Scott looked between them with interest. “Something going
on between you two?”
“Yes.”
“No.” Daisy frowned. “Don’t be stubborn.”
His eyes narrowed. “If Luke will agree to remain in dragon
form, ready to snatch you away, you may go. I’ll accompany you. Between the two
of us, you should be able to survive an hour.”
Getting a dragon to do anything he didn’t want to was a big
deal, so she didn’t try to negotiate. She could do that later. “Great!” She
turned to Scott. “Tell me which weeds were a concern.”
He waved a hand. “All of them. I’m no gardener. In fact, I
toyed with the idea of paving the whole area, but Juniper talked me out of it.
She says grass and trees will deflect the summer heat, and she suggested edible
landscaping.” He grimaced. “I don’t want to deal with dropped fruit, but she
had a point about the need to hire landscapers anyway.”
“Definitely,” Daisy agreed fervently. “Food security is a
big thing.” The Convergence had disrupted transportation and the food supply,
and the world was still recovering. Although rationing had mostly ended, there
were shortages, and home gardens were important. “You know, with your skills,
you could make an amazing greenhouse.”
“Yeah.” He didn’t look thrilled. “Maybe later. Anyway, the
weeds tend to disintegrate when they leave the Quarry, so you’ll have to take
pictures or video if you want to show Juniper. Let me know which ones I can
smother.”
“Sure. I’ll work up a written report. I also brought some
special sample bottles that might preserve the plants. I’ll let you know how
that works.”
“Great. I appreciate your trouble.” He slid a gold coin
across the counter. Pre-payment. Have fun.”
Daisy waited until they were on the roof, safely out of
earshot, before commenting, “He doesn’t have many social skills, does he?”
“No, but he’s excellent at what he does. Are you ready?”
Breaker waited until she climbed onto Luke’s dragon form before he spiraled
around the tower, the sun glinted on his emerald scales as he checked for
danger. He landed in the barren park and signaled for them to join him.
“This place has so much potential,” Daisy murmured as her
feet hit the dirt. She took pictures for reference. “Remind me to get shots
from the top of the tower. It will help with the planning. Imagine what a row
of cherry trees would look like in bloom here.”
Her brother snorted at the mention of fruit.
“Hush.” She took samples of the dirt before turning her
attention to the plants. “These look like black coral,” she said, carefully
examining a plant from a distance. “Do you know anything about these, Breaker?”
“They crunch underfoot and they’re not carnivorous,” he
offered, his massive head up, alert for danger.
“That’s a plus.” Wearing gloves and using pruning shearers,
she snapped off a piece and put it in her sample baggie. Using her phone, she
took a picture and used the voice recorder to save time as she gave details of
the sample.
“Now this is interesting,” she said as she noticed a silver
tumbleweed rolling across the dirt. Shaped like a sphere, it seemed to be made
of silver wire, and was obviously light if the wind could move it.
Breaker trapped it with his taloned foot. “I can’t tell if
it’s sharp, but it rusts away if it leaves the Quarry.”
“Maybe Scott could coat it with something and sell it as an
ornament. It’s pretty,” she said, used to Juniper finding a use for everything.
A curl of smoke escaped Breaker’s nose when he quietly
laughed. “Geiger doesn’t need that sort of thing, love. He’s a metal mage. If
he wants money, he pulls gold from the ground. It might be something a tenant
could do, however.”
She scowled. “It’s part of my job to find uses for plants.”
She’d never had to be thrifty with Malcolm as a father, but she’d known plenty
of poor students who did. His dismissal felt arrogant.
“Why are you angry? I wasn’t insulting you.” One great eye
focused on her, the slit-pupil as big as a large sunflower.
She scanned the ground for her next sample, moving closer
to a neon, yellow-green spike sticking out of the ground. It was fat like a
hotdog and about as big, but smooth like a broom handle. She fetched her tongs
and prepared a sample bag. “Making money isn’t a crime. Some of my favorite
people don’t have any.”
“What has that to do with you?”
“Forget it.”
“No. I want to hear this. You’re the daughter of a dragon
and want for nothing. Do you wish that to change?”
“Guilt,” Luke said succinctly. “She always had to hide her
diamonds in school, even though it would shame our family, because others were
jealous. She put them on when she went back home, but I visited her at school.”
He’d thrown a fit, too. Diamonds were a sign of pride in a daughter, a symbol
of love. It was taboo to go without, as it implied lack of love.
“It’s better to blend in,” she said, jaw tight.
“They bullied you because they thought you had money,” Luke
said bluntly. “How is that better than tormenting someone because they’re poor?
Or human?” Their father couldn’t abide bullies and had taught them the same.
Trouble was, he didn’t have to deal with them.
“If it makes you feel better, I’d like you even if you were
naked and poor,” Breaker said generously.
“Hey! My brother,”
she said, blushing furiously.
“Is finding this very interesting,” Luke teased.
“Shut up,” she growled, jabbing the tongs at the
plant…which quickly disappeared into the ground. Suddenly she was snatched, the
tongs falling from her hand as Luke’s clawed paw scooped her up, smashing her
sample bag against her ribs. The ground fell away, along with her stomach, and
she was grateful when her feet settled firmly on the top of the tower.
Breaker joined them, shifting to human form as he landed seconds
later. “Are you hurt?”
She settled her clothes. “No, but Luke scared the crap out
of me!” Her heart was still hammering.
He looked at Luke. “Excellent reflexes.”
Suddenly worried, she asked, “Why? Do you know what that
was?”
“No, but anything that moves is suspect. For all we know,
it could be a flesh eating worm. The ground is crawling with them now.”
She looked over the low wall on the edge of the balcony,
but even squinting, couldn’t see a thing.
Luke glanced over, “Ugh! Maybe we should flame them.”
“Not without a sample,” she protested. “It could be
something useful, and it’s irresponsible to destroy a creature without knowing
anything about it.”
The men exchanged looks of disgust. Clearly, they had other
thoughts on the matter, but they were also the first line of defense against
aggressors.
“I’m not saying let it eat anyone,” she protested. “I’m not
stupid. It’s just…”
“If you need one, I’ll collect it,” Breaker said firmly.
“It’s time for you to go home.”
That stung. “Like a child?”
He stepped closer. “Like a woman I don’t want injured.” He
looked at her chest where the medallion was hidden under her clothes. “You
don’t want me injured, either, do you?”
It was pure manipulation, she thought rebelliously, but
admitting she didn’t want him harmed would be a slippery slope. “Fine. We may
as well see if these samples survive before I waste time collecting more.
Ready, Luke?” She fished out her goggles and zipped her coat.
“Say hello to Juniper for me,” Breaker said in farewell.
She shot him a look. “You just want to tweak her husband’s
nose.”
He smiled and didn’t deny it. “I’ll see you later.”
There was no point in telling him no. It’s not like he was
a stray dog she could spray with the garden hose. However, she was going to
keep Luke close.
She didn’t want Breaker getting any romantic ideas, because
she wasn’t sure she’d be able to resist.
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