Dragons hunt, p.1
Dragon's Hunt, page 1
part #1 of Assassins of the Underworld Series
Dragon's Hunt
Assassins of the Underworld - Book One
Elise Night
Contents
Series Reading Order
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Prologue
2. Chapter One
3. Chapter Two
4. Chapter Three
5. Chapter Four
6. Chapter Five
7. Chapter Six
8. Chapter Seven
9. Chapter Eight
10. Chapter Nine
11. Chapter Ten
12. Chapter Eleven
13. Chapter Twelve
14. Chapter Thirteen
15. Chapter Fourteen
16. Chapter Fifteen
17. Chapter Sixteen
18. Chapter Seventeen
19. Chapter Eighteen
20. Chapter Nineteen
21. Chapter Twenty
22. Chapter Twenty-One
23. Chapter Twenty-Two
24. Chapter Twenty-Three
25. Chapter Twenty-Four
26. Epilogue
More!
Excerpt from UNCOMMON (Chronicles of the Common, Book One)
Thank you for reading!
Glossary
ASSASSINS OF THE UNDERWORLD
By Elise Night
DRAGON’S HUNT
CHRONICLES OF THE COMMON
By Elise Night
(Listed in Reading Order)
UNCOMMON
UNTAMED
UNMOORED
UNCHARTED
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Dragon’s Hunt: Assassin’s of the Underworld
Copyright © 2020 by Elise Night
Excerpt from Uncommon: Chronicles of the Common
Copyright © 2019 by Elise Night
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations used in reviews.
ISBN: 979-8-628-39493-9
First Edition
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to C. Farrar (editor), Acasia Artemis (cover model, www.instagram.com/amelie.model/) and Clifford M. Conklin (cover photographer, cliff@conklinhome.com)
Introduction
Welcome Readers,
The Assassins of the Underworld is the second series in the “Common” worlds saga, following the introduction of the universe in the series Chronicles of the Common.
Indira, our stoic assassin, and Zeus, the jack-of-all-trades shifter from Earth, were briefly featured in UNCHARTED (Chronicles of the Common, Book Four). However, this reluctant couple began their adventure long before either series was ever put to paper.
So, don’t worry. DRAGON’S HUNT dives into their background and is an independent adventure that can be read without reading any of the previous Common stories.
The Assassin’s of the Underworld series will continue unravelling the mystery of the Synergis Corporation and explore the realm of the Underworld, and the assassins who call it home.
I hope you enjoy this new series as much as I loved writing it.
Best Wishes,
Elise Night
Prologue
Heat rose from the glittering sand in hazy waves, rising to meet the afternoon sun baking the arid desert. If the nearest settlement had been farther than an hour away, it would have been the perfect place to dump a body, but this would have to do.
Indira raised a hand to block the planet’s bright daylight and adjusted the tint of her goggles. She glanced over a shoulder to the open hatch of her ship, and impatiently sighed.
They had already been on Vedino for far too long. Visitors of the Varuna system were forbidden from landing on the desert planet, but dropping her cargo among the tourists who flock to the planet of Vrasa would have drawn too much attention. The only other alternative was to haul her load five days through the Common to the nearest system of Rhakampyre, and that option was out of the question.
What’s taking so long? she asked, sending the message to the crew through her communications chip implant.
“We are here,” Roo said, stepping out of the hatch with their cargo cradled in her arms. “We had to collect additional supplies.”
The android crossed the dozen yards to where Indira waited, careful not to jostle her load. Her bright green and white polka-dotted skirt swayed around her knees and dust billowed over her white heels. It would take Roo an hour to have the shoes cleaned to her satisfaction, but the droid wouldn’t dare leave the ship in anything less than proper attire; unfortunately, “proper” for Roo was guided more by fashion than what the occasion required.
Roo’s short sandy-brown bob swayed forward, blocking her delicate face as she inspected the ground. Turning back to the ship, she shouted to her companion, “Bring a blanket.”
Indira groaned. If they didn’t hurry, the authorities would arrive before they ever managed to drop their load.
Vik bounded out of the hatch and down the ramp, loaded with far more supplies than necessary. They blocked his helmet-covered head and nearly toppled out of his arms, making him completely oblivious to his faulty course lumbering through the sand.
Forty degrees to port, Vik, Indira said, shaking her head.
He adjusted his course and then dropped his load at Indira’s feet. “I believe I brought everything,” he said, unfurling a blanket and spreading it over the hot desert sand. Vik stepped back and clapped the dirt off his gloved hands. Meeting Indira’s gaze, he paused. “What? Did I forget something?”
Indira bit her lip and stared at Vik, not at all certain where to begin. What have you done to your combat suit?
“I’ve protected it against the harsh climate,” he said, tugging up the layers of white sheets he had wrapped and taped around his waist, legs, and boots. Another set of sheets had been carefully wrapped around his chest armor and arms, then up and over his helmet, leaving only a tiny exposed strip for his overly large blue eyes. “We don’t earn enough to buy a new one, and if I leave it for Roo to clean, my suit will come back scented of teyroo flowers.”
“It is better than smelling like grease and synthetic moisturizer,” Roo said, gently placing the body she carried on the blanket.
“Proper skin care is an essential daily ritual for species and androids alike,” Vik replied. “A little moisturizer would go a long way to improve your synthetic glow.”
“Thank you, but I do not care to smell like one of your lab experiments,” Roo said, rearranging the man to lie comfortably on his side and lovingly tucking a curl of blond hair off his forehead. She folded a green and black knit bundle, smoothed out the wrinkles, and then tucked it under his head.
What is that? Indira asked.
“She knit him a sweater,” Vik said, picking up a solar shade and propping it in the sand to cover the unconscious man.
It’s only been three days since we escaped the pirate ship. When did you have time to knit him a sweater? Indira asked.
“I am quite capable of multitasking a great number of tasks,” Roo said, arranging the water, protein rations, and portable fan beneath the shade.
But…why would you knit him a sweater?
“Because it is him. In all of your tales, he is the only person who has ever rattled you. That is an accomplishment,” Roo said, to which Vik nodded enthusiastically.
And you thought that he deserved a reward for being a thorn in my side?
“Of course not,” Roo said, smiling sweetly at the unconscious man. “I like him.”
You don’t even know him. Indira shook her head and eyed the blond man skeptically. You grow attached far too easily.
“Not everyone believes attachment to be a flaw in their programming, Indira,” Roo softly said. “He has nothing, so I thought he might like a sweater.”
On a desert planet? Indira snatched the portable sat communicator and data pad from the pile of supplies Vik was stacking next to the unconscious man.
“He will not always be on a desert planet.” Roo tilted her head to gaze at him. “Caring for you and the ship requires less processing than my programming potential. I do not understand why we cannot keep him. He seems like such a nice young man.”
He’s a pirate, Roo. We don’t keep pirates. Indira gathered the rest of the unused supplies and headed back to the ship.
“He wasn’t a pirate the last time you saw him,” Vik pointed out, following behind her dutifully.
You’re quite right. The last time I saw him, he was a thief, Indira said. The time before that he was a slave trader. And before that he was a louse high on liquid intoxicants, with half a dozen women pawing all over him. Do you still attest that he’s ‘a nice young man?’
“Nice might not be an accurate word,” Roo conceded. “But he’s handsome, and you are not getting any younger. It is a shame to leave good breeding stock behind.”
Indira stepped through the hatch and dropped the supplies to the deck. Roo, we are not having this discussion again. I’m an assassin. Children are not in my future. Delete the nanny software from your programming, that’s an order.
“Yes, Indira,” Roo said, stepping through the hatch and disappearing into the ship without another word.
Indira clenched her teeth, but she refrained from chasing after Roo to apologize.
Both of her androids had freewill to u
Vik stepped through the hatch and sealed it closed behind him. “I could create a synthetic child for her, if you think it would help.”
No. Before the both of you decided to come aboard, I warned that there would be no additional crew and, unless we find need of them, no additional androids, Indira said. My policy hasn’t changed.
“I understand,” Vik said. He picked up the discarded supplies, and followed Indira through the hatchway and into the central junction of the ship. “I am very fulfilled with my lab and my duties on the ship. You keep me quite occupied. But Roo needs more. She might be better suited to caring for a family.”
Rubbing her aching temples, Indira stopped and reconfigured her communications chip to reply only to Vik. I am sure that Roo would be an amazing caretaker for any family who chose her for service. But you know her history makes that unlikely. Most families don’t want a reprogrammed SexBot caring for their children, no matter how different she is now. If she wishes to leave, then I won’t stop her, but I won’t encourage her either.
“I understand. My own opportunities outside of the scientific community are abysmally limited. Androids are easy to come by, and easily replaced. Please forgive my boldness,” Vik replied.
It’s fine, Indira said, patting his large sheet covered combat suit. Please put the supplies away and prep for launch.
“Yes, Indira.” Vik set off through the hatchway to the port wing of the ship, waddling like a giant robotic laundry hamper.
Taking the steps two at a time, Indira climbed the stairs to the head of the ship and made her way to the bridge. She settled into the pilot’s seat and began flight preparations, but her eye was drawn through the viewing window to the pirate they had abandoned in the desert.
The sedative in his system would keep him unconscious for another two hours, but she worried that might be too long. He looked so small and vulnerable, lying beneath his solar shade in the middle of the barren desert. Any number of creatures could get to him before that time. Though she found the pirate to be an arrogant and disreputable character, she also didn’t want to be the one responsible for his death. Indira had killed a great many people in her time, but she had ended only a handful of lives without a contract. Besides, if she ruined perfectly good “breeding stock,” she would never hear the end of it from Roo.
She gave the pirate named Z one last glance, then sent a quick message to the local authorities, alerting them that he required assistance and rescue. With her conscience clear, Indira initiated the thrusters, broke the planet’s atmosphere, and set her course for home. She had spent far too long in the Common and the Overworld, and she was itching for life to return to normal.
Indira was an Asuhra Assassin, and one of the most renowned killers in the explored galaxy. Her home was among the forgotten and unseen, deep within the shadows of the Underworld; exactly where she belonged.
Chapter One
Did you check the blast cannons? Indira asked, slipping her favorite blaster into the holster on her hip. Brushing her fingers along the line of spare blasters, she paused at the third weapon and straightened the grip, aligning it with the rest.
“Yes. We cleared the cannons, calibrated the response timing, and recharged the power levels. We are at full capacity,” Vik advised.
Vik’s heavy footsteps vibrated the deck as he followed her to the last wall of weapons in her personal armory. He stood to the side, careful not to let his large combat suit clad body block her view, and waited while she debated which of her swords to take with her. She perused the selection of swords and knives, mounted in orderly lines along the wall, from largest and heaviest to the most delicate and concealable. Indira selected the twin banshee blades; they were slim, lightweight, and custom made for her grip. She always took the banshee blades to Asuhra Peak; they were the weapons she trusted most in close quarters.
Don’t forget to shut down the cleaning drones, Indira said. And make sure Roo doesn’t use any of her sewing or printing machines, their vibrations are too easy to detect.
“We know the routine, Indira,” Vik said, following her out of the armory and down the stairs to the lower level in the starboard wing. “It’s the same routine every time we come to Asuhra: replenish our power supplies, do a full diagnostic and inspection of the engines, check the weapons, secure the cargo hold, seal all entries, recalibrate the sensors array, shut down the drones—“
Okay. You’ve proven that you’re familiar with the process, Indira said.
“After eighty-seven times, even the most rudimentary android should have learned the process by now,” Vik said, squeezing his large frame through the small hatch to the converted private shuttle bay.
Indira tossed her coat and swords into the secondary seat of the small short-range dart and paused, running through her mental check list.
As soon as the dart is clear shut down comms and run dark, she said. Do not initiate atmosphere and temperatures until I’m on my way back, and contact me at the very first sign of trouble. You’re cleared to take whatever measures necessary to preserve your lives and the ship, but do try not to kill me in the process.
“Yes, Indira.” Vik’s bulky helmet covered head nodded.
If you’re boarded, hide in the smuggler’s compartment and shut down, she added.
“I truly hope that isn’t necessary,” Vik said, shuffling nervously in his bulky armor. “We were just in there for five days while you had your mission on the pirate ship. I’ve finally put my lab back in order after those brutes destroyed my latest batch of experiments. I will not tolerate another invasion of ignorant, inbred, inebriated—“
I’m sure everything will be fine, Vik, but don’t sacrifice yourself for your experiments. Settling into the pilot’s seat, Indira buckled herself in and closed the viewing canopy. Roo is in charge. Do not start shooting at stray debris just because it looks suspiciously dirty.
Once that happened. Just once, Vik replied through the communications link. And that asteroid could have been carrying a plague or interstellar germ that would completely destroy all of my specimens. If it’s not pirates, it’s space debris. I need a proper lab, Indira. Space is far too dangerous for my liking.
Which is why I feel the need to repeat that Roo is in charge, Indira ordered dryly.
Understood, Vik groused. May the stars guide you home, Indira.
She sighed and rolled her eyes. Indira couldn’t understand why he insisted upon issuing the standard Common parting message, especially since he always insisted upon having the last word.
May the land welcome you, Vik, she said, waiting with a smile for his inevitable come back complaint.
I certainly hope not, the only thing worse than space debris is dirt! Vik replied. My combat suit hasn’t been right since Vedino.
