by Sarah Hite
“Sir?” Henreth asked, coming over from another part of camp. “Can we short’n the thing? That may at least bring ’im some peace.” Mychal looked at Henreth, then at the lance. The six foot lance protruded five feet from Pai’s chest, pulling him down.
“Good idea, Henreth. We may be able to shorten it a bit indeed.” He paused a moment. “You men,” he said, motioning toward a group of men unloading a wag- on. “Hold that blasted thing steady, on both ends, if you please. My Lady,” he said as he addressed Moon, who had returned to deliver Pai a barrel of water. “You’ll have to hold him down. Steady now, men.” Carefully they sawed off roughly four feet of the lance. When it fell away Pai shuddered; with a whimper he collapsed into a ragged heap. Moon turned to Mychal, “Thank you. He is grateful to you.”
“If I only knew enough to remove it,” Mychal said regretfully as he turned back toward the command tent.
***
Kei-ata Lorbrein was sorting herbs in his chambers. One of his students would be in the next day. He was going to teach the youth which of the herbs were beneficial for specific types of injuries and illnesses, and which ones would cause more harm. He was beginning to put the newly sorted herbs away when he suddenly collapsed, scattering them across the floor. “Pai,” he whispered through a clenched throat.
A Shaman’s Ability
“Sir! Elder? Come quick.” It was a young desert dragon. “What is it, child?” Elder asked, growing concerned.
“It’s the Shaman, sir. Something’s wrong; you need to come, now!” the youth pleaded. He led Elder to Lorbrein’s chambers. There they found him where he had fallen. He had curled into a ball and was trembling fiercely; he did not acknowledge their presence. “Summon the council,” Elder ordered, sending the youth away. He approached Kei- ata Lorbrein with a wary measure. Slowly, he reached his head down to examine him. “What is it? What has happened? Kei-ata, answer me!” He spoke with great emotion, but he kept his voice steady. Slowly and with great effort, Kei-ata lifted his head. “Pai, he… he’s alive.” The strained whisper was almost inaudible.
“What?!” Elder looked at his son with concern. It had been said that shamans could sense when members of their line were ill or injured, but he had always taken this as myth and had not believed it; now, it seems, it was true. Ryou Elder was the first to arrive. He stopped short when he saw Lorbrein. “What happened to him?” he asked. Elder shook he head, “We will wait for the rest of the council before I explain. Send for some meat; he needs to try and eat.”
“Yes, sir,” Ryou replied. He issued the order to the warrior who had accompanied him, then returned to the room. Elder lowered himself to the floor next to Kei-ata Lorbrein, then mantled his wings and growled as the shaman convulsed; he collapsed as the king and queen arrived.
Kyeon looked on the scene with confusion and anger. “What happened here?” he demanded. Kym stayed silent, but looked to Elder for an explanation. “I will tell you in a moment, but first,” he said, turning to Kei-ata and asking in a gentle tone, “You must eat. Do you think you can stand?” At that moment, Prince Seoung entered the room, followed closely by Sayden Konjon. He had taken the little dragon hunting that morning and it would seem his lessons paid off. “I came as soon as I heard,” he said. “Konjon brought down a young doe; the meat should be tender. He said Kei-ata can have it.”
“Thank you, little one,” Elder said, addressing the little dragon. Sayden squeaked a ‘welcome’ and scampered off; he met Hana just outside the shaman’s quarters. Elder turned his attention back to Kei-ata Lorbrein; his breathing was labored and his hide was pale. If it was true if he could sense Pai’s pain, the young scout was in trouble. He turned back to the assembled dragons and told them about the old tale and how it sometimes applied to those the shaman thought of as family, and how he could sense that the younger dragon was in trouble. As he finished Lorbrein collapsed with another pain-induced seizure.
News of Kei-ata Lorbrein’s illness quickly spread through the Keep. The council had decided to keep the information of the shaman’s ability between them. Elder was concerned for Kei-ata and Pai. He knew his son would leave. Kei-ata would not stay in the Keep while his son may be dying; it was just a matter of time.
Kei-ata Lorbrein
“He’s getting worse,” Henreth told the council sadly.
“He will not eat, he barely drinks, an’ ‘is breathing has not improved; I don’ know what to do.” Pai’s injury had given the men the extra push they needed. The remaining dragons had led the charge back into battle, which they fought with a savagery only fashioned by anger. Together they charged the ranks of soldiers and pushed through. By the end of the night they had won the battle, yet they felt as though they had lost. “Is there anything we can do?” Lukair asked Lord Mychal.
“No, not without doing more damage,” he said sadly.
“We can’t just leave him like that!” Daniela cried out. She looked over at Ryell. “Father, tell him!”
“I’m sorry, child, but I’m with Mychal on this one. We don’t know enough about dragons to remove it.”
Ania had been looking out of the tent flaps toward the area where the dragons where gathered. She said nothing but was deep in thought. An idea suddenly presented itself. “That’s it,” she spoke softly, more to herself than to the council.
“What’s it? Ania, what are you thinking?” Flame asked. Ania smiled, “Vidar. He has enlisted every available man to his army, right? Then the Dragon Guard will be among them.”
“Feeling homesick, are we?” Doren teased. Ania looked at him. “What? No. What I mean is—”
Catching on, Lukair interrupted her. “The Guard could help.”
“Exactly, Pycan’s Dragon Guard may be out of reach, but the rest of the Guard should be available and willing to help.”
Flame turned to the lords. “Send word for the Guard to rise again. We will definitely need their help.” Then he left to check on Pai.
Ania joined him after a moment. She told him that preparations were being made; however, it would take several days. She kneeled down next to Pai; the scout’s breathing came in short, painful bursts. He would not live much longer if they did not find a way to help him. He was in severe pain and, because of the jerky way dragons ate, eating only intensified it: because of this, he had not eaten much since he was injured. He could drink, but trying to position his head to do so also caused him more pain, though not as much. How could they figure out a way so he could get the nutrients he needed with- out adding to the pain? She set her palm on the side of his face. He was getting weaker by the day and needed the added energy from food. She suddenly jumped to her feet as she realized that she had been here before. She knew what to do and ran off to get it done. Curious, Flame followed her. He knew she had an idea and wanted to help. They soon arrived at the cooks’ tent.
“Have you any fresh meat?” she asked as she reached them.
One of the cooks looked up and replied in an irritated tone, “Maybe, but why should I tell you? We all need to eat, and no one gets to choose their cut.”
Hearing the question, an older man stepped out from the tent. “What do you kids need?” he asked. Byron was Lord Mychal’s head cook. He had been put in charge of the army’s food.
“We need some meat, the fresher the better,” Flame answered, repeating Ania’s request. As one of the few who knew Flame’s identity, he nodded and looked from his superior to Ania. He thought a moment before saying, “Some of our helpers went hunting earlier today, they should bring something back with them. How much do you need?”
Ania nodded. “About two or three pounds.”
“Two or three pounds! Do you know how many people that would feed?” the first cook interjected angrily. Before he could continue to argue, Byron cut him off and ordered him to inventory the supplies. He marched off fuming just as a group pulled in with a wagon containing two deer, five rabbits, a turkey, and even some squirrels. “Ahh, a successful trip.” Byron said as he saw wha
t they brought in; then he turned back to the kids.
It would take all of the rabbits to get the amount of meat she wanted, and the squirrels would be worthless for what she was going to do, so she pointed at the young doe they were just pulling off the wagon. “That one. I need the most tender meat that’s on it.”
Byron looked to Flame to affirmation. When he nodded he turned to Ania, who was looking around for something. “Miss?” Ania turned back to him and, as if she were trying to figure something out, asked, “Do you have a bucket?”
“Ania, what is it your trying to do?” Flame asked.
“Pai, I know how to get him to eat, but it won’t work if the meat isn’t as tender as possible.” He smiled and looked at Byron. “Do as she says. I’m curious as to how this will work.” Byron agreed and listened to Ania’s instructions.
“When you drain the deer, drain it into a bucket. The meat needs to be tenderized and cut into pieces about the size of my fingers, but half as thick. When the meat is ready, put it in the same bucket. Then it needs to be heated, just enough to warm it but not enough to cook it.”
The cook was somewhat confused at the request, but he did as he was told. Then he said he would send someone to let her know when it was ready. He also told them that it would be several hours. They left the cooks and went to see how the preparations were going. Chekal volunteered to go with those who would search the camps for the Dragon Guard. He was given permission but was told to take extreme care. He agreed and soon the men were ready to leave. Ania briefed the men on how to distinguish the Guard from the rest of the men just as Ryell and Mychal came to see them off. They stood next to Flame as he directed the men to take Chekal’s lead. He knew the Guard would react to seeing a dragon behind enemy lines, although he did not truly want to send Chekal. Moon walked over to Chekal and said worriedly, “Pai wants to see you before you leave.” He nodded and turned to see him before they left, while the others continued their preparations.
He arrived at Pai’s side to find him sleeping, or at least he appeared to be. He cracked an eye open as Chekal approached. Be careful. Even his thoughts were strained. He looked up at Chekal and was about to say something else when he was caught in a spasm. His breathing came in short wheezing bursts. He closed his eye against the pain for a moment before Chekal heard him say, You were always a close friend. I don’t want to lose you.
Chekal lowered his head and touched his friend on the shoulder. “The sooner I leave the sooner I can return, and with help.” He turned to leave and almost knocked Ania over; he tried to apologize but she cut him off. “I need to ask him something, but I know he can’t answer me. He needs to tell you.” She turned to the injured drag- on and continued with a determined yet apologetic voice. “I know that moving your head only worsens the pain, but I need to know how far you can move it; that doesn’t increase the pain or at least that much.”
Pai slowly cracked opened his eyes and tried to focus. He closed them again and said, It doesn’t matter where I try to move it, it still makes it hurt. He paused a moment as he started to cough. He waited until his head stopped spinning before continuing. I would rather not try to move, but I can move a little in most directions without too much pain.
Chekal told her what he had said and she looked at Pai sadly. “Do you think you could maneuver in order to drink if it was, let’s say, here?” She stood and went to a place about one and a half to two feet to his right. Chekal told him where she was and he opened his eyes to look. He slowly picked up his head and swung it the distance. When it did not cause too much pain he nodded and put his head back down. Ania marked the spot and called Caleb over. He had been helping the cooks.
When he came over he said, “Byron wanted me to tell you that your bucket is ready.”
Relieved, Ania sighed. “Can you dig a hole right here? It needs to be about two feet wide and four feet long. I’ll have someone help you.” Lukair walked up just then and volunteered. She left them to dig the small trench, and she left to find some water and one of the small water troughs they used for the horses.
Chekal was about to leave as well when he suddenly heard wing beats. They were too low to be Moon. He turned back to Scout but he had slipped back into unconsciousness, so he turned to see who was coming. He was shocked to see a large dragon with gold and deep blue scales land on the outskirts of camp.
With an exclamation and odd looks from the boys, Chekal launched himself in the air and within seconds landed besides the other dragon. “Kei-ata Lorbrein! Shaman, what are you doing here?”
The shaman looked at him. For some reason, he did not seem well. “Where is he?” He sounded tired and worried.
Chekal was surprised that he already knew who was hurt. However, he did not show it and simply said, “This way.” He led the older dragon to the back of camp where Pia had collapsed. The shaman lowered his head to ex- amine the young dragon. He noted the shaft protruding from his chest and the strangled sound of his breathing. He only shook his head and whispered, “Oh, Pai.”
Upon hearing that this new dragon was a shaman, the war council came to meet him. Chekal introduced the group but noticed that Henreth and Ania were not among them. Henreth soon arrived and the surgeon was quickly introduced to the shaman. When Kei-ata heard about the javelin and how long it had been originally, he shook his head in despair. However, he agreed that shortening the shaft was a good decision. He began talking to Henreth about how to treat the injury. They also knew that the dragon council should be informed. The lords went to alert the team that they would be leaving without Chekal, and they were given permission to leave as soon as they were ready.
Meanwhile, Ania returned carrying the trough and a bucket of water. She set the trough in the trench the boys had dug and poured the water in it. Kei-ata and the boys watched and Lukair asked what she was doing. Before she could respond Kwan replied for her. He had seen Kei-ata land and wanted to meet him. “She’s doing what she does best.” As she finished emptying the bucket, she told the shaman the whole story. He listened without comment until she mentioned Moon and Shaelynn. He asked where they were. She did not know for sure but knew that they would be around to check on Pai. He nodded. He was eager to see if Moon was all right; unfortunately, he knew she would probably not want to talk to him. At least he knew she was alive.
Byron arrived and handed Ania the bucket she had requested earlier. She took it and added it to the trough. The blood and water mixed together. Kei-ata watched her confused and she explained. “He can’t lift his head enough to eat but he can drink. The chunks of meat are small enough that he can swallow them without having to try and chew anything. All he has to do is drink.” At the skeptical looks from those around her, she said, “Trust me, it works.” Kwan chuckled to himself. He was the only one who actually knew it would work.
The shaman lowered his head to inspect the mixture. He saw the theory behind it and agreed to try it. She gently woke Pai and instructed him to drink from the trough. Kei-ata noticed that she had placed the trough where it would cause him the least amount of pain. He sighed with relief as Pai started to drink. The others were amazed that he actually responded to the mix, and that he drank the whole thing. He slowly set his head back down and promptly fell back asleep.
Kei-ata settled down next to him and asked where she had learned that trick. She smiled and responded, “I’ve done it before, so I thought it would work again.” Kwan quietly interrupted her. “She got me back on my feet using that method. I would not have lived to see the end of the week if she had not helped.”
Ania looked at the dragon. “Oh, don’t be so dramatic.” Laughing, she threw a handful of dirt at him. The others had not known how she had fed the other dragon and were stunned to learn how bad he had been. They stayed a little longer but had work to do and soon left.
Flame stayed to speak to Ania. He took her aside and asked her quietly. “How much do you think he can be trusted?”
She could tell he was concerned about som
ething, so she smiled and said, “I have already told him every- thing that happened between Pycan and Aretell. If you’re worried about the meaning of your heirloom, I will say this; he is the shaman from the Keep. He might be able to gain the support of Moon’s brother and the council. I think you should tell him. He may have something else to tell you.”
He nodded and turned to speak to Kei-ata Lorbrein. He showed him the medallion and told him about the sword and how they had been in his family for generations. He listened without comment until he had finished. “Who all knows?”
“Just the Lords… and a few others. Ania and the rest of our group.”
He nodded, “Good. If word of your identity gets out, things could get worse.” He turned to Chekal. “You are the only one here who can return to the Keep besides Moon, and I know she won’t go. There are things the council must know.” He mentally told Chekal what to tell them. After saying good-bye to the others, he left.
Allies
The first of the guard joined their ranks only a day after the team had left to spread the word to the Dragon Guard; and, over the next several weeks, more Guardsmen joined the king’s ranks. Still, none of those who had come knew enough about dragons to be able to assist the shaman with Pia’s injury. Upon discovering that he was Pia’s father, they now understood why the scout had looked so fondly upon the shaman, and he seemed to be taking the youth’s injury quite hard. However, he did seem to improve, even if slightly.
In the fourth week since the young dragon had fallen, Moon came to check on Pia. She watched him sleep for a few minutes before turning toward Kei-ata Lorbrein. “Has he improved any?”
The shaman had been staring off in the distance and had not seen her approach. He looked up at her and was shocked to see her standing there. In the last month, he had only seen her twice, both times from a distance so seeing her before him now was, to say the least, unexpected. Sitting up, he looked her over before responding. “Not very much, but at least he seems to have recovered his appetite.”
