A New World: Chapter 4

Chapter Four

There was only a faint pain, a muted throb that left him nearly immobile. At least it wasn’t as severe as the burning it had been before. At least it was all over for now. He could feel cloth binding his chest, side, and leg. Where had it come from? He remembered hearing people around him, hands touching him…There was also a cool sensation through his wounds, amplified by tension. What had happened to him? He forced heavy lids open and blinked. Everything was distorted and blurred, and the post sunset lighting only made it worse.

Smoke billowed lightly from a small campfire, in the center of a cave; someone was taking care of him, for their packs were settled against the opposite cave wall, next to an unrolled bedroll. He was lying on a second mat, a fancy blanket draped over him. He let his mind wander, seeking out the person that had been there. A faint presence in the distance, near the river. It was coming closer…

He sighed, biting back a moan when his head reeled. It annoyed him, but his weakness couldn’t be helped. He was simply too wounded to do anything other than lay still. He glanced at his bandaged, bruised body, only half-dressed. He was surprised that he was still in his human form.

At that moment, movement distracted him. Someone was at the mouth of the cave, entering it. A silhouette, then a distinct figure, then a girl. No, not a girl, a young woman. Even beneath the emerald cape and dress, he could see that the person was a fully-grown, well-curved female.

She gasped, smiling momentarily when she met his gaze. Yet, the smile did not reach her eyes…fear dominated there, along with sorrow and confusion.

“How long have you been awake?” she asked in Common, probably for his benefit. He noticed the slight accent in her tone and her pointed ears. She was an elf?

He swallowed, slipping into her mind. He didn’t feel strong enough to speak physically. A few minutes.

She looked around, then back at him. “Was that you, in my head?”

Yes. It’s been a hard week, and I doubt I am strong enough to speak physically, yet.

She nodded, moving toward her bedroll. He followed her with his eyes, careful not to move in a way that would cause him pain. The way she moved…it was smooth and graceful, yet slow and mournful. It was as if she had once been proud of herself, and now didn’t care at all. Why? He decided it was none of his concern.

“How do you feel?” she spoke again, sitting on her own makeshift bed.

I’ve been better, he admitted. Did you help me?

She nodded again, very slightly.

Why?

That got a sudden reaction out of her. Momentary shock flashed through her green eyes as she gawked at him. “What kind of question is that?”

One innocent enough. It’s just…I’ve never been treated so kindly before. Not by a mortal.

She nodded, relaxing slightly, but fear was still present in her gaze. “Understandable, I suppose…but I didn’t help you out of kindness. It was the right thing to do, considering your condition. You were – and are – grievously injured, you came upon me in the meadow, and you collapsed. I got you into this cave, and called for my healer.”

So, she had helped him because it was the right thing to do? He doubted that was the last of her reasons. He had seen her concealed sorrow; something had to happen in the past to make her this way.

She breathed slowly. “And…because I have seen enough death already. I wouldn’t have been able to stand it if you’d died.”

He stared at her for a moment, letting her words sink in. She had seen death, and probably a lot of it. But, with time, she would open up and tell him why and how it came to pass. Originally, he would not have cared why she was pessimistic, but he could see she was truly tormented, maybe even haunted by nightmares and flashbacks. She would need someone to talk to, someone not of her tribe or home. If he stayed, she would probably need him…

I thank you.

The corners of her lips twitched in a brief smile. “You’re welcome.”

This girl had a strange effect on him. He had been afraid at first, but now he was calm. He was opening up to someone he had never seen before, to someone completely different than him…He was a dragon, and she was an elf. He was almost a hundred – even though he looked to be twenty – and she must have been only sixteen. He was a proud, and she was mournful. Yet, even with those differences, he felt safe around her. She looked harmless enough, with copper hair flowing down her back and a gentle face. She even knew what he was, apparently, which would explain her somewhat obvious fear of him, yet she was still helping him. She had yet to harm him.

What is your name? he asked after a moment.

She looked up from a journal she had pulled out of her pack. “Arias. What’s yours?”

He tried a smile, but it was faint. Draciem, but you may call me Drake.

“Drake?”

He nodded, swallowed after coughing gingerly, and his words were barely even a whisper. “Y-yes…just call me Drake.”