The Brotherhood of the Dragon

Chapter Six: The Cure

Jason woke in the dark in total torment. He was trashing around and screaming out strange sounds. He made no sense. Analise was on watch to comfort him if something happened. He would accept no comfort and wouldn't stop screaming. His mind, his pain, his dreams, and his realities all were clashing at once. He did not even know if he was insane or not? Colors and shapes formed and faded, Jason yelled orders his hands moving in strange patterns, people's names were called, but there was no one to answer. With each moment Jason got wilder and louder.

Analise held him down with surprising strength. "Jason what's the matter? What do you need to help you?"

Jason frothing at the mouth momentarily focused his thoughts, remembering this wasn't a dream it was a reality. He yelled, "YOU'RE THE DRAGONMASTER! DO WHAT YOU MUST!" He immediately went back to tossing and screaming.

Analise's action was immediate. She barked to the scared nurses in the hall. "Bring me a potion or medicine, which will put him asleep without dreams. Now!" She wrestled with Jason holding him down until the medicine was administered. As it took effect, she slowly released her grip on him.

"What does it mean you're the Dragonmaster asked a nurse timidly?"

Analise looked at her and she smiled a smile of rare confidence that made the nurses relax. "It means I can deal with any emergency with total concentration and care. He will be all right. The medicine will be here tomorrow morning. You may go now, he is in my care and I will not fail him." Her supreme confidence dramatically affected the nurses.

"Madam, we must check on him and we must inform the doctor of his problem."

The woman gently replied, "I wouldn't expect otherwise. I appreciate your help. Without your rapid response, he may have hurt himself, but he will be better now. I think the crisis is over."

The next morning she was as bright and cheerful as if she had, had a good nights sleep, yet she had been up all night. As she had predicted, the medicine Jason needed was on the desk of the nurses' station. The nurses looked at each other wondering who had brought in the medicine not having seen anyone strange in the area. Maria, the doctor, and the nurse walked into the room with the medicine.

Maria looked at Analise. "Rough night?"

Analise responded confidently. "He believed in me and I comforted him. He is over the worse."

The nurses whispered excitedly in the doctor's ear.

"I believe Jason had a major problem last night. I'm glad you were here Analise. I don't know if I could have dealt with the problem as effectively as you did."

Analise with total serenity complimented the doctor. "You would've done as I did. We have faith in your abilities."

"Jason is still asleep should we awake him now?"

"He will be awake very soon."

Jason slowly opened his eyes. They were hollow and he looked worn and tired. "Hello everyone. Have I been a problem?"

"No," his wife replied. "The medicine from Professor Dumbledore is here. If you feel well enough, the doctor would like to apply it. I know you have not had your breakfast, but you should use the medicine as soon as possible as there seems to be other complications and you need to heal."

"What complications?"

Analise spoke up. "You'll take the potion now Jason. It's better that you heal than you're hungry." She was so strong in her insistence yet kind in her demeanor that he could not refuse. "You'll have time for all the answers when you're better. Now let's get up on the stool so we can apply the potion." He slid off the bed backwards and sat down on the stool.

Jason tried to add some levity to the seemingly strained atmosphere. He looked at each of the people in the room. "It looks like I'm out numbered here. I must have been quite a character last night by the looks of the faces in this room. All of you can lighten up a bit. I know I'm in the best hands possible. You need to be in a good mood when we apply the medicine, because it sure does stink." As he looked at each of them they slowly relaxed and smiled at him. "Good, now doctor could you apply the foul putrid mess on my back so I can feel better."

The doctor had the nurse remove his shirt and bandages. Maria sucked in her breath when she looked at the burn. "If I didn't know better I would say the burn is a lot worse that it was. It's as if it's getting rawer rather than healing."

The doctor concurred, "I think it looks worse too."

Analise replied confidently as she examined the wound with a professional eye. "Yes, that is what I've seen before. The consequences of dragon's breath. Very nasty, but the medicine will clear it right up. Doctor if you'll proceed, Jason needs the respite from the pain."

"Of course," said the doctor. "We can marvel at the complexity of the burns after he is taken care of. Hold your noses everyone." As the doctor popped the stopper on the bottle of medicine, the room was instantly filled with a seeming cloud of stink. A cloud so thick you couldn't even breathe. Even holding their noses and wiping their running eyes, it was as if the smell entered their very skin. The doctor wasted no time. He started at the edges of the wound and applied the salve working it in towards the middle. As it was applied the blacked skin at the edges turned pink and a ripple of movement crossed Jason's back. The healing wound appeared to be fighting with the unhealed wound. Jason grunted with extreme pain. Maria grabbed one of his hands and Analise the other. Maria told him she was there for him.

The doctor stopped, "Should I continue? It didn't do this the last time."

Analise replied, "You must continue, doctor! He can, he will deal with it." She whispered to Jason with a strong voice. "You're a Dragonmaster! Deal with it!"

Maria agreed. "Jason you're much more than you were. This is the pain of a rebirth, a rebirth into something new and wonderful. You'll deal with it if you truly wish to be a dragonmaster."

Jason sighed then replied to the doctor with a strong confident voice, "Doctor I'm libel to yell and scream from the pain as a way to alleviate it. I want you to continue no matter what. In the end, I will be fine."

The doctor commented as he smeared more medicine on the wound. This is the weirdest thing I've ever seen. It's as if the medicine and the wound are fighting each other. The raw wound seems like it's pulling away from the medicine!"

Jason tensed his whole body and grunted deep grunts. With a calm voice that denied the extreme pain he was going through, he described his feeling. "Yes doctor, it seems that the wound is fighting the medicine. Where the wound had been treated is already feeling better. It is as if the pain is concentrating, as the burn grows smaller. Please hurry! I don't know how much more I can stand." Jason started grunting faster and faster. Maria had an alarmed look on her face.

Analise was calm. "It's working Jason. You can see the end you must travel there."

The doctor wasted no time. He applied the potion in an ever-smaller circle. He watched as if the wound was pushing back the potion. "This is not going to happen," he said to himself. Taking the last of the salve he slapped it right on what was left of the wound and rubbed it in.

Jason let out an ear splitting scream. He convulsed throwing Maria and Analise to the sides of the room. Standing bolt upright, he spread his arms lights danced from his fingertips. His eyes rolled up in his head. Images with sounds and smells and feelings appeared, a mad rush of people and movement, the smell of pine and fresh salmon. A vision of him walking with his wife and touching her hair. Red and orange figures riding what looked like brooms. A red headed man was bent over in pain, holding his side and arm. Analise flying overhead with a shocked then determined look on her face and a huge black creature, great yellow eyes the size dinner plates, anger in it every movement. Great grumbling in its chest the beast released inhuman screams of rage and defiance. A great orange flame launched from its' mouth. The room heated up as if the flame was real. The vision from behind totally calm eyes as a great red beam slammed into the beast and many little red beams played along its spine, then darkness, and pain.

The room went quiet and became normal. Jason slumped back down on the stool. "Whew I'm so glad that is over. It was almost just too intense."

Maria got up from the floor and went to him hugging him close to her. "You're all right now. You're all right."

Analise went to the doctor and nurse. She said softly, "Nurse, we'll need fresh bandages." The nurse's training took over and she left the room. Looking at the doctor she told him, "Now you know why the first man almost went insane. The dragon breath plant is psychoactive. I could not prepare you for what was going to happen as it depends on the person. Their emotion is so powerful you feel as if you were experiencing what they experienced. It's quite intense."

The doctor shook with emotion. "You can say that again. It was if I was there. I don't know what happened to him, but I know you're not who you seem. This whole affair has been exceptional. What you and others have told me makes perfect sense, however I know it's not the truth."

Analise looked at him with concern.

"Don't worry Analise. I will explain it all to my nurses in a way they will accept. My only true concern is that Jason is healed. If I had to go through that a thousand times and my patients healed, I would gladly do it. Whoever your are and whatever did happen will be held in highest confidence. By the way, it wasn't a mental image alone. The breath of that dragon charred the ceiling. What I saw is the events leading up to the wounding of Jason. You were in it. I would appreciate the truth if you can tell me. The story you concocted is brilliant, but Jason's vision reveals he was actually burned by a real dragon."

Analise looked down and collected her thoughts. "I suppose you're due an explanation of the truth. I know you'll never tell anyone, as you would be locked up for being crazy. Besides this is a matter of patient, doctor confidentiality. I could have all your memories modified so you would think it a dream like we did to Jason. That did not work out so well. Besides you're a healer and your care and concern for your patients is beyond reproach."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence. You're not a healer even though you're very knowledgeable about healing. What exactly are you?"

"I'm a dragon handler." The doctor gave her a look of disbelief. "Yes, I care for a beast of legend and myth. They're real, very real as the wounds of Jason attest. Our flock was infested with a terrible parasite that was about to kill off all of them. Jason came to our rescue. He is a specialist in diseases of reptiles. He devised a plan and removed the parasites. The flock is safe. Jason was wounded in the cleansing of the last and greatest dragon. The dragon wasn't cooperative. They're immensely powerful beasts. When dealing with them up that close, survival is the goal. Success is simply measured in not being injured or killed."

The doctor looked at Analise with newfound respect. "Whew it sounds really dangerous."

"It's more so than it sounds. I would still not give it up for anything. Jason was wounded under my charge. I felt that I had failed him when he was injured. I realize now that with the great beast we were dealing with just how much faith they placed in my abilities. They knew they would probably be hurt or killed. They were depending on me to save them if something happened. Knowing, I could handle it now gives me much pleasure."

"I'm impressed," said the doctor. "I don't think I could have responded so well under such pressure. I've people's lives in my hands all the time. Sometimes I'm successful and sometimes I'm not. I can not dwell on my failures, as there are always others who need me. I never forget my failures, but try to use the experience to help the rest. As you say, sometimes the best is to just survive damaged or not. I would love to hear more, but Jason needs our attention."

Maria had been talking softly to Jason. He held her close for her comfort to his tortured mind. Finally he spoke, "I'm fine now. I will have a lot of training to do now that I've magical powers. Are you all right with that?"

"Of course, having you alive and well is worth any inconvenience."

"Well I'm growing very tired. I must get to bed. The medicine and the fight between it and the wound have tired me greatly."

The nurse had returned with the bandages. As she inspected the burn, she exclaimed, "Look here doctor." The doctor and Analise approached Jason and looked at his back. The nurse explained. "There will only be a little scaring. It's amazing. There is only going to be a small scar. It looks like it's in the shape of an animal."

Analise looked at it and started laughing. "Jason, you'll be very pleased." He did not hear. He had fallen asleep in the arms of his beloved.

Maria smiled gently at Analise, "It wouldn't happen to be shaped like a dragon would it?"

"Not just any dragon a Norwegian Ridgeback. The dragon, which gave him his wound."

Every one in the room was deep in their own thoughts as they bandaged Jason and placed him back in his bed.

The doctor spoke up. "It looks like I've some damage control to attend too and also some other patients to look in on. Perhaps lunch ladies? That includes you nurse. There is much to discuss and stories to clarify."

Analise and Maria agreed.

Jason had begun his dream even before he was placed back in the bed.