“All of my skin is stronger now,” said Isabella.
“Simply amazing, what a wonderful gift. Judging from the colors of your scales, I would say a gold.”
“A gold-purple,” corrected Isabella. “Sisera is her name.”
“A gold-purple, amazing!” said Oshri. “What extraordinary luck. My first dragon is a gold-purple. I look forward to meeting this Sisera.”
“How is it that you know so much about dragons?” asked Raven.
“I come from a long line of mages. My father was an apprentice mage during the dragon wars, and my grandfather was a grand mage in the courts of Lady Grace Cabrera, one of the last living Dragonbloods. She was bonded to a white-red named Razeth. During the dragon wars, Lady Grace, Razeth, and my grandfather were killed during a great battle with the army of King Brendan Cantrell. King Brendan Cantrell aligned his armies with the Order of Sacred Blood, a cult dedicated to eradicating all dragons. It wasn’t long after the death of Lady Grace and Razeth, that the dragons left this world.”
“King Cantrell?” asked Isabella. “I remember lessons about him. He ruled Cresthill and almost all of the far south of Seron until he died during a hunting trip. He had no heir and his kingdom fell apart.”
“That was King Mathew Cantrell, son of Brendan. Yes, after the dragons fled, King Brendan’s lands and powers covered most of the far south of Seron, but even in his lands there, many were not happy with his decision to join the Order of Sacred Blood. When he died and passed his throne down to Mathew Cantrell, their power and influence was already starting to wane. When King Mathew fell down a ravine during a hunting trip, it was highly questionable as to whether he tripped on his own or was pushed. The Cantrells were brutal rulers and few were saddened by the sudden passing of King Mathew. After the death of King Mathew, the south of Seron has bristled at the threat of heavy-handed rulers claiming their lands. It’s one of the reasons the Kingdom of Mara fell.”
“Interesting. What happened to your father after the dragon wars?”
“Like others associated with Dragonbloods, he had to go into hiding. The Dark Forest became his home, as it was mine. It was many years after the dragon wars ended before the hatred died down. In Seron we were fairly lucky. After the death of Lady Grace and Razeth, most of the Order of Sacred Blood went south to Droll to fight the dragons there. My father and other mages kept as many of the records of dragon magic and dragons as they could. They knew that one day dragons would return and a new generation of Dragonbloods would surface. I knew dragons were back, but I was worried a Dragonblood would not be found in my lifetime.”
“Isabella, why don’t you take our guests inside. I’ll take Kai’s horse to the stables,” said Raven.
“Yes, I am being a terrible host. Come, let’s go inside.” Isabella led Adina and Oshri into the tower while Raven took the horse to the stables. The stables were not part of the tower itself, but built right into the mountain.
As they entered the tower, Isabella turned to her guests. “It’s rather dark in here, but we’ve cleaned it up some. I’m afraid it will take some work before it is worthy of receiving guests.”
“I can’t be of much help with the cleaning, my old bones don’t let me move like they used to, but I do know how to add some illumination to the tower. You are all that is needed Lady Isabella,” said Oshri.
Isabella frowned, what did Oshri mean by that?
Oshri continued, “The Tower of Kings is an ironic name for this place. It truly should’ve been named the Tower of Dragons. This place was built with dragon magic and is still to this day full of it. But it lays inert, waiting for a Dragonblood to activate it. You only need speak in dragon tongue to activate it’s magic.”
The tower is magical? How exciting, thought Isabella. “But I don’t know any dragon tongue.”
“I’m sure Sisera will teach you all you need to know. In the meantime, I do happen to know a few words. Light is Laheea.”
“Laheea,” said Isabella as she copied Oshri’s pronunciation of the foreign word. Suddenly the walls started to glow. What they had though was normal cream-colored plaster which now had a wonderful soft and warm creamy white glow to it. The ceiling was even more interesting. It was a rainbow of soft colors dancing like the northern lights. Isabella clapped her hands in glee. “It’s wonderful.”
“The fabled ceilings of the tower. Each floor of the tower has different themes. This one is meant to resemble the northern lights dancing across the winter sky. The second floor is supposed to have dragons flying from room to room. The third floor is the two moons setting each night. The fourth floor has flowers that turn into butterflies, and the fifth floor … well, I actually don’t know what the fifth floor looks like. The Dragonblood quarters were not an area that the mages discussed. I’m guessing something special. The tower also has special security measures. Words you can speak to close and lock doors. The spells create magical barriers. It’s said that when the wards are up, no one can enter the tower by force,” said Oshri.
Isabella led them up the stairs to the second floor. Indeed, Oshri was right. The outer walls of the tower were lit just the same on the second floor as they were on the first. The hallways weren’t entirely lit up, but instead had columns every six feet that were glowing, and as they walked closer to a column, it would glow more. As they walked farther away, the glow would return to normal. The ceiling, as promised, had dragons flying across a blue sky. It looked like one dragon chasing the other as they went down the hallway, disappearing into one room only to pop out of another.
They continued on to the third floor. It looked like the night sky, filled with stars and the two moons. It was not as colorful as the first floor, nor as interesting as the dragon scene, but it was still a beautiful display of magic. Isabella would never have imagined the dark and dingy tower was hiding such colorful and magical secrets. Ignoring the ceilings for a moment, Isabella focused on the task at hand. She led Oshri and Adina to a pair of rooms. Isabella and Raven had cleaned most of the third floor rooms enough that guests would be comfortable. It was handy that the bandits had left some beds undamaged, and in some cases made new beds. The bandits were horrendous at cleaning, but had been industrious in other ways. Isabella opened the door to the first room and showed it to Oshri. “While you stay at the tower, this shall be your quarters. I hope you find them acceptable.
The room was simple but large enough to have a bed and a work table. It had a nice sized window that looked out over the courtyard. Oshri gave it a quick glance. “Completely suitable. Bigger than my own room in the forest.”
“I’m glad you like it. There are only a few rooms on the third floor with windows. The rest go into the caves. They have interesting murals on the walls, but I think having a view is better. You may choose a different room if you like.”
Oshri waved her off. “Lady Isabella, we are honored to be here. Both Adina and myself are filled with gratitude that you’ve invited us to the tower. I hope I can serve you well. There is much knowledge about dragons that you should know. Adina is not filled with dragon lore, but she is a powerful witch in her own right. I’m sure she’ll be as much use to you as I will be.”
“Like Oshri, my family served Dragonbloods as well. My family has been healers for hundreds of years. I’ve other magical powers, but a healer is my main calling,” said Adina.
“A healer? Could you help Kai?” said Isabella.
“What is wrong with Kai?” asked Adina.
“He was wounded during the battle to take the tower. He says it’s only a flesh wound, but he’s been bed ridden for three days and it seems to be getting worse instead of better,” said Isabella.
“I’ll get settled in my room, why don’t you take Adina to see Kai. She’s likely to be able to assist Kai’s recovery,” said Oshri.
Isabella looked at Adina for confirmation, the witch nodded. “It’s possible I can help. Some of the bandits that live here are from the Alton clan, who live south of the Dark Forest. The
Alton clan like to use poison on their blades.”
“Poison! That’s terrible, will Kai live?” asked Isabella, suddenly frightened for Kai’s life.
Adina put her hand on Isabella’s shoulder to comfort her. “Don’t worry, Lady Isabella. Take me to Kai and we’ll see if it is poison, or some other issue that is slowing his recovery.”
Isabella led Adina to Kia’s room. Kai was asleep.
Isabella watched as Adina checked Kai’s temperature. “He has a bit of a fever, and he’s clammy.” Adina pulled down the sheet to reveal the wound. It was swollen and ugly looking. “Yes, I do believe he’s been poisoned. I’d guess Inda berry. Not a powerful poison on its own, but rather effective at limiting healing. It’s a good thing the wound itself is not worse.”
“You can help him?” asked Isabella. She hoped very much the answer would be yes. She was very worried about Kai.
“Oh, yes. I will have him back on his feet in no time. But first, do you have any jam? Blueberry or bumbleberries would be best. I could also use some wine or ale, and some dandelion heads,” said Adina.
“What kind of medicine needs blueberry jam?” asked Isabella.
“Medicine? No, it’s not for Kai. The jam is for me. I’m starving! It was a long walk from the forest. The wine or ale and dandelion are for Kai,” said Adina.
“I’ll see what we have for you to eat,” said Isabella as she made her way towards the kitchen. The kitchen was large and well put together with plenty of pantry space and since it was built into the mountain itself it had a great backroom that was as good as any cellar for keeping things dark and cool. The best feature of the kitchen, as far as Isabella was concerned was the water. There was a waterfall that came down the side of the mountain, and the entire tower had been built around it. The waterfall had been channeled into the kitchen. Running water was the most fabulous idea ever. It was incredibly convenient and also meant that during a siege against the tower, water would never be an issue. As long as they had plenty of food supplies, they could withstand any prolonged siege with ease.
Isabella found a loaf of bread, and some preserves for Adina. The preserves were apricot and addle berry, and were part of the supplies they’d gotten in Shelby. The dandelion heads and ale were in the storage area of the second floor. Dandelions were a common plant in the valley, and had one of the longest life cycles. You could find dandelions growing from early spring until late fall, making them one of the more plentiful plants around. Which was good as they were a good food source and used for several different medicines. The bandits also had ample supplies of ale.
Returning to Kai’s room, Isabella found Adina making a poultice.
“You’re just in time, bring the dandelions,” said Adina as she kept grinding the poultice.
Isabella handed Adina the handful of dandelions, which were immediately added to the poultice. Inside the bowl, the poultice was glowing, almost like the walls and columns of the tower. “What is it?” asked Isabella.
“It is Pirita, a fungus that grows in the Dark Woods, mixed with cedar sap and cloves and of course now dandelions. The Pirita will draw out the toxins from the wound, while the sap, cloves, and dandelion will help with the recovery,” said Adina as she worked. She took the bowl of poultice and went over to the bed. Pulling the sheet down past Kai’s wound, Adina started applying the salve to the wound. When the wound was completely covered, Adina put the bowl down and rubbed her hands together vigorously. A warm glow appeared between her hands, and then Adina seemed to push the glow down into Kai’s wound. Adina spoke once the glowing stopped. “Healing magic. I am not the strongest healer, I’ve seen some witches and mages who could heal almost any wound with just their powers, but between using traditional healing and magic, I can produce powerful healing effects. Kai will be feeling fine by morning. The Pirita is really enhanced by magic. Look, you can already see it working,” said Adina as she pointed to Kai’s wound.
Isabella watched in fascination as a small trickle of black material started to ooze out of Kai’s wound. It was thick and black and smelled like death. As the material oozed out of the wound the swelling seemed to go down and the skin around the wound changed color from an angry red to a mild pink. It had only been a minute since she applied the salve and magical energy to the wound, but it already looked much better.
Adina took a cloth and wiped away the black ooze. She then carefully handed Isabella the cloth. “I’d throw that in a fire right away. Don’t let the ooze touch your skin,” said Adina as she walked to the table where Isabella had placed the food and ale. “Bread and …” said Adina while she took a sniff of the jar of preserves, “Apricot and addle berry. From Shelby no doubt. They grow more addle berry there then anywhere in the valley. Tasty little suckers, but I hate picking them. The thorns on the bushes are nasty.” Adina smothered some of the preserves on the chunk of bread and then took a big bite which she washed down with a swig of ale.
“I thought you said the ale was for Kai’s wounds?” asked Isabella.
“Did I say that?” said Adina between bites of bread. “Perhaps I should have said the ale was reward for healing his wounds. The ale is most certainly for me.”
Isabella chuckled. Adina, like Oshri, was an odd character. Isabella supposed that living alone in the Dark Woods had an effect on a person. “You certainly earned a reward. His wounds already look much better.”
“You’re welcome, Lady Isabella. I’m honored to serve you.”
31
AS HIS EYES OPENED, KAI WATCHED A flower blossom and turn into butterfly. The butterfly then fluttered across the ceiling and disappeared. Two more flowers appeared on the ceiling and started to blossom. I must be dreaming, thought Kai as he watched the creative show on the ceiling.
“I’m glad to see you’re awake,” said Raven as she entered Kai’s room.
Kai glanced at the woman and then back at the ceiling.
“How are you feeling this morning?”
Kai thought about it for a second. He felt good. He lifted his sheet and glanced at the wound. It was the tiniest bit pink and starting to scar, but looked worlds better than it had the last time he’d looked at it. “I feel good. Actually I feel really good.”
“Adina Aviel and Oshri Cheni arrived yesterday afternoon. Adina tended to your wounds with magic.”
“I shall have to thank her. How are our guests enjoying the tower?” asked Kai. He was grateful for Adina’s help and hoped she would be staying. A healer was very valuable, something he now could attest to first hand.
“Oshri is perhaps the oldest child I’ve ever met. He’s like a little boy filled with excitement. He’s up top with Sisera right now, pestering the poor dragon with questions. Apparently the tomes and records that survived the dragon wars are not complete. Sisera seems to enjoy the old mages company, but we shall see how long that lasts. He is persistent.”
“And Adina?”
“Adina is with Isabella. They are exploring the tower. Oshri told us yesterday that the tower has magical powers that only Isabella can activate by speaking certain words in dragon tongue. Sisera and Oshri gave her a list of words to try, so she and Adina are exploring.”
Kai looked up at the ceiling, and watched a pair of butterflies dancing. “Is it safe to assume the ceiling is magical?”
Raven looked up at the ceiling. “What are you talking about?”
“You don’t see flowers turning into butterflies?”
“Flowers, and butterflies? I wonder what Adina put into that salve she applied. It seems to be affecting your brain.”
Kai looked at the ceiling again. It seemed so real. He heard a giggle. He glanced at Raven who was trying hard to suppress a grin. He’d been had! He put his head back against the pillow and closed his eyes. “That’s not nice,” he said.
Raven chuckled. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist. Yes, the ceiling is magical. Each floor has its own scene. The butterflies are cute, but I love the first floor, it looks like northern lights. It rem
inds me of my childhood.”
“So lighting will not be a problem anymore?”
“No. The inside of the front wall of the tower glows, and all the hallways have columns that glow when you walk near them. It’s a little strange getting used to, but it changes the atmosphere of the tower completely. The tower is no longer gloomy and dark, now its bright and magical. A fitting home for a young princess. She is as happy as I’ve seen her in years. This magic business is a welcome distraction from the weight of her burdens.”
Kai nodded. He was glad to hear that Isabella was happy. Being a princess and Dragonblood carried many responsibilities, not to mention the drama surrounding her stepfather the king and the Ramsey family. That she could be a child now and again and find joy in magic was good for her. She’d have more than enough serious times ahead. She deserved happiness.
“Here, I brought you some breakfast. It’s just bread and jam, but I thought I’d give you some before it’s all gone.”
Kai frowned. Gone? They had cases of jam and preserves. “What do you mean gone?”
“Adina is a jam fiend. It’s practically all she eats. We went through a jar yesterday and she’s well on her way to finishing a second. For such a tiny woman, I don’t know where it goes.”
Kai laughed. “I suppose there are worse problems to have then witches who love sweets. I’ll collect berries this week so make some more. There are several large patches of berries in the valley that are ripe.”
“You’ll be her best friend forever,” said Raven. “But don’t be getting any ideas.”
Kai watched as Raven sat on the bed beside him. Kai wondered what her comment meant. He decided it best to tackle it head on. “What kind of idea would that be?”
“You know exactly what kind of ideas I mean. All you men are alike. A new tart comes along and your tongue falls to the floor as you dream of something new.”
Sisera's Gift (Dragonblood Sagas Book 2) Page 16
