Valoria Kingdom: City of Whispering Embers
Shay woke feeling as though he'd been trampled by a fleet of horses. There was a throbbing pain at the base of his skull, it felt as though his head had been set ablaze then picked and prodded at with many needles.
He peeled his eyes open and a small kitchen and dining table came into focus on his left, as did a coffee table and a person sitting beside it frowning at him.
"I wouldn't move too much if I were you." the person grumbled. "You look like hell."
When the person came into view, Shay blinked - shocked. Stan?
Shay couldn't believe how much he had transformed since he last saw him. Stan sat before him, noticeably taller, his long limbs giving him an imposing presence. His brown hair, once just a tousled mop, was now neatly pulled back into a low, sleek tail that accentuated the sharp angles of his jaw—a jaw that seemed capable of inflicting some serious damage, reminiscent of a finely carved statue.
Stan's grey eyes, two deep pools of intensity, locked onto Shay with a kind of analytical scrutiny, as if he were a complex puzzle waiting to be deciphered. The way he studied Shay made him feel both exposed and intrusively examined, stirring a mix of admiration and unease within him. Every subtle shift in Stan's expression hinted at thoughts that ran deeper than words could ever express, leaving Shay to wonder just what he saw when he looked back at him.
Stan averted his gaze with a grunt. He stared at the palm of his right hand until a bright green light appeared, glowing between his fingertips.
Healer.
"My mother went to alert the palace of your whereabouts." Stan glanced at Shay's legs, his skin going a shade paler. "If you'd grant me the permission I can heal your surface wounds - I'm still trying to get control of my gift."
Shay looked down at his legs and stared, they were a bloodied bruised mess - and the worst thing - he couldn't feel his them.
He attempted to move his toes but a bolt of pain shot up his leg like lightning. His back arched and he held back a cry of pain gritting his teeth.
"I figured they were broken I just-"
"Do it. Do..what you can."
Stan raised his hand, moving it to hover over Shay's chest. Shay felt many places where he'd been cut sealing themselves together - dried blood surrounding the spots where the wounds once were.
He roughly ran a hand over his face.
What happened?
He remembered leaving Mallory's party to hang out with Noah. Silvyr embarrassed him.
Shay blinked. Silvyr.
Hey, Sivyr. Can you hear me?
Silvyr! Silvyr, I'm alright.
You're as loud as ever. Your father and a dozen guards - along with Mallory and I are headed your way.
Alright.
How are you feeling?
Tired.
Don't go to sleep. Stay awake, Shay.
Stan pulled his hand away, worry creasing his brow. "Am I hurting you?"
"No- no. Not at all."
"Shay you look pale, and you're sweating buckets." Stan grabbed a glass of water from the coffee table. "Do you need a drink?"
Shay tried lifting his arms but they felt heavy as did his eyelids that were slowly closing.
Stan jumped to his feet, dropping the cup, and with surprising speed and aggressiveness, Shay reached out to grab Stan's wrist.
Stan yelped, startled, "Shay I need to get-"
"I'm sorry," Shay whispered. "I'm so sorry."
Then Shay's arm slackened, and darkness greeted him like an old friend.
...
When Shay woke up again he was laying on a bed in a room. As his vision cleared, the stunning wood work on his bed posts and window sill came into focus - his room.
The wardrobe was pushed against the wall beside his bookshelf that took up most of the wall.
The door to the room opened and a palace maid entered carrying an armful of clothes.
She gasped when she saw him, nearly dropping the clothes. She hurried to dump the clothes in a chair before coming to tend to him.
Her skin was as white as snow, sprinkled with freckles, and her eyes were a shade of green that reminded him of moss growing on a forest floor. Her palace dress was faded but neat with no wrinkles, when she smiled Shay noticed an endearingly crooked tooth in the front.
"Your Highness. How are you feeling?"
Shay blinked. "Alright. I'm just a little dizzy."
"Shall I fetch you breakfast and Silvyr?" she asked wringing her hands.
"I'd appreciate it. Yes, please bring in Silvyr. What is your name?"
The maid stared. "A-Ashlyn, sir."
"Go open my desk drawer, inside there should be a brown bag of coins."
Ashlyn hurried over to the desk and quickly found the bag. She came back to his side holding the bag out.
"Were you wanting to go into town today, I-"
Shay waved off the rest of her comment. "Not at all Ashlyn. Take it as a sign of my gratitude."
"But-"
"I insist. Please bring me Silvyr and some food." Ashlyn looked ready to protest but thought better of it. She tucked the bag away and left the room - moments later it opened again, Silvyr bounded inside followed closely by Mallory.
Silvyr jumped onto the bed, curling up beside him. Mallory sat on the edge of the bed, a small smile lifting the corners of her mouth.
"Hey, Mallory."
She leaned down and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm so glad you're alright!"
"Trust me kiddo, I'm not going anywhere yet." Shay chuckled, returning her embrace. He kissed her tenderly on her scalp. "I'm alright."
"I thought...I thought we'd lost you." Mallory sniffled, pulling away to smile sadly.
"You can't get rid of me that easily."
Mallory giggled wiping her eyes. "I see you've still got jokes."
Just as Shay opened his mouth to say something his head began to throb. He closed his eyes, massaging his temples.
Then Shay saw something that sent a chill down his spine. He saw himself lying on his side at the base of a tree, while Noah was dragged off by dark creatures.
Noah was tirelessly trying to get away, his shirt was soaked in blood - his mouth open, eyes wide in fear. Then Noah and the figures vanished into the shadowed forest as though they'd been swallowed whole.
Shay was brought back to reality with a slap, he opened his eyes to see Silvyr, Mallory, and Ashlyn peering down at him.
Mallory had her hand raised as though she were about to slap him again but Ashlyn caught her wrist.
"I told you it'd work!" Mallory exclaimed, then her expression fell when she saw Shay's terrified expression. "Shay? What is it?"
"Attacked." Shay rasped. "We- Noah and I were attacked."