Page 22 of The Timeless Vigilante

It was one of the women who she’d followed through the time gate in 1426. When Gen had met Liv and Rose Beaufont in her timeline, she instinctively knew that something was wrong about them. Therefore, she followed the two women, stepping through a time gate to the twenty-first century, not realizing that she’d entered a world that she could never leave. And here she was, living a life with her relatives, six hundred years in the future, with the dragon’s egg she’d buried all that time ago. Things sort of worked out, after all, Gen believed.

Rose Beaufont, Clark’s daughter, was a Mortal Seven for the House of Fourteen. When Gen and her father, William, created the magical organization, it was composed of seven magician families, involving one councilor and one warrior from each for a total of fourteen. But over time, they realized that mortals needed to be involved for balance.

Then something horrid happened and mortals in the world wanted magic and sacrificed their souls for it—becoming witches and warlocks. That’s when things turned really dark on the globe, but Rose and her husband, London Carraway, fixed all that, eradicating witchcraft for good.

Presently, Rose was pregnant with the key to fixing the balance. As the first and only half magicians and half mortals in the world, Rose and London had created what Mama Jamba called the perfect race. Their children’s blood would allow all races to blend. It was the antidote to the separateness that had caused wars and divides since the beginning of time. Since Gen had been born there had always been battles between the races, but Rose and London’s children were prophesied to fix all that—finally.

“Good to see you,” Gen said, hugging the woman who she knew little about and loved dearly, like a sister.

“You too, Time Traveler,” Rose replied, her long blonde hair flowing over her shoulders. She was only a month or so pregnant and therefore still working as a Mortal Seven, wearing her black armored suit and looking as beautiful as ever. But what was really remarkable about her was the red Chinese dragon who always floated by her shoulder.

Elvis was like a flying comedian but also the reason that Gen knew her father and sister, as Founders, watched from the Land of Chimera. That’s what Elvis actually was—a chimera. However, he was disguised in tiny dragon form.

It was a strange arrangement but apparently, the Founders of the House of Fourteen decided that the Mortal Seven who usually didn’t have magic, needed a way to protect themselves, so they were given chimeras. At will, these creatures disguised in animal form could transform into giant lions with a serpent as a tail and a goat’s head on their back. They were fierce protectors of the Mortal Sevens they were assigned to by the Founders.

Rose, of course, as a halfling had magic, but she also had her chimera and because of her powers, Elvis could talk and was the strangest chimera in the world.

He communicated with the Elders, or rather Founders of the House of Fourteen, in the Land of Chimera and had confirmed that William and Elizabeth were there, looking down on them all and making appointments to the various organizations like the House of Fourteen, Dragon Elite, FGA and Rogue Riders.

“Did it hurt?” the floating red dragon asked Gen, looking over Rose’s shoulder.

“What?” Gen asked, wondering if she missed something.

“Did it hurt?” Elvis repeated. “You know, when you fell from heaven.”

Rose groaned. “I’m sorry. His thing right now is pick up lines. It’s his gimmick and it’s killing my spirit.”

“Pick up lines,” Gen mused. “So do you mean ways that men make themselves more presentable to women?”

“I like the way you put things,” Sophia said, smiling. “And yes, that’s right.”

“I like the way you put things too,” Elvis said, floating over closer to Gen, batting his eyes at her. “Also, are you a magician?”

Gen’s brow furrowed with confusion. “Well, yeah, I’m a Beaufont.”

“I thought so,” Elvis replied, wiggling in the air like a flying snake. “Because you make everyone disappear.”

Gen and the other women laughed. Subner grunted, flipping the page of his book. He always sat behind the glass counter at the back, pretending to read a book and eavesdropping on the conversation, usually making snide remarks under his breath.

“Are you the plague?” Subner asked, not looking up from the yellowed page. “Because you’re killing me.”

“Oh, you’re feeling left out, aren’t you?” Elvis sang, zooming over in the Protector of Weapon’s direction. “I’ve got a line for you.”

“Did you bring me here to meet with Subner?” Gen asked, pointing at the grouchy man, but looking at Sophia. “Is he going to help me find a weapon?”

Sophia shook her head. “I brought you here to see Rose. She has your weapon.”

“She has my weapon,” Subner muttered, flipping the page as Elvis settled down on the counter next to him, uninvited. The Chinese dragon didn’t seem to care that he was making a mess, scattering papers and objects as he got comfortable, like a cat taking their space up high.

Gen blinked at Rose, confused. “What? What does he mean?”

Rose waved at the man, dismissively. “He’s just mad because I was given Bellumferrum and I won’t let him have it. I was told by its previous owner that it was to be given to a magician who was pure of heart. I didn’t know who that was but now I realize that must be you.”

“Oh, Bellumferrum,” Gen said, enjoying the way the word rolled off her tongue. “That’s a nice name…”

Rose nodded, pulling something small from her pocket. “It means Weapon of War. And it’s probably the most powerful tool in existence.”

“Which is why it should be mine,” Subner murmured as Elvis continued to roll around on the counter, making a real mess.

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