by Toni Cox
“Wow.”
The clearing opened before them and Maia led them out into the sunshine. It took a moment for their eyes to adjust to the brightness, but soon the air was filled with oohs and aahs as the humans beheld the dragons standing on the rim of The Crags. About six of them were visible from where they stood. The dragons were shuffling their wings, preening them and shaking them out, or rubbing their muzzles against the stone and generally doing pretty ordinary things dragons did. The glory of the six was nevertheless not lost on the Humans. Even from this distance, it was plain to see how large the animals were and how fearsome they looked. Even Feynris, their gallant Sentinel, was watching them with fascination.
They were all so fixated on the towering stone formation, not even Maia heard the others approach. They all ducked, gasping in surprise, as four more dragons swooped low over the clearing and settled upon The Crags.
The arrival of the newcomers caused a stir among the dragons already on the top and, within a few heartbeats, the sound of twenty dragons clacking, roaring and bugling was building to an almost unbearable cacophony. The people watched in fascination as the dragons shoved and bit and snapped at each other, vying for space. Then, just as they thought it could not get any noisier, a terrible roar, louder than anything they had heard before, silenced the squabbling dragons and, one by one, they cowered down as if they were bowing.
Huge, black and menacing, Midnight rose to his full height, towering above the cowering dragons. His hide gleamed in the sunlight. Then he opened his wings, spreading them to their full width and they spanned almost the full widths of The Crags. He beat them a few times, wafting the heavy dragon smell over the people.
Aaron sank to his knees beside Maia. Jasmin grabbed her arm and held fast. Luke helped his father back to his feet, but Maia noticed that he, too, was shaking.
Midnight roared again. The Humans quivered. Maia whistled.
Midnight flapped his wings and then, with one powerful lunge of his great hind legs, he was in the air. One wing beat later and he was circling above them. Then, with ever decreasing circles, he descended and finally landed in the small clearing, leaving not much space for the people to stand. They had all retreated to the tree line, but it was Maia that had to stop them from running back into the forest.
“He will not hurt you,” she told them. At least I hope not, she thought to herself.
Midnight shuffled his wings and then folded them tightly to his body. He held his head high and peered down at the small forms before him. His tail twitched, shaking a tall pine tree behind him.
Maia ran to him and he lowered his head. She hugged his muzzle.
“No smoke today, all right? They are already frightened enough,” she whispered.
He rumbled his agreement, but she sensed the playful mood he was in and she was not sure if he would listen.
Maia’s heart pounded as Jasmin hesitantly stepped forward. Would he allow her to touch him? Maia wasn’t sure. With shaking steps, Jasmin made her way towards Maia, glancing nervously between her and the dragon. Maia thought her incredibly brave, but when she held out her hand for the last few steps, Jasmin took it gratefully. Shaking, she stood next to Maia and looked up at the great, black bulk of the dragon. This close, only part of one of his red eyes was visible, but it was obvious, even to Jasmin, that he was looking at her. Maia lifted Jasmin’s hand and put it firmly on Midnight’s left foreleg. A gasp escaped Jasmin’s lips. A small tremble vibrated through Midnight.
“He is so warm,” Jasmin said, the awe plain in her voice. “And his skin is so smooth.”
Jasmin rubbed her hands over his leg.
“Except where he has these thorns. Ouch, they are sharp.”
Midnight made a rumbling sound, a sound somewhere between a gurgle and a growl. Jasmin jumped back.
“I’m sorry,” she stammered, “did I say something wrong?”
“No, he is laughing. I think he likes you.”
Jasmin gave a hesitant smile, then stepped forward again and touched his leg. She craned her neck, looking up at Midnight’s face. Midnight looked back, fixing his left eye on her.
Maia received some images and thoughts from Midnight and his findings surprised her. She is like you, Bright-Shining-Silver-Star was the main thought Midnight conveyed to her, but softer.
“Luke, you’ve got to meet him. Come, don’t be such a coward.” Jasmin made a beckoning motion towards her brother and without hesitation, he stepped out from under the trees and walked towards the dragon. Maia was surprised to see him approach so confidently. Then she thought of herself and Jaik and had to admit that if Jaik were to declare something as safe, she would immediately believe him too. She smiled.
“Will he mind if I touch him too?” Luke asked.
“No, he will allow it today.” Maia took his hand and guided it towards her dragon. In her mind, she felt Midnight watch them. She felt him approve of Luke too. Good hatchlings, he thought and she agreed.
Slowly, so as not to startle the Humans, Midnight settled into a crouch and lowered his head. Maia was surprised by his actions. He was not usually very fond of people and as far as she knew, she was the only one who had ever touched him besides Jaik. She sent him a mental thank you.
“Wow, look at his teeth, they are huge,” Luke said in awe.
A few more minutes passed with the siblings singing Midnight’s praises. Although their words meant little to him, he was aware of their thoughts and feelings and Maia felt him bask in their admiration.
It was more than Maia had expected. She had just wanted to show them the dragons on The Crags. She had never imagined in her wildest dreams that Midnight would let them touch him. She was smiling to herself, feeling at ease and happy with the world, when all of a sudden her mood darkened. Animosity pushed all her thoughts of happiness away. Only when Midnight growled in his fighting voice, did she realise that the feelings were not her own. Luke and Jasmin scampered away as Midnight stood, his tail twitching. Aaron was halfway between the forest and the dragon, now frozen in mid stride, too afraid to move. Midnight lowered his head and stared at Aaron, his teeth bared, smoked curled out of his nostrils and the fearsome challenge sound so distinct to Soul Dragons came ever louder out of Midnight’s throat.
It took Maia only a fraction of a moment to sort through Midnight’s feelings to realise what was happening. Aaron had decided to join them, to touch the dragon and share in the moment. Midnight had found the idea distasteful, repulsive, not finding Aaron much to his liking. Aaron knew how he made Maia feel and resented him for it. As was the nature of dragons, he had reacted instinctively. He had roared and taken up his attack position, ready to defend the partner of his soul. The man was nothing to him, an annoyance that he could swat out of Maia’s life in an instant, if that was what she wished.
Maia put a hand to his hide, feeling his hot blood pulse beneath her fingers. She opened her mind and let Midnight know exactly how she felt about this man, Midnight’s growls intensified. Let him go, she thought, but it was another minute or so before Midnight raised his head and broke eye contact with Aaron.
“Feynris, take them back to the city,” she ordered the Sentinel.
Feynris nodded, but Maia was already running up Midnight’s legs. He beat his wings and with one powerful thrust, he was in the air. Maia watched as Aaron crumpled to his knees and Luke and Jasmin ran to him. Then they were out of sight and she was soaring over the green expanse of the forest towards Shadow Peak.
“Don’t worry about it,” Aaron said again, “no harm done.”
Maia watched him smile at her, but it did nothing to relieve the knot of guilt she felt within her. Once she had returned with Midnight, she had come here, to his house, to apologise to Aaron. She felt awful for what had happened.
“No, Aaron, it was my fault. I should have known that he would react like that. Luke and Jasmin are my hatchlings,” she frowned at herself, “my children, and he would never hurt them. But you are a rival male and rival m
ales always fight. I am so sorry I put you in that position.”
Maia looked down at her hands. She had spent most of the afternoon with Midnight, calming him. Maybe it had not been a good idea to show him all her feelings for Aaron. He had reacted defensively at first, trying to protect Maia from a simple threat, but then she had felt it change. Midnight saw him as a threat to her virtue and Midnight’s claim over her and he would kill any male that came near her.
When Maia looked back up at Aaron, she was surprised to see that he was grinning, looking very pleased with himself. What had she said that he thought was funny? The more she came to know him, the stranger he seemed.
She pushed the thought away and was about to ask if she could make it up to him somehow, when she felt a sudden surge of adrenaline rush through her. Immediately, her heart started racing. Something was wrong! As she rose off the bench by the fireplace, a wave of nausea hit her. She doubled over and gagged, holding her sides. Aaron stood and put his arm around her shoulders.
“What’s wrong? Are you all right?”
“No,” she panted, “the hunting party is back, someone is hurt.”
She straightened up and gritted her teeth. Leaving Aaron staring after her in bewilderment, she raced down the short steps that led to Lofty Run and on to Stony Lane. She didn’t know how she knew they would be coming from that direction, but she was sure of it.
She had just stepped off Lofty Run and was about to climb the few steps that connected it to Stony Lane, when the group of warriors broke from the trees. She immediately noticed Jaik and Jagaer walking at the head of the column and she almost stumbled with relief. Her eyes ranged over the men, looking for the injury she knew one of them had. She could feel it was serious, life threatening in fact, and as she came closer, her nausea worsened. Then she saw it and her legs almost buckled as she realised what it meant.
Jaik caught her as she reached them. His hands steadied her and led her to the stretcher the men had just sat down.
“He saved my life. If it wasn’t for his bravery, I would not be here now.”
Maia briefly looked into Jaik’s face, saw the pain and guilt etched in it, then turned towards the stretcher and knelt beside it.
The hair on Wolf’s body was coated in blood. It stuck to his body, outlining every bone, making him look as if he had lost half of his weight. His breathing was shallow and his heart beat so faint, she almost failed to detect it.
“Wolf,” she whispered, but she was dismayed to see that his ears did not twitch in recognition of her voice.
Maia heard Jaik give some orders and she was vaguely aware of the men forming a circle around her, their backs turned towards her, protecting her and giving her the privacy to deal with her wolf.
She put her hands on his body, gently feeling for his injuries.
“We did what we could for him, Maia,” Jaik said gently and put a hand on her shoulder.
“It is not too late, Jaik, I can fix this.”
“I will be right here if you need me.” Jaik gave her a look and she knew what he meant. “You don’t have to ask; I will be happy to give it.”
Maia nodded, then turned back to Wolf and continued her probing. She closed her eyes and with her mind examined the multiple injuries he had sustained. She was surprised he was still alive. His right lung was punctured and it was slowly filling with blood. Not long and he would drown. Several ribs were broken and one punctured his stomach, another poked into his intestine. His right foreleg was broken, his right ear was nearly torn off and the cut on his shoulder was oozing yellow puss. He had a bite wound on his neck that would not stop bleeding and a piece of blade was still embedded in the bone of his pelvis. That would have to be removed before she healed him.
“Get me my medicine bag, quickly.”
Maia did not look up to see who ran to obey her request. She would have to stop the bleeding. First by the lung, so he wouldn’t drown, then by the neck, so he didn’t bleed out. She concentrated and let the energy flow out of her. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead almost immediately. She willed the fluid to leave the lungs, to follow the path the knife had taken as it had plunged into his body. She watched with horror as the liquid started to dribble out of the hole in his chest. It had an awful smell. Once she was sure there was no more excess liquid, she began to mend the tear in the lung and in the tissue surrounding it. Wolf twitched.
The skin mended, closing the entry wound, but the patch remained bare of fur, the skin pale. Maia concentrated on the bite wound. It was strange, like nothing Maia had ever seen before. The bite wound almost looked like it had been made by a person, but the four, regular depressions spoke of canines like a wolf or a large cat. Fangs, she thought and shuddered, and laced with venom, otherwise it would not be bleeding like this. It must have a very powerful anti-coagulant in it to have this effect. Maia investigated the bite, found no trace of infection around the wound and started to close it, while at the same time neutralising the venom. It was a simple enough thing to do. Venom was made out of enzymes and just like the Healers created anti-venom for snake bites, she now used the venom itself to create the anti-venom. The blood flow slowed and, once the wound was closed, she felt an almost imperceptible strengthening of the blood pressure.
I will have to deal with the internal injuries quickly, otherwise he might yet die, she thought. She looked up to see if someone had returned with her medicine bag. Jaik was still standing next to her, watching in fascinated horror, holding her bag. Gratefully, she took it from him and rummaged through it for a little glass bottle containing a muddy brown liquid. Once she had it, she carefully removed the stopper and then lifted Wolf’s lip and poured a few drops onto his gums. She saw his tongue work as the liquid dripped through his teeth into his mouth. It was a good sign.
She counted to ten, giving the medicine time to work and herself time to prepare for the next step. Now she concentrated on his ribs. Mending bones was simple, but required a lot of energy. After healing the stab wound and the bite, she was already breathing heavier. Now, with the effort of healing not only the ribs, but also the broken leg, her breathing became laboured. But she persisted.
She wiped her sweaty brow with her sleeves, before turning her attention to his organs. To seal and heal the organs was no problem, it was easily done, but to rid the body cavity of the contents of the intestine that had spilled out was more difficult. If left unattended, they could poison him. She hated to add to his injuries, but she knew it was absolutely necessary. She withdrew a scalpel from her bag and, suppressing a wave of nausea, she made a quick, precise, incision along Wolf’s stomach, taking care not to damage any other organs or to sever any vital blood vessels. Once she reached the point where she knew most of the reeking waste had accumulated, she focussed on extracting it. She was surprised by how much of it came out of the little opening she had made for it. Jaik gagged. Some of the men shifted.
Once all the foul material was out of his body, Maia sealed the incision. Next, she turned to the gash on his shoulder. It was not as deep as she had suspected it to be, but whatever had been on the blade that had made the cut, had infected the wound. The amount of putrid puss seeping out of the wound would have been enough to fill a large cup. She reached for her bag again and withdrew a cotton cloth. She ripped it in two and used the one half to wipe away the stinking, sticky fluid. She then wrapped the soiled cloth in the clean half and handed it to Jaik.
“Burn it. Do not just throw it away. Do it quickly.”
She was vaguely aware of Jaik repeating the instruction to someone and then resume his vigil by her side. Maia dug in her medicine bag once more and removed a little flask with a clear liquid. She uncorked it with her teeth and poured a small amount into the open gash before she healed it. She did the same with the ear. Where it had torn it was now clean and the wound mended, but he would always be missing the bit that had been ripped off.
She checked Wolf’s breathing. It was still shallow, but more even and his heart beat was
stronger. It had taken her years to perfect the right strength of her Datura drops. She now knew exactly how much she could use safely and how long it would last for. She swayed slightly as she stowed the precious vial with the brown liquid back in the bag. She would need the clear one again.
Her hands shook. She was so tired. She shifted her position slightly before she extracted the tools she would need to remove the blade tip from the pelvis. Using the rest of the clear liquid, she disinfected her scalpel, a small clamp, her tweezers and the cut itself. Then she set the clamp to hold the cut open, while she used the scalpel and the tweezers, as well as her fingers, to probe the wound for the piece of metal. Blood flowed over her fingers. Her vision dimmed for a moment and she swayed again. She paused. Her breath was rasping in and out of her chest and the sweat dripped off her face. Wolf, she thought, I am so tired. She gritted her teeth and probed the wound again. More blood flowed. She did not have the strength to stop it.
Then, she felt Jaik move. He squatted behind her, put his arms around her middle and rested his head on her back.
“I am here,” he said. “Use me.”
Maia closed her eyes for a moment. Then she took a deep, shuddering breath and connected to her brother. The energy that immediately flowed from him was like sweet ecstasy, her mind suddenly clear and her hands steady. Not wanting to waste even a little of it, she bent to her task. What had but a moment ago seemed impossible, she now managed with ease. She slowed the blood, felt her way into the wound, grabbed the knife point and wiggled it until it came free of the bone. Wolf twitched again, but she knew he would not wake, not with the Datura drops she had given him. She briefly examined the triangular piece of metal, found it to be free of poison and then dropped it in disgust. She then concentrated on the bone, mending it, before sealing the wound. Once more, she checked his breathing and his heart rate. It was slow, which was to be expected, but steady. She checked the rest of his body, looking for any small wounds she might have overlooked, but besides some small scratches, which would heal by themselves, he had no other injuries. What he needed now, was sleep.
