Blazing Blunderbuss (Wyvern Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  Hara sighed. She wouldn’t be able to change Anna’s mind now. Hara walked towards the workshop without caring if Gideon followed her or not. Anna would look after him if he decided to go for a wander.

  Anna went back into the post shop and Gideon followed. He tucked his hands in his pockets so he wasn’t tempted to fiddle with the things in her place. He often forgot that certain things weren’t his and tucked objects in his pocket as easily as he tucked his hands away. That particular habit had gotten him into a lot of trouble over the years, and not just with humans.

  Gideon asked, “What was she like as a child?”

  Anna chuckled. “You got it bad, don’t you, boy?” She didn’t seem surprised he had followed her or that he was asking questions.

  Gideon said, “I want her to be part of my collection. I’m not having much luck convincing her about the merits of being in my collection, though. I was hoping you could give me a few tidbits I could use.”

  Anna leaned against the table she sorted mail on and studied him for a long moment. Eventually she asked, “Dragon?”

  He nodded. “I’m a little confused that people don’t recognize me. I mean, I’ve lived amongst humans for a very long time and I’ve never been mistaken as human, and yet there have been a few recently who haven’t recognized my nature.”

  Anna said, “We don’t get to see many dragons out here. Maybe the people you’re used to dealing with are people who are always around dragons. The majority of people still think of dragons as either a distant menace or as nobility. Both are to be feared and catered to.”

  Gideon thought about her words as he wandered the room and looked at the postcards pinned to the wall. They were from places all around the world. He asked, motioning to the postcards, “Are these to you?”

  Anna said, “Some, but most of them are for Alfred.”

  Gideon nodded and said, “He was very popular in his day. The other nobles didn’t understand why he would give it all up for his wife. The other dragons, they understood.”

  Anna smiled warmly at the thought of the woman. “She was certainly an awesome woman, but she didn’t like the crowds.”

  Gideon remembered the plump woman with fire in her eyes. “Agoraphobic. She was still brilliant though. I always wondered what they would do together,” he said distractedly as he looked around.

  Anna flashed a knowing grin. “They’ve made some things, but I don’t think the world is ready for them.”

  The dragon had to agree. Alfred, in his day, had been inventing weapons. Mildred, Alfred’s wife, had also been an inventor, but she had been making crystals which could make machines do things by rote. Anything they made would be devastating. He didn’t doubt for a minute they had made something spectacular, and he was glad they had never unleashed it on the world.

  Gideon asked curiously, “Does Hara take after them?”

  Anna cleaned her hands on a kerchief as she watched him wander around her shop. “Oh, yeah. But she’s wary of her talent. Thanks to her dad.”

  He frowned and asked, “Her dad?”

  Anna nodded. “Yeah. Stick around for a moment and I’ll tell you all about him.” Gideon watched as she put a kettle on and puttered around in the small room at the back of the post shop.

  Hara heard her Oupa first. He was obviously making something. This late, she would have expected him to be at dinner already.

  Hara called, “Alfred? Oupa.”

  The banging stopped, so he must have heard her, but when she went further into the workshop she saw he was still working on his latest job.

  He didn’t turn but said to her, “Took you long enough. Your father came looking for you last year.”

  Hara shrugged. She really didn’t want to talk about her father or the two years since she had left him. “I decided to take the long way home. How was he?”

  “Alive,” he answered, blandly.

  Hara winced when she asked the question. She had thought she had cut all her ties with her father after the scandal and betrayal. Alfred grunted, so nothing had changed with her father. She wandered over to his work and took a look.

  Hara asked, “A sealed unit? What’s it going to do?”

  “It’ll lift heavy objects with only one man’s efforts.”

  That would be useful in this technology-sparse area. She helped him for a while and they were quiet as they worked.

  Alfred asked, “You’ve been all right?”

  Hara shrugged. “It’s been all right. Better without dad.”

  He grunted in response. She added, “I kind of need you to help. I have an airship which has some damage. You up to fixing it?”

  His response was another grunt. She knew he would help and he wasn’t much for conversation. They finished up and headed towards the ship. The sun had set and there wasn’t a chance they would get any of the repairs done tonight.

  Gideon was waiting outside the post shop. Hara looked past him to see if Anna was around but he was by himself. Alfred nodded his head in greeting and Gideon returned the gesture.

  Alfred studied the airship from the ground and said, “You done a number to this girl, Hara baby.”

  “Yeah, that’s what happens when you run into pirates.”

  Her Oupa gave her a sharp look, then turned back to the ship and asked, “Crew?”

  Hara shook her head. “We’re a bit light-handed. I have some things I can do so we don’t need as many crew as usual, but I will need to pick up a few people as I go along.” Hara motioned to Gideon and said, “He sorted it out.”

  Alfred looked past her to Gideon, who had taken to standing behind her. “I owe you.”

  Gideon shrugged. “I did it for my own reasons.”

  That made Hara glance at the dragon. She kept forgetting he was a dragon and didn’t have the same motivations as humans. She waved it off, because for the moment it didn’t matter. She was free and alive. There were always options when you were free and alive. She had learnt that from her father. It wasn’t the only thing, but it was the only thing she was proud of.

  Hara decided to change the subject and asked, “What can you do for the lady?”

  Alfred grunted. It would be fixed in a day or two judging by his face. He turned and started back to the workshop and said, “Come along. I have some stew and your room is still set up for you.”

  Hara trotted to keep up with her Oupa’s pace. “I’ve a couple of people with me. Do you have enough space for them?”

  Alfred shrugged. “Your father’s room is free, but it’s small.”

  Hara grinned. She remembered when they had moved her father’s room to the smaller room, and Alfred had given her the big room. Her father had been more than frazzled and his charm had been washed away with his confusion and anger.

  Her room had a large bed which she had made with Alfred. That was when she knew that, despite his gruff nature, her Oupa loved her. She had never been sure of her father’s emotions towards her, but she didn’t think love was one of them. Even though he often came to pick her up and take her on his travels, it was always for his benefit and not her own.

  They were halfway home when Henry came trotting out from between two buildings. He was grinning as he said, “It’s so good to be on good old terra firma.” He waved to Alfred and asked, “Is this our mechanic?”

  Hara motioned to Alfred and said, “This is my Oupa. He’s an engineer. He’ll have the Blazing Blunderbuss up and running in no time.”

  Henry looked Alfred over and said, “You look familiar.”

  Alfred grinned, “Many say that. So, boy, are you part of my granddaughter’s crew?”

  Henry beamed. “Oh yeah, better than what I had before. I might actually get to cook for a living instead of shovelling coal.”

  Gideon said, “Good, because I hate cooking.”

  Hara chuckled and said, “That means you’ll have to take his place at the boiler.”

  That made Gideon frown, and she had to smile at the intense look on his face. It seemed
her dragon wasn’t up for much physical labor. She had already figured that out, but he was worth having along because he could turn into a sizable weapon at a moment’s notice, and that was worth more than any amount of coal shovelling. It was a pity she would be taking him home soon.

  Henry was in her father’s room. Gideon had spoken to Alfred and apparently that had been the end of the sleeping arrangement argument. Hara stared at Gideon and asked, “Are you mad?”

  Gideon flicked his hair away from his face and said, “Many have commented that I am, but in my own opinion, I doubt they are the best judges of sanity.”

  Hara motioned to her room and said, “I don’t think you get it. You can’t share my room.”

  He shrugged, unperturbed by her aggressive tone and said, “I’ll sleep on the floor. Do you have a pillow? I really like pillows. They can make the most awkward sleeping arrangements so much more comfortable.”

  She huffed and turned. She knew she wouldn’t be able to convince him, and she wasn’t up for a loud fight. Once in the room she threw a pillow at him, followed by a blanket which was folded on the bottom of her bed. Her Ouma had made it before she had died.

  Gideon started making himself a nest on the floor and he hummed as he worked. Hara shook her head. She wasn’t surprised others thought he was crazy. He was a dragon and he was sleeping on the floor in her bedroom. She tucked herself into her bed and dimmed the light, but sleep eluded her, and eventually she broke the silence. “You better not snore.”

  Gideon asked very seriously, “Is that the criteria for a man to share your room, that he doesn’t snore?”

  She buried her face in her pillow, wishing she hadn’t said anything. “It doesn’t matter.”

  He seemed chatty as he asked, “Is there a list? A list would be very useful. Actually, I should make a list for you as well.” He made a soft, contented sound and added, “A mate for me would have to be clever and brave. Definitely brave. I can’t stand the simpering women at court. People think dragons want someone who is obsequious, but that only annoys most of us. Me included.”

  Hara wasn’t sure when he had gotten the idea she should be his mate, but it made her uncomfortable. There was a rustling sound and he continued talking. “I would want someone willing to get into trouble for me.”

  She groaned. That explained where he got the idea of her being his mate. “Is that why you’ve been following me around, because I was stupid enough to rescue you from those Roshian men?”

  Gideon sounded very pleased when he made an assenting noise. She moved onto her elbow and looked down at him. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness enough that she could make out his form on the floor, and he was lying on his back. She needed to set him straight before this got out of hand.

  “Let me make something clear to you, dragon. I don’t trust men. They’re always trouble. They use you and then throw you away.”

  His head turned to her and he said, “Then it’s a good thing I’m a dragon and not a man.”

  Hara flopped down and covered her head with her pillow. This was getting old very quickly. What was she supposed to do with a mad dragon? At least she would only have to deal with him for a short while. She would take him home and then she wouldn’t have to think about him again.

  Gideon waited for Hara to fall asleep before he got up. He wandered through the house. Alfred was sitting by the fire and didn’t seem to be startled by Gideon’s appearance. Alfred poured a drink and offered it to him. Gideon sat down. They were quiet for a long while.

  Eventually Alfred asked, “Are you going to add her to your collection?”

  Gideon wasn’t startled the old man recognized him as a dragon. Most who dealt with nobility knew the signs, and Alfred was someone Gideon recognized from a long time ago. Though he doubted the old man remembered him very well. “She is in my collection.”

  Alfred grunted. “Does she know that?”

  Gideon grinned at the old man. “No, but that’s part of the fun.”

  Alfred shook his head. “She’s going to skin you alive when she finds out. Her old man has soured her towards men. The barnacles take him. He was his mother’s favorite and she spoiled him rotten. I should never have let it happen. I made sure I did better with her. But you can’t protect them from everything.”

  Gideon blinked at the tirade. Even when he had been a tinker in the Imperial court, Alfred had never been a man of words. He had left that scene when he had married a woman well below his status and he hadn’t wanted her to feel snubbed. At least, that was what the rumors said. Gideon knew more. Mildred had been an amazing tinker herself, but she hated crowds. While Alfred was the darling of the court, his wife would never have been able to stay out of society. Alfred had given up his fame for his wife.

  “I’ll protect her,” Gideon assured him.

  Alfred took a sip of his drink as he thought. Gideon waited patiently. Even as a young man Alfred had been worth listening to. Now he was older and probably wiser, Gideon was curious.

  Eventually Alfred said, “I think she needs someone who can be more than a protector. She’s been hiding for too long. She could have come home and I could have protected her, but she wandered around. There was something she couldn’t get from me.”

  Gideon propped his head on his hand and leaned forward. “Really? Tell me what her life’s been like.”

  Alfred raised an eyebrow. “She’s a better tinker than me.”

  Gideon recoiled a little and asked, “Really? Why, then, have we not heard of her? You know we like tinkers. Gadgets interest us.”

  Alfred shrugged. “That’s her father. He had her use her skills to defraud people. She’s better known as Jeune in the influential circles. If they knew who she really was they would hunt her down for what her father has done. I told you she is hiding. He would promise some marvelous things and say he had a new gadget which would make it all possible. He would have her make the gadget and then parade her and the gadget around. Once everyone had put in their investments he would leave. Her gadgets are scattered all over the world; most collecting dust, as no one trusts them. She will never be safe if people know how good she is, so she will never fulfil her potential.”

  Gideon propped his chin again in his hand and thought about it for a long moment. After a while he said, “Do you think she likes travelling? She seems to have a soft spot for the airship. She doesn’t have to have it fixed, after all. She could just stay here.”

  Alfred sat back and shrugged. “She doesn’t fit here anymore. She figured that out before I did. A ship might be the place for her if she didn’t have to hide who she was all the time.”

  Gideon nodded his head decisively. “Good. She can travel around and make her things and I’ll make sure no one bothers her. That will make her happy.”

  Alfred asked, “What about you? I know you’re not keen on human company. Will there be too many people travelling around like that?”

  Gideon shrugged. “It’s the ones who keep dying. I hate that. It won’t matter on a ship. People change too often for me to get attached. And I hate hanging around dragons, even if they don’t tend to keel over and die like humans do.”

  Alfred asked, “So you intend to bond with her?”

  Gideon didn’t hesitate before he answered. “Of course. But I’ll build up to that. Where is the fun in rushing?”

  Alfred just shook his head. The two of them finished their drinks in silence.

  Hara asked Henry as she came out of her bedroom in the morning, “Have you seen Gideon?” She had expected to see him still sleeping on her floor, but the bedding was packed away and there was no sign of him.

  Henry shrugged and stuffed half an end of bread in his mouth before he left the house. She wasn’t sure what he was off to see since the town was so small, but she wouldn’t deny him the little freedom she could give him.

  Her Oupa was already packing up a case to work on the airship. She asked him, “Have you seen Gideon?”

  Alfred grunted and lifted t
he pack over his shoulder and said, “Do you like him?”

  Hara blinked at the blunt question. Then she sighed and said, “You’re as bad as Anna. She thinks he’s my beau.”

  “Well, isn’t he?” he asked.

  She shrugged, not in the mood to argue with anyone about the dragon. It seemed people were going to jump to conclusions no matter what she did. “I found him imprisoned by a couple of Rosh Barkers. I rescued him. Now he follows me like a puppy. That doesn’t mean I like him. Any human being would try to help someone in that kind of situation.” She frowned as she looked around for him. “Or maybe not, as everyone seems to think there’s more to it. That doesn’t matter anyway. Have you seen him?”

  Alfred answered, “He said he was going to the tavern.”

  Hara sighed. That could be a dangerous thing. The regulars at the tavern were those who had too much money and not enough sense. They had workers making their money and spent most of the day swapping money with their fellow landowners in games of chance. None of them were of any real benefit to society. They certainly liked to talk brashly and often got into fights with visitors.

  She headed towards the tavern, hoping she could prevent any disaster. The landowners would be almost ready to head home at this hour, as it was still early.

  Hara was barely out of the workshop when one of the locals stopped her. Hara sighed as Mr Hamlin, the butcher, looked her up and down and asked, “You look very manly for a girl. What’s your father been doing with you?”

  She resisted the urge to punch him in the face. He was this rude with everyone, so he wasn’t treating her any differently. “I haven’t actually been with my father for the last few years.”

  That made him raise his eyebrows in concern—or was it censure instead? “Who’s been looking after you then?”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’m twenty, Mr Hamlin. I don’t need a keeper. Now if you don’t mind, I have to go rescue someone again.”