The small campfire produced a tiny globe of light, pushing back the darkness and creating an area of illusory safety. Flickering weakly the fire brought warmth and a sense of security to everyone around it. Still, in reality, it was a beacon to the real dangers of the night, the creatures in the darkness noticing the lone flickering light in the swamp.

As the flames hungrily consumed the damp wood and leaves, a column of thick smoke rose into the air, melding with the dense foliage and swarms of insects overhead.

Swatting at another bug that landed on him, Hector glanced at Larrisa, his heart heavy. The elf was silently sitting by Aerendil’s body, her hand placed gently on the dead elf’s shoulder, her empty eyes staring into the darkness. Occasionally, she seemed to return to reality, a sudden twitch of her neck causing her to look down at Aerendil before she stared into the darkness once again.

No one wanted to stay in the swamp after the fight with the serpent, but they had no choice. Retrieving the Serpentine Bloodstone had taken longer than expected, the tough skin of the snake had forced Ilistina to use large amounts of Aether just to cut into it.

“Hector, it is ready.”

Taking his eyes off the fire, Hector glanced sideways as Ilistina approached him with a small wooden cup. Locking his eyes with the cup, Hector felt his heartbeat start racing, his hands becoming damp with sweat. Inside the cup was the dissolved Serpentine Bloodstone—the medicine they had traveled all the way to the swamp for.

“Thank you,” he sincerely whispered, standing up. Taking the cup from Ilistina, he noticed that his hands were trembling. Although he could keep his mind calm, he could not fool his body, he was scared and excited. But both emotions were tainted with a bit of guilt. Gazing down at the cup’s content, he silently apologized to Aerendil before noticing that the red stone was no longer there. The stone had dissolved into a deep blue liquid that looked almost purple in the darkness, the reflections from the flickering campfire causing the liquid to look almost like waves on the sea.

“It really did turn blue,” he remarked, picturing the blood-colored stone that Ilistina had cut from the snake's chest.

“I was worried that the stories were just stories, but when the stone was placed in water, it turned blue,” Ilistina admitted, a weary smile appearing. “Drink up before anything else happens.”

Nodding in agreement, Hector took an inquisitive sniff of the liquid, his nose expecting to smell something foul. To his surprise, the liquid was odorless, almost as if he had taken a sniff of water. Frowning, he brought the cup to his mouth, pausing momentarily before downing the cup’s content in one huge gulp.

The liquid was colder than expected, almost like ice water. Gasping as it seemed to get colder and colder as it trickled down his throat, Hector blinked in surprise as the liquid started to radiate waves of breathtaking cold energy. The cold energy rushed around his body without any rhyme or reason, causing his muscles to tighten and his body to shake violently.

Sitting there, muscles tight, Hector instinctively knew he had to act to prevent the energy from freezing him from the inside out. Teeth chattering, he hurriedly crossed his legs, delving deeply into a meditative state. Floating in the darkness of his mind, he started to guide the energy around his body, rotating it carefully on the very pathways that his Aether moved on.

With each rotation of the cold energy, Hector felt the poison coating his pathways gradually begin to flake away. Small and large patches of the deadly poison tore free, carried along by the freezing energy. Suspended within the energy, the flakes of poisons began to move unexpectedly, each piece wiggling around as if it had a mind of its own. When these flakes encountered one another, they merged, condensing into larger globs.

Shocked by what was happening, Hector kept a steady hand on his emotions. This is not the time to let my emotions take over. Keep yourself together!

Taking slow deep breaths, he once again started to guide the cold energy around his body, noticing that the amount of energy was less than before. I need to hurry before the cold energy runs out!

Concentrating, he isolated a smaller poison flake, surrounding it with energy, relentlessly pressuring it until it froze. As the poison flake froze, it shattered into fine particles.

I think I can push the particles out of my body, he thought. They are small enough to pass through my pores!

Manipulating the cold energy again, Hector pushed the fine particles towards his pores, his lips rising in a grin when they passed out.

Thank the ancestors! I just need to push it all out! Quickly before I run out of cold energy!

Using the rapidly dwindling cold energy, Hector started the laborious task of pushing all the poison out, a greenish-black ooze appearing on his skin. As the beads of ooze dripped down his body, his skin started to burn, a painful sensation that almost shattered his concentration.

It’s working! But it’s burning me! I must hurry!

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he almost gagged as a foul sent assaulted his senses. The smell was putrid, rancid, and burned his throat.

What is that smell? Is it me? Ancestors, it’s the ooze!

“It’s burning me, and the smell,” he croaked, trying to concentrate.

There was a splash of water as someone threw a bucket of water on him. Feeling the burning sensation lessen, he stammered, “Thank you.”

As the minutes slowly passed by, Hector managed to expel all but the largest glob of poison. Feeling a rush of triumph, he hounded after it, the glob moving around his body like a crazed animal. Get back here!

Finally cornering it in his Energy Core, Hector surrounded it with the last remnants of the cold energy. Panting painfully, he started freezing the blob, his breath coming in short. As the poison slowly froze, it seemed to realize that it was dying, the frenzied squirming becoming more violent.

Stop moving!

As Hector used the last of his energy, the poison started to condense tighter and tighter on itself until suddenly it turned into a hard green crystal the size of a small pea. With a rush, the crystallized poison flew into the side of Hector’s heart, lodging itself deep within its beating walls.

Eyes widening in disbelief, Hector spat out a mouthful of blood, desperately trying to remove the poison crystal. It was futile, no matter how much of the cold energy he used, the crystal would not move.

“What happened?” Ilistina was hovering over him, a bucket of water in her hands. Quickly setting the bucket aside she grabbed a cloth and wiped away the blood that was seeping from Hector’s mouth.

“The poison crystallized in my energy core and lodged itself into my heart,” Hector gasped. “I was able to isolate it, but I can’t get rid of it.”

“That's impossible! No poison can withstand the effects of the Serpentine Bloodstone.”

“But it did.”

Looking down at him, Ilistina uttered the words he was most worried about. “Did we make it worse?”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“I hope not.”

Tentatively drawing Aether into his body, Hector braced for the worst, his teeth clenched together. As the familiar energy passed through his Gate of Power and into his body, he felt the Aether enter easily, the poison no longer obscuring his gate. Heart beating in relief, he quickly guided the energy to his core, breath stuck in his throat.

“I’m not fully healed, but I can draw Aether again,” he reported. “The condensed poison in my core is the only poison left. I need to see if I can remove it with Aether. The good news is that I am much stronger than just a moment ago.”

Silently studying Hector’s face, Ilistina nodded. “At least we have that going for us. But you need to take it slow. We don’t know what effects the poison crystal might have on you.”

Leaning back, Hector took a moment to enjoy the Aether flowing through his body before speaking. “I will heal what I can, but you are right —I will take my time with the poison crystal.” He drew in a deep breath of the humid, acidic air and began carefully rotating Aether throughout his body. The mixture of morning and night energy gave him strength. “I missed this feeling,” he uttered.

“Don’t push yourself,” Ilistina reminded him again, brushing dirt from her pants as she stood up. “I’ll keep watch tonight. Take your time and make sure you can travel tomorrow. We will leave at first light.”

“I understand. Thank you.”

For the next couple of hours, Hector silently sat by the fire, his eyes closed, legs crossed beneath him. He focused on inspecting the damage the poison had inflicted on his body, the energy he so missed flowing around his body. Allowing the energy to passively heal some of the smaller injuries, he directed his attention to his heart, studying the effects of the poison crystal. From what he could tell, as long as he used his energy to surround the crystal, it remained dormant, only stirring when he stopped channeling energy around it.

“Hector, it’s time to go.”

Opening his eyes at the sound of Ilistina’s voice, Hector saw the first rays of the new day, the beauty causing him to pause. It had been a long time since he had taken notice of something so simple as a sunrise. Soaking in the warm rays of light, he felt the muscles in his body relax, the weight from the stress that had prevented him from taking a full breath, lifting slightly. He was nowhere near his normal strength, but compared to just yesterday, he felt like a new man.

“How are you feeling?”

Ilistina was standing over him, her sword—which was embedded in the snake the last time he saw it, now strapped to her side. She looked haggard, with dark bags under her eyes and new injuries on her body. She had been keeping watch while the others rested.

“Thank you for keeping watch,” Hector said, bowing deeply. “I am much better than yesterday. If I don't strain myself, I can move. We can go anytime.”

“Good, we need to get back and give Aerendil a proper burial. We can't bury him in this accursed place.”

The journey back to Lundale took a fraction of the time it took them to get to the swamp. Even with the added weight of Aerendil’s body, Hector’s ability to draw in Aether allowed them to move at speeds most horses could not sustain for more than a few hours. By the morning of the fifth day, they were entering the Dreamwood, the vast ocean of trees spanning as far as the eye could see.

“We’re back,” Larrisa breathed, her sad eyes glancing down at the wrapped body of Aerendil that lay on a makeshift stretcher. “I never expected he wouldn't be here with us.”

“He was exceptional, someone that I was proud to have in my guard,” Ilistina agreed, placing her hand on Larrisa’s shoulder. “I will personally make sure that his name is written down in the Book of Heroes.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty. I'm sure he would appreciate that,” Larrisa answered, wiping away a tear.

Smiling at Larrisa—a smile that looked forced to Hector, Ilistina turned to him. “Hector, we still have a full day before we reach the gates of Starhaven. Once there I will ask the Knowledge Keepers if they were able to find out anything new while we were out. Let us make haste.”

“Yes, let us,” Hector agreed, drawing power into his body.

“Let’s go.”

Following Ilistina and Larrisa—who were holding the stretcher, Hector strengthened his legs with Aether, his senses stretching all around him. Surrounding him were the lively sounds and smells of the Dreamwood, a stark contrast to when he had just been here a couple of weeks ago. His enhanced senses now allowed him to see the world in a different light.

Ducking under a fallen tree covered in a thick layer of moss, he once again marveled at the Elves’ ability to know where they were in this ancient forest. Neither of them had paused when they came across a seemingly dead end, both pointing to a hidden path. Only someone born in the Dreamwood could do such a thing.

By the time the sun was low on the horizon, they were standing in front of the famed walls of Starhaven, the massive walls stringing the fingers-like mountains together. Ignoring the impressive gate, Ilistina led Hector and Larrisa to a side entrance, quickly speaking to the guard before gesturing at them to follow her. “It's never a good idea to let the people know their Queen was out of the city,” she explained, walking through the side entrance.

Once inside, she turned to Larrisa. “Larrisa, I must ask you to arrange Aerendil’s funeral. Take his body to the palace, they will help you set it up. I will take Prince Hector to the inner palace. I will find him a place to rest. We traveled harder than I wanted. He needs to rest.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Opening his mouth in protest, Hector thought better of it before closing it. As someone who had taken care of his sick brother for so long, he knew how exhausting it was to argue with someone who needed rest.

“Thank you for your hospitality,” he uttered.

Standing in his new clean clothes, Hector looked down from the balcony of his room, the city of Starhaven below him. From up here he could see the whole of the city, the hustle and bustle of the elves minuscule to his keen eyes. Unlike most elven villages, which incorporated living trees in their buildings, the capital did not use trees, instead opting to use the mighty Starspire Peaks in its construction, tall spires linked together, reaching for the heavens.

On the other side of the walls, stretched the Dreamwood, the ancient trees spanning the whole of the Elven Kingdom. From what Hector knew, Lundale was the only Kingdom with a definite border, one that anyone could see, the trees creating a natural border. Everything within the Dreamwood was part of the Kingdom of Lundale.

Standing on the balcony, he stared out across the land, past the famed walls towards Vanura, his mind anxious. It had been too long since he had left, too long since he had heard any news about it. Each day he was away from Vanura his anxiety seemed to grow. It was not that he did not trust his men, but he would feel better when he returned.

Taking a long calming breath of the clean mountain air, he worked the tightness and knots out of his shoulders, slowly exhaling. Imagining the stress leaving his body—alongside his breath, he took another slow breath, holding it for a few seconds before exhaling again. Feeling his shoulders slump as the tightness lessened, he moved them up and down in a circular motion. Next, he leaned his head left and right in a stretch that caused his neck to crack satisfyingly.

Remembering what the healers had told him yesterday, he signed. According to them, the poison did not leave any noticeable damage to his body, but they could not remove the crystallized poison that was now lodged in his heart. Now that the energy from the Serpentine Bloodstone had been spent, the only thing keeping the poison crystal imprisoned, was the Aether Hector drew into his body. If he overtaxed himself, they were worried that the poison would leak back into his body.

A soft yet firm knock broke him out of his thoughts, the sound coming from his door.

“Come in!” he called out as he turned his back to the balcony and entered his room.

The door of his room silently swung open, as Queen Ilistina entered.

The Elven Queen had changed into her formal attire, a light blue dress that seemed to sparkle in the light. “I hope you have rested,” she said, her movements so elegant she seemed to glide, her white hair blowing behind her. She had removed the brown dye from her hair.

“Better than I have in a long time,” Hector said, lowering his head slightly in thanks.

“That's good. I have news of your condition,” she said, making her way over to a chair and sitting in it.

Feeling his chest tighten at the prospect of bad news, Hector joined her at the table, his emotions carefully controlled. Nodding once at her, he silently prepared himself for the worst.

“With the help from the Keepers of the Knowledge, the healers were able to find clues about the poison in an old tome—old even for our standards.” Pausing momentarily, she continued. “We believe it is the poison from a Green Dragon.”

A stunned silence filled the room as Hector tried to comprehend what he had just heard. “A Green Dragon?” he managed to utter, the absurdity of the statement causing him to wonder if she was making a joke.

“Yes. A Green Dragon.”

Sitting there, Hector studied Ilistina's face, looking for any signs that she was playing a prank on him. Dragons were something that only existed in fairy tales, something told to frighten children. They were creatures that had the power to destroy Kingdoms with a flick of their tails.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Closing his gaping mouth, Hector felt his world spin. If he had heard this information from anyone else, he would have called them crazy. According to her, Dragons were real! The fantasy tales from his childhood were real, and he had been poisoned by one!

“As you know,” Ilistina’s voice dragged Hector back to the present. “The energy from the Serpentine Bloodstone is no longer in your body. If you ever want to live a normal life. You must rest and allow your body to recover. This is the most important thing that you can do now. If you do not give yourself ample time to heal, the dragon’s poison will spread out from the crystal and poison you again. Next time there will be nothing we can do. You will die.”

Hearing the seriousness in her voice, Hector opened his mouth, ready to promise he would take care of his body. As the words were coming out of his mouth, a loud bang sounded as a guard came charging into the room.

“A rebellion has started in the Kingdom of Vanura!”