Dragon and Herdsman

Even without looking he could feel Draycos's disapproving stare. "You believe they could survive alone for two weeks?"

"It should be possible," Jack said doggedly. "As long as the Erassvas are putting out that new, improved smell of theirs the local predators should leave them alone."

"And the mercenaries?"

"They won't care about them once they realize you and I are gone." Jack took a deep breath. "Which is why as soon as we've found some decent cover we'll give Frost a call."

Draycos peered up at Jack's face. "You'll call him?"

"I told you you wouldn't like it," Jack said. "I figure it'll take us a day or two to find ourselves some kind of defensible position. Once we're ready, we call Frost and declare open season on Dragonbacks."

"At which point he will turn his full force against us."

"But at least it'll just be against us," Jack said. "Not against Alison and the others."

Draycos was silent a moment. "My apologies, Jack," he said quietly. "I did not understand."

"That's all right," Jack assured him. "Actually, I'm as surprised as you are that I'm being all noble like this. If Uncle Virge were here he'd have a fit."

"Indeed," Draycos agreed. "Let us hope we will have the pleasure of hearing his reaction together once we are safely back aboard."

"Sounds like a plan," Jack said. Something pressed against his right hand, and he looked down to find one of the Phookas nuzzling against his side. "If not, I figure that if it's just you and me out there we can give Frost a pretty good run for his money," he added, making his hand into a fist and rubbing the knuckles behind the Phooka's ear.

"Perhaps," Draycos said, craning his neck to look around Jack. "What are you doing?"

"What, here?" Jack asked, switching to the Phooka's other ear. "Nothing. This is Snip. He likes to get his ears rubbed."

" 'Snip'?"

"It's short for Special Needs Phooka," Jack explained. "He seems to need a lot of reassurance that we haven't run off and left him."

"I see," Draycos murmured. "Curious."

"Curious how?" Jack asked, giving Snip a rub along his jawline. "As I recall, you've liked your ears rubbed on occasion, too."

"I was referring to you," Draycos said. "In a few days, apparently without even trying, you have learned the character and personality of each member of your herd. That requires an eye for details."

Jack grimaced. "Blame it on Uncle Virgil," he said. "Attention to detail is a big part of a con man's job."

"It also takes great heart," Draycos said. "And that is not something Uncle Virgil taught you."

"It's no big deal," Jack insisted, suddenly uncomfortable with this. "I've got a soft spot for K'da, that's all."

"As you had a soft spot for Alison and your other comrades in the Whinyard's Edge?" Draycos reminded him. "You risked your life to rescue them."

"At your rather insistent nudging," Jack reminded him.

"You could have refused," Draycos said. "And as you also had a soft spot for your fellow slaves on Brum-a-drum?"

And that one Draycos hadn't pushed him into doing, Jack remembered. In fact, the dragon had been rather surprised by his decision. "I guess your warriors' ethic is starting to rub off on me," he said.

"It is indeed," Draycos agreed. "And it shows how my faith in you has been justified."

"Maybe." Jack looked up at the trees arching over them. "Let's just hope that all that faith doesn't get to go out in a blaze of glory."

CHAPTER 24

They made it to evening still without having seen, heard, or smelled any sign of Frost's mercenaries. Alison found them some partial shelter at the base of a steep hill, and within an hour they were fed and watered and settled in for the night.

"Tomorrow's the day," she warned as she and Jack and the two K'da sat together on top of the hill finishing their ration bars. "I'm guessing we'll reach the river by midafternoon at the latest." She eyed Jack. "At which point, it's going to be up to you."

Jack nodded. "My main comm clip's still wandering the forest attached to one of the hornheads, but I've got a spare in my shoe heel. Once we're close, I'll try giving Uncle Virge a call. With luck, he'll have a floater antenna up and will be able to hear us."

"And if we're not that lucky?" Alison asked. "You have a Plan B ready?"

"We have that covered," Draycos assured her before Jack could answer. "But I do not intend to give up on Uncle Virge quite so quickly."

"I'm not giving up on him," Alison protested mildly. "I'll be the first to cheer if we hit the riverbank and find the Essenay sitting there with its hatch open, ready to lift." She frowned. "Essenay," she repeated thoughtfully.

"What is it?" Jack asked.

"I was just thinking," she said slowly. "Essenay is a really odd name for a ship. Is that its christening name?"

Jack shrugged. "It's the only name I've ever known it by. Why? Does it mean something?"

"Not to me," Alison said. "Though now that I think about it I suppose it could be initials—'S and A.' Did Virgil Morgan have two middle names?"