Lair of Beasts [Book I in the Curse Of Blood Saga]

Chapter XXXVI - Redemption

The voices I could hear, I realized, were not of my imagining as I'd first thought when the last dregs of sleep dissolved. One was deep, angry and interrogating, while the other seemed defensive and admonishing. I could not understand what was being said, but I understood their tone of emotion — both were distressed. And then I was too happy to care what either of the interlocutors were saying because it also occurred to me that I had, at last, reclaimed some small sense of my hearing.

"But not to this degree, Lucian! It was never this acute!" Anne seemed harried in her attempt to reason with her son.

Lucian! My perception wavered once more and the voices became muffled as I swam desperately to the surface of the stuporous liquid that held me under.

"You tell me now that you did not summon the physician?" he accused.

"And to what purpose? He would have taken but one look at her, declared it all to be no more than a fainting spell brought on by her condition and then departed again! Be reasonable, Son. You see yourself that she is undamaged."

I peeled one lid back and then another. Seeing that I was conscious, both Lucian and Anne leaned over and began exclaiming at once.

"Dear God, we were so worried! What ails you, my child?

"Aria, you are awake!"

"Very perceptive of you, Lucian," I replied sarcastically, but tempered my words with a smile as I tried to sit up. To Anne I said, "Nothing ails me, Mother. I am hale." But I collapsed back onto the pillows the instant the words left my tongue, and thereby bellied my affirmation for the effort of sitting was far too great an endeavor.

"She needs rest, Lucian," said Anne, depositing a mug of some foul-smelling tincture into my hand. "Drink this," she instructed. "I heard you screaming..." She wiped at her cheeks and took a moment to compose her thoughts. "You took a fall last night! Astrid found you at the bottom of the stairs." She sounded distraught. My brows knit in consternation as she related what had befallen me.

"But I feel fine." My bewilderment was evident and they could plainly see that I spoke true; moreover, I was neither covered in bruises nor riddled with the cuts I should have sustained when I had fallen. Well, if they were present, I did not feel their sting. Both mother and son considered me quietly with varying degrees of perplexity and suspicion.

"Mother said you were covered in contusions when she found you," Lucian asserted.

"I had a manservant summoned," Anne resumed the telling, "to help Astrid and I, but by the time we restored you to bed... your lesions were already visibly diminished. I sent Gerald and Astrid away lest they see what I had." She shook her head, mystified. "And now your skin has healed completely! You are certain you feel no pain?"

"None," I averred once more. In fact, I felt strangely revitalized now that the dizziness had passed.

"What in God's name happened, child?"

I closed my eyes tight and pushed my palms into my forehead as I struggled to remember, but she mistook my reaction.

"Never mind, sweeting, you can tell us another time, when you are up to it." Then, looking at Lucian, she said, "Perhaps I am wrong and she might have been sleepwalking after all?" But, by the looks they shot each other, they both seemed to doubt that theory.

I was about to confess that I had been awake ere I lost my senses, but Lucian spoke afore I had a chance to.

"We shall talk later," said he with an impatient flick of the wrist. Anne nodded and focused her attention once more on me.