Page 31 of Runes To Rain
He’s looking at me the way one looks at a wounded bird, as though if he stays very still, I will remain here and not take flight.
He holds a hand towards me. “Chaosta,” he says gently, his voice guttural and low.
The voices try again to tell me something.Why does he know my name?
“Do you not recognize me?” he asks, and something about his voice makes it sound like he’s in pain.
I reach my hands up to my ears and press them to keep the sound of his voice out. The sound of it makes the voices in my head even worse. I concentrate on not hurting myself. The voices are louder than they have been in a long time, and I’m quickly losing control of them. They’re whispering the wordsMalamanddemonto me on repeat.
Something about those words feels comforting, even hopeful.
I stop fighting and listen.
I look at him standing across the room. Something has cracked open in his expression, and pain is clearly visible on his face. I forget for a moment why I was afraid and remove my hands from my ears.
“Did I hurt you?” I whisper.
He closes his eyes, and I see his hands are clenched in fists at his sides. Something tells me that he’s terrifying, but I don’t feel it.
I take a step forward, then sit and push myself off the bed. I’m worried about him rather than myself, suddenly. “If I hurt you, we should go to the healer. It’s ok if I need to stay here longer to keep healing. We should make sure you’re ok,” I tell him.
He doesn’t move, his eyes remain closed, but he says, “Chaosta, you didn’t hurt me.” He opens his eyes, looking at me now, and while his face is still pained, his expression is angry.
“They made a mistake sending you here, and I’ll never forgive myself for not checking on you sooner. If I’d known…” He heaves a deep breath, and I watch his body relax, his hands no longer in fists. He takes another step toward me, moving hesitantly as though I might still try to take flight.
“I came to get you out of here and fix the mistake. Let me get you out of here?” he says gently, although I still hear the pain and anger in his voice.
For some reason, I’m still not scared.
“Are you taking me home?” I ask. The amount of hope I feel is painful. I don’t know what I’ll do if he says no. I wrap my arms around myself, tucking my hands in.
I can’t hurt myself even if the answer is no,repeats in my head.
“Yes, although not to your home. I’m taking you to my home,” he says, “When I bring you to your home, I need to have a conversation I’m not ready for at the moment.” His voice turns to a growl at the end, but for some reason, I’m still not afraid.
“Ok,” I say softly, and I see him relax further. I turn to the bed and the bag of clothes, but he stops me.
“We have limited time, and it has run out. You can change once you get there.”
As he says that, he steps past me and grabs the bag of clothes. Before I can do anything else, he wraps his arms around me snuggly. Then we are surrounded in shadow. Blackness crosses my vision, and I lose consciousness.
THE REAL RECOVERY
Iwake up in a bed that is unfamiliar to me. I try to open my eyes, but the spinning of the room quickly makes me dizzy, so I close them again. My whole body is shaking and stiff, my brow damp with sweat. I want to cry, but tears won’t come. I try to push myself up off the bed, but my body won’t obey. The voices scream and cackle loudly in my head. I sob quietly without tears until my exhausted body can no longer fight off the shadowy blackness, and it takes me, pulling me into darkness.
When I next open my eyes, there is a female face above me. “It’s ok, Chaosta,” she says quietly. “My name is Lily. Malam asked me to help you.”
I squeeze my eyes shut against the pain. When I open them again, her face is still above me.
“What hurts?”
“Everything,” I whimper.
She leaves the room and comes back a short while later. Ifeel her hand go around the back of my head, and she lifts it gently, holding a cup to my lips. “It’s just water,” she says quietly. “Try to drink a little, please.”
I manage a few sips, and she gently lowers my head to the pillow. Then I feel her lay a damp cloth over my forehead. It feels lovely against my hot skin. It’s soothing enough that I’m able to sleep again.
When I wake up next, my muscles feel stiff and my throat is thick, making it tough to swallow. The pain is less, and I don't feel like my body is on fire anymore. The door opens, and the woman who introduced herself as Lily steps into the room.
