Free Dragonback 05 Dragon and Judge by Timothy Zahn Page A

send.
    Right after Jack's arrival at the canyon.
    Fifteen minutes later, the Golvin emerged from the InterWorld
building and headed toward the shuttle at a fast jog. Draycos was back
under his camouflage flaps before the door was pulled open. Once again,
the Golvin didn't bother to check his rear seat before taking off.
    This time, that inattention was going to cost him.
    The flight back to the canyon was uneventful. Draycos waited
patiently . . . and as the Golvin eased the shuttle into the landing
pit, the K'da silently brushed aside the flaps and rose up behind the
other. "Don't turn around," he growled.
    The Golvin jerked as if he'd been hit by a bolt of lightning.
Reflexively, he started to turn his head.
    He brought the movement up short as his cheek came up against a
waiting K'da claw. "Who are you?" he gasped.
    "I ask the questions," Draycos said. "You sent an InterWorld
message. What was the message, and to whom did you send it?"
    "I sent no—"
    He cut off in a strangled gasp as Draycos pressed the claw firmly
into his skin. "What was the message, and to whom did you send it?"
    "I have no name," the Golvin said, his voice starting to take on
an edge of panic. "Only a number."
    "Give me the number."
    The Golvin did so. It was a long number, and Draycos could only
hope he would be able to remember all the digits. "Now the message," he
said.
    The Golvin didn't answer. Draycos prodded him again—"I was just to
let them know if another Jupa came to the canyon," he said, the words
practically tumbling over themselves in his effort to get them out.
Apparently, no one had told him there might be danger involved in this
little errand.
    "And then what?"
    "That's all," the Golvin said. "I was just to tell them. That is
all I know."
    It probably was, too, Draycos knew. No one would be foolish enough
to trust a pathetic creature like this with any genuine secrets. "You
will tell no one about this conversation," he said. "And you will make
no further trips outside this canyon."
    "I will do as you say," the Golvin said. "You may trust my word
in—"
    The rest of the promise was lost as Draycos slapped him firmly
across his neck below his ear.
    He slumped down in his seat, unconscious. Draycos waited a moment
to be sure, then opened the rear door and slipped outside.
    The Great Hall was quiet and dark, he noticed, the party
apparently over. Still, there might still be stragglers wandering
around the cropland. Lowering himself once again into the river, he
headed upstream.
    He reached Jack's pillar without incident. The bridge the Golvins
had constructed was the obvious way up, but it might be interesting to
see if he could climb the ivy plants the way the Golvins did. Setting
his front claws into the mesh, he started up.
    It was a mixed success. The ivy was strong enough to support his
weight and was solidly rooted into the stone. But Draycos's claws were
sharper than whatever small barbs or hooks the Golvins had in their
hands that allowed them to climb. He had to be constantly on the alert
lest he slice through the plants and dump himself onto the ground.
    If worst came to worst, he decided, it would probably be faster to
ignore the plants and dig his claws directly into the small cracks in
the stone, the way he'd done on his way out of the Great Hall.
    The apartment, when he reached it, was dark and quiet. But a quick
tasting of the air confirmed that Jack was there, and that the boy was
alone. Padding silently across the main room, he slipped into the
bedroom.
    "About time," Jack said quietly from the bed. "I was starting to
wonder if you'd gotten lost."
    "My apologies," Draycos said, coming up to him. "I ended up taking
a small side trip."
    "Sounds interesting," Jack said. "By the way, if you're hungry
there's bread, meat, and fruit in the refrigerator."
    "Thank you," Draycos said, suddenly realizing just how hungry he
was.
    "Don't thank me ," Jack said with the first touch of humor
Draycos had heard from him all day. "The One