The Girl in the Water

Chapter 19

When Seamus opened his eyes, he was almost blinded by the light. He groaned and let out a few foul words, and a nearby voice tutted. His eyes flew open again, and he had to blink furiously a few times to get his eyes to adjust. Looking around, he recognized his surroundings immediately - his surroundings were a light blue, a symptom of the crystal walls and healing pixie globes. He was in a slender bed that floated gently a meter or so above the shining floors.

On the cabinet next to him, a familiar pair of luminous eyes greeted him solemnly.

"Bono?" Seamus croaked aloud in confusion. The sugar glider squeaked at him in greeting. 

"He hasn't left your side since you got here."

Seamus looked at the closest pixie globe. The small glass ball floated closer to him, and he saw that the tiny figure inside was looking at him warily. 

Seamus shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry... What am I doing here? What happened?"

"I don't have the faintest idea what happened, but you got here a week or so ago covered in burns." The pixie crossed her arms and turned her delicate nose up at him. "You had a mighty fine bump on your head too, so I can see how you don't remember anything."

Seamus grimaced and ran his hands through the strip of hair on his head. Someone had washed it and combed out all the product, so his hair lay in a silky ribbon over his skull. He was no good at speaking with strangers, and he avoided healing posts at all costs, but somehow he'd ended up here. What had happened? The last thing he remembered was a field of crops that seemed to go on forever, and watching as a golden figure rose up into the sky...

His eyes widened, and he leaned forward so abruptly that the pixie squeaked in surprise. "Was anyone else with me? A solstae man, perhaps?"

The pixie looked even more annoyed. "Oh, you mean the man that brought you here? He's not here anymore. He looked like he was right about to collapse when he hauled you in. Took off into the sky without a word, and he hasn't been back since - hey!"

Seamus was climbing out of the bed awkwardly, already wiping off the crystal beads that coated parts of his skin. He scowled at the burn marks on his torso and legs - they'd healed considerably, but still stung.

"You're not ready to leave yet!" The pixie exclaimed indignantly, her globe darting forward anxiously. 

"Says who." Seamus grumbled, staggering to his feet. He winced at the throbbing on the back of his head, but ignored it. He spun around until he saw his clothes, neatly folded on another counter, and strode over.

"Your burns will get infected if you don't treat them properly." The pixie was still going on. Around him, a few of the other globes were beginning to shimmer yellow and green, anxious colours. 

Seamus resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he pulled his clothes on roughly. He really didn't like pixies; they were more nagging than his damn mum, which was saying something. 

"I'm sure I'll be fine." He said gruffly to the pixie following him, avoiding her gaze. His eyes landed on Bono, who was watching with an expression that almost looked amused. Seamus grimaced at him before grabbing him and stuffing him unceremoniously into his shirt.

As he strode to the door, the pixies behind him began to cry out in protest. Sighing, Seamus spun around and bowed as low as he could.

"Thank you all for taking such fine care of me." He said tonelessly. "I will forever be in your debt." 

The protests lowered into a lull as they were mollified, and Seamus took his chance to escape. Spinning on his heel, he practically ran from the room into the hall, narrowly missing knocking a few pixie globes out of orbit. Seamus blinked, looking around quickly to see that the hall curved into a circle, and that a spiraling staircase descended in the middle of the tower in front of him. Dozens of pixie globes had stopped to stare at him, and across the balcony from him, an elderly dwarf had paused in the act of walking into his treatment room to look at him with watery blue eyes.