Tipping the Scale

The Resistance (1/2)

Lidea awakened slowly, her head reeling as if she had been trampled by a thousand horses. This was by far the worst bottle-ache she had ever experienced. Vouching to never drink again, she decided that just this once, she could sleep a little longer. With her eyes still closed, she tried to turn deeper into the soothing warmth of her blankets. Only for her peace to be abruptly broken by a sharp pain. Memories flooded her consciousness as she awakened with a gasp. She recalled how the torch had scorched her flesh, and it made her break out in a cold sweat. Raising her hand slowly to her face, she felt her fingers glide over the rough texture of bandages. Slightly trembling due to the effort and emotion, she laid her arm back down. She couldn't believe that she was still alive.

The thought filled her with a sense of joy, only to be quickly dampened by guilt. A little voice in her head whispered how unjust it was that she had survived. How she had deserved to die, more than any of them. Rationally she understood, that those thoughts weren't fair but it was hard to shake them nonetheless.

To distract herself, she tried focusing on the room around her. The limited amount of light made it hard for the blurry vision of her remaining eye to discern the contours of the items around her. She was lying in a single bed, aside from which stood a small side table and a chair. Three heavy curtains hung from the ceiling above and separated her from the rest of the room. Blocking light and noise from her environment. The setup reminded her of the healing houses of old, a suspicion strengthened by the faint medicinal smell that seemed to cling to the space.

Where was she?

All old infirmaries had been destroyed during the magic purge and now only the church was allowed to care for the sick. For just a moment, she considered if her savior really had been a priest. Though if that had been the case, then she would have been dead.

Slowly she pushed herself upright while trying to avoid moving her head. Still, a wave of nausea made her groan in pain and almost fall back. As she tried to breathe through the queasiness, she

could hear footsteps rapidly approaching. Her body tensed in preparation, which only worsened the throbbing of her head. The curtain quickly opened and closed, as someone slipped inside.

"You shouldn't be sitting up yet."

A woman's voice spoke and Lidea could almost hear the disapproval in her words. A cool hand pressed softly against her forehead, while another supported her back, as the woman gently ushered her to lie down again. The decisiveness and confidence in her actions betrayed her experience in dealing with patients. Convincing Lidea that she was the healer that had treated her burns. Lying on her back once again, she quickly felt nausea die down. Muttering words that Lidea could not understand, the woman stepped out of her circle of curtains, only to return a couple of seconds later.

"I hadn't expected you to wake up yet."

As the pain had lessened, Lidea opened her eye once again. The woman standing next to her bed looked to be in her late twenties and was of short stature with dark-brown hair and clear blue eyes. She would have looked normal, if not for the sizable blue crystals adorning her body. There was one big one on the middle of her forehead, and three smaller ones were evenly spread between each temple up to the bigger one. Giving Lidea the impression that she was wearing a tiara of priceless sapphires, that not even a queen could afford. Her white dress was sleeveless, showing off the smaller jewels that were arbitrarily sprinkled over both her arms. Mindlessly, she wondered if her whole body was covered with them.

As an eyebrow raised on the impish face, Lidea realized that she had been staring. Embarrassed, she tried to apologize but her voice came out in inaudible croaks. The healer seemed to understand her intentions nonetheless as she smiled softly while reaching her the glass of water that she had brought.