บท 3: Playing with Fire
"You can leave, Aisling," Nadia said after sending off the last guest. "I will close up shortly anyway."
Aisling smiled. "A few more guests will be here shortly. Do not close."
Nadia frowned. "Did you invite someone else? You could have given them tickets to come to the event. People can't come in casually after closing hours. The gallery owner regulates private shows very strictly."
"Don't worry. The little dragon will not mind."
Nadia's mouth opened her mouth in shock at the words. Everyone in San Francisco knew that Mr Coatl had a draconic lineage, and they feared him for it. And those who were not wary of his explosive powers respected his commercial command of the luxury goods market.
She could not believe that Aisling dared to address him as 'little dragon'. Mr Coatl was not a man who forgave any slights to himself. She wanted to admonish Aisling, but she remembered they were alone in the gallery.
No one would know about the faux pas if she did not tell.
The clock ticked as Nadia cleaned up the gallery. She looked at Aisling who was still looking at the 'Road to Paradise'. She seemed fascinated by it, but a hint of longing appeared in her eyes.
"Aisling, do you want to call your friends? The gallery shouldn't be open at this hour." The location was secure, but the paintings inside were worth millions of dollars. She could not help being nervous.
Aisling turned away from the piece. "You should take a moment to enjoy my work before people scramble for it."
The casual narcissism of the young woman made her want to laugh and cry at the same time. "I have looked at all your paintings."
"Indeed, but you have seen none of them." Aisling led the other woman to another painting. "This piece is called 'The Hidden Flower'."
"There's no flower." Nadia had been puzzled by the name. She had looked for a flower in the fascinating dense woods, but she had not found one.
"The flower is there and within you."
"What?"
Aisling laughed. "Small plants do not grow well in dense forests. The tall trees prevent sunlight from reaching them, and they compete for moisture and nutrients. But it can happen."
She stood behind Nadia. "This is not 'Where's Waldo'. Do not overthink. Just look at the woods, and you will find a spot where sunlight can flow through the canopy. And you will find the flower."
Nadia felt doubtful, but she decided to do it.
She stared at the painting and felt her consciousness fade. In the back of her mind, she heard Aisling murmuring in a strange melodic manner.
Aisling turned from the Nadia who had sunk deep into the forest with a smile. The rest of the process depended on her willingness to open up.
After a moment, the gallery door opened. Aisling turned and walked to the entrance. Two men and one woman walked in with serious looks on their faces. Their military style black-clothes showed that they were not there to enjoy fine arts.
"You have kept me waiting." Aisling smiled. "And the least you could have done is dressed up a bit and attended my first show."
"You were expecting us, Ms Flynn?" One of the men asked in surprise. "How do you even know who we are?"
Aisling laughed. "You do not seem to know me. But I like your attitude. I will call you Little One."
"Ms Flynn, we do not have the time to joke around. We have to bring you back with us tonight." The other man spoke with graveness. Unlike Little One, he did not have an air of curious innocence around him. He had the upright demeanour of a dedicated soldier.
"I am afraid you will have to be disappointed, Little Two. It is not time." She paused thoughtfully. "But you are welcome to enjoy the paintings. I plan to conquer the Panthalassa art market in the future. You can become my first fans."
The woman looked at her companions who seemed enthralled by the beautiful woman before them and felt angry. The mission should come first. They had been entrusted among numerous other soldiers even though they were not experienced.
They could not fail.
"Ms Flynn, you must come with us. One way or the other." The female soldier lifted her hand and formed a blue fireball.
She did not, of course, intend to harm Aisling. When they had been entrusted with the mission, there seemed to be some special interest toward her from someone important in Farallon. Any harm to her might compromise their mission.
However, she could scare her into thinking that they would do whatever it took.
Aisling's face did not change. "This is a gallery with my incredibly expensive art, Little Three. Do not play with fire."
The other two soldiers only heard a gentle and firm admonishment. Little Three felt the soft voice pierce her ears and hit her brain like a hammer. And then, the whispers started. Some were loud. Some were soft. Some were loud. The speakers were adults and children, male and female. Some had a hoarse voice and others, melodious. The whispers overlapped and distorted.
Do not play with fire. Do not play with fire. Do not play with fire. Do not play with fire.
Little Three clutched her head and fell to her knees.
Aisling turned to Little One and Little Two. "Would you like to see my paintings?"
The request sounded joyful and innocent. But the two soldiers did not take the invitation lightly. The three of them were not high-level soldiers. But they knew the strength of their female partner. She might be a bit impatient, but she was strong.
Ms Flynn was not a simple character.
"What did you do to her?" Little One asked with concern.
"I told her not to play with fire. Come, let me show you my work."
She took them around the gallery with pride that bordered on serious narcissism. As people with an understanding of spiritual artefacts, they could not help but be shocked by the quality of the pieces.
Painting such art would require a lot of mental strength. No wonder she could take down a soldier with just a sentence.
When they found Nadia, tears were flowing down her face as she stood unmoving before her painting.
"What is wrong with her?" Little Two asked.
"She has just experienced a spiritual awakening." Aisling tilted her head and frowned. "It is time for you to go. Your companion should be alright now."
"Ms Flynn…" Little One started.
Aisling lifted a hand to stop him from speaking.
"Tell him that I will be ready to leave tomorrow morning."
The two soldiers were not sure who the 'him' was, but it did not matter. They intended to inform their superior immediately.
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