What Next?

Chapter 8 Book of Cures

Everyone has already gone to sleep, even the new dragon, I mean, wyvern started to look asleep. Little to say for my poor arms. I've been holding one up for hours, switching between, but its starting to wear me out.

Stormcloud has stayed by my side, wide awake and on full alert. She's been eyeing this things ever since it attacked me. Zeus, the little traitor, fell asleep with the Flightmare that followed me with the others.

With no idea what time it was due to being inside the cave, I began to nod off as sleep was the only thing I could think about. That and getting off this stupid island. We literally have a little less than a month to get this cursed scale out of me and also find something else to keep me alive. Sleep fled my head and my thoughts became occupied by that thought.

I began to feel helpless again.

Too many things were happening. I want to go back to the old days where I would go to dragon training school, eat meals with my family, and casting everyone away.

I miss it when I hated everyone. It was easier that way. I didn't get hurt, they didn't get hurt and I wouldn't have the chance to lose them.

This was my problem. I wanted to protect these idiots, with whatever I had. I was almost shocked at myself with how much my feelings had changed.

Breaking into my thoughts my stomach shook my whole body with the pain of Lit stabbing me. I looked back at the book that was sitting near me, already beginning to gather dust. I reached over with one hand and picked it up and brought it to my lap. The wyvern had barely made a sound in its tired state. I flipped through the pages with more care, reading over everything that was written by one viking.

"The wyvern is an elusive creatures and many are mistaken for dragons. Wyverns are commonly used for the forbidden art of Witchcraft. Though most are not venomous their scales can be used to make potions of poisons and curses..." My words trailed off as I finished the first page. To confirm myself I continued to read.

"A rock based wyvern is used by many to create curses and put into voodoo dolls." I forced my eyes to look at the picture above just to see a dragon that was very small and a large scale on its back.

I've seen that scale before.

"There is only one cure that's been found in all these years. Below the Isle of Drake are ruins from the first settlers. Written among the stones are secrets of the Drakes and Wyvern alike. This is where a cure is found, but one will need a sacrifice to the gods for the incantation to be successful," I read. Anger boiled in me. To hell with the dragon, I stood up and threw the book into the middle of sleeping young vikings. With the echo of the sound of the fallen book, they all woke with a start.

The wyvern behind me hissed and attempted to charge for me. Not wanting to deal another minute with the thing, I turned around myself and growled, "Not now!"

It coward from me and curled its tail around itself. I saw Bottonlout looking sick as he said, "Who did it? Who made her angry?"

"You three dunces!" I responded with a scratch. "That scale you put in me was no dragon, but a wyvern! One used for witchcraft!"

"Witchcraft?" Scythe confirmed in a low voice.

Witchcraft has been abandoned for many generations on account that it angered the gods. It was known as a forbidden art nowadays and the closest thing we've gotten to it was the shamans, but they only used knowledge given from the All Father.

"Book says to break this kind of curse we have to go to the Isle of Drake, find the ruins, and use a sacrifice to have the gods even consider curing me or something," I explained.

Scruffnut looked confused as always. "What's a drake?"

"It's what our ancestors called dragons back then. It basically says to go to Dragon Island." Salmonfoot explained to her.

"Well what are we waiting for?" Comet as and jumped up. Tigerlilly was just as excited, probably restless since she hasn't been flown in a bit.

"And the wyvern? What do we do with it?" Scythe asked.

I looked over my shoulder at the still cowering wyvern. I walked to the middle of their circle and picked up the book and walked back to it.

"I do believe this belongs to you," I said and held the book out to her. They sniffed it for a moment before taking it gently in their mouth.

Before we left I looked back in the farthest corner where the wyvern had walked to. It curled its tail around a mound of rock and dirt with large white lumps poking out from it.

A smile spread across my face know that very soon she won't be lonely anymore.