Susan Baldwin

Javas swung the bedroom door open slowly, but its squeaky hinge revealed his presence.  He stood in the doorway and whispered, “How is she?”

KyLee still stood at the foot of the bed.  She took a breath and wiped her wet cheeks before she turned to face him.  As she looked at him, she studied his face in the candlelight and thought, “He is a year older than I and yet, at this moment, he looks like a child.  A child that will soon be lost without his mother.”  She cleared her throat and said, “I’m sorry, Javas … but she is gone.  There was nothing left to be done for her.”

She went to the young man and placed her arm around his shoulders.  In the time it took to offer that comfort, KyLee watched his concern for his mother turn into confusion and then rage.

Javas pushed her arm away.  “No!  Why didn’t you come for me?  I could have begged her to stay.  I could have convinced her not to abandon me!  You could have kept her alive.”

KyLee placed herself between the bed and Javas so he had to look at her.  “You must listen to reason.  Even if I had that choice, it was not what your mother wanted.”

As if he suddenly remembered he could move, Javas pushed past KyLee and went to the bedside.  His voice was filled with anguish, “Why didn’t you save her?”

KyLee struggled with her own emotions as she turned to face him.  “I promise you.  I did my best.  Even my powers could not grant her another day of life in this world.  Her illness forced her to live her last years in pain that even I had trouble controlling at times.  She never told anyone but me how much she suffered.  She thought it would save you worry.”  She watched as he sank to the floor and took his mother’s hand.  “I am so very sorry.”

Javas wouldn’t look at KyLee and gave her a backhanded wave.  “Get out.”

KyLee turned to Father Garret and nodded.  As she walked out of the bedroom Javas said, “Tell me, KyLee, you saved others as sick as she was.  Why didn’t you save my mother?”

She stopped and steadied herself against the doorjamb.  She didn’t turn around when she replied, “Her sickness was eating her away from the inside.  There was nothing I could do to stop it.”

Javas began to sob.  “You’re wrong.  You didn’t try hard enough.  I hate you!”

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The crystal dragon left Devon in a dark dungeon cell beneath the castle.  Though the volcanoes had lay dormant for eons, steam from the Neza Mountains center vented into this lower section and was piped throughout the castle to help heat the massive structure.  Burnable wood had to be brought in by the crystal dragon and was stored.  Heating with steam allowed less wood use for the castle hearths and the wood supply could be used mostly in the kitchen.

Not only did Devon’s head hurt from the crystal dragon’s transference, the change in temperature made his chest ache.  The humidity from the steam made him feel as if he were under water.  He held his head and thought, “Now I know without a doubt why KyLee hates to use transference spells.”  He rubbed his forehead and tried to adjust to the darkness.  “Where is this place?  The last thing I remember before appearing before Javas was KyLee’s scream.”  Devon said aloud, “I swear, Javas, if you’ve harmed KyLee I will bury you alive up to your neck and leave you for the ants.”

The steam condensed on every surface and produced a slimy mold.  It was too dark to see his hand in front of his face and Devon had to hold out his arms to grope until he found a wall.  Steam heat radiated from cracks in the walls and floor.  Condensation dripped from above and sweat quickly drenched his heavy winter clothing.  He peeled off his soggy coat, then moved carefully until he found each corner of his cell with his hands.  It was roughly twelve by twelve feet square.  At the cell door, he found the lock was rusted solid.  Devon tried to see beyond the bars, and thought he saw a faint, glimmering light through the steam’s haze.  It appeared to be somewhere down a long corridor.  He called out, “Hello?  Is there someone here?”

There was no answer and he watched the light fade until it disappeared.



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