‘What’s a “movie”?’ she asked. ‘And why would we need to catch it? Did one escape?’
‘Er, yes. They’re these big, monstrous creatures that the Librarians let loose in the Hushlands. To terrorize people . . . and, you know, and steal their time, and make them cringe at bad acting, and then make them sit through long boring award shows that give statues of little gold men to people you’ve never heard of.’
She frowned even further. ‘You’re an idiot sometimes, Smedry,’ she said, then glanced at Kaz, as if asking for an explanation from him.
‘I’m not touching this one,’ he said, smiling. ‘In fact, I’m staying so far away from it, I might as well be in the next kingdom over!’
‘Whatever,’ Bastille said, turning her narrowed eyes back on me – as if she suspected that I was making fun of her in some way she couldn’t figure out. I just continued to blush, right up until the point where Mallo and Angola returned. The queen carried a small hand mirror. She crossed the woven rug and handed it to me.
I hesitated, looking down at the mirror. Half of the glass was missing. ‘This is it?’
‘Communicator’s Glass is best if portable,’ Mallo said. ‘We broke this piece in half and sent it to Nalhalla; it will allow us to communicate for some weeks through the two pieces, until the power fades. Then the glass must be reforged and broken again. It’s not the easiest way to talk across a distance, but we were desperate, particularly after sending away our last Oculator to maintain my disguise.’
‘Librarian agents destroyed our other means of communication,’ one of the soldiers added. ‘The Transporter’s Glass station, the soundrunners, even the city’s stockpile of Messenger’s Glass.’
I frowned. ‘How’d they do that?’
‘They continue to dig tunnels into the city,’ Mallo said with a sigh. ‘And send strike teams up to harry us. We just caught one earlier today. We captured them before they could do any permanent damage, then collapsed the tunnel. There will be more, however.’
I nodded, raising the hand mirror. They all looked at me expectantly, as if they figured that – being an Oculator – I’d immediately know how to use the glass. ‘Um,’ I said, turning it sideways. ‘Er. Mirror, mirror, in my hand, my food is tasty, but often bland.’
‘Alcatraz?’ Kaz asked. ‘What are you doing? You just have to touch the glass to make it work.’
‘Oh,’ I said, tapping the mirror. It shimmered, like I’d disturbed the surface of a crystal-clear pool of water. A moment later, the image changed from a reflection of my face to show an image of a stone room. One of the castles in Nalhalla.
A small Mokian boy sat in front of the mirror. He grew alert the moment the image changed, then ran off, yelling. ‘Lord Smedry, Lord Smedry!’
Within seconds, my grandfather was there. He looked somewhat frazzled, his hair sticking out at odd angles, his bow tie on sideways. ‘Ah, Alcatraz, my lad! You did it!’
‘I’m here, Grandpa,’ I said, nodding. ‘Inside Tuki Tuki. But things are bad here.’
‘Of course they are!’ Grandpa said. ‘That’s why we sent you in the first place, eh? Stay there for a moment. I need to get some knights!’
He rushed away. It looked like their half of the mirror had been hung on the wall in some kind of entryway or foyer.
I stood awkwardly for some time. The others crowded around me, looking through the mirror, waiting. Finally, Grandpa returned with several people dressed in full plate armor. One was Draulin, Bastille’s mother. The other two were older-looking men.
‘Alcatraz, tell them where you are,’ Grandpa Smedry said from somewhere to the side.
‘I’m in Tuki Tuki,’ I said.
‘You should leave there immediately,’ Draulin said sternly. ‘It is not safe, Lord Smedry.’
‘Yes, I know,’ I said. ‘But you know us Smedrys. Crazy, without any regard for our own safety!’
One of the knights frowned. ‘This does indeed offer the proof the elder Lord Smedry promised,’ he said.
‘I sense we are being manipulated,’ the other said, shaking his head. ‘I do not like the feel of it.’
Draulin remained quiet during the conversation. She seemed to be studying me carefully with those dark eyes of hers.
A thought occurred to me. They needed motivation to come help. Making a snap judgment, I turned the hand mirror around, shining it on Mallo. ‘Guess who’s here with me?’ I said to the knights.
Mallo looked shocked. ‘Alcatraz! What are you doing?’
‘Trust me,’ I said.
‘It’s a Mokian warrior,’ one of the knights said. ‘I feel for his plight, but the rules of our order are—’