Dragon Thief Box Set

Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Castle guided me through the crowds, and as we neared the first of the animal stalls the aisle became noticeably wider. The steady flow of people thinned, and many stood on the sidelines staring at the offerings.

I was one of those people as my mouth fell open. There was every magical creature I had ever heard of and more. A miniature sphinx sat atop a box, her fluffy paws stretched out in front of her and her bright blue eyes lazily looking about. One hanging cage held a majestic phoenix, its bright plumage of all colors shimmering in the late morning sun. Another vendor had glass jars arranged in a row, and each one held a different fairy-like creature, some with elegant butterfly wings and others with gnarled features more like a gnome.

“What isn’t real…” I murmured.

Castle looked down at me in some surprise. “You know many of these creatures?”

I nodded as we passed a fish tank full of turtles. Each one had a small island on its back, complete with shrunken trees and shrubs. “And some I don’t.”

“Come one, come all! See the rarest of the rare!” one of the animal tenders barked as he stepped up onto his soapbox and stretched his arms above his head. “Come see the harpy! A creature of such ugliness that women faint at the sight of it!”

“Can she get rid of my mother-in-law?” someone shouted from the crowd, which got a laugh from everyone else.

The barker smiled at the prospective customer. “She banishes all evil spells from your house, but I don’t guarantee evil witches.” The crowd crowed at his quip.

“How does she do that?” another person wondered.

A grin stretched across his face. “I’m glad you asked that, friend! Come over here and you shall see!”

He hopped down from his box and two dozen people followed him into his open-faced tent. There were a half dozen cages with various wood-like creatures, but the prize of his collection sat on a table in the center. A cage held a hideous creature of feathers and flesh. The thing had the wings and tail of a bird, but its front was that of a wizened old woman with sagging breasts and a foul face. A strange design written in black ink shone on her bare stomach. It was circular with symbols I didn’t recognize.

At our coming, she stretched her wings and flexed her talons that gripped a thick perch beneath her. The seller slipped up beside her and turned to face the crowd. “I present to you the harpy, ladies and gentlemen! A creature that cost the lives of a dozen men to catch!”

One of the viewers leaned in close and wrinkled his nose. “What’d they do? Look at her?”

The seller’s eyes lit up and he snatched a short branch some four inches thick from the ground beneath the table. A small stack of sticks was hidden under there. “No. They got too close.”

He slipped the branch into the cage. The moment the stick came within a foot of the creature the thing opened its mouth and revealed two rows of horribly sharp teeth. The harpy let out a terrible screech that drilled into my eardrums like a jackhammer on concrete. Several people clapped their hands over their ears, and several of the neighboring stall owners rushed over.

The harpy stopped her wailing when her teeth clamped down on the branch. The four inches of wood didn’t stand a chance against those jaws as the wood shattered beneath her strength. She spat out a few splinters, and the seller drew out the branch and held it up.

“A very useful guardian, if I ever saw one!” he yelled to the crowd.

“Only if she doesn’t kill you first!” someone shouted back.

He used the shattered end of the stick to point at her stomach where lay the strange symbol. “That’s what the binding magic is for, good sir! It’s how they finally captured the beast, and why so many men died trying to do just that!”

The harpy’s sharp blue eyes studied the crowd with evil cunning. Her gaze settled on me, or more specifically, on the object in my hand. A long, thick tongue slipped out of her mouth, and she ran it along her sharp teeth.

I gripped the broom tighter against my chest. “I think I’m done here.”

Castle’s own attentive gaze flickered between the harpy and what I held. He set a hand on my shoulder and nodded. “Of course. There’s much more to show you.”

We slipped away as a few prospective buyers lined up to bid on the creature. I could still feel those hideous eyes follow me until we were out of sight. Our footsteps took us into a further corner of the plaza where a witch could find everything she needed for her brew, including eye of toad and tongue of dog. Dead chickens hung upside down with their gizzards ripe for the plucking and barrels of snakes constantly hissed at every passerby.

Even with such ‘interesting’ sights my thoughts lingered on what had transpired in the magical creatures section. I cast my eyes upward at my guide and lowered my voice to a whisper. “Did that harpy know something?”

He pursed his lips as he stared ahead. “It’s possible. Creatures are known to exhibit a more sensitive nose to such things.”

That’s when I felt it. Someone wrenched the broom from my hands. I looked down in time to watch a short shadow of a boy scurry away with his prize.

“Castle!” I shouted as I raced after the fiend. I stretched out my hand to snatch the broom, but my face collided with a burly man in the process of buying a vial full of hangnails. I fell backward onto my butt and watched the scamp scamper through the crowd like a snake through grass.

The next moment Castle’s arms swooped under mine and he lifted me onto my feet. “Stay here.”

And with that command he rushed off after the thief. There was no way I was going to be left behind in this crowded, strange place, especially when a nearby pet crow stared evilly at me, so I shot after the pair. I was able to follow Castle’s cute backside for a half a stall block before he disappeared into the crowd.

I skidded to a stop at one of the intersections and whipped my head to and fro. There was no sign of either of them.

I jumped when a hand clapped down on my shoulder. My heart attack wasn’t finished as I twisted my head around to find myself staring up into the worried face of a soldier. Unfortunately, it wasn’t just any guard, either, but one of the men present during last night’s crash landing. He’d been the one to bring the broom to the commander. The soldier gripped a lance in his other hand as he studied my face.

“Is something the matter, miss?” he asked me.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried not to shake too badly. “I-I lost the guy I was with. C-Count Castle.”

A smile appeared on his lips as he nodded his head. “I know the gentleman, miss. Did you need any help finding him?”

My mind buzzed with options, but there was only one that would find Castle. “I really could use it.”

The soldier scoured the area around us. “Do you know which way he went?”

I shook my head. “N-no. He was running after a thief, and I lost him in the crowds.”

My new guide frowned. “I see. I hope he didn’t steal anything too valuable.”

I tried to keep my smile as steady as possible. “Nothing too important, but it has some special value to me.”

“That’s good. These thieves are very good at hiding themselves away,” the soldier admitted as he looked at the path ahead of us. “And I advise you to stay close to me, miss. The Dragon Thief is known to snatch away women to be sold at market.”

I blinked at him. “Really?”

He nodded. “Truly. He’s a fiend like no other. Now let’s see if we can’t find Count Castle for you so he might keep you safe from the monster.”

I was wary of my new guide, but he did have his perks. People made way for the armor-clad and lance-wielding man, so we made good progress moving through the crowds. Unfortunately, that progress didn’t extend to finding Castle.

It did, however, extend to a new discovery. A shout arose from the people around us, and many pointed at the sky.

“The Dragon Thief!”

“In the daylight?”

“There he is!”

I jerked my head back in time to watch a winged shadow fly some fifty feet overhead. There was the elegant vest and dark pants, and the sun shone brightly through those great red leathery wings. The next moment the figure had vanished, blocked by the many canvases that hung above the stalls.

A few of the vendors threw themselves over their wares while others closed up the front of their shops by dropping a leather canvas in front of their goods. A few of the older ones laughed at the frantic antics of their competition.

“Are you afraid the Thief will steal you blind?” one of the older ones teased the man who’d thrown himself over his assortment of vials.

The man glared at him. “He is a thief! There is no telling what he may take!”

“Well, he’s gone now,” another chimed in.

The soldier beside me tensed and I could see him restrain every muscle in his body as he looked longingly at the notorious thief. Finally, the impulse won him over, and he whipped his head to me. “I’m sorry, miss, but I must give chase. You remain here until I return.” He scooted through the gawking crowd and was soon lost in sight.

I was left behind. Again.