Chapter 7: Secrets and Lies

After visiting Aubrey, Aeris had become more restless than ever. She wanted to visit again, but Maggie forbade it. “If you sneak out too often, someone will notice,” she had said. “And I think you’ve had enough adventures for a while.”

But Aeris didn’t want to wait. Meeting Aubrey had awakened something within her. Just like when she first began reading her master’s calculus books. She couldn’t understand a word in it but something about it made her want to learn more, fascinated her. Thoughts of the things she could learn from Aubrey and the secrets left undiscovered nagged at her even in her sleep.

It was torture keeping it from being discovered. She was distracted, missed things, and would smile at random and inappropriate moments. The others noticed as Charles had taken an interest in her day-to-day activities. At random times of the day, he would appear, watching silently from the back door or even her window. The few times he did address her were always in the form of a question. To avoid saying too much, she kept her replies short.

The upside of her nagging thoughts was it helped distract her from things she found unpleasant such as Charles’ hovering.

She stared out the window, wondering secrets of her kind would be revealed to her when she got the chance to see Aubrey again. The Call sounded very interesting and she wanted to ask Aubrey to demonstrate it for her.

Master Aaron’s exhausted grunt in her ear brought her back to reality and the feeling of revulsion hanging in the pit of her stomach.

“Thank you, Aeris,” he said. “Things have been very stressful this past week.”

“You’re welcome,” she replied mechanically.

“Now, there is something I need to discuss with you.”

He stepped in front of her, and she looked away. The smell of their mingling scents became even stronger so she held her breath.

“Charles tells me you’re very distracted. Are you all right? You’ve been acting strange since Lilith arrived. You’re not jealous, are you?”

“No.” She didn’t understand why she would be jealous of Lilith but it didn’t change her answer. But she also couldn’t tell him how rude the woman is when no one is looking. Maggie made her promise she wouldn’t. “It’s nothing, Master. It’s just a lot has happened and I’m still trying to make sense of it all.”

Not necessarily a lie, but it was the response Maggie told her to give if ever questioned about her behavior. Maggie even made her practice saying it until she could “reply naturally.”

Master Aaron chuckled and patted her head. “Is that all? Well, that’s nothing to worry about. You’re simply overthinking things. Just put the thoughts out of your mind and you’ll feel much better.”

“Thank you, Master.”

A sudden knock at the door drew both of their attention.

“Lord Strauss, are you there?” Charles asked. “Zachery Bachmann has arrived.”

Master Aaron scrambled to put his clothes back on. “Ah, yes, I’ll be right there! Have Zachery wait for me in the office.” Once he finished buttoning his shirt he turned to Aeris. “Remember what I said, Aeris. I’m so close to achieving something wonderful, but we can’t allow ourselves to get distracted.”

The moment Master Aaron left, she went to the window. She wanted so badly to go out and fly but she had to wait until her master went inside. Lately, he had been very interested in her health and would often scold her for flying too high.

He moved at a brisque pace, reaching the mansion fairly quickly. She turned to go outside and saw Master Aaron’s pocket watch on the floor.

Picking up the watch in her jaws to place it on the shelf, a thought crossed her mind. What if Master Aaron returned for it and was so grateful for keeping it safe for him he wanted to “reward” her? She shuddered and left the room.

It had been raining on and off all day. It began raining again when she stepped outside. She kept her head tucked under her wing to prevent the watch from getting wet. Knowing she wouldn’t be let into the house dripping wet from the rain, she decided to use the secret passages to get to Master Aaron’s bedroom and leave the watch there.

The rain pounded against the walls, echoing through the dark narrow passages like thousands of tiny feet marching. It gave her the creeps. The air felt damp and reeked of something that had been left sitting in water.

As she passed by her master’s study, she heard voices.

“And you’re sure she’s obedient?” an unfamiliar man asked.

She slowed down, partly because she didn’t want to risk being heard moving through the walls, but also to listen in.

“I’m very sure,” Master Aaron replied. “But what I’m worried about is your dragon.”

“He’s stubborn. You can blame my late wife for that. She spoiled the damn lizard and put ideas in his head. But he knows better than to defy me. He’s not stupid. He won’t survive on the street and he knows it.”

“Good. The last thing we need is him growing a conscience.”

“But before we go forward with anything, Aaron, I’m going to need some actual proof she’s what you claim she is.”

The roar of thunder filled the passage causing Aeris to yelp. It was a miracle she didn’t accidentally swallow the watch.

“Did you hear that?” Master Aaron asked. “It sounded like someone screamed.”

Aeris froze.

“That thunder could’ve woken the dead. I would be more shocked if someone hadn’t screamed.”

She moved on, eager to make good on her escape while she had the chance. The conversation faded into indiscernible noises. She shouldn’t be listening in on her master’s conversation and she had to move quickly anyway. If he was in the study, it meant the bedroom was likely empty.

She had a hard time searching for Master Aaron’s bedroom. She didn’t know the way and the passages weren’t labeled or straightforward. They twisted and didn’t lead to obvious places, and then it all looked the same, making it hard to get her bearings.

“Will that be all, Lilith?”

Aeris froze. That was Maggie’s voice.

“Actually, Margret, I was hoping to have a chance to speak with you,” Lilith replied.

Aeris followed the sound of Lilith’s voice. She didn’t know what was driving her at the moment. Spying on others was wrong. This wasn’t the first time Master Aaron had brought a woman home, but it was the first time one of them moved in.

This was a rare opportunity. There was something about Lilith. The way she looked at Aeris and the tone of her voice that was unsettling. The woman was hiding something, and Aeris had to find out what it was.

It was like something out of one of her stories. The hero on a secret mission trying to learn the antagonist's plans. She needed to be quiet and careful. There were severe consequences if she was discovered.

Aeris eventually traced the voices to the master bathroom. She had never been inside before. It looked drastically different from her own. It had counters along the wall while hers had none. An oddly-shaped seat she recognized as a toilet sat in the far corner of the room. The tub under Aeris’s viewport, a large mirror, was filled with steaming water. Lilith stood in the middle of the room with Maggie.

Lilith began to undress. Aeris knew she shouldn’t be looking, but it was hard to turn away. Humans made a point of hiding their bodies behind clothing, and she wanted to know why. They always got upset at the idea of being seen naked and shunned those who flaunted parts of their body. The difference between men and women was known to her, but it didn’t explain the reason for secrecy. She had also never seen a human female naked outside of a few diagrams in the books “borrowed” from her master’s study. Once she asked Maggie to undress and the poor woman became horribly flustered. The subject was dropped and never brought up again.

Lilith’s body was drastically different from Master Aaron’s. Her pale skin was as blemish-free as her face and hands. She was far thinner than her clothes suggested, her breasts were much rounder than a man’s, she had much less body hair, and nothing hung between her legs. It was actually disappointing. There wasn’t much different from what Aeris had seen before in books, and certainly nothing that warranted feeling ashamed.

Lilith climbed into the bath, letting out a sigh of contentment as she sank into the water until everything below her neck was submerged.

“I don’t mean to be rude, Lilith, but I do have other things to do,” Maggie said. She gathered the discarded clothing from the floor. “I can come find you once my work is finished if you prefer.”

“That won’t be necessary. The reason I wanted to talk now is that there’s no one to overhear us.”

Maggie shifted her weight—something she did when uncomfortable, but her face remained neutral. “I’m sorry, but if you’re expecting me to reveal Lord Strauss’s secrets—”

“You can stop, Margret. I would never put you in such a position. I’m more interested in your secrets—or rather his dragon’s.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Let’s start with the scarf she used to wear,” Lilith said. A smile appeared when Maggie shifted again. “I’ve been informed she didn’t always wear them every waking moment of the day. My sister used to do the same thing when she wanted to hide the marks from her boyfriend’s abuse. She would suddenly become obsessed with scarves and hats and large bracelets, but then they would vanish once her wounds had healed.”

“If you’re suggesting that Lord Strauss beats Aeris—”

“I know he doesn’t. The way he parades her about, he wouldn’t dare harm her and risk it being seen by others. Which means she got injured doing something else. Something I suspect she wasn’t supposed to. And being her nanny, I find it difficult to believe you had no knowledge of it.”

Maggie put her hands behind her back. “I have no idea why she wears the scarf. I suspect she finds it fashionable.”

Lilith was silent as she studied Maggie’s face. Eventually, she spoke again. “You are an excellent liar. However, I’m not in the mood for games. So I will ask you this once before I bring your deception to Aaron’s attention. What is his dragon hiding?”

Maggie bit her lip. Aeris knew she had to keep moving. It hurt to see Maggie this way, but she couldn’t turn away. She couldn’t abandon her to Lilith’s ire.

“I took Aeris with me while I went shopping,” Maggie said finally. “Unfortunately she came across a clan-born dragon who took offense to her presence. There was a slight scuffle and he scratched her.”

Lilith sat up. “And you didn’t think to bring it to Aaron’s attention?”

“If he knew something happened to Aeris because of me, my career would be over. I’m all Aeris has; losing me would devastate her.”

“You’re all she has? What an odd thing to say.”

The look Maggie’s eyes gave away that she realized her mistake too late. Aeris tilted her head. She would be devastated if Maggie were fired, but she still had Master Aaron.

“I won’t ask you to elaborate,” Lilith said, leaned back in the tub. “I already have a good idea what you’re referring to. And don’t worry your secret is safe with me—provided you meet a certain condition.”

“Which is?”

“Distract the dragon. I don’t care what you do with her, but for a few hours each day, I want to feel as if she doesn’t exist. Don’t worry about Aaron. I’ll make sure he doesn’t notice.”

“You’re trying to drive a wedge between Lord Strauss and Aeris,” Maggie said.

“And what if I am? It’s not as if you will object to it. After all, it’s plain to everyone you care for her. Aaron told me you don’t have children of your own. You’ve also never been married, correct?”

Aeris glared through the window. There was something taunting in Lilith’s voice. So what if Maggie didn’t have children? Maggie had her.

Maggie remained straight-faced but moved her hands behind her back. “That is correct. I was engaged to be married once, but he was killed by a mugger on his way home from work.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that.” She didn’t sound sorry at all. “So you decided to use Aeris to fill that hole?”

“If I didn’t know any better, I would say you’re jealous of Aeris,” Maggie said coolly.

Lilith looked at the ceiling, a bitter smile on her lips and hatred in the back of her eyes. “I know Aaron is only using me to disparage the rumors regarding his relationship with his dragon. A young, handsome, successful businessman with very few dates. Always seen doting on his adorable dragon. People talk.”

Aeris tilted her head. This was the first she had heard of these rumors.

“People always talk. Those rumors don’t need a reason to exist.”

“True, but he seems hesitant to be intimate with me. I find it hard to believe a man like himself has trouble performing.”

“I’m afraid I don’t know anything about that. For obvious reasons, I stay out of Lord Strauss’s personal life. But there’s far more to a relationship than sex.” She shifted her weight again and when she spoke, her voice seemed firmer. “And I assure you that Lord Strauss does not see Aeris the same way he sees you.”

Lilith turned back and stared at the mirror. Aeris stiffened. It was as if the woman looked right at her. “True. But I see the way he looks at her. The joy in his voice when he speaks of her. The most dangerous beast alive thinks the world of him and he has her eating out of the palm of his hand. She gives him something I never could.”

It was such an odd thing to say. What did that mean? There were plenty of things she couldn’t do. Lilith could do far more for Master Aaron. Was she being a burden on her master? No, that couldn’t be right. Master Aaron wouldn’t take her anywhere if he thought she was a burden.

“I assure you, Lilith, Lord Strauss has feelings for you,” Maggie said. “He would never use a woman so callously, and he is not the type to let rumors and hearsay dictate how he lives his life.”

Lilith smirked and leaned back in the tub and stared at the ceiling again. “Maybe he should. A little caution wouldn’t kill him, especially with his ‘prized’ dragon.”

Silence fell over the room. Aeris wasn’t sure what to make of the conversation. The air was thick with the tension between the two females.

A loud thud filled the passage. Aeris jolted, holding back a cry of fear. She looked around, expecting to see someone inside that passage with her. But she was alone. It was then she noticed she had forgotten she was holding the watch and dropped it. She silently cursed the thunder for catching her off-guard a second time.

“What was that?” Lilith asked.

“I-I don’t know,” Maggie replied. “Perhaps something outside was knocked down. The wind has been blowing quite hard.”

“I hope so. Lydia told me there may be a rat living in the walls. You think that dragon would at least be good for getting rid of a few pests.”

“Don’t worry,” Maggie said, her voice strained. “I’ll ask Lord Strauss to hire someone.”

Aeris took it as her cue to leave. She had wasted too much time already. Things would become very complicated if Master Aaron went to her room looking for his watch and didn’t find her there.

It took some time but she tracked down Master Aaron’s room. The window was hidden behind a large painting of a landscape just like the others. This one was of a snow-capped mountain range. Aeris stared at the painting for a moment, reveling in the calm it provided her. It struck her as odd given she had never been anywhere near the mountains.

Eventually, she ceased staring at the painting then found the secret switch which opened the door and made her way inside. The room was very spacious for two humans. Both Master Aaron’s and Lilith’s scents intermingled in the air. Unlike the study, the bedroom was flawless as if no one spent any time in it. Being in there without permission felt wrong. Aeris crept across the floor, her tail and wings held close to her body so as not to accidentally knock anything over.

The bedside table was a good place to leave the pocket watch. Master Aaron would see it quickly and shouldn’t find it odd to see it there. The moment she sat the watch down, she heard footsteps approaching. There wasn’t time to run back to the secret passage, so she ducked into the large wardrobe across from the bed. She backed away as far as she was able, pulling all her limbs close.

Through the crack in the door, she saw Charles enter the room. He peeked into the hall then closed the door carefully. He crossed to the other side of the bed then kneeled, almost vanishing from view. She couldn’t see what he was doing but she heard shuffling and moving things around. He then stood up with a small, plain metal box in his hands.

She leaned forward, not even daring to blink as she wondered what was inside the box.

Charles removed a key from the chain around his neck and unlocked it. The angle made it impossible to see what was inside, but she saw the fear in his face and heard the faint shuffling of paper. Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw him take several pieces of folded paper and place them in his pocket. He then pulled more papers out of his other pocket and stuffed them in the box.

Once he finished the swap, he closed the box and locked it again then disappeared behind the bed. When he stood up again, he frowned at something outside of Aeris’ vision.

Her breath caught when he reappeared with the watch in his hands. He looked around as if expecting to see someone. She stood frozen until he left the room with the watch.

It wasn’t until his footsteps receded that she left the wardrobe. She had lingered there far too long. Someone could be on their way to her room right now if they hadn’t been there already.

The passage she had come in through was closed. It occurred to her she had never entered the passages from this side before. She had no idea where the switch was to open the door, and there was no time to look for it. The switch could be anywhere in the room, including unintentionally hidden behind the furniture.

Aeris rushed over to the window. Flying out the window was her best option. The rain was coming down harder than ever but it wouldn’t stop her. Getting scolded for flying in the rain was preferable to explaining how she got into the mansion unseen. So long as no one saw her leaving through the window, she could lie and say she wanted to go flying. She managed to unlock the window, but it was far narrower than the one in the study. She couldn’t fit through it.

Sneaking out the backdoor was her last chance. There was a second set of stairs leading downstairs into the kitchens. She had lunch not too long ago, so no one should be down there preparing dinner yet. Just sneak down the hall, creep through the, hopefully, empty kitchen, and she would be in the clear.

She crept to the bedroom door peered into the hall. There were no signs of anyone approaching. It didn’t reassure her, however.

She stayed close to the wall although if someone were to come into the hall they would see her just as easily. She had never felt this tense in her life. Every step she feared would make noise and give away her position. Every door seemed open just enough for someone to watch her from the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to step out and question why she was indoors. She cursed herself for returning the stupid watch. It would’ve been better to leave it and go flying until Master Aaron returned to take it.

The trip down the stairs went smoothly, but Aeris refused to relax until she was back outside. Next was getting to the kitchens which was easier said than done. The floor upstairs had carpet which muffled her footsteps. Downstairs had no such luxury. The back stairwell led to a short hall that led straight to the kitchens. So long as no one came that way, she wouldn’t be spotted.

She stepped slowly to prevent her claws from clicking on the floor. It didn’t completely make her soundless, but it was enough not to draw immediate attention. She stopped for every noise and checked every corner.

There was no one in the kitchens. Aeris hurried through the backdoor, not caring how much noise she made.

She took her time going back to her room. Rain pounded her body, but now that the fear of being caught was gone, she couldn’t take her mind off that box and why Charles emptied it. Even if it contained her papers, what good were they? If they proved her lineage, why would Master Aaron lie about it? In books, situations like this usually meant a secret was being kept to protect the character. Was that what was happening here? They were protecting her? But what did they need to protect her from? She lived happily with Master Aaron her entire life. From the moment she was hatched, she was registered as a part of the family. Knowing where she came from couldn’t possibly change that.

Instead of going through the door, Aeris went around the side and peered through the window. If someone was waiting for her inside, she’d rather know beforehand. After confirming the room was indeed empty, she went inside and flopped onto the mattress.

The rain eventually stopped, but she remained where she was. It didn’t matter how nice the weather was now. She had enough excitement for one day.