The Dragon Bond: Heirs of Lyra

Chapter 42

"Wilkin, I'm not going to tell you again. Leave the dying man alone."

"I'm just trying to see what color his eyes are. We don't even know." The voice was young.

Involuntarily, one of his eyelids was forced open.

"There. You see. I told you he would have brown eyes. Same as me!"

Henry struggled to open both eyes. The little boy looked back at his face and screamed. He ran to the corner and hid behind the young lady. She walked forward slowly.

Henry looked around. The room was small. The bed was uncomfortable. His leg ached and his side burned. He knew well enough to stay down. "Where I am?" He asked.

The young lady was at his bedside now, looking down at him with scrutinizing eyes. She was right to be cautious. Henry only hoped she didn't know he wasn't a Nieblan.

"Who are you?" She asked without answering his question.

While he wished he had answered immediately, he hoped his delay would only suggest he had a concussion, not that he was lying. "A soldier. I was injured."

"I can see that." She eyed him sharply. "What is your name?"

"Arthur." He lied.

"Who were you fighting, Arthur?"

Was this woman interrogating him? He was too tired for this. It was hard enough to stay awake, let alone answer her relenting questions. "How should I know? I was only following orders. An enemy had crossed the border. A spy."

"Why are you here?"

"I was injured and dying. I knew a loyal citizen would help me." He was trying his best not to sound suspicious. Making it as vague as possible. It was hard to keep up though, he was getting dizzy. He was trying to remember it fully himself. He wasn't even sure how long ago it had been.

"Why didn't the other soldiers help you?" She was finding holes in his story, he could tell.

"They died."

"How convenient."

"Not really," he was surprised he had the energy to be sarcastic.

She huffed. "I mean how convenient for your story."

Henry let out a long breath. It hurt to exhale. Hurt to inhale. "Are you going to kill me or not? Because if you keep asking me questions I promise you, death would be more merciful."

"Wait a minute..." she paused. She grabbed a wet washcloth and wiped his face. He could feel the dried blood peel away with the cloth. It felt better. She gasped. "I know you."

He frowned. That was impossible. He was in Nieblan territory, he wouldn't know anyone here. He opened his eyes wider, focusing on her directly. She was thin, practically bony. Her face was pale with freckles and her hair was a mess. Oh no...

"You're the lump who smashed my pumpkins!"

He tried to deny it but she punched him in the face before he could speak and the world went black.

He woke up to purring in his ear. His chest was rumbling. He opened his eyes. There was a cat lying on his chest. He coughed and the cat stirred but remained contently on him. His head was pounding.

The young hag walked back in. "Chlodomer get off of him!" she shooed that cat away and Henry suddenly felt lacking. The weight of the cat had actually felt nice. Now all he could feel was pain, mostly in his leg.

The girl stared at him from across the room. She held the cat in her arms.

Henry sighed. "So what now?"