throw my sword spinning through the air. It hits the dragon in the side, but bounces off the scales and hits the trunk of a nearby tree.
The dragon whips around and hisses viciously at me, then runs away faster than I can follow. I yell out in frustration and fury at not having killed him.
I run up to Dolly and look her over. “Are you hurt? Injured? What did he do?”
She looks up at me with glassy eyes. “Oh, hi. I think I'm fine. It's okay. He was just talking.”
“Talking? Here? Miles inside the jungle?”
Dolly points. “No, the village is right there— oh.”
Where she points, there is only dark jungle.
I pick up my sword. “The village is an hour's walk from here.”
“An hour? But I was only a few steps away from it! I could see it! I could have sworn...”
The blade has a small notch in it from the dragon's scales. Those things are hard. “I think that dragon tricked you good. He was reaching out with his claws, ready to kill you.”
Dolly rubs her eyes as if after a long sleep. “Was he? No, he just wanted to talk. About us helping the dragons leave. They need a hoard. They just want to leave.”
“He wanted to kill you,” I state and take her small hand. “Now I'll take you home to safety. How did he lure you into the woods?”
She comes with me easily. “He didn't. I needed leaves for the lye to make soap, so I went just a few steps into the jungle. He was there. I wanted to go home, but he blocked the way. Then he said some things that were… maybe good. I have no idea how I got this far into the jungle.”
“I understand dragons can hypnotize. Anyway, it is very unwise to enter the jungle without an escort,” I grunt. “Next time, alert the sentries.”
“I didn't see any sentries. Nobody was there in the huts.”
“We were all on an exercise,” I explain, making my way through the dense undergrowth and staying on my guard. “Except the sentries. They are always patrolling the area around the village. They don't hang around in the camp. If you wish to go into the forest, wait until you see one.”
“I will. How did you find me?”
I step over a fallen tree and help Dolly get over the trunk. “I happened to spot the discarded spear and then saw the tracks you had made. Only your tracks. The dragon didn't leave any. In short, it was just luck. Now let's be quiet. It's unwise to make noise in the jungle.”
“Sorry,” she says, her voice small.
I walk as fast as I think Dolly can handle. Her hand is cool and soft in mine, making me feel rough and unsophisticated. Which I am, of course. Hours of sword training each day make my hands callused and hard. Now I should train more on throwing it.
I have trouble concentrating on being watchful. Dolly's sweet, female scent permeates everything, and I can sense her rapid heartbeat through her hand. She makes little noises when she stumbles over roots or gets tangled up in bushes. Her presence is not powerful, but subtle in its womanly grace, and that is so alien to me that it threatens to overwhelm my simple warrior mind.
I long to squeeze her hand more, to hold her ample body against mine and shield her from all the dragons in the world.
But I also know I can't. That is not for me. I have my treasure to think of, my plan for using my immense riches to save both Dolly and the whole tribe.
I walk on, determined to keep her safe until then.
“Brank'ox?”
My heart sings. She knows my name! Oh, sweet sound.
“Yes, Dolly?”
“Can we stop for a moment? There's something stuck under my shoe.”
I stop. “Show me.”
5
- Dolly -
The girls say Brank'ox is bossy, and I guess he is. But it's just because he actually knows what he's doing. I think it's okay to be a little decisive then. And anyway, I think guys should be able to take charge. Heck, he is a caveman warrior, not a Poli Sci major with a man bun and a soy latte in his hand.
I half-turn and lift my foot with the sandal on it. They're supposed to be fancy gladiator sandals, but the upper straps that should go around my calves tend to bunch up around my ankles.
“A small pebble,” Brank'ox says and picks it off my sole. “Do you