by C. Litka
05
I pushed through the doorway into the loud bright, spirit fueled cheerfulness of MorDae's, mostly to escape the rain. Both KaRaya and Hissi weren't to be found on the barge so they had to be at MorDae's. DeVere had landed a job as the manager of MorDae's, Chasm Lake Palace. (MorDae had another "Palace" in Lormia Flat and a tavern in Zin's Town as well.) DeVere had several shift managers under him so he was free to circulate and spread his charm about the place, usually with KaRaya in tow.
I looked about the bright, noisy, and crowded room. There was never a time when it wasn't crowded or loud. There were no sleep watches in Chasm Lake these days. The rounds went unmarked, except for payroll, I presume.
DeVere and KaRaya weren't in sight. But Hissi was. She was all by herself and playing Dragon's Luck at a big table of rather rough and disreputable looking players. Her usual card players weren't around. I suppose even they had to sleep every once in awhile.
I may've been in a bad mood. I was also getting weary of the glitter and squalor of Chasm Lake, and wary of its increasingly dangerous ways. In any event, I got angry, and marched over to the table, and stood behind Hissi until she played her last card. She knew I was there as she gave a low growl with my approach, though continued to concentrate on the cards as they flew down upon the table.
'Time to go, Hissi,' I said. And without waiting for her objection, I swept her winnings off the table and into her satchel. 'Sorry mates, it's bed time for the dragon.'
Hissi growled angrily, her claws on my hand as I closed the satchel.
I didn't care. I grasped the clawed hand and lead her between the crowded tables to the entrance and out into the wet, smoke-scented night. For with the rain, it was night. She was cool enough not to make a scene as we left, but once we arrived on the rutted street, she broke free and hopped ahead and swung around to face me, standing tall, and stiff. She slowly opened her mouth and showed me all her teeth like she meant to use them.
Now, the funny thing is I've known her since she first hatched in my hand, and I've seen those teeth a million times. Siss's teeth used to concern me until I got to know her, but Hiss's, never. And here she was, as angry as a feathered dragon slowly getting wet could be - and a dragon with wet feathers is never happy a dragon in the best of circumstances - and she was baring them all at me.
It gave me pause.
She couldn't suppress a little bark of laughter when she caught that thought. Which gave the game away.
I leaned in and put my nose against hers. 'You know the rules. If DeVere and KaRaya went off on their own, you needed to return to the barge. You don't play cards with strangers. Now let's go home.'
She growled and stood her ground, nose to nose. And then snapped her jaws shut. I felt the tip of her jaw brush against my short, sinister whiskers and then, in a flash, she turned and bounded angrily off for the barge.
We had disagreements before. Hissi had a mind of her own, and she was a Simla dragon, not an Astro, or an Orbit, or even Ginger, though Ginger was a closer match. And, I suppose, she was pretty much of an adult now, as well, so I was flying a rather iffy orbit by exerting any authority over her at all. But I knew more of the ways of the worlds than she did, even if she could read minds. And, well, she had hatched in my hand, so she was my responsibility.
Later, as I lay in my hammock in the engine room where I bunk, she slipped in, hopped up on my chest and wrapped herself around the hammock. She rested her head just under my chin. She didn't do that much anymore. Too grown up. I idly ran my fingers through her damp feathers, and said nothing. The nice thing about Simla dragons is that you don't have to say anything to say everything.
Chapter 21 On the Run