From Nothing to Nothing

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Pain. Pain was all I knew when I woke, and then a pleasant warmth radiating from my side. My eyes were still too heavy to open, and moving was a monumental task I didn't feel like taking upon myself. A groan escaped my lips and a voice entered my ears.

"Seems like he's waking up. You're rather lucky to be alive, boy."

That familiar pleasing voice filled my ears. The not so gentle swaying and bumping of the ride comforted me, aside from the larger bumps reminding me of my pain. The inside of the carriage was much bigger than it seemed like it should've been from the outside.

I opened my eyes, and tried to lean forward. My reward was a shock of pain followed by a hand pushing me back down, causing my head to bump into the wooden floor. I groaned and only just took in my surroundings.

A girl, younger than the woman whom I spoke to before, crouched over me. Her hands, held about 6 inches above my body, casted a soft blue light. It radiated a pleasant warmth about my stab wound. And only now did I realize the woman from earlier was also sitting in the cab.

"Oh, do try not to move around so much. I won't have you bleeding all over my floor, you know," she threatened.

"Right, sorry." I paused. "So, uh, What happened? And how long have I been out?"

She hummed to herself for a second, before answering "You and another Child got into a slight tussle, and you ended up getting stabbed. Also, you were only out a few minutes."

Leaning my head forward slowly, not wanting to be pushed back to ground by the girl again, to look at the damage. My shirt was missing, and I had several layers of gauze wrapped just under my last rib. Realizing it couldn't be too bad, my head flopped back to the floor.

I'd never seen magic before, but there was no other way to describe what was being done to me. The blue light was downright pleasurable, the warmth seemed to radiate from my side and spread up to almost my shoulders.

The girl doing the "healing" hadn't said anything yet, but was; however, glancing over at me, and giving me a glare. Calling it cold would be an understatement.

"Thanks. For the healing, or whatever it is you're doing."

Thanking her seemed to be the right thing to do, unfortunately she took this as a sign that I was fine, and stopped. The blue light quickly faded and along with it the pain numbing warmth. She got up, and took a seat next to the other woman.

I sat up and asked the question gnawing at my mind, "Who are you?"

She wore a large smile, but calling it warm would be a crime. She explained to me that her name was Magave Triton. She paused, I assumed to see if I reacted to hearing her name, which didn't ring a bell. She went on to explain that most people simply called her Duchess.

It felt like asking the younger girl for her name would've been a mistake, so it didn't get asked. Instead I introduced myself.

"I'm Edward, but most people just call me Ed."

"Edward." she repeated, nodding to herself.
"Well, Edward, what are your plans upon reaching Butchburgendy?"

The thought hadn't crossed my mind. I wasn't sure if anyone would even be able to understand me, and it wasn't like I had any money. The dread of being poor, a feeling I was accustomed to, crept along my bones.

Magave had to have noticed the worry sparking across my face, as she offered help. "If you'd like, I could give you work, and a place to stay. If only for a few days."

She had helped me before, even going so far as to make sure I hadn't died. If my liver was what she was after she missed her best chance to take it. Besides that, what other choice did I have? Sleeping on the ground wasn't particularly appealing.