Read Dragonback 03 Dragon and Slave for Free Online Page A

the darkness.
    Well, not entirely alone. "Are you all right?" Draycos asked
quietly from his shoulder.
    "Oh, just dandy," Jack growled as he turned around to face the
door and carefully sat down. The floor was plain sand, gritty against
the palms of his hands, and through his shirt the metal wall felt icy
cold against his back. Odd for a place that Gazen had called a hotbox.
"This wasn't exactly how I'd planned to spend the evening. You have any
idea where we are?"
    "We are in the slave colony nearest the river," Draycos said.
"Approximately one-half mile from the edge of the Chookoock family
grounds, within the edge of the forest and near a large patch of the
bushes Uncle Virge noted."
    "How wonderful it is to be here, too," Jack said, digging at the
sole of his left shoe. The molded rubber looked solid enough; but a
little prodding at the proper place found the secret catch and popped
it open.
    There was a soft thud as the spare comm clip he had hidden inside
dropped onto the sand. His eyes were adjusting now, enough to see a
sliver of starlight seeping in through the crack beneath the door.
Retrieving the comm clip, he clicked it on. "Uncle Virge?"
    "I'm here," Uncle Virge's voice came back instantly. "Careful,
lad. Not too loud."
    "Don't worry, no one's going to hear me," Jack told him. "They've
got me stashed out in the slave quarters."
    There was a brief silence. "Not in the mansion?"
    "The echo you're hearing isn't from a walk-in closet," Jack said.
"They've got me in a tin room the size of the Essenay 's
freezer."
    "Very strange," Uncle Virge said, his voice frowning. "Gazen just
transferred a hundred and ten thousand into my service account at the
spaceport."
    Jack blinked. "That much?" he asked, feeling oddly pleased at the
number.
    "That much," Uncle Virge assured him. "For a sum that size, he
ought to be taking better care of you."
    "Maybe not having me beaten to a pulp qualifies as gentle handling
in his book," Jack said. "What do you mean, he transferred it into your
service account? He didn't fork over real cash?"
    "No, but that's okay," Uncle Virge said. "It's not like we were
planning to actually spend it. But I'm a little concerned about your
situation. This was supposed to be a quick updown hop, with you in the
main house the whole time."
    "I guess Gazen didn't read the script," Jack said with a grimace.
At his right shoulder, Draycos's snout rose up from his skin, poking
into the air like a submarine periscope. "Just means we're going to
have to find a way back, that's all. I figure another day or two—"
    "Quiet," Draycos cut in suddenly. "Someone is coming."
    "I'll call you back," Jack whispered, and clicked off the comm
clip. He hadn't heard anything himself, but after two months of living
with Draycos he knew better than to question the dragon's ears. Tucking
the comm clip back into its hiding place, he hurriedly smoothed over
the sole.
    He could hear the footsteps now, sloshing through the sand around
the hotboxes. They seemed slow and lumbering, rather like a Brummga's.
Uneasily, he wondered if Gazen had decided to send someone to beat him
to a pulp after all. A shadow crossed the light coming in from under
the door.
    "Hello?" a gravelly voice called softly. "Anyone there?"
    Not a Brummgan voice, he decided. That was a hopeful sign. And
despite the low pitch, he also had the odd impression it was female.
"Yes, I'm here," he called back. "Who are you?"
    "My name's Maerlynn," the voice answered. "I'm sort of the
welcoming committee."
    "I've already met the welcoming committee, thanks," Jack said
sourly, rubbing his shoulder where the Brummga had tapped him. "Large,
friendly sorts with big fingers."
    "Are you hurt?" Maerlynn asked. "I may be able to get you some
bandages or salves."
    Jack frowned in the darkness. Who was this person, anyway?
"No, I'm all right," he said. "What are you? I mean, what's your
connection here?"
    There was soft sound like a glob of mud being thrown against a
wall. A chuckle?