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Thursday, April 30, 2167

The Sapphire Ward

Dragon Heights, Wyoming

While I wantedto eat from every fast food joint in the city, my parents decided we would be having dinner with Cedrick and his family. Unbeknownst to me, the titanium dragons had a property in every ward of the city. Their Sapphire Ward home included a rather large menagerie.

Mouthy Asshole, contained in a massive glass tank, croaked upon spotting me.

Five minutes later, I wore gloves that went up to my elbows and lifted the lid, prepared to become the plaything of a venomous toad determined to rid the world of all humanity. Sure enough, he lunged for me, bit my wrist, and held on for dear life. I supported his hind legs, aware of the big bastard’s rarity.

His girlfriend, who was larger than him by a horrifying margin, observed.

If she went for me, she might be able to eat my hand without much of a struggle.

Considering that Mouthy Asshole could get a hold of my wrist, I worried what the much larger female might do to me if I allowed her to get a hold. Already regretting my life choices, I carried the toad to the nearby examination table, set him down, and petted his back, something I found he liked. After five minutes, during which my parents and Erik gaped at me in silent horror, the toad released me and settled down, pleased with his conquest. After giving him another few pets, I returned him to his cage, braced, and presented my wrist for the female.

Sure enough, she went for me like she meant it, and she had sufficient jaw strength I noticed she got a hold on me. “Aren’t you just a big girl?” I cooed to her, working my hand under her rump and picking her up so she could have a turn outside of her cage. Unlike Mouthy Asshole, she showed no sign of wanting to let me go, which meant I dealt with petting her.

Garnet and Citrine stared at me from the comfort of Erik’s shoulders. My kitten’s eyes were wide and her fur stood on end. His kitten tilted her head to the side as though trying to determine which variant of insanity I suffered from.

After thirty minutes, scratching under her chin, and promising another date, Mouthy Asshole’s girlfriend finally let me go. I returned her to her cage, gave both toads pats, and peeled out of the gloves, careful not to come into contact with the fluid they’d left after biting me.

Cedrick laughed, stayed far from me, the gloves, and the tank, and pointed at an empty bin nearby. “Put them there.”

“This is what you’ve been doing for a living?” my mother asked.

“Usually, they’re dead. I’m an undertaker for animals.” I grinned at her. “And I’m paid to do it.”

“You’re not paid as well as an actual undertaker.”

We engaged in a glaring match, and I growled at her. She hissed back. I narrowed my eyes, and as hissing seemed more satisfying than growling, I did so, making sure my hiss was longer and louder than hers.

Garnet mewed, her inquisitive sound.

As I wouldn’t pet her until I had a chance to wash my hands, I blew a kiss at the carbunclo. “It’s okay, baby. I’m just proving, once again, that I’m the more superior of us.”

“Oh?” my mother asked, and I marveled at how many promises of retribution she crammed into a single world.

“I’m younger and prettier,” I began, holding up two fingers. “My carbunclo will always be cuter than your carbunclo, although he’s quite adorable. But Citrine is cuter than he is, too.”

“Peridot. His name is Peridot.”

Unlike Garnet and Citrine, Peridot slept, and my father cradled the green carbunclo. When my gaze landed on him, he shrugged. “He fell asleep on my shoe, Kinsley.”

I wouldn’t have been able to deny a carbunclo in that situation, so I didn’t bother to cast any judgment on my father. “Cedrick, I need to wash my hands, and then I need to see Monster. If I don’t get Monster’s love today, I will surely perish.”

“Come right this way. Monster would love to receive your love in vast quantity before we have dinner. I hope ordering in fried chicken appeals. My mother is in a mood.”

I whooped my delight at the thought of having fast food brought to me.

“I think she’ll be okay with fried chicken,” my mother replied. “Just make sure you take your share before she gets a hold of the bucket. She does not share.”

“I’ll share with Garnet, Citrine, and Peridot, but the rest of you are on your own.”

* * *

Friday, May 1, 2167

Death Mile

Dragon Heights, Wyoming

I waiteduntil the wee hours to wake Garnet, whispering to her that we needed to run an errand, fetch Tourmaline, and sneak out of my apartment while Erik and Citrine slept. As predicted, his kitten shared his pillow with him. While Garnet required a great deal of love, Citrine wilted if Erik left her sight for any reason.

For the next few weeks, Erik would be stuck trying to teach his little girl some independence. She loved chicken, but she wasn’t certain about the concept of plates. She understood if he held food out to her, she could eat it, but plates mystified her.

Unfortunately for me, Garnet had gotten into the mashed potatoes and gravy, diving headlong into one of the containers and claiming it as hers. She’d devoured every scrap that hadn’t gotten into her fur, and she’d done her best to groom herself clean.

For the most part, my kitten had done an admirable job, although I’d been forced to give her another bath.

Baths intrigued Citrine, but my bathroom wasn’t large enough for two people and two kittens needing to be bathed. As such, Erik had waited outside the door, which had been far enough away from Citrine that his little girl had freaked out. I hoped some time would bolster her confidence and ease some of her separation anxiety, but I understood.

The first few hours of having her, I’d worried Garnet would shake out the same way after having been bounced from caretaker to caretaker. Within a week, if all went well, Citrine would settle. I could only hope that Garnet would continue to be cooperative about staying with Erik or my parents if I needed to go somewhere she couldn’t follow.

In the meantime, I needed answers to a question, and only the dead could answer them. A quick search on the internet had revealed that spirits capable of haunting the living could, with enough effort, manipulate objects. Haunting spirits held responsibility for Ouija boards serving as a connection to the deceased.

I didn’t have a Ouija board, but Cecilia had been willing to loan me her Scrabble board. I’d even played a game with Erik before bed in case she asked how we’d enjoyed our quiet time together.

I’d crushed Erik, and I’d rewarded myself for the victory making use of my new, cozy bed. We’d both won, and after I’d subdued the yellow using my feminine charms, I’d settled his kitten before sneaking away for a few hours.

Armed with Cecilia’s copy of Scrabble, I headed for the park in Death Mile notorious for hauntings.

After having witnessed the slaughter within the mercury mansion, I suspected where some of the spirits had come from. I hoped I could make use of the game to learn some of the truth without becoming a victim of a haunting myself.

Garnet whined, and without any coaxing on my part, she transformed into her wisp shape, offering a faint white glow around us. I found a spot where several paths converged, sat down, and pulled out the board game and tiles. Aware I courted trouble and did so without backup, I pulled out the tiles needed to spell out two words: mercury dragons.

Garnet hovered around my shoulders, and I put out the remaining tiles so if spirits could meddle in the world of the living, they’d have everything needed to communicate with me.

Before I had a chance to become bored, a tile jumped on the board, bounced into a slot. Two more tiles joined in, spelling ‘yes.’

I gathered the tiles and asked if any still lived before resetting the board.

Once again, the spirit answered with ‘yes.’

I sighed. “I’ll do what I can to find them.”

Then, not wanting to test my luck, I gathered the Scrabble board, put the tiles away, and left. If a spirit haunted me, I’d find out after the fact, but some prices were worth paying. I’d have to confess my sins to Erik, however. If I had gotten my dumb ass haunted trying to uncover the truth, I’d need him to bail me out—or cooperate with the spirit to help recover those missing and still alive.

Fortunately, I was able to catch a cab at the hospital, and I headed home, spending the ride wondering what was truly happening in Death Mile. The driver stayed quiet the entire time, and I tipped him for dealing with me in the dead of night before heading down the street to my apartment.

Inside, Erik and Citrine still slept.

I would not be able to sleep with the awareness there were victims of the mercury dragons still alive. But how could I find them? Had they been at the manor, the investigators would have located them. Could there still be more secrets lurking in the lab? I assumed so.

Investigations sometimes took months to uncover every secret to be learned, and more often than not, we never found some pieces of the puzzle. One thing was clear to me, however. I needed to do more research into the situation, and I knew the perfect person to ask: Dr. Anstino.

Satisfied I had a starting point, I stretched out beside Erik, cuddled close without disturbing his kitten, and waited for dawn.

* * *

Friday, May 1, 2167

The Gray Ward

Dragon Heights, Wyoming

“Let’ssay I did something remarkably stupid,” I announced after delivering our breakfast of bacon and eggs to the table. As we had no idea what Citrine liked, I’d taken a page out of my future mother-in-law’s book and made the kittens a variety of breakfast foods along with a helping of mashed potatoes.

We might end up being the cause of a potato shortage in the entire city, as Citrine discovered she enjoyed hers mashed, too. While I had no idea what their chirps, mews, and other sounds meant, the kittens held a long discourse over their breakfast offerings.

I could only assume mashed potatoes were the one true food for them. The rest of their breakfast disappeared, too, although with less enthusiasm.

“Having met you, I wouldn’t be too concerned. While you have a history of doing remarkably stupid things, you have this knack for landing on your feet. I suspect you’re part cat in addition to being a dragon. I might be concerned you’ve used up a few of your nine lives, though.”

While he had a point, I wondered if he’d be so relaxed upon learning I’d gone to Death Mile in the middle of the night. There was only one way to find out. “I might have gone to Death Mile to talk to dead people.”

He raised a brow. “Did they answer?”

“Surprisingly, yes.”

He blinked and stared at me, as did my hummingbird and our kittens. “Could you repeat that?”

I smiled, aware he struggled to accept the level of stupidity I’d indulged in. “I went to Death Mile to talk to dead people, and they answered me.”

“Okay. Before I get upset, I’m going to ask a few questions. After which, I’m probably going to get upset, but I’m easily swayed if you put our sweet kittens into their palace beds while you take off your shirt and distract me.”

It was my turn to raise a brow. While the kittens would go to sleep on the big cat tree, he’d taken to calling the thing their palace and thrones, something insane yet somehow endearing. “Would you like some positive feminine attention?”

“I’m okay with some spice sprinkling any positive feminine attention I might receive.”

Ah. He expected to have some form of argument when he became upset, something I understood readily enough. However, I didn’t need to read between any lines to understand that Erik wanted to romp around in the bedroom before he strutted through the rest of his day. He was scheduled to go to work in an hour and a half, which gave us plenty of time to indulge. I would be keeping an eye on the sky to pick up bounties before working on the problem of the mercury dragons and their hidden hostages. “I took Cecilia’s Scrabble board, set it up in the park in Death Mile, and placed mercury dragons as my words on the board. Then I asked if they were responsible before clearing the tiles. I put the tiles for yes and no on the board. I asked two questions, and both were answered with yes—and I reset the tiles both times.”

Erik’s eyes narrowed. “You’re saying you might be haunted.”

“I’m saying I don’t know. I was particularly dumb going to Death Mile in the middle of the night by myself, but I only wanted three beings possibly haunted, and I’m including Garnet and Tourmaline in the count.”

“I’ve never heard of an instance of animals being haunted. Spirits tend to want vessels capable of speaking English and carrying out their last wishes.”

“They might have left me alone. I told them I’d be looking into it. I mean, if I got my dumb ass haunted, I deserve it.”

“All right. What was so important that you left our bed to go to Death Mile in the middle of the night with a Scrabble board? This is your behavior when you view something as particularly important.”

“I think there are some living victims of those mercury dragons, and someone needs to find them before they’re killed.”

After several long moments, Erik inhaled, closed his eyes, and released his breath on a heavy sigh. “I can’t even get upset with you over that. I would have put up a fight over you going to Death Mile in the first place, especially to a park renown for hauntings. But I’m not faulting your judgment. You saved us from a lot of unnecessary drama. If you’re haunted, I’ll drag you to the hospital. If you’re not, no harm done. That’s all the confirmation I need to know you’re doing the right thing.”

At least I didn’t have to worry about Erik not taking me seriously. “And I would have done it anyway because if there are victims still alive, someone needs to rescue them. That someone is me.” I cringed. “Or us, if you can get away with double dipping in the force.”

“I’m honestly not sure. I’m considered to be too compromised for the investigation. My father wants to keep me out of it. He wants you on the case, and he only wants me relaying information and doing interior work.”

I took my time considering his words, and I realized his father had the right idea.

He had many strengths, but Erik lost focus when he had ties to the investigation.

“Personal involvement is a problem, and my version of personal involvement gets the case solved. Yours impedes the investigation,” I stated. Once Erik thought I’d be imperiled, his common sense left the building.

“Just because it’s true doesn’t mean you have to say it with such confidence,” he complained.

“Once we feed our babies and get them put to bed, I’ll help you feel better,” I promised.

“But still. Dad made it clear I will not be helping with the investigation.”

I waved my hand. “What your daddy doesn’t know won’t hurt him. You can help me with my side gig. I’ll just drag you around on dates, they’ll just be bad dates where I am working most of the time. If we’re going on a date and we just happen to find some evidence, we’re just blessed with good fortune.”

“I’m interested in dates, even bad ones. It’s been quite a while since I’ve been on a date, good or bad. What do you have in mind for our first date?” Erik checked on his carbunclo, laughed when he realized she attempted to lick the essence of mashed potato off her plate, and promised she could have some more for lunch. “Perhaps a trip to a potato farm so our kittens can see how their favorite food is grown?”

“Does their entire species live on mashed potatoes?”

“Quite possibly. Mine seems to prefer gravy where yours lives for hot sauce, but the mashed potatoes? I was worried you were going to charm my little girl with your cooking.”

I giggled, doubting I had a hope in hell of charming Citrine. “I’m sure you’re her first love. Garnet seems to be her second. I suspect Tourmaline comes in third. That leaves me a very distant fourth. I’m okay with this. But anyway, I’m going to start doing some research on news reports of missing people. I’m going to need to see if I can find records of all missing people in the area and find any overlap. While everything we’ve learned so far indicates that the victims are women, we just don’t know at this point. And we might find more bodies.”

“That seems probable, especially as it appears the victims, thus far, are people who wouldn’t be missed—not here, at least. Transients, like you.”

“I’m going to be testing in soon. I think I’ve crammed as much knowledge as will fit in this head of mine. I just have to pay the fee and be scrutinized against cheating.” I rolled my eyes at that. “As if I’d actually cheat. But I have a sponsor, so I don’t have to worry about that.”

“You have one of the best sponsors in the entire city. Nobody is going to doubt your validity with the black dragon clan backing you. But I do wonder why he is going so far to help you. I mean, he found Citrine for me.” Erik smiled at his carbunclo, and he reached across the table to pet her. “I really appreciate that, too.”

I understood. My little one had wrapped my heart around her paw within moments of seeing her, and Erik loved animals even more than I did. “Just remember that you need to take her to work with you. You can’t just bolt out the door post positive affection time. You have to gather your kitten and all her things. And over lunch, you need to go look for her first crystals. We’ll make space for her hoard while you’re gone, but she needs crystals of her own.”

“Anything else I’m forgetting?”

“A bag of potatoes on the way home. Get a big one. For some reason, I think we’re going to need it.”

* * *

Friday, May 1, 2167

The Gray Ward

Dragon Heights, Wyoming

It rained butterflies,and the skies above Dragon Heights filled with colorful wings. Garnet chirped and squeaked her excitement.

Tourmaline zipped to his nest and refused to come out.

I couldn’t blame the little fellow. There had to be millions of the winged beauties out there, and a lot of them were bigger than he was.

Upon checking the conjured butterflies layering the street, I determined it had also rained moths, caterpillars, and fireflies as well.

Fortunately, there did not appear to be any bees, wasps, hornets, or other creepy-crawlies that might try to kill me. Unwilling to damage the deceased butterflies, I went about my bounty collecting work making use of the boxes Erik had used to bring over his clothes and his general possessions. Unwilling to be caught flatfooted, I stashed my derringer in its bra holster, although I left the other weapons in the safe.

Then, bug by bug, I gathered my bounty, doing my best to preserve their wings. Garnet followed me, mewing and pointing at every bug she wanted to claim as her bounty until I gathered it and put it in the box I promised belonged to her.

One particularly large luna moth amazed me, and I directed my kitten to it, telling her I’d put it in her box. When I picked it up, I discovered the moth had come with part of a branch and leaves, and hundreds upon hundreds of tiny eggs dotted the leaves. The moth still clung to the branch, and I squeaked when it moved and fluttered its wings.

Of course. I should have known I’d somehow find a live one. Hoping the moth wouldn’t damage the rest of Garnet’s haul, I put it, branch, leaves, and all, into her box. Closing mine, I set Garnet’s on top, and stacked them together before rising to my feet. “Well, I guess we’ll go see Cedrick first, and we’ll come back and gather more soon.”

Garnet squeaked, shifted to her wisp form, and flew up to my shoulder before shifting back, snuggling against my neck.

I spent the entire walk admiring the fluttering wings overhead. Many of the butterflies clung to buildings, infusing the Gray Ward with a riot of color. By the time I made it to the bounty pickup point, I’d collected more than a few hitchhikers. Even Garnet dealt with a few butterflies and moths, and she regarded her passengers with wide eyes.

Cedrick opened the door at me and laughed. “You just won’t stop, will you?”

“Never. If there is a rain, I’m going to be hunting free money. The luna moth is still alive, and I think the rain yanked a bunch of her eggs along for the ride.”

“Eggs?” he blurted.

“There are a bunch of dots on the leaves she’s on. Those are eggs, aren’t they?”

“I mean, that is usually what the eggs look like, but you found the leaves with eggs with the moth?”

“Yes. I don’t think she’s doing well.”

“She’s dying. That’s how luna moths are. They hatch, they breed, and then they die. They don’t have stomachs or mouths. Before you freak out, that’s just nature’s intent for luna moths. This is how it works. They’re not like us. They can’t feel hunger. They just run out of energy and go to sleep.”

Huh. I stared at the moth in Garnet’s box. “Honestly, that makes me feel a little better about it.”

Cedrick claimed the boxes from me, setting them on the reception desk. “And which one of you lovely ladies has the luna moth?”

“She’s part of Garnet’s haul.”

“My father is going to regret the bounty rules with this, I’m sure.”

“I’m going to regret what?” the titanium dragon asked, sticking his head out of the back room. “I mean, my wallet always regrets when Kinsley comes in. She doesn’t play with her collections.”

“The luna moth is a summons, and it looks like she was summoned with the branch she laid her eggs on.” Cedrick lifted the moth and her branch, peeking under the leaves. “Yep. That’s a lot of eggs. I am not counting these eggs, Dad.”

“Damn it. Fine. I’ll get a count on the eggs.” Cedrick’s father came over, took the moth and the branch, and headed off. “And yes, Garnet gets paid for the eggs; we’ll try to hatch them in the menagerie. Cedrick, call around and see if there are any batches of new eggs for luna moths elsewhere. We may as well try to find a male or two for when these hatch.”

I grinned, as every egg being counted as a bounty would boost Garnet’s earnings nicely. “Lucky you, Garnet!”

My kitten squeaked and nuzzled my cheek.

“Now to see if I can get your hitchhikers off. You’re absolutely covered, Kinsley. Your back looks like you’re a writhing mass. Here, I’ll take a picture.” He did so, laughing the entire time. “Just be glad we planned this rain. The second option would not have ended well for anyone.”

“What was going to be targeted?”

“Spiders.”

“Please let the authorities know that should any rain consist of spiders while I am in this city, there will be no need to guess why the entirety of Dragon Heights burns. Only fire will do when faced with that many spiders.”

In the back room, Cedrick’s father laughed. “I’ll let them know that if we value our lives and homes, we will not summon spiders. Anything else we can’t summon?”

“Bees, hornets, and wasps come to mind.”

“Give her what she wants, Dad.”

The titanium dragon snickered. “I think we can manage that much, Kinsley. But you might have to deal with rains of questionable composition in the future. There are rules on what we can summon and when or the magic doesn’t work quite right.” The titanium dragon emerged from the back and stared down his nose at me. “Just bill me for therapy after you’re done collecting your bounty.”

Well, at least one dragon in the city was capable of accepting responsibility for the rains. “If it’s kittens, you’ll be dealing with me crying forever, Phillip. Forever, you hear me?”

“Kinsley, if the rains consists of kittens, everyone will be crying. Nobody wants rains of kittens and puppies. The animal lovers among us wouldn’t handle it well, and the people who aren’t animal lovers would have to deal with those of us who are.”

I stared at the titanium dragon. “There are people who don’t like kittens or puppies?”

“There are,” he informed me in a solemn tone.

“If we have a rain of people who hate kittens and puppies, I will solve the problem with copious amounts of fire.”

Cedrick snickered. “Go into the back, Kinsley. We’ll startle the butterflies off you in there. That way, we can get a count of what you’re owed. I’ll text you when your check is ready. There is no point in making you wait for us to figure this mess out.”

“It’ll take all day,” Cedrick’s father groused.

When offered salvation, the wise accepted without hesitation. “Thank you. I appreciate it. I don’t suppose one of you can tell me what to get a yellow dragon as a gift? I’m a pain in the ass, and I feel Erik needs a consolation prize.”

Cedrick raised a brow. His father shot me the sort of stare my mother used when I was being particularly stupid.

“Kinsley, you are the prize. He does not need additional prizes,” the titanium dragon informed me in an exasperated tone. “If you want to make things easier on him, go get booked for your exam. That way, he’ll relax because he will be back on equal ground with you. Those yellows in the Millson family love their equality, so that’s the best gift to give him.” Cedrick’s father continued to engage me in a staring contest. “Go buy his carbunclo some treats and things of her own. You’ll be enjoying more than double the trouble with two of them around. Treats might save you.”

“Or the acquisition of an entire potato farm,” I muttered.

“I wish you the best of luck with that. You’re going to need it.”