Jordan looked up.
A woman, a plump, short one with curly hair, stood on the edge of the balcony. Mai rolled back on her flexible spine, kicked Jordan in the face, tumbled across the room, and came up on her feet.
The woman on the balcony was a dragon, too. It took her much longer than Jordan to change shape. Mai went on guard against both of them. So, this must be the woman Griffen had complained about. She was much younger and clumsier than Jordan. She was no challenge to one such as Mai. Mai could finish them both off!
She edged sideways. The newcomer was fresh and full of energy. Mai must disable her first. The young woman bared her claws. Mai brandished hers in response. Jordan sidestepped so he was just out of sight behind the tip of Mai's wing. She spun to face him. As she did, the other woman sprang. Mai was borne to her knees. She clamped her claws on the newcomer's leg and dug in.
"Ow!" the woman howled. She hopped back. Mai was already moving. She ducked between Jordan's legs, then swatted the backs of his knees with her tail. He fell forward. She leaped onto his back and wrapped her arm around his neck. She bore down on his throat, hoping to render him unconscious. He stood up, lifting her bodily. The other woman rushed in to help. Mai turned into a miniature whirlwind, striking and clawing at both of them. They struck out at her in return. She ducked, protecting her eyes from a backward blow by Jordan, only to have her ear and wing chewed by the female. Slowly, gradually, she felt herself being shoved backward. Light flooded over her shoulder until she could see their outline on the floor. They were in front of the window. Jordan bent his head and chomped each of her wrists in turn. The other female grabbed her around the waist, spun, and dropped her out the window.
Mai shrieked as the wind flew upward around her. She spread her injured wings, fluttering desperately. The narrow thread of Royal Street grew wider and wider. At last, she managed to open them and catch the air in their sails a split second before she landed on the street. She hung in the air, catching her breath. Two drunks tottering along the sidewalk gawked at her. They pointed and laughed. Furiously, she exhaled a stream of fire at them and fled upward. They backed up, but they were still laughing.
Funny, am I? Mai fumed, soaring up into the clouds. The frigid upper atmosphere would help to cool off her temper. Ineffective? I will see about that!
She flew back to her hotel and landed on the roof, where there were no security cameras. The exercise of a small thread of power caused the heavy fire door to open. She stalked down two flights of stairs to her suite. The door of the room refused to slam. She was frustrated enough to scream, but she did not want hotel security coming to the door in the predawn.
Her own cell phone was in the bottom of her handbag. She dumped the contents of the purse on the bed and pawed through it until she came up with the tiny silver handset. Only then did she restore herself to human appearance. She swiped at her messy hair in the bedroom mirror while waiting for the other end to answer.
"Honored elder, I am glad to find you in," she said.
"Where else would I be at this hour?" the peevish male voice quavered at the other end. "To what do I owe the honor of a call, Mai?"
"I have just spoken to Jordan Ma," she said.
"Ah. Is he still alive?"
"For now," Mai said. "Honored father, why is he here?"
"Why do you think that he is there?"
It was just like the elder one to turn her back with a question.
"He says I am too slow to fulfill your wishes."
"And have you fulfilled them?"
"Well, no! I have told you my plans. You have to remove Jordan Ma and his associates! He will spoil everything! Give me the power to halt him."
"And are you ready to move on your own plans that we have discussed?"
She was torn as to what to say. Elder Father would know if she was lying.
"No," she said, frustrated but unwilling to burst out in protests. Elder Father would find it disrespectful. "I have a few arrangements that need to fall into place before I can move. It will take a few more months, but Griffen McCandles will be in my control after that."
"But we elders wish to move now, over the course of weeks, not months. Can you say that you will be ready soon enough that we must call back the hounds we have put on the trail?"
"I need more time," she said tightly.
"It is too late to allow you to go your own way alone," Elder Father said. "Griffen McCandles will become a threat to our operation sooner than you will be ready. Jordan Ma will at the least hinder him, if not destroy his power base completely. He will do what you have been unable, or unwilling, to do."
"But what is he doing?" Mai demanded. She paced back and forth in her dressing room.
"You do not need to know that. His plans do not cross yours in any way. Do not fear. We will leave you in place. We will need you to continue, particularly if Jordan's scheme does not work. Will you cooperate? Must we question your loyalty? It sounds as if you are experiencing a fit of pique. Or is it something deeper? Do you choose to turn your loyalty to the young dragon instead of your clan?"
Mai was torn. She cared about Griffen the person. She admired his idealism. He always felt that benefit could be found for all. The other part of her, that which served the Eastern dragons, could not condone such an outlook. It knew that, like any commodity, power was limited, and that one must take whatever one could so one was not left without. She could not say for certain that he wouldn't become a threat to her later on. The potential he represented had too many variables for the future. She felt lost and alone. And angry.
"So you condone Jordan's actions?"
"We sanctioned them," Elder Father said. "You still have the support of your family in your aims. Should you accomplish them first, we will cause Jordan Ma and his three colleagues to withdraw."
"Three?" she asked. Griffen had only mentioned three Eastern dragons interfering in his card games. Was there a third dragon waiting to strike?"
"I will say nothing more," Elder Father said. "It was good of you to call an old man and brighten the middle of his sleepless night. Perhaps you will telephone again when you have good news. We all hope to hear from you then."
Mai hung up and threw the phone down on the bed. She now had a secret, one she did not wish to keep, but she had no choice. She couldn't tell Griffen what she knew because she didn't really know anything. Jordan had been cagey, laughing at her ignorance. She must find out about their plot. She could not warn Griffen until she did. Any guess she made as to their motive would almost certainly be wrong. He would be guarding against the wrong thing. She also could not take direct action against the Eastern dragons, not when her elders had condoned their actions, but she had to help Griffen.
She would have to steer him to protect himself. That was one of the things she did better than anyone else. She would manipulate from the shadows. And, she vowed, catching a glimpse of her bruises and scratches in the looking glass, she would get even with Jordan Ma. No one threw her out the window and lived to smirk about it. Not for long.
Winston Long and Peter Sing came to Jordan's suite in answer to Rebecca's frantic call. Jordan slumped in his leather armchair in the middle of the wrecked room. His elegant clothes had been torn to rags.
"Will you live, or do you need medical care?" Winston asked.
"They are just surface injuries," Jordan said. It hurt to talk. Mai's headbutt had knocked his jaw out of alignment. The joint was swollen. He held the bag from the ice bucket to it.
"You are covered with bruises," Peter said. "Mai did all of this? Little Mai?"
"Do not denigrate one for her size," Rebecca warned him. "She is a wily opponent. It took both of us to vanquish her."