Dragons Luck

“You’re talking ‘trust’ to someone who hunts dragons for a living,” George said with a smirk. “Maybe we know different dragons.”

“I see your point,” Flynn admitted. “Very well, then perhaps the knowledge that the deposit to your account included a sizable bonus for your inconvenience will help mollify your discomfort. Fifty percent, if I recall correctly.”

It did, and George caught himself smiling. He quickly reminded himself that the dragon he was dealing with was successful mostly because of his ability to use glamour . . . the power to charm others into doing just about anything and have them grateful in the process.

“It helps,” he said, carefully. “I’m still not wild about this, but what’s done is done. Shall we order?”

He picked up the menu and started to peruse it.

“I think you’ll find the cuisine here a pleasant change from your normal fare,” Flynn said with a smile.

“We’ll see,” George returned. “Remember, I’m fresh from spending several months in New Orleans. They have one or two good restaurants there . . . and some of the best service I’ve ever encountered.”

The two men carefully stuck to minor cocktail-party chitchat until after the meal had been consumed and the dishes cleared away.

“So,” Flynn began, sipping at his coffee, “shall we get down to your debriefing? I’m very interested in hearing your observations firsthand.”

“Well, I assume you’ve already read my report,” George said.

“Yes, but take it from the top as if I hadn’t,” Flynn answered. “I want it fresh from your own memories.”

George took a moment to collect his thoughts, then began.

“Griffen McCandles and his sister, Valerie, are the orphaned offspring of two half-blood dragon parents. He is just coming to the age when his secondary powers, if any, should emerge. You hired me to track McCandles and test him to see if he would be any kind of a threat to you.

“I found him shortly after his uncle Malcolm informed him of his heritage. Apparently both he and his sister had been kept in the dark about even the existence of dragons until that point. His immediate reaction was to go to his sister, both to pass the information on to her and to seek her counsel.

“At that time, they were approached and offered refuge in New Orleans by Mose and his gambling cabal. It’s common knowledge in that area now that Griffen is being groomed to take control of Mose’s operation.

“Over the period of a couple of months, I both watched Griffen’s development and arranged a few minor tests of my own. He is a fast learner . . . disturbingly fast.

“When I finally confronted him, he proved to be a formidable opponent. Though he had only been aware of his dragon heritage for a few months, he demonstrated a surprising familiarity with his new powers, which include animal control, shape-shifting, and fire-breathing.

“As I said in my report, while he is still developing, I feel you should take him seriously as a potential threat and monitor both his development and activities.”

With that, George leaned back and picked up his own coffee, waiting for the inevitable questions.

“Very concise,” Flynn said. “But without much detail. You really feel that he’s a serious threat to me?”

“Actually, what I said was that you should take him seriously as a potential threat,” George corrected. “As near as I can ascertain, for the time being he’s content to sit in his holdings in New Orleans and run his gambling concern. I don’t really see him coming after you unless you provoke him in some way.”

“But, if provoked, you see him as a serious threat?” Flynn pressed.

George sighed.

“He’s still very young and unfamiliar with either his powers or the current pecking order of dragons,” he said. “As I mentioned, however, he’s showing amazing growth for the short time he’s been consciously working at it.”

“Could you give me an example?”

“Well, I’ve already mentioned the development of his secondary powers,” George said. “What I feel is more significant is how he is using them and interfacing with others. There has been a sudden growth spurt of people joining his gambling operation, mostly for the chance to work with Griffen. It’s said that he tangled with some of the local drug gangs and not only survived, but backed them off. Melinda sent one of her sons in to try to seduce his sister, Valerie, but they saw through his glamour and sent him packing.”

“So Melinda is taking an interest in him as well,” Flynn said, thoughtfully.

“Only peripherally,” George said. “I think her main interest was in his sister. The point is, they stopped him cold. Not bad for a pair of effectively untrained dragons.”

“I see.” Flynn nodded. “Anything else?”

“More rumors than anything confirmed,” George said. “It was being bantered about in hushed tones that he’s somehow formed an alliance with the spirit of a deceased voodoo queen. That’s something I’ve never heard of another dragon doing. I’ve also heard that he’s somehow in touch with some of the Eastern dragons.”