The Dragon Healer of Tone (World of Tone)

by Adams, A. D.

  “I have healed you. You may go, or you can come back to our home.

  It is your choice,” the small human said with a voice as powerful as any dragon.

  “I’ll come with you,” he said almost not believing that he agreed.

  Something was definitely different. The two small humans climbed onto Dawra’s back, and she and the old one took off. He followed behind. They flew toward the coast and suddenly dove down into a massive crevice and landed on a large flat rock in front of a cave opening. Above the crevice, several dragons flew, and in front of the cave, there stood several nymphs. One was very old and was dressed oddly. He had not seen a nymph for a long time, and he thought that they were not worth even the effort to eat. So he was quite surprised to see the three and then the large number of them in the red lake. He was even more surprised at the color of the water, blood red; he had never seen anything like it. As soon as they landed, the old nymph stepped forward and began to talk in the odd dragon tones, just as Terra.

  “I heard what happened. The thing that attacked you is known as a Yafta.”

  “And what is a Yafta?” Terra said as he climbed from Dawra and helped Fienna down.

  “It is an ancient beast that was long ago killed off by the dragons.

  You see these things came from the cold north, and they were the only known things that could kill dragons. They could also make themselves appear to be a dragon. There never were too many of them because they would kill anything they came across including each other. The only time this was not the case was during a short mating season, and then only the females would be immune from death and only while they were mating. A very violent and stupid animal.”

  “What happened to them exactly?” said the old dragon.

  They tended to kill dragons quite often, so the dragons created hunting groups of five or six and tracked them down. They would surround one and flame it to death. The dragons killed them all hundreds of seasons ago.”

  “How do you know this?” Hectise heard himself say.

  “I have old records that tell the story.”

  “Huff.” Hectise puffed a small amount of smoke in a defiant manner.

  “It doesn’t really matter. It’s gone and won’t return,” Terra said in a calm and soft voice.

  “Your fearlessness is quite exasperating, you know,” the old nymph said.

  He continued, “Don’t you realize that the witch that attacked you sent that thing? She will keep trying to kill you.”

  “I can’t control what others do, and I don’t care to. If it becomes necessary, I’ll kill her, but I will not hurt anyone unless it is needed. If you don’t like it, that is your problem.” With that Terra made it clear that the subject was closed.

  Chapter 69 - Time For the New and a Change

  (It is not often that you Meet Your Father for the First Time.)

  356 set of seasons since the coming of the Averons

  Hectise did not quite know what to do.

  “This is your father Fienna,” Dawra said.

  Hectise dropped his head to her level. “You are my father?”

  “Yes, yes I am.”

  “You never wanted to meet me?”

  “Yes, actually I did, but it’s not our way. You were a beautiful dragon, and you are still quite beautiful even though you are human.”

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “It’s been a long sun-rising. Why don’t we continue this tomorrow,”

  Terra said as he walked up to Fienna and put his arm around her.

  “Yes, I’ll come back in the morning.” Hectise said.

  “Perhaps you could sleep in front of our cave; it is a warm sunset,”

  his daughter replied.

  “That would be nice. Even though I am healed, I am tired,” he said in a truly tired voice.

  “I’ll stay also,” Dawra said with a little distrust in her voice.

  “We will be back in the morning also. I have some things I need to talk to you about,” the old Sinut said as he and the other two nymphs walked toward the shore.

  Terra and Fienna walked into the cave and back to the waterfall.

  “It’s the new moon to sunset,” Terra said.

  “You think you’ll change?” his mate said with a bit of concern.

  “I don’t know. We’ll have to see tomorrow. If I do, I’ll stay in the cave. I don’t really want anyone but us to see me.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. It just seems the right thing to do. I’m not sure quite why.”

  The two lay down near the pool and fell asleep in each other’s arms.

  As the sun rose in the morning, its first rays entered the cave. The crystals hanging from the ceiling were the first to catch the rays. As each absorbed the sun, it lit up like a multi-colored star. Slowly, each in turn caught the light. Gradually, the great cave came to life with all the colors of the world. Finally, the light reached the back cave, and as it entered the sanctuary of the two sleeping figures, one rolled over and stood.

  Terra moved away from Fienna as he felt the change start. Fienna awoke then and turned on her side toward him.

  “Is it happening?” she asked as she saw his body begin to shimmer in the light.

  “Yes,” he said as the first changes spread across his body.

  Soon he was the great white dragon once more.

  Terra stretched his massive body as he looked down at the small figure lying near the pool’s edge.

  “Let’s go into the cave, so I can stretch out.”

  “All right.”

  Terra moved carefully into the main cave, making sure that he did not hurt his mate. Fienna followed. Terra extended his wings, flexed his great muscles, and then laid down exposing his stomach and chest.

  Fienna sat down and laid her body and head against Terra’s chest.

  Outside the cave, Hectise awoke and stood up stretching his body and waking Dawra from a disturbed sunset of sleep.

  “Are you going to leave?” Dawra asked.

  “No, I feel as if I should stay and help. I know it’s not our way, but something is drawing me to stay.”

  “He healed you. After that, you’re changed forever. I don’t really understand it; dragons that would have killed each other in normal circumstances fly together to protect him.”

  The two heard the water stir and saw the old nymph swimming toward the shore.

  “Why are these nymphs here?” Hectise said in disgust.

  “They, too, are under his spell of healing. From what I gather, he has healed many of them, and the whole race seems to honor him. That one is some kind of wizard. He backs away from Terra though. I think he knows more than he says,” Dawra said as she looked at it swimming to shore with a very suspicious look on her face.

  The old Sinut came to the shore and began to walk up to the cave’s entrance. The two great dragons stood blocking his way and apparently not wishing to move. He stood patiently waiting for them to make way for him. Then some noise seemed to come from the cave, and the dragons entered its great mouth followed by the old Sinut.

  As they entered, the sight that befell their eyes was incredible. The most massive dragon they had ever seen lay on a flat shelf. His body was solid white except for the crystalline teeth and back ridge. Fienna lay with her small head against his chest surrounded by the six glittering lights at the ends on the engraved spokes of the wheel that long ago had melded into the skin of the two. She looked like a queen crowned with the power of Tone. The three were awe struck by the sight. Even Dawra was speechless although she knew from Lowlack that Terra did become a dragon. As Terra raised his huge head to look at them, Fienna actually talked.

  “Yes, it’s Terra.”

  Answering the question, they all had in mind.

  “I think I should get up and greet our guests,” Terra thought to Fienna.

  She got up and moved to the edge of the ledge that they were laying on. Terra then stood, his head just short of the crystal spik
es extending from the ceiling. He towered over even Hectise, and all looked up at the incredible creature before them. The old Sinut feeling like a grain of sand on a shore slowly backed out of the cave realizing that perhaps the old witch was right. It may be better to allow Terra to find his own path.

  He was beyond any power of which he could conceive.

  “Are yooou Terra?” Dawra said in a voice that was full of both fear and amazement.

  “Yes, I am. I am the same as before just bigger. I could never harm you. After all you’re the only mother I ever knew,” he said in an enormously powerful but gentle version of his human voice.

  “What causes you to change?” she asked.

  “I change the sun-rising after the new moon. I don’t know why or how.”

  After his answer, the cave became quiet, and then Hectise spoke up.

  “I would like to repay my debt to you, help in the guard duties, and perhaps get to know my daughter a little better. If that is not a problem.”

  “No, please do. Both Fienna and I would like you to come back and see us,” Terra said as he nodded his head toward Fienna.

  Just then, Lowlack walked into the cave and saw Terra. Even though he had seen him in flight, he had never been this close and could not have judged how great a creature Terra truly was in his dragon state.

  “I will stay in the cave this sun-rising. I don’t want to excite too many with my appearance. So just carry on like you normally do. Lowlack, could you show Hectise what you have set up; he would like to help if you need any,” Terra said in a low and gentle voice.

  Lowlack looked at Hectise with a bit of jealousy in his eyes.

  “I will give him something to do,” he said changing his look to a playful gleam.

  The three left Fienna and Terra to themselves. It had been a long time since they had been together without any disturbances, and they enjoyed the time just being alone and resting from the previous sun-rising’s exertions. As the sun began to set, Dawra walked into the cave. She could see the light in the crystals beginning to fade and at the same time, Terra’s massive body seemed to begin to shimmer in the low colors of dusk. Slowly, his body began to change. He was getting smaller and his wings were retracting into his back. Soon he was back to his human form. As she watched the metamorphosis taking place, the power and magic at work within this being awed her. She now knew that both Terra and her daughter were destined for something beyond her imagination.

  Chapter 70 - A Time to Find Help

  (A Mate’s Pain is shared by both.)

  356 set of seasons since the coming of the Averons

  Fienna continued to be sick to her stomach every morning. Terra was able to make her feel well again, but he could not understand what the problem was. Every time he touched her to take the sickness away, he felt a power or energy building in her. It was not harmful, in fact, it seemed to belong within her, but it was growing with every new sun-rising. As his concern grew, Fienna felt more and more alarmed.

  Finally, he told Dawra of Fienna’s morning illnesses.

  “I cannot stop it from happening, and the nymphs have no idea what is wrong,” he said as he finished telling Dawra the problem.

  She thought for a moment, and finally said, “Perhaps we should get a human healer that would understand what is happening.”

  “I have been thinking about that also, and I thought I would go with Lowlack and kind of pick one up,” Terra said.

  “What do you mean pick one up?” Fienna said in a concerned voice.

  “I don’t want you leaving me alone.” she continued.

  “Our minds will never be apart, and I think it would be best if we find out what is happening,” he thought to her.

  “I’ll come to them,” she thought back.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I want you safe. You know nothing will happen to me, and I plan to increase the guards around you threefold so you are safe,” Terra thought in a firm tone.

  Fienna grudgingly agreed, and after several sun-risings of preparations, Terra mounted Lowlack, and the pair took off. Lowlack flew out over the rocky terrain around the crevice, which slowly turned, into grassy slopes and finally the human’s valleys. They finally flew across a well-traveled path. From their vantage point, they saw a group of those odd caves that the humans built. This group was about two or three hundred dragon’s lengths from a clearing in a dense forest that could only be seen from high above. Terra could also see a single human made cave about five or six hundred dragon lengths from the larger group with the clearing about half way between the two.

  Lowlack started down making sure that he was coming down out of the sunlight so no one could see his approach. He gently settled down in the center of the clearing. Both of them looked around carefully to check if anyone was about or had been alerted, then Terra climbed down to the ground. Lowlack wanted him to wait a while to make sure no one came investigating. So Terra settled down on the ground leaning against the dragons tail. The sun slowly rose, and Terra finally felt it was time to go.

  “I’m going to go to that path we saw and start walking to the group of caves we saw. Just stay hidden here till I get back.

  “Fine. I’ll be waiting,” said Lowlack.

  “Um, if I have someone with me don’t make any sudden moves.

  You might scare them to death.” Terra added as he started to walk toward the edge of the clearing where the forest started.

  “Sure,” Lowlack said with a little chuckle of laughter.

  The plants were quite dense at the edge of the clearing, and Terra had to force his way through. Finally, reaching a point where he could see the path, he stayed hidden until he was sure no one was about. Then he stepped onto the path, turned toward the caves, and started walking.

  He heard some noise just around a curve in the path, and as Terra approached, a small boy jumped out. The child stopped and looked up at Terra as if he were the strangest site he had ever seen. Then he started talking very fast as he began running and jumping around Terra. Terra kind of recognized the sounds he was saying but not what they meant.

  Then the boy touched his hand, and all the language the boy knew flooded into Terra’s mind.

  “Can’t you hear? Are you deaf or something? Why don’t you answer my questions?” The boy blurted out while pulling on Terra’s hand. He was speaking so fast that Terra had little chance of answering at all even though he now understood everything the boy was saying.

  Finally, Terra broke into the stream of questions.

  “I can hear you. I understand.”

  “Why didn’t you answer me then? Who are you? You’re the biggest man I’ve ever seen. You’re huge even bigger than my father is.”

  Again Terra had to break into the non-stop questions and comments.

  “I’m a stranger here,” he said as he knelt down to the boy’s level. “I don’t quite know were I am,” he continued.

  “Oh you’re just outside Zitar. It’s my village,” the boy said with pride. “Why are you so big?”

  “I don’t know it’s just the way I am. Who are you?”

  The boy stuck his chest out and said, “I am Sifar. The greatest warrior of all Tone.”

  “I see,” Terra said with a smile.

  “Well, Warrior Sifar, I am Terra, and I’ve come looking for a healer.

  My mate is ill, and I need one’s assistance,” he continued.

  “Mate! Wife you mean. Your wife?”

  “Yes, my wife.”

  “You’re going the wrong way; the healer’s in the cabin up the path.

  Come, I’ll take you. Come, come, come,” the boy ran in the opposite direction.

  Apparently, Terra was not quick enough, for the boy came running back grabbed his hand and pulled on it.

  “Come on; it’s not far. Come on,” he said impatiently while pulling even harder on Terra’s hand.

  They walked as the boy babbled on about everything. Nothing was too small to pick up or too big to hit wit
h a stick the boy was now carrying. As they approached a bend in the path, a man appeared walking toward them. He was a small bent-over man with little hair and did not seem to see Terra at first. Terra was reminded of something when he saw the man, but he couldn’t quite remember what. When the little man finally did see Terra, he stopped and backed up until he tripped over a rock almost falling. The boy laughed, and the man looked at him as if he were going to kill. The boy stopped laughing and ran back to Terra hiding behind his legs. The man walked to the far side of the path and past the two watching them with suspicious eyes and a look of a snake. That’s it; he looked like a snake, Terra thought to himself.

  “Who was that?” Terra asked Sifar in a quite tone.

  “That’s Wistack. He’s a trader. Many say he cheats people. My father won’t even talk to him. He hates me. He told me he’d beat me if he ever caught me. I don’t like him.”

  “He won’t hurt you while you’re with me. I promise,” Terra said as the two started to walk again.

  Faray was sitting in the chair by the fire knitting. She was a beautiful young woman with long dark hair and almost white skin. Her dark amber eyes were hauntingly beautiful. Some said she could see into your soul with them. She lived with her mother, the local healer. She also was a healer but not yet fully trained. Her mother was very careful in the way she allowed Faray to use her healing powers and was taking extra time in her training. She didn’t fully understand this, but she wanted to make her mother happy. She had such a hard life especially since her father died. Just then, a knock on the door disturbed Faray’s concentration on her knitting. She got up setting her work on the chair’s seat and went to the door. She opened it, and there was Wistack. She hated the man and so did her mother, but he started to come around soon after her father died eight sets of seasons earlier. Her mother put up with him afraid he might hurt her or Faray. He was powerful and was connected to the queen somehow.

  “May I come in?” He asked in a high-pitched nasal voice, which irritated Faray’s senses.