Read Online The Half Dwarf Prince by J. M. Fosberg - Free Book Online
Authors: J. M. Fosberg
Ads: Link
off up to the edge of the bowl. He had actually tried doing that once. It hadn’t worked out near as well as he had planned. It had looked bad enough that people took notice. And being noticed was one thing Jerrie wanted avoid.
Jerrie had avoided attention all of his life. He had found it was much easier to accomplish things and to stay alive if he looked like everyone else. The bowl cut was a common hair cut in Ambar. He wore plain cotton and linen shirts. He had even learned to fight with knives only. People took notice of a man with a sword, but knives were easy to conceal, and even unconcealed they were so common they did not attract a lot of attention. Galen had taught him to use the knives. Galen had taught him everything.
His mother died giving birth to Jerrie, and when he was only six years old, a Black Dragon assassin murdered his father out of hand. His father hadn’t done anything to provoke the assassin; he had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. The neighbors quickly turned Jerrie, now an orphan, over to the city. He found out later that they had also taken what little he and his father had owned. He was left with nothing but a burning desire to avenge his father.
Jerrie ran away from the orphanage, and when he left he took a knife from the kitchens. It wasn’t a big knife; it was one the cook used to cut vegetables. He wandered the city for days before he finally saw his first Black Dragon. He followed the man in the black robe for hours, until the man went inside a building in the nicer part of Ambar. It was dark when the man came out. Jerrie walked up behind him and brought his little knife down toward the man’s back. The knife stopped just before it touched the man's robes. The Black Dragon turned around and smiled.
“You foolish, foolish boy. Do you know what this robe means?”
“It means you’re a Black Dragon,” Jerrie said, his anger building. He hadn’t been scared that day, only angry. Looking back he realized he should have been afraid, but he had been too young to understand the severity of the situation.
“So you knew what I was and still you tried to rob me. You are more foolish than I thought,” the man said, still wearing that big, stupid smile.
“I wasn’t trying to rob you, I was trying to kill you. You killed my father,” he said.
The man in the robes lost his smile and raised an eyebrow. “It is possible that I did, but maybe it was another. How do you know I killed him?”
“A Black Dragon killed him. I will kill all of you,” Jerrie said, as he tried to get his wrist free of the man's grasp.
“ Well in that case, I think it would be best if I sent you to meet your father,” the man told him, his smile returning. He had raised a hand toward Jerrie’s face, but then his head had jerked back. He fell to his knees.
Jerrie was looking the man in the eyes now. Behind the Black Dragon stood another, much bigger man. The man held the Black Dragon’s hair in one hand. His other hand came out from behind the Black Dragon’s back. In that hand was a knife, and the hand and blade were covered in blood.
The bigger man looked down at him. “Well , you came to kill this man. Go on. Finish the job.” The man held the Black Dragon’s head back.
Jerrie looked from the big man who had just saved him to the Black Dragon on his knees in front of him. The Black Dragon was already dying. He was gasping for air, and Jerrie could see that he was only staying on his knees because the big man was holding him up. He hesitated only a second before running his little blade across the man’s throat. Blood sprayed all over the front of his clothes. The big man let the Black Dragon fall to the ground.
“What’s your name , boy?”
“Jerrie. What ’s yours?”
“I am Galen. You got guts , kid, I’ll give you that. You need to get some brains, though. You want to kill Black Dragons?”
“I want to kill them all,” Jerrie bravely replied.
“Were is your
Jerrie had avoided attention all of his life. He had found it was much easier to accomplish things and to stay alive if he looked like everyone else. The bowl cut was a common hair cut in Ambar. He wore plain cotton and linen shirts. He had even learned to fight with knives only. People took notice of a man with a sword, but knives were easy to conceal, and even unconcealed they were so common they did not attract a lot of attention. Galen had taught him to use the knives. Galen had taught him everything.
His mother died giving birth to Jerrie, and when he was only six years old, a Black Dragon assassin murdered his father out of hand. His father hadn’t done anything to provoke the assassin; he had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. The neighbors quickly turned Jerrie, now an orphan, over to the city. He found out later that they had also taken what little he and his father had owned. He was left with nothing but a burning desire to avenge his father.
Jerrie ran away from the orphanage, and when he left he took a knife from the kitchens. It wasn’t a big knife; it was one the cook used to cut vegetables. He wandered the city for days before he finally saw his first Black Dragon. He followed the man in the black robe for hours, until the man went inside a building in the nicer part of Ambar. It was dark when the man came out. Jerrie walked up behind him and brought his little knife down toward the man’s back. The knife stopped just before it touched the man's robes. The Black Dragon turned around and smiled.
“You foolish, foolish boy. Do you know what this robe means?”
“It means you’re a Black Dragon,” Jerrie said, his anger building. He hadn’t been scared that day, only angry. Looking back he realized he should have been afraid, but he had been too young to understand the severity of the situation.
“So you knew what I was and still you tried to rob me. You are more foolish than I thought,” the man said, still wearing that big, stupid smile.
“I wasn’t trying to rob you, I was trying to kill you. You killed my father,” he said.
The man in the robes lost his smile and raised an eyebrow. “It is possible that I did, but maybe it was another. How do you know I killed him?”
“A Black Dragon killed him. I will kill all of you,” Jerrie said, as he tried to get his wrist free of the man's grasp.
“ Well in that case, I think it would be best if I sent you to meet your father,” the man told him, his smile returning. He had raised a hand toward Jerrie’s face, but then his head had jerked back. He fell to his knees.
Jerrie was looking the man in the eyes now. Behind the Black Dragon stood another, much bigger man. The man held the Black Dragon’s hair in one hand. His other hand came out from behind the Black Dragon’s back. In that hand was a knife, and the hand and blade were covered in blood.
The bigger man looked down at him. “Well , you came to kill this man. Go on. Finish the job.” The man held the Black Dragon’s head back.
Jerrie looked from the big man who had just saved him to the Black Dragon on his knees in front of him. The Black Dragon was already dying. He was gasping for air, and Jerrie could see that he was only staying on his knees because the big man was holding him up. He hesitated only a second before running his little blade across the man’s throat. Blood sprayed all over the front of his clothes. The big man let the Black Dragon fall to the ground.
“What’s your name , boy?”
“Jerrie. What ’s yours?”
“I am Galen. You got guts , kid, I’ll give you that. You need to get some brains, though. You want to kill Black Dragons?”
“I want to kill them all,” Jerrie bravely replied.
“Were is your
Similar Books
