Dragon Tamer - Book 1

Chapter 15

Junca staggered into a tree trunk, he let out an oath and kicked it with his good leg, which only served to sent him sprawling on his back as his bad leg gave way beneath him.

He considered just sleeping there for the night, but his booze addled brain was still able to distinguish the sounds of the creatures stirring in the forest, including a very ominous howl.

With much effort he heaved himself to his feet and continued on towards his home. His shoes knew where to take him despite his intoxication, having travelled this stretch of ground many times over the years.

When his house came into view he barely registered it but carried on walking straight until he tripped over something and landed face first in the dirt.

"Goddesses tits!" he slurred pushing himself back up on his arms.

But then he caught sight of what had tripped him and he froze, his drunken mind trying to work out through the fog what it was he saw, when it finally came to a realisation he gasped and all of a sudden it didn't matter that he had downed ten pints of ale for breakfast that morning or that he had devoured another eight bottles of the strong stuff on top of that, his mind cleared and he moved.

With trembling hands he tenderly swept the hair off his daughters neck and placed two fingers to the skin of her throat, searching for signs of life as he had learned when just a boy, he noted with some relief that her flesh was warm to the touch and after a tense moment he picked out a faint pulse of blood under his fingers, he signed with relief and, being as gentle as he could, he picked up her limp form, one arm under her knees and the other under her shoulders. It was as he did this that he noticed the warmth of her skin was more than proof she was alive, her body burned with the heat of fever. Her skin was pale and clammy, her forehead beaded with sweat. She appeared to stir in his arms, her mouth opened a little and she drew in a short gasp of breath then she began to tremble.

Cursing the goddess Junca limped heavily towards the cottage, he almost did not make it, the burden of his daughters inert form to much for his ruined leg to handle. He leaned heavily on the door frame for a moment, then took a breath and shouldered his way through the door, choosing his own bed as it was closest, he laid her as carefully as he could on the foul smelling blankets and carefully wrapped a thick cloak around her, heaving himself to his feet once more he dragged his leg to the hearth and started a fire, throwing some slow burning wood on it to see it last a good while, then he limped over to a bucket filled with water in the corner and grabbed a small cloth, taking them to Marcie's side he soaked the cloth in the water then laid it upon her forehead.

She continued to tremble, her lips had lost their colour completely and she breathed in ragged whimpering breaths never opening her eyes. Her father sank to the floor, his concern for his daughter overwhelming him, he glared accusingly at his near useless leg and raised his head to the roof,

"Goddess..." he whispered, "please...I beg you...do not take my daughter also"

He bowed his head, just then Marcie's eyes flickered,

"Ma..." she breathed in a voice barely higher than that of a whisper.

Junca's head snapped up, he stared at his daughter willing her to show him some sign of life other than that caused by the fever, but her eyes did not open again and she did not utter another sound.

After many hours of no change Junca rose to his feet and palmed a battered walking stick from under his bed, and although it pained him to leave his daughter so, he transferred the weight of his bad leg onto the walking stick and set off at a slow but determined pace to find help for his child.