A Dragon's Tale Ch. 55

"Might as well be." Beth huffed. "We'll never see you again."

"That's not true." The Brazilian woman replied. "Assuming that I come out of this mission okay, I plan--"

"When." Kendra interrupted firmly. "When you come out of it okay."

Selene smiled. "Thenwhen I come out of it okay, I'll probably have to come back here to flee from Smithbond--" She smiled. "--I mean, agent Clive Eustace Humphry and his nameless agency."

"You don't really believe that though, do you?" Rachel said.

"Well, I've had this feeling that things will work out okay and that I could still become an FBI agent, but that's just wishful thinking."

"I don't think it is." Taloni said. "I feel like you'll get the chance."

Everyone looked around at each other, all probably thinking exactly what Ethan was. Tee was incredibly intuitive and if she felt like it was likely, then it probably was. Ethan couldn't see how it could happen, but he'd learned not to ignore his third wife's gut.

The Fey teen hesitated, then added. "You don't need to stay though. You could come back here." Her tone was hopeful but sad.

"I plan to come back here at least once." She replied. "I want to say a proper goodbye to everyone, and hopefully that will include Sarah." She looked at Ethan. "Were you still planning to fly down to Paliso and talk to Lord Farbrottan about where Lady Ekthros might have taken her?"

"I was." He nodded. He'd been trying to keep the wonderful innkeeper's daughter out of his thoughts to stop himself from worrying so much. The attack the previous night, Selene leaving, and Kendra's state of mind because of the impending departure at least were good distractions.

"You could stay." Taloni said to Selene. "Instead of coming back to say goodbye, you could come back to stay."

"I could..." Selene conceded, but her tone indicated that she wasn't perfectly happy with that idea.

"You promised." Ethan said. "When we had that long discussion about if we were going to war, you promised that if you got the chance to become an FBI agent, you'd take it. And we all know you'd never lie."

Selene shifted uncomfortably on her feet and looked down.

"As much as I want you to come back to the Argo, you shouldn't stop pursuing something you've been working towards your entire life because of us." He finished.

"Okay." The Brazilian woman nodded, though she still didn't look entirely happy about it.

Kendra sniffled. "At least Luminar Kossel gave Ethan that pair of linked portals. We could visit each other occasionally."

"Hopefully more than occasionally." Selene replied. It looked like she had attempted a smile, but it wasn't a very successful attempt.

Kendra nodded.

Everyone gave Selene a hug and Kendra gave her one longer than the rest by a significant margin.

"You're coming back to visit." Kendra said firmly when she had let Selene go. "This isn't goodbye. It's not." She sniffled again and it almost sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

"I'm definitely coming back to visit." Selene replied, though she was blinking rather a lot more than normal. "Maybe I can... I don't know, show you around Earth sometime?"

"I'd like that." Kendra nodded, sniffled, and blinked a bit, then looked around at everyone. "We need to pray for Selene before she goes."

They did.

All of his wives plus Anthiel prayed, and just because everyone looked at him expectantly when they were done, he did as well. It was awkward and he didn't know what to say, but the ladies seemed to appreciate his awkward fumblings anyway.

"Thor." Selene called. "Thor."

The kitten ran over to her and she reached down and petted him. "I promise I'll be back."

Thor nuzzled her hand.

Selene picked him up and petted him. "Hopefully it won't be too long and the others will take good care of you while I'm gone."

Thor cocked his head to one side and meowed.

She held him for another minute before he started squirming. "I have to put him down now, don't I?"

"We'll take good care of him." Alana promised.

Selene swallowed hard, nodded, and then set him down. He scampered off to sniff some spot on the decking while she watched him.

Everyone watched him for a moment until Selene spoke. "I really need to go."

She didn't move.

It was several minutes later that Alana gave Selene the weight-reduction necklace and she put it on, then she climbed onto Ethan's back.

"Back in a bit." He said.

"Take care." Selene looked around at everyone but ended looking at Kendra.

"You too." The raven-haired woman replied.

Then they left.

Selene didn't say anything while he flew towards the portal and it was a reasonably long flight. Anthiel had sailed the Argo quite far during the night and so they needed to fly back near the abandoned temple where the portal was. Eventually, he landed on the road near it, far enough away that any lookouts wouldn't see.

"Well, I guess this is it." He said after she slid off his back and returned the weight-reduction necklace.

"I guess so." She replied.

Neither moved.

It was really strange that this moment was finally here. She had been such an integral part of his crew for... well it wasn't actually that long. It had only been about a month but it seemed like so much longer, years even. Frankly, she had become such an integral part of his life that he was finding it hard to believe that she was leaving, but she was. She was going to become an FBI agent and probably work her way right to the top. She did that; worked too hard and didn't take as good care of herself as she probably should.

"Hey Selene." He finally said.

"Yeah?"

"If you get a chance, get one of those iced chai lattes with whipped cream and fudge sauce you mentioned the other day."

She raised her eye. "You remembered?"

He shrugged. "You really don't take care of yourself; I'm just trying to make sure you do."

"You noticed?"

He nodded. "You make sure the necessities are taken care of, but you haven't actually enjoyed life very much until recently, have you?"

"Fair." She inclined her head in concession. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." He managed a smile, but with Selene leaving it wasn't very large.

"I guess I should go, huh?"

He nodded. That was indeed the plan.

"Hey Ethan."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for... for everything." She half smiled. "I think the last month-- has it only been a month?"

He nodded.

"Well, it's been the best month of my life, or at least the best since my brother died and I became..." She trailed off, probably looking for the right word.

"Training obsessed?" He suggested.

"...me." She sighed. "That's just who I am now, who I needed to become so I can be an FBI agent who can really help people."

"It's always about that for you, isn't it? Helping people I mean."

"I don't remember what I was like before my brother died, but since then..." She waggled her head back and forth. "Maybe a little."

"Take care of yourself Selene." He said, offering his hand. "I mean that."

"I'll try." She took his hand and shook it.

Ethan felt like this parting should be more momentous. She was leaving the Argo for good, not counting the occasional visit. A handshake and well-wishes seemed woefully inadequate to the occasion, but it was the best that he had.

"Go on, get out of here." He finally said, trying his best to smile. It didn't feel right and probably didn't look right, but he tried.

"Okay." She half-smiled back.

Then she turned and started walking. After a moment, she stopped and looked back at him. "Take care of Kendra for me, will you?"

"Always." He nodded, feeling his throat get rather tight and his eyes a bit watery.

"Thanks." She nodded, then turned and walked away.

Ethan watched her go, feeling like an enormous part of his life was walking out of it and not liking that fact.

* * *

Sarah yawned and stretched as she woke, making sure not to hit Amy beside her. Ellis had brought two small military-style two-man tents so the two women shared one. Amy snored softly and occasionally talked in her sleep, but it was still nice to have her there. Having now lived with another person in her room, Sarah was certain that she didn't want to sleep alone again. She supposed that once she married Rindrin she would have her wish. She rather hoped that Amy would marry him as well since she was wonderful company.

"Rise and shine ladies; we're burning daylight." Ellis said from outside the tent. They had camped off the road in a copse of trees with some denser underbrush that was close enough to the road to get moving again quickly.

Amy started stirring beside her and so Sarah tried to get up to leave the tent, but her leg muscles protested loudly.

"Oww." She groaned. She hadn't ridden a horse for any appreciable length of time in a very long time and her legs were letting her know about it.

"Is that your legs miss?" Ellis asked from outside the tent.

"Yes, they're very sore." She replied as she moved stiffly. She hadn't noticed it very much the previous day when they had bedded down, but she certainly noticed it today.

"I have a rub that will help miss." He replied. I'll set it outside your tent in a tin. Rub it on everywhere that's sore and I guarantee you will feel better soon."

"Thank you." Sarah replied with a wide smile; relief sounded wonderful.

"Yes, thank you." Amy said and then yawned.

The two ladies faced away from each other to apply the salve after Sarah retrieved it. It didn't smell very good but the relief it provided was incredible. The two ladies left the tent, they all ate a quick breakfast, relieved themselves, and then got back on the road.

"How long until we get there?" Amy asked once they had returned to the road and were underway.

"At least another day, possibly two days miss." Ellis replied. "It depends on if we make good time."

Sarah started her usual morning prayers while they were riding, mostly about protection for Fiona and Conner. She couldn't imagine anything could keep them safe from Lady Ekthros, but she hoped and prayed that Illuminar would do something.

* * *

"I'm from Earth, please don't shoot." Selene said loudly as she walked through the forest with her hands raised. She was pretty sure they wouldn't shoot because of what she was saying and also because they almost certainly had seen her face before. She would've been listed as missing in action and they probably would've been briefed.

Well, hopefully.

"I'm from Earth, please don't shoot." Selene said loudly again, just as she had been doing every several seconds since she'd entered the forest

She opened a one-way window in her mental defenses and reached out with her telepathy, hoping to get a sense of what was coming. She could feel several minds nearby, but it was hard to get a read on their exact location or thoughts. She certainly didn't get any fear or worry though, which was good. Mostly it was curiosity.

"Halt!" Someone stepped out from behind a large tree in front of her with a rifle raised.

She froze.

He frowned. "Miss Dawson; you were listed as MIA and likely KIA." He eyed the scar on her cheek. "It looks like you came close anyway."

"I did. A few times actually." She agreed. "Pardon me for the cliché, but I might never get another chance to say this: take me to your leader."

The man smiled while somehow not looking less serious or lowering his rifle. "Keep your hands where I can see them." He raised his voice. "Squad, guard Miss Dawson."

Several more men stepped out from around her all with rifles at the ready. She interlocked her fingers and rested them on her head, glad that they weren't handcuffing her. They did pat her down looking for weapons, but were very professional about it and didn't grope. They walked for a short distance until they reached a break in the trees, beyond which were the ruins of the temple where she had arrived in the Ten Kingdoms.

It was unrecognizable.

Overhead, a massive camouflage canopy had been stretched over the entire clearing. It was probably several pieces and it covered everything that she could see. From the air, they were well-disguised. They had erected what looked like modular metal walls around the temple, and she could see at least one surface-to-air missile launcher beyond them. There were also several.50 caliber machine guns spaced around the wall at regular intervals.

It was a fortress.

Or at least, it would be utterly impregnable to the technology in the Ten Kingdoms.

As she looked around, she realized that they had probably spent most of the last month setting up the heavily defended base. It had probably taken that long given the short time a portal could remain open and the amount of equipment they had moved through it. From a tactical standpoint, that made sense; it was better to secure your proverbial beachhead before expanding out.

They walked her through the gate and she drew rather a lot of stares as they did so. She was used to that, but she noticed that there were fewer up-and-down looks at her body and more stares at her cheek. She smiled wryly; apparently her scar had changed things.

Things were about what she expected to see inside the walls. There were rather a lot of prefabricated buildings and about equal numbers of soldiers and scientist types in lab coats. She was still drawing a lot of stares and guessed she was their first uninvited visitor.

They escorted her into what looked like the command building. The inside looked exactly like what a forward operations base in the field usually looked like from watching movies. Apparently, Hollywood got some things right.

"Sir, Miss Selene Dawson." The leader of the squad guarding her announced upon entry.

A woman built like Brienne of Tarth from Game of Thrones looked up from her desk. She would never win a beauty contest but looked like she could snap a small man in half. She was wearing camo fatigues and had a piercing expression on her face.

"And what makes you think that Sergeant?" She asked. "You read the briefing; they have disguise tech."

"Apologies Sir." He replied.

The woman looked at Selene. "You'll have to confirm your identity."

"Sure. How?"

The commander sat down at a nearby computer, typed for several seconds, then looked at her. "Mother's maiden name?"

"Yoshida."

"Blood type?"

"O-negative."

"Birthday?"

"June sixth." Selene replied, feeling yet another wince of guilt for having lied to everyone on the Argo. She wasn't even sure why she had done it other than she didn't want to be forced to marry Ethan. Hell, he'd probably be a good husband and she wasn't even that opposed to being his wife after living with his family for a month. However, she didn't want Illuminar to force her to marry him. She didn't care when her birthday was, she sure as hell wasn't going to be forced into marriage by anyone.

Ever.

The woman nodded. "Sing a few bars of some popular songs in the US."

Selene sighed again, but was rather glad that this woman was sharp and taking precautions; she didn't seem the type to do anything rash. She sang a few verses from some popular Taylor Swift songs that one of her college roommates had played seemingly forever on repeat.

The woman held up her hand, though she rubbed her ear with the other hand. "That's enough singing."

"I can't carry a tune in a bucket, sorry." Selene replied apologetically.

"Nor can I." The woman looked at her for a moment before speaking. "I'm Colonel Mattock; it's good to see that you survived Miss Dawson."

"It's good to have survived."

"It looks like you had some difficulty with that." The colonel gestured to her scar.

"A little run-in with a dragon." She replied. Luminar Kossel had been adamant that she must never lie. The agents of Smithbond's organization were trained to spot a lie from a thousand yards which made it a bad idea. He did however point out that she didn't need to tell them everything.

"What happened to the others who scouted with you?" Colonel Mattock asked.

"We were ambushed while scouting and they were killed." Selene replied. "I'm pretty sure I survived only because they had some, uh, 'unsavory' plans for me."

Mattock grunted. "Command will want to debrief you. The next scheduled portal opening is tomorrow at 1400 hours, so you'll have to sit tight here for a while."

"I guessed that would happen." She replied, thinking that 2pm the next day wasn't so bad.

"I have standing orders to treat an operative who comes back alone as potentially compromised as a precaution." The colonel continued, then looked at the men who had brought her in. "Sergeant, think of something to secure her since we don't have a brig and make sure she's comfortable." The colonel then turned her attention back to the screen in front of her.

The men who had brought her in took her to one of the poles that held the canopy up and then used handcuffs to secure one of her wrists to a length of lightweight chain attached to one of the canopy supports. The location was visible to many people and not too far from the command tent, though too far to hear anything coming from it. Then someone dragged a metal cot with its mattress out from one of the nearby barracks.

"Someone will check on you every hour." The Sergeant said. "Chow is at 0700, 1300 and 1900, holler if you need to use the latrine."

"Will do." She nodded.

"One of my men brought a deck of cards he volunteered to lend you if you know enough solitaire games to pass the time." The sergeant offered.

"I know a couple, thanks; I'd really appreciate that." She smiled.

He nodded and returned a minute later with a deck of cards, then his squad headed back towards the gate, presumably to return to their posts. Selene closed her eyes and directed her attention towards Colonel Mattock, hoping to get something from her mind. It took her several minutes to sort through the mental cacophony and find the base commander's mind. When she did, she stepped into the colonel's surface-level thoughts to get a sense of what they were planning.

It was a bit disappointing.

It seemed like the colonel was more an administrator and defense coordinator than anything else. The flashes, images, and impressions that Selene got from her were almost entirely about administration, making sure the base was defended, and ensuring that the scientists were properly supplied. Selene pulled out of her mind, and like other minds that she'd encountered, she felt a slight resistance as she did so. It seemed the deeper she went, the harder it was to leave a person's mind.

She spent the next hour or so looking into the various minds around her, mostly trying to focus on the scientists. Sadly, she learned very little. It seemed like everyone was compartmentalized into various tasks and no one -- not even the base commander -- had the full picture.

However, from what she gathered, it seemed like they were merely on an information-gathering mission for now. However, a lot of the thoughts she picked up were excitement for moving beyond the small base. That didn't bode well.

* * *

*Selene, how are you doing?* Ethan thought to the group chat about fifteen minutes after he had returned to the Argo.

*Fine.* She replied and gave them a summary of what had happened so far.

*Good.* Kendra thought to everyone.

He looked over at her. The dragon huntress had been pacing the Argo's deck for the last several minutes and showed no sign of slowing down. He guessed she'd been doing that for a while because she'd been doing so when he returned.

*Hey guys, I'm going to close my connection to the group chat.* Selene thought to everyone. *Sometimes you all need to talk to each other and I don't want to get distracted if that happens when I need to pay attention. I also don't want anyone to suspect that I'm telepathic. I'll keep my link with Ethan open though, so if you all need to talk to me, let him know and I'll open up my link to the group chat again.*