Chapter 5
Chapter
Five
Rhaz exited an establishment called Sweet Haven Bakery.
He’d found currency in the pocket of the odd trousers he’d stolen the night he arrived and spent it on something called coffee and a scone.
Both were delicious, but it wasn’t long before his stomach let him know he wasn’t full yet.
But there was nothing to be done about it now.
The large conveyance he saw go by made his skin prickle, and he sensed something other than humans occupied it. He’d follow it if he could, but that would raise too much suspicion. He was going to have to search slowly, but he could at least go in the general direction the conveyance had gone.
He started off, sniffing the air as he went. He couldn’t track it very well that way, either. There were so many new scents here. He was having a hard enough time trying to pick up Basil’s unique smell.
He walked up the street at a good clip, his eyes scanning his surroundings for the box on wheels he’d seen.
Alright, so it wasn’t exactly a box, but it was the only thing he could think to call it.
He’d learned so far that some conveyances were called cars, others trucks, and still others wrecks.
He wasn’t sure what that meant and wasn’t going to try to understand it.
He continued to the end of the street, where it met another.
He could either go left or right. He looked around, saw no trace of the box on wheels, and cursed under his breath.
He’d lost it. He didn’t know which way the street in front of him led, nor did he know which direction the conveyance had gone, so he turned and backtracked to check out the center of town. Maybe he’d pick up Basil’s scent.
There were several eating establishments this way. He could smell them, and if there was one thing Basil would be attracted to, it was food, if only to berate it.
He came across one such establishment and read the sign. Kathy’s Country Kitchen, if he understood it correctly. He went inside, and the smell of food hit him like a storm.
His stomach growled. A scone, was hardly enough to fill a dragon.
“Can I help you?” A middle-aged woman came around the counter.
He stuck his hands in the pockets of the jacket and bent his head. “No, thank you. I not here to eat. I look for someone.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Oh, are you camping here in Moon Creek Falls or just here for the weekend?” she asked.
Rhaz gave her a blank look. What was a weekend?
He smiled, scanned the tables and patrons, then gave her a nod. “Thank you.” With that, he left and continued down the street.
He passed a few more eateries and went into each one looking for Basil. The problem with this was that someone from the fire yesterday might recognize him. Thankfully, no one pointed him out or motioned him over to their table to ask if he was “that man.”
Rhaz reached the end of the long street. The eatery at this end was called Frosty’s. It made him think of the white dragons in the north, and he shuddered.
Well, one bright thing about his and Basil’s little disaster, was that he wasn’t going to marry Princess Beyza anytime soon. Thank the stars for that.
With a sigh, Rhaz kept going to see what might be at this end of town and to see if he could scent Basil, but so far the little gnome was nowhere to be found.
What if he never found him?
A better question was, when Rhaz did, how were they going to return to their own realm?
If the door opened in the Ravaeth Court’s gardens and led here, where did it go after that? Portals were stationary for the most part. Doors could move.
Doors had begun appearing over the last century. As far as he knew, they opened and closed in random places. Some of the scholars in his court had traveled to some of these places to study the areas where they appeared, but no one had ever passed through one until now.
He sighed at the thought and continued his search. Find Basil first. Figure out how to get home afterward.
And stars help them both find a way.
“Now that our dear Aaron and his new bride have been dropped off at their humble abode,” Anon chortled, “I suppose we should check on our guest downstairs. Whose turn is it?” He gave Caelen, Jackson, and Quill an expectant look.
Hana and Dandy had already retreated to the kitchen to make sandwiches.
Everyone looked at Quill.
The wizard backed up a step and raised his hands. “I fed him breakfast.”
“The gnome said he would cook for Aaron again,” Caelen pointed out. “The problem is Aaron isn’t here.”
Anon rubbed his chin in thought. “Well, maybe he’ll cook for the rest of us.
That would be something, wouldn’t it? There’s no poison in the house, is there?
” He looked at the other men and shook his head.
“No, of course there isn’t. I would know.
” His eyes widened. “You don’t think the gnome can make poison, do you? ”
“If he can, he’ll do it,” Jackson said. “Then again, he’ll want to stay on Aaron’s good side. Poisoning one of us isn’t going to do that.” He sank heavily onto the couch, picked up the TV remote, and switched the television on.
“Look!” Quill said, pointing at the screen. “Isn’t that the fire Louise was telling us about just before the wedding ceremony started? Didn’t it happen yesterday?”
The others gathered around and watched as a reporter recapped the events of a house fire from the day before.
“Well, I’ll be, there’s Louise,” Anon said. “I wonder if she knows she’s on television.” He laughed. “Who am I kidding? Of course she does. But then she didn’t exactly make a point of telling everyone today, did she?”
Hana entered the room carrying a tray of sandwiches. “That’s because it was Aaron and Betty’s big day. Louise isn’t going to ruin it by talking about something that happened yesterday. She’ll wait until later.”
“Yes,” Dandy agreed as she entered carrying a pitcher of lemonade, “and then she won’t shut up about it.” She set the pitcher down. “I’ll go get some glasses.”
“I’ll help you,” Caelen said, and followed her into the kitchen.
Anon clasped his hands behind his back and rocked from toe to heel a few times as they watched the news report. “You don’t think...” Anon began and eyed the others.
“We already asked Basil if his prince would start a house fire,” Jackson pointed out. “Basil said no. Not that he couldn’t start one, but why would he?”
They all watched the news. By the time they’d heard about the incident, it had been late morning, and no one had thought much of it until they’d spoken with Basil.
“There!” Anon pointed at the television. “There he is.”
The news was showing a video clip a neighbor had taken on her phone. A man emerged from the billowing smoke pouring from the house carrying the family dog.
“Thank heavens Wilbur is okay,” Anon said, placing a hand over his heart. “Not to mention dear Lily.”
Jackson, Caelen, Quill, and Hana stared at the television.
Dandy set the remaining glasses on the table. “Wow. How could anyone survive that?”
Caelen put an arm around her. “A dragon shifter could. Some are impervious to fire, except perhaps their own. It burns far hotter than what you’re watching on the screen.”
“Yes, but what about this dragon?” Quill asked. “And a prince at that? That means he’d be more powerful than your average dragon shifter.”
“I understand wolf shifters,” Hana said, smiling at Jackson. “I can wrap my head around Caelen glamouring himself, but a dragon shifter? That I don’t get.”
“Me neither,” Dandy agreed. “I mean, you take a man, and even if he’s a bigger man, well, how big is the dragon then?”
Caelen and Quill exchanged the same knowing look and turned to Dandy. “Big,” they said at once.
“Big and nasty,” Jackson added. “The dragon shifters I’m familiar with are cruel, greedy, and can’t be trusted. Thank Luna you don’t see them often.”
“Yes, but now we have one,” Dandy pointed out. “And everybody’s seen him, from the looks of it.”
She nodded at the television. The reporter was back on, talking about the mystery man who’d saved Lily Parker and the Parker family’s golden retriever.
“At least Jackson can hide if he has to,” Hana said. “His wolf is big, but a dragon? That’s going to stick out like a sore thumb.”
“You’re quite right, my dear,” Anon said. “Which is why we need to find him as soon as possible. He must be hiding somewhere, but where?”
He glanced at the others. “We’re going to have to talk to that gnome again. Try to convince him we only want to help.”
“Good luck with that.” Hana crossed her arms and snuggled against Jackson on the couch. “Basil only talks to Aaron because he reveres him, and Aaron and Betty, well, they’re not going to want to be disturbed tonight of all nights.”
“Good heavens, no,” Anon said. “We’ll not disturb the newlyweds. We’ll figure this out on our own, but we must find that prince and bring him to the manse before he gets himself into trouble.”
He began to pace. “Now, I’m a dragon prince. I’ve been thrown into this realm by an unpredictable door whose origins I haven’t got a clue about.” He put the back of his hand to his forehead dramatically. “Oh dear, whatever shall I do? I’m lost. I’m naked. I’m parched...”
“Stop the theatrics, Anon,” Jackson growled. “If he’s been hiding in the woods, he may have access to water, but not food. Nothing’s been reported missing, at least not that I know of.”
“That we know of,” Quill repeated. “Campers and tourists come and go. Some food being stolen might not get reported.”
“He’s right,” Anon said. “So we’ll check the restaurants and cafés. If he’s hungry enough, maybe he tried to make off with something from one of them. Or he’s thinking about it.”
“Are you planning a stakeout?” Dandy asked.
Anon grinned. “That’s one way of looking at it. And I know just who to ask to help us.”
Everyone groaned.
“Come now, she’s not that bad.” Anon pulled out his cell phone, tapped the screen, then held the phone to his ear.
“Hello, Louise, darling? I’ve got a little job for you…”
Finished with drills, Phin stepped into the chief’s office. “You wanted to see me, sir?”
“Yes, Phin, come in.” Chief Hank Morrison straightened some papers on his desk before motioning Phin to a chair. “Have a seat.”
Phin lowered herself into the chair and waited. Hank wasn’t usually one to call people into his office unless he had a reason.
The chief settled back in his chair and folded his hands across his stomach.
Phin waited.
Hank studied her for a moment. “I suppose you’ve figured out why you’re here.”
She had a good guess. “The mystery man from the Parker fire?”
A corner of the chief’s mouth twitched. “Yes, our mystery man.”
Phin hid a smile. Half the town was talking about him. The other half seemed to be looking for him.
Hank opened a manila folder on his desk. “Mrs. Parker gave another statement yesterday.”
“Did she?”
“She did.” He glanced down at the papers. “According to her, our mystery man carried Lily out of the house.”
Phin nodded.
“Then he handed the child to Mrs. Parker and, after a moment, went back inside.”
“That’s what everyone said,” she confirmed.
Hank looked up. “The fire was already spreading by then.”
“I know,” she said. “Everyone thought he was crazy. He could have stayed outside, but he didn’t.”
“No.” Hank tapped the folder. “He went back in for the dog. How did he even know the dog was in there?”
Phin shrugged. “Maybe he heard him barking when he went in to get Lily.” She smiled. “Wilbur seems to have become somewhat famous. That dog has received more attention than poor Lily.”
“That sounds about right.” Hank shook his head. “Most people understand risking their lives to save a child. Everyone’s happy the child is safe. That relief brings its own stress. All the what-ifs. What if this had happened? What if that had happened? Then the guy saves Wilbur.”
Hank sighed. “The point is that he entered a burning structure twice. No turnout gear. No air pack. No radio. No backup. None of you had arrived yet.”
Phin made a face. When he listed it that way, it sounded even more reckless than it had at the time.
“He saved a little girl,” Hank went on. “Went back for a golden retriever, then disappeared before anyone could thank him.” The chief closed the folder. “In thirty years, I’ve learned something about people.”
Phin waited again. Eventually he’d get to the point.
“People who run into burning buildings to save strangers usually become firefighters.”
Understanding dawned. Phin sat up a little straighter. “Oh.”
“Exactly.”
A grin tugged at the corners of her mouth. “You want to find him.”
“I do.”
“So you can thank him?”
“Certainly.” His eyebrows slowly went up.
“But that’s… not the main reason,” she hedged.
Hank steepled his fingers and smiled. “No.”
Phin laughed. “You want to recruit him.”
Hank drummed his fingers together. “Phin, if a man is brave enough to run into a burning house without hesitation and stubborn enough to go back for the dog, I want him in my department.”
She gave him a crooked smile. “Assuming he says yes.”
Hank snorted. “Let’s find him first.”
Phin let out a long sigh. That might prove more difficult than the chief realized. For one thing, she had no idea where to look. What if he was just passing through town? Maybe he was a camper or a tourist here to go beachcombing for an afternoon.
Phin frowned. “What was he doing in that neighborhood to begin with?”
“That’s a good question,” Hank said, making her jump.
Phin hadn’t realized she’d spoken her thoughts aloud. She nodded at Hank. “No one recognized him. And as far as I know, he wasn’t visiting anyone, but I could be wrong.”
“You mentioned Louise Tattleson was there. She might have gotten more information on him than anyone else did. I’d speak with her first. See what she knows. If he was some tourist, then easy come, easy go. But if he’s new in town, I want him recruited.”
Phin nodded. “Understood. Anything else?”
“No, that’s all.”
Phin turned to leave, then stopped. “Chief?”
“Hmm?”
She faced him. “Why me?”
He looked up from the paperwork in front of him. “Because you know more women in town than some people around this place. I hear this fella was good-looking. My wife pointed it out when she watched the news. The ladies around town will be keeping an eye out for him. Find out if they know anything.”
Phin bit her lower lip, trying not to laugh. “I’ll do my best.” She left the chief’s office and tried to figure out the best way to go about his request. And she knew just where to start.