Tail of the Dragon Read Online Free PDF Page B

didn’t really have his hopes up to find anything new. After all, there were plenty of strange things all over Nalzambor. They’d never find them all. And this location, well, it seemed much older than what he’d be looking for. As far as finding his mother was concerned, he should be able to find something, somewhere, that wasn’t much older than him.
    “Brenwar, are you certain that you’ve never seen my mother?”
    “Of course not. I didn’t come onto the scene until you were a mature young boy. Well, not exactly mature, but you know what I mean.”
    “Yes, I know,” Nath said, drooping his huge dragon head down. “Surely my father knows where she is. Wouldn’t he know?”
    Brenwar shrugged his brows. “I think he likes to leave things a mystery until the time comes that you should know.”
    “You’d think I’d know enough already, but I don’t know any more than I knew a hundred years ago.” He balled up his paw and brought it down on the rectangular chunk of metal.
    Whummmm!
    “There must be a million peaks to search on Nalzambor.” Nath hit the block again and again.
    Whumm Whumm Whumm!
    The odd strongbox hummed.
    Mrrrruum mummm mummm!
    Its cold steel finish swirled with life.
    Eyes widening, Brenwar stepped back, readying his war hammer and setting his shoulders.
    “What’s this?” Nath said with wary eyes.
    The steel box started to brighten, the sun’s light feeding it with white-hot power. Its radiance became stronger and stronger.
    Nath’s neck coiled back. His scales tingled. There was power. Ancient. Ominous. Threatening. “You’d better get behind me, Brenwar.”
    “You’d better get behind me,” the warrior said. He raised Mortuun over his head and rushed toward the strongbox.
    “Brenwar, no!” Nath said.

 
     
    CHAPTER 9
     
     
    Nath’s tail lashed out quicker than a snake just as Mortuun the Crusher came down. He was a split second too late. The war hammer smote the strongbox with all powerful authority.
    Krang!
    The burst of sound slammed into Nath and everything else in all directions around the strongbox.
    Nath’s claws dug into the dirt.
    Brenwar was knocked off his feet and tumbled head over heels.
    Trees buckled and branches snapped.
    Nath’s ears were ringing, but other than that, he was unaffected. “Brenwar, what did you do that for?” He surveyed the devastated landscape. “Brenwar?”
    “Up here,” said a gruff voice. Brenwar was hanging upside down from a tree with his feet caught in the branches. Angry and somehow with Mortuun still hanging in his grasp, he started chopping with fury. “Let go of me, leafmaker!”
    Nath started to make his way over.
    The branches gave way.
    Crack!
    Brenwar tumbled down through the air and hit the ground hard. “Oof!”
    “Are you all right?” Nath said, brushing aside the bushes his friend had landed in.
    “I’m fine,” Brenwar said, rolling up to his feet.
    “I wasn’t talking to you,” said Nath. “I was talking to the bushes.”
    “Hah.”
    Nath turned away and returned his focus to the chest. Someone or something sat on top of it.
    Brenwar stopped in his tracks.
    Nath froze.
    It was a woman of sorts. Beautiful. Exquisite. No bigger than a child human’s, her lithe body was adorned in pink, white, and black fabric in marvelous patterns that flowed with nature. There were wings on her back, transparent, that caught the light. Her eyes were black, her face expressionless. In a soft but strong voice, she spoke in a language that Nath did not understand.
    “Pardon?” he said in Common, somewhat mesmerized.
    “Who are you?” she asked in the same tongue.
    “I’m Nath Dragon.”
    She rubbed her head with her dainty hands, tousling her long white locks. “And who is this one that smote me?”
    “Brenwar,” Nath said, edging closer. He eyed her up and down. He’d never seen anyone like her before. Her loveliness rivaled that of the most winsome dragon. “And may I ask who you are?”
    She scoffed.