OathBlade (Wattys2015)

29. The Princess and The Dragon*

Wind rustling leaves mixed with the soft patter of rain. It surrounded Elery as she slowly opened her eyes. The sharp, whining ring left in the wake of Isandel's roar was blessedly gone and left no lasting damage as far as she could tell.

The sky was light but clouds remained overhead beyond the thick trees greeting her. The rain no longer poured upon the land but had trickled down to a light drizzle; something much more manageable for travel.

Isandel walked toward her and knelt. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes," she croaked.

He sighed, again in his seryn form, and lowered his head. He nodded. "Good. Forgive me, I'd forgotten how delicate seryn senses were compared to my own." He held out a hand. "Can you stand?"

An attempt to sit up triggered a dull throb in the back of her head. She groaned and reached back.

He grasped her wrist.

"You struck a rock quite hard. I've healed over what I can but you may have fractured your skull." He reached into his robes, withdrew something, and held it pinched between his fingers.

A piece of one of her horns.

She held her hands out and he dropped it in her palms. With a frown she raised her hand to throw the horn piece.

He caught her wrist. "Keep it. It can be reattached."

She lowered her hand, then opened her fist to look at the horn. It was no more than half the size of her thumb. "I'll not suffer for its loss," she finally said and raised her fist once again. She tossed the fragment into the woods.

Isandel stood and took her hand to help her to her feet. "It's your choice, Princess." He released her and she wobbled. The throbbing in her head spurred a soft groan and she toppled forward, resting her forehead against his chest. "I doubt we'll get far with you walking, and I dare not risk flying." He lowered her to sit against a tree.

"What happened to the dragon?"

"Dealt with. Your lightning cast allowed me the opportunity to pierce her chest and rid her of Celestine's energy. It wasn't bad for a novice."

She reached up and touched the broken horn, then let her fingers carefully drift to the back of her head. A cloth was bound around the area with what felt like the same substance he'd left on her brow after licking the wound. "Di-did you lick the back of my head?"

"Your horn left a deep gash. I could very well have let you bleed, if that would have been preferable."

"And what of my hair?"

He chuckled. "The scab will break away once it's finished healing you, Princess."

Her face grew heated as crimson spread across her cheeks. "Forgive me for being concerned about the possibility of needing to rip my hair out to remove whatever you've put in it."

"Nothing more than saliva, Child."

"That is disgusting," she blurted.

"I shall remember that when next you've suffered a wound." He put a hand to his chest in mock sorrow. "I'm very sorry Princess. I could heal such a mortal wound if you allowed me, but my saliva is disgusting, and I would hate to offend your delicate sensibilities."

"You grow more irksome by the moment!" She tried to move and fell heavily against the tree again as pain spiked through her skull.

He sighed. "The saliva will mend the bone as well but you must stop moving. Much more pressure and you're likely to harm yourself further. Be grateful you are alive at all. Had your horn broken in a different way it might have pierced your skull. I can heal a great many wounds, but I cannot revive the dead."