passed beneath, like someone might be overly cautious in avoiding hitting their heads on an overhang.
“The north end,” Rose said.
Right. The expanded city, above the highway.
“The notes said we shouldn’t come here,” I said. “Explicitly forbidden.”
Ms. Lewis said, “You’re with me, and I’m not going to let you enter the dangerous area.”
“The dangerous area?” Rose asked. “Johannes’ area?”
“Yes.”
We made our way up the inclined that followed after the dip in the road. As we crested the top of the rise, Ms. Lewis said, “What do you two see?”
It was the upper end of Jacob’s Bell.
“I’m not seeing anything special,” Rose said. “Maybe I’m missing something. Things get indistinct as they get further from the mirror Blake is wearing. There are some reflective surfaces, but it’s kind of muddled.”
“Rose, I would suggest you look beyond the scope of the mirror. Focus on the city in the distance. Blake, use your sight.”
“My sight isn’t much better than my regular sight,” I said. “I burned myself out during that fight.”
“Try. This isn’t very hard, as these things go. Fact is, I suspect it will be hard to ignore.”
That was ominous.
But I looked.
Through the sight, it was all different. The sky was cast in red light, and I could see the crimson highlights on the clouds, as if the sun was in the midst of setting.
At five or six in the morning?
The buildings were twisted, the street more winding and narrow, the rooftops changing. All towards one peculiar, oddly cramped aesthetic.
I could see people there. Vaguely, from a distance, but they were people.
“It’s all lit up,” Rose said. “How did we not see this before?”
“This is an illustration,” Ms. Lewis said. “I can give you answers, but-”
“We’d have to pay for them,” I cut her off. “Right. You want us to reach our own conclusions? I think it’s based on proximity. We get closer, we’re stepping more into… there.”
“Well said.”
“It’s all lit up,” Rose said, again. “Why?”
“Why do you think?”
“You don’t get it, Rose?” I asked. “Remember what Johannes said?”
“Yeah,” Rose answered me. “He said I’d find myself in good company. Maggie said it was because I was an Other, and this is some kind of amusement park for Others. But that’s not it. All of that stuff we’re looking at…”
“Vestiges,” I said. “Or it’s one vestige. A big one. How’d he do it?”
“That is a very good question,” Ms. Lewis said.
“One that would be very costly to buy an answer for, I’m betting,” I said. “Right.”
“He took over an area,” Rose said. “He made it a demesnes… and this vestige is some kind of reflection of that demesnes.”
“Or he made the vestige,” I said, “And made that vestige some kind of territory he could base his demesnes on.”
“More likely the former than the latter,” Ms. Lewis said, “But I don’t think you’re too far off base.”
Rose spoke up, “He took over an area and then copied it. But it’s different. A vestige degrades with attention and stress, so maybe he’s shoring it up with something? Some kind of power source that would twist it by association?”
“Or,” I said. “Like other amusement parks, there’s a cost to visit. A lot of little power sources. Each one has a general influence, twisting things in a certain way when it fills in the cracks and gaps.”
“Oh god,” Rose said. “Oh. Maggie said it was a place for Others to relive the old days, before mankind got its footing. I thought maybe it was scaring people, picking off one every few months or so. But it isn’t. If the people were copied over too, if they aren’t real people, then what’s to stop Others from hurting them all the time? Openly hunting them down and eating them? Making it a constant, daily thing? Those people would be stuck there, like I’m stuck in the mirror.”
“Except they have company,” I said.
“I think we’ve gleaned enough from this little case study,” Ms. Lewis said.
I nodded, a little numb. Rose didn’t say a thing, and I couldn’t see her to know what she was doing or how she was reacting. Going by her tone of voice just a moment ago, I was guessing she was horrified.
We collectively began our trek back to Hillsglade House.
“What do you think I wanted you to take away from that?” Ms. Lewis asked.
“A place can be a vestige,” I said.
Ms. Lewis smiled, “True, but that isn’t the answer to my question.”