Jake's Justice, Book Three of Wizards by John Booth Read Free Book Online Page A

get the money?” I asked.
    “Think years rather than months, boy. Treasure trove isn’t decided overnight.”
    “I think its wizard that Jake will have to keep coming here while we sort it all out,” Betty said cheerfully. “I can see him coming quite a lot.”
    I kept my groan mental. How did I get myself into these things? And I was no nearer to getting the money to buy Jenny a house.

7.            Complications
     
    I arrived in the Bat Cave and dropped onto the beaten up couch with a heartfelt sigh. Throwing the broken metal detector into a corner I wondered what I’d tell Malcolm when I next saw him, but when it came right down to it a broken toy was the least of my problems.
    Before I left the Hardy’s, Mr. Hardy had arranged for us to meet an archaeologist to come to the farm the next day at two o’clock. The archaeologist would determine what our objects were worth and look at the hole we’d taken the pot out of. Apparently, if he thought the hoard was worth anything, then we could apply for treasure trove. As the finder, I had to be on the farm tomorrow to make the claim.
    I’d beat a hasty retreat as Betty indicated she was up for seconds and I was already certain that the firsts had been a disastrous mistake. Mam had a way of sensing when I’d done something wrong and as for my wives, well; Esmeralda’s forensic ability could detect a single foreign body hair on my clothes. That only left the Bat Cave as a place to go and lick my wounds.
    The Bat Cave was the massive place I’d found for Fluffy in the mountains when he had grown too big to hide at home. It had a launch platform hidden by magic that he used when he went out hunting for sheep. The local shepherds lost a lot of sheep and were always moaning about it. They believed there was a big cat, like a lion or a panther roaming the hills and killing their stock.
    [Jake.] Judging by the smoke swirling around me (with just a hint of mutton mixed in with the sweet smell of dragon oil) my dragon was displeased with me.
    “What have I done now?”
    [You vanished on Jenny this morning, and don’t think for a minute that Esmeralda doesn’t know what you two have been up to.]
    “I’m not sure that what I do with my wives is any of your business.” There were limits to friendship and Fluffy was pushing it. I was feeling guilty enough as it was without him rubbing it in.
    [It is not. Nor do I care about your mating habits. Though you should wash the female’s scent from your body before you see either of your wives. The point I am making is that when you vanished on Jenny, you vanished on me. Have you forgotten that I am tasked with protecting the multiverse from you and your mistakes?]
    He moved his head closer to me and nudged me with his nose. [This is serious, Jake. I need to stay close to you.]
    “You were keeping an eye on me through Jenny?”
    [I always do.]
    “I returned to Earth and had a home cooked breakfast from Mam, borrowed a metal detector from Malcolm, which I’ve broken, found some buried treasure and fought a knight from another world equipped with sword and amour that negates magic.” I summarized. “And it isn’t tea time yet.
    [Only stopping on the way to take a maiden’s virginity after you vanquished the knight?]
    “She wasn’t?” I was shocked.
    Fluffy sniffed me again. [No, she wasn’t.] He sounded almost disappointed. [Who was this alien Knight?]
    “Called himself Sir Grendon and claimed to be a member of the Knights of Justice for the Diamond Worlds. Bit of a nutcase, but he knew who I was and claimed to be carrying out a legal death sentence on me.”
    Fluffy screwed up his face and I knew he was communicating with all the other Dragons because I’d seen him do it before. According to Fluffy, it wasn’t like a conversation, more like searching a library of all their shared knowledge. I knew it must be stronger than that though, because I knew they would know instantly if something happened to