Chapter One

 

 

Trin twirled slowly in the chair. “This is so boring!”

Meadra was sitting and knitting in the chair. “You are very good at languages.”

“My dragon is good at it. I am just good at knowing when it is time to let her talk.” Trin sat up and finished the paperwork for Apraxa’s import business.

“What would you be doing in the capitol?”

“Probably playing with Creata’s baby or tormenting Brenner and Niida. Or tormenting Brommin. That is a new hobby.” She chuckled.

“When can we leave Breaker City?”

Trin spun the chair again. “Two more days.”

Meadra perked up. “That soon?”

“Yup. We have your gown, my gown is waiting for me, so we just have to kill forty-eight hours, and we can get on Ystine and drive home.”

Meadra swallowed. “Are you sure that you don’t mind me staying with you?”

“You will be staying with the dragons. They will be happy to have you.” Trin stopped spinning and got up to collapse on the sofa. “And, of course, you should be with me. You are my aunt or mother or aunty-mom.”

Meadra blushed and kept knitting. “That sounds silly.”

“This situation isn’t normal, so silly makes it feel better.” Trin chuckled and then paused. “Are you worried?”

“About what?”

“About your family coming for you.”

“Our family, and no. Not with you here. You are way scarier than they are.” Meadra smiled and kept working.

Trin was restless. She may have asked the question about Meadra’s family coming for her, but it was deadly serious. Her aunt was an asset that they weren’t going to part with. Hiding her away from the capitol was a measure of desperation. It also felt right. Apraxa needing someone to mind the store while she was gone had also seemed to be weirdly coincidental.

So, now, she just needed to check in on her gown, and she and Meadra could head home for the ball. The next two days were going to crawl by.

Trin tapped her fingers together and thought, perking up slightly. “Do you want to go for a walk?”

Meadra smiled. “A walk?”

“Yes. There is a temple a few blocks over that should be alive with light tonight.”

Trin smiled as her aunt put her knitting away.

“Is it safe?”

“No, but it is better than being cooped up here. You don’t have to come with me. I can set all the alarms.” Trin got to her feet and stretched.

“I am coming. Is it a festival?”

“I think it is the Blood Moon Festival. There is a species celebrating something just about every week here. The temples are always busy. I am just going to go change. Back in a minute.”

Trin headed to her guestroom and went through her clothing. She settled on the black bodysuit with the silver-piped dress overtop. Her knives were strapped to her thighs, and flat batons were tied to her inner forearms under the sleeves of the dress. The belt that she put on held the whole outfit together and also contained her wallet and some small blades in the leather. Being armed at a festival was tacky, but she would just leave a large donation at the temple.

She pinned her hair up into a loose fall, checked her reflection, and put her boots on. She wanted to have fun, but she was practical. There was a bounty on her head and on Meadra’s. The social niceties could be had, but adaptation had to occur, or stupidity could cost them their lives or freedom. She would wear knives into a temple.

Sighing, Trin returned to the living area, and she grinned when Meadra was nowhere to be found. Her aunt was almost as fashion hungry as she was and was now finally able to indulge.

“Is this all right?” Meadra came in and did a slow turn. Her outfit was dark red and black. It looked lovely on her and fit her as if it had been made for her. It was part of her new wardrobe and her first non-hand-me-down.

“It is very appropriate. Shall we?”

Having her aunt giggling and clapping as they left the warehouse helped her mood. She remained on alert, but she started to see the beauty and excitement that worry had blinded her to.

At first, the streets near the warehouse were empty, but as they got closer to the temple, other folk in finery joined them on the path.

Trin’s smile came easier as they entered the temple grounds where food stalls had been set up, and games were being played. The blood moon was enormous, but it hadn’t yet reached its zenith. They had two hours to play before the howling of the wolf shifters and thrashing of the shark shifters took over the night. It would not be particularly safe at that point.

“Trin! I mean, Mistress Lem, how nice to see you!” She knew that voice. Hector was leading the pack of his brothers with his wife and three little ones in the group.

Apraxa’s brothers were focused on them, and Trin grinned. “Thank you for the greeting. I haven’t been in Breaker City for any of the festivals before.”

Hector’s wife stepped forward. “I don’t believe we have met.”

“We have not, Kohasi, though your husband spoke of nothing else when Apraxa and I meet in the family diner. I hope your children have enjoyed the gifts I sent for their naming days.”

The woman blinked, and a slow smile spread across her face. “You are Mistress Lem.”

“Trin, please. I see that the whole family is here.”

Kohasi grinned. “Everyone except for Apraxa. She has her hands full.”

Trin fought a smirk. “Yes, well, hopefully, she is making progress.”

She suddenly realized that there was a very curious female in the vicinity. “Kohasi, this is my aunt, Meadra. Meadra, this is Hector’s wife, Kohasi.”

Meadra reached for Kohasi’s hand, and she murmured, “Bright greetings, mother of Torin, Mekker, and Albert.”

Kohasi blushed, and Hector grinned.

Trin inclined her head. “My family takes children very seriously.”

Troy and Pollux cleared their throats in unison.

Troy said, “Well, as Hector is occupied with his family, would you ladies like a tour of the temple grounds?”

Kohasi chuckled. “Don’t let us slow you down.”

Trin shrugged. “Sure. I would like to pay my respects to the temple first, and I don’t want Meadra out of my sight, so keep that in mind. If I lose her, you lose limbs.”

The two brothers nodded in agreement. “We are good with that.”

Pollux walked up to Meadra and offered his arm, Troy did the same to Trin. They walked slightly ahead of the others, and he said in a grand voice, “Welcome to the Blood Moon Festival.”

She grinned and inclined her head. “Thank you.”

They walked past booths that would tell the past, present, and future, kiosks full of snacks that smelled and looked like they contained a week of calories, and finally, they reached the temple in a small oasis of decorum.

“Keep an eye on Meadra; I need to pay my respects.”

The two sharks turned to their prey, and Meadra smiled pleasantly. “So, are you two seeing anyone?”

Trin chuckled and headed inside the temple, noting the three different altars that were carefully tended and garlanded with flowers.

Trin paid her respects to the wolf god and the shark god, but the goddess of the land was covered in flowers and was draped in plain green silk. Trin took a few hundred dollars, and she slipped it into the donation slots, thought about what she wanted, clapped three times, bowed, and clapped again.

When she straightened, she could swear that the goddess of the temple winked at her. She inclined her head in return and left to find Meadra and the sharks.

A quick glance didn’t turn up her friends and family, so she used her dragon’s senses to seek Meadra out. Blood called to blood in this case.

There. A flicker at the edge of the grounds where the boys had sworn not to go. Trin moved as swiftly as she could with her determination strong and her fighting brain coming online.

She ran into Kohasi, and the woman stopped her. “What is wrong?”

“The boys are leaving the grounds with my aunt. This is not good, and they would not have done it on their own.”

Kohasi nodded and glanced around. “You find them; I will let Hector know.”

Trin nodded and continued to track Meadra. She moved swiftly. The crowd parted when they saw her coming. Those who weren’t looking were yanked out of her way by those who were facing her.

She caught the scent of another dragon and the dark whiff of human magic. Things were far more complicated than Trin had been hoping. Pity, it had looked to be a very pleasant evening.