The Dragon Healer of Tone (World of Tone) (43 page)
Read The Dragon Healer of Tone (World of Tone) Online
Authors: A. D. Adams
Tags: #fantasi, #wisord, #Nymph, #fasntasy, #fansasy, #Fantasy, #Land Nymph, #fantasía, #fanttasy, #fantaisy, #fantassy, #flying, #which, #wich, #fantazy, #fanstasy, #fnatasy, #Nymphs, #witch, #Sea Nymph, #magic, #fatnasy, #dragon, #fantays
Faray stood and turned to help Fienna up. Terra moved across the room with such speed that Faray was only just reaching for Fienna when the great arms of her mate picked her up. Terra carried Fienna, and the three advanced on the figure lying on the floor. The ground below his feet changed to an orange glow with each step. The once beautiful woman was now an ancient figure that was beyond help.
Terra knelt down still carrying Fienna, and the old woman opened her eyes.
“Thank you for releasing me from the grip of the black demon. I could not control my own will. I’m now free at last.”
As her eyes closed for the last time, a fog surrounded them. Three human female figures formed from the fog in front of them, and from the body of the old one, a smoky white figure lifted. It took it’s place with the three which became four. As Terra stood, a fifth figure began to form into shape at the center of the four. The center figure was not of the fog but was a transparent image of a very old woman floating in the air wearing an amulet like the one Terra held.
“I am Telsen, a Solan of the first order, young one. You have much power,” it said to Terra.
“Who are you?” Terra asked.
“I am the last of the Solans. We were trained in the use of magic in a sisterhood of love. We used our magic to help and protect the people.”
“You’re the last?” Faray asked.
“You will be the start of the next generation,” the image said to Faray.
“The amulet is hers now. Please give it to her,” the figure said to Terra as it pointed to Faray.
Faray gently took it from Terra’s hand. Two of the stones began glowing as she placed it around her neck.
“You must come soon to see me in the Mur Mountains. Your mother knows the place.”
“Why should we come to see you?” Terra asked.
“You need to know what I know, and she needs to be trained,” the image said.
Just then Fienna felt a cramp in her stomach and moaned slightly.
“Just a cramp,” she thought to Terra before he had a chance to ask.
“You must go. Soon you will have a new child. This mountain was once held together by the blackness and now by your magic. When you leave, it will crumble.” With that the image faded, and the four figures merged into the fog as it slipped out the cave entrance.
Terra heard two dragons land on the ledge outside the cave’s entrance, and then two great heads peered in the opening. It was Dawra and Hectise. The three left the cave and mounted Dawra with Faray behind Terra and her brother still cradling Fienna in his arms. As they lifted off and flew the path back to the crevice, Faray looked back. The once black mountain that she saw as the Averons carried them the cave was now bright orange in color. Every crack and crevice seemed to have been flushed of the blackness by Terra’s orange glow. As the color began to fade, a powerful rumble began. Before her eyes, the entire mountain seemed to collapse into a hill of ruble with a great plume of dust rising into the sky.
As they flew over the edge of the crevice walls, Terra could see four dragons lifting Lowlack’s still body into the air. Terra had told Fienna of the dragon’s death and sadness passed over both of them for the loss of such a friend. He would be taken to an active volcano were his body would rejoin the fires within.
Chapter 79 - The Birth
(New Life is always welcome.)
357 set of seasons since the coming of the Averons
As soon as they landed, Terra leaped from Dawra’s back with Fienna in his arms, and Faray carefully climbed down. Fienna was having more cramps as Terra moved toward the cave’s entrance.
Reicka and the old Sinut saw them land and rushed to Terra.
“Is she all right?” Reicka asked with concern in her voice.
“She’s having cramps in her stomach,” Terra said.
“It’s her time then. Let’s get her in the cave,” she said.
The three women and Terra went to the cave, and the old Sinut called for Setilan and Seana. They both came with fresh seaweed for a birthing bed and new delicate cloth to clothe the newborn and mother.
They went into the cave and found Fienna cradled in Terra’s arms with her stomach and lower body glowing orange from Terra’s hands.
Dawra stood back watching carefully all that went on. Fienna was in no pain, but her muscles were contracting every few moments. The nymphs spread the seaweed into a soft mat next to Fienna and helped her and Terra move onto it. Reicka said nothing because it was better than the dirty cloth she had spread out. Soon Terra and Fienna could feel the young one trying to leave her mother’s womb. Without pain, Fienna gave birth to their daughter. She was small, and instead of being multicolored like her mother, she had a face of light green with a myriad of other shades of green patterned over her tiny body. Fienna healed immediately with Terra’s help and took hold of her newborn.
She seemed very peaceful, and when she opened her eyes, she saw her mother; she reached for and held her breast and then her eyes seemed to focus on her father. She giggled and smiled at the site of him. Reicka and Faray took the cloth from the Nymphs and were amazed at its softness. They helped Fienna clean the baby and put it in its new clothes, and both mother and daughter fell asleep near a fire in the great cave being carefully watched over by Terra.
After the two had been asleep for a long while, Terra got up and stretched and walked out of the cave to the edge of the flat rock and broke off a dead twig from a branch of an over hanging plant. There he stood thinking and fumbling the twig with his great fingers. Reicka came out and quietly walked up to him.
“Son?” she asked in a questioning tone.
“Yes,” he said without looking down at her.
“You looked troubled?”
“No, not really. I just would like to be left alone with my family. I bother no one, but things seem to happen anyway. Even Tone wants to be healed,” he said in a tired voice.
“Tone, the world?” she asked in surprise.
“Yes, it talked to me.”
“There were legends that the world was a living thing, but I don’t think anyone had ever thought them true.”
“Well, it is alive and in pain.”
“Many are in pain. Our people are warring and killing each other over nothing, and no one can seem to stop it,” Reicka said with great sadness in her voice.
Terra said nothing; instead he now seemed to be far away. Fienna carrying their newborn came out of the cave just then and walked over to Terra. He came out of his thoughts and placed his arm around his mate and child. He handed the twig to the little one as she reached for her father, and when she touched it, her small hand began to glow green, which spread across the twig. It suddenly snapped straight and small leaves began to sprout from its once dead core.
Dawra and Hectise sat on the far ridge of the crevice watching the three. The orange sun was behind them.
“Did you ever notice that Terra’s healing glow is the same color as the setting or rising sun?” Hectise said.
“No, I guess I never paid much attention to it, but you are right, it is the same color.”
Tarsack, the old dragon that lived in the cave of the ancients landed next to them. He made himself comfortable for a moment as the two dragons stared at him. He looked at the three.
“It is hard to believe that those two down there will change the world,” the old dragon said.
“Why have you come?” Dawra said.
“I want to tell them all I know, but it is not the time. I can see that now. I’ll come back when they are ready to hear.”
As the sun sunk behind the crevice wall creating a half sphere of bright orange light above the three, their shadows stretched down the sandy path to the water. The odd shapes on the ground distorted the shadows such that they resembled dragons. Terra’s shadow ended at a small group of rocks that seemed to make a crown around the shadowy head.
The old one spoke one final statement as he leaped into the air to leave.
“The Dragon Savior has finally come.”
Epilogue - Part of the Whole
(16th set of seasons in the age of the Draman)
I have tried to give the most complete and readable account of our past, but Master Scribe Soto wished to see the manuscript now. The others have completed their histories, and although mine is only half done, he wishes to review my progress. Whether or not my work is accepted, I plan to complete this history. It will take another set of pages equal to or greater than the ones I have already written, but I intend to do it. I have stopped at a convenient point that seems to me to be a natural break in the history. I wish to thank all those who helped me with the facts, especially Dawra and Reicka. They were two of the most gracious creatures I have ever had the pleasure to meet.
A Thank You to the Reader
The worlds of our minds are mysterious places.
Dreams are often part of realities beyond our knowledge.
Your mind is the fountain of all you are or will be.
For what seems real this sun-rising may be dreams tomorrow.
Thank you for visiting one of my dream worlds. I hope you enjoyed it.
A. D. Adams
Author Profile
A. D. ADAMS
has had a number of technical articles dealing with the engineering of rubber products published in journals. He published one previous mystery novel entitled
Death on
Lake Ice and also had several fantasy short stories published in The Yarrow Brook Literary Review. He acted as a contributor and the editor of the anthology of stories called Wordspinners of the Akron Manuscript Club, which was recently honored by the Poets’ and Writers’ League of Greater Cleveland as one of the top twenty-five books of 2004.
Table of Contents
Chapter 2 - The Birth of a Child
Chapter 3 - The First Year of Life
Chapter 4 - The Birth of a Dragon
Chapter 5 - The Tragic Accident
Chapter 6 - The Long Growing Season
Chapter 10 - The Rescue of a Meal
Chapter 13 - Care and Feeding of a Human
Chapter 16 - Clothes and Other Needs
Chapter 17 - The Time of Growing
Chapter 18 - The Dragon Council
Chapter 21 - Terra’s First Flight
Chapter 24 - Meeting a New Friend
Chapter 25 - Growing Up and Its Problems
Chapter 26 - Exploring the World
Chapter 27 - A Moon Rising Alone
Chapter 28 - Seeing His Kind for the First Time
Chapter 30 - Exploring a Secret Place
Chapter 33 - The Last Lesson of Flight
Chapter 34 - A Visit to a Friends Home
Chapter 35 - Old Friends Visit
Chapter 37 - Terra Rides the Winds
Chapter 38 - Rest and Learning
Chapter 39 - The Training of a Sounder
Chapter 40 - Fienna is Presented to Dragon Society
Chapter 42 - Finding a New Home
Chapter 43 - Preparing to Leave
Chapter 44 - A Teacher Needs Help
Chapter 45 - Someone’s Watching
Chapter 47 - Terra Is Presented to Dragon Society
Chapter 48 - The Word Heard by All
Chapter 49 - The Dragon Healer
Chapter 50 - The Healer of All
Chapter 59 - The Return of Evil
Chapter 63 - A Surprise for All
Chapter 64 - A Search for Knowledge
Chapter 65 - Learning to Cope with Change
Chapter 66 - All Learn of the Change
Chapter 69 - Time For the New and a Change