it?"
"NO!" she said, louder than she meant to, though not as loud as she might have wanted.
"
Danger?
" The hatchling's baby hackles rose just a bit.
Her finger throbbing in response, Akki soothed the hatchling with a stroking motion. "
No, silly. None. Just silly humans playing silly human games.
"
"
Silly 'uman,
" came the dragonling's sending, and she began thrumming again.
"S'alright," Boomer said. "I know how you girls get attached to those things."
Akki suddenly understood. He believed the hatchling was a Beauty, a miniaturized dragon taken as an early cull and purposely stunted. City girls loved such things. Akki thought them an abomination. The Beauties, not the girls.
"Yes," she said carefully. "Very attached."
"Okay. As for meâgotta go. Use the ... well, find a bush ... well, a tree, anyway." Obviously talking about bodily functions to a girl was enough to make him babble incoherently. He opened the door and leaped down from the cab of the truck. Then he walked briskly out past some small bushes, more gracefully than she would have thought, his black hair under the bandana swinging from side to side.
Akki looked away toward a straggly copse of trees on her side of the road. The last thing she wanted to watch was Boomer peeing.
She considered driving away in the truck on her own. After all, she knew how to drive. Her father had taught her on the nursery roads years ago. She wouldn't have to worry about Boomer getting caught out in Dark-After. They weren't that far from Krakkow, after all, and there were always the small roadside houses dotted around the landscape for any bonders left outside at night. He'd be fine.
Furious, of course, but fine.
However, when she leaned over for the keys, they were not in the ignition. Suddenly,
she
was the furious one.
He doesn't trust me!
He'd taken the keys with him.
Just as well.
She laughed at herself. She needed to stay focused on getting to The Rokk, not stealing a truck and running from the wardens once she got there. Her workâfinding a substitute for the blood in a dragon's egg chamberâwas more important than taking a thug's truck. In fact, it was the most important thing in the whole of Austar right now, though only she and Jakkin knew it.
Jakkin!
She bit her lip. She'd tried,
really
tried, to communicate with him about Kkarina and the truck and driver. And after, in the incubarn, she'd tried again. She sent and sent and never heard back.
He's probably off sulking somewhere.
And then she thought,
Boys!
Shifting the hatchling to her left arm for a bit while Boomer was out of the cab, Akki sighed with relief. She shook her right arm, trying to get back some of the feeling. It might have been a mistake bringing the hatchling along. She could seeâcould feel, actuallyâhow much the dragonling was growing daily. Pretty soon, unlike any of the Beauty dragons, the hatchling would be too heavy to haul around. And how was she going to take care of the little dragon in a city house?
But really, what choice did I have. I couldn't let the poor thing mourn itself to death.
As for Jakkinâshe was angry with him for not answering her sending. And sad, too. The last things they'd said to one another had been so hurtful. She'd only wanted to shake him out of his notion that being back at the nursery meant that everything was fine again.
"Stupid ... fewmetty ... worm drizzle," she said aloud, just as Boomer climbed back up in the cab.
"I hope you're not aiming that mouth at me, girl," he said, his tone light but the pit on his face now a deep red color, as if it alone were blushing.
"No," she said, "I'm just mad at myself for something I said to ... to my boyfriend before we left."
"Should have known a pretty girl like you would treat the boys badly," he said, and began to laugh, pounding one meaty hand on the wheel. Then, putting the key in the lock, he started up the truck and steered it back out onto the road.
Smiling prettily at him, or at
"NO!" she said, louder than she meant to, though not as loud as she might have wanted.
"
Danger?
" The hatchling's baby hackles rose just a bit.
Her finger throbbing in response, Akki soothed the hatchling with a stroking motion. "
No, silly. None. Just silly humans playing silly human games.
"
"
Silly 'uman,
" came the dragonling's sending, and she began thrumming again.
"S'alright," Boomer said. "I know how you girls get attached to those things."
Akki suddenly understood. He believed the hatchling was a Beauty, a miniaturized dragon taken as an early cull and purposely stunted. City girls loved such things. Akki thought them an abomination. The Beauties, not the girls.
"Yes," she said carefully. "Very attached."
"Okay. As for meâgotta go. Use the ... well, find a bush ... well, a tree, anyway." Obviously talking about bodily functions to a girl was enough to make him babble incoherently. He opened the door and leaped down from the cab of the truck. Then he walked briskly out past some small bushes, more gracefully than she would have thought, his black hair under the bandana swinging from side to side.
Akki looked away toward a straggly copse of trees on her side of the road. The last thing she wanted to watch was Boomer peeing.
She considered driving away in the truck on her own. After all, she knew how to drive. Her father had taught her on the nursery roads years ago. She wouldn't have to worry about Boomer getting caught out in Dark-After. They weren't that far from Krakkow, after all, and there were always the small roadside houses dotted around the landscape for any bonders left outside at night. He'd be fine.
Furious, of course, but fine.
However, when she leaned over for the keys, they were not in the ignition. Suddenly,
she
was the furious one.
He doesn't trust me!
He'd taken the keys with him.
Just as well.
She laughed at herself. She needed to stay focused on getting to The Rokk, not stealing a truck and running from the wardens once she got there. Her workâfinding a substitute for the blood in a dragon's egg chamberâwas more important than taking a thug's truck. In fact, it was the most important thing in the whole of Austar right now, though only she and Jakkin knew it.
Jakkin!
She bit her lip. She'd tried,
really
tried, to communicate with him about Kkarina and the truck and driver. And after, in the incubarn, she'd tried again. She sent and sent and never heard back.
He's probably off sulking somewhere.
And then she thought,
Boys!
Shifting the hatchling to her left arm for a bit while Boomer was out of the cab, Akki sighed with relief. She shook her right arm, trying to get back some of the feeling. It might have been a mistake bringing the hatchling along. She could seeâcould feel, actuallyâhow much the dragonling was growing daily. Pretty soon, unlike any of the Beauty dragons, the hatchling would be too heavy to haul around. And how was she going to take care of the little dragon in a city house?
But really, what choice did I have. I couldn't let the poor thing mourn itself to death.
As for Jakkinâshe was angry with him for not answering her sending. And sad, too. The last things they'd said to one another had been so hurtful. She'd only wanted to shake him out of his notion that being back at the nursery meant that everything was fine again.
"Stupid ... fewmetty ... worm drizzle," she said aloud, just as Boomer climbed back up in the cab.
"I hope you're not aiming that mouth at me, girl," he said, his tone light but the pit on his face now a deep red color, as if it alone were blushing.
"No," she said, "I'm just mad at myself for something I said to ... to my boyfriend before we left."
"Should have known a pretty girl like you would treat the boys badly," he said, and began to laugh, pounding one meaty hand on the wheel. Then, putting the key in the lock, he started up the truck and steered it back out onto the road.
Smiling prettily at him, or at
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