Dragon Fate

by J. D. Hallowell

  He could feel the energy he was about to draw, he was pulling it from the stream, and he released it by speaking “HEAL” while directing it to the dragon’s wounded foot.

  The dragon let out a sharp exclamation and shook her foot as if she had been stung.

  He quickly let the energy go and asked, “What’s happened? Did I do something wrong? Have I injured you further?”

  She hushed his rapid-fire questions and said, “No, it is I who erred. I hadn’t expected that you could move the energy so well. I should have explained that you didn’t need to draw the full energy of the stream.”

  She showed him her foot. The wound was gone without a trace, but as he examined it he realized that there was a burn where the excess had had nowhere else to go.

  I’m sorry,” he said, felling terrible that he had hurt her when he had intended to help. “Should I try and heal the burn that I caused?”

  Her response was much kinder than he felt he deserved. “It is all right; I should have expected that you could move the energy more easily than most and anticipated such a result.”

  “How could such a thing have happened?” he implored.

  “When you moved the energy, you called as much energy as you could from the stream and allowed it to flow unchecked. There was a great deal more energy than was needed to accomplish the task. The amount of power you used could easily have killed a human. Fortunately, I am larger and much more resistant to magic than one of your kind, but learn from this mistake. It would be bad to accidentally kill an ally while trying to heal him.”

  “This time,” she continued, “you will heal the burn, but you will direct the energy more conservatively. Examine the burn to see how much energy was spent causing it: that will give you an idea of how much to channel to heal it.”

  Once again, he opened his mind to the energy, this time concentrating on the burn. He realized that he could actually get a feel for how much force he needed to mend the injury. He bent his will to the task, drawing a small amount of power from the dying fire, just enough to counter what he felt from the burn. As he released the energy, the dragon sighed in relief. When she showed him her foot, it was completely unmarked.

  “Very good, young rider,” she exclaimed. “You have learned an important lesson and started down your own magical path today.”

  Delno thought about the men he had seen who had died of camp fever during the war and asked, “Can I heal sickness in this same way?”

  The dragon considered his question carefully before answering, “Yes, and no. You see, sickness has many causes. Some sickness is caused by something external entering the body and disturbing the body’s natural balance. Some sickness is caused by weakness in the body. Some sickness is caused by weakness of the spirit. Some sickness can even be caused by magic.”

  She allowed him to reflect on that while she further composed her thoughts. “Sickness can be treated with magic, but the cause must be determined. If the sickness is caused by external forces, such as fever or festering, then you must draw out the sickness. When this is done, it is especially important to remember to not take the sickness into yourself, but to convert it to energy and allow it to pass through you and into the ground; otherwise, you may contract the sickness yourself; though you will soon be protected from disease by your bond with your partner.”

  “Send it to the ground?” he said, “Doesn’t that intentionally cause harm to the world itself?”

  “Do you not remember me telling you about energy?” she chided. When he nodded, she went on, “As I have told you, all things in this world get their energy from the sun, or directly from the world itself. Energy is energy, neither good nor bad. When you direct energy that is causing disharmony away from the body and into the ground, the world absorbs that energy and returns it to the source so that it is cleansed and can be used again. No harm comes to the world.”

  He then thought more about the wounded men he’d seen who had lived, especially those who had been maimed and still carried the scars, both physically and mentally. “What about old injuries? Can you heal someone who was crippled by an injury? Is it possible to undo the crippling effects of such a wound and make the person whole again?

  She considered his question for several moments before finally answering. “The healing you have practiced is moving energy to enhance a natural process that is already occurring; it requires no special knowledge on your part. It just requires that you provide the extra energy needed to speed up the process so that it happens in seconds or minutes instead of days or weeks, not that it isn’t a very useful skill that can save a life in the event of a serious wound.” She paused and drew a deep breath before continuing. “It might be possible to rearrange the living body to mend the crippling caused by an old injury, though it is currently well beyond your skill to do so. At this point, you lack both the magical skill and the medical training. There are mages who have the power, but most of them don’t possess the knowledge of anatomy required to do it either.”

  She paused, gathering her thoughts, “Remember what I told you about intent?” When he nodded, she continued, “If someone is crippled by an injury, you would need to know about the physical structures within the body to heal them, otherwise your efforts would simply be hit or miss. You might get lucky, but you might cause even more harm. The same would hold true for a fresh wound such as a severed limb. You could use magic to reattach the limb, but if you know nothing about the structures, you might end up with a reattached limb that has an inadequate blood supply. That would then result in the limb becoming septic and infecting the rest of the body. You could kill the person trying to save his arm or leg.” Before he could ask, she added, “As for healing a cripple, or re-growing a limb, that takes a very high degree of skill with magic, and an uncommonly complete knowledge of anatomy.”

  After a moment, she said, “Also, remember that not everyone wants to be healed.”

  “Why wouldn’t someone want to be healed of a crippling injury?”

  “Well,” she told him, “some people become comfortable with their infirmities.” Before he could object to her statement, she went on, “I’m sure you’ve seen instances where a person with a moderate to severe physical impairment finds a way to function at some meaningful task.” Again, he nodded. “I’m also sure that you’ve seen people no more disabled who either let others take care of them or end up as beggars, seemingly unable to do anything else.”

  “Yes,” he said thoughtfully, “I have.”

  “While not all who are crippled in some way have the ability, or the opportunity, to rise above their infirmities, there are those who let their disabilities rule their lives because it gives them an excuse not to try. They define themselves by their disability rather than by their abilities. Removing that disability, if you are able to do so safely, could cause them to lose the one hold they have on life. Once they are no longer disabled, they then have no reason other than their own inadequacy for failing, and they can easily become suicidal.”

  They were both silent for a long time before she spoke again. “You have been given a great opportunity. The thing you need remember in everything you do, but especially when magic is concerned, is that you must be sure of the situation before you act, because a careless act of kindness could easily go awry and cause great harm. Unless your life, or the life of someone else, is in immediate danger, you must learn to think things through thoroughly before acting. It is always easier to not make a careless mistake than it is to remedy the act once it’s been done.”

  He started to ask another question, but was silenced by a sharp hiss from the dragon. “Hush now, our time is short, and I must tell you several things before we part.”

  At her words, Delno became acutely aware of his contact with the young dragon. She had grown anxious, and he felt she was in some need. He started to go to her when the old female called him back. “She will be fine. You must listen to what I have to say.”

  He was momentarily torn between hi
s perceived need to help his partner directly and his need for the training the old female wanted to impart. He decided that her words were important and that he had best listen.

  “You have felt the magic, and you have some degree of control over it,” she said. “You must understand that the same energy that you use to heal can be used for defense or attack. That knowledge can save your life if you keep your wits about you when a crisis arises. You summoned enough energy today to kill several of your kind. That is great power and should only be used at great need, but don’t hesitate to use it if the need is great. There is no dishonor in using magic to kill when you are outnumbered or outmatched.”

  “Killing is not honorable, but is sometimes necessary,” he stated flatly.

  The dragon was stopped short at his comment. She considered him for a moment, and said, more to herself than to him, “Yes, I believe you were the right choice.”

  Then she drew herself up and said, “I have taught you only the very basics of one type of magic. I haven’t the time to teach you more and you need the training. There is an old conjurer in the southern kingdom of Palamore. You must seek him out and learn from him. His name is Jhren.”

  “Will he be willing to instruct me?” he asked.

  “I doubt it,” she responded, “but when he refuses, you must tell him your dragon’s name and say to him that teaching you will fulfill his debt to Corolan.”

  The name she spoke was almost a whisper and brought such sadness to the old dragon that Delno realized at once that Corolan could only have been her rider. He bowed his head and said, “I will do as you have bidden me, but can’t you tell me my dragon’s name?”

  “No,” she stated in a way that invited no rebuttal. “Have you not noticed that I have never asked your name? Haven’t you noticed that we have not referred to each other by names at all?”

  At his nod, she continued, “As I have told you, words have power, and names have great power. By knowing each other’s names, we make a much stronger connection. I like you, human, but I have no desire to strengthen that connection by exchanging names. If we did, I would have one more thing to tie me to this world that I am desperate to leave. Your partner will know her name, and she will tell you.”

  They stared at each other for several moments. Finally, he nodded once, and with tears coursing unchecked down his cheeks, he placed his hand on the old dragon’s snout said, “I understand, and I would not hold you to this world longer than you wish, but know this; you have touched me deeply, and you will never be forgotten.”

  The old dragon reached out to the pile of forest debris and uncovered the egg. She bent forward and spoke to the egg for several moments. Delno couldn’t catch the words, but he understood that the mother was somehow passing on her daughter’s legacy.

  Then, with her own tears flowing, she said, “I have but one gift left to give you in payment for saving my life and the life of my daughter. It is a small thing, but it is all I have.” She again leaned her head over her daughter’s egg and breathed a small gout of flame on the shell. The fire was so hot that it was uncomfortable from several feet away.

  He was initially alarmed that the little dragon would be harmed. At the look on his face, she said, “Do not worry, she has taken no hurt. What I have done is mark the shell so that when it breaks, one shard will form a blade. It will need to have a handle fashioned, but it will be impervious to harm and never dull. I hope it serves you well.”

  Then, with one last backward glance, she gathered herself up and leapt to the sky. In just a few moments she was lost to sight, though Delno stood and watched the sky where she had vanished for nearly a quarter of an hour, until the sound of the little dragon breaking through her shell brought him back to where he was and what was at hand.

  Chapter 12

  While he watched the egg, it rocked frantically as the young dragon fought to escape her tiny prison. At first, it looked as though the shell was just too hard for the creature to break, then a small crack appeared near one end. The egg rocked even faster, and the crack widened. More cracks began to line the surface. Then a small piece of shell broke loose, and the little dragon’s nose poked out, and she began working at the shell around the hole. Soon, her whole head was sticking out, and she was pushing, almost angrily, at the rest of the tough casing in which she was trapped.

  Delno started to move to help but she hissed and told him in no uncertain terms that she could and would manage this herself.

  She gave a last shudder, and then the shell seemed to almost explode, and she was left standing, spreading her small wings. Her posture looked exactly like her mother’s posture just before she leaped in the air to fly. The only word he could think of to describe her was majestic.

  Delno’s second thought was how wonderfully gorgeous she was with the sun shining on her. She was a beautiful bronze color, and, as the sun glinted off her scales and hide when she flexed her muscles, he could see hints of both green and red iridescence.

  The next thing he noticed was that now that the immediacy of freeing herself from her egg had passed, her hunger was rapidly moving to the forefront. He cast around for something to feed her and realized that all he had in camp was a slab of bacon and some jerky. He had no sooner thought of these then she made an awkward, but ferocious attack on the pack that held the provisions. She tore through the tough canvas bag as easily as if it had been nothing but a layer of butcher’s paper. Realizing that this would not hold her long, he reached out and told her that he would have to leave her to get meat.

  “Why must you go?” she said. She seemed afraid of the prospect of being alone.

  “If I take you with me we might be seen,” he replied, “that would be bad. It isn’t that far, I won’t be gone long. Just wait here and I will bring you back enough for the next couple of days.”

  “I don’t want to be alone,” she whined petulantly.

  “If you had given me a bit more warning before breaking out of your shell, I would have had the meat here,” he told her. “As it is, I have no choice but to go and fetch it.” Then he added, “Unless you would rather go hungry?”

  His question convinced her. “You will hurry?” she implored.

  “I’ll run as fast as my legs will carry me,” he assured her. “You stay here and stay out of sight. There are most likely no people about, but I don’t want to take any chances.”

  She wasn’t happy about staying, but she controlled her hunger, which was considerable despite the fact that she had just devoured enough bacon and jerky to fill the stomachs of three men, and found a comfortable place under a large bush to hide while he went for more food.

  As he turned to leave, he noticed the shards of the dragon’s egg. Among the debris was one that stood out from the rest. It was obviously the blade his partner’s mother had made for him. It looked just like the old saber he carried, but with the tang exposed. The blade, about a yard long including the tang, looked like ceramic instead of steel. He picked it up and realized that it was lighter than metal but felt strangely more substantial than any other weapon he ever before held. He tucked it into his belt and took it with him.

  He was a bit surprised to find himself still breathing easily after sprinting to the pasture. He hopped the low wall and quickly located the flock of sheep. He chose the largest and strode forward, intent on cutting it out of the flock and herding it to the clearing. He was just beginning to think that it would be a good idea to take several animals back when the dragon’s hunger washed over him so suddenly that he almost doubled over from the physical sensation of it. He quickly used his mental skill to damp down the contact, but the urgency was unmistakable. He decided to bring just one animal and return for a couple more once she was sated.

  He soon discovered that herding sheep was a learned skill, not an inborn talent. The next thing he learned was that herding one sheep away from the flock was nearly an impossibility. The individual he had chosen weighed nearly as much as he did, and he had no rope or other suc
h material with him to make a collar to lead the animal. The sheep was extremely reluctant to leave the others of the flock. Every time he made a little progress in moving the beast away from the others it would take the first opportunity to rejoin them. The tug-of-war with the creature would have been comical if he had not had the little dragon in his mind alternately demanding and imploring him to hurry.

  He chose a somewhat smaller one and decided that he would have to butcher it as best he could right there in the pasture and carry as much meat back as possible. When he grabbed the animal he remembered that the only blade he had brought was the one made for him by the mother dragon. Being somewhat reluctant to use that for something as mundane as slaughtering a herd animal, he decided to try and carry the sheep back alive. Grabbing the ewe’s legs, its back legs in his right hand and its front legs in his left, he hoisted it over his shoulders with its legs dangling on either side. The ewe struggled very briefly then became quite quiet and placid. He moved back to the low, stone wall and stepped over. Then he started running back to the clearing where his young partner was waiting rather impatiently for his return. While the return trip was a bit slower with the extra weight of the ewe draped over his shoulders, Delno was still pleasantly surprised at how easily he moved, considering the handicap.

  When he entered the camp, the young dragon rushed forward to meet him. While she was certainly a bit awkward compared to what he had seen of her mother, she was still able to move rather quickly, and was nearly dancing when he stopped and set the ewe on the ground. It was all he could do to keep her from pouncing on the sheep and trying to eat it alive.

  He swiftly went to his gear and grabbed his belt knife and used it to cut the animal’s throat. He made the cut so quickly that the ewe showed no reaction and just stood there dumbly as its life drained from its severed jugular vein. The young dragon reacted instantly to the blood, positioning herself to catch the warm liquid as it drained from the sheep’s neck. He almost tried to restrain her, but then thought better of doing so, reasoning that the blood was probably as nourishing as the meat itself, and the act of drinking the blood seemed to take some of the edge off of her hunger.