Dragons Luck Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-one

  Twenty-two

  Twenty-three

  Twenty-four

  Twenty-five

  Twenty-six

  Twenty-seven

  Twenty-eight

  Twenty-nine

  Thirty

  Thirty-one

  Thirty-two

  Thirty-three

  Thirty-four

  Thirty-five

  Thirty-six

  Thirty-seven

  Thirty-eight

  Thirty-nine

  Forty

  Forty-one

  Forty-two

  Forty-three

  Forty-four

  Forty-five

  Forty-six

  Forty-seven

  Forty-eight

  Forty-nine

  Fifty

  Fifty-one

  Fifty-two

  Fifty-three

  Fifty-four

  Fifty-five

  Epilogue

  Praise for

  DRAGONS WILD

  “Asprin tackles a new kind of comic fantasy, a little more serious and hard-boiled than previous books. Featuring a likable rake and plenty of action and quirky humor, this series opener belongs in most adult and YA fantasy collections.”

  —Library Journal

  “Colorful.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  Praise for Robert Asprin’s bestselling series

  MYTH

  “Stuffed with rowdy fun.”

  —The Philadelphia Inquirer

  “Hysterically funny.”

  —Analog

  “Give yourself the pleasure of working through the series. But not all at once; you’ll wear out your funny bone.”

  —The Washington Times

  “Breezy, pun-filled fantasy in the vein of Piers Anthony’s Xanth series . . . a hilarious bit of froth and frolic.”

  —Library Journal

  “Asprin’s major achievement as a writer—brisk pacing, wit, and a keen satirical eye.”

  —Booklist

  “An excellent, lighthearted fantasy series.”

  —Epic Illustrated

  “Tension getting to you? Take an Asprin! . . . His humor is broad and grows out of the fantasy world or dimensions in which his characters operate.”

  —Fantasy Review

  PHULE’S COMPANY

  “Plenty of odd characters... fun!”

  —Locus

  “A winning story... part science fiction, part spoof, part heart-warmer.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Light without being frivolous, and displays Asprin’s considerable expertise about fencing and things military, especially leadership.”

  —Chicago Sun-Times

  “Reminiscent of M*A*S*H.”

  —Analog

  “A grand mix of common sense and outrageous and hilarious foolishness, stirred with a dash of wisdom into a delectable mess to be served with tongue in cheek.”

  —KLIATT

  “Reliably entertaining . . . a fun read, light without being vapid, and clever without being heavy-handed. This series is Asprin’s strongest to date, and it’s off to a good start.”

  —amazing.com

  “Asprin knows how to make me laugh . . . I suggest you sign up for this particular grand tour of duty.”

  —Fear

  Also by Robert Asprin

  THE BUG WARS

  THE COLD CASH WAR

  TAMBU

  MIRROR FRIEND / MIRROR FOE (with George Takei)

  FOR KING AND COUNTRY (with Linda Evans)

  LICENSE INVOKED (with Jody Lynn Nye)

  E.GODZ (with Esther Friesner)

  The MYTH Series

  ANOTHER FINE MYTH

  MYTH CONCEPTIONS

  MYTH DIRECTIONS

  HIT OR MYTH

  MYTH-ING PERSONS

  LITTLE MYTH MARKER

  M.Y.T.H. INC. LINK

  MYTH-NOMERS AND

  IM-PERVECTIONS

  M.Y.T.H. INC. IN ACTION

  SWEET MYTH-TERY OF LIFE

  MYTH-ION IMPROBABLE

  SOMETHING M.Y.T.H. INC.

  with Jody Lynn Nye

  MYTH ALLIANCES

  MYTH-TAKEN IDENTITY

  MYTH-TOLD TALES

  CLASS DIS-MYTHED

  MYTH-GOTTEN GAINS

  MYTH-CHIEF

  The THIEVES’ WORLD™ Books

  edited with Lynn Abbey

  THIEVES’ WORLD

  TALES FROM THE VULGAR

  UNICORN

  SHADOWS OF SANCTUARY

  STORM SEASON

  THE FACE OF CHAOS

  WINGS OF OMEN

  The PHULE’S COMPANY Series

  PHULE’S COMPANY

  PHULE’S PARADISE

  with Peter J. Heck

  A PHULE AND HIS MONEY

  PHULE ME TWICE

  NO PHULE LIKE AN OLD PHULE

  PHULE’S ERRAND

  THE DEAD OF WINTER

  SOUL OF THE CITY

  BLOOD TIES

  AFTERMATH

  UNEASY ALLIANCES

  STEALERS’ SKY

  The WARTORN Series with Eric Del Carlo

  WARTORN: RESURRECTION

  WARTORN: OBLITERATION

  The DRAGONS WILD Series

  DRAGONS WILD

  DRAGONS LUCK

  THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

  Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

  Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)

  Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)

  Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)

  Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India

  Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)

  Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

  Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  This is an original publication of The Berkley Publishing Group.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  Copyright © 2009 by Bill Fawcett & Associates.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  ACE and the “A” design are trade
marks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  PRINTING HISTORY

  Ace trade paperback edition / April 2009

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Asprin, Robert.

  Dragons luck / Robert Asprin.—Ace trade paperback ed.

  p. cm.

  eISBN : 978-1-101-04635-7

  1. Dragons—Fiction. 2. New Orleans (La.)—Fiction. I. Title.

  PS3551.S6D7 2009

  813’.54—dc22

  2008054340

  http://us.penguingroup.com

  Prologue

  George was impressed, though, he suspected, not as much as he was supposed to be.

  Southern California wasn’t his normal hunting ground, and every time he visited it, he found he liked it less and less. He kept being reminded of something he had once heard said about the area: Once you took away all the tinsel and glitz, what you had left was tinsel and glitz.

  He found all the faddishness of what restaurant or club was in, much less what designer clothes one wore or food one ate, to be depressingly shallow and frantic. In his own private protest, he had long since consciously decided not to play their reindeer games.

  He was an out-of-towner and an outsider, and made no effort to hide the fact. His suit was off-the-rack and not custom-tailored, and his shoes were comfortable and durable rather than one of the flimsy, short-lived imported fashions.

  In one sense, this was appropriate, as George was himself an unimposing man. Anyone passing him on the street in the Midwest or the Northeast would barely notice him, much less remember him a half dozen steps later. In the youth-and-beauty-oriented culture of Southern California, he was as invisible as a homeless person, noticed, if at all, with distaste.

  Even his rental car was an economy-sized Ford, readily sneered at by the valet at the trendy restaurant he pulled up at. At least, he assumed it was trendy. The girl at the car-rental counter had recognized it readily enough when he asked for directions.

  None of this bothered George in the slightest. It was expected and, in some ways, gratifying. Anonymity was a plus, if not a necessity, in his chosen profession. What was more, he was sure enough of himself and what he could do that he did not feel the need for outside admiration or reassurance.

  The hostess sized him up and dismissed him with one glance before asking if he had a reservation in a voice that assumed he didn’t.

  “I’m here to meet with Flynn,” he said with deliberate casualness.

  It was entertaining to watch the transformation that came over the hostess at the mention of Flynn’s name. Her bored, skeptical expression changed in an instant to a beaming smile of welcome. With a smooth glide she came out from behind her reservation stand to escort George personally to Flynn’s table.

  Yes. People knew who Flynn was. Even George knew who he was, though they had never met or spoken before he was contacted for his recent assignment.

  There was a noticeable break in the deal-making conversations throughout the room as the combatants realized where George was being led and paused in their negotiations to appraise him.

  Yes. Everyone knew who Flynn was. What amused George was the knowledge that while everyone knew that Flynn was, perhaps, the most sought-after agent in the country, very few knew what he really was. George knew. Flynn was a dragon.

  Though not a dragon himself, George was more than familiar with what they were: descendants of a shape-shifting, size-changing race that first resisted, then blended with the humans when that species rose to prominence. Centuries of mixing with and interbreeding with humans had thinned the blood and weakened their powers, but their basic characteristics remained the same. They were long-lived, resistant to disease or injury, and highly charismatic. They were also selfish, greedy, power-hungry, and utterly ruthless regarding any perceived threat to their amassed fortunes or power bases.

  George knew all this because he was not human himself, and had made it his life’s work to hunt dragons . . . for pay, of course.

  Flynn rose to greet him as George was led to the table. He was tallish, with dark, wavy hair, gleaming white teeth, and what could only be called a California tan. Impeccably dressed, he could have been the poster boy for a “Beautiful California” ad campaign.

  “George,” he said, flashing his teeth and extending a hand. “So good of you to join me.”

  George ignored the hand as he seated himself.

  “I was under the impression that I didn’t have much choice in the matter,” he said, flatly.

  “I simply felt that, considering the substantial fee you charge, I deserve a face-to-face debriefing.” Flynn smiled. “Not just a few written pages in a report.”

  “There was also something said about withholding the balance of my fee until we met,” George said.

  “That was an unfortunate misimpression,” Flynn said. “The balance of your fee has already been deposited in the designated account.”

  George calmed down but was still not completely mollified.

  “Well, there’s also the matter of this breaking my rule against meeting my clients face-to-face.”

  Flynn shook his head.

  “I understand. It’s the whole ‘man of mystery’ thing where no one knows your face,” he said. “Well, I’m certainly not going to share your description with anyone. The whole trust thing should be a two-way street.”

  “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.

  “W
hen 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.”