Chapter 1
It was a damp and gloomy Thursday evening, and Emma was questioning her life choices. She could be at home snuggled under a blanket on the sofa. Instead she was meeting a stranger in a dingy pub in Bloomsbury. Cancelling would have been the more sensible decision, but she couldn’t face the empty flat again. Without her sister bustling about, the place felt like a mausoleum. And then there was the letter sitting on the kitchen table that she couldn’t bring herself to open. As if seeing it in black and white would make it real.
The strap from her heavy bag dug into her shoulder as she made her way to a table at the back of the room. She slid herself onto a faded burgundy cushioned banquette, wincing as her thighs squished beneath the table. Its surface was sticky under her fingers. Ick. Based on the venue, she suspected that her immediate future involved a drink without dinner, and an early bedtime. The pub was mostly empty, with a few patrons scattered here and there. She suspected the man a few tables away from her wasn’t human, and tried to guess what variety of supernatural creature he was. He looked up, eyes flashing amber. A were-cat of some kind. Emma lowered her gaze respectfully. No point provoking a shifter.
She took a large sip of her gin and tonic. It fizzed on her tongue. The taste of lazy summer evenings on a cold November day. A television on the wall above the bar was showing an entertainment channel. On screen a crowd of tourists gasped as the Dragon Lord landed his massive bronze beast next to Hyde park corner. A gaggle of journalists and photographers followed his progress as he slid to the ground, and strode towards his date for the evening. A famous young actress who waited for him outside the InterContinental London Park Lane. The hotel was hosting some awards do or other. The starlet looked fragile and ephemeral next to him, her usual presence eclipsed by the man to whom all Dragon Riders in England bowed the knee. As they made their way onto the red carpet, he rested one hand in the small of the actress’s back. Cameras flashed and reporters jostled, desperate to get close to the glittering couple. Emma wanted to throw something at the screen, to shatter the Dragon Lord’s image in the same way his people had shattered her sister.
The heavy door to the pub opened, and a man walked in. He looked meticulously groomed and irritated by life. Perhaps he was handsome behind the peevish expression on his face. He scanned the room, looking for Emma, the woman behind the internet dating profile. She thought that his face fell ever so slightly when he noticed her, with her rumpled, less than fashionable outfit, and hastily applied make-up. Then his expression went completely neutral. One look, she thought, and he had already decided she wouldn’t do, but he would be too polite to simply turn and walk out of the pub.
Emma sighed, wishing she had a device to make herself invisible. Or to disguise herself as a large tattooed balding man.
‘Hello,’ the man approached her table, ‘I’m Tristan, you must be Emma?’
The word ‘no’ hovered on the tip of her tongue. Instead, she rose slightly, jolting a little when her legs were trapped by the heavy table. She ended up in an uncomfortable half standing position.
‘Yes, I’m Emma,’ she said. ‘It’s nice to meet you.’
‘You too,’ he hovered awkwardly, looking around. His suit was sharp, and he looked like he’d spent more money on his haircut than she had on her handbag and shoes combined.
Emma sat and took another sip of her G&T. He nodded at the drink in her hand ‘Do you need another?’
‘No thanks, I’m good for now.’
‘I’ll just go and order.’
Tristan made his way to the bar.
This was going to feel like the longest shortest date ever. Emma didn’t know why she was there. She didn’t really want a relationship, didn’t trust men any more. Unfortunately, at the same time, she didn’t want to be alone with her sadness. She wished she could turn her feelings off completely.
She looked up at the continued footage of the Dragon Lord and his own date. They lived in a different world. No unbearable first dates for people like them. The Dragon Lord’s features were harsh and uncompromising. She wondered why he was there. He certainly didn’t look as if he was enjoying himself.
Tristan returned and sat down opposite her. Cleared his throat and looked around.
‘Horrible weather today,’ he took a sip of his drink.
‘Very gloomy,’ Emma agreed.
They were silent.
Emma’s gaze drifted back to the screen behind him.
Tristan swivelled his head to see what had caught her attention.
‘Are you a fan of the Dragon Lord?’
‘Not especially,’Emma grimaced.
Tristan raised an eyebrow – most people loved the Dragon Lord, and the Dragon Riders he commanded. They were the ultimate celebrities - powerful, attractive, and untouchable. The mystery of immortality swirled around them. Of course people were fascinated.
‘I see too many burns victims at work,’ she said eventually.
‘You’re a doctor right?’
‘Yep, in A&E. I’ve had a fair amount of dragon-related workload in recent weeks.’ She sighed and shook her head. If only that were the whole truth.
‘What do you do for your job?’ she asked, hoping for a subject change. His profile said finance, but that could mean anything.
‘I work for the Dragon Tower actually,’ he shuffled in his seat.
‘Oh.’ Now she felt like she’d put her foot in it, but wasn’t sure she cared.‘What’s that like?’
‘It’s ok,’ he shrugged. ‘Probably not much different to working anywhere else. The mighty Dragon Riders don’t tend to mix with mere mortal employees.’
He was trying to appear nonchalant, but Emma thought there was a bitter edge to his voice.
‘Have you ever met the Dragon Lord?’
‘Once or twice.’
‘Would you want to become a rider?’
‘Probably not.’
It was Emma’s turn to raise an eyebrow. His cheeks went pink and he looked down.
‘Well maybe. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be immortal?’
When the immortal dragons bonded with their riders they shared their longevity.
‘There hasn’t been a Dragon Queen in London for centuries,’ Emma said.
No eggs without a queen. No baby dragons. No chance for any hopefuls to impress upon a dragon and become a rider.
‘There’s a rumour that the African Queen will have a clutch of eggs soon,’ Tristan said.
‘I think the last one was over a decade ago. Did anyone you know travel from London for a chance at impression?’
‘They offered two spots I think. Getting one of them was impossible and neither candidate impressed on a dragon anyway.’
Emma could vaguely remember some fuss about it at the time. There had been a public competition, all televised, following the path of those applying for a chance to bond with a dragon. A stroke of genius from the Dragon Tower Public Relations team. Emma had been too deep into medical finals to care overmuch. Life among the glittering elite had never been for her. In any case, the Dragon Riders surrounded themselves with those in possession of either beauty or power. Ideally both. Perennially rumpled junior doctors need not apply.
‘Do you know why the dragons have been so restless lately?’ Perhaps he might have some inside knowledge on the subject, given he worked in the tower.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Like that incident on Bishopsgate two weeks ago. A dragon duel in the middle of the city? Three people are still on intensive care?’
Three people, including Emma’s sister. Even if she recovered, Jenny’s life would never be the same again.
‘Oh that,’ Tristan waved an arm. ‘That was just unfortunate.’
Emma’s hand clenched on her glass. She couldn’t believe the way he was dismissing what had happened.
‘And there was a similar fight about a month ago,’ she said, conscious of the edge to her voice, but not able to temper it.
‘The Tower just needs some new blood.’
‘Well in that case, let’s hope that someone has success in Africa this time. I don’t want things to get worse.’ If things continued as they were, she feared that London was going to burn.
‘The Dragon Lord will get them under control either way.’
Tristan sounded like he was parroting that line.
Emma glared at him, but let the silence stretch, She didn’t want to get into an argument, or to get more upset.
Tristan seemed oblivious, deep in thought and watching the bubbles rise through his lager. He twisted his glass one way, then the next.
‘A new Queen might not be the best thing for the Dragon Lord in any case,’ he said eventually.
‘What do you mean?’
“Well, if a new Queen bonded with his dragon, then it would consolidate his power. If not, then the rider of whichever dragon she bonded with could challenge the Dragon Lord for his position.’
‘So a new Queen could actually be a threat to him?’
‘Exactly.’
