Wyvern's Trim and other stories Read Free Page B

and had taught his son fairness which was unique
amongst the noblemen. Some were only concerned about their
luxuries. La Brede had made improvements to the farming and there
was enough food to export to other districts making this city very
prosperous. He was not well liked at the court that flocked around
the Emperor in Versailles. So mostly he hid out here in what most
considered the provinces and that had suited Callisto as well.
Noblemen meant soldiers. And she didn’t want anything to do with
soldiers.
    When the Baron
had summoned her she had come with the soldiers without any
protest. He might be a well-liked man but that didn’t mean he
wouldn’t throw her into a dungeon if she went against him. Besides
she could do with the work. Not many people liked to hire a female
tinker.
    The soldier
pushed open the door and motioned for her to enter. She stepped
into the room and went still.
    The Baron was
walking slowly as he paced his hall. He was speaking with a man
that stood much taller than the Baron. He was very broad of
shoulder. His skin was a golden brown that wasn’t seen very often
in this district. He stood at attention with his hands clasped
behind his back and his legs set apart in a very familiar stance.
But what drew her attention was the clockwork arm of the large
man.
    His left arm was
made up of cogs and rods of bronze. He shifted and he flexed the
fingers of the clockwork hand. She took a few steps before she
realised that she might be interrupting. Before she could take the
steps back to hide amongst the columns by the door the Baron
noticed her and motioned her forward.
    Callisto was
shaking as she came to stand near the very tall man. He turned to
look at her and she was shocked to see that he was actually a
dragon. Those golden eyes were unmistakeable. The Baron had warm
whiskey eyes that told everyone that he had a dragon ancestor. Most
of the nobility were related to dragons in one way or another. It
was not unusual to see dragons at court. There hadn’t been a dragon
in La Brede in years. This one looked ready to eat
someone.
    The Baron said,
“I had heard of your injury and thought you would like to avail
yourself of the services of our clockwork maker but I see you had
already managed to get a new arm.”
    The dragon
brought his arm forward and flexed his fingers and said in a deep
slumberous voice, “It is sufficient.”
    She knew the
tone and asked, “May I?”
    He offered his
arm and she put her bag down to take a closer look. The joints were
just superb. She couldn’t have done a better job. She pulled a
piece of cloth that had jammed into one of the cogs and one of his
fingers jerked. She apologised absently as she continued to study
the workmanship.
    She clicked her
tongue in appreciation, “Whoever did the work was very talented.
But I have a covering for this that will protect the gears. It is
lightweight and acts like skin in many ways. I might even be able
to work it into the matrices that are already in place so you can
gain some sensation.”
    The Baron
clapped his hands in excitement. “Excellent. I knew it wouldn’t be
a waste of time to call on you Miss Monroe. You can give an upgrade
to his arm and send me the bill. It is the least gift I can give to
my cousin.”
    She glanced up
from the arm and noticed that the dragon was watching her closely.
She doubted that he was a real cousin to the Baron but the title
might mean they considered themselves family despite any distance
in the family tree.
    The Baron said,
“Tinker, you can use the engineer’s workshop if you
wish.”
    She shook her
head. “I’m sorry my lord but it will be by far more efficient
if…”
    The dragon said,
“Faisal.”
    She continued.
“It is will be more efficient if Lord Faisal came to my workshop in
the city.”
    The Baron looked
past her to the dragon. He must have given some signal that he
wouldn’t mind working in the city.
    The Baron
shrugged. “Well, thank you cousin for bringing your