Rojuun

Chapter 34

Tathan was lying on his back and couldn’t see.  He tried to reach for his sword, but something was on top of his body, holding him down.  “Unghh . . .”

“It’s alright, Master Tathan.  You are safe now.”  Sir Danth’s voice was everywhere, rattling through Tathan’s head.

“Sword . . . need . . .”  Tathan couldn’t be without the sword.  It was a part of him and he needed it to fight off the danger.  He tried to open his eyes, but they were crusty and stuck together.

“You want your sword?”  Sir Danth’s voice came from just to the right of Tathan.  It still rattled in his head though.  “Your sword was recovered and I have kept it near.  Here you are.”

Tathan felt the pressure holding him down lessen a bit.  Then the hilt of his sword was placed in his hand.  He couldn’t lift it, or even do more than weakly squeeze it, but that was enough.  Tathan felt consciousness leave once more.

***

The first thing Tathan felt when consciousness came back was the sword lying in the crook of his arm.  He tried to move, but every part of his body ached miserably.  A low moan came out of his throat.

“Ahh, there you are, Master Tathan,” Sir Danth spoke quietly.  “Take your time, but it is important that you wake up,” he said ominously.

Pain shot through his head when Tathan tried to sit up.  His body felt terrible and he wondered if he was even still alive or if this was some sort of afterlife punishment for his transgressions.  When he tried to open his eyes, he discovered that something covered them.  This experience didn’t seem to be going well and he was getting cranky about it.

“You were badly injured, Master Tathan.  Your body has received healing, but your senses were damaged and they are still recovering,” Sir Danth explained.  “Here, I will help you sit up and we will take the bandages off your eyes.”  He pulled down the covers and moved the sword aside for a moment.  The knight lifted under Tathan’s arms until he was in a sitting position, leaning on pillows against the headboard.

Tathan realized that he was in bed back at the suite.  Sir Danth had been as gentle as an individual in plate-mail can be.  Tathan lifted his hands to remove the bandages from his eyes.  It seemed like his arms had lead weights in them and it took an enormous effort to raise them.

“Let me help,” the knight said.  Tathan felt the bandages being taken off.  Sir Danth didn’t make for a gentle nurse, but he was doing his best.

Tathan squinted against the glare.  He kept his eyes narrowly open in order to give them time to adjust.  The light gradually dimmed and the pain in his skull settled.  Sir Danth was sitting next to him in a chair, watching him worriedly.  The lights in the room had been turned down as much as possible, but it was still hard on his eyes.

Alarm ran up his spine as Tathan remembered the last parts of the battle.  “Liselle . . .”

“Vevin brought her in this morning,” the knight reassured Tathan.  “He stumbled to the gate with her unconscious body in his arms.  We still don’t know what happened.  They are asleep in Lady Liselle’s bed.”

“She’s alive then,” Tathan said with relief.  He paused for a moment.  “They’re asleep in her bed, both of them?”  That was not what he wanted to hear.

“Yes, when Vevin moved away, she woke up and yelled for him,” Sir Danth explained.  “Your cousin grabbed Vevin and told him never to leave her.  They fell asleep together with their clothes on if you need that comfort.”