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- Herausgeber: Crescent Moon Studios, Inc.
- Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
- Sprache: Englisch
The complete Dragon Thief series featuring all five ebooks!
Life is full of life-changing events. Obviously. Millie, however, never expected the change to come at the tip of a stick. She's dropped into a magical world of fantasy and romance where the strong arms of the wealthy Count Benjamin Castle await her. He's a man with a past and she's a woman with a future, and together their adventures take them from the deepest sewers to the heights of high society, all the while falling for one another.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024
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DRAGON THIEF BOX SET
DRAGON SHIFTER ROMANCE
MAC FLYNN
CONTENTS
Copyright
Author’s Note
Sticks and Stones
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Spells and Bones
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Charms and Tomes
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Sands and Tombs
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Storms and Crones
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Sneak Peek: Dragon Dusk Series
A Small Favor
When’s the Next Book?
Series by Mac Flynn
About Mac Flynn
COPYRIGHT
Dragon Thief Box Set (Dragon Shifter Romance). Copyright © 2024 by Mac Flynn.
Published by Crescent Moon Studios, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, disseminated, or transmitted in any form or by any or for any use, including recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written consent of the author and/or artist. The only except ions shirt excerpts or the cover image in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All the names, characters, organizations, places and events portrayed in this novel or on the cover are either products of the author’s or artist’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author or artist.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for joining me on a journey through my imagination. If you’re looking for romance and adventure with a guaranteed Happily Ever After, then you’ve come to the right place. My books contain paranormal plotting and fantastical action, and I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them.
* * *
You can keep in touch with me by joining my newsletter or checking out my website for the latest updates.
Check out my website
Sign up for my newsletter
Thank you for giving my book a chance, and Happy Reading!
- Mac Flynn
CHAPTERONE
Life is full of life-changing events. Obviously. I never expected mine to come at the tip of a stick.
“Hey, Millie!”
I paused on the street corner and turned back to the open doorway. Bright blinking flashes of rainbow colors streamed out of the door and onto the sidewalk. A couple of people lingered around the door frame, but one of them broke from the pack and hurried over. She was a woman on the short side with equally short brown hair and the same color eyes. Her rounded face showed an honesty that was disarming, and sometimes alarming.
She grasped my hands and offered me a smile that warned of some trouble brewing. “Do I have a winner for you!”
I rolled my eyes as I stifled a deep groan. “Not another one.”
She shook her head. “This isn’t like the last guy. This one’s nice.”
I winced as my memory recalled past instances where I’d heard her speak those very words. “The last one that you said was nice held up a liquor store so he could get a bottle for his mom.”
My friend shrugged her shoulders. “That was just bad luck. How was I to know he had mommy issues?”
“He had his mom’s number on speed dial and used it when he got a paper cut.”
She rolled her eyes and waved a hand at me. “That was just a single time. Trust ol’ Sheryl to get it right this time.”
I clapped my hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. “I trust you, Sheryl. It’s the guys you pick for me that I don’t trust.”
My dear friend sighed and forlornly shook her head. “You have to find someone, Millie. You’re too pretty to stay single.”
I snorted and patted one of her shoulders. “You’re a good friend, Sheryl, but I’m just not looking for a guy right now.”
Sheryl wrinkled her nose. “Well, you should be. You’re not going to just drop in on one, ya know.”
I grinned as I drew my hands back and shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe he’ll sweep me off my feet.”
Sheryl draped one of her arms across my shoulders and tried to turn me toward the open door. Loud music blared onto the street and people shouted above one another. “Come on. Just lemme introduce you to Hamlet.”
I jerked to a stop and stared blankly at her. “Hamlet?”
She shrugged. “He said something about being a big fan of Shakespeare.”
My face drooped. “You do know what happened to Hamlet’s girlfriend, don’t you?”
She blinked at me. “He had a girlfriend? I thought he just played around with a skull.”
A choked laugh escaped me before I gathered my wits and slipped out of my friend’s gentle though persistent hold. “I appreciate the effort, but it’s been a long week and I just want to bury myself in my bed for the weekend. See you Monday.”
I turned away, and Sheryl’s voice called to me as I strolled down the sidewalk. “Mark my words, Millie! I’ll see you with a guy before the month is out!”
I didn’t look back as I waved at her. The long, lonely road awaited me, and a chill wind was my only companion as I made my way home. I wrapped my coat closer about myself and shivered as my ‘companion’ blew its cold breath down my neck.
“Should’ve taken the bus…” I mumbled as I stuffed my hands in my pockets. They were empty. Oh, right. No money, no bus. “Next time don’t leave your wallet home.”
I lifted my eyes to the sky. The streetlights blotted out most of the stars, but a few bright planets shone through the eternal soft glow of the city lights. I smiled and stretched my hand up toward one of the brighter ones, a red star that seemed to blink at me.
“Hey, handsome,” I murmured as the star dazzled me with its light. I snorted and dropped my hand back to my side. “Maybe Sheryl’s right. Maybe I do need a boyfriend.”
What I needed right then was to make a decision. The path diverged ahead of me, and in a few steps, I stopped and turned my head to look left and right. Right continued down the illuminated albeit abandoned street. Left led me into the park and down its winding concrete path. Left was a shortcut shrouded in darkness. Right was a long bright trek.
My tired feet told me to take the left path, so I did. Traitorous soles.
I had gone only fifty feet down the dark path when I realized what a stupid mistake that was. The bleary sky couldn’t give me enough light to see by and the eerie stillness made my skin crawl. I turned around and froze.
Three heavy-set men were walking down the path toward me. They were shoulder to shoulder, and their steps were quick and pointed. Pointed directly at me. I stumbled backward and that made one of them break into a sprint. The others followed, and I spun around and raced down the path.
My feet pounded down the trail, but their feet were louder. They were also getting closer. I knew in a few moments they could catch me and… well, I didn’t want to think about it.
What I wouldn’t have done for that handsome guy to catch me instead of them.
My eyes caught sight of something that lay across the path. It was a long, thick staff of wood. My flight instincts were overridden by my fight, especially as their footsteps came ever closer. I scooped up the stick and spun around to face them with both shaking hands clutching the wood. My grip was so tight I felt my fingers mold themselves to the strange designs etched into the staff. No doubt left there by ants after they’d gnawed through the bark.
“D-don’t come any closer!” I internally rolled my eyes. That line was just too cliched.
The men agreed as they burst into laughter. One of them stepped forward and held out his hand to me. “Come on, little girl. Gimme the stick and let’s have some fun.”
I swung the stick, but he easily evaded my weak little wave. His hand twisted around and snatched the stick at the halfway point between my hands. He leaned forward and his twisted grin loomed out of the darkness.
“Naughty, naughty,” he cooed as he tightened his fingers around the wood. “Now I’ll have to show you-”
I would forever remain in blissful ignorance of what he had to show me because at that moment, a soft white glow burst from the stick. Both of us stared dumbly at the wood as little drifting tendrils of brilliance floated between us. Those tendrils coalesced underneath his hand, and I could hear the familiar charge of electricity.
The next moment jagged bolts of lightning shot out of the wood and through his hand. The bolts struck him dead center in the chest, throwing him backward several feet before he landed on his back. A soft moan came from him, and he stirred no more.
His companions gawked at their wounded comrade. Hope was kindled within me, and my hands didn’t shake quite so badly as I tightened my grip on the glow stick. “Anybody else want a taste of this?” I had no idea if I could manage a second helping of kick-ass.
One of them spun around to face me with fury in his eyes. “You little bitch! You’d do that?”
He marched forward and also tried to grab my stick, but my confidence had returned. I could also see what I was doing.
I slammed the side of the staff against his face and the electrical current had a shorter distance to travel, so it had even more kick. The man was thrown several yards and crashed into a thicket of bushes far off the path.
I turned to the last man standing. His eyes flickered between my face and my stick, and he made his move. Backwards. The man spun around so fast he tripped over his own feet and fell on all fours. He scrambled across the ground and over the top of my first victim, who let out a whoosh of air.
I stood triumphant over the two groaning men and their retreating comrade. A big grin spread across my face as I slammed the bottom of the staff against the ground.
Electricity shot out in six different directions, barely missing my feet. I yelped and danced around the jagged lines as they traveled for two feet before arcing to the left where they joined each other to create a circle around me. A dark, bottomless hole opened up within the circle.
Which was exactly where I was standing. I let out a scream as I plummeted into the unknown.
CHAPTERTWO
Darkness swept past me, carrying my hair above my head as I fell through a completely black abyss. I clung to the only solid object I could get a hold of, and that was the stick.
Light from below made me look down, and I gaped at a hole in the blackness through which the brilliance emerged.
I dropped out of the darkness and into a starlit sky. There was a whole world around and beneath me. Far, far beneath me. In fact, it was about a mile beneath me.
I let out a long, high-pitched scream as I careened toward a very quick doom. My only comfort, such as it was, was the staff clutched tightly against me. I needed a miracle to get out of that.
And that’s when a miracle erupted in my hands.
The brilliant light that had surrounded it grew brighter, and the wood beneath my hands quivered. The glow raced down the handle, following the path of the strange grooves. I gaped at the staff as long straw bristles popped out of the bottom like exploding fireworks. The handle itself thinned and straightened, though the strange markings over its surface didn’t change.
The transformed staff gave a strange twitch before it shoved itself between my legs so the whole front of my body was pressed tightly against the stick. The moment I was hugged the stick shot forward with me holding on for dear life.
That’s when it struck me. It was a broom.
The metamorphosed stick shot across the sky at a speed that would have put a drag racer to shame. We zigged and zagged, moving ever closer to the ground. It wasn’t fast enough.
I practically smashed my face against the broom handle. “Lemme down!”
The broom obeyed, but too well. It pointed its nose straight down, and that was the way we went toward the strange city below us.
Now that I wasn’t falling to my doom, I could study some of the features of the unfamiliar metropolis. It was a huge city of gray stone and brown wood that covered many miles of a large valley, with roads that rarely ran parallel to one another. Most ran at angles, and some even wound their way between the assortment of buildings. There was everything from tiny cottages to majestic mansions, with churches and public buildings scattered among them, all mingling together in a mishmash of poor city planning.
The largest structure, however, was a castle atop a rocky hill situated in the center of the valley. The fort rose some five hundred feet above the valley floor and featured a half dozen towers of various heights and styles. Parapets connected them, the walls of which were some hundred feet high and made of huge stone blocks. Slitted windows were the norm, but a courtyard stood just behind the main gates, and the great hall featured some ornate stained-glass windows.
A large circular town square sat in the middle of the metropolis at the foot of the hill. The area was surrounded by a low stone wall which featured a few dozen ruined columns, and a wide entrance at each of the cardinal corners. The open space covered some hundred yards and was filled with stalls, small stock pens, and even a large stage at the northern end. Hundreds of people walked between the stalls with bags hanging from their arms filled with their chosen goods, and children played about the stage, enjoying the last few minutes of the setting sun at my back. A few large, tall posts stood around the clearing, and unlit oil lamps hung from rods that stuck out the sides high near the top of the poles.
I could take all this view in because that was exactly where the broom was taking me. The end was pointed toward the businesses closest to the stage, some of which were the pens. There were only two hundred feet left. One hundred. Some of the people caught sight of me and pointed up at the sky.
I grabbed the last top inches of the broom and gave it a hard shake. “Pull up, you over-sized feather duster, or you’ll kill us both!”
The broom got the hint and pulled up at the last second. My heart stopped as my magical vehicle turned at ninety degrees, a foot from the cobblestone ground and zipped through the crowds. We weaved in and out of them for fifty feet before we burst into the open square in front of the stage.
“I want to get off!” I shouted.
At my plea, the broom seemed to lose all hope, and its speed went from deadly to ‘nope’ at the drop of a hat. The change was so quick that my momentum kept me going, meaning I flew over the handle of the broom and landed on the wooden boards that made up the stage. Children scattered as I rolled past them and crashed into the sturdy wooden wall. The broom itself clattered to the ground in front of the stage.
My knees hurt. My head hurt. My funny bone hurt.
I sat up and groaned as all my body seemed to protest at any moment. Even breathing was discouraged.
Short shadows fell over me, and I looked up to find a spattering of kids standing over me. Most of them wore simple pants and short-sleeve shirts of bland cloth. The girls wore dresses with plain flowered patterns or no print at all. Their curious eyes stared in wonder at me.
“Is she a witch?” one of them asked his companions.
An older boy frowned at him. “Of course, she’s a witch, you idiot. How else could she ride a broom?”
A young girl cocked her head to one side as she examined me. “She doesn’t look like a witch. My aunt’s a witch and she has a wart.”
A girl who resembled her in looks nudged her with her elbow. “Not all witches have that, silly! Just Aunty after that accident with that frog spell.”
A commotion behind them made all of us look in the direction of the stalls. The throngs of adults were pushed aside as a troop of half a dozen guards pushed their way through. The guards wore tunics over chain mail, and a stitching of a reared dragon stood out on the front.
One look at the halberd-armed men made the children scatter. My heart restarted and pounded hard in my chest as I watched the men march across the open square and over to the stage. At a direction from the leader, a man with a long plume on his cloth hat, half of them remained at the stairs leading up, and he and two of his men continued up to me.
They stopped just a few feet away and the leader frowned down at me. “We witnessed your drop from the sky. Where did you come from?”
My jaw flopped a couple of times before I shook my head. “I-I came out of a hole.”
The man frowned. “What does that-”
“Sir!” One of the men had picked up the broom and held it up to his commander. “I think you need to take a look at this!”
The leader’s frown deepened, but he held his hand out. “Bring it here.”
The soldier scurried up the steps and soon set the broom in the leader’s hand. The man studied the broom, and as he did so his eyes widened. He whipped his gaze up to me and held out the staff clutched tightly in his hand. “Where did you get this?”
I blinked at him. “I-I found it lying on a path.”
His lip curled back in a sneer. “Don’t toy with me. How did this come into your possession? Did you steal it?”
My jaw hit the ground before I furiously shook my head. “I didn’t steal it! It was just lying on a path in the park!”
The man scoffed. “No one would be foolish enough to throw this away. You must have been the one to steal it.” He turned his head to one side and jerked his head toward me. “Take her to the castle. We’ll continue this interrogation there.”
My heart nearly exploded as two of the men marched forward. They reached out their gauntlet-covered hands and grabbed my arms. The pair yanked me to my feet as I thrashed in their hold. “Please just let me go! I didn’t do anything! I don’t even know where I am!”
My pleas went unheard as I was dragged across the stage and over to the steps. The men were just hefting me down the steps when a knife flew out from nowhere and embedded itself into the top of the last step. My captors froze and whipped their heads up in the direction where the weapon had flown, as did I.
A tall man stood perched the nearest lamp post. He wore a black vest over an equally black buttoned shirt, and his pants were of the same color. He had the hem of his pants tucked into heavy, high black boots. His vest had a high, stiff collar that hid the lower half of his face, and a simple black carnival face mask finished the job. The man’s long black hair was slicked back, though a few loose strands framed either side of his face. The skin on his bared forehead had a strange texture to it, almost like scales. The man held three more daggers between the fingers of his right gloved hand, and I caught sight of a long sword in a sheath that leaned against his right hip.
What astonished me the most, however, were the blood-red leathery wings on his back. They were slightly folded behind his back, but even with that shrinkage, I could still tell they had an impressive span. The ends curved downward into sharp, bone-like points, as did the highest peaks close to the back of his head.
This guy was more than just a man, and even with his face so hidden I could still tell he was insanely cute.
CHAPTERTHREE
The eyes of the soldier commander widened before his face twisted with rage. He grasped his halberd in both hands and pointed the sharp tip at the man. “You! So, you are the thief who stole the staff!”
The masked man feigned shock, and as he spoke, I didn’t hear his words so much as feel them in my mind. It was like listening to someone speaking directly to your inner thoughts. “I, Commander Edouard? How could you ever believe such a thing?”
The commander sidled up to the side of one of those who held me. A sly smile slipped onto my lips as he kept his eyes on the man while he stabbed a finger at me. “We have your accomplice. What do you say to that?”
The man turned his attention to me and studied me for a moment. “I would say you have caught yourself a treasure, Commander, but not the one you seek.” He inclined his head toward me, and I swore I detected a hint of a smile beneath the thick collar. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, my lady. I hope you haven’t been treated too harshly.”
I glared at the men who held me. “I’ve been treated better at a bar.”
A laugh escaped the masked fellow before he returned his focus to the commander. “You have caught yourself a spirited horse, Commander, but you are mistaken in believing I have tamed this one to my ways. I’ve never had the pleasure of setting my eyes on her before this evening.”
The commander scoffed. “She was caught with the staff, and only you could have taken it from the treasuries, but if you won’t admit to the deed, we’ll soon find out from your accomplice how that was accomplished.”
The masked man chuckled as he flicked the wrist of the hand that held the daggers. At the same time, he parted two fingers, releasing one of the blades so it flew into the air, and he caught it in his empty left hand. “I’m afraid I can’t allow you to mistreat a visitor to our fair city so improperly, Commander.” He pointed the blade at the soldiers. “I’ll give you three seconds to release her.”
The commander swept his eyes over his men. “You’ve caught us off guard, but we’re more than a match for you in this open daylight.”
The man pointed his dagger over his shoulder at the sun. It had nearly disappeared beneath the horizon and dark shadows hung over much of the ground. “You have only a few moments left, Commander. Hand the girl over or you’ll have to contend with my daggers in the darkness.”
There was indecision in Edouard’s face before fury overtook him. “We will do nothing, thief!” He caught the eyes of his men and stabbed his halberd at his foe. “Get him down from there even if you have to chop the post down!”
The three of his men, unoccupied, hurried forward with their weapons clasped tightly in both their hands. The man in black laughed. “You needn’t have worried about coming to greet me, Commander.” He leapt from the post and opened his wings. They spread for many yards in both directions, allowing him to glide down and land between where I stood and the guards who had intended to capture him. He tossed another dagger into his left hand as the guards spun around. “I would rather come to you.”
Edouard caught his men’s attention and pointed at the man in black. “Stop standing there like dunces and get him!”
By this time a large crowd had gathered at the edge of the stalls and watched with curiosity. The men shouted and charged shoulder-to-shoulder with their halberds pointed in front of them. The man spun around, and as he did so he deflected the lead halberd with the short blade of his dagger. The man was thrown off and stumbled into his compatriot, and both of them fell into a heap to one side. The crowd roared with laughter.
While all of this played out, I looked to and fro between my captors. Their complete attention lay on the fight. I took the opportunity to lean down and snap my teeth into the exposed flesh just below the wrist of one of the men. The soldier gave a shout and his grip weakened enough that I twisted out of his hold. I swung my leg up and knocked one of the legs out from under the other man, and that freed me.
I shot forward and snatched the broom from Edouard’s hand. He spun around just as I was pressing the staff against myself. His eyes shone with fury as he leapt at me with one hand outstretched. “You little bitch!”
“Up!” I shouted as I hopped off the ground.
Then I landed back on the ground. My blood ran cold as I hopped again.
“Up!”
My feet still only left the ground for a second. Edouard snatched one of my wrists and twisted it, forcing me to release the staff. “I will have your head for this!”
“You’ll have to get in line, Commander.”
I looked past Edouard and at the man in black. He had tossed the last of the soldiers onto the pair who had nearly stood, sending all three of them toppling to the ground in a heap of frustration. The man turned to us and tossed another dagger into his left hand.
He pointed the blade at Edouard, and in the dim light, I could see that his eyes glowed bright red. “I claim that beautiful head for myself.”
Edouard sneered at him as he roughly yanked me against his side. He pressed the tip of his halberd against my throat, and I stiffened as the sharp blade cut into my flesh. A warm line of blood dribbled down my neck. “I won’t lose to you again, thief.”
The man’s bright eyes dropped to the wound on my neck, and as they narrowed, I couldn’t help but feel a strange, terrible aura come off him. The next moment the remaining daggers were thrown at my captor. Edouard managed to deflect one with the broad side of his weapon, but the other two stuck into his shoulders. The fury behind the throw sent him flying backward and pinned him to the ground.
The man in black darted forward and swept me into his arms, broom and all. “Don’t squirm too much.”
He opened his wings and leapt high into the air. I let out a gasp and pressed myself tightly against his muscular chest with the broom clutched against me. He flapped hard and we took to the air. Not to the great height from which I’d fallen, but enough that I had another view of the metropolis. The sight wasn’t quite as majestic as before, however, because the shadows of night had fallen on much of the city. Streetlamps and lit windows dotted the streets like random stars, and the populace scurried indoors against the encroaching darkness.
My rescuer glided downward at a gentle angle, using the myriad of house heights to hide us from the view of the soldiers. The sea of buildings ebbed and flowed, with large lawns and small parks dotting the landscape here and there. It was to one of the most overgrown parks that the strange man flew us.
Large gray stones ruled over a kingdom of vines and weeds. Dozens of ancient trees stretched their thick branches over the area, covering much of the ground in a cold layer of shadows. A wooden fence surrounded the park, though many of the panels had collapsed beneath the weight of the vines and time.
He landed amidst an overbearing silence and set me down. On the flight, I had lost my land legs, and when I set my feet down, I stumbled backward. My heel caught against a rock, and I tumbled onto my butt. The broom clattered to the ground between us.
In the dim light, the strange man looked down at me, and his red eyes glowed brightly in the dark. My breath caught in my throat and instinct took hold. I scuttled backward on my hands and butt until my back hit a hard stone.
The man didn’t heed my terror, but took a step forward and picked up the broom in one hand. He studied the details left by ants as his wings folded behind him. “How did you come to have this stick in your possession? Did you steal it?”
CHAPTERFOUR
My blood boiled and I glared at him. “Why is everyone asking that? I found it just lying on the ground in the park.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Which park?”
I waved my hand in a vague direction, which was about right for my sense of direction. “The one beside the river. I think it’s called Jefferson Park or something. It was along the concrete walking path that… faces…” My words died in my throat as the man watched me. Though most of his face was hidden, I detected a hint of confusion in his features. “What? Don’t you know where the river is?”
He nodded. “I’m very familiar with it, but I don’t know the park you’re referring to, nor do I know what ‘concrete’ is.”
I blinked at him. “You know, the hard stuff people use to walk on. It breaks apart if you drive a car…” There was that sense of confusion. It practically radiated off him when I mentioned the word ‘car.’ My heart began to pound in my chest as I sat up. “You don’t know what I’m talking about, do you? About cars and that park? And if I said airplane?”
He shook his head. “That word isn’t familiar to me.”
I clutched my hand over my heart as it bounced around inside my rib cage. “That… that whatever it was. A portal or something. It came from that stick,” I nodded at the broom. “Only it changed into a broom when I was falling from the sky.”
He cast his hypnotizing red eyes at me, and I shrank beneath that intense gaze. After a moment a soft chuckle escaped him. He plopped his butt on one of the nearby gray stones and set the staff across his bent legs. One foot reached the ground while the other slightly swayed to and fro in time with his amusement.
I scowled at him. “What’s so funny?”
“I haven’t seen a pair of eyes that innocent in quite some time,” he explained as he brushed his gloved hand over the length of the stick. “And you’d have to be quite innocent to not take advantage of what fate has brought into your lap. There are not many who haven’t heard about the theft from the treasuries.”
“Well,” I returned as I scooted back against the stone and crossed my arms over my chest, “if you’re done asking your questions, then would you mind if I ask mine?”
He shook his head. “Go ahead.”
“Where in the hell am I?”
His eyes twinkled with mischief. “Have you never heard of the Halls of the Imperator?”
I shook my head. “No. What are those?”
He tapped the bare end of the broom against the stone. “Look behind you.”
I turned my head, and at that moment the wind rustled the leaves of the vine that hid most of the stone. They moved out of the way and revealed a name, a date of birth, and… a death date. The color drained from my face as I realized what I was leaning against.
I gave a yelp and pushed off from the stone before I twisted around to face my former backrest. “What the hell? We’re in a graveyard?”
The shadowed starlight and slight breeze had indeed revealed a tombstone. Now that my frazzled mind was slightly clearer, I saw that the other ‘rocks’ in the ‘park’ were also grave markers.
The man used the stick to draw back some of the curtains of vines on his own perch, and he revealed the tell-tale simple story of a life lived and lost. “I thought it a quiet place for us to speak. Hardly anyone comes into the halls, and fewer during the night.”
I whipped my head around and once more cast a disapproving glare at him. “What the hell is wrong with you? Who are you?” My blood began to boil as I climbed to my feet and faced him with all my confused fury. Tears welled up in my eyes as I balled my shaking hands into fists at my side. “What’s going on? Where the hell did that portal thing take me? How do I get back?”
The strange man studied me with a soft look in those bright eyes. After a moment a heavy sigh escaped him and he slid off his perch, where he then offered me a hand. “I’ll take you somewhere safe until tomorrow, and then we’ll try to find the answers to your questions.”
I cast a suspicious look from his hand to his face. “How can I trust you?”
He drew his hand back and chuckled. “How can you not? Or would you prefer to meet those friendly guards again? Commander Edouard would be most interested in reuniting with you.”
I bit my lower lip as I thought back to my confrontation with the soldiers. They’d promised me an unpleasant evening, while the man before me had rescued me from that fate.
First, however, I looked past him and at his wings. “Are we using those to get there?”
He turned his head to one side and studied his appendages with a bemused expression. “Don’t you like them?”
I tapped a foot against the ground. “The earth and I have an agreement. I don’t leave it for very long and it doesn’t try to kill me.”
His eyes revealed his amusement as he lifted his arm and used it to point to a path hidden in the weeds. “If you would follow me.”
I followed behind him so he could find the homicidal roots and strangler branches. It turned out those eyes must have been for more than just show because he tread over the ground like a panther. I, however, was as graceful as a gazelle with a peg leg. Two steps into the shadows of the forest of trees and death, and I found myself toppling into one of the stone markers. I wrapped my arms around the rock to catch myself, and I swear I heard a soft groan of approval.
I looked down at the headstone and noticed the name read ‘Thomas Fox.’ The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, and I hurriedly scrambled off the stone. I jumped a mile in the air when a hand grabbed my shoulder. It turned out to be the man in black.
“Are you sure you wouldn’t want to fly?” he teased.
I nodded down at the broom in his hand. “What I need is that stick to keep my ankles safe.” I reached for the broom, but he drew the stick out of my reach.
“It would be safer if I were to hold onto this treasure,” he insisted.
I raised an eyebrow. “Why? What’s so important about a stick that becomes a broom?
“Quite a bit, but that’s a story better told in front of a warm fire, don’t you think?”
Another chill wind blew past us, and I couldn’t help but shiver. “That does sound nice…”
He offered me his bent arm. “Then allow me to lead you there.”
I gladly accepted the arm, and he guided me over the rough terrain. The graveyard was small, only about a hundred square feet, and we soon found ourselves at a rusted gate. The gate led onto a narrow cobblestone street that meandered left and right. Small cottage-shaped stone and wood homes stood opposite where we exited the cemetery. Even smaller shed buildings on either side of us interrupted the fence, but otherwise, the cemetery and its ancient trees were the sole occupants of that side of the road.
My unusual guide stopped us on the threshold between dirt and cobblestones and looked up and down the street. “Perhaps I should be a little less conspicuous.” My jaw dropped open as I watched his wings shrink underneath long flaps on the back of his vest jacket. He stretched himself to his full height and rolled his shoulders. “That’s better. They’re rather awkward after a while.”
I gaped up at him. “What are you?”
His eyes twinkled down at me. “Merely a humble thief, my lady, though I’m sure my old friend, the commander, would like to call me many other names. Now if you will give me the honor, we’ll get you,” He held up the staff in his other hand and some of his good humor faltered, “and this unique item to safety under the roof of my old friend.”
I allowed him to lead me rightward down the narrow path. The street was dead, with one side being quite literal, and very few lights flickered behind the worn curtains. The silence, however, gave my heart time to rest and my mind time to think. The quaint building styles we passed reminded me of pictures I’d seen of the eighteen century with its simple woodwork hovels and the two-floor buildings with shops on the bottom and homes in the upper floor.
All of it looked so familiar, and yet not. Here and there were etched strange designs on the door frames, like protective talismans, or worse. A few random shops also advertised unusual wares such as tongue of toad and bat’s wings.
Most unusual of all, however, was the man who strode beside me. I couldn’t think of any stories about man dragons except in bawdy romance novels. His very existence made me think that I hadn’t traveled back in time so much as been plopped into some world entirely different from the one I knew.
“So where exactly am I, anyway?” I inquired of my guide as I looked up at him.
“You’re in the city of Validen, near the coast of the Coerulus Sea.” He leaned forward a little and studied my face. “Those names don’t mean anything to you, do they?”
I shook my head. “No more than what Jefferson Park means to you.”
He returned his attention to the road ahead. “Interesting. I have a friend who would be eager to speak with you. I may take you to him tomorrow night.”
CHAPTERFIVE
I lifted an eyebrow as suspicion arose within me. “Why me?”
“He specializes in magic teleportation. That is, the ability to travel,”
“using only magic, no feet involved,” I finished for him.
He nodded at me. “Yes. I’m surprised you know of that research. It’s a relatively new field.”
I snorted. “Not where I come from, but we don’t have magic to help us do it, just science.”
“They can be one and the same to those who know little of either,” he mused as he cast a curious look down at me. “But you say you have no magic where you come from?”
I shook my head. “Only the kind that has people hanging upside down in water tanks or making cars disappear.” There was a touch of confusion in those bright red eyes, so I shook my head. “It’s not real magic. Just some people pretending it is.”
“Then all the better my acquaintance should see you,” he told me as we came to an intersection.
The road continued on its merry way, though the graveyard fell away and was replaced by houses on either side. A new road led leftward, deep into the interiors of the hodgepodge of divergent dwellings.
I looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. “But why would he want to see me?”
“He’s been attempting to decipher some ancient tomes that may possibly indicate an ability to teleport between worlds.”
Some of the color drained from my face. “You mean I… I might have really fallen into some other world?”
“It’s possible, at least according to my friend.” A slight chuckle escaped him. “He is, however, rather eccentric, so I may be completely wrong about my guess.”
I hadn’t wanted to think about it, but what other possibility could there be? The portal, the odd and unfamiliar city landscapes and name, the wings on the back of the man who held my arm.
I was really glad for his holding my arm as my legs buckled a little.
“Easy there,” he whispered as he held me up. In one swift movement he slipped his arm out of mine and behind my back where he drew me against his side. “Whatever’s happened, it’s been tough on you. My friend’s home isn’t far.”
My guide turned me onto the new and winding road, and after only a short distance I noticed a change in the abodes. The small hovels gave way to larger and cleaner homes. They were downright stately with their covered porches and second floors. Some even had yards in the front, and the streets that crisscrossed the area were straight and well-kept. Not a speck of trash dared soil the elegant cobblestones over which many a four-horse carriage had driven.
A few of the stately abodes even had narrow alleys that divided the area into city blocks, albeit without any rhyme or reason when those alleys would pop up. Those back alleys hid little offshoots that ran into small courtyards, and tucked away in those spaces were the less than sightly fronts of small stables and the men who worked in them.
It was down one of these cloaked alleys that my guide led me. We reached about halfway down the hundred-yard road before he turned right onto one of the small offshoots. The opening to the courtyard was flanked by two tall stone pillars of flat rocks stuck together with expertly applied mortar. A tall barn-like stable covered the wall to our left and the backside of an L-shaped elegant house occupied the front and to our right.
The structure was of a hodgepodge of styles, from the simple cottage stone walls on the ground floor to the elegant wood-beamed Tudor on the second and third levels. Windows matched their respective fashions, with the ground floor being low and wide, and the upper floors being tall and paned. The presence of a covered walk with a high, sturdy gate on the left of the house stood out as an oddity from a more ancient fashion. A single light burned in a second-floor window, but otherwise all was dark and silent.
“Can you hold this?” he whispered to me as he held out the stick.
“I could use it,” I returned as I gladly took the broom and leaned a little bit of my weight against it.
The man reached into his vest and drew out a single small dagger. He stretched out his hand and nicked the blade against the stone column to our right. A handful of sparks flew out and died before they hit the ground. He tucked the weapon back into his belt and readjusted his arm around me.
“Now let’s see to your comfort,” he mused as he led me forward.
The rear door to the house opened and the soft light of a candelabra illuminated the well-lined face of an older gentleman. The glow made him appear to be a hundred, but he stepped back with the spry movement of someone less than half that age.
My guide stopped us near the threshold and grasped my elbows. His eyes smiled at me as he nodded at the home. “You’ll find good refuge here.”
Realization struck me, and I gripped the staff against my chest. “You’re not coming in, are you?”
He shook his head. “I’m afraid I’m rather too conspicuous to remain here, but don’t worry, I’ll see you later. It’s a promise.”
He stepped back and swept into a long, low bow. The next moment, he darted away and had soon disappeared around the corner onto the alleyway.
To say I felt adrift in a sea of apprehension would be an understatement. I was downright terrified as I turned my attention back to the rear door. The older gentleman hadn’t spoken a word, but his eyes lay on me. They looked kindly, or perhaps that was just my withered hope making me see things.
I gave him a sheepish smile and bowed my head to him. “H-hi. My name’s Millie, and he, um, the guy who was just here said I could stay…”
The older gentleman stretched out his arm that held the candelabra toward the interior of the home. I could just make out a long hallway that ran into the depths of the house and was swallowed by shadows. He slightly nodded in that direction.
The night was cold, and I was exhausted. A chill breeze made up my mind whether to run after the dark man or go into the house. I swallowed the lump in my throat and reluctantly slipped inside.
The older gentleman closed the door behind me and took the lead. His half dozen candles cast dancing soft shadows over the walls, but even in the weak light, I could make out some fancy molding and an elegant rug over the top of hardwood floors. The walls were covered in portraits and landscapes, and sometimes a combination of the two. Every now and again a niche revealed some regal bust or flowered vase. Judging by their ugliness they were no doubt worth a fortune.
We hadn’t reached the end of the hall when my silent guide stopped at a carved wooden door on our left. He opened it and led me inside where I found myself standing in a small but comfortable study. A fire crackled in the stone hearth and a large desk sat at an angle in the far-left corner. A few windows looked out on the side of the house, but the curtains were shut so tight I couldn’t catch a hint of a blade of grass.
The floor was covered in large rugs, but the walls were bare of any ornamentation. Two high-backed chairs sat before the warm fire, with a small table between them upon which sat a tray with a single glass and a tumbler beside that. A tall oil lamp sat on an end table beside the door and cast enough light to prevent me from tripping over the carpets.
The man slipped past me with the grace of a fox and grasped the doorknob. He caught my eye and nodded at the empty chairs before he shut the door behind him. It was an uncomfortable feeling hearing the soft click of the latch, though at least he didn’t lock it.
I clutched the broom against my chest and wandered over to the pair of chairs. The inviting warmth of the fire made me scoot between them to stand before the hearth. I leaned the broom against myself and stretched out my hands to warm them.
The broom slid down my left arm and I let out a little yelp. I did a juggle and a jig with the stick as it tried its best to slide into the flames. After a moment of tense dancing, I managed to grab it in both hands and press it against myself once again. A soft sigh escaped me.
And a soft chuckle escaped someone else.
CHAPTERSIX
My heart gave a leap, and I spun around to face the chairs. A handsome man sat in the one to my right with a bemused smile on his face. He had short, dirty blond hair and wore a gray suit with a white undershirt. His legs were crossed one over the other, and he showed off a pair of elegant black Oxford shoes. He leaned back comfortably in the seat with his bare hands clasped in his lap.
His bright blue eyes shimmered with a teasing glint as he inclined his head to me. “Good evening.”
My mouth opened and shut a couple of times before I got a hold of myself. “H-hi. I, um, this guy invited me here…”
The man raised one hand. “I know the details of your coming, miss, though I’m afraid my acquaintance neglected to ask your name.”
“It’s Millie. Millie Lucas.”
He gestured to the empty seat beside him. “Please take a seat, Miss Lucas. You look exhausted from your unusual travel this evening.”
I slipped over to the chair and eased myself onto the cushioned pad. “So, um, who are you? And who was that guy who brought me here?”
He twined his fingers together with his elbows on his legs as he smiled at me. “My name is Count Benjamin Castle, and this,” He opened his hands to gesture to the room, “is my humble abode inherited from a rather long and, if I may say, illustrious line of eccentrics.”
I blinked at him. “Eccentrics?”
He chuckled. “Is that word not familiar to you? My acquaintance did mention you were not of this world.”
I shook my head. “Oh no, I understood it. It’s just, well, people don’t usually brag about that kind of stuff.”
He chuckled. “One must make what they can of their heritage, but you asked about the gentleman who brought you here. The man you met is the Dragon Thief, as he is colloquially known in the city. A rather dapper figure in the underworld. He’s scorned by the city guards and is an animated character among the gossips.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “So, he steals things?”
The man dropped his gaze to the broom which I had laid across my legs. “Yes, but none so valuable as what you hold there, Miss Lucas.”
I followed his eyes and pursed my lips as I studied the worn wood. “Why is this thing so special?”
He held out one hand. “May I?”
I shrugged and passed the stick to him. He studied the adornments on the handle with great intensity and length until I could stand it no longer. “Are those ant lines important?”
The count lifted his bemused eyes to me. “What you describe as ‘ant lines’ are, in actuality, ancient runes carved into the wood by a sorcerer of great renown. The founder of this city, in fact, who ruled over it some eight hundred years ago.”
My mouth dropped open. “It’s that old?”
He nodded as he admired the shiny woodwork. “Yes. The craftsmanship is superb, and it’s been kept well hidden from weather and light in the treasuries of the emperor. That is,” He lifted his curious eyes to me, “until last evening when it went missing.”
I blinked at him. “But I only picked it up a couple of hours ago.”
He furrowed his brow. “How very unusual. I myself can’t explain the discrepancy, but I have an acquaintance who may have an answer for us.”
A smile touched my lips. “The one studying magical portals?”
He nodded. “Just the one. My friend who escorted you told you a great deal.”
I sighed and looked at the fire. “Everything except how to get back, and what I’m supposed to do here.”
The count leaned back and folded his arms over his chest. The firelight illuminated his stately brow, and I could well believe that many generations of aristocrats had helped shape that handsome face. “Yes, that is rather an important one, isn’t it? And the commander of the city guards knows your face, or well enough that he may recognize you. That would preclude your leaving these walls.”
My face fell as I thought about having to stay in hiding. With the soft fading of my fear, I felt a sense of curiosity in this strange and unfamiliar metropolis.
The man studied me for a long moment before a smile slipped onto his lips. “I may have a solution to that problem, but first some refreshment.” He took up the tumbler and poured the red liquid into the glass. The pungent scent of wine tickled my nose as he held the cup out to me. “Here. This will freshen those pale cheeks.”
I accepted the drink and studied the clear contents. “Is it called wine here, too?”
He inclined his head. “Yes. How very strange that so many of our words would be similar, but perhaps the walls between worlds are thinner than any of us know.”
I took a sip of the wine and found it to have a sweet berry flavor. A few drops fell on my lips, and I flicked my tongue out to slurp them up. As I did, I noticed my host watching me with amusement, but there was some deeper emotion in those bright blue eyes.
He noticed my staring and his smile widened. “Does my lady approve?”
I nodded. “It’s very good.”
“I will have to introduce you to the fields where the ancient canes once grew,” he mused as he moved over to a cord that hung from the ceiling beside the hearth.
The count pulled on the thick, elegant rope, and a moment later the door opened. I turned around and saw that the older gentleman stood in the doorway.
My host used a hand to gesture to the platter. “Another glass, Tully.” The man bowed his head and slipped away, shutting the door behind himself again. Castle turned back to me with that teasing smile on his face. “Your face shows all your emotions, my dear lady. You wonder at my manservant.”
I winced. “I, well, he doesn’t talk, does he?”
Castle returned to his seat and shook his head. “No. An accident a few years ago took away his voice. His wit and hearing, however, are as sharp as they were when he was half his current age, and I would be quite lost without him.”
The door opened again, and Tully entered the room with the quiet stealth of a cat. He set the glass down and gave a pointed look at Castle. His master shook his head as he took up the glass. “That will be all, Tully, though if you would prepare a room for our lovely guest here.” Tully bowed his head and left as silently as he had entered.
I looked down at the broom in my lap. “You mentioned you had some way for me to go outside.”
Castle poured himself a half glass and took a sip. “Yes. It’s an heirloom of my house, but I believe it will suit you perfectly.”
I winced. “Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to break it…”
He chuckled. “There’s no harm in that. The cloth is quite sturdy for its age, and Tully is quite proficient in sewing.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Cloth?”
My host downed the rest of his glass and set it on the tray. He stood and offered me his hand. “Allow me to show you.”
I followed his lead in drinking the rest of my wine and set the glass on the platter before I accepted his hand. He helped me to my feet and led me to the door. I regretted leaving the warmth of the fireplace, but my curiosity was piqued by this offer.
We stepped out into the hall where he traded my arm for a lit candelabra. All was quiet but for the soft ticking of a clock somewhere at the front of the house. Castle led me down the hall and I had time to study more portraits and paintings.
“Your family must be pretty wealthy,” I mused.
He turned his head slightly to one side so I could catch a glimpse of his sly smile. “Our bankers have rarely complained.”
“What do people use for money here?” I asked him.
“Coins of the realm are accepted, along with notes from one’s bank assuring the funds are present,” he explained as we reached near the end of the hall.
I caught sight of a large open foyer and a pair of heavy wooden doors that led out onto the street. However, Castle stopped us at a wide staircase on the left that was divided from the entrance hall by a pair of doors about fifty feet further down the corridor. He led me up those flights and past a large landing, the wide window of which allowed me to see an elegant house next door, and up to the second floor.
A narrow corridor stretched from one end of the house to the other and crisscrossed with another hallway that ran from the other exterior walls to one another. The wood floors were carpeted, but the rich history of portraits and statues was absent. There were only doors set at uneven spaces, and the level of the floor itself was slightly off where new house additions joined older ones. The flight of stairs continued upward to the third floor, but the landing prevented me from seeing that location.
