by Grace, Viola
Before Eltrinia could ask a question, he was gone.
She opened the envelope and read the requirements for the assignment. The more she read, the more she smiled. “I am going to need an emergency appointment with Mirbella.”
There was a soft knock at the door, and the curator called, “Come in!”
The curator laughed as Eltrinia smacked her own head. Of course, Mirbella arrived just as Eltrinia needed professional-grade tailoring.
Mirbella wheeled in a rack full of garment bags. “I brought everything remotely suitable. Are we doing this here?”
The curator got to her feet. “Take the whole office. I have a few readings to do. I will have lunch sent in.”
“Thank you, Curator. Do you know which ones I pick?” Eltrinia smiled.
“Of course, but I want you to be surprised.” The curator gave a jaunty grin and left the room.
Mirbella sighed and looked at the covered hangars. “Right. I had to call in a lot of favours to get all this stuff here in time. The curator only called me last weekend.”
“Of course, she did. Right. I am heading to the Cabran peninsula. Miikoth City.”
“Right. Well, it is surprisingly cool in the city, so they dress in layers.” Mirbella opened the bags and began making selections. “They skip the corsets and wear more revealing clothing. It frequently rains, so stylish coats are all the rage, and heeled shoes are very common. They also wear lots of bright colour, but I didn’t think that would be your thing, so I kept the splashes minimal.”
Eltrinia took a deep breath and started stripping. She was about to get a fitting done by the best seamstress-tailor on the continent. Again.
The feel of the skin of her abdomen exposed to the air was a little peculiar. It wasn’t a lot of nudity, but the inch strip between the tight shirt and her trousers was definitely something she was aware of.
Mirbella had a light sheen of sweat on her features, but she looked satisfied. “You look great. Wear your hair down. They never wear it up. Aside from the skin tone, you could pass for a local.”
“Okay. Good to know. The jacket looks okay?”
“It is entirely appropriate. It is vented to release any extra heat and no extra metal on you. You will be able to function normally.”
“So, no problem with lightning.”
“None at all.”
Eltrinia sighed. “Good. This is going to be fun, I think.”
“You are seeking fun?”
“I am seeking energy expenditure. I am a being of energy, and I need to be able to use it. I love the museum, but I need a place to use my power in a practical way.”
“Trin worries about you.”
Eltrinia smiled slightly. “I know. I can’t do anything about that, other than become competent at these missions.”
“She is an older sister. She worries. It is her calling.”
The clothing piled up on the desk would take her through four different continents. She had dress casual, casual, formal, and semi-formal clothing, all a precise fit with her specific requirements in mind. None of the fabric would be activated by a spark, none of the garments had metal, and they wouldn’t melt.
Eltrinia nodded and looked at her reflection in the mirror that Mirbella had brought along. “I worry about her, too. She is doing a lot, possibly too much. She doesn’t spend enough time just enjoying what she is. She is loved, she is powerful, and she is a dragon. Everything else can change, but those are her absolutes.”
“She wants more family. She wants her own family.” Mirbella started to group the collections in garment bags.
“I know.” Eltrinia grimaced. “I want to help her there, but I can’t. Not yet.”
Mirbella paused. “What do you mean?”
“My dragon has said that she can help, but she has to be stronger. I have to be older.”
“Does Trin know?”
Eltrinia sighed. “No. It never seems to be the right time to bring it up. I will try to mention it the next time we have time alone.”
“Why haven’t you mentioned it?”
“Because in order to get the strength, I have to use my power, when I have mastered my power, the dragon can emerge because, at that point, I won’t kill everyone in my vicinity.”
Mirbella blinked. “Right. And if you told Trin, or her people found out...”
“They would restrict my movements, which would restrict my evolution. I would never be able to help, and I want to be able to. So, I am going to gain every experience that passes my way, every mission, every assignment, and every continent I can walk on. Energy touches every inch of the world, and my dragon needs to set foot on as much as possible.”
“Call me if you need anything. I am at your disposal, day and night. Are you sure that you can help Trin?”
“Based on the archives, only the blood of the diamond dragon can bring forth a direct heir. Normally the line is carried through the siblings of the dragon queen. The queen’s body isn’t hospitable for the baby, so pregnancy is fleeting, if I can give the energy directly to the developing infant, it might have a chance.”
“How do you know all this?”
“I have researched obstetrics and gynecology as well as neonatology.” She looked at Mirbella, who was struggling to understand. “I am sorry. This is boring.”
“No, it is just a lot more information than I was anticipating.”
“I am sorry. I don’t have many folks here to talk to aside from the curator, and she has helped me focus my studies to determine what needs to be done.”
“What do you think is needed?”
“Power to the developing cells that keep it from drawing on its mother. Basically, life-support support.”
“So, you will be providing the growth energy.”
Eltrinia. “Precisely! I mean, it is just a theory right now, and I don’t want to get Trin excited until I am actually able to deliver a working bit of assistance.”
Mirbella stopped her packing, walked over to Eltrinia, and hugged her. “Thank you. It means a lot. If she mentions anything, can I tell her that you are researching it?”
Eltrinia blinked and squeezed the smaller woman. “Sure. I just don’t want to raise her hopes. Not yet. Not until I know how to do something that hasn’t been done in recorded history.”
Mirbella squeezed her again. “I am wishing you luck with your research. I am sure that something will come to you.”
“Thank you. I am going to get this stuff into my quarters and get back into standard clothing for my last tour of the day. There is a corporation who is sending in some of their heads to learn about what is considered magical or classic from the international stage.”
“But... they are the same items that you normally describe.”
“Yes, but it is how I describe them that makes it tailored to the audience.” She released Mirbella. “Just like the wardrobe. Same pieces, but how you wear them and recombine them changes their purpose.”
She checked her chronometer and still had an hour before five in the evening. She gathered up the sorted garment bags and walked them down the hall and to her quarters.
It was time to get back into her normal outfit and do some work for the evening. She had to pay the bills... that she would have eventually.
Chapter Seven
Eltrinia waited in the arboretum. She had her gift from the curator on her wrists, and she was slightly nervous. This was the first time she was waiting for a new identity and a man who wanted to play at subterfuge.
The shadows to her left shifted, and he stepped out. “You look... amazing.”
She smiled at the admiration in his tone. “I know. I have a mirror.”
He handed her a packet. “Here is your dossier. You are Nia Oltrinal. You are my assistant and lover and will be at my side during our stay in the city.”
“Your lover?”
“It is in the documentation and will allow me to keep you at my side.�
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She frowned. “I am not fond of that particular ploy.”
“You are not in charge of this mission. I am. Read on.”
Eltrinia lifted her paperwork and flipped through it with wide eyes. “Okay. That makes sense now. No dragons at all?”
“No. You are here as my assistant of mixed djinn heritage. Your mother is a clerk and your father is a lawyer.”
She nodded. “I am not good at playing pretend. Can’t I just be from the museum?”
“On the last page, you will see that your character has spent time here in acquisitions. That will allow you to look at some of the more delicate displays.”
“Right. So, we are trying to retrieve a prisoner?”
“No. We are attempting to get the prisoner’s research out of the country. It is a much different thing.”
She made a face. “Fine. We are just there to get the research.”
“And you will stay close to me.”
She nodded. “I will stay close to you. This time.”
“Good. The protocol to enter the peninsula is that we arrive at the border and agree to refrain from any magic while we are within the borders.”
“I read the protocols last night. A diplomatic vehicle will pick us up when we are in the interior?”
“Yes. Jianoa maintains an embassy, so we have transport around the city.”
She nodded. “Okay. So, teleporting is considered magic?”
“It is. By their standards, anything that you can’t do with your hands and feet is magic.”
“Ah. Right. What about what I can do with my mind?”
He smiled. “That is our little secret. Ready to go?”
She picked up her pack and slung it over her shoulder. “Ready.”
“Can you speak the language?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Yes. I found a tourist in the museum and got the language. I don’t know about the accent.”
“You will have an opportunity to upgrade the accent. Plenty of them, I should think. Our driver speaks the common language, so just avoid speaking to him until you have met one of the higher-ranking elements.”
“Elements?”
“Officers of the peninsula.”
“Right. And they are afraid of all magic?”
“Natural and chemical. Yes.”
“Right. Okay. Well, I guess I am ready.”
He stepped toward her and wrapped his arm around her waist. He whispered, “Pay attention, there is going to be a test.”
Djinn smoke wrapped around them, and the arboretum faded around them.
Eltrinia materialized in the bright sun with a warm wind blowing. She was still wrapped in his arm, and she slowly looked up at him. “Ambassador, this is very forward for public action.”
He grinned. “It is a standard display of affection for this part of the world. I will try not to take advantage of it, but it is very tempting.”
She looked around him, and there was a border entry and a long walkway leading to it, filled with people. “So, we just walk in?”
“We join the line. We clear customs, and we enter legally. We will leave the same way.” He offered her his arm. “Shall we, Nia?”
She made a face. “Of course. So, we are hiding who I am?”
“Definitely. If they can uncover your true identity, it makes them feel as if they have a leg up on me. You are the puzzle that they are going to solve.”
“Customs?”
“No, the government agents that we will be meeting with.” They walked out of the shadows and to the pathway that led to the border.
She glanced around. “So, no one drives through?”
“No. There are only locally made vehicles on the other side. Miikoth City in specific and the Cabran peninsula in general try and keep all of their industries local. It means that they are decades behind the times when it comes to technology and industry. Even food is more restricted here. Yes, it is lovely, but it is as restricted as the minds of its ruling body. They pay the price for being humans who do not want to be near anyone who isn’t.”
“Wow, you are really selling this as a vacation spot.”
They leisurely caught up with the tail end of the line, and they simply stood arm in arm while cameras focused on them with distinct whirring sounds. A puff of air came along the line, and she caught a whiff of something she hadn’t smelled before. “What is that?”
“Ah, they shun many of the propulsion developed in the areas where shifters reign. What you are smelling is a substance called gasoline. It burns in small explosions that push pistons, and they propel the vehicles around.”
“Interesting, but you missed a few finer points of a combustion engine.” She was going to say more when a border guard approached them.
“Ambassador N’Mir. Please, come this way. We will get you clear of this as quickly as we can.”
The guard looked at her with slight amusement. “And your companion as well.”
Inoth smiled. “Thank you. I don’t believe she has ever left the continent before. She is acting as my assistant during this visit. It is a trial run.”
Eltrinia smiled as vacuously as she could.
“She doesn’t look like one of you. I mean, except for her eyes.”
“She is a few generations removed from pure djinn.”
The man nodded as if it suddenly made sense. “Of course. This way.”
Inoth had a slight smile around his lips, and she clung to his arm as they followed the border guard past the crowd and into an air-cooled office where an agent was sitting behind a desk, and there were four guards with guns standing and facing the desk from all corners of the office.
Eltrinia took it in, and she smiled politely as Inoth handed over her papers and his own.
The agent beckoned to Eltrinia and smiled. “Please, come over here, miss.”
She walked forward and left Inoth behind. She stood in front of the desk.
“Please, have a seat, miss.”
She sat.
“So, you are here as the ambassador’s assistant?”
Eltrinia frowned and said carefully, “Yes?”
“Are you asking me a question?”
“No?” She was mildly amused, but she didn’t want them thinking that she was fluent in their language.
The agent sighed and looked over to Inoth. “Does she speak our language?”
“A little. She speaks continent English and Jianoan. She’s been studying, but this is a bit of a last-minute event for me. Would you like me to translate?”
The agent sighed. “Please.”
In Jianoan, Inoth asked, “Are you here as my assistant?”
She smiled. “Of course. That was the purpose of my presence.”
The agent nodded and wrote down the answer.
“Now, is she planning to stay?”
“Are you planning to stay here?”
Eltrinia frowned. “No. It doesn’t smell fresh.”
The agent must have understood Jianoan because he wrote down another answer.
“Now, does she understand that no magic is allowed past the border? There are alarms, and it can be punished by the death penalty.”
Inoth repeated it and waited.
“I understand. It isn’t like I have any usable magic anyway.”
The agent wrote down her answer and smiled. “Well, I hope that you have a good first visit to our corner of the world. You are free to enter.”
There were stamps in her passport, and Inoth was simply signed through the border and out the other side.
Vehicles were lined up, and the choking smell was coming from them. A Jianoan was waiting for them next to a long black karros, and he bowed as Inoth came toward him.
Inoth smiled and shook the man’s hand. “Minohr. It is good to see you again.”
The driver grinned. “It is good to be out, even if the view cannot compare to home.”
Eltrinia stepped int
o the driver’s field of view.
“Speaking of view. What kind of beauty can have such a lack of judgment to accompany you?” He spoke in Jianoan.
Eltrinia answered, “I am the one that he asked. Well met, Minohr. I am Nia Oltrinal.”
The driver grinned and hid his surprise. “You bear a startling resemblance to another woman that I have heard of recently. She was a powerful mage with an unknown but strong bloodline. That wouldn’t be you, would it?”
“I am not a mage. Never have been, never will be. My bloodlines belong to my ancestors.”
“As enchanting as this is, we need to get to the embassy in order to meet with the local intelligence officers.”
Minohr nodded. “I will have us there in minutes.”
They got into the vehicle, and once they were inside, Eltrinia smiled at the water and snacks. “Is it usually this warm here?”
“No. This is the depths of winter. You did well in the office. If you can stick to continent English and Jianoan, that would be best.”
“I can. I will. I still haven’t been able to touch a local.”
“Make sure that I am there when you do. They always look at me as if I am giving off magic. It will not surprise them to feel something in my vicinity.”
“I have yet to run into anyone who knows what I am doing. Even the curator only knew because of what she knows about the future.”
“Are you fine so far?”
“Yes, the children I have worked with are far better at interrogation than that agent, although he did speak Jianoan.”
“I caught onto that. His spelling in Jianoan is bad, but the understanding of our speech was there.”
Their vehicle was weaving through traffic and cruising along the outside edge of the main city. The row of international embassies was unmistakable. Each building was structured out of native stone but shaped in forms reminiscent of classic architecture of the inhabiting country. It was sort of condescending.
The Jianoan embassy was elegant and set in a hill, designed after the great city of Petra. The ridiculous thing was that they had actually made the building and then made the backdrop that mimicked the cliff face of the original city.