by A. C. Arthur
He winked at her.
“Now. I’ll get your bags and bring them back. You relax yourself. I’m sure Theo will be back to speak with you soon.”
“Why?”
“Why what?” Her question stopped him on his way to the door and he turned back to look at her.
“Why am I here? Why is Theo watching me at all?” She sighed because there were so many questions and not enough answers. “Look, I know this might be the way that you do business here, but I have things to take care of as well. I need to get my phone from my bag and then there is a schedule.”
Bleu nodded. “I’ve downloaded copies of the schedule to the communicators. Theo and the other agents working on your case are aware of each place you need to be. Everything will be taken care of, Ms. Shola. All you have to do is relax.”
He didn’t wait for her to respond, which was just as well, she didn’t know what else to say or what else she could do. She needed the nine stones before she could move forward. Or did she?
Shola wasn’t certain what she needed at this moment. Yesterday at this time she’d been focused on her goal and ready to get started. Now, she had ridden on a motorcycle, faced a group of demonics, dreamed of a sexy guard with blue eyes and been one floor up from a room where a woman was brutally murdered. The thought made her swoon momentarily.
She shook her head and reminded herself what was at stake—the continued freedom of her people. Their fate was in her hands. She held those hands out in front of her and saw them shake slightly. Her balance was off. It was understandable considering everything. But she needed to find her center once more; if she were not spiritually centered her mission was already a failure.
When her bags were delivered fifteen minutes later, she pulled out the things she needed to get her mind and soul in order. She would set up her altar and call on Oya, the Orisha goddess of the Niger River. All that she required was kept in a leather satchel tied with cord made of nine colorful strips of yarn. With another slow look around she decided that near the window was the best place. Now all she needed was...there in the corner, a small round table which she carried to the spot in front of the window.
Shola pulled out her purple handkerchief first, unfolding it slowly and placing it on top of the table, being careful to keep each corner flat and to smooth any wrinkles. Her red sweep away candle was next, with the intricate bead design she created herself pressed into the side. Lighting this candle was a request for Oya to sweep away unnecessary obstacles and problems. After setting the candle on top of the handkerchief she reached into the bag for the small bottle of Pennyroyal oil to anoint the candle by placing drops on top of and around the spot where the candle stood. She went to another bag and found the small flask she kept filled with wine and returned to the altar to set it beside the candle. Removing her necklace, she laid it on the other side of the candle and smoothed her hand over the pendant. Then she struck a match and lit the candle.
On her knees with her head bowed she whispered the words that would travel on the wind, the request that would be heard and hopefully granted.
“I give honor to Oya, the Mother of Nine. May the winds of the earth and the winds of heaven bring me blessings and long life.”
She said the words again, quieter this time as she let all that had occurred in the last day and night slip from her mind. Her shoulders slumped with the weight she’d been carrying and she repeated the words again. Until all she could hear was the whisper on the wind, the words being spoken to her by the great and mighty Oya. It began in the tips of her fingers, always. And steadily, slowly her well was filled. The more she spoke, the more peace and harmony was poured into her. Answers to what was required, to how best to proceed, filtered in until finally she felt full and complete. Inhaling deeply, her nostrils flared and air threatened to overflow her lungs.
Peace came in the stillness of her body. Power rested calmly against her skin. And then the goddess was gone.
* * *
“Shola, this is Ziva. She’ll be traveling to your appointment with us.” Theo spoke in the even, authoritative tone he was used to while in his official capacity as the lead agent.
Hours after he’d arrived, he’d showered, changed clothes and sent Bleu to get Shola. Now that she was standing in the reception area of the Office, he felt it was time to get on with this assignment. She’d also changed clothes, something he thought was odd, but shouldn’t have noticed. What she’d been wearing before had been just fine.
The pants she wore now were dark brown and fit tightly against her long legs. Her blouse was some type of red-and-beige print and hung looser on her than the previous T-shirt.
“Hi. It’s nice to meet you,” Ziva said as she stepped into the space that separated him from Shola. “I’ll be riding in the front with Reece, he’s one of our best drivers.”
“Hi,” Shola said, her gaze going from Ziva and back to Theo with a modicum of worry.
“This appointment is a dress fitting. Ziva’s coming along so that we’ll be able to provide protection even while you’re in the dressing rooms.” He hoped giving the explanation would get rid of the worried look in her eyes.
“I do not believe that will be necessary,” Shola stated.
She looked uncomfortable and she watched each of them warily. Theo couldn’t blame her. For as many questions as he had about this situation, he had to figure she, coming from another country and being alone with strangers, was having a hard time dealing with this as well.
“When you return, dinner will be waiting,” Bleu said to Theo.
“You have bedrooms and dinner at your office?” she asked.
Ziva laughed. “Honey, you have no idea the things that go on in this place.”
With that pronouncement left dangling in the air, Ziva turned and walked out of the room.
“Do not fret, Ms. N’Gara, you’re in good hands.” Bleu stepped to her and touched a hand to Shola’s shoulder.
“If she is the new agent, why are you still going with me?” she asked Theo.
Bleu looked at Theo as if he too wanted the answer to that question. He and Bleu had been through a lot together. They’d traveled the realms together in search of a new home when Theo had determined that the Far Realm was no longer the place for him. Bleu knew all of his secrets, and Theo knew his. That’s why their partnership worked so well. It was why Bleu had always been more than just a watcher to Theo; he was the closest thing to family Theo had now.
“I’ve taken over the case,” Theo said with finality. “Let’s go or you’ll be late.”
Outside, he slipped on his sunglasses and walked down the many steps leading to the courtyard. His truck, the largest of their fleet of eight with its bulletproof exterior and other magnifications including a cloaking device, was parked in front. Ziva leaned against the passenger side door laughing at something Reece had said. Reece Mulvane, who was built like a battering ram and wore his long curly black hair pulled up in a shaggy tail was always down for fun.
“Let’s go!” he commanded and opened the door to the back seat of the truck when Reece was too slow getting there. He didn’t spare his annoyance as he glared at the now sobered agent.
“Yes, sir,” Reece replied and hurried around to the driver’s side door.
Shola eased into the back seat and Theo followed, closing the door behind them.
They weren’t seated for five minutes before she asked, “How many of you work or live at the Office?”
“You’re very curious about my company.”
“Your company has been employed by my family and now I am staying at the Office. So yes, I am curious about the setup and the continued plan for my protection.”
It was valid. If he were in her position, he’d want to know all he could too.
“I built the Office as a place away from all that goes on in the city. There are eight of us who live and wor
k here,” he admitted.
It was more than he’d ever told anyone about the mountain refuge he’d created and it was not a total lie.
“So you live inside of a mountain.” Her voice was filled with disbelief and just a hint of awe. “Is that the usual type of housing available here in Burgess?”
“It’s not, but at the time I was looking the land surrounding the mountain came at a bargain price so I snapped it up. I wanted to be comfortable.” He’d left out the part where he purchased the property in the early 1800s when he’d opened his first business, a mining company. Still, it was another admission he wasn’t sure why he was making. It didn’t matter what she thought of where he lived or why he lived there. She was just a client.
“Where do you live? I mean, in the village of Mobo, what type of house do you have?” Bleu had left a digital file on Theo’s communicator. Once he’d showered and changed clothes, Theo had transferred the file to his desk platform and read every word before leaving his room.
She’d been staring out the window, like she did each time they were in the truck even though he was certain she couldn’t see anything more than lights through the specially tinted glass. All the windows to their trucks and at the Office were tinted with a special gem coal mixture that came from the Far Realm. Only Drakon could see through the glass clearly.
Now, she turned to look at him with a touch of sadness in her eyes. “I live in a small house with my parents. We do not require much space as long as we are close to the river.”
“Because you like to swim?”
“Because it is our life force,” she replied. “And yes, I love to swim.”
Seconds later the truck came to a stop. Ziva tapped on the outside of Theo’s window and he opened the door. He extended a hand to Shola and this time, instead of that electrifying jolt he’d felt on more than one occasion when they’d touched, there was a sluggish-like movement of the beast within, as if it were getting comfortable with the feel of her.
“I want a pair of sunglasses,” Shola said the moment she was outside the truck.
Theo and Ziva sent questioning gazes her way.
“What? All of you have them, so I am thinking there is something wrong with your sun here. If that is the case, I should have them too.”
Ziva smiled. “I like her,” she said and nodded toward the front door of the dress shop.
They were on a street cluttered with buildings of different heights. Even during the day, lights flashed from each one, either through the windows or on the outside as a sort of marker to their location. The dress shop had strips of white laced around its perimeter. Over the door were green lights in some sort of floral pattern. When Theo didn’t immediately follow Ziva, she turned back to look at him.
“Isla did a full security scan from the Tower. Once we’re inside, Reece and I will do another walk around,” she told him.
Theo continued over the sidewalk while Reece held the door open for them. Ziva went in first, Shola after her and Theo was next. But the pull of all his senses going on full alert stopped him. They weren’t alone out here and the beast wasn’t comfortable with the new arrival.
“I feel it too,” Reece told him. “I’ll check it out and report back pronto.”
Theo nodded. It wasn’t just a feeling anymore; the unwelcome presence appeared in streams of metallic sludge slithering along the street like serpents.
* * *
“Two gowns were commissioned. One for the ritual ceremony and another for the midnight reception.”
“Who has a reception at midnight?” Ziva asked.
Shola thought it was odd as well, but she was more entranced by the woman standing in the corner of the dressing room twirling one of two long sticks with spikes on the edge and connected by a silver chain. It was a weird thing for someone to have in a dress shop, and she figured the surly attendant was thinking the same.
“We received lots of input on the ritual ceremony gown. Someone from your family, I presume, as I cannot pronounce your names,” the attendant said.
The nonchalant tone used to mask the insult to her heritage had Shola going instantly still. This woman, who was an inch or so shorter than her with long silky black hair pulled over one shoulder and bottle glass–green eyes, definitely should not work with people with her attitude. She turned away from Shola to unzip a white bag.
“En-gah-rah,” Ziva said slowly. “How hard is that to figure out?”
The attendant spared Ziva a brief look, then quickly turned away.
“I figured this was an ethnic wedding. I love the color of this material and I’m basically cool with wearing colors instead of the traditional all white. But I would never wear a headpiece like this. It’s so bulky and looks heavy,” the attendant continued.
“It is called a gele, and they are worn on many different occasions in my country,” Shola said in as level a tone as she could muster. “Perhaps a book could teach you the pronunciation of names as well as about a culture different from your own.”
Now, she was the recipient of the attendant’s quick dismissive look. As the woman continued taking the dress out of the bag, Shola looked over to see Ziva’s approving smile.
“Try this on and I’ll be right back,” the attendant said as she handed Shola the gown and left abruptly.
“Guess we ruffled her feathers.” Ziva stepped out of the corner and tossed one of the sticks over her shoulder so that the chain rested there and held them in place. “But hey, no worries. I’ll get you into this dress in no time.”
No time was about seven minutes as there were lots of buttons and snaps and then the gele had to be adjusted correctly.
“Are weddings where you’re from a big deal?” Ziva asked.
“Yes,” Shola replied. She had been to many in her village but had not given much thought to when it would be her turn.
Still, she could not ignore how perfect this gown was for such an occasion. The bodice was strapless, and fitted perfectly with thousands of sparkling silver beads stitched all the way around. From her waist, the material flared out like a fan, more silver and diamond-like beadwork created a cascade of vines and leaves that melted into an ombré design with the deepest blue like an ocean at the bottom. Her mother had selected this color, she knew because her mother knew of Shola’s affinity for water.
“You make a beautiful bride,” Ziva said as she attempted to straighten the long train of the dress. “Wait, let’s go out here. There are walls of mirrors and you’ll be able to get the full effect.”
She didn’t need the dress to have any type of effect. It was beautiful, and if the situation were different, she would probably feel giddy with excitement or something like that. But that was not the case, and so the anxiousness building in her like a turbulent wave was what she felt instead. Grabbing the front of the dress, she eased out of the dressing room with Ziva holding the back. They walked around a corner until they were at the back of the store standing in front of a wall full of mirrors.
“Step up here,” Ziva told her.
There were so many versions of herself reflected in the glass, the gorgeous blues in the gown shimmering in every direction she turned. Stepping onto a circular platform, she could not stop staring at herself in the perfectly fitting gown while Ziva continued to fuss with the material. For a moment she closed her eyes and tried to convince herself this was real and that Ziva was a close friend helping her get ready for the biggest day of her life. Her heart bursting with love, she would walk down the aisle to a man who loved her in return. In those stolen seconds, there was happiness and promise filling her, a tender smile dancing on her lips. She put a hand to her stomach when a mysterious flutter began and jumped the moment she heard his voice.
“Why are you marrying him?”
His voice was deep and so close to her ear she opened her eyes and almost toppled off the platform, but he caught
her. One strong arm wrapped around her waist before he easily pulled her close beside him. Now the reflection was of her and Theo touching and holding her to his side as if he were the groom and she were his bride.
Before they left the Office, he had changed into blue slacks and a lighter blue shirt, which was no looser on his muscled frame than the white tank he had worn beneath the shirt he’d given her earlier.
“I have to,” was her eventual, mostly truthful, response.
“Do you love him?”
“That is...well, it is...” She stopped because the fluttering in her stomach had turned into an all-out cyclone whirling around and threatening to throw her totally off balance. “That is not your concern.”
He stared at her a few moments more with blue eyes a softer hue now but still potent enough to feel as if it were searing right through her, seeing things she never wanted revealed. It was the strangest thing, but she welcomed the connection in a way she’d never accepted anything before and for just one second she thought this was the perfect wedding picture. They complemented each other in such an ordinary way, her darker complexion, to his light one, his taller built body to her shorter slim one. His mysterious air to her secretive one. The latter had gloom settling over her like a heavy cloud. They were not perfect and this was not a dream.
“I am finished here,” she said when he still had not spoken.
She took a step to the side and then looked for Ziva so she would not fall face-first off the platform, but the woman was not there.
“I’ll help you down,” Theo said and before she could protest, he was wrapping his other arm around her waist and lifting her down off the platform. But before her feet could touch the ground he held her there, his gaze once again capturing hers.
“You’re not what you appear,” he said as if the words somehow amazed him. “None of this is and I’m going to find out why.”
“Let me go.” They were the only words that came in the hazy fog filling her mind.
She was normally so clear and focused, had been that way all her life. But this...him...his hands on her...the feelings it awakened, sensations it sent rippling through her body, were all too much. She wiggled free of his embrace, stepping back to catch herself as her feet finally touched the floor.