him on the
ground, humming softly as it automatically recharged itself, lay his
slapstick.
"About time," Jack muttered, wincing as he brushed the bits of
dirt off his rear.
There was a sudden burst of gold in front of his face, and Draycos
leaped into view, landing on the ground beside the fallen man. A quick
slash of his claws, and the comm clip on the man's shoulder went
spinning away into the smoke. "I apologize for the delay," the dragon
said. "I had hoped that with your capture they would call off the
search. That would have given us more time."
"No, they want the complete package," Jack said. Still, for a
lizard, this Draycos was pretty smart. "Let's not wait till they figure
out that they don't even have me," he added, pulling open his jacket
and shirt and offering Draycos his chest. "Get aboard and let's go."
To his surprise, Draycos stepped instead behind Dumbarton and
began digging with his front paws into the hot dirt beneath the man's
shoulders. "First help me move him to this tree," the dragon said.
Jack blinked. "Why?"
"Because he might otherwise burn to death," Draycos explained. He
had a grip on the man's shoulders now and was straining to lift him up.
"At the very least, his hands and neck will be severely burned."
"I thought he killed your people," Jack protested. "What do you
care if he dies or not?"
"I am a warrior of the K'da," Draycos said firmly as he started to
drag the man back toward the nearest tree trunk. "We kill only when
necessary, and in battle. We do not slaughter helpless enemies."
"He was sure going to help them kill us , you know," Jack
reminded him.
"Will you help me, or not?"
Jack shook his head in disgust. "I don't believe this," he said
under his breath. But he stepped to Draycos's side and took one of the
man's arms. A minute later they had him propped up against the tree,
his head sagging onto his chest, his hands lying in his lap out of the
dirt. "There," Jack said, stepping back. "Happy?"
"It will do," Draycos said. Brushing the dirt off his front paws,
he leaped up at Jack and flattened himself out around his torso again.
"Now: to your ship."
"Assuming there's still a ship to go to," Jack muttered, slapping
his hands against sudden hot spots on his chest and stomach. His first
thought was that the heat was coming from Draycos himself, but he saw
now that it was merely bits of dirt that had been clinging to Draycos's
back paws, dirt that had been left behind when the dragon went
two-dimensional.
This whole thing, he decided, was definitely going to take some
getting used to.
"Will your companion not defend it?" Draycos asked from his now
customary headrest on Jack's right shoulder.
"Not very well," Jack told him. "Just keep your fingernails
crossed."
"Pardon?"
"Skip it," Jack said, scooping up Dumbarton's slapstick and
stuffing it through the back of his belt where it would be handy if he
needed it. Or, more likely, if Draycos needed it. "Come on."
They reached the top of the ridge without seeing or hearing anyone
else and started down. Here, outside the crash zone, the forest was
alive with color, bright reds and yellows splashed against more subdued
blues and blue-greens. Spindly bushes shared space with the
thick-trunked trees, along with the curly-fry grass that seemed to grow
everywhere on this part of Iota Klestis. Here and there Jack caught a
glimpse of a bird or large insect flying about on its own business.
"Is that your ship?" Draycos murmured as Jack crouched down behind
one of the bushes and gave the area a quick study. "The group of bushes
at the far edge of the clearing against a line of trees?"
"That's it," Jack said sourly. "Only it's not supposed to be that
easy to see."
It certainly wasn't to him, anyway. To his eyes, the Essenay 's
outline was only barely visible along the edges of what seemed to be a
group of bushes and grasses swaying gently in the breeze. The only
reason he could see it at all was because he knew exactly where to look.
So
ground, humming softly as it automatically recharged itself, lay his
slapstick.
"About time," Jack muttered, wincing as he brushed the bits of
dirt off his rear.
There was a sudden burst of gold in front of his face, and Draycos
leaped into view, landing on the ground beside the fallen man. A quick
slash of his claws, and the comm clip on the man's shoulder went
spinning away into the smoke. "I apologize for the delay," the dragon
said. "I had hoped that with your capture they would call off the
search. That would have given us more time."
"No, they want the complete package," Jack said. Still, for a
lizard, this Draycos was pretty smart. "Let's not wait till they figure
out that they don't even have me," he added, pulling open his jacket
and shirt and offering Draycos his chest. "Get aboard and let's go."
To his surprise, Draycos stepped instead behind Dumbarton and
began digging with his front paws into the hot dirt beneath the man's
shoulders. "First help me move him to this tree," the dragon said.
Jack blinked. "Why?"
"Because he might otherwise burn to death," Draycos explained. He
had a grip on the man's shoulders now and was straining to lift him up.
"At the very least, his hands and neck will be severely burned."
"I thought he killed your people," Jack protested. "What do you
care if he dies or not?"
"I am a warrior of the K'da," Draycos said firmly as he started to
drag the man back toward the nearest tree trunk. "We kill only when
necessary, and in battle. We do not slaughter helpless enemies."
"He was sure going to help them kill us , you know," Jack
reminded him.
"Will you help me, or not?"
Jack shook his head in disgust. "I don't believe this," he said
under his breath. But he stepped to Draycos's side and took one of the
man's arms. A minute later they had him propped up against the tree,
his head sagging onto his chest, his hands lying in his lap out of the
dirt. "There," Jack said, stepping back. "Happy?"
"It will do," Draycos said. Brushing the dirt off his front paws,
he leaped up at Jack and flattened himself out around his torso again.
"Now: to your ship."
"Assuming there's still a ship to go to," Jack muttered, slapping
his hands against sudden hot spots on his chest and stomach. His first
thought was that the heat was coming from Draycos himself, but he saw
now that it was merely bits of dirt that had been clinging to Draycos's
back paws, dirt that had been left behind when the dragon went
two-dimensional.
This whole thing, he decided, was definitely going to take some
getting used to.
"Will your companion not defend it?" Draycos asked from his now
customary headrest on Jack's right shoulder.
"Not very well," Jack told him. "Just keep your fingernails
crossed."
"Pardon?"
"Skip it," Jack said, scooping up Dumbarton's slapstick and
stuffing it through the back of his belt where it would be handy if he
needed it. Or, more likely, if Draycos needed it. "Come on."
They reached the top of the ridge without seeing or hearing anyone
else and started down. Here, outside the crash zone, the forest was
alive with color, bright reds and yellows splashed against more subdued
blues and blue-greens. Spindly bushes shared space with the
thick-trunked trees, along with the curly-fry grass that seemed to grow
everywhere on this part of Iota Klestis. Here and there Jack caught a
glimpse of a bird or large insect flying about on its own business.
"Is that your ship?" Draycos murmured as Jack crouched down behind
one of the bushes and gave the area a quick study. "The group of bushes
at the far edge of the clearing against a line of trees?"
"That's it," Jack said sourly. "Only it's not supposed to be that
easy to see."
It certainly wasn't to him, anyway. To his eyes, the Essenay 's
outline was only barely visible along the edges of what seemed to be a
group of bushes and grasses swaying gently in the breeze. The only
reason he could see it at all was because he knew exactly where to look.
So
Similar Books
