Midnight Moon

Chapter 35 - Monsters

Veanna pushed herself up from the bed, arms trembling with the strain. Every part of her ached, from her liquid limbs to her rolling stomach to her pounding head. Nevertheless, she forced herself upright and willed the room to stop spinning as all gazes fixed on her.

It was an unfamiliar room, cramped and wooden, with furniture that looked like it had been thrown together rather than designed. She didn't know whether to be delighted that she was in a bed or terrified that they had returned to civilisation.

"Princess!" Neyerith broke the palpable tension. She expected to be met with a smile, but his expression was slack-jawed and concerned. The room still held a shadow of whatever had caused his familiar light-hearted jabs to be replaced with bitter snipes and harsh words. "Are you alright?"

"Well, I was worried I looked awful," she said dryly. "But your warm reception has reassured me." She swung her legs off the bed, fighting not to show the effort it took, and planted her feet resolutely on the floor. Her doubtful mind told her she did not have the strength for action, but she pushed the thought away. Despite her resolve, she had failed in every battle they faced. She would not let her own body hold her back now, not when there was so much to do.

Veanna rose, her legs shaking and complaining, and she felt her stomach flip again. She was upright for a few seconds before her cheeks tingled as the blood drained from her face, her fingertips buzzing and her vision blurring. Her legs turned numb beneath her so fast that she barely felt them buckling, and she would have hit the floor if it were not for Tia's hands grasping her shoulders, holding her up and guiding her back onto the bed.

"You should not move so quickly," the Outlander murmured, brushing wisps of hair from Veanna's clammy forehead. The anger and hurt that had clutched at her expression were gone, forgotten in creases of concern and relief. "Your body is not yet recovered."

Veanna prayed for her voice to remain steady as nausea rose in her chest. "I can go, I can fight, I need to -"

"You do not need to do anything but rest," Tia cut her off sharply.

She hesitated, but yielded. "I'll stop for a minute." She told herself that she would only rest so as not to worry her friend, but something inside her sighed in relief. As her vision cleared, she raised her head and strove to focus her gaze. Calu hovered near the door but Neyerith sat heavily on the opposite bed, his expression slack and his eyes more unfocused than hers. Both looked haggard and dishevelled, dark shadows under their eyes that matched the rings around Tia's. If they were worried by her appearance, how much worse did she look?

She rubbed her forehead, her thoughts muddled. "What happened? Where are we? The last thing I remember is Faltis paralysing me."

Tia lowered herself onto the bed, one hand holding Veanna's arm and the other resting on the small of her back. "We defeated the Order - well, that group of them."

"We kicked their butts," Neyerith added with a snort, a ghost of a grin appearing.

"What about Faltis?" Veanna asked nervously.

His grin solidified. "Calu knocked him out."

"Really?" She looked at Calu, who blushed. "Well done; I'm sorry I missed it."

"It was wonderful," Neyerith asserted. Was his slur from pain or some residual magic? Judging by the disdainful look that Tia shot him and the scent hanging in the room, the cause was mundane and alcoholic.

"It was nothing," Calu muttered, but a smile crept onto his face.

"We are in the town of Hallenfeld, some way from the temple." Tia grounded the conversation. "You have been unconscious for a little more than half a day; a healer has seen to you."