“May I call you Miranda? Or do you prefer the entire name, Miranda third of her generation, Ottawa Clan?”
Miranda accepted the outstretched hand and shook it. “Miranda is fine.”
“Then you may call me Rowena. Megan tells me you are writing a book about the station’s creation.” She motioned at the table. “Please, have a seat.”
Miranda sat in her designated spot. She answered Rowena while pulling out her notepad and voice recorder. “My goal is to write a book about the station’s creation, yes, with a focus on the role big races played in getting New Sky made.”
“I have never considered myself among the big races,” Rowena said.
“But you were the first non-human, major financial backer for the station. So I wished to talk about that, if you are willing, of course. Your… Rowena.”
A smile spread across Rowena’s lips. “You wish to know my history?”
“Is that… okay?”
She looked over her shoulder at the dragon statue. “Very. In fact, Miranda third of her generation, Ottawa Clan. I believe I shall give you more than just that.”
“If there are things you need said off the record, please identify them. I can turn off the camera and the recorder and restart once you give the go ahead.”
“Oh, no. Let us have it all on record. It is a stereotype, you see, that dragons primarily hoard gold.”
Miranda glanced about the room and back to Rowena, cocking an eyebrow.
That made Rowena laugh. “Oh, we hoard gold, and silver, and platinum. And precious gems. And artwork. But, perhaps the thing we hoard most is knowledge. You see, in this age, brute force is gauche. Taking down an enemy with simply knowing more than him is the truest form of power.”
“How many enemies did you have to take down to afford something like your New Sky investment?”
Rowena smiled. “Just one.”
1830
London, England
“Gentlemen, what do you mean I cannot access my finances?”
Rowena was young for a dragon, it was true, but these men could not legally withhold her inheritance. There were rules, after all, both for the banks of the country and for dragons and the supernatural. She stood in the boardroom of the London Bank of England and stared at the four men seated across from her, hands folded. All heads turned to the man seated in the center.
“Legal papers have been filed against your inheritance.”
Rowena stared between the men. “My father’s will was concrete. This bank provided the lawyers, even.”
“Perhaps you should not have been so trusting.”
Rowena recognized that voice behind her. She bristled when he purposely walked so close as to brush against her arm, but she did not move. Benjamin, The Duke of Scotland, was a young dragon, too. Only fifty-something years her senior. Yet, in that time, he had amassed over ten thousand gold bars, and hundreds of thousands of silver coins. She’d never seen any of this, of course. Only rumors. But power and lifestyle in this place was fueled by the mere whispers of gossip.
“Your father’s will allowed for the investment of your inheritance,” Benjamin said.
She did not like where this was going.
One of the other gentlemen at the table raised a hand for silence. He smelled like pork that had sat in the sun for too long. Clearly human. “Miss Rowena, we invested your father’s assets into the railway.”
“Oh.” That did not sound too terrible. Some of her own meagre wealth was tied up in industry. A gold bar in London Rail. A bar each in two cotton mills in the north, and another bar into the railway company that connected the mills to London Rail’s lines.
That was most of her liquid assets. Everything else was tied up in her father’s inheritance, which she had planned to invest into rail, steam, cotton, and maybe a couple of tin or copper mines down in Cornwall. She’d even heard about the potential for silver on an estate there that had fallen on hard times. She’d planned to make a trip there and if she could convince the elf who owned it to sell to her. Or, at least lease it. Silver was well ahead of tin and cotton.
“It was invested into the Scotland Flyer.”
Rowena blinked. “I apologize, sir, but I have no idea what that is.”
“It was supposed to be a grand new form of transportation between Edinburgh and London. Hot air balloon.” The man turned to Benjamin. “It did not, shall we say, get off the ground. Apparently, air spirits are not easily bribed, unlike some other races, and refused to work for anything less than a comfortable wage, thereby making the ticket prices unachievable by the average man. And the wealthiest individuals still prefer their luxury suites in the trains for such a long journey.”
“What does this mean?” Rowena asked. “How much of my money was lost in this venture?”
“Nearly all of it.”
“Define nearly, sir.”
The men at the table all turned to Benjamin. A small smile formed on his mouth. “Five bars of gold remain.”
2019
New Sky
“Are you telling me he stole your entire inheritance?” Miranda asked.
Rowena lifted her index finger. “Five bars of gold were still mine.”
“How could such a good business man lose so much money?”
Rowena laughed. “I discovered too late that he was nothing but a conman. He used every tool at hand to destroy his competition, even going so far as to use his influence at the bank to purposely invest the good money of competitors into failing businesses to bankrupt them.”
“Forgive my ignorance, but could you not do anything?”
She raised her hands. “I was but a young dragon with a five gold bar inheritance.”
“Is that a lot? Sorry, I don’t know anything about money in that time.” Miranda giggled, and kicked herself for giggling even as the sound escaped her. “I’ve not even read Jane Austen.”
“Oh, for shame! Jane was a lovely woman. She gave me my first silver locket.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Miranda exclaimed.
“Jane Austen gave me my first silver locket.”
Miranda’s mouth twisted into several shapes, trying to form a dozen questions at once, until her brain forced her to spit out, “Why? How? When?”
“You left off who, what, and where, my dear.” At Miranda’s disappointed sigh, she said, “The Austen story shall have to keep for another interview.”
Miranda deflated. It wasn’t that she was an Austenite, but rather that she was interviewing someone with those kinds of stories. The kinds of stories that got her podcast paying patrons, that sold new articles and pitches, that could one day fill a book.
And, in the short term, would pay her rent.
“Ah, mercenary enterprise. I can see it in your eyes,” Rowena said. She added just enough purr and smoulder to make it sound dirty and delicious. “I do love a woman who knows how to capitalize.”
Miranda ignored the comment, even as she felt the heat rise in her cheeks. She hated blushing. Humans got this cute darkening of the skin, and looked like they’d just run a marathon or had had the best sex of their lives. Some of the big races also just darkened more of their natural tone. Her? She turned fresh cut grass green everywhere. She hated it.
Miranda made a point to look about the room, to distract that she was glowing like a meadow. “I suspect this cost more than five gold bars.”
“Just a few.”
“How did you get them?”
Rowena’s smile was a little terrifying. “Cunning, my dear.”
1925
Toronto
Rowena watched the dancers. They were good. Not just at dancing, but at teaching the Dragon’s Head Hotel patrons. She’d bribed them to come from Chicago and New York, to live in Toronto for the winter and teach the Charleston. She’d also bribed a band from New York to play at the hotel five nights a week. The offer of room and board (a weekly stocked bar included), free railway tick
ets, and a weekly salary sure encouraged them to make the jump across the border.
She hated to use the phrase, but the hotel was a roaring success. She turned this dump into the place to be in Toronto, allowing her to now own forty-three percent in the Great Western Clipper railway, thirty-two percent shares in Montreal Railways, and twelve percent in the Halifax Great Rail Company.
She always liked trains.
She was a silent partner in eleven mining companies throughout Quebec and Ontario. One of those mines had large deposits of cobalt. The silver was more valuable, but she knew too well to keep her options opened. She planned to have enough gold bars in her basement to purchase that mine outright once the silver was abandoned, probably another year or two and she already had nearly enough to purchase her first gold mine. Specifically, New Scotland Trust Gold.
So when Benjamin, Duke of Scotland, strolled in through her door that night with his little gang of hangers on, she knew it was London all over again.
Only this time, she was ready for him.
2019
New Sky
“Why didn’t you just kick him out?”
Rowena looked offended. “My dear, you can’t just kick out a duke. That would’ve been incredibly rude.”
“He stole your inheritance!”
“Indeed.”
Miranda stared at her. She knew, in the place where her brain normally existed, that she needed to be neutral in this, but damn, she was sitting across from the Duchess of Toronto, the story was now in Toronto, and it was killing her to know what happened. And, more importantly, if she could get the scoop, what happened to the Duke of Scotland.
“My dear Miranda, third of her generation. You cannot simply be rude in public. In those days, it would have destroyed a woman’s reputation.”
“Forgive me stating the obvious, but you are a dragon.”
“And, I was a young dragon, without any real power. I was only Lady Rowena on the deeds. Anyone who was anyone had the title of lady in those days. Live long enough and you’re bound to marry into some random baronet’s family.”
“You were married? You never mentioned that.”
“Because thankfully he died after six months.”
Miranda cleared her throat and asked, “How?”
Rowena’s smile was a little scary. “A house fire.”
“Suspicious?” Miranda knew she was pushing her luck, but she was also a reporter.
“I was in Paris at the time.”
“Suspicious?” Miranda asked again. This time, she raised an eyebrow.
That made Rowena laugh. “Apparently, it was truly an accident. Unless, of course, you believe prayers to one’s ancestors can make a kitchen explode. In that case, yes, it was suspicious.”
“So why was the Duke in Toronto?”
“I never knew the entire story, if you must know. I do know the Great War had been tough on his finances, as it was everyone over there. I had escaped to Canada with my meagre holdings as quickly as possible after the incident, so I was mostly unaffected. However, he’d come to North America to make his next fortune. And found me in the process.”
Miranda waited in the pause for as long as her professionalism told her was acceptable. Then she blurted, “And?”
“He stole my hotel.”
1925
Toronto
“Well, well, well. Rowena. I had wondered when I would see your delightful face again.”
She pushed herself up from her bar stool, well into his personal space.
Rowena took a long drag from her unlit cigarette, smoke billowing from the end. She rubbed her thumb across her gold index ring, the one that held her cigarette, and then blew the held smoke into his too-close face.
“I had forgotten about you.”
“Surely you are not still sore about that little incident,” Benjamin said. He had that same smile she remembered so well; the one that said he was about to screw her over.
“Would you like a drink? I have the best bourbon selection in the city.”
“I prefer my beverages hot. Like a true dragon.”
She shrugged. “Your loss. So, what brings you to my establishment? Business or pleasure?”
“Business is always a pleasure,” Benjamin said. “Would you prefer to speak privately? I wouldn’t wish to embarrass you in front of your patrons.”
Rowena glanced about the room. None of her employees noticed the exchange. Benjamin’s thugs, however, were drawing attention. “Is the orc muscle necessary?”
“They offer a certain…” He motioned vaguely in the air. “Aura. But, if they intimidate you, they are welcome to stay at the bar.”
Rowena leaned over her shoulder. Catching the bartender’s eye, she said, “Charlie? These gentlemen are my guests. On the house for them.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Rowena gestured for Benjamin to follow her into the back rooms. They walked through the count room, where the proceeds from the gambling tables were counted and put into the safe. She waved at Godwinson, second of his generation, New York clan, and Just Johnny, the accountants that worked her books. Through the doors lay her office. She sat down behind her rather simple wooden desk, took off her cigarette ring holder, and crossed her legs.
“Now, what can I do for you?”
If anything, Benjamin had grown more arrogant in the last century. He pulled out a folded set of papers from his inside jacket pocket. “These are for you.”
She read them. He’d bought out her hotel’s silent partner. Her equal silent partner. She kept her temper in check when she asked, “When are you going to get over that I said no to you?”
“No one says no to me, darling.”
2019
New Sky
“Wait, wait, wait! You said nothing about him being in a relationship with you,” Miranda demanded.
“We were never in one.”
“But you just said…
“I had rejected him. My father supported my free will on the matter, and my right to make my own choices in life partner. After all, life is a very long time.”
“Is that why he was screwing with you?”
Rowena shrugged. “I never really considered other options. Though, I suppose he could have just been an ass. Now, do you want the rest of the story or not?”
“Sorry, sorry! Go on.”
1925
Toronto
Rowena folded the letter back up then handed it to him. “I thought the war had been hard on your hoard.”
Benjamin accepted the letter and put it back into his jacket. “Thankfully, I have a few friends still who helped me find new investors. I believe this hotel will help me get back on my claws, as it were.”
She put her smoking ring back on. She took another puff from the cigarette. This time, she blew three perfect smoke rings.
“There is a top staff meeting on Monday mornings at noon. We have lunch together in the dining room. I expect you’ll be there?”
“Oh, I plan on it. Bring some changes to this establishment.”
She smiled at him and said, “Oh, I look forward to tomorrow.”
“I’ll see myself out.” Benjamin stood from the desk and turned around to face her. “I say, Rowena, you are handling this much better than the London thing. It’s good to see you not taking business so personally.”
“I am older and wiser, I suppose.”
She waited until she heard the count room’s door close. Then she stood from her desk, and walked into the count room.
“Did you boys hear everything?” Rowena asked.
Godwinson nodded. “Need me and Johnny to get it done?”
Rowena smiled. “Do it.”
1925
Toronto
The Dragon’s Head Hotel Dining Room
Monday Noon
Rowena waited alone in the dining room. She’d relocated all of the guests in the middle of the night, putting them al
l up at the King Edward Hotel, on her tab. The owner of the King Edward cut her a great price, especially since she was paying gold and not credit. The patrons were obviously upset about the move, but likewise mollified by the improved accommodations. She gave all the staff working that morning a week’s pay and told them to lay low. Godwinson had been working all night to get everything in order, so Johnny said he’d take care of the rest of the staff and get their wages to them.
She propped the doors open and placed a chair in the middle of the dining room. A perfect view of the lobby entrance. There, she waited, puffing on her cigarette.
Benjamin strolled through the front doors and his self-satisfied smile didn’t waver until he was halfway across the lobby’s floor. He glanced about him and then back at her.
“What’s this, darling?”
“Payback.”
Benjamin’s laugh sounded real, as if he didn’t believe her. “Now, now. You are not wealthy enough to attack me. There are rules, my dear. New world or not, we follow the code.”
She picked up the leather portfolio from the floor next to her chair and threw it. It landed just short of his well-made shoes. She smiled the smile of confidence and, for the first time, his flickered.
“What’s this?” Benjamin asked, bending to pick up the documents. As he flipped through each page, his smile faded. Wood smoke filled the air. “This isn’t real.”
Rowena stood from her chair. She shrugged her shoulders to allow her stole to fall to the ground behind her. Slowly, carefully, she put one foot in front of the other, swaying her hips. “Who do you think has been propping up your mines? Your business ventures? Some troll you’d never heard of? Did you think to investigate him at all?”
Benjamin shook his head, furiously flipping through the pages now. “I have several investors. They can’t all be you. I’d have known. I’d have heard something.”
She didn’t close her eyes when she began to transform into her true visage. Her wings came out first, slowly expanding across the entire dining room. “Godwinson’s entire family have been excellent employees through the decades. And it’s amazing how much people hate you, Benjamin.”
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