Henry & The Dragon by Parker Williams

Author:Parker Williams [Williams, Parker]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2025-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

“Are you well, Dmitra?”

“I am,” she said from behind him. “I am unused to being on a horse, though.”

Henry chuckled. “I too have bruised flesh from riding. I am sorry I couldn’t make the trip easier on you.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s just… I can’t believe I’m here. I never expected to leave my town. I thought I would be like my mother, and her mother before her. I would live with people who feared me, raise a family if I was lucky enough to find love, and die there. It’s….”

“What is it? Please, tell me.”

She squeezed a little tighter. “Mama had the sight, and she said that I did too. I would often dream of a life outside of that which I thought I would have. If I’m honest, I believed it was only fancy. Now? My stomach is in knots over what lies ahead for me. My gift isn’t nearly as good as my mother’s.”

“You’re young. Like all things, it will take practice and patience. I learned herbalism from watching and trying different mixtures. Some worked, others did not. If you do indeed possess the gift of sight as your mother says, it will grow as you do, I would think.”

She hummed. “Tell me about yourself, please.”

It made sense for her to ask. She didn’t know him at all, and yet her mother had sent her off with a stranger. It wasn’t much different than Henry and Neron.

“My name is Henry Cabot. I come from a town called Innernook, far to the east. My father died after the war, and my mother raised my sister Meredith and me by herself. It was a hard life, but she was a good provider. When I was much younger, even more than you, Merry got sick. She was frail and weak, barely able to get out of bed. Mother fed her broth, as it was the only thing she could keep down, plus she cared for me, and did her best to keep our farm going. It didn’t work. Too many things were being ignored, and the farm was in danger of failing. Then a man called Neron, who ran the apothecary, came to them and said he had medicine which would make Merry better, but that it was very expensive.”

This part still stirred rage in Henry, especially now that he knew the truth.

“Mother told him she could not afford to pay him, and he said he would give it to her. In exchange, he wanted me to be his apprentice. She refused, but I said I would do it if it would save my sister. My father was already ill after he returned from battle, and it made life even harder. I thought if I could relieve my mother of this burden, then at least her life would be better. Just before I left to live with Neron, my father took a turn for the worse. Mother was bereft, and begged me not to go, but Merry was getting sicker, and I felt I had no choice.

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