by Toni Cox
A gasp escaped Jasmin’s lips. A small tremble vibrated through Midnight.
“He is so warm,” Jasmin said, awe plain in her voice. “And his skin is so smooth.” She rubbed her hands over his leg. “Except where he has these thorns. Ouch, they are sharp.”
Midnight made a rumbling sound, a sound somewhere between a gurgle and a growl.
Jasmin jumped back. “I’m sorry,” she stammered, “did I say something wrong?”
“No, he is laughing. I think he likes you.”
Jasmin gave a hesitant smile, then stepped forward again and touched his leg. She craned her neck, looking up at Midnight’s face. Midnight looked back, fixing his left eye on her.
Maia received some images and thoughts from Midnight and his findings surprised her. She is like you, Bright-Shining-Silver-Star, was the main thought Midnight conveyed to her, but softer.
“Luke, you’ve got to meet him. Come, don’t be such a coward.” Jasmin made a beckoning motion towards her brother and, without hesitation, he stepped out from under the trees and walked towards the dragon. Maia was surprised to see him approach so confidently. Then she thought of herself and Jaik and had to admit, if Jaik were to declare something as safe, she would immediately believe him too.
“Will he mind if I touch him too?” Luke asked.
“No, he will allow it today.” Maia took his hand and guided it towards her dragon.
In her mind, she felt Midnight watch them. She felt him approve of Luke too. Good hatchlings, he thought and she agreed.
Slowly, so as not to startle the Humans, Midnight settled into a crouch and lowered his head. Maia was surprised by his actions. He was not usually fond of people and, as far as she knew, she was the only one who had ever touched him besides Jaik. She sent him a mental thank you.
“Wow, look at his teeth, they are huge,” Luke said in awe.
A few more minutes passed with the siblings singing Midnight’s praises. Although their words meant little to him, he was aware of their thoughts and feelings, and Maia felt him bask in their admiration.
It was more than Maia had expected. She merely wanted to show them the dragons on The Crags. She never imagined in her wildest dreams that Midnight would let them touch him. She was smiling to herself, feeling at ease and happy with the world, when all of a sudden her mood darkened. Animosity pushed all her thoughts of happiness away.
Only when Midnight growled in his fighting voice, did she realise the feelings were not her own. Luke and Jasmin scampered away as Midnight stood, his tail twitching.
Aaron was halfway between the forest and the dragon, now frozen in mid-stride, too afraid to move. Midnight lowered his head and stared at Aaron, his teeth bared, smoked curled out of his nostrils and the fearsome challenge sound distinct to Soul Dragons came ever louder out of Midnight’s throat.
It took Maia only a fraction of a moment to sort through Midnight’s feelings to realise what was happening. Aaron had decided to join them, to touch the dragon and share in the moment. Midnight found the idea distasteful, repulsive, not finding Aaron much to his liking. Midnight knew how he made Maia feel and resented him for it. As was the nature of dragons, he had reacted instinctively. He roared and took up his attack position, ready to defend the partner of his soul. The man was nothing to him, an annoyance he could swat out of Maia’s life in an instant, if that was what she wished.
Maia put a hand to his hide, feeling his hot blood pulse beneath her fingers. She opened her mind and let Midnight know exactly how she felt about this man.
Midnight’s growls intensified.
Let him go, she thought, but it was another minute or so before Midnight raised his head and broke eye contact with Aaron.
“Feynris, take them back to the city,” she ordered the Sentinel.
Feynris nodded, but Maia was already running up Midnight’s legs. He beat his wings and with one powerful thrust he was in the air. Maia watched as Aaron crumpled to his knees and Luke and Jasmin ran to him. Then they were out of sight and she was soaring over the green expanse of the forest towards Shadow Peak.
“Don’t worry about it,” Aaron said again. “No harm done.”
Maia watched him smile at her, but it did nothing to relieve the knot of guilt within her. Once returned with Midnight, she came here, to his house, to apologise. She felt awful for what had happened.
“No, Aaron, it was my fault. I should have known he would react like that. Luke and Jasmin are my hatchlings, my children, and he would never hurt them. But you are a rival male and rival males always fight. I am so sorry I put you in that position.”
Maia looked down at her hands. She spent most of the afternoon with Midnight, calming him. Maybe it had not been a good idea to show him all her feelings for Aaron. He had reacted defensively at first, trying to protect Maia from a simple threat, but then she sensed it change. Midnight saw him as a threat to her virtue and Midnight’s claim over her, and he would kill any male that came near her.
When Maia looked up at Aaron, she was surprised to see he was grinning, seemingly very pleased with himself. What had she said that he thought was funny? The more she came to know him, the stranger he seemed.
She pushed the thought away and was about to ask if she could make it up to him somehow, when she felt a sudden surge of adrenaline rush through her. Immediately, her heart started racing. Something was wrong! As she rose off the bench by the fireplace, a wave of nausea hit her. She doubled over and gagged, holding her sides.
Aaron stood and put his arm around her shoulders. “What’s wrong? Are you all right?”
“No,” she panted, “the hunting party is back, someone is hurt.”
She straightened and gritted her teeth. Leaving Aaron staring in bewilderment, she raced down the short steps that led to Lofty Run and on to Stony Lane. She didn’t know how she knew they would be coming from that direction, but she was sure of it.
She had just stepped off Lofty Run and was about to climb the few steps that connected it to Stony Lane, when the group of warriors broke from the trees. She immediately noticed Jaik and Jagaer walking at the head of the column and she almost stumbled with relief. Her eyes ranged over the men, looking for the injury she knew one of them had. She could feel it was serious, life threatening in fact, and as she came closer, her nausea worsened.
Then she saw it and her legs almost buckled.
Jaik caught her as she reached them. His hands steadied her and led her to the stretcher the men set down. “He saved my life. If it wasn’t for his bravery, I would not be here now.”
Maia briefly looked into Jaik’s face, saw the pain and guilt etched in it, then turned towards the stretcher and knelt beside it.
The hair on Wolf’s body was coated in blood. It stuck to his body, outlining every bone, making him look as if he had lost half of his weight. His breathing was shallow and his heart beat so faint, she almost failed to detect it.
“Wolf,” she whispered, and was dismayed to see that his ears did not twitch in recognition of her voice.
Maia heard Jaik give orders and was vaguely aware of the men forming a circle around her, their backs turned towards her, protecting her and giving her the privacy to deal with her wolf.
She put her hands on his body, gently feeling for his injuries.
“We did what we could for him, Maia,” Jaik said and put a hand on her shoulder.
“It is not too late, Jaik, I can fix this.”
“I will be right here if you need me.” Jaik gave her a look and she knew what he meant. “You don’t have to ask; I will be happy to give it.”
Maia nodded, and continued her probing. She closed her eyes and with her mind examined the multiple injuries he had sustained. She was surprised he was still alive. His right lung was punctured and was slowly filling with blood. Not long and he would drown. Several ribs were broken and one punctured his stomach, another poked into his intestine. His right foreleg was broken, his right ear nearly torn off, and the cut on his shoulder ooz
ed yellow pus. He had a bite wound on his neck that would not stop bleeding and a piece of blade was still embedded in the bone of his pelvis. That would have to be removed before she healed him.
“Get me my medicine bag, quickly.”
Maia did not look up to see who ran to obey her request. She would have to stop the bleeding. First at the lung, so he wouldn’t drown, then at the neck, so he didn’t bleed out. She concentrated and let the energy flow out of her. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead almost immediately. She willed the fluid to leave the lungs, to follow the path the knife had taken as it had plunged into his body. She watched with horror as the liquid dribbled from the hole in his chest. It had an awful smell. Once she was sure there was no excess liquid, she began to mend the tear in the lung and in the tissue surrounding it.
Wolf twitched.
The skin mended, closing the entry wound, but the patch remained bare of fur, the skin pale. Maia concentrated on the bite wound. It was strange, like nothing Maia had seen before. The bite wound almost looked like it had been made by a person, but the four, regular depressions spoke of canines like a wolf or a large cat.
Fangs, she thought and shuddered, and laced with venom, otherwise it would not be bleeding like this. It must have a very powerful anti-coagulant in it to have this effect
Maia investigated the bite, found no trace of infection around the wound and started to close it, while at the same time neutralising the venom. It was a simple enough thing to do. Venom was made out of enzymes and, just as the Healers created anti-venom for snake bites, she now used the venom itself to create the anti-venom. Blood flow slowed and, once the wound was closed, she felt an almost imperceptible strengthening of the blood pressure.
I will have to deal with the internal injuries quickly, otherwise he might yet die, she thought.
She looked up to see if someone had returned with her medicine bag. Jaik was still standing next to her, watching in fascinated horror, holding her bag. Gratefully, she took it from him and rummaged for a little glass bottle containing a muddy brown liquid. Once she had it, she carefully removed the stopper and then lifted Wolf’s lip and poured a few drops onto his gums. She saw his tongue work as the liquid dripped through his teeth into his mouth. It was a good sign.
She counted to ten, giving the medicine time to work and herself time to prepare for the next step.
Now she concentrated on his ribs. Mending bones was simple, but required a lot of energy. After healing the stab wound and the bite, she was breathing heavier. Now, with the effort of healing not only the ribs, but also the broken leg, her breathing became laboured. But she persisted.
She wiped her sweaty brow with her sleeves, before turning her attention to his organs. To seal and heal the organs was no problem, it was easily done, but to rid the body cavity of the contents of the intestine that had spilled out was more difficult. If left unattended, they could poison him. She hated to add to his injuries, but she knew it was absolutely necessary. She withdrew a scalpel from her bag and, suppressing a wave of nausea, made a quick, precise incision along Wolf’s stomach, taking care not to damage any other organs or to sever any vital blood vessels.
Once she reached the point where she knew most of the reeking waste had accumulated, she focussed on extracting it. She was surprised by how much of it came out of the tiny opening she had made for it.
Jaik gagged. Some of the men shifted.
Once all the foul material was out of his body, Maia sealed the incision. Next, she turned to the gash on his shoulder. It was not as deep as she suspected, but whatever had been on the blade that made the cut, had infected the wound. The amount of putrid pus seeping out would have been enough to fill a large cup.
She reached for her bag again and withdrew a cotton cloth. She ripped it in two and used the one half to wipe away the stinking, sticky fluid. She then wrapped the soiled cloth in the clean half and handed it to Jaik.
“Burn it. Do not just throw it away. Do it quickly.”
She was vaguely aware of Jaik repeating the instruction to someone and then resuming his vigil by her side.
Maia dug in her medicine bag once more and removed a little flask with a clear liquid. She uncorked it with her teeth and poured a small amount into the open gash before she healed it. She did the same with the ear. Where it had torn it was now clean and the wound mended, but he would always be missing the bit that had been ripped off.
She checked Wolf’s breathing. It was still shallow, but more even and his heartbeat was stronger. It had taken her years to perfect the right strength of her Datura drops. She now knew exactly how much she could use safely and how long it would last for. She swayed slightly as she stowed the precious vial with the brown liquid back in the bag. She would need the clear one again.
Her hands shook. She was so tired. She shifted her position slightly before she extracted the tools she would need to remove the blade tip from the pelvis. Using the rest of the clear liquid, she disinfected her scalpel, a small clamp, her tweezers and the cut itself. Then she set the clamp to hold the cut open, while she used the scalpel and the tweezers, as well as her fingers, to probe the wound for the piece of metal. Blood flowed over her fingers. Her vision dimmed for a moment and she swayed again. She paused. Her breath was rasping in and out of her chest and the sweat dripped off her face.
Wolf, she thought, I am so tired.
She gritted her teeth and probed the wound again. More blood flowed. She did not have the strength to stop it. Then, she felt Jaik move. He squatted behind her, put his arms around her middle and rested his head on her back.
“I am here,” he said. “Use me.”
Maia closed her eyes for a moment. Then she took a deep, shuddering breath and connected to her brother. The energy that immediately flowed from him was like sweet ecstasy, her mind suddenly clear and her hands steady.
Not wanting to waste even a little of it, she bent to her task. What had but a moment ago seemed impossible, she now managed with ease. She slowed the blood, felt her way into the wound, grabbed the knife point and wiggled it until it came free of the bone. Wolf twitched again, but she knew he would not wake, not with the Datura drops she had given him. She briefly examined the triangular piece of metal, found it to be free of poison and dropped it in disgust. She then concentrated on the bone, mending it, before sealing the wound.
Once more, she checked his breathing and his heart rate. It was slow, which was to be expected, but steady. She checked the rest of his body, looking for any small wounds she might have overlooked, but besides small scratches, which would heal by themselves, he had no other injuries. What he needed now, was sleep.
She released her brother from her contact. She immediately slumped forward, her heart beating out of rhythm and her breathing hard. She heard Jaik moan. Concern made her pull herself together and get up. Jaik was on all fours, breathing hard as well. After a moment, he too, stood and took his sister in his arms.
“How is he? Will he be all right now?”
“Yes, he just needs rest. Can you ask the men to take him to Silas’ cave?”
Maia spent the night with Wolf. Her parents, as well as Aaron and the children, came to see Wolf and kept some of the vigil with her. Silas spent the whole night in the cave as well. He had acquired some meaty bones from the Butchery and cooked them overnight, adding selected herbs such as Thyme, as well as garlic and onions, during the cooking process, all of which would speed his healing process. In the morning, the broth was cooled. A bowl would be ready for when Wolf woke up.
“You should get some sleep.”
Maia knew Silas was right. She had fought to keep her eyes open all night, but had refused to give in. Although his wounds were healed, the abuse his body had suffered had weakened him. He had no water or food for a whole day and a whole night. During the night, he developed a fever and, for a while, she thought he would not make it. She gave him what little energy she had regained since the healing, but it left her even more tired than befo
re. But it had helped. Within an hour, the fever had broken and he finally slept. Now the Datura had worked its way out of his body and he was sleeping peacefully.
“Can I sleep here? I don’t want to leave him.”
“You can take the spare cot.” Silas gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t you worry, I will look after him. I will give him the broth when he wakes.”
Maia crawled under the blankets of the bunk and was asleep even before Silas had shuttered the lanterns.
Aaron worried about her. She always seemed so strong, but he knew, deep down, she was as fragile as a bird.
He had been so elated. Meeting the dragon had been the most terrifying thing he ever had to endure. He watched at first, unwilling to admit his fear of the beast, but then Luke and Jasmin seemed relaxed with the dragon, and he thought he might give it a try. He had only taken a few steps towards him when the atmosphere changed. The dragon had crouched, staring him straight in the eyes and this strange sound came out of his throat that had chilled him to the bone. It was the most terrifying sound, and the only sound he could possibly compare it to, was that of the air brakes on their big mining vehicles on Earth.
Then, Maia had called him a rival male, and it made the terrifying experience worth it. Archer explained to him how Maia controlled the dragon, that it was their minds that were linked, and for the dragon to think he was a rival, meant that Maia thought of him as a suitor. It filled him with hope.
Thereafter Maia ran out of the house with such haste. At first, he thought it was because of him, but then heard the shouts as people ran past the house toward the north side of the city. He followed the crowd. At the steps to Stony Lane stood a circle of warriors, facing an ever growing number of onlookers. He had pushed his way to the front and what he saw there would stay with him for the rest of his life. It cemented the feelings he had for Maia even more. She was amazing.