After Larimar hauled me unwillingly out the door, he and I made haste to the ship waiting at the docks. There I learned that Larimar had left me with a companion named Ursula Nadli. I met her as soon as we boarded.
She was pretty but not in an obvious way. Her long dirty-blonde hair was tied back in two ponytails with purple ribbons. She had pale green eyes with just the faintest blue tinge, and a slender figure. Her face was delicate, with a sharp chin and a slight downward slant to her eyes. Her skin tone was similar to mine, although hers looked paler. She seemed rather small and childlike in stature, but I guessed her age was somewhere around eighteen - older than me by two years, at least. She had this confidence in her posture that made me think she'd had more experience in life.
I had to say, I was a bit jealous.
Her smile was kind when we exchanged greetings but there was a sharpness to her gaze. In those brief moments she'd sized me up, but I wasn't sure of her verdict. She gave a slight bow, The movement drew my attention down to the tattoo on her right shoulder, made bare from the cut of her sleeveless white blouse. The tattoo was simple and elegant yet somewhat whimsical in appearance. The design was a red bird in flight though its body was formed like a crescent moon. The wings were spread high and wide. She was from the order of the scarlet tanager. It was, ironically, a bird that once lived in Sanfelton before the war. Though brightly colored, tanagers were rarely seen or heard. She was an assassin for the Trine.
"Yes, that's right," she confirmed with a quick grin.
I blushed, not having realized I'd said that aloud.
"Dr. Larimar, is this the one?" she nodded towards me, making me cease my fascinated scrutiny of her tattoo. A mischievous glint lit up her eyes for a second as she extended her hand. "Hello, Kaashif. My name is Ursula. I was supposed to go as Talesina Sera's handmaid before the plans changed."
"Actually, I'm-"
"Sh...sh..." She put her palm over my mouth. "I know who you are."
My embarrassment colored my response with awkwardness as I returned her greeting with a stiff bow. Then I asked, "With the change of plans, why did Doctor Larimar call you here?"
Larimar cleared his throat. "A young Calashan noble normally has at least one female companion to serve him. If you go to Sanfelton without a lady, it will look odd. It's odd enough that you won't be going with a guard. Her story is that she's been given to you as a possible bride by her family and must serve you while you are in school."
"I'm quite excited," Ursula added before I could express my confusion about how a female servant would be useful to me. It would mean that I would be responsible for someone who could die.
I made a wan attempt at a cheerful expression as my mind set into worrying. "Oh, are you?"
"Why yes, this is my first international assignment! I was so upset when I learned I wouldn't be going with Talesina Sera."
Great. She wasn't experienced. That would mean we both were going into this affair as green as two saplings.
My expression must have seemed doubtful, because Larimar said, "She's trustworthy, don't worry. She knows a lot about being a mage, plus she's an expert assassin. You won't find one better."
An expert assassin, he said, but otherwise she was like a rookie Librarian - still in the stacks until our meeting.
She grinned and shrugged as if Larimar had said she was good at embroidery.
As we headed towards my cabin, I noted that she didn't look like she was from Beltrit. No, if anything, she looked Sanfeltonian. "Where are you from, Ursula?"
"I am from the tiny country of Zalatia."
My internal database found that country. "Oh, that's an island country near the western coast of Calasha."
She nodded her affirmation, looking surprised. "Not many people know it. It's more like a small fishing village than a country."
"Yes, and at one time it was possessed by Sanfelton. I had noticed a similarity in our bone structure."
"It makes me perfect for blending in, right? Here we are," she announced as she opened a door. "Your cabin."
My cabin was roomy with a large bed, two small desks and two chests with drawers. A porthole window looked out on the ocean. A set of pots held an assortment of herbs, fruits, dried plants, bottles and boxes. On a table against the opposite wall sat a tray with several different kinds of teas and snacks. A door stood to the side that led to the bathroom.
I surveyed the space, then nodded at Ursula and Larimar who'd followed us. "It looks nice."
"Ursula will be staying in the cabin next to you. It's best to go about in character so that you can get used to it, however the crew and Ursula all belong to Trine, so there's nothing to worry about." I saw Larimar take out his notebook again. He flipped through it and pulled out a letter which he gave to me. "This is from Xīwàng. Read it when you've set sale."
I nodded, surprised. I had thought we'd said everything necessary when we left. "Thank you, Doctor."
"Good. Now, I have to get going. Take care until I see you again within the year."
"You're coming too?"
He scoffed. "Of course. I wouldn't leave Tavla in a foreign nation by himself, not after what happened to his father."
That made sense. "See you again in a year then, Larimar."
I hoped that it would be sooner than that.
He bowed politely before disappearing back into the hallway. I felt a little sad at the abruptness, but he wasn't someone who liked sappy displays.
"Well, we better get to work." Ursula began unlocking the trunk that Xīwàng left for me. "Are you hungry, Kaashif?"
I stopped her from unlocking the trunk because I wanted to do that myself and I wasn't sure I trusted her that far. "Leave the trunk be. You don't really need to serve me at all. We can just be friends." My lips made an awkward tilt that was supposed to be a smile.
"Well, we need to practice so try to bear with it." There was a teasing smile in her voice. "We'll find a way to get along." She winked. She was playful, cute, adorable even - definitely not assassin like. She reminded me of the gypsy-like Beltritians, whom I still admired despite their feelings for me. "You must have stayed in Beltrit for quite some time."
She looked surprised that I had noticed. "Almost ten years. I was born in Zalatia, but I grew up in Beltrit and studied healing under Dr. Larimar."
So that's why Larimar vouched for her. I wanted to talk more with her, but while Larimar and I were heading towards the ship, I'd already begun to form a plan that involved me going to Janesport. If what Xīwàng said was true, then I would find the other homunculus in my trunk. Hopefully, the costumes included priest garb. Janesport had a tiny Faluelan church that would be most happy to have a missionary with deep pockets happen by.
"Can you tell the captain we need to make a quick trip to Janesport?"
"Of course." She disappeared outside. I went to the trunk and found priest garb to my delight. How he'd come upon one baffled me. Perhaps the church had tried to proselytize in Beltrit with poor results. I grabbed the other homunculus which had been carefully stored in a box and put it on one of the small desks. Then I locked the door.
Once the door was locked, I looked at the other things in the chest. A small box held dozens of listening charms. They were smaller than the ones from Sanfelton and a darker pink. I didn't see any magicore dust mixed in, which would explain the darker color.
In another box was a collection of actual gems and jewelry. I pulled out an orange stone the size of my fist and gasped at how it glittered. It was a cockatrice heart and was worth at least 50,000 vylota, the highest currency in Sanfelton, backed by gold. Cockatrice hearts were powerful magicores, but the creatures were nearly impossible to kill. They were venomous and regenerative, plus they had thick, armored scales and a gaze that could paralyze you. Any part of the cockatrice was highly valued, from its bright red and yellow feathers to its heart.
With this stone, and several other jewels, I would be able to purchase anything, or anyone, I needed. I put it carefully in its box, respecting the hunter that had managed to fell such a monster. The monsters mostly lived in the far south in the wilderness that was once a continent called Antarctica. It was just called the wilds now.
There was another box of charms, plus some mini explosives. Useful. And there was a makeup kit with the charmed makeup inside it. Attached to the kit was a note.
Solace,
I am so sorry that I am not there with you. There was so much I had wanted to do, but the treachery of the well-meaning derailed it.
I attached this note to the makeup kit for a reason. I never had the chance to tell you that in the four months you were not yourself, we had many talks, and you always mentioned in lucid moments how you wished you could mimic. It turns out you can, but it's not stable. Not yet. The makeup kit doesn't have magic to change your face, that was a lie. The magic in the kit enhances your mimic abilities.
Once things have settled, I will be there.
Solace, our time together has helped so much to soothe my grief. I will miss you.
Yours,
Xīwàng
I laid the letter carefully to the side, and tried to overcome my shock, and the ache his letter brought.
I had mimicked?
If I could mimic, then I wouldn't need the homunculi. I stepped out of my homunculus and looked at the mirror. I had washed off the makeup I had been wearing every day, so my old face smiled back at me.
I tried to change my hair color. All I got from my efforts was a headache. So much for knowing how to control it.
I took out the make-up kit and retrieved a face brush from it. I ran the naked brush over a strand of my hair and thought about changing its color. The strand turned a bright golden blond, and I gasped.
So it was true! But what could I do to control it? I hoped that I would get instruction as a seeker at the academy but they focused more on the mage and muse gifts.
I put on my old homunculus. It slid over my body, and I realized that I liked it better. It seemed like it fit my figure better than the other one. It was obvious the new one wasn't made as well, and I hoped it wouldn't be a problem.
I put on the priest's garb and checked the mirror. The handsome face there smiled with devilish charm. I had only eight hours in this disguise, so it was dumb to put it on now, but I wanted to see how it looked.
After putting on the flowing black cassock, then the purple cowl, I cinched the golden leather cincture, I examined the result. I looked somewhat severe in my hood, but that would be a good thing. I never met happy priests. It wouldn't do to keep it on, however, so I put it back into the trunk. Why would a priest be on this battleship?
After changing back to my old Homunculus and my clothes, I left my cabin to get some air on the deck.
When I got to the deck, the crew was busily preparing to set sail, so I leaned against the rail and breathed in the sea air.
The salty scent filled my lungs and felt refreshing. A gust of wind tugged at my hood and I had to clinch it between my fingers as spray from the ocean dampened my cheeks. The moon was big and bright in the sky, lighting up the waves like white flames. I closed my eyes for a moment and said a prayer to Faluel, asking forgiveness for impersonating a holy man.
I prayed that he would allow me to exact my vengeance and find Xīwàng's father.
I said a prayer especially for Xīwàng as he sat in his palace, prevented from doing the things he'd spent so long planning.
"I'll complete it for you, you'll see." I whispered.
Then we were moving, rising into the air. The engines churned, and the zeppelin raised the craft into the air. five smaller crafts rose, meant for escort. It would be difficult for pirates to fell this craft, so we should be safe unless we happened upon a Sanfeltonian warship. Thankfully, they normally didn't travel this close to Beltrit. The ship bore Calashan colors and heraldry, so I was confident there'd be no issues.
It would take at least sixteen hours to get to Janesport on this quick airship. A far cry from the weeks it took to travel on the pirate's vessel, but still slow compared to Sanfeltonian vessels. Ursula sidled up to me on the rail and nudged me.
"Why don't you get some rest? The cook will send you some food to your cabin."
I stepped away from the rail and shuttered my thoughts. "All right."
"Would it be okay if I joined you?"
I shrugged and gave her a lopsided grin. "Sure."
"What do you have to do in Janesport? I don't remember that being part of the plan."
I looked at her carefully then finally shrugged. "I have business there."
"Ah... anyone I need to kill?"
I stared, waiting for the joke. When I realized she wasn't kidding, I shook my head. "Not this time. Not on purpose anyway. But if you have a nun's habit, you could be useful. "
"I... might?" She looked mystified.
"Then, do put it on before we get to Janesport. We'll want to be ready."
She grinned, then rubbed her hands together. "I hope there will be a bit of mayhem."
I started to worry, wondering if the good doctor sabotaged me.