Chapter 209: Uplifting (1/2)
Pain.
Agonizing, all-consuming pain.
It was the first thing Henry felt as consciousness finally returned to him. Gradually, he reached a point where he could form coherent thoughts once more.
Trying to make sense of his fractured memories, Henry recalled that he had been fighting on the walls. A particularly heavy push from the besiegers nearly forced him and his small band of guardsmen from the parapets, at least until the massive red dragon, that served the Dragonknight Erasmus, raked the enemy with a tightly controlled line of fire.
The effect was horrible, and it didn't take much effort to eliminate the remaining Tenundians, or at least it shouldn't have. That was when he took the hit.
One of his subordinates called a warning, but Henry was slow to react, turning just in time to catch the blade of an enemy axe with his left arm. The force of the blow sent him staggering backwards, reeling to catch his balance.
It wasn't until he was starting to fall that he realized just how close he'd been to the edge. Staring back up at the receding faces of his comrades, he had just enough time to open his mouth and start screaming when he impacted the roof of a stable near the base of the wall, plowing through it with all the force of an armored man in free fall.
That he didn't die instantly was likely due his landing in a large pile of hay. It was hard to be sure on that point, since by then he was fading in and out of consciousness, but he distinctly remembered the scratchy texture and the smell. Everything after that was a blur until he awoke in a very different place.
As a veteran of a few border skirmishes, he recognized the sounds of dying men, the smell of blood and offal, and the crowded, muggy air. He concluded he was in some kind of infirmary.
It took him a few moments to realize there were people around him.
An exhausted looking man in the blood-soaked robes of an Aminatrean priest was standing nearby. Henry thought it was odd that he didn't have the usual solar disc embroidered on the front of his white and gold clothes, but then remembered that neophytes who'd just entered the church didn't receive the symbol until they had passed their trials to become a full priest.
He tried to speak, but found himself unable to talk, or really even move. Even the most minor motion caused waves of pain to shoot through him, nearly forcing him into unconsciousness again. However, the priest's words kept him awake.
He was talking to someone Henry couldn't see, sounding tired and numb with whatever horrors he'd visited prior to this. ”I've done all I can, but I don't think he has much of a chance. He ruptured something in the fall and he's bleeding internally...”
[That and I seem to have broken every bone in my body.]
The man trailed off briefly, before continuing with head bowed. ”I'm sorry...if there was only a more skilled priest available...”
”No...its alright.” A husky female voice answered him, one he thought he recognized. Something about it reminded him of home, but he couldn't place it.
He sensed someone coming around to his side, sitting next to him. There was something wrong with his right eye, so he tried to turn his head to look, only for the resulting pain to drive him back into the darkness once more.
He awoke some time later, feeling a good deal weaker than before. He wasn't sure exactly how long he'd been out, but it seemed like he was alone now.
[Probably left me to die.] He thought with some bitterness.
A series of coughs wracked his damaged body, although he noted that it was no longer painful. That should be concerning, but it was getting hard to care about anything in particular at the moment. It seemed like the room was growing dimmer, little by little, as if the darkness was eating away at the edge of his vision.
[Ah...I guess this is it.] He coughed again, a little more feebly.
[I've had a good run, all things considered. No regrets...] A mental image of his sister's angry face passed through his mind, but he pushed it away. Considering the nature of their last parting, she would probably welcome the knowledge of his death.
Unconsciously, he tried to reach up and wipe the darkness from his eyes, only to realize that his left arm was no longer there, and his right was so heavily bandaged that he couldn't bend it. Again, this felt like something he should have been concerned about, but it was still really hard to care. He was far too tired.
In the distance he saw a pinprick of warm light appear. Slowly, it began to grow larger, dominating his vision and giving him the impression of a long tunnel. He didn't know why, but he felt he had to move forward.
Sensing the coming of the end, Henry found himself wondering about what awaited him on the other side of this passage. The priests said that righteous souls would find themselves in a paradise created by the gods, while the unworthy would be broken down and recycled to form the components of new souls, soon to be born into the world.
While he hoped that it would be the former, he had to admit that the latter didn't sound to bad either. Maybe he could find some solace in-
A sudden, intense wash of energy passed through him, and he found himself coughing in a remarkably pain free manner.
”Right, this one's done. Where's the next?” A man said from a point slightly behind his head.
”I don't believe it...” Another voice whispered.
Henry twisted in the bed, ripping off a bandage that was obscuring his vision in the process. It wasn't until he was sitting up that he realized he'd done it with his left hand.
Gasps filled his surroundings as someone hugged him from the side. Glancing down, he saw his sister, Irene, her face a mess of tears. ”I thought...you..” She started, unable to finish. Utterly confused, he looked around until his gaze rested on the figure of his savior.
The Dragonknight Erasmus was standing there, arms folded impatiently as he fixed the young priest from earlier with his masked glare. Evidently it wasn't have much of an effect, since the clergy member was still staring down at Henry with disbelief.
----------------------------------------------------
Mike was about to prod the incompetent young fool into action, when he realized he recognized the man he'd just healed.
He held up a hand in greeting.”Oh? Captain Henry, its good to see you.”
The watch captain, who was more bandage than man at the moment, returned the greeting with a dazed expression. He evidently hadn't quite recovered from his brief brush with death.