The Garden of Lost Souls

Chapter 3

"Help me," the girl whispered softly. But Ellen didn't know how. She opened her mouth to say something, anything. To console the girl. Ask who she was. Where she was. But nothing was left but smoke. The oasis was gone. The girl was gone. Ellen looked at her hands, but she was gone as well.

The sound of rain pounded in her ears. When the room came into focus, Ellen made out the dim light of the lantern, faintly illuminating Aaron. He was sitting in the one wooden chair, head resting in his hands. Thunder rumbled gently, and a faint flash of light broke through the gloom of the sprinkling rain. Flecks of light shone through the clouds, distorting the raindrops as they fell from the sky, forming puddles on the dirt path. As it was the rainy season, Ellen knew this was likely mild compared to what would be coming in the weeks to follow.

Ellen shut her eyes and turned her head, sending hot sparks of pain shooting down her neck and spine. She groaned in pain, about all the noise she could manage. Aaron was there in an instant, hovering over her, sleepless eyes scanning to see what was wrong. Ellen stared at him, not sure if her parched throat was capable of speech. Water. I need water.

Fortunately, Aaron was already reaching for a steaming pot hanging over the fire, ladling the liquid into a wooden bowl and bringing it over to Ellen. He helped her sit up, and Ellen realized she was no longer wearing her fighting gear. She was now wearing a simple white dressing gown. How long had it been since that day in the field? How long had she been asleep?

"This is an herbal tea with medicinal properties. I got it from the market a few days ago. It should help with the pain," Aaron explained as he tipped the wooden bowl, pouring the hot liquid down her throat. It tasted sweet, with a slight spice to it that made Ellen cough.

At last, she managed to talk. "How long....?" She croaked.

"Eight days," Aaron replied. "You suffered a concussion when you fell, so things might seem a bit distorted right now." Indeed, Ellen's vision had multiplied and everything swam before her.

"How are you feeling?"

Ellen managed to give a gesture she hoped said she was okay. From Aaron's worried expression, she could tell she'd failed. Ellen flopped back onto the bed, the pillow cushioning her head. Flashes of color filled her vision, twisting and swirling like so many raindrops on a lake.

She gently shifted her body, ignoring the pain that spiked along her spine, gritting her teeth until she lay on her side, viewing the largest room of their cottage, although it was no larger than needed to hold a bed, a small table, cabinets, and a fireplace, with little space to move around.

Ellen spied something out of place on the scarred countertop: there sat a small maple cake, doused in the sticky syrup that made Ellen's mouth water. Although they were rare and often expensive in Illia, Aaron always managed to scour the market and find one for her birthday.

Her birthday.

"It was yesterday," Aaron admitted as he caught her glancing at the maple cake, reading her thoughts. "I hadn't expected you to be unconscious for so long. I hadn't left the house for a week, I was so afraid you weren't going to make it. You were barely breathing. I had a woman named Xar come take a look at you."

Ellen remembered the woman, frizzy greying hair surrounding her face. Although she hadn't much understood what was going on then, she knew Aaron had trusted her enough to watch Ellen while he went to the market. Because she was still learning to control her shifting, Aaron couldn't take her along. Xar was the only one he'd ever trusted. But that she'd come instead of the local healer...

"I was still in my dragon state, wasn't I," Ellen said quietly.

Aaron nodded grimly. "That was why we were so concerned. But, you shifted quite suddenly yesterday, and you looked... better. I needed to get out of the cottage, so I had Xar stay until I got back with your favorite." He reached over and plucked the maple cake from the counter, extending it with a flourish. "Happy birthday."

Ellen grinned and took the maple cake from his hand, thanking him as she bit into it, savoring the dense cake layered with sticky maple goodness. She smiled happily, cake crumbs coating her mouth. A knock sounded on the door, a one-two one-two that Xar always did to let them know it was her. Ellen hadn't seen the old woman in a few years, but she still remembered her and all the times they'd played games of pretend.

If Aaron was all seriousness and work oriented, then Xar was his exact opposite. Only bothering to comb her hair once a month, she constantly made Ellen giggle until she was gasping for breath while Aaron shook his head in feigned dismay.

Aaron was on his feet in an instant, hurrying to let her into the room, away from the miserable rain pouring down on the village. Ellen quickly wiped the cake crumbs from her face, brushing the remaining off her lap and onto the floor. She offered a silent apology to the little bits of cake, which she imagined would taste as good as the cake itself.

As Xar stepped into the room, Ellen's excitement at her arrival dimmed somewhat. Her frizzy grey hair was now gone, replaced with silvery white strands that hung down her back in a tight braid. The sarcastic, lively face Ellen remembered was gone as well, replaced by more wrinkles and eye bags. Ellen noticed that Xar's eyes seemed shadowed. Haunted. 

A flicker of fear coiled inside her.