Graced

Chapter Twelve

Lia's eyes gently flickered open, only to be met with a glare of light. She promptly shut then again. When she had decided that it was safe enough to open her eyes, she opened them a sliver to allow them to adjust to the bright, glaring light.

When her eyes had finally adjusted, she opened them to find herself staring up at the ceiling in a small room. The light came from a window directly across from her, a crack in the blinds letting in a sliver that fell directly on her face. Which explained the bright glare. She rolled over, the sudden movement sending shooting pains throughout her body, and she let out a groan.

From her new position she could see a door in the opposite wall, a dresser next to the bed, and a small writing desk in the far corner. But other than herself, the room was completely empty of any other life, human or otherwise. Lia lay for several more minutes, trying to piece together exactly what had happened. All that she could remember was the sharp realization that even though she had had the best chance of saving them, she still could not. And with that realization had come the one that death was imminent and unavoidable. She remembered that she couldn't feel anything, any of the pain that should have followed the powerful blow that she had received along with the crash that had followed. Well, she sure could feel it now. Now, her entire body ached, and she was pretty sure she had broken several bones in the fall. But she was alive, which was better than she had expected.

In spite of the pain, Lia gritted her teeth and attempted to sit upright. By the movement was too much for her aching body, and she fell back down onto the soft bed on which she lay. After several more attempts, each of which failed miserably, she gave up and lay panting among the now tangled sheets.

At the sound of approaching footsteps, Lia quickly attempted to reorganize her sheets and slow her breathing back to its normal rate. The steps stopped outside the door, and waited. Finally, after several suspenseful moments, the handle turned and the door swung open. A large figure was silhouetted in the doorway.

The figure stepped into the room, leaving the door open and filling the room with bright sunlight. Soon her eyes adjusted and she could see him quite clearly. He approached where Lia lay, and looked at her with a steady brown eyed gaze.

"I see you're finally awake. That's good. But you're injured very badly so you can't leave your bed for several more days."

At this statement she frowned. She had to get back and check on everyone else. Did they survive? But she only said, "How long was I out? And exactly how bad are my injuries?"

The boy's expression didn't change in the slightest. "Four days. And from what I understand, you cracked several ribs, broke three, sprained your ankle, fractured your wrist, and dislocated a shoulder." He replied simply.

She gaped at him. It explained the pain that seemed to emanate throughout her entire being from even the tiniest movement, including breathing.

He smiled at her incredulous expression. "But you're alive, which is pretty good considering a hit like that probably would've killed pretty much anyone else."

She was still shocked, but also the fact they she'd survived a hit like that perplexed her for a tiny moment, before she was distracted by another person entering the room.

He only glanced at her for a second, before turning to the older boy. His face expressionless and eyes distant and cold, he simply said, "Cyra wants to speak with her."

The older boy nodded. They both turned to walk out. Just before they stepped through the doorway, yet another person entered the room, this one a hard, tough looking young woman. The most striking thing about her was the jagged scar that stretched from her hairline, through her right eyebrow, over her eye, and down almost to her jaw. The two boys murmured greetings to her, and hurriedly exited the room, swiftly closing the door behind them. She and the woman eyed each other for many long seconds before one of them finally spoke.

"My name is Cyra. Welcome to Draynia. Land of the dragons."