Ragnarock by Stephen Kenson

Author:Stephen Kenson [Kenson, Stephen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780451457745
Amazon: 0451457749
Publisher: RoC
Published: 2000-02-02T07:00:00+00:00

13

The "corner office" of the Saeder-Krupp arcology was a vast room by necessity. One could easily have landed a mid-sized VTOL inside it, with plenty of space to maneuver. In fact, in many ways it less resembled an office than a hangar, or perhaps a cavernous den where a dragon would feel more at home.

Two adjoining walls were floor-to-ceiling armored macroglass, with adjustable tint and opacity, currently set to provide a clear view of the Ruhr River and the light-dappled cityscape of the surrounding megaplex. Beyond them was a broad balcony of shaped ferrocrete that provided an area large enough for a small aircraft—or a large dragon—to take off and land. Talon suspected that the macroglass walls retracted to allow the dragon a means of entry and exit, since there was no way he could fit through even the wide double doors leading in from the reception area.

The wall in which those doors were set was of pale stone, carved with elaborate bas-reliefs that looked medieval in style. No noble knights slaying dragons on them, however. They could very well have been authentic, looted from some castle or other ruin in Europe during the work of the Restoration. The floor was a seamless slab of dark marble, smooth and cool, although the air in the room was fairly warm.

The wall off to the right of the doors drew the most interest. The entire surface was covered with a sensitive film of ruthenium polymers, turning the whole wall into a giant trideo screen. On that screen were dozens of different "windows" showing video footage, computer graphics, and scrolling lists of text and numbers. Talon recognized a couple of major international news channels, along with the stock indices for Tokyo, London, and Boston. The rest was just a meaningless jumble of sounds and images overlapping, too much information at once for his senses to make heads or tails out of it.

In the midst of the room, lying curled up like a giant house cat, was by far the largest dragon Talon had ever seen. Not that he'd seen many. Most people gladly went their whole lives never getting any closer to an actual dragon than on the trideo. Talon had met only one other during his years in the shadows, and that creature was a child compared to the majestic shape he saw before him. It wasn't until he looked on Lofwyr, resting in his own lair, that Talon understood where the term "great dragon" came from.

Even curled up like he was, bat-like wings furled tightly against his back, back spines lying flat, with his sharp, reptilian head close to the floor, Lofwyr was huge. The dragon's golden scales shimmered in the light coming from the upper corners of the room as his sides heaved slowly, in and out, like great bellows. The air was filled with the dry, musty scent of a reptile house. Talon was reminded of a lizard, sunning itself on a rock, as he saw Lofwyr bathed in the glow of the track lighting from above.

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