‘So… why did we come here, then?’ The dragon looked warily at the still water.
‘Poison isn’t always harmful,’ Parthir crouched right at the water’s edge and began scanning the area. ‘Or at least not in the right concentration.’
‘Is that what you’re looking for?’
‘Partly.’ The boy reached his hand between the broad, bright-green leaves floating on the surface and, after a moment, pulled out a thick, greenish rhizome dripping with an iridescent, sticky liquid that dissolved at the slightest contact with water. ‘You see, Trisna lilies, whilst beautiful, are highly poisonous. If ingested, they cause stupor, paralysis and, in larger doses, death. They also poison the water in which they live to ward off animals that might eat them. At least, that’s how the secretion from adult specimens works. Immature ones, like this one.’ He pointed to the small, purplish leaves sprouting from the rhizome he was holding. ‘They work slightly differently. The toxins they secrete have an irritant effect, but they also cause the blood to clot. Thanks to that, I’ll be able to dress your wound properly.’
‘I’m not sure if that explanation reassured me or made me even more anxious.’ The dragon wasn’t entirely convinced by what the parthir had to say, but then again, natural poisons weren’t all that frightening to him, and even a magical flower shouldn’t pose a problem.
‘I know what I’m doing.’ Noah grasped the rhizome with both hands and closed his eyes. The substance oozing from the plant suddenly began to lose its iridescent colour until the sticky liquid was completely transparent. ‘Now you won’t even feel a thing.’ he said, taking a small container out of his bag. Almost reverently, he began to collect the dripping liquid until it was full. He carefully corked it and tossed the small jug to the dragon. The startled reptile caught the fragile object but shot a reproachful glance at the other cadet. Meanwhile, parthir put the rhizome back in its place, taking care not to disturb anything around it. ‘Right, we’re ready,’ he said, standing up. ‘Show me that hand.’
