Total pages in book: 45
Estimated words: 42796 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 214(@200wpm)___ 171(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42796 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 214(@200wpm)___ 171(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
May took one and nibbled at it as if stretching out the pleasure of eating it. Finally, she looked up and said, “It’s going to be hard to find him. They obviously knew I’d be dead if I followed your instructions. They may be out of town by now.”
“Oh, they’re still in town. They want to be close to the dragons and no one is getting in now without a tie to Wyvern. Anyone they’ve got on the inside is going to hang around. We just need to find them,” Rogan said, taking a cookie. He ate one bite and nodded. “These are good,” he remarked before handing the rest to Brooks to finish.
“Could we keep a couple for Edwin? You know, if we find him?” May asked quietly.
“Silly me! We should have kept the whole package for the celebration when the dragons find him,” Elenore said, jumping back to her feet. “I have a few plastic bags with zippers. I’ll seal it in that for us to eat later.”
Hope filled May’s eyes. They had to find her brother.
Rogan sent the description out to the dragons as they met with the community leaders. Perhaps that would help someone. The odds were low that anything would help. Finding and eliminating these recreants became more important every day.
Chapter 13
Hey! Can anyone come flame me? Keres requested through the horde’s communication connection.
I’m on my way, Drake replied, without asking questions.
What’s going on, Keres? Rogan demanded.
A hazmat suit fell into my possession, so I explored that building, Keres explained. If Drake can blast me from a distance, I’ll be able to take it off without harming myself or him. And, as a bonus, we can use it again.
A hazmat suit? Rogan repeated in amazement. His mind battled between amazement at Keres’ creativity in coming up with this solution to getting inside with a semblance of safety and his exasperation that Keres had done exactly what the horde had decided not to do.
Seemed like it might be handy someday.
Did you find anything, Keres? Drake asked.
Lots. Come join me and I’ll show you, Keres invited.
Rogan quickly filled in Brooks before adding, “I’m not taking you with me, Adventurer—just in case there’s a risk of contamination.”
“If anyone is low on life force, it’s you,” Brooks suggested.
“I’ll stay back. I’m not doing that again.”
“Keep me informed?” Brooks asked.
“You bet. Give me a kiss and I’ll be off.”
When he got there, Rogan discovered the other dragons had chosen not to bring their mates, either. No one trusted the black dragon. Drake had already torched Keres. The black dragon had draped the now-steaming protective suit over a bush to cool down. Keres’s plan seemed to have worked without exposing himself to the powder.
“Oldrik thought of flapping our wings to send any smoke back into the building,” Ardon explained as Keres walked forward.
“So, the place was booby trapped. I got covered by the dust five times. They weren’t taking chances. I managed to get a look at a map left on the table. Bringing it out without transporting the toxins with it posed a challenge, so I stood and studied it. Here.” Keres sent a mental image through their link.
“That seems suspicious to lead us to their newest hideout,” Argenis said.
“Definitely. But, it’s the only major clue I found. Other than a large collection number of one specific brand of tools,” Keres said. “I paid attention when I noticed the same logo. Does anyone have a clue where they sell Snap-Ons wrenches and screwdrivers?”
“Ask the mates. One of them will know,” Drake suggested.
The dragons all fell quiet. A few minutes later, Khadar reported, “Lalani says her mother’s neighbor had a Snap-On tool truck parked in the driveway.”
“Luckily, I dropped Aurora off at her parents’ house. Her dad reports Wyvern didn’t have a Snap-On store. Dealers distributed it to mechanics directly,” Drake reported.
“Why do I guess that truck was where the Petersons lived?” Ardon asked.
“It has to be close at least. Maybe on the other side of Lalani’s mother’s house?” Khadar suggested. “I don’t remember seeing one there when I was dealing with them.”
“It could have been moved to bring the tools closer to the work area after the change,” Drake suggested. “I moved a bunch of trailers for the workers when they consolidated things together into a tool library. I don’t remember that one, but maybe?”
“So, it could be something in the neighbors’ place or in the new location,” Rogan said. “Keres? You up to wearing that suit again?”
“Tomorrow would be better. It’s scorching hot still. I don’t want it to melt on my skin and drive away my future mate,” the black dragon joked.
“Good idea,” Argenis said. “I’ll fly over the gathered supplies to see if the truck is there tonight and report back. The supervisors will have a log of whether we went there. Someone should check out the place on the map—or at least go peek from a distance as if we were gathering intel.”