The Dragon Sorceress

Part 7 - Hidden Treasures

A thick black cloud covered half of the moon and seemed to dip and dance in the sky.

Cassidy landed on Ferra's shoulder and gasped, "Those are bats. Come. We must seek cover. Follow us into the forest. It's too dangerous along the river."

The return trip felt as if it took ages, but they finally made it back to their camp. While Harold bent over a bowl to mix aloe, club moss and a touch of sage into a salve, Kali retrieved their water flasks and poured the liquid generously into Drake's mouth before turning her attention to the ranger, who drifted in and out of sleep.

His eyes fluttered open again when the cool water touched his lips. "Thank you."

"Don't talk yet," Kali said, keeping a slow but steady flow of water draining into his mouth. "You're still very weak. I want to get more water into you, and then let's see if we can get you to eat a little something."

Ferra grabbed the remaining stash of berries and hand-fed them to the ranger in between sips of water. After Drake was bandaged, he set about stoking the fire again as Harold went to work on the ranger's wounds.

"What you did back there was very brave," Tavis said, his voice soft and raspy. Slouching against the Tree of Eternity, he leveled his gaze on the group. "You risked your lives for me. And I'm grateful. I'm afraid I wouldn't have survived if you all hadn't come to my rescue."

"You need to thank Julia and Cassidy," Kali said with a gentle smile curving her lips. "They brought us to you."

He opened his hand, palm up. The wood sprites flitted over happily, their auras returned to a subtle yellow. "Thank you. I'm sad to say your gift was damaged during the scuffle with the camazotz. It's a shame. I found smizzels this time."

"Smizzels?" Harold asked with resounding curiosity. "Never heard of 'em before."

"Oh, darn it," Cassidy said with a pout settling on her lips. "You may know them as rainbow bugs. They're delicious: crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside. Yummy. Yummy. Yummy. We don't have anything like it around here. I wish you could've tried them, Harry."

Ferra's shoulders shuddered with the thought of eating bugs. She plucked the last berry out of the bowl, eyeing it suspiciously before giving it to Tavis.

He accepted the berry and nibbled on it. "Is there anything I can do to thank you for saving me?"

"Maybe," Drake said, throwing a few more sticks into the fire before glancing at Tavis. "We're looking for the pool of life. You're familiar with the forest. Perhaps you can tell us how to get there?"

"The pool of life?" Tavis raised a questioning brow. "I've yet to come across it in my travels. Though some say it does exist. Why do you seek it?"

Drake shared a quick look with Kali. Her slight nod was all he needed before answering. "We're searching for Ormr and Infinitas in order to bring an end to the madness wrought by the dragon sorceress. Kali and I come from the bloodline of Arturo."

"See?" Julia sniggered and leaned over to pinch Cassidy's arm. "I told you there was something special about him."

Tavis chuckled at their antics and took another sip of water. "You're going to fulfill the prophecy?"

Kali nodded and folded her legs under her. "We're going to try, but we really need to find that sword."

"I can't help you with the pool of life. But perhaps there is something I have regarding Infinitas you might find useful. Unfortunately, my pouch fell off while I was struggling with the camazotz. Someone will have to go back and fetch it."