Huntress Clan Saga Complete Series Boxed Set: Books 1-6

by Jamie Davis

  Quinn swam the last few feet to the edge of the pool and lifted herself free out of the cold water. She let the water drain from her gill flaps and the wild magic transform her back into human form, then took a few seconds to restore her lungs to breathing air, stifling coughs as she did.

  She had to work fast. If the dragon wasn’t here, Quinn assumed it was out hunting and could return at any moment. She started searching for the two things she needed: loose dragon scales and a pile of crap or two. Having never seen either, Quinn had no idea what to look for until her foot kicked what she thought was a loose rock that skittered across the floor.

  It was surprisingly loud in the hollow space. She bent down to peer more closely at what she’d kicked. The large, flat rock was the same color as the other rocks in the cavern and about the size of a dinner plate, but triangular instead of round. When she picked it up, its weight surprised her. It was much lighter than a typical rock that size. She brought it closer to her face to study it. Golden sparkles of wild magic danced around the edges in her enhanced vision, and her hands tingled with the energy. This was a dragon scale.

  She glanced at the floor and saw dozens more. They were pretty large for something small enough to fit in this size cavern. She imagined a much larger creature would have scales this size.

  Shrugging, Quinn pulled the nylon bag from the fanny pack and slid two of the scales inside. They barely fit, but she managed to get them in without tearing the fabric with the sharp edges. There was still enough room inside for both plastic poop bags if she didn’t fill them too full.

  Pulling the two zipper bags from the pouch, Quinn sniffed at the cavern air. She’d figured the dung piles would be the easiest components to locate, but she didn’t smell anything but a slight odor of fish and the saltwater.

  Since it was the only thing she had to go on, Quinn followed the smell of fish until she found a pile of large fish bones in the room’s center. The bones were clean and appeared pristine in the dim light of her night vision. No dragon dung here.

  Quinn began a more thorough search, walking around the circumference of the cavern with her hand lightly touching one wall. After one circuit, Quinn found nothing she could identify as the dung of a dragon.

  She stopped near the water’s edge and sighed, leaning against the cave wall. Taylor’s translation of the book had been clear. She needed both components to save the baby dragon. Quinn had been sure she’d find what she was looking for in the dragon’s lair. She was at a loss as to where to look next.

  The wall where her shoulder rested shifted under her weight and the Huntress had to catch herself before she fell. She steadied herself and then froze. The cavern walls moved until it felt like the entire lair closed in around her. A gust of warm, almost hot air brushed Quinn’s neck, and she spun to find herself standing in front of the giant yellow slitted eye from her dream. It glowed in the darkness and moved to follow her as she scrambled backward.

  As she backpedaled, she gained the perspective to make out the triangular head pressed against the cavern wall. A forked tongue snaked out and flicked in her direction before disappearing inside again.

  A voice rang in her brain like a crashing gong so loud it sent her reeling. It’s been a long time since someone found a way to get inside my home. Before I eat you, perhaps you could tell me who you are?

  I’m Quinn, Quinn Faust. I’m here to save the life of a young baby dragon, not to intrude upon your slumber.

  I’m afraid you didn’t succeed. I heard you as soon as you tripped over the dragon scale.

  Quinn shook her head, trying to adjust to the sheer force behind the dragon’s mind voice. Is there a way you could maybe whisper or something? It’s hurting my brain.

  Interesting. Most humans can barely hear me unless I use a great deal of will to communicate with them. Why are you so different? Come closer so I may taste you.

  Quinn glanced at the water and tried to gauge whether she could make it before the massive head snapped her in half.

  Stop. You won’t make it two steps. Besides, I’ve moved my tail to close the entrance. See?

  The water roiled and flowed away as a massive coil of the dragon’s ridged tail lifted free, plugging the passage. Quinn’s shoulders sagged.

  That’s better. Now that you know you have no choice, come here so I may taste you.

  I won’t die easily, dragon, Quinn threatened. She drew her Bowie and brandished it in front of her.

  The rumbling chuckle of the dragon’s laugher shook the whole room. I appreciate your spunk, but I doubt I’d even feel that puny blade. Come forward as I asked—unless you’d like me to eat you now before I taste your aura?

  Oh, my aura. I thought you meant—

  I only say what I mean, girl. I have no need to trick you. Come forward.

  Quinn took a few halting steps forward and stopped beside the long crack that was the dragon’s mouth. Once again, the tongue flicked out, slipping between two huge teeth to tickle her face and body with the feathery forked ends.

  Mmmmm, I do taste a hint of an immature youngling. A sylvan green cousin of mine if I remember the taste correctly. I didn’t know there were any of my tiny sylvan brethren left. It has been such a long time since I had a decent conversation with one of my own kind.

  As far as I know, this is the last egg of its kind. The Fae used some kind of glue to coat it so the wild magic wouldn’t leak out anymore. If I don’t get the supplies we need, it won’t be able to hatch, and it will die.

  Wild magic, you say? I have detected flares of the arcane in the direction of the human settlement on the shore near here. How could that be, though? An egg could not manifest such power on its own. Only a mature, fully grown dragon can access that energy.

  Quinn hesitated for a few seconds, trying to think of the best answer.

  Out with it, girl. I don’t have the patience I used to.

  Yes, um, well, you see, that’s sort of my fault. I think I let a powerful talisman filled with magic touch the shell. It seems to have energized the dragon inside and accelerated its access to that magic.

  My, my, you are in some trouble then. You still haven’t explained why the Fae didn’t come talk to me themselves. They know where I am if they need to save the youngling.

  I came on my own because the egg imprinted on me. It is my responsibility, and I must make this right.

  So, a human with a sense of responsibility. You are a rare one, Quinn Faust. If I were inclined to let you go save this youngling, what is it you seek?

  Quinn didn’t miss the hint that she might still get out of this alive. Her words spilled out in a rush to explain her purpose. I just came for a few loose dragon scales and a bit of your dung. I couldn’t find out where you did your business, though. That’s what I was looking for when you startled me.

  Why would you look for my excrement in the middle of my bedchamber? The flare of annoyance in the dragon’s mind came through loud and clear.

  I just thought—

  Thought what, that I was some sort of animal who’d foul my den in such a way? Even the lowest of creatures knows better than that.

  Quinn held out her hands in apology. I meant no offense. I never learned about dragon kind and their ways.

  And yet you reek of magic and possess a core of power surprising for one so young and puny.

  Quinn balked at the description of her as puny until she remembered the comment’s source. Everyone was puny to this magnificent creature. She shifted gears mid-thought as something else the dragon had said connected.

  Chessie had said she didn’t foul her chambers. That meant she left them to do her business. Quinn remembered the soft muddy bottom outside the cavern entrance. Of course. She should have realized what it was on the way in.

  I realize the error of my ways, mighty one. I will retrieve my sample outside your cave.

  Once more, the rumbling chuckle shook the cavern. You are bright for a human. Perhaps, given your commitment to this youngling, I shoul
d wait to eat you. Now that I’ve tasted you, I can track you across the world if I change my mind.

  Why would you let me go, only to hunt and kill me later?

  Humor filled the voice echoing in her mind. I may decide on a last-minute snack and want a bite of what you taste like. It could happen, so should I let you go, you would have to promise to submit to be my meal should I desire it later.

  I don’t know. How about I agree, but only if I fail to save the young dragon? Should the youngling survive, you would consider that payment in full for my rudeness and intrusion here tonight.

  The glowing eye blinked. You think you’re in a position to bargain with my generosity? It sounds as if you seek to find a way to slip out of your commitment. Tell me why I should trust you.

  You said you haven’t had a decent conversation with one of your own kind for centuries. What if I agreed to bring the youngling here to converse with you regularly?

  What would I have to say to an infant dragon?

  Quinn shrugged. Perhaps you could teach it to be a better dragon. You said yourself there aren’t any others around to do it. If it is left to me alone, I’ll have to raise the poor thing like a human.

  Bah, we cannot have that. That is no way to raise a youngling. I suppose if that is the only choice we have, it will be sufficient. I would hold you responsible for caring for the little one otherwise, though.

  Oh, of course. The egg and I have become rather close over the last weeks.

  Very well, Quinn Faust. You may have the scales in your sack and collect dung from outside my home. In exchange, you will return once the youngling is six months old. Understood?

  Yes, your terms are very generous. I accept them. Quinn backed up a step, hardly daring to believe she’d found a way out of this. May I go then?

  The water roiled again as the coiled tail dropped into the water and disappeared beneath the surface. Quinn didn’t wait for permission. She slid the strings of the nylon bag over her shoulder and took two long steps to dive into the murky blackness. Quinn shifted into aquatic form as soon as she submerged, kicking hard to leave the cave’s confines as fast as possible. She didn’t want to wait around in case the old dragon changed her mind.

  Quinn reached the open water and stopped long enough to scoop the sticky mud into the two plastic bags and zip them closed. She didn’t bother messing with getting them into the nylon bag on her back. She swam back toward the anchored boat’s location, holding bags of dragon dung by her sides.

  A shiver coursed down her spine as she realized the bargain she’d made with the enormous creature. She suspected holding up her end of that bargain wouldn’t be as easy as it had sounded when she’d proposed it. She didn’t relish the return to visit the dragon with the hatchling. For now, though, Quinn had to face the challenges at hand and worry about the future later.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Quinn surfaced beside Jori’s boat, dropped the plastic bag of dung over the side, and clutched the deck’s edge. She couldn’t call out for help with a chest full of water.

  After swinging the second bag over the side, Quinn pulled herself up and out of the water, heaving herself into the boat.

  “Quinn, you’re back,” Taylor said. “Did you get everything you need?”

  Quinn held up a finger while she let the wild magic shift her back into regular human form. The water drained from her gill flaps, and they closed. She gasped a few times to refill her lungs with air.

  Taylor shook her head. “That’s amazing to watch. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “You’re a werewolf,” Quinn said. “Why is it my shapeshifting is so unusual to you?”

  “My shift is painful to the point of total distraction. I don’t get to watch mine happen.”

  “This one isn’t all that pleasant either. Picture waiting patiently and unable to breathe while your lungs fill with water or drain the water away. Not my idea of a good time, believe me.”

  Quinn slid the nylon bag off her back and held it up. “I got everything.” She retrieved the two plastic bags and set them and the bag with the scales in the deck’s center.

  Clark poked his head out of the wheelhouse and smiled when he spotted Quinn. “Good, you’re back. I wondered who Taylor was talking to.”

  “Tell Jori to head back to the marina,” Quinn said. “We have what we need.”

  Jori leaned into view. “You made it in and out in one piece? I thought for sure we’d never see you again. I guess the old girl was out?”

  “No,” Quinn replied. “We had a nice chat and came to an understanding. Luckily, since you now have the location on your charts, I can use you to fulfill my end of the bargain.”

  “Bargain?” Clark asked. “I don’t like the sound of that, Quinn.”

  “It’s not that bad. I promised to bring the little one here from time to time for her to train it in the ways of dragonkind.”

  “You agreed to come back?” Clark asked.

  Taylor came to Quinn’s defense. “I don’t think there was a choice, Clark. She knows what she’s doing.”

  “I made the deal we needed for the young dragon to survive. That’s all I care about right now. Besides, if I bring the youngling back here, maybe I can make friends with Chessie. It could come in handy.”

  “Quinn, dragons are dangerous,” Clark warned.

  “So am I. We’ll get along fine.”

  Jori rolled his eyes. “Your girl has a suicide wish, Clarkie.”

  “You have no idea. Get us back to shore. We can figure out the details of this deal she made once we manage to hatch a live dragon. Until then, it’s academic.”

  Jori nodded. “Haul in the anchors, and be careful coiling the lines when you’re done.” He disappeared into the wheelhouse. The boat’s motor chugged to life.

  Quinn and Taylor moved fore and aft to pull in the heavy steel anchors. After they finished stowing the second one, the boat started back toward Baltimore’s lights to the northwest.

  During the long trip back to the city, Quinn soon regretted not planning better for this excursion. Though she’d dressed in her clothes again, she hadn’t packed a change of underwear and still had the damp tankini on underneath her outfit. The cold night air had chilled her to the bone by the time they returned to Clark’s car.

  Clark noticed her shivering as she stood beside the car, so he retrieved an old blanket from the trunk and handed it to her. “Here, I don’t need to listen to your chattering teeth all the way back into the city.

  “I’m fine,” Quinn said.

  “Just take it until I get the heat going in this old beast.”

  Quinn pulled the blanket around her as she climbed into the passenger seat. She was glad she had. The old heater in the sedan took almost twenty minutes to put out an appreciable amount of heat. Quinn kept the blanket wrapped around her when they got back to the secret tunnel entrance beneath the overpass. Quinn got out, and Taylor joined her.

  Clark leaned over so he could see them. “Go straight back to the pub. I’ll meet you there.”

  “Don’t worry,” Quinn said. “I need a hot shower, and then I’m going to bed.”

  Taylor and Quinn headed into the tunnel entrance while the car pulled into the night.

  Clark was waiting for them beside the door back into the pub when they arrived ten minutes later. “There are two Fae by the bar. I’m not sure what they want. I wanted to warn you.”

  He pulled open the door just far enough for them to see inside. Two tall Fae men in quite ordinary business suits stood by the bar, talking to Paddy.

  “This looks like trouble,” Taylor said. “What do we do?”

  “We do nothing,” Clark said. “If we were outside, we might have to fight. Since we made it back inside, sanctuary covers Quinn again.”

  “Let’s get this over with,” the Huntress said. “I’m tired of running scared from the Fae.”

  Quinn pulled the door open and walked over to Paddy and the two Fae. “Hello, Paddy,” Qui
nn said. “Just out for a stroll. Everything all right?”

  The leprechaun wrung his hands and shifted his gaze between her and the two men. “I was just telling these two men I didn’t know where you were. I’m thrilled you showed up when you did.”

  The taller of the Fae men said, “If we’d known you were out of the sanctuary zone, it would have made our jobs much easier. I will pass along my displeasure at being diverted from our duty by Mr. O’Malley here.”

  “Leave him out of it,” Quinn said. “I’m the one your princesses are pissed at. What is it you want?”

  The second man reached into his coat, causing everyone to tense. He paused before removing his hand, realizing they all had reached for their weapons. Even Taylor had started to shift, claws protruding from her fingertips.

  “I’m reaching for the summons from the Fae court. May I remove my hand?”

  “Go nice and slow,” Clark cautioned.

  The man nodded and slowly pulled his hand from within his jacket, removing an envelope with a wax seal. He held it out to Quinn.

  “Quinn Faust, you’ve been served. The Fae court requires you to attend to deal with your crimes against the supernatural community.”

  “What if I don’t take it?”

  The taller Fae shrugged. “There are witnesses that we presented it to you. Take it or not. Your time of sanctuary protection is nearing an end.”

  Clark took the envelope and broke the seal. He unfolded the papers inside and glanced at them. “How long?”

  “I believe the head magistrate gives the girl two days to present herself, along with all stolen property belonging to the Fae royal families. The location is denoted in the document.”

  He nodded at his companion, and the two of them made a beeline for the exit. As soon as they left the bar, Quinn leaned in and tried to get a look at the summons.

  “Where do they want me to meet them? I’m ready to take this to them and solve it once and for all. They stole from me first.”

  Clark shook his head. “This isn’t good, Quinn. They’ve labeled it a court of honor.”

  “So? I’m honorable. They’re the ones who’ve been shady.”