Hello? No response.
I give into the lull that rocks me like a lullaby.
Goddess, take me.
I HEARD VOICES around me but no matter how hard I tried to open my eyes, I couldn’t. Hadrian was next to me, I could feel his hand in mine. Its warmth, like dwindling fire and the midday sun.
The room smelled odd. I couldn’t place its scent. Wet leaves, earth and… the sea. I could smell the sea.
Hadrian squeezed my hand again.
My name. I heard it being called, but it sounded distant. As if it was being screamed underwater.
I wanted to open my eyes, to respond to them. But sleep was easier to face.
***
“I SWEAR TO you, if you don’t wake up right now I’m going to drag you out of bed myself!”
Nyah’s voice pulled me from my deep sleep. I peeked my crusted eyes open and peered at her. She towered beside me, both hands on her hips. There was a graze, half-healed on her cheek and her hair was limp over her shoulders. It was hard to see much else from the overwhelming light behind her. “It’s nice to see you’re finally up.”
I opened my mouth, but my jaw screamed from the tension. My mouth was too dry to respond, my lips too cracked. I tried to lift my head to still my confusion, but my neck resisted. My entire body ached with sores and pains.
I heard water being poured into a cup from somewhere in the room. But Nyah was still beside me. Whoever it was had heavy footsteps as they walked over to me. My eyes had still not adjusted to the intrusive light that reflected off every part of the mysterious room, so I couldn’t make out who it was. A glass chalice with silver decorations was passed to Nyah who then held it to my lips, her hand lifting the back of my neck.
She tipped it up and water poured into my mouth. The water soothed my aching throat and quenched my thirst. I took the first two sips with caution, but finished the chalice in hulking gulps. I couldn’t get enough.
“How are you feeling, Zacriah?” The mysterious figure asked.
“Do I know you?” I rolled my head, ignoring the scream of pain, and caught a glance at the speaker.
I recognized his face, but I couldn’t place where I’d seen it before. There was a large scar that ran from the bottom of his right brown eye down to his lip. It was thick against his deep bronze skin and disappeared under the long thick beard that was peppered with grey. His face was weathered and covered in deep wrinkles that pinched on either sides of his eyes and covered his forehead. Besides the thick beard and equally bushy brows, he had no hair on his head.
“It’s been a long while since I last saw you.” He placed his rough, calloused hand on the sheets above my chest and smiled, showing off his missing teeth. “Do you remember my name?”
I shook my head.
“Good. It means my power worked well on you.” He winked.
“Gallion, I think we should wait for Hadrian to return before we…explain,” Nyah interrupted.
Gallion. I repeated his name in my head, as if it would help bring back my missing memories.
“What happened?” I croaked.
Gallion pushed on my shoulder, stopping my attempt to sit up.
“You need to rest,” he said, holding me down.
“Would you go and fetch Hadrian? Precious time has already been wasted waiting for Zacriah to wake.”
“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Nyah whispered, running a hand down my frozen arms. “Don’t worry about him, he’s harmless.”
I didn’t want her to go. I tried to reach for her, to pull her back, but I was too weak. She slipped out of my grasp and left, closing the door behind her.
I was thankful for the sudden darkness as the door shut out the light. It was easier to make out the details of my situation.
Gallion stepped forward, taking Nyah’s empty space beside me and leaned in close.
“You’ve been through a shit storm and it’s going to take you a few days to get back to normal,” Gallion said.
“Where am I?” I asked.
“I will answer all your questions as soon as Hadrian gets here. You’ve been out for three days and he’s gone mad waiting for you. He’ll be fuming when he hears you are awake and he wasn’t here when it happened.”
I raised a hand, moaning, and pressed it to my eye. Everything sounded so loud. I closed my eyes, trying to focus on stilling the overwhelming noises around me.
“Are you in pain?” Gallion asked.
“Everything is too loud. Why is it so loud?”
Gallion didn’t reply.
“What’s happened to me…” Pressure was building in a cavity in my chest. Gallion dropped eye contact and placed a thick finger to my lips. “Hadrian will be here soon and then we will explain.”
“But why can’t I remember?”
“I’ve placed a barricade on your memories. Trust me, you will thank me for it.” His reply was simple, short.
With every passing moment, the sounds grew louder around me. I heard a pounding, someone beyond the room. So loud, my head screamed with pain.
The door was kicked open and the wash of blinding light filled the room once again. I squinted past Gallion to the doorway to see a silhouette.
Hadrian. One moment he stood in the door frame and the next his arms were wrapped around me. Gallion fussed over Hadrian’s shoulder, but he was ignored.
“Be gentle, boy, he’s still in pain!”
I didn’t know why I was crying. But tears streamed down my face and smudged across Hadrian’s cheeks. My arm ached as I lifted it to wrap around his shoulder.
“Are you feeling better?” Hadrian asked, holding my face in his hands and looking me up and down. A shadow of a beard covered his jaw and neck. Beneath his eyes, two large dark bags stood out in contrast to his pale skin. He looked exhausted.
“You suit a beard.” It was the only thing I could say. Hadrian took my hand in his, running it across his beard.
“I grew it just for you,” he replied, his smile not reaching his eyes. “I am sorry I was not here when you woke. Blame Gallion, it was his suggestion I should go herb picking with his sister to pass the time. I would never have gone if I knew.”
“What a reunion.” Nyah came and stood to the other side of my bed. “I’m just glad Hadrian has someone else to talk to now your awake.”
Hadrian shot her a look then turned back to me.
“You look like you are in pain.”
“I’m fine. Is anyone going to tell me what is going on?” I looked to Nyah first, then to Hadrian who was already looking at Gallion. They each seemed stressed by my question.
Gallion placed a hand on Hadrian’s shoulder, a single crystal ring on his middle finger. “I think it might be best if we take this slow.”
“I agree,” Hadrian said.
“What he said,” Nyah agreed.
“Zacriah, if at any time you become uncomfortable, we can stop. You may feel some pressure first, but it will ease in time.” If Gallion’s words were meant to calm me, it didn’t work.