Chapter 2
The town of Hedgerow is a peculiar place. Typically, in a world where thunder gods and elves and other assorted fantastic creatures are viewed as commonplace there are not huge advances in technology. Perhaps it is because there is so much imagination stomping around the landscape that there is not enough bouncing around inside skulls to come up with harnessing electricity. It would seem that, in many worlds, accepting the fact that trees can express themselves and then walk away goes hand-in-hand with going to the toilet outdoors. This was not so in Hedgerow. As a result, Jenny MacConnor did not take a horse home from her office that night, but instead got in her silver, late-model Pressio and sped off listening to talk radio. She had chosen her car carefully; fancy enough to make an impression, but not so flashy that potential clients thought she overcharged or was susceptible to the trappings of youth. At just 26, Jenny was younger than many of her peers but had already made quite a name for herself. A very sharp mind coupled with the ability to keep a clear head among even the most mystical of creatures made her a force to be reckoned with in almost any courtroom.
Her decision to start a solo practice so early in her career had sparked rumors among old practitioners in smoky rooms. The most popular of these was that far back in the MacConnor bloodlines there were contributions from terrible barbarian tribes. They would point out how ruthless the young MacConnor could be, and how her actions flew in the face of established authority. Typical barbarianism. These talks would eventually digress into fantasies about barbarian princesses, young women clad in a few scraps of leather and chainmail, long flowing hair gleaming bright as gold, red as blood, or black as night. Standing above her vanquished foe, bosom heaving, so on and so forth, until the old men could not take any more excitement and needed a drink and a lie down.
In fact, Jennifer MacConnor could have had a bit of barbarian blood in her, but she didn't know or care to. Genealogy, she felt, was a frivolous waste of time. It was about living in the past and putting on airs and neither of these interested her. What did interest her was her front door, which appeared freshly scratched and slightly ajar as she pulled into her driveway. She crept up the front path and paused at the foot of the three steps leading up to the violated doorjamb. Listening closely she could hear muffled footsteps and the clatter of what were surely her belongings being rifled through. She armed herself with a brick from the edge of the garden and crept through the door. Her attention was immediately drawn to the light pouring from the opened refrigerator. The thief had the gall to eat her food while he ransacked her house? Jenny was livid. The fridge door was swung open towards her and the thief was behind it. The only reason he was still alive was that Jenny couldn't see him yet. "I hope you're enjoying your last meal, buddy." Jenny was not known for her wit and she was too angry to worry about being clever but it got the thief's attention. He slowly peeked out from behind the door.
Jenny had expected a human thief, or at least a humanoid one. She'd heard that dwarves had started breaking into homes for food and treasure and had half expected this to be the same. She was surprised at the head that snaked around the side of the door. It literally snaked, as it was attached to a neck that was long enough to get a foot and a half away from the door's edge without a hint of shoulder. The head was a bit boxy, with a long snout. Both the head and neck were covered in blue-gray scales that were glinting in the light from the stricken fridge. Huge yellow eyes glowed at her from below two sharp looking horns that pointed back from the head and a pair of orange eyebrows raised in surprise. A chicken bone stuck out from the side of the mouth, but quickly disappeared with a flash of dozens of sharp teeth and a sickening crunch. It swallowed and then there was a small puff of smoke from the nostrils.
The dragon smiled at Jenny.
Jenny threw the brick at it.