Blazing Blunderbuss (Wyvern Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  Hara looked at her gunner, Murphy, and Henry.

  Henry shrugged and said, “I’m still thinking about it. I like cooking. Doesn’t really matter where.”

  Murphy crossed his arms across his chest and then relaxed his bravado and admitted honestly, “Man, Hara, you have some of the nicest guns out there.”

  The men in the room all said, “Hey!”

  Murphy’s ears went red and he said, “I mean real guns. Get your minds out of the gutter, guys. If someone else can offer me better ordinance, then I might move on, but I like the guns so I’ll stick around.”

  Hara turned to Talen. His eyes sparked and said, “For now I’ll stay. I’m waiting for some word about a score. When that comes in I’ll move on, but till then I’ll keep you company.”

  His eyes went to Gideon, and Hara knew he would stay to make sure she didn’t get too close to the dragon. He really didn’t have anything to worry about. Not that she didn’t have feelings for Gideon, but because it had nothing to do with Talen. That was an issue she would settle another day. The others left to go to their work, but she stopped Talen.

  He sighed and said, “Okay, I’ll be honest, I don’t trust that dragon, and we’re a good team.”

  Talen went to leave again. Hara tightened her hand on his arm and said, “That dragon has saved my life. I trust him more than I would trust my own father.” Hara raised her eyebrows and added, “Do you understand? You are not my father and you don’t have to protect me. I’ve been looking after myself since my father realised I was useful and dragged me off to play darling for some minor court.”

  Talen pursed his lips, then nodded his head sharply. “I understand.”

  The weather in the Mediterranean was hot, but not so astonishing. The island they were on was a busy port and Hara was hoping to pick up a decent cargo. Gideon, her constant shadow, was looking around as he followed her. He and Angel had come to some agreement, because Angel watched out one way and he the other.

  Gideon said conversationally, “I think I like the sunshine. Never get much of it in the capital. Though I really can’t blame geography for that. I didn’t leave the campus very often.”

  Hara glanced over at him and asked, “Do you miss it? I mean, working with other academics and such. I don’t think there are even books on the Blazing Blunderbuss.”

  Gideon shook his head. “I was bored, so it was easier to keep my head down. This is by far more interesting. Mmm, but I think we should get some books. The others would probably like a library. I did find some books in my room, but none of them are appropriate for the young impressionable minds on the ship. Who would have guessed pirates would be so smutty.”

  Hara knew Alice would appreciate some books. She was educated, and although she had had to leave everything she knew behind, it would be nice to give her something of home while they travelled. It also might be a good idea to teach Liam how to read and write. Hara was already teaching him how to keep up the engine on the Blazing Blunderbuss, but he would need to be able to read and write to go to the next level. Although maybe she could con Gideon into teaching the boy.

  Liam was good with numbers, and Gideon might be able to put off his dislike of human beings long enough to teach the boy.

  Hara didn’t know about Henry. He could have taken a job here or any other place they had stopped recently, but he always managed to come up with another excuse for why he would stay with the ship a little longer. Hara thought he had the same problem as her. She had always felt she had nowhere where she belonged—until the Blazing Blunderbuss. She could be herself and not worry about what others thought.

  Hara knew she would have to thank Gideon for that someday, but she knew if she thanked him now he would be insufferably smug for days. She was just about to say something when Angel called out a warning and Gideon shoved her.

  Hara stumbled and turned to glare at him, but he wasn’t there. He was running. She chased after him and saw he was chasing someone. She pulled out her gun and aimed at a rope which was holding up an awning just in front of the running men. She shot and cut the rope. The awning fell and tangled up with the man.

  Gideon jumped on the man. When Hara approached, he had the man facing up, and was sitting on his chest.

  Gideon growled. “Why were you shooting at us?”

  It was then she noticed the crossbow tucked into the man’s belt. A little archaic, but it had been silent. A shiver went down her spine. That shove had probably saved her life.

  The assassin smashed his head forward, surprising Gideon. He shoved Gideon, who fell into a bucket of pig’s blood. The man managed to get a knife and Hara went to shoot him, but he pulled a woman against his chest and pressed the knife to her throat. Hara put her gun down and the assassin let the woman go and turned and ran.

  Gideon made a disgusted sound and said, “Argh, are we going to go after him?” He tried to clean himself off but the blood had soaked into his clothes.

  Hara shook her head. Assassins weren’t the kind to tell their secrets. She caught Gideon’s arm and said, “I’m afraid we can’t stick around to find out. Someone would have heard this commotion.”

  He blinked, confused for a moment. “But he was the one in the wrong.”

  Angel trilled in agreement with Gideon. Even though Gideon was older than Hara he was sometimes naive. “Yes, and I’m sure they’ll be happy to listen to us while they throw us into a prison.”

  Gideon shrugged and followed her. He asked, “Why do you think he attacked?”

  “I don’t know, and that worries me more.” She tugged on his arm as she spoke. Her eyes kept a watch for people who were paying too much attention to them. This wasn’t something new to her.

  Gideon seemed unconcerned. “Oh, why is that?”

  Someone ducked their head away, making her look at them, but they were closing up their shutters. There was nothing to fear from them.

  “Well, if it was the Rosh Barkers then I know where to go to hurt them, but since you blew up their weapon they seem to have cut their losses,” Hara said distractedly.

  Gideon asked with a small frown, “Are you sure this isn’t the Rosh Barkers? We did blow up their fancy little weapon after all.”

  Hara shook her head and placed her hand on his chest to stop him from stepping out of the alleyway. A few soldiers rushed past and she motioned when it was clear again. “No, it wasn’t the Rosh Barkers. They were pawns of the Rosh government, and with that plan no longer viable, they’ll find their funding drying up very quickly. The Rosh won’t want the Barkers to have free rein. So, though they might still be around, they don’t have the funding to send assassins after us. No, we don’t have to worry about the Rosh Barkers.”

  They were almost to the Blazing Blunderbuss. “Oh, I didn’t realize they were working for the Rosh government. Mmm, that is a dangerous game. Using people like pawns like that,” Gideon speculated.

  Hara didn’t disagree, but it wouldn’t be the first time a government had used people. “A desperate game. The Rosh don’t want to be consumed by the Empire.”

  Gideon shrugged and said, “Most countries say that, but over time they don’t particularly care who the government is as long as they’re looked after. The Empire will only go after Rosha if the Empire believe their government is ineffective. At the moment it is effective, so they have nothing to worry about.”

  Hara turned to glance at him and said, “You know that?”

  He nodded and explained, “If the Empire decided it needed more land it would finish eating up the Middle East.”

  Hara had to agree there. That would take a while, and she wondered if the Empire would go after something easier in the meantime. But if Gideon was right, they would only go after weak countries, and Rosha was far from weak.

  They reached the Blazing Blunderbuss and she called up for the ladder. For the moment all they would care about was staying out of an island prison and the sights of assassins.

  Talen watched as Hara dumped Gideon’s c
lothes in a bucket. Hara was determined not to look in the room where he was changing, though he had kindly left the door open to tempt her. They had played this game often over the weeks they had travelled.

  Talen raised an eyebrow, but she waved off his concern. He shrugged and asked, “I know someone who might be able to tell me who is after you.”

  He glanced at the open door and added, “Though the lizard seemed to keep you safe.”

  Angel trilled angrily as if to disagree. Hara reached up and patted the small dragon and said, “I know you helped as well, Angel.” She frowned at Talen and said, “He’s a dragon. Wait, are you still not over that?”

  Talen shrugged and said, “I know dragons and their collections. They’re possessive and obsessed with people in their collections. You know that’s what he wants from you.”

  Her anger was fast and burned hot. Why did Talen insist on trying to protect her from the wrong things? He had never been like this with her father, and he had done more harm to her in one day than Gideon had done in the entire time she had known him.

  “Yes, and he’s been open about all that crap. But why are you upset about it? My dad used to use me all the time and he couldn’t care less what happened to me. Are you saying that a neglectful and careless person is better than a possessive and obsessive one?”

  Talen’s eyes sparked. “Yes. At least you could get away from your dad. Once you’re in a dragon’s collection you’ll never be able to escape.”

  Hara leaned against the wall and frowned as she thought over his words. “You think he’s going to hurt me. Try to control me.” That, at least, was clear, and she admitted to Talen honestly, “I’m worried about that, but you make it sound like it might get physical.”

  Talen was tense. “You don’t? If you want to leave, what will happen?”

  She pushed a stick through the bucket to give it a swirl before going back to lean against the wall. “Nothing. Well, he might whine. But if I wanted to walk away he would do nothing to stop me.”

  Gideon popped his head around the door and said, “I’d whine excessively. Oh, and flowers, I’d definitely try flowers.”

  Hara rolled her eyes as Gideon finished dressing and came out into the corridor. He tucked in his shirt tails and said, “I wouldn’t hurt her. The whole point of this following around behind her and all, is to prove to her I ain’t like her dear old Poppy. What about you, Talen? Are you nothing like her dad?”

  Hara shot Gideon a look, then decided to change the subject and said to Talen, “Go ask your friend about the assassin and see if you can find out who is trying to kill me. I don’t like not knowing who my enemies are.”

  Talen glared at Gideon, but he pushed away from the wall and stalked away. Gideon seemed oblivious to the glare as he picked up the bucket with his clothes and trotted off to deal with them. At least he cleaned up after himself. That was already better than her father.

  Hara was on duty when Talen came back. She threw the ladder down and leaned on the railing as he climbed up. She waited for him to have both his feet on the deck when she asked, “Did you find out who hired the assassin?”

  Talen nodded and leaned back on the railing. He crossed his arms and said, “You’re not going to like it.”

  Hara raised an eyebrow and said, “Someone is trying to kill me. No matter who it is, I’m not going to like it.”

  He twitched his nose and said, “Well, my friend says that it’s the Rosh government, and the name on the kill list is not yours, but the Captain of the Blazing Blunderbuss.”

  Hara swore. “I knew that would bite me on the ass. Well, did your friend have anything else to say?”

  Talen hesitated and asked, “Are you really thinking about shacking up with the dragon?”

  Hara sighed. She knew she wouldn’t be able to avoid this conversation. “I’m not sure, Talen. I like him and he’s amusing, but I’m still thinking. I’m not going to rush into anything. At least Gideon is letting me have time. I don’t see why it’s your problem.”

  His face looked dark as he asked, “What would your dad say?”

  Hara growled, “My dad can go to hell. I don’t care what he thinks anymore. You know he left me in prison, Talen. He left me to rot. It was pure luck I impressed the judge and he gave me a second chance. My dad wasn’t anywhere when that happened. So I don’t care what my poor old daddy thinks.”

  She stormed off. She saw Gideon waiting, but he didn’t say anything. He followed her and asked, “What’s going to happen now?”

  Hara shook her head and said, “I don’t know, Gideon. I still need time.”

  He shook his head and said, “No, I mean about the assassin.”

  She let out a breathy chuckle and said, “I think I’ll have to beard the dragon in its own den.”

  Gideon chuckled and said, “Sounds like a plan. Now are we talking about the assassin, or about me?”

  Hara laughed and closed the door on his face.

  Gideon sat on the stool she had placed at the front of the bridge. It was his favorite spot to look out. She knew it was, because he was used to seeing where he was going while he flew. If they ever needed him, it would be in his dragon form, not his human form. Angel was sitting with him and the two of them were watching the world pass by beneath them.

  Gideon turned to Hara and asked, “Are you sure about this? The Rosh haven’t treated us well recently. They kidnapped me. Twice.”

  She couldn’t disagree with him, but she hated hidden dangers like this. She would rather face her problems than hide. She had done enough of that already. “It’s the only way we’ll be able to protect ourselves in the long run, Gideon. We’ve had this conversation before.”

  That had been at the border when they had made contact with a Rosh agent who had set up the meet. They were to meet with a Rosh member of parliament who was in charge of foreign relations. Hara assumed that was just a euphemism, as the Rosh didn’t play well with others, even on a good day.

  Gideon turned back to look over Moscow. He spoke softly, but Hara heard him. “I don’t trust them.”

  But they didn’t have much choice. Either they faced their problems or they would never be able to sleep. Talen added his two cents’ worth and said, “With the way you travel, you might be able to stay ahead of them for a while.”

  Hara shook her head and said, “They would just need to place an assassin in each port. And the Rosh are rich enough to do that. No, we have to face them to be safe.”

  Murphy said, “You sure you don’t want me there with my girls?” He patted the guns at his hips to indicate he meant his weapons.

  She shook her head and said, “I’m trying to stop people from wanting to kill me, not give them another reason by introducing you to them.”

  Murphy wrinkled his nose, but didn’t disagree.

  Snow fell in soft flurries. It was cold, but stalls were still calling out their wares so Hara assumed weather like this was common in Moscow. She patted her arms and said, “I really should get one of those coats. They sure do look warm.” They appeared to be made from ferret fur.

  Gideon said, “I can get you a coat.”

  She shook her head. “We can’t afford a coat. We hardly have enough money to pay for supplies.”

  Gideon shook his head and flicked his hand and a rose appeared.

  Hara jumped and asked, “How did you do that? Sleight of hand?”

  She took the flower and looked it over carefully.

  It was made of silk, and Gideon said sadly, “Sorry, real flowers don’t really have the staying power in the space between planes.”

  She blinked and asked, “What are you talking about?”

  He guided her towards a stall with coats as he said, “Our people travelled here from another place. Have you ever seen a creature on your planet which has four legs and wings? No, because we don’t come from here. We have found a way to manipulate the natural world. We can fold time and space. Though not always.”

  Hara frowned and said,
“The bands”

  Gideon smiled. She really was clever. He stopped her in front of the stall of fur coats and said, “Pick one. It’s a gift. No strings attached.”

  She shook her head. “You already put money down for the ship.”

  His gold eyes sparked with emotion. “And I would pay it again. I’ve lived a long time and I’ve collected a large amount of wealth. You don’t have to worry about money, my dear.”

  Hara shook her head. “It’s your money, not mine.”

  Giving the money to her would still mean it was his, but he knew trying to explain the connection between the collection and the collector was going to make her angry. Instead, he distracted her by lifting a beautiful gray fur coat off a stand and draping it over her shoulders.

  Hara said as she tucked her hands in the pockets, “It is a man’s coat.”

  “It looks good on you.” She took her hands out of the pockets to stroke the fur. Before she could come up with an excuse not to buy it, he flicked his fingers and dropped some coins on the stall owner’s table. The coins disappeared as quickly as they had appeared. Hara thought about complaining, but the coat was very warm and it really was cold. If she had thought Gideon expected anything from her, she would have put the coat back regardless of the money exchanged.

  Gideon placed his hands in his pockets and she asked as they walked away, “Aren’t you cold?”

  Gideon tapped his chest and said, “I have my own heat.”

  Hara huffed, but didn’t say anything about the coat. “You’re insufferable, Gideon.”

  He grinned at her and said, “If that were true you wouldn’t be here.”

  “Now I know why your mother abandoned your egg.” The words were harsh but there was amusement in her voice.

  Gideon bumped his shoulder with hers as he said, “So I could be free to fly on my own.”