Read Chronicles of the Dragon Pirate for Free Online Page A

unholy bastard!”
    Master Gomez raised his hands in supplication. “Captain, I can explain.”
    “Gentlemen,” General Montejo barked as Alfonzo’s hands curled into fists, “if you please! I expect both of you to act with decorum in front of the Knight-Abbot.”
    Alfonzo glared at the merchant as he uncurled his hands, and then deliberately turned his back on the portly man. Lord Marcus continued as if nothing had happened. “Now, wild Dragons are not as rare as they once were, and many are not worth bringing into the fold. So I sent Captain Cholula to see if you were worth the trouble.”
    “But I swear I’ve never set eyes on her before tonight! How could she have investigated me?”
    “How indeed? Think back and tell me, when could Captain Cholula have investigated you?”
    I turned to look at Captain Cholula as my thoughts ranged back in time. “Sir, I swear to you I don’t know. The only stranger we had in the house recently was a sailor’s whore being treated for the red pox.”
    Alfonzo made a strangled sound. “What! Johanna would never do that.”
    Captain Cholula barked out a laugh. “She did when I paid her with gold. Shadow-viper’s not a healer, but Red-dog’s been with the order for a while, and she could’ve done it easily after the symptoms first showed up.” Karl gave an amused snort, and she shrugged. “Go ahead and say ‘I told you so’. But the boy was too comely to pass up, and you have to admit it got me into the shoppe.” I listened with growing horror as she went on. “I went to Johanna with a sad tale which she thought was my own and she took pity on me, but also took the gold I offered, and let me stay with her after Smoke had extracted the pox nodules. Tomas, of course, was not allowed to help, and I kept my face covered by a grey shawl while I was healing.” Her face softened for a moment. “You always call Johanna Belle-M’ere, which means something in French.”
    “Beautiful-mother”, Karl said.
    “Indeed she is,” Cholula said. “We became thick as thieves, she and I, for Johanna loves to tell a tale as well as hear one told. But to the rest of the household I was like a little grey mouse: watching everything but saying nothing.” She gave me a wicked grin. “I also got a rare treat when Captain Alfonzo came to the house after the old man had gone to the tavern, and he and Tomas stripped off their shirts and went at it with wooden swords. Johanna and I watched from the upstairs window, of course, so not to disturb the boys at their play. You then had Smoke create an air-golem of a wolf, and the two of you went at it like sailors in a wine shoppe brawl.”
    Everything she said had happened, but I didn’t understand how she could’ve been there to see. “Smoke should’ve known what you were the moment you set foot in the shoppe.”
    Captain Cholula tapped the temple of her forehead. “Not with Shadow-viper taking residence up here. There are ways to tell, of course, but a dragon-ghost has to know what she’s looking for, and Smoke is untrained.”
    I was horrified. “But I was told to never merge with a dragon-ghost! The Dragon of Draco Magistris who renewed my license every year warned me it was a grave sin that would lead to greater evil if I ever tried.”
    “It leads to madness,” Captain Cholula said in a matter-of-fact voice.” At least if you do it too often. I saw the world not only through my eyes, but through Shadow-viper’s as well, and I can tell you the world’s a far stranger place than you’d ever believe.” She shrugged. “I’ve met a couple Dragons who like it, and they’re both more than passing odd.”
    Shadow-viper spoke from the empty space beside me. “It won’t ever be a problem for Tomas, because when I tasted him I knew at once there’s no possible way for us to merge. I’m not entirely sure he’s human.”
    My eyes went wide as saucers while everyone stared at me in astonishment, including Lord Marcus. “If Tomas is