Arc One: Awakening

Chapter 14: Shut Out

A faint murmur stirred Oscar's senses. Slivers of crimson and faded grey swam in front of his eyes. The potent aroma of oranges invaded his nostrils, and he tried to sniffle it away, but it only strengthened the scent.

"Try not to move," a soft yet authoritative voice spoke. "I need to run a few checks. Nothing too unpleasant, I promise. Relax."

A pressure against his shoulders encouraged him to settle and the springy mattress embraced his exhausted bones, the smell of the washing detergent lingering on the sheets. He scrunched his nose again and shivered as cold fingertips delicately pried open his eyelids.

"Sorry. My hands always get chilly up here. Stay as still as you can... that's it."

Glints of brilliant light glided across each eye like a pendulum, swinging from left to right before vanishing completely.

"All looks satisfactory to me. You may have headaches for a few days, but this will clear it in no time."

Oscar mumbled and tilted his head to the side, the room sharpening as he blinked away the remaining floating specks. Oily beads of medicine wormed its way to the bottom of the glass of water waiting on the bedside cabinet. He grunted as he sat himself up and strained against sore limbs. Two sets of strong hands assisted him, ensuring his movements remained slow and stable.

"I didn't realise there was someone else in here," Oscar admitted, meeting the warm eyes of the man who'd saved him from the swamp.

"Welcome back," the Phoenix guard said, his smile pushing dimples into his freckled cheeks. "It's good to see you awake. You had us on our toes for a while."

A throaty wheeze escaped Oscar's lips, and a pulse throbbed in his temples. He inhaled sharply and clutched his head. The physician handed him the glass, helping him take a few deep sips of the mixture.

"There we go," he soothed. "I know the flavour is quite strong, but it's a fast-acting formula and will be worth it when that nasty headache clears." He monitored his patient for a couple of extra minutes while he drank the remedy and drew back once he started to show signs of independence. "You might experience spots of confusion, but that is normal for one in your condition. If it lasts longer than a few hours or becomes a bother, Lysander here knows where to find me."

Collecting his belongings, the physician bowed to both the guard and their visitor before he left the small room. The door closed with a click behind him.

"Is your headache starting to go?" Lysander asked, taking the empty glass and perching himself on the bed.

"A little," Oscar muttered. He wriggled to get himself comfortable and glanced about, adjusting to the dim glimmer. A mirror coated in dust hung over a redwood chest of drawers, the golden handles worn by time. Mottled, velvet curtains blocked out most of the fuzzy sunlight, but some spirited rays managed to slither underneath the fabric to illuminate the polish on the peeling wooden floors. "I don't remember getting here. Wherever here is."

"I got you to the wagons in the village and brought you to the Phoenix clan," Lysander replied. "What were you doing in that swamp?"

"I was looking for a type of flower I'd been investigating. There must have been a... fissure, or something, because one second I was on solid ground and the next I slipped. Didn't even see what I fell into." A furrow wrinkled Oscar's forehead as he thought back on the fall, piecing together the sequence of events that had brought him to that hushed bedroom. "It's all hazy, but I definitely remember falling and smacking my head."

Lysander paid close attention to his story and nodded at random intervals. The serene lilt of his voice captured his curiosity. He attempted to pinpoint it somewhere within Lucarian, but nothing came to him. "You're not from around here, are you?"