fandomania | The Adventure continues...

Please click and view our eggs and babies. I do the same for you. Thanks.

Our eggs:

§

Our hatchlings:

§

It was three days later when I returned to consciousness. I woke up to the sounds of Orlando and Fiorenzia chanting a spell over me.

“Thank ghods! She is awake!” I heard Uncle Haral exclaim.

“Patra. My dear girl.” I heard Orlando say. “What did you do? How did this happen? We have all been worried to death that you were going to die. The spell that we have just used is only temporary. We have to know how this came about in order to properly counter whatever caused this. Are you able to tell us?

I felt like a large herd of horses had stampeded over me many times. I tried to speak but that even took more energy than I had. All I could manage was to say was “crown” and the world started to fade again.

I woke again some time later. Orlando, Fiorenzia and Haral were still there.

“Patra? Dear girl, how are you feeling?” asked Orlando.

“I hurt…”

“Where do you hurt?” queried Fiorenzia.

“Abdomen. Like contractions.”

“Oh no!” Fiorenzia cried. She examined me again. “She is bleeding! I would appreciate it if you men would leave and send Suthi in. I think that Patra is miscarrying.”

I heard hurried footsteps leaving and another set rushing in. I began to cry.

“What is happening?” enquired Suthi.

“I think that Patra is losing her babies. She is experiencing severe pain and she is bleeding vaginally.”

I heard Fiorenzia hum as the passed her hands over my body. When she finished, she said, “I am afraid I do not detect any signs of life in her uterus.”

I began to sob uncontrollably. I heard them gathering items and pouring water into a bowl. I felt them cleaning me up and then placing a towel between my legs. Aunt Suthi then held me in her arms and soothed me as I continued to sob. “There, there, Patra. I am sorry that this occurred. I too have lost babies too early. It just happens sometimes. The pain will be over in a couple of hours, although you will continue to bleed for some days. There, there.” When the pain started to subside, Fiorenzia made me drink a sedative potion, which sent me to sleep.

I don’t know how long I slept, but when I awoke it seemed to be morning, as the light was streaming in the windows facing east. Orlando was sitting in a chair next to my bed, reading. When he heard me stirring he put down his book, tugged on the bell pull by my bed, and then took my hand in his. “Good morning, little one. Are you feeling better?”

I felt groggy for a bit. “Tired. Very, very tired. And sore.”

“I am sorry, Patra. You must be very sad right now. I don’t want to sound mean or have you think that I am punishing you, but I need to know why you used the crown when I specifically told you not to. You do not know how to control it and because of that you killed your babies and almost killed yourself.”

“Oh ghod, no! Oh, no! Oh no! I killed my babies?” I began to sob once more. The realization of what I had done hit me like a ton of bricks and I became hysterical with grief. I think that Orlando tried to comfort me, but I was too overwhelmed to listen.

I heard several people enter the room. I heard Suthi ask, “What on earth have you said to Patra? You were just supposed to sit there, not upset her!”

“I killed my babies! I killed my babies!” I said hysterically.

“No! No! Of course you did no such thing.” Suthi said soothingly. “If Orlando said that, he was wrong. Babies sometimes just die. It is no one’s fault. So please calm down, Patra. It isn’t doing you any good to be so upset. You just need to rest and recover right now.”

I heard Fiorenzia chanting over me and I started to feel much calmer.

“Now, you have to get some nutrition in you. You haven’t eaten in days. I made you some nice chicken soup that should make you feel a whole lot better. Here, let me help you sit up so that you can eat.”

Tears continued to run down my face. “Orlando is right, Aunt Suthi. I was doing something that I shouldn’t have done and because of that my babies are dead. It was my fault.”

“Nonsense, child. It is natural that you are grieving the loss of your children. But don’t start taking on blame that isn’t yours. The thing that you need to do right now is to get better and you cannot get better if you do not eat.”

I looked at the soup that she offered, but it didn’t appeal to me. She took some of the soup in the spoon and put it to my mouth, as if I were a child or and invalid. But I let her feed me. After a few bites, I did start to get hungry and I finished the bowl. She then handed me a large glass. “Drink this. It is a tisane. It has lots of good things in it that will help you heal.”

I slowly finished the drink. When I was finished I handed the glass back to Suthi. She took the empty dishes and then looked at the other and said, “I think that Patra needs to rest some more.” She looked at Orlando and motioned that everyone should leave.

“I need to speak to Orlando for a few minutes, please?” Suthi started to say something, but then didn’t. She and Fiorenzia left the room.

“I am sorry, little one. I am an old dragon and I sometimes forget how to speak to people. I am sorry if I upset you. Please forgive me?”

“You are forgiven, dearest Orlando. But you were right. I knew that I shouldn’t use the crown, but I did so anyway. My babies paid for my carelessness with their lives.” I then proceeded to tell him everything that had happened.

“You said that the crown spoke to you without you contacting it first?” I nodded affirmatively. “That is quite remarkable. All that I have ever found about it stated that it had to be called first before its powers could be accessed. You have done something that all the magic books in Rawn-Devu state is impossible.

“But the reason that you lost consciousness is because you couldn’t control the use of your own powers to keep the crown’s powers under control. Essentially, what you did was like draining a lake dry in order to drink a glass of water. You need to learn how to use your powers and use them conservatively, before you can ever try to use the crown again. Even if it tempts you to do so. I will be staying here for as long as you need me. Once you are feeling well enough and strong enough, we can start your lessons in earnest.

“Thank you, Orlando. Do you know how Izshaq is doing?”

“Recovering well. Fiorenzia has checked him out thoroughly and he bears no damage. But you need to rest more, so I will leave now before your Aunt Suthi comes back and tries to skin me alive with that sharp tongue of hers.”