Born of the Lesser Moon: Drakonia, Book Two (Drakonia Series 2) by Dap Dahlstrom

Author:Dap Dahlstrom [Dahlstrom, Dap]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gardland Books
Published: 2023-07-24T23:00:00+00:00

The next day was a nightmare. She woke with a throbbing headache that only grew worse as the day wore on. The caravan was packed up and ready to move early. Osli was in an ugly mood and seemed to want to take it out on his men. Nikki could only imagine what his head must feel like. He had drunk twice as much as she had. Mostly, he ignored her, except when he was glaring at her. She had taken off the dress and returned to her own gear but still didn’t feel comfortable. He said very little to her, but his looks showed his anger. Apparently, he felt that she’d made a fool of him, and that was a thing that wouldn’t go unexcused.

By noon Nikki was exhausted with the effort of always being ready to fight while trying to appear relaxed and friendly. The more she plied Osli with small talk, the more reticent he became. Finally, she gave up and sat miserably in the brooding silence.

The afternoon wore on as they followed a rough trail along the river. The terrain was, at times, difficult to navigate, being conversely muddy or rocky. The wagons creaked and groaned with the strain. Toward evening, as they were making their way through an especially rough spot, Nikki heard a loud snap behind them. One of the wagons carrying the dageki tipped wildly as a wheel splintered and disintegrated. The wagon ground to a halt, its axle burying itself in the dirt.

Osli jumped down and began yelling at the dageki in incoherent fury. Some of the creatures were yowling in excited tones, others in painful squeals as they were crushed under the weight of others in the tipping cage.

Zarad came up beside his brother and shouted orders for his men to right the wagon, while Osli continued to scream at the dageki. Osli seemed to believe that the dageki had intentionally caused the accident in an escape attempt. Sensing his rage, the dageki grew quiet, except for one who was ill or in pain. It continued to whine in a grating nasal tone. For a moment, Nikki thought that Osli might order them all killed that instant. His face was livid with rage, but instead, he stood still with his hands in his pockets. After a moment, she became aware of a barely audible sound. It was an ethereal music in sharps and flats that made her shiver. The dageki responded to the melody, becoming even more still. The one who had been whining ceased and began to crawl to the back of the cage, one leg trailing uselessly behind it, but the creature’s face held no pain, just a blank expression.

Zarad opened the cage door, and the injured dageki tumbled out. Osli stared at the creature in silent malice while warring expressions crossed his face. Was he having second thoughts about harming these docile creatures? Nikki hoped so. She wasn’t sure that she had the strength to save them. Osli was already angry with her.

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