A cracked line of light parted the darkness as Zahne slowly opened his eye. Immediately, the Breelander could feel the difference in his body. There was a buoyancy that had long been absent. Gone was the wet drape of sorrow that clouded his mind. Beyond this, his constant pain seemed a distant misery.
The ceiling cracks and lines were familiar here; he lay in bed again. The window must be open as a breeze danced delicate fingers over his skin. A songbird could be heard, the scent of grass hung heavy in the air, and a nearly silent creak could be heard somewhere in the distance. It was the last sound that piqued the lame man’s curiosity.
When he looked out the window, he could tell he was out in the woods somewhere. He remembered that his savior’s cottage was away from the city, but the miasma prevented him from truly absorbing what surrounded them. The subtle sound was the move of branches in the wind: the voice of the timber as his father would have called it.
Wait.
Zahne rolled his head back onto the pillow. The realization washed over shockingly; he simply willed himself to look and the body obeyed. No….not the body. His body. A jay landed on the sill, it’s nails clicking noisily on the stone. Again, the scarred head turned to observe the new visitor…flawlessly and without real resistance. Looking back to the ceiling again, a mental self-assessment occurred. There was some stiffness from lack of use.
Methodically, Zahne tested his range of motion: very little had changed, but the spark of hope that he had felt earlier emerged once more and blazed into a tiny flame. If this could change from a single visit from the healer, then what more could result if treatment continued? He could not seem to focus on the visit and the last memory that could be accessed was the immense pain before pulled unconsciousness him under.
These questions were pushed aside as renewed purpose welled up in his breast. Zahne swore to regain command of his body again. Another mental oath emerged to repay his debt to the healer. However, before any of these, Zahne swore a much more precious oath…one that he would begin payment on very soon.
