The Dragon, the Witch, and the Railroad by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough

Author:Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: magic, railroad, trolls, witch, dragon, curse, castles, wraiths, elizabeth ann scarborough, lampwork bead
Publisher: Gypsy Shadow Publishing, LLC

Border Station: Brazoria

“Next stop Border Station. The train will take on water and fuel for the firebeasts, so passengers may go into the station for three quarters of an hour and avail themselves of refreshments provided by local merchants.”

Much as she enjoyed the train ride, the monotony had become tiresome and Verity thought she might like it if the floor beneath her stood still when she did for a few minutes at least.

Stepping off the train, she watched it stop at the water tower and then to the castle-tower-like silo that she supposed must hold the dragon feed. The Archives held many tales of times when dragons had eaten livestock and even people, but it was difficult to think of them as the fierce predators they were supposed to have been. They seemed more than content with their feed, totally unlike the ferocious warrior beasts she’d encountered in her vision at Blazing Bog. To her regret, the food was carried into the huge domed engine room for the dragons’ consumption and they did not venture outside to stretch their legs and get a breath of fresh air. Now that she knew their names, she wanted to see their colors for herself, but it was not to be.

Disappointed, she looked back down the length of the train. There were only the two passenger cars hitched to the engine now—the saloon car and the sleeper car. The rest of the train consisted of freight cars and boxcars. The door to one was partially open and she thought she heard voices coming from it. One said, “Fly?” and the other said, “Shhh.” Maybe a couple of railroad personnel were talking on the other side of the tracks, behind the train. But, no, that open door was tempting. Not as tempting as watching train dragons feed but still… she was curious. Her foot was poised to step down from the platform when Ephemera grabbed her elbow. “The porter says the food here is quite good. Let’s go see.”

“I was just…”

“Yes, I see. You were about to step off into the drift beside the tracks. It’s not a very good idea. I suspect the drift along the embankment here is quite deep.”

And she was firmly turned back toward the station.

It consisted of nothing more than a small room with long benches against the walls and a booth for a ticket seller. A table in the middle of the floor was spread with bread, cheese, dried fruit, and roast potatoes on a stick. One woman was doing a brisk business in jams, jellies, and pickled almost everything.

“Boooard,” the conductor cried, “Allll aboard.”

Grabbing a last loaf of bread and a jar of jam, Ephemera herded Verity back to the train.

The sun was setting, and Ephemera said she was going to have a proper sleep in their compartment. The extra blankets and sheepskins she had brought from Wormroost Castle were duly fetched from the baggage compartment and piled onto the two bunks within.

Verity lingered in the main saloon

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