by Jamie Davis
Quinn kept trying. She worked under the assumption that the little one would someday gain the ability to speak inside her mind as the other dragons she knew did. The problem was, she had no idea when a young dragon got that ability. She’d tried to research it. A young human could understand many words and phrases by one year of age and could speak simple sentences as early as eighteen months. Quinn did not understand how that correlated to a dragon, though.
She knew she needed expert advice and also where that advice would have to come from. If only she wasn’t afraid of losing Sylvie to the ancient dragon hidden in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay.
Once in the shower, Sylvie kept hogging the showerhead, making the shower longer than expected. By the time she shut off the water and dried off, Quinn realized how late it was. Breakfast hours were already over down in the pub. She made a quick peanut butter sandwich to take downstairs, along with her morning mug of coffee.
Heading to the door, Quinn called, “Coming, little one?”
Sylvie zipped out of the bedroom hallway, flitting across the apartment to settle gently on Quinn’s shoulder. Her long tail snaked around the Huntress’ neck to steady her as they set out for the day’s fun activities.
Quinn arrived downstairs in the pub to the sounds of arguing from the open kitchen door behind the bar. The few leftover breakfast patrons still seated seemed oblivious to the noise. Or maybe they were doing their best to ignore it, judging from their sideways glances at Quinn. She picked up her pace and headed to the open kitchen door.
“I can’t take too many more of these assaults on my kitchen,” the cook shouted.
“I told you I’d deal with it, and I will,” Paddy replied.
Quinn followed the voices into the kitchen, pulling the door closed behind her to cut down on eavesdropping. “What’s the problem? Anything I can do?”
“Oh, great,” the short leprechaun cook said. “I suppose your pet dragon is here to finish the job? Maybe she’ll set fire to what’s left of my freshly baked bread? I spent all morning working on it.”
“Sylvie didn’t do anything. She’s been upstairs with me all night.”
Paddy put out a hand to settle the other leprechaun before turning to address the situation himself. “Quinn, dearie, it’s not the dragon, not this time.”
Quinn hid an inward wince at the accusation and waited for what followed.
“It was that enormous oaf you brought into your clan. He got hungry early this morning and came into the kitchen while the day’s bread was baking. He ate half of it right out of the oven before Cookie showed up to stop him.”
“I see.”
“I’m always quick to offer my hospitality to all within the supernatural community. You of all people know that, Quinn. But I have to draw the line at creatures that cannot be taught decent manners. I mean, I don’t know what possessed you to think you could tame an orc warrior.”
“Tadpole is still learning the rules, Paddy. I just need to talk with him. That’s all.”
“The time for talk is about done, girlie. This has to stop.”
Quinn glanced around the kitchen. “Where is he? I’ll talk to him right now.”
Cookie pointed at the door. “He left as soon as I showed up and started yelling at him. Even with me chasing after him with a cleaver, he still managed to stuff a few extra loaves in his face on the way out.”
“I’m sorry, Cookie. I’ll go talk with him and come back up to help you make more bread. Okay?”
Cookie shook his head. “I’ve got it. I already called in a few of the other kitchen staff to come in early and help. Just deal with him. Either he learns how civilized people live and work or get rid of him. I don’t care which.”
He grumbled something else under his breath as he crossed his arms. Quinn couldn’t make out what he said. The cook went back to work on more bread after shooting a glowering glance at her.
Quinn returned his glare with a slight smile. She followed Paddy back out to the pub. “I’ll get this worked out, Paddy. I promise.”
“See that you do. I can’t lose Cookie. He’s the best Irish chef in the entire city.”
The pub’s owner hopped up and over the bar as Quinn headed to the storeroom door. She had a good idea where Tadpole had gone to hide after he got chased out of the kitchen. She headed for the old Hunter chambers in the tunnels below.
On the way down the stone steps, Quinn ran into her mother.
Naomi must have noticed the grim expression on Quinn’s face. “I’ll bet you’re looking for tall, green, and gruesome, aren’t you?”
“He has a name, Mom.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry. I figured he must be in trouble. I heard him sobbing as he passed through the tunnels leading down to the training maze. I think he’s headed for that little den he’s set up down there.”
“Thanks.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
“As a matter of fact, you can. Are you headed to the kitchen for your usual late morning snack?”
“I am,” Naomi replied.
“See if you can soothe Cookie’s feelings. Tadpole got into the day’s fresh bread. I know it was just a misunderstanding, but I need to stop them from happening. I told you all last night that I’d deal with this. That’s my primary goal right now.”
“I’ll see what I can do. What are you planning to say to Tadpole?”
Quinn shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. I’m hoping something will come to me.”
“Want some motherly advice?”
“I’m not sure. You said last night you wanted me to get rid of him.”
“That’s fair. But I also know keeping him here is important to you. Try approaching him in a way that lets him know you care about him, even though he screwed up. It might soften what you have to say.”
“I guess I can do that. Where d'you come up with the great motherly advice? It’s not like you raised me or anything.”
Quinn regretted the quip as soon as she said it. Things had been good between them lately. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”
Naomi gave Quinn’s shoulder a squeeze with one hand. “It’s okay. Even though I wasn’t able to raise you as I wanted, I read a lot of books in my spare time. I wanted to know what it was like being a parent, even though I couldn’t be there.” Naomi smiled and cupped her daughter’s cheek. “I’m proud of you and what you’ve accomplished. If anyone can set Tadpole straight and get him to follow the rules, you can.”
“Thanks, and sorry about what I said.”
“It’s the truth. We also both know it still led to where we are today, which is together. I’m good with that if you are.”
“I am.” Quinn smiled. “Now, I guess I get to be a mom myself.”
“Let me know how it goes,” Naomi said over her shoulder as she left. “I’m sure it’ll be worse in your head than it really is.”
Quinn watched her mother go. She appreciated how understanding Naomi had been with her. Their relationship was complicated enough without letting Quinn’s issues with Tadpole or Sylvie get in the way.
Reaching up to stroke Sylvie’s side, Quinn said, “Let’s go find your brother, shall we?”
“Eeeep.” Sylvie launched from Quinn’s shoulder and flapped down the tunnel, leaving Quinn standing alone.
“Hey, wait up!” She sprinted after the dragon as Sylvie led her on the search for the clan’s giant orc.
Chapter Four
Quinn had to open her HUD and boost her speed to keep up with Sylvie as the dragonling flew through the twisting tunnels of the training maze below the Hunters’ ceremonial chambers.
Sylvie knew where she was going. She slowed and banked into a small alcove on the left. Quinn heard the orc’s sobs as she slowed to a walk, then stopped and listened.
The big orc’s crying stopped when Sylvie zipped into the room with an enthusiastic, “Eeeep!”
“Hi, Sylvie. What are you doing here? Did you come down to have some of my bread? There’s
a little left. That tiny man chased me off before I ate as much as I wanted, but I can always share with you.”
“Eeeep, eeep.”
“Yeah, I know I’m in trouble. Do you think Quinn will be real mad or just a little mad?”
“Eeeep.”
“Yeah, I thought so. I keep messing up, Sylvie. I wish I was good all the time like you are. Everyone always seems to be angry with me, and I never understand why.”
Quinn stepped around the corner into the alcove. It was filled with odds and ends Tadpole had acquired during his time with the clan. A stained and discarded queen-sized mattress covered the floor. A small coffee table with a broken leg had been propped to stand in the corner. Tadpole sat there, perched atop a wooden chair with the back broken off. It creaked under his weight every time he moved. Quinn wondered how long it would last.
“Hey, buddy. Mind if I sit and talk with you for a bit?”
“You’re angry with me, Quinn, just like everyone else. I don’t know why I keep doing things that make people mad.”
“It could be my fault, Tadpole. Maybe I need to do a better job of explaining the rules to you. Tell me, why are you hiding down here by yourself? What do you think happened upstairs?”
“Um, I got hungry and had to go, um, you know.”
“Yes, I know. You used the bathroom, right? You didn’t pee in the corner again, did you?”
“No, I did just like you said. Clark showed me how grown-up boys like me use toilets. I’ve been careful ever since.”
“That’s great. I’m proud of you. So, what happened today?”
“Well…” The big orc paused and scratched his chin. “I went up and peed in the bathroom just like I was supposed to. I was hungry, and something smelled more wonderful than I’d ever smelled before, so I went looking for it. I followed my nose and found a hot box full of this amazing bread waiting for me to eat.”
Quinn paused as she searched for the best way to explain it to the orc. “What if that amazing bread was waiting for someone else to eat? What if all of Paddy and Cookie’s hungry customers wanted to eat that bread later?”
“You think?” Tadpole asked. He thought some more and frowned. “Maybe that’s why the little man shouted at me and chased me out. He banged my knee with a heavy pan. It hurt a lot. Then he grabbed this little knife. I knew I had to leave. You told me I wasn’t allowed to hurt anyone here, and I’ve been real careful.”
“I know you have, buddy. Let me see where he banged you with the pan.”
Tadpole pointed at his knee. There was a bruise there. She knew it couldn’t be too bad since he was nearly invincible to non-magical weapons. Unless it was an enchanted frying pan, it couldn’t be too bad.
Quinn studied the bruise a little longer and shook her head. “Looks bad. Should we go find you a healer to look at it?”
“No, it doesn’t hurt anymore. It just scared me, mostly.”
“I’ll bet.” Quinn thought about how to proceed. “You know, Tadpole, you’ve had to learn a lot of rules lately. They’re all important so you can live here with us, and there are more you need to know. One of them is never taking anything that isn’t given to you, even if it looks like it doesn’t belong to anyone else.”
“Even if it’s just sitting around? That’s how I found this cool chair.” He grinned and wiggled back and forth. “It groans when I sit on it.”
Quinn hid her smile behind her hand. “Yes, even if it’s just sitting around. If you want something like that, ask someone in charge. You can ask me or anyone from the clan. Paddy and Juni are good people to ask, too.”
“Every time?”
“Yep, every time. That way, if it belongs to someone else, they won’t be upset when they can’t find it. That’s why people get angry with you, because they’re sad or worried about something getting lost or broken.”
“Does that mean I have to give all this stuff back?”
Quinn scanned the cozy alcove. A one-armed, naked plastic baby doll with singed hair stared back at her from atop a dented aluminum beer keg in the corner beside his chair.
She shook her head. “No, you can keep this stuff unless someone specifically asks for it back. Then you have to give it to them. But as soon as you do, come tell me right away, and I’ll get you something even cooler to replace it, okay?”
Tadpole nodded. “An even better thing? Really?”
“Only for the stuff already here. Otherwise, ask before you take anything to eat or to bring down here for decoration. Understand?”
“Yes,” Tadpole said. His brow furrowed, and he seemed to be looking at the contents of his little lair in a fresh light.
Quinn hoped her brief talk had gone the way she wanted. She suspected most of Tadpole’s problem was that he was bored. There was nothing for him to do to occupy his time with the clan, and the last few months might have gone better if Quinn could have come up with something other than the occasional sparring match with her or Naomi. They were the only ones he couldn’t kill accidentally with one blow. He’d sparred with Clark once and nearly pulled the old Hunter’s arm off.
She decided to talk to the others about finding Tadpole a job of some sort to occupy him. That might keep him from wandering around and getting into trouble. She wasn’t sure what job suited a veritable killing machine like an orc warrior, other than destruction. If there was one out there, though, she would find it.
Quinn pointed at the door. “Hey, you want to come with Sylvie and me and work on some training? I’m sure Clark can come up with some things for you to do afterward, while they’re putting me through my paces.”
“I don’t like fighting you, Quinn. What if I hurt you?”
“It’s not real fighting, buddy. You’re helping me be better, so someone else doesn’t hurt me. If you don’t want to spar, we can find something else for you to do while I work out.”
“That’s great. What do you think it will be? Maybe it’s counting stones, or gathering sticks. No, that’s silly. There aren’t any sticks down here. It could be—”
Quinn tuned out Tadpole’s litany of random and varied job ideas as they left the alcove. The three of them went back up to the main ceremonial chambers. She pulled out her phone and checked for a signal the whole way. She wanted to give Clark a heads up that they were coming. Taylor was supposed to install cellphone repeaters down in the tunnels, but she hadn’t put them all the way in the maze yet. Quinn had to wait to send the message when they got back to the ceremonial room.
She finally got off a warning text as they entered the hallway leading from the chamber to the training room and the old Hunter armory. It reached him barely in time. He was tapping out a reply when Quinn, Sylvie, and Tadpole entered.
Quinn called, “Hey, Clark,” to give him warning they were this close.
He looked up from his phone, scowling. His eyes darkened even more when he spotted Tadpole standing hunched over in the hallway behind her.
Quinn flashed a broad grin and adopted a cheerful tone as she said, “I brought Tadpole with me for training this morning. I hope you don’t mind.”
Tadpole pushed past Quinn into the training room. “Hi, Clark. Quinn said you would come up with something fun to do today. What is it? Can you tell me? I really want to know. Is it a new sword? I love swords, especially when they’re really sharp. Dull swords make it very hard to cut things. You can do it, but you have to hit things with them lots of times. I—”
Quinn caught up and stopped him. “Why don’t we let Clark surprise you? That way, you won’t spoil his plans.”
Relief washed across Clark’s face. He even turned and mouthed “thank you” at her. “Quinn’s right. Just give me a few minutes. I’m sure I can find the perfect thing for you to do today.”
Tadpole’s eyes brightened, and an enormous grin crossed his face. Quinn smiled, too. She tried to think of a few options for the big orc, as well. Clark’s initial idea might run out of steam for Tadpole before they finished whatever training he had in min
d for her.
Clark left the training room and headed into the old armory for a few minutes. Tadpole bounced from foot to foot, trying to contain his anticipation.
The old Hunter returned from the armory with an idea that worked out well for everyone. Clark beckoned to the orc and pointed at the armory opposite the hallway entrance.
“See that door, Tadpole?”
“Uh-huh.”
“In there are piles of old weapons. A lot of them are broken and rusted beyond repair.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“I want you to go through every weapon in that room and test them to see if they are worth repairing and keeping. If they’re not, I want you to put them in a pile by the door. We’ll stack all the broken ones we can’t fix and carry them out to the alley later.”
Tadpole scratched his head. “What’re you going to do with them in the alley?”
“I know a weaponsmith outside the city who will come and pick them up to use for scrap.” When he saw Tadpole’s eyebrows crinkle in question, Clark added, “He’ll melt them all down and turn them into tools and things.”
“That’s horrible. They should get the chance to live again without being melted first.”
“Well, Tadpole, I’ll tell you what. I need an armory with only usable weapons in it. If you can repair something and show me we can still use it, we’ll keep it. Otherwise, it goes to the scrap heap. Deal?”
“Deal, Clark. I’ll make sure all the weapons are working. I promise. You won’t have to throw any of them away.”
“That’s not what I meant, exactly,” Clark said.
Quinn shook her head. “Clark, let it go. Consider it a win and turn him loose. This is the most excited I’ve seen him since he first got here and met everyone.”
Clark glanced at the towering orc beside him. Tadpole stared at Clark, waiting for permission to start.
Clark sighed. “All right, if you can fix it, we’ll keep it. First, you sort through them all for the ones that are in good shape now. No working on repairs until you do that. Go see what you can do.”