The Tynder Crown Chronicles, Season One: Episode One: The Tynder Crown Chronicles (The Tynder Crown Chronicles, A Novella Series Book 1) by Wendy Owens Page B

to Terg and continues her probing, “How do you know you were robbed?”
    “Let’s see, doll, how does anyone know? One minute they’re filthy rich, and the next they’ve got nothing. My treasure is gone!”
    “I’m so sorry.” I marvel at how she even sounds sincere when she says it.
    “I know who took it,” he adds.
    “So why not just go get it back? Idiot!” I snap.
    “You think I’m stupid?” Terg flails his hands wildly. “I know what will happen if I do that. I’ll be the one rotting for breaking Fae rules in a dispute.”
    “So tell me, who took your treasure?” Piper continues, ignoring the tension between Terg and myself.
    “Walter Trunkwater,” he announces with satisfaction. Even I recognize the name.
    “Wait, the billionaire?” I scoff.
    “You say billionaire, I say thief,” he answers swiftly.
    Piper moves closer to Terg, and I wonder how she tolerates the odor that close. “What makes you say that?”
    “Really? Isn’t it obvious? He’s a treasure troll. He’s been after my stash since we were kids. In college, he pretended to be my friend, but all he really wanted to do was get close enough to swipe the gems my grandmother left me.” Somehow I have trouble imagining Terg with a grandmother.
    “Okay, you did the right thing by coming to us. We’ll take care of it from here. Where can we reach you?” Piper asks.
    “Oh no, I’m not going anywhere until I get my treasure back.”
    “What?” I stiffen upright. “The hell you aren’t!”
    Piper steps in between us as I lunge in his direction. She looks me in the eyes as she says, “Why don’t we go back to Josiah’s place until we figure this out?”
    “What? This is my apartment,” I argue.
    “Get what you need, and we can stay at Joe’s; plus, he has all the books and everything else we could possibly need to try and figure out what to do next.”
    “I know exactly what to do next,” I growl through gritted teeth.
    “Please,” she begs me with her eyes.
    Looking around the apartment, it finally dawns on me. What can I possibly want in this place? It’s roach-infested, filthy, the hot water is hit or miss, the fridge doesn’t even work properly. Piper’s right. Terg can stay in this place as long as he wants. I’m leaving it, and I don’t plan to ever come back.
    I say nothing, cross over to the only closet, and pull out a black duffle bag. It contains all of my important possessions—the only trinkets left from my parents. “Fine, let’s go.”
    “What about your clothes?” Piper asks.
    I nod in Terg’s direction. “He needs them more than me.”
    He mumbles something under his breath as we walk out the door, but I don’t care enough to react.
    “You know, these are your clients. It’s your job to keep them happy, or you have to answer to The Council,” Piper informs, following me down the stairs and out the door.
    “Let them ask their questions. Nobody tells me what to do or how to live.”
    “The Council does. That’s what being a Magistrate is. Josiah made it that way.”
    “Like I said, let them try. I do what I want. I’ll play their little game for now, but I’m here to figure out who in the hell killed Joe, and once I do, I’m out,” I answer boldly. I kind of feel like a badass saying the words.
    “You need to be careful, Tynder. Neither The Council nor The Queen are to be trifled with.”
    “We’ll see.” I smile.
    Piper laughs apprehensively. “I have a feeling my life is never going to be the same now that I’ve met you.”
    “God, I hope not. It sounded pretty lame before.” I turn and begin to walk in the same direction we just came from.

I GAZE UP AT THE massive building towering above us. The sunlight is beaming on the walls of glass, and I am questioning for about the hundredth time in recent days if I am going mad. The moment we’d hit Joe’s place yesterday, Piper was in full-speed research mode. I think she may have looked through every one of those old,