With Delivery finished, I turned my attention to the second genre selected by my patrons, a historical fiction. The moment I found this genre amongst the top three for the month, my mind started whirling, seeking to find a story to explore the world of my dragon riders, such as Solomon. Despite grounding this series inside America’s past, specifically the late 1800s, I’ve injected some color by weaving both magic and dragons into the narratives. While these allow me to leverage some flair and a slight shading of the historical norms, I try to lean into the history.
While sometimes that’s simply leveraging things I’ve seen about the time, other times I do more intensive searches into the facts of the period. Using those facts as anchors for these tales. To highlight that drive, I have constantly checked to see if some trinkets I’ve woven into the narratives are correct for the period, including the money, though I’m sure I have made a few errors along the way. However, I want to leverage the past to help ground this collection, so I have gone searching for prices of things my rider might have to buy.
With all that said, please join me as we follow Samuel on the latest installment of his journeys.
Having used his Sanctuary relic to prevent his death at the hand of an outlaw’s family, Samuel heads to New York in search of a replacement…
As Pearl’s talons settled on the smooth marble slab, Samuel hopped off her back and rubbed the dragon’s long neck. The beast curled her head about, bumping it against Samuel’s chest. His eyes flicked about the immense structure, noting the numerous sleeping dragons stretching out in both directions. “Enjoy your stay, Pearl. I’ll be tied up with Randal for some time.”
A hearty laugh roared over the din of the slumbering mounts before giving way to a gravelly voice. “Typically, a guest should ensure he’s welcome before intruding upon the stable’s master. He might have grown tired of your constant interruptions.”
Samuel patted Pearl’s hide before hopping off the platform. The instant his feet slammed into the soft ground, he whirled about and grasped the portly fellow’s shoulders before pulling the older man into an embrace. A few seconds later, he released his grasp and smiled. “Randal, I know you have both the time and the disposition to rebuild my magical stockpile, you cantankerous old wizard.”
Soft laughter seeped through Randal’s mouth as he studied Samuel’s majestic beast. With a thunderous snap, he shook his head at one of the stable hands, who was guiding a sheep up the platform. “I think you’ll find a cow the better meal for this rider’s dragon.”
“Most prefer saving coin while about their business.”
Samuel turned towards the youthful worker while he withdrew two small gold coins from his pocket. With a broad grin, he tossed them at the young man. “Bring Pearl a plump beast, and I’ll settle up before we leave.”
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