by Autumn Dawn
Kjetil smiled grimly. “He forgot that wolves always hunt in a pack.”
“Ah. His mistake. Perhaps we’ll engrave it on his memorial marker.” Breaker disconnected.
Jordan Grimm, now in human form, glanced at Kjetil’s neck. “We need to get that looked at.” He met Kjetil’s gaze. “You know if he ever wants to kill you, Breaker won’t come alone.”
Kjetil clapped him on the arm. “Even old dragons can learn new tricks. Let’s go home.”
Juniper stared at him. “He’s dead. You killed him,” she repeated. The words were very quiet, because she was very, very angry. “You set a trap and didn’t tell me.”
“I had backup,” he said warily. He hadn’t expected her to be this upset.
“Backup!” She paced. “Did it occur to you that I could’ve been your backup? Do you not understand that I’ve trained from childhood to kill dragons?” Her voice rose in fury. “You could have died, and for what?”
“Didn’t we just have a conversation about how you didn’t want to die without finishing Bramble Burn?” Kjetil demanded. The burn on his neck pulled, the skin tight. It would heal, but meanwhile it itched like crazy. “The important thing is that he’s dead and can’t hurt you anymore.”
She let out a slow breath. “Yes, he is. I’m glad you’re alive.” She paused, anguish in her eyes. “It’s just that you didn’t have to get hurt at all! If I’d been there…” She ran a hand through her hair. “Look, I get that you’ve only seen me battle monsters. Monsters don’t have the same vulnerabilities as dragons, and sometimes the monsters nearly won. I can see why you’d think battling them would be the same.”
“Maybe you could explain the difference,” Kjetil suggested, striving for patience. This wasn’t at all how he’d pictured this conversation. “It’s true, I don’t understand.”
Her mouth clamped shut. How many times had her grandfather cautioned her that dragon killing was an elf secret? There was no good reason to talk about it to someone who didn’t have the ability. If word got out, dragons might learn a defense.
Kjetil looked amused. “I’m listening.”
She huffed in annoyance. “Trade secret. I can’t talk about it.”
“Okay.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You don’t believe me.”
He sensed he’d better tread with caution. “There are lots of things we don’t know about each other.”
She snorted. “Breaker knows, or suspects. Why do you think he yanked the dragons when we battled the Jabberwocky?”
He was silent, considering her words.
Her conditioning tugged at her. She’d given enough hints. “I visited my brother today. Mom wanted to know how he was.”
He moved closer. “That must have been hard.”
She made a choking gesture. “He’s back to normal. It dissolved into a shouting match and the guards asked me to leave. I’ll see him again at the trial.” She chewed on the memory like a Doberman with a mailman’s leg. “He’s not sorry. I didn’t think he would be, but I can’t believe what he’s become. Maybe he was always like that, and I didn’t realize how bad he was.”
“He’s family. Why would you want to see the worst in him?”
She sighed. “People always say, ‘Oh, he was so sweet before the drugs’. I’m not buying it. My brother was a self-centered jerk before he got addicted. In his case, the drugs made him unable to hide it.”
She finally accepted a hug. Noting the tension in his frame, she leaned back to scowl at him. “You’re hurting, aren’t you?”
“I’ve felt better.” He was going to milk the wounded warrior thing, too. He felt entitled since she’d yelled at him for being a hero. Girls were weird, he thought with a mental headshake.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to rant while you’re in pain. My temper got the best of me.” She grimaced at the floor. The furniture obligingly slid back, revealing the green pool.
“Thanks, but it’s the middle of the day. I have things to do,” he protested, still a bit sore about the butt chewing. He wasn’t used to being reprimanded for good deeds.
She glowered. “If you can protect me without consulting me, I can doctor you without consulting you.”
“I’m not sure water is good for burns,” he protested. It was fun to goad her.
She crossed her arms. Her eyes glowed green. “Get in, big guy.”
Pretending to grumble, he stripped. “Fine, but you’re joining me.”
She scowled. “I have things to do.”
He pulled out a boyish smile. “I’d help you undress, but wrestling might hurt me.”
She made a face, but her shirt came off. Clearly, the maternal force was strong with this one. As long as he was playing lame duck, maybe he could get her to play nurse…
“See something you like?”
The dark haired man spun around, startled from his inspection of the grumpy cherry trees. His hair was cut short, his tall body on the lean side, but fit, judging by the way his concert t-shirt and blue jeans fit. In his late twenties, he had a harshly cut face most would call ugly. He wore a rough-cut black gem on a leather thong around his neck and held a rustic stone baton. His grip relaxed when he saw Juniper and Kjetil.
He straightened, but his shoulders remained wary. “Hey. I like your trees. They remind me of gargoyles. Probably as effective, too.”
“Thanks. You’re the rock guy,” Juniper said, wondering what he was up to. She’d spied him from her greenhouse and had the sense he needed investigation, but she hadn’t realized he was the guy from Riverfront Park until she’d gotten closer. He’d been a big help with the Jabberwocky, but he was armed and unannounced.
He also wasn’t on her property, so she shouldn’t have been jumpy, but she didn’t like the power radiating from him.
“Scott Geiger. You’re Juniper and Lt. Bjorn,” the guy said, nodding in a friendly way. “I heard this was a rough part of town, so I came prepared.”
“Why?” Kjetil asked bluntly, dispensing with the niceties. No doubt he was reacting to Juniper’s wariness, assuming she’d sensed a threat.
Scott studied him. “I wanted to see Bramble Burn. I hoped to get ideas for my new place.”
Juniper and Kjetil exchanged looks. Intrigued, Juniper asked, “Your place?”
Scott smiled and relaxed. “The Quarry.”
Juniper raised her brows. The Quarry was what remained of several acres that had once contained a quarry, a casino and a prison. Located in a small town on the outskirts of the city, it was twenty miles from her park and had been abandoned since the Convergence. It had a reputation for sprouting rock giants and was rumored to be full of lava streams and tar pits. “You’re planning on growing trees there?”
He snorted. “I don’t do trees.” He nodded to his weighted club. “I’ve got rock, remember? Anyway, I got it for a steal. The city was excited about the tax revenues you’re generating with Bramble Burn, and they liked the idea of cleaning up waste land.”
“If you can hold it,” she said with self-directed irony. She nodded to the park. “What do you think? Can you root magic with rock?”
He frowned. “Rock doesn’t ‘root’, but it makes a great anchor. I’ve studied your trees, and I can’t replicate what you’ve done, but I have ideas.”
“Hm. I suppose I could let you take a closer look, but your batteries stay with Kjetil. I’m territorial, and I’m not letting another mage come in armed.”
Scott shrugged and handed his club and necklace to Kjetil. “Makes no difference; I can’t manipulate your park, anyway. The energy is wrong.” He tilted his head in speculation. “I wonder if you’d have the same trouble with the Quarry.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never felt the urge to visit. It sounds like a hellhole.” She flashed a smile. “Or an opportunity.”
She wasn’t relaxed enough to let him inside the trees, but she let him study how they anchored the magic while she fished for more information. “So is the Quarry expanding?”<
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“Yes,” he said absently. “You used some kind of catalyst on this one,” he nodded to the chestnut. “A battery? How’d that work out for you?”
“It doubled production,” she answered. “So where are you from?”
“I’m a local. One dad, one grandpa. They own a welding shop. Isn’t this ward interfering with your work? I’d think the competing magic makes it harder.”
She sighed. “Yes, but my stepfather is a dragon. It’s easier to fight the ward than him.”
Kjetil gave her a sharp look. “You never said anything.”
She patted his arm. “It keeps people safe, so it’s okay. I work around it.”
Scott grunted. “I’ll have to think about that eventually. I’m an architect, so towers make sense. Your trees are cool.”
“But?”
He shrugged. “They’re very organic. I have a different style, that’s all. More formal.”
“So what are you thinking? A stone city?”
He grimaced. “I’m not a city planner, so thanks for putting that bug in my ear. Now it’ll stay there until I talk to someone. Next thing you know, there’ll be a committee.” He looked like he was contemplating a colonoscopy.
“Sorry about that. I overthink things,” she apologized.
“Better to do it right the first time than redo it,” he grumbled, sounding as if he were quoting someone.
“You could do something gothic, with gargoyles,” she thought aloud.
He sent her a reproving look.
“Sorry. My imagination got carried away. I suppose it’s your dream.”
“Yes. Thanks for letting me look around. You do good work,” he said with grudging sincerity. He hesitated. “Sorry if I sound grumpy. I am grateful, it’s just…”
“You’re in my territory and it’s making you combative. Me, too. Maybe next time we can meet in a coffee shop? If you have any questions,” she said, leading the way to the gate. She felt like a cat with her fur rubbed the wrong way, and she couldn’t wait to get rid of him.
He looked relieved as he stepped off her property and collected his stuff. “Definitely. I didn’t realize the territorial thing was real. I’d heard about it, but I’d blown it off. There’s no one like me in the family.”
She barely resisted the urge to make shooing motions. “Yep. It’s a thing. Kjetil, do me a favor and give him my number? I need to back off.” She did, edging away before she started a smack down. She stepped onto the park and breathed deep.
Wow, that sucked! She felt a new respect for her grandfather for tolerating her as long as he did. How he must love her, to resist for so long!
“You all right?” Kjetil asked when he rejoined her.
“Yeah. That was intense,” she admitted, watching as Scott walked away. “I wish him luck, but if he comes here again, I’ll hurt him.”
Kjetil looked at her sharply.
She raised her hands. “I’ll try not to, but it’s hard to be reasonable about this. He felt it, too. He’s smart enough to stick with the coffee shop.” She got quiet, staring into the distance. “If I have a kid like me…”
“One bridge at a time,” he cautioned. “Even if you did have a gifted kid, that wouldn’t be a bad thing. The world needs people like you.”
“I guess,” she said wistfully. “As long as there are people like you to keep us grounded.”
“Always. You want to go shopping? We’re out of meat.”
She followed him to Dragon Tree, where his car was parked. “You know, there are people who never eat meat…” she teased, happy to lighten the mood. She wanted to bash something, and it was best if she concentrated on something mundane.
“Don’t blaspheme,” he warned. “We’re setting up a huge grill on the Dragon Tree deck, and I’ll force feed you steak if I have to.”
She grinned. “Ooh, a wolf with a fistful of meat. How can I resist?”
“Brat.” He kissed her as the Dragon Tree’s door opened, welcoming them in.
Chapter 16
Juniper jogged up the library steps, enjoying the late summer heat. It had taken two months, but she’d finally convinced Kjetil she was fine on a simple trip to town without bodyguards. After all, Chaldaic was dead and her brother was behind bars, awaiting trial. Even if she’d been willing to give Bramble Burn away, there were no takers. Ever since the Green Skunk Invasion that made the Bramble uninhabitable outside the ward, they’d had an increase of people fleeing the surrounding neighborhood. She and Kjetil were working with the city on the problem, but she didn’t mind the increased privacy; local gangs were already wary of the werewolves and venomous skunks ensured there was no one around to steal from.
Between her modified Venus fly traps and the werewolf hunters, she felt sure the problem would soon be contained, but she needed to do some research.
“Hello, Juniper. Where are your bodyguards?” a woman’s voice purred.
Juniper stopped and looked left as Ria, Gilly’s half-sister, stepped out of the shadow of a large shade tree. Her red hair was loose, flowing down her back, and her red and black leathers were casual. The look in her eye was pure predator.
“Hello, Ria. I got tired of protecting them,” Juniper said calmly. “Have you been watching?”
Ria smiled…and began to grow.
Juniper watched with intense focus. Ria wouldn’t be transforming for a friendly chat. Life and death hung in the balance.
A red and black dragon looked at her and grinned, showing teeth. “Run, rabbit! Meat tastes better when it’s hot with adrenaline, and humans taste like pork.”
Juniper tsked, her eyes glowing green. To run was to die. “Been snacking, Ria? It’ll go straight to your hips.”
Ria laughed darkly and drew a deep breath, fire crackling in her throat…and choked. Smoke puffed as she coughed, a wet, hacking sound. She violently shook her head.
Juniper stepped back to give her space, silent and watchful.
“What…” Ria coughed again, spraying steaming drops of bloody phlegm. Her eyes widened in horror.
Juniper took another step back as Ria’s forked tongue protruded. Eyes bugling, she crashed to the ground and convulsed. Bystanders screamed and cars screeched as rubberneckers careened. The police station was only blocks away, and they’d arrive any minute. That was okay; the process was irreversible.
Ria wailed and stiffened. Her body slowly relaxed, began to shrivel. Her hide crumbled and her brilliant scales dulled and crumbled. By the time the cops arrived, Juniper was sitting on the library steps, faint with accelerated power use as mushrooms sprouted on a steaming pile of compost.
Kjetil didn’t yell. He simply stared in disbelief. “You crumbled dragon scale, Jun. How is that possible?” He sat at the table across from her and pushed her plated sandwich closer, silently telling her to eat.
She took a big bite and chewed. “I told the truth: magic.”
Juniper sipped her juice, happy to be home in her tree. She was tired, but the Bramble was working hard to rejuvenate her. “It may be as hard as diamonds, but it’s organic matter, babe. It composts fine…with a hard push.” A really hard push, which was why she was exhausted. It might have looked like showing off, but she had excellent reasons for it.
“Why? For that matter, how did you kill her? The cops weren’t satisfied with your answer. They’ll keep asking.” The cop in him wouldn’t let it go, either, but the library caught the incident on security camera. It would be hard to press charges with video evidence, and there were witnesses that said Ria was going to attack. Now he just had to worry about vengeful dragons.
Juniper didn’t seem nearly concerned enough.
“Why crumble scale? It sends a message. Dragons are dangerous and arrogant; they think they’re top of the food chain. I just became their worst nightmare.”
“Or a target,” he said darkly.
She shook her head. “Ria died of a severe fungal infection common to dragon hatchlings. Sadly, the onset was too rapid for her body to fig
ht. Once she was dead, other strains of fungi and bacteria caused her body to rapidly breakdown…which you did not hear.” She pointed her sandwich at him. “There’ll be no way to trace cause of death, as it should be with a secret weapon.”
“You carry spores? What about your sister and Indris? Are they in danger?” he asked, concerned.
“No. I know what I’m doing, babe. Glad you care,” she said dryly. “Anyway, the spores are dormant until activated by a catalyst.” She looked him in the eye. “The spores are airborne, and I take them everywhere I go. They also work on multiple attackers with little effort…as long as I don’t compost them.”
He tapped a finger on the table as he thought about it. “Why don’t the spores work on monsters?”
She shrugged. “They’re specific to dragons.”
He was silent while he digested that. “We may have to watch out for Ria’s brother.”
“Always a good idea,” she agreed, and finished her meal. Sombri could attack if he wanted, but it wouldn’t be smart, not with a vigilant werewolf at her side. If they could survive Bramble Burn, they could survive anything.
Justin’s execution made the papers. It happened in the fall, making for grim holidays. Even though justice had prevailed, Kjetil fought hard to keep Juniper’s spirits up. They went to holiday parties, and Juniper made an extra effort with giant pumpkins shaped into funny faces, turkeys and cartoons, planting them all around town. She made gourd playhouses for schools and churches and grew beautiful Christmas trees and giant candy canes.
Her parents divorced in January, and even though it was on good terms, that was tough, too. A pall of gloom hung over Bramble Burn for weeks, reflecting Juniper’s mood, and strange things grew in the mists. Even though it was winter, she had trees to grow, although she could only manage two a week, since it was harder in the winter.
By spring, Juniper was sick of being sad. She threw herself into planting flowers and created the Iron Thorn, a huge greenhouse with black iron thorns for a frame and thick glass panels. In a fever of creativity, she invented several exciting new plants like the chocolate milk pod, which brought biologists from as far as Denmark to study it.