World Of Light (Arula: Two)

Chapter 2

Karma paced back and forth at the doors of the infirmary. So far, their mysterious sprite as yet to wake. Karma's shoes clipped-clopped on the marble floor as she paced. Though, for one thing, she was glad that the sprite had stumbled into the meeting and at the same she wasn't. Questions with unknown answers swarmed in her head. What happened to him? Why was he here? What did that to him? The questions went on for infinity. "Relax, Lass, everything will be fine." Dagner, a dwarf who was one of Karma's faithful friend, said.

"How can I?" Karma said, her green eyes resting on the dwarf, who was taking a big sip of ale. When he swallowed, Dagner shrugged and pulled at his beard in deep thought. Omar rested a hand on his friend's shoulder, reinsuring her.

"Mika is in there, she's great with medicine." Omar said. "I bet everything will be just be fine." Karma gave her elvish friend an annoyed look.

"That's not what I'm worried about," she muttered. "How did he get those cuts? What happened to him? What-" She was cut off by the infirmary door creaking open. Mika's head poked through then her whole tall frame came out. She stood there with her raven hair pulled back in a sloppy bun and with a look of concern written on her face.

"The sprite will live," she said, firmly. "He suffers from various wounds that indicate from a whip. Other wounds are the basic bruising, a few broken ribs, and one terrifying experience." She said this as she opened the doors wider to let them in. "He's resting just over there." The sprite laid beds away in a small one-person bed with white sheets covering his body. His eyes were closed tightly, and his skin was paler than the moon. Light curly orange hair stuck to his skin, his face looking as if he were having a nightmare.

Karma circled the bed to get a closer look at the sprite, but at each angle it was the same, all expect for the bruises that went down the right side of his neck and all the way down. What happened to you? she thought to ask. Glancing up at her companions, hoping to find something in their features, but found none. They were as confused as she was. Karma suddenly felt the pressure in her head come back. It was like a headache before an awful storm came rolling in. She rubbed her temples in pain but trying not to show it. "The sprite will need rest." The head of the infirmary said from beside Karma, making her flinch. "I cannot tell you when he will wake up, but he does, I will inform you." With that, the head shooed them out.

----

Karma had spent the last week either in her room, drawing furiously in her book, or in the infirmary checking in on the sprite. The same results were same each time she visited. The headaches weren't getting any better either. They woke Karma up in the middle of the night and forced her draw in the book until the pounding had stopped. It never lasted long, though. Omar had come up to her everyday asking if she was okay, and she returned with same answer. "I'm fine." She said, sitting at her desk rubbing her temples. Her fingers twitch every now and then, her mind always drawing toward the book.

"Are you sure?" He said, fully coming in her room. "It seems to me that your headaches are getting worse." As Omar said this, he saw Karma visibly shook. She placed her head in her arms, silently crying.

"I don't know what to do." Karma muffled. "They won't go away." Omar opened then closed his mouth, there was nothing he could do for his friend, and he hated watching her suffer like this. A thought came to his head.

"What if I asked Mika and see what she can do." He said. "We both know how crazily good she is with herbs and medicine." Karma looked up at him with pink, tear stained eyes. She nodded her head before she placed it back down in her arms. Omar reinsured that everything will be fine and left.

A loud pound was coming through Karma's door, woke her up from a restless sleep. She groaned and yelled "go away", but the pounding still came. Throwing her blankets aside, she stomped over to the door and swung it open to reveal a startled servant boy, the same one who summoned her to the meeting with the councils. Her tired green eyes met the boy's terrified brown ones. "What?" Karma hissed.

"I-I come to in-inform you that the s-sprite has a-awaken, ma'am." The servant boy said. He then, bowed and hurried off.

----

As confirmed, the sprite had indeed awakened, and was sitting up in his bed, his dull blue eyes were looking straight ahead of him. When Karma approached him, she could tell he was as tired as she was. His whole body was nothing but skin and bone. He was so thin that he could've been mistaken as a toothpick. His wings were folded neatly behind him. "Hello," said Karma. "I am the Creator. I was told by the guards that you barged into here, looking for me?" The sprite slowly turned his head toward her, his eyes looking into hers. He nodded once.

"Yes," he said, in a hoarse voice. "I am."

"What's your name?" Karma asked. The sprite looked behind her and looked at Omar, Mika, and Dagner. "Don't worry about them. They're my friends. We just what to help." The sprite's eyes returned to Karma's.

"Nector." The sprite said.

"Why are you here, Nector? What happened to you?" Karma asked. The sprite, or Nector, tilted his head to side, as if he were considering what to say. Then, was a pained expression he said one word,

"Ogres."