feet with swords wet.”
“We still might.”
There was every possibility he would be dead by dawn tomorrow if anything went wrong.
And if everything went perfectly…well, he might still end up dead.
That was what usually happened to the bait.
After leaving the Champions, Calder had his Guard lead him deep into the bowels of the Imperial Palace. Their destination was the heart of the Palace, next to the Emperor’s quarters and his private armory, but the Guards wouldn’t tell him exactly what it was.
“It’s a secret,” they’d said. “We’re not even supposed to say it out loud.”
He didn’t understand why he had to go to such lengths to meet his body double.
When they arrived, the building looked the same as a thousand others around it: white plaster walls and a sloping red-tiled roof.
Ordinary guards bowed as Calder and the Imperial Guard approached, then unlatched and pushed open the doors. To his surprise, there was a second set of doors inside, and these required a pair of locks.
He began to wish that he’d come armed and armored; if his Guards wanted to kill him while he had no weapons, he would be easy prey.
The inner set of doors opened onto…he wasn’t sure how to describe it at first, actually. Something like a costume gallery.
There must have been two or three hundred wooden mannequins populating the tiered rows that covered the back half of the building. Some wore wigs and thin, rubbery masks, while others had fake facial hair pinned to boards nearby. All were dressed in pristine costumes from all over the world.
The closest mannequin, looming on a raised pedestal over the entrance to the room, was covered by a full set of the Emperor’s white armor. As far as Calder could tell, the suit was identical to the real thing. The Intent couldn’t be faked, of course, but the armor itself appeared to be real.
At the base of the pedestal stood Calder’s twin brother.
…or so it appeared. A smile crept up as Calder looked himself up and down, gazing into what might have been a mirror.
His copy matched his smile, even speaking in his voice: “Well, if you don’t mind me saying so, you’re one handsome man.”
“Amazing. I knew they’d found a double for me, but…even the voice?”
The fake Calder swept a bow. “Rojric Little, at your service.”
Calder didn’t consider himself superstitious, but it seemed like a more-than-mortal coincidence that this man who shared his appearance should have his father’s first name.
In fact, maybe it was no coincidence at all.
His father had been separated from his mother for years, after all.
“I don’t want to offend, but you weren’t perhaps…named for your father, were you?”
The copy gave him a grin that Calder thought was rather dashing. “I was, as it happens, but my father’s a fisherman working down on the bay. Saw him this morning. I’d consider it a compliment to my acting skills that you mistook me for a brother, but it’s less my acting and more Soulbound magic.”
Rojric gestured to one side, where an ornate portrait of an ancient woman hung on one wall. The woman sat in a high-backed chair, posed carefully for the painter. Behind her, where another woman’s family might have gathered around her for a family portrait, were half a dozen mannequins.
“She crafted disguises. Died a few years ago, may her soul fly free, but her works remain as potent as ever.”
He reached up, peeling away his fake beard about an inch. “She hadn’t crafted one for you, of course, but she left a few materials behind that we could cobble into shape. They’re invested to make me look as much like the subject as possible…and of course there’s some alchemy and some rather fine acting involved.”
“Uncanny.” Even considering the powers of a Soulbound, doing all this only with what she left behind would have taken an impressive level of dedication and artistry.
A candelabra stood near the painting. It had been replaced by a quicklamp, but there were still fresh candles in their holders; Calder pulled a small box of matches from his pocket and used one to light the candle.
One of the Guards cleared his throat. “Sir, would you like us to turn on another quicklamp?”
“Not necessary.” He lit the other two candles as well. “Now, Rojric, are you aware of the public address at the Emperor’s Stage tonight?”
“It will be the biggest stage I’ve ever played,” the double said proudly.
In times of crisis, the Emperor could invite people to gather before the Emperor’s Stage, a balcony