Book 2 Chapter 28: The Evil Twin

Sam

Unknown date and time, Colosseum facility, Elven world

The jump to the Elven world was uneventful, except for a few people stepping on someone else's toes. More than a hundred people had left Earth together with the official delegation. A dozen were billionaires from Earth, looking for an adventure and paying big bucks for it. The rest were TV, game, and two movie crews: one from Korea and one from Hollywood. Karoperos, the High Elves' king, was rubbing his hands in the royal lodge; four tons of gold had been paid to him by the studios for allowing them to film the Colosseum's Martial Tournament.

And as much as it was paid to us…

Albeit it sounded like a huge amount, the Protectorates were still in dire need of cash. Sam approached Dorian, waiting patiently while the other gave the Koreans instructions on where to place their cameras, looking at a plan.

"Ahum," Sam cleared his throat after ten minutes. Dorian and the director, a short, stocky man with thick glasses, had started an argument.

Finally, the Korean left, disappointed, and Dorian turned toward Sam. "What's up?"

"Why were you arguing about?" Sam asked.

"They want me to sing in the opening ceremony. I haven't sung in years."

"Can't be so hard," Sam shrugged.

"Iron Choir will sing, accompanied by Mozart. I would make a fool of myself."

"Yeah, probably," Sam admitted. "Anyway… You got a nice commission for dealing with the Koreans, right? Do you have plans bout how to invest your money? We could borrow it from you at four, no, five percent interest. It's huge, you know."

"It's not huge, Sam, it's average for countries who need the money. That said, if you issue some bonds, I'll consider buying them."

"Right," Sam said. "I'll do that."

With his hopes a bit deflated, Sam looked around. The Colosseum was shining, its marble as new. The stalls had enchanted fabrics hung over them to protect the public from the scorch of the sun. In the arena, the local staff was preparing the ground for events scheduled the next day. In the middle: jousts; around the perimeter: chariot races. The charioteers practiced; Isolde ran around the track in a small triangular cart pulled by her Warg. She had invested a lot of energy in her racing project. Up in the stalls, the filming crews were setting up their cameras and drone stations at regular intervals with unbelievable speed.

About a hundred people were gathered in a central, separate booth, the nearest to the competition grounds. The royal box, which also doubled as the Parliament's seat when the Colosseum was in recess. Or vice versa. All the people inside were elves, about half wearing togas colored green and gold, the other hald wearing red. Karoperos was walking briskly toward the box, following an access alley.

"Master! Wait. Master!"

A boy, no more than ten, dressed in rags, had entered the public stalls, on the far side, behind Sam, waving his hands. He looked familiar, but Sam couldn't pinpoint where from. The Elven king continued his walk unabated. The urchin stopped next to Sam, out of breath.

"Uh… Uh… Karo…peros… is here," he heaved.

"We know, kid, it's all right," Sam said. "Here's a silver coin, buy yourself some lemonade."

"You don't understand. Karoperos is here!" the boy screamed. "All the Parliament has gathered in the Royal box."

"Ah, so those are the parliament's members. Now it makes sense."

All of a sudden, the king's wife, about twenty feet away, let out a scream of her own: "Where?"

"He was seen in the Orc mercenaries' quarters."

"He's in the Royal Box," Sam pointed.

"We have to warn him," her daughter shouted as she darted toward the central stall.

The fuck is going on here? Sam furrowed his brow.

Activating Time is of the essence; he ran in the same direction, arriving only seconds after the King and leaving the woman and the girl behind. To his surprise, in the middle of the box, standing up on a small podium, was Jane Doe, the detective. All the Elven nobles were watching her.

"Sam, you're just in time," Jane said. "I was going to send for you."

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"What's the reason for the Parliament's summons?" Karoperos asked, pulling on his toga to right a few creases.

"A very serious matter has come to our ears," an old elf said.

"Dad, there's trouble with the reception. Come quickly!" Sensibility yelled in one breath, standing on the doorstep.

"You are needed urgently," her mother added, stopping next to her.

"It will have to wait," Karoperos said nonchalantly, waving his hand. "The parliament has a serious matter to discuss with me. Since I'm the king, I must set my priorities by importance. Please do not disturb me while I'm dealing with the matters of state."

The king pulled a metallic orb from his garment, a golden item engraved with runes and marked with irregular indentations. He pressed a button, encasing the box in a shiny energy field and leaving the queen and the princess outside, then put the sphere back.

"We can continue," the elf said deadpan.

"What's going up?" Sam asked.

"Your assistant has discovered a terrible threat," the old elf said. "I will let her speak."

"And why did you not tell me about it, pray thee?" Sam hissed.

"A detective is bound by a sacred duty to preserve their monologue as secret and surprising as possible, duh!" Jane frowned.

"Then let it out. We have plenty of things to take care of," Karoperos said, crossing his arms.

"Yeah," Sam nodded.

"Go up the stairs, far view," Sam heard a whisper. Looking around, he realized a part of the filming crew was inside the box with them, carrying portable cameras.

"I was present when General Georgescu arrived with the Elven king," Jane said. "I saw him opening the portal; I watched everything that ensued. For the next two weeks, I followed the events in the base closely. The King… let's say he showed signs he wasn't in his right mind. His attitude was erratic, his behavior weird. He insisted on being called Sam, to match the Duke's name, for instance."

"Great kings are eccentric; that's well known," the old elf said.

"Indeed, milord, but in time, this eccentricity proved to be fake. A mask to hide other activities. Behind Duke Sam's back, your king negotiated separately with the companies that came here to film, asking for a hundred-million-dollar bribe so he would choose them over the competition."

Karoperos choked. "I did not… err… ask for that. It was just a gift."

"This is preposterous," an elf dressed in red yelled, standing up. "My party cannot accept such an accusation. If there's anyone totally immune to corruption, it's Karoperos. We all know the saying: mad as Karoperos. A bribe is beneath him."

"I can give lessons in madness to the Hatter in Alice in Wonderland," the king scoffed.

"Do you have proof?" Sam asked, turning to look Jane in the eyes. He was beginning to suspect the detective was an adrenaline junkie seeking attention.

"Yes, I do. But at the same time, the gentleman with the red toga is right. Karoperos is incorruptible. You would ask: how can two opposite things be true at the same time?" Jane asked, raising her voice dramatically.

"He has a split personality, like Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde?" Sam asked.

The King began sweating profusely.

"Close, but not enough. Ladies and gentlemen, the man in front of you is not Karoperos, your king. He is Karìperos, the king's evil twin. The day Duke Samuel was invited for dinner, the evil twin murdered his brother and took his place."

Sam gasped, taking a step back. She's right… There had been a noticeable difference in the King's behavior that day. "Wow. You impress me, Jane."

"This is calumny!" the king yelled.

"The true Karoperos would have said: Lèse-majesté! Or would have asked for a duel. You are a fraud, dear sir. And guess what? The people you asked for a bribe have you on film."

"Yes, yes, yes," somebody said in a cameraman's headset, loud enough for Sam to hear. A director or producer. "Prime time drama. Focus on his expression."

"If you are corrupt, you are not the true king," Jane said coldly.

"Is she telling the truth?" the older elf shouted. "Are you an imposter who murdered his own brother?"

"I didn't murder him; I just banished the asshole!" the king yelled. "I'm ten times the king he was. I brought you for four tons of gold."

"I already know you didn't murder him," Jane smirked. "It was a trap. I was sure you would cave under pressure. A week ago, I discovered you banished your brother to a place your kind used to use against your enemies. I stole it from your hotel room, and after experimenting a bit, I opened a portal to that forsaken place."

"Please tell me you didn't free him," the fake king yelped.

"And there's more." Jane pointed her index finger in the most cliché detectivistic accusation. "You had accomplices. Your brother's wife, with whom you had an affair, fathering her child."

The fake king fell on his knees, hiding his head in his palms. From the last row, an elf whose face had been hidden by a hood raised, clapping while he advanced. Pulling his hood off, he revealed his face. It was identical to the one on the knees.

"Bravo, detective. Bravo! I'll take this," the true king said. Taking the crown from his brother, he put it on his head, then searched the evil twin's pockets, extracting the golden sphere. "Due to your efforts, truth has been revealed, and I'm restored to my rights. Does somebody object?" he asked, walking his eyes over the elves. They all shook their heads as one.

"You have no idea what you've done," Kariperos wailed, looking at Jane.

"Justice," she said.

"Fiat Justitia, Pereat Mundus," the real king said. "The human motto I like the most. And now, it is time I pass judgment on those who wronged me." He straightened his back, raising the golden globe in front of his eyes.

"I'm taking all responsibility," the twin shouted.

"My brother, my wife, and their out-of-wedlock daughter will be held in prison, without food or water, and executed at the end of the games," the king proclaimed. As soon as he finished his words, he squeezed the sphere, and the evil twin disappeared.

"As for you, Jane Doe, for helping me escape and saving my life, no less than the highest reward is due. You will become my queen."

"Wait a sec!" Jane blurted, widening her eyes. "Let's not hu—"

"You will now be transported to the best tailor in town, to make you a proper dress," the man said, and Jane vanished before she could say anything else.

"The ones who witnessed the evil deeds of my brother, but didn't make any effort to discover the truth, are guilty by association. They will have a fair chance at freedom… If they survive the games. Send words to the surrounding nations. Tell them the Colosseum will revert to the old ways. What can be more entertaining than a fight to the end?"

Raising the golden orb above his head, the king pressed his fingers in a few indentures. Without warning, the world started to whirl around Sam. He tried to jump back in time, but his skill malfunctioned, and then he fainted.