Beyond the Glow

Chapter 35

We're silent for a moment, thinking about everything. I sit up, stretching my arms in the air. "Lets get some sleep, it's been a long day for me, and I suppose you were in a coma..." I trail off, unsure if that counts as draining or resting.

"I'll take first watch," Len says, nodding, "Tomorrow we need to find out where Rena took us, maybe there's a town nearby we can ask."

"Yeah." I nod, playing with my lamp absentmindedly, I don't want to leave Len, but I don't want to leave my Father alone anymore. He could be awake, he could need me! I bite my lip, unsure.

Len places his hand on my arm, and I look up at the touch. "Go check on your Dad," He says, "It's been way too long, I never knew my parents, but you still have one. Even if he is in some sort of magical coma. You should check on him at least. Don't worry about me." I nod, and hand him the lamp, disappearing inside.

The inside is a mess, I guess the no gravity was in here too; meaning my decision to send Len in there earlier was pointless. But when I went in and out of the portal, it must have been a hard fall for all the things that were floating. I wince, looking for my Father. When I sent him in, I'd left him on the bed. However, now he's on the floor, near the wall. I cringe, rushing over.

"Are you okay!?" I say, crouching down, only to wilt in disappointment. He isn't awake. But, he does have a sizable spot on his head that makes me wince again, he must have fallen hard. Carefully, I move the pillow from the floor back to the bed, and put him on top, I wish I could give him his own room, but while I can make the lamp look like anything I want, I can't make it bigger. So, the best I can do is a curtain in the middle of the room, and another bed that I'll sleep in on the other side.

I feel his forehead when I have him back on the bed, it's fine. He's fine. He just won't wake up. I close my eyes, reaching out with my mind, but his thoughts are guarded by an iron wall, and when I nudge it, there's spikes. So his mind is still working fine, but his body is completely devoid of magic and stuck in a coma.

"What did he do to you..." I whisper, stroking my hand along Father's graying hair, and let out a sigh. I walk over to the other side of the curtain, pulling back the covers on my smaller, temporary, bed and climb under the covers. Maybe in the morning I'll have an idea.

{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}

Three hours later, and I still can't sleep. I get up, pacing. The fire is down to the coals, but I don't relight it, instead going to the wall, and sticking my hand through the paper barrier. Outside, Len is sitting in the grass, my lamp next to him, he jumps when I appear, but relaxes when he sees it's just me.

I sit in the grass next to him, hugging my legs and setting my chin on top of my knees. We stay silent for a moment, just letting the grass shudder in the breeze around us, listening to the nightlife.

"You should be sleeping." Says Len finally, breaking the silence with the crack of a twig in his hands, twisting it absentmindedly.

"I couldn't." I say shortly. "I don't know what to do Len." I continue on, not needing him to ask how my Father is, I know he's curious. "He's in a coma, his mind is fine, but his body is so drained it can't even help itself anymore." I say quietly, hugging my knees tighter.

Len scoots over so he's sitting right next to me, wrapping his arms around me, "I'm sure he'll be fine, he's survived this long hasn't he?"

I nod, leaning into him. "I guess so." I pause, thinking, and we sit in silence for a few minutes before I sit up straight again. "You never told me how you lived this long, I know wizards live a long time, but they aren't immortal." I say, looking at him.