The Raven

Chapter 12- Elleya

It started as a steady throbbing behind the eyes. Quickly escalating, it became a dull roar, threatening to split my skull. Vaguely, I was aware of something else other than the pain, but it slipped through my consciousness. Something important was happening. I was supposed to remember something. Then, I remembered. Alrien! The Dragon! Alrien had been shot! I tore open my eyes and bolted straight up. Immediately, I wished I hadn't. Even through there was not much light, what little there was stabbed my eyes like daggers, and my head felt like it was being overinflated. I lay back down, hands over my eyes, and groaned. My own voice sounded weird to me. It sounded like I was speaking from the bottom of a well.

"Don't hurt yourself. I haven't spent the past day watching and caring for you only for you to kill yourself." The voice was tender and kind, though it was full of authority. I cracked open my eyes. I was lying on a straw mattress beside a crackling fire. The straw roof overhead was thatched and had a few holes, but kept most of the rain that was falling out. I turned my head to the side, ignoring the pain waves going down my spine. Sitting next to me was an old woman on a stool. Her steel grey hair was scraped back in a bun, and she was dressed in simple brown gown that hung to her calves. She stared at me intently, brown eyes burning with fire beyond their years.

I closed my eyes again, gathering my strength. Slowly, I propped myself up on my elbows and gradually worked to a sitting position. I winced as something in my back cracked. "You'll be feeling a bit light headed for a while, possibly a craving for anything leafy. But that's a side affect of a little earth magic." The woman leaned forward and continued to gaze at me. And even though I was sure I had heard her right, my hearing was still a little fuzzy. I brought my hands up to my head and felt a thick cloth wrapped around my forehead, covering one of my ears. I then remembered the beating I had taken when I had fallen trying to follow 306. "That's my work." The woman said, pointing to the bandage. "Thanks." I muttered, though I don't know why I was thanking her. I still felt sick to my stomach and my head threatened to burst apart.

"How long had I been out?" My voice still sounded distant, but less fuzzy. The woman studied me intently. "Just 2 days. Be glad that Randiel brought you in when he did. You were completely out and shaking when he brought you to me, but you did fare better than the boy." At the mention of Alrien, I tensed and inhaled sharply as a tingling sensation wove from my neck to my toes. The women leaned forward intently. Her brown eyes flashed in the firelight.

"Don't strain yourself, dear. You're still pretty weak. I don't want you to stress yourself to the point of making things worse." The woman seemed sincerely concerned for me, a child of whom she had never before met, a child that wasn't even hers. That struck me hard. Sure. I'd always had my brother and my father to watch out for me, but everyone else in town had treated me like a street rat. I received sideways glances on the roads and uttered curses in every shop I entered, though I'd ever know why. One time, I had come to my father in tears, wondering why everyone disliked me so. My father had only told me that the townspeople were scared and were only acting so on account of my mother. He had never said anything else, leaving me to wonder what had it been about my mother that had frightened the other townspeople.

"Can I see my brother?" I desperately needed to see if he was ok. I needed to know if I was still sane after what had happened with dragon, something I was still not willing to talk about. My voice was scratchy when I spoke and I sounded like one of the drunk men in the pub, rambling with a pipe shoved between their teeth. I looked into the eyes of the woman and she stared back. We held our eyes for a few moments before the woman looked away. "I don't know if that would be a good idea, dear. He's looking better, though I still don't know if he'll pull through. Even with the speed that the girl brought him here with, he still lost a lot of blood." The woman looked sincerely sorry, as if it were her own brother that had been wounded and not mine. Her words struck home, and all the frustration, terror, and sorrow I had been holding back suddenly burst forward. I wanted so bad to cry, to let go of all my pent up emotions, but nothing would come. Instead, my hands wrung each other till they were white. My cheeks grew red with blood blush, and my shoulders began to shake. But still, no tears came.