The Bird and The Dragon

The room was like any office with wooden tables covered in papers, a row of archive cabinets, and a few announcement posters on the walls. It was empty except for a short woman leaning on a table waiting for Jonathan and Esrau. The dark hair curled around her pretty face. The woman was wearing a pale red skirt and a shade darker blouse.

“Lydia Seirs, how may I help you, gentlemen?”

“Captain Frenk of the Three. I need to visit Klinger.”

“Please follow me. You’ll have to wait until she has time for you.” Lydia led them between the desks to a room in a corridor behind the office. She pointed towards some chairs and sat behind a typewriter continuing to work on a document already in the machine. The room had a few cabinets, thriving plants by the window, and a hanging decoration of painted glass casting a colorful pattern on the floor.

“Where is everyone?” Jonathan asked in his native language.

“Probably having lunch,” Esrau answered with a heavy accent. A little later the murmur of voices and the scraping of chair legs from the office confirmed this. Lydia made some trips with her papers but returned every time. After one such trip, she didn’t sit in her chair, but said: “Please, follow me.”

They walked to the room at the end of the corridor. It didn’t resemble anything Jonathan had thought about the director rooms in the pigment industry. There was a thick carpet on the floor and the windows were covered by a light curtain with geometric decorations made with copper-colored metal thread. The furniture was white and delicate including the sofa and the bookshelves. A vase full of fresh flowers spread a pleasant fragrance to the room. Lydia left the room closing the door.

“Klinger,” Esrau bowed. The woman behind the sparkling white desk almost made Jonathan gasp while he joined the greeting. Klinger was a thin creature with sharp eyes. Her skin resembled a stone whose surface was a battleground for different species of flat lichen. The intersecting circles and spots colored her skin creating a pattern like the interference on the water surface on a rainy day, drawn in the different shades from pink to brown in the smooth skin.

It was impossible to estimate the woman’s original coloring before some exposure, her faulty genetics or a sickness had colored her skin. Klinger’s curled hair was a mixture of shades from blondes to dark brown and she was wearing a white robe adorned with white stitches on shiny, white filament.

“Esrau, I heard you made it to the captain,” Klinger said, her voice a rich alto, its controlled softness contrasting the feverish eyes. She was looking at the hulking nocturna like a hunter looks at a beast of prey through the rifle sight. “I see taking the risk with Lieutenant Huran eventually bore fruit.”

“Thanks. Commander Wratski hasn’t changed her view on cooperation or exposing the planet’s biological machines to unnecessary danger. I see your actions have brought you prosperity,” the nocturna answered stiffly.

Even Klinger’s eyes were spotted. Their whites were striped with shadows when she turned her attention to Jonathan.

“Miklen, from Sandau,” Jonathan said quickly, following an intuition, and Klinger smiled showing perfect, white teeth.

“A pleasant surprise. I had lost all hope for you to join us. Thank you for bringing him here Esrau, he is late to arrive, but this opens us new possibilities. Sit down.”

Klinger walked to the sofa group and chose a fragile-looking chair covered with shining white fabric. Esrau took the sofa and Jonathan was left with another chair. He noticed the flower arrangement included metal spikes decorated with small crystals and metal pearls.

“Miklen, I have seen the letters and am surprised to see you here.”

Jonathan had no idea about the contents of the communication, but he embraced his improvised role as Miklen. “There was a sudden opportunity to leave the country and I took that. I met Esrau on the way and he made this possible.”

“Those corrupted bastards are keeping their eyes everywhere. Were you followed?” Klinger asked.

“I took care of the secrecy,” Esrau said.

“Excellent. Should you have been present in Sandau the operation would have succeeded. Miklen, when Cassine was expelled, was the damned dragon there?” Klinger spitted.

“None saw it. It doesn’t reveal itself.”

“It must have been the dragon. We will catch that cursed artificial eventually, captain.” Klinger was agitated.

“Have you already planned the next move?” Esrau said carefully like a man walking on one-night-old ice.

“I have kept the operation frozen because the dragon has heard about us,” Klinger said.

“What do you mean?” Esrau asked.

“There was a young man in Shibasa. I am sure he was equipped with augmentations and contact protocols, the dragon was surely talking in his mind, for he knew too much, spoke too much, and asked too much.” Esrau and Jonathan nodded like Klinger’s words were making sense and she continued with fire in her eyes: “It was before our latest attempt, and I didn’t let that man find us. We tried to remove him, twice...and we failed. That man was not human, but a corrupted creature, a dragon’s puppet.”

“What was he asking?” Jonathan asked.

“He said he was looking for someone and planned to travel with him to the north, which was an obvious trap. But we have spotted him after that. Esrau, if a young man named Aldermei Veringe drops to your hands, kill him. Do it without hesitation. I’ll pay.” Klinger was so carried with her revenge that she didn’t notice Jonathan’s expression. Esrau did.

“Where this Veringe can be found?” Esrau asked without looking at Jonathan.

“In Giza. He has always come from there and returned to the same city. He might be a friend to one baron Kanden, whose family has a standing history in the shady contacts. Last time Veringe traveled with the young baron.” Jonathan recognized the southern Khem’s aristocratic way of speech in Klinger’s words. At the same time, fear gripped his stomach, for the man who had dropped from the orbit had lived his short remaining life in Baron Kanden’s house. The unsuspecting navigator might have shared a dinner with the memory of an ancient monster.

“I’ll do what I can,” Esrau said.

“We will continue our cooperation for the dragon,” Klinger said in an emotionless voice. “You can tell your commander Wratski that a new operation will be prepared as the situation cools down, and your help is needed.”

Esrau nodded. “I’ll tell her. I am spending a week in the city if you need my services.”

“Thank you, captain. Miklen, Lydia will find Cassine. Stay with her and wait for orders. You may leave.”

The men glanced at each other, bowed, and left. Klinger stared at the flowers, crushing a plucked petal between her fingers.

The two men walked in the street. Lydia had insisted ‘Miklen’ to stay but Esrau had mentioned a lunch. Lydia turned out to have heard about the amount of food nocturna consumed and she ushered the men to fetch their food informing them where Cassine was likely to be found.

“Who is Aldermei Veringe and why did you almost swallow your tongue when he was mentioned?” Esrau asked.

“He murdered my father and my sister,” Jonathan answered coldly. “Are you truly trying to kill the dragon?”

“In that case I understand.” Only the minimal change in the nocturna’s bearing indicated he considered patting Jonathan’s shoulder but suppressed the idea. “What comes to the dragon…I don’t know anymore. Does it physically exist?”

“She hasn’t disappeared.”

“Kvenrei, why you don’t you lie to me?” Nocturna stopped and looked at the shorter man.

“Because I don’t trust the dragon. Because she wants to have Veringe as her plaything. Maybe I am just tired of lying. Why wouldn’t you kill the dragon, that’s what your people were born for?”

“You are correct; the army was here to defend Watergate against the dragons. After the war, the remains of the dropship forces took it upon themselves to protect Watergate and the remaining humanity from the planet itself. But keeping the biosphere balanced is getting difficult as the required technology was lost. Unless the dragon exists…it would open the treasures remaining in the orbit for us. With that technology, we could keep Watergate’s systems under control.” Esrau spoke slowly, the moral conflict clear in his voice.

“She won’t act as an orbital elevator. Have you also forgotten the art of half-truths and direct lies?”

“No one reaches the orbit if Wratski continues her war with Klinger’s help and they manage to get a micro-explosive in a suitable place. Yes, I believe we need some direct communication between us two.”

They walked on, towards the restaurant Lydia had pointed out.

“What shall you do with Klinger?” Jonathan asked.

“I am thinking about it. Her words complicated my plans. What are you planning?”

“I’ll check if Cassine is in there. I want to scare him.”

“A good start. I’d like to see how you handle this. Did the original Miklen look like you?”

“Not at all. Will it mess up your plans, if Cassine reports to his boss that this Miklen is a fake?”

“Would you stay and serve Klinger, if I remove Cassine?”

“No. I have served too many crime lords. I am not doing it again.”

”In that case, it doesn’t matter. Either Klinger hears you are not Miklen or she concludes something when you disappear. After you.” Nocturna opened the door letting a delicious smell of food wafting out.

Cassine’s hair had grown longer, but the man was instantly recognizable even if he was just putting his coat on. Without hesitation, Jonathan walked to Cassine and took hold of his arm.

“Cassine, it is you!” Jonathan smiled heartily. “What a happy coincidence! Are you leaving, come, I’ll offer you a beer.”

“You are...the clothes trader, Kvenrei. Nice to see you and Esrau?” Cassine followed them out smoothing his jacket.

“You know what Cassine, we just visited Klinger,” Jonathan said putting his arm to the man’s waist like a lover and pushing a short blade to his ribs breaking the jacket and scratching the skin. “Is Miklen a spy?”

“No, he did nothing but fall in love with the wrong man. Let him be,” Cassine stiffened, but Jonathan’s hold was strong, and his smile was cruel.

“Really? Would his letters tell the same?”

“Miklen has no clue on what I did. I never sent the letters I showed to Klinger, I never called him here. I faked all the communication.”

“So, you have turned out to be just a perfect gentleman. What would you have done should you have succeeded in Sandau?” Jonathan felt his irritation develop towards anger. He had already once saved this man from Anhava, then driven by his guilt, but Jesrade was dead, and everything had been in vain.

“I would have stayed there. With him.”

“Waiting for the next order?” Jonathan increased the pressure on the blade.

“No. I didn’t anymore know what I wanted. I had been told the dragon and ainadu to be a bunch of demons ready to rip humanity’s existence from Watergate, but…you were not. I was already questioning my orders when I rode to Sandau.”

“You should have made the right conclusions,” Jonathan said in the Bird’s tones dragging Cassine to an alley. Esrau walked on his side.

“Kvenrei, you don’t have to do it like this,” the nocturna said calmly.

“Everything is easier if we bury him in the sea.”

Cassine breathed rapidly but kept silent, he guessed the blade would contact his lungs the moment he opened his mouth.

“Listen, Kvenrei. Every life is important and has a meaning. Cassine led you to the tracks of the person you were looking for just by existing.”

“I have already saved this terrorist once.”

“Thanks,” Cassine whispered. “From who?”

“A tall man with a sharp sword.” Jonathan pulled his blade a little away from Cassine’s flesh.

“He could return to Sandau?” Esrau said and Jonathan snorted. “Klinger believes Kvenrei here is your Miklen. He could say he came to take you. Klinger has a reason to start a new operation and you are the best man for the mission.”

Cassine was very quiet.

“Are you saying he would report Klinger’s messages to me?” Jonathan said, the will to kill slowly fading.

“It might work. Either of you could betray the other, but it would be a change. That is all you can get, all you can give. A change to live, a change to love, a change to forgive.” Esrau spoke softly.

“What do you say, would you continue your life in the north, serving the ones you tried to betray?” Jonathan whispered.

“Yes,” Cassine answered without moving until Jonathan pulled the blade away.

“Let’s go to talk with Klinger,” Jonathan said. “If you decide to betray me, I’ll kill that spotted bitch, her secretary, and the first three office workers I can catch.”

“Do not give him a reason for that,” Esrau added dryly.

Four days later Cassine met Jonathan and his family in the airport. They would travel to the eastern coast and take a ship to Sandau.

“My younger kids, Liida, Tiago, and Meina,” Kvenrei introduced in the ainadu language. “And this is my captain Pakhui.”

“Occasionally acting as the babysitter,” Pakhui added.

The two-year-old girl with her pink stuffed toy dog was not a threat Cassine had imagined and the man hid his surprise comically badly. Kvenrei smiled. He wanted to hunt Jenet, but not with his family in tow. He would take Cassine to Sandau, check the situation, and later join Bladewater on a visit to Baron Kanden.