Dawn of the Ice Bear Read Online Free Page A

Teeth, then. No other explanation made sense.
    Before the Corinthian could question him further, Kral rejoined his friends. “They are definitely after the Teeth,” he said when he reached them. In hushed tones, he explained his reasoning.
    â€œHow long will they let us stay with them?” Mikelo asked.
    â€œI know not,” Kral said. “But until they force us away we should stay close and try to learn whatever we can about their destination. Having narrowed it to Kuthmet is good. But this lot knows more than that, and if there is a way we can find out what they know, then the Teeth is as good as ours.”
    â€œI will try,” Mikelo offered. “They know that we have become friendly, these last several days. But they also know that before the Argosseans attacked your party, you knew me not. Perhaps I can persuade them that I would rather join their quest than yours.”
    â€œThat could be dangerous, Mikelo,” Donial observed. “If you are found out.”
    â€œI know,” Mikelo replied. “But I see no better way to learn what they know.”
    Alanya considered for a moment. “It might be more believable if you had an argument with us. Some reason to want to leave our group and join theirs.”
    â€œThat makes sense,” Mikelo said. “About what?”
    Alanya made a pondering face, but inspiration struck Kral. “Stop staring at her!” he shouted. He realized as he did that some of the anger he feigned was real—Mikelo did have a habit of gazing longingly at Alanya, and Kral found it annoying in the extreme. “You’re always staring at her, and she doesn’t like it!”
    Donial broke into a huge grin as he realized what Kral had started. “That’s right!” he added loudly. “My sister is sick of you, so just leave her alone!”
    Mikelo’s face collapsed. Kral thought the young Zingaran was about to cry. He still had not caught on. Perhaps it was the genuine emotion that Kral and Donial were expressing, or maybe the whole thing simply felt too real to him. Maybe he even thought the attention he had been paying to Alanya had gone unnoticed, until now.
    If that was the case, he was sadly deluded. Kral had not spoken with Alanya about it, but he and Donial were both aware of Mikelo’s feelings for her and had talked about it between themselves. He could not have been more obvious if he had tied himself to her with a scarlet sash.
    â€œAlanya will never love you,” Kral put in. “So you might as well give up.”
    Alanya had stopped dead, dumfounded. But as she watched the others, a sly smile crept across her lovely face. “Mikelo,” she said in a low whisper. “This is the fight you need. But you need to respond as well.”
    Mikelo’s visage noticeably brightened. Kral could see that he finally understood. “Well and good!” he shouted back. “If she truly feels that way, then I want nothing to do with her!” He balled his hands into fists and stomped on the ground in a fashion that Kral found overly dramatic. He hoped onlookers—for some of the mercenaries were watching now—did not realize he was performing for their benefit.
    After a few moments of glaring at the others, Mikelo stormed away. Kral, Alanya, and Donial watched him go, then turned back to one another, shrugging and pretending to make small talk. They could hear Mikelo ranting to the mercenaries when he reached them, but not what he said.
    What he said mattered little. The important thing was that the plan had been hatched and put into place in a very few minutes. Which was good, as they were advancing toward Kuthmet, and there were precious few minutes to spare.
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    THE MERCENARY CREW stopped that night on a low crest of rock that looked out toward the lights of Kuthmet. The nature of the desert they traversed over the course of the day had changed. The ground had become deep sand that