The Greatest Dragonrider in the West 2: A Wild West Fantasy Adventure (Rise of the Dragonrider Mage) by Trevor Arctus

Author:Trevor Arctus [Arctus, Trevor]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-03-19T00:00:00+00:00

— Thirty —

That’s How We Stay Alive

It took days to get into Groverton, Kentucky, and it was like the entire train collectively held its breath, counting down until the moment we roared in for the stop. Soft rain dripped on the windows, obscuring our view. That didn’t matter. We could still see the hazy lights in the distance, getting larger than we thought possible.

“Aw, what a darling little kitty,” an older woman cooed next to me and Tez cocked his head on my shoulder.

A low growl built up in Winter’s throat.

I placed my hand on Winter’s back, and she stilled instantly. I tipped my hat to the old woman complimenting my dragon, even if she didn’t know it. “Much obliged. He’s a handful.”

“No, this one’s a handful,” Mabel muttered. Penelope wasn’t one for resting calmly on someone’s shoulder, gazing down at the masses. The best we could do was keep her in was in Mabel’s handbag, still trying to squeeze her light blue head from between the clasps. Her head reappeared again, and Mabel pushed at her snout with her thumb. The dragon snorted and fell back into the bag.

“We’re coming up close!” Kit’s tail thumped against me. “We’re slowing down!”

Leona was quiet next to me but she gave me a look that said everything I needed to know. Both of us were tense. We didn’t know what to expect once the train came to a stop. I’d been to Groverton, Kentucky, but not for many years. Last time my boots had set foot in this town, it was half a dozen buildings and an ornery sheriff who’d couldn’t pay off his own town’s bounty because they didn’t have enough gold in the bank.

The lights we saw in the distance didn’t look anything like I remembered.

“Isn’t this exciting?” Ernest tried to chuckle, drawing a dusty cigar from his jacket pocket. Ever since we’d read the eggshells, he’d stayed with us, keeping a respectful distance. “Just exciting!”

Tez dug his claws into my shoulder when the train came to its final, whistling stop. The entire dining car was packed with everyone standing up. Large feather hats and anticipation filled the air, everyone counting down the seconds.

The doors to the train opened.

“Remember, we ain’t separating,” I called out to my traveling party.

“Understood!” Kit reaffirmed. “Absolutely no separating, not one step out of bounds, not a little—oh…goddamn.”

Instantly, I understood. Groverton, Kentucky was nothing like I expected.

In the last couple of years, Groverton had erupted from half a dozen buildings into long city blocks of brick and stone. Enormous flower bouquets hung over the walkways, and as much as the rain dripped down on us, so did the flower petals, mixing perfume in the air. The streets were clogged with people and music. Men with banjos hung off some of the balconies over the tallest houses, playing in a singular tune that welcomed everyone off the train and into the madness.

First, we needed to retrieve our luggage.

I grabbed Kit’s dress when she stumbled to a stop among the crowd and tugged her back, to where they were offloading the biggest luggage.

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