Page 3 of The Mountain King
Chapter Two
“No,” Maddugh said.
The human’s face flickered, going dark before it smoothed into a slick smile. Maddugh regarded him with distaste he didn’t bother to disguise. He needn’t bother hiding his disdain. The mines were his—the mountain was his. If he chose to flame the human where it stood, that choice, too, was his.
“Lord, I don’t think you fully comprehend the magnitude of the opportunity being presented,” Gaston said.
How had he made the mistake of hiring a fool? The man had seemed intelligent, competent even, when Maddugh approved his appointment as head foreman over the mine. Six foremen kept each other busy enough with their machinations, infighting and black market coal dealing to leave little time to conspire against him. It amused Maddugh that his own employees didn’t think he knew they siphoned the fuel and sold it as illegal currency. Insects. Of course, he knew. But once his son had reported back that collapsing the black market in coal would leave several families, including single mothers with children, in dire straits, Maddugh had decided to let it be. There were more important things than profit, or whether his humans thoughthewas the fool. It didn’t matter what they thought, really—he could choose to eat any one of them and there would be nothing they could do about it.
“I understand,” Lord Maddugh said, cutting off the droning about new investors to the West, and the rebuilding of Denver, of San Francisco, the magnificent opportunity to provide fuel for budding Domes. “I just don’t care. You may not increase production. You will not over mine the tunnels. You’re nearly at forty percent, your casualty allotment for the year.”
“Surely a two-hundred percent increase in ROI warrants the additional casualties,” Gaston’s aide protested. A short, fat man who squeaked when Gaston swatted him upside the head.
“Forgive the interruption, Lord Maddugh.”
He wasn’t inclined to do so. “I don’t think there’s anything left here to discuss. You are dismissed.”
Gaston bowed. Maddugh stared at the top of his slicked, shiny hair, wondering why rich human men liked to adorn themselves with animal fat. His waistcoat was finely made for someone supposed to be supervising one of the filthiest jobs in the Outlands. Maddugh didn’t fool himself to thinking the man had bathed and dressed and perfumed himself in honor of the dragon Lord.
“May I leave these documents with you?” Gaston asked, beginning to place his sheaf of papers on Maddugh’s desk.
“No.”
The man paused, then bowed again, jaw tight. Maddugh grinned at him, waited until they had turned and almost reached the door.
“Gaston?”
He paused, hand on the knob. “Yes, Lord?”
“The next time you bring a human who isn’t house trained in my presence, I will eat him.”
His second son stepped out of a shadowed corner once Gaston left. Blind, deaf, dumb human—the man hadn’t even realized a second predator was in the room, watching.
“He’s the one behind the trouble,” Amnan said, watching the door with slightly narrowed eyes.
Maddugh sat back in his chair, rubbing his chin. “You’re speculating.”
“Yes.”
But it wasn’t heedless speculation. Maddugh had sent Amnan to spy on the mines several weeks ago, after yet another report of minor mishaps reached Maddugh’s ears. He paid workers to report to whom they thought was an outside interest watching Lord Maddugh—but it was Maddugh himself watching. He wasn’t fool enough to blindly trust the humans he had in place to run the daily operations of the mine.
“His goal?” Maddugh asked.
“His goal is what he says it is—to increase profits.” Amnan paused, head tilting. “Men I didn’t recognize were in his office the other day. Not merchants or miners.”
Maddugh smiled, choosing amusement over anger. Anger was dangerous—on the best of days he managed to restrain himself, maintain a jovial, light hearted exterior because it put his people at ease. But he was restless, bored… alone. He wanted flight and fire—an enemy to crunch and chomp.
“Then perhaps he has made promises he must now keep.”
Amnan nodded, approached the balcony doors and pushed them open. “I’ll follow and keep watch.”
Maddugh watched as his son shifted, sapphire scales glittering in the sun before Amnan rose into the air and shimmered, disappearing.
* * *
Amnan waiteduntil dawn and then shifted to his two-legged form and dressed quickly, a little impatient at the necessity of doing so. But the humans were queer regarding nudity—especially the men. The women didn’t seem to mind so much. Hrutha was a sloppy dresser—mainly due to his innate laziness—but Amnan began to understand why.
He strode up the wagon wide gravel path, ignoring startled glances when he emerged from the forest. Startled glances, and slightly angry glances. Expressions even a month ago, a worker wouldn’t dare give one of Maddugh’s sons. They didn’t reveal themselves often, but in the past when they did, the humans had always behaved with appropriate fear. And having witnessed three unknown men enter Gaston’s office, he wanted to see what the foreman would do when directly confronted. If the human was on dishonest business, he would ‘forget’ to give Amnan the names of the visitors.
