Page 52 of Plaything of the Dark Elf

Dalia

“Etheron!”

Servants and soldiers swarm his body, talking wildly amongst themselves about what to do next. They’re blocking my vision of him, but I can clearly see blood pouring out from his body.

Fighting against the hands holding me back, I push through the crowd and nearly collapse at his side. His head is hoisted up onto the lap of a panicked servant.

Etheron’s eyes land on me briefly before fluttering close. My chest seizes up.

“What happened to him?”

My words fall upon deaf ears. No one answers me. Instead, they focus on Etheron and how to get him inside. I keep pestering the servants and soldiers with questions, but they refuse to tell me anything. It looks like they’re as lost as I am.

“Why is he like this? Who did this to him?”

Again, no one replies. They stare at me with wide eyes and it makes me want to punch each and every one of them, square in the nose.

When the healer arrives, the soldiers and servants move quickly to elevate Etheron’s body off the ground and carry him inside the mansion. Scrambling to my feet, I follow them, but my legs are giving out underneath me. It’s becoming more difficult to keep up with their strides.

Just as I feel myself crumpling to the ground, a soldier approaches me and places a hand on my arm. He helps me up and lets me lean on him. With my strength ebbing away, I’m greatly appreciative of this.

“T-Thank you,” I whisper. My words scratch against my throat. “Please tell me what happened to him. I-I need to know.”

“We were ambushed,” he says.

My knees buckle underneath me, but the dark elf soldier doesn’t let me fall to the ground. Gradually, he escorts me into the mansion. By the time we make it inside, the others have already taken Etheron into his bedroom. I hear their anxious chatter fading in and out of the background.

What’s important is that the healer is with him. Now, all I have to do is wait.

That’s the excruciating part, though. I don’t want to wait. I want to be at his side, nursing him back to health! I want to know what happened and the individuals responsible!

I’m being left in the dark, but that’s to be expected. Even though Etheron does his best to assimilate me into his life, it’s going to be difficult to convince dark elves to accept a human into their ranks. That’s something I have to live with, but I must admit seeing their scowls during a time like this makes my heart ache.

I stay in the hallway outside Etheron’s bedroom, along with his servants and soldiers. Some of them carry bloodstains with them, up their arms and on their clothes.

A shaky sigh leaves my lips. I sit with my back against the wall, hugging myself and gently rocking from one side to the other. I gnaw at my nails until my finger beds are red and raw. Still no updates. Still no indication whether Etheron is dead or alive. I don’t want to cry in this hallway since I’m surrounded on all sides by dark elves who don’t care about me, so I bite my lip and continue waiting.

Nearly an hour later, the healer comes out of the room. There’s a frown on his face. He immediately wipes a rag across his chin and forehead.

Just about everyone in that hallway leaps to their feet in seconds. Etheron’s new butler is the first one to approach the healer, who holds up his hands and tells everyone to calm down.

“I understand that you’re all worried about our General and I’m pleased to let you know that he’s going to be alright.”

A collective sigh of relief follows. I stay with my back against the wall, hand over my mouth. I’m still fighting back tears at this point.

“He needs to stay in a suspended sleep for some time. His body needs it. I fed him various healing potions because my magic wasn’t enough to heal the injuries he sustained. There might be side effects to that, so we must be careful with him.”

“Will he make a full recovery?” Etheron’s butler asks. His voice is bleak. “I saw his injuries and they were…”

“Yes, he’s expected to recover from what happened, but he’ll need some time. This kind of healing doesn’t take one night.”

“Thank you.” The butler pats the healer’s shoulder. “I will take things from here. I’m sure General Etheron will repay you plentifully when he rises from his slumber.”

“I’m just glad we didn’t lose him today,” the healer replies, ducking his head and shouldering his way through the crowd.

The butler turns around and faces the crowd. “Alright, everyone. Go back to your stations and continue with your day’s tasks. I’ll make sure the General receives all the care he needs to recover completely.”

Servants and soldiers alike bow their heads respectfully and start leaving the hallway, but I stay put. I don’t want to go just yet. I want to see him and take care of him.

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