Barbarian

Chapter XI

The darkness suddenly turns to light and my eyes shoot open. I open my mouth to breathe, but nothing enters. Not even more water. Faintly, I can feel pounding on my chest and shouting. Over and over again. Pounding, and shouting, pounding and shouting. I fear my ribs will crack. 

Suddenly water fills my throat. With a cough, it bursts out of my mouth and fresh air enters. I am quickly flipped over onto my stomach and the rest of the pond water in my lungs leaves. 

I gasp for air. As it enters my lungs, I try to remember the last time it had felt so fresh. I can’t. 

“You’re all right. You’re all right,” a deep voice mutters, breaking through the sound barrier that seems to have formed around my mind. My eyes shoot open and through the shadows cast by the shining sun, I see Garrick leaning over me, his hair dripping wet and his eyes closed in fatigue. Breathing heavily, he pulls back and sits on his feet, his knees folded beneath him. 

I groan and my throat is suddenly set on fire. I wince and clench my neck, praying that the sharp pain will soon subside. After a few moments, it does. 

I slowly push myself up onto my elbows and wipe the wetness from my face. Even through the water soaking me from head to toe, I know that tears have also contributed to my sodden state. 

“How are you feeling?” Garrick asks.

“Uh...” I shake my head, trying to clear my water-logged mind, “Um... I think I’m fine.”

A twinge of pain at the back of my head has me going back on my words, “Actually...” I reach back and tough my scalp. My hand draws back, blood soaking the fingertips, “Actually, now that I think of it, not so well.” I chuckle joylessly before flinch at and glance at Garrick. His face is set into disapproval.

“You don’t have to make light of this, Maeve.” He places a hand at the nape of my neck, supporting it. I let my head relax and the sharp pain dulls a bit, “You have a right to be frightened, angry, worried...” 

“I don’t want pity.” I argue. 

“I normally don’t say this to people, but right now, you sort of deserve it. There aren’t many who have gone through what you’ve just been through. You almost died.”

Before I can respond, something crashes into the clearing from my left and I turn to see Tyrone, “What wrong? Is everything all right?” he shouts at seeing us. 

His eyes rest on us and he kneels down beside Garrick. His brows are creased with worry and he says, in a softer voice, “What happened?”

“Just a little tumble into the water,” I explain, shooting Garrick a glance that hopefully he’ll interpret into, Don’t let him find out how serious it was. I have had enough pity to last me until my dying breath. “I’m fine. No harm was done.” 

Hiding my blood-stained hand behind my back, I send an embarrassed smile Tyrone’s way. “It was stupid, really. I wasn’t looking where I was going and I tumbled right off a boulder. Thankfully, Garrick manages to pull me out right away.”