Second Guard by J. D. Vaughn Read Free Book Online

caress.
    “He’s like a giant cat,” Tali said, surprised by such affectionate behavior from a fierce-looking animal. “Perhaps you should name him Kitten.”
    Zarif and Chey both laughed. “Poor dog. What would his fellow packhounds think?” asked Chey.
    “You could call him Boulder,” offered Zarif, slowly reaching out to touch the dog’s ear. “I’ve only seen packhounds from a distance until now. He’s truly
enormous…and he looks like he could knock down more than children.”
    “Packhounds look fierce, but they’re really quite friendly,” Chey answered. “They only behave aggressively to protect their pups and sometimes their human
families.”
    “Does your family keep packhounds?” Tali asked.
    Chey nodded. “Most Earth Guild families do. They eat little for their size and their strength is unmatched. We use them to pull plows and haul salt from the mines. We depend on them for
much.”
    “We traders depend on our cats,” said Tali. “They’re quite useful at keeping our boats and stores free of mice and other pests, and they usually feed themselves in the
process.”
    “We keep no animals in Fugaza save bluejackets. Even the horses are kept outside city walls,” Zarif said.
    Chey looked at his new roommate in surprise. “I am sorry for you, Zarif,” he said.
    Zarif’s face mirrored Chey’s. “Sorry that I was not raised with animals?”
    “Yes,” Chey answered, filling a nearby bucket with fresh water from a trough and offering it to the dog. The hound stuck his face deep into the water, slopping the bucket around the
small stall as he drank. His lapping noises filled the space, almost as if he was adding his point to the conversation. Though Zarif tried to keep his face neutral, he seemed to be struggling to
understand the charm of such a hairy, slobbering beast.
    “I think it’s perfect,” Tali said.
    “What?” they answered simultaneously.
    “Boulder,” Tali said, as the dog turned and licked her face. Both boys broke out into laughter and Tali wiped her face with her sleeve.
    “‘Boulder’ it is,” Chey said, and threw a stick out into the darkening night. The newly named Boulder tore after it and returned faster than Tali thought possible. He
dropped the saliva-covered stick at Zarif’s feet.
    “I believe Boulder is inviting you to play,” said Tali, enjoying the rueful look on Zarif’s face.
    Zarif raised an eyebrow, then hesitantly bent down to pick up the slimy stick between two fingers. “Well, then, let’s go play,” he said, gesturing them all out the stable
door.
    They walked past the Alcazar and down to the southern beachhead, where Boulder played tag with the moonlit waves so joyfully that the three weary pledges had no choice but to relax and share his
good cheer. For a long while they took turns throwing the stick for the eager beast, who would disappear under the stars and then reappear as if by magic.

I n 1486, the fateful shipwreck of Castillian conquistador Vittorio “Fat Prince” Gordino upon the shores of the previously
    undiscovered Nigh World inaugurated a century of Far World expansion commonly referred to as the Years of Conquest. Though several monarchs sought to conquer and claim this new continent for
    themselves, the wealthy kingdoms of Castille and Andoria emerged victorious, carving up the land and subjugating the native populations. Only a smattering of native-ruled realms remain, dispersed
    throughout the Nigh World like flowers in a briar patch.
    —M. DE S AAVEDRA ,
The Rise of Tequende: A History

T he next day, Tali met Zarif for an early breakfast of warm porridge with nuts and berries, swished back with bitter coffee. Tali’s teeth
seemed to ache without the cane sugar she usually added to sweeten the dark liquid, but she knew that without coffee a headache would soon follow. Chey had taken his breakfast earlier in order to
give Boulder a morning run before training began, but came back to join them when the bell