Dragons Luck

“You never bothered to mention that you knew Fly

“I know a lot of people.” Mai shrugged. “It didn’t seem very important, particularly with you getting ready for the conclave. Besides, you seemed totally taken with him.”

“From what he said, I got the impression that you two aren’t very fond of each other,” Griffen said. “Would you care to elaborate on that?”

“I’d say he’s a snake, but it would be insulting to snakes,” Mai said, playing with her drink. “I know he’s been giving you advice, and that doesn’t sound like the Fly

“You mean he might have a hidden agenda?” Griffen said with a smile. “If not, then he’ll be the first dragon I’ve met who doesn’t.”

“Well, speak of the devil,” Mai said, jerking her head toward the far door.

Griffen looked around. Fly

“That does it for me,” Mai said, finishing her drink and rising. “I’m sure he’ll have all sorts of ideas about how you should handle things, but I don’t have the stomach to listen to it. I’d probably get into it with him, and you don’t need more problems right now. Just be sure to count your fingers if he shakes hands.”

“Hello, Mai,” Fly

Mai smiled prettily at him.

“Bite me, Fly

The whole bar watched her leave.

“I hope I didn’t interrupt anything,” Fly

“It’s not you,” Griffen said. “Well, not entirely you. I’m not very good company tonight.”

“Oh? Problems at the conclave?”

Griffen reflected for a moment on Mai’s warning but decided that Fly

Leaning back in his chair, he gave Fly

“The way I see it, you’ve got a tempest in a teapot there,” Fly

“And how am I supposed to do that?” Griffen said.

Fly

“Just get word to Slim that you want to talk to him. Then have a quiet sit-down and talk it all out. If anyone else asks, just say that it’s between you and Slim.”

“I guess that’s as good a plan as any,” Griffen said with a thoughtful nod. “At least it beats anything that I’ve been able to come up with.”

He finished his drink and got to his feet, carrying his empty with him.

“And there’s no time like the present, right? Catch you later, Fly

Fly

So far, he hadn’t been completely satisfied with his success at dealing with the McCandles boy. While the kid was listening to him and asking for advice, he wasn’t always following it. That meant that a lot of the carefully laid traps that Fly

This Slim incident might just do the trick, however. It reminded the other conclave attendees that Griffen was a dragon and had them on edge wondering how he would react.

Now all it would take was for something to happen to Slim.

Forty-three

Even though it was still several nights before Halloween, the conclave had an evening when no events or gatherings were scheduled. This was done specifically so the attendees could enjoy the Quarter during its pre-Halloween warm-up.

Halloween in the French Quarter was never just a one-night affair. Starting about a week before, various bars would host costume parties with cash or bar-bill prizes for the best entries. If one really had a hot costume, it was possible to hit different competitions on different nights, sometimes on the same night, and score several prizes on the same outfit. Of course, very few actually attempted this.

New Orleans was a town that liked to dress up. Between Mardi Gras and various theme parties, nearly everyone had an extensive wardrobe of masks, costumes, and costume pieces one could mix and match to come up with new outfits. For many, it was a source of pride not to wear the same outfit twice… or, at least, not twice in the same season. As such, if someone was hitting two different parties in one night, the usual procedure was to duck back to one’s apartment or van and change into a totally different costume before hitting the next party.

All this meant that on any given night prior to Halloween, there would be individuals and groups roaming the streets and bars of the Quarter in costumes ranging from the clever to the borderline obscene. It was a field day for photographers and exhibitionists alike, and everyone had a good time.

Even tourists who weren’t expecting such a display would get caught up in the fun, buying inexpensive feather masks and boas to join in the festivities. It was often referred to as a Mardi Gras for locals.

Griffen, however, took advantage of the opportunity to retreat back to his own apartment for a quiet night alone. Even though the conclave, for the most part, was ru

He refused several invitations to di

Kicking back in the quiet of his apartment, he ran through the assortment of DVDs he had available. With the approach of Halloween, he had stocked up on an array of horror movies. Somehow, though, after what he had been going though at the conclave, the thought of watching a werewolf or vampire movie just didn’t ring his chimes. Finally, as a sort of compromise, he settled on Young Frankenstein and settled back to watch.

It was classic Mel Brooks, and silly to the extreme. He had seen it dozens of times before, however, and as the story unfolded, he found his mind wandering.

Slim had not attended any of the conclave events that day. What was more, when Griffen stopped on the way home to ask some of the various street entertainers if they had seen him, no one was able to give him any specific information. It seemed Slim was making himself scarce for the moment. At some point, Griffen would have to decide if he was going to take time off from the conclave to run him down and clear the air, or if he should simply wait until the event was over and things had calmed down.

Then there was Tammy. She was still alternating between glaring daggers at him and looking like a kicked puppy every time their paths crossed. Despite Tink’s reassurances that this was just Tammy being Tammy, Griffen still felt he should apologize or at least say something to her but was at a loss to know how or what. Then, too, there was the chance that if he was successful in dealing with her, she would take it as encouragement and decide to stay on in the French Quarter. He tried to envision his normal routine with Tammy bouncing in and out of it. His mind flatly rejected the image.

Heaving a sigh, he tried to focus on the movie.

A loud knocking on his door made him sit bolt upright, and he realized he had dozed off. Blinking, he tried to focus his eyes and mind as the knocking continued.