Dragonback 04 Dragon and Herdsman by Timothy Zahn Read Free Book Online

then returned calmly to their work of picking berries off the
colorful vines that grew up the sides of the trees.
    "What?" Alison asked.
    "What do you mean, what?" Jack growled.
    "You were muttering something."
    "Oh." Jack hadn't even noticed he was speaking. "I was just
thinking."
    "About . . .?"
    He gestured at the Erassvas. "I did some berry-picking work a
while back. It wasn't very pleasant."
    "Ah," Alison said. "Well, in the future, if you want to talk to
yourself, talk a little quieter."
    Clamping his jaw firmly shut. Jack kept walking. Focusing his
attention on the aliens, he tried to force back the memories of the
Brummgan slave camp.
    The Erassvas were actually quite human looking, if bald,
pale-skinned creatures who looked like overweight sumo wrestlers could
be said to look human. The twenty children Jack could see were already
starting to fill out, while the thirty or forty adults were just plain
huge. It was a wonder that their stubby legs could even carry all that
weight.
    But apparently they could. The Erassvas seemed quite comfortable
as they moved back and forth among the trees, picking berries and
either eating them right there or else putting them into one of the
massive pockets in the heavy greenish-brown robes they wore wrapped
kimono-style around their bulk.
    Their arms were as strong as their legs, too. Jack watched as an
adult weighing at least three hundred pounds hauled himself up on one
of the branches, chin-up style, to check out a vine running along the
top.
    One of the few aliens who had bothered to watch the Essenay 's
landing looked over again as the visitors approached. He looked them up
and down, then detached himself from the group and waddled over to meet
them. "A noon sun and satisfied belly to you," he greeted them in
heavily accented English. His smile was wide, seeming to split his face
in half, and his eyes were half-closed and rather dreamy looking. "I am
Hren."
    "A noon sun and satisfied belly to you, as well," Alison said,
bowing her head toward him. "I'm Alison. This is Jack."
    "Fine names for ones so young/' Hren said approvingly. "Have you
come to join in our midday song?"
    Jack glanced at the sun, which wasn't even close to being
overhead. The Erassvas apparently scheduled their rest breaks early.
"I'm afraid not," Alison said. "I've come to meet up with two others of
our people."
    "None such has been seen here for many songs," Hren said, some of
the dreaminess going out of his eyes as he frowned thoughtfully at her.
"Are you sure you do have the right place?"
    "I'm sure," Alison said. "But they may have been delayed. Would
you mind if I waited here for them?"
    "Your company would be as sweet as a bishti berry," Hren
said. "And since you are here, will you not please join us in our
midday song?"
    He looked at Jack. "You, especially, would be most heartily
welcome."
    Jack frowned, throwing a sideways look at Alison. "Me?"
    "Yes," Hren said, smiling knowingly. "Because of—" He broke off,
waving a hand at Jack's chest. "But come," he went on, looking at
Alison. "You all are welcome."
    "We all ?" Alison asked. "Don't you mean we both ?"
    A slight frown creased Hren's face. "Perhaps I use the wrong
word," he said. Puckering his lips, gazing out into space as if in deep
thought, he reached a wide hand to the front of his robe. For a moment
he flapped it in and out as he fanned air onto his torso. Then he let
go, leaving it partway open at the neck.
    And Jack froze. Starting from the big Erassva's right collarbone
and curving around over his shoulder to his back was a wide
green-and-brown tattoo. An image of a large, serpentine creature.
    Only it wasn't just any serpentine creature. And it wasn't a
tattoo.
    It was a K'da.
    'Thank you for the offer—" Alison was saying.
    "Yes," Jack cut her off. "We would be honored to attend your song."

CHAPTER 6

    Hren led the way toward the forest, Jack following behind him with
Alison bringing up the rear. She hadn't said a word about Jack's