Dragon of Legend: Destiny (Published)

Chapter 3

Sunlight filtered through the window bathing Akira's sleeping face in a soft glow. Voices drifted in, carried by the wind. Lying on a soft bed Akira looked more comfortable than a young draglin curled against its mother's side. She felt like it too.

Her fingers twitched and her eyelids fluttered. As a soft sigh escaped her lips and a smile made it to her face. It looked as though a pleasant thought had flittered through her mind. Then, however, the smile froze at a sudden realization.

Why am I in a bed?

Akira's eyes shot open. For a moment her vision was blurred, yet when it adjusted she found herself facing a gray stone wall. She stared at it, her mind trying to register what her eyes were seeing. She blinked, confusion spreading through her.

Is this a dream?

She slowly sat up. "Redemption?" she whispered, hoping her dragon would reply.

"I was wondering what his name was," a voice, definitely not belonging to either of her dragons, spoke. "Redemption? Interesting. It suits him too."

Akira turned her head in the direction of the stranger's voice. Her eyes landed on an elderly, gray haired man. He was sitting in a wooden chair that stood up against the wall to her right, a few paces from the bed she lay in. She met his warm brown eyes and held his gaze, staring in wonder at this stranger who sat watching her as though he already knew her.

That was when Akira began to feel panic creep up within her.

Where am I? Who is he? Questions raced through her mind. Where are Redemption and Destiny?

"I see you're fully awake," the man spoke again. There was a kindness in his voice that helped to subdue Akira's panic somewhat. "You gave us quite a scare you know," he added. His eyes twinkled.

Akira only looked at him with wide eyes. What in the Lands is he talking about?

"W-who..." she trailed off as she suddenly remembered the events in the village. Her heart dropped as she remembered the agonizing feeling in her shoulder.

Automatically, she raised her left hand to where the wound should be. She braced herself for the pain she would feel at contact. However, when she touched her shoulder, she felt no such thing. She looked down in disbelief to make sure that her hand was in the right place. It was. She wrinkled her forehead.

I was shot there...I'm sure of it. She probed again. So where's the pain? Feeling bolder, she pressed harder. Other than feeling slightly tender at her touch, her shoulder was fine.

"It took quite a lot of power to heal," the man spoke. He looked somewhat amused at Akira's confusion. "I'm afraid you will have a scar, but you can be glad that it's nothing worse than that. Your entire arm could have been rendered useless. Or worse, you could have ended up dead. The arrow that hit you was, after all, tipped with Keeler poison."

Akira tore her gaze from her shoulder to stare back at the man.

Healers? Keeler poison? She had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. The only thing she had understood was that she was supposed to be dead, yet somehow this man had helped her. The question was, how? Did Redemption and Destiny bring me to him?

Realizing that her dragons might have the answer, she reached out with her mind, searching for their presence. Redemption? She thought. When there was no reply, she panicked. Destiny? She tried, scared that her other dragon would not reply either.

I'm right here, Destiny's calm voice answered. Akira immediately relaxed. Are you okay? her dragon sounded worried.

I...I think so, Akira thought. She tried to ignore the strange man who calmly watched her but made no move to speak. It was as though he knew that she was currently having another conversation. Where's Redemption? Akira thought, wondering why her white dragon wasn't answering.