“This matches perfectly,” Neira said softly, laying one finger on the dragon scale hanging from her throat.
Jahrra glanced down at the pendant in her reflection and allowed herself a small grin. She wondered if her guardian had it in mind when he commissioned the dress.
Neira grunted in approval as she walked over to the desk where she had left the boxes earlier. She picked the smaller one off the top and approached Jahrra.
“You have to have shoes tonight.” She pulled the lid off and presented her with a pair of fur lined boots.
“Raejaaxorix thought that brown would be best, since you could wear them with all your other clothes as well.”
Jahrra ran her fingers over the soft fur and smiled. The other box, she soon found out, contained a thick hooded cloak, similar in color to her dress.
“This should keep me warm,” Jahrra mused after putting on the cloak, noting its blue and green pattern and lovely weave. It was long and heavy and also lined with fur.
Jahrra turned to the mirror once again and sighed. She wondered again who Jaax might be taking her to meet, considering all of this fuss. He had never required her to get so dressed up before. Even during those initial conferences their first month in Lidien, she didn’t always wear a dress to meet people.
“I’d say it’s about time we head downstairs,” Neira commented, eyeing the growing dusk through the window.
Jahrra felt suddenly nervous but she pushed the feeling away and took a deep breath. As they headed for the door, she flashed one more glance at the mirror. She did look nice. In fact, she looked much like the Resai upper class that walked the streets of Lidien, displaying their wealth in the clothes they wore.
In the common room below Jaax waited patiently, facing a healthy fire and gazing at it as if in a trance. For a moment, Jahrra thought he hadn’t heard them come down but eventually he turned and looked at her. He had been scowling, an expression all too common on his face of late, but soon the corners of his mouth softened, his eyes dropping whatever heavy burden his mind was carrying, and he cocked an eyebrow. Whether this new expression was one of surprise or amusement Jahrra didn’t know, but she cleared her throat and stepped boldly up to him.
“So, where must we be going that you should feel the need to dress me up like a peacock?”
Jahrra bit her tongue as soon as the last word was out. Where had that come from? Apparently, her habit of reacting defensively in uncomfortable situations hadn’t quite disappeared with her newfound respect for her guardian. She hadn’t really meant to sound so bitter, especially after the obvious kindness Jaax had gone to with not only the dress but the cloak and boots as well.
Jahrra gave a wary glance at her guardian, an apology on the tip of her tongue. Both the dragon’s eyebrows were lifted in surprise now and his mouth hardened once again.
“Dress you like a peacock?” Jaax said. “Well, there is no doubt you have the pride to match.”
Jahrra cringed inwardly, justifiably accepting the counter insult in stride. I deserved that, she thought.
“Oh, well, I think you both look very nice,” Neira blurted, coming to the conclusion there would be an argument unless she defused the situation.
Jahrra crossed her arms and rocked back on one foot, giving her guardian a good look. Neira was right; they were both at their best, ready to attend a king’s coronation if need be. Jaax looked as if someone had polished his scales again. He wore the simple silver filigree that he often wore when attending important affairs throughout Lidien. He also sported the Blood Rose medallion, its heavy chain wrapping around his neck like a golden rope. She cast her eyes towards the floor and blinked. Somehow, in the past several minutes, she had forgotten about the spirit stone ring. Of all the ridiculous adornments he was wearing the ring still suited him the best.
“The jewelers who made your ring,” Jahrra blurted to fill the awkward silence. “I had them put a tracer on it, a magical tracer, so that if you ever lose it, it would always manage to find you.”
Jaax blinked in astonishment, as if believing that was the very last thing in the world he expected her to say. He looked down at the spirit stone, its blue-green color very similar to the color of his scales.
“Did you now?” he mused in response to his ward’s statement.
Jahrra nodded.
“And what did you use in order to assure it would find me?”
His voice sounded defensive, as if he was still annoyed with her for her accusation just a few minutes ago. She swallowed and used a finger to pull her pendant away from her neck.
“This,” she said.
There was silence once again, but after a while Jahrra cleared her throat and said, “So, do we need to leave soon? Will we be late to wherever it is we are going?”
“Where we are going, Jahrra, is a surprise,” Jaax said, a little bit of the gruffness leaving his voice.
Jahrra stiffened even further. Who could they possibly be meeting? Did Jaax have the Tanaan prince hidden away somewhere in Lidien, waiting for the right moment to introduce him? And would she be shocked if that were the case? After all, he had kept her own identity hidden from her for so long it wouldn’t be too far-fetched of an idea if he was taking her to meet Oescienne’s long lost sovereign. The mere thought made her shudder.
“Surprise?” she finally said, not bothering to mask the apprehension in her voice.
Jaax just grinned, his eyes sharp with mischief once again. Jahrra didn’t like this, she didn’t like it all. She preferred to be prepared for what was to come.
“Ah, that sounds like the carriage,” Jaax said, his mood suddenly lighter.
They all stepped out into the late, frosty dusk. A covered carriage pulled by four matching gray horses came gliding up the drive. Jahrra almost cried out in surprise. They never took such a fancy coach anywhere. They either walked or she rode Phrym or used one of the many simple carts that catered to the entire populace of Lidien. Maybe they were going to meet the prince after all. Why else would Jaax insist on dressing up and keeping secrets? Jahrra felt suddenly weak. She didn’t think she was prepared for this.
The carriage pulled to a stop and a footman dropped down to open the door with a flourish for Jahrra. She shot Jaax a questioning look. The dragon nodded and Jahrra, lifting her skirts and cloak awkwardly, climbed into the carriage. She sat on the thick upholstered seats and turned to look back out the window.
“I’ll fly to our destination,” Jaax said, “but don’t worry; the coach knows where to go.”
Jahrra swallowed and nodded, too overwhelmed to speak. The driver whistled at the horses and the carriage lurched forward down the drive. Jahrra slumped back into the seat and released a deep breath. She turned her head to glance out the window but something on the opposite bench caught her attention. It was a long box wrapped in decorative paper, all secured with a red ribbon. Curious, she leaned forward and noticed a note with her name scrawled on it. She picked up the note and broke the seal, reading carefully in the dim light of the lantern hanging from the coach’s roof, rocking back and forth as the vehicle bounced down the road.
Jahrra,
An eighteenth birthday is a very important one and I hope that you enjoy what I have planned for this evening. Inside the box you will find two things: one, a clue as to where you are headed and two, something I thought you could use on an everyday basis.
Raejaaxorix
Now thoroughly intrigued, Jahrra lifted the box, surprised to find it a bit heavy, and began removing the bow and paper. The first thing she found was a sort of pamphlet written in fancy calligraphy. It had a title, The Legend of Oescienne, and a list of names and scenes.