The Rise Of The Morningstar (Eng. Version)

Chapter 27 - Unbearable Pain

Chapter 27 – Unbearable Pain

The cawing of a bird woke me up. I squinted against the light and felt my limbs slowly come to life beneath me. A cold wind blew against me, and I automatically pulled the blanket up to my chin. My eyes took a moment to focus. They burned like I'd had little sleep.

I was lying in my bed at the Lightwoods' house. The opposite window was open and fresh morning air streamed in. I knew it was morning because the light fell into the room from the east. On the right side of the bed, Adam was sitting on a wooden chair that I had never used before and was meant for the desk.

For a moment I felt transported back to the day I had woken up in the infirmary at the New York Institute. After my mother had died. The thought of her reminded me again of the gaping hole in my stomach that had formed that day.

Adam's green eyes rested on me thoughtfully, but when he realized I was awake his lips curled into a soft smile. "You're finally awake."

I nodded, unsure of what else to do. I actually wanted to sit up, but every part of my body hurt. My muscles burned with every movement, no matter how small. Even as I raised my arm to brush a strand of red hair from my face. Overcome with a sudden tiredness, I lay back on the pillows and watched him.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, testing my voice. It sounded okay, not harsh and raspy like last time.

"I wanted to be there when you wake up after what happened," Adam explained in an almost caring tone that made me sit up and take notice. But I didn't have time to ask. "What else can you remember?"

"I drew a rune and created a portal that led us to a country house. That's where we discovered Ithuriel in an underground cave just like I've seen in my dreams," I said after pausing for several seconds to reflect on my last memories. It was all clear to me. "I was able to free Ithuriel, but then the cave collapsed. We tried to escape but there was no exit. So, I created another portal."

The last image in my mind was Jace's arms lifting me up and carrying me through the portal. I didn't remember getting to the other side. With a confused expression, I turned back to Adam.

"You saved our lives with the portal," Adam said calmly, but lowered his gaze and stared at his clasped hands on his lap. "You were very weak and wouldn't have made it through without Jace's help."

I swallowed my words. So Jace had actually saved my life. I just closed my eyes for a moment and sighed to myself. That couldn't be true. "Where has my portal taken us? Did you have a specific place in mind?"

"I was just thinking about Alicante, to be as close to the city as possible. Because of the shields," Adam explained, raising his eyes again to look at me. They sparkled in the sun like two emeralds. There was an overwhelming expression in them, and he curled his lips in a wide smile. "But it sent us right back to the training room we teleported from earlier. It's incredible."

I cared preciously little about how incredible the accuracy of my portal was. My general interest in the portal was negligible. I couldn't say why I felt this way. Maybe it was just this all-encompassing exhaustion. I wished to close my eyes and sleep a little more.

"We were lucky," Adam continued when I didn't say anything. He tried to ignore my indifference. "The room was empty when we came back. Our trainer left it shortly before because from his perspective, none of us showed up for training. We got help because you were unconscious. We were briefly afraid you had died, but the Silent Brothers said that you had used up your last reserves of strength."

I jumped at the mention of the Silent Brothers. "The Silent Brothers were there?"

Adam nodded and brown hair fell over his forehead. "We called them because you didn't wake up. They examined you in the Basilias. They don't know about the portal. I told them you hadn't had a rune applied to you in days and you collapsed while warming up."