Page 95 of Storms & Sacrifice
With some minor bellyaching, the rest of my friends, orc and non-orc alike, file out ofthe room.
“David, this is Doctor Brightmarsh,” Khazak introduces me to the woman now standing at the side of my bed. She’s dressed nicely, wearing a cloak over a more formal shirtand pants.
“I am glad to see you awake,” the doctor tells me. “How are youfeeling?”
“Alright, I guess.” Physically,at least.
“That is good.” She gives me a small smile. “You have been unconscious for some time. Your friends have been very concerned for you. These two are the leader and healer of the group you are traveling with, correct?” She indicates Adam and Corrine again.
“Yes...” The way she wants to be sure the two of them are here is making me nervous. “Am I okay?”
“Short of being unconscious and the appearance of this scar, I was unable to find anything amiss,” the doctor looks at me skeptically. “You seem to be in perfect physical health.”
“I mean, somethingdefinitelyhappened to me.”Right?
“No, David. I really meanperfecthealth. I cannot findanythingwrong with you. No injuries, not a single scratch. Even this scar…” She hovers her fingers over the gold skin on my chest. “Normally, scar tissue is weaker than the tissue it has replaced. Magic cannot heal it without first removing the old tissue. But this scar? It appears to be just as strong and healthy as the rest of your skin.”
“What about his internal injuries?” Corrine asks, her voice sounding a little hoarse, and I notice that it looks like she’s been crying.
“As with his skin, I can find absolutely nothing wrong with his bones, muscles, or organs.” Doctor Brightmarsh touches my shoulder. “You have a smaller, matching golden scar on your back, and I presume your internal injuries looksimilar.”
“I’ll continue to monitor him like you asked, just to be on the safe side,” Corrine tells the doctor.
“Thank you. I know it may not be possible to take his full vitals while traveling. Just do what you are able,” the doctor replies.
“Since she’s the team healer, the doctor wanted Corrine to keep an eye on you once we start traveling again,” Adam tells me after seeing my confusion. “Turns out there’s a lot more to healing than just magic. She actually knowsa lotabout medical stuff.”
“Got it.”Still don’t like being talked about like I’mnot here.
“Now, David, I know you have been through something traumatic, but we still do not know what actually happened.” The doctor touches my shoulder again. “Do you think you could walk us through what you remember of the events from five nights ago?”
“Uh, yeah. Okay.” I nod slowly, nerves already rising. “I remember being attacked at the camp and running, then trying to hide in the temple and getting captured. They tried to beat the info of us, caught Nylan and Ragnar, and then I used a smoke bomb to start a fight. I remember Nylan getting away and then I...” I can still feel the sword sinking into my chest. The way everything got so cold. The loud whispering. “I died. Wait, do you remember when I told you about the ringing noise in the temple I kept hearing?” I ask everyone but the doctor.
“Yes. You told me about that. but in the confusion and stress of the bombings, we completely forgot to follow up. Did it happen again?” Khazak asks,concerned.
“At first, but when they finally removed the lead box covering the altar, it changed.” I’m probably going to sound crazy. “It turned into whispering.”
“Whispering? Actual voices?” Corrine isveryinterested. “Could you hear what they were saying?”
“Kind of? I couldn’t really understand any of it.”Could barely even hear it, at first.“But when I was dying, it got louder. And then...” Wait,didsomething else happen after that? “I guess I came backto life.”
“Verycurious.” The doctor is just as interested but still clueless like the rest of us. “What can you remember about that?”
“It was weird. IknewI had died, but it was like I didn’t care.” I remember how I stood up and just started...doing things. “I was still in control, but there was something else driving me. Like I had a mission, pushing me forward. But it was all emotion. I remember feeling angry—soangry, and I just started to—” I cut myself off, unable to continue as the violence I caused flashes through my head. “I don’t remember what happened after that or passing out.”
“After hearing some of the other survivors’ accounts, I initially suspected some sort of possession, but I was able to rule that out fairly quickly.” I try to ignore that she used the wordsurvivor. “I’ve brought in additional spellcasters of all types, but none have been able to determine exactly what was done to you. We know there was a spell, and that it has magically altered you in some way during, or perhaps because of, your revival. Your magical aura has grownextremelybright.”
“I don’t understand. How does someone just come back to life?” This doesn’tfeel real.
“Magical resurrectionsarepossible.” I look at the doctor, confused.They are?
“They’ve actually been pretty well documented,” Corrine adds.
“Yes, but unfortunately none of the details ofyourresurrection match up with any of those,” the doctor offers with a frown. “There is not a magic user powerful enough for something like that within five-hundred miles of the city, perhaps even farther. I am at a complete loss as to how this cult managed to pull off what they did. Captain, would you mind filling inthe rest?”
“Of course,” Khazak answers with a nod. “We had been in the temple for at least an hour. I was feeling the effects of the poisonandthe beating, so I was sluggish and unfocused.” Khazak looks directly at me next. “When you set off the smoke bomb, Glasha, Ragnar, and I attacked our guards while you ran for Murbank. You jumped onto him, which freed Nylan and allowed him to escape.” He pauses, looking down. “Then I watched as Redwish picked you up and ran you through with the sword.”
“That sword, correct?” The doctor points to a corner of the room, and leaning against it is the old looking scabbard, metal hilt shining in the light of the room. Something about seeing it here, having it so close, makes the bottom of my stomachdrop out.
