Heart of a Dragon by David Niall Wilson Page B

Martinez' blade fading as the image of Jake's dragon struggled to the surface.
    Martinez repeated the process of sealing the other two colors.   Again, Salvatore saw that there was extra care taken on the red.   He couldn't understand this, under the circumstances.   There was very little of the red in Jake's dragon.   It was gold and green, scales gleaming brightly.   He felt it reaching out to him and heard its call.
    "We'd better get going," Martinez said, after bundling the paints carefully.   He held the door for Salvatore, who stepped out into the dying light of the day.   Together they disappeared into the Barrio, heading for Salvatore's small shack.   Jake would be there soon, and it would be time to paint.

Chapter Eleven

    Donovan and Amethyst stepped into Club Chaos from the entrance on Forty-Second Street.   They didn't have an appointment, so The Crossroads wasn't the right destination.   They needed to get into the more crowded areas of the club and see who they could shake out of the rafters.   They were dressed for a night on the town, Amethyst in a long, dark gown, open down her back and slit at the sides.    Donovan wore his customary dark trench coat, and he'd grabbed a black fedora to complete the ensemble.   They didn't want to stand out, and dressing too conservatively would have done that as quickly, possibly more quickly, than taking their appearance too far.   Club Chaos served a particular crowd…those who didn't belong were usually not hard to spot, and each inner den had its regulars.
    "Where to first?" Amethyst asked.
    "I think the pool room," Donovan said.   "I know a guy who might be in there, and if not there are a few regulars that hail from the Barrio.   Last time I was there I even saw one of Anya Cabrera's goons."
    "The bald ones?"
    "The same," Donovan said.   "It was one of the only times I've ever seen one of them out of her site, or out of the Barrio.   He must have been on an errand.   I didn't bother to try and talk with him."
    Amethyst nodded.   "Probably wise.   Either he'd have gone for your throat, or just clammed up and reported your curiosity."
    Donovan nodded.   They ducked past the doormen, and entered a long hallway.   To either side, shorter passageways led to a variety of inner bars.   Music pounded through the speakers in the hallway, and as they passed the entrances to the various clubs, they pulsed with sound – a different variety and volume from each.   Rock, Industrial, Swing – even Country.   There was something for everyone at Club Chaos, assuming one knew where to look.   Donovan knew that the acoustics had been enhanced by other-than-mundane methods.   There was no other place like it on Earth…or, at least not in San Valencez.
    They made their way to the back of the main passage and followed the hallway to the left.   As they continued, the sound of balls being racked and the snap of cues slamming into balls echoed off the walls.
    "Busy." Amethyst said.
    "Better for us.   The more people there are, the better chance we'll find someone who knows what's going on.   We probably don't have that much time.   If Martinez is desperate enough to hit us both up on the same day and risk our finding out, then something bad is happening, and soon."
    "There's a small Voodoo contingent in the city, as well as in the Barrio," Amethyst said.   "There are plenty who go in just for what Anya has for sale. If we're lucky, we'll find one of them here, playing dark priest for the local girls."
    They entered the pool hall slowly and scanned the tables.   There was a booth near the first table, and they headed for it.   Most of the seats were full, and all of the pool tables were doing a brisk business.   Even the stools at the bar were occupied.
    "You get the booth, I'll get the drinks," Donovan said.
    Amethyst wound her way to the empty booth and took a seat,