The Dragon's Soul: Xan (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Kalissa Wayne

  Suddenly two huge bodies were standing over her, shields covering her and the king. Men could be heard shouting, both coming closer from the dining room and from a distance. Warriors apparently, for they were calling back and forth to each other. A loud roar shattered the night as the two warriors above her suddenly went flying, and hands yanked Remi into a set of strong arms.

  Xan gripped her tightly and ran back toward the dining room. Rizon and Nic were right behind him, carrying the king as three of the Dragon Guard paced behind them, and more were pouring out of every door leading onto the balcony. A solid wall of men began shutting the doors and blocking them with their bodies as Remi struggled to see what was going on.

  Xan snarled and sat her down on her feet, running his hands over her looking for an injury. There was blood covering the front of her dress, but she was sure it was all the king’s. Reggie flipped the table to the side, the top facing the doors and indicated that the king should be placed behind it. Remi wanted to go to the king, but Xan kept hold of her and snarled when she tried to step away.

  Remi looked into Xan’s eyes and saw the dragon looking back at her. She placed her bloody hands on Xan’s cheeks and pulled him down. She kissed him quickly on the mouth and looked into those flashing eyes.

  “Anaxandros. I am fine. I need to get to your father. He needs a healer.” When Xan just growled and tried to pull her closer, she resisted and yelled. “Xan! I am fine! Your father needs me. If I don’t help him, he may die. You can stand behind me, just let me help him.” Xan’s chest still vibrated but he nodded and walked behind her to where Rizon, Nic, and Reggie were working with the king.

  “Let me in here, Reggie.” Remi pushed her way between Reggie and Rizon. Reggie had packed towels around the arrow shaft to try to stem the flow of blood. “Reggie, can you send someone to get that list of supplies I gave you earlier? I know you said you’d get them in the morning, but I need them now, please. Rizon, Nic, can you get the king to his room safely? I could take the arrow out here, but I don’t want to move him once it’s out.” Her voice came out calm and collected. Remi was always in control when an emergency happened.

  “If you can get the arrow out, I can carry him on my own, and Nic can guard my back. If need be, we can get some warriors in here,” Rizon stated, just as the doors to the balcony opened.

  “Get her the hell away from Father! She tried to murder him!” Jarok’s angry bellow was followed by the snarl of an enraged dragon. Remi looked up in shock as Xan sprang the ten feet separating him from his brother and took Jarok down, pounding into him even as they landed on the floor and began rolling around.

  Vicious punches landed on ribs, stomachs, faces, and both noses appeared to already be broken. Xan and Jarok rolled across the floor, smashing chairs, mugs and each other with equal disregard for themselves, the items or those standing around. The guard was trying to break the brothers up but were being flung off by whatever arm was handy. It seemed the brothers were determined to beat each other. Remi reached over and grabbed Nic’s hands, placing them on the towels on the king’s chest.

  “Keep light pressure on these. Until I see what kind of arrow it is, I don’t want to press too hard.” She stood up and stepped around the end of the table, avoiding the reaching hands of Rizon, Reggie, and Ad’har. When she could plainly see that even the guards were having trouble trying to get the brothers to separate, her temper blew out of control.

  With a wave of her hand, she motioned the guards to stand back and make room in either direction. Ad’har, standing to the side, jerked his head, enforcing Remi’s directions. Reaching out with her hands and her mind, she envisioned grabbing Xan in one hand, Jarok in the other and flinging them apart. The men actually flew apart and hung in midair, exactly where Remi’s hands were pointing.

  All eyes flashed between the two royal brothers and Remi. She knew her eyes were flashing with lightning like streaks but these two had really pissed her off. She made sure and left them hanging there, about four feet off the floor, as she lowered her hands.

  “Do I have your attention, little boys?” Remi looked between the two as her blood boiled. Looking at Xan, she continued. “While you want to fight, your father could be dying, but I can’t tell because I’m more worried about you killing yourself or your brother. And you.” Remi turned to stare at Jarok. “IF I wanted to kill the king, I wouldn’t need to use an arrow. But apparently I care more for him than his sons do because you are more interested in blaming someone instead of getting your father medical help and having your warriors hunt down the one who really shot the arrow.” Remi now looked back and forth between the two. “So until you both cool down and start to think rationally, I think you can stay right where you’re at. Commander Ad’har, can you please see to it that these two little boys are protected until they decide their temper tantrums are over?”

  Without waiting to see if her words had any effect, Remi spun and headed back to the king. As she kneeled down, she moved Nic’s hands and started to pull the towels away from the shaft of the arrow. “Rizon, do you have a knife? I need to cut King Minos’s shirt. Reggie, send someone to get those supplies, send a couple soldiers with them to ensure their safety. I want Lorann and Jeanae in the king’s chambers when we get there with enough towels and linens to make what we need until the supplies show up. I’ll also need plenty of hot water, alcohol, and a basin to throw the dirty linens in.” Never looking away from what she was doing, she heard voices issuing commands, booted feet moving rapidly, and Xan and Jarok started arguing again.

  Remi amplified her voice and simply said, “If you two don’t stop arguing, I’ll silence both of you.” Remi was carefully pulling the cut shirt from around the site of the wound. What concerned her most was that the king wasn’t conscious. She would worry about a possible concussion once she had ascertained what to do about the arrow.

  As she gently probed the area around the wound, she began to get a faint smell of something. She leaned closer and sniffed at the king’s clothing but only smelled the typical smells of laundry soap, starch, bath soap, cologne, and faint traces of sweat. She leaned up and looked at Nic.

  “Do you smell anything odd?”

  Nic leaned closer and sniffed, furrowing his brow and leaning closer to the arrow, sniffing along its length until he reached his father’s skin. “I smell something, but I’m not sure what it is. Rizon?”

  Rizon repeated his brother’s actions, sniffing longer around where the arrow entered their father’s chest. “Aye, I smell something, but it’s not familiar.”

  “My lord, perhaps this will help?” Ad’har held out another arrow, the point of it bent to the side. “This was lying near the pillar behind where the king and Lady Remi were at. Mayhap the assassin shot again but missed, although there is a trace of blood on one edge.” The commander held the arrow out to Rizon, who took it and sniffed the end.

  “Yes, the smell is there. Stronger, but still unknown to me. Remi?”

  Remi reached for the arrow and pulled it close to her nose. After she inhaled deeply, her face lost all color, and Xan and Jarok fell to the floor. “Oh gods.” She held the arrow away from everyone and moved away from the king. “Commander, take possession of this thing. Do not let anyone near the tip, and wherever this impacted on the stone, have one of your soldiers guard it until I can clean the area. If any one of your men touched the tip, have them douse their arms with alcohol then scrub to the elbows with hot, soapy water. If they were scratched by the tip, send them with me.” Remi’s hand shook as she handed over the arrow. “If you have an old leather scabbard or pouch, wrap the arrowhead in it. That’s the best we can do for now.”

  Xan and Jarok both came toward her. “Little one? What is it?” Apparently their argument was forgotten, at least for the moment.

  “We need to get the arrow out of your father now. Call your fastest flyer. By the time he gets here, I’ll have the arrow out.”

  As she moved to step around them, Jarok grabbed her ar
m and spun her around. “Tell me what the problem is, healer, or you won’t touch my father!” Xan growled, but Remi raised a hand.

  “Your father has been poisoned. While you want to argue about it, he is dying. Want to discuss it now or after I get the arrow out?”

  “We will discuss it after.”

  Remi kneeled by the king again and looked at Nic, who appeared to be holding his temper by a thread. “I need you to hold your father down. Xan, I may need your help. This is going to require strength and swiftness to get out. Jarok, we need a way to transport your father to his bed. I want as little jostling as possible.” Remi looked around when no one moved. “Now! We may already be too late.”

  Xan moved next to Remi and for the first time since this started, he sounded calm and in control. “What do you need from me, little one?”

  Remi took a deep breath and let it out again. “You’ll get blood on you, and you’ll need to wash it off quickly. Grasp the shaft as close to the skin as you can and pull it straight up and out. Once that is done, I’ll put my hands on his chest around the wound. I need him stripped of almost all his clothes. This poison will cause a high fever, and we’ll need to keep him cool. Burn the clothes.”

  Raising her voice again, Remi called for Reggie. “Yes, m’lady?”

  “Tell Jeanae that I’ll need a change of clothing, as well. We’ll also need cool water to keep his fever down. Xan, my dress will need to be burned, as well. Do not let anyone breathe in the smoke. I don’t think it would harm them, but it’s not worth chancing. Everyone ready?” Nic and Xan nodded as Rizon and Jarok moved to brace the king’s legs. “All right, Xan. Pull it.”

  As Xan grasped the shaft with his left hand, he placed his right on the king’s shoulder. With a smooth pull, Xan withdrew the arrow as the king’s body jerked and heaved. Xan handed the arrow to Ad’har then returned his hand to his father’s chest. Remi had already placed her hands around the open wound, and a soft blue glow encased both hands as well as the area around the wound.

  “Everyone but Xan, please take your hands off the king.” Remi’s voice sounded shaky, and Xan quickly looked at her. Remi knew sweat was already building between her shoulders. She knew there was little time before Xan would connect the dots, and she needed to heal the king before the poison overtook her system. “Xan, use Rizon’s blade and open your father’s shirt. Rizon, I’m sorry but I’ll replace that blade. It probably has the poison on it now.” Remi pushed more healing energies into the king, trying to corral the poison and force it back out of his body through the wound.

  Luckily, it wasn’t a fast-acting poison, or King Minos would already be dead. They were also lucky because the shot had hit him high on the left pectoral muscle, just below his collarbone. If it had been nearer his heart…Remi shuddered and tried to concentrate.

  “Remi, don’t you want to stop the bleeding?” Nic asked while assisting Xan in cutting off the shirt. He took special care not to touch his father’s skin, almost as if he knew what she was doing.

  “Right now, I’m trying to force the poison back out of the wound. If it gets to the point that blood loss is too severe, I’ll seal the wound, and we’ll deal with the poison another way. Some has already seeped into his cells where I can’t force it out. It shouldn’t be much longer now.”

  “Xan, how fast can a dragon fly from here to Merket?”

  “It’s about a six-hour hard ride on horseback, so at top speed, a dragon could be there in just over two hours, maybe two and a half.”

  Remi thought a moment. “Is your flyer here? I need them gone ten minutes ago. You’ll also need another fast flyer. Can a dragon carry a rider?”

  “Little one, I am the fastest flyer. Rizon or Jarok would be almost as fast. And yes, we can carry a rider. What do you need?”

  “On the southwest edge of Merket, there is a healer named Borjeet. I need all of the Divine Starflower he has, fresh, dried or powdered. Take about ten pounds of gold with you. One ounce of powered starflower is worth three gold pieces. One of you fly there, the other fly back. Commander, we need to move the king to his bedchambers.” As Ad’har directed the men to lay a large blanket next to the king, the brothers all moved back to allow them room.

  “I’ll go with you, Brother. I’ll fly down, you’re faster and can fly back,” Rizon said before turning and issuing orders to some of the guards to ensure the balconies were clear, and to keep them clear, for their departure and return.

  “I’ll stay here and keep things under control. We don’t want this getting out until we know how it will end.” Jarok still looked at Remi with suspicion, even though she was refusing to take her glowing hands from their father’s chest.

  Jarok walked away to speak with some soldiers, and Remi heard Xan speak with the commander. “Ad’har, I’m placing my True One in your protection. No one, and I mean no one, can do anything to her or make orders about her except myself. If they try, invoke my name as heir apparent and the only one who can override that is my father. Do I make myself clear, my brother?”

  “Crystal, Xan. I will not leave her side for any reason except her personal needs. As of this moment, she is your equal as far as I’m concerned.” Remi heard him pause before continuing. “As long as you protect me from her when you return, my prince.”

  Xan was quiet for a moment, then replied. “Deal, although it may be difficult for any of us to protect you from her. I’ll keep in contact so keep me updated.”

  As the soldiers gently lifted the blanket cradling the king, Remi stood along with them. They made their way down a side hallway and into the king’s bedchambers. Once the king was on his bed, Lorann stepped forward and shooed the soldiers out. All but the brothers, Ad’har, and Reggie left the room.

  “Xan, you must leave now. The quicker you go, the quicker you’ll return. Make sure and tell Borjeet that I will owe him a favor.”

  Xan walked to her side and kissed her forehead, lingering as if not wanting to leave. “I will be back as quickly as possible, little one. If you need anything, just ask Ad’har. He’ll make sure you get whatever you need.” With another quick kiss, he turned and strode out the door with Rizon on his heels.

  “Lorann, did they get the medical kit yet?”

  “Not yet, m’lady, but I had my husband run and get some simple supplies this evening. I brought them with me so I may have whatever you need.”

  “Do you have a drawing salve? Activated charcoal?”

  “Yes, m’lady. Both.”

  “While Jeanae helps me get the king comfortable, I need you to get a pot and mix the drawing salve, the charcoal, and some sage together.”

  “Sage, m’lady?”

  “Yes, it’s a natural antiseptic and antibiotic. If you don’t have some fresh, check the kitchen. I’ll need it ground into the paste.”

  “I’ll run down and get it.” Nic turned and left the room.

  Remi started pulling off the remnants of the king’s shirt one-handed and told Jeanae to pull off his boots. Jarok moved forward and tried to assist her with the shirt. Remi looked at him and handed him the remnants from her side. She partially blocked her healing connection to the king and spoke to Jarok.

  “I need to get his bedding out from under him and get some protective sheets down. His fever is rising, and we need to get his wound cleaned and bandaged. Once that’s done, we need to keep wiping him down with cool water until your brothers return. Jarok, can we call a truce until the king is out of danger?”

  Jarok raised his head and looked at her. “Aye. I can do that.” She could tell by his voice he meant it. She knew he would do whatever it took to protect his family and didn’t hold his antagonism against him.

  Ad’har moved forward to assist, and as Remi and Jarok sat the king up, he pulled the bedding from under him. With Remi moving toward the head of the bed, Jarok and Ad’har worked together to remove both the bedding and the rest of the king’s clothing. Jarok draped a towel across his father’s hips to preserve both Remi’s and the
king’s modesty.

  Remi placed both hands around the open wound and closed her eyes to concentrate. She pulled her thoughts together and sent healing energy into the king. The poison had leached into part of his body at the cellular level, but she had pushed the majority of it out of his system. She began healing the wound from the inside out, taking her time to heal all damage and sealing all blood vessels as she went. Her energy was waning as the healing drained her body, but she needed to make sure he wouldn’t be in severe danger until Xan returned with the antidote.

  “He’s out of danger from the poison killing him, but I hope your brothers fly fast,” Remi said to Jarok as she paused for breath, laying a square bandage over the wound.

  Chapter 17

  “Jeanae, did you get a change of clothes for me? I really need to get out of this dress.”

  “Yes, m’lady. But…” When she hesitated, Remi looked up to see Jeanae wringing her hands.

  “What, Jeanae?”

  “Beb left a couple dresses, but nothing fit to heal in. She left a couple pair of pants, so I grabbed a pair and one of Prince Anaxandros’ shirts. I can help you change as soon as the men leave if that is all right with you, m’lady.”

  “I’m not leaving until my father is out of danger.”

  “I’m not leaving the prince’s True One until he returns to her side.”

  Jarok and Ad’har spoke over each other. When they looked at each other, Remi inwardly sighed. She really needed out of these clothes and her arm tended.

  “All right, gentlemen. If you could just turn around, I’m sure we’ll all be satisfied that decorum was met, no one sees anything, and we can get on with this.” Both men turned toward the door, arms crossed and still glaring at each other out of the corners of their eyes. Reggie busied himself with the fire and the water pots.