the daughter of King Asmund Holgersen, Bryn wasn’t treated like a normal child. She was raised with a handmaiden to cater to her every whim. She was schooled by tutors, both human and Gargoyle. Christmas and other human holidays weren’t celebrated in their home. Presents weren’t given except on her birthday, and those were usually things her mother had chosen according to her own tastes. Tastes Bryn didn’t share.
As she took in the sights and people, Bryn had to remember who she was. Or wasn’t. Dressed as a man, with her breasts bound and her hair tucked under a cap, she was no longer royalty. The towns surrounding Åsmundnes were filled with mostly other Gargoyles, but Bryn had been hidden away for so long no one would have recognized her except for her likeness to her mother. Today, however, she was just another peasant. No one special. Using her shifter hearing, Bryn listened in on conversations as she strolled past the various shops and eateries.
A French accent caught her attention, and Bryn sidled closer for a better listen. She knew it was French because her last tutor had spoken the language, teaching Bryn without her parents knowing. Brynhild had grown bored with numbers early on, but languages – now there was something intriguing to her. Never before had Brynhild appreciated her Parisian tutor as much as she did in that moment.
Exposition Universelle. Bryn knew of the world’s fair, but she’d never been allowed to attend. The more she listened to the two foreign women speak of the fair, the more she wanted to go. All she had to do was sneak into her father’s office and grab some of the money he kept hidden in a safe. A safe she wasn’t supposed to know about. But Bryn had always been restless, and restless meant nosy. She remained hidden as the women talked about their friends in France. Bryn wanted that desperately. Not necessarily a home there, but somewhere she belonged where she had friends to do things with. As much as she loved Vanda, the woman was ultimately loyal to Bryn’s parents, considering they were the ones who paid her salary. Bryn made her way back to the house and put her next plan into place.
Two weeks and an ocean liner cruise later, Brynhild found herself at the Exposition Universelle. It was unlike anything she could have ever imagined. People from around the world had constructed buildings and expositions that boggled her mind. The newly built Eiffel Tower was amazing all on its own. The Rue de Caire, or The Streets of Cairo, was filled with belly dancers, artists, and all sorts of Egyptian foods and delicacies. The Grand Pavilions depicted countries from all over, but Bryn’s favorites were those from Latin America. The fountains and reflecting pools were also a favorite, but the most fascinating of all the sites was Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show. A short woman named Annie Oakley was what Buffalo Bill called a sharpshooter, and Bryn was in awe. She watched every show the woman participated in, and Bryn knew she had to meet her.
“Mademoiselle! You can’t go back there!”
Bryn put on her fiercest face, planted her hands on her hips, and growled. The man took a step back, and Bryn pushed through the slit in the heavy curtain. Annie Oakley was sitting off to the side eating an apple when Bryn burst through the tent. Annie crunched the fruit, her eyes full of mirth. Bryn smiled and said, “That was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. Can you teach me to shoot a rifle?”
Annie stood, wiped her hand on her embroidered, fringed skirt, and said, “I sure can.” She held out her hand. “Annie Oakley.”
“Brynhild Holgersen, but you may call me Bryn.” Bryn shook the smaller woman’s hand.
“Well, Brynna,” Annie replied, “It’s a pleasure to meet ya.”
Chapter One
Norway, 2048
Brynna tugged on Travis’s hand, leading him up the steps and into the monstrous house, not bothering to wait on Banyan and Urijah. “Welcome to my humble abode.” After a couple weeks touring Norway, showing Travis her homeland, they were finally at the manor. If Brynna’d had her way, they would have stayed somewhere else.
“Humble?” Travis stumbled to a stop once they were inside. His eyes were wide as he took in the gaudy extravagance of the house she had grown up in. Brynna chuckled at the human’s expression.
“Don’t tell me you can’t discern by now when I’m being sarcastic.”
Travis blushed as he often