Chapter 27 PATHS THAT SPLIT NORTH
"Hey, come on. This isn't funny, Astrid." He shook her a bit, but she didn't wake up. He began to panic. Being her "brother" meant that he was responsible for her. If her father found out that something had happened to his precious daughter, the hunter was as good as dead.
Darren swallowed hard, trying to think of what to do. She needed a doctor, and her arm needed treating. He couldn't ask Magnus for help though. It wouldn't work. Most magic was ineffective with dragons, and that didn't exclude healing magic. All he could do was get her to a town.
"Hey," he began, glancing back at his two companions. "Can we…go back?"
"Back?" questioned Xyra.
"Astrid needs a doctor." There was a great deal of worry in his eyes even though his voice lacked the concern he felt. "Despite what she thinks, dragons aren't strong when it comes to illness. She needs help."
"We'll take her to Sirona," said Magnus. "She'll know what to do." Darren nodded and picked Astrid up, shifting her a bit so he could make sure he wouldn't drop her.
"Sorry about this," he apologized. He knew he was causing a delay in Magnus's journey. However, the sorcerer didn't seem too bothered.
"Don't worry about it. She's your sister."
"Thanks…"
The three of them turned around and began running across the field. They were heading back to the small town they had just left. They were going to pay Sirona another little visit.
"One week." The three of them stared at Sirona as if she was insane. She just crossed her arms and gave a short sigh. "It will take close to a week for her to get well. Dragons have horrible immune systems. They rarely get sick, but when they do it can be serious. She needs to rest up."
"Alright," said Darren softly. He was sitting near Astrid's bed, his eyes watching her still form. He was acting just like a real brother would. His little sister was sick, and he was going to take care of her.
When Sirona left the room, the three of them just stayed in silence. There wasn't much that they could say or do right now. As long as Astrid was healing, Darren probably wouldn't leave her side. She had come searching for him after all, which was possibly the reason she had gotten sick. As soon as she healed up, he would have to return home with her. For some reason her father wanted to speak with him.
"Hey," Darren said, breaking the somewhat uncomfortable silence. "You two don't have to stick around." He turned a bit, glancing back at them. "Just leave me here."
"We can't do that," stated Xyra. "You wanted to come with."
"Astrid is my main concern right now, and a week is a long time. It will probably be longer since I'll have to take her home afterwards. Just go. I'll meet up with you eventually."
"But…"
"Okay," said Magnus, his voice holding little to no emotion as he turned around and began walking towards the door. He was wasting no time in leaving.
"Magnus, you can't be serious!" shouted Xyra. "We can't just…"
"We're gonna head north," the sorcerer said, placing his hand against the doorknob. He glanced back, giving Darren a small smirk. "You'll have a lot of catching up to do, but we won't be moving too quickly."
"Got it," he said, grinning a bit. "Don't get yourself killed before then, alright? I'm looking forward to the reunion."
"Same goes for you." Magnus pushed open the door. "Xyra, let's go."
Xyra was a little confused, but she quickly said goodbye to Darren and began to head off after Magnus. He was already quite a few yards ahead of her. He wasn't wasting a single moment of his time.
"For a moment there," she began after catching up, "I thought you were just gonna leave without saying anything."
"Aw, come on," he whined a bit with a smile. "I know I can be mean sometimes, but I'm not that heartless. You should know that by now."
"Oh please… We met barely a week ago."
"I'm not that complex." She didn't say anything to that, only smiled a bit more. Even without Darren, this trip was going to be fun. Magnus was in no way a boring person to be with. True, he was dangerous to follow, but he was strong enough that it didn't matter much. He's pretty good company, I guess.
"Hey Magnus!"
Xyra and Magnus stopped walking and turned around. They were a bit surprised to see Darren running towards them. He was clutching something in his hand. When he finally reached them, he quickly caught his breath and then recomposed himself.
"Here," he said, holding out his hand. When he opened it, Magnus's eyes went wide. Sitting there was a crucifix, but it was far more than just that. It was a Lazufeer talisman. Darren just smiled when he saw the sorcerer's expression. "Thought you might like to have it."
"Is that a Lazufeer talisman?" asked Xyra curiously. Magnus's next reaction easily answered her question. The sorcerer was up in Darren's face in a second, a rather annoyed look on his face.
"You!" he began, almost in an accusing manner. "You've had one all this time, and you didn't tell me?!" Darren only smiled at Magnus's response.
"My sister had it," he said as he placed it in the sorcerer's hand. "She'll probably get mad when she realizes she doesn't have it anymore, but I think you can make better use of it. I'll just tell her she lost it and then buy her something new. It will all work out."
Magnus was about to say something to this, but instead he just heaved an exasperated sigh. There was no point in talking about it anymore. He was just happy that he had another talisman, and this one had required no effort on his part. It was probably the easiest one he had ever received.
"Thanks," he told the hunter. "We'll see you in a few weeks, okay?"
"Yeah. See ya." He turned around and began running back towards Sirona's house, leaving Magnus and Xyra in the middle of the street. They were slowly drawing attention though, so they began moving again. They couldn't forget about all of the bounty hunters in the area. They were probably safer in a demon infested field than in this town.
"So…what's the next town like?" asked Xyra.
"Don't know. I've never been there. It's at the base of the Sierra mountains though."
"That's a relief," she sighed. "For a second there, I thought we were actually gonna travel through the mountains."
"We are," he told her. "I said I was gonna keep traveling north, and I intend to."
She was about to protest but decided that it wouldn't do her any good. She had to keep in mind just who was following who here. It wasn't her call to make. This was Magnus's journey. She was only going along for the benefits, such as the money. Hopefully, this journey will pay off. She really did need the cash. I won't let them down. I'll bring back enough for everybody, and I'll do whatever it takes to get it. I promise…no matter what…I will come back.