Seduced her as a human, Onyx reminded herself. It was this body's fault that she'd fallen for all Led's talk. A blush rose to her cheeks when she realized just how completely she'd been taken in. Her body had betrayed her as surely as Led had. Khisanth could not set things right where the nyphids were concerned, but she could have her revenge.
In the time it took her to close her eyes, Khisanth felt her human form stretch painlessly, until her long arms became clawed, her wings sprouted, her tail took shape. Good rid shy;dance, she thought. Springing skyward with her hind legs, the black dragon spread her wings, caught a gust, and was airborne.
A party like Led's left very noticeable tracks. The trail west was easy to follow. Mostly it kept to the road.
Onyx spotted the group near dusk. Led sat with his back to a boulder. As on the night before, the ogres were gathered behind him, already asleep. Two fires burned low. In the form of an owl, Khisanth hovered just above the treetops to keep them in sight while forming her exact plan.
She soared up into the darkened sky beyond the reach of the firelight. At the apex of her climb, she willed herself back into her dragon form. Diving now toward the sleeping ogres, she summoned the acid up her long throat. Her breath blan shy;keted the sleeping ogres in deadly acid fog. They awoke screaming in surprise and anguish, but their cries died as quickly as they did.
Led jumped to his feet and backed in horror from the grisly scene. He was totally at a loss to explain what had hap shy;pened to the ogres, for Khisanth was already beyond the range of his limited human vision. He thought he saw a shadowy, winged form, but it was nothing he could identify. His mind raced through the possibilities. He knew of no bird that large, certainly none that was capable of slaying ogres by dissolving them. He stood with sword in hand, waving it back and forth nervously, looking skyward.
One ogre on the fringe of the group had been spared the full force of Khisanth's spray. Its left hand and much of its skin was burned away, but it was alive and nearly insane with panic. Foolishly it scrambled to its feet and started to run, a Solamnic long sword slapping uselessly at its side.
Eyeing the creature, Khisanth soared back to the camp, opened her jaws wide, and unleashed a thin stream of steam shy;ing acid that hit the fleeing ogre on the right leg. It dropped, shrieking and weeping, to its knees. Drawing the sword, the ogre pivoted on its knees and slashed the weapon skyward in a pathetic attempt at self-defense. Its yellow eyes turned on Led for help, but the human had disappeared.
A huge, shadowy form slowly dropped into the range of the firelight, then landed on a rock.
In the shelter of the trees, Led froze with horror. A dragon! The bounty hunter's breath stopped, and his hands turned instantly cold. He had heard of such creatures but never really believed in their existence. He felt terribly exposed, afraid to move. As stealthily as possible, he stepped farther back behind a tree trunk.
Khisanth hopped down and approached the injured ogre. Trembling with fear, the creature continued to wave its sword pathetically at her from its knees.
"I had a change of heart just after I let loose that acid," Khi shy;santh purred.
The ogre's fear intensified at the sound of her voice. He dropped the sword.
"Acid is a painful but quick way to die. I'd rather your boss and I have time to savor your screams."
Khisanth sank her teeth into the ogre's right arm at the shoulder, severing bone and muscle with a great tearing sound. The creature's horrendous wails cut the air. Khisanth savored the sounds as she bit off the ogre's limbs one by one, then dropped the torso into a snowdrift. Unconscious at last, the ogre twitched once. His blood puddled on and melted the snow, and then petered out.
Khisanth turned her tawny gaze on Led, who stood par shy;tially hidden behind a tree. Ever so slowly she slithered to the edge of the clearing, coming face-to-face with the bounty hunter; he merely watched her come, fear holding him in place.
The dragon reached out a claw and lightly scratched Led's right cheek.
Trembling, he touched a hand to his cheek and saw blood on his fingers. "W-What are you going to do with me?" he managed to gasp.
"I haven't decided yet," she said laconically.
He looked up at her, nervous beads of sweat rolling down his brow. "I've heard dragons like treasure," he said. "Take anything of value you see."
The dragon gave a hoarse, raspy laugh. "Do you think, human, that I need your permission to do anything?"
"N-No," he stuttered.
"I'm in charge now." The dragon wagged a sharp claw at him. "Come into the light, where I can see your green eyes better. Did I ever tell you, Led, that I thought they looked like wet emeralds?"
Unable to refuse, Led stepped back into the camp. The dragon's question puzzled him. The beast knew his name, spoke as if they'd met before. There was something vaguely familiar about the dragon's voice, but… Surely a man would remember if he'd ever met a dragon.
"What a difference a day makes, Led." The dragon's tone was lazy. "Just yesterday you were saying that dragons aren't as smart as humans. And here you are today, at the mercy of one___I guess that means you're a stupid human."
Led blinked. The dragon's words had a familiar ring; he closed his eyes and feverishly searched his memory for the meaning. When he looked up again, though, all thoughts of the mystery fled. Onyx stood before him, her arms crossed, unashamed of her nakedness. Her nose was broken, and dark bruises circled both eyes like a mask.
The woman looked into Led's green eyes and saw confu shy;sion turn slowly to comprehension. "You left me to die, Led."
Wide-eyed, he looked at her. "1 couldn't find you."
Onyx's eyes were narrow slits. "You obviously didn't look very hard. There was a path to me a mile wide."
"I looked," Led said quickly, his tone pleading, "but I was afraid to hang around the scene of the battle for fear of
discovery. I thought you'd disappeared just like Toba."
"I didn't," Onyx said coldly, then her voice became almost brittle. "Speaking of your lieutenant, would you like to see him?"
"You know where Toba is?"
The woman raised one brow and smiled maliciously. "I have an idea." Her fingers clutched the thong that held the maynus and swords. "Free him," she told the globe.
As if from thin air, the charred and bloody body of Yoshiki Toba tumbled to Led's feet. Jumping back, the mighty merce shy;nary could not suppress a scream.
"Well, I guess that nearly makes us even-on that score, anyway. I killed your friend. You caused the death of mine." Onyx said. At Led's puzzled look, she added, "The creature in the wagon. The one you kidnapped, she was the last female of her kind. You killed her. You killed her father and betrothed, as well. My friends."
Led looked more confused still. Perhaps his fear is dulling his wits, the woman thought.
"My gods, you're dense." Onyx gave him a patronizing look of pity. "Is your ego so great you actually think you talked me into joining your little band?" She threw back her head and laughed. "It was my plan all along. I tricked you. I was going to rescue the nyphid you'd kidnapped. I would have stolen her from under your nose if you hadn't mishan shy;dled the situation with the knights."
Onyx tapped a finger to her chin. "Now that I think about it, we're not even at all. But then," she purred, "I'm just get shy;ting started."
She began to pace around the frightened human. "I sup shy;pose you think I enjoyed our little encounter last night, too. Don't flatter yourself. It was all part of my plan." Onyx couldn't keep from blushing at her own reminder of their union. She rubbed her temple as if it pained her.