The Year of the Tiger (Book 3 of The Almair Series) (Completed)

Chapter 38

I groaned and shifted as I came back to the land of the wake. My head pounded as if someone took a hammer and started to beat it. I bit back a groan of pain and dug my fingers into the soft bedding.

Soft bedding? When was there a bed in the forest?

I tried to open my eyes but couldn't for some reason. My whole body was on alert because I knew that I wasn't alone, but there was no way to defend myself if I couldn't see who or what I was dealing with.

"Oh, good," someone said. "You are awake. That was a nasty fall you had, my apologies. I didn't mean to make it that bad." There was shuffling near me before the sound of water as if someone was wringing out a cloth. "Here, let's get you cleaned up so you can see, yes?" the person said. "We don't have much time, and we have a lot to discuss."

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice croaking. "Where are we?"

"We're somewhere safe that the Forces can't reach," the person, a male, replied. He gently wiped my eyes before putting the cloth on my forehead. "There," he said. "Can you open your eyes?"

I furrowed my brows and opened them, blinking back the haziness that was still there. I pushed myself into a sitting position much the man's distaste and looked around before looking at the man beside me.

His brows were furrowed with concern as he looked at me, sitting up. He seemed not to like me sitting up, but I didn't care. His dark black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and his gray eyes were the same ones as those that had stood over me.

"It's you," I said, sitting up further. I pulled the rag off of my head, not really needing it. "What do you want?" I narrowed my eyes at him, not really sure if I should trust him or not.

The male smiled and nodded his head. "I see that you remember," he said. He leaned back into his seat and folded his hands in his lap. "Have you told anyone what you had seen?"

I shook my head. "No," I said, honestly. "I have not even told my twin."

The male nodded his head. "Good, good," he said. "We want to keep that a secret." He winked, and I scowled.

"You never told me your name," I said, and he shrugged.

"It's not important, not yet at least," he said softly. He looked slightly guilty that he couldn't tell me who he was. "Don't push it, Martha," he warned. "It is not something that I can say."

I frowned but nodded my head. I didn't bother asking how he knew my name, figuring that he would not tell me. "Why am I here?" I asked.

The male leaned forward, staring at me, expectantly. "Well, to help you, of course. There are some things that you can't explain, which is why you went searching for answers with your brother."

"Of course," I said, fiddling with the rag. I looked down at it the blue cloth and noticed this symbol that I had seen before. "This symbol..." I said, tracing it. I furrowed my brows while I tried to trace the circular pattern only to have the male take the cloth away from me and stuff it back into the milky liquid.

"Is not something that you should remember yet," he replied. He stood and took the bowl away. "I should not have shown you that symbol when you were younger."

"When I was younger?" I repeated, and he paused while his eyes grew wide. I took the blankets off of my leg and swung my feet off the bed. "What do you mean when I was younger?"

"Nothing, nothing at all," he said. He dumped the contents and picked up another bowl with a spoon in it. "I should not have said that. I am sorry that I can not elaborate." He walked back over to me and sat down. "Here," he said, handing it to me. "You are going to need to eat something."