Redemption

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Betrayal

When I opened my eyes, I was in an unfamiliar place full of beeping machines. The room was bright- too bright. White, luminescent walls surrounded me, looking strange in the normally dank, concrete buildings of Tueri. The smell of disinfectant filled the air, burning my nose with its strength.

I glanced down at the pasty cast covering my left wrist. An IV was stuck in my other arm, hooked to a bag of fluid on a stand beside the bed. It took me a few minutes in my groggy state, but I finally realized that I must be in the infirmary.

I was surprised to see Micah fast asleep in a chair next to my hospital bed, his legs propped up on my bedside table. I could tell by the dark rings under his eyes and the stubble on his face that it had been a few days since he had left my side. I wondered how long I had been unconscious.

I spotted a pitcher of ice water on my bedside table, and I realized that I was beyond thirsty. I reached out to grab the pitcher, but as I did, my heart-rate monitor slipped off of my finger, causing an alarm to sound through the speaker above my bed.

I had never seen people move so quickly, as two nurses came running in from the hallway, another patient stood up as though about to come save me, and Micah bolted out of the chair. All the while, I sat red-faced and humiliated, holding the pitcher of water.

Realizing that this was a false alarm, the other patient climbed back into bed, pulling the blanket up to her chin, while the nurses went back into the hallway, muttering irritably amongst themselves.

"Sorry," I croaked, my voice cracking from lack of use.

Micah grabbed the pitcher from my hands and poured water in a glass for me. I took the cup gratefully and guzzled it, the cool liquid feeling pleasant on my parched throat.

"How long have I been here?" I asked.

"About three days. We were starting to get worried."

I glanced down at the scrapes and bruises covering my body, the most obvious of which was her cast.

"You broke your wrist when you passed out," Micah explained.

"Of course I did," I muttered irritably, rolling my eyes. "I can't even faint without making a fool of myself. Just another reason for the protectors to doubt my abilities, I guess."

"You can't be serious?" Micah said, a look of bewilderment plastered on his face. "Alexis, what you did was the most amazing thing I have ever seen!"

I furrowed my brows, trying to remember. I could barely recall the battle, but I remembered the feelings of pure rage consuming me, and the feeling of magic flowing through my body. The rest was a blur.

"Really?" I asked, skeptical.

"Yes," he said, looking fervently in my eyes. "Was it foolish for you to use so much of your energy that you risked your life? Of course. But the amount of power you demonstrated will stop anyone in Tueri from ever doubting you again. Even the Malin ran away with their tail tucked when they saw what you could do," he said with a chuckle. "You single-handedly took out half of their soldiers and saved dozens of protector lives, including the young girl."

"Chasity is okay?" I asked. Micah nodded and I let out a sigh of relief. It had been a close call- too close. If another child had lost their life because of me, I wasn't sure I would have been able to handle it.

"Everyone is okay now, thanks to you. And as much as I hate to say this, thanks to Dennis. He worked hard to patch you up in the field. I'm not sure you would have made if it weren't for him."

To hear Micah commend Dennis for a job well done surprised me. It was just a few weeks ago when Micah was punching him in the face. Now it seemed that Micah and Dennis were finally able to find common ground on one thing- my safety.