Dawnpoint

Chapter 29

"Micah."

He hummed lightly and opened his eyes, expecting to see the child still in his arms. Liliana hovered over him with a wet piece of cloth pressed to his forehead, smiling as he looked at her and his eyes widened.

"Welcome back."

He blinked and scanned her face, eyes trailing down to her leg spread in front of her with a makeshift splint he had introduced them to. She laughed as he pushed himself up and threw her arms around his waist, whispering indecipherable utterances into his chest. He pressed his back against the wall and then snapped his head to Oryn's mattress.

They had bandaged his chest neatly, blood stains soaking through the layered fabric, and his face was pale, sweat trickling down his forehead. He inhaled sharply and looked back over to Liliana.

"Is this real?" he asked hesitantly.

"It's real," Liliana confirmed. "I can tell you anything you want to know."

Looking back over at Oryn, he smiled gently, although the insecurities of this being yet another concoction of his mind lingered.

"How long?"

"About five sleeps," she said after pausing.

She dabbed his forehead again, wiped his neck down, and he yelled in pain when she reached his right shoulder. She apologised and pulled away as he angled his head to see it. A large bite wound smothered his skin, deep pockets of tissue exposed, but there was no blood. Pain shot through his arm and chest like a pinball machine. He groaned as he tried to move it and the healing skin tore open again, Liliana immediately telling him not to move.

"I need to wrap it again," Liliana said as she gestured to the spare cloth in her lap.

Micah flinched away from her as she reached out a gentle hand to grab his arm and lightly wrap his shoulder. She frowned as she continued patching him up, hair falling in front of her face as she looked down for the Rulie skin.

"I'm me, Micah," she whispered when she finished tying them. "How can I prove that to you?"

He eyed her carefully and then pushed past her, crawling over to Oryn. He didn't remove the bandages, taking Liliana's word that it was healing nicely and that she had just changed it before he woke up. He brushed the back of his hand over Oryn's cheek and wrapped his fingers around his hand, squeezing it tightly.

"Has he woken up at all?"

She shook her head. "There's the odd movement, but he hasn't opened his eyes."

He nodded grimly, studying his face. Despite his rough appearance, he still looked handsome. His sharp jawline still framed his face nicely, his sleek eyebrows were messy, and his plump lips rested peacefully, slightly parted as his shallow breaths escaped through them. His hair was matted, splayed across the mattress as though he was underwater.

Micah started dragging his fingers through his hair to tidy it up, being careful to not pull chunks out when he found a knot. Liliana watched him silently, sitting down and rubbing her leg, and shuddered when she suppressed a groan of pain as she massaged her knee. Micah didn't bother looking at her; if this world was fake, his mind would do anything to make it seem real.

Heavy footsteps clambered into the room, and from the back of Phoenix's throat came a noise of surprise. "You're awake!"

Micah hummed, still focused on Oryn.

"Here, you should eat," Phoenix said as he placed one of the bowls that he had beside him and passed the other to Liliana.

"I don't feel like eating," he replied.