Unspeakable Secrets The Alchemist Series (A Dark Medieval Progression Fantasy)

Chapter 31 Bargain

When Connor came to, he saw the same white ceiling and walls as before. His thoughts were clearer now, but his memory after being stabbed was fuzzy at best.

He was surprised just to be alive. He tried to sit up, and a shock of pain shot through his stomach. He groaned and fell back against the soft mattress.

He pushed the blankets down. His armor and clothing had been removed, and he wore a white gown instead. He lifted the gown and ran a finger over his stomach.

A scar had already formed. He probed it lightly with his fingers. It was sensitive, but not too bad. How long had he been out?

He slowly pushed himself up, making sure to use his arms as much as possible and reduce the strain on his stomach.

It hurt, but nothing unbearable.

He sat up and looked around the room. It was spartan, with few furnishings other than the soft, unadorned bed he lay on.

Adelia sat in a chair to his right, her head resting on the bed near his leg. He frowned and scrabbled through his foggy memory.

She'd carried him in her arms and raced through the streets. His concerns about Bvorn and Vadik melted away. She'd have taken care of that. But, what about the voices earlier? Something about an agreement? How much of that had been real, and how much had been a dream?

She breathed deeply and evenly. Who knew how long she'd waited by his bedside? He could ask her for details once she woke up. For now, he let her rest.

He used the time to piece together what little he remembered after being stabbed.

He formed a few vague plans too.

He'd have to find out how long it'd been and what else had happened before he could do anything serious. Mostly, it was just to get his head together and organize his thoughts into some semblance of order.

He slowly extricated himself from the bedding, doing his best not to wake Adelia. He swung his legs over the side and stood up.

A wave of dizziness washed over him. He reached out and braced himself against the wall. His legs were weak and shaky, and he felt tired... like all the vitality had been sucked out of him.

He took deep breaths and steadied himself. He searched the room for his things but found no sign of them.

Where was his bottomless bag? It had his codex! He couldn't do alchemy without it! His heart sank. He couldn't lose it...

"Hmm? Wha—?" Adelia said. She stretched in her chair like a lithe cat.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Connor said.

She yawned. "You should be in bed," she said.

"I got bored. Where are my clothes? My bag?" Connor said.

She glared at him with her beautiful violet eyes. "Don't even think of going anywhere," she said in a voice that was almost a growl.

"I have to," Connor said.

"You nearly died! I carried you here bleeding half to death, and the first thing you want to do when you wake up is go running off again?" Adelia said.

Guilt squeezed Connor's heart like a vice.

"I'm sorry, but we both know I can't rest in bed for a week, or a month, or however long it takes for me to recover fully. As soon as we get Victor back in the palace, we can get everything straightened out. Then I can take as much time as I need to recover, but until then there is just too much at stake," he said.

She looked away.

"The high priestess had your clothes sent off to be cleaned, so you might as well rest up for now anyway," she said, still not meeting his eyes.