Read Online Dragonback 02 Dragon and Soldier by Timothy Zahn - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Timothy Zahn
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and Jack took a careful sniff.
One was enough. "We're out of here," he muttered, closing the door
all the way and heading for the window at the far side of the room. As
he passed the computer, he shut it off. "Come on."
"What is it?" Draycos asked, hurrying to catch up with him.
"He's laying a sopor mist ahead of himself," Jack said, looking
around. Unfortunately, this room hadn't come equipped with any handy
extension cords. "A few more whiffs and you and I would have been
snoozing blissfully away. You see anything to climb with?"
"No need," Draycos said, stepping to the window. With forepaws and
muzzle he slid it open. "I will jump first and stand below. You may
drop onto my back."
"You must be kidding," Jack growled, going back to the desks. The
computers themselves were standard fold-top portables, with a whole
spaghetti mix of cables connecting them to printers and scanners and
other equipment. "I'd break your back. Or else miss completely and
break mine. Help me get these cables loose."
Two minutes later, Jack had the cables knotted together. "It will
be too short," Draycos warned, running an eye over the makeshift rope.
"It'll be close enough," Jack insisted, carrying the lumpy coil
across the room and feeding one end out the window. "Here," he added,
handing the other end to the dragon. "Hold tight."
There was no way he could slide down quickly, not on a rope with
as many knots in it as this one had. Just the same, he went down as
fast as he could manage. The watchman back there could burst in on
Draycos at any time, and he probably had something a lot nastier than
sopor mist in his arsenal.
But there were no shots from above, and none of the knots gave
way, and a few seconds later he had reached the end. Draycos had been
right; he found his feet dangling about six feet short of the ground.
Bending his knees slightly, he dropped the rest of the way.
He'd barely landed when the collection of cables fell into a heap
beside him. Draycos was right behind them, dropping into a crouch away
from the tangle. "Anyone nearby?" Jack whispered.
The dragon's long neck turned back and forth, his green eyes
glowing like a pair of control panel status lights as they probed the
darkness. His tongue darted out, and his ears twitched back and forth
like small, pointed radar dishes. "I sense no one," he said.
"Okay." Pulling off his bag mask, Jack tossed it to the breeze. It
would have been nice to have its protection all the way back to the
barracks, but he didn't dare risk it getting caught in some bush nearby
once he finally threw it away. Grisko and his buddies would come
hunting for the intruder soon enough, and marking which of the three
barracks he had come from would be making it far too easy for them. He
would just have to trust that Draycos was right about the coast being
clear. "Let's go."
The trip seemed even longer this direction than it had going the
other way. But again, there were no shouts or lights or other signs of
discovery. Either they'd made it out ahead of the general alarm, or
else Grisko had decided to play it cool. Draycos boosted Jack up to the
window, then followed.
Three minutes later, undressed again, he was safely back under the
blankets.
"What now?" the dragon murmured from his shoulder.
Jack took a slow, deep breath, listening to his heart thudding in
his ears. That had been close. Too close. Uncle Virge would definitely
not be happy with this one.
Especially since they hadn't even accomplished what they'd set out
to do. "I don't know," he had to admit. "If we hadn't left that pile of
computer cables on the ground, they might have figured it was a false
alarm. No chance of that now, though."
"My fault," Draycos said, his whisper sounding subdued. "I am
accustomed to thinking as a warrior. Not as—" He paused.
"A thief?" Jack suggested.
"Yes," Draycos said reluctantly. "I apologize. I know you are
trying to move away from that part of your life."
"It's okay," Jack soothed him.
One was enough. "We're out of here," he muttered, closing the door
all the way and heading for the window at the far side of the room. As
he passed the computer, he shut it off. "Come on."
"What is it?" Draycos asked, hurrying to catch up with him.
"He's laying a sopor mist ahead of himself," Jack said, looking
around. Unfortunately, this room hadn't come equipped with any handy
extension cords. "A few more whiffs and you and I would have been
snoozing blissfully away. You see anything to climb with?"
"No need," Draycos said, stepping to the window. With forepaws and
muzzle he slid it open. "I will jump first and stand below. You may
drop onto my back."
"You must be kidding," Jack growled, going back to the desks. The
computers themselves were standard fold-top portables, with a whole
spaghetti mix of cables connecting them to printers and scanners and
other equipment. "I'd break your back. Or else miss completely and
break mine. Help me get these cables loose."
Two minutes later, Jack had the cables knotted together. "It will
be too short," Draycos warned, running an eye over the makeshift rope.
"It'll be close enough," Jack insisted, carrying the lumpy coil
across the room and feeding one end out the window. "Here," he added,
handing the other end to the dragon. "Hold tight."
There was no way he could slide down quickly, not on a rope with
as many knots in it as this one had. Just the same, he went down as
fast as he could manage. The watchman back there could burst in on
Draycos at any time, and he probably had something a lot nastier than
sopor mist in his arsenal.
But there were no shots from above, and none of the knots gave
way, and a few seconds later he had reached the end. Draycos had been
right; he found his feet dangling about six feet short of the ground.
Bending his knees slightly, he dropped the rest of the way.
He'd barely landed when the collection of cables fell into a heap
beside him. Draycos was right behind them, dropping into a crouch away
from the tangle. "Anyone nearby?" Jack whispered.
The dragon's long neck turned back and forth, his green eyes
glowing like a pair of control panel status lights as they probed the
darkness. His tongue darted out, and his ears twitched back and forth
like small, pointed radar dishes. "I sense no one," he said.
"Okay." Pulling off his bag mask, Jack tossed it to the breeze. It
would have been nice to have its protection all the way back to the
barracks, but he didn't dare risk it getting caught in some bush nearby
once he finally threw it away. Grisko and his buddies would come
hunting for the intruder soon enough, and marking which of the three
barracks he had come from would be making it far too easy for them. He
would just have to trust that Draycos was right about the coast being
clear. "Let's go."
The trip seemed even longer this direction than it had going the
other way. But again, there were no shouts or lights or other signs of
discovery. Either they'd made it out ahead of the general alarm, or
else Grisko had decided to play it cool. Draycos boosted Jack up to the
window, then followed.
Three minutes later, undressed again, he was safely back under the
blankets.
"What now?" the dragon murmured from his shoulder.
Jack took a slow, deep breath, listening to his heart thudding in
his ears. That had been close. Too close. Uncle Virge would definitely
not be happy with this one.
Especially since they hadn't even accomplished what they'd set out
to do. "I don't know," he had to admit. "If we hadn't left that pile of
computer cables on the ground, they might have figured it was a false
alarm. No chance of that now, though."
"My fault," Draycos said, his whisper sounding subdued. "I am
accustomed to thinking as a warrior. Not as—" He paused.
"A thief?" Jack suggested.
"Yes," Draycos said reluctantly. "I apologize. I know you are
trying to move away from that part of your life."
"It's okay," Jack soothed him.
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