Free The Tynder Crown Chronicles, Season One: Episode One: The Tynder Crown Chronicles (The Tynder Crown Chronicles, A Novella Series Book 1) by Wendy Owens Page A

don’t know me very well, do you? I don’t do plans,” I inform her, shaking my head.
    She grimaces. “You know, you could try being a little nicer to people. I’ve found the nicer you are, the more likely they are to cooperate.”
    “How about you do it your way, and I’ll do it my way,” I suggest. Pulling out payment for the driver, I wait for the car to come to a stop, then shove it through the little box, sling open the door, and jump out.
    I peer around at our surroundings. There is a club over on Vine I used to frequent with an ex-boyfriend. Looking at the filthy, trash-lined streets, I suddenly remember why I stopped coming here after we split. “Are you sure this is safe?” Piper asks, moving in close to my body.
    “It is for me; you said I was nearly invincible,” I reply and walk down the block toward the neon light of Susie’s Diner. Piper is on my heels like a puppy, making sure the gap between us never widens.
    “A little space won’t kill you,” I suggest, turning and facing the blue door with the number 515 scrolled across the top of it in dried paint. I reach out and turn the knob, commenting, “Damn, it’s locked.”
    “Here, let me,” Piper begins, pushing me aside. Pulling out a small stick she has concealed inside her inner jacket pocket, I watch in amazement as she flicks her wrist and commands “ Recludo .” And the door pops open.
    “How did you do that?” I gasp, but she smiles at me and wastes no time entering the small apartment.
    I follow, closing the door behind me and switching on the lights. “Seriously,” I continue, “how in the hell did you do that?”
    “I’m a Witch, remember?”
    “You can actually do stuff? I just kind of thought it was what you called yourself, or maybe you were really into herbs or something.”
    She laughs. “Nope, actual magic. But herbs can be very helpful.”
    “That’s amazing,” I proclaim, but it’s clear I’m making her uncomfortable. I look around the small apartment and note, “No wonder he didn’t want to leave my crap-hole studio … this place is an absolute dump. So, why, if a goblin has a treasure, does he live in a place like this?”
    Piper shakes her head, walking around the room and looking at every little detail. “They all do. Goblins are notoriously cheap. He could have had a fortune and just never wanted to spend a penny of it. After all, you’re only as rich as what you possess.”
    “That’s stupid; who would think like that?” I grumble.
    “Terg,” she suggests.
    “God, that smell, it’s like permanently attached to any place he goes,” I remark, covering my nose and mouth.
    “Goblins aren’t exactly known for their hygiene.”
    “Let’s just look around, and get the hell out of here as fast as we can,” I snarl.
    I start in the kitchen, looking through all of the cabinets and drawers for any sign of this supposed treasure. From the corner of my eye I see Piper head through a door to what I can only assume is Terg’s bedroom. Shifting into the living room, I begin tossing the junk around, the smell churning my stomach wildly. The stuff this guy holds on to … bottle caps, a box of thousands of keys—it’s like he’s never thrown anything away.
    “Tynder!” Piper exclaims. I drop the stack of paper flyers I’m holding and rush into the bedroom.
    “What’s wrong?” I gasp, fists raised into the air.
    “I think I found where the treasure was,” she answers, motioning toward a bench at the end of the bed. On top there is a dust imprint around where a perfect rectangle would have been. “A goblin would keep it close to him, even while he sleeps.”
    “This guy gets more pathetic the more I learn about him,” I moan, falling to my knees in front of the bench. Little bits of dust and trash litter the top of the bench, except for where we assume the treasure had been located. I move in closer to inspect the surface, shifting the trash around, careful not to disturb any possible