Silver Dragon Read Free

to do after the fire.
    Aleena wiped the tears off her cheeks and stiffened her back. No, of course not, he didn't realize it because he had his sister. He had to protect her. Just like Alto had rushed into that burning building to save people he didn't even know. That was just the way he was. He was a hero. Her hero too, but he didn't see it that way. Not yet. She'd show him what he meant to her. She'd show him that he could let himself need her, too. She could do things for him, things no other woman would do. Or at least things no other woman had a right to do.
    But in order to show him, she had to have him around her. Right now he didn't want that. He wanted to be alone. Stupid boys, always thinking they could figure things out on their own! Her mother had showed her early on that people needed to talk ; that's why so many men came to their tavern. They knew they needed to talk, too, but they were men. They couldn't do it unless they got a few drinks in them. Then they forgot how they were supposed to be tough and they could talk a little bit. That's also how Aleena had saved up so much money from tips. She'd learned to have a sympathetic ear.
    It wasn't enough to buy her own place but with Alto at her side , they could have done anything! She frowned. How would she get him to let her stand at his side long enough so he could see what he meant to her?
    The Lady Patrina, she was a warrior and he valued her as a companion. Aleena's eyes narrowed at the thought of the beautiful blond woman. And she was a princess of her people. How could Aleena compete with that?
    "By being better than she is," Aleena said. She nodded her head as she considered her options. Alto protected people. Alto believed in doing the right thing. Alto was willing to risk his life to help others. She admired him because he believed so much in those things and because he was just Alto. He was handsome, strong, and so likeable!
    She turned and rushed back inside her father's tavern, passing by him and barely giving him a wave. She retrieved her sack of coins from her chest and split it amongst three pouches at her belt and then hurried back out.
    "What are you up to?" her father called as she made her way to the door. "It's nice to see a smile on your face again, but what are you up to?"
    Aleena stopped when she realized she was grinning. "Lady Patrina was wrong," she said.
    "Now Aleena, a lot of things are said in here when people have a few drinks in them; that don't make it right to call someone a liar."
    Aleena shook her head. "No, I just talked to Alto. He made it out! He's okay, well, sort of. I'm going to go see him again."
    Her father raised his eyebrow and then chuckled. "All right then, if that's so, tell him he's earned a free meal on me for the story of what happened."
    Aleena nodded and skipped out the door. Her next stop was a few streets over at the Blades of Leander headquarters. Namitus had given her a key he'd made so she could come and go more easily to see Alto ; he'd just never been there or allowed her to show the kind of interest she'd wanted to.
    With the building deserted , she made her way upstairs and took some of Namitus's clothes. She left a few coins in his trunk and then made her way to Alto's room. She stripped out of her peasant's blouse and skirts before slipping Namitus's pants on. She used a dagger Alto had in his room to cut her skirts and wrap them tightly about her chest, and then slipped on Namitus's shirt. Finally, she used the dagger and a mirror to cut her hair as short as she could.
    Aleena squared her shoulders and stared at the results. She thrust her jaw forward and scowled a little, and then nodded. She could do it. In the right light, she just might pass herself off as a boy. She swallowed down her grin and reminded herself to scowl, and then hurried out of the building and walked straight in the Church of Leander that was next door.
    She found an acolyte tending candles and asked him in the gruffest voice