Dragon Hero II: Bounty of the Blood Witch

by C Woodward

  I was too drained to do anything more than slide a spoon into a bowl of mush and back into my mouth. Jerak laughed, “There you go. Soon you will be able to move around.” I would have smiled but couldn’t manage it.

  With each bland spoonful, I hated that Blood Witch more and more. She weakened my wife so most of her magic was disabled and caused her emotional pain. We had to flee. She did this to me today. Oh, I will find a way to destroy her. I’ll find a way.

  I managed to take a nap. I woke up in a dark room. I could hear footsteps but was still so out of it to know which direction they were coming from. I felt a little stronger, but only enough to lift my head and look around. The room was too dark to see any fine detail; except a few other beds which were empty. I could see faint moonlight from a small window and saw a couple barrels in a corner.

  My head felt like it was spinning again so I put it back down. I just stared at the black ceiling trying to ignore the pain. I wish I could see Talestria. I miss her, but it was best that she didn’t see me like this. I had a mental image of her face back when I was beaten by Deshra, all covered in blood and dirt. The idea of her seeing me like this would be so painful even compared to what I was dealing with. I really needed to get stronger.

  Jerak came back a few minutes later. He saw that I was awake, “How are you doing? Um, man, we need to set up a system of blinks.” He thought to himself for a moment, “How about one blink for yes and two fast blinks for no?” I blinked once. He looked over, “Was that a yes that you agree with the system or was that just a normal blink?”

  I sighed and slowly spoke without trying to move my mouth, “You’re a dingus.”

  Jerak laughed, “Ah, you can speak! Wait. What did you say?”

  I coughed and slowly raised my head. “Where are we?” I asked which showed I was still somewhat incoherent. Jerak laughed nervously, “Well, look at the bright side; you will definitely have time to recover!” I glanced around but was still a bit clueless. Jerak grinned, “Um, when I pulled you away from the Blood Witch, I had to hide you. Now, promise not to get mad?”

  I sighed, “Yeah.”

  He smiled, “Well, to get to the point; I barely got us onto this ship before it took off with us onboard.”

  Chapter 7

  I stared at Jerak. If I wasn’t in a lot of pain, I would have been upset. I only gave out an irritated moan and tried to shake my head. Jerak smiled, “Be thankful that you heal quickly.” I groaned, not sure how fast I will recover from this. I’ve been hurt badly before, but mostly clean wounds or simple breaks. This just beat them all. My mind and body were just too worn out to cope with anything. I stared up at the ceiling and closed my eyes.

  It seemed to take forever to get to sleep. I don’t think I slept very much at all. I would be happy just to heal enough to ease the pain. The man walked in again. He muttered to himself and then spoke to me in a kindly tone, “I am just here to make sure you are doing fine. Yeah, I know how stupid that sounds.” At least he was honest. He carefully lifted some of the many bandages, the slightest movement of air caused me to grit my teeth in pain. He quickly put them back, “You are lucky this ship has a doctor. I might not be the best man for wounds like this, but at least my stitches are holding up nicely. Sorry, I don’t have anything for the pain. Um, just rest up the best you can.” He walked out of the room and I once again heard nothing but quiet.

  I made it through the night, with hardly any sleep and was still was too tired to try moving more than an inch. I wasn’t sure if my body had healed a little bit, but it wasn’t endlessly painful or maybe my brain blocked some of the pain in my face. I felt pain on my side where the Blood Witch zapped me. I thought that would bother me but it’s hardly noticeable. I could hear voices chatting and yelling the way you have to when speaking on a ship.

  Jerak came in with a mop in his hand. He looked at me, “Feeling any better? Um, well keep resting” Someone called him by name. He quickly turned and yelled back, “Coming!” He looked at me, “Looks like I have to earn our keep. Get better.” He ran out. Looks like he is working on the ship so we both can stay. I need to remind myself to make it up to him somehow.

  I shifted and slept for a few hours when someone handed me a wineskin and a bowl of the mush. At least I was able to feed myself, though it was hard to move. I must have lost a good amount of blood, so I forced myself to eat and drink all that was offered in hopes it would aid my body into creating more blood cells. I don’t know how long it will take for me to recover to the point where I could walk around. I tried to recall some medical facts, but it seemed pointless since my body heals faster than anyone else.

  From sheer boredom, my mind drifted off to random things, as I stared at the ceiling. I recalled some old movies I used to see back on Earth but ended up feeling a bit homesick. I dwelled on Talestria, which made me feel a bit depressed. No, I needed to stay strong, so I changed my thoughts to something more productive. I recalled certain aspects of magic that I learned from Talestria and Bolam. I understood the basics, but it seemed pointless since I could never use it. It was an interesting thing for someone like myself to learn its workings. It just seemed something I’d like to know. I pondered that for a while, until Jerak came in to entertain me and bring me more bland mush.

  I found use for a bed pan, which tackled one future problem I had. Jerak took it and dumped it out the window. He thought it was funny and laughed as he watched the mess hit the water below. I spoke quietly, “Thank you for all this. So, how are you holding up?”

  Jerak came back and sat nearby, “Been moving this and that and cleaning this and that; nothing exciting.” I took a spoonful of the left over mush, swallowing slowly. He plopped himself on a cot and appeared tired, as well. I guess it was a good time for me to sleep, too. I closed my eye and let my mind drift.

  Jerak woke me up, but not on purpose. He went to get some food and do more chores. I felt bad that he had to do all sorts of tasks, but then he likely would not trade places with me. The only thing for me to do was to recover as quickly as possible. I wondered if the wound went clear to the bone. A normal cut, even a deep one would heal fairly quickly for me. The pain was slightly more bearable each time I woke up. At least I was sleeping better now. What sky I could see from the window showed it was near evening, I could be wrong, but I might have been stuck on this ship for a full day or so. The medical man came into the room a few minutes later. He had wavy hair and a large brown beard and wore a dirty white shirt. He smiled and spoke in a friendly tone, “Your friend is busy, telling tall tales, so I am here to bring your supper.” He handed me yet another bowl of mush. He laughed, “We should be thankful. No one else will eat this slop. But, any major chewing would be rather bad for you right now.” I chuckled a little and grabbed the bowl. The man came closer to check on my wound. I could feel a bit a shock from him, “Your wound. It is true!”

  The man stared at the wound. Any slight breeze brought more pain. Like I said, either the wound was healing more and was only slightly bearable or my brain rejected more messages of pain. “It looks like you’ve been recovering for two weeks!” he said in surprise. I gritted my teeth from the pain as he examined it again. “I’ve never seen healing like this except by magic. I guess your friend is right.” He put the bandages back.

  I spoke softly as it still hurt to speak, “I am just a good healer, I guess.” Jerak came into the room. I heard some laughter as the door opened.

  The man spoke to Jerak, “You are right about your friend.”

  I could see Jerak grin, “Of course! That’s Blake for ya! Bloody one moment and fine the next!” The man laughed, “Now I feel bad that I doubted it,” and turned back to me, grabbed my hand and shook it. My body was still too weak to really move much. He smiled, “It is amazing to meet someone such as yourself!” I tried to smile but that ended up hurting a lot. He and Jerak exchanged a few words, mostly about hearing more of the tales. Jerak walked him outside and was eager to tell them.

  I tri
ed to sleep, but the laughter and other loud noises kept me awake. So, I tried to finish another bowl of the mush. I begin to daydream about eating real food. It was nightfall and they were still talking up a storm outside. I got at least a few good hours of rest. I was able to lift my empty bowl of mush and place it on the table next to me without too much trouble.

  My wound felt pretty much the same today. I guess the more I rested, the faster I healed, but I hadn’t rested much today. The other problem was blood loss. I knew I had lost a good deal of blood, and I wasn’t sure if I could recover blood cells very quickly. In the past, when I had been wounded with a lot of blood loss, I was able to walk after a day. This wound, however, felt much worse.

  Jerak returned in a good mood. In the darkness I saw he held a wooden mug. His movements were a little clumsy, so I knew that he had taken a few drinks during the storytelling. I would have been able to smell it if my nose hadn’t been disabled. “These guys are alright! Oh, hey! I got some good news!” he said while trying to keep himself upright. The combination of his current condition and the movement of the ship made it tricky to stay upright.

  I waited a minute while he got back to his news, “Uh. By tomorrow we should reach Entry Isles and can find a ship back to Torclyn.” I sighed; it was good news. I hated to travel further from Torclyn and not be able to get back. Jerak excused himself to go back outside, but he stumbled to the floor. “I’m fine!” he said as he slowly pulled himself up. I laughed but stopped quickly as it hurt too much.

  The little social gathering outside died down after awhile and Jerak staggered back in the cabin. He fell face first on his cot and appeared not to budge until the next morning. I was sure his breath reeked, so again I was thankful I couldn’t smell. A few more guys came in, found their bunks and went right to sleep in the same fashion. I waited for more to enter, but only a few did. I lifted my hand and slowly opened and closed it. I can move it slowly but didn’t have much strength in it. I hope that tomorrow it will be better.

  I was surprised at how well I slept. It was daylight and did feel a little better. My face still hurt like crazy but it was bearable; as long nothing touched it. I saw a few people still sleeping in the other cots. I had never noticed anyone before. Perhaps, they worked later in the day.

  It took me a moment to realize that I had just lifted my head up to look around. I didn’t even think about it. I inhaled a good amount of air and slowly lifted my body so I could sit up. That made me a little light-headed, so I stopped there. I took a few slow, deep breaths and then got my body turned so my legs spilled out of the cot. I leaned forward, waiting to see if I had enough strength to stand. It didn’t seem like a wise thing to do without someone to aid me. My body was still quite weak, but I believed it had recovered blood faster than a normal man. Sitting up caused me to cough up some dried blood and mucus, which was gross. I stared at the fresh glob on the wooden floor. I lost track of how long I had been staring at it when I heard some sort of horn being blown. I guess we were preparing to approach land.

  Jerak and the ship’s doctor helped me walk off the boat. Just seeing outside the cabin was enough to put me in better spirits. The ship was tied to a good size dock with a few warehouses and simple homes in the area. It actually looked like a mini version of Torclyn. “You might get better medical attention here. It was an honor meeting you!” the doctor said.

  I replied, “I am honored to have met you. Thank you for your help.” The man let Jerak take all of my weight and waved as he walked off. I felt bad not knowing his name, but it was too late. A few of the ship’s crew were hauling gear off the ship. Another group of workers from the harbor came out to bring in a few provisions to load on the ship.

  “Now, we find a ship back to the mainland.” Jerak muttered to himself. We took a few steps before he placed me on a large crate to sit down. He dropped a mass of dark metal next to me; my armor, which he tied together with rope so he could carry it over his shoulders. “It’s not as heavy as I thought it would be” he laughed.

  I almost smiled, but reminded myself not to, “It is elvin steel so it is lighter.” Jerak shrugged, “I guess that would make sense, then.” I stared at the helmet within the bundle. I could see a cut clean through the front of it. Chills ran down my spine as I gazed at that opening and the dried blood that covered it.

  A few people stared at me, but I didn’t blame them. My face was all bandaged up except for my left eye and the left side of my mouth. I hurt quite a bit when I felt a gust of wind. For a place on the water like this, that was quite common.

  Jerak grabbed my armor and then helped me up to a walking position. “I think we should find an inn” he said as we took a few steps. I looked around. There didn’t seem to be a great population here. It was just a small town with a large mountain towering behind it. The green mountain was covered with trees. It was all quite pretty. If everything goes alright, I might try to make a trip over here with Talestria.

  We found a small inn and tavern. People stared, but no one seemed to want to bother with us. A middle aged man with a large mustache rushed over from the counter to help steady me. I thanked him kindly as he helped Jerak walk me to a nearby seat. My head felt dizzy when I finally sat down. “What happened to him?” the innkeeper asked.

  Jerak put down the bundle of armor and answered, “Oh, we had some trouble back in Torclyn. Um, how much is it for a room?” The man stared at me with a sense of pity, “I can get you one with comfy beds for cheap.” Jerak handed him a few coins and the man walked back behind his counter to look for a key. He came back and handed it to Jerak. Jerak and the innkeeper helped me to the room. The room held two beds with a large square table between them. I was placed on a bed which was much softer than my cot on the ship. The innkeeper smiled and left the room.

  Jerak jumped onto his bed. I slowly lifted my legs and laid down, “Thanks a ton, Jerak.”

  He laughed, “Well, don’t thank me. I used your money to pay. My coin pouch is still in my pack, back in Torclyn.” I sighed and couldn’t help but chuckle. Our lack of money worried me a bit. We had enough for a few simple meals, but Jerak claimed that he will try to find a job. He thought a small place like this would be happy to hire a hero for whatever was needed. He seemed actually inspired and took off shortly after he shared his plan. I didn’t argue, since I was useless right now and he seemed excited to get out and explore. The only productive thing I could do was sleep and hoped I would heal quickly to become more useful. The wounds on my face were still killing me, so I had little trouble getting to sleep.

  It was night when I woke up. Jerak came back with a loaf of bread. He ripped it in half and shared with me. “Where did you get this?” I asked as I grabbed it. The bread was still warm and made me wish I could smell it.

  He shoved a bunch in his mouth, “Oh, there is a woman at a shop down the way selling loaves cheaply.” I broke off tiny bits and put them in my mouth. The bread had a good flavor compared to the mush I’d been eating the last two days. I was glad I still could taste food.

  “So, found a job here?” I asked while trying to chew without causing a butt-load of pain.

  He took awhile to finish chewing and swallowing, “Oh, I ended up lugging some junk around. It wasn’t anything fantastic, and it wasn’t hard.” Jerak didn’t seem the kind who like doing mindless labor, but I never seen him with a real job. Maybe he did some odd jobs like that during his travels.

  After our meal, he began telling me of rumors he heard in the town. “When you can walk on your own, we should check out the mountain,” he said with an excited tone.

  I swallowed a bit of bread, “What is so special about the mountain?”

  He grinned, “People here are afraid to travel up there.”

  I groaned, “Then, why do you want to go up there?”

  Jerak laughed, “People like us thrive on strange places, besides, some claim to have seen dragon-people flying around there.” I froze a moment; did he say dragon-people? I recalled the dragon
spirit mentioning dragon-people a few times. Something in my gut thought it might actually be a good idea to see them. I looked at Jerak who was acting like an excited child, “Ok, sure, let’s go see the dragon-folk.”

  Jerak grinned, “Yes! This is going to be great!”

  I sighed, “I hope I recover soon, so we don’t waste too much time.”

  Jerak nodded, “I have complete faith that you will be up and moving about in no time!” I laughed and then regretted it when I felt a rush of pain. Jerak decide to check out the female scene on this island. Since I am a married man and also too weak to walk much, I sat and speculated on what the dragon-folk would be like. They might not even be friendly. Because of my ties with their deity, I wondered if they might show some kindness to me. Before falling asleep, I stared at a section of the wall, lit by either the moons or a streetlamp.

  I hoped Teltar, Kalus, and Rejun were alright. I knew I was Forren’s prime goal, but he might target any of them to get to me. I was in no shape to fight again, even when I recover.

  Again, I thought about the Blood Witch. How can I beat her? My armor and weapons might as well be made of cardboard when her blade glowed red. I put my hand to my face, being careful to not touch. I got lucky; if she was slightly closer or hit any higher and she could have taken my eye. My surge of stress almost dulled the pain. Maybe the dragon-folk could provide some help.

  It might be crazy, but maybe there was a reason I was here. I never used to think much about fate and all that stuff. Considering the freakishly, weird things happening in my life since being summoned to this world, I try to keep an open mind.

  Jerak came back with no slap marks on his face. He looked a bit disappointed as he sat on his bed and shrugged. I sighed, “Maybe later I can give you some advice with girls.”

  He laughed “Hey, I thought you had bad luck with girls.”