TYLER FLEW LIKE A SUDDEN gust of wind sweeping through the trees. He sought out the vital plants he knew grew in the area, hoping to find some in bloom. This early in the season, it was not likely, but he hoped.
Having found nothing that would do, not even skullcap, he turned to the village. On the way, he skimmed the top of the river's water like a miniature sprite. It was not hard for him to change size or shape, but it was something he'd been careful about doing since the Mountain had been sealed. Along with using his many other abilities. Now, with everything at stake, he felt it was more than warranted.
In no time at all, he was back at the village and inside Anwen's rented room. If the Fallen had caught her scent out in the wilderness, it was only a matter of time before they did so in the village as well. With that possibility hanging in the air, he couldn't risk leaving anything important there. And he would definitely make sure she understood that she couldn't go back either. At least not until things had been sorted out.
Searching through her things, he made sure to pack a change of clothes. While looking through the closet, he found a jewelry box. But no matter how hard he looked; he couldn't find the journal she'd had on the train. Maybe she had it with her. She'd certainly kept close tabs on it on the train. He opted to leave the box behind.
Deciding he hadn't forgotten anything, Tyler moved on to his next destination, a tree out on the Sacred Island. Transforming into a bird, he flitted into a small hollow just below one of the main branches.
He brought out two chains in his beak. A ring dangled from one chain, the dragon pendant from the other. Returning to his human form, Tyler placed both chains around his neck. He then moved towards the Inner Circle, sure the herbs he was looking for would be found there, in full bloom.
The light was fading fast now, the sun riding low in the sky as it bid the highlands goodnight. Shadows plunged portions of the Drakonii Mountains into almost complete darkness. It made Courtney glad she'd learned the basics of her craft.
The yellow orb of light still shone from the cavern's ceiling, giving off a warmth the night tried to steal from inside. Outside, she could hear the stirrings of nightlife, owls and the like. Though such sounds were familiar, they seemed to hold a more menacing quality than usual.
The wind had picked up, making strange whistling sounds across open holes above them. Courtney thought about going out for some wood but discarded the idea. Tyler would kill her if she left Anwen alone. Moving back to the sleeping girl's side, she pulled her knees up to her chest. She tried to remember what exactly had happened before she'd heard Anwen fall.
Courtney hadn't been doing anything specific at the time. It had been quite some time since she'd last visited the Mill. It felt nice to just stand inside its cool structure, feeling the slight breeze flit through the open windows and doorways.
From the far side, Courtney could hear the rush of the river water as it raced across the wooden track. That water would eventually cascade over the waterwheel. She thought she felt a slight chill but dismissed it. Some of the spray from the millrace had left the floor a bit damp and she attributed the sensation to that.
Overhead, the creaking floorboards told her that Anwen had moved to one of the many windows on the second floor. All afforded amazing views, though she wondered if the sight might affect her obvious fear of heights.
It was in that precise moment that Courtney felt a violent gust of wind enter the building. Moments later, a loud thud sounded from above, sending her running for the stairs. Cautiously, she stepped towards her fallen friend.
At first, she'd thought Anwen was suffering a side effect from her previous injury. Moving closer, she wasn't so sure. Her skin looked ashen. But when she'd moved to touch her, Tyler came out of nowhere, all but throwing her to one side.
Confronted with Tyler's barrage of accusations, she'd become even more confused. Completely disarrayed, she'd been unable to recall those small details until now.
Courtney had started to drift when she woke with a start. Something was making the most unusual sounds outside the cave, reminding her of an animal sniffing out its prey. Her heart switched to high gear, thumping loudly inside her chest. It was hard to breathe. She looked for anything she could use as a weapon but couldn't seem to think straight.
“Tyler?”
Grabbing for the nearest item, a tent pole, she shuffled to mask as much of Anwen's body as possible with a spare sleeping bag. Her fingers were slippery as she grasped the thin piece of fiberglass. Despite that, she held it ready to either thrust forward in a stabbing motion, or bring it up and over whatever was outside.
Her teeth chattered as she tried to remember the most basic of protective spells, anything she could fire off. Then she remembered the light orb. Trying to keep an eye on the opening, she stood on shaky legs and reached for the glowing ball of energy, clasping it in her free hand. If she threw it and infused it with the right kind of energy, it would erupt like a fireball.
The snuffling noise came closer, rocks and dirt skittering over the entrance. A low growl filled the air, causing goose flesh to creep up Courtney's body. The growling became louder. She swore she could feel it through the ground. She raised her makeshift weapons higher, ready to hurl the orb at a moment's notice.
A loud snarl filled the cavern, echoing like a freight train. Shrieking, Courtney threw the ball of energy, willing it to ignite as it arced through the air.
Bright light erupted all around, blinding her. Another loud snarl filled the air, accompanied by her screaming. She held the tent pole like a spear, hoping to pierce whatever might leap her way. There was a sudden loud thud, followed by an animalistic cry of pain that was just as quickly extinguished, along with the light.
Courtney couldn't see anything in front of her, except for sunspots from the sudden explosion. The whole cavern had gone dark moments after she'd launched her attack. But she heard shuffling and knew that whatever was making that sound was coming towards her.
She lunged out with the pole, only to have it deflected. A hand wrapped around her wrist, its owner using her own momentum to bring her to ground. She let out another shriek but was silenced by a second hand covering her mouth.
“Sh!” Tyler hissed. “It's just me.” After a moment, he removed his hand from her mouth, using his other hand to help her stand.
Sobbing hysterically, Courtney threw herself into his arms. “I thought I was going to die!”
Tyler wrapped his arms around her, smoothing her tangled hair as he peered into the dark night. A dark shape lay lifeless on the ground several yards from the entrance. A smear of blood ran across the lower part of his face, brushing his lips and cheek.
“It's alright,” he crooned, feeling her trembling in his arms. He thanked every star in the heavens for his draconic sight and quick reflexes. Without it, Courtney's improvised weapon might have impaled him.
It took several minutes for Courtney's sobbing to subside, Tyler holding her the entire time. After she'd finally calmed down enough, he let her go, pulling out one of the two packs he'd been carrying when he'd entered.
“Here.” He offered her one of the sandwiches originally intended for their lunch. “This might help keep you from an adrenaline crash.”
Taking the offered food, Courtney bit into the bread, feeling a sense of horror and revulsion wash over her at what had happened. “I was so scared,” she stammered between bites. “I thought we were both going to die.”
"It's okay," Tyler said as he glanced over at Anwen, who seemed unchanged from earlier. “Stay here,” he ordered, moving back to the cavern's entrance. “I have to move the carcass before any more come this way. That was smart thinking on your part, using the flaming orb. It gave me the moment I needed.” With that, he ducked out of the cave.
Courtney stared towards the opening. She saw Tyler's darkened form move forward, barely visible from the filtered moonlight outside. He then stooped to drag something out of sight. A couple minutes later, he was
back, wiping his hands off on his pants.
“Was it one of them?" she asked. "One of the Fallen?” Her eyes were wide as she asked, afraid she already knew the answer.
Tyler nodded as he stooped to retrieve the backpacks, pulling his towards Anwen. He left Anwen's carryall for Courtney to pilfer through if she chose.
“I'm guessing it caught a faint scent and went after it, knowing one of its own had recently been killed. We'll have to be more careful from here on out. They don't take too kindly to having their kin killed.” He conjured up a light orb, similar to the one she'd made earlier, only his was white instead of yellow.
Courtney shuddered, trying to not envision what might have had happened if Tyler hadn't come at that exact moment. “You saved my life,” she said, looking at Tyler with new eyes.
Unzipping the bag in hand, he pulled out several plants he'd gathered while away. One of the plants had burred flowers, which he carefully removed from the mesh fabric. “You risked your life to protect Anwen's,” he responded as he set the plants to one side. He then pulled out a mortar and pestle, along with a thin knife.
“I don't suppose you feel up to gathering some wood, do you?”
Courtney shook her head, still nibbling on the sandwich. Nothing could persuade her to go out there until the sun had certified the daylight.
Tyler shrugged. “Didn't think so, but had to ask. Be back in a jiffy.” He moved from his position, heading back out for the desired wood. Only a few minutes later, he came back with his arms full of dead branches, which he unloaded on the far side of the cavern. “Mind starting a small fire? We're going to need it.”
Not bothering to see if Courtney would do as he'd asked, he began pulling the burred flowers from the thick stalks, setting them aside for later. Then, after rubbing as much dirt off of the carrot-like roots as he could, he began to slice them like he was about to skillet fry them. The pale roots looked almost like potatoes, except they had an unusual purple color to them.
Courtney set her sandwich down and moved to the fire pit, breaking off the smallest branches to start the fire. Rubbing her hands together, she blew on them, sending the friction heat towards the dry twigs. This caused them to glow with a red light before bursting into flames.
Watching Tyler's preparations, she broke off larger bits of wood to feed the fire. “What is that plant and what are you going to do with it?”
Tyler reached for one of the cooking pots Courtney had stashed from earlier ventures, and swept the cut roots into it. “This is a cousin to the burdock root. It's called sashamae. We need to boil the root for at least twenty minutes and hope we can get Anwen to drink the resulting brew. It will help displace the toxins so I can hopefully bring her out of this.”
Courtney reached for the pot and poured a bottle of water into it before setting it near the edge of the fire. She used a small grate, designed for that exact purpose, to keep from disturbing the crackling wood.
“And those?” She pointed towards the burrs he'd set aside. "What are you going to do with them?"
Tyler dumped the bristly flowers into the mortar. “The bristle-like fruits produce a rather unusual oil when compressed,” he explained. He took the pestle to the hardened pods as he spoke. “It has healing properties that are amplified when mixed with wild baby's breath.” He indicated some white flowers mixed in with the remaining stalks.
“But isn't wild baby's breath poisonous?” Courtney asked. She knew it was often used in potpourri because of its sweet, yet pungent scent. But most of the mages she worked with swore it was a deadly toxin.
“Not if you know how to use it,” he answered, crushing several of the small white flowers into the mix. He took great pains to make sure he kept the balance precise. The sweet smell of the woodruff filled the cavern as he worked, counterbalancing the milder scent of the sashamae.
Courtney felt her spirit lighten as the fragrance filled the air. Her chest, still tight from the adrenaline rush, loosened. Her muscles relaxed. “It does have a nice smell to it,” she admitted. She checked the water, using a stick to stir the pot's contents. It had not yet started to boil.
A sticky substance dripped from the end of the pestle as Tyler inspected the crushed plants. “Looks about right,” he observed as he tipped the mess into the handkerchief he'd used earlier to dab Anwen's face.
Making sure to leave nothing behind in the small bowl, he proceeded to strain the mixture back into the mortar. His ministrations left the sharp burrs in the cloth. He let out a slight exclamation as one burr stuck his finger, which he pulled it out so he could suck on the injured appendage.
“Good thing that's not dragonsbane,” Courtney teased. She checked the pot again and noted it had started to boil.
Tyler raised a brow at the jab but didn't comment. Instead, he stuck his fingers into the resulting goo of plant secretions and moved to Anwen's side. Brushing her hair out of the way, he exposed her neck. He then rubbed the mixture along the back and sides of her throat, especially at the base of her skull.
“It'll be a pain to wash out of her hair, but should help,” he explained. Finished applying the paste, he forced her mouth open and swabbed under her tongue with the remaining oils.
Courtney made a face. “That can't taste good,” she observed, trying not to gag at the idea. She was glad she wasn't in Anwen's shoes.
Shrugging, Tyler wiped his hands on his shirt. “It's not too bad, but not something I'd want to get used to,” he admitted. “I got a small taste when I pricked my finger. The main purpose is to help purify her blood of the toxins, which means she should sweat. A lot.”
The flames in the fire started to wither so Courtney poked at the fire, deciding to add more fuel. The pot was boiling and she wanted it to stay that way for a while. “Guess that makes the tea helpful in other ways, doesn't it?”
“For more reasons than one,” Tyler replied, moving the remaining parts of the plants out of the way. “But, if we can get the toxins under control, we can root out the spell. And, with luck, it will all just be like a bad dream.”
Twenty minutes later, Tyler considered the resulting brew of herbs done and had Courtney cut it with more water. He'd gone off for a brief stint to find more water while she'd strained out the roots.
Courtney was more than willing to surrender the odd smelling tea. She switched positions so she could dab at Anwen's forehead and arms, giving Tyler ample room. Just as Tyler had said, the auburn-haired girl was sweating profusely. She also occasionally moaned meaningless words.
Tyler found a spoon among the camping gear and moved back to Anwen's side. After pouring some of the liquid into an enamel cup he'd located, he tried to spoon feed the substance into her mouth. About half dribbled out, but at least some managed to trickle down her throat, much to Tyler's relief. He took a moment to dab at his own forehead. The cave was getting rather warm, despite the chill night air.
The fire glowed with the red of coals and ashes, growing lower as time passed. Outside, a wolf howled and an owl hooted. The wind continued to blow, whistling over the stones above them.
Courtney had fallen asleep, leaning against the wall in a nest of blankets on the far side of the cavern, leaving Tyler to keep watch. His eyes almost glowed in the darkening light, watching Anwen from his position near the fire.
In the past few hours, they'd both managed to get her to drink about a cup's worth of the herbal tea. It was better than he'd hoped, but not as good as he'd have liked. Despite this, he felt encouraged by her improving pallor. He noted the sweating had decreased as the natural remedy ran its course.
After hearing Courtney's account of events, Tyler had been able to locate a small thorn embedded in her neck, near her hairline. It was about the size of a small splinter and easily missed.
In fact, the entry wound looked more like a bug bite than anything else. He believed the thorn had been launched from either a blowpipe or by some magical means, though he suspected the latter.
The burr's p
resence told him it was not one of the Fallen who had poisoned her. He found that reassuring, as he didn't recognize the spell used. But, with the natural remedies doing their work, he believed displacing the enchantment would be an easy task.
Tyler prodded the fire, sending up a few embers into the air. He glanced over at Courtney, still asleep in her little nest of blankets. He hoped she'd stay that way as he cast a calming lullaby in her direction.
What he was about to do was not something he cared to show a novice mage, or any mage for that matter. It was dragon magic by the strictest of definitions.
Sitting in as relaxed a position as possible, he let his arms rest at his sides. He breathed in deeply for several minutes, clearing his mind of anything outside of the task at hand. Sure he was one in thought; he conjured seven white orbs of light and sent them to rest just above Anwen's body.
One orb hovered over each hand and foot, another two over her forehead and neck, with the final sphere resting just above her heart. With a gentle command in his native tongue, the spheres expanded out like spears, thrusting into the ground.
As their points pierced Anwen's flesh, arms of energy shot out to connect each point, creating a barrier around Anwen's physical body. The center spheres thrust down into her body, then connected with the outer ones.
With another spoken word, the beams of light intensified. It seemed as though they pulled a mirror image of Anwen upwards, suspended several feet above her body. The only difference was that this image was completely made of coalescing light of several swirling prisms.
Except for one spot that was devoid of color or light right at the base of her neck. It was at that point that a mass of dark energy crackled like enclosed lightning.
Knowing this part would be the trickiest; Tyler took a moment to evaluate the mass. Like a cancer, it slowly grew, sending out exploratory tendrils of dark matter.
With mental fingers, he tried to unwind the tangled mess but met with resistance. The more he pressed, the more roots it shot out, sending them spiraling down Anwen's neural pathways.
Letting out a grunt of frustration, he tried to think of some other way to dislodge the poison. Then it hit him. It was a crude method, perhaps, but effective. It had been some time since he'd last conjured fire. Over a hundred years, in fact. But he felt confident.
Closing his eyes as he drew in breath, Tyler filled his lungs to capacity. Inside, his heart thudded a double beat as the air superheated. When he opened his eyes, they glowed golden like molten metal. Taking in one more ounce of air, he blew a bout of white flame directly into Anwen's simulacrum.
The spray of heat lit the cavern brighter than noonday. It turned the wall behind to a superheated red, melting the stone like pottery in a hot kiln. After a solid thirty seconds, the final bits of flame leaped from his lips with an orange gleam, fading like spent fireworks.
Tyler slumped over, shaking his head to clear his vision. The process had taken more out of him than he'd planned.
When he looked up, the seven spears of energy still held Anwen's lightened image above her body, but the dark spots were gone. He let out a sigh of relief as he sent the soul energy back into her body.
The shafts of light returned to their orb form as her body returned to its normal state. With a last wave of his hand, he dismissed the orbs and moved to her side.
Typically speaking, it was not the wisest thing to subject a human to dragon fire. But it seemed to have fulfilled its intended purpose.
“Fire and water,” he recited, recalling a line from the Dragon Scrolls, “earth and air, the last of the Keepers all shall bear.”
Anwen moved in her sleep, rolling to one side as she pulled the sleeping bag around her. Tyler smiled. She would wake with a wicked headache, and possible tales of strange dreams, but he believed she would be all right.
Casting an extra protective charm, Tyler settled against the wall to catch a few hours of sleep before dawn arrived.
fourteen