The Unsuspecting Mage - Brian S. Pratt [47]
The aroma coming from the soup makes his stomach growl. Taking the spoon, he eagerly scoops out a portion and begins eating. “Very good,” he says much to Mary’s pleasure.
Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, she inspects his injuries. “We were worried about you,” she says. “Corbin said that when they found you, he thought you were dead.”
He gives her a grin. “I can imagine,” he replies.
“Too bad about Hern and the boy,” she says sadly. “At least you were able to help the girl.”
“Is she alright?” he asks.
Mary nods. “Her father says that she is much more subdued than what she used to be,” she explains. “Our priest thinks after some time has past, she will gradually regain much of her youthful exuberance.” A pause, then…“She used to be such a happy girl.”
“After what she went through,” began James. “I can imagine it taking some time for her to recover.”
“Yes,” she agrees. “We are all just thankful she is alive.”
His bowl is soon empty. Taking it, she leaves the room with a final word about him getting more sleep.
Taking her advice, he lies in bed for awhile but sleep is an unattainable goal. It isn’t long before he concludes that he’s not going to be able to fall asleep any time soon. Thankfully the throbbing in his head which had been nigh on unbearable the day before has subsided to a dull ache and he starts thinking that he may be able to enjoy living again. Being tired of lying in bed, he decides to get up and stretch his legs, wobbly though they may be.
Taking it slow, he swings his legs over the bed and attempts to stand. When he gains his feet, sudden dizziness strikes him and he has to sit back down on the bed. Holding his head in his hands to calm the dizziness, and the slight increase in pain, he takes several deep breaths. Once the dizziness subsides and the pain returns to a manageable level, he again attempts to get to his feet, this time managing it without the sudden onslaught of dizziness and worsening of his headache. Feeling only slightly dizzy and unsteady, he refuses to give into weakness and shuffles over to the chair where his clothes are laid out and gets dressed.
Once he manages to dress himself, he opens the door and walks out into the front area. There he finds Mary sitting at the table mending a pair of trousers. “Where is everyone?” he asks, coming over to the table.
“The kids are out in the fields,” she replies, “and Corbin went with those returning to the house to help raze it to the ground.” She puts the trousers down and says, “Can’t sleep?”
Shaking his head in response, James replies, “Not tired. I’m feeling much better too, your soup really hit the spot. I think I’ll take a little walk to stretch my legs and get some fresh air.”
“Cyanna’s outside playing with the dogs,” Mary tells him. Picking up the trousers she continues, “If you should see her, tell her I would like her to come help me, okay?”
“Sure will,” he agrees and then walks over to the door and goes outside. He looks for Cyanna but there is no sign of her or the dogs.
Enjoying the warmth of the summer sun, he decides to walk over by the pond to find a comfortable grassy spot where he can sit down and relax. The ducks have since traveled on, so he just lays back and watches the clouds going by, enjoying the peace and quiet. The warm sun soothes his weary body, making him very relaxed. Before he even realizes it, he falls asleep.
Plunk! Plunk!
The sound of stones being tossed into the pond awakens him. Thinking Cyanna has come to join him, he opens his eyes and glances over to greet her. The whimsical greeting he was about to say dies stillborn on his lips. For there, not three feet away, sits the little creature with the blue vest and crazy felt hat he previously met upon first arriving in this world.
“Awake, are we?” it asks. “Enjoying yourself?”
Not sure how to respond, he says, “I’ve had better days than the last few.”
Chuckling, the creature responds, “I’m sure you have. But you’ve done well, my master is pleased.”
Curious, James asks “Just who might your master be?”