Soulbound: Embers of Defiance

Chapter 29: Regaining Strength

A sliver of sunlight speared through the grimy window of the infirmary, casting a wan glow over Caleb's pale face. He shifted on the cot, his grimace a testament to the throbbing pain in his arm. Relief washed over me as the door creaked open, revealing Isaac's welcome face.

"Well, look who's finally decided to rejoin the living," Isaac rumbled, a hint of amusement softening his tone. "Ready to face the real world again?"

Caleb offered a weak smile, the movement pulling at the bandages on his arm. "As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose," he rasped. The ordeal in the dungeons had left him shaken, both physically and emotionally.

"Take it easy," Isaac cautioned, his gentle hand landing on Caleb's shoulder. "You'll be sore for a few days, but you're a tough one. You'll pull through."

I watched from the corner where I'd been perched throughout the night, a silent sentinel against the shadows. Seeing Caleb on his feet, weak but determined, sparked a flicker of hope that had been waning since the revelation of the King's immortality.

As we exited the infirmary, a wave of joyous commotion washed over us. In the center of the room, Elyse, her face drained even more of color than usually, but her eyes sparkling with life, was being engulfed in a celebratory mob. Laughter and tears mingled in the air as they embraced her, the raw relief a tangible entity in the room.

Elyse's return from the dreamless sleep was a beacon in the suffocating darkness. Her recovery, a testament to Isaac's skills, lifted the weight that had been pressing down on us all. A smile tugged at the corner of my lips as I watched the reunion unfold.

The table in the common room buzzed with an energy that hadn't been present in weeks. Sunlight streamed through high, dusty windows, illuminating a scene of unexpected unity. In the center sat Elyse, her face still pale but her eyes alight with the joy of recovery. Her fellow rebels, from the grizzled veterans to the fresh-faced recruits, surrounded her, sharing stories and stolen laughter.

Surprisingly, Erin, her normally fiery demeanor subdued by the recent disagreement with Marcus, sat at the table as well, picking at her food with a sullen expression. Even Isaac himself, who usually remained in his cluttered chambers, emerged for this celebratory meal.

Across from me sat Caleb, his arm cradled awkwardly in a sling. The encounter with the wolfsbane still cast a shadow on his face, but there was a spark of determination in his eyes. We hadn't spoken in earnest about it yet, the unspoken tension hanging heavy between us.

Frustration gnawed at me. I understood Caleb was injured and unable to train us, but the enforced idleness felt like a slow suffocation. We couldn't afford to lose momentum, not with the rebellion hanging in the balance. So, while Kass and I were relegated to the monotonous tasks of chopping wood and peeling vegetables, we found ways to turn them into training exercises. Each swing of the axe became a strike against an unseen enemy, each flick of the knife a silent rehearsal for a deadly thrust.

Evenings were spent huddled around the flickering fire in the communal hall, Kass and I sharing not just our meager rations but also the anxieties churning within us. The lack of proper training chafed at us both, but seeing the steely glint of determination reflected in Kass' eyes sparked a fire within me. We wouldn't be passive participants in our own fate.

In the dead of night, when the carriage drivers were sluggish with sleep and boredom, Marcus and Finn would disappear into the night. They weren't strong enough to take on an army, not with Caleb sidelined in the infirmary. But they could make a statement, a tiny rebellion in the face of overwhelming odds. Wagons carrying supplies to the castle – sacks of flour, barrels of wine – would be mysteriously overturned, harness straps cut, progress subtly impeded. It wasn't much, but it was something, a tiny ember of rebellion in the growing darkness.