FrivYeti/CalinPg6
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Brewan blinked a few times, opening his eyes slowly. For a moment, his breath caught in his throat, and then he relaxed. It must have been a nightmare.
He started to sit up, and gasped as a lance of fire stabbed through his head. Flopping backwards, he groaned quietly.
"Oh, you're awake." Brewan looked over as Bryce walked up to him, a smile on his face. The other man was wearing a bandage over his forehead, and walked with a slight limp. "Thank the Dragons, I was really worried." The other man sat beside Brewan's bed, as the injured soldier took in his surroundings. He was lying in the garrison infirmary, a place that he hadn't expected to see from the viewpoint of a patient. He couldn't move his head enough to see most of the room, but sunlight was filtering in low in the sky. Bryce leaned down, holding a small mug of water. "Here, drink this. You're probably parched."
Brewan weakly took the glass and managed a few sips, before pausing and looking up at Bryce. "How...what happened?" He sighed, trying to focus his muddled thoughts. "There were birds..." He stopped, and Bryce took back the mug.
"Hobgoblins." Bryce's face grew serious. "We were lucky. Astonishingly lucky. That monster lunged at me, and I managed to scratch it. Think I surprised it. It scattered the hobgoblins on its way away, and didn't come back to finish us." He sighed. "I got you here, and Master Yuran said you'd be okay eventually. He was worried, though, especially after..." He trailed off. Brewan, still trying to focus his thoughts, didn't notice.
"There was... light. Something." He frowned again. "Ooh, man. My head feels like a hollow drum."
"I bet. Those hobgoblins hurt you worse than me. I just had to rest for a bit. You were completely out of it for two days." Bryce smiled wryly. "Should've known we couldn't get rid of you that easily, huh?"
"Dragons. Two days. Guess I'm lucky to be alive, though. Those things could've done a lot worse..." Brewan trailed off as Bryce looked away. Even through the pain, he frowned.
"What is it? What else happened?"
Bryce was silent for a few moments, but then he shifted his position so that Brewan could see past him. There was one more person in the infirmary, lying silently in the other bed. It took a moment for Brewan to recognize Adar. He gulped. "What happened to him?"
"We don't know." Bryce sighed, running a hand through his hair. "He collapsed on the way back to the garrison; Redmond brought him the rest of the way. He doesn't seem to have any injuries; he's just lying there." He frowned, and looked back to Brewan. "The captain has patrols of eight looking through the hills, but they haven't found anything. It's possible that the monster and the hobgoblins left."
"But you don't think so." Brewan frowned back, looking at his friend. There was something about him...
"No. I think they're still hiding somewhere, and I think that monster did something to Adar." Bryce fought back tears, and stood. "I was afraid that the same thing might have happened to you."
"What about you? You were the one facing it." Ignoring his pain, Brewan levelled himself upwards partway. "You look beat, Bryce. I'm okay now. Get some rest, huh?" He smiled wryly, flopping back down. "Besides, I deserve a pretty nurse or something to take care of me, not a big lug like you." He chuckled as Bryce rolled his eyes.
"Keep it up, maybe I'll get Redman to take care of you." Bryce smiled and patted Brewan very carefully on the shoulder. "Right, I'll go get Master Yuran. You rest up."
"Yes, mother." Brewan smiled, as Bryce left the room, and then sat back. He was surprised that he had survived that horror, but it was over now.
"Ah, master Rabalais. Feeling better, I trust?" The elderly healer, Master Yuran, entered the room. Pausing to look over Adar, he shook his head and clucked his tongue before advancing towards Brewan.
"Doubt it. Before, I was unconscious." Brewan chuckled, then gasped from the pain. "Definately not."
"Ah, well, at least you are with us, my boy." As the healer began looking over Brewan, he thought back to Bryce. His friend had been acting rather oddly, and Brewan wasn't sure why. After all, it wasn't as though they could do anything for Adar. Brewan still trusted that his compatriot would awaken, but nothing that either of them did could aid that. Sighing, he lay back and let Master Yuran do his work.
