her beef in silence. Then she looked up, her big violet eyes brimming with tears and whirling rapidly. “Why are you all looking at me without speaking?” she asked. “I have done nothing wrong, nothing. I am not in disgrace. I refuse to be.”
“Of course you are not,” Haner said, going to her sister at once and folding her wings around her. “Come away to our own cave and rest, you’ll soon be well again.”
The sisters made their way out together. “Am I really pink?” Selendra asked Haner as soon as they were alone. “Pink so that everyone can see?”
“Just a little, sometimes,” Haner answered. “It will soon pass off, I’m sure, if you didn’t let him come up close to you.”
“But I did,” Selendra admitted. “I was so surprised that I couldn’t move, and he came close and leaned on me.”
“Whatever are we going to do?” Haner asked. “Penn really does mean it about making the best of a bad situation, he’ll have you married off. But what else can you do?”
“Amer will know,” Selendra said with decision. “Go to fetch Amer, and tell her what has happened. If there is anything we can do to get my color back, she will know.”
Selendra made her way to the sleeping cave, and Haner hurried off to fetch Amer.
10. THE SISTERS’ VOW
Amer tutted and blew out hot breath when Haner explained what had happened, and poured out scorn and expletives upon Frelt. Then she told Haner to bring Selendra to the kitchen, and put a kettle of water on the fire to heat.
“You are old enough to understand,” she began, when Selendra came in, pink and miserable. “I cannot treat you like a child to be given medicine without knowing.”
“I’ll take it whatever it is,” Selendra pleaded.
“Most likely, this will restore you without danger,” Amer said, as she ground her herbs. “But you should know there is a chance that it will not work, and another smaller chance that it will work too well. This is medicine, not magic, and medicine works by numbers and not by nature.”
“By numbers?” Selendra was confused and still pink. “Let me have it, and I shall count as high as you like.”
“That would be magic,” Amer said, smiling and showing her teeth. “Besides, it has to brew, and you will have to wait. Haner said he touched you?”
“He leaned on me,” Selendra admitted for the second time. She sank to the floor, couchant, her head bowed down on her upper arms and her wings half-furled over her, almost more affected by the memory than when it had happened.
Haner put out her own wings to help cover her sister, and there were tears in her eyes. “We have to do something,” she said to Amer.
“I’m doing all I can,” Amer said. “You will certainly need this tea to help you put it behind you. But what I mean by working by numbers is that for most dragons it works without harm, but there is no way of telling whether you are one of the few who will be harmed.”
“I’ll take it,” Selendra said, so low as to be almost inaudible.
“You have to understand,” Amer insisted. The water was boiling, and she poured it on to the mess in the pot. There were ground seeds and some green weeds and something red and dried that swelled in the water to look almost like a flower. Amer stirred itvigorously then set it aside. “If it doesn’t work, you’re no worse off than now. If it does, well and good. If it works too well, you’ll be restored, but you’ll not be able to blush when the right time comes. Now sit up and tell me you understand before I give it to you.”
Slowly, Selendra rose from the floor. She stretched herself to her whole length, twenty feet without curling, and raised her crest and wings as much as was possible in the kitchen, crowding Haner and Amer into corners. “I understand, and I will take the risk,” she said. “I have always wanted to marry and have dragonets with some dragon I love, despite the risk, but I will give all that up if only I may be
“Of course you are not,” Haner said, going to her sister at once and folding her wings around her. “Come away to our own cave and rest, you’ll soon be well again.”
The sisters made their way out together. “Am I really pink?” Selendra asked Haner as soon as they were alone. “Pink so that everyone can see?”
“Just a little, sometimes,” Haner answered. “It will soon pass off, I’m sure, if you didn’t let him come up close to you.”
“But I did,” Selendra admitted. “I was so surprised that I couldn’t move, and he came close and leaned on me.”
“Whatever are we going to do?” Haner asked. “Penn really does mean it about making the best of a bad situation, he’ll have you married off. But what else can you do?”
“Amer will know,” Selendra said with decision. “Go to fetch Amer, and tell her what has happened. If there is anything we can do to get my color back, she will know.”
Selendra made her way to the sleeping cave, and Haner hurried off to fetch Amer.
10. THE SISTERS’ VOW
Amer tutted and blew out hot breath when Haner explained what had happened, and poured out scorn and expletives upon Frelt. Then she told Haner to bring Selendra to the kitchen, and put a kettle of water on the fire to heat.
“You are old enough to understand,” she began, when Selendra came in, pink and miserable. “I cannot treat you like a child to be given medicine without knowing.”
“I’ll take it whatever it is,” Selendra pleaded.
“Most likely, this will restore you without danger,” Amer said, as she ground her herbs. “But you should know there is a chance that it will not work, and another smaller chance that it will work too well. This is medicine, not magic, and medicine works by numbers and not by nature.”
“By numbers?” Selendra was confused and still pink. “Let me have it, and I shall count as high as you like.”
“That would be magic,” Amer said, smiling and showing her teeth. “Besides, it has to brew, and you will have to wait. Haner said he touched you?”
“He leaned on me,” Selendra admitted for the second time. She sank to the floor, couchant, her head bowed down on her upper arms and her wings half-furled over her, almost more affected by the memory than when it had happened.
Haner put out her own wings to help cover her sister, and there were tears in her eyes. “We have to do something,” she said to Amer.
“I’m doing all I can,” Amer said. “You will certainly need this tea to help you put it behind you. But what I mean by working by numbers is that for most dragons it works without harm, but there is no way of telling whether you are one of the few who will be harmed.”
“I’ll take it,” Selendra said, so low as to be almost inaudible.
“You have to understand,” Amer insisted. The water was boiling, and she poured it on to the mess in the pot. There were ground seeds and some green weeds and something red and dried that swelled in the water to look almost like a flower. Amer stirred itvigorously then set it aside. “If it doesn’t work, you’re no worse off than now. If it does, well and good. If it works too well, you’ll be restored, but you’ll not be able to blush when the right time comes. Now sit up and tell me you understand before I give it to you.”
Slowly, Selendra rose from the floor. She stretched herself to her whole length, twenty feet without curling, and raised her crest and wings as much as was possible in the kitchen, crowding Haner and Amer into corners. “I understand, and I will take the risk,” she said. “I have always wanted to marry and have dragonets with some dragon I love, despite the risk, but I will give all that up if only I may be
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