Dragon's Touch (Book 1 Linty Dragon Series) (23 page)

“All’s well, thanks.”

“Heard you had trouble there not long ago, lass. Essie would have made short work o’ that situation.”

“What exactly did you hear?” I asked in a soft tone.

“Bones found, a break-in, the loss of a dragon. You seem overrun with problems,” he said in a heavy brogue and raised his thick brows.

I gestured to the seat across from me, Mackenzie glanced at the barmaid and nodded. She served drinks and kept an eye on us while we conversed.

“I have a question for you,” I said.

“Aye, what would that be?” he asked.

“What do you know about Samuel Smythe?”

He leaned forward, looked me in the eye, and said, “He’s a slippery one, lass. I never understood why Essie allowed him to work for her.”

“You know the saying, keep your friends close and your enemies closer?” I asked with a slight smile.

He nodded, grinned and said, “Aye, I do. You might be right.”

“Has Smythe many clients?”

He scanned the room before he murmured, “As far as I know he dealt with Essie and other dragon keepers, only. No regular folks would have aught to do with him. He’s a disreputable sort, that’s for sure.” He straightened up and leaned back. “Can I get you dessert? We have butterscotch bread pudding on the menu.”

Unwilling to show my shock over Smythe working with other dragon keepers, I simply nodded, asked for a small helping and polished off the sandwich. When he set the pudding on the table and took my sandwich plate away, I thanked him, gazed round the room and smiled at those rude enough to gawk and whisper. The memory faded as I changed my clothes in readiness of Cullen’s arrival.

I’d left the pub that day with questions tumbling over one another and a need to know the answers. I hadn’t managed to find any, but my suspicions grew over Smythe and the possibility of his killing Gran. After all, he was the one who had said the lab reports kept coming up negative, right? And he hadn’t been back or called with results from a third set either.

Cullen and I drove away from the house, and took a left turn toward the mountains. The farther we drove, the deeper into richly forested land we were, the less populated it was. The beauty of the Highlands goes without saying, but desolation is abundant. When we turned a sharp curve, a massive set of ironwork gates sat to our right. A huge dragon emblazoned on the front of the gates caught my attention.

“Where are we?”

“You’ll see. Be your most charming self, our host has information on who stole your dragon.”

My idea of a relaxing excursion was dashed as though I’d been doused with a bucket of cold water.

The gates slowly and soundlessly opened. We entered manicured grounds and wove our way along a drive that twisted and turned before our arrival in front of a monstrous mansion of gray stone. Long windows crossed the front of the house with a set of double-doors in the center. Trees and trimmed shrubs bordered the sides and beyond. All was eerily quiet as a morgue.

A carved dragon crest centered in the heavy wooden double-doors depicted the beauty of the beast, and reminded me of my own dragons while we waited for someone to answer the doorbell. I stepped close to Cullen when a short, scrawny, arthritically deformed man, with thin, close cut white hair, and wearing a butler’s uniform, invited us in.

“Mr. Bànach awaits you in the study,” he said in a formal voice and beckoned us to follow him.

I glanced up at Cullen who stared straight ahead, and then took in my surroundings. Dragon artwork covered the walls, all contained scenes where dragons fought alongside warriors. Missing were family photos and paintings of austere men, women, and children dressed in clothing of eras gone by. I wondered if our host had any relatives. I shook my head at the ridiculous thought, everybody had family, even the gaunts.

Shown into a vast study, I compared the richness of it to Dragon Hill. My estate was smaller than this, but then, Dragon Hill had never been as grand, just homier. A leather chair faced a set of windows and swiveled soundlessly to face us. I nearly gasped at the wretch who took up less than half the chair. Another gaunt. My heart sank.

Cullen stepped forward to greet the man as the butler drew the doors to a close upon his exit.

“Fergus Bànach, I’d like to introduce Lynn Tegan Dragon,” Cullen said with a dip of his head and slight pressure from his hand at the small of my back.

Having left the immense chair, Fergus walked toward me, his hand extended. I took it, smiled at him and said, “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Bànach.”

“Aye, lass, my pleasure as well. Though we didn’t move in the same circles, I knew your Gran for many years. Come, sit down, we must get to know one another. Edwin will serve refreshments shortly.”

Our visit had been preplanned, that much was clear to me. I sent a quick glance in Cullen’s direction and noted the satisfied look in his eyes. It was vexing to continually be thrown under the bus without prior warning. The man simply tossed me into the ring with gaunts whenever he chose. He glanced at me again and smiled as I threw him a look that promised payback. We both sat and waited.

Edwin, the butler, returned and floating across the floor on silent feet, deposited a tray of tea and faerie cakes onto the coffee table set between us and Fergus. His creepy movements gave me the willies. Edwin poured, offered us dainty cups on paper-thin saucers, and then dispersed cupcakes accordingly. I accepted one and worried whether it was poisoned.

Fergus crammed his mouth full of cake and then paused for a second, while I sipped tea and didn’t touch the pastry. Cullen set his plate aside, balanced the teacup and saucer on his knee, and waited for our visit to unfold. Who had reached out to whom?

“You’re in search of the stolen dragon, are ye not, lass?” Fergus said bluntly.

“That’s correct,” I said.

“This particular dragon is much more fearsome than most, which, if awakened, would bring destruction to all of us who own dragons, as well as any others who might get in its way.”

While I hadn’t mentioned my knowledge of this to anyone, or where I’d found the book pertaining to dragon lore, I’d begun to read up on the history of my dragons and had found this to be true. The only one I’d been unable to learn about was Drake.

“He would. At least, that’s what I’ve recently discovered,” I agreed.

His pale gray eyes studied me thoughtfully. “Why would I be of help to you, lass, when I seek one of your dragons for my own collection?”

Before I could open my mouth to admit I hadn’t the slightest idea, Cullen leaned forward, set his teacup on the table and said, “You know who has the dragon, am I right?”

Hesitant to admit that he did, Fergus sipped his tea, nibbled a cake, and then shifted comfortably on the sofa.

“You must realize we are a group of collectors willing to do what we must to achieve our goals,” he remarked.

“That doesn’t answer the question, does it, Mr. Bànach?” I asked sweetly.

“It’s important we’re clear before I offer my assistance. In the event that I reveal the name of the thief, I will require something in return.” His gaze direct, Bànach offered a scary smile of tombstone teeth that had seen better days. Yellow in appearance and decrepit, in a face as thin as this man’s was, his smile left me cold to the bone.

I nodded and said, “As long as it isn’t one of my dragons, we’ll get along just fine.”

“Be that as it may, I shall only ask that when you let the dragons loose, as I’m sure you eventually will, that you’ll allow me to be first in line to acquire the one I need to complete my collection. You see, Ms. Dragon, you possess in your collection, every single dragon that would complete all the other collections in the world. Including Drake.” 

Bànach gazed at me with eyes so pale, they were nearly void of color, and I fought the urge to flee. While this tidbit of news was known to me, I hadn’t thought others knew it, too. I was certain Cullen was aware of how desperate the collectors were, but hadn’t acknowledged that desperation to me. Damn game player.

“Should they be set free, won’t the dragons and their families war against one another, and the world? Surely, it would reign terror upon us all should this happen?” I asked.

His gaze shifted downward, the pale, veined skin of his eyelids hid the look he didn’t want me to see. I turned to Cullen, whose impassive expression was less than helpful. Where did I go from here? Should I make a deal with this gaunt in order to attain the name of the thief who’d stolen the dragon? Would the information be too little, too late? Was the dragon already reunited with its owner?

I stood up, wandered to the long windows and stared out at a panoramic view of the estate grounds. A crew of workmen trimmed flowerbeds, clipped hedges, and spread mulch under shrubs. They were as adept at their jobs as I should be at mine, that of dragon keeper.  I walked back to the sofa, watched each man eye the other in silence, and resumed my seat.

“How do I know the thief isn’t dead? That he hasn’t turned the dragon over to whoever hired him to steal it in the first place? I shan’t make promises that will get me nowhere. Can you guarantee the dragon is still in the thief’s hands?”

Bànach gave a soft laugh, lightly clapped his fragile-looking hands, and said, “Well done, Ms. Dragon. You have the same ability to bargain as your grandmother did. She would never take anyone’s word without all the facts laid out before her.” He leaned forward, retrieved his teacup and saucer from the table and filled it with tea.

“You’re right, she was a factual person who didn’t take her dragon keeper job lightly, nor do I. My grandmother wouldn’t have dealt with you, or your cronies.”

“The dragons cannot be set free without the key, Ms. Dragon. I’m sure you’re aware of that.”

I nodded and waited for him to continue.

With a wave of his hand, Bànach said, “If the dragon has been handed over from the thief, it can’t come alive, nor can others in any single collection without the key, even when a dragon is among its own collective. So you see, as the Americans say, no harm, no foul, Ms. Dragon. You make the promise, I give you the name.”

“How about this, tell me the name and when I retrieve the dragon, I will keep this promise to you. Should the key be found and usable, and should I decide to free the dragons, I will offer you first dibs on the dragon you seek for your collection. As long as it isn’t Drake, that is.”

A cackle of laughter burst forth, his wide grin scary as hell, and his contorted features even more gaunt and creepy than before. The man looked dead, he simply didn’t have the smarts to climb into a coffin. Ugh. The day had turned as gray in my mind as it had outside the house. Dark clouds promised more rain, and I felt as though I was about to drown in my own stupidity for agreeing to deal with the devil seated before me. Should all come to fruition, there would only be one outcome for the man across from me.

I reached a hand toward my teacup and then pulled it back. I refused to drink with one man who’d placed me in this despicable position along with the other who was the proverbial wolf in gaunt clothing. If I wasn’t careful, Hell’s fire would be burning a road for my descent into its depths.

His hand on my shoulder, Cullen gave it a light squeeze. He then gave Bànach his attention and said, “Could we be excused for a moment?”

His head inclined in agreement, Bànach watched us leave the room.

In the wide hallway, I tried to pull my arm from Cullen’s grasp and whispered angrily, “What the hell, Cullen? I’m caught between a rock and a hard place, thanks to you.”

As I struggled against his hold, he gave me a shake and asked, “You plan to promise him?”

I stammered, “Wh-what? No, yes, I mean yes, I will promise him.”

His brilliant blue eyes sparkled and he laughed softly. “And then what?”

“I’ll have to kill him, of course.” The words sounded strange to my ears, even though it had been my own voice that had uttered them with finality.

His grin still in place, Cullen said, “That’s what I thought. We both know you’d fight anyone who tried to take your dragons from you. If you can’t kill Bànach, then I will. As the Americans say, it’s a win-win, right?”

I didn’t waver, because it was true. I would do whatever it took to protect the dragons, and if that meant someone dying, so be it. Stunned by my own revelation and the thought that I would actually kill another human being, a gaunt or not, I ran a hand through my hair, brushed it off my face and wondered if my train had fallen off the tracks. I would never allow the dragons to be brought to life, but then if I didn’t find the key, there’d be no worries, right? I took a breath and nodded. “Fine, then we’re in agreement?”

He smiled, nodded, and we reentered the room where we faced the gaunt once again. He remained in the exact place we’d left him.

“I’ve thought your offer over, Ms. Dragon, and I’m in agreement. The man who took your dragon is Daniel Cairn.”

My mouth hung open, I choked, and stuttered, “Th-there must be a mistake.”

He shook his head. “No mistake, Ms. Dragon. Cairn is your man. He took the dragon on behalf of Richard Crandall, Laird of Crandall Hall.”

Numbed by shock, I asked, “You’re certain?”

His nod definite, he said, “Now, I’d like your promise, Ms. Dragon.”

“You have it, Mr. Bànach,” I said and crossed my heart with two fingers.

All I wanted was to leave this place, get as far away from the gaunt as I could and never return. If I could have ridden Drake to the moon at this very moment, I’d have done so. Anything to get away from the depth of wretchedness I felt over Daniel’s treachery and the fear of losing my dragons.

“I’ll repeat the promise. When you attain the dragon, and the key is found and useable, you will fulfill your promise to me by giving me first choice on securing my own dragon from the group. That is our bargain, is it not?” Bànach asked.

“It is,” I answered, all the while knowing I would stab this bastard in the heart before allowing him to have any dragons in my care. I wondered if Gran had rolled over in her grave, or if she’d have approved of my tactics.

On that note, we left the estate, were instantly caught up in a torrential downpour forcing Cullen to pull over to the side of the road. We stayed put until the storm passed, my temper simmering as I thought of the things I would do to Daniel Cairn when I found him. He’d seemed so honest and decent that I hadn’t once thought he was capable of such a deed. We never really know people, I guess. His father came to mind, and I wondered if thievery was a family affair. Huh.