The Mapmakers Union (The Doorknob Society Saga Book 3) by MJ Fletcher Read Free Book Online Page B

Tavern at the End of Time. My first call was going to be to Edgar to see what he had come up with, and then I planned to check some books out of the library at Paladin Academy. I had a feeling that the Old Kind would never be releasing their books in an e-reader format.
    I pulled up my hoodie to keep the cold out and made my way back out toward the main drag of the Diesel Factories to open a portal back to Cape May. Mrs. Nightshade had been right, the leather jacket was keeping me nice and warm and I was glad to be wearing it.
    I turned a corner and found myself on the main drag of the Factories. The nearest business was Mike’s Tavern, a Skeleton Key Guild bar. I pulled my doorknob out and turned toward the closest wall looking to make a swift exit and get home.
    “Hey, who do you think you are?” Someone grabbed my arm and spun me around. It was a girl who seemed oddly familiar. She had dark hair and was wearing a long dark coat. Then it dawned on me that I had met her the one time I had visited Mike’s Tavern.
    “Can I help you?” I asked annoyed that she had laid a hand on me.
    She raised her voice and pointed at me. “Who the hell do you think you are wearing Nightshade’s jacket?”
    “It’s none of your god damn business,” I said through clenched teeth.
    “It is when some DS punk thinks that she can keep something that belonged to a Guilder who she got killed!”
    Anger surged through me and it took tremendous restraint not knock her teeth out where she stood.
    “Back off now or you’ll regret it,” I seethed, my hand clenching around my doorknob tightly.
    “Your cousin isn’t here to protect you this time,” she spat and I heard the door of Mike’s Tavern slam as more Guilders walked out and stood ready to fight. Things were going badly very quickly.
    “You think I need my cousin to take care of a bug like you, Guilder?” There I go shooting my mouth off and making the situation worse.
    “Take off the jacket,” she yelled and some of the others joined in mumbling about me wearing Nightshade’s leather.
    I grinned and looked her straight in the eye. “Never.”
    She stepped forward, her hand snaking out and grabbing the cuff of the jacket. I twisted my hand around forcing her to lose her grip and grabbed her wrist. I turned to the side; thrust my leg out giving her a hard kick in the gut that lifted her off the ground. She gurgled like a fountain spigot, moaned, and stumbled backward. I stood with my fists clenched ready for an attack, but the stunned looks on the faces of those around me held more fright than fight.
    “Who’s next?” I shouted.
    “You bitch.”
    My would-be assailant had regained her footing, though not her senses, and had her hand on her skeleton key ready to activate her powers.
    “Don’t do it,” I warned. But she didn’t listen, she flicked her hand and I felt the flow of energy as the key began to glow and tendrils of energy dripped off it.
    “You don’t deserve to wear his jacket.”
    The energy leaped from her key forming a long curved blade that she spun around as if showing off her skills. It was obvious that she was well-practiced, but one thing I’ve learned is that practice and a genuine fight are two totally different things.
    “Get her, Darla!” One of the bystanders shouted and with a quick cursory look around I saw that the crowd had grown considerably larger. I needed to end this and get out of Dodge quickly.
    “Not so tough now, huh?” Darla smirked.
    The fool took my brief hesitation to evaluate my options for the next best tactical maneuver as a sign of weakness. She was in for quite a surprise.
    “Surrender the jacket and I won’t have to hurt you,” she sneered and the crowd laughed and hollered their approval.
    Surrender. Wrong word to use on me. I didn’t bother to respond. I twisted my wrist and my azure energy whip shot out from my doorknob.  I spun it up over my head in an arc and brought it down towards her face. Darla raised her