Order Of The Dragon (Omnibus 1-4)

by Jason Halstead

Patrina laughed. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh. You're so adorable."

  "Adorable?" Alto said, the word helping to shock him out of his passion-induced stupor. "I wasn't going for adorable when I got these clothes."

  Patrina laughed again and gave him another kiss, albeit much quicker and less promising. "You are everything I've ever dreamed of," she said to him. "Adorable isn't a bad thing when it's mixed with everything else."

  "Everything else?" he asked.

  Patrina opened her mouth in shock and then shook her head. "That's enough, fisherman."

  Alto frowned. He wasn't even very good at fishing when he'd tried it in streams near his father's farm. "Fisherman?"

  "Yes, you're fishing for compliments," she informed him. "It should be enough that you've won my heart, or do you want more?"

  He shook his head quickly. "That's a king's ransom in itself. If I could, I'd let your father give Rockwood to someone else and just keep you."

  Patrina reached up and cupped his cheek in her palm. "I think I'd like that too, but a quiet life is not for us, my love."

  Alto nodded. "I'll take what peace I can have once Caitlyn is safe from Sulim."

  "Safe from him, but what about others? She's smart and pretty, Alto. There will always be men after her."

  "A normal man I don't mind. A decent man. Even Garrick showed interest in her. He'd scare away just about anyone!"

  "Garrick?" Patrina asked. She laughed and shook her head.

  Alto grinned with her. "Yeah, maybe not Garrick."

  Patrina stared into his eyes as their smiles faded. She slipped her hand around the back of his neck and pulled him closer. "We'll get her back," she tilted her head up and whispered. She kissed him again, communicating her need for him through her lips without words.

  When Patrina stepped back, she took a deep breath and let it out. "Go, please," she said in a husky voice. "We must wait and I can't stop myself if you do that again."

  "If I do—what about the time in Holgasford when you were in my room?"

  Patrina shook her head and turned away. "I was weak and you were strong. I'm asking you to be strong again, for me."

  "And if I'm not?"

  "You are," she said as she turned her head back to glance at him over her shoulder. "You're the strongest man alive."

  Alto smirked. "Garrick's got me beat, I'm afraid."

  "Not the kind of strength that matters," Patrina said.

  Her arms moved but with her back to him he couldn't see what she was doing with her hands. A moment later the straps on her armor slipped off her shoulders. "Alto, please…"

  Alto stared at her as her armor began to slip down her body with each clasp she undid. He nodded and choked as he tried to talk. He backed away, stumbling over his own feet, and then managed to slip through the door and pull it shut behind him as he backed out. Alto stood there a moment and then bent his head forward to press against her door. "Goodnight, Trina," he whispered.

  Alto turned away and moved to the next door. He walked in and saw Carson sharpening his swords. The hunter looked up at him and smiled, and then his smile fell away. "What's wrong?" Carson asked.

  Alto shook his head. "Nothing's wrong," he lied. "I mean, other than my sister and all of us being down here."

  Carson stared at him a moment longer. "It's Patrina, isn't it?"

  Alto sighed, answering without words.

  "She's a beautiful woman," Carson said wistfully.

  Alto turned and looked at him, a frown on his face. Carson caught his gaze and shrugged. "She is. I'll not deny it and you'd be a fool to expect me to."

  Alto nodded. "Fair enough. Garrick once had designs for her too."

  Carson chuckled. "Surprised he didn't just try to grab her and take her. Seems like the sort of thing his people would do."

  "It is," Alto admitted. "He told us as much when we met him. But Patrina's different. Even he admits that. Plus she beat him in a fight when we first met."

  Carson's jaw fell open.

  Alto nodded. "It's true. My hands and feet were frozen and worthless. His clan had given up on me but she demanded their shaman try to help me. They wouldn't hear of it until she proved we were worth considering by challenging Garrick to a fight."

  "And she won?" Carson asked.

  "And she won," Alto repeated.

  "And you got healed."

  Alto nodded. "That's another story."

  "I've got time," Carson offered.

  Alto shook his head. "Another time, perhaps."

  The woodsman shrugged. "Anytime. Like I said, you guys are the only friends I have who won't try to eat me."

  The warrior chuckled and kicked off his boots before sitting on his bed. "Then don't spend too much time with Garrick and Mordrim. There's no telling what they might do if they were trapped on an island like you were!"

  Carson laughed with him and went back to maintaining his swords. He'd replaced his dirty hides with plain clothing from the market that was anything but plain to him. Boots, loose-fitting pants, and a vest made him look like a normal man again. "Thanks again for the clothes," he said. "I'll repay you when I've had a chance to make some money."

  "You kept us alive on the island—you've earned it a hundred times over."

  "I kept you alive?" Carson asked. He snorted. "You kept yourselves alive. I nearly got you killed time and again. That woman of yours, she was the amazing one who made things happen."

  "You were the one to stop Bucky at the end. We'd all been knocked aside and were no threat. He could have killed us all."

  "Maybe," Carson allowed. He shrugged. "We'll call it a draw then?"

  "A draw," Alto agreed. "Now get some sleep. I don't know what tomorrow brings but with our luck, I'm sure it will be exciting."

  "I believe you," Carson said as he put his equipment on his bed and then wadded up a blanket and lay down on the floor. He stuffed the blanket under his head and shifted a few times until he was comfortable.

  Alto watched the strange man as he bedded down on the hard wooden floor. He unbuckled his belt with his sword and leaned it against the wall beside his bed. This time, Alto was ready for the slump he felt when he let go of his sword. He shook his head and stripped off his shirt before blowing out the lamp and lying down. His thoughts strayed to Patrina almost instantly and caused him to toss and turn. Carson was breathing heavily after a few minutes but Alto lay staring into the darkness.

  She'd asked him to leave and he had, but it had been the hardest thing he'd ever done. Harder than jumping off the mountaintop and killing Sarya. Harder than fighting Beck after the evil knight had butchered his family. Harder than breaking it off with Aleena when she had been insistent that they were destined to be together. But Patrina had asked him and he had gone. She'd practically begged him to go. He thought back to the moment when she'd whispered, "Alto, please…"

  Alto's eyes flew open. She said please; she hadn't said what the please was for. Was it please leave, or was it please touch me? Please take me? Please love me? Alto groaned and rolled over, shoving his face into the lumpy mattress.

  Was it too late? Alto rolled back over and stared at the door beyond the foot of his bed. A long time had passed. He'd even dozed once or twice until he woke up with a fresh thought. They were thoughts he imagined, not things she'd said. But maybe if he went to her she'd understand. Maybe she still felt that way. Maybe she was having as hard a time sleeping as he was?

  Alto heard a muffled noise through the wall. He turned and looked at it. Then he heard something again. Was it a gentle knock? Was she knocking on the wall, summoning him? He sat up and took a deep breath to quiet his nerves. He looked for his shirt in the dark but wasn't sure where it was. It didn't matter. If he was right and she really did want him, he wouldn't need it!

  Alto stood up and took a step in the darkness. His toe jammed into Carson's side, waking him with a snort and causing Alto to stumble into the other bed. Carson rolled away and flailed about, trying to find his swords. He crashe
d into Alto and fell back down, and then lay on the floor, breathing hard.

  "What's going on?" Carson asked. "Is something wrong?"

  "No," Alto hissed. He straightened and got his bearings. "I'm going to the jakes," he said.

  "Use the pot," Carson said.

  Alto frowned and stammered, "Uh, no, you, uh, wouldn't like it if I did."

  Carson chuckled. "Well then, thank you for thinking of me!"

  "Yeah, uh, sure. Go back to sleep."

  Carson grunted and lay back down while Alto moved to the door. He opened it and peered down the dimly lit hallway, and then stopped when he saw the two men coming down the hall from the stairs that led to the common room. They were moving fast and had dark clothes complete with the strange coils of scarves wrapped on their heads and around their faces. Kar had said they were called turbans and were used to block the sun and sand. He didn't know why they'd wear them at night, though.

  Alto nodded and was about to step back out of their way when he heard something crash in Patrina's room. He whipped his head around towards her door and then heard the scuff of a man's foot against the ground. He spun back and saw both men running towards him, daggers in their hands.

  "To arms!" Alto shouted as he stepped into the hallway and met the men racing towards him. He kicked the hand of the man on the left and fell back, grabbing him as he fell on top of him. The other man hesitated, unable to attack him cleanly.

  Alto managed to grab the hand with the dagger and twisted back so that he was partly on top of the killer that attacked him. Alto drove his elbow into the man's neck and held it there, pinning him against the floor. He slammed his hand holding the dagger into the floor above his head until the knife fell free.

  He felt a tug at his pants and then it was gone. He grunted and pushed again with his elbow and then felt something pop in the man's neck. He pushed himself back and turned to see Carson standing with a sword in each hand and the other killer lying in a spreading pool of blood on the floor.

  "My sword!" Alto hissed.

  Carson turned and grabbed it, and then tossed it to him. Alto grabbed it and was filled with energy that sharpened his mind. He stepped up to Patrina's door and smashed it open, only to drive it into someone on the other side. He heard a grunt and another crash but the door swung back towards him.

  Alto pushed it open again, drawing his sword as he did so, and saw a man next to an overturned table with a dagger stuck in the hollow under his jaw. As the door opened all the way, he saw Patrina scrambling to her feet with her axe in hand and nothing else save for a loincloth.

  "Alto!" she hissed.

  "Trina!" He glanced around her room and then back at her. She was covering her breasts with her arm while her right hand still held her sword. Blood dripped from a scratch on her left arm. "I, uh, couldn't sleep. Are you all right?"

  "I'm fine. He's not," she said with a glance towards the man on the floor. "How are the others? Were you attacked too?"

  "Patrina!" Carson gaped as he peered around Alto's broad shoulders.

  Patrina's brow furrowed as she stepped to her right, using Alto to block the man's view of her. Alto sheathed his sword and then turned and pushed Carson back. "Check on the others," he said.

  "But, um, I mean, is she okay?"

  "Yes," Alto stated.

  Carson nodded and smiled. "Okay, I'll check on the others."

  "Good idea," Alto said without moving. He waited until Carson turned and went to the next door before he turned back and looked into Patrina's room. Her back was to him, and she was just slipping the shoulder straps of her armor back on. She finished tightening the clasps at her waist and the armor seemed to shift on its own until it fit her like a second skin.

  Patrina turned and looked at him. "How is everyone?" She asked as though nothing had occurred.

  "Uh, fine, I think. I stopped two more. Well, one of them. Carson got the other one."

  "Did they break into your room?"

  Alto shook his head. "No, I, uh, couldn't sleep so I was going to go for a walk."

  "Is that my fault?" Patrina asked him.

  Alto frowned. It was his fault, not hers. Even worse because he'd mistaken the noises he'd heard as her wanting him to come to her. Now he knew that she'd been fighting. "Are you okay?" he asked.

  "Yes," she said. She glanced at the dead man and then at the door behind him. She stepped closer and hugged him, holding him tightly to her. "I thought it was you at first," she whispered. "I was scared."

  "Scared it was me?"

  She nodded.

  "But you told me to go." Alto was confused.

  "But I wanted you to stay."

  "I don't understand."

  She backed away and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. "I'm glad you don't, or he might have found us asleep and witless."

  "I'm not a child, you know," Alto said with an edge of anger in his voice. "I know what a man and his wife do. I just don't understand you."

  "Oh, Alto," Patrina said. "I love you so much. I can't wait to be with you, but I must be a maiden. That's my problem."

  He nodded. "I know what's proper but look at Caitlyn. She's no maiden yet she was still fit to be a bride."

  "Um, guys?" Carson asked from the doorway. "The owner of the inn is asking what's going on. There are a few dead people lying around. Shouldn't you show a little more concern?"

  Patrina leaned over and met Carson's eyes. He glanced away, a blush evident even with his tan cheeks in the dim light. She put her mouth next to Alto's ear and whispered, "Later."

  Alto let Patrina slip past him and step into her boots. She knelt down and tied them while glancing at the two dead men in the hallway. She looked back at Alto, jarring him into action.

  He stepped around her and hurried to his room. "Tell him what happened," Alto said.

  Patrina looked at Carson first. "You're right, we should be more concerned. We've just seen a lot of troubles and a lot of battles. I guess we've grown calloused."

  "I woke up when I heard someone come in my room," Patrina said. "I saw the knife in his hand and struggled with him. He cut my arm but it's nothing to worry about."

  "Not compared to where you cut him," Carson added.

  Patrina smiled and nodded.

  "What happened?" Karthor asked as he and his father asked from the hallway.

  "And you didn't wake us up for the fun?" Mordrim added from farther down the hall.

  Alto called out from his room. "We don't know the why of it, just that Patrina was attacked and we came to her defense. See if you can find out who they are."

  Carson nodded and turned away. Before he could make his way into the hallway, Kar spoke up. "I'll take care of the innkeeper."

  Carson stopped and glanced down at the dead men. He shrugged and knelt down and then began to go through their belongings. Alto slipped his shirt and boots on, and then pushed past the crowd in the hallway. Patrina hurried after him and caught up as he made it down to the second level. On the first level, she tripped on her boot as she tried to walk beside him but she caught herself on his arm.

  "What's this nonsense? It's late and my guests shouldn't be disturbed," he growled as they approached. "Trouble's not welcome here. I run a clean and safe inn."

  Patrina still clutched Alto's arm, though her grip softened. "We didn't bring trouble here," Alto said as he looked at Kar. The wizard shrugged and glanced around the room, his eyes lingering on the empty bowls stacked on the bar.

  "People don't just try to kill people in my inn!" the innkeeper seethed.

  "Relax," Alto said. "And I won't take offense to you letting thugs from the streets in."

  "Alto!"

  Alto turned and saw Mordrim and Karthor rushing across the room towards them from the staircase. The dwarf held a ring in his hands. "Look at this!"

  The innkeeper saw it and his eyes widened. He backed away a step. "You need to leave. Now. I'll give you back your money."

  "What is it?" Alto asked, sparing only a g
lance for the owner of the inn.

  "This man's reaction confirms it. I've never seen one, but I heard about them. These rings are worn by Stalkers, the assassins of Shazamir," Mordrim said.

  Alto shrugged. "Not so dangerous. We killed them."

  The innkeeper shook his head. "You fool! There are many. They won't stop once they take a contract. They always get their target. And anybody foolish enough to help them! You must leave!"

  "Aye, to the boat," Mordrim said. "We can defend it and deal with this during the day."

  Alto shook his head. "No, there was only one man who knew I was back here."

  "Anyone who looked at you knew you were back," Patrina reminded him. She paused to yawn and then shook her head. "We haven't been hiding."

  Alto acknowledged her correction with a dip of his head. "Yes, but he was the only one who would have the resources to do this."

  Patrina yawned into her shoulder and then lowered her axe to the ground so she could use it as a support. With a voice slurred with fatigue, she said, "Alto, they came after me, not you. Why would Sulim want me d—"

  Alto grabbed Patrina as she slumped beside him. He was able to slow her fall but she ended up crumpled on the floor beside him. "Patrina!" Alto cried out. He reached for her head and turned her face. Her eyes were closed and her lips parted. Her chest rose and fell in her armor but she was fast asleep.

  "Give me some room," Karthor said as he knelt at her other side.

  Alto rose up and turned to glare at the innkeeper. "Hold him," he snapped.

  Mordrim moved past him, his hammer in his hands even though the dwarf wore only his nightclothes. He backed the wide-eyed innkeeper into the corner and kept him there, raising his hammer whenever the man even glanced in the wrong direction.

  "Her wound is poisoned," Karthor said when he looked at the scratch on her arm. It was red and inflamed.

  "Can you heal her?" Alto asked.

  Karthor nodded. "Some, but without an antidote to cure her, she will suffer."

  "Do it!"

  The priest nodded and grabbed his holy symbol that hung from his neck. He removed the radiant sun emblem and began to chant. With each passing verse, a brighter light grew from the pendant until it seemed he held a miniature sun in his hands. He pressed the glowing icon against her forehead, her lips, and finally her chest over her heart. Patrina shuddered and relaxed, breathing deeper and easier.