The Kiss From a Dragon

by C. D. Pennington

  Esteri always tended to the housework and grounds as her job, with Jana assisting in between hunting and providing food. Otherwise, the younger sisters brought in no actual money. That was left to Cerana, by her own rule. As the eldest sibling, she was the head of the family and took it upon herself to provide for them all in terms of gold, but the only real skill her father had taught her was leatherworking, and tanners were plentiful around the towns and cities of Evorene. She was very good at her craft, but these were not affluent times, and people in need of tanners would usually go to the cheapest they could find, regardless of the quality they received. It was becoming more and more challenging to make a good living without completely undervaluing herself and her services. But what else could she do? It was the only thing she knew, the one thing she was good at. If it came to it, she would have to look for more work in the cities, doing anything she could to earn some more gold for her family. It would come down to her again, with Jana taking on the responsibility for caring for Esteri, who was currently incapable of doing anything. But she did not mind. She would do anything for her family.

  Later that night, Cerana extinguished the remains of the fire and blew out the candles in the living area. She guessed it was nearer to the morning than the night now, and the events of the day had finally caught up with her. She was ready to drop. Checking in on her sisters, they both slept soundly. Jana had fallen asleep in her chair next to Esteri’s bed and was snoring softly. Esteri was in the deepest of sleep too; the rise and fall of the blankets that covered her as she took long, deep breaths reassured Cerana that she was getting the rest she needed so badly. She stood in the doorway for a while, just watching them, silently praying that this thing would leave her beautiful sister and they could all get back to normal. It had only been a few days since they had been cast into turmoil, but it seemed like much longer. She eventually left them when she struggled to keep her heavy eyes open, and settled herself down on the cushions in front of the fireplace, which still gave off a pleasant heat after she had put out the flames. Sleep quickly took her.

  During the new day, Esteri seemed to be much better than she had before Alleran had given her the vial of liquid. She developed another nosebleed after lunch, and the sisters feared the worst – but nothing materialised from it, much to their relief. She managed to eat a meagre amount at supper: a small fish and some bread. It was the first thing she had eaten since the previous day, and the sisters were secretly hopeful that the illness was subsiding. However, their hopes were short-lived as Jana’s nightly watch was interrupted by Esteri screaming and thrashing as she had the day before, once again abruptly finishing with the temporary paralysis. The vial did its job once again, returning her to consciousness, but the fears had returned. The same pattern followed the next day, and the sisters knew that the glimmer of hope for Esteri’s immediate recovery had extinguished again.

  Cerana’s sleep that night was troubled. She woke several times from the same dream – she was falling through the sky, dropping to her death. Her turbulent night eventually ended when a hammering on the front door abruptly awoke her. Someone outside was shouting, and when her groggy senses finally returned to her, she recognised instantly whose voice the shouts belonged to.

  “Is anyone in?” Came the call from outside.

  Cerana’s heart skipped a beat. Alleran had returned to them.

  CHAPTER 6 – A Welcome Return

  The apothecary had brought with him good weather from his journey. Rays of morning sunshine cast patches of welcome brightness through the windows of the cottage, illuminating squares of light on the wooden floorboards like a natural patchwork. Alleran’s hammering at the door had awoken both Cerana and Jana, but Esteri still slept soundly as the elder sisters rose from their slumbers and rushed to greet the most welcome of guests. Alleran’s mess of hair looked even messier as the sisters quickly ushered him into the cottage, and it seemed to Cerana like he had probably had less sleep than herself since he left them several days ago.

  Cerana was hopeful that his timely return would yield good news for the sisters, so she wasted no time in finding out what knowledge he brought.

  “We are eternally grateful for your return, Alleran.” Cerana offered him a seat at the table. “We are hopeful you have brought us good tidings?”

  Alleran’s grave expression brought them no such hope. “I do have some news,” he said. His eyes avoided the hopeful gaze of the two women, instead looking at the floor intently and nervously fidgeting with a button on his jacket.

  “Alleran, tell us.” Jana’s voice was low and nervy.

  Alleran let out a deep breath. “I believe I know what Esteri is suffering with, although I will need to perform a test to confirm my findings. I must warn you though - it may not be the best of news.” His words pierced the hearts of the two women in front of him like a crossbow bolt. “We need to start a fire.”

  Cerana heard him, but the words did not seem to register. “A fire,” she repeated. “A fire?” She was almost in a trance.

  “Yes, I need a fire for the test.”

  Although the revelation made no sense to the sisters, Jana did not argue. “I’ll do it.” She set about stacking the fireplace with dry kindling and logs.

  Cerana wanted to know more. “Please tell us what you suspect, Alleran.” Her heart was pounding in her chest, her words filled with fear.

  “I would rather be certain of what I suspect before unduly alarming you.”

  “It’s too late for that now!” barked Jana from the fireplace.

  The voice from the doorway surprised them all. “Tell us.” Esteri had awoken and was standing there in her nightgown, pale as a ghost. Tears ran down her white face, her green eyes bulging.

  “My love, come and sit.” Cerana hurried over and brought Esteri to the bench in front of the fire that Jana had now lit. Small flames danced on the sticks as they started to engulf the wood. Alleran sat with her on the bench and took her hand in his. It was icy cold. He spoke to her gently, trying to keep the terrified girl as calm as possible under the circumstances.

  “Esteri, I will need a sample of saliva from you to perform the test. Cerana, will you permit me?”

  “Of course, anything you need – just do it,” Cerana agreed.

  Alleran opened his leather bag and scrabbled around for a moment before pulling out a long, thin strip of wood. “I need to scrape a small amount of saliva from your tongue. It will not hurt.”

  Trembling, Esteri opened her mouth wide, sticking out her tongue. Alleran gently scraped the long stick down the protruding organ, gathering a sample of saliva. When he was satisfied he had a sufficient amount, he removed the stick and walked over to the fireplace, holding his hand beneath the stick to avoid any saliva dripping onto the floor. The women were silent, transfixed on his work.

  “If I am right, Esteri’s saliva should be flammable,” Alleran advised his audience. “I kind of hope I am wrong, in a way.”

  This did not ease Cerana’s fears, but before she could argue, Alleran knelt before the fire and dropped the small stick on top of one of the smaller logs that now glowed red with the heat from the fire. Everyone in the room held their breath; Jana hugged Esteri close to her. The stick caught a tiny flame, but it was so small it could not be distinguished from any other stick being set alight. Cerana could not bear the suspense any longer. “Is that what you were expecting?” she asked.

  “Not exactly.” Alleran appeared almost relieved. “The saliva would have had more of an effect than that. I guess it’s back to the drawing board.”

  He stood and started to walk away from the fire when a huge yellow flame suddenly flared in the fireplace, making everyone jump and gasp. The solitary flame burned high, dancing by itself on top of the tiny stick that seemed too insignificant to produce such a great blaze. With tints of green and red in the flame, it seemed almost demonic to the watchers, who stood open-mouthed whilst staring at the unusual event. After no more than a minute, the solitary f
lame died down, leaving just the charred remains of the tiny stick visible on the log. Alleran turned to the sisters, who were visibly shaking with fear and shock.

  “She has ephylaxon,” he announced grimly. “The kiss from a dragon.”

  CHAPTER 7 – Worst Fears are Realised

  Alleran sat with the three sisters around the dining table, each drinking wine from porcelain cups to steady their shredded nerves. After the initial shock, the women had to plan how to continue their lives that had just been turned upside down by the apothecary’s revelation. Alleran was explaining what he knew, but as the sisters soon began to realise, simply knowing about this disease was just the beginning of the road ahead for them.

  “This is such an ancient disease, very little is known of it to modern apothecaries,” he advised, trying to sound as relaxed as he could. “It is so-called because its origins date back to the time of the dragons. It is believed that one could only catch the disease by coming into contact with a live dragon.”

  The girls could not comprehend this one bit. “So what are you saying, she has seen a dragon?” Jana scoffed. “Esteri, have you seen a dragon lately?” Her tone was mocking, as if he was telling them a crude joke. Esteri kept silent but shook her head.

  “This is bullshit,” Jana exclaimed, rising from her chair and sighing deeply.

  “Jana, please.” Cerana tried to calm her sister. “Alleran is only telling us what he has found out. He’s trying to help.”

  “A fucking dragon!” Jana yelled. “How can she have caught something off a creature that hasn’t been seen for decades?”

  “Actually, that’s more like centuries,” Alleran pointed out.

  “Oh, that’s even better then!” the fiery brunette huffed.

  “Sit down Jana, please,” Cerana asked of her sister, a little more forceful this time. “We need to keep calm and figure out what to do here.” Jana hesitated for a minute before huffing and retaking her seat at the table. She folded her arms across her chest and looked like she was going to erupt at any minute.

  “Alleran, what more can you tell us about this thing?” Cerana asked. “How can we cure it?”

  “Well, in there lies a problem.”

  This made Jana groan out loud, but Cerana scowled at her before she could say anything. “There is a cure, but it is said that one of the ingredients can only be obtained from a live, mature dragon. And not just any dragon, but one that specifically can breathe fire.” Alleran drained his cup. The sisters sat and watched him silently.

  “Only certain types of dragons can breathe fire,” the apothecary continued. “These dragons have special venom reservoirs in their mouths, and the venom is released through specially adapted fangs which allow them to breath fire. The missing ingredient for the cure - according to lore - is the venom from one of these such creatures.”

  Esteri immediately burst into tears. Jana tried to console her.

  Cerana was trying to remain calm. “So what are you saying?” she asked. “That even if we do find a large, fire-breathing dragon – alive – we then have to get the venom out of its mouth?” She could scarcely believe the words that were coming out of her mouth.

  Alleran hesitated a moment and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Well, in essence, yes.”

  Jana could control herself no longer. “Well, that’s simple then, isn’t it!” she cried. “Let’s just go find a friendly dragon who is willing to donate some venom for us! Do you really expect us to believe this crap?”

  Alleran dropped his head and stared at the floor, knowing not how to answer her.

  “I think we would have heard by now if someone had seen a dragon recently,” Jana added, her face red with anger and frustration.

  “Jana! This is not helping!” yelled Cerana, tempers beginning to flair again.

  The two elder sisters argued for a minute before Esteri suddenly yelled out.

  “Am I going to die?” Her anguished cry stopped the women arguing, and silence befell the room.

  Alleran cleared his throat. “I am confident that I can stabilise the condition to a point where it should not threaten your life. But without the venom, I cannot fully cure it.”

  “Should not threaten her life?” Jana picked up on the apothecary’s choice of words.

  “Look, I must be truthful. Ephylaxon has not been documented for centuries. These days it is just myth, folklore even. I simply cannot guarantee that modern medicine can do the same job it did all that time ago.”

  “Alleran, you said that the disease came from a dragon in the past,” Cerana was thinking out loud. “So surely that can only mean one of two things. Either the dragons have returned – which is highly unlikely – or something else entirely has triggered this in her.”

  “I agree. But wherever it has come from, we would still need the venom for the cure,” the apothecary concurred.

  “Is it contagious?”

  “No, if history is correct. There have been no reports of the disease passing between humans.”

  “So if it didn’t come from a dragon, where in the hells did it come from? Are you absolutely certain it is this effy-whatever-it-was you called it?”

  “Ephylaxon,” he corrected, almost proudly. “And yes, I am as certain as I can be, now that I have witnessed both the symptoms and the effects of the saliva test.”

  Jana was consoling Esteri, who was still crying. “Come, my love,” she said softly. “Let’s get you a lie-down.” She led her sister to the bedroom; Esteri did not offer any resistance. Jana turned and glared at Alleran as she walked.

  “Cerana,” Alleran lowered his voice when they were alone in the room. “I wish I could give you all more hope. I just cannot lie to you about the severity of this situation.”

  “I know, Alleran. Jana is just upset, we were all hoping that you would come back to us and say you knew exactly what to do, and Esteri would be ok again, and this whole nightmare would be over.” That was just what she had been hoping for since the apothecary had left to conduct his research. This whole situation seemed like one more of the bad dreams she had been having. However, this one sadly did not end when she awoke. It is a living nightmare, she thought.

  Jana trudged back from the bedroom, a look of deep sorrow engraved on her pretty face.

  “How is she?” Cerana asked. Jana tutted at her sister and rolled her eyes as if it was the most stupid question she had ever asked. It might well have been.

  “What do you think?” she sneered. “How would you feel if your whole life had just been turned upside down, and you’d just been told that the one thing that could cure it was impossible to get?”

  Cerana had no response to her sister’s outburst, so she kept quiet.

  “I’m sorry,” Jana said through dampening eyes. “This whole thing is just getting to me. Forgive me.”

  “There is nothing to forgive, my love.” Cerana took her sister in her arms, and they embraced. When the girls released each other, Cerana had more questions for the apothecary.

  “You said that you might be able to do something for her, if not cure it altogether. What is it that you can do?” she asked.

  “Well, I believe I can counteract the symptoms of the disease with a potion – a medicine, if you like.”

  “Do you have such medicine?”

  “I have brought with me a small amount in case I was right about the ephylaxon, but I will need to make more. However, I must again warn you. It will not be cheap or particularly easy to obtain. I have some of the ingredients already, but others will need to be either bought or obtained.”

  “Obtained?” Jana wanted to know more of this.

  “Yes. I will need leaves from the plant known as frostbloom. Alas, this is quite rare, and only grows in one known location in the whole of Evorene.”

  “Where?” both sisters questioned as one.

  “The Mallam Mountains, north of here.”

  “I know where it is,” Cerana snapped, more curtly than she had expected. The stress was g
etting to her. “If we can pick it, why will it be expensive?

  “It’s not the frostbloom that is expensive,” Alleran advised. “The other ingredients are bloodblossom and star sage. These are quite common and can be sourced widely, but they need to be mixed with a vial of pure water, and this is so scarce these days it has become expensive to obtain. Not many can source it, so its value has risen, but it is essential to certain aspects of apothecary.”

  “Whatever it takes, do it,” Cerana declared. “If I need to find another job to make some gold, so I shall.”

  “As shall I,” Jana added, solemnly.

  “No. You must tend to Esteri whilst I work. She cannot be left alone anymore,” Cerana said assertively.

  Alleran nodded his head in agreement. “She will not require constant care, but it would be wise not to leave her alone for too long. The good news is that the star sage should stop the paralysis, but the fits cannot be stopped.”