Deadly_The Odyssey of Nath Dragon Read online

  “What happened?”

  Hacksaw’s face sagged. “Goblins got her. I was in the field. Didn’t find out until weeks later. It broke a part of me. She was the one.”

  Nath looked over at his friend. “I’m sorry.”

  Misty eyed, Hacksaw said, “I found those goblins, and I killed them all. And then I killed more of them. Just another reason why I hate the goblins.”

  Both men sat in the silence with the wind in their faces. Birds streaked across the sky, finding their nests before the sun went down. The crickets began to chirp the moment the last of the setting sun, like a closing eye, vanished in front of a dark-purple sky.

  “Can I ask you something?” Nath said.

  “Yes.”

  “How did you know, uh, well, you didn’t give her name, but how did you know that she was the one?”

  “I called her Tulip. It was short for Petunia, which she said she never liked. She didn’t care much for Tulip, either, but it was easy to remember, and she stuck with it. The first time I met her, I felt the heavens shake. I never felt anything like that before. But with Tulip and me, there was just a natural familiarity, as if we’d known each other all of our lives. I tell you, I was a very brazen young man, full of bull and stubborn as an ox, but she understood me. Where my gruff exterior ran others off, she found comfort, somehow. And that gave me comfort. It settled my fighting spirit.” He blew smoke into the sky. “I can’t say for certain how you know for sure, but you just do. There’s just a quiet understanding. Do you feel that way about Maefon?”

  “In truth, she’s about the only woman in my life that I’ve ever known well. She’s certainly intoxicating, but I feel that as much as I want her, we are different.” He sighed. “If I’m meant to be with another dragon, well, it will be a long time coming.”

  “True, but it will be worth waiting for. Trust me.”

  Looking up at the stars, Nath said, “Do you really think there is someone out there for me?”

  With the silver shimmer of the stars in his eyes, Hacksaw said, “Yes, she’s out there already, I’d say, and your paths will cross one day.”

  “So, after Tulip, you never tried to make a family again?”

  “No, it just hurt too much. Losing Tulip felt like hot steel running into my heart. I couldn’t go through that again.”

  “I think it would be fine if you did, though, wouldn’t it?”

  “Eh, I don’t know.”

  The main gate of Slaver Town parted. A wagon and rider came out, escorted by half a dozen guards. Nath stood up. “Is that Darkken?”

  “You’re asking the wrong person. Let me grab the spyglass.” Hacksaw moved away.

  Even in the twilight, there was no mistaking Darkken’s large frame or the wagon. Tied to the back of the open wagon were three more people. Their faces were covered in sackcloth. A scrawny man, a woman with an unmistakable figure, and a four-armed hulk. All of their hands and legs were in shackles. Darkken spurred the horses forward at a low walk. The ropes on the slaves grew taut, and with a jerk, they all shuffled forward.

  Nath almost jumped out of his boots. He took off for the forest, running by Hacksaw, who was fishing the spyglass out of the pack, before running right into Maefon. She wrapped him up with her arms. “Slow down.”

  Busting with excitement, he said, “It’s Calypsa, Rond, and Homer. Darkken has them!”

  “Nath, look at me.” She grabbed his chin and looked him dead in the eye. “We have a rendezvous point. You can’t just run down there like you were shot out of a crossbow. You need to wait. The Brothers of the Wind will meet at the point and make sure it’s safe. We’ll head down there when we get the go ahead.” She squeezed his chin. “Do you understand me?”

  “Perfectly.” Nath picked Maefon up by the waist and moved her out of his way. She gave a startled squeal. “But I’m not listening.”

  CHAPTER 26

  Maefon raced after Nath, but in two seconds, he disappeared into the woodland. She’d never seen a man run so fast. She was an elf, and the elves were extremely quick on their light feet, easily outdistancing most men. Nath, though young, was big for a man. Yet he moved with the power of a stag and the lightness of a deer. Not even the Brothers of the Wind could catch him before he hit the base of the hills.

  He’s not listening. That’s not a good thing!

  Ducking through the branches and hurdling the brush, Maefon raced down the hill. It was her job to keep Nath under control when Darkken was gone. Darkken might take issue with the fact that Nath showed up before he wanted him to. Darkken would want time to confer with the Brothers of the Wind. The goal was to stay several steps ahead of Nath. Darkken would want to tell them his plans so they would all be on the same page before Nath was included.

  Two more Brothers of the Wind sprinted by Maefon. They didn’t give her a look as they cut through the brush ahead of her. The long-legged men had an advantage, and though she was fleet of foot, she was not a natural-born hunter like many of the Caligin Darkken recruited. She focused on magic. Her thighs burned, and her breathing was labored. She called out in Elven, “Stay back with me.”

  The elven men fell back alongside her. As one, they navigated down the hill, dusting up the dirt and bounding over small chasms made by heavy rains. They hit the bottom of the hill at full speed, then slowed to a stop. There was nothing but an empty field of grass between them and the distant road. Maefon scanned left and right. Nath was nowhere to be found. The two elves beside her squinted.

  The rattle of wagon wheels on a dirt road caught her ear. To her right, the hill sloped down toward the road. Maefon wondered if Nath waited on the road, where he could not be seen. Hands clenching in and out, she started for the road.

  “I changed my mind,” Nath said.

  Maefon gasped as she whipped around, drawing her dagger. The Brothers of the Wind tore their swords out of their sheaths. They sprang in front of Maefon. Nath had a bit of a smile on his face, but his eyes were fixed on where the road started past the hillside.

  “How did you do that?” Maefon said, catching her breath.

  Nath shrugged. “I can be sneaky too.”

  “What do you mean by that?” she said, stepping between the elven men. “Put those swords away.”

  “I’m just imitating what I have seen from the Brothers of the Wind. I thought you would be impressed. I was about to stop and wait for you but thought I’d make a game of it.” Nath looked at her for a moment and turned his attention back to the road. “I did good, didn’t I?”

  “You should be more careful who you sneak up on, Nath. You could get hurt.” She took a deep breath and stuffed her dagger back into its sheath. It was a hot day. She had goose bumps on her arms. Nath had spooked her and the elves. How did he do that? If anything was to be learned, it was not to underestimate Nath. He indeed was a fast learner, and that could be a problem. The determined look in his golden eyes bothered her as well. “So, are you going to wait here with me?”

  “We’ll see.”

  “Nath, I think we should honor Darkken’s wishes. He risked a great deal—”

  “You aren’t in charge of me, Maefon. No offense, but you came with me, and not I with you.”

  “Nath!” she exclaimed.

  Over one hundred yards away, the horse-drawn wagon appeared on the road. Darkken sat easy on the bench with his shoulders hunched over. He glanced behind him at the slaves. All three of them trudged along behind the wagon. Their faces were covered in hoods. The irons on their ankles and wrists clinked. Dust from the wagon wheels rolled over their feet.

  Nath started forward. Maefon hooked his arms with her own. “Wait a moment. I might not be in charge, but show some patience. There is too much at risk to blow it now.”

  He pulled his arm free.

  “What is your problem?”

  “I want to see my friends,” he said. The Brothers of the Wind moved out in front of Nath, barring his path. They had stone-cold looks on their faces. Their slender hands
rested on their pommels. Nath glowered at them. “Get out of my way.”

  CHAPTER 27

  Maefon rushed between Nath and the elves. “There’s no need for this. Look.” She pointed behind her. “Darkken comes.”

  Nath didn’t know what it was, but a prickliness in his shoulders came upon him. The Brothers of the Wind got under his skin. He wanted to run right through them. Let them try to stop me. Behind the elves, he saw Darkken turn the wagon toward them. “We’ll wait.”

  “A good idea,” Maefon said, patting Nath on the hard metal of his chest. “Let Darkken do the talking, please. All may not be as it appears.”

  Nath couldn’t imagine why it wouldn’t be as it seemed. His friends were shackled. He was dying to see them. He wanted to tear off their hoods and get them out of those shackles. “I suppose I can wait a little longer.”

  Darkken led the wagon straight toward them. The prisoners trailed behind the wagon, all with their heads down. The strapping man lifted up his arm and waved. He also gave a hand signal to wait and stopped the wagon thirty yards away. He got out of the wagon, and with a finger to his lips, he approached. “It’s all well. All well,” he said in a low voice. He glanced at Maefon then focused on Nath. “Let me inform you of what is going on.”

  “Get them out of those shackles,” Nath said, finding it difficult to keep his voice down. “Now.”

  Darkken slapped a heavy hand on Nath’s shoulder. “You must listen to me. Those prisoners do not know what to expect. We must approach this with delicateness. They are safe, out of Slaver Town. Is that not what you wanted?”

  “Yes,” Nath said. It all happened so fast that he hadn’t even had time to consider what had happened. Without even mounting a rescue, Darkken had somehow freed them. He craned his neck toward his friends. “What happened? How did you get them out?”

  “They are slaves, and all slaves are for sale. I bought them all with your treasure.”

  Nath’s jaw dropped.

  “It was the best way. No one gets hurt. We own them now.”

  “I don’t want to own anybody.” Nath’s eyebrows knitted together. “Free them.”

  “They are as good as free. Don’t take it so literally,” Darkken replied. “This couldn’t have worked out for the better. Your friends have nothing to worry about from Slaver Town. And that’s not all. There is no longer a price on your head as well.”

  “What?”

  “There is an awful lot that needs to be discussed.” Darkken gave Nath an easy smile and grabbed his shoulders. “This is good. Very good. A clean slate for all, though it did cost a great deal. I didn’t think you would mind, but I turned over all of your treasure for them and you.”

  “All of it?” Maefon said, her jaw hanging open. “That was a fortune! We could have used those resources against the Caligin. Darkken, what were you thinking?”

  “No, it’s fine,” Nath replied. “I would have done the same thing. I’m glad you did it, Darkken. Well done.”

  Darkken nodded. “I know slavers are some of the worst of the worst, but they are businesspeople. In the end, all they care about is money. If you have enough, you can buy anything.” He cleared his throat. “But the negotiation was about more than your friends. There was your escape, the death of the quarry master, Foster, and several other guards. That was costly as well.”

  Nath arched a brow. “You told them about me?”

  “I had to make a deal, so I filled them in on some of the details about the Black Hand and the troubles of Riegelwood.” Darkken frowned. “They were not pleased to know that some of their resources were lost in Riegelwood, but these things happen in a dangerous business, and the fortune in your purse covered it. Why, their eyes grew as big as melons when I poured it out on the table. They slavered like starving hounds.”

  A loud rustle came from the hillside. Everyone turned to look.

  Hacksaw jogged out of the woods, huffing and puffing. He had all of their gear slung over his shoulders and carried loosely in his hands. “Thanks for waiting.”

  Everyone looked back at Darkken. Hacksaw dropped the gear on the ground and took a knee.

  Darkken held out a scroll made from brown parchment to Nath. “It’s all official. Your friends are free. Just keep that document on hand in case anyone ever questions it.”

  Nath ripped up the parchment. He dropped the scraps of paper on the ground. “They don’t need a parchment to say they are free. They are always free.”

  “Why did you do that?” Darkken said as Maefon picked up the paper. “Regardless of how you feel about it, your friends broke their laws when they attempted to free you. There are consequences for their actions. They will need that in case they get into trouble again.”

  “I don’t care.” Nath walked toward the wagon.

  Darkken caught up with him. “Just go easy. They will be frightened, and there is no telling how they will react.”

  “I can handle it.” Nath stood in front of the three people tethered behind the wagon. Homer sat on the grass. Calypsa stood perfectly still. Rond’s big head tilted side to side. Nath approached Calypsa first. She recoiled from the sound of his approach. Then he said, “Calypsa, it’s me, Nath. You are free now.”

  Rond lashed out, hitting Nath upside the head with his fist and sending him to the ground.

  CHAPTER 28

  Rond’s metal restraints did very little to hold him back from trying to pummel Nath. The bugbear flailed about like a wild animal, trying to tear Nath apart. Darkken grabbed the rope that tethered the four-armed bugbear to the wagon and yanked hard. He pulled Rond backward. Nath slipped out from underneath the bugbear and sprang to his feet. He backed away, wiping the blood from his cracked lip.

  From out of nowhere, all six of the Brothers of the Wind appeared. They dragged Rond to the ground and bound him up more tightly by throwing ropes over his massive arms.

  Darkken looked at Nath. “Are you all right?”

  “It was a glancing blow.” Nath could see Calypsa struggling against her bonds. A desperate muffled chatter came out from underneath her hood. Homer cowered under the wagon. Nath tore Calypsa’s hood off. Her eyes were wide. She moaned into her gag. Nath pulled the gag down out of her mouth. “Calypsa, I’m so sorry.” He threw his arms around her body and held her tightly in his arms.

  Her body quaked against his. “Am I truly free from that cage?”

  “Yes,” he said. “Yes!” He kissed her cheek.

  She nuzzled her face into his neck, tears flowing from her eyes. “Thank you, Nath Dragon. Thank you for coming back.” She managed to push away. “Now will you please get these nasty links off me.”

  “Of course.” He looked around a bit stupidly. He was still captivated by Calypsa. The dryad, though disheveled, was still as magnetic as ever. “Darkken, do you have keys?”

  “Certainly.” Darkken tossed Nath a set of small keys.

  Nath went to work unlocking the shackles, wrists first and then the ankles. From one knee, he looked up at Calypsa. “Better?”

  Rubbing her wrists, she smiled down at him. “You have no idea.” A brisk wind stirred her brown hair, pushing it away from her face. She was scuffed up all over, and her full lips were cracked. “I thirst. And I’d like to sit.” She took a spot on the back of the wagon while Darkken handed her a water skin.

  “Uh, let me take care of Homer,” Nath said. Homer’s hands were locked on the wagon wheel. Nath had to pull the man away from the wooden spokes that he clung to. “Homer, it’s me, Nath.” The musician continued to squirm. “What’s wrong with him?”

  “He’s probably so frightened that he lost his reasoning,” Darkken replied. He held out another skin of water for Calypsa. “More?”

  “No, I’ll save more for the others,” the half dryad replied.

  “We have plenty.”

  Nath jerked the hood off Homer’s head. The man was pale as a sheet of cotton. He shook head to toe. “Homer, it is me, Nath. Your friend. You are safe now.” Nath undid
the irons, freeing the man entirely from his bonds. He tossed them aside. “Are you thirsty? Hungry?”

  In a dry, raspy voice, Homer said, “It’s hard to see in this poor light, but I can see your eyes, and I know the voice. Is it really you, Nath, or do my senses deceive me?”

  “I know you once had an eye for the queen of Quintuklen,” Nath said in a cheerful tone.

  Homer threw his arms around Nath. “Oh, thank the kings, it really is you!” He squeezed Nath as tightly as he could. “I didn’t know what was happening. They tossed a sack on my head, and I had the awfullest time getting a sense of things. All I could hear was my blood roaring behind my ears. Nath, how have you been?”

  The scrawny, soft-eyed musician with delicate fingers looked as shabby as Nath had ever seen him. “I’m just fine now that my friends are free.” Nath tousled the older man’s hair. “I look forward to spending some time together. I want to hear you play, somewhere.”

  “I doubt I still even know how,” Homer said, eyeing Calypsa’s legs that dangled over the wagon, her water skin, and then her legs once more. “I’m very thirsty.”

  “Yes, even my throat is a little dry, suddenly,” Nath replied. He caught the water skin Darkken tossed to him and handed it over to Homer. “Drink and be filled.”

  Nearby, Rond, muscles bulging all over, struggled against his bonds. The Brothers of the Wind ran rope through the links in his chains and pulled his arms and ankles together, tying him up like a pig. He growled inside his hood.

  Calypsa hopped onto the grasses and rushed to the bugbear’s side. “Rond!” She lifted the hood from his face and took the gag from his mouth. Petting his face, she said, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, but we are free now. Nath saved us.”

  Rond closed his eyes and looked away from her.

  “Are you still mad at me?” she said. “I know this was my fault, and I am sorry, but I need you to forgive me.”