Rise of the Warrior of Everfen

Chapter 89: I'm Not Broken

Erinne still felt lightheaded and awful when she opened her eyes. The ache in her head had lessened, at least, as she tried to focus her blurring vision and looked around. She wasn't in familiar quarters. She frowned and tried to sit up, but ropes snapped taut on her wrists. "What the...?"

"Shh," she turned her head and saw Khash rising from a chair a few feet from the bed she was in. He looked tired as he dragged it closer and sat down, setting his hand on her wrist, "Don't tug at them."

"Khash?"

"I'm sorry, my friend, I had to."

"Why am I tied to the bed?"

"You were thrashing. You went still and silent. Your eyes closed, and then you started shaking all at once." He stared down at the ropes, "They cut you into your skin, I'm so sorry, we didn't know what else to do."

"Well, I'm not seizing now."

"No," he shook his head, "but I'd like to keep you like this, for a while longer, in case it starts again."

She didn't like that. At all. "Let me up." He shook his head again, more adamant this time.

"It is known to happen when the body is poisoned. When I'm certain you won't seize again, I'll take them off."

He wasn't going to take them off? She tugged at them in dismay. She understood his reasoning, but her mind was rebelling at the thought of being tied down, of having her freedom stripped away. She lifted her eyes from the ropes, her head throbbing and her bones aching. Her vision was trying to clear and for the first time, she was able to see the floor more clearly. She lifted her eyes to the walls.

Gray. All gray and bland.

Hard.

Stone.

Her heartbeat quickened. She felt the constrains on her wrists more keenly as she felt the room closing in. "Khash."

"You know we'd never hurt you, Erinne."

"Why am I in the dungeon?" She snapped and tried sitting up, maneuvering into an odd position of sitting up but mostly slouched and hunched because of her tied wrists. Her throat felt raw and her words came out raspy and hoarse, but she was still able to convey her displeasure.

"We didn't know what to do. We don't have spare rooms in the castle with refugees filling them. Wren was scared someone would see you."

"So it was his idea to bring me down here?"

"We decided it together. Down here we could tie you down so you didn't hurt yourself in your sleep. And I can watch you, without interruption. Everyone thinks we're out gathering herbs except for Myre. We told her you were sick and I thought it best if you stayed away from Anyse."

She stared at him, as he admitted he'd had a hand in bringing her down here. "To the dungeon?!" She raised her voice. He gave her a harsh glare and she tried to calm herself. "You locked me...in a cage?"

"Erinne," he set his hand on her wrist and she tried to snatch it away, "please don't think of it that way. You were thrashing. You almost died. What else am I supposed to do? Any healer would do the same."

"Let me free," it was a quiet plea.

"You're still very weak." She tugged at the rope as he said it and his hand squeezed her wrist, "Don't. I'm not untying you."

"I don't remember what you say."

He scoffed, "It's no wonder. Wren decided to let you stand and you nearly smacked your head into the stone floor. You cannot go near that flower again."