Greetings all my lovely readers!
I hope this week has treated you all well. On our side of the world we once more received terrible news when a family friend suddenly passed away from cancer. He got the diagnosis two weeks before that. Been a rough week, so I have been diving into my work and writing more in hopes of just dealing with it. At least I'm getting some writing done.
Anyway, here is the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy!
Saseric was finally able to find the information he needed. Now he had to wait. The ship would be landing in a few hours, but he had been warned that there would likely be others out to get the girl. Especially now that all the information had been released.
Karesh critical after daughter tries to take the throne. Lord Pura of the Humans banishes Saita.
Saseric couldn’t believe that this was the information that had reached the public’s ears. He knew that Karesh was ramping up to attack the Saith. He knew about the reports of Myla being arrested for treason. He knew that there had been Saith on the planet that helped with the overthrowing of the mad king, yet it was Saita that had been punished, and harshly at that. It had not been fair, and though life was hardly ever fair, this was done to make an example of her.
The Lizard Lord made his way through the throngs of people gathering for supplies, loved ones and easy marks. He pitied anyone who got to the girl before he did. He watched people leaving the ship for some time before he noticed her. He no longer needed to see her face to know who she was. Though dressed in dark clothing with a hood up her movements had not changed at all though they were somewhat hesitant. She didn’t know what to do or where to go. Likely she had nothing with her except the clothes on her back.
He separated from the crowd and made his way to the gangway but soon found himself with two tails. He sighed and wondered how he was going to handle it when he suddenly saw Saita materialize next to him. He felt the shift in the air as the two people behind him realised that their quarry had spotted them. Their fear was palatable. The four of them stood like that for a few seconds before the girl spoke.
“What are your lives worth?”
Hired thugs are paid to do and not think so when they came face to face with their quarry questioning, they didn’t know what to do?
“Language barrier, alright, let’s try this.” Saita brought two small red balls to her hands. “Do you want to die?”
She dropped the balls in front of the thugs, and they started smoking as if some strange bomb. That did it, the riff-raff fled for their lives. Saita half chuckled, half growled and dissipated the energy before turning to the lizard. “What are you doing here and why did you allow them to follow you?”
“I was aware of them; I was wondering what you would do. When did you learn to teleport?” he asked in confusion.
“Hardly important. You didn’t answer my question. Why is the King of all Lizard kind in this shit hole?”
“Drink?” he offered.
Saita sighed heavily and shrugged. “Got nothing else to do.”
Together the human and the lizard made their way to an inn that looked a little less vermin infested than those around it. They sat at the back of the inn, both with their hoods up. Saseric ordered for them and then asked. “How did you recognise me?”
“You have a distinct walk and when I was close enough to you, I could smell you.” then Saita stammered. “It’s not a bad smell, just, recognisable.”
“You don’t need to explain yourself.”
They sat in silence for a while and Saseric took the time to look over her. Her hands were bandaged and there were scabs on her face from what looked like burns with some fading bruising. He was also very sure that if she removed her hood that she would have patches of hair missing from the fight with her father. She was looking at the table in what seemed to be irritation. It was filthy, something she was not used to but would now have to get used to.
“Do you still want to know why I am here?”
“Me I would guess.” she leaned back and shoved her injured hands into the pockets of her jacket. “Though why I am not sure. Surely you must have heard that I am a monster that will destroy your life if you come close to me.”
“One does not spend four years looking for someone to just throw them away.”
He knew instantly that what he had said had hit a nerve because she fixed him with a dirty look. “What do you think this is? A holiday. That is exactly what happened. So why are you here?”
“What happened, Saita? Tell me.”
“It’s not important. Let’s just leave it as things are where they should have been had I not come back, and Father had just accepted it. Except now…” she paused for a second and he could see the turmoil of emotion in her. “He was in a medically induced coma when I left. Broken back, broken neck, and other injuries.”
“Will he live?”
“Probably with the way Mother was fawning over him.” then she spat. “Sorry, they are not Mother and Father anymore, they are Myla and Karesh. How stupid of me to think I could ever have something to love. To be loved.”
“What were the exact words that Pura used when he sent you away?”
“It doesn’t matter,” she sighed and sat forward with her forehead on the table. “I don’t want to be where I am not wanted.”
Saseric sat and wondered how he would bring up the conversation that he had had with Chaka when Saita chuckled into the table and said. “I have a son, Saseric, a son that will now grow up with no mother.”
“You were pregnant?” he said in shock.
“Not in so many words.” she sat back.
Then she opened up, telling him of her time with the rebels and finding her son. She didn’t skimp on the details of the Vulpine and Edzeeker and ended with where they sat now. By the time she had completed her tale, he had already drunk several mugs of the inn’s brew while she had hardly touched her own. Saseric added a capsule to his next drink and waited for it to dissolve before sipping at it, waiting for her to continue with more but now she was watching him with interest.
“What was that?”
“Oh! Old assassin’s trick. It is a neutralizer. Had there been any poison this takes care of it. I figured you wouldn’t really be drinking so I didn’t offer. Unless you want to test the faith of the people on this planet.”
“Don’t tempt me Lizard, there really isn’t much to live for at this point,” she mumbled.
Saseric dropped a tablet in her drink and pushed it to her. “Just drink so that this looks normal.”
“You are yet to answer me, Saseric. Why are you here?”
“I got a message that asked me to help you.”
Saita snorted and crossed her arms. “From whom?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. I wasn’t prepared to have you lost to a place like this.”
Tentatively the young woman sipped at the drink and wrinkled her nose. “What is this?”
“House special, likely a vegetable-based alcoholic beverage.”
“In human please.”
“I believe your species call it beer.”
“Ah. That explains why it is bitter.”
Then she shocked the Lizard by draining the mug in one breath. She chuckled at his face and said. “If my liver can break down antibiotics, anaesthesia, and paralytics in a matter of minutes, I’m not getting drunk that easily.”
“Saita did Pura ban you from dealing with allies of the humans?” he asked suddenly.
“Not in so many words no but he said if I were to talk or interact with any humans, well then, their life and my own would be forfeit. I can’t even go where there are humans because I have a kill-on-sight command on my head,” she said bitterly.
“Then let me help you.”
“How? You deal with humans, you are their ally, something you fought for. No, I am not going to jeopardise that or you. You have done enough!”
He grinned. “I was hoping you would say that.”
“Excuse me.”
“If I can’t help you directly then maybe I can help you indirectly.” he swung his arm out to let her view the inn. “What do you see here?”
“People I don’t know, race or name and definitely not their language.”
“What else?”
“No humans.”
“You catch on quick.” he leaned forward. “Before you disappeared you were winning bar brawls weren’t you. Even though Doran tried to stop you from doing it.”
Saita dug around in her pocket and produced several teeth which she scattered across the table with a grin. “I haven’t lost the touch.”
Saseric grinned so broadly that his pointed teeth showed. “Maybe I didn’t even need to broker this deal for you. You could have just walked in here and punched the largest creature out and had attention brought to you.”
“Broker a deal?”
Saseric explained what he had been doing on the planet for the last few days and Saita sat listening in silence and growing irritated. She knew that she would have had to fend for herself somehow, but she didn’t need him to give her a handout.
“What’s in it for you?” she asked.
“Knowing that you are safe.”
She shook her head. “Every single person who has been in my life up to this point has managed to bury some kind of weapon in my back. How can I trust you?”
“I have nothing to gain doing that and everything to gain with your independence.”
“How so?”
“An 18-month contract allows you to grow as a person, in strength, and character. Once the contract is complete you can either buy a new one or work for me.”
“But the…”
“You are banned from talking to humans, nothing was said about you working with allies of the humans. You remain in my colonies, and you will always have a home. I guarantee it.” he then frowned. “But you need independence from the sheltered life you have had, and I need a soldier I can trust at my back when the time comes.”
He then raised his hands a little above the table and said. “And who knows. In time the anger will fade from your king. Your family will mend, and you will go home.”
“You assume I want to.”
“You have a son.” he reminded her.
“He can come to me.”
“Do you need time to think about this?”
“I’d like to meet with Chaka myself.”
“You seem to have misunderstood the position that he has on this planet. You do not simply just meet with this man…”
“He has at least three people in this inn right now that are spying on you.”
Saseric had been aware of two. “Where did you learn to…”
“The idiot whose teeth are on the table. A touch of a sensitive seemed like a good skill to copy and use. Can you get me to talk to this Dreg King or not? I’d like to bargain for my own contract.”
Saseric hissed a little. He had gotten this far, and she seemed to be throwing it back into his face. It annoyed him. “Why?”
“Because once I no longer want to murder every single person before me, I want to go to the Saith home world in person. I want the right to travel and not remain here under lock and key.”
“My girl, that was never the plan.” Came a new voice.
I will have to cut the story here because the next bit is a little long to include. Who is the mysterious person who suddenly appeared int he middle of Saseric and Saita's conversation? Guess you'll have to read next week!
For those of you just joining us, please note that this is the follow on book from Fell Dragon. Follow this link to read it
Fell Dragon Book 1
Fell Dragon Book 2
As the series continues, it will combine with another book series I wrote. To avoid confusion about what is happening, introductory chapters will be introduced separately so that you don't have to be lost. However, these chapters will contain spoilers. You can find these chapters here:
Races Explained
Banishment
Royal Guard
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Part 1>>You are Here>>Part 3