The Dragon Healer of Tone (World of Tone) (31 page)

She said she would. Slowly, Fienna moved down the sandy path she had created for Terra. When she reached the lake, she stopped, thinking she should not enter the water where her lover’s blood still swirled in its depths, but she could not seem to help herself. As she entered the water, it seemed to draw the pain from her body. The cuts and torn muscles seemed to be glowing a pale orange and began to heal. The water could now heal just as Terra could except much slower and without the gentle love that filled you with his touch. As she relaxed in the water, a thought came to her. If the water could heal her, maybe it would help Terra. She immediately got out of the water and dried off by fanning her great wings. Then she hurried to the cave. The old Sinut was standing bent over Terra. Fienna moved quickly to them.

“What are you doing?” she said angrily.

“I was just seeing if he was comfortable.”

“No, you were looking at something. What?”

“The mark on his chest. What is it?” he said in a quite gentle manner.

Fienna calmed a bit. “It was an amulet that he wore, and one sun-rising it was gone and that mark appeared.” She didn’t want to go into the whole story.

The old one backed away and seemed to know that it was not time to ask more questions.

Fienna gently picked Terra’s small body up and started toward the cave entrance. Setilan came up and wanted to know were she was taking him.

“The water healed some of my wounds I thought it could help him,”

she said with love in her voice.

“That’s a good idea. Can I help?” Setilan said with true concern.

“Yes, come.”

The two of them proceeded to the lake under the watchful eye of the nymphs and dragons swarming around the now busy crevice. They were removing the debris caused by the encounter between Terra and the hideous fliers.

The two entered the water, and an odd thing happened, the entire lake began to glow a light orange with the brightest spot surrounding Terra’s body as Fienna lowered him into the water. It seemed to give all of it’s healing power back to Terra and slowly the glow and the redness of the lake faded. Fienna lifted her love from the water as it’s glow subsided. She could feel Terra’s mind a little closer to hers, but it was still just outside her mental grasp. The rest of the sun-rising and that sunset Fienna stayed within sight of Terra, not wanting to leave him in case any change occurred. She laid him in the sun during the sun-rising on a pile of seaweed brought by the nymphs. Twenty nymphs surrounded him as he lay there unconscious. As the sun slipped past the edge of the crevice walls, she carefully took Terra into the cave and with a single blast she heated a rock near where Terra lay to keep him warm. The lake slowly returned to the red color it had been given by Terra’s blood, and once again healed the wounds of those who entered its waters.

During these sun-risings, Dawra and Lowlack brought Fienna fresh killed beast, so her strength would return. Each in turn would watch over Terra so Fienna could rest, but she always seemed to have one eye on him. Several dragons kept guard over Terra and Fienna at all times, plus the hundreds of Nymphs swarming around. The dragons, especially Dawra, found them at best an annoyance at worst possibly dangerous. Dawra tolerated them for Fienna’s sake.

For the next two mornings, Fienna did the same as she had done the first sun-rising. Each time she placed Terra into its waters the lake lost its red color, which slowly returned by the next morning. Fienna also gave her own energy to Terra, at least as much as she could spare. On the morning of the fourth sun-rising, she felt something tickling her nose, which was pressed against Terra’s body; she lifted her head, and scratched her nose. She heard the deep laugh of Terra. She opened her eyes and found his eyes open and alert, and he was smiling at her with a mischievous grin on his face. She immediately snuggled her nose into him, and he groaned with a little pain.

“Be careful, love I’m still pretty sore,” he thought to her.

“I’m sorry. Are you all right?”

“Yes, my love I’m fine. Who are all these nymphs and dragons around our cave?”

“Somehow, when you were hurt they seemed to know and came to your help. Setilan, her father, and a group of other nymphs came.

Including that strange old one standing in the corner asleep.”

“He’s asleep!”

“Yes, he’s been here the last three sun-risings, and that’s the way he seems to sleep. Do you remember what happened?”

“I remember the fliers attacking me in the lake, and I remember trying to stay afloat. I then remember waking up and seeing you in my mind going after some hideous black flier with that strange figure on its back. I then remember a black bolt and stopping it.”

“You did more than stop it my love. You created a force greater than any that has been seen before on Tone. You saved my life for the third time.”

“What else could I do but save the only thing I love on this world.”

“I am very hungry. Can I get some food?”

“Of course, my love, I will get it immediately. You just lay there and rest, and I will arrange for some food.”

Fienna quickly moved to one of the nymphs, standing close by. She told him to get some of the sea cakes that Terra liked so much. He ran out of the cave entrance and to his officer who in turn ordered several other nymphs to get the cakes. Terra was still tired and in pain; Fienna could feel it. When he moved too much or too fast, pain would shoot through his body like bolts of lightning. This did not seem to stop him from repositioning his body. Terra did not try to stand or even sit up; he was moving his arms and gently stroking Fienna’s foot, which he was now laying against. Setilan then came running into the cave with a basket of sea cakes, and she went straight to Terra. There she looked up at Fienna before approaching him. Fienna nodded her head to let Setilan know it was all right to approach her love.

“You finally have awakened.” She said in a sweet and gentle voice to Terra.

“Well, I guess. How long have I been out?” He asked in a tired and somewhat painful voice.

“Enough time to heal,” she said as she pulled a sea cake from the basket and handed it to him. His arms moved slowly, and it was obvious he was in pain when he moved.

“So this is pain. I don’t really like it much,” he said as he bit into the cake.

“You have never felt pain?” she asked with a surprised look on her face.

“Well once, but only for a few moments. One of those bolts of jagged light from a storm hit me,” he said as he repositioned himself again. Setilan looked at him in amazement.

“Those bolts kill when they hit,” she said.

“It did not kill me,” he said unconcerned as he once more moved with pain showing on his face.

Fienna was watching everyone and everything as Setilan talked to and fed Terra. No one was going to hurt him again. Her mind was continuing to search for any possible threat to her man.

“Fienna, Fienna!” Terra thought to her.

“Calm down everything is fine. Please come closer I want you.”

Fienna heard his thoughts and bent her great muzzle down to him.

She brought her nose within inches of his face, and he pushed his body up and kissed her. The pain he suffered for that one kiss was greater than any she remembered ever feeling.

Setilan moved back as Fienna nuzzled Terra, for even she felt uncomfortable that close to a dragon. The sight of him kissing her was very odd. No non-dragon had ever touched a dragon and lived let alone kissed one. Fienna moved her head back up to continue watching the cave and all of the activity that seemed to be sparked by Terra’s awakening. Setilan handed Terra another cake as he slumped back to his original position. Just then, the odd very old nymph that had been sleeping standing up seemed to awaken, and he approached Terra.

Fienna swung her head toward him and began to snort. He stopped and only proceeded after Fienna backed her head away. She still did not trust the old one. He approached Setilan and Terra, who was eating another cake. Setilan moved back away from Terra in deference to the old one, but Terra told her in perfect nymphan language to stay.

“Who are you?” Terra asked.

“I’m the old Sinut. The only master wizard left to the sea nymphs,

“ he said with a willful pride and arrogance.

“I am Terra your better,” Terra said without arrogance nor seeming concern. It just seemed a statement of fact to him. The other nymphs seem awed by the statement of Terra.

“I know you are my better, but by how much is the question. I have knowledge from my years in this world that could cause you problems in any battle of magic,” The old one said with pride.

“Not likely,” Terra said with no emotion.

“Are you here to threaten me or to help?” Terra asked.

“To help, of course.”

“Then stop bating me; I’m too tired for such things now,” Terra said in a tired voice.

“Yes, yes, you’re right I do apologize,” The old nymph said as he pulled a small bottle of liquid from a small bag that hung from his waist. “Take this; it will help with pain.”

Fienna’s great head seemed to come from nowhere as the Old Sinut extended his hand, and she immediately started sniffing the bottle. Her nose wrinkled from the nocuous smell of the liquid. The old Sinut opened the bottled and took a sip showing her it was harmless.

“Terra, it smells terrible. Don’t drink it,” Fienna thought to him.

“Let me see it first,” he reached out, and the old one handed it to him.

Terra smelled it, and he could somehow tell it would not hurt him, so he drank the whole bottle.

“Terra!” Fienna thought to him in an angry tone.

“Don’t worry; it won’t hurt me. I can tell.”

Fienna looked at the Old Sinut in such a way as to tell him if anything happened to Terra due to his action, he would die for it.

The liquid did ease the pain, and Terra was in a little while able to prop himself up against Fienna’s claw with the help of Setilan. Slowly, during the rest of the morning, Terra ate and began to gain some strength. Dawra came and watched over him as Fienna went out to exercise her wings and take a swim. By evening, he seemed better and had fallen asleep on the bed of sea plants that the nymphs had remade for him that sun-rising.

The next sun rising brought a stronger Terra, and his hunger was beyond belief. He ate everything he could, and by mid sun, his strength was returning fast. Fienna was near the cave entrance when Terra pushed himself to a seated position, and the pain was much less. Fienna could not stop him mentally when she realized what he was doing. He was much better. Within the next few sun risings, he was able to stand for short periods of time, and finally he took a few steps.

Chapter 61 - Privacy

(Love Needs a Private Time to Grow.)

355 set of seasons since the coming of the Averons

Fienna watched the moon change and realized that soon it would be full again. She had no idea if the change would happen again, but she wished to be alone with her love if it did. Terra was now walking around the interior of the cave. Fienna would not let him outside until he could move normally. She feared that if another attack occurred that he would not be able to move out of the way. His strength had more or less returned, but even his vast recuperative powers could not instantly bring him back to where he was before the attack. He was still sore, and his back hurt if he moved around too much. Considering that only seven sunrises before he had two gaping holes in his back and would have been dead if he was a normal human made his present health a feat of magic beyond any ever seen on Tone. The lake was still red and had healing powers. Terra would bathe in it once a sun-rising with more protection than any creature had ever had. No less than ten dragons and over two hundred nymphs stood guard in the water and sky. This was the problem; they had no privacy.

Fienna for some unknown reason, even to her, did not want anyone on Tone to know she changed to a human. Perhaps because she felt weak in that condition, she didn’t know. Even with the ten or twenty nymphs and several dragons running about their cave, she had kept the back cave with the waterfall a secret by making it off limits to every creature including her mother. All did as she wished and never ventured back into the cave recesses.

“Terra, the next sun rising will bring the full moon,” she thought to him.

He was a bit surprised. He had lost track of time and really did not know how long it had been.

“It is.” he thought.

“Yes, we must do something. I may change again.”

“Tell everyone we need some privacy and have them leave the cave after each sunset. We will go to the back cave and stay there, where no one will bother us.”

“All right my love,” she thought.

Fienna informed all the dragons and nymphs they were not to come into the cave at sunset because they needed some privacy. No one seemed to question this, and it became the rule. The next sunset the full moon rose. The yellow orange light filtered into the cave lighting the crystals in the ceiling. The cave glowed in a pale luminescence as Fienna’s great body began to glow in a similar manner next to the waterfall in their private sanctuary. Her body again began to decrease in size until she was once more the beautiful woman that was Terra’s mate. They melded into one on the shore of the small pool. Their love blossomed into a physical act of beauty. Terra seemed to forget his pain in the arms of his lover, and the two became one once again. As the moon sank beyond the rim of the crevice, Fienna once again returned to her normal size.