Colin stood, his gray eyes staring into the mirror in his white-walled recovery room. He slid a razor carefully down his cheek, removing some more of the nearly two inch growth of beard from his face, and rinsed the razor in a basin of water before repeating the process again.
The past two days had been long and frustrating, full of questions that normally ended in something Colin didn't know the anwer to.
'How did you come to this place?'
'Fenlauch brought me.'
'How do you know Fenlauch?'
'I met him through the Keepers of Balance.'
'How did you come to know the Keepers?'
'I... I... don't know.'
The holes in his memory were painful, both emotionally and physically, but Amilach was not providing any answers. She had told him that it was better, for the time being, if he didn't try to push it. She said it would speed his recovery and help the pain to lessen more quickly. He was definitely interested in lessening the pain more quickly because every day so far had ended in splitting headaches.
Colin didn't know exactly what he had been through in order to remove the black makou which had become a part of him, and Amilach wasn't talking about that either. She simply said it was Rilmani knowledge for Rilmani only. At times, Colin felt like he had been strained through a sieve and then reassembled, only some of the pieces didn't make the reconstruction.
Colin finished shaving and wiped his face with a towel. He dressed himself in a plain cotton shirt and pants that Amilauch had left for him earlier. Somehow, his normal armor just didn't feel quite right for this occasion. He packed the rest of the meager possessions he had brought with him and sat on the bed to wait.
Today, he was going home.
It wasn't long before Fenlauch knocked on his door. Colin rose from the bed and quickly opened it to allow the golden man entry, followed closely by Amilach.
Fenlauch spied Colin's bag with a serene gaze. 'So, you are ready to return then?'
Colin gave a singular nod. 'Yes, thank you.'
Amilach and Fenlauch shared a hesitant glance and Colin could tell there was something amiss. He sat upon the bed with a small sigh. 'Ok, what is it?'
Fenlauch clasped his hands before him and looked upon Colin with the temperance of eons. 'Colin, I will be taking you back to the Prime Material, back to Westbridge, but I'm sorry, you cannot return to the cavern.'
Colin glanced to Amilach, who merely gazed upon the floor, before looking back to Fenlauch in confusion. 'Why not?'
'There is someone else living there now.'
Colin shrugged dismissively. 'Who, Thasmudyan? That's no problem, he has stayed there with me before. Believe me, the place is plenty big enough for the both of us.'
Fenlauch shook his head slowly. 'No Colin, there are several people living there. A family. I'm sorry but you can't return there right now. We have made arrangements for you at the Westbridge Inn.'
Colin rose from the bed, 'Fenlauch, the cavern is my home. None of this makes any sense.'
Amilach stepped forward, laying a soothing hand on Colin's shoulder. She looked at him with apologetic sympathy. 'Colin, please, listen to Fenlauch. This is what must be done. You still need time to heal. I beg you, don't push this. Just let the questions be unanswered, at least for now.'
Colin returned Amilach's gaze with a frown and was about to respond when Fenlauch extended his hand toward him.
'Colin, I feel our window opening, we must go now.'
There was only a moment's hesitation before Colin let out a defeated sign and simply nodded. He owed his freedom, his life, to these people. He had no choice but to follow them. Amilach gave him a brief embrace and he shouldered his pack, taking Fenlauch's hand.
'Alright then. I guess it's time to go.'
