The Tynder Crown Chronicles, Season One: Episode One: The Tynder Crown Chronicles (The Tynder Crown Chronicles, A Novella Series Book 1) (8 page)

Piper laughs apprehensively. “I have a feeling my life is never going to be the same now that I’ve met you.”

“God, I hope not. It sounded pretty lame before.” I turn and begin to walk in the same direction we just came from.

I GAZE UP AT THE massive building towering above us. The sunlight is beaming on the walls of glass, and I am questioning for about the hundredth time in recent days if I am going mad. The moment we’d hit Joe’s place yesterday, Piper was in full-speed research mode. I think she may have looked through every one of those old, leather-bound books on my grandfather’s shelves, reading about treasure trolls.

Tugging on the bottom of my form-fitting, black leather jacket, I double-check and make sure the girls are standing at attention. I’ve got street smarts, enough to know that a great rack can get a lot of questions answered, but does that still apply now?
Are trolls or goblins even interested in a nice set?

“Maybe this isn’t such a good idea,” I say, my hand pulling away from the handle of the glass door.

“What are you talking about? We did all our homework, we’re ready for this,” Piper insists.

I sigh. “Ready for what? Don’t you see how crazy this is? This isn’t some thug we’re going to rough up and ask a bunch of questions. It’s Walter Trunkwater; they probably won’t even let us in to see him.”

Piper places a hand on my shoulder. “So use your charm.”

“The only charm I have is in my curves, and somehow I doubt a treasure troll is going to give a damn about those.”

She laughs at me. “No, silly, your charm … as in your Phoenix charm.”

“Okay, I give, what’s my Phoenix charm?” I ask, moving aside so a balding gentleman can enter the building.

She pulls me farther from the door, then whispers, “You can compel people.”

“Compel them to do what?” I inquire, confused.

“Whatever you want. I mean, within reason.”

“Wait, back up—what are you talking about?”

“Wow, you really don’t know anything, do you?”

“Shut up and enlighten me already.”

Piper waves her hands defensively. “All right, all right, don’t get all crazy on me. A Phoenix has the ability to compel someone to do things they want them to, but like I said, only within reason. Like, you can’t compel someone to do something that goes against his or her survival instincts, like jumping off a bridge, for example. Basically, you can charm them into doing things you want.”

“How does it work?” Now my interest is peaked.

“Depends on the Fae and how they respond to you. Some Fae have to be touched, others, it’s in the way you look at them.”

“No way!” I exclaim, reaching out and taking hold of her arm. “Let me try on you.” She quickly swipes my hand away.

“Hell no! A Phoenix can really mess up a human if they do that mind voodoo on them too many times,” Piper protests.

“But it does work on humans?”

“Well, yeah, but our brains aren’t wired like yours. If you mess around with it too much, we can end up cracking up. So unless you want to figure out all this stuff on your own, I suggest you don’t go around charming me.”

“So how do I know if it will work on the treasure troll?”

“The more cunning a Fae, the more likely it won’t work.”

“Wait, so my power only works on idiots? That sucks.” I sigh.

“I didn’t say that; it just doesn’t work on some Fae, so be careful,” she advises.

“Fine.” I look through the glass and catch a glimpse of a large guard sitting behind the main desk. His features resemble that of a bull. “Is that…” I pause, and wait for Piper to look through the glass.

“He’s a minotaur. Great, they’re so moody.”

“Let me,” I offer, rubbing my hands together rapidly, then I walk over and pull open the large door.

“Tynder, wait! You don’t know what you’re—” It’s too late. By the time she catches up with me, I’m standing in front of the bull-like creature.

“What’s your kind doing here?” he grunts at me, and I remember Fae can recognize me as a Magistrate.

“My friend and I have an appointment to see Mr. Trunkwater,” I begin.

“Name?” He narrows his gaze at me, holding a clipboard in his hand.

I lean over the counter, gently run my fingers along his arm, and, staring him in the eyes, I say, “See, our names are right there.”

I’m pointing at nothing, just staring at him intensely, hoping he’s not about to pick me up and throw me out onto the street with his big strong arms. I feel my fingertips tingle, and my stomach does a quick flip back in on itself.

“Oh yeah, there you are,” he answers softly before handing us two visitor badges and pointing us in the direction of the elevator.

As soon as we are around the corner, and out of sight, I grab Piper’s arm and nearly squeal in delight. “Oh my God, it worked. That was amazing!” She’s smiling.

Leaning forward, I press the elevator UP button, and almost immediately the doors open. As they glide in front of us I catch my reflection at the back of the empty car. I’m drawn to the image, one step and then another, until I’m staring at myself, the mirror only inches away from my face. My eyes are glowing a golden color.

“My eyes!” I cry. Piper lunges forward and presses the button for top floor before turning to me.

“You’re okay … it happens when you use your abilities,” she explains.

“Does it go back?”

“Eventually, but don’t worry, only other Fae can see it.”

“Great, that’s so comforting,” I groan. I scream when I see my fingernails and the red veining climbing up them. “And this?” I bark, now terrified.

“Same thing, a side effect, but it will fade in a few minutes,” she assures me. I grip the wall of the elevator, my head spinning wildly. “Come on, pull it together, we’re almost—”

A ding of the elevator cuts her off, and, as the doors open, a gentleman steps on, then a few floors later he steps out, and we’re alone again.

Pull it together,
I think about her words. I always have it together; I never come unraveled.
What the hell is the matter with me?
Part of me had to know this world existed. There is no way Joe was that good of a liar.
Is all of this really that much of a shock? All those books he had laying around while I was growing up … Desmond’s magic tricks … nobody is that good.

“Are you ready?” she asks as the floor numbers light up. We’re one away.

“I’ve got this,” I say, more to convince myself than her.

With one last ding of the bell, I watch as the elevator doors slide open again. My heart is racing, but my breathing stays even and steady. I exit, my heels clicking against the rich walnut-colored wooden floors.

We approach a large half-moon-shaped reception area. A slender blonde woman is sitting behind the desk, wearing a slim-fitting blazer, and her hair is pulled back into a tight and neat ponytail. Her high cheekbones are so perfect they are almost distracting. I wonder if she is some sort of Fae creature.

“Welcome to Trunkwater Financial, can I help you?” she asks, glancing me up and down. I’m wearing my signature look of all black and leather. A look that tells people not to mess with me and that I know what to do with what is underneath these layers of clothing.

I lean across the table, but the woman is too far away for me to reach. I narrow my gaze and instruct her, “Take me to see Walter Trunkwater.”

She doesn’t seem impressed. “Do you have an appointment?”

I look over at Piper, who shrugs. Glancing back at the woman, I decide to try again.

I shake my head. “You must have not heard me. I need to see Walter Trunkwater.”

“I heard you, and I asked if you had an appointment. If not, I’m going to have to ask you to leave, and you can call to schedule a time to see Mr. Trunkwater.”

Piper moves forward, and softly suggests, “If you could just tell Mr. Trunkwater that a Ms. Crown is here to see him, I think he may want to squeeze us in.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t—”

“Patricia, it’s all right,” a man’s voice calls from the left.

“Sir, I was just informing these ladies they would need an appointment,” the blonde woman stammers nervously.

“It’s fine, I’ll see them,” he replies.

“Yes, sir, Mr. Trunkwater.”

I look in his direction, my mouth falling open. “Walter Trunkwater?”

“The one and only.” He grins and opens the large frosted glass door, beckoning for us to join him. I don’t hesitate, and Piper follows closely behind me.

As I pass him, I can’t stop staring. His skin shimmers as though it’s made up of rubies and emeralds, with a metallic pearl sheen on the top layer. His eyes glow a brilliant blue, and his dark hair falls perfectly on his chiseled jaw line. ‘Troll’ is the last word I would use to describe him. His suit is obviously expensive and perfectly tailored to his lean physique.

He shows us into an office where two modern leather chairs await us. Taking a seat across from us, he looks at Piper and then at me before asking, “So what brings a Royal Magistrate into my office?”

I give a half smile. “My name is Tynder Crown, I’m the granddaughter of—”

“Josiah Crown. Everyone knows who the great Josiah Crown is,” he interjects, and I feel myself blush. “I was unaware he had a granddaughter, though.”

“It ends up a lot of people were unaware of my existence,” I mutter.

“That’s a crime in itself. I am sorry to hear about his death,” Walter offers. I’m not sure if it’s the flirtation or mixing it with condolences that makes me shift uncomfortably in my seat. I’m not ready to start thinking about Joe and what happened to him. The only thing I can focus on is this case and eventually looking for clues about who betrayed him.

“I’m here with questions that need answering,” I say directly.

“Excuse me? Is this official business? Should I have my house representation?”

“What she means is you could have valuable information to help us with an open case,” Piper quickly jumps in with damage control.

“I see,” he begins, watching me intensely. I don’t look away from him; I won’t allow him to intimidate me, no matter how much money he is worth, or how sexy I find his eyes. “I’m not sure what on earth I could help with, but I’m happy to extend a hand in any way you might need.”

“I bet you are. Terg Zurank seems to think you can be very enlightening in helping us crack this case wide open.” I waste no time revealing the reason we’re here. The longer I have to look at him, the sooner I might let my curiosity get the better of me as to what he looks like without that suit on.

He laughs, folding his fingers into one another, placing them on top of his glass desk. “I’m sure he does.”

“So you don’t deny you know who he is,” I snap.

“Of course I know him. He’s been trying to compete with me since we were kids. Paranoid little man, he never could get past himself long enough to be truly successful in life,” he explains.

“Not like you,” I sarcastically interject.

“No, not like me. I understand business is just that, nothing personal.”

“Sounds like the two of you weren’t on the best of terms. Is that why you stole from him?” I press.

Walter laughs. “Sweetheart, Terg has nothing I would ever bother with stealing.”

“You just called me sweetheart.” I’m stating the obvious. Everything in me wants to lodge my knee into his pelvis, but I manage to resist the initial urge.

“It was better than the first name that came to mind,” he replies smoothly.

“Look, asshole—” I bark, leaping to my feet.

Piper doesn’t hesitate; she is right there with a hand on my chest, holding me back from letting my temper get the better of me.

“I’m telling you, whatever Terg says I was involved in, he’s mistaken,” Walter assures us.

“We haven’t even told you what he has accused you of, so how do you know he’s wrong?” I ask, leaning around the side of Piper, who isn’t budging.

“Unless whatever he accused me of happened in Dubai, then he’s mistaken.” He grins, watching me for a reaction.

“I don’t understand,” Piper states, looking at him, while keeping a hand on me at all times.

“I’ve been in Dubai on business for three weeks now. My flight just got in this morning.”

I’m speechless. Our only lead and it’s out the window.

“Is there a way we can verify your story?” Piper continues, always one to ensure the details are looked to.

“Of course, my secretary can provide you with any of the information you need.” Walter looks to me, but I still say nothing. “I hope you find your man, Ms. Crown.”

His smug smile sends surges through me, and I can’t decide if I want to slap that smirk off his face or rip his clothes off and kiss him. I squirm as a heat rises up inside me, aching between my legs. I decide to focus on my hatred rather than my lust.

“Oh, I will,” I huff, leaving the room without another word. Piper offers her apologies to him and rushes to catch up. She knows better than to say a single word to me as we wait for the elevator. Perhaps this Royal Magistrate business isn’t going to be as easy as I first assumed.