Chapter 4: More Magic, the Eldest Dragon, and the Ending of a Separation

Janet was gently shaken awake. Her sleep had been free of nightmares, for once full of pleasant dreams. She looked towards the balcony doors, seeing that the curtains had been drawn open. It seemed to be nearly two hours ‘til midnight, or so her internal time sense told her, a sense that had also sharpened with her Awakening. Ellis gently lowered a tray before her, as she sat up against the headboards. This time, the tray held what seemed to be some kind of fish, with vegetables, and a mildly spiced wine. It also held some strange fruit, which tasted somehow both sweet and tart, and seemed to melt in her mouth.

When they were done, she went to the next room, to see her friends. As soon as she walked in the door, Guardian ran over to her, tail wagging with eagerness. She gave him a tight hug, and then went over to the she-bear. The wounds on the leg that had been caught in the bear trap were nearly healed over. The bear didn’t complain when she gently touched the cuts, although it clearly felt the pressure of the touch, so Janet thought it would likely be ready to return to the mainland within a few days at most.

Of the rest of the animals, mainly consisting of the Mynkathi pack, Kimber was the worst of them. Janet gently felt along the wolf-bitch’s sides, and nearly jerked away when a very soft touch to the ribs caused Kimber to whimper in pain. She turned to Ellis, to ask him to put the she-wolf to sleep, but Ellis said that she could do it herself. His explanations were concise and to the point. Then she tried it. She reached, deep inside herself, for the core of her being, the magic spark called the soul or spirit, and felt, somehow knew, what to do. She wove the Sleep spell deftly—a spell that Ellis noticed was definitely stronger than anything he could do for non-Immortals. Janet also modified the spell, so that the wolf would be oblivious to any pain Janet might accidentally cause through her inspection.

Janet reached for the magic again, and wove a spell to discover what injuries the wolf was suffering. When this was done, she saw that the shattered ribs were the worst there was, except for a strange taint she realized was similar to, if weaker than, the one which had nearly killed Guardian. She gently laid her hands over the area of the shattered ribs, and slowly let her will pass through the injury, letting it heal at a faster pace, not directly healing it as she had done for the cub. Then she removed the taint, ignorantly drawing it into herself.

When Ellis saw what she was doing, he held out a strange crystal, which he instructed her to use as receptacle for the taint. She transferred the taint again, this time into the crystal, which darkened for a moment, then began to glow. She stared into the crystal a moment, then saw the spells woven into it; spells of reversal and, if the latter did not work, spells of negation. She realized she could now draw on the energy in the crystal as an additional bolster to her own strength.

Doing so, she accelerated the healing process for the rest of the animals in the makeshift infirmary cum menagerie, and felt she had barely expended any of her energy in the process. She noticed that the crystal still glowed.

Realizing she was still naked, she thought of the clothes her locket had provided the day before, envisioned herself so clothed again, and then imagination became fact. She started to hand the crystal back to Ellis, but he shook his head. “Once used by someone, it cannot be used by another, until that one passes on, or willingly gives it up. It’s a Focus Stone. It can be used as an energy source and storehouse, as an amplifier of your spell-weavings and as a talisman against enemy spells. Here, put it on this.” He held out what seemed to be a broach, to hold a cloak in place, but then she saw the indentation for the crystal. As she brought the crystal nearer, the broach glowed slightly, then, with a slight flash of light and a quiet click, the Stone was part of it. She wondered where she should where it, and suddenly she was wearing a cloak. Shrugging, she pinned it in place with the amulet.

“We should go. It will be time to meet the High Council soon,” Ellis said, and then led the way back to the other room, where he opened the balcony doors. As Janet followed him, she realized that she, in turn, was being trailed by Guardian. It seemed he did not want to leave her again. Ellis, seeing this predicament, transformed into a Dragon again. The cub stalked over to him, hackles bristling, as he sniffed at the dragon. Then he went over to the Dragon’s foreleg and started rubbing up against it.

Ellis gave a shrug, and then said, in the Dragon’s tongue, wondering if Janet would understand him, “Bring him along, won’t hurt him, or us. And it might prove to them that you are what we believe you are, if they see Moon Wolves following you.” Janet understood him perfectly. She went over, picked up Guardian, then climbed aboard Ellis’ shoulders again, settling between the same two neck ridges as before, this time holding a slightly quivering wolf cub in her arms. The Dragon walked out onto the balcony, and then leapt, and, with great wing strokes, flew off into the night, heading for a tall crystal tower in the center of the city of Eyrie Draconis.

Anikathlianra was waiting for them when they landed. “The Elders are all inside, Brother. Although you’re a little early, their getting impatient.” Then she noticed the broach Janet was wearing. “You gave her that Focus Stone? The Elders won’t be pleased. Although, I think, Killian will laugh it off.”

Ellis, having returned to his humanoid form once more, stopped dead in his tracks as he heard that last name. “The Eldest is here? You almost let me walk in there without knowing? An oversight, I hope. Don’t let it happen again, if you please, Sister.” He turned to Janet, holding out his hand. “Shall we go impress the living daylights out of these old Dragons, my love?”

Nodding, she put Guardian down, as he was starting to squirm, then took Ellis’ offered hand and walked in with him, wondering why he was suddenly so tense.

When they entered the Council Chamber, she saw. Sitting in a large semicircle were thirteen of the oldest men and women she had ever seen, although their age was more apparent in their proud and wise bearing than in their actual appearance, it was more sensed than seen. And, off to one side, was a huge dragon the color of pure gold, lying curled around a large egg, whose shell was also gold tinted.

“As thou hath summoned us, Elders, so do we attend thee,” Ellis said, with a respectful bow towards the group of men and women. He turned to the Dragon at the side of the room, and went down on one knee. “Lady Killian, it is an honor to be in thy presence once more. How doth thine egg’s hardening?”

“It is a slow process, my Son. This one will be the last Dragon born of the egg. The stasis spell on it was strangely altered, making it impossible to remove, so I had thy spell-weavers alter it again so that it would only slow time, not stop it completely. I fear it to be months yet from hatching, even after these last three years of guarding and warming it. And this is thy companion from before your Awakening?” At his quiet nod, the Dragon’s head turned toward Janet. “Come forward, child. Let me look at you. Do not fear. It has been many millennia since I have bitten, eaten, or even harmed anyone, and then it was always in self-defense, or in defense of the Light, against the Dark.”

Janet nodded, and slowly walked toward Killian. The ancient Dragon looked her over, asking her to turn around slowly, saying nothing about the amulet at Janet’s shoulder, then to move nearer, so Killian could have a closer look at her face. When the Eldest saw her eyes, thou, her own widened in surprise. “By the Light! I believed Anikathlianra to be pulling my tail, but she spoke true. The stars shine from her eyes.” Killian turned back to Ellis. “You did well to bring her here before her Awakening. We all felt the Power released as it happened. You also did very well in giving her my mother’s Focus Stone, though I wish you had informed me of why you wanted it, and not some story about wanting to study it. But, knowing you, Ellisanavriel, you probably did study it as well, just to cover your bets, hmm?” Killian chuckled, a deep, low rumble in her throat. “She will have to learn her abilities quickly, for I fear the Dark will not let her go unchallenged for long. Good thing we are always on the alert for such an attack.