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
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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.
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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.”
Dragons Luck Page 1
