Journey Through the Mirrors (36 page)

Without the personal account of Logan’s father, Simon would never have learned about the finer utility of the Satraya Flame and the veiled mysteries of the
Chronicles
: the hidden symbols on the blank pages that promised extraordinary abilities to anyone able to see them. He was particularly interested in Camden’s mention of the blue orb, because he believed that the mysterious blue light he had seen when he’d fallen into the cremation pyre along the Ganges River had something to do with his surviving that ordeal. Could the mysterious blue light have been the light of the blue orb?

The journal entry was also a reminder of something that Simon would rather have forgotten: the day he overheard his father explain to Andrea why they had to abdicate their seats on the Council of Satraya. With Camden, Madu, and Deya already having resigned from the Council, Simon’s father and his close friend Andrea Montavon could have seized control of the most influential group in the world at that time. But Fendral had been forced to admit to Andrea that he had
stolen the books from a handyman named Giovanni Rast, who used to work for him. Logan’s father, Camden, had somehow uncovered Fendral’s crime and threatened to expose it if Fendral did not step down with the others. Simon had never told his father that he knew of his shame. Until recently, Simon had believed that his family’s secret was safe. But the ruse perpetrated on him by Logan Ford and his comrades revealed that at least three others now knew the secret. All three of them would be at the commemoration, which was supposed to start in a few hours.

Simon gazed at the three original sets of the
Chronicles
on the table in front of him. Logan Ford possessed the fourth, which had once belonged to Deya. Simon disagreed with the conclusion Camden had drawn about one person possessing all four sets of the
Chronicles
. It would be excellent for one person to possess all four sets, as long as that one person was him.

Simon stood and walked over to the large picture window and looked out at the night sky. He reached into his pants pocket and removed a small plastic bag of painkillers. He took out one of the pills and popped it into his mouth, swallowing it whole without any water.

40

The finest moment of your life will be when you are alone and still realize that you are loved.

—THE CHRONICLES OF SATRAYA

WASHINGTON D.C., 7:00 P.M. LOCAL TIME, MARCH 24, 2070

Logan and Valerie walked through the main entrance of the Council of Satraya building, which was at the corner of 18th Street and New York Avenue. Ms. Sally and the children were right behind them. The iconic redbrick building, which had once been the Octagon Museum, was given to the Council a few years after the Great Disruption to use as a base of operations. It was here that Camden Ford and the other eleven original Council members organized their mission to deliver copies of the
Chronicles
to every corner of the world.

Wearing a black suit and a white collared shirt, Logan had spruced himself up for the event. He had resisted Valerie’s efforts to get him to wear a tie, but after seeing how elegant she looked, he had relented and was now sporting a red and black paisley silk tie. Valerie wore a full-length black dress, with lace sleeves and a slit along its left side that came up to just above her knee. Her hair was in an up-do, revealing a set of amber and gold earrings that matched the necklace she was wearing.

Mr. Perrot, who had arrived earlier, was standing in the foyer with Madu and Nadine. “You look beautiful, my dear,” he said to his daughter, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “All of you are well turned out this evening.” He patted Logan on the shoulder, hugged the children, and shook hands with Ms. Sally, thanking them all for coming.

Adisa Kayin, the current head of the Council of Satraya, who was wearing his usual colorful African attire, quickly approached them. “Salutations, friends. All of you must come with me quickly. I am told they will not be staying very long.”

“Who?” Logan asked, as they followed Adisa into an elegant drawing room. A large Oriental rug covered most of the dark wood floor, a crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, and an ornate fireplace dominated the wall to the left of the doorway. Logan smiled as he entered, seeing three of his mother’s mosaics prominently displayed on easels. Adisa took them to a group of people milling around the mosaics, admiring them.

“Mr. President,” Adisa said.

Enrique Salize, the president of the North American Federation, turned around. Accompanying him were Director Sully and about ten other people. Four WCF agents dressed in black suits stood nearby.

Valerie grabbed Logan by the arm. “These are the business leaders the president invited to Washington to help him work out a solution to the energy crisis,” she explained in a whisper.

“Did you know they were coming to the commemoration?” he asked.

“No. The founder of the Tripod Group, Rigel Wright, should be with them, but I don’t see him.”

“Mr. President,” Adisa said. “I would like to introduce you to Logan—”

“Logan Ford,” President Salize said, loudly enough for everyone in his group to hear. He shook Logan’s hand and then Valerie’s. “Good to see you again, Agent Perrot.”

Valerie could see Director Sully’s surprise that the president knew
her name. Logan noticed a blond woman standing at the back of the group and craning her neck to get a better look at them.

President Salize turned to Mr. Perrot. “And you must be the man of the hour.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. President,” Mr. Perrot said.

“I wanted to stop by and pay tribute to the original Council of Satraya,” Salize said. “As you know, I don’t always see eye-to-eye with the current Council, but no one can deny the contributions the organization made to the world during the Rising, the years when the
Chronicles
were most meaningful.”

“Some would say those meaningful years are still going on,” Mr. Perrot said.

“How did your energy crisis meeting go?” Valerie asked, changing the subject. She could tell that her father was about to start lecturing the president about the value of the
Chronicles
.

“Very well,” Salize answered. “We have a solution in the works that will be announced in the next few days.”

“That doesn’t mean your investigation stops,” Director Sully said to Valerie. “You and your team are still expected to bring the perpetrators of the gas well explosions to justice.”

“Of course,” Valerie said. “We are not slowing down.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” the president said. He turned back to Mr. Perrot. “Congratulations to you, sir. I hope your term on the Council of Satraya is all you wish it to be.” He nodded farewell to Logan and Valerie, and with that, his group turned and dispersed in the growing crowd.

“The president’s stopping by was a nice surprise,” Logan said to Adisa.

“Yes, it was quite unexpected. I’m glad to see he realizes the Council is a force to be reckoned with. Of course, it would not be in the strong shape it is in today if it hadn’t been for your support,” he added warmly, glancing from Logan to Mr. Perrot to Valerie. “The three of
you breathed new life into the Council during those dark days following the murders of Cynthia and the others. And now, with the emergence of original Council members Madu and Nadine Shata, I am confident we will grow even stronger.”

“Where are they, by the way?” Logan asked.

“Over there,” Valerie said, pointing to the corner of the room. “They’re talking to Rigel Wright. I bet they have a few things to explain to him about Mr. Montez and Elvia.”

Logan laughed.

“Dad,” Jordan said, tugging on Logan’s arm. “Can Jamie and I go upstairs? Someone told us there’s food up there.”

“Yes,” Logan said, “but Ms. Sally has to go with you.”

Jordan made a face but walked off with his sister and Ms. Sally.

Mr. Perrot pointed to a large framed photograph that hung on the wall above the mantelpiece. “I see you were able to find a group shot of all the original Council members.”

“Yes,” Adisa said, leading them over to it. “We found it among some old photos we had in our files. We plan to leave it up permanently. They all look very happy in that picture.”

“It was indeed a happy time for the Council and those who worked closely with us,” Mr. Perrot said. “I’m so glad that we are honoring Camden, Cassandra, and the other original members tonight. It makes my second induction into the Council, this time as Alain Perrot, even more gratifying and poignant.”

Logan was looking not at the smiling faces of his parents but at the expressionless face of the teenage boy standing at the center of the enlarged photo. It was fourteen-year-old Simon Hitchlords, standing with his arms straight by his sides, between his father, Fendral, and his father’s friend Andrea Montavon.

Valerie leaned in close to Logan and whispered, “I can’t believe she was my mother. I don’t look anything like her.”

Logan examined the face more closely. “I don’t know,” he said. “I can sort of see a resemblance.”

Valerie shook her head disapprovingly.

Adisa turned eagerly toward the fortified glass display case at the center of the room. Logan and Valerie took one last look at the photograph of the first Council members before joining him and Mr. Perrot. The case contained Logan’s set of the
Chronicles
, which had originally belonged to Deya Sarin, and a distressed wooden box. “The books are the jewel of the commemoration exhibit. The Council cannot thank you enough for allowing us to display them, even for only a few hours.”

Logan looked over at a man who was standing near the case, admiring the books. His shoulder-length gray hair was neatly combed behind his ears and he held a silver-handled cane in his right hand. He looked familiar to Logan, although Logan couldn’t place him. “Even though the books are in my care,” Logan said, “I still consider them to be Deya’s. I am certain she would have wanted them to be part of the commemoration.”

“I wish her husband, Babu, were here tonight,” Mr. Perrot said. “He, too, deserves to be honored.”

“He politely declined our invitation,” Adisa said. “But he did send us the box in which Deya found the books.”

“It’s great to be able to see the books along with the box. I’ve wondered if the pouches and boxes the original books were found in represented something.”

“That is an interesting thought,” Mr. Perrot said.

“Speaking of the other copies,” Adisa said, “is there any word about the whereabouts of the copies of the
Chronicles
that Simon Hitchlords possessed? The Council would like to purchase them from his estate, if possible.”

“No,” Valerie answered. “They haven’t been located.”

“That’s a shame. However, it will not cloud this evening.” He reached into his coat pocket and took out a handful of programs, which he passed out to his companions. “Here is the program for tonight’s commemoration. Now I must circulate among our guests. I will catch up with you later.”

Valerie’s PCD rang. She took it out of her purse and walked a few steps away to take the call.

“Looks like you’re up first,” Logan said to Mr. Perrot, who was also looking at the program. “You’re getting sworn in to your Council seat in a half hour.” Mr. Perrot nodded and turned to the photo of the original Council members over the fireplace. Logan could sense it was spurring a flood of memories. “Shall we take another look at it?”

They started over and Madu and Nadine joined them. “To think that was just one year after we all arrived in Washington,” Nadine said, giving Logan and Mr. Perrot each a kiss on the cheek.

“We saw you talking to Rigel Wright,” Logan said. “How did that conversation go?”

“Not very well,” Madu said, sounding disheartened. “I think something must have happened at the conference with the president this afternoon. He indicated that there was going to be some big announcement that would render my research into the pyramids obsolete. He didn’t say anything more.”

“Logan Ford,” a female voice interrupted. Logan turned and saw the blond woman from the president’s contingent approaching, the one who had been trying to get a better look at him and Valerie. “My name is Catherine Bribergeld,” she said, extending her hand.

While Logan returned her handshake, he could not help but notice the thin gold bracelet she was wearing. The large letter
N
caught his eye. Logan was surprised that she didn’t acknowledge Mr. Perrot, Madu, or Nadine. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rigel Wright talking to Valerie. Actually, the two of them were laughing together. He turned back to Catherine Bribergeld. “I understand from the president that you all had a successful meeting this afternoon. It’s not easy saving the world.”

“I’ve heard through the grapevine that you have some firsthand experience with that kind of challenge,” Catherine replied, smirking. Logan forced himself not to react. “I suppose the Council of Satraya has its own theories on how to save the world, voodoo and all.”

Logan didn’t reply. Catherine glanced at Mr. Perrot, Madu, and Nadine.

“Voodoo is an interesting choice of words,” Mr. Perrot chimed in. “I take it that you don’t subscribe to the philosophies put forth in the
Chronicles
? Or perhaps you are not familiar with them? One of the original sets of the books is on display right over there.” He gestured to the glass case. “You should have a look. And the Council keeps many copies on hand. We can give you one to take home and read if you like.”

Catherine glanced at the display. “Yes, maybe I will take a look at the original. I have read the books, but I was brought up by my father to be more of a pragmatist. Philosophers and prophets never put food on my table or money in my hands.”

“What does put food on your table?” Logan asked.

“The financial industry,” Catherine answered. “Everyone can always use a little more money.”

Logan turned to Madu. “There you go,” he said, half in jest. “Maybe Catherine would be willing to fund some of your work.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, “but my company doesn’t fund the digging up of old things. We are focused on new construction.” She smiled at them knowingly. “Anyway, I must be off. I just wanted to say hello to the son of Camden and Cassandra Ford.” She turned, the smile still on her face, and disappeared into the crowd.