Last of Her Kind

Chapter 11 CATHRYN

Cathryn led Alora and Elysor into the back room of the shop. She then went to make sure the front door was locked. She didn’t need to be bothered by customers right now.

In the back room, Cathryn had Elysor remove his shirt and climb up onto the table. She grabbed a poppy pod from a jar she kept them in, and squeezed the juice into a small bowl.

“Drink this,” she shoved the bowl into Elysor’s hand and went to start a fire. Once the flame was big enough, she stuck the end of an iron poker into it. As it was heating, Cathryn made sure she had everything she would need: a small pair of pliers, a scalpel, and an empty jar. Once those were acquired she checked to see if the poppy had began to take affect.

“All of it,”Cathryn pushed the bowl back into Elysor’s hand and watched him finish it. “This is going to hurt a bit.”

Cathryn removed the iron poker from the fire and pressed it into Elysor’s arm next to the wound. Elysor screamed in pain.

“Can you grab that leather strip from the counter over there?” She indicated the one she meant and Alora did as she asked. Cathryn put the strip in Elysor’s mouth. “Bite.”

He did as she said and Cathryn grabbed the pliers and scalpel from the table. She peeled back the skin from the open sore. Elysor was crying as he gritted his teeth into the leather. Cathryn used the scalpel to cut off a piece of infected flesh and dropped it into the jar.

“Just breathe.”

Cathryn took the jar over to the corner where her mother’s special magnifying glass was fashioned. The magnifying glass had been made from the transparent dragon scale of a carcass her mom had found when she was young. The curvature of the scales allowed for a much closer look than regular magnifying glasses, and her mother’s had been fitted with three different lenses that, when used in the correct order, could produce a much closer image of the surface one was inspecting.

There was something familiar about the way the skin was starting to decay. She had seen only one plant ever eat away at flesh like this.

“This was caused by a poisonous plant called evening ivy.” Cathryn crossed the room and began pulling out a multitude of different herbs. “The only things that I know that can stop this are moon flowers and night caps. Luckily, I have a fresh harvest.”

Alora watched very closely as Cathryn began to work. Cathryn noticed her inspecting the flowers and mushrooms closely and wondered why Alora was so curious to take note of each step.

Elysor cried out again. This time, he emitted a cloud of smoke as he did. He was starting to sweat and strain. Alora rushed to his side.

“Elysor, what’s happening?”

“I’m – shifting.” He cried again only this time is sounded almost like a roar.

“How much longer do you need?” Alora was looking frantic. “He’s going to destroy your shop!”

Cathryn had just finished heating the antidote up to a slight simmer, and removed it from the heat. She rushed it over to where Elysor was beginning to convulse. A strong wind from nowhere started blowing, wrecking the contents of the back room.

“Hold him steady,” Cathryn called to Alora over the sound of the rushing wind.

Alora pushed Elysor down onto the table, his body still twitching under her hold. Cathryn brought the hot mixture over and poured it directly onto the open wound, steam billowing up as it fell.

The roar was unmistakably dragon as Elysor cried out in pain. The bubbling mixture began to cool, creating a layer of goo that filled the cut. As it solidified, Elysor’s body calmed down and he fell backwards onto the table, fast asleep.

Cathryn began to clean up the mess that the wind had made of her shop. A few vials had broken, leaving a mess of potions and herbs all over. The was going to take her months before she could refill her supplies. She found a blank parchment and a quill and began taking note of all the items she was going to have to replace. She sighed heavily as she saw her harvest of moon flowers and night caps were ruined.

“How did you know what to do?” Alora voice was accusatory as she stood right behind Cathryn who turned to look her in the eye.

“Evening ivy grows in excess outside of this city. It’s able to do so, because no animal dares to go near it, allowing it to spread uncontrollably. I notice this aversion to the plant long ago and decided to study it’s properties to see why that was. I found out, that the ivy itself secretes one of the most deadliest poisons in the world. For many, even just brushing up against it could cause hives that, if untreated, could lead to death.”

Alora stood there, silently, as Cathryn continued to clean up the shop.

“How much of that solution could you produce right now?”

Cathryn stopped and sighed. “Unfortunately, that’s all I’m able to spare at the moment. My entire harvest was just destroyed.”

“How much do you need? I can go harvest some for you.”

“It’s not that simple. You have to go out at a full moon.”

“We can’t wait that long.” Alora was becoming insistent.

“You’ll have to. Because it wont flower for another month.”

“There has to be another way. Another shop that has the flower or another antidote or something.”

“There isn’t much I can do to help you, Alora. I’m sorry.”

Alora scoffed. “I don’t believe you. I think you’re just scared.”

Cathryn stopped her cleaning. “Scared of what exactly?”

“Your brother. Your father. These rules and laws. I think you’re scared of anything that diverges from this comfortable life you’ve been living. Scared of working for something you believe in instead of working for someone to take care of you.”

Cathryn made to strike, but Alora was too fast. She caught Cathryn’s hand and pulled her close enough to where their faces almost touched.

“Don’t mess with a dragon,” Alora whispered, a small puff of smoking warming the air between them.

Cathryn closed the gap with a kiss, she grabbed Alora by the waist and pulled their bodies together. A small groan escaped her lips as they pushed closer into each other.

Suddenly, they were interrupted by the sound of loud pounding at the front door.

Cathryn walked through the store cautiously. She had left Alora in the back room to clean up. As she approached the store front, she saw through the window that it was only her brother, Eli. She opened the door.

“Why are you still closed? Aren’t you normally open by now?” Eli pushed past her, into the store.

“I’ve been working on the paste for Boldorf and lost track of time.” She eyed him as he walked through the store picking up random items like it’s the first time he’s examined them.

“Have you finished?”

“You know that it takes time to set. The barrel should be ready tomorrow.”

“And how are those guests of yours doing? Were you able to help restock what they need?”

“I was able to get them most of what they need, but I am beginning to run low. I’m going to need to go for a harvest soon.”

Her brother was heading towards the back room when she stopped him.

“I wouldn’t go back there right now. I spilled a solution that will make you really dizzy if you inhale it.”

Eli nodded and turned to walk back over to where Cathryn stood and placed his hands on her shoulders. “I’m sure we’ll be able to manage that. Just get that barrel ready for us, and I’ll see about getting you a companion to go on a harvest. Okay?” He kissed her on the top of the head and left.

Cathryn closed her eyes. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust her brother. She did, but only with herself. Cathryn knew that Eli would never let anything bad happen to her, however, she also knew that he wouldn’t let anything stand in the way of his job. He loved being a hunter, and he believed that his close connection to Boldorf would give him a chance to move up in the ranks. If Eli saw Elysor, lying unconscious on the table with a gash in his shoulder, he might start to question things.

She returned to the back room to find that Alora had managed to clean up most of the mess while she had been gone.

“Is everything okay?” Alora asked as Cathryn entered and started to help her finish the job.

“Yeah, everything is fine. I just need to finish an order up today, and the customer was checking on it.”

“Would you like some help?”

“No, it’s a complicated recipe. I need to focus in order to complete it correctly.”

“I understand.” They both finished the cleaning in silence before Alora spoke up again. “While you work, can I check out that book you have.”

 Cathryn smiled softly at Alora. “Of course. Let me go grab it.”