Read Online Seven Dreams by Charlotte E. English - Free Book Online

such, he was not surprised that Serena had
leapt to recruit Iyamar when she’d had the chance. To have one
shapeshifter on the team was an advantage; to have two would
be an asset indeed. He suspected, however, that she would encounter
some trouble there.
    It was not
something to ponder over now, he cautioned himself. Focus on the
job at hand. His large human form rapidly diminished, changing as
it did into the skinny, four-legged, scaled and nimble shape he had
chosen for himself. When he was finished, he eyed Jisp from his new
vantage with some interest. They were approximately the same size,
now, and he noticed myriad shades and hues among her
orange-and-yellow hide that he could not see with his human eyes.
She really was a most attractive young beastie, he thought with
some discomfort. It was always disconcerting to take this
shape.
    Off we go, he told her. Be careful.
    She returned only
a profound sense of deepest derision to this last, and scampered
off. He followed at a cautious distance, watching to see that she
was not observed. She was not, of course. By this time, Jisp was
almost as well-trained and practiced as the human members of their
team. She had long since mastered the demands of sneaking, and had
even learned to alter the colours of her hide on occasion, if she
wished to blend in. She did that now, muting the violent orange hue
of her scales to a drab brown that barely stood out against the
stone-paved courtyard.
    Soon they reached
the house, and split up. Their joint task was one of
reconnaissance. They would endeavour to visit every room in the
house by some means or another, and they would cover walls, floors,
ceilings, shelves, windows and everything else in their attempts to
locate either the key which Halavere sought, or any sign of
imminent intrusion by the same lady — or anybody else, for that
matter. Teyo scurried through the kitchens, dodging the feet of the
slaving kitchen staff, and up the stairs into the hall as Jisp
dashed her way towards the grand stairway and the first floor. If
he didn’t miss his guess, it was just about time for Serena and
Fabian to arrive, and he was relying upon them to keep the Baron
busy.
     
    Serena donned the
role of Lady Fenella Chartre with pleasure as she was helped down
from the ladyship-coach by a liveried footman. But her good
feelings soon began to give way to exasperation as she observed the
footman’s uniform. The poor man was dressed in a crimson jacket and
trousers with gold ornaments, gold braid, gold embroidery and even
polished gold leather boots! Nothing could exceed the pure
ostentation of such a uniform for a mere footman, and she knew that
the majority of the Baron’s numerous staff wore similar attire.
Combined with the overly imposing frontage of the golden mansion
which towered above her and the plethora of gold-leaved shrubs,
hedges and trees with which the Baron had decorated his garden, the
effect was almost prostrating. Serena eyed it with vast distaste,
but as the Baron himself stepped out of the front door at that
moment and came hastening towards her, she was obliged to conceal
her disapprobation behind Lady Fenella’s bright smile and
enthusiastic manner.
    ‘ My
lord!’ she gushed with suitable rapture, ‘I declare, the gardens
are more beautiful every time I come here! How do you contrive
it?’
    The Baron,
revolting man, caught hold of her hands and kissed them both,
leaving Serena to conceal a faint shudder of distaste. It was not
that he wasn’t handsome; though rather older than her twenty-nine
years, he was in excellent shape, and though he was only of
moderate height he displayed a fine figure. His hair and moustache
may be greying, but his features were handsome, and his green eyes
were decidedly fine.
    It was his manner
which revolted, together with his taste. Both were inferior and
encroaching. She was glad of Fabian’s presence as he stepped down
from the carriage behind her. The Baron may view Lord