My body started to burn. My left leg felt on fire... I tried to move it, to shake it off... ahhhhh!!! Lee! Leeeee! Ahhhhh!
"He is nearly here," Conrads father replied into my mind. "Your wounds are enflamed, there is no fire. It is only an illusion brought on from your fever."
Leeee? Leeeeeeeeee?
"Where is the husband? We need to get started," Sepi asked.
"They have just arrived," Conrad replied. "He is running up here now."
"Who is watching the children?" Uncle asked.
"His mother but she is also here in case we need her for Mae."
"Very good."
My skin was still on fire. Ahhhhh!!!!
"Shhhh, calm down Mae," Uncle whispered. "Shhhh."
"She smells of..."
"Troll," Conrad replied. "She was covered in every bodily fluid you can think of from both Troll and Human. It will take a week for the smell to fade. That is what made them so easy to hunt, the may be able to turn invisible in their realm but Lee killed everyone who left his scent on her. His father had no choice but to put her into the water to check her injuries. Lee carried her in his mouth, if they had phased and helped her in human form the local wildlife would have been on them in a second and bugs would have swarmed all over her."
"How did she cope with the lion?"Uncle asked.
"Well enough to get her home but Lee doesn't expect that to last if she recovers. Could she see them with her eyes so damaged?" Conrad asked.
"I don't think so. She was scorched by the volcano, it's melted her eyelashes and we think she has burnt retinas. She also has microscopic parasites all over her body from the river. So I doubt she could see them," Uncle replied.
"She seemed happy enough in his mouth but I think she was that desperate to get home that she would have climbing into the mouth of hell to escape it," Conrad replied.
"She hasn't been fully conscious since she got here and when Lee put her down she automatically reached back out for safety and attached herself to his leg like she was hiding behind a tree. It took me several attempts to prize her off it."
"I've heard of tree hugging but lion hugging, Mae is getting brave," Conrad joked.
"Or desperate. Where the hell is he?" Uncle snapped.
"Here," Lee replied.
"Finally, Lee lie down we need you to anchor her... what the hell happened to you?" Uncle asked.
"I'm fine," Lee replied... he was here!
"You don't look fine. How many realms have you been looking in? Is that a Troll bite?"
"This will be the part where I remind you this was not his fault and he has been searching for her without rest," Conrad replied.
"Lie down before you fall down," Uncle sighed. "How the hell he is supposed to help in that state is beyond me!"
"I am here to help him," Conrads father replied.
Leeeee?
"She is calling for him again," Conrad announced.
"He will be with you in a second honey. We are going to put you both in a sort of stasis. There is nothing for you to be scared of, ok. Just enjoy your alone time but don't move too much as we are trying to heal you," Uncle replied into my mind.
I felt strange like I was dreaming about getting knocked out for an operation. The darkness changed to a field where I was lying on the grass.
I stood up and looked around. I felt a cross between drunk and the worse hangover of my life.
"Lee!" I called out, my throat parched.
I looked around again and heard birds flying overhead. Reminding me of being grabbed by something and rushed through the air before being dropped. It was coming to get me.
"LEEEEEEE!" I screamed and started to look for a direction to run in.
"I'm here Mae," Lee called behind me.
I turned seeing him a few feet away but closing in fast.
"Lee!" I said flinging my arms around his neck and squeezed him to death as I burst into tears.
"It's ok, shhh you are safe now."
"Flying thing," I sobbed.
"I won't let anything harm you," he pledged as he hugged me just as tight. "It is just a bird."
"I fell and..." I caught my breath.
"Shhhh, it ok."
"I'm sorry," I cried.
"Shhh, just relax."
I couldn't relax I was too busy sobbing, heartbroken, traumatised and bewildered.
"There were dead bits..."
He tried to shush me.
"Troll...scream..." I was unable to form a sentence properly.
"Shhhh."
"My clothes...ring and..."
"I've got the ring back, I'll give it to you later," Lee replied.
"They held me...," I said holding my hand out. "Banging me... the walls."
"Shhh, it's ok, calm down baby," he said pulling me close again. "They are all gone. You are safe."
I felt as though my foot was swelling inside like a balloon expanding. I looked down as it. I remembered the rotten foot in my mouth as my hands flung to my mouth in horror.
"It's ok, calm down," Lee said trying to take my hands away.
"Dead foot... in my mouth!"
"There is nothing there," he said holding my face in his hands as he pressed his lips to mine. "See there is nothing there but my kiss."
"They checked... my... virginity!"
"I killed them. They are all dead. I ripped them to pieces. No one touches my wife," he said causing me to hug him to death again.
There was a rustle in the trees.
I panicked.
"It's the wind. Just cuddle me," he whispered. "And everything will be fine."
"They put me in a cage... and the people... ate the foot!" I couldn't shut up.
"Mae, calm down for me. Please, they need to help you but you have to be calm."
"They tried to rape me! And tear my ears off..."
"Mae, you need to calm down," Conrads father said to my mind.
"Noooo... they ripped my arm... pissed on me..."
I couldn't breath. I was well past hyperventilating.
"They want... my bones..."
"You are safe now. Lie down," Lee said trying to calm me.
"And my eyes..."
"You're going to have to help she is getting worse."
"I know," Conrads father said appearing beside us. "Can you blame her? Mae, we have got to help you."
"And my skull..."
"She isn't listening. She's hysterical. Mae, come and get a cuddle," he said opening his arms.
"Dead body... on my face..." my eyes staring ahead, unblinking as my mind tried to rush and tell them what had happened whilst trying to process it at the same time.
"Mae calm down. Come and have a cuddle," Lee said.
"Troll... giant," I remembered their size.
"Come have a cuddle Mae," Conrads father said opening his arms and walking towards me.
"Lions... screaming..."
"The lions were saving you. Can I have a hug please?" he asked getting closer.
"In its mouth... tongue... cold," I said as my voice started to croak and give out.
"Who was the lion there for Mae?" he asked.
"M...eee," I croaked, my voice no longer working.
"Yes, Lee is your lion. You are very lucky," my mind beginning to slow as though someone had put a hand in front of the images and words I wanted to form and say. I became blind to them.
Our eyes locked. The panic faded. Suddenly he grew in size to the huge giant man I had first met. He picked me up and held me in front of him. I blink heavily trying to remember what I was saying. He lay me in his arms like a baby as we continued to stare at each other. Everything was going to be ok. Everything was.... ohhh my hand. The pain was fleeting but soon followed by one in the top of my head. "Look at me Mae," he said so calmly it was almost like a lullaby. "They are healing you. I can take the pain away but you need to look at me."
I turned my head to look for Lee and felt a sharp pain stabbing under my ribs on the right hand side. I cried out. Lee didn't try to calm me, I think he was expecting it. Instead he came to hold my hand. The pain grew worse in several areas of my body. I contorted in agony and screamed whenever I could catch a breath. My pelvis felt as though it was being sliced open!
Giant fingers turned my head to stare into eyes that seemed as deep as space. The pain faded.
"She is calming. Work quickly though as her mind is too tormented to hold her attention for long."
I lost track of how long I lay there, before I woke for a brief moment in bed with Lee cuddled up to me. He was asleep.
"Is she cuddling him?" Suri asked.
"Get your nose out Suri Grayson," Uncle replied.
"That is my mummy, I am allowed here!" she yelled.
"She is very poorly and needs quiet. Noises are scaring her. Now go wait with the others and give your parents some alone time," Uncle replied. "They both need a lot of rest."
"Why did daddy go away?" she asked.
"He went to look for mummy. Go down stairs."
"Granddad is asleep too. Did he help mummy?"
"Yes. Go down stairs."
"Why is she not fixed properly? She looks...."
"Because she is too weak. We will help her some more tomorrow," he replied.
"Why does she smell urrrgggghhhhhh?"
"OUT!"
"Did the trolls eat all the people?"
Uncle sighed, "GET OUT NOW! OR I WILL SPELL YOU!"
"You big meanie," she said before I heard her feet running away in case she got a bum smack.