Prolog: The Summons

At last, we have reached the end of the Rebellious Spy. Monday is the start of the Amazon Breakthrough Contest for new novels that haven't been published. I am going to enter and see just how far my book will make it. Sadly, I won't know the results until April. Even then, the grand prize winner, who wins a publishing deal with Panguin, that isn't announced until end of June, early July. Sigh. I really don't like waiting.

Anyway, I'd like to take a moment to thank everyone for reading. I've always had an ugly habit of getting annoyed with my story and starting everything from scratch. But now everyone has been encouraging me to move on with the story.

Enjoy the journey!
*********
Gillian sat waiting in the alcove, waiting for the ship to return. He hadn’t slept all night. The pain was just too great. He refused any food or drink his attendant tried to give him. He just sat on his chair, holding his stomach tight. It felt as if something was trying to eat him from the inside out. But he was going to endure this pain. I’m doing this for the prince of Aeterna.

But he did hope that they would hurry up and return.

Nearing dawn, his ship was finally spotted. He tried to stand as they sailed through the cave entrance, but he was too weak from his night spent awake and in pain. He sighed in relief as it finally passed into the alcove and the pain suddenly gone. Curse the Seacats. But he had been a thorn in their side for a good two decades.

As he knew, the ship was undamaged. He was linked to the ship since the banishing. The ship was his life. That was the real reason why he hadn’t told Willy the Horrid or anyone else about it. The commander suppressed a shiver. Destroying his ship meant killing him.

The plank was drawn and the rescuers started down. Gillian strained his neck to find the prince. Is he alright? Finally! Martin chose to be one of the last people off the boat. Typical of him to think of others. The cousins Tyler and Glen followed after him. The sailor looked proud to have captained a ship successfully, but his cousin seemed trouble. But Gillian pushed the young thief out of his concern. It was Martin who looked sick.

He kept rubbing his temple, as if he was getting a headache. There was very little color left in his face, but Gillian supposed he looked the same.

“Martin,” he sighed, forcibly taking the spy’s hand and shaking it. “I’m so glad you’re back.”

The prince blinked, as if uncertain he heard the words. Then he flinched, glancing away. Gillian frowned. What was that? Something had happened on that Venter warship. Something that changed the young man.

“Martin?” he asked slowly. “Did something happen? Did they do anything to you?”

The prince snorted softly. “It can’t be changed.” His eyes narrowed as he looked down at his hands. “I will never be the same.”

He knows, the prison commander realized. He’s finally realized he’s the prince. Gillian wanted to know exactly what the mages had done but he held back. There was a new look in Martin’s face, different then physical pain.

He didn’t know what to do.

It was not an expression one usually saw on the spy’s face. Martin always had a plan, was always thinking about what he could do. Now that he realized he was the prince, he seemed confused about what to do. He seemed… lost.

Oh, Martin, what am I going to do about you?

He knew now that the worst thing he could do was to send a letter to the queen to tell her the truth. This was something Martin had to tell her himself. He had to know what he wanted to do before he could tell anyone about this.

“Martin,” Glen suddenly asked, his eyes narrowing. He folded his arms. “The mages did something to you on that ship. We all know it.”

“And I’m not going to talk about it,” Martin said softly. The young thief snorted.

“Well then, can you answer at least one question for me?”

Martin frowned at the request. “What question?”

“The mages asked you this,” Glen said, his posture becoming more stiff. “And I want to know its answer since you didn’t answer them either.” Martin stiffened at this. Gillian frowned, not following the conversation.

“When was the last time you saw your reflection?”

Everyone who was listening to the conversation mouthed the question, confused. Tyler even frowned thinking about it, his fingers poking the air trying to connect invisible dots. Martin blinked, putting on a mask Gillian knew that spoke of no answer. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh,” Glen growled, pointing a quivering finger at the prince, “yes you do. I saw…”

“Nothing,” Gillian suddenly cut in. He had been watching Martin’s face through the conversation. This was going to lead to the whole “prince business.” Glen had no idea how much the prince needed time to consider his new role in life. Time needed alone. “We’ll talk later about this. I suggest all of you go back to your homes. The rest of the citizens have been going home, the rest of you should as well. We’ll talk after we’ve reorganized our lives in a few days. Until then, I will demand an Order of Silence. Martin will not talk until he’s ready.”
*********
Tyler knew his cousin was seething. His posture was hostile, he refused to speak, and he kept glaring at Martin. Tyler felt the icy silence as they walked home. Whatever had happened on that ship angered Glen. And as for the spy… Well, it was rather hard to read him. His face was kept blank as he answered any questions directed at him. And under the Order of Silence, he kept true to it. He refused to answer any question Glen tried to ask him. Before they left the fort, his cousin had settled into a refusal to speak stage of his anger.

This isn’t going to be good for Martin when we get home. Tyler knew that Glen would not stop pestering the spy until he got his answers.

When was the last time you saw your reflection?

It was such a strange question. Tyler remembered just a few days before when Martin was shaving. Why did it matter when he last saw himself in the mirror? The questions about the question drove him nuts.

I’ve got to stop thinking about this. They were half way home when he gave up trying to strike up a conversation with either of them. Instead, he saw the joy surrounding them. The people were back in their homes. Some were distraught at what they found when they got home, but for the most part, they were thankfully they were alive and their homes were intact. Things could be replaced. People could not.

The apartment building Glen homed in was full of happy drunk men. Most shouted for joy and sang songs of victory. Tyler smiled at their off-key notes and horrible lyrics. Yes, it was good to finally be out of the fort. Although nearly everything was provided for them, nothing could beat the joys of one’s own home.

Glen produced the key for his room and let them in. Martin walked in and immediately sat down on a chair the wrong way, his arms folded across the back of the chair. His eyes seemed distant and his expression in painful thoughtfulness. The sailor knew the pose from anyone else who had a hard decision to make. Though what hard choice was now ahead of the young Alex was beyond him.

“Well?” Glen asked with a snap. “Are you going to tell us the answer now?”

Martin didn’t answer. In fact, it seemed as if he hadn’t heard the thief’s question. Snorting, Glen turned his angry back to the spy and faced him. Tyler shrugged at the pleading in his cousin’s eyes for help.

“If he doesn’t want to talk,” he said, “then he doesn’t want to. How about some breakfast?”

The sudden change of topic threw Glen for a moment, but he gave a weak half smile. “Breakfast will hit the spot.” His cousin disappeared through the door to the shared kitchen and came back with fresh bread. “Courtesy of our next door bakery,” he announced, tossing a sticky roll at him. “They’re serving everyone in the Stand.”

“How nice of the bakers,” Tyler laughed, taking a bite out of the sugary bread. Yes, victory tasted good.

“Five months.”

Tyler and Glen turned to the spy, surprised by his answers. Martin didn’t look at them, but he now had a haunted cast to his features.

“What?” Glen asked.

Martin sighed and sunk his head down, resting his chin on his arms. “It’s been five months since I last saw my reflection.”

Tyler flinched at the answer. He opened his mouth to ask how he could not have had his reflection for that long when his cousin motioned for him to stay silent.

“Then,” the thief said slowly, almost fearfully, “what the mages had done to you…the face changing….and what they called you…?”

“Yes,” Martin whispered, his head sinking lower. The haunted look in his face now turned into fear. An expression that tore at the sailor to see in the young man. He was never afraid.

“Then,” Glen said, his voice taunt. “You’re the crown prince of Aeterna?!”

Tyler whipped his head around to stare Martin. Pain etched his face as he buried it into his folded arms. His answer was soft, and full of deep sorrow that nearly overpowered his word, but they heard it.

“Yes.”

The room went into a stunned silence, even the sounds of the victory parties from outside dulled at the spy’s quiet declaration. Tyler felt as if someone had driven the air from his lungs, and his body left numb from it. How could this be?

“Heithery,” Glen swore, stumbling for the couch and collapsing on it. “Martin! How… When… Why…I don’t know where to begin! How do you shave?”

Martin looked up enough to glare at the thief. “Very carefully.”

Tyler managed to shake himself out of shock. “This is what you’ve been bothered about since you got here, hasn’t it?” he asked, sitting down next to his shocked cousin. “We knew the prince business bothered you, but we figured you were just jealous.”

Martin barked out a short bitter laugh. “I wouldn’t have been jealous. Maybe a bit, but… I had come to terms with never knowing who I was. My life had been going great and then my lucky glove…” He sighed deeply, banging his forehead against his arms. “I didn’t believe it! I couldn’t have been the prince!”

Glen whistled softly. “So when the mages changed your face… talked of your powers…” Despite the shocking revelation, Tyler was getting tired of the unfinished sentences about what had happened on that Venter warship.

“I had already lost my reflection because I didn’t believe the truth,” Martin said softly, almost to himself in a haunting tone. “But when they changed me…” He almost sobbed, shaking his head against his arms. “It felt right. You have no idea how wrong I feel right now.” He sighed deeply. “I didn’t want this.”

“But you are the prince!” Glen exclaimed. His cousin started to fidget, a sure sign of the thief getting excited or aggravated. Tyler couldn’t tell which yet. “You’re the crown prince everyone has been looking for! We’ve got to return to the fort, tell Commander Gillian…”

“He already knows,” Martin cut in, snorting softly. “He’s known since you told him that the Seacats were after me.”

“Then he’s getting an escort ready to return you to Nacre,” Glen concluded. “I’m surprised he didn’t keep you up at the fort for your own protection!”

Martin snorted. “I think Gillian might have another plan. I just don’t know yet…”

“Come on, then!” Glen said, jumping to his feet. “We’ll get the answer from him. And after that, we’ll take you to Nacre where…”

“No one would believe you.” Martin snapped. He finally brought his head up from his arms, glaring at the thief. “I didn’t believe it either. It took three mages changing my face for me to finally admit that I’m the Santer everyone’s looking for.” He spread his arms wide. “Look at me, Glen! Look at what I’ve become! Who would believe that I could be the prince? I’m used to being beaten and cursed! Not pampered and blessed!”

His cousin looked as if someone had slapped him in the face. The spy took a deep breath, closing his eyes and getting his temper back under control.

“No one would believe you,” he said again, softer this time. “Not with what I’ve been through. A prince should never go through that.”

Tyler heard the sorrow behind those words. This is what’s really bothering him, the sailor realized, staring at their troubled prince. He doesn’t believe he’s worthy of being called Santer. He doesn’t think he can be our prince. Tyler had no idea what he could tell their friend. What could they say?

“But you’ve had the hard life,” Glen said, equally soft. His tone was careful and slow. “Nothing is going to change that.”

“No, it’s not,” Martin sighed, sinking his head back down on his arms. “And that’s why I lost my reflection. I’m not a prince, Glen. I’m just a Santer who doesn’t know what to do.”

Even Glen seemed at a loss of words at this. What could they say? Tyler thought back to the last two months, and how hard Martin worked to make sure everyone was alright. He had always cared about the people, had always worked hard for their benefit, so why did he feel unworthy to be their prince?

“Well,” Glen said, “perhaps something will come to you in the next couple of days. Gillian did say you needed a break.”

Martin snorted. “I don’t want a break. I want things to make sense.”

“Still,” his cousin said, “relax. We aren’t under siege anymore. You’re safe.”

“Safe,” the spy spat out. “I doubt I’ve ever been safe.”

This time, neither gave an argument. Martin had never been safe.
********
It had been four days since the Seacats fled the Stand. Four days since he had been captured. Four days since he finally admitted that he was the prince. And now Gillian had finally summoned him.

Martin made his way to the fort, using the thief way to get inside. The prison commander seemed to anticipate this, since there was a guard waiting there for him. The spy half expected the soldier to follow him up to the commander’s office, but was surprised when he stayed put.

As he made his way up to the office, Martin was struck by how empty the fort seemed without the refugees. The guards still occupied the fort though and the ones imprisoned there. Reaching the commander’s unguarded door, he knocked firmly on it.

“Enter.”

Opening the door, he found Gillian on his knees, replacing books on a shelf. Sunlight filled the large office, the sea beyond the windows glistening in the morning light. The council table had been removed and the commander’s desk placed back. The commander stood up when he saw who had come in.

“Ah, Martin,” he said, motioning him to a chair. “I’m glad you were able to come on short notice. Please, sit down.”

Martin sat, eyeing the commander suspiciously. “What do you want, Gillian?” The prison commander sat down behind his desk, his cheerful expression replaced by a serious business one.

“I would be right guessing that the last few months have been hard on you,” Martin nodded. The last five days, however had been the hardest. His capture, the meeting with the mages responsible for his changed face, the rescue when he used powers he didn’t understand, and the cousins spending the last few days trying to cheer him up by telling him that he was going to be one of the greatest Santers ever known. His world was falling apart and he had no idea how to piece it back together.

Gillian sighed. “I know how hard it is to have your world suddenly changed. All I had known was the sea. So when the Seacats banished me from the sea, I really had no idea what I could do. Sailing was my life.” The prison commander looked bitterly around his office. “When I told my superiors what had happened, they didn’t want to get rid of me so they placed me behind a desk with full view of the sea.”

“You had the option of having an office without the view,” Martin pointed out. The prison commander eyed him suspiciously.

“Have you been reading classified information again?”

Martin shrugged. “Suit said I needed to keep informed about the world.”

“I can’t decide if this is going to be a bad habit for you or not,” Gillian said, rolling his eyes. “But I want you to know that I know what you are going through.” Martin thought about it for a moment.

“What did you do?”

“I had to figure out what I wanted.” Gillian turned his chair enough so that he could see the ocean. “Even though I can never sail again, I still need to be by the sea. I need to feel the winds, smell the salty air, hear the waves. It’s very… calming for me.”

Martin snorted. “I doubt they would let me keep spying. The first thing Suit would do would be to take me out of the spying network. He’d demand I find my successor. They would alter my records. I would be told to never to talk about my life as a spy. They would come up with a princely past.” Martin scowled. “Your curse just affected you. My situation affects all of Aeterna.”

Gillian leaned back in his chair, stroking his limp mustache. “True.” He sighed. “But we have to worry about you as well. You’re the one without a reflection.”

Martin decided to ignore the comment about his reflection. “Then what do you plan to do about me?”

The prison commander gave him a small smile. “Nothing.” Martin raised an eyebrow.

“Nothing?” He had been expecting something else. “Why?”

“Because I know you’re not ready for life as a prince. A grand revelation proclaiming you as prince would probably ruin you.”

Martin gazed at the edge of the commander’s desk. “There’s something I haven’t told you.”

“Another thing?” Gillian asked, a hint of humor in his voice. “What now? You’ve suddenly developed powers?”

Martin grimaced. “Actually you’re not far off.” Gillian raised an eyebrow. Martin took in a deep breath. “I don’t know what details you have heard, but… my powers were inhibited. I’ve lived most of my life without my Santer powers. But now that the Inhibitor has been removed, I’ve been able to… do things.”

Gillian lowered his hand from his mustache, frowning. “What sort of things?”

Martin took a deep breath. “I can feel the city’s emotions. I know more about those around me. Then, when I was rescued…” He had to take another deep breath. “I managed to calm a stretch of waves long enough to find Glen. And… I think I was able to call the ship to me.”

The day after the cousins found out who he was, Tyler told him an amazing story. Apparently, shortly before those on the ship found them, they all heard a cry for help. Tyler said he then knew exactly where to find them. I was hearing them, Martin knew. They were answering my call for help.

“On the Venter ship,” he trudged on, “the mages said I had been using lesser powers. Gillian. I’m using Santer powers that I think… might be more powerful than what the queen and her daughter have.”

At this the prison commander leaned back in his chair, his expression thoughtful. “I don’t know how to help you there.” He glanced at his desk top; it was cluttered with papers. “But I will be writing to General Chief about it.”

Martin sat up in his chair, his posture stiff. “Wait,” he said, rising slightly out of his chair. “You’re not going to tell Fred about… this?”

“Chief knows more about the Santer powers then I do,” Gillian answered, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, Martin, but he should know about this. He has a right to know.” The spy sat back down, feeling uneasy.

“Are you going to send a letter to the queen as well?”

“No.” Gillian’s answer was immediate and firm. “I’ve said it before. You’re not ready for the life as a prince. I fear I would be doing Aeterna a disservice if I reveal you, even to the queen.”

Martin leaned back, now suspicious. There was something more to this. “Then,” he said slowly, “if you’re not going to do anything about me except send a letter to Fred… Why did you summon me here?”

Gillian picked a letter up from the mess on his desk. “I got this letter this morning. You’ve been summoned to the capital to report about the Inhibitor to the queen and her councilors.”

The spy froze. “I’m going to Nacre?”

“That’s what Suit’s letter orders.” The prison commander dropped the letter on his desk, folded his arms, and leaned forward. “Martin, I know that this is going to be difficult for you. I can’t even image the feelings you will be going through when you get there, but I will offer you some advice. Don’t tell anyone who you are. You are not ready. You need to find your reflection first. You need to discover what sort of man you want to be. Do you want to be the Alex? Or do you want to be Prince Henry?”

Martin scowled. “I doubt I could be either.”

Gillian lifted a corner of his mouth in a smile. “Then you need to discover who you really are. Don’t listen to the spy you’ve been trained to be. Don’t listen to the world and it’s perception of what a prince should be. Don’t be anything but who you want to be. I think, that once you find yourself, then you will be the greatest Santer we’ve ever known.”
********
It took another week for any ship to be considered seaworthy before Martin could begin his journey to Nacre. His final few days weren’t spent in idleness either. Many homes had been damaged during the Seacats’ stay, so he buried himself in the work. At least that nagging desire to help didn’t plague him while he worked. It also helped to keep his thoughts away from what he would be doing.

“Going to Nacre anyway,” Glen sighed, gazing wistfully at the ship Martin would soon be boarding. “But not as who you should be. Just as a regular spy. How tragic.”

Martin snorted, tightening his pack on Rowan’s saddle. The horse seemed as ready to leave as he did. “I’m personally glad I won’t be having trumpets announcing my arrival. Besides, I won’t be telling anyone the truth. Gillian was right. I need a reflection first.”

“You might need that,” Glen agreed, flinching. It had been a shock a few days after he told Glen and Tyler the truth. Neither of them could see his reflection either. Tyler nearly jumped through the ceiling when he realized Martin was carefully shaving the cream off his face without seeing his face in the mirror. Later, Gillian would admit that he also could not see Martin’s reflection. It would seem, the spy thought, that once a person knows who I am, they’ll also not see me in the mirror. He did not understand why that was.

Glen took a deep breath and gazed out over the sea. Tyler had left the day before, back to his duty as a sailor. “It’s going to be boring,” the thief sighed. “This winter has been… full of adventure.”

Spring had come suddenly. The Stand had woken up the week before to warm weather and blossoming plants. While the rest of Aeterna was under melting snow, Evan’s Stand already had new green growing.

“Full of adventure is right,” Martin chuckled. “Now it’s off to new ones. Good bye, Glen. Thanks… for a lot of things.”

The thief laughed weakly. “You’re welcome,” he said, shaking his hand. “Don’t beat yourself up. You’re going to be great. I know it.”

Martin managed a weak half smile in return. He wasn’t so sure. Waving good bye, he led Rowan up the plank of the ship that would carry them to Nacre. Glen stayed on the dock as they shoved off and sailed away. Martin watched the Stand slowly grow smaller until finally, they sailed around a bend in the land and it disappeared completely from his view. Sighing, he switched his gaze to the inland.

Aeterna.

This nation saved me from the streets, he thought, the wind whipping through his short hair. Gazing at the budding green land, he thought back to when he first arrived. Fred always claimed that he was an Aeternan, even before they landed. Martin had trouble believing it. He was the orphan without parents and without history. Some small part of him always felt depressed that he wasn’t actually Aeternan and there were times he felt that he would never be, even with everything he did for the nation that saved him.

But now…

“I’m Aeternan,” he laughed softly to himself, smiling. He lifted his face up to the sun, greeting its warmth. “I’m actually an Aeternan.”

He may not know what to do about being a prince, but he did know one thing for certain. Aeterna was his home and he would protect it.

The End of The Rebellious Spy
**********
Ah, there's the end. Join us next week as Martin's adventures continue in the Secret's Captive. I'm not about to give him a break. Thanks for reading!