Chapter 7

Hiker Wallace's Office, The Castle, The Gullington, Scotland, United Kingdom

The Castle seemed to be mocking Gen by appearing extra inviting. She was instantly at ease surrounded by the stone walls and firelight, making her feel at home as if she was in London. The old oil paintings and marble statues seemed to be plucked straight out of the 15th century and placed around the path she took up to Hiker Wallace's office. Gen pushed down the nostalgia brought on by the allure of the Castle as it enticed her various senses.

When she made it to Hiker's office, he appeared surprised that she wanted to meet with him. He sat stoically on the other side of his desk as she explained her concerns about Dwayne Stone. When she was done detailing her experiences with the Rogue Riders, Gen remained still, waiting for Hiker's reaction.

For a long moment, the large man with a light-colored beard and shoulder-length hair didn't say a word. His blue eyes seemed to be studying her, like trying to dissect her from the inside out. She knew that he was old and had seen much in over five hundred years on the planet. All that experience had hardened the man and although he appeared very closed off, Gen knew she could trust him. She felt that about Hiker Wallace and believed her instinct.

The leader of the Dragon Elite's chair creaked like it was complaining when he rocked forward, putting his weight more firmly on the surface of his desk. "When I started in my leadership, I was a lot rougher on the men than I am now…" He hesitated, giving her a look of uncertainty for a moment. "Back then, there were only men in my ranks of dragonriders."

"I know that, sir," Gen pointed out. "Why are you mentioning it?"

"Because there might be two things at play here," Hiker began, his Scottish accent strong. "It might be that Dwayne, as a new leader of the Rogue Riders, is coming in tough to establish authority. You see, it's better to start off as really strict and then ease off as you create expectations. But you can't go backwards."

Gen nodded, understanding at once. "You can't begin relaxed and then toughen up when your subordinates don't adhere to your leadership."

"That's right," Hiker affirmed. "My other point is something I've only recently learned in the last few decades. And that is that women and men can't be led the same way. I didn't know that at first. It wasn't until Sophia that I had to understand women and their feelings. I could yell at my men for days and they wouldn't take it personally. They'd be madder than hell, but they wouldn't get hurt feelings. Then Sophia came along and got in my face, telling me that I couldn't talk to her in a certain way if she didn't deserve it—if she hadn't done something wrong."

Hiker actually laughed, throwing back his head, his belly really shaking from the gesture. When he looked at Gen, he was sincerely smiling. "I had never heard such a thing in all the centuries I'd been alive. I'd never considered that I couldn't talk to someone sternly if they hadn't deserved it. But you want to know what?"

"What's that, sir?" Gen asked, leaning forward, actually interested in the answer to this.

"She was right," Hiker answered, still laughing. "Sophia was…well, still is and always will be, a pain in my ass. But she listened to my authority whereas the men goofed off. She did what I asked. She was trying. And she was right that she didn't deserve my wrath."

Gen stared at the surface of the desk, not really seeing it. "So you didn't realize that you had to talk to women differently than men…"

"Yes, and that could be Dwayne Stone's problem," Hiker replied. "He's young and very inexperienced."

"I get that, sir, and I appreciate your perspective and candidness. However, I don't really think that's his problem."

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?"

He nodded, clasping his hands behind his back. "I do. But I don't see what's wrong with investigating the things you're picking up on your radar. Just because you find something, doesn't mean you have to act on it. You could turn the information over to your boss. You could turn it over to other Rogue Riders. And just by searching for the truth, well, I think you'll find that you're fulfilling a part of your purpose."

"You think, sir?" Gen asked, staring up at the man, surprised he was telling her to do what she wanted. And even more surprised and impressed that she could do that while also doing what Dwayne expected of her.

"I know the Beaufonts," Hiker began, a fondness in his eyes. "I know that if there's something wrong, it wakes Sophia up in the middle of the night. Also, she will annoy me for hours until I believe her and give her the resources to look into it more. And I also know that her instinct is always right. Beaufonts are compelled by two things, the pursuit of justice and the protection of truth. Do what you're told, Gen, by your boss and by your instinct. One might be corrupt. I really can't attest one way or another. But the other, your instinct, it will never be wrong."

Gen smiled brightly, grateful for the advice. "Thank you, sir."

"But one more thing," he added, his light expression fading.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Although your instinct won't be wrong, prepare for it to get you in trouble," he warned in a low voice. "It always gets a Beaufont in trouble, because when they follow it, they usually find something dangerous that needs to be erased."