The Dragon Healer of Tone (World of Tone) (5 page)

“I have a few other things I would like to try, if I may? None will hurt him,” said the old woman.

“I suppose that would be all right,” Reicka said as she looked at Adam, and he nodded in agreement.

First, Telsen placed a bunch of rocks and sticks before Terra, and in the middle, a shinny gold ball simply appeared from nowhere. Terra totally ignored the ball, picked up a stick, and put it together with another stick. Reicka stooped down and asked Terra if he would prefer the ball, and he asked, “What ball?” Telsen pulled Reicka and Adam aside and told them the ball was an illusion, and his magic prevented him from seeing it. When he got older, he would probably be able to see magical illusions if he wished. Telsen then placed a series of bright red cherries in front of Terra. He picked only one up and ate it, leaving the rest alone.

“Ah, he can tell what is good to eat. You see all the cherries were bitter except the one he selected,” said the old one.

Finally, she handed Terra a large stick, walked over, and picked up a jar. She shook the jar about an arm’s length in front of Terra, and a large spider fell out. It started to move toward Terra. Reicka immediately moved to protect her child, but the old woman signaled her to stop. Before she could do anything, the spider stopped moving just in front of Terra. It was frozen, and Terra ignored it. He tossed the stick to the side, apparently not knowing what to do with it. Telsen picked up the spider and put it back in the jar where it began to move again.

“His magic is powerful enough to stop non-magical dangerous animals from harming him,” Telsen said.

Adam said,” What do you mean non-magical animals?”

“Well, animals such as the dragons and the Averons have protection against such magic.”

The old woman handed Terra a piece of hard sugar and sat down with the parents.

“What do you want me to tell you?”

Adam spoke for the two of them. “We wish to know if our son is destined to do anything.”

The old woman thought for a moment and then said, “I can tell you that he has powerful magic. The most powerful I have ever seen. The old legend tells of a powerful one that will ally the great dragons with man and defeat both their enemies. I do not know if your son is that one.

None can. If he is, he will leave you for a time. He will have to find his own way to the path where his destiny lies. I can give you this advice.

Do not tell anyone of his power. Whatever he was born to do, must be done because he wishes it done, not to please others. That also includes you two. Do not try to influence his path.”

“So, we raise him the best we can and allow fate to determine his course.”

“Exactly! You may stay the sunset if you wish and leave in the morning.”

Adam thanked the old woman and agreed to stay. They were disappointed, for they thought that the old one would give them more guidance. Adam considered the trip was a dangerous waste of time, based upon what she had told them.

That sunset they stayed just inside the mouth of the great cave. Suti did not sleep the entire sunset. She constantly moved her eyes from Terra to the doorway into the small cave. In the morning, the old woman brought them some freshly baked bread for breakfast. They packed the cart and were ready to leave when Telsen came to Terra and put an amulet around his neck. She said she thought he would like it as a reminder of their visit. Telsen then apologized that she could not help more and wished them a safe journey.

The amulet was circular with nine spokes radiating from the center.

At the end of each spoke were small colored stones. One spoke pointed straight up and had a clear stone at its peak. When Telsen put the amulet around his neck, she watched carefully and saw two of the colored stones start to dimly glow. In her mind, she said. “Two, impressive.”

As the old woman watched them move off into the distance, she shook her head slightly, and from her pocket, she removed three other amulets identical to the one she had given to Terra. The center of the amulets glowed orange for the first time in hundreds of sets of seasons.

She smiled and placed them back into her pocket. She slowly walked back to her small cave. There she pulled out of an old chest made of an odd looking wood, a great book, and began reading the prophecies of the Solan’s clan.

Chapter 9 - The Lost One

(The Loss of a Child, a Pain that Never Relents.)

337 set of seasons since the coming of the Averons

They slowly moved away from the old woman’s cave back toward the entrance to the Death path. They again arrived at its mouth in mid afternoon and decided to wait until dark to cross. It would be more dangerous this time; the moon was now a thicker crescent and the night was clear. It would be much easier to see them on the path. Adam felt that it was still wiser to travel the path at sunset even with the moon. As the time to cross came closer, Reicka felt more and more apprehensive.

She felt something was about to happen that she could not stop. Adam packed the cart and put Reicka and Terra on it. Suti walked next to Adam as they slowly made their way to the beginning of the path and started the crossing. The path was easier; they could see the rocks and ruts in the moonlight. The small band approached the center of the crossing when they heard the first hideous screeching sound. It came from high above them, and Adam knew it was an Averon. He quickly drew an arrow and mounted it to his bow. They moved faster. A black distorted shadow passed over them time and time again. Suddenly from the sky, a hideously large flier swooped down. Adam shot his bow, and he heard a shriek as if he had hit it. He quickly mounted another arrow.

Suti crouched down ready to leap when a second one came in to attack.

She leaped as it approached the cart and caught it in the chest tearing it open and slicing through its heart. The Averon fell dead from the sky on top of Suti. She was pinned under the massive body, and from the sound, was in great pain. Adam was standing in front of the wagon trying to control the plow beast when another attacked. Adam was struck from behind and knocked to the ground. Reicka, seeing her husband down, jumped from the wagon to his side. Terra, unseen by his mother, climbed out of the cart. When he reached the ground, he ran to help his Suti. At that moment, three monstrous Averons swooped down; two picked up their dead companion, and the third snagged Terra’s rope belt lifting him into the air. As he looked down helplessly, he saw Suti lying flat on the ground, his mother’s arms were outstretched toward him, and she was screaming his name over and over again. His father was on his hands and knees trying to get to his feet next to the plow beast.

Terra soon lost sight of his family as the Averon climbed higher and higher into the air. He could not touch the animal because he was hanging from his rope belt. He was angry and screaming at the monster, but it did not hear him. He was not afraid; he really didn’t know what fear was, but he thought that when he was able to touch this monster he would fix it. He struggled trying to turn or wiggle free but with little effect.

After what seemed to be forever to a young child like Terra, the two monsters that carried the dead one flew away from him. He didn’t understand why. For a while longer, he and the single Averon flew toward a big hill, and he could see the sun just rising over it. Then suddenly, Terra was falling through the air, and just as suddenly, a large claw with funny slick bumpy skin grabbed him. Three huge talons wrapped around his middle and held him. He could touch this thing, but he could not connect to it as he had with Suti. It ignored him. He looked up at massive dark legs that reminded him of Suti’s back legs and a breast as big as the cart. A huge neck and wings so large he could not see their ends in the dim light of dawn. For a long while, they flew over hills and valleys. He saw small villages and farms and even people.

Then they came to craggy cliffs, and Terra saw water splashing up against their base a long way down. He noticed that they were flying toward a big V-shaped wall with a large black hole in it. As they approached the hole, a massive head came down and with its great teeth grabbed the rope around Terra’s waist. He tried to struggle, but his small body was nothing compared to this monster. Then the claw released its grip, and the head brought him up. The wind was strong, and Terra closed his eyes against it. He still felt no fear. The wind suddenly stopped, and he opened his eyes.

Chapter 10 - The Rescue of a Meal

(The Pain of Love for an Injured Child.)

337 set of seasons since the coming of the Averons

Dawra could do little to help her beautiful little Fienna. The dragons had no healers and knew nothing about medicine, other than the mud she had already used. She thought that a fresh killed meal would help her daughter; perhaps it would boost her strength. Lowlack started to help Dawra with her injured daughter. She asked if he would mind hunting for a fresh killed meal for Fienna. Lowlack was old, but he could still hunt. He said he would be glad to and took off to see what he could find.

He flew toward the mountain where the best game always seemed to be. On the way, he saw several human villages. The people always looked up and pointed when a dragon flew over. Then they ran into those odd caves they built of square rocks. Lowlack had hidden in the plants atop hills to watch the humans. The dragon’s vision was incredible, and from his viewpoint within the foliage, he could see everything. The humans often worked alone, but when they needed more strength, they gathered into groups and together lifted or moved heavy objects. They also tied their large worker beasts to objects and forced them to pull until it was moved. Lowlack admired this. He thought that if the dragons would only work together they could do almost anything with their great strength. He did not eat the humans; they really didn’t taste good to him, and they were hard to catch. They ran in erratic patterns that made it difficult to grab them in flight. He had snatched their work beasts before, but those beasts were tough and stringy. He did it only when he was really hungry. Lowlack often saw humans burn their meat with fire. They didn’t eat it raw, which he thought was strange. After all, the taste of meat is destroyed when it’s burnt. That nice bloody taste is lost. He saw them take the seeds of the grass and crush them into powder. Then they mixed it with water, formed it into blocks, and put it in large carved out rocks that they heated with fire. They ate these blocks. One time, he grabbed some of them off the ground after they dropped some while the females were running from him. He held one of the blocks in his front claws, ripped a piece off, and started to chew it. It tasted awful. He had to flame the taste out of his mouth.

Lowlack now approached the mountains. He first saw some jump-beasts in a valley crevice, but the area was too small for him to fit into.

So, he circled around the mountain to see if there were more on the other side. When he came around a large ridge near the mountain’s top, he spotted a small Averon flying near the wide valley floor. It was carrying a small animal in its talons. He couldn’t see quite what; it was hidden below the Averon. Lowlack pulled his great wings in and dove straight at it. Suddenly, he heard a great shriek. A flock of five or six Averons had just flown around the mountain opposite from him and was warning their fellow. The Averon Lowlack was diving on looked up. It dropped its prey and flew towards its companions. Lowlack made a quick decision to grab the dropped animal, rather than take on six Averons. So he swooped down and clutched the small body in mid-air just before it would have hit the ground. He then extended his wings and glided back around the mountain on an updraft of air.

Lowlack looked down and realized that he had a small human who was still alive and conscious. He thought that since this was a child and about the right size for a good meal for Fienna, he would take it back to the cave. After all, maybe Fienna would like the taste of human. As he flew, the little human kept touching his claw, Lowlack felt oddly warm when he did this. Lowlack thought it was just the exertion and his age that caused the warm feeling, so he ignored it. He flew back the same path he came and finally started to approach Dawra’s cave. He reached down and grabbed this small human by a rope tied around his waist. He didn’t want to crush it on landing. The little thing struggled against great odds. Lowlack realized it was a brave little thing as he flew into the dark opening of Dawra’s cave.

Chapter 11 - The Healer

(An Injury Healed is a Joy to the Healer.)

337 set of seasons since the coming of the Averons

As Terra opened his eyes, he could see another large monster and a small one about three times his size. The small one seemed to be hurt; its wing was bent. The large one stood near the small one, protecting it and speaking in a language he could not understand. He felt himself being moved toward the small monster, and he was dropped on the dusty floor. He fell on his bottom, and it hurt. He did not cry; he had stopped that long ago. He stood and was instinctively drawn to the small monster with the broken wing. He felt that he should heal it. He didn’t know why, but he liked healing others; it made him feel good.

When he went to it, the little one gave out a high-pitched scream that hurt his ears, but it didn’t back away.

As he reached for the little monster and touched the injured area of its wing, he felt his hand tingle with warmth as it always did when he healed things. This time something was different. He could not hear anything around him. As his hand warmed, he felt the thoughts of the Fienna. He thought that this was a Fienna. No, her name is Fienna, and she is a dragon.