Kate and Tegan have had many harrowing adventures and are searching for a relaxing break from being chased and kidnapped. Unfortunately for them, their vacation is about to be interrupted by a dark secret that lurks in Tegan's homeland.
Tegan takes Kate to the town of his birth, Glistnia, a small hamlet that overlooks the fertile plains of Tudorfull. They're greeted by an old acquaintance of Tegan who swoops in on a magic broom, nearly sweeping Kate off her feet and down the steep mountain steps. The welcome is warm, but there's an underlying tension in the air as they enter the town. Rumors abound of dangerous thieves stalking the hills searching for long-lost buried treasure.
Regardless of murderous marauders and ancient treasures, Kate intends to enjoy her brief peace and quiet. That includes exploring the green valley with its myriad of trails through tree groves. However, their relaxing jaunt turns into an annoyance when the pair meet the local creatures that inhabit the shadows of the woods. They, too, sense something amiss at the mountain.
All trouble leads back to the rocky hills and they're dragged into a dangerous game of greed and gold. They must unite their powers as never before to protect Tegan's home and each other, or die trying.
Air! I needed air!
My brain chanted that mantra as I took one step after another. I paused and glanced over my shoulder. A steep slope stared back at me and a green valley stretched out far below my feet. To add to the view, a wispy cloud floated between the valley and where I stood.
“Show off,” I muttered as I turned my attention to the path ahead of me.
A steep set of steps led upward into a large cloud bank. Tegan had stopped at a small plateau where a bench sat ready to welcome my gasping ass. I gladly plopped myself down and took in some much-needed air.
“How. . .much. . .further?” I wheezed.
Tegan smiled down at me. “The air is a little thinner up here, but you’ll get used to it in a day or two.”
“Not. . .if I. . .don’t make it,” I countered.
He plopped himself on the bench beside me and admired the view with glistening eyes that bespoke the remembrance of adventures long past. "
I remember the first time my father took me down this path. I was five at the time and had barely come into my wings."
My ears perked up at the mention of his past. “Oh?”
“Dragons aren’t born into their wings,” he explained as he leaned forward and draped his arms over his knees. “The magic takes time to grow and even when they sprout the dragon has to practice. My father took me here to practice there.” He nodded at an outcropping a few yards off the path. The rock overlooked a patch of grass. “I must have jumped off that a hundred times before I finally glided, much less flew.”
“So your dad caught you?” I guessed.
Tegan grinned. “No, he tossed me over. The first time, that is. The other times were easier than that.”
I snorted. “So a man who believed in tough love?”
“He wanted me to succeed,” Tegan countered as he stood and turned to me. “Now how are you feeling?”
I blinked at him. “What do you-oh.” I set a hand on my chest and felt the steady thump of my chest. A sheepish grin slipped onto my lips. “I’m breathing a lot better.”
Tegan offered me his hand. “Then let’s get going. It’s not too far off now.”
I accepted his hand and he helped me to my feet. We had barely gone a few steps when a voice shouted out of the clouds.
“Watch out below!”
I didn’t have time to duck before something green mist swooped past me. The fog was quickly followed by a man of about fifty speeding past on a broom. The mad driver swooped and zipped around after the faint mist. He held a bottle attached to a stick in one hand and grasped the broom handle with the other.
Tegan caught me before I spun clear off the mountainside. I ended up in a bundle of confusion in his arms with him smiling down at me.
“What the hell was that?” I asked him.
He grinned. “Our local sport and occupation. Spirit catching.”
My mouth fell open. “Ghosts? You guys are ghost catchers?”
Tegan laughed and shook his head. “Nothing that macabre. The ‘spirits’ they catch around here are green wisps of magic that-” The green fog flew past us so close it tickled my nose.
“Make way!” the man shouted as he zoomed past us.
He swung his bottle and captured the mist inside the glass. The man took a sharp turn and headed back to us where he landed not more than a few yards away. I had my first good look at him and could see he sported a clean-cut beard and mustache. His clothes were a heavy cotton tweed jacket and pants with hiking boots on his feet. He wore his hair short and tucked underneath a cap that resembled a deerstalker hat but with flaps on the sides as well as the front and back.
He quickly pulled out a cap and threaded it onto the glass before he puffed out his chest and grinned at us. “A fine catch, if I do say so myself.”
“And you would, Frae.”
The man’s eyes lit up before he squinted them at Tegan. “Bael! In all the seven caverns, what are you doing here?”
Tegan pulled out his empty coin purse. “I have some necessity for being here, but it’s been a while since I visited my mother.”
“More than eight moons!” Frae scolded him as he clapped a hand on Tegan’s shoulder. His attention fell on me. “And who do we have here?”
Tegan puffed out his chest a little. “Frae, this is Miss Kate Harrow.”
Frae leapt forward and grasped my hand. He placed a gentle kiss on the back. “A most wonderful pleasure to meet you, Miss Kate!”
“And you, too,” I agreed with a smile.
Frae backed up and looked us over. “Well, why don’t we head up to home?” He held up the bottle. “I have my catch for the day.”
I leaned forward and studied the ‘spirit.’ “So what exactly is that?”
“Just some loose magic,” Frae told me as he tied the bottle to his waist. “It’ll sell well in the valley and the cities. Now then, let’s get going before this blasted fog chills these old bones.”
Frae led the way up the stairs and I reluctantly followed with Tegan at my side. A question lingered in my thoughts and I caught Tegan’s eye.
“Bael?” I repeated.
He sheepishly smiled at me. “My nickname around here.”
“Aye!” Frae piped up as he twisted his head around to nod at us. “His real name’s Baelwyrm, and a good one it is. Mean’s ‘fire worm’ in our tongue.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “So Tegan really isn’t your name?”
“It’s the one I take when I leave the mountain,” Tegan assured me.
“That’s enough chatter, you two,” Frae called to us as we crested the steps and found ourselves on a plateau. He turned to face us and put his hands on his hips. “Welcome to Glistnia!”
I looked about myself and my heart fell a little. “It’s, um, very nice.”
He chuckled. “Just wait a minute. I feel a breeze coming up.”
True to his word, the calm was disturbed by a gentle wind. The breeze stirred the mist that surrounded us and blew it away to reveal the full extent of the plateau and its hidden secret.
A town stood before us, its glistening low walls creating a gentle border around the stone-and-mortar houses tucked inside. Most of the houses had two floors and featured balconies that overlooked well-kept gardens. Businesses offered shade with their awnings to the passerby who shopped for their myriad of goods. The laughter of children echoed up and down the street and wives gossiped at the fountains.
I looked up at Tegan. “This is where you grew up?”
His soft eyes admired the view as he nodded. “Yes.” He turned his attention to me and offered me his arm. “Now allow me to introduce you to my mother.”
I accepted his arm and he guided me down a brick road toward the idyllic town. Little did we know the dangers that lay ahead for us and the trouble that waited below.