Once she made it back to the room Jerath noticed how shaken she was.
“So they did something after all,” he muttered, “I should have warned you. I thought they wouldn’t act so quickly,”
“I don’t regret what I heard today,” Tianna replied, “I don’t think Ruena was in on the plan.”
“Ruena?” Jerath repeated, “So something big really did happen. The Toll family who lead the Belleas merchants have always been strong believers of the necessity of the bond between the royal family and the Alodan family.”
“Is that why I was called a worthwhile investment?” Tianna asked.
Jerath paused. “No. That was likely referring to your future patronage. The Belleas Company is having trouble with a new rival company that came out of nowhere and grew exponentially fast.”
“So their reputation of being unrivaled in business is at risk,” Tianna guessed.
“Yes. That is why they are desperate to make important connections before their rival does. Such as you.”
It was still a lot to get used to. Part of her was still waiting for someone to announce that this was some kind of cruel and elaborate joke and send her back home. While she would be upset, it would be a relief to escape from this stifling and unfamiliar situation.
“Jerath,” Tianna began suddenly, “What exactly is the job of the Queen?”
Jerath hesitated. “There are many answers I could give you, but to be perfectly honest, I don’t know the exact details myself. I do know that her magic is important to our world and that the Queen represents the bridge between humans and dragons.”
“I already knew those things,” Tianna sighed.
“I assumed as much,” Jerath replied with a bitter smile, “I am sorry that I could not be of more help to you.”
Tianna considered for a few more moments before asking her next question. “Which do you think is more dangerous? Belleas or the Anonymous Watcher?”
“Just be patient,” Jerath told her, “once the informant comes we will have more answers. If we don’t, that is when we will take drastic actions.”
“Alright,” Tianna agreed grudgingly.
“Don’t worry. He should be here soon,” Jerath promised.
Jerath was right. That very night someone new came to stay at the resort and requested to meet with Jerath to discuss some business.
“Are you sure it is the person we are waiting for?” Tianna asked as she followed Jerath to the meeting place.
“Definitely,” Jerath assured her, “No one else could cause such a stir in a Belleas resort.”
Tianna was confused for a moment before she came to a sudden realization. “You seemed to know a lot about their rival,” she prodded, “That wouldn’t happen to be who we are meeting now, would it?”
“It is,” Jerath admitted just as they arrived.
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Before he could see anything else the door burst open and both of them were pulled inside. The man who pulled them in looked around quickly before closing the door with a look of satisfaction. “Good, she didn’t see me.”
“Who didn’t see you?” I asked as I observed him.
The man had a small figure, both short and petite. He could be mistaken for a teenager easily as his face was especially youthful. His shining bronze hair was several shades lighter than Jerath’s and he gave off a feeling of endless energy.
The man turned to face Tianna and smiled. “It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty. I am Soral Voila, at your service.”
“Were you named after the hero in that adventure story?” Tianna asked, “The one who wrestled a dragon.”
Soral hesitated. “So one got published after all,” he muttered under his breath, “For the record, while it was technically a wrestling match I won without doing any wrestling.”
Tianna looked over at Jerath with wide eyes.
Jerath sighed. “You probably didn’t hear too much about him since Belleas was prominent in your town, but in the rest of Althaedor Soral has become a famous hero who gets into all sorts of mischief.”
“But you said he was a double agent? How is being a hero connected to the Black Wolf?”
“Allow me to explain that,” Soral broke in, “While I am an honorary member of the Saorsa, I am also the second in command of the famous mercenary group, the Alodan Warriors.”
“So you work for Ruena, but you are betraying her to the Saorsa?” I asked.
“Absolutely not,” Soral denied fiercely, “I would never betray Ruena! I am betraying that nasty old man who thinks he has the right to dictate the future of the universe. My goal is to free Ruena from his grasp and reveal his evil plots to everyone. Unfortunately, he is too good at tying up loose ends so I can’t do anything directly.”
Tianna moved backward as he ranted. “Oh,” she managed.
“Let’s get to the point,” Jerath broke in, “What are the movements of the enemy and what can you tell us about his plans?”
‘Belleas is completely surrounded, and he will know the instant you head for any of the exits,” Soral answered, his expression growing grave, “In order to leave you would require a perfect disguise. While I can help with that, I don’t recommend leaving yet. That old man wants something from Tianna and he will stoop to anything to get it.”
“Meaning?” Jerath prompted.
“Meaning if she doesn’t figure out that magic problem of hers, he is going to force it out of her,” Soral replied, “Ruena’s freedom depends on her so I can’t allow that to happen.”
“How does Ruena’s freedom rely on me?” Tianna asked.
“It’s simple. Whether or not Ruena captures you personally, once you do whatever it is he wants he will cancel her debt to him,” Soral explained, “While that is one way of going about it, he also will lose power over Ruena if his identity is revealed.”
“Can you give me any hints?” I asked.
“The Black Wolf resides in the castle. Once you reach your destination you will be surrounded by enemies. I would advise you to trust no one but that is miserable and I am fairly certain there are plenty of people you can trust.”
“How convincing,” Jerath sighed.
“Living life on the edge is stressful, and being betrayed hurts, but I have found that the more I trust the less I am betrayed.”
“I think you are an anomaly,” Jerath argued.
“Perhaps I am,” Soral said with a shrug, “I just thought I should let you know that the Black Wolf is personally in the castle. You already knew he had an influence there because of the Queen being under his control for generations.”
“Are you suggesting he is directly manipulating her?” Jerath asked.
“Don’t worry. You aren’t the Black Wolf, and neither is the Saorsa agent assigned to her. I am afraid those are all the clues I can give you. If I say too much the curse will activate.”
“Curse?” Tianna asked.
“Indeed. As I said, that old man is too good at tying off loose ends. He would have killed me but apparently, I still have a role to play in his beloved prophecies,” Soral answered, a mocking hint to his tone.
“You are possibly one of the only people in the universe brave enough to openly hate the Black Wolf,” Jerath muttered.
“What is there to be afraid of?” Soral asked with a bitter smile, “He is just a cunning old man.”
Tianna quickly pushed her way into the conversation before things got further off track from the questions she needed to be answered. “What did you mean that I have to deal with my magic problem?”
Soral turned back to her. “You weren’t told?” he asked, “The reason you can’t use magic is that your mother placed a seal on you. Your magic is too powerful, and without the proper control you could easily end up hurting yourself and others. First you need to learn about your own magic, then you can remove the seal. If you remove the seal before you are ready you could become a prisoner to your own magic.”
A shiver ran through Tianna at his description but she still forced her second question out. “What did you mean by the perfect disguise?”
“Ah, that,” he said and stretched, “It might be best to do that sooner rather than later just in case, but I need some food so come back tomorrow. I will take care of it for you.”
“You will take care of it?” Tianna asked.
“Tomorrow,” Soral affirmed, “Goodbye. We have so much to talk about but now is no longer the time.” He shoved them towards the door and closed it the moment they were on the other side.
Tianna looked at Jerath in bewilderment.
Jerath sighed. “He is always like this. My guess is he is hiding his presence here from Ruena right now.”
“Are you sure this is alright?” Tianna said with uncertainty.
“He told us more than enough,” Jerath assured, “Now we know what we are doing, and we know that your encounter with the Black Wolf is likely nearer than any of us would like.”
“Do you think I will actually get a chance to move in with my mother?” Tianna asked hesitantly.
Jerath grimaced but did not answer. “Let’s go back to our suite.”