The Unknown Alchemist

Chapter 2 - He wakes

"I will not pass out," he whispered.

In a final push he lunged out and toppled off the bed. The side table collapsed under his weight and his torso hit the floor but his legs stayed on the bed. Twisting his body was too painful. The darkness came to him as quickly as the pair of boots came across the room.
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He stirred uncomfortably on the narrow bed, his body sore from sitting in the same position for so long. He cracked his eyes open and blinked away the sleep. The room was dark but a warm light came from the fireplace and a single lamp on the table. A female was sitting at the table hunched over a book, chewing on her thumbnail. She reached up and tucked a strand of long brown hair behind her ear and he realised with a start it wasn't a female, but a girl. A woman. He wasn't sure where the line was with humans.

A human woman was sitting at the table in front of him.

She was intensely focused on the book but glanced up and froze when she met his gaze. Her golden-brown eyes bore into him as they stared at each other. With clearer vision he realised she had only a passing resemblance to Niamh, brown hair and brown eyes, but she was not so lithe as his niece. And she was human.

Their staring contest lasted a few breaths before she brought her hand down to the table abruptly. She swallowed.

"Hi."

When he didn't answer, she looked down at her hands then to the fire then glanced back at him. She seemed to want to say something more but the words never formed. She bit her bottom lip.

He tried to speak but only croaked a sound. His throat was painfully dry.

"Oh! You need water!" she exclaimed.

Without waiting for him to answer she leapt up and grabbed a pitcher. She poured some water and brought it over to him, her hand shaking slightly. He tried to move his arm to take the cup but found his limbs too heavy to lift. He could bring his hands up but couldn't possibly grip the cup.

"It's alright, it's alright," she whispered. "Just relax."

The girl lifted his head and tilted the cup to his lips. He gulped at the water greedily using his club-like hands to push the cup and pour it into his mouth, but she resisted and pulled it back.

"Easy there, not so fast. You have nothing in your stomach and you'll vomit if you drink this all at once."

She set the cup down and used a cloth to wipe his face where the water had spilled down his chin. He was mortified but she didn't seem to notice and simply reached for the pitcher to refill the cup. The water helped him think more clearly and he took some calming breaths.

"Where am I?"

She stopped moving and gave him a sharp look. Something like disappointment passed over her soft features and her shoulders sagged. She huffed out her breath like she had resigned herself to something.

"You're in the Cabin. I live here."

She walked over to the fire to stir the ashes. Buried in the coals was an iron pot with a heavy lid. She made sure there were coals all around the pot and blew on them lightly to bring them to life.

"Who are you?" was all he could think to say.

Crouched by the fire, she twisted to look at him again. He thought she wasn't going to answer.

"I'm Avery."

Nothing else. No 'daughter of' explaining her lineage. She didn't claim a clan or colony or herd or flock. Place-name. Humans tracked their lineage through their connection to the land. She didn't offer one.