The Priestess and the Dragon (Dragon Saga Book 1, Wattpad Version)

Chapter Forty One

Suzume hurt all over. She felt like an old rag that had been wrung out one too many times. Her eyes dragged open and she stared at the roof of an unfamiliar room. She tried to turn her head to look around but it seemed to take too much energy. She closed her eyes again when she heard voices.

"What is wrong with her?" Kaito said. There was an edge to his voice if she hadn't been so delusional with exhaustion she would have thought it sounded like he was concerned for her.

Akira answered, "She unleashed Kazue's full power and it emptied her completely. Its going to take time for her to recover. I promise I will call you the moment she wakes."

He huffed. "Fine, I'm going out to look for Hisato again; I'll be back."

Suzume slipped under once more. She dreamed of the ocean. She had never seen it before but it was clear in her mind. It was dark blue and green. It moved rolling and rocking. Suzume floated along the surface, her hair fanned out around her like seaweed drifted on the tide. The sky overhead was bright blue and puffy white clouds floated lazily over her. I could stay here forever, never worry, just float along. The waves pushed her along and she landed at the shore of an island. It was not much more than black rock. There was a small stone pathway that led upward and twisted around a jagged stone pyre. Before Suzume could take a few steps towards it she woke in a dark room. She was not sure how long she had been asleep but judging from the white candles with wax burned down and pooling on the floor in puddles, it must be the middle of the night. She had just enough energy to roll her head to the side. She was surprised to see Rin kneeling down next to her cot. Suzume blinked a few times.

"What are you doing here?" Suzume's voice come out scratchy and thick. Her tongue felt too big for her mouth and her throat was dry.

Rin picked up cup and offered it to Suzume. Suzume shook her head, though the liquid sounded divine, she did not even have the energy to hold a cup. Whatever Kazue had done it had torn Suzume apart. I wonder if I will ever be able to move again. Kazue? Silence met her question. It would seem Kazue was gone.

"You need to drink," Rin said.

"I can't—" Suzume rasped. Rin caught onto her meaning and dribbled the water into Suzume's mouth. It was the most refreshing thing she'd ever tasted. Suzume licked her cracked and dried lips. She closed her eyes, the exhaustion was attempting to pull her under into sweet oblivion once more.

Once Suzume had a few swallows, Rin set aside the cup and said, "For a moment, I thought you were going to try and seal him. I never thought you would come to his defense."

Suzume did not bother to open her eyes as she said in a halting raspy voice, "You are too kind."

Rin laughed. "That's not what I meant, I knew you were a decent person from the beginning, well good enough for a human. I just thought history was going to repeat itself."

Suzume considered telling Rin that she had planned on doing just that, for a moment she had considered trying to seal Kaito to save him. If it hadn't been for Kazue's intervention then Kaito would be back inside the stone.

"I wasn't sure myself," Suzume replied. She suddenly felt very tired again and it was more than a physical tired. She was emotionally drained. So much had changed in such a short period of time. She felt like she did not even know herself anymore.

Rin stood up. "I'll let you rest."

Suzume did not bother responding. She went into the oblivion of sleep once more. She did not dream, or at least she did not remember her dreams upon her next waking. The next time she opened her eyes she woke with daylight coming through a window high in the wall. Some of her strength had started to return and she was able to sit up. Someone had left a bowl of soup. She picked it up and drank it down. The broth dribbled down her chin. She wiped the liquid away with her sleeve. She was starving—she felt as if she had not eaten in days and perhaps she hadn't. She set down the empty bowl and with shaking legs and leaning heavily on the wall she left her room. Outside the sliding door to her chamber, she was surprised to find a long hall. The flooring was made of polished wood and there were several sliding doors on one side to the other it opened onto a ornamental garden complete with trimmed hedges and a coy pond. A maple tree stood to one end of the garden and red leaves drifted from it and landed on the surface of the water. She looked around and found more of the same. Where am I? She took a few wobbling steps down the hall in search of the others. Using the wall for balance, she followed the sound of voices which led her to a common area.