Excerpt: Dirt Queen

There was a desk in the middle of the room, black just like the walls. A fishtank sat on one corner of it, containing a single blue fish that hovered in the clear water. Behind the desk sat a slender woman who looked like a hawk. Her short black hair was combed fiercely back and she stared at Percy without blinking. Her eyes were gray, but so light it was almost silver. She was reclined back in her chair and had her ankles crossed with her heels resting on the surface of her desk. She was wearing black leather boots.

There was a moment of silence as everyone stared at one another. Then the woman slid her legs off the desk and Hayden moved to stand behind her chair, like a squire or manservant.

“Percival Fonway,” the woman said, in a voice that indicated she was not asking at all, but was almost stamping him with his identity. “You’re late,” she continued.

Percy blinked.

“Uh… Excuse me, but I just got here.”

“I do believe you were given two days to appear. It’s been five, therefore you are,” here she looked at a silver watch clasped around her left wrist, “seventy two hours late, am I correct?”

She looked up at him and linked her fingers on the desk in front of her.

“If you wanted to piss me off, you should have been prepared to deal with the consequences.”