Dragonback 02 Dragon and Soldier Read Free Page A

papers."
    "Uh-huh," Jack said. More than just papers: it was an official
looking document with a blue-paper backing sheet. A document that Jack
himself didn't have.
    This was not good.
    Carefully, casually, he eased through the crowd and came up behind
the boy. "Some place, huh?" he commented.
    "Terrific," the other said, his voice trembling slightly. First
time away from home, all right.
    "Hey, buck up," Jack said, trying for a cheerfully encouraging
tone he suddenly wasn't feeling anymore. The paper the boy was holding
was an official indenture agreement.
    On an official Whinyard's Edge form. With an official Whinyard's
Edge signature on the bottom.
    And suddenly Jack's plan of simply talking his way inside as part
of the group wasn't looking so hot anymore.
    "Yeah, right," the boy said. "Just like summer camp. How long you
in for?"
    "Probably the same as you," Jack improvised, searching the form
for the correct number. There was a small bit of weight at his
collarbone as Draycos lifted an eye up to look over the boy's shoulder.
"Two years, right?"
    The boy snorted under his breath. "I guess your folks must not
need the money," he said, waving the form up into Jack's face. The name
at the top caught Jack's eye: Jommy Randolph. "I'm in for five. Five
whole years."
    "Put a quark in it," a girl at Jack's other side growled. She was
maybe thirteen, with jet-black hair and eyes that were so dark they
were almost black, too.
    "You talking to me?" Jommy demanded, his voice threatening.
    "You see anyone else in here whining about life?" she countered.
    "Maybe it's just that no one else gets it," Jommy said, taking a
half step toward her. Clearly, he wasn't in the mood for criticism.
    The girl stood her ground. "Or maybe it's just that no one else's
glue is melting," she said. "You'd think they were drop-kicking you
into prison or something."
    "Oh, they're drop-kicking us, all right," Jommy shot back. "I had
an uncle once—-"
    "Quiet back there!" a deep voice snapped from the far end of the
room, the words cutting through the buzz.
    The buzz instantly evaporated. Grimacing to himself, Jack backed
away from Jommy and the girl and started to ease his way to the exit.
Uncle Virge had been right; this had been a lousy idea. Time to wave
bye-bye and head for the tall grass.
    "There is a guard," Draycos whispered.
    Jack looked over his shoulder. There was a guard, all right,
standing at attention between him and the door. A very big guard, in
full uniform, with a very big gun belted at his waist.
    So much for a gracious retreat. "I'm open to suggestions," he
muttered, turning away from the guard.
    "To your left," Draycos said. "The room with the open door."
    "Good idea," Jack said, drifting in that direction. The buzz of
whispered conversation was starting to come back now, despite the order
for silence. Maybe they all thought it was going to be like
summer camp. "We'll try for a window."
    "You will not be going into the room," Draycos said. "I will need
five minutes alone. Unfasten your sleeve."
    Jack frowned. But he obeyed, unsnapping the cuffs of his leather
jacket as he eased toward the slightly open door. Beneath his shirt, he
could feel Draycos sliding along his skin, moving as much of his
two-dimensional form as he could onto Jack's left arm.
    Obviously preparing to spring out the end of that sleeve. Problem
was, Jack couldn't see what that would gain them.
    He had reached the door now, listening as best he could over the
murmurs of the crowd. He hadn't spotted anyone in the room earlier, and
he couldn't hear anyone in there now. But that didn't prove anything.
They would just have to gamble that the office was indeed empty.
"Ready?" he whispered.
    Draycos's affirmative was signaled by a light claw-tap on his arm.
Jack stepped to the office door, swung his left hand smoothly into the
open gap—
    And with a sudden brief surge of weight, Draycos went
three-dimensional as he leaped out through the end of the sleeve. Jack
caught a