Merila rushed Tianna back to the resort inside a carriage and told Tianna not to contact her until she had done what she asked.

“Where were you?” Jerath demanded the moment she stepped into the room.

Tianna jumped and paused to control the muscles in her face. “I went on a tour,” she answered.

“And after that?” Jerath prodded. He had not been fooled.

“You heard what Soral said,” she defended, “If I don’t learn magic soon the Black Wolf will put me in danger to force me to. So, I found myself a teacher.”

Jerath scowled. “There is no way you just found yourself a teacher unless… You didn’t ask one of the Belleas employees did you?”

“I did,” Tianna admitted. “I didn’t forget your warning, but I couldn’t just sit still while knowing they might be able to help me. We don’t have time to avoid taking risks. Wasn’t it you who was in a hurry before?”

“That was until I got that report. The Black Wolf is waiting for you in the capital. We need to rethink our plans,” Jerath argued, “Just in case, who is your teacher?”

“Merila,” I answered.

Jerath froze in shock. “Merila? The same Merila that the Saorsa have been trying unsuccessfully to recruit for ages? They claim she is one of the few who might be able to save the current Queen.”

“She really doesn’t seem like she wants to be involved,” Tianna considered, thinking back to their conversation. “Oh and she gave me some instructions I have to follow before I can meet her again.”

“What kind of instructions?” Jerath asked. This time he seemed more curious than critical.

“First she wants me to have Soral create a disguise that will hide my magic. Even if I can’t currently use it others can sense it,” Tianna began, “And my hair and eyes are apparently a problem. She also said I should be careful to contact her through Belleas instead of directly in the future.”

“If you were spotted it could definitely cause a commotion,” Jerath agreed, “Are you sure you trust Soral enough for this? If he creates your disguise he will know exactly what it is and could tell anyone. Ruena, for example.”

“Merila seemed to trust him. Besides, I don’t think we can trust anyone else either,” Tianna pointed out.

Jerath considered that for a few moments before getting up. “I will contact him. This time you are coming with me. I can’t trust you to not run off into danger while I am not looking.”

Tianna scowled. “It wasn’t danger. It was an educated decision.”

“Either way, it will be a lot faster if we just track him down. We can at least meet and plan the disguise.”

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

There was no answer when we knocked on Soral’s door, but he raced down the hallway and stopped in front just as we were about to leave.

“Hi!” he greeted breathlessly, “Sorry. I only left my room for a second.”

“How did you-” Tianna began but Jerath cut her off.

“Let’s talk,” he told Soral, “We have some important matters we need to discuss.”

“Sure,” he agreed easily and opened his door. “Come on in.”

They stepped inside and Soral closed the door behind them and quickly glanced around. “Everything should be safe now.”

“We have come to talk about a disguise for Tianna,” Jerath began.

“Already?” Soral exclaimed, “I mean, what kind of disguise would you like?”

“Is it possible for you to make one that hides my magic?” Tianna asked.

“That part was obvious,” Soral dismissed, “What do you want to look like?”

Tianna was a bit taken aback. She hadn’t really considered that part. “I need my hair to be a different color. Something that doesn’t stand out.”

“I can do that,” Soral agreed, “No other preferences? It is dangerous to let me have free reign after all. I believe in my fashion taste but it likely won’t fit your personal tastes.”

“She needs something that makes her blend in, not a fashion wardrobe,” Jerath broke in.

“And will she be going back and forth between her disguise and regular appearance?” Soral questioned.

“Back and forth?” Tianna repeated in surprise.

“It would be ideal if she could remove her disguise in a pinch,” Jerath approved, “Something simple she can put on or activate herself would also be nice.”

“We can’t rely too much on disguise magic as it would be too obvious and our openents would be looking for it,” Soral muttered, “In that case a potion that temporarily changes physical features would be for the best.”

“We should be careful not to change them too much,” Jerath warned.

Soral nodded in agreement.

Tianna looked between the two feeling overwhelmed by their lightning decision making. However, it wasn’t as if she had any ideas on what to do either so she couldn’t really complain. “A physical feature?” she broke in, “What do you mean by that?”

“Your hair would be best,” Soral decided, “Long golden hair flowing in perfect waves; it definitely stands out.”

What was with that weird description? Tianna looked at her hair. It was certainly long, golden, and wavy but the way Soral said it made it sound weird.

“The color is the main issue,” Jerath noted, “Even changing the color would make a huge difference.”

“But we would have to do more so that people who have seen her before won’t immediately recognize her,” Soral suggested, “Perhaps making it curly? No, that might be a bit much. Straightening it?”

“Where would we even get such a specific potion?” Tianna asked.

“Have you forgotten where we are?” Soral asked with a grin, “There is a saying that anything can be found in Belleas.”

“Oh,” Tianna replied, a bit embarrassed, “What about disguising my magic?”

“I already have something for that,” Soral replied and opened a cupboard to take out a jacket, autumn brown with black buttons. “So long as you wear this your magic won’t be detected.”

One concern immediately came to Tianna’s mind. “Won’t I get hot wearing that?”

“I have been experimenting with perfect temperature clothing, but I haven’t perfected it yet,” Soral explained, “So, shall we put everything together?”

“Already?”

“One of my skills is working fast,” Soral replied with a grin as he took out vials from the same cupboard, “This should be the potion to change your hair color and straighten it, and this should be the antidote.”

“What color will it turn my hair?” Tianna asked.

“We still need to choose that. Any color is fine, but I suggest choosing something that doesn’t stand out,” Soral answered.

Tianna thought for a moment. “Brown?” she suggested. It was the hair color she had seen the most, and even if it was an odd shade, brown was still brown.

Soral bobbed his head. “A wise choice,” he told her and did something to the potion, “Use this when you are ready to test your disguise, but be careful. A disguise is useless if you forget to pretend to be someone else.”

“That might be hard for me,” Tianna replied.

“You don’t have to change your personality, just your circumstances. You can’t be Tianna, the heir to the throne while in disguise. You have to be a normal lady. Someone who would have nothing to do with the lost princess.”

A strange feeling came over Tianna as she thought about it. She already felt like someone who had nothing to do with all of the events that had suddenly upended her life. If she put on that disguise could she escape from everything?

No, if she did that she would never be able to see her family or friends again. Tianna quickly dismissed the thought. “Thank you for your help,” she told Soral, ignoring his knowing smile.