Gift- Book 1

Chapter 38

Leiea wakes up in a cold sweat, noticing a severe ringing in her ears before opening her eyes. With it comes a shiver from laying on something cold. Her head begins throbbing and a groan escapes her lips.

"You're awake," someone says, but it sounds far away and the ringing doesn't help. Opening her eyes, she finds Ryn standing at her side, not far away at all. Above is a gray and blue sky, dotted with the silhouettes of birds circling. The sight brings her memories back to her, all of Firyah's creatures, helping Zasten, Heron calling out for her before getting attacked by... something.

"What happened to me?" She asks. Her tongue feels like sandpaper. "What attacked me?"

"Heron was the only witness. He said it was some sort of cat with huge ears and paws," Ryn's voice remains seemingly distant. "He carried you over here and Ranulf looked at you. He said you have a minor concussion and puncture wounds on your head and back."

She cringes, more at his description and the fact Ranulf is still around, than at the pain. She tries to lift her head but Ryn motions to put it back down.

"You shouldn't be moving your neck too wildly," he says, "It took a while to stop the bleeding."

Leiea's eyes widen. "How long have I been here? Can I still go out and fight?" She manages to hold back a few questions, but it sends her head spinning.

"You've been out cold for a few hours. And no, you can't go out there." Leiea opens her mouth to protest but he sighs in dismissal. "Do you really think you go into battle with a concussion and so much blood loss? There's a lot of people out there anyway." He grins. "They have the upper hand on those beasts. Last we heard, the amount coming from the forest is lessening."

She smiles. Still, her head goes to the amount of people that are dead alongside the animals. With nearly no one war-trained in the village, any amount of them could be dead. Probably Zasten, Crevan, or Ailpein, maybe even Therin or Sheyric if they got too carried away. She doesn't bother bringing up the question.

Leiea plants her hand firmly on the ground, finding it littered with snow. She pushes herself up- trying not to swerve her head- and sits on her feet, Ryn not helping but watching intently. The new position sends a shot of pain from her lower back and she groans. Looking down, her shirts hiked up, revealing bandages wrapped around her stomach.

"See?" Ryn says. "If you can't sit without pain, I don't think you can be running around for hours with a machete. Oh, speaking of which," he turns around and pulls the same machete out from behind him. He sets it next to her knee. "Don't use it though. Also, Ranulf couldn't wrap up the wound on your head, so it's unfortunately exposed."

She nods and sighs. She touches the spot on her head that's still throbbing, feeling the warmth of raw flesh. Her hand comes back red and she represses flinching. "If I can't go out there, you should."

Ryn looks at her like she's wearing a trout as a hat. "Do you really think-"

"Ryn." She barks. Despite the persistent ringing into her ears she can clearly hear concern in his voice. "I'm down, so someone else should go. I don't care if you don't believe in yourself. I trust you. Take the knife, and get out there."

He gives a nervous glance to the machete. "Who would watch over you? All the surviving nurses and doctors are working on people on the brink of death."

"Good! I hate Ranulf. I can manage myself."

"Fine, I'll go." He says, grabbing the machete and standing up. "Just don't be surprised if I come back screaming with a bruised leg."