Grave affairs, p.1
Grave Affairs, page 1
GRAVE AFFAIRS
Grave Affairs
Book 1
LILITH DANIELS
Grave Affairs
Grave Affairs Book One
by Lilith Daniels
Following an accusation of being a necromancer with no way to prove her innocence, Detective Kirani Kinsley Ramons turns in her badge and flees to Dragon Heights, Wyoming for a fresh start.
In Miami, few understand the difference between a necromancer and the descendant of dragons.
In Dragon Heights, nobody cares.
With weekly rains of unusual composition, dragon-kin and human alike vying for the right to become the next dragon in town, and magic lurking around every turn, there is no better place for Kinsley to hide her skills and history.
But when the local brothel workers are attacked and the bodies of would-be dragons begin showing up with alarming frequency, Kinsley revisits her past and makes the painful decision to hunt the hunter for the sake of her neighbors and new friends.
With her trusty carbunclo kitten at her side, she delves into the dark world of dragons and the city they call home to catch those behind the attacks before they can strike again.
What she doesn’t know may awaken the sleeping beast, forever changing her destiny.
Copyright © 2024 by Pen & Page Publishing, Lilith Daniels
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover design by Rebecca Frank of Bewitching Book Covers.
Contents
1. The titanium dragons enjoyed creating mayhem and disaster.
2. The trick would be isolating the truth.
3. Erik would have dug his own grave beside mine.
4. “This one isn’t doing so well.”
5. Pride also played a part.
6. “That is putting it mildly.”
7. “It seems our little hatchling has decided to join the modern world.”
8. Good cops were my type.
9. “I happen to like the slums."
10. Garnet loved storms.
11. “I see you have some new friends, Kinsley.”
12. I amused her.
13. “Dragons are unreasonable.”
14. Even the streets of the ward oozed opulence.
15. Poor bird.
16. “He’s very bad at being humble, but he does try.”
17. “He likes his women difficult, rare, and of the highest quality.”
18. The little glutton had devoured every last drop.
19. After meeting Monster, I’d learned a bitter truth: I knew very little about necromancy.
20. Before necromancers had crossed the line into irredeemable sin, Death Mile had been their roost.
21. Were the iron dragons the gossips of Dragon Heights?
22. “I’m sure we can handle acquiring hot sauce for your kitten.”
23. I needed to find a phone before my parents burned Dragon Heights down to its foundations.
24. “Spoken like a true dragon.”
25. Yellows did love building things.
26. “We’re arrogant and egotistical on a good day.”
27. “I love Monster.”
28. “He fell asleep on my shoe, Kinsley.”
29. Yellows had a reputation for a good reason.
ONE
The titanium dragons enjoyed creating mayhem and disaster.
Friday, April 17, 2167
The Gray Ward
Dragon Heights, Wyoming
It took a rain of lemurs to finally convince me that moving to Dragon Heights, Wyoming had been a mistake. Last week, it had been toads, some of which could inconvenience those who didn’t take them seriously. I hadn’t minded the toads.
A pair of gloves and a little care had bagged me ten dollars per dead head, fifteen dollars per living croaker, and twenty for the endangered ones, living or dead. The head honchos preferred them alive, but the dead ones would make themselves useful in a lab for study.
I’d gotten fifty for one of my toads, a rather nasty little shit determined to eat the world. At six inches long, it hadn’t accomplished all that much, but it had tried to take my hand off at the wrist.
It had taken a rather amused titanium dragon to pry the blighter off, and I’d been observed for two hours to make certain I wouldn’t fall over dead on them.
My gloves, which went up to my elbows, had saved the day.
Gloves wouldn’t save me from the wretchedly adorable lemurs. Without fail, they’d dig their tiny claws into my soul and refuse to let go. Their oversized, imploring eyes would do me in.
Endangered species, like the lemurs, went to the dragons for care and enrollment in their various conservatories and menageries unless they were released back into the wild. The origin of the animals determined their fate. With the ongoing weekly trials to unlock draconic powers in the petitioners, it could go any which way.
Some lemurs might be real, translocated because of the power surge associated with draconic petitioners working their rituals. Some of the lemurs would be conjured, with most of them dissolving away to ash, goo, or smoke, leaving the rest to rot. The final few would be true creations, a new species brought to life through the determination of a petitioner wishing to rise through the ranks and become a dragon.
When a dragon-kin came calling as a petitioner, the dragons took care. Sometimes, they bit off more than they could chew.
For a rain of lemurs to fall on the Gray Ward, the dragons had either forgotten to contain the dragon-kin’s power or they’d gotten an unpleasant surprise. Or both.
For the most part, the dragons did try to avoid the unwanted surprises.
It cost them a fortune in bounties.
Resigned to paying the remainder of my rent through bounty collection, I rummaged through my backpack for the canvas sack I kept just in case opportunity knocked. At the size of a large garbage bag, I’d be able to gather a bunch of the obviously dead lemurs for a decent check. I’d have to handle one injured animal at a time, however, a task destined to take up the rest of the day.
As I liked getting paid, I always made certain to keep Fridays free.
Just in case.
I put on my gloves and went to work, wondering what other insanity the rulers of Dragon Heights would inflict upon us in their quest to wake more of their kind.
Friday, April 17, 2167
The Gray Ward
Dragon Heights, Wyoming
I crammed at least forty deceased animals into my bag and carried six live specimens, all of whom had decided I made an interesting roost. The smallest of them liked to burrow in my hair, promising several frustrating hours to restore it to rights.
It took a great deal of washing to remove the creepy-crawly sensation left behind when animals used my hair as a nest.
Fortunately for my sanity, the dragons had multiple bounty drop-off stations in every ward. Ten minutes after collecting the final body, I reached the brick and stone building owned and operated by the titanium dragons, who tended to be responsible for the majority of the city’s troubles.
The titanium dragons enjoyed creating mayhem and disaster.
It gave them something to do.
I pushed through the door, careful to avoid dislodging my collection of wildlife. The receptionist glanced my way and burst into laughter. He got up from his seat, circled his desk, and hurried over. “I was wondering if I’d see you today, Kinsley.”
As I showed up most Fridays with a haul, I expected he wanted to ask what had taken me so long to make my way over. I closed the door to prevent any escapees and heaved a sigh. “There are lemurs in my hair, Cedrick.”
As the son of a pair of titaniums, Cedrick counted as a dragon-kin nobody wanted to cross. One day, he’d either sprout wings and scales of his own accord or petition until he sprouted wings and scales. One day, however, he’d transform and join his fellow dragons in creating trouble for me.
For the moment, he remained a relatively safe individual to know among dragons and their kin.
Titaniums couldn’t sniff out secrets, not like some of the other colors.
I did not need any dragon sniffing around my secrets. I wanted my secrets to remain mine and mine alone, although an unfortunate number already knew more than I wanted.
In Miami, I had been valued for my ability to understand how a wound had come to be. I’d dropped hints to the coroners one too many times, earning the label of necromancer.
By then, Miami had outlawed necromancy.
I’d fled to Dragon Heights, a place that necromancers wisely avoided but where purple dragons could work their magic without interference or prejudice.
I had my great-great-grandfather to thank for the unwanted and inaccurate label of necromancer, but I didn’t want my past and present to collide.
It would only be a matter of time before dragons and their kin were outlawed in Miami, too.
I sighed and went to work catching the living lemurs so Cedrick could cage them and send them off to their new homes.
The little shits burrowing in my hair put up a fight, and they issued pathetic little cries when I finally caught them. The smallest evaded capture for the longest, and it whined its distress. My heart broke, and I petted the baby to comfort it. “Can you please tell your kin to stop summoning these little ones? I’m going to need therapy I can’t af ford if this keeps happening.”
Cedrick sighed, and he claimed the animal from me. “These aren’t pets, Kinsley. They can’t be pets, never will be pets, and shouldn’t ever be considered pets by anyone for any reason. They’re aggressive, they’re not tamable, and they kill their young in captivity. All the live ones will be given medical care and either sent to a reservation designed for them or released into the wild.”
How sad. “Why aren’t they being aggressive now? The toads certainly were.”
“Magic, of course. We knew we’d have a wild petitioner today, so the dragons took care with their precautions. All the lemurs not wrangled by Monday are going to be difficult at best, so do make sure you bring in any you see. Their diseases transfer to us with ease, so if you get sick, get to a doctor quickly. They can carry some pretty nasty viruses. But in good news, the going rate is tripled because these guys are trouble, so I have a good wad of cash for you today. I was also told I owe you an extra six hundred; some of your toads were quite special, and you’re to be compensated for your work.”
“How is Mouthy Asshole doing?” I asked, aware the biter wouldn’t be returning to the wild thanks to its taste for human and dragon flesh.
Cedrick laughed. “We have determined that Mouthy Asshole is a male, he now has a girlfriend, and they’re making some baby mouthy assholes as we speak. That’s part of why you’re getting the check. The male and female are genetically diverse. The species is critically endangered.”
It would be nice to have a few weeks of enjoying life without worrying about paying the rent. While staying in Miami would have been bad for my health, I missed a lot of things about my home.
My boyfriend took the top of the list. Well, fiancé, when honest with myself. Ex-fiancé, as I’d had the integrity to formally break off my relationship with him before bailing town.
One day, he would be a police captain if he wasn’t already, and the last thing he needed was my status as a presumed necromancer dragging him down. And if all went as he dreamed, he would become a chief.
Maybe I’d taken it a little too far following up with a disappearing act, but I wanted to keep my head attached to my shoulders, and I doubted the lynch mobs in Miami would stop long enough to listen to my explanations that there was a hefty difference between necromancers and dragon-kin.
As I didn’t want the dragons of Dragon Heights figuring out I was a dragon-kin of mixed heritage, my general plan worked well despite my various regrets.
To cover my silence, I heaved a sigh and stared at the lemur Cedrick handled. “But it’s so cute.”
“I know, I know. I’ll tell my old man you were emotionally traumatized by the unreasonable cuteness of these guys. Maybe we’ll get a rain of kittens next.”
“I will personally murder any dragons or dragon-kin deliberately creating a rain of kittens. Their deaths will be so grotesque that Dragon Heights will speak of it in hushed whispers for a thousand years.” If I had to collect deceased kittens because of some petitioner, the dragon-kin or human involved would perish at my hands, and I’d go after the damned dragons who permitted it as well. “The same applies to puppies, horses, and any animal that counts as a common household pet.”
Cedrick winced. “I’ll also tell my old man you mean business when it comes to the cute, fluffy babies. How about winged foxes?”
My eyes widened at the thought of winged foxes. “That sounds like so much trouble.”
“Foxes are trouble, but they’re adorable trouble. Dad said if we get a rain of foxes, I can keep a pair for our menagerie.”
Damned dragons, collecting everything they wanted, including animals and people. “I’m really going to need therapy if there is a rain of foxes. At least a quarter of them die. Either please tell them to process their petitioners in a better fashion for the wildlife or make them do it the long way. Stop killing off the animals, damn it!”
“The ones that die are typically conjurations, Kinsley. They were never alive in the first place. They just rot like they were, so we need to get rid of them if they don’t dissolve on their own. The live ones manifest fairly close to the ground.”
“And the injured ones?” I demanded, pointing at the little lemur with a broken leg. “It’s obviously not a safe process.”
“That would have happened after the manifestation but before you found it. It was probably in a fight with another lemur and lost. It’s a dissipation of magic. The real ones teleport near the ground. The conjured ones appear in the air and fall. That distributes the magical load better. Otherwise, the pilgrimage is dangerous and unlikely to result in a full dragon.”
Hello, intel. It’d been a while since I’d gotten a dragon-kin or dragon to talk about the petitioning progress. “Pilgrimage? What pilgrimage?”
“There are a few ways a human can become a dragon or a dragon-kin can unlock their heritage. Petitioning is the easiest and safest, but it requires numerous dragons participating to succeed. It can take a petitioner years to cultivate enough favor with the dragons to start the rains. And the number of supporting dragons determines how many rains are needed. Today’s rain? One and done from my understanding of the matter. I don’t know much about the petitioner, but he wanted his status as a dragon to be kept quiet.”
“Human or dragon-kin?”
“Human, but he has some dragon ancestry. Too far down the line to claim status as dragon-kin, but he has the genetics to transition easier than regular humans. That’s all I know, though. I could even be wrong. It’s an honor system, and he didn’t claim to be a dragon-kin, although he did say he has draconic ancestry.”
Interesting. “Do you know how many dragons it took for this one-and-done petition?”
“That I do know. There were three hundred and fifty dragons present, and they had an equal number of future petitioners present. They had quite the shindig today.”
I gestured at the lemurs. “No kidding. How about the rain of toads?”
“Fifty dragons with a pair of petitioners, and they’ll be back for at least ten more sessions. They’re mated and wanted to petition together.”
I whistled. “Now that’s dedication.”
Cedrick grinned. “No kidding. Let me get these in the back so they can be taken care of, then I’ll handle your payment and we can gossip some more.”
“Sounds like a plan.” It’d been a while since I’d gotten news about Dragon Heights and the dragons.
When I wasn’t scrounging for bounties, I attempted to rebuild my life from the wreckage, attending classes when I could afford them in the hopes of securing an extra boring but ridiculously safe job, one that paid the rent without me worrying about being bitten, battling against hardened criminals, or otherwise putting myself in the line of fire.
Perhaps one day.
Friday, April 17, 2167
The Gray Ward
Dragon Heights, Wyoming
Cedrick served me tea while we chatted, and he even provided sufficient sanitizer to make certain I wouldn’t catch anything from the lemurs. Every twenty or thirty minutes, somebody came around with more of the stray animals, and I wondered how Cedrick contained them all in the back. I could only assume other dragon-kin or dragons worked to send them off to their new homes.
At five, precisely three hours after feeding me the basic gossip of Dragon Heights, which amounted to who was sleeping with who as a general rule, he said, “So, you want to know about the pilgrimage?”
“I’m curious,” I confessed.
“You have proven yourself to be a friend of dragons and dragon-kin, so I break no taboo telling you. But the trouble you cause and cause for yourself is your responsibility and your responsibility alone.”
