put her out on the road, with her satchel of clothes in one hand and the hatchling curled up in the other. And while she could last through the night if she had to, it would just make things even more difficult to explain should he ever go back to the nursery and talk to Kkarina. Or Likkarn.
Besides, now that I'm actually on the road, I want to get to the city as soon as possible. And as anonymously as possible.
The hatchling stirred, and she gentled it with a finger-tickle under the chin.
"Never did like those things," the man said, his face patchy with moles. His eyes were a cloudy color, neither gray nor blue nor green. And his nose looked as if he'd been in one too many fights.
"Things?"
"Dragons. Don't trust them lizards." There was a short, deep scar on his faceâ
possibly a blood score
âthat moved when he spoke, and not in a pleasant way. When he grinned, she saw that one of his front teeth was predictably black.
"They're not exactly lizards," she said.
"Close enough."
"Same family, though."
He wiped a gloved finger under his nose. "You some kind of scientist?"
"Close enough."
"Boomer," he said.
"What..." She turned toward him, making sure that the hatchling was kept slightly behind her.
"My name."
"No double ks?" She wondered if his parents had been masters. Or wardens. Or had bought themselves out of bond. And if so, why was he driving a truck? Why wasn't he a senator or a store director or owner of a large farm?
He laughed. It was a low rumble, not actually unpleasant, but more animal than human. "After the dumb-bumbling senators set us all free from bond, who wants to be a double
k
anymore?" He put his hand out to shake hers.
She got a stubborn look on her face, which Jakkin would have recognized in an instant, and refused to put out her own hand. "Akkinata," she lied. Her true given name was Akkhina. She pronounced all the syllables for the maximum effect, almost spitting out the
k
s.
"Ah well, you're only a girl. No need for you to change now, is there? You'll change soon enough when you get paired. Pretty girl like you, got to have a man."
Furious, she considered telling him how much she'd already changed. Not only the dragon sight and dragon speech, but how, just before getting into his truck, she'd cut off her hair.
He laughed at her silence and said, "Is there one?"
This time she thought about snarling. About screaming. Thought about how she'd even prefer walking to keeping quiet in the cab of Boomer's bumpy truck. But she needed the ride more than he needed to give it to her. She couldn't carry her bag and the hatchling and get to The Rokk with any ease. So she bit her lip, swallowed her anger, and shook his gloved hand, imaginingâby the spongy feel of itâwhat it was disguising: the swollen, hairy knuckles, filthy nails bitten down to the quick. One shake was all she could manage before turning to look out the window, which was way better than staring at his ugly face. The hatchling thrummed in the crook of her right arm.
***
IT FELT LIKE half a day, but only an hour by the sun, when Boomer suddenly pulled onto the grassy verge and stopped the truck.
Akki was instantly on guard. Her sudden nervousness communicated to the hatchling, who in turn scratched her on her little finger, a long, thin red line.
"Ow!"
Repentant, the little dragon licked the blood with its forked tongue, which felt cool on her skin.
"
Danger?
" The hatchling sent a huge red arrow coursing toward her.
Akki sent back a cooling spray of blue-white rain that enveloped the red arrow, turning it pink, then erasing it altogether. "
No danger
." She was delighted that the hatchling was sending to her. And such a strong image. The trog-bred dragons tended to be muted, their sendings beaten to grays. Clearly she and Jakkin had gotten the little hatchling out in time.
"I told you them lizards aren't to be trusted,
Akkinata.
" He spoke her made-up name with the same staccato accent. "Want me to dump
Besides, now that I'm actually on the road, I want to get to the city as soon as possible. And as anonymously as possible.
The hatchling stirred, and she gentled it with a finger-tickle under the chin.
"Never did like those things," the man said, his face patchy with moles. His eyes were a cloudy color, neither gray nor blue nor green. And his nose looked as if he'd been in one too many fights.
"Things?"
"Dragons. Don't trust them lizards." There was a short, deep scar on his faceâ
possibly a blood score
âthat moved when he spoke, and not in a pleasant way. When he grinned, she saw that one of his front teeth was predictably black.
"They're not exactly lizards," she said.
"Close enough."
"Same family, though."
He wiped a gloved finger under his nose. "You some kind of scientist?"
"Close enough."
"Boomer," he said.
"What..." She turned toward him, making sure that the hatchling was kept slightly behind her.
"My name."
"No double ks?" She wondered if his parents had been masters. Or wardens. Or had bought themselves out of bond. And if so, why was he driving a truck? Why wasn't he a senator or a store director or owner of a large farm?
He laughed. It was a low rumble, not actually unpleasant, but more animal than human. "After the dumb-bumbling senators set us all free from bond, who wants to be a double
k
anymore?" He put his hand out to shake hers.
She got a stubborn look on her face, which Jakkin would have recognized in an instant, and refused to put out her own hand. "Akkinata," she lied. Her true given name was Akkhina. She pronounced all the syllables for the maximum effect, almost spitting out the
k
s.
"Ah well, you're only a girl. No need for you to change now, is there? You'll change soon enough when you get paired. Pretty girl like you, got to have a man."
Furious, she considered telling him how much she'd already changed. Not only the dragon sight and dragon speech, but how, just before getting into his truck, she'd cut off her hair.
He laughed at her silence and said, "Is there one?"
This time she thought about snarling. About screaming. Thought about how she'd even prefer walking to keeping quiet in the cab of Boomer's bumpy truck. But she needed the ride more than he needed to give it to her. She couldn't carry her bag and the hatchling and get to The Rokk with any ease. So she bit her lip, swallowed her anger, and shook his gloved hand, imaginingâby the spongy feel of itâwhat it was disguising: the swollen, hairy knuckles, filthy nails bitten down to the quick. One shake was all she could manage before turning to look out the window, which was way better than staring at his ugly face. The hatchling thrummed in the crook of her right arm.
***
IT FELT LIKE half a day, but only an hour by the sun, when Boomer suddenly pulled onto the grassy verge and stopped the truck.
Akki was instantly on guard. Her sudden nervousness communicated to the hatchling, who in turn scratched her on her little finger, a long, thin red line.
"Ow!"
Repentant, the little dragon licked the blood with its forked tongue, which felt cool on her skin.
"
Danger?
" The hatchling sent a huge red arrow coursing toward her.
Akki sent back a cooling spray of blue-white rain that enveloped the red arrow, turning it pink, then erasing it altogether. "
No danger
." She was delighted that the hatchling was sending to her. And such a strong image. The trog-bred dragons tended to be muted, their sendings beaten to grays. Clearly she and Jakkin had gotten the little hatchling out in time.
"I told you them lizards aren't to be trusted,
Akkinata.
" He spoke her made-up name with the same staccato accent. "Want me to dump
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