by Viola Grace
“Ocular imprinting?”
Orisa turned to Trin with her dragon eyes in place. “It is more a skill test.”
She looked into the glasses and reached around them, unlatching a door that Trin couldn’t see.
As the door opened, the seam in the wall became apparent. It was obviously a secret room. That much went without saying.
“Come on. The door will seal behind us.”
Trin nodded and followed her mentor into the library inside the library. The door did, indeed, close behind her, but Trin didn’t mind. She recognized the books, the script on the scrolls. She didn’t recognize them precisely, but the hand that had written them was feminine. These were the archives of the women.
“Here we go. Flight Dynamics by Adolla Veil, and A History of Queen Combat by Venatrin Roff.”
“So, I am guessing that my names come up often in dragon history?” She took the books.
“Only twice. You get reading, and I will start water for tea. For obvious reasons, you can’t take the books out of the library.”
Trin sighed. “I am guessing it isn’t simply because there is only one copy.”
“We evolve, we step back. We creep forward when no one is looking. There are other copies in private libraries and schools, but each is locked to women-only access. It is the knowledge that we need to survive that the men wouldn’t understand.”
Trin didn’t respond. She made the most of her time and started the book on flight dynamics, committing the pages to memory before moving on. A cup of tea appeared next to her at some point, but she just kept reading. The tricks to getting more speed out of each wingbeat and an assisted takeoff were bits of knowledge she was delighted to find.
She closed the book, pushed it to one side, and opened the next. She learned the gory history of queen fights and the terrible toll it had taken on the dragons. Once, their kind had ruled the world with abandon. Mostly, benevolent rulers, they filled the skies with their armies. Then, the queen wars began. When a dragoness picked a weak mate or outlived her mate, she would go hunting for another. Having their target mated to someone else didn’t matter.
The dragonesses fought to the death for the fittest mate, and one grieving, widowed, mother wanted to save her youngest daughter from that fate. She went against all shifter laws and consulted a human mage. She told him that she wanted her daughter and all daughters to come to mate with the man most suitable. Not the most handsome, powerful, or rich, just the one that would make her the happiest.
The mage agreed on one condition. Before the lock on the dragons was struck, he wanted one night with the dragoness. She traded her body for the spell.
Trin sat up blinking. “That is rather extreme.”
Rish was reading another book nearby. “What?”
“That they are giving her the aura of a harlot for wanting her children safe.”
“It is a common technique, and no one is as brutal to a woman like another woman. We know where to hit.” Rish smiled. “Keep reading.”
Trin exhaled and read on. The mage kept his word and cast the spell. No one knew about it but the widow and her daughter. As time went on, the widow realized she was pregnant, and she brought the child to term. That was when she knew that she had made an error. Instead of a soft colour, the child could bring out the strength and tone of hardened stone. She spoke to the mage again, demanding an explanation, and he looked at his daughter and laughed. The mage wasn’t just a mage, he was part djinn, and the blessing that touched her daughter was a curse for the other dragons. She waited for her daughter to pick the right mate, and then, she handed over her half-breed daughter and walked to the council to tell them what she had done.
The mage disappeared, the penalty was death, and the mother met it gladly, but the curse could not be undone. The dragons were locked in the cycle of letting their beasts choose, and the population declined steeply as tradition overwhelmed need. Eventually, the new way was allowed, but the power it granted to the women was resented. Alliances could no longer be assured with the exchange of family members if the unions would be childless.
Trin exhaled as she watched the record of a whirling population grind to a halt. It had slowly started up again, but the women had to create a new role for themselves in the more restrictive society. Women were watched at all times until they were mated. It made it hard to complete your education when you were being watched non-stop.
Trin blinked. “Wait, where did the baby go? The baby should have been mentioned.”
Rish laughed. “Yes, she should have been, but she disappeared from history. What do you think happened?”
Trin thought about it for a moment. “I think she went elsewhere, rejected her previous identity, found a mate and had a dozen babies.”
“Based on modern genetics, it is likely that there were as many as twenty-six. We have traced twenty-six families back to that one mother ancestor.”
“Holy heck, that is a lot of babies.”
“Yes, it definitely is. I have five, myself. I don’t regret one of them, but if I had gotten up into the double digits, I might have considered it.”
“So, this is where the gem-gradient comes into the line. It is djinn magic.”
“Yes and no. It is a natural evolution of our kind, but for his own purposes, the djinn sped it up.” Rish smiled. “I think we will have to call it a day.”
“Right. Just a moment while I finish this.” She did something she had learned in school. She brought out her dragon and thumbed the pages quickly, getting a full scan of each of them.
The moment she was done, she set the book aside while storing the memory for later reading.
Rish blinked. “Does that never get noticed?”
Trin looked at her. “What?”
“Your eyes went dragon while you scanned the book.”
Trin smiled and handed over the history book. “Not that they ever mentioned. I am sure someone would have told me.”
Rish giggled, and Trin snickered. Together, they left the women’s archive and resumed their place in the normal world.
Trin looked wistfully at the place where the door had disappeared. She hoped she could come back soon.
Chapter Twelve
Life took on a normal pattern. Brenner came in twice a week to work on the books for the shops. Trin went to see Creata and the new baby every Thursday. Trin loved Thursdays.
She was playing chess with Sosa when her chime rang. “Whoops. It is time for me to get going.”
Sosa sighed. “I really wish you wouldn’t walk there. I know that the council has lifted your guard, but you take unnecessary risks.”
“I take the necessary risks. Since she woke up, my dragon is clawing at me for action. A short walk through the nicer parts of the city is enough to keep her paying attention during training. Why don’t you ever train with me?” Trin got her cloak from the wardrobe and settled it on her shoulders. Her knives were tucked up under her corset, she had her belt around her waist, and her emergency cash was accessible.
Sosa sighed. “I can’t properly fly yet.”
“Oh. Whoa. Isn’t that a thing?”
She grimaced. “It is. It is very much a thing. Sormin has tried to tutor me, as have others, but to no avail. She won’t do what I ask.”
Trin paused and put her hand on Sosa’s shoulder. “Try letting her do what she wants to, no matter how out of control it makes you feel. You will be surprised at the results. The dragon behind your eyes is as much a part of you as the human part that thinks and speaks. She is your fire, your passion, and your freedom. Give her every bit of freedom that you have ever been denied. Think about it and give it to her. She will know what to do with it.”
Sosa’s eyes widened. “I don’t know if I can.”
“Then, you had better get used to walking.” Trin didn’t encourage her anymore. The words had been said. “Now, with that said, I am off to Creata’s.”
Sosa nodded and left the room ahead of Trin by a few steps.
>
Trin walked with her head high and her cloak flaring out behind her. With her white hair and startling eyes, she must have been quite the figure. She defied the tradition of dressing in her dragon’s colours and instead stuck with the gemstones and shadows that she was comfortable with.
She left the dragon section of the wheel and walked outside, breathing deep of the air heavy with steam and metals. Damn, she had missed this.
The even click of her low-heeled boots was a fun counterpoint as she walked, and she enjoyed being out where the daylight could touch her again. Being in the clouds in dragon form was not the same as a walk.
The karros and other vehicles moved along, some using crystal energy, others using clean steam, and a few were manual. The key to all conveyances in a shifter city was a reduction in scent. That was why they had built air filters into all the coffee shops. The smell was fine for a while, but after five minutes, folks got jittery, so they toned it down with heavy filters in the walls and floors. Shifters were a funny lot.
She grinned and walked toward her favourite place in the world. She pushed the door open and grinned at Brenner. “Hey, buddy.”
He paused and then came around the counter to give her a hug. “It is good to see you out of the wheel.”
“Hey, we have been there before. Remember when we had to get zoning changed for our shops? We had to wait on the outer wheel for days before our appointment was made.”
“Remember it? I have the poster hanging on the wall over there.” He chuckled.
Trin walked over to the picture, and she pointed at the dragon side of the tower. “I can see my house from here.”
“Did you ever wonder why they put our central government in a wheel and spoke pattern?” Brenner walked up behind her to stand next to her.
“Nope, but a quick guess would be that they are going back to ancient Rome for a lot of their traditions, including the senate.”
Brenner nodded. “And karros.”
“Karros is Greek. It means chariot.”
“Haven’t we continued our education since joining the dragons.” He nudged her with his elbow.
“I knew that when I was ten. I don’t know what you were doing back then.”
He laughed. “I am still glad to see you out.”
“They have decided I can take care of myself. I only have two bodyguards following me at a discrete distance.”
He chuckled. “The two who just entered the coffee shop?”
“Yes. I am on my way to see Creata. Can I pass along a hello?”
“Of course. How long are you staying?”
“Just long enough to give her time to have a long bath so I can play with the baby.”
He snorted. “I hope you are just as enthused when Niida and I have ours.”
“Of course, I will be. Anyone who names me as an aunt will get the full visit and tummy-blowing treatment.” She grinned. “Well, their kids will.”
“You know, you are closer to me than a sister, and Niida adores you.” He grabbed her hand.
She looked at the picture again. “I have been over all the dragon sections of that picture and none of the others. Isn’t that odd? I think it needs to be rectified.”
“Are you wanting to go to the canine section? I could totally go in and get some information about the new incentive programs for business owners.”
She grinned. “I would be delighted to. Whose bright idea was it to make the building form a giant wheel on the ground, do you think?”
Brenner smirked. “Some man who lost his tire.”
Trin laughed. “Well, can I get my tea? I need to give those guys a chance to finish their coffees.”
She sat and had tea with her best friend, sipping quietly when he dealt with his customers and chuckling at some of the expressions on the women in the shop.
“I think they think you are fooling around on Niida.”
“No, I am pretty sure that they have read today’s news report.” He held up the tablet that had complimentary use marked on it.
Bastard Dragon Flies Over the City.
“Ouch. Bastard? That is a little harsh.” She flicked through the images. They had been taken from the perspective of the second level of the balcony surrounding the arena. Someone was going to catch hell for that.
“The images are flattering. Your tail looks so thin in that light.” He snickered. “I never would have imagined that you would have wings. I mean I suspected the tail, but that is only because I also imagined horns and a pitchfork.”
She sighed. “This is going to really annoy the council. They are trying to keep me out of the public eye or at least my dragon. I think they could give a rat’s ass about me.”
“Really? Flip the page.”
She flicked the page, and an image of Brommin was front and centre. Who has the most eligible bachelor in the city on her list?
There were seven women pictured, and Trin was the last on the page. She wrinkled her nose. “I know that it is rude to fight over a guy, but if any of those ladies make a move toward Brommin, they are going to be pulling back a stump.”
“So, you have finally fallen.”
She grinned. “I prefer to think of it as elevating my senses. Now that all of my friends have gotten hooked up, it is time to find a guy of my own. Well, my dragon found him. I am just agreeing with her choice.”
He chuckled, and they sat for another half hour before she got up and headed to Creata’s for an early dinner and a lot of baby snuggling.
Baby Amesthet Trina was resting on Trin’s shoulders as she walked back and forth in the drawing room. She turned when she saw Vasic come in and blinked in surprise when Brommin, Orisa, and Makros came in. She bobbed a curtsey.
They solemnly took up seats on the sofa, and she kept walking up and down with her sleeping niece on her shoulder. “I am guessing that this isn’t a coincidence.”
Orisa leaned forward. “We have a story and a request. Vasic is here because he did the research.”
Vasic nodded but looked very tense for someone who had laughed with her over dinner.
Senator Lefarge leaned forward. “I know you have expressed no interest in your history, but we wanted to know, so we have found out.”
She paused and then resumed her slightly bouncing walk. “What did you find out?”
“Your mother was not from the city. She was from the Delarm Valley. Her bone and tissue scans indicate that she lived there all her life. She also had genes from at least a dozen different dragons going back two hundred years. The rest of her genetic pattern was mostly human. She looked human.”
He sighed. “She wasn’t struck by a vehicle; she was clawed apart by a dragon while you were still with her.”
Trin nodded and kept walking. If she got tense, the baby would wake, and that wasn’t good for the baby.
“I know that someone left her for dead. The method just narrows the suspect pool.”
Makros rubbed the back of his neck. “We know who it was. Lady Minnet. Her husband had met your mother on a business trip, and their affair resulted in you. It should not have been possible, but here you are.”
“So, Lord Minnet is my father and his wife is a murderer.” Trin nodded and kept pacing.
Orisa looked at her. “You are not upset?”
“I am furious, but that won’t do any good.” She cleared her throat. “Does anyone know my mother’s name?”
Brommin added, “Leehee Anders of the Delarm Valley. It is little enough to go on.”
Makros got even more serious. “Now, what do you want to do about it?”
She shrugged. “Nothing. It happened over two decades ago. My getting angry or going there won’t help anything. It certainly won’t help keep Amesthet asleep.”
Orisa smiled sadly. “I understand.”
Makros took another deep breath. “Now that that is out of the way, I have a proposition for you.”
“Um, what is it?” She listened to the soft wheezing snuffle of the baby.
> “My wife would like to train you as a hunter, and my son would like to train you for tactical restraint. I would like you to consider a secretarial position with the council.”
Vasic was smiling slightly, and Trin looked into his features, looking for any apprehension. There wasn’t any. What happened to her was going to affect his wife, so if he wasn’t scared for her, she wasn’t scared.
“I think I am up for all of them, but I will do the secretarial thing last, after my training.” She grinned.
Brommin got to his feet and walked over to her with a slow smile; he bent his head and feathered a kiss on her lips. When he straightened, she was holding a tablet, and he was holding the baby.
“That is your schedule. I factored in my mother’s training and my own. We are doing this out of the public eye, so discretion is key. Even Sosa and Sormin can’t know. Are we clear?”
She nodded. “We are clear. Just one question.”
He blinked at her. “What is it?”
“Do you propose or do I? I don’t like leaving this up in the air.”
He leaned in and gave her another quick kiss. “I will propose at the public gathering. Just a few weeks away.”
“Excellent. I look forward to training.”
It was apparently the magic sequence of words. Everyone relaxed, and the baby was handed around until she started to fuss. Vasic took his daughter in his arms and carried her up to her mother.
Trin looked at the Lefarge clan. “I am guessing that the training is for a specific purpose that I am not yet privy to?”
Orisa sipped at her cordial. “What would give you that idea?”
She looked at Brommin’s serious face and the matching features in Makros, and she grinned. “This kind of acceptance comes with a price. Don’t get me wrong, I am willing to pay it. I am the bastard dragon after all.”
As they tried to tell her that nothing was going on, she laughed. They were lying as a unit. That was what family was all about. She looked forward to joining their weird little coalition.
