by Ivy Clyde
“The lady has been poisoned,” he said after his thorough external examination.
“Poisoned?” Cain walked over to us and towered over Koishi. “Do you have the antidote?”
He nodded. “It’s not a rare poison. This is the reason her bleeding won’t stop. The body is trying to repel it and let it flow out through the blood. Somehow, she’s managed to lower her heartbeat which has preserved her life so far.”
Even though Koishi looked like a senile aging peasant, he seemed to know what he was talking about. Relief spread through me to know he could treat her.
“Help her, Master Koishi,” said Adal. “I will owe you for this.”
Koishi waved it away. “I need all three of you to move away. You’re crowding me.” His shiny beetle-black eyes pointedly stared at me. “You too, Prince Norvin of Redfall.”
I obeyed him, climbing down from the cot while Koishi moved closer to Daria. The three of us stood near the threshold of the cottage, giving the healer space to use his herbs and poultices, but also near enough so we could be by Daria’s side if she needed us.
We remained silent, each of us lost in our own thoughts while Koishi cleaned Daria’s wounds, spread poultices on the gash and bound it well. The linen bandages stayed unsoiled. It was a relief to see she wasn’t bleeding any more.
Koishi proceeded to boil some herbs in the kettle over the fire.
“Feed her the potion slowly,” said Koishi from the corner. “I am giving you packs of the mixed herbs so you can give it to her twice a day.” He held up thick packages wrapped in dried lotus leaves.
“Thank you, Master Koishi,” said Adal gratefully.
We allowed the healer to feed her the medicine for now. Once he was done, he motioned for us to follow him outside the cottage.
“She’ll be fine,” he added, understanding our trepidation. “No one will materialize in there to harm the young lady.” The scorn in his voice made us move after him.
“She needs to stay under complete rest for at least two days. The herbs will keep her asleep but you must keep feeding the potion to her. She will sweat at times but it’s a good sign because the remaining poison will be flowing out of her body.”
“How long will it take until she heals completely?” I asked.
“She is someone like you three, isn’t she?” he asked.
Cain, Norvin and I exchanged a glance. No one had told him about who Daria was.
“There is no need to look like that,” cackled Koishi. “I can tell it from the beat of her pulse. She is a dragonborn.”
“She is, Master Koishi,” agreed Adal. “But you must not tell a soul what happened here today. It is for your own protection.”
Koishi nodded, sweeping away the wispy white strands of hair away from his face. “I understand, Your Highness, but does Lady Jifa know about all this?”
“She does,” said Adal. “But it’s best to stay away from her at the moment. I’m sure the royal family won’t take my betrayal lightly. She will have to pretend to be ignorant of everything.”
Koishi nodded, strapping his bag over his shoulders. “I will get going then, My Prince,” he said. “I don’t understand what you are up to, but I wish the best for you. Take care of yourself for your mother’s sake.”
Adal nodded meekly. He must have been close to the old healer for the man to treat him so candidly. We watched him walk away on slightly bent legs and disappear into the shadows of the night.
4
A long breath escaped me when the healer hurriedly left the cottage. While our situation wasn’t ideal, at the very least, Daria was going to be okay and the three of us were united again. I cast a glance at my companions. They looked visibly relieved as well.
“So what now?” asked Norvin.
“We have no choice,” said Adal. “We should leave this place before Zane and Mekhi forces my brother to send soldiers to capture us. Both Kurozeru and the soldiers know they don’t stand a chance against me, but do you think Mekhi would care? He will want retribution for what happened to Zane.”
Norvin scoffed. “Zane got what he deserved.”
While I agreed with him, I knew things had become extremely personal. It was no longer about being traitors to the four kingdoms. Daria, our woman, had cut off Ivan’s son’s dick, rendering him impotent for life. It was an act worse than killing him. We would no longer be spared. Ivan would come for our blood himself.
“We leave,” I said, walking back towards the cottage.
Entering through the open doorway, I moved to look down at Daria. Koishi had done a good job of bandaging her wounds. There was no blood on her anymore. Only the darkening bruises remained.
She was still being covered by my blood-soaked tunic. Going to the corner, I brought out the basket of clothes Daria stole from a washerwoman last time we were there. Choosing one of the kimono-style dresses from the bundle, I walked back to her.
“Gather the herbs and poultices that Koishi left,” I said as soon as Adal and Norvin entered the cottage. “I’ll dress Daria and we’ll leave immediately.”
As Adal went about gathering the things, Norvin walked over to the cot’s side. “Where do you think we should flee?”
“Drakhaven,” I answered.
Adal came to stand beside Norvin. “That was our destination in the first place. Let us not delay.”
Both my friends helped me dress Daria as gently as possible. She was deeply unconscious, not even stirring as we moved her hands into the long sleeves of the plain cotton dress. Norvin used his fingers to remove the tangles from her long, ebony strands and tied them back in a lopsided braid.
I touched Daria’s cheek with the back of my hand. She didn’t feel cold anymore. That was a good sign.
“We should travel northward to Okarijun,” said Adal in a thoughtful voice. “It’s close to the capital but overall, a small town. It is heavily forested and surrounded by mountains. It will be perfect to hide in the caves there. We can go to the town in case we need anything urgently. We should be safe until Daria is well again.”
I nodded, impressed by his knowledge of geography of a foreign land. “That’s where we’ll head then. You’ll lead the way, Adal.” Bending down, I easily picked up Daria’s limp body in my arms. “Let’s go.”
Tuto’s shrieks broke the silence in the cottage. He flopped down from his perch and squawked at us, clicking his beak threateningly. His head rotated sideways as he glared at me with large amber eyes.
“We are taking her to a safer place,” I said as Norvin complained about the owl under his breath. “People might find us here by morning.”
Tuto calmed down considerably, his eyes gazing at me with intelligence. “We are flying to the mountains in the north. You can follow us there. We’ll be faster than you but I’m sure you’ll catch up eventually.” I gave Tuto a minute to see whether he would throw another tantrum. When he simply flew back to his perch on the beam overhead, I nodded at Adal.
With Adal leading the way, we stepped out of the cottage. Despite the grim atmosphere among us, I could feel a subtle shift within ourselves. There was a hint of unbidden glee as we glanced at each other under the moonlight.
“We finally get to show off,” said Norvin with a chuckle.
“I never thought such a day would come,” said Adal, glancing at Daria. “I wish she could see her mates in their true form.”
“She will,” I said determinedly. “The future is open for us all.” A sudden bout of willpower surged through me. The four of us were still together. We were still going to bring down Emperor Ivan. And we were dragons.
Adal dashed forward and within the blink of the eye, he transformed into his glorious form. His scales reflected the moonlight as he took flight.
Norvin shrieked joyfully, dashing past me and shifting as well. His true form was a rare magnificent water dragon with a long, coiling body that sailed through the air like a snake in water. His cerulean scales glittered blindingly as he followed after Adal.
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br /> Tightening my grip on Daria, I morphed. Within a second, I was in my dragon form, holding Daria in my forelimbs. She remained unconscious despite my transformation. I couldn’t help but smile at her. Dari had been terrified the first time she laid eyes on my dragon. A snort escaped me, resulting in a hiss of black smoke bursting from my nostrils.
Scanning the night sky, I picked out the shapes steadily moving westward. Unfurling my wings to their widest span, I took flight.
Wind rushed past me as I flew over the terrain. The world down below disappeared as the wisps of clouds floated by. I didn’t fly as high as Adal and Norvin, hoping to keep Daria away from the cold at higher altitudes.
We flew for over two hours before I noticed Adal circling over a group of mountains. He seemed to be looking for a cliff edge wide enough for us to land. A few minutes later, he dived down. Norvin’s dragon followed him. I hovered over them, waiting for them to choose the best spot.
Adal landed on one of the cliff edges and shifted back to his human self. Norvin followed him and disappeared into a minuscule figure in the distance. Flying lower, I headed for them. As soon as my feet touched the ground, I morphed back. Daria pressed herself against me as a frigid breeze blew by. After the warm weather of Baledonia, Drakhaven felt especially cold.
“This has got to be the safest place for us,” said Norvin, looking at the vast mountain range around us. The cliff was several hundred feet high. Only another dragon could come up to this spot.
Flames sprang up in Adal’s hand. “Let us check out the cave’s interior. It needs to be sufficiently sheltered from the high winds.” He tore his gaze away from Daria and walked into the shadowy depths of the cavernous chamber set against the mountain.
“Wait for us,” said Norvin. “We’ll make sure there aren’t any bears or mountain lions hiding inside.” He hurried after Adal, leaving me standing with Daria in my arms. A flurry of snow drifted down on us. While the cold didn’t bother us, Daria’s weakness would worsen if she was exposed to the weather for long. I also noted we would all need new clothes to blend with the people of Drakhaven who were used to the cold weather all year around.
“It’s empty,” said Norvin, stepping out of the cave. “Go in.”
“We’ll be needing wood for some fire,” I said, looking down at the shivering woman in my arms.
“That’s not a problem,” said Norvin, walking to the edge of the cliff. “This place is surrounded by wood.” Before I could say anything, he jumped off the ledge, taking me by surprise. He dropped sharply before transforming in midair. His dragon dove right down to the pine forest below. Disappearing for a moment, he reappeared with an entire tree clutched in his forelimbs.
“This should be enough.” Norvin’s voice sounded in my mind as he soared back to the cliff. Hovering in the air, he splintered the thick trunk of the pine tree like it was nothing but a crumbling oatcake. I stared in awe as he broke the branches and trunk into twigs and piled it all up within minutes.
“That was impressive,” I said loudly. Norvin’s dragon coiled to his full length and hovered over my head before morphing back.
“Bring her in,” he said, bending down to pile his arms with wood. “It is chilly out here.”
Walking behind Norvin, I entered the shadowy interiors of the cave. It was deep and the ceiling didn’t touch our heads. It was cold and draughty but that was no longer a problem. We had enough kindling to warm up the place. Moving deeper into the passageway, I caught the sight of flickering flames in the distance. Adal stood there, his hand ablaze.
“This is safe,” he said, turning around to look at me.
I nodded. Holding Daria close, I lowered myself to the hard ground and slowly sat down. Norvin placed the pile of woods near us and promptly lighted it. A bright, hot blaze caught up the twigs and the cavern sprang into life. Heat from the inferno seeped into my skin, making me relax.
Adal and Norvin sat down before me. We were quiet for a while, all our gazes fixed on the flames leaping before us as it consumed the wood.
“It will soon be daybreak,” said Adal. He looked tired and I could see the anxiety weighing heavy in his sapphire-blue eyes. With a moment to spare, I could understand how he felt. After spending a lifetime in the shadows, he’d finally shown what he was capable of to all his brothers. His mother was now practically a hostage to them as well. He’d done it all to protect Daria.
“We need to visit the town to gather some supplies,” said Norvin. “We’ll all need newer clothes. Anyone may recognize these Baledonian palace uniforms.”
“I am absolutely empty-handed,” I said.
“Same here.”
We both looked at Adal.
“I don’t have any gold either but we could probably use some of this.” Adal pulled off the rings on his fingers. My gaze went to the golden circlet on his brow as well. Even his royal robes, heavily embellished with gold and silver threads, would fetch a good price.
“And we’ll need food,” said Norvin, leaning against the cave’s wall. “I’ve been famished since the time I got out of the dragon temple.”
“We can split up and get everything done,” I said. “One of us stays with Daria.”
“I’ll look for food,” said Norvin at once, getting to his feet and stretching his arms over his head. “Getting water up here would be difficult but I’ll figure something out.”
“Let me have the rings you want to sell,” I said. “Among the three of us, I’ll stand out the least.” My dark hair was too common in the four kingdoms. It was Adal’s sunshine blond locks and Norvin’s blue-tinged hair and purple-hued eyes that stood out in a crowd.
Laying Daria on the ground gently, I stood up as well. The pale light of dawn lit up the cave’s entrance. It was a new day and another new opportunity for us all.
“It’s best to start out early,” I said, slapping Norvin’s shoulder. “Let’s be off.”
We nodded at Adal. He glanced at us before shrugging off his outer robe. Balling it up, he placed it under Daria’s head. Relief spread through me. Once again, I thanked the goddesses watching over us. I couldn’t have asked for more trustworthy companions on this impossible mission.
5
The black veil stretched in my mind endlessly. Cold and dread pumped through my veins so strongly, it became impossible to conjure any of my magic. I could feel blood and warmth flowing out of me, leaving me weak and chilled.
The last thing I remembered as my consciousness dimmed was the way I’d managed to take away the weapon Zane intended to use on me. He would never hurt another woman that way again. I had no idea if he was dead or alive. In fact, I couldn’t tell whether I’d survived the ordeal. Adal’s voice floated in my mind just before my eyes fluttered close but it could just have been my imagination, conjuring up the voice of my gentlest lover in my last moment.
Thoughts came in and went, making me wonder if I was really dead.
Death was the promise of oblivion, an erasing of the life we once lived. My thoughts only got louder, some deep intuition urging me to break out of the suppressing black veil. I tried to suck in a deep breath but ended up with a hacking cough. Pain flared up in my entire body, and for the first time, I knew I wasn’t dead. Blood throbbed through my veins as my eyes slowly blinked open.
“Gently, Daria.” Adal’s voice spoke from somewhere close to me.
I tightly shut my eyes and opened them again, searching for him in the darkened room. Blindingly bright light from leaping flames caught my attention.
“Are you waking up?” said Adal, his face coming to hover over mine.
“It’s really you,” I said in a low, halting voice, my hand rising up to touch his cheek. His skin was so warm.
I tried to sit up and gasped. Pain flared up in my torso, reminding me of the bloody gash that Zane had given me.
“Take it easy, Daria,” said Adal, rushing towards me to support my back so I didn’t fall back on the hard ground. Sitting up, my fingers brushed over the wound. S
urprisingly, my hand touched rough fabric. I could feel thick bandages wrapped just underneath it. Slowly, looking down I found myself fully clothed in a simple kimono dress.
My gaze turned towards Adal. Fear and worry clouded the depths of his sapphire-blue eyes as he met my stare. Some deep emotion rose within me. My lips parted to speak but I couldn’t form the right words. Instead, tears ran down my cheeks.
“Are you in pain, Daria?” asked Adal, his gaze searching my face for an answer.
“Nothing happened,” I managed to blurt out.
“What?”
“Nothing happened between me and Zane,” I said, the words pouring out of me like I was trying to vomit out poison. “He touched me everywhere but I didn’t let him breach me. I destroyed his manhood forever so he can never hurt another woman like that again.”
“It doesn’t matter, Daria,” said Adal, pulling me against him. Warmth seeped through his tunic and into my skin as I desperately clung to him. “Even if he managed to hurt you, I would never give you up. You will always be mine to protect and cherish. The state of your body and mind will never change that. Zane will die for laying hands on you anyway. Those hands should be cut off just as you severed his dick.”
“So he is still alive?”
“For now. Last time I saw him, Zane was thrashing on the floor, shrieking curses at you and the world.”
“The Drakhaven princes have as many lives as a cat,” I said, cold suffusing my voice. “They keep escaping death.”
“Not for long,” said Adal, his tone grim. “We’ll not hold back anymore. The game is up. It’s war from now on.”
“What happened?” I asked, not knowing how Adal came to save me from the top of the burning tower. As far as I knew, he should have left to meet up with Cain and Norvin at the shack. Just thinking about it made me realize we were inside some kind of cave. “Where are we?”