Becoming a Dragon Read Online Free

they ran. He encouraged them to concentrate on pacing lightly, so even their footsteps were hard to hear.
    It was their fifth and final day of travelling by foot - something he hated - but he had no one but himself to blame for this. The operation, and the approach taken by this operation and all the previous operations this year, were being run according to a proposal he himself had put forward. Two years ago, General Zygar had selected him as part of an elite group tasked with thinking of innovative ways to attack their enemies, the Red and Brown Dragons. This had been his suggestion, which was instrumental in his fast progression up the ranks. But the jogging didn't bother Perak. He was tall and athletically built, and could maintain this pace all day. If his men found the pace challenging, they knew better than to show it. Perak had made it very clear what he thought of those who showed any weakness.
    Their target was a small village with twenty or thirty inhabitants, probably all associated with the lumber trade. Perak had selected the village himself, having carefully made this journey alone just three weeks ago, and had spent two days carefully observing the village. No other squadron commander invested as much effort in researching their missions as he did, which explained both why so few enjoyed as much success as he did, and why he had such a promising career ahead of him.
    The path opened into a sunny clearing, and too late to stop, Perak found himself face to face with three men that were sat down on a log, finishing their lunch. They looked as surprised to see the seven joggers as Perak was to see the three men.
    "Why, hello," the nearer of the three men said. "What are you all doing out here?"
    For a second, Perak froze, staring at the man in shock. The one who had addressed him looked quite old, probably fifty or sixty years old at least. The other two men were much younger, and judging by their facial features, could have been his children. All three had bright red hair.
    "Um, well, what are you doing out here?" one of the two younger men asked, repeating the older man's question.
    Perak shook himself, remembering that his men wouldn't say anything unless instructed to by him. He prayed that he could pull off the accent.
    "Sorry," he said, "just trying to catch my breath." He smiled. "We're just passing through. We've been camping, in the valleys to the south."
    The men exchanged glances. "Can't say we get many people camping around here," the third man in the group observed.
    "You'd think there would be more," the older man countered proudly. "Most beautiful place in the kingdom," he claimed. "Our little secret," he added with a smile.
    "It is beautiful," Perak agreed. "The last valley, with the small lake, that was truly something."
    "Ah, that's my favourite," the older man exclaimed. "If you'd visited earlier in the year, you would have been amazed by the flowers that grow there."
    The second man who had spoken frowned. "But why are you walking? It must have taken two days to get here on foot."
    "Not so long," Perak replied. "It's good for you to travel by foot sometimes. You'll live longer."
    "Say, if you don't mind me observing, you have an unusual accent. Where did you say you came from?"
    Perak hesitated; he was hoping to avoid this subject. "I didn't, and that would be a hard question to answer, as I have moved around a lot."
    "Your friends don't talk much," the third man observed. "Are you their spokesman?"
    "Now, now," the older man objected, "don't pry." He turned to Perak. "Well, we're about finished here, so we should get back to work..." his voice trailed off, and he was staring hard at one of Perak's men. Perak turned to see what he was looking at, and he froze when he saw that the same idiot he had warned before had given them away. A lock of blue hair had fallen from his hat, and was dangling against his cheek. How had he not felt it there and concealed it? Perak turned back to the old man,