19
Ailuin, did you see that?Bernard focused both his human and Elven gaze on the ambassador’s familiar features. The man’s smile was pleasant and unassuming as he nodded. He sat behind his desk, motioning with a wave of his hand for the two of them to sit across from him.
See what?Ailuin asked, now seated in the nearby chair.
This is going to sound so strange, but I thought I saw something ripple across his features, like something crawling underneath his face.Bernard swallowed, fighting the queasiness now roiling inside his gut.
He detested horror movies, and right now, he felt as if he were living in one. The creepy sensation reminded him of a couple of films his guardians had taken him to see years ago, Nosferatu and Phantom of the Opera. The image of the lead actor who played the phantom, with his unusually wide eyes and eerie stare, had given him nightmares for years.
“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ambassador Nomura. Thank you for taking the time to meet with us,” Bernard said in Japanese and waited to see how the ambassador would return the greeting. So far, the man seated behind the desk seemed different from the person he remembered and wondered, other than magic, what could have caused such a drastic change.
“It is nothing, gentlemen.” Nomura glanced at his wristwatch before returning his gaze to Bernard. “However, I need to leave for a meeting with the President, so what can I do for you?”
This time, he almost missed the shift in the man’s features, or maybe he was only trying to hold his expression. There, Ailuin. It happened again. Did you see it?
I think so...was it like his smile almost slipped, but he managed to keep it in place?
Yes! Now, we just need to decide which it is.
Are there any differences in this man versus the man you previously met with?
Bernard studied the man, trying to inspect everything without him getting suspicious, but there were minute changes. In Japanese culture, good manners are instilled at a very young age. When he didn’t return my bow, then took a seat with such nonchalance…that would not be acceptable behavior. Also, his response about needing to be somewhere soon isn’t right. The wording was a bit off, and in his culture, which is uncommonly polite, he would never mention a previous engagement. He would simply keep the meeting short.
Anything else?
Bernard noticed something he had missed. His clothing would be immaculately pressed, yet his is wrinkled, and it is only early morning. There also seems to be a stain on his shirt and his tie is crooked. The ambassador I met the first time was the epitome of decorum and propriety. He would never present himself so disheveled.
Then we either have a doppelgänger or he’s being possessed.
Bernard swallowed a groan. Could this get any weirder? He cleared his throat and said the first thing that came to mind. “Ambassador Nomura, I understand congratulations are in order regarding the Japanese offensive in the Pacific.”
Nomura nodded, his black brows in contrast with his shaved head, which showed the man’s receding hairline and what little remained of his dark hair. Overall, he wasn’t a bad-looking man, albeit a potentially possessed one.
I’m winging it here, so if you have a plan to oust whoever is doing this, you’d better hurry. Bernard said, throwing the elf a sideways glance.
Just follow my lead when the time come.
Bernard swallowed the immediate retort that sprang to his lips. If he was going to work with Ailuin and his brother, they were going to have to set some ground rules, the first one being upfront disclosures, because a plan contingent on something undefined could only lead to trouble...theirs. He would never come up with a strategy based on someone’s vague thought. It would be tantamount to a suicide venture.
He knew, though, that Ailuin was battle hardened, so, if he had the beginnings of a plan, then Bernard was soldier enough to follow. Alva’s beautiful face popped into his mind. All he wanted was to finish with this as quickly as possible so he could return to her. He needed to know she was okay.
“Yes, yes, our navy has been amazingly successful,” the ambassador said. “After the American fleet went down at Midway, it has been smooth sailing, so to speak, in taking control of the Pacific. Several days ago, our land troops met up with Führer Hitler’s Wehrmacht at Moscow, and only a matter of a few weeks stand between us before we triumph over America.”
“Did Britain fall? I hadn’t heard.” Bernard asked, not wanting to know the answer, but needing to at the same time. He was surprised when Nomura stood and put on his coat, fastening each button until only his slightly stained tie showed at his neck.
“Ambassador?” Bernard stood to follow when Ailuin grabbed him by the arm. Glancing at the elf’s hand wrapped around his elbow, he lifted his gaze to Ailuin’s face. The elf shook his head, then dropped Bernard’s arm and mouthed the word, “watch.”
Bernard turned to see the ambassador’s feet shuffling across the carpet, as if he didn’t want to leave. Then the man’s arm flew up, and he punched himself in the cheek. A hissing noise pulled his attention from Nomura and back to their surroundings. The walls of the room bulged inward, a familiar bluish glow emanating from them.
“This can’t be good,” Bernard muttered and edged closer to Ailuin. The two stood back to back in the middle of the room. “How are we supposed to fight these things?” he asked as the first of the draugar stepped into the room. He frowned when he recognized King Ghaldath rise to his impressive height, his long glowing sword in his hand.
“Oh, merde,” he whispered.
“Oh, shit, what?” Ailuin asked. “Your side can’t be any less daunting than my side.” He thrust something at Bernard’s back, hitting him in the arm. With a quick glance, he saw an equally massive golden sword, what could have been a double of the draugar king’s, in Ailuin’s hand. “Aim for the neck because you won’t get a second chance,” Ailuin commanded.
Bernard took the sword, but something made him look up. Ghaldath raised his sword, letting the broader side of the blade rest against his forehead for a second before advancing toward him. Bernard’s heart stopped. He thought about Alva and what he hadn’t told her.
Je t’aime, ma tigresse, he whispered his love for her in his mind, then lifted the heavy weight of his sword as the draugar king swept by him, leaving the disgusting odor of decay in his wake. He whipped his head around as the king raised his sword and, with the most blood-chilling shriek, sliced off the head of another advancing draugr.