Chapter 17-4

Imlloen was surprisingly willing to let Almonihah go, enough that the half-dragon was suspicious of what he’d been told. However, he was too glad to leave and go north to press the issue.

It felt good to be outside on his own again. He’d been getting restless the past couple days. Almonihah had never really liked being cooped up inside, especially not after the whole episode with Galindakherithan. Being so close to the Madlands had just made it worse. Overall, he was quite happy to be headed north.

Almonihah took his time, not really having any particular goal in mind other than getting away from the Line. He really looked around as he traveled, enjoying the little details of life in the Lost Sea Valley. He’d never really paid close attention to the variety of plants and animals here—just enough to not get eaten by any of them. Now that he really paid attention, he was surprised by how many different things lived here. The changes in elevation meant that many different types of plants could grow fairly close to each other, which in turn meant different kinds of animals.

Even as he enjoyed the diversity, however, he made sure to not be eaten by any of them. Not much tried, but he was careful all the same.

In time, he reached the other side of the valley. It was getting colder, and some of the trees’ leaves were starting to change colors on the higher parts of the mountains. Almonihah still wasn’t headed anywhere in particular, so he started exploring the slopes of the mountains, climbing up into canyons and then back down.

Then he found something odd. As far as Almonihah knew, the most permanent structures that had been built in the Lost Sea Valley were the cabins of Ranger Headquarters… and yet here was a door carved in a cliff face, with elaborate decorations carved in the stone around it. Curious, he approached to inspect it.

There was no immediately obvious way of opening the door. It was a large door, almost twice as tall as the half-dragon. He tried pushing it, but it didn’t budge. He started to wonder if it was really a door, or just carved to look like one. Then one of the patterns caught his eye. The center of it looked slightly separated from the rest. He pressed it, and it settled back a bit with a soft click. Then the door slowly started to swing inward. With a grunt of satisfaction, Almonihah walked through the doorway.

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Sorry it’s been so long since I posted. I kept planning to add on to this before I posted it, and then never did.

Chapter 17-3

Dragons heal quickly, and Almonihah seemed to have inherited much of his father's recuperative powers. At least, he thought so. Brynmor, on the other hand, insisted he take things slowly and carefully. The half-dragon grumbled and complained about the restrictions after the first few days, insisting that he felt strong enough to take care of himself even if he wasn't quite up to leaving, but Imlloen stood behind the Druid, so Almonihah reluctantly obeyed.

He didn't say anything, but what really bothered him was the wind. When it blew from the south, he could almost swear he could hear his name being called. It was during these times that he complained least about staying inside. He wondered sometimes if Brynmor knew, or at least suspected, something, but Almonihah never asked.

Finally, after what seemed like ages to Almonihah but was really more like a week and a half, Brynmor agreed that his patient was almost fully recovered.

“There is something I want to talk with you about first,” the Druid said.

Almonihah grunted in acknowledgement. After waiting for a moment for more of a response, Brynmor continued, “I mentioned that something resisted Naishia's power when I was first trying to heal you.” The Druid waited for Almonihah to nod before continuing, “As you may have guessed, I could... feel the taint of Jivenesh upon you. What I have not mentioned is that the taint has not entirely disappeared.”

Almonihah nodded again. He didn't find this much of a surprise, even though he wasn't particularly happy to get confirmation.

“So you've been keeping me here t' keep an eye on that?” he asked.

“Yes,” Brynmor replied with a sigh.

“'nd what d' you think?”

The Druid thought for a moment before replying. “The taint is still present... but it does seem to slowly be growing weaker. At the very least it does not seem to be getting any worse, nor does it appear to be actively harming you.”

Almonihah grunted in acknowledgement as he thought this over. After a few seconds of silence, Brynmor added, “If you feel well enough, I think you could leave.”

Slowly, the half-dragon nodded. “Need t' get away from that,” he said, jerking his head towards the south.

“I see,” Brynmor replied. “In that case, why don't we go speak with the Commander?”

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So, only a couple more posts until AZ meets Zakhin'Dakh! Who's excited?