The Elementalist

32. Consider Yourself Briefed

Consider Yourself BriefedHow did you get inside my house?” Voi turned from the front door, expecting to see him in the living room. However, his voice came from the kitchen.

“In here,” he said, seemingly unconcerned about her aggravation.

Voi walked slowly towards the kitchen, her tentative soles tapping the hardwood floor. She paused to rest a hand on the frame of the archway dividing the kitchen from the living room, then she switched on a light. A pensive figure was hunched over the sink with his back towards her, gazing out the window.

“You know,” said Voi, “you’re almost becoming predictable, in a way. Showing up when a girl least expects.”

Ronny chuckled, glancing back at her with a wry expression. He returned his attention to the window. The shadow of a tree lurked just beyond—gently swaying to and fro, its dry leaves rustling in the wind.

“You haven’t answered my question yet. How did you get in?”

“Easy. I made a copy of your house key before I gave you the original.”

She frowned. “Why would you do that?”

Ronny turned, keeping one hand on the counter as he slid the other beneath his trench coat, resting it on his hip. “In case something were to happen to you.”

“Such as?”

“Spies, assassins… nosy boyfriends.”

Her eyes widened. “I beg your pardon?” She certainly didn’t like the possessiveness in his tone.

“It’s sure faster than picking locks and a hell of a lot quieter than breaking windows.”

“It’s also entirely unnecessary,” said Voi, folding her arms. “I can handle myself around the captain just fine.”

Ronny gave her a good long look. “As your handler on behalf of the Apexian Intelligence Agency, I think I’ll be the judge of that.”

She balled her fists then stormed over to him. “I’m already doing my part in this! You people don’t get to tell me how to live my life anymore.”

Ronny pushed himself off the counter. “You don’t understand who you’re dealing with yet, doll. None of us do—which is why, in the interests of your allegiance to Apexia, I’m advising you not to entangle yourself with Captain Neverri on a personal level.”

Voi shook her head. “I can’t believe you’re lecturing me about loyalty.” She moved towards the living room, switching on the ceiling light. “Look, Ronny, I’m tired.” She vigorously fluffed a pillow from the sofa. “If there’s a legitimate reason for you spying on me, then I suggest you spit it out sooner rather than later.” She threw the pillow back on the sofa then tossed herself after it.

“This is as legitimate as it gets,” he said. “The Borellians have a long history of flexing their military muscles. Neverri is no exception. It flatters him, even if it means risking a conflict that could have potentially been avoided in the first place. So, from now on, you’re required to provide regular reports of your interactions with Neverri to me and Milia. That way, we can assess whether he poses any danger to Apexian or League interests.”

“Tyrant.”

“It’s nothing personal, Voi. Just protocol.”

She sniffed. “Is that all you came here to say?”

He didn’t respond.

Voi looked over her shoulder, waiting for him to continue.

“I spoke with Milia about this again. I told her I didn’t think Neverri was going to drop this thing with you. He’s too invested. He’s got… eyes on you.”

Voi sat up, facing Ronny. “What do you mean?”

“Did you tell him anything about the mission or your abilities?”

“No! Why would I tell him anything? You told me not to talk about it, so I kept quiet. As I said, I’m doing my part.” She realized then that, because of the kiss, Andre knew which element was hers, though she decided to keep this to herself.

Ronny gave her a suspicious look. “Anyway, I think he started getting paranoid after the attack in Kippoli. We thought we could convince the AAC to buy the MR-6 by now and keep him out of this, but we’re running out of time. Parameters need readjusting, which means we’ll be working with Neverri throughout the mission. You’ll be flying the aethercraft to Jeanru in two days.”

“Oh,” said Voi.

Ronny came over and took the floral armchair to Voi’s left, trying it out for size. Satisfied, he rested his hands on its arms. “You’ll be testing the Manta Ray’s long-range performance—a nice excuse to get us closer to the Fambrachs, if you’ll recall.” He leaned back in the chair.

Heart racing, Voi placed her feet firmly on the ground then stared at them.

“Are you ready?” asked Ronny.

“I… well, that depends.” She looked at him. “How involved will Andre be?”

“Pretty involved. He threatened to pull out of the MR-6 contract and some other projects he’s been working on for the League unless he was included in this mission. He has ties to Borellian Military Intelligence, though, so this isn’t all bad news.”

Voi’s eyes widened.

“You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

She gave a derisive snort. “Don’t insult me, Callahan; we both know I don’t have any choice in the matter.” How else was she supposed to avoid the asylum?

He said nothing.

“Any idea what I’ll find when I get there?”

Ronny reached inside his coat then pulled out a large manila envelope.

“What’s that?” asked Voi.

He placed the envelope on the coffee table, opened it, then began pulling out some folded papers. “Maps.” Carefully, he unfolded and smoothed out their surfaces. “Might prove useful when you’re up in the sky.”

Voi moved to the floor, folding her legs in a comfortable position. The maps, she realized, covered Borellia and Darmoil in detail—especially the mountainous region in between.

“What I’m about to share with you is classified information. You’re not allowed to discuss this information with anyone other than myself or Milia. When it is discussed, it must be done so in a discreet location. Is that understood?”

She nodded.

He considered her sternly then looked over the maps, gesturing in the general region of the mountains. “As I said, we’re interested in the Fambrachs. We’ll have an isolated safe house set up a few miles east of Jeanru, near here.” He pointed. “A red s***h will be painted onto the east side of the roof; that’s how you’ll find it. The MR-6 can be parked in the barn. It’ll accommodate the wingspan. The land here is a bit lumpy in places, being at the base of the mountains, but it shouldn’t be too much trouble for you to perform a vertical landing.”

Voi eyed him critically. “Of course not.”

Ignoring her, Ronny traced his finger slightly east across the border. “There’s a small village called Zhil Lomao currently under the protection of Darmoilen anti-aerocraft laws, which came into effect after the Haran occupied it during the Rapine War. The locals used to trade with businessmen who worked out of Soryul’s outpost further north. That’s where the League is interested in gathering intelligence.”

“Soryul,” said Voi, “as in Heil Soryul, the man who enslaved those miners a while ago?”

Ronny nodded. “Most of his mines were appropriated by the Darmoilen government as reparations for his crimes, though the one in Zhil Lomao was supposed to be shut down indefinitely.”

“But… we have reason to believe it might still be in use?” Voi conjectured.

“Thanks to an anonymous tip, the Darmoilen government caught a Haran operative a few months ago in the middle of a deal with a former contact of Soryul’s: a black-market dealer named Ikul Zorai. They found Zorai in possession of a small sample of gem-sized aetheric crystals, which he planned on selling more of to the Haran, but Darmoilen authorities were able to intercept them before the exchange was completed.

“Now, as far as we know, aetheric crystals have only been unearthed in Borellia, and the Borellians keep a tight leash on their crystal trades. That leads us to one of two conclusions: either someone from the League is dealing under the table, or the Darmoilen have found their own source of aetheric crystals.”

Voi shrugged. “Why would the latter be such a bad thing?”

“The League believes that the Borellians hold a monopoly on aetheric crystals. Granted, we don’t fully understand what they’re capable of yet, but we do know that the crystals can be used to augment our technology. Now, if it turns out the Darmoilen have them, too… well, that could influence our future negotiations with them. Beyond this, Zorai’s interaction with the Haran operative holds some new implications we haven’t considered before.

“You see, at one point, Soryul was in control of the majority of Darmoil’s mining operations—metals, minerals, gemstones, you name it. We also know that Soryul and Zorai have worked together in the past—namely when they corralled those civilians into unpaid labor at the Mihn Ten mines.”

Voi furrowed her brow. “You think Soryul and Zorai are working with the Haran? I don’t see a connection.”

“None of us did until Milia came back with her report from Darmoil. She was the one responsible for gathering a lot of this intelligence. In fact, Milia was there to personally question the Haran operative after he was apprehended by the Darmoilen. The same day, some men showed up and tried to break the operative out of prison. They were Northerners, which you typically don’t find in the Haran; Milia believes they were actually sent by Soryul.”

Voi’s mind was spinning with new information. How could they be sure that Milia wasn’t making any of this up? After all, the assassins at the inn had turned out to be emissaries.

“It gets better,” said Ronny. “After the attack on the prison, Darmoil decided to share some intelligence: there’s been a noticeable increase in shipments being sent by train into Zhil Lomao over the past two years. Images of the shipping manifests haven’t revealed any unusual cargo, so if something suspicious is being shipped, then somehow, it’s getting past the emperor’s nose.

“What we do know is that before the mining outpost at Zhil Lomao was shut down, it produced several minerals including copper, manganese, magnesium, and aluminum. All four are ingredients for producing duraluminum—which, while used in some planes, is more often used to create—”

“Airships.” Voi didn’t realize she’d said this aloud until she caught Ronny’s surprised look.

“Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “Anyway, if that mine has been reactivated for some reason, then it’s possible that someone could be after its unique pool of minerals—someone with an interest in producing war machines. However, they could also be mining for something else altogether.”

“Like aetheric crystals,” said Voi, slowly nodding along with their conversation.

“Exactly. The problem is the League has more speculation than facts, so it’s imperative that we gather more reliable intelligence on the region. Darmoil has already lost resources to this investigation, including one of their own agents. This is our chance to prove that both sides are capable of working together towards a common goal.”

So, it’s a race for resources, then. How many wars had been fought over material goods? Voi sighed, turning to study the maps—curious as to why the Haran had chosen the Fambrachs as a base during the war. “Is it possible that the more recent air pirates have been coming out of this location?” she asked, pointing to Zhil Lomao specifically.

“Sure,” said Ronny, “I suppose that’s a possibility. Zhil Lomao is pretty remote, and the Borellian Air Guard hasn’t been able to investigate the area during peacetime without breaching anti-aerocraft laws or putting the Darmoilen government on alert.”

“So, it’s not truly spying, then, is it?” asked Voi. “We have Darmoil’s consent, so I can’t really go to prison for getting caught.”

“You could still lose your life if you’re not careful or come across a hidden enemy. In their eyes, you’re still a spy.”

Voi stared at the map.

“Something on your mind?”

“You mean you don’t already know?”

He gave her one of his wry smirks. “Not exactly my talent.”

“What, exactly, are your talents, Mr. Callahan?”

“We already covered this—and I thought I told you not to call me that anymore.”

“Why not? That is your real name, isn’t? Callahan? Ron Callahan?”

He didn’t say anything, just worked his jaw.

Voi squinted. Conceding, she gave a nonchalant sigh then went back to the maps, searching for distinct landmarks that could aid her navigation. “You mentioned there was a train that brings supplies into Zhil Lomao?”

Reluctantly breaking out of his funk, he pulled out a new map with landmarks indicated then pointed to a red serpentine line. “If you can locate this here railroad, then following it northeast should lead you directly to the village. In the northern part of the mountains, there’s a glacier that runs south then redirects about twenty-five miles north of Zhil Lomao and empties into a lake to the east. It’s unlikely you’ll find anything out that far, but I’m sure Captain Neverri will have a more informed opinion about this.

“Speaking of the captain…”

Voi’s shoulders tensed.

“When you get back to the air base, he’s going to review some old photographs with you—the most recent images of Zhil Lomao that the Borellians have on file, that is. He should be able to familiarize you with what was last seen in the area. That way, you can be on the lookout for unusual changes. Assuming any were made.”

“You said there were anti-aerocraft laws protecting this region,” said Voi. “How old does that make the Borellian’s photographs?”

“Eight years, give or take.”

Voi arched her eyebrows.

“They were lucky enough to snap them just before the no-fly zone was put into effect. The Haran actually used to ship materials to Zhil Lomao so they could build and launch their aerocraft from the valley—something that wasn’t discovered until closer to the end of the war.”

Voi frowned. “I thought they were coming from J’ju.”

“For the most part, but they had a subsidiary base in the Fambrachs. Not a widely publicized fact, for the sake of managing public perception of the League’s handle on the situation.”

“So, you’re saying this place has a history of harboring pirates?” That would explain why people from Jeanru are always so paranoid…

“Not by choice,” said Ronny. “The natives were coerced into cooperating. The village was cleared of its raiders by the time the war was over, but we kept our eyes on it for a while. Unfortunately, ever since Marvin Rhys’ engine schematics were stolen two years back, most of our attempts to gather intelligence on radical Haran elements have failed—that is, up until Milia returned and Darmoil decided to start collaborating with us on this.”

Voi remained silent for a moment. “I know I’ve asked this before, but why send me in an aeroplane rather than a dirigible pilot to obtain new photographs?”

“A plane will be less noticeable. Besides, they’re a lot faster than airships. We need this mission to be carried out as discreetly and quickly as possible, and the MR-6 has the best chance of accomplishing that. If there do happen to be enemies in the region, then I seriously doubt they’d be able to catch you.”

“You seem… confident in my abilities.”

“Well, that’s why we hired you, Voi.” Ronny watched her, thoughtful. “I read Milia’s report on your encounter with the assassins in Kippoli.”

Ashamed, Voi looked away.

“Look, I don’t know how you got one of them to trust you so quickly, but whatever you did got us a partial name on their leader. Until now, we had no confirmation that the Shak a’Hara was even real.”

“Wasn’t too difficult, really.” She shrugged. “All I did was listen; he confessed on his dying breath that they came in peace.”

“What?”

“They never came there to hurt Milia in the first place. He told me they were emissaries.”

“Then why would Milia lie and say they were assassins?”

“I… I don’t know.” Voi shook her head and looked down at her hands, wringing them together.

“Huh.” He seemed conflicted. “This is important, Voi. Thank you for telling me.”

She nodded, keeping her eyes low.

“You may not think much of what you did at the inn, but we’re going to need more of your curiosity if we want to learn more about the Haran. I can’t speak for Sector One, but Apexian Intelligence is very interested to see how you perform on this mission, Voi. If things pan out, we may want to utilize more of your skill sets down the road—assuming you’re even interested, that is.”

Voi looked up with a hopeful glimmer in her eye, not expecting praise. Perhaps she was doing something right after all. Still, she had plenty of reservations. And concerns. “Ronny, if I got caught or stranded out in Darmoil, would you rescue me?”

His expression grew somber. “Voi, I—”

The telephone rang.

She got up to take the call. “This is Voi Román speaking. Hello?”

Wrong number, they said.

Voi huffed then placed the handset back on the stand. She turned back to Ronny, who was standing up. She looked around in confusion. “You’re leaving?”

“Yeah. Keep those maps someplace safe until you leave for Jeanru. I won’t see you again until then. Oh—and by the way, there’s a list of supplies in the envelope that you’ll need to purchase before leaving for Jeanru. Consider yourself briefed.”

When he moved for the front door, Voi called out his name. He stopped, and she fiddled with her hands. “Do you know anything else about Captain Neverri?”

Ronny gave her an odd look. “Not really… There wasn’t much about his past in his file—nothing before his time in the Aerokorppa, anyway. The League doesn’t want others nosing around in his business, for some reason. The man is a closed case, as far as I’m concerned.” He shrugged. “Besides that, you probably know more than I do.”

She laughed. “You’ve read his file?”

“I read reports on everyone I have to work with, Voi. Trust me: I’m sure he does the same.”

She bustled. “I see.”

“Are you concerned about him?”

“I’m not sure, but…”

Ronny raised an eyebrow.

“Milia says she doesn’t trust him. Neither does the League, apparently.”

“Do you?”

Not having a definitive answer, she bit her lip.

Taking this as a satisfactory answer, Ronny opened the door then called over his shoulder, “Be careful, Voi, and don’t forget the lock.”

She snorted. “For all the good that’ll do.”

Ronny gave her a weary look as he left.

Huffing, Voi applied the locks, her hands lingering on the mechanisms as she wondered why the last minutes of their interaction had left her so irritated. She went upstairs to undress. All you have to do is complete the mission, and this will all be over.

At least, that’s what she kept telling herself.

* * *

Two days later, when Voi planned on returning to Hangar 12, she discovered a letter from Secily in her mailbox. She took it apprehensively then scurried inside, collapsing onto her sofa as she tore the envelope open.

Voi,

You have nerve writing me as if I could easily forget your attitude at our last archery practice. It was unlike you, but I suppose this can be overlooked. You are, after all, so quick to forgive others. I believe this redeems you. As such, I see no reason why I shouldn’t return the favor, though it’s honestly more becoming in you than me.

But enough about my so-called grudge. Do you remember it was you who left Apexia without telling me how to get in touch with you? It wasn’t until I received your letter that I discovered your new address! Of that, too, you are forgiven.

Voi huffed then continued reading.

On the matter of your vaguely described job: kudos, I suppose. You know how I feel about piloting.

On the matter of this rich Borellian captain who’s taken with you… well that, zela, is what I would call a no-brainer. If the man doesn’t mind you being an emelesiac, then be quick about marrying him! I don’t mean to drill such a sore point for you, Voi, but life is short. I expect an invitation to your fertility soirée. (And while we’re still on this subject: I assume your dinner went well?)

Voi shook her head.

Lastly, I’m all for shopping. It’s about time you expanded your excuse for a wardrobe! May I suggest we start in the intimates department when you return to Chandra City—or will I be doing the traveling?

Yours truly,

Secily

P.S. Paul is still upset. Have you tried calling him? If so, consider me supremely jealous.

Voi sighed then stared out the window, feeling homesick. “Oh, Secily…” Later, when she had more time, Voi would call and tell Secily of her uncertain future with the captain. After completing her long-distance flights—and hopefully, her mission, which she couldn’t talk about—she should have time to return to Chandra for their shopping date. Perhaps then she would also be ready to face Paul.

For now, Voi began packing her gear for the journey to Jeanru, including the supplies Ronny suggested she purchase, including a white coat lined with fur, thicker sweaters, socks, and other paraphernalia. After packing, Voi collapsed onto the bed, a thousand little notions swimming through her mind. It still bothered her that she’d botched her kiss with Andre—a thought that made her cringe.

With all the rueful nostalgia, an even more unsettling notion came to mind: what would have happened had Andre not been able to stop Voi from suffocating him?