Story of Kings

Chapter 25

Are you feeling better now?

Kane's eyes fluttered open, the stone ceiling of the old sewers above him. His breathing was even and without pain, and Kane was surprised to find that he wasn't sore, not even his neck was tight like it usually was. He shifted his position and lifted his hand to his chest, the gaping void that had once been there was now gone, along with all the dust and dried blood and all covered up by a new, white shirt. He reached up and touched the scar that ran from the base of his neck and down to his chest; still there. Kane closed his eyes, his brow furrowing, what had happened? Was it a dream? No, something told him that it wasn't. While he was no longer in pain he remembered it, remembered dragging himself through the sewers and collapsing at the sight of someone.

Kane opened his eyes again and raised himself up. He was laying on a cot in a small room lit by an oil lantern on a crate beside him and a torch mounted on the wall at the open doorframe. Kane then jumped in his seat as he noticed a small girl wearing angel garb and resting her head on her arms on the edge of the cot, fast asleep. Doubt twinged through him, he had never seen the girl before and where he would be immediately suspicious of anyone being at his bedside, for some reason he thought fondly of her and was grateful. He felt no magic laced in his soul, nothing forcing him to feel that way, he was just grateful for her.

"Her name is Amelia." Kane's eyes snapped up to the voice to see Evelyn curled up in a corner on a crate, her eyes barely open. She shifted herself and scooted forward to sit on the ledge, sleep still clinging to her. "She's a healer and spent all night and well into the morning healing whatever had happened to you. That's why you're feeling so grateful right now."

Of course, being an angel, Evelyn could smell both his gratitude and confusion, her angelic nature also was probably what woke her when he had stirred. But he hadn't realized she could catch a scent that well, hadn't realized he had let it slip. "I didn't know you had a healer down here," he said in response.

"We didn't, I found her topside last night, when you and the others went out." Evelyn stretched out her arms and legs, restraining a yawn as she tried to wake herself up.

"Sounds like I caught a lucky break, then," Kane said as he watched Evelyn. "Did you really sleep here all night while this girl healed me?" He didn't have to ask, he could smell her scent, heavy in the air, but he was curious to know her answer. Something felt off about Evelyn, something he couldn't place.

Words he had spoken to her earlier flashed through his mind; do we know each other?

No, of course not.

But don't we?

Why did his mind keep going back to that? It was true enough; he felt an air of familiarity with Evelyn, but he knew his past and she wasn't in it. He pushed off the thought again, it was nothing. More likely than not, Evelyn was simply similar to someone he had known in the past and he just couldn't place who.

Kane was then drawn back into reality as Evelyn answered him. "I don't know, I just found myself here after everything and was too tired to walk the mile or so back underground to my room." Kane didn't know how to respond to her answer, an awkward silence following. "It was a lucky break, though," Evelyn cut back in with. "Everyone thought you were dead, and when you ran into one of our search parties and they brought you back, everyone still thought you were dead. No one expected you to survive." He could see it in her eyes, knew what she meant without putting it into words. You didn't expect to survive.

"I didn't plan on dying, if that's what you're implying," Kane said back as he broke eye contact.

"Then what did you plan?"