Bound in Spirals

Chapter 6 - Reality

——Sam——

Sam wheezed heavily, trying to breathe despite the excruciating pain pulsing out with every little movement. The sword in his back left everything below it paralyzed. He should have passed out from the pain by now, but somehow his magic seemed to be keeping him conscious. Whether or not that was a good thing, he wasn't sure. His mind seemed to be leaning on the edge of lucidity, and he couldn't think straight at all.

'Does it hurt?' Letta's voice in his head made him smile faintly, though it looked more like he was gritting his teeth. His strained groan was the only response he could give. 'Hold on master, I will pull it out for you.'

He clamped his eyes shut as she gently rolled him over with her massive, wet nose. The narrow sword's tip held his chest off the ground by a few inches, still embedded in his sternum. With each breath he took, it felt as though a new sword was stabbing him through the spine. The pain made him want to scream and cry, but not a single tear came.

"AaaaAAAAAAAGH!!!" He howled as he felt the blade pull from him. A few tears finally did come then. The healing seemed to take hours as he lay there unmoving. His magic felt different somehow. As though there was a funnel that kept shrinking, the magic pouring out in smaller and smaller amounts. Even after the hole in his chest had sealed, he seemed to feel a phantom pain remaining there.

He began to push himself up, but his elbows buckled and he slapped back down against the packed earth. 'Th-Thank you, Letta. I was certain I would die there.' He mumbled to her mentally.

'I need no thanks, master. I only did what is expected of a familiar.' She said, sounding meek.

'Letta, please don't... don't call me master anymore. Please just act the way you did before, we are... we are even now.' Sam replied dazedly. Distantly he felt his relief replaced by sadness and guilt. 'Call me Sam. Or pup, even! Just no more 'master' crap.'

'I, I... Yes, Sam... I will try to do so.' She said apprehensively.

Sam tried to push himself up again, but only managed to roll onto his back. For a while he just stared up at her huge black eyes. 'Just... Well, you're my friend now Letta, and it doesn't feel right to have you being all submissive to me. I would like it a lot more if you treated me as an equal.' He said finally.

'I have never had a friend before... Is there a certain way I should act?' Letta asked, cocking her head to the side, the universal sign of canine curiosity. Sam felt like laughing at the sight. It was surprisingly cute, considering how terrifying she was normally capable of being.

'Ugh... My mind... I need to focus...' He thought. He peered into those black eyes, seeing the distant whorls of golden power like miniature galaxies in the depths. 'Well... truth be told, I haven't had a real friend since my dad died when I was 11. But... I think mainly it's about being able to trust the other person, I guess. You always help each other out without having to worry about owing them or anything, it's just what you do because you care for them.' He said, his eyelids sagging heavily.

'Okay, I think I understand now.' She replied, and gave what appeared to be a small nod.

Suddenly, Letta's ears perked up and she crouched over Sam, her head staring intently down the direction he'd come from. Her lips rose, baring the dagger-like white teeth. Her growl shook the air, sending rumbling vibrations through him.

Sam lifted his head just enough to see what was causing her reaction. 'Letta... it's al... it's alright. They aren't bad.' He said, letting his head thump back down. His thoughts were still muddled. He imagined this was what being drunk felt like. Lorry and Mother Ranlenn were standing there at the mouth of the alley, gaping. Letta settled back hesitantly, still watching them attentively as she sat down next to him.