was time to get on with his emergency plan. The battledragon was still up there, but it sounded like it was climbing down into the hold. There wasn't a moment to lose.
Trader Dook took down the keys from where they hung and opened the cage to the smallest of the young dragons, the green-skinned female. She snarled and crouched and made ready to spring at him until there was a shrieking hiss from the other cage. The dragoness let loose a string of sibilant phrases, and the young dragon crouched back, away from that deadly human steel.
Dook glanced back to the dragoness's cage. The boy was still alive. What was she waiting for? When poor old Golber got close, it was over in less than a second. Damn these reptiles, unnatural beasts, they had no right to be talking in Dook's book.
Dook kept his cutlass in front of him. The little one was the smallest dragon, but she was still as big as he was. He had no doubt that but for the sword, she would have been on him in a flash with those teeth and claws.
"Listen up, dragonrat, you better tell the big fellow to leave me be or else this little one's gonna get it. You understand?"
Relkin stared at Dook with silent rage. The dragoness had released him after a long, terrifying moment. He was not one of the crew, and he was fighting Dook, and so he lived. She pulled back her deadly talons.
"Give it up, Dook. Why don't you just jump for it. We'll let you live, though others wouldn't."
There was a loud scrabbling sound from above and then an enormous shape fell into the hold with a crash that shook the ship from stem to stern.
A big voice erupted in dragonish curses.
The next moment the dragoness gave a scream of delight and called to Bazil in dragon speech.
Bazil sat up, and a moment later he was at the cage, tearing at the bars.
Relkin had to climb up on his shoulder and yell in his ear to break him out of it.
"Stop it, Baz. The cage is made of steel. I'll get the key!"
At last the dragon stood back. The bars were bent but they could not be broken.
"Boy right, much easier to use a key. Damned human things."
The dragoness,
his
dragoness was there before his eyes.
"You came back, then," he said. "I waited in the spring, two years."
"I came back. I brought your offspring for you to see. That human trapped them and then forced me to get in the cage to stop him from killing them."
"We free you now."
But freedom was not quite won, for Dook had the keys.
"You want to release the bitch-worm, eh?" He waved the keys. "Think again. You get the keys when I'm safely over the side, got it?"
Relkin and Bazil exchanged a long look. There was no way around it, it seemed. Relkin turned back to Dook.
"However you want it, Trader, just leave the little one alone."
Dook shook his head with a bitter laugh.
"By the breath, I will not. This one's coming with me. You get the other two, but this one I will take and sell. Worth at least a couple thousand down in Ourdh."
"Trader, you won't live to see Ourdh, not if you try and take the little one."
"Then she won't live either, got it? You better tell those monsters of yours. They want her to live, they better leave me go."
Relkin edged toward the cage.
Dook gestured with the sword to the small green dragon, then he started kicking her.
"Get out of the cage you stupid thing!" he roared.
The small dragon snapped at him in fury but when he raised the cutlass, she scuttled to the door. He followed close behind, his sword point in her back.
"Get up the steps!" he barked, and drove her on with more kicks and curses.
Bazil was on the verge of losing control. Relkin could see it in the big dragon eyes. Desperately he hefted his dirk. He'd practiced throwing the thing a hundred thousand times, but never had he had a life at stake on a throw.
Dook had eyes only for the dragon, and he was preparing to thrust home his blade if Bazil moved an inch toward him.
Relkin bent his arm slowly and then tossed the dirk underhand. It flew twenty feet across
Trader Dook took down the keys from where they hung and opened the cage to the smallest of the young dragons, the green-skinned female. She snarled and crouched and made ready to spring at him until there was a shrieking hiss from the other cage. The dragoness let loose a string of sibilant phrases, and the young dragon crouched back, away from that deadly human steel.
Dook glanced back to the dragoness's cage. The boy was still alive. What was she waiting for? When poor old Golber got close, it was over in less than a second. Damn these reptiles, unnatural beasts, they had no right to be talking in Dook's book.
Dook kept his cutlass in front of him. The little one was the smallest dragon, but she was still as big as he was. He had no doubt that but for the sword, she would have been on him in a flash with those teeth and claws.
"Listen up, dragonrat, you better tell the big fellow to leave me be or else this little one's gonna get it. You understand?"
Relkin stared at Dook with silent rage. The dragoness had released him after a long, terrifying moment. He was not one of the crew, and he was fighting Dook, and so he lived. She pulled back her deadly talons.
"Give it up, Dook. Why don't you just jump for it. We'll let you live, though others wouldn't."
There was a loud scrabbling sound from above and then an enormous shape fell into the hold with a crash that shook the ship from stem to stern.
A big voice erupted in dragonish curses.
The next moment the dragoness gave a scream of delight and called to Bazil in dragon speech.
Bazil sat up, and a moment later he was at the cage, tearing at the bars.
Relkin had to climb up on his shoulder and yell in his ear to break him out of it.
"Stop it, Baz. The cage is made of steel. I'll get the key!"
At last the dragon stood back. The bars were bent but they could not be broken.
"Boy right, much easier to use a key. Damned human things."
The dragoness,
his
dragoness was there before his eyes.
"You came back, then," he said. "I waited in the spring, two years."
"I came back. I brought your offspring for you to see. That human trapped them and then forced me to get in the cage to stop him from killing them."
"We free you now."
But freedom was not quite won, for Dook had the keys.
"You want to release the bitch-worm, eh?" He waved the keys. "Think again. You get the keys when I'm safely over the side, got it?"
Relkin and Bazil exchanged a long look. There was no way around it, it seemed. Relkin turned back to Dook.
"However you want it, Trader, just leave the little one alone."
Dook shook his head with a bitter laugh.
"By the breath, I will not. This one's coming with me. You get the other two, but this one I will take and sell. Worth at least a couple thousand down in Ourdh."
"Trader, you won't live to see Ourdh, not if you try and take the little one."
"Then she won't live either, got it? You better tell those monsters of yours. They want her to live, they better leave me go."
Relkin edged toward the cage.
Dook gestured with the sword to the small green dragon, then he started kicking her.
"Get out of the cage you stupid thing!" he roared.
The small dragon snapped at him in fury but when he raised the cutlass, she scuttled to the door. He followed close behind, his sword point in her back.
"Get up the steps!" he barked, and drove her on with more kicks and curses.
Bazil was on the verge of losing control. Relkin could see it in the big dragon eyes. Desperately he hefted his dirk. He'd practiced throwing the thing a hundred thousand times, but never had he had a life at stake on a throw.
Dook had eyes only for the dragon, and he was preparing to thrust home his blade if Bazil moved an inch toward him.
Relkin bent his arm slowly and then tossed the dirk underhand. It flew twenty feet across
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