Chapter 2

Chapter 2

There was no better way for Rosa to calm her nervous shivers than to hug a big, warm animal. Provided, of course, that the beast didn't mind. And the green dragoness didn't mind when the girl snuggled up to its scaly neck - it even squawked softly, like a giant rumbling cat. It seemed that Toad was very calm - the battle was barely over, and she had already calmed down. For a couple of minutes Rosa basked in the warm calm of the huge animal until Don Marius coughed behind her:

- Mademoiselle, I'm sorry, but we don't have much time. The nomads will be back soon.

- You think? - The girl reluctantly turned to the knight, still keeping her palm on the lizard's neck. - Even knowing there's a dragon here?

- I'm afraid the dragon is the reason they're coming back. - The young man bit his lip annoyingly. - There were only a dozen steppers here. They don't operate in such small groups. They are scouts. They'll tell their people about the skirmish, and we'll be hunted. There's a whole tribe nearby, and any steppe chief would lay down a third of his warriors for a trophy like a dragon skull. One hundred and fifty or two hundred riders with battle mages is too many even for Toad. We must leave now.

- Together? - Rose touched the frame of her glasses in confusion.

- Yes, - the knight nodded. - Let there be a chase, you'll be safer with me anyway. There are several tribes prowling the plain, bands of brigands, deserters... A lot of vile things have come out of their holes since the war began.

- But where are we going?

- To the southeast, - the young man answered without thinking. For some reason, he pointed in the direction with his hand. - I have a task... I'll drop you off at a major city along the way. Pack your bags.

- We must... we must take care of Paulette first. - Rosa overpowered herself and looked at the body of the maid lying by the campfire.

- We don't have much... Although, yes, you're right. - Don Marius rubbed the back of his head and immediately looked like an embarrassed boy. - I'll arrange it.

The funeral didn't take long. Toad dug the hole in no time with her mighty paws. The knight wrapped Paulette's body in the tent cloth and laid it at the bottom. While the dragoness filled the grave, Rose said a short prayer. Then, without wasting another second, she began to pack her bag. Fortunately, the magical equipment did not attract the attention of raiders - kits with herbs, flasks with infusions, small amulets and tools were in their places. Money, food, utensils, some weapons were missing. Horses disappeared too - there were three of them in the camp. In the end, apart from the magic tools, the girl packed only spare clothes, a bed, a piece of soap and a bag of salt. Don Marius did not hesitate to examine the tattered corpses of the steppes, and on one of them he found a purse with a silver crab emblem.

- Yours? - He asked Rosa, who was stuffing her camping bag with laundry.

- Yes, - the girl answered, casting a quick glance at the purse. - Thank you.

Running off to get her crossbow and beret, she informed the don that she was ready to move.

- The horses don’t come back, - he sighed. - You'll have to climb on Toad's back. Wait a minute.

The knight was the first to climb up onto the dragon, using the harness straps as steps for a rope ladder. He hung down from the saddle and held out his hand. Rose climbed up, following his movements, and only at the end, out of pure politeness, touched the don's palm with her fingers. She had learnt to climb trees as a child, and Toad's harness was much more comfortable than the brittle, crooked branches. The long saddle was fastened at the base of the dragon's neck. Don Marius seated the girl behind him, fastened her to the saddle with straps, and took his seat. Somewhat embarrassed again, he muttered:

- Let's go.

The toad snorted or sneezed loudly and trotted off at a shaky trot.

They travelled first along the edge of the forest, then through the fields, from woodland to woodland, trying to stay less in the open. For the first half hour of the journey, the young men were silent. The dragon knight was thinking about something of his own, the young sorceress tried not to think about anything at all. It didn't work well. The faces of the nomads bent over Rosa and the bloody wound in the chest of the dead Paulette appeared in front of her eyes. Then the girl took off her glove, put her palm on the dragoness's broad back and whispered a spell. She didn't try to establish a full-fledged connection - she only touched the dragoness's mind with her own. She wanted to feel the calmness of a giant animal that knew no fears or worries, but instead she felt pain. Not too much, but Rose still flinched as if from a sudden prick. She strengthened the etheric link, tried to reach deeper into the lizard's skin to find the source of the pain, but Don Marius interrupted her.

- I'm sorry for your loss, mademoiselle, - the knight said, looking over his shoulder. Rose blinked and took her palm away from Toad's pelt. - Were you close? With your companion?

- Not really, - the girl shook her head. She mechanically pulled on her glove and adjusted her glasses. - Paulette served in our capital house. I didn't know her much. But she was a country girl, not a city girl. So of all the maids, I took her with me. She was diligent.

- And what were you doing here, mademoiselle? - Don Marius continued. He seemed to be trying to distract her from her heavy thoughts, and Rosa was grateful. The girl smiled faintly, and offered:

- This address, "Mademoiselle", is so long. Why don't you call me "Signora" since I'm Iolian? Even though I'm not from Iolia. It's shorter.

- Of course, Signora Rosa, - he agreed eagerly. - I'm just not used to talking to commoners. And you're not a servant. Are you a magician from the Academy?

- A fifth-year student, natural magic. A second-stage mage, - Rosa said, but she was quick to clarify: - Only formally. More like third.

Most mages were only able to put energy into form through tools. First, the mage created an amulet, then filled it with magic - the shell determined its properties. The highest levels, the first and second, were those mages who could work sorcery without tools, by force of will and word. Rosa's abilities were enough to light a candle with her gaze or lift a feather into the air without the aid of amulets. Nothing more.

- I've only ever met battle mages, - the young man admitted. - They're more soldiers than scientists. They're not interested in subtle matters. What does nature magic do? Do you study animals?

- And them, too. - Rose was glad to be having this conversation. She squirmed as she settled into the stiff leather saddle. - Nature magic studies the Mechanism of Life. Animals are part of it.

- I've heard something like that before. But from a priest, not a magician.

- It's a concept that mages and most churchmen believe in, - Rosa explained, feeling more and more confident. The girl was in her element. - God did not create life in a ready-made final form, but as a complex mechanism, constantly moving forward. Only the One Creator himself is perfect, and he created the Mechanism so that life would one day come to its perfection. How apes became men and ancient lizards became dragons is the work of the Mechanism. - She faltered. - About dragons... My lord, why aren't we flying? A dragon can lift two. Is there something wrong with Toad?

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

- I thought you would ask earlier... - the knight sighed heavily. - She and I fell into the river the other day. From a height. Toad hurt her leg and broke her wing. The bone has healed, but we can't put much weight on it.

Rosa thought for a while and touched Marius's shoulder:

- We have to stop.

- Absolutely not, signora. The camp is too close, we may be overtaken. Only if you can't bear it, then for a moment, no more.

- Not for me! - The girl burst out. - I can help Toad. She'll go faster.

- Really? - The young man turned to her. His gaze was filled with joy and disbelief. - Can you?

They turned to the walnut grove, where the dragoness lay down between the trees, almost touching them with her rounded sides. Obeying the rider's commands, Toad laid her head on her outstretched legs and spread her wings. Rose walked round the lizard, touched the dragon's bruised paw with her gloved hands. She pressed her bare cheek against it, using her magic. Yes, the joint was a source of pain. But only one, and not the strongest. Rose marked it in her mind and walked over to the wing. There were scuff marks on it, as if the bone had been fixed with a splint for a long time. She’s wondered if Marius had made it himself, or if he'd brought a ready-made one with him. From these marks on the scales, it was not difficult to determine where the fracture had occurred. The girl probed the bone, creating an etheric link. She grimaced as the pain echoed in her head. She spoke without removing her hands from the wing:

- Paw's fine now, just sore. The wing is well fused, but it's still weak. Just as you said, milord. Give me my bag.

The young sorceress took out a couple of flasks, a thin silver pipe with a sharp end, and a leather jug from her bag. She poured the contents of the first flask into her hunting knife. After cleaning the blade, she carefully cut a couple of scales from Toad's wing and pierced its skin. All the while, Rose "drank" the dragon's pain, taking it for herself. It was unpleasant, but familiar - healers had learnt this technique from nature mages. If she spread the pain throughout her body, it would subside, turning into a nasty but harmless ache. And then it'll fade quickly. The knife's stab was probably no worse than a mosquito bite for the dragoness, but Rose didn't want to cause her the slightest discomfort. Into the resulting wound, the girl inserted a silver tube. She poured the liquid from the second flask into the vial, connected its to the tube, pushed the air from the tube into the vial with a spell, shook it, pushing the bubbles to the top....

- What are you doing, Signora Rosa? - The knight, who was watching her manipulations, asked uncertainly. - What is in this flask?

- Alchemical solution. - The student was so focused on her work that she didn't even glance in the young man's direction. - Includes calcium and half a dozen other substances. - "Powder made from human bones, for example," she added mentally. Marius shouldn't have known that. - If you put it into your bloodstream, you'll die in agony. Probably. Or lose a limb. But if I inject it into you, altering and directing it with magic as I'm doing now... your broken leg will heal in three days. Completely.

- Wow, - the young man breathed out. - Where did you get it?

- I took it for myself, - Rosa shrugged. She squeezed the vial, making sure the solution flowed evenly into the tube. - I didn't want to abandon the study in case of injury.

- Would you be able to... yourself...? - The knight swallowed and looked at the sorceress as if seeing her for the first time.

- I had once. - After emptying the vessel, the girl pulled out the tube and sealed the wound with healing clay, covering it with cut scales. - It's a human dose. But we're not fusing the bone, just strengthening it. In a week and a half, the wing will be as good as new. The pain will be gone even sooner.

- Signora, I... I don't know how to thank you.

- For what? - Rose looked up at the knight in surprise. - You saved my life, my lord. Let's wait for the clay to dry now and move on.

She sat down on the ground, her back against Toad's warm paw. The dragoness's breath warmed the back of her neck. It seemed that the young sorceress's "patient" had dozed off, no longer in pain. Don Marius, after some hesitation, sat down next to her.

- What happened to Daert, my lord? - Rose asked a question that bothered her less than it should have. - Who killed the queen? What's going on?

- It's a long story, signora, the young man said evasively, looking at the swaying crowns of walnuts. - Octavia was betrayed. The new king was involved in her death. Some of the queen's supporters rebelled against him. Others have seized the moment to their own advantage. The Duke of Velonda wants to leave the kingdom and become an independent ruler. He has conspired with the nomads. The remnants of the Queen's supporters have joined him.

Rose remembered Queen Octavia, who had visited their faculty only six months ago. The queen was the same age as Rosa - a tall black-haired beauty with bright blue eyes, wearing a black and gold man's suit, without a crown on her head... She smiled little but sincerely, listened attentively to the teachers, asked them useful questions and answered students' requests herself. Rose never dared to speak to her then, though she could have. And now the queen is dead.

- Is it all to do with your mission, my lord? - she asked.

- You don't need to know that. - Don Marius bit his lip again. Apparently he did that when he was nervous. - I'm travelling to the southeast on important business, that's all. Don't take offence, please. It'll be better for you.

Rose actually felt a pang of resentment, but she kept silent. The knight owed her nothing, but she owed him everything. It was foolish to pester her own saviour. Still, Don Marius was clearly in a mad rush to leave before Toad had fully recovered. What's driving him? And whose side is he on in the war that has begun? Keeping these questions to herself, she changed the subject:

- Hvogbjorn is not a Daert name, is it? Are you also a local foreigner like me?

- Almost, - the young man grinned. - I am descended from Olaf's companion. The first Hvogbjorn won the crown of Daert for Olaf and got the right to breed dragons from him. That was centuries ago, so we're almost native Daertans. Only one surname remained. And your family?

- Iolians. Only I was born in Daert. - Rose touched the silver crab-shaped brooch on her beret. It was used to fasten a ragged white and grey feather.

- Where are they now?

- Across the ocean. - The girl closed her eyes and leaned back on Toad's paw. - Daddy bought a ship and sailed for three years to the overseas colonies, and mom with him. They promised to come back three times richer than before. Praise the Creator.

- Yes, maybe things will be settled by the time they return, - Don Marius agreed. - And you make them happy by staying alive. When we get to the city, I will take a promise from you, signora.

- Staying at home?

- Or in the Academy office. Behind the fortress walls, anyway.

- Tempting, my lord. I will consider it.

By connecting herself to Toad with a strong ethereal thread, Rose could constantly feel her pain – and muffle it as best she could, taking some of it for herself. It was tiring, but the dragoness was cheerful and quicker. It was dusk when the travellers reached a large trade route and immediately encountered a column of refugees coming slowly from the south. There were about forty of them, with three carts. Old folk, women, children, only a few men. Only four horsemen in identical leather armour had weapons. The leader of the horsemen rode out to meet Toad, dismounted, bowed. He introduced himself to the young men who had descended from the dragon:

- Sergeant Bernard, milord. Commanding the guarding of the merchant convoy.

- Don Marius, dragon knight, - the young man introduced himself briefly, dropping his last name. - Master Rosa, a mage of the Academy.

Rose opened her mouth, about to clarify that she couldn't be called master yet, because she was just learning... and closed it without saying anything. These frightened people definitely wanted to see a knight and a mage, not a knight and a student.

- Are all these people with you? - Marius continued in a confident tone. The young dragon rider was transformed before her eyes; he held himself differently from the way he did when he was alone with the girl.

- Only two carts, charioteers and mounted men, my lord. - The sergeant straightened his back. - The others are from a few hamlets. The nomads are prowling everywhere, burning villages. The men have been taken by the king or the rebels. The women and children are afraid to stay. I decided to escort them out. We all wanted to hide in the town, but the closest one, Bitel, closed the gates. We walked for two days to Turvon, but they wouldn’t let anyone in there either.

Marius and Rosa looked at each other. It seemed that the knight's plan to leave the girl under the protection of the city walls had broken down. The knight asked:

- Where are you going now?

- The peasants want to take refuge in the forests. - The warrior pointed his chin behind Marius's back. - They say there are impenetrable thickets there. We can hide out. The main thing is that there should be no nomads between the road and the forest. But since milord has come from that direction...

The young men exchanged glances again. The knight's confidence had left him, and now he seemed distressed and indecisive. Chewing his lips, Marius answered:

- I'm afraid, Sergeant, there are nomads out there. A lot of them.

- What shall we do, my lord? You're not going to leave us, are you?

- I... will think of something. - The young man turned his gaze from Rose to Toad. - We will think of something.