“And you’re a girl!”
Once more, I nodded. Switching to my normal voice, “My name is Amáne.” I hoped my smug look wasn’t too obvious.
“You’re Amáne?” He asked in astonishment. I could see his mind starting to put it all together, now. “My aunt has been telling me about you. Please accept my apologies, Amáne, for my disrespect.”
I saw the blood rise in his face behind his tan skin as he said, “I owe you a double apology for my foul language. I don’t make it a habit of speaking like that in front of a lady. I’m so sorry.”
“Well, if I’m going to go about impersonating a male, I should probably try to get used to it.”
“I had no idea who was sent to rescue me,” he said almost to himself. His eyes were riveted on me. “... a Chosen One ... a dragon rider. And a beautiful one at that. My aunt neglected to share that detail, otherwise, I would have begged her to meet you weeks ago.”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t stop the redness as the blood rose in my face. Before I could think of a response, Eshshah surprised me with her behavior. She lowered her head and put her nose on the ground in front of Ansel.
“Eshshah, what are you doing?” I asked.
“Amáne,” she answered, “meet the true heir to the throne of Teravinea. This one you call Ansel, is a Drekinn, son of the late King Emeric Drekinn of the royal line of the Dragon Kings of Teravinea.” She felt the bond between her line and his and knew the heir stood before us.
It was my turn for incredulity and I think my eyes got as wide as his did.
“You are a Drekinn? King Emeric’s son? The songs say you died in the explosions at the castle. Now it’s my turn to offer an apology for my disrespect. I had no idea who I was sent to rescue — the heir to the throne.” I didn’t add any compliments as he had. I was not completely over being angry with him. I curtsied as well as I could with my injuries.
He put his hand out and said, “I guess we’re even now. Truce?”
“Truce.” I answered as I took his hand.
Emotions, exhaustion and pain all conspired to overwhelm me, as my head started to spin. I leaned back against the wall and slid down, as I reached for Eshshah. Ansel’s hand was still in mine from our handshake. He helped lower me gently to the floor.
“Amáne,” Eshshah said, “please ask Lord Ansel to remove the bandages.” ‘Lord Ansel’ sounded strange to my ears as I was still in disbelief about his true identity.
He did so, and against my better judgement, I looked at the damage to my foot. The blood drained from my face as I saw the mangled flesh and bone barely held together by my boot. I gagged, but sheer willpower kept me from actually throwing up. I was convinced had it not been for my dragon-scale boot, the creature would be digesting my foot, and I would be looking at a stump.
Eshshah placed her warm healing nose on the devastation and hummed her tune. The heat of her healing overcame the burning pain of the venom. I clenched my teeth and closed my eyes as her heat became much more intense, even than when she healed me from the rabid dog bite.
“It’ll need to be wrapped again, if Lord Ansel wouldn’t mind. Keep the boot on. I have no time for a proper healing, but this will have to do for a while. It’s almost daybreak — we have to leave.”
Handing him my dagger, I gave Ansel Eshshah’s instructions as I removed my outer tunic for him to use. I hoped I could find a tunic left in one of the sleeping chambers. After expertly wrapping my foot again, he helped me to my feet.
“We need to tell Gallen we’re heading home. The communication disc should be in the library, this way.” I said.
Using my spear on one side and Ansel supporting my other, we made our way down the long hallway to the library, which was in the same general location as the library at the Dorsal Outpost, except there were many more bed chambers to pass before reaching it. Moving to the disc, I placed my hand on the brass knob and said, “Gyan,” and then, “Kaelem.”
The disc shimmered and then muted into an image. Gallen appeared in the glass.
“Amáne, thankfully you’re safe.” Relieved to see my face — as relieved as I was to see his. I tried to hide my pain, but he knew me too well.
“You’re not okay.” His face paled. “What happened? Is Lord Ansel with you?”
“Yes, he’s here. We’re fine. We’re heading home.”
Then Ansel stepped up and saluted. He knew Gallen had been a dragon rider. “Greetings, Gallen. Since it appears Amáne is not going to tell you, I will. She’s been seriously injured saving my life. She was bitten by a venomous creature — some kind of relation to a dragon. It’ll take all of the Healer’s skills to save her foot. Bones are broken. There’s a lot of damage. I wanted to prepare my aunt so she’ll have everything she needs to attend to her.”
“I’ll tell her. Thank you, Your Grace. Amáne, please get home safely.” This news upset him. I was furious with Ansel for causing Gallen to worry. I glared at him through my pain.
We said farewell, and I removed my hand from the knob. Ansel helped me find a warm tunic in one of the sleeping chambers, and we hurried back to the entry cavern.
“Ansel, or Your Grace, or whatever you want to be called, there’s a gear pack in the corner over there. Get out your helmet and put on the outer tunic. Prepare to fly.” My pain should not have been an excuse for my lack of respect. Diplomacy was not high on my list at that moment as my self control waned.
“Please, just call me Ansel.”
He donned his gear as Eshshah treated me once more. Attaching the pack to the saddle, Ansel put my spear in its holder. He helped me up to Eshshah’s leg so I could climb into the saddle, but I didn’t have the strength to pull myself the rest of the way up. Under any other circumstance, I would have been mortified, but one more time, modesty was set aside. Ansel looked embarrassed as he tried to decide where best to place his hands, but I didn’t care just then.
I glared at him, “Just get it over with!”
He quickly pushed me up from behind, then took his place in the rear saddle. He helped me buckle in and get my helmet on.
I gave Eshshah the okay to take off. She proceeded to the entrance and leapt off the ledge. I could hear Ansel gasp behind me as we did a free fall for several feet before she spread her wings and took flight. Shamefully, I took some gratification in his reaction to her dive.
We flew east over the sea until we were sure we would not be spotted from the castle. Daylight was just breaking, although the sun had not yet risen over the horizon. We left none too soon. Turning south, we headed toward the Dorsal Outpost.
The fresh sea air in my face, after the fetid odors of the tunnels, did a lot to lift my spirits. I contemplated with satisfaction that Eshshah and I had completed our first quest successfully. I turned to Ansel and saw that he began to relax as well. He thanked Eshshah and me countless times, repeating he couldn’t believe he was actually riding a dragon. I caught the joy on his boyish face. His smile was unforgettable. I was almost able to overlook the fact that I had been so angry with him. Maybe I could try to forget our ill-fated meeting and start fresh ... maybe.
My enjoyment was short-lived — the burn of the venom increased in my veins. Eshshah’s healing skills held my pain in check temporarily. Frightened that she and the Healer would not be able to save my foot, I voiced my concern out loud to Eshshah. Of course it drew a response from Ansel. This time it didn’t annoy me so much.
“Amáne,” Ansel said over the rush of wind, “I know my aunt’s healing skills, and I have no doubts as to the fantastic skills of your dragon. I’ll bet my right hand you’ll be dancing with me on my eighteenth birthday in a couple of months. Deal?”
“You’re willing to wager your hand? Quite confident aren’t you? I hope for both of our sakes you’re right. Deal.” I made an effort to smile at his encouragement.
The pain escalated as time passed, but I managed to keep it to myself. Eshshah, of course, knew, and helped as best she could. I was glad Ansel couldn�
��t see my facial contortions — each minute the fire intensified. Soon, not just my face reacted to the stabs of agony, but my body stiffened as the heat of the venom increased.
“Amáne? — Are you all right?” Ansel asked.
I couldn’t open my mouth to respond for fear a scream would be my reply. I nodded, but I didn’t think he believed me. Eventually, my groans could no longer be contained as I fought to keep from crying out. The sound carried back to him.
He leaned over to me and turned my shoulders gently. I didn’t have the strength to resist. Seeing the pain on my face and the beads of sweat from my fever, even in the wind from our flight, he immediately became concerned.
“Permission requested, Amáne.” He knew dragon protocol, but was too distressed to wait for my response allowing him to speak directly to Eshshah.
“Eshshah,” he pleaded. “Can you not help her? She’s burning with fever. She’s suffering.”
Eshshah answered him directly, “Yes, I know, Lord Ansel. I’m with her mentally to help control her pain, although it’s only partial in effectiveness. It would be much worse if we didn’t have that link. But in flight I’m not able to do any more for her. Our best option is to get her back to the Healer as quickly as we can. Amáne understands that. She will live, do not torment yourself.”
My dragon put on a brave front for Ansel, but her concern for me echoed in her thoughts. She knew my injuries and my fever were not life-threatening — but my pain still affected her.
A spasm blasted through my body. My back arched with agony and I could not suppress the shriek that forced itself from my lips. Ansel wrapped his arms around me and pulled me back to him. I could feel his strong arms as he tried to restrain me from thrashing. One final burst, like lightning, shot from my leg up through my head. The last I remembered was falling back into his chest as all went black.
I found myself in a strange radiant place with marble floors and a bright blue sky for a ceiling. Joyful — just what I would imagine it would be like if I were truly with my ancestors. But it was only a dream. I knew because it differed from the shadows I’d visited twice before. And, unlike my usual dreams, this was not a nightmare. No beasts, no lizards, no horrifying visions that had me running for my life.
My mother stood across the way. She looked lovely and I waved at her, but I had no desire to join her. Instead, I watched as dragons circled overhead. All were the same light color but one. The one was an emerald green. He spiraled down toward me and landed. Then, it was no longer a dragon but a young man. He looked familiar as he gazed at me with his cool green eyes — the same color as the dragon that had hovered above me. I recognized him from a dark and terrifying dream — a nightmare of death and of monsters that played in the back of my mind. He smiled as he strode toward me. Our eyes met and I smiled back, then he bent over and kissed my forehead. Warmth spread through my body. After that, the dream began to fade. I fought to keep it from ending but it slipped away. I could see the light from behind my eyelids. Upon opening them, a pair of green eyes stared back at me. I jolted and caught my breath. My reaction in turn startled Ansel, who sat on the edge of my bed.
Confusion encircled me. I wondered what he was doing there. But as I took in the familiar surroundings of my chamber in the Dorsal Outpost, it all came back to me. Ansel’s rescue; the unnamed creature; the venomous bite; the flight from the Castle Outpost. After that, I had no knowledge of the rest of the story. I realized it had not been a terrifying dream, but stark reality.
“What are you doing?” I asked, my voice raspy.
“I’m watching you sleep.” As if it were a common pastime for him.
“I would think you have better things to do than watch me sleep.”
“No, not at all. What were you smiling about?” He managed to keep the amusement out of his voice, but it showed in his eyes.
“What do you mean?” My eyes narrowed.
“You smile in your sleep ... and you talk, too. I don’t think you were talking to Eshshah this time.”
At that he couldn’t keep a straight face. If it wasn’t such an attractive one, I might have swiped his smile right off. I tightened my jaw and fought the urge.
“What was I saying?” I asked, wary of his response. I was rather embarrassed but wanted to know if I needed to be more so.
“Well, I did hear my name mentioned,” he said, obviously pleased.
“That’s not true.” The blood rose in my face. I hoped it wasn’t true. Why is he trying to antagonize me?
He relented from his taunting, “I’m sorry, Amáne. I shouldn’t be annoying you. How do you feel?” His eyes gave away his genuine concern. “You were quite ill. We were all worried about you. It took all of the Healer’s and Eshshah’s powers to save your foot. They worked on you for a long time.”
“They saved my foot,” I said slowly as I heaved a sigh.
“Yes,” he said, seeing my relief, “I told you that you would be dancing with me for my birthday.”
“Dance? My foot hurts just thinking about dancing.” I shuddered at the thought. “How long was I out?”
“We arrived early yesterday morning and it’s the middle of the afternoon, now. The Healer is taking a rest and Eshshah is out hunting.”
“Yes, I know where Eshshah is,” I said abruptly. He didn’t have to tell a rider what her dragon was doing. He certainly had a knack for irritating me. I think he enjoyed it.
“If you’ll excuse me,” I said. “I need to get out of this bed.”
“I have orders not to leave your side. You can’t get up without my help.”
“I don’t know if I’m presentable. I’m not getting up with you still in here.” My irritation fought for dominance over my discomfort of his presence in my chambers.
“The Healer made sure you were dressed properly. I won’t let you hurt yourself on my watch. I’m not leaving.”
With an exasperated huff I lifted the bedding to peek, and sure enough, I was dressed in a tunic and tights — not my night clothes as I thought. Throwing back the covers I sat up a little faster than I should have. All the blood drained from my face and my head spun. I fell back onto the bed.
“Ouch,” he grimaced. “Easy, Amáne. Maybe you should take it a little slower.” Ansel took my arms and gently helped me sit up. Butterflies danced in my stomach — I found myself uncomfortable with his attentions. As soon as he helped me up, I removed his hands from my arms.
I stayed in this sitting position for a few minutes before he stood up to help me ease my legs over the side of the bed. I gasped as the blood rushed into my injured foot. Gritting my teeth, I breathed through the pain. I tried to hide it, not wanting any excuse for him to prohibit me from leaving my chambers.
“Slowly, Amáne,” he repeated. “There’s no rush. Just hold there for a bit so your body can get accustomed to sitting up. Wait right there, I have something for you.”
Ansel ran to the corner of my chamber and grabbed a staff that leaned against the wall. He handed it to me as a child would hand his latest creation to his mother. His eyes were bright as he sat beside me on the bed to watch my reaction.
“I made it for you. I didn’t have the time to finish it, but I promise I will.”
It was a walking stick cut from a beautiful piece of wood at just the right height for me. But what caught my attention was the carving of a dragon at the top of the staff. Not just a dragon. It was carved in the likeness of Eshshah. Her tail curled down in a spiral around the wood. She was stained a beautiful deep red.
“You made this for me?” I couldn’t hide my disbelief. Why would he spend his time making something for me? “It’s beyond words — it’s ... beautiful.” Again that boyish face as he drank in my genuine appreciation. “Where did you get the red stain for Eshshah? It’s the perfect color.”
“Eshshah showed me a tree on this island, and listen to this, it’s called a Dragon’s Blood Tree. The sap is red and it makes a very fine stain.”
A tear fell from my
eye as I threw my arms around his neck in a spontaneous reaction. “Thank you. I love it.” And then instantly realizing my boldness I pulled away. “Er ... I’m so sorry. I ... I was just excited. I didn’t mean to throw myself at you. I tend to overreact sometimes.”
“Any time you want to fling your arms around me, Amáne, is just fine with me.”
I blushed but laughed with him, “Well, let’s see if this art piece is as functional as it is beautiful.”
The throbbing subsided enough for me to try to stand up. I put my new walking stick in front of me. Ansel was poised to help me should I need it. I was pleased he’d recognized my stubbornness and let me try to stand on my own. Taking a deep breath, I released it as I rose and made it to my feet without his assistance. I did, however, accept his arm when I started taking steps.
We slowly moved down the hallway to the entry cavern. It was such a relief to be back at our outpost. The entry flooded with the afternoon sun and I breathed in the fresh sea air. The ocean view from this room was unmatched.
I eased myself slowly onto one of the couches and was thankful for so much at that moment — my life; Eshshah; the Healer; the success of our quest; and even for Ansel — his presence, proof of our triumph.
He seated himself rather close to me on my right — even though there was plenty of room on the couch. Looking at me earnestly, “Amáne, I never really thanked you and Eshshah properly for saving my life. I’m forever indebted to you two. I also want to apologize once again for my rudeness to you.”
I smiled, “You’re welcome. You’ve already thanked us — countless times. You owe us nothing. It was our duty. As for your rudeness, yes, you were quite angry to find that your aunt had sent a boy to rescue you.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“No need to be sorry. You were probably angrier when you found she actually sent a girl.”
“Truthfully, no. That didn’t really bother me as much.”
“Even a girl who could wield a blade better than you?” I teased.
Amáne of Teravinea - The Chosen One (The Teravinea Series Book 1) Page 17