Pain...
A beacon of pain pulsed within Colin's head, never quite dying but flaring to new life in correspondence with each heartbeat. At least he had a heartbeat, that was good, but with pain like this he found himself wishing it would cease in order to quiet the agony.
He lay curled in a fetal position upon something soft. He didn't quite know what or where and he didn't want to open his eyes just yet to find out. It hurt just trying to think. His mouth was dry and carried a taste like month old yogurt. He wondered for a moment just how long he had been lying here, but it hurt to wonder.
He heard a quiet click, a gentle creak like a door being opened, and a soft shuffling coming nearer. The sound startled him and the minor increase in his heart rate sent fresh waves of agony pulsing through his head. Perhaps this was an assassin, creeping in to end this misery. That wouldn't be so bad, now would it? There was a slight clink of glass and the sound was like a gong crashing inside his head. Colin's body tensed and he gave an involuntary groan.
A gentle voice spoke, "Ah, so you are finally awake."
Colin's brow tightened in anguish. Apparently this person wasn't here to end his suffering after all, but the gentle voice was like a crashing of boulders. Colin managed to weakly croak out a single word, "...hurts..."
"Oh yes, of course. I'm sure you're in pain. Let me see if I can help."
Colin felt a cool hand rest gently against his temple and, for the briefest of moments, the contact was like an iron spike being driven into his skull. There was a quick rush of warmth and the pain changed from iron spikes to a partially tensioned vice. It still hurt, but this could be bearable.
Colin managed to crack open his eyes. He was in tidy white walled room and a silvery-skinned woman in a plain white robe stood beside his bed, smiling down upon him. He knew this woman, they had met before although, it seemed a lifetime ago. It took him a moment to dredge up the name through his aching head. "Amilach?"
The silvery woman nodded in satisfaction, "Yes. You remember. That's good... very good."
Colin summoned the strength to uncurl from his ball and pull himself into a sitting position. The ache in his head intensified and he winced, placing a hand against his temple. He was surprised to find a significant growth of beard scratching against his palm. He looked over to Amilach in confusion. "How long have I been sleeping?"
"Almost three months now. We weren't sure if you would make it, but you are a strong one, fortunately. What do you remember?"
Colin closed his eyes with a furrowed brow. For some reason remembering was difficult. Not everything made sense, like there were holes, and the holes hurt. "Fenlauch brought me here, to this plane. He brought me to you."
Amilach nodded, "Yes, that's right. Do you remember why?"
"I... I was sick. There was something in me. Black makou?"
Amilach nodded again and gestured to a table sitting near the opposite side of the bed. Upon the table was a large glass jar, filled three quarters of the way with a thick black substance. Colin watched it for a moment and felt like he was looking at something alive. He looked away, back to Amilach. "Thank you," he managed with a relieved breath.
"No thanks are necessary. Tell me, how did that get inside you?"
Colin took in a breath and probed his memory once more. He knew that Amilach knew all these answers. He was being tested.
"Brin. She attacked me. I was going to die but Throm saved me. He.. put me in a tank."
Amilach looked impressed at this. She smiled serenely. "Well Colin, you have done exceptionally well. Once you have regained your strength, you will be ready to go home."
Colin nodded. Home. The cavern. But something bothered him and it caused his head to hurt more when he thought about it.
"Amilach... why do I live in such a large home for just me?"
Amilach's smile fell.
