Chapter 30: Draven knows what his end will be.

Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Draven knows what his end will be.

Taliah opened her eyes slowly, and the first thing she saw was an unfamiliar ceiling, so she remained still for several seconds.

Her body felt heavy and she had trouble concentrating, so she tried to take a deep breath, but a pain appeared in her abdomen.

Taliah grimaced.

"Ah..."

"Be careful."

The voice made her shift her eyes to the side, and Draven was sitting next to the bed, so Taliah blinked several times.

"Draven..."

"The same..."

He leaned slightly toward her.

"How do you feel?"

Taliah tried to sit up and Draven reacted immediately.

"Don’t force yourself."

"I’m fine."

"You’re not fine."

"I can sit up."

"The healer said you shouldn’t move too much."

Taliah let her head fall back onto the pillow.

"Healer...?"

She looked around, seeing that the room was spacious, and that the walls had decorations she didn’t recognize, and a large window was covered by dark curtains.

On a nearby table there were several bottles, bandages, and containers with liquids of different colors, so Taliah looked back at Draven.

"Where are we?"

"In Bhabel."

She remained silent and then frowned.

"The capital of Fernus?"

"That’s right."

"How?"

Draven settled into the chair.

"The soldiers found us."

"Soldiers...?"

Taliah closed her eyes for a few seconds and the memories began to return to the point where she was trying to stay conscious.

Taliah opened her eyes quickly.

"The guy who attacked us."

Draven’s expression didn’t change.

"He’s already dead."

"Are you sure?"

"We wouldn’t be alive if that weren’t the case."

Taliah breathed slowly.

"I remember."

Draven stayed silent.

"I remember that we attacked him together."

Taliah looked up at the ceiling.

"So we really killed him."

"We did."

There were a few seconds of silence and Taliah tried to put her memories in order.

"After that I fell."

Draven didn’t answer.

"Right?"

"Yes."

"And after that..."

Taliah frowned.

"I don’t remember anything."

"You were badly hurt."

"That much I can tell."

Draven lowered his gaze while Taliah slowly brought a hand to her abdomen and under the clothes she could feel the bandages.

"How bad was it?"

Draven took a moment to answer.

"Pretty bad."

"That doesn’t explain anything to me."

"You had... several damaged organs."

Taliah stopped moving her hand.

"Several?"

"That’s what I said."

"Then..."

"A healer was able to reconstruct them."

Taliah looked at him.

"One from here?"

Draven nodded.

"One of the best in Fernus."

"That must have cost a fortune."

"Don’t worry about that."

Taliah raised an eyebrow slightly.

"That means it cost a fortune."

"Probably."

"Who paid?"

Draven looked away.

"Zenash."

Taliah fell silent and Draven waited.

"Great."

"What?"

"Now I owe my life to your fiancée."

Draven let out a small laugh.

"I’m sure she’ll remind you of it."

"That doesn’t make me feel any better."

"You could thank her."

"I will."

Taliah closed her eyes for a moment.

"But I’m not going to enjoy it."

"That already sounds more like you."

She smiled slightly and then looked at him again, but this time her expression changed.

Her eyes dropped to one of Draven’s arms or, more precisely, to the bandages covering it.

Taliah’s eyes widened.

"Your arm."

Draven moved it slightly.

"It’s here."

"But..."

She remembered that in Greydarn’s attack she had seen the arm separating from Draven.

"You lost it."

"Yes."

"Then, how...?"

Draven raised the reconstructed arm and from the shoulder to the fingers it was almost completely covered by bandages.

"A healer."

Taliah stared at him.

"They reconstructed it too?"

"As you can see."

"Completely?"

"More or less."

"What do you mean more or less?"

Draven moved his fingers, but the action was slow and he stopped after a few seconds.

"It still doesn’t work right."

Taliah looked worried.

"Why is that happening to you?"

"Reconstructing a limb doesn’t mean it immediately starts working like before."

Draven lowered the arm.

"The muscles, nerves, blood vessels, and bones were reconstructed, but my body still has to recover."

"Does it hurt?"

"Of course it does."

"A lot?"

"Sometimes."

Taliah frowned.

"Draven."

"I’m fine."

She looked at him.

"You just used my line."

"Now I understand why you use it."

"Don’t change the subject."

Draven smiled slightly.

"The healer said I should recover almost all of the movement."

"Almost?"

"That’s what he said."

Taliah didn’t seem satisfied, but Draven continued before she could insist.

"I need treatment for a while."

"How long?"

"They don’t know yet."

"Months?"

"Maybe."

Taliah clenched her hands slightly.

"It was my fault."

Draven lifted his gaze.

"That’s not true."

"If I..."

"I already told you no."

Taliah fell silent.

"I lost the arm before you could do anything."

"But we were there because of you."

Draven raised an eyebrow.

"Are you going to blame me too because Greydarn decided to show up?"

"No, but..."

"Then stop looking for someone to blame."

Taliah lowered her gaze and Draven saw that she was still worried.

"Besides, I got the arm back."

"After losing it."

"Minor detail."

"It’s not a minor detail."

Draven smiled.

"For someone who almost died over a school admission, you’re way too worried about my arm."

Taliah looked at him.

"Seriously?"

"What?"

"You’re going to joke about that now?"

"I thought you’d like it."

"You almost died."

"And so did you."

"Exactly."

"Then we’re even."

Taliah watched him for a few seconds and finally let out a small laugh.

"Idiot."

"I’m glad to see you’re still yourself."

"I was thinking the same thing."

Silence returned to the room, but this time it wasn’t uncomfortable, and after everything that had happened, simply being there talking was enough.

Taliah closed her eyes and Draven noticed she was tired.

"Rest."

"I’ve already slept enough."

"You were unconscious."

"That counts as sleeping."

"It doesn’t work that way."

"It does for me."

Draven shook his head and Taliah opened her eyes again.

"Draven."

"What?"

"How long have I been here?"

"Three days."

Her eyes widened.

"Three!?"

"The healer had to keep you unconscious during part of the treatment."

"And you?"

"I was also unconscious for a while."

"How long?"

"Clearly less."

Taliah studied his face.

"You look tired."

"Because I am."

"Then you should sleep."

"And I will."

"When?"

"Later."

"That’s a very vague answer."

"Coming from you, that’s pretty hypocritical."

Taliah tried to answer, but ended up yawning, so Draven smiled.

"Great argument."

"Shut up."

She closed her eyes again and this time took longer to open them.

"Draven."

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

He stayed still.

"For what?"

"For getting me out of there."

Draven felt pressure in his chest and didn’t answer immediately, but Taliah seemed too tired to notice the change in his expression.

"Also..."

Her voice grew quieter.

"We have to finish that conversation."

Draven immediately remembered the moment before the vocier appeared.

’I want...’

Taliah hadn’t finished the sentence.

"When you’re better."

"All right."

Draven lowered his gaze.

"...Yes."

Taliah smiled and a few seconds later her breathing became calm, since she had fallen asleep.

Draven remained seated and watched her for a long time, but then he slowly clenched the hand of his healthy arm.

"Forgive me..."

His voice was barely audible and the memories returned to the moment when he was standing in front of Elfin.