Shunati sat, huddled in his cloak, under the tarpaulin in the wagon as they headed north to meet up with Prince-general Remtani and Princess Ann. It wasn’t the rain that bothered him. Even with as much as he lived among humans, the weather didn’t bother him. It was the constant movement of the wagon. He wasn’t prone to motion sickness either. He was a healer. If he couldn’t prevent that, he might as well retire. It was the jerking and swaying that got to him. No, correct that. It was that the jerking and swaying kept causing soldiers to bump him, causing him to continually read them. The young dragons pulled the wagons with brute strength, and the mud and water hid rocks and holes. He wasn’t doing as poorly as the dragon-man next to him. Nimitinas was having trouble with motion sickness. He was quite unhappy with the arrangement. He didn’t like the young dragons acting like beasts of burden. But, they had volunteered so he didn’t complain, much. He was also having trouble because he couldn’t indulge in his addiction. Nim was a powerful mage and an Augmenter too. He needed a way to counter the effect of the energy he carried. That way became an addiction. Shunati’s addiction was healing. He was getting to use it enough healing the motion sickness of the soldiers. Nim’s apparently was drawing. He’d drawn some with a portable drawing set but the leaky tarp cause difficulties. They rigged up a box of dirt, and he used his finger to draw in that. Now, the severe movement of the wagon had put an end to that also. The dirt kept spilling. “You did Ann’s tattoo?” Shunati asked. Nim nodded. “Do one for me,” Shunati requested. Nim frowned. Ann’s tattoo was a magical one that indicated she was accepted among the dragons. “I’m not asking for permission to enter Baj-tisk, just an image,” Shunati explained. “Just a tattoo?” Nim asked. “It will give you a way to draw. If it’s any good, I may keep it.” Nim growled, offended. From what Shunati had seen, Nim was quite good. “If the bumps don’t mess it up I mean,” Shunati amended. “I thought elves didn’t wear tattoos,” Nim said. “What can I say? I’m a round-ears.” Shunati shrugged. He wondered what Sinta would say. “Round-ears?” Nim frowned. “I act a bit human at times.” Nim nodded. “Dragons are a little blunter. We just say he acts human, or he’s human.” “Pt’this’s said that about himself.” “He is. He spent half his life among humans.” “I’ve spent almost three quarters.” Shunati held out his arm. Nim started drawing gently with a fingernail. Shunati gasped at the pain from his touch. Nim frowned. “It shouldn’t hurt.” “It’s not the tattoo. It’s you touching me.” “Your healing ability?” Nim guessed. Shunati nodded. “Your injuries don’t help either.” Nim had a burn scar on his one arm and severe scar tissue to his lung and belly fire. “Those are old injuries. Why would you feel those?” Nim stopped drawing. “It doesn’t matter how old they are. I read anything that’s been done to someone I touch.” Nim nodded. “Thailyn was like that. I imagine you’re as powerful as he is, or close.” Shunati shifted uncomfortably. It wasn’t the first time he had been compared to the great healer Thailyn. Thailyn had been the strongest healer ever known in the four kingdoms. From what Shunati had heard, he’d been the strongest in his homeland of Tricon too. The idea that Shunati might be close to the man in abilities intimidated him. “You’re not going to leave me with three lines on my arm, are you?” Shunati goaded. Nim took his arm and started drawing again. “I have a silk scarf.” he offered. Shunati shook his head. “Silk doesn’t block healing like it does magic. Just go ahead. I can’t live my life not touching people. While you work, I’ll see if there’s anything that can be done for your scars.” “Nothing can be done,” Nim said. “Did Thailyn look at them?” Shunati was assuming Nim knew Thailyn from the way he talked. “Not my arm. That happened after the war.” Which meant, after Thailyn had died, or at least disappeared. Shunati met a healer once named Lyni, who was quite powerful and a dragon. He could have been Thailyn but when Shunati questioned him, he denied it and Shunati didn’t push it. If the man had hidden from even his sister for five hundred years, he had a good reason. “I’ll check your arm,” Shunati offered. Nim shrugged. “Did you hear Ann returned?” Shunati asked. He could talk while he worked. “I did. And she’s gotten herself in trouble already.” Ann and her brother had never gotten along. His attacking them wasn’t the first time he’d tried to hurt her or her friends. The prince claimed it was madness. It was certainly odd. Ann, in defense, this time, had transported him from the room and accidentally to Paosij. “She’s a bit reckless, but you didn’t see what her brother did to them. Her pledged, Andy, had a concussion, two broken ribs plus several smaller injuries. Ann had a few bad injuries too, though Remtani focused more on Andy. I don’t know if she should have done what she did, but I don’t know what I would’ve done differently. Besides, if they hadn’t been up north, we would have never known about the trolls coming.” “Do you think this Andy is a bad influence?” Nim asked. “Just the opposite. I think he’ll take good care of her, and she’ll follow his lead. I think he’ll help her stay out of trouble.” “If he does that...” Nim half smiled at the thought. “I know. I’ll be healing heart attacks for a month,” Shunati agreed. “You’ll want to make sure to meet him. You two have something else in common,” Shunati ventured. Nim frowned. He knew Shunati referred to him being an Augmenter, having the ability to move, manipulate and magnify magic. But that was supposed to be a secret so others wouldn’t manipulate him. “You’re holding the arm of a healer. Did you think I wouldn’t know? I won’t tell. I need people to trust me. But, as I was saying, you two have something in common.” The only reason he mentioned it was Andy was untrained, and he knew Nim would be a good one to help him. Nim nodded. “I thought as much.” The wagon came to a sudden stop. They waited. It didn’t move. “It stuck.” That was Ghin, the dragon pulling the wagon. Shunati was surprised the boy used Menthan since he didn’t speak it well. “Try rocking it,” someone called out. “Hold on,” someone in the wagon warned. The wagon jerked back and forth. “It no use,” Ghin called. “We’ll have to unload the wagon,” the other voice said. “That’ll take all day,” one of the soldiers in the wagon said. “And who knows how long until the supplies dry out,” another added. “Oh, shades of night,” Nim swore. He went to the back of the wagon and jumped out. He took true form. He was the biggest dragon Shunati had ever seen. He put his hands on the wagon. “Everybody hold on. Ghin, on three, pull. One, two, three,” He said. Shunati saw him straining, pushing the wagon. Still, nothing happened. “It’s caught on something,” the unknown voice said. “It’s in the wheel and around the axle.” “Ti, Ru, unharness and come help. I’ll lift the wagon. You two free whatever it is.” Nim instructed. Lift the wagon? Shunati thought. He knew dragons were strong but lifting the wagon loaded with the sixth of the foot soldiers and supplies? He went to that side. “Nim, do you want us to get out?” “No. Just have everyone try to move to the other side, to act as a counterweight.” The soldiers crowded over quickly. The wagon tipped. “Shades of night. How did that get caught like that?” One of the young dragons asked. “Just get it out,” Nim grunted. This was straining him. Soon, the wagon lowered. “It’s still the hole,” Nim said. He took his place at the back of the wagon. “Ready, Ghin?” “Ready.” “On three. One, two, three.” Nim pushed again. Finally, the wagon moved. Nim fell forward. Ghin pulled the wagon a few feet and stopped. “You all right?” He asked in Dragon. “I just scraped my arm,” was Nim’s reply. He was holding the scarred one. Shunati jumped from the wagon. “Let me check.” Nim showed him his arm. It was scraped pretty badly. With the scar tissue and nerve damage, infections were a greater risk. Shunati healed it. “Sorry, the scar itself is going to take several treatments.” “It’s nothing to worry about.” Nim shrugged. Nim chose to stay in true form to let the rain rinse the mud from him some before coming back into the wagon. Once he did, Shunati let him finish the tattoo. It wasn’t bad, all things considered. He decided to keep it long enough to show Sinta, but he didn’t want it long-term.