Dragons & Danger

By Sara Tiger Ryan

Miss Kitty's dragon friend, Tyhidar Evenheart, and the dragon girl who used to be a necklace that Sazzy freed in Garnets & Gargoyles arrive in Vantage, Conyor Ness to hire Sazzy to Seek all of the dragon artist Basthado's statues so they can destroy them, hoping to get the live people Basthado used as a basis for her statues out alive. To that end, Tyhidar takes Sazzy back about 500 years. Mid hunt, Sazzy insists Dusty needs to come help to find the live statue people first. When, when she and Dusty discover a creature in a statue, they coax their third partner, Thane to come help as well. But none of the three do that well in the past and the dragon people are impatient.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sara Tiger Ryan
• Release date: Aug 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005469887

Sara Tiger Ryan

Sara Tiger Ryan was born in New Hampshire. She now lives in Florida with her 2 cats. Make that minus one charming boy cat, add in a Mama cat who brought me 5 kittens--all of them adorable! Sara started writing novels in 1973 in high school study hall and hasn't stopped (for long) yet. She started out writing fantasy and added mystery. She also writes metaphysical non-fiction. Ryan was active in the small press in the mid 90's, and had her own 'zine, Star Triad.

Book preview

Dragons

&

Danger

Miss Kitty Mystery 19

Sara Tiger Ryan

All characters herein are completely fictional.

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

herm is short for hermaphrodite, meaning both sexes at once

All the work herein is copyright Sara Tiger Ryan, Tiger Moon Press. Smashwords Ebook Edition, July, 2022

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting this author's work.

Table of Contents

01 A Sexy Knave

02 Halfway To Nowhere

03 A Puddle of Bad Magic

04 Statues of Tears

05 Home Again

06 Nestling Helpers

07 In Deeper

08 Time Again

09 Seeking Days

10 Crispy Talents

11 Strife Abounds

12 Little Disasters

13 Thane’s Tagalong

14 A Dire Disaster

15 Dusty: Fly Boy

16 Soul Wizard Tricks

17 A Bumpy Trip

Appendices

About Sara

Other Books by Sara

List of All My Miss Kitty Mysteries

Next Miss Kitty Mystery 20: Museums & Murder, chapter 1

Chapter 01

A Sexy Knave

At a slight noise, Sazzy looked up from throwing the nasty note her older sister had sent her into her partner's dragon-shaped stove.

The sound hadn't come from the Sunshine Room and their portal to all times, after all. She checked down the hall.

The overly sexy dragon boy, Tyhidar Evenheart Evenheart, stood peering through her office doorway. He wore a short bluedust-colored kilt and a matching vest. Yum!

Tyhidar turned towards her. I told you I might be back with a case.

She waved him into her office and met him there by using the adjoining doorway between her partner's and her offices.

Tyhidar lounged into her client chair. The edge of his kilt rose almost high enough. Sazzy stifled a sigh.

Tyhidar said, Your Cousin T says you can Seek through time.

Sazzy admired the view a moment before processing Tyhidar's words and answering, I have before. I don't know, my timewalking talent is low still. The command spell on her sister's letter stopped twitching at her, meaning the letter was char. Good. She turned her full attention to Tyhidar.

You can ride on my magic. Or you can just tell me when and where, and I can go—or Kinsal and I can go, since she is as eager as I am to find and destroy all of Basthado's art.

Kinsal. The young dragon girl. Who had been a necklace. There are more of those necklaces throughout time? she asked, feeling sick to think so.

Tyhidar looked away. Discretion is the watchword of Miss Kitty's, it says so in your advertisements. I hate telling you anyway. He stopped and turned sick-looking. No. Or, I hope not. We hadn't even considered jewelry. No, we're looking for the rest of her statues.

More than a single necklace that had spell-trapped a young dragon girl inside for a thousand years existed? More than the earrings that had held the twin Dragon Lords, Pel and Chae, who Tyhidar had freed in the mid nine hundreds? (About a thousand years ago now.) More than one statue holding someone else? Someone live? Sazzy folded her arms across her chest. Lots?

Tyhidar didn't look up. We already found...a bunch.

Is it going to be something I can research? She couldn't think where to find a list of artwork created by a dragon woman who had lived before the Cancel, which had killed most of the Tazsenzan Race (Tyhidar's Race. The dragon people.) in 219, over 1600 years ago.

"We have a handful of her sketch books. Serrie—a friend—Vray's—you remember Vray from your branch partner rescuing him, yes? His ayae made a list from those."

Sazzy sat back, looked down instead of at Tyhidar and doodled a screaming statue. Yes, she knew him well enough to ask, What aren't you saying?

Tyhidar put his fist against his forehead. One of his arm bands caught a sunbeam and turned into a glow of piercing light, distracting her till Tyhidar spoke, I'm not wanting to admit to the arrogance of my Race. She made a whole series of the Races. We got most of those.

A whole series like the necklace? she asked, staring. Now she really did feel sick.

Life-sized. Tyhidar spread his palm across his face. We want to make sure there aren't any more like that. Except, there probably are according to her notes.

She drew a breath but didn't know what to say.

Not all of them lived, but we...set them free.

Kinsal and you?

No, me and a few friends. Our Dragon Lord, our alyantae, a few of our oath ring bearers. We voted to try to find all her work and destroy it as a way of eradicating her from our tri-story. We already struck her name from our archives. But it didn't feel like enough. Someone like that doesn't deserve to be famous. And she is already dead so we can't...serve justice on her. He shifted in the seat and took his hand down. His expression turned pleading. I can't think of anyone else who could help. We tried scrying, but none of us are that great at it, and scrying has never been that precise.

She glanced at Dusty's fee board...which covered everything they normally did. But not traipsing through time. Dusty had figured a special fee for tracking down Vivalda's counterfeit coins (The ones not hidden by collectors). She and the Longwish brothers had accomplished that in a tiring, week-long hunt. Maybe this would be similar.

We can pay you well, Tyhidar said, then added slyly, I can add a bonus of a trip to any time you'd like... assuming you can ride on my magic.

Sazzy ducked her head and stared at her doodle. Yes, she would adore visiting her love, Kimeriel Magichand, in his own time. But it would also be awful because she would have to leave. Besides, it appeared he hadn't accepted her heartgiving bands. So maybe he wouldn't want to see her. I don't know.

Clink. Clink. Clink.

Sazzy checked the source of the noise.

Tyhidar had dropped three gold Sri kisses on her desk.

Dusty came to their adjoining doorway. I hear the clinkity-clink of big money. Sazzy says yes. If there is a person inside the statue, I should be able to tell. We worked some on combining our magics early this year in our warrior mage class. It'll be good practice.

Our soul wizards made a spell stone to reveal if there is a person in the statue that any of us can use, but we have to touch the statue with it.

I can tell when Seeking, so you would know beforehand—

Which statues to pursue first. Tyhidar brightened. That would help. He closed his eyes. The whole thing makes me sick. Us sick. Tyhidar paused. Yes?

You have hired yourself the best private spies in Conyor Ness history.

We want to get them all, every last one of them, no matter what, Tyhidar said fiercely, then added, It's been hard to melt down a work of beauty. Then I remind myself who made it and in what spirit.

If you brought one of the sketch books you mentioned, Dusty said, Sazzy and I could give it a go now, just to see.

Kinsal might have; she's been searching the sketch books for people she remembers seeing at the nesting back then. Let me give her a mind call. She stayed at the inn, thinking you might not want to see her.

Sazzy blinked. Why not? I wonder how she is every once in awhile. Merri asks, every so often, if I've seen you lately and heard how Kinsal is.

Kinsie thinks your friend hates her.

Merri doesn't hate anyone. No. She—Merri had a hard time integrating Kinsal’s magic, that's all.

Tyhidar half-smiled. I remember Charil's take on me giving him a taste of our magic—to say he was unhappy about it doesn't even come close. All right. Tyhidar stayed silent a moment, then looked up. Kinsal is on her way.

Sazzy doodled another screaming statue before saying slowly, I hope it isn't as...sick-making as Seeking the—umm—Kinsal as a necklace was.

Tyhidar looked away. As far as we know, Basthado didn't make any other of her kinclan into statues or anything else. He paused. Let's talk about something else till Kinsie gets here.

I still find gold kisses in my pockets now and then, Dusty said of his gift dragonscale tinkers coat.

Kinsal will be tickled that you actually wear the coat she sent. She giggled a lot when she made it, but she was afraid you'd hate it at the same time.

I love it. It's warm, it has plenty of pockets, it's far more elegant than my last tinkers coat.

Tyhidar started to speak, stopped, and slanted Dusty a quick look instead—reminding Sazzy of the Miss Nellie that had featured a cloak made of...Tyhidar's ancestor's dragon scales. It isn't like your ancestor's cloak, is it? she asked.

Tyhidar offered a funny sort of smile. Not exactly.

Dusty's expression wavered. I'm trying to remember what I read about—

The foyer door opened and their bookbinder tenant and fill-in receptionist by default, Evan Shodel, said, Miss? Hello? He sounded surprised and interested.

Back here, Kinsie, Tyhidar called out.

I'll escort you, Evan said and did.

Kinsal looked too petite to be a dragon. She wore her fall of dark-amber hair clipped back, had a heart-shaped face, wide emerald eyes, and looked about fifteen. The dragon girl smiled shyly around, then held a tattered brown leather sketchbook out. Hello. Thank you. She slanted Dusty a quick look. And you. How's Miss Merri?

She's managing to learn the magic, Sazzy said. She'll be tickled to see you...and will probably barrage you with questions about the magic.

It would just enhance magic she has, Kinsal said seriously, sounding slightly apologetic.

And add our synthesis of perception, Tyhidar added, obviously as a reminder to Kinsal.

Thank you for the coat, Dusty interjected, and Kinsal turned to him.

While Dusty and Kinsal talked, Sazzy opened the sketch book and flipped through it, not sure what she expected to find. It just held sketches—some finely done, some quick, some half done...something like her own sketch books.

She stopped at a drawing of a statue surrounded by Sri glyphs. What do the notes say?

Tyhidar slid to his feet and came to lean over her shoulder, dousing her with his hair-raising energy. They're notes on the type of metal she planned to use, the colors, the pose.

Metal? Sazzy prompted.

Silver with inlays of lapis here and here. Tyhidar pointed, his arm brushing her shoulder and erasing her mind for a few breaths. She planned to paint this one with a blue gown. He paused and didn't continue, he asked, Can you Seek from that?

To be so famous, Basthado must have had fifth level art talent, the sketch ought to hold enough of an essence for her to Seek from. She took a breath and had to say, Not with you standing so close.

Tyhidar laughed shortly and retreated. Sorry, I wasn't thinking, I'll tone my magic down. The feel of his presence cut in half, then he retreated back to her client chair, where Kinsal now sat on the arm still talking and laughing with Dusty.

Sazzy sat back and Sought. Cautiously. Since she remembered that Seeking the necklace Kinsal had been had laid her out flat more than once. When she didn't get anything but a vague sense of something that might be the statue on the page, she widened her Seek to include anything similar...and sat back with an 'oof'.

Kinsal and Dusty stopped talking and all three snapped their attention to her.

Lots, she said from the edge of her trance.

Lots? Tyhidar echoed, sounding confused.

About a dozen in my range.

In your range? Statues? Here? Now?

She drew out of her trance. Why not?

Tyhidar sat back. I—umm. I guess I was expecting them to be...gone by now.

Statues made of metal? Dusty said.

Tyhidar flushed slightly. Said that way, I guess it doesn't make sense.

I wasn't ‘gone', Kinsal put in.

Tyhidar flushed again and glanced at her. All in your time?

I don't know. I can't always tell when I'm Seeking out of time. All in my range of a three-day-walk, anyway. She stood, went to the Sunshine Room and the portal to all times. The other followed as far as Dusty's office.

Sazzy opened the portal, stayed in the archway of magic, and Sought again. About two hundred as far back as I can reach.

Two hundred? Tyhidar and Kinsal echoed. Kinsal looked ready to faint. Tyhidar stammered, But we... How far back can you reach?

I don't know. I went as far back as the 1300's hunting Cousin JayJay’s yellow rose of Mylea dishes with no problem.

Two hundred left? I was thinking only a few, up to a dozen. Tyhidar ran both hands up over his face. We'll owe you a dragon's ransom for that many.

How many years did she work? Dusty asked.

Tyhidar took a breath—and held it, obviously unable to get an answer out. He made several motions with his hands, then slid to the floor and folded over. The Council is going to be upset.

Kinsal laughed a bit wildly, even though tears hovered in her eyes, and dropped into Dusty's client chair.

Tyhidar continued, with a glance at Kinsal, Serrie probably already guessed. Basthado was born at the end of the Flag Eras, just before Spale began numbering the years. She became famous during Timeweaver's reign in 188, but she was making art a couple eras before that.

I don't think I can reach back that far, Sazzy said.

I didn't expect—I figured that— Tyhidar went deeply silent a few minutes, then said, Basthado died after the Cancel. During the Fool's Raid in 241.

What about— Dusty paused, then finished anyway, jewelry?

Kinsal ducked her head and hugged herself. I don't think she made any before...us. It sounded like, from her notes, Papa was the one who gave her that idea. Because he asked. Kinsal paused and blinked back tears.

Dusty straightened abruptly. You want to take Sazzy back to the early 200's? Dusty glanced to her. I know there's a saying that dragons rattle around time like a marble in a barrel, but my partner got ferociously time ill just staying in the mid 1300's for a couple seasons.

The early 1300's is when we... No, I want her to come back to the nesting with me. After our Council. In my current time. I can't imagine that we'd want to go back any further than when Blave became Dragon Lord. For—ummm—political reasons. So, no earlier than the first of the 1300's. Tyhidar glanced at her. It should be no problem; I can keep her safe in my magic.

Dusty crossed his arms. The Shaping Plague was all over the Thunderlands up until 1330 or so.

Tyhidar shot Dusty an irritated look. I know. I was the one who found the serum recipe. It didn’t start till 1322. It's well past the prairie in my current time. I'm not going to take your partner into danger. Our scryer doesn't do well at finding objects. Serrie, Blave, and I feel very strongly about eradicating the memory of someone who used live people to make statues. The whole idea is desperately repugnant. It reflects badly on our Race.

I'm all for that. I don't want to lose my partner.

You could lose her here to some idiot with a knife—or a nasty song—just as easily.

Sazzy hugged herself. She and Dusty had almost died from a killer song twice. They had just barely not become crystal trees. She caught a harsh breath and said a very fervent, Yes. Dusty and I were almost crystal trees. Yes and yes again. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. She glanced at Kinsal, who managed a slight smile.

I know a few people that would be improved by being a crystal tree, Dusty said, But me either. And I wouldn't. I don't have that much talent. I'd have to just kill them outright. He paused and slanted her a teasing look. Really, all you would have had to do is offer her a side trip to visit Kimeriel Magictouch and she would have agreed without all this fuss.

Tyhidar winced, glanced at her and away and said, Time sin.

Ferocious time sin, she clarified. I felt it. I'll go anyway. She turned to Dusty. I'll be back to torment you further, partner. We shouldn't be gone from this time more than ten days. She checked Tyhidar, who agreed.

Let's eat dinner first, Dusty said. So one of Edgy Yallow's tasty beef stews doesn't go to waste—not that all our friends and cats would let it go too far to waste.

Kinsal perked up. Oh, you have cats? Some of the kids at home do. They're funny with them. Em calls his Ferocious. She laughed. Even though it’s scared of everything.

One of ours is part Hyllyn Wiche cat, Dusty said, supposed to have mind speech—I've only heard it once so far. It talks to our creature Seeker partner all the time, though. Oh, and the black and white one is a catalyst mage, thanks to the Youngest Sinister Fate.

Sazzy added, Pat him at your own risk.

Taman magic doesn't affect us, Tyhidar said amusedly.

The Youngest Sinister Fate called Sinister's magic 'cat magic' and said it would affect Merri, she returned. If it isn't really Fate magic Sinister has.

Kinsal scanned at floor level and called, Kitty. Kitty.

Miss Kitty came.

While Dusty introduced the cat, Sazzy made sure of her estimation of how many statues existed in her range of time and space. Yes, about two hundred. She made a sketch of the statue she had first Sought. This time she could sense it clearly somewhere around Nakerty, Lyy. She looked up. How long does it take to make a statue?

Kinsal now sat on the floor bent over, concentrating on petting Miss Kitty.

Tyhidar answered, It takes Pykrel a Taman year, sometimes two. Once or twice he finished in only half a year, if it wasn’t too big.

She sat at Dusty's desk and doodled a whole line of screaming statues. How many years did Basthado work?

Say fifty years. Then, after she became famous, another fifty.

That would be only one hundred statues.

We already took care of about forty, Tyhidar said. I don't know. Maybe she worked faster than Py does.

She had apprentices, Kinsal put in, then glanced at the adjoining doorway and her expression brightened. "Hello, kitty that looks just like Ferocious! Except yours has a tail long and bushy enough