Read Online Dragonback 04 Dragon and Herdsman by Timothy Zahn - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Timothy Zahn
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hole up."
"What if they find us?"
"Then we do what we can," she said. "It's still better than being
caught out here in the open."
Jack took another deep breath. She was right, of course. But the
shock of losing the Essenay still pressed like a strangle cord
across his mind. It was hard to think about anything else, even
survival.
But Draycos wouldn't be nearly so handicapped. If Jack could just
talk with him a moment . . .
They reached the first turn in the path. "Go ahead and start
packing," Jack told Alison, waving her ahead as he slowed down. "I need
to do something first."
She frowned. "Like what?"
"It'll just take a second," he promised. "Go on; get going."
She hesitated, then nodded. "All right, but hurry. And stay under
the trees."
She turned and disappeared around the turn. "Probably thinks I
need to cry about the Essenay ," he muttered, looking down at
Draycos.
"Jack—"
"No, it's all right," Jack cut him off. "The Essenay was
just a thing. In the great grand scheme, things aren't important." He
swiped at his eyes again. "And Uncle Virge was just a computer program.
I did my crying for the real Uncle Virgil a year ago."
"I understand," Draycos said. "However—"
"Jack?" Alison's voice wafted over the bushes. "Come on, move it."
"Coming," Jack called back. "What I need to know right now," he
said, lowering his voice again, "is whether or not it's safe for us to
stay with Alison."
"Yes," Draycos said without hesitation. "I do not know why, but I
believe we can trust her. At least, for the moment."
Which wasn't to say she wasn't working some private agenda of her
own, Jack reminded himself. Somewhere along the line, that agenda could
easily branch off from his.
Still, there had been that look on her face when Colonel
Frost came on the comm. She apparently didn't want to see him any more
than Jack did. "Close enough," he told the dragon, starting forward
again. "Let's do it."
"Jack—"
"Later," Jack said as he reached the clearing and again threaded
his way through the lethargic Erassvas.
Alison was busily stuffing the contents of the two travel bags
into a pair of lightweight backpacks when he reached her. "You get your
booby trap set?" she asked.
"Booby crap?"
"Isn't that what you stayed behind for?" she asked, frowning up at
him briefly before returning to her sorting. "To slow them down a
little?"
"I was going to," Jack lied. Clearly, his brain was still only
working at half speed. "But I figured the Erassvas might get caught
before Frost's thugs got here."
"Probably right," she conceded. "Maybe we can do something further
on. Give me a hand."
"Sure." Jack dropped to his knees and started sorting a pack of
ration ban into the two bags.
And as he did so, he felt a breath of hot air on the back of his
neck. Twisting his head around, he found himself nose to muzzle with
the gray-scaled K'da he'd noticed earlier.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Alison snatch her gun from its
holster. "Easy," he said quickly. For a long moment the silvery eyes
stared into his, as if the K'da was trying to work out who exactly this
new creature was and what it was doing in its nice quiet forest. Then,
the eyes blinked slowly, and the head turned away, and the K'da
wandered off.
Alison let her breath out in a huff. "I sure hope you're right
about them being well fed," she said, setting the gun down on the grass
beside her.
Jack gazed at the gray dragon as it sniffed along the edge of a
fallen tree, an uncomfortable feeling stirring inside him. If Frost was
one of Neverlin's partners, he would know all about K'da. Including the
fact that Jack had one with him.
Which meant that when Frost and his men saw the Erassvas and their
little group of Phookas . . .
"You think we can get this done today ?" Alison's voice cut
into Jack's musings.
"Sorry." Shaking the thought away, he got back to his packing.
But the thought refused to leave. Frost, Neverlin, the K'da . . .
and by the time Jack and Alison had the
"What if they find us?"
"Then we do what we can," she said. "It's still better than being
caught out here in the open."
Jack took another deep breath. She was right, of course. But the
shock of losing the Essenay still pressed like a strangle cord
across his mind. It was hard to think about anything else, even
survival.
But Draycos wouldn't be nearly so handicapped. If Jack could just
talk with him a moment . . .
They reached the first turn in the path. "Go ahead and start
packing," Jack told Alison, waving her ahead as he slowed down. "I need
to do something first."
She frowned. "Like what?"
"It'll just take a second," he promised. "Go on; get going."
She hesitated, then nodded. "All right, but hurry. And stay under
the trees."
She turned and disappeared around the turn. "Probably thinks I
need to cry about the Essenay ," he muttered, looking down at
Draycos.
"Jack—"
"No, it's all right," Jack cut him off. "The Essenay was
just a thing. In the great grand scheme, things aren't important." He
swiped at his eyes again. "And Uncle Virge was just a computer program.
I did my crying for the real Uncle Virgil a year ago."
"I understand," Draycos said. "However—"
"Jack?" Alison's voice wafted over the bushes. "Come on, move it."
"Coming," Jack called back. "What I need to know right now," he
said, lowering his voice again, "is whether or not it's safe for us to
stay with Alison."
"Yes," Draycos said without hesitation. "I do not know why, but I
believe we can trust her. At least, for the moment."
Which wasn't to say she wasn't working some private agenda of her
own, Jack reminded himself. Somewhere along the line, that agenda could
easily branch off from his.
Still, there had been that look on her face when Colonel
Frost came on the comm. She apparently didn't want to see him any more
than Jack did. "Close enough," he told the dragon, starting forward
again. "Let's do it."
"Jack—"
"Later," Jack said as he reached the clearing and again threaded
his way through the lethargic Erassvas.
Alison was busily stuffing the contents of the two travel bags
into a pair of lightweight backpacks when he reached her. "You get your
booby trap set?" she asked.
"Booby crap?"
"Isn't that what you stayed behind for?" she asked, frowning up at
him briefly before returning to her sorting. "To slow them down a
little?"
"I was going to," Jack lied. Clearly, his brain was still only
working at half speed. "But I figured the Erassvas might get caught
before Frost's thugs got here."
"Probably right," she conceded. "Maybe we can do something further
on. Give me a hand."
"Sure." Jack dropped to his knees and started sorting a pack of
ration ban into the two bags.
And as he did so, he felt a breath of hot air on the back of his
neck. Twisting his head around, he found himself nose to muzzle with
the gray-scaled K'da he'd noticed earlier.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Alison snatch her gun from its
holster. "Easy," he said quickly. For a long moment the silvery eyes
stared into his, as if the K'da was trying to work out who exactly this
new creature was and what it was doing in its nice quiet forest. Then,
the eyes blinked slowly, and the head turned away, and the K'da
wandered off.
Alison let her breath out in a huff. "I sure hope you're right
about them being well fed," she said, setting the gun down on the grass
beside her.
Jack gazed at the gray dragon as it sniffed along the edge of a
fallen tree, an uncomfortable feeling stirring inside him. If Frost was
one of Neverlin's partners, he would know all about K'da. Including the
fact that Jack had one with him.
Which meant that when Frost and his men saw the Erassvas and their
little group of Phookas . . .
"You think we can get this done today ?" Alison's voice cut
into Jack's musings.
"Sorry." Shaking the thought away, he got back to his packing.
But the thought refused to leave. Frost, Neverlin, the K'da . . .
and by the time Jack and Alison had the
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