Chapter One: The Mysterious Stranger

There weren’t always dragons in the valley. But now, the infestation in Well-in-the-Glen was worsening by the day, to the dismay of nearly everyone but Terra Edelthrop. She had seized the opportunity, and now her small two-woman-one-dog extermination business was thriving.

“I’m just saying that this is our day off,” said Vixie. She shifted the load in her arms with a grunt. “And I don’t see why we need to advertise when we’re already getting calls.”

Terra painted the back of a poster with glue and stuck it on a tree trunk wider than she was tall—though at five feet tall, that wasn’t a difficult feat. She stepped back to admire her work. Yes, her poster was by far the most colorful, most eye-catching, and most inspiring of the lot. She’d painted a picture of a dragon glaring out at the viewer, and underneath she’d written, Dealing with pests? Hire the best? Terra Edelthorp and Company; 555-6428.

“But we could be getting more calls.” Terra smoothed out the poster.

“Sure. But how much business do you want, exactly?”

Terra handed the pail of glue back to Vixie. “As much as I can get.”

“You’ll burn yourself out, you know.” Vixie adjusted the pile of roled-up posters in her arm as she took the glue. “You’re allowed to relax, you know.”

Bristlesnort gave a small bark. His ears perked up and he tilted his head to the left. Terra watched her dog. “What is it, boy?” she whispered. “You smell one?”

Bristlesnort dove towards a bit of shrubbery. A flash of color as long as Terra’s forearm dashed across the pavement and lept onto the tree trunk, right on top of the painted picture of a dragon.

Her sling was already in Terra’s hand. The stone flew with unerring accuracy and knocked the creature to the ground. It stayed still for a split second, stunned. Then Bristlesnort was on it, tearing with his teeth.

Posters rolled across the pavement. “Sorry!” Vixie quickly gathered them up. Her face was a little green. “This is why I manage the office. Ew!”

A long, purple tail hung out of Bristlesnort’s mouth.

Terra patted his head. “Manners, boy.”

Bristlesnort swallowed the rest of the dragon.

“Good boy!” Terra kissed the top of the dog’s head. “Who’s the best dragon hunter in the world?”

Bristlesnort’s tail thumped against the sidewalk. Vixie shuddered.

“Terra Edelthorp!”

Vixie whirled around. “What was that?”

“Terra Edelthorp! Terra Edelthorp!”

A raven perched on a nearby bench, a small glass vial tied to its leg. “Terra Edelthorp!” croaked the bird.

Vixie scrunched her nose. “Who still uses messenger ravens these days? So last century.”

And extremely expensive, especially since cheap scrying apps for smartphones had hit the market. Much better than training a raven not to bite.

“Terra Edelthorp!”

Terra took a step towards the bird and extended her hand cautiously towards it. “Here, pretty birdy.” Was that even what she was supposed to say? She’d never gotten a message by raven before. “Here, pretty bird.”

As gently as she could, Terra untied the vial, relieved when the raven didn’t peck at her fingers. It just stood there looking bored. As soon as Terra had the vial in her hand, the raven flew off.

Terra pried out the tiny cork and unrolled the coil of paper. The message was short: Toadstool Tavern, 8 o’clock, $100 cash yours on arrival. Bring no one.

Vixie whistled. “Oh, isn’t that mysterious? Are you going to go?”

“Of course. Might be a customer.”

“You’re going alone? Even though it might be a creepy stalker? Or worse?”

Terra grinned, scratching Bristlesnort’s ears. “But I won’t be alone. I’ll be with the best dragon hunter in the valley.”

The Toadstool Tavern wasn’t the kind of place Terra liked. That is—she hated it. Decades of faded flyers papered the windows, preventing any natural light from brightening the interior. The air stank of stale cannabis and alcohol. And the floor was sticky.

Bristlesnort sneezed. Terra scratched his ears. “I know, boy. Lots of smells. It’s okay, I promise.”

Wishing she believed herself, Terra looked around the room. Cramped booths hugged the walls. A few patrons hunched over drinks at the bar. An old pinball machine flashed its lights in one corner. Who exactly was she supposed to be looking for?

Just as Terra was considering slipping back out the door, she heard a sharp ahem! A plump, balding woman wearing an apron squinted at her. “You Terra Edeltrob?”

“Edelthorp. Yes, ma’am, may I—”

“Back there. You’re friend’s waiting.” She pointed a crooked finger towards the pinball machine.

“I don’t—”

“In the booth just beyond.”

“Right. Thanks.” Terra took a steadying breath and wrapped her hand around Bristlesnort’s collar—more for her sake than his. When she took a step, her shoes sounded like Velcro, drawing the gaze of the customers at the bar as she crossed the room.

There was, indeed, a narrow, tall-backed booth tucked out of sight behind the pinball machine. Tara couldn’t see who was sitting there, but she took her place in the seat facing the rest of the room. The springs of the old leather seat creaked alarmingly as Bristlesnort jumped up beside her, folding his lanky limbs into the cramped space.

At first glace, the opposite side of the booth seemed empty, but then the shadows moved and a hooded face leaned forward. Tara couldn’t see the eyes, but the mouth was smiling.

“Thank you for meeting me, Miss Tara.” The voice had the tenor octaves of a man but the melody and lilt of a woman. “Payment, as promised.” A hand appeared, sliding a wad of bills across the table.

“I’m sure this seems highly unusual to you. But I appreciate you meeting with me.”

“Um, you’re welcome.”

The hand gestured towards the money on the table. “Please, take it.”

Tara did. The money felt real. The watermarks were visible, even in the tavern’s dim light. Tara put the bills in her purse.

“I see you brought your business partner along.”

Bristlesnort was, at that moment, drooling happily into Tara’s hair. Even her dog was taller than her when they were seated.

“Um, yes, sorry…”

The mysterious stranger held up a hand. “Don’t apologize. This is perfect. In fact, I was hoping to get a glimpse of your companion.”

“And, um, what can I do for you, Mr.…?”

“Oh, there’s no need for formality. I’m simply interested in engaging your services for a special job.”

“What kind of job?”

The mysterious figure smiled. “Well, I’m dealing with pests. So I thought to hire the best.”

Terra gasped. She’d only come up with that slogan this morning. “Have you been following me?”

The figure held up its hands. “Oh, no, Miss Terra. I just happened to catch of glimpse of your latest poster on my way here. That was a lovely depiction of a dragon, by the way.”

“Thank you.” All the same, Terra eyed the stranger suspiciously, trying to remember if she’d seen anyone tagging behind her and Vixie that afternoon.

“You see, I have a particular…problem. And the larger home and garden companies won’t touch it. Too many liability issues, it seems. ‘I can’t ask my employees to take that risk,’ etc. But you, with your companion there and your skills, why, you’d be perfect.”

Liabilities? “Perfect for what, exactly?”

“One month from now, I want you to ensure that Well-in-the-Glen is dragon-free.”

It was such an absurd idea that Terra wanted to laugh. “One month? You do realize that there are thousands of dragons in this town? Even if I had a year—”

“No no, Miss Terra, you misunderstand me. I do not want you to hunt down and kill every dragon in Well-in-the-Glen. Not at all. I only propose that you hunt down one particular creature.”

Tara crossed her arms over her chest. “Then what exactly do you want me to do?”

The stranger’s hands steepled, forming a pale, inverted V in the shadows. “Tell me, Miss Terra…what do you know of the basilisk?”