by Viola Grace
“Her last name is Lem.” That said it all as far as Dredock was concerned.
The senator froze. “Lem? As in the name given to foundlings?”
“Correct. She can’t tell you about her family because she doesn’t know. She has never met a dragon until this incident. She is entering a foreign land, and she has no way out of it.”
He exhaled. “Thank you for this information. It will change what I had in mind.”
She nodded. “I have her name and where she was raised if that is of any use.”
“Give it to Vasic and have him get everything he can on her.”
“Yes, sir.” She got up, curtsied again, and left the room, breathing freely when she was leaning against the door on the safe side with the heavily armed guards.
She straightened and walked to the desk of the senator’s private secretary. Vasic Tal was a lion, but in a tower filled with dragons that didn’t mean he was in charge.
“Secretary Tal?”
He looked up from his work and smiled. “Yes, Dr. Dredock?”
“I have been charged with giving you the identity of the new dragon in our midst. The senator would like you to look into her.”
He nodded. “Of course. What is the name?”
“Adolla Venatrin Lem. Raised at the Home for the Unknown.”
He jotted the information down. “Thank you. I will do the research. You have met her?”
“I have. She has a quick wit.”
“Yes. She does.” Vasic nodded and smiled. “She is also fiercely loyal.”
He paused, and Dr. Dredock began to remember whose house the new dragon had been found at. “You know her?”
“I will get the report to the senator as soon as I am able. Thank you for your help. By the way, never call her Adolla. She really hates it.”
He turned and began to dial the phone with steady concentration. Dr. Dredock knew a dismissal when she saw one.
She walked out of the executive wing and down to her lab. She had tests to run on the blood she had drawn, and if she was lucky, she might be able to pin down a little bit of Trin’s lineage. Power signatures were distinctive. Someone, somewhere, had to have had similar levels on record.
* * * *
The knock on the door brought Trin to full alert. When the door opened and Sosa came in with armloads of bags and boxes, Trin ran forward to help.
“Did you buy out the store?”
“No, I raided the storeroom. I am not trying to be rude, but you are very tall for a female dragon.” Sosa smiled.
“Is Sormin your sibling?”
Sosa blinked. “He is. Well spotted. Most who are near us for the first time think that we are spouses.”
“You smell different. It is weird. At the shop, we had the walls lined and an air-handling system designed to reduce the scents from outside and minimize the overpowering smell of the coffee. Scent was always something to be removed, but now, I can see the appeal. I can learn a lot about someone just by smelling them.”
Sosa laughed. “We call it scenting, but I understand what you mean.”
“Sormin smells like his wife and child. I would never have picked up on that before today.” Trin rubbed the back of her neck. “So, what did you bring me?”
“Standard dragon clothing. If you can grab a shower, it would be helpful.”
Trin knew a dismissal when she heard one. She headed for the bathroom and took a quick shower, still jumping when she saw her hair in the mirror. That was going to take a while to get used to.
The faucets got her attention as she turned them on. She could almost visualize the mechanism that was in action, turning and allowing water from the lower level to be pumped up. She dropped her nightgown and stepped under the warm cascade.
As delightful as the shower was, she made it fast. Real clothing was waiting for her beyond the door, including shoes.
She wrapped thick towels around her hair and body and pattered back into the bedroom. Three different outfits were waiting for her, and they all made her want to dive back into the shower.
She looked over Sosa’s shoulder and grimaced. “What are those?”
“They are gowns that will fit you. We will have to go to a seamstress to get dragon gowns made for you.”
Trin blinked. “Dragon gowns?”
“Unlike other beings, we travel quite a distance when we shift. We cannot be guaranteed clothing when we land, so with propriety in mind, we have hired mages to create clothing that shifts with us.”
“Mages? We have mages in the city?” Channelled magic was a human skill. As a rule, the city didn’t allow mages to walk the streets.
“They are licensed and monitored. We have four mage seamstresses in the city, and they work almost exclusively for the dragons.” Sosa smiled. “So, pick your poison. Yes, they are all very frilly.”
Trin looked over the gowns, and she bit her lip. “Nothing with trousers?”
“Oh, no. Not for dragons.”
“What if I want trousers? I like a split-front gown with leggings under it.” Trin had made up her mind in an effort to find something to wear, but she wanted to be clear with her new companion that this wasn’t going to be her standard for moving around.
“You will have to get the council to allow it.”
Trin frowned. “Why?”
Sosa looked at her in surprise. “Your clothing is dictated by the council. As a dragon female, you must be easily identifiable at all times.”
Trin blinked. “I quit.”
“You can’t quit. This is what you are.”
Trin crossed her arms. “I wasn’t this last week.”
Sosa blinked. “Ah. Right. I keep forgetting. Have you chosen a dress?”
Trin scowled. “I will wear it today, but as soon as I can get my regular wardrobe back, I am going to be wearing it.”
Sosa gave her a bland look. “We will see.”
Trin pointed at the rich blue dress. It would be flattering with her new colouring, and the mandarin collar was one that she preferred. It had minimal lace frothing on it, so it was the lesser of the three evils.
Sosa nodded and handed her a chemise. Trin pulled the fabric over her head, and as it dropped into place, she pulled her towel free. Next came the undergarment, and finally, the corset was wrapped around her.
She grunted as she worked the laces. Normally, she wore clothing that had exterior support. Corsets were a necessary part of life in the twenty-first century.
“You do that very well.”
Trin gave her a look. “I have never had someone else in the room while I am dressing. I do this on my own.”
When she had tied off and tucked the laces, she tugged the corset into an even setting. The petticoats went on over that, and when she was ready, Sosa brought the dark fabric to her.
Sosa lifted the dress above her head, and Trin slid her arms into the sleeves. The rest was a flurry of tugging and fluffing.
The buttons up the back guaranteed that she was going to have good posture for the rest of the day. Her hands smoothed over the silk, and she kept them from forming fists.
“Now, we just need to attend to your hair.” Sosa looked her over.
“I’ve got it. Just a moment.” Trin walked into the bathroom again, and she winced at the puff that the shower had made of her hair. She looked like a dandelion. With quick strokes, she pulled her hair back in a ponytail and from there, a few twists brought it back in a bun, and with one hand, she searched for pins. When her search didn’t find anything, she came out and spoke to Sosa. “Where are the pins?”
“You don’t pin your hair. Well, not until you are married. If you will allow me?”
She sighed and let the tight ball unravel. “Go for it.”
Sosa got the brush from the bathroom, walked up behind Trin and quickly loosened the ponytail, flipping the ends through it at the base of her skull before making another tail and doing the same, crafting a ladder effect down her back.
“There. Simple yet
elegant. It is very striking against the dark silk. Good choice.” Sosa nodded.
Trin grimaced. “Great. Are there shoes?”
Trin would have preferred her normal and very practical boots, but the short lace-up versions matched the design of the dress. Her toes were slightly pinched, but otherwise, the fit was good.
She stood straight as Sosa walked around her and gave her a frank assessment. “The dress is too wide in the waist, but since we are on the way to the seamstress, it will be taken care of.”
“Are we going now?”
“Of course. Our escort is waiting.” Sosa gestured to the door.
Trin inhaled and exhaled slowly. “Right. Let’s go.”
Sosa nodded and opened the door. “We are ready. Let’s go.”
Trin didn’t even look at her reflection. Her appearance didn’t matter. Her life had spun out of her control, and it wasn’t going to come to a halt any time soon. She may as well ride the cyclone.
Chapter Five
Four guards were a little much, but the karros that they drove was just right. It had six doors, was a muted pewter, and had an elegant shape that she appreciated.
The vehicle purred through the streets in near silence. Trin didn’t ask any questions, she just watched and smiled as the familiar signage of Harbinger Coffee and Tea appeared when they rounded the corner. The line was outside and heading down the block, but folk were leaving the shop at a good pace. It was a relief. She might be close to being under arrest, but her business was continuing on. Brenner would be delighted.
When they arrived at the shop, two of the guards exited and one restrained Trin with a hand on her arm until the shop had been cleared.
Trin snorted. “Right. Like anyone knows who I am.”
Torm pulled a tablet out of his jacket pocket, and he queued up a news article. He handed it to her. “The attendants of the party appear to have spilled their experiences in the press.”
She took the tablet and read of her brutal attack on the shy and delicate dragon who was only defending the pregnant lioness. “Well, hell. I can only imagine that Creata is having either a good laugh or a lot of stress. Either way, I need to go and visit her.”
Torm gave her an astonished look. “You can’t associate with other shifters. It isn’t appropriate.”
She tensed and looked at him. “Are you telling me that I can’t associate with one of my oldest and dearest friends? Fuck this. To hell with this.”
Trin darted for the door, and when Torm grabbed her wrist, she twisted her hand and raked her nails across his arm. He let go with a hiss, and she was out of the karros.
The skirts tangled in the vehicle’s door, and she was slowed enough for two of her guards to flank her. Sormin sighed. “We will take Torm off your detail. His tendency to grab you is becoming awkward. I have called for a replacement. Now, please, come with me.”
Sormin offered her his arm, and with Sosa watching nervously, she took it.
Torm was getting first aid from the driver. There was blood outside the vehicle.
Trin checked her nails, and they were pearl white and diamond hard. They also had skin under the nails. “Huh, that is new.”
Sormin sighed. “As many parts of you as can manage it will begin to exhibit dragon characteristics. The hair and eyes are the first then the nails, and soon, your skin will take on a pearly sheen.”
“Why do you look normal or at least nearly human?” Trin murmured as they entered the shop.
“I am not a crystal dragon. Your body is power and energy for a new generation. You have to contain it.”
Trin snorted. “Yeah. I hope there is a manual for that because I am not doing so well today.”
“You have only attacked two dragons and both assaulted you first. There were proper witnesses to both incidences, no matter what the tabloids say.”
“This is fucking confusing.”
He chuckled and patted her hand in a paternal manner. “For you, I can understand that it is a new world. I am sure that the senator is working on steps to make it easier for you.”
She shrugged. “I can’t wait for this to get easier. There are so many more things that I would rather be doing than playing dress-up.”
There was comfort in the dress shop. When the proprietor came toward her, Trin smiled. “Hello, Mirbella.”
Mirbella Montague, seamstress extraordinaire, came toward her with a gliding step and a huge smile. “Trin Lem! I had no idea that you were my high-profile client. Why didn’t you tell me you were a dragon?”
Trin took her hands and squeezed them gently. “I didn’t know until this week. So, can I get some fancy new clothing made in the styles I like?”
Mirbella flicked looks at Trin’s entourage. “I will run it by the council. They like their females to be identifiable at a glance.”
“I can understand that, but there is comfort to consider. Perhaps a similar silhouette, but the open skirt, trousers, and boots?”
“I think that I can make it happen. Their concern has never been with what is under the clothing, just the style.”
Sosa cleared her throat. “You two have met?”
Mirbella inclined her head. “When Miss Trin deigns to get clothing made, she comes to me. I enjoy the challenge. I am going to enjoy this one even more. I will get to make ball gowns and put her in them. I have dreamed of that for five years.”
Trin chuckled, Sosa smiled wryly as if she should have known that Trin had been there before, and the ladies all sat around looking at pattern books and eating cakes while Mirbella made suggestions.
After two hours of chatter, debate, and colour selections, Trin was wearing a new dress with businesslike lines in deep blue with thick silk. The silhouette was narrower than it had been, and Sosa looked surprised at how the more simple style made Trin stand and look. Her entire bearing was changed with a few metres of cloth and a good cup of tea.
Mirbella proffered the charge plate, and while she winced at the number, Trin paid it without hesitation.
Sosa stared. “The council was going to pay for that.”
Trin smiled. “I know. If I pay for it, I have more say in the end product. Mirbella knows what I like and knows the regulations that the dragons have set down. She will find the middle ground that satisfies us both.”
Sormin grinned. “You are very clever.”
“I am not a child. I am not a teenager going through the first shifts. I am an adult woman who has lived her own life. Twenty-five percent of my life is behind me. I remember every moment of it, and no one was there picking out my clothing.” Trin gave Sormin the arch of her brows.
He inclined his head. “You are correct. You cannot be treated as a new dragon. I will bring your concerns to the senator. I am sure he will accept the effort that you are making.”
“Right. Well, what is next? I noted that you and the others on guard duty didn’t have anything to eat. Would you like to grab a wrap? There is a great shop just around the corner.”
He paused. “Literally around the corner?”
Mirbella nodded. “It is where I get all my meals on the nights that I am working late.”
Sormin looked at the other guard and grinned. “Well, if they are just around the corner, it would be a shame to miss this opportunity.”
Trin nodded to Mirbella, linked arms with Sosa, and nearly beat Sormin to the door. He paused to brief the men outside, and Torm was pleasantly gone. The man who was standing in Torm’s place was strangely familiar.
The pretty one. My pretty one. The dry rumble in her head was unmistakable. This man woke her dragon on sight. That was dangerous.
“Miss Lem. It is good to see you well and conscious.” He bowed to her.
Sormin made the introductions. “Miss Trin Lem, this is Brommin Lefarge, head of the Tactical Restraint Unit. He met you on the day of your emergence.”
Trin tried not to blush. “I recall it. He stabbed me in the ass with a syringe.”
Brommin grinned. “It was
the upper thigh.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know. My awareness of my limbs was a little skewed.”
“There is a thinning of the scale at the top of the hip. It was my only chance to get the sedative in.”
Sormin chuckled. “You two can discuss the injection at leisure. Since we are done at this shop, our newest dragoness has suggested a shop around the corner for wraps.”
Brommin nodded. “I could eat.”
The other two guards nodded, and with a word to the driver, their party walked the two hundred metres to the shop.
Sosa was looking around with bright eyes. Trin slowly realized that her companion might never have been in a wrap shop before. She linked her arm with Sosa and hauled her to the front of the shop.
Sosa whispered, “I don’t know what to order.”
“Something light?”
Sosa nodded.
Trin ordered two salads with dressing and toasted flatbread. Sweet tea was ordered, and with a pass of her wrist over the payment plate, Trin took care of it.
“You have an implant?” Sosa blinked.
“Of course. I was not raised a dragon. This is part of living in the modern world.” She chuckled and waited for the guards to order before she selected a defensible table. The attendants of the shop held out chairs for Trin and Sosa but then left quickly when the guards growled.
Brommin was on her right, and Sormin was on her left. Sosa was across from her, wedged between the other two.
Sosa looked at her and giggled. “This is fun. I have never eaten in a public establishment before.”
Trin winked. “This is how I survived. I work and get something to eat on the way home then do it all again on the way to work.”
Brommin chuckled and sipped at his ice water. “You don’t cook?”
“No. Do you?”
He paused. “Um, no. I actually don’t.”
“So, there you go. Cooking for myself is a luxury I haven’t earned yet.” She sat straight and clapped when the salad was set in front of her. She had ordered the same thing for her and for Sosa, so it didn’t matter who got what.
The men got their food a moment later, and Trin lifted her fork. She didn’t hesitate. She dove in.