Dragon Tamer

I peered over to Dad, who was standing by the fire, his back to me, unsure if I should say something to ease his mind, then, deciding against it, hurried out the door to catch up with my brothers. The short jog jarred my ribs, and I winced once I’d caught up to them. That manticore paw had gotten my side pretty good, and now I was starting to feel my stabbing companion with every step.

“You all right?” Camden’s voice startled me, and I nearly elbowed his face, only just stopping myself at the last second. Casper and Tallinn peered over their shoulders to him, equally surprised that he’d joined us, then turned their gazes forward again, deciding there was no harm.

“I’m fine,” I muttered, surreptitiously slipping my arm under my jacket to support my ribs while I walked. Every breath seemed to hurt more than the last. “You didn’t have to come. The house is warmer.”

He shrugged. “I just want to make sure you’re properly taken care of, that’s all.”

I withheld a snort. “Far more people need to be taken care of than me.”

Looking around, it would take over a month to fix the broken fences, ruined lawns, collapsed roofs, or to rebuild the few houses that had been burned down. That was just the state of the town. The people would be in far worse condition. I was low on the list of priorities. Burn victims needed to be tended to, anyone who was unfortunate to meet the jaws or claws of a manticore would have to be stitched up immediately. A few cracked ribs weren’t going to kill me.

As I suspected, as we neared the healing hut, there was a lineup of people outside, waiting to be looked at. Giles was at Amelia’s side while she wandered up and down the line, looking for anyone who needed the most immediate attention. He barked at anyone who complained to her that she wasn’t doing a good enough job.

“We only have so many healers,” he snapped at one old lady who held her grandchild in her lap while her son’s face was damp with blood. Amelia had told the man he had to wait. “The dying get priority.” He slipped his arm around her waist and herded down the line for the next patient.

It was strange seeing him so protective, glaring at anyone who even thought about speaking against Amelia. It was a glare everyone in this town avoided: the Dricino Glare. It was a look that could tame the most furious of dragons, and definitely any sizzling human. Giles usually reserved it for people who talked smack about our family. He saw us and nodded to Casper then went back to glaring at the unruly line.

Casper ordered us to sit on the low wall fence everyone else was leaning on while they waited their turn to be seen by a healer. I winced doing so, hoping it wasn’t too noticeable to my brothers. The uneven surface of the stone wall wasn’t helping my rib situation much, but I spotted people down the line who needed to be looked at before me and I didn’t want my brothers to throw any fits for my well being.

Camden’s eyes narrowed on me; they were a dark green, despite all the torches lit around the healing hut to aid the healers. The inside glowed the brilliant white light of enchanted stones to give the healers the best lighting no matter the time of day.

“What?” I demanded. He kept looking at me like he was expecting me to keel over at any minute and only he was fast enough to catch me. Well, whatever fantasy he had about a woman swooning in his arms, I was not about to be a part of it. I could hold my own just fine.

“You don’t look good,” was all he responded with, his tone flat.

At that, Casper stepped around Tallinn’s outstretched legs and bent over me to look at my eyes properly. I would have swatted his stupid face away if the movement wouldn’t make me wince and alert them of my pain. “He’s right.” He seemed surprised, and then he was concerned. “You’re pale, Kali. Did you get hit by the stinger?”

“No,” I replied curtly, annoyed Casper was listening to Camden. “I’m fine.”

“Where did you get hit?” he pressed, completely ignoring my protests as he poked and prodded my body for injury. When he scored on my ribs, I cried out and smacked his ear. He swore in pain.

Tallinn laughed. “I don’t know what you expected to happen, Cas, but that was so worth watching.”

“Back off, Tallinn.” He glared at me. “Lift your shirt, Kal. Let me see what that monster did to you.”

“I’m fine.”

“Stop saying you are fine!” Camden snapped, surprising me by how frustrated he sounded. “Show us your ribs, Kali. Please,” he added when my brothers glared at him for using that tone with me. “We just want to make sure you’re all right.”

Grumbling, because I really didn’t want to do this but also didn’t want to wrestle with my brothers, I shucked out of my jacket and pulled the hem of my shirt up halfway.

Camden sucked in a breath, apparently not needing to see the damage done without a light unlike my brothers; Casper went to grab a torchlight. When he returned, the flames illuminated the dark purple, almost black, bruises splattered over my right side.

“Oh.” Yeah, that looked pretty bad.

“She needs a healer,” Camden said, then craned his neck over the crowd for Amelia and Giles.

Casper put a hand on his shoulder. “Stay with them, I’ll grab someone.” He left with the torchlight and the warmth that came with it.

Shuddering from the cold, I pulled my shirt down and painfully slipped into my jacket. Every shiver sent a jab up my side, and it took everything I had not to whimper.

Camden striped out of his jacket and hung it delicately on my shoulders. It surprised me by how warm it was; it was like he’d left it hanging by a raging fire all night. It ceased my shivers instantly, allowing for me to relax on the wall pain-free. I shut my eyes and took slow deep breaths. Hmmm, despite having been here for so long, the jacket still smelt like the salty air of Histero. The scent alone almost took the pain away. What I would give to go back and fly under the moon and over the calm waves of the Hister Ocean. . .

“You’re an idiot, Kal,” Tallinn begrudged. “You should have told us how bad it was.”

My moment of peace ruined, I glared at him. “It’s just a little bruise. No biggie.”

“You can barely breathe,” Camden snapped. “That’s not something to ignore. You could die.”

You know what, I didn’t want to smell the Hister Ocean anymore; I threw his jacket at him. “Stop treating me like a child. Both of you. I don’t need anyone to baby me. Tallinn’s hurt too, but I don’t see anyone making a big deal out of it.” I sucked in an angry breath--and was rewarded with a stab into my side. I winced and held my ribs in the hopes of steadying them.

“I didn’t get hit by a manticore, you moron!” Tallinn shouted. “If I had, you’d be damned sure I’d get the same treatment. So just shut up, sit still, and stop acting like a brat. Camden, give her the jacket back.”

As commanded, he draped the jacket over my shoulders again and gently chucked my chin. “We’re doing this because we care about you, Kali. Let me look after you, all right?”

I averted my gaze, because his tone had been so earnest and tender, I feared if I looked into his eyes my heart might jump to conclusions. I merely nodded and kept my mouth shut.

Casper came back with Amelia and Giles. Her blonde hair was tossed up into a bun, strands matted down with blood--not her own--and dirt. Her skirt and apron were completely ruined by blood and various coloured pastes from the poultices they made. She inspected my ribs and came to the same conclusion as everyone else: I needed help. She pulled me to my feet but stopped Casper and Tallinn from following. “I’m sorry,” she said, seemingly like she truly meant it. “Only necessary people in the hut right now. Tallinn isn’t injured enough to come inside. Not even Giles is allowed to follow me inside.”

I patted Casper’s chest. “It’s okay, Cas, I’ll be all right. Stay out here with Tallinn.”

He was hesitant, but he honestly couldn’t do anything about it, so I followed Giles and Amelia without another word. I received a couple of nasty looks from people as we went down the line, angry that I'd cut in front of them. Giles stopped at the door and glared behind me; I didn’t know why until I peered back and saw Camden right behind me, about to step into the building.

“What are you doing?” I demanded of him. “You can’t come in.”

He chewed on his bottom lip, eyes narrowing in on me. He looked like he wanted to argue and use his princely powers to barge past my brother for the door. And then he seemed to think better of it and sighed. “I-I. . . want to make sure my jacket doesn’t get ruined.”

“Here.” I handed him the jacket roughly. “Wait out here with Giles.”

My brother winked and blew a kiss at him.

After slipping into his jacket, Camden crossed his arms and leant on the door frame. “If you need anything, just give me a shout.”

I didn’t tell him I couldn’t shout even if I wanted to, and let Amelia lead me inside. The hut was full of healers and the injured. People cried and called to each other, some were quietly brooding in their beds or on a chair. I kept my eyes on the back of Amelia’s head to distract myself from the smell of blood, sweat, and healing pastes. Normally when our village was attacked, I was a part of the team that swept through the town to make sure the threat was gone, I wasn’t a part of the injured, let alone one who needed immediate attention.

She pulled a curtain back to reveal a fresh cot hiding in the corner away from everyone else. It was stark white compared to the reds, browns, and ugly colours of the poultices. “Go on, sit. I’ll let someone know you’re here. I have to go back outside and heal the lightly wounded.”

I gulped. “Is there a reason I’m in the far corner? I’m. . . not actually dying, am I?” I didn’t feel like I was; it hurt to breathe and move, but I always thought I’d know if I was dying.

She offered a sympathetic smile, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear; she had blood on her finger and smudged her cheek. “It’s the only cot left, Kali. You’ll be all right. Someone will heal you and send you home. Most of these people will have to stay here under supervision for the night.”

Feeling a little better, I laid down on the cot and kept my eyes on the paneling on the vaulted ceilings. I focused on breathing in a way that hurt the least while I waited for someone to have a look at me. I twiddled my fingers, wishing my brothers or Camden were here to drown out the noises on the other side of the curtain.

Cadence walked in, wiping her hands on her stained apron. She paused when she saw me, white blonde curls falling free from her tie. “Amelia didn’t say you were the patient,” she grumbled, sounding tired and now annoyed. “What are you doing here?”

I lifted my shirt in answer. She wasn’t the only one who was unhappy she was here.

She sighed heavily, agitatedly. “What happened?”

“Manticore swiped me with its paw and pinned me on the ground.”

She knelt down and inspected the wounds closer, careful not to poke me too hard. “You were fighting it? When are you going to learn that it’s a man’s job? You’re just going to get hurt--like this. I’m surprised you haven’t died yet. Honestly, give up your silly little dream--whatever that is. You’re only getting in everyone’s way.”

I felt her words like a sucker punch, not that I let her see it. They only hurt this time because tonight it was true. I would have died if Camden hadn’t saved me--somehow--and now my brothers were putting themselves out for me instead of helping the town. I was dead weight to my family, to this town. “You heal people, I kill things. Let’s just both do our jobs and move on, all right?”

She rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I’ll be back in a few minutes, there are a lot of ingredients I have to get for your ointment.”

Ugh. Couldn’t she just put any old poultice on the wound? I just wanted to get this out of the way. People were waiting for me, and I felt guilty enough as it was. “If it’s going to take a while, can you tell Camden to go home? He’s just outside.”

She paused in the middle of pulling the curtain aside and peered back at me. “The prince is here?”

Before I could snidely repeat he was outside, she was gone. I groaned, holding my ribs. Great. She probably went out there to talk to him instead of grabbing the stuff she needed to heal me.

I’m going to be here forever.

I counted the knots in the wooden panels above me to keep my mind off everything going on outside my curtains. You’re not dying. If you were, Amelia would have been more alarmed.

Gods, but it sounded like the people around me were dying. The person beside me screamed at the top of his lungs then abruptly stopped; healers’ voices rose as they hurried to help him. A woman nearby was sobbing heavily. My stomach knotted, imagining someone dying in her arms-

The curtain to my cot flew open, making me jump. Camden stepped in, seemingly relieved. His shoulders relaxed as a smile crept over his face. “Found you.”

My heart was pounding too much from my panic for me to be relieved to see a familiar face. “What are you doing here? Did you sneak in?”

Rolling his eyes, he sat on the end of the bed. “Cadence let me in. She told me to stay with her, but then she started talking while she prepared your ointment and I got bored. How are you doing?”

I released a heavy sigh then groaned as my ribs creaked in protest. “I’ve been better.”

He regarded the bruises plastered over my side, eyes narrowing into a glare as if they’d insulted him. “Can I get you anything?”

“A knife so I can end my misery.”

“That bad? If you’re in that much pain. . .”

“No, I can handle the pain. I just. . .” I bit my lip, debating if I should tell him something that made me appear weak. It was hard enough to convince him that I was qualified to guide him; I didn’t want him to think any differently of me and ask Dad for a new guide. “I don’t like being in here--around sick/dying people. It kinda freaks me out.”

He fought the urge to smile and covered his mouth with a hand.

“What?” I demanded. Damn it. He was trying not to laugh at me. I shouldn’t have told him anything. “Never mind. I think you should leave.”

He pouted. “Kali, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it. I just find it hard to believe you’d be afraid of anything, let alone tell me if you were.”

Yeah, well, I couldn’t believe I told him either. His pretty looks were very distracting and made my mouth say things without consulting my brain.

Cadence came through the curtain. A smile sprang to life when she caught sight of Camden. “Oh, good, you’re here. I thought I might have to hunt you down.” For some reason that was funny, and she laughed. “So, how have you been, Prince, I haven’t seen you in a while.”

I cleared my throat to remind her that she had a patient and I wasn’t going to get any better if she didn’t start using whatever was in that bowl to fix me.

She gave me a look. “What? I’ll heal you in a second. Maybe next time you’ll think twice about fighting a monster.”

“You can heal her and talk to me at the same time, can’t you?” he offered charmingly.

Ugh. Where was the knife I asked for?

After a moment’s thought, she shrugged and laid the flat bandages on bed beside me then began lathering the oily-leafy ointment into the gauze. She whispered a spell that made it glow a yellowish tinge. While they talked, she made me sit up and wrapped the moist gauze around me. She got Camden to tell her how his training was going, what a regular day would look like for him here, if he had any spare time in the evenings to have dinner with her. He laughed with her while I held back a gag. Could they flirt some other time--like when I wasn’t around.

Sensing my disgust, Cadence yanked the gauze tight. I gasped from the shooting pain up my side. “Here.” She handed me a small brown vial.

“What is it?” I breathed, cautious of its contents.

“It’ll help with the pain and heal you from the inside. It’s not as effective as the wart root in your bandages, but you shouldn’t be too sore tomorrow. No sparring for a few days.”

She peered over at Camden and said something, but I was too busy sniffing the concoction she made me. It had a strong minty scent to it, so sharp it cut through my nose. I sneezed a couple of times then threw the drink back before I could talk myself out of it. It tasted as strong as it smelt. I choked on it and groaned, feeling the jab in my ribs. The pain quickly subsided and the world began to spin. I automatically reached for Camden’s arm, hoping it would make the world stand still.

He caught my shoulder. “Kali?”

“I’m dizzy.”

“Oh, yeah. That’s a side effect,” Cadence eventually supplied. “You’ll also have weak knees, be a little drowsy, and maybe have numb feet.”

“You’re kidding. Why did you give this to me?” The side effects did not seem worth the results, despite how little pain I was in right now.

She shrugged. “You seemed like you were in pain. She’ll be here all night, Prince. You can stay here in the meantime, but do you mind walking me home later?”

I shook my head, squeezing Camden’s arm. “I want to go home. Someone else needs this bed.” Also, I could not sleep here, not with all the noise going on, people dying, awful smells floating in the air.

“I’ll take you home, Kali,” Camden offered. He looked to Cadence. “Is there anything else you need to do for Kali?”

She shot a glare at me then crossed her arms. “No, she’s free to go. . . Will you be by later?”

He glanced at me then nodded to her. “I’ll come by to walk you home. Come on, Kali.” He easily slipped off the bed, while I had to squeeze my eyes shut first to slow down the spinning. Once it was slow enough, I pulled my shirt over my head then got to my feet. My knees gave out. Camden was quick and hooked his arm around my waist.

“Weak knees,” Cadence reminded us when Camden looked to her with concern. She pulled the curtain aside for us while Camden basically dragged me through the hut.

Giles made a noise of protest when he saw me. “Kali?”

I put some weight on my foot, concentrating in keeping my knees straight. After staring at him for a few seconds, he became less blurry. “I’m okay, Giles. They’re sending me home so someone else can have the bed.”

He switched looks between Camden and I, blue eyes sharp with concern. His hair was coming loose from his tie; the usually curly strands were glued to the side of his face from all the sweat he’d worked up to keep Amelia safe from rowdy people. She was just a few people down the line, cleaning a wound on a child’s arm. “Is that true?” he asked the prince.

“Yes. I wouldn’t have let her leave if Cadence hadn’t said she was okay.”

Giles relented with a faint smile. He ruffled the top of my head. “I’ll let Casper and Tallinn know. Take care of yourself, Kali. I’ll see you tomorrow; I’m spending the night with Amelia.” He winked at me. If I had any energy, I would have groaned. My brothers were always too eager to tell me when they were going to get laid, meanwhile I puttered around the house, hating how scary my family was; it made it incredibly difficult for me to get laid.

Camden’s arm tightened around me, signaling me to keep moving. I took two steps before my knees buckled. Camden swept one arm under my knees and the other under my shoulders, pulling me up against his chest.

“I can walk!” I protested, never having been so embarrassed. Helpless people were carried this way. I was not helpless.

“Barely,” Camden retorted. “Stop squirming, you’re only going to get more dizzy if you struggle.”

Now that he mentioned it, I noticed I couldn’t keep my eyes focused on a house without feeling like I was falling, let alone look at his face and only see one head. And that was when he was walking. I couldn’t imagine walking in a straight line and stopping my knees from buckling.

“Fine, but at least walk slower. We’re going to fall over and die at the pace you’re going.”

He looked down at me. We’d passed the line of people, so it was just us in the silence of the streets under a torch. The wind was much colder tonight than other nights from the rain earlier, and I shivered, glad that it didn’t hurt this time. His eyes lit up with gold and different shades of green under the orange light, but that wasn’t why I was staring at them; his pupils weren’t rounded, they were vertical slits like a dragon’s.

He frowned at me the longer I stared. “What? I’m not even moving, Kali, and I promise I won’t drop you, despite what you may think.”

I shook my head, regretting it as the whole world seemed to tip over. I gripped his shoulders to ground myself. “No, you’re eyes. . . you look like a dragon.”

His face screwed up in confusion. “You’re seeing things, Kali. Just relax, all right? We’re halfway there. Rest your head on my shoulder. You don’t have to hold me so tight. I got you. You’ll get home in one piece, I promise.”

I did as he suggested, pressing my cheek against the rough dragon scale jacket, and let my arms sit in my lap. He walked gently enough that the vertigo didn’t affect me as much; the sway of his gait was actually quite soothing. I could see why girls always pretended to swoon near handsome men; there was just something about being held in a pair of strong arms, completely giving myself to him, that I found oddly reassuring. I felt utterly safe in his presence. I could let down the walls I’d built over the years, knowing it’d be okay.

Gods, this better be the drugs talking.