“It is,” Cyril said. “Just not the people you think it’s supposed to protect.”
“What’s that mean?”
“Think about it for a moment and then you tell me.”
Ben frowned, his anger starting to well up inside him again. “It didn’t protect anybody,” he said with a look of disgust.
“On the contrary … it protected Enzo.”
“But he sold Imogen’s baby and attacked our home,” Ben said. “He’s the criminal—we’re innocent.”
Cyril smiled sadly, closing his eyes and leaning his head back against the wall.
Ben stood there staring at his grandfather, waiting for some further explanation. When none was forthcoming, he threw his arms up in exasperation. “Why would the law protect him and not us?”
Cyril opened his eyes and held his grandson for a moment with a stern look before answering. “Because he paid them.”
Ben opened his mouth to say something, but stopped, turning away from his grandfather.
“Hey!” he shouted to the jailer.
The man looked up, just his eyes and his balding head visible through the window.
“We didn’t do anything wrong,” Ben yelled, loudly enough to be heard through the window.
“Stop it!” Cyril snapped, coming to his feet. “You can’t reason with these people and trying to will only get us into more trouble.”
“But—”
“No ‘buts’ … these people serve the wyrm. He’s a tyrant and a monster who wants to rule over everyone, everywhere, so every single thing these people do is done to further that end and nothing else.”
Ben stood mute, trying to reconcile his conscience with the truth of reality.
“After we’re out, then what?” John asked, leaning his back against the bars.
“I’m going to get my daughter and my grandson,” Cyril said.
John nodded approvingly, then stretched out on a bench and closed his eyes.
“How are we going to do that?” Ben asked.
Cyril just smiled mirthlessly. He returned to the bench, lying down and closing his eyes as well.
“Why won’t you tell me your plan?” Ben asked, whispering again.
“To protect you,” Cyril said, opening his eyes and forestalling more questions with a look. “You should get some rest.” He motioned to the vacant bench along the side wall.
Ben huffed, shaking his head. When Cyril closed his eyes again, Ben sat down. Less than a minute passed before another question came to mind.
“What was that all about with Hound anyway?”
“Rufus is going to find Frank and tell him about our arrest,” Cyril said without opening his eyes.
“A lot of good that’ll do,” Ben muttered.
“Your brother can always be trusted to do what he thinks is best for him,” Cyril said. “It won’t take him long to figure out that we don’t have a future here. After that, he and Rufus will take steps to help us because Frank knows he’s far better off with us than he would be on his own.”
“But why would Hound help us? He’s a thug and a bully.”
Cyril chuckled. “I can’t argue with that, but he’s not evil … and he is a good man in a fight.”
“That still doesn’t explain why he’d risk his neck for us.”
“Someday I’ll tell you why, but not today.”
Ben sighed with exasperation.
Cyril opened his eyes again. “Once we’re free, we’re going to be on the run. You’re going to need your rest. Lie down and stop asking questions.”
He did as he was told, albeit reluctantly. He was lying on the bench, staring at the ceiling when he heard someone enter the front door of the building. Ben sat up, then got to his feet and went to the bars when a man approached the cell. The brand on his left cheek said he was Dragon Guard, but he wasn’t wearing the distinctive black armor that Nash and her soldiers wore. Instead, he was dressed in a deep-red tunic with a dragon rune emblazoned in gold over the left side of his chest.
The man looked through the bars at each of them like they were meat.
“Name?”
“We didn’t do anything wrong,” Ben said.
Cyril came to his feet and was at Ben’s side in a matter of moments.
“Boy, we can do this one of two ways,” the man said. “You can answer my questions or I can beat the answers out of you.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Cyril said amiably, taking Ben by the elbow and silencing him with a firm grip. “My grandson’s name is Benjamin Boyce. My name is Cyril Smith.”
The Dragon Guard wrote both names down on his clipboard.
“And you?”
“John Durt,” the Highwayman said, without opening his eyes.
The Dragon Guard looked at him and snorted softly before writing his name down and turning away from the cell.
“Pardon me, sir,” Cyril said, waiting for the man to turn back to them. “We’re unfamiliar with the system of justice provided by the dragon. Would you tell us how this process works?”
The man sighed wearily, then shrugged. “You’ll be taken to the priest. He will hear the charges against you and dispense justice.”
“What form is justice likely to take?”
“You’ll probably be sold to House Adara and put to work on the railroad.”
“You mean like slaves?” Ben said, despite the grip his grandfather had on his arm.
“Exactly like slaves,” he said. “And you should be thankful that there’s work for you to do. If there wasn’t, you’d probably burn for this.”
“For what? We didn’t do anything wrong,” Ben said, wrenching his arm away from Cyril and gripping the bars.
The Dragon Guard looked at his clipboard and frowned. “Says here that you abducted a woman of high standing and held her against her will.”
“That’s a lie! She’s family. She came home to us.”
He shrugged indifferently. “That’s not what it says here.” He waved his clipboard at them and left without another word.
Cyril turned Ben toward him and looked him in the eye with a measure of sternness that was usually reserved for the most serious transgressions.
“You have to stop,” he said. “Reason and morality have no power here. Truth matters for nothing with these people. All you’re doing is antagonizing them. You’re liable to get yourself beaten.”
“If you knew these people were so bad, then why did we stay here? Why didn’t we leave before they took over?”
Cyril shrugged helplessly. “Imogen,” he said, returning to the bench. “I couldn’t stand the thought that she might come home and find us gone.”
Ben closed his eyes and nodded to himself. At least he could understand that part of his grandfather’s reasoning. He went back to the bench and lay down without another word.
Chapter 5
When Frank saw Hound coming through the door of the diner, he knew at a glance that something was wrong. Under normal circumstances, Rufus would have smiled with mischief at seeing Frank with Britney, but today his face was all business.
“What’s wrong?” Britney asked when Frank stopped telling his story.
“Oh, a friend of mine just walked in,” he said, never looking away from Hound. “Would you mind if I had a word with him?”
“Of course not,” she said, turning around to see Frank’s friend.
He squeezed her hand to bring her attention back to him. “I won’t be but a minute.”
She smiled, waggling a fork at him. “Don’t be too long or there won’t be any pie left for you.”
He got up and headed toward Hound. “What’s going on?” he asked.
Rufus stepped outside, motioning for Frank to follow him. He said quietly, “Your grandfather and brother have been arrested by the Dragon Guard.”
“What for?”
“Not sure, but I saw Imogen being taken away by that dandy of a husband she’s got. Looked like she’d been beaten.”
Frank frow
ned, shaking his head slightly. “None of this makes any sense.”
“Sense or not, Cyril and Ben are locked up on top of the hill,” Hound said. “I’ve been watching the wyrm’s men since they got here. They usually take their prisoners to Rogue City. I figure that’s our best chance to break them out.”
“Whoa … you want to attack the Dragon Guard?”
“How else are we going to get them out?”
Frank looked over his shoulder through the diner’s window at Britney, holding up a finger.
She nodded with a smile.
“I have an idea that doesn’t involve getting lit on fire,” Frank said. “I know a guy who has standing with the Dragon Guard. He’s in town and he owes me a favor. With his help, I bet I can get them released.”
“Uh huh,” Hound said.
“Once they’re out, my grandfather will want to go after Imogen. You go to the house and get some supplies together and load the coal hopper on the boat. We’ll make better time on the water than on the road. Maybe we can get some horses at Rocky Point.”
“You sure about this, Frank?”
“I really think it’s our best option.”
“All right. But if your plan doesn’t work, we’ll do it my way.”
“Agreed.”
Rufus watched him return to the table before heading off toward the store.
Frank sat down with his best mask of concern.
“What’s wrong?” Britney asked.
He shook his head. “It’s nothing for you to worry about.”
She took his hand and squeezed it. “Look at me,” she said.
He looked up after a moment’s hesitation.
“Tell me.”
He sighed, shaking his head in dismay. “My grandfather and brother were just arrested.”
“What for?” Her hand tightened around his.
“I’m not really sure. Honestly, it all sounds like a big misunderstanding, but I won’t know for certain until I go up the hill and talk to the Dragon Guard.” He looked back down at the table.
“Your grandfather and Ben have always been so nice to me. I can’t imagine what they might have done.”
Frank just shook his head, wiping his face clean before looking up at her.
“I guess Imogen was back in town and her husband came to get her,” he said. “Rufus said she looked like she’d been beaten.”
“Oh God. That’s horrible.”
“Yeah, but it might explain what happened.”
“Well … tell me,” Britney said after he fell silent again.
“It’s just that … well, Ben has a temper. If he thought that someone had hurt Imogen, he probably beat them up. Imogen’s husband, Enzo, is from a respected family in Rogue City. If Ben roughed him up—”
“That’s hard for me to imagine. Ben has always been so gentle and soft-spoken.”
Frank nodded. “Most of the time he is.” He went silent again.
“What are you going to do?”
Frank shrugged helplessly. “I’m not sure. The Dragon Guard won’t even hear me out because I don’t have standing.”
After a few moments, Britney said, “I do.”
Frank looked up, confusion and hope in his watery eyes. “I don’t understand.”
“My father is an advocate recognized by the Dragon Guard.”
He took her hands, shaking his head. “Britney, I couldn’t ask you to get involved in this.”
“But I want to help.”
He looked back down at the table, seeming to work through an inner struggle. “Maybe …” he said, shaking his head a moment later and falling silent.
“We could talk to my father.”
Frank winced. “He’s a busy man, Britney. I’d hate to take such a trivial matter to him. Besides, we probably couldn’t afford his rates.”
“There must be something we can do.”
“If I could just talk to them, I’m sure I could straighten this whole thing out,” Frank said. “But without standing, I won’t even get through the door.”
“Like I said, I have standing,” Britney said, digging into her purse and withdrawing a small dragon broach. “My father gave me this.”
“You would help me?”
She took his hands in hers. “Of course.”
“It would mean everything to me, Britney. They’re the only family I’ve got.”
“Well, let’s go then,” she said with a smile.
“Thank you,” Frank said. “Let me go pay the bill.”
He fished two silver drakes from his pocket and laid them on the counter. The cashier frowned at the slightly iridescent coins but took them without a word.
On their way up the hill, Frank fell silent.
Britney walked quietly by his side for several minutes. Then she said, “You must be so worried.”
He nodded, seeming to snap out of a trance. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ignore you.”
“I understand. You’re worried about your family. It’s only natural.”
He smiled at her, taking her hand as they walked. “I bet your father will be so proud of you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, this is your first case. Once he sees how well you handle it, I’m sure he’ll be impressed.”
She smiled. “Do you really think so?”
“I’m certain of it.”
Once they reached the compound gate, or what passed for a gate in the absence of a completed wall, Frank stopped and turned Britney toward him.
“Are you sure about this?”
“I am if you are.”
He nodded and they approached the guard. Britney showed her dragon broach, and the bored-looking man waved them inside without a word.
“That looks like the place,” Frank said, guiding her toward the holding building. He opened the door and followed her inside.
There was a long counter separating the front of the room from the office area beyond. Three desks faced the counter with a single door behind them. A man dressed in a deep-red tunic sat at the middle desk doing paperwork. He didn’t look up when they entered and continued to ignore them when they stopped at the counter.
“Excuse me, sir,” Britney said.
He kept writing without looking up.
She started to say something else but stopped when Frank touched her arm. They waited for nearly a minute before the man looked up.
“State your business.”
Britney showed her broach, and the man got to his feet, forcing a smile as he came around the desk to the counter. “How may I be of assistance, miss?”
“My name is Britney Harper.”
Before Britney could continue, Frank interjected smoothly, “I’m Franklin Boyce. I’m told you have my grandfather and brother in custody.”
The man retrieved a clipboard from his desk. After a moment he nodded. “Three men were brought in this morning: Benjamin Boyce, Cyril Smith, and John Durt.”
“May I ask the charges?” Frank said.
“Kidnapping one Imogen Gervais.”
“That just doesn’t make any sense,” Britney said. “Imogen is Cyril’s daughter.”
The man shrugged indifferently.
“I’m sure we can clear this up,” Britney said. “Is there any way we can have them released?”
He sighed and went back to his desk, looking through a number of papers before finding the one he wanted.
“What did you say your name is again?”
“Harper … Britney Harper.”
“Says here that your family has standing,” he said. “If you’re willing to vouch for them and guarantee that they’ll show up for trial in Rogue City, I can let them go.”
Britney hesitated, looking at Frank with a hint of fear.
“Thank you so much, Britney,” he said. “I can’t tell you how much this means to me.”
“Maybe I should ask my father before we do this,” she said.
Frank’s face fell, his charming smile transforming into
a mask of despair in a moment. “I understand,” he said. “I don’t want to get you in trouble with your father. It’s just … well, I hate the idea of my grandfather spending the night in a jail cell.”
She looked torn.
“Like you said,” he continued, “this is all just a misunderstanding. I wouldn’t want to bother your father when you could take care of it with a signature.”
He waited for her to wrestle with her indecision until she took a breath to speak.
“It would mean so much to me,” he whispered before she could object again.
She nodded, wincing a little and turning to the Dragon Guard.
“I’ll vouch for them,” she said.
The Dragon Guard looked from her to Frank and back to her again, then shrugged, pulling a stack of papers from under the counter.
“This will take a few minutes,” he said, beginning to fill out the forms.
After the first three documents and several minutes, Frank started to fidget.
“Is there a problem?” the Dragon Guard said.
“No, not really,” Frank said. “Is there any chance you could let them out while we complete the paperwork? I mean, it’s just a formality now, right?” He looked down at the counter. The man’s eyes followed. When he saw the silver drake, he nodded, slipping the coin into his pocket without a word and leafing through the papers already signed by Britney.
“Take this to the jailer and he’ll release them.”
“Will you be all right without me for a few minutes?” Frank asked.
“Of course,” Britney said with a smile. “Go get your family.”
“Thank you. You’re an angel. I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”
“I’ll think of something,” she said, smiling more brightly.
Frank gave her hand a squeeze and returned her smile, lingering for a moment and holding her eyes with his before making his way around the counter and through the door to the back of the building. He scanned the room, smiling to himself when he saw the side door leading out into the compound’s yard.
The jailer came out of his office when he saw him. “What’s your business here?”
“Oh, I have a release order for these three,” Frank said, handing the paper over.
The Dragon's Egg (Dragonfall Book 1) Page 4
