The Heir of Aiwan--Book 1

chapter 12

Alwyn comes to in little bursts, light and noise streaming in through his consciousness, his body jostling and rolling. Alwyn feels a tap on his forehead, a persistent drip drip drip between his eyebrows. His body jerks awake, Alwyn hears a small giggle fade away, a rustle of fabric just out of awareness. He hears the fabric rustle again and a small, short shushing noise.

"What are you doing in here?" a deep timbre followed by more giggles which fade in the distance.

"Are you awake?" the same voice, this time with a lilt of softness at the edges. Alwyn can do nothing more than groan.

"You took quite the knock to the head out there, don't sit up if you can avoid it," Alwyn turns his head slowly to the left, towards the voice, eyes slowly opening. The room is dimly lit with the sun streaming in behind the voice.

"Where," Alwyn croak.

"Whitemere," the voice answers. Hi eyes are snap closed again against the pounding behind his eyes. Alwyn rolls the name over and over in his brain trying to place it. The map of Aiwan passing behind closed lids, his eyes bounce back and forth scanning the pages of his memory for that name. His father's gruff voice filtering through with facts about each of the provinces. Alwyn's face must be pinched in slight confusion because the voice answers his questioning gaze, "Near the coast, across from Koryn."

Koryn is the sylph island province ,inhabited by sylph and the ocasional gwyn. They made it to the other side of the mountain to Lynde. Well, at least his body made it, who knows about his mind. "The others?" Alwyn asks.

"They are in camp, practically drug you body halfway down the mountain before we caught up to them. Mor had sent word of your journey just two days ago. They had scouts out looking for you, which is dumb lucky for you, could have been anyone who found you out there." Alwyn can hear a tinge of annoyance under the current of her voice.

Alwyn ventures a peak of his eyes again, this time the light is not as painful. Alwyn struggles to one side. Not daring to sit all the way up, he pushes his body up on one elbow. He drags his gaze up the length of her to meet her eyes. Her boots are scuffed with work, her legs lithe and fit. Her no-nonsense shoulders braced against his gaze until our eyes meet. The liquid green of them is penetrating. Fierce.

"Alwyn," Alwyn sputter out unsure of whether Alwyn should continue to look into her eyes or look away.

"Alwyn, of that I am aware," her eyebrow cocks up as she appears to question his sanity, "Mor sent word." Her words come out slow, as if she is talking to a dult.

"Oh, right." His body feels heavy but Alwyn forces it to sitting, resting his elbows on his crooked knees as they swing out from under the covers. It is then that Alwyn notices they are bare. He can feel the heat creep up the sides of his neck as he pull the sheet over his lap. As Alwyn lifts his head up, he can see the sheet swing back closed. She is gone. He takes a few minutes to slow his breathing and take stalk of the room around him. It is a small-ish tent. One other makeshift unused bed is on his other side. A crate rests near the entrance, an unlit lantern atop it. Alwyn sees a screen above him where a small light has crept in. The orange-pink glow of a fading sun greets him as he gets to his feet and walks the few steps toward the entrance, Pulling the curtain back with a few fingers, not allowing his body to be in full view of the camp in front of him.

Alwyn let the curtain fall back closed, he bend and braced his palms against the carton, feeling the warm wood beneath his hands. Alwyn pulled all his strength from his bare feet against the earth, allowing his vision to settle again before he opens his eyes and searches for some damn pants.

A silence hushes the crowd as Alwyn makes his way towards the gathering near the fire. The smell of roasting meat  fill his nostrils, causing his stomach to clench and his mouth to water. Alwyn sees a figure turn toward him and come closer, Alwyn recognizes Sera and the tension that was mounting subsides.