Hi! I'm back, with the third chapter of ma story^^! Not sure if I like this one –the action and fighting I keep wanting to add continuously puts itself off as I try to set the story up! -_- But anyways, please read and review; a special thanks to those who have reviewed my previous chapters, your feedback is really appreciated!
Disclaimer: I do not own Jane and the Dragon. Yet. XD
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Jane's eyes widen in surprise, her interest in the book suddenly aroused. She jerks the volume farther up onto her lap, ignoring the terrible smell, and leans back against her pillow in anticipation of a long, complicated read.
Oddly enough, though, the information the book holds is relatively straightforward, if a little hard to decipher; long ago stains and smudged ink make some of the phrases intelligible, a fact that Jane finds rather annoying.
The Night Curse, the heading reads in large, thick letters. Jane bites her lip worriedly.
The Night Curse is currently in its seventh year of devastation, after a mysterious arrival that brought our kingdom to its knees in a single month. It can destroy the bearer of this illness in anywhere from one to two weeks, as the disease takes hold of the victim's insides and eliminates each organ separately. With one appendage gone, the victim eventually crumples from the lack of its benefits and spends its remaining days in total pain.
As of this moment, the disease seems to have taken root in our animal population, and the lack of meat has sent many of our citizens to an early grave. The Night Curse is, unfortunately, not limited to animals however. It seems to also thrive equally well in humans, and can prove fatal when contracted. Humans die far faster than animals once taken by the Night Curse, and suffer far more –they only last for about five to seven days, and then are also led to their death.
Luckily, animals seems to be incapable of passing on the disease, and in all seven years of its existence the Night Curse has remained restricted in the two creatures; animals do not pass it on to people, keeping it among themselves, and people in turn keep it among their ranks. In both, though, the Night Curse is deadly and fast acting, and if one shows even one of the symptoms listed below, they should immediately be confined to their room and considered as good as dead.
Night Curse Information:
Symptoms:
-Yellowed eyes
-White tongue (spots may appear)
-Extreme dizziness
-Chest pains
-Stomach pains (vomiting may occur)
-Heavy limbs
-Unusual fatigue
-Heavy coughing, coughing up blood
-Blurry eyesight
Victims:
Both humans and animals
Length:
Humans –five to seven days
Animals –one to two weeks
Outcome:
Death
Cure:
Unknown
Jane swallows hard, her heart racing in her chest and her hands clenched into tight fists. Dragon cannot die, she tells herself firmly, those are just foolish words scribbled by some mad wizard, nothing else. He is too strong for it; he is a dragon, not some weakling sheep. He will be fine, he must be! She bites her lip again, tasting the salty tang of blood as she does so.
"There must be more information…" she mutters, scanning through the article once more in search of details. "Maybe the next page will say something…" The squire lifts her eyes over to the page on her right, doing her best to read the words slowly although she itches to skip to the end and skim up from there in search of information.
There has been word as of late that there is indeed a cure for the Night Curse (Jane sighs in relief). Apparently, the cure is a small plant called Winterleaf, a rare and hidden plant that only thrives in the rocky region of Aolim. It is supposed to be the only thing to counteract the Night Curse, when it is boiled in thyme-soaked water and the leaves chewed by the victim soggy and whole.
Jane smiles in relief, her shoulders sagging. "At least there is a cure," she says aloud, and raises a hand from the page in order to run it through her hair. "Now I just need to know where Aolim is. Surely Sir Theodore must know. He has all those maps, and mayhap he will let–" She stops as her eyes, which had been scanning the page against her will, and her brow furrows in surprise and sudden concentration. There is more.
Aolim is an island isolated from most of our world. It is separated from the mainland and is surrounded on three sides by the sea; there is a thin strip of land leading to it from the mainland, and it is still known by most as it has a strong trading connection with our kingdoms.
Word has had it that Aolim may in fact be home to the Dragon Guardians, an organization marked by the miniscule dragon tattoos on their right shoulder and their dragons, of course. However, as the number of dragons mysteriously declines, so have the Guardians' number, and as a result it has become increasingly difficult to find them; the only way now to truly tell if someone is a Guardian is the dragon symbol, found on their sword hilt as well as their shoulder.
Winterleaf can only be found on the far side of the island, where the Guardians were last glimpsed, and as of now the only found plant is in the capable hands of His Majesty King Warios, in the event that the Night Curse should infiltrate the castle.
The smile falters, disappears from Jane's pale face as she considers the date the book was written. Slipping the silk strip back between the musty pages, she carefully closes the book and stares at the cover.
It is far older than she even imagined.
She gazes at the cover, her mind whirling as she considers every possibility, every loophole, every mode of transportation available to her should she dare to do what has been tickling the far reaches of her mind since she read the first sentence about the Night Curse. It seems like a silly idea, impossible, reckless; searching for this Winterleaf would be a fool's errand, especially considering its last sighting.
And yet… and yet it is so plausible. If she had the maps, and the supplies, it might just work. And if there is even the smallest hint of a chance that a cure is available –no matter how little of it remains, if any– then why should she pass up a chance to find it? If it will save her best friend…
Suddenly Jane starts, jerking up and turning to look at her door. Did she just mistake… no, there it is again, a sharp rapping on the worn wood, this time accompanied by a: "Jane? Are you there?"
The squire quickly slams the book shut, shoves it under her blankets hurriedly, and calls out a reply as she uncurls her legs and bounces off the bed. "Yes, come in!"
With a slight creak, the door opens to reveal Jester and Rake, their eyes wide and home to a slightly shocked, uncomfortable look. Jane offers them a weak smile as they step inside –her moment of revelation is not enough to muffle her worry and sadness.
"Hello," Rake says nervously, looking anywhere but at Jane. "Pepper asked me to bring you something to eat, she says she will try and visit later, once the royal family has finished with their meal." He holds out his hands, in which rests a small bowl holding some fish and bread. "Since you have not eaten since this morning…"
Jane retains the smile forced upon her face as she reluctantly takes the bowl. "Thank you, Rake, and please give Pepper my thanks as well; she does not have to visit, I know she will be exhausted by the end of the night." Her voice sounds ungrateful, and she knows it. But she cannot seem to muster up the strength to sound cheerful, and another smile refuses to show on her face as she places the bowl gently on her mantel and stands there silently.
Jester steps forward too, although his hands are empty; having nothing to do, he clasps them together and hides them behind his back as he speaks.
"How…how are you feeling?" he asks gently, but Jane keeps her back to him and glues her eyes on the hairbrush inches from her nose.
"I am well," she replies hoarsely, listening to Rake's footsteps as he walks to stand near Jester. "Or at least, as well as can be expected." She attempts a dry laugh.
They don't laugh.
Jane turns slightly to meet their gazes, doing her best to focus only on them and not on the fact that a corner of the borrowed book is peeking out from under her bedcovers. "How is Dragon, anyways? I aim to visit him in a few minutes…"
Rake's eyes widen slightly, "Ah, well, he is not doing well, I am afraid," the gardener says uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his head, "On the way up we checked on him –he has yet to eat, and was asleep. There was blood on the dirt-" Jester shoots him a glare that does not escape Jane's notice. "-I-I mean, it was probably old, he has been asleep so long he has not had time to cough up blood anymore…" he trails off, but Jane does not push the matter.
"I hope he is well," she replies, the seriousness of the situation setting in at last: she has barely a week to find a cure. "And in fact, I think I will get some rest," Jane turns around completely and offers an entirely false smile to her two friends. "I plan to stay up all night with Dragon tonight, in case he will need anything."
Jester and Rake get the point. Rake nods hastily and turns to head for the open door. "Of course, Jane," he agrees, "So shall I tell Pepper that she need not come up?"
"Yes please," the squire says, her mind spinning and no longer attentive to her guests. "And thank you so much for coming to see me. Will you let me know if anything happens?"
"Of course we will," Jester answers quietly, stepping forward and briefly touching her arm, "and try not to do anything reckless, Jane."
Her eyes widen in surprise and confusion, but the twosome have already turned and hastened out the door into the bright sunset.
She follows them to the door, watches their progress down the steps, and then closes it shut with a quiet thump.
"All right, then," Jane says, turning her back to the door and observing her untidy room with hands on her hips. "I had better get started packing, then!"
O-o-O-o-O-o-O
The night is brighter than usual; the full moon seems to enjoy being able to cast its gentle light on Dragon's sickly face.
Jane says nothing, just gazes sadly at her best friend as he slumbers fitfully, his breathing ragged from the bloody coughing.
This is not safe, she tells herself as she shifts the pack from one shoulder to another. They will worry, I just know it. And what if I cannot get back in time? Dragon should not… should not… leave without me there. She swallows hard, and reaches a hand out to stroke the dragon's nose gently before withdrawing it into the folds of her cloak. Do not think of it, she tells herself. Better to have at least attempted to help him than to just let him die with no hope.
With a quiet sigh Jane straightens, squares her shoulders, and with a brow furrowed in concentration sets off across the practice yard; she does not look back.
If she had, she might have seen that she is not the only one up this early.
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And there ya have it! :) Quick note: The Black Death came after this story, around 1331 or so –as far as I can recall Jane supposedly lived in the 900s. So this plague/illness/whatever is entirely made up from my own head and any relevance to the Black Death is completely coincidental. ^_^
Anyways, thanks for reading, and please review and tell me what you think! :)