Silas POV

Everything went to hell. The calm and collected simian woman vanished when the dragon landed at our campsite. Only moments before we were going through our plan of using Emera as bait to lure the dragon in. Everything just went downhill further as more unexpected guests showed up. First, the dragon, then a wounded wolf familiar, and then an entire adventuring party arrived one after another. In less than a minute the guildmaster, Myrra, subdued the frosty dragon with a spell that trapped the dragon in her humanoid form. Eriz had the dragon restrained until something caused Emera to confront the dragon. Braxton kept his eyes on Emera while I was questioning the wizard who cast the spell on the dragon. I wanted to be sure the dragon couldn’t cause any more harm.

“Damn it! Emera!” Braxton shouted as he jolted away from me. All eyes converged on Emera and the dragon woman.

Eriz restrained the dragon woman who looked relieved like a weight had fallen off her shoulders. I knew dragons were wicked and cruel creatures by nature, but her smile perverted the whole situation in a new way. Emera was holding her abdomen as blood began seeping out of her body. Braxton caught her before she fell and began to heal her. The dragon woman had cuffs slapped on her wrist by one of the adventurers while the guildmaster aided Braxton in his healing treatment. The other adventurers began setting up camp around us while Eriz and another adventurer chained the dragon’s cuffs to a tree. It was clear that no one was leaving the area for a while.

What had I just witnessed? The whole scene had me puzzled. Emera wanted to say something to the dragon woman after the dragon woman had tried to get under her skin, which was understandable. The dragon woman had been restrained and searched for weapons by Eriz only a few moments before. Emera must have had the weapon on her, but how did the dragon get it? In the short time that I have known Emera, she didn’t seem like the careless type. We went through a whole two days of this planning to catch this dragon and save Emera’s familiar. She wouldn’t throw all of that away, would she?

Wait. Where did her familiar go? Emera said her familiar went into hiding, but it came running when it sensed Emera was in danger although that wolf looked like it had seen some battles over the last day since it was freed from the ice. I stepped away from the chaos around me toward the tree Emera had been cornered by the dragon. The ice beneath my feet was rigid and slick. The last two days of ice had me missing the hot summer weather. The ice wall around the campsite trapped the cold air causing chills to constantly run through my body. I had come on this hunting quest to see a dragon in the flesh and get Master Renaldy off my back. What I hadn’t expected was to find the peculiar simian woman and her familiar here. Nor did I plan on spending this long away from my research on polymorphic magic and Ramire Bishop.

Braxton and I should have walked away by now. We should have returned to the Wizard’s Guild, but Braxton has a soft heart for fluffy creatures. He won’t leave right now even if I commanded him as his prince. His beloved little monkey was fighting for her life. How could a seven-and-a-half-foot-tall, former war general be enamored with a five-foot-tall simian girl? If I didn’t know Braxton as well as I do, I would think he had gone mad. The truth is Braxton appreciates every bit of good in the world since his mother died gruesomely on the battlefield. Anything as fluffy as Emera must be good in Braxton’s eyes. I wonder if I should be worried about him getting too attached to Emera.

A soft chattering noise filled the air the closer I got to the tree. Was the familiar making that chattering noise? My interest had peaked as I walked around the trunk of the tree. Where I had expected to find a red wolf, I found a weak, trembling ball wrapped in Emera’s cloak. Kneeling, I could see the small figure shivering violently. This figure was not a wolf by any measure, so who lay here in front of me? “Excuse me, can I help you?”

The form in front of me stilled at my words for a moment then began to shiver again. If I were to leave this figure alone, they may not survive in this ice patch. The frozen ground beneath us was probably causing this figure to freeze. I reached out to touch the cloaked form and heard a soft moan of pain as my fingers brushed against the thick cloak. Had I caused this figure pain with such a light touch? Perhaps, the figure was wounded under the cloak. “Listen, I need to check to see if you have any wounds.”

The figure shivered harder in front of me. Between the teeth chatter, I heard a small voice respond. “N-no, w-w-wai-t-t.” The voice was soft and feminine sounding. This figure in front of me must be a woman. Now, that I looked closer I saw blood-red strands of hair slipping out of the cloak. It was nearly the same color as the red wolf’s fur. Normally, I wouldn’t even consider that Emera’s familiar could be this girl in front of me, but that red wolf was anything but normal.

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“Miss, you need help,” I placed my hand on her as gently as I could. Her body panicked under my touch. Was she in that much pain or was she just scared? “I can heal you, but I need to see what I am healing.” Waiting to see if she would respond, I gently laid my other hand on her side. Her form was shaking under the cloak. She was freezing. Maybe, if I warm her up a bit, she will let me heal her. With that in mind, I focused on a warm light to envelope her body. A soft orange light wrapped around and her body began to shiver less.

The small woman relaxed a little in the warmth. Her teeth chattering slowed. Even the ice beneath her body had started to melt away. My hands stayed on her side gently as the magic soothed her chilled body. It has been quite some time since I healed, held, or helped anyone besides Braxton. Her form felt firm beneath the cloak. This woman was strong, definitely some type of warrior. She can shift between wolf and this human form, which should be impossible. Even beast folk retain animal characteristics when they are in a humanoid form, but I don’t feel any fur through the cloak. She doesn’t have any ears peeking out of the hood of the cloak. I can sense copious amounts of magic flowing through this woman. She has at least one or two magic items on her as well. What was this woman?

“So warm,” I heard her murmur.

Leaving her on the ground wasn’t an option. She needs medical care. Magic may be flowing through her like a circuit of energy, but she was too weak to do anything with it. I scooped her in my arms. Her cloak opened a bit, and the hood fell off her head. It was at that moment that I realized how much of a powerful woman I was holding. Her long red hair draped over her body, but I could tell she was unclothed. No wonder she was freezing. Her face had scars, small bruises, open cuts, and swelling. If her face was this battered, what did the rest of her look like? She could have open wounds, broken bones, and large bruises. This woman had to be the wolf familiar. She went toe to toe with a dragon for Emera.

Gently, I adjusted the cloak to cover the woman’s body. I kept myself steady as I carried the woman in a bridal carry. The smashed-up icy clearing was transformed into a campsite rather quickly. There was already a large fire crackling and emanating heat. Someone had melted the ice away around the campsite, leaving mushy mud in its wake. Eriz had the dragon woman settled next to him on a log beside the fire. I was surprised the dragon was still breathing after stabbing Emera. There were large tents set up around the fire, but no sign of Braxton anywhere. I continued to warm the woman in my arms as I looked around for Myrra. She should be able to help me with this woman.

“Guildmaster Myrra,” I called out for the dwarven woman.

Myrra wasted no time in exiting one of the tents. Her pace hastened when she saw me carrying a cloaked woman in my arms. “Where did this person come from…um, what was your name?”

“I am called Silas. The orc known as Braxton is my companion. We were sent by the Wizard’s Guild to seek out the dragon. This person was behind the tree over there. She needs help.” I finished my summary of the situation.

“That much is clear, Mr. Silas,” Myrra answered. “Follow me to the medical tent.”

Entering the tent, I was in awe of the space for healing magic, potions, and medicine. A mat was prepared for the woman in my arms. Another adventurer appeared from behind a tent divider where I caught a glimpse of Braxton and the glow of his healing magic.

“That orc is well versed in healing magic, Myrra. I am surprised at his skill.” The adventurer praised Braxton. I felt a bit of pride for my dear friend. “I am certain the simian woman will recover fully.”

Myrra was busy rustling around through the medical supplies to prepare a workstation for the woman in my arms. She stopped for a moment to give a smile of relief over the adventurer’s words. “Thank you, June. I know your mana is running low, but Silas here brought us another patient.” She gestured over to me.

June waved me over to the mat, “Put her down, Mr. Silas.”

Wasting no time, I laid the woman on the mat, but the odd creature refused to release her grip on my tunic. “Warm,” a little voice whispered.

My body stilled at her voice. “Should I force her to let me go or continue warming her with my magic?” I asked the healer known as June.

June quickly began to assess the woman on the mat in front of us. She gently tugged at the woman’s exposed arm. The arm was pale, battered, and chilled to the touch. Would the rest of the woman’s body be this way as well? June looked up at me for a moment trying to decide if I was going to be useful. “She is hyperthermic. She needs all the heat she can get.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I respond as I situate myself on the floor. The heat magic pours out of me in an orange glow, causing the woman to relax. “I am a healer as well,” I volunteer.

“Good,” Myrra adds as she sits next to June with her gathered supplies. “Our mana supply is running low at best.” Myrra begins to pull back the cloak only to put it down again. She grabs a wrap and throws it at me. “Cover your eyes, Mr. Silas. I want this woman to have some dignity left when we are through.”

I temporarily stop the heat magic to blindfold myself out of respect for who this woman likely is although my curiosity about her extensive injuries has peaked. Once I am in the dark, I use my senses to fill the gaps of where everything in the tent is and begin heating the woman once more. Myrra and June pull back the cloak revealing the woman. Their gasps and astonished sounds tell me that this woman was lucky to be alive. June counts sixteen breaks with the use of some medical tools. Myrra logs eighty-three stitches will be needed on top of the healing magic that I will be supplying this woman. Somehow, I get the feeling this woman has been through worse.