Read Online Rage of the Dragon by Margaret Weis - Free Book Online

using the title that she herself had said he had no right to use. She even tried to insinuate some warmth into her tone.
    She could have spared herself the trouble. Skylan didn’t respond. He saw, out of the corner of his eye, Treia’s glance slide to Raegar’s dragonship and come back to Skylan, who smiled inwardly at her dilemma. Treia frowned, drummed her fingers on her arms.
    “The ogre ship is helpless!” she said abruptly. “Why don’t you flee while you have the chance? Your cousin Raegar’s ship is filled with troops. He would gladly protect us.”
    “He would gladly make us slaves again,” said Skylan grimly. “I would join my friend Keeper in Torval’s Hall before I let that happen.”
    “That is because you are a warrior and live for death,” said Treia. “If you have no care for yourself, Skylan Ivorson, think of Aylaen. Will you sacrifice her to your pride?”
    Skylan cast an uncertain glance at Aylaen and said nothing. Treia saw the look and, like a skilled swordsman, moved in for the kill.
    “Raegar is your kinsman, Skylan. He never wanted to enslave you. Raegar was following the orders of that man—Legate Acronis. And yet you trust him more than your own kin. Raegar will let you go free, Skylan. You and Aylaen can sail back to your homeland. You will be welcomed as a hero.”
    “My cousin would do all this for me,” said Skylan dryly. “Raegar is truly magnanimous. What does he expect in return?”
    Treia missed the sarcasm.
    “Give up the Vektia spiritbone,” said Treia eagerly. “It doesn’t belong to you anyway.”
    “It damn well doesn’t belong to Raegar,” said Skylan.
    Treia lost her temper. “You will never win, Skylan. Your own gods are against you! If you continue with this quest, it will end in tragedy.”
    Skylan didn’t trust Treia, but he was forced to acknowledge that she had once been a Bone Priestess, close to gods who must have granted her the power to use the Vektia spiritbone, though not the power to control it. Her words had the ring of truth. Skylan remembered the fury who had been sent to kill him, the druid’s enigmatic warning about powerful enemies.
    Treia saw by his furrowed brow and shadowed eyes that she had struck a telling blow. She pursued her advantage.
    “Give up this ill-fated journey, Skylan. Too many have died already.”
    “I will—” said Skylan.
    Treia’s face brightened.
    “—after I send Raegar to his grave.”
    Skylan leaned on the rudder and steered the Venjekar straight toward the ogre ship.
    “You fool!” Treia cried. “You will get us all killed!”
    “Go crawl back in your hole,” Skylan told her.
    Treia swore at him and, grabbing up her skirts, ran to Aylaen and seized hold of her by the arm.
    “Make him listen to reason, Sister! He will pay attention to you!”
    Aylaen rounded on Treia.
    “Do not call me ‘Sister’!” Aylaen hissed the word. She grabbed Treia’s hand and flung her back. “I have no sister.”
    “You will be sorry,” said Treia vehemently.
    She did not return to the hold, but stalked over to the stern and stood there by herself, her smoldering gaze fixed on Raegar’s ship.
    Wulfe had been hiding behind Aylaen until Treia left. Once she was gone, he hurried over to Skylan.
    “I’ve been talking to the oceanaids,” Wulfe reported. “They are worried. Something is wrong.”
    “Like that ogre ship bearing down us?” Skylan asked.
    “This doesn’t have anything to do with ogres,” Wulfe said.
    Skylan was concentrating on steering the ship so as to bring it alongside the ogre vessel.
    Wulfe didn’t like being ignored. “Do you remember the time the Sea Goddess sent that storm that nearly drowned us? The oceanaids warned me about that and I told you and you didn’t listen.”
    “Is there a storm coming?” Skylan asked.
    “I told you it was like that time,” said Wulfe crossly. “I didn’t say it was that time.”
    Skylan shook his head in exasperation. “I’ll deal with your