Part 2 - The Necromancer

Chapter - 29 - Awake, Alive

After the exhilaration of survival, and rush that came with Mareth’s seemingly life-charged lips, Cadryn had leaned on her shoulder as the two staggered to the edge of the Upper Gardens. The sight that met them, was a riotous orgy of dissolution: everywhere the creatures of the starless night dissolved under the radiance of the Neeft’s Beacon. The alien undulations of their death throes cut through the warm glow of victory, and stabbed at his mind. Tasting copper, he sneezed, and blood speckled black on the stones at his feet in the over-washed light of the Beacon.

Mareth was yelling something beside him, but Cadryn couldn’t make out the words for the rising sea in his skull.

He sagged, pulling her down with him, as his legs forgot their purpose.

In place of darkness, welcoming luminance took him from the world . . .

Reality became like seeing a familiar face amid the throngs of people in Throne-home’s bazaar district: a thing of confusion. The hot light of midday sun through the canted shades trading places with chill starlight. The sound of rain and hushed voices swapping with laughter broken stillness. Time refused to right itself, staggering like a drunk through the halls of Cadryn’s mind. When it finally crashed down into bed, into him, he awoke, not with a start, but a deep sigh.

“So,” began Silence, “What’s it to be this time?”

Cadryn remained still, letting the leaves of his thoughts settle to earth. “What’s what to be?” he muttered, tested his vision, and found the merciful low light of evening.

“Am I the worst, or best, medic?” she asked, as if unconcerned.

“That depends,” Cadryn answered, and, body-memory flooding back to him, flexed his ice burned leg.

It throbbed in angry reply.

“On what?” The sound of Silence sliding from her seat to stand over him proceeded the scent of prayer incense. She began to tug at the dressing of his leg, and Cadryn became acutely aware of his lack of pants.

“Do I have you to thank for still being here in the land of the living?”

“You do.”

“And my head feeling like it’s full of flowers, sunlight, and broken glass?”

Silence broke into a small fit of laughter, and something painful tugged at Cadryn’s heart, but as it passed, a comfort took its place. Whatever may have been between them, her good heartedness remained unscathed. “No,” Silence said, when the laughter abated, “you have Korbinian to thank for that . . . and your leg’s, um, condition.”

The cold of the coming dark stole into him, and sitting up in the bed Cadryn nearly head-butt Silence. There before him, in the reddish light of the dying day, he saw the so-called ‘Condition’.

“My leg is . . . purple?” he asked, equal parts statement of fact and demand of answer.

“More blue, actually,” Silence replied, running her thick braid of hair through one hand.

“Sunset’s got it off, Korbinian said it might clear up. I told him I . . .” she trailed off as her eyes finally met Cadryn’s, and, despite the illusion of flames given by the gold reflecting the sunset, she knew what he was about to say.

“It’s not your fault,” he said, and reached out to squeeze her hand. “I still have my leg. It works, right?”

“I would love to know for sure,” she replied, and moved out of his way.

His previous modesty crushed beneath a powerful need to know as well, Cadryn swung both legs out and stood. Then nearly fell onto Silence as he staggered sideways, legs still numb and stiff from his unnatural slumber. Steadying himself, Cadryn nodded. “How long have I been out?”

“Three days now. Korbinian insisted you be kept under, any movement in the first day would have destroyed the bond.”

A crawling sensation traced its way around the edges of the wounded skin as Cadryn considered the word choice. “What, exactly, did our dear alchemist put on my leg?”

Silence lived up to her name, then, with a sigh of her own, “Maybe he should explain.”

“Indeed,” Cadryn replied, and began walking to the door.

A cough brought him to a halt, “and maybe you should put something on before you go asking him.” Silence added, holding out a pair of deerskin breeches.