The Rogue Retrieval by Dan Koboldt Read Free Book Online

with handfuls of snow. Steam rose with a hiss, hugging the inside of the barrier. It rose straight up but then began to curl over their heads, back in the direction from which they’d come.
    â€œSee that? It’s concave,” Quinn said. “Like a bubble. Whatever made this thing is probably right in the center of it.”
    â€œGood thinking, Bradley,” Kiara said.
    Logan was already mounted again. “Based on the curvature, the central point should be this way.”
    It was near dark by then. A pale yellow moon shone between the trees. Quinn heard the yipping of some animal; it sounded almost like a hyena. Another one yipped back at it. “What is that?” he asked.
    Logan and Kiara exchanged an ominous look. “Alissian wild dogs,” Logan said.
    â€œShould I be worried? They’re just dogs, right?”
    â€œThe Alissian version is bigger than a wolf. Pack hunters, too. Sounds like they’re inside the barrier. I’m guessing that’s no accident.”
    Oh. Perfect.
    â€œWe need to get that barrier down,” Kiara said.
    Ah, yes, ordering the obvious. She was ex-­military for certain.
    Logan spurred his mare to a gallop, and the others followed.
    They rode in open woods near the cave clearing; the epicenter of the barrier seemed to be just north of it. More yipping rose to the left, and then to the right. The pitch was higher now, almost excited.
    â€œThey have our scent,” Chaudri said. “They’re hunting us.”
    Quinn thought about making a break for it then. He could probably find his way back to the cave, if the dogs didn’t catch him. This whole mission was a mistake. Logan was right. He wasn’t safe here, not by a long shot. And yet even with the danger, his curiosity overcame his survival instinct.
    Ahead was a small clearing, awash in yellow moonlight.
    â€œThis should be it,” Logan said. He approached the edge, slowing his horse to a canter and loosening his sword in its scabbard. “Whoa!” He yanked his horse around at the tree line. “Fall back!” he whispered fiercely.
    A moment of confusion followed as they got the horses turned around and backed up. Logan signaled that they should dismount. Then he put a finger to his lips and led them up to the edge of the trees.
    Logan pushed aside a branch so they could see into the clearing, which held a massive nest the size of a dump truck. Perched above it was a green serpentine creature whose body shone like metal in the moonlight.
    â€œWhat the hell is that?” Quinn whispered.
    Even coiled up, it was the biggest reptile he’d ever seen. By a factor of ten. The body was muscular, the neck thick. It had to be, to support that big triangular head. A thick line of spikes ran down the spine to the tail, which whipped back and forth like a snake’s.
    â€œWait . . . is that a goddamn dragon ?” he asked.
    â€œLooks like a northern wyvern,” Chaudri said. “Strange to find one with a brood here. Usually they nest in colonies up in the mountains.”
    Logan had out his night-­vision binoculars. “How much do you want to bet that whatever made the barrier is in that nest?”
    Behind them in the shadowed woods, more of the wild dogs were yipping. They were close .
    â€œWe need a look at it,” Kiara said.
    â€œI think the dragon’s going to have something to say about that,” Quinn said.
    â€œWyverns,” Chaudri corrected, “are territorial. Probably just moving into view in that clearing will be enough to bring her over.”
    â€œGood idea,” Kiara said. “You and Bradley try to draw it off. Logan and I will go for the nest.”
    â€œWait, why do I have to act as bait?” Quinn demanded. He felt his survival instincts kicking in. They were screaming at him to stay as far away from the dragon, or wyvern, as he possibly could.
    I’ve had my fill of curiosity.
    â€œIf you have