The Home Stone

The rays from the morning sun warmed her face as she stepped out of the tiny hut in which she was staying. Waiting for Ashley outside was Kirin.

“Any change?” she asked, hoping for some good news.

“Not really,” came the reply. “The healers have managed to stop the progress of the poison, but are unable to extract it from Dreen’s body. They have sent for a Sky Elf to fly to Wolf’s Boro to find a special plant that will treat and cure our friend, but in any case, I don’t think he will be well enough to travel with us to the Dragon Isles. He is still unconscious and probably still will be when we leave.”

“When do we have to leave?”

“When Shannon arrives.”

They mounted their horses and rode towards the healer’s village. Once there they entered the hut that housed their friend. There they found Dreen still unconscious. “He looks a bit better than a few days ago,” said Ashley. “It looks like we got him here in time.”

The elf nodded and agreed. It had been four days since their arrival at the healer’s village with their wounded friend. Situated in the center of Evermore, the village never had a proper name. It was always known as the Village of Healers.

The village was a round circular place with no walls to protect it. There was no need for protection. Everyone knew that this was a place of healing and not of war. Anyone in need of medicine or healing was welcome. Several years ago, some wounded Orcs arrived at the border and were taken in and healed. Once they were cured they were sent on their way again. There was even talk that another village was to be built outside the sanctuary of Evermore. Then all people no matter what race could be helped by the elves. This of course was still in the planning stages.

Ashley spent the rest of the morning sitting next to her friend who was sleeping peacefully. Every now and then the injured elf would moan as if he were having a bad dream. She would cool his forehead with a damp cloth and sit back again.

Around noon, Kirin relieved her. She stepped outside the tiny house and saw some of the healers that were taking care of the elf running to a field next to the village. Following the healers, Ashley discovered that the medicine had arrived. Reaching the open meadow, she looked up and saw a tiny speck circling overhead. Closer and closer it spiraled down until she was able to make out that it was a bird. This was the first time that she had ever witnessed the landing procedure of the giant eagle, or Roc. She watched the huge bird dropped closer and closer to the earth. Soon she was able to see the rider sitting atop of the large bird. He tied something to a small rock or something. This told her that he was not going to land and she was right. When the Roc was about fifty feet off the ground it swooped close to the healer and the rider dropped the package. Catching it, the healer was off and running to the house, where her friend was lying. She then watched as the bird gracefully rose higher and soon out of sight. Leaving the field, she made her way back to the house where Kirin was waiting.

“The medicine has arrived,” she announced as she entered the dwelling.

Kirin had just come back from visiting Dreen. After a moment of utter silence, Kirin spoke. “Dreen will not be strong enough to travel with us. We will leave in the morning. I know it’s a day earlier than we were supposed to leave, but since our friend cannot come we might as well get an early start and meet Shannon as she arrives.”

The next day was mostly spent packing various medicines and other articles that they might need for the trip east. That night the two ate early so that when dawn approached they could get under way. It would take about a half a day to reach the main village.