Chapter One: Dangerous Woman
"She was beautiful, but she was beautiful in the way a forest fire is beautiful."
1930; Frankfurt, Germany
The cloying smell of candy and sweets and baked goods was almost overwhelming in the bright summer sun. Vendors shouted advertisements and prices as citizens milled about and took in the sights. Some had ovens blazing, filling the streets with the sweet scent of meats and desserts. Merchants had carts and booths set up along the worn cobblestone streets, displaying all manner of trinkets and toys and gifts to families.
Confetti rained from the skies, and children shrieked in delight as a massive dragon costume on sticks paraded down the streets. It was almost comical, in its multicolored, shimmering scales and goofy googly eyes jingling with bells and streamers as the people underneath the prop shook it up and down.
A small boy of about six years old trailed a blue and yellow streamer behind him in one hand, and the other smeared with the remnants of a cotton candy cone. He laughed wildly as his mother watched on with an exasperated smile. He skipped and hopped between children and families, sticky fingers now both latched firmly onto his streamer, dropping the candy cone in a nearby trashcan.
It was the celebration of the Dragon Festival, the one day a year that people came together and dressed in costumes and put on parades.
The boy caught sight and sound of a trail of bells attached to a smaller dragon kite that a young girl was trailing behind her, the goofy head of the dragon bouncing in the light breeze. A delighted grin crossed his face as he trotted after, intent on asking where the smaller child had gotten the delightful toy; that was until he heard a booming voice.
"WATCH OUT!" The boy looked up and saw several people rushing towards him, his mother reaching for him in horror. Why was she so scared? That was when he saw the out-of-control cart that was careening towards him. The brakes had broken, the vendor losing control of it. And it was going to crush him.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed a handful of his suspenders and shirt and yanked him backward. He was caught in arms clad in the long sleeves of a coat, feet dangling as his savior stepped in front of the cart and raised their gloved hand. The cart crashed into it and stopped dead in its tracks, but the boy barely felt the jolt of the impact. People let out surprised shouts, and the boy was set down safely on his feet. He turned, shaken slightly but curious as to see who had saved him.
A woman, a young woman with blazing red hair, swept back neatly into a curled updo with her curls pinned at the nape of her neck. She wore a pale pink cocktail hat with roses atop her hair, a string of pearls around her neck. Her long overcoat was a light gray and a thick wool despite the heat. A pair of white gloves brought the entire look together. A pair of dark sunglasses hid her eyes, and her mouth, lined with ruby red, was curled in a smirk.
"Watch out, little boy. We wouldn't want you getting hurt." She said, peeking over her glasses and giving him a wink before turning and seemingly melting away into the bustling crowd. The boy's mother burst through the crowd ogling at the pronounced handprint shape in the cart. She wrapped her son up in a tight hug, tears streaming down her face.
"My boy! Oh, my boy, I thought I lost you!" She all but wept, but the boy wasn't scared or shaken anymore. He was confused.
"Mother, was that lady a part of the parade?" He asked, eyes searching for the mysterious woman who had saved his life and then disappeared. His mother pulled back to look for the woman.
"I don't believe so. Why are you wondering, dear?" The boy hesitated, chewing on his thumbnail before answering.
"Well… Her eyes were yellow…."
…
The air was alive with the scent of smoke and wine and the smooth sounds of a lounge singer crooning into the smoky bar.
The woman with the fiery red hair looked starkly out of place in her pretty pink dress. She sat in a booth to herself, her coat shed over the edge of the seat and exposing the pale pink cocktail dress and matching pumps underneath. Her eyes were hidden behind dark cat-eye sunglasses that she didn't remove even in the dimly lit area. Her white gloves remained on, her hands holding a glass of wine that she swirled in hand. One delicate leg remained crossed over the other as the mysterious woman waited for someone, head cocked towards the door.
Every single person in that room was some kind of criminal: burglar, murderer, drug dealer, all except her. She sat pretty with her string of pearls around her neck and sunglasses, but she seemed completely relaxed. Whispers were heard throughout the room as people took cautious glances at the woman in the corner. She was quite out of place looking, in her cocktail dress and pumps among the no doubt criminals and gang members. However, no one attempted to talk to the woman.
The door to the bar swung open with a booming bang, and all whispers went silent. A tall man swept in like a hurricane, shoving and brushing people aside like leaves in the wind as if they didn't exist. His dark hair shown in the faint light, and his deep red eyes scanned the room. He was dressed in a neat black and red suit, his broad shoulders cloaked in what looked like a cape of feathers.
A younger man followed shortly behind him, his silver hair a stark contrast and puckered scars showing up pink and white against his pale skin. The younger man was dressed in tatters, shoulders slightly hunched as if reluctant to be there. Red eyes met the sunglasses, and the tall man slid into the booth, the younger man staying standing behind the man's left shoulder. The woman swirled her glass in one singular circle before raising it to her lips and taking a long sip before setting it down and extending a hand.
"Miss Idris Tana, what a pleasure that you could meet with me." The taller man said, gently grasping her hand before kissing it. The woman gave a single nod,
"Yevgraf. What a pleasure you could meet with me yourself instead of sending that blond donkey of a man Kershner. Though I do have to say, he is much more attractive." She withdrew her hand, and her red lips curled into a closed-mouth smile.
'Yevgraf' sat forward with his hands clasped, lips pursed as he said nothing towards her little jab. Her smile widened, and she tilted her head,
"Now, what have you summoned me here for? Surely not for a little chat or to catch up. I was having such a lovely breakfast over in New York when I received your summons yesterday." Her lips pulled into a pout, the expression still looking quite beautiful.
The younger man behind Yevgraf frowned, New York was on the other side of the world, and it should've taken much longer than a day to get to their location. However, Yevgraf seemed to remember the reason for their meeting and gestured towards the woman.
"A little birdie was chirping in my neck of the woods that you had information on the Arc of Sirius," Yevgraf explained, and the woman tilted her head as she noticed the younger man stiffen.
"I very well might, but we all know I won't give up that information for a price. And a hefty price at that." She picked up her wine glass and took another sip as Yevgraf pulled a small pouch from his suit pocket and set it on the table. It jingled with something inside, and the woman visibly perked up. Reaching with curious hands, she delicately opened the bag, and gems trickled out. She spilled them into the palm of her white-gloved hand, and she inspected them, turning them over and over in the dim light. The mix of diamonds and rubies and crystals glittered in her hands, and the men heard a slow purr rumble from the woman's throat.
"Absolutely gorgeous." She breathed and brought them closer to inspect them. Yevgraf smiled then, a wide menacing smile that made his eyes almost glow red. "However, I don't believe it will be enough." The woman's words wiped off the sinister smile on his face as fast as it appeared,
"Excuse me?" The woman sighed at Yevgraf's accusatory tone as she tipped the jewels back into the bag.
"Do you really think I am stupid enough to give up the location or information on something that could bring the end of the world in the right hands for a sack of jewels?" She reached up with a gloved hand and pulled the sunglasses down the bridge of her nose. The younger man swallowed when he noticed her sulphuric yellow eyes and slitted pupils,
"You really must be an idiot." She finished. Yevgraf was fuming like a vein was about to burst.
"Are you saying-"
"That I'm sensible? That I have common sense? Why yes, I am. I do love glamour and riches, but I would rather not risk this precious object falling into clumsy hands like yours." The man shot to his feet, teeth gritting as the woman looked at him with her fierce eyes. He made to grab the jewels in the bag, but the woman wrapped her hand firmly around the pouch and pulled it closer to her.
"Oh, I don't think so. Think of this as trespassing in draconic territory. Especially my territory." She pushed the sunglasses up her nose as she stood up and collecting her coat and the jewels. She made to brush past Yevgraf and a shocked subordinate. After all, he had never heard someone talk to Yevgraf like that and live to tell the tale. Yevgraf clamped his hand on her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks. Her smile noticeably dropping into a frown, the room getting a few degrees hotter.
"Vogrik owns this territory. I already paid his fine." He snarled, eyes blazing at her treatment of him. The woman let out a chuckle, reaching into her coat pocket, and pulled out a second bag of jewels, this being a green velvet bag. She dangled it in front of his face,
"Do you mean this fine? After all, I do get to eep whatever territory I take over, do I not?"
"You-"
"I killed him, yes." Her lips curled up into a broad smile, exposing sharp fang-like teeth. The bar was almost unbearably hot now, making him sweat where he stood when he realized something. Smoke leaked from between her teeth, her having created the smoky atmosphere of the building in the first place.
In all his years on this planet, Yevgraf never felt the cold feeling of pure fear settle at the base of his neck. He was looking into the eyes of a predator, a predator who knew precisely what she wanted and knew exactly how to get it.
"Careful, Yevgraf… I'm a dangerous woman. You don't want to get on my bad side. Now I suggest you leave this business alone and leave me be. Trust me. I won't be so kind the next time I see you."