I Am: The Saviour

Chapter 8

I'd long since given up trying to get Pegasus to explain his cryptic answer to my question, but was too stubborn to go and find Mum to ask her. A week had passed since Luka picked up Henry. The pain of seeing that familiar face every day had lessened to just bearable, and I couldn't help myself. Whether it was helping Henry to learn how to eat with one hand, or asking him questions about what he'd seen in King Zelrox's castle, I had a project; something I could focus my mind on. It was my way of avoiding the pain. I became obsessed with trying to figure out what the jewel was for. Every single possibility ran through my head, but I always came to a dead end, and every time that happened, the pain returned.

Eight days after Pegasus raised suspicions about the jewel Henry had stolen, I confided in Finch. She of course told me to listen to Pegasus and ask Mum. When my reluctance was made obvious, she took both Henry and I with her to find the witch. I was made to swallow my pride and still-hostile feelings and ask her to look at the jewel. Mum smiled warmly and agreed.

"Henry, Fox needs to look at that jewel you showed me. I promise you're not in any trouble, and we'll give it back to you when we know what it is. Alright?" I asked gently. Chocolate eyes looked at Mum dubiously, before he pulled the jewel out of his clothes. It was still wrapped in the cloth I'd given him.

"Thank you sweetie." Mum said, and unwrapped the jewel. The glow had lessened, only a slight shimmer revealing the light within. Her smile rapidly faded. "Where did you get this?" She asked sharply.

"From King Zelrox's castle. There was a whole room of them." Henry answered, worried he'd done something wrong.

"Don't worry, you're not in trouble. If anything it's good you brought this to us. Can you show us roughly how many there were?" Mum asked. Henry stared blankly at her. Finch disappeared for a second before reappearing with a lump of charcoal. She drew a large square on the ground.

"Draw where all of the stones were." She handed the coal to Henry. He looked at the square, thinking for a moment. Eventually he drew fourteen motley shapes indicating where the stones had stood.

"There might have been more." He said, standing back up. "There was a blue one in the centre that was glowing really brightly."

"Fox, what are they?" Finch asked. Mum's face had turned to one of undisguised horror, and she looked uncomprehending at us both for a second.

"We need to get Rydel." She said. We were moved quickly to the meeting room, the jewel religiously hidden in the folds of Henry's clothes. Rydel appeared almost immediately after Finch was sent to retrieve him. Mum's fear was palpable, and contagious, as she sat the jewel in the centre of the table. Rydel didn't seem to recognise it.

"What's wrong?" Henry asked the question on everyone's mind.

"This...this isn't what it looks like." Mum said shakily. "It's not a stone, or a jewel. It's a dragon heart." I gasped. Rydel straightened and Finch tensed. Henry watched all of us warily, unconsciously scratching at the tar that protected his stump. "Aeons ago, dragons were as commonly seen in Amphilias as any human or super-natural. They were naturally avoided, but so long as they were left alone they were happy to ignore our existence. Then, rumours began to spread about the powers of dragon hearts. Of the supposed abilities gained by consuming or absorbing them. After that, a trend began. For centuries the dragon hordes were hunted for their hearts, and the race was all but diminished to extinction."

"Wait, powers?" Finch asked.

"It varied depending on the race that consumed it, but essentially what powers you already had were amplified, taken to a whole new level." Mum explained. "Dragon hearts are like a drug. There's the high, and then there's the low. Your improved abilities all depended on the amount you consumed - the more your body absorbed, the more powerful you were. But the more you consumed, either in one standing or over a long period of time, the more dependant your body became on the high. The toxicity of the dragon heart eventually overpowered what healing ability your body had to combat the toxins. Mortals would drop dead after consuming one tenth of a dragon heart, but the idolization of the enhancement of your abilities meant that kings far and wide would hunt down a dragon just to savour that precious few hours of worship."