Rage of the Dragon Read Online Free PDF Page A

it.”
    “Nothing is going to happen,” said Skylan.
    Aylaen shook her head. She felt a heaviness settle over her soul, as though the fog had crept inside her. She was so tired. The battle was so hopeless. She looked bleakly at Skylan, expecting to see him grim, preparing for death. She was surprised to see he was smiling, his blue eyes bright in the mist. He was soaked to the skin, like all of them. He had removed the segmented plate armor of a Sinarian soldier and put on the familiar leather armor of a Torgun warrior. He must have been as exhausted as she was. Yet he was smiling.
    Aylaen was annoyed. “We’re going to die. You know that. What do you have to smile about?”
    Skylan shrugged. “I don’t know we’re going to die. Our wyrd is in the hands of the gods and I am smiling because I am not a slave anymore. I smile because the bravest warriors in the history of the Vindrasi are on this ship. They will fight at my side.”
    He held out to her the sword of Vindrash, the sword she had found in the temple.
    “I am not a warrior,” Aylaen said. “True, I cut my hair and dressed in men’s clothes and pretended to be a man-woman, dedicating myself to Vindrash, but that was all a lie.”
    “Vindrash does not think so,” said Skylan. “The goddess saw what was in your heart. She saw the truth. She gave you her blessed sword. I look at you and I see a warrior who is as brave and bold as any man on this ship. And who smells much better.”
    She laughed. He was pleased to see her laugh. She looked into Skylan’s blue eyes and her breath caught in her throat, her heartbeat quickened. His breath was coming a little faster. The fog closed around them. They were the only two people in the world. They drew near, their lips touched …
    Wulfe appeared out of nowhere, wriggling his way between them. He looked at them with wide, solemn eyes.
    “The oceanaids say we should leave. We’re not safe here.”
    At the dumbfounded look on Skylan’s face, Aylaen laughed again, laughed until she cried.

CHAPTER
    3
    Hauling the ogre’s heavy body up out of the hold proved to be a daunting task. Sigurd and Grimuir gripped Keeper by his massive shoulders, dragging the corpse up the ladder, while Bjorn and Erdmun and Farinn pushed from below. Sigurd called on Skylan to come help. Skylan didn’t hear. He stood in a daze, his hand tingling from Aylaen’s touch. She had kissed him. Well, she had almost kissed him, before Wulfe with his stupid oceanaids had interrupted. Skylan had tried to detain her, but she had hurried away and he lost her in the mist.
    What exactly did an almost-kiss mean? Was she falling in love with him?
    “Skylan! This was your idea!” Sigurd grumbled. “Stop daydreaming and come over and help us before we drop the bastard and he slides back down and we have to do this all over again!”
    Skylan went to help and, grunting and sweating and swearing, they hauled Keeper’s body up out of the hold and dumped it thankfully down onto the deck. Skylan wiped sweat and mist from his face and gazed down at the dead ogre with true grief and sorrow. Keeper had been Skylan’s trainer in the Para Dix game and although their friendship had started with a blow to the jaw that had knocked Skylan flat, the two had ended up friends. Skylan asked the ogre’s spirit to forgive him for the rough treatment.
    “When we meet in Torval’s Hall, I will explain and we will laugh over this together,” Skylan promised.
    He had no doubt that Torval would admit Keeper into the Hall of Heroes. Enemies of the Vindrasi who fought valiantly and died bravely were honored by both men and gods. Keeper had not died in battle with his sword in his hand. He had been basely murdered.
    Skylan, as a true friend, should promise to avenge the ogre’s murder, bring his killer to account. Treia had, of course, denied that she had harmed Keeper and Skylan had no way to prove she had. He had seen the truth on her stone-hard, cold face, the faint curl