Dragon's Blood

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Iyla watched from her window. Camen and Helen were outside with their son Isaac; a beautiful cherub faced little boy with white blonde hair and a dusting of freckles. He was running in the crisp white snow, throwing great clumps of it at his father who laughed and picked him up, lifting him into the air to squeals of delight. She smiled and turned around to a knock at her door.

"Come in, she called and Bill poked his head around the door.

"We have really got to show these people how to make a snowman," he said grinning, "Faine has seriously never made one, can you believe that?"

Iyla laughed and followed him out of the door, grabbing her heavy winter cloak on the way.

Since they had escaped Kade and winter had arrived in Cinia. Nothing had been heard of Kade since that night but Iyla and her friends had remained at the castle for a while, just incase. Kade was not dead, she knew that, but the hope and belief of many was that he had been at the very least, very badly injured, maybe enough for him to think again about his evil and destructive plans.

Some thought he was entombed in the volcano, which lay dormant once more. Most believed he had fled back to the Darklands to lick his wounds. Iyla knew that Drago's fire had hurt Kade horribly but she did not doubt that it was not the last they would hear of her evil and twisted uncle.

When Pandra had dropped her off on the mountainside, the dragon had gone back for Bill straight away. Bill had been fending off Amarok who were systematically throwing themselves against the tree and tearing at the trunk with teeth and claws to try and pull it down.

"I was confused," he'd told her when they finally got to share their stories with each other, "I was expecting two dragons, not to mention you and Tobias. When all I got was Pandra, I knew something must have gone wrong."

"You followed me," Iyla had said, eternally grateful to her friend, "How did you find us?"

"It was difficult at first," Bill had admitted, "But eventually there was quite a bit of noise to follow. When I saw Kade holding you up like that I just – I just saw red."

"I can't believed you tackled him like that," Iyla had said then, "It was so brave Bill."

Bill had blushed and shook his head, changing the subject swiftly, "How's Tobias?"

As it turned out, Iyla's healing powers, combined with the sorceress powers of her mother were much stronger now than they had been. She was immune to Tobias' curse and her touch when she and Bill had been desperately trying to pull him to safety had healed him of all damage Kade has caused him, the curse included. Sadly, she could not cure him of the memory of everything he'd been through. Tobias was a very damaged young man and the healing of his mind was going to take a long time, if it could ever truly happen at all. He carried with him a vast amount of guilt and even over the time he'd so far spent at the castle being properly fed and enjoying sunlight and fresh air, his tall frame still stooped and his shoulders still sagged with the weight of what he had done.

The only time he seemed to find any happiness was in the company of his sister. When she had asked him how on earth he had known the words to unlock her mothers powers, a rare look of triumph had crossed his face.

"Kade may have invaded my mind," he said, "but he was so busy, so distracted, so sure he had won, he didn't realise that, when his guard was down, I could see something of his too. And he was shouting those words so loudly Iyla, so proudly, there was no way I couldn't hear them! When he realises it was him that told me, that his defeat was his own stupid fault, it will torture him!" Tobias seemed happy at this thought, another tiny sliver of personal victory over the person who had controlled and manipulated him for so long.