Chapter44: Protection

Kael I jolt into awareness, blinded by startlingly bright sunlight in an unfamiliar room. I have to blink repeatedly to clear my hazy vision while reaching desperately for the woman who’d just been kneeling beside the bed, her hand clutching mine. I grope thin air, grimacing against a sharp rush of heat that funnels through my body like a snake, slithering through my veins. It… hurts. Hurts like hell, actually. The heat is nearing a boiling point when a sharp yelp booms nearby, followed by scuffling feet and the sound of something shattering on the ground. The light abruptly fades as curtain rods squeal against metal, and then someone’s touching me, speaking so rapidly I can’t make out a single word they’re saying. A small, warm hand presses against my forehead then releases, and then I’m alone again, but this time in the dark, which is a welcome relief. I struggle into an upright position, my chest and back aching, which is a reminder I’m horrifically injured, but… I smooth my hand ov