2026 H : Healing

 Presenting an excerpt from Hatchling's Curse using the keyword,"Healing." When in their dragon form, the dragshi have the ability of dragon fire. Orange-yellow form can turn an object into a pillar of fire. However, blue fire is healing and can save lives and heal wounds.

To set the stage, Anastasia's dragon soul twin is newly awakened. A winter illness has struck the region and  she has just completed her first task as a dragshi, a solo flight to deliver needed medicine to a remote hold. The excerpt takes place the following morning after she successfully landed at the distant village.

A soft knock awoke Anastasia. Sunlight streaming past the curtains indicated she had slept through the morning. She stretched and looked around the room. It was not the quarters she shared with Branin. The sound repeated and with it came the knowledge of her surroundings—Coneighre. “Enter,” she called loud enough to be heard beyond the door.

Peigidh and her son entered. The eight-year old carried a tray laden with a covered dish and a pot with steam escaping the cooling vents. “Good morning, mistress. Carys will be here shortly.”

True to her word, the healer arrived just as Anastasia finished her second cup of tea. Worry emanated from the woman. Instead of accepting the offer of a chair, Carys paced the room. “Morning, my lady. I thought you would like to know the results of your efforts. All but one of the elderlies has responded to the medicines you brought. Eirian is older and weaker than the rest, but I believe his stubbornness will sustain him until the elixir kills the fever in his body.”

“But?” Anastasia prompted.

Carys clenched and unclenched her hands several times before she answered. “The medicine didn’t help a young girl, barely a year old. Nothing in my book, nothing I’ve ever learned helps. I know you’ve traveled far and need to rest. But, maybe afterwards?”

Anastasia rose to her feet and took the healer’s hands in hers. “Of course, I will help. Is the child strong enough to be taken outside?”

“Yes, mistress.”

“Then, prepare her. I’ll be down momentarily.”

Despite the shortness of the walk from her room to main hall, it still gave Anastasia too much time to think. She had never used healing fire. Could she? Will I harm rather than heal?

The crowd outside in the square gave Anastasia pause. It looked like half the village awaited the exhibition of dragshi skill. Or my failure? But the sight of the small fur-wrapped figure held in Carys’ arms strengthened Anastasia’s resolve to do what she could—no matter the price to herself.

“My lady, I apologize for my people,” a quiet voice said at her ear. “Most have never seen a shifter and are curious at the legend that walks among them.”

Turning, Anastasia saw the broad-shouldered man from the previous night. Since he had disappeared so quickly, she thought he was just one of the local men rather than the village ruler, Olwydd. The misconception became apparent at his words. “I’m sorry I could not be there last night. I hope Carys and my wife, Peigidh, made you comfortable?”

“Yes, Olwydd. They made sure all my needs have been met.”

He leaned in close and lowered his voice to a mere whisper. “I know that you are the youngest of the dragshi and newly come to your rank.” After a pause, he added, “If you prefer, I can send everyone away.”

Yes, send them away, Anastasia wanted to scream. Instead, she focused her gaze on Carys and her precious bundle. I can do this. I will heal the child. “Thank you for the offer, Olwydd, but it is not necessary. Just move the people back so I can shift forms and keep the area around Carys clear.”

“Very well. As you wish.”

Even though his tone did not reflect it, Anastasia sensed his desire to stay. Failing in front of one is not any worse than failing before many. The intended reassurance did not work, so she tried another tact. Branin and Eirwen would not fail, neither will I—I am a dragshi.

Her confidence bolstered, Anastasia gathered the shimmering symbols of change. As always, the strength and serenity of her soul twin surged through Anastasia. I will heal the child.

Carys stepped forward. Her lips tightened, but it seemed in concentration, not in fear of the red dragon that now towered in front of her.

Anastasia recalled Branin’s patient instruction, and those of Dealan, for the older dragshi had a special talent for healing. Drawing down a deep breath, Anastasia released it not as a gasp, but a stream of cold flames. The white fire flowed over her fangs and surrounded Carys. Determination kept the healing going much longer than Anastasia thought she could. Finally her breath ran out and the flames flickered into nothingness. Silence filled the air. Not a single person moved. The only sound Anastasia heard was the pounding of her heartbeat.

A hungry mewling filled the air.

~till next time Helen 

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2026 G : Golem

 

Golem-a mythical creature made of clay that is animated and brought to life by magic. A rogue mage has found a clay army ready to be brought to life. The except from Windmaster Golem is his first attempt at destroying his rival for the affections of Kia, a mage newly come to her powers.

A figure shambled into the firelight. A stop as if to orient itself, and it lumbered towards the center of the camp. Its destination was clear—Eilidh. The creature which could now be seen as a stone man headed straight for the clanswoman who stood between Kia and Elendl. Flames from the now-roaring fire revealed impassive clay features and what appeared to be a sword scabbard. 

“Halt and be recognized.” Brodie held his breath to see if his yell brought a reaction. 

The creature lumbered forward. It stopped at the protective wards and stood with arms raised. 

“Ancestors, let the wards hold.” 

Magic can’t stop magic, fear put in. And magic had to be used to make a clay statue move. 

But Elendl is the archmage’s daughter, hope added. Her magic should be stronger than the one who brought the statue to life. 

Brodie kept his gaze on the creature. It hammered at the invisible wall with his fist. Deafening peals reverberated with each blow. The wall shimmered into visibility. A heartbeat later it exploded into splinters.

~till next time Helen 

If you want to see my previous postings for the challenge, go here. 

If you're following other blogs in the challenge, here's the master list of the participants.

 

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2026 F : Flight

From a child lying in the grass beneath the spreading Willow tree watching the hawks fly above, I always wanted to fly. The family joke was that I learned my letters and numbers from helping my father sort pages in his flight manuals. And that the first words I could read were not cat or dog. They were "add," "delete," and "replace." followed by “this page intentionally left blank.” I knew the three letter designations for all the airports my father, flew into from EWR (Newark, NJ) to JFK (Kennedy, NYC) to SNN (Shannon) to RJTC (Tachikawa Airport, Japan.)

On high school prep for the pilot’s ground course exam became any extra curricular activity. But we never were able to afford a plane or build a strip in the back 40 acres like was originally intended when the farm was originally purchased. So the dream became filed under not going to happen.

After school reality crept into the dream. Professional opportunities were restricted.

Flight crew wings. J. Boganski collection.

Lockheed Constellation from the
Golden Age of Flying. My favorite bird.

Female fighter pilots had not crept into cockpits so I looked at commercial airlines. Young and pretty got you in the air but not in the cockpit. And there were other obstacles. My father repeatedly told me I was too good to be a stewardess. other flight crew we knew from the time I was three, outright refused to provide a recommendation or assistance in getting a slot in stewardess school. That was both the cockpit crew and the cabin staff.

So I started writing fiction and flying was done in spaceships or with dragons. This snippet about flying is not about winged creatures, but from a short story written as a teen watching fighter jets takeoff in pairs from the runway not far from my house at Clark Air Force Base, Philippines. 

From a world between yesterday any tomorrow, an excerpt from Hearth and Sand: Stories From the Front Lines and the Homefront. 

 "Live or Surrender To Technology"

The crowd on the moving walkway shrank away from the lean figure in the dark blue uniform. Although there were no outward symptoms, it was as if they knew he had within him a contagion from another planet. Staring at the crumpled message flimsy in his hand, John Chippi saw the words without really comprehending them. Riding without conscious thought, automatically switching between speed rails, he found himself on a small transfer platform. He felt alone, despite the press of riders around him. Once again, he straightened out the flimsy. This time the smeared words penetrated his mental fog. A glance skipped over the innocuous opening, “Sorry to inform you,” but his hands shook again as the official red stamp, “Rejuvenation treatments—Denied,” glared off the page. 

The wandering Chippi crammed the note into a pocket already full of medical reports. Each doctor’s face hovered briefly before him, ending with the resigned expression of the last one. The physician’s sad eyes belied the impassive tone with which he pronounced what was in reality a death sentence. After dealing with millions of deaths from Martian Fever over the past two years, where they once used sympathetic words, doctors were now reduced to impersonal facts. They had learned to turn off emotion rather than feel the patient’s pain when announcing the news of a six-week life expectancy. The notification was made more difficult by the knowledge treatment existed which could save the patients' lives.

In the ultimate irony, Chippi’s treatment was being withheld due to his artificial heart. Too many years piloting aircraft at high altitudes to protect the planet had damaged the original one.

If you want to learn more about what happens to Chippi, more excerpts are here.

~till next time Helen 

If you want to see my previous postings for the challenge, go here. If you're following other blogs in the challenge, here's the master list of the participants.

Buy Hearth and Sand at Amazon and these sites.