Dragon Thief Box Set

Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

My face drooped. “Experiments? He’s not going to be prodding me with wands, is he?”

His good humor returned. “I wouldn’t allow him.”

I frowned. “But would he?”

Castle flashed me a sly grin. “That remains to be seen.”

I tried not to show my nervousness as we rolled through the streets. Ferox must have been well known to the general public, for carriages and horsemen hurried out of his path while the pedestrians smiled and pointed at the beast. Ferox, for his part, took no notice of anyone or anything but stared straight ahead.

That is until we passed a small park.

The space was an open field with trees and wildflowers. The uncut grass grew unevenly, pointing out all the little paths people took to walk from one end to the other. A small field had been set up, and two dozen children of all ages played with a ball. I couldn’t quite get the gist of the rules, but it looked like soccer with two goals at each end. High fences on either side stopped the ball from escaping into the cottages.

Ferox whinnied and turned the carriage in the direction of the field. His step took a lighter turn as his eyes shone with interest.

Castle frowned and leaned forward to grasp the reins, but he didn’t pull them off the horn. “Focus, Ferox. We haven’t time for that right now.”

The horse whinnied and threw back his head, but he turned away from the fun and back down the street.

I lifted an eyebrow at my host as he dropped back against the seat. “What was that about?”

Castle sighed, but there was a slight smile on his lips. “Ferox’s secret is he doesn’t approve of adults, but he is very fond of children.” The horse turned his head to one side and gave Castle an evil eye. The count, for his part, shrugged. “It’s an open secret in the city, old friend. Every child within the borders knows you would give them a free ride if they asked you.”

Ferox threw his head back and neighed long and hard before he looked ahead again.

I couldn’t help but smile myself. “I’m guessing this is a touchy subject?”

Castle chuckled. “He’s rather fond of his formidable reputation among the other horses and many of the riders.”

I watched as another horseman skirted around the tall, imperious steed. Ferox lifted his head a little higher and seemed to have a wide grin on his face. “So I’ve noticed.”

Castle sat up a little higher. “We’re almost there now.”

I craned my neck to see what he was staring at. The road on which we traveled wobbled to and fro like a drunk trying to walk straight. The street finally staggered leftward some fifty yards ahead of us, and a small hill broke the relatively flat terrain. A few of the homes on the meandering street covered the view, but I could make out a curved wall of some stone structure set into the hillside. It had a domed top and a narrow stairwell that started at street level and led down into the depths of the earth.

Ferox parked us in front of the stairwell, and I glimpsed a flight of stairs that delved deeper than where the sunlight could reach. The scent of ancient mold wafted up from the stairwell and made me wrinkle my nose.

“What is this place?” I asked Castle as he hopped down from the carriage.

He turned and offered me his hand. “An old cistern. The waters were diverted long ago, and Professor Impara took up his experiments after his last house exploded.”

I was in the process of reaching out for his hand when I paused, and my mouth dropped open. “Exploded?”

Castle chuckled. “A minor mishap with one of his experiments. He added a great many different materials to see what would happen. The result was a sulfur-like cloud that filled his home and forced him to evacuate. The fumes touched off in his chimney and the whole house was blown into the sky.”

I took his hand, and he helped me off the carriage. Ferox showed his displeasure at me by moving the vehicle backward, and I tripped on the front wall. I let out a yelp and fell into the waiting arms of Castle.

He let out a laugh as he carried me backward out of the way of the horse’s hooves. “I would scold you, Ferox, but the result is most pleasurable.”

I frowned down at him. “You can let me down now.”

He let out a feigned sigh and set me on my feet. “Very well, but I was most comfortable.”

“We’re here to see the professor,” I reminded him as I turned toward the stairwell. Holders on the left wall once held torches, but only the charred stumps of them remained. “This looks…”

“Grim?” Castle suggested as he offered me his arm. “And yet I have with me such a bright companion that I believe I could see in the darkest pits of the world.”

I snorted, but accepted the arm as I clutched the enshrouded broom in my other hand. He guided me over to the stone stairwell, but the stairs proved too steep and narrow for us to walk side-by-side. Castle took the lead and I followed with the broom clutched tightly against my chest.

The shadows were long and dark even before we reached the bottom. The way was barred by a thick wooden door that showed signs of water stains all over its surface. A small knocker hung in the upper center. Castle grasped the ring and slammed it hard against the wood. A few splinters flung off and fell to the floor at my feet.

I tapped the tip of my toe against them. “Looks like his place could use some redecorating.”

“Impara isn’t known for keeping anything tidy except to avoid accidents,” Castle informed me.

I snorted. “Except when he’s blowing his house up.”

He grinned. “Technically that was no accident, though the results were far more explosive than he expected.” He turned his attention back to the door and some of his good humor faded. “But it appears our luck is poor this morning. I can’t hear his footsteps coming to the door.”

I turned my head to one side and strained my ears. “I don’t hear anything.”

“You would if you heard him tapping his way to the door,” Castle assured me as he folded his arms. “But I wonder what we can do now…”

My ears perked up at his musings. “What about showing me that marketplace? I didn’t get a good look at it last night and,” I lifted up my left hand and shook the bowed ribbon, “we need to make sure this works.”

Castle dropped his arms to his sides and nodded. “That we do, and perhaps we may find Impara among the crowds.”

We returned to the carriage, where we found the steed impatiently waiting. He flung his head to one side and scuffed the ground with his sharp shoe.

Castle smiled at the horse as he helped me back into the vehicle. “I’m afraid not yet old friend. We have another stop to make.”

I blinked at my host as he climbed into the seat beside me. “Do you know what he’s saying?”

Castle chuckled. “I didn’t need to. I heard the rumble of his stomach quite clearly.”

Ferox’s input into the conversation was to shoot forward, flinging us backward against the back of the seat as he sped down the road. I gripped the curved arm on my side with both hands, but Castle’s arm slipped smoothly behind my back.

I looked up into his smiling face. “Don’t mind his temper. We’ll fetch him an apple at the Plaza.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “The Plaza?”

He nodded in the direction of our drive. “The ancient name of the marketplace. It was once the plaza of the old imperial court, but one of the more generous emperors granted the property to the people so they may have a safe place to do business. Now all that remains of that stately court is a low wall in which resides a thriving market that provides everything anyone could ever want, provided they have the coin or a quick wrist.”