I awoke to her hand on my forehead.
It felt eerily similar to when we had met. I shook the thought out of my head and groaned, in pain. My whole body felt like it had been smashed by boulders. What the hell had happened?
I opened my mouth to speak, and then remembered that I could anymore; the memory hit fresh and hard, and I closed my eyes briefly, not wanting my feelings to escape into her eyes. It was my battle scar to bear, as gracefully as I might.
I didn't think I would tell anyone that I had temporarily gained my voice back; it would break Cat's heart, and no one else right now had the time to hear about it, especially with the dragons coming.
The dragons. Avelyn. Did she know? I struggled to drag myself up, as Cat tried to reassure me, and Mother came rushing into the room. One look into my panic stricken eyes, and she already had answers for me.
"Avelyn does know, don't worry. She had been installed as the Doyenne, the dragons as far as we know don't know, and they announced last night at her assignation that they would be here in three days, hence tomorrow."
"Then we have to leave immediately; they'll need me in the city!" I struggled for a vague moment to move, and my body, this damn physical shell I was ensnared it, failed me, refusing to move in the slightest.
"Do not worry, Zaish; there are gryffons here to take you where you need to be, and you have a guard to escort you as well, one of the Doyenne's finest, so I've heard."
I took a deep breath in, processing what she was telling me, trying to focus on the sound of my heart beat, the sound of my own mortality, thundering deep within me. I was alive.
In and of itself, for now, that might be enough.
Cat was looking at me with bated breath, and finally I spoke. "Hey." It came across as feeble, I was sure, for I knew I was still weaker than I should be.
Regardless, that would have to be overlooked as we went to the city. She let a sigh of relief out, and I could see the tears dancing in her eyes. I reached a hand up to stroke her cheek, and she leaned into my caress.
"Hello yourself, hon." She spoke in tones just as feeble, strained by the weakness of uncertainty and permeated with love. "You had me worried there, for a while, that you weren't going to make it."
"I would never leave you, Cat." I hadn't really thought about it, but as the words came out, I realized how true they rung. "As of my own volition, I would never leave you."
She hugged me closely, and mustering the energy I had, I hugged her back, kissing her neck gently. I felt goose bumps in my wake, and smiled a bit to myself. She begrudgingly pulled back, searching my face anxiously. "Can you travel?"
Mother came up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder gently. "The boy just got up, Cat; give him some time..."
"No. I'm fine, or at least, I think I will be after I get some food in me." I shook my head, sending the bits of hair in my eyes flying outward, out of my eyes. "We should leave sometime tonight, for sure. If the dragons will be here tomorrow, we have no time to waste."
Cat nodded. "I agree; let's get you some food." Rushing out of the room, I heard her fair fly down the hall, I assumed towards the kitchen. Leaning back against the pillows, I sighed a bit, as Mother regarded me closely.
"Do you have energy reserves to draw on, like some god-touched, Zaish?"
If I could have laughed, I would have. "If I did, I'm sure they were just drained; the gods put you through a lot."
