Song of the Saurials - Kate Novak [123]
The paladin walked into the brush about fifty feet toward the scent and the sound. When he spotted the source of the grief, he froze. Twenty feet away from him stood another saurial, a female, very similar in size and shape to the paladin but with scales of pearly white. She wore a tattered black smock, and a circlet of wilted clover hung from her head fin. Otherwise she was unadorned and unarmed. She was picking apples off another apple tree and dropping them in a sack. Her work, however, did not interfere with her weeping.
The lemony scent of joy rose uncontrollably from Dragon-bait's body. He whispered in saurial, "Coral."
The white saurial turned to face him. Her eyes widened in surprise, and the violet scent of fear wafted from her skin. "Champion!" she gasped. "Stay back!"
Dragonbait moved closer. "Coral, it's all right. I won't hurt you."
"You fool," Coral said. "What makes you think I won't hurt you? I'm tainted. I'm under the Darkbringer's power."
"I can cure you," the paladin said. He moved closer to Coral.
"Yes," Coral said, "I remember. You can cure diseases with your touch." A waft of lemon scent rose from her body as her hopes rose with it.
"You'd never hurt me," Dragonbait said, hurrying to her side. "I know you could never hurt me." A honeysuckle scent of tenderness mingled with the smell of woodsmoke as he began a prayer for power to destroy the tendril disease that controlled Coral. His hands glowed blue as he laid them on the white saurial's shoulders. He felt the power flow from his soul into her body.
Coral gasped and stumbled against him.
"You did it!" she exclaimed. "You destroyed Moander's tendrils of possession!
I'm free again!" She leaned heavily on him though, as if she'd been injured.
"Are you all right?" he asked.
"I feel weak," she replied.
"Lean on me."
Coral threw her arms around the paladin's neck and clung to him. Dragonbait wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close.
"I'm so sorry for all the things I did, for all the things I said. For leaving you," the paladin whispered, emitting a minty smell of remorse.
"It's all right now," Coral answered. From her throat came the scent of cinnamon.
Dragonbait ran the tip of his muzzle along Coral's neck glands, breathing in the reassuring scent of her love. "I insulted your goddess and your friends and tried to bully you into leaving them. I damned you and left you. How can you forgive me for all of that?" he wondered aloud.
Coral looked up at him. "You said you were sorry.and I know you meant it," she answered. She stroked his throat with her fingers, and the scent of cinnamon wafted from him so strongly that it masked even the smell of the rotting apples on the ground about them.
He wanted to hold her longer, but Coral pushed him away. "You can't stay here," she said. "It's not safe"
"We have a hiding place," Dragonbait said. "I'll take you there. We'll surprise the High One."
"The High One!" Coral gasped. "Grypht is here? Where is he?"
"I'll take you there. Come." Dragonbait tugged on Coral's arm.
"I… I can't," the white saurial said, holding her ground.
"You must," Dragonbait said. "Now that I've cured you, you can't fall under the Darkbringer's power again."
"I must go back, or the overlords will look for me in my hut, and they will find the egg."
"What egg?" Dragonbait asked in surprise.
"My sister Lily's egg. She died last week. Her mate was an overlord. I'm the only one left to hide the egg. The young can't work, so the overlords don't let us hatch our eggs. They break them into the pile to become one with the Darkbringer."
The scent of baking bread rose from the paladin and his body shook, so great was his fury.
"Champion, wait here. I will get the egg and return," Coral said.
Dragonbait shook his head. "I'll go with you."
"One minute," Coral said. "If you are to pass unnoticed before the overlords, you'll need to look as if some plant possesses you." The priestess pulled a twig of ivy from the ground, fashioned it into a wreath, and laid