Read Online Dragonback 04 Dragon and Herdsman by Timothy Zahn - Free Book Online
Authors: Timothy Zahn
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and the Essenay was caught between
them.
Jack clenched his hands into fists, vaguely aware of Draycos's
claws tightening reflexively against his skin. Uncle Virge was trapped
like a rat in a cage. If he didn't surrender, and fast, the two
attackers would cut the ship in half.
"The Saga of Fristra," Draycos said suddenly, his head melting
back onto Jack's skin. " Min kly , then the Saga of Fristra."
Jack blinked. "What—?"
"Jack?" Alison demanded as she came up beside him. She peered up
at the mountains, shading her eyes with her hand. "Uh-oh."
" Min kly , then Fristra," Uncle Virge acknowledged, his
voice tight. "See you, Jack lad."
"What's a min kly ?" Alison asked, throwing a frown at
Jack's comm clip.
Jack was still trying to think up a good answer to that when the Essenay twisted suddenly like a hooked fish, spun to the side, and raked the
incoming Djinn-90 with a full salvo from its lasers. Half-hidden by the
brilliant flashes, a pair of missiles arrowed out in a one-two punch.
The first missile exploded against the side of the mountain as the
fighter passed, blanketing the attacker in a flow of shattered ice and
rock. The second arced straight into the middle of the avalanche. There
was another ball of flame, and now only the Kapstan was left.
But the maneuver had cost the Essenay dearly. Its sideways
skid had robbed it of most of its forward momentum, and Jack could see
Uncle Virge fighting for stability in the churning mountain winds. Even
as the transport dropped lower, its attack intensifying, the Essenay rolled over and plummeted toward the cliffs below. It disappeared
behind a peak—
And there was one final violent explosion. The Kapstan veered
sharply away, bouncing as it was buffeted by the blast.
Jack stared at the fading light and smoke, his pulse pounding in
his ears. "Uncle Virge?" he whispered toward his comm clip. "Uncle
Virge?"
There was no answer. In the distance, the Kapstan's pilot had
gotten the transport back under control and returned to the area above
the final explosion's fading glow. Slowly, it circled the area, its
weapons silent.
Which could only mean that Colonel Frost no longer had anything to
shoot at.
Dimly, Jack felt his muscles starring to shake, his vision
blurring with tears. Uncle Virge, the Essenay , everything he'd
known since he was three years old—it couldn't all be gone. Not here.
Not now.
He jerked violently as a hand suddenly touched his shoulder. He
turned, trying to see through the tears. "Come on," Alison said quietly.
"Where?" Jack asked, his voice quavering. It was a sign of
weakness Uncle Virgil had always hated, but Jack no longer cared.
"Into the forest," Alison said. "We have to get under cover."
"Why?"
"Because they'll be coming here next," she said patiently. Her
face was tight, and he could see an edge of fear lurking at the corners
of her eyes. But her voice was calm and determined. "They'll have
tracked the transmission from your comm clip."
"So what?" Jack demanded bitterly.
"So I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to give up just
yet," she countered, some of her control starting to crack.
Jack shook his head. "It's finished, Alison," he said quietly.
More finished than she would ever know, in fact. Jack, Draycos, the
K'da and Shontine—they were all dead.
"Snap out of it," Alison ordered tardy, slapping him none too
lightly across the back of his head. "Okay your ship's gone. I'm sorry.
But it's a long way from being finished. My friends—remember? My
friends are coming to get me."
Jack swiped at his eyes with his sleeve, a cautious flicker of
hope stirring inside him. "Okay," he said, taking a deep breath. "I'm
all right."
"That's better," Alison said. "Come on."
She got a grip on his arm and started pulling him back toward the
path. "Where are we going?" Jack asked.
"I've got camping gear in my travel bags, enough for a couple of
weeks if we're careful," she said. "We break it out, pack it for
travel, and find someplace to
them.
Jack clenched his hands into fists, vaguely aware of Draycos's
claws tightening reflexively against his skin. Uncle Virge was trapped
like a rat in a cage. If he didn't surrender, and fast, the two
attackers would cut the ship in half.
"The Saga of Fristra," Draycos said suddenly, his head melting
back onto Jack's skin. " Min kly , then the Saga of Fristra."
Jack blinked. "What—?"
"Jack?" Alison demanded as she came up beside him. She peered up
at the mountains, shading her eyes with her hand. "Uh-oh."
" Min kly , then Fristra," Uncle Virge acknowledged, his
voice tight. "See you, Jack lad."
"What's a min kly ?" Alison asked, throwing a frown at
Jack's comm clip.
Jack was still trying to think up a good answer to that when the Essenay twisted suddenly like a hooked fish, spun to the side, and raked the
incoming Djinn-90 with a full salvo from its lasers. Half-hidden by the
brilliant flashes, a pair of missiles arrowed out in a one-two punch.
The first missile exploded against the side of the mountain as the
fighter passed, blanketing the attacker in a flow of shattered ice and
rock. The second arced straight into the middle of the avalanche. There
was another ball of flame, and now only the Kapstan was left.
But the maneuver had cost the Essenay dearly. Its sideways
skid had robbed it of most of its forward momentum, and Jack could see
Uncle Virge fighting for stability in the churning mountain winds. Even
as the transport dropped lower, its attack intensifying, the Essenay rolled over and plummeted toward the cliffs below. It disappeared
behind a peak—
And there was one final violent explosion. The Kapstan veered
sharply away, bouncing as it was buffeted by the blast.
Jack stared at the fading light and smoke, his pulse pounding in
his ears. "Uncle Virge?" he whispered toward his comm clip. "Uncle
Virge?"
There was no answer. In the distance, the Kapstan's pilot had
gotten the transport back under control and returned to the area above
the final explosion's fading glow. Slowly, it circled the area, its
weapons silent.
Which could only mean that Colonel Frost no longer had anything to
shoot at.
Dimly, Jack felt his muscles starring to shake, his vision
blurring with tears. Uncle Virge, the Essenay , everything he'd
known since he was three years old—it couldn't all be gone. Not here.
Not now.
He jerked violently as a hand suddenly touched his shoulder. He
turned, trying to see through the tears. "Come on," Alison said quietly.
"Where?" Jack asked, his voice quavering. It was a sign of
weakness Uncle Virgil had always hated, but Jack no longer cared.
"Into the forest," Alison said. "We have to get under cover."
"Why?"
"Because they'll be coming here next," she said patiently. Her
face was tight, and he could see an edge of fear lurking at the corners
of her eyes. But her voice was calm and determined. "They'll have
tracked the transmission from your comm clip."
"So what?" Jack demanded bitterly.
"So I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to give up just
yet," she countered, some of her control starting to crack.
Jack shook his head. "It's finished, Alison," he said quietly.
More finished than she would ever know, in fact. Jack, Draycos, the
K'da and Shontine—they were all dead.
"Snap out of it," Alison ordered tardy, slapping him none too
lightly across the back of his head. "Okay your ship's gone. I'm sorry.
But it's a long way from being finished. My friends—remember? My
friends are coming to get me."
Jack swiped at his eyes with his sleeve, a cautious flicker of
hope stirring inside him. "Okay," he said, taking a deep breath. "I'm
all right."
"That's better," Alison said. "Come on."
She got a grip on his arm and started pulling him back toward the
path. "Where are we going?" Jack asked.
"I've got camping gear in my travel bags, enough for a couple of
weeks if we're careful," she said. "We break it out, pack it for
travel, and find someplace to
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