Chapter Three

Rhyse

D amn, they're back already?

With that thought on my mind, I ducked back beneath the waves, spending just a little longer wrapped in the soothing embrace of the ocean as my tail propelled me toward shore.

They were a long way back. I'd only spied them entering the market out of sheer luck. There was plenty of room to avoid them, and I intended to do just that. Just knowing they were back soured my mood immeasurably.

I surfaced once more, this time between the boats moored at the seaside piers, using the steep-sided trawlers and sleeker pleasure yachts to shield my approach to the dockside market.

If they're back, that does put to rest one rumor at least. The war with the humans must be over. There's no way assholes like that would avoid the chance to inflict pain on those weaker than them.

A spray of salty water accompanied that thought as I snorted, powerful dragon lungs giving an added effect. At nearly the same time, my front paw dug its talons into the murky seabed. I was as close as I would get.

Closing my eyes, I changed, my body taking the shape of a human. The saltwater instantly soaked my clothes to the bone, but that wasn't an issue. I would dry out swiftly in the strong morning sun.

Diving back under the water, I snagged the net that, until then, had been secured in one of my hind paws and hauled it over my shoulder as I easily swam for one of the wooden ladders leading up to the piers. Nearby, a gull cried out and dove into the sparkling waters, emerging triumphant with a fish between its beak.

Brushing aside some sea growth, I grasped the ladder rung and hauled myself up one-handed until I was standing on the dock. Flicking my hair back so it plastered itself to my shoulders and not my face, I let the water cascade off me for a moment. A nearby shifter mending a fishing net gave me a raised eyebrow.

There was a nice sandy beach less than a hundred feet away that made far more sense to use than the ladder. I shrugged by way of non-answer. I wouldn't let him know I was hiding to avoid a confrontation.

"Good haul?" he asked.

"Not bad," I answered, tilting my head respectfully in his direction before I headed into the maze of stalls and shops that made up the dockside market.

The cries of the various vendors hawking their wares washed over me like a familiar blanket, mixing with the smells of salted fish and fresh mussels of all sorts. Dragons meandered along, stopping here and there to inspect one item or another, occasionally engaging in lively debate over the prices for the goods on display.

Elsewhere, stalls filled with smoke and steam as they prepared food to order. A dragon woman dressed in a brilliant green glani wandered by, keeping a tired eye on two youthful children who bore the same dimpled smile that graced her face when she saw me watching.

I smiled back and again nodded in greeting but kept moving. All in all, life was peaceful. Calm. Relaxing.

If I ignored the jackals on the other side of the market. Gritting my teeth as the raucous laughter of their leader cut through all the other sounds, I headed for Darius' to show him what I had. The elder man's trinket shop was my favorite, and I always paid him a visit when I came to town, even if I wasn't selling.

Cutting through the narrow passage between two tents, I nearly ran into a dragon just coming around the corner.

"Shit, sorry, Dillon," I said. "Didn't see you there."

The dragon shifter in question, a tall man with a shock of short black hair on his head, smiled. "Not to worry, Rhyse," he said politely. "In a hurry?"

"Not really," I said, exchanging nods with Isaac and Sven, the two other dragons who were always at Dillon's side. "Just in my own world, you know how it is."

Dillon smiled. We weren't exactly friends, but he was always friendly, which was something I couldn't say about most of my kin.

"Hah, that I do, Rhyse, that I do. Please, after you." He swept an arm in front of him.

I smiled and crossed the path. "See you later."

"You as well," he said, continuing down the row of stalls before stopping at a wood carver to admire a beautiful piece carved from one log that depicted a dragon breaching the surface of the sea, its wings tucked to its side and its tail fading into the water beyond.

I paused to appreciate the beauty of the craftsmanship before ducking under the low swinging sign and entering the shop that was my destination. Darius' place was a true building, not a makeshift stall. I eyed the rows of beautiful shells lining one side and the tiny bits of gold and fancy mirrors, all products fished out of the sea at one point or another.

"Rhyse!" Darius eased himself off his stool as I approached, lowering himself gingerly to the ground. It happened to all dragons eventually. He had to be pushing almost a century in age, though nobody was sure. Given the slightly longer lifespan of a dragon to a human, he was probably an equivalent of eighty-five or so. But after a while, dragons often quit keeping track. It just didn't matter.

"Darius," I said, gracing him with a true smile. I didn't enjoy people very much, hence my infrequent trips to town, but Darius was an exception.

I extended a tanned, weatherbeaten arm and shook his hand, marveling at the strength still present in his grip.

"Good to see you, my boy, good to see you," Darius muttered. "How are you? It's been, what, two weeks?"

"Three and a half, by my count," I said, clapping him—gently—on the shoulder. "But who's counting."

He laughed. "Well, then, you must have something good for me."

"A few things," I said cryptically with a laugh. "Though I'm hoping you might have something for me."

"Are you buying?" Darius asked, bushy white eyebrows rising in surprise.

"Information."

"Well, that could be pricy." He winked at me.

I laughed. There was a reason I enjoyed coming to Darius'. Laughter wasn't a big part of my life otherwise. "I'd heard rumor that peace with the humans had come. Is that true?"

"Bah," Darius said, waving a hand. "That's no fun. I thought you wanted information . Yes, the sovereign signed a deal yesterday, by my understanding. A ceasefire with some terms or something. I don't know. I don't pay attention to that. Details aren't my strong suit."

An explosive laugh erupted from me like a bark. Darius was one of the sharpest dragons I knew. No detail got past him. If he didn't know, it was because he didn't care to. Still, if a ceasefire had been signed, then perhaps that would explain why the sovereign had sent a message ordering me to report to her at the palace that afternoon. She wanted to know if I had any results. Unfortunately, I feared I would disappoint her.

"Respect your elders, boy," Darius admonished at my laughter, waggling a finger at me even as he grinned. "Now, show me what you've got."

I hoisted my net onto his table and laid it out so he could see what I had. A little brown box. The locking mechanism attached to it put it as several hundred years old.

"Pretty chest. A little waterlogged, though," he said, poking at the wood that was starting to wear away.

"A little," I agreed before pulling back the lid to show him the encrusted gold coins within. "But these still look good, don't you think?"

Darius locked eyes with me. "You found a new ship," he said slyly.

"Did not." It was a lie but so blatant of one that Darius wasn't offended. He just chuckled and took some of the coins out to examine. They weren't exactly rare but nor were they commonplace.

Many ships had wrecked in the so-called "Bermuda Triangle" over the years. Some of them had carried treasure. Most of them had met unnatural causes.

It was from these ships, sunk by patrolling dragons to keep our secret home hidden after winds had blown them near us against their will, that the treasures were taken. Fewer and fewer were found every year, though.

Which was why Darius was intrigued by the idea I'd found a new ship somewhere, one nobody else had located. Unfortunately, the chest had been the only thing of worth on it, but a new discovery was always fun.

We haggled over a price for the chest and the other shells I'd fished out, along with an old compass and case of maps from a hundred years ago I'd found on a downed steamer. Once that was done, we shook hands.

"Always a pleasure, Darius."

"You as well, Rhyse. Don't wait so long before returning."

"No promises," I said, pulling the door open.

And ruining my day completely.

"Hello, Rhyse."

I glared at the thick-browed dragon shifter blocking my way. "Move, Killian."

The beefy brute with his prominent brow, wide chin and boxy face just leered at me, showing why he earned the nickname Gorillian behind his back. He was the one I'd seen when I'd first surfaced, and sure enough, he wasn't alone.

Killian's lackeys, unlike Dillon's, laughed like a pack of hyenas, hanging off his every word, finding everything he did hilarious. Unlike anyone who had a shred of intelligence.

"No."

The angry undertone of his voice surprised me. Although we hated each other, Killian rarely sought confrontation with me. Not after the first time I'd busted his nose at least.

I gritted my teeth. "What the fuck do you want?" My temper was quick to light on a good day. Having this prick in my way brought the fuse near to ignition automatically.

"Some nice payment you got from Darius there. Payment for things you dug up while we were gone, off fighting. Things we would have found instead."

I rolled my eyes. Diving off the coast of the Dragon Isles was competitive, sure, but once it was found, it was claimed. That was how it had always been. "Piss off, Killian."

My attempt to push past him was rebuffed, however, with four grim, angry faces staring back at me.

"You got rich while we were gone," Killian said.

I snorted. "Rich? Oh, please. You don't know a damn thing. And you weren't off fighting. You were off being bullies like the cowards you are, picking on those weaker than you. You wanted a fight. That's the only reason you went, and everyone knows it. You're just a violent little boy."

Killian sneered. "Better than being a crippled coward."

My arm was already cocked when a soft clearing of a throat behind me stopped me cold.

"Rhyse," Darius said.

I froze, fist clenched, and tilted my head sideways to indicate I'd heard him.

"Please don't destroy my shop." It was the tone of someone who understood I should have driven my fist into Killian's face for his comment but was respectfully asking me to do it elsewhere.

I dropped my fist. Killian gloated.

"Be seeing you soon, Killian," I said menacingly, then turned and walked through the shop and out the back door before my fury got the better of me.

It was close. But I had an appointment with the sovereign, and I intended to look decent and not like I'd just been in a dustup.

I just hoped that meeting would go better than the one with Killian.