Blazing Blunderbuss (Wyvern Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  Henry nodded. “Yeah, thanks.”

  The bruiser offered his hand to Hara. She took it and asked, “I take it you came to the rescue of my cook?”

  The man said, “He was lured here by a few men. I thought I’d even up the odds.”

  Hara looked past the man and saw there were indeed a few unconscious and groaning men. She pursed her lips, briefly impressed with the man’s fighting skills. “Do you need a job?” she asked, still looking at the carnage.

  The man grunted and said, “I need to get out of town, does that count?”

  Hara turned back to him and said, “We can work with that. I’m Captain Hara. You’ve met Henry.”

  He ran a hand through his hair as he said, “I’m Kale.”

  “Well, Kale, if you’re ready, we really should leave. We’re heading towards the capital, and I hope that gets you far enough away from any of your enemies,” said Hara.

  Kale jumped, and Hara assumed the clockwork dragon had moved to her shoulder. He had been looking at her face and now his eyes were directed there.

  Hara said, “Don’t mind him. He doesn’t bite.” Kale looked skeptical.

  Henry said, “That’s new. Has Gideon seen it?”

  Hara smiled and turned to Henry. “Yeah, and they hit it off like oil and water.” She stroked the dragon and it settled again.

  Henry eyed it curiously and asked, “Does it just stay there?”

  “Sure. It seems comfortable.” It probably liked being able to see new things. It also had the added bonus of annoying people.

  Hara called out as she moved from the deck further into the ship. “Hey guys, we’re back, and we brought a friend.”

  When they got to the bridge Alice and Murphy were there.

  Henry said, “Meet Kale. He saved my life.”

  Alice came up behind Hara and whispered. “He looks massive.”

  Kale grinned suggestively. “It is all muscle.” He flexed his arm to demonstrate.

  Henry missed the suggestive tone and added excitedly, “Yeah, without him I would’ve been beaten to a pulp.”

  Hara rolled her eyes and said, “I think you’ve been living amongst pirates for too long, Henry.” She motioned to the ship in general and said, “We’ll need a few hands to stoke the fires and trim sails.”

  Henry hesitated, then said, “I’ll go make dinner.”

  Hara waved him off. The others gave her a look to see who would have the unwanted chore of shovelling coal. Hara said, “Well, I’m hungry already, and he has had his fair share of ship work lately.”

  Murphy said, “Fine, I’ll go flex my muscles. Come along, new guy, I’ll show you the ropes.”

  Once they had left Alice approached Hara and said, “I don’t like the new guy, Kale. He looks at me a certain way.”

  Hara looked at Alice with concern and said, “Come here, I want to show you something.”

  Alice had come from a sheltered upbringing. It was time to teach her how to look after herself when she was around men who didn’t know their manners. Hara had given her the knife, and now it was time to show her how to use it and other less lethal methods when dealing with a stronger force. Hara wished Alice could be safe in any circumstances, but she knew from experience that that wasn’t guaranteed.

  Hara reached up to the dragon on her shoulder, tapped a paw and pointed it to the wheel. It chirped and glided from her shoulder to perch there.

  Alice asked as she watched the small creature, “It can fly?”

  Hara glanced back at the dragon and said, “Not really. It can glide a bit. It weighs too much to truly fly. It’s a clever creation, but really it’s only a novelty. Now let me show you how to use that knife.”

  Alice was still distracted and said, “Are you going to name it?”

  Hara grinned and said, “I already did. Her name is Angel.”

  Alice said, “That’s pretty.”

  “I know. Maybe a little too pretty, when Gideon hears.” There was amusement in Hara’s voice.

  Alice asked, confused, “Gideon? Why would he not like the name?”

  “Gideon is an angel’s name. It’ll annoy the heck out of him,” Hara explained.

  Alice sighed and shook her head lightly. “I don’t know why you and Gideon can’t get along. He’s a rather nice man.”

  That made Hara interested, and she asked, “Has Gideon been flirting with you?”

  “No. You know he’s sweet on you, don’t you?” Alice asked, confused.

  “Yeah, and that’s part of the problem.” Hara didn’t want to explore her feelings for the dragon. They were, at the very least, complicated.

  Alice frowned but didn’t ask any more. Hara couldn’t explain that it was all the more complicated because Gideon wasn’t everything he seemed to be, and she really didn’t want hysterical people when they found out that they had a dragon on board. The sooner they dropped Gideon off home the better.

  Hara set the food down and said, “Henry said it’s a simple stew, but it smells better than anything I’ve made.” She and Gideon had the watch and she hadn’t done anything to change the schedule. Gideon might annoy her, but he was still good company on watch while everyone else was asleep.

  Gideon put out some plates. He didn’t seem to mind doing servant work. She would have thought the haughty dragon would expect others to wait on him. He pulled out her chair.

  Angel chirped, because she had been sleeping on the chair. Gideon growled at her but she seemed unperturbed and scuttled off to find another place to sleep.

  Hara eyed the plates and said, “Those are real china. Are you sure you want to use them?”

  Gideon blinked at her in confusion and said, “They’re lovely, and you insist this will be our last night together, so I’d like to use something that’s as lovely as you.”

  “I don’t want to argue, Gideon,” Hara sighed.

  He glanced at her. “Who’s arguing?”

  She sat down in the chair he offered and said, “I just don’t want anything to be broken. We’re in a moving vehicle. Things can get broken.”

  Hara was nervous, but she couldn’t put her finger on why.

  Gideon said, “We could have this every night, you know.”

  Hara knew he wasn’t talking about the nice china or the food. She ate something so she wouldn’t say anything. She had dreamed of this when she was younger, but it had turned bitter when she realized she was destined to end up with someone like her father. After all, everyone said you married someone like your father. The nice dinner once in a blue moon was not worth the trouble in between.

  Gideon raised an eyebrow and then started to chatter about random things. She smiled softly as she ate. She would miss him, and that bothered her more than she wanted to admit.

  “You don’t have to be such a baby about it. You’re home, and it’s better that way,” Hara said as they dodged people on the street. Angel chirped from her shoulder, mimicking her as closely as she could.

  Gideon glared at her, but still followed as he continued to argue. “It’s you who needs maturity. You fear me and what I’ll do to change your life, so you wish to rid yourself of me.”

  Hara didn’t look back as she answered, “You’re not wrong.”

  He huffed. “So if you agree you’re the juvenile in this situation, why are you making me stay here?”

  She hated that he was being logical and said honestly, “I need time.”

  Gideon caught her arm and made her turn. He studied her face for a long moment, then said, “I don’t think so. I spoke to your grandfather, and he says you’ve been travelling for years. You don’t need time. You need to face your fears.”

  Hara raised an eyebrow and asked, “And you reckon you’re one fear I should face.”

  “Yes,” he said gleefully. Angel chirped an agreement and Gideon grinned at the small creature.

  Hara glared at Angel and whispered, “Traitor.” She was tired of this conversation. “Let’s get to your place and we can talk about this in
private.” She spun on her heel and continued to dash through the crowds as fast as they would allow her.

  Gideon said, “I’m aware you’re still going to leave me behind. I haven’t convinced you. You hide even from yourself, and this is not healthy.”

  She threw over her shoulder as she pushed through the crowds, “And you don’t hide? Alfred told me a little about you. That you don’t like dragons and you spend most of your time amongst humans. What are you afraid of? Pot calling the kettle black, don’t you think?”

  When he didn’t answer, she looked over at him and his gold eyes dark with his emotions. Maybe it would be best to leave this conversation where it was.

  They arrived at the address she had wheedled out of him earlier. His home was a large building of apartments. Hara was astonished Gideon didn’t live in a mansion. She had thought all dragons were rich. After all, he had dropped a fortune on that pirate to buy the airship and hadn’t even blinked.

  Gideon said, “Are you going to come up?”

  Hara sighed, and pulled her attention away from the building. Angel chirped, asking as well. The clockwork dragon was fairly easy to understand because she changed the tones of her chirps.

  Hara said, “I’ll have to. Otherwise, you’ll just follow me back and I promised you we would talk.”

  He flashed her a grin and waved for her to lead the way. She said, as they entered the elevator, “You need to stay away from me. I’m only trouble.”

  So maybe the building was a little more posh than it had looked from the outside. Only rich places could afford to put in elevators. Gideon leaned against the wall and watched her. Hara tried her best to ignore him.

  Instead she asked, “What are you going to do now?”

  His gold eyes sparked with interest and she blushed and said, “No, I mean when I’m gone.”

  He chuckled and said, “Pine away.”

  Angel seemed concerned for Gideon and made a noise to show that. Hara patted Angel to reassure her. “He’ll be fine, Angel.”

  Gideon denied that, placing a hand over his heart and pretending to be wounded. “You can’t be sure. Maybe the next time you see me I’ll have wasted away.”

  Hara rolled her eyes and prayed for the elevator to reach his floor. The doors pinged and opened. She rushed out and Gideon chuckled at her haste. There was a large foyer which led into several rooms.

  It took Hara a moment to realize there was only one apartment on the whole floor. So maybe having an apartment was actually not so cheap, after all. She stopped walking when she saw two men standing in the center of the sitting room.

  Gideon was saying something to her, but stopped too when he saw the men. If he were a dog, Hara would have said that his hackles rose.

  Gideon’s tone turned hostile and he said, “What are you doing here?”

  The taller of the two men said, “I am here by the will of the Emperor.”

  “He isn’t my Emperor,” Gideon snapped. Hara wondered if they were speaking about the Emperor of the Empire or some dragon equivalent.

  The other man interjected before Gideon could start on a rant. “We don’t have time for this. Gideon, we have come here to tell you that your life is in danger. There is a group of Rosh Barkers looking for you.”

  Hara snorted. The two men looked at her and the tall one stalked up to her. Gideon stepped between her and the man and said, “She’s mine.”

  Hara wasn’t going to argue. The man was a beast and she didn’t like the way he looked at her, so she would be a coward and hide behind Gideon’s possession.

  The way the two reacted to each other suggested this new man was a dragon as well. He certainly had the size for it. Maybe he wasn’t part of the human species.

  Her Oupa had told her to look at the eyes, and sure enough, the man trying to stalk her had gold eyes. Another dragon. Interesting.

  Hara was curious now, and watched the two dragons carefully. The other man, though tall, didn’t have the gold eyes, so she guessed he was a human after all.

  The three were arguing now. She wasn’t sure what they were arguing over, but the human waved his hands and the two dragons went silent and glared at each other.

  Into the silence, Hara said, “Well, Gideon, you’re home and I have to go. Maybe we can talk another time.”

  Angel chirped a goodbye.

  Hara turned to leave, but Gideon caught her arm and turned her to face him.

  Gideon said, “Something to think about.”

  He surprised her by kissing her. A light brush of his lips over hers. It was very chaste and he didn’t try to take it further. She was flustered, and decided that if she said anything she might just make a fool of herself. Gideon stroked Angel’s head when she chirped for equal attention.

  Hara swallowed a lump in her throat and decided words weren’t going to be helpful. She just nodded her head, turned and left.

  Hopefully the dragon and his companion could distract Gideon so she could leave the city without him sneaking back.

  “What are you doing here, Harlen? Tired of kissing the Emperor’s ass?” Gideon asked.

  The other man whom Gideon didn’t know—the Empire agent—huffed and said, “Can we leave the insults for another time? We came here because we’re concerned about you.”

  Gideon glared at Harlen then turned to the agent. “There’s no need for concern. The Rosh Barkers have already tried and failed at keeping me.”

  Harlen gasped. “What?” He glared at the agent, who shrugged and said, “Our information is usually timelier than this.”

  Gideon shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I might seem like I can’t look after myself, but I’ve been looking after myself since I was born. You two can get out of my home.”

  The agent jumped at the look in Gideon’s eyes. He obviously didn’t deal with dragons very often.

  Harlen wasn’t intimidated and said, “It seems like you haven’t been here for a while. I take it you have interests elsewhere.”

  Gideon shocked Harlen by saying, “Yes, and she’s mine.”

  Harlen raised an eyebrow to show his astonishment. Gideon added, “Your Emperor doesn’t have to worry. I won’t be joining his enemies. I will bond with a human and that will no longer be a concern.”

  Harlen said in a soft voice, “You are not a burden, Gideon.”

  Gideon snorted. “That isn’t what he said the last time we spoke. I’m not in his collection and I’ll never abide by his rules. He has always worried I would join someone else’s collection. He forgets we are all blood, and unlike you, I don’t need to grovel to feel completed.”

  Harlen’s face darkened, but he didn’t argue with Gideon on that point. After a long moment he said, “Keep yourself safe. The Rosh Barkers might take another chance at you.”

  Gideon nodded his head, acknowledging that Harlen cared. At least he was honest. After all, they shared a mother. Though dragons didn’t usually have their own family in their collections, he and Harlen had never gotten along but they had never been enemies either. When they had come to earth they had been forced to leave everything behind, so there had been no ranks. There had been chaos as those who wanted power greedily collected all they could to gain in social status.

  Catherine had been the tipping point. She had been a woman set up as a tribute to dragons. She had been taken by Erasmus. He liked her stories and her wit, and during a raid by dragon hunters, she had been hurt and he had saved her, bonding with her at the same moment.

  She gave birth to William less than a year later. Erasmus’s ability to have children thanks to his collection shot him to the top of the social ranking. He became the first Emperor of dragons on the planet. William grew up to have the same ambition as his father and conquered most of Europe. He called himself an Emperor as well. Erasmus made a treaty with his son, and from then on he forced all the dragons to play nice with the humans.

  Since Gideon had never eaten humans, they had left him out of the treaty, partly because they couldn’t fin
d him. He had been living amongst humans at that stage. Gideon had never been part of the Dragon Empire, and he wasn’t going to start taking orders now.

  Hara was startled when a young man approached her on the street. She didn’t pause as he matched her pace.

  He cleared his throat and said, “Miss. Miss, I hear you have work?”

  He was young. Maybe only fifteen. She glanced at him. He was wringing his hands nervously.

  Hara said, “This is a big city. Surely you can get a job here.”

  He sighed and said, “Well, you see, I live in this neighborhood with my Ma. But there’s this guy. He wants me to steal for him. But I don’t want to. If I stick around in the city I might not have a choice, you see.”

  Hara glanced at him again. He was still keeping up with her even though she was striding at a fast clip through the city streets. They were short on crew and she really couldn’t be picky. He was probably a thief who got in trouble with his fence or something. She didn’t think he was innocent.

  Hara shrugged and said, “Come along. We’ll see.”

  They were fast approaching the Blazing Blunderbuss. The airship really was a beauty, even with the scar down the side where the cannonball had just grazed it. It was cosmetic, so they had left it when they had completed the other repairs. Hara actually thought it made her pretty. The Blazing Blunderbuss was a survivor, just like her.

  Hara hated Gideon at that moment, because he was right. She liked the idea of being captain of her own ship. The Blazing Blunderbuss was quickly becoming her home. But, she had to admit, she would miss Gideon too. He was quirky and interesting and he had saved her life at least once.

  Alice greeted them as they approached the ship. She was more bubbly than usual, and skipped along beside Hara after she and the boy had climbed up the ladder. “I got us a cargo, Captain,” said Alice. “It’s small, but they were willing to pay a lot for it.”

  Hara raised an eyebrow and said, “That sounds a little too good to be true. Tell me the details.”