Free the North! (Free Trader Series Book 5) Read Online Free

Tup Dal, Akhmiyar, and two other Amazonians watched Braden wrap things up, slapping the great King on his massive shoulder to let him know the work was done. G-War assumed his position on Brandt’s head as Pik and Braden shook hands.
    ‘I heard, and it is a great day indeed. We’ve been trying to track those creatures back to their roost but have had no luck. Had we gotten here sooner, we may have chased the Bat-Ravens away, delaying this final battle. It was fortuitous, fate has guided us to a successful conclusion once again,’ Pik said mystically.
    “Pik, if I didn’t know better, I’d say that you are spending too much time contemplating your wet navel,” Braden replied. Pik’s expression was unreadable, but Braden thought he saw a slight cock of his head. Maybe he was rubbing off on the Lizard Man.
    Micah lifted the clan from the wagon so everyone could stand in the rain. Despite not being able to read the expressions on their faces, Pik’s and Dal’s joy at seeing the twins was obvious as they picked them up and held them while the group talked. Two small ‘cats rubbed against the Lizard Men’s legs and two Rabbits, heads thigh high, leaned against the humans.
    The group talked about things past and present. They talked about everything and nothing as friends do after a long absence. The companions made camp, sleeping in a pile under the cart in the middle of the road where the ground was least wet, while the Lizard Men stood watch over them. When they awoke, more refreshed than usual when sleeping in the rain, Pik and Dal had a small fire going under the large branch of a nearby tree where they cooked a large lizard that they’d killed nearby.
    Braden looked at Micah. She shrugged and shook her head. They had both spent a full moon in the rainforest and didn’t know such lizards existed.
    No one seemed to care that it was a lizard as everyone happily dug into the strips of cooked meat. G-War avoided it entirely, and his furry children followed their father’s lead in turning up their noses. The Rabbits shied away too, never eating meat. The Hawkoids were happy to try the lizard and enjoyed it, then scoffed at G-War’s refusal.
    Even Aadi tried some. Despite the rain and the damp of the rainforest, good friends always bring sunshine.
    Pik, Dal, and Akhmiyar were traveling back and forth between all the villages along the rainforest road to help them integrate the Overlords’ warriors back under Zalastar’s leadership. It required their constant attention to prevent violence by one Amazonian against another.
    Another thing they were doing was taking a census, getting an idea of how many Amazonians there were. From Pik’s initial counts, he suggested that there could be five thousand Lizard Men scattered throughout the Amazon, most of whom avoided contact with others.
    Maybe someday they’d let themselves be seen and join the community of their brothers. Pik was singularly focused on one nation of Lizard Men, working as he’d never done before, to unite his people, as Braden had done with the humans and all intelligent creatures. Pik exuded hope in his mission to improve all their lives.
     

 
    Reunion at New Sanctuary
     
    The rain accompanied the caravan the rest of the way through the rainforest, and that was the extent of the excitement. It took five turns to complete their drive, before they saw the sunshine again. Max and Speckles couldn’t pull as fast as an Aurochs, unfortunately.
    They were surprised that no other Amazonians made an appearance. Akhmiyar suggested that some would like to greet Aadi and his companions, practice trading, and get used to interacting with the other intelligent creatures of Vii.
    Pik had told them it was their destiny to be equals with the humans. To help themselves, they needed to show they weren’t afraid. Braden told him that they were already equals, which Pik agreed with, but said they the Amazonians were holding themselves back. They all laughed when Pik