Free The Dragon Circle by Irene Radford Page A

more than a month, he failed to gain weight or rebuild muscle.
    â€œWe must still ask. Now better than later.” Hestiia insisted. Decisively, she grabbed Kim’s hand and led him back to the campfire.
    A quick look at the assembly showed Konner and the new woman still missing. Taneeo had not made an appearance.
    â€œI took food to his hut,” Pryth, the old wisewoman said. “He often eats alone and sleeps early.” She dismissed his behavior as normal.
    But it was not normal. The Coros lived communally. The evening gathering was important to them. They sang, told stories, and shared their lives as no one on the civilized planets of the Galactic Terran Empire would. Survival on this primitive planet depended upon mutual cooperation and sharing of burdens.
    â€œPerhaps I should examine Taneeo again. See if he needs healing,” Kim mused as he and Hestiia trudged over to the circular hut set a little apart from the larger, square cabins of the rest of the village. With a bit more of the Tambootie, perhaps he could leech some residual poisons from Taneeo’s body with his magic.
    Hestiia politely rattled the strands of beads hanging outside the doorway. Kim counted one hundred heartbeats. Then he gave the beads a more vigorous shake.
    No one answered.
    â€œI’m coming in, Taneeo,” Kim called as he ducked beneath the low doorway.
    Inside, the single room was dark and deserted.

    â€œSt. Bridget!” Konner cursed. The Tracker woman had merged with his shuttle in a way he never could. If the ship wanted a human partner permanently attached, it should be him. Not . . . not this female from an alien culture. A primitive alien culture that knew nothing of machines or electronics or space travel or . . . or . . .
    Damn.
    â€œUm . . . has this ever happened to you before?” Konner stared at Dalleena’s hand. He could not see where her flesh separated from the cerama/metal hull of Rover . He ran a blunt fingernail around the edges of the merge. One seamless bond.
    Puzzled, he scratched his head.
    â€œI . . . I do not usually have to touch the sheep and children who wander off to find them,” she said. A tiny note of apprehension crept into her voice. Not panic. Not hysteria. Neither emotion would help and so she kept them at bay.
    An eminently practical woman, to go with the sturdy broad palm, nails cut nearly to the quick, and shortish fingers. A sturdy hand used to hard work.
    â€œThis certainly complicates life,” Konner grunted as he walked around Dalleena to study the problem from another angle. He also studied her figure. Nice curves were outlined beneath her masculine clothing. She stood quite tall for a woman, as tall as many of the men on this planet. The top of her head reached the bridge of his nose. All of those curves would fit very nicely snugged against him. “Perhaps I should call my brothers.”
    â€œNo!” Now she sounded closer to panic.
    Konner cocked an eyebrow at her.
    Immediately, she seemed to realize how her hasty reply had sounded. She squared her shoulders and returned his stare, measure for measure.
    â€œThen what do you propose to do?”
    She swallowed deeply and held out her other hand. He clasped it in his own. A tingle shot up his arm.
    Who is this stranger, Konner? Mum’s voice demanded in the back of his mind. Not Mum. The computer voice he had programmed to sound like Mum. He and his brothers had agreed that at times they needed her voice of authority to calm them when the IMPs were hard on their heels and all seemed lost. At other times they took immense satisfaction in telling the voice to “Shut up” and slapping the mute with enthusiastic vigor. Something they would never do in Mum’s presence.
    Dalleena’s eyes opened wide and she bit her lower lip.
    â€œYou heard that?” he asked.
    She nodded, eyes still wide.
    He knew she was frightened, but she kept it under control. He liked