by Sarah Hite
He did not finish, but there was no need to. She rested her head on his shoulder, saddened by this news. After a minute she looked up at him and quietly voiced her personal opinion. “I think she’ll be alright. She was not expected to survive the Illness, but she did. She’s stronger than most believe. Besides, now that Torak and Akina have been found, she won’t leave them.”
He looked down at her and gave her a small smile. “Thank you. Where are the children?”
“Akina still isn’t back, and neither is Lang,” was the reply from the small red dragon as he came to sit with his father. “It’s weird, usually she’s the obedient one.” That statement made Kyeon smile. It was amusing because it was true; it was not like her to disobey. Suddenly, Akina landed in the courtyard, Lang landed a moment later; he seemed tired.
He turned to the king and said, slightly out of breath, “My apologies Sire, she left Sheadod so I tried to convince her to return, but she refused.”
He stopped talking and looked back at Akina, who sat not far away and look rather miserable. “I had my reasons,” she declared, quietly. She turned away as a horse drawn cart entered the courtyard. Thorin dismounted and helped a very tired Ania down. She sneezed, hard, and almost fell over. Akina joined them and wrapped herself around Ania, who nearly fell into her. Akina was mumbling something, but stopped as Ania said, “That’s twice you saved my life Akina, but you did more than that, didn’t you?”
Silvrin and Nealson left the palace with Henreth and joined them. Akina let them take her, and watched as Nealson embraced her. “Where did you find her?” he asked.
Thorin shook his head. “I didn’t, she did,” he said, pointing at Akina, who by now had curled up on the cold stones of the courtyard. She still did not look happy.
Moon left her brother’s side and joined her. As she did, she noticed that the child’s hide was very cold. “Are you alright?” she asked the youth.
“I’m cold, I’m tired, and I’m hungry.” After a brief paused, she added, “And I never want to see snow again.”
Lang turned back to Kyeon and explained what happened. “It took us days to dig them out. For a while all we were able to do was make a hole big enough to allow air into the cellar, but when we were finally able to, Ania was awake. She used her body heat to keep her from freezing to death, but she risked her own life doing so; she could easily have frozen as well.”
Kyeon stood and went over to the child, who was shivering next to Moon. Instead of scolding her, he simply said, “Thank you.” He nuzzled her and added, “Now let’s get you something to eat, and a nice warm place in the Guest House.” She nodded and followed Moon inside.
The Pain of Recovery
It was midmorning, three days after Akina, Lang, and Thorin and brought Ania back to Sheadod. The air was beginning to warm, melting the snow. Lord Mychal said it was unusual for the snow to melt so soon; normally it would not begin to melt for nearly another month. Moon was making her way back to the Guest Quarters, she had spent most of the morning with Akina. The child had not woken this morning, and apart from being physically cold, her breathing had deteriorated. She knew that something was wrong, and had gone to find Kei-ata. He had been speaking with the head cook, and had asked them to make two buckets of Ania’s stew, but to wait to warm them until the queen and princess had woken.
When he had been told that Akina had not woken that morning, and that she would not wake when lightly shaken, the shaman had flown back to the middle of the courtyard. He spent several minutes with the youngster, while Moon went to check on Kym. Her condition had improved slightly, and she could now open her eyes. However, speech, both aloud and mental, was still beyond her abilities.
Moon opened the door to her quarters and slowly approached the queen. Kym opened her eyes and looked up at her. Moon could sense a question and asked if she was hungry. She could tell the queen wanted something, but she was not sure what it was. Communication had dwindled down to that of an infant. When a hatchling wanted something, the parents could only sense what the child wanted. If they were hungry, they would sense hunger. If they were afraid, they would sense fear; but it was more difficult to sense what Kym wanted, as her wishes were not as clear.
Moon tried to figure out what it was, knowing that she would be brought a bucket of stew whether or not it was what she wanted; so she decided to tell the queen what had happened since she nested. She settled down next to the slightly older female, and began to talk. “It’s alright Kym, both of your eggs are fine. Your nest is over there, a little ways from the fire pit. The children are both safe, and Kyeon was here until only a day ago. He and the rest of the council, except Kei-ata, were called to join the warriors.” Kym closed her eyes and sighed. Moon decided she had wondered where her mate was, and if Akina had returned.
She knew that Kym would want to know that Torak had joined his father on the battle field, and that Akina was sick, but she also knew that she was not strong enough for that news, so instead she said, “Ania has been found as well, and the Guard have decided that it was only because of Akina that she was found alive.” Kym opened her eyes again and tried to look up at Moon. “She disobeyed Kyeon and left Sheadod, Lang followed her. That’s why we couldn’t find her the day before you nested. During her last hunting trip with Kyeon, she had caught Ania’s scent, and went back to investigate. She joined Thorin and they found Ania at the bottom of an old root cellar. It was the only part of the house that was still intact. They found a way to get down to her, and Akina volunteered. They brought Ania back a week later. Now she’s in the palace, recovering from hypothermia and pneumonia.” Kym closed her eyes again, and let out a long breath. She opened her eyes again, this time there was a definite hunger in her thoughts, so Moon stood up and returned to the cooks for a bucket of stew. On her way there, she passed Lukair, he was on his way to visit Ania.
The young man entered the palace. He stopped at the kitchen on his way to Ania’s room and asked the cook for a bowl of soup. He knew she would be hungry when she woke. He was given a bowl of chicken broth and rice with soft cheese spread over a roll. He took the tray and made his way up the two flights of stairs to Lord Mychal’s guest rooms. Ania’s room was on the far end overlooking the courtyard and the Guest Quarters. He knocked on the door and was let in by Madia. She closed the door behind him and followed him to her bed. “How is she?” he asked setting the tray down on the bedside table.
“She should make a full recovery,” she answered. “It may take a while though. I’ll leave you two alone; it’s time to start dinner.”
She left the room and Lukair stepped over to the fireplace. He added a few more pieces of wood to the fire, and as he put the last one in, the door opened. Flame entered and quietly closed the large, heavy wooden plane behind him. “How is she?” he asked. He had just arrived after hearing of her return.
“She’ll be alright,” Lukair said standing. He approached the bed adding, “Her recovery will take a while. She was near froze when they found her; now she has pneumonia, but she’s strong. She won’t be in bed long.” He paused as he joined the king. “She’s doing better than little Akina. The poor thing nearly froze to death trying to keep Ania warm. The cellar caved in on top of them. This morning they found ice in her lungs.” He pointed out the soup he had brought and excused himself.
Flame turned to Ania and gently shook her shoulders. She opened her eyes and looked at him. She smiled, “Flame!” Her voice was weak, and a little hoarse. He helped her sit up and set the tray in her lap. After a few bites, she looked up and asked, “When did you get here?”
“Just a few minutes ago.” He sat down on the edge of the bed. “There’s a lot for you to catch up on.” She took another bite of soup and nodded. “The warriors have left and should be in the Southern Kingdom soon. The council stopped here before they joined the warriors. They wanted to check on Kym. She nested about three days ago. Kei-ata said the eggs are in good shape, but it took a lot out of her. She was nearly unconscious
for a whole day, and slept for two more. She’s only been awake for an hour or two.”
He studied her for a moment before continuing. “Akina made it back alright, which you knew, but this morning they found ice in her lungs. She’s not doing well, and Shae and Pai haven’t returned.”
Ania nearly dropped her spoon. “What? They should only have been gone a week, maybe ten days at the most.”
“I know, but it’s been over three weeks. We haven’t said anything to Moon yet, but I’m sure Kei-ata is growing concerned. I think he asked Seoung to look out for them when they arrive. Elder is still here, they wanted to solve Akina’s ice problem before he joins the rest of the council.” He paused, and said carefully, “There’s one more thing I need to tell you.” He took a deep breath, unsure of how she would react to the news. “Ania, your father’s here.”
This time she did drop her spoon. It clattered against the bowl and sent some of the soup into her lap, but she did not notice. “That’s not funny. My father died almost fifteen years ago!”
“I know. Everyone was told that he was dead, but one of our scaly friends had plans of his own. He took your father from the prison and hid him. You’ve actually seen him twice already.”
Ania stared at him. “Why, why would someone do that?”
“He said it was to keep you safe.”
“Who said? Who let us believe he was dead?” She was growing angry.
“Ania, calm down. I know this is hard for you, but please try to understand. He didn’t want to leave you; Elder didn’t give him a choice. He was only brought back to find you.”
Ania continued to stare at him. She was upset, and was not sure who she should be mad at. Elder, for taking her father, or her father for keeping the ruse. “I’ve seen him before?”
Flame nodded, “Do you remember Marcus?” She nodded; it would be hard to forget him. “Well, Marcus is your father. He is Thorin. Elder came up with the idea to hide him and change his name. He was also the one who decided Thorin should take up trapping. He said Semmarra, belonged to his great- grandmother, but she was actually your great- great- grandmother.”
Ania did not know what to do; she felt numb. She was no longer hungry and set the bowl back on the tray before putting the tray back on the table. “Can I be alone for a while?” Flame nodded and stood. Ania rolled over and faced the window as he opened the door. He turned to look at her once more and sighed before closing the door behind him.
Meanwhile, Lukair decided he would check in on the dragons. He stopped at the Queen’s Quarters to visit Kym first. Moon acknowledged him as he entered the building, before turning back to Kym. She watched the queen carefully as she drank the last of her own meal. When it was gone, Kym laid her head back down. There was a question in her eyes. Lukair had no idea of what she wanted, but Moon seemed to be able to figure it out. She looked over at her friend and said, “No, I’m afraid Akina can’t come to see you. She’s sleeping right now, which is what you should be doing.”
Kym raised her head a little, but Moon told her to rest. Lukair could see that Kym was not going to be deterred that easily. She wanted to see her daughter and nothing was going to stop her. “I don’t want to wake her up. She needs her rest too, and after digging Ania out of a hole, she’s tired.” It was obvious that Kym did not know that the child was ill; she stared at Moon. She was not going to let it end there. Even without speaking, she could still argue.
Finally, Moon sighed. “No, you can’t see her. I didn’t want to tell you this until you were stronger.” She looked down for a moment, and Lukair could see Kym’s curious question changed to one more alarmed. “Akina saved Ania’s life, yes, but it nearly cost her own. They were buried alive while in the hole; in snow. Akina kept Ania warm until Lang and Thorin could dig them out. When the snow caved in, Akina breathed in the icy air. We found ice in her lungs this morning. She isn’t doing well.”
Kym looked down, fearful for her daughter, and angry at Moon for not telling her earlier. Moon sensed this and added, “Kei-ata and Elder are trying to figure out how to clear her lungs. Elder won’t join Kyeon until she improves.” Kym did not look up, she turned and looked at the wall instead. Moon sighed, and turned to leave. Lukair watched Kym a moment longer before following Moon from the building. They joined the other dragons outside the Guest House.
“No, I don’t think that will work. Having her drink warm water would defrost her stomach, not her lungs. It was a good thought though,” the shaman said to Henreth. The healer had come down to see if he could help. “We can’t build more fires either. That could make her worse. We need to find a way to melt the ice without worsening her condition,” he added.
“What about hot wraps? We could heat up several sheets of cloth and wrap them around her chest to melt the ice,” the healer suggested.
“Melting the ice is one thing, but we need to figure out how to do it without flooding her lungs,” Elder said.
Kei-ata nodded. “If we melt the ice too quickly, she could drown.”
“There may only be one way. We need to melt the ice and evaporate the water at the same time. Anything else could worsen her condition,” the elder said quietly.
Kei-ata looked over at him. “I hope you’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking,” he said alarmed.
“It may be the only way.”
“That could kill her! I won’t risk it.”
“Doing nothing could kill her. Just melting the ice could kill her. I think she would have the best chance with this,” Elder said, defending his idea.
“What?” Moon asked joining them.
“He wants her to breathe fire,” the shaman answered, unenthusiastically.
Moon looked up at Elder. “You’re serious? She’s never breathed fire before, she’s not even old enough to learn how! We don’t even know if her chamber has developed yet.” She was worried about the effect the fire would have on her organs. “If she doesn’t breathe correctly, she could sear her lungs.”
“I know, but it’s the only way to purge her lungs of both the ice and any residual water,” he answered sadly. “And I believe the chamber is developed and ready for use. If it wasn’t, she would have frozen in the snow. I believe the chamber is what kept her blood warm, what kept her from freezing. I think it’s worth a try.”
Kei-ata sighed, “As much as I hate to admit it, he’s right. We should try it. Unfortunately, she will have to wake up before we can.” He paused and looked toward the Guest House. “I should check on her,” he said before turning away from them.
After he had gone, Elder looked down at Moon. He could see something was wrong. “Are you alright?” he asked.
Moon shook her head. “Between the dralics and Shaelynn, no, and to make things worse, now Kym’s mad at me.”
Elder turned to face her. “Mad, why?”
“I told her about Akina. I didn’t want to until she was stronger, but she knows how to argue without speaking. She wanted to see Akina, I told her no, but she was determined.” She paused and looked down at her feet. Quietly she added, “I was afraid she would be too worried about her, to concentrate on her own recovery. Now she’s mad because I held it from her.”
Elder extended his wing and embraced her. “It will be alright. She may be angry right now, but she will soon realize why you didn’t tell her.” Moon sighed; she nodded and left to help the shaman with Akina.
When she entered the Guest House, she saw Kei-ata steadying Akina with a forepaw. The child was awake and laying on her stomach, staring at the far wall. She wobbled like a new born pup. Her hide was pale and her breaths came in short rasping bursts. Moon slowly approached them and Kei-ata looked up. “Can you try to keep her awake? She needs to eat something.” Moon nodded and the shaman went to retrieve a bucket of stew. He returned shortly and carefully poured the liquid into the small trough that had been installed just in front of her.
She smelled it, but was in too much of a haze to try and find it. Moon leaned down and helped
her. “Let’s get you something to eat; you might feel better afterwards.” Akina did not answer, but once Moon had guided her to the warm liquid, she drank it without complaint. The warmth seemed to put her at ease, and she began to calm down. Her fear over not being able to breathe, was slowly dissipating. When she had emptied the trough she seemed to be a little more awake.
We should try this now, while she’s awake. Can you help me get her to her feet? the shaman asked. Moon nodded. She adjusted her position and ducked her head under Akina’s neck. Kei-ata supported her chest and belly, and together they pulled Akina to her feet. The youth protested silently. Her muscles stiffened and her breathing grew faster. “Easy Akina, it’s all right,” Moon soothed. Together they led her outside where Elder gently picked her up and left the city. Kei-ata and Moon followed him.
They landed in a clearing by a small lake. Akina stumbled and fell when released, but Moon carefully lifted her back up. “Do you have her?” Elder asked. When Moon nodded, he turned his attention to Akina. Gently, he said, “Hey, you’re going to be okay, but in order to ensure that, we need to teach you something. Do you understand?” Akina weakly looked up at him and nodded. “Good.”
Kei-ata looked down at her. “We need you to understand that what you are going to have to do, won’t be easy, and it will be very painful.” Akina looked up at him and nodded. They could tell she was uneasy, but willing to try.
While Moon held her steady, Elder talked her through the process of breathing fire. He told her how to locate the special sack between her heart and lungs that heated the air. “This sack, has two chambers. The first, or lower chamber, takes the air from your lungs and heats it. The newly heated air then goes to the second, or upper chamber. This chamber, secretes a chemical that when heated, creates a spark. The chemical then combines with the air and is exhaled. This combination is the fire everyone sees.”