Read Online The Dragon of Time: Gods and Dragons by Aaron Dennis - Free Book Online

doesn’t even have a weapon. Look at him. Need a drink?”
    “You’d offer me a drink after I attacked your
outposts?” Scar asked in amazement.
    It was evident that they all were quite
drunk. The longhouse was really more of a mead hall than a resting
place; troubadours played flutes, men and women danced, the scent
of meats filled the air.
    “You here to fight?” the Kulshedran asked.
Scar did not have time to say anything. The man continued, “I don’t
care who’s doing what and where, you got no weapon, and you were
brought in by one of us.”
    “Shut up, Bern,” Brandine said and shoved the
Kulshedran. “Now, you, you, big, tall, hunk of white man meat, you
can out drink me, you can stay. You can’t, I personally rough and
tumble ya’.”
    The longhouse grew quite again. Scar frowned
and looked around for a clue. All avoided eye contact. Brandine
wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and smiled to reveal
yellowed teeth.
    “Rough and tumble me?” Scar asked.
    Labolas leaned over and whispered, “She’s
going to rape you.”
    Scar’s face contorted in horror, but Brandine
howled out in laughter, sat at a table, and slapped it. Scar looked
at Labolas for help.
    “Go drink,” the archer said and shoved the
mercenary off.
    It took only a moment of contemplation. There
was no war inside those walls. Whatever oddity was unfolding was so
utterly different from Zmajan culture that the mercenary decided to
indulge the woman if only to witness the culmination. He stood,
rolled his shoulders, popped his fingers, and sat down across from
Brandine. The clapping, whooping, and hollering began, and then
drinks were served. A row of twelve, small, stone cups were placed
before each competitor.
    “Is this really happening?” Scar asked.
    Labolas stood behind him and said, “Dracos
are notoriously…how shall I put it?”
    “They’re all dang blasted crazy!” Bern
added.
    “Stop carryin’ on!” Brandine interrupted,
raised her cup so the bar tender served her a fine brown alcohol,
and threw the drink back before finally slamming the cup down
upside down on the table. “Now, you.”
    The bar tender looked to Brandine, who
motioned to hurry it along. The portly fellow shrugged and filled
one of Scar’s cups. Scar drank. It was a bit warm going down, but
hardly a feat.
    So the process was repeated, and the crowds
cheered, and the music grew louder. It was after three more drinks
that Brandine’s orange eyes grew glassy. Her mouth relaxed to the
point that her droopy bottom lip glossed over with drool, which she
quickly sucked back. Scar felt quite himself and very much enjoyed
the beverage.
    “Is this drink from Eltanrof?” he asked.
    “What, why, of course it is,” Brandine
shouted.
    They both drank one more round. Brandine’s
young men, and a great many Dracos, stood by the man hungry woman
shouting all manners of things.
    “You’ll get in those pants,” one said.
    “Put it where the sun don’t shine, Brandine,”
another cheered.
    Scar only looked to Labolas, who was of
little help. The Kulshedran had joined others of his kind, but did
not appear to be drinking. With a crooked smile, Scar looked at
Brandine.
    “You don’t look too well,” he said.
    “Hush up,” Brandine fired back and drank.
    The next four rounds went quickly and in
silence, or at least Brandine was silent. Everyone else continued
hollering obscenities. As the drink settled into the fiery woman,
she started to lean on the table. Then running chunky fingers
through copper curls, she stammered nonsensically.
    “I, that, yooou,” she managed before bursting
out into laughter. Scar chuckled to himself. They made it through
two more rounds before Brandine leapt up from the table. “Nope,”
she said and bowled men out of her way.
    She made it just outside to hurl. Everyone
enjoyed a great roar of laughter. Labolas came over to Scar, and
standing behind the white man, he addressed the crowd.
    “Today you’ve witnessed the