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He chuckled at her horrified expression, pleased that he’d intimidated her.

The smug smile was all it took for her to battle down her fear. She was Randa, of the Light House. She was indestructible. “Your Reflection powers extend beyond your body?” She got out.

“They do. I wanted you to wake up somewhere lovely. If you continue to defy me, I can make your stay much more uncomfortable.”

“But how is this even possible?” She gestured around them.

Even as she asked the question, she thought of her own unique abilities. Maybe there were occasional genetic quirks in all the Elemental lines, and the Houses just didn’t talk about them. They liked to project strength. And they liked to have surprises up their sleeve.

“My family has always had exceptional talents. And I’m stronger than any of them were. The other Houses look down on the Reflection Kingdom, because we don’t battle in the streets like ruffians. But none of them can match my skills.”

“Interesting that you think violence is so boorish and yet you had no issue siding with Vandal. …The crazed general plotting to take over the realm.”

“He was a means to an end. With Job in charge, the power will always be in the hands of the Water House and his other favorites. I’m not one of Job’s favorites. You see how he acts about the Fire Phases being ‘framed.’” He rolled his eyes so hard he probably sprained them.

“You did frame the Fire Phases.”

“So what? They’re common gangsters! I’m the most powerful Reflection Phase who’s ever existed. And still Job would rather mollycoddle them than allow me to excel.” He expelled a bitter laugh. “He leaves me no choice. My only chance for advancement is revolution. The Dark King offered me that option, and I took it.”

“Who is he? What’s his name?”

“Does it matter? He’s just a tool for me to rise. One day soon, I’ll be leading the Council. And you’ll be at my side.”

To prove it, Yuan changed their surroundings again, so now they were standing in the middle of the Council Hall.

The fake room was so photographically precise that Randa could almost touch the ancient wooden furnishings. She automatically looked up at the elegant chandeliers and then down at the rugs on the floor. Every single angle of the space was perfect. The pictures on the walls. The color of the moldings. The pens arranged on the desks.

Not a thing was out of place. …And it still felt fake.

Once you saw through the illusion, you could sense the hollow core of it. Yuan could replicate what something looked like, but he couldn’t trick the other senses. The sounds and smells and feel of the place --the parts that made it special-- were missing.

Was Ben even dead?

She glanced over at his body and saw it was still there. Yes, he was really dead. His corpse was still appearing through this illusion, just like Randa and Yuan’s living bodies were. The horrible sight reinforced the idea that Yuan’s powers had definite limits.

“No one knows where you actually are.” Yuan told her smugly. “Not even you. And that’s the way it will stay, until I’m sure you’re over your little snit and ready to rule at my side.”

“It won’t matter what you do. Kahn will still find me.”

Yuan chortled. “That Light Phase could pass right by us and not notice. You will never be found. This is your home now. Just accept it and…”

Inside Randa’s pocket, her phone gave a weird buzz. Not a ring or the bing of a text message, but some noise she’d never heard before.

Yuan’s brows compressed. “What was that?”

Randa shrugged. Whatever the sound meant, Kahn had triggered it somehow. That much was obvious. He was always fiddling with her phone to “improve” it. Just today, he’d added a half-dozen apps she didn’t need, several illicit pictures of himself, and some blinky thing that blinked.

And given who her Match was, that blinky thing was probably a tracker.

That just now occurred to her, but it made perfect sense if you understood Light Phases. Of course Kahn had devised a way to always find her. The man had no stops or shame.

And she was very glad about that.

She’d told him he could do whatever he wanted to her phone, and this was much better than a hologram projector. Once Kahn saved her, they’d have a serious talk about asking her before planting bugs, of course. A girl did need some privacy. Given the circumstances however, she was grateful he was so paranoid and pushy and Kahn.

“I heard a noise.” Yuan insisted, stalking closer to her. “What are you up to?” He drew in a quick breath, as a new idea occurred to him. “Do you have one of those dirty human phones?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”