Free Aurora by Mark Robson Page B

that hatch will survive. Life as a young dragonet is hard. But if we mated
with the frequency you humans did, the world would be overrun with dragons very quickly.’
    Elian could appreciate that. He tried to work out how fast the dragon population would expand if dragons produced offspring more regularly, and the numbers got very big, very quickly. It was a
useful diversion to take his mind from the pain in his leg and his eyes.
    A sound broke through the white noise that was blanketing his hearing. Someone had entered the room and was trying to talk to him. It took a moment for him to recognise Kira’s voice. He
tried opening his eyes again. The room was still blurred, but he could see moving shapes. Kira’s voice became clearer as she approached to his left.
    ‘Elian? Can you hear me?’
    ‘Yes I can hear you,’ he said, his own voice sounding strange inside his head. ‘But only through my left ear, and that feels strange. There is a constant sort of crackly,
ringing noise that’s making it hard for me to hear, and I can’t see properly. My vision is constantly out of focus.’
    ‘I’ve brought someone to see you,’ she said, speaking slowly. ‘He’s come to help make you better.’
    The blurry outlines switched around and another person leaned over him. Cool, strong hands touched Elian’s cheeks, the fingers gently feeling around to the back of his neck, carefully
avoiding his ears.
    ‘Hello Elian.’ The deep male voice was clear despite the noise inside Elian’s head. ‘My name is Haithan.’
    Although he was out of focus, Elian could make out that Haithan had an impressive flowing mane of golden hair. The man’s hands made a complete sweep of Elian’s upper body, gently
feeling for anything unusual. Elian tensed as the hands reached the tops of his legs.
    ‘It’s all right,’ Haithan assured him, his deep voice almost hypnotically calming. ‘I won’t touch the area around the obvious wound. I just want to make sure
there’s nothing else that your friends have missed before I begin working on what we can see.’
    ‘Thanks.’ Elian relaxed slightly, but a certain amount of tension remained in his limbs, shoulders and back until Haithan had finished his investigation.
    ‘Some sort of exploding weapon, I’m told,’ Haithan said, his deep voice thoughtful.
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘Have you tried to move since you woke up?
    ‘I tried to sit up a little while ago, but I felt dizzy and was nearly sick,’ Elian admitted, feeling embarrassed by his weakness. ‘Also, my sight is blurred and my eyes hurt
whenever I blink. There’s a buzzing ring in my ears that won’t stop, and my body feels as if it’s been side-swiped by a dragon’s tail. Aside from that I feel ready to
wrestle a lion.’
    ‘Hmm!’
    ‘What do you think, Haithan?’ Kira asked. ‘Can you help him?’
    ‘Oh, yes,’ he replied. ‘I can help. He’s a very lucky young man.’
    ‘Excuse me if I think differently,’ Elian muttered.
    ‘What I mean is, you’re lucky to be alive,’ Haithan said. ‘The weapon, or at least a part of it, is lodged deep inside your thigh. If it had hit you in the chest, it is
unlikely we would be talking. The surfaces of your eyes have been slightly cooked by the heat and flash of light. That damage will likely heal on its own in a few days. The fluid that your eyes
produce should work its own miracle there. Your hearing and dizziness is more worrying. There is something I can try that might help stop the disorientation. Which ear is the worst?’
    ‘The right,’ Elian said, a lump forming in his throat. He tried to imagine what his leg looked like with the weapon stuck in it. Why hadn’t Kira taken it out? What could
Haithan do?
    ‘All right,’ Haithan said. ‘Relax and move with my hands. Good. Now, I want you to count slowly with me to twenty. We’re going to do it three times with your head in
different positions, all right?’
    ‘I’ll do my best.’
    ‘Good. Kira and Neema,