Dragon Defense (Heirs to the Throne Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

fire were still, and Shariel saw that Bess was gone from her bedroll.  Mikla pushed and Shariel yielded.  She let the girl propel her down the path, unable to make her mind work.  Was something in the wine or stew?  She couldn’t gather her energy or her thoughts.
    “Where are we going?” croaked Shariel.  A sharp crack on the skull was the answer, followed by pain and rough hands lifting her body.  Her mind floated into blackness. 
    She woke as spicy smoke stung her nostrils, and her head throbbed.  Her eyes were covered with a black cloth but she heard voices nearby.   She strained to understand them, but the language sounded like a jumble. 
    Soft hands helped her sit up, and she heard Mikla’s voice.  “Don’t resist or use your witchcraft or they’ll kill Bess.  We brought her along to keep you under control.  Do you understand?”
    Mikla told the truth.  Shariel felt Bess nearby, afraid and angry.
    “Why’d you do this?  You could live in freedom with the Samurai.”
    “My family’s honor is at stake.  I’ll repay my brother’s debt and return to my father.  I can’t live with my family’s disgrace.”
    Shariel rolled against the hard wood of a wagon or carriage as it started to move.  Hooves clomped, harnesses jingled, and dust filtered through the mask.
    “In a few hours we’ll untie your wrists and uncover your eyes.  Promise to cooperate or Bess will die.”
    Shariel’s heart thudded.  What’s going to happen to Bess and me?  
    Do not fear. Chacka’s mental voice comforted Shariel . We tracked you to the camp of the desert people and will follow. They take you to a place where they keep your brothers and sisters.   Help the other cubs of your pack escape.
    Shariel sighed.  Can you find Aunt Bess?  She’s in the camp somewhere.
    We spoke to her mind.  The desert humans have not harmed her, and she’ll wait with patience for an escape plan.
    Thanks for helping me, Chacka.
    Other wolves join in the hunt.
    Shariel heard a distant howl, echoed by a chorus of voices.  If she found her siblings, she’d help them escape from the desert riders.  It gave her a purpose.

3 ~ THE COUNCIL OF ELDERS MEETING
     
    Kriegen scratched his ear and waited for the Council of Elders to speak to him.  The rhythmic thud of his scratching drew the annoyed glance of the White.  The elder mentally projected a ritual welcome.  Greetings Kriegen, Leader of the Forest Guardians and Protector of the Two-Legs.
    Humans.   Kriegen corrected the elder.
    We prefer the ancient name, the White replied, his eyes glinting.  As delegate from your pack, conform to Council policy.
    According to the Law, a pack may choose its own name. Law outweighs Council policy in these matters.  Our Pack chose the name Forest Guardians and Protectors of Humans. Kriegen yawned, flashing deadly white canines.
    The White bristled.  His mental words dripped with venom.  Humans are not a pack and the privileges of pack law do not apply.  
    His own hackles bristled as Kriegen glared.  Humans were recognized as sentient beings when the Council accepted Tessa as an ancestor host.  Wolf packs fought the evil one, so tradition makes the humans a new pack.  
    The White’s tail swished as he shifted to another argument.  How can tradition apply to beings from another world?  Pack law cannot govern humans who are not members of the Council of Elders.
    Kriegen’s ears tilted forward, but he resisted the urge to yip with excitement.  True enough.  We hereby petition the Council of Elders to accept Tessa as Council delegate from the human pack. King Donovan is her sire. Kriegen played his part well, goading the White into his trap.
    The White’s eyes flashed with anger.  Tessa cannot be a Council delegate until her line hosts a hundred minds.
    Kriegen wished he could laugh like a human. Tessa hosts the line of Amber, a former member of my pack.  Since the line of Amber contains more than two hundred ancestor minds, she