by Clara Martin
“Good morning, Eileen,” Dr. Gupta said as I went in. “And how are you today?”
“Well,” I said slowly, “I got an award from the VA. I’m at seventy percent for a traumatic brain injury.”
Dr. Gupta raised an eyebrow. “That’s good news, indeed. What do you plan to do with it?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know yet. I need to find a new job.”
Dr. Gupta rested her hands on the keyboard. “Eileen,” she said slowly, “I would never discourage you from living a satisfying life. But have you considered working part time while also attending therapy?”
I blinked. “No,” I said flatly.
“It might be something to consider. With schizophrenia, PTSD, and TBI, you need treatment – intensive treatment. Right now, you’re not receiving it, and your condition will only deteriorate.”
“I’ll go to therapy,” I promised. “But doc, right now, the only problem I have from my TBI is that I can’t use magic. That’s it.”
She frowned. “Is that not enough? The effects of TBI are not well understood, Eileen, and we don’t know what the long-term consequences will be. It might be worth it to take six months out of your life and seek treatment.”
“I need to work,” I said passionately. Dr. Gupta stared at me patiently. Finally, I sighed. “I’ll think about it.”
“Good. Now, you’ve reached a good level on your medications. How are you on your hallucinations?”
“I haven’t hallucinated at all today, doctor.”
She sighed. “You were involuntarily committed, which means that you can only be held for three days without a court hearing. That court hearing is scheduled for today at eleven a.m. Your family and your boyfriend have already been notified.”
“What are my options?” I asked.
“You can voluntarily return, you can be released, or you can be involuntarily committed. Now, let me ask you – what do you believe about the past several days?” Her fingers were poised over the keyboard, waiting.
I sighed. “My mother and brother helped me see it. I’ve been hallucinating. I haven’t seen them for the past couple of days – I think the medication has helped.”
Dr. Gupta nodded and typed. “All right. Go out to the front desk; they’ll arrange for your transport to the court.”
I nodded and stood. “Thank you, Dr. Gupta,” I said, and then paused. “Did you really come down here from Washington, DC – just for me?”
Dr. Gupta smiled. “Your boyfriend is very, very persuasive. He also has ties to the higher powers in the VA.” She waved her hand at the door. “Go. You don’t want to be late. You’ll need to go back to your room and change,” she added. “The clothes you came in should be on your bed.”
I quickly walked back to my room, changed, walked out to the front desk, and stopped dead.
Officer Maria Santos stood at the desk, talking quietly to the charge nurse. She smiled when she saw me. “Eileen. You’re looking well. You ready for your hearing?”
“Yes,” I said cautiously. “What are you doing here?”
She smiled brightly. “I’m your escort – normally, they’d have a deputy do it, but I’m just as good, if not better, don’t you think?” She pulled out a leather belt with handcuffs attached. “Unfortunately, per protocol, you have to be handcuffed,” she said apologetically. She attached the belt around my waist and briskly handcuffed my wrists. “Let’s go.”
We walked in silence to the door, where she placed her hand on the scanner. The door ward sparked blue and opened. She led me down the hall and to the parking lot, where another police officer waited. He was tall, and muscles bulged out of his uniform. “Parkinson,” Maria said in greeting. “All clear? Let’s go.”
She led me to a small car, a gray Civic, and opened the back door for me. I slid in, looking around in confusion. “This is…unusual,” I said slowly.
“So it is,” Maria said cheerfully. Parkinson got into the driver’s seat and gunned the engine. Maria got in the back with me, reached over, and unlocked the handcuffs. “Don’t tell anyone I did that. But Eileen, I wanted to talk to you. And make you an offer. Did Charles mention this to you?”
I shook my head.
“Of course he wouldn’t. He disapproves of this. Strongly. But I happen to think you’ll be very, very good at it.” She paused and then said slowly,“There is an embassy that will be going to the Kingdom of Western Winds. It departs in five days. I need an operative on it – someone who can observe and report back to me. No active intel gathering, just passive. I thought of you.” Maria looked at me. “Are you interested?”
“I don’t know,” I said slowly. “I’m just getting out of a mental hospital. I’m not sure I’m really ready.”
Maria laughed. “Let me put it another way. We know about your bond with Prince Eamon. And we also know about Charles’s relationship with the king of Northern Sun, Lugh. Tell me…” She paused delicately. “Are you interested in the job now?”
I sat up straight. “I am. Very interested. What would I do?”
She waved her hand. “Take reports, collate data, send it back to me…nothing too difficult. I just need someone smart and trustworthy.”
“I’ll do it. But I am going to a court hearing…”
Maria waved her hand again. “Don’t worry about it. I had a word with the judge. You’re going to be released, no worries.” She eyed me. “Charles,” she warned me, “Is not going to be very happy about this.”
I frowned. “I want this job,” I said plainly. “As long, of course, as the information you mentioned remains secret.”
“My word on it. Just be prepared.”
The car pulled into the courthouse. “Here we are,” she said. She locked my hands back into the handcuffs and jumped out, holding the door open for me. She led me through the courthouse to a small room. A bailiff stood at the door, and Charles sat on a chair, next to my mother and brother. His eyes narrowed when he saw Maria.
My mother got up and hugged me. “It’s so good to see you,” she whispered.
“I love you,” I whispered back.
Charles was next in line. He got up and kissed my cheek. “What has she been telling you?” he whispered.
“I got good news,” I whispered back, touching his hand. “I’ll tell you later.”
He frowned suspiciously but returned to his seat.
The door swung open, and the judge, an older woman with graying hair and a pinched face, bustled in. “All rise,” the bailiff called. We obediently did so while the judge settled behind her desk.
“All right, then,” she said, glancing over papers she’d taken out of her briefcase. “I see the hospital’s representative is not here, but they’ve provided paperwork… All in order. Ms. O’Donnell, what do you want? To return to the hospital or be released?”
“I’d like to be released, Your Honor,” I said.
She nodded, scanning the paperwork in front of her. “I have no objection –”
“Your Honor…” Charles said from his chair, “may I speak?”
She peered at him. “Who are you?”
“Her boyfriend. Charles Talbot.”
“And I’m her mother. Ann O’Donnell,” my mother added. “Neither of us support her release.”
“We’re both deeply concerned about her mental state –” Charles began.
“Well,” the judge said, cutting him off, “the hospital is not, so I don’t see why you should be. Ms. O’Donnell, you’re free to go.” She slammed her gavel down.
The bailiff crossed to where I was sitting and took off my handcuffs. I rose, smiling and shaking my wrists free. I crossed to my mother and hugged her triumphantly. She hugged me back with a pained look on her face. Charles turned and strode from the room. A few moments later, I heard a thump, as though someone had punched a wall.
Maria walked in. “Good news?”
I nodded happily.
She smiled. “Excellent. In that case, your new job starts now.”
&nb
sp; “What?” I asked, startled. My mother and brother looked on, confused. “But – my family – Charles –”
“Things have developed, Eileen.” Maria sounded impatient. “You come now or not at all.”
“In the forty minutes I was in here?” I exclaimed.
“Now, or not at all,” Maria repeated. She began walking towards the door.
I capitulated. “I’m coming. Let me hug everyone goodbye.” I hugged my mother and brother. “I love you so much,” I whispered. “Thank you for being there for me.”
My mother looked confused and furious. “Eileen…”
Charles came back in. He saw Maria and looked thunderous. “What –“ he began.
I went up to him and kissed him. It was a passionate kiss, full of longing, pain, and meaning; I wanted it to go on forever, but it lasted less than a second. I reluctantly pulled away. “Charles,” I whispered, “I have to go. But I think I love you.” As I turned to Maria, I caught sight of him staring at me, his mouth open. “Let’s go,” I said to her.
Charles reached for me. “Eileen, wait –”
“I’ll be back!” I called. Maria held the door open for me, and I rushed through, feeling tears come to my eyes.
“You’re doing the right thing,” she said quietly as we rushed through the hospital.
I wiped my face. “How did you find out?” I asked. “About Eamon? About Charles?”
She smiled grimly. “That, would be telling. But let’s just say that some people are very, very interested in seeing you at Western Winds.”
“Why?” I asked sarcastically. “Because of my keen analytical insights?”
“Don’t undersell yourself, but that’s not the primary reason, no. There’s some thought that your connection to Eamon – whom we do believe is l’Inconnu – could be highly beneficial.”
I leaned back, heart hurting, and thought of Charles, my mother, and Nate. What were they thinking? How were they feeling? And Charles – would Charles wait for me?
“We’ve got a long drive ahead of us,” Maria said, pulling over a briefcasefrom the seat where it had been resting. “You might as well read up on Western Winds while we drive. Here.” She handed me the briefcase.
I frowned, taking it. “I remember Adaline and Severine,” I said slowly. “The half-human, half-fae daughters of the queen of the Western Winds.”
“That’s correct,” Maria said. “We still have Adaline in custody.”
“So, she survived?” I opened the briefcase, and papers spilled out onto my lap.
“She did, but she’s refusing to talk. Unsurprising.”
I picked up the first piece of paper. “A brief synopsis of the political structure of the Kingdom of the Western Winds,” I read. I glanced at Maria. “You said things had accelerated. How so? When do I leave?”
She settled back. “The former slave Sarah was generously made available to us for interrogation by the NVRA. She told us some things about the politics surrounding the Kingdom of the Western Winds and the Kingdom of the Northern Sun. Some of it we knew.” She paused. “Some of it we didn’t. One of the most alarming things we learned is that Prince Faolain is actively working with elements within the Kingdom of the Western Winds to both gain the throne of Northern Sun and invade the United States.
“For obvious reasons, we’d greatly prefer that not happen. A great deal of our army, as you know, is in Afghanistan and Iraq – a surprise attack would decimate us before they had a chance to return. We just received intelligence that Prince Faolain dispatched a deputy to meet with one of the leaders of the Western Winds court, Bettine. She’s in command of a sizable force that is loyal to the queen. Bettine herself is one of the queen’s most loyal subjects – there’s a rumor that she’s her daughter.”
She handed me another sheet of paper. I looked at it. It was entitled “Military Structure of the Kingdom of Western Winds.”
“As for when you leave, Eileen – you leave fast,” Maria said, looking grim. “You leave as soon as we arrive, in the next four hours.”
“There is one thing.” I held up my hand. “My medication –“
“It will be provided,” she interrupted. “Not to worry. We don’t want you going psychotic.”
I nodded, relieved, and went back to the paperwork.
I read for the next four hours, cramming as hard as I could. It was difficult, though; just as I started to focus, I’d get distracted by the sound of Maria breathing or the sound of the tires turning underneath the car. For some reason, it all reminded me of Faolain. I felt twitchy, unsettled. I resolutely turned pages regardless.
Maria never offered to stop the car for a bathroom break or for coffee. I never asked. At last, four hours later, the car stopped at a small, nondescript building in Virginia. Maria got out of the car and motioned for me to follow. “We’re here,” she said. “Follow me.”
I got out. “Maria,” I said, “I never had a chance to get my clothes, my cell phone back from the hospital…”
“We’ll take care of that. For now, just focus on the mission.” She led me into the building. “Welcome to Homeland Security.”
I gazed around. “This,” I said, “is not what I expected of Homeland Security.” There were banks of computers lining the walls, and several Sending machines; people walked back and forth between them with purpose, on missions known only to themselves, their supervisors, and God.
“What did you expect of Homeland Security?” Maria asked, amused.
“More magic!” I exclaimed, waving my hands.
“Oh, we have that Maria pointed to one computer. “Where do you think the Northern Virginia Rescue Association got their Blue Force Tracker from?” I peered at it. It was a Blue Force Tracker, or BFT, tracking friendly and enemy forces but with much sharper graphics than the NVRA had. I looked at the graphics and frowned.
“I don’t recognize the territory,” I admitted.
“Not surprising,” Maria said. “That’s the boundary lands with the Northern Wild. But that’s not what we’re here for today. Come with me.” She led me to the back of the room, to a door shining blue around the edges. I was reminded irresistibly of the conference room at the NVRA. Sure enough, Maria leaned in and whispered a word. The door swung open.
“You really do a lot with the NVRA, don’t you?” I asked.
She winked at me but didn’t answer. She waved her hand for me to go in, and I walked through the door. Four men were sitting around a table, talking quietly. They looked up.
“Ah, Maria,” one said, standing. He was older, in his seventies, with silver hair and a lined face. He stood straight-backed and proud and wore an impeccable suit. “I see you’ve brought Ms. O’Donnell. Any problems?”
“None at all, Ambassador Watkins,” Maria said politely. “Judge Donahue was most accommodating.”
Ambassador Watkins nodded, satisfied. “Excellent.” He turned to me. “Eileen O’Donnell. What a pleasure to meet you. And“ – he turned and spoke to my right shoulder – “Eamon, son of Lugh.” He waited and then turned back to me. “Tell me, Eileen,” he inquired politely, “is Eamon with us?”
I swallowed. “He’s not, sir,” I said honestly. “He doesn’t always show up.” I straightened my back. “Is that the only reason I’m here, Ambassador?”
Ambassador Watkins raised an eyebrow. “It’s certainly one of the main reasons you’re here, Ms. O’Donnell,” he said drily. “I assure you, we don’t make a habit of recruiting straight out of the mental hospital, but our contact was most insistent on you being present in Western Winds. And of course, your performance in your recent…escapade…in Northern Sun was impressive, although I trust we will have no flagrant disrespect for authority under my watch.”
“Sir?” I asked, confused.
“Your supervisors at Northern Virginia Rescue Association,” he said patiently.
“I only did what was right, sir,” I said quietly.
“Hmm.” He watched me closely for a moment. “When we go on this
embassy, Ms. O’Donnell,” he said, “You will be a representative of the government of the United States. You must – you must – comport yourself as such. Nothing else is acceptable. I’ve spoken with your previous commanders, and they assure me that you are capable and professional, if a bit…outspoken…at times. I’m prepared to handle outspoken, but at the slightest hint of unprofessionalism, I’ll have you sent home, mission incomplete. I’m sure you can puzzle out the ramifications of that yourself. Are we clear?”
I swallowed. “We are, sir.” Then I added, As long as I’m clear on something.” The ambassador raised an eyebrow but nodded for me to continue. “I’m here because I want the secrets I discussed with Maria Santos kept safe. I’ll do my job, keep my end of the bargain. You keep yours.”
“I assure you, Ms. O’Donnell,” Ambassador Watkins said after a moment, “they will be. Now, moving on.” He turned to the table. “Allow me to introduce the rest of my staff. We have Jonas Bergman, resident representative. Jonas, a man of about forty, short, balding, and with a slight paunch, nodded at me from where he sat on the ambassador’s left. “This is Mr. Gavin d’Ercole, political advisor.” Gavin, about thirty, tall, slender, with black hair gelled stiffly back, gave me a small smile. I nodded stiffly back at him. “And of course, Mr. Paul Martinez, economic advisor.” Ambassador Watkins gestured at the last man. Paul, also about thirty, was Hispanic, with curly black hair and a neatly trimmed black beard.
“Please sit,” Gavin said, coming to his feet and offering me his chair.
“Thank you,” I murmured, “but I’ll find my own.” I looked around but didn’t see one.
“No worries,” Maria said, coming to my rescue. “I’ll get you one on my way out. Eileen, you’ll have your things from the hospital by the time you leave tonight. You’ll also have your new medication.” I nodded.
“Ambassador, with your permission –”
“Of course, Maria,” he said. “Go. Thank you for your work.”
I watched Maria leave, feeling strangely bereft and angry. Though she’d been the one to bring me here, the one to blackmail me, she was also the only one I knew – and the only other woman in the room. I shivered as Faolain’s face flashed once more before my eyes.