Order Of The Dragon (Omnibus 1-4)

by Jason Halstead

  Patrina scowled when she saw his eyes dance over her body.

  "Here," he said before he thrust the plant to her. "I'll turn away and keep a watch on the jungle."

  "Look at me and I'll cut your eyes out," she vowed.

  "I'm sure you will," Carson muttered. "Now hurry."

  Patrina did as Carson bade her, rubbing the shredded plant against her skin and clothing. She slipped it under her shirt and into her pants, crumbling the stalk and leaves of the plant against her skin. The smell was light and odd, almost like one of the oranges she'd had in Shazamir but with a sharp tang to it. She stood up after kneeling to rub it on her calves and then let the ruined plant fall to the ground.

  "I'm ready," she said once she took up Alto's broadsword again.

  Carson turned and nodded. He moved closer to her and sniffed. "Much better," he agreed.

  Patrina's nose wrinkled in distaste. "You'd better be right."

  Carson nodded. "I am. Now let's go. Be silent and stay close to me. Watch me, not the jungle, and do as I tell you." Without waiting for her to agree, he turned and started off, heading to the east and then slipping back through openings in the jungle's border to return to the cliffs.

  "Why aren't we in the jungle? There's more cover there," Patrina hissed.

  Carson turned and glared at her. "Be silent!" he growled. "There are more animals in the jungle, especially at night. And it'll be too dark to see in another couple of hours. That tree you lean up against in the dark might not be a tree."

  "What would it be?" she asked, ignoring his warning.

  "A snake big enough to wrap around you twice and crush the life from you before it swallowed you whole."

  Patrina's eyes widened at the thought.

  Carson let a wicked smile play across his face. "There are a lot of ways to end up dead here. Including not being quiet and listening to me."

  Patrina's eyes narrowed as she glared at him but she got the message. Carson smiled again before turning and moving through the vegetation. The ground began to slant, taking them down closer to the ocean as they walked

  Carson held his arm back, fingers splayed and palm facing her. Patrina stopped, guessing his intentions with the gesture. He glanced at her and then looked ahead of himself again. He moved forward, slipping between the bushes and smaller orange trees that dotted the cliff.

  Patrina moved to kneel on one knee beneath one of the trees, and then twisted her neck to look to the west. She couldn't see the sun anymore; it had sunk beneath the tree line. She frowned and realized that they must not be heading east anymore or the sun would still be visible over the water. She turned and looked to her right but couldn't see anything above the tall jungle trees.

  She returned her attention to the land ahead of her and gasped when she saw Carson nearly upon her. She rose up, her hand tightening on her beau's sword. The hunter came closer until he put his lips within inches of her ear.

  "There's a small pool ahead. A stream feeds it and from there another stream falls over the rocks to the ocean below," he whispered. "We'll pause there, on the ocean side of it, and you can get a drink. It's a watering hole for animals, too, so be ready to run."

  "Run where?" she asked.

  "Away?" he said with a smirk. "It's not a long fall to the ocean, either, and the water's free of rocks and deep enough to jump."

  "Death by drowning instead of by claw?"

  He pulled back and looked at her with concern. "Can you swim?"

  She snorted and said, "I'm kelgryn. Of course I can swim! I don't fancy climbing a cliff to get out of the water, though, especially with waves pounding me."

  "Oh, well, there's a beach a few hundred feet ahead of us. I haven't been there in a long time. It's pretty but there's nothing of interest there. We're rounding the island. You can't see it but the mountain with the castle is south of us now."

  "Why aren't we going south then?"

  Carson sighed. "There's a jungle filled with hungry and toothsome animals between us. And when we get there, we'd still have to walk around the base of it to get to a path that will take us up and into it."

  "Oh."

  "Are you ready?"

  Patrina nodded.

  Carson set off, guiding her through the fringes of the jungle. The orange trees grew fewer as they walked and were replaced with tall trees with the green coconuts high above them. Patrina glanced up at a few and then nearly ran into Carson when she returned her attention to him. He'd stopped just ahead of her.

  Patrina looked around him and saw a drop-off of a few feet in front of her guide. Beyond lay a crystal-clear pool of water, complete with a small sandbar in the middle that made an island. At any other time she might have smiled at the simple beauty of it. Alto would have liked it, she was certain.

  "This way," Carson whispered. He worked his way along the edge of the pond until the ground sloped down to meet the edge of the water. He moved a few more feet until he was near the stream that left the pool and plunged a dozen feet away over the edge of the cliff and into the ocean.

  Patrina dropped to her knees and set Alto's sword down. She leaned forward and put her hands in the cool water. She smiled in spite of herself and let the water wash away the dirt and juice from the plants before she cupped it and brought it to her lips. Patrina drank and then drank again. She hadn't realized how parched she was until the liquid slipped past her dry lips and down her throat. It invigorated her and sharpened her senses.

  Several swallows later, Patrina lifted her head and looked around. Something felt off. She reached for Alto's sword and closed her hand around the hilt when Carson hissed at her, "Be ready!"

  "What is it?" she asked.

  He didn't answer. Instead, he rose from where he'd knelt and nocked an arrow to his bow. He side-stepped behind her and then twisted slowly as he walked around her, looking for whatever it was that had caused the birds and even the insects to go silent.

  Patrina rose up with the unfamiliar broadsword in her hand. She was a far better warrior with her blade, but she didn't dare risk losing Alto's. He needed it, that much she knew. He'd told her how his blood had been used in its crafting and how it was tied to his very soul. He could function without the weapon but he acted half asleep when he tried.

  Patrina took a step closer to the stream when the tall grasses burst apart and a black shape blurred out of them. Carson's bowstring sang as he released it but it was followed with a grunt as the black panther crashed into him and sent them both rolling along the ground.

  Patrina shifted and looked for a chance to thrust her sword into the great cat when she saw three more of them pad out of the bushes and advance on them. She backed up again and stepped into the stream.

  Carson rolled over on the panther and pushed himself away from it. His first arrow lay buried in the mighty cat's belly and blood dripped from its ribs where a small dagger remained impaled. He drew both of the swords on his back and swung them in circles, loosening his shoulder and arms. "Time to see why they call me Twoblade!"

  "Who calls you that?" Patrina asked him, even if she was secretly glad he was all right. "You've been alone for years!"

  Carson frowned. "Well, these cats might, if they could speak."

  Patrina started to move closer to him when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw more of the cats approaching. They'd moved around the pond, flanking them. "Carson, there's more of them!"

  Carson glanced over and nodded. He measured the distance to the cliff's edge and then turned to look at Patrina again. He scowled. "Ready for a swim?"

  Patrina judged the distance against the pounce from the first panther that lay dead on the ground. "They'll be on us before we can make the cliff!"

  "You're a bad influence," Carson said while the panthers slunk around them and tried to surround them. "You worry about jumping; I'll worry about these house cats."

  "House cats?" Patrina echoed.

  "You should see the lions—now those are big," Carson offered. He swung his blade
s a few times, causing the panthers to stop and retreat. One closest to him had its ears flat against its head. It growled and showed its large teeth. "Patrina, ocean. Now!"

  "You're coming with me!" she hissed.

  "Right behind you," he said.

  She risked a glare at him and then nodded. "All right. On three?"

  "Just go!" he spat while feigning a lunge towards the panther in front of him. Rather than leap back, the great cat lifted a paw and struck at him. The claws passed through air that Carson would have occupied had his attack not been a ruse.

  Patrina took the false assault as a sign and turned and ran. She grabbed the sword in both hands and leapt off the cliff while sucking in her breath. She twisted as she jumped and saw Carson cry out as he lunged forward for real this time. Both of his swords leapt out and cut through the air towards the panthers that were distracted by their tactics.

  Before she could witness or hear any more, the ocean slammed into her and sucked her under.

  Chapter 13

  Patrina felt the sand under her hand first. She lowered her feet and crawled forward, clutching Alto's sword and gasping for breath. She made it to the beach and collapsed while the high tide still lapped at her. Her ragged breathing evened out as her exhaustion claimed her.

  Patrina woke to something pinching her in the side. She grunted and rolled over, and then swung her hand to bat away the stick poking her. Except it wasn't a stick; it was a sword. She cried out and yanked her hand back, squeezing it tightly to stop the bleeding in the cut on her palm.

  The kelgryn princess rolled away and grabbed up Alto's sword in hand. Her exhaustion slipped away as the weapon's warmth pulsed through her. She blinked and rose to her knees, sword held out in front of her to keep her attacker at bay. She blinked but couldn't make out her attacker with the sun silhouetting him.

  "Kind of short to be a warrior," she commented when she realized that she was as tall kneeling as the man who'd discovered her was standing.

  She heard him snort and turn around. He walked away from her and farther up the beach, giving her a chance to climb to her feet and risk a glance at herself. She was a dreadful mess: Her legs were soaked and her pants clinging to her skin. Her shirt was dirty and stiff with dried salt. Her hair had come loose from her braid in her panicked swim, leaving it tangled and messy as it fell about her shoulders, back, and chest.

  She looked up again and saw the short man still walking. She hurried after him and shielded her eyes from the glare of the sun. She stopped and gasped when she realized he wasn’t a man or a child—he was a goblin!

  "Ey dere!"

  Patrina looked up from the goblin and saw the mountainous green creature that called himself Thork. The troll shaman was standing next to a hut and using a knife to gut and clean fish on a makeshift table. He waved at her and Patrina was to numb to do anything else but wave back.

  "Yous's got to be hungry after all dat swimming," Thork said. "Thork is making some fish stew. Yous wants some?"

  Patrina nodded. She hadn't eaten since the wild boar Alto had killed two days ago. She stopped. Was it two days? She turned and stared at the crystal blue ocean behind her and then looked around. She was in a lagoon, with short rocky walls on either side of her. The water of the ocean wasn't just at the beach; it flowed out from inland in a channel that came from a dark cave.

  "How long?" Patrina croaked.

  "Da stew? Mebbe an hour?" Thork shrugged.

  "No—" Patrina stopped to cough at the scratch in her throat. It grew worse, forcing her into near convulsions before she looked up and saw the troll standing next to her and offering her a cup. She took it without asking and drank, oozing the fire in her throat and belly.

  "Stupid, yous shouldn't be drinkin' da ocean," the troll advised.

  "I'm kelgryn," Patrina managed before a cramp in her chest made her stop.

  "Yous a human, not a fish," the troll misunderstood her. "Even da kelgryn know beddur dan dat!"

  She focused on breathing and took another sip of the sweet water in the cup. She nodded. "I know," she managed at last. "I was going to say I'm kelgryn, we know better."

  "Den why you do it?"

  Patrina blinked and stared at the normally fearsome creature. She shook her head to clear it. "Thork, why are you here?"

  "Yous was choking," the troll said with furrowed brows. "Mebbe yous hit yous head in da water too?"

  "No!" Patrina groaned and gave up. "Thork, you helped Alto in the past. Many times now."

  The troll nodded and grinned. "Yous gots his sword."

  "Yes, and I need to get it back to him. I need to get to him; he's in trouble. Will you help me?"

  "Yous's scared," the troll stated.

  Patrina wanted to shake her head but something in the feral gaze of the troll stopped her. He was a shaman of Jarook, the patron saint of fear. If anyone knew fear, it was Thork. She nodded. "Yes, I am."

  "Yous not scared of Thork?" he asked.

  "I probably should be," Patrina admitted. "But I'm not. I'm afraid for Alto."

  "Dats not troof," Thork said with a frown.

  "Yes it is!"

  "Nope, not troof. Yous's scared for yous."

  Patrina opened and shut her mouth, confused by his words. "Wait, you mean I'm afraid for me, not for him?"

  "Somefin like dat."

  Patrina's brow creased as she tried to make sense of the troll's words. It wasn't his large teeth induced slurring or his dialect that thwarted her; it was the concept of what he was telling her. "You mean I'm afraid for me if something happens to him. What will I do?" Patrina frowned and saw the troll nod. She repeated herself as she gave thought to it, "What will I do?"

  "Dats da troof," Thork said. He turned and walked over to the large cauldron he had hanging over a fire pit that had coals and flames leaping from the husks of coconuts.

  "I told Carson I wasn't afraid to die, that I was more afraid of living without Alto," Patrina said. "I meant it. I need to get to him and help him. I need your help, Thork. I don't even know where I am on this damn island!"

  Thork grabbed a dented metal plate and punched it twice, denting it further into a bowl. He dipped it into the cauldron and scooped out some of the stew, and then handed it to Patrina. "Eat dis. Dat's da firstist fing yous need."

  Patrina looked at the stew and wrinkled her nose. She jabbed Alto's sword in the sand and stuck her finger in the steaming liquid and blew on it when it proved hot. She tasted it a moment later and gasped. The little morsel of flavor on her tongue captured her and made her mouth water for more. She grabbed at the bits of fish meat and vegetables floating in it and gobbled them down, heedless of the stinging in her fingers and lips from the heat. When she'd eaten the larger chunks and spat out the bones the troll hadn't bothered removing, she tipped it up and slurped up the broth.

  Thork laughed with his usual gusto and then pointed at her. He clapped his hands and said, "Thork was right, yous was hungry!"

  Patrina snapped out of her hunger-induced trance and glanced down at herself. She'd spilled the stew on her shirt and hair. She turned and looked away, embarrassed at her lack of etiquette. Even a kelgryn man fresh from the sea to the table wouldn't have made such a display. She saw Bonky, Thork's goblin assistant, laying on a rock in only a loincloth.

  "Bonky finks a tan is gonna help him wif da ladies," Thork explained, surprising her. "Thork's tryin a new potion dat keeps da sun from burnin so much. Bonky took some already."

  Patrina watched as Bonky lay on the rock, his hands behind his head and his eyes closed. A few moments passed and she noticed that his skin was indeed darkening. It continued to darken before her eyes, passing from pale to tan to golden brown. In moments it continued, shifting into a darker brown and eventually even a black.

  "Screw dat," Thork muttered. "Dats not gonna work."

  "Did he just burn to a crisp?" Patrina gasped.

  "Bonky! Is yous crispy?" Thork shouted.

  The goblin jerked and sat up. He loo
ked down at himself and cried out, and then leapt off the rock and ran around a couple of times before he turned to the ocean and ran into it. He emerged a moment later, spitting and sputtering. The goblin tried to wash the blackness off, to no avail.

  "What did you do?" Patrina breathed.

  Thork shrugged. "Dats why Bonky's da test goblin," he said. "Him gonna be okies."

  "Uh, all right," Patrina said. She forced her eyes off the frantic goblin and back to Thork. "How long was I asleep? It was nearly dusk when I jumped into the ocean."

  "Yous washed up on da beach last night. Bonky said yous was out of it, but yous wasn't waking up. Thork figured maybe sleep was good so Thork left yous dere."

  "I could have drowned!"

  Thork shrugged.

  Patrina blew a deep breath out in a huff and then coughed at the leftover irritation in her chest. She shook her head and tried to run her fingers through her hair. It wasn't happening. "I need a brush," she muttered.

  Thork turned and walked into the tall hut on the beach. He came out a minute later and handed her a comb made out of a large clam shell, complete with jewels laid into it. Patrina gasped. "This is beautiful!"

  Thork shrugged and rubbed his bald head. "Keep it."

  Patrina worked it into her hair and grimaced as it ran into tangle after tangle. "I'll be as bald as you by the time I'm done."

  Thork guffawed and turned to look at the river of water that flowed out from the cave to the ocean. "Dats fresh water over dere. Go stick yous head in it."

  Patrina frowned and glanced down at herself. Her clothing, what little remained, was a mess. "I'm a fright," she admitted. "I left my armor behind to help avoid the animals but they still tracked us. I should have left it on."

  "Metal armor?"

  "Dwarven plate," she answered.

  The troll turned to look at the ocean. "Hope yous's a strong swimmer!"

  Patrina covered her open mouth with her hand. "Oh! Good point. Good thing I left it, I guess."

  Thork nodded. "Take a baf. Thork still be here when yous's done."

  "What about Alto? Every minute I wait—"

  "Is dat sword still warm?"