Lindorm Princess

Chapter 8

I was not sure what time it was when I awakened. The dark curtains blocked the light almost entirely, and there was a large, heavy weight by my feet in the bed. I peeked down. Slange's head rested on the comforter, smoke rings streaming from his nostrils as he sighed. I wondered what he was dreaming about. Maybe about eating an entire expanse of cattle? No, knowing Slange, he was dreaming of human food. I smiled, and gently crept out of bed, careful not to disturb him. The long coils of his body were wound around the rest of the chamber.

To my shock and horror, the scales on his belly were loosened and bloody. I had not noticed it in the evening, but the entire room was caked in red stains. I peeked out the door. A trail of crimson lead down the spiral passage.

I panicked, and tore the curtains open.

"Slange! Are you ok?" I asked frantically, stroking his head.

He cracked an eye open, and groaned.

"No."

"Why didn't you tell me you were bleeding last night?" I asked, concerned. "Is it from traveling such a long distance?"

"No," Slange gritted. "It's a consequence. Of sharing my skins with you."

My jaw dropped, horrified. I had never realized that his shedding would do this to him. He had just told me last night that Fae were immortal. I looked at the scales, sloughing off in a bloodied heap by my feet.

"Anytime I shed or transform back and forth in size, it weakens me. I have only one more skin left," he said, tiredly. "You don't want to see me after that." He grimaced. "It is a terrible sight."

"Can I heal you?" I asked, worry crinkling my brow. He chuckled, but the sound betrayed no humor.

"No, sweet Lise. It is the price I pay. For sharing my power."

A frustrated noise rose in my throat. I refused to believe him.

I raised a hand, hovering it gently over the expanse of his massive body, and chanted,

lækna húðina
lækna snákur

I saw the golden glow of my power leave as I sang the words. Slange closed his eyes, and groaned again.

I watched as the flesh and scales knitted together, and he began to heal.

"You've patched me up for now," he said, raising his head from the bed. "You've bought me some more time, perhaps a few months. Thank you."

It was not a permanent fix. I grimaced at the thought.

"I am sorry. I wish I could give the third skin back," I told him. "It is my fault you transformed last time, due to my stupidity in the barn."

He sighed.

"It was not your fault. I anticipated how your parents would react. It is what it is. We cannot change it."

"Can they grow back eventually?" I asked, but he shook his head. He opened his mouth, then closed it, like a fish gasping for air.

"It's the curse," I said aloud, frowning.

"Smart girl," he said. Pride rang from his voice.

"Can I help with that?" I asked.

He opened his mouth again, then closed it again. Frustration filled his gaze, and anger. He puffed a smoke cloud. Finally, he managed to choke out a cough,

"Just help me restore this place, please. I am too weak to do it by myself, and I could never do it without you- you know, because you are my guest." He took a deep breath. "I have betrayed and sinned in the past. I do not care if I live through this."