Nervous despite the rapport I’d built with them, I turned to dig in my bag for my notes. Finding it, I rolled the scroll open to the proper section, setting it on the table.
“While we were at the library today, we discovered the mage’s office location. With him is the green gem he uses to control the chimeras, as well as books on various magics, creatures, and methods his master learned about from his own experiments. If we can get our hand on the gem, we won't need to worry about chimeras unwillingly turning on us, and the books and scrolls likely contain knowledge we can use to our advantage.”
Intrigued, Aeolus leaned forward and asked, “How do you know he’ll be there?”
I grinned. “That’s the easy part. We get Aquila’s help and set me up as a candidate for becoming a chimera.” I cleared my throat and said, “He creates the chimeras himself, which means he must be there. That will give me a small window of opportunity to steal the green gem–and the books, hopefully– from him.”
Azure looked me up and down, scanning me for something. Not finding what he wanted, he frowned, saying, “No offense, Hayden, but how do ya plan to escape? Ya’ve improved a lot in your training, that’s for sure, but ya aren’t anywhere near good enough to take him on.” He said it in a way that came with an unspoken “or anyone else for that matter.”
Unoffended and slightly concerned about that myself, I waved him off with a false smile and bravado, “None taken. I wasn’t planning on taking him on directly–and I’ll have some outside help. This plan will alter our initial plan to protect Sera a little bit as well–”
There was a loud screech as Aeolus jolted out of his chair with a worried expression, knocking it back across the floor. “What? But–”
Without a word, Sera raised her hand, motioning for him to stop. His mouth slammed shut, but he didn’t sit back down. She gestured for me to continue speaking, face unreadable. Helia shot me a glare.
Placatingly, I raised my hands. “Relax, I mean it in a good way.”
His blue eyes were icy cold. “Explain.”
“Once I get my hands on that gem, we won’t have to worry about containing or stopping the chimera anymore. The other plan becomes a distraction and a failsafe.” At my words, a little tension bled from his, Sera’s, and Helia’s shoulders.
His ears turned a little red, and he sat back down with a mumbled “Sorry.”
“While the rest of you work with Sera’s body doubles, I will travel to Aquila to provide her the information she requested and request her aid. If all goes as planned, her people will bring me straight to the mage’s castle for conversion into a chimera. Once inside, I’ll wait for an opportunity to strike, stealing and hopefully destroying the gem before escaping with whatever books I can carry. Once my task is completed, I’ll return here, and we can use Aquila and my experiences to pressure the Sea Serpent King into backing down.”
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Sera nodded and pulled out a scroll to begin writing. “Very well. I will provide you with supplies as well as one of my guards to act as your escort as well as your guide,” she looked up from her writing, “Is there anything else you will require?”
I thought about it for a minute. ”A small and unnoticeable weapon I can hide on my person and some clothes.”
“If you need anything else, let me or one of my personal guards know. I trust them all as much as I do Helia. When do you wish to depart?”
Never. But that wasn’t exactly an option, so “As soon as possible.”
She rolled up the scrolls and stood up, spreading her hands on the table and giving me a warm smile. “Everything will be ready for you to leave this evening. Someone will lead you to our tailor to outfit you for your journey.” Helia stood up as well and flagged someone down in the hallway, motioning for me to get up. I collected my things and did so, following the servant she’d flagged, presumably to the royal tailor.
I was unceremoniously shoved into a small room filled to the brim with fabrics, dresses, robes, and suits, with an open door on the other side.
“Be there in a minute!” A voice called through the open door. There were shuffling sounds from the room before the glassed face of a small brown-haired woman peeked out of the doorway.
“Sorry about that,” she said, dusting off her sleeves. “What can I do for you?”
My escort pulled something out of his sleeve, a scroll Helia must have slipped him while I wasn’t looking. He then bowed and vanished off in a back corner of the room, disappearing into a hidden servant's corridor.
The tailor squinted at the scroll, mouthing the words as she read along. “I see,” she said after a long while. “C’mon, I have the perfect Idea for what you need. I just need some measurements…”
She pushed me into a corner of the room, moving me like a doll as she obtained her measurements, chatting passionately about her job all the while. I didn’t really pay attention as she spoke, spending my valuable time inspecting the dress wear and various fabrics instead.
Plans on the desk next to me for four identical dresses caught my eye, and I bit my lip. “Are those the dresses for…” I trailed off, trying to gauge whether she was a part of the other plan or not.
She followed my gaze to the dresses, her eyes turned starry, and she continued measuring me with renewed vigor. “So you’re the one! Making these dresses to your specifications was really a challenge, you know? In the end, I suggested using the current set of sheets from the princess bed as the base to ensure they smelled like her per your suggestion.”
“Oh, really?” I said, not at all interested.
She nodded passionately. “None of the girls have quite the same figure as our princess, so I had to incorporate padding and pulling in just the right places. What many people don’t know–” she said, yanking my arm up “--is that fashion isn’t just about color and a dress. It’s about making a figure. If you’re good like I am, you can make someone completely unrecognizable!” She smiled mischievously. “Or, in other cases, make someone recognizable.!”
The tailor sighed, happy. “I love you.”
I sputtered. “I’m sorry?”
She patted my cheeks. “I haven’t had so much fun designing in years! The dresses, your disguise….” she trailed off, mumbling to herself, her eyes gleaming.
The gleam in her eye made me nervous, and I suddenly desperately wished to be out of her clutches.
She finished her measurements without any other uncomfortable moments, and I was allowed to escape into the solitude of my room for a short period, the tailor's promise of granting me the perfect disguise for my troubles following me down the hallway.
I didn’t bother packing, barely sparing my stuff a glance. None of it could be brought on my mission lest I give any indication I’m more than I appear to be.