Chapter 33

Chapter Thirty-Three

We turned to find an ancient specimen of a man shuffling toward us from around one of the shelves. He appeared to be well beyond a hundred with a bent back and a pace that would make a glacier appear fast. His face was a mess of wrinkles, but even those couldn’t hide what had once been a handsome appearance. He had been about as tall as Will before his shrinkage but now was my height. One of his wrinkled, shaking hands grasped an elegant cane that he constantly used. The man wore a gold-rimmed robe over his person and soft slippers on his shoes that made the smallest of noises through the dust brought in by the customers.

He stopped in front of us as the employee bowed out. His eyes sparkled and a smile graced his lips, but there was something about his manner that made me anxious. “I never expected to see a dragon lord in my shop. May I ask your name, My Lord?”

“William Thorn,” Will introduced himself as he gestured to me. “And this is my lady, Rose.”

“Simon Baddock,” the man returned as he held out his quivering hand to Will. “It’s a pleasure to meet both of you.” Will gingerly accepted the hand but even his gentle touch couldn’t stop the man from jiggling a little at their shake. Baddock withdrew his hand and wryly smiled at his palm. “You must forgive me. I had my last molting some time ago and I doubt I shall have another.”

“Molting?” I repeated.

He nodded. “I am, as you have no doubt heard, one of the serpent creatures who once inhabited the hills south of here. We rejuvenate ourselves by molting our skins but eventually old age catches up to us and we can no longer shed our years so easily.” He shook off his melancholy and smiled at us. “But what can I offer you today? Perhaps some exotic scents from the far west? Or something closer to home?”

“We wanted to try one of your smaller bottles,” Will told him as he nodded at me. “My bride here is only newly married and is unsure what she should wear to the more formal affairs.”

Baddock nodded. “Of course. I have just the set for the newly anointed, as it were. If you will follow me.” He offered me his crooked arm.

I glanced at Will who nodded, and I accepted the offer. Baddock led me over to one of the nearby shelves and nodded at a collection of various colors and sizes. “You may like these, My Lady. Sensual scents to entice your dragon husband.”

I blushed. “I-I’m not sure I’m looking for that”

“Then for the more daring,” he mused as he led me further down the aisle to an assortment of green-colored concoctions. “A fine collection of perfumes sure to induce a strong bout of courage in. . .in-“

The man froze and his eyes dilated. A coughing fit took control of him and forced him to lean forward. Spittle shot out of his mouth as his whole body rattled with the effort. I grasped his shoulders to keep him from toppling over and the rest of the shop froze in a mixture of curiosity and horror. A few of the employees hurried over and one of them carried with them a glass of water.

Baddock recovered and waved away the anxiety in the room. “There is no need for those eyes. I am fine.”

“Perhaps we should come another time,” Will insisted as he drew me away from our host.

A sharp, territorial look appeared in Baddock’s eyes as Will took possession of me. The expression lasted only a moment, however, and a smile covered his irritation. “Of course. Come any time. You will always be welcome.”

The tone in his voice made me shudder and I was glad when Will led me outside into the warm late-afternoon sun. The crowds had thinned a little as supper time neared and we had no trouble crossing the sidewalk to where Raines waited for us.

However, our driver had a tense expression on his face. He caught Will’s eyes and flickered his own to somewhere behind us.

“A moment, good sir,” someone called to us as we reached the carriage. We turned to find the balding man hurrying toward us and he stopped in front of us with winded breath. “If I may have a moment of your time, good sir.”

Will looked him over before a dark look passed over his brow, but he opened the carriage door. “A moment.”

I climbed in and took my usual seat while the balding man sat opposite me. Will shut the door behind himself and took up the spot beside me where he glared at our guest. “Speak quickly, Folcred. I have little patience for a vermin who scurries after us.”

The man sat up straight and I now noticed tiny creases on the sides of his head that denoted a fake top. His sharp eyes glared right back at Will. “You will have patience with me, dragon. You have caused quite a mess on these roads and I will have you answer for it.”

A crooked smile slipped onto Will’s lips. “You would have us pay for our foes’ attacks on us?”

“I would have you pay for leading them to our city,” Folcred countered. “I will not be dissuaded from believing you were not aware of such dangers before you came here.”

“We came here to resolve those very dangers and our staying away would only have risked the life of my bride,” Will snapped back.

Folcred’s cold attention fell on me. “What danger were you in?” Will made to reply but the officer held up his hand as he kept his focus on me. “I want the lady to answer me.”

I let out a deep sigh. “Somebody is trying to kidnap me. We’re not sure why, but they hired some guys from the Agency here to do it. We think it might be connected to Helen Torch’s attempted kidnapping a few years ago.”

The officer pursed his lips. “I recall that episode. The fiends very nearly made off with the lady.”

“And they just tried to make off with me again,” I added as I nodded at the ax hole in the wall. “And tried to get Will out of the picture, too.”

Folcred studied my face for a moment before he examined the gaping hole. A dark shadow fell on his furrowed brow. “I see. I may venture to guess you suspect Simon Baddock of being involved in these kidnappings?”

Will nodded. “We do. There is bad blood between Lord Torch and him, and he’s come to the end of a very unnaturally long life.”

Folcred leaned back and folded his arms over his chest. “So I have heard. The serpents live a long while but he is far beyond his years. How does he intend to make use of your bride?”

My dragon shook his head. “We’re not sure, but if he has dabbled in black magic before then it wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility he knows a spell to somehow use them to make himself live longer.”

“What do you intend to do about this danger?” Folcred questioned us.

Will sighed. “I’m not sure yet.”

Folcred stood and grasped the door handle though he paused before opening it and looked back at us. “Whatever you plan to do, I would ask that you inform the Prime Corp before you initiate your plan.”

“So you can help us?” I guessed.

The corners of his lips twitched upward. “No, so we might clear the roads. You made quite a mess of them with that ax-wielding man.”

“You didn’t happen to catch them on following us, did you?” Will wondered.

Folcred’s good humor dropped off. “Yes, but both men took poison before we could get them to talk. That loyalty is what you are up against.” He slipped out and shut the door behind him, leaving an ominous air behind him.

I fell back against the seat and pursed my lips. My eyes inadvertently steered over to the hole in the wall to my right. I reached up and brushed a hand over the ragged edges. The strong man so feared revealing any secrets that he committed suicide.

“The Agency is given more loyalty than I would have guessed,” Will mused.

I cleared my throat and turned my attention to him. “So what now?”

He rapped his knuckle against the ceiling of the cab. “Wharf.” The carriage rolled forward.

“The wharf?” I wondered.

“Gottspake mentioned the strong odor through the portal. While Baddock gave you his full attention, I spoke with one of the employees and they mentioned the processing plant for Baddock’s business is located on the wharf, so we shall see if there is something to be found there.”