Ink Forged

~If Not Home, Then What~

The first thing Maevus felt  as she floated back toward consciousness was pain. Her entire body felt like she'd been through a sawmill. It hurt to even think about moving. But then she started hearing a voice nearby.

Wait. Not one voice, but two.

"That's it," the deeper voice said. "Let it move along the stem. Let it tell you what's wrong."

"It's hard," a smaller voice responded.

"Most things are, kiddo. Especially if they're worth somethin'."

Maevus pushed through the fog muddling her brain and managed to crack her eyes open. Sunlight immediately stabbed into her corneas, making her groan and close her eyes. The voices broke off and whatever she was lying on sagged on one side. She assumed it was a bed, though it was hard to focus on anything beyond the pain-riddled barriers of her body.

A warm hand rested on her forehead. "Fever's broke. I might have been getting worried, girlie."

Maevus braved opening her eyes again. A blurry figure loomed over her, blocking some of the sunlight. She tried to sit up, but a firm hand on her shoulder kept her down.

"Stay still, Maevus. You ran yourself clean down to nothing out there." The blurry figure resolved into winter-blue eyes in a tan, handsome face.

"Vraylor," she croaked, letting her eyes fall closed again. It felt so good not to move.

"Welcome back to the land of the living." He gently took her wrist, checking her pulse. Her heart felt heavy in her chest, each beat sluggish. Again she braved the sunlight, just to find a pair of big, green eyes peering over Vraylor's shoulder at her.

Sawyer offered a shy smile before ducking back behind the master.

She licked her dry lips, suddenly aware of how terribly thirsty she was. Before she could so much as ask for a sip of water, Vraylor slipped his arm behind her shoulders and helped her sit up. A glass touched her lips and she gulped greedily, her fingers covering Vraylor's as she clutched at the cup like she was afraid he'd take it away.

When the water was gone, he helped her sit up against the wall. Then he sat in a chair beside the bed, watching her intently. She stared back, noticing the shadows under his eyes.

"And here I thought you would've known better," he said after a long time.

Maevus frowned, though even that hurt. "What?"

The muscles in Vraylor's neck corded for a moment as his jaw clenched. "Korie told me what happened in Liron. Would you like to venture a guess as to how long you've been unconscious?"

"Judging by your tone, I don't think I wanna know," Maevus muttered, wanting to cross her arms but unable to muster the energy.

"Eight days," he said flatly.

Maevus grimaced. She'd only ever pushed her magic to the brink once before. After, she'd only been unconscious for two days as her magic replenished itself. Her well was much deeper now, after years of growth and three new dragons, so the rebound was far worse. As evidenced by the pain throbbing through her.

After a long silence, Vraylor said, "You might be lucky to be alive, Maevus."

She swallowed, not wanting to think about that. The slight note of worry in Vraylor's voice only served to rattle her nerves more, which she hated. She didn't like it when people were concerned for her. It wasn't something she was used to. Ignoring the scream of her muscles, she threw the blankets back and struggled to her feet, slapping Vraylor's hand away when he reached to steady her.