Never Deal with Dragons

by Christensen, Lorenda

  When I looked back to Richard and Dan to see if I’d gone deaf, they gave me near identical looks of confusion. They couldn’t hear it either. None of the humans could. Except the man Hian-puo had sent to meet with me.

  I jumped as the double doors swung open and Trian strode through the entrance, dressed in a pair of torn jeans and filthy shirt. In addition to the damage to his clothing, an ugly cut graced the divide between his forehead and scalp. It was still sticky with half-clotted blood. I wondered what had happened, but I didn’t dare ask in front of our audience.

  After he’d reached my side, Trian gently removed the phone from my grip and switched the call button to the off position. Then, Trian knelt in front of the stranger, eyes downcast. “Lord Hian-puo. Greetings are offered from Lord Nir Relobu. I apologize for not being present to introduce Ms. Banks.”

  Lord Hian-puo? The Chinese dragon lord was human?

  I looked to Richard. “You didn’t know?” I mouthed.

  He shook his head. “Not a clue.” But he was watching the unfolding drama avidly, a spark of speculation glinting in his eye.

  Trian stood up and was still talking to Hian-puo, but I barely noticed. I was still trying to absorb the fact that the Chinese dragon lord wasn’t a dragon. Or if he was, his particular species was more human than any I’d seen before. How did a human maintain such iron control with his dragon subjects? What kept them from tearing him to shreds?

  Hian-puo flicked a wrist in my direction. “This is who Relobu sends to conduct the hearing?”

  I shot a look to Trian, requesting his silence before I addressed the dragon lord. It was important that I appear in control of the situation, even if, at the moment, the idea of my control of anything was laughable. If Hian-puo actually planned on allowing a discussion, I needed him to respect my authority when presiding over the talks. And until the dragon lord actually balked, I had to assume the mediation would still take place.

  “Yes, I am. As I mentioned previously, my name is Myrna Banks. With your permission, I’ll be serving as a neutral mediator in the disagreement between you and Lord Relobu’s representative, Richard Green.”

  I waited, outwardly patient, for his response. The tension in the room was so thick I could practically taste it. Dozens of dragons stared unblinking in our direction.

  What had happened to Trian? And why did I not have a small army of Relobu dragons led by Dreru bursting through the door?

  A woman shrieked and I turned. A large dragon—certainly one of Hian-puo’s private guard—had a sharp claw wrapped around Jia’s arm. He dragged her toward our group.

  I stepped forward, for what I’m not sure, but Trian’s hand fell heavily on my shoulder. “Don’t interfere. It will only make things worse for her.

  I jerked my gaze back to Hian-puo. He watched the exchange with passive interest, as if Jia’s terror were a stage performance specifically for his benefit. Jia made another sound, a low, moaning whine as the guard forced her to stand near the dragon lord. She fought, trying desperately to free her arm from the dragon’s grip.

  “Stop.” Hian-puo’s voice was soft but more than effective, and Jia froze, along with the rest of the room.

  The guard holding Jia turned to face his master, but did not release his grip. Jia’s chest heaved with exertion and fear.

  Hian-puo looked to me. “Do you know this woman?”

  I felt the room’s attention shift back in my direction. I wasn’t sure how to answer; I had no doubt Hian-puo had seen me enter the room with Jia’s daughter in tow. So I couldn’t lie and pretend we’d never spoken.

  But I suspected Jia would not be rewarded for her friendliness to the unwelcome guests. Beneath the token smiles and conversation, Hian-puo’s dragons had made it clear we were the enemy.

  I quickly ran through my options and decided brief was better. “Yes.”

  “Hmm.” Hian-puo rubbed his chin in a show of thoughtfulness. “Would you say, Ms. Banks, that you know her more or less than the missing Rime?” His speech was slurring again, and I stared in horror at the slitted tongue dancing between his lips.

  “I’m…” I coughed, buying myself time to get a grip on the panic flooding my system. How much did he know about Rime? My earlier attack of conscience concerning the drug-addled head of Hian-puo’s diplomatic team would not bode well for me in his dragon lord’s presence.

  Gross interference with a dragon lord’s business was a killing offense, even to the laid-back Lord Relobu. I could only assume Lord Hian-puo’s punishment was just as strict. I had no desire to be tortured. There were some things worse than death.

  I felt Trian tense beside me. I wasn’t the only one wondering how much hot water my deal with Rime had put us in.

  A popping sound drew my attention back to the dragon lord. Hian-puo’s spine bent at an unnatural angle, and something protruded from beneath his ribs.

  Oh my God.

  “Trian?”

  “He’s morphing.”

  “I don’t…I don’t understand.” I stared, paralyzed by what I was seeing. The something beneath his ribs was starting to look a lot like a dragon’s wing. And the bones in his face were in the process of changing, elongating to form a lean red snout.

  “Hian-puo is a dragon. He’s changing form.”

  It didn’t make any sense. I simply couldn’t comprehend Trian’s words. But the proof was right in front of me. The human standing before me was rapidly gaining mass. And it was hard to ignore the wing-shaped protuberance now jutting from the area of his shoulder blade. A second wing peeked from beneath his other side, and I watched, sickened, as it slowly unfolded toward his back.

  “No. It’s not possible.”

  “It is possible.”

  There was another loud pop, and Hian-puo’s lower jaw disconnected from his skull. The…thing gave a deafening roar, giving me a good look at the rows of sharp teeth lining his mouth.

  “Richard,” I was almost positive, based on Hian-puo’s current lack of visible ears, that the dragon lord couldn’t hear me speak, but I leaned in close to whisper in Richard’s ear. “I hope you have a plan on how best to appeal to Hian-puo’s calmer side. Because I’ve gotta admit, we’re officially out of my comfort zone.”

  “You and me both.”

  “You know that news I had? It’s about your team. Jia’s daughter told me there are some dragons being held in the basement.”

  Richard’s eyes widened. “They’re here? In the castle?”

  I didn’t answer. A muffled pop jerked my attention back to the shifting dragon. Hian-puo’s second wing had fully shifted to his back, and his neck was at least a foot longer that it had been only moments before. In addition to the tongue I could see peeping between his teeth, Hian-puo’s skin had morphed into a mottled array of brick-red scales and human flesh. He was getting taller too. The diminutive human frame was giving way to a bulky mass of muscle and bone.

  “Come now, Ms. Banks.” His misshapen mouth garbled the words as he spoke. “We’re all friendsss here. At least that’s what I thought. But you tell me. One of my favorite generals has disappeared. Perhaps you can help me locate him, hmmm? Considering you were the last to speak with my Rime, you could tell me why he fled my domain. And why a substantial portion of my art is currently displayed in an American museum.”

  Hian-puo made the final transition to his snakelike body. His eyes were slitted and very, very angry. I forced myself to loosen my grip on Trian’s arm.

  The doors behind me groaned, and I turned to see who else was joining the party, praying it was Dreru and the rest of my security detail. Instead, I caught a glimpse of Richard’s head as he slipped from the room.

  Crap.

  This was the second negotiation session from which Richard had managed to disappear. I’d never dreamed my difficulties would come from Relobu’s side of the table, but lately I was getting a bit irritated at Richard’s constant vanishing acts.

  I didn’t even want to think about my earlier interferenc
e with Rime. Like Trian had warned, it was about to come back and bite me on the butt. I was beginning to wonder whether the world had turned against me.

  I looked back to the angry dragon lord and tried to rein in my panic. On the bright side, Richard’s disappearance meant Trian and I would be the only ones dying a slow, agonizing death.

  I swallowed. “Lord Hian-puo. I would request that we table this discussion until after we’ve come to an agreement regarding Lord Relobu’s business.” Was it just me, or was my voice squeakier than I remembered?

  Hian-puo studied me in silence for several moments. I wasn’t sure whether to be relieved that he hadn’t already snapped my head off or not. This kind of deliberation could also mean he enjoyed inventing unique methods of torture. He was still angry, I could see it in his face, but something made him reconsider.

  “Very well.” He gestured toward his throne. “Shall we have a seat?”

  I blinked. “Well, um, we seem to have lost Mr. Green. If you could excuse me for a moment, I’ll retrieve him.” At a nod from the dragon lord, Hian-puo’s guard released his grip on Jia.

  “My servant will fetch him. We can discuss other business while we wait. I assure you, it won’t take long.”

  Jia quickly scurried from the room.

  At Hian-puo’s request, two plain wooden chairs were placed directly in front of his golden monstrosity. One of his dragons stepped over to adjust the throne into a seat more suitable for a dragon, folding the flat part of the chair until only a thin strip of metal was showing. The strip clicked into place, revealing a perch perfect for Hian-puo’s birdlike clawed feet. A tiny part of my brain marveled at the ingenuity. The rest of it was too busy processing the stark terror running through my body.

  Until five minutes ago, I had no idea dragons could morph into human form. And now there was a good chance I was about to be killed by one.

  But my brain was still tossing the idea of dragon-morphs around in my skull. If this were true—and based on Hian-puo’s recent show, it was—dragons and humans were more alike than we ever thought possible. This was huge. If this news was made public, it offered up a real chance for dragons and humans to coexist, not just peacefully, but cooperatively.

  I shook myself free from my mind’s rampant speculation. This wasn’t the time to change the world. Right now, I just wanted to stay alive. With a cautious smile, I climbed the dais and sat, my legs crossed demurely in front and my hands resting loosely in my lap. Trian followed, but ignored the chair in favor of standing at my side.

  I itched to ask him why he looked like he’d been three rounds with a professional boxer, but it could wait.

  The silence in the room continued. I felt utterly naked, and wished there were a table of some sort I could fidget under without attracting any more notice.

  The dragon lord took his time getting settled back on the throne. When he was finished arranging his impressive pair of wings over the armrests, he spoke. “Myrna Banks. I have but one simple question. Why have you sent a dragon to steal my property?”

  “What?” Now I was totally lost. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  He shifted on his perch, his thin tongue darting from between deadly sharp teeth. The dragon lord repeated the action twice more. I wished he’d stop. Forked tongues weren’t exactly common with North American dragons, and for some reason the sight was giving me the willies.

  He chuckled softly. “Ah, I didn’t think Relobu had it in him for this level of trickery. He hired your guards?” He laughed again, a snorting huff of smoke that quickly dissipated into the surrounding air.

  “Yes,” I said slowly, “my security detail was provided by Lord Relobu. But I can assure you, that fact will not affect my ability to provide serve as a neutral facilitator in your talks with Mr. Green.”

  The dragon lord was still regarding me with amusement.

  “Lord Hian-puo, I’m not sure I follow the conversation.” And it was true. I felt like I’d unwittingly stumbled into the middle of an intricate chess game, then asked to finish up the challenge. I didn’t dare look at Trian. If he noticed how scared I was, he’d be worried. I was a DRACIM employee. I was supposed to work well under pressure.

  Hian-puo took in my baffled expression.

  “Yes, yes, I see that you don’t. Which is really too bad,” he mused, “since I’m honor bound to kill you for it anyway. I can’t allow Lord Relobu the wherewithal to intrude upon my personal business without punishment, no matter how delightful the messenger.”

  “Whoa, let’s just—” I put up a hand, blocking Trian’s step toward the dragon. Despite my fright at the sinister turn of the conversation, I struggled for a level head. “Let’s just talk about this for a minute. Exactly what do you believe has been stolen? And what dragon do you think did this? I have only five dragons with me on this trip, and I can account for their movements since our arrival.”

  “My darling girl.” Hian-puo’s voice was soft and indulgent, like a father to a particularly small child, and it chilled my veins like nothing else could. “I’m not speaking of the dragons housed elsewhere. It’s the dragon-morph you smuggled into the fold.”

  “Dragon-morph? What’s a dragon-morph?” I forced a laugh from my dry throat and scanned the room, looking for a sign, any sign, to tell me I was the butt of an elaborate joke.

  “Myrna.” My head tipped up at the sound of Trian’s voice. He stood stiffly with his hands fisted at his side, staring at the dragon lord.

  “Lord Hian-puo, may I have a moment?”

  The monarch lowered his chin in assent. I stood and walked a couple of steps away from the throne. After a brief pause, I heard Trian’s footsteps as he followed.

  “Trian.” I puffed out the breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding. “What is he talking about?”

  “Me.” Trian’s voice was completely expressionless as he met my gaze directly.

  “I don’t…” I stopped speaking and shook my head, trying to make sense of this entire conversation. “What’s a dragon-morph?”

  Trian didn’t answer. Instead, he looked at a point over my shoulder and calmly drew his needle-thin sword from a scabbard I hadn’t even noticed him wearing.

  I pivoted to find out what he was looking at. While we’d been speaking, Hian-puo’s dragons had formed a loose semicircle around Trian and me.

  Hian-puo rose from his chair and went to stand between his men. He bared his teeth.

  He addressed Trian. “Relobu’s dragon-morph, in the flesh. I never guessed he’d send you. And what vile thing have I done that Relobu sends his assassin to my doorstep?”

  “I’m not here as an assassin. Lord Relobu,” Trian stressed the title of his leader, “sent me to ensure Myrna’s safety as a neutral party in this discussion. She will not be harmed.”

  I looked from Hian-puo to Trian and back. “Okay, guys. I feel like there’s a whole lot of significance to this conversation that I’m not catching. Anyone care to clue me in?”

  Neither party even glanced in my direction. They were too busy trying to burn through each other’s skulls with testosterone-laden laser vision.

  “I think it’sss a little too late for that,” Hian-puo said with a triumphant smile.

  He was hissing again. Not a good sign.

  “Did you think I wouldn’t notice a strange dragon in my home? No matter your color, you are not invisible. You sealed her fate as well as yours the moment you accessed my office.”

  Trian ignored the dragon’s threat. “I did no such thing. We came here in good faith, to see to the return of our science team. Or did you think Lord Relobu would calmly accept the deaths of his team members at your hands?”

  I wasn’t following a lot of the conversation, but I gathered Trian assumed the missing dragons had been killed. I cleared my throat. “They’re not dead.”

  This time I got their attention. Both sets of golden eyes focused on me. I looked at Trian. “Lord Relobu’s team. They aren’t dead. At least I don�
��t think so. They’re actually here in the building with us. In the basement.”

  My pronouncement was met with silence, until Hian-puo, his eyes narrowing in malice, made a small noise, almost like he was choking on a hairball. “Myrna, run!” Trian leapt between me and the dragon lord, pushing me in the direction of the door.

  His shove knocked me off balance. On my rear, I stared in horror at a pool of venom coating the floor where I’d just been standing.

  Maybe Trian’s order to run wasn’t such a bad idea.

  I struggled to my feet and faced the door, intent on following his instructions. But reality never turns out exactly how I expect. “Uh, Trian. That’s not going to happen.” I’d forgotten the circle of Hian-puo’s dragons between me and the exit. They’d advanced when Trian had first pulled his sword, until their bodies formed an impenetrable barrier between me the safety of another room. With their height, I could barely see daylight. There was no chance of slipping through their ranks without one of them dicing me into tiny pieces first.

  One of Hian-puo’s guards must have seen me as an easy target, because he swiped his weapon—a club as thick as my body—toward my head. I tried to dodge and fell to the ground, narrowly avoiding decapitation. I fumbled under my skirt for the knife. The dragon growled and swung again.

  Trian must have heard me scream, because I heard him say my name just before a black claw reached out and plucked the club from the furious attacker. I used the guard’s momentary distraction to aim my weapon at the sensitive area just below the neck that Trian had shown me in combat practice.

  I was as shocked as the guard when he choked and coughed, purple blood spewing from his mouth. The other would-be attackers stopped and watched in horror as he fell to his knees and teetered before losing consciousness and tipping forward.

  This was so not a normal mediation session.

  I jumped back to avoid being crushed under the body, but I hit something hard. I whirled, expecting another attack.

  What I saw made me freeze. A dragon—black, enormous and enraged—swiped furiously at his attackers, knocking them down one after another with the same heavy club that had almost killed me. Blood poured a deep red from his multiple wounds. Something was wrong with one of his wings. Instead of a series of angled bones connected with leathery skin, his wing was splotched with human flesh and curled inward, against his back.