Eliona's War 2: Veiled Healer

Chapter 47

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When Severance opened his eyes, he noticed something different. Instead of standing in the stone courtyard, he was indoors, laid flat on his back on something soft. Wooden planks stretched overhead, supported by three great beams that were hewn and squared from a single tree. Soft yellow light and long shadows flickered over them, cast by a small flame.

He stared up at the ceiling, finding the rustic appearance soothing. When he breathed deep, he could catch the hint of something similar to pine.

"Are you awake?"

The voice was both calm and familiar, and the sound of it made Severance smile. It was good to be back.

"Mm." He went to push himself up, but his body only twitched in response. Each limb felt like it was filled with lead. And not only that, the attempt sent a stabbing sensation through his arm, so sudden and sharp that it caught him off guard.

"Ow," He hissed, and slumped back into whatever he lay on. He turned his head, relieved that he could do that at least, and saw that he was in Olen's office. He'd been placed on the pile of furs in the corner of the room.

Olen rose from his desk. He came around, his boots muffled against the cool stone of the floor. "Don't move, Severance. You're not in good shape."

Severance gave a short little laugh. As if he needed Olen to tell him that. "I know."

With a soft sigh, Olen crouched beside him. His features were more drawn and wearier than Severance had ever seen them. Shadows lingered beneath his eyes.

"Kioshi found you outside, completely senseless. That was quite a while ago. You shouldn't have come so soon."

"I know," Severance said again. He didn't look away from Olen, feeling ridiculously happy just to see him again. He'd been gone a week, and he was just realizing now how much he missed this place. "I wanted to, though. To let you know I'm okay and stuff."

A faint smile tugged at Olen's lips. "I appreciate it. Though you can't stay long. It's putting a heavy strain on you just to be here in that condition."

Thinking about that, Severance frowned. "Is that why I can't move?"

"Yes."

"Huh. It's not so different. I can barely move in my world, too." Severance almost shrugged, but caught himself at the last moment. His shoulder hurt enough without being aggravated.

A shadow passed across Olen's face. "I'm sorry, Severance. Because of us, you're-"

"It's fine," Severance interrupted him. "I'm fine. Or I will be, anyway."

There was doubt there, but the clansman kindly didn't press. "If I may inquire, how are you? What happened?"

Severance's first thought was to play it down. Why bother Olen with the details? There was no point in worrying the man over something he couldn't do anything about. But seeing Olen's somber regard, Severance realized he couldn't do that. Anything but honesty would be an insult. He shifted his gaze to the ceiling once again.

"Apparently I had a nasty seizure. It put me in a coma for three days. After that, I was pretty messed up. Still am." He paused, glancing over to Olen, who listened quietly. "My friends looked after me. They took me to this guy who's helping me figure out how to walk again. It's not so different from when Maun Gifted me. Just on a bigger scale, I guess."