“Oh, that’s just scratching the surface. There were so many ideas. So many ludicrous and childhood fairy tales, but I dared not say a word to anyone. So I bottled it up. It was not the right time or place to ask you or anyone about mythical dragons flying around at night. As far as I knew, my grief had caused me to hallucinate, and you had climbed in the window of your own accord, and that was the truth I accepted for the longest time.”
“So what changed your mind?”
“Beside the fact that the first time I saw you after that, you were changed into new clothes and entering my home through the front door? Do you remember when I held you and told you that Lady Judith was dead?”
“Yes, I remember.”
“You’ll never know how totally confused I was at that moment. I had seen you asleep in your bed. After staying up all night thinking about the dragon and how to defeat Lord Jameston, only to have an officer at my door early in the morning, and the next time I see you, you are fully clothed and coming in from Lord Jameston’s house? How was that even possible? I never saw you leave.
“That set the gears in my mind turning, even though I felt like I was going completely mad. So after we buried Judith and your father in my family cemetery, I knew there was something off. For a time, I tried to shrug it off... tried to pretend that things were normal. When you rejected my offer to stay in my servant’s quarters, even though you wouldn’t be a servant, it was just a way to have you close to me until it was right for us to marry, I knew it had to do with this… whatever this is.
“Then, as I visited you here in Lugwallow, and you acted so mysteriously each evening as the sun went down, I assumed you either didn’t love me or that you had something to hide. Please forgive me, Wylie, for what I am about to say, but I had to know. I had to find out for sure. For goodness sake, I was beginning to wonder if you had another suitor.”
Wylie gasped. “Why would you say such a thing?” She withdrew her hand from his and stepped back. “Even when I was just your stable hand, you were always more than an employer to me.” Her heart pounded furiously against her ribcage. It felt like a stab in the gut that he had not trusted her completely.
“Wylie, my love, please hear me out. I have experienced all there is to experience in the past few months. Please… I didn’t know what to think. I was ready to commit myself to an asylum.”
The tone of his voice was desperate, like that of a man lost at sea, begging to be rescued. She nodded her head at him, urging him to go on, as she fought to hold back tears.
“I did something I’m not proud of, in a moment of complete desperation. I rode Chaos home after one of our evenings together, and then I walked back here and sat just a few feet away in the alleyway just beyond the widow Turpin’s home and I waited. I waited for another carriage to pull up, a man to come knocking on your door… I don’t know what I really expected or what I would have done had that happened.
“Instead, as I sat on the dirt-covered ground, the chill seeping into my bones, and the grime staining my trousers, I saw something that I can only describe as magic. The most beautiful creature that I have ever beheld, aside from you, emerged from your house and just like the dragon that had brought your body back to the room at my manor, this beautiful white dragon grew in size as it took to the skies.
“I watched dumbstruck, overwhelmed, and completely at my wit’s end. Either what I saw was real and I, Lord Adrian, now realized that there is indeed magic in the world. Or I was losing my mind and I needed to walk, no run, to the nearest asylum. I sat there all night, freezing, unable to move for fear that I would wake up and discover that I was indeed crazy.
“Then, as the softest light of morning began to tinge the sky, the magnificent beast returned, and as it got smaller, I saw it grab something from around its neck and disappear, just near your house. Now, I’m not as intelligent as my father was, but it didn’t take much for me to link the disappearing and reappearing to the device. It was a few more days before I finally accepted that the dragon had something to do with you, as well as the green dragon I had seen before that I assumed had rescued you from jail.
“I imagine that device has something to do with you leaving my home the day Judith died, and returning again so suddenly. Am I correct? Now, what pieces am I missing exactly? Can you fill in the blanks for this simpleton?” Adrian laughed gently, and though she had been hurt that he had not trusted her, she immediately forgave him.
“It gets worse, I’m afraid.” It was Wylie’s turn to drop her head and feel ashamed.
“My love, it’s not that bad. It will take some getting used to… and I’m still trying to wrap my mind around it, but it's nothing to be afraid of. So you’re half dragon? People in love have married with much worse problems.” He stepped toward her, placing fingers beneath her chin, and raising her face up so he could look into her eyes.
“I’m afraid it’s much worse, my dearest Adrian. Do you also know that I am the one who killed Judith?” Those words caused all the color to drain from Adrian’s face.
“No! Tell me it isn’t true.”
“I’m afraid it is. Wait there a moment, please.”
Wylie ran off to her room to get the journal and opened it to the illustrations which now had her own notes attached to them.
“Here… maybe this will help you understand.” She thrust it at him, then retreated to the kitchen table to sit and wait. He followed her and sat at the table across from her while he opened it and began reading.
After a while, he stopped and looked up at her, “McCollum. That’s my last name.”
“I know, I originally thought you were the Siapheg.”
“Would you have killed me?” he asked.
“No, how could I? Read the part about how they can challenge one another to a battle. Death is only necessary if the balance is skewed too badly, and one side or the other has gotten completely out of hand. I then thought Lord Jameston was the Siapheg and he had thrown everything out of balance.”
“So, why did you kill Judith?”
Wylie began to sob, the memories of her best friend’s death as fresh as if they had happened yesterday, even though it had been several months by this time.
“You have to believe me, Adrian. I didn’t know… I truly didn’t know. I thought it was Lord Jameston. Don’t you see? I was trying to restore the balance,” she confessed. “There’s so much more to it, Adrian. She killed people. So many people. She…” Wylie lost control, and then Adrian got up and sat next to her, putting an arm around her.
“Hey, it's okay.” He squeezed her tighter.
“I know it’s a lot. You can walk out now if you want…” Wylie managed to whisper to him.
“Wylie, you know it’s not as easy as that. I love you. Even if you were the Siapheg, I would love you. This doesn’t change anything for me.”
“Really?” she said, brightening up.
“Yes.”
“Then what do we do?” Wylie asked, her tears subsiding as she realized that sharing the truth about what she was hadn’t sent him running for the hills.
“It’s a lot to process, but I can hardly imagine what it’s been like for you, dealing with all of this on your own. I mean… if what I read is true, and I would never think you a liar, it must be a heavy burden to bear.”
“Oh Adrian, you have no idea. Judith... my best friend… I mean…” She couldn’t even find the words to express her sorrow.
“Wylie. You don’t need to worry about it. We’re going to figure the rest of this out. Together.” The statement was simple, matter-of-fact, but the weight it lifted from her shoulders was immeasurable. She was almost afraid to ask her next question.
“Do you still want to marry me?”
“Absolutely! Why wouldn’t I?” He picked her up and swung her around. “But what's your answer?” he teased.
“Yes! I’ll marry you!” she wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Excellent! Because
I am headed to the United States of America by ship to show off my steam-powered carriage. A wealthy gentleman there got word of my design and wants to buy it from me, for more money than I have ever seen. Will you come with me?”
“Sure! It might be fun,” she said.
“Yes, it might be,” he said with a grin. Then he kissed her and swung her around again. “Can you imagine, seeing the States for the first time?”
She didn’t have the heart to tell him that she transported there almost every night recently. Obviously, there were a lot of things he didn’t understand yet. She would have to rectify that situation once they were married.
One step at a time.
Glossary
Black Maria: A slang term for a police van used to transport prisoners, originally these were horse drawn and so could take some time to arrive at a crime scene.
Carbon blaster: Pistol
Chavy: Child
Chiv, shiv: Knife, razor or sharpened stick
Dobbinsturn: Well-to-do part of London, fictional.
Dracosinum: A magical device used to measure the hours one may remain a Dragaleth. Also houses Quincy, while not in use.
Dragaleth: A race of dragons created specifically by the gods to retain an equal balance of good and evil in the world.
Essence: The spiritual being of a person, their soul, who they are.
Flush: prosperous, rich.
Full as a tick: very drunk.
Gallies: Boots
Gas-pipes: A term for especially tight pants.
Grenadier guard: Is an infantry regiment of the British Army.
Haggersnash: A person who is full of spite
Lugwallow: Very poor part of London, fictional
Mafficking-An excellent word that means getting rowdy in the streets.
Mutton-shunter: A policeman.
Quincy: A magical dragon made of clockwork, sent from the gods to act as a conscience for the Teselym. A magical being capable of changing size and camouflaging (this includes invisibility, changing colors, and more.)
t: Shining brightly; radiant; gleaming:
Refulgent: Shining brightly; radiant; gleaming:
Rip, Reprobate: “He’s a mean ol’ rip.” noun
1. A depraved, unprincipled, or wicked person: adjective
2. Morally depraved; unprincipled; bad.
Siapheg: Black dragon of the race of Dragaleths, made manifest in human bloodlines.
Teselym: White dragon of the race of Dragaleths, made manifest in human bloodlines.
Usciere: Venetian cargo vessel.
Bibliography
Bird, Christopher. The Grandiloquent Dictionary. 10th ed. N.p.: Chris Bird, 2010. Print.
McCarthy, Erin. "56 Delightful Victorian Slang Terms You Should Be Using." Mental Floss. Erin McCarthy, 6 Nov. 2013. Web. 01 Jan. 2017.
Metrov, D. A. "Victorian-Steampunk Glossary." Metrov Fine Art Paintings and Prints Santa Barbara Contemporary Art Contemporary Paintings GODDESS Movie Project Environmental Films Victorian Steampunk Glossary Comments. Metrov, n.d. Web. 01 Jan. 2017.
History.com Staff, History.com Staff. "Crusades." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. 23 Jan. 2017.
History.com Staff, History.com Staff. "Black Death." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. 23 Jan. 2017.
Woodford, Chris. (2007) Steam Engines. Retrieved from http://www.explainthatstuff.com/steamengines.html. [Accessed (February 8, 2017)]
"reprobate". Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 20 Apr. 2017.
McAlpine, Fraser. "Five Horrible Diseases You Might Have Caught in Victorian England."BBC America. N.p., 2013. Web. 15 Feb. 2017.
Newman, Simon. "Doctors in the Middle Ages." Doctors in the Middle Ages | Middle Ages. The Finer Times, 2008-2017. Web. 04 Apr. 2017.
Wikipedia contributors. "Black Maria." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 12 Oct. 2016. Web. 20 Apr. 2017.
Wikipedia Contributors. “Grenadier Guards.” Wikipedia, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 28 Mar. 2017, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Grenadier_Guards&oldid=772653614. Accessed 20 Apr. 2017.
Wikipedia Contributors. "Horse Transports in the Middle Ages." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Nov. 2016. Web. 02 Apr. 2017.
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Enjoy this free preview to Eden’s Demise
Chapter One
Break Out
Mr. Lars Morello, one-time big shot corporate bigwig and former CEO of Plant Harmonics, had sunk as far as he could go, and he knew it.
Sitting alone in his jail cell, the smell of mold pervaded his senses. He scanned the flat gray surface of his lackluster surroundings for the hundredth time. The sensation of doom that came from being in a place like this overwhelmed him, and he hadn’t even been here a week. Every day, it felt as if the gray cement walls were closing in.
He wasn’t throwing in the towel, not just yet. No iron bars were going to stop him from doing what he needed to do. As the saying goes, he was down but not out.
The metal cot beneath his thinly clothed backside felt like a bed of nails. Thoughts of revenge roared through his mind like a ferocious lion. Two names kept running through his head, like hamsters running on a wheel. Adam and Evelyn would be the first to pay. But they wouldn’t be the only ones. No one was going to toss him into a cell like a piece of garbage and live to tell the tale.
Adam may have taken his company from him and thrown it to the dogs, but he would rule an empire once more. All the hours spent in his cell, plotting his revenge would be hours well spent if everything went according to plan. He sat upright on the side of his cot, hands gripping the frame as he waited impatiently for his morning meal.
Lars tapped his barefoot on the cool concrete. I am still the greatest inventor of all time. I created immortality!
“Maybe I let all that power go to my head, but I know damn well I don’t deserve to be in here.” The darkness was his best friend lately. Always listening, always waiting, with its cold empathetic embrace. “I don’t deserve to be here. I don’t deserve to be wasting away in this cell. May as well give me the electric chair…” he continued out loud. There was no one to acknowledge him. Not even the scurrying of rodents to break the silence. He cursed out loud, irritated with his predicament.
‘Ting,’ ‘ting,’ ‘ting,’ came a gentle metallic tapping on the door of his cell. His ‘home sweet home’ didn’t come with a porch light, so the early A.M hours were as black as sin. He linked his fingers together prying backward and applying pressure until they popped.
“Lars… you in there?” came a hushed voice. Seriously?. Of course, I’m in here, where else would I be?
“No, I decided to take a midnight stroll.”
“Don’t be a smart-ass. I’ve got what you asked for.” If his blood could have stopped flowing, or his heart could have stopped beating, even momentarily, it would have at that very second. Is it possible? He thought to himself. If he weren't afraid of waking the other prisoners, and giving himself away, he would have jumped from the squeaking bed frame, and run to the bars, yelling triumphantly. Instead, he got up slowly and steadily, his feet protesting as he crossed the cold concrete.
“You’ve really got it?” Lars whispered, his mind enraptured at the thought that his time behind
bars, had not been in vain.
“Yes, here.” A hand reached through the small gap between the bars. He could barely make it out in the pitch blackness, but as he reached for it… his fingers clasped a cool thin vial. He snatched it from her, forcing himself not to yell out in excitement. Bringing the vial up to his ear, he shook it and could hear the gentle sound of liquid sloshing inside.
Eden’s Serum.
“And what about the plans?” Lars ventured.
“That depends… What are your arrangements as far as monetary compensation?” the woman hissed back.
“What we agreed on… five.”
“Hmm…. I just don’t know if five is going to cover it.”
“What do you mean, you don’t know if it’s going to cover it? That’s what we agreed on. You’re the one who set the price if you recall.”
“No, I’m sorry, I don’t remember. I think ten would be more reasonable.”
“Ten?” Lars answered back incredulously. “What the hell do you mean, ten? That’s total B.S, Vosburg, and you know it.”
“Eh, suit yourself. Now you have your Serum and nowhere to go. What are you going to do with it in a prison cell? Doesn’t do anything for you, unless you can get out of here, right?” the woman retorted.
“Fine. Fine. Ten million. You better damn well get me out of here, and to somewhere safe, or I’m not giving you a penny.” From the shadows beyond the bars, the tall sandy-haired woman smiled with cobra-like venom.
“Hey, I aim to please handsome. I’ll have you out of here before the end of the day, but you better mind your manners and talk nice to me, or I’m going to have to charge you extra.”
In the dark, Lars’s eyes went wide.
“That’s pretty low.”
The Dragon Lady (The Dracosinum Tales) Page 17
