Read Old Dark (The Last Dragon Lord Book 1) for Free Online

and his claws were glowing. “Should we create a sound block, My Lord?”
    Dark thought for a moment. He needed to make an example of this village. But he didn’t want the countryside to know what was happening just yet. There was more investigating to be done, more skeins of the conspiracy to be unraveled yet.  
    “Yes, Moss,” Dark said. “Cast the spell.”
    The dragon scratched a rune into the air, and the sound of the night grew muffled, as if they were inside a barrel. Dark heard only the flapping of wings, the huts crackling, and the villagers screaming and praying on the beach.  
    The serpentine dragon groaned and ripped a broken tooth out of his mouth.  
    “You all right, Moss?” Dark asked.
    Moss wriggled his mouth and spit out a glob of blood. “All in good stride.”
    Dark gave Moss a friendly tap to show his appreciation for the spell. The serpentine dragon tensed as he watched Fenroot land and bark orders to the villagers to bow.  
    The elves immediately dropped to the sand, all two hundred of them—men, women and children. They had pointed ears, bronzed skin, and their eyes were like precious stones that gleamed against the fire.  
    Dark descended upon the beach. “My children, you have betrayed me. You have turned the magic of this world into poison, and you would dare use that poison against me. I should dispose of you all. But I will spare this village under two conditions.”
    He wasn’t going to spare them, but it made for good theatrics.  
    He landed in the sand, and the thick, coarse grain lodged between his claws. He stomped toward the crowd as Norwyn and Moss flanked him.  
    “First, I demand any magic you have stolen from our aquifer.”
    Two of his dragons overturned a hut. They rifled through the straw and pulled out a handful of jars with bright pink liquid inside. The dragons tore through the other huts, throwing bottles into a pile on the sand.  
    “That’s what I thought,” Dark said. “Consider the first condition satisfied. Next: one of your own attacked me tonight.” He paced the sand in front of the villagers. “I do not know his name, but he is dead so it’s no consequence to me. I found this village’s rune on a bracelet on his arm.” Dark held out the bracelet. “So here is what we will do.”
    Silence. Dark let the suspense sink in as he let the bracelet drop to the sand.
    “Will the village elder step forward?”
    The line of elves parted. A bald man in a simple cloth shirt and pants stepped forward. He had a sad, wrinkled face, and tufts of white hair stuck out from the sides of his almost bald head. He was tall, but the top of his head barely reached the top of Dark’s chest.  
    “I am the elder,” the man said. “What is it you require of us, Lord Dark?”
    “I know how you elves work. Everything you do is a family affair, is it not? Well, I intend to keep it that way. I ask that the family of the criminal step forward so that I may recognize them, interrogate them, and destroy them. If you reveal yourselves, I will spare the rest of the village. If you do not reveal yourselves, everyone will die.”
    The elder’s eyes widened with fear.  
    “Do you have knowledge of the events tonight, elder?” Dark asked.  
    “No.”
    “You lie.”
    “Then why did you ask the question?”
    Moss grabbed the man and squeezed him between his claws. “You’re being insubordinate.”
    “You’re going to kill us anyway,” the man said, straining. “Just do it.”
    “I’m not done with him yet, Moss,” Dark said.  
    Moss threw the elder across the sand. The man rolled several times, and two women helped him up.  
    “The dragon lord wants an answer,” the elder said, straining. “Let us sing again for our dear old Lord Dark.”
    The elves looked at the man, then at Dark, then back at the man. Then they began to sing slowly.  
    Smile for us, old dragon lord...
    Something grated against Dark’s ears.  
    They were singing out of tune.  
    All of