“What are you doing here?” Annette asked.
“I have a product complaint,” he said. He hadn’t noticed before, but his voice sounded… off. Hollow.
“Come into the back, you jackass,” she hissed. The tall, well-dressed woman flashed a smile to an older couple in the corner, then turned back to him with hushed tones. “You know we don’t sell up front.”
Harvey nodded dumbly and followed her around to the back of the shop. He blinked slowly. It seemed as though everything was happening so quickly around him. Annette took him down into the basement, smiling sweetly.
There, just a few feet from the stairs, sat a nest full of stones. Each their own color, swaddled in fabric and glowing brightly. Their light cascaded from one end of the nest to another, and a thrumming sound came up from the group. Almost like the stones were singing to each other.
Annette guided him through a doorway. The room was empty, but things here were a bit quieter. Harvey petted his stone and ran his fingertips along the carvings on the side. Annette took the stone from Harvey with gentle promises of making things right and told him to rest. He slid down the side of the wall to the ground and closed his eyes for a moment, only for them to snap open again when he heard the click of the door locking him in.
6
Saffyranae
“I guess I’ll drive then?” Minerva said. There was a levity to her voice though Saffyranae could not discern anything humorous about their situation.
Saff tilted her head to the side as Minerva stood by the driver’s seat. Minerva pressed her lips together and opened the door.
“Hop in.”
Saff frowned and tried to fold herself into the human contraption.
“Pull the lever under the seat,” Minerva advised as she buckled herself in.
“Lever?” Saff bent over to look, causing a soft bark of a laugh from Minerva. Saff gave her a stern look before pulling the lever to the side.
The seat rolled backward with a jolt.
“There you go. Room for those long legs.” Minerva checked her mirrors and pulled out. Silence loomed between them for several minutes before Minerva said, “Wouldn’t it be faster to fly?”
“Humans can be dense, but they’d probably notice a dragon soaring through the suburbs.”
“Point.”
Silence reigned once more. Saffyranae sighed, closing her eyes only to be revisited with the gruesome image of that poor hatchling that had died in Minerva’s care. It wasn’t the girl’s fault. How was she to know how to care for it?
The moment Saff had realized Minerva knew exactly nothing about the situation was the moment Saff’s heart had broken. She’d worked so hard to find a lead. They all had. Until now, none of the stolen eggs had been anywhere to be seen. Gone without a trace. Then all at once, Saffyranae found herself tracking a group of humans to a beach, with high hopes of saving the egg they were selling and of getting the whereabouts of the others.
Instead, Saff found herself with a dead hatchling, a meager lead, and a human partner. A thief, no less. Granted, dragons didn’t value property as keenly as humans did, but if a human was willing to disregard their own values for self-gain, it didn’t speak to an abundance of integrity.
“Was that your sister?” Minerva asked.
Jerked out of her thoughts, Saff took a moment to respond and only stared at Minerva.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to be nosy.” Minerva fixed her eyes on the road.
“It is all right,” Saff replied quietly. “We don’t really have brothers and sisters, as you might know them. Our family structures are based more on common gifts and nurturing of the young than yours are.”
“I feel like there are a bunch of people who might object to the idea that humans don’t nurture their kids,” Minerva said dryly.
“I only mean that human families are structured around distribution of wealth to those in your immediate genetic line.” Saff brushed her hair back and examined her fingers, which were looking a bit scaly at the moment. She would have to fix that before meeting this man. “Dragon families are not centered on riches or genes; rather, we distribute eggs to those who would be best able to care for them. Share their affinity, nurture their potential. Families include two, or more, adults who have come together and chosen to raise eggs.”
Saff mimicked a human gesture and shrugged. “So, in a way, you could say that she could have been my sister. She was to be a shaman, and I am a shaman. We would have done rituals together, likely, and I might have taught her things that her parents could not cover.”
Minerva pinched her lips to the side. “So, basically, dragons are communists.”
“If you insist on putting a human term to it, you might consider it so.”
Minerva waved a hand in the air. “In a way, you could consider what I do redistribution of the wealth. Taking from the rich-“
“And keeping the profit for yourself,” Saff finished.
Minerva’s eyes sparkled. Was that amusing, too? Did she find everything amusing?
“I can’t deny that. A girl’s gotta eat.”
“And your family would not provide this for you?”
Minerva furrowed her brow and drew in a slow, deep breath. “We did not ‘share affinity.’ I left.”
Perhaps not everything was humorous to her. Saffyranae straightened in her seat (as much as she was able without hitting her head on the top of the car).
“I cannot assuage your guilt, Minerva. Only your own actions can do that.” Saff paused. “But I do not hold you personally responsible for this crime. This evil started long before your involvement.”
Minerva rolled her eyes. “That’s an easy out, but I’m not gonna take it. If I’d just taken better care of her…”
Saffyranae studied Minerva for a moment, tilting her head to the side. “How were you to know how to care for a dragon’s egg? Your species keeps their eggs inside them until they can survive outside their host.”
“I guess…” Minerva’s brow furrowed, and Saff could read lines of stress over her tense muscles. Minerva’s voice grew lower as she continued: “I knew something. I wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but… I could’ve done more. If I’d cared enough.”
Tentatively, Saff raised her hand to Minerva’s shoulder. She expected the girl to tighten further at the unbidden touch, but instead, her shoulders went lose. The wrinkle in her brow, however, remained.
“Tell me everything you know about the man you stole the egg from,” Saff said. “We cannot erase our past mistakes, but we can still save lives that are at risk.”
Minerva nodded resolutely.
The car stopped on a wideset street with each side lined with cars and two to three story houses spaced out deliberately. The trees grew at strange spots, and the grass… Well, that was just unnatural. Grass did not grow that evenly, or that green. Moreover, it was a tremendous waste of space, and water, to cultivate a non-fruit bearing plant over such large stretches of land.
“This place is unnerving,” Saffyranae said simply.
“Tell me about it. People did a ton of horror movies in the 80s about the weirdness of suburban life.” Minerva got out of the car and leaned into the backseat, looking through the scattered items there.
“Then why don’t people stop living here?”
“Because people like to be thrilled in a safe place where they can munch on popcorn. They don’t like real danger or hard work.” Minerva straightened back up, and Saff spotted a knife that she was slipping into her boot.
Given that Saff could consider herself a weapon, she did not mention it. “Where is the house?”
Minerva pointed up the hill.
“Why are we so far?” Saff followed Minerva as she began to climb up the sidewalk.
“Because if we have to get out of here, I don’t want them to follow us.”
“And if we cannot get back to the car?”
“I don’t really care. It’s not mine.”
Saff blinked. Her feet fa
ltered for a moment as she glanced back at the practically new Prius and wondered again at the wisdom of partnering with a thief. Still, it was only for the time being, and Minerva had brought her to the original owner.
“The abstract can never be heavier than the eyes in front of you,” Saff murmured.
“What?” Minerva had slipped her hands into her pockets and was walking with the ease of someone with very little on her mind.
“An old proverb of my clan. It means that it is terribly selfish to allow your personal comfort to prevent you from helping a living being. It means that a moral life is not led by principles but by actions. If you commit evil deeds, it doesn’t matter how good your intentions were.”
“Ouch. Okay.” Minerva huffed.
Saff quickened her step. “I was not referring to you, but to myself. I’ve always been interested in the human world, but I’m not very experienced in it. I cannot let myself be deterred from our mission. Those eggs are helpless.”
“Oh. Well. I’ll try to remember that one anyway. C’mon.”
Minerva paused for a moment at the front of the house, as though second-guessing her plan. Then, she shook her head and gestured for Saff to follow her up the path to the front door.
“The door worked the first time around. Let’s hope that luck sticks.” Minerva hopped up the steps to the porch and half-turned to say, “Let me lead, okay? I know this guy pretty well.”
“I thought you had only robbed this ‘guy,’” Saff replied, pursing her lips.
“I did. I don’t go after a mark getting to know their habits intimately.” Minerva looked at her fingertips, rubbed them together, and then pressed the doorbell.
Saff waited, folding her hands in front of her. Just before the door opened, she looked down at them and remembered to tighten her shift so this man would not clock her as inhuman.
Then, there he stood. A man of average height. Brown hair (with some grey mixed in), brown eyes, pale skin. He looked boring. And that fact raised an inexplicable ire in Saffyranae. That he should be so mundane yet had committed such a great evil. Keeping a child locked in a closet, when he must have known not to do so…
“Hello, Mr. Johns!” Minerva’s tone was so bright and lively. It was at least a half-octave higher than her natural tone. “We’re sorry to bother you, but we’re with SoCal Gas, and our higher ups were hoping that we could talk to the people in your neighborhood about your regular energy usage and any way we could improve our service?”
Saff raised a brow sharply. In spite of her tight jeans and leather jacket, Minerva did suddenly seem to be an energetic young woman just doing her job. She was good. She could probably get into anywhere she wanted with that kind of confidence and commitment to her lie.
“I dunno. I’ve got a lot of paperwork to fill out right now.” Mr. Johns shook his head.
“It’ll only take a few minutes, and we know it isn’t much, but we can give you a small discount on your next bill for participating,” Minerva said.
Johns hesitated. It was clear that he would let them in, but impatience flooded through Saff. Her hearts were pounding so hard she could almost couldn’t hear the hearts of the humans in front of her.
She swept a quick glance around the neighborhood and then grabbed Johns’ shirt, shoving him back into the house and entering with long strides.
“Saff!” Minerva snapped.
The door shut behind them, so Saff ignored her. They were away from prying eyes.
“Where did you get it, Mr. Johns?” Saff demanded in the coldest, most severe voice she could manage.
“Saff, stop! Oh my god!”
“I-I don’t know what you’re t-talking about!” Johns sputtered.
“You do. I can smell that you do. You are terrified, but you are still lying. Why do humans do that?” Saff asked.
“This is the opposite of stealthy, just so you know,” Minerva said.
Saff narrowed her eyes. Johns was beginning to shiver. She hadn’t intentionally done anything to him yet, but the drop in temperature was sure to speed up his eventual confession.
“You bought a magical artifact. Then, you stuck it in a closet. By itself.” Saff moved her face closer to his and smelled over him. This man ate rich foods. He smoked occasionally, both tobacco and weed. And he smelled, very faintly, of magic.
But it was faded now.
“Jesus Christ,” he said.
“Your imaginary friend is not here to help you. Where did you get the artifact, Johns?” Saff let the temperature around the drop another ten degrees.
Nearby a vase cracked. The acrid stench of piss filled the air as Johns shamed himself.
7
Minerva
“I-I got it from my cousin! I don’t know where it came from! He said he got them at an auction, okay? He’s into that deep throat political bullshit. I thought it was some kind of gimmick or something.” Johns wriggled like a greased weasel trying to free himself. “Lemme go. Please? I’ll give you his name. He has a wife, too, and kids. You want their names? Jesus, I’ll tell you anything you want.”
“His name and whereabouts will be sufficient,” Saffyranae said. “And do not tell him that we are coming. We will know if you do, and we will be back.”
Minerva held her arms, shivering, and stared at the creature holding Johns. The stark contrast from the serious and empathetic shaman she’d been speaking to only moments ago was unsettling. But she got it. She did understand. Johns was scum for a number of reasons, but Saff’s anger here was misplaced.
No wonder people found her fearsome.
Saff seemed to be done with her interrogation, but was not letting Johns go. She didn’t seem to be able to pry herself away from him, and Minerva recognized that look. The one where someone was weighing another person’s life in their hands. Running in the circles that she did, Minerva had been in a few situations in when that look had been trained on her.
Minerva forced herself to pull her hands away and snap back to attention even in the raw, frigid cold. Striding forward, she drew close to Saff and put a hand on the dragon’s arm.
“You have to stop this, Saff. He’s a douche, hell, the Douche, but he doesn’t know much more than I did. He can’t tell you anything else, and this place is gonna start to crack if the temperature drops much lower. Besides? Low profile much?”
Saff’s gripped tightened on Johns’ throat, and the man’s eyes bugged out in their sockets. “He left her in the closet. Even if you had known how to care for a dragon egg, with her isolation there, she was already dying.”
Her eyes were that same electric blue again, and the faintest hint of scales were sweeping over her cheeks. Fucking perfect. The last thing they needed was having to explain to the neighbors why a giant dragon had just burst through the walls of a house in their perfect little suburb. Minerva had to keep Saff calm and, even if Johns was a dick, she needed to keep him in one piece, too.
“If you do anything to get on the radar of the human authorities, then saving the other eggs is gonna be a million times harder, and you know this. I…” Minerva fumbled for something that might help her talk Saff down. This would be easier if she knew had known the woman for more than half a day.
But maybe she did know a little. Minerva was guarded, but very open about explaining her culture.
Minerva’s eyes bore into Saff’s as she silently pleaded for Saff to understand. “The abstract, right?”
Saff dropped the Douche instantly. He curled in on himself, and Minerva turned her head away at the dark stain on his jeans and the stink of ammonia snaking through the air.
“He let her die.”
“But you’re not trying to freeze or break me, are you? I fucked up, too. He’s scum, but he’s not the scum we’re looking for. You don’t want blood on your hands tonight. I know that much.”
Saff spun on her heels, her long braid flaring out over her shoulder. “Minerva, don’t presume to know me. You were tasked only with bringing me to this mark of yours. Yo
u do not understand anything about what I’m doing here.”
“Mark? Shit,” the Douche sniveled from his spot on the floor. “I thought my maid stole the Rolex. I fired good help for no reason.”
Minerva glared at him. “I’m sure she’s moved on to a better boss than you could be.” Then, she turned her attention back to Saff and spoke quietly. “He’s garbage, let’s just go.”
Her eyes still glowed an eerie shade of blue, and her scales were even more pronounced than before. Was her nose just a bit more pointed? Saff closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. By the time she opened them again, she was normal, as human looking as she’d been in the hotel.
The dragon clenched her jaw. “Perhaps you are right. Besides, it would be a waste of effort.”
“How generous.”
“I cannot do good if I first do evil. Please, Minerva, let’s find this cousin.”
Minerva turned to Johns. “You got his address?”
“Who the fuck are you people?”
She snorted and snapped her fingers in front of his face. “We’re figments of your imagination, now get that address and forget we were ever here.”
“Unless, you should choose to warn him.” Saff cracked her knuckles, the sound echoing through the chill hall.
“I promise I won’t. Abe gave me a gift card last Christmas and only talks to me when he wants to brag on his kid. You can freeze his ass all you want.” The Douche yanked a piece of an old receipt from his jacket pocket and a pen and scribbled something furiously. “It’s legit. I swear it.”
Saff the paper from him. “If you are deceiving us in any way, you will live to regret it.”
“I already regret it. All that ‘deep throat’ and ‘the truth is out there’ bullshit is not for me. If I see the guy again, I’ll kill him myself.”
Minerva chuckled, a manic chirp of laughter that bubbled out from her. “That blood lust seems to be going around. Saff, let’s go.”
If the dragon resented a direct order, she didn’t show it.
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