“My lord requests that we discuss this at a later date, and as he is currently unable to travel, he asks that you join us at his residence in a month’s time. Included with the newsprint are directions to Hian-puo’s palace.”
I looked to Carol, who’d grabbed the bag from the table. She nodded her assurance that he was telling the truth. But something was still fishy. Only moments before, Rime had appeared to seriously consider Lord Relobu’s offer of pastureland. And now he was acting as if he had no authority to make a deal on Hian-puo’s behalf.
A month was far too long to leave Lord Relobu’s men without working for their release. I didn’t want to go to China. And I knew Richard and Trian preferred to avoid a trip—and the delay—as well, but I was afraid to push Rime any further, for fear he’d do as he’d threatened and walk out without any chance of a deal. I settled for attempting to move the trip up.
“The time frame is unacceptable. One week is as long as I am willing to wait before informing Lord Relobu our attempts at an agreement have failed.”
I waited, tense, as Rime appeared to mull over my offer. “Very well, one week’s time. I will inform Hian-puo of your scheduled arrival.”
After breathing a quick sigh of relief, I opened my mouth, intending to persuade Rime to provide us additional information on either our men or the specifics of our visit, but it was too late. He and his guards were already stepping from their perches and slithering toward the door.
Moments after Hian-puo’s delegation had disappeared, the conference room doors swung wide once again to reveal five DRACIM staffers sent to deliver “lunch.” Each man held the lead to a haltered cow. Blinded by means of a strip of cloth wrapped around their eyes—we’d learned the practice helped minimize the likelihood of a stampede when their bovine senses alerted them to the presence of hungry dragons—the cattle bawled miserably at their fate. And although their lives had been spared for at least another day, the pitiful cries echoed the disappointment of my first solo assignment.
Emory’s boss, Allan, was going to kill me. Because there was no way this negotiation would be over by the end of this week.
I sighed and let my shoulders droop. I turned to the only dragon still present.
“So, Dreru. How hungry are you?”
Chapter Eight
Later the next day, I walked into our apartment and tossed my backpack on the couch.
“You’re home early.” Carol was curled up in the recliner, flipping through one of her glamour magazines.
“I am. I’ve read every bit of the paperwork we received from the China office on Hian-puo, and I’m still nowhere near developing a sound strategy for speaking with him.”
I’d already written off the Beijing office, so I’d been surprised to receive a packet in my office after the meeting. I opened it and browsed the contents. There wasn’t much there. Just a three-page summary of Hian-puo’s known activities. None of which had happened with the help of DRACIM, so my information on Hian-puo as an individual was seriously lacking.
Included in the packet was a list of recent visits by Hian-puo delegates in Lord Relobu’s territory. Rime had made two trips to North America—one eight months ago for Doeho and Isiwyth’s mating ceremony, and one to New York for a meeting with the board of a new business venture. The report hadn’t mentioned the name of the business, so I’d gone back to work in an effort to cross-reference the information with the DRACIM library, but came up empty-handed.
After four hours of spinning my wheels, I had to admit the Chinese dragon lord was more than half crazy. I couldn’t find any distinguishable pattern to his business, personal or intra-dragon dealings.
Hian-puo seemed to buy up human businesses based on whim, and then let them fall into disrepair with neglect. And those were the lucky ones. The one thing I did have was a large list of businesses in China of which Hian-puo had forcibly assumed ownership.
It made me realize just how lucky we were to have Relobu as the reigning dragon monarch.
The report didn’t give me much more. Other than the dragons living in his territory and considered his subjects, there were only a handful of encounters between the lord and outside influence of any sort.
While the Tulsa DRACIM office owed nearly half of our revenues to the local dragon lord, the Chinese office was so idle it was almost nonexistent. I guess I couldn’t blame them. If a dragon didn’t feel like negotiating, you couldn’t negotiate. End of story.
“You know—maybe it would be a good idea for me to hit Richard up for another dragonscript expert. When I asked you to help me out, I didn’t think the case would take this long.”
In truth, I’d already asked, and although Richard had promised he’d do his best, the odds of securing a replacement within a week were slim. With the language being around for fewer than fifteen years, there weren’t that many experts in the field. All of Relobu’s employees familiar with the script were already on other projects, and I couldn’t ask a DRACIM staffer to sign away his or her rights to company-paid compensation if they were injured.
I’d been lucky to have a linguaphile for a roommate.
Carol looked up from her magazine. “Oh, please. There isn’t anyone else, and we both know it.” She gave me an overly bright smile. “I haven’t taken a vacation in years, and if I don’t use up some of my holiday balance, I’ll end up losing it. I’ve always wanted to see China.”
I gave her a sidelong glance. “Have I ever mentioned you’re the best friend ever?”
She waved away the reminder. “And don’t you forget it. Besides, I kinda like this combat training. I’ve always wanted to learn how to properly knee a guy in the balls. It would have come in handy with some of my ex-boyfriends.”
I stuck out my tongue. “First of all, the combat training is designed to help us protect ourselves from dragons, not ex-boyfriends.”
Carol laughed. “I guess Trian wouldn’t be a good choice if that were the case.”
I had to grin at that. “Exactly. But I really am concerned about your safety. The rules don’t work the same in China as they do here. I’m not sure I can guarantee you won’t be hurt. Richard’s coming with us. He can make time for any translation or contracts I need help with.”
“Nope. I’m coming, and it’s final. Richard hopes Hian-puo will agree to an interview while we’re there so he can finish his latest book.”
“Yeah, he’d told me about that.” Carol’s new boyfriend was itching to get a good rounded view for his historical account of dragon creation. Hian-puo was the only member of the original hatch of dragons who Richard hadn’t been able to meet yet for the book. Apparently the Chinese dragon lord didn’t enjoy socializing. He’d literally flown the coop the instant he’d been able, settled in the Chinese wilderness, and proceeded to build his dragon empire, relocating it to Beijing as soon as his army was large enough to successfully overpower the human population.
“Speaking of Richard, are you going to force me to institute a no-fraternization rule while we’re there, so Richard won’t ditch me to get away from you?”
She gave me a sly smile. “What makes you think he wants to get away from me?” She batted her eyelashes.
Carol had a point. Since I’d introduced them, the happy couple had spent almost every waking moment together. They’d bonded over their shared love of linguistics, and last night Carol had returned from her dinner date waxing poetic over his impeccable taste in clothing. Apparently they’d stopped by her office for Carol to check on the darkroom results of a CreaTV fashion shoot, and Richard had helped her choose the proofs.
“Do me a favor, will you? Promise that if it doesn’t work out between the two of you, you’ll wait until we get back to Tulsa to break it off. There’s only so much room for uncomfortable ex-boyfriend vibes, and I’ve got dibs on them all.”
“Ya know, you could just sit down with Trian, talk through whatever the issue is, and call it good.”
“I’ll pass on that, thanks.” Normally, Carol’s
advice would be great. If you rubbed elbows enough times with a former significant other, eventually the awkwardness disappeared. I’d done it myself with a guy at DRACIM I’d dated briefly before Trian. The first few weeks after the breakup were a little uncomfortable, but before long, he’d started dating Tracy in accounts payable, and I’d met Trian. A month or so later, and we even took a lunch break together when Tracy was busy elsewhere.
But Trian? Trian was different. Maybe it was because the breakup had been so sudden. Or because it hadn’t been a mutual decision like with Steve and me. Then again, it probably had more to do with the fact that he stole from me and then avoided me completely for a full year.
Oh, who was I kidding? It was because I still have feelings for him. I’ll admit it. Four weeks after I’d first met him, I started mentally planning the wedding. I’d fallen in love, and fallen hard.
Which made his betrayal that much harder to handle.
I really needed to find some good news to reflect upon. At this rate, my stomach was going to transform into a giant ulcer.
“Well, I’m heading for bed. I told Dave I’d come in early and get some of my projects wrapped up before we leave. I’ll see you at Relobu’s at nine?” Carol stood and placed her magazine back on the coffee table.
“Yeah. Sounds good.” My trip down memory lane left me slightly depressed, and I knew sleeping would be out of the question. “I’ll be up for a little while longer.”
*
The rest of the week went by quickly, with me splitting my time between dragon research and the endless sessions of combat training. Sessions spent in the company of a man that I so didn’t want to be attracted to. When Friday rolled around, I was almost relieved to board the private jet that would take us to Hian-puo’s castle.
When a Relobu employee told me we’d be making the trip to Beijing in a plane, I’d expressed my trepidation about placing myself on a piece of equipment that was in danger of being knocked out of the air by a flying dragon. Trian had assured me that Lord Relobu was a stickler for keeping his jets’ navigation equipment EMP-corrosion free.
In addition, Trian had taken the liberty of expanding the number of dragon guards. This time I didn’t get a choice on their appearance. The dragons were all much larger than Dreru, who would also be accompanying the team to China. The five dragons would provide an air escort as we made our way east to discourage any trouble from unplanned dragon visitors.
I settled into the plush seat of the jet next to Carol, and waited while Trian, Richard and the two human members of the security team, Dan and Henry, took their places in the remaining chairs. The mood inside the plane was somber, and I once again berated myself for maneuvering us into the position of having to make this trip at all.
Carol gave my hand a squeeze. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just the plane, all these people—I’ve managed to turn this negotiation into a full-out circus.”
She looked me in the eye. “Myrna, no one blames you for this. Richard thought you did just fine. You need to look on the bright side. We’re getting free clothes out of the deal.”
The dress I’d purchased for the meeting with Rime at DRACIM was now only one of the many outfits charged to Relobu Holdings for this assignment. Richard had determined I, along with Carol, required additional wardrobe items for the days ahead. She’d been ecstatic when Richard had told her. I, feeling terrible about the added expenses I was rapidly adding to Relobu’s invoice, couldn’t bear the thought of shopping for fancy clothes. Luckily, Carol didn’t have such reservations, so I’d sent her out on a mission to dress me appropriately. The plane’s cargo hold was now filled with suitcases of my clothing that I’d never seen before.
The engines fired, and we started the slow roll toward the runway. I gripped the arms of my seat even harder. This flight was my first trip into the air, and I was more than a little nervous. Carol did the same.
I wondered how my great-grandparents had ever managed to treat flights as a routine occurrence.
The plane bumped along the paved airstrip as it gained speed, and I soon felt a strange weightlessness as the jet’s wheels left the ground. We were airborne. Flying with the dragons. The thought made me forget my momentary fears, and I felt a smile stretch across my face.
“Myrna, look!” Carol pointed out the window. Dreru flew over our right wing, his long neck stretched out, scales glistening, as he powered through the air. He saw us through the window and dipped out of sight, only to reappear seconds later, flying upside down. How was that even possible? I laughed and gave him a wave. Dreru grinned before doing a slow, midair roll to resume his original position.
Carol looked at me and giggled, her eyes shining with excitement. I turned to Trian, who had taken the seat across the aisle from mine, to see whether he’d caught the show. His hands gripped hard on the leather-upholstered chair, and his eyes were clenched shut. Richard leaned toward him and whispered something in his ear, but Trian shook his head, and Richard turned back to gaze out the window.
Trian afraid to fly? That was something I hadn’t expected. It suddenly occurred to me that I’d never seen him like this. I’d never admit it, but somehow the fact made him more appealing. He was human after all.
We climbed in altitude for a few more minutes before I felt the plane level out. Trian was no longer gripping his seat, but his face was pale and wan. When he caught me looking, I smiled.
“Flying isn’t your favorite thing, huh?”
“It’s not the flying I mind—it’s being stuck inside this aluminum box. I’ll be fine.” His last statement was said quietly, as if he were convincing himself.
Richard leaned forward. “There’s a conference table near the back. Shall we?”
We unbuckled our seat belts and headed to the back of the plane. The conference table was made of polished wood, and was surrounded by plush office chairs upholstered in a neutral brown. The sight of the expensive furniture calmed me somewhat. If Lord Relobu was willing to fork over the money to furnish a plane to this level of opulence, it was a good bet the navigational circuitry was as safe as Trian had promised.
Even if currently Trian didn’t believe it himself.
Richard seated himself in the chair at the head of the table, and passed around the stack of folders. “I took the liberty of combining some of Myrna’s research results with my own. This is all we have on Hian-puo. It’s not much, even with Lord Relobu providing some of the personal details. In the last ten years, Hian-puo hasn’t left his castle. Any contact with things outside of his home happens through one of his generals.”
I met Richard’s eyes. “How sure are we that Hian-puo is actually the one pulling the strings?” It was no use speaking with Hian-puo if he were only a figurehead.
“We’re pretty sure.” Richard’s lips tightened. He pulled a photograph from his folder and slid it down to me. It took me a moment to realize what I was seeing. It was a dragon—a dead dragon—covered with cuts so deep and vicious there was no question that it had died a slow and painful death. I picked it up from the table before Carol could see. She tended to be squeamish around blood, and this photo made me sick to my stomach.
“This was one of Hian-puo’s former generals, Ju Bai. The dragon lord killed him when he learned Ju Bai had attempted to leave the territory in the company of another dragon, Ju Bai’s niece. The general was attempting to smuggle his female relative out of the country because the Chinese dragon lord has a nasty habit of increasing the size of his family with children without asking the female whether she’s willing. Hian-puo was alerted to Ju Bai’s movements when the general didn’t check in at the castle during the designated time frame after his last assignment. Hian-puo keeps a close eye on his subjects, and does not tolerate disobedience.”
I was silent for a moment, trying to absorb what Richard had just told us.
“You’ve noticed an increase in the security personnel on this trip.” Trian nodded to Henry and Dan, who observed t
he conversation from the far end of the table. “Hian-puo should realize that Lord Relobu will consider it an act of war should any of us be injured, but I’m not going to rely only on that as a deterrent. I’ve done my best to choose staff I can guarantee will remain professional and polite while still protecting your safety.”
“I understand.” And I did. It was one thing to appear friendly and accommodating, but quite another to put lives in danger for the sole purpose of looking easy to work with. I’d take the extra security any day.
Trian fished around in a bag on the floor near his feet. “These are cell phones. They’re connected to a satellite Lord Relobu purchased a few years back, and preprogrammed with the numbers for Richard and myself.
“There’s a button on the back, here,” Trian turned the phone around and pointed to a small black knob near the power port, “that if pushed will make a sound that will alert our dragons that you require assistance. The circuit boards should last around two weeks before the phone stops working, but let me know immediately if you have trouble before that.”
Carol took her phone and, after a brief inspection, slipped it into her purse. I wondered, after seeing these photos and hearing about the danger we might be walking into, whether she regretted volunteering to help. I left my cell on the table to play with later. It was time to discuss our plans for the negotiation.
*
“Tell me again why I’m wearing this?” I stood in front of a mirror, draped neck to ankle in a body-hugging sheath dress. Richard didn’t bother to answer my question. He was too busy conferring with Carol about cowl necks, empire waists and other terms from a language I couldn’t begin to decipher. Richard’s behavior made me nervous. Straight guys should never be this interested in women’s clothing unless it was lingerie.
A week after my less-than-impressive first negotiation we were in Hian-puo’s palace, surrounded by opulence beyond compare. Lord Relobu’s estate dripped with Old-World elegance, subtly marking its owner as one of the elite. Hian-puo’s home did the same, except there was nothing subtle about it.
Never Deal with Dragons Page 12