Dragonseed Read Online Free PDF Page A

The shaft sported several fresh pale bumps, like it was budding.
    Vulpine snapped the shaft. The bark that peeled away from the jagged break was bright green and full of sap. He sniffed the wood. It was an unremarkable odor; he still couldn’t identify the species. The biologians back at the College of Spires perhaps could assist, though his gut told him that this was something new under the sun, that no one had ever seen living arrows before. Most biologians were rationalists, but Vulpine was old enough and wise enough to suspect there were invisible forces beyond the comprehension of dragons. Most slaves believed in magic, in ghosts and witches, angels and demons, and Vulpine had some sympathy with these beliefs.
    He felt a chill creep along his spine as a shadow passed over him. The long fringe of feathery scales along his neck stood on end. He looked up, then immediately let out his breath and chuckled. It was only Balikan, a young slave-catcher he was training, drifting down from the sky to join him. The vultures skittered back even further, but Vulpine was glad of his company.
    Balikan wrinkled his nose in disgust at the odor. The corpses weren’t rotting yet, but their bowels had emptied, and the gallons of blood that had seeped into the gravel had its own aroma. Vulpine had barely noticed; he’d been around corpses so often the odor had little effect on him.
    “By the bones,” Balikan said softly. “Who could have done this?”
    “That, my young friend, is an excellent question.”
    “I don’t see Shay’s body. Could he—?”
    “Doubtful,” said Vulpine. “Shay’s never held a bow in his life. Nor has he displayed much in the way of a spine. He probably groveled for mercy when the slavecatchers caught up to him. Someone else killed these dragons. They must have been hidden in the trees.”
    Balikan scanned the steep bank, his eyes darting from branch to branch.
    “I don’t think they’re still around,” said Vulpine. “These corpses are at least twelve hours old. Maybe sixteen.”
    “How can you tell?”
    Vulpine nudged the twisted talon of the nearest corpse with a hind-claw. “They plainly didn’t die today. The bodies are cold and stiff—it takes several hours to lose body heat, although one cold night on a damp bank can do it. Rigor mortis sets in little by little—the degree these limbs are contracted tells me it hasn’t reached its peak. I also know it’s not been more than a day because the buzzards haven’t made much progress.”
    Balikan shuddered. “I’ve never been around this many dead bodies.”
    “Get used to it,” said Vulpine. “You’ll see many more in the coming days.”
    “Why, sir?”
    “King Albekizan kept this kingdom stable for almost half a century. Now he’s dead, and his son didn’t last a month before a human assassinated him. The humans have taken advantage of all this instability and captured Dragon Forge, just to the west of here.” He pointed to the brownish tint in the sky, evidence of the distant smokestacks. “I suspect that’s where Shay is, along with Chapelion’s books.”
    “Then he’s escaped for good,” said Balikan.
    “Nonsense,” said Vulpine. “I’ve had a few slaves vanish on me over the years. I can’t claim a perfect record. But I’ve never let a slave go when I still had a lead simply because pursuing that lead was dangerous. Dragon Forge is a magnet for slaves. Shay and these two fools were among the first to hear the rumors and make a break for it, but they won’t be the last. Our jobs are going to be much more difficult if the humans are allowed to hold on to Dragon Forge. It’s imperative that we sky-dragons act now to strangle this revolution while it’s still in its cradle.”
    “But, the humans defeated an army of sun-dragons!” said Balikan. “They slaughtered earth-dragons by the thousands. Why will we fare any better?”
    Vulpine chuckled. “Besting an earth-dragon isn’t so hard. In my experience, the