Chapter 6

The sun was high in the sky when Uddona woke up. She still felt groggy after spending the night sleeping on the floor. A cold, invigorating shower was something she desperately needed.

The shower has successfully managed to make her feel like herself again. She dressed quickly and went to the kitchen to make some sandwiches. 'Maybe Daggeron would like to eat something too,' she mused and decided to look for him.

She found him training outside Rootcore. His whole posture radiated anger. The sword cut through the air with a swish, again and again. Little beads of sweat ran down Daggeron's face, but he didn't seem to notice. He was looking straight ahead, his gaze focused on one point. Udonna carefully walked up to him.

"Why are you so angry, my friend? Did something happen?"

The sword stopped, but Daggeron didn't look at her. "Koragg happened." He dropped his weapon on the ground and glared at it."The bastard doesn't deserve our help. Can you guess what he said to me today?"

At Udonna's questioning look he said: "He thinks that we're weakening him on purpose! And he called Clare your servant!"

For some unfathomable reason a wave of disappointment washed through her. Daggeron must have noticed it, because he looked her in the eye and said:

"I know how much you believed in him, but let's get real. He doesn't even think he's human. He'll probably run away as soon as he gets better and we'll be enemies again. There's no hope for him."

But Udonna just shook her head."I'm going to see him and find out myself."

Koragg stared at the contents of the bowl. The white mush seemed to laugh at his helplessness.

His stomach rumbled. He really wanted to simply grab the bowl and eat whatever was inside, but that bastard Solaris left it here just to annoy him. There was no way Koragg could reach it, so he was just lying there and staring at the damned bowl.

Solaris' words were still echoing through his mind. At least now he knew who was this mysterious woman speaking to him last night. He couldn't believe the White Sorceress was able to hold off The Master himself. But it was just that – she still wasn't powerful enough to prevent his magic from being taken away. It was a huge blow for him. If he'd felt helpless before, it was nothing compared to how he felt now. Not being able to move was horrible enough, but this? This was much worse.

Suddenly the door opened and the witch entered his room. She brought these disgusting potions with her, but this time he knew what they were supposed to do. There was no way he was going to drink them.

She looked at the untouched bowl on the table.

"Why didn't you eat anything? Being hungry isn't going to help you in your recovery."

His anger sparked to life. "And how do you think I could have eaten this? I can't even touch the damn bowl! Go and ask Solaris, I'm sure he'll tell you how he left this here and walked away!"

The witch sighed. "I'm sorry for him. Now, this porridge is probably cold already. Let me see if I can heat it up a little..."

She took her wand and pointed it at the bowl. "Fovere!"

A cloud of steam rose from the bowl and the White Sorceress smiled a little. "I've always had problems with fire-class spells, but I think luck is with me today."

Then she levitated the bowl in front of him and put some weird, silver object in his left hand. He lifted it up and examined it. It had a handle and a small shallow and oval bowl at the end.

"What is this called?" he surprised himself by asking.

She looked stunned. "Is this the first time you've seen a spoon? How could it be?"

So this thing was called a 'spoon'. He ignored her barrage of questions and asked:

"And what purpose does it serve?"

The witch had the nerve to look amused now. "You eat with it. I don't suppose I have to show you how to use it?"

Her apparent amusement irked him to no end. For a moment he wondered what would she do if he threw a bit of this white mush at her, but he decided not to do it.

He lifted the spoon again and used the end with bowl to take some of the porridge. Then he put it in his mouth. It was one of the weirdest moments in his life. The only things he tasted before were water and the vile potions from the witch, but this... this felt more solid. The taste was bland, but not bad at all. Suddenly his stomach reminded him that he was hungry, so he gulped down the food and took some more. If this was a part of being a human, then he could live with it.

It was a long time since Udonna has been trying so hard not to laugh. The mighty Wolf Knight not knowing what a spoon is? Koragg's questions were just so funny compared to his overall appearance! No wonder he was acting so strange. She wondered what other things were unknown to him.

Right now he was scoffing down the porridge. It wasn't surprising, considering that he's probably never eaten anything in his life. Still, it was an amusing sight.

Soon the bowl was empty. She took it from him and set it aside. Now it was time for more serious matters. He had to take the potions, but according to Daggeron, Koragg thought she was poisoning him. She steeled herself and said:

"You must take the potions, Koragg. Soon the pain in your leg will become worse, if it already hasn't, and you're still recovering from the blood loss."

He scowled ferociously. "Over my dead body, witch! You're just trying to make me weak, I know that!"

Just as she thought. Koragg won't change his mind easily. It was time for a more drastic approach. "Listen to me. I could have spelled these potions directly inside your stomach, but I want you to understand that I'm not trying to harm you. We can do an experiment. I won't force you to take them now. We'll wait an hour and see how you feel. I assure you that it won't be nice."

"Don't count on anything." Apparently, Koragg was unfazed, but Udonna was sure the pain in his leg was getting worse every minute. 'Men and their stupid pride. He's very much like Daggeron in this.'

"Very well. I'll make sure nobody enters your room for the next hour." She walked to the door and left the room.

Udonna decided to make the best of the time she had. She would probably take care of the curse's side effects on Koragg's leg when he's finally taken the potions. Unfortunately, the last time she's dealt with its victims was around nineteen years ago, in the aftermath of the Great Battle. Some details have slipped from her mind since then.

She began to look through the vast collection of books. Udonna has always loved reading, no matter what it was. That's what gotten her fascinated in magic. Her mother was a sorceress herself, albeit not a very strong one. She had a small amount of spellbooks and allowed her young daughters to read them. Udonna's talent had manifested early, but it was her older sister Niella who had been stronger, even if a bit clumsy like Clare. Udonna had always been jealous of her, until after the Great Battle. Then she has finally understood that with great power comes great responsibility.

'There you are,' she thought as she finally found the book needed. It wasn't really a book; it was her old journal containing the notes she's taken during her apprenticeship. She flipped it open, looking for the detailed instructions of treatment. There weren't only her notes – the journal sometimes served her as a diary, but she quickly skipped through these parts. Too many memories came to life when she saw them. Her young, naïve self has been writing about the happiness that newly-born Bowen had brought into her life. Now Udonna couldn't stand to think about her son; yes, he was alive, but where? Has someone found him? Was he happy?

She shook her head. She needed to concentrate on the notes, not to torture herself with the past. She finally found the instructions, so she sat on a nearby chair and started reading.

Udonna was halfway through the note when suddenly Clare ran into the room, panting heavily.

"Udonna! I heard some moans coming from Koragg's room, but the door won't open! What should we do?"

The White Sorceress looked at the clock. "We'll go in there in ten minutes. Now relax. Everything's under control."

Clare perched on the edge of a chair and stared at Udonna as though she was insane. "B-but what if The Master is trying to do something to him again? Or maybe he's fallen off the bed? We have to check on him!"

Udonna explained her plan to her apprentice.

"Oh... but isn't that a bit... cruel? I mean, that's just..."

"Trust me, Clare. I didn't want to do this, but sometimes pain is the best teacher, especially to someone as stubborn as Koragg. I want him to understand that we're doing our best to help him," she interrupted Clare, not wanting to give her any crazy ideas.

Her apprentice looked thoughtful. "I guess that makes sense..." She flinched when Koragg's muffled scream echoed through Rootcore. "Ahh, I can't stand this! Please, can we go to him now?"

There were still at least five minutes to go, but Udonna was also getting nervous about him. She got up.

"Alright, let's go."

She grabbed the potions and headed towards Koragg's room.