The Key to the Warriors (completed)

Chapter 49

49Zirlic

I woke with the kind of grogginess that made me feel like I was swimming through quicksand. My body felt weighed down, my limbs heavy, and I fought against it as I cracked my eyes open. I was laying in my room, but what had happened or how I'd gotten there was lost to a fog in my brain. With a deep breath, I tried to remember, and startled when it came crashing down on me. I had called Jackal.

And he'd cut my throat. My own son had cut my throat.

I swallowed hard, still feeling the raw sensation of the open wound and stinging cut and winced when I raised my hands to it. The wound was completely gone, without so much as a scar. As if it'd been healed... and there was only person in Warrior Hold with the ability to heal besides me...

Charlie was seated in a chair next to me, like I'd sat at his bedside so many times. Wearing black jeans and a black tunic, dark hair fallen over his forehead, he looked like a shadow in the otherwise bright room. His arms were crossed, head lowered, eyes closed, fast asleep. I smiled as I watched him, knowing what he had done for me, even though he had been upset with me. More than anything, I regretted the way I'd argued with him. It wasn't my place to question his decisions, no matter what I knew about Jackal and Xylem.

I feared what Charlie may have come to learn. If he'd managed to interrogate Xylem while I was down, the truth may have come out about my relationship to Jackal.

If Charlie didn't know already, it was time I was honest with him. I could pray he didn't come to resent me, assuming he hadn't learned everything from Xylem and hated me already. But the fact that he had healed me and sat by my bedside while I recuperated told me that he likely didn't know, and I wasn't sure where I could even begin to tell him.

I inhaled deeply, and let out a heavy sigh, causing his eyes to fly open. He blinked for a moment and scraped his hands over his face, then his eyes fell on me, and he inched himself up to sit closer.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

"Better." I dug my hands into the bed and pushed myself to sit up against the wall, feeling ashamed as I looked at my Creator. "Charlie, I'm sorry."

His brows narrowed as he stared at me. "You're sorry? For what?"

"I was out of line in questioning you and asking you to stand down. It wasn't my place. As my Creator your desires will always come first, and it is my duty to see that they are met. I overstepped, and I'm sorry."

Charlie let out a long breath, his eyes on the floor as he shook his head. "Don't be sorry, Zirlic. I've had a lot of a time to think about it. I'm the one that was in the wrong. I should have listened to you. Instead I blew up on you and chased you away, and you got hurt. I'm sorry. I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you. You mean everything to me."

Tears almost welled in my eyes, and I blinked them back as I laid a hand on his cheek, forcing him to meet my eyes. "Oh, my young Creator... I'm afraid you and I have much to discuss, then we'll see if you still feel that way."

"What are you—?"

"Charlie!"

I looked up as Zak came sliding into the room, his eyes wide as Charlie slowly sat up. "What's wrong?"

"Xylem's back. Jerry saw him out by the bathing pool."

"Shit..." Leaping from the chair, Charlie followed Zak out. I forced myself to climb from the bed and start after him, fearing that the truth may come out before I could fess up to it.

*****

Charlie

We stopped by my room long enough to grab the journal, then ran for the river trail. I bade Zak to stay and watch Zirlic and Zyirah, on the chance of anything happening, then ran as fast as I could, taking a moment to control myself before walking casually through the trees to the bathing pool.