Dragon and Herdsman

And before they could recover she was there, claws and teeth and tail slashing wildly and frantically. Five seconds later, it was all over.

Draycos took a deep breath. "Is everyone all right?" he asked.

"I think so," Alison said, her voice shaking as she came toward them. "Mother of God. That's . . ."

"Yeah, I know," Jack assured her. But he didn't sound all that steady himself. "Welcome to the club. Taneem? You okay?"

Taneem didn't answer. She was staring at the soldiers she'd just killed, her eyes wide with disbelief. Her back and tail were arched with a growing horror as the reality of what she'd just done began to sink in. "Taneem, are you hurt?" Draycos asked.

With an effort, she turned to look at him. "What?"

"We asked if you were hurt," Draycos repeated, walking over to her.

"No," she said, her voice distant. "No, I'm all right." She started to look back at the soldiers.

"Look at me," Draycos said. "Taneem, look at me!"

Taneem flinched, twitching her head back to him. "I'm sorry—"

"Now listen to me," Draycos cut her off, putting into his voice every bit of the weight from his years as a warrior. "What you did, you did to protect your host. If you hadn't acted, they would have killed her. Perhaps not now. But they would have killed her."

Taneem's breaths were coming quick and shallow. "But—" She started to turn back to the bodies.

"Do not look at them," Draycos ordered, flicking his tail up against the side of her muzzle and pressing her head firmly back to face him. "They are dead, you killed them, and it was necessary that you do so. That is the reality."

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jack stir, and glanced a silent warning at the boy. Early in their relationship, Jack had made it very clear that killing wasn't acceptable here in human society, not even when K'da and Shontine law would have permitted him to dispense such justice. Draycos had accepted that, and had ever afterward tried to neutralize their opponents without permanent damage.

But this was hardly the same situation. Clearly, Taneem already understood that killing wasn't to be used except as a last resort. What she needed now was reassurance and comfort, not guilt or a legal opinion.

Fortunately, Jack got the message. He nodded fractionally at Draycos and kept quiet.

"He's right, Taneem," Alison said, coming up and stroking the side of Taneem's head. Her hand, Draycos noticed, was shaking a little, too. "You saved my life. As well as the lives of Hren and the rest of your friends."

"Speaking of which, can we put this discussion on hold until we're out of here?" Jack said, peering up at the sky. "Sooner or later they're going to start wondering what's holding up the show."

"Agreed," Draycos said, looking around. The Erassvas and Phookas were starting to come out of their hiding places now, with Hren and Greenie in the lead. "Alison, get the green Phooka and start moving north," he ordered. "Jack, you will organize the herd and keep them together. Taneem, you go with Alison."

"Just a second," Alison said. Stooping down, she retrieved one of the dead soldiers' machine guns. "If you don't mind?" she asked, holding it out toward Draycos.

"My pleasure." He slashed his claws across the metal shoulder stock, cutting it and its embedded tracker away from the weapon.

"Thanks," Alison said, slinging the gun over her shoulder. "Come on, Greenie. Time to go, boy."

Obediently, the green Phooka lumbered over to her, glancing indifferently at the three dead soldiers as he passed. Alison hooked a finger behind his crest, and together they headed off. "Go on, Taneem," Draycos prompted. "Stay with her."

"All right." Taneem gave one last, lingering look at the soldiers. Then, arching her back once as if trying to shake away the memory, the Phooka turned and left.

Draycos watched her go, something stirring deep within him. No; not the Phooka. Not anymore.

Taneem was a K'da.

Jack stepped beside him. "Well," he murmured. "Suddenly this is getting very interesting."

"Indeed it is," Draycos agreed grimly. "Come. We must find a camping place before it becomes fully dark."

CHAPTER 23

They found a good place half an hour away beside a small creek. Jack and Alison got the Erassvas and Phookas settled; and then, at Alison's insistence, she and Taneem took the first watch.

Jack argued a little, but not very much. He was exhausted, and even though Draycos hadn't said anything, Jack knew the K'da was tired as well. And as Alison pointed out, she and Taneem had slept most of the day.

Still, desperately tired or not. Jack slept fitfully, waking every hour or so from a bad dream. Most of those dreams ended with a vision of the dead soldiers Taneem had killed.

Rather to his surprise, the mercenaries didn't launch another attack that night. Alison woke him up a little after dawn—Draycos was already up—and after a quick breakfast and the Phookas' morning dance they were off.