Nik Read online

dropping her eyes. "Fine," she said. "You did save my life and all. I suppose you deserve some answers."

  I settled myself on the bed as she started to talk.

  "I am - well, there really isn't a word for what I am."

  "Lizard?" I ventured.

  "No," she snapped. "I probably shouldn't tell you this, but... well, you remind me of someone."

  "A Druid?"

  "Very perceptive, yes. A Druid. He was the one who created me. You might call him my father."

  It took a moment to take this information in. "Created?"

  She nodded, her tiny green head bobbing up and down. "Did you know that cows used to be just like other animals? They used to have emotions, feelings, thoughts. But the Druids in Ganyan started playing around with their minds - removing things, altering other parts, and so on. It sort of became a specialty of theirs. They called it "genetic manipulation", and their work created many of the biological machines we see today. Cows, horses, oxen, even some domesticated animals, were all created this way, manipulated for a specific purpose."

  Keela looked at me closely. "Still with me?" she asked.

  I nodded. "So you were one of those?"

  "In a way. I was created as an experiment. Version one of a series of experiments to develop a creature for combat. I have something to show you." She stepped back to the center of the table. At first I thought she was just taking a deep breath, but a moment later the hump on her back expanded and exploded into a pair of massive green wings. Their span was easily a foot wide, and they were attached at her shoulders.

  "A dragon," I breathed.

  "I wish," she laughed.

  After a moment of gazing in wonder, my mind starting working again. "So why didn't you just fly away from the dog in the alley?" I asked.

  Keela shrugged her shoulders and pulled her wings back in close to her body. "I was just a first version. Some things were bound to not work properly. Turns out the wing shape they gave me was entirely impractical for anything more than gliding. Not enough muscle to flap. Even holding them in position is straining. But they got the intelligence right, and the claws, and the teeth. Project was shut down by the Quis before they could move on to the next version though."

  "Why?"

  "They didn't like what the Druids were doing. Making animals more useful was one thing. Making them for war was another thing entirely. Darill, and Ganyan especially, have never been as close to the rest of the East as the Quis would have liked. I guess they were worried about invasion."

  "So why are you on your own?" I asked.

  "I told you," Keela said, looking me in the eye. "They shut the project down. I was the only one who survived. The Druid I told you about - he gave his life to save me."

  "And I remind you of him. How?"

  "Nik - when I was created, they didn't give me features to form human speech. The only reason I can talk to you is... you're a Druid."

  I laughed. "Well, I guess that would explain it," I said. "Better than hallucinating, I suppose."

  "No doubt," Keela said with a smile. "So, what are you going to do about it?"

  I shrugged. "Not much I can do. We're in Lianti. If they find about this, they'll kill me. I suppose I could leave my inn and venture north to Attarnon, but I'd rather not. I've grown somewhat attached to the place."

  Keela regarded me for a moment. "Much as I hate to admit it," she said. "You're dangerous as you are. The Druids I knew were mostly Ratans. They're safe, as long as they're controlled. But you... well, my father was consumed by the Madness when he saved my life. I've never seen such destruction before, and I'd rather not see it again."

  She fell silent for a moment, and for once I didn't feel the need to speak.

  "I'm tired," she said finally. "Is it okay if I sleep on your table?"

  "Of course. Would you like a blanket or something?"

  "That would be nice, thank you."

  I grabbed one of the extra blankets off the bed and piled it on the table, forming a small nest. Keela sighed and curled up inside it.

  I stripped off my shirt and pants and crawled into bed myself.

  "Keela?" I said before I turned out the light.

  "Yes?"

  "So you can't breathe fire?"

  "Myths and exaggeration. Don't see how it would be possible, myself."

  "Oh." I turned and blew out the light.

  I couldn't resist asking another question. "So, are you a female?"

  "Good night, Nik."

  I awoke four hours later with a little green form snuggling into my chest. "Keela?" I said.

  "Huh? Oh." She shifted slightly. If lizards could blush, I got the feeling her face would have been bright red. "Sorry," she said. "Cold-blooded, you know, and it was just so warm over here. I'll go." She slithered off my chest and onto the bed.

  "It's fine," I said quickly. "I just don't want to crush you or anything."

  Keela bared her teeth in what I took for a smile. "Thanks," she said. "Are you getting up now?"

  "How'd you know?"

  "I'm familiar with Druids. It's been theorized that - never mind." She cut herself off with another embarrassed look.

  "No, tell me. I should probably know these things, after all."

  "Well, some people say that Druids get their energy from the earth. From what I've seen, it's true. I've never seen a Druid get more than five hours sleep. Yet they always seem to wake up with more energy than anyone else and somehow manage to keep it through the day."

  "What can Druids do?" I asked. I'd heard stories, of course, but you never knew how much of them were true.

  "Um," Keela said. "Maybe that can wait for a little later." She looked uncomfortable again. "Would you mind, well, opening the window for me for a second or two? I have some, er, business to take care of."

  "Oh. Oh! Yes, of course, I'm sorry I didn't think of that earlier." I climbed out of bed and threw open the window. Keela threw me a grateful look as she climbed out and down the wall, her claws digging into the wood.

  I stood in the cool breeze of the early morning and gazed out the window at the slowly brightening sky. Keela returned after a few moments and perched on the windowsill beside me.

  "So what are you going to do?" she asked after a minute.

  "I'm staying here."

  "It's dangerous."

  "I know. Can I ask you a favor?"

  "You can ask."

  "I'd like you to teach me about Druids," I said. "What I can do, what I have to watch out for, those kind of things."

  The sun was peeking over the horizon by the time she answered. "Nik," she said. "You have to understand that I'm not really in a good position here. I want to help you, I really do. But I have to watch out for my own skin too. You're a good man, Nik, but I don't think I can stay here. You understand?"

  "Of course," I said. "Well, come on down and have breakfast at least. Our cook is amazing."

  Again, she hesitated. "Sure," she said finally. "I haven't eaten since yesterday afternoon."

  "You want me to bring it up here?"

  "I'd rather come down with you, if you don't mind. There's a lot of food I won't eat."

  "No problem." I smiled as she crawled up to my shoulder.

  The common room was virtually empty, as I expected it would be at this hour. While many patrons stayed well into the night, few remained til sunrise. Even fewer would awake this early.

  Still, some figures remained seated at tables. I ignored them for the time being. Another day, and I might have wandered over and introduced myself, maybe solicited some comments on the service. Today, my mind was occupied with other thoughts. Besides, the only ones in the room appeared to be either intoxicated or obviously wouldn't have preferred my company.

  As I began to cross the room towards the kitchen to pay a visit to the cook and see what was on the menu for the morning, I felt a frantic scrabbling at my shoulder and a whispered string of curses. Before I could comment, the scrabbling moved swiftly down my back, and Keela jum
ped to the floor.

  "What - Keela!" I shouted after her as she darted across the room to an open window. With a flash of green, she disappeared, leaving me scratching my head in confusion. Turning back to the common room, I almost ran into two of the men who had occupied one of the tables earlier.

  "Excuse me, gentlemen," I said. They didn't move, blocking my path. They both towered over me, and I was suddenly very aware of the swords at their hips. "Can I help you?"

  "Where did you learn that name?" the man on the left asked. His voice held a wary tone to it.

  "What name?"

  "You called that creature Keela." Now I knew I was in trouble.

  "No I didn't," I lied easily.

  "We heard you."

  "No, see, I said..." My mind raced furiously. "I said 'Come here'. That damn lizard's always running away from me."

  "I think you should come with us," the other man said.

  "Ah," I said.

  The conversation was interrupted by another voice from behind the two men. "Excuse me," it said, and I was relieved to recognize the voice as Arter, one of the inn's bouncers. "There any trouble over here, boss?" he continued.

  The two men turned to face him, and I took advantage of the distraction to bravely scramble for the front door. I heard a crash from behind me as I opened the door, and my mind automatically started to tally up the cost of the fight in the common room. Distracted as I was, I nearly ran into Tinai, who was on her way in.

  "What was that noise?" she asked suspiciously.

  "Ah, Tinai, dear, could you take care of this for me? Thanks, you're amazing. By the way, if I don't come back, the inn is yours, gotta run, bye." The words were barely out of my mouth before I tore down the street, leaving Tinai with a bewildered expression as she tried to