The Kiss From a Dragon

by C. D. Pennington

  “Is there any hope, Alleran? To cure it, I mean?” asked Jana, almost frightened to know the answer.

  “I will not lie. I do not hold out much hope for a total cure. But should you ask it of me, I will do everything I can to make Esteri as comfortable as I am able.”

  “Yes please Alleran. Do whatever you must to keep her with us.” Cerana felt the tears welling up inside her but tried to fight them, tried to be strong. “Is there anything we can do to help?”

  “Well, another pair of eyes searching for frostbloom would not go amiss,” he said. “The Mallam Mountains are a desolate place, and the less time spent there, the better.” He was rather excited that he might have some company for the trip.

  “Of course,” Cerana agreed. “I will go with you to help.”

  Alleran was just about to express his delight at this, but Jana beat him to it. “Let me go, Cerana,” she said in a rather forceful tone.

  “No Jana, I would rather have you here with Esteri.”

  “C, please. You never let me do a thing to help. Don’t take on everything yourself,” Jana pleaded to her elder sister. “This is something I can do, and I want to do it. Let me go; it will only be for a day, right Alleran?” she turned to the apothecary for support.

  “I can’t see it being much longer, although I will need to go back home to mix the medicine once we have the rest of the ingredients. It’s not much of a detour on the way back.”

  Jana looked to Cerana with pleading eyes. “See? I will not be gone long. Please Cerana, let me do this for Esteri. For us.”

  Cerana thought on this for a moment. She was not happy for Jana to go off into the mountains without her, but was she being too protective of her young sister? Was the mothering instinct coming out in her again? Jana was hardly a child anymore, at twenty-three she was only two years younger than Cerana herself.

  “Alright, go with Alleran.” The eldest Proudstone sister turned to the apothecary and pointed her finger at him. “But you just look after her, do you hear me?”

  “Of course,” he said, slightly shocked at her sudden change in manner.

  “Thank you, C.” Jana hugged her sister close. “When do we leave?”

  “As soon as possible.” Alleran had enough medicine to last about two weeks, but the sooner they could mix some more, the better. “There is little point in delaying.”

  Cerana agreed. “OK, prepare for the journey and get moving. I will be much happier when you return safely to me.”

  “Isn’t that what I normally say to you?” Jana said, flashing that beautiful smile. Cerana smiled back, the tension for a minute released.

  “Yes, sister, it is. I always do return safe - just make sure you do the same for me.”

  Jana smiled and disappeared into the bedroom to get changed and pack some things for the trip. Alleran went to his bag and took out a small linen bag that clinked when he held it aloft.

  “This is all the medicine I have. Let me show you what you need to do, Cerana.” Alleran looked around, making sure they were the only ones who could hear what he was about to say next.

  “Make no mistake. If Esteri does not receive her medicine when she needs it, she will most likely die.”

  CHAPTER 8 – The Journey Begins

  It was another beautiful summer’s day in Barnesbay. There was not a cloud in the azure sky, nor a breath of wind in the air. Birds chirped happily in the trees whilst squirrels darted amongst the branches, nimble and agile as they jumped sure-footed from one thin branch to another. It was the sort of day where the sisters would usually take themselves down to the river or the beach at the foot of the cliffs and enjoy a picnic. But this day, they prepared themselves to save Esteri’s life.

  Cerana had not told Jana of Alleran’s confession that the ephylaxon would likely kill Esteri if not treated, and she thought it best to keep it that way, at least until she returned from her task with the apothecary. She was already beginning to regret her decision to let Jana go with Alleran, but her sister was a very strong-willed young woman, and Cerana knew that she would never forgive her if she went back on her word now. If it had been a solo task, she would never have agreed to let Jana go, but Alleran would be travelling with her - and even though they had not been acquainted all that long, she found herself trusting in the scruffy apothecary. It was a strange thing for her, as Cerana rarely trusted anyone. However, the apothecary seemed to possess qualities in him that she had not seen for a long time – honesty, integrity and plain decency, to name a few. She decided that she would stick to her word and let her sister complete her task, even if she would feel uneasy until Jana walked back through their front door, safe and sound.

  Cerana stood in the warmth of the summer sun, having readied Jana’s horse, Snowdrop. The mare was almost totally white, as her name suggested, but for a few small black patches dotted around her elegant frame. Her sister was an accomplished rider, albeit not as confident and swift as Cerana herself, however she did not doubt that Jana would be perfectly fine with what was undoubtedly the longest trip she had had to make. The Mallam Mountains were a good half-day ride from Barnesbay and were situated north-west of Otterley, where they would have to return to on their way back so Alleran could gather more supplies. Given that it was now mid-morning, they would have to spend the night away at either an inn at Mallam town, or back at Otterley if their search for frostbloom was fruitful enough by the end of this day.

  She tied Snowdrop’s reins to the wooden post as Alleran joined her outside, a bag of potions and ingredients at the ready. They set down at Cerana’s simple workstation that they used as a makeshift apothecary’s desk; Alleran explaining precisely what she would need to do when mixing future medicines for Esteri.

  Alleran taught Cerana to grind the frostbloom and bloodblossom together using a mortar and pestle, leaving out the star sage for now. Once mixed down sufficiently, the tiny granules must be boiled in pure water for one hour, then allowed time to cool before the star sage could be added. A whole sprig of sage was to be stirred into the mixture until the entire substance took on a silver appearance, the colour coming from the pigment found in the herb. The remnants of the sprig should then be removed, and the medicine would be ready. It was not a difficult potion to make, Alleran advised, but it had to be done correctly; otherwise, no effect would be gained, and Esteri would not be relieved of her symptoms.

  Alleran had given Esteri her first dose, which should last for one whole day and would stop the paralysis whilst easing her other symptoms. He had given Cerana the two weeks’ supply he had brought at a high cost of one hundred gold, the majority of which was the cost of the pure water, he explained. The mixture he had used to teach her how to formulate the medicine, he gave her as a gesture of goodwill, and for which she was very grateful. The hundred gold was equivalent - she estimated - to three weeks of her ordinary income from leatherworking. This - along with a further fifty gold she had paid him for the small amount of pure water he brought - would mean that at the very least she would have to get a second job to supplement her income. This was necessary for the family to live, and for Esteri to remain as well as possible. It would be down to Cerana to provide this, as now Esteri would be incapable of doing much at all – and Jana would need to tend to their youngest sister and keep the cottage and grounds in order. Cerana foresaw a long road of hard work ahead for all of them, but without question, she was fully prepared to bear this burden for the sake of her family.

  Apothecary lesson over, Cerana and Alleran walked back to the front of the cottage just as Jana was exiting the front door. As it was such a beautiful, hot day, Jana wore a sleeveless leather jerkin, buckled down the front, and a pair of brown linen shorts secured by a black leather belt. Her long dark hair was tied back in a ponytail by a red ribbon, and on her feet, she wore black leather ankle boots.

  Jana had said her goodbyes to Esteri, who was resting in the bedroom. Realising she had left behind her backpack, she disappeared back into the house to retrieve it
. Whilst Jana was inside, Cerana turned to Alleran, a very solemn look on her pretty face.

  “I am trusting her to you, Alleran,” she said, a hint of warning in her voice. “Bring her back to me. Safe.”

  “I will, Cerana. I promise.”

  “Yes, I believe you will,” she said. “Thank you for everything you have done for us so far. We appreciate it far more than you probably know.”

  “I think I do know,” he said. “The bond between you all is very strong, that is easy to see. I understand it has taken a lot for you to let her come with me, and I will do everything I can to help you all. I feel I am involved now, and I want to do my bit to save Esteri. You have my word.”

  “That means a lot, Alleran. Thank you.” Cerana hugged the apothecary tight and kissed his cheek, making him blush. Jana reappeared from the cottage, backpack in hand, and declared her readiness for travel.

  “Ride safe, sister,” Cerana said to her, embracing Jana as though she were about to go on some dangerous mission from which she may never return. She could not help it - it was her mothering instincts taking over. Seeming to sense this, Jana gently pulled away from her.

  “Blimey C, I’ll most like be back tomorrow eve!” she said. “Anyone would think I was going away for a year!” The women laughed and hugged again before the two riders mounted their horses. Cerana nodded at Alleran, who was taking the lead.

  “Go,” she said, smiling wistfully. “Before I change my mind.”

  Both riders kicked their heels, and their steeds were away, racing up the north path with a cloud of dust behind them.

  CHAPTER 9 – Nowhere to go

  Jana could feel the heat from the sun’s rays on her bare arms and legs as they trotted along the pathway parallel to the Tohenas River. It was so far the same route that Cerana had taken when she had first sought out the apothecary. However, when Jana and Alleran arrived at the small bridge over the river, their path continued north towards the Mallam Mountains and the small village of Mallam itself. Jana was grateful that Alleran knew the way well, for she had never visited the area before.

  There had been little in the way of conversation between the two since they had set off on their journey. Jana remained deep in thought about the situation with her ill sister, and Alleran was thinking hard about what to say to break the silence. Each time he thought of a potentially suitable subject, he quickly changed his mind, not wanting to bore his beautiful travel companion with tales of alchemy and apothecary. He was concentrating so hard that he jumped slightly when Jana it was who eventually did break the silence.

  “I’m sorry for yelling at you back at the house,” she said, flashing him one of her best smiles.

  “Don’t be,” he replied without hesitation. “It must have been a great shock, what I told you all. I can’t blame you for the way you reacted – I could scarcely believe what I was saying myself!”

  “It did take a lot of believing, all that talk of dragons and such.”

  “It still makes no sense,” he said, almost thinking out loud. “I cannot bring myself to believe that the dragons have returned, surely this would not be the way that we would come to realise they were around again, not without sightings or other people suffering the same way as Esteri is. It just makes no sense how this could have happened.”

  Jana reflected on this for a moment. Could the dragons possibly have returned? She did agree though; it was odd that Esteri’s condition just seemed to happen without any other warnings that dragons may have returned.

  “I’m glad you came,” Alleran told her, suddenly gaining in confidence around her.

  “Me too. Although I am surprised C let me come as easily as she did.” She had expected far more of a fight from Cerana when Jana had suggested she went with him instead of her elder sister. Maybe she felt too tired? Jana knew her sister had not been sleeping well of late – not that either of them had, for that matter. However, she was glad Cerana had agreed to let her go, whatever her reasons for doing so.

  “She does seem rather protective of her siblings,” Alleran remarked.

  “Yes, she is.” Jana let out a deep sigh. “Since our parents died, she has taken on the role of Mother and Father, and she will not let us do much at all.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry,” he exclaimed, shocked. “I did wonder where your parents were, but I thought you all must have just moved out together.”

  “I wish that was the case. I miss them so much.” A tear rolled down her cheek and dropped onto her jerkin.

  “Was it long ago?”

  “Fifteen years.”

  “Wow, you were quite young then.”

  “We all were. Esteri doesn’t remember much of them. She was only six when it happened. Cerana and I do, though.”

  Jana often thought of the awful evening, and although she never saw what happened, she had a mental picture engraved in her mind that she could never remove.

  Alleran wanted to know more about what had happened to her parents, but did not want to pry so he avoided outright asking her about it. “So who looked after you after they err, passed away?” he asked, uncomfortably.

  “For a year or so, an old lady from the village kept coming to check on us, but mainly we looked after each other. The city orphanage was full, so the authorities didn’t want to know. So when Magda said she would keep an eye on us, they jumped at the chance – three fewer orphans they needed to worry about or find homes for. They let us stay at the cottage as long as Magda agreed to care for us, but they never checked she did. Even when she stopped coming round, we never saw them again.”

  “Why did she stop coming round?”

  “We never found out. Assume she died or something, she was pretty old. By that time, Cerana was twelve, so she took over responsibility for us all. By then, she had gotten over the shock, but the guilt had taken over her. She kind of wanted to make amends for what happened by looking after the family.”

  “The guilt?” he asked, realising that there was perhaps more to this than first it seemed.

  “She blamed herself. She always has, although we never blamed her. Still does, and I think she always will. She kind of sees it as her duty now to look after us all, even though we are all grown up. She thinks she needs to be mother and father to us, to look after us as they would have.”

  The pathway they had followed since Barnesbay had now turned into a wider road as they approached Mallam, but they soon turned off this road to get to the mountains. They were not far now from their destination, but Alleran wanted to know more now that Jana seemed in a talkative mood. He plucked up the courage to probe a bit further.

  “How could she blame herself if it was an accident?” he gambled that it was some sort of accident, but her response would answer that for him, if she gave him one at all.

  Jana took a deep breath and pondered for a minute if she should say any more to this man about an incredibly sensitive family secret.

  “I have probably said too much already,” she said, deciding that now perhaps was not the right time.

  “Forgive me, I did not mean to pry,” he said, although that was a lie – he did mean to pry, and now his curiosity was such that he was disappointed she would not elaborate further.

  “No it’s fine, it’s just hard to talk about it. I’ve never really spoken to anyone except my sisters before.”

  “You can trust me, Jana. If you need an ear, I have two.”

  “Thank you, Alleran.” She smiled sweetly at him. “How close are we?”

  The change of subject alerted him back to the task at hand, and he realised that he had become so caught up in her tale that he had missed the turning they needed. Rather than admit his error, he guided his horse off the road and across a small stream running alongside a lush green field.

  “We shall take a shortcut,” he said, trying to sound confident. “There are no direct paths to the foot of the mountain range, so we need to cut across this field.” This was true, there were no obvious routes to the mountains, but th
ey had stayed on the road too long and were now approaching their destination from a different angle to which he intended. Jana allowed her mare to take a drink from the stream before following her guide across the field. As they progressed, the Mallam Mountains came more into view, and Jana could see the peaks of some of the higher mountains pointing to the bright blue sky. It was still daylight, and she guessed that it would probably take another hour or so to ride to the start of the range, so they should have a good hour or more of daylight once they arrived.

  “Will we need to gather much today? I’m starving.” The hunger seemed to come over her almost instantly, and now it was on her mind she could not ignore it.

  “As much as we can with the daylight,” he replied. “We do not want to linger there once it gets dark.”

  She dare not ask why, for fear of what she might learn.

  “So we will find as much as we can this eve and then I’ll buy you supper in Mallam,” he continued. “We may need to farm more in the morning, but we will see how tonight goes.”

  Jana liked the sound of supper, but she realised she would have to wait a bit longer to eat. “Okay, sounds like a plan,” she said, her spirits suddenly lifted by the promise of a meal afterwards. “Let’s get moving!” She kicked her heels, and her horse sped off in the direction of the nearest mountains. Alleran smiled and followed behind her.

  It turned out that despite the longer way around than planned, it was, in fact, fortuitous. To his surprise, Alleran found some frostbloom growing near a small boulder at the foot of one of the range’s outer mountains.

  “Oh! What luck!” he exclaimed, jumping down off his horse to investigate the plant. “Frostbloom!”

  The plant itself was small but had long, thin green leaves trailing along the ground. It had blue flowers in a clump around the centre of the plant, but it was the leaves that Alleran was interested in for the medication. “The roots run deep, but all we need are the leaves,” he explained to Jana who had joined him on the ground, studying the plant. “As long as we remove the leaves from about here -” he pointed to an area of a leaf about an inch from the centre clump, “- the plant will, in time, grow back.” He carefully tore away the leaf and placed it into a linen bag, before removing the rest of the leaves from the plant.