Page 9 of The Lost Empress

Hiker held up his large hand, pausing her. “There’s also a third possibility to consider.”

“Which is?” Gen asked, her chin low as she peered across the large desk.

“That Dwayne is a scoundrel,” Hiker answered, his face completely serious.

Gen sat frozen, waiting for his expression to break and him to laugh. When he didn’t, she shook her head. “But the Founders put Dwayne into that role. They fired Sophia from the leadership position. They see so much. They…my father and sister and the others, wouldn’t put a scoundrel into such an important role.”

Hiker nodded. “I get that, which is a logical stance. But also remember that they do see it all. Much like Mama Jamba and Papa Creola, they see the whole picture and they usually have a plan and long-term goals. Sophia was good in that role, but as an angel dragonrider, she was too good for it. What the Rogue Riders needed to create balance was someone a bit edgier. Maybe they swung the pendulum the other way by putting Dwayne into the position.”

“Maybe,” Gen said, chewing on her lip with uncertainty.

“My advice is to do what Dwayne says,” Hiker continued, clasping his hands together and leaning back in his chair.

“But his training assignments are ridiculous,” Gen complained. “It seems more like he’s trying to keep me busy than actually train me.”

Hiker’s blue eyes flickered to a large globe in the corner of his office, his gaze intently upon it for a moment before returning to Gen’s. “Well, I can’t discount the importance of shadowing other dragonriders, learning about magical creatures or brushing up on moral philosophy. However, even I would have to say that his expectations are a bit extreme.”

“He seems to hate me because I’m a Beaufont and for who my dragon is,” Gen related, her voice lower suddenly, like this was a secret that she didn’t want the Castle to overhear.

“I have to admit, that’s pretty intimidating credentials, Gen. Dwayne is new to leadership and then someone throws this spinner at him. Hell, you saw how your presence agitated me when you showed up.”

Gen smirked slightly. “Yeah, you weren’t exactly happy about me upsetting the organization that you’d created.”

“That’s because leadership is a delicate balance,” Hiker replied. “And one little thing, or as in your case, one big important Beaufont and her dragon can upset everything.”

“So, you think that Dwayne is just trying to be strict and not good with women and doesn’t know what to do with me, then?” she asked.

“I don’t know, honestly,” Hiker answered. “That all very well could be the case. I do know something though, which is Beaufonts have a good instinct. So what does that tell you?”

“Not to trust him,” she answered at once, not needing to think about it.

“Then don’t, but that doesn’t mean you have to revolt against him,” Hiker stated. “But is there any reason that makes you suspicious of Dwayne?”

Gen searched for the facts. Anything that would make her reasoning seem more plausible and not just gut feelings. “Well, remember when the Commissioner of Los Angeles was murdered and you wanted Sophia to look into it?”

Hiker nodded. “She put that official into that role and they had a good partnership, managing the criminals and law enforcement balance in the city. I worried that a lot of what she’d worked to create would be disrupted, not to mention that when a high-level official is murdered in his own office, we need to take notice.”

Gen nodded. “Dwayne knows who did it, but he says he can’t confide that information to the council. He said he’s putting things into place to support his leadership role. However, something is off but that’s a really stupid thing for me to say.”

Hiker arched an eyebrow at her. “Why would you say that?”

“Because I don’t know anything about this world,” she answered. “Everything on this planet is off.”

“Oh, I see,” he retorted, nodding and understanding at once. “Well, maybe you’re right and you’re misreading the situation. I appreciate that you’re trying to remain objective. I can only imagine that things in this place would seem very bizarre for you.”

“So, maybe Dwayne’s right and I need to train a lot and not get into the field until I really understand things,” Gen reasoned.

“Maybe,” Hiker said, nodding along, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“But also, I feel a fire to do something, like when I intervened in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art heist,” Gen countered. “Like how could I just sit back and let that happen when I could clearly see that something wrong was going on. And it wasn’t petty crime that we’re supposed to allow and monitor as Rogue Riders. It was the type of crime we’re supposed to identify with our powers and stop.”

“Right,” he said, rocking back in his chair, seeming to be urging her to the next question. “How could you sit back?”

“I couldn’t,” Gen stated with sudden conviction. “I feel drawn to the extremes of right and wrong. That’s how I can see the crime that we can allow. It falls into this gray area. It’s the dividing line that helps me to spot lies and know when intervention is necessary.”

Hiker rocked forward suddenly, pushing to his boots. “I think you need to train, Gen.”

She clambered to a standing position, not wanting to be looking up at him so much when he towered over her from a standing position. However, her height didn’t make that much of a difference. “You do?”

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