Drakhana's Claim Read online

  Twelve

  Logan

  I have been in meetings all day, taking with all my advisers and salvaging what we can with the situation. By the third meeting, a pulsing ache had begun behind my eyes. I think I’m coming down with a migraine. Who wouldn’t consider all the stress I’m going through in the moment?

  Each meeting is about strategy. What is our next move? How do we make that next move? Some ideas I had to veto while others I had to push forward as fast as I can.

  I’m about to enter my fourth meeting of the day. My assistant is looking as haggard as I feel since he’s the one who has to do a lot of running around. Fetch me this file. Get me coffee. Call this someone or the other. I make a mental note to give him a raise once this is all over.

  We have been financially restructuring the businesses all day long. Which are in dire need of funds? Which have loans that need extensions or need to be paid off? Which businesses do we cut off since the fire clan is already chomping at the bit there?

  So many decisions have to be made.

  “Good morning, gentlemen,” I say when I enter the conference room.

  My assistant leans forward and whispers, “Afternoon.”

  “Does it matter what time of day it is?” I ask as a way to lighten the mood. I get a few chuckles before I sit down and say, “Let’s get to work.”

  One of my advisers slides a folder my way and says, “These are the companies that we have observed are being bought out by the fire clan.”

  I look over the names and internally grimace while keeping a calm expression on the outside. I point at each name as I say, “Sell this one. Consolidate this one. Limit operations of this one to a skeletal crew.”

  The man takes fervent notes. “What about the last one?”

  “File for bankruptcy. I just liquidated the assets of that one.”

  “But, sir—”

  “The fire clan will not know what hit them. Once they are done buying that company, it will be nothing to them. Let them waste their money.”

  The man nods, understanding what I want to happen.

  A second man in a dark suit with gray in his hair slides another folder my way. “These are the businesses that we can buy right now so that they won’t get sold out from under us.”

  I glance through the names. “And you’re sure that once we own these businesses, they will be ours? Because I will be taking all our profits and a chunk of our savings to buy these.”

  “All of these have been vetted, sir. They can all be ours by the end of the day.”

  One of the businesses is a pharmaceutical company. Another makes cosmetics—which is a good buy since cosmetics is a billion-dollar industry. Another is a profitable chain of resorts. The last one is a hospital?

  “Why a hospital?” I ask, curious and intrigued at the same time.

  “Sir, people get sick all the time. Hospitals are often overlooked, but they are a source of constant income. They practically print money, that’s how profitable they are.”

  He does make a point there. Humans, more than dragons, get sick. It’s a good move for us. It will solidify our hold in LA.

  “Make all the necessary arrangements. I want this done by the end of the day.”

  “Yes, sir.” The man nods and takes out his cellphone and starts typing furiously.

  I turn to the third man, who has been grim-faced this entire time. “What about our shares?”

  “Sir, I suggest that you sell all of them.”

  “But what if we shift from one portfolio to another?” I ask, already knowing where this is going, but it doesn’t hurt to get a second opinion.

  He shakes his head. “We will only be able to stem the tide for so long until the fire clan finds out where we’ve switched. Changes this big are hard to hide. The business world isn’t that big.”

  “You’re saying that having shares is too dangerous for us, right now?”

  “It’s certainly our more vulnerable aspect. It will be better to sell everything, sir.”

  “We are going to take a sizable hit there.” I’m already making the mental calculations. The taxes alone will pummel us hard. The pre-termination fees are also a bitch.

  “Better than losing everything to those fire clan bastards.”

  I tent my fingers and think for a moment. There’s no good way of getting out of this hole. If we’re not making any profits with the shares that we’re holding then why hold on to them? But is the liability worth the risk?

  Then a thought hits me like a sledgehammer. Right now, isn’t the time to hesitate on any of the decisions I have to make. If we don't act fast enough, the fire clan will catch up and we stand to lose everything.

  “Then we slash and burn,” I say.

  “Scorched earth it is,” he replies, taking out his phone and stepping outside to make, what I assume, is a call to all our stock brokers. By the end of the trading day, none of those stocks will be in our name.

  I make fists, my fingernails biting into my palms. As much as I’m opposed to fighting, I really want to punch a fire clan dragon in the face right now. To be put in this situation, with my tail between my legs, is humiliating. There I was, bragging to Ivy, that going into business is better than bloodshed anyway.

  The hostile takeover of all the ice clan businesses have put us in the red. A deep red. Basically, we are broke. What little money is there that’s left is almost not enough to keep everything afloat.

  It will take weeks to bring us back to the black. I don’t like being placed in such a vulnerable position. Especially when everything still seems like it’s in the air. We won’t know if we’ve managed to stop the bleeding until the financial reports for all the new businesses come in.

  I’m confident with all the decisions I’ve made thus far. You have to lose a few battles to win the overall war. It’s all about looking at the bigger picture.

  I have faith that we will all make it through this even richer than before. What’s killing me is the fact that Ivy’s taking all the money to fund the army. What little left that I can spare is all being sucked up by the ice clan war machine.

  She’s stockpiling weapons. Outfitting more soldiers with new, state of the art armor. And she’s buying ingredients for fighting elixirs that aren’t necessarily cheap.

  Her hunger to eradicate the fire clan from this world is causing more harm to the ice clan’s business interests than the fire clan’s diabolical machinations. The fire clan, I know I can defeat. But Ivy? That’s a little more complicated.

  While the men at the table are busy doing my bidding, I make an executive decision. I turn to my assistant. He leans forward, awaiting instructions.

  “I want you to cut off all funding to the army and divert it to our miscellaneous funds that we use here in the city,” I say.

  His eyes grow wide, understanding the implications of what I’m asking him to do. “But, sir, are you sure about this?”

  “I think we’ve given them more than enough. Right now, we need to focus all our funds here.” I frown. “Ivy doesn’t need any more weapons than she already has.”

  My assistant’s complexion pales.

  “Don’t worry. I’m the one on the chopping block for this. Not you.”

  “I’ve heard she can be quite vindictive.”

  “Let me worry about Ivy. Just do what I ask.”

  He swallows before he nods and stands. I watch him leave the conference room. I know once Ivy discovers what I’ve done she will not be happy. I could care less about how she feels. She has her war and I have mine.

  Of course, like any true businessman, I’m open to negotiations. Before she can spend anymore money, she will need to justify each and every purchase to me. I will not allow this uncontrolled spending any longer.

  She may say that it’s for the good of our people. Well, I can argue that what I’m doing is for the good of our people as well. We are both working towards a future for the ice clan.

  Thirteen

  Ivy

/>   After making sure that I’ve left the fortress fortified and impregnable, I bring a majority of our forces into the foothills at the base of Verglas. The fire clan will have to go through us first before they can ever hope to ascend Star Peak. I have also set up several traps around the mountain to ensure I take as many of them out as possible.

  The way I see this is, if everything goes as planned, we will win this war at our foothills stronghold. We have dug ditches and created sinkholes designed to kill dragons. We have also made sure we’re fully stocked with weapons and provisions to last a siege of several months.

  I’ve had the farmers bring up all their available crops to the fortress. The hunters have set up their catches too. I’ve also asked them to move into the town at Star Peak to ensure their safety. The lowlands have become a no civilian zone. Only army personnel can roam.

  Should our defenses be breached, we will move the fighting into the thick forest. That is our second line of defense. Of course, it will put us in a dangerous position because the fire dragons can decide to burn the trees down. What we have going for us is the amount of moisture in the air. Trees that are full of water inside don’t tend to catch fire.

  Our last line of defense is the fortress itself. It’s stood at the top of the mountain for centuries. No army has ever succeeded in breaking it. Not even dragons.

  One, the inexperienced clans will have a hard time flying at that altitude since the air is thinner because of the cold. We also have nature going for us since the air currents up there are unpredictable. Then there’s the cold. It’s frigid on the best day and punishing at the worst.

  There are also countless sheer cliffs with barely any footholds. Even the most experienced dragon climbers will have a hard time scaling our walls. We have also set traps there that are designed to inflict the most damage to the underbelly of dragons.

  Then there’s the fortress itself. Should the fire clan ever make it that far, they are in for a rude awakening. I’ve had our alchemists cook up an array of elixirs and potions that are specifically designed to take down fire dragons. There’s one that if you throw into a dragon’s throat will freeze them from the inside out.

  We also have all manner of war machines. Some that are meant to cut and maim. With others exploding upon contact. And a few that are designed to keep you alive long enough for torture and interrogation should it come to that.

  We are far from ready, but we are getting there. I still have a few other things in mind that will help tighten our offensive capabilities. I want to beef up the defenses a little more as well.

  I step out of my command tent and look toward the horizon. Just in time, I see Basil flying back from his supply run. I squint when it looks like he and the dragons with him are flying light. Did they have the supplies delivered or something?

  I don’t even move back when Basil lands. The wind his wings kick up ruffles the hair tucked into a long brain down my back. I place my hands on my hips as he sheds his dragon.

  “Where are the supplies?” I ask. “You know how important that shopping list was.”

  “You’re not going to like this, General,” Basil says. “Don’t kill the messenger.”

  “What is it?” I scowl, already not liking what he’s about to say.

  “Logan has cut us off.”

  “What do you mean Logan has cut us off?” I have an idea of what he means, but I’m too shocked by the reality that I have to ask the question just to be sure. Maybe my suspicions have been mistaken.

  “Exactly what I said.” Basil frowns. “When we went to buy the supplies, we discovered that there is no longer any money in the account that we usually withdraw the war funds from.”

  I feel my anger rise from the ground to run up my legs to my chest. It simmers there for a moment before it climbs up my throat and explodes in my head. I turn around and roar.

  The force of my anger detonates, sending a shockwave that disturbs all the dragons close by. I actually feel them scuttle away in order to hide from my wrath. It’s a testament to Basil’s courage and loyalty that he remains standing so close to where I am.

  “That fucking bastard!” I curl my fingers into tight fists at my sides. The last thing I want is to lash out at the wrong person. “Doesn’t he understand the fact that I need to keep this basecamp stocked?”

  “I don’t think he knows our plans, General.”

  “Don’t defend him, Basil.” I’m shaking bad enough that I can’t stand still.

  “I’m not defending him. I’m merely stating facts because if he knew what we’re doing then he wouldn’t have been so cruel.”

  I’d like to think that Basil holds out hope that Logan will return to us. That he will resume being my second in command. He, like many of the dragons in the ice clan, respect Logan. Sees him as a warrior just like them.

  It pains me to see the disappointment in his eyes. That hero worship shattered. I wish I could tell him that I told him so. The second Logan turned his back on us, we were pretty much on our own.

  With this move, he’s hit the final nail in the coffin. He’s made it clear how much he doesn’t want us to fight. How protecting our home means nothing to him.

  “Follow me,” I tell Basil and I turn on my heels.

  He shadows me as I make an inventory of what we have. The loss of the extra supplies will alter our plans. I will have to create a separate timetable.

  We pass dragons who are training with their ice powers. I need them to be as strong as possible in case we come into contact with that bitch dragon with the awesome fire power. I want to be ready this time. No more surprises.

  Logan needs to stop fucking with her. This is too important. Couldn’t he see that?

  I am not only a general, but a princess. I look up at the peak that I can see shining from where I stand. Having been raised in the Floe Fortress, I know the significance of Star Peak.

  It’s not only a symbol of our power. It’s the actual source of our power. That’s why it needs to be protected at all costs.

  We lose who we are as ice dragons should the fortress fall. Never will I stand for our might clan to become what the fire clan has degenerated to. Many of them had lost touch with their dragons. Logan is a fool for not seeing that.

  He’s been gone from his homeland far too long. He’s nothing better than a human at this point. Playing with his businesses like they are toys.

  We don’t need the city. We have built a life here in Verglas that’s unlike any other. The money he brings in is nice, sure. But can we survive without it? That’s what we’ve been doing for generations.

  The ice clan prides itself in being self-sufficient. We feed our own. We clothe our own. We protect our own. If Logan refuses to be one of us then he doesn’t deserve to be called a dragon much less be a part of the ice clan.

  “I need you to hold down the fort,” I tell Basil, shifting my attention to the training dragons.

  “Where will you be going?” he asks.

  I can feel the tension oozing out of him. Being a leader isn’t the easiest position in the world. I’m already taking a huge risk by doing what I have to do.

  “I need to take care of our Logan problem.”

  “Do you think that’s wise? What’s going to change from the time you two were arguing at the factory and seeing him now?”

  “I honestly haven’t thought that far ahead. I’m just hoping that the trip there will cool my head enough that I don’t ripe his off his body when I see him.”

  “May the dragon gods be in your favor,” he says, reciting the ancient code of our people.

  “Let’s certainly hope so.”

  Fourteen

  Logan

  Business, despite its often duplicitous players, is cut and dry. When you buy something, you exchange money for a commodity. When you sell something, you give someone a product in exchange for their cash. Simple as that.

  The challenge comes in the maneuvering. The how you get from point A to point B. It’s never often
a straight line and that’s what I enjoy about the challenge. Doing deals is never the same thing twice.

  Dealing with Ivy, on the other hand, is never as cut and dry. She’s the toughest nut to crack of all the nuts. Once she sets her mind to something, it’s never easy to get her to change course.

  I knew this about her since we were fledglings. She’d often defy her tutors and trainers, thinking that she knew better than they did. The only reason her father allowed her to become a part of the army was because he thought it would be a good way to curb her stubbornness and excessive energy.

  The excessive energy, they certainly found an outlet for. The stubbornness was a whole different story. In fact, being in the army made Ivy all the more stubborn. Especially when she started developing her fanatical need to protect the clan.

  This is a good trait to have for a general. But it becomes a bad thing when stubbornness stomps on common sense. Jaws need to be unlocked for new ideas to come in. We can’t all live in the past.

  That’s what I intend on telling her when I decide to fly back to Verglas. Not only do I want to explain to her why there wasn’t any money forthcoming to fund her war on the fire clan. But I also want to try one more time to convince her that fighting isn’t the only solution. I’m not one to beg, but I’m not prideful enough to negate that possibility entirely.

  In my dragon form, I pray for patience. I’m pissed off that Ivy thinks there’s an endless supply of the money she uses to fund her war. She acts all high and mighty about not needing businesses, but she neglects to admit the fact that the money she uses to outfit her troops come from the businesses she doesn’t care about. That she thinks is meaningless.

  Weapons don’t come cheap. High quality protective gear is expensive. And supplies? Those have to be bought in bulk, like she’s been doing. I’ve seen the invoices.