Chapter 19

“Ornthalas.”

I awoke as I heard my name, and I looked to see who had called me. There was no one there, and then I remembered the Depot. “Scheherazade, did you call me?”

“There is a dragon at the eastern door, and she claims to know you and Vall.”

“What is her name?”

“Just a moment.” Then, “Nilyn.”

“Let her in, please.”

“You do not have clearance to admit unknown personnel into this facility.”

I sighed. “You let us in, so you must have the authority to do it.”

“I can bring her in to a secure area where you can speak with her.”

“Then do so.”

“I will send a personnel cart for you, since it is three kilometers from where you are, now.”

Vall sat up. “I am going with my mate. Will the cart carry both of us?”

“It will.”

A few minutes later, a low machine the size of a merchant’s cart arrived at Vall’s door. It had four wheels, and two seats arranged back to back. Each seat was wide enough to sit both of us, so Vall and I climbed on.

“Are Pel and Ket coming?” Vall asked me.

“They indicated that they would not like to see the dragon,” Scheherazade replied. “Please hold on, the cart will begin moving.”

Move it did – I had never been on anything that fast. Vall clung to my hand as the thing rolled through the hallways, and across the cavern we’d explored earlier. Vall looked wonderingly at the machines as we passed them by. Finally, we arrived at the end of a hallway with a heavy gate across the end. There was also a door in the wall a few paces from the gate.

“She is in the room to your right,” Scheherazade informed us.

“Thank you.” I helped Vall down from the cart, and we opened the door and stepped inside – then we rocked to a halt and stared. It was Nilyn in her elven form; but large patches of blackened and blistered skin showed on her face and body, and half of her hair was gone. She was still on her feet, and she smiled weakly at us.

“Hello, again.” Her voice was a shadow of its former power. “I see you found the depot.”

“Nilyn, what happened to you?” Vall said, reaching out to her with trembling hands.

“I was ambushed by a pair of dragons, one of whom was very unhappy with you, Ornthalas.”

“That thing killed Pel’s brother, and almost killed us,” Vall said angrily. “Nilyn, let us help you. This place has good healers who helped me.”

“I killed that one,” Nilyn said with a grim smile, “but the pair did their damages, too.”

“Scheherazade,” Vall said in a firm voice, “we have to help Nilyn.”

“The medical facility cannot repair magical creatures like dragons,” she replied. “Beyond basic aid, there is little I can do.”

“We have to try,” I said. “Please, let her come with us.”

“Very well, but she will be housed in a secure room, with an attendant present at all times.”

“Come on,” I told Nilyn. We walked her out to the cart, and Vall sat next to her, with me behind them. I turned in the seat so I could watch them as we rode. The ride back felt longer than the first time, but we soon arrived at the healers’ area. Pel watched from her door as we rode by, her expression grim. The cart stopped at a door near to ours, where two machines like Melvin awaited us.

We helped Nilyn into her room, to find an array of devices around and on her bed. “What is this?” I asked.

“We cannot use our normal processes,” the Depot explained, “but we can provide more basic care. I have noted that Nilyn is burned, so her bed and caregivers are equipped to provide definitive care for her. This process will require access to her entire body.”

“We need to take your clothes, Nilyn,” Vall told her. “They’re ruined, anyway. Maybe the Depot can make more for you.”

“Thank you,” Nilyn replied. She allowed us to remove her clothing, and, along with the caregivers, we arranged her in her bed. Oddly, the bed hissed all of the time, and I felt a strong blast of air from around the foot. The pad Nilyn lay on felt very soft, and the attendants began to apply a white substance to Nilyn’s burns.

A thought occurred to me. “Nilyn, were you not able to heal yourself?”

“No,” she smiled crookedly. “One of the spells they cast on me blocks my ability to heal myself.”

“I can try to heal you.” Vall looked at me, and I shook my head. “I will be careful to not try too much.”

“Scheherazade, Ornthalas is about to cast a healing spell on Nilyn,” Vall told her.

“Very well. Proceed.”

“I think that means yes,” I said with a shrug. I stepped over to Nilyn, trying to ignore her nakedness. Her burns, and wounds, I could see now, took away any pleasure at seeing her body. I reached down and placed my hands on her face, spoke a few words, and then watched as the blue fire spread from my hands to cover Nilyn’s face and head. It flowed across her ravaged skin, and then it faded into her. I took my hands away, and saw that her face was again whole. I dared not do more, at least not until I had slept again.

Nilyn tried to raise her arm, but the caregiver gently restrained her. “Please, try to not move. The medication is working, and movement may cause dermal damage.” The dragon/woman smiled. “Did you two understand a word of that?”

“You will hurt yourself if you move,” Vall replied with a sad smile.

“Thank you, Vall.” She lifted her head to look at us both. “I see that you two are mated, now.”

She took my arm and smiled. “Yes. He has saved my life several times. I love him.”

“Life-saving seems to be your new profession, Ornthalas,” Nilyn observed with a smile. “What does a person do to eat around here?”

“Ask Scheherazade, she will have these machines bring your food,” Vall replied.

“Maybe later,” Nilyn said. “I am tired; I think I need to sleep.”

“We will check on you later,” Vall said, and we left her in the attendants’ care. Outside, we noted that the cart was gone, and we saw Pel and Ket standing at their door. “She is resting,” Vall reported as we walked up to them.

“Will she live?”

“I think so,” I nodded. “I was able to heal her a little, but the other dragons placed a curse on her so she could not heal herself magically. The Depot is still able to care for her burns, though.”

“Let’s eat while we talk,’ Vall walked toward the eating area.

We collected our food, and sat down to eat. “What happened to her?” Pel asked at length.

“She got into a fight with two other dragons, and one of them had killed Gim.” Pel and Ket stared at me, and I bared my teeth in a fierce smile. “She killed that one.”

“Good.” Ket said with cold satisfaction.

Pel sniffed and turned away. Ket leaned down to speak softly in her ear as she wept. After a few moments, she wiped her face with a small cloth from her tray, and blew her nose. “That’s good; the horrid creature is dead.” She looked at me. “How did Nilyn find us?”

“I have no idea,” I replied. “I will ask her about it tomorrow. She’s badly burned and cut from the fight.”

“Oh!” Pel exclaimed. “Look!” She picked up a book from a stack of them I hadn’t noticed, and passed one to me, and another to Vall.