Read Dragonback 01 Dragon and Thief for Free Online Page B

voice. "Please don't shoot."
    "Turn around," the voice ordered. "Keep your hands up."
    Jack obeyed, turning just far enough to keep his right shoulder
toward the newcomer. The tangler belted at his left hip was a
short-range weapon, and he wanted to keep it his little secret as long
as possible.
    The figure standing just inside the room to the right of the
doorway was big and wide and definitely not human. He was a Brummga,
most of his round face obscured by his helmet. He was dressed in a
mismatched collection of ground-soldier combat gear, with a dark red
helmet, blue protector vest, and green combat fatigues. A small orange
medkit hung from the left side of his belt beside some kind of wand in
a narrow, brown-and-white-striped holster. The combined effect of his
body shape and the colorful outfit made him look rather comical.
    But there was nothing funny about the shoulder-slung weapon
pointed in Jack's direction. It was black and shiny and nasty
looking, and would probably make a serious mess if the Brummga pulled
the trigger. Whatever thoughts Jack might have had about using his
tangler vanished quietly into the morning mists.
    But he had to do something . If these Valahgua guys Draycos
had mentioned didn't want any witnesses to their attack, a Brummga was
just the sort of boneheaded hatchetman to cheerfully clean the plate
for them. Jack's only hope was to convince the Brummga that he knew
absolutely nothing about what was going on.
    "Who are you?" the Brummga demanded. "What are you doing here?"
    "I didn't mean anything," Jack pleaded, using the frightened-child
whine that Uncle Virgil had found so useful on so many jobs. "I saw the
ship and just wanted to see if there was anything I could use. I didn't
mean anything."
    "How did you see the ship?" the Brummga asked. "Where did you come
from?"
    "Right over there," Jack said, waving vaguely off to the side.
"We've got a little place off in the forest."
    The alien made a sound like a bass drum being attacked by a gang
of chipmunks. "How many of you are there?" he demanded, starting across
the room toward Jack. "What did you see?"
    "What do you mean?" Jack asked, trying to sound bewildered. It
wasn't easy to out-stupid a Brummga, but he was determined to give it
his best shot. "We saw this ship. I told you that."
    " Before you saw the ship," the Brummga growled. He was
close enough now for Jack to see that his fatigues carried no military
rank badges or insignia. "What happened before? "
    "Well, there was a lot of noise, " Jack huffed, as if that
should be obvious, still keeping his right shoulder toward the Brummga
as the other approached. The tangler was no longer an option, not with
that gun pointed at his chest. But his shirt and jacket were still open
in front, and the last thing he wanted was to let the other get a clear
view of Draycos wrapped around his chest. "What do you mean, what
happened?"
    "Did you see anything up in space?" the Brummga asked. "Were you
watching up into space?"
    Jack blinked. "Into space? " he asked. Along the left side
of his rib cage, the side away from the Brummga, he could again feel
the flowing-paint sensation as Draycos stealthily changed position.
    If the dragon was getting restless with the conversation, he
wasn't the only one. "You ask many questions," the Brummga rumbled, his
ugly face turning even uglier. "But you don't answer any. Maybe you
need help with your mouth."
    "Look, I didn't mean anything," Jack said, putting a little more
whine into his voice as he tried desperately to come up with a good
story. The Brummga was only four steps away. Another few seconds, and
Jack was probably going to find that big ugly gun pressed up against
his cheek. If he didn't come up with something before then—
    Without warning, a horrible scream pierced the air. It was a sound
like Jack had never heard before, and in that single terrifying second
he hoped he would never hear it again. It was like the cry of a screech
owl twisted together with