Wellington’s hand slipped into view as he took the envelope from Aroha. "Director, we are no longer active field agents for Her Majesty’s Empire. Eliza and Serena are officially retired and as for me? Well, I am quite spry for an agent killed in action."
"You seem to be under the notion that I am here to reactive you, but that is not my intention." The corner of Aroha’s mouth twitched. She cleared her throat and added, "Well, perhaps not right away. I needed a particular set of skills with this case, and you lot just happened to arrive on our shores. Honestly, it is just this one case."
Eliza took the envelope from Wellington and measured its weight. "The South Island, you say?"
"Oamaru." Aroha's hand went to the pounamu pendant of the taniwha suspended there. Her fingers gently traced the edges of the creature that could be both guardian and monster as she said, "Quite an adventure down there, I assure you."
Eliza handed the envelope back to Wellington. "I left that life back in Jolly Ol’ England for a reason." She looked to Wellington and Serena. "We all did."
"And if you were still in England, you would be honour-bound by Queen and Country to serve." Aroha motioned around her. "But you’re home, Eliza. This is how we do things down here. This is for New Zealand. The choice is yours." The old woman tipped her hat to Wellington and Serena, then shot a wink to her protégé. "Kia ora, Eliza."
Her mentor had not taken more than a few steps before Eliza called out, "Not for Queen and Empire. For Aotearoa? For you? My choice?"
"Your mission," Aroha said over her shoulder, "should you choose to accept it."
Aroha tipped her hat to citizens of the Empire—Eliza wagered they were vacationing Britons from their reactions—as she strolled towards the terminal. If she had other cases to tend to, other agents to debrief or assign to the field, she was in no rush to get back to the office. She was on her own time, her own schedule, and even the simplest act of walking, Aroha Murphy savoured. Eliza remembered that, yes, here in New Zealand, time did not seem so hurried. It was a very different state of mind, and yet, it was one that Eliza found she needed desperately.
Doctor Sound. The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences. The life of a spy. It was all behind her now, behind them all. Their training would keep them vigilant, keep them alive; but they were to start new lives. Together. They were a family, joined through unexpected events and facing quieter times ahead.
"I understand," Wellington said, turning the envelope over in his hands, "the South Island is both rugged and unforgiving, and yet quite breath-taking. In fact, I read somewhere—the skies in and around Lake Taka... no, was it Tiki...?"
"Tekapo," Eliza said gently, a smile crossing her lips.
"Yes, Tekapo. The skies are simply astounding. Why you can see the arm of our own Milky Way galaxy stretch right across the sky."
It was to be a simple life for them. Eliza pulling pints of beer and cider. Wellington would lead the pub in a ding-dong at Christmastide while serving turkey and crayfish to their patrons. Serena would attend Marsden Academy, discover her potential, and go on to accomplish amazing things with her life.
Wellington's hazel eyes sparkled with anticipation. He was never one to let a mystery go, no more than she could give up black powder and dynamite.
They both looked down at Serena.
"Go on," she whispered. "Open it. You know you want to."
Eliza and Wellington shared a smile, before turning the envelope over to see what secrets it contained.
About the Authors
New Zealand-born fantasy writer and podcaster Philippa (Pip) Ballantine is the author of the Books of the Order series, and has appeared in collections such as Steampunk World and Clockwork Fairy Tales. She is also the co-author with her husband, Tee Morris, of Social Media for Writers. Tee co-authored Podcasting for Dummies and has contributed articles and stories for numerous anthologies including Farscape Forever!, Tales of a Tesla Ranger, and A Cosmic Christmas 2 You.
Together, they are the creators of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences. Both the series and its companion podcast, Tales from the Archives, have won numerous awards including the 2011 Airship Award for Best in Steampunk Literature, the 2013 Parsec Award for Best Podcast Anthology, and RT Reviewers’ Choice for Best Steampunk of 2014.
The two reside in Manassas, Virginia with their daughter and a mighty clowder of cats.
More about the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences
www.ministryofpeculiaroccurrences.com
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