“Well, I sure haven’t seen much of you,” Mai said, leaning back. “I was just a little worried about you, is all. Thought you might be upset over your go-round with Slim.”
Griffen stared at her.
“How in the world did you hear about that?” he managed at last.
“Well, I could just say ‘It’s the Quarter,’ which it is.” She grinned. “Truth to tell, though, some of the fey kids are holed up at a bar up the street and were talking about it. Your sister is working the bar and overheard a lot of it. Since she doesn’t get off for a while, she gave me a call and asked me to look you up.”
“Oh, that’s just great.” Griffen grimaced. “I was hoping the whole thing would just blow over. Instead, the word is spreading.”
“Hope for the best, but plan for the worst,” Mai recited smugly. “If it blows over, fine. You’d better be thinking about what you’re going to do or say, though, if it doesn’t.”
“What can I say?” Griffen said, shrugging helplessly. “I know Slim has a thing about abusing the power to control animals, but he really seems to have overreacted this time.”
“From what I hear, that was only part of it,” Mai said, sipping at her drink.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I don’t think you got the whole story when they gave you the recap,” Mai said, leaning forward and lowering her voice. “The animal-control thing is where it started, but it escalated into a pissing contest over whose powers were stronger and who could control who. Specifically, it really heated up when the question came up if you were powerful enough to control a vampire.”
Griffen covered his eyes, then massaged his forehead. “This just keeps getting better,” he said.
“You haven’t heard the best part,” Mai said with a grimace. “The real subject of conversation is what you’re going to do about it. It seems everyone is expecting you to come down on Slim.”
“What?”
“Well, he is one of the locals.” Mai shrugged. “And he not only got into it with a couple of the other attendees, he specifically defied and embarrassed you in front of witnesses. Some are thinking that you’re going to have him bounced from the conclave. Other are saying that, since you’re a dragon, you’re going to come down hard on him just to make an example of what could happen if anyone crosses you.”
Griffen slammed his glass down on the table.
“That tears it,” he growled. “What am I supposed to do now?”
“I really don’t know, lover,” Mai said with a sigh. “I just figured I should pass along the info you didn’t have. You’re in a tough enough spot without people holding back on you.”
Griffen favored her with a long stare.
“That sounds a little funny coming from you,” he said.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Mai said, cocking her head to one side. “Has Val talked to you?”
“You never bothered to mention that you knew Flynn,” Griffen said, straight-faced. “I had to hear it from him. He seemed to think you had told me all about him.”
“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 Flynn I know. He doesn’t do favors. The only one Flynn is interested in is Flynn. If he’s being nice to you, you can bet there’s something in it for him.”
“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. Flynn had just entered the bar. He gave a quick wave at Griffen, then stopped at the bar to order a drink.
“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,” Flynn said, stepping up to the table. “You’re looking beautiful, as always.”
Mai smiled prettily at him.
“Bite me, Flynn,” she said. “Later, lover.”
The whole bar watched her leave.
“I hope I didn’t interrupt anything,” Flynn said, easing into a vacant chair.
“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 Flynn was too good a resource to waste. At the very least, he could listen to the older dragon’s advice and not follow it.
Leaning back in his chair, he gave Flynn a quick summary of the problem with Slim.
“The way I see it, you’ve got a tempest in a teapot there,” Flynn said with a shrug. “It will only get to be a big thing if you let it. Just downplay it, and it will go away.”
“And how am I supposed to do that?” Griffen said.
Flynn leaned forward, putting his elbows on the table.
“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, Flynn. And thanks!”
Flynn waved good-bye and watched him until he was out the door. Then he turned his attention to his own drink with a slight smile.
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 Flynn hoped would weaken the support he was gathering weren’t working.
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.
