Life After Death

Llaraine/Mikaela: needing a tutor

{Llaraine}

We were interrupted by gentle knocking on Dimitri's office door, and I reluctantly stood and opened it. It was Porphia again, looked incredibly nervous.

"I'm terribly sorry," she said. "Could I talk to Dimitri for a moment?"

"Certainly." I let her in and she meekly took a seat in front of his desk. I resumed my seat on Dimitri's lap.

"I can't travel in the future here," she said. "I have no way of getting back to the right past, because none of it is my past. I don't know what to do, especially since I don't really belong here and I have nothing to do."

"Let me see," Dimitri closed his eyes and frowned for a moment. It took him longer than it usually did, but Porphia wasn't really supposed to be here. I imagined it would be difficult.

"You'll assimilate in this time better if you let time pass normally," he replied, opening his eyes. "Either that or travel with someone from this time. I would recommend the former option."

"Why is that?" I asked.

"Because our timelines are not the same," he answered. "And this will give you a chance to catch up, meet people. You could get a job and relax. If you wait a year before you use your time magic, you'll have more success getting to where you want to go. You'll be able to move forward as well."

She sighed, but nodded at Dimitri's advice.

"Thank you," she said. "That's really helpful."

"Do you need money or credit?" I inquired.

Sheepishly, Porphia pulled out a folded piece of paper.

"I had an open line of credit from the crown," she said. She passed this to me.

It was the real thing; the incredibly formal document that I had only seen Maewyn pen once. But it hadn't been altered in hundreds of years, so it made sense that Porphia carried it with her; it would be too complicated to explain new or old money. Gold was too heavy.

"It seems like stealing here though," she admitted. "And it's the only thing I have from my time."

"I'll let Adele know you have this," I said, handing it back to her. "I don't see why you can't still use it. It's not as if that can be copied."

"Oh thank you," she smiled. "Though, I'm probably going to go to a different time and wait out my year."

"Oh?"

"My future self told me I get married about twenty years after Mikaela does," she explained. "So I want to wait out that year before, since I should try to start a relationship in the right order." Porphia smiled again.

"Thank you so much." She vanished from the office.

"Do you think we'll see her again?" I asked.

"She's a restless time mage," Dimitri said. "She'll be around. I'll be very surprised if we don't see her before her marriage."

"But you don't know?" I questioned, a little puzzled.

"She's a time mage, I can't be held accountable for all of her actions," Dimitri replied. "Someone else is coming."

"More questions?" I teased.

He rolled his eyes, straightening the files on his desk. "Most faeries don't want to intrude, knowing that I have most of the answers. But I think Mikaela has some decent questions."


"Hello," Mikaela said entering the room without knocking. "The Court is not for another week and already faeries are showing up. It's insanity out there."